DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE, PART 3
NOTE: Since the first three months of 2002 file got so huge, >4 MB we have closed it, and renamed it dxldta02.html where it may still be consulted and searched. Likewise, the file containing the second quarter of 2002 is so huge that it is now closed, renamed dxldtb02.html. This file containing the third quarter of 2002 is also closed and renamed dxldtc02.html. ALSO NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DXLDS, JANUARY-JUNE 2002: On our own website we no longer have individual issues before July 1, 2002, just these massive quarterly archives. Individual issues are, however, still available at DXing.com, indexed here: http://www.dxing.com/dxrold.htm -- and 2001 archive is also there |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-151, September 30, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1149: BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445, 15038.7; webcast Wed 1300 BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1149.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1149.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1149.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. On Sunday, 22 September, I heard a very long interval signal, on 18940 around 1430 UT. For a while I kept going back and checking it, expecting that programming would soon start. Then I just left it on as I worked around the house. It just kept going, until the carrier finally went down at 1627. Through the whole two hours, the signal was consistently weak, with very rapid fading. I almost think it was auroral flutter. I think it was an orchestra, with trumpets carrying the melody. It was in the key of E flat. Here`s the melody: [musical notation]. [Let me describe the notation textually: treble clef C ¾, three flats, without giving the length of the notes (tape of it was on WOR 1149): F-F-A-G-E-F-A-G-E-B --- gh] There were many more measures following that, before it repeated, and I think they consisted of soft music, which I couldn`t make out. What a waste of electricity. Whatever country it was from, they must have a lot more oil than we do! (Pete Bentley, NY, Sept 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is assumed to be Norway, lacking the usual feed of R. Afghanistan to relay back to that country. Wonder how many days this went on. Perhaps the airtime already paid for, so may as well keep the transmitter on the air... (gh, DXLD) See also TAJIKISTAN ** ALASKA. The FCC has released a public notice showing the grant of a permit for the Aurora Communications International HF station in Alaska. The Site is at 11621 Sterling Highway, Ninilchik, AK 60-06-34 N 151-34-21 W. No Call Letters listed in the notice. The notice also shows the grant of a new HF station to Grace Missionary Baptist Church, apparently at the same location as WTJC. [see USA, WBOH] Report No. IHF-00038 Thursday September 26, 2002 INTERNATIONAL HIGH FREQUENCY RE: ACTIONS TAKEN The Commission, by its International Bureau, took the following actions pursuant to delegated authority. The effective dates of the actions are the dates specified. IHF-C/P-20010521-00004 P NEW AURORA COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC. Construction Permit Grant of Authority Date Effective: 09/25/2002 For more information concerning this Notice, contact Tom Polzin at 418-2148; tpolzin@fcc.gov; TTY 202-418-2555. (Donald Wilson, Sept 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Liberty: see UK [non] on R. Atlántico del Sur ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB Australia' s HC100 transmitter is nearing completion at the station' s Research and Development plant in Elkhart, Indiana. It was to be ready for shipping to Wyndham WA about the third week of September. God willing, the transmitter will arrive for installation in Kununurra by 26th November. On-air date is planned for 22nd December, 2002 (HCJB News) It' s not every day an international broadcaster builds a new facility on Australian soil, but in December 2002 we can expect the completion of such a project, in Kununurra WA, where HCJB World Radio will inaugurate he latest phase of its worldwide outreach. Until December 2000, Australian communications law prohibited the use of shortwave for external broadcasts by private organisations; however the Broadcasting Services Act was amended to pave the way for the UK-based Christian Vision to utilise the former Radio Australia site near Darwin, and a license for HCJB has also subsequently been granted. The Kununurra part of stage 1 of the project consists of constructing a transmitter building on an existing HCJB land holding of 200 acres, gifted to the organisation a few years ago. The building will be lined and air conditioned, capable of housing two HC100 transmitters. The first of these has been gifted to HCJB Australia by the parent organisation in the United States, and is scheduled to arrive by November. The transmitter will connect via a switcher device to one of three antennas, each mounted on a 37 metre tower some 300 metres further down the property. The three antennas are aligned to give broadcast signal coverage to those Asian countries that lie at 307º to Kununurra. This includes India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand, a coverage of some sesquigigapeople. Another of the three antenna is directed to the east to cover the South Pacific nations, including New Zealand and Fiji. It is anticipated that two frequencies will be required using antennas pointed along the 307º line, one in the 19 metre band and one in the 16 metre band, to ensure high signal strength coverage. Melbourne is the home of the programming facility. At HCJB' s studios in Kilsyth, programs will be assembled, produced and presented. Upgrading of the facilities there is underway to allow for the amount of programming that will be produced. The planned broadcasts will be five hours to Asia and five hours to the South Pacific daily, plus one hour weekly in the Oromo language to Ethiopia. HCJB is presently researching the delivery means, either a satellite link or wide bandwidth phone link, or even use of the Internet. All is not in place financially at this point: Estimated costs to complete Stage 1 $430,000 Less funds on hand and pledged (180,000) Funding Required $250,000 ("HCJB News" via Craig Seager via Richard Jary, ARDXC via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. Clandestine: 3850. I finally received Radio Independent Mekamui, Sep 6, 1054-1112*, music, talk, ID, national anthem (?), and closed. It has been hard to receive because of the heavy QRM from Ham station. Rather poor reception (Masato Ishii, Shibata-shi, Japan, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) ** CANADA. Here is the home sked for the Montreal Alouettes: (CJAD Montreal has a 1 watt transmitter for a 26.2 MHz studio link from football games.) ---Regular Season: Sun 29 Sep 4pm EST/2000 UTC [sic - see below] Sun 20 Oct 1pm EST/1700 UTC Sun 30 Oct 1pm EST/probably 1800 UTC ---Post Season: Sun 10 Nov 4pm EST/2100 UTC Sun 17 Nov 4pm EST/2100 UTC Sun 24 Nov TBA Only 3 regular season home games left but the team is in 1st place so the post season sked (Liz Cameron, MARE via DXLD) I see an alarming trend toward calling EDT ``EST``, even tho there be a one-hour difference between them, by definition; not only in DX circles but in general media (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. Here in Europe the nonstop classical Chinese music jammer type is dominating on all jammed 13 mb channels: 21500 0600-0700 jamming RFA Tibetan, usually modest jamming signal 21540 0700-0900 jamming VOA Chinese, very strong jamming signal from two transmitters 21560 1215-1300 jamming Voice of Tibet 21660 1100-1300 jamming BBC Chinese 21690 0300-0700 jamming RFA Chinese and Tibetan, strong jamming signal from two or more transmitters 21705 0700-0900 jamming VOA Chinese, strong jamming signal Usually two or three jammers can be heard on each jammed frequency, two stronger ones and a weaker one. The stronger ones usually have the same programme, while the weaker one normally has a different program. Many jammers are somewhat off frequency, adding an annoying low frequency het to the echo caused by different signal delays. It seems that at least some jammers can switch between the program channels. I have noted 21540 switching from CNR to music just before 0700 and back to CNR just after 0900. The music jamming signal seems to start all over again on top of each hour. Re Xinjiang, DXLD 2-150: Oh, oh, the old eyes are not what they used to. Kyrgyz should be 0330 and 1030. 0530 is when the first transmissions goes off. By the way, on maintenance days XJ transmitters don't go on until 1100 for the evening (local evening) transmissions (Olle Alm, Sweden, 26 Sep 2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. Some frequency changes for China Radio International via transmitters in Russia: effective from September 1, 2002 via MSK 250 kW / 275 degrees: 2200-2257 English NF 7175, ex 9880 (Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 24 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non?]. TAIWANESE RADIO HOST CLAIMS HIJACK OF TV BROADCASTS from http://www.abc.net.au A Taiwanese man claims he conducted illegal satellite broadcast hijackings of Chinese television progams. Radio talkshow host Wu Lotien told the China Times Express that he beamed signals to hijack Chinese television programs using equipment installed in Taiwan's mountainous Yangmingshan area. Mr Wu says he wanted to draw media attention to his alleged torture by the former Kuomintang government. He did not hint at any connections with Falun Gong, a religious movement banned in China for being an "evil cult" since July 1999. China's Taiwan Affairs Office says the illegal satellite broadcasters in Taiwan interrupted mainland television programs several times to beam Falun Gong propaganda by breaking codes and cutting into transmissions (via Mike Terry, Sept 26, DXLD) From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/ 27 September 2002 2234 hrs (SST) 1434 hrs (GMT) Taiwan has accused Chinese broadcasters of hijacking its radio station signals, and it has urged Beijing to take quick action to stop them. Earlier in the week, China blamed the Falungong group in Taiwan of hijacking mainland Chinese satellite television signals. It said its programmes were replaced by propaganda material. Taipei now says that Chinese broadcasters had started hijacking the signals of seven Taiwanese commercial stations for more than a year. "We urge China to respect the regulations set by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to help maintain normal order of broadcasting operations," the vice chairman of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, Chen Min-tong, said. He added, "The benefits and rights of Taiwan's broadcasters and audience should not be undermined." (via MIke Terry, Sept 27, DXLD) CHINA SAYS TAIPEI WAS ORIGIN OF SATELLITE HIJACKS --- From Reuters On Tuesday, China said followers of the spiritual group, banned by Beijing in 1999, had hijacked Chinese satellite signals to disrupt state media broadcasts on September 9 and 21 -- an accusation dismissed as ''far-fetched'' by a Taiwan official. Taiwan and Beijing have been diplomatic and military rivals since they split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Taiwan is viewed by Beijing as a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland. China's state wireless monitoring centre had homed in on interference with state-run SINOSAT satellite coming from Taipei, China Central Television said. ''The source of the interference was confirmed to be situated in a district of Taipei city in Taiwan,'' state-run Xinhua news agency said. ''It was positioned at east longitude 121 degrees, 30 minutes and 33 seconds and at northern latitude 24 degrees, 51 minutes and four seconds,'' Xinhua said. China has said Taiwan must stopping the interference and it slammed Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu -- reviled by Beijing for her pro-independence views -- for voicing support for Falun Gong in the past. Falun Gong supporters have interfered with media broadcasts in China several times in recent months to air their videos. Last week, 15 group members were jailed for hacking into cable television networks this year. The incidents have prompted tighter media controls ahead of a key Communist Party Congress. The congress begins on November 8 and is expected to unveil a new generation of leaders. Falun Gong was banned by China after thousands of followers staged a peaceful demonstration in Beijing to demand recognition of their faith. The group practices a mixture of Taoism, Buddhism, traditional Chinese exercises and its U.S.-based founder's ideas. (Tamora Vidaillet, Beijing newsroom, +8610 6586-5566, ext 207; Fax +8610 8527- 5258, beijing.newsroom+reuters.com) [sic]) (via Mike Terry Sept 26, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 6059.97, La Voz de tu Conciencia, back on their regular frequency Sep 23, 0645-1000+, very good strength, excellent audio quality; all Colombian music, announcements and short talks in Spanish. QRM from co-channel Argentina from 0900, but Conciencia dominant. Obviously, the move to 6010 has not taken place (Berg and Green, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) 6010.5, La Voz de tu Conciencia, Sep 24, 0635-1120, now here ex 6060.2 after they solved some problems. It transmits in principle 24 hours a day, but still has some technical problems. The station is very interested in receiving reception reports for evaluation of its signal and to support a request of frequency change to the Ministerio de Comunicaciones. Its address is: Librería Colombia para Cristo; Calle 44 No.13-69, Bogotá D.C. E-mail: rms05001@neutel.com.co Right now there are five LA-stations on 6010: 1) Radio Mil - Mexico. 2) Radio Parinacota - Chile. 3) Em Ciudad Montevideo - Uruguay. 4) LV de tu Conciencia - Colombia. 5) R Inconfidencia, Belo Horizonte - Brazil. No. 1, 2, 4 and 5 were heard Sep 24! (Rodriguez in Conexion Digital, Barrera, Eramo, Green and Slaen, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. NEW RADIO OKAPI SW TRANSMITTERS ALMOST READY Text of report in English by Radio Netherlands "Media Network" web site on 27 September Chief of Information to the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), David Smith, has told Media Network that if all goes well, Radio Okapi will fire up its three 10 kW Marconi shortwave transmitters in Kinshasa on Monday 30 September, replacing the temporary 100 Watt transmitters that have been in use for the past several months. The site is ready, apart from painting the floors, and installing the air conditioners. Journalists are being shown around the site today (27 September). The shortwave frequencies are 6030, 9550, and 11690 kHz. Radio Okapi's ninth FM transmitter will be installed in Bukavu next week, along with a studio. That facility will hopefully be in on the air by the end of the first week of October. Source: Radio Netherlands "Media Network" web site, Hilversum, in English 27 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non]. R. Prague relay heard on 5696-USB, Sept 27 at 0220 in Spanish, running 10 seconds behind WRMI`s relay of same (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DENMARK [non]. R A D I O D E N M A R K October 27, 2002 - March 29, 2003 UTC Target (primary coverage in brackets) kHz Tx Beam 1230-1255 Far East 12070 K 35 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South East Asia, Australia (west), Russia 15735 K 80 North America (east), Carribean 18950 S 280 1330-1355 Europe 9590 S 180 South East Asia, Australia (west), Russia 15735 K 80 North America (east + central), Greenland 18950 S 300 1430-1455 Russia, Europe (south east), Middle East (east), South Asia (India) 13800 K 95 North America (east + central), Greenland 17555 S 300 1530-1555 Middle East (west) 15735 K 120 North America (west), Greenland 17525 S 315 1630-1655 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 13800 K 145 North America (west), Greenland 18950 S 315 1730-1755 Europe 7490 S 180 Russia 9980 K 95 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 13800 K 145 North America (east), Carribean 18950 S 280 1830-1855 Europe 7490 S 180 New Zealand 9980 K 35 Africa, Europe (south) 13800 K 165 North America (east + central), Greenland 15705 S 300 1930-1955 Europe, Canary Islands 7490 S 180 Africa, Europe (south) 9980 K 165 North America (west), Greenland 13800 S 315 2030-2055 Europe, Canary Islands 7490 S 180 Australia 9980 K 65 2130-2155 Europe, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 7490 K 195 Australia 9510 K 65 2230-2255 Far East 7470 K 40 South America, Canary Islands 7530 S 235 2330-2355 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South America 7530 S 235 South East Asia, Australia (west) 7490 K 80 Far East 9920 K 40 0030-0055 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South East Asia 7490 K 80 0130-0155 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South Asia (India) 7490 K 95 North America (east + central), Greenland 9945 S 300 0230-0255 North America (east), Carribean 7470 S 280 South Asia (India) 7490 K 95 North America (east + central), Greenland 9590 S 300 0330-0355 North America (west), Greenland 7470 S 315 Middle East (east) 7490 K 110 Europe (south east), Africa (east), Middle East (west) 9945 K 145 0430-0455 North America (west), Greenland 7470 S 315 Russia, Middle East (east) 7490 K 95 Europe (south east), Africa (east), Middle East (west) 9945 K 145 0530-0555 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (north east) 7465 K 140 Russia, Middle East (east) 7490 K 95 0630-0655 Europe 5945 K 165 Europe, Canary Islands 7180 S 195 Europe (south west), Canary Islands, Africa (west) 9590 S 220 Africa, Europe (south) 13800 K 165 0730-0755 Europe 7180 K 165 Europe, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 9590 K 195 0830-0855 Australia, Europe (south west), (South America) 13800 S 235 Far East, New Zealand 15705 K 40 0930-0955 Australia, Europe (south west), South America 13800 S 235 Far East, New Zealand 15705 K 40 Middle East (east), South Asia (India) 18950 K 95 1030-1055 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South America, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 21765 S 235 1130-1155 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South America, Canary Islands, Africa (west) 21765 S 235 Address: Radio Danmark, Radioavisen, Rosenorns Allé 22, DK-1999 Frederiksberg C, Denmark RD office telephone: +45 35 20 57 84 (then press '9') - Telefax: +45 35 20 57 81. e-mail: schedule, programme matters: rdk@dr.dk - technical, reports: rdktek@dr.dk The schedule is also available by auto-reply email from: schedule@dr.dk WWW: http://www.dr.dk/rdk or http://www.dr.dk/radiodanmark - including RealAudio 'on demand' of our broadcasts. The two daily news transmissions in Danish only are aired at 1230 and 1830. Transmissions inbetween are repeats. The technical letterbox programme, "Tune In" is heard every second Saturday from 1248 UT until 1748 UT. Transmissions may be cancelled without warning. Radio Denmark shares the Norwegian transmitters with Radio Norway. They broadcast at xx.00-xx.30, followed by Denmark at xx.30-xx.55, 24 hours a day. Stations: Kvitsoy (K) and Sveio (S) each have two 500 kW transmitters. They are located on the Norwegian west coast near Stavanger and Haugesund at 05.27E 59.04N (K) and 05.19E 59.37N (S). Kvitsoy covers the Eastern Globe, while Sveio covers the Western Globe [hemisphere]. Radio Denmark replies complete reports by a QSL-card. Although not necessary, return postage is appreciated (1 IRC, 1 Euro or 1 US dollar). Recordings (incl. RealAudio and MP3 email files) are accepted. Tapes, however, are not returned (via Erik Koie, DR, DXLD) ** FRANCE? Re 25775.1: Phone number 339-912-4132, related to DAB. Has been heard by other U.S. DX-ers and in Finland. Heard French in Denmark Sep 22, 23 and 24 only at 1600-1635 (fade out), but it sounded more like a CB conversation than a broadcast. 25222. I forwarded the problem to our member in France and here is his reply: (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) In France all phone numbers have 10 digits, the two first digits are the area code, but they are part of the phone number, e.g. my number is 04 93 56 73 01, and anywhere you are in France, we must do this 10 digits. All phone numbers are announced with the 10 digits. So the number you gave me 339-912-4514, cannot be a French number. I tried to listen to 25775 kHz, I have a very weak signal with talks in French, but nothing very clear to be correctly understand. The toll free number (075-63241) cannot be a French toll-free number. In France all numbers start with: 01 for Paris and surroundings. 02 for West and St Pierre & Miquelon. 03 for North and East. 04 for South-East. 05 for South-West and French West Indies. 06 for mobile and GSM. 07 NOT IN USE. 08 for special numbers(such as Sex Phone...) and toll free (0800...and 0805...). 09 NOT IN USE. 00 for international access. With the second number you gave me, I tried all combinations with[out] any results. The number 339-912-4514 look like a CANADIAN phone number with the area code first? (Christian Ghibaudo, France, Sep 24, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) The 339 area code is in Massachusetts as we already pointed out (gh) ** FRANCE? There`s another one on 11 meters, 25765 AM heard Sept 24 at 1625 with sports news in English, but since then a 40-second repetition of BBCWS IDs (Alan Roberts, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also here, 25765, Sept 24 at 2045-2100, pirate? With BBCWS timepips for 1700 UTC. Also heard all day Saturday in French, some English, 399 [sic, 339 as others report?] for Boston, but number no good (Ron Trotto, Wagner, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Re: 25760 0830 1030 40 WER 500 90 0 226 1234567 D IBB IBB That looks to be a replacement for 15690 via Wertachtal which currently carries the RFE service to Afghanistan. I note that the current IBB sched now shows a break in transmission for 15690 (1030- 1230 from memory). Perhaps WER 21690 is another replacement for 15690? This service is also on 19010 - seems it will remain and extended timings - and on 21680. I wonder why this latter frequency is registered for Ciraf 27/28 at 0700-0800 and 0900-1100 though! Maybe VOA/RFA should be thinking of trying 11m to escape from the Chinese orchestra? Best 73's (Noel Green, Sept 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. The Iceland State Broadcasting Service Reykjavik, continues to relay its Domestic Service programs to North America and Europe, principally for mariners. The B-02 schedule is: 1200-1300 15775 13865 1400-1445 15775 13865 1745-1915 13865 12120 2300-2345 13865 12120 (Bob Padula, EDXP Sept 27 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Hi Glenn, In the Media Network item about XM Satellite Radio, as quoted by BBCM, the last para is wrong. It should read: "Meanwhile, XM's rival Sirius Satellite Radio is now restricting Web listeners to 20 minutes of streaming before the stream is cut off. This seems to be a desperate attempt to get more subscribers. Unconfirmed press reports suggest that the number of paid-up subscribers is currently as low as 7,000." I made an error, realised it, and corrected immediately. But apparently someone at Caversham was cutting and pasting the old version in the meantime :-( 73, (Andy Sennitt, RN, DXLD) But also corrected subsequently ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non?]. Radio Caroline is being relayed on 7140, first noted September 27th 0905 following a tip off from Noel Green, fair strength and on till at least 1300. Again noted September 28th 0815 tune in, stronger, only occasional shallow fades. Is running 10 seconds ahead of Worldspace. My first thought would be a pirate transmitter but is excellent technical quality and exactly on channel (Mike Barraclough, England, Sept 28, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** IRAQ. Iraq is using a new frequency of 1551.41 kHz presumably to jam Radio Sawa in Iraq [from Kuwait 1548] (Mauno Ritola, Finland, 17.9.2002, Arctic mv-eko via DXLD) ** ITALY [non?]. IRRS on 13840, Sept 27 at 0632 in English, starting with slow classical music, transmitter problems, cutting on and off constantly, mentioning NEXUS (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Time to raise the question again of transmitter site for this, as IRRS is not telling us (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. The B-02 schedule for Radio Korea International shows several new channels, with up to six 250 kW transmitters listed for simultaneous use from the Kimjae site. This reflects the upgrading of capacity there, and a new service directed to Australia and New Zealand is scheduled on 15225, at 0500-1100. Other new channels listed include: 11945 0600-0900 to North America 15155 2000-0100 to China 15205 1200-1400 to Europe 15265 0600-0800 to South America 15335 1000-1300 to South America 17750 2300-0100 to North America 17755 1100-1500 to Asia 17780 2100-0000 to North America 17825 0900-1200 to Europe 17860 0300-0400 to Asia 17870 2200-0000 to Hawaii (Bob Padula, EDXP Sept 27 via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. Kyrgyz Radio 1 : 2300-1800 UTC = 4010 kHz , 4795 kHz, 67,94 MHz, 104,1 MHz. In Kyrgyz, Russian 2304-2330 (Mon-Fri) - Programme "Kabarlar" ("News") in Kyrgyz, Russian, Uzbek, English. 0200-0220 (Mon-Fri) - Programme "Kabarlar" ("News") in Kyrgyz, Russian, English. 1300-1320 (Mon-Fri) - Programme "Kabarlar" ("News") in Kyrgyz, German. Kyrgyz Radio 2 ( Radio XXI vek) : 0000-1800 UTC (Mon-Sat), 0000-1200 (Sun) = 66,38 MHz, 106,9 MHz. In Kyrgyz, Russian 0004-0030 (Mon-Fri) - Programme "Kabarlar" ("News") in Kyrgyz, Russian, Uzbek, English. (Ibragim Rustamov, Tajikistan / Newspaper "KTR-OBO #34/301 23/08/2002) via Klepov, Rus-DX via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LAOS [non]. 17540, United Lao Movement for Democracy Sep 20 *0059- 0110 34433 Lao?, 0059 bell. 0100 with IS and ID. Opening announce. Local music and talk. Thanks for tip from Kenji Hashimoto (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. 5100, Liberian Communications Network, Totota. Sep 19, 2305-2400*, back on this frequency after a break of four months. Mostly British pop songs. Ann and talk in English was low modulated. Best heard after 2350 until closing announcement and the Liberian National Anthem. 24332 with sporadic utility QRM. It is a good question, if it also is back on the very crowded, nominal frequency of 6100? (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) ** MALTA. Today received a nice informative booklet from Voice of the Mediterranean. This eight page bimonthly colourful newsletter tells the VOM's new challenges by Managing Director Mr Richard Muscat, listeners letters, program highlights and skeds, station news, etc., etc. Can be obtained from info@vomradio.com 73s (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Sept 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 6010, R. Mil, Mexico City, Sep 19, light songs, an anti- smoke slogan, TCs, fadeout at 0754, 25432 at best (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) So still on ** MEXICO. Mexico's FMRE celebrates 70 years of IARU membership: The Federación Mexicana de Radio Experimentadores (FMRE), Mexico's IARU member-society, is celebrating 70 years of membership in the International Amateur Radio Union with a special event station. The Mexican Comisión Federal de Telecomunicaciones (COFETEL) has authorized the FMRE to commemorate the occasion using special event call sign 6F1LM from its headquarters station for the rest of 2002. COFETEL also has authorized all Mexican Amateur Radio operators to use the special prefix 6J--which may only be used while contacting DX stations. FMRE President Pedro Mucharraz, XE1PM, congratulated all Mexican operators. "The use of the special prefix will contribute to remember and pay homage to all amateurs who have paved the way for us to enjoy a great hobby," he said (The Daily DX via Carlos Jiménez V., Sept 27, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Radio Central, 3290, from Port Moresby, has been inactive for some time, but returned to the air on September 25 for limited evening services (Bob Padula, Australia, EDXP Sept 27 via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: To advise that we have improved and modified the characteristics of our test transmissions, from Villeta, Paraguay. The frequency 7300 KHZ is now directed towards 40 and 220 degrees, from Magnetic North. This should improve reception chances in Europe and in Australia. We are also testing on 1610 KHZ, using the 125 Metre tall omnidirectional antenna, and beamed towards 184 degrees, from Magnetic North. The frequencies of 7737 and 15185 KHZ have been discontinued, for the moment. [were you ever on 7373 or was that a misprint? -- gh] We will be testing, shortly, on 120 and on 31 Metres. To date, our best results have come from 7300 KHZ, monitored in several different countries, and from 15185 KHZ, monitored in Germany. Test transmissions are on-air, the 24 hours, every day, save for occasional pauses for technical adjustments. Reception reports are most welcome! With best regards from Paraguay! (Adán Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay ramerica@rieder.net.py Sept 28 DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6323.9, Rdif. Comercial (Presumed) 1055 Sept 27 with campo music and seemed to ID as Radio La Voz del Vecino at 1057. Nice signal (Hans Johnson, WY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. 3172.77, Radio Municipal, 1010-1020 Sept 28, flauta andina, 1022 ID by OM as R. M., into Spanish covers of popular music till 1040 fade out, second ID 1028 (Robert Wilkner, Margate FL, Icom R-75, Ground level antenna, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Voice of Russia on 17645, SIO 323; heard ending their Russian program at 1359, then IS and RUS national anthem at 1400, into ID and info on Voice of Russia World Service (by Carl Watts) then the news with headlines. Sandwiched by QRM from BBC -5, and Radio France Int'l in French +5, making for difficult listening on the Sony 'SW7600G which I was using while walking... nonetheless 17645, at 250 kW from Moscow site, is the best hope for reception in Eastern North America at this hour. (9/29) (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, SWBC via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [non?]. Re R. Krishnaloka, 7415v: About one fifth of the population in Ukraine are Russians. Propagation indicate a transmitter location near the eastern border between Ukraine and Russia or in the Moscow area (Anker Petersen, Ed., DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. 7530U, R. Hargeisa. Sep 22, 1910-1940. Horn of Africa type music with some interludes of female singer. No sign of reported brief news in English. Strongest signal I have ever had from this station (Charles Jones, Australia, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) Does anybody know if they have increased power above 5 kW ? (DSWCI Ed) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Over a month ago I did a post-release-from-jail Brother Stair radio check. For the first time he offered to send listeners a CD if they call in with a radio check. In the past he`s offered tapes, articles, books. But never a CD. Anyway, in the past I`ve always received whatever free item he was giving away for a radio check. But as of this writing, still no CD! (A radio check is when listeners call in to say what frequency they`re listening on at the moment.) I called his answering machine today to inquire about this, left a message, but no response as of yet (Robert Arthur, Sept 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN. 7200, Republic of Sudan Radio, Omdurman, Sep 21, 1730-1900, Arabic language programming. News is heard from circa 1803-1813. Also plays typical Sudanese style music. Positive ID has not yet been heard, but a mention of Sudan and Omdurman seems to indicate it's this station. In England there is a weak co-channel station which sounds Russian - Yakutsk? - and the IRIB interval signal is heard from circa 1858 before opening in Hebrew - Kol David? The Arabic speaker appears to close 1900. Now, Yugoslavia is also heard from about 1857. In Australia strong co-channel NHK in Japanese (Noel Green, UK and Charles Jones, Australia, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Focal Point Hörby --- The History of a Broadcasting Station In 1956 Swedes had the opportunity for the first time to familiarise themselves with a minor wonder - television. The first programmes were broadcast from several temporary stations in Sweden. Hörby became the first permanent TV station in Sweden in 1959 - and is still one of the most important stations in the country. "Today's digital broadcasts are a natural progression of technological development. Colour TV was probably much bigger news for the viewers", says Bengt Meijer, local manager at the radio station in Hörby. The first TV broadcast in colour took place in 1966. Four years later in 1970, regular colour broadcasts were made to households across the country. "It was a small revolution. Imagine being able to watch nature and entertainment programmes in colour! It's hard to imagine how big this must have been out in the cottages" says Bengt Meijer, who has been working at Hörby for 20 years. At the FM/TV station in Hörby they are currently preparing for the future of digital radio and television. Much of the work revolves around making it possible for both analogue and digital systems to work in tandem during the changeover period, which is expected to last several years. Bengt Meijer says one of the biggest digital benefits will be the power savings that will be made. "Transferring from analogue to digital will result in savings in many ways. For example, instead of using a 40kW transmitter like we have today for Channel One we will only need to use 2.5kW with a digital transmitter. We'll get five times as many channels by using a tiny amount of today's power consumption." The station in Hörby was established in 1937, though radio has been transmitted from Hörby as early as 1928, initially at a station at Karlfält, some four kilometres west of the current broadcasting station. The Hörby station lies in the centre of Sweden's most densely populated region, with a large listening and viewing audience. The broadcast coverage extends in principle across the entire province, including large cities such as Malmö and Helsingborg. "In recent years large radio stations have sprung up in these towns and cities in order to ensure complete coverage of these densely populated areas. However, there are still viewers in Malmö and Helsingborg that have their aerials pointed towards Hörby", says Bengt Meijer. Around 20 complimentary slave transmitters at strategic locations make Hörby broadcasting station one of the most important in the country, The Hörby station is unique in as much as it is not only an FM/TV station - of which there are 56 others located throughout the country - but also Sweden's only AM station. What makes Hörby so special are its short-wave transmitters - three of them with an effect of 500 kW. Medium- wave and short-wave are the traditional ways of broadcasting radio to counties abroad. "It is the short-wave station that has made Hörby so unique. Swedish radio has a special department, Radio Sweden International, which broadcasts the programme Radio Sweden via short-wave from Hörby. We are therefore the only station in the country to broadcast that programme." The shortwave transmitters make it possible to broadcast Radio Sweden to large parts of the world, for example Africa, The Far East, North America, South America and of course Europe. The programmes, which are produced by Swedish Radio and broadcast in seven different languages, make it possible for Swedes abroad to catch upon news, culture and sport in the same way as Swedes at home. In Sölvesborg there is a medium-wave transmitter that is operated and administered by the Hörby unit. Together these transmitters work 44 hours a day (Hörby constitutes 33 hours of this total) to broadcast Radio Sweden. (from "Frequencies #14" (an in-house magazine, I think - Alan Roe) via Jack Fitzsimons, Oct World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND [and non]: B-02 schedule for Swiss Radio International: French/German/Italian/English to Af 0600-0800 9885 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg 13790 JUL 100 kW / 200 deg 17665 SOT 500 kW / 165 deg English/Italian/German/French to Af 0830-1030 21770 SOT 500 kW / 165 deg Italian/Arabic/English/French to Af/ME 1630-1815 9755 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg 13790 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg 15555 SOT 500 kW / 140 deg Italian/Arabic/English/German/French 1830-2130 9755 JUL 100 kW / 200 deg 13660 GUF 500 kW / 165 deg 15485 JUL 100 kW / 145 deg 17660 GUF 500 kW / 115 deg French/German/Italian/English to SoAm 2200-2400 9885 SOT 500 kW / 230 deg 11660 GUF 500 kW / 170 deg (Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 27 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. Some changes for Radio Taipei Int. in Russian via WYFR effective from Sep. 23: 0400-0500 on 7355 new transmission 1800-1900 on 17750 deleted WYFR in German to Europe effective from Sep. 23: 0400-0500 on 9985 only and deleted 7355 (Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 24 via DXLD) As I recall, WYFR has its own Russian at 0300 on 7355 (gh, DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 801 kHz: IBB monitoring material indicates the reactivation of the Tajik frequency 801 kHz. This frequency was used by a transmitter in Orzu with Moscow Radio 1, until it was closed in the early 1990s. The Geneva Plan limits the power to 200 kW; it is unknown what power was used for Radio 1, or what power will be used after a reactivation now (Bernd Trutenau via MWDX 6.9.2002 via Arctic via DXLD) IBB is conducting tests via Orzu 801 kHz with ca. 500 kW ND at various times. This transmitter was carrying Ostankino Radio 1 until the early 1990s when it was closed. Reportedly the tests consist of relays of VOA in English (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, 18.9.2002, Arctic via DXLD) ** TATARSTAN. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DX Target: Voice of Tatarstan An Exotic Voice from the Republic of Tatarstan By Richard A. D'Angelo The Voice of Tatarstan, or Tatarstan Awazy, provides news and information about events in the Republic of Tatarstan. However, hearing this exotic shortwave broadcaster is not an easy task. Shortwave broadcasts are through facilities located in nearby Samara and broadcast hours are not during prime listening periods in North America and Europe. Direct reception is not possible on shortwave, nevertheless, the Voice of Tatarstan provides an excellent listening target for the DX'er. Before getting into details about the station, let's take a look at the history, the geography, the people, the economy and the current political situation of the Republic of Tatarstan. History The first settlements in the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan date back to Paleolithic period (about 100,000 years ago). In the 8th and 9th centuries, the tribes of ancient Bulgars, ancestors of the modern Tatars, began to populate the Volga region. The first state, the Volga-Kama Bulgaria, was set up at the end of the 9th/beginning of the 10th centuries, which was the first feudal state in the northeastern Europe. In 922, Islam was established as a state religion. In the 13th century, the territory of the Volga-Kama Bulgaria was annexed to the Empire of Chenghiz-Khan and then became a part of powerful Zolotaya Orda (Golden Hord) State. The collapse of the Golden Hord in the 14th century resulted in formation of a number of new states including the Kazan Khanate. Kazan became the capital of the newly formed state. Ivan the Terrible conquered the Empire of the Kaza Khanate and incorporated it into the Russian Empire in 1552. The Tatars made numerous attempts to throw off Tsarist rule, they did not succeed. After the Bolshevik Revolution, the Tatar-Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was set up within the Russian federation. Geography The official name of the state is the Republic of Tatarstan. The Republic of Tatarstan is located on the eastern frontier of Europe in the middle of the Volga-Basin at the confluence of the Volga and Kama rivers. In the north, it borders Udmurtia, in the west - Mari and Chuvashia, in the east - Bashkkortostan, and in the south - Samara Region with an area of 68,000 square kilometers. The Republic extends some 290 kilometers north to south and 460 kilometers west to east. Tatarstan has no borders with foreign states. The territory of the Republic is a plain, which lies in forest and forest-steppe zone with small hills on the right bank of the Volga and in the southeast of the Republic. Ninety per cent of the territory is 200 meters above sea level. Local fauna is represented by 430 species of vertebrates and hundreds of species of invertebrates. The climate is moderate-continental. Droughts are occasional. Average temperature of the coldest month (January) is -13C, of the warmest (July) +19C. Annual average amount of precipitation is 460-520 mm. The vegetation period is about 170 days. Until 1552 Kazan had been the capital of Kazan Khanate, later it became the capital of Tatar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Today, Kazan is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. The territory of Kazan City stands at 425 square kilometers populated by about 1.2 million people. The citizens of the capital are representatives of more than 101 nationalities. Kazan in Tatar means cauldron. The name reflects the raging and dynamical history of the city. People The population of Tatarstan is 3.7 million, of which 48% are Tatars and 43% Russians. Only 23% of Tatars live in Tatarstan. The Tatars descends from nomadic tribes that migrated westward from southern Siberia between the 10th and the 13th centuries. The term, Tatar, refers to a people with roots from three main ethnic groups of Turkic origin. The official languages are Tatar and Russian. Since the end of the 7th century, the predominant ethnic group is the Turkic-speaking people. Multicultural contacts with the Russian State influenced both the Tatars and the Russians in cultural, language and other spheres. The Tatars assimilated from the Russians agricultural methods, specific construction methods, certain crafts and many social institutions. Some Russian noble families trace back to Tatar origin. Economy Tatarstan is economically a very important region. Main resources include crude oil, land, and water. The republic possesses high scientific and intellectual potential. Key industries are oil production and petrol chemistry, aircraft industry, mechanical engineering and instrument making. The region produces oil, gas and has many highly developed industries for machine-building products such as heavy trucks and bombers. Its economic and strategic value is possibly the primary reason for the special position of Tatarstan within the Russian Federation. The main wealth of Tatarstan is crude oil. Its biggest oil deposits are the oil fields located in the Southeast and the Northeast of Tatarstan. The first industrial oil deposit was discovered in July 1943; industrial exploitation started in September, 1946. Along with crude oil, gas is extracted. Among other fuel resources, Tatarstan possesses brown and black coal, combustible slates and peat. Kazan is the main economic center of Tatarstan. Thirty-five percent of the population is employed in economic activity concentrated in Kazan. One hundred and fifty-one large and medium-size companies are situated in the city. Main branches of industry are automotive, chemical and petrochemical, light and food industries. About 48% of goods produced in Tatarstan are sold inside the Republic, about 31% are sold in Russia and the remaining 21% are exported. Electronic mass media is developing very quickly in Tatarstan. Sixty- five television companies, radio-stations, electronic systems, video- programs, television information agencies are registered in the Republic. Twenty-three television stations are operating, including five in Kazan. There are thirty radio stations in Tatarstan, 14 of them in Kazan. Current situation The Republic of Tatarstan is a democratic constitutional state associated with the Russian Federation by the Constitution of the Russian Federation, Constitution of the Republic of Tatarstan and Treaty Between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan. Tatarstan became the first of the autonomous republics to adopt a declaration of sovereignty in 1990. However, this declaration was not recognized by the Russian Federation. In 1992, the Tatarstan government organized a referendum on the sovereignty of Tatarstan. Sixty-one percent voted in favor of state sovereignty and adopted its own republican constitution. In 1994, the presidents of Russia and Tatarstan signed a bilateral power-sharing treaty on behalf on the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan, respectively. The treaty recognizes extensive self-government rights of Tatarstan, beyond those enjoyed under the Russian Constitution, however, it falls short of recognizing state sovereignty. By 1995, the economy of Tatarstan began to improve and the standard of living in Tatarstan is higher than in other parts of the Russian Federation. The positive developments started in 1995 continue. The special status of the Republic within the Russian Federation is probably one of the reasons for the growing economy in Tatarstan. The republic has actively taken part on behalf of the Russian Federation, in delegations that carried out work for the UN, the Council of Europe and several international organizations. The Station Radio Tatarstan's external service, Voice of Tatarstan ("Tatarstan Awazy"), started on 1st August 1997. The shortwave frequencies are relayed from a high power transmitter at Samara and have been confirmed by various worldwide monitoring observations. The Voice of Tatarstan international service is mostly in the Tatar language. Although programming is mainly in the Tatar language, news bulletins in the Russian language are carried in most weekday broadcasts. A full Russian language broadcast has been carried on Wednesdays during the 3rd transmission and on Thursdays during the 1st and 2nd transmissions. You may be able to identify the station by its Tatar and Russian language identification announcements. In Tatar it is, "Efirda Tatarstan Awazy." In Russian, the identification is, "v efire Golos Tatarstana." The Voice of Tatarstan provides up-to-date information about events taking place in the Republic of Tatarstan. The station broadcasts political and cultural news, literature features, and interviews with prominent people, and folk music. Broadcasts go out three times a day. During the summer transmissions can be heard at 0400-0500 UT on 11,665 kHz beamed to the Far East; 0600-0700 on 9,690 to the Urals, Western Siberia, and CIS; 0800-0900 on 11,925 to the European part of Russia and Northern Europe. During the winter transmissions can be heard at 0500-0600 UT on 15,105 to the Far East; 0700-0800 on 15,105 kHz to the Urals, Western Siberia, and CIS; 0900-1000 on 11,915 kHz to the European part of Russia and Northern Europe. The latter transmission is relayed on 252 kHz for Tatarstan and neighboring regions. The shortwave broadcasts are relayed via the nearby Samara transmitting site but the longwave signal comes from Kazan itself. The Voice of Tatarstan is a very good verifier of listener reception reports. For a brief period of time after the events of September 11, 2001, the station was reluctant to receive postal mail. However, things are returning to normal so postal mail is once again being accepted from overseas listeners. Unfortunately, due to the lack of funds, the station asks its listeners to help compensate the costs of printing and the mailing of QSL cards. The return postage requirement is a modest one IRC for Russia and CIS states, and two IRCs (or US$1.00) for the rest of the world. Alternatively, listeners in Russia may send mint stamps (3 x postage price of ordinary internal letter). English language reports can be sent to Ildus Ibatullin, the QSL Manager, at the following address: Voice of Tatarstan, QSL Manager, P. O. Box 134, Kazan, Tatarstan 420136, Russia The station also introduced an honorary diploma. To receive it, applicants must send in 12 correct reports during a year. The diploma costs 2 IRCs for Russia, and 4 IRCs for abroad. Direct your applications to the above address. You will receive an information sheet about the diploma in the QSL response to your first reception report. Remember to send in those Voice of Tatarstan logs to Edwin Southwell for the Shortwave Logbook and those interesting QSL verifications to Mark Hattam for inclusion in the QSL Report column. Good luck with this DX Target (Rich D`Angelo, Oct World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** TIBET. CHINA (Tibet) 9490, China Tibet People's Broadcast Co. Full data prepared card signed by Miss Tse Ring Yuzen, President of Tibet Radio, and stamped with the station seal. They actually took the trouble of modifying my prepared card by pasting their Tibet Radio logo over one of my clipart graphics. It will be interesting to see if they now adopt this version of my card as their own design. Received in 5 weeks for my English language report on their "Holy Tibet" program. Also included was a letter from the show's hostess, Tse Ring Deky, about her background and interests, program schedules, and a postcard (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TURKEY. The Voice of Turkey has this schedule for English services, effective October 27: 0400-0500 6020 to North America and Europe 2300-0000 6020 to North America and Europe 1930-2030 9890 to Europe 2130-2230 9525 to Australia and Asia 2300-0000 9655 to North America and Europe 1330-1430 17690 to Australia and Asia 1330-1430 17815 to Europe (Bob Padula, EDXP Sept 27 via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. Since Sep 12, I have noticed a strange transmitter problem at the Asgabat frequency of 4930. It is scheduled to sign on at 0100 with the HS2 program, but when the carrier comes on around 0044 with a constant tone, the programme of HS1 can also be heard in AM and USB // to its ordinary frequency of 5015. At 0100 the HS2 program starts on 4930 in AM and USB, but HS1 continues underneath until fade out at 0305. Both are in the Turkmen language. 43443 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Sept 25 via DXLD) ** U A E. Noticed last night that the 0330 UAE English frequency (shown as 15400) was in fact 15395. Came in quite well at my QTH in Eastern PA. The current edition of the Prime Time database shows 15400. Regards, (Richard Cuff, PA, Sept 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) We had a report not long ago that both were in use one night at this time. So, you never know... (gh, DXLD) ** U A E. Gospel for Asia/Athmee Yathra He in various langs* via DHA 500 kW / 085 deg 1230-1330 on 15590 (45444) 1600-1630 on 11695 (44454) 2330-0130 on 6025 (55444) *Bengali; Hindi; Malayalam; Tamil; Dzonkha; Punjabi; Nepali; Oriya; Marathi; Sinhala; Kannada; Kashmiri (Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 27 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. RADIO ATLÁNTICO DEL SUR The article in August Contact on the background to the Argentine station Liberty which operated during the Falklands war mentioned the British equivalent Radio Atlántico del Sur. This came on the air on 19th May 1982 at 2300 on 9710 using the Ascension Islands relay transmitter; schedule was 2300-0200 and 0930-1030. The BBC issued this press statement the same day: "The Ministry of Defence this morning contacted the BBC to make available one of the transmitters at the Atlantic relay station at Ascension Island. A letter written on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence to the Director General required this under the terms of Article 19 of the Licence and Agreement. The BBC will accordingly make a transmitter available to the Ministry of Defence for its own broadcasting purpose." This clause in the then BBC licensing agreement gave the government the right to take over transmitters in times of crisis. Two trade unions at the BBC protested that the takeover was "a gross interference in the independence and editorial freedom of the BBC". The station was operated by Defence Ministry personnel who said the BBC Latin American service was not sufficiently focused on the Falklands conflict; this service was not affected in terms of frequency output by the station but the BBC World Service was. The station had a magazine format and phony record dedications, music with a psywar theme such as Chariots of Fire was regularly heard. The station was subject to front page ridicule in the quality British press; they commented that the announcers were not native Spanish speakers, spoke in a Cambridge educated Chilean accent, the music chosen would not appeal to Argentinean forces and that the station was so obviously phony that it would have no effect. The estimated cost of the operation was 10 to 20 thousand pounds a week. Argentina did jam the station but the jamming was ineffective. Argentina was also jamming the three BBC Latin American service frequencies and the Calling the Falklands programme. The station was well received in the UK and I decided to try sending a report to Radio Atlántico del Sur, Ministry of Defence, Whitehall, London WC1 to see what, response, if any, I would get. I was surprised and pleased to receive a printed card in just 8 days, the first one reported. The card showed radio waves going from the UK to the Falklands with the slogan "Bringing Truth to the Front." I remember making some remarks about my interest in, and the effect of, psychological warfare in conflicts as on the back of the card was the personal message "Thanks you for your letter and helpful comments. If you felt sufficiently strongly it would help our cause if you conveyed the same sentiments to the press. The Times and the Observer have written articles which appear very prejudiced to us. You will appreciate that we cannot reply directly ourselves as MOD employees". Going back to the Liberty station I have some recordings, it could be heard fairly well in the UK but the modulation was not perfect, opening and closing announcement over a lush orchestral version of Yesterday was "I am Liberty and I am speaking to you from the heart of our Malvinas, Georgias and South Sandwich Islands. I am a voice, a spirit, a country. I am now as ever a woman who is proud that the world listens when Argentina speaks". Researched from June and July 1982 issues of Contact and North American Shortwave Association FRENDX as well as my own memories (Mike Barraclough, Oct World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB is currently testing nightly on the new frequency of 5050 kHz. I heard them on Thursday 0000 UT. At the top of the hour I heard the owner (I forget his name) stating that they will be testing nightly on 5050 and eventually replacing 5085. Tuning between the two frequencies, I must say that 5050 has a much better signal with less QRM. The modulation is also much louder up here in Wisconsin. Not sure about any other of their frequencies. Hope you can use this info (Matt Kickbush, KB9WVU, Milwaukee, WI, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Thursday September 26, 2002 Report No. IHF-00038 RE: ACTIONS TAKEN INTERNATIONAL HIGH FREQUENCY The Commission, by its International Bureau, took the following actions pursuant to delegated authority. The effective dates of the actions are the dates specified. For more information concerning this Notice, contact Tom Polzin at 418-2148; tpolzin@fcc.gov TTY 202-418- 2555. Construction Permit Date Effective: 09/25/2002 Grant of Authority AURORA COMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL, INC. NEW IHF-C/P-20010521-00004 P Construction Permit Date Effective: 08/16/2002 Grant of Authority Grace Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. NEW IHF-C/P-20020510-00002 P (via Benn Kobb, DXLD) See also ALASKA and below ** U S A. The FCC has released a public notice showing the grant of a new HF station to Grace Missionary Baptist Church, apparently at the same location as WTJC. Report No. IHF-00038 Thursday September 26, 2002 INTERNATIONAL HIGH FREQUENCY RE: ACTIONS TAKEN IHF-C/P-20020510-00002 P NEW Grace Missionary Baptist Church, Inc. Construction Permit Grant of Authority Date Effective: 08/16/2002 For more information concerning this Notice, contact Tom Polzin at 418-2148; tpolzin@fcc.gov; TTY 202-418-2555. (Donald Wilson, Sept 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I haven't seen this one logged anywhere yet: 5919.93, WBOH? 0226 Sept 30. Contemporary gospel music; // WTJC 9730. FBN web site at http://home.ec.rr.com/fbn/ says they're setting up WBOH 5920 kHz. They're on now. Hard to get excited about a new Bible-thumper, but there they are. Haven't IDed yet, maybe at TOH (Ralph Brandi, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Viz.: FBN is in the midst of setting up the SECOND Shortwave station here in Newport, N.C.. The goal is to reach Central and South America with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in English, Spanish, and Brazilian Languages. WBOH 5920 kHz Worldwide Beacon Of Hope Pix at http://home.ec.rr.com/fbn/Projects.htm (via DXLD) ** U S A. 7490, WJIE Upton KY (presumed); 2106-2118+, 29 Sep; M speaking in Glossalalia? Occasional Hallelujah and I'm pretty sure he mentioned Oxana Bajul and Lulu. Wonder what their Glossalalia service sked is? Different M in Glossalalia at 2137. Sounds like their audio problem has been solved. S10 sig (Harold Frodge, MI, via George Maroti, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. I still haven`t heard Al Weiner`s 17495 kHz. I`ve listened many times for programs that were supposed to be there at a certain time, but never heard a thing. Oh well, maybe the elevation of the beam is such that it puts me right in the middle of the first skip (Pete Bentley, East Aurora NY, Sept 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WBCQ ** U S A. QSL report: WCNZ Marco is 1660 kHz - friendly e-mail VL with coverage map and program sked as attachments from Russ Stonier- Hammett GM W6NNP (Paul Ormandy, NZ, Sept 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But: ** U S A. X bander to listen out for, now it's back on full power (from Naples Daily News, Florida): RADIO STATION 1660 AM AT FULL STRENGTH AFTER NEW TRANSMITTER IS INSTALLED Thursday, September 26, 2002 By LAURA LAYDEN Russ Hamnett, the general manager for 1660 AM, is singing a happy tune again. He feels better than he has in months now that his radio station is back to full power. Lightning knocked the station off the air on June 12. The station's owner, All Financial Network Inc., struggled for eight days to get it up and running again. When it finally did, the station ran at only 4,000 watts, instead of the customary 10,000. All Financial Network had to resort to using a 40-year-old transmitter as a back-up, while it worked to repair the transmitter damaged by lightning. When it became clear that the broken transmitter would be too hard to fix, another one had to be ordered. The new transmitter arrived over the weekend. On Monday, an engineer installed it and the station could once again could be heard from Key West to Port Charlotte. For months, the signal only reached from Marco Island to Bonita Springs. "When the chief engineer turned on the new transmitter just before 5 p.m. not only did we get much louder because our signal was 10 times as strong, all of the sudden it was clean, it was crisp," said Hamnett. "It sounded beautiful. It was just the difference between night and day. It was just incredible." The radio station's signal had become much weaker in recent weeks as the old transmitter started to lose some of its juice. "It was fine up until the last two weeks," Hamnett said. "Then we began to notice it was getting bad, and it kept getting worse. It was getting distorted to the point where it was hard to listen to." All Financial Network also owns 1480 AM, which was knocked off the air the same day as 1660. The company was able to get 1480 back on the air quickly by remote control and that station has been on the air without a hitch ever since. It can be heard in Naples, Marco Island, Everglades City and Chokoloskee. The station's call letters [on 1480] were recently changed from WODX to WVOI, standing for Voice of the Islands. It also has a new "Music of Your Life" format, playing tunes from the 1940s, '50s and early '60s. The station was playing music from the '50s to the '80s, and Hamnett says it didn't fit well with the local market. "Our goal is to be Marco Island's radio station," he said. "It appears on the air, at least it sounds to me, as though Marco Island is being neglected as a city that needs a radio station." (via Alan Pennington, UK, Sept 27, DXLD) ** U S A. TWO KILLED WHEN MASSIVE TELEVISION TOWER FALLS IN WESTERN NEBRASKA By Associated Press, 9/25/2002 13:05 HEMINGFORD, Neb. (AP) A 1,965-foot-high TV tower collapsed, killing two workers who were trying to strengthen the structure, which had been taller than the Empire State Building. Three other workers were injured Tuesday, rescue officials said. The cause of the collapse was being investigated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Two of the workers were repairing the roof to a small transmission building at the base of the tower. The three others had been hired to strengthen the tower so it could be equipped for high-definition television transmission, according to the owner, Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises of Rapid City, S.D. ''I happened to glance up and saw the tower toppling over. It looked like the center section kind of leaned out first and the top fell down,'' said Don Jespersen, a 46-year-old farmer who was working in his field about a half mile away. Jerry Dishong, station manager for ABC affiliate KDUH in Scottsbluff, said there was no apparent reason for the collapse, citing clear and calm weather. After the accident, the station could only be viewed by cable subscribers. Killed were Lawrence A. Sukalec, 59, of Valier, Ill., and Daniel E. Goff, 25, of Sesser, Ill. They were on the tower when it collapsed, according to the Box Butte County sheriff's office. Three other workers were taken to a hospital in Alliance. Two were treated and released and the third was listed in good condition. The tower, about 20 miles northwest of Alliance, had been the tallest structure in Nebraska and one of the world's highest. It was more than 500 feet taller than the Sears Tower in Chicago and 700 feet higher than the Empire State Building in New York City. In 1998, eight skydivers from Utah were arrested for trespassing after jumping from the top of the tower. They left a black flag at its top to show they had made it to what they deemed their ''holy grail.'' (via Mike Terry, DXLD) TOWER COLLAPSE IN NEBRASKA: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=36&u_sid=513364 http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=36&u_sid=514487 73, (via Ken Kopp, Sept 29, DXLD) From Jim (at Concept News) Hello I found a picture of that collapsed tower in Hemingford Nebraska at: http://www.ledgeronline.com/artman/publish/index.shtml "This is the top section of the tower (the antenna can just be seen at left). It is lying to the SE. Another section of the tower can be seen in the background lying to the SW, approximately 600 ft. length. The body of a worker was found next to that section, with his safety harness still attached, according to reports. Ledger/Brian Kuhn "It just came down," said Don Jespersen, who was swathing millet 8 miles west and 9 south of Hemingford. "I glanced over at it, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I've seen people parachuting off that tower twice over the years, the last time a couple of years ago. That was a lot more pleasant thing to see than what I saw today." . . . Sep 27, 2002, 9:23am" (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. From AP September 29, 2002, 2:09 AM EDT WASHINGTON -- Small Internet radio stations should get an extra six months before being forced to pay royalties to the musicians whose songs they are playing, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., introduced legislation late Thursday that would delay until April 20 fees set by the U.S. Copyright Office on webcasters this summer. The copyright office decided in June that webcasters have to pay 70 cents per song heard by 1,000 listeners starting October 20. While the recording industry wanted more, many webcasters say that the rate is too high and will put them out of business. Traditional radio broadcasters are exempt from paying the new royalties, which would go to compensate artists and music labels for using their songs. Over-the-air radio stations use a rate based on a percentage of revenue to pay performers and record labels. Internet radio -- either simulcasts of traditional over-the-air radio or Internet-only stations streamed through the Internet to computers – is becoming more popular at offices and homes as people get high-speed computer connections. It is expected to move more into the mainstream as wireless devices proliferate, allowing listeners to tune in while walking or driving. Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** VATICAN CITY: Vatican Radio in Hindi/Tamil/Malayalam/English noted on Sep.25/26 1430-1550 on strange MW freq 1470.0 \\ SW freqs 12065 13765 15235. 73 from Ivo and Angel! (Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 27 via DXLD) Here`s apparently why: 15235 minus 13765 equals 1470 (gh, DXLD) ** WALES. Last Sunday marked the 84th anniversary of the first radio message from the United Kingdom being received in Australia. On the 22nd of September 1918, a message of goodwill was sent in Morse code from the Marconi station located near Caernarfon. The callsign was MUU, and the 200-kilowatt transmitter was on 21 kHz, a wavelength of 14,300 metres. The signal was received at Wahroonga near Sydney by Sir Ernest Fisk, an Englishman who had served under Marconi in England. The message of goodwill was published the following day on the front pages of the Australian morning newspapers (RSGB via Mike Terry, Sept 27, DXLD) ** YEMEN. Station list updated using information received from the station: 711 San'a 200 G 0300-1900 760 Alshahr (Mukalla) - G/L 1500-2215 792 Al-Hiswah 100 2 0300-0800, 2 1100-2130 837 San'a 30 2 0300-1700 909 Al-Hudaydah - G/L 1500-2215 1008v San'a 600 G 1400-2215 1071v Taiz 30 G/L 0300-2215 1188 Al-Hiswah - G 0300-2215 Networks: G = General (San'a) prgr, 2 = Second (Aden) prgogram, L = Local programs (approx. 0600-1800). (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Arctic via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. Radio Yugoslavia heard again on shortwave effective from Sep. 21: 1430-1458 D a l i y 11800 130 deg Arabic to ME no txion on Sep.23! 1500-1528 D a l i y 11870 040 deg Russian to RUS 1530-1543 D a l i y 6100 non-dir Hungarian to Eu 1545-1558 D a l i y 6100 130 deg Greek to SoEaEu 1600-1628 D a l i y 9620 310 deg French to WeEu co-ch RL Armenian 1630-1658 D a l i y 9620 310 deg German to WeEu co-ch RL Armenian 1700-1713 D a l i y 6100 180 deg Albanian to SoEaEu 1715-1728 D a l i y 6100 130 deg Bulgarian to SoEaEu 1730-1758 D a l i y 9620 310 deg Italian to WeEu QRM RFE Serbian 9625 1800-1828 D a l i y 6100 040 deg Russian to RUS 1830-1858 D a l i y 6100 310 deg English to WeEu 1900-1928 D a l i y 7200 250 deg Spanish to SoEu co-ch VOIROI Hebrew 1930-1958 Sun - Fri 6100 310 deg Serbian to WeEu 1930-2028 Sat only 6100 310 deg Serbian to WeEu 2000-2028 Sun - Fri 6100 310 deg German to WeEu 2030-2058 D a i l y 6100 310 deg French to WeEu 2100-2128 D a i l y 6100 310 deg Englidh to WeEu 2130-2158 Sun - Fri 7230 100 deg Serbian to AUS 2130-2228 Sat only 7230 100 deg Serbian to AUS 2200-2228 Sun - Fri 7230 100 deg English to AUS 2230-2258 D a i l y 9580 055 deg Chinese to SoEaAs 2300-2328 D a i l y 9680 265 deg Spanish to SoAmWe 2330-2358 Mon - Sat 9580 310 deg Serbian to NoAmEa 2330-0028 Sun only 9580 310 deg Serbian to NoAmEa 0000-0028 Mon - Sat 9580 310 deg English to NoAmEa 0030-0058 D a i l y 9580 310 deg Serbian to NoAmEa relay HS Belgrade 1 0430-0458 D a i l y 9580 325 deg English to NoAmWe 73 from Ivo and Angel! (Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 24 via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. After several, months absence, Radio Yugoslavia returned to the air in September, and effective from October 27, there is one daily service to Australia, from 2030-2100, using 7230, in Serbian, which is extended to 2130 on Saturdays. English services are listed for Europe 1930-2000 and 2200-2330 on 6100, 2200-2230 on 6185; 0100-0130 to North America and Europe on 7115; 0200-0230 to North America and Europe on 7130; 1930-2000 to Southern Africa on 9730. The morning Mandarin service to China is 2230-2300 on 9580 (Bob Padula, EDXP Sept 27 via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MORE USAGE OF THE NEW 15 METRE BAND FOR B-02 For the B-02 season, there is more activity listed for the new 15 metre international HF band, which runs from 18,000 to 19,020. Here are the official schedules, effective Oct-27-2002 to Mar-30-2003! 18900 BULGARIA R. Sofia, 1100-1600 18910 USA WSHB, S. Carolina, 1600-2000 18920 PAKISTAN R. Pakistan, 0500-0700, 0800-1100 18930 USA WYFR, Florida, 1600-1845 18940 NORWAY R. Norway and R. Denmark 1330-1630 18950 NORWAY R. Norway and R. Denmark 0900-1100, 1600-1800, 1200-1400 18960 SWEDEN R. Sweden, Horby 1130-1600 18970 PAKISTAN R. Pakistan, 0600-0700, 0800-1100 18980 USA WYFR, 1545-1745 19000 BULGARIA R. Bulgaria, 1100-1600 19010 SRI LANKA VOA and RFE, Iranawela, 0100-2000 Some interest interesting DX targets there, as the new band develops (Bob Padula, EDXP Sept 27 via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-150, September 26, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1149: ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [from Fri] (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1149.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1149.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1149.html AIRINGS ON WBCQ: Mon 0415 on 7415 AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 on 5070, Sun 0630 on 3210 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600 on 7445, 15039 WORLD OF RADIO on WWCR: You will be losing your 12:00 am Midnight time, Saturday on Transmitter #3 but you will now have 1:00-1:30 am Saturday on Transmitter #3. This will take effect around the first week of Oct. (Tammy, WWCR) I.e. On 5070, UT Sat 0600 replaces 0500 (gh) ** ALASKA. USA - KNLS, Alaska B-02 Sked effective 26 Oct to 23 Nov 2002 0800-0900 9615 English 0900-1000 9615 Russian 1000-1100 9615 Mandarin 1100-1200 9615 Russian 1200-1300 9615 Mandarin 1300-1400 11765 English 1400-1500 9615 Mandarin 1500-1600 9615 Mandarin 1600-1700 9615 Mandarin 1700-1800 7355 Russian (Website via Michael Beesley, World DX Club October 2002 CONTACT Magazine via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. 4950, Radio Nacional, 0015-0035 Sept 24. Noted music until 0025 when man and woman in Portuguese Comments. At 0030 back to music. Signal was poor with QRM (Bolland, Chuck, Clewiston, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So, presumed? ** ARGENTINA. Some additional information about the new postal code system mentioned in this column dated 5/8 2002. This new system is called CPA (Código Postal Argentino). The CPA consists of 1 letter identifying the province, 4 digits (the former postal code), 3 letters identifying the specific area. The CPA has been in use since April 1999 for some companies. Now it is in use nationwide at all levels. However it is said on http://www.correoargentino.com.ar/cpa/ that the 4 digit postal code can be used also in the future and that mail with only the 4 digits will be distributed as before (Thord Knutsson, Sept 25, Arctic via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. NEW OFF-BAND STATION(S). New activity has emerged on 1674 kHz, and reported in the eastern States at various times. It appears that there may be more than one station using this channel, with locations suggested as NSW and QLD. The NSW site is believed to be at or near Emu Plains (EDXP Sept 24 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Dennis Adams, in charge of HCJB ministries in Australia, and David Prosheznik (spelling?) of HCJB's engineering center in Indiana were guests on the program. They talked about the status of their project in Australia. HCJB Australia is about three months away from the start of broadcasting. The site in Australia will have a 100- kW shortwave transmitter, which is in the process of being shipped down in a container from Indiana to Australia. There will be three antennas. They are aiming for a target date of December 22, 2002. This is the culmination of a project that has been in the planning stages for a decade. The location in northwest Australia is good for easily reaching Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Asia in general and the South Pacific; there should be a reach of some 8,000 kilometers. This has the potential to reach 60% of the world's people. They hope to eventually build their own hydro-power plant if the funds become available. Two Australian engineers have been trained at HCJB's engineering center in Elkhart, IN for the last month to become acquainted with the workings of the transmitter. Also, HCJB engineer Don Hastings will go to Australia around October 1st to help with construction of transmission lines, antennas and towers. Another engineer will go there in November, when the transmitter is supposed to arrive, and he will help with its installation. The first week of December, another engineer will oversee the final testing of the transmitter. After the New Year, a retired HCJB engineer will go to Australia, as will John Stanley. HCJB is looking for volunteers with radio engineering backgrounds who would be willing to help get things started during 2003, and who can spend from two weeks to two months in Australia. HCJB Australia will broadcast in English only at first for ten hours each day, with five hours for the South Pacific and five hours for Asia. They plan to add other languages as soon as it is practical to do so; if it is possible to introduce a second transmitter by the end of 2003, that will make this possible, as well as additional English broadcasts. There will be an ISDN line to carry programming from the studios in Melbourne to the transmitter site; later, as more transmitters are added, it will be more cost-effective to replace that with satellite feeds. The HFCC recently granted frequencies for HCJB Australia, and that will include the frequencies that HCJB has already been using to reach the South Pacific. Once the Australian site goes on-line, HCJB will no longer broadcast to the South Pacific directly from Ecuador. For India, they will start on 15130, and then change later in the day to 15135. They will probably QSL from the studios in Melbourne, although the details have yet to be worked out since there is so much else to be done; more will be announced. The ID that will be used on the air will not be "The Voice of the Andes;" the words "HCJB Australia" will be part of it, but the final form of the ID is to be announced later. For more information, one can go to the website at http://hcjb.org Also, one may send an e- mail to HCJB Australia at office@hcjb.org.au (HCJB DX Partyline Sept 21, notes by Marie Lamb for Cumbre DX, via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Bolivia has adopted a new telephone system. The country is now divided in 3 different areas. Thus the departments of La Paz, Oruro and Potosi have trunk code 2, Santa Cruz, Beni and Pando have 3 and Cochabamba, Chuquisaca and Tarija have 4. The new phone number consists of the former trunk code and the former number. An example: (52)40035 now is (02)5240035. (R. F. Aragão, Bolivia, Arctic via Tore Larsson via DXLD) ** CANADA. 1610, CJYI [sic], Montreal QC; 2353-2408+, 23/24-Sep; M in FF w/FF tune! Only hrd Spanish music previous days. ID promo at 2401. Didn't hear call letters but several mentions of Montreal including, "...parlez Francaise Montreal..." [sic]. 2405 continued with Caribe tune. Mainly fair w/QSB, USB helps. Freq seems to be slightly higher than 1610.0. QC #23 (Harold Frodge, 5525 Whitehall St., Midland MI 48642 Midland MI: Drake R8B + 85'/215' RW's, 125 ft. single loop, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Should be CJWI ** CHINA. Xinjiang PBS. Additional frequencies are 9835 in Chinese, obviously the daytime companion of 5960, and 11975, which has Kyrgyz from 0330 and 0530, replacing 7120 and parallel with 9705. As Kyrgyz is spoken in the SW part of Xinjiang, the transmissions may be directional to that area. It appears that 9510 is being used as the daytime companion of 6190 for Mongolian, though not confirmed here. {Correxion: See DXLD 2-151} Re 4750. This frequency houses two different transmitters, one in the east having a very buzzy carrier and carrying CNR-1, and a second one in Qinghai carrying Qinghai PBS with clean carrier and audio (Olle Alm, Sweden, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. FALUN GONG DISRUPTS TV SIGNAL Tue Sep 24,12:01 PM ET By TED ANTHONY, Associated Press Writer BEIJING (AP) - In their most brazen electronic hacking yet, supporters of the outlawed Falun Gong movement have staged a "TV hijacking" by interrupting transmissions on a satellite system that broadcasts to every corner of China, the government asserted Tuesday night. Using its official Xinhua News Agency, the government released an extraordinary 1,100-word dispatch about the latest hacking incident, saying it had traced the illegal transmissions over the Sino Satellite, or Sinosat, system to a pirate broadcast operation in Taipei, Taiwan. "Why do some Falun Gong die-hards dare to blemish modern civilization in such a barefaced manner?" Xinhua said in an accompanying editorial. Falun Gong has made a practice in recent months of hacking into local TV feeds and broadcasts, often broadcasting pirate transmissions to tout the benefits of the group and convince the citizenry that Chinese authorities have treated it unfairly. China says such transmissions have "disrupted the public order" and go against international communications standards. Xinhua said the latest hacking, which it called a "TV hijacking," began Sept. 9 and had affected signals of a service designed to enable remote villages across the country to see broadcasts from China Central Television, or CCTV, the leading government-run network. The television break-ins have embarrassed the government, which calls the protest videos "reactionary propaganda" and says they threaten social stability. In that spirit, China's national news also dedicated three minutes of its newscast Tuesday night to the latest hacking. Officials said they were sure the hacking originated in Taiwan, and called upon its government to help track down the culprits. "We've utilized a wide range of technical means to monitor and analyze the hijacking signals and made an accurate positioning of the hijacking source. Specialists are completely certain," said Liu Lihua, director of the radio bureau of the Ministry of Information Industry. In Taipei, Taiwan's government did not immediately respond to the accusation. The commandeering of the satellite signal also interrupted transmission of the China Education TV Station and some provincial- level TV stations, Xinhua said, and in some cases cut off television entirely for viewers in some rural and mountainous areas. "This seriously damaged the rights and interests of the audience and affected the normal education order of schools and as well as the learning activities of students," Zhang Tianlin, vice president of the education station, was quoted as saying. The dispatch also blamed Li Hongzhi, the U.S.-based spiritual leader of Falun Gong, which the government outlawed in 1999. An official with the Taiwan Affairs Office, which handles relations with the island's government, said Taiwan authorities must track down and punish the hackers. "The Taiwan side is responsible for stopping the criminal activity immediately," said the official, whom Xinhua did not name. Though Taiwan operates as a sovereign nation, Beijing considers it part of China and, indeed, referred to the hacking as originating in "Taiwan province." Last week, 15 people convicted of breaking into a cable television system to show videos protesting China's ban on Falun Gong were sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. The sentences were among the longest yet imposed in the campaign to crush the spiritual movement, which had millions of followers before it was banned. Thousands of Falun Gong followers have been detained. Most are freed after a few months, though a government official told The Associated Press earlier this year that nearly 1,300 had been sentenced to prison. Falun Gong activists abroad say hundreds of supporters have been killed in detention. Chinese officials deny killing detainees but say some have died in hunger strikes or from refusing medical help. The government expends great resources to make sure that Chinese citizens cannot view Falun Gong and other politically sensitive Web sites. It blocks access to such sites through Internet providers and requires Internet café owners to monitor the sites their customers visit. A special police force monitors chat rooms and personal e-mail and erase online content considered undesirable. Internet portals have been warned they will be held responsible for sites they host. In a separate incident, the manager of the Dalai Lama's computer network in Dharmsala, India, alleged that the Chinese government has tried to hack into it repeatedly over the past month with a special virus to steal information. Jigme Tsering, manager of the Tibetan Computer Resource Center, which provides Internet services and manages the network of the Tibetan Buddhist leader's exile government, made his comments late Tuesday evening, and no immediate comment was available from the Chinese government in Beijing. Tsering said that Chinese hackers sent the virus at least twice between late August and Sept. 15. China views the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, as a "splittist" who threatens Beijing's rule over Tibet (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Falun Dafa World Radio, 24 September 2002, 5925 via Vilnius, Lithuania, 2145-2200. Vocals by Man and Woman in Chinese with mentions of Falun Dafa. Music in the background at the end being played on a piano. Listened right up until end of broadcast and the piano music gained some singing by a female with it. At 2200 the broadcast closed. SINO was 5545 overall during the period of listening (DX Dave, Bristol, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA? 6010.26, 19.9 0340, unID Spanish with mainly "light" music with Christian touch. Too weak to read, and later in the morning the frequency was blocked by an English program. Voz de tu Conciencia on air now? QSA 1. JE/RFK (= Jan Edh, Ronny Forslund, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** DENMARK. From yahoo news (a few days old) Mon Sep 16, 6:13 AM ET COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Public radio and television stations resumed broadcasting regular news broadcast on Monday after about 1,200 journalists ended a monthlong strike over wage negotiations. The employees at Danish Broadcasting Corp., known as DR, walked out on Aug. 19 after rejecting a new wage system that would make a large part of each journalists' wage negotiable instead of mandated by a scale. The journalists didn't oppose individual salary talks but demanded that a shop steward take part in the negotiations. "Our members demand solidarity in talks about wages," said Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard, the head of the Danish Union of Journalists. Last week, the DR management accepted their plea and two-thirds of the striking journalists voted over the weekend to resume work on Monday. The strike had forced the broadcaster to cancel most of its news and news-related programs on its two TV channels. However, management staff continued producing a Web site and radio news in shorter versions. The strikers included some 950 employed journalists and more than 200 free-lancers. DR, which is one of Denmark's two big national broadcasting groups, has about 3,300 employees. It runs two television stations and four radio channels. The average pay for a Danish journalist is 33,000 kroner (dlrs 4,350) per month. This compares to an average monthly income of 17,000 kroner (dlrs 2,250) in the Scandinavian nation of 5.3 million people (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB is offering the 1977-F QSL card, which shows an engineer working on the 49-meter transmitter. It may be requested in place of the regular HCJB QSL when you send your reception report. The postal address: DX Party Line ** HCJB ** Casilla 17-17-691 ** Quito ** Ecuador. E-mail: dxpl@hcjb.org.ec Reports may also be sent via the HCJB website at: http://hcjb.org/english There are links there for sending a reception report and for the DX Partyline home page, which may also be reached directly at: http://dxpl.hcjb.org (HCJB DX Partyline Sept 21, notes by Marie Lamb for Cumbre DX, via DXLD) See also AUSTRALIA ** EUROPE. Euro's SENSATION AM; 15785.15, 2259-2315+, 23-Sep; M in EE w/not-too-oldies, lite pop tunes. Several IDs and gave PO address. SIO=222/best in USB (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FRANCE [non?], 25775.0/AM, Radio France (tentative); 1642-1708+, 23 Sep; Chatty M&W in FF w/EE pop tunes. 1659 tentative "R. France" spot. Same M&W continue in FF w/pop music but now FF tunes. This sounds like the programming usually heard on 162 KHz. SIO=222/raspy buzz QRM and fady, occasional fair peaks. Cleanest in LSB. Barely detectable, if them, @1933. Zilch there @2250 (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I got a message from Wian Stienstra in The Netherlands about the phone number mentioned in the English program on 25775. To put it in short: 33 99 12 41 32 is old Rennes (or Cesson-Sevigne) number before April 1996. Then the French telephone numbers were changed. This number is now 332 99 12 41 32. Wian dialed this number and it went to TDF Research. The guy on the phone knew nothing about these 25 MHz tests and told that development of DAB in France had actually stopped. So the test "program" seems rather old. Many thanks Wian, for excellent info. Back to logs of this station. 25765, Sep 24 tune in at 0850, BBC WS "World Football" program. They passed TOH without any id. Rechecking at about 0950 same program starts again. On 25775 nothing heard. On 25765 I got only LSB and AM. Signal strength was similar to previous days on 25775. Listening again at 1020, the loop seems to be some 30 minutes. Some music in between. Still on as writing this at 1025. RFI was on 25820 with much stronger signal. Yesterday, 24 Sep I checked 25765 at times and until at 1630 they were still running football loop. But at 1644 25765 was silent and instead some music on 25775. At 1646 they popped up again on 25765 and started a short id-ts-news in loop. A BBC WS promo, time signal and some seconds of "World Briefing" program, back to promo etc. At about 1815 signal disappeared. Today, 25 Sep tune in at 0709 the French/English program in loop was again on 25775, both sidebands and carrier. Wonder if this is one transmitter or two different sites? Merlin and/or TDF? Tests for DRM? (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 25775: Just to let you know that I logged this station together with Johan Letterstål as early as 020616 with promos for Planete Futuroscope. Will send you the full log when I get home later today. 73 de (Kjell-Ingvar Karlsson, Upplands-Väsby, SWEDEN Sept 24, via Cumbre DX? via DXLD) 25775, Took another listen to this one today and finally got a phone number 339-912-4132. Tried it, but am told it won't go through here as it is toll free for France. Tourist loops for the Cotentin (sic) region of France. Image projection technology museum, interview with novelist who wrote "Regard from Indochina." ID as "Weekend Edition" and mentioning that they are putting out special offers via DAB. Best during the 1900 hour (Hans Johnson, WY? Sep 24, Cumbre DX via DXLD) [non?] This station was heard in Sweden as early as the 16th of June by me and a DX-fellow. As there were many references to Planete Futuroscope, a high-tech fun park in France, an email report was sent. The response: Hello, Thank you very much for your message. As far as we can understand, the radio programme you heard came from a radio in Quebec, or in any other French-speaking country (but not France)! We are not involved in any way in that programme! However, it is very nice that a foreign radio speaks about our park! Best regards, Valérie, Webmaster - contacts@futuroscope.fr PLANETE FUTUROSCOPE, embarquez pour des voyages inédits http://www.planete-futuroscope.com The new info on DXLD seems interesting and would explain the mystery! At one moment I thought of a bad FM-tx where 25775 would be the leaking IF (prior quadrupling it to 103,1 MHz). Yes I know... crazy... 73 de (Johan Letterstål, Saltsjö-Boo, Sept 23, DX homepage (swe): http://user.tninet.se/~zrk946c/dx.html DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very interesting. I was just checking the Futuroscope sites for possible info. Give up now:). Well, they signed off today again at the same time just prior 1800. I'm not sure, but it did look like they were on 25774.5 that time. In the end of the English portion I copied "...339 912 4132 the lines are open...listeners to the DAB system, take advantage of this special offer. Tune in again next week same time, same place." Also French portion mentions "DAB". I recall I saw somewhere an article about DAB used for tourist info at Futuroscope. An old tape played for test purposes? This really sounds more powerful than a TIS station. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Bayerischer Rundfunk 6085: There is no firm decision to shut-down the shortwave transmitter so far, apparently the person behind WB's source was a bit rash. Of course it can only help that this discussion came to our attention. Wertachtal 25760: IBB [to be] on 11 metres after hardly using even 13 metres so far? Quite remarkable (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. Re: ``I believe Samara has been suggested, and various reports indicate somewhere in Russia. I find this a bit hard to believe, given the close ties still between the two countries (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` Radio Dat seems to have been broadcast from Lithuania all from the beginning. Obviously they had to replace 9775 because of strong co-channel interference from CNR-2 beaming to the adjacent Xinjiang/Tibet zone from the east - a poor choice of frequency. (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA: Radio Vilnius, 24 September 2002, 5925 via ?, 2205-2206. I left my set on after Falun Dafa [see CHINA non] had finished and, after a few minutes silence from the end of Falun Dafa, came this high pitched noise. I went to turn my set off and just before I pressed the button came an odd-sounding announcement by man in English which said "This is the primary audio circuit of Radio Vilnius". He repeated this once and then the high pitched noise returned. After about 5 seconds the announcement in English by that man ("This is the primary audio circuit of Radio Vilnius") was heard twice more. The transmission then cut out again. Odd. Very odd indeed. SINO 4444 throughout (DXDave, Bristol, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. The former URL of the National Broadcasting Corporation, Nigeria http://www.nbc-ng.org/ now leads to a download of a 0190 dialer (5-6-5-23.exe by download1.0190-dialer.com) Beware! Do not visit this URL if you did not turn off ActiveX in your browser! Then the download would start automatically. I don't know if those dialers can be dangerous in other countries, but in Germany they can lead to a huge telephone bill as they change the dial in number of your internet account... Regards, (Willi Passmann, hard-core-dx and Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NORWAY [and non]. I was really surprised tonight after posting earlier about a carrier on 1314 kHz. Here are the results. 1314 kHz was the best with lively music and man in NN at 0310 KHZ 9/24. At 0402 a woman was in NN (News?). Not bad at all holding its own between 1310-1320 khz with the 4 kHz filter. Deep fades at times. The best I have heard Norway in several years. Norway was producing a signal on the two EWEs and the Eastern Beverage, plus even on the vertical, but it was best on the NNW wire. [Other TA carriers:] 711 kHz was only a carrier causing a het on KIRO- 710. Never did get any audio at several tries at 0320, then at 0330, and again at 0341 9/24. 819 Khz again another het against a domestic, KGNW-820, produced no audio at 0315 9/24. 864 kHz, a good strong carrier at 0318 UTC with bits of music, Southern European?, hard to hear with domestic splatter 9/27. 963 kHz, produced a good strong carrier at 0322. I was hoping for some audio on this, presumed Finland, but no audio showed up 9/24. 1008 kHz, another fairly decent carrier at 0325 9/24. No audio heard. 1017 kHz, a very strong carrier with bits of talk at 0328 9/24. German? Not really producing much audio though. 1053 kHz another fairly weak carrier at 0329 9/24. 1593 kHz another weak carrier in splash. Drake R8 400' NNW mini Beverage (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, KAVT Reception Manager, IRCA et al., via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. 7300, 6.9 2237, R. América - USB - QSA2 + QRM. Spanish program with call for several other stations with a common program in the background. I sent a description of the program via e-mail. In return I got a confirmation from Adán Mur - it was indeed Radio América I heard TBV (= Tore B Vik, Norway, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) 15185, 20.9 2220, unID typical American with a country & w estern program. Lots of splash from the surrounding frequencies made in ID impossible. S 1-4 i dep QSB fading. What ? BEFF /Björn Fransson, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) Don`t forget R. Africa, Equatorial Guinea, brokered by Panamerican with American religion, but may fill with such? However, they are never right on 15185.0. Was this? (gh, DXLD) Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: Greetings from Paraguay! To advise that we have had excellent results from our testing, on the frequency 7300 KHZ. This frequency serves well our primary region of audience, as well as far afield. We have received reports from our local region (Argentina/Bolívia/Brasil/Paraguay), and from Australia, Canada, Norway and the U.S.A. Tests on other frequencies in the 7 MHZ range were less successful. Tests on 15185 KHZ brought excellent results, from Germany, but was unheard anywhere else. It appears that we should broadcast in German, on this frequency! We hope to be able to test, on 120 and on 31 metres, shortly. Measured average transmission power, on 7300 KHZ, is now 1.6 KW. With best regards. (Adán Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay ramerica@rieder.net.py Sept 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [non]. 7417, 18.9 0455, Radio Krishnaloka sounded like a real radio amateur/pirate transmitter. Religious end of today`s program with www-address and e-mail. S 1-3 and a lot of QRM from WBCQ. Fast answer with e-mail from St Petersburg. BEFF. [later:] Radio Krishnaloka, Russia/Ukraina?- 7417. Personal E-mail in English from Aradhana Priya, who has sent my letter to: Awtozavodskaya str., 6 - 24a, Moscow, Ryssland. SM-1? 2 d. BEFF (= Björn Fransson, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** TANZANIA. Since yesterday (23 September) I'm hearing Radio Tanzania on reactivated 7280 kHz. I've not heard it on this frequency for many months, perhaps not since last year. Parallel frequency 5050 continues to be heard. I've yet to confirm the times of operation on 7280 (it was there yesterday lunchtime but had gone by the evening). Regards, Chris in Nairobi Greenway, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET [non non]. DXLD Aug 30 had a schedule for Xizang PBS, Tibet, originally coming from the station. This schedule had its flaws, so I have tried to refine it to better match what is being heard. The result is shown below (DXLD Aug 30, updated by Olle Alm) Tibetan channel: 2250-0735 & 0950-1650 4905, 4920, 6200, 5240, 6130, 6110 2250-0200 7385, 7125 0200-0735 9580, 9490 0950-1650 7385, 9490 Chinese channel: 2000-1730 5935, 6050, 4820 2000-0300 7170 0300-1200 11860 1200-1730 7170 2000-0200 7240 0200-1100 11950 1100-1730 7240 The actual frequency changes take place a few minutes before the hour. Only parts of the transmissions have been confirmed due to propagation. As regards sites, I believe that all are located within Tibet, at Lhasa, but there may be two separate sites as 4905 and 7385 often have a satellite delay compared to the other transmitters of the Tibetan channel. Programming heard in the background of 7385/4905 is synchro with the audio of the Chinese channel, so 7385/4905 and the five transmitters of the Chinese channel seem to form one group, while the other six transmitters of the Tibetan channel form a second group. The now defunct former site using 4750, 5950 and 11950 is likely to have been scrapped. These transmitters were lowpowered and more or less off channel, so may have remained from the early days of broadcasting in Tibet. It has been suggested that the new highpowered Tibetan transmitters would actually be located in Xi'an, but this can safely be ruled out due to the many low frequencies used. When Xizang PBS relays CNR-1 the delay is 6 to 8 seconds compared to other transmitters. Some of the current transmitters are probably directional to east and west Tibet. 15285 has also been reported for Tibet, but I have been unable to confirm this one (Olle Alm, Sweden, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non?]. UNKNOWN LOCATION: Laser Hot Hits, 24 September 2002, 6220 via ?, 2207 - 2210. Very variable quality of reception but good music underneath all the noise. What I could hear of it was very nice. Overall reception was somewhat awful but it did get good at one point. SINO mostly 3422 (variable with 4333 and 2122) (DX Dave, Bristol, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 25950/AM, KPM566 Portland OR (presumed); 1943-2001+, 23-Sep; Reggae music. Sig inaudible to good. I've caught an actual KPM566 ID by these folks twice. There hasn't been any pattern to the ID times. Last hrd 7-Apr-02, with an ID! (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) {It is KPM556, corrected subsequently; needs to be right for searching} ** U S A. LYRIC OPERA CUTS RADIO BROADCAST Tue Sep 24, 2:14 PM ET By F.N. D'ALESSIO, Associated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) - A heartbroken Italian clown and a helmeted soprano with a spear; they're the stereotypes who spell grand opera for many people, and they're both on hand this season at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. But the only people who will hear Johan Botha sob as Canio in "I Pagliacci" or Jane Eaglen give her "Hojotoho!" war-cry as Brunnhilde in "Die Walkure" are audience members in the Civic Opera House. For the first time in nearly 30 years, there will be no live radio broadcasts of Lyric's productions this season. The broadcasts' sponsors, United and American airlines, cited financial losses in informing WFMT-FM that they could not continue this season. "The airlines have been wonderful supporters of the arts in this city, but they are facing extraordinarily difficult times," the Lyric's general director, William Mason, said in announcing the suspension only eight days before the Sept. 21 season opener, the double bill of "I Pagliacci" and "Cavalleria Rusticana." WFMT had been broadcasting opening nights of each Lyric production live in the Chicago area since the early 1970s, and had been sending them out in national and international syndication through its WFMT Fine Arts Network since 1977. At the height of their popularity, the broadcasts were carried by some 800 radio stations and were heard by 3 million to 4 million listeners in 40 countries. The suspension means the only remaining regular live opera on American radio will be the ChevronTexaco broadcasts of New York's Metropolitan Opera, which begin their 63rd year Dec. 7. Those broadcasts are carried on 325 stations in the United States and Canada, and some in other countries, said Met spokesman Peter Clark. The problem is bigger than opera, said Dan Schmidt, president and chief executive officer of Window to The World Communications, Inc., WFMT's corporate parent. "The major American symphony orchestras have one by one left the radio - and lost their recording contracts as well," Schmidt said. "We're not teaching classical music in the schools any more, and the sales of classical CDs have fallen off the table," he said. "But the most important factor is that American performing ensembles now have a price structure that is not in keeping with recording contracts and radio broadcasts." Schmidt said each Lyric broadcast last season cost $50,000 to air "and that's for a local-only opening night." "The national syndication cost another $40,000 per performance," he continued. "Our production costs were only $6,000 or $7,000, and the soloists didn't cost that much. Almost all of the rest went toward royalties and fees - especially the orchestra members and the stagehands." At the same time, he said, advertising revenue for classical performances was shrinking. "For the last several years we were really subsidizing the broadcasts," he said. Since the Lyric has nine productions scheduled this season, the total broadcast cost, by Schmidt's estimate, would be $810,000. Mason said that to restore even local broadcasts, at least $400,000 in additional sponsorship would have to be found, in addition to the $15.5 million Lyric must raise to meet its annual fund-raising goal. "It appears we have priced ourselves out of the broadcast market, at least for the time being," Mason said. The Met broadcasts have been subsidized only by Texaco and its successor, ChevronTexaco, since 1940, but Lyric's have had multiple sponsors since now-retired WFMT general manager Ray Nordstrand began them. Insurance companies, utilities, food companies and retailers took turns. And under the leadership of now-retired CEO Richard J. Franke, the John Nuveen Company investment house underwrote the syndication costs for many years. During much of Nordstrand's tenure with WFMT, which lasted from the 1950s until the early 1990s, the station could charge some of the highest advertising rates in its market area because advertisers wanted to reach the generally well-educated and prosperous classical- music audience. The station even had competition from a commercial classical broadcasting rival, WNIB. But with the graying of the classical audience and the skyrocketing cost of broadcast outlets, the situation changed. "WNIB was recently sold for $165 million," Schmidt said. "Of course they changed the format. You can't recoup costs like that through advertising on a classical station. Say you play a Mahler symphony - you can't put many commercials in there." Schmidt said the Lyric broadcasts became "a philanthropic thing for the advertisers" and one of the first things to be cut when the economy took a downturn. Schmidt, Mason and Nordstrand all agreed that the audience for live opera is growing - just not on the radio. "You can't see action on the radio, and you can't read subtitles," Schmidt said. "It requires great concentration and usually great knowledge of opera to enjoy fully. Full-length opera on the radio has always been a challenge - a very specialized taste." (via yahoonews via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, Sorry for the delay to your inquiry about a VOA program grid. It took me a while to track down the information. VOA English program schedule information is available at the VOA website, although finding it is not especially intuitive. Go to http://www.voanews.com click "About VOA" click "VOA Guide" (along the left margin) click "Adobe PDF version" You now have the VOA Guide just as it is printed. For English to Africa, including "Music Time in Africa," go to page 8. VOA Guide is now published twice a year. The winter 2002/2003 edition will be available soon. Shortcut to VOA Guide is http://www.voa.gov/voaguide.pdf 73 (Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SB QST @ ARL $ARLB057 ARLB057 FCC expands Gulf Coast communications emergency ZCZC AG57 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 57 ARLB057 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT September 25, 2002 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB057 FCC expands Gulf Coast communications emergency The FCC has expanded a general communications emergency to include Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, which are threatened by Tropical Storm Isidore. Invoking Section 97.401, the FCC issued a revised declaration that requires amateurs to refrain from using 3873 and 3965 kHz during hours of darkness and 7247 and 7285 kHz during hours of daylight. All frequencies are to be protected plus or minus 3 kHz unless amateurs are taking part in the handling of emergency traffic. The FCC said the communications emergency is effective immediately and will remain in place until rescinded. The declaration could be in place for as long as 14 days, the FCC said. Mississippi Section Manager Malcolm Keown, W5XX, and Alabama SM Bill Cleveland, KR4TZ, requested that the FCC protect the net frequencies from interference in the event severe weather strikes. After passing over the western tip of Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Isidore--now a tropical storm--is headed for the US Gulf Coast. For additional information, see ''Hurricane Watch Net, W4EHW, Reactivating'' http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/09/25/1/ . NNNN /EX (ARRL Sept 25 via David Hodgson, TN, DXLD) Glenn: I heard good coverage of the tropical storm by WWL 870 New Orleans around 0800 Sept 26. Many areas of New Orleans flooded, and without power. 73, (David Hodgson, TN, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 660 (KTNN) AZ, Window Rock was evidently off, or on greatly reduced power in early September. No sign of it at 2300 [EDT?] 9/8 or 9/9, or at 0600 9/9. Strong with C&W and local dedication at 2255 on 9/11 (Larry Godwin, MT, IRCA via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Between August 31 and September 23, 2002, I realized a DX journey in Venezuela. It was twelve years after my first visit to Venezuela. My first visit to the Dominican Republic {sic} was made as a business trip; thus I did not have enough time to devote myself to monitoring the local broadcasters. The second journey had three objectives: the first was to study the broadcasting circumstances in the western and central region of Venezuela; the second was to visit stations that formerly operated shortwave transmissions; and the third was to visit Cúcuta, the border town of Colombia, where Radio La Voz del Norte broadcast on 4875 kHz until the middle of 1980's. I visited the following cities and broadcasting stations: MARACAIBO: Radio Mara Ritmo 900 (3275 kHz), Radio Popular (4800 kHz), Radio CNB Maracaibo (4860 kHz), Radio Calendario (9530 kHz); CARORA: YVNI Radio Carora (4910 kHz); BARQUISIMETO: Radio Lara (4800 kHz), Radio Tricolor (4820 kHz), Radio Universo (4880 kHz), Radio Juventud (4900 kHz), Radio Barquisimeto (4990 kHz and 9510 kHz); VALERA: Radio Valera (4840 kHz), Radio Turismo (6180 kHz); MERIDA: Radio Universidad de Mérida (3395 kHz), Radio Los Andes (6010 kHz); TOVAR: Radio Occidente (3225 kHz and 9750 kHz), SAN ANTONIO DEL TACHIRA: Radio Frontera (4760 kHz), SAN CRISTOBAL: Radio Tachira (4830 kHz), Ecos del Torbes (4980 kHz and 9640 kHz), Radio Noticias 1060 (ex- Radio San Cristóbal 9610 kHz); BARINAS: Radio Continental (4940 kHz), VALENCIA: La Voz de Carabobo (4780 kHz), CARACAS: Radio Capital (4850 kHz), Radio Venezuela (4890 kHz), Radio Rumbos (4970 kHz and 9660 kHz), Radio Continente (5030 kHz), Radio Mundial (5050 kHz). Unfortunately I could not visit the studios and offices of Radio Nacional de Venezuela, which was located far from the downtown Caracas. Probably I will try to visit it next planning DX journey to Venezuela. During my stay in Venezuela, I made band scans to check over the existence and nature of any broadcasting activity on shortwave. I confirmed that four stations on shortwave in operation: Radio Táchira on 4830 kHz, Radio Amazonas on 4940 kHz, Ecos del Torbes on 4980 kHz and YVTO El Observatorio Naval Juan Manuel Cagigal. There are no other Venezuelan stations regularly on shortwave due to economical reason. Since the middle of the 1990's, many broadcasters abandoned the shortwave transmissions for two main reasons. The first is that commercial broadcasting on shortwave is currently not a prosperous business in Venezuela and it is very expensive to maintain old shortwave transmitters because it is not so easy obtain spare parts. Nevertheless, a couple of commercial stations, located near the border with Colombia, continue to broadcast on shortwave as propaganda for bordering countries. The second is that the gigantic broadcasting networks, which carry the programming produced in Caracas for 24 hours a day, including Circuito Radio Venezuela (CRV), Circuito Radio Caracas Radio (RCR), Circuito Radio Rumbos, Circuito Radio Continente (CRC), AM Center, Unión Radio and Radio Popular, have utilized the satellite broadcasting system since early 1990's. In fact, the satellite broadcasting system can give a wide coverage of all national territory. The detail reports about the old time broadcasters will be published in the future RELAMPAGO DX. TIN (Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Japan, via Ulis Fleming, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. Hi Glenn, The German service has re-started. There's online news, and according to the Web site the shortwave service restarted on 23rd September. Schedule is given as 1630 UT on 9620 and 2000 on 6100 KHz. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Sept 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Per your tip the other day, heard Radio Yugoslavia in English on 9580 at *0431-0458* 9/24. Fairly strong signal, tho the audio was a bit muddy/undermodulated. (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, WA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Re: ``30960 (15480 x 2), 1709, Sept 22, Nice 2nd harmonic. More listenable then the fundamental, which was audible with lots of QSB. Did not recognize the lang, but heard mention of "Radio Europa" several times. Could this be from the Czech Republic? (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroups via DXLD)`` Woofferton-England R Liberty in Belarus? 15480 1700-1900 29 WOF 250 kW 75 degr G IBB IBB (Wolfgang Bueschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-149, September 23, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1148: BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445, 15038.7; webcast Wed 1300 BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1148.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1148.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1148.html WORLD OF RADIO 1149: FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: Wed 2200 on 17495, 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2030 on 15825, Sat 0600, Sun 0230 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600 on 7445, 15039 (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1149.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1149.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1149.html INDIVIDUAL DXLDS, JANUARY-JUNE 2002: On our own website we no longer have individual issues before July 1, 2002, just the massive quarterly archives. Individual issues are, however, still available at DXing.com, indexed here: http://www.dxing.com/dxrold.htm -- and 2001 archive is also there UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL See EL SALVADOR ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. UNIDENTIFIED. Hi everyone, Has anyone any idea or ID on 18940 from 1400 to 1530 UT? There is a continuously played musical theme played over and over again. Thanks, (BW, location unknown, but an AOL subscriber, not Bill Whitacre, Sept 22, swl via DXLD) If not R. Afghanistan relay programming via Norway, maybe they lost their feed? Yes, there it is before and after 1430 UT Sept 23, booming in better than RA ever did. Seemless loop runs about 20 seconds; quite dramatic! No ID or break at 1500. Still going at 1615+ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA [non]. Cland? 7205, R. Ecclésia with music then talks by OM YL in Portuguese, sounded like news, a lengthy speech with continuous talks by OM and YL after a short music break at 1925 Sept 20. An interview at 1940 then with International news. Some folk songs at 1944. Closed with Für Elise. At about 1958 BBC suddenly started on this freq. Signal was S9 +10 at 1910 but with strong QRM from both sides but at 1950 signal was 34223 with AM wide (Zacharias Liangas, Retziki, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via South Africa ** ARMENIA. Thought that you'd like to know that the VOA is using the Yerevan relay in Armenia, on 4810, 1315-1530 for services in Armenian and other languages of the region. At other times, this transmitter/ frequency is used for regular Radio Yerevan/Voice of Armenia services (Bob Padula, Sept 22, EDXP via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Voice International is changing their web address from http://www.vil.com.au/ to http://www.voice.com.au While the new domain site is still under construction inquiries are redirected to the old domain, and messages using old domain references are still delivered. The new address is: Voice International Ltd., Killick St, Kunda Park, QLD 4556. Voice International broadcasts from the former Radio Australia short wave station at Darwin and plans to establish 24 h Christian based companion programmes in English, Mandarin-Chinese, Hindi and Bahasa Indonesia. These programmes might not necessarily be broadcast on shortwave in full but will be offered to rebroadcasting partners via satellite (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. The HCJB Australian facility plans to commence on Dec. 25, and here is the proposed initial schedule: 0700-1200 11755 25 kW English to CIRAF 51 56 60 62 63 1230-1430 15130 100 kW English to 41 1430-1730 15135 100 kW English to 41 1730-1800 15430 100 kW Oromo to 48 (Bob Padula, EDXP Sep 22 via DXLD) They have a thing about inaugurating stations on Dec 25. I continue to wonder what they will really call it! Neither `HCJB` nor `Voice of the Andes` seems appropriate (gh, DXLD) The new station in Kununurra, will have to come up with a new station ID since it's not under the HCJB banner in Ecuador. How about "This is the World Radio Missionary Fellowship broadcasting from Kununurra, Australia"? If you've been having trouble with hearing HCJB's broadcasts to India in recent months (0200-0330 on 21470), here's some hope for those in India and South Asia: broadcasts from Ecuador will end by the end of the year (around 12/25/02). So will the broadcasts to the South Pacific from Ecuador, currently 0700-1100 on 11755. Both of the current broadcasts from Pifo will be replaced with the broadcasts from a new 100 kW transmitter in Kununurra, Western Australia. There was a discussion about this on this weekend's DX Party Line broadcast where Allen Graham interviewed two engineers involved in the project (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, PA USA, dx_india and Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ANOTHER RADIO ANNIVERSARY IN AUSTRALIA - VICTORIA`S VK3ME Two weeks ago here in Wavescan, we honored the 75th anniversary of the launching of Australia`s first international broadcasting service. The experimental shortwave station was VK2ME, the location was Sydney in New South Wales, and the date was September 5,1927. Just two days later, another famous ``first`` was achieved in Australia, and this was the launching of another shortwave broadcasting service with a similar callsign, VK3ME. The location was Braybrook, on the edge of Melbourne in Victoria, and the date was September 7, 1927. Let`s go back now to the beginning of this historic radio venture in Australia`s second largest city. Sydney Newman was an engineer with AWA and in 1921 he established an amateur wireless station at his home in Mont Albert Road, a long suburban street running east from downtown Melbourne. It is the same street where the well known Bob Padula lives today, though Sydney Newman`s suburb was Canterbury and Bob Padula`s suburb is Surrey Hills. From this suburban home, Sydney Newman ran many broadcasts over his wireless station VK3ME, sometimes under his own initiative and sometimes as part of his work with AWA. In 1927, Sydney Newman built a shortwave transmitter which was installed with the mediumwave station 3LO in Braybrook and the callsign was transferred from Newman`s home to the new location. Extensive Morse Code tests were conducted over this new transmitter in preparation for launching a new shortwave broadcasting service. After the mediumwave station 3LO signed off at the end of the broadcast day on September 7, 1927, the shortwave transmitter was fired up for the inaugural live broadcast from the 3LO studios in downtown Melbourne. This programming was also picked up by the BBC station 2LO in London and relayed on mediumwave throughout the British Isles. A regular schedule of weekly broadcasts was inaugurated just two months later. On several occasions, the shortwave programming under the auspices of station VK3ME was transmitted by a higher powered 20 kW unit, the communication transmitter VIY which was located at Ballan, further out along the highway running towards Ballarat. On several important occasions, both VK3LR at Lyndhurst and VK3ME at Ballan were heard with parallel programming, usually the broadcast of an international Test cricket match. The AWA communication station at Ballan contained two shortwave transmitters, VIZ and VIY, for wireless communication with England and North America. This station was officially opened also in the year 1927, just five months ahead of the broadcast unit VK3ME. Shortwave broadcasting from 3LO ended in 1929 when the two mediumwave stations in Melbourne, 3LO & 3AR, were amalgamated and ultimately taken over by the government for incorporation into the nationwide network of the Australian Broadcasting Commission. From that time onwards, all shortwave programming was independently produced in the AWA studios, even though the VK3ME shortwave transmitter was still co- located in the same building as the 3LO mediumwave transmitter. Early in its broadcasting history, station VK3ME introduced several important ``firsts`` in Australian shortwave programming, such as the call of the Kookaburra which was later taken over by VK2ME in Sydney, and later again by Radio Australia. The Melbourne station also introduced station announcements in several different languages, and the call of the famous Victorian bird, the Lyre Bird. Interestingly, the wavelength at VK3ME was described at one stage as ``35 yards`` rather than the metric 32 metres. These days, all of these radio facilities are now gone. Earlier this year, Bob Padula, together with his radio colleague Mike Ogrizek, made a historic visit to the area and this is what Bob states. The AWA communication station at Ballan, or Fiskville as it was sometimes termed, is now a training facility for the Country Fire Authority, CFA, in Victoria. The transmitter hall that housed the three shortwave transmitters is still standing and is part of the visitor centre for the CFA. The receiver station at Rockbank was later in use by the Australian Army, but that is also now closed. These days the property is in an extensive farmland area with nearby housing estates slowly moving out that way. The ABC-AWA transmitter base at Braybrook is now absorbed into a a suburban industrial comeplex. All that remains of the historic twelve year era of AWA-3LO-VK3ME on the air shortwave are references in old radio magazines and modern historical journals, and old QSL cards that sometimes surface on ebay, the internet auction site. The VK3ME QSL cards are somewhat similar to the cards that were issued by the sister station, VK2ME. The Melbourne card shows a map of Australia with sparks emanating from a radio antenna. The Story of Radio VK3ME in Victoria -- Known Frequencies: 9110, 9285, 9370, 9375, 9490, 9500, 9510, 9512, 10100, 10530, 11495, 11560, 11580, 12020 (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Sept 22 via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA [and non]. So to explain again: There are two 'totally different' organizations with the name RAI: 1 - R Africa International, with 'c' in Africa, is a religious organization, which used to broadcast via DTK T-Systems MediaBroadcast Juelich Germany in past. Subsequently the QSL report should sort under Germany. Radio Africa International via DTK Juelich, 100 kW, English religious program, on 15485 at 1800-1900 UT in A-01 season: United Methodist Church/Radio Africa International in French 0400 0600 Daily 11775/140 deg to Ea & Ce Af 0400 0600 Daily 13810/160 deg to Ce & So Af United Methodist Church/Radio Africa International in English 1700 1900 Daily 13820/145 deg to Ea & Ce Af 1700 1900 Daily 15485/160 deg to Ce & So Af [evidently replaced by 15265; see USA non below] Address: The United Methodist Church, 425 River Side Drive, New York NY 10115, U.S.A. 2 - R Afrika International, with 'k' like in German lang. Is a pan- African language local service in Austrian capital Vienna, which also broadcast weekdays at nighttime via ORF mediumwave transmitter Vienna Bisamberg on 1476 kHz. This broadcaster has also a single SW outlet on 17875 kHz via ORF Moosbrunn relay, was 17895 in B-01 and coming B-02 winter schedule at 1500-1600 UT, according the following entry in A-02 at present: 17875 1430-1600 46-48,52,53,57 MOS 300 180 AUT ORF ORF 1476 R Afrika International via ORF [Vienna Bisamberg] on 1476 kHz 2300-2400 LT [2100-2200 UT in summer], acc to a schedule from the stn. Addr: Heigerleinstr: 7/1-2, A-1160 Vienna, Austria. E-mail: radio.afrikas@sil.at http://www.radioafrika.net (Bjoern Fransson, Sweden, ARC MV-Eko May 14) [late broadcast reported on 5945 too – gh] So, to conclude: the ORF Moosbrunn Austria outlet can never be verified via the NY address of a total different organization. But 17895, now 17875 kHz, should be verified via the Vienna address given above. (wb df5sx) (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BHUTAN. BBS, direct QSL received. I could receive Bhutan from time to time in 1993-94, but only in Nov-Dec. Many years ago I received the blue UN card. Some months ago I visited the BBS webpage and had the idea of sending an E-mail. With it I also sent a scan of the letter I received years ago from Bhutan with their newspaper "Kuensel" from Sangay Agency, which received my 1993 rerport and asked me to subscribe. I did not subscribe (too expensive), but it made good material for "Weltweit Hoeren," the well known German DX magazine. But I never received a QSL. With the E-mail I also sent my cover design for an article about BBS for the German "Radio-Kurier." I never had more fun with a QSL; the only mistake is the wrong date (June 8, 2002), but for me it's one of the finest pieces in my collection (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 3390 kHz, R. Camargo, E-mail QSL "card" in 8 days for E- mail SP rpt and audio clip with clear R. Em. Camargo ID on it. According to AltaVista, enclosed text message says thank you for the report, sorry for the delay, but that they never received my original postal report sent June 15, 2000, and that a QSL is enclosed. They also attached a postcard. Both the QSL and postcard have impressive pictures on them. V/S José Luís García Pastrana. Original message from José Luís is as follows: "Hola amigo John, estamos muy felices de haber recibido su reporte de sintonía, lamentamos no haber recibido su anterior reporte, pero bueno eso ya es historía, esta vez quiero enviarle el QSL de nuestra emisora, mil disculpas por las demoras, también quiero comunicarle que periódicamente le estaré enviando, fotos, música, y otra información de Camargo y de Radio Camargo. Cordiales saludos a la distancia, José Luís." Many thanks to Arnaldo Slaen for opening up this avenue for a Camargo QSL. A trip to the station planned by TIN back in 2000 was canceled due to local road conditions (John Sgrulletta, NY, DX-plorer, via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. A Rádio Cultura, de São Paulo (SP), já está transmitindo, novamente, em 17815 kHz. Seus transmissores foram danificados após uma forte chuva, mas retornaram ao ar. Foram ouvidos, em Porto Alegre(RS), em 20 de setembro, às 2130, com o programa Agenda (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Sept 22 via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA. 11940.4, National V. of Cambodia, 1200 Sept 22; the carrier started at 1200 and the program signed on at 1204 suddenly. At 1204 English, at 1217 French, at 1232 Thai, at 1246 Laotian and at 1300 Vietnamese program were started. Each program began with announcement, short talk and most of time local music. Signed off at 1315. Audio quality was bad and not so enjoy its program (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN, Jembatan DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. 6030, CKMX, Calgary, Alberta, 0705 Sept 23. The opportunity to DX this 100 watt shortwave relay of CKMX 1060, comes when R. Martí and the Cuban jammer are silent, which is late Sunday nights-Monday mornings. There was another carrier 650 Hz below creating a het, but signal strength from CKMX was fairly good, with S8-9 readings at times. Program consisted of classic light rock and oldies format, with multiple, canned station IDs every few minutes, including this one given at 0730: "Lots and lots of music, lots and lots of your favorites; AM 1060. CKMX" Very good modulation. This station must be designed to serve around a 1000-1500 km radius during the daylight hours, but I'm glad they keep the transmitter going all night (David Hodgson, Nashville, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AFAIK, calls are still really CFVP on 6030, tho rarely if ever mentioned. Fortunate that the jammer rests too! (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. The Xinjiang Peoples Broadcasting Station, at Urumqi, recently introduced a 13 MHz channel - 13670. This is used for daytime coverage of the Uighur Network 0300-1230. The highest frequency currently used by CRI/CNR for regular broadcasts is 17890 (Beijing) for CNRI programming 2230-1200. However, jamming transmitters are regularly heard on: 21705 0700-0900 (to spoil VOA Mandarin there (carrying CNR2) (purpose not known!) 21660 1100-1300 (to spoil BBC there) carrying CNR1 21560 0400-0600 (to spoil VOA there) carrying CNR1 21495 0000-0300 (to spoil VOA there) carrying CNR2 Good listening to China! Regards (Bob Padula, Sept 22, EDXP via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Re 2-147, address in ``Pluiston FL 33440`` is actually Clewiston! Right, Chuck? (gh, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. RADIO OKAPI JOURNALIST RELEASED Franklin Moliba-Sese, the Radio Okapi journalist arrested in Gbadolite by the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC), was released on Saturday (21 September) on the decision of the prosecutor. He had been accused of revealing confidential military information in a report on child soldiers awaiting demobilisation. The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), which operates Radio Okapi in patnership with the Swiss-based Hirondelle Foundation, says it is delighted at the news. MONUC has repeated its request to the MLC authorities to create conditions enabling journalists to freely carry out their work in safety, and thus contribute to the return of peace in the country. Radio Okapi has thanked the many national and international journalists and human rights organisations who showed their support for Moliba-Sese´s release (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 23 September 2002 via DXLD) With regret, I must admit that numerous other cases we hear about of journalists being mistreated in various countries are seldom mentioned in DXLD. RSF frequently issues condemnations of such actions. This one concerns a SW station, which makes it more relevant (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. DXERS UNLIMITED'S WEEKEND EDITION FOR 21-22 SEPTEMBER 2002 By Arnie Coro radio amateur CO2KK Hello amigos radioaficionados all around the world and in space! Welcome to a special edition of Dxers Unlimited, written just hours after Hurricane Isidore has left the territory of Cuba and is now heading for the Yucatán Península in México. What is so special about this program today, is that this is a first hand account about how amateur radio operators in Cuba, México, Jamaica, Gran Caymán and the United States of América have worked together and continue to provide emergency communications that proved vital for preserving the life of tens of thousands of people in the affected areas struck by the Category II Hurricane. I am Arnaldo, Arnie, Coro, radio amateur CO2KK, and this is an eyewitness report of the way ham radio is capable of providing emergency communications even under the most difficult circumstances, when even highly sophisticated up to date technologies fail for one reason or the other... Even as I am writing this, right next to CO2KK, my amateur radio station, I am still serving as net control station for the Cuban Hurricane Emergency net that is operating on the 40 meter band... Sí amigos, yes my friends, oui mes amis, [da, druzhya??] today, once again I feel real proud of been a radio amateur! And as always at the end of this program, I will provide you with an easy to understand and useful high frequency bands propagation update and forecast, that will also include some comments about 6 meter band DX as we approach the equinox, just a few hours away now!!! Margarita Delgado is my sound engineer and producer, I am Arnie Coro back with you in a few seconds... ..... Arnie get ready, it was a telephone call from the President of the Cuban Federation of Radio Amateurs the 4000 plus members organization that had yours truly as one of its founders way back in the early sixties.. Pedro, CO2RP, had as always, looked ahead and started to organize the hurricane emergency net, from the very early stages of what is known a powerful category III hurricane, Isidore... [ellipses as published] Just to give you an idea how ham radio emergency nets operate, we were getting everything required together when Isidore didn't even had a name, when it was just known by the area weather services as just tropical depression number 10. As soon as I received Pedro's phone call, our Plaza Radio Club started to organize the operators that are well trained and area ready to move at a few minutes notice. This time we had enough leeway to fully charge all our backup batteries, check all the VHF and HF radios, test the antennas, and pack everything . Several days later, on the 18th of September Tropical Storm Isidore was heading towards Cuba and all the radio amateurs that had volunteered to participate in the emergency communications moved to the previously selected locations, from Civil Defense command posts to observation posts right next to water reservoirs that required the water level to be monitored, from the Cuban National Weather Service headquarters to seashore areas that are well known because of previous sea penetration of the low lying coast line. The real action started on the 19th of September as one of Cuba's long range 10 centimeter wavelength weather radar at Punta del Este, in the Isle of Youth , started to pick up the outer bands of tropical storm Isidore, and my good friend Crescencio, affectionally known by his funny nickname Chencho, CO4BM, activated his portable ham radio equipment and began to send to the national weather service headquarters tropical storm position reports every hour... Chencho is a real expert on establishing emergency radio communications even under the most difficult circumstances, something he has demonstrated during previous hurricanes... Other stations in the Isle of Youth manned by Emilio Portillo CO4QS and Juan Bayolo CO4QA kept that island in touch with the main island of Cuba when other services became overloaded with traffic, while Rolando Torres, CO4AT volunteered to fly to the most dangerous operating position of them all, the world famous tourist resort of Cayo Largo island, where the Cuban authorities had already ordered the evacuation of all tourists enjoying their holidays there, and only a small group of tourist ministry, civil aviation and other authorities stays to safeguard the installations. I was at CO2KK my ham radio station monitoring the traffic and felt really proud of how we, the amateur radio operators, were able to provide such efficient emergency communications, that in the case of the Cuban Instituto de Meteorología, the national weather service, the nation's top weather expert, my good friend Dr. José Rubiera, praised on national TV, the work done by amateur radio stations in order to provide the most update and extremely valuable weather data, include the links that fed the radar data to the national forecasting center... My good friend Chencho, CO4BM, was obviously in the mind of Dr. Rubiera, as well as CO1JF, José Luís Febles, how was in charge of the La Bajada long range radar that later during the path of Hurricane Isidore proved to be so important for doing accurate forecasts... So far all amateurs I have mentioned have a CO prefix callsign, indicating that they are holders of first class licences issued by the Cuban telecommunications authorities, so you could expect a lot from them regarding their know-how... But now let me tell you several CM and CL stations, holders of intermediate and novice licenses have also proven to be top notch emergency operators. Joel CL2ME, a very young radio amateur, was deployed at a remote fishing village in Pinar del Rio. When Joel arrived to Puerto Cortés, the sea was just starting to show the storm's fury, but he was really shocked when on the evening of the 20th of September as Hurricane's Isidore full blast was smashing the extreme western part of Cuba, Joel had to suddenly start running for his life, when the sea began to move backwards due to the tremendous vacuum exerted by the hurricane's forces. We islanders know very well, from the days of the Santa Cruz del Sur disaster in 1932, that when the sea starts moving away from the coast line, that's the moment to start running as fast as possible away from the shore, and Joel, our young radio amateur was operating from just a few meters from the coast... Fortunately, he could return to the place where he had installed the station after a few hours, and he was back on the air providing up to date weather data and information about the damages, as requested by the administrative authorities that were in charge of taking care for the health and welfare of the population... More about Hurricane's Isidore path over Cuba after this short musical interval... ........ You are listening to Radio Havana Cuba, the name of the show is DXers Unlimited, I am Arnie Coro and this is a special eyewitness report of how amateur radio has provided emergency communications all along the path ofHurricane Isidore, now heading towards the coast of the Yucatán Península in México... Now let me tell you how efficiently we coordinated our efforts with amateur radio stations in the United States of América and in México... W4EHW is the ham station located at the National Hurricane Center in South Florida and they established contact with the Cuban Hurricane Emergency Net, to learn about the path of the hurricane and obtain weather data, from weather stations and from the Cuban network of long range high power meteorological radars, just recently upgraded and upgraded by a group of young engineers that saved our nation a lot of foreign currency with their extraordinary work, I recently ran a piece on my Breakthrough science and technology program about how the network of seven high power radars had gone trough this modernization program, that proved to be of such tremendous value during this hurricane. W4EHW operators kept listening on our emergency frequency of 7090 kiloHertz, picking up the weather data, and also providing information that they had obtained via satellite... One interesting aspect of this hurricane emergency is that for the first time ever the Cuban weather service had its own amateur radio station on the air from the national headquarters in Casablanca, callsign CO9BNA, operated by Carlos CM2JC, a young Cuban amateur that has two hobbies that complement very well with each other, Carlitos CM2JC is not only a good ham radio operator, he happens to be also a very enthusiastic amateur meteorologist, and he is the net control of our HURACAN net that meets every Saturday morning on the 40 meter band to learn more about meteorology... So as you may realize, Carlos was really happy for having being appointed as the chief operator of CO9BNA, and he has done a terrific job, and is still there at the Casablanca site Saturday afternoon, when I am writing this script of this program... Now one final comment, as always we all have learned a lot during this emergency, among other things the importance of taking with each portable station, and installing an in line standing wave ratio meter, to constantly monitor the SWR of the antenna... In Ciudad Sandino, we lost one nice transceiver's final output stage when the antenna broke during a wind gust that exceeded the 110 mile and hour mark ... The operator was not aware of the antenna breaking down, and a few minutes later...pooof !!! No more output transistors !!! As I am writing the ending paragraph of this script at 2 o`clock in the afternoon local time in Havana, the emergency communications nets are still in operation, and we are waiting for the Mexican emergency nets to be activated, as all the available data indicates that Hurricane Isidore will be delivering a devastating blow to South East México as it is now a Category III Hurricane in the Saffir Simpson scale that goes up to 5.... So far no loss of life has been reported in Cuba, but damages are very extensive in the Isle of Youth and in the westernmost province of Pinar del Rio... I will provide you with more information about amateur radio and the hurricanes during the mid week edition of DXers Unlimited... And now a very short HF propagation update and forecast... Solar activity is rather stable, with the daily sunspot number growing to 237 and the effective sunspot number reaching 120, an excellent figure that indicates the possibility of nice 10, 12 and 15 meter band openings during the next few days, and that also may lead to 6 meter openings on the South to North paths... See you soon on the radio again, and now after taping the program, I am going back to serve as net control operator of the Cuban hurricane emergency net from CO2KK (via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ** CYPRUS. As a comment to 2-148 concerning Radio Sawa from Cyprus and the problem not being able to hear the station in most parts of Europe just this: "Both the current RFI/RMCME antenna and the original one now in use by IBB have patterns with deep minima at ~320 degrees, which may make them difficult to monitor in Europe." [DXLD 2-138] Best 73s (Ydun Ritz, Denmark, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So the 320 degree null passes near Istanbul, across Bulgaria, central Europe, Prague, Amsterdam, Glasgow, Goose Bay, Detroit, Austin... (National Geographic Globe with geometer via gh, DXLD) ** ECUADOR [and non]. See AUSTRALIA ** EL SALVADOR. Re R. Imperial: Hi all, the origin of all this can be found in DXLD 2-057, April 7, 2002, retrievable at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtb02.html (towards the very end). Following the assumption that there was a high order harmonic of Radio Imperial on the 16 meter band, as suggested by Björn Malm et. al., I sent an email request to our DXing collegue Humberto Molina, in El Salvador, asking him to investigate the info contained in Luis Palau´s internet site (listed by Willi and also in my original correspondence with Humberto). The original exchange of messages was in Spanish, and so some of you might not have followed the whole line of ideas exposed therein. Humberto got in touch with the station on the phone and was then in a position to verify that the 16 meter band frequency was in fact intentionally used by Radio Imperial, albeit only occasionally. When hearing the station recently, and although he was pretty certain about the ID, George Maroti, as a gesture of courtesy, I suppose - recognizing perhaps my previous research - sent me two clips via the internet in order have my opinion as to the identity of the station. I was happy to confirm the ID, just as the point where George had it, too, and now I believe Humberto Molina is helping him out with a QSL after providing the station with a CD recording. So the morale of all this is: Do not forget to check DXLD, where info sometimes is way ahead of other publications (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** EL SALVADOR. 17833.30, Radio Imperial, 2348-0010 Sept 20-21. Bit of musical selections heard with some talk in Spanish but too noisy to get much else otherwise. Still there at 0010 with not much better signal. 0040 het but no audio to speak of with QRM from 17835 (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Radio Imperial, 17833.2, presumed the one 1620+ GMT today, weak audio as usual w/ SP vocals (Terry L. Krueger, FL, Sept 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) They're fading in and out here tonight, playing accordion music. When they're good, they're good, but they're only good about 25% of the time here. I'm hearing them on about .24, though (Ralph Brandi, NJ, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. Re RVOG/ETLF item in 2-147: It is a very remarkable fact that the archives of RVOG survived some 25 years after the 1977 nationalisation of the station. It should be very interesting to read the DXer's dissertation (off course beside my own which unfortunately is in German only and not in print any more). In 1989, I bought a book of Manfred Lundgren who once led the station. Lundgren. Manfred: Proclaiming Christ to His World. The Experience of Radio Voice of the Gospel 1957-1977, Geneva: Lutheran World Federation, (about) 1983/1984. On a footnote on the "evangelical" nature of the station, I would like to add that the station of the Lutheran World Federation was in fact very ecumenical. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church used the station for domestic broadcasting, and also Catholic broadcasters were involved in some programmes. By principle the international broadcasts (excluding those to China) were produced and transmitted in the responsibility of church councils in the target areas thus giving national indigenous churches a voice that they would not have had otherwise. A revolution in international Christian broadcasting was the 30:70 philosophy devoting the majority of the programme content to items of general interest. The independent news service of the station was an improvement compared to the situation in many of the target areas and the international government voices caught up in the East-West Cold war. One might object to the mission idea, but should still distinguish US-American "evangelical" broadcasting from European based Protestant concepts. Kind regards, (Dr Hansjoerg Biener, Germany, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. Hi Glenn, In DXLD-2148 you wrote: "Previous reports implied but did not state explicitly that the weekly Capital Weekend English hour has been cancelled already." In fact, we published an item on 2 September, which I believe you quoted in DXLD. I did intend it to mean that there were no Sunday transmissions, but I realise from re-reading it that the wording could have been better. I will attempt to be more explicit in the future :-) 73, (Andy Sennitt, Media Network, DXLD) ** FRANCE. 25775.1 unID/Radio Neige. 2025-2105 Sept 21. Initially heard Eric with Peggy Thompson with excerpt of IndoChina series by Galleo [sic] Publishers, gave the 339-912-4132 phone number, with a promotion for DAB Systems. Followed with music by Rolling Stones, The Who and Pink Floyd. Into French Program with one segment talking about credit cards protection (2101). Traffic underneath sounded like CB out-of banders? Signal was fair to excellent at times. I found an old article that was posted in DX Ontario September 1995 by Alan Roberts, who did an excellent account about this service and the different outlets used (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Except we have no indication this is R. Neige, defunct ski lift stations: check something more recent than 1995. If 339 is a North American area code, it`s in Massachusetts (gh, DXLD) [see below] 25775.1, UNID, 1517 Sept 22. Noted male and female in French with possible ID at 1513. EE at 1517 with same male and female announcers. Above and below noise floor and difficult to get a complete sentence, female with what sounded like a phone number at 1521. Continuous EE at this time slot but near noise floor. During same time frame, while on line mIRC chat line, a gent in Durban S. Africa and one in Norway could not get a copy. 1530 playing Rolling Stones tune. Then, The Who, The best I ever had at 1535. S meter staying at '0' but some audio makes it thru. Def Leopard tune at 1539. Male announcers in French with short comment then back to more music. French tune, 1544. Male announcer in French with brief comment with mention of Paris, 1547 and then to another French tune. S meter on occasion slips up to S2 (Bob Montgomery, Levittown PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I'm listening it at 1623 UT in south Italy (Roberto Scaglione, ibid.) Into TN with good level on the peaks from 1650-1750. The program is on a loop. Thought I caught a R France ID. This obviously is an 11 meter test transmission presumably from RFI. 73, (David Hodgson, TN, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Heard here as well up and down since 1715, only peaks on the songs so far (Hans Johnson, WY?, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) French TIS 25775: Thanks to a tip in DXLD and #swl, I tried 25775 AM on 22 Sep at 1710 and this station was audible in English with fading signal. Little by little reception improved and was rather strong at about 1755 when they seemingly signed off. The program was just the same as described in DXLD 2-148. Peggy Thompson and Eric with traveller tips of Lower Normandy etc., Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin music. French at 1730 and English again at about 1750. And on 23 Sep at 1150 nice signal in French and at 1159 in English Same loop tape again. No ID-like heard at least in the English portion (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I`m a bit surprised this is being heard so `close` in Finland and Italy, if it really be in France (gh, DXLD) At 1839 Sept 21 they gave a phone number starting with 075; later on a 339-912-4132 [but read further--JB] phone number was mentioned twice (if US, near you, JB). Features on the image technology park in France and the interview with Capote along with the Stones and The Who were also broadcast, like on your reception. Back to FR at 1901. Some pretty good peaks, but deeps fades as you say. No ID heard for the 50 minutes. I have listened so far. -- I was able to rewind the tape and these are the two telephone numbers I heard: First one is a toll free call to 075-63241. I assume the sequence is France, since in PWBR all the phone numbers listed under RFI have 8 digits after the country code. I heard that at 1839. Then at 1843 the male (Eric) clearly says: Area code 339-912-4514. The last two digits were incorrect in my original report as I tried to hear it over the air. Once I played it back a few times, this is the number. For the first number, the announcers mentioned car radios, for the second number they said just listeners (John Sgrulletta, NY, DX-plorer via DXLD) 1927 Sep 21, talk about high-tech amusement park outside Lyon, bit of music by Prokoviev, padding with Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar," The Who, Led Zeppelin; some crud from CBers or something; tnx Rich D'Angelo. 33 is the country code for France, so the number may be more like +33 99 124-132, where 99 is the city code. I tried the Pages Jaunes at http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/ to see if I could do a reverse lookup, but it tells me they can't give me information on that number (Ralph Brandi, NJ, DX-plorer via DXLD) Heard here too, tho seems to be on its way out now (2010 Sep 21). See http://dxing.hypermart.net/ and http://dxing.hypermart.net/French_NFM.htm This particular frequency not mentioned (Jerry Berg, MA, DX-plorer via DXLD) The transmission on 25775 was not from Comité Department du Tourisme de la Charente-Maritime. Those tourist information stations are 1 watt narrow band FM. 25775 was a high powered AM transmission. Also not R Neige as that service has been defunct for years. When it was active, it was also narrow band FM. I did hear (in SSB mode) the carriers from Comité Department du Tourisme de la Charente-Maritime on the frequencies around 25925 yesterday (Sept 22) around 1700, but they never grew strong enough to produce any capture here in FM mode. R France has transmitted in the recent past on 25820. Why is it so hard to believe they might run a test transmission on 25775? Deutsche Telekom also tests fairly regularly on 11m, but I have only heard German used by them. 73, (David Hodgson, TN, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Finally beginning to hear traces of audio around 1600 UT Sept 23 on 25775, after listening to a twice per second pulser for more than an hour, which continues annoyingly. Definite French and music at 1604. Transmitter seemed to cut on and off around 1606-1607; a few more traces until 1630. If I can hear it at all, it`s got to be a lot more than one watt (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here in the south of Brazil I could only hear the carrier of this signal, the audio was down in the noise. I suspect the signal may be readable during another time of day or during more favorable conditions, though. This one is definitely worth trying (Rik van Riel, Curitiba PR, Sept 23, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** FRANCE. I'm also getting the carriers from the 1 watt French TIS stations on 25926. No audio yet, and QRM from chicken banders (David Hodgson, TN, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FRANCE/GERMANY. You may be interested to know that the 25 MHz band will be a little more active in B02, with these planned operations: 25740 DW Wertachtal (Germany) 0800-1400 25760 IBB Wertachtal (Germany) 0830-1030 (target: CIRAF 40) 25820 RFI Issoudin (France) 0900-1300 Good listening to the 11 metre band for B-02! Regards (Bob Padula, Sept 22, EDXP via DXLD) ** GERMANY. 6085, Bayer Rundfunk Munich Ismaning will cease audio broadcast on shortwave as from Jan 1st, 2003, due of Financial difficulties. Maybe the station will come back with new DRM mode broadcast sometime later in 2005 ... 2006 (Open Day Ismaning, Sep 21, Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREENLAND. Now that the solstice is long gone, and the equinox also is past, it is time to renew attention to the June report of activity on 3812 kHz, and hear if it propagate now: http://www.dxing.com/dxr/dxld2093.htm Follow-ups were in http://www.dxing.com/dxr/dxld2095.htm and http://www.dxing.com/dxr/dxld2101.htm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. The item in 2-147 must refer to R. K`ekchí, 4845, tho this identification was lost somewhere along the way (gh, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SIRIUS INKS DEAL WITH WSM-AM/NASHVILLE, GRAND OLE OPRY But for the time being, the "WSM Entertainment" channel will be rebroadcasting all of the legendary Country station's local content including the local ads and weather and traffic reports. Gaylord Radio Group VP/GM John Padgett tells R&R it's only temporary: The satcaster will begin replacing the local ads with national ones on Feb. 1, 2003 and by June 1 will begin covering the remaining local breaks. Sirius isn't worried about any backlash against the local content, however: Spokeswoman Mindy Kramer tells R&R the vision for the new "WSM Entertainment" channel is for more than simply a rebroadcast of local content from WSM-AM. While timing limitations command that it take that form in the short-term, she says, ultimately the channel will feature original programming co-produced by Sirius and Gaylord (From R&R 9/23 via Brock Whaley, Atlanta, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. It maybe all over now but these frequencies may be of interest (from Ulis Fleming): There will probably be a bunch of people posting this but a good place to go is: http://www.hurricanefrequencies.com/ another good reference point is: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ Good listening, Ulis http://www.radiointel.com (via Mike Terry, DXLD) See also CUBA! and http://www.hurricanecity.com (Sheldon Harvey, International Radio Report via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. From Pravda. BAGHDAD CRITICISES RADIO FREE EUROPE Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has condemned the activity of Radio Free Europe which broadcasts in Arab for Iraq from Prague. In an interview with a Czech newspaper on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Minister said that the radio programmes conveyed anti-Iraqi information while Prague allowed its enemies to speak and let the CIA spread anti-Iraqi propaganda. Radio Free Europe is financed by US Congress. Free Europe programmes targeting the audience in Iraq and Iran have been broadcast from Prague since the autumn of 1998 despite protests of the authorities in both countries (© RIAN via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. WORLD WAR 2 MEMORABILIA, JAPANESE MONITORING OF FOREIGN RADIO STATIONS The latest edition of the American radio magazine, ``Popular Communications``, contains a four page article on the story of the monitoring of American radio stations by the Japanese during the Pacific War. This very revealing article was written by the Japanese radio author, Hideharu Torii (HID-eh-HAR-oo to-REE-hee). During the Pacific War, the Japanese monitoring station was located in an underground facility as part of the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo. Some 50 staff members tuned in to foreign radio broadcasts, mostly in English, using American-made and Japanese-made radio receivers. On shortwave, the Japanese monitors listened to the English language programming from many stations including the following:- The Voice of America via transmitters in California & Hawaii BBC London direct from Daventry Radio Australia at Pennant Hills, Lyndhurst & Shepparton All India Radio Delhi Radio Moscow; and even Radio Buenos Aires in Argentina. Another station that they monitored regularly was station KGEI with its relay of VOA programming in Japanese. In the autumn of 1943, some of the monitoring staff travelled to the northern coast of Japan in the Chiba prefecture in an attempt to tune in the broadcasts from mediumwave stations in the continental United States. At this new location they installed a beverage antenna 600 metres long and they discovered that they could listen to many American mediumwave stations for three hours after local sunset, but only for the darker season of the year running from September to April. Among the mediumwave stations they heard regularly were the following:- KGO & KPO in Oakland CA KNX & KFI in Los Angeles CA KIRO KPSC & KOMO, all in Seattle OR Strangely, the strongest signal came from a 50 kW mediumwave station well inland from the Pacific coast and this was station KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Sept 22 via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. CLANDESTINE from CIS? to KAZAKHSTAN. 9775, Radio Dat: while the 1500-1600 broadcast has apparently moved to 9925, the 0100-0200 transmission is still here. Strong signal, usual long talks in Russian, ID's before 0200 sign off. Just left the carrier on. Anyone have any ideas as to the exact site? (Hans Johnson, WY? Sep 23, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I believe Samara has been suggested, and various reports indicate somewhere in Russia. I find this a bit hard to believe, given the close ties still between the two countries (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. Libyan Jamahiriya BC has made its presence in the web; at: http://www.ljbc.net/ eMail-address: info@ljbc.net The radio sector is still under construction, however. 73 de (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, Finland Webmaster of 1000 Lakes DX Page http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Park/3232/dx.htm and dxlinks.info http://www.dxlinks.info/ and Finnish DX Association http://www.sdxl.org/ hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. MEDIA ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT 23 SEPTEMBER 2002 The following is an amended and updated version of the BBC Monitoring's Madagascar media environment assessment issued on 3 May 2002, and covers media developments since the exile of the former president, Didier Ratsiraka, in July 2002. Political background President Marc Ravalomanana is in control of the whole country, but not all pro-Ratsiraka elements wanted for alleged acts of "terrorism" and killings have yet been arrested. The media are still reporting on trials of former Ratsiraka officials and operations in some parts of the country aimed at capturing remnants of the former regime. On 19 September Ravalomanana used the media to appeal to the Malagasy people for "more solidarity with him and more cooperation with the government", as impatience with the pace of economic change was said to be growing. The president "was aware of the deprivation and misery endured by everyone as a result of the struggle undertaken together" (L'Express de Madagascar web site on 20 September). Ravalomanana's life reportedly threatened President Ravalomanana on 29 August said his life was threatened (Midi Madagasikara web site, 29 August 2002). Such a threat, the communications minister said, was "confirmed day by day" (L'Express de Madagascar web site, 29 August 2002). The news did not come as a major surprise for central highlanders, as in 1975 another Merina appointed - not elected - head of state was killed 11 days after his accession to power. Parliamentary elections Political parties are preparing for elections said due by the end of the year. Even though no genuine opposition has yet emerged, pro- Ravalomanana parties have started joining together in a bid to provide Ravalomanana with a "strong presidential majority" (Midi Madagasikara web site, 9 September 2001). International relations As of 23 September 2002, the rough situation is that the new president, Marc Ravalomanana, has been recognized by most foreign countries and international bodies such as the UN. The African Union has so far failed to grant full recognition to Ravalomanana, even though some member countries like Mauritius, Senegal and Burkina Faso have already recognized the new Malagasy president. Foreign bilateral and multilateral aid has resumed. New orientation in international relations The country's relations with the Anglophone world in general, and the USA in particular, have been boosted under the new regime, to the extent that English is now to be taught from primary school level. In fact, the country is said to be seeking to join the anglophone- dominated Southern African Development Community, SADC, and one of Ravalomanana's special advisers announced a "gradual split from France" (Madagascar Tribune web site, 22 August 2002). The ethnic dimension The Merina people of central Madagascar are of Malay origin, as are, to a lesser degree, the Betsileo people of south-central Madagascar. The rest of the population are either mixed (of Malayo-Polynesian, Arab and African origins) or from black African extraction. Post-independence Malagasy politics has been characterized by strong anti-Merina sentiment stemming both from Merina rule in Madagascar in the 19th century and French colonial "race politics". In line with what is known locally as "coastal cause", all Malagasy presidents were from the coast. Ravalomanana is the first Merina elected president. In a bid to establish the rule of law, Ravalomanana has sought to arrest and prosecute all those who were involved in acts of "terrorism" and killings during the recent crisis. It happened that most of these people were pro-Ratsiraka and "cotiers" (coastal people). Former President Albert Zafy, who is a "cotier" and emerged third in the disputed December 2001 presidential poll, has denounced the ongoing arrests, saying all those arrested are coastal people. The media and the public denounced this as an attempt to destabilize the new regime by "tribalizing" the arrests (Madagascar Tribune web site, 20 August 2002). Media developments Less polarized media Since the departure of former President Ratsiraka in July 2002, the media in Madagascar have become less polarized, even though the division of the country into two political camps following the disputed 16 December 2001 presidential elections is still felt in some quarters. In a sign of things to come, the Ad'Gasy party, which deems itself to be an opposition party, issued a statement criticizing government "misinforation" and control of the media (Malagasy independent newspaper L'Express de Madagascar web site on 5 September). Media overview Madagascar's 16m people have six daily newspapers and a number of weeklies and monthlies, as well as numerous TV and radio stations, including a large number of FM stations broadcasting in all provincial and district capitals. Because of the low literacy rate, the print media are mostly aimed at the French-educated urban elite. They are therefore mostly in French and urban-centred. The print media suffers from low circulation because of the low literacy rate, a poor road network and poor purchasing power. Some formerly pro-Ratsiraka radio stations, which used to operate like "hate radios" during the crisis, have switched to more mainstream forms of broadcasting. Press freedom Journalists in the country have been accustomed to working in a relatively free environment and producing reports critical of the government. After press freedom was violated by the former regime in coastal provinces during the recent crisis (ban on national newspapers, suspension of broadcasting, etc.), the situation is now back to its pre-crisis situation. Internet Access to the Internet is restricted more by poor purchasing power than poor telephone infrastructure. By African standards, the country can boast a relatively modern and efficient telecommunications network. All major newspapers or newsletters are on the Internet, and more and more Antananarivo-based FM radio stations have also become available on the Internet. A major project aimed at providing Madagascar with optical fibre technology to cut telecommunication costs is under way (Madagascar- Evènements web site on 16 September). Web site developments After Ratsiraka's departure, some web sites stopped updating. Others are under construction. Government web sites could proliferate as the new regime has highlighted communications/transparency as a cornerstone of its "good governance" policy. The following sites carry, or are supposed to carry, more or less regularly updated news: \ \ A new Malagasy government web site - operational since early July - publishes information in French and English. URL address: http://www.madagascar.gov.mg \ The Justice Ministry web site in French features major legal documents like the constitution. URL address: http://www.justice.gov.mg \ Ratsiraka's election campaign web site, which also carries news and comment in French, has not been updated since the end of February 2002. URL address: http://www.ratsiraka2001.mg \ Ravalomanana's political association Tiako i Madagasikara [I Love Madagascar], TIM. Until mid-March 2002, the site carried daily news and information, in Malagasy and French, on Ravalomanana and his supporters. From mid-March to early September, it published mainly information in French, English and German about Ravalomanana's plans and projects, as well as announcements and comments by the Ravalomanana camp. On 4 September, the web site announced that it would become "independent" from TIM: "We wish to stand aside so that we might report on all shades of opinion, provided they are constructive," the web site said. URL addresses (any of the following): http://www.tiako-i-madagasikara.org http://www.tiako-i-madagasikara-net http://www.marc-ravalomanana.org http://www.marc-ravalomanana.net \ Ravalomanana's newly-formed political party - also named Tiako i Madagasikara, TIM - has a web site currently under construction. URL address: http://www.tim-madagascar.net \ Malagasy Broadcasting Service, MBS, the Ravalomanana-owned and Antananarivo-based radio-TV station, has a web site under construction. Published in French and Malagasy, its URL address is http://www.mbs.mg \ State TV station Television Malagasy, TVM - under construction. URL address: http://www.tvmonline.tv Other news web sites \ \ Mada-Evenements [events]: http://madaevenement.kilio.com (in French) \ MadaNews: http://www.madanews.com (in French) \ Mada-News.Net: http://www.madanews.fr.st (in French) \ MadOnline: http://www.madaonline.com (in French, English and Italian) \ Madatsara ("tsara" is the Malagasy word for "good): http://www.madatsara.com (in French) \ InfoGasy.com ("gasy" is a shorter version of Madagascar): http://www.infogasy.com (in French) \ Madagascar Magazine: http://www.madagascarmagazine.com (in French) \ Anio Magazine ("anio" is the malagasy word for "today"): http://www.aitusa.com/anio (in French) (under construction) \ MadaGate: http://www.madagate.com (in French) \ MadaJournal: http://site.voila.fr/madajournal \ Havana News ("havana" is the Malagasy word for "relative(s)"): http://www.havana-news.com (in French) - not updated since September 2000. Radio and TV - overview Residents of the capital, Antananarivo, have access to a dozen FM radio stations and six free-to-air terrestrial TV services (see listings below). Listeners and viewers elsewhere have much less choice, with the state- owned Radio nationale malagasy (RNM) and Television malagasy (TVM) providing the only domestic radio and TV for the entire country. RNM is the only radio station authorized to broadcast on shortwave; TVM can broadcast to the whole country because it is relayed by satellite. The ownership of radio sets is widespread, which is not the case with TV sets which are only found in major urban centres because of their cost and also because of limited access to mains electricity in rural areas. Curbs on "illegal" radio-TV stations "The two-month period set for radio-TV stations operating illegally to legalize their situation has expired. Therefore, the Communications Ministry will now enforce sanctions so that all stations are legalized. "Meanwhile, Communications Minister Mamy Rakotoarivelo has announced the launching of 'Operation Transistor'. The operation aims to equip all households with radio sets so that they can access information easily." (Madagascar-Evenements web site in French 14 Sep 02) State radio to expand FM network "The minister also said the [Malagasy] national radio [RNM] would become audible on FM across the entire island [of Madagascar]." (Madagascar-Evènements web site in French 14 Sep 02) Radio stations RNM [Radio nationale malagasy - Malagasy National Radio] RNM is the state-owned radio station. It operates from the capital and still holds the legal monopoly on shortwave transmissions in the country. Its news bulletins are in Malagasy and French. Since the departure of Ratsiraka, the radio has been broadcasting without the noticeable propaganda slant of the former regime. It has not been relayed on satellite over the last six months. RNM news is available in print and in French on the Internet. URL address: http://takelaka.dts.mg/radmad Radio MBS [Malagasy Broadcasting System, expansion originally in English] This FM radio station is the radio branch of the Malagasy Broadcasting System, MBS, owned by Ravalomanana. Probably the most recent FM station operating from the capital, it became the most popular station after Ravalomanana announced his candidacy for the 2001 presidential election. Radio MBS is not on shortwave but reaches other cities through rebroadcasting deals. As suggested by its name, the station also broadcasts in English. Its new boss, Ravalomanana's daughter, is said to have hired an interpreter to translate Deutsche Welle broadcasts into Malagasy (Indian Ocean Newsletter, 31 August 2002). The station is available on the Internet through Ravalomanana's political association TIM web site (at any of the following): http://www.tiako-i-madagasikara.org http://www.tiako-i-madagasikara-net http://www.marc-ravalomanana.org http://www.marc-ravalomanana.net The station's web site is under construction. Information on the site is available in French and Malagasy. URL address: http://www.mbs.mg RTA [Radio-Television Analamanga, Analamanga is the name of Antananarivo old town] RTA broadcasts from Antananarivo as well as Antsirabe (some 160 km south of Antananarivo) where it can be received within a radius of 80 km, Toamasina in the east, Mahajanga in the northwest, and Toliara in the southwest. The station carries news in French on the Internet. URL address: http://www.rta.mg Radio Antsiva [Trumpet Shell] Broadcasting on FM 97.7, this Antananarivo-based station attracted a large audience during the recent crisis because of a daily midday political commentary against the Ratsiraka regime by a former pro- Ratsiraka journalist. Radio Antsiva has its own web site. URL address: http://www.antsiva.mg RLI [Radio Lazan' Iarivo] FM 106 (Fame of Iarivo: Iarivo is the name of an Antananarivo region) Broadcasting on FM 106, the station broadcasts mainly jazz music, and is not available on the Internet. Radio Mada and Radio Ravinala (Travellers' Palm) Both Antananarivo FM stations broadcasting mainly music. As political violence increased during the recent political crisis, these two stations and the above-mentioned Radio Antsiva and Radio MBS cooperated in broadcasting pro-Ravalomanana security-related messages and directives to the crowds in the capital. These four radio stations also broadcast a "joint editorial" on a daily basis. Radio Ravinala is on the Internet on http://ravinala.online.fr Ma-FM [Madagascar-FM] Along with Ma-TV and two daily newspapers, this Antananarivo-based station belongs to the Antananarivo-based Andriambelo family. It also broadcasts news. Ma-FM is available on the Internet on the Ma-TV site http://www.matvonline.tv RTV [Radio Tsioka Vao - New Breeze or New Tune] This was a pro-Ratsiraka FM station broadcasting in the capital. Reports say its premises and equipment were burnt down a few months ago, which has prevented it from operating ever since. Radio Fahazavana [Light] This FM station operates in the capital and is owned by the main protestant church, the FJKM (Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar, of Presbyterian denomination), and also reportedly partly by Ravalomanana, a lay vice-chairman of that church. Radio Fahazavana covers mainly religious and church matters. RDB [Radio Don Bosco] RDB broadcasts from Antananarivo 24 hours on FM 93.4 and can be heard up to 200 km away; it is owned by the Salesian congregation of the Roman Catholic Church, RDB is available on the Internet http://www.radiodonbosco.mg Radio Feon'ny Merina [Voice of the Merina] FM radio station operating from Antananarivo. After the Antananarivo Royal Palace was burnt down in 1995, some Merina intellectuals resolved to initiate an awareness campaign on the Merina issue. Radio Feon'ny Merina is part of this drive. Korail [Coral] Madagascar FM 90, Alliance FM 92 [Alliance Française FM92] -- Antananarivo-based FM radio stations broadcasting mainly music with some local news. Radio Mampita [communicating, conveying] -- FM station based in southcentral town of Fianarantsoa. RTVB [Radio-Television Boeni] -- FM station operating in the northwestern port of Mahajanga. Radio Sun -- FM station operating in the northwestern sea islet of Nosy-Bé. Sky FM -- FM station operating in Toamasina. Radio Voanio [cocoa] -- FM station operating in Toamasina. FMA [Feo mazava atsinanana - Voice of the Eastern Sunlight] -- FM station operating in Toamasina said to be owned by Pierrot Rajaonarivelo, the former deputy prime minister and Ratsiraka's party boss. It reportedly carried anti-Merina propaganda during the recent crisis. Radio Soleil [sun] -- FM station operating in Toliara. "Hate" radio stations During the recent crisis, some pro-Ratsiraka FM radio stations operating in coastal areas broadcast programmes inciting tribal and racial hatred mainly against the Merina people and, in some cases, against southcentral Fianarantsoa Province's Betsileo people, who are racially close to the Merina. Some journalists in Toamasina have been accused of sending provocative hate messages over the air waves during the Ravalomanana-Ratsiraka power struggle (Malagasy newspaper Madagascar Tribune web site on 19 August). BBC Monitoring East Africa Unit was able to monitor the Ratsiraka- owned "Canal 6 Madagascar" radio-TV station broadcasting from Toamasina until it stopped operating on the day Ratsiraka fled the country for France (via the Seychelles) on 5 July 2002. Foreign FM radio stations RFI (Radio France Internationale, in French) is relayed on FM in Antananarivo and a few provincial capitals. BBC World Service (in French) is also relayed on FM in Antananarivo. The BBC has become more and more popular among Malagasy nationals, especially Ravalomanana supporters. Ravalomanana has invariably resorted to the BBC, instead of RFI, to make his most important announcements to the outside world. TV TVM [Television Malagasy - Malagasy Television] TVM is the state-owned TV station, and broadcasts in Malagasy and French. Because it is relayed by satellite, it is the only TV station broadcasting to the whole country. TVM news is available in print and in French on the Internet http://takelaka.dts.mg/tvm but its site has not been updated since 18 August 1999. Another TVM web site is under construction. URL address: http://www.tvmonline.tv MBS TV [Malagasy Broadcasting System TV, expansion originally in English] Owned by Ravalomanana, it has featured women announcers appearing in Malagasy traditional hairstyles. MBS radio and TV stations are said to have started boycotting two local music stars known to be openly speaking about sex and drugs - reportedly in a bid to please a powerful Protestant church of which Marc Ravalomanana is vice-chairman. MBS is also said to have banned a local rap music band alleged to be sponsored by Ratsiraka's party boss. (Indian Ocean Newsletter, 31 August 2002). The station's web site in Malagasy and French is under construction. URL address: http://www.mbs.mg RTA [Radio Television Analamanga - Analamanga being the site of the Royal Palace in Antananarivo] Initially broadcasting exclusively in the capital city, it now broadcasts in five cities: Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Toamasina, Mahajanga, Toliara. RTA is available in print and French on the Internet. URL address: http://www.rta.mg Ma-TV [Madagascar-Television] Broadcasting only in Antananarivo, Ma-TV, along with two daily newspapers and Ma-FM radio station, is owned by the Andriambelo family, one of the few local media entrepreneurs apart from Ravalomanana. Ma-TV is available in print and in French on the Internet http://www.matvonline.tv TV Ravinala [Travellers' Palm], TV Plus TV Ravinala is the TV counterpart of the pro-Ravalomanana Radio Ravinala. Foreign satellite TV stations TV-5 - Europe is a Belgium-based TV station broadcasting in French and TF1 is a French TV channel (L'Express de Madagascar web site, 2 March 2002). Main newspapers Midi-Madagasikara Along with Ma-TV and the daily newspaper Gazetiko, Midi Madagasikara is owned by the Andriambelo family. It is mostly in French, though it also carries a few pages in Malagasy. Midi-Madagasikara is the oldest of the existing daily newspapers in French, and claims to be "the leading national news daily". Its managing director, Mamy Rakotoarivelo, recently resigned after being appointed communications minister in the Ravalomanana government. The daily does not have a Sunday edition. Midi-Madagasikara is available on the Internet http://www.dts.mg/midi Madagascar Tribune [Madagascar Forum or Rostrum] Tribune is a daily newspaper mainly in French, but it also carries a few pages in Malagasy. The daily does not have a Sunday edition. Madagascar Tribune is available on the Internet http://www.madagascar-tribune.com L'Express de Madagascar L'Express is a daily newspaper mainly in French, but it also carries a few pages in Malagasy. Its founder and previous main shareholder was pro-Ratsiraka politician and presidential candidate Herizo Razafimahaleo, who has sold the paper to a local businessman. The daily does not have a Sunday edition. L'Express de Madagascar is available on the Internet http://www.lexpressmada.com Gazetiko [My Newspaper] Founded in 1998 and owned by the Andriambelo family, it is the most recent Malagasy daily newspaper. It is entirely in Malagasy. Gazetiko is not available on the Internet. Maresaka [Resounding, sensational] and Basy Vava [Virulent, corrosive] Daily newspapers entirely in Malagasy. They do not appear on Sundays. They are not available on the Internet. Weeklies DMD [Dans les medias demain - In the Media Tomorrow] Independent weekly newsletter in French focusing on economic and financial reports. Its owner and publishing manager is also the Reuters' correspondent in Madagascar. DMD is available on the Internet http://www.dmd.mg Lakroa [Cross] Owned by the Roman Catholic Church, run previously by the Jesuit congregation and now relayed by the Assumptionist congregation, this not-for-profit weekly newspaper in both French and Malagasy has always been at the forefront of major moral causes in the country. The weekly is operating both from the capital and from the southcentral town of Fianarantsoa, which is a major Roman Catholic publishing base. Operating under the name of Lumière [Light] in the 60s and 70s, Lakroa is the oldest of all the weeklies in Madagascar. It can also claim to be the only print media outlet that has truly national coverage. Lakroa is available on the Internet http://www.geocities.com/lakroam Monthlies Jureco [Mensuel Juridique et Economique - Law and Economic Monthly] As suggested by its name, Jureco is a monthly magazine focusing on legal and economic issues but also carries political reports. Antananarivo-based, independent and published in French, it features analyses and in-depth reports generally bylined by legal and economics professionals and university lecturers. Jureco is part of the same group as the Feon'ny Merina weekly newspaper and radio. Its web site http://www.jureco.com has not been updated fully and regularly over the last three months. R.O.I. [Revue de l'Ocean indien - Indian Ocean Review] ROI is an Antananarivo-based independent monthly magazine published in French. ROI is available on the Internet only on subscription http://www.madatours.com/roi Feon'ny Merina [Voice of the Merina] Feon'ny Merina is the newspaper counterpart of Radio Feon'ny Merina. Even though it is not available on its own on the Internet, some of its features appear on an Internet site called "Zaikabe" (forum, congress) which promotes the Merina cause http://home.cwnet.com/zaikabe/KI/FMERINA Source: BBC Monitoring research 23 September 02 BBC Mon AF1 AFEau MD1 Media 160902/cnob/vr (via DXLD) ** MEXICO. XEQOO, Radio Pirata, Cancún, 1050 kHz, 1616+ GMT with usual Spanish pop, Spanish woman DJ with brief Hurricane Isidore advisory. Unfortunately, this is the only Quintana Roo or Yucatán station I can hear (day or night) with regularity here (Terry L. Krueger, FL, Sept 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. The sad saga of Enid`s only local TV station continues: KXOK-LP channel 32 (Cox cable 18), peaked in early August when it sponsored a 2-hour debate among the then seven primary gubernatorial candidates. We were in the audience at Oakwood Mall just outside the studios. Since this was at 7 pm, the 6:30 news was cancelled, as no doubt there would not have been time to set up the cameras, etc. But the local newscast did not come back the next day; the anchor, Tim Bradfield (who is really a weatherman), proceeded to go on vacation, and for a couple of weeks it was done by a substitute, who gave his name every few minutes, and which we promptly forgot. After a few more sporadic appearances, the news seemed gone for good. Then an auction was revived for a few nights in prime time, allegedly as a `benefit` for KUAL-LP 104.7, and/or to pay off (ex)staffers who had been waiting on their salary, causing a lot of bad feelings. It soon became clear that just about everybody who worked for KXOK had quit; and we noticed that the office cubicles which had been visible from outside the door, had all disappeared. Subsequently, it appeared there was little or nothing left of KXOK`s facility in the mall. By mid-September all we saw would be America One network feeds; then the constant advertising crawler at bottom of screen disappeared. Then the video disappeared! Black screen for days at a time, but network audio was still there. Came back for less than a day. Then as of Sept 23 the same incredible situation (both on air 32 and cable 18), black video, and network audio. We hear that the station is in big trouble (surprise), as the owner (or purchaser?) Rex Faulkner is in a divorce and his assets have been frozen. Why don`t they just turn it off? Somebody appears to be messing with KXOK output, perhaps to decrease its book value (if any). Meanwhile, Bradfield has become a DJ on KUAL The Rocket, which is sounding more and more commercial with `sponsors` of programming. Altho there has been a lot of personnel crossover, the two stations are not legally related, as far as we know. Stay tuned... (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. PNG PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR OFFERS TO TAKE OVER LOCAL RADIO STATION | Text of report by Papua New Guinea newspaper The National web site on 23 September Gulf [Province] Governor Chris Haiveta has assured the management of the National Broadcasting Corporation that his government is prepared to take on the responsibility of looking after Radio Gulf. He would like the NBC to sign over running of the radio station to the province. Mr Haiveta gave the assurance after Radio Gulf was shut down last month due to technical and electrical problems. Mr Haiveta wants to bring the radio station and the Gulf information office under one roof. "Where the print media or the television does not reach, radio has over the years provided invaluable government information and has kept rural people abreast with events around the world," Mr Haiveta said. He is seeking the NBC management's help to sign an agreement to transfer the radio station to his government. Mr Haiveta visited the premises of Radio Gulf last week with the deputy director of NBC, Posa Lari, and director for Kundu Service Winterford Suharupa. Radio Gulf is expected to come on air later this week after maintenance work in the studio and office complex. Source: The National web site, Port Moresby, in English 23 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. -- Dear Friend Thord Knutsson: Many thanks for your message, and for your greetings from Sweden! We are attempting to further strengthen the equipment. The primary challenge is to improve the transfer characteristic, from the Power Amplifier to the antenna. There is an impedance mismatch, and we must correct this. In general terms, the equipment performs very well, and has excellent audio quality. We have had to construct the three transmitters, ourselves, as commercially-built equipment does not survive our conditions. This is owing to "wild" energy supply, severe storms, high temperatures, dust, frogs and insects. The frogs dearly love to explore, within the equipment. Sadly enough, this is often the end of the frog. The insects find the 6,5 mm diametre test jacks ideal for egg-laying repositories! We have an insect hatchery, wish it or not, in some of our equipment. My greatest unsolved mystery, thus far, is how a fully-grown frog managed to enter a PLL tuning box, 12 cm x 4 cm, which is completely sealed, by six screws, excepting for an opening, 5 mm in diametre. This box is held within another, sealed metal box, closed by 16 screws. There is, however, an opening of 10 mm diametre. My conclusion is that the frog, at a very young age, entered the 10 mm passage, found its4way through the second, 5 mm passage, and then grew inside, trapped, where it perished, from starvation. Please keep listening for 7300 and 7370 kHz. We are attempting to further strengthen the signals. With best wishes (Dom Mur, R. América [undated] via Thord Knutsson, SW Bulletin Sept 22 via DXLD) ** PERU. 3172.76, R. Municipal was here a year ago, station now *0940v with Peruvian format, music but too weak for much more detail other than "desde ....en Perú...en la música" 73's de (Bob Wilkner in Margate, South Florida Icom R 75 Drake R 7 NRD 535 Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4886.40, Radio Virgen del Carmen (Tentative), Huancavelica, 2302-2310, September 21. Radio Dif. Acreana is off air at this hour. Andean tropical music. Short announcement in Spanish: "Este sábado... gran fiesta...", 24432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, dxing.info via DXLD) ** PERU. 4940, R. San Antonio AM-FM, partial-data Certificado de Sintonía card in 7-1/2 months for cassette, mint stamps (not used), SAE (not used). Also enclosed one-page personal computer-generated letter, two-page station info letter and postcard of local birds. Address listed as Calle Iquitos 499, Atalaya, Ucayali, Peru, E-mail given as rasat@terra.com.pe This is different from the E-mail I used at the beginning of the year. Rafael Rodríguez in Colombia just received a QSL from them as well, so maybe more of those written QSLs will be showing up soon (John Sgrulletta, NY, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** POLAND [non]. Here's a much better ID-recording from the sign on this Sunday morning at 6 UT on 15455 kHz. 73, (Erik Koie, Copenhagen, maybe on WORLD OF RADIO 1149, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Advance information from the Voice of Russia is that it plans to use the 120 metre band (!) for services to Australia and SEA, for B-02, effective Oct-27. This is very unusual, and the planned frequency is 2300 kHz, with 250 kW from Irkutsk, 0600-0900, azimuth 150 degrees. I am not sure if this is a mistake, but that it how it was presented to me! Interestingly, 2310, just nearby, is used by the ABC's NT service at Alice Springs, 0830-2130! We'll see if it happens... Regards! (Bob Padula, Sept 22, EDXP via DXLD) ** SERBIA. A reminder that for the time being we are filing stuff about Yugoslavia, i.e. RY reactivated on SW, under Y (gh, DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. It has been reported that the two girls Brother Stair is accused of diddling are black. They are also young. I heard an interview with someone somewhere (don`t recall where) who said that when the world did not end at the dawn of 2000, Brother Stair decided that all his preaching is false, but continued it nevertheless as a means to make a living. If this theory is true, then B.S. believed his own nonsense prior to 2000, but not thereafter. Brother Stair is in his old form once again, threatening to go off various stations if listeners don`t send funds. He did say on the morning of Sept 16, in a live break-in to the normal tapes he plays, that he`s satisfied with his support from WWCR. Texe Marrs did say two weekends ago, on his WWCR broadcast, that he no longer thinks Brother Stair is a man of god, and that he (Texe Marrs) has a one-hour tape denouncing B.S. which may be purchased for $8 (Robert Arthur, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SYRIA [non]. 12115 / 12085, Sawt Al Wattani, 1528 Sept 21, playing the song 'wattani'. Signal on 12115 S9+30 while 12085 is S9+20 on dipole antenna. Syria was stronger on 12085 and signal stopped 15 secs after 115 stopped (Zacharias Liangas, Retziki, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. I am 99.9% certain it was Taiwan I was listening to on 15265 and parallel 7515 at 1545 today - both good signals but with co- channel Chinese, which I assume were jammers. They had a comedy programme - at least, the audience were laughing - so perhaps the Variety Network 1? The 'big band' was unleashed at 1600 and is still playing at 1705 on 7515 but stopped at 1700 on 15265 allowing TWN to be heard clearly till closedown c1702 (Noel Green, England, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Radio Africa International opened at 1700 on 15265. This is listed as UMC via Jülich at 1700-1859. But after Glenn`s remarks in DXLD 2-148, I will refrain from making any more comment, except to say that it is in English!!! (Noel Green, England, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, this really is the UMC, via Germany. See also AUSTRIA above (gh) 15265 should be a "safe" case; the special ORF transmissions of the Vienna-based Radio Afrika International are somewhere on 16 metres, alongside with a slot on the regular ROI program. By the way, apparently bad news from Vienna is to be expected again (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Friday --- I just got back from spending the day at Upton repairing the 7490 kHz transmitter - now being called BY-10 (Bethany #10) ! Someone had removed the hot air exhaust duct (in order to reduce the "noise" being heard by some neighbors) which allowed rainwater leaking from the roof to enter and flood the RF Amplifier compartment. The water knocked the transmitter off the air and then drained into the blower through its' ductwork. When the folks at Upton tried to restart the transmitter sometime later, the water under pressure from the blower destroyed the canvas ductwork, reflooded the RF compartment, and filled the air inlets of all the tube sockets with the pieces of canvas duct! Man, what a mess! I started on it at 8:00 AM and had it cleaned up and the ductwork replaced (had to improvise - not having any canvas handy, I swiped a bath towel and cut a strip of it and lined it with duct tape) and got it back up and running by noon. When I left at 3:00 PM it was still churning out 49 kW as if it were fat-n-happy! Sunday --- I was listening last night and again this morning and it sounds like they have reduced the audio level leaving the studio end to prevent the POTS or CoDec or whatever that thing is, from clipping and cutting out on program peaks. That part sounds better - but now there isn't enough modulation (Larry Baysinger, KY, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Geez, what next? Well, this fix didn`t last long as it was gone again Sept 21 and 22, tho a carrier seemed back 23 (gh, DXLD) I again heard a special program devoted to WJIE's developments. It was on last Friday (Sept. 20) at about 23.45 UT on 7490 kHz. Reception wasn't the best. But I believe they said that WJIE has already acquired KVOH. The format of KVOH will remain the same, new Christian broadcasters are welcomed. (What about a spot for the World of Radio? :)) The FM-transmitter for their Liberian station is already in Nigeria. Sounds like WJIE's signal comes to a transmitter in Upton, KY via the Internet. Oftentimes the quality suffers. They probably don't have a broadband access there or it's not very reliable (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Lori Wallace has a show on WWCR. It is standard short-wave Christianity, end of the world is nigh, etc. But, she is female. And the guy who comes on immediately after her (Preacher Otwell) has for the past three weeks begun his broadcast in what appears to be a normal, planned manner. But then about 7 or 8 minutes into his broadcast he says he`ll digress for a moment. And he spends the rest of his half-hour allotment denouncing Lori Wallace for preaching and speaking, when the Bible prohibits women from speaking aloud or having any authority of [over?] men. Then at the end of his broadcast he expresses surprise that the time got away from him, and that he couldn`t get to his prepared material! This guy has also denounced Lori Wallace`s most recent guest who dared to quote from some Bible other than the KJV. I have not noticed that Lori Wallace has directly responded to these attacks, but in her most recent broadcast she did say that she is thinking about expanding from a half-hour to an hour, and wants her listeners to send in as much money as they possibly can to enable her to do so. This might be a side-swipe because I`m not sure that she can expand at will even if she can pay for it, if someone else already has that time slot (Robert Arthur, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here they are, UT Sundays, CDT Saturdays on 5070: 0130-0200 8:30-9:00 Keep Standing For The Truth Lori Wallace 0200-0230 9:00-9:15 [sic] God Said Ministries (LIVE) W. N. Otwell ** U S A. KIMF - does it exist yet? Does anyone know the current operational status of KIMF in New Mexico? I have found a sked (well a tentative one) but contact details are lacking. I have an email address for, I think, the owner/operator but it went unanswered (interestingly it didn't bounce). The last report I read was for a site visit in August and nothing was to be found, not a mast or anything. So is KIMF going to be on the air soon? thanks for your help!! 73 (Sean G4UCJ, hard-core-dx via DXLD) So what is the tentative schedule and where did you find it? 73, (Glenn Hauser, to Sean, via DXLD) [HCDX] KIMF New Mexico - tentative B02 sked This is the tentative sked for KIMF in New Mexico lifted from the FCC web site 11885.0 1800 0000 KIMF 50 135 10,11 5835.0 0000 1800 KIMF 50 135 10,11 and the contact details for this "station" are:- KIMF Pinon, New Mexico. E-mail Dr. James Planck at james@plancktech.com I guess it may be a case of waiting until the end of October and see if it appears (although I doubt it!). 73 (Sean, ibid.) ** U S A. 25950, KPM 556 (presumed), [Portland OR] 1630, Sept 22, Non stop rasta groove. Good signal into TN. I read recently that this station was closed due to lack of interest by new CE, but apparently this is not the case (David Hodgson, TN, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 4795.80, Son La BC Station 1333-1358* Sept 21. Heard with a program of instrumental music ranging from light vocals to rustic instruments. Heard one announcement by a female speaker at 1346 briefly, then again at 1357 with a few words. Instrumental vocal played to sign-off in mid-song at 1358 1/2 hours. Signal was fair to periods where was just about the noise level, with the constant presents of the 'swosher' (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, Sept 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. I saw a report recently that someone in North America had received a QSL from Voice of Vietnam, showing the transmitter site for 9840 as Sackville. This is incorrect. The tranmitter on 9840 is at Son Tay, near Ha Noi, using 100 kW. For the current A-02 season, the Sackville relay is on 6175 0100-0500. VOV has increased its English "Language Education" features in the Vietnamese External Service. One of these new English programs may be heard at 2025-2030 on 9725, via the Skelton relay. Note also that portions of some Vietnamese services carried in the External Broadcasts may originate from the Domestic Network, which includes segments for ethnic minorities. Watch out for some new frequencies for VOV to start on Oct -27, such as 9575 (Son Tay) 1600-2130, 0000-0100, and 1100-1130. 11575 (Son Tay) 0000-0100, 1100-1130, 1300-1400, 1615-2030 15295 (Son Tay) various times! Regards from (Bob, in Melbourne, Padula, Sept 22, EDXP via DXLD) ** WALES. THIS WEEK IN RADIO HISTORY - ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA This must be the era for important radio anniversaries in Australia. Two weeks back we noted the 75th anniversary of the experimental shortwave station VK2ME; earlier in this edition of ``Wavescan`` we noted the 75th anniversary of the Melbourne counterpart, experimental station VK3ME; and now we have the story of the 84th anniversary of the 1st wireless message transmitted from England to Australia. Back in the days of the colonization of Australia by convicts and soldiers, it could take three months or more to make the long sea journey from England to Sydney around the bottom of Africa. There was an urgent need throughout all of these years to provide a much quicker form of communication between the Mother country and her most distant colonies. Thus, when Marconi`s method of wireless communication by Morse Code became available, it provided just the answer that Australia needed. After extensive testing and the exchanging of messages between England and Australia by undersea cablegrams, everything was ready for the first direct wireless contact with Australia. The date was September 22, 1918, just before the end of the Great War. A Morse Code message of goodwill was tapped out at the Marconi station located near Carnarvon in Wales. This station was licensed at the time with the callsign MUU, the 200 kW transmitter was tuned to the longwave channel 14,300 metres or 21 kHz, and the high antenna in use for this occasion was beamed towards North America. The famous wireless pioneer in Australia was Sir Ernest Fisk, an Englishman who had served under Marconi in England and who had established in Australia, AWA, the Amalgamated Wireless of Australasia (Ostral-Asia). He lived in his home, ``Lucania`` in Wahroonga (wa- ROONG-gah), an outer suburb of Sydney, and in long walking distance from the well known Adventist Hospital. Sir Ernest tuned in the longwave signal from the Marconi station MUU in Wales using a ten-valve receiving set with an antenna 60 ft high and 100 ft long. He copied down the historic message that arrived from the other side of the globe in just one twentieth of a second. The message of goodwill from England was published next day on the front pages of the morning newspapers. The Fisk home in Wahroonga is an unpretentious dwelling, and a historic marker reminds passers-by that this was where the first wireless message from England was received back in 1918, now a long 82 years ago (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Sept 22 via DXLD) Was the distinxion between England and Wales even less clear in 1918? According to my calculations, that was 84 years ago... (gh, DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA [non]. The problem was maybe more political than monetary - BIH is another country now, and I would guess there is still animosity between Sarajevo and Belgrade. Although they don't say so, I guess it is now costing money for the Yugoslavs to use what were their own transmitter(s) - and Kai could be correct in saying that no cheque had been received. I note there were four 500 kW BBC transmitters installed at this site in 1986, but seem to remember reading that two(?) were removed and taken to Stubline, and that these were later - er - 'rebuilt' by NATO along with the rest of that site. I have observed several changes of frequency since Bijeljina resumed operations and they have on each occasion gone off a frequency before starting on the next one, which seems to indicate only one sender is being used. Their A-02 schedule only requires one transmitter to be operational anyway. Maybe eventually we will find out just how many transmitters remain at Bijeljina. The French service was heard at 1600 opening on 9620 today (Sept. 22) - I was distracted and didn`t have the opportunity to listen at 1630 to see if German has resumed. However, Radio Liberty via Jülich has occupied 9620 1600-1700 for Armenian and the clash here was very bad. It was difficult to hear either station clearly. And yes, Glenn - Arabic on 11800 should be at 1430 and not 1400 as I erroneously wrote. I heard it opening on top of a CNR transmission (Noel Green, England, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Meanwhile I researched my records: The transmissions ceased on Dec. 11 2001, and it was reported then that the main power supply of the transmitter site was switched off after the debts reached 298,000 DEM. Regarding the ownership of the transmitters: I understand that they are owned and operated by Radio Yugoslavia or perhaps another Serbian organization, considering that reportedly once a NATO officer appeared on the site and demanded the staff leave and discontinue the transmissions. So this should be more or less their own transmitters, but of course they have to pay for the mainpower. And "we had to wait for a licence" certainly sounds better than "we could not pay our bills", so I am still not convinced that the nine month silent period was merely the result of legal problems as Radio Yugoslavia wants us to believe. By the way, I guess the remark on the website contains simply a typo and the transmissions in fact started again on Sep. 19. Regarding the equipment at Bijeljina-Jabanusa: Yes, reportedly two of the transmitters were moved to Stubline (only stored there, never put on operation) and of course destroyed. And indeed already for a couple of years only one transmitter is in use at Jabanusa anymore (probably both units alternately but never together), operated at 250 kW only. Most likely this is just a matter of operational costs (main power, PA stage tubes). 9620 today: They did not burn money by transmitting nothing but an interval signal for a half hour, instead they simply cut off at or very shortly after 1630, without any comment of course. Thanks for identifying the interfering co-channel station; Jabanusa was well ahead here with a powerful signal but RL was still audible in the background, alongside with the already reported transmitter hum. I include a recording of the seconds prior to the carrier cut, do not start, when the carrier disappears the local noise here becomes quite a racket (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, The Radio Yugoslavia Web site is now only one day behind the rest of us. Their amended text reads: "We would like to inform our listeners that after a several-month break, during which it published news bulletins on the Internet, Radio Yugoslavia will resume its short-wave programming in 12 foreign languages and in Serbian for the diaspora on Friday, September 19." But note they still use the future tense! A lot of radio stations send out calendars. Maybe we should return the favour :-) 73, (Andy Sennitt, Sept 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Maybe they were going by the Serbian Orthodox church calendar? (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 30960 (15480 x 2), 1709, Sept 22, Nice 2nd harmonic. More listenable then the fundamental, which was audible with lots of QSB. Did not recognize the language, but heard mention of "Radio Europa" several times. Could this be from the Czech Republic? (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroups via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ KN4LF DAILY SOLAR SPACE WEATHER GEOMAGNETIC DATA PLUS MF PROPAGATION OUTLOOK: http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf5.htm (Thomas Giella, KN4LF Plant City, FL, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-148, September 21, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1148: FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, Mon 0030, 0630, Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445, 15038.7; webcasts also Sat 1330, 1800, Sun 1200, 1830, Mon 1230, Wed 1300 BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Sun 0230 5070, Sun 0630 3210, Wed 0930 9475 BROADCAST ON WBCQ: Mon 0415 on 7415 BROADCASTS ON WJIE 7490: Maybe Sun 0515, Mon, Tue... 1200; any others? BROADCASTS ON WRN: Rest of world Sat 0800; North America Sun 1400 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1148.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1148.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1148.html WORLD OF RADIO ON STUDIO X, MOMIGNO, ITALY: Hi Glenn! First of all, we'd like to make our congratulations for your good job; we're glad to rebroadcast on our station your World Of Radio which is of a great success among many of our listeners. I'm writing to let you know and all radio enthusiasts of a change in our programmation concerning World of Radio. Since next Sunday, your weekly programme will be broadcast at 9.30 pm [1930 UT] instead of the usual 6.30 pm (local time). The other day and time remains the same (every Saturday at 12.30 am, always local time) [Friday 2230 UT]. This is to increase the chance for WOR to be heard by our listeners throughout Europe on the MW frequency (1584 kHz, the other 1566 is temporarily off). Best regards, (Massimiliano Marchi, RADIO STUDIO X, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. INDIAN FILMS BACK ON KABUL TV Kabul, Sept. 18: State television in the Afghan capital Kabul was showing Indian movies once again from Tuesday after a ban was lifted in what was seen a victory for moderates over Islamists within the government. Women singing could also be heard again on State radio, after a special media commission appointed by President Hamid Karzai overruled restrictions imposed by the head of Kabul TV and radio. Engineer Mohammad Ishaq, Kabul TV and radio chief and a senior figure in the Northern Alliance movement that dominates Karzai's government, imposed the restrictions without warning in August. Indian films, with their mix of melodrama, romance, songs and theatrical fighting have been hugely popular in Afghanistan. After five years of Taliban rule, when sharia was imposed, including a ban on all public music and television, Afghans have been enjoying new freedoms. The removal of the restrictions was seen as a victory for Karzai and Information Minister Sayed Raheen Makhdoom, who had sacked Ishaq's predecessor, Abdul Hafiz Mansoor, in July after a row over what should be shown on television (Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, 19 Sept 2002 http://deccan.com/neighbours/template.shtml#Indian via: Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via DXLD) ** ANDAMAN ISLANDS. 4760, AIR Port Blair (presumed), 1140-1215. Program of music from the subcontinent, primarily solos by men and women with string instruments in the background. Very short announcements by woman between selections. 1200 Announcement by woman, then talk between man and woman. 1205 Music resumed, this time much slower. Rather poor signal, increasing in strength 1145-1155, then declining to fadeout at 1215. SINPO 24222. Have been hearing talk on 4760 all week, barely above the noise. First log of this station (Jim Evans, TN September 19, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Hi Glenn, There hasn't been a logging of Radio Afrika International from Austria since January, 2002. I heard them today with an English phone number and e mail address, so here's a logging. I'm going to try the e mail to see if I can get a QSL. Will keep you informed. Radio Afrika International 9/21/02, 17875, 1530-1600. Sign on in French with news, to High Life music. In vernacular (possibly West African language) with talk, many IDs ``Radio Afrika International, Vienna, Austria`` and West African music. Canned ID in French to English ID and phone number (00 431 494-4033) and e mail address r.Africa@sil.au Voice of America Sign on at 1600 obliterated the signal. Enjoyable program and very good reception. As a reminder, this is the student domestic program re-broadcast via Moosbrunn, Austria not the United Methodist Church effort also called Radio Africa International. (See DXLD 2-017) (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Quite by coincidence, here we go again: ** AUSTRIA. 17895, R. Africa Int'l. Nice F/D Map card in 81 days for a f/up via NY address. V/S Donna Newman, Executive Producer, and Raphael Mbadinga, Associate Producer (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) [non]. Too bad these otherwise accomplished DXers don`t read DXLD, or we would not keep seeing confused reports like the above, already explained (and we also told the UMC people directly about this): Oops! If Niemann and Mbodinga QSLed this, they are just as confused as you are. The 17895 broadcast from Austria at this hour was ****not**** the Methodist ``R. Africa International``, which originates in NY and is transmitted at other times and other frequencies via Germany, but instead the Vienna ethnic station which has been carried at certain times via Moosbrunn. There is **no** connexion between them, as we have pointed out several times before, except that unfortunately they use the same name! Goes to show what can be accomplished in relentless pursuit of so-called ``verifications`` by not paying attention, on the part of broadcasters as well as listeners (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-108 via DXLD 2-148) How many more times will I have to repeat this? ** BELGIUM. Liz Sanderson of RVI has been quite ill for a while and has been on leave. Frans Vossen fell while on a trip abroad and broke his knee. So, Radio World has not aired for several weeks (Bob Thomas, CT, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And the previous one stays ondemand ** BOLIVIA. Radio Fides Bolivia Updates Website Address: Dear Friends: We are visiting your page and we have discovered that the access link to the page of Radio Fides [listed on the website] is no longer functioning. The new address is http://www.radiofides.com We await your visit to this site and any suggestions will be welcome. (Rafael Mendieta, Radio Fides – Fides Virtual, La Paz, Bolivia, Sept 23 Catholic Radio Update, Sept 21 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4775, Rádio Congonhas, Praça da Basílica 130, Congonhas, MG Cep 36.404-000, Brazil. QSL letter full data in 20 days. V/S: unreadable. Sent a sticker of Congonhas city, other small station`s sticker, a 2002 calendar and tourist material of Congonhas: "cidade dos profetas". (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, Sept 21, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Caro Glenn, O horário de funcionamento da Ternura 4845 é: das 0800 às 1300 UTC. Depois, fica apagado o transmissor até às 1900 UTC, quando é religado e segue funcionamento até às 2100 UTC. De acordo com o diretor e proprietário, Roque da Rosa, são os horários em que o transmissor tem o melhor ganho. E concordo com ele, pois ninguém escuta uma emissora em 60 metros às 1200 UTC. Por exemplo, aqui em Porto Alegre, não ouço nada após às 1100 UTC. Quem chega forte até este horário são as duas emissoras de Londrina (PR): a Difusora, em 4815 kHz, e a Alvorada, em 4865 kHz. Depois, nada mais. Só ao entardecer. A Rádio Cultura, de Manaus(AM), dificilmente é sintonizada aqui em Porto Alegre. Após às 2100 TU, quem aparece é a Rádio Mauritânia. Nas vezes em que captei a Cultura foi por volta de 0100 em diante. 73s! (Célio Romais, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 31m bandscan, UT Sept 14 starting at 0000, all Portuguese: 9515, R. Novas de Paz, 0000-0200+, lite instrumental music, talk, Braz ballads, ID, promos, jingles. Fair, \\ 6080.06 poor-weak. 9530.22, R. Nova Visão, 0000-0213*. Talk, ID, religious programming. Contemporary Christian music. Mentions of R. Transmundial. Good, \\ 5964.95 weak-poor; listed 11735 not heard. 9565.07, R. Tupi, 0000-0315+, religious programming, talk by M & W, religious music, recitations. \\ 11765.05, 6060, all weak. 9630.17, R. Aparecida, 0000-0201*, talk, phone talk, ID, announcements, jingles. Religious programming with religious music and recitations. \\ 5035.1, 6134.76, all fair-good [Catholic --- gh] 9645.2, R. Bandeirantes, 0000-0300+, talk, ID, announcements, ads, jingles. Good, \\ 11925 which was poor. [around 1300 et al., I hear a het on 9645, assumed to be TIFC --- gh] 9675, R. Canção Nova, 0000-0230+, Braz pops, ballads. Phone talk, promos, jingles, ads. Fair, \\ 6105, 4824.97, both weak. 9683.78, R. Gazeta, 0000-0100+, talk, ads, jingles. \\ 15324.85, both weak (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. MONTREAL'S CJAD ON 26 MEGS Even after three hearings, on 26.200 MHz, of CJAD's narrow FM mode cueing signal, a Canadian presence in the 26.10 to 26.47 MHz band is still something of an exotic novelty. Mark Kavanagh of CJAD has given the following information: The signal on 26.200 MHz comes from a one Watt transmitter, made by Comrex, situated in the radio commentary booth at Molson Stadium in Montreal. It is only used for football games. The 1-Watt transmitter serves to extend the studio cueing link from the commentary booth down to CJAD's field-level roving reporter. The 26 MHz equipment was added to CJAD's commentary system during the 2001 football season. The main audio feed from stadium to studio is through a telephone company hi-fi land line. In the reverse direction, this same cable also carries the studio instructions to the commentators. The reporter who pounds the touch line has headphones and a 26 MHz Comrex receiver and, for his contribution to what the listeners hear, a microphone and a small transmitter. Molson Stadium in Montreal is on the lower slopes of our local hill, which is optimistically named Mount Royal. My place is about 6 km (4 miles) away and, if it wasn't for the houses in-between and some other factors, I'd be getting this signal by line of sight reception. One thing I noticed on the first two instances of hearing this was that the signal started out at fair strength with every word audible but, as dusk came on, the signal faded down to become quite unusable. Something didn't jive here. Onset of darkness is not supposed to affect short-range ground wave propagation at this frequency. Observed fact disagreed with the known behaviour of radio waves. It took two weeks for a likely explanation to come to mind. The Montreal Alouettes football team is thriving since adopting a "small is beautiful" policy. They abandoned the unpopular but impressive looking Olympic Stadium, known as The Big "O" or, as some wags would have it, The Big Owe. As soon as they set up shop in the down-town, open-air Molson Stadium, crowds surged in. Every home game is a sell out. Bill Westenhaver, who lives in the area, reports that people are still streaming into the ground when the game is fifteen minutes old. So, by the end of the first quarter, there are something like 20,000 "other factors" jammed into the terraces. Enough bodies, perhaps, to absorb much of the horizontal radiation coming from a transmitting antenna. If this theory is true, then sometime in the fourth quarter, when spectators start going home, the signal reaching me may fade back up to its original strength. Something for me to check out with the next home game. So much for the ground wave part of this signal. What could become of the part of the transmitted signal that shoots out above the terraces? True, somebody in an aircraft may be able to hear it, but most of the sky wave just zooms out into interstellar space. Except when there's E-skip. On the relatively rare occasions when the ionosphere's E-layer makes these signals bounce back, DXers in the following areas may be lucky enough to catch some of CJAD's 1 Watt signal on 26.2 MHz and hear how well the Alouettes are doing : the Labrador coast, eastern NF, Bermuda, from SC to FL, IL to TX, WI to SD, western ON & MB, Hudson Bay to Baffin Island. This kind of propagation does occur. Some months ago, David Hodgson in TN heard a 1W studio cueing signal from CHEM-TV, Ch 8, in Trois Rivières QC. A sample of what he heard was available on the internet and it didn't take an advanced knowledge of French to make out the ID it contained. So, given the right conditions, a keen listener in TN may, one day, hear Montreal's CJAD on 26 MHz (Alan Roberts, QC, 25 Plus, Sept CIDX Messenger via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) Another explanation of fade could be battery running down (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. MW Observations: The last few days have offered some openings for Chinese stations in the MW band and there are some observations to report. Xinjiang PBS 738 Chinese and 1107 Kazakh both with satellite delay compared to SW, so the station seems to have different MW and SW sites. 1107 (formerly on 909) has had badly distorted modulation for decades and has also been off frequency but now heard with clean audio and spot on frequency, so the old rig seems to have been replaced. The new 1200 kW rig on 1134 has been rather strong, perhaps the strongest of the Chinese domestic transmitters at my location, but with much European interference. The audio is synchro with the new Golmud (in Qinghai) transmitter on 4800, so this could also be the location of 1134. Building a combined complex would make sense. 1377 was recently listed in a schedule for Tibet (Xizang PBS) as the MW frequency of the Chinese channel, but it is still heard with only CNR-1 at times when 4820, 6050, etc. have local Chinese, so either is the big one on 1377 located elsewhere or is the Tibet schedule misleading. Other channels heard were 945, 981 (two transmitters) and 1593, all known to be exclusive CNR-1 relays. 981 is a traditional channel while 945 and 1593 have popped up in the past few years (Olle Alm, Sweden, 20 Sep, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. FALUN GONG TV PROGRAMS BROADCAST FOR 70 MINUTES AROUND BAODING CITY AND BEIJING: Broadcasts Vut [sic?] through Distortions and Fabrications about Falun Gong Spread by PRC Propaganda [Falun Gong press release] http://www.faluninfo.net/DisplayAnArticle.asp?ID=3D6228 NEW YORK, September 4, 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) -- Falun Gong practitioners in China have once again turned the tables on one of the Chinese leader's most potent weapons for spreading propaganda about Falun Gong -- state-run television. On August 23 and 27, video programs at least 70 minutes long were broadcasted on prime time television over a wide area in and around Baoding City, Hebei Province. Witnesses in the Fangshan area in Beijing say they saw similar videos on local TV stations earlier in the month. The videos -- entitled "Witness and Testimonies" and "Falun Dafa Around the World" -- expose the human rights abuses suffered by practitioners of Falun Gong under Jiang Zemin's regime as well as report on the support of the practice worldwide. These broadcasts mark the ninth incident to be verified by the Falun Dafa Information Center since January, 2002, when practitioners of Falun Gong in China first attempted to have their voice heard over television airwaves. "With mass media under the tight control of China's leader," explains Falun Dafa Information Center spokesperson Erping Zhang, "Falun Gong practitioners in China have used more creative methods to break through the propaganda campaign against them, such as overriding television broadcasts, broadcasting radio programs from speakers placed in hard-to-reach areas, distributing flyers and leaflets, etc." Mr. Zhang continued, "The regime uses its money and power to mislead the public into thinking that Falun Gong is bad, and the persecution campaign doesn't exist. Practitioners of Falun Gong, on the other hand, are using their hearts to let the people know Falun Gong is good, and that people are being persecuted horribly for their beliefs." Round-up of Falun Gong Practitioners Sources in China report that authorities quickly mobilized a strike force and declared martial law from August 27-30 in Xushi County and neighboring areas in an attempt to round-up those responsible for the broadcast. One source reports that a mini-van containing three Falun Gong practitioners was fired upon and rammed three times by local police. One practitioner in the van was arrested while two others managed to escape, this source says. After the second broadcast on August 27, officials from Baoding City and surrounding counties set up a 24-hour patrol of their broadcasting facilities, sources in China say. Meanwhile, as in Changchun and other areas where Falun Gong videos were successfully broadcast, police began indiscriminately rounding up practitioners and harassing their family members. Debunking Jiang's Propaganda Machine The content of the videos debunk many of the propaganda news stories that are broadcast regularly by the state-run media in China. The state-run broadcasts typically slander and distort the teachings of Falun Gong and falsely depict Falun Gong practitioners being treated "humanely" while in police custody. The propaganda also depicts Falun Gong as a small group within China that is either non-existent or repressed in countries outside China. The video "Falun Dafa Around the World," however, presents quite a different picture -- that Falun Gong is practiced in over 50 countries around the world, and that Falun Gong and its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, have received over 600 awards and proclamations in North America alone for contributions the practice has made to local communities and public health. Mr. Li is a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Before Falun Gong practitioners began overriding television signals in January, 2002, to broadcast these types of programs, none of these facts had ever been broadcast publicly in China. (http://www.faluninfo.net Sep 4, 2002 via N. Grace, for CRW via DXLD) CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN By Gerry Oberst, Via Satellite, September 4, 2002 China experienced its equivalent of "Captain Midnight" in late June this year. Although the facts are murky, and may never be fully known, it appears that the [practitioners] of the Falun Gong spiritual [practice] overpowered the regular feed to the Sinosat 1 satellite and broadcast a banner for several minutes on channels of China Central Television. There are varying reports on the Chinese incident. Most of China Central Television's 10 channels, and the same number of provincial channels on the same satellite, experienced interruption from 10 seconds up to 15 minutes, according to early Hong Kong and Australian news reports. Some even said Chinese television was disrupted for eight days, which is not credible, given the technology. Press reports labeled this a case of "sophisticated hacking" and said this is a sign of a new level of attempts to circumvent government suppression. Regardless of who blasted the Sinosat satellite, it is hardly new, sophisticated or even hacking. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) faced a similar deed almost two decades ago and devised a simple regulatory response. A disgruntled college dropout with a technical bent and access to a satellite uplink transmitted the forever-famous "Captain Midnight" message from the Central Florida Teleport in April 1986. In what now seems strikingly naive, this part-time operations engineer struck a blow against pay TV, scrambling the HBO signal with a four and one- half minute message complaining about the $12.95 monthly charge. Interrupting a commercial satellite signal, however, is not an especially sophisticated issue. All it takes is a stronger signal on the right frequency and polarization. The technical chat room community noted, not long after the Chinese incident, all the Falun Gong would need is a 5-meter earth station anywhere in Asia that could see the Sinosat satellite. In any event, the Chinese incident was not really "hacking." Although it resembles a denial of service attack in the computer jargon and some call it "information warfare," it is not in the same league. Nevertheless, again from the chat room community: "There is nothing new here. This is an old 'strong signal override' trick. These aren't the hackers you're looking for. You can go about your business. Move along..." (Sep 5, 2002 via N. Grace for CRW via DXLD) FALUN GONG HIJACKS TV BROADCASTS By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press, September 5, 2002 BEIJING (AP) - Members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement hijacked a television signal and broadcast protest videos to areas on the outskirts of Beijing last month, police and television station employees said Thursday. Falun Gong videos were briefly shown on the nights on Aug. 23 and 27 in Baoding, a city southwest of the Chinese capital, said a woman who answered the phone at a television station there. She wouldn't give her name or any details of the broadcasts. The programming was seen within at least a 60-mile radius, including the Fangshan district of Beijing, said a television station official in the nearby town of Xushui. He refused to give his name, saying employees had been ordered not to reveal the incident. There was no immediate explanation of how Falun Gong activists took over the television signal. Falun Gong supporters have broken into cable television systems in at least four cities this year to show videos protesting the government's 3-year-old crackdown on the group. In June, a state-run satellite television signal was hijacked and briefly displayed messages of support for the group. The communist government say the broadcasts are proof of what it says is Falun Gong's disruptive, anti-social nature. Yet they also show that determined members are defying the crackdown. A statement issued by activists abroad said the August broadcasts showed videos documenting support for the group outside China and condemning the crackdown and alleged police abuses. The group says Chinese authorities have killed hundreds of members in detention. A police officer reached by telephone in Fangshan said several Falun Gong followers suspected of arranging the broadcast have been arrested. He wouldn't give his name or other details. A man who answered the phone at a state company in Xushui said he saw a few seconds of images showing people standing in front of Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi doing the group's slow-motion calisthenics. Traditional Chinese music played in the background. "Then the screen suddenly turned black and white," said the man, who wouldn't give his name. China's communist leaders banned Falun Gong in 1999, alarmed by its membership that numbered in the millions and its organizational ability. The government calls the group an "evil cult" and accuses it of leading followers to their death by suicide or refusing modern medicine. The government has put enormous effort into demonizing the group, especially abroad, where it boasts a large membership and some public support. Falun Gong promotes a mixture of eastern mysticism, meditation and traditional Chinese exercises, which is says promote health and clean living (AP Sep 5, 2002 via N. Grace, for CRW via DXLD) CHINESE FALUN GONG MEMBERS IN COURT FOR TV TRANSMISSION SABOTAGE | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Changchun, 18 September: Fifteen Falun Gong cult follower stood trial in the Intermediate People's Court of Changchun city, the capital of northeastern Jilin province Wednesday [18 September] for sabotaging cable TV facilities earlier this year. According to local public security department, at about 7.00 p. m. on 5 March, residents in Changchun and Songyuan cities in the province found their normal cable TV programmes interrupted by a video broadcast about Falun Gong cult. Investigations showed that some Falun Gong devotees had hijacked the TV transmission lines and used self- made mini-broadcasting equipment to spread propaganda about the cult. Four urban districts in Changchun city were affected as two trunk cable TV transmission lines were cut off. In Songyuan city, 16,000 subscribers were affected as regular TV programmes suspended for 210 minutes. The cult's illegal actions severely disrupted the public order of society, according to the relevant Chinese laws and regulations. The Criminal Law of China stipulates that those breaching broadcasting and public telecom facilities and undermining public security can be sentenced to three to seven years of jail terms, while those who cause more severe damages can be sentenced to imprisonment for more than seven years. According to measures for dealing with cult crime cases released by the Chinese Supreme People's Court and Supreme People' s Procuratorate, cases of producing and publicizing cult propaganda which cause severe results can be dealt with according to Clause One under the Article 300 of the Criminal Law of China, and they would be accused of disrupting law enforcement through organizing and utilizing cults. A relevant leading official from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said that the radio and TV stations, and their launchers, antennas, cables and other TV and broadcasting equipment and facilities constitute important basic infrastructure of the country. Any kind of breach to these facilities will be penalized according to the law. China issued the relevant regulations on radio and TV administration in 1997 and regulations on protection of Radio and TV facilities in 2000. The rules stipulate that no organization or person be allowed to intrude and to damage the radio and TV equipment and facilities, to affect the broadcasting of programmes, or to use the cable TV transmission network to broadcast programmes for their own purpose. The damage of radio and TV transmission network facilities and disturbing of signals and frequencies are also defined as illegal according the rules. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1210 gmt 18 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CHINA SENTENCES FALUN GONG TV HIJACKERS TO PRISON | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Changchun, 20 September: Fifteen Falun Gong cult followers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four to 20 years by the Intermediate People's Court of Changchun City, capital of northeast China's Jilin Province, on Friday [20 September]. The Falun Gong cult followers were convicted of damaging radio and TV property, and of conspiring to use the cult to undermine Chinese law enforcement earlier this year. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0632 gmt 20 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CHINESE AGENCY INTERVIEWS FALUN GONG MEMBER ON TV HIJACKING A Chinese news agency has interviewed one of the 15 Falun Gong followers sentenced to prison for hacking into two cable television networks to broadcast their own material earlier this year. The 5 March broadcasts in the northeastern city of Changchun and nearby Songyuan criticized the authorities' crackdown on Falun Gong. The Chinese government banned Falun Gong in 1999 as an "evil cult". Following is text of the report by Jun Feng and Ya Ping: "Zhou Runjun, suspect in Changchun 'Falun Gong' '305' case confesses the 'Greater Law' above the law" from Chinese news agency Zhongguo Xinwen She (China News Service) Changchun [northeast Jilin Province], 19 September: Zhou Runjun, the suspect involved in the Changchun "305" [5 March] case shamelessly told the court of her crime on 18 September, but stopped short of admitting she had broken any law. She said, for the sake of "Greater Law" [Chinese: da fa; Falun Gong is also known as Falun Dafa], there is no law. "Greater Law" is above the law. When I interviewed Zhou Runjun, the prime suspect in the "305" case, whom the "insiders" dubbed as "Auntie Zhou", at the detention centre today, I was appalled at her plight. She said, cutting cable television circuits is not against the law, but cutting out the cables and selling them for money is. As long as it is for the spread of "Greater Law", it is not against the law. Like many other innocent people, Zhou Runjun, a worker aged 50 plus at the Changchun Fur Factory, crossed over the threshold to "Falun Gong" on the advice of others, because she has an illness that needs a cure. She began from exercising to reading books about "Falun Gong", and was converted from a non-believer to one who was obsessed. She is now completely full of fallacious ideas, which seem so perfectly correct to her. She told me mankind would one day become extinct. The only way to avoid extinction is to follow the Master, and go on to the next era. It is the Master who has given her this chance. She said, "The Master has turned down an invitation from the president [sic] of Canada to preach "Falun Gong" to all the people in Canada. The Master said he would wait until a certain time when he would be out to preach all mankind". I do not know where this woman, who does not have much of an education, has got all these preposterous ideas, but she told me time and again to write down what she had said. She said, "Leaders of all countries in the world support 'Falun Gong', except the leaders of China. They are afraid they will be upstaged by [founder] Li Hongzhi". She went on to say that she admitted everything she had done in court, but the law could not be compared with the universal "Greater Law". The governments also could not be compared with the universal "Greater Law". Zhou Runjun's thoughts have all been taken up by the universal "Greater Law". She said the universal "Greater Law" created all human lives. Maybe she does not even know there are so many different religions and so many legends about the origin of man in the world. Perhaps she has yet to realize her muddled beliefs have offended the faiths of other countries and other peoples. It is so sad to note that, as mankind has already entered a world of information, we still have someone like Zhou Runjun espousing such beliefs. But the people feeding these ideas to Zhou Runjun behind the scene may not be ignorant about this. But to Zhou Runjun, it may not be so clear. Perhaps one day, when Zhou Runjun has come to realize this, the "Greater Law" that is now possessing her will dissipate right away. Source: Zhongguo Xinwen She news agency, Beijing, in Chinese 19 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) FALUN GONG FOLLOWERS SENTENCED FOR TV HACKING IN CHINA China's official Xinhua new agency has reported on the trial of Falun Gong members for hacking into two cable television networks and broadcasting their own material. Fifteen followers of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement were sentenced to prison terms of up to 20 years for "sabotaging television broadcast facilities, and for forming and making use of a heretical society to obstruct law enforcement". In March, state-run broadcasts disappeared from thousands of television screens in Changchun, in north-eastern China, and were replaced for several hours by programmes espousing the virtues of Falun Gong. Following is text of the report by Niu Jiwei and Li Yabiu: "Defendants in the Changchun case found guilty and sentenced" from official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Changchun, 20 September: The Intermediate People's Court of Changchun Municipality, Jilin Province, began the initial trial today in the case concerning television broadcast facilities in Changchun and Songyuan municipalities being sabotaged on 5 March this year, and of the obstruction of law enforcement by a heretical society. The 15 defendants, including Zhou Runjun, Liu Weiming, Liang Zhenxing and Liu Chengjun, were sentenced to four to 20 years of imprisonment respectively. The Changchun Municipal People's Procuratorate brought charges in the Changchun Municipal Intermediate People's Court on 6 September against four of the defendants, Zhou Runjun, Liu Chengjun, Liang Zhenxing and Liu Weiming, for sabotaging television broadcast facilities, and for forming and making use of a heretical society to obstruct law enforcement. Charges were also brought against 11 of the defendants, Lei Ming, Zhao Jian, Yun Xingbin, Zhang Wen, Sun Changjun, Li Dehai, Liu Dong, Zhuang Xiankun, Wei Xiushan, Chen Yanmei and Lie Xiaojie, for sabotaging television broadcast facilities, and for making use of a heretical society to obstruct law enforcement. The Changchun Municipal Intermediate People's Court, as required by law, formed a collegiate panel and started a public trial on 18 September of the accused on a public prosecution brought by the Procuratorate. The court has found Zhou Runjun, Liu Weiming, Liang Zhenxing, Liu Chengjun and the 11 other defendants, had premeditatedly acquired tools and cable television broadcast interruption equipment and, after coming up with a plan to carry out the crime, sabotaged the main transmission circuit of the cable television network sometime after 1900 hours [local time] on 5 March, 2002, and pre-empted an on-going broadcast with the propaganda of the "Falun Gong" evil cult contained on a compact disc. As a result, a part of the cable television network in Changchun and Songyuan municipalities was interrupted for several hours, preventing television audiences in the two cities from watching normal programmes. Their action of making use of a heretical society to obstruct law enforcement constituted a crime, and their sabotage of television broadcast facilities also constituted a crime. The 15 defendants raised no objections to actions taken by the court, which were supported by a large amount of evidence, such as objects collected, on-site written investigation notes, conclusive verifications and witness statements. The court noted that the 15 defendants had previously been given administrative punishments for their involvement in "Falun Gong" cult activities, and despite re-education, they remained unrepentant, and continued to carry out criminal activities organized by the heretical "Falun Gong" cult. The conduct of the defendants has put public security in jeopardy, upset social order and infringed on the legitimate interests of the public at large. The consequence of their action is serious, and the damage done to the society tremendous. They deserved to be punished by law. According to the "Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China", to the provisions set out in "Explanation (2) on Certain Questions Regarding the Laws Applicable to Cases Involving the Forming and Making Use of a Heretical Society to Commit Crime as Laid Down by the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate", and to the roles played by each of the defendants in the crime, the defendants were found guilty by the court of sabotaging television broadcast facilities as well as making use of a heretical society to obstruct law enforcement. With charges lumped together, Zhou Runjun and Liu Weiming were each sentenced to 20 years in prison and deprived of political rights for five years. Liang Zhenxing and Liu Chengjun were each sentenced to 19 years in prison and deprived of political rights for five years. Zhang Wen was sentenced to 18 years in prison and deprived of political rights for four years. Lei Ming was sentenced to 17 years in prison and deprived of political rights for five years. Sun Changjun and Li Dehai were each sentenced to 17 years in prison and deprived of political rights for four years. Zhao Jian was sentenced to 15 years in prison and deprived of political rights for five years. Yun Xingbin was sentenced to 14 years in prison and deprived of political rights for four years. Liu Dong was sentenced to 14 years in prison and deprived of political rights for three years. Wei Xiushan was sentenced to 12 years in prison and deprived of political rights for three years. Zhuang Xiankun was sentenced to 11 years in prison and deprived of political rights for three years. Chen Yanmei was sentenced to 11 years in prison and deprived of political rights for three years. Li Xiaojie was sentenced to four years in prison. The court or the families of the defendants had appointed or hired lawyers to represent the defendants, and the defendants had also spoken in their defence during the trial. Over 300 people from all walks of life in Changchun Municipality attended the public trial and sentencing. Source: Xinhua news agency domestic service, Beijing, in Chinese 1040 gmt 20 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CHINESE AGENCY DISCLOSES DETAILS OF FALUN GONG TV HACKING A Chinese news agency has carried an in-depth report on a TV hacking incident earlier this year when Falun Gong followers commandeered cable TV networks and broadcast their own material. On 5 March, Falun Gong members aired pro-Falun Gong messages to cable TV viewers in the northeastern cities of Changchun and Songyuan. Following is text of the report by Chinese news agency Zhongguo Xinwen She (China News Service) Changchun, 19 September: At 1919 [local time] on 5 March 2002, cable television signals were interrupted suddenly in some areas of Changchun City, Jilin Province, when the television began to play the so-called Falun Gong "truth" for almost 40 minutes. According to police estimates, more than 10,000 residents of four districts in Changchun could not receive the regular cable television programming during that time, and some users even received the heretical propaganda of Falun Gong. The police of Changchun formed a special investigation group for the "5 March" case immediately after they received reports from residents. They arrested the suspect Lei Ming in the act and later captured other 14 suspects, including Liang Zhenxing, Zhou Runjun and Zhao Jian. After investigation, the police made clear the plotting, organization and implementation of the case. According to the confession of Zhou Runjun, he and Liang Zhenxing got the idea of using cable television networks for Falun Gong propaganda after they read the commands and technical guidance from the web site "Minghui" [Falun Gong web site, http://www.minghui.org/]. Then Zhou found other Falun Gong followers Liu Mingwei, Zhang Wen, Liu Chengjun and Zhao Jian who were familiar with cable television techniques. They established a secret office in Room 506 of Teacher's Building No 6 in Songjia, Kuancheng District of Changchun City for plotting how to conduct the crime. Later on, the office had between 11 or 12 additional Falun Gong followers. The suspects of the "5 March" case got technical training four times in the secret office. The technical training was mainly on how to cut cables of the television network and install VCD [video compact disc] transmitting equipment. Liu Mingwei and Zhang Wen were responsible for teaching the techniques and the trainees practised as they received the training. Through the training Lei Ming and other Falun Gong members mastered the techniques of cutting cables and installing VCD transmitting equipment. Before they conducted the crime, Liu Weiming brought a sample divider to his fellows. Then, financed by Liang Zhenxing, Zhou Runjun bought other 30 dividers from the Huanghe Electronics Store and Liang bought several sets of VCD transmitting equipment. Zhang Wen brought a shoe clamp for pole climbing. Now they had enough equipment prepared for the crime. On the dawn of 5 March, Lei Ming and Zhang Wen came to the place they selected before and peeled off the outer aluminium covering of the major television cable with their tools. Then they came back to their secret office. On the same morning, they tried and adjusted their self-made transmitting system once more. At about 1900 that evening, according to their work division and previous site investigation, Lei Ming, Zhang Wen, Zhao Jian and other four people formed a group. They brought a transmitting system and other tools with them to No 2 Jingyue Alley, north of the Liangcheng supermarket in 117 Changchun Dajie of Nanguan District of Changchun City. They cut off the major television cable and installed their transmitting equipment with Falun Gong CDs. At the same time, another group including Zhou Runjun and Liu Weiming came to the roof of a house between the south wall of the Jilin Provincial National Tax Bureau and the living quarters for workers of the Jilin Hotel in Qingming Street of Nanguan District of Changchun City. They also cut off the major television cable, installed their transmitting equipment with the Falun Gong CDs and played them. According to the confession of Lei Ming, Zhang Wen put on the shoe clamps and protective gloves for pole climbing at this time and climbed up the pole. Lei Ming handed him the tools, and he cut off the cable and installed their equipment. The whole cutting and installation process took about 20 minutes. In that period, Zhao Jian and other members of the group were on the lookout for Zhang Wen and Lei Ming. Lei Ming was caught in the act by the police and television maintenance staff, while the other members of the group fled to their secret office. According to the police, at about 1800 on the same evening, Liu Chengjun and other three suspects came to a building of the previous County Kindergarten and another building of the County Forestry Bureau of the Guoerluosi Mongolian Autonomous County in Songyuan City of Jilin Province with their equipment and tools. They also cut off the major television cable, installed their transmitting equipment complete with the Falun Gong CDs and played the CDs. They disrupted the regular cable television programme of the county for 210 minutes. Source: Zhongguo Xinwen She news agency, Beijing, in Chinese 18 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) FALUN GONG MEMBERS SENTENCED FOR BROADCASTING OF PROTEST FILMS By Philip P. Pan, The Washington Post, September 21, 2002 BEIJING — Fifteen members of the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement were sentenced Friday to up to 20 years in prison for cutting into cable TV networks in northeastern China and transmitting films protesting the government's crackdown on the group. The sentences, announced on state television and by the official New China News Agency, are among the stiffest meted out to Falun Gong practitioners in the three years since the government banned the organization as an "evil cult" and are comparable to the longest sentences given to political dissidents in China. The sentences' severity appeared to reflect the ruling Communist Party's concern about an ongoing Falun Gong campaign that has challenged the government's control of media by hijacking television signals and broadcasting videos accusing authorities of torturing and killing hundreds of practitioners. State media said the defendants convicted Friday were responsible for hacking into cable systems on March 5 in Changchun, about 560 miles northeast of Beijing, and nearby Songyuan — the first time Falun Gong has done this, as far as is known. Since then, Falun Gong has interrupted TV programs in several other cities, and it managed to hack into a state satellite system in June and briefly beam its message to millions. Falun Gong supporters have also risked arrest by bombarding residents with fliers, videodiscs and automated phone calls that play recordings attacking the government (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. RUSSIA(non): B-02 schedule for Fang Guang Ming Radio in Mandarin Chinese: 2100-2200 6035 SAM 200 kW / 297 deg 9945 SAM 200 kW / 297 deg [Samara] (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** CONGO DR. 9550, R. Okapi, Logo QSL-card (Date and Frequency indicated) from Fondation Hirondelle in Switzerland. Card had the Logo of the organization on the front, with details of the station on the reverse. Reply in 115 days. Also my US $1.oo was returned! (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, Sept 20, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. Hola Glenn, espero que estés muy bien. Acá te envío otro reporte. El pasado 21/09, luego del fin de la emisión en inglés de Radio Habana Cuba e inmediatamente después del himno nacional, pudo ser captada la estación Radio Reloj, a partir de las 0652 UT. El monitoreo se extendió hasta las 0748 (cuando salió abruptamente del aire). Fue en los 9550 kHz, con un SINPO de 43443. Con noticias e información acerca de los vuelos de Cubana de Aviación a las 0723. Al parecer, los locutores de guardia (Alexander Niepa y Jorge García Suárez), trabajaban con un sólo micrófono, debido al costante golpeteo de fondo entre los turnos de cada narrador (desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Adán González, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. In a recent edition of DXLD you mentioned the frequency change for Radio Sawa from Cape Greco from 981 to 990 kHz. Ken Fletcher suggested that this change could cause problems to listeners in West Wales trying to listen to Radio 5 Live via the Tywyn transmitter on that frequency. Mr Fletcher ought to know that his suggestion is very mischievous one, given that there isn't a cat in hell's chance of any MW signal from Cyprus - no matter what power - coming anywhere near the UK. For instance, the last time I heard BBC Zygi on 1323 kHz was all of 25 years ago. I should think that Radio Devon is more likely than Radio Sawa to cause trouble for Radio 5 Live, or there are some other stations in Western Europe - but certain not Cyprus! (PAUL DAVID, UK, September 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Concerning the SAWA transmissions from Cyprus on 981 or 990, I have checked nearly every night LT if the station transmits. I have found no program with Arabic and western music. I have found yesterday 20 at 2300 a station from Spain under ERAsport Athens (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Or could be you are in a null from them? (gh, DXLD) {yes: see 2-149} Zacharias Liangas` message on audibility of R SAWA on 981- and 990 kHz. I`ve not been able to hear this station either of these frequencies after several attempts. On 990 kHz dominating station is DEUTSCHLANDRADIO in parallel with 6005 kHz. Easiest way to hear R SAWA is to try i.e. 11670 kHz around 05 UTC. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen and Matti Ponkamo Turku/Naantali FINLAND, hard-core-dx via DXLD) R. Sawa HAS been heard here in Eastern Finland every evening this week with normal signal on 981 kHz. Now at 1630 the signal is very good. But note that it carries separate programming stream than 1548 kHz. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** EL SALVADOR? 17833.25, 1857...2305+, 20-Sep; het but no audio; too much QRM from BBC in English on 17830 via Ascension till they went off at 2059:30, but still no detectable audio. 2155, QRM is Radio Canada via Japan s/on 17835 in French and continued in Chinese at 2300. First sign of audio at 2250 with music, but very buried. Presume Radio Imperial reported on this frequency recently (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hello all, additionally to the fine info on Radio Imperial, 17833v, on http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtb02.html and http://www.worldofradio.com/dxld2147.txt I just found http://www.gospelcom.net/lpea/spanish/radio/elsalvador.html which indicates also that this is a normal shortwave transmission rather than a harmonic. 73, (Willi Passmann http://www.radio-portal.org _/_/ The Radio Search Engine Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) The same Luis Palau site was referenced here months ago in the previous surge of interest in this outlet. Note that 17835 is also shown for YSKO in San Miguel (gh, DXLD) ** FINLAND. The station at Preiviiki [near Poro] at present uses all its capacity for Radio Finland, but when the external broadcasts are reduced, the French TDF may buy more than the 49% of the shares it owns today, and then leasing of airtime to other broadcasters is likely (Anker Petersen, DSWCI report on EDXC Conference in August via DXLD) Previous reports implied but did not state explicitly that the weekly Capital Weekend English hour has been cancelled already; yes, nothing audible at 0007 UT Sunday Sept 22 check on 13730, 11990 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I've put online some scanned pics made at the European DX Conference in Pori. Find them at: http://members.v3space.com/estrella/fin2002/indexen.htm or http://dxsignal.by.ru/fin2002/indexen.htm (Or, alternatively, come to http://listen.to/dxsignal, click on English flag, then select DX Library and Finland 2002) 73 & good DX, (Dmitry Mezin, Russia, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** FRANCE. Another possible TIS station, on 25775 AM, heard from 1200 past 1900 UT, first on Sept 19, stronger than last year`s La Rochelle outlets on 11m. Has a 51-52 minute loop, half in French, half in English (Alan Roberts, QC, 1918 UT Sept 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 25775.1, FRANCE UNID (possibly Comité Department du Tourisme de la Charente-Maritime), 1850-2110 Sep 14 and again 2010-2035 Sept 15, noted with French language features and pop songs followed by English segments. No IDs noted but English features were called Weekend Adventures and include discussion about Normandy, interview with author Tiffany Capote about her book "Regards to Indochina," feature about an image technology park in France and music by Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin before returning to French program. The host was a guy named Eric with some narration help from a Peggy Thompson. Poor to fair reception with some very deep fades. Also, noted again at 2105 Sep 16 and 1430 Sep 21 with Rolling Stones "Brown Sugar" but with a much weaker signal (Richard D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** GREECE. Effective 21 Sep, Voice of Greece will use 5865 (instead of 12105) for its broadcast at 1900-2100 (via Fyodor Brazhnikov, Irkutsk, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** GREECE [non]. Glenn, Regarding DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-145, you might want to know, that after this weekend's games, the Greek soccer league games will take a break for about a month. They will resume on October 26. That way you don't have to worry about your favorite program being pre-empted by a ballgame. Unlike you, I enjoy listening to the soccer games, however what I don't understand is the break in the transmission from Delano between 1500-1600 UT. This break usually happens in the middle of the game, and when the transmission resumes at 1600, the game I was listening to is usually over (Chris Rigas, IL, Sept 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4845, R. K`ekchí, 1036 21 Sept, Very strong signal now but audio a little distorted. Caught canned FM promo in echo by man as "Aquí estéreo 92, su progreso FM FM". Finally live male at 1039 in K`ekchí followed by usual full canned ID, and contuined with live M again (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. IT'S ALL EYES ON ISIDORE FOR HURRICANE WATCH NET, W4EHW NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 20, 2002 -- With Isidore now upgraded to a category 2 hurricane, members of the Hurricane Watch Net are continuing to keep their eyes on the storm, which is closing in on Western Cuba. A Tropical Storm Watch for the lower Florida Keys has been discontinued, however. According to the HWN, tropical storm warnings and hurricane watches now have been posted for portions of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula -- including the island of Cozumel. "All interests in and along the Yucatán Peninsula and Gulf Coast Areas should pay close attention as Isidore moves into the warm Gulf of Mexico by Saturday," an announcement on the Net's Web site warned. The HWN activated on 14.325 MHz September 19 for the first time this hurricane season, while Isidore was still a tropical storm. The storm has continued to gain strength, however, and now packs winds of 100 MPH, with higher gusts. As of 1800 UT September 20, the National Hurricane Center was predicting that Isidore was about to make landfall over Western Cuba. A hurricane warning remained in effect for several provinces. Well-known Cuban amateur and International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 Area C Emergency Coordinator Arnie Coro, CO2KK, said it appeared that the main impact of the storm was poised to strike the Isle of Youth (Isla de la Juventud) and the western part of Pinar del Rio Province. "We request that 7040 kHz, 3740 kHz and 7125 kHz be protected if all at possible," Coro said, adding that there were excellent relay stations at several locations. He said amateur operators were deployed at CO9BNA at the Cuban weather service, Instituto de Meteorología. Isidore was moving at about 8 MPH to the west-northwest. Heavy rainfall of up to 30 inches and damaging surf conditions were forecast for the storm's path. Official advisories are available on the NHC Web site. Assistant Amateur Radio Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4JR, at W4EHW at the National Hurricane Center, reported that W4EHW also commenced operations on September 19. W4EHW has HF stations on both 20 and 40 meters. W4EHW is collecting reports via APRS, e-mail and its on-line Hurricane Reporting Form. The Hurricane Watch Net and W4EHW at the National Hurricane Center work hand-in-hand to gather and disseminate real-time, ground-level weather data and damage reports from Amateur Radio operators to assist forecasters. The HWN also functions as a backup communication link for the NHC, emergency operating centers and the National Weather Service (ARRL via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ITALY. World of Radio on Studio X --- time change: see top ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. "You are listening to Radio Dat -- Free Radio for Free Citizens of Kazakhstan!" Since 8 August, people in Kazakhstan can tune in to Radio Dat in Kazakh and Russian languages. (In Kazakh, "Dat" can be translated as, "I demand a say," and was used by Kazakh nomads when they wanted to be given the floor during public discussions.) While it is not clear which country serves as the home base for the new station, it is clear that the number of such underground media outlets may grow -- particularly if Kazakhstan's hot summer is followed by a hot autumn and a hot winter (Merhat Sharipzhan, reporter for RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, [concluding a much longer article] RFE/RL Media Matters Sept 20 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. CLANDESTINE: 6348 Echo of Hope, via KBS, Korean Broadcasting System, #18, Yoido-dong, Youngdungpo-gu, Seul 150-790, South Korea. QSL card from KBS full data in 77 days. Sent KBS magazines (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, Cumbre DX via DXLD) So KBS openly acknowledge they are responsible for this station? Or `automatic` response like UMC for the wrong R. Africa International? see AUSTRIA (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Original report said Han Hee Joo was becoming Executive Director of RKI, but when I finally was able to listen to her final Multiwave Feedback show ondemand --- it took them over a week to put it up --- she said `Assistant Director` (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. Laser / Caroline: see UK [and non] ** NEW ZEALAND. Allen Little from ZLXA advises their web-site has been revamped. It looks very good too! Photos of the aerial and studios etc. Some pages are not yet completed and I'm sure the photo gallery will be interesting too... maybe some snaps of DXers tuning in ZLXA from the other side of the world will appear! http://www.radioreading.org (Paul Ormandy, NZ, Sept 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA [non]. GERMANY - 5905 V. of New Nigeria via Juelich. PFC, nice letter, sked, and photo of Julich facility in 135 days for followup on a 1997 logging. V/S Walter Brodowsky, Account Manager (John Wilkins, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX Sept 20 via DXLD) Service is long gone now (gh, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3275, R. Southern Highlands, 1043-1107 21 Sept, Long talk by M at tunein with mention of province, talk. Nice island music at 1050. Live native vocals at 1053. 1056 different male with mention of "goodnight", then another M announcer in vernacular, 1003 live M announcer with mentions of Southern Highlands, talk talk, then long English PSA for a provincial educational conference held several nights next week. Slightly distorted during talk at tunein, better audio later. Fair with slight local noise. Picked up towards local sunrise at 1101. 3235, R. West New Britain, 1110-1128 21 Sept, Saturday evening countdown program with male announcer host. 1116 gave a live PSA thanking the informer several times in English. Different M announcer then, followed by fast Punk-like song. Male announcer again w/"good evening", song announcement, mention of Saturday night, listener acknowledgment, long list of PSAs. Fairly decent signal but faded quickly after 1120, plus the local noise became too great. No Manus this morning. 73's (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, USA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. 3172.78, 1000 prompt sign on but still in the mud at 1020, best with the 10 meter ground wire antenna 20 Sept. R75, Drake R7, NRD 535D modified, Sony 2010 (Bob Wilkner, Margate, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See previous for presumed ID ** PERU. 4995.60, R. Andina, 1023-1032 21 Sept, very long ad and promo block from tunein. One at 1029 mentioned about 20 OA towns and the next at 1031 included IDs and mention of "la voz de esperanza". Still going with announcements when I left at 1034. Nice signal this morning with a little QRM from WWV bleedover (Dave Valko, Dunlo, PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. RADIO SAN ANTONIO AM-FM, ATALAYA, TARGETS FAR-FLUNG RURALS Submitted by Señor Rafael Rodríguez of Bogotá, Colombia Atalaya, Perú (special) -- Radio San Antonio AM-FM— ``Volunteer radio at the service of education and cultural exchange among peoples.`` Radio San Antonio belongs to the Parish of Atalaya. A radio station at the service of education, it is formative and spreads the Christian faith; its programming is varied and complete: there are programs of news, health, education, the environment, and national and international music. ``The FM transmitter is of ESSE CI manufacture with 130 watts of power, operating on 95.5 MHz, from a tower 31 meters high. For shortwave, we depend upon an Omnitronic transmitter of American manufacture with 1,000 watts of power and operating on 4940 kHz, in the 60-meter band. The antenna is an inverted V with an elevation of 15 meters. Radio San Antonio AM-FM is kept solvent by donations and volunteer help. The transmitters, equipment, and accessories are donations from individual people and institutions, both Peruvian and foreign. ``The shortwave is directed with the distant, rural listener of Atalaya province in mind; it is in rural areas that one finds the greater part of the population lives, but where the educational efforts of the Government and the Church do not reach because of lack of means, roads, and the enormous distances between one town and the next.`` Database: RADIO SAN ANTONIO AM-FM: OBW8U 95.5 Mhz FM, OAW5A 4940 Khz shortwave. Señor Juan López Encinas, director. Calle Iquitos 499, Villa Atalaya, Ucayali, Perú. Tel. + 51 64 461240 E-mail: rasat@terra.com.pe (Sept 23 Catholic Radio Update, Sept 21 via DXLD) ** POLAND [non]. Dear Glenn --- Tried to get a good ID from R. Maryja, but the best reception (5x5) is at sign on, on 15455, but the last two mornings they only had an ID in Polish...but I'll keep on trying a few more days...anyway, here's the 12010 ID at 15 UT. 73, (Erik Køie, Denmark, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [recording was enclosed] ** RUSSIA. What transmitter carries the signal of Voice of Russia's Sodruzhestvo service in Russian on 9735 kHz? Time is 1300-1500. Some electronic sources distribute VoR official schedule, but surprisingly it does not contain Sodruzhestvo program before 1400 at all. 9735 kHz is not reflected in schedule either. Frequency is apparently in use since 5th September. The signal is very strong in Astrakhan. But it's unfortunately co-channeled with TWR Russian broadcast (Vasily Gulyaev, Astrakhan, Russia) You may open the handbook "Broadcasting in Russian" (electronic version is available at http://www.radio.hobby.ru/download.html and read on page 37: 1300-1400 9735 250 Samara 140/CAsia Obviously the next hour (1400-1500) is from the same site? (Konstantin Gusev, Moscow, Russia, Signal Sept 21 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. According to Russian online sources, digital tests (DRM) are being conducted via a transmitter in Moscow on 1134 kHz since 11 September, with Radio Mayak as programme feed. This transmitter is listed with 20 kW at Kurkino and is scheduled to carry a relay of Radio TEOS from St. Peterburg during the evening hours (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Sept 19, MWDX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. (Eur.) 11945 Radio Space Moscow via Balashikha. I sent a follow-up for my report of March 1992 (to their address in Moscow) after seeing a reply posted by Jerry Berg. After a response of 117 days, received a full data Radio Space Staff Card with site, it was signed by Andrey Nekrasov. What was different was it was mailed from a US address! The return address was Andrey Nekrasov, 8678 Bay Parkway, Apt. B7, Brooklyn N.Y. 11214 USA (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, Sept 20, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ?? What was this? I don`t recall such a `station` (gh, DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. MEDIA BODY CURBS PRESS FREEDOM -- Reporters sans Frontières (Paris) September 13, 2002 Posted to the web September 16, 2002 ...At the end of August, the IMC refused an operating licence to West Africa Democracy Radio (WADR) for reasons of "national security" and "public safety." The station wanted to broadcast on short-wave nationwide and in other countries of the Mano River Union (Liberia and Guinea). The IMC said Sierra Leone had been destabilised in the past by groups based in these two countries. http://allafrica.com/stories/200209160700.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 21 via DXLD) ** U K. BBC ENGLISH: NOT TO EDUCATE, BUT TO REFLECT Ginko Kobayashi, Special to The Daily Yomiuri There is a movement away from Received Pronunciation, which has acted as the standard for spoken English in Britain for many years. This is the first of a two-part series on changes in the standard of English. LONDON --- Smooth, serious and respected, BBC news has held a special place in people's hearts since the world's largest noncommercial broadcaster was established in the 1920s. Though highly praised as the purveyor of the best spoken English and viewed as a world standard, BBC English--based on Received Pronunciation (RP), the English spoken by the upper and upper-middle classes in Britain--has at times been accused of being too square or snobbish. How has this standard been kept intact, and what, if any, changes have occurred over the years? To find out, I visited the BBC Television Centre in London to meet Peter Donaldson, chief announcer at BBC Radio Four.... http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020917wob2.htm (via Jill Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 21 via DXLD) ** U K. BBC OFFERS STAFF JOB SWITCH FOR A DAY London, Sep 19. The 25,000 employees at the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) are being invited by their boss to switch to another job for 24 hours in a bid to boost morale. http://news.sify.com/cgi-bin/sifynews/news/content/news_fullstory_v2.jsp?article_oid=11944315&page_no=1 (via Jill Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 21 via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. "LOOMING LASER LIGHTENS LETHARGIC LEGACY" The latest news from Caroline Central http://www.carolinecentral.com Silent since its July tests from Latvia using 5935 kHz short-wave, LaserRadio.net has started to hint at its future plans. These seem to include a multi-platform approach to delivering programming, which will include shortwave, the internet and Sky Digital. Commenting on the non-stop music tests from LaserRadio.Net during July, spokesman Dave Graham told Caroline Central, "Our primary target is the UK. We need to get an acceptable signal back into the UK. Today's radio listeners will not tolerate the type of fading and interference that was the everyday norm when listening to Radio Luxembourg. Unfortunately, the signal from Latvia was similar. It will be our intention to use such transmitters in the future as part of our multi-platform approach, but our core platform will have to be something far more acceptable." Pressed to explain this further, Graham added, "The only 'free' platform in the UK is Sky Digital, but that won't be enough on its own. We are looking at a 24-7 Sky Digital service, integrated with a fascinating internet based back-up service, and specialist programming also using AM or short-wave as we see the need." Asked about WorldSpace, he pointed out that the UK was the target of the LaserRadio.net broadcasts. "We are about breaking down barriers throughout Europe and the World, but right now the UK audience are starved of 'free radio'. They are all too quickly forgotten. We need to get to them first as a matter of urgency." Discussing the programming, Graham explained that a lot was being kept 'under wraps', but "We will be the ultimate anoraks' station. We aim to bring that famous Laser fever pitch back to radio, and to move ordinary members of the public to become anoraks again!" Further announcements about LaserRadio.Net can be expected towards the end of October. http://www.carolinecentral.com/news/39.html Want to comment on this story? Talk about it on The Caroline Community by hitting 'Respond' or e-mailing caroline@carolinecentral.com News you wish to share? E-mail it to newsdesk@carolinecentral.com. (via Mike Terry, Sept 21, DXLD) ** U S A. VOA CHIEF RESIGNS UNDER PRESSURE By Eli J. Lake, UPI State Department Correspondent From the International Desk Published 8/29/2002 6:40 PM WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The director of the Voice of America resigned Thursday under pressure from the Broadcasting Board of Governors over his tenure as chief of the U.S. government's largest foreign broadcast service. "Basically this guy had zero credibility (with the board)," one source familiar with the dynamics between Reilly and the governors -- who oversee the Voice of America as well as Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, Radio Sawa and Radio Marti -- told United Press International. In a statement released to the press, Robert Reilly said he had left to "seek opportunities in which I can more directly employ my talents in helping support the president and this administration in the war against international terrorism." Reilly was named director of VOA shortly after Sept. 11 and was quickly faced with balancing pressures from Congress and the White House to remake America's image abroad while contending with a news department dwarfed by recent budget cuts. "He wanted to be all things to all people," said the source, "he wanted to be loved by the staff, loved by the board and loved by the unions. He wound up being loved by none of them." Indeed, in July the Broadcasting Board of Governors ordered Reilly to find money for a new 24 hour Farsi service to be broadcast into Iran. To meet the budget needs, Reilly opted to close VOA news offices in Brussels, Geneva, Hong Kong, Mexico City and Tokyo. His announcement to the news staff earlier this month was met largely with contempt, according to one VOA reporter who asked not to be identified. Reilly will be replaced by David Jackson, a former correspondent for Time Magazine and editor in chief of DefendAmerica.gov, the Defense Department's Web site for the war on terrorism. "The board is delighted to have a journalist of Jackson's experience to lead VOA in a period when it must play an important role in presenting the truth about what is happening in the world," Kenneth Tomlinson, the BBG's newly confirmed chairman, said in a statement Thursday. "I'm very excited about this opportunity to join such a respected organization, and I'm looking forward to working with my fellow journalists to carry on and enhance VOA's worldwide reputation," Jackson said. Reilly said he would remain with VOA for a period of time to help Jackson during the transition. VOA broadcasts news worldwide in English and 52 other languages. Copyright © 2002 United Press International (via Jill Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 21 via DXLD) ** U S A. Voice of America is beginning to refer to itself as "Voz de América" in its Latin America broadcasts, rather than "Voz de Los Estados Unidos, [de América]" as during the past 45-50 years! To mere mortals, that may mean little, but it's a tremendous change for anyone who has know VOA for decades. It had very frequently been referring to itself as "Voa [Boa, like the snake]" for years, as have its listeners (Charlie Taylor, Delano, Sept 19, IRCA via DXLD) About time; yes, we know the Latins are just as much Americans as we are, but they should accept our calling the station by its proper name without taking offense (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Hi, I'm back to listening after a hiatus and would like to listen to Music Time in Africa but don't know when or where. If anyone can help I'd appreciate it. Thanks - (Jim, ODXA via DXLD) VOA at 1730 and 1930 UT Sun. Try 17895, 15580. 15455, 15410 (John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) I was trying to confirm that, wasted several minutes hunting thru VOA websites for a simple program schedule, gave up and complained to Kim. Last I noticed 15580 wasn`t on before 1800. Excellent show. I did find that it`s available ondemand among many others (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Spectrum returned two weeks ago (0300 UT Sundays on 5070). It`s via phone line. Latest woes: they lost the building where studio was in NJ. Also, there was a break-in before they could vacate and a lot of gear stolen. They`re running it out of a living room. Over the years, what was once a good show has become a comedy. I sent my remarks last month. They were off 2 or 3 weeks. Omega is in limbo. Over the years they`ve lost Hal Turner and The Right Perspective. Limping by now (Bob Thomas, CT, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7489.95, WJIE, Upton KY; 2302-2313+, 20-Sep; Lengthy ID 2311 then Grace Fellowship religious program. All in EE. SIO=544/strong signal but audio broken up (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Yes, I noticed they were back around 1700 UT Sept 20 after a week off. Further spot checks UT Sept 21: after 0500 strong open carrier; 1200 mixing with DVR, no WOR on Sat; after 1300 missing; before 1400 back (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WRNO Worldwide on 7354.9v at 0100 with off the wall religious talk on 9/11, America and God. Strong signal but distorted with very poor modulation. Tough copy and almost unlistenable on the R75/SE-3, but the Palstar/SE-3 provided listenable audio. Not earth shattering DX by any means, but this is the first time I've noticed them in quite a while. 73, (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN, Sept 20, Cumbre DX via DXLD) N.B., WDX6AA ** U S A. WMLK, 9465, Sept. 2 *1502-1530+, usual English preaching about Yahweh. Very, very weak. Barely audible. Carrier fairly strong but just very low modulation. Gone at 1740 check. Never heard this weak before. Mon-Fri only (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg PA, groundwave range?, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I finally received a reply September 19 from WWRB - via email. It was in response to my latest follow-up report on September 16. Here it is: "This is to confirm the reception report of WWRB. Sorry for the delay in the QSL response; we are still under the construction of station WWRB and all efforts are diverted to this since the FCC only gives a certain amount of allotted time." (Monte B. Carroll, WC4MBC, Nashville, Tennessee USA, rec.radio.shortwave via Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) No data? How is this worth anything? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. STATE MILITIA ON DECLINE AFTER LEADER IMPRISONED http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2002/09/08/ke090802s272373.htm (via Jill Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 21 via DXLD) Viz.: Outfit tries to regroup, but few are interested By Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The militia movement in Kentucky, once a stronghold of paramilitary activity in the United States, appears to be waning. With former Kentucky State Militia commander Charlie Puckett in prison and Steve Anderson -- another high-profile member of the group -- being sought as a fugitive, the militia is in disarray, despite recent efforts to regroup. The state militia is dead without Puckett's leadership, militiaman Roger Shanks of Lancaster said recently when Puckett was sentenced to 30 months in prison on federal weapons charges. ''It's not anymore,'' Shanks said when asked how the organization is faring. ''When I joined, I joined because of Charlie Puckett.'' The Kentucky militia's decline follows a national trend that has seen the number of civilian paramilitary groups drop from 858 in 1996 to 158 last year. Militia activists cite a number of reasons for the decline, from apathy about what the government is doing to federal prosecutions of militia leaders. But militias are trying to reorganize, including Kentucky's. ''We're just deciding where we go next'' since losing Puckett, said Terry Lee Ingram, a state militiaman who said he's a master sergeant in the group. Ingram said an Aug. 20 meeting for members was ''postponed due to lack of participation,'' but will be rescheduled on a weekend. The original date, on a weeknight, made it difficult for members with jobs to attend, he said. The sharp growth of militias and patriot groups followed the 1993 siege of Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and the 11day Ruby Ridge standoff in 1992 in Idaho with fugitive Randy Weaver. With the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City in April 1995, militias saw a surge in membership as critics of the federal government claimed the government engineered the bombing to crack down on potential terror groups. In Kentucky, the state militia met regularly and held training sessions in which members were schooled in survival and guerrilla warfare. But virtually all of the activity has stopped. IN RECENT YEARS, militias have had little to rally around, said Mark Pitcavage, national director of fact-finding for the New York-based Anti-Defamation League and a militia expert. ''They have not had a cause celebre,'' he said. Even people in the movement acknowledge that interest has declined. ''I don't think people are educated enough to know how much the militia is needed,'' said Patrick Perry, a former Kentucky militia member who ran the group's Web site until last spring. Mark Potok, a spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., said that Norm Olson, the head of the Northern Michigan Militia-Wolverines, recently announced he is moving to Alaska ''because he couldn't get anyone to come to meetings. He's disappointed in the fact that all the patriots have disappeared and gone back to their TV sets and wives and children.'' Another prominent Michigan militiaman, Mark Koernke, was convicted last year on charges stemming from a high-speed police pursuit. Koernke founded the Patriot Broadcasting Network and hosted a pro- militia shortwave radio talk show, ''The Intelligence Report.'' Some militiamen and others blame the movement's decline on criminal prosecutions of such activists. ''It seems like a kind of Greek tragedy sort of thing -- cut the head off the snake and the body will die,'' Ingram said. Charles Whitley, a friend of Puckett's who isn't in the militia, said he's convinced the case against Puckett was designed to destroy the militia in Kentucky. BUT U.S. Attorney Greg Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky denied that. ''We really don't focus on the group in this instance as much as we do an individual involved in illegal conduct,'' Van Tatenhove said. ''As federal law enforcement we've not targeted the militia, but in the militia some participating personalities have emerged who are committed to illegal acts. Mr. Puckett is an example of that.'' Pitcavage said the decline of civilian paramilitary groups has happened faster in other parts of the country than in the Midwest, where militias have remained relatively strong. Kentucky, however, appears to be an exception for the region, he said. According to Potok, the passing of Y2K drained some of the interest in militias. Some groups claimed there would be an apocalyptic event as the new century came: The United Nations would take over the country, or the Clinton administration would use the failure of computers to declare marshal law. ''None of those things happened,'' Potok said. ''This really set off a lot of patriots who felt they had been led down the primrose path.'' The criminal cases also hurt, Pitcavage said, citing Puckett's arrest, the Anderson matter and a case out of Cloverdale, Ind., in which two leaders of the 14th regiment of the Indiana State Militia were charged with plotting to kill another member of the group. ''That really kind of puts a damper on mild-mannered ones who don't want to be arrested,'' he said. PUCKETT, 56, was charged in February with possessing firearms, pipe bombs and nearly 35,000 rounds of ammunition in violation of federal law. One of the charges alleged he also had a device to convert a rifle from semiautomatic to automatic fire. Two weeks after being charged, Puckett fled house arrest, only to return to Lancaster in Garrard County in April, with his attorney saying he had left the militia. Puckett pleaded guilty in May to possessing a handgun, attempting to intimidate a witness and possessing an instrument used to convert a rifle into a machine gun. Anderson, a white supremacist who operated an illegal radio station from his Pulaski County home, was kicked out of the state militia last fall, about the time he allegedly shot at a police officer who tried to stop him for a traffic violation. Anderson fled into the woods and hasn't been seen since. Ingram said Anderson caused division in the militia with his extreme views, especially among Western Kentucky members who broke off and created their own group, 911/ KSM. But Jesse Horn, former commander of 911/KSM, said last week that the group is ''pretty much dissolved. I know a lot of people who still say they're active but they just don't come out. Everybody wants to go to the Wal-Mart, go to a game, stay at home and watch cable TV.'' Horn said apathy about what goes on in the government and the militia's negative image in media reports have made it nearly impossible to recruit new members or keep old members active. He also blamed the prosecutions. ''Everybody is still out there, but it's no use playing the game with these people,'' he said, referring to federal law enforcement. FOR CRITICS, the militia decline is welcome. They note the ties of some members to the Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups. Anderson, for example, allegedly held KKK meetings on his property and was a member of the anti-Jewish Christian Identity Movement. State Rep. Kathy Stein, D-Lexington, the only Jewish member of Kentucky's General Assembly, said she doesn't think Puckett or Anderson ''had anything good planned for this commonwealth.'' But Ingram said the militia was never about racism, religious hatred or opposing the government. It was to provide a backup for the Kentucky National Guard if needed, he said. ''This was not a right-wing, gun-nut type of organization,'' he said. ''. . . We raised our hands and swore the same oath that a police officer or a member of the armed services swears.'' Van Tatenhove, the federal prosecutor, said militia activity still concerns him, despite its weakened state. ''I do think to the extent that the militia movement moves to the fringe, it's an unhealthy thing -- particularly because of that tendency to become anti-government and to fabricate justifications for operating outside of the law,'' he said (Louisville Courier-Journal Sept 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. Looks like we have a pirate here in Topeka. Over the last several days I've been hearing something on 94.7 --- sometimes dead carrier but usually gangsta rap. Now that WIBW-FM has moved, the pirate has taken over 97.3. Finally caught a voice this morning, ID'ing as "KAOS 94.7" and playing 70's and 80's punk --- heavy on the Clash and Ramones. 73, (Todd K0KAN Sept 21, AMFMTVDX mailing list via DXLD) ** U S A. The 100 Mile-Per-Gallon Carburetor HOW ULTRA WIDE BAND MAY (OR MAY NOT) CHANGE THE WORLD By ``Robert X. Cringely`` http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20020124.html (via Robert Ellis, Sept CIDX Messenger, via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 6010, Emisora Ciudad de Montevideo, Montevideo, 1620-1628, Sep 21, Spanish, musical program, ads, TC and ID, 35333. 6140, Radio Montecarlo, Montevideo, 1640-1700, Sep 21, Spanish, musical and News program, ads Montecable, 35443 (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. 4939.65, R. Amazonas, *1000 Sep 14 (though carrier had been on for at least 40 minutes). Opened with frequency announcement, then YV NA, long anthem of the state, then programming ended until picked up again around 1015. So-so signal. Also heard 0100 Sep 12, light Spanish vocals, announcements in between, bad modulation, and voice less strong than music (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Según un reporte del 18/09, el ingeniero en jefe de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, Ismael Arrae, informó que la emisora acaba de adquirir dos transmisores de AM y tres de FM. Uno de los transmisores de AM (de 25 kW), será para el canal 1310 kHz de Puerto La Cruz (ciudad ubicada al oriente del país); y el otro (de 50 kW), será para el canal de 1240 kHz, ubicado en la península de Paraguaná (en la parte occidental de Venezuela). Saludos (desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA, Adán González, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. The Voice of Vietnam continues to use several HF channels for relaying its Domestic Service to rural areas. 5925 *2200-1600* (XM) 50 kW 5975 *2200-1600* (ST) 50 kW 6020 *2200-1600* (ST) 20 kW 7210 *2200-1600* (ST) 20 kW 9530 *2200-1400* (ST) 50 kW 9875 *0200-1000* (ST) 50 kW These channels carry relays of Networks 1, 2, 3 or 4, to a varying schedule, in Vietnamese, as well as programming in various dialects for ethnic communities. Network 1: Mainly news Network 2: Mainly educational and cultural features] Network 3: Music and news Network 4: Programming for ethnic minorities At 0200, 5925, 5975 6020 7210 9530 and 9875 all carry the same news summary from Hanoi. The Hmong Service, which is part of Network 4, has recently extended its transmission hours, to accommodate extended broadcasts to ethnic minorities, as foreshadowed in EDXP earlier in 2002. New frequencies in the 9 MHz band are now in use, to improve coverage during daylight hours. This is now heard: 5035 *2200-0000* (XM) 15 kW (previously *2200-2300*) 5035 *1130-1330* (XM) 15 kW (previously *1200-1200*) 6165 *2200-0000* (XM) 50 kW (previously *2200-2300*) 6165 *1130-1330* (XM) 50 kW (previously *2200-2300*) 9855 *0430-0600* (XM) 50 kW (previously *0500-0600*, new frequency) 9650 *0430-0600* (XM) 50 kW (additional new frequency) Both of the new frequencies 9855 and 9650 gave excellent reception in the countries I visited. Until recently, the morning and evening services were carried on 5 and 6 MHz, and the midday service only on 6 MHz. Now, the midday broadcast is on 9 MHz. Transmitter locations: XM Xuan Mai ST Son Tai Note: The transmitter operating on 9875 also carries the VOV Asian Service (Network-6) at other times, on 7285, to this schedule: 0000-0030 Khmer 0030-0100 Lao 1100-1130 English 1130-1200 Thai 1200-1230 Khmer 1230-1300 Lao 1300-1330 Russian 1330-1400 Khmer 1400-1430 Lao 1430-1500 Mandarin 1500-1530 Cantonese Domestic radio broadcasting in Vietnam is being continually developed and extended. Population coverage is now more than 90%, and the government plans for each household to have at least one radio set. There are 61 provincial stations and 528 district stations, including 319 operating on VHF. The remainder are on MF. There are also over 5000 public address systems operating at village level. Half of the district stations have been upgraded to achieve better coverage, and all remote and mountain districts now have low powered VHF transmitters (Bob Padula, Electronic DX Press Sept 13 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. CANADA. 9840, Radio Voice of Vietnam via Sackville. Full data logo card with site in 83 days. I reported the site as Son Tay, but dispute my evidence as being this site, the result was the above (Ed Kusalik, Alberta, Sept 20, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I still don`t believe it. What were time, language? Would not be first time a station doesn`t know its own schedule. 9840 is a longtime direct frequency, doesn`t show on RCI schedules. More evidence that QSLs don`t necessarily prove anything (gh, DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. Hi Glenn, R Yugoslavia resumed SW broadcasts today Sept 20 (first heard on 6100 at 1713). English heard on 6100 at 1830 UT so must be sticking to their published schedule. English transmission started with message from Director of R Yugoslavia about resumption of SW. (Thanks to the tip from Media Network) (Website actually said SW broadcasts restarted "Friday 9 September" but as there is no such date, presume they meant today?) [earlier:] Radio Yugoslavia heard again on shortwave this evening - well known interval signal on 6100 (pres via Bijeljina, Bosnia-H) at 1713 UT and programme in (presumed) Bulgarian at 1715. If they're sticking to their published schedule - English should be at 1830 UT on 6100 (to Eur). Other English scheduled: 0000 9580 (except Sun) to N Am 0430 9580 to N Am 2100 6100 to Eur 2200 7230 (except Sat) to Aus (all programmes half hour) Full schedule at: http://www.radioyu.org/ 73s (Alan Pennington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Yugoslavia heard on 6100 Sept. 20 in Russian at 1800 and English 1830, announcing the agreement to operate via Bijeljina followed by news. Strong signal with some audio hum. At 1858 IS on 7200 followed by Spanish 1900. Their A02 sched for the rest of today should be: 6100 : 1930 Serbian, 2000 German, 2030 French, 2100-2130 English 7230 : 2130 Serbian, 2200-2230 English 9580 : 2230 Chinese, 2300 Spanish, 2330 Serbian, 0000 English, 0030- 0100 Serbian and 0430-0500 English. next transmission 1400 in Arabic on 11800 [1430, it says to me -- gh] 7200 is occupied by what sounds Sudan in Arabic. News c1803 then talk and typical Sudanese sounding music and song. And at 1900 IRIB IS heard followed by programme in Hebrew - Kol David? (Noel R. Green, Blackpool, UK, Sept 20th, Cumbre DX via DXLD) From the Radio Yugoslavia website: We would like to inform our listeners that after a several-month break, during which it published news bulletins on the Internet, Radio Yugoslavia will resume its short-wave programming in 12 foreign languages and in Serbian for the diaspora on Friday, September 9 [sic]. Radio Yugoslavia's morning and evening news bulletins in Serbian, French, Spanish and Russian can be found at http://www.radioyu.org INFORMATION Well, right now (2020) 6100 is on, but all they broadcast is their interval signal. [Later:] Now at 2030 Radio Yugoslavia on 6100 started French. On the Radio Yugoslavia website the page for German news is empty, too, so apparently they just have no editorial staff for German broadcasts at present. By the way, I wonder if the now finished silence period was really the result of legal problems again, since I recall earlier reports describing it as just another case of "pay no bills, get no mainpower". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear listeners, at the beginning of our programme, and on the occasion of the resumed short-wave transmission, here is a message by the director of Radio Yugoslavia, Milena Jokich. After a several-month intermission, Radio Yugoslavia is again transmitting its short-wave programme from transmitters in Bijeljina, the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The licence for programme transmission issued to Radio Yugoslavia by the Communications Regulatory Agency in Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the basis of a framework agreement reached between the Ministerial Council of B-H and the Yugoslav leadership, is a result of mutual efforts to arrange this field of cooperation between the two countries in the spirit of the Dayton Accords. We would like to thank CRA representatives and the Ministerial Council of B-H for their understanding owing to which the programme of Radio Yugoslavia, which has existed for more than 65 years, can again be heard all over the world and in our diaspora in 12 languages and Serbian. We are also grateful to you, dear listeners, for writing to us during the period when we were present only at the Internet and looking forward to the resumption of our programme. Your letters in which the most frequent question was why we are not in the ether represented a valuable support to us. Now you will be receiving important and objective information through short-wave transmissions and the Internet. You will be informed about all the important events at the political, economic, cultural and social scene in the country. We wish you a good reception and are looking forward to your remarks and suggestions in future as well. (not dated; I found this message on radioyu.org on Sept. 20) (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nothing heard except hams on 7230 at 2200, nor was RY expected here; but I was waiting on 9580 at 2358, and there was their very nice IS again, 0000 sharp opening in English, starting with reading the statement about the SW resumption. It seems no one has jumped on their frequency in the meantime, leaving it open. How considerate. Not so good at 0430 repeat; 9580 itself fairly clear, but RY weaker now, splash from Bonaire 9590, and VOA 9575. Now RY need to work on their accents... (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Glenn, Thanx to tip via DXLD 2-147, I logged Radio Yugoslavia (via Bosnia?) as detailed below. 9/21 0440-0502* 9580 R. Yugoslavia - News heard at tune-in followed by "singing" ID at 0442. Program "Front Pages(?)" with newspaper lead stories; topics regarding elections and candidates. Program; "(Yugoslav?) Heritage" featuring native music. Closing announcements; "Thank you for listening to our programs"; Tas [?]/frequencies and IS(piano?) before sign-off. Fair signal but "splatter" via 9575 VOA hampered reception; tuning up to 9582 helped (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glad to hear Radio Yugoslavia is back. Hearing them here in English on 9580 at 0434 UT on 9/21/02. They signed on late at 0433. Nice signal using USB to avoid interference (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Yugoslavia on 9,579.99 kHz at 0005 in English with news. In the clear with a very good signal although there seems to be some humm in the audio. Thanks to Noel for the tip! 73, (Brandon Jordan, Memphis TN, Cumbre DX Sept 20 via DXLD) Hi Glenn, I was wondering if anyone else has noticed this announcement on the Radio Yugoslavia Web site, which is why I was unable to say for sure when they would resume. I just checked and it's still there as of Saturday morning, with no indication that they have actually resumed. "We would like to inform our listeners that after a several-month break, during which it published news bulletins on the Internet, Radio Yugoslavia will resume its short-wave programming in 12 foreign languages and in Serbian for the diaspora on Friday, September 9." Is Yugoslavia really 11 days behind the rest of us? :-) 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, Sept 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. ZBC ROBBING MOTORISTS 9/18/02 8:38:02 AM (GMT +2) By Pedzisai Ruhanya, Chief Reporter In its desperate bid to raise money, the financially troubled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) is illegally collecting funds from motorists who have radios in their vehicles, investigations have revealed... http://www.dailynews.co.zw/daily/2002/September/September18/7232.html (via Jill Dybka, TN, NASWA Flashsheet Sept 21 via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ HATE RADIO UPDATED Hello from Hilversum, For some time now we've been working on major updates to our dossier Counteracting Hate Radio. But there have been so many developments in recent months that we decided to publish it this week, even though there is still some additional material which we will add as soon as possible. We'll also be adding audio clips of some of the stations mentioned in the dossier. Some people believe that Hate Radio is a phenomenon that started and ended in the mid-90's, notably in the Great Lakes region of Africa around Burundi and Rwanda. This dossier shows that hate radio continues to be a constant danger. Hate radio killed more than 800,000 people in the last decade. Its influence should not be ignored. This is very much a "work in progress", and we invite your comments, questions, suggestions and contributions. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/dossiers/html/hateintro.html (Media Network newsletter Sept 20 via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-147, September 20, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1148: FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600, Mon 0030, 0630 on 7445, 15038.7; webcasts also Sat 1330, 1800, Sun 1200, 1830, Mon 1230 BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070, Sun 0630 3210, Wed 0930 9475 BROADCAST ON WBCQ: Mon 0415 on 7415 BROADCASTS ON WJIE: Plans to be back on 7490, 13595 shortly; see USA BROADCASTS ON WRN: Rest of world Sat 0800; North America Sun 1400 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1148.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1148.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1148.html INFORME DX DESDE NORTEAMÉRICA POR GLENN HAUSER, SEPTIEMBRE 2002 GUION: http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0209.html ESCUCHAR: En segmentos por Radio Enlace en Radio Nederland, viernes y domingos durante septiembre. La mayor parte escogida para Mundo Radial, en WWCR 15825, los viernes 2112 y miércoles 2059 a partir del 20 de septiembre. A pedido: Parte I (corriente) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0209a.ram (bajable) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0209.rm Parte II (corriente) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0209b.ram (bajable) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0209.rm ** AFGHANISTAN. 8700-USB, Information Radio. Still here, noted September 17th 1705 with continuous Afghan music, weak but steady signal on clear channel (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, WORLD OF RADIO 1148, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN? Re Liangas` report, 6100 Information Radio? Maybe, but note that R Nepal (parallel 5005) has been here until 1715 (earlier closed down at 1545). Also P`yongyang at this time on the frequency (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Definite IDs of ``Information Radio`` or some equivalent in Dari and Pashto are sorely lacking concerning both these frequencies, and have been for many months!! We are only making assumptions based on the frequency and other factors (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. This from NZRDXL member Martin Hadlow, who is working in Afghanistan for the UN. "In passing, I have just come back to Kabul from Bamiyan in the north of Afghanistan. A radio station is now on the air there. Radio Bamiyan broadcasts with 400 watts on 1500 kHz. What a catch that would be! " Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, NZ, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com Sept 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) We recently had a story on this one neglecting to give frequency (gh) ** ANTARCTICA. LRA36 noted on [Monday] 9/16 from 2045 UT on 15475.5 kHz with music; s/off at 2112 with ID; fair (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Sept 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15475.5, R. Nac. Arcángel San Gabriel Sep 16 2028-2105 25322-35322 Spanish, Music. ID at 2029 by man (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 15820-LSB, R. Diez Sep 18 0646-0705, 35443, Spanish, Talk. ID at 0656 and 0658 and 0700 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. On Sunday 9/15, LTA heard on 29810 kHz LSB from 2200 UT tune-in with fair signal until after midnight UT, when propagation rapidly collapsed and took it out, but still detectable after 0030. Relay of Radio Continental with fútbol, news bulletins, and music. Not heard on 20276 or 15820; all frequencies seem less active since the onset of the country's economic crisis (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Sept 18, WORLD OF RADIO 1148, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 6215, RADIO BALUARTE, se encuentra actualmente inactiva, tal como lo noté el pasado fin de semana. De acuerdo a informaciones de la propia emisora, su transmisor fue enviado a reparar a Buenos Aires, y probablemente mañana o el jueves a más tardar, esté nuevamente en el aire, si no ocurre algún inconveniente. 73's (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Sept 17, Conexión Digital via DXLD) 6215, Radio Baluarte, Puerto Iguazú, 0109-0118, Sep 20, Spanish, man announcer, gospel music, ads "Centro de Evangelización", SINPO 34333 (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. R. Australia, Friday Sept 20, 2105: FEEDBACK* - listener letters, features and news about RA. Last weekend Digital Radio Mondiale was one of the many participants at the International Broadcasting Convention held in the Netherlands. The consortium's presence in Amsterdam was another milestone in the development of DRM with the unveiling of a production-ready world-band consumer receiver and a preview version of its first publicly available receiver, the DRM Software Radio. Now safely back at his Headquarters at Deutsche Welle in Cologne, DRM's Chairman Peter Senger tells Roger Broadbent what went on at IBC and how you can become involved in DRM's Software Radio project (John Figliozzi`s previews via DXLD) Repeats UT Sat 0005, 0605, Sun 0305; don`t depend on it being archived ondemand ** BELIZE. Found this in Belize paper in June (Mike Cooper, DXLD) BELIZE ASSERTS INDEPENDENCE, By Alberto Vellos Belize City, June 12th Belize rejects U.S. proposal to beam Radio Martí signal, was Miami Herald`s news report dated June 11, 2002. The report continued, Belize has flatly rejected a U.S. proposal to convert a Voice of America relay station to beam U.S.-operated Radio Martí signals toward Cuba. It might have come as a blow to the chin to some of Uncle Sams political hawks but Belizeans took the rejection of Radio Martí as an act of patriotism. For over two hundred years Belize was under the thumb of the British. Belize achieved independence in 1981. Belize is an independent, sovereign country that no longer dances to the tunes played by colonial masters. Belize composes its own music and its own dances now. Belize was not going to trade one master for the next. Since Castro`s revolution in 1959, the U.S. has worked tirelessly to establish various forms of pro-U.S., anti-Castro modes of information exchange to Cubans in Cuba. Their latest attempts have come in the form of radio and television stations that transmit American propaganda over the air waves to Cuba to undermine Fidel Castro. TV Martí is their established anti-Castro television station and Radio Martí is their pro-U.S. radio station. Ever since Belize successfully attained independence in 1981, Radio Martí`s beginnings can be traced. In 1981 US President Ronald Reagan declared that it was his administrations intention to establish a Radio Free Cuba. However, in order for the Reagan administration to see the station begin, its budget had to be passed through the US Congress, and in 1982 the Senate voted down the proposal. A year later legislation took a turn and gave the okay for the Reagans scheme. In October 4, 1983, Ronald Reagan signed the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act Public Law 98-111. Radio Martí signed on the air on May 20, 1985 on 1160 kHz with 14 1/2 hours of programming from Voice of Americas transmitters in Marathon Key, Florida; and on short wave from Greenville, N.C. and Delano, California. Since then the station has been transmitting anti-Castro propaganda to Cuba. Reports from exiles, defectors, and even journalists within Cuba support the station and give credence to the fact that Radio Martí is the most-listened to radio station on the island. But, U.S. efforts have been cut short since Castro found a way to block Radio Martí`s signals. Miami Herald reports that, In late 2000, U.S. officials began scouring the Caribbean looking for alternative broadcast sites to send the signals of Radio Martí toward Cuba from a different latitude, making it more difficult for Cuba to block its signals. U.S. officials apparently scoured the Caribbean and finally noticed the Belize facility. That facility lies on the outskirts of Punta Gorda where the United States operates two AM radio transmitters. Each sends both English and Spanish Voice of Americas broadcasts throughout Central America each evening. According to the Newspaper`s report, the U.S. State Department sent two diplomatic notes to Belmopan, which were both turned down and backed by reasons which stated that Belize has good relations with both Cuba and the United States, and Belize does not want to get involved. Since 1999 Belize has hosted an increasing number of professional Cuban physicians and nurses working in remote villages, and more than 100 Belizeans students are in Cuba on full scholarships, some of them studying medicine. The Miami Herald report was the lead story on the evening news Tuesday in Belize. Some pundits worried that Belize was in some kind of danger for standing up for its moral beliefs. Not so. Belize has a good relationship with U.S. as well as Cuba, and she has no intention to sour either one. We have no comment at this time, stated Edgar Embrey, available spokesman for the United Sates Embassy in Belize while Ambassador Russell Freeman is out of the country. We cannot issue any comment until the U.S. State Department has released a statement or has authorized us to do so, Embrey continued. Not only did U.S. Embassy spokesman say that they have nothing to comment on, but he held that no one in Washington has officially made a commentary in relation to the matter. Contrary to the T.V. stations that juiced-up the news, and erroneously added that Cubans in Belize are already adversely affected by Belize`s decision, we found out that it was total yeri-so. The BELIZE TIMES spoke with Cuban Ambassador to Belize, H.E. Regla Díaz Hernández who highlighted that she, her government and her people in Belize and Cuba have a great amount of respect for the nation of Belize, and our government and people, We respect the position Belize has taken. It has truly exercised her right as an independent and sovereign nation. The Government and Embassy of Cuba appreciate the independent and sovereign position of Belize, as it has decided not to take part in any manner whatsoever in U.S. brutal and violent war against Cuba. © Copyright 2001-2002 The Belize Times Press Ltd. All rights reserved (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Caro Glenn, Com o objetivo de saber mais detalhes da Rádio Ternura, telefonei para o diretor do Centro Paulista de Rádio e TV, que engloba as rádios Ibitinga, Meteorologia Paulista e Ternura FM. De acordo com Roque da Rosa, a programação distribuída em 4845 kHz é a da Ternura FM. Segundo ele, é uma programação musical, mais adequada para tal freqüência. As emissões ocorrem das 0800 às 1300 UTC. Depois de um intervalo, os transmissores voltam a ser ligados das 1900 às 2200 UTC. Para 2003, pretendem dobrar a potência do transmissor, que agora é de 2,5 kw. Também pretendem transmitir por mais horas, durante o período noturno. Enviei um relatório de recepção e texto explicando o que é o dexismo e, para minha surpresa, Roque disse ser dono de um Transglobe, da Philco, e ouvinte de emissoras internacionais. De quebra, disse que estaria confirmando o meu relatório. Os contatos podem ser feitos da seguinte forma. Por carta: Rádio Ternura, Rua Capitão João Marques, 89, CEP: 14940-000, Ibitinga(SP), Brasil. Por fax: (16) 242.5056. E- mail: radio.ibitinga@ibinet.com.br . 73s! (Celio Romais, Porto Alegre, Brasil) Caro Célio, Muito bem. Uma pergunta: não tem interferências de Manáus? Acha que não funciona a certas horas ou com muito menos do que 250 kW?? 73, (Glenn to Célio via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Rio Mar: Tendo por lema "Uma Potência no Ar" a Rádio Rio Mar de Manaus, atinge uma grande parte da Amazônia, e tem uma papel muito importante na integração da capital com o interior do Amazonas. Uma das mais antigas emissoras amazonenses, está há 47 anos no ar. Emissora católica, pertencente à Fundação Rio Mar, além da estação de AM (1290 kHz), possui duas estações de ondas curtas (6160 kHz e 9695 kHz) que estão no ar entre as 1000 e 2300 TU. A emissora é afiliada também ao Bandsat (Rede Bandeirantes de Rádio) do qual retransmite programas jornalísticos e jornadas esportivas (Paulo Roberto e Souza via Jornalista Célio Romais, September 18, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Dear Glenn, Greetings from NH. I logged a couple of Brazilian stations this evening that you might be interested in. R. Ribeirão, 3205, 2320-2333 9/18 in Portuguese. Talk with crowd noise in the background, presumably futebol pre-game. Positive IDs "Radio Ribeirão" with "rolling" R on "Ribeirão". Teams announced at 2330; visiting team from "Bogotá, Colombia" Poor, weak signal. [not Ribeirão Preto? gh] R. Canção Nova, 4825, 2350-0015 9/18 in Portuguese. Very nice mix of Portuguese ballads. ID at 2358 over piano music; Ads/jingles until 0004 when music resumes. Weak signal with periods of fading. 73 (Scott R. Barbour, Jr, NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4914.98, Rádio Difusora Macapá, 20 Sep, 0912, First time logged with Portuguese pop vocals, canned ID's, 0916 live announcer. Mixing with presumed R Anhanguera which in the past has been the powerhouse here (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. GUN-TOTING MUSICIAN FORCES DJ TO PLAY HIS ALBUM http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=humannews&StoryID=1470133&fromEmail=true Don Thornton-NJ tipped me off to this. (And...did they give the frequency? Of course not!) 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. KAZAKHSTAN: B-02 schedule for Democratic Voice of Burma in Burmese: 1430-1530 5905 Almaty 200 kW / 132 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27 tho some may already be in effect) Among other transmissions and sites? ** CANADA. CBC/RCI Previews: WEEKEND HOT SHEET, SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22 THE SUNDAY EDITION: This week on The Sunday Edition, Iraq and the UN: an analysis of the internal politics at the UN after Saddam Hussein agreed this week to UN arms inspections. Also, the Season of Schadenfreude: that great German word describes the guilt delight we take in the misfortunes of others - Martha Stewart, Kenneth Lay, O.J. Simpson and others. Michael Enright moderates a panel on the subject. Also, a look at Salman Rushdie's new book, a collection of essays called "Step Across This Line." That's The Sunday Edition, right after the 9 a.m. news (9:30 NT) on CBC Radio One. [and 1311-1600 on RCI] SAY IT WITH MUSIC: This week on Say It With Music...Broadway 2002/2003. Join Richard for his annual preview of what's coming up in the musical theatre world season. Learn about the revivals of "Flower Drum Song," "Man of La Mancha" and "Sweet Charity." All this, and Bernadette Peters too. Who could ask for anything more? Say it With Music, Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT) on CBC Radio Two. CROSS-COUNTRY CHECKUP: Sunday on Cross Country Checkup...Canada the peacemaker. This week, Canada tried to influence the machinations at the UN between the U-S and Iraq. It's role that Lester Pearson claimed for Canada years ago, but many say has been lost since those day. What do you think? Can Canada still cut it as a diplomatic broker? Join host Rex Murphy Sunday on Cross Country Checkup, Sunday at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on CBC Radio One. [2005-2200 UT in all zones] THE WORLD THIS WEEKEND: Sunday on The World This Weekend...September 25th marks the 70th anniversary of the birth of Glenn Gould. One of the greatest pianists of all time, Gould remains an enigma. To mark the occasion, CBC Radio Two will devote next Wednesday to Variations on Gould - music, memories and more. Get a preview this Sunday as The World This Weekend invites five musicians to talk about how they were inspired by Glenn Gould's last recording - Bach's Goldberg Variations. That's The World This Weekend, with Lorna Jackson, Sunday at 6:00 p.m. (7:00 AT, 7:30 NT) on CBC Radio One and Radio Two. Hear that report Sunday on The World This Weekend at 6 pm (7 AT; 7:30 NT) on both CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two (CBC Hotsheet via gh, DXLD) CBC Radio 2 can, with a clear conscience, offer "Variations On Gould," 14 hours of programming next Wednesday [Sept 25], co-hosted by Shelagh Rogers and Tim Page, that offer music, anecdotes, facts, fancy, lots of guests including Petula Clark and Christos Hatzis and observations by listeners. It will start with Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's monumental work and there will be listener requests (call 1-800-205-8553), extracts from the pianist's radio documentaries, Peter Tiefenbach's drama of imagined conversations between Gould (played by Andrew Pifko) and other composers, results of a Gould short story contest, a documentary on the Variations themselves and a live concert of them from the studio performed by Quebec's delightful Les Violons du Roy conducted by Bernard Labadie (Toronto Star Sept 17 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA. Greetings Mr Hauser. I am a loyal WOR listener, and a great fan of your work. Anywho, here's my question; Am I on somethin'? or am I imagining things? I've noticed that 1050CHUM is back to playin' oldies from being the flagship station of The Team, Canada's sports Network. In some ways it makes a little sense, with the possible popularity of "Prime Time Radio" CHWO on 740, I wonder if that's the reason, to offer a little competition? or is it that the revenue wasn't as good bein' a sports radio station? So many questions. Check out http://www.1050chum.com for details. Take care, and best of success to you (Dallas Robertson, location unknown, Sept 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Site is all about the oldies; no explanation found of the format change. We had a number of stories about it here a few weeks ago: basically, the sports format was tanking, but remains on a few stations they own in other cities (gh, DXLD) ** CHILE [non?]. 6880.1, Andino Relay Service. 0240-0320 September 19. LSB mode. Very nice Andean music, Announcement and ID in Spanish: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 .....atención, atentos en sintonía, probando equipos. En unos instantes comenzará la transmisión del Andino Relay Service, transmitiendo desde algún lugar de los Andes sudamericanos". Afterwards, identification in English. S/on at 0300 UT. Andean music. Other IDs as: "Sintoniza el Andino Relay Service"; "envíen sus informes de recepción a la Casilla 159, Santiago 14, Chile", "Está transmitiendo Andino Relay Service. Escríbenos. Envíanos tu informe de recepción a......". Ann. electronic address in ARSSW@yahoo.com [SINPO?] 3.4.4.4.3 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Andino Relay Service, 6880.1 LSB UT 0018, SIO 444, música andina, ID, ann (Enrique Wembagher, Bs.As., Sept. 19, ibid.) 6880.1-LSB, Andino Relay Service, +0300-0346+, 19/9, ID y música andina, a/t [??] con música de Violeta Parra 'Gracias a la Vida'. ID's "Andino Relay Service, 6880 khz" y ".... Aqui el Andino Relay Service. Aquí Sudamérica. Aquí una voz libre sudamericana en la onda corta..". SINPO: 34343. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Henrik Klemetz wrote to clarify some facts in the Christian Shortwave Report from last week about La Voz de Tu Conciencia. Although some reports quoted Henrik as saying that Russel Stendal had been imprisoned by the Colombian FARC guerrillas for two and a half years. Stendal was actually held for 142 days. He also mentions that Stendal wrote down his experiences in the guerrilla camp so he would have a record of it. Some 20 years later, Stendal's diaries became the book "Rescue the Captors," which has a theme of reaching the guerrillas with a message of peace and love. The book is available in both English and Spanish through this address: Ransom Press International ** 3555 Grove Road ** Pluiston FL 33440 ** U.S.A. {make that: Clewiston! -- DXLD 2-149} The Spanish version is also available through an address in Colombia, where reception reports for La Voz de Tu Conciencia may also be sent: Colombia Para Cristo ** Calle 44, No. 13-69 ** Bogota D.C. ** Colombia. The station is having QSL cards printed, and all correct reception reports for their shortwave transmission on 6060 will receive a QSL. More information is also available by e-mail at: gstendal@aol.com (HCJB DX Partyline Sept 14, notes by Marie Lamb for W9WZE via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. RADIO OKAPI JOURNALIST STILL IN DETENTION A journalist working for Radio Okapi, the UN's radio network in the Democratic Republic of Congo, remains in detention in Gbadolite 7 days after his arrest, by order of the authorities of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC). According to the MLC´s own radio station in Gbadolite, Franklin Moliba-Sese is accused of having interviewed child soldiers without obtaining the authorization of the military hierarchy. Questioned on the Voice of America, the MLC Secretary- General Olivier Kamitatu claimed that the journalist had revealed certain defence information, but that he will be released without delay. Radio Okapi says that the report in question concerned the difficult living conditions in Gbadolite of child soldiers waiting to be demobilised. One child soldier complained of being deprived of food and maltreated. These assertions have not to date been contradicted by the MLC authorities. The immediate release of Moliba-Sese is being sought at the highest diplomatic level by the UN Mission in Congo (MONUC). On his arrival in Gbadolite yesterday afternoon, MLC President Jean-Pierre Bemba told Radio Okapi he had no knowledge of the matter (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 20 September 2002 via DXLD) ** CUBA. 4200.01, Radio Rebelde (harmonic 6 x 700), 20 Sep, 0902, Spanish talk and vocals // 3600 and 5025. Very weak (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. GOBIERNOS BUSCAN CENSURAR PAGINAS DE INTERNET http://www.lanuevacuba.com/nuevacuba/notic-02-9-1503.htm (via Oscar, Miami, DXLD) Mainly about Vietnam, China, Arabia, etc. See also BELIZE, USA for R. Martí items ** CYPRUS. I haven't managed to read everything lately, so this may have appeared already --- The Cyprus transmitter which came up on 981 kHz a week or so ago should be moved to 990 kHz in the next few days (Dan Ferguson, VA, IBB, Sept 17, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. RFE closes Czech service Sept 30: see USA [non] ** ECUADOR. HCJB has another historic QSL card available on request for a correct reception report. The 1968-E card shows the arrival of three RCA 1-kW transmitters in October 1967 via a special airlift. The report may be sent to: HCJB English Service ** Casilla 17-17-691 ** Quito ** Ecuador (HCJB DX Partyline Sept 14, notes by Marie Lamb for W9WZE via DXLD) ** EGYPT. Radio Cairo in Turkish at 1630 on 6235 instead of 6230 as scheduled. Very bad modulation (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, Sept 19, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** EL SALVADOR. 17833.16, R. Imperial, Sep 17 2310-0051* At tune-in, heard a ballad in Spanish with male vocals. Audio was noticeably distorted, and due to QRM from 17835, LSB plus sync was required. The signal would fade in and out, but at peaks the SINPO was 23332. These "ballads" continued for the next half hour or so, but one was definitely religious in theme, as "Dios" was repeated several times. The signal then completely degraded, and I almost tuned them out. Then, around 0036 the audio faded back up, and remained steady, almost at the levels when I first tune in. At 0039, there was a canned ID by a male: "Sintonícenos en la ... Imperial, 810 AM, un mensaje a seguir en su vida" (Tune in to us on .... Imperial, 810 AM, a message for you to follow in your life.) (Thanks to Henrik Klemetz for listening to my audio clip, and extracting the ID.) A program hosted by a female followed, with more vocal music. At 0051 it sounded like someone literally, "pulled the plug" on them. I ! should add that they were only audible on my 45 meter dipole antenna (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) See also UNIDENTIFIED below 17833.4v, YSDA, R Imperial, Sonsonate, (presumed), 2339, Sept 19th, Uptempo LA music, with YL at the mic. Good carrier strength, but barely modulated. Audio detected only when signal strength neared full quieting. Unable to pull station ID. Thanks to George Maroti for the tip. I am wondering why such an upper SW band was chosen. The skip zone on this frequency exceeds the borders of El Salvador. Is this an attempt at international broadcasting? [Later:] I just answered my own question. I found the explanation in Glenn Hauser's DXLD #02-055. April 5, 2002. This is apparently a medium wave harmonic with a fundamental frequency of 810 kHz. That means this is the 22nd harmonic!!!! Remarkable. I was not DXing from March through June, so I missed this one. I wondered if it were some sort of spur, but couldn't make the math work for an HF spur, and didn't think it was possible that a signal would radiate on the 22nd order (David Hodgson, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) However, subsequent reports indicate it is not a harmonic, but a little-known deliberate 16m SW outlet. Index shows EL SALVADOR entries are in DXLD 2-057, 058, 062, 069 and 102, some of which may concern this, in http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtb02.html 73, Glenn Hauser Glenn: Very interesting. I wonder what the impetus is for broadcasting on such an upper band, which would put any regional audience in the skip zone. Perhaps religious agenda? Just in case, I will check some lower harmonic frequencies of 810.4 between 13-16 MHz today, if I hear them on again. Has anyone else bothered to try this? (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17833.15, R. Imperial, Sep 19, 2315. Again, I'm hearing them with ballads; no announcements thus far. The signal strength seems stronger and steadier tonight, however the modulation is a bit low (George Maroti, NY Cumbre DX via DXLD) I tried this station again today, and was able to ID it. Here is some additional info: El Salvador, 17833.3v, YSDA, R. Imperial, Sonsonate, 2200-2350 Sept 19th. Carrier on at 2200. Adjacent channel QRM from station on 17835 gone after 2330. Near perfect greyline path between El Salvador and here in TN around 2345. Signal peaked both yesterday and today to nice level at 2345. Caught two nice clear station IDs given by male announcer at 2347. Checked lower order harmonic frequencies, and found no trace of signal (David Hodgson, TN, Sept 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17833.19, Radio Imperial, 20 Sep, 0043-0105, upbeat pop and campo vocals some with religious themes. 0045 Ad for religious school, 0054 canned ID "...Radio Imperial, ocho cientos diez A-M", followed by live announcer with talk. Faded out by 0105 and apparently signed off sometime after that. Fair signal with occasional good peaks (S-7) and deep fades. Het from above (17835.0?). Also low growl on the signal from another apparent very close carrier. After 0105 only a single carrier was heard, minus the growl so I assumed they signed off then. Thanks to tips from George Maroti and David Hodgson (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA. Luigi Cobisi of the European DX Council reports that the recent EDXC conference in Finland was a success, with 130 people attending from 16 nations. A Finnish DXer who also studied theology, Mika Pallo (not sure of spelling of his name), told how he tied his field and DXing together through a study of Radio Voice of the Gospel, the now-defunct Christian shortwave station in Ethiopia. He came to Ethiopia three years ago in search of the station's archives. This station was started by a Swedish Lutheran mission, and was given permission by the late Emperor Haile Selassie to set up facilities around 40 years ago. Radio proved to be quite important in East Africa. Although the station was evangelical, it also allowed broadcasts by the ancient Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which increased the station's standing among Ethiopians. However, after a revolution in the mid-1970s, Radio Voice of the Gospel was closed down and taken over by the local government. The transmitters are still working despite 30 years of no maintenance, and Mika fund the station's archives intact in a small building in Addis Ababa. They include many documents, photos and tapes of broadcasts, and they are now catalogued so that researchers can make use of them. Other topics discussed at the conference will be mentioned in later programs (HCJB DX Partyline Sept 14, notes by Marie Lamb for W9WZE via DXLD) ** EUROPE. DIGITAL RADIO TO COME TO EUROPEAN AM BANDS BY 2007 From http://www.electronicstimes.com By Nick Flaherty, EE Times, 19 September 2002 (1:41 p.m. GMT) A consortium of 75 European companies aims to replace current long, medium, and short-wave radio transmissions with a digital system by 2007. Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) demonstrated its first receivers at IBC with prototype software for a PC receiver which will released to enthusiasts at the end of the year. DRM is also going ahead with production of its first consumer receiver, due to reach the market in 2004, in a venture backed by Coding Technologies, the BBC and manufacturer AFG. Hans Linkels, chairman of the DRM system evaluation group, said: "We have to make medium and short-wave more attractive so that it will survive — it is not developed to compete against anything. Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) was developed to replace FM broadcasting, and both it and this technology could live very well together." DRM uses 10 kHz channels in the existing MW and SW bands to carry MPEG4 data and, unlike DAB, would have one radio station per channel. Such a system also has a longer range than DAB: a demonstration in Amsterdam featured a station from Canada. DRM allows data rates between 6 and 34 Kbit/s, and channels can be combined to give up to 70 Kbit/s. The channels use the AAC+ coding format which gives a stereo audio channel in 14 to 20 Kbit/s (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Duh, SW has a longer range than MW, I understand. I`ll bet they didn`t pick up a Canadian MW station in Amsterdam for this (tho of course it can be done on a DX basis) (gh, DXLD) The DRM Consortium will unveil a production-ready world-band consumer receiver, made by Coding Technologies together with the BBC and German device manufacturer AFG, and a preview version of its first publicly- available receiver, the DRM Software Radio made by Fraunhofer IIS-A, in a special preview with live transmissions at IBC 2002. At the same time, DRM will open the doors to radio enthusiasts who want to be the first non-members to access its transmissions when the DRM Software Radio Project, managed by VT Merlin Communications, begins this December. More details from http://www.drm.org (Mediazoo via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** FINLAND [non]. I'M NOT DEAD YET --- Associated Press Rome --- The Roman poet Ovid may have put it best when he said "Rident stolidi verba Latina". Fools laugh at the Latin language. Indeed, after centuries of decline and declarations of being dead, Latin as a living, spoken language is making a comeback of sorts. Take the recent scene in the mountains near Rome, where 30 Latin aficionados cavorted together, chanting odes by Horace in their original and pouring wine into a stream. Before them was their guru, Rev. Reginald Foster, a papal Latinist and a Carmelite monk from Milwaukee who was barking commands in English and Latin. Father Foster, 63, is a professor at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, where he takes the unusual approach of teaching Latin as a living language. He also runs a separate intense eight-week summer session for advanced students, which included the recent romp in the Roman hills at Horace's villa. While Latin has not been spoken casually for more than 1,000 years and only its grammar and literature are typically studied today, the sounds of Cicero and Virgil are resurging among an increasingly wider audience, largely because of schools like his. "I don't like certain methods, memorizing and jamming it, treating the language like a dead frog, or something like that," Father Foster said. Instead, his students learn sight reading, listening comprehension and Latin conversation. Other schools using a similar approach include the University of Louvain in Belgium, a high school in Campania, Italy, and the University of Notre Dame and the University of Kentucky in the United States. Dirk Sacre, a professor and neo-Latin expert at the University of Louvain, said spoken Latin is growing in popularity. He said an increasing number of high school teachers are signing up for courses. "I don't think there's a general tendency to say that we're talking in Latin these days in schools or universities," Mr. Sacre said. "But, it's an acceleration, certainly. Seminars are happening more and more in Europe and the U.S., and there are more and more people trying to teach Latin as a living language." He added, however, that "hostilities and repugnances" still exist among traditionalists. Among Latin fans, however, expressions slip their way into everyday conversations, said Nicholas Sylvester, an undergraduate at Harvard who studied with Father Foster this summer. "Hello" becomes "salve," "I don't know" is "nescio" and "don't worry is "ne fle" (literally, "don't cry"). Still, it isn't for everyone, and Father Foster's classes do attract a diverse group. This summer's group included Gretchen Triulzi, 62, a mother of six who decided to return to a language she loved studying as a child, and Sophie Hanina, an 18-year-old medical student from London who could not imagine being a doctor without first studying Roman epic writers. "It's the most eccentric bunch I've ever met," Mr. Sylvester said. "People are exaggerations of themselves. Think about the person who leaves their kids home, their family, their job, their lives. Think about people who come to Rome on their honeymoons to study Latin. That is the type of person in this class." For newlyweds Sarah and Patrick Miller of North Carolina, Father Foster's class was a natural culmination of their courtship. They met while studying Latin in college. Spoken Latin peaked in the second century, when the Roman empire spread from modern-day England to Iran. After the empire fell, local languages developed and then completely displaced it everywhere but in schools and universities. Although for centuries Latin found refuge in the Roman Catholic Church, its decline there began after the 1962-65 Second Vatican Council, which allowed the use of the vernacular in place of Latin in the celebration of Mass. Mr. Sylvester said that today, chatting in the language of ancient poets is "very pretentious" but that the method brings him closer to understanding the texts he wants to read. "There's no need to justify to the hoi polloi," Sylvester said. "The world wouldn't be interesting without academics." Frequently Asked Questions on Foster: http://www.latin.org/latin/foster/FAQ.html Kentucky Classics: http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/aestivumeng.html A brief history of spoken Latin: http://humanities.byu.edu/classes/ling450ch/reports/latin.html Copyright 2002 | Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. (Globe & Mail Sept 18 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) Amazing: An article on using Latin today that DOESN'T mention Radio Finland's Nuunti Latini!! 73 (Bill Westenhaver, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [and non]. B-02 schedule for Radio France International in Pashto and Persian: Pashto 1600-1630 6035 SNG 250 kW / 315 deg |||| new relay 11665 ISS 500 kW / 080 deg 13580 ISS 500 kW / 080 deg Persian 1800-1857 6140 DHA 250 kW / non-dir |||| new relay 7350 ISS 500 kW / 090 deg till March 1, 2003 9430 ISS 500 kW / 090 deg 11650 ISS 500 kW / 090 deg from March 2, 2003 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) SNG = Singapore; DHA = Abu Dhabi; ISS = Issoudun, France ** GUATEMALA. I received an email from the folks in Guatemala saying that a technician from TGN got the replacement capacitor that I sent via a visiting volunteer team - and installed it in the old Gates transmitter. They got back on the air yesterday morning and I heard them just after sunrise here with a pretty good signal - but dirty audio. This morning they signed on with a very nice signal and plenty of clean audio. I understand that they are only going to run at about 2.5 or 3 kW for fear that something else will break down in the old rig! (Larry Baysinger, Kentucky, Cumbre DX Sept 14 via DXLD) ** HAWAII. NARRATOR: WORLD WAR 2 MEMORABILIA - HAWAII ON SHORTWAVE Exotic Hawaii! It never fails to fascinate. If you are travelling from Asia to North America, Hawaii will give to you your first taste of the American scene. If you are travelling from North America to Asia, Hawaii will give to you your first taste, literally, of Asian culture. During the Pacific War, Hawaii played an important role in spreading shortwave programming across the Pacific. In reality, during this era, there were just three major shortwave stations in the Hawaiian islands. These were the RCA station at Kahuku (KAH-WHO-KOO), the communication station for the American navy at Pearl Harbor, and the Voice of America relay station at Maili (MAH-EE-LEE), all on the main island of Oahu. The RCA station at Kahuku on the northern edge of Oahu dates back to the year 1914, when it was established for Morse communication with California. At the time, it was described as the largest wireless station in the world. From about 1935 onwards, the RCA station was often heard on shortwave with a relay of radio programming, sometimes outward and sometimes inward. The most famous of all of these program relays was ``Hawaii Calls`` which was a live tourist broadcast from a major hotel in Waikiki. The broadcasts of ``Hawaii Calls`` usually originated with the two main mediumwave stations in Honolulu, KGMB or KGU. The relay was picked up in California and fed to a major mediumwave network for nationwide coverage in the United States. During the Pacific War, the RCA station was frequently noted in Australia and New Zealand with an onward relay of programming for the Voice of America and the Armed Forces Radio Service. Many three letter callsigns were noted, including for example:- KEQ, KHE and KRO. On one occasion, the callsign KRCA was noted with a test transmission on 6860 kHz. During the climactic years 1944 and 1945, the American navy station at Pearl Harbor, NPM, was noted occasionally with the relay of radio programming, usually for the benefit of local army stations in forward areas of the Pacific. Actually, this navy station, NPM, was on the air from three different transmitter locations on Oahu, all operated remotely from the main facility at Pearl Harbor. On Christmas Day 1944, a big new shortwave station was inaugurated at Maili as a relay station for the Voice of America. This new facilty was located in an armed forces base just off the highway on the western edge of Oahu. The 100 kW KRHO propagated a strong signal throughout the Pacific rim with its programming in English and Asian languages. Five years later a sister transmitter, KRHK, was installed at the same location. After a quarter century of service, this facility was dismantled in the year 1969. There was another shortwave station in Hawaii noted on one occasion in Hawaii. This was station WTV with a relay of AFRS programming for the famous Pacific Ocean and Mosquito Networks. Although not stated, it is probable that this was a communication station operated by the American army and diverted as a temporary program relay. Over the years, all three shortwave facilities in Hawaii have issued QSL cards. The RCA station used a generic QSL card with the callsign inserted by typewriter. The broadcasts of ``Hawaii Calls`` were acknowledged with QSL cards from both KGMB and KGU, and the card from KGU showed the shortwave service. QSL cards for the VOA station KRHO were issued in both Honolulu and Los Angeles, and the Honolulu card is these days a valuable collectors item. Station NPM has also issued its own QSL card. Currently there are two shortwave stations on the air in Hawaii. One is the chronohertz facility WWVH with its several outlets on exact frequencies and the other is the Gospel station KWHR with its two transmitters at 100 kW. Both stations verify with attractive QSL cards (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Sept 15 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. A tropical storm is forming South of Cuba and Jamaica, and very soon we will be hearing the hurricane emergency amateur radio nets on the air... Try tuning to 14325 kiloHertz, the Hurricane Watch Net, and pick up part of the action, as the storm moves towards the Gulf of Mexico... Again the frequency is 14325 kiloHertz and you will be able to pick up traffic from the affected areas in case the new tropical cyclone makes landfall... One of the most interesting aspects of listening to the Hurricane Watch Net is picking up reports from yachtsmen sailing in the vicinity of the storm that provide very valuable information to the weather services. Cuba's national weather service has now an amateur radio station installed at their national headquarters with a group of highly qualified operators that will keep the station on the air all the time that an emergency will require... (Arnie Coro, RHC DXers Unlimited Sept 17 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ISRAEL RADIO FOR ALL OF ISRAEL By Israel Harel [Op-ed? or editorial?] About two weeks ago, in mid-broadcast, journalists from Israel Radio burst into the studio of the current events program "Hakol dibburim" (It's All Talk) and stopped the broadcast. This was a protest action against the inclusion of Uri Dan, a close associate of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in the list of presenters of the program. Now, in the wake of the intention to bring three of those who burst in to disciplinary trial, the journalists are threatening to go on strike against Reshet Bet (Israel Radio's "second station"). On the principle: It is not good that a prime minister intervenes in appointments at the Israel Broadcast Authority (IBA). Who, then, will make the appointments? Simple, ostensibly: the directors of the IBA. But who appointed the people who are now in key positions in editing, presenting and every other central role? Politicians. However, as opposed to Sharon, who is from the Likud, the people who did the appointing in the past belonged to the correct political parties. When the government that caused the sharpest public debate Israel has known, the Oslo government, came into power, its education minister Shulamit Aloni decided to appoint Mordecai Kirschenbaum as director general of the IBA. A concerned citizen sent a file to the Yesha Council (the representative body of the Jewish settlers in the territories) containing articles Kirschenbaum had published in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. "His opinions are to the left of Meretz. Prevent the appointment." Even though I did not believe that Kirschenbaum, albeit a talented journalist, would rise above his opinions, certainly in those crucial days (I was then chairman of the Yesha Council), I suggested that we refrain - and the Yesha Council does have, as it is considered to have, a certain amount of influence in this country - from taking action. The appointment, I realized, was in the framework of "the laws of nature." Kirschenbaum, who is no longer IBA director general, has been for the past two years a regular participant on political radio and television programs. He might get insulted, but his firm opinions are anathema to many listeners, and they cause reactions that are no less severe than the rash caused to listeners of a different species by Uri Dan's statements. Have IBA journalists burst into the studio of the 7:30 evening news program on Channel One, on which he has appeared countless times as a guest? Or into Reshet Bet broadcasts, on which he has also been a guest to discuss almost any political and media issue? Geula Cohen can present a spot only when alongside her there is, as a permanent balance, a partner from the left. Lawyer Yehiel Guttman, a Labor Party activist, was recently given a political spot on Israel Radio. Solo. Elie Goldschmidt, until recently a Labor Knesset member, has been allotted a program on Channel One. Now he has also won an additional program, on Channel 33. Have the journalists burst into Guttman's studio, or Goldschmidt's studios? In their day, did they burst into the studio of Hakol Dibburim when Sheli Yachimovich, ostensibly a journalist committed to the ethics of public broadcasting, made her program a political spearhead against the continued presence of the Israel Defense Forces in Lebanon, including a permanent and open microphone for the Four Mothers movement? Yachimovich, Kirschenbaum, Guttman and Goldschmidt are, after all, "professionals;" members of the brotherhood that decides what is fit to be broadcast in its realm. They are from the same cultural, political and for the most part also social environment as most of the editors, presenters, correspondents and administrative directors - who have continued, through giving slots to Guttman and Goldschmidt, to bring coals to Newcastle. Another example: "Inyan aher," Dalia Yairi's controversial current events program. After many years during which she has been expressing her own political opinions, attempts are being made, in the wake of swelling public criticism, to replace her with another presenter. But her colleagues in opinions and in profession are threatening to strike - just as they are threatening to do in the case of Uri Dan, who has been parachuted in (and they are not concerned by his lack of radiophonic qualifications), continues to be one of the presenters of Hakol Dibburim. A large part of the public attributes to public broadcasting a bias to the left. This is the reason Sharon is succeeding, despite a general outcry in the media, in increasing his influence there. The one- sidedness and the one-dimensionality of public broadcasting are the main factors in its weakness and its loss of influence. Therefore the employees of the IBA should first remove the blinders from their own eyes before they accuse the prime minister of politicizing public broadcasting. The public, in any case, does not believe in their purity of spirit (Ha`aretz Sept 19 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ISRAELI REGIONAL RADIO RESUMES BROADCASTS AFTER JAMMING BY LEBANESE STATION | Text of report by Israel radio on 20 September Voice of Israel's educational radio station, Qol Hagalil Haelyon [Voice of the Upper Galilee], is back on the air after it ceased broadcasting two months ago due to jamming by a Lebanese radio. The station has been assigned a new frequency, 106.4 FM. Our correspondent Doron Golan reports that the station is used for communications studies and to issue instructions to the population in times of emergency. The station also airs regional news programmes. Source: Voice of Israel, Jerusalem, in Hebrew 1200 gmt 20 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. 9925, Radio DAT, 1505 Sept 19. Man with long commentaries in local, many mentions of Kazakhstan, brief incidental music and identification 1515, ex 9775 (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also at 0100? I think not. Sept 20 at 0110 check something is still behind VOA 9775, and 9925 is fully occupied by Croatia in English via Germany, 0114 into Spanish (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non], B-02 schedule for LJB via ISS [France]: 9415 1800-1900 17695 1100-1130 11635 1800-1900 till March 1, 2003 17695 1500-1600 11635 1900-2130 17880 1700-1800 11715 1800-2030 21640 1100-1130 15220 1600-1800 21640 1500-1600 15615 1600-1900 21675 1100-1500 15660 1700-1800 21695 1000-1400 15660 1800-1900 from March 2, 2003 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** NETHERLANDS. Hello FRS Friends, Summer is over and that means that the Free Radio Service Holland will become active following a long period of inactivity. FRS-Holland has planned a 24 hour broadcast tomorrow Sat September 21st and Sunday September 22nd. At this moment we cannot give you the exact time of commencing trms, it will be sometime in the Saturday afternoon. FRSH will run 4 hour blocks (repeated over and over again) including FRS Magazine, FRS Golden Show, Off Beat (German) and not to forget a 60 min. FRS Goes DX edition. Enjoy it and make sure your radio is tuned to 7450 kHz/ 41 metres!! We are looking forward receiving your snailmail via our Herten maildrop. * Next broadcast is planned for October 27th when we would like to celebrate 22 years of Free Radio Service Holland. * The latest edition of the FRS Newsletter is out now. If you are interested in getting a sample copy, then send one English pound , two US dollars or two Euro to our mailing address. As a bonus you will receive the June edition for free. An annual subscription only costs 6 Euro/ 4 pounds/ 6 US dollars. * We would like to inform you that Radio Borderhunter and Radio Brigitte have moved to a new address: P.O.Box 2702, 6049 ZG Herten, the Netherlands. Have a nice weekend, 73's, on behalf of the FRS team, (Peter Verbruggen, via BDXC-UK Sept 20 via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. U.K.(non): B-02 schedule for Salama Radio in Hausa/Ndebele/French/Arabic: 1900-2000 15365 SAC 250 kW / 105 deg till March 1, 2003 Sackville!! 15365 RMP 500 kW / 169 deg from March 2, 2003 Rampisham (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** PARAGUAY [non]. I monitored the frequencies of 7300 kHz and 7370- 7375 and I found on 7300 a Russian program (I presumed that is The Voice of Turkey) and on 7374.98 I listened to Gene Scott program [Costa Rica]. 73s (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, Sept 19, no times given, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Sobre la misteriosa Radio América de Paraguay. Esto ya parece una leyenda: emite las 24 horas segun algunas fuentes y emails de la propia emisora, pero por aqui, en paises limitrofes, nadie conocido hasta hoy la ha escuchado concretamente: ninguna señal, ni siquiera la mas minima indicando una portadora en sus frecuencias. Eso al menos, hasta hoy.... 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Sept 20, Conexión Digital via DXLD) [Continues to cause consternation: GIB says despite its claims to be on the air 24 hours, no one in neighboring countries has heard anything concrete --- no signal, not even a trace of a carrier on its frequencies, so far; a `legend`] ** PERU. 3172.61 RF, 1010-1025 18 Sept., weak Latin with "música andina" on Radio Municipal frequency; no sign at 2330. R75, Drake R7, NRD 535D modified, Sony 2010 (Robert Wilkner, Margate, Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5384.32, R. Huarmaca, 1023, Sept 19th, Folk music between announcer's comments in Spanish. ID given at 1023 and 1025. Good signal strength and modulation (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Hello guys, I got a very nice QSL by email - have been looking for this one since many years! (Tor-Henrik Ekblom, Esbo, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tacna, Perú 5 de Setiembre 2002 Señor Tor-Henrik Ekblom Esbo - Finlandia [original was ALL CAPS:] Estimado amigo oyente, recibí su atenta carta via e-mail y con gran satisfacción debo comunicarle que los datos consignados son correctos por lo que le comfirmo su sintonía efectuada en la fecha indicada; a esas horas emitimos programa informativo deportivo pero ese día fue suspendido por programa especial con los contenidos que nos escribe. Nuestra señal en baja porque nuestra potencia es muy baja, solo 200 watts; imagino que la otra emisora de Brasil emite con mucho más potencia en la misma frecuencia, de alli la interferencia; de igual forma me informan desde Argentina. Agradecido por su amable reportaje. Tenemos varios amigos oyentes en Finlandia que nos remiten sus cartas y le respondemos ahora via e-mail solamente por ser más práctico, rápido y económico. Saludos cordiales. (Ing. Alfonso Cáceres, Gerente de operaciones, RADIO TACNA, Tacna, Perú via Ekblom, Esbo 18 Sep, DXLD) i.e. on 9505v ** POLAND [non]. Dear Glenn, In your DXLD 2-145 you have a comprehensive article on Radio Maryja. The schedule mentioned there and on their quoted website is, however, wrong. At present they are on 15455 kHz 0500-0715 UT Mon-Sat and 0600-0800 Sat + 1400-1700 on 12010 kHz and 1700-2200 on 7380 kHz. They have ID with (correct) frequency info in Polish and English at the start and end of each transmission (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, Sept 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. In order to prevent any misunderstanding caused by fake HFCC data: the reported transmitter on 6160 kHz is located in (near) Arkhangel`sk and is run with 40 kW (2 x 20 kW). It carries Radio Rossii and the regional programs from GTRK "Pomorye" from Arkhangel`sk (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Sept 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. WDJD: Vickie Haleck vickiehaleck@hotmail.com is interested in reports for WDJD and wrote in August: ``We have been getting reports from different people about getting us on 576 in their cars, some 580 around the island and some on 585, and we are having our engineers looking into the matter. We are broadcasting 24 hours. Greetings and Talofa from American Samoa`` (Sept NZ DX Times via DXLD) What is there to look into? They are transmitting on 580, as previously reported. If someone has a car radio set to 9 kHz steps, it would display one of the adjacent frequencies, unable to tune exactly to 580; however, the reason for dispensing with its authorised frequency 585 was to put it on the more common 10-kHz spacing in American cars (gh, DXLD) ** SEALAND. --- In RadioAnoraksUk@y..., "andrew_yeates" wrote: This evening the London edition of the BBC TV programmme 'Inside Out' featured Sealand: http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/insideldn/insideout/vote.shtml If you missed the report, it can be seen via this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/realmedia/insideout/insideout.ram (Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) It`s the first 9:20 of the 31-minute programme; may not be available for long, or are previous programmmes archived? (gh, DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 567, Cape Talk is my only local daytime MW station, but only comes in on the DX 1 Pro and not my portables. The station is supposed to be 50 kW, but often I suspect it is a lot less. I am surprised you [Rocco Controneo in Rio de Janeiro] get R. 702, the sister station to 567 Cape Talk, as although it is a full strength 100 kW station, it has a very effective curtain [sic] antenna that beams South. So although 567 Cape Talk is only 200 kilometers away, the R. 702 station comes in much more clearly and powerfully in the evening, even though it is some 1400 kilometers distant. Whilst these two stations are sisters, they carry separate programming - all talk show format, but at night the programming is sometimes the same. R. Islam is going strong on 1548 from its near Johannesburg transmitter site, and regretfully blocks R. St. Helena and Capital R. London, which I used to enjoy before R. Islam blocked them. R. Today on 1485 is an interesting station, run and owned by a group of aged retired broadcasters. The format is some talk and lots of "golden oldies" type music in English. Incidentally, I seldom get any MW catches other than Brazil from South America, and these mainly come in with the greyline just before sunrise. If conditions are good though, I can also sometimes get Brazilian MW in the evenings at around your sunset at 2100 UT. (John Plimmer, MONTAGU. Western Cape Province, Republic of SOUTH AFRICA, Sept 18, mwdx yahoogroups via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. SABC UNABLE TO AFFORD BROADCSTS IN ALL OFFICIAL LANGUAGES | Text of report by South African news agency SAPA via AllAfrica.com The SA Broadcasting Corporation [SABC] would not be able to remain economically sustainable if it fulfilled its constitutional requirements to broadcast in all official languages, the SABC board's financial head Peter Matlare said on Tuesday. Matlare was speaking during an SABC presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Communications on amendments to the broadcasting bill. Among the many difficulties the SABC had with the amendments was the proposed provision of regional television stations by the Department of Communication. He said that although the SABC supported any measures that would provide services in languages that had been marginalized, the move would have severe implications for the SABC. "While we aware of our responsibilities in terms of the constitution, it would be almost impossible to provides services in all languages and remain economically stable at the same time," he said. Among the problems the SABC had were constitutional concerns, the financial viability of regional stations, and how they would be funded. He said he could not comment fully on regional stations because a detailed feasibility study had not been carried out. "However at this stage we have some initial concerns about the impact the move will have on the viability of the SABC," he said. The SABC's constitutional concerns were addressed by Matthew Chaskalson who told the committee that the establishment of regional stations would require huge infrastructure development and start-up financing. He said the provisions in the bill on regional stations could by struck down by the Constitutional Court resulting in huge losses to the SABC. Committee chairman Nat Kekana, said he could not see how the establishment of regional stations would conflict with the constitution because the provision of services in all official languages was contained in the founding clauses of the constitution. The executive chairman of the Freedom of Expression Institute, Jane Duncan, told the commission in her submission to the committee, that she was concerned the bill would undermine the accountability and the independence of the SABC board, She said both were crucial for the operation of the broadcaster. "The two are a package deal. You can't have accountability without independence and you can't have independence without accountability," she said. She also proposed that the public service broadcaster element of the SABC should be relieved of all advertising. "This will free up advertising for the commercial stations who were in need of more income," she said. Referring to the establishment of regional stations, she said there had been rumours that SABC3 was due to be privatized. "If this is so, then I cannot understand why they would want to set up new stations while disposing of an existing one," she said. Kekane said he knew nothing about the privatization of the channel and thought it was no more than a rumour. Source: SAPA news agency, Johannesburg, in English 18 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) COSATU TO MARCH ON SABC OFFICES; URGES MEDIA "TRANSFORMATION" | Text of report by South African news agency SAPA web site Johannesburg, 19 September: The Congress of SA Trade Unions will march to SABC [South African Broadcasting Corporation] offices around the country on Heritage Day, Cosatu Secretary-General Zwelinzima Vavi said on Thursday [19 September]. "We will also march to the offices of City Press and Media24 in Auckland Park to hand over a memorandum calling for the broader transformation of the entire journalistic media in South Africa," Vavi told a press conference in Johannesburg. He accused the City Press newspaper of gutter journalism and said the SABC failed dismally to deliver on its cultural, language and human dignity mandate. "It is our belief that the SABC is not adhering to the spirit or even the letter of its charter." He said Cosatu chose Heritage Day (next week Tuesday) to stage the march because the working class and African society was not served by the public broadcaster. "We felt that our heritage as a working class, African society was not being served by our publicly owned broadcaster which does not set an example for private, profit-driven media institutions." Cosatu would demand better coverage of labour from the SABC, the promotion of the cultures, values, ethics and norms of African people and would call for an end to the massive broadcasting of Western programmes on television. Source: SAPA news agency web site, Johannesburg, in English 1030 gmt 19 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. 9770, SLBC heard with All Asia service September 20th, fair on clear channel, news bulletin to 1512 then programme of early 60s pop music to closing announcement 1530, Hindi religious style chanting, anthem and off 1536 (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. CLANDESTINE from UK to SUDAN. 21550, Millennium Voice. I read with great interest a recent Observer report that this one had left the air. It took a few days to reach him by phone, but a source at the Voice of Eritrea newspaper in Germany says that the station is still on the air, albeit on a reduced schedule. He claimed that they are just on Mondays and Fridays now from 1330-1430, instead of daily as before. This one can be tough in the USA with co-channel Christian Voz so any help in confirming this would be appreciated (Hans Johnson, Sep 19, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 21550 Millenium Voice, Sawt al-Qarn Heard September 20th opening 1330 with identifications including one in English, Koran recitation, lady in Arabic with transmission details, email address, incidental music and into commentaries in Arabic. Weak to fair with fading on clear channel. Reported Mondays and Fridays only now per Voice of Eritrea newspaper via Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. U.K.(non): B-02 schedule for Millennium Voice in Arabic: 1330-1430 21550 Woofferton 250 kW / 140 deg ||||| Mon/Fri only, ex Daily (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27, tho some may already be in effect) Millennium Voice heard opening at 1330 on Friday Sept. 20th on 21550. Clear English ID then into Arabic language programming (N. R. Green, Blackpool, England, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN -- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "HeartBeat" looks at sensors for emotional touch and the Superwoman syndrome Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: In "Spectrum" international film meeting in Öland Sunday: "Sounds Nordic" (SCDX/MediaScan Sept 18 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. FRANCE(non): B-02 schedule for Radio Taipei International in French: 2200-2300 12060 ISS 500 kW / 190 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** TIBET [?]. Report is in to Holy Tibet for 1100 UT English broadcast on 9490. Signals have improved with the season. But WRTH lists this frequency as Xi`an; does anybody know the transmitter QTH for sure? 73, (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Sept 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PWBR `2002` says it is Baoji; HFCC site list shows: BJI Baoji CHN 34N30 107E10, which is just west of Xi`an and well outside Tibet, but no China listings at all on 9490, a `traditional` Tibet frequency for sesquidecades. Of course due to skip distances, it makes some sense to site higher `domestic` frequencies for Xizang outside it, not to mention maintaining control over them in case of insurrexion (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1148, DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. B-02 schedule for Voice of Tibet in Tibetan and Mandarin Chinese: 1215-1300 15400 TAC 100 kW / 130 deg Tashkent 15645 DB 100 kW / 117 deg Dushanbe 15655 DB 100 kW / 115 deg Dushanbe 15680 A-A 100 kW / 132 deg Almaty 1430-1515 11975 TAC 100 kW / 130 deg Tashkent (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. U S A(non): B-02 schedule for United Nations Radio via MERLIN transmitters (Mon to Fri) with kW, azimuths: Arabic French 1830-1845 9850 RMP 500 / 115 1700-1715 7170 MEY 100 / 076 13775 SKN 300 / 180 17595 SKN 300 / 180 21535 MEY 500 / 342 English Portuguese 1730-1745 7170 MEY 100 / 005 1715-1720 21535 MEY 500 / 342 15495 SKN 300 / 125 1725-1730 7170 MEY 100 / 005 17580 ASC 250 / 065 [Rampisham, UK; Skelton UK; Meyerton, South Africa; Ascension Island] 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** U S A. VINTAGE 1AW QSL BRINGS RECORD PRICE OF $2,125 !!! From http://www.arrl.org/ (where this a photo) Sep 18, 2002 We're not certain if ARRL co-founder and first president Hiram Percy Maxim would have been proud or surprised to know that one of his old 1AW QSLs apparently set a price record for the sale of a single QSL card. A 1923-vintage HPM 1AW card recently went for $2125 on the eBay auction site. Neither the seller nor the buyer have been identified, but ARRL member Paul Cassel, VE3SY, of Petersburg, Ontario, Canada, acted as the sale agent and posted the card on the auction site. "The winning bidder is in California and is a very serious QSL collector," he said after the auction closed. Cassel pledged to donate half of his sale commission to the W1AW Endowment Fund. The 1AW card appears to verify reception of 9CTR on a wavelength of 193 meters rather than a two-way contact. "You were calling another 9," Maxim wrote in the card's "Remarks" section. Although the card proclaims "American Radio Relay League Station 1AW" across the top, the now-famous call sign was Maxim's own personal call sign at the time, not the League's, and Maxim operated from his home on Hartford. Until the 1AW card sale, Cassel says the highest known price paid for a single QSL card was more than $1100 for an AC4YN QSL from the Tibet DXpedition of Sir Evan Nepean, G5YN, who died last March at age 92 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Dear Glenn, WJIE has had some transmitter problems with a recent storm, but new updates should have the facility up and running full strength again 9/20. We plan to have Transmitter 2 up and running as well by the end of the month on 13.595 MHz. Thanks for your service to the shortwave community (Doc Burkhart, WJIE Shortwave, Sept 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 50mhz topica reflector: About two weeks ago, I was searching for the MUF during a band opening on a Sunday night and ran across a very strong short-wave broadcasters third harmonic on 45.990 MHz. I found their fundamental frequency to be 15.330 MHz. Tonight (Sunday, 16 Sept, 2002) at 0244 Z until their carrier dropped at 0300 Z, I copied this same station again. They were broadcasting in Spanish and S9 + on their fundamental frequency of 15.330 MHz and about S6 on their third harmonic at 45.990 MHz. This time I got their ID several times and identified them at Radio Martí, a USA mainland based series of stations broadcasting to Cuba on several SWBC frequencies, including 15.330 from Greenville, N.C. and on 1180 kHz in the medium wave band from Marathon, Florida. According to their frequency chart at: http://www.ibb.gov/marti.frec.html The 15.330 MHz frequency is used for only two hours per week on Sunday nights from 1700-1800 EST [sic] and 1800-1900 EST which fits the time window that I have now heard them two times. [no, it doesn`t...] To me these are not problems but another tool to check MUF/radio conditions, but, due their limited on the air time on this frequency, it severely limits its use for that. If anyone reads this who lives within ground-wave range of Greenville, NC, please give a listen next Sunday night and re-confirm what I have heard, as I can only hear it when the band is open. The receiver used is an Icom 756 PRO II. 73, Sam Neal N5AF EM-20 50 miles North of Houston, Texas ----- Visit the Six Club web page at: http://6mt.com/club.htm (via Wayne Heinen, CO, DXLD) Au Contraire; the schedule allegedly updated daily at http://sds.his.com:4000/fmds_z/schedules/cur_freqsked.txt shows greater usage, every day, of 15330, from Delano, not Greenville: 15330 0000 0300 OCB LARM SPAN DL 01 100 15330 2200 2400 OCB LARM SPAN DL 01 100 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RADIO AND TV MARTÍ BROADCAST MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TO CUBA Washington, D.C., September 10, 2002-- The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), which operates Radio and TV Martí, is broadcasting select baseball games to Cuba for the remainder of the 2002 season under an agreement with Major League Baseball. Already, Radio Martí`s listeners have heard play-by-play coverage in Spanish of several games, including match-ups between the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. The agreement gives OCB the right to broadcast two games a week over Radio Martí, as well as the division and league championships and the World Series. TV Martí will broadcast the division and league championships, the World Series and a weekly program known as ``A Taste of Baseball,`` or ``Sabor a Béisbol.`` Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which oversees all U.S. international, nonmilitary broadcasting, praised the agreement. ``It`s good news for the Cuban people. It`s good news for Americans,`` he said, adding, ``I`m sure President Bush could not be more pleased.`` Bush was a former managing general partner of the Texas Rangers. ``We are extremely excited to provide Major League Baseball programming to Cuba,`` said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President of Major League Baseball International. ``Cuba has a great passion for baseball and we believe that expanded exposure to Major League Baseball will only heighten that level of passion.`` Salvador Lew, OCB`s director, said the broadcasts are ``another major step in providing our audience in Cuba with news and events that are denied them by the Cuban government`s state-controlled media.`` He noted that baseball is the most popular sport in Cuba. In 1999, Major League Baseball and the Cuban Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation staged two historic exhibition games between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban National Team. The Baltimore Orioles traveled to Havana to play the first exhibition game on March 28, 1999, which marked the first time a Major League Baseball team had played a game in Cuba in 40 years. The Cuban National team visited Baltimore for a rematch against the Orioles on May 3, 1999. Eleven Major League teams have Spanish language feeds. For cases in which a Spanish language version of a game is not available, Radio and TV Martí will use an English language feed from which to dub a Spanish language broadcast (BBG Sept 10 press release, Sept 20 via DXLD) ** U S A. PANGLOBAL WIRELESS COMING TO WBCQ! Perhaps you heard the original pirate broadcasts of the mid-1990's. Maybe you were there when TTN pulled the plug on a rebroadcast of the "Sloppy Sex Extravaganza" on PanGlobal Wireless. Or maybe you don't know what on Earth I'm talking about. Anyway, you'll get an experience unique to broadcast listening if you tune in to WBCQ - The Planet on shortwave! Premières 27 September 2002. Fridays: 2100-2130 UT on 7.415 MHz, Saturdays at 1900 UT on 17.495 MHz Tune in to the music, commentary, bad Spanish and worse comedy! Hey, it's a half hour...what have you got to lose? PanGlobal Wireless is not the pirate broadcast of days gone by; we've simply stolen the name because we liked the show. Honest. Really. Sh-h-h! Don't tell Allan H. Weiner what we're up to! (Paul at Secret Studio, Sep 18, rec.radio.broadcasting via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. RADIO FREE EUROPE CZECH BRANCH TO END BROADCASTING ON 30 SEPTEMBER | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 19 September: The Radio Svobodna Evropa (RSE), the Czech version of the RFE/RL, will definitively end its broadcasting after 52 years on 30 September since the US council of governors for foreign broadcasting refused its further financing, RFE Czech desk head Olga Kopecka told CTK today. The date was already announced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) head Thomas Dine in July. He said the USA needed money to extend broadcasting to other countries in connection with its fight against terrorism... The United States paid 650,000 dollars (19.5m Czech korunas) annually for the Czech broadcasting, while the public Czech Radio 6 station provided the equipment, frequency and broadcasting time... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1617 gmt 19 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. 660 (KTNN) AZ, Window Rock. This has been off for at least a week (Bill Nittler, Mancos CO, undated!, IRCA Sept 21 Soft DX Monitor, Sept 19 via DXLD) ** U S A. 1260 KVSF - SANTA FE, NM KTRC; 1400 KTRC - SANTA FE, NM KVSF. 1260 KTRC - SANTA FE, NM TALK; 1400 KVSF - SANTA FE, NM TRAD. C&W - ABC (NZ DX Times Sept via DXLD) I.e. these two have swapped calls; why bother? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I too have doubts about AM in the long run. The real issue is that even without IBOC, most AMs are coverage crippled, and cannot compete even with other AMs that have better signals. Take a market like San Diego. Only 2 AMs really cover the entire county, which is the metro. And KOGO uses an FM repeater to cover NE SD County better. The rest of the AMs are going to continue to slide and eventually, some will go away or find other sues... maybe datacasting. Ding ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! David, perhaps inadvertently, has tipped the industry's hand here: so much of the fight to make TV and now radio digital is not about the "main channel" programming. It's all about whatever data can ride the stream as well. From the dawn of the DTV conversion, station owners and networks have had stars in their eyes about the riches to be made from leasing out some of their data stream into the home. That's 6 MHz per station, and I'm not yet seeing much in the way of a viable business model for DTV datacasting. Will 10 kHz worth of bandwidth, in a frequency band highly subject to atmospheric and man- made interference and unpredictable propagation effects ("DX: it's a bug, not a feature") and requiring very large, land-gobbling antennas, be any more relevant for datacasting than they would be as "unusable" audio services? My crystal ball isn't too optimistic... -s (Scott Fybush, NY) Well if Clear Channel knows as much about AM radio as they say ...why then did they start dropping the stereo operations of most of their AM stations? Even though the receivers are not out there in huge numbers, if it helps make the station sound BETTER, then why defeat it? (same goal as digital right?..better sound?..that`s what I thought too!) Now with the talk of IBOC...the mass interference generator that it will be is only taking us back to the early days of radio. The analog will be met with a narrow sound, the digital more than likely will have a hard time keeping up coverage wise compared to the analog signal. All of this for what? CD quality sound? ...stick with fixing the content on the stations... ....satellite fed radio stations just doesn`t cut it. I can tune in at least 5 easily receivable stations that carry Rush, Neal Boortz, The Savage Nation, Art Bell, various Jones satellite music networks and I could go on and on ...but back before this age of radio, you didn`t have that to worry, you had something DIFFERENT on all stations. Each station had its own personality which made that station a strong part of its community. Today, that just isn`t anywhere close to being any of that. Digital is suppose to save radio? Yeah, right and we are going to be taking a ride on the next UFO to planet Zorto where life is just perfect and dandy! {Oh me!... too much Art Bell!} (Bob Carter, Operations/ Engineering, WGAI-NewsRadio 560 AM Stereo, AM Stereo Radio list moderator----- amstereoradio-subcribe@topica.com KC4QLP Amateur Radio Skywarn monitor-AKQ-Wakefield Va http:// www.kc4qlp.cjb.net Your memories don't go far enough back. Up into the 50's, nearly all radio of interest came through national networks, and was the same all over the country. National radio programs or formats should be looked at no differently than TV and cable. Cable is almost 100% national, TV is about 90% national. Most TV stations do nothing local except for news and Public Affairs shows. CCU dropped AM stereo for the same reason many of the rest of us did. When I pulled it from the HBC AM's in the 1995-1997 period, it was because very few of our listeners and potential ones had AM stereo receivers, very few would likely have them, and the harm AM stereo did in the nulls of our stations was not worth the risk. When we took CQUAM off KTNQ, in the next book we had considerable listening in ZIP codes to the East of the array, where we had none previously. It also removed a piece of equipment that was unnecessary from the "failure chain" at the transmitter (David Gleason, CA; all: NRC-AM circa Sept 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. I believe WTOP may be testing IBOC again tonight... at any rate, I have an angry buzz on 1510 that seems to be minimized when I null WTOP. Check it out... (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Sept 19, NRC-AM via DXLD) Re noise heard on 1510: Check out this recent article: http://www.rwonline.com/reference-room/iboc/04_rw_iboc.shtml It says, among other things, "Ibiquity planned to use WTOP(AM) in Washington to test the impact of a digital signal on local stations at night." The WLW tests are also mentioned. It would be nice to get a schedule for the tests, but somehow I doubt if that will be forthcoming. :-) (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Sept. 18, NRC-AM via DXLD) WTOP-1500 IBOC buzz definitely being heard on 1495 and 1510 and especially 1515 at 2355 EDT here in Central NY. RX=Sony ICF 2010 w/low noise longwire antenna. It sounds similar to what WLW iboc on 700 side-bands. It definitely was interfering with the 1510 stations in the NE (Fred Nordquist, Sept 19, ibid.) [However, several others who checked did not hear any such noise] ** U S A. "Save Internet Radio" From eworldwire.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE WEBCASTERS` LAST MINUTE APPEAL TO CONGRESS - ``Save Internet Radio`` St. Louis, MO/EWORLDWIRE/September 18, 2002 --- Just 4 weeks prior to the first payment of a sound performance royalty fee by nonsubscription Internet Radio Stations, a united group of webcasters will visit Congress this week (Sept. 19-20) to ask for immediate Congressional help for relief from this excessive royalty fee. Webcasters will be asking their representatives to support the Internet Radio Fairness Act (IRFA), which was introduced by Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA), and George Nethercutt (R-WA), in an effort to protect smaller webcasters from unfair royalty obligations arrived at through a process which excluded their participation. The royalty fees were determined by a June 20, 2002 decision by the Library of Congress* implementing provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. The DMCA required the payment of fees for sound recordings played on the Internet since its adoption, although the rate of such payment was unknown until the June 20 decision. The October 20 payment is for four years of back royalties covering the period from October 1998 until August 31 of this year. The rates established for Internet use of sound recordings has been consistently decried by webcasters as being far too high in comparison to royalties that have traditionally been paid to songwriters. In many cases, the new royalties will be as much as 3 times more than the total revenues earned by certain independent commercial webcasters. One recent report from Jupiter Research predicted that the rate would lead to Internet radio becoming dominated by news, talk and sports stations, as music programming would be prohibitive because of the high sound performancy royalty. A recent BRS Media report (09/12/02) shows that nearly one third (31%) of US webcasters have already closed their doors since the sound performance rate was announced, and for the first time ever, there were more foreign webcasters than US webcasters. ``Without immediate relief – before the October 20 payment deadline – most of the US small webcasters will have to either close down their businesses or severely curtail their operations,`` said Mike Roe, President of IO Media Partners, owner of Internet radio station radioio. ``If most US small webcasters have to close or cut back on their operations, it opens the way for a very few large corporations that can afford to subsidize their internet operations and for foreign webcasters to own the Internet Radio market. We don`t think this is what Congress intended when they passed the Digital Millenium Copyright Act in 1998.`` ``We think that passage of the Internet Radio Fairness Act is essential at this point,`` declared Gary Dobek, from Digitally Imported Radio. ``The musical diversity of US webcasters, and the free access to that diversity, will pretty much disappear if Congress doesn`t respond immediately to support the Act.`` *Determination of Reasonable Rates and Terms for the Digital Performance of Sound Recordings and Ephemeral Recordings; Final Rule, 67 Fed. Reg. 45240 (July 8, 2002) (to be codified at 37 C.F.R. pt. 261) (``Final Order``). CONTACT: Jim Atkinson, Media Contact, 3WK, 5217 Lansdowne, St. Louis, MO 63109. PHONE: 314.481.4711. FAX: 314.481.4000. EMAIL: jim@3wk.com (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Re NY Times story about Louisiana, et al: "Religious and Public Stations Battle for Share of Radio Dial" ::: This doesn't just affect NPR. College radio stations will also be flooded out by more powerful religious signals. College radio listeners tend to be off-campus, either in outlying dorms or in nearby communities. The problem can't be solved with just a "full-power license". The area covered is a strong function of both effective radiated power and antenna height. That may mean building a new transmitter facility at a more strategic (and higher-rent) location. "Effective" radiated power requires a sophisticated antenna system to focus the power at the horizon over the target area. These antennas are rather large for 3- meter wavelengths in the FM band. Going head to head with another station also means larger electric bills -- over $6,000 per yr. per 10 kW added. All of this cost comes out of educational content, for stations barely able to subsist as it is. The problem is not just that Congress 'stepped on' public radio by passing this new law. The FCC proposed that law to Congress, because of 'new thinking' at the FCC. Until very recently, the FCC was supposed to MINIMIZE interference between stations, by not licensing the same frequency twice in the same geographical area. Channel space has always been scarce, but the solution was to auction channel space -- or for potential station owners to buy each other out. The only thing that's different today is the variety of content available to educational stations, versus the desire to hype religion from every tower -- even though the SAME religious messages are readily available on local cable, local commercial radio stations, and local commercial TV stations. Many local broadcasters have turned to religious audiences to replace listeners lost to cable. The original FCC policy (of avoiding interference) was actually developed for AM radio, and for AM video signals. When AM signals interfere, even weakly, the result is a piercing howl (or in the case of TV, visible heterodyne). Early FM signals were also vulnerable to interference. Most receivers built since the 80's, however, lock on to the stronger FM signal and ignore the weaker one, using what are called phase-locked loops. This same principle applies to narrow-band FM signals used by most police and fire depts. -- the stronger signal dominates completely. That's especially true in the UHF bands, since UHF follows line-of-sight, and doesn't cause problems over the horizon. There are several reasons NOT to allow competing signals on the 'regular' FM band. Unlike the UHF bands, FM signals travel over the horizon somewhat, and are more subject to atmospheric reflection, causing problems farther away. When stations compete, uneven coverage is exacerbated -- whether caused by uneven terrain or by intervening objects. A listener may hear 'the wrong station' as planes fly over or as trucks pass by. The FCC and Congress aren't worried about what that will do to lower- power NPR and college-radio stations -- the tacit assumption being that public radio will be forced off the air, and cease to be a political problem. It's also a case of "wattage talks, content walks." Until fairly recently, the FCC could also weigh "operation in the public interest", i.e. how much a proposed licensee (or class of licensee) could contribute to the public good, through variety of educational content, or pursuant to informed democracy. College stations, obviously, could contribute a great deal educationally. Another rationale was also that academic speech couldn't be excluded from the dial merely to favor commercial-speech brokers able to bankroll a higher wattage. The FCC has long sought a way to avoid value-judgments on whether diverse educational programming is 'valuable enough' for a protected place on the dial, compared to, say, a plethora of carbon-copy religious stations. The FCC's role is fast-changing, because the real future is seen in new technologies. Cell phones for example 'channel hop' as needed. Packet-switched radio networks accommodate several users on the same frequency. Spread-spectrum devices of competing brands can all share the SAME bandwidth, spreading their individual signals across many channels. (While traditional superheterodyne radios modulated a simple sine wave, this is not technically necessary. The carrier wave can be anything -- including a broad-band signal that sounds like faint noise without a matching demodulation.) The FCC is now happily licensing spread-spectrum devices such as personal radios -- with the caveat that the user and manufacturer agree to "accept any interference" caused by other devices. If several people in the same building use spread-spectrum devices, the better devices are smart enough to route around each other's signal. At first glance, spread-spectrum SEEMS like a magical eventual cure for crowded airwaves, but it's not. Finite bandwidth is still finite. While some spread-spectrum LANs are blazingly fast for example, performance decays and range decreases as the bands become crowded, and the background noise increases, making it hard for such devices to receive each other accurately. The FCC has also been talking up "Internet appliance" -- including wireless 'radios' supporting delivery-on-demand of music, video, gamies and whatnot. These supposedly will replace both radios and PCs, and have the commercially desirable feature of taking control away from the user, and giving it to the vendor -- who can then control how often a song or game is played, bill in realtime etc. There's just one problem, and that's lack of wireless bandwidth. The tacit assumption is that bandwidth-hungry "Internet appliances" will simply make content with a fiber-optic network, via matchbox-sized cell nodes as common as phone outlets in today's buildings. The only problem with that rosy future is that many cable companies lied like rugs about how soon they'd wire the country for 2-way digital cable, IF municipalities would only grant exclusive franchises, which they did. Customers ended up getting one-way "broadband" cable, with the assurance that the high prices they were paying would go to improve the network -- somewhere else where the franchise wars were hot. So it seems that the FCC, and Congress, are throwing away the future of public radio, on the vision of new wireless technologies that are still vaporware. The message is in essence "We don't care what educational networks people have built -- we're forcing a new paradigm on everyone through the Miracle of Social Engineering", driven by the vast arrogance of Congress. There's also been a political shift between Congress and the FCC. The power to protect public radio was also the power to protect public morals, and the power to require equal time for opposing political viewpoints. The Supreme Court has largely eliminated the FCC's powers of content control, while wired networks bypassed the FCC's power over the airwaves. The result has been a push to use purely objective criteria in granting licenses. A maximally powerful station is thus "better" at serving a wider area, regardless of what it serves up. There's also a growing belief among religious empire-builders that the public doesn't really NEED diverse educational offerings and liberal arts. In a post-9-11 world, the public need learn only to hate foreigners, be willing to kill foreigners, and to understand that a world war is necessary to defend Our Religion against the Great Satan The futility of World War III is irrelevant, because Jesus will come in the nick of time to exalt those with blood on their hands. If that's said often enough, on enough stations drowning out skeptical voices, people might even believe it. Jim Kutz (South Shore Skeptics) Newsgroups: bit.listserv.skeptic, rec.radio.broadcasting (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. U.K.(non): B-02 schedule for WYFR via MERLIN txs: 1400-1500 15520 DHA 500 kW / 085 deg Hindi UAE 1500-1700 15520 DHA 500 kW / 085 deg English UAE 1700-1800 21680 ASC 250 kW / 085 deg English Ascension 1700-1900 9595 WOF 250 kW / 070 deg Russian Woofferton, UK 1900-2000 9590 WOF 250 kW / 114 deg Arabic Woofferton, UK 2000-2100 15195 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg English Ascension (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** URUGUAY. 6155, Banda Oriental, Sarandí del Yí, Dpto. de Durazno, is active: *0140 Sept 17. Opening ID by YL: "A partir de este momento inicia su transmisión CWA155, Banda Oriental, en la frecuencia de 6155 kilohertz con estudios en calle Sarandí 328, Sarandí del Yi, Durazno, Uruguay, código postal 97100, correo electrónico norasan, arroba, adinet. com. uy", followed by folk music. Another ID: "En la frecuencia de 6155 khz, desde Sarandí del Yí, Durazno, Uruguay, estamos transmitiendo a través de la banda de 49 metros, en 6.155 khz, Banda Oriental, desde Sarandí del Yí, Durazno, Uruguay, con nuestros estudios en calle Sarandí 328, Sarandí del Yí, Durazno, Uruguay, código postal 97-100. Nuestro correo electrónico es norasan@adinet.com.uy -- compartiendo nuestro encuentro con la música folklórica de nuestro país, Uruguay, con todos Uds. que nos están sintonizando a través de la banda de 49 metros" (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. RUSSIA(non): B-02 schedule for Voice of Khmer Krom Radio in Khmer: 1400-1500 11560 Vladivostok 250 kW / 230 deg ||||| Tue only (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 20, via DXLD; note: all Observer items in this issue concern advance info for B-02 season starting Oct. 27) ** YUGOSLAVIA. RADIO YUGOSLAVIA TO RESUME SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS Radio Yugoslavia has announced that it is to resume its shortwave broadcasts after a long suspension during which its programmes were only available on the Internet. Following an agreement between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Ministerial Council of Bosnia- Herzegovina, the Central Regulatory Agency for Communications (CRA) has issued a long-term permit to Radio Yugoslavia to broadcast its programmes again via its shortwave transmitter site in Bijeljina, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The date of resumption has not yet been announced (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 18 September 2002 via WORLD OF RADIO 1148, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4050. For last two weeks or so, I have heard a station on 4050 during UT late afternoons (best 1700-1800). Program is pop music (local, Russian and EE) and I have not managed to hear any announcements. They sign-off around 1800 without any id. 4010//4795 has different program. This used to be Kyrgyz frequency in the past. Anyone heard proper ID of this 4050 outlet? (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Sept 18, dxing.info via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 17837v. First noted last spring and still hearing this weak station which fades in around 1500 or so on 17835v and slowly drifts up at the rate of about 300 or 400 Hz per hour. Is audible for several hours and usually has news by female announcer at top of hour. Still there at 2000 UT. Can't pull out ID or language. Is nobody else hearing this? Am also hearing the [El Salvador?] het on 17833.2, no audio yet. This is different from the 17837v unID (John Wilkins, CO, 9/18, Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 18 September - 14 October 2002 Solar activity is expected to be low to moderate. Activity is expected to be at moderate levels through 21 September, due to the Region 105/114 complex. Continued moderate conditions may accompany the return of old Region 95 (N08, L=061) after 23 September. A slight chance for a proton event exists in association with any significant flare activity from the Region 105/114 complex, until it rotates beyond the west limb on 21 September. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geo-synchronous orbit may remain at event thresholds on 18 September, due to the coronal hole effects of the past few days. Recurring electron events are possible on 02-03 October and 09-10 October, due to expected rotation of persistent coronal holes. The geomagnetic field may reach active levels on 19-20 September, in response to potential transient effects from recent CME activity observed on 17-18 September. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected for most of the remaining forecast period, with the possibility of isolated active conditions on 01-02 October and 08-09 October in response to recurrent coronal hole effects. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2002 Sep 17 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2002 Sep 17 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2002 Sep 18 180 12 3 2002 Sep 19 175 15 3 2002 Sep 20 165 12 3 2002 Sep 21 155 12 3 2002 Sep 22 150 10 3 2002 Sep 23 145 8 3 2002 Sep 24 150 8 3 2002 Sep 25 150 10 3 2002 Sep 26 160 10 3 2002 Sep 27 165 10 3 2002 Sep 28 170 8 3 2002 Sep 29 170 10 3 2002 Sep 30 170 12 3 2002 Oct 01 170 12 3 2002 Oct 02 170 10 3 2002 Oct 03 175 10 3 2002 Oct 04 175 8 3 2002 Oct 05 185 8 3 2002 Oct 06 195 8 3 2002 Oct 07 195 8 3 2002 Oct 08 195 10 3 2002 Oct 09 195 12 3 2002 Oct 10 195 10 3 2002 Oct 11 195 8 3 2002 Oct 12 185 8 3 2002 Oct 13 185 8 3 2002 Oct 14 185 10 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1148, DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-146, September 17, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1147: BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0700 on 7445, 15038.7; webcasts also Sun 1830, Mon 1230, Wed 1300 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1147.html WORLD OF RADIO 1148: FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: Wed 2200 on 7415, 17495; Mon 0415 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2030 on 15825, Sat 0530, Sun 0230 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730 on 7445, 15038.7 ** AFGHANISTAN. INFORMATION RADIO CONTINUES TO BROADCAST ON 8700 KHZ By Takuya Hirayama, CRW Japan Bureau on assignment in Kabul [Sep 15] Information Radio, the U.S. Psyop operation launched during the first days of the American military intervention in Afghanistan last year, continues to broadcast on 8700 kHz in AM mode. Its current schedule appears to be from mid-afternoon until late at night Kabul time. Reception of the station in Kabul is stable but not as strong as had been expected. Reception is actually much better in Islamabad, Pakistan. The medium wave frequency, 864 kHz, also appears to be active, however, our monitoring has only detected a carrier wave and no sound. Recent reports that Information Radio also uses 6100 kHz cannot yet be confirmed. Nothing is audible on that frequency in Kabul (T. Hirayama, Japan/Afghanistan, Sep 15, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN? 6100, Information Radio? 16 Sept 1617 is heard under very low signal, just S2 and also very low audio with music. 8700, Psyops still in the band, 16 Sept 1621 with songs but very low nearly marginal level (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Current tests from Tajikistan on 801 kHz, i.e. to Afghanistan rather than in Afghanistan. 801 kHz is not an Afghan frequency, but "belongs" to Tajikistan in the ITU Geneva MW Plan. This frequency was used by a transmitter in Orzu in southern Tajikistan with Moscow R 1, until it was closed in the early 1990s. The Geneva Plan limits the power to 200 kW; it is unknown what power was used for R 1, or what power will be used after a reactivation now (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Sept 10, Sept 18 BC-DX Sep 17 via DXLD) ** ANGOLA [non]. Radio Eclésia konnte gestern (10.09.02) zwischen 1955 und 2000 UT s/off auf der QRG 7205 kHz mit O=3 in Portugiesisch gehört werden. Klare ID um 1959. Zum Sendeschluss ein wohlbekanntes Klavier-thema, ehe die BBC in Mazedonisch (?) den Kanal lautstark uebernimmt. Bei Glenn Hauser wurde über einen Tippfehler gemunkelt. Die von Kathy Otto gemachte Angabe ist somit richtig (H. Pammer, Austria, Sep 11, 2002 in A-DX via CRW via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 2379.58, (presumed), LRA15, Radio Nacional de Tucumán, (harmonic 2 x 1190), 14 Sep, 0938-1001, Spanish talk with news program mentioning "...Lo Diario del País.." Report from the United Nations from a "Radio Nacional Córdoba" correspondent. 0945 time check, more reports from various correspondents. 1000 signal faded. Time pips, but no ID heard. Overall fair to good signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. "VT-DX": http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ ** AUSTRALIA. The Radio Australia station at Shepparton, Victoria, continues to experience technical difficulties due to the very old equipment still in use. During the early morning period, two of the transmitters operate in parallel on 7240 and 6080 kHz from 1800 until 2100 UT. Unfortunately, a strong spurious radiation is produced on 4920 kHz in the 60 metre tropical band due to the harmonic signal from 7240 kHz mixing with 6080 kHz. This spurious signal causes interference to All India Radio and China National Radio, both of which are operating on the same channel, 4920 kHz. This signal has been monitored right across Australia and into Asia.(Bob Padula, AWR Wavescan Sept 15 via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. 3355, R Mayak / Golos Rossii, 16 Sept 1853, talks by man in Russian something that seems as news. Music at 1858 with man IDing as Golos Rossii. Again at 1900 with ID ``R. Kompania Golos Rossii``. Mode DSB with signal S2-3. Good only in SSB!! (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELIZE. Hi Glenn: The IBB relay near Punta Gorda, Belize, ceased operation 15 September at 0500 UT. It consisted of two 100-kilowatt medium wave transmitters operating on 1530 and 1580 kHz. It was used for VOA Spanish and English (News Now) to Central American and southern Mexico. There was also a low power FM transmitter at the site, which relayed VOA News Now. 73 (Kim Elliott, VOA, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tnx for the news. Any word on why it ceased? What will become of the facility? Dismantle and move transmitters somewhere else? Sale? I recall they were trying to rent it out. No takers? 73, Glenn ** BHUTAN. QSL letter and separate colorful QSL Card from Bhutan Broadcasting Service Corporation, verified reception June 8th on 5025 kHz 50 kW, dated on June 17th, 2002, shows their website address as: http://www.bbs.com.bt V/s is station engineer Dorji Wangchuk, at P. O. Box 101, Thimphu, Bhutan. Tel +975 [0]2 323071, 323072, 322866, 322533. Fax Tel +975 [0]2 323073 (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, OE2CRM, BC-DX Sep 16 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 3205.00, Rádio Ribeirão Preto, 16 Sep, 2304-2330, good signal with Portuguese talk, interviews and reports. Announcer with "...Rádio Ribeirão Preto..." ID in passing at 2327 (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURMA [non]. Democratic Voice of Burma: Due to poor propagation in downunder winter, 9500 kHz signal suffered in the Myanmar target. Now music tests occurred on 12090, and 15620 kHz on other days of the week. The latter frequency - estimated - for regular usage in S-02/D- 02 / or B-02 season til March 2003. 12090 - sooo, nooooo new type of 'Chinese Music Jamming' (W. Bueschel, Germany, Sep 8, 2002 in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC previews for Wednesday, Sept 18: DISPATCHES: Los Evangélicos, a documentary from Guatemala. There's a reformation underway across in Latin America. It's the work of thousands of North American fundamentalist missionaries and millions of evangelical converts from Catholicism. That's on Dispatches, with host Rick MacInnes-Rae, tonight at 7:30 (8 NT) on CBC Radio One. [2230 in AT/NT zone, +1/2/3/4 hours in westward zones; also on RCI at 2330] (CBC Hotsheet via gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC AIMS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF ITS FRENCH Radio-Canada, the French language division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, has announced the creation of a Working Group on Language Quality. The Working Group's mission will be to consider the quality of the French spoken and written on the Première Chaîne, the Chaîne Culturelle and Radio-Canada's Websites. The Group will submit recommendations to guarantee excellence and maintain the standards of French on the air. It should deliver its final report in March 2003. The Working Group will be made up of a number of senior Radio-Canada journalists as well as other communications and French- language professionals. Sylvain Lafrance, CBC Vice-President of French Radio and New Media, said that "the creation of a working group on the French language is essential for Radio-Canada. Indeed, this is one of the responsibilities of public radio to Francophones throughout the country - that is, to ensure that the quality of the language used on the air and the Internet remains exceptional." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 September 2002 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Re: ``CLANDESTINE from RUSSIA to CHINA. 6035 Falun Dafa station reported on this new frequency at 2100-2200 // 9945 (Hans Johnson, Sept 13, Cumbre DX via DXLD) By whom? (DXLD 15 Sept)`` I tuned to 6035 at this time Monday evening (16 Sep) and heard "Zheli shi Hanguo Guangbo Diantai", which in English means "This is Radio Korea". For quite some time before 2100 the station also played its IS with interspersed IDs in Korean and English in addition to Chinese. Maybe this is what the anonymous reporter above heard? (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. 9550, R. Okapi, QSL-card received from Fondation Hirondelle in Switzerland in 5-1/2 months for copy of report and CD sent to them covering March reception. Has logos of R. Okapi and FH and FH handstamp, full-data (though time not filled in and frequency looks like 1550 rather than 9550); FH logo on back (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Sep 16 via BC-DX via DXLD) RADIO OKAPI JOURNALIST ARRESTED The authorities of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) in Gbadolite have arrested a journalist working for Radio Okapi, the UN's radio network in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Franklin Moliba- Sese was initially detained last Friday, and is due to appear before the prosecutor. The MLC authorities criticised Radio Okapi after it broadcast a report last Thursday on the unsatisfactory living conditions of child soldiers waiting to be demobilised in Gbadolite. A spokesman for the UN Mission (MONUC) said that UN Special Representative Amos Namanga Ngongi has been trying to obtain the immediate release of the journalist through contact with the President of the MLC, Jean-Pierre Bemba. The UN argues that as an employee of MONUC, Franklin Moliba-Sese is entitled to diplomatic immunity. (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 September 2002 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s 15th anniversary Fiesta on the Air, early UT Sept 17, took fewer calls than usual, but presented some insight from staff, including excerpts of Interactive Radio Shows. James Latham told of his depression and self-doubts, especially in the past few months as funding has diminished in the wake of 9/11. He was feeling sorry for himself, and the relatively low wages RFPI staff get, $600 a month; he`s still driving his old Toyota with bald tires, no spare and 500 kilomiles on it. He was thinking about going back to the States to make a decent living as a broadcast engineer. Until he came upon Lacarpio, a shantytown where refugees from Nicaragua live with much less in a hellish situation. His own home in the country is small by American standards, like a trailer. But then he decided to keep going with RFPI, grateful for his blessings, and does what he can to help the residents of Lacarpio. Joe Bernard arrived in Costa Rica 11 years ago with nothing but a backpack containing some toilet paper (rumored to be lacking), intending to return to the US shortly. Now after many years of service at RFPI, Joe is going home to Oregon in October, due to family commitments, but would like to return to CR some day and perhaps be buried in the RFPI back lot. He will, however, remain part of RFPI, operating the North American office, and helping with internet. Since when anyone had a question, the solution was to ``Ask Joe``, he`ll probably be busy e-mailing assistance back and forth. The staff at RFPI have given up a lot --- the careers they would have had in the States, social security, etc., but the annual Fiesta, contact with listeners and supporters, revitalizes them (gh`s summary of comments on the Fiesta, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 2360.00, Radio Rebelde, Villa Maria (harmonic 2 x 1180), 14 Sep, 0927, Spanish talk // 710 and 1180. Very weak. 2840.0, Radio Rebelde, (harmonic 4 x 710) 14 Sep, 1010, Spanish talk // 2360, 3550 and 4970 (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. Hi Glenn, Apparently Radio Sawa has moved as planned to 990 kHz ex-981. Their Web site has been updated. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Holland, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello Glenn, Upon request to IBB I have received this answer in an email: "The 981/ 990 kHz transmitter is registered with the ITU by Cyprus and operates at a power level of 600 kW. Very Best - George Moore" Best 73s (Ydun Ritz, Denmark, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. Hello, just my 0,02 EUR on this topic: The Radio Sawa move from 981 to 990 should be hardly a technical problem; elsewhere mediumwave antennas are used to operate channels much further away from the design frequency of the antenna. Three examples from Germany: Braunschweig/Königslutter 630 (100 kW) uses a mast designed for 548, Wilsdruff 1431 (250 kW) uses a mast designed for 1043, and at Burg a mediumwave mast was even used for 263/261 as substitute for the collapsed longwave mast. And, by the way, it remains to be seen for which frequency the antenna in question is actually designed, provided that this is indeed not a new but an already existing antenna. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS. What some of you have experienced on 18 MHz seems to be the British OTHR ("Over The Horizon Radar") on the Island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Since 16 years it causes severe interference also on exclusive amateur radio frequencies. It is operated by the Royal Air Force and is located on the sovereign base area Akrotiri. The giant antenna site is an ancient salt lake surrounded by the Mediterranean sea on three sides. This OTHR gives the British Forces the possibility to monitor troup movement and air traffic and gives deep sight into focal countries of the Middle East and northern Africa like Turkey, Kurdistan, Aserbaidschan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Sudan etc. DK2OM has analyzed the OTHR signal and found out that it consists of a broad spectrum of pulses separated by exactly 25Hz. The whole spectrum is switched off every 200mS and again switched on after 1 to 30mS. This break is used for evaluation of the reflected signals. There is no legal grounds against this OTHR, because the Radio Regulations of the ITU clearly state that the member countries have total freedom concerning all radio applications of their armies. In July last year soldiers of the 12. Royal Signals Unit started to erect a new 190m high antenna mast and the residents got really angry (rightly so !) because their houses are only about 2Km away and they fear for their health. The riots ended with 40 British Policemen and many more demonstrators wounded, the material damage was estimated at 170,000 US$. This information is based on an article by Ulrich Bihlmayer, DJ9KR, in the May 2002 issue of the German amateur radio magazine "funk". On http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/rdnronald/ you can find information on the work of the IARU Monitoring System in combating abuse of the amateur bands. Send protest notes to the British Government to stop the OTHR on Cyprus! 73 (Karl, DJ5IL, via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** DENMARK. DANISH BROADCAST JOURNALISTS' STRIKE ENDS | Text of report by Danish radio web site on 16 September From today Danes can again see and hear the daily news broadcasts and magazines on DR [Danmarks Radio - national public-service broadcaster]. The approx. 900 journalists at DR have resumed work after a firm majority voted 'yes' to a new agreement on Saturday [14 September]. Seventy-six per cent voted 'yes' and the percentage who voted was 65. TV-avisen [television news bulletin] and Deadline [television news bulletin] on DR 2 are back on Monday evening [16 September]. DR Nyheder Online [news website] and teletext news will also be updated normally from Monday. Source: Danmarks Radio web site, Copenhagen, in Danish 0703 gmt 16 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2700.09, Ondas del Yura, Bonao, (harmonic 2 x 1350), 14 Sep, 0954, Bachata music, 1006 canned ID "...Ondas del Yura..." Steady, fair signal with heavy utility station QRM from above (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR? When I first tuned in 17833.16 at 2310 UT, I detected not only the "usual" carrier I've had here in the past, but also a ballad with male vocals, but the audio was distorted. Language sounded like Spanish, but it was hard to tell. LSB or LSB plus sync was required, as there's QRM from 17835 kHz. Some more ballads were heard, but then I had to leave the house. I'm now back (2347 UT) and the signal has severely degraded, but something is still there. I'd like to think I'm hearing El Salvador, but since I can only receive it on one antenna, and the audio just doesn't quite sound right, it could be a mixing product or spur. Is anyone else hearing this, particularly those of you down South? (George Maroti, NY, Sept 17, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FERNANDO DE NORONHA [and non]. 14 REGATA OCEÂNICA INTERNACIONAL RECIFE - FERNANDO DE NORONHA D I P L O M A Comemorativo A Federação Pernambuca de Radioamadorismo - LABRE PE - estará ativada com o indicativo de PY7AA, participando deste evento comemorativo a nivel internacional, juntamente com o Cabanga Iate Clube de Pernambuco, em Recife-PE, local onde serão instaladas as Estações de Rádio. Início: 18 de Setembro de 2002 às 15:00 hs UTC Término: 22 de Setembro de 2002 às 15:00 hs UTC. Bandas: VHF, UHF, 10, 11, 15, 20 e 40 metros. Frequências: 146.880 (Linkadas - Repetidoras do Grupo Corape), 439.850 (Linkada com a Internet), 28.430, 27.605 LSB, 21.275, 14.275, 7.055 e CW nas frequências internacionais de DX. Cartão de QSL: Via direta para: Av.Agamenon Magalhães, 2945 CEP 50050-290 ou Caixa Postal 1043 CEP 50001-970 RECIFE - PE - BRAZIL ou Via Birô. Diploma Comemorativo: Todos os participantes que confirmarem o contato, receberão um lindo Diploma Comemorativo do evento. Clubes de Dexismo e de Radioamadores que confirmarem o contato, receberão um lindo Troféu acompanhado de um Diploma Comemorativo. Radioescuta SWL, que confirmarem por Relatório de Recepção ou QSL receberão um lindo Diploma Comemorativo. 73, (Irapuan Macedo - PY7IM, Diretor de Divulgação da LABRE PE, Recife - PE - BRAZIL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FIJI. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING FROM FIJI! Unfortunately it's not available on shortwave, but Fiji now has a de facto international broadcasting service on the Internet. Namaste Fiji, a weekly programme for expatriate Fijians, has launched on http://www.Fijivillage.com --- part of the Communications Fiji Limited group, which also includes radio stations Navtarang, FM96, Viti FM, and Legend. It's the only subscription-based website operating out of Fiji. Access currently costs US$35 per year. Namaste Fiji is presented by broadcasters from Radio Navtarang. The station's Programme Director Anirudh Diwakar said: "What's special about this show is that it caters specifically for an international audience. People living overseas will be able to interact or get involved with Namaste Fiji, by sending dedications, birthday calls and other thoughts via the net, so it's really an international radio from Fiji crossing national boundaries." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 September 2002 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 3266.47, RRI Gorontalo with good signal peaking at about 1030 Sept 16 and firm "RRI Gorontalo" identification. They played pipe music at 1025 and call to prayer at 1058. 3905, RRI Merauke, with powerful signal but not in the clear as New Ireland building in the background, 0836 September 14th (David Norrie, DXing from home and Musick Point, golf course car park Auckland, NZ, AOR 7030, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN [non]. Radio DAT reply. Radio Dat heard on 9775. It`s not actually a QSL – just e-mail letter in reply to my e-mail report, in 3 days. That's what they wrote: Dear Igor! Thank you for your big letter. Usually they (=DXers, IZ) simply ask for a QSL, and that`s all. To our greatest pity, the cost of our transmitter (around 1000 kWt) doesn't allow us to send cards. As you know, we offer our time for all real opposition parties/ movements and for everybody who`s ardent to fight against the fascist regime of Nazarbayev and his jackals. At the moment, the external intelligence of Kazakhstan started a hunt upon our radio station and all our supporters; that`s why we can't send the views from our windows. Possibly, in the future, we`ll send the pictures to all who supported us in hard times. With respect, Radio DAT. The e mail: info@datradio.com Yours, (Igor Zhurkin, Pravdinskiy, Moscow reg., Russia, Sept 18, dxing.info via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. Ms. Baima Sutenova, the Vice President of the Kyrgyz State TV and R Corporation, has been v/s for a number of QSLs in recent years. Her email address is: meerim2002@netmail.kg (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Sep 14 via DXLD) ** LAOS [non]. Re the 17540 ULMD report, this webpage was referenced, more about Cambodia, actually, and with no reference to radio, FWIW: http://www.wccpd.org/activity/act23.html Struggle For Democracy In Cambodia Statement delivered at the United Lao Movement for Democracy of Minnesota Conference on Human Rights Violation, Chemical Welfare, Killings Fields, and Restoration of Democracy in Laos Washington, DC - March 18, 1999 By PekThov Tan, Member of the Board World Cambodian Congress (WCC) for Peace and Development... (via CRW via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. 5100, Liberian Communications Network; 2339-2402*, 17-Sep; M with African news to 2342 then sked; said will be on at 7 AM. 2343 Rap & reggae tunes. LCN ID and brief closing announcement at 2401. All in English. Strong RTTY QRM in AM, use USB, SIO=333; better close to 2400 (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MALI. Bamako again, on 7284.4 kHz noted at 0915-0950 f/out Sept 10 airing Vernacular programming with tribal songs. 15331. And as to their best daytime outlet, 9635 kHz, noted at a critical (propagation wise) time of 1122-1324 airing Vernacular programming with tribal songs, talks. Best received via the K9AY loop so as avoid some QRN but also very much thanks to the NRD545 noise filter, which, however, makes readability rather strange and even hard, yet quite enough to clearly ID the station. 25242. On many other occasions though, such noise filter behaves in such a way that it's easier to follow the station mixed w/ noise than via the device (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Sep 14 via DXLD) Heard in Germany on 9634.95 on Sep 8th at s-on around 0806 (BC-DX ed.) ** MOZAMBIQUE. Visited some African radio webpages today. There used to be both mediumwave and shortwave columns, so at least some people could separate. But also the newest schedule does not contain a short wave column (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NAMIBIA. Visited some african radio webpages today. Some remarks. http://www.nbc.com.na/index.htm is still "under construction" but http://www.nbc.com.na/index.html is the startpage for a more or less complete homepage including a map of solar transmitter sites. SW schedule is outdated (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEPAL. Sep 15 R Nepal 5005 signed off at 1715 (for some weeks they used to sign off at 1545). Parallel 6100 was also audible until 1700 (then VOA qrm from 6105). I guess 6100 also signed off at 1715. Also Sep 16 5005 sign off was at 1715. Poor propagation, did not hear them on 6100. There was carrier on 6100.0 with bits of audio. Also another carrier on 6100.2 but no audio heard (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The other maybe being Afghanistan? q.v. (gh, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Hi Glenn, visited some african radio webpages today. some remarks. http://www.voiceofnigeria.org is both updated and outdated. The program schedule seems to be correct and lasting until December. The frequency schedule is updated, admitting that 11770 is not active but giving old sign-off for 15120: it's closing at 1200 currently (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) imturningpacifistuntilelectiondaychancellorland ** NIGERIA [non ]. 15250, Salama radio, 16 Sept 1924, man with religious topics in presumed Hausa. At 1929 with ID by YL giving program times (8 pm in English) with address in Nigeria. ``Tune in again tomorrow evening``. Religious themes in English after 1830. Signal S9+10 or 44444. On 17/9 with a spiritual song after a religious talks at 1845, then with theme ``in what do you glory`` (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. 9737.1, R Nacional, 0948 Sept 17, sounded like news commentary, including short clips of Dubbya on Saddam/Iraq translated into Spanish. Male & female announcers alternating. Poor-fair signal. (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5009.62, R. Altura, good with lively DJ, numerous IDs and football like "Perúúúú....", 1004 September 16th (David Norrie, DXing from home and Musick Point, golf course car park Auckland, NZ, AOR 7030, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** PERU. 4834.92, (presumed), Radio Marañón, 17 Sep, 0921-1002, a very strong carrier here for the past week with apparently undermodulated weak audio coming through occaisionally. This morning Spanish talk and an Andean vocal. I haven't seen them logged since last spring when they had a booming signal. Is anyone down south hearing them well? (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Re report of Arkhangel`sk on 6160: scheduled as Murmansk: 6160 0100-2100 to zone 19, MUR 20 kW at 335 degrees towards Norwegian Sea/Atlantic Ocean (Wolfgang Bueschel, Sept 18 BCDX, Sept 17 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA: Voice of Russia A-02 schedule (September 1 - October 27, 2002): 0000-0100 Spanish 12060 11750 11510 9965 9890 9860 9830 9480 9470 7330 7180 0100-0200 English 17595 12000 11825* 9725 7180 Russian 21755 17690 17660 15455 12060 11750 9480 7300 648 Spanish 11510 9965 9945 9890 9860 9830 9470 7330 0200-0300 English 17660 17595 12000 9725 7180 Russian 21755 17690 17650 15455 12060 11750 9480 7330 7300 1215 0300-0400 English 17690 17660 17650 15455 12000 11750 7180 1548 603 Russian 1215 0400-0500 English 17690 17660 17650 15455 12000 11750 7180 1548 603 0500-0600 English 21790 17795 17685 17635 1548 1323 603 0600-0700 English 21790 17795 17685 17635 15490 1323 603 0700-0800 English 17795 17685 17675 17635 17525 17495 15490 1323 1251 603 0800-0900 English 17795 17685 17675 17635 17525 17495 15490 1251 603 0900-1000 German 15455 7330 1386 1323 1215 603 1000-1100 Chinese 15605 15470 9480 9470 7400 5940 5905 1251 801 585 Korean 13640 12055 12000 9875 7490U 7330 7315 648 1000-1200 German 1386 1323 1215 603 1100-1200 Chinese 15605 15470 12000 11755 9480 9470 7400 7330 7315 5940 5905 1251 1080 801 648 585 1200-1300 Chinese 11755 9480 9470 1251 585 Japanese 7490U 7340 7330 5905 720 630 Korean 12000 7400 7315 648 Russian 15560 15470 13720 11870 11640 9920 9745 9495 7390 1143 Urdu 17570 15550 15460 11500 Vietnamese 17645 12055 603 1200-1230 Mongolian 15315 5940 1080 801 1200-1400 Pashto/Dari17675 15510 12015 9800 4975 4965 4940 972 648 1230-1300 Mongolian 15315 5940 4850 1080 801 209 1300-1400 Chinese 15605 11755 9480 9470 7315 801 585 Hindi 17570 15460 11500 1269 Japanese 7390 7340 5905 720 630 Russian 17645 15560 15470 11640 9745 9495 1323 1215 999 603 Russian 9920 9735 7370 7330 1251 1143 "Sodruzhestvo" 1400-1500 English 17645 15560 12055 9745 7390 1386 1323 1251 Russian 11830 9920 9495 9735 7370 7315 603 "Sodruzhestvo" Turkish 15540 11985 7325 1170 Urdu 15510 15460 11500 972 1400-1600 Persian 12015 9875 9835 9360 7305 648 1500-1530 Albanian 12060 12040 12000 9470 English 11985 11500 7390 7325 4975 4965 4940 1494 Hindi 15460 11720 9865 9745 972 1500-1600 German 11980 9810 9480 7440 7330 7300 1386 1323 1215 603 Russian 17580 12005 7350 till Sep.28 Russian 12005 7350 7130 from Sep.29 Russian 15540 11830 9495 7370 7315 1314 1170 603 "Sodruzhestvo" 1530-1600 Bengali 17570 15460 11870 11720 9865 9745 English 11985 11500 7390 7325 4975 4965 4940 1494 972 1530-1700 Serbian 12040 12000 9470 1548 936 1600-1700 Arabic 12030 12015 11745 9835 9710 9360 7325 7305 1314 1170 English 15540 11985 7350 1494 648 French 12035 11870 11510 9890 9810 9745 9480 German 11980 7440 7330 7300 1386 1323 1215 603 Romanian 15350 9490 999 Russian 11830 9875 9495 7370 7315 1143 1089 972 "Sodruzhestvo" 1700-1730 Arabic 12030 11745 9710 9360 7305 1314 1170 Finnish 9820 7360 1494 Mon-Fri French 12035 11870 11630 9890 9810 1700-1745 Hungarian 15350 12020 7400 1700-1800 Bulgarian 12000 9490 6000 1467 936 English 11985 11675 11510 9820^ 9775 9745 7360^ 7310 1494^ 1269 1251 648 German 11980 7440 7350 7330 1386 1323 1215 603 Italian 12040 11920 9470 1548 Polish 12010 11930 1143 Russian 9480 7300 5950 Russian 15540 12055 9875 9495 9450 7370 7315 1278 648 "Sodruzhestvo" 1730-1800 Arabic 15595 12030 11745 9710 9360 7305 1314 1170 French 12035 11870 11630 9890 9810 7320 Norwegian 9820 7360 1494 Tue/Thu Swedish 9820 7360 1494 Mon/Wed/Fri 1745-1830 Czech 15350 12020 7400 1800-1830 Arabic 12030 11745 9835 9710 9360 7305 1314 1170 1800-1900 English 11870 9820 9775 9745 9480 7360 7310 7300 1494 French 11930 11630 9890 9810 7390 7350 7320 German 11980 7440 7330 1386 1323 1215 603 Greek 12065 12040 11985 9490 6000 5950 1467 936 Russian 12055 9450 7370 1278 1143 "Sodruzhestvo" 1830-1900 Arabic 15595 12030 11745 9835 9710 9360 7305 1314 1170 Slovak 15350 12020 7400 1900-2000 Bulgarian 6000 1467 936 English 15735 9820 9775 7440 7360 7350 7330 7310 1386 French 11980 11930 11630 9890 7390 7320 1323 Russian 15350 12055 12040 12020 9480 9450 7370 5950 1215 1089 603 2000-2030 Portuguese 9480 7440 2000-2100 English 15735 11980 9820 9775 7360 7350 7330 1494 1386 1323 Russian 12055 9470 7390 7370 7310 5950 1215 1143 1089 999 603 2000-2015 Serbian 6000 2015-2130 Serbian 6000 1548 2030-2100 Spanish 9480 7440 2100-2130 French 9450* 2100-2200 Russian 1386 1323 612 "Sodruzhestvo" 2300-2400 Portuguese 12060 11510 9965 9890 9860 9470 7330 * via Santa Mariya di Galeria ^ Sat/Sun 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 17 via DXLD) ** RWANDA. The antenna farm of Deutsche Welle Kigali-RRW relay site is under renewal at present. Modernization project takes place til May 2003 (FUNK magazine, Sep 2002 via BC-DX via DXLD) So some scheduled broadcasts will not be heard? (gh, DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. Radio UNAMSIL confirmed my report sent to them directly on May 17th by a personal and detailed letter. The answer was postmarked UN New York. v/s Sheila Dallas, Station manager and Executive Producer. Address: UNAMSIL Headquarters, Mammy Yoko, P.O.Box 5, Free Town, Sierra Leone. They say they have received around 100 reports from around the world (Harald Kuhl, Germany, DXplorer Sep 16 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. "SHOWDOWN" SAID LOOMING BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, STATE BROADCASTER | Excerpt from article Jeremy Michaels entitled "SABC fighting for its independence" published by South African newspaper The Star on 17 September A massive showdown is looming between the SABC [South African Broadcasting Corporation] and the government over the independence of the public broadcaster. Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said yesterday that while she did not want to turn the SABC into a government propaganda machine, she was determined to hold the public broadcaster's journalists accountable for what they did. But the SABC has warned that the government's apparent bid to control its policies on news and programming, amongst others, is unconstitutional. "I find this lack of accountability problematic. I will fight this to the end," Matsepe-Casaburri said in an interview with Independent Newspapers yesterday. The government merely wanted to ensure that the public got accurate information from the SABC, not to make it "a mouthpiece of the government", she told the portfolio committee on communications. The new Broadcasting Amendment Bill removes a clause guaranteeing the SABC's editorial independence and has new clauses that will force the SABC board to seek ministerial approval of its editorial policies. In a written submission to parliament, the SABC charges that the government is trying to "eliminate" the SABC's freedom of expression by deleting the clause in the current law. The deletion of the clause was "a matter of grave concern to the SABC" as it raised questions about whether parliament intended to eliminate the freedoms and values which were "essential to the robust functioning of a public broadcaster in our constitutional democracy". The proposed change was "an attempt to fundamentally change the structures of control and management of the SABC" by effectively relegating the role of the current board to "one of mere policy making", instead of control over the public broadcaster... Source: The Star, Johannesburg, in English 17 Sep 02 p 1 (via BBCM via DXLD) DOMINANCE OF ENGLISH IN STATE BROADCASTER "UNACCEPTABLE" - PARLIAMENT | Text of report by South African news agency SAPA web site It was unacceptable that 70 per cent of public broadcasting was in English, Nat Kekana, the chairman of parliament's communications portfolio committee said on Monday [16 September]. Speaking during briefings on the Broadcasting Amendment Bill, he said the SA Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) had to change this bias. "Eight years down the line (since the 1994 democratic election) it is very clear that the three (SABC television) channels are not able to provide for all languages. And we need to change this," he said. Pan South African Language Board (Pansalb) CEO Cynthia Marivate said research by the organization had found that the dominance of English in broadcasting had led to "deprivation" of the country's other 10 official languages. The survey found that 85 per cent of South Africans felt disadvantaged because of the predominance of English in news reporting, while only 22 per cent of respondents fully understood speeches and statements by politicians delivered in English only. English was not among the top 6 languages mentioned as a first choice for news coverage, she said. According to Census '96 figures, English is the mother tongue of only 8.6 per cent of South Africans, behind Zulu (22.9 per cent), Xhosa (17.9 per cent), Afrikaans (14.4 per cent) and Pedi (9.2 per cent). Source: SAPA news agency web site, Johannesburg, in English 1312 gmt 16 Sep 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) SABC COULD BE SPLIT UP A parliamentary hearing is under way in South Africa that could pave the way for sweeping changes in public broadcasting. The Communications Committee is taking evidence on proposals that would give the government much tighter control over the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the structure of which has remained fundamentally unchanged since the days of apartheid. A proposed bill to amend the country's 1999 Broadcasting Act could result in the splitting up of the SABC into separate public and commercial companies, and the establishment of two state-funded regional TV channels. Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri said at the start of the hearing that the intention was to ensure equality amongst the country's 11 official languages. However, the bill would also give the Communications Minister new rights over financial and editorial decisions, and would delete a guarantee that the SABC would remain free from government interference. The SABC has reacted angrily to the proposals, calling them "a matter of grave concern". The independent Media Monitoring Project has also criticised several aspects of the bill. The hearing continues until Friday (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 September 2002 via DXLD) ** SUDAN. You mentioned tentative reception of Omdurman 7200. This has been operating for some time now, but I don't know what their current schedule is, or if it operates every day. The last time I had a decent signal the station went off just after 1900. The 9 MHz channel has not been heard - or seen reported - for a long time (Noel R. Green, UK, Sep 12, Sept 18 BC-DX Sep 17 via DXLD) ** SYRIA [non]. Re SHRC denial of connexion with Sawt al-Watan: My money is still on Mahmud Fathi's report that there is a connection. Why should one simply accept their denial at face value? Wouldn't one expect such a group to deny that it is behind what is a clandestine broadcast? Don't some clandestines try to keep their backer hidden? Someone has gone to a lot a trouble to broadcast SHRC material. If there isn't a connection, then someone has done them a heck of a favor to broadcast their material. Sorry, but favors such as that don't just happen (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. 7385, Holy Tibet, 16 Sept 1640, with a really good signal at S9 44434. IDed at 1641 with a reference to G. Maroti as a good DXer, YL in very good English (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. R. Krishnaloka, in a reply to Mauno Ritola, Finland: "The potency of the transmitter small - 300 Watt, but is planned it to increase end to proceed (pass) to other type of an antenna. Try to listen to station in dark time of day." (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Sep 17 via DXLD) ** U S A. 2479.98, WGVA Geneva, NY, (harmonic 2 x 1240), 16 Sep, 2255, ID "...1240 WGVA...Finger Lakes News Network..." into ABC network news feed at 2300. Fair, stable signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WBBR Update on Downtime. For anyone wondering what happened with the rumored WBBR-1130 silent period, it is still a rumor. The engineers are still working on things and are still wrangling for approval to take the station off the air. I'll keep checking in, and let people know when/if the station will be off. (Rick Kenneally, Wilton, CT, Sept 16, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. The postings have been flying fast and furious on the NRC-AM reflector about IBOC/IBAC, too fast for us to keep up with them, but here are a few more: Terrestrial radio is dead. The corporates want to get rid of terrestrial radio anyway. This will do this. This IBAC will drive people to XM. No one can have a portable radio and hear IBAC. The battery consumption on the chips is far too high and this is going to be a severe problem. No portables, no interest. The interference to stations from IBAC is terrible. Adjacents are going to hammer the hell out of each other. I heard it with my own ears. Running the analog 5 kHz wide is not going to excite people much. Having that 5 kHz signal hammered by an IBAC station next to it isn't going to help. FM interference isn't all that wonderful either. None of this matters because although the people commented on 99-325, the brown paper bags and brown envelopes that are full of corporate largesse are being given to the people who make the decisions and its going to happen. Digital radio is needed and will come; it`s just that the greedy corporate people couldn't seem to find another piece of spectrum to put it on. This is the best thing that ever happened to XM. This should have been placed on a different band and the MW band phased out. FM should have been left alone. It`s a done deal and can't be stopped. It`s just that a lot of people are going to be whizzed when they have to shell out bucks because everything they now have is useless (Kevin Redding, AZ) Cutting by 6 DB is the equivalent of cutting the power by 75% - for example, going from 5,000 watts to 1,250. At least in theory it's the same thing as one "S" unit though tests have shown most radios' S meters are very poorly calibrated (Doug Smith, TN) Perhaps the thought is that "hip" is enough to propel this, and if there are enough 'sheep' convinced to spend on receivers, I suppose that's valid. But I can't see that as being enough - not now. Too many people, especially younger people, are so down on radio already that they may either see that's just a marketing label, or may decide that radio is so unimportant to them that they aren't willing to cash in to make the change. If that scenario plays out, I fail to see how that audience will be lured back, or, in the case of the low-end of that age group, convinced to even consider that radio in any form might be relevant to their lives. Forgetting considerations such as impacts to coverage, interference, I think the idea that AM can be saved as a serious medium may be a case of 'too little, too late'. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA) They can make portable MP3 players which seem to deliver reasonable battery life and work at least as well as portable radios (which may or may not be saying much but it's obviously adequate for the consumer). I'm not so sure they'll be able to make an IBOC $5 blister-packed throwaway set, but I think from the $25 level up David's statement will probably hold. German radio hams are now building multistandard digital TV transmitters, and they aren't spending the entire DARC budget to do it. You never know (Doug Smith, TN) David, OBVIOUSLY for the CCU people to do this so quickly after the test, this shows that they KNOW there`s a problem. This will decrease the digital coverage even more than the already smaller coverage over analog. This is obvious to CCU that they have already whizzed a lot of people off and they have to do something. XETRA is CCU and running 77 kW. That`s a LOT-O-JUICE. I had WLW IBOC test interference on XETRA out here in AZ. I had some minor interference on 710 KUET which is a semi-local. The 690 interference was more noticeable for me because of the proximity to KUET. I'm a long way from Cincinnati and Harry Helms who also heard the artifacts is further away in California also heard it. The white noise / buzzing is REALLY BAD. People are not going to be happy with this at all (Kevin Redding) ``IBOC will not just help AM; it will help radio...`` Not by overlaying a digital signal over an analog one. The idea of two disparate modulation schemes in the same tiny slice of spectrum is ill-conceived. It was painfully clear to me at the April NAB show, listening to the 1140 [Las Vegas NV] signal that it was flawed. The adjacent channel interference is much too severe over much too large an area. I was in Death Valley, maybe three hours drive from Las Vegas and the digital noise was evident. Having a band full of that noise, especially on and adjacent to local channels, is a recipe for disaster. Spark Gap AM, in effect. ``Radio is, as a medium, 80 years old.`` *WARNING! HERESY AHEAD!* Yes, and AM is obsolete and should be left alone so it can die on its own terms. Trying to make it something it cannot be is like teaching a pig to sing. Wastes your time, and annoys the pig. They didn't try to regenerate navigational beacons with some digital claptrap. They are simply decommissioning them and letting GPS take over. Same with AM. Let it stay as-is until it peters out. 1.2 MHz of spectrum isn't a large swath, despite our attachment to it. ``The "digital" label is hip.`` Apparently not "hip" enough to merit a clean slice of spectrum. Since new radios are required, the band they work on is irrelevant. Allocate space so the job can be done right. Eureka.. ``The data stream that is what IBOC is based on permits a whole array of other services, including interactive.`` So does the Internet. When G3 and later G4 RF connectivity becomes available (2 to 5 years) the small bandwidth available in an IBOC signal will be too little, too late. And the Internet is two-way already. Where's the return channel in IBOC? Sure isn't "in band, on channel". If they need to allocate some return mode, why not simply put everything in the same spectrum right up front? ``If they finally fix the algorithm, talk sounds much more "presency" in IBOC.`` So does satellite, and that's available today. Seems response for that has been underwhelming, with XM treading water and Sirius fending off press reports of their financial woes. The business model for IBOC isn't that much different. ``Remember, there is not much AM talk listening of any kind under age 35; the younger talkers like KLSX are on FM. Plus, this will allow some AMs to be used for niche music formats that can not be justified today. To younger people, AM is totally unhip, useless, dead, etc.`` It's the content, and not the pipeline. More listeners have gravitated to where their action is. The vast majority of people don't give a rat's hindquarters about the pipe. They want the contents. In the case of AM, the pipeline was inadequate to the task of delivering the desired content. IBOC might sound real sweet in high signal strength tests. Put it out there with a bandful of other IBOC signals, especially at night, and it won't be so good. The signal just can't be strong and interference-free over a large enough area for most stations. Maybe the Clear Channel blowtorches, but mom and pop are gonna take it on the chin. Even if they do pony up the Big Bucks to do the conversion. ``There is 100% backing of the IBOC standard, starting at the FCC. AM stereo died in the period of years when the FCC wasted the window of opportunity for AMs to remain viable music stations. And, initially, the technology sucked... platform motion, lack of promotion, near-zero interest by car manufacturers. Not so IBOC.`` Simple. They tried to do the same thing. Cram too much stuff in too small a bag. In my area, that's called a blivet. Ten pounds of ..er.. "stuff" in a five-pound bag. In AM's case, that bag also carries "stuff" from other stations that leaks in. IBOC only spills more in. The fact that the FCC is behind it gives me no comfort. This is the same FCC which screwed up AM Stereo, eliminated ownership limits, and has had a spotty track record on a lot of issues. ``But the big deal is the digital stream, which can carry all kinds of additional data... and become a new revenue source. And they can say "digital" which is the killer buzz word of today in audio.`` And the portable internet services which will be here shortly will run it into the ground. Gotta have a large enough bandwidth to get the content there. IBOC will have the bandwidth for a few pop-up ads. I'll pass, thank you. Were I in a programming position in Radio, I'd be far more concerned with getting the RIAA streaming issue settled to my satisfaction. When G3 and G4 arrive, and I can get an audio stream on my PDA and in my car, suddenly transmitters and over-the-air content will become very unimportant. David, we have discussed this before. You seem set that IBOC is the neatest thing since sliced bread for radio. I'm equally convinced that it's a boondoggle of the first magnitude. You base your opinion on your considerable and varied radio experience. My opinion is based on my 32 years experience as an engineer and consultant. We aren't going to change the other's opinion. We'll just have to see how it shakes out. -c- (Craig Healy, RI) I'm curious how the Eureka system is doing up there. On my recent vacation (which was within range of Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto stations for several days) I did hear a few ads for digital radios. (and I note that applications have been filed for the first digital- only stations, admittedly all with non-mainstream ethnic formats) Are they selling? (Doug Smith, TN) DXed most intensively form 1959 to 1963 in Cleveland, where I verified everything, including all 50 states. DXed a while from Ecuador 1964- 1970, and verified a cou0ple of hundred things, mostly unique ones like US graveyards and TPs. Then DXed Mexicans 1973-75 in Phoenix, with about 240 of them received and verified (when there were less than 500 AMs in all Mexico). I don't send for verifications now as I believe it is a horrible imposition on today's stations. I also realize that most stations don't get reports, and most that they do get are fake or fraudulent, and I don't want to be guilty by association. I currently use a TenTec RX-350 from a place in Palm Springs with a Quantum loop, phaser and several whips on the roof of a condo. I do it for pure fun, not for veries, though. I'll probably get a Drake as a Christmas present to myself, too. As an aside, what many here don't know is that I was a founding member of IRCA, on their first board and even conducted several unique DX tests form Ecuador where I moved stations onto splits for DX purposes. It's not the WLW CE. It is the DOE for Clear Channel who has to decide what is best for hundreds of AMs, ranging form graveyarders to clears. In all cases, the issue is whether it is worth saving fringe adjacent channel reception. Most broadcasters say no, as they get no money outside their own MSA. I would not say that most other broadcasters oppose the 6 db reduction; there has really been no polling of anyone. I sensed no objection in the packed IBOC sessions in Seattle, except that many said, "accept the interference and leave it at current levels." ...YOU were the one who brought up corporate. And, by the way, I'm also consultant; most of the time I am my own boss. I have "posted" quotes because they were germane. I was also the first to say that AM IBOC was not fully ready in April, and I still find it lacking in audio quality. I am also one of the very few on the list who has seen how the sausage is made and who ha had to make a decision as to whether to include IBOC in budgets, in promotion strategy and to take the concomitant risk it involves. IBOC is not like HDTV; it is not obligatory. Terrestrial radio is not dead; there is no evidence yet that satellite delivery will ever make it. I believe it will, but most people in radio are very skeptical about it ever being anything but a 5% to 7% of the market niche. Only one radio company has a satellite investment, and it amounts to less than 4% of one satellite company's stock, and is valued at less than the price the average station in that company's portfolio. Why, then, would there be an interest in killing 99.99% of your investment to save 0.01% of it? In the technical sessions, it was obvious that the newest IBOC chipset designs are no more power consuming than normal radio chipsets. Remember, they are still developing the final versions, and everything out there is a prototype; indications are there will be the capacity to produce from the start 100,000,000 IBOC radios a year. You may not like the programming. You are, then, one of the 5% non- users of radio or the roughly 5% light users (less than 4 hours a week) that have existed since transmitters had rectifier tubes. Buy XM or Sirius. Or buy a bunch of CDs. Or learn to whistle. There is absolutely nothing radio can do to make people like you happy and there never has been. And as America fragments in taste, lifestyle and social groupings as it has since the end of W.W. II, there will continue to be a small group of unsatisfied people who can not find anything to their liking on radio. 95% of Americans cume radio weekly. 90% listen over 7 hours. The average person listens 20:45 a week, about the same as it was in 1950. You can criticize form your point of view the programming, but the fact is that people continue to enjoy and use radio. There is less interest in teens and over 65 persons, but that is due to corporate marketing at auto manufacturers, home product companies, retailers, etc. So where there are no dollars, radio can't program. But radio revenue is up 7.5% in the first half of 2002; radio revenues are now for the first time over 8% of all add expenditures. That does not indicate that all the things are wrong that you believe are. In one sector, mine, radio revenues were up 17% in the first half. Someone must be listening (David Gleason, CA) Losing marginal AM's would be a good thing no matter how you look at it - and not just from a hobby perspective. The same will be true when FM goes digital. There's probably very little argument anywhere that there are too many stations. But what will result from that will be much more concentration than exists today, because in many cases a marginal station is marginal in many ways, often starting with financial. They will fall by the wayside due to the expense. I'm afraid I have to agree with Kevin and others - I see nothing to persuade me to believe that changing to IBOC will cure what's wrong with radio. To the contrary - I think it will instead lead to more of what's wrong on the programming end. I wouldn't argue that 80 years is a long time for a technology - it's probably been too long by at least 10-20 years. Had it been replaced with something better before AM found itself an orphaned stepchild, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA) David, There are many places in this nation that there are no FM and no receivable AM stations. This dooms these people to have one choice and that`s XM or Sirius. Lots of them will be listening to CDs instead. I am sure lots of DXers cringed when they saw that comment because you are telling all of us, the hobby is done and over. Kiss it all goodbye (Kevin Redding, AZ) Nobody but we few care about what happens to DX'ing, nor should they be expected to. We are an accidental by-product - we aren't any real part of the equation. The vast majority of those who are don't even have a hint that anything like DX'ing exists (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA) Kevin, I listened to two FMs and an AM in Seattle, on both a clock radio of the garden-variety hotel kind and my Sony portable which is way to the high end. On neither did I notice anything that would be called disturbing and I had no trouble tuning other stations on the dial that any local listener would want to tune in. No, I could not DX in all likelihood. But this is not about DXing. It is about bringing radio back to a competitive position (David Gleason, CA) Radio needs to not worry about buzz words and all they need to do is fix the programming and stop the processing and loudness wars. If the programming was good, then no one would be worried about IBAC. ``It's "IBOC" (for In Band On Carrier) and not IBAC.`` What I heard on the WLW test and the local FM KJZZ tests and it sounded like it was destroying the adjacent channels. I call it In- Band Adjacent Channel, IBAC (Kevin Redding, AZ) My 2 cents in the debate: I missed NAB this year, but my understanding from friends who were there is that the buzz really was as David describes. From the point of view of the broadcasters, "HD Radio" (the new marketing tag for Ibiquity's digital system) is a desperately- needed magic bullet to stop the erosion in listenership of the last decade or so. They HAVE to believe that this will work. And I agree with David that the impact of MW DAB (sorry, I won't call it "IBOC" as long as so much energy spills beyond +/- 10 kHz) on the DX hobby is of extremely minor import to the broadcast community. But I do think we DXers are something of a "canary in a coalmine" in identifying signal issues that will adversely affect broadcasters, and I think the flawed Ibiquity system is just such a problem. The issue here isn't the WBZ listener in Cleveland or Charlotte (though WBZ actually *does* have a revenue stream it can trace to the huge reach of its overnight signal) - it's the WBZ listener in Worcester, Providence or Manchester, areas that ARE important parts of the WBZ marketing and sales effort. What happens to their signal after dark when KDKA and WHO fire up their HD Radio signals and begin slopping up and down towards 1030 kHz? And even if WBZ has the juice to overcome an increased noise floor to the west, what about the more marginal Boston AM signals like 680 and 850 that go ever-so-directional after dark and whose patterns now miss the huge boom in suburban population in areas like Framingham and Marlborough? Heaven help them when stations like WSCR and WHAS turn on the HD Radio and what's left of their suburban signal is further lost in the hash and noise. (Would I be out of line, furthermore, to suggest that adjacent-channel splat from HD Radio is considerably LESS tolerable as interference to an analog signal than the current analog interference?) Smaller stations being bought and taken dark to reduce the noise floor - or just folding up and blowing away? Maybe...but when incredibly marginal AM signals like the 1360 in Lynn MA, effectively a daytimer, go for seven figures-plus, it's hard to see much relief coming to larger markets that way anytime soon. Yes, a lot of these problems go away when analog goes away and we go all-digital. Heck, even I'll admit that the Ibiquity system would probably work pretty well in an all-digital environment. But, taking our strange hobbyist community aside, will the receiver world really go all-digital in our lifetimes? -s (Scott Fybush, NY) Woke up this Sunday morning to find the great volume of comment on IBOC, programming, the future of DX'ing, et al, ad infinitum. et and cetera. I read it all. I read it but I didn't weep. I've been in the hobby long enough, I've seen (and heard) so many factors that have changed the hobby so drastically, and despite all the changes, many of them aggravating, we're still we're at it. Before I make some of my observations, allow me to thank Dave Gleason for taking the time (and the courage) to share his insights from the standpoint of the contemporary broadcaster. Dave has been involved with the hobby almost as long as I have, and, as I did, followed the route from fascinated, hooked listener into a broadcasting career. Dave's career led to ownership and management, mine stayed at the programming level, specific concentration on news, and because I was motivated to remain in a single, comfortable geographic location, I wound up shifting from broadcasting to newspaper in 1981. I doubt there's another individual involved in broadcast ownership and management who has the understanding of our arcane hobby. We've seen the value of DX'ers to radio stations begin as important sources of information on listenership and propagation, at least in a subjective sense; transcend to a tradition as old-time broadcasters remembered our value in the early days; dwindle to a curiosity for the newer generations of broadcasters or a sympathetic connection to the engineers who are also hams and at least understand where we're coming from; evolve into a nuisance to many who have no interest at all in "freak" reception outside the normal coverage area or into writers of junk mail that goes into the round file with most of the advertising flyers and self-serving press releases that flood the mail rooms (or the secretary's desk.) If there were enough of us to make a real impact on broadcasting, we would probably be head-to-head enemies, because we prefer sunrise-to- sunset daytimers and 6 a.m. to midnight (or earlier) full-timers, and consider the stations we can hear regularly as pests who block the frequencies and keep us from hearing the fragments of signals that we collect. I remember reading a letter to the editor in Time Magazine in the '40s from someone complaining that the first few all-nighters on graveyard channels were interfering with the opportunity to hear those rare stations that made up the romance of radio. Can you imagine Time publishing a letter reflecting our interests today? Since broadcasters have learned they can make, as Eartha Kitt sang it, "beaucoup du loot" with FM signals whose coverage is limited to 40 to 80 miles or so, the whole concept of skywave listenership is going the way of CW on the ham bands. In the '50s, I would have been able to hear Scott Fybush's five-hour interview on WBZ on Labor Day in Texas and might have been able to hear it in Oregon. But if I hadn't been in Lima for the NRC convention, I wouldn't have been able to hear it at all. With programmers concentrating on limited coverage areas and ad buyers showing little, if any, interest in fringe-area listeners (except, maybe, on a truckers' all-night show), it wouldn't surprise me if the AM band (if digital can save it for the broadcasters) wouldn't eventually evolve into 118 graveyard channels, 530-1700, with 20,000 1 kw or 5 kw non-directional stations. Maybe I'd better not mention that ... someone in broadcasting might pick it up and advocate it. Those of us who remember the historical meaning of the words "clear channel" would eventually be causing earthquakes as we turn over in our graves. IBOC's impact on the future of AM broadcasting is probably not so extreme as either the strongest advocates or the staunchest opponents believe it to be, neither panacea nor death. As DX'ers, then, we must look at what our hobby really is. DX is unusual, out-of-the ordinary, reception. A station we hear every day may count in our logs, but unless it programs something we enjoy when we're not "fishing" for new stations, it becomes a pest. Regardless of what the IBOC railroad does to our stomping grounds, there will always be variables in propagation and there will continue to be experiments in directional antenna systems. And maybe the Mark Connellys or Gerry Thomases among us will experiment with selective audio and come up with a way to block the digital hash that will threaten our chase for the "stations between the stations," as the power company engineer in Massachusetts put it in 1967 when Tom Holmes complained about AM QRM from powerlines. I wonder what the Timewave technology can do to the hash. As a technical idiot, I'm dependent upon the work of others to blaze such reactive paths. Potential lifeline or fleeting fad, IBOC looms before us, and we DX'ers can either work around it or find another way to spend our time. If I live as long as my mother, I've got 25 years and counting remaining to enjoy DX'ing, or to put all my hobby time on travel and genealogy, or on writing about the "DX'ing Days of Yore." That's my two cents worth ... a reference to overall value as opposed to the twenty bucks worth of time I've spent writing it ... and while I've been composing this, an additional 20-plus items have been posted to the list. I've paused to read only one ... the submittal from Scot Fybush ... and, as expected, he gives us some valuable insight into the discussion. All those radios to be replaced ... IF they're really being used all that often. OK, enough. It's time to read the other 20- plus entries. Qal R. Mann, Krumudgeon (John Callarman, Krum TX) CCU was part of the test, so their opinions are germane. Obviously, they are looking at benefiting their clear channel and flame thrower facilities. I think that night operation may well be decided on the current levels, as no one cares about WLW and XETRA in Phoenix but they do care about their local metro. When someone with a single station in a small Idaho market applauds IBOC, as I saw, he claps with his life savings in mind. Most broadcasters look at saving AM, and it has nothing to do with programming and everything to do with economics. QAM stereo was too late, and interest was gone when we finally got finished with Leonard Kahn's suits (blame him for killing AM, instead of me, huh?) and the FCC's foot dragging. It was also a system that had serious flaws, particularly for AM directionals in null areas. And then there was platform motion. Horrible out of the gate. If AM is killed, so be it. But sticking with lousy audio everyone agrees is unsuitable to music and most other formats will do nothing to save it. Even receiver manufacturers knew 15 years ago that no one cares about AM quality. All the coupon and interactive stuff is what vehicle mfgrs call backseat consoles. DVD, interactive radio, games, etc. This is a monthly revenue stream based on content. It is hot. Dismissing it by making glib comments is narrow, Kevin. This is the after-the-sale revenue stream car folks have wanted for a long time. XM and On Star were the first, but they all provide dollars every month from every subscriber. Interestingly, the TiVo like capabilities were very much of interest at NAB. The idea of coding news and traffic and weather so a listener could set their radio to replay them when they got in the car is marvelous. Opens up a concept of radio on demand right on your existing station. This is stuff we find all the time in research projects: "I need the traffic when I leave the house" or "how do I get weather when I need it." (David Gleason, CA) Remember --- this IBOC B.S. isn`t about bringing YOU the listener a better listenable signal with better programming --- it`s all about MONEY in THEIR pockets! What the CE of Clear Channels WLW says about lowering the digital signal by 6db is a JOKE! Its all about trying to sweep the issues of IBOC under the rug and get the FCC to pass regulation so that they can start running this garbage down our throats. IF IBOC does make it to the air fulltime, we still have that receiver issue to deal with. I see a repeat performance of the beginning of the AM Stereo days. The stations were broadcasting stereo --- just no receivers were manufactured in great numbers and what receivers that were made and are presently made {mono or stereo} are just pure junk. I get better quality out of an air monitor than I do from a radio! IBOC still has a long ways to go --- and if it does make it to the light of day --- protest IBOC by NOT buying the receivers. It has an amazing trickle down effect all the way down to the advertising level which greatly affects the profit level of the station running the spectral hash generators. Food for thought for you all today. (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering, Ray Communications Radio Network, SC) I believe that the programming is no good. You believe the transmission method is no good. The problem is that the programming really is no good and the transmission is no good and no one decided to put the new and better [?] transmission mode on a new band with better programming. The die is cast already and if its not made mandatory like the decision that the FCC made on DTV its never going to fly. When people hear that they have to buy new radios and hear the noise, it`s dead (Kevin Redding, AZ) The proof on IBOC isn't going to be made within a tight local coverage area. It's going to come in places such as Scott suggested - Manchester, providence, and Worcester, all of which are vital to WBZ. And there are analogues all over. Even if you put powerful IBOC transmitters in all of the top 50 markets, and take away all analog stations, either the coverage will be so small in order to decrease the sideband problems that it'll threaten viability or else the interference will be so bad they'll all step on one another everywhere outside of some rather ungenerous distance radius (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA) ADOPTION OF DIGITAL RADIO STANDARD TWO MONTHS AWAY? "I am hopeful that the commission will be able to issue a report and order this fall," FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy told the crowd at the NAB FCC Policymakers' Breakfast this morning, "which in my mind means before November." Voicing her support for getting the ball rolling for adopting a digital radio standard, Abernathy said, "We need to act so that terrestrial radio can transition to the digital age." She noted that because iBiquity has completed both its AM and FM IBOC testing, the National Radio Systems Committee has issued reports supporting the technology, and the FCC itself has accepted comments on those reports, "it is time for us to do our job." Still, she notes that even after a standard is adopted more work must be done to transition stations to digital. Meanwhile, in addition to her target for a digital radio standard, Abernathy tells R&R she is hopeful that the FCC will also be able to issue new EEO rules by November (Radio & Records via Gleason) One other thing that someone has not brought up is the QRN from the sidebands causing images in a market. Let`s say a station on 550 in IBOC has a second harmonic on 1100. I guess the sidebands will then QRM 1090 and 1110. What if there is a station in that market on those frequencies.? I can see all sorts of troubles with IBOC. Now once everyone goes to digital (if they do), the problems might end. But it has a long way to go (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR) The WLW CE is here reading all this and said no such thing! I have made no public comment. The tests we did were just that. Tests. Ibiquity tested on WLW at sideband injection levels of -16 and -22 dB below carrier level. I also want to add that both test levels met the CURRENT Nrsc based FCC spectral mask requirements. Meaning the power generated in the side bands meets the existing rules as written. The DOE's for Clear Channel, of which there are several, are watching these tests as well. The type of skywave tests at WLW consisted of digital sidebands switched 1 minute on and 1 off, then the injection levels changed every 10 minutes. But we ran many variations during the test period. They looked at many real world scenarios in their tests. I have not personally seen the results of the IBOC field tests. As for the Comments about outlying service areas. WLW makes A LOT of money from its over night trucking show and its networked stations being delivered on Sky Wave, i.e. WLW, WHAM, KTWO, KWLW and others. As does WSAI selling religion. Also WLW is sold in the Dayton Ohio, an Adjacent market and has added limited service elements for that area. It normally is about a 4 share in Dayton. I know we here at Clear Channel are totally ignorant boobs bent on our own self destruction and don't know how to program a radio station or operate one; despite ourselves we have amassed a rather large company that relies on Skywave in part to make our money. We have went into many of these small market operations loosing money and by applying the cluster business model we have actually made some money with an otherwise unprofitable station. I personally oversee the Technical operations for 60+ stations. We have replaced or will by the end of 2003 every old tube AM transmitter in my region; I know that makes some here cringe. And many older FM transmitters have been replaced as well. We have brought a level of technical expertise that the stations could not have been able to afford otherwise. I could tell you some horror stories of what I have walked into. But I don't have all day. I just wanted to set the record straight on what I said and did not say (Paul Jellison, Clear Channel, WLW) I take strenuous exception to using WLW, one of the premier n/t stations on a privileged frequency as an example of what works for AM stations that are not low-band 50 kW clears. There are too few clears to begin with, and many are already severely hampered in coverage by adjacents near them. Many more are hampered by being in Southern states where stations like KFI and KNX are unlistenable at 100 miles out due to non-US interference. The XMs and other services will eventually kill the trucker shows, and CCU's investment in same shows they know that. Good, skillful planning. I really doubt that more than 10 of CCUs stations make any appreciable money out of non-home metros. No one does. And they make even less money from skywave. Outside of KOA, WLW and one or two others, the home markets are so big and the outlying markets so small that the formula does not add up. I do agree that CCU was nearly singlehandedly responsible (well, Jacor started it) for saving AM as a viable medium, and the technical operations of the company are all far superior to what previous owners had. But that is not the issue. Getting back to skywave and out of market coverage: I invite you to count the stations that have an adequate signal to cover outside their own market consistently, overcoming power lines, dimmers and all manner of man made interference. The issue is that 99% of US stations can't serve anything but the local market, and a large number of those don't even do that well (David Gleason, CA) I find myself siding more with Kevin, Scott, and Craig than Dave on this one. In particular, Healy's comments are dead on the money. Radio is about content, not modulation methods and other technical issues. I listen to two radio programs each weekday in my office: Howard Stern in the mornings (FM) and Phil Hendrie in the evenings (AM). I didn't decide to listen to those two based upon modulation methods, but instead upon the content. Sometimes in the afternoon I listen to the John & Ken talk show on KFI. That's AM. On KLSX, I could listen to Tom Leykis in FM. But I don't. Why? Because I'd rather listen to John and Ken instead of Tom Leykis, regardless of modulation methods used. And I don't care if the G. Gordon Liddy show is broadcast in "interactive digital Cinerama" or whatever --- I'm still not going to listen to him! It's true in book publishing, it's true in music, and it's true in radio: CONTENT IS KING. People will listen because of the content, not because of the "presence" provided by digital modulation. Crappy programming in beautifully enhanced digital audio is still crappy programming. Give people something they want to listen to and they'll listen. But if your programming sucks, then listeners won't give a damn even if it uses a wonderful new digital modulation scheme. And, as Bob Foxworth has noted, the noise and acoustics in a car aren't favorable to a quality audio experience regardless of modulation scheme. People who think radio technology is more important than programming content are just deluding themselves. Relying on technology alone is grasping at straws and little more than techno-voodoo. Dave Gleason wrote, "The digital data stream element allows interactive radios where you can order the song you are hearing, print out a coupon in the car, get directions to the restaurant you hear an ad for." Dave, are you saying IBOC radios will be able to "query" the transmitting station --- that is, send a signal or message from the receiver back to the transmitter, much like web surfers request pages from a site's server? Because that's the definition of "interactive," and if that's not the case, then IBOC is not interactive. And those "benefits" are more than marketing hype; they're plain daft --- who's going to have a printer in their car to print out a coupon, fer chrissakes???? I can see the scene now when you take your car in for service: "Well, your transmission fluid is OK, but you're getting really low on printer toner. . . ." More seriously, those things have all been tried on the web and all failed miserably, so why would they work in a car with an IBOC radio? Are consumers really interested in being able to do any of that? The internet boom-and-bust offers many instructive lessons that what's technically possible and what people want are often two very different things. One only has to look at the wreckage of Webvan, Pets.com, eToys, etc., to see this principle in action. Some very healthy skepticism is in order for claims that IBOC is going to be a cash cow because it will let you print out coupons as you drive, etc. I suppose we'll have to wait and see what impact IBOC has on AM reception for the general public and if the artifacts can be reduced. But based on the WLW test, I think most ordinary listeners will notice a degradation of reception on analog receivers unless they're locals. And I think the net impact could be to actually reduce AM listenership. You don't have to be a DXer to often find yourself in a situation where you tune for non-local stations --- take driving Interstate 15 from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas. In both day and night, I can get good reception of KFI or KNX on I-15 to the Nevada border, at which time I start looking for Las Vegas stations (usually either 93.1 or 107.5 on FM). But what impact will the reduced coverage area of IBOC have upon such listening? Will KFI still be audible once I'm over the Cajon Pass on I-15? Will I be able to listen to anything around Baker, CA on AM or FM? If you have reduced coverage and a noisier band, wouldn't that just drive more people to an alternative like XM or CDs? I know Dave dismisses XM and other satellite systems as serious competitors to terrestrial radio. I disagree, and we'll see who's right in the years ahead. But XM has already made inroads with some listeners (like truckers) and it's another "monthly revenue stream based on content." And, as Craig Healy noted, 3G/4G systems are looming on the horizon and are really going to shake things up when they hit. Imagine something similar to your current cell phone, but also offering full web access and streaming media services. . . . . . it's coming, and it's going to be huge. Those services will be fully, truly interactive, just like the internet is today. Dave wrote, "There is not enough national bandwidth for the kinds of wireless services people dream of on the web." That statement is not accurate. The models for how to do this are well established; I'm current working with people like Dr. Janise McNair (University of Florida) and Dr. Robert Fontana (founder, Multispectral Solutions) on books about next generation wireless and ultra wideband technologies. These aren't pie in the sky notions; they're both real and inevitable because of the utility and convenience they will offer. Craig is dead-on in his assessment of 3G/4G. If IBOC manages to force some terrestrial AM and FM stations to go dark, that would be a positive IMHO. The big problem facing radio today is too many stations chasing a finite pool of ad dollars. Some contraction of the industry is long overdue, and if IBOC forces some of the smaller players to throw in the towel that would be good (especially since most of the smaller players are just terrestrial relays of satellite-delivered programming and offer nothing innovative or unique.) Will IBOC kill DXing? No, but it will alter things greatly. But life is all about change and how we adapt to it. We might wind up with fewer stations, but more QRM. SRS/SSS DX will get interesting as stations turn IBOC on and off for daytime operation. It's not too hard to imagine our PCs being used to extract some of the streaming data from IBOC signals, allowing us to identify stations whose audio we can't detect. And who cares if the stations and CEs don't understand DXing? We don't need anyone's permission or approval to get a kick out of logging a new, distant station! I can't help but feel trying to make AM "sexy" again with IBOC is like a guy who's 55 and decides to get a face lift, a new toupee, and testosterone injections so he can go to the local club and compete with the 25-year old guys for the hotties. Oh, there's no harm really being done, and I guess it makes the 55-year old feel better about himself, but you can't help but laugh at such a pitiful spectacle. But nonetheless I appreciate everyone's comments and sincerely wish Dave Gleason all the best in his venture with IBOC-¡Vd. tiene cajones más grandes que mí, estimado Sr.! (Harry Helms, AK6C, Ridegcrest, CA DM15) All broadcasters today see themselves as content providers. I work with XM, with net streams and on-air radio. We tackle programming the same way in each: consult the listener and find out what they want and where there is opportunity. Most broadcasters get this. The interactive allows query via a service like on star form GM. You push the radio screen, it provides data, reserves a restaurant, orders a CD, displays a map to the business and so on. The idea is that GM, Ford and the rest want to sell us a service that produces money for as long as we have the car. I have a multi-service thingie in my car that is 10 months old, and it will call if an airbag pops and alert the police based on GPS; I can get travel directions by voice, and also ask technical questions. It's $240 a year, and I will continue to use it after the first free year. Car folks know they can make more on aftermarket than selling the car, and they always have. This is new generation of aftermarket. And it will drive this new stuff. Hey, ask any mom who has DVD in the back of her family van... they would never trade it. I do not dismiss XM. In fact, I program 5 of their channels. I even am a shareholder. But it has its place. Mostly, people not satisfied with the available formats locally. A guy who likes Latin Jazz has no choices anywhere on radio, but XM gives that to them. Or reggae. Or hot jazz. Or many forms of classical, our classic country. They fill a need created by people who could not expect to be satisfied with regular radio. Those people don't listen now, so they are no loss. I too have doubts about AM in the long run. The real issue is that even without IBOC, most AMs are coverage crippled, and can not compete even with other AMs that have better signals. Take a market like San Diego. Only 2 AMs really cover the entire county, which is the metro. And KOGO uses an FM repeater to cover NE SD County better. The rest of the AMs are going to continue to slide and eventually, some will go away or find other sues... maybe datacasting. I have dealt with many other stations in research projects I have moderated, ranging form talk in English in NY to Oldies in Washington, DC. Believe me, with a few exceptions, no one sells outside their MSA. No one cares about TSA numbers, in fact, starting with ad agencies. In SoCal I have heard one out of market advertiser on KFI in 10 years (and I listen to them a lot). That advertiser sat on the border between Riverside and LA market wise, so they probably wanted the LA County consumers, and Riverside local was a bonus. Otherwise, nobody cares what audience they have in other markets, as it is generally "below the line" and insignificant. WFAN gets numbers in Hartford; they could not sell a single spot at NY rates in Hartford, and agencies are not going to pay any attention to bonus listeners as they buy by market, not by tonnage. Then the issue is whether AM is salvageable anyway. For example, in Mexico City, outside of upper income level listeners, there is less than 10% AM shares. But, because the market is so big (23,000,000) they all make some money and are sold, or dragged, into cluster packages and get revenue (David Gleason, CA) But my contention - backed up, I'd add, by some friends in high engineering positions whose opinions I trust wholeheartedly - is that we're not talking about KFI in Ventura or WGN in Champaign or WCBS in Atlantic City. I am not sufficiently convinced, based on what I've seen and heard so far, that we're not looking at significant increases in the noise floor - in very ugly-sounding ways - well within the boundaries of metro areas, even to stations with signals that we think of as very good. I've been working on a book about the history of NYC FM, as many of you know, and spending a fair amount of time down near the city as a result. When I'm down there, I stay with family members in Suffern, in Rockland County some 25-30 miles northwest of New York City. Rockland is well within the NYC metro for both radio and TV, is growing in population and is among the more affluent counties in the metro. And out of the "New York" AM signals, the only ones that are consistently usable in Suffern, day and night, are 660, 710, 770, 880, 1130 and 1560 - and even at that, there's some noise after dark on those. (FM is a bit fringy as well, particularly down low where my cousins' house is). I haven't gone down there with a signal meter to check, but I'd have to believe that ALL of those NYC signals will get somewhat beaten up by adjacent-channel digital at night - and that WOR in particular will suffer badly enough from WLW and WGN to be unusable after dark there. I know the engineers at WOR and Buckley, and I've got to believe they don't want to lose Rockland County from their night signal. (I'm not even getting into how bad the rest of the "New York" AM signals are in Rockland after dark - stations like 1280, 1380 and 1600 aren't even rumors up there at night...) In all honesty, David, do you believe the mom-and-pop station operators from Idaho who were applauding at NAB completely understand the technical implications of the system? This is the one area where we as DXers *do* have an advantage; I think we're in a much better position to comprehend how a system like this will work in the "real world" of the AM dial than even many broadcast owners might be. -s I'm horribly biased on this, I know, seeing as how I work as a consultant for 100000watts, a division of M Street Corp., which is owned by Clear Channel - and what's more, I've had lunch with Randy Michaels and actually enjoyed the experience. So my opinion on this doesn't count for some of you. But: I know a lot of the engineers and engineering executives at Clear Channel. And I would say, vehemently, that if any company has been good for AM in the last decade or so, it's been Clear Channel. They've invested tons of money in cleaning up transmitter sites and fixing technical problems (including big ones, like daytimers operating at night and such) that had gone neglected for years under Ma and Pa. They're vigilant now about patrolling interference to their stations, and they've made moves to clean up some interference-ridden parts of the AM dial by turning stations off and moving others. These guys know AM inside and out and they BELIEVE in it - which is why I'll be very interested in (and will give a lot of weight to) whatever conclusions Paul and his bosses do eventually end up making publicly about the IBOC tests. (Especially in light of what I've already heard behind the scenes...) -s (Scott Fybush, NY) I think we're oversimplifying if we characterize the current discussion as programming versus modulation methods and other technical issues. I sympathize and lean toward agreement with Kevin and others who complain about programming content. There's very little on the air today that appeals to me, but then I am in one of those groups that the broadcasters have deemed a market that does not interest them. But radio programmers, basically, turned me off long before I turned radio off ... and I'm speaking of more than 20 years ago, when I was younger than 55. I think also that the current focus on technical issues can be characterized as a last-ditch effort to reverse the trend toward deterioration and even death of AM broadcasting. It appears we're all in agreement that AM radio as a consumer medium is sick, and IF it is to survive requires some drastic steps. We're in disagreement about what those steps should be. Dave Gleason and Clear Channel have been our whipping boys today. I've read enough of Dave's posts over the past couple of years to recognize that his primary focus is delivering programming that will attract listeners. His comments in the past on the difference between personality-type entertainment and the bland, cookie-cutter radio we find all too often are in the same ballpark as mine. On the ideal radio station I would listen to, I'd program big-band and standard music ... characterized by the terms Broadway and Tin Pan Alley ... with host or hostess who'll talk briefly about the music, with good extemporaneous humor and some indication that he or she knew what was going on in the market in which the station operates. When I was in Seattle last, 1993, KIXI's format filled that bill for me, though I detect Dave's anathema toward my kind of music. (On KAAM-770 a couple of weeks ago, the DJ played the long version of "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman's group, stimulating my long-time fantasy that some of the younger folks would hear the beat laid down by drummer Gene Krupa and the interplay of Goodman's clarinet, Dizzie Gillespie's horn and Teddy Wilson's piano, and similar music, and want to hear more.) After reading comments from several CCU people here today and in the past (and being somewhat more open-minded than perhaps some of my comments over the past few months have indicated), I'm open to the likelihood that Clear Channel is not quite so set-in-stone monolithic as we may have characterized them. WSAI-1530 was locked onto my radio as I drove through northern Kentucky and southeastern Ohio on the way to the Lima convention, and I enjoy hearing the station I worked at in 1959-60, KIXZ-940, as I drive through Amarillo. In my younger days, I probably would have enjoyed the responsibility of programming a cluster of stations in any given market, taking advantage of the creative things that can be done with voice-tracking and other technical tools, paying close attention to clever, attention getting ad content that flows into the programming, and – here`s where I'd probably lose my job or my fortune -- paying more attention to programming by my gut instincts than by consultants' suggestions. I might be able to make enough money on a couple of different rock formats, a country station, a sports animal and a small but lucrative religious station to support my personality standard-and-ballad station, heh heh! There would be no room on any of my stations for some of the tasteless talk shows, both of a political and/or a childish, four-letter-word format. Harry Helms, I'm not entertained by Howard Stern's approach, which sounds awfully juvenile to me, but I can stomach Don Imus ... isn't that a tenuous line to draw? Getting back to reality, in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, and with my musical tastes actually somewhat broad, I do have some choices. KNTU plays some good jazz; WRR has a listenable classical format; KAAM plays standards and big band, with local personality; KHYI plays the Americana country format (rather than what the country charts have become ... when I'm driving through Tulsa, I miss access to the old KVOO-1170 country classic format already), occasionally, I can stand oldies of the '60s and '70s, and I do enjoy most Mexican music, and the opportunity to learn some of the material I can hear when I'm DX'ing XEs.) Unfortunately, I cannot bring myself to listen to right- wing talk show hosts (there are neither liberals nor moderates on WBAP, KLIF, KRLD at night, nor KXXL) or virtually any contemporary music. (I appreciate the availability of NPR/PRN, including Garrison Keillor, "What Do You Know?" and "Car Talk" but I don't really listen as often as I should.) None of my listenables put much of a dent in the Arbitron ratings, sadly. I would agree that content is the first priority, but if your program is on a signal that's fading or hampered by QRM or QRN, a good CD will suffice, thank you. Therefore, technological improvements are important. But I also agree with Harry's statement that, "People who think radio technology is more important than programming content are just deluding themselves. Relying on technology alone is grasping at straws and little more than techno-voodoo." That, I think, sums up the points made by Kevin Redding fairly well. I do not think, though, that Dave Gleason's arguments fit that description. Today's IBOC discussion has been more entertaining to me than most radio that's available here! By the way, I suppose I should comment that, technical idiot that I am, I have not seen anything that convinces me that IBOC, as presently contemplated, would have sufficient benefits that offset its potential damage to the spectrum. But I'm also realist enough to realize that preconceived perceptions are more often believed than truth. That's a good statement on which a Krumudgeon can close ... with 21 new messages on line to read (John Callarman, TX; all: NRC-AM circa Sept 15 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Radio Sawa is heard here in Dubai on 90.5 FM, "Sawa" in Arabic means togetherness and i guess the stations aim is to unite the western and arab cultures. They broadcast arabic and english music in FM stereo alternatively and also with news round the hour (R. Nambiar, India/UAE Sep 16, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. R. Tashkent English night service at 2030-2100 and 2130-2200 UT still on 5025, 9545, and 11905. The latter very loud and clear today Sep 16th, at 2140 UT (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) 11905, Radio Tashkent; 2038-2058*, 16-Sep; Woman in English with poetic reading and commentaries, vocal and instrumental music. Vocals sound similar to Arabic. SIO= 3+32+/LSB helps but strong QRM on both sides; tough copy. Reported // 9545 is covered. *2130-2138+, 16-Sep; On with "Radio Tashkent Calling" after brief IS. M with news 2132-37. All in English. SIO=3+32+/definitely better than at 2030; LSB helps here too. 11900 QRM is Bulgaria in English; 11910 is in Japanese. Tashkent sign-on covered a French transmission. 9545 is in German (Harold Frodge, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 4939.65, R. Amazonas (Presumed), 1024 Sept 14, fast LA male vocal, fair signal, in clear. Faded fast and gone by 1040 (Dan Ziolkowski WI, Cumbredx mailing list Sept 17 via DXLD) Bastante irregular en 4940kHz, Radio Amazonas. La potencia no es muy alta y el sonido es algo deficiente. Saludos desde Catia La Mar... (Adán González, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. RADIO NACIONAL DE VENEZUELA CON PROBLEMAS Hola Glenn, Saludos desde Venezuela. Según un reporte de la dirección de Radio Nacional de Venezuela, dado a conocer el pasado lunes 16, Radio Nacional tuvo problemas técnicos en sus transmisores de La Rinconada y Valencia, los cuales utilizan las frecuencias de 630 y 1050 kHz, para cubrir la zona central del país. Durante el sábado 14 y domingo 15, hubo inconvenientes que incluso provocaron la reducción de la potencia a 10 kW, en el caso de 630 kHz (50 kW), durante el día domingo. De acuerdo con el mismo informe, los técnicos atribuyeron las fallas a "fenómenos atmosféricos". En los últimos días ha llovido bastante en el país. Para ajustar los transmisores se está realizando una pausa entre las 11 y 12 de la noche (0300-0400 UT). Una de ellas estaba programada para el lunes 16. Desde Catia La Mar... (Adán González, Sept 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. Voice of Khmer Krom, 15660. I received a no-data ``London, Ontario`` card and partial-data personal letter in 1 month. My report was sent to Box 28674, Columbus, OH 43228, U.S.A., and this address is given in the letter. However, the letter is on a Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation letterhead with no address but with an Ontario, Canada, phone number (519 659-3920). And it is postmarked London, Ontario. Card and letter are signed by Thach N. Thach (Wendel Craighead, KS, Sep 14, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 5486.7, 1055, Sept 17, High paced male announcer in Spanish, with bits and pieces of Peruvian folk music between comments. Well modulated, but quite weak. Quite a bit weaker then R. Ilucán a couple hundred kHz up. La Reina de la Selva, Chachapoyas has been reported on this frequency in the past, supposedly running .06 kW, but to my knowledge, it has not been logged recently. Perhaps a reactivation? (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CERTIFICATES Hello Glenn, If you can find the time and space to remind your listeners about the HCI SWL certificate availability, it would be greatly appreciated. They may read the requirements, as well as view a low resolution image of it, on the HCI web site in the SWL area: http://www.w9wze.org They can click on the "SWL Menu" and follow the links. Thanks! (Duane Fischer, W8DBF) dfischer@usol.com ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-145, September 16, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.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 HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO 1147: BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Wed 0930 9475 BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445, 15038.7; webcasts also Sun 1830, Mon 1230, Wed 1300 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1147.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1147.html BILL FLYNN. The biscuit [forest, wild-] fire is 98% contained -- no damage near here. On Aug 17, they hauled me off to the hospital, respiratory arrest, heart attack. On Sept 4, I returned home. Please understand that my recovery will be lengthy. I will not be doing any DXing for a long time. Regards, Bill, Sept. 8, 2002, Cave Junction OR. Bill has been one of our most faithful contributors. We wish him a good and faster than expected recovery! (Glenn) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Re DXLD 2-144, Magrib prayers: Hello Glenn, With regards to your question about Maghrib prayers, it is one of the daily prayers performed by a Muslim. Each prayer is known by a different name. First prayer (Subur): one hour before sunrise (around 5.30 am) Second prayer (Lohor): noon time Third prayer (Azar): late afternoon (around 5 pm) Fourth prayer (Maghrib): early evening (around 8 pm) Fifth prayer (Isyak): late evening (around 9 pm) If you can't remember the names, just remember that the first letters of all the words form the word "Islam". In communities where the Muslims form the majority, radio stations would broadcast the azan (prayer call) at the appropriate prayer times. The exact timing variates every day and the radio broadcast is thus a convenient tool to determine the prayer time. 73s (Richard Lam, Singapore, Sept 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very interesting; are the Moslems really into acrostics, or is it totally coincidental that these spell out ISLAM? Oh, oh, watch out: (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Gospel broadcast into Afghanistan Americans are in a somber mood today, with the advent of the one-year anniversary of the deadly September-11 terrorist attacks. Gospel For Asia's KP Yohannan says they're also marking the date, but with a milestone of hope. Beginning today, they are broadcasting the Gospel into Afghanistan. "We are airing this broadcast on a 500-thousand watt short wave station, which is going to be heard brilliantly. With what is happening now, we are believing the Lord to see, literally, thousands of people turn to the Lord and find hope." Yohannan believes the people are ready for the hope of Christ. He says there is still a lot of work to do and asks for support. "There are 400 or so Afghani believers that are said to be in the country. Pray that somehow, the Lord will raise up a few of them to follow-up and do things, in terms of planting churches." (Guess what --- MNN forgot to mention frequency again. -- BA) (Mission Network News via Bruce Atchison, AB, Sept 16, DXLD) That`s not all they forgot to mention. I`ve found it`s the rule rather than exception for religious programmers to be exceeding vague about the details of their broadcasts. Could it be they really don`t want to encourage donors to try to tune in? (gh, DXLD) ** ALGERIA. ARGÉLIA/ UTILITÁRIA. 6932 7TF - Boufarik Radio, Boufarik - Recebida carta QSL full data em torno de 43 dias. V/S: Azmedroub - Hocine, Le chefe de centre Enviado IR e carta em francês. Não foi enviado IRC's ou dólares para as despesas postais. Escutada transmissão em CW. A antena usada pela emissora é uma Conic (J.R.C.) com 5 kW de potência. Segundo o V/S a estação só trabalha em HF: A1A, J3E, F1B e F4. Tráfico rádiomaritimo com barcos no mar. QTH: Centre Radiomaritime, Le Chef de Centre, BP 234, 09400 Boufarik, Argélia (Rubens Ferraz Pedroso, Bandeirantes, PR, @tividade DX Sept 15 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Interestingly, with the big AM, Radio 10 [710 kHz], in Argentina, we had t
