DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-079, July 11, 2008 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 2008 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn NEXT SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1416 Fri 1930 IPAR/IRRS/NEXUS/IBA 7290 [NEW] Fri 2030 WWCR1 15825 Sat 0800 WRMI 9955 Sat 1630 WWCR3 12160 Sun 0230 WWCR3 5070 Sun 0630 WWCR1 3215 Sun 0800 WRMI 9955 Sun 1515 WRMI 9955 Mon 0415 WBCQ 7415 [time varies] Tue 1100 WRMI 9955 Tue 1530 WRMI 9955 Wed 0530 WRMI 9955 Wed 1130 WRMI 9955 Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://new.wrn.org/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN NOW AVAILABLE: http://www.wrn.org/listeners/stations/podcast.php OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradsio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. R. Solh, via UK, 17700, fair July 10 at 1311 with usual great music, but at 1320 had a long talk segment of some 5 minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNITED KINGDOM. QSL: Radio Solh (VOA), 15265, QSL, wall calendar, pen, 2 US$ returned in 99 days. Address: Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20237 USA. http://www.voanews.com (Sergey Kolesov, Russia?, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) !! Solh is not a VOA service! Unless very covertly, and they should be ashamed of playing the same tapes day after day, month after month. More likely someone at VOA was ignorant enough to issue an automatic QSL for such a report, proving that such QSLs are worthless --- and all VOA QSLs? Now we should see what other unrelated stations VOA will QSL. BTW, 15265 is the B-season frequency, not currently (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 4949.77, Rádio Nacional, 0032-0050 July 11. At tune in, noted music, a mixture of non-descript and hilife music. By 0038 no comments heard from anyone yet. However, by 0042, a male comments in Portuguese language. The signal was at a poor level. Notice the frequency being off by 23[0] Hertz. This isn't what I recall from other loggings. Usually the transmitter is right on 4950 kHz (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston FL, NRD-545, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4950, Radio Nacional, Mulenvos, 4950, 2142-2153, 04-07, locutor, portugués, comentarios. 25322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, escuchas realizadas en Camping de Reinante, costa del mar Cantábrico, provincia de Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600G, Antena de cable, 8 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. RAE, 11710.63 in English at 0230+ with tango music. Moderate. 9 July (Liz Cameron, MI, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 1620, AM 1620, Mar del Plata – Address: H.Yrigoyen 2629, 7600 Mar del Plata. Email: am1620 @ yahoo.com ar Hasse Mattisson. ARC 1640, R. Nueva Bolivia (CF23) – Address: Avenida Intendente Francisco Rabanal 146, Planta Alta, (C1437FPB) Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires -- Marcelo A. Cornachioni via ConDig 1650, Antares AM 1650 "La Radio de Familia" – new stn -- Marcelo A. Cornachioni via ConDig. According to Elmundodelaradio this is LRI277 Radio Antares from Pilar, Provincia de BA 1680, AM Revivir (BA156) – ex. 1650 Marcelo A. Cornachioni via ConDig 1690, R. Apocalipsis II is active again – new address: Av. Brigadier General Juan Manuel de Rosas No 4357, San Justo -- Marcelo A. Cornachioni via ConDig (all in ARC South American News Desk, July, edited by Tore B. Vik, via DXLD) ** BAHAMAS. Complete(?) list of FM stations here, with decimal coords: 89.9, Harbour Island Spanish Wells ZSS-FM Splash FM-variety - 1kw 25.55 76.75 93.5, Marsh Harbour Abaco ZNA-FM Radio Abaco-variety - 1kw 26.55 77.05 94.9, New Providence Nassau ZNM-FM More 94 FM -chr (HD) XXXX - BAHAMAS SUPER STATION 5kw 25.0833333 77.35 96.1, Freeport Freeport ZFC-FM Cool FM. ac - 1kw 26.5333333 78.7 97.5, New Providence Nassau ZNL-FM Love 97 FM . ac/news - 5kw 25.0833333 77.35 100.3, New Providence Nassau ZNJ-FM Jamz 100-chr-reggae-soca - 5kw 25.0833333 77.35 101.9, New Providence Nassau BS1 101.9 Joy FM - - 25.0833333 77.35 102.1, Freeport Freeport ZFM-FM Mix 102. pop- urban-tropical - 5KW 26.5333333 78.7 102.9, New Providence Nassau ZNI-FM Island 102.9-variety - 1kw 25.0833333 77.35 104.5, New Providence Nassau ZNS-FM Power 104-variety - 5kw 25.0833333 77.35 107.1, New Providence Nassau ZNS-1 News-talk - 1kw 25.0833333 77.35 107.9, New Providence Nassau ZNS-2 News-sports - 1kw 25.0833333 77.35 (Source? via Fred Nordquist, Moncks Corner, SC, WTFDA via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. I am sitting on 4865 (0045 UT July 11) waiting to hear Radio Logos from Bolivia. I am probably the only PERSON in the entire world that hasn't heard Radio Logos yet? I can hear something there, but it could be just my imagination? I criticized a friend the other day for wasting his time fishing and here I am doing about the same thing. He at least catches something (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida (WHERE THE FISHING IS GREAT!), NRD545, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Correcting mixed up program content in 8-078: 11815, R. Brasil Central, Goiânia GO, 1907-1927, music program Na Beira da Mata; 44433, adjacent QRM. Strongest in the evening, except for RNAmazónia 11780. 11855, R. Aparecida, Aparecida SP, 2112-2130, 07 Jul, truck drivers' pogram Pé na Estrada; 34433, QRM de WYFR in Castilian; parallel to 5035, 6135, 9630 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [and non]. Watch out, CHU! In B-08, WHRI plans to start using 7335 again, but so far only one hour, 12-13 in Spanish and English, 250 kW at 173 degrees. This is probably the BBC Mundo relay M-F, WHR fill Sat/Sun, currently on 9410 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. UNION FILES COMPLAINT OVER MONTREAL AM FORMAT CHANGE Corus, the owner of 940 News, the Montreal English radio station which recently abandoned its news operations, has breached its licence commitment, says a complaint filed yesterday by the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP-FTQ). The CEP represents the employees laid off at the station as a result of the 180 degree turn in programming. “It’s a clear violation of its license commitments,” says John Caluori, a CEP National representative. “To go from all-news to oldies deprives Montrealers of diversity of information and a clear abandonment of obligations to audiences through the CRTC. It is yet one more case of the erosion of news and information. The CRTC has to act.” On 6 June Corus announced unilaterally and with approximately one week’s notice that the Montreal station which was exclusively broadcasting news on a non-stop basis would, as of 14 June, be broadcasting essentially 60s, 70s and 80s music. The 940 News station is one of the oldest English-speaking radio stations in Québec. CEP objects to the fact that Corus is not respecting its broadcasting license for this radio station. According to the terms of the license issued in 1999 (when Métromedia owned the station) and renewed in 2003 (for the period ending in 2010) by Corus, the programming format of this station must be non-stop news. “That is what makes us claim that Corus is breaching its obligations since it has unilaterally changed the programming”, explained Mr Caluori. CEP is therefore asking the CRTC to carry out an investigation in order to make sure that Corus’s license is respected. The Union is also asking that the public be consulted. According to the new Corus plans, news will now only be broadcast in the form of short news bulletins as they are by other similar stations. The newsroom, which employed 21 CEP members, will now only include 2 journalists and 5 technicians. CEP is the largest union in the Canadian media sector, representing over 25,000 persons working for newspapers and radio and television stations. (Source: CEP press release) Related story: Montreal English talk station to switch to Greatest Hits (July 9th, 2008 - 8:56 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) Since Canadian stations are licensed to broadcast a specific format, this would seem to be a no-brainer. See also NEWFOUNDLAND, which we inconsistently treat as a distinct radiocountry (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC Pukatwagan MB FM only --- I asked my contact at CBC about some radio stuff. This included the CBC AM Pukatawagan MB site. This was his reply: Pukatawagan, MB - CBDS-FM is on-air testing (we are just awaiting final clearance from Industry Canada). You can cancel the AM xmtr CBDS as we had to vacate the site by the end of June; a (Andy Reid, Ont, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WTFKs? ** CAYMAN ISLANDS. 7/10 Es: 1042 [EDT] ZFKY-87.9, KY, Cayman Brac, religious music (967 [statute miles]). This clear channel is a nice Es indicator for the Caribbean (Fred Nordquist, Moncks Corner, SC, 33.21756N 79.95798W, KJ4BUG Grid FM03AF, WTFDA via DXLD) ** CHINA. I am another one of the "lucky" winners of a third prize in the RCI Olympic Games Contest. Are there any firsts and seconds out there? 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also CUBA ** CUBA. 6000, Spanish, 2300-0100 heard 2315-2320. Suffering from an astonishingly powerful QRM of Mandarin which theoretically is Singapore Mediacorp relay from Kranji. Both of equal strength. 42443. 9550, English 2300-2400 heard 2320-2335. Weak in comparison and possibly distorted audio. 33333. 9820, La Mesa Redonda. Heard 2300-2315. Different from 6000 and mainly involving political talk from men and women. Excellent signal 54544. 11750 Spanish heard 2105-2115. Huge clear signal. 55555. 11760 English heard 2115-2130. Weaker at 44444. 73's (Dan Goldfarb, Brentwood, England, July 9, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. Hi Glenn, I saw the discussion re Australia 9580/9590. I have been actually meaning to email you regarding this. I would like to report that the situation with the CRI relay via Cuba on 9570, causing interference on RA's 9580 here in Southern Ontario is as bad as ever. When 9570 comes on, a pronounced noise is heard on 9580 and to some extent 9590. The spur that use to hang around 9588 is gone but listening to RA is still uncomfortable. Sad really, 9580 puts in such a clean signal until the transmitter from Cuba comes on. Things are only manageable now because RA puts such a strong signal into here during our Summers but come the darker months. After much effort from RA, you and myself to try to get CRI to clean up their messy transmitter[s] in Cuba, nothing has really improved. I will keep this in mind if I chose to watch the Olympics (Andy Reid, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST, cc to Nigel Holmes, RA) ** CUBA [non]. 9515, R. República. July 9, Spanish, 2216, news programme about Cuba and L.A. countries, 2218 OM & YL ID (sintoniza R. República) with schedule, 2219 (para saber lo que se pasa en Cuba, sintonice R. República). Good 43433 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. Sadly, one must again report that HCJB is announcing its own frequencies incorrectly, since the demise of the 21455 transmission, as has been made well-known outside the compound. July 9 at 1259:30, automated Spanish ID on 11960 still claimed to be on ``11690, 21455 y 11960``; ditto July 10 at 1329:30 check. How many years will it take for La Voz de los Andes to recut these IDs? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. 3220, HCJB Pifo continues very strong 0900; less strong at 0000. Synchro lock on the R75 Kiwa, 9 July. 3279.6, Ecuador, La Voz del Napo Tena subdued conversational Spanish at 0950 with good signal 9 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, South Flórida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. ECUADOR SEIZES THREE TELEVISION STATIONS, A RADIO STATION Ecuador yesterday seized three television stations and closed a radio station, in a move opposition leaders said was part of President Rafael Correa’s effort to muzzle media ahead of a September constitutional referendum. Police took over the studios of Gamavision, TC Television and a cable TV station, as part of 200 seized properties of brothers William and Roberto Isaias, who fled the country 10 years ago in the wake of the Filanbanco bank failure. Police also shut down Radio Sucre in southeastern Guayaquil, accusing it of the illegal use of frequencies. Authorities said the television seizures aim to collect 661 million dollars the Isaias family owes the state, but the family, through a representative, said the government was using their financial losses as a pretext to gain control of the media outlets they own. The leftist Correa said the measure was “a significant step” to compensate the victims of the family’s “bank heist,” and denied it was politically motivated. Opposition leaders and newspapers raised an outcry over the seizures, which they attributed to Correa’s determination to have a new constitution approved in the September referendum so he can run for reelection. Ecuadoran Association of Television Channels president Nicolas Vega warned against the menace pending over the country’s freedom of speech. “What we’ve been warning for some time now is starting to happen,” he said. “Freedom of speech in the country is in danger.” The media seizure was strongly opposed by Economy Minister Fausto Ortiz, who resigned on the issue. Correa has already appointed Vilma Salgado to replace him. Correa calmed workers of the affected media outlets, who gathered outside their workplaces Tuesday wondering about their future. Correa told them they could keep their jobs and that the government had no intention of holding on to the television and radio stations indefinitely. (Source: AFP)( July 9th, 2008 - 9:06 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via WORLD OF RADIO 1416, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. RADIO SUCRE AMBATO FUNCIONA CON NORMALIDAD http://www.lahora.com.ec/frontEnd/main.php?idSeccion=744522 9 de Julio de 2008 --- Hasta ayer en la tarde, el trabajo de radio Sucre se desarrolló sin inconvenientes. Hasta el cierre de esta edición, radio Sucre de Ambato funcionaba con toda normalidad y la clausura de este medio en Guayaquil no causaba ningún efecto en la ciudad. El gerente de la estación, Pedro Lenín, dijo que lo sucedido en el Puerto Principal no debe perjudicar al trabajo de este medio en la provincia de Tungurahua. La razón: Vicente Arroba no es dueño de la frecuencia. Añadió que la propietaria es una compañía diferente y ajena a Arroba. El mismo caso lo vive radio Sucre-Portoviejo que también es de propiedad de una compañía. Pese a ello reconoció que podría ocurrir alguna clausura que sería ilegal con los argumentos explicados. Además mantuvo un diálogo con los directivos de radio Sucre-Guayaquil, quienes le manifestaron que no deberá existir inconvenientes de clausura en este medio de Ambato. Intranquilidad Sin embargo, entre los empleados de radio Sucre de Ambato predominaba cierta intranquilidad tomando en cuenta que existe el riesgo de que 35 personas se queden sin su fuente de trabajo. Lenín recordó que la clausura de la radio en Guayaquil es por la no renovación de la concesión de la frecuencia por parte del Conartel y según el principal funcionario del medio en Ambato esto se debería a una retaliación política. Hasta tanto, como empleados van a estar pendientes de cualquier resolución y seguirán trabajando con normalidad (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. INCERTIDUMBRE EN RADIO SUCRE, PORTOVIEJO http://www.lahora.com.ec/frontEnd/main.php?idSeccion=744725 Portoviejo, La Hora --- Unos 80 trabajadores de radio Sucre Portoviejo están intranquilos. La amenaza de clausura de la estación creció ayer, luego de que la Intendencia de Policía cerró su matriz en Guayaquil la noche del lunes. El temor del personal de la estación aumentó puesto que días atrás habían recibido la visita de técnicos de la Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Suptel) para controlar una presunta interferencia en las señales de celular. Jorge Gutiérrez Soto, gerente propietario de la estación, dijo que hay “persecución ilegal” contra los medios que no están alineados al régimen. El pasado viernes la Suptel en Manabí envió un oficio a radio Sucre Portoviejo donde se le obliga a realizar de forma inmediata los ajustes técnicos necesarios para que solucionen un problema de interferencia que ocasiona la frecuencia. Caso contrario, les dijeron, procederán a realizar el apagado de este transmisor. “Esto es una amenaza, se nota que el Ejecutivo busca cualquier pretexto para amedrentarnos, para cerrarnos”, dijo Gutiérrez al remarcar que no cambiará la línea editorial de la estación. Hugo Casal, delegado regional de la Suptel, descartó que se quiera cerrar la estación y remarcó que se halló un problema técnico que debe ser solucionado. Radio Sucre Portoviejo, a diferencia de su matriz, sigue abierta porque es una filial independiente que ha cumplido con el trámite de renovación de su frecuencia. Según Gutiérrez, el cierre de Sucre Guayaquil, matriz de la cadena Cadenar y de las estaciones de televisión TC, Gamavisión y CN3 tiene fundamento en un abuso a la libertad de expresión y de pensamiento que atentan contra la “democracia”. Agregó que la medida adoptada obedece a una estrategia del Gobierno por acaparar medios que trabajen para que triunfe el sí en el referéndum aprobatorio de la nueva Constitución que se elabora en Montecristi (via José Miguel Romero, Spain, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1416, DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA ECUATORIAL. 6250, Radio Nacional, Malabo, 0552- 0610, 30-06, locutor, comentario sobre la malaria en Guinea Ecuatorial, vacunaciones, identificación: "Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial". 25432. También 0515-0610, 03-07, canciones africanas, a las 0601 identificación por locutor: "Radio Malabo", noticias de Guinea Ecuatorial". 35222. 15190, Radio Africa, 1836-1845, 04-07, comentario religioso en inglés, locutor, dirección de correo en Estados Unidos, canciones religiosas. 25322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, escuchas realizadas en Camping de Reinante, costa del mar Cantábrico, provincia de Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600G, Antena de cable, 8 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) All the recent logs of 15190 were July 4 (gh) ** ERITREA. 7100, VOBME (tentative), Asmara-Selae Daro. July-11 0303 OM talks, 0308-0311 YL talks. Weak, fady 24422 (Lúcio Otávio Bobrowiec, Embu SP Brasil - Sony ICF SW40 - dipole 18m, 32m, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA. (Presumed), 8000.00 at 0409 on 9 July in Amharic with HOA music. Two transmitters mentioned in DXLD 8-077 dated July 6 but only heard one. Good sig (Liz Cameron, via WORLD OF RADIO 1416, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA/ETHIOPIA. On 8000 kHz at 0522 they gave site some like http://www.harbita.democracy.com reported here 0355-0559 and 1455-1759 on 8000 but another program was at 1700-1800 UT on 5100 kHz ! (July 7&8). (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 10 via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. Great reception of those Ethiopians all through June and July, especially 5950 at 03 UT (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 13830, Voice of Oromo Liberation (Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromo), via Wertachtal, *1700, Jul 06, weak signal at start, then a set-on narrow band noise jammer, which tuned to the carrier of the victim signal, turned on the noise jamming, which range in effectiveness from 10% to 100% during the first 15 minutes of the transmission. I presume it is Ethiopia who is jamming the signal. There was 1 minute during which time the noise jammer went off the air and signal remained weak but readable. Spectrum measured as good as I could (about 8 kHz wide). Jammer did not seem to drift as much as other days (it stayed locked to the victim carrier). (Dan Henderson, Laurel MD, in DXplorer, via DSWCI DX Window July 9 via DXLD) ** FINLAND. 11690, SWR, Virrat, (probable) 2016-2059*, 05-07, locutor, comentarios en probable finlandés, música pop. A las 2055 comentarios en inglés, música y cierre a las 2059. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, escuchas realizadas en Camping de Reinante, costa del mar Cantábrico, provincia de Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600G, Antena de cable, 8 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. END OF DRM TEST IN BRITTANY --- Littoral Média, broadcaster and DRM supporter located in Saint-Gouéno, north west France, has finished its test broadcast in DRM mode on 1593 kHz AM. The test period ran from 21 February to 30 June and a test report is currently being finalised which will provide an in-depth examination of reception for the DRM mediumwave signal in urban, suburban and rural environments. This report will be sent to the CSA (Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel), the French media regulator and other organisations and key players in the French radio market (Source: DRM website July 9th, 2008 - 9:44 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** FRANCE [non]. RFI Spanish service, 15515 via GUIANA FRENCH, July 11 at 1215 with a woman who was apparently one of the Colombian hostages released with Ingrid Betancourt, sending a message of hope to those still kidnapped because she knows they listen to RFI, and she`s now studying French at the Alliance. 1217 into Revista de Prensa; 1230* cut off a chanson in progress abruptly. Usual VG signal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4799v, Radio Buenas Nuevas (San Sebastián). 0451-0520. 5 July. Spanish. A very nice music program with lots of numbers featuring the accordion. Somber music at TOH with ID and back into the party. Here in Dixie, we would refer to this type of programming as a Hoedown. Reception was hampered by static. Fair at best (Joe Wood, TN, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. MEDIUMWAVE LICENCE AWARDED FOR NEW CANTONESE STATION The Chief Executive in Council has approved in principle Wave Media’s application for a 12-year licence to establish and maintain a 24-hour Cantonese AM radio channel. The Commerce & Economic Development Bureau said the launch of a new sound broadcasting service will benefit the local broadcasting industry and the economy. It will introduce more competition in the radio market, increase programming choices for the audience, promote research and development of new broadcasting technology, create job opportunities and train new talent. The application meets statutory requirements, including those relating to the Hong Kong residency requirement and cross-media ownership restrictions. The company is assessed to be financially capable of establishing and maintaining the service. It has voluntarily committed to provide a performance bond of $2 million to safeguard construction of the transmission network and the rollout of service within two years from the grant of licence. At the frequency of AM 810 kHz, the service will be managed by personnel with broadcasting expertise and experience. Public views the Broadcasting Authority received also generally support the company’s proposed introduction of a new radio channel in Hong Kong. (Source: http://news.gov.hk) (July 9th, 2008 - 9:28 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR, SHILLONG CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF BROADCASTING http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jul0808/ne3 SHILLONG, July 7 – In commemoration of 60 years of broadcasting in the North East Region, All India Radio, Shillong began its Diamond Jubilee celebration with a musical evening “Reliving Nostalgic Melodies” recently at U Soso Tham auditorium with live broadcast by the Station which was also relayed by AIR, Tura and Jowai, a PIB press release said. The function was attended by eminent artists of the Station who recalled the past glorious days of broadcasting. The function was graced by V. Sekhose, Dy. Director General, Doordarshan (NER) and C Lalrosanga, Dy. Director General, All India Radio (NER). In her speech, Sekhose appreciated the efforts made by AIR Shillong in organizing the concert. She also said that AIR is to play a crucial role in promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of the people of this region. Lalrosanga mentioned the contributions made by AIR Shillong in the field of music and culture within the North East Region. He said that at present there are 34 AIR stations throughout the North East including Sikkim. 100 watt FM transmitters are to be set up in the North East in the coming days which will increase the present AIR coverage to 96 per cent of the population in this region (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, July 10, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. VOI reception here in the morning has plunged to the barely-detectable-carrier level. I say this since nothing else is likely to be on 9526. This was the case July 8 before and after 1300; also July 10 at 1253, yet stations in the same region, such as VOA Philippines 9760 are coming in very well. This makes me wonder if something other than propagation is at play, such as VOI not being up to full power and/or on usual azimuth toward us. Can anyone confirm whether they are still running English at the new hour of 1300? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, RE: VOI (9525.97v): You must be right about VOI's reception. Would seem hard to believe that these daily variations in reception are only attributable to propagation. July 4 - from 1258-1333 in English, fair. July 5 - after 1300 heard in English, poor, just above threshold level, very good propagation for Asia. July 6 - reported by others as in English after 1300. July 7 - after 1300 poor, below threshold, English? Asian propagation not quite as good as on the 5th. July 8 - after 1300 heard in English, poor, above threshold, fair Asian propagation. July 10 - 1309-1330 in Asian language, starts English programming at 1330, poor, above threshold, fair Asian propagation. The difference between the 4th and 5th especially makes me wonder if on the 5th they were doing something different (changed antenna or running lower power?), plus on all the other days of poor reception. This is an unfortunate development, as traditionally VOI was usually well heard during this time period. Perhaps the change in their language schedule is really being directed towards someone else? (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Jean-Michel, reciba un cordial saludo; todo parece indicar que está en lo cierto, hasta ahora no he podido captar ningún servicio de La Voz de Indonesia, sin embargo en el día de hoy a las 1820 por la frecuencia de 9525 con una señal muy débil y fuertemente interferida, hasta el punto que había que templar a 9526 para captar algo con garantías, he podido captar el servicio en español, un chequeo posterior a las 1835, he podido comprobar que el servicio era en otro idioma, probablemente en alemán, todo parece indicar que La Voz de Indonesia ha realizado cambios en sus servicios, tanto en horarios cómo en duración, sin lugar a dudas el servicio en español ahora es de 1800 a 1830. 73 (José Miguel Romero, Spain, ibid.) Jakarta 9525.98, 1811 UT July 10, Program in Spanish about Indonesia + IDs. Good reception S=8 (Maurits Van Driessche, Belgium, BDX via DXLD) On WOR 1416 I assumed incorrectly that the 18+ broadcasts were on 11785. Not only did JMR have to shift to 9526 for better reception, but VOI probably really was on 9526 (gh, DXLD) VOI was on 11785v on July 9th, and noted around 1645 UT today July 10th on 9525.97 kHz 1600-2100 UT, tiny signal on daytime S=3-5 deep fades, played typical Gamelan music (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX via DXLD VOI, 9526, July 11 at 1159 ending Japanese service with ID, contact info, but apparently no English transition announcement, into Indonesian, only fair and declined to poor by 1300 recheck when English news was already in progress. VOI`s timing is clearly flexible (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. LYNGSAT STREAMING INTERNATIONAL RADIO AND TV --- I have used Lyngsat's website for many years as a way to figure out what TV program services are on which satellite thanks to Tracy Wood's lectures at the Winter SWL Fest. I recently discovered Lyngsat has an even more valuable service for those interested in viewing/listening to foreign TV and radio broadcasts via the internet. Their start page is: http://www.lyngsat-stream.com/index.html From here you can travel the world listening and watching what the folks in the target countries are watching or listening to. Just left click on the symbol (example rm) column marked "stream" and if the link is not broken it will open the appropriate player and automatically connect. I was not able to connect to the various CCTV channels including English language CCTV 9 for some reason. But there is more other stuff to watch, especially if one is fluent in other languages, to keep inquiring minds occupied indefinitely. Enjoy, (Joe Buch, Swprograms mailing list via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. CONSUMER GROUPS WANT XM-SIRIUS DOCUMENTS RELEASED WASHINGTON -- July 9, 2008: Last month the Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio called for hearings on the merger of Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio based on confidential documents related to the satcasters' design of interoperable receivers, and now the Consumer Federation of America and the Consumers Union would like to see unredacted versions of those documents. The groups would like to have the complete documents made public because, they say in a filing with the FCC, "Public disclosure of this information will allow for a more transparent merger review process, and enable the public to provide more accurate and informed input to the commission concerning the merger. This is particularly important because the documents may contain pivotal information relevant to one of the primary justifications for the merger suggested by XM and Sirius." The redacted filings the consumer groups have seen "call into question the candor of the merger parties in their dealings with the commission both as licensees and during the merger review proceeding" and suggest that XM and Sirius "did not comply with the requirements in each company's license concerning interoperable receivers." (Radio Ink via Benn Kobb, DXLD) ** IRELAND. Re 27 MHz Irish stations heard by Carlos Gonçalves --- The Irish spectrum regulator, COMREG, has authorized a number of channels here for local and religious relays – they are most often used to feed local church services to the ill and housebound, where these churches have no similar deal with local radio (FM). Most of the Irish county stations have merged into 2 or 3 county regional stations, so specific localities have no natural station to call their own. Legislation for non-commercial community radio is still being predicted/promised by politicians (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. VOK, July 9 at 1301 seemed parallel on 11710 and 11735, both playing national anthem, tho probably not synchronized, but then at 1303, 11735 went into Chinese and 11710 into English. The 11710 transmitter also puts spurs out, a constant het on 11776 against Defunct Gene Scott, Anguilla, and a much dirtier one on 11644, unstable but with enough audio to // 11710 which with the BFO on, one can tell is also unstable, can`t zero-beat it. Also July 10 at 1310, wobbly spur on 11644 // 11710, stable spur on 11776. KCBS domestic service also audible with music on 11677 at 1313 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LEBANON. QSL: Voice of Lebanon, 93.3 MHz, Email confirming my reception report in 43 days. V/s Wadih E. Haddad Deputy General Manager, Radio, Voice of Lebanon, Tel: +961 1 201384, Fax: +961 1 219290 http://www.vdl.com.lb Email: wadih.haddad @ vdl.com.lb (Received in Port Said) (Sergey Kolesov, Russia?, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** LIBYA. V. of Africa, poor but audible on 21695, July 9 at 1410 during English service, fading in and out, barely //able to 17725. Spain 21610 and 21570 were also making it weakly (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MAURITANIA. 783, R. Mauritanie, Nouakchott, 2217- 08 Jul, Arabic, talks on politics; 54444, QRM de España; better than parallel 4845 with QRM de Brasil 4845.2 + CODAR! (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 4800, XERTA from 0930 to 1045 transmitter on with no audio 9 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, South Flórida, WORLD OF RADIO 1416, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4800, XERTA, Radio Transcontinental de América, México D. F., 0520- 0553, 04-07, canciones religiosas en español. 25322. También 0549-- 0633, 08-07, locutor, español, comentario sobre la familia, 25432. 6010, Radio Mil, México D. F., 0606-0648, 30-06, canciones mexicanas, anuncios de programas de la emisora, identificación: "Vive la música de México", "En Radio Mil, vive la música de México". Interferencia de BBC World Service en 6005. 23322. También 0604-0625, 03-07, con el mismo programa e identificación entre canciones. Interferencia de BBC World Service. 22322. También 0601-0645, 05-07, mismo programa. 23322. También 0601-0650, 08-07, mismo programa, con buena señal. 33333. 6185, Radio Educación, México D. F., 0701-0723, 08-07, identificación, locutora: "Radio Educación, 1060 de Amplitud Modulada". Comentario "Comisión de Derechos Humanos", anuncio programas de la emisora. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, escuchas realizadas en Camping de Reinante, costa del mar Cantábrico, provincia de Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600G, Antena de cable, 8 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Mexico authorizes HD IBOC in US border zone --- Radio Magazine is reporting today that Mexico has approved HD IBOC for AM & FM stations within the 200 mile US border zone. This was done to allow stations in the border zone to have equal competition with US technology. The stations must first request permission from the authority and must then promise to assist the authority in ensuring proper rollout of the technology (Patrick Griffith, CBT CBNT CRO, Westminster CO, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I saw a report somewhere that a border station on 970, I think, is already IBOC (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. Hola a todos: XEUACH-AM 1610, Radio Chapingo, emisora de la Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo transmite de las 09:00 a las 21:00 horas tiempo del centro del país, [1400-0200 UT] desde Chapingo, Méx., MÉXICO. Página web: http://www.radiochapingo.com/ Atentamete, (Roberto E. Gómez Morales, Mexico, July 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. IMPIDEN INDÍGENAS DESMANTELAMIENTO DE RADIO ÑOMNDAA POR LA AFI Y SCT --- Unos 600 pobladores de Xochistlahuaca evitaron que agentes se llevaran el equipo. La acción también iba dirigida a La Voz Indígena, que opera en la casa de la alcaldesa Rocha . . . http://www.lajornadaguerrero.com.mx/2008/07/11/index.php?section=regiones&article=012n1reg (via José Miguel Romero2, Spain, dxldyg via DXLD) 100.1; LVI on 88.8 ** NEWFOUNDLAND. CHVO Carbonear NL --- On June 20, 2008 I emailed CHVO to ask when AM 560 was going to leave the air; station moved to 103.9 FM. They replied that July 7th was the date. After July 7th, I email them again to confirm if the station has indeed left AM. I have not had a reply. Can someone confirm if 560 CHVO has left the air? (Andy Reid, Ont., July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. IBB Tinang is still turning on its 9655 carrier for RNW relay in Dutch at 1300, much earlier; already on at 1245 July 8 blocking RNZI, and with intermittent tone tests too. On WORLD OF RADIO 1416, I urge IBB to crash-start at 1300. This might involve doing the warm-up on some other nearby frequency instead. Meanwhile, another abrupt frequency change by RNZI, even tho Adrian Sainsbury is away on a long holiday to Wales: surprised to hear RNZI on 6095, July 10 at 0606, with coastal weather summary, NZ news, nothing on 9615, but 6095 has QRM de VOA French, which is São Tomé, M- F only at 0530-0630, 20 degrees! The RNZI sked at http://www.rnzi.com/pages/listen.php still shows 9615 at 0459-0658, and nothing under What`s New about any frequency change. Wonder what the true span of 6095 is now. Seems to me they didn`t previously use it as early as 0600. At 1250 seemed to be on 9655 as usual under IBB Tinang carrier and tone, and from *1259 RNZI still on 6170 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Not sure why we were on 6095 - will try to find out. 9655 sounding OK 1100-1200 in Bangkok with sideband splatter 1200-1300 (Adrian Sainsbury, Bangkok, Technical Manager, Radio New Zealand International, July 11, ibid.) RNZI back on correct 9615, July 11 at 0626 check, fair. Adrian Sainsbury says he`s not sure why they were on 6095 the night before. Also checking later on July 11: at 1155, 6165-6170-6175 in DRM just before that closed. 6170 should have opened at *1259 in analog, but nothing there at 1304; instead, 9655, which should have closed at 1259* was still on, 1305 news, 1308 sounder and ID. This was of course, mixing with RNW via Tinang, but atop RNW, with SAH of about 7 Hz, and as always at this hour, suffering from China/Sackville 9650. Serves RNW right for unnecessarily QRMing RNZI with carrier and tones before 1300. You never know what is going to happen next with RNZI frequency usage, unreliable as if their computer/automation system has a mind of its own (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGER. 9705, La Voix du Sahel, Niamey, 1240-1428, 10 Jul, Vernacular, talks, French at 1400 with some international music program when signal was poorer; 34433, het with Ethiopia 9704.2 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. 11770, 1523-1527, Voice of Nigeria, Lagos, Jul 6, Locutora falando em Swahili. Músicas regionais ao fundo, às 1524 início do que pareceu ser algum noticiário. 35222 (Zago Meirelles, São Paulo SP, Brasil, IC R75/T2FD, playdx yg via DXLD) Haven`t seen this frequency reported in ages! Not to be confused with: 11770 CVC INTERNATIONAL 1500-1800 1234567 Chinese 250 340 Darwin AUS 13637E1225S CVC a08 --- Per Aoki; but it should be hard to confuse Chinese with Swahili (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15120, VON-Lagos, 1730 UT 4/5 July 08 in English with various feature programs such as "Sixty Minutes", "Africa Hour". Modulation-audio quality varies from program to program so it's not the transmitter's fault but whoever is recording the shows. SIO: 454 (Chris Lobdell, MA, DXplorer July 9 via BC-DX via DXLD) 15120, Voice of Nigeria, 1920-1945 July 9. At tune-in, noted African hilife/jazz. Between tunes a female comments in English. This must be a featured program because the lady talks about the history of some of the music. This program continues until 1930. A male gives ID as "Voice of Nigeria, Lagos". A program about the Nigerian Aviation Industry presented. Signal was good with a little fading (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. Crystal Ship: 6700, 0128-0305+. Independence Day, English. Great show by Mr. Poet. Music by REO Speedwagon, Styx, Steely Dan, and many others Lots of martial music as befits the Holiday including some nice sets by a Fife and Drum Corps. There were fewer political items than in the past. S9+10/VG, // 5385.5 S9/G (Joe Wood, TN, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Altho I could skip them with hardly any loss, the lure of DTV multi-channels led me to program in KTBO-14 (DT 15) OKC, the TBN outlet with FIVE channels total, including one in Spanish from Latin America. So I can`t help but notice that several times as I flip thru the channels, all five of these are black --- turn on the signal meter, and it`s plenty good, so I can only conclude that KTBO is transmitting nothing on all of its digital channels, a considerable improvement (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4790.2, Radio Visión, Chiclayo, 0541-0620, 03-07, canciones religiosas en español. 25432. También 0525-0620, 04-07, locutor, religioso, entrevista con oyentes, "Escuchan el programa La Voz de la Salvación", "Bienvenidos a La Voz de la Salvación, Iglesia Pentecostal La Cosecha". 25432 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, España, escuchas realizadas en Camping de Reinante, costa del mar Cantábrico, provincia de Lugo, Grundig Satellit 500 y Sony ICF SW 7600G, Antena de cable, 8 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4824.49, LV de la Selva, Iquitos signed on after 1100 9 July. 4826.45, Radio Sicuani, Sicuani either off or a late sign on 9 July, signal is not strong here and is dominated by Zimbabwe on 4828 around 0000 unless lsb narrow filter is used. 4835.6, Radio Marañón, Jaen, 1022 to 1130 with very strong signal, good synchro lock on the R75 Kiwa, "...Miércoles ...campesino... además en el centro de... departamento de..." energetic programming with shouted announcements by OM and YL. Simply "Radio Marañón" 1032, ID shouted in midst of flute and drum solo by OM. Held in well after 1100. Radio Marañon the strongest Peru this morning. 9 July (Robert Wilkner, Pómpano Beach, South Flórida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. Relay of Polish Radio via local Warsaw longwave 198 kHz (0600-1600 UT, 0800-1800 CEST-MESZ) Ab 0800 MESZ war das deutschsprachige Programm vom Vortag zu hoeren. 0830-0900 Hebraeisch - Hebrew 0900-1000 Englisch 1000-1030 Ukrainisch 1030-1100 ? 1100-1130 ? 1130-1200 ? 1200-1300 Polnisch 1300-1330 Russisch 1330-1400 Deutsch \\ 5975 \\ 5965 kHz (Sende-Zeit-Ansage fuer LW war in MEZ anstatt MESZ) 1400-1500 Englisch 1500-1530 ? 1530-1630 Weissrussisch 1630-1700 Ukrainisch 1700-1730 Russisch(?) 1730-1800 Polnisch (Paul Greiner, Austria , A-DX July 4) Paul in Vienna reports wrong time announcement (BC-DX via DXLD) ** PRIDNESTROVYE. Moldova, 6040, Radio Dniester, Moldavian Republic, 2300-2335 July 10. Male in steady English news with many mentions of Moldova. Near the end of the schedule full ID, "...our address, Radio DMR, the Republic of Moldova ...". At 2315, a female begins French schedule. Then a German period of 15 minutes. Signal was fair to good (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, NRD545, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The station ID in English is usually Radio PMR - which stands for Pridnestrovie Moldavian Republic (Dave Kenny, UK, ibid.) ** ROMANIA. RADIO RUMANÍA INSTALACIÓN DE LOS NUEVOS TRANSMISORES Saludos amigos de la onda corta: Aprovecho para compartir con ustedes el correo recibido hoy viernes de parte de mi gran amiga, Victoria Sepciu de Radio Rumanía Internacional (Dino Bloise, FL, July 11, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ¡Hola Dino! Un fortísimo abrazo y espero que las cosas te vayan de maravilla. Te mando la siguiente información, que presentaré en el "Rincón Diexista" del próximo 13 de julio. La prognosis del mes de julio del Servicio Español de RRI, realizada por el ingeniero Radu Ianculescu. En el mes de julio, RRI transmitirá sus emisiones en condiciones especiales porque ahora se están instalando los nuevos emisores para las ondas cortas. Durante las obras de instalación de los nuevos emisores, en el Centro de Emisión Galbeni, los programas para el exterior de RRI serán transmitidos a través de los emisores que quedan en función en la localidad de Tiganesti. Las más afectadas emisiones serán las que salen por la tarde en lenguas occidentales y en rumano. Dado que ahora en nuestro centro de emisión de Tiganesti sólo funcionan dos emisores, hemos escogido estrictamente las frecuencias óptimas de propagación. Por lo tanto, la primera emisión en español, de las 1900 UT se transmitirá, para España, en la frecuencia óptima de 11715 kHz; a las 2100, las frecuencias óptimas son la de 9755, que se escucha bien también en Europa, y la de 11965 para América Latina; nuestras emisiones para América del Sur que salen de noche se escuchan mejor en la frecuencia de 9745 a las 2300, y en la frecuencia de 9520 a las 0200; en América Central las frecuencias óptimas son las 9655 a las 2300, y la de 5975 a las 0200 UT (Victoria Sepciu, Radio Rumanía Internacional http://www.rri.ro/index.shtml?lang=11 via Bloise, ibid.) ** ROMANIA. ROMANIAN COURT BLOCKS “HAPPY NEWS” LEGISLATION Romania’s constitutional watchdog ‘today ruled against draft legislation that would require radio and television stations to air more “happy” news saying that it breaches the constitution. The bill, initiated by a deputy from the ruling Liberal Party and a member of the opposition far-right Greater Romania Party, was approved unanimously by the senate in June but was challenged by the Democrat- Liberal opposition party. “The Constitutional Court decided the bill was unconstitutional as a whole, thus cannot be signed into law by the country’s president,” Acsinte Gaspar one of the court’s judges told Reuters. According to Romania’s law, the court will offer within 10 days a detailed explanation on why it considers the bills unconstitutional. If a bill is declared unconstitutional, the parliament will have to drop it or try to amend it. Romania, which joined the European Union last year, is struggling with widespread poverty and corruption. Under the bill, broadcasters would have given equal time to “positive” and “negative” issues in their newscasts. Its sponsors argued too much gloom is making people ill. OSCE, Europe’s leading human rights watchdog urged Romania’s president yesterday to veto the legislation saying that defining good versus bad news is a severe political intrusion into editorial freedom. Media watch groups and the state broadcast regulator CNA have also urged President Traian Basescu to veto it. (Source: Reuters) (July 9th, 2008 - 15:13 UTC by Andy Sennitt, WORLD OF RADIO 1416, DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. The buzz sound goes on but with "middle" and "low" type: their Second Program 9675 *0255-0850* with "middle" buzzy and 9715 *0250-0950* Holy Qur`an (Koran Kerim) program with "low" buzzy (July 7). Ultrabroom was noted - 0931-0941 close/down from 21640 to 21670 kHz with max broom 21660-21670 kHz and I think it was test from ARS during their broadcast in Indonesian at 0857-1154 UT on 21670 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews July 10, via DXLD) Ultrabroom == splatter, or as in sweeping the frequency range with noise? (gh) ** SINGAPORE. Radio Singapore International going to produce the special programme on their last day broadcast on 31 July 2008. Want to participate on that programme? Contact Ms. Yvonne Gomez | Senior Producer-Presenter | Radio Singapore International, Mediacorp Singapore Pte Ltd, Caldecott Broadcast Centre Andrew Road, Singapore 299939, Phone: +65 63597672 | Fax: +65 62591357 | Mobile: +65 96206694, http://www.rsi.sg/english (Jaisakthivel, Chennai, India, July 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. Sudan on 1296 kHz --- Last night, around 21:15 local time (0115 UT), I heard Soudan (probably) and I would say that the signal lasted for about an half hour! At the same bearing, 1431 Djibouti was also good. This night is not quite good at this moment. I've just finished editing the file, listen: http://www.quebecdx.com/sudan_1296.mp3 You will notice (I guess so!) the word "Sudan" around second 10 and 70. At minute one, it is sounding like a complete ID. I should find sometime to listen carefully to other 9 kHz split carriers that were present on that 200-kHz-wide recording. Caught with the Perseus SDR, a 750 footer (228m) aimed at 88 degrees towards Africa and my trusty RPA-1 Preamp (Sylvain Naud, Portneuf, QC, Canada, July 8, http://www.quebecdx.com MWDX yg via DXLD) Also with SAH of about 6 Hz; which station is that offset from Sudan? (gh, DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. Radio Taiwán en 3965 a las 2000 UT, su horario habitual en castellano, está hoy emitiendo unas piezas de música y un aviso diciendo que debido a un error de tipo técnico se ha producido un corte en la transmisión, aparentemente para solucionar en breve aunque ya estamos a las 2012 UT y por el momento sigue la música y el anuncio. Cordialmente, (Tomás Méndez, El Prat de Llobregat-Barcelona, España, July 10, dxldydg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) via Issoudun, FRANCE ** TATARSTAN [non]. 15110, Voice of Tatarstan/GTRK Tatarstan via Samara, *0410-0500*, July 10, open carrier noted at 0346, ToH continuous tone (one minute), open carrier, IS at 0410, ID in English, IS, "programa … Tatarstan …", assume news (item about America), followed by long interview, then into phone conversation, folk song, several mentions of "programa ... ", played folk song at sign-off, mostly poor to almost fair, heavy QRN. On July 9 reception was very poor (Ron Howard, Asilomar Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Great catch! I haven't seen Tatarstan reported in a long time. (If it has recently, I missed it!) Had tried repeatedly to log them during B07 here in northern NH to no avail (Scott Barbour, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** TURKEY. On July 17, TRT plans to move the 0700-1300 Turkish broadcast via Emirler, 500 kW at 310 degrees, from 13675 to 13635. Something on 13760 atop RHC with a SAH of about 4 Hz, July 11 at 1322 --- O, it`s VOT as revealed by IS briefly at 1323, concluding German hour at 1230, 310 degrees from Emirler, which means it`s also aimed at NAm. So I then checked 13685 for English but IS was JBA at 1328 as this is aimed eastward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKS & CAICOS. 96.7, ZVIC --- Back on 7/2 there was a midday Es opening to the Bahamas and Cuba here. During it I had a preacher fade in on 96.7, which I figured was kind of odd considering I had nothing else in the mainland US in during the opening (later it was replaced by Radio Rebelde from Cuba). I made a thread about it with the audio of the reception on the forums http://wtfda.info/showthread.php?t=2259 I figured it would be very difficult to ever ID, but thanks to help from Chris Dunne on the forums and some Google searching I found that there was a Moody Broadcasting Network affiliate in the Turks & Caicos Islands, 96.7 ZVIC, and he was able to tell who the preacher was that was speaking in the clip, Tony Evans. I sent Moody an e-mail about it, and today received a nice thorough reply from a senior representative there. Based on the fact ZVIC was the only 96.7 Moody affiliate within the remote PTA of the opening http://www.mbn.org/genmoody/media/medialibrary/moody_across_nation.pdf and that there were no 96.7 matches for the Tony Evans program that I heard in the mainland US other than a translator in Myrtle Beach weeknights at 10 PM per his affiliate list at http://www.tonyevans.org signs point to it being ZVIC, 1273 mi. and a new country. Here's the e-mail I got, thought it would be cool to share (Nick Langan, Florence NJ, My DX page: http://www.wnjl.com/dx/ WTFDA via DXLD) Viz.: *Subject:* Audio Clip Identification Hi there (to whomever it may concern), My name is Nick Langan; I listen for distant signals on the FM radio band (DXing) from here in Florence, New Jersey. During the Summer "E-Skip" openings occur which allow for distant signals (between 800-1500 miles) to be received during these openings. On Wednesday (July 2) there was an E-Skip opening bringing in signals from the Caribbean including the Bahamas and Cuba here, and I received a signal on 96.7 FM during the first half of the 12 PM Eastern Time hour with a religious preacher. I see on your affiliate list that 96.7 FM ZVIC from the Turks & Caicos Islands airs some of your programming. If you possibly get a free moment to listen to the MP3 audio clip I have linked, could you possibly confirm if it sounds like a preacher that would air on Moody Broadcasting Network, and if so, on 96.7 ZVIC FM at that time of day (Wednesday during the 12 PM hour)? I apologize for the weak signal/interference heard in the clip, and if you are unable to ID it as a result I completely understand. Here is the link to the audio clip: http://www.wnjl.com/dx/967preacher.mp3 I very much thank you for your time; it is sincerely appreciated! (Nick Langan, Florence, NJ, July 2, to MBN via ibid.) *From:* MBN Programming mbnprogramming@moody.edu *Sent:* Thursday, July 03, 2008 6:43 AM *To:* Nick Langan *Subject:* RE: Audio Clip Identification I listened to the clip and it is Tony Evans. His ministry is in Dallas Texas called the Urban Alternative. Moody Radio does indeed air his program (Moody July 3 via Nick, ibid.) Hi there, I really appreciate the quick response, thanks! I checked his website and it only lists affiliates in the US? You wouldn't happen to know when the program airs on ZVIC 96.7 in Turks & Caicos, would you? Or if not, would you happen to have info to get in contact with ZVIC to ask them? If not no problem, I totally understand, I apologize for taking up of any of your time and thanks again for the assistance (Nick Langan, Florence, NJ, ibid.) Hi Nick. Your e-mail was forwarded on to me here in our Moody Radio Network Development area, where we keep in touch with all of our Moody Radio affiliates. Radio station ZVIC is located in the Turks and Caicos Islands, with studios and transmitter in Providenciales. They are operating on 96.7 MHz with about 800-watts of power these days, having turned down their transmitter from 1,000 watts a few months ago in an effort to conserve electricity. This radio station operates un-manned for the most part and rebroadcasts pretty much the entire MB1 satellite program schedule, a copy of which I have attached as a PDF file for your reference. I recently spoke to the owner and manager of the station and I was able to update some of our database records on the station, including the fact that ZVIC is in the Eastern Time zone. However, I neglected to ask if their nation observes daylight saving time. But from your report and program description, it would appear that THE ALTERNATIVE with Dr. Tony Evans was the program on your audio clip and it does air weekdays at 11:00 a.m., CDT (12 noon, Eastern Time - daylight saving time, too) on our MB1 satellite channel, which is used for radio programming by over 440 affiliated stations across the US and some international outlets. So your report helps me to confirm that Turks and Caicos does observe daylight saving time as well. So, I believe you should now have sufficient information and documentation to confirm your audio clip identification. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call me toll-free at 1-800- 621-7031 or reply to this e-mail. Thanks again, David P. Woodworth, Senior Representative Moody Radio - Network Development 820 North LaSalle BLVD Chicago, IL 60610-3284 ph: 312-329-4435 or 800-621-7031 fax: 312-329-4339 cell: 312-259-9383 dave.woodworth @ moody.edu http://www.moodyradio.org/Affiliates (via Nick Langan, ibid.) ** UGANDA. Dear friends, I got the following e-mail about Dunamis, Uganda 2008-07-07: ``Thank you Bjorn, We are presently in Uganda and we are planning on bringing the transmitter back to HCJB for repairs; it should only take a few days and then getting it back up, we hope and pray! Thank you for your interest. It has been a battle to keep this on the air. Marty McLaughlin`` 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. 4976 Radio Uganda (tentative); 0403-0411+, 6-July; Always a het here, but rarely anything copyable lately with swiper QRM. M in heavy-accented English with Uganda news. Fair under swiper; slightly better in USB (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) swiper = CODAR; see U S A ** U K [non]. BBC Mundo, via WHRI 9410, July 11 with Rachmaninov piano concerto cut off at 1300* before it was almost finished, a travesty. BBCM is still filling with repetitive classical music selexions, never identified, at 1234-1300* M/W/F, top 10 pop countdown on Tue/Thu. BTW, it appears the plan for B-08 is to move this service to 7335, blotting out CHU (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Re: 8-078 “A DEFINING YEAR FOR BBC WORLD SERVICE”, SAYS 2007/08 ANNUAL REVIEW`` The BBC Trust has also reported on the work of the BBC World Service: http://www.bbc.co.uk/annualreport/trust/performance/services/trust_serv_world.shtml They also commissioned two pieces of research on English language core radio services among opinion formers, countries selected for the research were: US (second largest market) Ghana (third largest market) India (fourth largest market) Western Europe (declining market) Russia (very small but strategically important market) Singapore (niche market) and the BBC Afghanistan service. This research can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctrust/research/annual_report.html (Mike Barraclough, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) The BBCWS annual report is, of course, recommended reading. Its lessons for competitors: 1) consolidation of international broadcasting resources under one brand, 2) a domestic broadcasting partner (the parent BBC), 3) credibility by way of journalistic independence, 4) audience and market research which is heeded and turned into action, and 5) an appropriate mix of media -- although BBCWS (due largely to Parliamentary authorizations) has been slow to move into television in languages other than English (Kim Andrew Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) From the 2007/08 annual review of the BBC Trust (the governing board of all BBC): "The Trust’s audiences and performance committee commissioned independent research into the BBC Afghanistan service, and into the English Language Core Service (ELCS) on radio. The Afghanistan service received overwhelmingly positive responses. It is the most trusted source of news, and one of the most popular radio services in the country. However, competition from other Afghan media, including television, is growing. The challenge is to remain distinctive and relevant at a time of great social, economic and political change. Our ELCS research was carried out in key markets among opinion formers– a priority audience for the World Service. We found that the ELCS is valued for distinctive journalism that complements other news sources. However our research revealed that while there is an appetite for ELCS news-related output there is low awareness of it. Management is working to address this problem." BBC Trust press release, 8 July 2008, and the report itself. (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) I confess that I've never heard of "English Language Core Service." Is that the BBC World Service English we North Americans used to hear on our shortwave radios? See also this March 2008 study on BBCWS ELCS. Posted: 11 Jul 2008 (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** U K. New book, Radio 1 history: Radio 1 – The Inside Scene Mr. Bev Marks worked as a BBC Radio project engineer for many years and was deeply involved with the building of the first custom designed Radio 1 studios. During that time he was a colleague of Johnny Beerling, former Radio 1 Controller, who has recently published a new book covering the inside story of Radio 1. Bev says: "Although I was, to a very small extent, an insider, I found out many new things that Johnny has exposed in his book, not least the story behind the early days of frequency sharing with Radio 2, then the famous 247 metres before Radio 1 obtained its own VHF/FM stereo capability. Apart from that I found it a compelling read with some interesting personality revelations!" The new book from Johnny Beerling, the man who worked inside Radio 1 from its beginning and was the boss from 1985 to 1993, covers the inside story of Radio 1. Johnny Beerling joined the BBC in 1957 as a Technical Operator, then Studio Manager, before becoming a producer for the Light Programme. 10 years later the close down of the pirate stations led the BBC to set up Radio 1. He was at the forefront of this process, recruiting DJs and subsequently produced the first ever breakfast show with Tony Blackburn. Johnny became Executive Producer pioneering the first of the Network's rock documentaries, a 14 hour documentary series on the History of the Beatles establishing a style of programming which continued for over 30 years. In 1973 Johnny conceived and launched the Radio 1 Roadshow which ran for 27 years, growing from a small caravan operation on Newquay Beach to an 80 foot mobile stage show housed in a series of articulated trucks, supported by a giant outdoor TV display. In 1985 Johnny became Controller of the Radio 1 Network. Under his control Radio 1 was recognised as one of the leading music broadcasting stations in the world, with a weekly audience of over 25 million listeners. In 1992 Johnny was the first non-broadcaster to receive the coveted Ferguson Award for an Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio from The Radio Academy and in 1993 was elected President of the Television and Radio Industry Club of Great Britain. More recently he was made a Fellow of The Radio Academy, the most prestigious award in Radio. From this unique observation point at the heart of the station for 26 years Johnny observed the politics and the personalities in this, the most popular of BBC Radio Networks. Now he tells all in his latest book "Radio 1 - The Inside Scene". For further information see: http://www.johnnybeerling.com and http://www.trafford.com/07-2577 (Bev Marks, monitoringmonthly yg via DXLD) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA TO CUT LANGUAGE SERVICES by Paul Kiel - July 9, 2008 1:23 pm EDT http://www.propublica.org/article/voice-of-america-to-cut-language-services-709/#When:13:23:00Z The Voice of America plans to eliminate seven radio language services this year, reflecting the Bush administration's emphasis on outreach to the Muslim world. Among the cuts are the radio and TV broadcasts of the Russian service, along with radio broadcasts in Ukrainian, Serbian, Hindi, Macedonian, Bosnian and Georgian. Critics blame the cuts on the hundreds of millions of dollars absorbed by Alhurra, the U.S. government-funded Arabic television news channel. ProPublica has published two reports on turmoil and waste at the network. VOA employees have long been unhappy with the direction of the agency, which currently broadcasts in 45 languages. More than a third of VOA employees, nearly 500, signed a petition in 2004 protesting the "dismantling" of the agency. The protest came after the creation of Alhurra and Radio Sawa, the Arab radio service that VOA employees say relies on popular music and entertainment at the expense of substantive news programming, VOA's hallmark. The services replaced VOA's Arabic programming, which cost no more than $7 million a year. That's far less than the "huge boondoggle" of Radio Sawa and Alhurra, said Tim Shamble, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1812. Alhurra and Radio Sawa have received nearly $500 million in U.S. taxpayer dollars since 2004. Tish King, a spokeswoman for Voice of America, said the language services cuts are the result of "painful decisions" that reflect a focus on "places where, based on research, we can be most effective." The administration has been seeking cuts to various language services for years, only to be rebuffed by Congress. In 2006, the administration's proposed budget for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (the agency that oversees Alhurra and VOA) included reductions or eliminations in "non-war on terror related language services." When the 2007 budget proposed reductions to even more services, Congress stepped in and provided funding to prevent it. Among the reductions sought that year were broadcasts in Tibetan by VOA and Radio Free Asia, another U.S.-backed effort. A contingent of Tibetan monks visited Capitol Hill to lobby the House appropriations committee not to reduce the broadcasts, and ultimately the broadcasts were spared. In fact, VOA and Radio Free Asia increased their broadcasts this spring in light of unrest in the country, King said. She said the shift was just part of the "very dynamic" nature of international broadcasting. "The fact that Tibet was originally scheduled to be reduced and is suddenly not on the chopping block is a good indication of why it's not a good idea to eliminate these languages," said Myrna Whitworth, a 28-year veteran and former acting director of VOA. "You never know when they'll be needed again. The idea of totally eliminating these services doesn't make any sense." This time around, however, King said Congress is on board with the cuts, which will be effective in September. Matthew Dennis, a spokesman for Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for the BBG, cautioned that the appropriations process for VOA funds hasn't been finalized. He stressed that the agency's funding increased annually between 2006 and 2008, although the administration's proposed 2009 VOA budget is $185.6 million, about $10 million less than in 2008. King said the cuts don't mean that U.S. broadcasts for the affected areas will disappear. For instance, she said, Radio Free Europe will continue to broadcast in Georgia, and VOA will continue TV programming in Hindi even though radio broadcasts will cease. Whitworth and other VOA veterans, however, argue that surrogates like Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia do not have the same journalistic standards as VOA. King said those services provide "balanced news and information." Russia is a different animal. The Russian government's successful effort to squelch airing of VOA or Radio Free Europe material by radio or TV affiliates has made Russia "a really challenging market," King said. Given that VOA's shortwave radio service had such a small audience -- just two percent -- she said broadcasting by Internet was the best option for VOA. Shamble, the union representative for VOA employees, said that eliminating the shortwave broadcasts was precisely the wrong move, since they reach the country with little danger of being blocked. Internet broadcasts are far more vulnerable, he said. Update/Correction: This post originally described a reduction to seven language services. It has been changed to clearly indicate that it is VOA's radio services that are being cut. Also the post originally referred to cuts in the Tibetan services, which were only slated for reductions (via Alokesh Gupta, India, July 10, DXLD) The mentioned VOA services, except Georgian, will continue with internet and/or television. I will post a complete and specific list as soon as I have it. Posted: 11 Jul 2008 (Kim Andrew Elliott, kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Lovely rendition of ``Beautiful Dreamer`` in English by tenor and plucked instrument, July 10 at 1314, tnx to the VOA Korean service, outroed by announcement in that language at 1318. This usually has good signal here, far from the target, since it is the Thailand relay at 38 degrees during this hour; the second hour at 14-15 switches to Philippines at 21 degrees, per Aoki. Why aren`t these transmissions jammed? VOA Spanish, 13790, July 11 at 1220 with news // 9535 and 7305, all Greenville, of course. 9535 by far the best; 13790 mixing over something else with a SAH, which would be either Iran in Arabic or more likely CRI in English via Urumqi (not Urumqui). It`s interesting to note the logjam of morning Spanish broadcasts from major stations all at 1200 --- VOA, RNW, BBC, RFI at least (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOA QSLs R. Solh! see AFGHANISTAN [non] ** U S A. I heard from Jason Cooper, WWCR at 2225 UT July 8 that a couple of their transmitters are off the air, and others may have to close down as the electric company is troubleshooting a transformer problem with voltage variations in the WWCR neighborhood. So don`t be surprised if some regular WWCR frequencies are missing (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As of 1708 UT July 11, nothing further about this (gh) ** U S A. WWV, Ft Collins CO, 80524, is seldom heard here on 20 MHz, too close under 500 miles for F2 propagation, if there is any, but tnx to sporadic E, good on 20000.000 at the late hour of 0540 UT July 9 on indoor antenna. So I also checked 25950 for KOA relay, and thought I could almost hear something there. At 0555, WWVH was also in well on 15000.000. WWV audible again on 20 MHz, July 10 at 0613 check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non?]. Glenn, I just noticed, that I haven't noticed CODAR in a long time on 4 MHz. I wonder if it's just the condx that are not allowing it to reach me or maybe it's down for the summer? Have you heard anything? (Chuck Bolland, FL, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Chuck Bolland in Florida says he hasn`t been hearing CODAR QRM lately, and now that he mentions it, I agree that it has relented, but is it really gone? I looked around for it on July 10. At 0609 unheard around 4985, but just barely audible in 4780-4795, and definitely still pulsing at 4530-4570, all frequency ranges approximate. At 1254 could hear it weakly on 5225-5250, but nothing around 12180 or 13550 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn: I was interested in your item about CODAR being heard less, and was poking around the CODAR website. When did SWL's first notice CODAR. I think I first became aware of it around 96-97, but not really sure. Have you ever been in touch with the CODAR folks? I wrote to them a year or so ago, complaining about CODAR pollution on 60 meters. I received a polite note back saying that sometimes the frequencies can be moved, and to report to them the locations of the transmitters that are interfering. I haven't as yet, partly bec. I don't know where all the CODAR that I hear is coming from, outside of one that I know of in Wildwood on the Jersey Shore about 100 miles away from me. Or would I be too close to hear that one? 73's, (David Goren, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) David, I don`t think I have been in touch with them directly but published exchanges like you mention. I don`t recall exactly when this first appeared. Dating items is not easy without a lot of archival research. Theoretically I guess you would be too close on 60m, certainly on higher frequencies. Altho who knows, maybe you would get backscatter, like the system is designed for their own purposes. 73, (Glenn to David, via DXLD) See also UGANDA ** U S A. 28210/CW, WA4SZE Morristown TN; 1532, 8-July; WWRB propagation beacon; strong & relatively slow; VVV DE WA4SZE (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Pirate Station, Augusta, GA --- I think you will find this article interesting. http://www.wgac.com/index.php?page=19 (Bob Smoak, Bamberg, S. C., July 9, ABDX via DXLD) Viz.: The FCC Is A Joke... Years ago, when I was first employed at WGAC, a lot of the programming we offered was splintered. In other words, we had an hour of this and an hour of that, rather than format we have today. We only really offered one local talk show and that was Voice Of The People. The problem was, you really could not get into the issues and keep peoples attention in just one hour. During that time I lobbied for extending Voice Of The People to three hours and making it more host driven. And who would be the host? Me! The problem there was that I was very young and very green and knew less than I thought I knew about the issues. My bosses understood this and realized that I would ultimately produce a three-hour train wreck. However, they did agree with me on the concept. So, instead, they brought in this fellow named Austin Rhodes. The rest there is Augusta radio history. Realizing that because of Austin’s success, I was likely going to remain the host of the Swap Shop and the Baseball Hobby Hour for many years to come. I made the jump to our sister station and spun oldies for a while and hated it. I wanted my own talk show! I deserved my own talk show! Shortly thereafter, the people at Benchmark Broadcasting approached me about creating a new talk station in Augusta. Basically, they were going to give me an AM signal and let me loose. Talk 1380 AM was born. I thought look out world, Scott Hudson is getting a talk show. Yet, when the rubber met the road, I realized there is more to producing a show than talking for three hours. Since I had never been much of a reporter, I had no contacts and even had never met most of the County Commissioners. I was out of my league on day one. We resorted to juvenile humor and news of the weird mixed with taking pot shots at Austin and WGAC. Some of what we did was funny, but most of it was sophomoric. We would do things like cut up Mary Liz Nolan’s news feed, adding in mild curse words and the sound of someone barking like a dog and claim Mary Liz suffered from Turret’s Syndrome. It wasn’t long before my inexperience in radio finally caught up with me and bit me in the tail. In fact, it bit my tail clean off. I found out that Austin Rhodes wrote the “Insider” column for the then Metropolitan Spirit. So, we called the publisher David Van Trease on the air to ask him about it. I put on the voice of a little old lady and proceeded to ask Mr. Van Trease about his publication. Well, Van Trease has a temper that is the stuff of legend. He came back with a bunch of four letter words never realizing he was on the air and that the joke was on him. We had no delay and it was all broadcast. When Van Trease learned he had been duped, he notified the Federal Communications Commission. Others also complained to the FCC about us airing Van Trease’s foul-mouthed rant. The next day, and I do mean the next day; the feds swooped down on Talk 1380. I do not know how much Benchmark Broadcasting was fined because I was fired nearly on the spot. I thought I would tuck my tail in and go back to WGAC. Matt Stovall told me that he was sorry; but there was nothing he could for me. In his words I had become damaged goods. My career in broadcast was over and Matt suggested I leave town for a couple of years and maybe come back later and try again. I took his advice, but I never really thought I would get back into radio. Well, I did get my second chance and ironically it was Austin who played an instrumental role in bringing me back. Mary Liz forgave me for all the pranks I had pulled on her in the past and decided I deserved a second chance. And such is the story of WGAC’s prodigal son. And why did I share this with you? Well, when I started my broadcast career you had to apply for and hold a license to so much as give the weather on the air. It was considered a privilege to be allowed on the broadcast waves. Tangling with the FCC was career suicide. It did not matter if you were a small station like Talk 1380 or a behemoth like WGAC, the rules were the rules and ignorance to the rules was not considered an excuse. Nowadays things have changed slightly. Some have to follow the rules and others are left to do as they please. For two years a talk show existed in this market that did on a daily basis what got me canned for mistakenly doing once. Even after a flood of complaints and millions of dollars in slander judgments, the FCC never bothered to even investigate. More recently, a “pirate” radio station signed on playing music that even the most liberal free speech advocate would find disgusting and offensive. They gleefully acknowledged on the air that they did not own any form of broadcast license. Knowing they were breaking all kinds of laws and regulations, they kept moving their broadcast location to avoid being caught. Once again, complaint after complaint was filed with the FCC. The Sheriff of Augusta-Richmond County complained and the FCC said, “We’ll send them a letter.” I can imagine the look on Ronnie Strengths face when he politely explained that one couldn’t send a letter to someone unless you know his or her address! Finally, Ronnie got creative and told the FCC that he was intending to enforce the city’s ordinance on public obscenity and demanded they send a truck down to pinpoint the pirate radio signal’s location. Calls still had to be made to people higher than the FCC before they would act. In the end, the FCC did come down and help. However, they weren’t much help. Our engineer at Beasley, Charlie McCoy, had already determined the location in about 10 minutes through plain old detective work. So it was the Sheriff who eventually shut down the illegal broadcast and not the FCC. In fact, there were no fines levied or anything. No investigation, nothing. The FCC packed back up and went to Washington without taking any action. Today, if you generate tons of revenue, the FCC keeps a magnifying glass near your broadcast signal. If deep pockets are not involved, they do not seem to care. That is not the mission of the FCC. The rules should be in place for everyone. Once upon a time, one could expect to be shunned from the broadcast community like I was for 12 years if you violated the rules of broadcasting. Today, some see it as a badge of honor: “Look what I just said on the radio! And no one stopped me!” The FCC may have become somewhat irrelevant when it comes to enforcing community standards, but we have a sheriff who will not tolerate obscenity. He also has the support of the other broadcasters in keeping our airwaves at least somewhat clean (Scott Hudson, WGAC via DXLD) ** U S A. You mentioned NPR’s In the Media. Also worth a look is a series of videocasts about communications issues, including spectrum regulation – CSPAN The Communicators. Excellent stuff (Dr Derek Lynch, Ireland, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. ONE FEWER POST-TRANSITION LOW-BAND SKIP TARGET Wyoming Public TV's KPTW 6 in Casper WY has asked the FCC to reallot it to channel 8 after the transition, citing interference issues to and from a nearby noncommercial FM station. This was a recent drop-in allocation, and has supposedly been operating at very low power analog on channel 6, though I can't recall seeing any DXers report seeing it. It was supposed to have flash-cut on 6. s (Scott Fybush, NY, WTFDA via DXLD) This station replaced translator K06KH, which I understood to translate KCWC-4 Riverton. The listed analog power is 331 watts, which is just a bit less than twice what it ran as a translator. The coordinates are the same; I haven't checked the antenna height (HAAT isn't reported for translators/LPTVs) but I suspect it's identical. I don't recall seeing any DXers report it since it got a full license, but I do seem to recall Jeff Kadet [Macomb, Illinois] logging K06KH. I wonder to what degree the channel 8 assignment was considered acceptable since the nearest other channel 8 is co-owned? (KWYP Laramie, a considerably more powerful operation) There are three other DTVs filing to leave lowband as of June 23rd: KNAZ-2 Flagstaff, Ariz.: to ch. 22 WBRA-3 Roanoke, Va.: to ch. 26 WDKY-4 Danville, Ky.: to ch. 46 I've heard it rumored the WBRA move is conditional and will not be prosecuted if an application to increase power 35% and go non- directional on channel 3 is approved. Haven't read the application notes to know for sure. Surprisingly, seven stations have filed to leave *high-band* VHF: KHQ-7 Spokane, Wash.: to ch. 15 KGMB-9 Honolulu: to ch. 22 KMBC-9 Kansas City: to ch. 29 KALO-10 Honolulu: to ch. 38 WMSN-11 Madison, Wis.: to ch. 49 WWPX-12 Martinsburg, WV:to ch. 51 WSYX-13 Columbus, Ohio: to ch. 48 The WWPX request is accompanied by a request for a significant tower site change, closer to Washington, DC. I would presume that would require the channel change as otherwise it would be way to close to WWBT-DT 12 in Richmond, Va. There'll be more on this in the August VUD (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View, TN EM66, ibid.) ** VATICAN. Re 8-078: The new DRM centred on 26060 is supposedly inside the Vatican, rather than ITALY, where the item was filed; can anyone confirm this for sure? And what in the world is Celp? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ciao, a tutti, un aggiornamento sull'emissione DRM a 26060 kHz qui a Roma, I programmi trasmessi sono RadioDue, RadioVaticana (il canale multilingua 105 live) e un canale in Celp chiamato Vaticana WorldWide che non riesco ad ascoltare con il Dream. Ho registrato un paio di minuti del segnale IF a 12 kHz e l'ho messo qui http://www.mediasuk.org/appoggio/20khz.zip per chi vuole provare ad ascoltare il segnale che si ricevere a roma. (per usarlo basta scaricare il file e lanciare dream cosi': Dream -f 20khz.zip 73 de (IW0HK Andrea Borgnino, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. LOS 20 AÑOS DE LA FM COMERCIAL EN VENEZUELA 1988 fue también – como el vigente 2008 - un año bisiesto y por consiguiente un año olímpico; en aquella oportunidad, como ahora, una capital asiática era la organizadora de la universal justa deportiva: Seúl, en Corea del Sur. En Venezuela, el gobierno de Lusinchi llegaba a su final y un año antes -1987- se habían otorgado las primeras concesiones en la banda de modulación de frecuencia (FM), a un grupo de connotados radiodifusores del país. Hasta 1988, Venezuela era una de las pocas naciones del mundo sin estaciones comerciales en FM y en décadas anteriores dicha banda había sido subutilizada por las emisoras de modulación de amplitud (AM), como opción técnica para realizar los enlaces “estudio-planta”. La radio juvenil del decenio de 1980 estuvo signada por luminarias de la locución como Ramón Mata, Julián Isaac, Waldemaro Martínez, William Rey, Jesús Leandro y Enrique Hoffman, entre otros. Las emisoras que estaban de moda – al ocaso de la década de 1980 - en AM, eran Caracas 750 (Radio Caracas Radio), Tropical 99.0 (Radio Tropical 990 kHz) y 1090 Estéreo (Éxitos 1090 kHz). Ésta última fue la segunda estación de Venezuela, después de Radio Metropolitana 1550 kHz, que adoptó el sistema de AM Estéreo, el cual podía simular la extraordinaria nitidez de la FM. Caracas 750 y 1090 Estéreo, conformaban cada una, las señales matrices de dos grandes conglomerados de emisoras: Circuito Quantum y Circuito Unión Radio, respectivamente. En 1988, la única señal en la FM caraqueña era la de la Emisora Cultural de Caracas 97.7 MHz, cuya fundación se remonta a mediados de los 1970, de la mano del ingeniero Humberto Peñaloza. Durante más de dos lustros fue una “isla” en la inmensidad del espeso ruido cósmico, característico del abanico radioeléctrico ubicado entre los 88 y los 108 MHz. El 1ero de julio de 1988 fue día viernes y ya en horas de la tarde la historia de la radiodifusión criolla había dado un salto cualitativo. En los 107.3 MHz, casi al término del cuadrante, una fuerte y estable emisión había irrumpido en nuestros aparatos receptores. Se trataba de Éxitos 107 que, con un audio cristalino y potente, colocaba la música en boga para el momento: Rick Astley, Bananarama, Swing Out Sister, Yordano, Franco de Vita, Elisa Rego. Fue la primera FM comercial de Venezuela; era la filial de Éxitos 1090, del Circuito Unión Radio, el cual era presidido por el ya fallecido hombre de radio, Sergio Gómez. A medida que transcurría la jornada del 1ero de julio, las identificaciones grabadas por Jesús Leandro y Carlos Eduardo Ball, daban a entender que Éxitos 107 se encontraba “en período de prueba, desde Caracas Venezuela”. Para la mayoría de los caraqueños y los venezolanos, en general, la FM era un fenómeno desconocido. De hecho, los reproductores de música para automóviles – verbigracia - venían con un sintonizador incorporado donde esas extrañas siglas, FM, no pasaban de ser un agregado incógnito e inútil. Afortunadamente, los que vivíamos en la franja costera litoralense disfrutábamos – desde mucho antes de Éxitos 107 - de muy buena música y sonido, provenientes de los transmisores de Curazao, Aruba, Bonaire, y demás islas del Caribe. La óptima propagación en las altas frecuencias y el estar cerca del mar, facilitaban la captación de emisiones locales foráneas. Entre mis favoritas, para la época, se hallaban Radio Hoyer 2 105.1 MHz, Radio Korsou 93.9 MHz y Z-FM 95.5 MHz, que emitían desde Curazao, y Radio Carina 97.9 MHz, situada en Aruba. Mis amigos y conocidos siempre se preguntaban de dónde sacaba música tan fresca y nueva, que sólo luego de meses - o años - se escuchaba en las minitecas y discotecas de nuestro país. Mi secreto celosamente guardado fue que grababa absolutamente TODO de las radios caribeñas. Éxitos 107 se mantuvo con música continua y jingles, hasta su inauguración oficial el 1ero de octubre de 1988. Después vendrían KYS FM 101.5 MHz, de Oswaldo Yépez, que salió al aire ese mismo mes de octubre y HIT 100 (99.9 MHz), que hoy en día es conocida como Éxitos 99.9. Después de ese 1ero de julio, una andanada de estaciones de FM ocupó el éter en la ciudad capital y otras urbes importantes del país. En 1989 llegó la filial del Circuito Capital, Capital 104.5 MHz, e inauguró las inolvidables veladas radiofónicas con Julio César “Tercero” Venegas. El mismo año del “Caracazo” entró en escena el “caballito de batalla” del Grupo 1BC (Radio Caracas Radio), Caracas 92.9 MHz, que vendría a competir abiertamente en el segmento juvenil con Éxitos 107. Una capitalina, nombrada Ritmo 95.5 MHz, avasalló con un monstruoso transmisor, el cual calculo debería irradiar más de 15 kilovatios, y se produjo una “colisión-hertziana-crítica” con la filial de Radio Curom (Curazao) en FM, Z-FM 95.5 MHz, por lo cual esta última debió mudarse a los 95.7 MHz. Ya a comienzos del decenio de 1990, Éxitos 107 marcó pauta con el formato de la “radio participativa”, el cual sustrajo del formalismo y el letargo a la radio venezolana. Llamadas al aire de los oyentes, humor negro, bromas pesadas e irreverencia implacable, fueron los ingredientes de la nueva “ensalada radioeléctrica”. La voz engolada y aplomada ya era un elemento pretérito en el esquema de la radio participativa. Eli Bravo, locutor y periodista, fue el pionero en ese campo con su matutino “Cualquier Cosa”, transmitido por Éxitos 107. Sin embargo, Eli tan sólo repetía la “receta” de fórmulas harto ejecutadas en Puerto Rico, Colombia y Estados Unidos. Quizás su mérito haya sido “adaptarlas” al contexto y la idiosincrasia venezolana; el haber sido el primero en “atreverse” a proponer algo diferente a lo acostumbrado por los locutores de la “antigua escuela”, lo inmortalizó como un icono de la “radio de ruptura”. Miles de “réplicas” siguieron al “efecto Eli” y el dial se congestionó del desenfado y el humor de “Cualquier Cosa”, en versiones mejores, iguales o peores. La FM ya se disputaba audiencia con la televisión abierta en horario estelar. La década de oro de la radio juvenil haría sobrecalentar los motores y las neuronas de una generación de creativos, productores y locutores. Fue el debut y despedida de un formato que movió los cimientos de la radiodifusión vernácula. EL DESGASTE DE LA RADIO COMERCIAL Y EL AUGUE LOS MEDIOS ALTERNATIVOS El nuevo milenio trajo consigo el “boom” de las nuevas tecnologías (DVD, MP3, I-Pod, telefonía móvil) y el agotamiento del modelo de la radio participativa, debido a la trivialización creciente del hecho comunicacional. La irreverencia pasó de ser un acto genuino y espontáneo, a una pose hueca y trillada a más no poder. Los actores de la radio ya no querían ser “mediadores” del mensaje, deseaban ser los protagonistas y los “héroes de la película”. La radio se convertía - más que nunca - en un trampolín para la fama, la televisión, la publicidad, la plata fácil, y el culto obsceno al “yoísmo”. Sin bien la faceta mercantil de la radio comercial nunca ha estado oculta, a principios del presente decenio se intensificó tal elemento a límites casi “pornográficos”. Primero, la figura tergiversada del “productor independiente” fue desdibujando a finales del siglo pasado la esfera radiofónica. Se acabó el sueldo pagado por el empleador al colectivo de productores, guionistas, locutores y musicalizadores, y se instó a cada quien a “ganarse” su propio salario, a través de la venta indiscriminada de “publicidad”. Los patos le tiraban a las escopetas: uno tenía que llevar, aparte de las ideas y el programa ya estructurado, una cartera de “jugosos” clientes para llenarle los bolsillos al gerente general y – además - poder uno cobrar un dinerillo extra. Moraleja de la “precarización”: si quieres hacer radio, tienes que bajarte de la mula y ser un “contratista” más. Segundo, la sola motivación económica del asunto ha coadyuvado a la sequía de creatividad y al surgimiento - con más ahínco - de la mediocridad y la banalización. Ya el contenido inteligente no es esencial en la producción de la radio y sólo el efectismo, la burla sin fundamento y el discurso “enmuletillado” y “yoísta”, se han convertido en el “eje temático” y han prostituido, principalmente, a la radio juvenil, hasta casi consumar su virtual extinción. La radio ya no es un canal para comunicar ideas y opiniones, para incentivar el análisis y la discusión; la radio es un instrumento del locutor, del productor, del gerente, del publicista, para lograr objetivos meramente personales y financieros. Una tribuna mediática para “venderse” y alcanzar la cuota respectiva del “cuarto de hora”. En ídem tenor, algo que ha causado bastante daño a la radio es la “migración” de artistas, cantantes y presentadores de televisión, hacia sus parrillas de programación. Una vasta cantidad de individuos acríticos y superficiales ha erosionado aún más de frivolidad las ondas hertzianas y sus “equipos de producción” no van más allá de un manojo de recortes de periódicos y notas informativas “bajadas” de internet. Ante tal desidia radiofónica, lo sabio es poner la música preferida, en una computadora personal, un MP3 o un I-Pod, y apagar el receptor. Es la razón por la que el encendido de la radio ya no es como en los años de Eli Bravo o Guillermo Tell Troconis. Hay cero entusiasmo y las buenas ideas se fueron de vacaciones. O peor aún, se jubilaron. La payola, igualmente, ha casi fulminado el medio. Sólo los que pueden pagarle a una disquera, a una estación o a un locutor, son los que “suenan” en la radio. Escuchar más de 10 veces una canción en menos de 8 horas, es todo lo opuesto al lema comercial de la célebre tarjeta de “descrédito” Masticard: “Salir en la radio SÍ tiene precio”. Ya han pasado 20 años de la puesta en el aire de Éxitos 107, hoy La Mega 107, y la radio venezolana ha sufrido transformaciones de gran envergadura; el estancamiento de la actualidad es un mal augurio para la explotación comercial, la cual ha tocado fondo. A pesar de ello, el sostenido crecimiento de la comunicación alternativa y los medios comunitarios, dan un nuevo aire a la radio venezolana. Es el nacimiento de un nuevo enfoque comunicacional subordinado a las necesidades del pueblo, del país entero. Los medios alternativos han venido a quebrar la “dictadura del capital” sobre el espectro radioeléctrico y están destinados a trascender como la novedosa herramienta del ciudadano para edificar una sociedad más plural y más justa (ADÁN GONZÁLEZ, Certificado de Locución #26950, Productor y guionista de radio, July 8, DX LISTENIING DIGEST) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. RNRASD, 6300, July 11 from 0632-0655 mostly nice WAf music and some announcements. Did not notice any RHC spur mixing this time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. As of July 11, V. of the People via Madagascar at 04-05 UT, 250 kW at 265 degrees, moves from 11610 to 9895 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 3451, 2340-2345, Jul 8, Escutada em idioma espanhol, tratava-se de um culto religioso, conduzido por um Pastor. Música religiosa cantada por coral. 35343 (Zago Meirelles, São Paulo SP, Brasil, IC R75/T2FD, playdx yg via DXLD) Hola amigos, esta noche, entre las 0102 y las 0128 estuve escuchando en los 3450 kHz una emisora transmitiendo en idioma español. La programación era religiosa; parecía ser la transmisión del rosario, porque se escuchaban Padres nuestros y Avemarias en forma reiterada, alternadas con música religiosa. No encontré nada en mis registros, manuales, etc., de alguna emisora en esta frecuencia. Alguna idea? Un abrazo (Víctor Castaño, Uruguay, July 10, condiglist yg via DXLD) Could be 3 x 1151v harmonic, reported periodically. Wish someone could nail an ID. Could be the same as this from the LA-DX archives, four years ago, but does it have a Catholic format? 3449.77 EQA HCGB5 LVd Riobamba, Riobamba [2155-0400] May04 A x (P Dec 04 D) (h)3x1150 see 2299 2299.84 EQA * HCGB5 LVd Riobamba, Riobamba [1015-1045](.81-.84) Jan04 H (h)2x1150 see 3449 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Ajuda - 7215. Amigos, Desde às 1830 UT, estou ouvindo non-stop music dos anos 80´s e 90´s em 7215. No início o sinal era 35333. Nesse momento (1930), está em 24332. Seleção de músicas pop "Rock Amadeu... Francesco Napoli - Bala Bala... Gazebo - I Like Chopin... Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survivor... Inner Circle (seleção com 3 três músicas)..." Alguém poderia me ajudar a identificá-la? Abraços, (Reinaldo Gomes, Altamira do Paraná, Rx: Degen DE1103, Ant: vertical + acoplador MCJ (reostato + variável), dxclubepr yg via DXLD) Nothing listed; wild guess: Ascension testing? (gh, DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ BIG THREAT TO SHORT WAVE RADIO Dear group, A severe threat to your hobby of using shortwave is on its way to a house near you! BT (British Telecom) are supplying their customers with devices called Home Plugs (power line adapters) that send TV/data around the house using the mains wiring of that house. To do this they use the frequency range of 3-30 MHz. You would have thought it very basic to understand that unshielded wires will act as transmitting antennas for this frequency range. Well this is exactly what it does. Myself and other radio fans are already finding terrible QRM at +30 dB in my case from a house over 100 feet from mine. Don't let apathy ruin your hobby. We are coming together on a new Yahoo group to organise petitions and other actions to try and save our hobby. Please feel free to join and add your valuable support. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/UKQRM/ I am Mike from the UK who has a very unhelpful neighbour with BT equipment giving me +30 dB of QRM from 3 to 30 MHz. This could happen to you! All it takes is one of your neighbours to swap ISP and then you could be sitting there with 100's £ of radio doing nothing. To this end I urge you to consider joining our group that is planning a fight back against this in the UK. Unless we join forces we will lose our hobby. http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/UKQRM/ And if you want to hear what the noise is like try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XT99wSm4Gw Regards and thanks for your time (Mike, Sussex, July 10, monitoringmonthly yg via DXLD) Mike, Can you point us to the BT webpages that advertise this variation of PLT (Power Line Technology). I assume its the same technology that a recent NATO Report effectively condemns ? A brief chat with my technology mad colleagues (who consider radio to be arcane, ancient technology, unless its WiFi and QPSK or TDM or FD....) has revealed that the Power Plugs that are available in the UK can't achieve higher network speeds above 20 - 30 Mb. Indeed most domestic Wireless LAN's are running around 30 - 40 Mb on a good day, with around 20-30 Mb much more typical, and a lower, average speed. I guess that people are interested in the PLT Plugs as a more secure, possibly faster alternate to Wireless LAN. I also guess that people are viewing these PLT Plugs as an alternate to CAT 5e / CAT 6 cabling, in an attempt to get High Definition Streaming Video from their PC's across a home network. (That`s what my colleagues bought these devices to achieve). So its interesting to note that the PLT Plugs cannot achieve the through-put for this activity (i.e. streaming video) and my colleagues have now resorted to CAT 5e / CAT 6 instead of WiFi or PLT Plugs. Perhaps it may worth trying to understand why people are buying or obtaining these PLT Plugs, and then suggesting an alternative means to them. After all PLT Plugs, if purchased, would be a waste of money for the streaming video scenario. Perhaps it`s cheaper for BT to give them away free, as a loss leader, than to dispose of them through WEEE Regulations? Back to work now ! 73 Cheers (Adrian MW1LCR Rees, ibid.) Hi Adrian, Thanks for the reply. It seems to be a standard part of the BT Home Hub system being pushed here in the UK http://www.powerlinenetworking.co.uk/content/view/138/1/ The man in this article has now left BT (not happily it would seem) If NATO are against this horrible system then maybe the outlook is not as bleak? http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=24693 Can you direct me to the NATO report? also please join our group. Cheers (Mike, ibid.) See the ARRL Link below: http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/09/06/100/?nc=1 It has a link to the NATO FTP Site you can download the report from. The ARRL Commentary is interesting as well (Adrian Rees, ibid.) DIGITAL BROADCASTING DRM: FRANCE; NEW ZEALAND; VATICAN ++++++++++++++++++++ IBOC: MEXICO; DTV: USA KPTW etc. DTV TUNING [Re 8-078, OKLAHOMA] Glenn, Do you use a converter to receive DTV? What I don't like about this setup is that my DTV set must be auto scanned to find the HD stations itself. If I don't have the antenna facing towards a particular station, the autoscan will not pick up a station in the autoscan. Without it, I can't view it in HD because my set will not accept an HD station that isn't included in the autoscan. Even if I punch in the DTV station e.g. 11-1. I bought a cheap converter at Walmart and it's the same. Where I live in Clewiston, I get DTV from Fort Myers, Miami and West Palm Beach. A lot of the stations are broadcasting extra channels as sub-broadcasts. I have found this very nice especially one all the major networks are broadcasting game shows, these extra channels sometimes have a movie playing. We are still waiting for a number of the major channels to go DTV. They claim they are broadcasting HD, but they aren't. Anyway, I'd be interested to know if you must do the autoscan prior to viewing DTV and if so, do you know of a way around that. Thanks (Chuck Bolland, FL, dxld yg via DXLD) Yes, I have a Zenith and an Insignia STB, which are virtually identical (even the remotes are interchangeable, so I have to position one of them as far away as possible and at a 90 degree angle). I am still getting familiar with exactly how they work, and should have a full report eventually. One annoying thing is that from the channel indicator in the UR corner, you can`t tell whether the number is real RF, or remapped, but normally the latter if some channel has actually been picked up. I had gone thru and programmed in each VHF RF channel to be ready for DX. So now I may have two identical displays of, e.g. 9-1, but one is really channel 9 where I normally don`t get anything digital (but WFAA-DT Dallas will eventually override KWTV analog on tropo), and one is really KWTV-DT-39, etc., etc. But to answer your question, yes, it seems you can punch in channels that have not been auto-scanned, but the up/down only goes to programmed channels (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST There was some past discussion in DXLD about this. Unfortunately, I myself bought a DTV before I had read the info. Some DTVs and some converter boxes allow one to explicitly punch in any DTV channel designation, and the device will try to tune it, not depending on an autoscanned pre-set channel table. (I also got the impression that some let you punch in the actual channel on which the digital signal is transmitted, and you get the signal displayed that way, too.) You need this for TV DXing or checking the reception with different antennas or orientation. It seems next to impossible to find what sets or boxes DO this! I've been trying to research converter boxes -- there is some useful information on the consumerreports.org website, but their tests only cover a fraction of the boxes made, and even those don't address this specific issue. One thing that is driving me crazy about this whole mess -- every week we get a batch of local (or national) electronics-stores color advertising mini-catalogs and flyers in the Sunday paper. NONE of them *ever* mention converter boxes!!!! Tons of TVs, but not a single converter box! Why not? What better "bait & switch" lure to bring in people with their government coupons and then show them how much "better" a new flat-screen TV is and sell them one of those instead or in addition. Why ignore this potential market, especially in this desperate-to-make-sales economic situation? The local TV stations go on and on about the DTV transition, endlessly parroting the lies about "all analog TVs will go dark" (ignoring the fact that LPTV signals will still be on the air and analog) and that DTV signals will be "perfect", ignoring the constant breakup and audio dropouts in bad weather and often in perfectly fine weather. At least one of them sent their consumer reporter to a few local big-box electronics stores and pictured the empty shelves that were supposed to hold converter boxes, along with an interview with a Washington DC spokesperson about the way the government-issued coupons were expiring before people could even *find* a box to buy (that idiot just mouthed some platitudes and ignored the real problem with this mess, giving no solution for those who already requested coupons but can't find boxes to buy). Of course, the idea of "buying online" was offered as a solution, ignoring the fact that the main population for whom the coupons and boxes are intended are the non-technical types who have no computers and no experience with buying online. (I like to use the example of my 100-year-old mother-in-law in her assisted-living home as representing this population.) (Will Martin, MO, dxldyg via DXLD) Will, So I am not alone with my DTV problems. I tried to take my HD TV back to the store and get a refund, so I could go check out other brands looking for one that allows me to punch in a Channel without the scan, but after having it for 8 months they kicked me out. Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained. At least now I can throw the box away that it came in knowing I am stuck with it (Chuck Bolland, ibid.) I think that despite the advertising blitz now in effect a lot of irate people will be looking for someone to call on February 19, 2009. A coworker was describing to me the other day how he has been telling his inlaws for months that this is coming. The response he has heard has been along the line of, "They won't/can't do that." To older people TV has been around for a half century. It's unfathomable to them that it will get shut off and they have to buy new equipment. He related the story of his mother-in-law. She was bilked into unneeded equipment, as I understand it, since she needed a new VCR. Well, the VCRs no longer include an analog tuner so now she couldn't record off of her analog cable service. So she sought advice from the retailer who then sold her a converter box which didn't work either. I'm cynical enough to believe that the retailers don't want to advertise a low margin converter box. Instead, they want to push the idea that DTV == HDTV and sell those units instead. The converter box isn't a marketplace idea, it's a government mandate and a retail deadend. The last thing they want is for a sales associate to spend any amount of time helping people buy an item the store will make next to nothing on. I guess I can't blame them, really. What's most maddening is that this whole DTV nonsense is not a marketplace driven idea but is largely government mandated "just because". Oh, I'm sure that there are markets and stations where the technology is a boon. Yet, I see this whole deal as an unholy alliance between government, electronics manufacturers, Hollywood, and to some extent broadcasters to put TV viewers on an endless video upgrade treadmill and for Hollywood to finally have the ultimate control over viewers' ability to archive and time shift "content". 73, de (Nate Bargmann, KS, ibid.) see also OKLAHOMA PROPAGATION +++++++++++ BAND 1 MOONBOUNCE DX TV I recently received a welcome e-mail from Peter Jackson VK6KXW (Beverley, Western Australia). Peter has recently been experimenting with band 1 EME DX TV from Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Peter has so far noted video traces from 48.250.130 MHz TVE-1 chE2 Navacerada, Spain 250 kW; 48.25 MHz DCRTV chE2 Dubai, UAE; and 49.75 MHz chC1 China. As viewed on Spectrum Lab, these band 1 DX TV EME signals are roughly -45 dBm which translates to sub-audible signals. BFO level cannot be heard unless signals rise above ~ -35 dBm. Peter's long term project is obtaining via the moon the current high power chE2 and chR1 offsets for transmitters out of Europe, Western Russia, and the Middle East. TVE-1 Navacerrada, Spain is relatively very strong and stable (by EME standards). Peter had to wait till Dubai was screened from the moon until Navacerrada could be discriminated from Dubai. Other European ch R1 EME carriers include 49.750.160. Due to the EME window effect, video carriers tend to start and finished together on Spectrum Lab. Peter's EME system exhibits extremely low noise, hence most of the signals seen on the waterfall are at best at the noise floor or buried deep in it at the mid to high -40's dBm level. For 48-50 MHz EME, Peter is currently using a Yaesu ft-450at (re- aligned) + TE systems 0552g with GaAsFET RF preamp + Heliax coax cable + YU7EF design ef0605a 5 element 50 MHz yagi [1]. Garry Ashdown VK4ABW (Bluewater Park - 32 km north of Townsville, QLD) is also experimenting with band 1 EME DX TV. Using a massive 4 x 13- element (17.5 metre length) 6 metre array at 50 ft elevation, Garry is observing Chinese 49.75 MHz ch C1 carriers off the rising moon. Garry has calculated the gain at 50.11 MHz as 19.6 dBd. This translates to ~ 19 dB forward gain @ 49.75 MHz! The end result is that Garry is able to hear 49.75 MHz ch C1 bfo level audio from his Icom IC7700 [2]. Garry comments that Chinese 49.75 MHz EME is not present on certain fdays. This is because EME reception is related to the declination angle of the moon and the afternoon/early evening fountain angles. Pointing the array anywhere else (including straight at China) results in no signal. Pointing the array back at the rising moon (usually around 80-90 degrees) and the carriers re-appear. Todd1. [Emslie] http://www.yu7ef.com/EF0605A%20&%20VK6KXW_2.jpg2 http://www.qrz.com/callsign?callsign=VK4ABW Don't forget to check out the ICDX web site for TV/Radio sites, ICDX TV/FM DX news, DX Articles, TV DX from holiday locations, 'Out and About' and 'Bytes & Bits' archive computer tips articles, The TV/FM DX FAQ, TV/Radio History (Australia/NZ) and historical sites. Go to http://www.geocities.com/icdx_australia/index.html We are also now on Myspace at the following URL: http://www.myspace.com/icdx_australia (via Curtis Sadowski, IL, WTFDA via DXLD) ###