DX LISTENING DIGEST 18-38, September 17, 2018 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 2018 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html [also linx to previous years] 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 1948 contents: Australia, Canada, Cuba and non, Europe, France, India, Indonesia, International Waters and non, Isle of Man and non, Korea South & North, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, USA, Vatican, Vietnam non; NRC Pattern Book; and the propagation outlook SHORTWAVE AIRINGS of WORLD OF RADIO 1948, September 18-25, 2018 Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 [confirmed] Tue 2030 WRMI 5950 7780 [confirmed on 7780 only] Tue 2330 WBCQ 9330v [not aired] Wed 1030 WRMI 5950 Wed 2100 WRMI 9955 [confirmed] Wed 2100 WBCQ 7490v [confirmed] Wed 2330 WBCQ 9330v [not aired] Thu 2330 WBCQ 9330v [maybe] Fri 2330 WBCQ 9330v [maybe] Sat 0630 HLR 6190-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio Sat 1231 WINB 9265 via Unique Radio Sat 1431 HLR 6190-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio Sat 1930v WA0RCR 1860-AM Sat 2130 WBCQ 9330v [maybe, or 2330?] Sun 0310v WA0RCR 1860-AM Sun 1030 HLR 9485-CUSB Hamburger Lokalradio Sun 2130 WRMI 7780 Sun 2330 WBCQ 9330v [maybe] Mon 0300v WBCQ 5130v-AM Area 51 Mon 0330 WRMI 9955 Mon 0400 WRMI webcast only Mon 2330 WBCQ 9330v [maybe] Tue 0030 WRMI 7730 [or #1949?] Tue 2030 WRMI 5950, 7780 [or #1949?] 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 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS: Tnx to Dr Harald Gabler and the Rhein-Main Radio Club. http://www.rmrc.de/index.php/rmrc-audio-plattform/podcast/glenn-hauser-wor ALTERNATIVE PODCASTS, tnx Stephen Cooper: http://shortwave.am/wor.xml ANOTHER PODCAST ALTERNATIVE, tnx to Keith Weston: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GlennHausersWorldOfRadio NOW tnx to Keith Weston, also Podcasts via iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/glenn-hausers-world-of-radio/id1123369861 AND via Google Play Music: http://bit.ly/worldofradio OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org DAY-BY-DAY ARCHIVE OF GLENN HAUSER`S LOG REPORTS: Unedited, uncondensed, unchanged from original version, many of them too complex, minutely researched, multi-frequency, opinionated, inconsequential, off-topic, or lengthy for some log editors to manage; and also ahead of their availability in these weekly issues: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/index.php?topic=Hauser IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!! WOR IO GROUP: Effective Feb 4, 2018, DXLD yg archive and members have been migrated to this group: https://groups.io/g/WOR [there was already an unrelated group at io named dxld!, so new name] From now on, the io group is primary, where all posts should go. One may apply for membership, subscribe via the above site. DXLD yahoogroup: remains in existence, and members are free to COPY same info to it, as backup, but no posts should go to it only. They may want to change delivery settings to no e-mail, and/or no digest. The change was necessary due to increasing outages, long delays in posts appearing, and search failures at the yg. Why wait for DXLD issues? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our io group without delay. NEWISH! DX LISTENING DIGEST IN PDF, HTML VERSIONS Jacques Champagne in Ville-Marie, Québec, has developed programs to convert DXLD .txt into PDF and HTML versions for his own use, and now has made them available to the rest of us. Starting with 18-24, they have been posted as attachments to the WOR iog. He says it takes about an hour to do this, once each issue is published. Merci, Jacques! (gh) Thanks also to Jacques for assisting with formatting of .txt original ** AFGHANISTAN. Weak to fair signal of R Afghanistan Ext. Service, Sept 11 1530-1730 6100 YAK 100 kW / 125 deg SoAs English/Urdu/Arabic/Russian http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/weak-to-fair-signal-of-radio.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGUILLA [and non]. 6090, ANGUILLA, Caribbean Beacon/University Network at 0211 with Dr. Gene Scott, lecturing from the other side of the looking glass, on "burnt offerings & the promised land". (Re-check at 0430 had no trace). The characteristic audio hum was present, with signal level just below the // on 5935 via Tennessee - Very Good Sept 11 Barton-AZ 5935, UNITED STATES, WWCR at 0410. Long lecture by "DGS", with quite a bit of audience background noise. No // heard this evening from Caribbean Beacon on 6090. Listening with small portable and whip (Longine's Symphonette World Traveler) - Armchair quality Sept 10 (Rick Barton, Listening from Arizona, 73 and Good Listening..! : D ! -rb, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. Fair signal of Voice of Armenia on Sept 13 1530-1545 on 4810 ERV 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Assyrian 1545-1600 on 4810 ERV 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Greek 1600-1630 on 4810 ERV 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Kurdish 1630-1700 on 4810 ERV 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Yezidi 1700-1715 on 4810 ERV 050 kW / non-dir to N/ME Turkish http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/fair-signal-of-voice-of-armenia-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 774, ABC, “RUDDERLESS SHIP” Abridged from Sydney Morning Herald 'Rudderless ship': ABC radio staff blame management for ratings plunge As listeners switch off in droves, discontent is rising inside ABC. Can the once-dominant station be saved? Four years ago, inside ABC's Southbank headquarters, someone cracked open a bottle of sparkling wine. No one cared that it was a cheap cleanskin; the point was to celebrate 774 ABC (now called ABC Melbourne) reaching the top of the ratings scoreboard. Even better, the station had won every timeslot across the day. It was not to last. Since mid-2014, ABC Melbourne has suffered the biggest decline of any local broadcaster. Its total audience share has dropped from 13.1 to 8.5 per cent, driven by losses in all shifts: from a modest dip in mornings (down 2.8 percentage points to 11.4 per cent) to a prodigious slump in breakfast (down 8 points to 9.2 per cent). These figures reflect the industry's standard timeslots; in reality, ABC's breakfast program – airing between 5.30am and 7.45am – has gone from 17.6 to 7.6%. In its defence, ABC points to a broader trend: AM broadcasters currently capture one-third of Melbourne's radio audience, compared to 47 per cent in 2009. A tale of two talk stations Morning host Jon Faine believes a narrow focus on ratings is misguided. "It's in our charter, and it's part of our DNA, to do more than just try to be popular," he says. "I could rate higher if I did a quiz, or if I did more sport or went downmarket. But that would be letting down our values." Concern over ratings is nothing new. In 1996, when the station was known as 3LO, its audience share fell to 8.7 per cent – almost exactly where it is today. Through the lens of nostalgia, many view the 1990s as the ABC's "golden era". "What happened to 3LO?" wrote one aggrieved listener in 1996. "Are we to accept its dumbing down?" Others sensed a drift towards the "banal chatter" of commercial networks. Still, ABC's fall from the top of the ratings ladder to No. 5, in just four years, has staff worried. "The station has severe cracks in it," says one insider. "It's a rudderless ship." Employees offer several reasons for the decline. Some believe that senior executives – right up to managing director Michelle Guthrie – are exceedingly dazzled by digital media, while dismissing radio as an "old medium for old people". Some blame a Silicon Valley-style mindset that fetishises "risk" and "innovation", allowing ill-considered decisions to be passed off as brilliantly counter-intuitive. There are those who have one foot out the door, fed up with their casual or contract arrangements. Others complain of a rise in anodyne banter and bland talkback topics. "We're at risk of slow death by pleasantness," says a long-serving staff member. The biggest gripe, however, is management's perceived lack of respect for the craft of broadcasting. "You can't just throw someone into a high-profile slot, with almost no experience or training, and expect them to succeed," says one person. "It's not fair on them or their listeners." To many, this problem is typified by ABC's new breakfast hosts Jacinta Parsons and Sami Shah. Axed presenter Red Symons, who'd been in the role for 15 years, made his displeasure clear. "In media, there is a tendency for the old people who actually know what they’re doing to be relieved of their positions so you can get younger, more exciting and cheaper people," he told the Herald Sun. In his final three years on air, Symons' annual ratings declined by 2.7 percentage points. Since January, Parsons and Shah have dropped a further 4.2 points to 7.6 per cent – giving them an audience share barely one-third of 3AW's. While Parsons has more than a decade of experience – in front of and behind the microphone – Shah is relatively new to full-time radio. His colleagues say management was right to hire the "exceptionally intelligent" comedian, but insist he was promoted too soon. "It actually makes me furious," says one person. "If [Shah and Parsons] don't succeed, people will go, 'Oh, they tried a brown guy and a woman and it didn't work.' Management will hide behind their apparent support of diversity but in fact, they set them up to fail by throwing them in the deep end." "If you're a performer [in another field]," says one veteran, "it takes a while to realise you're not the star of the show. You're meant to be a conduit to great conversation." According to some insiders, Hilary Harper and Libbi Gorr are ripe for promotion; others believe fill-in hosts Sally Warhaft, George McEncroe, Nelly Thomas and Noni Hazlehurst have shown their mettle. And most are dismayed that former afternoon host Clare Bowditch no longer occupies a prime slot. "She has the makings of a truly great broadcaster," says one person. "I hope ABC recognises that and gives her the support she deserves in future." Though some workers report high frustration and low morale, no one blames station manager Dina Rosendorff. An award-winning journalist with experience in newspapers, TV and radio across Australia and the US, she stepped into the role six weeks ago. Her predecessor, Warwick Tiernan, is now in charge of all ABC capital city stations. (via September Medium Wave News via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. Michigan DUs, Sept. 10th 2018 1548.01, 4QD, Emerald, Queensland with a healthy carrier noted at 1125 UT. A few minutes later and I start to hear some talk through heavy domestic slop and then the unmistakable "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones which provided an easy confirmation against an online remote receiver. As with previous 4QD receptions, it was best heard on the North DKAZ, while the (roughly) southwest phased BOGs always do better on the lower frequencies for DU stuff. Nothing else noted at the upper end of the band, not even a weak carrier. This seems to be typical of past 4QD receptions too. My two notable receptions of the Marshalls [1098 kHz] last year were on Aug 31 & Sept 24 but I've had nothing like that this season. As for Tonga this year, their carrier was near audio several times at sunrise during mid August but it's been downhill for me since. Maybe it'll make a resurgence. I also lost a good two weeks of prime DU DX time this season due to storms and bad weather. 73, (Tim Tromp, West Michigan, Perseus SDR + North DKAZ, Sept 10, ABDX yg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sunrise this morning: 1121 UT 594, under light domestic slop with very faint talk by OM & YL, interview style, with this format fitting 3WV's schedule & podcast at 1122. Too faint for me to log it, but I'm calling it a strong "tentative`` right now. Audio gone by 1125. If 3WV in Western Victoria, this would be my furthest MW DX at 9,862 miles (15,871 km). Hopefully I get another chance at this one. 612, had a fair signal (for Michigan) this morning with weak but continuous audio starting just before 1100 UT. If not for the heavy domestic slop from 610, this would have been a fantastic reception. Typically here, DU's peak just as the domestics start to fade out at sunrise. This peak period, at the lower end of the band, is usually short-lived and only lasts for a few minutes. 612 was different this morning, peaking early and lasting for about 20 minutes with continuous (but still faint) audio. Presumed 4QR with DU accented YLs talking. Carrier finally faded completely at 1140. Aside from the typical weak carriers at the lower end of the band, nothing else interesting noted. 73, (Tim Tromp, Perseus SDR + southwest phased BOGs, West Michigan, Sept 12, ibid., via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) [and non]. DU chase from IL --- Due to some cable issues, I am rather late getting started chasing DU's this season. They also seemed to be better last season, but time will tell. My Rx is the Perseus SDR, and current antenna is a 120 ft DKAZ aimed due west. Sunrise today was about 1135 UT. Sunday morning 9/16 I noted 1098 V7AB Marshall Is. noted P/F with anthem already in progress at 1129. Today, just P with guy speaking and anthem starting at 1132. This is the easiest TP/DU here and in good cx can be more than 30 dB above the noise floor. Only other audios Sunday occurred at about 1138 when I could just make out 3WV 594 with a M&F interview // stronger (could copy a few words) 4QR 612 from Brisbane (which is one of the most common Aussies here). At 1141 on Sunday, the carrier from Tonga 1017 peaked at 29 dB above the noise (VERY quiet here lately) but there was too much WPEO [1020] slop even though I am not that close to Peoria. Today, (Monday) this wasn't as strong, although there was less slop, and again I couldn't dredge up any audio. Today (Monday) the only definite audio I had was the V7AB s/off. Interesting on 657 was the lack of WSCR IBOC and a decent carrier, but at least when checking it live, I couldn't get audio. Maybe, the recording will yield something, but I doubt it as cx were below par today. [657: low power Au/NZ, et al.; 1500 kW North Korea --- gh] Of course, both mornings had quite a few weaker carriers as usual. Much antenna work to do here as I strive to improve things. 73 KAZ Barrington IL EN52we (Neil Kazaross, Sept 17, nrc-am gg, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. 5055, 4KZ (Tentative), 1143, 9/15/18, in English. “Kodachrome,” “Key West Intermezzo,” Rod Stewart, series of commercials (too poor to tell content), more music as signal faded out. Barely audible at best (Mark Taylor, Lake Farm County Park near Madison, WI, mini DXpedition, 1050–1400, 9/15/18 with Carlie Forsythe. Equipment: Airspy HF+, W6VLP loop, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 15505, Bangladesh Betar, Khabirpur; 8 September 2018; 1355 UT sign-on with 1 kHz test tone to 1358 when, presumably, their lovely interval signal but much too weak to catch any other audio; VP (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.5, CP60-Radio Pio XII, Siglo Veinte; 8 September 2018; from 0200 to 0230 sign-off with their typical program of music and announcements until the famous "Colonel Bogey March" theme and long and complete ID by man; fair level but USB needed to tone down WRMI-5950. I had not been hearing this one recently but obviously reactivated (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 6134.876, CP30-Radio Santa Cruz; 15 September 2018; 0110 UT program of rather hard rock music (lots of guitar riffs) with ID by woman; back to more usual laid-back Latin tunes by 0120; full ID by man giving mediumwave, shortwave, and FM frequencies 0125. Fair at -95 dbm versus -110 dbm noise floor but best in LSB to avoid the het from presumed Rádio Aparecida circa 6135.15 (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE [and non]. 3325, NBC Bougainville (Maus Blong Sankamap), 1113-1202*, Sept 14. One of their better days, with propagation greatly favoring NBC over Voice of Indonesia; 1113-1120, discussion about Bougainville; 1120-1140, DJ in Pidgin playing pop songs in English; mentioned "Friday night"; 1140, the often heard montage of brief song selections with the "NBC Bougainville" IDs; 1140-1202*, DJ in Pidgin playing Pacific Islands pop songs; suddenly cut off, leaving VOI in the clear. BTW - NBC Madang (3260), suddenly went off the air at 1213*, Sept 14. Not nearly as strong as NBC on 3325 (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BRAZIL [non]. 3365.1v, Sept 16 at 0033, JBA carrier where I have been seeking the reactivated R. Cultura de Araraquara --- but it keeps drifting downward and vanishes when I switch to the shortwire from the Wellbrook, so another of its birdies; beware (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4924.977, ZYZ282-Rádio Educação Rural, Tefé; 11 September 2018; 0130 UT presumed with light music into Portuguese announcements by man, however this one has been previously noted for a long time around 4925.2 kHz. Fair carrier level (-80 dbm versus -105 dbm noise floor) but generally much weaker audio compared to ZY's on 4885 and 4875, however it suddenly got MUCH louder at 0138 for about 20 seconds, then faded back down (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5939.8, ZYE890, Rádio Voz Missionária, Camboriú; 14 September 2018; 0250 UT bouncy music into ad string and announcements, one mentioning Brazil. Fair level at -90 dbm and better audio than usual for me; used USB to dodge WWCR on 5935 kHz (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9565v, 9630v, 9665v, 9725v, 9819v, Sept 15 at 0621 bedtime bandscan, weak off-frequency ZYs are the OSOB. WWV: SF 69, K-index 3, no storms past or future (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 15190, Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte, 2035-2055, 13-09, Portuguese, comments, Brazilian songs. Very weak. 14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Lugo and O Cebreiro, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, Sept 16, WOR iog via DXLD) BTW, from almost everywhere in the world, BH is BELOW the horizon, but that`s not what Belo means, rather, beautiful (gh, DXLD) BRASIL, Minas Gerais: 15190. Set 14, 2018. 1719-1810, Radio Inconfidência, Contagem-MG. Locutor entrevista o Sr. Marcelo, Secretário dos Direitos Humanos da Prefeitura de Contagem; ID; Jingle da Inconfidência; Espaço para a propaganda eleitoral; Locutora apresenta o programa "Revista da Tarde". Surpresa nesta escuta, pelo retorno da Inconfidência nos 15190, com boa recepção entre nós, 45444. Nota: Às 1830 nada mais conseguí ouvir! Infelizmente! Farei outras tentativas nesta frequência, em outros horários (José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX) - PR7036SWL (SWARL), Cabedelo-Paraiba, Brasil, Receptores: Degen DE1103 & Tecsun S-2000, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA [non?]. Re: [WOR] IRRS 7290 kHz 1800-1900 UT Fri/Sat/Sun Today (Friday, 14-Sep-2018) the same procedure like last Friday (07-Sep-2018): IRRS 7290 kHz goes off air shortly after 1855 UT, instead of usual 1901 UT - one would think this is just in time for the Radio Taiwan International test transmission on 5900 kHz via Kostinbrod whose carrier appears at 1856 UT. Note: On Saturday, 08-Sep-2018, IRRS 7290 kHz lasted until 1901 UT, although there also was a test transmission from Radio Taiwan International via Kostinbrod. This could be explained by the fact that - if IRRS really was transmitted via Kostinbrod - there would be no need to finish IRRS earlier on Saturdays, as the 9545 kHz/BBC transmission via Kostinbrod is only Mon-Fri. But Ivo Ivanov says that IRRS 7290 kHz surely is NOT via Bulgaria, so - bearing in mind that there are only 4 TXs and presuming that the above-mentioned broadcasts 5900 kHz/Dardasha, 9400 kHz/Dardasha and 15110 kHz/Radio Nigeria Hausa Service really come all from Bulgaria - everything seems to be a BIG, BIG coincidence! The question now should be: Which shortwave station which could probably carry the IRRS Fri/Sat/Sun broadcast on 7290 kHz needed to stop the IRRS transmission today and last Friday earlier as usual in order to broadcast an additional programme from 1900 UT? (Alexander Busneag, Germany, 1954 UT Sept 14, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. SWRG #65 2018-09-15 9400 khz 1600-1630z http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/SW_Radiogram_2018-09-15.htm#SWRG 1:43 MFSK32: Program preview (now) 2:51 MFSK image slant exercise* 8:25 MFSK128: NASA foldable heat shield* 12:05 MFSK64: China bars Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People"* <=== DW-Artikel zur "Berliner Schaubühne" in China 15:26 Images of the week* 27:24 MFSK32: Closing announcements Der englische Artikel der DW basiert auf dieser Meldung: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/schaubuehne-in-china-101.html In dem gezeigten Stück, in Ibsens "Volksfeind", geht es um die Manipulierbarkeit der Masse und um die Frage, was eigentlich Wahrheit ist. Bzw: "...An Enemy of the People, written by Ibsen in 1882, deals with how truths and ideas of morality are manipulated for public consumption." http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/SW_Radiogram_2018-09-15.htm#IBC "IBC DIGITAL" "IBC DIGITAL" =========================== *** 4 2 5 D X N E W S *** **** DX INFORMATION **** =========================== Edited by I1JQJ & IK1ADH "....Access to the main functions of www.425dxn.org is provided by the 425DXN App for Android. It is available on Google Play - free of charge, no ads. Enjoy!....." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The current coverage of the 9400 kHz from Kostinbrod is really amazing. On Youtube you can watch videos of successful decoding in New Zealand and Japan - even with MFSK-128 - which works mostly.. (Roger, Sept 16, WOR iog via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA [non]. Hello! Received e-QSL for reception of "FEBC Cambodia-Voice of Love" (7410 kHz, via Bocaue). report was sent to: info [at] volcambodia.org, info [at] febc.ph, info [at] febc.org, info [at] febcintl.org 73! (Ivan Zelenyi (Nizhnevartovsk, Russia), Receiver: Degen DE1103, Antenna: indoor, Selfmade loop SW antenne, D=0,77 metres. https://twitter.com/ivan_z_nv Sept 12, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** CANADA. Best wishes for Ian McFarland As many of you may know, Ian McFarland was "the guy" on Radio Canada International in the 1970's and 1980's - DX Digest - and even on NHK for a couple of years. He is currently "under the weather" and recovering in Hospital after back surgery. Feel free to pass me any thoughts and best wishes and I will forward them to him on a giant greeting/get well card. Please forward this on to other DX lists if you guys/gals are so inclined. Thank you, everyone! -- (Colin Newell - Editor and creator *of *Coffeecrew.com and DXer.ca - VA7WWV | Twitter @CoffeeCrew | Victoria - Canada Sept 14, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, Hard-Core-DX mailing list I have a snap shot of the two page greeting of best wishes to Ian McFarland for a speedy recovery. Picture on the homepage of http://DXER.ca Thank you everyone! At 81 years of age, Ian’s got a lot of fight left in him — and your thoughts and prayers help (Colin Newell - Victoria - B.C. CANADA - Sept 16, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. 800, Sept 12 at 1031 UT, CKLW with ``AM 800`` local news of Windsor & Detroit. On the E-W longwire it has no problem from KQCV OKC, while on the DX-398, KQCV must be carefully nulled to get CKLW. BTW, AM Switch in the latest NRC DX News reports: ``Application for STA filed: 800, KQCV, OK, Oklahoma City – Applies for STA, parameters at variance and/or reduced power; problems in pattern`` --- whatever that mean in practice. It certainly does not seem like reduced power here (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. 9685, CNR1 at 2349 in Mandarin jamming RTI in Mandarin with a man and woman with excited talk and conducting a telephone interview of another man – Fair to Good Sept 15 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) ** CHINA/TIBET. 6200, Xizang PBS via Lhasa, at 1225, Sept 9. Tibet heard in the clear till the usual double sign on of Voice of Jinling; at 1226; on for about 13 seconds, then off for about 45 seconds till they really stayed on the air; 1231, with Perry Como singing "And I Love You So Much." My audio (one minute of clear Tibet reception, then double VOJ sign on) at http://goo.gl/TByyB9 (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** CHINA. 7210, PBS Yunnan (ethnic minority broadcasting), at 1049, on Sept 14. Again heard with the usual distinctive IS of non-stop musical loop of all easy-listening instrumental music; mixing with Vietnam (VOV1), both mixing with decent signals (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Waishanyá, una emisora indígena con identidad propia 08/09/2018 En Sibundoy, un pueblo al extremo sur de Colombia, una emisora emite sus programas, durante casi todo el día, en un idioma diferente al español. Se trata de Radio Waishanyá, una estación manejada íntegramente por indígenas de la etnia kamëntšá y que, como dice su director, Juan Carlos Chindoy Ágreda, “trabaja con las uñas, sin mucho apoyo, para preservar la cultura local”. Imagen relacionada Waishanyá - «el que cuida la comunidad» - empezó trabajos en 2006 en una zona rural, pero poco después se trasladó al casco urbano para buscar mayor reconocimiento de una comunidad en la que, desde los tiempos de la colonización española, los indígenas inga y kamëntšá se han mezclado con colonos y mestizos hasta el punto de haber perdido muchas de sus tradiciones. Desde que salió al aire el propósito del cabildo indígena de Sibundoy, la organización indígenas que gobierna a cerca de 5.000 indígenas, no ha sido otro distinto a evitar que la lengua nativa desaparezca de la vida cotidiana y familiar, especialmente entre niños y adolescentes, bombardeados constantemente con información y músicas foráneas emitidas por medios de comunicación comerciales y las redes sociales. “Nuestra finalidad siempre ha sido el fortalecimiento de la comunidad. En primera instancia, utilizando la lengua propia y fortaleciendo la identidad cultural a través de esa misma palabra”, afirmó Chindoy Ágreda. Al explicar cómo se realiza este proceso de transmitir cultura por medio de una lengua “propia, única e independiente”, este joven que estudió artes escénicas dijo a Aleteia que esa tarea recae en comunicadores de la misma etnia quienes realizan sus programas en el dialecto materno y en español. Los programas de Radio Waishanyá incluyen todos los formatos de una emisora común y corriente. En sus dieciséis horas de programación diaria hay espacios para deportes como el fútbol local, la liga colombiana y los grandes torneos europeos. También se siguen con interés otras disciplinas como el ciclismo que en Colombia es una pasión generalizada en campos y ciudades. Además, hay un noticiero diario, programas culturales y de opinión y una amplia franja con canciones de famosos artistas colombianos y de cantantes y agrupaciones locales que difunden sus obras en lengua kamëntšá. Gracias a este trabajo, músicos jóvenes de municipios como Colón, San Francisco, Santiago y Sibundoy han contribuido al fortalecimiento del idioma. Con frecuencia ellos se presentan en conciertos que son transmitidos en directo y a los que el público, especialmente jóvenes, asiste de manera masiva. Para Sandra Chindoy - una reconocida locutora del Putumayo, región limítrofe con Perú y Ecuador - la emisora es un referente cultural porque los kamëntšá, como los colonos y blancos, saben de su influencia y del trabajo emprendido para preservar la cultura y promover una música muy particular. En efecto, las letras de sus cantos cuentan coloridas historias, mientras que sus instrumentos permiten conocer la creatividad de lutier que les dan vida a instrumentos de viento como zampoñas, quenas y cuernos y elementos de percusión, como los cascabeles, elaborados con frutos de la selva. Resultado de imagen para mapa de Sibundoy Radio, lengua y música son algunos de los tantos símbolos que identifican a hombres, mujeres y niños de uno de los pueblos indígenas más organizados de Colombia. En todas partes también se les identifica por sus pintorescas ruanas de listones azules, rojos y blancos, así como por sus collares de chaquiras que según los colores y el número de vueltas tienen complejos significados. En el Valle de Sibundoy - zona de influencia de los también llamados kamtsá o camsá - se consume el yagé, una pócima que se bebe durante un ritual dirigido por un veterano chamán. Para ellos se trata del acercamiento “a un mundo espiritual”, pero que para la ciencia es una práctica peligrosa por cuanto se trata de una combinación de plantas alucinógenas. El territorio de influencia de Radio Waishanyá tiente una notable influencia de la Iglesia católica que desde la llegada de los conquistadores, a través de diversas congregaciones, evangelizó a gran parte de la Amazonia. Esto explica por qué los kamtsá asisten rigurosamente a misa dominical, practican los sacramentos y participan en las fiestas patronales. Además tienen celebraciones emblemáticas como el Carnaval del Perdón (en febrero) y el Día de las Ánimas, (2 de noviembre), fecha en la que recuerdan a los muertos llevándoles alimentos a sus tumbas. Juan Carlos Chindoy Ágreda está satisfecho con el papel cumplido por la emisora. Él se duele de la nula colaboración del gobierno, las autoridades regionales y el comercio. Su conclusión es una mezcla de queja y orgullo: “Trabajamos de manera rudimentaria, nos faltan equipos y soporte económico, pero estamos cumpliéndoles a nuestros ‘taitas’ (los mayores), a la juventud y a los niños. A ellos y a la hermosa cultura que heredamos, nos debemos y por ellos seguiremos trabajando”. tomada textualmente de https://es.aleteia.org (via GRA blog via DXLD) ** CUBA. 6100, Sept 11 at 0608, this RHC English is only S6-S8 and undermodulated, very much inferior to the others, 6165, 6060 and 6000. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 6020, Sept 15 at 0624, RHC English here on new sixth frequency! About The Cuban Five. Axually it`s a leapfrog mixing product I haven`t heard before, 6100 over 6060 another 40 kHz lower. But no reverse carrier to be heard on 6140. 6020 is only S5-S6; 6060 is S9+20, overmodulated & distorted, 6100 is S9 and undermodulated. Bystanders: 6000 is S9+10 and suptorted; 6165 not checked. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 5990, 16 Set, 0112, CRI in English. From Cuba? OM and YL speak. Reasonable signal. I did not find in any list. End of transmission at 0120. Recording from the Twente SDR (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12°14´S 38°58´W - Brasil, WOR iog via DXLD) Not too unusual. Cubans forgot to turn off the transmitter by 0100 after Spanish. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba. 73, (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** CUBA. 4765, Sept 17 at 0113, R. Progreso with rock music, S9+30 fading to S9 and modulation rather distorted. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Modulation was o.k. around 0230 UT with soft instrumental music. But bothered by CODAR (Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radar) (-- Richard Langley, WOR iog via DXLD) 5055, Sept 17 at 0110, JBA carrier, presumed leapfrog of 5025 over 5040 another 15 kHz higher; just too weak to hear any modulation to match either. If there is a reverse leap onto 5010, it`s totally blocked by WRMI fundamental, q.v. 13740, Sept 17 at 0115, RHC Spanish is S9+30 and over-modulated; woah, this is supposed to be a morning frequency only, at 11-14. Also VG on 11760; 11840 and its plus/minus 10 parasites; weak 11700; JBA carrier on 11980 probably leap of 11700 over 11840 another 140 kHz beyond --- but AWOL is 12000 which is supposed to run from 21 to 04 UT. Maybe punched up the wrong memory button on transmitter? Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6000 // 6165, Sept 17 at 0140, both RHC English frequencies are dead air at S9+25 and still at 0146 recheck. Something`s always wrong at RHC. 6060, Sept 17 at 0142, RHC Spanish is overmodulated and splattering past 6050 HCJB and 6070 CFRX. // 13740 still on and I notice that `En Contacto` DX program has been replaced by a string of RHC self- promotions with hefty music, catch phrases, platitudes; plugging reforma constitutional (like allowing free multi-party elexions? Hahaha). Also anti-bloqueo propaganda, some event tomorrow at 10 am, during a month-long observance. Etc., etc., so `En Compañía del Doctor` also fails to appear at 0150. Also JBA carrier on 6270, presumed leapfrog of 6060 over 6165 another 105 kHz beyond. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 13780, Sept 17 at 1347, RHC at S3-S5, leapfrog of 13700 over 13740 another 40 kHz higher. Nothing on 13660, the reverse, where previously heard [and DW in Dari/Pashto is also sked on 13660 at 1330-1430 via UAE]. By 1415, 13780 is gone, as 13740 has switched to another transmitter/site for the CRI English relay. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba. Al contrario, Sept 18 at 1321, 13660 is audible with RHC at S5 = noise level, and there is JBA carrier on 13780 when nothing else is listed (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. 11860, Sept 11 at 2005, Radio Martí in Spanish and RHC in Brazuguese, about equal levels making slow SAH of less than 1 Hz, taking turns dominating over each other, and not much jamming noise if any. If this is for Europe as scheduled, why are they speaking with a pronounced Brazilian accent? Even the icon on homepage leading to language sexions employs the flag of Portugal, not Brasil. I have speculated about why this collision was authorized and prolonged now for more than a month. Here`s another: skip distances. Beyond short groundwave range from Bauta or wherever near Habana, most of Cuba will not be getting much from RHC before the first hop comes down toward the east end. So Martí can crash right into the ``dead zone`` of RHC without Cubans hearing much of RHC anyway (unlike those of us outside). Whether RHC may be getting side QRM from Greenville in Portugal or Brasil targets is another matter; and the Cuban commies remain faced with the choice of jamming themselves along with Martí or letting it go. Watch out whether Hurricane Florence affect any upcoming Greenville transmissions! (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECHOSLOVAKIA [and non]. GERMANY/CZECHIA (non). Re the item in DXLD 18-36 on Radio Vltava, the antenna for the Wilsdruff transmitter is still up - you can spot it next to the expressway heading west from Dresden - though the transmitter itself is off the air, along with all the other German MW transmitters. I was in Prague on 8/21, and stopped by the Czech Radio building on Vinohradska. They usually have some sort of commemoration of the invasion on the day, and this year it was the 50th anniversary and the unveiling of a plaque in memory of thirteen Czechs who were killed during the 1968 takeover of the building. There were apparently some names that hadn't come to light until recently. President Zeman didn't turn up for the ceremony (he is playing kissy-face with Putin), but the Prime Minister (Babis) made a speech that was largely drowned out by hecklers. He doesn't seem to be universally loved; he's a billionaire, was rumored to have been chummy with the StB back in the day, and recently entered into a coalition government with the Communists (who never went away after the Velvet Revolution, and had the requisite number of seats in the legislative assembly). A lot of Czech Radio veterans were on hand (many of whom had been sacked after 1968), and one of the techs confirmed for me that the network of clandestine studios and radio transmitters that went on the air following the invasion had been originally organized at the behest of the Russians (to be activated in case of a NATO invasion - oh, the irony!). Like any chief engineer playing heads-up ball, the man responsible never got around to sharing the specifics of his plan with the Russians. Among all the other 1968-related stories that day, Czech TV ran a piece (produced in the early '90s) on how they kept their TV broadcasts going for a week or so following the invasion, using temporary studios and transmitters in a nearly-finished office tower, a bus repair depot, about four locations in all. I don't speak more than a few words of Czech, so that's about all I can tell you about it (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, Wash., Sept 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EAST TURKISTAN. 9880, CHINA, CRI (Kashi), at 2219 in listed Esperanto with a man interviewing a woman in studio – Weak but audible Sept 16 – As far as I can tell only CRI and RHC broadcast in Esperanto which is a universal language developed in the late 19th century by L.L. Zamenhof, a Polish-Jewish opthamalogist, that never really caught on although estimates of users range wildly between 1,000 and several thousand native speakers and from 2 to 10 million users of the language (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) That`s more than some non-artificial languages (gh, DXLD) ** EGYPT. 9799.58, Radio Cairo, Abis; 9 September 2018; 2120 UT man with a tease for an upcoming news feature in the English service, then traditional Egyptian instrumental music; English ID by woman 2125 into a feature. Modulation was relatively good for this station with sufficient level and only moderate distortion. The annoying hum was still there, though, and modulation quality had deteriorated markedly on recheck about 15 minutes later. Carrier level was strong (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** ERITREA. 7140.04, 0350-0355 12.9, Voice of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, Asmara, Tigrinya interview, Horn of Africa song, 35343. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, from Skovlunde, Denmark, on the AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire, wbradio yg via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 6090, Amhara Radio, Geja; 15 September 2018; 0257 UT very weak with distinctive interval signal; carrier came on rather early at 0246 (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** EUROPE. Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, reports an incredible number of X-band pirates, most of them unID, mostly from Holland, Greece, or Balkan, but interspersed are the marine weather broadcasts I have excerpted from his latest xls via radioescutas yg. Concerning Canary Islands, Denmark, France, Italy. Mostly from his SW coast of Portugal post (CGS), others from Lisboa (CG) (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) JRC NRD-545DSP & PERSEUS sdr; Quantum Phaser, homemade amp.(W7IUV version); raised, 4 loop K9AY, 6x19x6 m Ewe 135º, 14 m low noise LF/MF Vertical. Lisbon. CG JRC NRD-545DSP, PERSEUS & DRAKE R-E; Advanced Receiver amp.; raised, 4 loop K9AY, 30 m 180º/0º mini-Bev., 80 m 300º/120º Bev., 200 m 270º/90º Bev., 270 m 145º/325º Bev., 300 m 225º/45º Beverage. SW coast CGS 1644.0, 2115-... 04/9 CNR Arrecife R, Los Hoyos. Cast/E, navig. warnings. 35342 CGS 1689.0, 2118-2122* 06/9 CNR Las Palmas R, Pico del Inglés. Cast/E, navig. warnings. 35343 CGS 1696.0, 2201-2203* 08/9 F CROSS Med La Garde, Fort Ste.-Marguerite. Wx rpt. 25331 CG 1734.0, 2144-... 05/9 DNK Lyngby R, Blåvand. Navig. warnings. 35242 CGS 1758.0, 2145-... 05/9 DNK Lyngby R, Frederikshavn. Navig. warnings. 25241 CGS 1888.0, 2119-... 01/9 I Civitavecchia R, Civitavecchia. Navig. warnings. 25342 CGS 1925.0, 2118-... 01/9 I Livorno R, Castellaccio (Livorno). Navig. warnings. 15341 CGS 2624.0, 2103-... 01/9 I Trieste R, Monte Radio (Trieste). Ital/E, navig. warnings. 25342 CGS 2628.0, 2104-... 01/9 I Augusta R, Augusta. Ital/E, navig. warnings. 25342 CGS 2656.0, 2105-... 01/9 I Ancona R, Ancona. Ital/E, navig. warnings. Adj. uty. QRM. Rtd. 35342 on 07/9, 2125. 23341 CGS 2677.0, *2203-2206* 08/9 F CROSS Med La Garde, Fort Ste.-Marguerite. Wx rpt. Previously on 1696. QRM de CROSS Corsen at 2205. 35342 CG 2677.0, *2205-2207* 08/9 F CROSS Corsen, Pointe de Corsen. Wx rpt. 35342 CG 2680.0, 2126-... 07/9 I Cagliari R, Quartu Sant'Elena. Navig. warnings. 25331 CGS (via gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** EUROPE. 7700, 9/9 1650, Charity R. - Dublin, EE MX, buono (Roberto Pavanello, Vercelli / Italia via Roberto Scaglione, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) ** FRANCE. RFI strike --- There was no English-language RFI broadcast at 1400 today and a check of the French service found no newscast at 1400. Both were replaced by the same fill music. Agence France Presse reported that RFI programming was being interrupted by a strike by foreign correspondents and freelancers who want better benefits. RFI officials told AFP midday Monday almost half of its programs had been interrupted. A collective of more than 800 correspondents on five continents, calling itself "Radio Spartacus," claims RFI stopped contributing to their benefits at the beginning of August. They also say RFI hasn't paid into the social-security system for new correspondents for the past two years. There's additional uncertainty because of a new program to consolidate Radio France that was announced last week. "What concrete guarantees will there be for correspondents' social security and the retirement?" the striking freelancers and correspondents asked. "Must we cover events in conflict zones without being able to take care of our health?" The collective asked for RFI and other public officials to meet with them. RFI officials said they planned to do so this week, according to the AFP report, found here: https://www.afp.com/fr/infos/2260/lantenne-de-rfi-perturbee-par-une-greve-des-correspondants-doc-1958dc3 (Mike Cooper, GA, Sep 17, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hi All, The Channel 292 schedule is now showing a new 'Test' broadcast on 6070 kHz at 1700 UT on Saturday 15th of September. This station is called 'Radio TW 6070 AM' and I assume from their logo that it will be in the German language. I've no idea what the format will be, we'll probably have to wait and see. Alan. Gale, England, Sept 13, WOR iog via DXLD) Attached image says: RADIO TW 6070 AM / radiotw6070am@gmx.de / Sende Studio Vogtland Sachsen (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. DWD Deutscher Wetterdienst ONLY on 6180 kHz on Sept.11: 1200-1230 on 6180 PIN 010 kW / non-dir to CeEu German, weak/fair Same time on 5905 PIN 010 kW / non-dir to CeEu German, no signal http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/dwd-deutscher-wetterdienst-only-on-6180.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. 15195, UNIDENTIFIED. 1329, 9/15/18. Male with uninterrupted excited talk past 1330 to fad out about 5 minutes later. Perhaps in a West African language. Stared fair, then faded entirely by 1335. Unable to find references in EiBi, Aoki, or last 6 weeks of DX Listening Digest (Mark Taylor, Lake Farm County Park near Madison, WI, mini DXpedition, 1050–1400, 9/15/18 with Carlie Forsythe. Equipment: Airspy HF+, W6VLP loop, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) Hi Mark, but HFCC has it as a Saturday-only broadcast just resumed, DW in Hausa via France. I think this is for football coverage, apparently skipping some weeks: 15195 1325 1530 46,47W ISS 500 170 7 310318 120518 D Hau F DWL DWL 15195 1325 1530 46,47W ISS 500 165 7 250818 010918 D Hau F DWL DWL 15195 1325 1530 46,47W ISS 500 165 7 150918 061018 D Hau F DWL DWL 15195 1325 1530 46,47W ISS 500 165 7 201018 271018 D Hau F DWL DWL 17472 dw.com/ 73 (Glenn to Mark, via DXLD) ** GREECE. Reception of Voice of Greece on 9420 kHz, Sept 11: from 0655 on 9420 AVL 150 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Greek*tx#03 Same time on 9935 AVL 100 kW / 285 deg via tx#1, no signal * today news only in Serbian and tx switches off at 0707. http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-voice-of-greece-on-9420_11.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Reception of Voice of Greece on 9420 kHz, Sept 12: 0651&0656 on 9420 AVL 150 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Greek*tx#03 Same time on 9935 AVL 100 kW / 285 deg via tx#1, no signal *Arabic/Serbian news & the transmitter switches off at 0707 UT http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-voice-of-greece-on-9420_12.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Reception of Voice of Greece on 9420 kHz, Sept 13: 0600&0657 on 9420 AVL 150 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Greek*tx#03 Same time on 9935 AVL 100 kW / 285 deg via tx#1, no signal * today news only in Serbian and tx switches off at 0700 UT. http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-voice-of-greece-on-9420_13.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Reception of Voice of Greece on 9420 kHz, Sept.14: from 0656 on 9420 AVL 150 kW / 323 deg to WeEu Greek*tx#03 Same time on 9935 AVL 100 kW / 285 deg via tx#1, no signal * today news only in Serbian and tx switches off at 0700. http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-voice-of-greece-on-9420_14.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. 9650, Radio Guinée, Conakry; 13 September 2018; 2225 UT "hi-life" music followed by extended announcements in French by man; not one of their better days and only at fair level (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** INDIA [non-log]. 5040, AIR Jeypore, at 1214, Sept 14. Currently off the air; also recently reported being silent by Pradip Kundu (India) via WRTH Facebook (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** INDIA. (4970/7315 kHz): After a listening project on the North Eastern Service of All India Radio Shillong (Meghalaya), the report has been written in English (submitted to BDXC Communication) and German (to be submitted to Radio-Kurier/weltweit hoeren). The project provided for some interesting listening. Alan Roe (BDXC) was kind enough not to mention problems in vocabulary and grammar, but he was right in asking about a possible misprint. >> A typical frequency announcement would be „This is the North Eastern Service of All India Radio broadcasting from Shillong on short wave - 41 m corresponding to 7315 kHz - 60.36 m corresponding to 4970 kHz (not as in the earlier post 4990 kHz) and on additional FM 100.1 MHz“. This makes me wonder about the actual number of NE services. << The main news was later confirmed by Jose Jacob: The North Eastern Service of All India Radio on shortwave, the internet and some FM frequencies is a separate service of its own, not in parallel with the medium wave frequency of AIR Shillong (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 16 September 2018, DX LISTENING DIGEST) India (4950 kHz) - The discovery that AIR Shillong has separate services on medium wave and short wave leads to questions about the other regional services. Unfortunately the North Eastern Service seems to be the only one with such a high percentage of English programming including English station identifications. So it is up to listeners in South Asia to shed light on the situation. Listening to the internet stream of Radio Kashmir at http://allindiaradio.gov.in/Default.aspx the non-English continuity announcements mentioned both "medium wave" and "short wave" (English vocabulary). So it seems, that Radio Kashmir will have both in parallel (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 16 September 2018, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA [and non]. 9910, 1846 12 SET - ALL INDIA RADIO GOS (INDIA) in INGLÊS from BANGALORE). SINPO = 33433. YL fala, música indiana. Do meu ponto de vista uma colisão: ALL Índia Radio e a Radio Pilipinas. Melhor sinal hoje com a All India Radio. Received at Feira de Santana, Brasil, 13133 KM from transmitter at Bangalore). Local time: 1546 (Jorge Freitas, Tecsun PL-310ET, Antena DS Delta Loop, Feira de Santana BA, Brasil, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 7550, All India Radio, Bengaluru; 14 September 2018; 2215 UTC nice Subcontinental instrumentals at good level (-70 dbm versus -120 dbm noise floor) and much better than //9445. 2224 woman: "This broadcast came to you from the General Overseas Service of All India Radio" into promo for the airworldservice.org website and its associated Facebook and Twitter feeds, to which the male announcer added AIR's rather Orwellian motto: "For the happiness of the many; for the welfare of the many." AM today rather than DRM. "Goodbye listeners!" and off as scheduled 2230 (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) 9445, INDIA, All India Radio, Bengaluru; 9 September 2018; 2155 UT some light music until English ID by woman at 2200: "This is the General Overseas Service of All India Radio," followed by news read by a woman. At -80 dbm (versus noise floor of -115 dbm) doing better than it had been recently but not nearly as strong as it is on really good days. DRM parallel on 7550 kHz also noted although it would not have been decodable (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** INDIA. DRM EXPANDS IN INDIA --- http://drm.org All India Radio (AIR), the public service broadcaster in India, has adopted the international DRM (Digital Radio Mondiale) standard for the digital terrestrial radio transmissions in the MW and SW bands. DRM allows for multiple FM-like radio services plus associated data such as multi-lingual news articles to be carried in place of or as an extension to the former analogue radio services, while maintaining the large-area service coverage of the AM bands. 35 MW transmitters of AIR, of power ranging from 20 kW to 1000 kW, continue to operate in DRM – 2 of these in pure DRM and 33 in simulcast. 25 of these are working in pure DRM daily for one hour. 2 SW transmitters are also carrying services on DRM. Two more transmitters, 100 kW each, are under trial in Delhi and these are expected to be operational in a couple of months. In June (5th and 6th) All India Radio in Delhi has tested the newly installed 100 kW SW transmitter in DRM. The schedule was: 0400-0630 UTC (0930-1200 IST) on 9950 kHz beamed to South India (Pure DRM, Channel A – Urdu Service, Channel B FM Rainbow). In a recent tweet AIR welcomed the fact that the organisation has begun to appear in the media with good news “about the reduction in the receiver cost apart from the portrayal of the astounding features of the technology”. Cars with built-in DRM digital radio reception One of the welcome features of the current roll-out of DRM in India has been the early and overwhelming commitment of the car industry, which is already equipping new car models with default DRM radio sets at no extra cost to the customers – even before the official launch of the DRM services by AIR. Keeping pace with the digital radio developments, the automobile receiver industry in India has invested millions of dollars in the domestic development of DRM digital radio capable receivers and chipsets. It is pleasing to see that the roll-out of DRM equipped cars is growing rapidly with each month. By the end of 2017, this number was estimated to be about 500,000 (5 Lakh) cars, while as of the beginning of May 2018 the volume has already surpassed 800,000 (8 Lakh). Hyundai has built-in DRM radios in all its models except one. Their latest model with built-in DRM receiver just launched is called Creta and is one of the most popular and best-selling SUVs in India. Maruti Suzuki has also incorporated DRM receivers in 6 models (three of them pictured below) and all their models are expected to have built-in DRM receivers by the end of December 2018. Mahindra has also installed DRM in its TUV model. Most of the leading car manufacturers have either already incorporated DRM receivers in their cars or are in the process of incorporating them. The increase has been spectacular in comparison with similar digital radio roll-outs in other established markets in the world. Indian listeners benefit already from the domestic car industry’s joint effort to provide the in-car DRM functionality as a line-fit option for new models without charging the consumers any extra cost. In comparison, other digital radio markets around the world have taken decades to reach this level of commitment by the automotive industry, which for the most part expect car buyers to pay extra if they want to enjoy digital radio. Radio consumption in India is driven by listening in cars, which explains the paramount importance of the early-on commitment of the Indian automotive industry to DRM for the ongoing success of India’s digital roll-out programme. Standalone DRM radio receivers In the domain of standalone DRM radio receivers for consumers there has been an increased activity especially in the past 12 months. Communications Systems Inc. (www.avionelectronics.in ) is the first radio manufacturer in India to domestically develop and produce a DRM receiver (AV-1401), an ambitious full-featured digital radio. It offers a colour screen display, stereo speakers, built-in chargeable battery with 10-hour capacity on full charge, external power source connection, detachable remote control, recording and playback from an external source and a full-fledged media player for all types of digital content. In terms of digital radio reception, it supports all the DRM-specific features including Journaline advanced text and Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF). As part of the company’s continued commitment to DRM in India, the model was recently updated and easily meets DRM’s minimum receiver requirements as recommended by the DRM Consortium. Enhancements through the newly improved model include superior sensitivity, enhanced support for Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) with provision to switch on the receiver automatically on EWF alarms, even from deep-standby, and a bigger and improved LCD screen. The upgraded unit can receive AIR DRM signals of both the transmitters in Delhi in very good quality even inside the buildings. The company is in the process of supplying AIR and has received orders for export to Australia, too. More Indian companies are also in the process of designing/developing DRM receivers. Inntot Technologies --- http://www.inntot.com --- a young start-up enterprise in India, who has already won CII Industrial Innovation Award 2017 and several other awards, has developed a software-based DRM receiver, which is based on a generic processor. It also meets all the specifications for the Minimum Receiver Requirements, supporting all DRM core functionality such as Journaline advanced text and EWF – Emergency Warning Functionality. The design has been field tested in number of cities in India. It is expected to be very cost effective. Recently it was announced that the Software Defined Radio (SDR) startup Inntot Technologies has raised about $0.5 million (Rs 3.3 crore) in its seed round from early-stage venture capital firm Unicorn India Ventures for developing DRM receiver solutions and other digital radio products. “The USP of our solution is that it runs on generic hardware thus making it an affordable solution for the OEMs. We are also exploring the mobile phone segment to use our SDR solution for radio reception,” declared to the Economic Times of India Rajith Nair, cofounder, Inntot. The company is open to collaboration for its projects and for the manufacturing of their solutions. While the first models included solutions for DRM in AM, provision for DRM in the FM band is also planned to be incorporated in the unit by end of July 2018. GeekSynergy, another start-up company in India, which has been given awards by the President of India and the Karnataka Government, is working on the development of a highly affordable yet full-featured DRM receiver, which is likely to be showcased by summer 2018. The company is also working on incorporating DRM into smartphones using one of the most well-known chips installed in all the branded mobile phones. Gospell Digital Technology Co Ltd located in China (www.gospell.com ) has presented a very well-reviewed DRM Receiver, GR-216, which is already in production. These units can receive DRM signals in the AM as well as the VHF bands for large-area and local services, respectively. Core DRM features such as Journaline advanced text and EWF – Emergency Warning Functionality – with automatic device-wake-up from deep-standby are supported. The company is marketing their units on Amazon and also receives direct orders. The model has obtained CE certification for international distribution including to Europe. In addition, Gospell is developing a DRM receiver dongle, GR-227, which can be plugged in the existing audio systems in the automobiles on USB ports or Aux input to receive DRM signals. The receiver model will allow legacy cars already on the road and with analogue AM and FM reception to be upgraded to DRM digital reception through this simple add-on device. The unit is likely to go into production shortly. Titus SDR --- http://www.titusradio.com --- a Panamanian based company, has developed a multi-standard and software-based digital radio receiver, supporting DRM in all bands (LW, MW, SW, VHF bands I, II, III), DAB(+), FM analogue including RDS and AM analogue including AMSS. The full feature set of DRM functionality is supported by this device, including Journaline advanced text with full Unicode multi-script support, Slideshow images, EWF, transparent file transmissions (e.g. for educational services, when combined with the power of the full integrated Android based tablet), EPG/SPI, service logo download, etc. In addition, the model features a Wi-Fi hotspot feature, which allows all Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices to connect to the Titus and receive all the DRM services including audio streaming and Journaline using their standard web browser. The Titus receiver was showcased at the IBC Exhibition in Amsterdam, at HFCC meetings, and at the recent DRM General Assembly 2018 in Palma de Mallorca. The company is offering an innovative OEM model for production in interested markets using local expertise and manpower – another excellent open solution ideal for joint ventures. AIR in Phase-II of the DRM Roll-Out As can be seen above, a lot has been achieved in India recently and the stage is well set for rolling out fully-fledged digital broadcast services on the terrestrial network in India. AIR has the opportunity now to explore the full potential of DRM digital broadcasts so that radio listeners see the benefits of digital radio receivers/automobiles. While phase-I of the national DRM roll-out project by AIR was focusing on establishing the transmitter network all over the country (which was successfully concluded last year), phase-II is now concentrating on optimising the DRM coverage and service quality, while also finalising the content offerings with additional audio services and the innovative advanced DRM features such as Journaline advanced text. Those enhanced DRM services with greatly improved coverage and audio quality along with Journaline and service logo transmissions have already been placed on-air in Delhi and Bangalore and are scheduled to be on-air within the next weeks in Pune and Chennai. Step-by-step the remaining DRM transmissions all over the country will then may be upgraded to the full DRM experience as part of phase-II. AIR in Bangalore have added on their website --- http://www.airbengaluru.com --- a dedicated section called Listen Live. DRM features there prominently under the heading: ‘DRM Digital Radio Bengaluru’. Both best known AIR programmes, Vividh Bharati and AIR Gold FM can be accessed and listened to. In addition, Journaline advanced text is also accessible on that site. The AIR Bengaluru site can be accessed easily on any type of device, including smartphones. Here is an example of some of the AIR Bengaluru on air with current DRM programmes. This ongoing activity by AIR to upgrade their service offerings to the full DRM experience should be on the agenda and closely accompanied by the interested stakeholders who meet regularly. At their latest meeting at the end of May several ideas and suggestions were made or reiterated for making AIR a real global pioneer in digital broadcast transmission like: i. Provide popular programmes in excellent digital audio quality. ii. Provide innovative and relevant multi-lingual text services through Journaline iii. Provide traffic information, Emergency Warning Functionality, logo transmissions, etc. iv. Take private FM broadcasters on board on AIR’s DRM national network in the MW band and provide them with either time slots or with one exclusive channel (out of the up to 3 channels are now available in pure DRM from one transmitter). Since AIR DRM transmitters can cover an area of over 60% of the country when operated in pure DRM, listeners in these areas would be able to receive programmes of private broadcasters too, which so far have not been available on FM with its limited coverage area. Listeners in these areas would therefore be motivated to buy DRM receivers. This would create a quick popularity of DRM services, as seen in the case of the introduction of FM India. v. All this needs an extensive public awareness campaign including demonstrations of digital services in Community Centres, Railway Stations, Airports and other public places. vi. Programmes on the DRM digital radio platform are already bringing new content to many areas in India, in which they could previously not be received over any radio platform (neither AM nor FM). AIR should identify these areas and start a public awareness campaign in these specific areas. vii. AIR should start DRM digital services on the two 100 kW SW transmitters under installation/testing in Delhi. One was tested recently proving the commitment of AIR to fulfill the assurance made by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to the Indian Parliament and mentioned in the report of the Ministry for 2017 under ‘Major Achievement of the Ministry’ that two new shortwave solid state digital transmitters of 100 kW to broadcast the border for Afghanistan-Pakistan region. viii. As already mentioned, stakeholders are encouraging the government to consider giving incentives to the private broadcasters to start DRM services and to the domestic DRM receiver manufacturers so that standalone DRM receivers are available in ever increasing numbers at affordable prices. ix. As the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the regulator for broadcasting also, has already made its recommendation on the digitisation of FM, the major Indian stakeholders are expecting the Government to frame a policy for digitisation of VHF band and announce it urgently so that there is no uncertainty or confusion among major stakeholders and that the full ecosystem for digital broadcasts can continue to be developed smoothly. x. With so much progress having been made in India, there is increasing pressure for the finalisation of phase-II of the DRM roll-out by AIR, and the public announcement of a clear roadmap towards the official launch date of digital radio services (coverage and services/features) in India; this public announcement is both needed by all the broadcasters, the radio receiver industry as well as by listeners (via September Medium Wave News via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) was founded on 11 September 1945, so that makes 73 years of broadcasting! Voice of Indonesia, 3325, at 1300, Sept 9 (Sunday). Intro to the segment in English; news; message of congratulations to RRI for their 73rd anniversary; sports; "Today in History"; "Highlights of the week"; recently with somewhat better reception than normally heard. On Sept 10, noted VOI with stronger reception than NBC Bougainville, at 1143. [non-log]. 7289.92, Pro 1 RRI Nabire, on Sept 8, started checking at 0744, but nothing heard. Seems erratic? (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 3325, Voice of Indonesia (presumed), via RRI Palangkaraya, 1208, Sept 13. Carrier heard at decent level, but with no trace of any audio; this is not the first time recently that I have noted the same thing (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Digital assistants hone skills to deliver the news | AFP.com https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/digital-assistants-hone-skills-deliver-news-doc-19394x1 (via Mike Cooper, Sept 16, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. With a Roku, I watch a lot of TV stations that stream. There are over 200+ and coming from most states. I think the only state I cannot get a streaming TV station on the Roku is Delaware. Even AK, HI, & Guam have streaming news. WECT Wilmington NC has been streaming continually for days. It is fascinating to watch this. Even though downgraded to a Cat 1, still a lot flooding and damage. I sure feel for those people. It is terrible. Glad it was downgraded, but still it is terrible. Some areas hit 12+ inches in rain so far (Patrick Martin Seaside OR, Sept 14, nrc-am gg via DXLD) Patrick, Does Roku charge for the streaming TV stations? (Pat Doak, Sept 14, nrc-am via DXLD) No, in fact probably 80% of the over 7700 channels (apps) on the Roku are free. This includes the 200+ TV station apps from Birmingham AL to Cheyenne WY. You generally will not see any network programming, as that is licensed for their market. However all local programming is generally available. I am a real news junkie and it is a blast to watch the newscasts from coast to coast. Some of my favorites are KTUU-Anchorage AK, KTVF-Fairbanks AK, KUAM-Agana Guam, KITV-Honolulu HI. Some stations even run the local ads. Add to that, Radio Apps like Tune-In, etc offer thousands of AM-FM stations worldwide. One of my favorite stations is 2KY Sydney NSW. A station I used to listen to many mornings while DXing.- I now have 3 Roku's, A chromecast, a Firestick, as well as a Fire Box. Amazon Fire has a different set of apps. They have about 5500. Some are the same but others aren't (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, Sept 16, ibid.) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Robin Banks RIP Via @AJBZ on Twitter #RNI's #RobinBanks (Adcroft) Radio Nordsee International #RadioCaroline, a great #broadcaster who died today 16.09.2018 An #offshoreradio #legend He will be sadly missed Sad to hear this news (Gary Drew, BDXC -- Gary Drew worldwide, Sept 16, bdxc-news iog via DXLD) How sad; I do remember the tests from the Mebo on 48m whilst docked in harbour in Libya which I think Robin did (Stuart Heathcock, ibid.) September 16, 2018 ---- Hans Knot has today reported on Facebook - "Just received a sad message that this afternoon around 2.25 CET Robin Banks passed away after a long period of illness due to kidney cancer." Robin was station engineer and sometimes dj on Radio Nordsee International off the coast of Holland also England until it's closedown. The ship was later used for relaying the programmes of The Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah Broadcasting Corporation while its shore-based facilities were being over-hauled. The last Europeans to work on the ship were two Dutch engineers, Joop and Koos, with Prinz Holman and former RNI DJ/engineer Robin Banks. These last two were responsible for the final English language programme to be broadcast when at 05.00 GMT on 14th August 1978 an hour long show was put out, illicitly, celebrating and remembering offshore radio on the anniversary of the Marine Offences Act. In 1981 both the Mebo II and the Angela (by then renamed El Fateh and Almasira) were sunk when used as targets for Libyan rocket practice - a dramatic end to an action-packed episode in the annals of offshore radio. More details here: http://www.offshoreradio.co.uk/rni9.htm (via Mike Terry, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Hurricane warning Advice issued to travellers from the UK: Travel Mole September 11, 2018 https://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2033961&c=setreg®ion=2 Hurricane warning for Britons holidaying in the Caribbean: The UK Foreign Office has issued a hurricane warning to British holidaymakers in the Caribbean while in the US a deadly storm is heading towards Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, and Hawaii is also expected to be hit by another storm. Hurricane Isaac is currently pushing west through the tropical Atlantic Ocean and is expected to hit the Lesser Antilles later this week. The FCO issued the following warning to Brits in, and travelling to, Caribbean islands including St Lucia, Barbados, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Dominica, Antigua & Barbuda and the Dominican Republic: "Hurricane Isaac is forecast to reach the Caribbean region on or around Thursday 13 September; you should monitor local and international weather updates and follow the advice of local authorities." Weather.com has warned Isaac could bring tropical storm-force winds to Barbados and the central Lesser Antilles by late Wednesday or Thursday morning. The weather site said: "Isaac was a Category 1 hurricane late on Monday morning, more than 1,000 miles east of the Windward Islands. It is expected to grow stronger. "Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands could see tropical storm-force wind gusts Thursday into Friday." Meanwhile US President Donald Trump has issued a series of warnings to prepare for Hurricane Florence, which is gathering power as it approaches the Carolinas. Mr Trump tweeted that this was 'one of the worst storms to hit the East Coast in many years'. Florence is at present a Category Four storm, with sustained winds of about 140mph. If it maintains its current path, it will hit North Carolina late on Thursday. More than a million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in Carolina and Virginia. On its current track, Florence is predicted to make landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina, late on Thursday. A third Hurricane, Olivia, is heading towards Hawaii. "Hurricane Olivia is approaching the Hawaiian Islands as a category 1 with 85 mph sustained winds," said the Foreign Office. "Tropical storm conditions are expected in the next 24-36 hours. A tropical storm warning is in place for Hawaii and Maui Counties. A tropical storm watch is in place for Oahu County. You should follow the advice of local authorities. For more information check with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the Central Pacific Hurricane Centre." (via Mike Terry, UK, 1329 UT Sept 11, WOR iog via DXLD) US media are totally focused on Florence. You would never know about the others. Our best wishes to all WOR iogroupies threatened. When it`s all over, let us know how you are doing! (Glenn, Sept 12, WOR iog via DXLD) ** IRAN. 13730, Sept 17 at 1416, S9 signal but just barely modulated = JBM. Aoki/NDXC shows it must be VIRI in Russian, 500 kW at 336 degrees USward from Sirjan at 1320-1420 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISLE OF MAN [and non]. Chris Williams of Manx Radio wrote on the Pirate Rulers of The Airwaves Relaunched Facebook group: September 12, 2018 "Some good news for you here, we have extended the contract for Radio Caroline to use our AM 1368 transmitter for another year. Radio Caroline North will be broadcasting monthly for the rest of this year and throughout 2019. With love from The Irish Sea." Note: The next broadcast will be on the weekend of 22/23 September on 1368 kHz, 648 kHz and online via Radio Caroline/Manx Radio web sites until 9 pm British time (via Mike Terry, Sept 15, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** JAPAN. Captaciones de Antonio Paredes, desde Argentina: 12704.5 CW, JFX, Kagoshima Fisheries Radio Station, llegando muy bien por Argentina. Emitiendo llamado general cada 15 min. "CQ CQ DE JFX JFX QRU QSX 6/8/12 MHZ K" YOUTUBE.COM CQing every 15 minutes. (Conexion Digital 16 Sept via DXLD) ** KIRITIMATI. 846, Sept 11 at 0615, JBA carrier from presumed R. Kiribati, getting to be a regular. See also UNID 936. 846, Sept 12 at 0616, JBA carrier from presumed R. Kiribati. And again Sept 13 at 0611 check. [and non]. 846, Sept 15 at 0644, JBA carrier presumed R. Kiribati; only other 9-kHz one noted was 801 kHz at 0641, still a bit early for 500 kW Pyongyang; it`s an RNE Spain synchro frequency adding up to 85 kW (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More at UNIDENTIFIED Re: 846. When checking a few times in Feb and March the carrier tended to peak 10-15 minutes after their sunset. Their SS is 0428 now according to Google. One time the carrier was more than 30dB above the noise floor, which should provide some audio if decently modulated, but KOA slop even here 900 miles away was horrendous so I couldn't copy audio. KAZ-IL (Neil Kazaross, Sept 17, ABDX yg via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH & SOUTH [and non]. Has There Been a Thaw in the Inter-Korean Radio War? The two countries agreed to cease “hostile actions” in May, but jamming and propaganda broadcasts persist: https://www.radioworld.com/global/has-there-been-a-thaw-in-the-inter-korean-radio-war (via Richard Langley, WOR iog via DXLD) Has There Been a Thaw in the Inter-Korean Radio War? The two countries agreed to cease “hostile actions” in May, but jamming and propaganda broadcasts persist Hans Johnson, Sep 7, 2018 ThinkstockPhotos-486254404_Kagenmi Thinkstock/Kagenmi Has there been a thaw in the inter-Korean radio war of “hostile” radio broadcasts and jamming? Hopes were raised coming out of the April 27 summit, as the leaders of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea declared that the nations would “cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain.” Specifically, “ceasing as of May 1 this year, all hostile acts and eliminating their means, including broadcasting through loudspeakers and distribution of leaflets in the areas along the Military Demarcation Line.” The loudspeaker broadcasts have indeed stopped, with Seoul going so far as the dismantle its loudspeaker network. It was thought that this might lead to a decrease or even elimination of radio broadcasting directed by the Koreas at one another, especially as the programming on the South Korean loudspeaker network has also been transmitted via FM to North Korea. As such, they might be considered a “hostile act” occurring at the Military Demarcation Line as the transmissions could be received in this area. In addition, South Korean police prevented an activist group from launching leaflet-laden balloons towards North Korea on May 5, according to press reports. BROADCASTING, JAMMING AND MONITORING There is a history of cross-Korean border broadcasts and jamming FM, AM and shortwave going back decades. Jamming has also been used by both sides in all of these bands and usually consists of some sort of noise jamming. These stations’ purpose is to influence the other side, and the jammers seek to prevent that influence from taking root. Monitoring, particularly of the widely heard shortwave services, will indicate if stations have been shut down or if there is a decrease in jamming. Such monitoring does have its limitations, even in a world with many remote receivers, especially with regards to FM. North Korea presents its own special challenges. Apparently due to power shortages, the country is not always able to transmit on every listed frequency, nor able to jam them. So an absence of either activity might be due to lack of electricity rather than a change in policy. Also, North Korean transmitters in poor condition are sometimes heard, apparently due to inability to repair such emitters. Radios sets are widely available in South Korea, so North Korean stations can be tuned in to them. There is a single station transmitting from North Korea to South Korea known as Echo of Unification. The station is still active, and it is still being jammed by South Korea. One of its shortwave transmitters is in poor condition and putting out a wobbly signal. South Korea also jams certain North Korean domestic services that can be received in South Korea. There are no signs that this jamming has stopped. The radio receiver situation is quite different in the North. The government sells fix-tuned sets that can only receive domestic broadcasts. While some tune-able sets have been smuggled in or clandestinely made, the bulk of sets are fix-tuned. There can be stiff penalties for tuning in to “foreign” broadcasts, so many broadcasts directed to North Korea are scheduled for the middle of the night, which is described as a “safe” time to listen. Like its neighbor to the South, North Korea jams some South Korean domestic services. SOUTH-NORTH BROADCASTING Despite the lack of receiver sets, there are several South Korean government-run stations broadcasting to North Korea. Voice of Freedom is operated by the South Korean military, and until recently, was also broadcast in part via loudspeaker. But the end of the loudspeaker broadcasts has not meant an end to the station’s transmissions on FM and shortwave. Nor has it brought an end of North Korean jamming of the station. There are four stations reportedly operated by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service: Echo of Hope and Voice of the People are on shortwave only and operate on a number of frequencies. They remain on the air and continue to suffer from North Korean jamming. Both the AM station, Radio Free Korea and the Freedom FM Radio appear to still be available as well. For the moment, the Koreas appear to be limiting the predicted “broadcast thaw” to loudspeakers and leaflets. Such bans on loudspeaker broadcasts are not unprecedented, nor is their eventual resumption. If the ban last this time, the next break might be an end to their services targeting one another and the jamming associated with these services. Even in such a scenario, North Korea would still face a number of radio services it considers hostile. The countries might then stop jamming each others’ domestic broadcasts. Only time will tell if the thaw will expand to include inter-Korean radio broadcasts and jammin, or if the countries will return to their old, cold behavior. Other Voices In addition to stations run by South Korea, there are a number of other broadcasts that North Korea objects to and attempts to jam. These include mainstream and well-known stations such as the BBC’s recently established Korean service and the U.S. government’s Radio Free Asia. There are also two stations produced by the Japanese government and directed to North Korea: Sea Breeze and Wind From the Homeland. They are broadcasting on shortwave to Japanese citizens believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea and thought to still be held there. There are also a number of NGOs broadcasting to North Korea. Among them is National Unity Radio, a station using shortwave transmitters in Tajikistan. It is reportedly part of the Unification Media Group, which received over $500,000 in grants from the National Endowment for Democracy last year. North Korea Reform Radio is broadcast on shortwave via Uzbekistan and received over $300,00 from the NED in 2017. North Korea jams these services. Communist North Korea also objects to some religious broadcasts. Voice of the Martyrs and FEBC are among the stations that have been jammed. So even if South Korea were to end all its radio services to North Korea, the jammers in the North would likely remain quite busy. (via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. 6045, Voice of Freedom, through Sept 10, this frequency is still clear of N. Korea jamming, which is still down on ex VOF frequency of 5920. Will be very sorry to find that the N. Korea jamming has returned to 6045, as the last time they were there, they produced a spur on 6035, which interfered with reception of PBS Yunnan's relay of FM99, on that frequency! [and non]. 6045, Voice of Freedom, quick check at 1052, Sept 13. Finally heard them heavily jammed by N. Korea (ex 5920 now a clear frequency); also heard the jamming spur on 6035, which is serious QRM for both the PBS Yunnan relay of FM99 (China) and also BBS (Bhutan). It will be extremely difficult to now confirm BBS on 6035, at least as long as VOF stays on 6045. A frustrating situation! (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** KUWAIT. Good signal of Radio Kuwait in English, Sept.13 0500-0800 on 15529.8 KBD 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu English http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/good-signal-of-radio-kuwait-in-english.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KUWAIT. Sunday 16 September. R Kuwait Arabic service 0945-1325 on 15110 observed in AM mode rather than DRM from tune-in 0943. At 1000 sign-on of Filipino service (rather than continuation of Arabic) in parallel with scheduled 17760 kHz (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, WOR iog via DXLD) And it's the same here at 1015 UT tune in. 15110 is a fair to good signal in the NW of England, but 17760 is only just about audible during signal peaks in the local noise (Noel R. Green, ibid.) ** KYRGYZSTAN. Here is the log for 12.09.2018: 4010 kHz, 1700 UT, Birinchi Radio, in kyrgyz, good signal (Ivan Lebedevsky, St. Petersburg, Russia / worlddx) (Logs made on sdr-radio at Haparanda, Sweden, via Rus-DX 16 Sept via DXLD) 12 September 2018. Kyrgyz Radio, 4820 kHz heard weak even here in Finland after 1200, but the content confirmed via closer-by remote receivers. It is NOT carrying Birinchi Radio // 4010 kHz, but second programme, Kyrgyz Radiosu: http://www.ktrk.kg/online/online-kg_radio.php The sign-off is regularly at 1230, after that Tibetan PBS is there alone (Mauno Ritola, Finland / https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrthgroup/ ibid.) ** LIBERIA. Re: ``U S A [non]. 7375, Aug 30 at 0424, VOA via BOTSWANA talking about an ECOWAS radio station in English, French, Portuguese, something new, maybe on SW?? But soon on to another topic about domestic violence against women in Sénégal. Searching finds news that the Economic Community of West African States got a radio station in Monrovia, Liberia, in March 2018. It had been a UN station, then transferred to ECOWAS. WTFK, FM only? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DXLD)`` Viz.: ECOWAS Now Has A Regional Radio In Monrovia --- 24/03/2018 http://www.ecowas.int/ecowas-now-has-a-regional-radio-in-monrovia/ Right-left, Tunde Ajisomo, George Manneh Weah, Leopoldo Amado and Mme Amina Mohammed Monrovia, 23 March 2018. Liberian President George Manneh Weah has welcomed the transfer, on Friday 23 March 2018, of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Radio to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). “As the United Nations withdraws from Liberia, its radio is transferred to ECOWAS. I am convinced that this powerful medium of communication will enable the regional organisation have greater impact on its citizens, particularly at the grassroots”, stated George Manneh Weah. The Liberian Head of State expressed gratitude to the United Nations Mission for its critical role in the consolidation of democracy, economic development, peace and security in Liberia, through this radio. He urged ECOWAS to build on these achievements, and to make the radio a viable instrument to effectively promote peace, security, and integration in the region. According to the ECOWAS Commission President, Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Culture, Leopoldo Amado, the new regional radio would serve as a platform to promote regional integration as enshrined in the ECOWAS Treaty and its related texts and protocols. “The radio station will promote regional integration; contribute to the education of the West African people; create awareness of ECOWAS programmes and its Vision 2020; help to strengthen economic integration, peace, security, and democracy in West Africa; and promote development programmes of the United Nations and international partners across the sub-region”, stated Mr Amado. He called for greater support from the international community to sustain the radio, noting that the pomp and pageantry of the handing over ceremony should not detract from the major challenges to be addressed through the collective effort of all stakeholders. “There is the need for huge technical investment, first to enable the radio remain on air, then to extend its broadcast to the other Member States in the three official languages of ECOWAS, and finally to incorporate national languages that will foster the socio-cultural integration of our Community”, Leopoldo Amado concluded. Earlier, the Resident Representative of the ECOWAS Commission President in Liberia, Ambassador Tunde Ajisomo, thanked UNMIL staff, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, former Liberian President, Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and former ECOWAS Commission President, Marcel de Souza, and all who contributed to the successful transfer of the UN Radio to the regional organisation. “This transfer encapsulates the desire of ECOWAS founding fathers to strengthen the bond of unity and promote peaceful co-existence among Member States of the Community”, stated Mr Ajisomo. George Manneh Weah and Leopoldo Amado talking on the ECOWAS radio [captions] Officials at the ceremony of transfer to ECOWAS of UNMIL radio The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Mrs Amina Mohammed, the United Nations Under-Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator for UN Operations in Liberia, Farid Zari, as well as the Liberian Minister for Information, Eugene Lenn Nagbe, all expressed satisfaction with the transfer of the UNMIL Radio to ECOWAS. Following the tape-cutting ceremony symbolising the transfer of the UNMIL Radio to ECOWAS, George Manneh Weah, Leopoldo Amado and Mrs Amina Mohammed walked into one of the studios for the official live broadcast of the ECOWAS Radio. The transfer ceremony was followed by the high-level meeting to formulate Liberia’s 2018-2024 National Development Plan. Both ceremonies were presided over by the Liberian Head of State, George Manneh Weah. The ECOWAS Commission President’s representative underscored the importance of aligning Liberia’s National Development Plan with existing strategies and plans at global, continental and sub-regional levels, particularly the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s 2063 Agenda, and the ECOWAS Vision 2020. “Africa is fed up with development policies bearing little impact on its citizens. The policies are not easily implementable and formulated by so-called experts who have no clear understanding of our specific realities “. In a nutshell, “the National Development Plan should be target-oriented and realistic”, he concluded (via Dr Hansjoerg Biener, DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. Received E-QSL from RTM for the reception of the radio station Sarawak FM - 08/09/2018, 1615-1645 UT at the frequency of 9835 kHz (via Kajang). Card number 107-2018 with a picture of the state of Malaysia - Sarawak. The report sent by an e-mail to the address: roziyati @ rtm.gov.my. Confirmation received from Unit Pengukuran & Kualiti, Seksyen Teknikal Rangkaian Kajang. 011-6274 4947, from the address: pengukurankualitikajang@gmail.com. (Dmitry Kutuzov, Ryazan, Russia / "deneb-radio-dx", QSL World, Rus-DX 16 Sept via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. Malaysia Day - September 16 (Sunday) Hi Glenn, Here is an early reminder that this Sunday (Sept 16), will be Malaysia Day, an important date in Malaysian history. In the past was primarily observed in Sarawak and Sabah, but currently pushing for a wider celebration - http://goo.gl/ZPssVh Every year RTM carries the Prime Minister's address to the nation via 9835 (Sarawak FM) and 11665 (Wai FM), as these two stations are currently the only active SW stations - please note my former log/audio below. YouTube has a scenic 2018 Malaysia Day video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJpQlr-Fb84 . Although rather unlikely, I will be checking for any possible special reactivations on SW, that might be covering the celebrations. Checking former frequencies: 5965 (Radio Klasik, formerly Klasik Nasional), 6050 (Asyik FM), 7295 (Traxx FM), etc. Ron, San Francisco - - - - - Ron wrote in 2016: ** MALAYSIA. 9835 (Sarawak FM) // 11665 (Wai FM), 1302-1314, Sept 16. Major address to the nation on Malaysia Day (national holiday to observe founding of the Malaysian Federation); Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak impassioned speech, delivered from Sarawak; mostly in vernacular, but some English ("We are greater because we are together. We will rise to the challenge and we will succeed because we are together . . . moments of leadership"); loud sound of the crowd in background; after 1314 not // (Ron Howard, Calif., dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) - - - - - my brief audio from September 16, 2014 - https://app.box.com/s/vth96sauq4j84hgrcnuv (Ron Howard, Sept 13, 2018, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MARSHALL ISLANDS. See AUSTRALIA [and non] ** MEXICO. 800, Sept 15 at 0643, praise music in Spanish mentioning ``adoracion``, presumed XEROK CiJz with new gospel-huxter format. No CKLW at the moment, but always KQCV OKC to be avoided. XEROK no longer a ``cannon``, with reduced power (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 820, Sept 11 at 1217, canned ID amid romantic music with heavy beat, as ``Canal ochocientos veinte, ABC Radio``. It`s been making a SAH with WBAP of slightly under 1 Hz, about 55 fades per minute, first noticed a few minutes earlier but peaking now with WBAP nulled as much as possible. It`s XEABCA, Mexicali BCN. WRTH 2018 shows 3.5/0.5 kW, named instead Radio Frontera. IRCA Mexican Log of 2015 (will there ever be a new one?) contains both names. Not bad at a kilomile, especially if on night power as it should be, and non-direxional per NRC Pattern Book of 2013 (a new edition of 2018 has just been published!). But not too unusual here on SRS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) They have really been getting out well the past year or two. The vast majority of the time, they refer to themselves as "Canal ochocientos veinte, ABC Radio" but occasionally they also still use "Radio Frontera," which I believe is actually the name of the local company that operates XEABCA-820 and XEMMM-940. A radio blogger in Mexicali told me recently that XEABCA has been granted a CP to migrate to FM as XHABCA-101.3. The same blogger told me that long-silent XEAA -1340 was hoping to return to the air this summer (they were still off when I drove through El Centro in June). 73 Tim Hall, Sept 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 870, Sept 11 at 1202, XETAR, La Voz de la Sierra Tarahumara, sign-on procedure with many IDs in Spanish and native languages, also singing, mentions of CDI parent agency [concesionario: COMISION NACIONAL PARA EL DESARROLLO DE LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS]. On the DX-398 it`s separable from WWL remnants. I`ve seen its website before, but looking for it in the WRTH 2018, on page 281, 870 XETAR is keyed as station CH18) in Chihuahua state -- but the referenced entry on page 284 for CH18) is obviously some other station, in Cuauhtemoc! If XETAR be somewhere else in the CH sexion, I haven`t found it, but I do notice another likely typo: CH12) as ``readiocanon800@latinmail.com`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. RAYMIE`S MEXICO BEAT this week --- with some DTV = TDT An interesting ruling at the Supreme Court removes one piece of the LFTR regulating station broadcasts. http://www.sinembargo.mx/11-09-2018/3469395 In May, the court ruled that Article 223, section IX of the LFTR, which says that programs should "foster the correct use of language", was unconstitutional because it made the state an arbiter of language. The case was brought last year by XHIG-FM Iguala, Guerrero. However, the opinion from the First Chamber of the SCJN upheld the other portions of that article as well as other obligations on broadcasters. Among the pieces still upheld: -the other things broadcasts should seek to develop, including the "harmonious development of children", "sustainable development", gender equality and "the diffusion of scientific and technical knowledge"; -subchannels have the same content obligations as main channels; -the obligation to transmit the Himno Nacional; -prohibitions against broadcasting advertising presented as news; -and the time on stations ceded to the government. The "correct use on language" being thrown out the window doesn't open the door to vulgarity off the bat. The RTC could simply classify violations as going against other sections of the same article of the LFTR, especially the one about kids (Raymie Humbert, Phoenix AZ, Sept 12, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) The Los Mochis permit forest is starting to emerge. On 88.5, XHSIG-FM is testing its signal and has a name and URL: http://lainteresante.com/ La Interesante de Los Mochis, matching its sister station in Guasave. XHMSA-FM 102.9 https://twitter.com/RadioUAS/status/1039208795375902720 will go on the air October 8, a date chosen to mark the 47th anniversary of Radio UAS in Culiacán. Apparently XHHIS-FM 97.3 (Universidad Autónoma de Durango) has its tower all set up, though there are no public-facing signs of any of the UAD expansion stations yet (Raymie, Sept 13, ibid.) A legend in Oaxaca radio has died at 90. https://oaxaca.quadratin.com.mx/muere-decano-de-la-radio-en-oaxaca-manuel-humberto-siordia/ Manuel Humberto Siordia Mata was a radio personality and host for decades in the state capital and also founded XEOU Huajuapan de León in 1969. ——— It appears that the saga of XHPBA-FM is nearing its end. The Facebook page is now facebook.com/Los40Puebla/, though there is no visual sign to indicate the Los 40 franchise is setting up shop in Puebla for the first time. They also have @Los40Pue registered on Twitter. They'll have one more competitor on FM, too, as XHEZAR-FM 96.1 hit the air today. https://twitter.com/ZonadeFuegoNews/status/1040332207288606721 Last edited by Raymie; 09-14-2018 at 12:53 AM (Raymie, originally Sept 13, ibid.) First on the Mexico Beat: Inside IFT-6 — The Bidders that Didn't Make It and the Stations that Didn't Happen A little bit back, I took a look at some newly public documents out of the IFT that revealed some information about non-winning bidders from the IFT-4 radio station auction. There are a few similar ones for IFT-6, and some other documents that added to information we have in hindsight share quite a bit. Televisa Wanted to Participate in the Auction Two of the bidders were Televisa, which has yet to be reported. Bidders R5-415113 and T9-012555 were both subsidiaries of Televisa, bidding for stations that would have given Televisa an outright owned duopoly in Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Villahermosa. These are cities where, for Canal 5, Televisa must rely on an affiliate to deliver network service (XHTX and XHLL, respectively). They also looked at making a bid for Morelia, but the IFT denied them for already having too many stations. The IFT required Televisa, if it wanted to participate, to cut its affiliation deals not only with XHLL and XHTX, but also with the then-Gala TV affiliates in those cities, XHDY and XHTVL. Televisa evidently decided not to go ahead — neither station was bid out. Some Old Faces Wanted More than They Got Comunicación 2000, which won XHCOSL-TDT Matehuala, also initially sought to bid for Ciudad Valles, which they were approved to do so for, and the VHF in Zacatecas, which did not move along. The IFT conditioned the approval for Cd. Valles on disaffiliating XHSLV from Televisa entirely. Had the Valles station been won, they would have had a more robust network of stations across the state instead of the one expansion into Matehuala. Likewise, Telsusa Televisión México did seek the Coatzacoalcos station. The IFT conditioned that approval, however, on breaking ties with XHTVL and XHCVP. Fat chance. Multimedios Had More Ambitious Plans Multimedios's two participating bidders sought stations at Celaya-Querétaro, Chihuahua Capital, Saltillo, Pachuca, Toluca and San Luis Potosí (UHF) in addition to six stations they ended up winning. Chihuahua Capital, unlike the others, was lost in the auction process. That station went in the 13th round to Intermedia de Chihuahua. When that occurred, I suspected MMTV was the likely challenger, and I was correct. The stations lost elsewhere are a bit more mysterious. In Pachuca and Toluca, and at the time Celaya-Querétaro, Multimedios had no broadcast holdings, and just one FM station in San Luis. I'm not sure why Multimedios dropped out; in fact, only Saltillo would have been contested against another bidder. MMTV might have also thought Saltillo less necessary because it has a shadow there. Who Lost The 21-Rounder? That 13-round epic was not the longest of the bidding wars in IFT-6. That honor went to the Puerto Vallarta station, won by CPS Media after 21 rounds of bidding. At the time, I theorized that Telsusa was the competing applicant, but Telsusa did not even put in a bid for the frequency. That would actually be Radio-Televisión Digital de Nayarit, which probably thought integrating it with the Tepic and Acaponeta stations would give it statewide coverage (and the rest of Vallarta to boot). I Feel For You There were 16 entities fighting for stations in IFT-6. Two were Televisa, which evidently dropped out, so that left us with 14. Thirteen of those picked up a station or more. The odd man out was A1-231444, bidding for Chetumal and Tulum-Cozumel. (Both stations went on day two of bidding to Telsusa.) It's unclear who this is, but my guess is Acustik. In IFT-4, Akustik Media, S.A.P.I. de C.V., had folio A1-431222. Kind of strange, huh? (Raymie, Sept 14, ibid.) One more Multimedios station is on the air. It's XHTDJA 34 Guadalajara, pumping out 200,000 watts ERP from atop Cerro del Cuatro. It signed on last night with Milenio and Teleritmo active and color bars on the main sub. ——— Meanwhile, an AM frequency change is taking place in the State of Mexico. In 2016, the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo won a public concession for a new radio station, XECHAP 1130, which appeared destined to replace its existing XEUACH 1610. That has now been proven true. On September 7, Radio Chapingo signed off 1610. The station is currently online-only while work takes place to fit the facility for the new transmissions on 1130. XECHAP will have a power of 2,000 watts, where XEUACH had 5,000. However, the lower frequency actually means the coverage area is somewhat wider even at less power: http://forums.wtfda.org/showthread.php?9113-OPMA-is-changing&p=46742#post46742 One of the tools in the Coverage Viewer is you can compare the population served by multiple stations (though not at a per-transmitter level for shadows) using data from the 2010 census. The XEUACH contour includes 11,016,241 people. For XECHAP, it's 14,892,105 people — an increase made possible by the improved, but still partial, coverage of the Mexico City area. XEUACH held the distinction of being Mexico's first expanded-band radio station; it was permitted in 1997, but it had been in the X-band earlier than that, perhaps as early as 1994. http://infoagronomo.com/nota.php?nota=670&seccion= Last edited by Raymie; 09-14-2018 at 02:47 PM (Raymie, Sept 14, ibid.) Coverage Spotlight: XHTXA: It's Not In Puebla Well, the Coverage Viewer proves useful again. So XHTXA-FM is actually between Tihuatlán and Tuxpan. It's not in Puebla; it's at 20°44'18.1"N 97°31'09.4"W. Right on the road is a "La Lomita" sign. We finally found Ejido La Lomita...it just took a few years. https://www.google.com/maps/@20.7366412,-97.519255,3a,15y,259.28h,92.73t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEadFbLBXiGrlNp9hn_Ctdg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 (Raymie, Sept 14, ibid.) First on the Mexico Beat: All 229 Pre-LFTR Applications for Permit Stations This is perhaps one of the most exciting pieces I’ve been able to write. Through a transparency request from the IFT, I have obtained a list of all 229 pending applications for radio stations predating the LFTR, ranging from 2000 to 2014. These applications cover all broadcast services and will allow for the prediction of permit forests, particularly because the date of application is included for all of them. This list is groundbreaking information. It does for permits what the transparency request filed by the Organización de Radios Comunitarias de Occidente last year did for the 2015 through 2017 PABFs. That request allowed me to instantly identify the concessionaires of radio stations being awarded simply by getting word of where they were located, as well as mutually exclusive groups arising from the PABF. Of the 229 applications, one is on AM, 26 are television, and the remaining 202 are for FM radio stations. We’ll start by getting the AM out of the way. The application was filed on July 8, 2004, for Radio Temascalcingo, A.C., at Temascalcingo, State of Mexico. This locality, northwest of Atlacomulco, has no radio stations. ——— The 202 FM stations are the most interesting. Some form forests. We’ll go state-by-state. AGUASCALIENTES The three applications were for stations at Aguascalientes, Calvillo, and Pabellón de Arteaga. Of these, the first and last are existing owners. Comunicación Integral para la Familia (XHCIF Calvillo) and Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra (Grupo ZER), and especially the latter, will probably have a hard time getting their stations. In fact, the ZER application should be turned down for economic competition reasons. The other applicant is Comunicaciones Calvillo, A.C. BAJA CALIFORNIA There are five applicants in Baja California. Two are lone wolves: Fundación San Quintín, A.C., for Mexicali (Grupo Uvizra, see XHBAJA-FM), and Fundación de Radio Social de Baja California, A.C., at the village of Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada, which has no stations. The three others form the Ensenada permit forest, which consists of, in order of application: CODIPAC, A.C. Impulso a la Música Mexicana, A.C. Asociación Cultural Fronteriza, A.C. Searching the term CODIPAC brings up activity of the Catholic kind. It’s an acronym for “Comisión Diocesana para la Pastoral de la Comunicación”. A Catholic station here would make two after XHARB-FM. The other applicants are wolves. The lead theory suggests IMM is related to Grupo ACIR. ACF has had applications up and down the Baja California peninsula, including losses in some PABF groups. It had filed for applications in four of BC’s five municipalities, but this is the last one left. CODIPAC would be the front-runner unless religious questions factor into the award. BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR An eighth station in the Los Cabos area is the only permit award left hanging in BCS. It’s for Música de mis Recuerdos, A.C. — already known as Fórmula’s wolf. CAMPECHE There are six applications in two forests in Campeche. The Ciudad del Carmen forest consists of Nueva Generación con Vida, A.C. Música de mis Recuerdos, A.C. Organiden, A.C. The first one is a local church, and it’s the only one without stations. Organiden’s presence here is a serious head scratcher, given that the other applications related to this group have been in Sonora (XHGYM, XHHER, and a pending Ciudad Obregón). What is Radiovisa doing in Campeche? The second permit forest is in San Francisco de Campeche, where a trio of applicants is duking it out for the state capital: Miguel Ángel Valle Chan Impulso a la Música Mexicana Promoción y Fomento Cultural Valle Chan owns a security company in Campeche. The other two are wolves; PFC is a wolf for Grupo Radio Digital, which to date has no presence in Campeche. CHIAPAS Chiapas is home to 42 of the applications — 20 percent of the FM activity — including some of the largest permit forests in the country. Many applicants here are individuals, likely for religious stations. Ángel María López López seeks Agua Prieta and La Concordia. Cajvaltic Tasmeltsan, A.C., is going for Amatan. The Comitán de Domínguez forest includes two applicants. The first was Impulsora Pro Cultura y Salud del Estado de Chiapas, A.C., filed October 13, 2000. This bid from the most mysterious wolf operator in Mexico (XHITG, XHSCC), coming the same day as they sought other cities, is also among the oldest on file. The other is Promoción y Fomento Cultural, which came on the scene in 2011. At Ejido Santo Domingo, Uvaldino Natalio Paz Robledo seeks a station. In Huixtla, Radio Enlace del Soconusco, A.C. and Shadia Leilany Franco Santizo are the applicants. At Oxchuc, Abel Gómez Sánchez seeks a station. In Palenque, there are three applicants. Two are social: Ismael Rodríguez Damas, and La Máxima del Norte de Chiapas, A.C. Filed after those two is an application from the Sistema Chiapaneco de Radio, Televisión y Cinematografía, no doubt seeking to replace its AM station there. The SCHRTyC application is a reminder that some of these 229 applications would be for public stations today. San Cristóbal de las Casas is less of a forest and more of a jungle. It has a whopping eight applicants, with the oldest two applications coming on the same day for Palabras de Esperanza Miel, A.C. and Rhema en los Cinco Ministerios, A.C. These two are probably religious and they came together, on August 10, 2010. Later that year came Heberto Domínguez Díaz, and a month after that was Santiago Jiménez Aguilar. Culturas Vivas de los Altos de Chiapas, A.C., Radio Raíces de mi Tierra, A.C., the SCHRTyC, and Promoción y Fomento Cultural round out the jungle. Domínguez Díaz is listed as a ham operator with callsign XE3DDH. There’s a religious magazine called Rhema in Guatemala, associated with the Ebenezer church. Two of the applicants above, Palabras de Esperanza Miel and Culturas Vivas de los Altos de Chiapas, also sought stations at San Juan Chamula. In Zinacantán, Arte y Cultura de los Altos de Chiapas (note the slightly different name) sought a station, and Radio que Cambia Tu Vida, A.C., hopes to change some lives in Sitala. Tapachula’s forest includes three stations in Tapachula and two for Cacahoatán. In Tapachula are Impulsora Pro Cultura y Salud del Estado de Chiapas (2010); Promoción y Fomento Cultural (May 2013); and Música de mis Recuerdos (July 2013). In 2011, Laura Consuelo González García filed for Cacahoatán, and Carlos Moisés Morales Ramírez joined her in November 2013. Teopisca’s pair of applicants was José Adán Gerardo Solís, and Generadores de Esperanza para un Mundo Mejor, A.C. In Tonalá, Impulsora Pro Cultura y Salud del Estado de Chiapas came first, followed by Natividad de los Santos Miranda in 2011. Tuxtla Gutiérrez has an eight-applicant forest. The oldest application is that of Darinka Yugglamara Coello Hidalgo, in 2009. In 2010, two applicants filed on August 27. They are, in alphabetical order, Ramón Jiménez Aguilera and Gerardo Antonio Toledo Coutiño. 2013 saw three more applicants, in Impulso a la Música Mexicana, Promoción y Fomento Cultural, and the Universidad Autónoma de Chiapas (UNACh) — a public station. 2014 added Horacio Culebro Borrayas to the mix. In Villa Comaltitlán, Erika María Ponce Díaz filed in 2009. Villaflores has two applicants. Grupo Viva Nuevo Amanecer de la Fraylesca, A.C., came first in 2010. Four years later came a station that has signed on as a pirate — the Sistema Chiapaneco de Radio, Televisión y Cinematografía, whose “Radio Frailesca” broadcasts on 98.3 MHz. CHIHUAHUA There are no forests in Chihuahua, which is unusual (and suggests potentially that Chihuahua may have been settled very recently). Four applications remain to be adjudicated. Two belong to the Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, at Ciudad Delicias and Hidalgo del Parral. The third is Dabar Radio, A.C., which already has XHDAB-FM in Parral but wants another station for Guadalupe y Calvo. The last applicant is the most noteworthy. The Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez wants to build at Práxedis G. Guerrero — a rimshot for Juárez. COAHUILA With the Monclova forest settled, only the Saltillo forest of six applicants, and bids by Fundación de la Radio Cultural for Ciudad Acuña, Cuatro Ciénegas, Piedras Negras, Sabinas and Torreón, remain. The Saltillo forest, as previously reported, has six applicants. In order of filing, they are: Universidad Millennium Internacional, S.C. Radio Cultural del Centro, A.C. Música de mis Recuerdos, A.C. Fundación de la Radio Cultural, A.C. Alas para las Palabras, A.C. Fundación Multimedia, A.C. You might recognize some of the names. In fact, two of the bidders lost in Monclova — Radio Cultural del Centro and Fundación Multimedia. The best-positioned bidder is probably Alas para las Palabras, followed by the UMI, owners of XHUMI-FM Torreón. DURANGO There are five applications in Durango. Except for Promotora de Radiodifusión Voz de la Esperanza, A.C. in Nuevo Ideal, they form a forest in the state capital. The applicants are: José Antonio Díaz Serrano Fundación Ecoforestal Sergio Guevara Guevara Fundación Garza Limón As you can see, the individuals are probably in better shape, especially since Multimedios and Garza Limón are now represented on TV here. ESTADO DE MÉXICO There are seven applicants total. In Chiconcuac, the bidder is La Chaviza Musical, S.C. de R.L. de C.V. For Ecatepec de Morelos, The Forum Mx and Arturo Peñaflor Domínguez face off. Being in the Mexico City metro, frequencies could be very limited here. At Luvianos, Gaspar Vargas Jaramillo has a bid. Toluca’s two applicants are wolves: Fundación Ecoforestal and Impulso a la Música Mexicana. Rounding out the state is Zinacantepec, due west of Toluca, applied for by Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra. It would probably be in the same forest as the main Toluca applicants. GUANAJUATO Irapuato’s lone applicant is a new social owner named for the city but first setting up shop in Dolores Hidalgo Cuna de la Independencia Nacional. That would be Ciencia, Comunicación y Tecnología de Irapuato, A.C., which got XHPECD-FM earlier this year. There are six applicants in a León forest, which consists of the following: Jaime Azcárraga Romandia — April 6, 2000 (oldest on file) Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana Fundación Ecoforestal Alejandra Chávez Puerta Alfredo Antonio Rivas Godoy Comunicación Integral para la Familia Some names here deserve extra attention. Jaime Azcárraga Romandia is the executive vice president of Radio Fórmula. Rivas Godoy is associated with Radiogrupo of Aguascalientes. Nothing is known about Chávez Puerta, who is probably in the best position to come away a winner. At San Miguel de Allende, Centro para los Adolecentes [sic] de San Miguel de Allende (2009) and Fundación de la Radio Cultural (2013) applied. I didn’t know that San Miguel was in Coahuila. Rounding out Guanajuato is the Universidad de Guanajuato, seeking an FM in Tierra Blanca. GUERRERO Just two station applications remain here. In 2010, Rodrigo Antonio Arizmendi Testa sought a station in Acapulco. He has a Guinness World Record to his name; https://elregionaldelacosta.com/gobierno-federal/imss/5209-LOGRAN-RECORD-GUINESS-AL-TRANSMITIR-6-HORAS-Y-50-MINUTOS-PROGRAMA-DE-RADIO-BAJO-EL-AGUA-EN-ALBERCA-OLIMPICA-DEL-IMSS-ACAPULCO.html in 2015, he broke the record for longest radio program done while underwater. He previously worked for Grupo ACIR’s XHAGE and at Radio y Televisión de Guerrero. https://www.facebook.com/guerreronoticias/videos/se-preparan-en-acapulco-para-romper-r%C3%A9cord-mundial-de-el-programa-de-radio-en-vi/893451790686364/ In 2013, Bárbara Mercado Arce filed for one in Tetipac. Mercado doesn’t have a world record, but she was a backup state deputy from the PRI in the 2015-2018 Guerrero legislature, representing the state’s 21st district; she ended up serving most of the term of Flor Añorve Ocampo, who ran to govern Taxco de Alarcón. HIDALGO Three applications in Pachuca are mostly wolves. Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana was first, followed by Fundación Ecoforestal and then Fortalaetia, A.C. Fortalaetia also applied for a station in Tulancingo, which has its own three-station forest. The other applicants came first, however: in 2009, the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo filed for a station, and they were joined in August 2013 by Grupo Independiente de Mujeres de Mixquiahuala, A.C. There were two singletons. The Universidad Politécnica Metropolitana de Hidalgo in Tolcayuca, one of the last applications by date represented in the permit era (August 6, 2014), had its identity revealed by a botched redaction last month, while the Universidad Tecnológica de la Sierra Hidalguense, seeking Zacualtipán de Ángeles, filed in 2010. JALISCO There are not many applications left. Two are in the highlands of Jalisco: for Medios por la Cultura, A.C. in Arandas, and Radio Educativa y Cultural de Arandas, A.C., at Jesús María. Two are for Chapala: Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra, and Ajijic Radio, A.C. In Tonalá, in the Guadalajara metro, was an application by Fundación Cultural para la Sociedad Mexicana—this is where FCSM is headquartered. Fomento Cultural Cihuatlán, filing for Cihuatlán, completes the list. MICHOACÁN Not much is left in Michoacán, either. The only forest is Tacámbaro, where Radio Tacámbaro, A.C., and Ulises Durán Ortiz are applicants. The other applicants are Alianza Ciudadana Jacona, A.C., for Jacona (near Zamora); Modelo Radiofónico Comunitario para el Desarrollo Integral del Ser Humano, A.C. at Lázaro Cárdenas; and the Ayuntamiento Constitucional de Puruándiro. Modelo Radiofónico Comunitario’s application has been pending since September 2, 2005. In 2011, their wait got so excruciating that one commissioner of the IFAI, the national transparency institute, demanded an answer from Cofetel for the lengthy delay. https://noticiasderadiodelmundo.blogspot.com/2011/03/mexico-inadmisible-el-retraso-en.html We’re already double the length of that wait in March 2011. MORELOS Morelos has just one station application. Pablo Antonio Molina Mora sought it for Anenecuilco in 2014. This is a town of 10,000 southwest of Cuautla. NUEVO LEÓN The Nuevo León state network filed in May 2014 to get its mojo back and recover the lost stations at Aramberri, Bustamante, General Bravo, General Zaragoza, and Mier y Noriega. The other applications in Nuevo León were primarily in around Monterrey. They include Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra (Los Ramones); Fundación Cultural de la Sociedad Mexicana (Montemorelos); José Armando de la Cruz Rodríguez (Montemorelos); José Efraín Martínez Ríos (San Nicolás de los Garza); and Fundación del Norte Quadra, A.C. (Santiago). OAXACA There are quite a few applications scattered around the state. The headliner is a multi-station permit forest in the capital region, consisting of: Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Oaxaca, A.C. Unión de Rescate Cultural Oaxaqueño, A.C. —*Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán Fundación Pro Radio Cultural en Oaxaca, A.C. — San Andrés Huayapam Nacidos con una Visión, A.C. Fundación Ecoforestal, A.C. Impulso a la Música Mexicana, A.C. Andrés Reyes Victoria — San Antonio de la Cal Around the state were additional applications, including: Mariano Regalado Luis — Huatulco Sicaru Xavisende, A.C. — Juchitán de Zaragoza Miriam Marely Hernández Corzo — Matías Romero Fundación Cultural Tokuela, A.C. — Ocotlán de Morelos Telar de Voces Oaxaqueñas, A.C. — Pinotepa Nacional Rate Cultural y Educativa de México — Puerto Escondido Universidad Tecnológica de los Valles Centrales de Oaxaca — San Pablo Huixtepec Escuela Normal Bilingüe e Intercultural de Oaxaca - Tlacolula PUEBLA There is a permit forest in and around the capital city: Por una Mejor Educación en Puebla, A.C. Fundación Ecoforestal, A.C. Valores y Tradiciones de mi Tierra, A.C. (Cuautlancingo) The Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla is seeking two further expansions to Radio BUAP, to Acatzingo and Teziutlán. Lastly, Fundación General Francisco Hernández Domínguez, A.C., applied in 2013 for a station in Izúcar de Matamoros. QUINTANA ROO There’s a four-station permit forest in the capital city of Chetumal: Blanca Chan Castro Música de mis Recuerdos, A.C. La Verdad Radio y TV, A.C. TV Turismo y Salud, A.C. Amigos de Mahahual is also an application for the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, which is the one containing Chetumal. Quite clearly, though, the station would be 65 km away in Mahahual, which got two stations in IFT-4. We’re also starting to see some serial filers here, like La Verdad in Quintana Roo, and TV Turismo y Salud, which true to its name also has digital television aspirations (more later on that). They both appeared in the Cancún permit forest. Playa del Carmen has three station applications to go: Radio Xcaret, A.C. Cultura y Desarrollo Social de Quintana Roo, A.C. La Verdad Radio y TV, A.C. CDSQR also showed up in the Cancún forest. Tulum has a pending application from TV Turismo y Salud. SAN LUIS POTOSÍ There are three applications for San Luis Potosí, two from 2013 and one from 2005: Asociación Patronal, Industrial, Comercial, Empresarial y Profesional, A.C. Luis Fernando Arista Reyes Fernando Rivas Godoy Fernando Rivas Godoy comes from the same family as Alfredo Antonio in León—another Radiogrupo social wolf filing. Arista Reyes has one news article to his name: a 2015 story about being distracted and crashing his BMW on a Monterrey street. The remaining applications are Fundación de la Radio Cultural in Río Verde, and in Ciudad Valles, José Melquiades Camacho Soria. SINALOA The last forest is Mazatlán, with two applicants: Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa and Fundación Garza Limón. SONORA There is a four-station permit forest in Ciudad Obregón, which consists of Luz y Vida Comunicación para Todos Universidad de Sonora Música de mis Recuerdos Organiden The university also filed for stations at Nogales and Puerto Peñasco. There were also three loners: “Ímuris” Suena para Todos, A.C. — Ímuris Radio Emergencia Sherman, A.C. — Puerto Peñasco Apoyamos tu Superación, A.C. —*Sahuaripa Radio Emergencia Sherman, filed for on May 17, 2013, is perhaps the most interesting. In fact, they have a website in English. TABASCO There are just three applications in the entire state. Filed on the same day were Esther Selene Hernández Ricardez in Cárdenas and Nelin Rodríguez Pérez in Comalcalco. It’s been a more than 10-year wait for the station solicited by the municipality of Nacajuca, which has been covered here before. TAMAULIPAS In Altamira, Transformadores del Reino, A.C., is hoping to transform a kingdom. I’m surprised they didn’t get swept out when Tampico’s applications were all denied in 2014. In Ciudad Victoria, Impulsora Tamaholipa, A.C. and Música de mis Recuerdos, A.C., make a permit forest. In Matamoros, Roberto Iván Méndez Villagómez applied for a station. Nuevo Laredo’s lone permit bidder is Maximino Muñoz Sánchez. Four applicants sought stations in Reynosa. They are Arte Musical Clásico, A.C.; Patronato Pro Difusión Social, A.C.; Universidad Tamaulipeca, A.C.; and Amor y Esperanza para Reynosa, A.C. TLAXCALA There is one application here for what would be the first station in this state in 16 years. In fact, that’s how long Fundación Radiofónica de Tlaxcala, A.C., has been waiting for its station at Santa Ana Chiautempan. Worth noting: the callsign (XHSTCH-FM) and frequency (104.7) to be assigned are known. VERACRUZ There seem to be a couple of serial filers floating, most notably Toskitl, A.C. They filed for Alvarado, Catemaco, and Cosoleacaque, while RRADIOTL, A.C. (XHPER-FM Perote) also has an application pending for La Antigua. Four stations make a permit forest in Coatzacoalcos: Gobierno del Estado de Veracruz, Rodolfo Hernández López, Promoción y Fomento Cultural, and Jorge Luis Lucio Sánchez. The PFC station should be turned down, as Grupo Radio Digital now owns XHTD-FM here (they did not in 2011). Completing the state are José Luis Pérez Riaño in Espinal; Asociación Cultural Naolinqueña, A.C. in Naolinco de Victoria; Radio Naranjos, A.C. in Naranjos; and Eulalio Domínguez Soto for Texistepec, Ejido Hipólito Landeros. YUCATÁN This state is missing. Was a Mérida forest cleared recently? Unlike states like Querétaro, there was no clearing of filings in 2014. ZACATECAS Miguel Orozco Hernández filed for Jerez de García Salinas; Radio Cultural y Educativa Color FM, A.C. is out for Río Grande; and the Instituto Tecnológico Superior Zacatecas Sur would like a station at Tlaltenango. ——— There are also these digital television station applications. Forests are rare. In fact, there are only a handful of applications in the same localities. They are Aguascalientes: Arnoldo Rodríguez Zermeño; Difusión Cultural Radiogrupo, A.C. Morelia: Flavio Rene Acevedo; Sistema de Comunicación de Michoacán, A.C.; Juntos Vamos a Crecer, A.C. Juntos Vamos a Crecer had its FM application tossed for economic competition reasons. Notable filers of multiple stations include.. Radio y Televisión de Hidalgo: Atotonilco El Grande, Molango de Escamilla, Tenango de Doria, Tizayuca, Zacualtipán de Ángeles Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla: Puebla, Tehuacán TV Turismo y Salud, A.C.: Cancún, Chetumal, Tulum, Mérida The remaining stations are all single applications. They are: Presidencia Municipal de Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua Radio Cultural del Centro, A.C. — Saltillo, Coahuila Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana — Mexico City En Cultura con Ecatepec, A.C. — Ecatepec de Morelos, Edomex En Cultura con Toluca, A.C. — Toluca Domi Bello de Tenorio, A.C. — Iguala, Guerrero Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo — Pachuca Patronato para el Fomento de la Educación, A.C./Universidad del Sol — Cuernavaca Gobierno del Estado de Sinaloa — Culiacán TV Sur, A.C. — Tenosique, Tabasco The Domi Bello de Tenorio application, if awarded right now, would be noteworthy as the first ever community television station. Despite being nearly 10 years in the process, so too was XHDOM-FM, and it wound up getting upgraded to a community station from untyped social. There are a couple of later (LFTR-era) applications that I believe would also qualify for this distinction (Raymie, Sept 16, ibid.) The IFT took on some more broadcasting matters in its August 22 meeting, but nothing too noteworthy. There were several concession renewals and two station transfers: XHHQ-FM: to Corporativo Radiofónico del Noroeste de México, S.A. de C.V. The concession has been in Capital Media's hands, but Capital hasn't operated the station in years. XHSU-FM/Chih.: to Comunicación Canal 106, S.A. de C.V. Among the concession renewals was XHKOK-FM, a Class B1 station on 107.5 in Acapulco which has the potential to be an Article 90 clear. One A90 clear was already approved for Acapulco (XHACA-FM). The IFT also issued accessibility guidelines for broadcast television and approved the outright acquisition of its Insurgentes 1143 headquarters. ——— XHPVJ-FM's name change suggests a change in Radiorama operator. The Combo of '94 had been Fiesta Mexicana, but it's now La Poderosa. You know, with the "bomb" logo some of the La Poderosa stations use. Bah gawd, that's the Sanabria family's music! Yet XHNAY-FM 105.1 remains Arroba FM. This makes no sense to someone who associates Arroba with the Pergom side and that La Poderosa bomb logo with AS/ASG. What's going on here? ——— Fundación Radiodifusoras Capital Jalisco has a callsign and frequency in Santa María Huatulco. It will broadcast on 104.7 XHHUA-FM (Class A). The callsign had previously been used on a CORTV FM transmitter prior to their massive permit discontinuity. Last edited by Raymie; 09-18-2018 at 01:57 AM Este programa es público, ajeno a cualquier partido político. Queda prohibido el uso para fines distintos a los establecidos en el programa [tagline] (Raymie, originally Sept 17, ibid.) ** MEXICO. XESS-620 --- Unexpected change from my semi-local pest this morning: Suddenly they are claiming to be in Tecate, rather than Puerto Nuevo. New slogan "PSN Radio Tecate 6-20." Calls remain XESS. ID attached. Haven't listened enough to discern the new format. 73 (Tim Hall, CA, Sept 13, ABDX yg via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Cambia estación EXA FM su frecuencia de transmisiones 16/09/2018 La cadena de radio EXA-FM cambió su frecuencia a 104.1, debido a que las leyes de telecomunicaciones se modificaron, informó Armando Bueno, representante de MVS Radio Ensenada. Resultado de imagen para exa fm 104.1 Destacó en rueda de prensa que a la fecha los radioescuchas han aceptado el cambio y creció el porcentaje de personas que gustan escuchar la estación. “Lo que buscan las autoridades en todo el cuadrante de la frecuencia modulada, es dejar identificadas en los extremos las emisoras de carácter gubernamental. Esta situación no aplica en toda la república porque hay ciudades como Tijuana, Guadalajara y Ciudad de México, que se complica mucho el cambio por cuestiones técnicas y en materia legal, para no chocar con otras”, expresó. Puntualizó que Ensenada tiene frecuencia libre y pocas estaciones, por ello el cambio favoreció. En el interés de que los escuchas se contagien de la visión positiva del equipo joven y dinámico de EXA, se llevan a cabo campañas y promociones, como regalos de café, pizza y paletas. En las actividades que se realizan en las calles participan los mismos locutores, quienes crean una importante empatía con sus seguidores, debido a que uno de los objetivos de la cadena es acompañar y crear un lazo de afinidad con quienes los escuchan. EXA-FM en Ensenada se escucha en el valle de San Antonio de las Minas, Francisco Zarco, La Misión y toda la zona urbana (via GRA blog via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 6185, Sept 14 at 0037, XEPPM is S7-S9 with M&W discussion mentioning sufragistas, and with good modulation level for a change, showing it can be done. Hope they keep it up (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOROCCO. MARROCOS, 936. Ago 26, 2018. 0010-0035, SNRT*-Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Agadir-MRC, em Berbere. Conversação entre a locutora e uma ouvinte, ao telefone, provavelmente; Uma canção berbere, suponho. Apesar de estar entre duas emissoras brasileiras OM ativas (930 e 940 kHz, a saber: Radio Liberdade, Aracajú-SE, filiada Band e Super Radio Brasil, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, respectivamente). Al Idaâ tem recepção satisfatória por aqui, 34433. Minha primeira sintonia desta emissora. 936. Ago 27, 2018. 0154-0210, SNRT-Al Idaâ Al Amazighia, Agadir, em Berbere. Locutora em conversação com um senhor; 0200 Canções berberes, interpretadas por cantor, cantora e coral de vozes. Hoje, apresenta recepção pobre entre nós, 35432. *Société Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Télévision. Fonte da pesquisa desta Emissora: https://www.mwlist.org/mwlist_quick_and_easy.php?area=1&kHz=936 (José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX) - PR7036SWL (SWARL), Cabedelo-Paraíba, Brasil (UTC-3), Conexión Dital Sept 16 via DXLD) That source gives power as 400 kW: 400 Thomson S7HP tx, max 400 kW, la: Tamazight (Berber), Tachelhit, Rifain, ar // 711 1044 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see UNIDENTIFIED ** MYANMAR. 5985, Myanmar Radio. The Monday (Sept 10) edition of "Say It In English"; 1220-1227. A repeat of the language lesson I heard back on Feb 28 (Wednesday edition - as these lessons are only on Mon. & Wed.); "Tom" checks into a hotel in Manchester to get a good night's sleep, but "poor Tom has been trying to sleep for three hours," but a loud TV was being played in the room next to his (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** NEPAL. Hi Glenn, Thanks to Sarath Weerakoon (UADX) for following item about Nepal reactivation on SW, on 5005 kHz. Wonderful news! Ron - - - from WRTH Facebook (Sept 13): Victor Goonetilleke? to UNION OF ASIAN DXERS "BREAKING NEWS --- Radio Nepal is back on short-wave after six years by adding 5005 kHz to augment its national transmission grid broadcasting on MW and FM. According to a station official, Radio Nepal resumed short wave broadcasts from 2.00 to 5.00 p m Nepali time using a 10 kw transmitter at Khumaltar, Lalitpur in Kathmandu. The same source said the station is applying very low power. By all accounts, 5005 kHz is a difficult DX catch for listeners outside of Nepal. Nepal is 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of UTC. [Sarath Weerakoon, 11 Sep 2018] Picking up on this, both Sarath and I (GVG) started looking for it and here in Sri Lanka on my Perseus SDR there is a faint line and further checking with the IBB/VOA Run Perseus SDR in Delhi, there is even a stronger line which left at 1120 UT more or less confirming. Even though the station is running its old 10 kW, power can`t be more than a 1 kW or so. But the greater news is that Nepal is now available on Short Wave for DXers and it took UADX to tell the DX community. Sarath thanks again for your Investigative DX Journalism. This is what UADX is all about." (via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) Ron Howard: Here in California [Sept 13], tuned in at 1050, to hear a positive carrier on 5005 kHz, went off about 1108 or 1109. Questionable if I will be able to get any audio, but at least have a definite carrier. Maybe by December the reception will be better? (WORLD OF RADIO 1948) Mauno Ritola: Yes, greyline almost reaches Kathmandu at that time in December - - - WRTH Facebook (Sept 13) Nepal on 5005 kHz.: Mauno Ritola: I asked them and they say, that they are now just testing with 15-20 kW power between 0815-1115, but later on they hope to raise the power and expand the schedule (via Ron Howard, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) UADX via Mike Terry also quoted by Southgate http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/september/radio-nepal-back-on-short-wave.htm#.W56LGbiBA-M (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Wolfgang Büschel also forwards the UADX item, and asks: läuft da gar nur der Exciter testweise? 73 (wb df5sx wwdxc germany) [non-log]. 5005, R. Nepal, at 1100, Sept 14. Clearly no carrier being heard today, unlike yesterday's positive reception of their carrier; the same silence being reported today in WRTH Facebook. Erratic testing? Needs daily monitoring! Sept 17. Again heard with a definite carrier on 5005 kHz., at 1107 and clearly ending at 1115*. No chance for any audio. Carrier last heard here in California on Sept 13. After 1055, have to monitor in LSB to get away from WRMI, on 5010 kHz, which has a fair signal and giving IDs in English, along with "Programming starts at the top of the hour." (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 13840, Radio New Zealand International, Rangitaiki; 10 September 2018; 0200 ID by woman as "R-N-Zed International" into BBC "Newsday"; rejoined RNZ National domestic network relay 0228. Though officially renamed "RNZ Pacific" a while back, the shortwave service uses the new and old names interchangeably on-air. Good at -80 dbm versus -125 dbm noise floor (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. 9689.93, Voice of Nigeria, Ikorudu; 8 September 2018; 1915 tune-in to unlisted English transmission: an extended interview with two women visiting the country, asked about their impressions of Nigeria, etc; English ID by woman at 1928 as "Voice of Nigeria" with mailing address. The transmission continued in a different language from 1930 (Fulfulde listed). VON is not scheduled on this frequency in any language between 1730 and 1930; something new? F-G level (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) Poor to sometimes good reception of the English Service of Voice of Nigeria on 9689.91 kHz this afternoon (13 September) using the U. Twente SDR receiver. At the beginning of the broadcast at 1800, it is hammered by CRI on the two adjacent frequencies making it virtually impossible to hear what is going on. Around 1830, CRI vacates 9685 kHz and tuning VoN in LSB gives a pretty good signal. After 1857, 9695 is also vacated and then AM or synchronous AM mode is possible. Shortly before 1930, there was a switch to an indigenous language briefly. The transmitter went off at about 1933. I suppose the nominal 9690 kHz frequency is a switch for the English service from the previous 7255 kHz, which I had been automatically recording for the past month or two. I need to summarize those recordings and will provide the data soon (-- Richard Langley, 1955 UT Sept 13, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NIGÉRIA, 9690. Set 13, 2018. 1802-1820 e 1830-1928, Voice of Nigeria, em Inglês. Locutora fala sobre a Nigéria, política e o presidente nigereiano, e desenvolvimento econômico; 1812 Locutora fala: Voice of Nigeria, Abuja. VON chegando com boa recepção nesta quinta-feira em Cabedelo, 45444. Nota: Em certos momentos, leve interferência da CRI em 9685 kHz, em Hausa (Aula de Chinês). Retornando à escuta: Às 1828, após CRI terminar seu programa em Hauçá, a VON fica livre de interferências: 1830 Locutora falando sobre a Natureza na Nigéria; 1835 Notícias - falando sobre o Boko Haram, com participação de um repórter; Outras notícias. Boa recepção, 45444. Pela primeira vez escuto a VON com esta qualidade de recepção, aqui em Cabedelo. Esta transmissão da VON em inglês, neste horário, não se encontra em Aoki, EiBi e nem HFCC. Não sei se o Glenn ou o Ivanov já são sabedores desta transmissão, que continua após às 1900 UT! Hora local = Hora UTC! [sic]. 1928 ID e IS, frequência e website e início de programa em haúça? 1933 Parada abrupta da transmissão! (José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX) - PR7036SWL (SWARL), Cabedelo-Paraiba, Brasil, Receptor: Tecsun S-2000, WOR iog via DXLD) The transmissions on 9689.91 kHz seem to be just as unreliable as the previous ones on 7255 kHz. Yesterday's (14 September) English Service broadcast at 1800 had the transmitter go off at about 1830 and didn't return to the air until about 1930, already into indigenous programming (-- Richard Langley, NB, Sept 15, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) 9689.913, Voice of Nigeria, Ikorudu; 15 September 2018; 1830 English news and features in the "Africa Hour" program, mostly readable and getting better as time went on. Fair-good level at -75 dbm with -120 dbm noise floor. Audio was a bit bassy at times, impeding easy copy. 1851 ID by man giving VON's web URL and, "Nigeria, the country that defines Africa's future." Carrier dropped at 1858 (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. 15110, 1813 12 SET - RADIO NA GASKIYA (CLANDESTINA) in HAUSSA from SOFIA-KOSTINBROD. SINPO = 35433. OM fala e em seguida música nigeriana. Received at Feira de Santana, Brasil, 8752 KM from transmitter at Sofia-Kostinbrod. Local time: 1513 (Jorge Freitas, Tecsun PL-310ET, Antena DS Delta Loop, Feira de Santana BA, Brasil, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA [non]. U.K., Radio Ndarason International via Woofferton, Sept 15: 0700-0800 on 13810 WOF 250 kW / 165 deg to WeAf Kanuri, fair/good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-radio-ndarason_16.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Does this still utter the name Ndarason on the air? (gh, DXLD) GERMANY, Dandal Kura Radio Inter via MBR Issoudun, Sept 17: 0500-0600 on 7220 ISS 100 kW / 167 deg to CeAf Kanuri, fair/good 0600-0700 on 11910 ISS 100 kW / 167 deg to CeAf Kanuri, very good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-dandal-kura-radio-inter.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept.16-17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6880, Unidentified pirate; 10 September 2018; 2320 UT tune-in with nonstop Frank Sinatra tunes. Good level carrier (-80 dbm versus -115 dbm noise floor) but rather weak modulation; AM mode. Chris Smolenski in Maryland heard it much better and thought it might be "The Relay Station" that never IDs. However, there was also a "Chairman of the Board Radio" a few years back, as I recall (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) 6952, NORTH AMERICA, "Pirate SWL"? (see note below); 14 September 2018; USB; 2231 Def Leppard tune, then a guy saying, "Hello. Testing. What's Up? Can anyone tell me if this goddamn microphone is working? I don't know what the fuck is going on..." More Def Leppard followed. Very good audio quality (for SSB) and a strong signal (-90 dbm). Some reporters on HF Underground thought "Pirate SWL" was a shout-out to someone else rather than an ID ("PirateSWL" is the handle of a HFU contributor). I've heard this station before with a man and/or woman chattering away, often over the music, with sometimes risque patter. The techno-rube act is just that. If they were that clueless they wouldn't be on the air. Still going 2309 but it got old and I bailed (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) [later:] The pirate on 6952 USB originally logged as "Pirate SWL" was actually Radio Humperdoo. Thanks to Mark Taylor for the ID. 73, (Andy Robins, ibid.) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6935.36-AM, Sept 16 at 0039, unID JBA music at S3. These say it was Man Cave Radio: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,46008.0.html 6870-USB, Sept 16 at 0040, music, looping? At S5-S8. Many logs here say it was Mix Radio International: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,46009.0.html A bit earlier 43m bandscan at 0008 found no pirate signals (Glenn Hauser, OK DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 7470, UNKNOWN, Unidentified Utility at 0230. "Braaaaaaaap". Checking for YHWH, finding what is believed to be an OTHR (over-horizon-radar) blasting away on this popular frequency for that sort of thing. Further rechecks did not yield anything from YHWH this session. Sept 10 7470, UNITED STATES (religious pirate), R YHWH at 0239, suddenly coming up out of nowhere on radio set to the channel. Came on in mid-sentence. After about a half hour it was gone. Came back with my dinner plate to static, and nothing heard after that at all - Good Sept 11 (Rick Barton, Listening from Arizona, Grundig Satellit 205(T.5000) & 750; RS SW-2000629, & ATS-909X with various outdoor wires. 73 and Good Listening..! : D ! -rb, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7470, USA, YHWH, parts unknown; 15 September 2018; 0218 UT pretty weak but with Joshua's distinctive voice doing his usual thing. Carrier peaks at -90 dbm with noise floor at -115 dbm should have been readable but his modulation appeared to be very low. Became a bit stronger after 0225 (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. 692.310, Sept 12 at 0618 UT, in my TA/TP 9-kHz bandscan, instead of a carrier on 693, I find a JBA one here. Again at 1110 UT check, seems fading a bit; but still detectable at 1410 UT, a sesquihour after sunrise, in KGGF 690 splash, so must be something local, from a household device (a lot of which stay on), or spur from a nearby transmitter? Others may ignore this item which is really a note to self, in case I need to refer to it later. Unless someone else axually (Word processor changes that to axially!) hear it, near or far (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 779.985, Sept 12 at 1045 UT, WBBM has heavy QRM from hard rock music looping WNW/ESE --- Colorado? NO, it`s KSPI nearby Stillwater, conveniently breaking for local weather forecast at 1047 UT. Making annoying fast SAH with WBBM. At 1440 UT with KSPI alone, I measure it 15 Hz minus off-frequency. The trouble is, KSPI is a 250-watt daytimer, not legally on air until 1215! UT in September (1230 UT in October); no info about a PSRA but even if it had one, would not apply until 1100 UT = 6 am CDT. KSPI has a long history of cheating. It`s not in the MW Offset list, so now they can add it! While I`m at it, I check the R75 precise frequency readout accuracy on MW against KTOK OKC, presuming it is really 1000.000 and I find no correxion factor is necessary here, unlike SW, which is more and more off, the higher the frequency, from 2.5 Hz at 2.5 MHz to 13 Hz at 20 MHz. Then checking http://mwlist.org/mwoffset.php?khz=1000 KTOK is on 1000.0001. I also measure another perpetual off-frequency station. See USA: KFTI 1070 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CANADA [and non] about KQCV OKC ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 12350, Sept 14 at 1415 looking for WCY, but instead get a JBA image carrier of Enid`s KCRC 1390, about Manafort rather than sports. Goes away with Preamps turned off. It`s a receiver overload mix with 13740 CRI via CUBA, 1390 kHz above 12350, so occurs at 14-16 UT, and maybe also before 1400 with different RHC transmitter on 13740 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. 92.1, September 14 at 1922 UT on caradio in western Enid, in the continued absence of local KAMG-LP, and despite parked on the north side of a 2?-storey building, totally dominating is 100 kW KFXI with plain ID, Duncan ads; it`s axually licensed to Marlow, 11 miles north of there, neither very far from the much larger market of Lawton. Did not hear this brand as in WTFDA FM Database: ``KFXI Foxy 92 The Real Country Giant`` (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [non?]. RF 42, Sept 14 at 1420, a Bad DTV signal not decoding, during enhanced area tropo. I have been trying to reconfirm KBZC-LP licensed as Enid but really transmitting from OKC. I could only get it with tropo help, but it`s moving to channel 9, presumably still really OKC (so long, KWTV!!). Hepburn tropo maps show level-2 tropo across central OK, also up thru E Kansas and into Missouri. W9WI.com shows the only two 42s in KS are 1 kW in Edson (near Goodland) and Wilson (near Russell), both outside the area and very unlikely here. Any full-power 42s in MO? Yes, KSHB ``41``, NBC for Kansas City, but also could be 900 kW KMYT ``41`` Tulsa on 42 (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN STOPS CENSORS --- Asia News / Agencies 22/8/18 The newly elected Imran Khan government in Islamabad has ended censorship. The first act of Imran Khan’s government was to remove censorship on state radio and television The decision is part of the fight against corruption announced during the election campaign. The Minister for Information assures Pakistan Television and Radio Pakistan "complete editorial independence". In the inaugural address, the prime minister promises to eliminate waste and help the needy. Islamabad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The censorship on state television and radio is abolished: This is the first act of the government of Imran Khan, head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and newly installed as prime minister of Pakistan. The news was announced yesterday evening by Fawad Chaudhary, the new Federal Minister for Information, Communications and National Heritage. On his Twitter profile he wrote that Imran Khan gave clear instructions to abolish "political censorship" and ensure "complete editorial independence to Pakistan Television (PTV) and Radio Pakistan". The minister added that "drastic changes in the information department will be visible in the next three months" and that the PTV and Pakistan Cricket Board "will no longer be used as private property by any government ". Under the control of the state administration, PTV and Radio Pakistan have often been accused of acting as "microphone" of government policies. During the previous executive of Nawaz Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), the oppositions complained about the absence of freedom of opinion on the state information channels. The abolition of the censorship is one of the policies announced during the election campaign, focused on the fight against corruption, the malpractice of the dominant parties and the support of Islamic ideology. Imran Khan, a former cricket star who stumbled into politics, defeated the opposition in the elections last July 25. Despite allegations of fraud coming from opposition parties and even from Church leaders, the newly elected prime minister managed to form the government thanks to an alliance with small parties and was sworn before the president last August 18th. In the inaugural address, he promised to eliminate waste, invest money for the needy like malnourished children, do justice for victims of abuse and fight climate change. On the other hand, there are numerous challenges for the new government: the unusual alliance of the other two major parties (Pml-N and Pakistan Peoples Party) who have decided to unite to oppose; Islamic fundamentalism; the lack of water resources; the dizzying increase of the population, which is not accompanied by an equally rapid economic growth. (via September Medium Wave News via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, NBC Madang (Maus Blong Garamut), 1213* cut off on Sept 10. 3260, NBC Madang (Maus Blong Garamut), 1135-1207*, Sept 13. DJ in Pidgin playing pop songs; 1155 "NBC Madang" ID; 1202 PNG bird call intro to the news in English; unreadable; suddenly cut off at the end of the news; poor (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) See also BOUGAINVILLE [and non] ** PERU. 4940 kHz Radio San Antonio / Peru (Pres.) Presumida reativação, músicas e locutor com hora em espanhol. 2305 UT 12 Setembro 2018 https://youtu.be/HYTE8qFqSp8 RX: Yaseu FRG 8800; Antena: Beverage simples (Daniel Wyllyans, Sítio Estrela do Araguaia, Nova Xavantina MT, Brasil, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 7410, FEBC, 1057, Sept 8. Well heard with their IS; into assume listed Cambodian (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. FILIPINAS, 9910. Set 14, 2018. 1832-1900, Radyo Pilipinas, Tinang, em Tagalog. Locutora fala e em seguida, repórter fala, ininterruptamente, sobre os efeitos do violento tufão Mangkhut que se aproxima das Filipinas com ventos de até 255 km/h; Provavelmente o repórter se escontra em um helicóptero, pois percebe-se, com clareza, o áudio do motor da nave. Emissora chegando ótima aquí em Cabedelo, nesta tarde, 45554. 12120. Set 14, 2018. 1900-1910, Radyo Pilipinas, Tinang-PHL, em Tagalog. Repórter continua dando cobertura jornalística sobre o tufão que se aproxima do país. Emissora com sinal satisfatório, interferência de uma transmissão de radiodados (Teletipo) e modulação consequentemente pobre, muito pobre, 33432. 15190. Set 14, 2018. 1910-1915, Radyo Pilipinas, Tinang-PHL, em Tagalog. Nada conseguí escutar nesta frequência, aquí em minha cidade. (José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX) - PR7036SWL (SWARL), Cabedelo-Paraiba, Brasil (UTC-3).Receptores: Degen DE1103 & Tecsun S-2000, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15190 also back with BRAZIL ** PUERTO RICO. Remembering AM Radio’s value in Puerto Rico As power outages and other major challenges continue to confront Puerto Rico more than seven months after Hurricane Maria made landfall, it’s hard to imagine any positive consequences that may have come from the storm. But Ryan Bell of the Columbia Journalism Review highlighted one bright spot in a recent article: The natural disaster may have inadvertently reinvigorated AM radio. Above: Victor "DJ Cuco" Valle, producer of "The Night Crew" on WKJB. Photo: Ryan Bell. [caption] On September 19, 2017 — the day before Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico — the evening news team at WORA-TV in the coastal city of Mayagüez broadcast its final program before shutting down the station ahead of the storm. “If Maria was going to be the monster everyone was predicting,” says Carolina Rodriguez Plaza, the news team’s production manager, “we knew the power could be cut off for a long time. We decided to shut down the station and send everyone home.” Plaza told her team of 12 reporters not to worry, their salaries would be paid during the downtime and their jobs would be waiting for them when broadcasting resumed. Plaza retreated to her parents’ home, where she spent the night of the hurricane watching updates about the storm on cable TV. Then, as happened in homes across Puerto Rico, the lights flickered and the power went out. Hurricane Maria’s 150-mile-per-hour winds toppled power lines and torrential rains grounded out the island’s power grid. Desperate for news about the disaster befalling her island, Plaza turned on a battery-powered radio and found that a local radio station, WKJB 710 AM, was maintaining its broadcast. The station’s managers had learned a lesson about disaster preparedness in 1998, when Hurricane Georges blew down their radio antenna and cut off the power. Since then, staff had equipped the station with a backup power generator and a reinforced antenna that could withstand hurricane-force winds. “Maria erased the world of journalism in Puerto Rico,” Plaza says. “It reemerged in a new form, with radio playing an important role.” To Plaza’s surprise, WKJB was being run by a motley crew of volunteer DJs. They called themselves “The Night Crew” and their improvised program was equal parts news program, variety show, and music channel. The DJs even took call-ins from listeners whose landline telephones still worked despite the power outage. Since the night of Hurricane Maria, “The Night Crew” has aired every night, raising the volunteer DJs to the status of folk heroes in Mayagüez. “WKJB was a light on Puerto Rico’s darkest night,” Plaza says. “I told myself: Carolina, you have a moral duty to produce news for the people. I asked my father to take me to the station because I wanted to go on the air and rally my team.” One lesson from the 2017 hurricane season, the most expensive in history, was to show the valuable role AM radio plays as a nexus for coordinated news reporting during a disaster event. WKJB wasn’t the only station to continue broadcasting through Hurricane Maria. In San Juan, WKAQ-AM stayed on the air, pausing momentarily when the wind ripped away part of the roof. And on the US mainland, AM radio stations provided real-time news coverage of the hurricanes that struck Texas, in August 2017, and Florida, in September. “I told myself: Carolina, you have a moral duty to produce news for the people. I asked my father to take me to the station…” “While Hurricanes Irma and Harvey wreaked their greatest damage,” Rich Appel wrote in a September 2017 story for Billboard, “most stations in their path not only quickly shifted from regular programming to that solely focused on storm coverage, but also used other available channels such as social media to help those in trouble, and sent recovery teams to parking lots and damaged homes to bring relief where it was needed most.” With a machete in their car for chopping through downed branches, Plaza and her father drove through storm-battered Mayagüez on their way to the WKJB studio. They arrived to find that the station was being used for more than just broadcasting the news. It was serving as a distribution center for donated supplies and as a clinic for people with small injuries. Even the Mayagüez police had set up shop because their dispatch office had lost power. Plaza asked the station’s manager, Ada Ramos, if she could volunteer as host of a news program. Ramos knew of Plaza’s reporting at WORA-TV and liked the idea of bringing her expertise as a street reporter to the airwaves of WKJB. Plaza then took a turn at the microphone and broadcast an all-points-bulletin for her TV broadcast team to report to the radio studio. “I hope you and your families are okay, and that you’ve suffered no major damages to your homes,” Plaza said. “We are a news team and we can make a difference. There are stories that need to be told during this historic moment. Puerto Rico needs you.” After the hurricane, Puerto Rico’s journalism industry was left in disarray. To cope with the lack of power and poor communication channels on the island, journalists pooled resources and formed reporting collaboratives. In San Juan, the offices of GFR Media, publisher of three major newspapers created a reporting hub for journalists traveling to the island to cover the disaster. In addition to producing its own in-depth coverage, GFR Media made it possible for journalists from The New York Times, Washington Post, and Huffington Post to report on Hurricane Maria. Meanwhile, at the San Juan Convention Center, command center for the government’s emergency response effort, journalists pushed tables together to create impromptu newsrooms. And in the interior of the country, reporters pooled resources—satellite phones, solar charges, and WiFi hubs donated by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists as part of its #ConnectPuertoRico campaign. “Bottom line is, if you take away a community member’s access to information, to communication, you eliminate the ability to connect, mobilize, and provide proper response in the wake of a disaster,” NAHJ’s president Brandon Benavides said in an interview with Mediashift in January. Access to AM radio helped the residents of Puerto Rico stave off the isolating effects of Hurricane Maria. Photo: Ryan Bell [caption] Puerto Rico was already suffering from an economic recession, and the journalism industry there was already struggling to be profitable. The storm dealt a significant blow. GFR Media laid off 59 employees at its two largest newspapers, El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora, on October 26, 2017. And Plaza knew of at least 40 more print and television journalists who lost their jobs on the west coast of Puerto Rico. “Maria served as a moment of contraction in the news industry,” says Plaza. “Meanwhile, AM radio emerged even stronger. Young people in the under-35 demographic are listening to radio news for the first time in their lives. Radios are at the center of a culture shift. Neighbors sit together drinking coffee and listening to the news.” According to The Miami Herald, increased radio listenership resulted in an advertising boom. At WAPA Radio, an AM station based in San Juan, advertising went up by 300 percent the month following Maria. At Radio Isla, an AM station also broadcasting in San Juan, commercial breaks doubled in length from four to eight minutes between pre- and post-Maria. And in January, Inside Radio reported the record-setting sale of an FM translator tower in Mayagüez for $500,000. Not only was it the highest price ever paid for a translator in Puerto Rico, it ranked as the second largest sale of its kind in the US over the past year. “Contrary to predictions and global trends in the industry, radio proved itself in this circumstance to be vital,” Rafael López of Radio Isla told The Miami Herald. “It became something of a first responder and the first line of help.” On the day after the storm, when Plaza’s announcement went out on the airwaves of WKJB 710 AM, several reporters either came to the station or sent word of their willingness to volunteer. Among them was veteran news reporter Julio Víctor Ramírez-Ferrer, editor-in-chief of La Calle Digital, a Spanish-language news website knocked offline by the power outage. Plaza and Ramirez-Ferrer agreed to co-host a show they would eventually name “Con Base y Fundamento,” which translates roughly to “The Basics and Fundamentals.” A government official used the phrase in an interview with them about an education policy. “I’ll explain it to you in the most basic and fundamental of terms,” he’d said, using a tone that struck Plaza and Ramirez-Ferrer as condescending and pedantic. “It’s an inside joke,” Plaza says. “We want our show to hold people in power responsible for their actions.” They organized teams of volunteer reporters into regional beats. The reporters found troves of stories on the streets of Mayagüez in need of coverage. The backup power supply at the county morgue was faltering, threatening to thaw 16 bodies in the refrigerated cooler. The local hospital had a shortage of oxygen tanks and purified water. A large number of homes destroyed by the storm weren’t built according to code. The county’s engineering department was abusing its authority to declare some public schools unsafe to inhabit, to justify shutting them down to save money. ? Neighbours gather around battery powered lights and radios at night. Photo Ryan Bell [caption] “A lot of these stories were issues that were already going on in Puerto Rico,” says Plaza. “Hurricane Maria brought them to the surface.” Thirty-three days after the storm, the power was turned back on at WORA-TV. Plaza and her team returned to their jobs producing the evening news program. And the return of power to Mayagüez had also allowed Ramirez-Ferrer to bring La Calle Digital back online. Today, as hurricane season approaches again, Plaza and Ramirez-Ferrer continue co-hosting their hour-long program, Monday through Friday, on WKJB 710 AM. They use the channel to expand the reach of the reporting they do for their respective news organizations. Hurricane Maria taught them that, for journalists living in disaster-prone regions, it’s important for news organizations to collaborate and to embrace communication mediums once thought obsolete. “When the power goes out,” Plaza says, “a $5 transistor radio is more valuable than a smartphone.” Original feature: https://www.cjr.org/united_states_project/hurricane-maria-puerto-rico-radio.php Article & photos by Ryan Bell (via September Medium Wave News via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. 9760, RRI at 2157 // 7315 (Fair at best) and 9790 (Weak but audible) with IS to opening music at 2200 and a man with ID, target areas, and web platforms and a woman with news at 2201 followed by a highlight of the upcoming week's shows then ID and “Panorama” at 2210 reviewing the past week's shows – Very Good Sept 16 – 7315 is beamed to Western Europe while 9790 is beamed to Japan which means it's signal level is pretty incredible at my QTH (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 40 and 80 meter off centre-fed dipoles, ODXA iog via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Fair signal of GTRK Adygeya/Adygeyan Radio, Sept.16 1900-2000 on 6000 ARM 100 kW / 188 deg to CeAs Adygeyan Sun http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/fair-signal-of-gtrk-adygeyaadygeyan_17.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept.16-17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Russia introduced new digital broadcasting standards MOSCOW, September 11 (Itar-Tass) - RIA Novosti. New digital broadcasting standards are being introduced in the Russian Federation, the radio frequency bands 65.9-74 MHz and 87.5-108 MHz will be allocated for use by digital radio broadcasting means of digital terrestrial broadcasting of the DRM + standard, this will have a significant impact on the development of the broadcasting market in the country, service of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications. "On September 11, 2018, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation held a regular meeting of the State Commission on Radio Frequencies, which supported the decision to allocate the radio frequency band 65.9-74 MHz, 87.5-108 MHz for the creation on the territory of Russia networks of digital broadcasting of the standard DRM +, "- said in a statement received by RIA Novosti. It is noted that the implementation of the DRM + standard significantly increases the efficiency of the use of radio frequency resources. In the frequency band of the DRM + 100 kHz radio channel, up to four stereophonic programs can be transmitted, including additional information. Compared with FM broadcasting, the quality of the perception of sound programs improves due to the possibility of switching to multi-channel stereo. The standard allows you to enter additional data services, including text, statistical images, the Traffic Message Channel (TMC), and also provides the ability to use the Emergency Warning Function (EWF). With DRM +, the number of radio channels is almost doubled, and the operating costs and payback periods of new equipment are reduced by reducing the required transmitter power and the available capability of their operation in a single-frequency network, which leads to additional energy savings. The introduction of the new standard does not require changing the frequency planning adopted in the Russian Federation and allows integration into the global information system without additional costs. "This is an uneasy but fundamental decision that will have a significant impact on the development of the broadcasting market in our country." In Europe, the digital broadcasting standard has been actively implemented for a long time. "Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Belgium and Latvia several years ago began a stage-by-stage refusal of analogue broadcasting in favor of digital, "said Mikhail Seslavinsky, head of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications, after the meeting, his words are quoted by the press service of Rospechat. It is noted that before recommending a standard for use in Russia, FSUE RTRS jointly with the St. Petersburg State University of Telecommunications. prof. M.A. Bonch-Bruevich conducted research work, during which the claimed in the standard characteristics of the DRM + system were confirmed, field tests were conducted in the modes of fixed mobile reception of the DRM + signal in the radio frequency bands 65.9-74 MHz, 87.5-108 MHz, service areas were estimated with the transmitter power selected, laboratory studies of the required radio frequency protection ratios at the receiver input were made (RIA Novosti https://ria.ru/society/20180911/1528303185.html via Rus-DX 16 Sept via DXLD) In rest of Europe digital VHF is DAB+, not DRM; why be different? Or DAB+ occupies different bands, ex-TV analog. Does this mean that all existing FM mode transmitters on both VHF bands in Russia will be replaced by DRM? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Russia proposes to use DRM on 65.9-74.0 MHz Southgate 8 September 2018 On the 11th of September 2018, it was reported that the Russian Federation proposes to use the digital DRM+ standard for broadcasting on the the radio frequency bands 65.9-74 MHz and 87.5-108 MHz. This has the potential of being a major source of interference to radio amateurs using the 4 metre band (70 MHz) in central and eastern Europe. As 'Secondary Users' of this part of the spectrum, radio amateurs will have no choice but to live with any interference, especially during the Summer Sporadic-E season. More info... https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2018/09/russia-proposes-to-use-drm-on-659-740.html http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/september/russia-proposes-to-use-drm-on-65-9-74-0-mhz.htm#.W5oY3ehKjIU (via Mike Terry, bdxc-news iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) Will this be any worse than the existing FM broadcasts in this band? Regards, (Gareth, Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange, Foster, ibid.) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 15376 & 15384, Sept 17 at 1340, BSKSA Holy Qur`an is flanked by noisy spurs plus and minus approx. 4 kHz from 15380. Maybe related to the pitch of the singing? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 11905, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, Trincomalee; 10 September 2018; 0031 UT sign-on with Subcontinental music; 0035 by woman as "Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation," although this is the Hindi service for India; off in mid-song 0056; Good level -80 dbm. (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) 11904.9 (gh) ** TAIWAN. 6280.15, Sound of Hope, 1200, Sept 10. Last week, every day that I checked this frequency only heard jamming (CNR1 // 6125), but on Sept 8, 9 & 10 noted no jamming at all and decent SOH reception. My five minute audio at http://goo.gl/rfcQK1 (Ron Howard, Ocean Beach [San Francisco], CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Radio Taiwan International --- Received a third letter for me, in which six QSL cards from the Russian edition of the International Radio of Taiwan for the action Retro QSL. The envelope was sent from Taipei on August 29, 2018. QSL can be found here http://freerutube.info/2018/09/12/qsl-radio-taiwan-international-tayvan-avgust-2018-goda-retro-qsl-chast-5/ and here http://freerutube.info/2018/09/12/qsl-radio-taiwan-international-tayvan-avgust-2018-goda-retro-qsl-chast-4/ (Dmitry Elagin, Saratov, Russia / "deneb-radio-dx", QSL World, Rus-DX 16 Sept via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. Addition to "RUS-DX " # 993 UPDATE =========== For reasons unknown to me, in the last issue, the ending from the information about Radio Taiwan International disappeared - everywhere instead of rti, rt was printed. Apparently this is one of the types of information hiding from copying that some sites use. I come across sites from which you can not copy information. There are sites where copying is replaced by digits in frequencies. There are sites where when copying and pasting a dark background appears in the document. At what, it is observed recently on the sites of Russia, where there is information about broadcasting. Of course, this can be circumvented, I use different methods and I have to go around to get information. So I decided to repeat the information about Taiwan. Taiwan. Liebe Hoererinnen und Hoerer, Radio Taiwan Internatonaa paant, aus Kostengruenden den Anbieter für seine Ausstrahaung des deutschsprachigen Programms ueber Kurzweaae in Europa zu wechsean. Wir biten ie daher, im eptember 2018 foagende Testsendungen zu beobachten: 7 September (Freitag), September 8 (Samstag), September 14 (Freitag) und 15 September (Samstag) jeweias von 1900 Uhr bis 1930 Uhr auf der Frequenz 5900 kHz. Wir freuen uns ueber Ihre Empfangsbeobachtungen und bedanken uns fuer Ihre Unterstuetzung! [sic] E-Maia-Adresse: deutsch@rti.org.tw, http://german.rti.org.tw https://www.facebook.com/rti.deutsch (Anatoly Klepov, ed., Sept 14, Rus-DX gg via DXLD) Sic: you will note that some missing or wrong letters still infest the URLs, German! Was optical scanning involved? (gh, DXLD) ** TONGA. Now that Tonga appears to have extended their schedule on 1017 kHz. We`re able to hear things we couldn`t before. One is English news at sometime before 1245 UT [1:06]: http://realmonitor.com/grayland18/180809/1245/tonga-1017.wav This is from Grayland, WA on August 9. I`m not sure it`s a daily feature (Bill Whitacre, Alexandria VA, Sept 12, IRCA at HCDX via DXLD) See also AUSTRALIA [and non] ** TURKEY. TRT Voice of Turkey on very odd frequency 9855.7 Sept 13 1000-1025 9855.7 EMR 500 kW / 032 deg CeAs Tatar, instead of 9855.0: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/trt-voice-of-turkey-on-very-odd_13.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voice of Turkey on very odd frequency 9655.7 kHz, Sept 14: 1000-1055 on 9655.7 EMR 500 kW / 072 deg to CeAs Georgian, instead of 1000-1025 on 9855.7 EMR 500 kW / 032 deg to CeAs Tatar on Sept 13: http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/trt-voice-of-turkey-on-very-odd_14.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) TRT Voice of Turkey on odd frequencies 11795.7/9855.7 kHz on Sept 17 0830-0955 11795.7 EMR 500 kW / 105 deg WeAs Persian instead of 11795.0 1000-1025 9855.7 EMR 500 kW / 032 deg CeAs Tatar, instead of nom 9855 http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/trt-voice-of-turkey-on-odd-frequencies.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept.16-17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. The system for blocking propaganda broadcasts "Dymka" covers 180 settlements near the line of demarcation in the Donbass. This was reported by the First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, the representative of Ukraine in the humanitarian subgroup on the settlement of the situation in the Donbass, Irina Gerashchenko. According to her, due to the fact that in Donetsk the militants "strengthened" the TV tower with new transmitters, in the networks of the front-line settlements there were almost 20 Russian TV channels. These TV channels block the "Smoke" system, which was developed by Ukrainian military and volunteers. "Also invented a way to block enemy FM stations ... (Source: Portal "Ukrainian Truth"). http://proradio.org.ua/news/2018sept.php (via Rus-DX 16 Sept via DXLD) ** U K. Re 18-37, new BBCWS theme tune: It seems you don't get to hear the tune in the clear except for the last couple of notes before the pips. It's underneath the promo announcement for what's coming up after the news. Not exactly like it was for Lillibulero, which was always (I think) played on its own with nothing crashing it (-- Richard Langley, Sept 11, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) For me it is just a filler, there's no personality, no identity at all. They could've created a variation of Lilliburlero, but they chose a similar tune as the one the BBC TV uses worldwide; Just, I don't like it (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, ibid.) On the way into my UNB office this morning, listening to the BBC WS via Sirius/XM satellite radio, I managed to hear the tail end of "Over to You," which featured an item on the new tune https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/w3cswlzb and I also heard a few bars of the new tune in the clear as the before-the-hour promo for the Science Hour was a bit shorter than usual (-- Richard Langley, Sept 15, ibid.) ** U K. BBC R&D solves World Cup ‘lag’ for BBC iPlayer Obviously, viewers were frustrated this summer hearing goals go in before they saw them, or finding out about a red card decisions on social media first. That’s why we’re so excited by the results of our experiments. Chris Poole Date: 13.09.2018 Last updated: 13.09.2018 at 10.40 Football fans have reason to cheer - BBC Research & Development (R&D) has managed to solve the problem of delays when people watch live internet streams rather than a TV broadcast. In a new prototype being demonstrated at the International Broadcasting Conference (IBC) in Amsterdam, which begins today, the team will show how the gap between an internet-delivered live stream and live TV via broadcast can be eliminated. During this summer’s dramatic World Cup, some fans watching on BBC iPlayer experienced a ‘lag’ while watching matches of 30 seconds or more behind the TV broadcast, with some complaining of hearing neighbours cheering goals that they hadn’t seen happen yet. The problem is called ‘latency’, and affects the vast majority of live video delivered over the internet. It happens because it takes longer to send video over the internet reliably than it does to broadcast it. While still just a prototype and unlikely to change live streaming delays any time soon, BBC R&D’s demonstration at IBC will show how new innovations can solve the issue, so that, in the future, fans watching over the internet won’t have to wait to see the action. Latency occurs because of the way video is distributed over the internet. Portions of video and audio data are typically delivered over the internet in separate files. If these files - known as media segments - get too short, processing them becomes very inefficient. If the files are long, you get higher latency, as each segment needs to be generated in full before it can be passed on to the next step in the chain. Building upon work by standards organisations and others in the industry, the low latency techniques BBC R&D has been experimenting with work by either reducing the duration of each segment, or by creating the segments progressively as a series of chunks that can be passed through the chain immediately as they become available. The result means that, in the future, live streaming viewers watching over the internet will be able to see the action at the same time as they would see it if they were watching on TV. Chris Poole, lead research engineer for BBC R&D, says: “Obviously, viewers were frustrated this summer hearing goals go in before they saw them, or finding out about a red card decisions on social media first. That’s why we’re so excited by the results of our experiments, and we’re hoping that the demonstration we’ll be showing at IBC will help accelerate the work taking place across the industry to eliminate long delays from internet streams. “Earlier this year, BBC CTPO Matthew Postgate said that the days when all media will be distributed over the internet are not too far away. With that in mind, we’re hoping that this work will help to make our internet-streamed live video as good as it can possibly be. “What we’re showing at IBC is a prototype, however. To roll it out properly will take time, and it needs coordination with the whole industry, so viewers shouldn’t expect the lag to disappear imminently. But perhaps by the time they’re watching the next World Cup, viewers will be cheering at the same time, regardless of how they’re watching the match.” The team will be showing the demonstration at the BBC R&D stand at IBC, in the Future Zone (8.F08), comparing a live TV broadcast from the BBC newsroom with a live internet stream. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2018/iplayer-lag 13 September 2018 (via Dr Hansjoerg Biener, DXLD) ** U K [non]. BBC News to launch show on Facebook Watch in the US Date: 12.09.2018 Last updated: 12.09.2018 at 10.32 Wednesday, September 12 - BBC News today announces that it is working with Facebook to launch Cut Through the Noise, a new weekly news show on Facebook Watch for US audiences. This will be the first funded news show for Facebook Watch from a non-US publisher following its launch, and is a part of an initiative announced by Facebook earlier this year to test a destination for quality and timely news content on the platform. The show is set to launch later this year in the US. “We’re excited to be working with Facebook on this show,” said Jim Egan, CEO of BBC Global News. “Social media is an important source of news and information for many Americans, so we are always looking for new ways of bringing our audiences high quality, non-partisan news coverage they can trust from around the world.” Cut Through the Noise will be a weekly made-for-mobile show that will tackle a different issue each week. Presented from BBC News’ Washington, DC bureau or from the field, it will tap into the BBC’s global network of journalists to offer expertise from around the world on a broad range of issues that matter to US audiences. Informative and visually compelling, the show will draw on the BBC’s pioneering work on vertical video and Facebook Live to drive conversation, bring understanding and build community. After watching the show, the aim is that viewers will feel they have an in-depth understanding of an issue and the ability to decide for themselves. The BBC attracts a weekly global audience of 347 million people to its international news services including the BBC World News television network, BBC.com online and BBC World Service radio. This year, BBC World News was named the United States’ most trusted TV news brand in a consumer study; it is nominated for four News and Documentary Emmy Awards; and its reporting on the Rohingya refugee crisis earned a Peabody Award. Cut Through the Noise can be found by US audiences in the recently launched section in Facebook Watch dedicated to news, - a place on Facebook where people can find, follow, and interact with timely news videos from quality news publishers. Its first round of programming was announced in June 2018. International audiences will also be able to watch Cut Through the Noise on the Facebook Watch platform, by following the BBC News page and adding it to their Watchlist. Notes to Editors BBC World News and BBC.com, the BBC’s commercially funded international 24-hour English news platforms, are owned and operated by BBC Global News Ltd. BBC World News television is available in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, and over 454 million households and 3 million hotel rooms. The channel’s content is also available on 178 cruise ships, 53 airlines, including 13 distributing the channel live inflight, and 23 mobile phone networks. BBC.com offers up-to-the-minute international news, in-depth analysis and features, including BBC Capital, BBC Culture, BBC Future and BBC Travel, for PCs, tablets and mobile devices to more than 92 million unique browsers each month. About Facebook Watch Facebook Watch is a place to discover and enjoy shows on Facebook. Home to a wide range of shows – from scripted comedy and drama, to competition and reality series, to individual creators and live sports – Facebook Watch is a video platform where episodic content, community and conversation come together. This is a personalized viewing experience, where you can discover new series based on what your friends are watching and catch up on the shows you follow. Facebook Watch is available for free on mobile apps across Apple and Android, on desktop, laptop and on TV apps listed here: https://videoapp.fb.com/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldnews/2018/bbc-news-to-launch-show-on-facebook-watch-in-the-us (via Dr Hansjoerg Biener 16 September 2018, DXLD) Why bother with all that when they could just broadcast on SW to the USA? I know, I know (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Now Silent CLB, 216 kHz, Sept 15. Some years ago while on a visit to the Wilmington NC area, I was fortunate to get a quick tour of the U S. Coast Guard LORAN-C station just north of Carolina Beach NC. I remember well the transmitter building several feet above grade with the antenna feed passing up through the control room ceiling and the obvious hum from the solid state transmitter that used modular power amplification elements replaceable on-the-fly. With today’s continuing record rainfall, flooding, and winds from storm Florence I thought to try for a signal on 216 kHz, remembering the low flat area of the station property just north of Snow Cut. When no signal was heard with Morse callsign CLB, I began an internet search which soon disclosed that I somehow missed the news that a government decision a few years ago resulted in the shutdown of the station and the dropping of CLB’s four 600’ towers. The decision was supposedly made because GPS navigation was considered more effective than LORAN-C, with little or no thought apparently given to the effect of an EMP affecting satellites. It appears that the property is still owned by the Coast Guard with absolutely no intent to sell to developers. Hopefully CLB will someday again become active from the site as a potent and effective backup to GPS (Richard Howard, Burnsville, NC, NRD-545, 200’ long wire, Sept 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Richard, Tnx for interesting report. Seems I have heard CLB more recently, maybe last April in an offhand reference with another log. The Michigan ARE group publishes a monthly reference of logs including this covering the last 12 months, with 2-digit approx. UT hours of logs with initials of reporters: ``216 CLB 1.0 Wilmington NC, New Hanover Int'l-Carolina Beach A/P; 00 Mar (KZ), 01 Mar, 06 Jan (HF), 04 Mar (LK,HF), 05 Oct (HF,KZ), 09 Sep (CS), 23 Mar (BC)`` So this CLB on 216 may be a different one at a new location? Of course, not surprising if blown off now The authoritative beacon reference at http://dxinfocentre.com/ndb.htm still shows CLB, in fact with 6000 watts, the most powerful signal on the North American list, only one other with that much, in Canada. 216 CLB USA NC WILMINGTON - CAROLINA BEACH 6000 34 6 23 -77 57 41 So I wonder what exactly the current status is? (Glenn to Richard, via DXLD) Gentlemen, It looks as though the CLB beacon was shut down on June 11, 2018 according to the NOTAM shown below. It was on last winter DX season (2017-18), even receivable during the daytime from here in Niagara at a distance of 633 miles. I've been in VHF/UHF mode all summer, so I haven't gotten around to any LW DXing yet this season. LORAN-C was shut down in 2010. I will mark the beacon as "out of service" on my website. Although authorized for 6000 watts, I think it had been running with 1500 watts for many years now. Here is the NOTAM indicating a permanent shutdown : (normally they use the word "decommissioned"; in this case its "out of service" with the end time marked as "permanent", which I guess means the same thing). CLB CAROLINA BEACH !RDU 06/106 CLB NAV NDB OUT OF SERVICE 1806111739-PERM Oddly, CLB is still listed in the latest (Sep 13) airport/facility directory, with no notations of it being out of service : [image of that] Normally info from a NOTAM in June would be updated in the directory by September /William. (Hepburn, of dxinfocentre, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Monday, 9-17-18, Burnsville NC Glenn: I also have seen what I felt were authoritative sources available via the internet referencing CLB as still active but yesterday I found the following information: https://navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=loranMain I'm now believing that some reference information we can access just isn't being updated as soon as one would reasonably expect. I have brought up the image of the CLB site with Google Earth and saw that the concrete bases of the four 600' towers are visible but no tower steel is evident. I'm thinking that the CLB installation along with other LORAN-C sites are now history. Maybe it will take some severely disruptive event before longwave radio navigation would again be seen as a useful and secure technology. LORAN-C equipment can be shielded with grounded copper and steel protection and only connected to shielded power sources and antennas after an EMP event would occur. I can however, still receive four low frequency and much lower powered radio navigation beacon stations from my location in the western NC mountains (Richard Howard, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Monday 9-17-18, Burnsville NC, 2200 UTC Glenn: Another interesting piece of information follows regarding what we have seen online about now silent LORAN-C station CLB. I looked again at the Google Earth image showing only concrete tower bases and buildings at the CLB site and noticed that the image date from a satellite view is 6-12-2015. Yet the editor of DX Info Centre reports that CLB was last active during the winter season 2017-2018. Over this past weekend during the storm Florence influences, I also did not find a signal on 198 kHz from beacon DIW, at Dixon NC, located immediately SSW of Camp LeJeune, close to NC state highway 210 near the North Carolina coast, and just northeast of Carolina Beach NC. This beacon is listed as putting 2000 watts to its antenna which appears to be a tower about 50' to 70' high and slightly northeast from the transmitter building. Location coordinates are 34 34 7, -77 27 11. I'm thinking the storm Florence and high water caused this beacon to be out of service yesterday. This beacon still appears off the air as I hear no signal on the frequency at this time of writing. (With a tower this short and fed at a frequency of 198 kHz, I'm wondering what kind of lobes of radiation exist off the tower. Mostly radiation nearly horizontal, near ground level?) I'm also wondering if those who have reported hearing a station with callsign CLB after the Carolina Beach site's towers were dropped sometime before 6-12-2015, were hearing a signal from the DIW station equipment, on either 216 kHz or maybe 198 kHz? What's to be believed? Maybe only the Coast Guard personnel know what happened and on what dates (Richard Howard, ibid.) ** U S A. MARE Bill Carney passes along the following from the DGPS DX group in a post made by Alan Gale in the UK: "The US Coast Guard NAVCEN is showing the following DGPS beacons as being slated for closure on the 30th of September, so if you haven't yet logged them now is the time to get looking for them." [New Bern and Bobo are quite common here in MI, we'll see if anything pops up when they go away! --kvz] "Note: At 1200Z (0800 EDT) the following DGPS beacon signals will be terminated. Pigeon Point, CA (287 kHz, Site ID 883) Robinson Point, WA (323 kHz, Site ID 887) Annapolis, MD (301 kHz, Site ID 847) Bobo, MS (297 kHz, Site ID 792) New Bern, NC (294 kHz, Site ID 771)" (via MARE Tipsheet Sept 14 via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) New Bern`s, of course may have met an early demise already. BTW, judging from interviews with locals in Florence coverage, New Bern is accented on the New, not on the Bern (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7268-LSB, Sept 14 at 0020, found the Hurricane Watch Net, with KF4BY encouraging contacts on this ``directed net`` but not much response; several others are standing by to relay if necessary. Before this I checked 14325-USB for HWN but nothing heard. 7268-LSB tuned again Sept 14 at 1331, HWN again with poor signals, and mentioning that 14325-USB is also active now but still hearing nothing there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) During hurricane emergency, some MW stations may operate on day pattern and power at night, generally leading to more power and less or no direxionality, e.g. ND instead of throwing most signal out to sea, leading to DX possibilities inland. Tune around for anything unusual. [see 1510] Hurricane Watch Net heard on 7268-LSB, but not on 20m. Nothing urgent going on there when I was listening around 0020 (Glenn, Sept 14, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) Hurricane Watch Net active 14 September 2018 at 1800 UT tune-in on 7268 LSB. Frequency readable but high noise level. 73's, (Ed Insinger, NJ, WOR iog via DXLD) US Hurricane Watch Net stands-down Southgate September 16, 2018 The ARRL reports the Hurricane Watch Net has stood down after nearly 40 hours of operation [so, what time was that, exactly??? gh] The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) has announced that it’s shutting down its activation for Hurricane Florence, now downgraded to a Tropical Storm but still “a formidable system that will affect the coastal states for days,” HWN Assistant Manager Stan Broadway, N8BHL, said. “Because the storm is moving inland, Amateur Radio activity will shift to the various state and regional emergency nets,” Broadway added. The HWN operated on two frequencies simultaneously — its “home” 20-meter frequency of 14.325 MHz and its 40-meter frequency of 7.268 MHz. “While propagation was not good on 20 meters for the period, 40 meters afforded a fairly consistent contact with stations in the area,” Broadway recounted. “The net has been in operation for 38 hours.” Over the course of its activation, listening for reports and relaying them to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) via WX4NHC, nearly 200 stations checked in, and the net took in approximately twice that number of reports. “Many were not at severe levels, but all ‘ground truth’ [reports] assists in plotting the activity of the storm,” Broadway explained. WX4NHC will remain active through Friday. As of 1500 UTC on September 15, the storm was some 40 miles west of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and about 40 miles south of Florence, South Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 45 MPH. Florence is moving to the west at a leisurely 2 MPH. A turn toward the west-northwest and northwest is expected on Sunday. Florence is forecast to turn northward through the Ohio Valley by Monday. Read the full ARRL story at http://www.arrl.org/news/hurricane-watch-net-stands-down-after-nearly-40-hours-of-operation ARRL Hurricanes page with links to media stories --- 2018 Hurricanes http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/september/us-hurricane-watch-net-stands-down.htm#.W55FwehKjIU (via Mike Terry, 1200 UT Sept 16, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ** U S A. BBG Watch Guest Commentary http://bbgwatch.com/bbgwatch/re-branded-usagm-limits-media-coverage-of-washington-pr-event-no-questions-wanted/ [See original for document illustrations, bold emphasis, embedded linx] This is part one of a multipart commentary on the newly named United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The author is a former Voice of America (VOA) senior White House correspondent and international reporter Dan Robinson. RE-BRANDED USAGM LIMITS MEDIA COVERAGE OF WASHINGTON PR EVENT: NO QUESTIONS WANTED By Dan Robinson A few weeks ago, a tree fell in Washington, D.C. A U.S. government agency, one that regularly boasts about its supposedly huge global impact, was “re-branded”. Ring the bells! Sound the trumpets! But the re-naming of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as the U.S. Agency for Global Media, appears to have had negligible impact inside the DC beltway, or globally. BBG, now USAGM, has overseen all taxpayer-funded U.S. global media since the old U.S. Information Agency (USIA) was eliminated by President Bill Clinton. Many Americans might think that the rare re-branding of any federal entity, especially above the “micro-agency” level, would make headlines. In the case of the BBG — classified as a mid-sized agency, with a budget of about $750 million — it produced pretty much a yawn. In the hours after the initial announcement, BBG CEO John Lansing’s feed showed few reactions. Indeed, a recheck as this article goes to press showed 3/22/32 — just 3 comments, 22 retweets, and 32 likes — not exactly a huge outpouring of global response. The choice of USAGM as the new name was met with a good amount of ridicule. “Is that really the best name they could come up with?” remarked one former USIA and BBG official. “What an appalling name” said one former senior VOA correspondent. Word that BBG would re-brand (the agency has ranked for decades at or near the bottom of federal employee satisfaction surveys) began leaking out months ago. It was discussed briefly at a closed Town Hall meeting presided over by Lansing, who was appointed as CEO under President Barack Obama (but never formally confirmed by the Senate because under previous legislation he did not have to be confirmed). Also discussed was a plan, still being sold to Congress, to physically move the BBG headquarters (which includes Voice of America) from its decades-old location on the Washington mall, to somewhere in the DC vicinity (more about this in a future BBGW article). NEWS AGENCY INITIALLY CLOSED EVENT, BARRED BBG WATCH COVERAGE As BBG Watch reported in August, Lansing also announced that a “closed event” would be held September 12th at the National Press Club, “exploring the evolution of U.S. global media” with invitations sent out to a select group of people, and as it turned out, only carefully selected media. Some immediate and important questions arose (the kind that one would only see reading BBG Watch, the only independent watchdog on the agency’s operations). The main one: Why would an event about a renamed U.S. government agency funded by taxpayers be cloaked in secrecy? Also, the agency invitation made reference to “corporate restructuring.” But despite efforts of various officials in recent years to recast the agency as as the equivalent of a commercial “media company” — it isn’t. It’s a U.S. government body, regardless of its oft-cited “independence”. As BBG Watch founder Ted Lipien wrote: “Arranging a closed event about a federal agency devoted to media freedom and transparency can only be described as a spectacularly stupid idea from a public diplomacy and public relations perspective, and one that could be easily exploited by Russian propaganda.” FOIA AND PROTESTS TO BBG As a former VOA news correspondent and language service chief for nearly 35 years, I received news of the September 12th event from sources. On September 4th, I sent a formal request to attend. Here was the response, received from USAGM public affairs: “Thank you for your email. As space is limited the event is invitation only. We’ll keep you on our list for updates and future events about the U.S. Agency for Global Media.” Breaking down this barrier, as absurd as it was unprecedented, required further steps. In a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, I asked for a list of invitees and those who RSVP’d. An email from Lipien to BBG Board members said the agency’s initial denial “under the flimsy excuse of insufficient space” would “open the agency to further charges of incompetence, insensitivity and hypocrisy . . .” and constituted “an unprecedented USAGM attempt to stifle independent investigative journalism in the United States.” USAGM reversed its earlier rejection: “This is to inform you that we’ve added your name to the guest list for this event”. I still await a response from the agency regarding the FOIA for a full list of invitees and those who actually attended. More Soon in PART TWO: FACT AND FANTASY – A FAMILIAR WASHINGTON GAME (BBG Watch via Dan Robinson himself, DXLD) ``A few weeks ago, a tree fell in Washington, D.C.`` And a bicycle in Beijing... ``But the re-naming of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as the U.S. Agency for Global Media, appears to have had negligible impact inside the DC beltway, or globally.`` That was also my impression when I researched this story and checked out the video statement from the CEO. I was honoured. Very, very honoured. When Youtube told me that I'm the third person who watches https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTNV0cnb6No which, I'm sorry to say, is no good reference for TV production skills at VOA. Did really no one notice how the music bed drowns out the talk? ``As BBG Watch reported in August, Lansing also announced that a “closed event” would be held September 12th at the National Press Club, “exploring the evolution of U.S. global media” with invitations sent out to a select group of people, and as it turned out, only carefully selected media.`` I would find it really interesting whom exactly they invited. ``As BBG Watch founder Ted Lipien wrote: “Arranging a closed event about a federal agency devoted to media freedom and transparency can only be described as a spectacularly stupid idea from a public diplomacy and public relations perspective, and one that could be easily exploited by Russian propaganda.`` I don't think so. The renaming event was just too insignificant. Meanwhile see also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id6fnYjCM70 Some notes: RFE/RL president Thomas Kent retires after two years, effective Oct 1st. No reasons have been given. "Persian TV 225", as it is indeed so far labelled on Hotbird (unbelievable, really!), will in future be called "VOA 365". Not another generic name this time in order to use the strength of the VOA brand. Parts of the program will be produced at Los Angeles and London to get it out of Washington. A "soft launch" is planned for October or November, the complete service for January. OCB praises in its publicity video the "new leadership" in a way that creates the impression of lashing out at Maria González, the former director successfully mobbed away. Both John Lansing and MBN president Alberto Fernández paint a remarkably clear picture of Alhurra being a failure: There will be a big relaunch in late October to "revitalize" it and "make it relevant for the first time in many years". Lansing also gave a clear hint that a number of staff, both leadership and rank and file, have been replaced. (When Fernandez assumed office I had already tried in vain to find out if his predecessor, Brian Conniff, just retired or was replaced for performance reasons.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 15, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U S A. Murrow Transmitting Station Plans to Broadcast Through Florence Radio World By Emily M Reigart 19 hours ago https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/murrow-transmitting-station-plans-to-broadcast-through-florence Personnel at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station outside Greenville, N.C., are battening down the hatches ahead of Hurricane Florence’s expected Thursday night impact. Despite of the threat the storm poses to eastern North Carolina, in a phone interview, Program Support Manager Rick Williford told Radio World their “goal is to maintain 24/7 broadcasts.” During initial pleasantries, Williford admitted to feeling anxious about the storm and followed up that statement with a colorful explanation. “All this technology and all this information about the storm, it’s kind of like being stalked by a turtle,” he said, referring to the ability to track the storm’s path but not predict it with 100% certainty. Station Engineer Macon Dail joined the call and gave a report on his end of the preparation process. Williford and Dail explained they began initial prep last Friday with an assessment of the storm’s potential by the station’s emergency committee. On Monday, they began working on staff schedules (“Most places reduce manning; in this case we do the opposite,” Williford said.) and started to “batten down.” Wednesday was spent surveying the 2700-acre property to check for potential projectiles; most of the site consists of open fields. Thursday’s primary tasks involved readying the back-up transmitter — since “power is the key to station operation” — and fine-tuning schedules. Williford predicts that tonight’s midnight shift workers who would typically clock out around 8 a.m. may need to work 16+ hour shifts, which is why extra staff will be called in to make sure every “stays fresh.” Technicians are also encouraged to “double their sandwich ration;” the kitchen is usually well stocked, Williford says, since the site located at “the end of the world and continue two miles past that,” which means employees can’t go out to eat for their lunch break. Williford reminds readers that the station’s primary mission currently is supporting the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which necessitates frequencies changes throughout the day; the work at the Murrow facility is far from set-it-and-forget-it, even under the best of meteorological conditions. However, Dail says they aren’t worried about the building itself. It was built in the 1960s, and the plant was designed to withstand 120 mph winds, including the antenna system. “We feel pretty confident,” he said. Nonetheless, Williford remains realistic. “Every hurricane has a different signature,” which means you may prepare based on what went wrong last time but encounter entirely new challenges with the next storm. For example, the last major storm event with rain coming at 90-degree angle blew out the switchgear because of the rain. This time they’re using “lots of Gorilla tape” to prevent that this time around. This time, Williford said, “It looks like Greenville will not be subjected to a deluge from the sky, but there are concerns about storm surge.” The site is located closer to Grimesland, which is even closer to the Pamlico river — a body of water that empties into the Pamlico Sound and could be vulnerable to storm surge from Hurricane Florence. But, Dail said, the site has pretty good drainage. Driving to and from home is typically the larger challenge. Despite the uncertainty and probable extra long shifts the station plans to persevere. Williford said, “We kind of pride ourselves on pushing through all storms (via Mike Terry, 1421 UT Sept 14, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) The installation of the 419f transmitters has begun. 73 (Glenn Swiderski, Greenville, Sept 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 11780, 1835 12 SET - VOICE OF AMERICA (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA) in KINYARWANDA-KIRUNDI from MEYERTON. SINPO = 35544. Sem sinal nessa hora da RNA que até um pouco antes estava com um bom sinal. YL parece entrevistar um homem. Received at Feira de Santana, Brasil, 7146 KM from transmitter at Meyerton. Local time: 1535 (Jorge Freitas, Tecsun PL-310ET, Antena DS Delta Loop, Feira de Santana BA, Brasil, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1947 monitoring: confirmed Wednesday September 12 at 1030 on WRMI 5950, S9+10, but rather undermodulated like everything on this transmitter. Also confirmed Wed Sept 12 at 2100 on WBCQ 7490.11v, S9-S7; also confirmed from a semi-minute later, 2100.5 on WRMI 9955, S9, so roughly equivalent but more fading on `BCQ. BTW, once again the automation cuts off the last half of the singing ID ``Q`` as WOR playback starts; not my fault. WRMI carrier came on openly at 2058.5 without modulation until JW canned ID at 2100.0. Not aired Sept 12 or 13 at 2330 on WBCQ 9330.1v. Next: 2330 UT Thursday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 2330 UT Friday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 0629 UT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany 1230 UT Saturday WINB 9265V via Unique Radio 1431 UT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany 1930vUT Saturday WA0RCR 1860-AM 2130 UT Saturday WBCQ 9330v [maybe, or 2330?] 0310vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM 1030 UT Sunday HLR 9485-CUSB Germany 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 2330 UT Sunday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 0400 UT Monday WRMI webcast only 2330 UT Monday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 0030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7730 [or 1948?] 2030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 5950 [or 1948?] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) GERMANY, Reception of World of Radio via HLR on 6190 CUSB, Sept.15 0631-0700 6190 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg to CeEu English Sat, good signal http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-world-of-radio-via-hlr-on_16.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD OF RADIO 1947 monitoring: confirmed Saturday September 15 starting at 1231 on Unique Radio via WINB, after HRI and an ID. S9 and less wobble than usual. Barely confirmed with a trace, then slightly improving, Sat Sept 15 at 1434 on Hamburger Lokalradio 6190-CUSB, via Utwente SDR. Alan Gale, England, reports: ``Hi Glenn, Unusually good propagation today, HLR was audible from when I tuned in at 1230 UT and stayed constant right up to closedown, so easy reception of World of Radio at 1430 UT. Channel 292 and Radio Europa were also coming in well here, so 6 MHz seems to be in good shape today for a change`` Also confirmed UT Sunday Sept 16 at 0336 on WA0RCR, 1860-AM, Wentzville MO, S9+20/30, about 23 minutes into show, so started circa 0313, Next: 1030 UT Sunday HLR 9485-CUSB Germany 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 2330 UT Sunday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 0400 UT Monday WRMI webcast only 2330 UT Monday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 0030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7730 [or 1948?] 2030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 5950 [or 1948?] WORLD OF RADIO 1947 monitoring: Manuel Méndez, Spain reports: ``GERMANY: 6190, Hamburger LokalRadio, Goehren, 0620-0700, [Sat] 15-09, English, program “Media Network Plus”, at 0630 Glenn Hauser’s program “World of Radio”. 15311. 9485, Hamburger LokalRadio, Goehren, 1015-1110, 16-09, English, program “Media Network Plus”, at 1030 Glenn Hauser’s program “World of Radio nº 1947”, at 1100 Spanish, “Radio Tropical”, “Mundofonías”. 35433 (Méndez) WOR confirmed here Sunday September 16 at 2130 on WRMI 7780, fair- poor. Confirmed UT Monday September 17 at 0300 on Area 51 webcast; and fair -good at 0328 check via WBCQ 5129.8 (0329 right into Hobart Radio International, claiming long-outdated frequencies such as 15770 WRMI and 3210 Unique Radio!) Also confirmed UT Monday September 17 at 0330 on WRMI webcast (and 9955 was good checked a few minutes earlier). But not confirmed the webcast-only repeat at 0400, instead at 0415 Bible reading from Daniel in French. Next: 2330 UT Monday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] 0030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7730 [or 1948?] 2030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 5950 [or 1948?] WORLD OF RADIO 1948 contents: Australia, Canada, Cuba and non, Europe, France, India, Indonesia, International Waters and non, Isle of Man and non, Korea South & North, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Russia, USA, Vatican, Vietnam non; NRC Pattern Book; and the propagation outlook WOR 1948 ready for first airing shortly after completion on one of our best frequencies, 7730 WRMI at 0030 UT Tuesday September 18, confirmed very good (heard intact, tho some downloaders report problems with cutting/repeating. As far as I can tell, my audiofiles are OK, so try a different player if this happen). Next: 2030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 to NE [& 5950 to WNW? Unconfirmed] 2130 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 & 5950 [scheduled, NOT aired last week] 2330 UT Tuesday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] to WSW 1030 UT Wednesday WRMI 5950 to WNW 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSE 2100.5 Wednesday WRMI 9955 to SSE 2330 UT Wednesday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] to WSW 2330 UT Thursday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] to WSW 2330 UT Friday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] to WSW 0629 UT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany to WSW 1230 UT Saturday WINB 9265V via Unique Radio to WSW 1431 UT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany to WSW 1930vUT Saturday WA0RCR 1860-AM non-direxional 2130 UT Saturday WBCQ 9330v [maybe, or 2330?] to WSW 0310vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM non-direxional 1030 UT Sunday HLR 9485-CUSB Germany to WSW 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 to NE 2330 UT Sunday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] to WSW 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 to SSE 2330 UT Monday WBCQ 9330v [maybe] to WSW 0030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7730 [or 1949?] to WNW 2030 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 5950 [or 1949?] Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, updated Sept 18: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI: ** U S A. Monitored WRMI Sunday Evening / Monday Morning (UT) 7780 kHz Schedule From my recording last Sunday evening, 9-10 September UTC (now back from holidays in the Florida Keys): 2015 Viva Miami (rather weak; hard to make out; acknowledging listeners' letters; occasional weak QRM from two-way voice utility stations -- not sure of language, Russian?) 2030 Brother Stair, NOT Reserve Military Retirement (more or less continuous voice QRM continues) 2100 Wavescan (#498) (QRM continues) 2130 World of Radio (#1946) (WRMI signal strength improves; QRM continues occasionally) 2200 Your Weekend Show (Bob Biermann recapping the past several programs) (QRM continues occasionally) 2300 Full Gospel (Half-) Hour (QRM continues occasionally) 2330 Shortwave Radiogram (#64) (QRM continues occasionally) 0000 Radio Slovakia International in Slovak 0030 Radio Slovakia International in English 0100 Wavescan (#498; includes discussion of WINB DRM tests and the inclusion of scheduled and unscheduled Wavescan transmissions) 0130 Through the Cross Ministry (with Pastor Chuck), NOT World of Radio 0200 Radio Prague in English (The Sunday Music Show) Concerning the QRM, Kim Elliott heard it too and, although indistinct, thought that it could be Spanish or some other Romance language. I initially thought Spanish, too, given the cadence, but thought I heard "da" a couple of times. Kim also says the QRMing signal was in USB. I suppose I was able to somewhat hear it with the receiver in AM mode thanks to WRMI's co-channel carrier. Anyone know the source of the QRM? (-- Richard Langley, NB, Sept 11, WOR iog via DXLD) [jumping ahead, one week later:] Monitored WRMI Sunday Evening / Monday Morning (UT) 7780 kHz Schedule From my recording last Sunday evening, 16-17 September UT: 2015 Viva Miami (in Spanish talking about the trip to Bratislava for the HFCC meeting) 2030 Reserve Military Retirement (returned this week after Bro. Stair substituting last week) 2100 Wavescan (#499) (Slight utility voice QRM; Next week will be #500! Special QSL I wonder?) 2130 World of Radio (#1947) (slight QRM continues occasionally) 2200 Your Weekend Show (Bob Biermann mostly talking about the fake news of the end of times -- Bro Stair: Are your ears burning? -- and also plugging "Ancient Word Radio"; QRM continues occasionally) 2300 Alameda Bible Fellowship (www.searchinghisword.com multi-lingual synthetic voice Bible prophecy; first English, then Spanish, then French (cut off); not Full Gospel (Half-) Hour) 2330 Shortwave Radiogram (#65) (usual introductory waterfall logo cut off) 0000 Radio Slovakia International in Slovak 0030 Radio Slovakia International in English 0100 Wavescan (#499) 0130 Through the Cross Ministry (with Pastor Chuck) 0200 Radio Prague in English (The Sunday Music Show) (-- Richard Langley, Sept 17, WOR iog via DXLD) Maybe Alameda Bible Fellowship, as at 2300 above, accounts for some other new unscheduled programming in various languages on WRMI. Website offers tracts: Languages include [with original fonts, non-Roman removed here]: SPANISH Español, GERMAN DEUTSCH, FRENCH Français, RUSSIAN, ITALIAN ITALIANO, TAGALOG, CHINESE Mandarin, PORTUGESE [sic] Português, ARABIC, INDONESIAN BAHSA INDONESIA, HEBREW, KOREAN, HINDI, BENGALI, URDU, PUNJABI (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5850, WRMI with Broad Spectrum #18 repeat, but this time including some baseball photos that either weren't there last week, or just didn't decode properly: Then at 0800 into SW Radiogram #64 from Kim Elliot[t]. Topics today were about The World's largest offshore Wind farm (off English coast); bugs will eat more as temperature rises; proposed shutdown of NIST stations; Maersk installs rotating sails on its ship Pelican: Tests of R Taiwan (in German) and an image of a painting. In well, 5554+4+ with near perfect photo decodes as shown, but for some reason my audio software didn't record the voice segments, so I'm stuck with only the digital bits! 0730-0830 10/Sep [UT Monday], SDRplay +SDRuno +ANC-4 +FLDigi for digi bits +randomwire --Zichi MI GH has asked I post logs with images to the reflector, and although I've had issues doing so before, I'll try again. We'll see if this works! Here are my SW logs for the week -- reception of all of these are from 'home' in Williamston Michigan, USA (Kenneth Vito Zichi, WOR iog via DXLD) The images came thru fine on the WOR iog (gh, DXLD) 2018-09-10 BSR#18 7730 kHz --- Here is the digital triple via 7730 kHz WRMI, but especially an analysis of BSR18. The gremlins were back in Oklahoma and had mis-adjusted many FLDIGI parameters. [BSR = "Baseball Special Reverse"] ;-) http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/SW_Radiogram_2018-09-08.htm#BSR_18 https://www.dropbox.com/s/wwillpesnpfm3hc/2018-09-10_BSR18.png?dl=0 (roger, Germany, WOR iog via DXLD) WRMI: Reactivation of 15770 kHz --- It appears this signal is back on the air as of September 15th, a year or two after a storm damaged the antenna this east coast daytime frequency uses. Here in PA I had a SINPO 45554 signal from 15770 with religion in Italian and German around 1740. I scan SW every day now and this is the first I've heard 15770 back on, today (Paul Walker, PA, 2017 UT Sept 15, NASWA yg via DXLD) 15770, WRMI, Okeechobee, Florida; 15 September 2018; 1905 UT reactivated frequency with English ID by Jeff White dropped into a Russian religious (Protestant) program that consisted of a long monologue by a woman followed by several choral hymns in English; very good level (-80 dbm with -130 dbm noise floor). WRMI's webpage shows this as Transmitter 10 beaming 87° to Africa but there is no programming listed for it. Carrier dropped 1930. Test? (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15770, Sept 16 at 1701 & 1756 chex, no signal from WRMI. Its antenna was the one last year`s hurricane destroyed. However, propagation now is pitiful, with 15825 WWCR managing no more than a JBA carrier. 15770 would also be aimed eastward if the empty skedgrid be anticipatory (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glen[n], I heard 15770 WRMI on Saturday afternoon [Sept 15]. I scan the SW Dials almost hourly every day and I hadn't noticed till then. An email to Jeff White revealed the following, "Yes, we are using 15770khz on Transmitter 9 at 44 degrees from 1700-1945 UTC daily. But it may only be until October 12" (Paul Walker, PA, ODXA iog via DXLD) I do hear 15770, Monday Sept 17 at 1715, fair in French, only S8 here to the side, vying with the noise level; 1812 sounds Italian; 1848 unRussian Slavic. So what are these programs? Probably religious (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5010, September 17 at 0110, WRMI with gospel huxter in Spanish; one of several anomalies to follow, as this frequency is supposedly scheduled only until 0100. 9955, UT Monday Sept 17 at 0120, WRMI with YL strumming guitar and talking about a song, then singing ``Frankie & Albert`` (not Johnny?). This must be `Blues Radio International` at 0100-0130, which come to think of it, I have not run across for quite some time on air, webcast or schedule; was it gone and then resumed? Anyhow, 9955 now shows it also Wed 0330, Fri 0130; and on 5950 Tue at 1000. [more BRI below] 7570, UT Monday Sept 17 at 0126, WRMI, OM in Japanese! Could it be a RAE playback at wrong time? Nothing about Argentina, but mentions karaoke, Israel more than once, Babyron, Kuristo, and ``no thank you``; 0129 gives a www. web address, the rest non-understandable. 0130 switches to YL in Korean without missing a beat, also sounds Koristian. Recheck at 0150 now it`s a YL in Chinese. This is totally contrary to the skedgrid which still claims 7570 at 01-02 among many other times, is Overcomer daily. Some new ministry thinx it`s reaching East Asia at this hour before noon over there?? (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe Alameda Bible Fellowship, see above 5950, UT Monday Sept 17 at 0137, WRMI with Jeff ending a Wavescan at this odd hour, QSL address, etc., music fill; 0141 start over with opening theme, and WS #493 for the week of August 5! Maybe not the same one which just finished. On the contrary, skedgrid claims 5950 at 01-02 daily is Oldies, and // 9395. 7730, UT Monday Sept 17 at 0151, WRMI has Scourby pontificating Bible readings, presumably out of The Overcomer (is HQ flooded???). At 0130 it was // 5850 with the ministry replacing WORLD OF RADIO, and it`s still going at 0151 while 7730 has defaulted(?) away from him. 9395, UT Monday Sept 17 at 0152, WRMI running Blalock the Blaster, i.e. `Full Gospel Hour [sic]` as scheduled 0130-0200 UT Sat/Sun/Mon and also on 5950, but NOT there: see above. 9955, UT Monday Sept 17 at 0153, toward the end of the 0130 Wavescan, Jeff reading some logs by Harold Sellers, a regular feature. Not // 5950 with the way out-of-synch playback. BTW, for last update of DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS, I found *three dozen* scheduled weekly airings of WS on WRMI, some on two frequencies. With all these anomalies tonight, I am wondering if the clox are wrong on some of the WRMI automation. RHCuba is also way off-schedule, q.v. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Found this link on WRMI FB dated Sept 4; illustrated: http://palmbeachartspaper.com/from-a-south-florida-condo-the-blues-reaches-the-world/ From a South Florida condo, the blues reaches the world September 4, 2018 By Bill Meredith 1 Comment 284shares Facebook283 Twitter1 Jesse Finkelstein. (Photo by Regina Campbell) Along with popular and country music, blues is now a booming, modern audiovisual industry. Particularly since the mid-1980s, when a young guitarist/vocalist from Texas named Stevie Ray Vaughan interrupted the decade’s synthesized, video-driven pop trends by blending rock swagger and blues rhythms to help create an ongoing roots music revival. A sizable, pre-existing subset of aging traditional blues fans has ballooned since Vaughan mixed Jimi Hendrix’s firepower and Albert King’s phrasing until his untimely death in a 1990 helicopter crash. Now, there are more blues artists, clubs, festivals and cruises than ever before. And South Florida’s blues ambassador is Jesse Finkelstein, founder and managing director of Blues Radio International. A tall, soft-spoken, otherwise retired attorney and grandfather in his 60s, Finkelstein delivers broadcasts from the decidedly non-blues location of a high-rise condo, overlooking the ocean in Hillsboro Beach, that’s also his residence. The Rochester, N.Y., native has been based in South Florida for 12 years – and since 2012, he’s broadcast the world’s only live blues program on the seemingly outdated, decidedly non-hi-fi shortwave radio format to listeners on six different continents, adding intermittent shoots in 2013 from its own broadcast channel, BRI TV. The live radio performances and interviews appear simultaneously, with better fidelity, on the internet through Okeechobee-based Radio Miami International. Yet it’s the 100-plus-year-old shortwave technology that allows BRI to reach two-thirds of the world by audio beyond the internet, which is still in its comparative infancy, and blocked or unavailable in most countries. “I’ve been interested in radios since I was a teenager, and collect a lot of them,” Finkelstein says, gesturing toward shelves displaying dozens in his living room. “Most of these are European shortwave radios from the ’30s through the ’50s, which gives you the idea that people were tuning into them from places like Munich and Vienna, perhaps during World War II. This one was made by General Electric, and here’s one made by Firestone. “The idea that you can send a signal through the air, and have it be heard without a wire thousands of miles away, still fascinates me. When people talk about wireless today, they’re talking about a 50-foot range from their computer to their router.” Mike Zito and Jesse Finkelstein in the BRI TV studio. (Jay Skolnick Photography) Framed photos of BRI performers like Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Walter Trout, Tinsley Ellis, and Bob Margolin line the walls of a hallway leading west toward the broadcast studio, which might otherwise have been a modest-sized office or spare bedroom. The decor there includes shots of additional performers like Keb Mo, Samantha Fish, Elvin Bishop, and Rory Block. There’s also a guitar owned by the late Roy Buchanan, and a couple custom axes made by Duke Robillard, amid screens, microphones, cameras and, of course, more radios. “I started working in commercial radio at age 13 at a small station,” Finkelstein says. “There’s a picture of me doing that in 1974 up there on the wall. I’ve always been fascinated by the science of it; the ability to reach people in different places. The impetus for Blues Radio International was the thought that there was something beautiful to be shared, including with people you couldn’t otherwise reach, if you could figure out how to do it. “So while we’re surrounded by the internet, it’s important to remember that almost two-thirds of the world doesn’t have access to it. We have listeners in more than 184 different countries, some of them very well-to-do places, but I wanted to reach people without those luxuries as well. And shortwave was a retro way of doing that.” Shortwave radio doesn’t only allow for listeners from far-away locales. Native New Yorker Taj Mahal, the iconic, 76-year-old roots music vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, has said shortwave first allowed him access to the blues. Finkelstein grabs a pen and paper to draw a diagram that helps to illustrate the medium’s special properties and functions. “With a four- or five-dollar device, people in difficult situations in impoverished areas, refugee camps, or war zones can hear the programs this way,” he says. “Not just our friends with problems like debt and divorce, but people who are truly in misery. The Earth is curved, and transmissions like FM are based in a straight line of sight. If the transmitter can’t see your receiver because of that curve, then transmission is impossible. “Shortwave, at certain times of the night, can feed off of the charge from the sun during the day on a level of the ionosphere. So it’s possible to bounce a signal off of that, on one side of the globe, to a listener on the other side.” Finkelstein also broadcasts annually from the Blues Music Awards in Memphis and other international locales, and records segments at area nightclubs like the Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, all available on the BRI website. What you won’t see there is advertising of any kind. BRI is a true nonprofit that, in fact, goes far into the red within its leader’s deep pockets. Yet he focuses on his non-monetary gains rather than counting fiscal losses. “Jesse is a true supporter of the blues,” says JP Soars, the Boca Raton-based singer, guitarist and leader of his own band, the Red Hots, and a member of the Southern regional all-star blues act Southern Hospitality. “He does it purely for the love and preservation of the music. I always enjoy visiting with him and being a guest on his show.” “I initially ran this idea past some people in the industry,” says Finkelstein. “And one guy says, ‘So you want to record live music?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to play records, because I think the magic is in the live music.’ He says, ‘And broadcast in on the worst radio medium known to mankind, 10,000 miles away, to people living in tents who’ll never buy a damn thing from you? What’s the point?’ And I said, ‘That’s exactly the point.’” To exemplify that point, he brings out thank-you letters and emails from fans in places like Germany, Syria, Cuba, and Russia. “A most poignant message was from a guy in Syria,” Finkelstein says, “via his cousin, who was in Paris and had internet access. And he wrote, essentially, ‘I’m in a war zone. Some members of my family have died. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I’m spinning around the shortwave radio to find out where I can take the rest of my family to be safe before the next bombing round, and then I ran into this! There was all of this religious propaganda, and then, suddenly, this live blues program. For 10 minutes, you removed me from the hell I’m living in.’” “So while I can’t take people out of a war zone or take away their misery, I know blues really connects with people. We stay away from any political commentary, and have a lot of listeners in Cuba. When we started with WMRI, the station was broadcasting some programming by Cuban exiles that was not particularly complimentary to the current regime. So the Cuban government was jamming the signals during that programming, but we found that they didn’t bother to do that while our show was on. I like to think that’s because we weren’t viewed as a threat, but rather as having something beneficial to offer.” Jesse Finkelstein with some of the guitars that line his studio. (Photo by Regina Campbell) A fan of all forms of music, including intricate jazz, Finkelstein purposely chose the blues genre for broadcast because of its relative simplicity, feel, and universal roots music appeal. “The thing that grabbed me about the blues was when I first saw B.B. King perform,” he says. “It was 1971 or 1972. And it was the complete package; a big production. I’d grown up appreciating the British rock and roll that had come out of the blues, John Mayall, the Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton, who introduced white American audiences to this very black American art form. I saw Stevie Ray Vaughan in somewhat the same light, introducing rock guitar fans to blues music. But seeing B.B. made everything come together. He had a horn section, which helped me understand the appeal of Big Band jazz music.” “I listen to all styles, including lots of world music and particularly jazz. And we didn’t know what the response would be to these broadcasts to parts of the world that don’t have our history with Western culture and have different, micro-tonal scales compared to our music,” Finkelstein said. “But blues has an instrumental simplicity that can make it participatory, and understood by people from many different backgrounds. And lyrically, it deals a lot with things that affect people on a daily basis. It’s not otherworldly. It’s understandable and relatable.” It’s the relationships, whether between he and his interview subjects, or himself and people on a different continent that he’s touched through radio yet will never meet, that Finkelstein hints might eventually be the basis for a BRI-based book. “We interviewed [Allman Brothers Band co-founding drummer] Butch Trucks not long before he died,” he says, “and Johnny Winter on his tour bus maybe a year before he died. Guitarist Matt Schofield has demonstrated the unique styles of blues greats, and keyboardist Jon Cleary the aspects of blues that makes the music special. We’ve had some great interviews, and some great connections not necessarily related to music. Walter Trout talked about an amazing encounter with Carlos Santana that changed his life. “Walter was playing guitar with John Mayall’s band, and a multiple substance abuser at the time, and he told me about a gig they were playing in what was then East Germany. Santana was on after them, and when Walter and the band got off the stage, with everyone telling them how great they were, Carlos accosted him. He said, in effect, ‘I see what you’re doing up there. I see that you’re wasted, and sticking your middle finger up at the Creator who gave you this talent. And if you have the guts to straighten this out, I can help you do that.’” “That hit Walter like a ton of bricks. He and Carlos talked it out over the next 48 hours, and that was it. No more drinking, no more drugs, and no rehab or detox for Walter, who now has a wife, three sons, intact relationships and a successful life. Which might very well have been in jeopardy otherwise. It’s amazing to hear about someone saving someone else’s life. And Walter had a similar conversation later with [fellow guitarist/vocalist] Mike Zito, who cleaned up, turned his life around, and now counsels death row inmates. It’s very powerful to have someone open up to you like that. These are some of the stories we have.” When Finkelstein refers to “we” instead of “I” or “me,” it rings genuine. He’s not a performer, admitting only a cursory knowledge of musicianship despite the dozens of vintage guitars he’s collected, with many on display throughout the condo. Only a small volunteer staff helps with the multiple levels of presenting weekly BRI broadcasts. And that staff seems to share his selflessness. Jesse Finkelstein and his staff. (Jay Skolnick Photography) “Jesse’s not just in South Florida with BRI, either,” says Debbie Mitzman, a staff member of 18 months. “He goes to festivals all over the world, and wherever we’re traveling, we’re filming. Jesse is shy by nature, so he won’t toot his own horn, but he knows how to always make the artists who are interviewed, and/or perform, feel like family. And the listeners. It’s all worth it if we can touch even just one person, whether it’s in Alabama or Algeria.” More than five years into his mission, Finkelstein has succeeded in delivering the blues around the world, largely to multitudes who essentially have the blues yet hear in the music reasons for optimism. He sees it as the sound of overcoming hardship, and envisions only a brighter future for the station and its listeners. “In another five years, I’m hoping we’ll have expanded further than that of a largely First World phenomenon,” Finkelstein says. “We hope to reach more people, as many as possible, with something positive they can put into their lives. And we can’t wait to see what’s next.” Hear Blues Radio International’s live performances and interviews every Sunday at 9 p.m., Monday at 9 p.m., and Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on 9955 kHz shortwave or on a simultaneous stream at www.wrmi.net. New BRI TV episodes air once or twice weekly, and both audio and video archives are available through the BRI website. Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story gave the incorrect time for BRI’s Monday schedule. (via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ: ** U S A. 7490.07v, UT Fri Sept 14 at 0032, WBCQ amid an `Allan Weiner Worldwide` rerun, conveniently giving original airdate in June 2018, about opioids, then caller from Columbus OH prompting AW about Atlas Shrugged, AW lamenting that Trump doesn`t get the respect any president deserves. I remember hearing this the first time around (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tonight's AWWW --- Show started just a few seconds early on 7490 this evening. Allan, Angela and Tom in the studio. Angela is very wound up and vocal this evening. Mini rant about conspiracy theories as the programmer before AWWW asked Tom if the hurricane in the Carolina's had been caused by HAARP. Allan stated that HAARP wasn't active at this time and even if it were there is no way it could affect the weather. Said he had been praying today that Brother Stair and the "Saints" make it through the storms alright. First phone call at 0006 this evening from Freddie with talk of the gas explosions in Mass. Phone call continued with discussion of the condition of the gas lines in most of the country and then some more hurricane discussion. Next phone call from a listener in NC stating that their power had been out for most of the day, lots of rain, some trees down with fifty mile an hour winds etc. Phone call from Dave in Indiana at 0024 concerning his relatives in SC. Yet another phone call from a minister in TN with hurricane talk and best wishes for Brother Stair and the "Saints". Caller commented that he had a bumper crop of watermelons this year. Angela told him to drill a hole in them, fill them with rum, let it sit for a week and then put a straw through the hole. Phone call from Ramsey at 0037 continuing Angela's comments about spiking a watermelon with rum. Some talk about Ramsey's granddaughter in boot camp in the Carolina's. Then more talk about the gas explosions and Ramsey's experience with such things. Allan then commented on the terrible condition of the one road through the county there and Larry Will called and said since he was just up there a week or two ago he could testify that the roads in New Jersey were worse along with PA, Mass and several other states including Maryland. Reading of emails at 0055. Phone call from Kracker at 0057. Prayer for hurricane victims and Brother Stair and the "Saints". Show was off the air at 0101 and after some brief music the station was off the air at 0105 (John H Carver, Jr, Mid-North Indiana, 0122 UT Sat Sept 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. From the Isle of Music, September 16-October 6: September 16-22, our special guest will be Alejandro Vargas with his excellent Jazz. September 23-29, we will feature the music of several of Cuba's excellent female vocalists from various decades. September 30-October 6, we will feature Rafael Monteagudo with his excellent Jazz. The transmissions take place: 1. For Eastern Europe but audible well beyond the target area in most of the Eastern Hemisphere (including parts of East Asia and Oceania) with 100 kW, Sunday 1500-1600 UT on SpaceLine, 9400, from Kostinbrod, Bulgaria (1800-1900 MSK) 2. For the Americas and parts of Europe, Tuesday 0000-0100 UT on WBCQ, 7490 from Monticello, ME, USA (Monday 8-9 PM EDT in the US). This has been audible in parts of NW, Central and Southern Europe with an excellent skip to Italy recently. 3 & 4. For Europe and sometimes beyond, Tuesday 1900-2000 UT and Saturday 1200-1300 UT on Channel 292, 6070 from Rohrbach, Germany. Also recommended: Jetzt geht’s los! (Here We Go!), an excellent program of early German Jazz produced by Radio Ohne Nahmen, comes on right before FTIOM on Tuesdays from 1800 to 1900 UT on Channel 292. Uncle Bill’s Melting Pot, September 16-October 2, 2018 Episode 80 (September 16 and 18) features music from Russia from the 1970s to now. Episode 81 (September 23 and 25) features music from Ukraine. Episode 82 (September 30 and October 2) features virtuosic accordion music from around the planet. The transmissions take place: 1. Sundays 2200-2230 UT (6:00-6:30 PM Eastern US) on WBCQ The Planet 7490 from the US to the Americas and parts of Europe 2. Tuesdays 2000-2030 UT on Channel 292, 6070 from Rohrbach, Germany for Europe. If current propagation conditions hold, the broadcast should reach from Iceland to Western Russia, Scandinavia down to North Africa and the Middle East, AND a long bounce to parts of New Zealand. Also recommended: Marion’s Attic, a unique program produced and hosted by Marion Webster featuring early 20th Century records, Edison cylinders etc played on the original equipment, comes on immediately before UBMP on Sundays at 2100-2200 UT on WBCQ 7490 (William "Bill" Tilford, Owner/Producer, Tilford Productions, LLC, Sept 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB WINB: ** U S A. 15665-15670-15675, Fri Sept 14 at 1411, DRM noise from WINB as scheduled 11-17 UT M-F only. As usual, quite asymmetrical sound: ``normal`` on plus side, abnormal much ``rougher`` sound on minus side. Could someone explain this? Presumably something to do with hybrid data rather than program-only content (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHER: ** U S A. 5830, Sept 11 at 0606, no signal from WTWW-1, no loss with PPPP/SFAW, or is it propagation? No, neighbour 5935 WWCR is inbooming at S9+40/50, so WTWW is OFF (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5085, WTWW, Lebanon, Tennessee; 14 September 2018; 0148 UT oldies with Steve Taylor interrupted by an ad for the famous Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada, ("Right across the street from Area 51!") asking people to call "Pat" to apply for a job there; usual huge signal at -45 dbm but modulation a bit wide and "ragged." (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) ** U S A. 3215, Sept 11 at 0611, S9+20 of dead air. Could WWCR-1 be on the way to an overnight comeback? Program sked as of Sept 1 still shows WWCR-1 totally off at 0400-1200 (Monday 0500-), including the 3215 span until 0900. Of course, 3215 is also a WWRB frequency, but never at this hour unless a test (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5050, UT Sunday Sept 16 at 0015, and again at 0045 check, WWRB is off at times it is supposedly on; also no signals on any possible alternate 90m frequencies previously used, 3145, 3185, 3195, 3215 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Missing stations early UT Monday September 17 at 0131 check: 7505 WRNO, 5050 WWRB, 7490 WBCQ (but 5129.8 & 9330.1 are on) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7385, Sept 17 at 0132, blasted signal from WHRI is splattering over both much weakened RRI frequencies! 7375 in French, 7395 in Romanian, even when I tune to the opposite sideband. See also VIETNAM [non] (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 17775, KVOH-Voice of Hope, Rancho Simi, CA; 8 September 2018, 1700 UT English ID by man into the English-language music show "A Song in the Night," featuring mostly secular pop selected to reinforce the soft-sell religious message, in this case the question, "Can you be satisfied?" VG (-85 dbm) (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD). ** U S A. 880-CUSB, Sept 11 at 1200 UT, partial ID for ``Western Indian Network, Tuba City``, I.e. KTBA 760, the sibling station to the one I am really hearing, KHAC, Tse Bonito NM, 10000/430 watts U1, the perpetual day-power cheater. The Tuba City AZ station I remember when I was in Navajoland several years ago, was midband circa 1050? I guess they moved. Hunting for it in the new NRC AM Log I checked the huge cross-reference by city and found on page 246, Tse Bonito and Tuba City right next to each other in alphabetical order. What are the chances of that?! Log also shows both with the same address in Window Rock AZ. But I do not find a Western Indian Network among Station Groups listed on page 301, nor among the Networks on page 291 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Further checking on the website http://www.westernindian.net/ shows that the "Network" is not a simulcast group that would be grouped. They seem to list the branding for all, but KTBA/KWIM-FM and KHAC are still separately programed. 73 (Wayne Heinen, Editor AM Radio Log, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 950, ARKANSAS, KXJK, Forrest City. 1058 September 19, 2018. I've been hearing an orchestral Star Spangled Banner daily for a couple weeks, always beginning at 1100:02, but only on September 18 did I capture a "K" something call sign and then, after the anthem, a male with mention of "Hometown Radio" which matches the KXJK slogan, and weather that nearly matched Googling (91-degree high, currently 74). But still uncertain if this is the source of the Star Spangled Banner (and not to be confused with the SSB as sung by Dolly Parton, also at this hour as aired on WAKM, Franklin, TN as previously heard here). No apparent functioning KXJK website audio stream located, but I found that the free download (soon to be deleted) TuneIn app has it, so today I sat on 950 kc/s while streaming the audio. First Light (Westwood One News) audio feed until 1058, then AM 950 and 106.5 FM Hometown Radio and KXJK ID on the stream, into the orchestral anthem. Audio stream about 22 seconds behind the anthem squeaking through on 950 kc/s. Male with ID into local weather and news after. 950, GEORGIA, WGUN, Valdosta. 0054 September 15, 2018. Urban Contemporary evening dance-oriented show, female mentioning "The Magic 950 Valdosta" (slogan is supposed to be "Magic 95"). This is the one initially heard as one on the many unidentified stations closer to local sunrise, usually with heavier injection of R&B Oldies such as The Four Tops, R B Greaves, Billy Preston. 950, UNIDENTIFIED, 1059 September 9, 2018. Someone with SB Nation (sports) net feed, with male "... weekdays 6-9 a.m. on SB Nation Radio... SBnationradio.com..." The only SB affiliate listed in the current NRC AM Log is KKSE, Parker, CO at 5000/5000 watts, which would be an unlikely catch from Florida though the right direction. But to further discredit that thought, the NRC DNX 85-20 AM Switch column states KKSE is now Fox Sports Radio (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater, FL, NRD-535, IC-R75, longwires, active loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1069.979, Sept 12 at 1443 UT, KFTI Wichita KS measured -21 Hz off-frequency; it`s been this way forever, at night making an annoying rapid SAH against KNX or whatever. One of few stations doggedly musical on MW, allegedly $tereo, Classic Country, and NRC AM Log 2018 does not even have an FM translator for it. I then check http://mwlist.org/mwoffset.php?khz=1070 and find a very close match: 1069.9793 as of Jan 2, 2018 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1240, NORTH CAROLINA, WJNC, Jacksonville. 1039 August 28, 2018. Bubbled up for a minute with male "WJNC weather..." into coastal NC forecast, then lost to WFSX, WMMB, WPAX (the latter still at ridiculous 1240.105 off-channel big het [Thomasville GA]). (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater, FL, NRD-535, IC-R75, longwires, active loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1330, KENTUCKY, WKDP, Corbin. 0829 August 28, 2018. Old C&W/Bluegrass vocals, 0848 canned male "99 point 5 KD Country." Female cover of "Gentile On My Mind." Surely on day 5000 watts, not night 16 watts. Slight WYRD, Greenville, SC ESPN co-channel (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater, FL, NRD-535, IC-R75, longwires, active loop, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Fair reception tonight of WWBC, Cocoa FL on 1510 with gospel music and IDs with FM frequencies, plus ID as "The Christian Voice of Brevard" at 0359 UTC. Heard from 0320 tune-in to past 0430 UT. First time heard at this QTH. 73, (Alan Pennington, Sony 7600GR plus indoor loop, Longton, Lancashire, UK, 0440 UT Sept 14, bdxc-news iog via DXLD) Would this station be on daytime power because of Hurricane Florence?? Any of our US members advise on this? (WWBC 1510 still audible here at 0540 UT in Lancashire) 73 (Alan Pennington, ibid.) It`s a 50 kW Daytimer! (and reduced to 25 during 2-hour buffer Critical Hours). Should not be on air at all after sunset. Cocoa is rather far from H. Florence track/influence, so stretching it as an emergency situation there. Pattern is very broad centered on the southeast, i.e. mostly into the Atlantic, null roughly toward WLAC, so coverage up the coast should still be marginal. New NRC AM Log, closed in early August, had news/talk format for it, not gospel. There is a rather convoluted history mixed with WMEL, which moved format from 1060 to 1510: http://cflradio.net/1510_WWBC_AM.htm FM translators run 24 hours of course, so programming all night is available. ``The Christian Voice of Brevard`` on 1510 goes back to 2016 per searches. Was it again being heard the next night? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No, Glenn, WWBC 1510 not heard at all following two nights here. As I'm away from home, unfortunately did not have any means of recording, but written notes include 94.7 and 100.7 as the FM frequencies announced. Programming heard was continuous gospel songs, hymns and a variety of IDs. My location is on the north west coast of England, so a sea path towards east coast of North America. Historically of course, the Waltham, Boston station (latterly WMEX) was the usual very regular catch on 1510 over here. 73, (Alan Pennington, Sony 7600GR + indoor loop, Longton, Lancashire, UK, Sept 16, WOR iog via DXLD) Anyone near enough to monitor this one? Haven't seen any other reports of a flip to Gospel. 73 (Wayne Heinen, Editor AM Radio Log, nrc-am gg via DXLD) ** U S A. 1660, Sept 13 at 1356 UT, long string of Ad Council PSAs, at least six? Fading completely out and back up, as skywave is about to die, but long enough to hear 1400 UT ID for ``KWOD, 1660, Kansas City, The Score, a Radio.com station`` and into Dan Patrick show. I want to be sure which state the transmitter site be in. Radio- locator shows its cross definitely on KS side, but FCC longitude of ``94° 40' 58.00" W Longitude (NAD 27) -94.682778`` puts it much closer to State Line Road. Blowing up an FCC map at https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/am-profile/kwod/contour-maps/ finds the pin in Westwood Hills, just on the KS side. Was this a station that changed site recently? With all those PSAs, biz must not be too good at KWOD, which radio-locator addresses in Lexington KY; remote controlled? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Charleston SC TV Station Audio Carried by iHeart Stations Just saw this notice on the WCSC-TV Channel 5 iPhone app: “Charleston area iHeartRadio stations -- 94.3 NewsRadio, Q 104.5, WEZL 103.5 and Y 102.5 will all carry our broadcast during continuing coverage of the storm.” This reminds me of the stations that grouped together after Katrina in 2005. I live in Houston, TX, but am monitoring WCSC-TV via their iPhone app. I have friends and relatives in the Carolinas. 73 de (Steve N5WBI Ponder, 0120 UT Sept 14, nrc-am gg via DXLD) See INTERNATIONAL INTERNET for Roku streaming local TV station news I'm sure most remember in 1988 Hurricane Hugo taking out the WBT 1110 kHz Blaw Knox towers. Fast forward 20 years and Hurricane Florence is poised to possibly do the same. 73, (Thomas F. Giella W4HM, Lakeland, FL, USA, nrc-am gg via DXLD) ** U S A. Radio Island, North Carolina --- I`m sure many of us are wondering about how Radio Island got its name, currently a venue for H. Florence reportage; here`s the story: tower site of ex-WMBL 740 http://pineknollhistory.blogspot.com/2015/01/radio-island.html May we expect to have this as a Wavescan feature eventually? (Glenn Hauser, Sept 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) During hurricane emergency, some MW stations may operate on day pattern and power at night, generally leading to more power and less or no direxionality, e.g. ND instead of throwing most signal out to sea, leading to DX possibilities inland. Tune around for anything unusual. Hurricane Watch Net heard on 7268-LSB, but not on 20m. Nothing urgent going on there when I was listening around 0020 (Glenn, 0448 UT Sept 14, WOR iog via DXLD) Florence's fierce winds knock out all NOAA Weather Radio transmitters in eastern North Carolina --- AccuWeather September 14, 2018 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reports outages all of their Weather Radio transmitters in eastern North Carolina amid the height of Florence's rampage along the coast. The National Weather Service (NWS) Newport/Morehead City, North Carolina, reported the following at 9:47 a.m. EDT, Friday, Sept. 14, 2018: "All NOAA weather radio (NWR) transmitters in eastern North Carolina supported by National Weather Service (NWS) Morehead City are down. Winds from Hurricane Florence have disrupted service for the following NWR Transmitter Sites: KXI95 in Warsaw in Duplin County KIG77 in Cape Hatteras on the Outer Banks KEC84 in New Bern in Craven County WWH26 in Maimee in Currituck County Given the life-threatening weather risks across the region, listeners are encouraged to monitor surrounding NWR broadcasts if available by changing your radio frequency. Users should also set their individual cell phones for weather emergency alerts. If power and internet access are still available in your area, you can find information on setting cell phone alerts at www.weather.gov/wrn/wea. Additional and more detailed information is available on www.weather.gov/mhx. Please follow @NWSMoreheadCity on twitter and facebook and share any storm reports." https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/florences-fierce-winds-knock-out-all-noaa-weather-radio-transmitters-in-eastern-north-carolina/70006062 (via Mike Terry, UK, Sept 15, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U S A. SOUTH CAROLINA MW STATIONS TO SEEK Hurricane Flo - impact for Dxers Over the next few days South Carolina is going to be hit by Hurricane Florence. It’s possible that radio stations will be damaged, lose power or operate under emergency conditions. South Carolina doesn’t have many AM stations with high power operation round the clock – only six stations operate with 5000W at night. This state has no clear channel MW operators! However several stations have 50000 watt facilities used during the day. Under emergency conditions they could easily fire these up round the clock and then they might be heard by DXers outside the storm zone. Here is list of stations that could boost power significantly under emergency operations. [source not specified; condensed, reformatted here] Freq Call City DPower NPower Ant Format Network/Slogan 660 WLFJ GREENVILLE 50K * NDA RELIGION FOX CHRISTIAN TALK 660 730 WLTQ CHARLESTON 5000 103 NDA RELIGION EWTN CATHOLIC 810 WWOS WALTERBORO 5000* NDA GOSPEL USA WORLD MAY KNOW 840 WCEO COLUMBIA 50000 DAD REG. MEX. LA RAZA 890 WBAJ BLYTHEWOOD 50000 NDA RELIGION CHRISTIAN TALK RADIO 950 WJKB MONCKS CORNER 10000 6000 DA2 BLK GSPL 970 WWRK FLORENCE 10000 31 NDA CLASSIC HITS ROCK 94.1 97.9 105.9 1020 WRIX HOMELAND PARK 10000 NDA BLUEGRASS SRN ELECTRIC CITY 1050 WRWM CONWAY 5000* 473 DA2 SPORTS FOX SPORTS 101.9/1050 1070 WCSZ SANS SOUCI 50000 1500 DAN SPANISH AC LA JEFA 1080 WALD JOHNSONVILLE 9000 NDA C. CHRIST. WORSHIP & WORD STATION 1090 WCZZ GREENWOOD 5000 NDA SPORTS FOX 1130 WEAF CAMDEN 5000 7 NDA C. CHRIST. WORSHIP & WORD STATION 1150 WSNW SENECA 5000 58 NDA AC/OLDIES CBS 94.1 THE LAKE 1150 WAVO ROCK HILL 5000 59 NDA ADLT STNDS GREATEST MUSIC EVER 1170 WDEK LEXINGTON 10000 NDA R&B/OLDIES THE DECK 1200 WJXY ATLANTIC BEACH 6500 11 NDA BLK GSPL 103.5 REJOICE FM 1250 WTMA CHARLESTON 5000 1000 DAN NEWS/TALK CBS THE BIG TALKER 1260 WPJF GREENVILLE 5000* 15 NDA SPANISH RELIGION NUEVA VIDA 1260 WHYM LAKE CITY 5000* 55 NDA SPORTS ESPN 1270 WHGS HAMPTON 10000 219 NDA SILENT 1280 WANS ANDERSON 5000 1000 DAN GOSPEL GODS COUNTRY 1310 WDKD KINGSTREE 5000* 60 NDA SPORTS ESPN 1320 WISW COLUMBIA 5000 2500 DAN SPORTS NBC THE FAN 1360 WELP EASLEY 5000 36 NDA RELIGION CHANGING WAY YOU LIVE 1430 WBLR BATESBURG 5000* 163 NDA RELIGION GOOD NEWS NETWORK 1470 WQXL COLUMBIA 11K* 100 NDA TALK THE POINT 1540 WTBI PICKENS 10000 NDA RELIGION USA BRIGHT SPOT ONDIAL 1580 WDAB TRAVELERS REST 5000 10 NDA SILENT KE BUENA The problem with most of these stations (e.g. religion) is that they are not geared up or staffed up for live broadcasts originating from their own studios & certainly not under extreme emergency situations. The best you can probably hope for is a relay of an FM news station or TV audio without any local identification! The days of stations serving their community are sadly long gone in most situations. Your best bet might be stations in Charleston as they are on the coast. 73 (Steve Whitt, ed., Sept 12, MWCircle via DXLD) ** U S A. US Hurricane @FCC's status report Here's the @FCC's status report for today on communications systems in areas affected by #HurricaneFlorence. 7.2% of cell sites are out of service, down from 10.7% yesterday. Also, 4 TV stations, 20 FM stations, and 3 AM stations are out of service. https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-354106A1.pdf Info-Twitter: Ajit Pai Verified account @AjitPaiFCC (via Dino Bloise, FL, Sept 16, WOR iog via DXLD) viz.: Broadcast Television stations status: • 42 TV stations reported being operational (WAVY, WBTW, WCBD, WCES, WCSCTV, WECT, WEPX, WFXG, WHFL-CD, WILM-LD, WIS, WITN-TV, WJBF, WJCL, WLCN-CD, WMBF, WNCN, WNCT, WPXU-TV, WPXV-TV, WRAL-TV, WRAYTV, WRAZ, WSAV, WSCG, WSFX-TV, WSKY, WTAT-TV, WTOC-TV, WTVD, WUNC-TV, WUND-TV, WUNJ-TV, WUNK-TV, WUNM-TV, WUNP-TV, WUNU, WVAN, WVBT, WWAY, WYBE-CD, WZRB) • 4 TV stations reported being out of service (WCTI, WCTI-TV, WTNG-CD, WYDO) FM Radio stations status: • 100 FM radio stations reported being operational (W202CD, W214BZ, W222AO, W227BR, W232CH, W237BZ, W238AV, W239CK, W240AS, W241CV, W243DJ, W243DK, W247BS, W249BX, W257CS, W263BA, W269DF, W270AW, W271BT, W275BW, W280EP, W285DV, W285FJ, W286AY, W288BP, W288BQ, W299AP, WACG, WAFX, WAGP, WAZO, WBHC-FM, WBIC-LP, WCMC-FM, WDAR-FM, WDCG, WDLZ, WDWG, WEGX, WFCH, WFMV, WFXH-FM, WGCO, WGTI, WGTR, WILT, WIWF, WJMX-FM, WJQY-LP, WKFV, WKKZ, WKNC-FM, WKXB, WLHC-FM, WLQC-FM, WLXB, WLXM-LP, WLXP, WMCD, WMGL, WMIR, WNCB, WNCT, WNOB, WNOR, WNSB, WORG, WPTM, WPUB, WPUB-FM, WPWZ, WQAI, WRAL, WRFE, WRHD, WRLY-LP, WRMR, WRWN, WRXZ, WSPAFM, WSSX-FM, WSVH, WTCQ, WTKK, WTPT, WTRG, WTUA, WUBB, WWDW, WWOS-FM, WWQQ-FM, WWWZ, WWXM, WXJY, WXYY, WYNA, WYTT, WYUM, WZAX, WZRF-LP) • 3 FM radio stations report being down with programming sent to another station (WGNI, WLGI, WTIB) • 20 FM radio station report being out of service (WBNK, WCCE, WEHF-LP, WELS-FM, WFNE-LP, WFVL, WHAR, WIKS, WKGV, WKXS-FM, WLQB, WMGV, WMNX, WNBU, WOPA-LP, WRHT, WRQP-LP, WSFL-FM, WXNR, WZKT) AM Radio stations status: • 28 AM radio stations reported being operational (WALD, WCAM, WCLA, WCLY, WCPS, WDNC, WDSC, WFAY, WGCV, WGTN, WHHW, WJMX, WJOI, WJXY, WLSC, WMFA, WMFD, WMRV, WQXL, WRMT, WSMY, WTMA, WVOP, WWDR, WWOS, WWRK, WXLI, WYRN) • 3 AM radio stations reported being out of service (WAAV, WSSG, WWMC) As prepared by the Federal Communications Commission: September 16, 2018 11:30 a.m. (via DXLD) The AM stations per NRC AM Log 2018-2019 are: WAAV is 980 in Leland NC, 5000/5000 U2 WSSC is 1300 in Goldsboro NC, 1000/49 U1 with 92.7 translator WWMC is 1010 in Kinston NC, 1000/78 U1 with 92.9 translator (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FBN withdrew from SW years ago (WBOH & WTJC), but has continued on FM as WOTJ, 90.7 FM, Morehead City NC, and 8 translators, all in the non-commercial band. But now: FBN Radio - Flooding Facts [illustrated]: https://helpfbn.com/ FBN Radio is off the air. It is heartbreaking to hear the silence. This gospel radio network has been off the air now since Thursday. God Almighty has used his servant Clyde Eborn to serve as the Pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Newport, NC for over 50 years. He also founded FBN Radio. Hurricane Florence hit Newport, NC in a devastating way, not just with strong wind, but with major flooding. It is already being reported as the "flood of a thousand years." Many of the staff evacuated, but some were unable to leave. Pastor Eborn himself became trapped in his RV. The church building is leaking. The generator is unsafe to run. More than 27 inches of rain came to Newport, NC in 24 hours. Water damage has occurred to the radio transmitter building. The church sign is gone. All 8 Staff Houses have suffered damage, some have been severely ruined. The full loss is not yet known, but we do know this remarkable ministry has been impacted (Sept 17 via DXLD) No doubt rather than railing against God, they will find a way to rationalize this, e.g. God testing them, or anyway, His will be done (gh, DXLD) WOTJ = Words Of The Jesus?? ** U S A. How is Rick Shaftan? We are wondering how Rick Shaftan has been doing in the wake of Florence. A few years ago he moved to the Outer Banks (OBX) for its DX but nothing has been posted by him lately. 73, (Glenn Hauser, nrc-am gg via DXLD) Doing fine out here. Our top wind was just 52 and we had less than an inch of rain. The 7 foot dish is pretty beat up. I've got a backup for when it finally dies. Will try to reattach some of the elements to the screen with plastic ties. That should buy me another year. Thanks for asking. Actually the DX was just a side benefit. It's the only place near the ocean I could afford. Check out how little it costs to live out here (Rick S., Rodanthe NC OBX FM25go, ibid.) ** UZBEKISTAN. Reception of Adventist World Radio AWR via Tashkent 100 kW / 131 deg to SEAs, on Sept 15 till 1330 on 9955 TAC, 50 seconds Chinese Voice of Tibet 1330-1400 on 9955 TAC, Indonesian Mon/Tue/Sat, weak/fair Same time on 9955 TAC, Hmong Thu/Fri & Assamese Sun/Wed. http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/reception-of-adventist-world-radio-awr_17.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept.16-17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also same time until 1400 is WRMI on 9955; fortunately, nothing of AWR/TAC audible over here (gh, OK, DXLD) ** VATICAN. Unscheduled broadcast of Vatican Radio Romanian Fri Sep 14 0715-0825 7250 SMG 250 kW / 054 deg EaEu Romanian liturgy, very good 0715-0825 9645 SMG 250 kW / 054 deg EaEu Romanian liturgy, very good http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/unscheduled-broadcast-of-vatican-radio.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, Sept 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN [and non]. Radio Veritas Asia on shortwave via Santa Maria di Galeria: 0000-0027 NF 9700 SMG 250 kW / 070 deg SoAs Kachin, instead of 9645: 0000-0027 on 9645 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg SoAs Kachin via Palauig-Zambales R. Veritas Asia on shortwave via Palauig-Zambales is now only in Vietnamese: 1330-1357 11850 PUG 250 kW / 280 deg SEAs Vietnamese, ex 1300-1357 UT http://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2018/09/radio-veritas-asia-on-shortwave-via.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ?? As I reported in August, Kachin was heard on 9645, but surely already via Vatican, and we also heard recently on change to 9700. We thought that RVA Palauig closed down completely at Junend, but Ivo seems to be saying that one Vietnamese transmission is still from there rather than SMG. How does he know this? Time for some TDOA/DFing --- and I keep intending to check 11850 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. I have been trying to find information about the Venezuelan stations which have ceased broadcasting on AM. A Twitter contact with a friend in Maturín resulted in the following comment on Radio Maturín which was believed to be the only active AM signal in Maturín: "It seems that the antenna of Radio Maturín 1180 was stolen by thieves and the station can no longer be heard". I also asked my radio friend Andrés Rodríguez to check the AM dial in Maturín during a recent visit to the area and this is what he said: "Scanning the AM dial in the city of Maturín I heard absolutely nothing. Good bye AM radio". Thus we need to remove Radio Maturín from the listing in the WRTH and add the station to the list of stations which have closed (see the list in MV-Eko 58/19). I will of course continue to monitor the situation to see if any station returns to the air but until today this has not happened (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Cadena DX 21.5.2018 via Mauno Ritola, translation Christer Brunström via September Medium Wave News via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. 7315, Sept 14 at 0026, VOV relay in English via WHRI should still be running but am hearing a soul-music hymn; WHRI ID then cut off air abruptly at 0028* as if a beam change? Should not be. Soon back on with usual Voice of Martyrs commercial/promotion, this time specifically about a Pastor Quan (Kwan?) who is being persecuted by the authorities in Vietnam --- how cheeky! Does VOV know that WHRI is inserting anti-authority material within the relays they are paying for? 0030 back to VOV opening relay in stilted Spanish. 7315, Sept 17 at 0134, Voice of Vietnam via WHRI in wrong language, English instead of Spanish; giving 900# for flight info during newscast; was there a crash or some other disruption? Missed full item. Bigsig with some squeal, and splattering past 7305 where VOA GB carrier for 0145 Vatican relay is already on to violate Separation of Church & State. Anyhow, GB apparently far enough off the Florence track not to be flooded or blown off (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. ZÂMBIA, 5915. Set 16, 2018. 0328-0335, Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation-Radio 1, Lusaka, el linguagem vernacular. Locuções masculinas durante a escuta. ZNBC-Radio 1 chegando quase inaudível por aquí. Nota: Às 0438 estava com melhor sintonia em minha área! (José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX) - PR7036SWL (SWARL), Cabedelo-Paraiba, Brasil, Receptores: Degen DE1103 & Tecsun S-2000, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. 11735, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, Dole; 1940 the usual nice, rather Middle Eastern-inflected music with brief announcements by woman; by 2015 they were into their usual call-in show and not much music; good level (Andy Robins, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Airspy HF+ with SDR Console v.3 and a 45' PAR EF-SWL end-fed wire at 20', WOR iog via DXLD) oops, date missing; sometime in second week of Sept (gh) TANZÂNIA, 6015. Set 16, 2018. 0317-0327, Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation, Dole-TZA, em Suaíli. Locução masculina durante toda a escuta, parecendo discursar. ZBC com sinal fraco e modulação pobre, 35422 (José Ronaldo Xavier (JRX) - PR7036SWL (SWARL), Cabedelo-Paraiba, Brasil, Receptores: Degen DE1103 & Tecsun S-2000, WOR iog via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 936, Sept 11 at 0620, I have been bandscanning up from bottom of MW band, with east-west longwire on the R75 set at 9 kHz steps, but minus 1 kHz from TA/TP channels, to hear any carriers on USB tuning, besides 846 Kiritimati. Before dozing off at midband, I do hit one on 936, in fact stronger than 846 but still JBA with no modulation. It`s right-on frequency, so surely not a local artifact. Consulting the WRTH TA and TP listings, I conclude it is most likely 100 kW SNRT, Agadir, Morocco, sunrise today being right now: 0621. Of course, it`s post-sunrise in the rest of Africa and Europe except maybe Spain with 3 x 20 kW Radio 5. I wonder if the F.Pl of two new 400 kW MW transmitters in Agadir has been consummated? It`s too early for eastern Australia with 10 kW stations, much too early for China with 200 KW, but sun set in Auckland NZ already at 0607 altho station there is only 1 kW. So theoretically, 936 Agadir could be propagating all the way to NZ now --- 11989 miles short path to Mangawhai, per crowflies, not onward from here, but along the coasts of Brazil and Argentina, around Cape Horn and the southern Pacific ocean. Has Bryan Clark heard it? 936, Sept 12 at 0611 UT, JBA carrier again from likely SNRT, Agadir, Morocco, just before LSR there. In previous log I should have added that listed power is 100 kW, altho Future Plan called for 2 x 400 kW on MW (and 936 the only known frequency at that site). 936, Sept 13 at 0612, there it is again, with some fading. This time I get a rough DF on the DX-398, NE/SW. Then checking the true bearing of Agadir from Enid on my NGS globe with geometer, it`s 65 degrees. Futurely shall try to get a closer match. Agadir is right on the SW coast, SW of Marrakech, which can only boost its propagability, (Microsoft Works Word Processor tried to ``correct`` that to reparability!! It has no sense about considering definitions. I have to keep adding my new(?) words to its lexicon). In fact, if 936 be really up to 800 kW it should be a good target for daytime TA seawave. Meanwhile, superpower here should be helpful in covering Western Sahara`s conquest by Moroccan imperialism (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Trans-Atlantic JBA carrier search, Sept 14 at 0129-0138 UT: mainly on the R75 with E/W longwire: 936, 846, 774, 711, 828, 837, 1107, 1215, 1503. Comments: 846 certainly not Kiritimati this early; 774 has two beating, one slightly off to the minus side, but MW Offsets has nothing more than 3 Hz low. No sign of 1521, so Sa`udi 2 megawatt apparently still not 24h. I wanted to make sure 936 would also be heard much earlier than my usual bedtime chex circa 0600. MW Offsets shows minus 6.5 Hz for Agadir, and good luck with the accents: 935.9935 SNRT Al Idaâ Al Amazighia (Agadir/Aït Melloul) 24h 2018-02-16 Another check tonight at 0548-0552, however, does not get a signal on 936, rather: 846, 837, 621, 612, 549, 1044, 1098, 1125, 1215, 1305, 1413, 1503 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Trans-Atlantic JBA carrier search, Sept 16 at 0612: 837, 621, 855, 936, 1089, 1431. Also one on 846 which I always check first around this hour and assume to be trans-Pacific, Kiritimati. It seems that 936 Agadir, Morocco, is a ``normal`` catch on the east coast, along with many others, but I don`t see any remarx about it being stronger than before/usual. If it continue to show up beyond in deep North America while little else is TA, that might be a clue it has upped power as planned. [see MOROCCO] Trans-Atlantic JBA carrier search, Sept 17 at 0629+: 801, 621, 936, 1413 --- and 846 which I assume is TP Kiritimati. And Sept 18 at 0615-0621 UT: 846 TP; 882, 936, 837, 621, 531, 1044, 1098, 1269, 1413, 1503. I do believe that 936 is the strongest of them, in keeping with my Agadir, Morocco assumptions. Does anyone have official info about the current power level? (Glenn Hauser, OK DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Sept 17th - Video Highlights - West Coast TP's - What was on 1368 khz? One of the best signals this AM -- but from where? https://youtu.be/1g7OTA7yBhQ Check out the 5 minute mark - very interesting - music but no speaking. Quick 6 minute video of morning highlights - it was a GOOD morning I think (Colin Newell, Victoria BC, 17 Sept, IRCA at HCDX via DXLD) Colin, it sounds like Nei Menggu. I can`t confirm obviously, but the song has a very Chinese pop style to it, but not so much Japanese or Korean (there are no 1368s in Korea, by the way). Plus, Shazam is very quick to identify almost any Chinese tune you throw at it, as I have confirmed with many hundreds of song matches from my own Chinese DX, even very obscure songs that I can`t even find MP3s of and not even a hint of them on YouTube or anywhere. However, it tends to be totally useless with Mongolian songs, even Mongolian-language songs released in China (i.e. Inner Mongolia), which always was a hint for me when I was hearing Inner Mongolia Es on FM when nothing at all was giving me a match. This is why I believe, without any proof since I can`t identify the song, that it was Nei Menggu. At least it`s some idea of your signal origin Seoul AM Radio Listening Guide http://www.beaglebass.com/dx/seoul/ (Chris Kadlec, sometimes in MI, ibid.) According to the latest SARFT list (roughly the Chinese counterpart to the FCC list), there currently aren't any Nei Menggu stations on 1368. I think there was one a few years ago, but recently a major reassignment concentrated the Nei Menggu AM stations onto about ten frequencies. Maybe it was a Mongolian song on a Chinese language station? (Bruce Portzer, WA, Sept 17, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 4810, Sept 17 at 0112, JBA carrier vs. weak CODAR on the low side, usual huge utehash on the high side. I renew my request for anyone in South America to check whether Radio Logos, Peru be active, or not, as no replies have come to my last three inquiries --- I might do better [getting replies] if I posted this as an individual item, but should not have to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6025V, September 16 at 0011, two very weak carriers, slightly apart making double and variable het with BFO; and without BFO, a trace of modulation. Only pair scheduled now are Radio Patria Nueva, BOLIVIA, and TIBET, possibly grayline. OR it`s just RPN with a wobbly carrier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6920 approx., Sept 12 at 0620, intermittent quacking sound, maybe what Harold Frodge has been referring to (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 7267.5-LSB, Sept 16 at 0036, strange net here, not the sought Hurricane Watch which was active yesterday on 7268-LSB. Calling KI5BEG, WU2T without response; except someone interrupted with vocalized humming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 9505-USB, Sept 16 at 0023, 2-way in Spanish, S3-S4 INTRUDERS; also some intermittent music, apparently in background pickup (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1948: Thanks to Chuck Ermatinger, MO, for another PayPal contribution, to woradio at yahoo.com. One may also contribute by MO or check in US funds on a US bank to: Glenn Hauser, P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED FUTURELY: Many thanks to Gerald T Pollard, Research Triangle, Raleigh NC, for generous quarterly seasonal support at the autumnal equinox to Glenn Hauser, P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702. Gerald reports on Sept 19: ``Minimal in this elevated area on the periphery, serious to the east and south, especially bad where combined with negative factors such as storm surge along the coast and poverty along the Lumber River (home of the Lumbee Tribe). By the grace of WCPE-FM https://theclassicalstation.org/ and plenty of reading matter, I survived three days of work-deprivation and, having been duly resurrected, am back at the desk`` I myself have little need to listen to WOR via iTunes podcasts, but checking it out, I was pleased to find these reviews on the page: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/glenn-hausers-world-of-radio/id1123369861 Glenn the Great by Hawaii Stephen Glenn Hauser basically invented podcasting when he started World Of Radio almost 40 years ago. Happily he is still going strong with this weekly study of international and shortwave communications. If you want the latest info on what is going on in the world of shortwave Hauser's weekly reports are indispensable. Thank you Glenn!! The legend continues by N0WMD I grew up listening to Mr. Hauser on a variety of Shortwave radio stations, and later on the internet. Having an expert explain when to listen and where to tune makes all the difference. Whether you're new to the hobby or an old hand at dx listening, this should be a weekly ritual (via DXLD) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ Antenna Pattern Book 8th edition Hi all, Bill Hale has finished the book and it is at the printers… It is available for sale now at our website http://www.nationalradioclub.org Click on Publication Center and click the link to Books… Please pass this on to other lists that may have an interest in this publication 73 (Wayne Heinen, Editor AM Radio Log, Sept 10, nrc-am gg via WORLD OF RADIO 1948,DXLD) Viz.: http://nationalradioclub.org/catalog/books/books.html New for 2018! Check It Out! [one sample page for 790 kHz] http://www.nationalradioclub.org/catalog/books/Sample_APB.pdf This all new edition prepared by NRC’er Bill Hale is an all-inclusive book of patterns for both Day and Night operation of stations in the USA, Canada and selected foreign stations. The data for this comes from the current 39th edition of the AM Radio Log. The book comes shrink wrapped in 8½ by 11 three hole punch format for placement in your own three ring binder. There are 242 pages and the book has maps covering 530 through 1700 Kilo Hertz depicting the lower USA, Canada and Mexico. Hawaii and Alaska are shown on separate maps at the back of the book. MEMBER USA Price $26.95 NON-MEMBER USA Price $32.95 Canada Price US$40.25 Other Countries Price US$51.25 (via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) BROADCASTIFY http://www.broadcastify.com/ The world’s largest source of public safety, rail, aircraft and marine radio live audio streams. Simply click on the “Listen” button and choose the particular state you are interested in monitoring. Then choose from any of the specific counties in that state that have live streaming of communications available. You’ll then see a list of police, fire, EMS, marine and aircraft, even amateur radio repeaters, that you can click on and listen to live audio. This site is of particular interest during any major events taking place (via Sheldon Harvey, Greenfield Park, Quebec, Sept Radio HF Internet Newsletter via DXLD) Resource: Travellers Information Stations in the USA In 1968, Yellowstone National Park began a project, conceived of several years previously, of installing six transmitters along an experimental stretch of the park's road system. These transmitters were of low power, operated on a standard AM frequency, and provided the park visitors with general information about the park and safety precautions. Eventually, Yellowstone National Park installed a system of thirty transmitters of low power: 100 milliwatts each. Gradually, other agencies began similar operations in an effort to better inform visitors and motorists of local attractions, safety matters, and traffic conditions. Originally, assigned frequencies were 530, 1606 and 1612 kHz, though exceptions did occur. Traveller Information Stations and Highway Advisory Radio operations were on the increase. Realizing the need to coordinate the rapid growth of these stations, the FCC announced a "Notice of Proposed Rule Making" in June of 1975. In part, frequencies would be as noted above, the hours of operation were unrestricted, and the maximum power was to be 10 watts. At that time, however, the majority of stations were still operating with 100 milliwatts. Part of the original "Notice" included the following statement from the FCC: For some time the Commission, together with other federal government agencies, has been studying the need for and feasibility of using low power radio transmitters to communicate certain kinds of information to travellers. For example, radio might be used to alert motorists to road hazards, to inform them of available food, gasoline, or lodging, or to direct them to local points of interests. Also, Federal Government agencies have expressed a desire to use radio at parks and other national tourist areas to inform and advise travellers and to control traffic during emergencies such as forest fires. It appears that the use of radio can, in many situations, offer significant advantages over road signs or other methods now being used for these purposes. With the expansion of the AM Band, to 1705 kHz, there were questions regarding how the change would affect the operation of TIS/HAR stations. The FCC determined that the stations may continue to operate on a non-interference basis, and new stations will be permitted to begin operations. Today, there are hundreds of stations throughout the United States and Canada. Basically there are two types of stations. TIS operations provide visitors/motorists with information on local attractions. The other type of station is referred to as HAR (Highway Advisory Radio). (Emergency Advisory Radio Stations) which provide motorists with traffic or emergency information. Regardless of the acronym, these low powered stations offer many opportunities to log low powered stations: it's not just a hobby; it's an adventure in DXing! The IRCA TIS/HAR LIST lists all US and Canadian TIS/HAR stations, by frequency, including call letters, state (province,) city, county, licensee, address, coordinates, expiration date and dates of DXM/DXN reports/sources. It has been updated with FCC data, DXM, DXN and DXer reports, and on-line listings through July 1 2018. The 2018 IRCA TIS/HAR LIST is posted on the IRCA website for all to download. The link is: http://www.ircaonline.org/editor_upload/File/TIS_2018.pdf Thank you to everyone who made this comprehensive document possible. – (via Steve Whitt, September Medium Wave News via DXLD) MUSEA +++++ Radio and WWII politics For a historical insight into American radio and World War 2 politics you may be interested in this streamed 20 minute programme from C-SPAN. Wofford College history professor Mark Byrnes talked about the influence of radio on World War II-era politics in this interview recorded at the Organization of American Historians' annual meeting in Sacramento, California. https://www.c-span.org/video/?444011-11/radio-world-war-ii-era-politics (September Medium Wave News via DXLD) The IBA Archive on You Tube Fascinating archive of engineering announcements I often used to set the video to record back in the day so I could watch after school when on ITV and after work when it later moved to channel 4. My favourite example is this one about medium wave from LBC and Capital Radio from London. I remember the fire and not much has changed today as regards the way it is transmitted from the London TX site. https://youtu.be/L52V4ucMD3g Enjoy the memories and subscribe for further updates if you like this sort of thing (Gary Drew worldwide, Sept 16, Sent from my iPhone, bdxc-news iog via DXLD) MW DXING IN THE 60s Recently I was reminiscing about DXing in the 60s, noting that I listened to WLS-890 for entertainment. Then I mentally cruised down the dial just from memory: 880 WCBS, 870 WWL, 860 KONO, 850 KOA and KICY and KHLO, 840 WHAS, 834 Belize, 830 WCCO, and KHVH and JOBB, 740 CBL, 730 CKLG, 725 Surinam, 720 KDWN, 700 WLW, 690 CBU and XETRA, 670 WMAQ and HRN, 660 WNBC and KFAR, 655 YSS and North Korea, 650 WSM and KORL, 540 CBK, not to speak of KDKA, WBZ, WHO, CBA, WBT, WRVA, WWVA, WHAM, WOAI, KSTP, and the classic XERF with Wolfman Jack. Even though more than 50 years have passed, it amazes me how many old call letters I can recall from memory. Guided by an article in Popular Electronics that listed MW targets for each continent, on September 6 1963, I was tuned just below 1180 and was hearing an Asian language. Then at 0500 local, I about jumped out of my chair when I heard “This is the Voice of America from Okinawa“. It was my very first TP! I started adding to my TP logs slowly until I joined IRCA 6 months later. Then my totals really started to climb thanks to the tips of fellow IRCAans. I learned a lot of geography through DXing and learned proper pronunciations of many cities. On a family vacation in Canada, I was really jolted when I heard my dad refer to CalGARY! Of course, I was able to correct him. Even now, as I manage without eyesight, DXing is still enriching my life since it is based on hearing rather than sight. Hope your upcoming DX season continues to enrich your life. 73 de AWP (Art Peterson, 8531 31st Street, Richmond, California 94804, Awpetersonrpf@att.net DX Forum, IRCA DX Monitor Sept 15, published Sept 11, via DXLD) LANGUAGE LESSONS ++++++++++++++++ Annals of the Mind September 3, 2018 Issue The Mystery of People Who Speak Dozens of Languages What can hyperpolyglots teach the rest of us? By Judith Thurman One researcher of language acquisition describes her basic question as “How do I get a thought from my mind into yours?” Illustration by Oliver Munday; source photograph from Universal History Archive / Getty (face) Last May, Luis Miguel Rojas-Berscia, a doctoral candidate at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, flew to Malta for a week to learn Maltese. He had a hefty grammar book in his backpack, but he didn’t plan to open it unless he had to. “We’ll do this as I would in the Amazon,” he told me, referring to his fieldwork as a linguist. Our plan was for me to observe how he went about learning a new language, starting with “hello” and “thank you.” Rojas-Berscia is a twenty-seven-year-old Peruvian with a baby face and spiky dark hair. A friend had given him a new pair of earrings, which he wore on Malta with funky tank tops and a chain necklace. He looked like any other laid-back young tourist, except for the intense focus—all senses cocked—with which he takes in a new environment. Linguistics is a formidably cerebral discipline. At a conference in Nijmegen that had preceded our trip to Malta, there were papers on “the anatomical similarities in the phonatory apparati of humans and harbor seals” and “hippocampal-dependent declarative memory,” along with a neuropsychological analysis of speech and sound processing in the brains of beatboxers. Rojas-Berscia’s Ph.D. research, with the Shawi people of the Peruvian rain forest, doesn’t involve fMRI data or computer modelling, but it is still arcane to a layperson. “I’m developing a theory of language change called the Flux Approach,” he explained one evening, at a country inn outside the city, over the delicious pannenkoeken (pancakes) that are a local specialty. “A flux is a dynamism that involves a social fact and an impact, either functionally or formally, in linguistic competence.” Linguistic competence, as it happens, was the subject of my own interest in Rojas-Berscia. He is a hyperpolyglot, with a command of twenty-two living languages (Spanish, Italian, Piedmontese, English, Mandarin, French, Esperanto, Portuguese, Romanian, Quechua, Shawi, Aymara, German, Dutch, Catalan, Russian, Hakka Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Guarani, Farsi, and Serbian), thirteen of which he speaks fluently. He also knows six classical or endangered languages: Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew, Shiwilu, Muniche, and Selk’nam, an indigenous tongue of Tierra del Fuego, which was the subject of his master’s thesis. We first made contact three years ago, when I was writing about a Chilean youth who called himself the last surviving speaker of Selk’nam. How could such a claim be verified? Pretty much only, it turned out, by Rojas-Berscia. . . [much more; NYer availablizes a few free articles per month to non-subscribers] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/09/03/the-mystery-of-people-who-speak-dozens-of-languages This article appears in the print edition of the September 3, 2018, issue, with the headline “Maltese for Beginners.” Judith Thurman began contributing to The New Yorker in 1987, and became a staff writer in 2000. She is the author of “Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller (via Gerald T Pollard, Raleigh NC, DXLD) [also see:] Is Bilingualism Really an Advantage? For most of their lives, bilinguals might not show any real benefits. The true edge may come far later. --- By Maria Konnikova Jan. 22, 2015 http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/bilingual-advantage-aging-brain (via DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ EU to stop changing the clocks in 2019 European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc on Friday announced that the EU will stop the twice-yearly changing of clocks across the continent in October 2019. . . https://m.dw.com/en/eu-to-stop-changing-the-clocks-in-2019/a-45495680 (via Tony Molloy, UK, WOR iog via DXLD) Yet to be decided: whether to keep summer or winter time; how to avoid too much border confusion (gh, DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Madison-Milwaukee Get Together had its 25th anniversary event on Saturday, August 18, at Lake Farm County Park in Madison. It’s a beautiful spot, with plenty of space for erecting antennas, as some did and offering a beautiful view of Lake Waubesa. It turned out to be a beautiful day and our hosts, Bill Dvorak and Mark Taylor, along with lots of help from Bill’s wife Nina, did an amazing job of organizing and managing the get-together. Ken Hawkins, host of this year’s big even in St Charles MO, was there, and offered information on the convention. Universal Radio generously donated the door prizes, and we enjoyed a wonderful catered dinner. It was the second highest attendance in the history of the event, with 47 radio hobbyists present along with 10 spouses, family members, etc. My family and I will host as the event moves back to the Milwaukee area next year at our place in Oak Creek. Mark your calendar: it’s on Saturday August 17 2019. And have a great 18-19 DX season! 73, (Tim Noonan, 801 East Park Boulevard, Oak Creek, Wisconsin 53154, DX Forum, IRCA DX Monitor Sept 15, published Sept 11, via DXLD) DX-PEDITIONS ++++++++++++ 558-Fiji and 1017-Tonga Rock Rockwork As most west coast DXers know the Rockwork ocean cliff near Manzanita, Oregon easily holds the record for New Zealand reception in North America during a DXpedition, but last month the "Kiwi Magic" seemed to include two other nearby Pacific island DU's which seemed to enjoy the same, cliff-boosted propagation rush -- 558-Fiji and 1017-Tonga. File review is adding to the charm of the trip, with multiple S9 recordings from Tonga showing up over the 9 days. Of course numerous New Zealand stations also managed their best-ever signals, including 531-More FM, 594-Star, 657-Star, 756-RNZ and 936-Chinese Voice. After file review the 2 kW relay 639-RNZ was the latest to join the list with an S7 level on August 1, and even the Tasmanian 585-7RN hit its first S9 level ever. But the signals from Fiji and Tonga were both in a higher league than in previous years, resulting in awesome music peaks from each station at various times during the trip. Quite an unforgettable way to close out the summer! 558 Radio Fiji One Suva, Fiji, 10 kW S9 Island music with song medley ID ("Radio Fiji One, Na Domoiviti") at 1:38 into the recording at 1252 on 8-1. This was its strongest signal ever at the cliff https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/vhwdviemmimdxervjaoe1qqci7a59dqj 1017 A3Z Nuku'alofa, Tonga, 10 kW During my first morning at the cliff (on August 1st) the newly rejuvenated station had an overwhelming S9+ signal all session long. This was in comparison to marginal reception in Spanish splatter (from 1020-KTNQ) in years past. Neither Craig Barnes nor I could believe our ears. This island music was recorded at 1314 https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/xgw85zga7d337r8905bnyu1qdgmvepn8 This Tongan island music was received on the same morning at 1221 https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/ime1qsdd32h6wh0pumkrsozhwy6xestn On the second day (8-2), Tonga "only" reached an S9 level with its beautiful island music (at 1318) https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/k4tnfovufud0ek4zjkaexcpwayug5v97 The new Big Gun DU pounds in with S9 music at 1250 on 8-3 https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/1l1xkyix03o7onoxsmr1wa2tsivqxr8s The 5 kW Australian station 1017-2KY tries to make it a horse race at 1304 on 8-8, but ends up folding in the clutch https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/r6yrwe7pzze6kw59qnzrbg8c704kg1l2 The exact same segment was recorded on the stand-alone 7.5" loopstick XHDATA D-808 model at 1304 on 8-8 (all the others were assisted by the 17" FSL antenna). Even the hot-rodded portable receives a fine signal from Tonga (and a sinking signal from Sydney) https://dreamcrafts.box.com/s/xw0vuzpbqyg2gc0ekh7s2tdzm5n6r7l0 73 and Good DX, (Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA), Sept 12, nrc-am gg via DXLD) Newfoundland 2015 recordings - "movie" New version with a few errors corrected. The old version has been removed and the link is history. Is anyone downloading this other than the 2 or 3 that commented? [https://www.dropbox.com/temp_thumb_from_token/s/1rxe2lzdz1ruidp?preserve_transparency=False&size=1200x1200&size_mode=4] (Chuck Hutton, Shared with Dropbox. Sept 15, IRCA via DXLD) Great recordings and visuals, Chuck. Bringing back pleasant memories, and wetting my appetite for PEI 2018! 73, (Walt Salmaniw, BC, ibid.) It`s an MP4; is it on YouTube? It should be. As an IT GUY, I never download MP4`s or PowerPoint prezzies, as they can contain Virii (Colin Newell - Victoria - B.C. CANADA, ibid.) I didn't download it, but I've played through it a couple of times at the Dropbox site, and it's hugely entertaining. While perfectly logical, the HUGE signal from RNE-684 is still a revelation to me. Here in Missouri I've never gotten more than weak to fair audio from it on the best of nights; and it became utterly impossible here the minute WSCR-670 and WLW-700 turned on their IBOC noisemakers! It's a kick to hear the announcer's Castellano pronunciation of "Radio NAHTH-yoh nall de Espanya, Ser VEETH ee oh" etc. Keep the files coming! (FWIW, hands-down the best TA receptions I ever had here have been Duba-1521, Croatia-1134, Norway-1314, and Vatican-1611, as well as, I think, Luxembourg-234. [Don't have access to my logs right now.]) The Saudi and NRK were QSLed; never could get RNE, Vatican Radio or Croatian Radio to respond to my reports (Randy Stewart, Battlefield (Springfield) MO, IRCA via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See INDIA!; KUWAIT; RUSSIA!; USA WINB ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB See INDIA; RUSSIA incidentally ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC See AUSTRALIA; MUSEA Art +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See MEXICO; OKLAHOMA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ COPING WITH NOISY GARAGE DOOR OPENERS Thread subjected as ``RFI on the BCB`` starts here on 14 Sept: https://www.mail-archive.com/irca@hard-core-dx.com/msg87466.html And keep clicking on Next Message; otherwise look for the header in the archive index (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Minnesota's last ham radio store to close its doors as owners retire - Story | KMSP http://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-s-last-ham-radio-store-to-close-its-doors-as-owners-retire Sent from my iPhone (Des Preston, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) You can find a list of some of the old ham radio dealers around the Twin cities at: Electronic Center moved from the Washington Ave area to East Hennepin sometime in the 1980's. It was there for a short period before it closed. For more information about the Lew Bonn Company, see: The Lew Bonn Company was sold in 1972 to the guy who founded Pace International. See: 73 (John KC0G, MDXC yg via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ :Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts :Issued: 2018 Sep 17 0146 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/weekly.html # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 10 - 16 September 2018 Solar activity was very low throughout the period. Region 2722 (S07, Lo=215, class/area Bxo/10 on 11 Sep) produced the strongest flare of the period, a B1 flare at 11/0759 UTC. The region decayed to plage in the following days. No Earth-directed CMEs were observed in available coronagraph imagery. No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit ranged from normal background to high levels. High levels were reached on 12-16 Sep and moderate levels were reached on 10-11 Sep. All enhancements in electron flux are associated with the influence of a positive polarity CH HSS. Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm levels. The onset of a CIR ahead of a positive polarity CH HSS on 10 Sep increased geomagnetic activity to G1 levels. As wind speeds increased to around 550 km/s on 11 Sep, geomagnetic activity further increased to G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm levels. Total magnetic field strength (Bt) peaked at 15 nT late on 10 Sep. Bt then decreased to near 5-6 nT by mid-day on 11 Sep, which decreased the geomagnetic response to mostly quiet to active levels. One additional period of isolated G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storming was observed early on 14 Sep. Wind speeds persisted at elevated levels through 16 Sep, with a notable increase to a peak around 650 km/s observed early on 15 Sep. As wind speeds decreased, quiet to unsettled levels on 15 Sep gave way to quiet levels on 16 Sep. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 17 Sept-13 Oct 2018 Solar activity is expected to be very low throughout the outlook period. No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at moderate levels on 06-08 Oct and at high levels for the remainder of the outlook period. All enhancements in electron flux are expected due to multiple, recurrent CH HSSs. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to range from quiet to G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm levels. G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm levels are expected on 08 Oct; G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels are expected on 07 Oct and 10 Oct; active conditions are expected on 17 Sep, 23 Sep, 02 Oct and 11 Oct; unsettled conditions are expected on 18 Sep, 24 Sep, 01 Oct, 09 Oct and 12 Oct. All levels of elevated geomagnetic activity are due to the anticipated influence of multiple, recurrent CH HSSs. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2018 Sep 17 0146 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 2018-09-17 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2018 Sep 17 69 16 4 2018 Sep 18 69 8 3 2018 Sep 19 68 5 2 2018 Sep 20 68 5 2 2018 Sep 21 68 5 2 2018 Sep 22 68 5 2 2018 Sep 23 68 16 4 2018 Sep 24 68 12 3 2018 Sep 25 68 5 2 2018 Sep 26 68 5 2 2018 Sep 27 69 5 2 2018 Sep 28 69 5 2 2018 Sep 29 69 5 2 2018 Sep 30 69 5 2 2018 Oct 01 69 8 3 2018 Oct 02 70 10 4 2018 Oct 03 70 5 2 2018 Oct 04 70 5 2 2018 Oct 05 70 5 2 2018 Oct 06 70 5 2 2018 Oct 07 70 20 5 2018 Oct 08 70 30 6 2018 Oct 09 70 10 3 2018 Oct 10 69 18 5 2018 Oct 11 69 15 4 2018 Oct 12 69 8 3 2018 Oct 13 69 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1948, DXLD) ###