DX LISTENING DIGEST 11-35, August 31, 2011
Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING
edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com
Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full
credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies.
DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission.
Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not
having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of
noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits
For restrixions and searchable 2011 contents archive see
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html
NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but
have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself
obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn
WORLD OF RADIO 1580 HEADLINES:
DX and station news about: Albania, Asia non, Australia, Austria,
Bahamas, Bulgaria, Canada non, China, Eritrea, Germany, India, Italy
non, Japan non, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Portugal,
Russia and non, Sudan and non, Tajikistan, USA and non
SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1580, September 1-7, 2011
Thu 0330 WRMI 9955 [1579 repeated this week]
Thu 1500 WRMI 9955
Thu 2100 WRMI 9955 [confirmed, not jammed]
Thu 2100 WTWW 9479 [confirmed]
Thu 2130 WBCQ 7415
Fri 0330 WWRB 5051 [confirmed; to move to 3195??]
Fri 0500 WRMI 9955
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 0300v WBCQ 5110v-CUSB
Mon 1130 WRMI 9955
Mon 1530 WRMI 9955
Mon 2130 WRMI 9955
Tue 1530 WRMI 9955
Wed 1530 WRMI 9955
Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite
and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or
http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org
For updates see our Anomaly Alert page:
http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html
WRN ON DEMAND:
http://193.42.152.193/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24
WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN:
http://www.wrn.org/wrn-listeners/world-of-radio/
http://www.wrn.org/listeners/world-of-radio/rss/09:00:00UTC/English/541
OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO:
http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html
or http://wor.worldofradio.org
DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it
appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg without delay.
When applying, please identify yourself with your real name and
location, and say something about why you want to join. Those who do
not, unless I recognize them, will be prompted once to do so and no
action will be taken otherwise. Here`s where to sign up:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/
** AFGHANISTAN. 6102, Radio Afghanistan, Kabul. English on 9/8 with
news from 1531. Better signal on 17/8 at 1556 during the ID: ”Dear
listeners that was the program for tonight, goodbye”, next some part
of song and at 1601 ID “Ye Afghanistan” followed by news in Urdu
(Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF-2001, 16m Marconi antenna),
Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
R. Afghanistan: Carrier detectable at 1610 August 25 on 6102, faded up
enough by 1620 to detect local music. Better reception, though still
weak signal, on Global Tuners Cumbria receiver at the same time due to
much lower local noise level (Mike Barraclough, England, Sept World DX
Club Contact via DXLD)
Radio Afghanistan Photos
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00014.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00015.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00025.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00024.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00026.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00027.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00028.JPG
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/RTA/DSC00029.JPG
Inauguration pics :
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/01.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/02.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/04.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/05.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/07.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/08.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/09.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/10.jpg
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/???%20??%20???????/06.jpg
(via Alokesh Gupta, VU3BSE, New Delhi, Aug 30, dxldyg via DXLD)
Sorry about that, no Arabic script in DXLD, replaced by ???? when
copied from dxldyg. However, you can still click on and reach the
second set of images by first clicking on the fourth item on this page
http://rta.org.af/images/atomicongallery/
which will appear as garble without Arabic/Pashto/Dari script
enablement. Inauguration pix are mostly unID males standing around, no
females! First set are buildings and antennas (gh, DXLD)
** ALASKA [and non]. 9920, KNLS Anchor Point, 1110 Chinese; Ballad & W
announcer with URL & talk; battling for dominance with co-channel FEBC
Bocaue featuring M announcer with lengthy talk in unID language; fair
with constant "siren" effect heard throughout; 8/23 (Scott R. Barbour
Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-45, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Christians vs Christians, yet another example of KNLS` abysmal
frequency management. Will they do any better via Madagascar? (Glenn
Hauser, DXLD)
An interesting note, on KNLS -- I've actually never ID'd them here.
Anchor Point is perhaps a 2 hour drive SW of here, but I've never
verified them. I don't know what they're using as an antenna setup,
but I do know I'm always on the backside of where their broadcasts are
beamed, to E. Asia and Central/East Russia. Also, their scheduled
broadcasts are usually on when I'm sleeping or at work(especially
English). I think I may have heard a broadcast or two in Chinese or
Russian, but it has never been good, nor have I caught an ID. If I
have heard KNLS before, the Eastern Asian broadcasts from other
locales, and even broadcasts from S. America have all been better
quality. I plan to catch KNLS someday though, just might take some
effort on my part (Daniel, Anchorage, Aug 31, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
You are certainly in the skip zone, too close. Being directly off the
back isn`t necessarily a bad thing, as most antennas have a back lobe
and lesser side lobes. You might have better luck if and when they are
on 6 MHz in the winter (smaller skip zone), and at any time there
might be backscatter on higher frequencies, preferably after sunrise.
Unfortunately, KNLS does not broadcast in the local evenings when
there is a higher MUF toward Asia and reception there would be in the
morning or local afternoon (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ALBANIA [and non]. 7465 last heard on August 9 at 2000 in English.
On August 15 I found Radio Tirana on 6005 at 1812 with the German
service via Radio 700 which usually has pop music at this time (Edwin
Southwell, England, August 16, Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD)
Radio Tirana German service noted opening at 1800 on 6005 August 29.
Radio 700 heard with pop music at 1748 tune in and a news bulletin in
German at 1755 (Mike Barraclough, England, Sept World DX Club Contact
via DXLD)
What's up with R. Tirana? Hi Glenn, I wonder if you know anything
about what's happening at R. Tirana. For most of the summer, I have
actually had somewhat reasonable reception, at 2300 [in Albanian],
usually 9860 is best, sometimes 7425 better, but, each one, at least
audible, and usable when we don't have regional thunderstorms.
Since I lost my broadband, I have been taping some of R. Tirana for
Carrie. About the same time you announced that one of their xmtr's was
out of service, I have found that, in fact, I can't find them on
either frequency. Can't even detect a carrier, not even with BFO on.
Any ideas? I wish R. Tirana could relay via one of the now less-used
xmtr's in Germany, England, or the Caribbean. I suppose their biggest
problem would be finding hard currency (not Leks) to pay for it. Any
thoughts? 73, (Tim Hendel, Huntsville AL, Aug 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Details below. I can`t imagine them employing an external relay site
(gh, DXLD)
R. Tirana now appears to be completely off the air. One of the two
Shijak transmitters had been down since the end of July, meaning e.g.
the 1430-1500 English to NAm was missing from 13625 (and still silent
Aug 26), but the evening broadcasts were still heard on 7425. Now, Aug
26 at 0257 I heard nothing there (tho it might have just signed off),
so checked again at 0330 for the final repeat and 7425 was still
missing. Wolfgang Büschel noted earlier on August 25 he was not
hearing any Tirana transmissions. Let`s hope they can soon fix
whatever the problem is! (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Both English channels were OFF air yesterday Aug 24 at 2000 UT. Paul
Gager from Austria unaccounted German services on SW Shijak as well as
MW Fllake 1458 kHz outlet since July 27. No outlets today Aug 26, as
well as yesterday Aug 25 (Wolfgang Buschel, Aug 24-26, wwdxc BC-DX
TopNews Aug 27 via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
R. Tirana: No signal on 9860 or 7425 at 0020 UT Aug 27. No signal on
7425 at 0333 either (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Dear Glenn, On August 27th I heard Radio Tirana in German at 1800 UT
on 6005 kHz. I suppose this is a relay from Classic Broadcast in Kall,
Germany. Good reception in Sweden. Kind regards (Christer Brunström,
Sweden, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I am hearing ``Gypsy Lover`` song now at 1850 UT, as webcast is
running. Perhaps the Mon-Sat English broadcasts are still on there?
http://radiotirana.funkhaus.info:8000/
(Glenn Hauser, Aug 28, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Since R. Tirana has been missing from both frequencies, I brought up
the unofficial webcast
http://radiotirana.funkhaus.info:8000/
at 1428 August 29, to see if the weekday English broadcast at 1430,
missing for a month from 13625, and still absent at 1442 check today,
would at least be on the webcast? No, music at first, 1430 Albanian
announcements from R. Tirana in `Kalendar` feature, then alternating
pop music and brief talk segments in Albanian.
So are English broadcasts even being produced? If SW remains silent,
we need to check the webcast Mon-Sat also at 1845, 2000, UT Tue-Sun
0030, 0145, 0230 and 0330. The later segments to North America have
also been heard previously with additional English repeats in between
the SW times. Ramadan is about to end, in case that has something to
do with this (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Yes they are. Radio Tirana's weekend English broadcasts are available
via podcasts made by Radio 700 in Germany. The previous week`s
podcasts have been a bit irregular. The 20th, 23rd and 24th August are
silent and the 25th August is all interval signal. It's not unusual
for the Radio Tirana webcast to be silent though and Radio 700's
webcast recording software sometimes accounts for a silent podcast.
The podcasts are available at
http://www.radio700.info/podcasts/en/al/tirana/tirana.php
and judging by the filenames are probably recorded from the 0330-0400
English broadcast which is 0530 in Germany. Regards (Harry Brooks,
North East England, UK, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Tirana heard via the web stream in German at 1800, followed by Turkish
at 1830 So, I don't think there's a English programme at 1845. Regards
(Jean-Michel Aubier, France, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Right you are; Turkish continued on web to 1900. I think there are two
different feed lines as the MW site is not // the SW site. Since the
unofficial stream was set up by German friends, they are partial to
the one containing German.
Re-`tuned in` to stream at 1957, dead air until IS started at 2002:30.
`Perfect` reception only reveals the flaws in this old worn-out lo-fi
and distorted recording. I kept listening to it until 2013 stepped out
to be sure 13735 was still off the air; it was, and couldn`t hear it
way out here on // 7465 if it were on. Back to the stream just in time
to hear theme at 2015 and opening in Serbian! So this is still the
feed to MW 1458 Fllakë. Maybe after 2030 when there is only one
external program at a time, Albanian or English, we will hear those on
web? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
Glenn, the 2000 R. Tirana webcast was not in English - from roughly
2002 to 2015 was just the interval signal. From 2015 to 2030 it
sounded like Serbian. I didn't capture the 1845 webcast but will do so
tomorrow. I'll check out the webcast at some other times to see if I
can find any English (Rich Cuff, PA, 2118 UT Aug 29, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Radio Tirana webcast, http://radiotirana.funkhaus.info:8000/
working but silent at 2254 29 August 2011.
Regards (Harry Brooks, North East England UK, ibid.)
Further monitoring of R. Tirana, Monday August 29, on webcast if not
SW: No English at 1845, but Turkish continued to 1900. I think there
are two different feed lines as the MW site is not // the SW site.
Since the unofficial stream was set up by German friends, they are
partial to the one containing German (at 1800).
I re-`tuned in` to stream at 1957, dead air until IS started at
2002:30. `Perfect` reception only reveals the flaws in this old worn-
out lo-fi and distorted recording. But I kept listening to it until
2013 stepped out to be sure 13735 was still off the air; it was, and
couldn`t hear it way out here on // 7465 if it were on.
Back to the stream just in time to hear theme at 2015 and opening in
Serbian! So this is still the feed to MW 1458 Fllakë. Maybe after 2030
when there is only one external program at a time, Albanian or
English, we will hear those on web? No!
I left a winamp player running for hours and hours until past 0400,
and no audio from R. Tirana ever came back. What a waste. Next check
at 1440, webcast had resumed, again in Albanian, not English, and
13625 still off.
However, Harry Brooks in NE England tells the dxld yg that some
English broadcasts are still being produced: [as above] (Glenn Hauser,
WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ALGERIA [non]. 7295, Aug 30 at 0545, RTA via FRANCE with nice
harmonious singing, an Eid celebration? Rather than usual Qur`an,
which had resumed a few minutes later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS. All India Radio [Port Blair] In Trouble:
MoS I&B Replies To MP --- Written by Administrator Aug 24, 2011 at
10:51 PM
Port Blair, Aug. 24: The All India Radio, which used to be the most
popular media for the islanders, is in trouble with no regular Station
Director heading the organization since past three year. The
transmission towers have collapsed resulting in poor transmission. Due
to this the once most effecting means of media is not able to cover
most of the islands in the A&N Group.
Replying to the questions raised by the Member of Parliament, Shri
Bishnu Pada Ray in the Parliament, the Minister of State for
Information & Broadcasting, Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan said that it is due
to shortage of staff in Indian Broadcasting (programme) Service, no
Station Director has been posted and the charge given to a officer of
the Engineering Service. Meanwhile the senior most Programme
Executives have been declared as Programme Heads.
The Minister further said that the 100 KW MW transmitters have two
master towers, one passive and the other active. The passive mast fell
down on 25th April 2008 due to heavy cyclone while the active mast fell
on 19th April 2010 while carrying out final adjustments after
replacement of guy ropes of the mast. As an alternative arrangement,
the service was shifted to an L ariel and the transmission power had
to be reduced to 10 KW MW from 100 KW MW.
However said the Minister, the same service on shortwave transmitter
was not affected. The erection of the passive mast is likely to be
completed by June 2012.
Replying to another question on fencing wall around the transmitter
building at Brookshabad, the MoS said that that at present it has
barbed wire fencing and the requirement of a boundary wall is being
projected in the 12th Plan (via Alokesh Gupta, Aug 25, dx_india yg via
DXLD)
** ANGOLA. A few recordings on the following, with the date (23Aug'11)
& times (subtract 1 h for UT) being indicated on each [deliberately
unedited] label: (see attachments)
2.15 MB clip
4949.8_RNAngola, plenty of QRN, but normal modulation/audio this time.
Antenna used: 270 m/145º Bev.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/2074804389/item/list
73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Attachments like this are available only to members of the dxldyg (gh)
** ANGUILLA [and non]. 11775, Aug 25 at 1142, PMS is back, having been
absent 22.4 hours earlier. Why is this so sporadic? Hurricane Irene is
well past by now, but I wonder if the newly-refurbished curtain
antenna sustained any damage. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6090, CB missing again, Aug 26 at 0540; however, could hear RHC in
English, leapfrog of 6010 over 6050; also when mid-attenuated, but in
this case may have been receiver overload more than spurious
transmission.
11775, Aug 27 at 1241, PMS is back on, over Cuban nonsensical pulse
jamming a semiday out of phase from when it is really `needed` against
R. Martí. Has Anguilla considered economic sanxions or at least
diplomatic protests against Cuba for this? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ANTARCTICA. Another weekly update on LRA36: still missing from
15476, Friday Aug 26 at 1313 check, as well as almost weekdaily chex
sometime during its former 1230-1500 span (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) Still gone as of Aug 31 (gh)
** ARGENTINA [and non]. 15344.2, 28/8 2157, Radio Nacional, Argentina,
Spanish, talks, ID, reports, la temperatura en Buenos Aires, good in
LSB to avoid Morocco till around 2203 when Morocco closes (Giampiero
Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-Radio Software
- ANT: T2FD 15 m long; QTH: Milan city, Italy;
SW blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ HCDX via DXLD)
11710.62v, RAE, 0202-0211, August 30. In English with segment about
the celebration on August 27 for Radio Broadcasting Day; about the
early days of wireless; most info from
http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME04/MIRROR/Carlos_Altgelt.htm
l
poor-fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
RAE - ENTREVISTA A MONFERINI Y PAVANELLO
La grabación de la transmisión de la RAE con Darío Monferini y Roberto
Pavanello está disponible en el enlace:
http://blog.libero.it/radioascolto/10564053.html
73 de (Francesco Cecconi, condiglist yg via DXLD)
** ASCENSION. Nice Catch From Alaska --- 0600 UT on 6105 - Listed as
BBC via Ascension. A bit hard to make out, but language is definitely
French, as listed. I've yet to hear an ID, but if it is as I think,
then it's making a trip over the North Pole at 27 degrees az. to reach
me here in Alaska. Listening on Grundig Satellit 750 with 40m random
wire hanging atop 6 ft fence in Anchorage, AK.
I never did get an ID, reception might've been around a 2 overall on
SINPO. The signal was just good enough to tell I was listening to
French, but not quite good enough for my French language skills to
translate what I was hearing. It did, however, end abruptly at 0630,
just as scheduled for BBC. So I'll go with a presumed ID of BBC from
Ascension Island. Pretty cool, especially with the route it took to
get here. My only real chances to catch anything from that direction
are if it is beamed to N. America or Europe. Just like Radio Nigeria
on 15120, if it's beamed just East of due North, it sometimes
overshoots Europe and wanders in up here. I have to look to the North
sometimes to get stations from the South (Daniel, Aug 31, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Daniel, I agree it`s surely BBC from Ascension, but the path does not
go over the North Pole. If it did, it would be absorbed by the
midnight sun. The direct short-path great-circle route from ASC to
Anchorage enters North America at the N tip of Quebec/Labrador, Cape
Chidley near Ungava Bay, and crosses all of Canada to you, barely
exceeding the Arctic Circle to a maximum of 68 N around Coppermine.
27 degrees in the listings refers to the azimuth of maximum signal out
of Ascension, which is a completely different thing. Whatever signal
you get is coming out toward the northwest of there toward you over a
path just on the dark side of the grayline. The bearing of the signal
as it reaches you is about 50 degrees from Anchorage (Glenn Hauser,
ibid.)
Glenn, Awesome feedback! Honestly never quite got the azimuth stuff. I
probably should read up on that and a bit more about propagation
again, but what you stated makes logical sense to me. I didn't even
think about absorption over the Pole for some reason. That's pretty
odd for me to miss that, especially since over the last couple months
I've had some issues getting decent reception on the lower frequencies
here because of the extended daylight (and my antenna limitations).
Though the lower frequencies have slowly begun to get better over the
last couple weeks as I've also gotten back into AM BCB Dx'ing a bit. I
guess I just have too much fun listening and not as much fun reading
radio theory. Thanks again for the info! (Daniel, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** ASIA [non]. HAM FAIR 2011 HOSTS RADIO FREE ASIA: SPECIAL QSL ISSUED
[Re 11-34] by Rfa Qsl on Friday, August 26, 2011 at 5:43am
Ham Fair 2011 will be August 27-28 in Tokyo, Japan. RFA will be on
hand at Ham Fair to meet DXers and radio enthusiasts. It is organized
by the Japanese Amateur Radio League (JARL) and last year hosted
almost 31,000. To promote this year’s event, RFA is issuing a
commemorative QSL which incorporates the design of our current QSL and
the Ham Fair logo. This QSL will be available for a limited time and
used to confirm all valid RFA reception reports from 0000 UT on August
26 – 2400 UT on August 29, 2011. (Via facebook) (via Alokesh Gupta,
VU3BSE, New Delhi, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
That`s nice, but RFA does not even broadcast in Japanese, nor to
Japan, nor should it, Japan already being `free`; off topic (gh, DXLD)
RADIO FREE ASIA ISSUES FOURTH 15TH ANNIVERSARY QSL CARD SEPTEMBER 2011
Radio Free Asia (RFA) announces the release of our 39th QSL card. This
is the fourth QSL card commemorating 2011 as RFA’s 15th anniversary.
Not only is The Dalai Lama the subject of this card, but The Dalai
Lama was also the subject of RFA’s very first QSL card. RFA’s first
broadcast was in Mandarin Chinese on September 29, 1996 at 2100 UTC.
Acting as a substitute for indigenous free media, RFA concentrates its
coverage on events occurring in and/or affecting the countries to
which we broadcast. Those countries are: Burma, Cambodia, Laos, North
Korea, Peoples Republic of China, and Vietnam. This QSL card will be
used to confirm all valid reception reports for September 2011.
Similar designs will be announced monthly between now and the end of
the year. To learn more about RFA’s anniversary, visit
http://www.rfa15.org
Reception reports are also accepted by email at qsl@rfa.org, and for
anyone without Internet access, reception reports can be mailed to:
Reception Reports
Radio Free Asia
2025 M. Street NW, Suite 300
Washington DC 20036
United States of America.
Upon request, RFA will also send a copy of the current broadcast
schedule and a station sticker.
Via - AJ Janitschek, Radio Free Asia (via Prithwiraj Purkayastha,
Jorhat, Assam, Aug 31, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA. 2368.5, Radio Symban. Very pleased to receive a full
data QSL “Australian Native Birds” post card also indicating
“Leppington (near Sydney), power 500 watts (at present)”, from John
Wright in 8 days (Ron Howard, Monterey, CA, August 27, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
2368.5, R. Symban, 1202*, August 22. Looks as if they are still on
their reduced schedule (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Radio Symban, 2368.5 has cut back its hours now it`s off at 1200 UT
each day (Johno Wright, Sept Australian DX News via WORLD OF RADIO
1580, DXLD)
2368.5, R. Symban, 1148-1203*, August 29. Monologue in Greek; still
with reduced schedule; signal recently improved from earlier in the
month; not too bad for 500 watts (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST) also
see CHINA
2368.49, R. Symban, 0935-1006 Ballads in listed Greek; announcer at
1005; fade/in by ToH; poor in ECCS-USB when there was enough signal
for it to lock onto; 8/30 (Scott R. Barbour Jr., Intervale, N.H. USA,
NRD-45, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO
1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. 2310, VL8A (Alice) Aug. 27, 1333. Wow! Tremendous
reception today with music program and F presenter. Amazingly good,
with close but no cigar //s on 2325 and 2485 (Rick Barton, El Mirage,
Arizona, Hammarlund HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L
wire, 100' random wire, ABDX via DXLD)
2485, VL8K ABC Katherine NT, 0908, August 21. Two announcers with live
coverage of the Melbourne Demons vs. Richmond Tigers match up (Ron
Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRALIA. Aussie low banders --- I keep getting asked about
Ozzy music radio 5050 kHz. Craig, you got a small audience wanting to
know when you are back on air for the music content (Johno Wright,
Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 15400, Aug 27 at 1248, HCJB sufficient in
English, rarely audible, but it`s just a sermon. If they really wanted
to lure in secular listeners, they should not have abandoned stealth
evangelism by cancelling `DX Partyline`. Meanwhile the other
transmitter was providing a hefty het upon Morocco 15341; long paths?
15340, Aug 29 at 1240, HCJB in S Asian language, in the clear, no
15341 Morocco het! Not on 15345v either, so off the air. HCJB`s other
transmitter in English on 15400 also audible. But at 1333, IMM was
back on 15341v to het HCJB whose audio remained atop (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** AUSTRIA. Radio Austria International heard August 22 with news
reports in German at 0608 on 6155, off 0615. Checking the OE1 online
schedule no mention now of the English and French news headlines
previously heard at this time (Mike Barraclough, England, Sept World
DX Club Contact via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
That was a Monday; had been M-F only for English and French; but just
on holiday? (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** BAHAMAS. The Bagamas travel report --- While visiting Nassau (New
Providence Island in the Bahamas), I used the opportunity to take some
photos of the Tx sites of two AM Stations: 1540 kHz (ZNS-1) and
1240kHz (ZNS-2). The latter one appeared to be a former AM Station. I
was told that it hasn't worked for about a year and there is now a
plan to use the tower for FM transmission. So far the tower is used
for TV only. (See the TV antennas on top of it in pic.1 ).
Regarding the Station ZNS-1 (1540 kHz) it was much more interesting.
It was there that I met a radio engineer and he told me what had
happened about two months ago (Aug. 2010 [sic]) on their antenna
field. One night all the ground copper wires (hundreds of pieces of
about 50m long each) were stolen by some guys. For the thieves it was
quite convenient to do their job throughout the night because the
transmission building is located about 150m from the antenna field,
which looks like a deserted rural area. Then the copper wires were
probably sold as scrap metal.
There are two antenna towers: in the pics 2, 3, 4, 5 on the right one
was used for transmission of 1540 kHz, on the left - for something
else. Now they decided to synchronize and combine both for 1540 kHz
transmission, so as to get them omnidirectional.
And, of course, to install new groundings but to put the wires
underground this time to prevent further thefts. They are also doing a
renovation inside of the Tx building (see pics 6, 7, 8). The power of
the transmitter is supposed to be 50 kW, (pic 9) enough to cover the
whole area of the Bahamas archipelago (700 islands). The antenna near
the transmission building is used to receive signals from the studio,
which is about 7 km away.
I also took a photo of their studio site where you can see the same
type of antenna (pic. 10) like near the Tx building of ZNS-1 (pic 11).
The frequency to send signals to and fro is very low - 460 kHz. That I
was told [maybe 460 MHz? --- gh]. The current address of the studio
is: Harcourt (Rusty) Bethel Dr., (see pic 12).
The address is the former 3rd Terrace, which is associated with the Tx
site of the 1540 kHz Station ZNS-1 (WRTH 2010). But it's not true. The
Tx site is about 5 km down South in an area called South Beach (see
pic. 13). The address of former ZNS-2 AM Station is: South Beach
Harold Pong, in the same area but a bit to the NorthWest (pic 14).
Pic 1 - NassautheBahamasZNS-2tower1.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-2tower1.jpg>
Pic 2 - NassautheBahamasanttowers2.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasanttowers2.jpg>
Pic 3 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzmainanttower3.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzmainanttower3.jpg>
Pic 4 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzsecondaryanttower4.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzsecondaryanttower4.jpg>
Pic 5 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzsecondaryanttower5.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzsecondaryanttower5.jpg>
Pic 6 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuilding6.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuilding6.jpg>
Pic 7 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuilding7.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuilding7.jpg>
Pic 8 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuilding7.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuilding7.jpg>
Pic 9 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHznewtransmitter50kW9.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHznewtransmitter50kW9.jpg>
Pic 10 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzstudiobuilding10.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzstudiobuilding10.jpg>
Pic 11 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuildingwithstudiocomant11.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHzTxbuildingwithstudiocomant11.jpg>
Pic 12 - Bahamas/NassautheBahamas12.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamas12.jpg>
Pic 13 - Bahamas/NassautheBahamas12.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamas12.jpg>
Pic 14 - NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHz14.jpg
<http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn314/sixsixii/Bahamas/NassautheBahamasZNS-11540kHz14.jpg>
(Lev Lytovchenko, Aug 30, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
** BAHAMAS [and non]. KXEL-1540 off --- NorthPine.com is reporting
KXEL-1540 Waterloo, Iowa is off. [see U S A]
http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/index.html
(Doug Smith, Pleasant View, TN EM66, 1806 UT 26 Aug, NRC-AM via DXLD)
DXLD members already knew this the night before (gh, DXLD)
IOWA: 50,000-Watt station KXEL/1540 (Waterloo) is temporarily off the
air due to storm damage. According to the station's website, straight
line winds caused roof damage at its Dysart transmitter site on July
11, but initial damage to the transmitter was repaired. KXEL says more
damage has occurred during routine operation since then, forcing it to
go off the air. No timeline for returning was mentioned. KXEL's
daytime signal is strong across Eastern Iowa and it can be heard
across much of the Upper Midwest at night. This from the Northpine web
site. 73 Best of DX (Shawn Axelrod VE4DX1SMA, Winnipeg MB, REMEMBER
ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN HEAR FOREVER, NRC-AM via DXLD)
With KXEL temporarily off air this should give people in north America
the opportunity to hear ZNS in the Bahamas despite the fact that their
pattern has North America in a null (Dave Marthouse, ibid.)
Given the recent passage of Hurricane Irene, there are power problems
reported in the Bahamas - I wonder if ZNS is on or at full power (Russ
Edmunds, 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia, ibid.)
All I have so far is much unneeded CHIN in Toronto ON with CRI (China
Radio International) programming. A man and woman reading the news in
English at 2135 EDT Would love to hear ZNS but after the hurricane who
knows if they are up and running. 73 Best of DX (Shawn Axelrod
VE4DX1SMA, Winnipeg MB, ibid.)
You better believe I'm cleanin' up: WBNL in Boonville, IN (with HS
FB), KLKC in Parsons, KS (with Kansas City Royals BB), and CHIN are
all new loggings here tonight. 73, (Rick Dau, South Omaha, Nebraska
Kenwood R-5000 + Quantum QX Pro loop, ibid.)
WBNL and KLKC are both one watt at night - congrats! (Steve Francis,
Alcoa, Tennessee, ibid.)
And if anyone thinks both stations are broadcasting with 1 watt, I've
got some swampland in Montana for sale... ;) 73, (Rick Dau, ibid.)
Tomorrow, there will be ample swampland in Central Park. Still on,
Rick? Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry (Jim Chenard, ibid.)
With KXEL off, I was getting WBNL-Boonville Indiana, presumably on
full 250 W with Boonville versus Vincennes Lincoln HSFB, they seem to
be off by now, leaving much unneeded CHIN relaying CRI. They are
mostly atop someone running oldies, just played Petula Clark's
"Downtown". Any ideas? Would love to get much wanted Albany (Earl
Higgins, St. Louis, Missouri, 0318 UT Aug 27, ibid.)
Cruisin` 1540 WTKM Hartford, WI 500W ND Day, on late? (Paul B Walker,
PA, ibid.)
I was getting oldies earlier, too, Earl, but it seemed to be looping
SE from here, almost towards KBOA in Kennett, which is more nostalgia
(Sinatra and the like) than oldies.? Unless they're mixing it up a
little now... 73, (Rick Dau, South Omaha, Nebraska (6 new stations
heard here tonight), ibid.)
The thought occurred to me. Still in there, still no ID. WTKM FM has a
web stream, but the AM doesn't. Formats are different. I'm hoping for
Exeter New Hampshire (yeah right). (Earl Higgins, St. Louis, Missouri,
0335 UT Aug 27, ibid.)
KLKC had the Royals on earlier. They were playing Cleveland, so unless
it's gone to extra innings, I doubt it's still on. 73, (Rick Dau,
South Omaha, Nebraska, ibid.)
Here in the Philly area, 1540 at night is a jumble with WDCD poking
up. A tune-in about an hour ago had Albany and CHIN duking it out.
Heard bits of music underneath, too weak to ID. The null ZNS has toard
the US is shallow and very wide. I once heard it on a car radio in RI
under auroral conditions (Dave Gardiner, 0424 UT 27 Aug, NRC-AM via
DXLD)
With KXEL off, I was getting someone running oldies, just played
Petula Clark's "Downtown" Any ideas? (Earl Higgins, St. Louis,
Missouri, ibid.)
Also heard "Downtown" followed by "Something That We Do" by Clint
Black then a nice "hometown radio" WBNL ID (Brett Saylor, Central PA,
Eton E1 with E-W delta loop antenna, ibid.)
A few minutes after WBNL finished with sports they started playing
music. At 22:05 CDT [0305 UT] Caught a clear "WBNL Radio - Your
Favorite Music All Day Long - Your Home Town Radio....." then into a
C&W song "Come Home to Your Kentucky Girl". This might be part of the
earlier mystery (Tom Jasinski, Joliet IL, ibid.)
1540 - Help with ID --- Heard an ID on 1540 from Lexington KY no2
Global Tuners - Playing oldies - Call sounds like WDRO or WBRO - 73
(Tony Magon VK2IC, 0645 UT Aug 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
The only KY station on 1540 is WGRK in Greensburg, which is not close
enough to Lexington, SW of there roughly forming a triangle with
Louisville. Last year`s NRC-AM log shows its format as C&W.
O, I guess you mean the *GT* is in Lexington.
FCC AM Query has no WDRO or WBRO on 1540, but these are the closest
matches in the area, with formats per NRC:
WBCO Bucyrus OH - Nostalgia
WBNL Boonville IN - AC/EZL
WBIN Benton TN - religious
WBRY Woodbury TN - C&W
(Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Later found post just above his from Jasinki
Left the overnight recorder run on 1540 last night, and while CHIN
dominated most of the time I did hear some interesting things. The
HSFB game from WBNL-IN with mentions of Boonville was in very well
around 0228 UT; later they were playing some C&W tunes and I heard a
nice ID at 0405. An ESPN popped up briefly after 0400 but CHIN was
dominating then. Heard a snippet of the Mexican NA at 0705 UT which
would correspond to local midnight at XEHOS - they are the highest
power of the Mexicans on 1540 with 5 kW. I had MOYL music in prior to
0800 UTC and a tentative ID from KBOA-MO at 0900 UT (Brett Saylor,
Central PA, Eton E1 w/ E-W Delta Loop Antenna, 1445 UT Aug 27, NRC-AM
via DXLD)
Following is the response from WKVQ Eatonton, GA in regards to KXEL
being down. It appears he was not aware. His test in March of this
year did extremely well as many will recall. Tom Kraft-Billings, Mt.
Hey Craig. How are you. This is your Montana DX friend weighing in.
You are probably aware but I will attach the following off of one of
our bulletin boards (Tom Kraft, Billings, Montana, to Craig Baker,
WKVQ, via amfmtvdx at qth.net via DXLD) as above
Subject: Re: KXEL 1540 --- Hi Tom & Mary, Hope you're doing well. Wow,
if they're going to remain off for a while, perhaps we should run
another DX test. I believe another test would do well on a cold winter
night. Take care and thanks for writing. CB Best regards, (Craig
Baker via Kraft, ibid.)
1540 loggings summary
BCB DX LOGGINGS FROM SHAWN M. AXELROD VE4DX1SMA
DXing from: Winnipeg MB Canada
RECEIVERS: ICOM ICR?70 / DRAKE R8
ANTENNAE: 3 Foot un-amplified box loop / Quantum QX LOOP v2.0/ 155
Foot `U` shaped outdoor wire / 100 Foot indoor wire run around the
basement walls / MFJ 1026 Phasing unit
Times are Eastern Local time for Domestic DX / UTC for foreign (non
Canada and USA) DX
UNID
1540 UNID 08/26 2347 Poor signals with Nostalgia music in the mix of
stations. No ID heard. (SA-MB)
1540 UNID 08/27, Poor signals under CHIN with lively Mexican music and
Spanish talk. (SA-MB)
REGULAR LOGGINGS
1540 KXEL IA, Waterloo 08/26 2130 Off air leaving the frequency clear
for a change. New ones heard as logged below. (SA-MB)
1540 CHIN ON, Toronto 08/26 2135 Good signals on top with programming
from China Radio International. (SA-MB)
1540 WBNL IN, Booneville 08/26 2205 Poor signals under CHIN with High
School Football game. NEW (SA-MB)
1540 KMPC CA Los Angeles, 08/26 2230 Poor signals fading up under CHIN
for about 4 minutes with Korean programming. (SA-MB)
1540 KLKC KS, Parsons 08/27 0703 Poor signals fading in and out with
ESPN programming . NEW (SA-MB)
Nice to see a powerhouse off even if just for a night. Big thanks to
all the DXers who helped out IDing the stations for me and others on
the NRC List. You folks are the best!
[LATER:] Post it and they will ID it --- Big thanks to Tom and Rick
Dau with the help on the 1540 UNID NOS station. Turns out to be KBOA
which makes #3 new one for that night with KXEL off! 73 Best of DX
(Shawn Axelrod, VE4DX1SMA, Winnipeg MB, NRC-AM via DXLD)
** BAHAMAS. 1540, ZNS1 Radio Bahamas, Nassau, New Providence. 0040
August 25, 2011. Alternating Hurricane Irene advisories with Bahamian
vocals. Not nearly the extended 50 kW/day pattern signal of more
recent past hurricanes after the repairs; suspect they never bumped it
up for whatever reason. Equipment crumbling already, or unwilling to
pay for the power bill? (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA,
27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BAHRAIN [and non]. 9745, 28/8 2248, Radio Bahrain, Arabic, songs,
weak, stopped at 2257 by Radio Romania Int. starting in Spanish
(Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-
Radio Software - ANT: T2FD 15 m long; QTH: Milan city, Italy;
SW blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ HCDX via DXLD)
** BANGLADESH. US Based BDeshTV starts online BTV news broadcasts
BDeshTV, a new Online TV company based in the USA, has announced that
Bangladesh’s National Television (BTV) has signed an agreement
allowing BDeshTV to broadcast all BTV news and related items live from
its online TV channels to audience worldwide. Viewers anywhere in the
world can now watch BTV news instantly and freely at www.bdeshtv.com.
Since its launch on 26 March 2011, BDeshTV has been very well received
globally. Presently, BDeshTV is viewed from 2350 cities in 92
countries over the internet including USA, Canada, Bangladesh, Japan,
UK, Italy, Australia, Middle-East, India and South Korea. The key
objective of BDeshTV is to promote Bangladeshi art, culture and
literature by utilizing cutting-edge technology.
BDeshTV provides free access to multiple TV channels with rich Bangla
contents available online or on-demand to viewers anywhere in the
world 24-hours a day. BDeshTV’s contents are focused towards the Non-
Resident Bangladeshi (NRB) population living in the USA and worldwide.
(Source: BDeshTV)(August 28th, 2011 - 12:47 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media
Network blog via DXLD) What about reviving the external SW service??
** BELARUS. 6070, 0120-0130 16.08, Belaruskaye Radyjo 1, Brest.
Belarusian talk, mentioning Belarus more times, ID 0130, piano music
45444 // 6010 (33433), 6040 (42442) and 7280 (45444). All night
programme! (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, AOR AR7030PLUS with 28
metres of longwire, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
7255, 28/8 2049, Radio Belarus, English program, talks about culture,
good, some QRM from China. End of the English broadcast with
schedules, web & mail address, at 2053 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano,
Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-Radio Software - ANT: T2FD 15 m
long; QTH: Milan city, Italy; SW blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/
HCDX via DXLD) no NIGERIA? Supposedly from 19 in English, 20 French
** BOLIVIA. 5952.45, Radio Pio Doce, Siglo Veinte, 0111-0235*,
August 28. In Spanish with pop Bolivian music; 0232 usual sign
off theme music which was the distinctive whistling “Colonel Bogey
March”; poor. August 30 below threshold level (Ron Howard, Asilomar
State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BOLIVIA. CQ, CQ, CQ --- Aquí Pedro F. Arrunátegui para compartir
algo con los que disfrutan y aman el DX latinoamericano, todas las
horas son UTC, desde la tierra de los incas, les informo mediante este
Quipus lo siguiente:
3310.00, R. Mosoj Chaski, Cochabamba; 23/08 1000-1032, 22222, mxf,
programa bilingüe (aymara-español), mxf y advs sobre campaña
evangélica Iglesia pentecostal, ID “Radio Marsoj [sic] Chaski.. luego
hablan en aymara”
5952.45, R. Pio XII, Siglo XX; 13/08 2210-2230, 33333, mxf en español
y aymara, ID “Por Radio Pio XII” programa musical La Golondrina, ID
“En su radio Pio XII``
6134.80, R. Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra; 24/08 2123-2200,
44444, mxf en español, advs. Ya salió la revista Intermedio números 96
y 97, de venta. Radio Santa Cruz programa La bebita llora, el programa
más antiguo del oriente boliviano. Slogan “960 kHz onda media, 6135
kHz onda corta y 96.7 FM, trasmite Radio Santa Cruz, desde Santa Cruz
de la Sierra, Bolivia” (Pedro F. Arrunátegui, Lima, Aug El Chasqui DX,
via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) See also PERU; UNID 5785
6134.78, R. Santa Cruz, 0102, August 28. Sign off announcements
along with the usual “Radio Santa Cruz” station song till 0107*; poor
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Hello to all members of the group! I'm a new member, and have some
questions. Has anybody received QSL or any kind of reply from Radio
Santa Cruz from Bolivia? This radio on 6135 has good signal here in
Spain, so I want to get their QSL but do not know any addresses. 73
(José Rodríguez, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hello José, Welcome to the group. I received a QSL from Radio Santa
Cruz in July for a report I sent in March. It was a friendly letter in
Spanish from Ma. Yolanda Marco Escobar, Secretaria de Dirección. My
report was sent to the street address: Radio Santa Cruz, Calle Mario
Flores, esquina Guendá Nº 20, Santa Cruz - Bolivia. However, the
station's letterhead did not mention that address. It lists mailing
addresses Casilla No 672 y 3213, Santa Cruz. The letter also mentioned
the station's e-mail address direccion @ irfabolivia.org and website
http://www.irfabolivia.org (Bruce Portzer, WA, ibid.)
** BONAIRE. Radio Nederland, Bonaire, roturas en trasmisores. Según
informa la emisora, "las transmisiones por onda corta de Radio
Nederland Wereldomroep se verán afectadas en los próximos días debido
a roturas en los transmisores de la Estación Repetidora de Bonaire.
Las transmisiones hacia Cuba y el resto de la región del Caribe se
escucharán con menor calidad. Les pedimos disculpas por este
inconveniente" (RNW en Facebook, via Nigro, Uruguay, ago 29,
condiglist yg via DXLD) Rotura = breakage, literally rupture --- what
exactly do they mean by that?? How about VOA, NHK relays? (gh, DXLD)
6250, leapfrog Aug 30 at 0526-0527* Japanese song cut off the air
abruptly while fundamental 6080 NHK relay continued another biminute;
because fulcrum 6165, RNW Dutch had gone off the air as always at
0527.
So these transmissions are the same as always, altho Horacio Nigro
found a cryptic notice on RN`s Spanish Facebook, which I translate,
``RNW SW transmissions will be affected in the next days due to
ruptures (roturas, or breakages), in the Bonaire relay transmitters.
Broadcasts toward Cuba and the Caribbean region will be heard with
lessened quality. Please accept our apologies for this
inconvenience``.
So what exactly has happened to them and how have the parameters
changed on which times and frequencies? I asked Andy Sennitt about
this, who promptly replied:
``Hi Glenn, The transmitters are fine. There was a lighting strike on
Saturday that damaged one of the antenna switches, so they used a
backup antenna. The signal into North America was already back to
normal on Monday, and everything should be normal again today. I
presume the reason for the cryptic note was that whoever wrote the
Facebook item is not a technical person and didn't understand the
exact nature of the problem :-) Andy`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. 3375.42, R. Municipal, Cachoeira, 0939 Portuguese; Ballads
& "canned" sounding announcer at 0943; v. poor; 8/30 (Scott R. Barbour
Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-45, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL. A few recordings on the following, with the date (23Aug'11)
& times (subtract 1 h for UT) being indicated on each [deliberately
unedited] label: (see attachments)
625 kB clip:
5035_Brazil: R. Aparecida, São Paulo SP, via the 225º Bev., R.
Educação Rural, Coari AM, via the 200 m/270º Bev. This may answer
Glenn Hauser's recent question.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/2074804389/item/list
73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Attachments like this are available only to members of the dxldyg (gh)
** BRAZIL. 9565.236 wandering to .247. At 0455 UT Aug 24 Súper R Deus
é Amor, Curitiba, PR \\ 11764.923 kHz, religious program, Portuguese
talk. S=4 weak signal. Het by VOIRI Kamalabad in Turkish on 9560 kHz.
9564.984 Súper R Deus é Amor, Curitiba, PR at 1000 UT Aug 27,
Portuguese S=7, powerful station ID (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX Aug 27
via DXLD)
Brazil (David Miranda?) was clear channel [of off-time Cuban jamming]
and on exact 9565.00 as far as I could determine around 0645 Aug 29
(Noel R. Green (NW England), dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** BRAZIL [and non]. A few recordings on the following, with the date
(23Aug'11) & times (subtract 1 h for UTC) being indicated on each
[deliberately unedited] label: (see attachments)
1.61 MB clip
15190_R.Inconfidência, QRM de Family R, USA, starting at nearly 2200
UT. Antennae used: 300 m/225º Bev. alternating with an 80 m wire/310º;
AMS mode (from JRC NRD545)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/2074804389/item/list
73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Attachments like this are available only to members of the dxldyg (gh)
15190, 28/8 2109, Rádio Inconfidência, football live, good! (Giampiero
Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-Radio Software
- ANT: T2FD 15 m long; QTH: Milan city, Italy; SW blog:
http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ HCDX via DXLD)
15189.96, Radio Inconfidência, 0045-0115, heard after WYFR 0045 sign
off. Portuguese talk. Local ballads. Weak but readable. Weak with
adjacent channel splatter on // 6010. August 30 (Brian Alexander, PA,
DX Listening Digest)
** BULGARIA. 5900, *2100-2200* Sat 27.08, R Bulgaria, Plovdiv. English
news, comments, 2140-2159 Rositsa Petkova with the History of EDXC,
Conference in Bulgaria 18-22.08, interview of Tibor Szilagyi, EDXC
Secretary General, greetings to all participants. My name was
mentioned twice! 55555 // 7400 (44544) (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde,
Denmark, AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via Dario
Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
11600, Aug 31 at 0523, surprised to find no signal here instead of
usual long-running open carrier from R. Bulgaria which used to come on
by 0510 or even earlier. So kept monitoring with BFO, and carrier did
not cut on until *0529:20, just in time for IS // 9600 and opening
German at 0530. Ha, someone(s) at Sofia and/or Plovdiv must have seen
my recent log querying why they were wasting so many watts prior to
0530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
[Re: TAJKIKSTAN log 11499.930 at 1310]: was modulation OK? Then that
is not what I hear with open carrier frequently; hmmm, since Bulgaria
uses even -00 frequencies only, and likes to run long open carriers,
could that be the source, from left field? HFCC has Plovdiv registered
on 11500 in DRM 24 hours! But not currently in use. Maybe they park a
transmitter in analog there. However, circa 1300 is not a good time
for Europe on 25m (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No, v RUSSIA
** CANADA. 630, CFCO, ON Chatham, “Country 92.9 FM” and “CFCO” IDs and
C/W twangy stuff. English/YL DJ and local announcements at :28 --
never did hear any ads -- there was a PSA at :36 but that’s it! Still
in Stereo and coming in well with just a loop antenna and the olde MCS
stereo tuner. AM Stereo DOES sound nice when the stations keep their
audio clean (as CFCO does)! 4+4+554+ 2105-2140 19/Aug (Kenneth Vito
Zichi, MI, MARE Tipsheet Aug 26 via DXLD)
** CANADA [and non]. 6159.982, Canadian? One of the Canadian remote
shortwave relays. English sermon at 0638 UT S=9+10dB, CKZN St. John's,
New Foundland. Relays CBN Labrador Sce from CFGB-FM?
Also co-channel 6159.954 kHz R Boa Vontade, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil,
het each other terribly (Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 22/24, wwdxc BC-DX
TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD) Probably via remote receiver in NAm
6160, Aug 27 at 1223, talk in accented English about women`s rights
(or lack thereof) in Brasil, fading in and out. Must be CBC Overnight
via CKZU Vancouver; 1228 outro show as `Women in the Spotlight`, I
think; 1229 intro `World Football` from BBCWS. That`s around 5:30 am
PDT Saturday; this schedule
http://www.cbc.ca/overnight/schedule.html
shows `Witness` before 5:30 am, could be, altho I do not find that
topic shown on the BBCWS programme site (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. 9625.030, CBC Nord Quebec, in English, via Sackville Nova
Scotia site, S=5-6 fair signal, 0350 UT Aug 22. Sackville engineer
checked the transmitter of CBC Nord program after 0508 UT program end,
when heard with 1000 Hertz measuring procedure til 0510:02 UT, Aug 24.
(Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD)
There is a Sackville in Nova Scotia, but the SW site is just over the
border in New Brunswick (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA [non]. 17810, Aug 27 at 1847 as I tune in to RCI they are
talking about immigrants from South Asia, so it`s still ``Radio Canada
Immigration`` despite supposed change of focus. VG signal I was sure
came from Sackville, but uplooked later, it`s 175 degrees from
Skelton, UK! BBCWS in English on 17795 was just about as good, and
that`s Skelton too, 180 degrees. The other two RCi frequencies at 18-
19 are 11765 Skelton on 9530 Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN (Glenn Hauser,
OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CANADA. CBC TV ANALOG SHUTDOWN OF MAIN TRANSMITTERS.
From the various media, there is confusion about the analog shutdown
of the CBC TV's main transmitters. After August 31st, are the rebroads
and main transmitters going to stay analog for one year; or are the
rebroads only going to stay analog for one year? Has anyone heard any
definitive information about this? So far I have not heard any
complaints about this by the private broadcasters (David Sinclair,
WTFDA via DXLD)
In general...
- CBC *stations* in mandatory markets will convert.
- CBC *rebroadcasters* in mandatory markets will be shut down.
- CBC rebroadcasters outside mandatory markets will operate in analog
for the foreseeable future.
Some exceptions...
CBAT-TV in Saint John covers both that (non-mandatory) market and the
mandatory market of Fredericton. CBC will not replace this analog
transmitter with a digital unit large enough to cover both cities.
Instead, they will install a new digital transmitter covering only
Fredericton, and then reduce the power of the existing analog
transmitter and install a directional antenna to assure it covers only
Saint John.
A number of rebroadcasters in mandatory markets have received
permission to operate in analog for another year. In some cases
rebroadcasters will be required to move to new channels below 52, or
reduce power so as to qualify as LPTVs, not required to convert. For
example, the English analog station on ch. 56 in Kitchener will move
to ch. 29 and reduce power from 1,041,000 watts to 60,000; the French
station on ch. 61 there will reduce from 388,500 watts to 635 watts.
These analog permits are valid for only one year.
(however, there are also a number of rebroadcasters *outside*
mandatory markets, operating above channel 51, which will be reducing
power in order to not be required to move to lower channels. These
will be allowed to remain in analog for the foreseeable future.)
English rebroadcasters in Quebec City and Trois-Rivieres will take
over the analog facilities being abandoned by French-language stations
in those cities (the French stations are converting to digital). The
Quebec City station goes from channel 5 to channel 11 (and gets a
major power increase). The Trois-Rivières station goes from 28 to 13.
These, too, are only allowed to remain in analog for one year.
Wikipedia says:
"CBC has stated that its satellite delivery backbone that provides
signals to its roughly 650 analog transmitters will reach the end of
its useful life in 2013 and the network has no plans to maintain this
infrastructure." I don't *think* you can read that to state that all
the CBC analog transmitters will go dark in two years -- but you
probably can read it to state that transmitters will disappear
piecemeal as satellite downlinks (or the transmitters themselves)
suffer expensive failures, and they'll all disappear if the *uplink*
crashes.
But don't hold me to any of this. DTV in Canada is definitely in flux.
-- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, Aug 25, WTFDA via DXLD)
One other confusing factor: the voluntary shutdown of many Canadian
analog transmitters due to financial considerations. I know this is
especially true through my experience watching Ontario TV from across
the lake in mid-Michigan.
I honestly can not give you a detailed list of these events, but I
know CTV was talking about minimizing their repeaters throughout the
outer reaches of Ontario. Canadian repeaters are often fairly full
powered - unlike the small wattage repeaters and LPTVs we are used to
in America.
For example, NTV in St. Johns. NF turned off its main analog
transmitter on Channel 6 and reappeared on DTV Channel 21. They still
have several analog transmitters going in both Newfoundland and
Labrador - most notably a 100 kW analog on Channel 4 - which I have
seen recently via E-skip.
I look forward to getting back to Michigan in the summer of 2012 just
to see what is left. In our location in Huron County, Michigan, the
only TV available, analog or DTV, are the analog signals that carry
across the lake from Ontario. The American conversion to DTV has ended
OTA TV reception entirely for everyone. Many of the casual TV sets
that used to play in stores there are now gone forever (Karl Zuk,
N2KZ, ibid.)
** CANADA. DTV DELAYED BY FALCONS NESTING IN TOWER!
Here's an odd one for you. CFTU-29 in Montreal QC (Canal Savoir) had
to delayed its transition to DTV because of some work in the
Université Of Montréal's building hosting the transmitter (removing
asbestos!) but also because back in July they discovered four
peregrine baby falcons nesting in the tower! The falcons named Tawodi,
Rick, Éole and Altius were hatched back in May and it was decided that
they shouldn't be disturbed, not until the babies could fly. The CRTC
graciously agreed to extend their deadline date to go digital to
October 31st. However CFTU say they should be on the air in digital by
the end of September.
Blog in French about the falcons:
http://fauconsudem.blogspot.com/
Scroll down, there's a picture of the top of the building where CFTU
has its transmitter and antenna. And of course, many pictures of the
birds.
This is from an article which appeared in The Gazette, August 27 2011:
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Digital+delay+Some+broadcasters+slowly+getting+signal/5314310/story.html
73, (Charles Gauthier, Brossard, QC, 28 Aug, WTFDA via DXLD)
EVEN MORE DETAILS ABOUT MONTREAL’S DIGITAL TV TRANSITION
August 28, 2011 – 7:01 am
http://blog.fagstein.com/2011/08/28/montreal-dtv-transition/
(via gh, DXLD)
I don't understand why the CBC is so adamant about [not] multiplexing
signals on a single transmitter, but if their 1-for-1 replacement
strategy is what they want, so be it.
There are several stations in the US which are broadcasting two HD
signals in one channel that can be used as examples of how it can be
done properly, one being only 80-90 miles from me and I've not noticed
any issues. It seems that if any corporation should be using this
strategy, it would be them where they could save money by putting the
CBC and SRC on one transmitter such as CBMT-6.1 (CBC)/CBMT-6.2 (SRC)
and just shutting down the other (Jeff Kitsko, Unity Township, PA,
WTFDA via DXLD)
Even if the CBC won't come out and say it, I suspect the real issue is
regulatory rather than technical. The CRTC appears to be pretty set on
the idea that a DTV subchannel would be considered a separate station
requiring a separate licensing proceeding, and it may be that the CBC
doesn't want the regulatory hassles that would result; or (maybe even
more so) the precedent that would be set that would allow CTV to put
CTV Two (ex-"A") on its subchannels, creating more competition in
markets that don't presently have CTV Two service. s (Scott Fybush,
NY, ibid.)
IMO, I think the CBC basically wants NO over-the-air stations, and is
only keeping ones operating in the originating cities for regulatory
reasons. They want to ensure must-carry on basic cable for all
originating stations including the small ones (example: CBCT PEI).
wrh (Bill Hepburn, Ont., ibid.)
** CANADA. MONTREAL RADIO COVERAGE OF IRENE DEFICIENT
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/radioinmontreal/messages/17454?threaded=1&m=e&var=1&tidx=1
(radioinmontreal yg via DXLD)
Warning: Shameless self-promotion! I wrote a "Letter to the Editor"
and e-mailed it yesterday morning to the Montreal Gazette. It appears,
in a slightly altered state, in today's newspaper.
Here is my original, unedited version. Sheldon
---------------------------
We knew well in advance that Quebec, including the Montreal region was
going to be hit by Hurricane Irene, yet Montreal's radio stations were
totally unprepared to adequately cover the day's events yesterday.
Why? Mainly because it was a Sunday! This was the case for both
English and French radio stations in the city of Montreal.
First off, all commercial music radio stations stayed with their music
formats throughout the day. Many of them, in fact, have no live staff
on-air on weekends. So for those stations, it was business as usual;
all music and commercials.
For French radio, the only news/talk outlet, 98.5 FM, on weekends
switches over to an all-music format. Even on their webpage the most
current story on the Montreal news page dated back to Thursday!
On the English side, the station that bills itself as "Montreal home
of in-depth news and stimulating talk" and "Montreal's news-talk
leader", CJAD, had a full day's line up of a trivia show, pre-recorded
shows on subjects of health, legal issues, Hollywood pop culture,
science, two hours of comedy, real estate and medical issues. The one
apparent live show in the early evening began its discussions talking
about the potential for upcoming student strikes! They did have brief
live news reports on the hour and half-hour and live traffic reports
each 15 minutes, but they were handled by second-tier weekend staff.
CBC Radio was featuring national weekend programming throughout
Sunday.
Over 200,000 people in the province, many within range of these radio
stations, were without power. Many had nothing available to them but a
radio to try to keep them informed of what was going on in their own
cities, towns and province.
How can the population of Canada's second largest city be left in the
lurch like this on a day when vital, timely and LIVE radio was
probably most needed by them and why. Why? Simply because it was
Sunday.
Astral & Cogeco....shame on you! (Sheldon Harvey, Greenfield Park,
Quebec, Aug 30, radioinmontreal yg via DXLD)
** CHAD. 6165, RNT, 2220-2229:35*, August 24, Afro-pop music. French
announcements. Sign off with National Anthem. Poor to fair (Brian
Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
** CHINA. 5050, Beibu Bay Radio (BBR), 1300, August 30. Ozy Radio
(Australia) has not returned here yet so I have been enjoying this
while they are still in the clear; pips; in Chinese with TC; multi-
language IDs (“FM 96.4 Beibu Bay Radio”) and talk in Chinese for a few
minutes (something new?) before into the “B-B-R News” in Vietnamese;
fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD
OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 5925, CNR-5, Beijing 1046-1102 Chinese; M & W announcers
with alternating talk; one breaks out into song!; music bridges &
remote reports; filler music at 1058; ID & CNR jingle music at 1100
into more talk; poor-fair; 8/30 (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H.
USA, NRD-45, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This rather obscure network, Zhonghua News Radio per WRTH, is also on
a few other commonly heard SW frequencies such as WOOB 7620 (Glenn
Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** CHINA/TAIWAN. Both Chinese het each other by 1000 Hz interference
tone. At 0950 UT Aug 27: 9774.000 Fu Hsing BS Kuanyin-TWN and mainland
CNR2 program from Beijing on even 9775.0 kHz (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc
BC-DX TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD)
** CHINA. 10000, Aug 26 at 1257, beeps of higher pitch mixing with
WWV/WWVH. 1259 began Morse IDs on MCW over and over as BPM, i.e.
China`s WWV at Lintong (Mt. Li), Shaanxi. Too bad on pp 668-669, WRTH
2011 does not show details such as ID times, in this case during
minutes :29 and :59. Even in the standard-frequency arena, the ChiCom
brazenly QRM US broadcasts, while the Russians are kind enough to
offset their timesignals -4 kHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST) Discussion continues under INTERNATIONAL
** CHINA. It seems that whenever I tune to China Radio International's
English programmes, I run into their `China Drive` magazine programme
which I don't find of any interest. I suppose the idea is that the
International audience gets to know more about what the "ordinary"
Chinese person is thinking by re-broadcasting the local programming
from Easy FM. It doesn't do it for me.
However, they do have some other excellent programmes, such as
`Listener's Garden` and `China Horizons` at weekends which I stumble
across from time to time. I must make more of an effort to note when
these programmes are on air. In contrast, CRI's programming in other
languages always seems to feature lots of nice selections of Chinese
music - especially noted in their Italian, and also French,
programmes. I'll return to China Radio International programming
another time (Alan Roe, Listening Post, Sept World DX Club Contact via
DXLD)
** CHINA [and non]. 5855, RFA, Tinian. Chinese program leaking through
in between music breaks from gigantic Firedrake 1928 on 8/8 (Gavin
Hellyer, Ararat Vic (Yaesu FRG8800, Kenwood R2000, Realistic DX440,
Long Wires & Inverted V, ATUs), Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
Unusual for Firedrake to be reported on such a low frequency, and
using it instead of CNR1 to jam RFA (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
** CHINA. 7970, Firedrake Jammer, Aug. 23, 1030, VG, with equally
solid //s on 12980, 10300 (Rick Barton, El Mirage, Arizona, Hammarlund
HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L wire, 100' random
wire, ABDX via DXLD)
Scan for Firedrake; 19000 through 5900, from 0839 to 0900*, August 24.
18180 weak
17170 fair
16980 fair
16100 good
15900 good
14720 good
13970 poor
13130 good
12270 fair
10300 good
7970 good
(Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
12980, Firedrake jammer, Aug. 24, 1030 (in progress). VG, with strong
//s heard on 7970, 10300 (Rick Barton, El Mirage, Arizona, Hammarlund
HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L wire, 100' random
wire, ABDX via DXLD)
DX time has been very limited last couple of days. Firedrake logs
follow - Yesterday August 24 didn't have time for a complete band
check but did run across:
15280, Good 1340
August 25, 2011, just a single band check made
10300, Weak 1139
13850, Good 1141
13970, Fair 1141
15670, Fair-Weak 1142
Good DX (Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake August 25, before 1200:
10300, very good at 1143, but none lower or higher; bands above 12 MHz
were just about dead before sunrise
After 1230:
10300, very good at 1235
12500, very good at 1235
13920, very good at 1236
14720, very good at 1236
15900, very good at 1236
16100, good at 1239
Before 1330:
16100, poor at 1321
15900, good with flutter at 1321
15290, fair with flutter at 1321; none in the 14`s
13130, fair at 1324
12980, very poor at 1325
12270, fair at 1325
10300, good at 1327
Before 1400:
15900, very good at 1350
15280, poor at 1346, ex 15290 earlier
13720, fair at 1348
13130, fair at 1348
12270, poor-fair at 1349
After 1400:
15285, poor at 1420; ex 15280 earlier
14720, fair at 1422
13970, very poor at 1424 with het
10300, very poor at 1426
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Good Morning, Exceptional signal (S9 +20 dB) and quality of a
Firedrake transmission this morning on 15900 here in Central Ontario
at 1344 UT 8-25-2011. They must have tweaked the audio equalization as
the depth and quality of the music is fantastic today. What a waste of
technology! Thanks for your regular reports on the ODXA Yahoo Group.
Greatly appreciated! Regards (Sean Welsh, Orangeville, ON,
http://web.me.com/welshsean Aug 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
13850, Firedrake jammer, Aug. 26, 1030. Very strong, and covering M in
Chinese heard (pres. Sound of Hope via Taiwan) underneath. I noted //s
on 10300, 12500, but without target station heard also (Rick Barton,
El Mirage, Arizona, Hammarlund HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70'
Inverted-L wire, 100' random wire, ABDX via DXLD)
Hi Glenn, Today's, August 26th, 2011 Firedrake log:
12500, Good-Strong 1222, Good 1257, Nothing heard lower either time
12980, Good 1225, Fair 1257
13850, Good 1258
13920, Good 1258
13970, Strong 1227 and 1258. Also strong at 1321 with nothing lower.
14720, Extremely Strong 1227 and 1258. Good 1322
15290, Good 1322
15430, Weak 1328
15545, Weak 1228 and 1259 Nothing heard higher at either time
15760, Extremely Strong 1328 gone at 1331 check
16980, Strong 1329, Nothing higher
Good DX (Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake August 26, after 1300:
15290, good at 1314, with flutter
16980, good at 1314, with flutter; no others found
Before 1400:
16980, good at 1349
15520, fair at 1351 [usually around here on frequencies ending -5]
14720, fair at 1351
13970, very good at 1353
13850, very good at 1353 eclipsing weak WWCR 13845
12025, very poor at 1353 under CNR1 jammer; none in 11`s, 10`s
7970, just barely audible at 1355
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
12270.000, Firedrake, 0930-0945 Aug 27, Noted steady Chinese type
music during the period. Noted a parallel program of music on 10300
and 13970 KHz. Signal was good (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, NRD545
26N 081W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
13975, Firedrake jammer, Aug. 27, 1020, Crashing & Banging away, with
strong //s noted on 7070, 12270, 13920. Also took note of 10300 being
silent. All gone after 1100 (Rick Barton, El Mirage, Arizona,
Hammarlund HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L wire,
100' random wire, ABDX via DXLD)
Are you sure? Always heard here on 13970, and these WOOB FDs are
almost always ending in -0, not -5 (gh, DXLD)
Hi Glenn, A very strange situation this morning. Did multiple sweeps
1345 to 1545 GMT. The only Firedrake broadcast I could hear on any
frequency was 15285. Heard them fair at both 1348 and 1426 GMT. Not
sure if my local band conditions were bad or Firedrake wasn't up
elsewhere. Good DX (Steve Handler, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Most Firedrake frequencies missing Aug 27; what`s going on? Certainly
not due to propagation as numerous usual CNR1 jammers and CRI
frequencies were still audible up to 18 MHz. See TAIWAN 10300.
1240-1250, NO Firedrake found 10-19 MHz, but among many others:
1246, Chinese CCI on 15795 and 15670, CNR1 jammers
1248, Chinese CCI also on 15250, 15115, CNR1 jammers
1250, CRI in Chinese on 17650, English on 17490, via EAST TURKISTAN
After 1300, found just a couple, in-banders:
15280, poor at 1322-1330*, vs het on 15282; no jump found after 1330;
at 1332 carrier/het on 15288, and algo on 15290, not Firedrake
15285, very poor at 1358, not earlier; no others up to 19 MHz (this
was the only FD that S. Handler in IL found today in a 2-hour sweep)
12025, very poor at 1326 mixing with CNR1 jamming
No others 10-19 MHz.
Firedrake August 28, first in the ChiCom noon hour:
17170, poor at 0426
16100, very poor at 0426; no others 12-19 MHz
Before 1300:
7970, poor at 1239
10300, good at 1242
12120, very good at 1248 mixed with constant RTTY on 12120, unusual
spot for FD
15555, poor at 1252, vs het 15552
No others 13-18 MHz by 1255
After 1300:
15280, poor at 1324, het 15278
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hi Glenn, Another unusual day for Firedrake. Propagation from SE Asia
was good this morning. However I was unable to locate hardly any
Firedrake broadcasts despite numerous full SW band searches from 1250
to 1530 GMT. Below are my results, August 28, 2011
10300, Fair 1229, 1235, 1258
15280, Good 1323
15545, Weak 1256
15555, Weak 1256
Other than those frequencies I was unable to hear any other Firedrake
broadcast. My 1430-1530 searches yielded not a single frequency (Steve
Handler, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
7970, Firedrake musical jammer Aug. 29, 1020, strong, crashing and
banging, with noted //s on 12600, 14720, 14720 and 11935 --- NO, the
latter was CRI with a legit program of Chinese music that was a fooler
for a moment (Rick Barton, El Mirage, Arizona, Hammarlund HQ-200,
Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L wire, 100' random wire, ABDX
via DXLD)
Hi Glenn, A good day for SE Asia reception here. Made many band scans
today. Interesting pattern for 13970 as it was not heard during any of
the 1200-1300 band scans but heard before and after.
Firedrake Log August 29, 2011
7970, JBA 1145
10300, Weak-Fair 1146, Weak 1256 and 1327
12270, Strong 1148
12600, Strong 1148
13130, Strong 1257
13920, Fair 1149 and 1257. Strong at 1328
13970, Strong 1149 and Fair 1329
14720, Good 1150, 1258 and 1329
15280, Good 1329
15545, Weak 1259
15670, Fair 1159 then at ToH 1200 audio changed from Firedrake to CNR-
1's Mandarin program. Both Firedrake and CNR-1 via same transmitter
15970, Good 1259
Good DX (Steve Handler, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake Aug 29, before 1300:
7970, good at *1226. I had just tuned by on the 7-8 MHz FRG-7 range
without hearing it, and then starting at the bottom edge of the 8-9
MHz range, 7965, there it was on 7970
10300, very good at 1233; none in the 11`s, 12`s
13130, very good at 1237
13920, poor at 1236
14720, good at 1238
After 1300:
15430, very poor at 1307; on early or continuously thru hourtop
After 1330:
16100, fair at 1336
14720, fair at 1338
13920, very good at 1339
12270, good at 1339
12025, poor at 1340 mixed with CNR1 jamming
10300, fair at 1342
7970, poor at 1342
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also MALAYSIA, ChiCom QRM
Hi Glenn, Excellent SE Asia Reception today. 14400 is back after an
absence here for a while. Two frequencies, 15280 and 15425 had a
buzzer jammer along with Firedrake today.
Firedrake Log Steven Handler August 30, 2011
10300, Fair 1146, Weak 1223
12270, Good 1148, JBA with het 1318, Weak with het 1337
13130, Fair 1148, 1225, 1253, 1337
13850, Strong 1149, 1225, 1256
13920, Strong 1225, 1256, 1317 and Good 1338
13970, Fair 1226, 1256, Good 1338 and Fair 1429
14400, Strong 1149
14720, Good 1340
14970, Fair 1429
15280, Good 1307, 1319 along with another jammer generating a buzzing
sound
15425, Fair 1345 along with another jammer generating a buzzing sound.
Neither Firedrake nor the buzz jammer were audible five minutes ago
when I checked this frequency.
15515, Weak 1220
15555, Weak with het 1258
15670, Fair-Good 1150
15900, Good 1259
16100, Weak 1151, Good 1259, Strong 1342, Good 1356
16980, Weak 1152, Strong 1221 and 1259.
Good DX (Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENNG DIGEST)
Firedrake Aug 30, around 1230:
7970, poor at 1222
10300, good at 1231 with flutter. Most of them are rather fluttery
13130, good at 1237
13850, good at 1237
13920, good at 1238
13970, poor at 1238; none in the 14`s
15555, poor at 1245 with het
15900, good at 1239 with flutter
16100, good at 1243
16980, good at 1243
Before 1400:
16100, very good at 1342. None in the 15`s until this:
15425, fair at 1351 also with noise jamming
14720, very good at 1344
13970, very good at 1345
13920, very good at 1345
13830, fair at 1345
13130, very good at 1344
12270, fair at 1345
12025, very poor at 1345 under CNR1 jamming; none in the 11`s, 10`s
After 1400:
10300, fair at 1435, back on this hour; did not look for others
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
August 31, 2011 Firedrake log. I was only able to listen for a short
while.
10300 Fair 1140
13920 Fair 1142
13970 Good 1142
15670 Weak 1143
16100 Weak 1144
(Steve Handler, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Firedrake Aug 31, before 1300:
10300, very good at 1243
12970, very good at 1243
13130, very good at 1249
13920, good at 1244
14720, very good at 1249
15900, fair at 1249
16100, very good at 1257
16980, fair at 1257
17170, poor at 1258
After 1300:
15430, very poor at 1305, just starting, I think vs 15432 carrier het,
which also QRMed Romania in Chinese on 15435. The latest Aoki, dated
Aug 26, showed V. of Tibet via Tajikistan at 1300-1306 on 15437, 1306-
1330 on 15442, but today must have been on 15432 instead at the moment
15280, fair at 1307. Aoki shows this too is vs a jumparound V. of
Tibet via Tajikistan, 1301-1330 on 15282, 1401-1430 on 15283
12025, very poor at 1313 under CNR1 in Chinese jamming
Before 1400:
18180, just barely audible at 1350
17170, fair with flutter at 1349
15900, fair with flutter at 1349; none in the 16`s
15520, very poor at 1351 vs het de 15523: no doubt another V. of Tibet
jumparound via Tajikistan, which Aoki Aug 26 had on 15527 at 1330-
1337, 15517 at 1337-1400
15425, fair at 1352, ex-15430 earlier in the hour, q.v.
14720, good at 1353
14400, very good at 1353
13970, very good at 1353
13920, fair at 1353 with het, fax QRM?
13670, fair at 1354, Firedrake music NOT // 13970 and 14400. Unusual
spot for Firedrake; Aoki Aug 26 has nothing to explain it, and in
fact, lists both PBS Xinjiang, Urumqi in Uighur, and CRI in Chinese
via Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN at this hour; wrong audio by mistake? Or
maybe it was coincidentally non-jamming programming with same kind of
music.
13650, poor at 1355, Firedrake mixing with Chinese, not // 13970
either. Aoki shows this is also an Urumqi channel until 1357, CRI in
Chinese, plus VOK in Chinese. So maybe a second Wulumuchi transmitter
with the wrong feed, as here too there is no known opposition
broadcasting. After 1400, only VOK remained
13130, very good at 1356, // 13970
12025, very poor at 1356 under Chinese from CNR1 jammer; none lower
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. 6125 / 7230 / 7305 / 7345 / 9500 / 9710 / 9810 / 9845 /
11710 / 13610, CNR-1. 1120 August 27, 2011. Bored with Firedrake, I
decided to see how many channels of this network would be audible at
this time. Signals were, respectively: weak; fair; fair; good; very
good; good; fair; fair; very poor; good. 9845 seemingly with two
transmitters, as there was a slight double audio. 11710 mostly covered
by a rather weak Spanish station, RHC? QRM noisy here, so probably a
few otherwise weak channels overlooked (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater,
Florida, USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CHINA. ILLEGAL RADIO SHUT DOWN IN NORTH-WEST CHINA | Text of report
in English by website of state-run China Radio International on 31
August
An illegal radio station broadcasting to locations throughout Xi'an in
northwest China was shut down by the authorities on Tuesday [30
August]. The station was the first illegal radio station to be shut
down by the authorities in recent years.
The radio station was detected by a monitoring station operated by the
Shaanxi Provincial Radio Management Committee Office.
On the morning of Monday, August the 29th, some netizens complained
that whenever they turned on the radio and tuned in to FM 107.7 MHz,
they would receive a radio programme with no host, presenting nasty
medical advertisements all day around.
On Monday afternoon, after close monitoring, personnel from the Xi'an
monitoring station initially confirmed the broadcast site of this
radio station - the top floor of a 24-storey building at a residential
quarter in the south of Xi'an. Later, law enforcement personnel
knocked on the door of room 2404 of that building and detained four
people who were working there.
It's been reported that this illegal private radio station had been
operating for over a month. Apart from FM 107.7, the radio station
also owns another two frequencies, FM 107.5 MHz and FM 107.1 MHz,
which were prohibited on the spot by law enforcers on Wednesday.
Source: China Radio International, Beijing, in English 31 Aug 11 (via
BBC Monitoring via DXLD)
‘VULGAR’ SHAANXI RADIO STATION SHUT DOWN
An illegal private radio station broadcasting medicine ads and vulgar
content in northwestern China’s Shaanxi Province was shut down by
local authorities yesterday, Hsn.cn reported today. Four people
running the radio station have been detained.
The station which covered most of the Xi’an urban area was the first
private radio station busted in the city, said Shaanxi Radio
Administration Bureau. Under Chinese law, it’s illegal to own a
private radio station.
“After several tests, we found a transmitter on the roof of a 24-
floor-highrise in a residential complex and caught four workers,” said
Liu Xiaobing, deputy head with a monitoring station of the Radio
Administration Bureau in Xi’an. “I know it’s illegal to set up radio
stations on my own, but I just wanted to have a try for fun,” said one
of the suspects surnamed Cui. (Source: shanghaidaily.com) (August
31st, 2011 - 9:37 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
** COLOMBIA [and non]. 6010: Three peaks and programmes noted on
terrible mixture - heterodyne QRM mess - sometimes a Perseus notch
filter cut-out helps ... At 0920 UT Aug 27 noted two Spanish and a
weak Portuguese program underneath. I guess 6009.960, XEOI Radio Mil,
México DF MEX; 6010.016 Rádio Inconfidência-BRA; and 6010.104 kHz LV
de tu Conciencia CLM (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 24/27)
No doubt yet another log on a remote receiver, California? (gh)
** COSTA RICA [and non]. 5954+, Aug 30 at 0530, I hear a less than 1
kHz het against 5955 = RNW via Sines, PORTUGAL, underneath all the
Cuban noise jamming, i.e. only evidence that ELCOR is still on the air
with R. República (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. 750, Radio Progreso, Palmira, Cienfuegos. 1050 August 27,
2011. Presume the site with "wobbler" variation audio. Not many of
these wobblers remain, compared to a couple of years ago: presumably
newer, defective Chinese-made transmitters that have mostly been
fixed. Typical cheap ChiCom products. This particular entry is rated a
moderate CRFU (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA, 27.55.83 N,
82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA. DentroCuban Jamming Command grinding on 9565 at 1312 Aug 28,
between Australia 9560 and China via Cuba 9570; 9565 jamming totally
unnecessary at this hour. See also USA: Greenville report (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CUBA [non]. 5952.4, 28/8 2311, Radio Pio XII, Bolivia, popular
songs, fair (No trace of Elcor, Costa Rica) (Giampiero Bernardini,
Milano, Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-Radio Software - ANT: T2FD
15 m long; QTH: Milan city, Italy; SW blog:
http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ HCDX via DXLD)
No jamming either? R. República via ELCOR has been around 5954.2, and
we still hear jamming at night on 5955, day on 9965 (gh, DXLD)
** CUBA. 9240, CUBA (reported), Aug. 24, 1010. Spanish language
numbers broadcast, VG signal, weak modulation (Rick Barton, El Mirage,
Arizona, Hammarlund HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L
wire, 100' random wire, ABDX via DXLD)
** CYPRUS. 17155-17180, Aug 25 at 1241, OTH radar pulses, presumed
from here, noticed when checking for Firedrake on 17170 (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** CZECHIA. RADIO PRAGUE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE WILL MARK ITS 75TH
ANNIVERSARY WITH PRESS CONFERENCE AND TENT. Posted: 29 Aug 2011
Radio Prague website: "On August 31, 2011, it will have been 75 years
since the Czechoslovak company Radiojournal launched its regular
shortwave broadcast. We consider that day to be the beginning of Radio
Prague. To mark the anniversary, Radio Prague will be doing some
special programmes and preparing the following events. ...
Wednesday, August 31, 2011: A press conference on the current state of
international broadcasting will be held for Czech and foreign
journalists in the Czech Radio building. Journalists will have the
opportunity to see the 75 Years of Radio Prague exhibit and visit the
international broadcasting workspaces. A Czech Radio 7 tent will be
set up at Na príkope 15, Prague 1, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The staff at
the tent will be distributing Radio Prague promotional materials and
will be drawing attention to the Prague broadcast for foreigners on
92.6FM and 99.3FM. There will also be live broadcasts from the tent."
With link to pdf document about the station's history.
http://www.radio.cz/en/static/75-years-of-radio-prague/
(kimandrewelliott.com vi9 DXLD)
We had advance news in DXLD about these festivities several weeks ago,
so let this be a reminder (gh, DXLD)
Radio Prague 75th Anni Specials
Radio Prague marks 75 years on air
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/special/radio-prague-marks-75-years-on-air
Adapting to change: 75 years of Radio Prague broadcasts
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/adapting-to-change-75-years-of-radio-prague-broadcasts
Radio Prague listeners send well-wishes on Radio Prague’s 75th
birthday
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/radio-prague-listeners-send-well-wishes-on-radio-pragues-75th-birthday
Radio Prague to suffer no budget cuts in 2012
http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/radio-prague-to-suffer-no-budget-cuts-in-2012
(Alokesh Gupta, VU3BSE, New Delhi, dxldyg via DXLD)
** DENMARK. Re long-delayed QSLs coming out from World Music Radio:
The website was back online when checked August 25, a one page history
of the station which says in part:
World Music Radio (WMR) first went on the air in 1967 from the
Netherlands, and broadcast from there until August 1973. Programmes
were aired each Sunday morning and later also on Saturdays. Later,
programmes from WMR were carried through the facilities of Radio
Andorra (in 1976 and 1980), Radio Milano International (1982-1983) and
Radio Dublin (1983-1989), as well as via FM stations in Italy and
France.
In 1997 WMR came back on the air from May to August from new
headquarters in Denmark using powerful transmitters in South Africa,
giving worldwide coverage but with Africa as the main target area.
In August 2003 permission to use 5815 and 15810 was granted by the
authorities in Denmark, and transmitters were ordered from a company
in Canada. The shortwave transmitters finally arrived in mid April
2004. Meanwhile new aerials had been erected near Karup in Central
Jutland, Denmark, and the first test transmissions commenced on May 9
on 15810 and on May 18 on 5815.
All transmissions of WMR ended in early January 2005 and WMR is
currently off the air (via Mike Barraclough, England, Sept World DX
Club Contact via DXLD)
** EGYPT. EGYPTIAN TV HOST: “CORRUPTION AND CENSORSHIP WORSE THAN
UNDER MUBARAK”
Egyptian TV personality Shahira Amin has told The Guardian that
”Corruption and censorship are worse today than under Mubarak.” She
quit Egyptian state TV on 3 February at the height of the political
unrest and mass protests in the Middle East. At the time of her
resignation, there was optimism in Egypt and the west that the
country’s corrupt and censored media would be reformed.
Following demonstrations from media workers and a shift in news
coverage after the revolution – protesters were transformed from
“thugs” to “heroes” – it seemed that the country’s state media were
becoming more open. Ms Amin, however, believes they have gone
backwards. “The army is in complete control. They have simply replaced
Mubarak and they are even more intimidating.”
Read the interview
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/aug/28/interview-shahira-amin-broadcasting-egypt
(August 29th, 2011 - 12:18 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via
DXLD)
** ERITREA. 9830.03, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, 0323-0330,
August 24, vernacular talk. Horn of Africa music. Weak but readable.
// 7175 - poor with ham QRM.
9710.03, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, 0320-0335, Horn of
Africa style music. Vernacular talk. Fair level but very weak
modulation. Fair on // 7174.99. August 30 (Brian Alexander, PA, WORLD
OF RADIO 1580, DX Listening Digest)
9820.03, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, 0315-0330, Horn of
Africa music. Vernacular talk. Some Mid-East style music. Poor to
fair. // 9730.03 - weak modulation. // 7174.99 - fair to good. This
station seems to change their 9 MHz frequencies almost daily. August
31 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
** ETHIOPIA. 9705, Radio Ethiopia, 2045-2101*, local Horn of Africa
style music. Amharic announcements. Possible news at 2056. Sign off
with National Anthem at 2059. Fair. August 29.
Radio Ethiopia, *0258-0315, sign on with short IS on electronic
keyboard and opening announcements. National Anthem at 0259. Gongs at
0300 followed by Amharic talk. Possible news. Local Horn of Africa pop
music at 0303. Fair. August 31 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening
Digest)
** EURASIA. TA's into central PA tonight --- I guess this marks the
"official" start of the DX season for me; tonight between 0040-0100
UTC the higher band had quite a few TA carriers like 1575, 1206 and
1089, and good audio on 1521 Saudi, 1503 Iran and 1215 UK. Even
elusive 1088 has a het against 1089. Iran would be MW country #50 from
this QTH.Heard on Perseus SDR with 16'x36' "superloop" pointing
towards Europe (Brett Saylor, State College, PA, UT Aug 29, IRCA via
DXLD)
1521 Saudi also noted here tonight with fair audio at times along with
a slew of strong TA hets all across the dial at 0220 UT (Tim Tromp,
West Michigan, Perseus SDR + 300 FT BOG, ibid.)
Following reports that MW TA carriers were penetrating deep into NAm,
I made a check UT Aug 29 at 0250, and could detect some weak ones on
1521 (no doubt Saudi Arabia) against KOKC, and on 1089, plus a few
other hints too weak to be sure of vs birdies, appliance radiation,
etc. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** EUROPE. 12255, PIRATE, Reflections Europe. Sundays has religious
program in English, at 1730 //6295, poor signal on both frequenciess
on 21/8 (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF-2001, 16m Marconi
antenna), Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
** GERMANY. 1539 kHz, Mainflingen - only one day check on Aug 25.
Abend-ERF zurueck auf MW? Nachdem der ERF die Abendsendungen am 1.8.
auf 1539 kHz eingestellt hat, sind sie heute wieder da. Ein Versehen
oder zuviele Proteste? Auf der Internetseite habe ich auf jeden Fall
nichts gefunden (Sandro Blatter-SUI, A-DX Aug 25 via BC-DX via DXLD)
Beim ERF weiss man nichts von Sendeaktivitaeten ausserhalb der
Sendezeit (04-08 Uhr UT) auf 1539 kHz! Absicht war das wohl nicht.
(Karl-J.Conrads-D, A-DX Aug 25, ibid.)
Re 1539 kHz. Heute nur die zwei SER Stationen mit Radrundfahrt Sport
news, und jetzt wohl Barcelona football Uebertragung zu hoeren. War
das gestern nur eine Wartungsmessung des Mainflingen Senders?, oder
wurden den CRI oder Radio Moskau Interessenten nur ein Messsignal
geboten? (73 wb - Aug 26, ibid.)
** GERMANY. HCJB, 3995: English programme of bible stories and
contemporary Christian music heard August 28 and 29 from 0705 tune in
until 0759 when sign off announcements in German (Mike Barraclough,
England, Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD)
** GERMANY. Radio Gloria International schedule --- RGI 08-12-2011
28. August:
11-12 (9-10 UTC): 6005/shortwaveservice.com/9480
17-18 (15-16 UTC): Coloradio.org
no 6140
rep.: 4.Sept. 1-2 pm (11-12 UTC) 9480
25.Sept./23.Oct./27.Nov./25.Dec. 2011
11-12 (9-10 UTC) 6005/shortwaveservice.com/9480
15-16 (13-14 UTC) 6140
17-18 (15-16 UTC) Coloradio.org
rep.: 1st Sunday of the next month 1-2 pm (11-12 UTC) 9480
Good listening! Reports welcome! Andy (via Manuel Méndez, Spain, Aug
25, HCDX via DXLD)
** GERMANY [non]. FINE TRASMISSIONI DELLA DW IN ONDE CORTE PER
L’EUROPA --- La DW mi ha comunicato che con la fine dell’ora legale
termineranno le loro trasmissioni in onde corte per l’Europa. Questo
fatto comporterà anche, per me e molti altri, la fine del rapporto di
monitor dopo 30 anni! Peccato (Giovanni Lorenzi IT9TZZ, bclnews.it,
Aug 26, shortwave yg via DXLD)
End of DW transmissions on SW to Europe: DW has told me that at the
end of summer time, they will terminate their transmissions on SW for
Europe. This will also mean, for me and many others, the end of
monitoring reports after 30 years. A Shame (translated by gh for WORLD
OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
15620, Aug 27 at 1850, good signal in Hausa from DW via RWANDA, except
for squishy spur around 15619 from WEWN 15610, now built up to strong
level, maybe some sporadic-E boost, which hasn`t made it into VHF for
a fortnight or so as the summer TV/FM DX season ends (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GERMANY EAST. R Berlin International 1967 --- I have an RBI QSL
from 1967 which doesn't list the transmitter site. My 1969 WRTH (my
oldest reference) shows Nauen & Konigswusterhausen as possible sites.
Does anyone know if those were the sites in use in May of 1967?
(JLenamon, Waco, Aug 26, shortwavesites yg via DXLD)
Basically yes, if it was not 9730 kHz. I understand that Wiederau, the
third shortwave site, was at this time a fixed-frequency operation on
this channel. However, this changed when a new transmitter has been
installed in 1972 which until 1993 was in use over the day on various
frequencies from 49 to 13 metres.
The other options in 1967 were at Nauen a 100 kW transmitter on a
steerable antenna that is still in use (now with a transmitter moved
in from Jülich) and another 50 kW transmitter that had some rhombics
and dipoles at its disposal. Königs Wusterhausen had four 2x50 kW Sneg
units with a set of rhombics, dipoles and vertical monopoles. Further
transmissions beyond six frequencies plus the fixed 9730 would have
been old low power units at Königs Wusterhausen.
Post-1970 upgrades were, besides the already described one at
Wiederau, at Nauen a Brown Boveri 500 kW transmitters with dipoles for
European services plus a curtain for transmissions to Chile. Some
years later followed two Soviet 500 kW transmitters and the row of 4/6
curtain antennas that was an impressive sight also on transit tours by
train from Hamburg to Berlin.
The only piece of this equipment that remains today is the mentioned
steerable antenna at Nauen. The 4 x 500 kW units in use since 1997
have been built from scratch for 70 million D-Marks and on the
foundation of a transmission contract for twenty years, thus actually
running until 2016. As well-known Deutsche Welle cancelled it in 2007,
which cost them a compensation payment of 14 million Euros, and it is
beyond the imagination of a number of observers that this was an
economical move (Kai Ludwig, eastern Germany, ibid.)
** GIBRALTAR. Two recordings made yesterday, 30/8; times shown on both
(13:07, 12:57,) are local, i.e. UT +1 h:
"El Peñón", "The Rock", 1458 kHz, Maida Vale tx, at some 340 km away.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/1827336045/item/
list
(Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GREECE. Decided to have a look at remote receiver at Athens area:
At 2050 UT, Aug 22, some Balkan Pirate stations:
1605.200 1615.200/3230 1620.0 1640.300 1642.630 1648.030
1648.030 1655.236 1671.840 1679.280 1689.200Turk/Ar sce!
1700.180 1709.910 1760.0 kHz.
1727.260 wandered down to 1726.950 within 30 sec! (Wolfgang Büschel,
wwdxc BC-DX TopNews - with help of Mauno and Günter Lorenz soft Aug
22, BC DX Aug 27 via DXLD)
I think these are all Greek pirates, of which you are surely aware?
High quality and power (maybe 20 kW or so) transmitters, also often no
offset! Most of then in the vicinity of Athens.
Michael Nevradakis' excellent source can give answers to part of them:
<http://www.media.net.gr/mwband.php>
see also
<http://users.hol.gr/~sv6czq/am.htm>
<http://medium-wave.blogspot.com/>
(Mauno Ritola, Finland, Aug 22, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD)
** GREECE. 15630, ERA5, Radio Dromos relay via Voice of Greece; 2215-
2227+, 24-Aug; M in Greek with Greek pop tunes + one English pop; ID
spots at 2218+ & 2226+. Dromos is an FM station in Athens per the 2011
WRTVH. SIO=4+54; // 9420, SIO=4+54 (Frodge-MI)
[Not to be confused with R. Kosmos, also reported recently via SW -gh]
15630, ERA5, Voice of Greece; 1948-2005+, 25-Aug; 2 or 3M in Greek
with football game coverage; apparently the Greek word for offside is
"offside"! Foni tis Elladas ID at 2004. SIO=454; // 9420 covered by
strong hiss QRM throughout (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B
+ 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, All logged by my
ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 9975, Aug 25 at 1231, TWR IS, then ``KTWR, Agana`` in
English, opening Chinese. Note: pronounced Agana, not Agaña --- are
the Guamanians (or Guahanians) themselves split over whether to enye
it? The issue could be avoided by referencing smaller town Agat which
serves at least as PO Box address of KTWR as well as KSDA. Clear
except for some jambleed from 9965 Cuban grind (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUAM. 9880, Aug 25 at 1258 some beautiful singing cut off abruptly
at 1259* without any announcement, let alone ID or sign-off; how rude.
HFCC shows KSDA at 12-13, 100 kW, 330 degrees in Kor = Korean per Eibi
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. Dear Ralph: I have produced a special file with the
statistic hystory of power output on our transmitter. I thought you
may be interested on reading it, and you will understand all
circumstances I have gone through during the years. However, I never
give up, because it is the work of our Lord Jesus, and the results are
great through His power. May God bless and reward you.
Édgar Amílcar Madrid
Manager and Director
Radio Verdad
HISTORIAL ESTADÍSTICO DE POTENCIA DE RADIO VERDAD
Ver Gráfica al Final.
Fecha Potencia Módulos Notas
Feb. 25, 2000. 400 2 No se oía en Chiquimula. No acopló con coaxial
RG8 (50 ohmios), y se tuvo que utilizar RG12 (75 ohmios).
Feb. 26, 2000. 800 2 Se comenzó a oír en Chiquimula.
Mar. 5, 2000. 1000 2 Inauguración oficial.
Mar. 6, 2000. 800 2
Mayo 11, 2000. 200 2, 1 funcionando. Ingresó agua al cable coaxial. Se
cambió coaxial, pero, no acopló de ninguna manera. El técnico Don Hugo
Calvillo desconectó la tierra del condensador, y así logró acoplarlo;
pero, del condensador saltaban chispas, y hasta fuego. Se tuvo que
dejar a sólo 200 watts. Se trabajó sin tierra hasta septiembre 2, 2003
(3 años y 7 meses).
Mayo 18, 2000. 200 2, 1 funcionando. El condensador suelta chispas.
Mayo 22, 2000. 800 2 Aislé las placas del condensador con cinta
aislante y ya no soltó chispas.
Mayo 22, 2000. 200 2, 1 funcionando. Me aconsejaron quitar el aislante
de las placas, y continuamos con el problema de las chispas y con baja
potencia.
Mayo 26, 2000. 500 200 300 500, 2, Aumenté potencia con botón Up/Down.
Chispas ocasionales.
Junio 24, 2000. 1000, 800 2. Abrí el condensador al máximo y coloqué
una placa de acetato entre las placas superiores e inferiores. La
antena no acoplaba, pero, la logré acoplar a través de colocar un gran
trozo grueso de madera de cedro frente al condensador. Ese trozo lo
quitamos cuando logramos volver a conectar la tierra el 2 de
septiembre del 2003 (3 años y 3 meses). Probé a 1000 watts y funcionó
bien, pero lo dejé en 800 watts.
Junio 26, 2000. 350 2
Junio 28, 2000. 500 2
Junio 29, 2000. 700 2
Julio 12, 2000. Instalamos un transformador eléctrico de 35,000
voltios/240.
Abril 7, 2001. 600 700 2. Tratamos de instalar el cable RG8 (50
ohmios), tal como corresponde, pero fue imposible que acoplara la
antena. Volvimos a colocar el cable RG12 (75 ohmios). Probé hasta 1230
watts, y funcionó bien, pero lo dejé entre 600 y 700, para no
forzarlo.
Dic. 20, 2001. 250 2 Había muchas chispas.
Enero 11, 2002 700 2 Aislé las placas con acetato.
Junio 6, 2002. 270 1 Primera vez que se quemó el módulo B. Cayó un
rayo en seco.
Abril 11, 2003. 500 800 2, Se reparó el módulo B que se había quemado
10 meses atrás.
Ago. 28, 2003. 200 2, 1 funcionando. Se quemó cable coaxial y no
pudimos acoplar el nuevo cable blanco. Después, acoplamos el cable
blanco y se calentaba mucho.
Sept. 2, 2003. 800 2, Conecté la tierra en el condensador (después de
3 años y 7 meses de dificultades por falta de tierra). Logré acoplar
bien la antena.
Nov. 22, 2003. 0 2. Se quemó el cable blanco de baja calidad y
quedamos fueras del aire por 5 días.
Nov. 27, 2003. 600 2, Instalamos un cable negro marca JSC Wire &
Cable, USA, type #3640, y quedó bien, sólo que la terminación que
quedó enrollada, se calienta un poco. Lo dejamos a 600 watts.
Dic. 30, 2003. 600 2, Nos informaron del Este de Estados Unidos que
Radio Verdad es una de las estaciones más fuertes de la banda.
Mayo 3, 2004. 320, 300, 1, Cayó un rayo, y nos quemó el módulo B. El
otro módulo quedó trabajando.
Mayo 3, 2004. 0 0, El otro módulo estalló al día siguiente, y quedamos
fuera del aire por 25 días.
Mayo 28, 2004. 620 2 Se repararon los 2 módulos quemados.
Junio 15, 2004. 500 2
Enero 2005. 1000 2 El transmisor tiene fuerte tendencia a subir la
potencia. Se la bajamos, y vuelve a subir.
Feb. 22, 2005. 280 1, Le conectamos tierra al chasís de la nueva
consola Phonic,, y aumentó la señal de audio, pero no fuimos a ver
hasta dónde subió la potencia y, un rato después, se quemó un mósfet
del Módulo B, del cual no teníamos repuesto, y nos quedamos con sólo
el módulo A. Al conseguir ese mósfet, el módulo B, no lo pudieron
reparar, porque siempre estallaba al ponerle la corriente.
Julio 26, 2005. 230 1 Pedimos la fabricación de un módulo nuevo, a
través de Comercial Dinámica.
Abril 4, 2006. 700 2, Se instaló el nuevo módulo que fabricaron. No
sabemos dónde lo fabricaron, quizá fue Lensa de Chile, la única casa
autorizada para fabricarlos.
Abril 6, 2006. 750 2
Agosto 6, 2006. 0 0 Colapsó el transmisor y quedamos fuera del aire
por un día.
Agosto 7, 2006. 220 0 2, 1 funcionando, 0. Localizamos corto circuito
en el cable de la antena y lo hicimos funcionar sólo con 220 watts,
porque no soportaba el audio. Más tarde, volvió a colapsar y quedamos
fuera del aire.
Agosto 8, 2006. 700 2, Descubrimos el problema: El cable de la antena
estaba topando a la antena, y ésta, perforó su aislante y había una
lluvia de chispas hacia él, al agregar el audio.
Sep. 8, 2007. 700, Distorsión, 2. La señal se volvió gangosa y
distorsionada esos 2 días. El 9 por la noche, apagué el transmisor e
investigué la causa. Descubrí que surgió una incompatibilidad entre la
computadora de Internet y el transmisor.
Sept. 9, 2007. 700, Distorsión; 750 2 2. Hice muchos ajustes, limpié
el transmisor, revisé cables de audio. Descubrí que la distorsión la
causaba un choque entre la tierra de la computadora y la tierra de la
consola. Provisionalmente, conecté el audio de la computadora en la
consola, conectando sólo el cable central, sin topar la tierra, yt
funcionó todo bien.
Sept. 10, 2007. 750 2, Para interconectar la computadora con la
consola, fabriqué un transformador de audio, para lograr que las
tierras de la computadora y la de la consola no hiciesen contacto
directo, sino por inducción. El problema quedó resuelto
permanentemente.
Mayo 16, 2008. 250 720 2, 1 funcionando, Bajó potencia por suciedad en
el transmisor. Lo limpié, y quedó bien.
Sept. 22, 2008. 650 0 20. Cayó un poderoso rayo como a las 4 de la
tarde y destruyó los dos módulos y varias cosas más. Quedamos fuera
del aire por 2 años y un mes. Nadie pudo reparar los módulos.
Sept. 17, 2010. 50 Yaesu FT-840 --- Con la ayuda del técnico hondureño
Don Jesús Cruz, salimos al aire con un transmisorcito Yaesu FT-840
utilizando la misma antena que teníamos.
Oct. 26, 2010. 500 2. El Ing. Wayne Ralph Borthwick, de Canadá, reparó
los dos módulos y salimos al aire con 500 watts. Construyó una nueva
antena muy eficaz.
Dic. 1, 2010. 210 1. Limpié el transmisor, pero ya no arrancó.
Intercambié los dos módulos idénticos, para ver si así arrancaba y, al
poner el alto voltaje, estalló el módulo B. No sabía que, desde hacía
varias semanas, el transmisor estaba arrancando como a las 3 horas
después de encender.
Mar. 25, 2011. 700 2. Llegó el Ing. Wayne Ralph Borthwick, de Canadá,
reparó el módulo quemado y el arranque tardío.
Ago. 22, 2011. 650 2. Descubrí que la potencia que realmente está
saliendo al aire, es de 650 a 660 watts.
Historial Estadístico de Potencia de Radio Verdad 1
Fecha Potencia Módulos Gráfica en Watts
W. 50 100 150 200 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 850 900
950 1000 1050 1100 1150 1200 1250 1300
(Dr. Édgar Amílcar Madrid, Radio Verdad, via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This second part has bar graphs showing the power fluxuations. Both it
and the first part are better viewed in original pdf, via:
http://www.w4uvh.net/VerdadHistoria.pdf
This should be very useful for those concerned with QRP calculations,
to know the exact power in use for various log dates (Glenn Hauser, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUATEMALA. Estimado Sr. Hauser. El 29 de agosto a las 0300 UT capté
aquí en Mérida, Yucatán a Radio Verdad en 4055 kHz en un radio-
tornamesa analógico Benytone modelo M7130 con señal buena aunque con
un poco de ruido atmosférico por tormentas eléctricas. Conecté un
cable de 10 metros aproximadamente a una derivación de la antena
interna de ferrita del receptor y emplee un kit casero de reducción de
ruidos (no muy efectivo, aunque preferible a nada).
A las 0300 UT se escuchaba un programa religioso “El Mensaje de Dios”
sobre el mensaje de los pastores.
A las 0308 UT, identificación completa en español por un locutor “Esta
es su estación educativa evangélica Radio Verdad en 4.05 MHz banda de
75 m onda corta SW1, para reportarnos nuestra señal diríjase a
‘Estación Educativa Evangélica Radio Verdad, Apartado #5, Chiquimula,
Guatemala, Centroamérica’ y le enviaremos su tarjeta QSL, calendario,
banderín y su calcomanía indíquenos la bendición que reciber por
escuchar Radio Verdad y diga el nombre correcto del programa que
escucha, esperamos su carta” seguido por un mensaje religioso por una
locutora.
0310 UT un locutor da la hora: 20:10 hrs e identifica la emisora
seguido por un himno religioso.
0315 UT, El programa”Así nos amó Jehová” acerca de la Iglesia Amigos
de Santidad.
0332 UT, Himno religioso.
0336 UT, identificación completa en español por un locutor “Esta es…”
seguido por un mensaje religioso por una locutora.
0338 UT Música e identificación completa en inglés “Radio Truth, P.O.
Box 5, Chiquimula, Guatemala, Central America…” seguida por música
religiosa en ése idioma.
0358 UT Identificación completa en inglés y programa religioso en ése
idioma.
Envió archivo de audio
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=C7B4TKID
Atte: (Ing. Civ. Israel González Ahumada, M.I., Yucatán, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** GUINEA. It seems R. Guinée, one of the intruders, is off 7125
during most of the day: their morning operation is no longer audible
around 0800, and the evening period starts at 1800. 73, (Carlos
Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, 2158 UT Aug 24, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
7125, Rdif Nationale, 2215-2251*, August 24, hi-life music.
Indigenous vocals. Rustic tribal music. Vernacular and French talk.
Abrupt sign off. Fair (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest)
7125, Radio Guinée (tentative); 2229-2236+, 24-Aug; Afro pop to
tentative BoH ID as "Ici Conakry", into chant for 1 minute, then M
commentary in French till 2235, then 2M in French -- one sounded
agitated. SIO=352 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft.
bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, All logged by my ears, on
my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST)
[and non]. 7125, Conakry Sofoniya irregular on air again, morning
transmissions missed Aug 24 ... 27 !
Mauritania, R Nouakchott, 7245 kHz was loud and clear and heard
regularly at same time slot (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug
27 via DXLD)
7125, Radio Guinea, Conakry, 0650-0705, 28-08, African music, male and
female with comments in French. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain,
Grundig Satellit 500 and Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 8 meters,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** GUYANA. 3290, GBC Georgetown, 0930 English; M announcer into "On
Top of Old Smokey" followed by announcement of sorts; poor in ECCS-
USB; 8/30 (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-45, MLB-1,
200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. 4820.75, AIR Kolkata, 1334, August 25. Last noted on this
off frequency July 12; best in USB (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
INDIA, All India Radio (I believe) - 31.08.2011, 1330 UT, 5015. Very
good signal, never heard it on formerly Turkmen Radio's frequency.
Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
Scheduled few seasons like
5015 50 Delhi (Kingsway) 1220-1841 (Ex 3365)
of B-06 season - DXIndia:
5015 AIR New Delhi 1220-1400 Hindi/English 50 ND Delhi (Kingsway) IND
5015 AIR New Delhi 1400-1410 Punjabi 50 ND Delhi (Kingsway) IND
5015 AIR New Delhi 1410-1530 Hindi 50 ND Delhi (Kingsway) IND
5015 AIR New Delhi 1530-1545 English 50 ND Delhi (Kingsway) IND
5015 AIR New Delhi 1600-1630 English 50 ND Delhi (Kingsway) IND
5015 AIR New Delhi 1630-1840 Hindi 50 ND Delhi (Kingsway) IND
73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** INDIA. 7270, AIR Chennai. Happened to catch the AIR IS at 1259,
August 29; weak (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1,
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
This is supposed to be a daytime = morning frequency only, 0130-0430
per WRTH 2011 (gh, DXLD)
** INDIA [and non]. 9870, Aug 26 at 1255 was enjoying the music from
AIR VBS, only fair reception from Bengaluru at 35 degrees, but after
1300 ruined by CRI English, which HFCC shows co-channel at 13-16, 200
degrees from Xi`an, to SE Asia, take that! Also listed on 9870 is DRM
from Moscow at 13-18, but not heard here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDIA. Comment #7 on “AIR Khampur testing DRM to Europe on 9950”
Oliver H on Aug 25th, 2011 at 20:52
Very nice Signal, S9+30dB.
SNR FAC 22 dB
SNR MSC 23 dB
Excellent Audio Quality, very less drop outs.
My equipment: 10 meter longwire, HCJB Pappradio SDR reciever. SoDiRa
software for decoding. I like the music very much. Best greetings from
Germany (MN blog comment via DXLD)
** INDONESIA. 3976, R. Republik Indonesia, Pontianak (presumed). Aug.
1 at 1832-1920 in Indonesian. SIO 242-141. Worship. Fade/out at 1920
(Akihiko SATO, Ashikaga, Tochigi-Pref. SONY ICF-SW77 & ICF-SW35 + SONY
AN-71, Sept JSWC Bulletin via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
Atsunori Ishida`s site says 3976 Pontianak is a ``silent station on
shortwave``: http://rri.jpn.org/
not heard since April 1, 2010:
http://rri.jpn.org/dat/html/2010-04.html
Of course, you never know when one may pop up again briefly or
regularly. The log above smax of being Ramadan-induced, but I haven`t
seen any other reports of 3976 this month. Not to be confused with
Azad Kashmir on 3975 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 4749.929, RRI Makassar, 1001-1030 Aug 26, At tune in
noted a religious chanting or praying by a male lead and a chorus
assisting. This is the typical Islamic praying noted here regularly.
I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that Makassar has
increased power today for this broadcast because the signal's quality
is much better than it has been in the past. Usually I can barely hear
the station during this time frame. The reason for the good signal is
probably due to Ramadan? At 1009 a male comments probably in
Indonesian? As noted the signal was fair to good (Chuck Bolland,
Clewiston FL, NRD545, 26N 081W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INDONESIA. 7289.95, RRI Nabire, 0756-0808*, August 21. Formatted
for Ramadan with Islamic singing; no news; 0805 sounded like an actual
sign off announcement with ID and filler music till suddenly off;
signal improving the whole time (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Weak S=4 signal, fluttering and weak at 0807 UT Aug 27 on 7289.935
kHz, wandered to 7289.940 kHz at 0931 UT - sweet South Sea music -.
Seemingly rather 24 hours service during Ramadan til Aug 29 +3
additional festive days. Measured on remote SDR unit in southern
California (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD)
** INDONESIA. 9524.96, Voice of Indonesia. Checking from 1507 to 1549,
August 30; in English with special Eid-al-Fitr (end of Ramadan) show;
phone call from Indonesian embassy in London telling of festivities
there; gave weather forecast for the celebrations; pop songs; fair.
Running well past their normal sign off.
9680, RRI Jakarta, 1503*, August 30. Suddenly off the air; fair (Ron
Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
9525-, Aug 31 at 1236 music and then announcements in Special
Japanese, VOI reception now good enough to confirm that IADs are still
happening several times a minute in a very irregular fashion (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** INTERNATIONAL. [HCDX] US time stations jammed? Re: ``CHINA. 10000,
Aug 26 at 1257, beeps of higher pitch mixing with WWV/WWVH. 1259 began
Morse IDs on MCW over and over as BPM, i.e. China`s WWV at Lintong
(Mt. Li), Shaanxi. Too bad on pp 668-669, WRTH 2011 does not show
details such as ID times, in this case during minutes :29 and :59.
Even in the standard-frequency arena, the ChiCom brazenly QRM US
broadcasts, while the Russians are kind enough to offset their
timesignals -4 kHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)``
Is it really so that the US time stations have a monopoly over
internationally allocated time signal and frequency standard
frequencies and all other time stations (from China, Brazil,
Argentina, Korea...) in fact "brazenly" jamm their operation? I think
I read this for the first time in my life... but maybe I have missed
something... Clarification appreciated, thanks (Karel Honzik, CZECHIA,
HCDX via DXLD)
I was exaggerating somewhat. However, the fact remains that Russia
thought it better to use 4996, 9996, 14996, if not to be `kind`, at
least to avoid interference to their own advantage, and China keeps to
the even frequencies. I believe the STFT `bands` are allocated 10 or
20 kHz wide, so more stations could be spread out a bit.
Note that in WRTH listings, Spain also offsets EBC to 4998 and 15006,
altho on a very limited schedule of 1030-1055 and 1000-1025 M-F
respectively. Does anyone really hear them active? Mode is not given,
CW? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
from official web site:
http://www.armada.mde.es/ArmadaPortal/page/Portal/ArmadaEspannola/ciencia_observatorio/06_Hora#Hora2
"...Transmisión de señales horarias en HF, durante dos periodos de 25
minutos diarios, en 15006 y 4998 KHz. Respectivamente, entre 10:00 y
11:00 horas UTC. Temporalmente fuera de servicio."
73s (Mauricio Molano, Salamanca, ESPAÑA - SPAIN. RX site: Aldea del
Cano, Cáceres. LAT: 39º17'09.70 N LONG: 6º19'00 W. RX: PERSEUS.
ANT: WELLBROOK ALA1530S+ http://moladx.blogspot.com/ ibid.)
If all the stations used their own frequencies, there would be little
point in having internationally allocated standard time frequencies.
(Paul, New Zealand, HCDX via DXLD)
Accurate time is one thing; accurate `standard` frequencies are
another, not necessarily combined. There are several time stations
operating way outside the standard frequency bands, notably CHU (Glenn
Hauser, ibid.)
Karel, I fondly recall that the former Czechoslovakia operated station
OMA from the CZ Academy of Sciences on a couple of alleged "standard"
channels, but also highly mutant/non-standard 3170 kHz for many years
(which was widely heard worldwide).
This, along with the former DDR's Nauen STFS station on highly
mutant/non-standard 4525 kHz, provided phenomenal listening pleasure
for me in the late 1970's (sometimes I would keep either tuned in to
for hours at a time just to take in the gratitude of the glorious
seconds sounders), to the point that these were sufficient enough to
retain my interest in DXing to this day (Terry Krueger, FL, HCDX via
DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL. CNN goes International for an hour --- I should have
pointed this out a few nights ago when it first happened, but you
never know if it is a one-time anomaly:
Instead of repeating the stale 2300 UT `John King` hour, at 0300 UT
weeknights, CNN (USA) is condescending to plug into CNN International,
where you may see some different or updated stuff about Libya; at
least the anchors are different. However, it`s slow time before
sunrise in Libya, so maybe not much in the `breaking news!` category.
Settle for `developing story`. Hurricane stuff too.
zap2it still hasn`t caught up with this, displaying John King (Glenn
Hauser, OK, 0325 UT Aug 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Of course
the following night UT Aug 27 it was all-Irene-all-the-time.
Eventually CNN went back to John King hour repeats, ho hum (gh)
** INTERNATIONAL. Re 11-34: Perhaps a better translation of this would
be ``intangible heritage of humanity``; at least Google thinx so.
SOLICITAN DECLARATORIA DE PATRIMONIO INMATERIAL LAS TRANSMISIONES
INTERNACIONALES DE RADIO
Cartas@RN --- Un mensaje a todos los miembros de Cartas@RN
En la sede regional de la UNESCO para América Latina, en San José de
Costa Rica, se presentó ayer martes 23 de agosto, la solicitud de
declaratoria de patrimonio inmaterial de la humanidad para las
transmisiones internacionales de radio, tanto por en la modalidad de
onda corta como internet. También se pidió el establecimiento del Día
Mundial de las Transmisiones Internacionales de Radio.
Los patrocinadores de esta iniciativa, oyentes y diexistas
latinoamericanos, con el apoyo de otros de todo el mundo, esperan que
así se abra el camino para distinguir la importancia de estas
transmisiones en el nivel mundial. La idea partió del jurista
costarricense Berny Solano Solano, oyente de Radio Nederland, y a raíz
de la drástica reducción que sufrirá nuestra emisora.
En declaraciones a Radio Nederland, Solano dijo que la solicitud será
un hito en el proceso de declaratoria inmaterial de la UNESCO, porque
por primera vez no son los gobiernos u organizaciones las que piden la
declaratoria, si no personas de todo el mundo.
“Se abre así el camino de la esperanza para que se distinga la
importancia de estas transmisiones y a partir de ahora, lejos de
pensar que todo se ha acabado, inicia un período de contacto y
convencimiento a los gobiernos de los distintos países para que apoyen
la iniciativa, así como para todas las personas que quieran adherirse
a la solicitud ya formalmente presentada” dice Solano.
En La Matinal de hoy 24 de agosto pueden escuchar un fragmento de la
entrevista, y en Cartas @ RN del domingo 28 la entrevista completa con
Berny Solano Solano. Visitar Cartas@RN en:
http://cartas.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network
(via Magdiel Cruz Ramírez, México, playdx yg via DXLD)
No había leído esta noticia cuando la mandaste. Estoy gratamente
sorprendido. Y contento. Aunque muchas veces en la práctica (y
dispénsenme mi excepticismo [sic; escepticismo]) no sirve para nada
este tipo de declaraciones (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, condiglist yg
via DXLD)
Yo también dudo de que sirvan para algo, dado que es bastante difícil
en términos de costo beneficio justificar la permanencia de muchos
servicios. Pero no deja de ser un intento curioso e interesante
(Alejandro D Alvarez, LU8YD, ibid.)
Texto solicitud "Patrimonio Inmaterial a las trasmisiones de radio
internacionales"
Acabo de comenzar a leer el texto en pdf, completo, de la petición de
Declaracion de Patrimonio Inmaterial. Me gustaría que un letrado como
el Dr. Arnaldo pueda brindar un comentario. A primera vista, es una
idea que apela destacar lo que la Onda Corta ha sido y aun es (y será
pues seguirá siendo parte del espectro radioeléctrico, es un hecho
físico). Comparto la importancia de su valor cultural, de eso sabemos
nosotros más que nadie.
Pero vislumbro en el texto del Dr Berny Solano la pretensión de
algunas prerrogativas que pienso UNESCO puede o no estaría en
condiciones de apoyar.
O sea: aunque la intención es buena... resulta incongruente pretender
la actuación de autoridades internacionales con el propósito de evitar
el cierre de las trasmisiones. El interés o falta del mismo por parte
del emisor para mantener una emisión es inexcusable, inalienable. Es
su derecho trasmitir o no.
Hoy se anuncia que DW deja de trasmitir en OC a Europa. No creo que
UNESCO haga una declaración (ya no un mandato que no puede realizar)
para que DW retome lo que ha decidido. En Holanda ha sido el
parlamento quien ha tomado la medida. La realidad económica y de las
tecnologías les manda. Ultimamente, se han conocido sistemas
informáticos que logran circunvalar las limitaciones y censuras de
servidores por ejemplo chinos o de otros países, para sus
connacionales. La OC seguirá estando allí, es parte del espectro. Pero
está allí quien quiere y puede. No soy muy optimista de esta
Solicitud, aunque sí comparto que es un patrimonio cultural. De la
misma manera que el candombé, música negra de Uruguay es patrimonio
inmaterial, entre tantos otros muchísimos en el mundo.
El material está aquí:
http://www.rnw.nl/espanol/article/solicitan-el-patrimonio-para-transmisiones-internacionales-de-radio
más específicamente en el pdf aquí:
http://sites.rnw.nl/documento/SOLICITUD-PATRIMONIO%20INMATERIAL%20(UNESCO).pdf
Se me ha pedido por parte de los organizadores de la iniciativa ayuda
con la traducción del texto al inglés, pero está en lenguaje muy
técnico jurídico. Al menos me voy a poner a difundirlo por acá, y
contactar radioaficionados, etc. que conozco.
Pero quiero entender bien que es lo que el documento del Dr. Solano
pretende. Mi Blog: http://lagalenadelsur.wordpress.com/
(Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.)
Estimados Colegas Editores DX: Como es ya sabido estamos solicitando
ante la UNESCO la "DECLARATORIA DEL PATRIMONIO INMATERIAL DE LA
HUMANIDAD A LAS TRANSMISIONES RADIALES EN ONDAS CORTAS E INTERNET".
Por tal motivo, hemos diseñado un banner que nos gustaria insertaran
en sus blogs y páginas webs con el fin de sumar voluntades y lograr
nuestro objetivo .El código html es el siguiente:
<script src="http://h1.flashvortex.com/display.php?id=2_1314280887_46561_439_0_728_90_9_1_100" type="text/javascript"></script>
Por favor, copiar y pegar en código completo en su publicación para
promover nuestra solicitud a la UNESCO. De antemano, reciban nuestra
gratitud y les reatiremos nuestro deseo de apoyar sus actividades. 73
(Ing. Santiago San Gil González, CLUB DIEXISTAS DE LA AMISTAD,
http://diexismovenezolano.blogspot.com
Barinas, VENEZUELA, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Más: Viendo el panorama por España, tambien tienen algo similar...
DÍA DE LA RADIO
http://www.academiadelaradio.es/diadelaradio/
El Día de la Radio, en España, nace con la pretensión de ser
instaurado a nivel mundial. La Academia Española de la Radio es la
promotora de esta iniciativa que cada vez cuenta con más adhesiones
dentro y fuera de nuestro país. Corresponde a la UNESCO, organización
de Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura, fijar
esta celebración dentro del Calendario de Días Internaciones de la
ONU. En consecuencia, el Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores del Gobierno
de España está realizando las gestiones diplomáticas oportunas para la
proclamación del Día Mundial de la Radio.
Día Mundial de la Radio: Propuesta de la Academia Española de la Radio
a la Unesco
http://www.periodistas-es.org/medios-de-comunicacion/dia-mundial-de-la-radio-propuesta-de-la-academia-espanola-de-la-radio-a-la-unesco
JUEVES 30 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2010
PES.- Tras un largo período de espera, la Delegación Permanente de
España en la Unesco, a instancias de la Academia de las Artes y las
Ciencias Radiofónicas de España, presentará formalmente la propuesta
para que la fecha 30 de octubre sea proclamada como Día Mundial de la
Radio.
Dicha propuesta se llevará a la reunión de octubre del Consejo
Ejecutivo de la UNESCO, donde será votada por las distintas
Delegaciones Permanentes que forman parte de Consejo Ejecutivo, y que
se reúne dos veces al año en París.
La fecha 30 de octubre corresponde con la histórica emisión
radiofónica “La Guerra de los Mundos”, dirigida por Orson Welles, en
1938, y que causó el pánico de la población de Norteamérica, dando la
noticia la vuelta al mundo. Este acontecimiento marcó un antes y un
después en la radio como medio de comunicación social, algo
ampliamente reconocido.
Esta iniciativa de la Academia Española de la Radio cuenta con el
respaldo de las principales cadenas de radio españolas, así como las
más prestigiosas entidades de radiodifusión del planeta.
En inglés http://www.worldradioday.org/ WORLD RADIO DAY
The Spanish Academy of Radio Arts and Sciences wishes to propose to
the UNESCO the founding of a "World Radio Day".
Since its launch more than a century ago, radio has been free and
accessible to the majority of the world’s population. We believe that
radio deserves a World Radio Day tribute. Undoubtedly, this date will
be celebrated by radio professionals and millions of radio listeners
around the world.
We propose to establish 30th October as the "World Radio Day". This
date coincides with the broadcasting of one of the most relevant and
well-known radio programmes in the history of radio, "The War of the
Worlds". This radio drama was directed by Orson Welles and broadcast
by CBS on the 30th of October 1938 and since then, radio stations all
over the world have produced versions in their own languages.
(Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, Aug 29, DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. HOW INTERNET BROADCASTERS GET AROUND IN-
COUNTRY WEBSITE CENSORSHIP
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110823_2409.php?oref=topnews
Here's how broadcasters like the VOA are investing in Internet
technologies in order for audiences in Internet-restricted countries
(think China, Iran) to hear / see the VOA website. Interesting
reading, and helps to explain why these broadcasters seem
willing to abandon conventional shortwave even in these areas.
Via Avrom Shtern via the International Radio Report Facebook site.
(Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Aug 24, NASWA yg via DXLD)
AGENCY USES CIRCUMVENTION TOOLS TO ADVANCE DEMOCRACY - Nextgov
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20110823_2409.php?oref=topnews
Agency uses circumvention tools to advance democracy
As humorless border guards and red-penned press censors have given way
to Internet firewalls and denial-of-service cyberattacks, the federal
government's international broadcasting arm has had to find new ways
to support the free flow of information in repressive states.
The agency that once set up transmitters in Europe to overcome the
Soviet Union's attempts to jam Voice of America's shortwave radio
broadcasts is now deploying advanced Web proxy and IP address
shielding technology to jump online firewalls that block the country-
specific websites for VOA, Radio Free Asia and other government-funded
news agencies under the purview of the Broadcasting Board of
Governors.
In most cases, BBG's circumvention tools don't just ensure users can
access the agency's news sites. They also create what its chief
information security officer and director of Internet freedom
programs, Ken Berman, calls an "encrypted pipe" -- essentially a
search bar at the top of the websites for VOA China, Persian News
Network and other BBG outlets that allows users to go nearly anywhere
on the Internet without alerting national Web censors.
"I joke with our [news] content providers, that 'your content's got to
be good, because I'm landing folks on your site and we'd like them to
stay there,' " Berman said. "Our idea is that an educated citizenry,
if they get all the news and views, should be able to make up their
own minds. The deeper mission of this program is to encourage freedom
of inquiry and freedom of information."
Berman's office does make its best effort to block porn sites without
compromising other searches, he said.
The anti-censorship office has occasionally had to limit the websites
users can visit through its search bars when it simply didn't have
enough server space to support a surge in traffic.
The first and most notable case was during Iran's Green Revolution --
a series of protests that followed the Islamic Republic's disputed
2009 presidential election -- when Berman's office had to limit it's
Iranian sites' search bar to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other
social media sites that were helping fuel the revolution.
The office got a $10 million, one-time funding boost during the
negotiations that averted a government shutdown in April. The office
intends to use the additional money largely to build up server space
to remove similar limitations in the future, Berman said. The money in
essence was diverted from Internet freedom funds bound for the State
Department.
BBG is essentially a successor to the broadcasting wing of the U.S.
Information Agency, the Cold War-era office that beamed Voice of
America broadcasts into Eastern Europe and Radio Marti broadcasts into
Cuba. BBG became its own independent agency in 1999 when USIA was
disbanded and its nonbroadcasting wing, which focused on education and
cultural exchanges, was swallowed up by the State Department.
The agency's mission is to promote democratic reforms by ramping up
the amount of free information inside relatively closed countries.
That includes creating locally produced stories in nations that lack
thriving journalistic cultures and beaming in international news
broadcast.
Berman's office was first funded as an anti-radio jamming office about
10 years ago with a small Internet component. While that Web component
has grown significantly over the past decade much of BBG's work still
involves radio and broadcast work in developing nations with very low
Internet penetration.
Keeping BBG Web pages up is vital in China where less than 1 percent
of citizens still listen to shortwave radio broadcasts but more than
380 million use the Internet, at least occasionally, Berman said.
Other nations such as Iran and Vietnam also have a rapidly growing
cadre of young Internet users coupled with a strict regime of press
censorship.
In recent months, BBG has been attacked by some lawmakers over its
plan to save money by shutting down its Chinese radio broadcasts in
favor of Web-based content. The agency has said it's focusing
resources where they're most likely to reach people, but critics have
charged that it's giving up vital ground just as democratic ideals are
taking hold in the Arab world and elsewhere.
Circumvention Tools
Berman's office uses four main circumvention tools to get its websites
into the hands of people in high-censorship nations. The first is Tor,
which routes information through numerous servers in different
countries to conceal who's viewing what.
The second and third tools are software that BBG's services encourage
users to download. Freegate, popular in China, and Ultrasurf, popular
in Iran, basically shift the user to a different Internet protocol
address whenever an outside entity tries to shut down the website he
or she is looking at.
The final tool Berman's office uses is Psiphon, which bounces BBG's
country-specific Web pages onto a series of disposable proxy Web
addresses, with each proxy address capable of supporting the censored
site for a day or two before authorities shut it down.
Berman's office advertises each new proxy site on BBG radio and TV
broadcasts and in mass emails to people inside the country. When his
office sees a dramatic drop in traffic to the proxy site, it shifts to
a new proxy and sends out another blast of advertisements and mass
emails to promote it.
Psiphon is sophisticated enough that Berman's office is often able to
play on countries' bureaucratic inefficiencies, he said, for instance,
keeping a proxy site up longer in some distant Chinese provinces that
are slower to block it while cycling through proxies much more quickly
in Beijing, Shanghai and other large Chinese cities.
The email lists BBG uses to blast new Psiphon proxy sites are supplied
by the agency's affiliates and originate with numerous sources, Berman
said. In some cases, he said, the Chinese lists are taken straight
from Beijing market stalls where entrepreneurs hawk discs full of
email addresses, mostly to other Chinese entrepreneurs running viral
marketing campaigns.
Berman's office looks through those email lists before using them and
winnows out any Yahoo, Gmail or other U.S.-based providers to ensure
the agency isn't violating a congressional prohibition against
promoting BBG broadcasts inside the United States, he said.
One of the anti-censorship office's biggest challenges is being able
rapidly stand up a system to blast out Psiphon proxies in nations that
don't typically interfere with Internet content but where the
government might suddenly clamp down during a period of crisis or
conflict, such as during the Belarussian presidential election in
December 2010.
Getting Past Firewalls
China has the largest number of Internet users in the world -- more
than the entire U.S. population, according to Chinese government
figures that Berman said he's inclined to believe. Yet the number of
Chinese Web surfers using BBG-sponsored circumvention tools is about
equal to the number of Iranians using those tools, despite the fact
that Iran is less than one-tenth China's size.
The reason, Berman said, is that the so-called great firewall of China
is so sophisticated most Chinese rarely notice it.
"In China, for better or for worse, you can have a very rich Internet
experience in a totally filtered environment," Berman said. "You can
download music and video; you can do online dating; you can go to
gossip and sports sites, and you can get a lot of news. You just can't
get news about the corruption trials or the mine accidents or the
flooding or environmental problems."
Studies have found a majority of Chinese approve of some level of
government Internet control.
In Iran, Myanmar and other repressive nations with less sophisticated
firewalls, Berman said, Web users are more likely to be aware of and
irritated by government censorship.
"One of the challenges all media have in China is to let people know,
'hey, there's news you're not getting,' " he said. "In Iran, that
consciousness raising is unnecessary because everyone knows they're
not getting anything. They can't get to movie sites or gossip sites.
The Mullah firewall, if you will, closes down almost everything except
a few sanctioned sites."
Some nations with less sophisticated firewalls have turned instead to
denial-of-service attacks and other so-called second-generation Web
repression tools. A denial-of-service attack is essentially an attempt
to flood a website with requests until it overloads and becomes
useless.
BBG's Persian-language Radio Farda, for example, has been hit with
numerous denial-of-service attacks, aimed both at its website and at
jamming phone lines during radio call-in programs.
So far BBG sites have been relatively immune from patching attacks, in
which a hacker will break into a website's code and change some of its
content, Berman said. There are frequent patching attacks on external
sites that BBG programs link to, though, such as a broadcaster's
Facebook page or Twitter profile.
In Russia, once the prime target of VOA broadcasts, BBG now is relying
almost exclusively on Web-based video and print reporting, partially a
result of Russia's success at jamming radio and TV broadcasts and also
because of a significant decline in broadcast market share.
Ultimately, Berman said, while the circumvention tools have changed,
the basic ideology has not.
"This really is just a continuation of this agency's attempts to
overcome shortwave jams," he said. "Coping with jamming has been a way
of life for this agency since the Cold War."
Stay up-to-date with federal technology news alerts and analysis -
sign up for Nextgov's email newsletters (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via
DXLD)
BBG'S NET CIRCUMVENTION EFFORTS DESCEND FROM PREVIOUS DECADES'
SHORTWAVE ANTI-JAMMING EFFORTS. Posted: 26 Aug 2011
VOA News, 22 Aug 2011, Matthew Hilburn: "A new web technology being
championed by China is allowing a short-term gap in its so-called
'Great Firewall,' which blocks Chinese Internet users from sites
blacklisted by the government in Beijing. Experts say how the gap is
closed could have ramifications for the entire world. The gap exists
because of IPv6, the next generation of Internet protocol designed to
replace IPv4. The change is needed because the old system is about to
run out of IP addresses, the combination of numbers that identify your
computer over the Internet. IPv6 will offer a nearly infinite number
of IP addresses. ...
To answer the shortage, China has been a leader in rolling out IPv6.
But it’s only available to a small slice of the population, mainly in
the big cities and around large universities. At least some of these
users seem to be able to surf without blocking or filtering. ... 'Yes,
I have used IPv6 to go around the firewall,' user 'Dxing' told VOA on
Google +. 'For now, the firewall cannot deal with IPv6,' said user
'Brain,' a student in Heifei on Google +." (kimandrewelliott.com via
DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. PLEASE write to Direct TV and express your
unhappiness with their buck sucking decision to move channel 289, The
NASA Channel, to a HD antenna and equipment configuration. The NASA
Channel is still on #289, but you must have a 5LNB antenna and HD
receiver to get it! You will also be forced to pay an additional ten
dollars each month just to receive it! You can receive HD without a HD
TV, but not without the 5 LNB antenna and HD receiver!
Each of the LNB elements on the oval dish shaped antenna receives a
different satellite. My antenna is a 3 LNB 24 inch oval dish and does
not receive any of the optional HD satellite signals. So I must
upgrade all of my Direct TV equipment. However, I do not have to use a
HD TV set to receive the NASA Channel!
The Administrator of NASA, Charles Bolden, lives in Virginia. He
cannot receive NASA TV programs! Both before this latest change and
after it went into effect.
Write to NASA and express your support of their fabulous educational
programming and also to Direct TV expressing your displeasure with
what they are doing to make more money which is depriving our children
and grandchildren from being able to view the fine and very
informative educational material that NASA broadcasts for students of
all ages. We need those broadcasts to help our children and grand
children learn all they can about math, science of all kinds and inner
and outer planetary information.
Great listening to one and all!
(Duane Fischer, W8DBF - WPE8CXO
E-Mail: dfischer@usol.com
Hallicrafters web site: www.w9wze.net
HHRP web site: hhrp.w9wze.net
SWL at qth.net via DXLD)
** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. VOA SOUTHERN AFRICA SATELLITE RADIO CHANNEL
ACTUALLY COVERS ALL OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. Posted: 28 Aug 2011
WRN Broadcast press release, undated(!) but WRN tweeted link to it on
26 Aug 2011: "WRN Broadcast, the international broadcast managed
services company, has announced the launch of their transmission of a
new satellite radio service for Voice of America - VoA Southern
Africa. This direct-to-home (DTH) service will cover all of sub-
Saharan Africa on a popular satellite but the programming will largely
be tailored to audiences in Zimbabwe. The new radio channel will air
24 hours a day and will be free to listeners. Initially, prominent
programming includes the news show ‘Studio 7', call-in programme ‘Live
Talk', as well as other content in English, Portuguese, Shona and
Ndebele.
VOA Africa Division Director, Gwen Dillard, says home satellite use is
growing around the world and this new service 'demonstrates Voice of
America's commitment to bringing objective and reliable news programs
to our audiences on platforms they are comfortable using.' Meanwhile
WRN Broadcast added, 'we are pleased to provide another DTH satellite
service for United States international broadcaster, VoA. Not only
does DTH to small dishes have good audience penetration in countries
such as Zimbabwe, it is also cost-effective compared with terrestrial
alternatives'." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
-- Satellite dishes have become more popular in Zimbabwe, providing
alternatives to the television monopoly within the country. Those
Zimbabweans willing to listen to radio on their satellite television
receivers can do so with greater audio quality than is usually
possible via shortwave and transborder medium wave (Kim Andrew
Elliott, ibid.)
** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Hi all, N4JTQ has a list of
frequencies that could be used during hurricanes.
http://www.freewebs.com/n4jtq/hurricanefreqlist.htm
(Claude Perkins, shortwavelistening yg via DXLD)
In anticipation of Irene’s expected landfall in North Carolina, the
ARRL HQ Emergency Response Team (HQERT) has established a website
http://www.arrl.org/irene
to keep amateurs informed of the latest developments. This website
will also provide links to the NHC, WX4NHC — the Amateur Radio station
at the NHC — the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the Voice over Internet
Protocol Weather Net (VOIPWX), where radio amateurs can send in their
reports. The HQERT is currently monitoring various nets and providing
support to the affected Field Organizations, and will be at W1AW, the
Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station beginning 7 AM EDT Saturday, August
27 (from
http://www.arrl.org/news/nhc-issues-hurricane-watch-for-portions-of-north-carolina-arrl-establishes-hurricane-irene-website
via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON 2011
Southgate August 24, 2011
On the IARU-R1 website Greg G0DUB reports on the activation of the
Hurricane Watch Net on August 22 and reminds us of the frequencies
used by the nets.
The activation of the American Hurricane Watch Net on August 22nd in
response to Hurricane Irene is a reminder that Amateur Radio continues
to play a part in gathering and distributing information for the
weather and emergency services each year.
Radio Amateurs in Region 1 are reminded that the following frequencies
may be in use by nets in North and Central America to track and deal
with the consequences of these severe weather events. It is possible
for Region 1 amateurs to cause unintentional QRM to these nets so
please listen carefully if operating near these frequencies:
14.300 MHz is used by the Maritime Mobile Service Net daily and as
well as handling traffic from Maritime Mobile Stations, also gathers
weather reports from maritime stations to assist forecasters.
14.325 MHz is used by the Hurricane Watch Net and the net is
established whenever it appears that a storm may affect the US
mainland. The net gathers weather information and links to the
American National Hurricane Centre.
14.265 MHz is used by the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network
(SATERN) provides Health and Welfare traffic links for those in
affected areas as well as supporting the Salvation Army Disaster
relief response should a hurricane strike.
Frequencies used in Cuba: 7.045, 7.080, 7.110 MHz, 3.740 MHz
Frequencies used in Central America;
Red Centro Americana : 7.090 and 3.750 MHz
Guatemala: 7.075 MHz
Nicaragua: 7.098 MHz
Mexico (FMRE): 3.690 and 7.060 MHz
Cuba and Mexico co-operate with long distance relays on 40 m when
propagation makes this possible. Local emergency communications groups
may also activate if a hurricane approaches their area and those
frequencies would be announced at the time.
IARU Region 1
http://www.iaru-r1.org/
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2011/atlantic_hurricane_season.htm
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
** IRAN. IRANIAN WEB USERS RANK HIGHEST FOR VISITS TO PORN SITES
Sat, 08/27/2011 - 17:53
http://radiozamaneh.com/english/content/iranian-web-users-rank-highest-visits-porn-sites
Authorities say Iranian internet users chalked up more visits to
pornographic sites than people from any other country on Ashura Day, a
Shiite day of mourning.
The Fars news agency reports that Ebrahim Bayani, a senior official of
the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, told a meeting of IRGC
commanders and administrators that the Revolutionary Guards Cyber Army
has established that among internet users from 182 countries, Iranians
made the highest number of visits to “immoral sites” on Ashura Day.
He added that these “alarming statistics” and the use of satellites
mean “we cannot expect the youth of the country to have any motivation
to fast or go to mosque.”
Iranian internet users are heavily restricted in their web access,
barred from visiting several news sites and sites that the government
deems “immoral.”
However, Iranian web users can overcome state restrictions with
special software designed to break through filters.
Iranian Prosecutor Ghilamhossein Mohseni Ejei heads a committee that
decides which websites should be blocked by the Islamic Republic
government. The committee is comprised of representatives from the
ministries of education, communications, intelligence, technology and
culture, as well as representatives from national broadcasting and
security forces.
Bayani argued that “the enemies” use cultural means and “corrupt
internet sites and satellite channels to separate the people from
religion and deplete the regime from within.”
He added that “strikes against religious values such as hijab [the
Islamic dress code] modesty, philanthropy and hard work, as well as
the promotion of loose behaviour are among the aims of our enemies’
satellite programming.” (Radio Zamaneh via Media Network blog via
DXLD)
** ISRAEL. 9235, 28/8 2056, Galei Zahal, talks, songs, IDs, news,
fair, fading (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14
with SDR-Radio Software - ANT: T2FD 15 m long; QTH: Milan city, Italy;
SW blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ HCDX via DXLD)
** ITALY [non]. Re 11-34: New transmissions in Arabic from NEXUS-IBA
IRRS Shortwave:
0800-0815 on 11910 TIG 300 kW / 140 deg to N&ME/WeAS Wed
1400-1415 on 11910 TIG 300 kW / 140 deg to N&ME/WeAS Fri, first noted
on Aug. 19. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, Aug 19, WORLD OF RADIO 1579, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Christian, or political? Not on the IRRS schedule itself as of Aug 24.
Possibly there are additional broadcasts other days of week, to be
checked (gh)
IRRS outlets via Romania, different antenna types given:
205 AHR(S)4/2/0.3 - 8dipols curtain, half-wave dipole array.
288 AHR(S)8/4/1.0 - 32dipols curtain, half-wave dipole array.
925 HQ1/0.3 - Quadrant antenna, rather non-directional type.
7290 1730 1800 28W TIG 150 290 205 1 I ROU fr Aug 1
7290 1730 1800 18-20,27-30,37-39 MIL 150 0 925 1 I ANT fr Aug 1
7290 1800 1900 28W TIG 150 290 205 1234567 I ROU
7290 1800 1900 18-20,27-30,37-39 MIL 150 0 925 1234567 I ANT
7290 1900 2000 47,48 TIG 150 185 205 1234567 I ROU
7290 1900 2000 18-20,27-30,37-39,46-48,52,53
MIL 150 163 288 daily I ANT
9510 0800 0900 18-20,27-30,37-40 MIL 150 0 925 7 I ANT
9510 0800 0900 28W TIG 150 290 205 7 I ROU
9510 0930 1200 18-20,27-30,37-40 MIL 150 0 925 1 I ANT
9510 0930 1200 28W TIG 150 290 205 1 I ROU
11910 0800 0815 28-30,37-41,48-50 MIL 300 115 205 4 I ANT
11910 1400 1415 28-30,37-41,49-50 MIL 300 115 205 6 I ANT
15610 1300 1400 41,55,58,59 TIG 300 100 288 1234567 I ROU
15610 1300 1400 28-35,39-45,49-51,54-60 MIL 300 270 288 1=Sun I ANT
(Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX Aug 27 via DXLD) `MILano` entries are cover
for TIG (gh)
Re: New Arabic from IRRS on 11910 --- I missed the start of the Friday
transmission at 1400. When tuning in shortly afterwards programming
was in progress. It was kind of a radioplay, towards the end followed
by solo of female announcer. Transmission ceased at 1415 by cutting
off the carrier inmidst closing music.
When wrapping up she referred to http://arabwomantoday.com where I see
Arabic content only. Needs to be checked out by someone who
understands Arabic. She also mentioned Amman, but I'm not sure if that
meant the origin of these programmes (Kai Ludwig, Germany, 1423 UT Fri
Aug 26, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Tnx to info from Ivo Ivanov, I alerted DXLD to a new Arabic broadcast
from IRRS, he heard last Friday Aug 19 at 1400-1415 on 11910, but what
is it, religious or political? Still not mentioned on the IRRS
schedule. Just barely audible signal here at 1408 Aug 26, but Kai
Ludwig in Germany heard website mentioned before closing,
http://arabwomantoday.com and Andrea Lawendel found more by Googling:
Arab Women's Day Service
Al. B 850 881
Amman - Jordan 11185
From the Jordan Baptist Convention. One other time scheduled for this
is Wed 0800-0815, both 300 kW, 140 degrees from Tiganeshti, ROMANIA on
11910 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Hello, I checked the website, and as expected it is a Christian
website giving general info. to Arab women and referring to the bible
as a source of a solution. I missed the transmission; if anyone has a
recording maybe we can ID it. All the best (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo,
Egypt, ibid.)
Google; it's not bad at it:
Basic objectives: Arab women will serve on the following main
objectives during the next three years:
1. Provide Christian women in all Arab countries motivation, skills
and knowledge they need to Barn leaders of tomorrow.
2. Building women's self-confidence and self-esteem.
3. Fight against violence and abuse against young women.
Info @ awtministries.com
Or by the following postal address:
Arab Women's Day Service
Al. B 850 881
Amman - Jordan 11185
Please send support to the bank the following address:
Credit: Jordan Baptist Convention
I noticed podcasts are available online. 73 (Andy Lawendel, Italy,
dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Phone number in Jordan: 962 6 5562330
Area code 6 Amman, Abu Allanda
http://arabwomantoday.com/contact-us
and post code 11185 Amman, Jordan
(Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.)
Aha: http://www.awtministries.com/english/radio.php
So this is, as already pointed out, a project of the Jordan Baptist
Convention, and the twice-weekly radio programmes are already on air
as part of the program schedule of TWR Arabic via Cyprus 1233 kHz. Now
shortwave has been added as another distribution platform.
The audio prominently offered at http://arabwomantoday.com should be
these radio programmes, as transmit on 1233 and now also 11910 (Kai
Ludwig, ibid.)
** ITALY [non]. via Romania, 15610, IRRS, 1259-1359, August 24, tune-
in to classical music. IRRS ID at 1300 and into lite instrumental
music. English Overcomer Ministry program with Brother Stair at 1305.
Covered by WEWN sign on at 1359. Poor to fair (Brian Alexander, PA, DX
Listening Digest)
15610, monitored the entire hour of IRRS relay via Tiganeshti,
ROMANIA, Aug 30, which is supposed to be Brother Scare. 1259,
``Triumphal March from Aïda`` by Verdi which serves as IRRS theme
music (I thought, how incongruous, we are about to hear the lowest of
brows, Brother Scare`s). But instead:
1300 American-accented ``IRRS Shortwave, signing on``, minute of dead
air; 1301 initially Firedrake-like percussion, then into modern jazz;
1306 harp music and talk in French! 1308 cut to English, 1309 outro
news, mention San Francisco Chronicle, bits of Vivaldi, discussing
events in the Bay Area, with Susan at 1315, bit of rock music; 1322
mention public radio, poor and fading. 1324 subject is the three-
strike law in California, its pros and cons. One guest name sounded
like Michael Rushforce. 1330 reception improves. Same subject
continues, later with call-ins, e.g. from Oakland at 1355. Never could
figure out which radio station originates this.
[Three strike law refers to severe penalties, mandatory long prison
terms, even life, for those convicted of a third offense; it alludes
to American baseball, ``three strikes and you`re out``, i.e. your
chances to hit the ball are over for the time being. A strike can be
either a swing at the ball and missing it, or not swinging at it when
it is within the specified area, all as called by the umpire. The
analogy is a bit strained, since the strike count includes doing
nothing!
California is most notorious for 3-Strikes, which overburdens the
prison system, but several other states have this too; see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_strikes_law for more]
1358, the WEWN 15610 carrier comes on, but IRRS still readable. 1358.5
Regina Cœli IS starts, followed by IRRS cutting off the California
talkshow, with own ID, asking for reports to Milano, then Aïda theme
again, mixing with WEWN sign-on at 1359.5, news, while IRRS music
lasts until 1400:20*.
What`s going on here? On August 3 I had a similar log of a public
radio talkshow from California during this hour instead of scheduled
Brother Scare. Automated default to fill programming when the BS feed
is lost? Accidental punchup in Romania of wrong satellite channel?
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Via ROMANIA. 15610, IRRS, 1259-1400*, tune-in to classical music.
English IRRS ID at 1300. One minute of dead air and into lite
instrumental music at 1301. French talk at 1307, but into English at
1308 with “In History” program. Program at 1310 about music. “Forum”
program at 1323 about California’s “Three Strikes and Your Out” law
and their criminal justice system. IRRS ID and contact information at
1359. Fair signal but mixing with WEWN at their 1359 sign on. No
Brother Stair and his Overcomer Ministry program today. August 30
(Brian Alexander, PA, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX Listening Digest)
Brian and I were obviously listening to the same thing. Aha, `Forum`
means it came from KQED, their excellent talkshow which I never have
time to listen to on KQED itself. This was the 10 am segment on August
16, details and audio:
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201108161000
And the name I heard was Michael Rushford. Certainly a great
improvement over BS; thank you, IRRS. It`s about time KQED got a
shortwave relay! But why? (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
15610, it turns out that Brian Alexander in PA was monitoring the same
hour as I, Aug 30 at 1259-1400 when IRRS via ROMANIA was not carrying
Brother Scare but other (default?) programming, mainly the discussion
about California`s Three Strikes law; but he got the program name,
`Forum`, which pinpoints it to have originated at KQED in San
Francisco, so I replied: [as above]
I checked 15610 again Aug 31 at 1259, and there was IRRS ``Aïda``
theme, 1300 cut to Brother Scare, so no luck today in hearing
something incomparably better. Still BS at some swift rechex later in
the hour (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Via ROMANIA. 15610, IRRS, 1259-1310+, tune-in to classical music.
English IRRS ID announcement at 1300 and into religious music with
Brother Stair and the Overcomer Ministry program. Fair. August 31
(Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot
longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ITALY [non]. Nauen o Wertachtal pari non son --- A seguito delle
numerose lamentele dei nostri ascoltatori del nord Italia, torneremo
presto ad utilizzare il sito trasmittente di Nauen piuttosto che
quello di Wertachtal utilizzato sperimentalmente nelle ultime
settimane. Dopo i disservizi sofferti in passato e il fastidioso
effetto eco derivato dalla contemporanea attività dal trasmettitore
principale non presidiato di Nauen e quello di backup presidiato di
Wertachtal, avevamo deciso di spostare definitivamente la nostra
attività presso quest'ultimo credendo che potesse darci maggiore
affidabilità, come in realtà è avvenuto. Lo stesso però non può dirsi
per la diffusione in alcune regioni (vedi mappa),
http://www.bclnews.it/mappawertachtal.jpg
altamente penalizzante per il nord Italia, al contrario di quella di
Nauen che riesce a servire perfettamente tutto il territorio
nazionale. Vi invitiamo quindi ad inviarci i vostri rapporti d'ascolto
già da domenica prossima, quando cominceremo ad effettuare le prime
prove per riportare tutto alla normalità (Roberto Scaglione
http://www.studiodx.net shortwave yg via DXLD)
What is this all about? He doesn`t spell it out, but must be talking
about his own Italian DX program as linked in the signature, Sundays
at 0902 UT on AWR Europe --- after suffering from echo with both sites
in use, has been testing on 9790 via Wertachtal only, but that`s too
close, skipping over most of Italy except part of Sicily, so the site
is being changed to Nauen, which is further north in Germany and
should cover all of Italy perfectly (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** JAPAN. [re 11-34]. Japan: NHK to launch net radio next month
Monday, August 29, 2011 11:46 AM
Wednesday 24 Aug 2011 --- NHK will launch a live online streaming
service of its domestic radio channels, with its first programme
airing at 11 a.m. on 1 September. The new service - NHK Net Radio -
will also be known as "Radiru Radiru". Listeners will be able to enjoy
NHK's three radio channels (Radio 1, Radio 2 and FM) by accessing
http://nhk.jp/netradio/
From 1 October, NHK Net Radio will also be available on smart phones.
NHK Net Radio will make access to the stations easier for listeners by
solving reception problems inside buildings or in regions with
wireless interference. NHK Net Radio is the first regular live stream
service for NHK's domestic TV and radio channels. It can only be
accessed in Japan. SOURCE: http://bit.ly/pk20su
(Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD)
** JAPAN. 9840, NHK World, 1000, Aug 29, English s/on following IS and
time pips, no ID just “We bring you the news.” which was read by man
and woman. Good (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening
from my car with the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Yes, I have also noticed that strange, non-ID opening (gh, DXLD)
[non]. 15445, Aug 31 at 1815, enough of Islamicization from KUWAIT
[q.v.], tuned down here to poor-fair signal with a song; 1816 Japanese
announcement and another song, sounds like an American novelty tune
from the WWII era in the forties, but in Japanese: were our enemies
doing that too? Lyrix included ``hinky-dinky-doo``, and soon outroed
as ``Tokyo Shoe Shine Boy`` --- I think; I was not expecting to hear
English words and may have converted some similar-sounding Japanese
phrase unwittingly.
Yes, Google that title, and find there is such a song, with mp3s,
YouTube and discussion, such as this, http://www.technogirls.org/enka/
which says it dates from the immediate postwar era. Another example of
SWLing leading to learning a little about other cultures, rather than
racking up QSLs and country totals.
Until 1830 back to KUWAIT, listened to several more such-era songs.
Really fun programming, and only wished reception were better. This
was R. Japan at 17-19, 250 kW, 135 degrees via Wertachtal, GERMANY.
I am still waiting and hoping for one of our bilingual readers to
provide a translated program schedule of all NHK`s Japanese music
shows on SW. This may well repeat at a better time for us. Wonder if
it`s a domestic service relay from the nightmiddle (Glenn Hauser, OK,
WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JAPAN. 3925, R. Nikkei-1, noted still on at 1419, August 25.
Believe this is rather late for them; // 6055 (Ron Howard, San
Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
3925, R. Nikkei-1, noted still on at 1434, August 30. So is the new
schedule identical to // 6055? (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** JORDAN [non]. New Arabic women`s program from here: see ITALY [non]
** KASHMIR. Re 11-34: AIR Leh back on 4660 --- Leh missing this
morning at 0140, last night they were there on 4660. Probably back on
4760, getting a weak station on 4760 buried under severe noise. ---
(Alokesh Gupta, VU3BSE, New Delhi, Aug 26, dx_india yg via DXLD)
** KASHMIR [non]. 3975, 0140-0155, PAKISTAN, 29.08, R Pakistan, Rewat,
Islamabad. Kashmiri interview about Kashmir, 55444 (Anker Petersen,
Skovlunde, Denmark, AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, via
Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
** KOREA NORTH. KOREA D.P.R., 9665.356, 11679.926 kHz, KCBS Pyongyang,
Kanggye-KRE at 0650-0705 UT Aug 24. On 9665.319 kHz at 0945 UT Aug 27,
violin music orchestra.
9974.964, Voice of Korea at 0654 UT Aug 24, only carrier plus 1000 Hz
tone measuring procedure, before Russian service starts at 0700 UT.
9974.963 at 0810 UT Aug 27, in Russian service.
13760.024, VoKorea Pyongyang in Russian, revolutionary kommentar at
0723 UT S=9+20dB. \\ 15244.969 at S=8 level at 0727 UT Aug 24. AT 1400
UT Russian on 9325.013 kHz, soldiers chorus, S=5 poor.
11735.017, VoKorea Pyongyang in Chinese, ladies chorus. 1345 UT Aug 24
(Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD)
The Juche folk can`t even put their transmitters on correct frequency;
so can we really depend on them to carry out a nuclear attack
properly? Precision is required (gh, DXLD)
** KOREA NORTH. 11710, Voice of Korea, Aug. 26, 1430. Only fair
signal, into French language programing, was a bit of audio
underneath, but couldn't tell if it was English or other DPRK
programming.
11710, V-o-Korea, Aug. 29, 1110. M with numerous refs to "Kim Jong-
Il", all in French. Had another broadcast underneath, unable to make
out if mixing product or co-channel station. DXer F. Mezek of Sun City
(AZ) is saying he is hearing other Voice of Korea program under these
broadcasts. I haven't been able so far to hear the vox-unders well
enough to determine if that is the case or not (Rick Barton , El
Mirage , Arizona, Hammarlund HQ-200, Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70'
Inverted-L wire, 100' random wire, ABDX via DXLD)
HI GLENN - a DXer friend who lives near me (Frank Mezek, Sun City, AZ)
has been claiming that when he hears Voice of Korea on 11710 that he
hears the English service faintly in the background during the French
broadcasts, and vice versa.
Acting on that tip, I've tried to listen myself, but my ears aren`t
good enough to tell for sure if he's right. But there definitely IS a
muffled broadcast underneath the VOK broadcasts at all times.
I`m not sure who would be co-channel, and I don`t see a mixing product
situation being possible (à la WWCR). Wonder if it could be a case of
them taping programs over old programs and some of the old audio is
still coming thru?
I recall that was the case back in the day when I used reel to reel
and cassette. The erasures weren't 100%. Just wondered what your
opinion was. 73 and Good DX, (Rick Barton, AZ, Aug 29, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Rick, Very interesting. I had not noticed that, but 11710 does have
some co-channel QRM. I guess he is referring to the 10-17 UT period
when VOK alternates French and English, except for Korean at 12-13.
CNR1 Beijing is also on 11710, but in Mandarin of course during this
entire period per Aoki. Taiwan is also on there at 11-13, with CNR1
jamming it.
Aside from the possibility the QRM could be from those, I agree that
incompletely erased tapes could be the cause, as they don`t have
simultaneous English and French broadcasts on some other frequency to
mix. Hmm, consulting WRTH, I see they DO have English on some other
frequencies at 16-17 only, while French is on 11710 et al. What hours
is he referring to? I`ll have to listen more closely on a good day for
reception from VOK (Glenn to Rick, via DXLD)
Please tell Glenn I'm referring to the UT period 13-17, when VOK
alternates English and French, and also I hear the same kind of co-
channel QRM on their Korean service starting at 17 UT. On the English
I hear French, and on the French I hear English in the background. It
usually is not faint, but easily heard. Frank Mezek (Via Rick Barton,
DXLD)
So far in the 13 UT hour on 11710 the only QRM I can hear under VOK is
Chinese. Signal is getting weak after that (Glenn Hauser, Aug 31,
DXLD)
** KOREA NORTH. 9650, Voice of Korea, Aug. 28, 1230. The DPRK wins
today's "battle of the bands", hands down; no sign at all of KBS
World, via Sackville, which should be relaying Angie Park's K-Pop
countdown program. Instead, soprano vocalists (presumed) extolling the
works and the wonders of the "great leader", and the gains of
revolution (Rick Barton , El Mirage , Arizona, Hammarlund HQ-200,
Drake R-8, outdoor slinky, 70' Inverted-L wire, 100' random wire, ABDX
via DXLD)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 6135, Un-named clandestine (presumed), 1037-
1040*, August 24. Korean pop song; het from Bolivia on the low side;
no jamming yet; strong (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA,
Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9950, Aug 27 at 1259 open carrier, 1300 opening
in Korean with music, good signal enough to shoulder aside the
DentroCuban jamming on 9955; is via TAIWAN, Nippon no Kaze, as it is
known in Japanese, anti-kidnapping service, but could not make out
such an ID nor in Korean. HFCC misleadingly lists this transmission as
Babcock via CHINA in Japanese! See also TAIWAN 9960 (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KOREA NORTH [and non]. SOUTH KOREAN TV ‘CAN NOW BE WATCHED IN
REMOTEST NK’
South Korean TV programmes can now be watched even in the northernmost
part of North Korea if the channels are adjusted secretly, according
to Open Radio for North Korea. The radio station claims it is possible
as far North as Onsong, North Hamgyong Province, which is just across
the Duman (or Tumen) River from China.
Watching South Korean TV has become so prevalent that even when
security officials find it out, residents stand up to them, telling
them there is nothing worth watching on North Korean TV.
Read the full story from The Chosun Ilbo
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/08/24/2011082401036.html
(August 24th, 2011 - 15:54 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via
DXLD)
2 Comments on “So. Korean TV ‘can now be watched in remotest NK’”
#1 Kim Andrew Elliott on Aug 27th, 2011 at 07:45
We have to interpret cautiously the information from “sources” in
North Korea, especially when it is just one source.
It’s possible that North Koreans, who television sets adhere to the
PAL transmission system, can receive degraded pictures from South
Korean stations, which use the NTSC transmission system. It is also
possible that North Koreans are acquiring Chinese-manufactured multi-
system television sets, capable of receiving both NTSC and PAL
signals.
North Hamyong Province, however, is 500 kilometers from the nearest
possible South Korean television transmitter. Terrestrial reception
over such a distance would be unlikely except during rare
propagational skip conditions. A more likely explanation is that South
Korean televisions shows are now available on Chinese television
channels, especially those serving the Korean community in China.
Reception of Chinese channels, which use the PAL system, is much more
likely in northern North Korea. Another possibility is that someone in
that part of North Korea has access to a satellite TV receiver.
South Korea is scheduled to complete its transition to digital
terrestrial television by the end of 2012. This will make it
impossible for North Koreans, still using analog sets, to receive
South Korean stations. North Koreans might, however, bring in Chinese-
manufactured television sets capable of digital as well as analog
reception. Digital television reception is “fussier” than analog, so
it will be more difficult for North Koreans to “DX,” or achieve long
distance reception of South Korean television.
The appetite for entertainment is infinite. North Koreans will go to
great lengths to watch the shows they want to watch.
#2 Kai Ludwig on Aug 27th, 2011 at 11:03
Yes, a transmit 525/60 (mostly but not always, i.e. with the exception
of Brazil, run with the NTSC colour system) TV image shows up on a set
for 625/50 rolling and in other ways severely degraded. But what is
such a distorted image good with no sound? Workarounds (AFN in Berlin
prompted some messing around with old B&W sets) require a bit more
than “secretly adjusting the channel”.
And it is understood that TV as well as FM radio transmitters from the
South do not even reach Pyongyang due to mountains in the way. Already
here it would be a distance of at least 130 km, requiring a capable
roof-top antenna to get any usable picture. Ever seen the impressive
antenna forests that can still be found on abandoned buildings in
Leipzig?
To me this reads as if something of interest is carried in program
slots (note the hint at “best reception between 9 PM and midnight”) on
some transmitter(s) in China. Would be interesting in regard to the
media landscape there, but with such a vague source there is little
point in speculating further.
By the way, an important point is the “appetite for entertainment”. I
have to shake my head when seeing mentions of the poor people of
Dresden in the past being cut off from any information because no West
German TV could be received there. Those who really wanted information
and not just entertainment flipped on the radio and tuned to 756 kHz
where Deutschlandfunk, transmitted from Braunschweig/Königslutter with
800 kW, came in nicely. It not even needed longwave, nighttime skywave
on mediumwave or shortwave (which again was a major source of
entertainment, by way of Radio Luxemburg on 6090 kHz) (MN blog
comments via DXLD)
** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 15360, Aug 27 at 1852, thought it was Japanese
pop music, but excuse me, it must have been Korean. 1854 Russian
announcement. Scheduled is KBS, 250 kW, 62 degrees via Rampisham UK at
18-19. Yet another service that will have to find another site if Ramp
gets shut as planned by Xmas (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** KUWAIT. 15540, Aug 31 at 1757, after VATICAN [q.v.] on 15570, I
tuned down here to much better signal, R. Kuwait already on air, not
in English, but S. Asian music and YL announcement in such a language,
presumed Urdu as in the domestic Multilingual service which is not
supposed to be on SW, but they just turn the transmitter on early.
1759 brief NA by military band; 1800 5+1 timesignal accurate to within
a semisecond, English ID with time as 9 pm = 1800 UTC, plays NA again
within a 2-minute period, sign-on claiming frequencies are 963, 93.3
and 11990, quick [p]review of programs starting with `Under the
Umbrella of Islam`.
Seems like a live rather than canned announcement as the program
lineup varies from day to day, yet they remain clueless that they have
not been on 11990 for years. Also, they used to announce the FM as
96.3, which matched the MW channel, how neat, impossible to do with
North American allocations, but lately they have been saying 93.3.
Since they can`t get their SW frequency right, I have no idea whether
this is right, either, but 93.3 is another listed channel.
By 1801.5, right into the Islam show, part 2, dealing with stories of
conversions to Islam [that`s fine, but beware of converting away!],
announcer with American accent but other speakers in story-telling,
dramatizations, laced with frequent quotations from the Qur`an.
Outright Islamic proselytizing in English is still a rarity, vs just
quoting and translating the HQ as Egypt and Iran do, but the novelty
soon became tiresome, so tuned on to 15445; see JAPAN.
1830 I returned to 15540 for R. Kuwait`s main English newscast, mainly
about Syria and Libya. I was thinking it was more substantial, but
finished already with fanfare at 1836 and on to essential pop music.
At least it`s 3 or 4 times as long as the 2050 headline news segment.
Meanwhile some strange QRM hit this and many other frequencies, with
periodic peaks, but audible all the way from 11 to 24 MHz. A big peak
was found at 19625: four noise pulses between pauses, the last one
slightly longer as in an alarm-clock pattern, or a Morse V. No alarums
going off inside WOR HQ, so whence? Took the DX-398 outside and it
grew louder in one direxion, soon pinned onto an Enid Waste Management
truck a block away with a claw picking up a huge pile of debris from a
house which had been cleaned out. Flashing lights on the back of the
truck (``keep 50 feet back``, surely excessive), matched the noise
exactly. Whew, it soon would go away (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** LIBYA. Re 11-34, Libya TV --- ``I had been away from my dishes for
a few weeks, but within a few minutes getting home and moving my dish
to LJBC TV very unusual programming was seen. For many months Libya TV
had dropped all regular programming and was running live pro-Gaddafi
phone-in programs, commentary and coverage of pro-Gaddafi gatherings.
The last hours before the screens went blank saw Libya TV revert to
what you could consider "normal" programming of dramas, short musical
interludes and soap operas which had all been missing on the channel
for many months. At the time seeing this programming I was wondering
if most had left the compound and the station was running on
automation or perhaps with a minimum group of technical staff.`` (Mark
Fahey, NSW)
Ah, this is another interesting puzzlestone, and I think we can safely
proceed from your assumption. So what was the exact time at which you
noted this?
So the final hours were just automated playout of random programming,
and it was not necessarily the result of any action by a human when it
went black screen but still with logo bug, indicating that the
transmission chain was still up and running. That changed only when,
as the reports we have at hand suggest, in the evening the uplink went
off, perhaps also alone but presumably rather by the hand of some
human (who? why?).
It is also remarkable that the radio side apparently ceased all
activities in the late evening of Saturday, since on Sunday not only
the mediumwave transmitters have no longer been switched on but also
the still running satellite feed had no audio anymore if I interpret
the reports correct. And the Sabratah shortwave facility is reportedly
no longer working already since August 15.
I think it is pretty unusual that storming broadcasting facilities in
a revolution results in nothing but a complete shut-down. For
comparison just check out the video tapes from Romanian TV in 1989
which should still be available on Youtube. Makes me wonder what was
and is going on in Tripoli. Looks as if broadcasting there has not
been liberated but killed off altogether, unlike what has been
reported from eastern Libya in recent months, which does not make it
appear as a matter of course how things now went in the capital.
Are the black images that were LJBC relays still there or have the
third party uplink providers meanwhile taken them off the multiplexes?
(Kai Ludwig, Germany, Aug 25, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LIBYA. MW: 1053 Reactivated. Hello DXers, Based on a tip from my
friends Patrick Robic and Mauno Ritola, they picked up 1053 kHz with
some Arabic talks on 25/8 around 0130 UT. I double checked the
frequency on 26/8 and noticed that they signed on at 1800 UT carrying
the audio stream of Radio Libya (used to be known as Libya Alhurra -
Free Libya in English) operated by Al Jazeera network from Qatar.
Lately they changed the name of the network to be Libya TV instead of
Libya Al Hurra. For a live stream of the TV network:
http://www.libya.tv
This is the second MW frequency to be carrying audio stream of TV
network; as I reported earlier this week 1125 kHz was carrying the
audio stream of Aljazeera TV.
The other MW frequencies which used to be operated by Gadaffi's regime
are all silent, 972/1251/711, but I noticed the website of Voice of
Africa http://www.voiceofafrica.com.ly/ is still on but supporting
the rebels, now mainly using the reports of Aljazeera dot net. All the
best (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, 1320 UT Aug 26, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Does that page link to anything in English? All those itemID numbers
rolling over hotlinx are NOT helpful. An interesting link in the lower
left is http://www.algathafi.org/ but it cannot be displayed, wonder
why? (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
Re: Libya MW: 1053 Reactivated. With the Google translator one can
make out something of it. Pretty interesting: It is the old template,
still with menu points like "talks of the leader", from which the
contents have been removed. I suspect that someone logged into the CMS
as author, having no possibility to change the layout. And I would not
be surprised if it are just the guys in Qatar.
ljbc.net does simply not connect, as it is the case already for at
least some weeks. And http://allibiya.ly has perhaps never been
activated and always used as a mail domain only. I got the latter URL
from the famous appearance of TV commentator Hala Misrati early last
Sunday that mostly circulates as crappy low bitrate, at least in some
cases even distorted (4:3 video messed up for 16:9) video but of which
I also found this decent still:
http://sbclive.net/sbca/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Hala-Misrati1.jpg
(Kai Ludwig, ibid.)
1449, 27/8 2310 R. Libia - Tripoli, Arabo, insulti a Gheddafi, buono
(Roberto Pavanello, Vercelli / Italia, shortwave yg via WORLD OF RADIO
1580, DXLD)
Henceforth we dispense with distinxion between LIBYA and LIBYA FREE
** LIBYA. "BROADCASTING HOUSE" ITEM ON NEW LIBYAN RADIO STATIONS
BBC Radio 4's flagship Sunday morning current affairs show is proving
a real goldmine for DXers and radio enthusiasts in general this
summer!
Today's programme featured a piece by a Libyan monitor at BBC
monitoring about the new wave of radio stations and the change of
programme styles and tone since the uprising began in February. It
includes several brief clips and some very interesting analysis by the
monitor.
The feature, which lasts about 4 minutes, starts about 25 minutes into
the programme, just before the 9.30 news summary.
As usual, it should be available on BBC i-player in all territories
for the next seven days, from about 10.00 GMT this morning, as well as
Radio Player (Mark Savage, Feltham UK, Aug 28, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD)
Here it is, including recipes; Libya from 26 minutes in:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnj3
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Also as downloadable podcast at
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/bh
(Andy Lawendel, Italy, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** LUXEMBOURG [and non]. A few recordings on the following, with the
date (23Aug'11) & times (subtract 1 h for UT) being indicated on each
[deliberately unedited] label: (see attachments)
1.02 MB clip_LUX relay+Braz. stn (+Saudi Ar.)
1440_CRI in Engl. via LUX, unID Brazilian station airing SRDA stuff,
Saudi Arabia Heard too: for me at least, two forms of simultaneous
airwaves pollution - CRI & the program sent by Brazilian station.
Antenna used: K9AY beamed 225º; AM mode (6 kHz BW) & U/LSB mode
(2.7 kHz BW).
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/attachments/folder/2074804389/item/list
73, (Carlos Gonçalves, PORTUGAL, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Attachments like this are available only to members of the dxldyg (gh)
** MALAYSIA [and non]. 6049.6, Asyik FM via RTM, 1059, August 23. Most
days now this is on 6050.02v (noted as high as 6050.04v on August 14);
so this lower frequency has become an anomaly for them; August 24 back
to 6050.02v again (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6050, Aug 25 at 1157, music with fast SAH, so RTM relay of Asyik FM
must be on 6050.02 today instead of 6049.62v, as John Wilkins CO notes
they keep switching between these two transmitters from day to day.
Can`t be sure if the music was from that or HCJB, with which Malaysia
produces an AH when further off-frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
1251-1257, August 29. RTM carried a special economic speech in
vernacular; frequent mentions of “ringgit” (their currency); all //
5964.6v Klasik Nasional, 6050.0v Asyik FM (QRM PBS Xizang/Tibet),
7295 Traxx FM and 9835 Sarawak FM. Found by Googling - Perhaps it was
the International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa
Mohamed with today’s news about the vast increase in the amount of
foreign direct investments (FDIs) into Malaysia. Same speech also
heard by Glenn at the same time on 9835; while I was mostly listening
to 6050.0v.
6050.02v, Salam FM via RTM. Is this an actual programming change or
just an anomaly? 1420-1500, August 31. Lively DJ in vernacular with
dedications for pop songs; on air phone call; 1500 1+1 pips; another
singing “Salam FM” ID; reciting from the Qur’an. For a long time was
always R. Suara Islam after 1400; this needs more checking. A typical
“Salam FM” segment from the past at
http://www.box.net/shared/jrcocuzjmcdhq11jajz7
(Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF
RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MALAYSIA. 7295, RTM, Kajang. Pop songs in English, ID at 1659 “Trax
FM” and "Good morning, the news" in English from 1700 on 25/8 (Rumen
Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF-2001, 16m Marconi antenna), Sept
Australian DX News via DXLD)
** MALAYSIA. 9835, MALAYSIA-SARAWAK, Sarawak FM/RTM Kajang 1121-1203,
Pop ballads in listed Malay with W announcer between selections;
Kor'an chants from 1150 with occasional W announcer talk; Arabic
sounding talk at 1202 into a snippet of Arabic music; back to Malay
ballad at tune/out; no discernible ID noted; poor-fair; 8/29 (Scott R.
Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-45, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m
dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) TO Sarawak, not from (gh)
9835, Aug 29 at 1228, Qur`an squeezed by ACI, but RTM is apparently
sporadically active. At 1251, speech in Malay, mentions ``subsidy``,
over CCI, flutter; By 1254 the CCI is gaining. What could that be?
HFCC, Aoki and EiBi show nothing else on 9835 until India at 1315 or
1330, tho there are plenty of collisions at other times.
11665 is an even worse frequency choice for RTM`s Sarawak service: I
can never hear it, just a het with the Chinese radio war, such as Aug
29 at 1341, CNR1 echo-jamming vs Taiwan at 04-06 and 10-17 per Aoki
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
11665, 28/8 2234, RTM Wai FM, songs, phone talks, IDs, weak to fair,
fading, "clean" channel (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italia, RX:
RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-Radio Software - ANT: T2FD 15 m long; QTH:
Milan city, Italy; SW blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/ HCDX via
DXLD)
** MAURITANIA. 7245, Radio Mauritanie. 0005 August 28, 2011. Unusual
sing-song Qur'an poetry in what seemed to be not-quite Arabic, then
Arabic male ID, mentioning "... al-Islamiyah al-Mauritaniyah" at 0008.
Excellent signal (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA, 27.55.83
N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
7245, Aug 30 at 0523, IGIM with characteristic chanting; as Ramadan is
about to end, I assume it will shortly revert to previous schedule ex-
24 hours, of signing on later around 0600. At 0548 had switched to
lively music, so maybe the Eid celebration was already underway.
7245, Aug 31 at 0522, IGIM still on earlier than usual, but W&M talk
in Arabish, rather than chanting. With Ramadan over, we are expecting
this to cease 24-hour operation and sign on circa 0600 (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also GUINEA
** MEXICO. Late Summer Latin DX --- Hi Glenn, Despite the title of
this email, I've been catching some darn good DX all summer long. I'm
one that would argue that there's actually an "off-season" for MW DX.
The LAm highlights from this month are below and are all new stations
for my Okieland MW log. I hrd the majority of these stations using the
Sony T-615 w/ a Select-a-Tenna. I'm also utilizing a cheap little
audio equalizer, the Koss EQ-50 which really helps overcome my T-615's
tendency to have low volume issues, plus the added benefit of
adjusting the overall sound.
1540, XESTN, Monterrey, NL, 0430 UT, 8/27/11, with an all talk format,
they were discussing all kinds of topics (wish I knew exactly WHAT
they were). Taking phone calls at times. Heard a few "Radio Red" IDs
and a full call letter ID at 0450 // their online stream.
1480, XEHM, Ciudad Delicias, CH, 0820 UT, 8/27/11, mostly playing pop
styled music. Long ad strings with many mentions of Chihuahua. Noted
several "La HM Radio" IDs. One station promo ment'd "Su emisora en
Chihuahua".
680, XEORO, Guasave, Sinaloa, 1115-1205 UT, 8/24/11, mostly back to
back music. Played a variety of songs from ranchera to Brasilian
sounding música de amor with instrumental guitars. Numerous "La Mera
Jefa" slogans heard. Full ID with call letters at 1155. After 1200
they were all talk until fade out. Heard mentions of "noticias en
punto" during this time.
920, XECQ, Culiacán, Sinaloa, 1133-1153 UT, 8/23/11, ad strings,
bandera music, and station promos/IDs heard until a US station (not
sure who) went to day power and wiped everyone else out. IDs/slogans
heard were: "La Nueva Nueva", "La Ranchera AM", and "La Ranchera
Culiacán." I also noted one call letter ID with a heavy echo. G signal
during their peaks.
1010, XELO, Chihuahua, CH, 0657 UT, 8/14/11, this was one of those
"alive" frequencies that we've discussed here before to a limited
degree. I didn't have long to wait before hearing two LAm stations o/u
each other. Near the TOH, this one clearly ID'd as "...la número uno
en éxitos...La X." The other station was later ID'd as XEVK with "La
Poderosa" IDs. A relog here, but not often heard.
1040, XEHES, Chihuahua, CH, 1120-1147 UT, 8/6/11, this one started as
a super weak sig underneath XEGYS (Sonora) and WHO. By 1125 they were
up and copiable with a pop music format. They played some great old
70's hits from the USA and a few in Spanish as well. IDs were
confusing at first. Noted several call letter IDs but with a very
heavy echo effect. Slick production from this one to say the least.
One of the slogans heard went something like "Escuchas 10-40 (diez-
quarenta) la número uno, Radiorama." Heard a funny local ad that
mentioned something about beating the stampede to a certain store in
Chihuahua. I wish my Spanish was better. Slick canned ID/slogans
mentioned "en 10-40 AM en Chihuahua." Really a fun reception.
1280, XEAW, Monterrey, NL, 1130 UT, 8/5/11, been trying to ID this one
for quite a while now. This AM their signal was good enough to be
heard at a copiable level in a null from our semi-local station KSOK
(Arkansas City, KS). Heard with all rapid-fire Spanish talk. Seemed to
be all news and many ads. Heard an ad for what sounded like "Home
Depot." IDs were "A-W Noticias." (ah-doble-oo noticias).
I hope all is well with you. It's been a busy summer here. I'm still
working anywhere from 50-56 hours a week, so that leaves little time
for keeping in touch with friends. There's one thing that being busy
probably won't ever hamper though --- listening to the radio.
Take care. Have you been hearing anything interesting on MW lately?
Forgive me for not being up to date on your loggings and observations.
I hope this winter I might have a bit more time to get back into the
full swing of DXing. 73 for now, -K- (Kirk Allen, Ponca City OK, Aug
27, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Howdy Glenn, Overnight I tuned around for more than 3 hours and
finally came up with one new logging, another XE. Thought you might
wanna try to catch this one if you've not logged them before.
790, XEGAJ, Guadalajara, Jalisco, 1200 UT, 8/28/11, all talk format
with many "Grupo Fórmula" network IDs. A local M announcer broke in
with call letter ID and mentions of "Escuchas Primera Cadena en 9-70
kilohertz, Radio Formula." A quick TC mentioning "en Jalisco" and back
to network programming. Very good signal until rapid fade out 1230 UT
(Kirk Allen, Ponca City, Aug 28, ibid.)
** MEXICO. 760, Aug 25 at 1158 VG signal where none had been a minute
or two earlier, soon ID as ``La Preciosa``; thought they said 15-60,
but must have been 7-60. Cantú pins this right on:
760 XEEB Preciosa Cd. Obregon, Son. 5,000 1,000
870, Aug 25 at 1159 Mexican NA, fading but then could copy sign-on
mentioning Tarahumara, so doubtless XETAR, per Cantú:
870 XETAR La Voz de la Sierra Tarahumara Guachochi, Chih. 10,000 D =
daytime only, heard many times before and better, but always fun to
get this native station.
1030, Aug 25 at 1200, good signal from Mexican choral NA, but faded
into QRM by 1201, volatile sunrise skip conditions (officially 1157 UT
in Enid today). At least it wasn`t KCTA, Corpus Christi, potential
spoiler in Spanish.
[and non]. Sunrise skip MW DX:
610, Aug 27 at 1159, ``Sólo por la G-S``, 5:59 time, therefore per
Cantú: 610 XEGS La Ley Guasave, Sin. 1,000 500
But did not hear ``La Ley`` mentioned; still vigent?
1160 mystery, solved: not a Mexican: see U S A
Sunrise DX August 28, UT:
650, at 1159 Aug 28, Mexican history item, 1200 ID as ``Radio 65 FM``,
then mentions 106.5 FM y 650 AM. How convenient: Cantú shows:
106.5 XHTNT Radio 65 + AM 650 Los Mochis, Sin. [no power on FM; new?]
650 XETNT Radio 65 + FM 106.5 Los Mochis, Sin. 5,000 1,000
We seem to have a pipeline from Los Mochis this morning as well as
several previous sunrises:
770, at 1201 Aug 28, `Los 40 Principales`` full ID with XEREV, i.e.:
770 XEREV Los 40 Principales + FM 104.3 Los Mochis, Sin. 5,000 100
BTW, KKOB 770 NM nondirexional day pattern starts in Aug at *1230 UT,
Sept *1245, Oct *1315
870, at 1202 Aug 28 choral NA, 1203 mentions ``en esta hermosa Sierra
Tarahumara`` then into indigenous language, from XETAR, Chihuahua.
920, at 1204 Aug 28, ID as R. Capital, Hermosillo, i.e. per Cantú:
920 XEHQ Radio Capital Hermosillo, Son. 5,000 1,000
990, at 1214 ID as Radio México 990 AM, ``todo México``. Radio México
is the name of a group, not a particular station. Here`s their own
listing:
http://www.gradiomex.com/default.asp?pid=15992
But nothing on 990. Info there is © 2009, so quite possibly outdated.
Thru Cantú state-by-state listings for 990s in western México I don`t
find any matches. (Before 1200 I was getting a strong 990 with temp in
C, presumed XET Monterrey 50 kW). ``Radio México`` possibly just a
generic mention as heard here, not a corporate name, altho the Group
should assert its exclusive right to say it?
Sunrise MW DX Aug 29:
750, Aug 29 at 1159, an anthem, but not Mexican national, soon obvious
from the lyrix that it`s the Sinaloa state hymn; 1201 ID or sign-on
mentions 89.5 FM y 750 AM, ergo per Cantú:
750 XECSI Stereo Vida + FM 89.5 Culiacán, Sin. 5,000 250
DXLD correspondent Ing. Civ. Israel González Ahumada, M.I., in Mérida,
Yucatán, has just rounded up videos of many state songs, official or
not, including Sinaloa`s: ``(No tiene himno; lo consideran su himno)``
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eErA7omckaE
Then I played it, titled:
``Chayito Valdéz "El Sinaloense" ( REINA DE LA CANCION RANCHERA )``
and I`m afraid that is a completely different song from the one on
750, which was not in ranchera style, certainly a more majestic and
fitting paean, M cantor mentioning Sinaloa several times. I had to
side-tune to 752 to evade splatter from KRMG 740 Tulsa already on day
power and pattern. The video includes several clips of cock-fighting
as if that were something to be proud of, the state sport?
830, Aug 29 at 1202, mentions 830 AM and Sinaloa, 6:02 time; Cantú:
830 XEVQ La Grande de Sinaloa Culiacán, Sin. 5,000 1,000
880, Aug 29 at 1158, Full ID, as XERFR, Grupo Fórmula. Unfortunately,
that is the network flagship in the DF on 970 with 50 kW during
daytime. Fortunately, Cantú shows only one Fórmula on 880:
880 XEV Radio Fórmula Chihuahua, Chih. 5,000 250
Sunrise skip Aug 30:
610, Aug 30 at 1156, ``estás escuchando `Así Suena Sinaloa`, por G-S``
610 XEGS La Ley Guasave, Sin. 1,000 500 as in Cantú
660, Aug 30 at 1157, mentions Ciudad de Santa Rosa, and then ``aquí en
Delicias``, i.e.:
660 XEACB Radio 660 Cd. Delicias, Chih. 3,000 1,000
[condiglisteros mention that Aug 30 is Saint Rose of Lima Day,
important especially in Perú; maybe that`s what I heard mentioned]
900, Aug 30 at 1159 Mexican NA, 1201 sign-on but only snatches copied,
mentioned ``oeste del estado``, ``Grupo Divertida``, BZ? And right
into rather radical political speech for several minutes until fade-
out. Cantú shows the only 900 in NW Mexico is this:
900 XEDT La Reina Cd. Cuauhtemoc, Chih. 5,000 1,500
and linx to website http://www.lareina900.com/ credited at the bottom
to ``Grupo Radio Divertida, Chihuahua, Chih. México``. Divertida = fun
Mexican NAs were playing around 1200 UT on several other frequencies,
but can`t catch them all with simultaneous sign-on IDs, as I log
everything in real time with my own ears.
Sunrise DX August 31, LSR here being 1202 UT:
920, Aug 31 at 1205 UT, NA just ending so must have started late,
then picked a `Radio Capital` ID out of the QRM, so it`s XEHQ,
Hermosillo, Sonora, again. But I started late too, missing the pileup
of openings at 1159+.
1040, Aug 31 at 1210 UT novelty song, 1211 jingle ID mentioning ``Once
. . . Número Uno, La Primera``, and timecheck for 5:10, so it`s XEGYS
in Guaymas, again, thus reminding us that Sonora stays on MST of UT-7
just like, and because of, neighboring Arizona. Not sure where the
``11`` comes from unless they are rounding the frequency way off to
the hi side as on a badly-calibrated analog dial? (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MEXICO. Re 11-34: HIMNOS DE LOS ESTADOS MEXICANOS
Le envío información para que espero le sirva para identificar a la
emisora mexicana desconocida en 890 KHz que menciona en su último
informe basándome en la página de Fred Cantú y alguna de mis
investigaciones:
XEFRT Radio Frontera + FM 92.5 Comitan de Domínguez, Chis.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_a_Chiapas
http://es.wikisource.org/wiki/Himno_del_estado_de_Chiapas_%28mex%29
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHTirc_5nJ8
XEAK Radio Consentida Acámbaro, Gto. 1100-0300 UT
http://www.correo-gto.com.mx/notas.asp?id=132396
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yHvxVYpxes
XEPNA Radio Joya Tepic, Nay.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_a_Nayarit
http://es.scribd.com/doc/14846476/Himno-a-Nayarit
XENZ La Sinaloense + FM 92.9 Culiacán, Sin.
(No tiene himno) (lo consideran su himno) [see our 750 report - gh]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eErA7omckaE
XEBY Radio Fórmula Tuxpan, Ver.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himno_Veracruzano
http://es.wikisource.org/wiki/Himno_Veracruzano
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzgN8yQUf2M
XEPC Sonido Estrella Zacatecas, Zac.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcha_de_Zacatecas
http://es.wikisource.org/wiki/Marcha_Zacatecas
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWdB26F5wLQ
(sólo lo encontré instrumental) Atte: (Ing. Civ. Israel González
Ahumada, M.I., Yucatán, Aug 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Israel, Muy bien! Gracias por su trabajo, decimos Terry y yo. Aun
mejor si pueda encontrar otros más (Glenn to Israel, via DXLD)
Re: Himnos de los estados mexicanos.
Aquí hay una lista de los demás que he encontrado en audio:
Aguascalientes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl6ROFdVr3I
Baja California: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP654zyj9gs
Baja California Sur:
Campeche: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5lDaFoy_eU
Chiapas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHTirc_5nJ8
Chihuahua: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQd5MS5bOVQ&feature=related
Coahuila: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNBdQpd34Ow&feature=related
Durango:
Guanajuato: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yHvxVYpxes
Guerrero: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4lUO0T_lcA
Hidalgo:
Jalisco:
México: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGL76DYLRPs
Michoacán
Morelos: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFA_DRnjHXc
Nayarit:
Nuevo León: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAHLclsgCFU
Oaxaca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5292ZZnG6A
Puebla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg0Xj-Pa7M0
Querétaro:
Quintana Roo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLX4J9KusLo
San Luis Potosí:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUbMmpTow6Y&feature=related
Sinaloa:
Sonora:
Tabasco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiZeZkVDQYE
Tamaulipas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz4H1oTu0-g
Tlaxcala: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSg1ShasgCY
Veracruz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzgN8yQUf2M
Yucatán:
Zacatecas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htVykAAGx8U
Ignoro porqué no han subido el de Yucatán. Atte: (Ing.Civ. Israel
González Ahumada, M.I., Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MICRONESIA. Video on Galcom helping set up The Cross Radio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYkkmPwJJlc
(via Mike Barraclough, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Says initial SW operation failed because it skipped over the nearer
islands, heard instead in Japan. I doubt this: skip zone on 4755 is
not very great, and the DXers in Japan have much better equipment, and
dare I say, motivation, to pick it up. Results are better near and far
since new antenna installed earlier this year, about which there are
no details except it was put above the FM antenna. NVIS? Unseems. To
reach an area as large as CONUS, that would be too restrictive (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.44, PMA-The Cross Radio, 1045, August 24. Christian songs; short
sermon with “This is the Cross Radio” ID; more songs; 1059 local TC
and ID along with frequency (88.5 FM); off the air shortly after 1102;
poor (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
PMA The Cross: Weak S=3-4 signal - just above threshold, fluttering
and weak at 0817 UT Aug 27 on 4755.417 kHz, measured on remote SDR
unit in southern California (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug
27 via DXLD)
4755.4, The Cross, 1047, Aug 29. Gospel songs and man in English. Poor
(Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening from my car with
the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.4, presumed V6MP PMA The Cross, Pohnpei 1008-1026, Lengthy talk
poking through band noise; not enough to detail but best I've had to
date; very poor in ECCS-USB; 8/30 (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale,
N.H. USA, NRD-45, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
4755.44, PMA-The Cross Radio, running past 1350, August 30. Someone
forgot to turn off the Xmtr again! 1227 spot for James Dobson; 1231
“The Cross Radio is a ministry of Pacific Mission Fellowship”; poor to
almost fair. Glenn, I took your advice and did not contact Sylvia
about their being on late (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MONGOLIA. 12085, tentative Voice of Mongolia, 1029, Aug 29. Musical
IS repeated, 1030 piece of music, possibly an anthem, followed by a
speaker. Just above threshold. Needs more checks. Very weak (Harold
Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening from my car with the Eton
E1 and Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MOROCCO. Medi 1 silent 9575 today 07-08 UT, still missing 13 UT.
Not a case of poor reception. Have they abandoned HF? Other media
better for music. Noticed RTM 15340 or 45 on at 13 UT. Think that is
also Nador after Briech closure. So site OK (Derek Lynch, Ireland,
1536 UT Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Cf. my AUSTRALIA report today that Morocco was also missing from 15341
but back later. Further chex needed of 9575! (gh)
Medi 1, strong signal at 1750. Regards (Jean-Michel Aubier, ibid.)
9575 back again with positive ID, Arabic news re Libya at 19 UT, was
on before the hour too. It's weak, but then it is squeezed between
other powerhouses at this time of evening anyway (Derek Lynch, ibid.)
** MYANMAR. 5770, Myanmar Defense Forces Broadcasting Station, 1328,
August 25. Recently I believe they have changed their format a little;
at the BoH (their local ToH) they are no longer playing their
distinctive military marching band music, as they had for many years.
Is now just their usual indigenous instrumental music. I very much
miss hearing the marching band! Perhaps a listener in Asia can confirm
this is always the case now at the BoH? Thanks for any assistance!
7185.74, Myanma Radio sign-offs:
August 21 – 1224*
August 22 – 1227*
August 24 – 1224* (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** MYANMAR/BURMA. This country seems to be in a state of flux at the
present time. The New York Times recently observed:
“In recent weeks there have been signs that reformers, led by Thein
Sein, a former general who was elected president in February, have
the upper hand. The government has proposed peace talks with armed
rebel groups that are battling the military for control over resources
and for more autonomy. Officials have met three times in the last
month with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s leading dissident, who
was released from house arrest in November.
Other changes have been more symbolic. The state-run newspapers are
refraining from publishing slogans like “Riots beget riots, not
democracy” [the anti-VOA, BBC, RFA and DVB slogan]. The government has
also allowed publications that do not deal with politics or history to
publish without prior censorship. (Any newspaper articles that touch
on politics must still be submitted to a censorship board). The bar
for freedom of expression is set so low here that journalists rejoiced
when it was announced that they would be allowed into Parliament for
its current session, which began Monday.”
August 30, I observed changes with two of the Myanma Radio transmitter
assignments.
5985.0, via Naypyidaw; ex- 5985.83v via Yangon; checking from 1248
till 1432; in vernacular and playing EZL pop songs; somewhat better
reception than heard during this past summer.
7200.04v; ex-7185.74; first day back on this former frequency; 1145-
1221:49*; fair with light ham QRM; in vernacular and EZL pops songs;
1220 played their usual signature instrumental theme music
(indigenous).
I have spent several hours recently checking for the anti-VOA, BBC,
RFA and DVB slogan, but have not heard it; hardly conclusive it’s
really gone, but could be (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
August 31 both back on usual frequencies; so yesterday was a one day
anomaly. 5985.83v via Yangon at 1149 and 1418. 7185.74 at 1143.
(Ron Howard, ibid.)
It has changed again --- Myanmar is back on 7.185.7 on the Hong Kong
tuner and not as loud as it is here. Does not seem to stay on the same
channel (Robin L. Harwood, Norwood, Tasmania 7250, Icom R70 to an
indoor antenna. 1239 UT Aug 31, ibid.)
** NETHERLANDS. CAUSE OF HOOGERSMILDE FIRE REMAINS CONFIDENTIAL
The remains of the Hoogersmilde mast. Photo © ANP
State-owned company Novec, which owns the transmission masts used by
Dutch radio & TV broadcasters, says it now knows the cause of the fire
at the Hoogersmilde transmission tower on 15 July. The heat caused the
metal mast to collapse, causing widespread disruption to FM
transmissions serving the north of the country. However, Novec has
decided not to make the details of its findings public for the time
being.
The fire at Hoogersmilde occurred only hours after a smaller fire at
another main transmitter site at IJsselstein (Lopik) which serves the
densely populated central Netherlands. It still isn’t clear if the two
fires were connected or just a bizarre coincidence.
The IJsselstein fire has resulted in the power of the transmitters at
the station being temporarily reduced to just ten percent of normal,
under the orders of Novec. Transmission provider Broadcast Partners
considers this to be excessively cautious, and took out a court
injunction against Novec, which was due to be heard today. However,
this was scrapped at the last minute and the two parties have decided
to resume talks about a speedy solution, with the help of an as-yet
unnamed third party.
In the meantime, the Dutch public news & information network network
Radio 1 is continuing its temporary use of 648 kHz mediumwave from the
former BBC transmitter at Orfordness in the UK (August 25th, 2011 -
12:38 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
MINISTER APPOINTS MEDIATOR TO SETTLE RADIO MAST CONFLICT
Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maxime Verhagen has appointed the
former deputy Mayor of Rotterdam, Marco Pastors, as mediator between
Novec and Broadcast Partners in the dispute over safety at the Lopik
transmitting station. He has been given two weeks to work out how the
power of the transmitters can be safely increased.
On 15 July, fires broke out at the masts of Lopik and Hoogersmilde.
The investigation into the cause of the fire at Lopik is still
ongoing. As a precaution, and for reasons of safety, the state-owned
administrator of the masts, Novec, has limited the transmitting power
to 10 percent of normal. FM reception of the national broadcasters and
several commercial radio stations in the centre of the Netherlands is
therefore severely degraded.
Transmission provider Broadcast Partners believes this power
restriction is excessively cautious, and threatened to take Novec to
court. At the last minute, the two parties agreed to continue
discussions with the help of a mediator.
“It is extremely irritating that the poor reception has lasted for so
long,” said the minister. “That’s why I have appointed a mediator. The
safe restoration of the normal range of the masts has priority.” The
task of Mr Pastors will be to balance quality of reception against
safety. He will be assisted by an independent technical expert
(Source: Radiofreak.nl)(August 27th, 2011 - 14:03 UTC by Andy Sennitt,
Media Network blog via DXLD)
** NETHERLANDS [non]. Radio Netherlands heard in English on 9740 at
0705 tune in August 17 with the Africa in Progress programme. Dutch
listed on this frequency at this time (Edwin Southwell, England, Sept
World DX Club Contact via DXLD)
Yet another language/feed mixup; a lot of them from RNW lately.
Falling apart? Site for 9740 is Wertachtal, GERMANY (gh, DXLD)
** NEW ZEALAND. 15720, UT Sunday Aug 28 at 0455, caught the tail of
what sounds like an excellent documentary from the USA, outro as `The
Promised Land`, 0457 cut off credit to ``American ---``, likely
followed by ``Public Media``, for QSY announcement to 11725, bellbird
and off.
It was a relay of RNZ National, listed as: ``4:07 The Sunday Feature:
The Promised Land, with Majora Carter --- Decades ago, in response to
an oil spill off the coast of California, John Francis made a vow to
give up riding in motor vehicles, and stepped out on a walk. And he
kept on walking for the next 22 years (APM)``
Can`t find much about TPL on the APM website, but also heard program`s
own site as http://www.thepromisedland.org ---
More here, listen and download:
http://www.thepromisedland.org/episode/8-john-francis
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Thanks for the link to "The Promised Land". It looks like an
interesting series; I hadn't seen it before your mention of it.
It's interesting to see how the instances of English language public
broadcasters using each others' work is on the increase -- such as
"Global Perspectives" by the CBC, RNZ, Australia's ABC, RNW, etc.;
"The Changing World", a repurposing of BBCWS documentaries on PRI
stations, and others (Rich Cuff / Allentown, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGER. 9704.99, LV du Sahel, 2101-2303*, audible after Ethiopia
9705 sign off at 2101. Vernacular talk. Rustic indigenous vocals.
Qur`an at 2257. Short flute IS at 2301 followed by National Anthem. 21
second test tone at 2303 and off. Weak but readable at 2101. Improved
to fair to good levels by 2215. August 29 (Brian Alexander,
Mechanicsburg, PA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** NIGERIA [and non]. It`s been weeks since I have been able to hear
V. of Nigeria, 15120 on almost nightly chex around 0500 --- usually
just Chinese radio war. But Aug 25 at 0445, 15120 dominated by S9+18
carrier with hum/buzz, weak tones on and off, over mix of music,
presumably China [or non]. Then some drumming can be heard,
undermodulated. 0448, ``This is the Voice of Nigeria, Lagos`` still
undermodulated. Would be very good reception if not for self-inflicted
wounds. 0458 recheck, YL with program summary, better modulation level
now, keeps going past 0500 as we hear ChiCom timesignal under; 0501.6
finally VON sounder and OM with news, or is it just talk (Glenn
Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Next night: gone
again, back to China
** NIGERIA [non]. Hamada Radio e-mail? Hi all! Does anybody know a
correct e-mail address to contact Hamada Radio International? The one
I found (hamada.africa@yahoo.co.uk) bounced back. Thanks! (Artur
Fernández Llorella, Catalonia, Spain, Aug 26, HCDX via DXLD)
** NORTH AMERICA. [Pirate]. 6925.34, WBOG, 0115-0122*, August 24,
pop music. ID at sign off. Good signal (Brian Alexander, PA, DX
Listening Digest)
** OKLAHOMA. Surprised to see KFOR-27 OKC with totally green screen
and nothing else during the `Tonight Show`, UT Saturday Aug 27 at
0408, and kept that way almost until 0426, dead audio too until
suddenly rejoined during Richard Engel interview rerun. Both OTA RF
27, and via Suddenlink cable. Meanwhile, OTA 4.2 had usual continuous
weather, and 4.3 with Ant TV, `Benny Hill`, no greenscreens there.
This is a favorite time of night for EAS tests to interrupt
programming (tho I hadn`t noticed it on any other station), so I
wonder if the EAS thingie got stuck?? They do use a similar shade of
green for background of crawlers at screentop when funxioning
normally. Was no one paying attention at KFOR master control?? Hmmm,
are EAS tests not required on subchannels too?
Earlier in the afternoon, the finale of Jeopardy on Channel 4 had
`technical difficulties` so on the following newscasts KFOR had to
apologetically tell viewers who won, twice! Meanwhile, KROU 105.7
antenna is being installed upon the KFOR tower (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** OKLAHOMA. 105.7 KROU Move Update: Work in Progress --- photo by
Patrick Roberts. Work is nearly complete on the first leg of our
project to move KGOU's Oklahoma County signal to another tower in
northeast Oklahoma City. Our contracted tower crew has installed a new
antenna 640 feet above ground level at the new location. Chief
Engineer Patrick Roberts has been working with the crew, and snapped
some great photos, which we've posted on our Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150359114544009.398307.49730764008
The next leg of the project involves moving the existing transmitter
and the building it's housed in to the new location. We've run into
some delays in this part of our plan, but we're working to get it
wrapped up quickly and with a minimum of signal disruption. Stay tuned
for General Manager Karen Holp's progress reports from the Manager's
Desk over the course of the project.
http://kgou.org/index.php?manager-rsquo-s-desk
(KGOU E-Newsletter Aug 25 via DXLD)
** OKLAHOMA. August 28, 2011 --- This is from the Manager’s Desk.
Several weeks ago I hinted at a major project involving all the public
broadcasters in Oklahoma. That project is now underway.
The Oklahoma public radio stations and OETA have formed a consortium
called Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, or OPME for short. Our goal is
to create material about Oklahoma that will be shared by all stations.
Our first project is a partnership with NPR called StateImpact
Oklahoma.
KGOU is the lead station and has hired two new full-time reporters who
will be reporting on the impact of the state budget, both income and
expenses. There will be feature stories broadcast by KGOU and the
other stations, and a new joint web site featuring stories and more
information. These web stories will also appear on the KGOU web page.
You can find a link to StateImpact Oklahoma here,
http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma/
and read the press release here.
http://kgou.org/assets/files/OPME%20StateImpact%20Oklahoma%20Press%20Release.pdf
We think you will be pleased with our increased local journalism!
Thanks! From the manager’s desk, I’m Karen Holp.
http://kgou.org/index.php?manager-rsquo-s-desk
(KGOU E-Newsletter Aug 25 via DXLD)
** OKLAHOMA. KOKC 1520 currently simulcasting KWTV 9 --- Because of
wild fires within the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, KOKC 1520 is
currently simulcasting KWTV 9. I have no idea how late KOKC will
continue to carry programming from Newsroom 9 HD.
It was another record setting day of plus 100? temperatures in the
state of Oklahoma. This added to the high winds and continuing drought
accounted for several fires today (Richard Allen, 36?22'51"N /
97?26'35"W, (near Perry OK USA), 2357 UT Aug 30, IRCA via DXLD)
I wasn`t listening to KOKC, but KWTV-39 went back to regular CBS
primetime programming at 0000 UT, so that probably ended the
simulcast. All three major network stations in OKC blew away regular
programming including network news at 2230 UT, for continuous wildfire
coverage from northeast OKC. This may have been going on all afternoon
as they said the fires started around 1730.
Only KWTV, however, replaced its continuous news subchannel 9.2
`News9Now` with what would have been on 9.1 during this period, as I
found CBS Evening News in progress on 9.2 at 2245. As soon as it was
over, cut back to simulcast 9.1 when local news would have been on
live anyway and I noticed E-T was back on 9.2 instead of 9.1 before
2400 UT. From 0000, 9.2 resumed playing back previously recorded
newscasts.
KOCO-7 (ABC 5) and KFOR-27 (NBC 4) also have subchannels but did not
avail themselves of this way to propagate their networks` newscasts!
Meanwhile depriving their entire audiences outside the wildfire zone
of access to the world. Instead, ThisTV stayed on 5.2, continuous
weather on 4.2, and Ant-tv on 4.3 --- altho the latter went black
during a power failure at KFOR and was slow to resume. Only KOCO kept
on wildfire coverage past 0000 UT = 7 pm CDT. I don`t think the
emergency suddenly ended as primetime began.
August 31 it was a repeat performance as the fires were still raging
around OKC. Network news at 2230 UT was available only via 9.2. KWTV
and KFOR quit continuous fire coverage in time for primetime at 0000,
but KOCO stayed with the fires all the way until 0400 UT Sept 1,
missing `Nightline` too, but not an `Oprah` rerun. Maybe a third day
of this, afternoon and evening of Sept 1?? (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3205, NBC Sandaun, 1146, August 24. Another
weekly Wednesday Department of Education program in English; list of
teachers required to attend a workshop on Sept. 12; 1201 “News in
Brief”; local ID and frequencies; DJ with dedications via texted
messages. 1316 noted “Late Night Radio” show with pop songs in English
till 1325*. Continues to have above normal reception. August 25 off
the air by 1319 (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón
E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 5960, Radio Fly, Tabubil, 1050, Aug 29, Country
and pop songs, man in Tok Pisin, mention of Radio Fly at 1106. Poor
(Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening from my car with
the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PERU. INTERVISTA ONDAS DEL HUALLAGA HUANUCO ON LINE
[Más abajo se incluyen archivos adjuntos de Dario Monferini]
Ciao! Per scaricare i file clicca qui:
http://mailbeta.libero.it/cp/ps/Mail/huge/pickup?a=JYEHAUK3L9K8URLNOJKYID5Q&b=4342482e3c
Ti ricordiamo che questo link sarà valido fino al 2.9.2011 alle 15:22.
Roberto Pavanello ha messo un file audio on line a disposizione per
l'ascolto della storica intervista realizzata lunedi 15 agosto, presso
Ondas del Huallaga di Huanuco, nell'intervista Roberto ed io Dario
veniamo intervistati con l'amico Pablito Albornos Rojas che ci ha
accompagnato nella visita, era presente il Gerente della emisora Don
Flaviano Llanos que ha di recente compiuto 104 anni !!!!!!!
LA RADIO DE ANTAÑO
Llanos Malpartida fundó Radio Ondas del Huallaga en 1967, cuando aún
no existía la frecuencia modulada (FM), pero antes ya había tenido que
informar para otras radios sobre eventos históricos como la Segunda
Guerra Mundial.
"Como no había llegado la televisión a Huánuco tenía una consola RCA,
cuatro micrófonos, cuatro tornamesas para pasar los discos de carbón y
acetato con revoluciones de 33, 45 y 78 revoluciones. Dos cabinas de
locución y un salón auditorio para los programas en vivo y con
público", cuenta LLanos.
El empresario agregó que "recién en el año 1993, salimos con la
Frecuencia Modulada, poniéndonos al igual que las otras emisoras de
radio. (Hoy) tenemos todos los adelantos que hay en la actualidad,
pero nunca hemos perdido nuestras frecuencias de AM y onda corta, esa
es nuestra fortaleza".
"Nadie llega a las 11 provincias y a los 76 que tiene Huánuco ni a
cientos de comunidades y centros poblados, como nosotros", afirma
Llanos, mientras presta atención a las noticias desde su estación
radial, en donde se le puede hallar a diario desde las 7 de la mañana
(via Dario Monferini, Perú, playdx yg via DXLD)
ONDAS DEL HUALLAGA - INTERVISTA A MONFERINI E PAVANELLO
L'intervista è disponibile sul seguente link:
http://blog.libero.it/radioascolto/10553324.html
73's (Francesco Cecconi, ibid.)
** PERU. CQ, CQ, CQ --- Aquí Pedro F. Arrunátegui para compartir algo
con los que disfrutan y aman el DX latinoamericano, todas las horas
son UTC, desde la tierra de los incas, les informo mediante este
Quipus lo siguiente:
[3360], Nuestro amigo, el doctor Jesús Párraga, propietario de JPJ, me
ha comunicado que ahora, ya todos podemos gozar de Radio JPJ vía
internet en la siguiente dirección: http://www.radiojpj.com La he
verificado y se escucha al 100%; que lo disfruten. También ahora está
en Facebook como radiojpj Peru. La recepción lo he efectuado del 13 al
28/08.
4746.95, R. Huanta 2000, Huanta, Ayacucho, 13/08 2235-2312, 55555, mxf
saya Samba Negra, ID “Por Radio Huanta 2000”, música, ID “Tú estás con
la número uno, Radio Huanta 2000” (mv en español), el programa se
realiza en quechua.
4824.44, R. La Voz de la Selva, Iquitos, Loreto; 23/08 1100-1140,
44444, noticias sobre la pérdida de un joven en el rio, ID “Muy buenos
días amigos, Radio La Voz de la Selva trasmitiendo desde el mismo
logra de los hechos….”
4986.40, R. Manantial, Huancayo, Junín, 14/08 2205-2610, 44444, música
religiosa, ID “Radio Manantial desde Huancayo” estación evangélica,
mxf, religiosa, ID “Radio Manantial.. 960 kHz OM, 4985 kHz onda corta
y 94.9 FM desde Huancayo para todo el Perú” nos pueden ver en
http://www.somosmanantial.com
5460.00, R. Bolívar, Bolívar, La libertad, 17/08 0020-0100, 55555, mv,
ID ”Son las 7:24 de la noche en su Radio Bolívar”, new ID “La señal
ganadora de Radio Bolívar”, Slogan “Está usted en compañía de Radio
Bolívar, en los 5460 khz y……FM”
5921.30, R. Bethel, Arequipa, Arequipa, 18/08 2325-0020, 44444,
programa religioso ``Dios me da vida``, ID “Por su radio Bethel”
Nota: El 17 de Agosto tuve la grata visita en mi QTH de Dario
Monferini y Roberto Pavanello, con quienes compartir gratos momentos
con mi familia (disfrutando de un sabroso almuerzo, preparado por mi
esposa e hija) y mi rincón DX. Me alcanzó un WRTH 2010, así como me
entregó una copia de Play-DX y por encargo de los amigos argentinos,
me alcanzó dos ejemplares de Conexión del Grupo Radioescucha
Argentino. Pudimos compartir QSL muy antiguas como parte de su
colección y otras cosas más.
Ahora estoy escuchando con un Icom IC R72 que he adquirido, el cual lo
uso en compañía del Mizuho KX-3 con una antena de hilo largo de 15
mts. Muchos 128´s PFA (Pedro F. Arrunátegui, Lima, Aug El Chasqui DX,
via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) See also BOLIVIA; UNID 5785
** PHILIPPINES. 9920, Aug 25 at 1233, rustic SE Asian instrumental
music, then sorta-Lao language. EiBi and Aoki show daily at 1230-1300
FEBC Bocaue has Koho/Kohor spoken in Vietnam. Transmission is 11-13
also in many other native languages depending on day of week (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 11870, Aug 25 at 1328, jazz music on trumpet with
baffle, soon ID in English as ``Radio Veritas Asia; stay tuned for a
broadcast in Hindi which follows at 1330 UTC on 11.87 MHz in the 25
meter band``; 1329 ID in that language, 1330 IS, and theme, Hindi
talk. The only English you will hear from RVA is in such continuity
announcements, IDs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PHILIPPINES. 15190, DZRM Radyo Magasin (1278 kHz) simulcast via R.
Pilipinas, *1731-1818, August 31. The Wednesday only simulcast of DZRM
in Tagalog, with many words in English; program about the crisis with
repatriating Overseas Filipino Workers from Syria and Libya; phone
hotline and email contacts in Damascus, Syria given; many “1278 DZRM
Radyo Magasin” IDs; fair.
http://www.box.net/shared/48rrzzkmbcy4moijz6s2
has nice MP3 audio. Was an interesting show! Infinitely easier to hear
this than the rare outlet on 6170.3, which is often covered now by New
Zealand (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via
WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** PORTUGAL The RTP works council has asked the company to immediately
replace short-wave emissions, arguing that the decision prevents
access to information for thousands of Portuguese. The request was
announced July 20 following a meeting with the board Management in
which it was stated that permission had been received to suspend the
broadcasts from former Minister Jorge Lacão. The works council said
this was "unconstitutional, illegitimate, untimely and irresponsible."
(RTP website report, Pedro Ribeiro via João Gonçalves Costa,
radioescutas via DX Listening Digest via Sept World DX Club Contact
via DXLD)
I believe above was not translated in DXLD, so here you go (gh, DXLD)
RTP: THERE IS “EVERY REASON” TO SUSPEND SHORTWAVE
The chairman of the board of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP),
Guilherme Costa, said on Tuesday that the company has “every reason”
to suspend the shortwave transmissions of RDP Internacional. Mr Costa,
quoted by the Lusa news agency, said such a platform is obsolete from
the technical point of view, is generally poor quality in terms of
reception, and is expensive, adding that discussions about shortwave
began within the organisation in May 2009.
He said that RDP had received 190 messages on the suspension of
shortwave broadcasts, and more than half came via email from people
who can listen to broadcasts on the Internet. RTP announced in May
that it would temporarily suspend the shortwave broadcasts of RDP
Internacional from 1 June, citing the low number of listeners and the
need to reduce costs. (Source: tvi24) (August 31st, 2011 - 14:57 UTC
by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
LISTENERS` OMBUDSMAN AT RDP THREATENS TO RESIGN OVER SUSPENSION OF
SHORTWAVE
O Provedor do Ouvinte (da RDP) ameaça demitir-se devido à suspensão de
emissões em onda curta
Durante a audição parlamentar na comissão de ética, o provedor do
Ouvinte da rádio pública fez saber que se demite caso a administração
da empresa mantenha a suspensão das emissões da RDP Internacional em
onda curta. Mário Figueiredo diz que o que está em causa é a concessão
de serviço público de radiodifusão.
Ouvir o áudio em : http://tinyurl.com/42ymlcl
2011-08-30 16:40:39 - Fonte: Noticias RTP (via João Gonçalves Costa,
30 Aug, radioescutas yg via DXLD)
Solidariedade com a posição do Provedor do Ouvinte da RDP em Po
Caros colegas, Torno publica a mensagem que acabo de enviar ao
Provedor do Ouvinte e apelo a que todos aqueles que estão contra a
suspensão das emissões da RDP Internacional em onda curta façam o
mesmo.
As vossas mensagens podem ser enviadas directamente desde este sitio
na Internet:
http://ww1.rtp.pt/wportal/grupo/provedor_ouvinte/enviarmensagem.php
João Costa (CT1FBF)
++++++++++++ +++++++++ +++++++++ +++++++++ +++++++++ ++++++++
Caro Mário Figueiredo,
Quero apresentar-lhe a minha total e inequívoca solidariedade com a
posição que tomou hoje durante a audição parlamentar na comissão de
ética, ao afirmar que se demite caso a administração da empresa
mantenha a suspensão das emissões da RDP Internacional em onda curta.
É uma honra te-lo como meu Provedor do Ouvinte.
É nos momentos difíceis que se afirmam valores e que se conhecem os
verdadeiros Homens que não transgridem nem um milimetro nas suas
convicções, alicerçadas naquilo em que acreditam ser as suas
obrigações e deveres para consigo e para com aqueles que defendem.
Definitivamente você pertence a essa nobre casta de gente que não se
verga. Muito Obrigado pela exemplar lição que deu sobre o que é um
Serviço Público de Radiodifusão (João Costa, 31 August, ibid.)
** ROMANIA. I received 2 QSL cards on the same day and a pennant! I
nearly fell over, when I opened the RRI reply and saw a pennant! It`s
been some years since I've received such a reply. Most heartening
(John Wright, Peakhurst, NSW, Icom R75 EWE antennae pointed 350
degrees, and using a Tony Magon MK 1 preamp, Sept Australian DX News
via DXLD)
So which RRI station was it?? I thought it was Indonesia until I found
this separate entry (gh, DXLD)
ROMANIA, Bucharest, RRI, 15340. Painting of the Cotroceni Palace with
FD on reverse of card. Also shock horror, shock, a nice sized Radio
Romania pennant. Air in 2 months no rp (Wright, ibid.)
15310, Aug 27 at 1855, vocal music with disco beat, uncertain
language. 1900 5-pip timesignal, Romanian news about North Carolina,
ergo RRI as scheduled, 17-20, 300 kW, 285 degrees toward France (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** ROMANIA. IRRS outlets via Romania, different antenna types given:
See ITALY [non]
** RUSSIA. HI Glenn - 153 kHz Radio Rossii / Komsomol`sk, August 20,
2011. 9,466 km. Nice carrier of RW200, visible on Spectran from 7pm
local time (90 minute after my sunset). Audible from around 1445 GMT
(Russian YL speaker, music). Signed off at 1500:18 GMT with five dots
/ one dash signal.
Station ID clearly audible at 1459:45 GMT (Komsomoljski na Amure... )
Yes, this is a 1200 kW transmitter, but the lowest Russian AM station
with clear ID copy and my first logging so I am excited :-) 73 (Nick
VK2DX, Sydney, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 5930, R. Rossii, Monchegorsk, 0922-0932 Russian; M over
lite instrumental music; alternating M & W over music at 0924; more of
same at BoH with ID at 0930; fair in ECCS-LSB to null 5935-MGS; 8/24.
(Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-45, MLB-1, 200'
Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Scott, Monchegorsk is in the NW corner of Russia near Finland and
Norway, see WRTH 2011 map on page 61, where it`s almost noon. Surely
you were getting the other 5930 transmitter at this hour,
Petropavlovsk / Kamchatsky on the Pacific Coast over a full darkness
path. We commonly hear this 2-3 hours later, when it`s // but not
synchronized with 5940 Magadan, i.e. on the same FE timezone feed,
which Monchegorsk would not be. In fact, NH and Pet/Kam are close to
the grayline, which one may generate for any exact time and date, as
in your log, via http://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/Earth/action?opt=-p
It`s really handy to tell right away where it`s night and where it`s
day (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
5930, R. Rossii, Monchegorsk, in Russian at 0809 UT Aug 31, S=7 signal
on SDR remote unit in Finland. Heard station ID with reklama DRUZHBA
program. Transmitter produced s i x buzz peaks each side
symmetrical, like a garden fence, each 99 Hertz, at x.099 / x.198 /
x.297 / x.396 / x.495 / x.594 Hertz distance (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc
BC-DX TopNews Aug 30, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA [non]. 11500, as if to answer my recent question, ``no, this
is not Bulgaria,`` instead of open carrier, Aug 30 at 1233, good
modulation in American English, W&W discussion of American brands such
as P&G, CocaCola, by Donna West and another YL, on ``In Between on
Voice of Russia``.
Altho latest HFCC does not show any VOR on 11500, Aoki still does,
Dushanbe relay, so congrats to the Tajix for turning up the volume for
a change. Oh oh, next check at 1346, 11500 is back to open carrier
with flutter, or maybe just barely modulated, or is that CCI? (Glenn
Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** RUSSIA. 15510, Aug 31 at 1254, open carrier with hum or maybe just
barely modulated, poor signal. 1300 YL suddenly starts talking with
announcement, music, still with hum and undermodulated. Aoki shows the
VOR Pashto service at 12-14 via Krasnodar, while HFCC calls the site
Samara but omits the language. EiBi agrees it`s Pashto for both hours
via Samara; but the dead air in first hour is not unusual, another
example of incredibly bad studio/transmitter coördination by Voice of
Russia: see also TAJIKISTAN (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** SAIPAN [and non]. 9355, Aug 25 at 1147, R. Free Asia, in Lao with
continuous rapid pulsing QRM; not like jamming heard elsewhere, and
Laos supposedly is not so paranoid as other sorta-Commie nations;
maybe utility. Still heard at 1226 long after RFA had finished at 1200
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SARAWAK [NON]. MALAYSIAN WEBSITE HONORS RADIO FREE SARAWAK AS
"FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH." Posted: 31 Aug 2011
The Nut Graph (Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia), 29 Aug 2011: "This week,
as we welcome 54 years of Malaysian independence, The Nut Graph
celebrates, in no particular order, 13 individuals, groups and
initiatives [including] ... With articles and radio streams still
being churned out about the Penan community and illegal logging
activities, Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak are still going
strong after the Sarawak Elections in April 2011. The state election,
which saw the BN securing a two-thirds-majority win, may have been
their focal point, but the team continues its work undaunted.
Despite a small setup and operating from a distance, the team has
proven themselves a force to be reckoned with. They got an
international campaign going on Sarawak’s environmental degradation
and corruption, and involved foreign news agencies in the action.
Their campaigning and publicity blitz has borne fruit: the Swiss
president has ordered the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory
Authority to investigate Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib
Mahmud’s assets in Swiss banks, and there is now a Malaysian Anti-
Corruption Commission probe on him." See also
http://radiofreesarawak.org (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD)
** SAUDI ARABIA. 17785, BSKSA, Riyadh. *0746 with news in English and
from 0753 “From The Press” till 0755 when said the next program in
English from Riyadh will be at 7 pm (= 1600 UTC and the program in
English from Radio Jeddah will be from 1 pm (= 1000 UT). All on 12/8
(Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria (Sony ICF-2001, 16m Marconi antenna),
Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
17785 is the `accidental` English broadcast when they turn the
transmitter on early before French at 0800. It`s a shame the 1600
English broadcast is not on SW somehow, at a waking time for us. I
found it long ago on webcast, and one could probably still locate it,
e.g. via PublicRadioFan.com (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 15825, Aug 27 at 1904, Brother Scare // 9980,
and a reverb apart from 9385 WWRB. There he is, occupying even more
spare time on WWCR; pdf sked still dated Aug 1 shows him on 15825 Sat
19-20 and Sun 1745-2000 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** SPAIN. EBC timesignals out of service on 4998, 15006: see
INTERNATIONAL
** SPAIN. R Exterior España --- Rafael Martínez recommended a
programme on REE, Spain called “Mundofonías”. So I tuned in on Sunday
morning on 21 August 2011 to take a listen. What a great programme!
“Mundofonías” translates literally as “World Symphonies” - I suppose
more simply as “World Music”. Presented by Araceli Tzigane and Juan
Antonio Vázquez, they play music from all over the world. My language
skills are poor to non-existent; however with the aid of Google
translating the REE Mundofonías webpages, it is easy to follow along
with the programme, and I enjoyed the music which included: “[...]
gypsy tunes of Hungary, Romano Drom, to klezmer music, the Portuguese
Melech Mechaya […] into Italy, [..] with the Circus Diatonic Claudia
Graziano, then north to return to the Asturian Tuenda Iberian, [...]
the voice of Peter Chus and splendid instrumental developments of
Galician girdle […] to Britain to hear Mazad Café and its appealing
combination of sounds, world and jazz, and Badum's Band, a group that
cultivates passion roots music of Ethiopia, and we advance what will
be his new album with the singer of that nationality Selamnesh Zemene
which will be released in October […] the amazing meeting of the
American duo AU and urban Congolese music Sankayi Masanka
(¿psychedelia, minimalism, African music, Indonesian gamelan?), and
between Deerhoof and Kasai Allstars.”
Whilst putting together parts of this month's CONTACT, I also dipped
into the rtve webpages and enjoyed an archived edition of Mundofonías
from 31 July 2011 with some music from Mali and Cameroon, then some
Afro-Cuban music, followed by accordion, flamenco, European gypsy, and
finally some Algerian music.
Mundofonías is broadcast on REE Spain on Saturday at 2205 with a
second edition broadcast on Sunday at 0605, repeated Sunday at 1405
(I'm not sure, but the 1405 repeat may on occasion be pre-empted by
sport).
Frequencies are:
Sat 2205: 7275, 9570, 9765, 11680, 11815, 15110, 17850
Sun 0605: 5965, 12035, 11890
Sun 1405: 5970, 11815, 11880, 15585, 17715, 17755, 21610
There are currently 190 archived editions at:
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/mundofonias/
Thanks Rafael - great tip!
[We had previously recommended `Mundofonías`, too! Then reprints the
previous DXLD items about `Desde el Infierno` and: --- gh]
I took a listen to the 28 August edition (already on-line by 26
August), described as:
“The House on the Corner of the World. The time is distorted in a land
wracked by strange events experienced by a man, insecure and in the
presence of bizarre creatures living in an area devastated by the
injustice. Everything changes ...”
The programme exactly as described by Glenn and Mike. I wish I could
have understood it - it sounded a really spooky tale - perfect for
late night listening!
Desde el Infierno is Sundays at 0005 on frequencies: 5995, 9535, 9620,
11680, 15160 (Alan Roe, Listening Post, Sept World DX Club Contact via
DXLD)
11795 REE, Noblejas. Some noise but generally excellent in (I think)
Spanish, 0132 on 9/8 (Gavin Hellyer, Ararat Vic (Yaesu FRG8800,
Kenwood R2000, Realistic DX440, Long Wires & Inverted V, ATUs), Sept
Australian DX News via DXLD)
You are right to have doubts: this is the weekly Judeo-Español service
to South America at 0115-0145 UT Tuesdays; tho there may be segments
in real Castilian, bilingual interviews (gh, DXLD)
REE on 15585 kHz: any splatters? Hi. REE (Radio Exterior de España)
has very strong emission around 1000-1100 UT but it seems to me had
splatters up and down. Checked with more receivers, similar results.
Radio Romania International, same time but on 15380 kHz with similar
signal (S 9-30 dB) has no splatters at all. Anyone checked? 73 de
Fabio Bonucci, SWL IØ-1366/RM (also IKØIXI - KF1B) - AIR ØBF68
QTH Civitavecchia (Roma) - Italy Loc. JN52VB
Receivers: JRC NRD-525XI, IC-R70, R-2000, R-326
Antennas: 33 ft. vertical monopole, 120 ft. OCF Dipole
Email: ik0ixi @ ik0ixi.it Web: http://www.ik0ixi.it
(via Manuel Méndez, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD)
Yes, REE Noblejas 15585 kHz at 1418 UT Aug 28th has two symmetric
sideband splatter on
15558 to 15579 and
15593 to 15614 kHz
Noted on various remote receivers in Holland, Germany and Austria.
vy73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.)
** SRI LANKA. 15745, SLBC, Ekala, US Ministries program in English on
13/8 till 0330 and close/down (usually on Saturdays the programs are
till 0300) without the NA of Sri Lanka (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Bulgaria
(Sony ICF-2001, 16m Marconi antenna), Sept Australian DX News via
DXLD)
** SUDAN. Early wireless documents tell us that the first wireless
stations in Sudan were installed after World War 1 in Khartoum &
Omdurman, and in several regional locations. Callsigns for these
stations were irregular at first, though as time went by, it seems
that these calls were regularized into the SU series, such as SUD at
Port Sudan & SUL at Khartoum.
The Russian Encyclopedia informs us that radio broadcasting in the
Sudan began in the year 1940, and this is confirmed by the Sudanradio
website. According to this source, the first radio broadcasts were
made from the Post Office building in Omdurman in May 1940.
Programming was on the air for half an hour daily, and it would be
presumed that this was on a mediumwave channel.
Two years later, the radio station was transferred to the Midwife
School in West Omdurman, where the station was inaugurated on 524
metres (573 kHz) and the programming was extended to one hour daily.
It is evident that this was still a low power operation.
Monitoring reports in New Zealand, Australia & the United States
indicate that a shortwave service was added in late 1945, and this
operated on 9220 & 13320 kHz. At the time, all three outlets were
rated at quite low power; mediumwave 572.5 kHz at 750 watts, shortwave
9 MHz at 450 watts, and 13320 khz at 250 watts. Reliable coverage at
these power levels would extend not much further than the twin cities
areas.
In 1949, it was reported that Radio Omdurman in the Sudan was now
using a 6 kW shortwave transmitter; and soon after that, three Marconi
transmitters from England were installed; two at 20 kW for use on
shortwave, and one at 50 kW on mediumwave. All of these transmitter
improvements are listed as taking place at the transmitter base
identified as Soba, which is located at a small village named Al
Aitahab some distance up river, south of the twin cities. Two Philips
shortwave transmitters at 120 kW from Holland were installed in the
late 1960s, and one Harris at 100 kW from the United States was
installed around 1990.
In the meantime, regional radio was developed in several different
localities around Sudan, and of importance was a massive mediumwave
transmitter rated at 1½ megawatt located at Sennar, out from the twin
cities areas. Anything up to a dozen mediumwave sites in Sudan have
been indicated, but it is not certain that stations were installed at
all of these listed sites.
However, even in spite of this apparent wide coverage on shortwave and
mediumwave throughout Sudan, there have been many occasions when
transmitters were reported by monitors as being off air. On some
occasions, throughout all of these years, the usage of shortwave,
though listed as in use for program coverage, was also actually off
the air.
So, what can you hear on air from the Sudan these days? If you live
somewhere around the Mediterranean, you might hear Reiba with 600 kW
on 1296 kHz; or Khartoum with 100 kW on 963 kHz; or possibly Omdurman
with 50 kW on 765 kHz. Then, on shortwave, their programming is listed
on 7200 kHz with 100 kW all throughout the broadcast day.
The Sudan has never been listed as a reliable verifier of reception
reports, though throughout all these years, a few QSL letters have
been issued.
BFBS & AFRS in Sudan - Before we leave the radio scene in the Sudan,
let us present tis brief information regarding the wartime
installation of three allied radio broadcasting stations.
The Americans installed a 250 watt mediumwave station in Khartoum in
June 1944, and this was in use for a little over a year. It was closed
in August 1945. The channel in use by AFRS Khartoum is shown as
shortwave, and this may have been the case, though it is probable that
it was actually a mediumwave operation. The callsign for this American
radio station is not known.
An additional low powered sound system station was also in use at El
Geneina during the same time period.
The British BFBS station was located at Khartoum around the same time
period, 1944 & 1945, though no additional details are known. It was
described as an out station (Adrian Peterson, IN, AWR Wavescan script
for August 21 via DXLD)
** SUDAN. 7200, 28/8 2045, Sudan RTVC, in Arabic, talks OM & YL, some
Arabic songs, weak, better in LSB (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano,
Italia, RX: RFSpace SDR-14 with SDR-Radio Software - ANT: T2FD 15 m
long; QTH: Milan city, Italy; SW blog: http://radiodxsw.blogspot.com/
HCDX via DXLD)
** SUDAN [and non]. Checking R. Dabanga Aug 28: 0431 on 13620, only
hearing the 1000 Hz tone jamming, then 0431:45 Dabanga audio via
MADAGASCAR comes up, down and up again. Meanwhile, the other Talata
frequency during the first semihour, 13730 is continually modulating
with frequent IDs in passing, no jamming (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF
RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
PRESIDENT ORDERS SUDANESE JOURNALISTS FREED
President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Saturday ordered the release of all
Sudanese journalists, saying Khartoum respects responsible freedom of
expression. Witnesses said the decision to free about six journalists
in detention came after he attended an annual function by journalists
linked to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. ”In honour of this
occasion and to journalists, I order the release of all detained
journalists,” Bashir said at the end of the function in Khartoum. “We
call for freedom and responsibility,” he added.
Authorities accuse the journalists, most of whom are employed by the
Netherlands-registered Radio Dabanga, of working for rebels in Darfur
and for the International Criminal Court, which is seeking the arrest
of Bashir on charges of war crimes and genocide. Bashir rejects the
charges.
Some 13 staff at Dabanga and pro-democracy group HAND were arrested
last year, along with another prominent Darfuri journalist known as
Jaafar al-Sadki, who works for the independent al-Sahafa paper. Radio
Dabanga broadcasts into the country on shortwave and is not licensed
to operate in Sudan.
Sudan has been known to tightly control radio and television stations,
especially in Darfur, where a revolt has claimed thousands of lives.
Khartoum had refused to allow UN radio station Miraya to broadcast in
the north of the country. (Source: Reuters) (August 28th, 2011 - 13:01
UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
1 Comment on “President orders Sudanese journalists freed”
#1 Jonathan Marks on Aug 28th, 2011 at 13:22
Welcome news. But will they allow those journalists to carry on their
work or expel them from the country (MN blog comment via DXLD)
SEVEN RADIO DABANGA JOURNALISTS STILL IN DETENTION
Reporters Without Borders says it welcomes President Omar Al-Bashir’s
announcement during a meeting with journalists on 27 August that he
intends to free all the journalists imprisoned in Sudan, but has
called for this decision to be extended to all media workers and for
it to be carried out without delay.
The announcement was followed by the release on Sunday of Gafar
Alsabki Ibrahim, a journalist with the Arabic-language daily Al-
Sahafa, who had been detained since 3 November 2010. But Abdelrahman
Adam, an employee of Radio Dabanga, and six of the station’s other
employees, who have been detained since 30 October 2010, were not
freed.
“Gafar Alsabki’s release is obviously good news but the authorities
must also free Radio Dabanga’s employees and must go further by
dropping all the charges against them,” Reporters Without Borders
said.
“We should also not forget that the past few weeks have been marked by
confiscations of newspapers and a return to prior censorship, measures
that violate media freedom. If Sudan wants to be seen as a country
that respects freedom of expression, it really must put a stop to such
practices.”
Broadcasting on shortwave, Radio Dabanga is not legally recognized by
the Sudanese authorities. Therefore its employees in Sudan lack press
cards and official recognition of their status as journalists.
The detained Radio Dabanga employees are accused of divulging state
secrets, undermining the constitutional system, calling for resistance
and inciting sedition under articles 24, 25, 26, 53 and 50 of the 1991
criminal code and articles 18, 42 and 44 of the 2001 communications
law. The article 50 violation carries the death penalty. (Source:
Reporters Without Borders)(August 30th, 2011 - 9:22 UTC by Andy
Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** SUDAN [non]. Sudan Radio Service, SRS, deals mainly with the
Republic of South Sudan. Israel will have friendly relations with
South Sudan, including post. The inspiration for this report is a
logging in CONTACT Magazine July 2011 by Alan Roe of SRS on 15500 kHz
in vernacular at 1632 UTC on 11 June, which was a Saturday. My
observations for this report were done Thursday to Saturday, 21 to 23
July 2011.
I looked at a map of Sudan in an atlas. Juba, the capital of the
Republic of South Sudan, is in the south. I used Passport to World
Band Radio, 2009 edition, page 306. I also used World Radio TV
Handbook, 2011 edition, pages 355 and 507.
On Thursday July 21 on 15500 kHz at 1600-1700 UTC, I heard SRS in
vernaculars, three sections of 20 minutes each. I could not find this
transmission on Friday 22 July. On Thursday and Friday, 21 and 22
July, I heard SRS at 1700-180O UTC. They were in English at 1700-1800
UTC. On Saturday 23 July, I heard SRS in vernaculars at 0400-0500 UTC
on 13720 kHz. I then heard SRS continue on the same 13720 UTC in
English for a whole hour, 0500-0600 UTC. Reception was rather
difficult during this last hour. Reception was good during the other
transmissions.
To have any chance of getting a reply from SRS, we must write to their
address in Juba. They dutifully give telephone numbers in their
broadcasts; these phones are in Kenya and are not connected. You will
get a busy signal. Try them, it is an experience and it costs nothing.
Should you phone the USA address in Washington, you will get the
reply, "Don't call us, we will call you". I plan to listen to SRS only
in English (David Crystal, Israel, Making Contact, Sept World DX Club
Contact via DXLD)
** SYRIA. 9330, R. Damascus, Syria. Aug. 11 at 2116-2130 in English.
SIO 332-221. Talk & music program. Low modulation. ID at 2122 (Tetsuya
OGAWA, Sapporo, Hokkaido, YAESU FRG-7＆ICOM IC-R75 + ALA 1530S+, Sept
JSWC Bulletin via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
** TAIWAN. 7970, SOH (presumed), 1014-1017, August 22. In Chinese till
covered by Firedrake at 1017 (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean
Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
10300, Aug 27 at 1239, weak Chinese, no Firedrake, presumed Sound of
Hope. Firedrake was also widely absent today; see CHINA (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
15800.049, SOH from Taiwan, boring male voice in Chinese, S=4 weak, at
0733 UT Aug 24 (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 23-24/27 via
DXLD) See also TAJIKISTAN
7970, Sound of Hope, 1222, August 29. I was extremely fortunate to
catch them briefly in the clear; in Chinese; 1223 had a positive,
clear ID; spelled out “w-w-w-s-o-u-n-d-o-f-h-o-p-e-o-r-g” then “Sound
of Hope” in English with EZL religious instrumental music in the
background during the ID; 1226 covered by sign on of strong Firedrake.
Rarely do I hear an ID and seems this time period is the best chance
to hear one.
10300, SOH (presumed), 1309-1333, August 30. Non-stop monologue in
Chinese; no Firedrake; almost fair (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach,
CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAIWAN. 9960, Aug 27 at 1301, Vietnamese squeezed between
DentroCuban Jamming Commands on 9955 and 9965; not in HFCC, but Aoki
has Family Radio via Tainan (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TAJIKISTAN. Tajik R. 2nd program was heard in Russian on 1160.967
and its 2nd harmonic on 2321.933 kHz was heard until 1900 s/off.
Thanks to Arne Nilsson for the tip! 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Aug
31, harmonics yg via DXLD)
** TAJIKISTAN/CHINA. 11499.930, V of Russia in Hindi via Dushanbe
Yangi-Yul, 1310 UT Aug 23, never ending comment by lady announcer.
[see BULGARIA; RUSSIA; below]
15277.0, Voice of Tibet via Dushanbe Yangi-Yul, in Tibetan observed at
1330-1400 UT Aug 23, S=5-6, and accompanied by CHN Mainland Firedrake
jamming on 15280 kHz.
Btw. Dushanbe Yangi Yul TX 15277 het Deutsche Welle 15275 til 1402:55
UT, and Firedrake TX came on air again and jamming music started again
at 1405 UT!?
15780, Sound of Hope via Dushanbe relay site, Chinese boring comment,
no jamming at 14110 UT Aug 23.
15292.0, Voice of Tibet via Dushanbe Yangi-Yul, in Tibetan observed at
1300-1330 UT Aug 24, S=5-6, but no jamming around that channel.
Getting slack - the jamming service these days. Firedrake music is
right on 15430 kHz even at 1308 UT.
But now at 1310 UT strong Firedrake music transmitter hopped to 15290
kHz, in \\ 15430 kHz. VoT left 15292 kHz, is now on 15442 kHz at 1311.
15740.016, odd channel endless Chinese talk at 1245 UT Aug 27,
probably SOH Xi Wang Zhi Sheng program [ex 15745], from Dushanbe
Yangi-Yul relay site (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug
23/24/27 via DXLD)
I wonder how diplomatic relations are between China and Tajikistan,
hosting all those anti-ChiCom clandestines? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
** TAJIKISTAN. 11500, Aug 31 at 1243, open carrier with hum, flutter,
presumed the scheduled VOR English relay, minus modulation, unlike 24
hours earlier when it axually could be heard (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD
OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also above; RUSSIA; CHINA -
Firedrake report re V. of Tibet
** THAILAND. 9890, Aug 27 at 1235, R. Thailand in fairly well during
English news about a bombing; at first thought re Pakistan, but
apparently in Thailand itself, southern unrest vs new government, then
other political news of Thailand. By 1258 more flutter in talk about
heart attacks, ulcers. BTW, VOA was missing from 9885, see U S A
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** TURKEY. 15450, Sat Aug 27 at 1248, VOT talking about R. Free Asia,
perhaps its special off-topic Japanese QSL this weekend, so must be an
on-week for `DX Corner`; poor (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U K. Radio Spectrum Jamming --- Ofcom has announced that jamming of
radio spectrum will take place during two weeks in October.
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/july2011/radio_spectrum_jamming.htm
Times: 0700Z 3 Oct 11 to 2000Z 17 Oct 11.
Location: The jamming events will take place throughout the UK FIR/UIR
north of 51 degrees North.
GPS Jamming locations: Faraid Head - from N58 36.2' W004 46.4'. Loch
Ewe B - from N57 51.9' W005 41.1'. Loch Ewe A – from 57.7869N
5.7917W.
Frequency: Radar – discrete spots within MOD allocated frequencies
within Charlie / Delta (specifically avoiding IFF/SSR frequency
bands), Echo / Foxtrot, Golf. India / Juliet (avoiding Marine
Navigation Bands in conditions of poor visibility) and Kilo Bands.
Communications – Exercise JW discrete frequencies only in bands HF
2000-26500 KHZ and V/UHF 137-400 MHZ (avoiding international Distress,
Emergency and Exercise Safety frequencies).
In all cases jamming will be avoided on the TABOO frequencies listed
in the UK Procedures for the Control of Non-Operational Jamming (Annex
B).
For further information contact
InfoGPS.Notices@ofcom.org.uk
Wiki - Flight Information Region (FIR) & Upper Information Region
(UIR)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_information_region
EW letter bands
http://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedia/letterbands.cfm
Global Navigation Space Systems: reliance and vulnerabilities
http://www.raeng.org.uk/news/publications/list/reports/RAoE_Global_Navigation_Systems_Report.pdf
NATS - GPS Jamming in July
http://www.ead.eurocontrol.int/eadbasic/pamslight-1401DD6358958D3A2101578467A542F6/7FE5QZZF3FXUS/EN/AIC/P/047-2011/EG_Circ_2011_P_047_en_2011-06-16.pdf
SatNav jamming in September and October
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/june2011/gps_jamming.htm
(Southgate via Terry Krueger, FL, DXLD)
Watch out, October 3. What`s this about? (Krueger, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
Looks like some kind of exercise, but lasting a fortnight?? Note that
broadcast and ham bands are not explicitly exempt! (Glenn Hauser
ibid.)
Does this not contravene international telecommunications regulations?
Are RSGB being consulted, is not 'jamming' illegal? Surely Ofcom was
never intended to broadcast - let alone 'jam' radio frequencies -
'exercise or no 'exercise' (Rog Parsons (BDXC 782) Hinckley, Leics.,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Would anyone know what this is all about? I'm completely mystified
(Andrew Tett, BDXC-UK via DXLD)
Hi Andrew, How odd!! No clues here:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement/spectrum-enforcement/jammers/
I tried Googling web and news but to no avail (Mike, ibid.)
These GPS jamming events seem to be regular and have been conducted by
the Ministry of Defence (MOD) - Ofcom just advises users when it knows
they are scheduled. A quick google indicated such exercises as far
back as 2007. You can subscribe to email alerts on the Ofcom website:
GPS Jamming
The Ministry of Defence conduct occasional tests on military systems
which may result in some loss of service to civilian users of the
Global Positioning System (GPS) including in-car navigation devices
and networks which rely on GPS signals. Ofcom seeks to provide
citizens and consumers with information about possible interruptions
to these services via these email updates giving advanced notification
of these tests. It must be emphasised that this notification process
only warns of future jamming excercises that are brought to the notice
of Ofcom and may not cover all jamming exercises. It cannot be assumed
that any loss of service is due to jamming exercises.
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/subscribe/select_list.htm
(Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD)
This may help to answer a few questions.
http://www.gps-world.biz/gps_jamming.php
(Tony Boreham (Currently lazing about in Malta), BDXC-UK yg via DXLD)
Since GPS does not operate on HF, why is HF involved in this jamming?
The key word is `Communications` mentioning the HF band --- not the
jamming, but communications *about* the exercise will be on HF, hardly
unusual. This starts October 3, not 11.
Adjacent jamming exercise notices instead of alfabet jargon give the
axual target:
``Frequency: A 24 MHz band centred around 1575.42 MHz (GPS L1)
Total Power: Up to 10 Watts EIRP``
So as far as we HF types are concerned, relax, never mind
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Military exercises, especially multi-agency exercises, tend to last
quite a while, 2 weeks is not a stretch at all. GPS jamming is very
much a part of many military exercises today, in a hot situation with
near equal technology forces you can expect your GPS to be jammed just
as you can your communications.
The HF spectrum and the VHF/UHF spectrum mentioned look to be
communications and data link frequencies. The microwave bands
mentioned all host military radars.
C/D/E are often acquisition radars, F/G/I/J/K are often SAM, fire
control, and airborne radars. I am only surprised they did not mention
H band, there is likely some heavy allocation of commercial links to
this band in the area (T!, UDXF yg via DXLD)
** U S A. VOA HQ WAS BRIEFLY EVACUATED DURING EARTHQUAKE
US Geological Survey officials say Tuesday’s 5.8 magnitude earthquake
was the largest to strike the eastern part of the country since 1944.
Authorities evacuated the US Capitol building, the Pentagon, and other
federal buildings, including VOA headquarters, which temporarily
stopped normal broadcasting after the ground began shaking.
(Source: Voice of America)(August 24th, 2011 - 12:59 UTC by Andy
Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD)
VOA Evacuated After Quake - 8/23 - DCRTV hears that the DC-based Voice
Of America headquarters was evacuated after Tuesday's quake, with
reports of some major cracks in the old building. A small staff re-
entered to continue programming, but all were told to evacuate and go
to "house music" until at least 5 AM, early Wednesday. No newscasts
even, we're told.
Update: Another source tells us that the Cohen Building that houses
the VOA headquarters was declared safe and was reopened for business
at 5:15 Tuesday afternoon. House music, a non-stop feed of
instrumental music with no VOA identification or branding, was not
used to replace programming. The automated VOA Music Mix network, that
includes IDs/imaging/branding, was used on all program sources in lieu
of regular programming regardless of language (Dave Hughes,
http://www.dcrtv.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** U S A. With Hurricane Irene approaching North Carolina, IBB
Greenville may be affected --- precautionary closedown, power loss, or
axual damage. However, most of their antennas are rated to withstand
250 mph winds, they have Diesel backup power to keep the transmitters
on the air altho not at full power, and the buildings are `hardened`.
From latest HFCC info, here is the complete schedule from Greenville,
NC (Site B), 35N28 077W12, the -to date in all cases being 29-Oct-2011
(that does not mean there will not be any further changes for any
reason). Please monitor whether any of these transmissions are
missing, and/or if propagationally they seem to be coming from
somewhere else. IBB may well have a contingency plan to replace some
of them with other sites for the duration.
From A11 Schedule of IBB
Start UTC Stop CIRAF Language Beam kW Days (Sun=1) From
5890 0000 0100 12-13 Spanish 174 250 34567 08-Apr-
6030 0000 0300 11 Spanish 225 250 1234567 08-Apr-
7365 0000 0300 11 Spanish 183 250 1234567 08-Apr-
9885 0000 0100 12-13 Spanish 146 250 34567 08-Apr-
11775 0000 0100 11 Spanish 172 250 1234567 21-May-
12000 0000 0100 12-13 Spanish 168 250 34567 27-Mar-
7465 0130 0200 12-13 English 184 250 34567 08-Apr-
9820 0130 0200 11-13 English 164 250 34567 08-Apr-
6030 0300 0900 11 Spanish 205 250 1 34567 27-Mar-
7405 0300 0400 11 Spanish 184 250 1 34567 08-Apr-
7405 0400 0700 11 Spanish 183 250 1 34567 27-Mar-
9880 0600 0630 46-48,52,53 French 91 250 23456 08-Apr-
5980 0700 0900 11 Spanish 174 250 1 34567 08-Apr-
5980 0900 1200 11 Spanish 174 250 1234567 08-Apr-
6030 0900 1300 11 Spanish 205 250 1234567 27-Mar-
9805 0900 1300 11 Spanish 183 250 1234567 08-Apr-
7405 1200 1400 11 Spanish 205 250 1234567 08-Apr-
9885 1200 1300 11SE,12NW Spanish 184 250 1234567 08-Apr-
13750 1200 1300 12,14 Spanish 168 250 1234567 27-Mar-
15590 1200 1300 12,14 Spanish 174 250 1234567 08-Apr-
11845 1300 1700 11 Spanish 184 250 1234567 27-Mar-
13820 1300 2000 11 Spanish 174 250 1234567 27-Mar-
11930 1400 2400 11 Spanish 183 250 1234567 27-Mar-
9565 1700 2400 11 Spanish 164 250 1234567 27-Mar-
17820 1700 1730 46,47,52,53,57NE Portuguese 94 250 1234567 27-Mar-
17820 1730 1800 46,47,52 Portuguese 94 250 1234567 27-Mar-
17820 1800 1830 46,47,52,53,57NE Portuguese 94 250 23456 27-Mar-
15730 2000 2030 46-48,52,53 French 94 250 1234567 08-Apr-
15730 2030 2100 46-48,52,53 French 94 250 1 7 08-Apr-
6030 2200 2400 11 Spanish 205 250 1234567 27-Mar-
5890 2300 2400 12-13 Spanish 174 250 1234567 27-Mar-
9885 2300 2400 12-13 Spanish 146 250 1234567 08-Apr-
12000 2300 2400 12-13 Spanish 168 250 1234567 27-Mar-
17820 was still on in Portuguese at 1715 check August 26 (Glenn
Hauser, August 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
VOA French was coming in strongly on 17530 at 2022 UT until 2030
signoff, the first strong VOA signal I've heard in the afternoon in
months (Mike Cooper, GA, Aug 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
That`s due east from BONAIRE at 1930-2030, following another hour of
French almost due east from São Tomé also on 17530 (gh, DXLD)
9885, Aug 27 at 1239, VOA Spanish missing, but still going with
weekend music fill on 13750, 15590. Hurricane Irene is now buffeting
Greenville-B, but ancient transmitters are subject to breakdown
anyway. See my yesterday`s report for full Greenville schedule, more
frequencies to check if missing.
UNC-TV has produced a video visit to VOA GB, must see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR0Wdg0rwgk
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Glenn, Greenville was audible around 0630 UT+ on the 27th on 5980
(from 0700 - carrier earlier), 6030 and 7405, and in Spanish on 9805
after 0900. But today the 28th there is no audio/transmission on any
of these frequencies - just noise on the Marti channels (Noel R. Green
(NW England), 0905 UT Aug 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
[and non]. As far as I can tell, Greenville frequencies have been off
since before 1300 UT. Definitely missing: Portuguese from 1700 on
17820; French from 2000 on 15730.
The rest are Radio Marti, heavy jamming as usual, so can`t be positive
there is no RM signal under, perhaps at reduced power. At 2011, I
could hear a trace of Spanish on 13820 under jamming, but that`s
because Sackville takes over at 20-22. If there is protracted silence
from Greenville, Sackville would be the obvious choice for extended
hours of RM.
RM 11930 and 9565 are scheduled until 2400;
VOA Spanish at 23-24 on 5890, 9885 and 12000
(Glenn Hauser, 2044 UT Aug 27, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Update: at 2305 Aug 27 check, the VOA Spanish service is unheard on
5890, 9885, 12000, tho some DentroCuban jamming is still on these
frequencies.
We can see on the radar maps that Greenville has been hit hard by
Hurricane Irene, but the wraparound winds from the N/NE are moving on
up the coast. The problem at Greenville B is that the circuit breaker
on the 69 kv line needs to be reset, but it`s outside in the rain and
not a good idea to open the cabinet.
As per previously gathered GB schedule, the only transmissions for the
rest of early UT Sunday are R. Martí: 6030 at 0000-1300, 7365 at 0000-
0300, 11775 at 0000-0100, 7405 at 0300-0700 and 1200-1400, 5980 at
0700-1200, 9805 at 0900-1300. 11775 continues at 01-03 via Sackville.
IBB Greenville-B is still off the air 24 hours after last heard, altho
Irene should be well out of the area by now: Aug 28 at 1229, VOA
Spanish missing from 9885, 13750 and 15590; R. Martí 6030, 7405 and
9805 produced jamming only. At 1302, jamming only on 11845, ditto 1318
on 13820. Besides RM, only other scheduled broadcasts from GB today
Sunday are 17-18 Portuguese on 17820, 20-21 French on 15730.
At 1700 Aug 28: 17820 still silent, and nothing but jamming
(DentroCubans aren`t taking any chances) on RM frequencies 13820,
11930, 9565. I fear there is more wrong at GB than just resetting the
circuit breaker.
IBB Greenville is back on the air, Monday morning Aug 29, after two
days off following hit by Hurricane Irene. It was rather waterlogged
requiring some cleanup.
Checking for VOA Spanish, Aug 29 at 1228, I hear music on 9885, and
then at 1231, news // 15590.
However, the third VOA frequency, 13750, has different music at 1228,
soon obviously R. Martí on the wrong frequency! Things must have got
mixed up during the outage. 1258, standard frequency list announced
effective in ``pocos minutos``: 7405, 11845, 13820, cut modulation and
open carrier for a few minutes before 13750 off. No jamming!!
Meanwhile I was checking the proper R. Martí frequencies; VOA Spanish
might have been swapped onto one of them, but could not confirm that:
at 1219, just jamming on 6030; at 1232, 9805 and 6030, only jamming
audible; 7405 jamming but RM audible // 13750; at 1300 the jamming had
started on 11845 and 13820 but no RM audible (it`s often a bit late
coming up in the best of times as disconnected IBB programmers do not
build in any transition/retuning time, necessary with old SW
transmitters). 7405 maybe has some audio under the jamming.
By 1339: 13820 bears RM, readable mixed with jamming; at 1342, 11845
with jamming only. At 1443, 13820 is good over jamming, 11845 and
11930 poor under jamming.
VOA Greenville B confirmed back on air also for African services, Aug
29 at 1810 in Portuguese on 17820; 2013 check in French on 15730, very
good. I understand they are again running at full power after the
storm.
13750, Aug 30 at 1236, Greenville back with VOA Spanish instead of
mistaken Martí 24 hours earlier; // 9885 with report from Tripoli by
an accented correspondent.
17820, Aug 31 at 1311, very strong open carrier S9+22 atop DW Hausa
via Portugal, traces emerging during OC fades: no doubt it`s IBB
Greenville back to its usual habit of tuning up the transmitter 4
hours ahead of the 1700 Portuguese on 17820, but off before 1312
uncovering DW (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. BBG programs in the following languages are currently
jammed. 'Click' on the hypertext links [in blue] to hear sound samples
from one of IBB's 75 remote monitoring systems.
http://monitor.ibb.gov/jamming/
Broadcaster Language Notes Date UT kHz As heard in
VOA Chinese co-channel and 'echo' 07-12-11 1434 9845 Beijing
VOA Korean 07-12-11 1908 6060 Ulaan Baatar
VOA Persian 1593 kHz MW only 07-12-11 1812 1593 Erbil
VOA Spanish 'Ventana a Caribe' 07-13-11 0039 9885 Quito
VOA Tibetan 07-12-11 1438 17760 Kathmandu
VOA Uzbek by Chinese 07-12-11 1515 11940 Krasnodar
RFA Korean 07-12-11 1702 5895 Seoul
RFA Mandarin 07-12-11 0303 17615 Shanghai
RFA Tibetan 07-13-11 0135 9885 Kathmandu
RFA Uyghur 07-11-11 1637 9530 UlaanBaatar
RFA Vietnamese 07-12-11 0006 11605 Hanoi
Radio Martí MW [1180 kHz] and SW 05-31-10 1909 11930 San José
Radio Farda Persian 1575 & 1314 only 07-12-11 2002 1575 Yerevan
Last updated July 15, 2011 by Bill Whitacre (`Cool site` via Terry
Krueger, DXLD)
Vietnamese vs RFA was especially interesting, as I don`t recall
reports of much such jamming from abroad; maybe groundwave audible
circa Hanoi only where recorded? It`s a siren, oscillating tone type.
Here`s the complete latest IBB Vietnamese schedule, from HFCC, all RFA
times to CIRAF 49E. See if you can hear any such jamming on these:
7520 2330 2400 Iranawila 07N32 079E30 57 250
13740 2330 2400 Tinian Islands 15N03 145E36 280 250
15560 2330 2400 Tinian Islands 15N03 145E36 279 250
7445 0000 0030 Iranawila 07N32 079E30 73 250
13740 0000 0030 Agingan Pt, Saipan 15N07 145E42 285 100
15560 0000 0030 Tinian Islands 15N03 145E36 279 250
7520 1400 1500 Iranawila 07N32 079E30 73 250
9465 1400 1500 Agingan Pt, Saipan 15N07 145E42 285 100
9715 1400 1500 Tinian Islands 15N03 145E36 271 250
11680 1400 1500 Tinian Islands 15N03 145E36 279 250
12140 1400 1500 Iranawila 07N32 079E30 65 250
VOA Vietnamese is now on MW only; no longer on SW too: VOA A-Z now
shows:
1300-1330 UT 1575 [Thailand]
1500-1600 UT 1170 [Philippines]
(Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 8TH MILITARY INFORMATION SUPPORT GROUP ACTIVATED AT
FORT BRAGG. Posted: 29 Aug 2011
Fayetteville (NC) Observer, 27 Aug 2011: "The 8th Military Information
Support Group (Airborne) was activated Friday at Fort Bragg. Col.
Brian Cavanaugh uncased the colors of the group as part of a
reorganization of all active-duty Army psychological operations
forces. The ceremony was held on Meadows Field at the U.S. Army
Special Operations Command headquarters. ... Military information
support operations includes influencing foreign opinion on the
battlefield and in disaster areas through print and broadcast. The 8th
Group will have about 1,070 soldiers. ... The 8th Group will assume
responsibility for the 1st, 5th and 9th Military Information Support
Battalions. The 1st Battalion will operate in Latin America. The 5th
will work in the Pacific, and the 9th is in charge of all tactical
operations for military information support operations worldwide."
(kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD)
** U S A. 25910/FM, WBAP, Fort Worth TX studio link; 1526, 23-Aug;
WBAP 24-7 News Rook [?]; ads/Fort Worth Motor Sports, Methodist Health
Systems. Gone at 1703. Very peaky at 1649, 24-Aug. (Frodge-MI)
25990/FM, KSCS, Fort Worth TX studio link; 1520, 23-Aug; New Country
96-3 KSCS. Gone at 1703. Good at 1648, 24-Aug. (Frodge-MI)
25950/FM, KOA, Denver, studio link missing on 23-Aug & 24-Aug despite
the two Fort Worth links heard (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake
R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, All logged
by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Sporadic E opening areas can be quite selective altho generally
broader on HF than on VHF (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO 1579 monitoring: first airing UT Thursday Aug
25 at 0330 on WRMI 9955: 0350 check, nothing but jamming audible, tnx
a lot, Arnie! But confirmed on webcast at 0331. Next WRMI broadcasts:
Thu 1500, 2100, Fri 1430, Sat 0800, 1500, 1730, Sun 0800, 1530, 1730.
WTWW: Thu 2100 9479, UT Sun 0400 5755
WBCQ: Thu 2130 7415, UT Mon 0300v 5110v-CUSB
WWRB: UT Fri 0330v on 5051
WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830. Full schedule
including many other webcasts at:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
WORLD OF RADIO 1579 monitoring:
Thursday Aug 25 on WTWW 9479: confirmed starting at 2101
WRMI 9955, just barely audible before 2130 altho not jammed
WWRB 5051, confirmed starting at 0332 UT Friday August 26
Some further airings:
UT Sunday 0400 on WTWW 5755
UT Monday 0300v on WBCQ Area 51 5110v-CUSB
And several on WRMI 9955. Full schedule at
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
On WRN via SiriusXM 120: Sat & Sun 1730, Sun 0830
Altho no longer on SW from IRRS, we have confirmation that in July
they were including WOR randomly on their webcasts; and also MW 1368,
1566 in Italy, between 17 and 24 UT, times here CEST of UT+2; and some
WOR editions have been skipped.
on 20110703 at 06:37:32 WOR 1569
on 20110707 at 16:38:45 WOR 1571
on 20110711 at 10:35:55 WOR 1571
on 20110711 at 22:56:21 WOR 1571
on 20110718 at 14:37:53 WOR 1571
on 20110719 at 12:57:42 WOR 1571
on 20110720 at 02:46:42 WOR 1571
on 20110720 at 18:52:52 WOR 1571
on 20110721 at 01:11:41 WOR 1571
on 20110725 at 05:33:02 WOR 1574
on 20110727 at 11:13:19 WOR 1574
Like they said, `random` so all you can do is tune in randomly too and
maybe catch us.
WORLD OF RADIO 1579 monitoring: confirmed on WTWW 5755, UT Sunday Aug
28 after 0400, VG signal. Besides WRMI and WRN, next airing is UT
Monday 0300v via Area 51 on WBCQ 5110v-CUSB. Full schedule including
many other webcasts:
http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html
WORLD OF RADIO 1579 monitoring: UT Monday Aug 29 just after 0300,
confirmed on WBCQ Area 51 webcast and did not get around to checking
5110v-CUSB. Followed by CKUT`s `International Radio Report` from
Sheldon Harvey and friend at 0330, as TS Irene was about to hit
Montreal 13 hours earlier; live local news is shockingly missing on
radio stations in this major city. Let us all thank Larry Will for
carrying these two programs on Area 51! WBCQ 9330-CUSB was still on
the air the following morning (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9955, Aug 31 at 0516 UT Wednesday after WRMI ID, `Conexión
Digital Radio Deportes`, new show I had not run across before, gives
date as 29 de agosto, over/under considerable Cuban pulse jamming.
Then checked the WRMI program grid updated 26 July, and see it listed
then and three other times as `CD Deportes`. Conexión Digital is the
name of a DX group based in Argentina, I assume only coincidentally,
as I have seen no mention of such a sports show in their bulletin or
listserve (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. WEWN is off the air August 26; seems every August they close
down for a few days of maintenance, but there is nothing about this on
their frequency schedule page http://www.ewtn.com/radio/freq.htm
Aug 26 at 1250, nothing on 7555, 12050 or 13580. After 1300 nothing on
11550 which normally takes over from 7555. 1710 nothing on scheduled
15610, 13830 or 11550. Victims of its squishy spurs plus and minus 9
and 18 kHz from the English-language transmitter get a temporary
respite. Previous maintenance periods have failed to deal with this
problem (nor squeal on one of the Spanish transmitters), so we don`t
expect any fix this time either. Speaking of fixes, what are Marian
cultists going to do in the interim?
WEWN, all three transmitters missing earlier on Aug 26, but at 2124
found 15610 back on, poor in English about Guatemala; 13830 very poor
in Spanish, nothing on 12050. So one transmitter is down, two are
back.
Then UT Aug 27 still found on two out of three:
0537 on 11870, usual poor signal in Spanish, but nothing on 7555
1231, nothing on 7555
1240, 12050 fair with organ music during morning mass; squeal at 1356
1244, 13580 with same mass in original English, peaking S9+10 and
cannot hear any +/- 9 kHz spurs, making me wonder if they have swapped
transmitters while one of them is down?
1325, 13580 is stronger now, still no spurs audible, but:
1357, 13580 now is strong enough to audiblize the spurs; never mind
1358, 15610 weak but audible with Regina Cœli IS, ex-13580; nothing on
11550 after 1300.
WEWN back to normal on three transmitters and three frequencies at
once with usual defects, Aug 28:
0412, VG in Spanish on 5810
0434, poor in Spanish on 11870, // much stronger 5810
0435, poor in English on 11520
1238, very good in Spanish on 7555, mass
1243, poor on 12050, mass with organ
1245, very good on 13580, mass in English
1256, very good on 11550, Regina Cœli prélude
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WINB
** U S A. 13570, Aug 28 at 1320, gospel music from WINB blasted by
squishy/squeaky 13571v spur from WEWN 13580, with more of them audible
around 13562, 13589, 13598. This happens only on Sundays when WINB is
currently active in the mornings, until WEWN QSYs to 15610 by 1400.
Christians vs Christians! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 9370-, Aug 27 at 1233 and 1355, no signal from WTJC; no
doubt off due to Hurricane Irene. Newport is at the southern end of
the Cape, only a few miles inland. God`s wrath for daring to represent
Him without permission?
9370-, WTJC remained off the air at 1912 UT Aug 27; I checked later
exactly where the eye of H. Irene made landfall, and it was Cape
Lookout, which is right next to Morehead City and WTJC Newport (Glenn
Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
WTJC was off 9370 on the 27th, and is still not audible today the 28th
(Noel R. Green (NW England), 0905 UT Aug 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING
DIGEST)
** U S A. 9370-, Aug 29 at 0517, WTJC is back on the air after a
couple days off after direct hit by Irene, closing(?) program with
website http://www.songministries.org in Greenville SC.
Undermodulated. Also on some 7 hours later, so seems back to stay
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. At 0630+ on 9 MHz from NoAM I only hear WBCQ 9330 (best
using LSB) at fair strength, and a weaker signal from WRMI 9955.
And BTW - there was a buzz-saw noise on 9955 on the 27th which I
thought might be jamming, but today the 28th the same noise is on
9965, and I also hear it on 9565 too, today. It's still audible at
0900. Is it Cuba leaving jammers on air for no reason? (Noel R. Green
(NW England), 0905 UT Aug 28, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Yes! As for WBCQ, LSB? Is normally USB on 9330 with LSB suppressed.
Just checked it and yes, USB + carrier (Glenn Hauser, ibid.)
My apologies - WBCQ 9330 is indeed best on USB not LSB as I wrote. It
was a fair strength signal today (29th) around 0630 UT, but there was
no trace of WTJC 9370.
The buzz-saw noise was not heard today on any frequency on 9 MHz, and
Brazil (David Miranda?) was clear channel and on exact 9565.00 as far
as I could determine around 0645. Marti was audible and mixing with
jamming on 6030, 5980 and 7405 at 0700, while 9805 came up as sched at
0900 at good strength and over any jamming that might have
been present - and still audible at 1030 (Noel R. Green (NW England),
dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
9330-CUSB, Aug 31 at 0512, WBCQ once again broadcasting dead air only,
instead of Good Friends Radio Network; still the same at 0518, 0532,
but at next check 1234, religion had resumed, ending a program with
Norcross GA address (not to be confused with better-known Waycross,
almost twice as large). Why does this keep happening? (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. [WWRB] Station News: August 31st, 2011
Winter Broadcast Schedule Beginning (August 17, 2011)
Starting September 1st, 2011, Radio Station WWRB starts the winter
broadcast season using the frequencies 3.215 MHz and 3.195 MHz. It is
very important to note that during the winter broadcast season, any
shortwave broadcast station located in the western hemisphere of the
earth may suffer from excessive signal skip, and may not be able to
supply reliable coverage to your intended audience using frequencies
over 4.000 MHz.
Radio Station WWRB currently has several prime-time nighttime slots
available for broadcasters on 3.215 MHz and 3.195 MHz. If you would
like to optimize your ministry or radio program's coverage, our
frequency coordinators can help. For your convenience, you can contact
them seven nights per week between 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Eastern Time at
(931) 563-3783 or (931) 728-6087 (from http://www.wwrb.org via DXLD)
Winter? No 3195 or 3215 heard UT Sept 2 yet, still on 5051, including
WORLD OF RADIO at 0330v UT Friday; maybe from next week? (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. Pete Peters Obit --- Hello Glenn, Did you know Pastor Pete
Peters had died back in early July? I'm certainly not one of his
supporters and hadn't heard about this.
This evening, shortly before 0100 UTC Monday, 8/29, I stumbled onto a
message on WWCR by someone I'm not familiar with. He was giving a bit
of history of the key people in the Kingdom Identity movement, as he
called it, and he mentioned Pastor Peters had passed away.
At the top of the hour I tuned to WTWW, 5755, where reference was made
of Peters' passing. I did a Google search for his obit and found these
two links from the Scriptures for America people.
http://www.sfaw.org/newsletters/Volume%207%202011%20for%20web.pdf
http://www.sfaw.org/letter.html
Presumably they'll carry on with Peters' messages on the air as they
have been for the past few weeks. It will be similar to what Dr. Gene
Scott's ministry has done after his death. My apologies if this is old
news. 73, (John Wesley Smith, KC0HSB, Aug 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
John, Yes, we had a lot of news about this shortly after he died.
Check back issues of DXLD. SFAW kept it secret for about a week until
after the funeral. But we hadn`t seen issue 7 of The Dragonslayer
newsletter, linked above, a 27-page pdf with lots of photos and praise
of PPP, starting with a bloody depixion of a slain dragon. It also
discusses succession; apparently someone known as Ramrod has got the
nod to lead the group (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 7520, WRNO, New Orleans. Good reception of an English Bible
study at 1045, 18/8 (Dennis Allen, Milperra NSW (Icom R75, Realistic
DX160, Dipole, Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
Wherever did you get the idea this was WRNO, which has been off the
air all year, and used to be on 7506v?
7520 at this time is WWCR, ex-9985. BTW, I wonder if they left 9985 as
a result of my complaint that the 15+ kHz spur from WWCR-1 was QRMing
WWV/H on 10000? WWCR never acknowledged my `help` and won`t talk to me
(Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
** U S A. The following is the Tentative 30 October 2011 to 25 March
2012 High Frequency Schedule for Family Stations, Inc., WYFR
Note: Schedule information showing languages for transmissions
carried by WYFR for other broadcasters will have to be obtained
directly from the other broadcasters. [i.e., not including relays of
R. Taiwan International in these versions]
TIME SORT
TIME (UTC) LANG FREQ (KHZ) AZ
2200-0045 PORT 9690 142
2200-0200 SPAN 5985 181
2200-0200 SPAN 15440 285
2200-2245 PORT 17575 140
2200-2245 SPAN 11580 142
2200-2245 SPAN 12160 151
2300-0000 ENGL 9430 160
2300-0000 ENGL 15400 151
2300-0000 PORT 11720 142
2300-0045 SPAN 13615 160
2300-0200 SPAN 9355 160
0000-0045 ENGL 11720 142
0000-0045 FREN 15400 151
0000-0045 PORT 9430 160
0000-0100 PORT 11885 140
0100-0145 PORT 9930 142
0100-0145 SPAN 11885 140
0100-0200 PORT 11825 160
0100-0300 SPAN 7570 160
0100-0300 SPAN 9985 151
0100-0357 SPAN 6890 222
0200-0300 ENGL 5985 181
0200-0300 SPAN 9930 222
0300-0357 SPAN 5985 181
0300-0400 ENGL 9930 222
0400-0500 SPAN 9930 222
FREQUENCY SORT
FREQ (KHZ) TIME (UTC) LANG AZ
5985 2200-0200 SPAN 181
5985 0200-0300 ENGL 181
5985 0300-0357 SPAN 181
6890 0100-0357 SPAN 222
7570 0100-0300 SPAN 160
9355 2300-0200 SPAN 160
9430 2300-0000 ENGL 160
9430 0000-0045 PORT 160
9690 2200-0045 PORT 142
9930 0100-0145 PORT 142
9930 0200-0300 SPAN 222
9930 0300-0400 ENGL 222
9930 0400-0500 SPAN 222
9985 0100-0300 SPAN 151
11580 2200-2245 SPAN 142
11720 2300-0000 PORT 142
11720 0000-0045 ENGL 142
11825 0100-0200 PORT 160
11885 0000-0100 PORT 140
11885 0100-0145 SPAN 140
12160 2200-2245 SPAN 151
13615 2300-0045 SPAN 160
15400 2300-0000 ENGL 151
15400 0000-0045 FREN 151
15440 2200-0200 SPAN 285
17575 2200-2245 PORT 140
LANGUAGE SORT
[resorted by gh from frequency into time order under each language]
LANG TIME (UTC) FREQ AZ
ENGL 2300-0000 9430 160
ENGL 2300-0000 15400 151
ENGL 0000-0045 11720 142
ENGL 0200-0300 5985 181
ENGL 0300-0400 9930 222
FREN 0000-0045 15400 151
PORT 2200-2245 17575 140
PORT 2200-0045 9690 142
PORT 2300-0000 11720 142
PORT 0000-0045 9430 160
PORT 0000-0100 11885 140
PORT 0100-0145 9930 142
PORT 0100-0200 11825 160
SPAN 2200-2245 11580 142
SPAN 2200-2245 12160 151
SPAN 2200-0200 5985 181
SPAN 2200-0200 15440 285
SPAN 2300-0045 13615 160
SPAN 2300-0200 9355 160
SPAN 0100-0145 11885 140
SPAN 0100-0300 7570 160
SPAN 0100-0300 9985 151
SPAN 0100-0357 6890 222
SPAN 0200-0300 9930 222
SPAN 0300-0357 5985 181
SPAN 0400-0500 9930 222
(Evelyn Marcy, WYFR Okeechobee, Aug 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A [non]. 11535, Aug 29 at 1249, Acts II being read at dictation
speed in English, YFR via Paochung site, TAIWAN, per Aoki, supposedly
Chinese service during this hour.
15750, new YFR frequency until 1300, site??? See UNIDENTIFIED
** U S A. Looking for Hurricane Watch Net on 14325, I don`t hear
anything, but notice something on 14313-USB, Aug 26 at 1319. At first
rather than a 2-way contact, sounds like a broadcast, playing
recording of Riley Hollingsworth at Dayton, including audience
reaxion. Two automatic CW IDs went by before they could register on my
brain. Apparently discussing Glenn Baxter K1MAN; one guy refers to a
website the other was not familiar with, http://www.ve7kfm.com for
info about a Canadian fruitcake. K3VR mentioned with W7CPA (? Not sure
of latter call). K3VR is Bryan Crow, arch-critic of Glenn Baxter. They
were apparently talking over K1MAN himself, weaker signal heard saying
during a pause ``I am going to take legal action`` (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. Confirmed WA6RXZ jamming radio signal recorded by KJ6FYX 2-
13-11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyIJso-qfkE
Beyond Funny (Terry Krueger, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Plus numerous comments; a bid of a feud going on (gh, DXLD)
** U S A. FYI. WNTP 990 Philadelphia operating at 50 kW and day
pattern under 73.1520(f) due to Irene (Rev. Rene' F. Tetro, Director
of Engineering and IT, Salem Communications - Philadelphia,
WFIL 560 AM: "Philadelphia's Christian Teaching & Talk Station"
WNTP 990 AM: "Intelligent Conservative Talk"
117 Ridge Pike
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444
Voice: 610-828-6965 Ext: 41
Fax: 610-828-6725
Email: rtetro @ pobox.com
0513 UT Aug 28, ABDX via DXLD)
Hi Rene, We pray you guys get through everything OK. We have lots of
family in Pennsylvania. Can you remind me please, what direction does
your day pattern favor? 73 (Tim Hall, near San Diego, CA, ibid.)
Mostly southeast, but we also put about 7 kW to the NW and about 3 kW
to the west (Rene', ibid.)
** U S A. If anyone needs New York on 1050 (normally ESPN, currently
nonstop hurricane coverage), they are in for me here in St. Louis,
Missouri, midnight Saturday/Sunday, Central Local Time. A new catch!
Normally never heard due to Canadians; probably on daytime pattern?
The web stream is 73 seconds behind the over the air signal, for what
it's worth (Earl Higgins, St. Louis, Missouri, NRC-AM via DXLD)
FINALLY heard here at 0110 CLT [0610 UT]. Faint under CHUM with non-
stop coverage of Hurricane Irene, news about power outages in
Connecticut read by woman. The stream, I'd say, is probably closer to
80 seconds behind WEPN's terrestrial signal. Last heard as WEVD from
Iowa City many years ago. 73, (Rick Dau, South Omaha, Nebraska, 27
Aug, ibid.)
Re: [NRC-AM] Hurricane tonight, NY to MA --- I noticed 1050 NYC was
different last night prior to sundown. Sounded refreshing the non-
sports. I would have no idea of their night pattern. I could notice
almost nothing abnormal on the dial otherwise. Normal programming and
satellite feed. (evening)
I listening to car radio at 4-5 AM and it was terrible. Hard to hear
any stations. Probably due to conditions as it was kind of eeeeerie
with constant lightning flashes.
WELI 960 was running some TV feed of the weather. Local WICC 600
actually had one person there that sounded like they were worried
about themselves. Their antenna is out on the ocean. I fell asleep and
woke up and have not even looked outside. BUT---
A lot of news hype about terrible storms. I'd guess all is
appropriate. It would have been a big disaster if winds were twice
what they were. I think it came ashore right where I was and got the
'eye' if there was one (it predicted Westport, CT area)
Along the coast here there are many storms around the year that are
similar. Those 'NorthEasters'... State rain about 8-9 inches. I think
winds were only 60 mph and as I said if they were twice things could
have been really bad. Power outages set a record. Oddly I still have
power. Time to look out the window and hope not another flooded
basement (terriblywet, [how apropos, the only name he uses], 1622 UT
Aug 28, ABDX via DXLD)
http://www.radio-info.com/news/irene-batters-new-england-radio-stations-toll-is-worse-than-expected
(via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Brief story about stations in Rhode Island,
Maine; follow more at:
http://boards.radio-info.com/smf/index.php?topic=196863.0
(Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
Just saw this on the latest email update from insideradio.com this
morning: Rising waters at their co-located transmitter site has taken
New York Public Radio`s WNYC (820) and Salem`s religious WMCA (570)
off the air. Principle Broadcasting`s Boston market ethnic WJDA,
Quincy (1300) has lost its tower (Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, Aug
29, IRCA via DXLD)
IRENE HITS NERW-LAND
http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2011/110829/nerw.html
Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook feeds for breaking-news updates
as they happen! http://twitter.com/neradiowatch
http://www.facebook.com/NERadioWatch
This was supposed to have been an "off" week for NERW as we regained
our bearings after several weeks away in the midwest and as we keep
plugging away on the new fybush.com, coming this fall to an internet
near you...but events intervened, and so here's the latest (as of
Sunday night) on the aftermath of Hurricane Irene and some other big
stories breaking in the region:
The storm, of course, dominated the news in most of NERW-land for much
of the week leading up to its weekend arrival, and for all of the
usual hand-wringing about "was the coverage overboard?" and "why are
those reporters standing outside in the storm?" that accompanies any
storm coverage these days, broadcast media along most of the storm's
path rose to the occasion and, from what we could see, did a generally
fine job keeping people informed as Irene made its way north after
making landfall Saturday in North Carolina.
With more than a day to go before the slow-moving storm was due to hit
New Jersey, New York and New England, there were hours upon hours of
airtime to fill with the usual speculation that blankets the airwaves
- but there was also time for radio and TV to prepare, and that they
did. In an era when many radio newsrooms have been slashed to ribbons,
the word of the weekend was "simulcast" - not just TV on radio but
also AM news on FM - and there was plenty of it to go around.
In New York City, ESPN flagship WEPN (1050) picked up the audio feed
of Disney-owned sister station WABC-TV (Channel 7), while CBS Radio
put WINS (1010)'s audio on sister station WWFS (102.7) at the height
of the storm Sunday morning and Buckley's WOR (710) carried audio from
WNBC (Channel 4). On the Jersey shore, Millennium's - er, Townsquare's
- "New Jersey 101.5" (WKXW Trenton) put its audio back on a former
simulcast outlet, WENJ-FM (97.3 Millville) to better reach the coast.
In Philadelphia, WURD (900) carried audio from ABC's WPVI (Channel 6)
at the height of the storm. In Connecticut, Clear Channel's WELI (960
New Haven) simulcast on sister station WKCI (101.3) for a few hours on
Sunday, while other radio clusters turned to TV stations to provide
storm coverage.
Much of the industry's attention, unsurprisingly, was focused on all-
news radio in New York City, where the storm provided the first really
big test for Merlin's new WEMP (FM News 101.9) as it takes on CBS
Radio's entrenched pairing of WCBS (880) and WINS (1010). In typical
Randy Michaels fashion, WEMP jumped into the fray with some aggressive
promos suggesting that "AM doesn't work during storms" - but it backed
up the promotions with a reasonably solid (if still sometimes
inconsistent) effort over the weekend that was at least competitive
with the quality work WCBS and WINS delivered. (WEMP's programming had
another outlet for part of the weekend, as WFTL in West Palm Beach
simulcast "FM News" for displaced New Yorkers in South Florida; WCBS,
for its part, was able to remain all-news all day on Sunday as its
usual Yankees games were displaced to sister station WFAN, where the
storm postponed the Mets games.)
When the storm itself finally hit, of course, it was somewhat weaker
than many of the early predictions - but that still spelled trouble
for plenty of NERW-land stations.
While most of the damage (as best we can tell on Sunday evening) was
limited to power outages, at least one station was not as lucky. Along
the Massachusetts coast, WJDA (1300 Quincy) appears to have lost its
tower to some combination of Irene's winds and flooding. Floods are
common at WJDA's tower site along Rock Island Cove, long ago washing
out the road that once led to the transmitter building. As of Sunday
afternoon, WJDA was silent, and at least one NERW reader reported not
being able to see the tower where it once stood.
(You can get a peek at the now-former WJDA tower at this Tower Site of
the Week installment.)
Other signals silenced at least temporarily by Irene included three
New York AM stations in the New Jersey Meadowlands: co-located WMCA
(570) and WNYC (820) in Kearny and WWRV (1330) in Hackensack.
Elsewhere in New Jersey, coastal stations silenced included WOND
(1400), WMGM (103.7) and WAYV (95.1), with the latter two, both big
class B signals, still silent Sunday evening; inland, WDVR (89.7
Delaware Township), WNTI (91.9 Hackettstown) and WHCY (106.3
Blairstown) were silent at points on Sunday as well.
While it didn't get much national attention amidst the focus on New
York City, the Hudson Valley took a big hit, with numerous stations in
the Poughkeepsie, Kingston and Albany [markets] off the air at least
temporarily due to power loss and high winds.
In New England, Boston-area AMs WNTN (1550 Newton) and WXBR (1460
Brockton) were reported silent during the storm; in Hartford, WRTC
(89.3) was silent not because of transmitter damage or power loss but
because Trinity College closed down all activities for the weekend. On
TV, Hartford CBS affiliate WFSB (Channel 3) lost power at its Rocky
Hill studios on Sunday and was apparently struggling to get its
generator running, resulting in a stripped-down newscast emanating
from the newsroom instead of the studio.
And we're still awaiting word on the storm's effects as it moved into
northern New England and dumped intense rain and wind on areas such as
the Connecticut River Valley; stay tuned here and on our Facebook and
Twitter feeds for updates as they become available (Scott Fybush, NE
Radio Watch Aug 29 via DXLD)
The two New York market stations silenced by Hurricane Irene are back
on the air. Salem’s religious teaching WMCA (570) and New York Public
Radio’s WNYC (820) were both silenced when their adjacent transmitter
sites along the New Jersey Turnpike were flooded. WNYC is still
operating at what the station says is “very low power” while repairs
to its facilities continue. Now there’s Tropical Storm Katia brewing
in the Atlantic (Inside Radio Aug 31 via Mike Terry, UK, dxldyg via
DXLD)
Any Vermont stations on the air for the flooding? That is a tough
state to hear even in VA (George Santulli, 30 Aug, IRCA via DXLD)
WDEV-550 has been fairly widely reported, George. No doubt running
non-directional. As opposed to:
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WDEV&service=AM&status=L&hours=N
(Marc DeLorenzo, South Dennis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1455 UT Aug
30, http://www.wtfda.info/showthread.php?t=228
IRCA via DXLD)
WDEV: COMMUNITY RADIO EXCELS WHERE CORPORATE MEDIA FAILS --- A
revealing and interesting interview on "Democracy Now" this morning
about coverage (and lack thereof) of the Vermont floods generated by
Hurricane / Tropical Storm Irene.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/30/vermont_radio_station_provides_crucial_details
(John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Thanks Glen[n]. A terrific program which points out the importance of
radio and what it needs to do to survive (Mark, IRCA via DXLD)
I was listening by stream to KYW, Philadelphia and they did their
thing. And WPHT teamed up with KYW-TV as the storm progressed. You
see, Philadelphia got hit with heavy Rain and basements floods, trees
down and the electric service putting up wiring. Even though it
covered Philly, these stations were 50000 watt flame throwers. And
these stations also had correspondents on the South Jersey shores.
There was one TV station on that I did not tune in to and that was
WMGM-TV at Atlantic City, NJ. What I was most interested was My Sister
and how she was holding up after her basement flooded. I also heard
the story about traffic and all the things going on on the roads. I
imagine that all the rush hour traffic was very very rough in
Philadelphia and suburbs.
Another thing was that Directv was streaming local stations as part of
their coverage. I don't know what the station call letters were in
North Carolina. For a little bit I was listening to WAVY in Norfolk,
Va. As the storm moved up the coast, Directv switched to WMAL-TV in
Washington DC. After a while as the Hurricane moved past Atlantic City
and the South Jersey Shores and Directv switched to WABC-TV in New
York City, For some reason they skipped Philadelphia. Philadelphia was
on the fringes of the storm, but as I mentioned, they got their share
of rain and wind and. I did not tune in to every station north of New
York in Irene's path (Richard Lewis, Working with a Dell Computer for
streaming, Working with Directv on channel 359, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1160, Aug 27 at 1203, 7:03 time on ``La Super Equis, 11-60
AM`` in KSL null, then live YL DJ. Cantú has 5 Mexicans on 1160, none
with this slogan, nor any X in the callsigns after the first letter!
How about the one in X-alapa, Veracruz, XEBE, Radio Perote? That`s
really too far east at this hour, and too far-fetched.
Could it be a US domestic? Googling finds Super X was the name of
Albuquerque 1190 a dekayear ago, and currently of 1250 in Kansas City,
but that`s no help. Maybe it`s a syndicated/group name? It`s in the
CDT zone. There are two Texans: KVCE in Highland Park, address in
Houston; and KRDY San Antonio as in Radio Disney per last year`s NRC
AM Log. Has one of those Hispanicized?
Aha, got it, by changing the Google from Equis to X: it`s merely
Kansas City, http://www.lasuperx1160.com/ Just try to find a callsign
on that website! Last year`s NRC-AM log has KCTO, Cleveland MO,
address in Liberty MO, talk/oldies format. FCC AM Query shows it`s
still KCTO, COL Cleveland. That`s such a speck, it`s not in the Rand
McNally index, but finally found it south of KC MO on the MO side of
the border, while address in Liberty MO [not KS as in my original
post] is way up on the NE side of KC. But is the site in KS or MO?
Longitude is 94-36-28. This source
http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/ks_geography.htm
says Kansas starts at 94 degrees 38 minutes west, so that puts it in
MO, barely.
So what has become of KYYS 1250 Kansas City KS, which had been ``La
Super Equis``? It`s easy to hear here but had not paid much attention
to current sloganeering; still in Spanish, anyway. Domain
http://www.lasuperx1250.com/ has expired.
Following up yesterday`s report of `La Super X` on 1160 being KCTO in
the Kansas City market, so what is 1250, which had used that slogan?
Aug 28 at 1217, 1250 IDs merely as ``La Equis, 12-50, la súper
estación`` by super-hype locutor, denigrating the unnamed competition
as ``ruido`` = noise. Ad for a ``gran baile`` 4 de Setiembre featuring
a musical group from Chihuahua, which could send one way off on the
wrong track. Then ad in Spanish mentioning multiple locations in
Kansas City area, pronounced by YL/child as in English. 1160 was also
audible but 1250 much stronger. So 1250 is merely La X, and 1160 is La
Super X; are they jointly owned, since the Super X slogan transferred
from 1250 to 1160? No, FCC AM Query shows 1160 KCTO is owned by Alpine
Broadcasting Corp.; 1250 KYYS by Entercom, so must be bitter rivals
fighting over that valuable X branding! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 1270, Aug 30 at 1217 UT, thought I was getting Tulsa in
Spanish, but traffic report was for Irving and other parts of DFW
Metroplex, ID as La Voz del Pueblo, i.e. KFLC Fort Worth. Also with
IBOC noise on the sides, which is not the case from Tulsa (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. TEXAS CHINESE RADIO, HOME-GROWN COMPETITION FOR CRI AND CCTV
IN HOUSTON. Posted: 29 Aug 2011
http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1314400373-Chinese-Radio-Targets-Expats-And-Those-Learning-Mandarin.html
KUHF-FM (Houston), 29 Aug 2011, Ed Mayberry: "Tuning up and down the
AM dial in the Houston area, there's more than the usual mix of news,
sports talk and Rush Limbaugh. Broadcasting on 1540, KGBC [Galveston]
rebroadcasts China Radio International, the state-owned broadcaster
from Beijing. ... The broadcasts are part of a $6.6 billion effort by
the Chinese government to expand its worldwide influence. That
includes television. On television, there's channel 55.5, branded as
ITV — one of six HD channels on KTBU, mainly presenting round-the-
clock news from China Central Television, in Mandarin. ...
But there's also an AM station that targets the over 200,000 Chinese
expats in the Houston area. It's AM 1320 Texas Chinese Radio. ... Judd
Huang is with AM 1320 Texas Chinese Radio. 'Our programming is like a
variety show, and our local programming (is) based on interviews. We
talk about immigration, we talking about medical, we talk about
sports. And then we also do local news reports.'" With audio.
(kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Chinese 1320 common here nights (gh)
** U S A. KCTE 1510 on all night off-frequency --- 1509.83, KCTE, MO,
ESPN programming "Hot Talk 15-10 K-C-T-E Independence, Kansas City" on
*all* overnight TOH recordings 2300CDT 26AUG11 - 0700CDT 27AUG11.
Tulsa is almost "dead-center" in the SW lobe of KCTE directional
pattern. Bad het against WLAC and others on 1510.00. Daytimer on all
night and off-frequency to boot --- anybody home?? (Bruce Winkelman
AA5CO, R8, Par EndFedz SWL, Tulsa, OK, 1246 UT Aug 27, NRC-AM via
DXLD)
I was also noticing its characteristic het around 0530 UT Aug 27,
figured that was the source, but didn`t remember it is supposed to be
strictly a daytimer. Usually we hear that around sunrise and sunset
(Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Around 03:00 CDT [0800 UT] this morning I noted the resultant
het/rumble this station caused against WLAC. For several minutes the
rumble was changing frequency indicating their carrier was drifting
(Tom Jasinski, Joliet IL, Aug 27, IRCA mailing list via DXLD)
1510v, Aug 28 at 0440, slightly variable het. This is commonly heard
around sunrise and sunset but not in the nightmiddle, previously
tracked months ago to KCTE Independence MO. We also noted the het 23
hours earlier but did not log it; Bruce Winkelman in Tulsa did,
measured on 1509.83 with IDs all night every hour on the hour, ESPN
programming. Listed as 10 kW daytimer-only. On NRC-AM, Bruce says,
``Tulsa is almost "dead-center" in the SW lobe of KCTE directional
pattern. Bad het against WLAC and others on 1510.00. Daytimer on all
night and off-frequency to boot --- anybody home??`` (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
I happened to be doing some overnight recordings last night on my
Perseus, and noticed an off-frequency signal on 1510 (well actually
more like 1509.82,and fluctuating, as you noted), which must have been
KCTE. Didn't 'catch a call sign, but did hear the "Hot Talk" slogan.
Another oddity on 1510 was that KMSD Milbank, SD was dominating most
of the night, not typical if they were on night power. 73, (Nigel
Pimblett, Dunmore, Alberta, 27 Aug, IRCA via DXLD)
1510+, Aug 29 at 0535, ESPN programming making a big slightly warbling
het with decent 1510.0 stations such as WLAC, at least the third night
in a row that 10 kW daytimer KCTE, Independence MO is not only on the
air at night, but off-frequency as it has been for many months. Will
the FCC now wake up and do something about this?? (Glenn Hauser, OK,
DX LISTENING DIGEST)
1510+, Aug 30 at 0533, KCTE Independence MO is still illegally on the
air at night and illegally far beyond frequency tolerance for at least
the fourth night in a row, hetting proper 1510 signals (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. KXEL 1540 WATERLOO OFF THE AIR AGAIN --- Noticed KXEL
missing this afternoon 8/25/11. This was on their website, kxel.com:
``On July 11th, straight line winds damaged a section of the roof at
the KXEL transmitter building in Dysart, exposing our transmitter to
the elements. The initial damage was repaired. Since then, residual
damage has occurred through routine operation. Our engineer and
consultants from the manufacturer are working to repair this new
damage. KXEL will resume broadcasting as soon as possible. As always,
local news updates can be heard on our sister station, Oldies 1330
KWLO.``
So, if you missed DXing with them missing before, now's your chance
(Tom Nyberg, Sumner, IA, 0300 UT Aug 26, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO
1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
So what is this `residual damage` showing up later? For what was DXed
without KXEL, see BAHAMAS [and non] (gh, DXLD) Back on, Aug 28:
KXEL 1540 at 0200 UT this morning, first time this new season
http://www.box.net/shared/0h4jox6i46a25rvj087r
73, (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, Aug 28, MWCircle yg via DXLD)
** U S A. NEW TRANSMITTER SITE 1660 KRZI WACO
KRZI 1660 (ESPN) is now operating from their new transmitter
site closer to the center of town. The new facility uses
a 1/4 wave base insulated vertical, still 10kw day / 1 kw night.
The tower is not lighted and is just under 150 feet tall.
It may be interesting to compare the new coverage with that of
WTAW 1620 in College Station which uses a 5/8 wave vertical
and is only about 85 miles from KRZI. The original site was about 10
miles south of Waco and used an FM tower to support a folded unipole,
an arrangement the new owner found undesirable (JLenamon, Waco TX, Aug
31, ABDX via DXLD)
They put a faint, but listenable signal into Houston. I'll try over
the weekend and see if there is any improvement. 1620 put about the
same signal over Plano, TX. Weak but listenable. They hobble their
coverage, though, with IBOC (Bruce Carter, TX, ibid.)
** U S A. Keith, of foodnotbombs was the guest interviewed on KRZA
88.7 Alamosa/Taos via Live365 webcast, Aug 30 at 1430-1500 UT. Says he
has a 45-watt FM transmitter on hand and invited contacts from people
who would like to work with him on putting it on air. Says he was a
co-founder of the longtime but now defunct pirate, San Francisco
Liberation Radio. He`s now in Taos awaiting copies of his new book to
organize a book-signing. Contact via http://www.foodnotbombs.net/ ---
avoid .com and .org! Address on site is really nearby Arroyo Seco NM
(Dry Wash). Has a neat animated opening about the Food Not Bombs ethic
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. 94.5 in ABQ? At higher elevations in ABQ, I can get a very
eclectic (non-commercial?) station on my car radio at 94.5 FM. No DJ,
no ads (although my wife swears she heard an ad in Dutch once), and a
totally eclectic mix of music -- almost like old time pirate stations
except even weirder. Can anyone identify this station for me? Where do
they broadcast from? Thanks in advance. (Coyote, Aug 3, radio-info.com
NM board via DXLD)
That is a pirate operating from 1505 Parsifal NE, near Eubank and
Constitution (ABQRADIO, ibid.)
How can you tell he is a pirate, the peg-leg or the parrot. If it's
the patch, that's no pirate, that's Al Hurricane. Grin; seriously, I
am very Impressed by your response, how did you know that? (Hornet61,
ibid.)
Thank for the reply. I didn't mean to "out" these guys. I just love
their programming. Pirates or not, this broadcaster rocks (Coyote, Aug
4, ibid.)
The "Eagle Eye" is forever vigilant. Tongue (ABQRADIO, ibid.)
Big Brother is watching he is Always watching be afraid be very afraid
(DoubleC, ibid.)
I had 94.5 on the car stereo driving around ABQ. My wife remarked that
she really liked the music. She does not normally react to music on
the radio (except to occasionally sing along with 107.5/1600 - only
the AM makes it up Tijeras Canyon). Then I had to let her in on the
awful truth about 94.5 - that for her, the best station in ABQ is a
pirate (K6JHU, Aug 16, ibid.)
I totally agree with your wife. Where else could you listen to a set
list featuring Tina Turner, J.S. Bach, the Beatles, English sea
chanties, Smokey Robinson, the Rolling Stones, Hank Williams, and an
ad for a clothing store in Amsterdam (in Dutch)? Forget all that
niche-demographic marketing crap. I hope no one ever makes this pirate
walk the plank! (Coyote, Aug 17, ibid.)
So it blox the Gallup station on 94.5, which is what we used to hear
driving into ABQ from the east out of Tijeras Cañon, i.e. hi elevation
probably line of sight to Gallup (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** U S A. I didn't notice this posted, and thought the depositing of
the Fairness Doctrine in the regulatory dustbin, along with 80+ other
outdated regulations, deserved note. The Obama administration had
previously stated they had no intention of attempting to revive the
Fairness Doctrine, despite occasional legislative noise in that
regard. It's nice to see them carry through with their intentions and
put the final nail in the coffins of this and other outdated
regulations (Jay Heyl, ABDX via DXLD)
I never found the Fairness Doctrine onerous and the revisionist
history that it "stifled free speech" is nonsense. In the As far back
as the 1960s (as I point out in my book about the history of talk
shows), there were as many rightie talkers and leftie talkers. All the
FD said was you had to present both sides of issues, but it did not
say when. It's a myth that the moment a rightie said X, you had to get
a leftie who could say Y. The way many talk stations dealt with the FD
was to have a rightie talk show in one shift, and then a leftie talk
show in another. And those stations got good ratings, and the public
was informed. Radio is much more one-sided now, since the abolition of
the FD in 1987. 95% of talk shows are hosted by conservative
Republicans. In the past, both sides were heard, but now, not so much
(Donna Halper, ibid.) Subject then banned by ABDX moderator (gh)
** U S A. FED FUNDING: OUT OF FRY PAN, INTO FIRE
By Richard S. Towne, KUNM General Manager
http://kunm.net/pdf/Zounds_20110901.pdf
Here comes a great big hole I want you to avoid when Congress adjourns
[sic] to debate (and I use the word loosely) next year’s federal
budget – the one that is supposed to fund the federal government
starting October 1, 2011. Here is the hole:
“Yeah, public broadcasting is okay and all, but right now we just
can’t afford it.” Don’t step in that hole. Walk around that hole. Keep
walking and don’t even look at that deep dark hole.
Truth be told, right now we can’t be without public broadcasting.
There is so much work to be done, by all parties, on so many issues.
Defunding public broadcasting will actually increase the attention
deficit and create an intolerable debt for civil dialogue and civic
engagement. Are we as a nation ready to walk away from public media
that brings us non-commercial, in-depth and diverse points-of-view?
Don’t step in that hole.
Here is the latest information crossing my desk from NPR’s Vice
President for Policy and Representation Mike Riksen. When NPR was
formed by member stations, the stations gave NPR a role in
representing the public radio system to Congress and the President.
Riksen is keeping tabs on federal funding for public broadcasting.
You will see the critical deadline on October 14, 2011 when the House
and Senate Committees must complete all funding recommendations to the
Committee. I hope you will be engaged in this critical budget process
by contacting Congress well ahead of the October 14 deadline.
You can follow the action and key votes by registering at
http://170millionamericans.org/
BUDGET & APPROPRIATIONS by Mike Riksen, August 15, 2011.
“And the names are…
Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), John Kerry (D-MA), Max Baucus (D-MT),
Patrick Toomey (R-PA), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Rob Portman (R-OH) and
Representatives Fred Upton (R-MI), Dave Camp (R-MI), Jeb Hensarling
(R-TX), Xavier Beccera (D-CA), James Clyburn (D-SC) and Chris Van
Hollen (D-MD).
Congressional leaders in the House and Senate selected these Members
to serve on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (a.k.a.
Super Committee). The committee is charged with finding $1.5 trillion
in deficit cuts by November 23rd. Failure to reach an agreement on
those cuts, or if Congress rejects their recommendations, would
trigger broad cuts across domestic and defense spending. Some
important dates linked to the committee are:
September 16: The Super Committee must hold its first meeting by this
date.
October 14: Last day that standing House and Senate Committees can
transmit recommendations to the Super Committee.
November 23: The Super Committee must vote on recommendations by this
date.
December 2: If the Super Committee approves the recommendations, then
they must be submitted to the Administration and congressional
leaders.
December 23: The House and Senate must take up or down votes on the
Super Committee bill.
January 2: Across the board cuts are triggered if Congress does not
adopt the Super Committee measure to reduce the deficit by at least
$1.2 trillion.
More information on the inner workings of the agreement can be found
at the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities’ fact sheet on across
the board cuts if the Joint Committee does not achieve at least $1.2
trillion in deficit reduction.
As the Super Committee begins its journey, Congress will return to
session after Labor Day to continue the FY 12 appropriations process.
Like 13 of the past 16 years, Congress is expected to move an omnibus
spending bill later this fall to ensure fiscal 2012 funding is in
place. The current fiscal year ends on September 30th and Members are
already thinking about how to avoid another partisan showdown or total
government shutdown. A continuing resolution (CR) is expected to be
taken up to keep the government operating for several weeks or months
beyond the start of the new fiscal year.”
I know you have a vested interest in public broadcasting. I encourage
you to contact Congress and let your voice be heard (September Zounds
[KUNM program magazine] via DXLD)
** U S A. Re: Look for expansion of HD Radio - The Daily Breeze
I won't believe anything about AM being dead until I start hearing
open frequencies here in the rf saturated northeast Jim WA1EDN
-- http://www.fhu.com (Jim Balle, Aug 24, ABDX via DXLD)
AM being dead doesn't necessarily imply stations off the air. Somebody
will always want to hear themselves on the radio, even if they are the
only ones listening (pretty much the case with Christian preaching
stations right now).
When big AM talkers find themselves with an FM translator - it is only
a matter of time until they manage to manipulate that into a full
power FM outlet, then they will depart the band. What will replace
them will be still more foreign language, then full time "information"
which is really another way to say infomercial. There will be more and
more retirement community stations, more an more shopping center
stations, more and more automation. Actually a few of those retirement
community stations are playing oldies and big band, some are pretty
good. I have to admit I listened to Florida's automated traveler
information station before I went to Florida. I wish I hadn't made
reservations based on it - because it turned out to be a timeshare
presentation (UGH!).
Point is, the AM band will be for the most part pointless - a lot of
really stupid stuff. The FM band won't be far behind. We just got the
same really BAD classic rock station on a second frequency here in
Houston, which matches the six places I can get the really BAD praise
and worship Christian station. Both stations have more compelling
programming on HD-2, but without even an inkling of thought to putting
that on second frequencies and translators instead of languishing on
HD-2. Go figure (Bruce Carter, TX, ibid.)
Frequencies are beginning to empty here in the South and West. There
are four frequencies abandoned in the area where I live. They are 860
/ 1510 / 1010 / 1230.
1010 was the WORM, 860 was WEAB, 1540 was WLIC and 1230 was WTKN
Corinth, MS. Phooey. Ya won't find them on the air. Ya won't find the
station from Selmer, TN on 1150 WDTM on the air either. Bleh.
Stations in Tennessee are either walking away or moving to FM. The big
surprise to me is all the noncomm FMs here in the ed band or LPFMs
that play music that are really thriving here (Kevin Redding, Crump
TN, ibid.)
And you find so many radio stations not on, as owners were VERY poor
business people. Years ago when we didn't have so many entertainment
sources, radio was a license to print money and you really didn't have
to do a very good job. That has changed. For the better or worse, who
knows (Powell E. Way III, W4OPW, ibid.)
Kevin and Powell: Add to the list of failed operations the sad attempt
to revive WATO / 1290 here in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Looking back at
the operation (I suspect we all can see better out the back of our
heads !) I think that it failed because of a combination of factors.
The new owner had no radio experience, the programming was largely a
boring satellite feed, and the signal strength was rather poor. Add to
that the fact that it was an AM operation and you can see that it
would have been an uphill task. I was really hoping it would have
worked. - JimT (Jim Tonne, ibid.)
Re: > Well, yes and no. I could listen to WBBM all the way home from
Indiana to upstate NY when I make that 500-mile drive tomorrow if I
wanted to...by streaming it to my phone.
> But radio stations in 2011 aren't in the 1100-mile-reception
business. They're in the maximum-listenership-in-the-metro-area
business, and that means being where the maximum number of potential
listeners are...and that's FM.
Which is interesting, because stations heavily promote their net-
streams, using terms like 'Listen to us anywhere in the world', "We're
with you wherever you go", "From Opelousas to Las Cruces", etc., and
most offer mobile apps, too. Next thing they'll be telling you to do
is to ditch your radio, and just use the net-stream and your
cellphone.
It's weird because stations are simultaneously taking on strategies
two diametrically-opposite audience targets, one concerned with
distance listening, and one concerned with just local. A station
should have ONE IDENTITY, not some split-personality (over-the-air and
internet). Both mediums of broadcast (radio and net) should strive for
the SAME business goals and aim to reach the SAME audience equally,
not using two different business goals and trying to appease two
separate audiences. That's another thing causing the radio industry
today to struggle. People may WORK in the metro area, but most LIVE in
the 'burbs' and beyond, commuting in and out, and nowadays, a large
number also work at home or in their neighborhood far from the city.
Portable-device listening is a somewhat 'elitist' type of radio for
those that either choose that route, or have the means to afford a
60.00 per month base data package (charged by the kilobyte after some
threshold). It will never fully catch on, but instead remain a sort of
novelty until data prices actually come down (like that will happen -
who's seen their basic internet price or cellphone access fees go down
ever??). Also, using a mobile device versus a radio is more
technologically challenging than just turning on a radio. Cellphone
reception is spotty (in my area, my phone is always flipping to 1X and
back to 3G), and would drive me nuts having stream-rates constantly
changing. A decent Android ARMv7 or later processor smartphone is
needed (if you have a piece of junk LG Ally like I have that's ARMv6
and can't load Flash streams, you're out of luck. Stations ought to
move away from Flash anyway).
Relying on mobile-device radio or internet for a major chunk of
listenership eliminates about 80% of the population. It's a NICE thing
for a station to provide for those out of the signal area, or for that
small chunk of listeners actually inside an office building (and many
major corporations block media access by employees on their networks
anyway). I listen to a lot of net-radio myself - BUT - I frankly can't
stomach listening to the internet-version of a station's advertisement
blocks - there's no local content at all. (At least other country's
sites don't have the contorted radio advertising business model and
laws that we're stuck with here in the US, where local ads are
banned). I want to hear the regular over-the-air advertisements that
target ME in the locale I'm interested in, or am living in, not a
bunch of national ads - some of which play 5 times an hour (Darwin
Long, Empire, LA, ibid.)
Or, how about --- would it be time to believe AM is dead when someone
hooks up a half-mile-long beverage antenna to their $100k+ mediumwave-
only communications receiver in an urban area like L.A., NYC, etc.,
tunes across the band at local midnight at a low time in the sunspot
cycle --- and never hears any trace of so much as any carriers and the
S-meter never lifts off the needle at the bottom end of the scale?
(Stephen pianoplayer88key, ibid.)
Jim Balle writes: "I won't believe anything about AM being dead until
I start hearing open frequencies here in the rf saturated northeast."
When I started DX'ing in 1947, AM was vividly alive with great variety
programs on the networks, local stations with entertaining personality
DJ shows and one of two main sources for national and international
news. And the wonder of it was very few stations believed it was
necessary to be on the air 24 hours a day. Most with full-time
licenses signed on at 6 a.m. and off at midnight. Between those hours,
AM radio was sleeping, but it woke up refreshed and refreshing.
Today, based upon the quality of the programming on most of the
stations I hear (and the few I can hear clearly over the noise floor
in the daytime and the graveyard channel conditions on more than just
the six old-time graveyard channels), I consider AM radio to be dead,
the noise on every frequency reminding me of a 24/7 wake.
(John Callarman, KA9SPA, Family Genealogist, Retired Newspaper Editor,
DX-oyente, Krum TX (AKA Qal R. Mann, Krumudgeon), ibid.)
Re: > I think you're erroneously projecting your personal tastes onto
the masses and assuming that because you're not happy with the choices
no one else is either. As radio enthusiasts we'd like to see great
variety available . . .
I have to agree with Bruce's take on this. It is NOT about personal
tastes. It's about small numbers of people making big programming
decisions on the behalf of millions of listeners WITHOUT their input
or consideration of their collective tastes. Broadcasting corporations
have turned AM radio into what network television has become - largely
block-programmed, network-fed garbage being aired because it's easy to
do. It doesn't take much caring, effort, creativity, or investment to
run the kinds of formats AM stations air nowadays - you just throw it
all together, and viola [sic] --- another talk outlet, and you don't
even need to talk on it - outsource that task to the entity sending
programming over the network. It's the ULTIMATE in LAZY broadcasting.
And we wonder why it's so rampant among AM stations? There's your
answer. It's definitely NOT listener tastes driving this trend - It's
the EASY WAY OUT for AM radio stations, and they fell for it hand over
fist at the expense of listener choice in the early 90's.
It's the FOCUS GROUPS of these corporate broadcast companies that are
the central problem - a tiny group of execs in some top-story corner
conference room that gaze out the window and decide, based on highly-
relative, inexact and interpolated data from consulting companies,
precisely what we millions of listeners are 'SUPPOSED' to be listening
to, what we are 'SUPPOSED' to want to hear, and ultimately what is
going to be aired on all of their stations. It USED to be the LISTENER
that would decide what gets played through record sales, charting the
hits that stations initially played for the labels offered as demos,
or by request lines lighting up for the same artists or types of
songs. Those would cue stations into what listeners were actually
wanting to stay tuned to hear, and the station would keep that 'hook'
of a format on the air by following those trends.
Then, in the 1990s, stations suddenly stopped paying attention to
listener requests, feedback, record sales, or concert sales, and began
interpolating weird demographic formulas of ages, sexes, ethnicities,
economic status, and listener locale into some super-refined and
researched format to try to outsmart other stations in the market, and
manipulate ratings (which are unfairly computed). Broadcasting may be
a business, but when a station or corporation lets that 'billion-
dollar-a-year industry' flavor leak out into their format and sound,
people simply tune out - it doesn't cost a listener anything to flip
the dial somewhere else if your station starts sounding "like
everybody else".
Re: > Imagine yourself owning a radio station. You start out with a
format you personally like. The novelty of it initially attracts a
decent audience and advertisers follow. Then the newness wears off,
the audience goes back to what they used to listen to, and the
advertisers follow the audience. In short order your station is
bleeding money. You're faced with a decision -- stick with what you
like and continue to lose money until you can't pay the electric bill
to keep the transmitter on the air, or change to a format you might
not personally like but that makes money. <
In this case, my station would turn to listener download data and
playback statistics from iTunes, Amazon, LastFM, etc. If tracks 1, 2 &
3 from artists X, Y, & Z are being played and downloaded, our station
would turn around and inset those tracks into the rotation. We would
use REAL data from listener habits, preferences, trends, and feedback
directly from them. We would NOT resort to some assumptive, pre-fabbed
demographic formula and an 8-hour discussion in a focus group about
what our listeners want to hear. We would KNOW what our listeners want
to hear because we would BECOME ENGAGED with them.
If listeners are buying and downloading certain content, then our
station should PLAY that content because that is what listeners want
to hear. Involve the AUDIENCE. Let THEM call in and TELL your station
what rocks and what doesn't. THEY are the ones who tune in - if you
don't air what they want, they'll go elsewhere - and it may not
necessarily be on radio anymore. Don't assume your target audience is
'Female 35-54', and simply turn to some 'heavily-researched' playlist
as some magic solution --- ASK the listener or FIND OUT through
legitimate sources and actual listener tastes what people in your area
like to listen to - don't just hire some consultant to do that.
ENGAGE your station with the listener. Answer the phone. Listen.
Answer emails. Listen. Answer Facebook and Twitter tweets. Listen. Get
engaged with your audience. Broadcasting is NOT a hands-off business
from listeners and advertisers - your two most important clients.
Period.
Re: > Now imagine this same scenario playing out in radio stations all
over the country. Like it or not, it's a business, and it has to make
money or it dies. Being on the low listenership end of the diversity
scale might be morally satisfying, but it isn't going to pay the
bills. <
Again, the problem is that ratings assigned in a market are very
subjective, inaccurate, and artificially invented in most cases. Very
few stations can say that they know exactly HOW MANY listeners exist,
and exactly WHO they are. Those stations that are not doing so hot
(like a canned-talk AM station) may bolster the numbers to make their
figures look great on paper to draw advertising revenue, and even air
spots attesting to that. But how fairly these data were obtained is
anyone's guess. Arbitron is the same way. There's huge controversy
into how Arbitron ratings are obtained. For such a big business,
broadcasters should use more concrete and provable data - such as
listener surveys and record sales (particularly online music plays and
downloads, entertainment download hits, and query data). Those
accurately depict what people want to hear because they're BUYING it.
Re: > The reality is that talk radio, whether you or me or anyone else
likes it, is a big hit on AM radio. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be all
over the dial. I know only one person who listens to sports radio with
any regularity, yet it also must be huge or it wouldn't be all up and
down the dial. <
It's a 'big hit' with broadcasters, not because it's talk on AM, but
because it's cheap for the broadcaster to do. The ONLY reason why it's
'all over the AM radio dial' is because, frankly, broadcasters took
the easy way out, and simply chose to beam the same talk programming
to 300 of its outlets all over the nation to minimize costs and
effort. Again, they're turning radio into what network television is:
block-programmed and satellite-fed national programming. "Tune in
every weekday at noon for the 'XYZ Show'... if you miss it, just
download the podcast, or tune in for a 'Best Of' recording at 2-4 AM
every Sunday night".
It takes VERY LITTLE creativity or real effort (except perhaps for the
talk show's host and staff) to formulate the programming. And
everyone's doing it when it comes to AM because it's the "thing to do"
in the industry - a fake norm that has been fostered the past two
decades. They've already brainwashed listeners and prepared them
decades in advance by stating that AM is a 'talk band', and FM is for
music, such that younger people actually believe that. It's an
artificial norm that was created by lazy AM broadcasters wishing to
fire the DJs and news crews and go all-network talk - a big movement
that happened in the early 90's... "Don't worry - tune to our FM
station to keep hearing the good-time oldies".
The AM station pays for the feed, intersperses it with ad spots, and
spits it out on the air. Nothing to it. That's why it SEEMS to be such
a big hit - at least to AM broadcasters and on paper to advertisers,
but not so much with the people on the other end holding the radio. It
costs more to have a live personality on-air playing music, taking
calls, reporting live news, running contests, etc. So most AMs have
simply dumped local full-service music formats even at strong protest
of listeners, plugged in their trusty network talk feed, and laid
nearly everyone off at the station.
THAT's the reality, and is a pattern most notable here in the USA
rather than in other countries (why, I don't know). Canned talk radio
on AM has been FORCED upon listeners, not OPTED BY listeners. Even at
the bottom of a garbage can, some scraps are going to inevitably be
more palatable than others, so is why some talk formats seem to do
better than others. But all in all, the top grossing radio stations in
markets are MUSIC-based, full-service formats (mainly on FM), or ALL-
NEWS stations, not automated AM talk stations.
Sure, an AM station or broadcast company would WANT their advertisers
and listeners to think that talk is a 'hit' on their stations in a
particular market for the sake of drawing more ad revenue. But the
TRUE reason for all the talk formats on AM is due to AM stations
'coping' and 'getting by' after making some serious and assumptive
business model blunders in the late 80's and early 90's.
AM broadcasters did it to themselves by caving to the talk craze
(which was exclusively generated by the industry, not listeners). If
broadcasters had stayed the course by keeping in with what listeners
wanted, and remained engaged with their audience, listeners would have
likewise held their end of the deal, too. After all, it's very hard to
break listener's habits, as any radio station management knows all too
well.
I still maintain (at least here in the South), that you could put a 50
kW undirectional AM signal on the air, play classic rock or country
all day and night, interspersed with full-service news and
information, and couple that with live interaction with air
personalities via email and social media sites, and slide into the
top-5 for the market.
If the same effort put into running an FM mainstream-format music
station were applied to a 50 kW stereo digital or analog AM station,
the station would thrive because it would have content people would
enjoy hearing, and where those listeners are, advertisers will strive
to be as well. Listeners can hear the EFFORT that goes into creating
an engaging format - likewise, a listener can hear the LACK OF effort
put into a crappy automated AM talk station.
If you DON'T involve the listener, keep it fresh, give them part, or
give them a reason to continue listening, your station will fail.
DOESN'T MATTER WHAT FREQUENCY BAND, AM or FM. You want your station to
be 'the friend in your listener's pocket' that they take with them
wherever they go, and is EXACTLY how advertisers want your station to
be perceived, because their ads will be right there too. An AM station
should not let themselves become some faceless personality or robot
that can't make up its mind what it wants to do every year, what
frequency band the format should reside on, or God forbid - if they
should play some music once in a while (Darwin Long, -Empire, LA,
ibid.)
Re: > I am kinda curious... Where is AM still alive? It is still alive
in the USA by just the number of stations broadcasting. I seem to
observe it getting scarce in the Caribbean. Central America? South
America? Are all those Mexican stations still broadcasting? <
When my wife and I traveled to the Antarctic Peninsula and South
Georgia, Shetland, and Falkland Islands via Argentina last winter
[summer] on an ecotour expedition, there were loads of AM stations up
and down the dial audible broadcasting from Argentina, Chile, and the
Falkland Islands. Most played music, and had a mix of information and
news too. A couple stations in the Falklands (530 and 550) also had
BBC 4 News. Many of these stations could also be heard on the
Antarctic Peninsula during the couple hours that the sun dipped just
below the horizon providing all-night twilight.
Here in Louisiana USA, lots of Mexican AM stations come banging in
here at night with 'música y noticias', salsa, ranchera, nostalgia,
etc., even some pop and rock music in English. Of course day and
night, music and news stations from Cuba are also clearly audible.
AM broadcasting is definitely not 'dead' in most countries, but is in
fact a viable and relied-upon media service in those locations where
it is still treated as an equal to FM and TV.
On the other hand, here in the U.S., we have by far the most AM
stations on the air - in some years, we even manage to ADD a couple
new signals as new AM stations make deals with other AM broadcasters
to diplex through their same antenna array. We consider AM to be
'dead' in the USA when an individual AM station or a broadcast network
of AM stations chooses to fire their live on-air staff and turn to
satellite-fed, non-local programming that is aired day in and day out
- usually all talk shows about government politics and rants, sports
politics, or hour-long commercial programs about gimmicks,
pseudoscientific health-care products, and get-rich-quick programs,
instead of music, or high-quality bona-fide journalism.
In the very late 1980s through the 1990s, AM was killed by
broadcasters (not by listeners) by making these specific changes, in
addition to reducing audio quality through discontinuing AM stereo
modulation, and narrowing audio bandwidths to brick-wall 5 kHz (which
also causes a 'metallic chirping' style of adjacent-channel splatter).
HD will not revive AM unless:
A. Proper optimization of the HD signal is ensured (correct pre-
emphasis curve with use of stereo audio into the HD exciter, and the
exciter being set for high bitrate rather than low bitrate mode),
B. Portable radios have BOTH AM and FM HD, and most importantly,
C. ENGAGING PROGRAMMING aired to maximize the high-fidelity stereo
potential of AM-HD and to place it back up with FM. Tinny talk-radio
does AM-HD no justice.
The easiest way to revive AM is to break the norm and not consider it
a 'talk signal' anymore:
A. Run the AM station the exact same way you would a top-market FM
music station with regard to programming. This draws ad revenue. You
want high drive-time ratings, and high through-the-day ratings, too.
Companies tend to let people listen to mainstream music at reasonable
volumes in the workplace, but frequently frown on talkshows as to not
offend the political or religious views of other employees or clients.
This frequently happened at the last company I worked for.
B. With people having mobile devices nowadays, you want your station
live and interactive with listeners minute-by-minute rather than just
email, phone, or letters. Have Twitter and Facebook-based contests,
song ratings and requests, or feedback, opinion, or shoutouts read on-
air from such social media sites live as they come in. ENGAGE the
LISTENER.
C. Promote the station "As good as FM"
D. Offer HD or wideband analog-based stereo modulation and song-
tagging. People like tagging so they can plug their mobile device or
computer into their HD radio and download the songs form iTunes,
Amazon, etc. My wife has this option on her car radio, and it even
works on KBYU AM 1450 here in New Orleans (Darwin Long, Empire, LA,
ibid.)
Excellent points! You mean WBYU, as in bayou, not a Brigham Young
University station (Glenn Hauser, DXLD)
** U S A. 518, FLORIDA, NMA (USCG NAVTEX navigational aid), Miami.
1038 August 27, 2011. And continuing all day on spot checks with huge
open carrier. No data format transmissions detected until 0000 August
28, which would appear to match with Miami's schedule. Strong.
Tentatively the location, without closer DFing. New Orleans NMG is
also on 518. See
http://www.ndblist.info/navtex/worldNAVTEXcountryorder.pdf
for a downloadable and presumably very accurate list of NAVTEX
stations (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA, 27.55.83 N,
82.46.08 W, Abridged list of junk: JRC NRD-535; ICOM IC-R75;
Hammarlund HQ-180A; Aqua Guide 705 Radio Direction Finder; Sangean PR-
D5; Sony ICF-7600GR; GE SuperRadio III; RadioShack DX-399; 1 X roof
dipole; 1 X in-room random wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VATICAN [and non]. 9900, Aug 25 at 1224 open carrier with flutter,
hum; 1225 Russian tones on and off. 1230 Bells of St. Pete`s, VR theme
and opening Chinese, S9+20. HFCC shows 100 kW, 111 degrees via
Novosibirsk, RUSSIA, which is close to transpolar from here.
9645, Aug 19 at 0518, tune in to hear Finnish, a rare language these
days on SW, part of the undefined `Scandinavian` service of VR, better
called Nordic. Just in time to hear them switch to Latin for
``Laudetur Jesus Christus``, and cut the carrier at 0519:12*,
uncovering R. Bandeirantes, Brasil which had been making a hefty het,
always off-frequency a few hektoHz to the hi side. Another Vatican
service continued in the clear on 9660, English to Africa.
Current printed VR sked merely says `Scandinavian` daily 0500 on 9645,
7335, 1260 and 1611, followed at 0520 by Albanian on the MWs only.
This site is handy for checking out which stations are still
broadcasting in which languages:
http://www.addx.de/Hfpdat/plaene.php
Which now shows that indeed, Vatican Radio is the ONLY SW broadcaster
left in Finnish!
Von Bis ITU Sender Frequenzen/Relais/Bemerkungen
---------------------------------------------------------------------
0500 0520 CVA R. Vatikan Mo&Sa 1260 1611 6185 7335
1840 1900 CVA R. Vatikan Fr&So 1260 1611 6185 7355
Altho dated 15.08.2011, this is obviously outdated winter info with
6185 instead of 9645! We usually find misleadingly outdated info in
this reference, unfortunately.
VR has its work cut out for it, as the World Almanac 2002 said that
the chief religion in Finland was Evangelical Lutheran, 89%, not even
bothering to count the Catholix.
Not even CRI uses Finnish (on SW anyway), per WRTH, tho they have a
sweet deal to invade Europe thru a front company based in Finland,
Radio 86; see the recent Media Network blog item.
15570, Aug 31 at 1742, heavily African-accented English discussion
among three voices, fair-poor and could only understand snippets, not
helped by one of my cable DTV boxes putting bubble jamming right on
15570; unplugged two of them, but must be yet another responsible.
Thought I might have some neat or new clandestine, so kept straining
to copy it. 1749 mentions UN office, bells and drums, ``communications
update``. 1756 closing until ``next week at the same time`` a
discussion on the relationship between radio administration and
listeners, or something like that. Just got in a ``Laudetur Jesus
Christus`` and a few notes of the Vatican Radio IS before chopped off
the air at 1757*. So that`s all it is, one of VR`s direct-from-SMG
frequencies, listed // 13765 and 11625, English daily at 1730 i.a.
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
** VENEZUELA. 4940 kHz, RADIO AMAZONAS INTERNACIONAL, Tarjeta QSL, v/s
Jorge García Rangel, QSL Manager. Informe enviado por vía postal:
Calle Roma, Qta. Costa Rica No. A-16, Urbanización Alto Barinas.
Barinas 5201. Venezuela. Demoro: 588 dias* Imágenes y más en
http://dxdesdecolombia.blogspot.com Buenos DX, (Rafael Rodríguez R.,
Bogotá D.C. - COLOMBIA, Aug 27, condiglist yg via DXLD)
Inactive, probably ever since his report in 2009; when on, it would be
distorted and way off-channel (gh, DXLD)
** ZAMBIA. 5915, ZNBC/Radio 1, 0242-0305, August 24, tune-in to Fish
Eagle IS. Choral National Anthem at 0254. Vernacular announcements at
0256. Local tribal music. Weak to very weak levels (Brian Alexander,
Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg
via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 1610 Pirate? Was listening to 1610 with Powell Way and
Bob Smoak in SC. It appears there is a pirate station on 1610 and is
heard in Crump, TN as well. We need to figure out who this is. There
is a white woman speaking between black gospel music (Kevin Redding,
Crump, TN, 0257 UT Aug 31, ABDX via DXLD)
There is a local Black Gospel Pirate in Greenville, SC on 1610 at
times. They use the liner "Keeping it Crunk for Christ". They were
also on 102.7 FM for a while. If it was IDing as "Joy Gospel Radio",
it is the Pirate on 1610 in Daytona Florida. Are you SURE you heard a
Pirate? Caribbean Beacon is back on the 50 KW Transmitter after being
on the 5 KW Backup for YEARS. 73, (Kevin Raper, KJ4HYD, CE WCKI WQIZ
WLTQ, ABDX via DXLD)
Wow, WHKR 102.7 is a pretty strong in Daytona even though it is 60
miles away. If I were a pirate, I'd choose a different frequency.
Violating federal law for Christ. Contemptable. Ichabod. Their church
and ministry is dead. What next - hooking for Christ? Gambling for
Christ? Dealing drugs for Christ? (Bruce Carter, ibid.)
No No, the 102.7 MHz Pirate was in Greenville, South Carolina. It was
right in the HD-Radio Sidebands of WMYI-FM. I am friends with the WMYI
Chief Engineer.
> Violating federal law for Christ. Contemptable. Ichabod. Their
church and ministry is dead. What next - hooking for Christ? Gambling
for Christ? Dealing drugs for Christ?
Don't ask, they just might do it! LOL. 73, (Kevin Raper, KJ4HYD, CE
WCKI WQIZ WLTQ, ibid.)
UNIDENTIFIED. 3975, August 28, 0020-0028 recitation of Kor`an
alternating male in short Arabic announcements. Statics, 35433. 73
(Lucio Otavio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil, SW40 - Dipoles and Longwire,
dxldyg via DXLD)
This one has been causing quite a sensation in Argentina among the
condiglisteros – surely is Azad Kashmir Radio, Islamabad, as in Aoki
(gh, DXLD) See also KASHMIR [non]; INDONESIA
UNIDENTIFIED. 5785.00, 21/08 2218-2227, 22222, trato de ajustar la
frecuencia por LSB y USB, imposible, pero al colocarlo en AM, entiendo
que se trata de un programa deportivo y hablan de los equipos de
Bolivia. Es difícil escucharlo; finalmente dicen Panamericano
deportivo. Luego continúan hablando sobre equipos de Bolivia;
finalmente agradecen la asistencia de escucha del Panamericano
deportivo y dan un slogan; apenas entiendo al final... ``la radio que
a todos llega``. La señal se desvaneció a las 2226.
NOTA: Informo que es 5785, por ser la frecuencia que al ponerla con
los dos decimales, se prendía la señal del radio que me indicaba la
sintonía conforme. Puede ser un armónico o una espuria (tnx H.
Klemetz) (Pedro F. Arrunátegui, Lima, Aug El Chasqui DX, via Dario
Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6048.5, 1658 August 28, 2011. Getting a very weak AM
open carrier about here. Still no trace of HCJB, Ecuador late-morning
or on the old 1900 sign-on time (though active later). And they are
always on frequency, so doubt this is them. Audible on multiple
receivers. Likewise, I'm still not detecting Radio Amanecer on 6025
variable (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA, 27.55.83 N,
82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. [Re 11-34] 6075.73, 0314, Aug 28, weak carrier audible
up to 0359:48 when co-channel DW appeared. Seems very late
for a (tentative) Bolivian so perhaps this is only some kind of spur
after all? (Martien Groot, Schoorl, Netherlands /TenTec RX-340, 30 m.
longwire, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6183.0, Aug 29 at 1220, steady CW beeps are QRMing China
on 6185, at the rate of 48 per minute; they sound slightly irregular
(Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6768.0 is today`s spot for the `mutant open carrier` as
Terry Krueger calls them, Aug 29 at 1220, along with some hum, and
bits of audio, maybe just nearby SSB QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) earlier:
UNIDENTIFIED. 6780, big OC back as I type; In Okie? Terry L Krueger
Clearwater, Florida, USA, 27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, 0100 UT Aug 27, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Did not see your msg till an hour later. Yes, there it is, 6780 at
0205, but not as I type, as the computers and TVs are noisy, so I
stepped out onto the porch with portable. Hope you can keep monitoring
for signs of modulation (Glenn Hauser, OK, to Terry, via DXLD)
Good to see this making it well past Florida. Mostly +10 on multiple
shitty S-meters as I type, 0215+. I'm hoping it's something Max
Headroom ultimately returning (Terry Krueger, ibid.)
6780 mystery OC up again, Noted 1915+ today 8/27 (Terry L Krueger
Clearwater, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
6780, 0020-0350 and 1915 August 27-28, 2011. The mystery big AM open
carrier station that randomly pops up continues. Noted through 0350
tune-out, but gone just after 0500 re-check. It wasn't on during 1030-
1200 checks, but already on next check at 1915, and still there at
2350, often almost pegging the S-meter day and night. Gerry Bishop,
briefly visiting southern California, had it at fair level on a Kaito
portable around 0315, and Glenn Hauser was able to hear it on a
portable at 0205 in Oklahoma. Much closer, David Crawford in
Titusville, FL hears it well and Paul Zecchino, a few miles south of
me on Manasota Key, hears it very strong. Rolling into GMT August 28:
still on 0055 and 0220 checks, off 0302 recheck. But not active during
sporadic 1100-1700 checks (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida, USA,
27.55.83 N, 82.46.08 W, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also 6768
UNIDENTIFIED. 6924.7 AM, Aug 28 at 0418 weak music from some pirate,
and this off-frequency is often the spot, single transmitter? Compared
it to a weak carrier from a non-pirate on 5925, presumably 5925.0,
registered as Lampertheim (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 6925.0 SSB, Aug 28 at 1234, loop of ``who let the dog
out?`` and barking, weak in noise level. Seems I have heard this
before on a pirate, but can`t find it previously reported. Matched a
carrier on 5925 from a non-pirate, so on-frequency unlike the 6924.7
AM unID earlier. At this hour 5925 would be CNR Beijing (Glenn Hauser,
OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. Hi Everyone, Not sure if already reported. This am 0730
UT on 9696.9 kHz 25/8/11, R Rio Mar possibly off frequency; I cannot
make out any ID although one may be there. Earlier what sounded like
football commentary, this is what I heard
http://www.box.net/shared/k5lz3x7avjycl1nci1sj
(Mark Davies, Anglesey, Wales, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Note: following items are in chrono rather than strict frequency
order, apparently dealing with the same variable transmission:
UNIDENTIFIED. Re 11-34, unID 9876+: Heavy BUZZ signal 9882.35 kHz at
1400-1545 Aug 24, and today Aug 25 on approx. peak 9895.5 kHz ---
DXers in S Asia and Far East, please check and help to identify around
1400-1545 UT: 9891 to 9901 kHz range, buzzy like FM noise signal, Unid
PAK / IND signal? 73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, Aug 25, dxldyg via DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Maybe some utility transmission? Centered today on 9882.3 kHz. R.
Pakistan on usual 7455 kHz, 0.4 kHz above. 6235 kHz not listed in the
WRTH update. 73, (Mauno Ritola, 1538? UT Aug 24, via WB, DXLD)
Maybe some utility transmission? Centered today Aug 24 on 9882.3 kHz.
R. Pakistan on usual 7455 kHz, 0.4 kHz above. 6235 kHz not listed in
the WRTH update. I am listening to it now. It is now (Aug 25) much
clearer than yesterday, almost understandable, as good in FM as AM.
Today nothing on 7455.04 kHz. Could not hear ID, but I think they
started news at 1446 UT, so R. Pakistan looks very probable (Mauno
Ritola, Finland, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Aug 27 via DXLD)
Noise signal on peak 9882.3 stopped at 1545 UT today. 73 (Büschel, Aug
24, ibid.)
Well, that would certainly point to Pakistan c/d, but even their
program schedule doesn't list a 2nd frequencuy and nothing there at
the start of the season. S/on needs to be checked. 73, (Mauno, Aug 24,
ibid.)
Today noted on 9891 to 9901 kHz - peak at approx. 9895.5 kHz, 1415 UT
Aug 25. 73 wolfy (Büschel, ibid.)
Sch ..., I missed the s/on check at 1345! Yes, I saw you on my rx just
a while ago and am listening to it now. It is now much clearer than
yesterday, almost understandable, as good in FM as AM. Today nothing
on 7455,04 kHz. 73, (Mauno, Aug 25, ibid.)
Re: 9876 to 9891, peak 9884 kHz at 1400-1545: Could not hear ID, but I
think they started news at 1446, so R. Pakistan looks very probable.
73, (Mauno, Aug 25, ibid.)
I heard also mentioning Pakistan in the news from 1530-1535 UT approx.
Hymn heard at 1543:55 UT, end of program at 1544:45 UT. TX was not
stable/steady, frequency wandered from 9891 to 9901 kHz - peak approx.
9895.5 at 1415 UT to approx. 9897.5 at 1535 UT, 9891 to 9905 kHz
range. Couldn't find any local Islamabad FM on web-livestream to
compare of R Pakistan Foreign service. vy73 (Büschel, Aug 25, ibid.)
They are apparently talking about the scheduled Pashto service at
1345-1445, Dari 1445-1545, back in WRTH 2011 on 6235 (gh, DXLD)
Another FM BUZZ like vagabonding transmitter heard tonight 2230 UT Aug
26, with BUZZ audio. 9861.5 to 9867.5 kHz, peak approx. 9864.5 kHz 73
wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
FM like distorted buzzy signal on 31 mb -- Missed on Friday Aug 26th,
but appears probably today Aug 27 again, logged at 1400-1430 UT on
9865 to 9871 kHz. 73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, 1428 UT Aug 27, DX
LISTENING DIGEST)
Have you heard it again? Nothing here now at 2150. 73, (Mauno Ritola,
Finland, Aug 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Didn`t check that lately anymore. vy73 (Wolfy, 0719 Aug 30, ibid.)
UNIDENTIFIED. New UNIDentified txions in Tigrigna or Amharic or Oromo:
1500-1600 on 15730 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF
1500-1530 on 15790 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF
1700-1800 on 15750 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF
1730-1800 on 15770 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF
73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) KCH = PRIDNESTROVYE
1500-1600 on 15730 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF on August 29 & 30
1500-1530 on 15790 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF on August 30 only
1700-1800 on 15750 KCH 300 kW / 170 deg to EaAF on August 29 & 30
Please help me! 73! Ivo (via Mauno Ritola, DXLD)
I think rather to Ethiopia, can't quite get the ID: Here's the ending
announcement from yesterday. Apparently also 15790 1500-1600 & 15770
1700-1800? (Mauno Ritola, ibid.)
UNIDENTIFIED. 15750, Aug 25 at 1242, Family Radio again here with
address in English; still waiting for HFCC and other listings to catch
up with this new transmission first heard yesterday; site? (Glenn
Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
Re 15750, gh`s unid new YFR relay: Probably could be from CIS/Asian
site? Audio contained a slight BUZZ tone. Other YFR outlets on
shortwave at 12-13 UT on 11725P.K, 11850TAC, 11895IRK, 13820KAZ,
15490NVS.
15750.0, noted on Aug 27 in 12-13 UT slot, S=7 on remote SDR unit in
JPN, at S=9+20dB level in Netherlands and Finland remote SDR rx units.
ID at 1255 UT, fanfare music at 1255 til 1258:55 UT, then closing
annmt, "Treasures from the Bible" program in English, cut fanfare ID
audio at 1300:03, tx off air at 1300:19 UT Aug 27 (Glenn Hauser-OK-
USA, dxld Aug 27 [sic]) Oops, as obvious from style, those were wb`s
own observations, not mine! (gh, DXLD)
Test transmissions of WYFR Family Radio
1100-1300 on 15750 tentative A-A 200 kW / 132 deg to SoEaAS
1400-1500 on 7530 tentative ERV 300 kW / 125 deg to SoAS, ex 1700-
1800 on 15185
73! (Ivo Ivanov, Sofia, Bulgaria, Aug 28, with Aug 27 audio clips, DX
LISTENING DIGEST) A-A = Alamaty, KAZAKHSTAN; ERV = Gavar, ARMENIA
15750, Aug 30 at 1241, new YFR relay still here with hymn, 1244 in
English, reference familyradio.com. Ivo Ivanov tentatively assigns
this to Almaty, KAZAKHSTAN, at 11-13, testing 200 kW, 132 degrees to
SE Asia, along with another new YFR test, 14-15 on 7530 tentatively
Gavar, Armenia, 300 kW, 125 degrees to S Asia which I have not heard
(Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DX LISTENING DIGEST)
UNIDENTIFIED. 21520, Chinese talk at 0610, 23/8. Very good with only
slight noise and fading. No trace in Aoki or HFCC and // with 21600
and 2165 [sic], also unidentified! (Dennis Allen, Milperra NSW (Icom
R75, Realistic DX160, Dipole, Sept Australian DX News via DXLD)
See recent discussion in DXLD: R. Free Asia, probably via NMI has been
frequency-hopping, to avoid ChiCom jamming, but as usual you have to
be careful not to confuse it with CNR1 when it catches up (gh, DXLD)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS
++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thanks to Kent D. Murphy, N Martinsville WV for a contribution to P O
Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1580)
A very special thanks to Glenn Hauser for his punctual Short-Wave and
Medium Wave propagation and reception reports. Some 'very' helpful
material for those who are straining their ears to hear those faint
flickering signals off in the unseeable distance. Fantastic work
Glenn! I trust you will continue to keep the listeners of SW and MW
informed for many eons to come. You are appreciated OM (Duane, W8DBF,
Fischer, moderator, SWL at qth.net)
Glenn, I cannot tell you how much we all appreciate your long time
service in our shared discipline. Thank you very much (Frank Mezek,
AZ, Via Rick Barton)
CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
READING INTERNATIONAL RADIO GROUP
The next meeting of the Reading International Radio Group will be on
Saturday September 3 in Room 3, Reading International Solidarity
Centre, 35-39 London Street, Reading at 2.30 p.m.
The meeting will include a look at Geoffrey Pidgeon's book `The Secret
Wireless War`, in particular the voluntary interception service many
radio amateurs were involved in during World War Two, newly researched
material on pre-war offshore and pirate broadcasters, the role of
international and domestic radio in the 1991 Soviet coup, as well as
other current and historical radio related items and audio extracts.
All are welcome. For more information email me or phone 01462 643899
(Mike Barraclough, England, Aug 28, worlddxclub yg via DXLD)
SW EVENT ORGANIZERS EXPAND THEIR BRIEF – HFCC DALLAS SEPTEMBER 12-16
Radio World on 08.30.2011
http://www.rwonline.com/article/sw-event-organizers-expand-their-brief/24234
The use of other platforms among shortwave broadcasters is a touchy
subject for true believers. But for many in the shortwave world, the
use of FM, online and other media is simple reality.
One manifestation of that shift: The approaching B11 HFCC/ASBU
shortwave broadcasters conference in Dallas, Sept. 12–16, has
announced an expansion of its agenda.
The High-Frequency Coordination Conference is a semi-annual gathering
at which shortwave broadcast frequency schedules are coordinated.
These meetings been going on since 1989 but this will be the first one
in the United States. “B11” refers to the broadcast season that runs
from October 2011 to March 2012.
Event organizers say the time has come to start addressing additional
modes of delivering messages. Chairman of the HFCC Oldrich Cip
recently wrote: “The merits of broadband delivery of media through the
Internet or via mobile devices in comparison with the traditional
delivery of TV and sound radio from terrestrial transmitters are
frequently on the agenda of meetings and discussions of domestic
broadcasters and broadcasting unions.
“Such an in-depth debate has been missing in international
broadcasting circles. We are now ready to provide a forum and
environment for such discussions.”
He continued: “We have accepted the fact that what was only one
program distribution method only about 20 years ago has now been
replaced by a multitude of technologies where media consumers and
listeners are offered a whole range of distribution platforms.”
Cip extended an invitation to the conference for those who had reduced
or stopped shortwave transmission and turned to alternative means.
Peter [sic] White, chairman of the National Association of Shortwave
Broadcasters, one of the co-sponsors of the conference, noted the many
“alternative delivery platforms” such as Internet, podcasts, local AM
and FM rebroadcasting and satellite.
But organizers also stressed that one of the major themes of the
conference will be the continuing importance of shortwave for
international broadcasting.
The conference is expected to draw delegates from some 40 countries;
it is co-sponsored by Texas-based transmitter maker Continental
Electronics, which will provide a factory tour.
Addresses are planned by Dr. Dowell Chow, president of Adventist World
Radio; Lauren Libby, president of Trans World Radio; and Charles
Caudill, president of World Christian Broadcasting (via Artie Bigley,
DXLD)
EDXC ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN BULGARIA
EDXC 2011 was held on 18 through 21 [August] at Melnik in Bulgaria,
which is 176 km South of Sofia. We enjoyed nice presentation on Radio
Travel in Northern Part of India and in Bhutan by Anker Petersen; The
Austrian DX- Club ADXB-OE. Organization, activities, etc. by Harald
Suess; The Finnish Delegates report on different subjects; latest news
from DX-Finland, etc.
EDXC meeting to discuss the future. DX Clubs present give their views
on the future. I also had a chance to talk about Radio connection in
which radio performed miracle roles to connect the people and our club
activities after 3/11 earthquake in Japan.
We also had excursion by bus: Melnik - Sandanski - Macedonian border
"Zlatarevo". Many people accomplished two new countries to visit.
After Melnik we returned to Sofia and visited Radio Bulgaria on 22th,
Monday. Ms. Rossitsa and Mr. Alexander Markov of English Section gave
us internal tour of the station. Rossitsa invited us to Evening
performance of China National Radio's Childrens' Choir. They did a
splendid performance and demonstrated their well trained level and
excellent talent. In their performance two Japanese songs were sung
which was very impressive to me.
Mr. Tibor Szilagyi, Secretary General of EDXC and his supporters did
an excellent job to make this annual conference so successful. This is
all for this month (Toshi Ohtake,Japan Short Wave Club, JSWC, P.O.Box
44, Kamakura 248-8691, Japan, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD)
PUBLICATIONS
++++++++++++
SHORTWAVE RECEIVERS, PAST AND PRESENT
Universal Radio distributes a monthly newsletter, Universal Sales-
Alert. The August 2011 edition offers some very good books which are
hard to find; only one copy of each. This is intended for our members
in the USA. Use the toll free number 800 431-3939.
The masterpiece of Fred Osterman is the book, Shortwave Receivers,
Past and Present, Communications Receivers 1942-1997, Third Edition.
It describes only tabletop receivers. This is a coffeetable book, big,
heavy and thick. Fred Osterman was helped by many people: my name is
listed among the minor helpers. A useful reference and fascinating.
Fred Osterman printed many more copies than usual and every one was
sold. The order number is B201. The basic price is $49.95 and is worth
every penny. Do not buy the Second Edition. It is full of mistakes
(David Crystal, Israel, Sept World DX Club Contact via DXLD)
AMITIÉ RADIO, FRANCE
Hello everyone out there, This message is off-topic, though only
slightly. I'm sorry if I'm being a nuisance here, but I won't bother
you any further after this. I'm writing on behalf of a small group of
former members of the now defunct French DX club called Amitié Radio.
That club had existed for several decades, when - all of a sudden -
its founder and president (whose name I'd rather not mention here)
abruptly ceased all activities, and not only that, he also ran away
with the money, subscription fees and other assets.
You have to bear in mind that the club had, in its hayday, well over
1000 members and was the largest of its kind, not only in France but
in the whole French-speaking world. So the amount of money that was
embezzled was not trivial.
Yet when it happened there was very little reaction from the
membership as they had very little contact with one another,
everything being centralised in the hands of the president.
If I may mention my own example, when I subscribed I received
confirmation that I was now a member, but nothing else. Meanwhile the
club had vanished into thin air and I was at a loss as to what to do.
That was several years ago.
But it so happened that a small group of former members found together
a couple of weeks ago and we decided to try and see if we could get
more former members to join us, not that we expect to get our money
back - that would require a lawsuit, which is not fully in the spirit
of the DX-community, and also we do not underestimate the valuable
work the president had put in running the club almost single-handedly
for all those years either.
No, we just want to get the thing up and running again...
So that's why I'm writing this. So where are we going from here?
Well, it has been decided that we would start a mail reflector of our
own to let ex-members talk about what we could do, and about the way
we can bring the club back to life.
So if you were a member of Amitié Radio, would you please subscribe to
the mailing-list called "amrad". To do so send an email to:
"amrad-request@ ml.free.fr", with the word "subscribe" on the subject
line.
If you weren't a member but know someone who was, would you please let
them know about this. Thank you all for bearing with me, and once
again sorry for bothering you with this.
(Underneath, a short summary in French.)
André Coville
Paris - France
coville@rfnet.org
-----------
Bonjour à tous, Si vous avez été membre du club Amitié Radio et si
vous avez été, comme moi, la victime des agissements de son président,
ou simplement si vous souhaitez que le club renaisse de ses cendres,
je vous invite à nous rejoindre en adhérant à notre liste de
diffusion.
Envoyez à "amrad-request@ ml.free.fr" un message avec comme sujet le
mot "subscribe" pour nous rejoindre.
Si vous n'étiez pas membres mais connaissez des personnes qui l'on
été, veuillez leur faire part de ce message. D'avance merci.
André, Alain, Olivier et les autres... (ODXA yg Aug 27 via DXLD)
MUSEA
+++++
1934 NEWSREEL: NORWICH RADIO PIRATE CLOSED DOWN
Fascinating 1934 newsreel spotted by KC on the Garry Stevens board:
Brothers Gerald and Wilfred Barker of Norwich are forced to close
their radio station down by the BBC: they recount the tale.
First pirate radio station closed down by post office authorities.
http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//BHC_RTV/1934/03/08/BGX407190461/?s
(Mike Barraclough, England, Aug 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)
INFOMERCIALS NOTHING NEW
If you think radio infomercials are a new thing, take a listen to this
from 1931. The program has a radio theme as well. Enjoy this bit of
broadcasting history.
http://tinyurl.com/3pfzgsq
(Dave Marthouse, 26 Aug, NRC-AM via DXLD)
WORLD RADIO CLUB FROM 31.5+ YEARS AGO
I have posted a vintage edition of World Radio Club from the BBC world
service dated February 22nd 1978 to my website if anyone is
interested. You will need to scroll down to track 46 of the player
from this link
http://www.southhertsradio.com/vintage.html
(Gary Drew, Cumbre DX via DXLD)
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
AMERICA'S BEST SELLING CAR TO OFFER HD RADIO
This story is taken from Sacbee / PR Newswire
America's Best Selling Car to Offer HD Radio™ Technology --- Toyota
Announces HD Radio Technology with iTunes® Tagging in the 2012 Camry
PUBLISHED WEDNESDAY, AUG. 24, 2011
COLUMBIA, Md., Aug. 24, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ --
What: Toyota announced today that they would be offering HD Radio
Technology with the popular iTunes® Tagging feature in their 2012
Camry model. The new vehicle along with HD Radio Technology will make
its debut at dealerships this fall.
19 automotive brands have announced that HD Radio Technology is or
will be available as a factory installed feature including Audi,
Bentley, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln,
Mercedes-Benz, MINI USA, Rolls-Royce, Scion, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota,
Volkswagen and Volvo.
Why: Automakers are continuing to embrace HD Radio Technology at a
rapid pace, offering consumers a variety of new and exciting stations
in crystal-clear digital sound, including on-screen information that
displays song titles and artist names. The popular iTunes® Tagging
feature is also continuing its rapid adoption with automakers.
Earlier this year, Toyota announced the adoption of HD Radio
Technology starting in 2011. Scion recently announced that they are
making the technology a standard feature with their 2012 audio
products.
Today, there are over 2,000 AM & FM stations broadcasting with HD
Radio Technology with more than 1,300 additional digital only FM
HD2/HD3/HD4 multicast channels sending new exciting programming.
To get a sense of the dynamic, fresh new formats on these HD2/HD3/HD4
channels, check out the full list here:
http://hdradio.com/#stationGuideWidgetry
Where: Your local auto dealerships nationwide.
When: Today (8/24/11)!
For more information, contact:
Steve Baldacci James DeRidder
Senior VP Marketing Director, OEM Marketing
iBiquity Digital Corporation iBiquity Digital Corporation
443-539-4340 248-537-3267
baldacci@ibiquity.com deridder@ibiquity.com
Note to editors: "HD Radio" and the "HD Radio" logo are proprietary
trademarks of iBiquity Digital Corp. The "HD" in HD Radio™ is part of
iBiquity Digital's brand name for its advanced digital AM/FM system.
It does not mean hybrid digital or high-definition digital; both of
these are incorrect. SOURCE iBiquity Digital (via Kevin Redding, Aug
24, ABDX via DXLD)
That is a stunning victory for the HD Radio Alliance. But the
celebration may be premature. If HD radio is offered as an option
instead of standard equipment - with the other option being satellite
or streaming, then I don't think consumers will prefer it.
If it is standard equipment - I doubt they will even know it is there
any more than millions of consumers didn't realize they had AM stereo
radios.
I am also concerned that the HD reception will be greatly compromised,
because at some point someone decided whip antennas were unsightly and
uncool. The present state of automotive antennas is very poor. Deep
fringe reception, even with after market radios, is impossible with
those little bitty antenna nubs that contain AM, FM, and satellite in
one little bump. I have no idea how they get any efficiency out of
them on FM, let alone AM. All they can do is amplify the ____ out of
the antenna and hope to get some gain on local and medium fringe
stuff.
When I went car shopping with my daughter last spring - we looked at
some pretty high end cars and radio reception sucked. Things that I
can get on a stock radio with a whip in two other vehicles are not
receivable at all - only locals and a few really strong AMs from
nearby cities are still there, but with a lot of static. I just don't
think those cute little antennas are up to the challenge of HD
reception, even with a power increase on FM HD.
When I told the dealer my 18 year old car with a Pioneer routinely
gets FM from 200 miles or more, and AM from over 300 - he was actually
astounded that it was possible. But only for a second. He told me that
radio is merely an afterthought in most car purchasing decisions, more
people interested in a "Bose or Dr. Dre speaker system" than in better
radio reception. And my daughter was only concerned with getting the
satellite radio activated as quickly as possible and getting an iPhone
hookup for streaming. These kids are tech savvy, although I doubt she
would have realized there were radio apps for the iPhone if I hadn't
told her. Once she heard the selection of stations - she was hooked on
streaming. Thank goodness for a grandfathered in unlimited data plan!
(Bruce Carter, TX, ABDX via DXLD)
DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See also CANADA; OKLAHOMA
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DTV-DX and The Sun?
I`ve noticed that my (fringe area) DTV reception almost always seems
to get better after sunset. During the day, the Hampton Roads (Drive,
VA) stations come and go at my OBX location, around 72 miles from the
towers. The VHF (Channels 7 and 13) stations almost never make it here
during the day. But at night, they do come in.
Now, I understand that sunset often brings on a thermal layering of
the atmosphere than promotes signal refraction and improves reception.
But I`m wondering if /something else/ might be at work at the same
time? Namely a reduction in electrical noise from /the sun/. It`s a
pretty well demonstrated fact that ATSC/8VSB signals suffer
degradation and attenuation from electrical interference. But I`m
wondering if the sun is putting out just enough electromagnetic noise
that it disrupts these /borderline/ digital signals. Once the sun is
over the horizon, wouldn`t a lot of its electromagnetic output also be
over the horizon too?
I know that VHF digital stations really have a hard time pushing
through the curtain of terrestrial electrical noise. Maybe they are
also fighting something slightly bigger. And maybe this is just
another argument for allowing such stations to increase their power
outputs so that they can seen and heard in fringe areas --- beyond the
70-mile `circle of grace` that seems to govern DTV reception now. At
least the stations might have a better chance of covering their old,
analog footprints.
So I`d be curious on your take on this theory. Hope all is well with
you and yours after the big storm. My house survived Irene with
minimal damage?a few dozen lost roof shingles. But many of my
neighbors with houses along Albemarle Sound and in Kitty Hawk really
suffered major flood damage. At least the power stayed on for most of
us on this island. Regards, Calvin A. Glover, Jr., Kill Devil Hills,
NC (via Mike Bugaj, WTFDA via DXLD)
RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM
+++++++++++++++++++++
POWER LINE NOISE
For the past few months, I have experienced terrible power-line noise
affecting the entire spectrum from the BCB up to the 10 meter amateur
band. Late in July I finally contacted my local power company (AEP-
PSO) for help. They were prompt in replying and appreciative of the
10-15 second recordings I made of the noise at various frequencies.
Literally the day a power company representative called to ask more
questions, the noise disappeared. It was likely due to the previous
few days of *glorious* rain we had. The power company representative,
Harry Simpson, asked some very good questions, specifically what
frequencies the noise was on, how strong the interference was on the
S-meter, what antenna(s) I used and what kind of receiver I used. He
gave me his cell phone number and asked me to call if/when the noise
returned.
Two weeks passed and this weekend the noise was especially terrible,
approaching S9+10 at times. I called Mr. Simpson this morning and was
surprised to learn he could be in my neighborhood this afternoon to
investigate! Late this afternoon, I received a voice mail from him. He
found not one, but *two* sources of interference 1/4 mile from my
house. He has initiated a work order for the hardware repair on both
sites and felt that the repairs ordered would resolve my problems.
There will be a delay in getting the work done because most AEP-PSO
crews are on the way to the east coast to help with the hurricane
damage.
I was *very* pleased with the response to my RFI complaint and, in
particular, Mr. Simpson's knowledge of RFI based on his radio-savvy
questions. He showed a genuine interest in getting the situation
resolved and obviously knows what RFI is and what it does to radio
reception and amateur radio activities. I know some folks have had
less than happy experiences dealing with power companies and RFI
complaints.
I had to pass along my extremely positive experience and encourage
others to contact their local power company for help and keep trying
until you contact someone that can help you (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO,
Tulsa, OK, Aug 29, ABDX via DXLD)
Bruce, That is great news. Pacific Power here in Clatsop County is
also very good. Several times they have helped me get rid of noise. In
fact, the last time fooled us all as the noise sounded like terrible
powerline noise, only to find it was an arcing electric fence 1 mile
down the road. The Pacific Power rep fixed the problem and left a note
for the owner in case it happened again. That was going beyond what
they needed to do. Pacific Power is one great company.
Several years ago we had the chance to vote for a PUD [public utility
district??] and it went down to defeat easily. The rates may be a bit
less, but with most PUDs in OR, when ever there is a power outage, you
wait and wait and wait to get the power back on as most PUDs have
little manpower and the Pacific Power people are often hired after
they get their customers back on [?]. Plus I have found driving around
in PUD areas, the powerline noise is often terrible. Great to know you
have a good company there too. 73, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, NRC-AM
via DXLD)
I had a totally different experience with the power company when I
lived in Lubbock. There was a fierce dust storm at the time, and
interference levels were extreme from the power line. I called twice
over a period of two days and got treated like I was an idiot. The
only way I got any action at all was to call the FCC office in Dallas.
The Lubbock power company repaired the problem within a couple of
hours after I called the FCC (Bruce Carter, TX, ABDX via DXLD)
I suspect the recordings helped as well as my specific descriptions of
the noise and location in the radio spectrum. Also, I made it a point
to include my amateur call sign in all my correspondence. RFI to any
radio service reported by a user of that service will likely be taken
seriously to avoid any FCC issues. The noise is still there this
morning but I can deal with it for now, knowing that it's on AEP-PSO's
"to-do" list (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, ibid.)
NOISE INTERFERENCE
I have mentioned noise interference before and it still rears its ugly
head. A friend of mine was getting line noise from telephone wire near
his antenna, so relocated it away from the source only to suffer power
line noise shortly afterward from his incoming 220v domestic supply. I
loaned him a 20Apm in-line filter which when installed at his consumer
(fuse) unit almost eliminated the problem. However it requires to be
80A to cater for full current capabilities for the house so he is
trying to source one now.
CAR RADIO SELF-INTERFERENCE
My car radio some time ago developed background ‘warbling’ toned
across medium and long waves, about every 20 kHz, still trying to
solve it, something in the engine electronics it seems. Strangely I
have heard it on diesel and petrol versions of the Nissan Micra.
CAN A STATION LOCK A RADIO ONTO IT?
A very strange phenomenon happens on the same car radio too. If I am
listening to Newstalk Radio (ca 106 to 108 MHz) and switch that radio
off, the next time it is still on Newstalk as tuned in but I then
cannot change it, i.e. trying to select another preset button or
manually tuned. It is locked to Newstalk and I have to unlock it by
cycling through FM-MW-LW and back to FM again.
I initially thought that the button position had a fault, but putting
Newstalk into any other FM button, even from a different frequency,
meant is was still locked. Seems that Newstalk are able to transmit
some signal with theirs that locks you into their signals! I have so
far been unable to get an explanation s and never heard anything like
it before!
RTTY, SSB, DRM ON BROADCAST BANDS
I continue to hear incursions into the shortwave bands by RTTY, fish-
fone SSB, data and other signals often on some of the now clear
channels since so many broadcasters have left the airwaves.
Particularly I note RTTY on 7254, 7274 and 7338 kHz. SSB trawlers are
liable to spring up anywhere with their variable frequency selection
but usually do not interfere with BC stations. Of course for many
years BC stations have operated ‘out-of-band’ clear frequencies in
other sub-bands, mil-air, point-to-point, and other non-broadcast
areas under a ‘non-interference’ basis. However I wish that the
wideband DRM transmissions were given their own sub-bands to play in.
DRM seems to be dying a death, just like single-sideband reduced
carried mode of some years ago (HCJB and a few others used it for a
while). Nothing like a well modulated clean AM signal on a clear
frequency (all: Des Walsh, Ireland, Sept World DX Club Contact via
DXLD)
COMO IDENTIFICAR O TIPO DE TRANSMISSÃO DE DADOS VIA RÁDIO?
Dentre outros, no site da UDXF há um banco de dados muito interessante
nesse aspecto, veja:
http://www.nonstopsystems.com/radio/radio-sounds.html
Neste site você encontra também "samples" mp3 de modos e (o que é
interessante), de sons de interferências (QRM), como TV de plasma,
LCD, PLC e outros:
http://www.iarums-r1.org/iarums/sound/main.html
Forte 73 (Fabricio PP5002SWL Silva, Tubarão - SC, 29 Aug, radioescutas
yg via DXLD)
CODAR RADAR ON 24 MHZ STOPPED
Southgate August 25, 2011
The Codar HF Radar on 24920 - 25080 kHz from Northern Italy has been
stopped. A further example for an effective cooperation!
Many thanks to DJ9KR, G4BOH and 9A5W for assistance and of course
grateful words to the British PTT (OFCOM) and the German PTT (BNetzA)
for excellent bearings and help.
We will observe this band daily in the future, hoping that the Radar
will not come back again.
DK2OM
Coordinator IARUMS Region 1
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2011/codar_radar_on_24mhz_stopped.htm
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
GPS JAMMING EXERCISES: See U K
TOWER JUMPING [Finland]
Southgate August 26, 2011
The tower at the Amateur Radio station OH8X is 330 feet high but it's
not just used for transmitting, people jump from it as well.
Radio Arcala, OH8X, is a team of amateur radio operators dedicating
their best efforts to novel areas of their avocation. Their home base
is located in the middle of nowhere near the Arctic Circle. There you
can find a pretty massive antenna array, one of a kind.
Total height 100m (330ft)
Total weight 39,000kg (80,000lbs)
Antennas 1.8MHz 3-el & 3.5MHz 5-el yagis
Boom lengths 71m (215ft) & 60m (200ft)
One midsummer weekend three lucky men received permission to use the
antenna tower for something completely different.
Base jumping at Radio Arcala is strictly forbidden without permission.
Watch Radio Arcala base jump
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS3fQtSKCTw
OH8X
http://radioarcala.com/
http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2011/jumping_from_the_oh8x_tower.htm
(via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD)
PROPAGATION see also DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV
+++++++++++
SUNSPOT BREAKTHROUGH
NASA Science News for August 25, 2011
A new breakthrough in sunspot detection could provide days of extra
early warning for strong solar storms. FULL STORY at
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/25aug_sunspotbreakthrough/
(via Mike Terry, Horacio Nigro, dxldyg via DXLD)
PROPAGATION OUTLOOK FROM PRAGUE
ONDREJOV : Weekly Forecasts Bulletin Geomagnetic activity forecast
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _
Solar-activity forecast for the period Aug 26 - Sep 1, 2011
Activity level: very low to low
Radio flux (10.7 cm): a fluctuation in the range 110-85 f.u.
Flares: weak (3-12/day)
Relative sunspot number: in the range 30-65
Astronomical Institute, Solar Dept., Ondrejov, Czech Republic
e-mail: sunwatch(at) asu.cas.cz
(RWC Prague)
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _
Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period Aug 26 to Sep 1, 2011
quiet: Aug 26, 30, 31 and Sep1
quiet to unsettled: Aug 29
unsettled: Aug 27 and 28
active: 0
minor storm: 0
major storm: 0
severe storm: 0
Geomagnetic activity summary:
geomagnetic field was quiet from Aug 18 to 22,
quiet to unsettled on Aug 24, unsettled on Aug 23.
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:
quiet: Aug 29 - 30, Sep 5 - 6, 8 - 9, 13 - 15, 17
mostly quiet: Aug 28, Sep 3, 7, 12, 16, 18, 20
quiet to unsettled: Aug 27, 31, Sep 4, 11
quiet to active: Aug 26, Sep 19
quiet to minor storm: Sep 2, 10
quiet to major storm: Sep 1
mostly unsettled: -
unsettled to active: -
unsettled to minor storm: -
active to minor storm: -
active to major storm: -
minor to major storm: -
Survey: quiet: Aug 18 - 19, 21,
mostly quiet: Aug 20, 23
quiet to unsettled: Aug 16 - 17, 22
quiet to active: Aug 23
quiet to minor storm: -
quiet to major storm: -
mostly unsettled: -
unsettled to active: -
unsettled to minor storm: -
active to minor storm: -
active to major storm: -
minor to major storm: -
Notices:
High probability of changes in solar wind which may caused
changes in magnetosphere and ionosphere is expected about
Aug 26, 31, Sep (8 - 10,) 11 (- 12), 18.
Days in brackets refer to a lower probability of possible
activity enhancements depending on previous development
on the Sun.
F. K. Janda (OK1HH), Czech Propagation Interested Group; e-mail:
ok1hh(at)rsys. cz (via Dario Monferini, Aug 25, playdx yg via DXLD)
CYCLE 24 LETHARGIC
Do you think Cycle 24 is weaker and still progressing slower than
previous solar cycles? You are correct. For a comparison of Cycles 21,
22, 23 and 24, check
http://www.solen.info/solar/cyclcomp.html
(QST de W1AW, Propagation Forecast Bulletin 34 ARLP034, From Tad Cook,
K7RA, Seattle, WA August 26, 2011, To all radio amateurs, via Dave
Raycroft, ODXA yg via DXLD)
Are HF conditions improving at last?
In the last few weeks whilst monitoring 25 MHz and above I have
noticed that signals are propagating more often on these higher
frequencies. They are still very variable not only from day to day ,
but during the course of each day too. Even the 21 MHz band varies
quite a lot.
Radio Maria 26.0 MHz is heard about every second day for a little time
with weak ca S2 signals at most, no DRM lately though. The 26.1 to
26.95 MHz band has some strong patterns of tone and/or digital signals
on a number of frequencies: 26.135, 26.2, 26.35, 26.45, 26.635, 26.935
MHz and other frequencies. There seem to be multiple transmitters on
these frequencies but I do not know their location or use, maybe
paging.
Of course CBers are to be found all over the place when conditions
improve, from 25.635 MHz up to the edge of the 28 MHz amateur band and
even a few channels around 28.4 MHz. Most are AM with the usual beep
at end of transmission (Des Walsh, Ireland, Sept World DX Club Contact
via DXLD)
Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to unsettled levels on 22 - 25
August due to a weak coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Activity
decreased to mostly quiet levels for the remainder of the period.
FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 31 AUGUST-26 SEPTEMBER 2011
Solar activity is expected to be very low to low throughout 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 normal to moderate levels from 31 August - 03
September. The flux is expected to increase to moderate to high levels
during 04 - 09 September due to CH HSS effects. Normal to moderate
flux levels are expected during 10 - 11 September. A return to
moderate to high flux levels is expected on 13 - 14 September
following a second CH HSS. Normal to moderate levels are expected from
15 - 25 September. Moderate to high flux levels are expected on 26
September due to effects of another CH HSS. Geomagnetic field activity
is expected to be at mostly quiet levels during 31 August - 02
September. Activity is expected to increase to quiet to unsettled
levels, with isolated active periods, during 03 - 05 September as a CH
HSS disturbs the field. Quiet levels are forecast for 06 - 10
September. An increase to quiet to unsettled levels is expected during
11 - 12 September due to another CH HSS. Predominately quiet levels
are expected for the remainder of the period with the exception of 18
- 19 September and 24 - 25 September, when quiet to unsettled levels
are expected due to recurrent CH HSS effects.
:Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt
:Issued: 2011 Aug 30 1656 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 2011-08-30
#
# UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest
# Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index
2011 Aug 31 95 5 2
2011 Sep 01 95 5 2
2011 Sep 02 95 5 2
2011 Sep 03 95 10 3
2011 Sep 04 95 8 3
2011 Sep 05 95 5 2
2011 Sep 06 92 5 2
2011 Sep 07 86 5 2
2011 Sep 08 85 5 2
2011 Sep 09 85 5 2
2011 Sep 10 90 5 2
2011 Sep 11 92 8 3
2011 Sep 12 95 12 3
2011 Sep 13 100 8 3
2011 Sep 14 100 5 2
2011 Sep 15 100 5 2
2011 Sep 16 103 5 2
2011 Sep 17 103 5 2
2011 Sep 18 105 7 2
2011 Sep 19 105 7 2
2011 Sep 20 105 5 2
2011 Sep 21 105 5 2
2011 Sep 22 105 5 2
2011 Sep 23 103 5 2
2011 Sep 24 100 7 2
2011 Sep 25 100 7 2
2011 Sep 26 98 5 2
(SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1580, DXLD) ###