DX LISTENING DIGEST 19-31, August 1, 2019 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 2019 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 1993 contents: Andorra non, Antarctica, Australia, Bolivia?, Bougainville, China, Congo, Cuba, Czechia, Equatorial Guinea, Europe, France, Indonesia, Korea North non, Laos, Netherlands, North America, Oman, Spain, Sudan South non,Tibet and non, USA, Vatican, Vietnam, Zambia, unidentified; meteor scatter, and the propagation outlook. Finished by 2250 UT Thursday August 1, ready for first broadcasts on Friday August 2: [WOR 1994 should follow similar schedule starting August 9] 2200 UT Friday WRMI 9955 [confirmed] 0130 UT Saturday WRMI 7780 [confirmed] 0629vUT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany 1000 UT Saturday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [Aug 3 & 17?; alt. weeks] 1430 UT Saturday HLR 9485-CUSB Germany [confirmed] 1930vUT Saturday WA0RCR 1860-AM 2100 UT Saturday WRMI 9955 [confirmed] 0130 UT Sunday WRMI 5850 [confirmed] 0300vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM [nominal 0315] [confirmed] 1030 UT Sunday HLR 7265-CUSB Germany 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 [confirmed] 0130 UT Monday WRMI 9395 7780 [confirmed] 0230 UT Monday WRMI 7780 [confirmed] 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 [confirmed from 0257] 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 [confirmed] 0930 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [off for repairs] 1130 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [off for repairs] 1816 UT Monday IRRS 7290 Romania [confirmed] 0100 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 [confirmed] 0800 UT Tuesday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [2 editions][off?] 2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v 0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, podcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html (mp3 stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1993.m3u (mp3 download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1993.mp3 Or via http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html Also linx to podcast services. 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 MORE PODCAST ALTERNATIVES, tnx to Keith Weston: https://blog.keithweston.com/2018/11/22/world-of-radio-podcast/ feedburner: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GlennHausersWorldOfRadio tunein.com: http://bit.ly/tuneinwor itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/glenn-hausers-world-of-radio/id1123369861 AND via Google Play Music: http://bit.ly/worldofradio 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. ** ALASKA. 9760, KNLS, 1530. As 31 M waveband fades here, long monologue with W in Chinese, then M. Loud and strange humming sound noted with SW-2000629 and longwire. I switched on big Grundig-205 (with indoor shortwire), and found the same thing, so it wasn`t the radio or local QRM being pulled in by the l.w. Tenor vocalist in English with hymn, short closing announcement and off - Very Good July 28 (Rick Barton, Arizona SW Logs, 73 and Good Listening.......! - rb, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. 6020 & 9570, July 27 at 0043 check, both CRI relays to North America are still OFF (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noted CRI Albania Cerrik site in Portuguese on 6175 kHz at 2220 UT in Detroit MI site. Grayline far EAST of NewFoundland at this time span. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 30, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ALBANIA [non]. Surprisingly, a new QSL card from Radio Tirana from Albania came in response to the report of July 3, 2019. The card was sent on July 10th. QSL Theme - Series D: Religious Communities - Bektaschi-Grabmaler, Tirana. http://freerutube.info/2019/07/25/qsl-radio-tirana-albaniya-ssha-iyul-2019-goda/ (Dmitry Elagin, Saratov, Russia / "deneb-radio-dx", QSL World, via RusDX 28 July via DXLD) ** ANDORRA [non]. Special programming in Wavescan honoring Radio Andorra Dear Wavescan Listener, Please note that we are interrupting the regular flow of topics in Wavescan to present a special program honoring the fascinating historic story of the exotic Radio Andorra high in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain. On August 7, Radio Andorra would have celebrated its 80th anniversary, if it were still on the air. This special edition of Wavescan was professionally produced by Christian Milling in Germany, it was edited for broadcast in Wavescan by Dr. Adrian Peterson in Indianapolis, and it was prepared for broadcast by Jeff White at Radio Miami International WRMI in Miami Florida. Edition NWS 545 contains the Radio Andorra story, and it is scheduled for broadcast in the normal scheduling of Wavescan, beginning over this coming weekend [*August 3]. You may check the availability of this special program in your part of the world by accessing the websites of the following international shortwave stations:- Adventist World Radio KSDA Guam Adventist World Radio shortwave relay stations in Europe, Africa and Asia that carry Wavescan Radio Miami International WRMI in Miami, Florida Voice of Hope KVOH in Simi Valley, California Voice of Hope relay station in Zambia, Africa World Wide Christian Radio WWCR in Nashville, Tennessee Also available on line from several sources, and as a podcast download, and via special telephone numbers Thank you (Dr. Adrian M. Peterson, International Relations, Adventist World Radio, Producer Wavescan, International DX program from Adventist World Radio, July 31, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WS airs about three dozen times a week on WRMI, plus other stations (gh, ibid.) ** ANDORRA [non]. [WOR] Atlantic 2000 International will be on air August 10 and 11 with Radio Andorra special program Atlantic 2000 International will be on air on 6070 kHz via Rohrbach, Germany, Saturday 10 of August 0800-0900 and and Sunday 11 of August 1900-2000 UT. "We will be on the air on August 10th and 11th : Radio Andorra was a legendary radio station, transmitting on mediumwave and shortwave from 1939 to 1981, from the Principality of Andorra, a small country between France and Spain. The station was officially launched on the 7th of August 1939. To celebrate the 80 years of this launch, Atlantic 2000 will transmit a special tribute programme on Saturday, August 10th, from 0800 to 0900 UT on 6070 kHz and online. From 0900 to 1100 UT, online only, we will repeat the tribute to Radio Andorra that we transmitted in 2009, for the 70th anniversary of Radio Andorra. Atlantic 2000 will be on the air again on Sunday 11th of August from 1900 to 2000 UT with music and dedications, on 6070 kHz and online. Streams will be available on our website : http://radioatlantic2000.free.fr or here: - 64 kbps http://87.117.228.65:15124/listen.pls http://atlantic2000int.listen2myshow.com/ - 24 kbps http://95.154.254.129:17473/listen.pls http://atlantic2000.radiostream321.com/ Good listening Visit our website: http://radioatlantic2000.free.fr Listen to our Podcasts and follow us: https://www.mixcloud.com/atlantic2000" (via Manuel Mendez, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** ANGUILLA. 6090, University Network; *0057:26-0101+, 7/30; Purveyor of Mysticism, Prominently Mammaried Pastor Melissa up suddenly in mid-Pontification. S10 + hum & whistle (good name for a pub in Dublin) (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. LRA-36 --- Whenever I do a random check for LRA-36 it seems I always hear them on a Thursday, which is the case today, with straight vocal music at 1648 tune in, signal quite good USB mode using the Kiwi site at Pardinho, Brazi -- 15475.99 as measured at this Kiwi location (Dan Robinson, MD, Thu Aug 1, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Sometimes fun to try the Westfjords site in W. Iceland – quite often LRA-36 comes in there at readable levels (Bruce Churchill, ibid.) Thanks, not today as Pardinho is delivering a great signal, very weak via Iceland (Dan, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. Re DXLD 19-29, additional 4KZ frequency: "Hi John, We are not changing frequency. 5055 will run as per usual [24h]. 2484 will be an additional transmitter running roughly 6 pm to 6 am (Al Kirton, Qsld., 4KZ, ibid.)." Have recently observed not running 24 hrs; July 25, noted 4KZ (5055) cutting off 1252*; July 23, noted the same; cuts off in mid-song. RE: 4KZ on 2484 (or 2485?) - Following are some of the comments made on Facebook (WRTH): "Ron Howard: Mauno - Might have a problem at my QTH for 2484 kHz reception, as on 2480 kHz. there is a local harmonic of 1240 AM (KNRY), which has an antenna tower right by the beach at Cannery Row (made famous by the John Steinbeck novel of the same name), located in Monterey, Calif., which is about 4.8km away from my listening post by the ocean. Ron" "Mauno Ritola: and it will be 2485 kHz, so a bit better for you." (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 5055, Radio 4KZ, on August 1, with unusually good propagation; randomly 1137-1251*; many pop songs; Celine Dion - "The Power Of Love, "Barbra Streisand - "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," Whitney Houston - "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," Lionel Richie - "Easy, " etc.; still a challenge to hear this low powered station, but considering it was a summertime reception, was very respectable. My audio of one song, at http://bit.ly/2Mv2Z3m Recently noted on a number of occasions that this station closes down via a timer, consistently at 1251*. BTW - Nothing heard on the future additional signal of 2484/2485 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Very good signal of Reach Beyond Australia, July 31 1115-1130 on 15575 KNX 100 kW / 310 deg to CeAs English Mon-Wed/Fri 1200-1230 on 11875 KNX 100 kW / 310 deg to SoAs English Daily https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/very-good-signal-of-reach-beyond.html Very good signal of Reach Beyond Australia in 25mb, July 31: 1245-1300 on 11945 KNX 100 kW / 310 deg to SoAs English Mon-Wed and 1315-1330 on 11750 KNX 100 kW / 310 deg to SoAs English Mon/Wed/Fri https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/very-good-signal-of-reach-beyond_1.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRIA. Radio Joystick, The Charlie-Prince Show, Moosbrunn, will be on air Sunday August 4 at 1000 UT, like all first Sundays of the month on 7330 kHz: https://radiojoystick.de/ "Since 2013 we broadcast via Media Broadcast. The transmitters are located in the small town of Moosbrunn near Vienna, broadcasting our shows on every first Sunday of each month at 12:00 h German time with 100 kW at 7330 kHz on shortwave to Western Europe." (via Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 3310. R, MOSOJ CHASKI. Julio 23. 2324-2334 UT. Hombre habla en idioma quechua y luego avisos comunitarios en el mismo idioma. SINPO: 35433 (Claudio Galaz, Receptor: TECSUN PL 660; Antena: Hilo de 50 metros de largo, Lugar de escucha: Barraza Bajo, 4° región, Chile, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA? I am hearing music, on 6134.87 AM at 1855 UT. Rather weak, SIO 111. I notice WBCQ is *not* on 6160+/- right now. Is it them? (Chris Smolinski, Black Cat Systems, Westminster, MD USA, July 30, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Hi, surely Radio Santa Cruz, I am checking now, 1915, via SDR Kiwi in Paraguay and Pardihino, near Sao Paulo, and Santa Cruz is on air on 6134.87 and Radio Aparecida on 6135.1. Best 73,s (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, ibid.) Thanks for the confirmation. I am quite surprised at propagation this time of the day, but the carrier frequency does match. It has pretty much faded out now (Chris Smolinski, Black Cat Systems, Westminster, MD USA, 1926 UT, ibid.) Rather incredible propagation, Brasil to Maryland, full day path on 6 MHz. Lower HF sporadic E multihop overcoming absorption? A closer spoiler? (gh, ibid.) ** BOTSWANA. 7270, July 29 at 0450, tonal African language, S9/+10 with deep fades, what? Aoki/NDXC shows 04-05 M-F, VOA in Shona for Zimbabwe. EiBi shows Zimbabwean languages; WRTH shows it`s the Studio 7 service which could also be in English or Ndebele. This is the only significant broadcast signal now within the traditional 41m band. Altho legal within Region 1, American hams might prefer VOA avoid it. India and China also listed on 7270 parts of this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5925, July 29 at 0454, VOA English with a correspondent in Nigeria, good S9+10/20 with deep fading, off at 0500. Scheduled 0300-0500 daily (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3325, NBC Bougainville (Maus Blong Sankamap - Voice of the Sunrise), 1055-1200*, July 26. Poor reception; pop music; 1102, local news in English (not readable); DJ in Pidgin playing pop Pacific Islands songs; mentioned "Friday night." My poor quality audio at http://bit.ly/2LKn1Ye No VOI QRM (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9665.11, July 26 at 0114, JBA carrier, and nothing on the minus side. Presume R. Voz Missionária has now slid up to the plus side. Nothing much else propagating from ZY-land on 9 or 11 MHz. 9665.09, July 27 at 0046, Brazuguese, so as I suspected from previous JBA carrier log, it is indeed Voz Missionária varied up to the plus side, after a long time well below 9665.0, and found once even below 9664.0 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 11855.749v, July 29 at 2335, S8-S9 from R. Aparecida always way off-frequency. 2337 conveniently mentions ``programa Com a Mãe Aparecida``. 9630.426v, July 30 at 0611, JBA carrier no doubt from another Apparition, while 11855+ is not audible now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. 6055.033, TOM BS old records played via Spaceline Kostinbroad Sofia site, roarer program, very bad audio quality, S=7 here in WeEUR. 0331 UT on July 26 Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. SECRETLAND, UNID, instead of R. Warra Wangeelaati via SPL Secretbrod on July 27: 1500-1530 on 15515 SCB 100 kW / 195 deg to EaAf English, instead of Afar Oromo Sat, fair. Something`s always wrong at SPL Secretbrod transmitting station, today wrong program! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/unid-instead-of-rwarra-wangeelaati-via.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. "Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2019-248 (9 July 2019) Radio Humsafar Inc., Brampton, Ontario https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2019/2019-248.htm Ethnic commercial AM radio station in Brampton – Technical changes The Commission [once again, HjB] denies an [yet another, HjB] application by Radio Humsafar Inc. to change the authorized contours of its unlaunched ethnic commercial AM radio station in Brampton, Ontario. Background In Broadcasting Decision 2015-471, following a competitive process, the Commission approved an application by Radio Humsafar Inc. (Radio Humsafar) for a broadcasting licence to operate a new ethnic commercial AM radio station to serve Brampton, Ontario. The station would operate at 1350 kHz with a daytime transmitter power of 1,000 watts and a night-time transmitter power of 45 watts, with the transmitter to be located in Brampton. Radio Humsafar stated that all of the station’s programming would be ethnic programming devoted primarily to the South Asian population in the Brampton radio market (primarily the Punjabi-, Hindi- and Urdu-speaking population), targeting a minimum of 14 distinct ethnic groups in at least 11 different languages. In the decision, the Commission set a deadline of 21 October 2017 for the station to begin operations, unless a request for an extension to that deadline was approved by the Commission. On 14 November 2016, Radio Humsafar filed an application to change the transmitter site for its unlaunched Brampton station. Noting that the site approved in Broadcasting Decision 2015-471 was no longer a viable option, the applicant indicated that it had carefully selected a new site in Brampton in close proximity to the previously approved site. It submitted that approval of the requested technical changes would not alter the station’s broadcast contours or target audience, the communities to be served, or the grounds on which the original application was approved. After determining that appropriate coverage of Brampton would be maintained and that the change in the population to be served would be small, the Commission, in a letter decision dated 7 December 2016, approved the above application and imposed a new deadline of 7 December 2018 for the launch of the station with the implemented technical changes. However, Radio Humsafar informed the Commission that the second, new transmitter site in Brampton became unavailable. As such, it was not possible for the applicant to launch the station as planned. In Broadcasting Decision 2018-385, the Commission denied a subsequent application by Radio Humsafar to change the authorized contours of the unlaunched Brampton station by relocating the transmitter to a site in Mississauga, Ontario and by changing its class from C to B. The Commission determined that the applicant had not demonstrated a compelling technical need for the proposed changes, as it neither provided explanations as to why the previous sites were no longer viable nor specified the steps it had undertaken to maintain service to Brampton. The Commission further determined that the proposed changes were not appropriate on a technical basis given that the unlaunched station’s primary (i.e., 15mV/m) service contour would shift away from Brampton, the market to be served by the station, and into Mississauga. Further, the applicant did not propose any other modifications to the unlaunched station’s technical parameters that would compensate for the loss of coverage to Brampton. As a consequence, the Commission found that approval of the application would have undermined the integrity of the licensing process in which Radio Humsafar’s original application for a broadcasting licence to operate a Brampton station was approved. Following the issuance of Broadcasting Decision 2018-385, Radio Humsafar filed an application to extend the deadline for its unlaunched Brampton radio station to commence operations. In a letter dated 1 November 2018, the Commission administratively approved that application and, pursuant to its general practice of granting a total of four years to begin operations, extended the deadline for the station to begin operations until 21 October 2019. The Commission also stated that it would be the final extension to be granted in regard to the implementation of the station. Application Radio Humsafar filed the present application to change the authorized contours of its unlaunched radio station in Brampton by relocating the transmitter to a site in Mississauga and by changing the transmitter class from C to B. All other technical parameters would remain unchanged. This is therefore the applicant’s third request for a new transmitter site for the unlaunched station. The proposed technical parameters for the unlaunched station are identical to those set out in the application that was denied in Broadcasting Decision 2018-385. Radio Humsafar submitted that the requested technical changes are necessary given that neither of the previously approved transmitter sites are now available. It indicated that it has found an existing telecommunications tower located in Mississauga, approximately seven kilometres from the site approved by the Commission in 2015, from where it could easily commence operations. The applicant submitted that approval of the new site would not result in a change to the communities to be served by the unlaunched station and, as such, would not alter the grounds on which the original application for a broadcasting licence to operate that station was approved. Radio Humsafar acknowledged that the requested technical changes would result in a decrease in the Brampton population that would be served by the unlaunched station, but argued that the potential listener base in its licensed market of Brampton is not evenly distributed and that most of the targeted South-Asian listeners are located in the southern half of Brampton, on the border with Mississauga. The applicant added that its proposed transmitter site in Mississauga would allow its unlaunched station to properly serve those listeners, and that the signal within the station’s secondary (i.e., 5 mV/m) contour would be acceptably clear for most Brampton listeners. The Commission received an intervention in opposition to Radio Humsafar’s application from Trafalgar Broadcasting Limited (Trafalgar), licensee of the ethnic commercial AM radio station CJMR Mississauga, as well as an intervention from an individual commenting on an issue that falls outside the scope of this proceeding. Radio Humsafar replied to the intervention in opposition. Commission’s analysis and decisions [...] Conclusion In light of all of the above, the Commission denies the application by Radio Humsafar Inc. to change the authorized contours of its unlaunched ethnic commercial AM radio programming undertaking in Brampton, Ontario. Reminders [...] As noted above, in light of the final extension granted by the Commission, Radio Humsafar’s unlaunched ethnic commercial AM radio station in Brampton must be operational by no later than 21 October 2019. When requesting technical changes for radio stations, the onus is on the applicant or licensee to find an appropriate technical solution and provide evidence that the proposed solution would ensure service to the market it is licensed to serve without undermining the integrity of the Commission’s licensing process. Secretary General" [This will probably mean the end of the project. Dr Hansjoerg Biener] (9 July 2019 via Dr Hansjoerg Biener 29 July 2019, DXLD) ** CANADA. 6069.979, CFRX Toronto, distorted signal of thunderstorm lightning scratches. S=6 or -83dBm here in Europe. 0336 UT. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) ** CHINA. CNR-1 Jamming vs SOH Xi Wang Zhi Sheng in 25mb on July 27: till 0900 on 11775 unknown kW / unknown to EaAs Chinese, fair/good https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/cnr-1-jamming-vs-soh-xi-wang-zhi-sheng_27.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 26-27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. CNR-1 Jamming vs SOH Xi Wang Zhi Sheng in 19/25mb, July 28 from 0835 on 15800 unknown kW / unknown to EaAs Chinese, very good from 0935 on 11970 unknown kW / unknown to EaAs Chinese, very good https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/cnr-1-jamming-vs-soh-xi-wang-zhi-sheng_28.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 14850, July 28 at 1329, CNR1 jammer very poor. Bad propagation from FE today; other JBA carriers or JBA Chinese: at 1335, 11120, 11440; at 1421, 11100, 11440; and at 1420 on 10410, but this one is a -1390 KCRC local mix with 11800, temporary CRI English mistaken relay frequency via CUBA, q.v., confirmed as overload by vanishing when I switch from Preamp2 to 1. When CRI go back to 11880, the mix will go back to 10490 where it ``belongs``. CNR1 jammer bandscan, July 29 starting at 1327 from 15 MHz downward: 14430, JBA Chinese 13160, CNR1, S6-S9 and choppy 12870, CNR1, S5-S7 12820, CNR1, S5-S7 12550, CNR1, S6-S8 11540, CNR1 mixed with other music from target 11460, CNR1, S3-S6 11440, CNR1, S5-S8 11120, CNR1, S1-S2 11100, CNR1, S1-S3 10960, JBA carrier No more WOOB found down to 9 MHz. JBA carrier on 10370 is instead local overload mix of 11760 RHC minus 1390 KCRC with audio from both (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Chinese Music Jamming against empty channel in 19mb July 29 1400-1600 on 15400*unknown kW / unknown to EaAs Music, fair to good: * 15-16UT on 15400 ISS 250 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic R.Tamazuj https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/chinese-music-jamming-against-empty.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11895even, UNIDentified endless Chinese music played radio station at 20-22 UT. Powerful S=9+20dB strength. On other time of the day NNN Nanning, XIA various Xian sites or Kashgar signals use that channel. Log of yesterday Monday July 29 11895 kHz channel puzzled me tonight: endless China folk music, much guitar music, not CNR1 program, played of a strong estimated 150 / 500 kW signal, at 2000 til exact 2200, as probably test transmission? Later the night, that channel is used for RFA Kuwait in Tibetan and Chinese at 02-07 UT. Measured few times in KiwiSDR option TDOA Direction Finding, used SDR units at Khabarovsk FE_Russia, Delhi, HongKong, Tokyo and Hanoi units. Jamming station location couldn't traced exact, too much flutter, but transmitter was in the extreme North East of China, east of known jamming stn Qiqihar, near Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang province. (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 9720, CNR at 2335 in Mandarin jamming RFA in Mandarin via Kuwait with a man and woman with excited talk – Fair to Good with fading July 30 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) July 30 circa 1330, no CNR1 WOOB jammers audible; must be very poor FE propagation. July 31 at 1338-1342 WOO bandscanning, 9.2 to 17.0 MHz finds only: 11100, JBA Chinese 11440, JBA Chinese 11460, JBA Chinese weaker carrier 14640, Chinese at S9-S6, best by far CNR1 jammer search, August 1 at 1337: 11100, JBA carrier 11150, JBA in Chinese 11440, Chinese S1-S5 11460, Chinese S6-S9 Now from 1342, all audibly in Chinese talk: 12190, S9-S7 12500, S8-S5 12550, S9-S7 12800, S5-S3 12880, S5-S7 14640, S6-S3 14900, JBA carrier --- None WOOB higher up to 16.0 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11640, CNR at 1306 in Mandarin jamming RTI in Mandarin with a telephone interview between two men – Fair with fading Aug 1 11785, CNR at 1309 // 11640 in Mandarin jamming the VOA in Mandarin via the Philippines with a telephone interview between two men – Fair Aug 1 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) UNKNOWNISTAN: 9480 China Radio Int’l; 2101...2131, 7/26; No sign of them during this hour as heard on 7/23; maybe an error on the People’s Republic part (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL (CRI) (Gov) Chinese* 0400-0430 daily EAs 15320bji (add) 0400-0600 daily EAs 11640bei (add) 0900-1000 daily EAs 15465bji (add) 1000-1030 daily EAs 9735bji, 15270uru(add) 1000-1230 daily EAs 6105qiq (add) 1000-1300 daily EAs 7300bji (add) 1000-1400 daily EAs 11640kas (add) 1000-1600 daily EAs 6180fuz, 9660fuz(add) 1100-1400 daily EAs 9680kun (add) 1200-1230 daily EAs 9735qiq (add) 1300-1400 daily EAs 6105qiq (add) 1400-1700 daily EAs 6075bei, 6145xia(add) 1500-1700 daily EAs 7300bji (add) 1500-1530 daily EAs 11605qiq (add) 2200-2400 daily EAs 6075xia, 6105qiq, 9900dof (add)Key: * Relays of CNR 1, used to jam RTI Chinese & Cantonese (WRTH Update July 31 via DXLD) ** CONGO. 6115, Radio Congo, recent start up times (already in progress): July 19, started *0526: July 21, at *0536; July 23, at *0531 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 6115, Radio Congo, *0530-0537, 28-07, French, comments. Very weak. 14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. 6165, bad mixture of two equal level broadcasts into weEUR at 0346 UT RHC Bauta 6165 and TRT Emirler English on 6165.005 kHz S=8-9 here in England, Holland and Germany. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) 11870 & 11890, July 27 at 1428, CRI English relay on 11880 is now flanked by much weaker spurs of S5-S7 vs S9+20/30 on 11880. First time I have ever noted this, but means by now this has to be the same transmitter airing RHC Spanish in the tardes centered on 11850 with plus/minus 10 kHz spurs on 11840 and 11860, the latter obscured by jamming at least until RM close (and in previous seasons all 10 kHz lower, 11830-11840-11850). Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15140, July 27 at 1616, RHC Spanish somewhat distorted with hum; 11760 somewhat distorted and no hum. Something`s always wrong at RHC. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11800, July 28 at 1403, CRI English relay is here instead of 11880!! Punch-up error, no doubt. Good modulation for a change, and S9+20. But this frequency is *not* flanked by plus/minus 10 kHz spurs like 11880 was; different transmitter, also accounting for the error by an unfamiliar sloppyrator at a different site? 1405 starts `Roundtable`. Fortunately, HFCC shows nothing at all supposed to be on 11800 at 1400-1600; nor anything in the Western Hemisphere on 11795 or 11805, only some brief Asians on the adjacents (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Fair signal of Radio Habana Cuba in 25mb via Quivican Jul 29 0500-0503 on 11850 QVC 250 kW / 170 deg to SoAm English - unscheduled https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/fair-signal-of-radio-habana-cuba-in.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 0503 when they turned it off* just a wee bit late, or tune-OUt? (gh) 11880, July 29 at 1419, CRI Plus relay in English back on proper frequency after stray to 11800 yesterday; now it`s just barely modulated, e.g. compared to RHC itself on 11760. Mod level jumps up at 1431 for canned boilerplate about Roundtable; I would not have blamed the studio for mod problems. No plus/minus 10 kHz spurs from 11880 audible now. Something`s always wrong at RadioCuba (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15140, July 30 at 1335, RHC is open carrier/dead air while 15230 is OK nominal. Same situation at 1432 recheck. Something`s always wrong at RHC. 15370, July 30 at 2003, S9-S3, RHC Portuguese is Just Barely Modulated, with hum, while 15140 is S6-S5, JBM seems French. Something`s always wrong at RHC. 6000, Aug 1 at 0434, RHC English is S9+20 but JBM, suptorted. Wiggle that patchcord! Only // at this early hour, 6165 is JBM but not distorted. Something`s always wrong at RHC (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. USA. 5980. TV MARTI. Julio 26. 2345-2359 UT. Avisos de TV Martí vía Free to air, de aplicaciones de celular y de navegación por internet. Luego se regresa a una novela. 43433 con desvanecimiento permanente e interferencia leve de R, Chaski (Claudio Galaz, Receptor: TECSUN PL 660; Antena: Hilo de 50 metros de largo, Lugar de escucha: Barraza Bajo, 4° región, Chile, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** CZECHIA. CZECH REPUBLIC, CS MW mo-fr: CRO Plus, 1071 kHz, 33333 2034-2039 UT, 2305-2310 UT. News in English offers a concise English language overview of events in the Czech republic in the areas of politics, the economy and culture (Paul Gager, Austria, via BrDXC-UK ng July 22 via BC-DX 28 July via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) no such report received here on the bdxc-news iog (gh) ** DENMARK. 5839.992, WMR full ID heard at 0323 UT, S=9 signal all over western Europe on high summer prop condition tonight, 8 kHz wide signal nice Portug-Brasilian music program heard. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) World Music Radio (WMR) is broadcasting with 100 W only - not 8 kW - on 5840 kHz from Randers, Denmark - 24 hours 7 days a week - using an inverted V aerial. It was way back in 2004-05 that WMR was broadcasting with 7 kW (from Karup, Denmark) Please :-) I've adjusted the frequency 8 Hz up, so it should be back on 5840.000 kHz. I hope. And remember also - WMR - Saturday and Sundays on 15805 kHz (200 W) at 07-20 UTC - currently with a new 3 element yagi aerial beamed towards Northern Scandinavia, Japan and Western North America. Best 73s (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, www.wmr.radio HCDX via DXLD) 15805even kHz exact aligned pop music station - like WMR Randers pop music heard at 1250 UT on July 28, audio mostly on lower sideband modulated, 2.4 kHz - but on USB only 500 Hertz portion. S=6-7 or -90dBm strength. Heard on Mauno's SDR in eastern Finland. 73 wolfie df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, WOR iog via DXLD) I get it now on 5839.993 kHz. 73, (Mauno, 1328 July 28, ibid.) 5840, World Music Radio, Randers, 0515-0545, 28-07, pop songs in English, Latin American songs, id. “WMR”. 15321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [non]. R Akhbar Mufriha only 15 mins via Woofferton Jul 27 2100-2115 7300 WOF 250 kW / 170 deg NoAf Tachelhit, good signal BUT: 2115-2145 7300 WOF 250 kW / 170 deg NoAf Arabic & dialect cancelled 2145-2215 9530 ASC 250 kw / 027 deg WeAf Hassinya Thu-Tue is canceled https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/radio-akhbar-mufriha-only-15-mins-via.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 5005, Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, Bata, *0505-0536, 25-07, Afropop songs, at 0530 Spanish, political speech. No program “Panorama Nacional” today. 15321. Also *0518-0535, 29-07, songs, Spanish, comments. Very weak. 15311 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** ERITREA [non]. Reception of Voice of Eritrean Lowlands via MBR Issoudun, July 27: 1700-1702 15390 100 kW / 123 deg Arabic Sat ONLY, very good 1702-1730 15390 100 kW / 123 deg ONLY open carrier/dead air today! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/reception-of-voice-of-eritrean-lowlands_27.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) July 29 again no signal of Voice of Eritrean Lowlands via Issoudun: 1700-1730 15390 ISS 100 kW / 123 deg EaAf Arabic Mon prob. cancelled (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. 5950, V. of Tigray Revolution, Addis Abeba, in listed Tigrinya, 07.25.2019 1925-1935, woman/man talk till 1929, some brief local music breaks, typical local chant with instrumental music; better in ssb, ceaseless fast deep qsb, moderate qrn rustle with crackles at times, qrm lite AC noise in background, fair 5950, 07.10.2019 1950-1959, two typical Horn of Africa humdrum chants with instrumental music only; heard better in ssb, shallow fast qsb, strong qrn, fair; from 1959:44" totally overwhelmed by very strong co-channel KBS W R. via France with its French program 5950, in local Lang 07.13.2019 1930-1941, local chant with instrumental music, man talk, woman and other men talking; ceaseless fast qsb, moderate qrn in increasing, good (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EUROPE. HOLLAND [sic], 7700.2, FRS Holland on air, *1653, 28-07, pop song, tuning music. 35433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Log in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) FRS Holland signed on at 1700 with a good signal here on 5810 kHz, only just a trace on 7700 here at the moment. 73s (Dave Kenny, Cavesham Berks, AOR7030+ 25m long wire, ibid.?) HOLLAND, FRS Holland also on air on 5809.9 with worse signal than on 7700.2. Signal now here in Reinante, on 7700.2 very good, 45444 and on 5809.9, 15321 (Méndez, 1719 UT, ibid.) 5810 kHz, 2100-2130 UT, 55545 here in central UK. At the same time 7700 JBA. 1970's pop music, Dutch + English presenter (Nick B., Nottingham, UK. Tecsun PL-880, 15m wire antenna. July 29 _Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) HOLLAND, 5809.8, FRS Holland, 1710-2015, 28-07, English, ID “FRS Holland”, comments, pop songs, at 1830 German, Jan van Dijk program, at 1915 FRS Holland Magazine, Peter Verbruggen, English, at 2000 Mike Taylor program. At first 15321, but later 25322. 7700.2, FRS Holland, *1653-2015, 28-07, open with pop song, tuning music, ID English, comments, songs, 1830, Jan van Dijk, FRS Holland, pop songs and German comments, at 1915 FRS Holland Magazine, with Peter Verbruggen, pop songs and comments in English, ID “FRS Holland...”, at 2000 Mike Taylor program, English comments and pop songs. 45444 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) NETHERLANDS, Reception of FRSH on July 28 1652-2100 on 5809.8 unknown kW / unknown to WeEu English/Dutch, weak 1652-2100 on 7700.2 unknown kW / unknown to WeEu English/Dutch, fair https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/reception-of-free-radio-service-holland.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) FRS Holland Email: Last Sunday's FRS broadcast suffered from instable propagation conditions. Some might have enjoyed good reception whereas others' reception was poor. It is commonly known that SW conditions have been poor. Not only during daytime but also sometimes during evening. Last Sunday we were received in Cyprus and Mexico (not via SDR) while reception in areas where 7700 is almost always satisfactory, was poor. Apart from the final 60 min. when the first show (Bert van Leer) was repeated; that was between 23:00-23:50 CEST. During that time 7700 was very strong and also 5810 did well. There might be a repeat next Sunday August 4th or August 11th. At this moment things are uncertain. But it's worthwhile to tune in and give it a try! Same time schedule and same freqs being 7700//5810 kHz. Details are still to be read on our site: http://www.frsholland.nl/20-latest-news/132-frs-on-air-sunday-evening-july-28th.html Remember there are streams planned for next Thursday, Saturday & Sunday (twice!). FRS' 39th anniversary will be celebrated on Sunday Sept. 1st. Details will follow in the course of August. 73s, Peter V. on behalf of the FRS team (via Patrick Travers, Sheffield, July 31, bdxc-news iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** EUROPE. PIRATE RADIO IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET bssdrp.com By Manvir Aulakh July 21, 2019 https://bssdrp.com/pirate-radio-in-the-age-of-the-internet/ Originally derived from the offshore setups that bootlegged transmissions from rigs and boats throughout the seas, Pirate radio spread unlicensed broadcasts directly to listeners back on land. Famously, stations like Radio Caroline and Radio London – the latter of which gave the infamous John Peel his radio break – sprung up throughout the 1960s. Although many of the Pirate originators reconstitute the image of Bohemian flower children rebelling against the systematic repression of culture by governments disinterested in peace, free love, and music, they paved way for the future urban movements of the late-80s and 90s. These successive rejuvenations of Pirate radio underpinned the British rave scene. As Rock and Psychedelia had done in the 60s, the foundations of Drum and Bass took hold within sentiments of social disillusionment on behalf of an increasingly disenfranchised youth. Pirate radio steadied the ship. It offered young people the ability to dictate their terms. There would be no censorship, no curfew. Just a channel through which they could forge their future; the ability to express their passion. In-turn, Pirate radio popularised many underground genres during the end of the 20th century. In an age before streaming platforms, it represented the core of many dance movements. At first, traditional mainstream stations largely avoided the underground sound in favour of Britpop and Alt-Rock. Yet Pirate radio nurtured genres like jungle and garage towards their commercial success. Dedicated stations popped up throughout the country but were mainly concentrated across London – their aerials broadcasting from the tops of tower blocks to reach far and wide, fixtures of the concrete jungle. Pirate networks also propelled the nightlife. For instance, Kool FM was instrumental in promoting ‘Jungle Fever’ during the early-90s. These stations provided DJs with a place to hone their skills, with the aforementioned Kool hosting Brockie, Ron, and Bryan Gee. Other notable starts include Randall and Kenny Ken on Centreforce and Ed Rush on Don FM. Alongside record stores, Pirate radio quickly became deeply ingrained with the identity of Drum and Bass and underground music. As Pirate stations grew into fixtures of community culture, they faced a more demanding paradox. Most were still operating illegally, criticised for their bandwidth interference, and thus faced being shut down by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Radio Authority and its successor, Ofcom. As such, some stations left their Pirate roots behind and applied for broadcast licences. Kiss FM became the first legal radio station dedicated to dance music when it relaunched in 1990. The regulatory authorities later introduced a scheme to help support local stations with a specific audience and a perceived positive-social impact through the ‘Community Radio’ program. One of the most prominent is London’s Rinse FM, instrumental in the development of Dubstep and Grime through its own label, which gained a license in 2010. There has, in the recent past, been talk of a “digital switchover” of radio in the UK. This is similar to the process which phased out analogue television in Britain between 2007 and 2012. According to RAJAR – the agency responsible for measuring radio audiences – only 44% of British radio listeners still use analogue in 2019. It only took a year for this figure to fall from 50%. Additionally, the analogue system is restricted by frequency, whilst digital radio minimises the bit rate of transmissions to allow more stations to be broadcast. Consequently, the proposal to digitalise radio has experienced a boost in support. Although nothing has yet been cemented, the digitalisation of radio is inevitable as the UK modernises. The FM pirate broadcasts will soon be no more. But hope is not lost. Ironically, part of the process that kills off analogue radio is promising to be the saviour of its stations. Many have made the transition to concurrently broadcast online. In 2006 Rinse began broadcasting online, and Kool FM relaunched online as Kool London in 2010. A paper published back in 2009 suggested that although online radio stations had been around since the mid-1990s, they lacked any real listener base. This was plausibly based upon a lack of familiarity with the medium and a low affinity with radio listening. However, as generations have grown up with the internet, our online presence and competence has increased. Alongside this transfer to the internet, a new wave of stations firmly rooted in their online presence have magnetised followers. Stations like Balamii, Reprezent, and NTS have established incredible reputations for themselves. Through these, it appears the essence of Pirate radio is still very much alive. The DIY attitude that drove Pirate reflects how the spirit of music in the UK is still deeply rooted in the underground, even if the music itself is becoming more popular. Balamii recently started their own booking agency, whilst Reprezent has worked closely with Lovebox to broadcast the festival and establish a free training initiative to develop talent in the local community. Using the internet means that stations are no longer restricted by location. They can transmit to a global audience. Archived programming means their content creators can build catalogues of work uploaded to sites like Soundcloud and Mixcloud. The integration of social media into this model has boosted popularity, and the option to broadcast to sites likes Facebook maintains interaction between creators and their audience. Although the dial may soon be dead, pirate radio won’t be. Perhaps no longer pirate in nature, the self-reliant mentality that has proven to support the medium time and time again has driven it to develop into the age of the Internet. The homespun ethic is still fuelling young creatives to this day. The future is more than bright for radio in the UK. Internet broadcasting has re-affirmed that music is for the people. The ability to dictate your own broadcasts and show love to what you’re passionate about keeps scenes alive and fruitful. It allows artists to gain exposure and develop their sound and empowers them to forge careers for themselves (via Mike Terry, August 1, WOR iog via DXLD) We here in Hungary completely left out of this pirate radio movement and here we hardly understand the fanfare and buzz around them - including myself. Despite in the late 1980s and early 1990s there were a pirate radiostation called Tilos Rádió which broadcasted pirately in order to force media pluralism (at that time the state had a quasi monopoly in broadcasting) but this Tilos Rádió never reached a very wide audience: it was an FM station in Budapest and it hadn't extended its coverage to the countryside. It reached its goal but not alone: the public also wanted media pluralism during the transformative years of the 1990s as the socialist regime fell. But the public wanted alot of political/economical/social changes too, so, this media pluralism and a transparent mechanism for licensing radiostations fell into this general picture and it is not the merit of Tilos Rádió itself. The precondition of participating in the first frequency distribution was to make a media law and establish a body awarding the frequencies and another interesting condition was set: those radio couldn't participate whose broadcasts illegally during the frequency awarding procedure. It means that Tilos Rádió had to finish its illegal broadcasts to get a chance to participate in the frequency awarding procedure. Tilos accepted it - it had no other choice - and won a frequency. Since then Tilos Rádió have its own frequency in the category of Community Radio issued by the media authority and the Tilos have to renew it from time to time like everyone else. I admit that since we had no pirate radio culture but we had Radio Free Europe (it was a licensed and registered broadcasting station but it was forbidden to listen in the socialist bloc) everyone listened to it, even the official press organs and people's mind were configured to this double-heartedness: there were an official view - in which not so many people believed by the end of the socialism (they lost their illusions in the socialist system during its existence) - and the private world at home (for example, in the apartment/house or in the weekend house or in your car) where you listened to Radio Free Europe's Hungarian Service which also had a programme for youngsters full with music, pop/rock-culture news from the western world. But this youngster's programme was presented by one person throughout its existence, so, not too much people were on the stage to be idolised as the famous, DR MASTER, underground/pirate DJ. Yes, we had famous DJs but they worked officially either in the state-owned radio while operating in nightlife legally, or worked completely in the state-controlled pop-music industry with a DJ license. This license was not a stupid idea since these DJs had to learn how to talk nicely, grammatically properly, how to make a radio programme, how to make an enjoyable party/disco event, etc. etc. The DJ exam was also not a petty issue, but it was an entrance to this world at that time when westerners had to rely on illegal DJs on illegal radios. So, as you see the former eastern-European communist/socialist regimes were operated not as simply as western authors described them. They were more complex than most people think. Personally I also listened to Radio Free Europe's Hungarian service but not the youngster's programme: I loved news segments - including gossipy news about politics - better than the music programmes. On the shortwaves the choice was bigger since the BBC and VOA also broadcasted interesting programmes too. For music, Radio Luxemburg served teenagers in West Hungary too. But the majority of the Hungarian population enjojed Radio Free Europe the most. Radio Moscow also broadcasted its own music programme for younger generations in Hungarian - i also enjoyed that too -, but it was not extremely popular among the general public, but it had its own fidel audience. By the time of 1989 you could listen almost everything in the mainstream Hungarian media like Roxette (Swedish pop-mild rock band), Kilie Minogue, Bony Am, Modern Talking (German group with its front-man Thomas Anders, managed by Dieter Bolen), or even Madonna (Material Girl, Like a Prayer), not to mention the famous Italians (Albano and Romina Power duo) and other Italian dolce vita (also known as Remo Festival-type songs) or Mike Oldfield. Of course anti-communists were not available (there were a disco synthesizer song about the 1986 Chernobil disaster as a good example of this). But in the underground you could get them if you really-really wanted, there were illegal cassette copiers copying those songs for a fee by the late-1980s but officially the radio/television hadn't played the anti-communists. By 1988-1989 I could obtain my favourite, a Kilie Minogue album (she is Australian and she was/is without a scandallous life) on LP completely legally in the bookshop of Szentgotthárd, a small town near Austria for 350 HUF which was not small money at that time, but it was cheaper than the anticommunists which weren't available in the official shop. In this landscape music-playing pirate radio stations were not really needed. Political talk was the authority of VOA, BBC, Radio Free Europe which had Hungarian programmes. Internally nobody was very brave to establish an anti-communist radio station inside the country but people were also not available to listen to them since the above-mentioned ones served the needs of the general public. Everyone found what he/she wanted throughout using the radio knob in the late-1980s. Before this period it was harder and the punishments were also harsher but the music scene became vivid since the 1960s, the Beatles-age left its footprint and the socialist party (officially Hungarian People's Workers Party) decided that it is better to manage it than banning it. Their slogen was: if you cannot prevent something, you shall step onto the front and lead it! It means that if you stand into the front, you can influence the directions and you can keep things under control for a longer-time than banning everything. It is not incidental why Cuba, North Korea and China haven't followed this path, they were afraid of the demise of communism. I hope now you see why this pirate music radio movement had no chance here in Hungary. By the 1990s schoolboys established private pirate stations but they were negligible and they had no other purpose than to have fun and to try out their newly-built transmitters. The media authority punished them but not very-very harshly since these guys were(are) not very dangerous. Of course their transmitters were expropriated as a punishment which was a better punishment than something else since these transmitters were built by these schoolboys with their own hands. Today - as internet broadcasting is free - you don't need to be pirate at all but the audience is more questionable than ever. As I said years ago, my friends/acquaintances (middle-class, well-paid people) aren't listening to internet radio at all, maximum 1-2 on-demand programmes. They rather see a movie. The general public is similar: a good porn movie is a better magnet than an internet radio show; it doesn't matter who is the DJ. And here I don't want to mention the geoblocking feature with which you can shoot into yourself if you introduce it because it will reduce the potential audience to a minuscule level (Tibor Gaal, Budapest, Hungary, Aug 1, WOR iog via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Scandinavian Weekend Radio, Virrat, on air this weekend from Friday August 2, 2100 UT to Saturday August 3 2100 UT, on 11720, 11690, 6170 and 5980 kHz. Detailed schedule: http://www.swradio.net/schedule.htm (via Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, WOR iog via DXLD) saltgrain Scandinavian Weekend Radio Edition#229 on August 2-3: From 2100 UT Fri to 2100 UT Sat. Live broadcast: 0700-2100 UT Sat. In September-break & next Edition #230 will be on air on Oct. 4/5 https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/scandinavian-weekend-radio-edition229.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non] RADIO FOR PEACE INTERNATIONAL (RFPI) (New Entry) W: www.rfpi.eu; www.facebook.com/radioforpeaceinternational E: contact@rfpi.eu Summer Schedule 2019 French 0000-0100 .....s. NAm 9395rmi 0200-0300 ....f.. NAm 5130bcq* 1400-1500 ...t... WAf 21525rmi** 2000-2100 ....f.. Eu 6070rob 2000-2100 ....f.. NAf 15770rmi Ann: English: “You are listening to Radio For Peace International.“; French: “Vous écoutez la radio pour la paix internationale”. Key: * One Friday per month (varies acc to available airtime); ** 3rd Thursday of month. Schedule may be subject to change and end times variable. Notes: Although sharing the same name, this is a new station that is not connected to the old RFPI based in Costa Rica. Prgrs are rebroadcasts of their weekly podcast (WRTH Update July 31 via DXLD) ** GUAM. KTWR DRM Tests --- Further details here at KTWR Blog: http://ktwrdrm.blogspot.com/2019/07/we-are-still-around.html Reception reports to: ktwrdrm@twr.org Please upload your data log files here: https://script.google.com/macros/s/AKfycbzszpcPL7A14j31urGkS3OKzKMUxedMYCPAkBNroIYyX9r17cs/exec ---- (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, Aug 1, dx_sasia yg via DXLD) ** GUINEA/MALI/OMAN. No signal of R.Guinée/R.Mali/RSO in 31mb July 25 0600-2400 9650 CON 050 kW / non-dir to WeAf French R.Guinée Conakry 0800-1800 9635 BKO 050 kW / non-dir to WeAf French ORTM Radio Mali. In addition, no signal of R. Sultanate of Oman - from several weeks. 1400-2200+ 9620 THU 100 kW / 315 deg to WeEu En/Ar RSO, AIR in here! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/no-signal-of-radio-guineeradio-malirso.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Guinée was back on air in 31mb on July 27: from 0710 on 9650 CON 050 kW / non-dir to WeAf French, fair https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/radio-guinee-was-back-on-air-in-31mb-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 26-27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9650, Radio Guinea, Conakry, 0658-0750, 28-07, French, comments, ID “Radio Guinée, la radio de toutes les générations”, African songs, ID “Radio Guinée emettant de Conakry”, “Radio Guinée, le plus grand du monde”, at 0730 religious catholic program “Le Jour du Seigneur”. 34433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. Pirate Radio: see EUROPE ** INDIA. Highlights from 2018-19 Annual Report of Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India: https://mib.gov.in/sites/default/files/Annual%20Report%202018-19.pdf All India Radio (External Services): In the current year, it is proposed to hire FM, medium wave and short wave transmitters in different critically important regions/countries through an international consortium which would further augment the reception and reach of External Service Division programmes. (Page 130-131) AIR has also initiated steps to launch a special service in Dzongkha language for Bhutan which has been approved by the Ministry of External affairs in principle (Page 131) For Community Radio info: Page 101 (There are 247 stations on air) For All India Radio info: Page 156 (As on 1 Dec 2018 there are 472 stations) For Doordarshan TV info: Page 163 The number of Terrestrial TV Transmitters comes down from 1420 to 654! Yours sincerely, (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, India, July 25, dx-india yg via DXLD) ** INDIA [non-log]. 4970, AIR Shillong, random checking July 26 during my morning (1200+), still no trace of this station, which has been silent for a long time now (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 9865, AIR Vividh Bharati ID at 1630 UT July 27, then into songs by Madam Mohan & Brian. Transmitter cutting on/off until 1643. Very Good 73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx: Perseus SDR, Ant: ALA 100 loop, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 4810, AIR, 1252 AIO [?] with S6. 4905 & 4920 waterfall shows same audio pattern. Both are heard to have co-channel QRM with some tremble (Bandung Kspot via Zacharias Liangas, Greece, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tibet vs India (gh) 7380, July 31 at 0055, 1 kHz tone at S9/+10 but only poor vs HNL. Aoki/NDXC shows it must be AIR prior to 01-02 Sindhi hour via Bengaluru. HFCC shows odd power of 400 kW at 300 degrees starting at 0045 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 60 m spectrogram in Jakarta kiwi spot https://zliangaslogs.blogspot.com/2019/07/60-m-in-jakarta-on-1030.html Short 60 m spectrogram for Jakarta on 1030+ today 23 with stations: 4750 Bandung, VoI with pop song and then talks in English, S9 at 1040 with lessons of In'sian lang. Nothing found on 3325. It seems that VoI is now fully replacing the previous of 3325 that is still noticed in their announcements. There are also several digital signals that are shown in the right part of the photo (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, WOR Iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 4750 site Bandung, you think? Hi Zacharias, Thanks for the very interesting remote Jakarta logs of July 23 ("23.7") Excellent on your VOI reception on 4750. Seems it can only be heard locally around Indonesia, so must be rather low power. I daily look for it, but frequency is covered by CNR1 and at times by Bangladesh Betar (still with their External Service), so I have never heard VOI there. On July 23, I noted on 3325, that NBC Bougainville went off the air at 1205*, leaving the usual carrier of the Voice of Indonesia, via RRI Palangkaraya, in the clear (yet another day with no audio at all that I could detect). BTW - Not long ago, I noted that VOI didn't start broadcasting till about 1100, during the time when Bougainville was off the air for quite a while. On July 26, found a rare day with some faint VOI audio; 1313-1317, with "Today in History," with musical bridges between items, but could only make out very little of the 1300-1400 English segment. So 4750, is just an additional VOI frequency (Ron Howard, California, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, ibid.) Thank you. I have made a test 2-3 months ago about 3325 and 4750. The signal can be heard in Indonesia and partially in SW Australia as checked with various KSDRs (=Kiwi SDR spots) in both countries. Bangladesh or China is heard in the KSDRs in the remain SEA region. It is a report that has been not posted or published so far. VOI and RTM S'wak are my fav stations in case you don`t know (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, July 28, WOR iog via DXLD) 3325, just carrier at S5 not VoI? aT 1817 with a carrier S9 while noise is S7. 4750, buzying carrier S9 unknown if is VoI, Also at 1816 (Bandung Kspot via Zacharias Liangas, Greece, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3325, Voice of Indonesia, via RRI Palangkaraya, 1204, August 1. An uncommon day here with actual audio heard in Japanese after NBC Bougainville cut off at 1204*; normally VOI only heard with a carrier here (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITES --- Television 111.1°W, Anik F2, one Transponder with FTA stuff, all the others are encrypted (although reportedly there are three NTSC channels still active on this bird (I will need to do further research on how to receive those -– probably need another receiver. NOT likely to happen for three “VSEN” channels that were last reported in 2003! 4.102-V/4143 Msps (formerly 4.104-H I don’t THINK I misread that. I will have to check again!) with 3 streams: Svc ID 001 CityTV w/kids programming Svc ID 002 “SUN” with bars & tone Hasn’t SUN TV gone broke/shut down long ago? This was the Saskatchewan Legislative Network at one point, so...? Svc ID 003 “Access” w/SaskTel ID in lower right of a black screen & “EZ” instrumental music. 64% & steady, QPSK-s2/H.264 480i 1730 21/Jul 113°W, Eutelsat, 113 West A, (My box insists on calling it “Satmex-6” for some reason). MANY MANY MANY Spanish channels including Azteca 1 & some really neat ‘special’ channels like one that was all music & occasional news programming with neat classical concerts & oldies videos from TV in the 50s & 60s. The Mexicans do music well! The following were in English: 3.713-V/5000, Msps, Bloomberg TV (The lists say it is in Spanish and “El Financiero Bloomberg” but it was in English this weekend!) with financial talk. 60% & steady, 8PSK/H.264 1805 21/Jul 4.040-V/30000 Msps, MANY feeds all in Engllish and in 8PSK/H.264 Svc ID 001 Retro TV East Svc ID 002 Action East Svc ID 003 Family Channel East Svc ID 004 Retro TV West Svc ID 005 Heartland East Svc ID 008 Action West Svc ID 009 Cutlery Corner Network (yes, a whole Shopping Channel for knives. Amazing!) Svc ID 010 Family Channel West Svc ID 014 Heartland West Svc ID 024 WPXS (Mt Vernon) Svc ID 025 Rev’n TV Svc ID 101 ‘Tempo’ (Bible bumping) 61% and steady, 1809 21/Jul 127°W, Galaxy 13/Horizons 1, with a couple of transponders in the clear, but I have the feeling one was a ‘temporary’ thing. 3.705-V/5923 Msps, Adtec 2 (MLB Network Feed between games) but on recheck the next day, this was not seen at all. 62% & steady, 8PSK/H.264 720p 3.920-V/28060 Msps, NASA TV with two feeds: at the moment both carrying the same programming: “Apollo Stories” with contemporary interviews & talk about the events 50 years ago including an interview with the Command module pilot for Apollo 11 Michael Collins (who is looking OLD!) & the Apollo 17 scientist Dr Harrison Schmitt. PR 101 QPSK/MPEG2 PR 103 QPSK/H.264 NASATV.png [illustration] No sign of the reported “UHD” channel PR104. 64% & steady. Both were 720p 1805-1830 21/Jul, recheck at 1500-1600 22/Jul when they had a panel discussion on both channels from after the astronauts returned (Ken Zichi, Port Hope MI2, SDRplay + SDRuno + FLDigi + rwire, MARE Tipsheet July 25 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. REMINDER Special amateur station - PA45RNI from 01-08-2019 to 31-08-2019 Remember the closing down off The Offshore Radio Station Radio Northsea International http://www.radio-northsea.org https://www.qrz.com/db/pa45rni (via Mike Terry, July 30, bdxc-news iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) This one presumably land-based (gh) ** IRAN 7230. IRIB. Julio 23. 0000-0020 UT. Noticias de Hispan TV. SINPO: 44444 con leve interferencia de emisoras chinas. 7230. IRIB. Julio 25. 0003-0120 UT. Noticias de Hispan TV. A las 0033 programa acerca del Islam y desde las 0037 se emite un especial acerca del 40° aniversario del Sandinismo en Nicaragua. 44444 con leve interferencia de emisoras chinas, desde las 0034 con SINPO: 55433 con desvanecimiento permanente. 11870. IRIB. Julio 26. 2050-2120 UT. Segmento “Conversando con nuestros oyentes” con lectura de mensajes, informes de recepción y entrevista a un auditor mexicano. 2114, se emite un programa acerca del concepto de hermosura presente en el Sagrado Corán y desde las 2117, se emite la despedida del servicio en español. 11870. IRIB. Julio 25. 2050-2120 UT. Programa acerca de la situación de los inmigrantes y sus derechos humanos en Estados Unidos. Desde las 2103 se emite un segmento acerca de la situación en Siria, Libano e Irán. A las 2112, se lee un artículo al respecto de los comportamientos de Estados Unidos con respecto a la Revolución Islámica de Irán. 45444 (Claudio Galaz, Receptor: TECSUN PL 660; Antena: Hilo de 50 metros de largo, Lugar de escucha: Barraza Bajo, 4° región, Chile, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) 9899.997 odd fq of VoIRI via Zahedan site, 14 kHz audio broadband, 0230-0530 UT Arabic, S=9+30dB signal in UAE. Some logs of remote SDR in Doha Qatar in ME [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. U.K.(non) [sic] Additional broadcast of R. Ranginkaman/Rainbow or other new via Grigoriopol 1630-1700 7535 KCH 500 kW / 116 deg Farsi from Aug.1, not July 27! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/additional-broadcast-of-rranginkaman.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. Radio Nikkei Address in Japan. Bureau: Toranomon Kotohira tower 16-17F, 1-2-8 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8565, Japan Long pattern transmission station (Chiba Prefecture) 297-0231 Chosei Town, Chosei-gun, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Nemuro Transmission Station (Hokkaido) Higashiwada, Nemuro City, Hokkaido 087-0034, Japan. (Roger Thauer-D, A-DX ng July 20 via BC-DX 28 July via DXLD) ** KIRITIMATI. 846, August 1 at 0532, JBA carrier vs storm noise level, presumed R. Kiribati, 10 kW, rather than anything from Europe this late where there are only *3* stations on 846 ranging from 0.3 to 1 to 3 kW, in Ireland, Denmark, and Italy. Just when is sunset at London=Ronton, the main town on Xmas Island? I normally consult gaisma.com, but it`s wrong! Based on wrong longitude for this place: ``London, Kiribati - Basic information Latitude: +1.99 (1°59'24"N) Longitude: +157.78 (157°46'48"E)`` claiming Aug 1 SS at 19:41 local - 12h = 0741 UT It`s at 157+ WEST, NOT EAST!!! Off by some 46 degrees, which makes all the other info about it wrong. Kiribati is a very ``large`` country, widely separated island groups. Kiritimati is the most easterly, in fact in the western hemisphere, where it should be east of the Dateline, but to keep the country in the same day, DL has been pushed eastward. Total population only about 100 K. Yet Kiribati encompasses three timezones, UT +12, 13 and 14, which only a few other countries in the world can match or exceed (not including the largest, India and China). Wikipedia and Geohack present the correct coordinates: 1° 59′ 0″ N, 157° 28′ 30″ W Now I go to https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/kiribati/kiritimati where the timezone is shown as UT +14 and the current sunset time at: https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/kiribati/kiritimati is 18:41 local - 14h = 0441 UT Now that makes a lot more sense for 846 kHz being positioned for nighttime propagation, even an hour earlier than I was hearing it: not, until two hours later (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Voice of Korea on unscheduled 11865, instead of 12015 kHz on July 27 1900-1957 on 11865 KUJ 200 kW / 325 deg to WeEu German, instead of A19 scheduled 12015 2000-2050 on 11865 KUJ 200 kW / 325 deg to WeEu Korean, instead of A19 scheduled 12015 https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/voice-of-korea-on-11865-khz-instead-of.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. VOICE OF FREEDOM (Rlg) (New Entry) Korean 1400-1430 daily KRE 11510tac 2100-2130 daily KRE 7550tac Ann: Korean: “Ulineun bughan-ui immuleul bangsong hal geos-igo, "jayuui soli, "gonghwagug sudo in seoul chulsin hangug”. Notes: Produced by “North Korean Christian Missionary Broadcasting”. This is a new, religious, target broadcaster and should not be confused with the existing “Voice of Freedom” entry under Korea, North, in the C&OTB section of WRTH [+below] (WRTH Update July 31 via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) tac = via UZBEKISTAN where as in UIT/HFCC, Tashkent must be spelt and abbr`d as if it were French! And one is hardly ``free`` if under mind- control of a church (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. PALAU, Reception of Nippon no Kaze via WHR T8WH Angel 5, July 25: 1300-1330 9965 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg NEAs Korean, weak/fair signal https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/reception-of-nippon-no-kaze-via-whri.html Reception of Furusato no Kaze via WHRI T8WH Angel 5, July 25: 1330-1400 9965 HBN 100 kW / 345 deg NEAs Japanese, fair/good signal https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/reception-of-furusato-no-kaze-via-whri.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. Hi all, unless I've somehow missed an earlier Ron Howard report, it seems that Sea Breeze, a.k.a. Shiokaze, has moved to 6040 (ex-6070). Hearing them well on fading band here in Arizona and over rapid beep jammer from DPRK. I've been juggling a lot lately, sorry if this turns out to be old news. 73 and Good Listening....! (Rick Barton, central Arizona, 1338 UT July 28, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Shiokaze, back to former alternate frequencies; 5920 (ex: 5935) // 6040 (ex: 6070); on July 17, from tune in at 1301+; yet another terrible choice of frequencies; 5920, heard underneath a stronger Voice of Freedom, along with N. Korea jamming of VOF and on 6040, heard with some QRM from the N. Korea jamming coming from 6045, against National Unity Radio; at 1325, the usual message from the Japanese government. Ironic that Shiokaze should move off of 5935, as recently that frequency had been clear of Tibet QRM, which is currently down for maintenance. [As has already been reported and I also observed, on July 28, Tibet is back on the air again. Ron] 5920 kHz. - My audio at http://bit.ly/2SnhaZ3 6040 kHz. - My audio at http://bit.ly/2XP91mg (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 6040, JAPAN, Shiokaze/Sea Breeze (Japan vs North Korea Opposition / Clandestine) at 1330, long talk by W in Korean. Usual musical bridges and sound effects. At 1400, nearly seamless transition to China Radio Intl. via Xianyang - Good July 28 (Rick Barton, Arizona SW Logs, Unless otherwise stated, equipment is Grundig Satellit 205/T.5000, RS SW-2000629 with various outdoor wires & indoor shortwire. 73 and Good Listening.......! - rb, WOR iog via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. 5920, Voice of Freedom, on July 29, with extremely rare day of no N. Korea jamming; 1100+; variety of K-pop songs (Twice - "Dance The Night Away". YouTube music video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm5iP0S1z9w&vl=en etc.) and announcers in Korean. Outstanding reception as usual when there is no jamming! My unedited audio of 1100-1110 at http://bit.ly/2K21lV9 (2:15 on my audio is Twice's song, in English and Korean) and 1130-1140 segment at http://bit.ly/3128HxK (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 11530even, FRANCE, Radyo Denge Kurdish station via TDF Issoudun bcast center S=9+35dB or -42dBm at 1934 UT on July 29. 11.8 kHz wideband audio signal into NE/ME target. Log of yesterday Monday July 29, at 19-20 UT time slot (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. 5959.877, much odd fq of Radio Kuwait Kabd, Arabic female talk, commercial ads in between ?, modern Arabic world music program, girls singer, S=9+15dB fluttery into weEUR target. 0325 UT. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) Radio Kuwait Gen.Sce on 11970vAM, instead English DRM, July 29: 0500-0803 11969.8 KBD 250 kW / 100 deg to SoAs,instead of English DRM 0200-0630 5959.8 KBD 250 kW / non-dir to N/ME Arabic General Service 0500-0900 15515.0 KBD 250 kW / 059 deg to EaAs Arabic General Service Something`s always wrong at MOI R. Kuwait KABD Sulaibiyah transmitter https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/radio-kuwait-gensce-on-11970vam-instead.html Reception of MOI Radio Kuwait in DRM mode 19mb, July 29 0945-1325 on 15109.8 KBD 250 kW / 310 deg to WeEu Arabic Gen.Sce https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/reception-of-moi-radio-kuwait-in-drm.html Radio Kuwait in Filipino on 9750vkHz, instead Arabic on July 29 1100-1200 9749.8 KBD 250 kW / 286 deg NEAf Filipino instead of Arabic 1200-1325 9749.8 KBD 250 kW / 286 deg NEAf Arabic General Service Something`s always wrong at MOI R. Kuwait KABD Sulaibiyah transmitter https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/radio-kuwait-in-filipino-on-9750vkhz.html Fair/good signal of MOI Radio Kuwait in English in DRM on July 30: 0500-0800 11969.8 KBD 250 kW / 100 deg SoAs English DRM mode, instead 0500-0800 11969.8 KBD 250 kW / 100 deg SoAs Arabic GS AM mode July 29 MOI Radio Kuwait General Service in Arabic 1100-1200 on 9750v July 30 1100-1200 9749.8 KBD 250 kW / 286 deg NEAf Arabic Gen.Sce, instead 1100-1200 9749.8 KBD 250 kW / 286 deg NEAf Filipino Sce on July 29 https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/fairgood-signal-of-moi-radio-kuwait-in.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KYRGYZSTAN. Re: BUZZ of 100 Hertz distance apart each 23 x 100 Hz strings either sideband on 4820 kHz, Lhasa Tibet Chinese px on top S=9+30dB. 0050 UT Jan 10 Now you can check KGZ alone until 1230, as Lhasa is off due to maintenance: http://sdr.71036.kz:8073/?f=4820.00amz14 73, (Mauno Ritola, July 28, to wb, via DXLD) No reception, but I get SDR to connect only on Edge, not Firefox, checked again at 2203 UT July 31 (gh, DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN [and non]. re 4820 KGZ: when checked in KiwiSDR, noted that PBS Xizang opened exact 4820 kHz and on all channels according their schedule at 0956 UT today July 28 again, maybe summer maintenance break at Lhasa Baiding site is over now? Before a carrier of KGZ (or strange string spur?) was visible probably on 4821.004 kHz and some 50 Hertz apart strings too. 73 wolfie df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 28, WOR iog via DXLD) So it seems. However, KGZ 4820.01 kHz still heard with multiple ±100 Hz side carriers via http://sdr.71036.kz:8073/?f=4820.01amz14 Time 1020. Best regards, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, July 28, ibid.) ** LAOS. 6130, running comments on Facebook (WRTH): "Mauno Ritola (July 20): Lao National Radio is not heard on 6130 kHz. Do any of our members know, if the transmitter has been closed for good or if it is maintenance? I have tried to contact the station, but they don't reply. Thanks." "Ron Howard: Hi Mauno - Checked 6130 kHz., on July 16, at 1221 UT and clearly off the air. Believe they were also silent a few days before that. Ron (California)" "Mauno Ritola (July 21): 6130 kHz was on today for some time, but partly without modulation. So transmitter problems." "M Breyel: Lao National Radio, after 0015 UT, 21.07.19, on 6.130 kHz. Their signal is present, but very weak. I suspect TX maintenance;..." "Ron Howard: July 21 - Here in California, nothing heard on 6130 kHz., checking at 1200, 1231 & 1245. July 22 - Definite carrier heard at 1206 & 1233 UTC; seemed to be about the usual strength for LNR reception; later at 1253, found them definitely off the air. My local sunrise was at 1305 UTC. July 23 - Definite LNR carrier and some audio heard at 1234 & 1241 UTC, on 6130 kHz; later check at 1258, found them definitely off the air. Clearly broadcasting again, but with abbreviated schedule." July 24 - Definitely LNR on 6130; heard their usual 1200 UT feature of a gong/bell rung slowly seven times, but was only able to hear a few of them today; still on at 1231, but clearly off the air when checked at 1246, so continuing with their recent abbreviated schedule." (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Laos 6129.98 kHz via http://tranp.sytes.net:8073/?f=6129.98amz14 Time 1020. Best regards, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, July 28, WOR iog via DXLD) 6130, Lao National Radio, 1158, July 29, with certainly one of their better receptions; indigenous instrumental music; at ToH, clearly heard gong rung slowly seven times (7PM in Vientiane); choral anthem. Great to hear LNR at this respectable level. My audio at http://bit.ly/2ZkTxTG (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** LATVIA. Information from https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrthgroup/ - Mauno Ritola 20 июля в 20:56 UNID Russian religious station heard now on 1602.58 kHz. Must be a pirate, but from where? - Andrew Kuznetsov - Are they stopped regular transmissions on 1485 kHz for tests on 1602 kHz? - Mauno Ritola - Andrew, most probably so. Does it sound having the same strength on 1602 kHz as it was on 1485 kHz in Riga? - Andrey Nekrasov - Andrew Kuznetsov As I know, Radio Merkurs has temporarily stopped their broadcasting on 1485 because the lightning has damaged their transmitter. - Mauno Ritola Thanks, Andrey, Raimonds Kreisbergs just confirmed that. So, is your transmitter located in Riga Daugavriva or somewhere else? - Andrey Nekrasov - Mauno Ritola Our transmitter is located in Bolderaja (closed to Riga), Latvia. Thanks for listening & your warm attention (as always) to our broadcasting! Please, stay tune! - Andrew Kuznetsov - Mauno Ritola No, signal is weaker than on 1485 kHz - Andrew Kuznetsov - Andrey Nekrasov Very interesting! https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrthgroup/ [froms and tos?] Information from: http://www.radioscanner.ru/forum/topic30247-364.html Date: July 21, 2019: - Yesterday after 23. 00 I heard the Riga transmitter instead of 1485 kHz at the new frequency of 1602 kHz - they transmitted Radio Center. 1485 was silent. (Member ur083, Tallinn) - Last night, the signal at 1206 kHz was like from a local station, still much louder than my last recording. (Member Edd, Moscow region) - In the spring, they planned to switch to a new frequency: https://swling.ru/2019/03/03/radio-centr-perehodit-na-novuju-chastotu/ (Member muromdx, moore, via RusDX 28 July via DXLD) ** LATVIA. THE BOARD OF LATVIAN RADIO WILL HIRE A SPECIAL MEDIATOR TO RESOLVE THE CONFLICT IN ITS TEAM The correspondent of the Latvian Radio Ella Semenova told about it on the air of Baltkom radio. “The board is now confused, they announced the mediation process, that is, a specialist will be brought in from the budget who will listen to us, then listen to them, and try to negotiate. As if we can't talk directly. The problem in any case is not solved, nothing happens. Now these are waves on the water, we hope that there will be something more serious,” said Semenova. She noted that the crisis in the public media received such a wide response that the President of Latvia joined in his decision. “The reaction was, I was even pleasantly surprised that our cry for help was not unheard. There were people who supported us, including President Levits, who just yesterday stressed that the situation is really serious. He will hold a series of meetings with politicians and try to convince them to increase funding, ”said Semenova. In turn, Marite Tukisha, member of the Latvian Radio Management Board for Financial Management, said in a conversation with Baltkom that the mediator will help the public media to get out of the current situation as soon as possible. However, according to Tukishi, the problems of Latvian radio are not limited to this. “We have already spoken to each other several times, but still we could not find a common ... not so much a language, but some kind of solution. And since this question is no longer limited to our radio - the whole society speaks about it, we decided that we need a person who will lead this process. But there are other issues - for example, regarding our employees. We can not find people and can not compete with other salaries in the market. In connection with this, this season we will have to reduce our content,” said Tukisha. We will remind, earlier the news service of the Latvian radio in an open letter stated that it expresses no confidence in its rule and asks him to leave or dismiss. The chairman of the board of the Latvian Radio, Unla Klapkalne, during today's press conference stated that despite the current situation, the radio management sees no reason for her resignation. Also, the Board of Latvian Radio called on state leaders to urgently allocate additional funds from the state budget for the salaries of employees. mixnews.lv http://onair.ru/main/enews/view_msg/NMID__74245/ (via RusDX July 21 via DXLD) EMPLOYEES OF LATVIJAS RADIO 2 FEAR THE COLLAPSE OF THE RADIO STATION The reluctance of the Board of Latvijas Radio to understand the situation and resolve the protracted crisis with the content of the programs on the “second button” - Latvijas Radio 2 (LR2) - may end in the death of a unique radio station by the standards of Europe, the team believes. The state LR2 has only 11 people. Eight of them work live, and their range of duties is very wide. A system has been formed on the radio station whereby employees receive part of their salaries from the profits of public broadcasting, because state financing is not enough. A year ago, profits were ceased to be included in the salaries of workers, while state financing remained the same. The LR2 team is on the verge of burning out - people are alarmed by the fact that their radio doesn’t even have their own manager, and his duties are performed by the head of LR5. They fear a planned merger of LR2 with LR5. Even after a general meeting with the board, the solution of the problems was not found. An open letter from the management of the four programs of Latvijas Radio - Daigi Mazversite, Baiba Palkavniece, Viestura Sprogisa and Velgi Vitola-Amantova - was sent to the top state officials, the Seimas, the responsible ministers, the National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP) and the Board of Latvijas Radio. The letter emphasizes that LR2 is the most demanded among listeners, but the smallest in terms of staff, and their work is paid the worst. The collective ensures the broadcasting from 6:40 am to 7 pm on weekdays and at 8 am to 6 pm on weekends. The rest of the broadcast is given to music. The problems of LR2 are deeply rooted: initially the structure of its finances and the wages of radio journalists were shaped differently than other Latvijas Radio channels. Starting in 1995 with a broadcast from 16:00 to 24:00, the airtime increased to around the clock, but the increase in budget funds did not happen proportionally. Additional payments to employees and payment for the work of freelance writers were provided by the profits earned by the radio. In contrast to colleagues from other radio stations, journalists received lower salaries on LR2, and “surcharges” (in fact, part of the salary, which the insufficient budget did not allow) made up a very tangible part of their earnings. The question of the proportionality of the base salaries to the salaries of the remaining Latvijas Radio channels has not been settled so far, although this was promised by the current LR board and the previous one, the authors of the letter note. The last straw was the deprivation a year ago of LR2 of that part of the funding that the team received from the profits of the radio. This dramatically narrowed the possibilities for creating content. For fair pay, radio journalists on LR2 will still not audit employees' duties. The so-called program managers do not just broadcast programs, but create them themselves: select and mark up the musical material, intermediate signals by the hour, plan the placement of additional scenes, including commercial ones, live on the air at the console - which means that their work responsibilities are cardinally different from the workload of the staff of the remaining channels of Latvijas Radio. Each employee of LR2 is a producer, music editor, cameraman, journalist interviewing guests in the studio. Many have mastered sound editing, creating jingles, original programs, etc. On the other channels of Latvijas Radio, the teams work according to the command principle, the broadcasts are in tandem with the operator (sometimes several), the producer, the music editor. Many of them do not work on the air at all, they create only separate programs in the recording. Others hold hourly discussions live. And only on LR2 the employee must be a “universal soldier,” the letter's authors point out. Despite the fact that listeners' rating of the “second button” increased from 4% in 1998 to 24% in 2005, the radio station employees never felt it on their remuneration for work or in some other form received thanks and praise from side of the board of Latvijas Radio. Of course, it deprives of motivation and enthusiasm - in the current situation, journalists are forced to limit themselves to scrolling Latvian music on the air, announcing exact time and small patches of headings in the morning, reading congratulations to listeners and the like, indicated in the letter. Compensation to journalists, replacing the absent colleagues, has been cut down to 80% - which is unfair, because they have to provide all the same 100% of the air. Constant stress, chronic underpayments for recycling lead employees to physical and emotional exhaustion. The fact that after Armin Ronis left the post of director, no competition was announced for finding a new manager is also a signal that the board is unwilling to solve LR2 problems, the team said. The duties of the head of the second channel are still performed by the head of LR5, Ilze Milzarai, who will receive a surcharge of 30% of the director's salary. But the work of LR2 in its specificity is very different from the activities of LR5. The motto of the second channel is “Songs in the native language”, and the fact that only Latvian songs are on the air is unique by the standards of Europe, the employees emphasize. The prospect of a merger with LR5, in their estimation, means the death of this unique format and the radio station itself. As Rus.lsm.lv already reported, after numerous meetings with the mediators and the Board of Latvijas radio, Latvijas Radio News Service journalists did not agree to start the mediation process. The news service argued that mediation would not solve significant problems, that is, it would not help prevent political influence on the board of Latvijas Radio. The news service of Latvijas Radio on July 10, in an open letter, stated that it expresses no confidence in the government and asks him to quit or leave. With this, according to the absolute majority of service staff. In turn, the board held a press conference to talk about the critical situation in the public media. The President of the Latvian Association of Journalists, Art Giga, commenting on the situation at Latvijas Radio, said that the politicians obviously have no quick solutions to overcome the crisis. So far all that the government has done is to allow Latvijas Radio not to pay dividends and save 85%, or 138,234 euros, of last year’s profits on the development of technology and infrastructure of the building. On the agenda of the Cabinet of Ministers discussion of the situation in the collective Latvijas Radio has not yet got. The head of the National Electronic Media Council (NESMI), Dace Kezbere, in an interview with LR, said: “Reform of public media should be viewed as one whole - the border between Latvian Radio and Latvian TV cannot be drawn. According to her assessment, both the mass media are underfinanced. lsm.lv http://onair.ru/main/enews/view_msg/NMID__74331/ (via RusDX 28 July via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 11665, WAI FM, old song, 1248 poor st S5, Berita utama (main news) at 1300 (Bandung Kspot via Zacharias Liangas, Greece, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Fair signal of RTM Wai or Limbang FM on July 31 from 1335 on 11665 KAJ 100 kW / 093 deg to SEAs Malaysian: https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/fair-signal-of-rtm-wai-or-limbang-fm-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. 5995, RTV du Mali, Bamako, in unID language with French accent (?), 07.10.2019 1918-1936 local chant, some men unclear talk, afro instrumental music, typical humdrum instrumental IS from 1929 till 1931, man brief announcement (with possible ID) in presumed French, brief strings sound break, same man news (all unclear), heard better in ssb with inter filter, with and without Nir 12, shallow fast qsb, severe qrn, poor; from 1934 lite qrm music of Echo of Hope-VoH co-channel 5995, in listed Bambara / French, 07.26.2019 1919-1938, man talk, local choral chant with instrumental music, and with brief man announcement, other man talk with other chant in background, brief local music break, man talk, brief local instrumental music pause, into program in French with woman talk (ment. la democracie, du Mali, la politique) local strings IS at 1929, woman brief announcement with ID (ment. du Mali), instrumental music pause, woman reading news in brief, some brief music breaks, into news in detail, with some correspondents; better in ssb, shallow fast qsb, strong qrn, fair (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ORTM Radio Mali was back on air in 31mb on July 27: from 0830 on 9635 BKO 050 kW / non-dir to WeAf French, fair https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/ortm-radio-mali-was-back-on-air-in-31mb.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 26-27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALTA. MALTA WILL INSTALL LIQUID-COOLED TRANSMITTERS TO COVER THE COUNTRY WITH DIGITAL BROADCASTING The installation of new transmitters should bring Malta closer to ensuring the possibility of receiving digital broadcasting programs in the DAB + standard on the premises throughout the country. Digi B Network, the operator of DAB + multiplexes in Malta, is upgrading its signal transmission network by installing new liquid-cooled transmitters. Reports the edition about Malta Today. Liquid cooling will give devices the opportunity to work with more power while reducing the thermal load. This increases the service life and reliability of the transmitters, and an increase in power will significantly improve coverage. “The positive feedback from listeners impresses us, and therefore we strive to solve the problem of receiving digital radio programs in certain areas of the country as soon as possible, responding to the request of the audience. The installation of these transmitters will bring us closer to ensuring full coverage of the islands of the Maltese archipelago, which will allow us to receive digital radio in our homes without any problems,” says Sergio D’Amico, managing director of Digi B Network. - We launched the First platform, working in the DAB + standard, and also presented the first DAB + car radio on the market. And now it's time to make Malta a country with 100% the ability to receive digital radio programs on the premises. This is not such an easy task, but we strive to translate our plans into reality by demonstrating one of the main advantages of DAB over FM.” Digi B Network is the operator of the DAB platform in Malta. In 2008, it launched the world's first DAB + terrestrial digital broadcasting platform in the world, and in 2010 developed the first car stereo compatible with this standard, - Bluestate RA557. The company is currently working with automakers to improve the usability of car stereos. Recall that by the end of this year, Serbia plans to translate broadcasting into a figure. Photo: Astons | Boris Skuratovsky, mediasat.info http://onair.ru/main/enews/view_msg/NMID__74265/ (via Rus-DX July 21 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. XESS-620 is off the air today --- I'm not sure why, but I just drove home from San Diego (about 30 minutes) and XESS-620 has been off the air the whole time. Other co-owned stations (XESDD-1030, XEC-1310, XEPE-1700) are all on the air. XESS-620 is still off --- Their web stream is still running but the actual station remains off. The bum who owns this station just got elected governor of Baja California. His other 3 stations (XESDD-1030, XEC-1310, XEPE-1700) are running his own personal "news" network and political talk (XEC runs "PSN" news in the mornings // the other stations; XEPE is // XESDD at all times). XEXX-1420 continues to air different ESPN Deportes programs than those found on XESS-620. 73 (Tim Hall, CA, 2228 UT July 31, ABDX yg via DXLD) ** MEXICO. XEW [900 kHz] --- Members, After a lot of investigations I came across the IFT technical specification for the move of the iconic station XEW in Ciudad de México. The reason for the move away from Ex-Hacienda Coapa is that the old spot with the tall antenna has been given over to a football (soccer) pitch. At first I suspected that the new site would be where XEX 730 kHz is housed, which is in Los Reyes Acaquipan (at 19 21 39N 98 59 34W). This is wrong. Having dug out the technical specification - like the long lamented AFSCA Argentinian documents - I followed the coordinates given there. A site has now been identified at 19° 21' 55"N, 98° 57' 28"W or 19.365172, -98.957773. There is a mast which is so new that it can only be seen through the latest image using the Historical feature on Google Earth. From that monopole the station now is broadcast at the new 100 kW output. The area comes under La Paz as the title. I will attempt to upload the specification for this move into the Files part of this website. 73 and 88 (Dan Goldfarb, July 30, mwmasts via DXLD) ** MEXICO. TELEVISA RADIO SOLD FOR 448 MEGAPESOS Estaciones de Radio | Especial --- Principio del formulario Corporativo Coral, empresa de la familia Alemán - que es propietaria de Interjet -, adquirió el 50 por ciento de la participación accionaria que tenía Grupo Televisa en Radiópolis por un monto total de mil 448 millones de pesos. Según un comunicado enviado a la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, Televisa recibirá mil 248 millones de pesos como contraprestación de venta, además de 200 millones de pesos de un dividendo adicional. "La transacción está sujeta al cumplimiento de las condiciones habituales de cierre", indica el comunicado. Con esta venta, la familia Alemán se convierte en socia de Grupo Prisa, empresa global de medios con presencia en 22 países. De acuerdo con el último reporte anual de Televisa, la compañía es dueña de 17 estaciones de radio. Este reporte anual también detalla que la participación de Televisa en Radiópolis es de 50 por ciento, mientras que la otra mitad pertenece al español Grupo Prisa. Televisa Radio está conformada por estaciones como W Radio, Los 40 Principales, La Ke Buena, W Deportes y Ke Buena 940am. La compra se llevará a cabo en alianza con Gato Grande Productions, productora de la serie de Luis Miguel para Netflix. Se espera que la productora, en la que Miguel Alemán Magnani, dueño de Interjet, es accionista, emita un comunicado al cierre del mercado para dar a conocer la operación. Recientemente Televisa reportó ingresos por 24 mil 308 millones de pesos durante el segundo trimestre de este año, lo que significó una reducción de 9 por ciento, en comparación con los 26 mil 702 millones de pesos registrados en el mismo periodo del año pasado, afectada por la baja de 17 por ciento en las ventas de publicidad y un comparativo difícil, ya que el año pasado se celebró la Copa del Mundo. PREPARAN VENTA DE TELEVISA RADIO Hasta el momento no ha habido negociaciones con algún grupo o empresa, según la fuente. Foto: archivo Alejandro González Cd. de México (23 julio 2018).- Grupo Televisa inició el desarrollo de un plan interno con el objetivo de vender de su negocio de Televisa Radio, confirmaron fuentes cercanas a la empresa. Una fuente cercana dijo que han iniciado con el plan que tiene como objetivo deshacerse del negocio de radio a más tardar en octubre de este año. Explicó que la venta del negocio es parte de la reestructuración de la compañía que fue anunciada por sus directivos en meses recientes. En ese tenor, hace unos días concluyó la venta de su participación en Grupo Imagina por 341 millones de dólares. La fuente reveló que hasta el momento no ha habido negociaciones con algún grupo o empresa. Cabe señalar que Grupo Prisa tiene 50 por ciento del negocio de radio de Televisa. Gabriel Sosa Plata, especialista en radiodifusión, afirmó que la venta del negocio de radio de Grupo Televisa podría desembocar en una mayor concentración si alguno de los grandes grupos radiofónicos existentes lo adquiere y lo aprueba el Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones. Agregó que para Televisa la radio ya no era prioritaria desde hace tiempo, muestra de ello fue la venta a Prisa de 50 por ciento. "Hay grupos que se fortalecerían mucho con la adquisición de las emisoras de Televisa. Hay formatos exitosos como la Ke Buena, los 40 Principales y una programación hablada fuerte y al parecer rentable. No es poca cosa que algún empresario del sector se quede con la legendaria XEW, que impulsó la radio comercial en México y sentó las bases del mayor conglomerado de medios de habla hispana", comentó Sosa Plata. Hora de publicación: 20:52 hrs (via Juan Franco Crespo, Spain, July 30, DXLD) Fuente?? ** MEXICO. RAYMIE`S MEXICO BEAT this week --- I guess for this blog's fifth birthday, I got a birthday cake from Grupo Larsa Comunicaciones. They dropped the surprise news that Toño is moving from 88.9 XHESON to 105.9 XHHER, https://twitter.com/EnFrecuencia/status/1154862725375221760 displacing Romántica, and that Larsa will no longer be operating XHESON-FM. This is massive news, and it raises huge questions about a company that has had rumors swirling over its financial condition. Toño is, as Larsa themselves say, their primary product. It airs on 9 of their 15 stations. It's named for their leader, Luis Antonio Ramos Méndez. So to move it in Hermosillo — their headquarters — from a 25 kW Class B to a Class A station that, if XHHMO is any indication, reaches 50,000 fewer people and is a SOCIAL STATION that they can't air commercials on indicates a serious problem! Larsa has gotten smaller in the last year. They left Mexicali; they dropped two stations which went to Radiovisa in Nogales and are now ISA Medios stations; and they dropped two stations in Obregón which also went to ISA. Larsa is built on sand; they own no concessions, with most of the stations being owned by Radiorama. I'd be keeping a close eye on this group in the coming days... Update: All the changes on social media and initial publications of the announcement image are gone! Has this been averted? Last edited by Raymie; 07-27-2019 at 12:12 AM (Raymie Humbert, Phœnix AZ, originally July 26, WTFDA Forum via DXLD) On Wednesday, Mexico City's XHFO-FM begins a new era: the X era. XFM 92.1 is being billed by Grupo Siete as "the radio station for Generation X", with an English classic hits format and a heavy news offering. On XFM, you'll find... News and plenty of it. Central FM in the morning, plus Eduardo Torreblanca, Ana Paula Ordorina (8pm), and Leonardo Kourchenko. Classic hits — at least 80s hits, but given the way that US classic hits programming is going, it'll fit right in. In addition to Luis Roberto Márquez Pizano, several other personalities, not all of them from the world of radio, will be on the airstaff. The implications of the new station are twofold. The first is that it's going to attack XHRED Universal from the younger side. As I read the press release, it immediately occurred to me that the program strategy was similar, but for a new generation (and with more news, much like, say, Stereorey in the 90s). It'll also compete with stations like XHDFM Mix in this format. The other: there are just way too many newscasts in Mexico. News fatigue is real, and you wonder if the overabundance of morning newscasts is going to eventually cause fewer people to listen to the radio. ——— Meanwhile, over the weekend, Grupo Larsa's XHVSS-FM Hermosillo "La Más Chingona" started claiming it had been "hacked" and teasing an announcement on Monday (and plenty of Guy Fawkes masks). Said announcement consisted of some programming changes...and a frequency change to 105.9, effective tomorrow. https://www.facebook.com/272276223555325/videos/381598329165728/ Hmmm... Where have we heard this before? (Raymie, July 29, ibid.) First on the Mexico Beat: The IFT Says It's Over for 17 Radio Stations This is why I check the RPC every day the IFT's open. Today, the only new item for an FM station was an item that, unlike anything I've ever seen, had as its title the letter number alone. It may be one of the most important items to ever hit the RPC. It's a letter from Rafael Eslava Herrada, the head of the Concessions and Services Unit, to the Compliance Unit, informing them that because they did not pay their renewal fees on time, 17 stations have lost their concessions. http://rpc.ift.org.mx/rpc/pdfs/35496_190730120906_4163.pdf The two most-affected groups are Organización Radiofónica Mexicana, a Radiorama component, which will lose 9 stations (two of which it does not operate), and MegaRadio, losing 6 stations, all in Ciudad Juárez. The full list of lost stations is as follows: Ciudad Juárez: XHH 100.7, XEZOL 860, XEFV 1000, XEWR 1110, XEF 1420, XEJPV 1560 Tapachula: XHTAK 103.5 Tuxtla Gutiérrez: XHUE 99.3 Gómez Palacio: XHBP 90.3, XHTJ 94.7, XHGZ 99.5, XHDN 101.1, XHVK 106.7 -> 96.7 Oaxaca: XHYN 102.9 Cosoleacaque, Ver.: XHEMI 105.7 Ixhuatlancillo, Ver.: XHOV 97.3 Xalapa, Ver.: XHJA 102.5 Update 1: There are a variety of legal challenges to these cases already, according to my searches. The RPC also marked 12 more stations as expired: Ciudad de México: XEDA-AM 1290 Culiacán: XHENZ-FM 92.9 Jojutla, Mor.: XHZPC-FM 103.7 León: XHOI-FM 92.3 Manzanillo: XHECS-FM 96.1 Mazatlán: XHST-FM 94.7 Monterrey: XHQQ 93.3, XEMN 600, XEH 1420 Santa Ana, Son.: XHAB-FM 98.7 Xalapa, Ver.: XHOT 97.7, XHWA 98.5 Last edited by Raymie; 07-30-2019 at 05:59 PM. Reason: update [It`s not all over yet: QRX for follow-up next issue --- gh] [tagline:] Este programa es público, ajeno a cualquier partido político. Queda prohibido el uso para fines distintos a los establecidos en el programa (Raymie, July 30, ibid.) ** MEXICO. 6185 kHz EVEN fq (!), XEPPM Radio Educacion in Spanish, nice music program in peaks S=8-9 or -72dBm this UT morning here in Europe 0348 UT. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. Radio Moldova, 873, 1494 kHz, FM, https://www.trm.md/ro/radio-moldova usually broadcasts in Romanian. A number of minority programmes are broadcast according to the following schedule researched from their website. local time (currently: UT + 3): 0900-0910: News in Russian 1100-1110: News in Russian. Sat Sun until 1105 1400-1410: News in Russian. Sat Sun until 1405 1800-1810: News in Russian 2015-2055: Mo-Fr minority programmes - Mo Gagauz https://www.trm.md/ro/unda-bugeacului-bucaan-dalgasinda - Tu Romani https://www.trm.md/ro/romano-glasos 2035 Russian https://www.trm.md/ro/spatiul-culturii - We Belarusian https://www.trm.md/ro/izvorul-belorus 2035 Russian https://www.trm.md/ro/casa-ruseasca - Th Ukrainian https://www.trm.md/ro/renastere - Fr Bulgarian https://www.trm.md/ro/radiomegdan 2100-2115: Mo-Fr Panorama of the day in Russian https://www.trm.md/ro/panorama-zilei There are also programmes produced by Radio Europa Liberă, some of which are also in Russian: Mo Dialogue Programs for Transnistria 2115-2145: Russian 2230-2300: Romanian Sa at the end of the week https://www.trm.md/ro/la-sfarsit-de-saptamana-cu-europa-libera 2025-2055: Romanian 2335-0000: Russian Su round table https://www.trm.md/ro/punct-si-de-la-capat 2025-2055: Romanian (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 27 July 2019, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hey, everyone, please do not attach any punxuation to URLs, such as parentheses (I had to remove from all of the above), periods, commas, etc. When copied into text, these are likely to make the URLs incorrect, unclickable. Trumps any grammatical urge (editor gh, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5985, Myanmar Radio, 1252-1303, July 26 (Friday); language lesson in English and Burmese ("Learning English with BBC, Burmese"); fairly readable. My audio of some of the English at http://bit.ly/30ZvHgG Program also heard at the same time last Friday (July 19) and same time on Wednesday (July 24). Not sure just what their complete schedule is? (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 5985, July 26, 2315, Paduk Myay Radio. Paduk Myay Radio aus Naypyidaw, Burma ist genau zum lokalen Sonnenaufgang gegen 2315 UT auf 5985 kHz im 49-Meterband mit viel lokaler Musik zu hören. Und vielleicht gleich kurz vor 2330 UT die beliebte Morgengymnastik, nur echt mit der Klavierbegleitung (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, SW Bulletin 28 July via DXLD) ** MYANMAR [non]. VOA in Bangla /Rohingya Language/ on shortwave from July 29 [see also USA] 1130-1200 9310 UDO 250 kW / 276 deg to SEAs Rohingya Mon-Fri, good 1130-1200 9980 UDO 250 kW / 280 deg to SEAs Rohingya Mon-Fri, good 1130-1200 11570 PHT 250 kW / 270 deg to SEAs Rohingya Mon-Fri, weak 1130-1200 9310 UDO 250 kW / 276 deg to SEAs English Sat/Sun July 28 1130-1200 9980 UDO 250 kW / 280 deg to SEAs English Sat/Sun July 28 1130-1200 11570 PHT 250 kW / 270 deg to SEAs English Sat/Sun July 28 Voice of America Learning English at same time slot is cancelled 1130-1200 on 12030 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 15715 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 17790 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voa-in-bangla-rohingya-language-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. [bdxc-news] REMINDER Special amateur station - PA45RNI from 01-08-2019 to 31-08-2019 --- see INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non] [WORLD OF RADIO 1993] ** NEW ZEALAND. 11725, RNZI relay of RNZ National at 2135 UT July 27 with "Media Watch" and other programs to sign off at 2258. Very Good73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx: Perseus SDR, Ant: ALA 100 loop, WOR iog via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. 8989: Voice there but buried at 2235; seems to be improving (Harold Frodge, MI, 2256 UT July 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nicaragua: 8989/USB, El Buen Pescador Pastor (presumed); 2235-2304+, 7/30; Voice buried in the QRN but sounding very religihux-terish. Delivery is reminiscent of YHWH Josiah (Frodge, ibid.) Tnx to Harold for tipping me off directly, after I had remarked that I never hear him. Unfortunately I was not in a position to check this out immediately (gh) Pirates -- Latin American: 8989/USB, El Buen Pescador Pastor (presumed); 2235-2304+, 7/30; Voice buried in the QRN but sounding very religihuxterish. Delivery is reminiscent of YHWH Josiah (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. 11770, Voice of Nigeria at 1827 with the usual theme music and a woman with barely audible talk – Very Poor July 28 – The theme music, which I believe is based on the Nigerian national anthem, confirmed this logging for me (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) 11769.902, Voice of Nigeria, Abuja, as Fulfulde language service schedule S=6 poor signal at 1943 UT in Qatar ME. Log of yesterday Monday July 29, at 19-20 UT time slot (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Abuja - SV Imagery --- ABUJA: Gwagwalada --- Some good views of the old Abuja 7275 kHz MW/SW site with views of the site/antennas, etc., from several streets. https://goo.gl/maps/PcaCnCohWrkpkTsE8 ABUJA: Lugbe The Google SV have recently rolled out more imagery of Nigeria. Some good views of the new-ish VON Abuja SW site with views of the site/antennas etc from several streets. E.g. https://goo.gl/maps/c5pDQ7Yf5xE64Kus9 If you look carefully there's a Police escort vehicle following the Google vehicle throughout Abuja. New VON building: https://goo.gl/maps/WnHS5EaudK8uo9uv8 NIGERIA: Ibadan: SV of Studio/TX site New Google SV imagery of the Ibadan SW, MW site. Can't see an 'obvious' SW antenna remaining having had a good look around the site with SV imagery. https://goo.gl/maps/9CyuyfWAyc8jRGCi7 https://nbc.gov.ng/channel/details/broadcasting-corporation-of-oyo-state-bcos NIGERIA: Enugu SV imagery Supposedly the SW TX location of FRCN Enugu - 6025 kHz *Unconfirmed https://goo.gl/maps/XVry5j7KoLadv5s37 (Distant View) Also a couple of images of site via Google Maps shortwavesites - The Shortwave Transmitter Site Archive http://sites.google.com/site/shortwavesites/ (Ian, July 27, (Shortwavesites YG) via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA [and non]. [WOR] Pirates on now 2249 UT: Mix Radio International 3300 USB SIO 444. Laser Hot Hits 6205 AM, SIO 222. [Euro] Captain Morgan 6935 AM was SIO 333, now fading out. No sign of Old Time Radio on 6770, but the band has been long much of the day (Chris Smolinski, Black Cat Systems, Westminster, MD USA http://www.blackcatsystems.com 2251 UT July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) Did you get an ID for the station on 3300 USB? - (Terry Colgan, Listening to shortwave radio since 1958, Tuning SDRs worldwide from Austin, Texas USA, ibid.) No, but I am 99 44/100% sure it is Mix :) (Chris Smolinski, ibid.) Add in that 56/100%. Just heard a Mix ID -- (Terry Colgan, 0009 UT July 28, ibid.) ** NORTH AMERICA. 6950-USB, UT Sun July 28 at 0030, honky-tonk music at S9, surely Wolverine Radio which consistently puts in these bigsigs for a pirate. 0047 just missed an ID? 0056 definite ID. Many more logs here between 0028 and 0126: https://www.hfunderground.com/board/index.php/topic,56335.0.html where the keyword in song titles was ``long`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. 7470, UNITED STATES (Pirate), YHWH at 0415 in progress at tune-in. Solid S-9+ signal on SW-2000629 and long wire. Josiah admonishing us to be solution, not to be part of the problem, Days of Hard Life song at 0423, him saying Christianity a thorn in humanity, etc. Had to attenuate signal at first, but, after 0430, dropped way down into the static. Went down sometime around 0440 during fadeout - Very Good July 25. 7470, UNITED STATES (Pirate), YHWH at 0350 in progress at tune-in. Solid S-9+ signal on SW-2000629, longwire. Faded out into the mud just before 0400 and gone. As is often the case, I flagged this in my log as "very good", but it ended with fadeout and not really hearing the exact moment it closed - Very Good July 27 (Rick Barton, Arizona SW Logs, 73 and Good Listening.......! - rb, WOR iog via DXLD) YHWH: And so far tonight (UT Friday) by 0336, no sign of them (Walt Salmaniw, July 26, WOR Iog via DXLD) Presumably checking only 7470 & vicinity (gh) YHWH 7470 well heard tonight --- Pretty strong reception (tonight, my reception in Victoria was better than the usual exceptional Prescott Valley KiwiSDR site. From tune in 0311 until off with the usual Days of Hard Life at 0406 27 July 2019. 73 (Walt Salmaniw, BC, 0437 UT July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) 11745, UNID at 1705 UT July 27 with man in English talking about Yahweh. Very Strong but he could not get the transmitter to stay on air (Mick Delmage, AB, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Station YHWH has been known to show up on surprise higher frequencies in the daytime. If it was Josiah, would you have recognized his voice? (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 7470, UNITED STATES (Pirate), YHWH (in progress at tune-in) at 0315. Josiah with the usual Yahweh or the highway lecture. Solid with SW-2000629 and "window frame" antenna - Very Good July 28. 73 (Rick in AZ Barton, WOR iog via DXLD) Per tip from Walt, heard on Prescott Valley SDR at excellent level with lower noise than usual. Thanks for the tip. "Thanks for tuning in" at about 0326 but he then continued with religious talk (Dan Robinson, MD, 0328 July 28, ibid.) See also UNIDENTIFIED 11745 7470, UNITED STATES (Pirate), YHWH (in progress at tune-in) at 0315. Josiah with the usual Yahweh or the highway lecture. Solid with SW-2000629 and "window frame" antenna. Am I a jinx....? many times, as I dash off a report to to alert others, the signal suddenly bottoms out. We have the station back now (0330) by switching to one of the longwires outside. 0335, 10 Commandments of Yahweh, followed by Josiah encouraging us to burn our flags and "divest of Satanic patriotism". "One final thought" (from Jeremiah) to the creepy Lace song "Days of Hard Life" at 0349. Spoke briefly then hit the "X" at 0352 and gone - Very Good July 28 7470, YHWH (in progress at tune-in) at 0340. Josiah with the usual monologue. Steady-Good with SW-2000629 and longwire antenna. As usual, numerous interruptions in my evening and I missed the sign-on. By 0351, closing comments and that weird Lace song (Days of Hard Life). Once again, the signal began fading during final announcements, making the exact shutdown time hard to determine. Looks like tonight it was 0355. Noted OTHR Radar bursts after the close. I have noted before, this frequency is popular for some of the weird things-that-go-bump kind of stuff like radars and other noise weirdness - Good July 29 (Rick Barton, Arizona SW Logs, 73 and Good Listening.......! - rb, WOR iog via DXLD) YHWH 7470 Sunday evening (local) --- Checking at 0339, there he is again, but marred by digital hash frequently on the high side. Perhaps not as strong as last night, but still pretty decent signal into Victoria, BC. Also heard on Colin Newell's new KiwiSDR at: http://kiwiwebsdr.dxer.ca Great reception of pirate YHWH on 7470 at 0352 playing his signature song, "Days of Hard Life". Very impressive! 73, (Walt Salmaniw, July 29, WOR iog via DXLD) YHWH tonight --- 7470 came on at 0258 UT, and has been strong into Victoria and continues so, as I type this at 0320. Some static, but not too bad. Remained strong throughout the evening until signing off at 0411 tonight on 7470, of course (Walt Salmaniw, BC, 0415 UT July 30, WOR iog via DXLD) YHWH: on right now. off for weeks, then he seems to broadcast nightly. Good here in Arizona. 7470, UNITED STATES (Pirate), YHWH (in progress at tune-in) at 0300. Josiah with the usual monologue. Steady, Excellent with SW-2000629 and indoor shortwire antenna (outdoor wires offline due to T-storm activity here). - Very Good July 31. 73 and Good Listening (Rick Barton, Arizona, WOR iog via DXLD) YHWH for Tuesday night --- Already on at 0247 UT Wednesday on 7470 at good level into Victoria, BC. Recognized the programming from the past. Does fade down to fair level, but rapidly comes back up (Walt in Victoria, BC Salmaniw, 0249 UT July 31, WOR iog via DXLD) 7470, UNITED STATES (Pirate), YHWH (in progress at tune-in) at 0305. Josiah with the usual monologue. Steady, Excellent with SW-2000629 and longwire antenna. 0320, and the 10 Commandments list again. And his usual bit on the "idol-worshiping war mongering Christians" to Days of Hard Life (creepy Lace song) at 0408, closing announcements & off at 0411 - Armchair July 30 7470, YHWH (in progress at tune-in) at 0300. Josiah with the usual monologue. Steady, Excellent with Sangean ATS-909X and indoor shortwire antenna (outdoor wires offline due to T-storm activity here). Creepy music (Lace/Days of Hard Life) at 0351, "I love you - goodnight" and off at 0354 - Very Good July 31 (Rick Barton, Arizona SW Logs listed most recent first. Hopefully useful information for someone can be picked out of here. Frequencies in kHz. Times/Dates in UT. English used unless otherwise stated. 73 and Good Listening.......! - rb, WOR iog via DXLD) ** NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS. 9990.03, R. Free Asia, Agingan Point [SAIPAN], in Korean, 07.08.2019, 1808-1828, man talk (mostly unclear), music pause, man interviewing other man, music pause with man and woman brief announcements, man talk; better in usb with inter filter to nullify background AC noise qrm, strong qrn, poor; (from 1823:19" till 1823:40" overwhelmed by qrm fast throbbing jamming); // 11985.03 very poor/ barely audible at times in usb (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. Hi Glenn – Here’s the latest from Svenn Martinsen, in an email to me today: “1611 is silent at the moment pending all systems go with the new tx. Hope to go on air with it next week for tests. Tentative schedule 1300-2210 same as 5895 which is on air as is the web radio, wifi, Radio Garden, TuneIn etc. Hopefully 0330-2210 from Sept 1st. 1314, the Bergen Kringkaster station is relaying Northern Star at 1300-1400 and The Ferry at 2100-2200. Reports from Finland on 1314 in the last couple of days. We expect to have HF licenses in house by September but have experienced a setback re transmitter. We had planned to use the old Skanti that we had on 1611 on these frequencies incl 19 Mb but so far we haven’t been able to made it to work. Therefore am looking for another solution, maybe an open transceiver like the Yaesu FT-950 we have on 5895.” Hope all is well with you and the city of Enid. Regards. tc (Terry Colgan, Austin TX, 0140 UT Aug 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. 1120, July 26 at 0124 UT, Spanish music making heavy ~5 Hz SAH with sillyballgame in English, i.e. KETU Catoosa vs KMOX. KETU official sunset in July is 0145 UT (August: 0115), but supposed to be reduced from 10 to 7 kW during Critical Hours starting at 2345 UT – that certainly does not help out KMOX here. KETU pattern has broad major lobe slightly west of south, i.e. right across Tulsa from the north side, with sharp nulls toward the NW (Colorado?) and NE (St Louis), but Enid almost to the west is getting only a fraxion off the shoulder of the lobe. On caradio it`s not enough to overcome powerline, trafficlight noise except in a few lucky spots. Recheck at 1602 UT with no KMOX, ID as ``La Diferente`` and a .9 FM frequency, presumably the translator listed on 97.9. Later in hour, ad for Mercado Las Americas, the grocery store which I think is involved in KETU ownership, licensed to La Zeta 95.7, which is KSEC, 6/6 kW in Bentonville AR (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. 1640, July 29 at 1320 UT and still at 1649, dead air except for some hum from local KZLS Enid. Is no one paying attention at Chisholm Trail Broadcasting? No storms around here to blame (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Enid, 20, KBZC-LD, From 42; granted, DTV [KBZC-LD really in OKC where it shall remain; not seen yet on 20 tho had a Bad signal and 42 not seen for some weeks; needs tropo -- gh] OK, Enid, 100.9, K265FL PG<250w/39m, 36-23-53/97-52-40, power change granted (FCC News via August WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) If it ever come on, K265FL will make KGWA 960 into an FM station so 960 can be demoted, dismissed! (gh) ** OMAN. No signal of R. Sultanate of Oman - for several weeks. 1400-2200+ 9620 THU 100 kW / 315 deg to WeEu En/Ar RSO, AIR in here! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/no-signal-of-radio-guineeradio-malirso.html (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, July 25, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Maybe using as yet undiscovered alternate registered frequency? All of these imaginaries(?) are in HFCC A-19 for 2- or more-hour fraxions of the 14-22 span: 6085, 6190, 11975, 13610, 13775, 13800, 15140 (where it was before 9620), 15350, 15375, 15560, 15630, 15760, 15780, 15795, 17565, 17830, 17870! (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, NBC Madang (Maus Blong Garamut - Voice of Indigenous Drums), 1212*, on July 26 (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** PERU. 5025. R. QUILLABAMBA. Julio 26. 2320-2330 UT. Música y avisos de organizaciones católicas de la zona de Cusco. 5980. R, CHASKI. Julio 23. 2310-2315 UT. Predicación. SINPO: 53433 con interferencia de TV Martí. (Claudio Galaz, Receptor: TECSUN PL 660; Antena: Hilo de 50 metros de largo, Lugar de escucha: Barraza Bajo, 4° región, Chile, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** PHILIPINNES. No signal of VOA Learning English on July 25: 1130-1200 on 12030 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 15715 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 17790 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/no-signal-of-voa-learning-english-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. Radio Timishoara http://www.radiotimisoara.ro provides four different programme streams for its region, although they at times share programming: FM 105.9 MHz: Timisoara FM 102.9 MHz: Arad / 103,6 MHz: Făget & Valea Mureşului FM 101.5 MHz: Petrosani AM 630 kHz According to http://www.radiotimisoara.ro/program the medium wave frequency has the following opt outs from the main Timisoara FM stream: Local time (currently: UT +3) Mo-Fr *0800-1000: Din suflet, pentru tine! (music and greetings, repeated at 2200 h) *1300-1600: Minority programmes in German, 1400 h Hungarian, 1500 h Serbian 1900-2400: Programmes in Romanian Sat *0800-1000: as Mo-Fr *1300-1600: as Mo-Fr 1900-2400: Programmes in Romanian (of note: 1905-2000 h Uniţi sub tricolor / Unite under the flag which also connects listeners and Romanian troops serving in UN/NATO missions abroad and 2005-2030 h Conviețuiri / Coexistence, a magazine in Romanian produced by journalists from the minority services Sun *1200-1300: Sunday noon *1300-1600: as Mo-Fr *1600-2100: Minority programmes in Czech, 1700 h Slovak, 1800 h Ukrainian, 1900 h Bulgarian, 2000 h Romani The programmes marked by an asterisk are exclusively on AM at the time. A daily programme schedule can be reached via http://www.radiotimisoara.ro/program-am. (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, 29 July 2019, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. 7324.991, Odd fq seldom happened. RadCom Galbeni site technicians failed precise alignment. At 0409 UT. S=9+35dB signal of Romanian morning service. Talk on super high temperatures in western Europe up to +42 cent temps. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) 6040, RRI at 0011 with a woman with a sports report then a man with contest details at 0014 – Fair to Good with slight fading July 27 - // 7375 was still missing at this time and also for their 0300 transmission. Glenn Hauser suggested it might be for transmitter maintenance but this is taking way too long if that is the case. I wonder if RRI is cutting back on transmitter use for its other language services, including Romanian, to save money. 13650, RRI at 2027 with IS to opening music at 2030 and a man with ID, target areas, web platforms, and satellite reception info then a woman with news at 2031 – Fair to Good July 28 - // 11850 is still missing. See my comments for my logging of 6040 at 0000 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) 5945, RRI at 2157 // 7310 (Fair also beamed to Europe) and 9790 (Good beamed to Japan) with IS to opening music at 2200 and a man with ID, target areas, web platforms, and satellite reception info and a with news at 2201 – Fair July 30 – So, programs beamed to Western Europe seem to have both transmitters going. It makes you wonder if only transmissions to areas other than Western Europe are affected by the cutbacks in transmitter usage. 13650, RRI at 2027 still on its own with // 11850 missing with IS to opening music at 2030 and a man with ID, target area, web platforms, and satellite reception info and a woman with news at 2031 – Very Good July 30 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) 6040, RRI at 0000 with opening music and a man with ID, target areas, web platforms, and satellite reception info and a woman with news at 0001 – Very Good July 31 - As with other // frequencies not targetting Western Europe 7375 was still noted as missing (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) Explanation: I haven`t found in English, but e.g. in Spanish about one of three Tsiganeshti transmitters being out of order; with a schedule of all language affected frequencies, some of which might be substituted by Saftica: https://www.rri.ro/es_es/anuncio-2602264 Tnx to Gager Paul via Wolfgang Bueschel for outpointing this (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Good signal of GTRK Adygeya/Adygeyan Radio, July 28 1900-2000 on 6000 ARM 100 kW / 188 deg to CeAs Adygeyan Sun https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/good-signal-of-gtrk-adygeyaadygeyan.html Reception of GTRK Adygeya / Adygeyan Radio in 49mb on July 29: 1800-1900 on 6000*ARM 100 kW / 188 deg CeAs Ad/Ar/Tu Mon, very good * co-ch same 6000 BEI 100 kW / non-dir EaAs Chinese CNR-1 till 1805 https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/reception-of-gtrk-adygeya-adygeyan.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. News kaleidoscope --- DIGITAL RADIO TECHNOLOGY CREATED BY A. DVORKOVICH’S RELATIVES WILL BE LAUNCHED IN RUSSIA The state commission on radio frequencies is preparing to allocate frequencies in the VHF band for the operation of the RAVIS broadcasting technology. The technology has been developed by relatives of former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and will compete with two international standards for digital radio, already approved for work in Russia. The Russian technology of digital broadcasting gets a start in life The State Commission for Radio Frequencies (SCRF) at a meeting on July 25, 2019 should consider the allocation of frequencies for digital radio broadcasting technology RAVIS. This follows from the draft decision of the commission available to CNews. For these RAVIS, it is planned to allocate frequencies to the indefinite circle of persons in the ranges of 65.8-74 MHz and 87.5-108 MHz. These frequencies belong, respectively, to the VHF-I and VHF-II bands. The VHF-II band is also called the FM band. What is RAVIS, and what possibilities does this technology have? RAVIS technology allows transmitting more than 10 CD-quality stereo programs or a video program with several sound channels in one 250 kHz channel. It is possible to organize broadcasting on narrower channels - 200 kHz and 100 kHz - with less bandwidth and fewer [sic] programs. The data transfer rate ranges from 80 Kbps to 900 Kbps. RAVIS can work with fixed, portable and car receivers. Reception can be carried out on standard whip antennas in moving vehicles in urban conditions with dense buildings, multipath and the absence of direct sight of the transmitter antenna, as well as in areas with difficult terrain, in mountainous areas and in dense forests. Due to the ability to transmit video, RAVIS can be used to organize regional digital TV multiplexes. The most promising for use in the RAVIS system are He-AAC and xHE-AAC audio coders (including those with support for multi-channel audio in 5.1 format) and H.264 / AVC and H.265 / HEVC video encoders. The HE-AAC encoder allows streaming high-quality stereo sound in the 64–280 kbps stream, and the H.264 / AVC encoder provides video transmission at 200–900 kbps. In addition to audio and video, RAVIS can also transmit text messages; electronic program guide; statistical images and slide shows; emergency alerts with enhanced message reliability; road lighting; weather forecast; broadcast and address data transfer, etc. As a subscriber equipment, it is planned to use microcomputers with connected USB modules to receive the RAVIS signal. Also via Wi-Fi it is possible to transmit a signal from receivers to smartphones and tablets. The developer of the RAVIS technology is the company Sad-Com, created by digital video information systems specialists - Viktor Dvorkovich and his son Alexander. Viktor Dvorkovich is the uncle of former Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. How RAVIS was tested and why the Ministry of Emergency Situations liked the technology In 2010, the RAVIS technology was tested in Moscow and in Sochi. In 2015, the SCRF again identified frequencies for testing this technology in the republics of Tatarstan and Udmurtia. According to materials for the GRCC meeting, during testing in the Republic of Tatarstan, the local Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) and the police station evaluated the capabilities of RAVIS as an additional wireless means of mass notification of civil defense and emergency situations: the corresponding funds [sic] were installed in shopping centers, cinemas, medical institutions, industrial enterprises and other facilities of the capital of the Republic of Kazan. The frequencies that are planned to be allocated for the RAVIS technology are now used for analogue VHF broadcasting and analogue TV broadcasting in the D / SECAM standard (4 and 5 television broadcasting channels). The report of the state-owned radio research institute (NIIR), devoted to testing RAVIS, states that the level of interference from transmitters working on this technology for VHF and TV broadcasting does not exceed the level of interference from existing VHF transmitters. At the same time, the VHF-I range is more promising for the implementation of the RAVIS technology. Broadcasting from it has long been translated into the FM-band, and there is no television broadcasting in it. Chance for the Russian industry Small-scale production of receiving equipment for the RAVIS technology is ready to deal with the Sarapulsky Radio Plant (Udmurtia Republic). The production of transmission equipment is envisaged in the framework of cooperation between the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MFTI) and NPP Triada-TV (Novosibirsk). The Omsk Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Making also showed interest in the technology: the company's experience in developing silicon electronics can reduce the cost of production of RAVIS receivers by 10 times, the materials for the GKRCh meeting said. Thus, as they add to NIIR, the allocation of frequencies in Russia for the RAVIS technology will enable the domestic radio industry to take part in the creation of competitive equipment that can be quoted on the global and domestic markets. NIIR considers it expedient to envisage the development and mass production by the domestic industry of a software-defined VLSI (ultra-large integrated circuit) for decoding signals of both existing and future sound and multimedia broadcasting systems operating with wideband digital signals with a spectrum not wider than 2 MHz. The Russian standard will compete with two international Recall that in 2018 the SCRF already allocated frequencies for digital broadcasting in two foreign standards. For the DRM + standard, frequencies were allocated in the VHF-I and VHF-II ranges — that is, in the same ranges as planned for RAVIS. And in the range of VHF-III - 174-230 MHz - frequencies were allocated for the DAB + technology. At the same time, NIIR points to the negative experience of European countries, where in an attempt to maximize the number of programs with a limited number of multiplexes, broadcasters have to compromise on the use of low bit rates per program, which leads to a decrease in the competitiveness of digital broadcasting compared to other means of delivery due to the relatively poor quality of sound programs. At the same time, in the RAVIS system there are no restrictions on the maximum permissible transmission rate in the sound channel, inherent to foreign digital broadcasting systems DRM + and DAB +. This, as emphasized by NIIR, allows us to bring high-quality digital sound broadcasting to the market. Source: Igor Korolev, cnews.ru http://onair.ru/main/enews/view_msg/NMID__74326/ (via RusDX 28 July via DXLD) ! I had never heard of RAVIS --- an acronym for what and in translation? Is it better than IBOC/HD or DRM, or just different, proprietary? Search finds it forthwith and guess what? RAVIS is an English acronym; but is there any interest in it in the West? (gh) https://ravis-radio.ru/en/ RAVIS, Real-time Audio Visual Information System, is a Russian digital terrestrial multimedia broadcasting system, one of the groundbreaking innovative technologies. RAVIS developing started in 2000. The system is based on Russian patents, passed national standardization (5 state standards accepted) and prepared for international standardization within International Telecommunications Union (included in ITU-R reports). RAVIS provides broadcasting of one high-quality TV program through a radio channel. A program may be received in both motion (in vehicle) and stationery. The system also supports on-air working of up to 12 radio stations in one frequency, which solves the problem of air overloading in analogue mode. . . (via gh, DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 21504.97, BSKSA 1, Riyadh, in Arabic 07.20.2019, 1356-1407, Arab chants with instrumental music, man announcement above chant, other man announcement with ID, brief man announcement above first part of lively music, woman talk, first with same lively music pauses at times, then interviewing other woman, with lively music pause; moderate qsb and qrm rustle at times in increasing, good 11935.04, BSKSA Riyadh, in Arabic 07.25.2019 0954-1010 man Arabic vocal religious chant, man announcement with ID at 1000, continuing talking till 1002, man Arabic vocal relig. chant; lite slow qsb and lite qrn in increasing, very good / good; // 17570 with ceaseless fast qsb and strong qrn rustle, poor (from 1000 almost overwhelmed by China R. Int strong co-channel, in Hungarian; BSKSA audio up and down); // 17615.02 ceaseless fast qsb w/ strong qrn rustle, fair; 17615.06, BSKSA, Riyadh, in Arabic, 07.11.2019 1510-1527, man talk, from about 1513 other man brief talk, Arab vocal chant, man talk, some men talk with Arab vocal chants at times; better in ssb, ceaseless moderate fast qsb with moderate qrn rustle in increasing, almost good / fair/poor at times; // 13710.01 with strong audio, very good (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good signal of BSKSA General Service on July 27: [see also GUINEA] from 0854 on 9650 RIY 100 kW / non-dir to N/ME Arabic co-ch at same time on 9650 CON 050 kW / non-dir to WeAf French R.Guinée https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/good-signal-of-bsksa-general-service-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 26-27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11745.010, Al-Azm army program, via Jeddah broadcast center, Holy Qur`an prayer at 1940 UT, S=9+10dB noted in Qatar SDR. Log of yesterday Monday July 29, at 19-20 UT time slot (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via DXLD) 11820.045, BSKSA Riyadh, Holy Qur`an prayer program, S=7-8 fair signal in Doha Qatar at 19.59 UT on July 29. Log of yesterday Monday July 29, at 19-20 UT time slot (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via DXLD) ** SCOTLAND [non]. Encore - Classical Music on Shortwave - Broadcast on Sunday afternoon in Europe and USA Encore - Classical Music this weekend is being broadcast as usual by Channel 292 (Europe) on 6070 kHz at 1500 UT Sunday 26th July. And by WBCQ on 7490 kHz at 0000-0100 UT Monday 27th July. There is a repeat on 6070 kHz on Friday 2nd August at 1900 UT. This week's show starts with the overture from the Marriage of Figaro, then a slightly off-piste treat sung by two jazz legends - lifts the hairs on your arms. The whole of a Beethoven string quartet. Then some Buxtehude organ music, some Barbara Strozzi, and lastly a Swedish Rhapsody by Hugo Alfvén. Both Channel 292 and WBCQ do live streams if the reception is poor in your location. Easy to find their sites with a google search. Thank you for spreading the word about Encore - Classical Music on Shortwave. And thank you to everyone for letting us know how well/badly the signal is received where you live (Brice Avery - Encore - Radio Tumbril, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The website playlists are still running at least a week behind when consulted during the WBCQ web/broadcasts (gh, DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 9545, SIBC - the Voice of the Nation, on July 26, cut off after a pop song (0459:23*). Day by day the reception here has been slowly improving, but not yet readable. My audio at http://bit.ly/2LLLgoT (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) 9545, SIBC - Voice of the Nation, July 31 & August 1, from 0430 to 0459*. Both days with unusual format of non-stop speeches; unreadable; not their normal music format; getting closer to being readable (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** SPAIN. 11940, UT Fri July 26 at 0117, S8-S6 of dead air, surely REE which is supposed to modulate here until 0200 on weekdays, for S America; while the NAm frequency 9690 is OFF. More problems. Alan Roe found out from Justin Coe that co-host Alison Hughes has been on sick leave for months but expected back soon. That explains his sole hosting of English M/W/F at 2200-2230, and mostly-music content. 11940, July 27 at 0050, REE is managing to modulate in Castilian, unlike last time when it was just noise. But also like last time, the N American frequency 9690 is AWOL. 11940 for S America is offbeam for us, and we always hear 12030 better, close to directly off its back toward Mideast, but it is not run this late. 12030, Saturday July 27 at 1429, REE music is JBA, while 9690 is inaudible, probably still down to North America, altho when active this early on weekends only, it`s a poor second to 12030 for Mideast backwards (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) REE Problems --- Monitoring here in NB today (27 July), 11670, 11940, and 12030 kHz just carriers at 2041 UT and for at least the next 15 minutes. 9690 kHz not on (-- RIchard Langley, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) I have noted 9690 off air for most of the past week and 12030 strong but just a carrier most of the time also. Something wrong at REE (Gilles Letourneau, QC, ibid.) Radio Exterior de España REE/RNE on 3 of 4 freqs July 27: 1400-2200 9690 NOB 200 kW / 290 deg ENAm Spanish Sat/Sun, no signal 1400-2200 11670 NOB 200 kW / 161 deg WCAf Spanish Sat/Sun, fair/good 1400-2200 11940 NOB 200 kW / 230 deg SoAm Spanish Sat/Sun, very good 1400-2200 12030 NOB 200 kW / 110 deg N/ME Spanish Sat/Sun, fair/good https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/radio-exterior-de-espana-reerne-on-3-of.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) REE Back on 9690 kHz --- Listening to it now (29 July) at a couple of minutes before 2000 UT with a good signal here in NB even with a portable indoors with its whip antenna. Good audio. Time pips for 2000 right on the dot. Followed by the c.w. introduction to the mariners' program. Will check the other frequencies shortly. 11670 kHz - can hardly tell they're there 11940 kHz - quite weak 12030 kHz - listenable but nowhere near as good as 9690 kHz But this is all indoors with a portable. Reception on these frequencies would be better with an outdoor antenna (-- Richard Langley, 2005 UT July 29, WOR iog via DXLD) And usual sign-off on 9690 kHz at 0205 UT after a couple of minutes of IS. Presumably same for // 11940 kHz (-- Richard Langley, July 30, ibid.) 9690. Jul 29, 2019. 2035-2043, Radio Exterior de Espana, Noblejas, in Spanish. Man announcer interviews a Spanish man in the program "Espanoles en la Mar"; ID. Good reception, 45544. 11940. Jul 29, 2019. 2052-2103, Radio Exterior de Espana, Noblejas, in Spanish. Man talks with maritime theme; 2053 Transmission problem in modulation with interruption and returns at 2054; ID and a song by female singer; 2056 ID and other song; 2100 Time pips and ID; Woman announcer presents news. Fair reception, fades and transmission problems presumably, 35433 (JRX_Jose Ronaldo Xavier, SWARL Callsign PR7036SWL, Cabedelo, Brazil, Receiver (s)_ Tecsun S-2000, Antenna (s)_ Longwire, WOR iog via DXLD) 9690 kHz not on at 2048 UT this afternoon (30 July) but 11670, 11940, and 12030 kHz all audible here in NB (-- Richard Langley, WOR iog via DXLD) 9690, July 30 at 2215, no signal from REE North American frequency, at least not missing English since it`s Tuesday. Still well audible S9+10/20 on ME frequency 12030 backwards, in Spanish introducing blues music from Chicago! Earlier I heard it going into Arabic at 2130, ``Huna Madrid``. 9690 had been missing for several days, but reported by Richard Langley as heard again: July 29 at 2000; and later that same hour by JRX in Brasil; by RL until 0205* July 30; but missing again July 30 at his 2048 check (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hopefully REE being off 9690 means that they’re fixing their transmitter. As best I could tell, they were the source of some horrendous splatter up and down the band (Art Delibert, MA, HCDX via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Reception of Radio Exterior de España in Spanish, July 30 1500-1800 on 11670 NOB 200 kW / 161 deg to WCAf Spanish Mon-Fri 1500-1800 on 12030 NOB 200 kW / 110 deg to N/ME Spanish Mon-Fri And Radio Exterior de España in other languages, except Spanish: 1630-1700 on 11670 NOB 200 kW / 161 deg to WCAf Arabic Mon-Fri 1630-1700 on 12030 NOB 200 kW / 110 deg to N/ME Arabic Mon-Fri 1700-1730 on 11670 NOB 200 kW / 161 deg to WCAf Portuguese Mon-Fri https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/radio-exterior-de-espana-in.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. Radio Dabanga via SM di Galeria & Talata Volonondry, July 30 0429-0457 7315 SMG 250 kW / 150 deg to EaAf Darfur Arabic, very good 0429-0457 11650 MDC 250 kW / 335 deg to EaAf Darfur Arabic, very good https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/radio-dabanga-via-sm-di-galeria-talata.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. Radio Tamazuj via Talata Volonondry and Issoudun, July 29: 1459-1557 15150 MDC 250 kW / 340 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic*, very good 1459-1557 15400*ISS 250 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic*, very good * at 1545 15150 MDC 250 kW / 340 deg to EaAf English Mon, NOT ON AIR * at 1545 15400 ISS 250 kW / 139 deg to EaAf English Mon, NOT ON AIR 7 sec delay from transmitter Talata Volonondry to Issoudun * co-ch 15400 unknown kW / unknown to EaAs Chinese Music Jamming! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/radio-tamazuj-via-talata-volonondry-and.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. Eye Radio is again on SW, July 29, Very good signal July 29 via Issoudun from 1600 on 15410 in Arabic, from 1616 probably will be in English -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Confirmed. There was about 10 minutes of news. Also, later in the broadcast, after the news in Arabic, there was an extensive interview in English. Only fair reception using the U. Twente SDR receiver due to the closeness to the transmitter site (- Richard Langley, ibid.) FRANCE, Eye Radio is again on shortwave via Issoudun, July 29: 1600-1700 on 15410 ISS 250 kW / 139 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic* Mon-Fri * including other langs English/Dinka/Nuer/Shilluk/Bari/Zande/Lutoho According to IBB RMS Eye Radio is again on SW effective from July 22 https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/eye-radio-is-again-on-shortwave-via.html VATICAN, Eye Radio is again on SW via SM di Galeria on July 30 0400-0500 on 7340 SMG 250 kW / 150 deg to EaAf Juba Arabic* Mon-Fri * including other langs English/Dinka/Nuer/Shilluk/Bari/Zande/Lutoho According to IBB RMS Eye Radio is again on SW effective from July 22 https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/eye-radio-is-again-on-sw-via-sm-di.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News Jul 28-31, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** SURINAME. 4990, Radio Apintie, Paramaribo, 0530-0540, 26-07, pop songs. 15321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Reinante, Tecsun S-8800, cable antenna, 8 meters, WOR iog via DXLD) ** SWAZILAND. 6129.99, ESWATINI, TWR, Manzini, in Portuguese / Kimbundu (from 1950) 07.22.2019, 1923-1955 man religious talk, reading many excerpts from a religious book (ment. Cristianismo, igreja primitiva, Deus, palavra de Cristo, genealogia de Jesus Cristo, Sao Lucas, Israel, Mesopotamia, farao, Egito, filha do farao, livro de profetas, idolatria, Babilonia, etc.), till 1946:13", women rel. chant, man announcement, ment. addresses, phones, ID (Trans Mundial), choral chant with instrumental music, IS once at about 2150, into program in Kimbundu, two men announcements (ment. Kimbundu), with two IDs (Radio Trans Mundial), music pause, choral chant, man religious talk; better in ssb, ceaseless fast qsb and moderate qrn, good. (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. 9310, new VOA program for the Rohingya people (1130-1200). For my July 30 reception, received a full data e-QSL from Gary Butterworth, an executive producer with VOA. Sent him a report with my audio file http://bit.ly/2Ms5NhU His function at VOA is not usually to send out QSL's, therefor I will not distribute his email address, so he will not be overwhelmed with requests. He tells me he was a "one-time DX’er" himself and has been involved with launching of the new Rohingya program. Thanks very much to Mosrur Zunaid (Bangladesh) for posting a copy of his e-QSL at FB WRTH (who correctly deleted Gary's email address) (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) See also MYANMAR [non]; U S A ** TIBET. Last night I noticed that the Chinese stations are back on 4905 & 4920 (-Jose Jacob, India July 29, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) CHINA / TIBET 29 38 54 N 91 14 53 E Lhasa-Baiding # 602 site 594 1134 1377 kHz 300 kW, SW 13 x 100 kW, curtains, also NVIS skywave fountain mountain type antennas visible. Summer maintenance break is over at Lhasa Xizang, is back on air since yesterday July 28: Chinese 2000(Tu.2100)-1800 UT (not Tu. 0600-1000 UT) 2230-2300, 0030-0100, 1030-1100 UT relay of CNR1 11950 (290d) 0158-0857 - 7240 (290d) 2000-0157, 0858-1800, 11860 (085d) 0258-0857 - 7450 (085d) 2000-0257, 0858-1800, 6050 (nd), 5935 (085d), 4820 (nd) 2000-1800 UT Tibetan 2050(Tu.2100)-1805 UT (not Tu. 0600-1000 UT) 2300-2357, 0400-0457, 1300-1357 UT relay of CNR11 in Tibetan 0700, 1600 UT in English "Holy Tibet" 9490 (085d) 0200-0957{not on air at 0720 UT July 29} 7255 (085d) 2050-0200, 0958-1805 UT 7385 (290d) 2050-0200, 1000-1805 - 9580 0200-0928 UT 6200 (85), 6130 (290d), 6110 (220d), 6025 (268), 4920 (nd), 4905 (nd) Checked appearance of the various SW channels yesterday, due of usual summer maintenance break of the broadcast center facility #602 in Lhasa-Baiding, at difficult weather conditions, 250 freezing days a year mostly, in height of 3700 meters ASL / 11,840 ft. [non] CHINA, 15745 kHz substitute during Lhasa maintenance is now closed, and scheduled 11860 and 11950 kHz from Lhasa are both back in service today. On July 29 no signal anymore of PBS Xizang in 19 meterband on 15745 kHz from Lingshi to Tibet Chinese target. Narrowed to 36.50 N 112.60 E TDoA direction finding in KiwiSDR on July 28 - CNR Station Mahexiang Lingshi Jinzhong Shanxi #725 station at locator 36 51 29.10 N 111 52 28.90 E or sister station some 5 kilometers away at 36 52 38.46 N 111 55 30.62 E some 2000 kilometer distance to Lhasa Xizang target, at 255 degr azimuth, or (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 29, WOR iog via DXLD) Last night was not very good here for Asian DX, but I could hear hets on all of the usual Lhasa-Baiding frequencies — 4905, 4920, 6025, 6130 and 7385 (— Art Delibert, Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, USA, July 29, hcdx via DXLD) Re: [HCDX] PBS Xizang? 15745 kHz measured July 27 --- Various 15745 kHz signals on KiwiSDR net and extension TDoA measured direction finding, signals from Khabarovsk, Hong-Kong South-China, Delhi India, approximate Jamming Station Xingyang Locator 34 51 08.50 N 113 25 38 E https://binged.it/2SJj1Ic https://goo.gl/maps/RLC2qC72b6FgZTzR8 Lhasa Tibet, China LIVESTREAM Chinese not working on my PC. http://www.vtibet.com/en/radio/live/?inputStr=hy http://www1.s2.starcat.ne.jp/ndxc/ see Tibet Schedule CNR17 http://www1.s2.starcat.ne.jp/ndxc/cn/cnra19.htm help 15745 kHz Chinese language program now in July 2019. I guess substitute Xizang Chinese program of 11950, 11860 kHz of Lhasa Baiding DURING SUMMER REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE AT BAIDING site ? (Wolfgang Bueschel, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) re CHINA, new 15745 kHz as substitute during Lhasa maintenance in July 2019 --- So on July 28 made another direction finding matter snap: rather narrowed to 36.50 N 112.60 E TDoA direction finding July 28 Re: PBS Xizang? 15745 kHz measured July 27 / 28. Heard on July 27 - but not via newly erected 19 mb dipole curtain antenna at Lhasa-Baiding #602 site in Tibet / East Turkestan / Western China area. Checked TDoA direction finding procedure via KiwiSDR units in Khabarovsk Far East Russia, southern China and New Delhi India SDR's, Various 15745 kHz signals on KiwiSDR net and extension TDoA measured direction finding, signals from Khabarovsk, Hong-Kong South-China, northern Tokyo Japan, Delhi India locations, is a difficult matter - sampling procedure showed two results - centered approximate via two locations - Jamming Station Xingyang at locator 34 51 08.50 N 113 25 38 E some 1900 kilometer to Lhasa or Kashgar Xizang target, at 260 - 275 degr azimuth, or rather narrowed to 36.50 N 112.60 E TDoA direction finding - CNR Station Mahexiang Lingshi Jinzhong Shanxi #725 station at locator 36 51 29.10 N 111 52 28.90 E or sister station some 5 kilometers away at 36 52 38.46 N 111 55 30.62 E some 2000 kilometer to Lhasa Xizang target, at 255 degr azimuth, or (Wolfgang Bueschel, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Ron, maybe Xizang Lhasa Baiding #602 site is back on real full schedule again since 0956 UT today July 28. 73 wb 15745 substitute - and today July 28 off air at 1000 UT (Ivo, ibid.) Checked appearance of the various SW channels yesterday, due of usual summer maintenance break of the broadcast center facility #602 in Lhasa-Baiding, at difficult weather conditions, 250 freezing days a year mostly, in height of 3700 meters ASL / 11,840 ft. 15745 kHz substitute during Lhasa maintenance is now closed, and scheduled 11860 and 11950 kHz from Lhasa are both back in service today. On July 29 no signal anymore of PBS Xizang in 19 meterband on 15745 kHz from Lingshi to Tibet Chinese target (Wolfgang Bueschel, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Narrowed to 36.50 N 112.60 E, TDoA direction finding in KiwiSDR on July 28 - CNR Station Mahexiang Lingshi Jinzhong Shanxi #725 station at locator 36 51 29.10 N 111 52 28.90 E or sister station some 5 kilometers away at 36 52 38.46 N 111 55 30.62 E some 2000 kilometer distance to Lhasa Xizang target, at 255 degr azimuth, or (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 29, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) 28/7, 15745, supposedly Xizang PBS, 0836 with just S1 here in SKG [?]. poor also in Belgium K spot 15800 & 15940 CNR jammers. In Belgium K Spot with good signal. While 15940 is very poor 15800 is covered by footstep [?] jammer (read the link above for more or look at the video on https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4pIK0k9k-J8 ) Above log posted on https://zliangaslogs.blogspot.com/2019/07/fast-monitoring-on-jul-27and-28.html (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, `Ellas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: 15745 substitute - and today July 28 off air at 1000 UT (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 28, HCDX) Glenn, Ron, maybe Xizang Lhasa Baiding #602 site is back on real full schedule again since 0956 UT today July 28. 73 wb (Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET. CHINA, Fair signal of PBS Xizang Holy Tibet on July 29 0700-0800 on 9580 LHA 100 kW / 290 deg to EaAs English https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/fair-signal-of-pbs-xizang-holy-tibet-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. 11675.67, V. of Turkey, Emirler, in Turkish, 07.11.2019, 0712-0726, woman interviewing man (with long talk, ment. Amerika, ekonomi, Turkiye, etc.), heard better in ssb, ceaseless fast qsb, moderate qrm rustle, fair/almost good; // 11750.01, almost good; // 13635 very good (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voice of Turkey in Turkish odd frequency 13635.7, July 26 0600-1255 13635.7 500 kW / 310 deg WeEu Turkish, instead of nominal 0600-1155 11675.0 500 kW / 150 deg WeAs Turkish, 11675.8 on July 25 Something`s always wrong at TRT Emirler transmitting station! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/voice-of-turkey-in-turkish-on-odd_27.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 26-27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) V of Turkey in Turkish very odd frequency 11675.7, July 28 0600-1157 11675.7 500 kW / 150 deg WeAs Turkish, instead of nominal! 0600-1257 13635.0 500 kW / 310 deg WeEu Turkish - 13635.7 on July 27 Something`s always wrong at TRT Voice of Turkey Emirler station!! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/voice-of-turkey-in-turkish-on-odd_28.html TRT Voice of Turkey in Turkish and Russian on 11965 kHz on July 28: 1300-1355 11965 500 kW / 020 deg EaEu Turkish(40 sec), then Russian Something`s always wrong at V of Turkey Emerler transmitting station! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/trt-voice-of-turkey-in-turkish-and.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11615.023, Voice of Turkey Emirler in French language, poor sidelobe signal of S=6-7, at 1935 UT in Qatar ME. Log of yesterday Monday July 29, at 19-20 UT time slot (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via DXLD) TRT Voice of Turkey on very odd frequency 11965.7 July 29: 1300-1355 11965.7 EMR 500 kW / 020 deg EaEu Russian, 11965.0 July 28 Something`s always wrong at Voice of Turkey Emirler station!! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voice-of-turkey-on-very-odd-frequency.html Voice of Turkey in Farsi on odd frequency 11795.7 kHz, July 30: 0824-0826 11795.7 EMR 500 kW / 105 deg to WeAs Bosnian is unscheduled 0830-0955 11795.7 EMR 500 kW / 105 deg to WeAs Farsi, 11795.0 July 29 Other two frequencies at same time in Turkish 11675 & 13635 nomonal Something`s always wrong at V. of Turkey Emirler transmitting station https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voice-of-turkey-in-farsi-on-odd.html Voice of Turkey in Tatar on odd frequency 9855.7 kHz on July 30 1000-1025 9855.7 EMR 500 kW / 032 deg to CeAs Tatar, 9855.0 July 29. Something`s always wrong at Voice of Turkey Emirler station https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voice-of-turkey-in-tatar-on-odd.html TRT Voice of Turkey in Russian on nominal 11965.0 kHz on July 30: 1300-1355 11965.0 EMR 500 kW / 020 deg EaEu Russian-very good signal 1300-1355 11965.7 EMR 500 kW / 020 deg EaEu Russian on July 29, weak https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voice-of-turkey-in-russian-on-nominal.html Voice of Turkey in Turkish on very odd frequency 11675.7 kHz, July 31 0600-1157 11675.7 500 kW / 150 deg WeAs Turkish - 11675.0 on July 30 1157-1203 11675.7 500 kW / 150 deg WeAs Turkish - unscheduled time & 1200-1205 11990 in Turkmen and 13710 in Urdu TRT Voice of Turkey, NO SIGNAL --- Something`s always wrong at TRT Voice of Turkey Emirler transmitting station!! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voice-of-turkey-in-turkish-on-very-odd.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. UA: Chasiv Yar [873 kHz] --- The National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine recently awarded existing and new broadcast licences in the East Ukrainian war zone. This includes a medium wave station of the Ukrainian National Radio. Press release: The regulator has renewed the permissions for temporary broadcasting to "Ukrainian Radio", "FM Army", "Public Radio" and five other licensees. (25 July 2019) The National Council at a meeting on July 25 decided to retransmit temporary broadcasting permits in territories with a special mode of broadcasting to replace those whose validity expired. In addition, two more radio stations received new permissions. "Ukrainian Radio" will continue to speak at frequencies 88.7 MHz in Volnovassi and 0.873 MHz in the city of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, 102.5 MHz in Popasnaya and 106.9 MHz in the Broad City Luhansk Region, and "Radio Promin - at a frequency of 103.1 MHz in the city of Konstantinovka, Donetsk region. [...] Permit for temporary broadcasting is issued for a term of 1 year. Google translation of https://www.nrada.gov.ua/regulyator-ponovyv-dozvoly-na-tymchasove-movlennya-ukrayinskomu-radio-armiyi-fm-gromadskomu-radio-shhe-p-yaty-litsenziatam/ (via Dr Hansjoerg Biener 26 July 2019, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Re DXLD 190718 [sic]: Since July 8, on all sites of the regional branches of the Public Broadcaster of Ukraine, the online broadcast of radio begins to operate. ... https://www.suspilne.media/branches ... Unfortunately, the streams are geoblocked. I randomly checked streams at http://ukr.radio/maps and they worked (Dr Hansjoerg Biener 26 July 2019, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Try Vira Maliy, deputy editor-in-chief, English Service of Ukrainian Radio: maliy@nrcu.gov.ua 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, WOR iog via DXLD) Thanks for that, Mauno. You sparked me into action, especially having a name attached to an email, so I wrote a letter to Ms. Vira just now. I'll see if a response comes back, and perhaps share it with the group! Cheers! (Walt Salmaniw, ibid.) Well, unfortunately, Vira Maliy's address bounced, so instead, I sent it to RUI@nrcu.gov.ua and will see what happens! (Walt, ibid.) I sent my email to englishservice@nrcu.gov.ua but the reply came from Vira's personal address (Mauno, ibid.) [non] 7780, USA, Radio Ukraine International (via WRMI), 0230 IS and a woman with ID of “This is Ukrainian Radio” and a man with program highlights and a woman with news – Fair to Good with slight fading July 27 (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) ** U A E. 9410.106 odd fq - one of the four tx is much ODD fq, at Al Dhabbaya UAE, S=9 at 0427 UT, BBC London Arabic program. Some logs of remote SDR in Doha Qatar in ME [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U A E. NHK World Radio Japan via ENC-DMS Dhabayya on July 29 1515-1600 on 11775.2 DHA 250 kW / 060 deg to SoAs Urdu, very good https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/nhk-world-radio-japan-via-enc-dms.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KPUG 1170 Bellingham WA --- Good morning, While listening on a SDR local to Bellingham for different radio event, I stumbled across and .heard the 2X harmonic of KPUG 1170 Bellingham WA. Hoping this will be good DX for someone, even though I can't hear from my home. 73 Joe -- Avoid internet congestion, real radio uses airwaves. (Joe Miller, KJ8O, Desert Hot Springs, CA, Locator DM13sw, 1356 UT July 17, ABDX yg via DXLD) WTFK? Never mentioned, but would be 2340 kHz (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Since WWV is in well on 5, 10, 15 and 20 MHz, July 26 at 0121/0132, I check the NRD-545 for zero-beat tuning. It has always required a correxion factor of about plus 10 Hz, but now I find the offness is not linear: 5000 = tuned to 4999.99, add 10 Hz 10000 = tuned to 9999.98, add 20 Hz 15000 = tuned to 14999.97, add 30 Hz 20000 = tuned to 19999.95, add 50 Hz These offsets are not precise since tuning display does not go down to the 1-Hz level. My more precise .### 3-digit measurements must be made with the R75 instead (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. 6080even, BOTSWANA, VoA English news, BREXIT matter, Boris Johnson premier min in Downing Street arrived, S=9+10dB in WeEUR. 0337 UT. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) see also BOTSWANA Yes, but at 0400 VOA English switches to SAO TOME site, where I always notice 6080 considerably off-frequency+plus (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. VOA Bangla from July 29: 1130-1200 on 9310 very good, 9980 fair/good, 11570 weak/fair, all via unknown tx sites -- 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, WOR iog via DXLD) VoA English program via IBB BBG relay centers in SoEaAsia in UdornThani Thailand and Tinang-Philippines: 1130-1200 UT 9310-UDO very good, 9980-UDO fair/good, 11570-PHT weak/fair (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 29, WOR iog via DXLD) Target audience being Rohingya? And does this replace Learning English, which went out on different frequencies but in the same time slot, reported by you as missing last Thursday? The only piece of VOA PR in regard to Rohingya (other than repeated hurray about a documentary they produced) is this, also indicating the apparent reason for putting Learning English on shortwave at all: https://www.insidevoa.com/a/voa-learning-english-team-trains-rohingya-refugees-in-bangladesh/4873757.html (Kai Ludwig, Geremany, ibid.) Yes, probably VOA Bangla replace VOA Learning English at same time slot 1130-1200 UT. Today again no signal on former Learning English freqs 12030, 15715 and 17790 all via Tinang (Ivo, ibid.) In the meantime announcements have been posted: https://www.insidevoa.com/a/voa-launches-rohingya-language-program/5019593.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GVGza3wmBU So apparently also on 1575 kHz from Bangkok which still carries the regular Bangla broadcasts, too (Kai, ibid.) Same on shortwave at 1131 UT, July 29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMDLQcQyXhg&feature=youtu.be (Ivo, ibid.) Not UDO, all via PHT, as former VOA Learning English at same time: 1130-1200 on 12030 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 15715 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 17790 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English (Ivo, ibid.) VOA Launches Rohingya Language Program Distance in 31 meterband frequencies towards Burma - Bangla border to reach the muslim Rohingya refugee camp there Udorn Thani to Burma - Bangla border 1050 kilometer Tinang PHL to Burma - Bangla border 3100 kilometer Subject: Re: [WOR] [HCDX] Voice of America in Bangla on shortwave from today July 29 --- read that details from USA monitoring Rangoon item yesterday July 29: http://rmsweb.ibb.org.in/RMS_Data/Scripts/2019_07_29/RANG/RMS_SCRIPT_RANG_190729_163343.TXT (Wolfgang Bueschel, ibid.) July 30 - VOA on 9310 // 9980 // 11570; tuned in at 1132, to catch the end of the intro in English to the new VOA program for the Rohingya people; then into Bangali. Per Ivo Ivanov, these are all via Tinang-Philippines. My brief one minute audio at http://bit.ly/2Ms5NhU Regarding the name of the language, believe that "Bangali" is the English word for the language, while "Bangla" is the word used in Bangali. This per http://bit.ly/2ZnGAsy . So for our purposes, either is correct? (Ron Howard, California, ibid.) See also THAILAND But Wolfgang Bueschel corrected my post 9310 & 9980 Udorn, 11570 Tinang and he's right (Ivo, ibid.) VOA LAUNCHES ROHINGYA LANGUAGE PROGRAM Teachers gather with VOA Learning English instructor at the end of training. Today the Voice of America’s Bangla language service https://www.voabangla.com/ started a five-day-a-week radio show in Rohingya, the language spoken by Muslim refugees that have fled Myanmar. More than 800,000 people have taken refuge at the Kutupalong camp, one of the world’s largest refugee camps at the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Titled Lifeline, the 30-minute radio show, is available through short and medium wave signals. The program focuses on the lives and needs of the refugees, providing them with valuable information on security, family reunification, food rations, available shelter, education and health including vaccinations and water purification. In addition, a daily segment of the program offers the refugees the opportunity to share their stories, extend greetings to their families and learn about the hazards of joining extremists groups. One overarching objective of the broadcast is to counter Muslim extremists’ narratives and recruitment efforts in the camps and inform the Rohingya about the U.S. and the international community’s involvement in the crisis. “After visiting Cox’s Bazaar and the Kutupalong refugee camp last year, it became obvious to me that we needed to address the informational needs of these people caught in the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world today,” said VOA Director Amanda Bennett. https://www.insidevoa.com/a/amanda-bennett-voa-director/3280016.html “Providing them with a reliable and authoritative source of news, as well as practical information that will improve their lives, is what the Voice of America does well in various hotspots around the world.” Prior to launching the Rohingya language program, a VOA Learning English team travelled to the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in March of this year at the invitation of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. The VOA instructors offered six days of intensive training on teaching techniques and methods for 100 selected English teachers. The teachers, in turn, will use the acquired knowledge to train another 5,000 of their colleagues in the camps. About Voice of America VOA reaches a weekly global audience of more than 270 million people in 40+ languages in nearly 100 countries. VOA programs are delivered on multiple platforms, including radio, television, web and mobile via a network of more than 2,200 media outlets worldwide. VOA’s seasoned journalists are experts on topics trending in the United States and around the world. The Voice of America is funded by the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media, an independent federal agency (VOA PR via Hansjoerg Biener, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) VOA in Bangla /Rohingya Language/ on shortwave from July 29 1130-1200 9310 UDO 250 kW / 276 deg to SEAs Rohingya Mon-Fri, good 1130-1200 9980 UDO 250 kW / 280 deg to SEAs Rohingya Mon-Fri, good 1130-1200 11570 PHT 250 kW / 270 deg to SEAs Rohingya Mon-Fri, weak 1130-1200 9310 UDO 250 kW / 276 deg to SEAs English Sat/Sun July 28 1130-1200 9980 UDO 250 kW / 280 deg to SEAs English Sat/Sun July 28 1130-1200 11570 PHT 250 kW / 270 deg to SEAs English Sat/Sun July 28 Voice of America Learning English at same time slot is cancelled 1130-1200 on 12030 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 15715 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English 1130-1200 on 17790 PHT 250 kW / 283 deg to SEAs Learning English https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/voa-in-bangla-rohingya-language-on.html (Ivo Ivanov, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Unscheduled broadcast of VOA-1 English/Music July 28 1130-1200 on 9310 unknown tx, good; 9980 unknown tx, fair and 11570 unknown tx, good. Probably targeted to SEAs via transmitters located in Udorn Thani or Tinang or Tinian https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/unscheduled-broadcast-of-voice-of_28.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOA: see also MUSEA! ** U S A [and non]. WORLD OF RADIO 1992 monitoring; confirmed first SWBC, Friday July 26 at 2200 on WRMI 9955 (which is always SSE, not NNW as I miswrote last time --- altho a lot of us depend on its back radiation.) Seems like lite Cuban pulse jamming starts up at same time; tnx a lot! Anyhow, my local line noise level has relented for the moment, allowing 9955 thru clearly at S9/+10. Also confirmed UT Sat July 27 after 0130 on WRMI 7780, JBA in HNL. 7780, WRMI at 0130 with Glenn Hauser's “World of Radio” - Fair to Good with slight fading July 27 [Sat] (Mark Coady, Selwyn, Ontario, Kenwood TS440S, Drake SPR-4, or Ten-Tec Argonaut II and 80 and 40 meter off centre-fed dipoles (OCFD) and an Alpha Delta DX-LB inverted vee dipole, ODXA iog via DXLD) Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, confirms: ``GERMANY, World of Radio #1992 via Hamburger Lokalradio on July 27: https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/world-of-radio1992-via-hamburger.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yGtNk1eWek&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM1FnC2mNCU&feature=youtu.be 0630-0700 on 6190 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg to CeEu English Sat, fair`` Not confirmed Sat July 27 at 1130 on WRMI 9955 --- a gospel huxter instead, as now shown on the skedgrid. All the other WOR airings on WRMI appear to be intact, including three imaginary ones between 21 and 22 on the no frequencies of System D [WORLD OF RADIO 1993] Not confirmed Sat July 27 at 1430-1500 on Hamburger Lookalradio, 7265-CUSB; via UTwente SDR, as usual, not a trace of even a reduced carrier vs huge splash from 9490 Romania. Next: 2100 UT Saturday WRMI 9955 to SSE 0130 UT Sunday WRMI 5850 to NW 0300vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM [nominal 0315] ND 1030 UT Sunday HLR 7265-CUSB Germany to WSW 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 to NE 0130 UT Monday WRMI 9395 to NNW, 7780 to NE 0230 UT Monday WRMI 7780 to NE 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 to SSE 0930 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW 1130 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW 1816 UT Monday IRRS 7290 Romania ND 0100 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 to NE 0800 UT Tuesday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [2 editions] 2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 to SSE 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW 0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 to NE (mp3 stream) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1992.m3u (mp3 download) http://www.w4uvh.net/wor1992.mp3 WORLD OF RADIO 1992 monitoring: confirmed Saturday July 27 at 2107, the 2100 on WRMI 9955, poor S4-S6; so I can`t know if transmitter was really on by 2100 this time. NOT confirmed UT Sunday July 28 at 0130 on WRMI 5850, so our only WRMI broadcast beamed NW across North America is a bust. 5850 is not on the air at all, nor at earlier check 0052 past 0101, boding ill. So two of the three Saturday times on WRMI were no-shows. Confirmed UT Sunday July 28 at 0322 already underway the nominal 0315 on WA0RCR, 1860-AM, MO, going from Brazil to Canada, which is 3 minutes into, so started circa 0319; S9+10 and not too much line noise level: I then find that it`s worst between 3.0 and 9.5 MHz; also with some peaks in the MW band such as around 1200. Hope OG&E will be back on the case Monday. Also confirmed by Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria: ``GERMANY, World of Radio #1992 via Hamburger Lokalradio on July 28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjCxNFUNTc0&feature=youtu.be https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/world-of-radio1992-via-hamburger_28.html 1030-1100 7265 GOH 001 kW / 230 deg to CeEu English Sun, weak/fair`` Next: 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 to NE 0130 UT Monday WRMI 9395 to NNW, 7780 to NE 0230 UT Monday WRMI 7780 to NE 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 to WSW [6160v, 3265v too? CHECK] 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 to SSE 0930 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW 1130 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW 1816 UT Monday IRRS 7290 Romania ND 0100 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 to NE 0800 UT Tuesday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [2 editions] 2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 to SSE 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW 0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 to NE WORLD OF RADIO 1992 monitoring: confirmed Sunday July 28 at 2130 on WRMI 7780, JBA as usual daytimes on this band. Also confirmed UT Monday July 29 at 0130 on WRMI 7780, S9+10 and local line noise is off; also on WRMI 9395 VG S9+20. Also confirmed UT Monday July 29 at 0230 on WRMI 7780, JBA vs storm noise from TX panhandle, Wichita areas. Also confirmed UT Monday July 29 at 0300 sharp on Area 51 webcast; at 0326 check also on WBCQ 5130.35v, and audible on WBCQ 6159.9v, but can`t tell whether also on 3264.9 JBA carrier. John Carver could tell in mid-north Indiana: ``Glenn. 3265 is not carrying Area 51 programming tonight. However WOR is on both 5130 and 6160. John``. and Richard Langley, NB, says 3265 was carrying Pirate Joe`s WHVW programming when he checked at 0155. For me it was a JBA 3264.9 carrier at 0132. When I checked 6160- earlier at 0046, I could tell it was JL as well as on Area 51, 5130+. Area 61?? (My local high line noise problem of S9+ between 3.0 and 9.5 MHz has gone away as of UT Monday July 29 --- unlikely due to any OG&E repair over the weekend, so apprehensive it may cut on again at any time. If not, but still pending, will difficultize OG&E finding the source.) WOR 1992 also confirmed UT Monday July 29 at 0330 on WRMI 9955, VG S9+20 this time and no jamming audible; WOR started immediately after music fill. Next: 1816 UT Monday IRRS 7290 Romania ND 0100 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 to NE 0800 UT Tuesday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [2 editions] 2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 to SSE 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW 0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 to NE (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn. 3265 is not carrying Area 51 programming tonight. However WOR is on both 5130 and 6160 (John Carver, 0303 UT Mon July 29, DXLD) WORLD OF RADIO 1992 monitoring: confirmed UT Tue July 30 at 0100 on WRMI 7780, fair. Next: 2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 to SSE 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v to WSW 0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 to NE WORLD OF RADIO 1992 monitoring: confirmed Wed July 31 at 2100 on WBCQ 7490.1v, JBA. NOT confirmed on WRMI 9955, until abrupt *cut-on Wed July 31 at 2100.5 with WOR joined already in progress, poor with Cuban pulse jamming already. Such are the risks of being the very first program on a given transmission. Far from synch with WBCQ which is too weak to figure out the displacement (gh, DXLD) 7490.14, WBCQ, Monticello ME; 2059-2131+, 7/31; Call IDs into Glenn Hauser’s World of Radio #1992; repeated my ‘tirade’, from the MARE Tip Sheet, about my tuning-knobless GMC Terrain; WoR to 2128:55 into fill music to 2130.02 Goddess Irena promo. SIO=3+54 with buzz QRM & fady (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also confirmed UT Thu August 1 at 0100 on WRMI 7780, fair S8-S9+10 but not overcoming storm noise level (local hi line noise is off at the moment; but back 24 hours later) WORLD OF RADIO 1993 contents: Andorra non, Antarctica, Australia, Bolivia?, Bougainville, China, Congo, Cuba, Czechia, Equatorial Guinea, Europe, France, Indonesia, Korea North non, Laos, Netherlands, North America, Oman, Spain, Sudan South non,Tibet and non, USA, Vatican, Vietnam, Zambia, unidentified; meteor scatter, and the propagation outlook. Finished by 2250 UT Thursday August 1, ready for first broadcasts on Friday. On SW should be at: 2200 UT Friday WRMI 9955 0130 UT Saturday WRMI 7780 0629vUT Saturday HLR 6190-CUSB Germany 1000 UT Saturday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [Aug 3 & 17; alt. weeks] 1430 UT Saturday HLR 9485-CUSB Germany 1930vUT Saturday WA0RCR 1860-AM 2100 UT Saturday WRMI 9955 0130 UT Sunday WRMI 5850 0300vUT Sunday WA0RCR 1860-AM [nominal 0315] 1030 UT Sunday HLR 7265-CUSB Germany 2130 UT Sunday WRMI 7780 0130 UT Monday WRMI 9395 7780 0230 UT Monday WRMI 7780 0300vUT Monday WBCQ 5130v Area 51 6160v? 0330 UT Monday WRMI 9955 0930 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW 1130 UT Monday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW 1816 UT Monday IRRS 7290 Romania 0100 UT Tuesday WRMI 7780 0800 UT Tuesday Unique Radio 3210-USB NSW [2 editions] 2100 UT Wednesday WRMI 9955 2100 UT Wednesday WBCQ 7490v 0100 UT Thursday WRMI 7780 [it appears we will now be running on a Friday-to-Thursday cycle, so freshest new airings are on weekends] Full schedule including AM, FM, webcasts, satellite, podcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI RMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI WRMI: ** U S A. 15770, July 25 at 1547, WRMI in dead air, or is it JBM? Maybe a trace; still/again DA at 1837 check instead of SMTV. What a waste. BTW, I`m baffled why WRMI does not use a single 11 or 13 MHz band frequency in the summer daytimes, rather 6, 7 or 9 MHz which lose a lot to absorption and are lucky to be audible at one-hop distance from Okee (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just a couple of notes about the Radiogram. First, as someone remarked, they would expect "better service" if they were paying for the program. WRMI airs the RadoGram at NO CHARGE. In addition, the transmission line for the transmitter on 5850 kHz was damaged by a storm over the weekend and was only fixed on Sunday morning when there was daylight. The RadioGram also airs at the same time on 7730. Operating any Shortwave station is very difficult these days. The "supply" of technical people that can work on this equipment is shrinking at an alarming pace. In just a handful of years, it will be critical for most SW stations around the world. Many senior engineering staff is at or over retirement age or closing in fast. Younger people show no interest, and why should they? Today they can make as much working in IT than in broadcasting. Now, this is simply my personal opinion and does not represent any station. Personally, I see a tremendous amount of undue criticism on how many of the SW stations are run. Some people seem to be experts who have never operated such a facility. It's not for the faint of heart. The term "armchair quarterback" comes to mind. Unless you are active in the business you can't comprehend the challenges you face on a daily basis. Tube replacement costs are skyrocketing, and certain parts (like qualified engineers) are often in short supply (Bob Biermann, YWS, WRMI, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Bob, it was only an observation. I meant no criticism, being fully aware that SWR is broadcast as a service by WRMI. Still, reality is reality, and it is disappointing that 5850 is not infrequently down. A simple statement of fact, from a listener with over 50 years of listening experience. I think that this is a perfect forum for such a discussion. Regards, ((Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, ibid.) I'm wondering what you mean by "it is disappointing that 5850 is not infrequently down." Until this line failure over the weekend, I'm unaware of any time that transmitter 12 (the one in question) has been down when it is scheduled to be on the air, outside of a rare power failure at the site. Could you provide some information on when it has not been on the air? Being that I see this transmitter running on a regular basis, this is news to me (Bob Biermann, ibid.) ? even at 4 am EDT? (gh) Bob, I regularly record SWR over the 0800 UT Sunday hour. Every week. I would say that this is probably the 4th time this year that it did not appear; and this was verified each time in this forum, usually blamed on computer glitches. There may have been more of them. 4 is my guesstimate. I should have mentioned that I avoid the 7 MHz sender, as it's frequently above the MUF overnight, especially during the colder seasons. 5850 always provides superb reception! As I'm asleep at the time, I go with the lower frequency. Cheers! 73, (Walt, ibid.) You had indicated off the air, which I take as transmitter off line. As far as computer glitches, the automation software is highly reliable, and the computer systems are on massive battery backup. The program needs to be uploaded to us. If the program is there, it will air. One of the issues at WRMI is the fact of no decent or reliable Internet Service providers that can reach or serve us. It is worse than third world. We are miles from civilization, and I mean miles. There is no cable or Fiber within 8 miles, just some poorly maintained copper wire pairs from CenturyLink. We have an over-the-air backup, but it's a multi-mile hop, subject to frequent problems we can't control. Many programmers want to stream, but bandwidth is scarce. Satellite "may" be an option in the future, but there are severe data limitations making it a poor option at present, and in Florida, rain fade issues (Bob, ibid.) Bob, a good discussion, indeed. What initially seemed like an idyllic site for Family Radio has its limitations. In a very small way, I totally understand the poor internet connection. I laugh when I listen or read those experts who belittle shortwave as a bygone medium, indicating that, "everyone has cell service and internet", when I know very well from my extensive travels that this is simply not the case, and at risk of being turned off at the whim of a dictator or government. At my cottage on Haida Gwaii (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), despite there being quite decent internet in-town, I'm 8 miles out of town, and it might as well be 800! And the costs I've been quoted for laying fiber optic to the cottage is crazy, so 12 years after purchasing the property, still no internet! Cheers! (Walt, ibid.) I was surprised at WRMI`s poor internet service, as its streaming of 9955 programming is pretty reliable, and I seldom have any problems uploading 10+ MB WOR files via ftp to four different Systems taking a minute or two each (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Shortwave Radiogram --- Looks like 5850 once again wasn't on last night during the 0800 hour, as nothing decoded on Fldigi while I slept. Still is not an unusual occurrence. If I was paying for the service, I wouldn't be too pleased! Lucky WINB came through with great results Friday (local) evening on 9265, which seems always well heard out on the west coast. 73 (Walt Salmaniw, BC, 1400 UT July 28, WOR iog via DXLD) Someone wrote on this topic in the SWRG-FB-Group: ".... I'm getting fed up with WRMI because this has happened at least three times this year already." But the // 7730 kHz with their west beam (==> 285 °) worked, according to other member information. Also, a SWRG does not have as high a priority as the advocates of God. ;-) Here is my html-png-collection of own and 3rd party "art work": http://www.rhci-online.net/radiogram/SW_Radiogram_2019-07-27.htm#SWRG (roger, WOR iog via DXLD) 9455, WRMI Radio Miami Int’l (presumed); 2007-2023+, 7/29; Classic pop & 1 disco tune (Bring back disco!). SIO=453; audio dropouts every few seconds with OC on starting at 2018. SIO=453 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7780 WRMI: From my recording last Sunday evening, 28-29 July UT (again, mostly weak to fair signal for the first hour or so; reception improved significantly later as evening approaches): 2030 Reserve Military Retirement 2100 Wavescan (#544) 2130 World of Radio (#1992; last sentence or two cut by transition music) 2200 Voice of Report of Week (not Bob Biermann's Your Weekend Show) 2300 Full Gospel Hour [sic] Broadcast (tape bleed-through echoes) 2330 Shortwave Radiogram (#110) 0000 Radio Slovakia International in Slovak 0030 Radio Slovakia International in English 0100 Wavescan (#544) 0130 World of Radio (#1992) 0200 Radio Prague in English 0230 World of Radio (#1992) (-- Richard Langley, WOR iog via DXLD) 5800 kHz --- I must be missing the ID of this one, but straight religious choir music noted from 0050 tune in with occasional English ID's -- signal is quite good on regular radios here in Maryland; any help with this appreciated (Dan Robinson, 0106 UT July 30, WOR iog via DXLD) Weak into Montreal but I believe WRMI is testing on that frequency lately (Gilles Letourneau, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 0116 UT, ibid.) [Edited Message Follows] [UPDATE -- now know this is WRMI] (Dan Robinson, ibid.) ** U S A [non]. FRANCE, Reception of Alameda Bible Fellowship via TDF Issoudun, July 29: [RMI brokered] 1700-1730 13660 ISS 500 kW / 135 deg EaAf English Mon/Wed/Fri vy good Reception of Alameda Bible Fellowship vs Rep. of Yemen Radio June 29: 1930-2000 11860 ISS 500 kW / 180 deg WeAf English M/W/F Alameda BF same time 11860 JED or RIY / unknown N/ME Arabic Dly Rep.of Yemen R! https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/08/reception-of-alameda-bible-fellowship.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 28-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ BCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ WBCQ: ** U S A [and non]. Also caught this 6160 vs. 6165 at 0245 UT. WBCQ much better transmission. Cuba [6165] down in the noise weeds. Sangean ATS-405 barefoot from Cent. CT, USA. Regards (Paul S. in CT FN31nl, July 25, WOR iog via DXLD) 6160, WBCQ, Monticello ME; 2205-2301+, 7/25; Bro. HyStairical with apparently a 2017 program. Mentioned “Obama the Obama-nation”. No BoH huxterbreak. 2251:30 rock; 2154:30 WBCQ ID & send $ spot, into more rock. Not on the WBCQ’s sked page, the usual lists, or B.S.’ sked page. SIO=3+53- (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7490.2v, UT Fri July 26 at 0110, WBCQ is still on with Brother Scare, more or less like 7570 & 7730 WRMI. WBCQ sked does not show anything on 7490 after 0100, and 0000-0100 is an Available Time Slot. Apparently an ad-hoc extension of TOMBS now that he`s no longer on 9330v, but for how long? 6159.775, July 26 at 0543, JBA carrier, presumed WBCQ slipped down from the plus side. Still too much almost-constant line noise of at least S9 here below 9 MHz, but electric utility OG&E is now working on locating and fixing it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This July 26 UT morning, nothing of WBCQ 9330 channel on air, 3-4 UT. 7490.181, WBCQ TOM BS roarer, program til 0359 UT, then full extended WBCQ addresses and data around 0359-0400, TX switch off at 0401. S=9+5dB. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) 6160, WBCQ, 0340-0403> Testing new frequency relaying WHVW 950 kHz from Hyde Park NY. Blues music show with numerous WHVW ID’s. WBCQ ID & promo at 0400. Then recorded s/off announcement 0401, but relay of WHVW continued. Guess they ran the wrong tape. Fair to poor on 7/26 (Don Hosmer, from the lost city of Damon, north of West Branch MI, ICOM IC-7200 + G5RV dipoles & W6LVP loop, MARE Tipsheet July 25 via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Ee 6160.096V kHz. 6159.969, probably USA WBCQ new channel outlet, TOM BS roarer program, talk on Bush and Reagan matter, S=9 into WeEUR at 0345 UT. Music program at 0712 UT too. Frequency odd on lower side today. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) 6160, WBCQ, Monticello ME; 2113, 7/26; 1920s music program -- whose name I forget. SIO=3+53; // 7490.15, SIO=353 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Behaviour Night 7490.13v, Friday July 26 at 2358, WBCQ S9+20 including noise, so hardly readable, 6160 hardly audible as local line noise is on again; just prior to this week`s live `AAAWWW`. But I do manage to make some sporadic notes, none from the webcast: 5130 will air a special on Saturday starting at 4pm ET [20 UT], ``a free radio program coming out of the West``, but no further details (Could it be Station YHWH, which did a special on WBCQ previously?). Oh oh, he says #2 transmitter on 5130 just shut down. Some fumbling around as he tries to phone Tom while on the air, then unusually plays a couple minutes of music from 0009. AW back before 0012 saying with 5130 off, will just be trimulcasting now instead of quadri-, i.e. still also on 6160, 3265. A 50 kW transmitter has been testing, retuned to 6160, which he nicknames ``Sexy 61-60``. Now during a break in the local HNL, I can also hear him on 6160, but 7490 is better. By 0035, between random HNL bursts, I find 6160 at S9-S5, and no ACI yet from 6165, as RHC may not come on until 0100. Now I measure it just a tad below 6160.00. He also mentions that WBCQ is employing more and more computer control. Then reads an anti-Moslem dissertation. For a more complete summary, over to John H. Carver: ``Tonight's show started a bit early again on 7490. First voice over during the theme music was moon bats. Allan and Angela in the studio again. Opening talk about all the landscaping Angela is doing around the station. Phone lines are locked down at the moment. Allan discloses that 6160 is indeed using the old 9330 transmitter after some TimTron modifications were added for better fidelity. Allan announces that the 5130 transmitter has gone down and attempts to restart it remotely. The attempt fails and he puts some music on and goes out to the transmitter building to see if he can start it. He returned after a few minutes and announced that the transmitter has a grid short and will have to be worked on tomorrow morning. So they are only transmitting on 3265, 6160 and 7490. He states that he is very happy in general with the new transmitter and antenna. Says it will be back on in late August as they continue tweaking things on it. Says that airtime on 6160 will sell at about twenty-five dollars an hour with generous discounts for blocks of time. Wants good pirate shows, good music shows, etc. Reads some old emails at 0035 of which one sets off some political talk. Reading of current emails at 0058 and closing prayer at 0102. After the prayer he announces that there will be a special program on 5130 on Saturday starting at four Eastern. For tomorrow only the Area 51 service will move to 6160. No phone calls allowed this evening and Allan ran out of time before he could give the state of the station address that he promised at the beginning of the program. Program was off the air at 0106 with no music and directly into Brother Stair. John, Mid-North Indiana`` 6159.976, July 27 at 0504 is its measurement now; wobbles slightly in real time and probably varies more over a longer period. This is all I can do with its JBA carrier in HNL, not determine what programming. Earlier we had this from Larry Will in Maryland: [see below] BUT, that arrangement will depend on whether they can get the 5130.4 transmitter working again. Note that this also implies that at 0300v UT Mondays, WORLD OF RADIO should be on 3264.9 and 6160v, as well as 5130.38v. Can anyone confirm by monitoring? 3265 just doesn`t make it here, especially in summer noise (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: Allan tells me that there is a special programming block that will on 5130 kHz on Saturday from 4 pm to 2 am US eastern time. This displaces our Area 51 programming. However, we will be on the new 6160 service instead. This is the former 9330 transmitter that's been re-tuned for the new frequency. I've been listening to this new service this week and it is putting out a great signal, much better than 5130 during the times when Area 51 is on. On Sunday we'll be back on 5130 but should also have a simulcast on 6160 as well. Our regular 3265 weekend simulcast will remain in place. If I recall, this service simulcasts Area 51 all weekend except for Pirate Joe's talk show on Saturday night. Allan will be on live tonight at 8pm eastern time on 3265 // 5130 // 6160 // 7490. Cheers, Lw (Larry Will, July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) WBCQ special on 5130? Thread about this on the WOR iogroup: So can anyone hear 5130.38? Is it on the air, and if so with what ``special free radio from the west`` at 20-06 UT? Would not expect it to be on Area 51 webcast, which this was going to replace today, and that is playing rock music (Glenn Hauser, 2234 UT Sat July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) I quickly checked; it's about an SIO 444 now here in MD with music on my KiwiSDR: http://sdr.hfunderpants.com:8073/?f=5130.3amnz10 (Chris Smolinski, Black Cat Systems, Westminster, MD USA, http://www.blackcatsystems.com 2237 UT, ibid.) The title comes up on a blank page (Glenn, 2246 UT, ibid.) Browser issue? (Chris, 2248 UT, ibid.) I guess so - that was on Firefox. Now getting it on Edge. Could not understand an ID at 2252, then tribute to Wolfman Jack. I suspect it is not YHWH (Glenn, 2253 UT, ibid.) Checked 5130 a couple times 2100 and 2200 UT; pop and rock music mix with good signal in Montreal (Gilles Letourneau, 2253 UT, ibid.) I`ve continued listening with one ear [only via Chris` SDR]. Oldies, with some modulation dead air breaks. IDs something like ``Campus Radio Summer Camp``, with seemingly legit callsign IDs for three? Indiana stations, one of them an -LP, in Bloomington; and for WBCQ 5130. Asking for calls from SWLs to 812 369 5839. Announcement breaks circa 2304 and 2331. And other times in between, seems like live DJs (Glenn, 2338 UT, ibid.) This appears to be the source, higher fi and without the dropouts: https://wiux.org/listen/991fm/ (Glenn, 0011 UT, ibid.) Re: [WOR] WBCQ special? This programming was parallel to WIUX on 99.1 FM in Bloomington, Indiana (Ethan Best, July 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Area 51 on 6160 --- Tuned in at 2245 to get my equipment adjusted. Was mostly noise till 0003. Signal started to come up and wasn't terrible. Marred by two long, noisy hets. At 0101 the audio disappeared completely and could only hear RHC [from 6165]. Had to shut off the SYNC function and go to a narrower filter to get correct audio back. Could still hear the audio from Cuba underneath things, but could copy Area 51 (John Carver, Mid-North Indiana, 0207 UT July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Yep, I also hear WBCQ transmitting on 5130 kHz. Report is as follows: 0105 UT -- English- Program: Music Request Show. SINPO 45334. There is quite a bit of flutter. So, they must have managed to get it to return to the air. 73 de (Chuck W3ON Gessner, 0112 UT, ibid.) With GPS-sync active on my KiwiSDR, I make it 5130.317 kHz at 0135 UT July 28. Classic rock. S9+20. Relatively good modulation with some distortion, and some thunderstorm QRN (Jim Barrett, Elmira, NY, 0157 UT, ibid.) Area 51 on 6160 [instead] --- Tuned in at 2245 to get my equipment adjusted. Was mostly noise till 0003 [July 28]. Signal started to come up and wasn't terrible. Marred by two long, noisy hets. At 0101 the audio disappeared completely and could only hear RHC [6165]. Had to shut off the SYNC function and go to a narrower filter to get correct audio back. Could still hear the audio from Cuba underneath things but could copy Area 51 (John Carver, Mid-North Indiana, 0207 UT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. At 2308 UT, 5130.408 kHz variable wandered some 2-3 Hertz around, and 6159.881, music program S=9+5dB at 2320 UT. Also nearby in 49 mb 6069.969 kHz CFRX Toronto S=9+25dB in Detroit, 2316 UT. And also 6115even WWCR proper S=9+20dB at 2322 UT. 73 wolfie df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, July 28, WOR iog via DXLD) Canned IDs every half hour or so, so swift that it was hard to copy call letters. At first I thought one of them was WIUS, but that`s in IL, and WIUX-LP correlates with Bloomington IN, as well as music audio seemingly matching but far out of synch with WBCQ via MD SDR --- in fact, WIUX itself about 32 seconds behind WBCQ as received here at 0014 July 28. One of the other Indiana calls sounded like WWHH, but that`s not right for any legal station. Did anyone copy them all for sure? At 0024 UT July 28, I`m finally trying to hear it on my own receiver, VP S8 on 5130.32; programming on 7490+ and 6160 all sound different at 0028. At 0047, 6160 is S9+10 vs local high line noise level. Remember that Larry Will expected his Area 51 to be on three WBCQ frequencies Sunday evening/UT Monday: 6160, 5130 and 3265. Please confirm whether this applies to WORLD OF RADIO at 0300v, not just 5130+ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) (7490), July 28 at 2301 listening to WBCQ webcast for `Le Show` of Harry Shearer, instead hear frequent drops in modulation, BCQ IDs inserted, dead air, resume Le Show, etc., etc. Still drops off at 2321, webcast also buffering. I assume the same problems appeared on the SW transmission. 7490+ itself at 0132 check, I notice that TOMBS is on again tho sked shows nothing between 01 and 03 UT Mondays after `Encore`, part of which I enjoyed hearing on mono webcast (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WHVW via WBCQ 3265 kHz --- Good reception last night (29 July UT) at 0155 here in NB just 100 km from the transmitter. So, is my reception via groundwave or near-vertical-incidence skywave from the bit of power from the antenna going more-or-less straight up? Usual eclectic range of music (-- Richard Langley, WOR iog via DXLD) 6159.916, July 29 at 0457, this WBCQ is still on with algo, S8-S9 but suffering from 6165 RHC music splash; while 5130+ is off by now after Area 51 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nothing noted of WBCQ in 49 mb at 2205 UT in Detroit Michigan site, rather TOM BS program of WBCQ on 7490.094 kHz at 2206 UT. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 30, WOR iog via DXLD) 6160v, July 31 at 0057, no signal from this WBCQ, at a daypart it had been active, so what now? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) New registered frequencies of WBCQ-6 in A-19 HFCC Database for World's Last Chance Radio effective from Aug. 5?: 2000-0857 on 12120 BCQ 500 kW / 075 deg to N/ME Arabic 0900-1157 on 15705 BCQ 500 kW / 075 deg to NoAf Arabic 1200-1557 on 9330 BCQ 500 kW / 255 deg to MEXI English 1600-1757 on 9330 BCQ 500 kW / 300 deg to WNAm English 1800-1957 on 9330 BCQ 500 kW / 057 deg to WeEu English https://swldxbulgaria.blogspot.com/2019/07/wbcq-6-worlds-last-chance-radio.html (Ivo Ivanov, SWLDXBulgaria News July 26-27, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Allan said --- Allan Weiner‏ @AllanWBCQ 2h2 hours ago --- So. What are you doing tonight? Listening to that shortwave radio I pray. Tune in 7490khz. For most interesting programming. Now more than ever. The free speech rolls. Superstation will return soon to blast signals everywhere. Awesome. And really cool this radio thing. Classic!! (via Artie Bigley, Aug 1, DXLD) OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHER OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW OTHERSW: ** U S A. 5829.985, WTWW sermon En male, S=8-9 fluttery into WeEUR. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) No time, but between 0314 and 0323 per adjacent logs. WTWW-1 always off-frequency-minus, also 9475- which I never bother to measure (gh, DXLD) Test transmission of WTWW-3 in 19mb on 15810 kHz, July 26 from 1200 on 15810 TWW 100 kW / 040 deg to ENAm English, very weak. 73! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, WOR iog via DXLD) Nothing noted on air in N America and Europe at 1348 UT. 73 de wb df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 26, ibid.) 15809.958, July 27 at 1502, JBA offset carrier must be another WTWW-3 test, while neighbor 15825 WWCR is only a trifle stronger JBA carrier. No sporadic E boost today over their two-close-for-F2 one-megameter paths! First noted 15810 JBA carrier via UTwente at 1458 after trying to hear WOR on 9485. 9930, Saturday July 27 at 1610, surprised to find WTWW-2 on here for the first time in ages; very strong on caradio but no precision measurement possible. Ted Randall in hamtalk, but his interviewee is muffled, unreadable as if almost totally off-mike. Maybe was an axual ham contact not patched in properly for broadcast? 1615 modulation cuts off and on, while carrier remains steady; 1620 carrier off during which I check all other possible WTWW frequencies on the DX-398 and hear nothing. 1622 back on with dead air. 1623 rockmusic and jingle; Ted asking for reports and music requests; implies a prize for those citing a specific phrase, ``I want to win``. Apparently testing with pre-recorded programming. Still going with rock music, ham ads past 1700; and still at 1804 check plugging auto-music-request on website for the ``5085`` service --- but it`s 9930 now, geez (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) July 28 2019, 1535 UT --> 9930 kHz WTWW Lebanon TN USA-Musical Request Oldies Show-SINPO 55555. Station ID's notes 5085 kHz. This transmission does not show on their online web site for 9930 kHz. As I type this at 1900 UT. WTWW is continuing to transmit an oldies request music show. They are very strong. I suspect this may be a test of their Transmitter 3 mentioned on their web site, with no schedule. Maybe it`s a Summer Schedule change. 73 de Chuck W3ON (Chuck Gessner, 1812 UT July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) Therefore suspect correct date of log must be July 27, also the date I heard the rare 9930, but cannot be certain it was not on some other dates (gh, DXLD) 9930, July 27 at 2101, WTWW-2 is OFF, after having been ON during midday as in previous report, testing? Nor is there any signal audible on 15810-, WTWW-3, which was on earlier that morning. 5085 (nor 9930) is still not on at 2336 nor by 0000 UT July 28, no `Theatre Organ in the Ozarx` to be heard, but probably would be a repeat, and probably on webcast (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5830, July 29 at 0455, WTWW-1 is off, nor audible on day frequency 9475. 5085, WTWW-2 however is on with rock music, accompanied as always by the weak spurs about 5072.1 and 5097.9. Unfortunately did not have a chance to check for similar spurs when 9930 was rarely activated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9265, WINB Red Lion PA; 2120-2130+, 7/23; Unique Radio, “Sounds of Your Life” oldies program; RU/WINB relay announcement at 2127+; WINB full ID at BoH into “Evergreen Bible Baptist Broadcast”. S20 peaks (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RU ? - Radio Unique instead of Unique Radio? (gh) 9265, WINB Red Lion PA (presumed); 2024-2030+, 7/29; Enthusiastic English religihuxter with enthusiastic flock & frequently verging on huxtergasms; “It ain’t doin’ you no good if you believe it and don’t obey”; ragging on TV religihuxters; no BoH huxterbreak. S10+ peaks (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7505.004, WRNO ID and ministry address at 0350 UT, 1-2 Hz unstable varying, but nice audio, phone in from South California. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) 7505v, WRNO, on July 26, after being in English, cut off in mid-sentence at 0401* (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn, WSB 95.5 NEW ID OF INTEREST https://radioinsight.com/headlines/179331/wsb-completes-95-5-move-in-drops-750-from-branding/ (via Artie Bigley, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Viz.: WSB COMPLETES 95.5 MOVE-IN; DROPS 750 FROM BRANDING By Lance Venta On Jul 31, 2019 95.5 WSB WSBB Atlanta 750 Cox Media Group has completed the move-in of 95.5 WSBB-FM Doraville GA and in doing so has rebranded it and 750 WSB Atlanta as “95.5 WSB” removing all on-air references to the 50 kW AM signal. The 95.5 signal has relocated from suburban Gwinnett County to the tower just east of downtown Atlanta utilized by sister AC “B98.5” WSB-FM as well as 90.1 WABE and 103.3 WVEE with 100kW/279m giving the station full-market coverage of Atlanta. Originally the station was licensed to Athens before moving into the Atlanta market in 1999. 95.5 began simulcasting WSB in August 2010. With the upgrade of the FM signal in the market, WSB has rolled out new branding as it switches its branding from “News 95.5 and AM 750” to just “95.5 WSB” positioned as “Atlanta’s News & Talk”. Cox Media has made similar moves over the past few years at WOKV Jacksonville and WDBO Orlando where they eventually flipped the AM to Sports utilizing ESPN Radio programming after a long transition period. But those were not the powerhouse AM signals that 750 WSB was, showing how even the self proclaimed “Voice of the South” have fallen in prominence. WSB/WSBB-FM ranked second in the Atlanta market with a 6.3 share in the June Nielsen Audio ratings and just lost its closest format competitor with EMF’s purchase of 106.7 WYAY from Cumulus. Lance Venta is the Owner and Publisher of RadioInsight.com and a consultant for RadioBB Networks specializing in integration of radio and the internet. Lance has two decades of experience tracking the audio industry and its use of digital platforms. WSB IN THE NEWS NEWS ARTICLE: https://www.ajc.com/blog/radiotvtalk/exclusive-wsb-about-move-signal-from-flowery-branch-east-atlanta/J7dJRFAXPzCrsXmBlcVI7I/ (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) Viz.: EXCLUSIVE: WSB about to move FM signal from Flowery Branch to East Atlanta --- Radio & TV Talk Blog 15 hours ago By Rodney Ho Originally posted Wednesday, July 31, 2019 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog News/talk WSB is about to move its 100,000-watt FM 95.5 signal from Flowery Branch to East Atlanta. It’s a major 45-mile move that will weaken its pull in, say, Athens, but provides the 95.5 signal a major upgrade in places such as Douglasville, Griffin and Peachtree City. Folks in Toccoa, in Stephens County, will go from having a strong 95.5 signal to near static. But the reverse will be the case for residents of the more populous Carrollton in Carroll County. The signal will be on the same tower as three powerful stations: news/talk 90.1/WABE, R&B/hip-hop station V-103 and sister station B98.5, the adult pop station. Pete Spriggs, program director, said the change could happen any time within the next two weeks. He is merely awaiting final clearance from the Federal Communications Commission. He has already changed the station’s on-air descriptive from “News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB” to “95.5 WSB, Atlanta’s news and talk.” The removal of any reference to AM in the slogan is symbolic. The AM signal is not changing or going away. The new slogan reflects the reduced import of the AM signal for its listening audience and how the new FM signal will make that even more of a reality. Spriggs said only 10 percent of its target 25-to-54-year-old audience now listens via AM. Nearly as many stream the station. “The AM signal is still extremely important and is considered the most historic radio signal in the Southeast,” Spriggs said. “But for marketing purposes, if I want a new listener to tune into my station, it’s going to be a lot easier to find us on the FM dial.” The new signal, he said, should be comparable to the 100,000 watt power of B98.5, which covers all 20 metro counties. To get a sense of what the new signal’s reach might be, here is B98.5’s FM estimated coverage map, with the inner circle providing a clear signal even inside buildings, the middle circle a so-so signal that is fine in cars and the outer fringe a marginal signal. For comparison, the current 95.5 signal’s coverage emanating out of Flowery Branch is below that one. The new map will cover a significantly bigger, denser population. Currently, WSB’s AM 750 signal covers the entire metro area and at night, it can be heard in several states as one of the few “clear channel” signals in the country. But fewer and fewer people listen to AM in part because the sound quality is so poor. WSB added its 95.5 FM signal in 2010 with management well aware at the time of the weakening hold AM was having on the Atlanta public. Cox, which owns the station, sacrificed its successful rhythmic top 40 station 95.5/The Beat for its higher revenue-producing news/talk station. In fact, once WSB added its FM simulcst, AM listening in Atlanta fell across the board, hastening ratings losses for sports station 790/The Zone (which became Korean talk a few years back), new/talk 640/WGST-AM (which now has negligible ratings) and urban talk station 1340/WAOK-AM (which was once a powerhouse urban station decades ago but isn’t doing much better than WGST.). Sports talk 680/The Fan added a transmitted signal at 93.7 FM in late 2010 for the same reason WSB did earlier that year and it has helped them stay competitive after 92.9 became sports talk the Game in 2012 while the Zone faded away. Despite its FM signal challenges in parts of metro Atlanta, WSB has been a No. 1 station in the Atlanta market for several years. It has ceded the top spot in recent months to Christian pop station 104.7/The Fish. WSB currently does not have much competition on the FM dial outside the two NPR stations (88.5/WRAS-FM and 90.1/WABE-FM) since Talk 106.7 switched to a Christian music format K-Love in June that now competes directly with the Fish (via DXLD) Any broadcaster who disses its own once-prized 50 kW clear channel AM station like that deserves to lose it. Clear the airwaves! Or let someone else use it. WSB deserves no respect either for imposing hate-mongers Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh to the market, and unfortunately, still beyond. Welcome South, Brother (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** U S A. 1170, KLOK, San Jose, California STILL pattern and power-cheating --- Just a few minutes ago, out in the radio-room on my DX-200 and Tecsun AN-200 loop atop the radio, I noted a strong (formerly unreceivable here upon dusk pattern-change) 1170 KLOK San Jose with South Asian/Indian music and an ID at about 0640 UT. Worse, their obnoxious HD hash sidebands are wiping-out 1160 KSL's analogue signal unless nulled. Conversely, 1160 KSL's obnoxious HD hash sidebands wipe-out 1170 KLOK's analogue signal similarly. Both are very strong tonight, indicating cheater KLOK is running full-daytime power of 50 kW. What a total mess the AM band is now in the USA! I can count tonight easily at least 10 now-known power/pattern cheaters. Has the asinine FCC ceased completely [abandoned?] its enforcement-standards (low anyway) in-lieu of busting FM pir8s now? Insane. I have almost given-up DXing AM now due to this horrid band-cram (where nearly every channel is now "Graveyarder-style") unless I catch rare TP DX (by autumn, again, hoping!) 73- (Steve McGreevy -- N6NKS - www.auroralchorus.com, 0652 UT July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Ron, I recall I could null Sacramento on 1240 and hear Monterey quite fairly by day in north San Rafael (Marin County) in the 80s. At Point Reyes Lighthouse, KNRY was HUGE along with all of the other Monterey Bay stations including 1410 KRML Carmel (formerly a daytimer) because of the sea-water path. You should make a complaint about their harmonic to KNRY gently reminding them it IS illegal emissions and also is causing interference with legal SW operations. 740, KCBS put out a noxious 2nd harmonic on 1480 that caused problems with reception of Walnut Creek (KWUN) back long ago as well as other 1480 DX by night (I was 11 km from their blaring big-lobe south-south-eastward toward SanJose). However, I loved the fact that 740 KCBS nulled in the direction of Hawaii and also out toward Point Reyes, thus enabling cool 738 TP-DX through, happily (2NR/Tahiti/etc.). BCB harmonic DXing IS fun to do, but a local station spewing out a QRMing harmonic is not! This autumn, at LONG last I am making a real effort to move close to the southern Oregon coast (or nearby) so I can resume decent TP DX again that I miss so much). I've been inspired by Gary DeBock's cliffside DXing on the n.e. OR coast and I can make the split from this noxious desert location (Keeler, CA) to there, soon, hopefully! I constructed a 6-rod "open" FSL and it is red-HOT for all MW-DX and very compact for travel DXing, and it has a BIG induction-field for high-gain/Q. As such it is high-time I get back to *good* DX-land again. (And a trip DU hopefully for this, also). 73 - (Steve McGreevy -- N6NKS – www.auroralchorus.com, WOR iog via DXLD) Hi Steve, You are right when you talk about "because of the sea-water path." The KNRY radio antenna tower is actually located right on the beach at Cannery Row/Monterey Bay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZJ3IvJc4x8 Good luck with the move up north! (Ron Howard, Monterey, Calif., ibid.) Additionally, I have observed THREE Immaculate Heart Radio (very conservative Catholic Evangelism ad nauseam) are definitely power-cheating at night: 1050, KJPG Frazier Park, CA now overwhelming co-channel power-cheater KORE Springfield, OR that has BroStair a lot. How ridiculous! 1200, KYAA Soquel (Santa Cruz) CA also blares-in nightly now with IH Radio programming // 1050 KJPZ's rubbish. 1000, Vista, CA (also IHR b.s.) takes their "sweet time" to knock down their power to allow clear KOMO reception, often - maybe by 2 hours past sunset they finally "get around" to culling their signal. Stupid IHR! I wonder what/who are all of these CE entities allowing this...(?) This all increases the near-total chaos on the USA AM dial by night! Geez, WHY doesn't the insane FCC just allow everybody to run daytime powers full-blare all night so DXers in Afghanistan can hear wonderful 10 kHz channel heterodyne-jumbles all over the band? ;-) - (SpM- N6NKS - www.auroralchorus.com July 27, ibid.) ** U S A. Glenn, See the attached item, released today. Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D.C. 20554 In the Matter of Gillen Broadcasting Corporation, Licensee of Station WAJD Gainesville, Florida ) ) ) ) ) ) ) File No.: EB-FIELDSCR-19-00029337 Facility ID: 24209 NOTICE OF VIOLATION Released: July 31, 2019 . . . https://www.fcc.gov/edocs/search-results?t=quick&fileNumber=EB-FIELDSCR-19-00029337 https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-358823A1.txt I see frequent mentions in DX Listening Digest of AM stations which obviously aren't reducing power or changing antenna patterns during nighttime hours in accordance with their licenses. And we've observed instances of this in due diligence work as well. This NOV probably came about because someone provided the Field Enforcement folks with a good well-documented complaint, and perhaps it even showed an instance of interference to some other station (Ben Dawson, Hatfield-Dawson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That is about WAJD = 1390 kHz, Gainesville FL, not reducing power at night from 5000 to 51 watts (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 1660, July 28 at 0305 UT, Waco ad making fast SAH with the other 1660 around here, Kansas City; then Waco rejoins a Rangers game, presumably silly baseball from Texas vs another game on KWOD. The two are mutually nullable as usual. Checking only because MWCircle had this item via editor Steve Whitt on July 26: USA ESPN KRZI 1660 off air https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/espn-central-texas-radio-station-vandalized-damage-knocks-station-off-air.html tho it`s not clear in this brief item what the vandalism was and replies from the P.D. indicate it was back on by the next day (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 91.3, July 27 at 1559 UT after financial talk show, ``91.3, KAXR Arkansas City`` ID. On caradio a few miles north of Enid; I never hear this in Enid due to ACI from local 91.1. At this location, Enid`s 92.1 dead air and even 91.1 are losing out to CCI. KAXR is 13.5 kW, a disposable AFR station. 91.5, July 27 before and after 1600 UT, on caradio north of Enid, two stations combating, gospel music vs talk. Music must be KSNS, Medicine Lodge KS, 95 kW vertical, 0 kW horizontal, just across the OK frontier, and somewhat audible in Enid if it get past 91.7 KOSU and its HD noise; as for the other, of the three 91.5 Okies, none likely --- too far, too low-powered or both (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RADIO FREE AMERICA The greatest radio shows in America, on your schedule https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/ Here`s their long station list: https://www.radiofreeamerica.com/stations it`s in alfabetical order by city, so you may want to do a search on call letters instead. Strangely? enough, not a single OK station, nearest being the one from KS, HPPR (High Plains Public Radio out of Garden City). I first heard about this from plugs on one of my favorite webcasting stations, KSFR in Santa Fe. RFA mainly allows access to music shows on demand for two weeks, but also linx to them when they are live. This includes many of the best, or most diverse, public, university and community radio stations. Some of them used to be on my Monitoring Reminders Calendar, which I had to suspend as just too much work to maintain. Recommended to explore RFA if you have time to listen to so much good stuff (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FM Broadcaster at 87.75 in Chicago --- There is a broadcaster on 87.75 (That is the audio frequency for TV channel 6). You would say it is outside the FM Broadcast band. It is known as MeTV FM. If you tune an old analog TV to channel 6 you'll hear the station and they also have some video as well. The TV signal is weak in the far western suburbs of Chicago where I live. The station is owned by Weigel Broadcasting the parent owner of MeTV, a channel with mainly 60's, 70's & 80's TV reruns. They can be seen not only in Chicago but many other markets as a multicast. Check http://www.metv.com to find out if it is available in your area (Marty Stark, N9NTM, St. Charles, IL, July 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WTFDA FM Database shows 87.7, not 87.75, so which is it really? ``WRME-LP 87.7 CHICAGO IL 3.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 41-53-56 87-37-23 82C8 ME TVFM Title & Artist Soft Rock SOFT AC 87.7 METV FM`` That is WRME-LP, channel 6 TV, 3 kW per w9wi.com with an Oldies format. rabbitears.info with details a la FCC info, originally called WLFM and still corporate name. Neither of these explain that it`s really a ``Franken FM`` radio station licensed as a TV station. If its CP to become an LP DIGITAL TV station ever be realized, that`ll be the end of analog FM audio (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I was in western North Carolina last week and decided to check out the non-commercial end of the FM band. I quickly ended up on WNCW, operated by Isothermal Community College [88.7, Spindale NC, 17 kW, 926m]. I'd heard about this station in the past. I'd heard that it plays a good amount of bluegrass and Americana music, but had never listened to its audio stream. While driving around, I was surprised by the variety of programming and the professionalism of the announcers -- who spoke well and were able to ad lib. I even heard them with a band live in studio and the host ably handling the interview and performances. It's not mentioned as a separate program, but they appear to highlight a new album every afternoon at 2 p.m. (shades of the "feature album" that progressive stations played in the 1970s). All in all, it was refreshing to hear a public radio station with more adventuresome programming than the norm. There's even a Friday night hour of Frank Zappa ("Frank On Friday"), which the station's web site says is not streamed. "During certain hours, WNCW does not simulcast its broadcast due to federal regulations. These times are Fridays 9 p.m. -- 10 p.m. during Frank on Friday." I have no idea what federal regulation would prevent them from streaming Zappa. If anything, I would think that playing Zappa on the air would be more problematic than streaming it. Curiously, they run two hours of NPR's "Morning Edition" (after an hourlong bluegrass show from 6 to 7 a.m.), but they don't clear "All Things Considered" or any other NPR news programming. They run "Fresh Air" from 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, have a weekend reggae show ("Dubatomic Particles"), and run a North Carolina-produced music show after midnight. While there, I was reminded of the importance of public radio in a rural area -- in this case, the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It appears that the station has a strong enough signal to be listenable in Asheville, N.C. and Spartanburg, S.C. and get underwriting support from the larger geographical area. It was nice to be pleasantly surprised by a local public radio station. This doesn't happen very often (Mike Cooper, GA, Jul 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Obituaries | M. OWEN LEE (FATHER LEE TO HIS MET OPERA RADIO FANS) DIES AT 89 Image The Rev. M. Owen Lee as he was heading to see a favorite movie in Toronto in 1979. He wrote more than 20 books, two of them on movies. Another is called "Father Lee's Opera Quiz Book." Credit Keith Beaty/Toronto Star, via Getty Images By James Barron * Jul 26, 2019 The Rev. M. Owen Lee, a Roman Catholic priest whose childhood fascination with opera prepared him for a 23-year avocation as a knowledgeable and familiar voice on Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera, died on Thursday in Toronto. He was 89. His death, at Presentation Manor, a Catholic retirement home in the Scarborough section of the city, was confirmed by the Rev. James K. Farge, a friend. Father Lee was a scholar by training. His field was the classics. But he did not sound particularly dry or academic on the radio as an opera quiz panelist or as a commentator explicating characters' motives, composers' motifs and librettists' plot twists for an international audience. His commentaries were typically heard during the first intermission of the live Saturday matinee broadcasts, the quiz segment during the second intermission. . . . https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/26/obituaries/father-owen-lee-dead.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. TECHNOTE: TV and Radio Over-The-Air Reception During Tower Painting --- By WKAR Staff • Jul 22, 2019 Share Tweet Email UPDATE Mon. 7/22/19 10:45am | Thank you for your patience during our recent tower painting project. The project has been completed safely and all stations are back to full power. . . https://www.wkar.org/post/technote-tv-and-radio-over-air-reception-during-tower-painting#stream/0 At 4:48PM 7/25, Larry sez that TV-23 has returned (via Larry Russell, MARE Tipsheet July 25 via DXLD) Step by step info on process, something few stations would share with listenerviewers (gh, DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 8812-USB, Ho Chi Minh Radio - Vietnam Coast Station, *1239, July 25. One of the many VISHIPEL (Vietnam Maritime Communications and Electronics LLC) coastal stations; marine coastal conditions in Vietnamese and English; each language segment starting with phone tones; not very readable; today's date given; "South China coastal waters," "Area forecast for the next 24 hours," "End of broadcast." My unedited audio at http://bit.ly/2K60MZc Probably a daily feature, as same noted July 24. 8812-USB, Ho Chi Minh Radio - Vietnam Coast Station, *1242-1244*, July 29. In English with warning about a low pressure that will be developing into a tropical cyclone. Map tracing the projected path of the low pressure, turning into cyclone at http://bit.ly/2K0yjVT My local sunrise was at 1311 UT, with Ho Chi Minh sunset at 1117 UT (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) ** YEMEN [non]. 11859.96, SAUDI ARABIA, Republic of Yemen R. (presumed), Jeddah, in Arabic, 07.20.2019, 1018-1034, Arab humdrum singsong chants with instrumental music till 1027, man talk (mostly unclear, with some mentions of Yemen); better in lsb, ceaseless fast qsb, strong qrn, poor/very poor at times (Gianni Serra - Roma-Italy, Equipment: JRC NRD 525 receiver; Alpha Delta DX-SWL Sloper-S antenna; RG 8 mini coaxial cable; JPS NIR 12 Noise & Interference Reducer-Dual DSP outboard audio filter; JRC NVA 319 external loudspeaker unit; Yaesu YH-77 STA stereo headphones; Oregon Scientific RM912 radio controlled clock; date in month/day format, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11859.967, ARS, Yemen exile Radio Sanaa via Saudi broadcast center Riyadh at exact 2000 UT, S=6-7 poor signal in Doha SDR unit. Log of yesterday Monday July 29, at 19-20 UT time slot (Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews, WOR iog via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 5915, ZNBC/Radio One, on July 31, noted they were off the air (checked 0300, 0432 & 0501). On August 1, no signal at 0349, but was heard at 0410; at 0500, news in English, not quite readable, but much better than recent heard; several commercial announcements during the news (GOtv, etc.). Per the following info, seems this one will be erratic (no longer on the air 24 hrs.): Thanks to Ray Robinson's (Voice of Hope - Africa) recent posting in WOR iog: " 'Load Shedding' power outages in Zambia due to low water levels at the Kariba Dam hydroelectric facility went into effect on June 1st . . ." Found this info on the Web: news story from June ("Drought dries up Kariba power output") - http://bit.ly/2Yka0ew which is part says "In May, Zambia’s state-owned power utility began cutting output, unleashing daily blackouts that leave more than 17-million people in the dark." (Ron Howard, Asilomar State Beach, CA, Etón E1, antenna: 100' long wire, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) VOICE OF HOPE - AFRICA (Rlg) Revised complete schedule. English: Days Area kHz 1200-1300 .....ss WAf 13680luv 1200-1300 .....ss CAf,SAf 9680luv 1300-1600 daily WAf 13680luv 1300-1600 daily CAf,SAf 9680luv 1600-1800 daily WAf 6065luv 1600-1800 daily CAf,SAf 4965luv 1800-1900 mtwt... WAf 6065luv 1800-1900 mtwt... CAf,SAf 4965luv English/Hausa/Fulfulde 1800-1900 ....fss WAf 6065luv 1800-1900 ....fss CAf,SAf 4965luv (WRTH Update July 31 via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. 6015Even, TZA, Zanzibar BC, female Swahili presenter, seldom heard mornings here in Europe, but 'midwinter equator' in June/July prop favors the path Tanzania - Europe when Grayline is midst in Near East. S=5-6 at 0329 UT. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 760, July 26 at 0549 UT, WJR Detroit with heavy CCI making a SAH of 56/minute, almost 1 Hz. Normally there is no such QRM as all the surrounding 760s are either supposed to be daytime-only, or in the case of San Antonio, with a null toward the north; and unseems Mexican {Prime suspects: Kansas City and Denver} (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5779.997, straight music program S=6 at 0313 UT Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) Euro-pirate? UNIDENTIFIED. 5800.016, UNID carrier S=8 at 0314 UT. Some rush log items of this morning here in western Europe various SDR's in Holland, England and Germany [selected SDR options, span 12.5 kHz RBW 15.3 Hertz](Wolfgang Bueschel, df5sx, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 26, WOR iog via DXLD) Mysterious secret WRMI transmission? (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. 6134.87 --- See BOLIVIA? UNIDENTIFIED. UNKNOWNISTAN: 9480, China Radio Int’l; 2110-2120+, 7/23; English feature on tourist attraction management in China. Probably from either Albania or Cuba & apparently new. SIO=4+44- with splash from Presumably Passed Pastor Pete Peters on 9475 WTWW (presumed) (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 185' RW, ---- All logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time. ----, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 11745, at 1705 UT July 27 with man in English talking about Yahweh. Very Strong but he could not get the transmitter to stay on air73 (Mick Delmage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Rx: Perseus SDR, Ant: ALA 100 loop, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Station YHWH has been known to show up on surprise higher frequencies in the daytime. If it was Josiah, would you have recognized his voice? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 11895 kHz channel puzzled me tonight: endless China folk music, much guitar mx, not CNR1 program, played of a strong 150 / 500 kW signal, at 2000 til exact 2200 UT, as probably test transmission? Later the night, that channel is used for RFA Kuwait in Tibetan and Chinese at 02-07 UT. Measured few times in KiwiSDR option TDOA, used SDR units at Khabarovsk FE_Russia, Delhi, HongKong, Tokyo and Hanoi units. Jamming station location couldn't traced exact, too much flutter, but was in the extreme North East of China, east of known jamming stn Qiqihar, near Mudanjiang in Heilongjiang province. 73 wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, July 29, WOR iog via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 15400, August 1 at 1348, open carrier at S8, some slow fading to S4, but off by 1349*. Maybe a tune-up check by Ascension or Issoudun which radiate later hours on this frequency (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1993: Chuck Ermatinger, St Louis, for a PP contribution to woradio at yahoo.com. One may also contribute by MO or check in US funds on a US bank to Glenn Hauser, PO Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED FUTURELY: Here's a little bit to keep you going. Thanks for everything you've done/are doing for the hobby! (Richard Terry Colgan, TX, with a contribution via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) An SWL Enthusiast of Yesteryear Saying Thank You! Dear Glenn, It’s an honor to connect with you after many, many years of knowing of you and certainly of hearing you! I was an avid SWLer starting in the early ‘70s using a Realistic DX-150A and living in the EMI-rich environment of the city of Chicago. I was very active in sending reception reports, IRCs (from the post office!), and receiving beautiful QSLs, many of which I’ve seen on your website archives. What great memories! I of course was listening to your DX program weekly back then. Was it perhaps on Radio Nederland or HCJB or both?? [not HCJB; mainly RN, RCI; also Austria, Sweden for a while --- gh]. That was when I was about age 12 or 13, some 50 years ago. As is unfortunately typical with most teenagers, interests shift starting around 17 (and driving!) followed by more of life’s changing priorities and my SWLing enthusiasm waned. That said however, when I married in my mid 20’s my first birthday present from my then new wife was a Panasonic RF-2900 (with a digital display!) which I used many nights typically when settling in to bed for the night. Fun yes, but no more reception reports and QSLs! I still own a nice portable SONY ICF-SW55 that I bought many years ago, which I occasionally will break out to see what I can find. Though my SWL interests waned, I maintained my interest in public service monitoring via scanners over all these years having progressed through many variants of Bearcat scanners and an ICOM R-7000. Today I now own a BCD536HP which I use daily. My technical interests also prevailed and I attained a degree in Electrical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology which at least kept me close to my old hobbyist interests of yesteryear. To my dismay, many countries’ appetites (dare I say budgets) for international broadcasting have disappeared. Which brought me to the web. I happened upon your website looking for the alternative of web-based international broadcasts of shortwave nature. In reading your WOR posts and listening to your WOR Podcasts, I’m excited by the prospects of doing some DXing once again! And more importantly I’m happy to know after all these years your enthusiasm hasn’t waned one bit! You’re a true legend to all of us hobbyists and our hobby would never have been the same without you. And for this, I thank you! I’d love to chat about either yesteryear or today’s SWL challenges if you’d care to reply back. Thanks for all you do! (Julian Warrick) Glenn, In celebration of your upcoming 2000th show, I am sending you this patch. While you are not the Voice of America, you are certainly a voice of America (Lou Johnson, Doraville GA, KF4RCA, July 26) Thank you, Lou! It`s a red/white/and blue VOA patch approx 1 x 2 inches suitable for a cap or a breast? http://www.w4uvh.net/VOApatch.jpg (gh) Glenn Hauser – P.O. Box 1684 –Enid OK 73702 – wghauser@yahoo.com – www.worldofradio.com Lots of great Es loggings from Glenn this month. Check them out at forums.wtfda.org under VUD FM DX Reports. (August WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) Thanks; But unlike any other lifelong WTFDA member, my reports will not be published in VUD itself --- I go for quality and each log is as long as it needs to be, detailed, potential learning experiences --- others go for quantity, to run up their Totals, restricting each log to ONLY ONE LINE, yet so many of them, they take up as much space or more than my few logs would (Glenn Hauser) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS updated July 31: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html WRTH - Amended A19 Schedules Update PDF just issued WRTH 31 July 2019 --- An amended pdf update to the A19 schedules can now be downloaded from the International updates link on this page: http://www.wrth.com/_shop/?page_id=444 http://www.wrth.com/_shop/wp-content/uploads/WRTH2019IntRadioSuppl3_A19SchedulesUpdate_Amend.pdf Free but donations appreciated. (via Mike Terry, Aug 1, bdxc-news iog via DXLD) PACIFIC ASIAN LOG UPDATE Hello everyone: I recently completed the July 2019 edition of the Pacific Asian Log. It was actually posted a couple of weeks ago, but I didn't have time to send out an announcement before going on vacation. This edition has many changes and updates for stations throughout Asia and the Pacific. Most of the updates have been from actual monitoring via remote receivers in east Asia and elsewhere, which should improve the accuracy of station IDs and other information. The PAL has been posted on the Radioheritage website: http://www.radioheritage.net/ The link for the PDF version is at the top center of the site's main page. You can also use an interactive version of the PAL by going through a couple of the site's internal links. Members of the IRCA mailing list in groups.io can also download the PAL from the files page at https://groups.io/g/IRCA/files The next update will probably be published in a couple of months. Corrections and updates from users are always welcome and can be sent to bportzer@comcast.net or portzerbt@gmail.com First issued in 2001, The PAL lists medium wave and domestic shortwave broadcasting stations in southern and eastern Asia and the Pacific. It includes about 5000 stations in over 50 countries, with frequencies, call signs, locations, power, networks, schedules, languages, formats, networks and other information (Bruce Portzer, July 30, WOR iog via DXLD) Why so complicated to access it? (gh, DXLD) Please be advised that both 7BU Burnie and 7AD Devonport have moved to FM. I do not have the channels at hand. 7BU also has an FM translator in Smithton. Narrowcast station here in Launceston (St. Leonards) 1611 (actually 1610.9) has been running open carrier for some weeks now. It is within 2 kilometres of my location and can easily see the towers it shares with TABradio on 1008/87.6 (Robin L. Harwood, Tasmania, former editor 'Spotlight on SWLing" Amateur Radio magazine, WOR iog via DXLD) BEVERAGE ANTENNA HANDBOOK I've uploaded the 3rd edition of Misek;s Beverage Antenna Handbook into the Files area of this group. [75 pages] https://groups.io/g/IRCA/files/Beverage%20Antenna%20Handbook%203rd%20ed.pdf (Chuck Hutton, July 26, IRCA iog via DXLD) Availability of this rare item was widely lauded; but I think you have to be a member to access it (gh) QSL REVIEW BLOG Illustrations of many BC QSLs, presented in Russian https://qsl-review.blogspot.com/ (via RusDX 28 July via DXLD) DXERS FORUM OF BANGLADESH http://www.dxing.xyz/ This website is sponsored by the Dxers Forum Of Bangladesh - DFB Radio Stations – List of International Radio Station‘s Website Link – http://www.dxing.xyz/international-radio-station-s-list-of-website-link/ List of International Radio Station Email Address - http://www.dxing.xyz/list-of-international-radio-station-email-address/ via https://www.facebook.com/groups/wrthgroup/ (via RusDX 28 July via DXLD) FOLLOWING GHOSTS IN NORTHERN PERU Henrik Klemetz has sent an interesting book review of Don Moore’s book “Following Ghosts in Northern Peru”. Don Moore also has a very informative website with lots of information from his travel all over in Latin America. Please visit Patepluma Radio - http://www.pateplumaradio.com/ Book review: Don Moore, ”Following Ghosts in Northern Peru”. Available in Kindle edition or paperback by Amazon.com Before the completion of the Panama canal, many Peruvians and non-Peruvian explorers were looking for a suitable route by road, rail or boat in northern Peru to join the Pacific area of the country with the Atlantic by way of the Amazon. Don Moore, a former Peace Corps volunteer and DXer, has followed their route, digging up the fascinating background of the region's past bonanzas (rubber, sugar, cotton). The book explains how Chinese labor came to thrive in Peru under the leadership of the German businessman Ludwig G. Albrecht, known as Luis Albrecht, founder of Casa Grande, one the biggest sugar-cane businesses of the world. He also tells us how President Belaúnde's highway transformed an area whose inhabitants for decades had to rely on messages via small shortwave stations. creating an unparalleled communicational bonanza at least until 1990 when most of the area finally was covered by the phone and internet. There are neat portraits of Peruvians born in this area, such as the internationally renowned singer Yma Súmac, the politician Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, and the recently deceased former president Alan García. And much more. As an added extra value to readers of this book is the author's internet gallery of pictures, maps, articles and sound files from various Andean countries. See http://www.donmooredxer.com/books/peru/cutervo.html For roaming backpack DXers, there is an interesting article by Don Moore called ”Radio Travel: A complete SDR station for superb portable DXing” at https://swling.com/blog/tag/don-moore (Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, SW Bulletin 28 July via DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY See KIRITIMATI +++++++++++++++++ MUSEA +++++ RADIO MUSEUM, HUNGARIAN I also found an interesting website from Hungary showing lots of unknown (at least for me) communication receivers and other equipment. Please take a look at their VIRTUÁLIS RÁDIÓMÚZEUM. From http://www.radiomuseum.hu/ To view all communication receivers in the museum, see http://www.radiomuseum.hu/katradiok.html (SW Bulletin 28 July via DXLD) `VOICE OF AMERICA' EXHIBITION IS A FASCINATING LOOK AT EARLY SHORTWAVE RADIO https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-07-29/shortwave-exhibition-center-land-use-interpretation The Delano Transmission Station, one of five massive fields of shortwave radio antennae built by the federal government. (Center for Land Use Interpretation) [caption] By David Pagel July 30, 2019 10 AM Long before cell towers started sprouting up everywhere, the federal government commissioned telecommunication companies to build five massive fields of shortwave radio antennae. The structures, which reached up to 450 feet, were located in out-of-the-way places in California, Ohio and North Carolina. Each was designed to bounce radio waves off the ionosphere, allowing federally produced programming to be transmitted all over the globe. The U.S.' international radio broadcaster Voice of America was born during World War II. It expanded during the Cold War. As technology advanced, its programs were carried via television and digital platforms. Today it is part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, providing news and information in 50 languages to a weekly audience of 275 million. Its early years are traced in a fascinating exhibition at the Center for Land Use Interpretation in Culver City. "Voice of America: The Long Reach of Shortwave" takes visitors back to the predigital world, before our political leaders began tweeting their innermost sentiments and policy decisions. Back then, international audiences were addressed more formally, via carefully scripted programming. Rather than focusing on content -- and the charged, often contentious relationship between information and propaganda -- the exhibition examines the infrastructure of shortwave radio transmissions. Of course, that structure comes with assumptions about the role of government -- and a free press -- in a democracy. As is the case with exhibitions at CLUI, visitors are not told what to think, feel or believe about such important subjects; we are free to come to our own conclusions. Center for Land Use Interpretation Murrow Station B detail.jpg A detail of the still-operating Transmission Station B at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in Greenville, N.C. (Center for Land Use Interpretation) [caption] The antennae are the stars of the show. They appear in photographs, in videos and on touch-screen monitors. Arranged in grids, arcs and asymmetrical arrays, they resemble high-tech fishing nets, impossibly spindly bridges, supersized spirit catchers and otherworldly telephone poles. Sculpturally impressive, they make Land Art look fussy, precious and small. All but one of the five transmission stations have been abandoned. The most haunting component of the exhibition is a three-minute video documenting the destruction of the antennae. In sequence after sequence, little puffs of smoke appear before the towering antennae yield to the tug of gravity and topple to the earth in seemingly slow motion. Some crash into others, causing them to fall like skyscraper dominoes. It's a sad ballet that marks the end of an era. A pair of touch-screen slideshows is also bittersweet. It takes visitors on a virtual tour of Transmission Station B (the only one still functioning) and Transmission Station A (its twin). Both are near Greenville, N.C. To see the up-and-running station alongside its vandalized, disused doppelganger is to glimpse a living world next to a dying one. Both are ours. Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station B.jpg The still-operating Transmission Station B at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station in Greenville, N.C. (Center for Land Use Interpretation) [caption] Transmission Station A, no longer in service at the Murrow site in Greenville, N.C. (Center for Land Use Interpretation) [caption] On View --- Entertainment 'Voice of America: The Long Reach of Shortwave' Where: Center for Land Use Interpretation, 9331 Venice Blvd., L.A. When: Fridays-Sundays [times? for how long???] Info: http://clui.org (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) Glenn, VOA in transmitters in the news: [same] https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-07-29/shortwave-exhibition-center-land-use-interpretation VOA in Ohio: https://www.wvxu.org/post/fund-raiser-help-improve-voa-museum-access#stream/0 (via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD) Viz.: FUND-RAISER TO HELP IMPROVE VOA MUSEUM ACCESS By John Kiesewetter • 34 minutes ago The Voice of America Bethany Relay Station in West Chester Township operated from 1944 to 1994. John Kiesewetter [caption] The National Voice of America Museum of Broadcasting will celebrate 75 years of the VOA Bethany station with a Sept. 21 fundraiser to improve access to the West Chester Township museum. The fourth annual benefit will provide money to make the east meeting room and the main exhibit hall accessible for people of all disabilities from the repaved parking lot on the east side, says Jack Dominic, VOA museum director. The Art Deco relay station at 8070 Tylersville Road operated from 1944 to 1994. The "Celebrating 75 Years of VOA Bethany Station” party 5:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, will include dinner-by-the-bite; cocktails; wine; Cincinnati Liars Lager beer from Grainworks Brewing Co.; smooth jazz; and "friendly table-to-table games of Trivial Pursuit," he says. Participants will also be able to tour the VOA Museum, which includes the Bethany control room; the area's largest collection of Crosley products and memorabilia; Media Heritage's Cincinnati Museum of Broadcast History with the Larry Smith puppet collection; and the Gray History of Wireless antique radios. "Our volunteers are creating a unique community asset drawing visitors from around the globe," said Ken Rieser, board president, in the museum announcement. "The impact the Bethany station has made on global understanding and appreciation of the United States is extraordinary. Almost weekly, VOA listeners from countries near and far come to the museum and share their stories of listening to or viewing VOA news." Tickets to "Celebrating 75 Years" are $125 per person or $250 per couple until Sept. 1, then $150 per person and $300 per couple afterward. There will be a cash bar; two drink tickets per person will be provided. For reservations, email Dominic at admin@voamuseum.org or call the museum at (513) 777-0027. The VOA museum is open Saturdays and Sundays 1-4 p.m. General admission is $5 for adults and $1 for children. Crosley Broadcasting engineers built the Bethany station, which transmitted Voice of America broadcasts via shortwave radio to countries worldwide -- first in Europe and northern Africa during World War II, and to South America during the Cold War. Most of the 625 acres were redeveloped for the Cox Road shopping area and a Butler County park (via DXLD) CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ SUPER --- COMING TO A CONVENTION CENTER NEAR YOU! 2019 CONVENTION SERIES THIS CONVENTION IS JAM-PACKED WITH EXCITING AND ENGAGING TOPICS! Featured Keynote Talks -Sporadic is Passé. Learn How To Predict E-skip Openings Like a Pro! -Reading The Sky. Discover Tropo Ducts That Go Halfway Around the Earth! -It’s Time to Dumb-Down. How to Receive E-skip from China with a Paperclip! -The DX Trifecta. Logging the Same Station by Es, Tropo and Ms, within three hours! The DXers Fitness Circle -Dream a Little Dream, What Your DX Dreams Are Really Telling You. -Do You Eat DX? A Nutritionists Guide To Dxing. Its More than Chips, Soda and Skittles. -The Art of Power Naps. How To Pull a DX All-Nighter and not Feel it the Next Day. Let’s Get Technical -The Ultimate Meteor Scatter Antenna. Getting Ms Burns To Last For One Solid Hour. -Nuking The Big Boys. How To Neutralize IBOC & Cell Tower Signals Without Filters. -Get an Education. How to Get a Bachelors or Masters Degree in DXing. -Pay Up. How to Earn a Living as a Full-time DXer. -Hardcore DXing. DX Secrets From the Dark Web. Is It Really Legal? What You Will Learn At This Convention... Presented by Just 4 Fun Productions (August WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) DX-PEDITIONS ++++++++++++ BALTIC CRUISE DX Bruce Portzer Jul 29 #1409 In mid-July, my wife and I went on a ten day cruise around the Baltic, starting and ending in Copenhagen with stops at Warnemunde (Berlin), Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm. Naturally, I was eager to hear how the radio dial sounded in that part of the world, so I brought along a Tecsun PL-380. Most of my listening was done by placing the radio next to the stateroom window, which worked out reasonably well as long as I got up and stretched once in a while. My DXing time was rather limited. For one thing, the sun didn’t set until after 10 pm most nights. For another, we had several days when shore excursions left quite early, so we usually needed to wake up before 6 am. As a result, my listening time was limited to an hour or two of sunset DX just before bed time. There was much to be heard, even though many European countries have eliminated medium wave broadcasts (or nearly so). The biggest surprise was the large number of Romanian stations, especially the Actualitatsi network, which still has lots of high powered transmitters in a relatively small country. Middle-eastern stations (Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria) were heard often but not very reliably. One minute there might be several of them audible and a few minutes later none. Due to the time limitations, I didn’t hear much from Western Europe or North Africa (except Egypt). A few Brits were noted when we were near Stockholm and Copenhagen, but I never heard any Spaniards, Algerians, or Moroccans. I probably would have heard some of them if I’d stayed up later. Here’s a summary of what I captured in my notes. Sorry, no recordings are available. For reference purposes, on 7/18 we were between St Petersburg and Helsinki, 7/19 a few hours west of Helsinki, 7/20 a few hours south of Stockholm, and 7/21 in Danish waters. Many thanks to Mauno Ritola for reviewing an earlier draft of my logs and helping with the Unids. EGYPT: 864 was heard several times with recitations & a good signal. 819 was heard tentatively a couple times, i.e. 1938 7/18 with interview in Arabic but no ID. 1503 was noted a few times with recitations. ESTONIA: 1035 was noted with fair-strong signal just about everywhere. FRANCE: TWR-1467 was tentatively heard with religious program in unID language (listed as Polish) running across ToH 2000 7/18. GREAT BRITAIN: TalkSport 1089 was quite good 2040 7/20 with promo & many IDs // weaker 1053. Absolute Radio 1215 was good 2049 7/20 with ID & rock music. HUNGARY: 540 was heard a couple of times but sounded like it was using a lot less than the listed 1 MW power output. IRAN: 1026 was noted several times, at 1930 (local midnight) it had an anthem that sounded like it was sung by a group of soldiers. The buzz saw jammer was quite loud at times on 1575. [IRAN] Apparent Iranian on 1062 was // 1026 at 2005 7/20 with Mideast music. According to Mauno, 1062 should not be // 1026, but at the time it was carrying “Shabhaye Iran”, which starts at 1930 in summer time. Similarly, I had 1269 // 1278 at 2120 7/19. Mauno says they were airing the Shabhaye Iran program, and wouldn’t otherwise be //. 1314 was heard 1942 7/20 with male talk // 1512. Shabhaye Iran again & not normally //. KUWAIT: 7/20 1900 on 1548, Mid-east pops, Radio Sawa ID, then what sounded like news in Arabic, fair under Moldova. LITHUANIA: Baltic Waves on 1386 was good in Russian everywhere we went MACEDONIA: On 810, 2026 7/20 fair-good with light jazz, 2030 woman with a couple of Radio Makedonija IDs. MOLDOVA: Three stations were easily heard wherever we went. Vesti FM-1413, TWR-1548, and TWR-999 which has 1945 signoff. I probably also heard Moldova on 1494 (see unids list below). NETHERLANDS: tentative 7/21 1902 south Asian songs on 1566 briefly good, 1908 switched to man on phone in subcontinent language. No ID or location heard, but Vahon Hindustani Radio is the only thing listed that fits. ROMANIA: My biggest surprise was the large number of Romanians that are still active. Many were quite strong, especially on the Radio Romania Actualitatsi network. It had distinctive programming that made it easy to pick out: a news program at 1900 UT, followed by comedy one day, rock music on another, etc. Those heard include 603 (with slight echo) 720 756 855 909 945 1152 1179 1332 1422 1458 1530. Several possible Romanian regional/local stations were heard but never ID’ed. RUSSIA: I found three stations active in St. Petersburg. 828 seems to be on full time with various religious programs. I didn’t catch an ID but several slogans/program names are used at various times. It has a good daytime signal into Helsinki harbor. 684 is listed as Radio Radonezh and operates evenings only, signing on at 1600. Mauno says signoff is 2100. Radio Marijas 1053 is also on an abbreviated schedule: not on the air 7/17 & 18 when I checked before 0400. Was on the air late afternoons when we returned to the ship, with religious program on 7/17 and OC on 7/18 (not sure of the times). I caught a couple of Radio Marijas IDs at 1600 7/18. It seemed to go off at about 2000 UT +/-. Mauno says their schedule is 0700-1100 & 1500-1900. There’s also a beacon audible on 596 kHz with Morse “KDKD” ident. SAUDI ARABIA: the stations on 1440 and 1521 were noted // at 2018 7/18. 1521 was much weaker than I expected, maybe using less power than in the past? 882 also tentatively heard w/Qur’anic recitations 1925 7/18. SYRIA: I’m assuming was the one with Arabic talk and mid-east music on 783, several times, often good. UNIDs: 1098 classical music good 1924 & 2004 7/18, Slovakia? 1215 Station with interview or discussion by 2-3 men 1958 7/20, sounded very casual like they were sitting on a porch talking about nothing specific. Unsure of language. Continued across ToH with no sign of stopping. Mauno’s recording on that date had a Jeddah ID & similar program at 1900, so that’s probably what it was. 1323 German talk 1832 7/19. Probably R Targu Mures, Romania, which has German program at this time 1494 1900 7/18 instrumental music to ToH, then man in unID language, cut off in mid-sentence and didn’t return; I’m assuming this was intentional and the program probably continued on FM or another AM freq(s). Probably Moldova. 1494 Romance language briefly good 1829 7/19 with ID sounding like “Radio Anova Nacional”. Probably Radio Moldova Actualitatsi. 1512 Middle eastern music, female announcer in Arabic or similar language 7/20 1920, fade across BoH then anthem (?) 1931 then man & woman with what sounded like news. Probably Iran, but Saudi possible. 1593 2007 7/19 someone playing “I’m a Believer” by the Monkees, of all things. Also a couple of male love ballads in what sounded like Italian, probably Romanian (Bruce Portzer, IRCA iog via DXLD) Bruce, My visit to Shetlands and Orkneys in May was also difficult for DX due to very late sunsets, well after 10 pm, and who wants to get up at 3:30 pm? [sic] Brits were all over the dial. Yes, Romania was very dominant. Listening at key times in Newfoundland in November resulted in a lot of regional or local IDs. Some German service, too, as you note. Yes, there's that very militant Iran anthem. I don't think it's the national anthem, so maybe something representing the Revolutionary Guards? 1593 likely Romania, but France also gets out with pop music (Jim Renfrew, NY, ibid.) Bruce - Looks like you figured out all the unids. Every time I;ve heard Slovakia 1098 it has had classical music. You probably heard them much earlier than I do but it seems likely to be them (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Interesting report, Bruce. Romania and Iran are certainly loaded up with stations. Of course on this end, watt for watt, Spain, Algeria, Morocco, and Canaries deliver the biggest signals. I'd say 1179 is the top Romanian, often over co-channel SER synchros. The "Radio Romania Actualitatsi, hora exacta" lead in to the news at top-of-hour will be found on many channels on a good night. https://app.box.com/s/v437je5gozdidv1g6zk3w6ix2reau95h 864 Egypt can have a bang-up signal here. https://app.box.com/s/4qybsxa2qg36jwzesbijgtdomd9s4jr8 819 and 774 are also common in autumn / early winter. 1512 Saudi and 1512 Iran have both been heard here, the Iranian parallel 711 I think. I think Chuck has addressed some of the other unIDs. I take it that there is no audio available. Firing up a north German or Scandinavian KiwiSDR might help to solve more things (Mark Connelly, WA1ION, South Yarmouth, MA, IRCA iog via DXLD) AUGUST 2019 ROCKWORK CLIFF DXPEDITION Gary DeBock Jul 29 #1414 Later this week an adventurous group of transoceanic DXers will descend upon a 500 foot (154m) plunging ocean side cliff on the Oregon coast, searching for antenna setup space among the "sleeping squatters" for enhanced trans-equatorial DX from the South Pacific. This will be the ninth annual Rockwork Cliff DXpedition -- featuring a type of transoceanic DXing as different from a flat ocean beach as night and day. Originally chosen as the ideal site to test out the new, ultra-compact FSL antenna in an ultra-tight space where conventional DXpedition antennas couldn't possibly be deployed, the Rockwork cliff has since morphed into the ultimate testing site for compact broadband loop antennas, where the cliff's potent transoceanic signal boost more than compensates for any lack of antenna size. Within a couple of years the Rockwork cliff shattered the all-time Grayland record for New Zealand reception, a capability it has demonstrated over and over in the succeeding years. The Rockwork cliff also holds the all-time record for South Pacific NDB reception on the west coast (by a comfortable margin). This is despite the fact that the Rockwork antennas are always a fraction of the size of those typically deployed on flat ocean beaches. DXing at Rockwork is like taking your chances in the wild, wild west. You never know what to expect when you drive up to the turnoff sites in the total darkness at 0330 local time (1030 UT) for antenna setup. You might find your favorite spot wide open, or you might find a mangy group of squatters occupying the entire turnoff. Frequently you have some combination of the above, motivating you to push your luck by setting up right next to a total stranger (with a dubious personality) in a junk vehicle in the early morning darkness. Disputes between DXers and squatters are not unusual, although you can get some kind of idea how nasty the squatters are by looking at how disheveled their appearance (and/or vehicles) seems to be. On one occasion a foul-mouthed squatter attempted an argument with three well-fed DXers at Rockwork 4, eventually having to leave the turnoff in a huff after a final psychotic rant. Of course the fact that this entire episode happened right next to a 500 foot plunging cliff added a little drama to the encounter. Where else can you get such a fine combination of transoceanic DX and setup venue excitement? Despite the challenges the Rockwork cliff has boomed in popularity among west coast DXers recently, with 5 DXers attending the sessions last year (Tom, Craig, Chuck, Nick and yours truly). This week we expect at least as many "Cliffhangers," with Chris Black offering to join us. It will be interesting, to say the least (Gary DeBock (driving in overnight on August 1). July 30, IRCA iog via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See CHINA; KUWAIT; RUSSIA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- RAVIS what?? See RUSSIA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB See also MALTA; RUSSIA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OBSOLETE DAB RADIOS NONPLUSSED In reply to David Harris about obsolete DAB radios for sale. Most of the supermarkets own brand DAB radios do not appear to have DAB+. The general rule is if it does not say DAB+ on the box it isn’t. I got caught out in Tescos a while back when I bought a bedside DAB radio without DAB+. It went straight back followed by an email to customer service. Several emails exchanged as they were unaware of the problem. Finally I got a phone call from them with apologies and assurances that new stock would be ordered with DAB+ but old stock would remain. They also sent me a voucher (think it was £20) as a goodwill gesture. Rgds, (Gareth Foster, UK, bdxc-news iog via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DTV See also OKLAHOMA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL TV SIGNALS Glenn. We've talked in the past about my troubles with digital TV signals and I've put forth my theory about temperature affecting them. Every summer I lose three stations and they return in the fall. Everyone says it's because that's when the trees leaf out. I agree that the tree leaves can make the signal go a little wonky but I also figured the warmer temperature had something to do with it also. When we were under the "heat dome" last week I lost a couple more stations. After the dome was broken it got cool here for several days. Day temps in the seventies and night temps in the low fifties. During that period I was able to access ALL of the stations in the evening and during the night, losing the normal ones during the day. That's proof enough for me. We're supposed to have a mini heat dome coming again this weekend. 90 already now. I'll check the missing stations over the weekend and see if they appear but I don't believe they will. So, if it's ever proved that temperature affects digital signals, remember you heard it from me first (John Carver, mid-North Indiana, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) John, I suspect it has more to do with relative humidity, as with more humidity signals propagate better. And RH of course is related to temperature (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM See also MUSEA +++++++++++++++++++++ BURT WOLF --- TRAVELS & TRADITIONS is an excellent program, available here only once a week on OETA, Sundays at 2100-2128 UT. It`s not just a travelogue but deals with a different subject each week. In current Season 18, two of particular relevance here: Short Guide To Cell Phone Safety Description: Burt takes a quick look at the history of communication from the cavemen to the alphorn, to the telephone and finally the cellphone. He traces how the cellphone has changed his work and family life as he travels around the world. He also tracks down a series of stories in the United States and Europe that suggests that the cellphone may not be as safe as most of us thought. He meets with experts in England, Italy, France and the United States to find out how we can deal with the problems that are emerging. And finally, Burt follows an Apple developer's conference where they are working on apps to limit your use of their own products. [HD][CC] Broadcast In: English --- and Travel & The Danger Of RF Radiation which you may click & play on his website: http://www.burtwolf.com/ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AVIATION AND MARINE WEATHER MONITORING GE Glenn, Below are some listings from my log book over the last few days. Not sure if you are interested in those two Aviation and Marine weather stations. I found them very interesting. I had to do some digging on the internet for information on those two stations. I used a web site by William Hepburn for information: http://www.dxinfocentral.com/volmet.htm July 21 2019: 1430-1500 UT, 15034 kHz (SSB), CHR Trenton Military (Volmet) Aviation and Terminal Weather Conditions, SINPO 45455 2210-2235 UT, 15034 kHz (SSB), CHR Trenton Military (Volmet) Aviation Weather and Terminal Weather Conditions. SINPO 45455 2235 UT, 15034 kHz (SSB), CHR Trenton Military (Volmet) Aviation Weather and Terminal Weather Conditions, SINPO 15421 (LOS) Note: this station transmits weather conditions in 5 minute blocks stating about 10 minutes past the hour, ending on the hour. July 27, 2019: 2205-2210 UT, 2749 kHz (SSB), Call Unknown, Marine Weather by two female announcers in English and French, Location: possibly Fundy Canada, SINPO 35335 (Chuck Gessner, W3ON, 1812 UT July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) Therefore suspect correct date of this log must be July 26 (gh, DXLD) Hi CG - I've long enjoyed VOLMET listening on HF particularly after obtaining the cool book "Confidential Frequency List - 6th Ed." by Oliver P. Ferrell (and Marine SSB and WEFAX. I occasionally listen to 11282 SF Radio in the afternoons and a bunch of other frequencies I have on a sloppy, hand-written frequency list. Often the ATC person will announce both the primary and secondary frequencies in use. Regarding weather fax coming from many US Navy stations such as NMC Point Reyes (etc.) - back as a Junior and Senior at Sonoma State University in northern California (1987 to '88) as a Geography Minor, I discovered a Drake R4 and a WEFAX drum machine along with LOTS of rolls of the thermal paper (activated by electrical impulses coming from the drum-needle) I learned how to tune-in and operate the unit over a few days of fiddling around with it all (and the R4 was fun for SW DXing at off-times when I was hanging-out alone in the Map Library there). I was eventually able to (after a few weeks) fill the perimeter of the Map Library room with hanging pages of weather map and sat. photo images (NOAA logos on lower right), and one day, a fellow walked in and looked angry "What are you doing!?" (then astonished shortly thereafter) at seeing all of the HF fax-machine printouts made from the 120 RPM drum, and exclaimed "Wow - great job! Oh well I'm graduating soon anyway! I've been doing this for a couple of years." And as such I met Michael, and we parted ways happily as he went on to outside work and I continued to make fax printouts and DX with the Drake until I graduated in '88. I even maintained the HF dipole antenna on the roof of Stevenson Hall and once operated for a month a 1-watt input 185 kHz LowFer beacon (called the "SSU Dasher") from it (by connecting both of the dipole legs together and employing the cold-water pipe nearby as a ground - imagine the whole building-wing's plumbing system as the ground system) and it was heard as far south as San Simeon, CA by night on various Bev. antennas another Mike had, and was also quite strong at home in San Rafael, CA 45 km to the south. Having that book I mention above helped greatly in all of this and I found VOLMET really cool. Selective-fading on SELCALL tones sounds neat! Thanks for the posting, CG! (Steve McGreevy -- N6NKS - www.auroralchorus.com July 27, WOR iog via DXLD) RCA 100TH ANNIVERSARY https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2019/07/21/rcas-technology-lives-today-tv-radio-broadcasting-and-more/1777443001/ (via Tom Doerr, Mt Morris MI, MARE Tipsheet July 25 via DXLD) TRUNKED PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, REDRUM While scanning through the Michigan Public Safety Communications System with my Uniden Home Patrol-II scanner at around 8:15 p.m. EST [sic], it stopped on a channel I had never picked up before. Its one used by the Wayne County/Detroit Police Specialized Tactical Units called REDRUM Homicide Task Force. It is labeled as call group 22215 on the MPSC system. Voice activity on this group has been pretty light. I've only heard a few comms on it in an hour's time. A little bit of research leads me to believe that this channel may have been in use for a while, but I just never had my scanner hit on it before. I have heard that there are REDRUM Task Force units in other metro area's in the U.S., too, including New York City. They are a joint task force of homicide detectives and drug enforcement officers. Whoever originally coined the name REDRUM for this group must have been a fan of the Steven King book, The Shining, from which the movie was made. The Michigan Public Safety Communications System (MPSCS) uses many frequencies in the 700 and 800 MHz range. This trunked system has 350 departments and 4315 total channels. When my scanner stops on a transmission, it shows me a call group number or an ID #, but not a specific frequency. As you know, in a trunking system it's computer controlled, and every time they transmit, the computer assigns a different frequency that is not in use at the time. So, exact frequency kind of loses its significance. I'm attaching a link to a .PDF file that describes the system. https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mpscs/MPSCS_Fact_Sheet_Overview_Rolling_w_MAPS_603111_7.pdf (via Joel Ashby, MARE Tipsheet July 25 via DXLD) MORE ON OBTUSE CAR RADIO TUNING FROM TOM SCHOEN & KEN ZICHI: 2013 Honda Civic EX radio tuning specific frequencies challenge Ken: PRESS & turn the middle knob. I know, it isn't 'obvious' to me either, but hey, they didn't omit the function, they just 'hid' it. Here's my owner's manual--see page 159.--Tom http://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/pubs/OM/R31313/R31313OM.PDF Tom: I carelessly overlooked that "hidden" callout's second sentence describing the double-function (volume and tuning) Selector Knob ("Turn to adjust the volume. Press and turn to tune the radio frequency."). Could the type be any smaller? But that's no excuse for my laughable oversight. I have 20-20 reading vision. If I were the copy editor on subject owner's manual I would, at least, expand the Preset Buttons callout to read: "Preset Buttons (1-6). To store a station: 1. Tune to the desired station by using the Scan Button or, the Selector Knob (push in & turn to the desired station's frequency). 2...." And I'd change the Selector Knob's panel/dash label from "VOL PUSH SELECT" (Note: those label words say nothing about tuning; I wrongly concluded they meant only to select a desired volume level, not thinking that it's a double-function knob) to VOL PUSH TUNE" (MARE Tipsheet July 25 via DXLD) SBE KEEPS EYE OUT FOR SPECTRUM TURBULENCE “Compliance abandonment” is among its concerns about the regulatory environment --- Randy J. Stine ⋅ Jul 25, 2019 Getty/Pobytov https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/sbe-eyes-spectrum-turbulence (via Dennis Gibson, IRCA iog via DXLD) Viz.: Summer brings vacation time, but the technical regulatory issues facing radio broadcasters never seem to take a break. The Society of Broadcast Engineers is keeping tabs on a number of spectrum issues facing radio broadcasters in the second half of 2019. The FCC earlier this year adopted new FM translator interference rules and streamlined the complaint process, so SBE has scratched that topic from its list for now. But other major spectrum concerns remain including pirate radio, EAS compliance, ambient noise in the AM band, the C-band versus 5G broadband at 3.7–4.2 GHz, and what the SBE perceives to be FCC compliance abandonment. The society, which has more than 5,000 members and 114 local chapters, offers educational and certification programs for broadcast engineers, operators, technicians and broadcast IT professionals. But the non-profit also closely tracks technical regulatory topics of interest to its membership. “FACELESS AND NAMELESS” Chris Imlay, SBE general counsel, said the group has identified several top areas of concern, including ever-increasing ambient noise in the AM band. “It seems like we always come back to that issue. I don’t think the FCC wants answers to questions it has asked in the past but never taken steps to explore and investigate,” he said. “I have preached for years that the typical listener of the AM band is not going to reach out to the FCC to complain about interference issues in the AM band, they will simply not go back to AM.” Anecdotally, ambient noise in the AM band has grown dramatically worse in the past 15 years due to the proliferation of Part 15 RF devices, RF lighting and deteriorating infrastructure of power lines, Imlay said. SBE’s experiences typically concern ambient, man-made noise in the medium-frequency, high-frequency and VHF bands. The FCC’s Technological Advisory Council opened a noise floor technical inquiry in 2016 to determine if there is such an increasing problem. Part of the council’s work was to determine the methodology for a noise study. Imlay said the FCC opened a docket and took comments but never took further action. “All of a sudden, the docket disappeared and you can’t find it anymore. The FCC gave no further explanation. I don’t think they wanted the answers. It could have revealed the effectiveness of their rules on unlicensed devices. They’re obviously ineffective. Maybe the FCC felt the problem is too big to solve already. Meanwhile, the ambient noise levels are growing worse,” Imlay said. [Read SBE’s official comments at the time, including a summary of prior FCC discussion of the topic, at https://tinyurl.com/rw-sbe-noise ] Also, Imlay cites the FCC’s “compliance abandonment” as a growing issue in the field for radio broadcasters. “The loss of the FCC’s field offices has hurt. They were staffed with experienced engineers. (FCC) lost a huge knowledge base with those moves,” Imlay said. What the FCC replaced the field offices with was a “faceless and nameless” complaint system, Imlay said, void of any relationship-building. “The online complaint filing procedure has been a dismal failure. And the FCC even acknowledged up front that they would put in place this new online complaint system but wouldn’t necessarily take any action on individual interference complaints. They said it would be more of an information gathering site,” Imlay said. “It’s really a slap in the face to radio broadcasters.” And illegal stations remain a major issue, Imlay said. “Pirate broadcasting is pretty much out of control. Again, that brings us back to the complaint system in place now,” he said. Imlay acknowledges improved enforcement of illegal broadcasts early in FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s tenure, but he feels that less being done in that regard today. [FCC Media Bureau Upholds Its AM Revitalization Translator Policies] {sidebar link} “Pai is a friend of radio, but I wonder if the FCC’s anti-pirate initiative is still underway. The closing of the field offices remains a big issue,” Imlay said. The FCC closed more than a dozen field offices beginning in 2017 as part of a restructuring plan in the face of budget reductions. The move was expected to result in the commission trimming up to 44 positions. Imlay said that he is hopeful the FCC will one day bring back some of the agents it let go in the cuts. “You don’t need the brick and mortar offices to reopen, but additional agents on the ground with mobile vehicles would really help matters. The industry suffers from a lack of bodies and the talent they lost.” Imlay said the PIRATE Act, which would increase fines illegal pirate operations pay per violation, is making its way slowly through Congress and would help the situation. The bill passed the House of Representatives in February and the Senate Commerce Committee passed it in May. However, the full Senate has yet to take action on the act, after which it would go to the president. “STILL NERVOUS” Broadcasters and other users of the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz band remain worried about the FCC’s designs on the spectrum as it seeks means to further feed the appetite of wireless and broadband companies and the 5G rollout. “A lot of radio users who depend on C-Band distribution for programming are still nervous about what the FCC wants to do,” Imlay said, “and how to ensure the existing C-band operations are fully protected, if some of the 3.7 GHz to 4.2 GHz spectrum is going to be shared with wireless carriers.” Several compromises have been floated from both camps, according to observers, and Imlay said he expects a final ruling from the FCC before the end of this year. Other regulatory technical issues SBE is tracking include the discussion over whether to create a new Class C4 for FM and whether an upgraded or new Class C4 station be required to protect existing FM stations to their 45 dBu contour in the same way that was just ordered for FM translators, as some observers hope. SBE hasn’t taken a position on the creation of the new FM class. In addition, Imlay said with the TV UHF auction completed and TV repack work well underway, there is very little spectrum left in UHF for wireless microphones, which is an issue SBE will track (via DXLD) THE LAND WHERE THE INTERNET ENDS Pagan Kennedy Green Bank. AP Photo/Chris Dorst July 29, 2019 https://theweek.com/articles/854971/land-where-internet-ends This story originally appeared in The New York Times. Republished with permission. A few weeks ago, I drove down a back road in West Virginia and into a parallel reality. Sometime after I passed Spruce Mountain, my phone lost service — and I knew it would remain comatose for the next few days. When I spun the dial on the car radio, static roared out of every channel. I had entered the National Radio Quiet Zone, 13,000 square miles of mountainous terrain with few cell towers or other transmitters. I was headed toward Green Bank, a town that adheres to the strictest ban on technology in the United States. The residents do without not only cellphones but also Wi-Fi, microwave ovens, and any other devices that generate electromagnetic signals. The ban exists to protect the Green Bank Observatory, a cluster of radio telescopes in a mountain valley. Conventional telescopes are like superpowered eyes. The instruments at Green Bank are more like superhuman ears — they can tune into frequencies from the lowest to the highest ends of the spectrum. The telescopes are powerful enough to detect the death throes of a star, but also terribly vulnerable to our loud world. Even a short-circuiting electric toothbrush could blot out the whisper of the Big Bang. Physicists travel here to measure gravitational waves. Astronomers study stardust. The observatory has also become a hub for alien hunters who hope to detect messages sent from other planets. And in the past decade, the town has become a destination for "electrosensitives" who believe they're allergic to cellphone towers — some of them going so far as to wrap their bedrooms in mesh in hopes of screening out what they believe to be harmful rays. This town, in other words, calls out to many kinds of eccentrics. And I guess I am one of them. I came in hopes of finding a certain kind of wildness and solitude. I live in Massachusetts, and I often disappear into the forests and rivers to clear my head. I've always loved the moment when the bars on my phone disappear. When I'm out of range entirely, floating along in a kayak, time grows elastic. I stare down into that other kingdom below me, at the minnows darting through the duckweed, and feel deeply free — no one's watching; no one knows where I am. In theory, I could achieve this kind of freedom anywhere by shutting off my cellphone and observing an "internet sabbath." But that has never worked for me — and I suspect it doesn't for most other people either. Turn off your phone and you can almost hear it wheedling to be turned on again. To experience the deepest solitude, you need to enter the land where the internet ends. Ten years ago, it was easy to do that. But lately, even in the backwoods, my cellphone springs to life, clamoring for attention. The off-grid places are disappearing. And that's as it should be. We must wire up rural America; cell service is now a utility almost as essential as electricity or heat. In April, the Federal Communications Commission announced that it will hold the biggest auction of radio spectrum in this country's history; the auction, scheduled for late this year, is part of an effort to spread cell coverage to even the most remote towns ahead of the rollout of fifth-generation networks. Unfortunately, ownership of the telecommunication grids will go to corporate giants rather than to the communities themselves. But even so, small towns are fighting to be wired up. It's likely that in 10 or so years, the country will be blanketed with signal, from sea to shining sea. I'm hopeful that when that happens, we might retain just a few quiet places where it's still possible to disconnect. Activists have already created "dark sky reserves" to protect wilderness from artificial light. In the future, might we also create "privacy reserves" where we can go to escape the ubiquitous internet? I wanted to find out what it was like to disconnect in the quietest town in America, so here I was, hiking down a dirt road behind the Green Bank observatory campus. I wandered through a meadow and into an abandoned playground. The rusted swings creaked in the wind. In the distance, the largest of the Green Bank telescopes reared up over a hill like a shimmering apparition, with its lacy struts and moon-white dish. The telescope is so freakishly huge that it looked completely unreal, as if it had been CGI-ed into the sky. But the quiet was even eerier. Not just radio quiet, but the kind of silence that I hadn't heard in years: no buzz of the highway, no planes overhead, just the rush of wind through the grass. That — along with the lonely playground — made me feel as if I had stumbled onto the set of an apocalyptic TV series. The spell broke when a truck bumped down the road and disgorged three dogs. A gray-haired fellow stepped out. I hurried toward him and asked if he lived here. He introduced himself as Stephen McNally, a retiree who'd lived in Green Bank for 12 years. While his dogs chased swallows, I peppered McNally with questions. Did he own a cellphone? He told me he never had. But, he said, lately whenever he ventures outside of the quiet zone, "people tell me you have to get one." Recently, at a hardware store 100 miles from here, he tried to pay with a credit card that he hadn't used in years. That must have tripped some security alert, because the store clerks said that they needed to verify his identify by calling the phone number listed on his account. "They wanted to call me to make sure that it was really me," McNally said. He tried to explain that his phone wasn't in his pocket. It was back in Green Bank, because it was a landline. The clerks couldn't seem to grasp this. McNally seemed to be of the opinion that the rest of the country, out there beyond the mountains, was losing its mind. Noreen Prestage, a tour guide at the observatory, agreed. She told me that she had lived in Green Bank for 17 years, happily, without a cellphone. But just the week before, she'd felt it necessary to buy a basic mobile phone so that she could rendezvous with friends and her son when she went outside the zone. "I don't want it," she said of the phone, but if you're going to make plans out there, you have to have it. "When I walk around my house, I'm silent," she said. "I think people have lost the ability to be present with themselves. There's nothing wrong with sitting on your deck looking at the hills. I don't even have an answering machine." Because they're hard-wired, answering machines are allowed here, if you want one. And though homeowners must agree to do without Wi-Fi, they can connect to the internet through an Ethernet cable. So when I arrived at my rental cottage in the late afternoon, I found it equipped with a thingamabob to plug my laptop into the Ethernet line. It took me a moment to remember the name of that thing: a dongle. I hadn't needed that word since the '90s. Also reminiscent of the '90s: I could enter the internet only from one corner of a room — and it was so slow that I half expected to see an AOL logo materialize on the screen. Nowadays, I often flick on a news podcast when I'm eating alone, but that would have taken too much work with the retro setup, so instead I chewed in a reverie. I began to imagine an alternate reality in which smartphones had never existed. What if, instead of going all-in on mobile phones in the early 2000s, we just hadn't? Social media would probably have remained in the "Second Life" phase — with people creating clubhouses and personalities that they played around with on the weekends — instead of smartphones fusing together our first and second lives until we couldn't tell them apart. Now the phone is a magic wand that can summon pizza, or a car, or a friend, or a booty call. We can ruin our lives in the space of a few moments — by buying drugs from China, or with an ill-advised comment at 3 a.m., or by getting tangled up in a stranger's fantasies. Sometimes, pulling my phone out of my pocket, I feel the way I do when I'm standing on the rooftop of a tall building, like maybe some impulse will send me hurtling into the air. It's glorious, to be equipped with all of this magic and danger every moment of the day. It's also exhausting. At twilight, I parked near a long, low laboratory building and walked through the gates of the observatory, beyond which no gas-powered cars are allowed (because spark plugs). I passed the row of telescopes and found a dirt path into the woods. The darkness dropped, and the outlines of my body disappeared. Baby frogs — peepers — chirped and creaked, filling the air with their own static. Deer crashed around the brush or scooted across the path in front of me, invisible in the dark but for their white tails. My fingers twitched for the cellphone that wasn't there. And then I remembered a moment years ago, maybe in 2011 or 2012, when I first switched from a "dumb phone" to a smartphone and brought the internet with me into the woods. That day, I had discovered a rusted "No Trespassing" sign nailed into a pine tree; the sign had been there so long that the bark had grown around it. It was as if the tree-jaws were munching it up, slowly swallowing it. If I hadn't had a smartphone, I would have simply observed this, making a wry joke to myself. But now that I did have the internet itching at me, all I could imagine was the eye-catching photo this would make on Twitter. Then I stopped myself. What the hell? By turning this thought into a post, I was trespassing on my own most precious solitude. When we talk about privacy, we tend to think about people spying on us online and harvesting our data. But just as dangerous — perhaps more so — is the way that the omnipresent, in-your-pocket internet can coax us into destroying our own inner wilderness. That day, the urge to tweet was so acute that I had to wrestle with myself for a moment. And then I decided, "I'm just going to tweet this thought back to myself." And so rather than snapping a photo, I "posted" the image to my own mind. Since then, I have taken innumerable imaginary snapshots. I'm not the only one struggling with this urge. In many of our national parks, you can yak on the phone as you climb a mountain, post selfies as you dangle precariously over a cliff, and live-tweet your encounter with an osprey. In 2017, Outside magazine reported that Instagram had lost its mind over a particularly photogenic canyon in Arizona called Horseshoe Bend. The red-rock outcropping went viral, and now thousands of people a day swarm over it. Can such places truly be called wild anymore? About 150 people live in Green Bank, in houses scattered around a two-lane highway or tucked back in the woods. You can get basic groceries at Trent's General Store, but if you want something to go, your best bet is Henry's Quick Stop, a gas station with a supermarket, pizza counter, and red-white-and-blue box where you can leave your tattered American flag for proper disposal. So that's where I went for coffee the next morning. "Beautiful day," I said to the man in front of me in line. In response, he poured out his life story. He'd been a long-haul trucker until a brain aneurysm put him in a coma; the doctors thought he'd never walk again. But now here he was on his own two feet buying a doughnut, so, yeah, it was a hell of a beautiful day. The man carried himself oddly, with his chest puffed out and his head swiveling as if to scan everything in the store, from the hunting gear to the Little Debbie display case. I thought his posture must have been a remnant from his brain injury, but then realized everybody seemed to be walking around with the same heads-up attitude. Take away the cellphones, it turns out, and you also take away the cellphone hunch. And with nothing else to do but meet one another's eyes, people talk. Later in the day, I fell into conversation with a woman who was unusual for a Green Banker, in that she had owned a cellphone for years. Before she moved here, she told me, she'd been the workaholic assistant to a workaholic manager, and "I was 24/7 on call all the time." "I slept with the phone next to my bed in case my boss had to get ahold of me," she said. "I was tethered to that phone. I didn't realize how much I was on it until I looked at my vacation pictures. All the pictures I was in, I was staring at my phone." Then, about a year and a half ago, her husband had persuaded her to move here — he's a Green Bank man, "born and raised," and yearned to return home. Nowadays, "My husband and I go to dinner, and we talk all through the night" with no interruptions, she said. Her husband rattles around in an old truck, knowing that if it breaks down, somebody will stop and pick him up. If you need to make a call, you can always stop into the Dollar General and ask to use their landline — but really, when do you need to make a call? This life is not for everyone, she told me, and she has seen a lot of people up and leave. Maybe 80 percent of people just can't hack it. I know I'm part of that 80 percent. I belong on the outside. But at the same time, I feel as if something essential to my sanity depends on the existence of places like this. On my third and final day in town, the observatory's largest instrument, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, shut down for maintenance, and I was allowed to summit it. The telescope is taller than the Statue of Liberty and one of the largest manufactured, steerable objects on the face of our planet. An elevator that jerked like an amusement-park ride took us to the top, where a steel walkway led out onto the surface of the dish, a 2-acre white expanse. I watched a maintenance worker moon-walk across its bouncy surface. He appeared to be lost in a white desert, the blue sky hanging below him like a lake. Mike Holstine, the business manager and spokesman for the Green Bank Observatory, told me there's so much we can learn from the telescope — from the location of near-Earth asteroids to the way that matter first began to congeal into stars. Such scientific observations depend on signals as weak as "a billionth of a billionth of a billionth of a watt," he said. For years, microwave ovens have been tightly regulated in Green Bank because they can obliterate those barely detectable signals from billions of years ago. But what are scientists supposed to do now that just about every household object — from toaster to battery — is chattering to the internet? Even car tires are beaming out status updates about their air pressure. "That makes quiet an increasingly valuable resource for science," Holstine said. And increasingly rare. The situation has become so dire that scientists are preparing for what you might call The End of Quiet. Ellie White, a student at Marshall University who has been volunteering and doing research at the observatory since she was 14, told me that experts at the observatory are working on ways to detect and remove unwanted interference caused by, say, a tourist speeding through town in a car equipped with Bluetooth. The idea is to be able to identify the human-made signals and strip them out of the data, so that it's still possible to tune in the most subtle emanations from light-years away. Imagine noise-canceling headphones for the universe. But who will save the endangered Quiet Zone inside our own heads? What about the thoughts as subtle as the static caused by the Big Bang and the transmissions from the remote galaxies of our memories? Is the ever-present hum of the internet drowning those out, too? Holstine said that here in Green Bank, "I use the internet, and then I walk away." But on the outside, people are "connected all the time," he added. "They get a text and have to look at it. For a lot of people, the choice seems like it has disappeared. The phone is part and parcel to everything they do, including work. It's the tail wagging the dog." After a few days here, almost entirely offline, I felt I knew what he meant: The world outside the mountains now seemed mad to me, too. How can we protect resources like starlight, quiet, and obscurity that have little value in the marketplace? Astronomers have been thinking about that question for decades, and they have come up with an answer: International Dark Sky Places. In these protected areas, you can wander under a splatter of stars and grapple with the evidence of your own insignificance in a vast universe. The Central Idaho reserve became the United States' first International Dark Sky Reserve in 2017. With 1,400 square miles protected from artificial light, it attracts astro-tourists from around the world. But we have no similar protections for disconnection, privacy, and offline communities. And if no one advocates for these intangibles, the last quiet places will soon be gone. In 2012, the National Science Foundation considered a proposal to shut down the Green Bank observatory — and ended up slashing its support by about 40 percent. Nowadays, the observatory depends on private foundations and universities to make up the shortfall. If the observatory were to disappear, then so too, presumably, would the National Radio Quiet Zone. When I packed up the car and drove out of Green Bank, I was confident that I knew how to find my way. But almost immediately, I turned the wrong way at a fork in the road and realized I was lost. I decided to savor the experience. After all, how often these days do you have a chance to be lost? The road led me past old rail yards and toward a river, where I plunged in and waded, slip-sliding on the rocks. Soon I would cross into the land where the internet begins. But for now, I was on this side of the line. For now, I was dark (The Week, via Will Martin, DXLD) THE INTERNET’S IMPACT ON INTERNATIONAL RADIO Radio World By James Careless August 1, 2019 An interesting article here: https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/the-internets-impact-on-international-radio (via Mike Terry, Aug 1, WOR iog via DXLD) viz.: Many broadcasters saved money by moving from high-power shortwave transmissions to the web. But at what cost? James Careless ⋅ 11 hours ago OTTAWA — During the height of the Cold War (1947–1991), the shortwave radio bands were alive with international state-run broadcasters; transmitting their respective views in multiple languages to listeners around the globe. A QSL card sent to SW listeners confirming their reception of “The Two Bobs” on Swiss Radio International. Credit: Bob Zanotti [caption] The western bloc’s advocates were led by the BBC World Service, and included Voice of America, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, Radio Canada International and a host of influential European broadcasters. The eastern bloc’s de facto team captain was the USSR’s Radio Moscow (with its unique hollow, echoing sound), supplemented by broadcasters in Soviet satellite countries (like East Germany’s Radio Berlin International) and allies like Fidel Castro’s Radio Havana Cuba. Then 1991 arrived, and the Cold War apparently ended with the fall of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the Berlin Wall. Bob Zanotti at the microphone today, webcasting via http://www.switzerlandinsound.com. Credit. Bob Zanotti. [caption] In the seeming peace that followed, many governments no longer saw the sense in spending millions on multi-megawatt transmitters and vast antenna farms to keep broadcasting their messages globally. The leader among them, the BBC World Service (BBCWS), trumpeted the web and webcasting as modern, cost-effective alternatives to expensive shortwave broadcasting (along with satellite radio and leasing local FM airtime in the countries they used to broadcast to). This is why the BBCWS ceased shortwave transmissions to North America and Australia in 2001 and Europe in 2008, while retaining SW broadcasts in less-developed parts of the globe. [Read: Sentech Shuts Meyerton Shortwave Site][sidebar link] “It is my understanding that it was the BBC that started to spread the notion that shortwave was dying or already dead,” said Bob Zanotti; co-host of Swiss Radio International’s popular “Listener Mailbag” show “The Two Bobs” from 1970 to 1994. (He now runs the English-language Swiss information webcaster www.switzerlandinsound.com) BBC World Service antennas in Akrotiri, Cyprus. Credit: A. Savin/Wiki Commons [caption] “Swiss Radio International accepted this uncritically and was the first to announce the complete closure of its shortwave operations. Later, others like Radio Netherlands, Radio Sweden, Deutsche Welle and Austrian Radio followed suit.” So did Radio Canada International, Radio Australia, Radio Budapest, Radio Portugal, Radio Finland, Radio Denmark and even Radio Moscow. Renamed Voice of Russia in 1993 (and Radio Sputnik in 2014), this Eastern European powerhouse left the shortwave bands for good on April 1, 2014. Radio Moscow 50th anniversary commemorative stamp. Credit: Postal Service of USSR [caption] Now it is 2019, and another Cold War has resumed with the West on one side and Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea on the other. But this time, many of the powerful international voices that brought Western news and views to nondemocratic countries are now only found on the web — where adversarial governments can easily block them. “In my opinion, the abandonment of shortwave for international broadcasting was a mistake,” said Zanotti. “It was based on what many believed to be the end of the Cold War. However, events since then have proved that to have been a false (and even foolish) notion.” “Today, there is very little uncensored information available on shortwave. Classic information and entertainment are also practically nonexistent,” he added. “The clever Chinese strategy seems to have been to wait for all the major western shortwave players to leave the scene, and then move in to fill the vacuum, making China Radio International virtually the only shortwave show in town.” Radio Canada International’s Sackville, New Brunswick transmission facility; now demolished. Credit Verne Equinox/Wiki Commons [caption] THE SEDUCTION OF THE WEB The official reason the BBC World Service moved away from shortwave (although not entirely) was because the web was where most 21st century listeners were going. “Digital technology has undoubtedly come of age. Now the hype over the internet revolution is behind us, the real benefits to businesses and to broadcasters are shining through,” declared then BBC World Service Director Mark Byford when he delivered the 2001 Cornwall Lecture. “For the World Service, it means that people who could never receive our radio transmissions in the 42 languages can now listen to live output, or catch that program they particularly want to hear, at a time when it suits them, anywhere in the world.” SW broadcasters like the Voice of America would send souvenir cards to listeners who reported when they heard identified transmissions, on what frequency, and at what signal strength and quality. Credit: Voice of America/Wiki Commons [caption] “For media users, the internet unlocks a whole new world of information tailored to you as an individual,” Byford continued. “You can listen to a program when you want. You can have your say to a global audience.” The BBC World Service’s web-first focus was subsequently adopted by many state-run broadcasters, who also cut back on their shortwave broadcasts (or left the band entirely) in favor of the web. There was logic to this argument: “Large government broadcasters, have always tried to reach the ‘influencers’ in a country; those who might eventually help guide a country’s policy and international relationships,” said Thomas Witherspoon, editor of the shortwave listener website www.SWLingPost.com “And the great majority of these influencers, according to audience research, have moved to social media and the internet as a source of information.” A 1960s’ vintage National Panasonic multiband shortwave radio receiver. Credit: Junglecat/Wiki Commons [caption] The unofficial reason for so many governments leaving shortwave was to save money. “Shortwave broadcasting is expensive when compared with streaming or ‘broadcasting’ online,” Witherspoon said. “The power requirements of shortwave transmitters pumping out 50, 250, or 500 kW is substantial, and the infrastructure — the large antennas, feedlines, transmitters, power supplies — all require regular maintenance from expert technicians.” Money was a major factor in the death of Radio Netherlands (in Dutch: Radio Nederland Wereldomroep), which was succeeded in other media (including the web) by RNW Media. But it wasn’t the only factor; populism also played a part. “In 2012, public international radio in The Netherlands had to stop broadcasting, said Jennifer Bushee, RNW Media’s communication and stakeholder manager. “The Dutch government had decided to cut the subsidy to Radio Nederland Wereldomroep by 70%. The broadcaster was no longer seen as relevant, and there was a real effort to reduce subsidies from conservative or even more right-wing politicians … So we were cut off and had to go off the air.” ASSESSING THE IMPACT General Manager Jeff White in the control room of WRMI Radio Miami International. Credit: Jeff White [caption] It is true that the web has changed the very nature of international communications. In the past, only the most powerful broadcasters could address the world, simply because it took massively expensive transmission farms to send the signals out. Today, anyone can do it from the convenience of their laptop computer and their local ISP. This said, moving away from shortwave has plunged many once-distinct international broadcasters into obscurity — and in some cases, into extinction — precisely because they are competing directly with the millions of streaming services the internet has to offer. (This extra choice has certainly cut into the audience for shortwave radio, as has the growing variety of multiple media sources in countries around the world. This said, shortwave audiences were and are not measured by any ratings services, so evidence as to their decline is mainly anecdotal.) The Control Room in the U.S. government’s Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station near Greenville, North Carolina. Credit: Thomas Witherspoon [caption] “What really disappoints me are the international broadcasters who have stopped shortwave in favor of internet, usually because it’s much less expensive to operate, but ostensibly because the internet is ‘new technology,’” said Jeff White, general manager of the commercial United States-based shortwave broadcaster WRMI Radio Miami International. “Then they end up some months later shutting down their internet broadcasts and websites also, leaving the world with no means of hearing official broadcasts from these countries. This is particularly the case in Europe.” THE SHELL OF A TITAN In its Cold War heyday, Radio Canada International was one of the world’s most listened-to international shortwave broadcasters. Popular programs like “The SWL Digest” made RCI announcer/producer Ian McFarland into a bona fide shortwave star. (Even today, airchecks of the SWL Digest are being shared online.) They were broadcast from RCI’s Atlantic Ocean transmission farm in Sackville, New Brunswick. Some of the antennas arrays at the Edward R. Murrow Transmitting Station. Credit: Thomas Witherspoon [caption] Sackville’s North American/European reach was so good that many international broadcasters rented it as a relay site. (Historical note: According to RCI’s website, the first Montreal home of the then-named Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s International Service was “a former brothel and garment factory.” Founded in 1942 during World War II, RCI prospered until the 1991 thaw in the Cold War. Then the cuts made by successive cash-hungry governments began: First the number of broadcast languages were cut back, followed by the replacement of RCI-produced content with domestic programs made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Eventually some RCI-produced content returned, but the cuts continued: By 2012, an 80% cut in federal funding forced RCI to abandon SW and satellite radio broadcasting entirely and retreat to www.rcinet.ca. The famed Sackville transmission farm was torn down two years later. “In the wake of the 80% budget cuts, RCI is down to 23 staff members, editor-in chief included and is now part of Radio-Canada’s News department,” said Soleïman Mellali, RCI’s web editor-in-chief. (Radio-Canada is the country’s French-language public broadcaster.) “Content is produced on weekdays to cover all seven days.” It took an extensive amount of staff training to get RCI’s web content to its current level,” said Mellali. “The team had a solid radio background but felt uneasy about RCI’s transition to web-only, which has left them a bit off kilter.” The effort has paid off. According to Mellali, RCI’s number of monthly visitors has tripled since its web was made more user-friendly. “Social media participation has (also) increased,” he said. “On Facebook, for instance, we’ve shot up from 1,200 fans to over 18 000.” SW [sic] writer Colin Newell flanked by Mounties. Credit: Colin Newell [caption] Nevertheless, RCI’s transformation into a web-only service has substantially narrowed its scope, said McFarland, and the service’s ability to reach listeners worldwide. “When RCI deserted the shortwave bands in favor of the web, the service’s philosophy also changed,” McFarland told RWI. “It went from appealing to basically anyone who was interested in Canada, in what was happening here and our relationship with the rest of the world, in favor of broadcasting to people who might be interested in immigrating to Canada.” “Meanwhile, the computer was now the only way to hear broadcasts from Canada: Listeners in African, Asian and European countries who tuned to Canada on cheap shortwave receivers were no longer a segment of the worldwide listening audience that RCI was interested in reaching,” he added. “This change in target audiences was a great slap in the face for RCI’s long time and very loyal listeners around the world who held Canada in very high esteem for many decades of successful broadcasting on shortwave.” Other international broadcasters who have abandoned shortwave for the web have likely experienced this loss. The reason: Access to “high-speed internet is not a universal thing,” said Colin Newell, a shortwave enthusiast since 1972 and operator of the shortwave [sic: it`s more about MW than SW] listener site www.DXer.ca. (“DX” is an old Morse Code abbreviation standing for “long distance.”) “It is surely widespread and available in the oddest of places, but it is not universal or universally reliable.” VULNERABLITY TO CENSORSHIP When it comes to the fallout from international broadcasting moving to the web, there is one fact that everyone agrees on; namely the internet’s vulnerability to censorship by hostile powers. Back when international programming was delivered via multiple high-powered shortwave transmitters using many locations and shortwave frequencies, “jamming of broadcasts was an expensive and often ineffective method of blocking ‘the message,’” said Newell. Today, “jamming is as simple as a few clicks of a mouse on a national internet service. Full scale censorship is a significantly easier technological exercise.” The bottom line: Today’s international broadcasters are nowhere near as capable as their Cold War predecessors were in getting messages through to the “other side” — and those who rely solely on the web can’t guarantee content delivery at all. This is a textbook case of irony. By eschewing shortwave for the web, many international broadcasters have lessened their ability to serve their target audiences at all times; and in some cases, eliminated this capability entirely. Take RCI: During the Cold War, its shortwave signals managed to reach listeners in the Soviet bloc. But today? Should he ever want to, Vladimir Putin could cut RCI off from Russian audiences in seconds. Now it is theoretically possible that RCI could return to shortwave broadcasting. But this would require building a new transmission farm. The demolished Sackville site isn’t available. Several New Brunswick Mi’kmaq indigenous communities purchased its cleared 90-hectares in 2017 to add to the Fort Folly First Nation reserve. But even if it were, the Canadian government would be unlikely to spend the money required to build a replacement shortwave facility. This is likely true in other countries that have demolished their shortwave transmission sites as well. The inescapable conclusion: Moving to the web has fundamentally compromised international broadcasting’s ability to do its job, compared to what it could do back in shortwave’s glory days. And unless something happens to motivate governments to reinvest in expensive shortwave broadcasting, this will remain the case from now on. James Careless reports on the industry for Radio World from Ottawa, Ontario (via DXLD) MAN DIES WHILE DISMANTLING RADIO TOWER WMUR-TV Deerfield NH August 1, 2019 Fire officials in New Hampshire say a ham radio enthusiast was killed when a radio tower he and a friend were dismantling collapsed. Joe Areyzaga, of Goffstown, and an amateur radio friend were harnessed to a section of tower more than 40 feet up in Deerfield over the weekend when the tower collapsed. Areyzaga was killed and his friend was seriously injured. http://www.usnews.com (via Mike Terry, Aug 1, WOR iog via DXLD) AREYZAGA, JOSEPH G, K1JGA 126 EDMOND ST MANCHESTER, NH 03102 Previous call sign: KB1LCU (ARRL FCC lookup via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ [nrc-am] BEST TIME OF YEAR TO GO WEST [for MW DX] Have you ever wondered when is the best time to visit the northwest coast to DX from a propagation perspective? People who live there will tell you it’s ’the fall.’ They’ll also tell you that there’s two ’seasons’ and the spring can be pretty good too. And they’re right … but wouldn’t it make you feel a little more confident if you had some numbers to back that up? Now we do! I have graphed for the past 3 years Nick Hall-Patch’s daily Victoria, BC report on MW conditions based on a numerical scale he suggested. For even longer I’ve been collecting and graphing geomagnetic indices - solar flux, A-index, K-indes, EPEAD 2MeV electron density and Dst on a daily basis. Some of us had hoped that by marrying actual reception with geomagnetic indices we could ’see’ some trends and even make it possible to explain or [gasp!] predict day-to-day variations. That hope has not yet materialized BUT one can look at longer term trends - like a monthly average of Victoria TP and DU reception and gain valuable insight. You’ll find the numbers in a table at this URL: http://tivodxer.com/monthly-avg-rxn.php And, if you’re like me, a graph is preferable and it’s here: http://tivodxer.com/monthly-ave-rxn-graph1.php What you’ll see right away is that there are indeed two seasons - spring [March - April] and fall [September - October] - that are best for TP reception. The best DU reception appears to center on September. This is only 3 years of data but already you can see some trends: - there’s lots of variation in the ‘goodness’ of a particular season - see October 2018 for example - sometimes the spring season is actually better than the fall season - see March 2018 compared to October 2017 - DU signals are generally weaker than TP signals [sic; means FE?] Someone will point out that this is only for one location. That’s true but I think we’ll find that it broadly represents trends throughout the northwest. It’ll be interesting to see how this develops and if there are other things that can be discovered or better illustrated by looking at other summaries of the data (Bill Whitacre, Alexandria, VA, nrc-am gg via DXLD) East Coast situation is that mid-September through late November tends to be most productive overall. As Roy Barstow's reports show, the spring / summer focus, when static allows, is the Caribbean, South America, and deep Africa. Some Europe, North Africa, and Mideast DX persists but at a lower variety level than during autumn prime time. Mostly were talking about big guns making it via high power and/or a good coastal site. Winter is highly variable: good TA nights mixed with duds. Less consistent than autumn. March can be a good month sometimes but not quite up to late September and October. Aurora is season-independent and can kick up at any time to reduced northerly QRM and enhance DX from the tropics. The different profiles of the sunset and sunrise terminator lines make what you get in a June aurora quite different from what may be noted in a December one. Auroras near the vernal and autumnal equinox dates are often the most productive (Mark Connelly, WA1ION, South Yarmouth, MA, Aug 2, ibid.) THE PERSEID METEOR SHOWER IS UNDERWAY Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Aug. 12-13 with many fireballs slicing through the light of a nearly full Moon. August has only just begun, yet NASA's network of all-sky cameras is already detecting a few Perseid fireballs every night--rates which will surely increase in the nights ahead. https://fireballs.ndc.nasa.gov/ http://spaceweather.com/ (via Mike Terry, Aug 1, WOR iog via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) The fullness of the moon makes no difference if you are monitoring the Perseids or any meteor shower, by catching radio bursts on FM, maybe luckily during something identifiable (gh, DXLD) METEOR SCATTER Southgate July 28, 2019 Meteor scatter is a form of propagation mode that is used for medium distance ham radio communications, especially on bands like 144 MHz. It enables contacts to be made over distances of 1500 to 2000 km on these frequencies allowing contacts to be made over much longer distances than might otherwise be possible. As the name implies, meteor scatter uses the fact that meteors enter the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere. When they do so they burn up leaving intense trails of ionisation - typically around the same altitude as the E region in the Ionosphere. Although the meteors are very small, and the trails not that large, it is still possible to use them to "reflect" radio signals and thereby extend the range over which a signal can travel. Amateur radio activity tends to focus on times when there are meteor showers, but meteors are always entering the atmosphere. The meteor showers give much greater numbers of meteors and also the meteors tend to be larger, which leads to larger ionisation trails. Find out more about meteor scatter and how it can be used by commercial operations as well as radio amateurs in our article on Electronics Notes. https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/antennas-propagation/meteor-scatter-burst-communications/basics-tutorial.php http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2019/july/meteor-scatter.htm#.XT1bqehKjIU (via Mike Terry, July 28, WOR iog via DXLD) Altho an otherwise good article, as I skimmed thru it I saw no reference whatsoever to MS as a vehicle for DX on the FM broadcast band! Let alone the VHF TV bands: typical extremely narrow focus of Southgate, requiring non hams to extrapolate if anything (gh, DXLD) :Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts :Issued: 2019 Jul 29 0117 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center # Product description and SWPC contact on the Web # https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 22 - 28 July 2019 Solar activity was at very low levels with no spotted regions on 22-28 July. No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal levels on 22-28 July. Geomagnetic field activity reached unsettled levels on 22 July. Quiet levels were observed on 23-28 July. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 29 July - 24 August 2019 Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels for 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 high levels on 02-03 and 05-17 August due to recurrent coronal hole high speed stream influences. Normal to moderate levels are expected for the remainder of the outlook period. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at active levels on 01 and 05-06 August due to recurrent coronal hole high speed stream influences. Quiet to unsettled levels are expected for the remainder of the outlook period. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2019 Jul 29 0117 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center # Product description and SWPC contact on the Web # https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/content/subscription-services # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2019-07-29 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2019 Jul 29 67 5 2 2019 Jul 30 67 5 2 2019 Jul 31 67 8 3 2019 Aug 01 67 15 4 2019 Aug 02 67 8 3 2019 Aug 03 67 5 2 2019 Aug 04 67 8 3 2019 Aug 05 67 15 4 2019 Aug 06 67 15 4 2019 Aug 07 67 5 2 2019 Aug 08 67 5 2 2019 Aug 09 67 5 2 2019 Aug 10 67 5 2 2019 Aug 11 67 5 2 2019 Aug 12 67 5 2 2019 Aug 13 67 5 2 2019 Aug 14 67 5 2 2019 Aug 15 67 5 2 2019 Aug 16 67 5 2 2019 Aug 17 67 8 3 2019 Aug 18 67 8 3 2019 Aug 19 67 5 2 2019 Aug 20 67 5 2 2019 Aug 21 67 5 2 2019 Aug 22 67 5 2 2019 Aug 23 67 5 2 2019 Aug 24 67 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1993, DXLD) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ CRUCIFIXION by Phil Ochs, Jim & Jean performance [as on this and last weeks` Weekend Radio from WCLV] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvK1n6ArYMc&feature=youtu.be https://genius.com/Phil-ochs-crucifixion-lyrics (via Clara Listensprechen, DXLD) ###