DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE, PART 4
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. Like2wise, the file containing the third quarter of 2002 is also closed and renamed dxldtc02.html. Like3wise, this file of fourth quarter 2002 DXLDs is now closed and named dxldtd02.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 As of October 3, 2004, the oldest DXLD at DXing.com was 2-200; presumably more and more old issues will be deleted as time goes on. DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-205, December 31, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, ghauser@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 1163, low version is already available: [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163.ram [High version from Wed or Thu:] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1163h.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1163.html [from Wed or Thu] WBCQ: Wed 2300 7415, 17495-CUSB, Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Thu 2130 9475, Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WRN: rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [from Fri] ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. AFEGANISTÃO VIA NORUEGA. 18940 *1327-1627* NOR 15-12 Norkring, Kvitsøy No voice! It should have been a satellite relay of R Afghanistan from Kabul, but the link did not work! 1327- 1330 Kvitsøy relayed the NRK programme, 1330 for 3 seconds the signature from R Denmark and then a pause for 45 seconds while searching for the link broadcast from Kabul. In lack of better the pre-recorded interval signal from R Afghanistan was played for three hours: 1331-1627. 34434 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) This is the rule rather than exception ** ANGOLA. 4950, Radio Nacional 0407 Dec 30 with nice reception. Many IDs with what sounded like a news program till 0415, then music (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Hola Glenn... Saludos desde Catia La Mar, VENEZUELA. En la frecuencia de 15820 kHz he escuchado ya dos emisoras argentinas. En una oportunidad pude oir a Radio Continental. En dos fechas, el 14/12, Radio Diez con el espacio ``Fiebre del Sábado``, con un reporte informativo a las 00 UT. Anunciaba la frecuencia de 710 kHz en Bs. As. También captada el 29/12, a las 0345, con noticias a las 0400. Identificaba como ``La emisora más potente de Argentina``. Las dos escuchas fueron en Upper Side Band. Saludos de Año Nuevo. 73´s y DX... (Adán González, Venezuela, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 6214.93, 26.12 2215, Radio Baluarte, very nice -- completely without any disturbances (Laser Hot Hits on 6219 was very weak) with a Portuguese program, full ID in Spanish at 2300. QSA 3. SHN (= Stig Hartvig Nielsen in Denmark, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) So still active ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB-OZ: Per DXPL interview on Dec 28, Kununurra is now scheduled to officially commence on Sun, Jan 5, 0700 to the S. Pacific, 1230 to Asia, and they expect to do test transmissions as needed during the preceding week with a test program that they have prepared. From Jan 5, they will broadcast to the S. Pacific at 0700- 1200 on 11755, and to Asia at 1230-1430 on 15130 and 1430-1730 on 15135. On Mons and Sats they will also test to Ethiopia at 1800-1830 at 15430. On the S. Pac beam, programming will include some elements of their current programming plus promoting Australia and the region, including regional music for first half-hour each week night, tourism show "The Right Destinations" at 0800 week nights, Sat "Country [music] Down Under," Sun "Sunday Night Alive" talk. DXPL will also be carried over the Kununurra site. [WHEN??] On the Asia beam, weeknights at 1445 they will present "Radio Classroom" (English as a second language). Studio-transmitter link in Australia is ISDN line now, later (when they install a second transmitter) it will be via satellite; Quito and Colorado Springs programming reach Australia via .mp3 files over the Internet. No QSL-card developed yet; will do so during the next couple of months. However, they are interested in rpts, which should be sent to: HCJB-Australia, GPO Box 691B, Melbourne, Australia 3000; please include an IRC or other return postage. They can also be reached by E-mail to office@hcjb.org.au (DXPL via Jerry Berg) For a bit more about Dennis Adams, see http://www.sb.org.au/church/inservice.htm (DX-plorer via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. R. Canção Nova, 4824.96, Dec 22 0010-, Portuguese religious music, sermon, weak. \\ 9674.97, 6105. All frequencies slightly unstable with a very slight wobble (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. A partir de 1º de janeiro de 2003, a rádio Gazeta, de São Paulo (SP), passará a transmitir a programação da rede Canção Nova de rádios. A Gazeta está, em ondas curtas, nas freqüências de 5955, 9685 e 15325 kHz. As informações foram publicadas pelo jornal Folha de São Paulo, pela jornalista Laura Mattos (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Dec 31 via DXLD) Wait a minute! This was supposed to be changing *from* evangelical *to* student/educational programming Jan. 1, per previous reports, mentioned in my SW Year in Review. No longer so? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BRASIL - A Rádio Gaúcha de Porto Alegre disponibiliza seu sinal de seis formas diferentes e pode ser sintonizada em real time em todo o mundo. As ondas médias, em 600 kHz, funcionam 24 horas por dia; as ondas curtas em duas frequências - 11.915 e 6020 khz - estão no ar das 0800 às 0300; o áudio da Rádio Gaúcha pode ser captado também pelo Canal 300 da Sky e na internet no endereço http://www.clicrbs.com.br e também através do sinal codificado enviado via satélite para suas 111 afiliadas distribuídas em 9 estados brasileiros. A Rádio Gaúcha, no dia primeiro de janeiro do ano que vem, estará cobrindo, ao vivo, a partir das 1500, as posses dos governadores eleitos em outubro e também, direto de Brasília, a posse do presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. As informações são de Valter Gonçalves dos Santos, coordenador da Rede Gaúcha Sat. [as the accent should make clear, it`s pronounced ga-OO-shuh, but even gringos try to make it Spanish, even after `hearing` it... –gh] BRASIL - Conforme o boletim No Ar - RTM, segue o trabalho de instalação do novo transmissor da rádio Transmundial no município de Santa Maria (RS). As chuvas dos últimos dias têm dificultado as obras. O transmissor veio, de navio, de Atlanta, Estados Unidos. A expectativa é de que, com os novos equipamentos, a Transmundial passe a ser escutada, em ondas curtas, em dois terços do território brasileiro. Eis as freqüências da emissora: 5965, 9530 e 11735 kHz. Endereço para correspondência: Caixa Postal 18.300, CEP: 04626-970, São Paulo (SP). (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Dec 31 via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA. US PROTESTS CAMBODIAN RADIO BAN The United States has protested to the Cambodian government over its decision to ban Phom Penh FM station Beehive Radio from carrying programmes of the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). Deputy State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said the decision would deprive Cambodian listeners of balanced and fair news reporting. Beehive Radio started broadcasting VOA and RFA programming on September 23. The ban follows US condemnation of political violence in Cambodia ahead of next July's elections (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 31 December 2002 via DXLD) ** CANADA. VANISHING CANADIANS: While doing research on an upcoming MT column, I arrived at a rather shocking statistic... Over the last few years, at least *19%* of the AM stations in Canada have moved to FM. (the figure is certainly somewhat higher; since stations often change callsigns when they move to FM, it's sometimes difficult to tell whether there's an FM station associated with a deleted AM.) Nearly *ONE-QUARTER* of all Canadian AM stations have gone silent - either by moving to FM, or by going off the air completely - in the last five years or so. Six more recent grants in December: CJCI-620 BC => 97.3 CFVM-1220 QC => 99.9 CKTK-1230 BC => 97.7 CJLS-1340 NS => 95.5 CBZ-970 NB => 99.5 CKSA-1080 AB => 95.9 There has been one application to resurrect an AM frequency, in Abbotsford BC. Aboriginal Voices Radio, recently granted an FM station in Vancouver, has applied to use the old CFSR-850 transmitter as a relay facility. CRTC Notice indicates CFSR's owners (now on 107.1 FM...) have promised to allow them to use the AM transmitter *without charge* for several years (Doug Smith, TN, NRC-AM via WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) ** CANARY ISLANDS. 6715-usb, Full Gospel Las Palmas Church, 2252-2309 Dec 27, male preacher with sermon followed by religious vocals. Amazing signal for only 100 watts (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. It`s New Year`s Eve and I have just heard Radio Centrafrique reactivated on 5035 at 2015 with the end of the news in french. Then I heard what sounded like the national anthem but they stayed on with African Music. Signal is fair and on its nominal frequency. Happy new year, (Stuart Austin, Blackpool, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. JIANGSU PROVINCIAL PEOPLE'S RADIO STATION CELEBRATING ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY From http://www.yangtse.com/gb/content/2002-12/30/content_603764.htm (12/30 13:19) Yesterday afternoon, Jiangsu Provincial People's Radio Station held a grand celebration for its 50th anniversary. Hui Liangyu, member the Politic Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and secretary of Jiangsu Party Committee, gave written instructions on the work report of Jiangsu Radio Station and expressed his sincere congratulations for its 50th anniversary. Xu Guangchun, vice minister of the Ministry of Propaganda of the Communist Party of China and director general of China Broadcast Television Bureau, Liang Baohua, assistant secretary of Jiangsu Provincial Committee of CPC and acting governor of Jiangsu Province, both sent the congratulatory messages and letters. Also present at the celebration were Chen Huanyou, Ren Yanshen, Zhang Taolin as well as the staff of Jiangsu Provincial People's Radio Station. Since its foundation half of a century ago, Jiangsu Provincial People's Radio Station has been growing rapidly. Now it boasts not only of News Channel, Economics Channel, Art Channel, Music Channel, "Sound of Jinling" Station, Communication Broadcast Network, Health Times and Commerce 937, but also a daily broadcasting time reaching 140 hours. With the advancement of broadcasting technologies, Jiangsu Provincial People's Radio Station has become a public media with the most audience and influence in Jiangsu (By Guo Lili, Xue Yingdan) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 6959.98 (Harmonic?) UNID "Todelar", unknown QTH (Colombia). Dec 2002 - 1117 UT. With "Noticiero TODELAR de Bogotá". 1159.99 and 869.99 are two possible fundamentals but my guess is a harmonic on 1160 from "Ondas del Orteguaza" in Florencia (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Dec 29, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Exactly, as previously IDed by Rodríguez (gh) ** COLOMBIA. Esta interesante nota llegó enviada por el colega José Alba Z. REVOLCÓN EN LA RADIODIFUSORA NACIONAL DE COLOMBIA DEJA POR FUERA A UN IMPORTANTE GRUPO DE REALIZADORES Hace pocos días los directivos de la Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia reunieron a un grupo de programadores de la cadena para informarles que sus contratos de trabajo no iban más. Fue un encuentro tenso en el que, además, hicieron saber que la intención era cambiar la cara de la estación y modernizarla, para lo cual pidieron consejo a los presentes. "No es posible que esto esté pasando -se dijeron dos programadores al oído-. No saben lo que van a hacer con las emisoras y quieren que nosotros les hagamos la tarea". Acto seguido algunos de los presentes emprendieron la retirada. La finalización de los contratos no pasaría de ser anecdótica si no fuera porque se trata apenas de la punta del iceberg. La disolución del dream team de programadores de la Radiodifusora Nacional (un grupo conformado por Daniel Casas, Moncho Viñas, Ángel Perea, César Pagano, Álvaro el profe González, Eduardo Arias, Juan Carlos Garay, Ana Karime Piñeres y Roberto Aroldi, entre otros), precipitó la salida de su directora, Silvia Motta, quien estaba adelantando una labor de rescate del archivo clásico colombiano que reposa en viejas cintas de carrete. "En general, lo que está pasando en la Radiodifusora Nacional y en Inravisión es lo mismo que ocurre en toda empresa deficitaria: si no hay plata para pagar la nómina, menos la hay para contratistas", asegura Juan Montoya, subdirector comercial de Inravisión y encargado de la Radiodifusora. La disolución del dream team precipitó la salida de su directora, Silvia Motta, quien adelantaba una labor de rescate del archivo clásico colombiano. Según el funcionario, lo que está ocurriendo es normal cuando empieza a desarrollarse un plan de contingencia. Dentro del nuevo modelo, finalizan las franjas pregrabadas y entra programación en vivo. Algunos de los antiguos contratistas fueron vinculados de tiempo completo y, según los directivos de la radio, aunque se perdió en especialización se ganará en interactividad. Dentro de los primeros problemas registrados están las constantes repeticiones en las llamadas frecuencia clásica de FM y frecuencia joven dedicada al rock. "Quienes quedaron de planta no estaban acostumbrados a trabajar en vivo los fines de semana -asegura Montoya- Por eso la necesidad de tomar pregrabados y repetirlos". Los directivos de la radiodifusora esperan recursos por 1.800 millones de pesos del Ministerio de Comunicaciones, con los que buscan encender la red en su totalidad, pues hoy por hoy de las 44 frecuencias asignadas cinco están fuera del aire y otras 14 han sido invadidas por radiofrecuencias piratas, incluida una de una empresa de taxis. Por lo pronto, los más afectados por la situación de la cadena son los oyentes. Creen que la salida del grupo de programadores, uno de los mejores que haya tenido cadena alguna en Colombia en los últimos tiempos, representa una baja sensible más allá de datos y planes estratégicos. Pero la crisis, como dicen, no respeta pinta y la Radiodifusora Nacional no ha sido la excepción (via Arnaldo Slaen, Dec 30, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. Faro del Caribe has been off for a few days on both 60 and 31 mb. This one just can't seem to stay on (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. CHIPRE. 6150, 0015-0215 20-12, Bayrak Int., Yeni Iskele, Northern Cyprus. English British pop songs, 0030 ID: "Bayrak International" by male and more pop songs, 0056 short announcement by female, QRM Deutsche Welle 6145 *0100-0145* & *0200-0230. My BC- country no. 234 heard according to the EDXC Radio Countries List ! Until 0100: 43433 AP- DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) Congrats; at that level, the new ones are scarce (gh, DXLD) What's going on? I'm hearing the same Supremes song, 'Baby Love' at 2202 today on 6150. Do these folks keep playing the same stuff over and over again or what?! Had to pull out all the stops today to get reception with the R7 and the 200' wire, had the AGC off also which helps (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, Dec 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DJIBOUTI. Dear Glenn, In one of the last bulletins, you asked if the broadcasting station of Djibouti intended to broadcast the programs of the Voice of America could emit on short waves. According to the Djiboutienne agency of press, it would be only about a broadcasting station medium waves of 600 kW. A broadcasting station short waves for the moment is not mentioned (Bernard Chenal, France, Dec 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That [planned new transmitters] belong only to the local RTV Djibouti service, replacing old 20 kW units on 1539 and 1170 kHz. And US will give away a SW transmitter unit and antenna too. Former French Somaliland and Rep. of Djibouti used always 4780 kHz channel in the past. R Sawa should use 1431 kHz channel with 600 kW of power [Thales- Thomcast?]; BBG asked for bids already in May 2001! 73 de wb (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, I was referring to the lack of SW planned here by IBB (gh) ** ECUADOR. R. Centro, 3289.89, Dec 25 1035-1110+ Spanish talk, ads, promos. Andean vocals. No sign of Guyana, q.v. R. Oriental, 4781.36, Dec 25 1025-1110+, Spanish announcements, many IDs, Andean vocals. Good; no sign of Coatán on 4780 this morning (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. I have now tested my MFJ-1025/Phaser and it seems very good at phasing away interference, especially on lower SW bands. It functions on the upper MW band but needs modification to cover also the lower MW band. It is amazing to almost completely remove Radio Cristal here in Quito on 1380 kHz, it is located only a short distance from my QTH, and instead be able to listen to the Colombians on that frequency (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Dec 29, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) see COLOMBIA, PERU, VENEZUELA ** EL SALVADOR. R. Imperial, 17835.35, Dec 25 0010-0050+, Spanish ballads, camp music, Spanish announcements. Many IDs at 0019, 0020, 0024 with good, clean audio. Good signal at times but some fading in and out with occasional deep fades (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Deutsche Welle cutbacks. EDXP has learned in an unconfirmed report that Deutsche Welle plans to abandon all English services to Australia, effective from March 31, 2003 (Bob Padula, EDXP Dec 29 via Joe Hanlon, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) In reply to Joe Hanlon's info about the possible closure of the English service of DW to Australia etc., I have not heard anything but I would not be surprised if it were to be true; services from shortwave broadcasters are being cut all over the world and I don't think it is from the lack of communication or feedback from listeners. I just think it has to do with rich greedy governments finding ways of cutting costs and not caring about anyone or anything. Just the same, shortwave listeners should not wait until a closure threat becomes obvious before they start writing to a broadcaster to let them know they are out there listening to and supporting the station and its programmes. The more letters (or emails) that are sent to broadcasters even if it is just to say hello and thanks for the great programmes or to say that you enjoyed this or that programme, please keep up the great work, this will be supporting the broadcaster to no end. If however, you hardly ever write to say I listen to your programmes or you only write to send a reception report and demand a QSL card (as well as half the station) then this station or its financial supporters will say that the feedback to this service or area is dwindling and so we will now cut this service down or out. Listening to Mailbag Asia on DW in English, it is very rare indeed that I hear ANY letters, cards or emails from anyone in Australia and this is just not good enough. DW has some great programmes and we should all be listening every now and then and then write to them and tell them so and how much you enjoyed this programme, even if you only do this once a month! It is the old saying, use it or lose it. DW probably thinks that no-one in good old Oz does not listen to them on shortwave anymore and they would probably be write! Best wishes to all! (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia., Dec 30, EDXP via DXLD) ** GERMANY. I start to become curious what will happen with 6085. Right now (1200 UT on Dec 30) the transmitter is still on. Of course I will keep an ear on it (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bayerischer Rundfunk supposed to close down Dec 31 (gh) Later: Bayerischer Rundfunk stated on Dec 23 that 6085 will not be taken off air "for the time being", but a reduction of power and/or airtime in order to reduce the transmission costs is possible. In future 6085 will carry B5 aktuell between 6 AM and midnight (0500-2300 UT in winter). This via the German ADDX listeners club, original item enclosed. I would say it remains unclear whether or not the transmitter will be switched off between 2300 and 0500 from New Years Day. During this time B5 aktuell produces no own programming but instead relays MDR info from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk at Halle, on FM and so far on shortwave, too. Until now 6085 carried a special arrangement of Bayern 1, Bayern2Radio and B5 aktuell programming, now they will reduce it to a mere B5 aktuell, making a special feed for the shortwave transmitter unnecessary but also the outlet less interesting. The original statement mentions a "preparation for DRM", so it appears to be an educated guess that they now hesitate from taking 6085 off air in order to prevent a permanent loss of this frequency. Keep in mind that BCE, the engineering branch of RTL, considers to use 6090 again. Trouble is, Ismaning 6085 and Junglinster 6090 cannot coexist when running DRM mode. (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [A-DX] BR Muenchen Zum BR erreichte mich heute folgende Meldung via Klaus Hüsgen: Der BR teilte mit Datum 23.12.2002 mit, dass die zum 31.12. geplante Abschaltung der Kurzwelle 6085 kHz vorerst noch nicht erfolgt. Der BR behält sich allerdings vor, geeignete Maßnahmen zu ergreifen, um die derzeitigen Kosten zu verringern (u.a. Leistungsreduzierung und Sendezeitverkürzung), um die Umstellung auf eine digitale Kurzwellenausstrahlung (DRM) vorzubereiten. Auf der Kurzwelle 6085 kHz wird zukünftig von 0600-2400 Uhr Ortszeit [0500- 2300 UT] das Programm B5 Aktuell ausgestrahlt. Weitere Informationen hierzu kann man bei der Technischen Redaktion des BR unter 089-5900- 2433 oder der in Deutschland kostenfreien Servicenummer 0800-8181081 erfragen. Soweit der BR via Klaus Hüsgen. Gruß Michael (ADDX Kurier via Kai Ludwig, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Perhaps of interest this news item about German TV [external service to USA]: A news magazine reported a ZDF threat to withdraw from the German TV project, stating that it had no future when the lack in success continues. ZDF denied this report. Acc. the news magazine German TV has a mere 3,000 subscribers at present while 70,000 are necessary to be cost-effective: (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ZDF DEMENTIERT BERICHT ÜBER AUSSTIEGSDROHUNG BEI GERMAN TV Mainz - Das ZDF hat einem Bericht widersprochen, wonach Intendant Markus Schächter mit einem Ausstieg aus dem öffentlich- rechtlichen Auslandsfernsehen German TV gedroht habe. Zwar laufe der Vertrieb in den USA noch nicht wie gewünscht, Schächter sei mit der inhaltlichen Entwicklung des Programms jedoch zufrieden, sagte eine ZDF-Sprecher am Sonntag (29.12.2002) auf Anfrage. Das Nachrichtenmagazin "Focus" hatte vorab berichtet, dass Schächter mit einem Ausstieg aus German TV gedroht habe und den Sender bei anhaltender Erfolglosigkeit für "nicht zukunftsfähig" halte. Der Auslandskanal German TV war im März gestartet. Über den Sender können Fernsehzuschauer in den USA rund um die Uhr eine Auswahl aus dem deutschen öffentlich-rechtlichen Programm empfangen. ZDF und ARD steuern je 40 Prozent zu dem Programm bei, die Deutsche Welle trägt 20 Prozent. Deutschsprachige Zuschauer können bei German TV unter anderem Sendungen wie "Tagesschau", "heute journal" oder Talk-Shows sehen. Damit das Programm schwarze Zahlen schreiben kann, müssten nach Angaben der Betreiber rund 70 000 Abonnenten gewonnen werden. Derzeit gibt es laut "Focus" nur 3000 zahlende Zuschauer. Zum Start von German TV war als Ziel ausgegeben worden, dass der Sender in spätestens sieben Jahren schwarze Zahlen schreibt. Das Programm wird per Satellit übertragen. Eine Einspeisung in das Kabelnetz würde die Reichweite deutlich erhöhen. (dpa 12:11) (Stand vom 29.12.2002) (via Kai Ludwig, Dec 30, DXLD) ** GUAM. Hi Marie... Thanks for the returned Christmas card. I hope you enjoyed it with your family. As for myself it was here on the island I sometimes call Gilligan's Island. It's still a good place and despite the island's lack of water and power, things are slowly starting to get back to normal. I spent my time traveling around this big rock seeing some of the sights but there is not a whole lot to see since the typhoon. Many are homeless, as I have been told about 3000 have no place but tents. The FEMA organization is some help but it's often better to just go with the flow of family, as they give only to those who have a real need (if you got bucks in the bank, forget the handout from FEMA). My friend KF6ILA was without power for almost 15 to 20 days, and he lives on the Naval station close to our ship. Power lines (concrete type) were down everywhere, and those beautiful palms were torn to threads. Only a few hams were able to get messages out, like NH7C and KH2JU, who must have had God on their side as many around had no power for almost 4 weeks. As you well know there are 3 big shortwave transmitters here, AWR, KTWR and from what I been told, Baragetta [Barrigada? -- gh]. The others were spared but the latter was very much destroyed. Many towers are now lying half up and down on the ground. It's a shame to see the ruins. Well, my ship is helping a lot as we have a big freezer on board and we were supplying blocks of ice to the Navy, Air Force and hospitals. Well, take care my friend an may you have a great new year. P.S.: If you have Yahoo or Hotmail Messenger you can reach me through chat mail at n6hpx_du1@yahoo.com or n6hpx_du1@hotmail.com Please forward if you want to the SWL group (Larry Fields, N6HPX/du1 via Marie Lamb, swl, via DXLD) Has anyone heard anything outta Guam since this last Super Typhoon? I listened for Danny, KH2JU, off and on to no joy. The ARRL report few days back said that several hams were operational? I thought most of us had moved off the island by now! Danny was the only one I knew on HF left over there. Anyone? And the HF site at Barrigada was Gov't. Haven't tried listening to AWR or the other one... Later, (Todd KH2TJ/6, Dec 31, swl via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4779.98, Radio Coatán continues with strong signal 1200-1230. ID by om at 1228 as Radio Coatán, this over marimba music. 1200-1210 om recited long list of names over non Guatemalan music, time check at 1215. Enchanting trio at 1230 29 December (Bob Wilkner, FL, NRD 535D, Noise Reducing antenna, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Dave- [re previous issue] I was listening at this precise time and heard a Radio Coatán ID at 0207. They remained on the air until sign off at about 0230. Their time check at 20 past sounded as if they said "23" to me. I was getting UTE QRM from 4778 and QRM from Oriental on 4781.3 so I used LSB to make it readable but couldn't shake a strong het. After sign off, the het remained for more than 5 minutes until tune out, so not sure if Satélite is under this or not. 73s- (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, USA, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) R. Coatán, 4780, Dec 15 1032-1045+ tune-in to NA. Spanish sign-on announcements with IDs at 1034 and into Spanish religious programming; poor-weak. R. K`ekchí, 4845, Dec 15 0245-0312* religious music, lite instrumental music, religious talk in local language. Sign-off with long NA; good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4845, Radio K'ekchí has been off for a few days (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** GUYANA. No sign of Guyana on either 3290 or 5950 for the past several weeks (Brian Alexander, PA, Dec 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See ECUADOR instead ** HONDURAS. 3250 nf, R. Luz y Vida, 1115-1140 with "Mañanitas Cristianas," sermon in English/Spanish, ID 1129 (Newman, IN 11/29, NASWA Flashsheet Dec 28 via DXLD) What`s new about it? (gh) ** INDIA. Friends, Yesterday 29th December 2002, most stations of AIR signed on at around 4.00 am IST (2230 UT) on MW & SW i.e. two hours earlier than usual, to bring the cricket commentary India vs New Zealand. Several stations of AIR will have extended schedules on the night of 31st December 2002 to welcome the New Year. These will be heard past 1830 UT (i.e. Midnight Indian Standard Time). Look out for stations especially on 3 and 4 MHz and of course MW. Happy New Year to all dx_india members & readers! (Jose Jacob, India, dx_india Dec 30 via DXLD) Later: Here is the schedule of the One Day International Cricket matches between India and New Zealand being played at New Zealand. 1 Jan 2003 at Christchurch (Day & Night match) from 0050 UTC 4 Jan 2003 at Queenstown from 2300 UTC ? 8 Jan 2003 at Wellington (Day & Night match) from 0050 UTC 11 Jan 2003 at Auckland (Day & Night match) from 0050 UTC 14 Jan 2003 at Hamilton (Day & Night match) from 0050 UTC AIR Home Service stations on MW and SW (3 & 4 MHz frequencies) will bring the running commentary of these matches and is noted sign on even at 2230 UTC (4.00 am Indian Time) i.e. about 2 hours earlier than normal which gives some interesting catches. Happy New Year! (Jose Jacob, India, DX_INDIA via DXLD) ** INDIA. 1536 UT checking for the 1530 English news on 12/31, heard the following, all parallel: 4760 Leh (assumed) - good. I assume this is not likely Port Blair 4775 Imphal - fair to good 4850 Kohima - heavy QRM de China 4920 Chennai - heavy QRM de China 4970 Shillong - very weak 5040 Jeypore - fair to good No site IDs; all locations assumed. Alternating man and woman with English news items. 1540 woman ID "This is All India Radio", and also at 1545. After 1545 end of English news, //s included 4760, 4775, 4970, 5040. Heard woman "This is Delhi" at 1600, signals disappeared shortly after. Other above listed 60mb frequencies were mostly audible but not //. 10330 Delhi heard during this time, not //. The 60 mb again faded in shortly after California sunrise. I looked for English at 1430 on 3945, 4850, 5050, 6085 but heard nothing from India. Has anyone logged these? Jose Jacob: can you confirm if there is English at this time, and if so, what frequencie(s)? (David Norcross, California, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 6071.478, 24.12 1240, RRI Jayapura on extended time with Christmas music. Sometimes heard but usually closes earlier. Very lousy audio when the studio mike is used while taped music sounds OK. Drifting in frequency circa 6 Hz up and down. SA (= Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. V. of Indonesia, 11784.86, Dec 22 2000-2100, English news, commentary, ID, 2030 Mailbag program. Sked, address, local music. 2057 brief news summary. Fair-good; no parallels heard (Brian Alexander, PA, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. Happy New Year! For those looking to ring in the festivities hourly as they approach our area of the world, maybe this link will be of some interest... http://www.live-radio.net/info.shtml It's not shortwave....but it looks interesting! (John Figliozzi Halfmoon, NY (USA), Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. Here's a "tradition" I try to follow each year. I spend part of my New Year's Eve day tracking the celebrations as they happen on my shortwave radio, and also the various webcams and radio audio feeds over the internet. Lou Josephs has put together a list of sites to follow should you like to travel the path of the World's New Year's celebrations over the web. Overall info and software to watch and listen (via RNW's media network site): http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/newyear021227.html From the International Dateline to Mauritius http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/newyear021227a.html From Iran to American Samoa: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/newyear021227b.html Bookmark Lou's work and tune your radios and click your mice, party hats are optional, but not the fun! Happy New Year x 24 !!!! (Pete Costello, NJ, swltalk via DXLD) [Join the SWLTALK group for live DX talk in the #swl channel on the StarChat IRC network... http://www.starchat.net/servers.htm ] _______________________________________________ SWLtalk mailing list http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/swltalk Pete's reminder is very worthwhile for a fun time with the radio and computer. In my opinion it is certainly better than dealing with the drunks on the road and the rip-off prices charged at restaurants, clubs and hotels. While it is true that Lou Josephs mirrors his New Year's Eve pages on the RNW Web site (below), when push comes to shove and each hour is nigh, Lou may be able to only make instant updates only on his own site as the hours of December 31 tick away here in the USA. I'd recommend also bookmarking his own Web site of http://www.ibcworks.net/ to get the latest details. Last year, as I recall, Lou and I stuffed a dozen or so Asian and African adds into the pages as little as 30 minutes before the top of an hour. Regards, and Happy New Year Year to all (Tom Sundstrom, Contributing Editor, Radio Netherlands Media Network, swltalk Dec 30 via DXLD) [links to the above were posted on our MONITORING CALENDAR well before Dec 31] I haven`t had as much time as I would like to follow the New Year, but a few observations: NHK with its usual excited talk and music on 11705 via Canada, but after 1400 pretty bad co-channel with something in English, I guess VOA Philippines. At 2255 or so DW webcast in German had a speech by the Chancellor, and at 2300 a polite, restrained announcement about the time and the New Year. A glimpse of the festivities in Berlin on CNN added a lot. At the same time I was listening to Spain, with a lot more excitement on 15110, which they evidently kept on the air a few minutes late past 2300. BTW, what was the very strong but noisy open carrier, on 15120 until about 2323? * Scheduling in BBC On Air did not indicate anything special, but checked 12095 at 2350 and World Today was on talking about the imminent Jahrwechsel, and not to be missed were the full chimes of Big Ben after the Greenwich timesignal, when 2003 REALLY began. Tried R. Atlântida, Açores webcast, before 0100 but it kept stopping, and was out at the moment of the New Year there. The newscaster afterwards had a really heavy Portuguese accent (but what could you expect?). I guess WWV will be in order at 0600 UT, midnight here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {* 15120 probably Habana} ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. Decision in next few days about Arutz 7 From Mike Brand 29 December 2002 From today's Haaretz newspaper ELECTION PANEL ASKS FOR TRANSCRIPTS OF ARUTZ SHEVA BROADCASTS The chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Mishael Cheshin, on Thursday asked pirate radio station Arutz Sheva to provide him with transcripts of its broadcasts and video recordings of the various opinion pieces aired on the station in the past month. Cheshin asked for the material after hearing a petition submitted Thursday by Keshev (The Center for the Protection of Democracy in Israel) and The Israel Religious Action Center, who want the station closed down until January 29 for broadcasting election propaganda in flagrant breech of the election law. The petition also claims that the station's election broadcasts violate the concept of media evenhandedness, since they give unfair preference to the Likud, National Religious Party, the National Union and Herut. Arutz Sheva's legal representative, attorney Dan Sela, presented Cheshin with a list of 15 political figures from left-wing parties, all of whom have been interviewed on the station recently. According to Sela, the list proves that Arutz Sheva gives equal airtime to all the political parties (via radioanoraksuk yahoogroup via Mike Terry, DXLD) Extract from http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ Monday, December 30, 2002 ...Earlier Monday, the commission prohibited right-wing radio station Arutz Sheva from broadcasting right-wing elections propaganda until after the January 28 national elections. Commission head High Court Justice Mishael Cheshin accepted the claim of the Center for Progressive Judaism that Arutz Sheva was illegally broadcasting election propaganda... (via Mike Terry, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Vanmorgen gehoord, 28 December: 5650, Voice of the Mojahed (presumed), local music, male about Iraq, Iran but signal drowned by heavy jamming and hopping to 5640 (0431), 5630 (0433), 5650 (0434), 5630 (0435), 5640 (0437), 5630 (0440), 5650 (0441), 5620 (0443) etcetera. Groeten, (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, Dec 28, Benelux DX Club via DXLD) N5290.4 1649-1832* CLA Voice of Mojahed 1, Iraq Farsi 5350 is now jumping down to 5290 to avoid strong Iranian bubble jamming. Political talks, folksongs. Heard // 5650v 25333 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX Dec 29 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. NEW RADIO STATION BEAMED TO SOUTH AZERBAIJAN The online newspaper Baku Today, quoting the press service of SANAM [Southern Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement], says that the first independent radio of Southern Azerbaijanis, "Voice of South Azerbaijan Radio", will start broadcasting programmes directed towards South Azerbaijan in the first week of January. The programmes will be broadcast twice a week, says the report. SANAM is one of the largest opposition groups in Iran. An estimated 16 million Azeris live in Iran, about twice as many as in Azerbaijan itself. A station of the same name was active in 1996-1998, and was the subject of an investigative report by Clandestine Radio Watch: http://www.qsl.net/yb0rmi/vosa.htm [suggesting a possible link to Israel]. It's not yet clear if there's a link between the two (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 31 December 2002 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. ESTADOS UNIDOS (COMANDO SOLO). New 11292.0, 1454-1550 21-12. Command Solo flying near Iraq Arabic. New transmission short talks and Arab music. *1517 QRM Russian utility conversations and more noise. Heard again 20-12 1610-1700 in AM-mode Arabic songs and talks. // 9715 was completely covered by DW Wertachtal (2 x 500 kW) in Russian. 25333 AP- DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. (Earlier today) A few days ago there was a violent storm and some of the antennas as Yavne fell down. This has severly affected transmissions and on Reshet Hei there has generally been only one or two frequencies operating only via the old antennas at the east side of station. I do not think that any of the curtains there are working. At 2000 UTC only 11605 has been working for the past few days but tonight they will operate instead on 7525 kHz. --- (Later today) There seems to have been a change of plan today and 2000 utc was on 11605 and 9435. They are trying to use old, dormant antennas (Daniel Rosenzweig, Dec 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) STORM DAMAGE IN ISRAEL Dear all, In Israel we had wind storm that damaged 4 of our curtains and for the time being we are not on the air with all of the transmissions and the rest are with log periodic. The Main problem is with the low frequency curtains combined with the deep winter and the low SSN we almost had no options so...... the 1730 utc is as usual the 2000 utc the 6280 is off the air so we have 11605 9435 that soon will be changed to 7525 and we changed the program of the 9345 instead of Hebrew between 2000-2100 we have English, French, Spanish. Two of the curtains are total loss and we have to buy new. The third will be fixed at mid February (the earth has to be dry). Wishing you all the best and a happy new year 2003, îùä àåøï-îî"ã ùéãåø àú"ï åàú"ã àâó øùúåú çèéáú äðãñä åúëðåï {Hebrew, natch; we don`t have Hebrew character support installed, and just wonder if the above displays properly for those who do?} (Moshe Oren, ISRAEL- Frequency manager, BEZEQ-engineering&planning division Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Due to a recent transmitter upgrade at IRRS-Shortwave, we are selling a lot of two identical 5/10 kW communication transmitters model Siemens S42043-S305-A1, suitable for classes of emission A1, A2, F1, F4 and F6 (telegraphy) and for classes A3, A3A, A3J and A3B (AM Medium Wave, SSB, AM reduced carrier). These transmitters are modern, compact and rugged for operation even on a mobile truck (check weight and dimensions). Both transmitters are in good working order, and have been in operation so far at IRRS-Shortwave http://www.nexus.org/NEXUS-IBA/Schedules IRRS used both transmitters for continued operation, employing one transmitter full time, and the second as a spare in case maintenance was needed. A set of spare parts, including antenna dischargers, antenna cable, and various electronics and used tubes are also available. 20% discount if sold to a non commercial organization for non commercial use. Private sale, exempt from VAT. Proceedings from the sale of these transmitters will help, in part, sponsoring the continuation of NEXUS-IBA activities, and the continuation of our Shortwave transmissions. Please check: http://www.nexus.org/IPAR/txsale.htm for all details including price. Please inquire to sales@nexus.org. Thanks. - (Ron Norton, NEXUS-IBA support, PO Box 11028, 20110 Milano, Italy e-mail : ron@nexus.org Dec 30, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Be nice to know what the `upgrade` consists of --- no transmitters at all near Milano, and buying time elsewhere? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** KASHMIR. 4830 INDIA. Apparently the new R. Kashmir, Jammu: I started listening at 0020 Dec 22, Táchira presumed the LA that was dominant, but there was a good size het as well, the two just slightly out of phase. I didn't hear it on the first listen, but in reviewing the tape there is definitely the AIR IS twice at 0024, and what I think was their usual startup sequence at 0025. This was followed by some subcontinental horn-type music, and at 0030 a woman started talking, but it was muffled so I couldn't make out much. Still mixing after a half-hour or so. Other Indians were just so-so; this should be better on another night, but was better than expected even this time (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet Dec 28 via DXLD) INDIA. N4830 *0023-0215 IND 18 & 20-12 AIR Jammu Kashmiri/Hundi. New fq by 50 kW transmitter, AIR tune, 0025 ID: "Yeh Radio Kashmir", song, Vernacular news and talks, Indian songs and instrumental music. Still testing and not every day. Also heard 19-12 1625-1742*. Always disturbed by a tone from a strong utility carrier on 4831.67! 34444 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** KENYA. EMBATTLED STATE BROADCASTER BOWS TO CHANGE IN GOVERNMENT | Text of report by Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation web site on 31 December All major TV stations transmitted the inauguration [on 30 December] of Mr Mwai Kibaki as president live from Uhuru Park. Nation TV, KTN and Citizen [all Nairobi-based private TV stations] were allowed to use the public-funded Kenya Broadcasting Corporation [KBC] feed signals at 12.15 p.m. The live broadcast was authorized by the permanent secretary for tourism and information, Ms Esther Koimmet. The Nation TV and radio managed to give blow-by-blow account of the happenings from [the] location. However, the Nation FM radio had hired outside broadcast van from East FM station, which comes with a frequency. Nation Broadcasting Division Managing Director Cyrille Nabutola said he had been negotiating with Ms Koimmet and KBC chief Caxton Munywoki since Sunday [29 December], who had told him that it [the feed] would cost at least 1m shillings [about 8,000 pounds]. But Mr Nabutola said he was surprised when Ms Koimmet called to inform him that the transmission would be free. "It was a very good gesture and we are very pleased," he said. KBC has for decades been known for its slanted news coverage of national events and heavy leaning on KANU [former ruling Kenya Africa National Union]. It changed dramatically and praised Narc [National Rainbow Coalition] and Mr Kibaki as it used to praise Mr Daniel arap Moi and KANU. Yesterday it changed tune in its coverage of the enthronement. It was not lost on public broadcaster's audience that all of a sudden the new ruling party, which it had been referring to as "the so-called Narc" throughout the campaign period, had become a respected party. Rare clips of President-elect Kibaki's moments of glory on the road to the top were splashed by KBC, whose skewed policy has been criticized even by the Electoral Commission of Kenya. Source: Daily Nation web site, Nairobi, in English 31 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Evidently KBC desires to remain a government mouthpiece, whatever that may be; perhaps the concept of `public` broadcasting is unknown to them (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. I sent a reception report to the Voice of Korea (North, not South) in May, got a package from them in July and I guess they haven't forgotten about me, or are trying to establish relations. I received a postcard today from VOK with four male gymnasts on front and on the back was typed a "A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" Wonder if I'm being watched by CSIS? (Canadian equivalent of CIA). Canada Customs has already opened and searched some of my mail from other SW stations, including Iran and a box I received from DW. They even charged me for "handling"! Anyone else get any mail recently from VOK? I mailed another reception report last week to Pyongyang; interesting to see what I'll get. The broadcast was very clear for a change (Monday 23 Dec 1503; 11710 kHz; SIO 444; started with a choir singing what I think was the "Internationale" followed by the usual Great Leader propaganda stuff) 73, (Sue Hickey, Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada, Dec 30, GRDXC via DXLD) 9335 kHz, Voice of Korea. Received QSL card, postcard, P`yongyang Times newspaper, Korea Today magazine, report form, personal letter and a separate letter announcing one of those poetry and song writing competitions in two months for English report and tape recording (Richard Lam, Singapore, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** KYRGYZSTAN. QUIRGUISTÃO. 4050, 0250-0335, 11-12, Krasnaya Rechka, Biskek (tentative) Kyrgyz(?) nonstop pop music, ID "Hit Music Shortwave", fade out at the same time as Bishkek 4010. 34444 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. LEGISLADORES CRITICAN A TV AZTECA --- Un grupo de parlamentarios mexicanos pidieron al gobierno de Vicente Fox que intervenga para frenar las acciones abusivas que habria cometido la cadena TV Azteca al apoderarse, el viernes 27, de las instalaciones de la emisora independiente, CNI Canal 40, recurriendo a guardias de seguridad armados (Ambas noticias, extraidas de El Mercurio, Chile, 30/12 via Gabriel Iván Barrera, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 4725, Myanmar Broadcasting System, 1120-1200 Dec 30. Initially noted music until 1129, then woman talks in Oriental Language for a few minutes. At 1142 signal improved from poor to fair and music followed until the hour. On the hour, believe the broadcast was switched to another language. The signal quickly faded away subsequently. Checked for the broadcast on December 31, at 1100, but it was nil heard (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston Florida, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Strong here in Auckland: R. Myanmar, 4725 // 5040.6 at 1222 with pipe music and vocals, windscreen wiper on 5040 frequency, by 1240, 4725 gone but 5040.6 still going strong. Happy new year to all (David Norrie, AOR7030, Auckland, NZ, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. Hello Glenn! Actually, the only Nicaraguan more or less regularly reported by DXers out there in north-eastern and east coast is YNN Radio Nicaragua on 620. However, semi-local WVMT in Vermont is just 100 kilometers or so from me, in the VT border and they beam NORTH to protect stations in RI et al on 620, so with the radio and its directional antenna beamed north-south, I can null WVMT easily, but I will completely null the much weaker Nicaraguan, so for me 600 is the best bet for logging Nicaragua, but other DXers that have a local or semi-local on 620 who beams east-west or that don't have anything at all on this frequency (aside from distant domestics) might try there. Yes, I logged Cuba on 620, but only during 2 minutes of open carrier on WVMT when no program was carried. I also heard a Spanish preacher way behind WVMT believed to be // 600 back in December 2000, but that's it. Another Nicaraguan that has been reported 2 or 3 times recently is Radio Sandino on 740, but CKAC [730] does away with that again. To be more clear, 620 is your best chance to log Nicaragua unless you have a strong station on it (Bogdan Chiochiu, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And a previous report: ODXA's Mediumwave Notebook -- April 1999 edited by Werner Funkenhauser ...Also, prowling around 600 kHz one night, I heard a distinctive "Ya! Ya! Ya! Ya!" slogan which sounded like a break between two pop Spanish songs, badly chopped up among other Spanish and assorted jumble. This may have been YNLD R. Ya in Managua, Nicaragua. I remember Robert Ross first reporting a Spanish station using a slogan that sounded like "Yacht!" years ago. It wasn't long after the Sandinistas were kicked out of power in Nicaragua. What he actually heard was R. Ya (Radio Now) run by some Sandinistas who before the communists ouster, commandeered equipment destined for R. Nicaragua. With new equipment, they operated on 600.1 kHz where they were easy to hear. As the story goes, they were the top station in Managua. Eventually R. Ya settled down on 600 kHz, and it's been years since I heard it (via Bogdan Chiochiu, DXLD) ** PERU. 2090.32 harmonic // MW 1045.16 kHz, unID LA, unknown QTH (Perú). Dec 2002 - 1030 UT. Heard sometimes both on fundamental and on second harmonic, I don`t have any more details. Nothing special to report more than "Frecuencia B" on 2662 kHz --- where "B" probably stands for "bendición" which means "blessing". UNID "Frecuencia" from last SWB now located in Chiclayo! 2662.69v Radio Frecuencia B, Chiclayo, el departamento de Lambayeque (Perú). Dec 17 2002 - 1040 UT. Heard with very good strength and excellent audio quality both mornings and evenings. Every morning the program "Nuevo Amanaecer". Varies in frequwncy +/- 2 kHz. Always a religious touch, talks a lot about "Jehová", but also some profane popular music. Sometimes hard to separate B/D/V but at one time the station gave ID as "Frecuencia B Beta, una señal de bendición" so there is no doubt. I can`t find any listed neither on SW nor on MW, so maybe a new station --- but I leave that to our member Thord Knutsson/TK at the WRTH staff to check out. Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Chiclayo, cuya capital es Chiclayo. Sus distritos son: Chiclayo, Chongoyape, Eten, Puerto de Eten, José Leonardo Ortiz, Lagunas, La Victoria, Monsefú, Nueva Arica, Oyotún, Picsi, Pimentel, Reque, Santa Rosa, Saña; con una población total de 625,183 hab. 5637.24, Radio Perú, San Ignacio, el departamento de Cajamarca. Dec 18 2002 - 1120 UT. A funny station, seems to activate once a year but only for some very a few days. "Esta es Perú la radio, la grande de San Ignacio" ID by the DJ on duty but also have their recorded fantastic ID: "Ésta es la señal de más alta calidad, Perú su radio..." etc. Announces both 97.7 and 5635. [via WORLD OF RADIO 1163] Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de San Ignacio, cuya capital es San Ignacio. Sus distritos son: Chirinos, Huarango, La Coipa, Namballe, San Ignacio, San José de Lourdes, Tabaconas; con una población total de 111,070 hab. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Dec 29, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** QATAR. AL-JAZEERA TO LAUNCH ENGLISH WEB SITE Qatar-based Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera has announced that it will start an English-language Web site In February 2003. Joanne Tucker, managing editor of the site, told journalists that the news coverage will be tailored to a Western audience. In addition to the Web site, Al-Jazeera is also planning to offer English voice-over translations of its Arabic news channel by mid-2003, as a precursor to launching a separate English news channel in late 2003 or early 2004. According to Tucker, these plans were already in place well before Sept. 11, 2001. Al-Jazeera is already carried on the Sky TV package in the UK, and can also be seen in the US via the Dish satellite network (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 30 December 2002 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 11975, "Kamchatka Rybatskaya," fishermen's program produced by GTRK Kamchatka and (per RUS-DX) transmitted from Yelizovo site near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky: Surprised to hear it at *0000- 0100* Dec 29 (sked Sun only). Signal strength low but decent, plus QSB, and improved very slightly after 0030, and no significant QRM. Several IDs noted, including a "Kamchatka Rybatskaya" at the opening, also several other mentions of Kamchatka during the hour. Program was mainly an interview of one woman by another, but also many RS vocals and what seemed to be occasional anmts or promos by a woman talking over light music. At the end there were four bells, ID mentioning Kamchatka, and off. First time for me, and surprised to hear it (Jerry Berg, MA, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. CLANDESTINE from NORWAY? to SAUDI ARABIA. Checking 9930 and 7590 from 1843 to 1902 Dec 30, untraced on both channels. Did hear a bubble jammer on 9930. Checked their website which mentions 9925, but nothing I could hear there either. Anyone hearing them? (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX, Javaradio Sweden, via DXLD) Voice of Al Islah presumed the one on 9925 at 1955 check Dec 31, continuous talk apart from occasional audio breaks, good signal with bubble jamming way underneath (Mike Barraclough, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9925 here at 2021 is blocked by bubble jammer, Al-Islah audible at 30% or so. Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, NZ, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. SOLOMONS BROADCASTER REFUSES TO CARRY CYCLONE WARNINGS UNTIL BILLS ARE PAID | Excerpt from report by Radio New Zealand International on 27 December The director of Solomon Islands Emergency and Disaster Management Office says the country's broadcasting service has prohibited him from issuing cyclone warnings because of outstanding bills. Lottie Yates says the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation or SIBC, will not allow his office to use its radio service because of outstanding bills for a public awareness campaign on disaster management conducted last year. While Vanuatu is the prime target, Cyclone Zoe is forecast to strike part of the Santa Cruz group, south of Solomon Islands at midnight Saturday [28 December] with gustily winds of up to 260 km per hour. Santa Cruz is home to some 1200 people. Mr Yates says the SIBC is not cooperating with the Disaster Management Office and that it is putting the lives of those affected at risk. [Yates] The government has not paid the SIBC 12,000 dollars. As a result of that, SIBC is not allowing us to give out any warning until we pay up to 12,000 dollars. We are trying to contact the eastern part of the Solomon Islands to get just what we can get on information on weather on that side. Conditions are very bad. [End of recording] Mr Yates says the Meteorological Office is struggling to get cyclone information and that it is close to shutting down because of a lack of funds. Meanwhile the manager for the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation says everybody should pay for its services even in matters of national emergency. Johnson Honimae says that while it is the country's public broadcaster, the government must pay for SIBC services such as cyclone advisory warnings or approach them to make payment arrangements... Mr Honimae says the SIBC will broadcast weather updates for free but if the disaster office wants to issue cyclone warnings then it has to pay. [Honimae] We are having to survive on sponsored programmes and advertising. That is the only way that we have survived. We have been able to get this thing going because we are charging everybody for everything but there is no free lunch in this country. The [Disaster] Management Office knows about this bill even before the cyclone season. Now when they need it they come crawling or start to criticize us. We are not going to back down to carry warning messages. I wish I could do it for free but I can't get my fuel for free, I can't get my telephones for free. I think the commercial consideration overrides the public service consideration. Source: Radio New Zealand International, Wellington, in English 0800 gmt 27 Dec 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) First things first 5019.9, SIBC: Per Wright in ARDXC, SI was hit by cyclone today, but station was heard as usual, carrying BBC at 1300 (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I am not aware of any cyclone hitting Honiara; actually the Solomons are generally outside the cyclone belt and rarely sees a good blow. Last was Namu in 1986, I think. Zoe (06P) was headed towards northern Vanuatu a few days ago and was peaking cat 5 so I had my suitcase packed (there is quite a lot of commercial activity in Santo) but did a 90 degree turn in accordance with predictions and tracked down between Vanuatu and Fiji, now just a fresh breeze http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc/warnings/sh0603.gif 73s gd dx de (Sam Dellit VK4ZSS, Dec 30, ARDXC via DXLD) Radio Australia has been providing good coverage of the Solomon Islands cyclone aftermath: see the 'Pacific Beat' page at http://abc.net.au/ra/pacbeat/focus/PacBeatFocus_755950.htm The main concerns are for the far-flung islands of Tikopia and Anuta which are several hundred kilometres from Honiara. Australia has provided fuel for the Royal Solomon Islands Police patrol boat Auki which is due to leave Honiara shortly to visit the islands from which there has been no radio contact since Zoe hit. Some 1300 people live in the area. As for comments on the non-response to DX reports and requests for information from SIBC, a quick dose of reality: the country has been in a state of deep political and economic crisis for a few years now. It is a tribute to the determination and commitment of the SIBC staff that the radio station remains on the air at all. The interests of overseas radio hobbyists are probably at the bottom of the list of priorities, although I know from having met SIBC's general manager in Honiara last year that reception reports from afar are received with great interest. This is all sadly a great change from a couple of decades ago. SIBC was one of my first 'tropical band' reception reports, and I was delighted to get a full-detail QSL from them within a matter of just days. Cheers (Matt Francis, DC, Dec 30, ARDXC via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. RULING PARTY WELCOMES STATE BROADCASTER'S MOVE TO DROP CNN | Text of article by Eric Ntabazalila: "SABC has plan to dump CNN for Arab network" published by South African newspaper The Star on 30 December The ANC [Africa National Congress] has welcomed the SA Broadcasting Corporation's intention to drop CNN for Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based Persian Gulf news network. Al-Jazeera is well known for broadcasting videotaped messages from Usamah Bin-Ladin. The Democratic Alliance opposes the corporation's move. SABC spokesperson Ihron Rensburg said yesterday: "The key objective is to provide our audience with a range of perspectives and news events. No decision has been taken yet. It's not going to happen tomorrow." ANC spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama said: "The SABC has got a right to make its own choices. We can only interpret this planned action... [newspaper ellipsis] as diversity of news and exposing South Africans to events happening in other parts of world." The Democratic Alliance's Dene Smuts asked the public broadcaster to consult the public before taking the decision. "I don't think South Africans would have much interest in seeing their television licence fees spent on the Arab world's answer to CNN. "Al-Jazeera was the first attempt to give the Arab world a broader view, but that view is far from the free-speech-oriented-service that South Africans are entitled to." Source: The Star, Johannesburg, in English 30 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA/NORWAY. SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT CONCERNED AT NORWAY'S SUPPORT FOR LTTE The Sunday Times of Sri Lanka reports that the country's president, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, will write to Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Bondevik to convey her serious concerns at the role played by the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo in helping Tamil Tiger guerrillas acquire new equipment for the Voice of Tigers radio station. The President is apparently concerned that the embassy's role in acting as a consignee for the LTTE cargo has cast serious doubt on Norway's impartiality as a peace facilitator. She is concerned at the security implications for Sri Lanka and her neighbours, especially India. India has already protested at the upgrading of the station. President Kumaratunga is also expected to demand a full explanation from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Last week the government admitted that it had approved the shipment of the radio equipment, and has even issued an official licence to Voice of Tigers (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 30 December 2002 via DXLD) ** TURKEY. 6900.08, 27.12 1600, Tentatively Meteoroloji Sesi Radyosu from Ankara, broadcasting non-stop Turkish music. QSA 2. SHN (= Stig Hartvig Nielsen, in Denmark, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. R. Uganda, 4975.97, Dec 15 *0300-, sign-on with local drums, NA and English sign-on announcements with ID. Local religious music at 0302. Abruptly off at 0304. Technical problems? Came back on air at 0313; fair (Brian Alexander, PA, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4975.97, Radio Uganda 0410 Dec 25, News in English, commercials, mentions of Uganda, "Jingle Bells" at 0415, ID at 0418 (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage, Tinton Falls, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, Following is from Alexander Yegorov of RUI. Here is a new schedule: Radio Ukraine International B02 tentative schedule (01 January - 30 March 2003) Frequency; Time UTC; Tx Site; Azimuth; Target Area 5905 2200-0100 Kharkiv 290 W. Europe 7240 1800-2200 Kharkiv 290 W. Europe 7375 0000-0500 Mykolaiv 314 N. America 7420 0400-0800 Kharkiv 290 W. Europe 9610 0100-0400 Kharkiv 055 Russia (Tyumen) 9610 1400-1800 Kharkiv 055 Russia (Tyumen) 17760 0800-1400 Kharkiv 277 W. Europe The output of all SW txs is 100 kW except on 7375 kHz where it is 1000 kW. Transmission schedules in various languages are as follows: GERMAN (one hour): at 1800 & 2100 on 7240 kHz; at 0000 on 5905 kHz. ENGLISH (one hour): at 2200 on 5905 kHz; at 0100 on 7375 & 9610 kHz; at 0400 on 7375 & 7420 kHz; at 1200 on 17760 kHz. UKRAINIAN programmes are transmitted on all frequencies and at all times except for the time reserved for German and English programmes, as shown above. ROMANIAN (half an hour long): at 1800, 2030, 2200 on 657 kHz MW Chernivtsi, 25 kW. 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, VA, Dec 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Checked 7375 at 0427 Jan 1, and very, very poor; of course, propagation is poor at the moment (gh, OK, DXLD) ** U A E. RAS AL KHAIMAH RADIO RINGS THE CHANGES Ras Al Khaimah Radio is about to switch on a new transmitter. Crown Prince Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr Al Qasimi has already officially opened the new station at Al Jazerah Al Hamrah, but it will not come into operation until 11 January. Ras Al Khaimah Radio will be off the air on 9 and 10 January. The move to a new transmitter location was necessary due to concerns for the health of girls at a school near the old site. The 200 kW transmitter operates on 1152 kHz. At the inauguration ceremony, the Crown Prince revealed that broadcasting hours will be increased to almost 22 per day, but the station will no longer broadcast non-Arabic programmes such as Hindi, Urdu and Malayalam. Sheikh Khalid said he will personally chair the weekly meetings of the board and implement new ideas. "I will dedicate one day a week to spend at Ras Al Khaimah Radio to monitor programmes," he said (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 31 December 2002 via DXLD) The rest of the story: Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Monday 30th December 2002, Dear DX friends, There is a radio station called Radio Asia in Ras Al Khaimah, one of the seven emirates that constitute the United Arab Emirates, that has been broadcasting in Malayalam language from 11 am to 4 pm local time (UTC +4) on 1152 kHz medium wave. The station has now announced that it will broadcast in Malayalam 24 hours a day beginning at 6 am on 1st January 2003 on 1575 medium wave. It claims that it will be the first radio station in the world to broadcast in this language round the clock (P. Sreevalsan Nair, dx_india via DXLD) ** U S A. New Year`s Day: In addition to Talk to America, I am preparing a program that will be broadcast on VOA News Now between 1400 and 1500 UT. This will include interviews with Juhani Niinistö of YLE Radio Finland, Jonathan Marks of Radio Netherlands, Jean Larin of Radio Canada International, Jean-Gabriel Manguy of Radio Australia, and Barry Langridge, head of the Middle East/Africa section of BBC World Service. Also: Glenn Hauser's look back at international broadcasting in 2002 (Kim Elliott, swprograms via DXLD) I understand that my review will also be on the 1700 Jan 1 Talk to America, perhaps in two parts and more of the total report, which will afterwards be available in text and audio at http://worldofradio.com (gh) {too many calls, too little time, so mine was not on the 1700} ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA SEEKS LOWER PROFILE Wes Vernon, NewsMax.com Thursday, Dec. 19, 2002 Editor`s note: See NewsMax.com`s previous articles on Voice of America: http://www.newsmax.com/cgi-bin/htsearch?words=Voice+of+America+VOA&x=109&y=16 WASHINGTON --- Voice of America is now distancing itself from its own broadcast operations in the Middle East and their teeny-bopper formats on Radio SAWA and Radio FARDA. The latter is a new service aimed specifically at Iran, and was scheduled to begin operations Wednesday. In a memo dated Dec. 18, a copy of which was obtained by NewsMax.com, the edict reads: ``Subject: No VOA sign-on before SAWA or FARDA programs. Stations please note that the VOA sign-on announcement should not — repeat should not - be played prior to programs of Radio SAWA or Radio FARDA.`` One can only speculate as to why the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has taken this step. It comes at a time of great controversy over VOA`s increasing emphasis on hit music of the likes of Britney Spears, Eminem, Whitney Houston and the Backstreet Boys. This Farda format has replaced the broadcasts of serious policy discussions that were encouraging dissidents living under the hated, iron-fisted Iranian dictatorship. In an op-ed piece Monday in the Wall Street Journal, retiring Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., chastised the BBG for shutting down Radio Azadi (Persian for freedom), which he said had delivered 11 hours (10 hours, according to BBG) of news and serious discussion in a country where freedom is suppressed at every turn. The BBG, in a response to a similar article by Jackson Diehl in the Washington Post that same day, argues that the new Radio Farda (Persian for tomorrow) will increase news and substantive content ``from 180 minutes on Radio Azadi to 315 minutes daily on [the new] Radio Farda.`` ``They`re not counting all the discussions, the round-tables and the call-in shows and all these policy discussions that they [Radio Azadi] did,`` Helms spokesman Lester Munson told NewsMax.com. ``They`d get people from Iran to call in and say, `I`m outraged at this,` or whatever. They`re not counting that as news. Radio Azadi was all talk. It was providing a forum for discussions ... It had much more of a basis in the policy issues of the day. Radio Farda is a completely different format. That`s the essential reality.`` Translation: From serious discussion in a country living under the jackboot, VOA transmits pop music interspersed during most of the time with nothing more than headline news. BBG`s response to Diehl is that the new service increases broadcast time from 10 to 21 hours a day. Three hundred fifteen minutes for news and substantive matters each day means five hours and 25 minutes out of 21 hours would be devoted to ``news and substantive content.`` All the other 15 hours and 35 minutes are for pop music. It appears that during many hours of the broadcast day, Radio Farda is mimicking the familiar ``Top 40`` format. Many veteran broadcasters do not regard this as serious public affairs programming, even with a few minutes of news each hour. In commercial radio in the U.S., that shortchanging of news led to the creation of all-news radio and later to cable television news, 24/7. It is ``niche broadcasting`` based partly on the premise that ``variety`` programming no longer attracts the loyal audience that it previously did. In an e-mail to NewsMax, BBG Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson explains that news on Radio Farda ``will be five to ten minutes on top of the hour — with thirty minutes news shows prime time in morning and evening.`` Pending the hiring of additional staff, he says, ``we will be doing two thirty minute affairs shows each week.`` There is more. In a future installment, NewsMax.com will discuss the case of a dissident, condemned to death, who rots in jail. His fate prompted Helms to weigh in on this issue during these last days before his retirement Jan. 3 http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/12/18/202012.shtml (via Jilly Dybka, NASWA Flashsheet Dec 28 via WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) ** U S A. Hello from New Zealand. I have been hearing Radio Farda on 12015 and 15290 at 0400 and on 17675 at 0730, all via Kavala at good level. Radio Farda now has a website up and running at http://www:radiofarda.com By going to their home page and clicking on #10 you will then get their schedule. By going to http://www.monitor.ibb.gov and clicking on language you will then be able to determine which site each broadcast is from by checking times against Farsi broadcasts. Radio Farda have advised that they will e-mail verifications for reports sent to comments@radiofarda.com Hope this helps someone. Regards, (Ian Cattermole, New Zealand, Dec 29, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Just a quick list of the Radio Farda transmissions audible here in South Wales today:- Freq UT Transmitter Location SIO 9585 0030 Radio Farda, Briech, Morocco 343 9515 0040 Radio Farda, Biblis, Germany 131 9795 0050 Radio Farda, Lamperheim, Germany 141 17675 0720 Radio Farda, Kavala, Greece 151 17675 0730 Radio Farda, Briech, Morocco 253 15290 0745 Radio Farda, Kavala, Greece 243 9585 0748 Radio Farda, Lamperheim, Germany 333 21475 0800 Radio Farda, Irana Wila, Sri Lanka 333 13680 0805 Radio Farda, Kavala, Greece 242 13680 1450 Radio Farda, Lamperheim, Germany 243 15410 1455 Radio Farda, Woofferton, UK 232 9435 1515 Radio Farda, Kavala, Greece 131 11845 1700 Radio Farda, Irana Wila, Sri Lanka 343 11985 1903 Radio Farda, Lamperheim, Germany 343 11960 1906 Radio Farda, Kavala, Greece 142 9785 2010 Radio Farda, Udon Thani, Thailand 131 (Graham Powell, Wales, Dec 29, Editor of the Online DX Logbook http://www.shortwave.org.uk DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. VOA IN FARSI: A-OKAY Tuesday, December 31, 2002; Page A16 The Dec. 27 letter from the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees at the Voice of America suggesting that "plans are afoot" for Radio Farda to replace VOA's Farsi Service is false. As we have informed the members of VOA's Farsi Service, we are so proud of the work they have done on their short-wave radio (and television) broadcasts that we plan to improve and expand them, not replace them. The VOA demonstrates every day to the world its belief in the values of democracy and freedom of speech. We hold in equally high regard the value of accuracy (DAVID S. JACKSON, Director, Voice of America, Washington, © 2002 The Washington Post Company Dec 31 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF ``STOCK TALK LIVE'' RADIO SHOW TO SHORTWAVE RADIO Story Filed: Monday, December 30, 2002 8:01 AM EST SANTA MARIA, Calif., Dec 30, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- International Broadcasting Corporation (OTCBB:IBCS) is pleased to announce that its "Stock Talk LIVE" radio show will be broadcast on shortwave radio starting in January, 2003. "Stock Talk LIVE" will be broadcast each and every stock market day from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM (EST) on shortwave radio station WRMI, frequency 15.725 MHz. WRMI, based in Miami, Florida, broadcasts a powerful signal that reaches the United States as well as the Caribbean and Central and South America. A collateral effect of shortwave broadcasting is that the signals can actually reach all over the world as they bounce off of the ionosphere. Traditional AM and FM signals do not work like this. About Shortwave Radio Between 1920 and 1950, shortwave listening was very popular, with most of the home radio sets including shortwave bands. As television replaced radio as the prime information source and FM Stereo radio became popular, shortwave radio fell by the wayside. According to recent information, Shortwave radio is regaining popularity, especially in the United States. Grundig, a German Radio company that is the market leader in shortwave radio sales, said its U.S. business had increased by 500% in 2001 http://www.freep.com/money/tech/mwend6--20011106.htm Shortwave Radios can be purchased at Radio Shack as well as ordered online http://www.grundigradio.net/ According to Merlin Communications, which operates the BBC's worldwide transmitter sites, "latest research shows that shortwave radio listeners are growing globally, with shortwave penetration at its highest in the developing countries. That is not to say that shortwave is not having an impact in the Western world. Recent surveys revealed that in 1999, 97% of regular business travelers listened to international shortwave." The increase in the shortwave audience, says Merlin, is "spelt out dramatically by just one factory in China that is frantically producing 300,000 shortwave radio sets per month just to support demand. Grundig in America report growth each year on their sales of shortwave receivers. There are at least 600 million shortwave radio sets worldwide." Daryn P. Fleming, President of IBCS says, "We are excited about the continued ramp up of our IBC Radio http://www.ibcradio.com/ Network and the expansion of our `Stock Talk LIVE' radio show to the airwaves via shortwave radio. Religious broadcasters have built empires and worldwide audiences via shortwave radio. We feel we can do the same with our message of prosperity. Our message is clear and powerful – the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and kicking and savvy investors make money trading stocks of tiny companies neglected by the major media." Darrell Nether, Vice President of IBCS says, "`Stock Talk LIVE' is a `grass roots' show where we take our message directly to the people rather than through media middlemen and the typical `red tape' involved in taking a show to the national level. Owning our own radio network and expanding to shortwave radio enables us to accomplish this mission without the time, expense and bureaucracy involved in traditional radio syndication." About Stock Talk LIVE Stock Talk LIVE is believed to be the very first LIVE radio talk show focused exclusively on continuous coverage of micro-cap stocks each and every stock market day from opening bell to the close. The show is exciting and stimulating and, most importantly, has featured many stocks that have moved up in excess of 100% in the short term. The show is fully interactive, taking emails and phone calls from the listeners. The LIVE show is "on the air" during stock market hours 9:30 AM to 4 PM EST [1430-2100 UT]. The show is also rebroadcast after market hours. About International Broadcasting Corporation International Broadcasting Corporation is a developmental stage company that endeavors to develop successful publishing, media, and broadcasting related businesses and ventures. The Company is focused on developing and providing online information and entertainment content through three units -- IBC News Network http://www.ibcnn.com/ IBC Radio http://www.ibcradio.com/ and IBC Entertainment Group http://www.cultmoviesonline.com/ The IBC Entertainment Group was launched in August of 2002, following the acquisition of an on-demand, streaming online movie website called Cult Movies Online. For more information about IBCS and all of the different services, visit the corporate website at http://www.ibcmedia.com/ [standard stock disclaimer] (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) That explains why WRMI has been filling with music at 1400-1600 weekdays, but a pity to lose a rare classical block on SW. Starting WHEN in January? If this be hugely successful for IBC, perhaps they are a prospect for even buying the whole station; WRMI still for sale, asking only $650K (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Checking WWCR`s new hardcopy program guide as of 01 January, for `specialist` programs, we find little change, but these of note: WORLD OF RADIO, no changes as frequently shown atop DXLD MUNDO RADIAL by gh, Wed 2200-2215, Fri 2215-2230 9475 ASK WWCR, Fri 1045 9475, Fri 2130 9475, Sat 0945 5070, Sun 0045 3210, Sun 0315 5070, Sun 1115 15825, Sun 1830 12160, Wed (1,4,5) 1815 15825 TECHNOLOGY HOUR, UT Sat 0300-0400 3210, Sun 0600-0700 5070 SPECTRUM, live, Sun 0400-0500 5070 CYBERLINE, live, Sun 0505-0600 5070 OLD RECORD SHOP, Mon 1030-1100 9475, Sun 1430-1500 15825 KEN`S COUNTRY CLASSICS, Sun 2030-2100 12160 ROCK THE UNIVERSE, Sat 1205-1300 5070, Sun 0905-1000 3210, Sun 1305- 1400 12160 MUSICAL MEMORIES, Tue 1330-1400 15825, Sat 1900-1930 12160 [gospel?] WORLD WIDE COUNTRY RADIO, M-F 1400-1500 15825, Sat 2000-2100 12160, Sun 0900-1000 5070, Sun 1000-1100 9475 MUSIC AND DANCING, Thu 2100-2130 9475 MUSICA Y DANZAS, Mon 2200-2230 9475, Wed 2215-2245 9475 GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO, UT Sat 0400-0500 3210 UNSHACKLED, M-F 1930-2000 12160 A VIEW FROM EUROPE, Sat 1210-1215 15825, Sun 1110-1115 5070, Sun 1810- 1815 12160 PRESIDENTIAL RADIO ADDRESS, DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE, Sat 2130-2145 9475 LATIN CATHOLIC MASS, Sun 1700-1730 15825 THIS WEEK IN AMERICANA, Sun 0705-0800 5070 AMERICA`S GREATEST HEROES, Sun 1605-1700 12160 (Glenn Hauser, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. While World of Radio is definitely the best DX/radio-related radio program on the air, we also like listening to some of the others. Looking at the DX-programs list, we see that "Wavescan" is on 27 times on UT Sat & Sun only, and "DXing with Cumbre" is on 18 times on UT Sat, Sun, Mon and 1 on UT Friday. How about these programs' presenters spread these out better during the week? Let's take 5 or 6 of these airings and sprinkle them throughout the mid-week, preferably in the 0500 UT time range. That would help let a new audience be exposed to them. Regards, and good DX in 2003! 73, (Will Martin, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not a bad idea, since those two shows don`t deal much with breaking news. On the other hand, I encourage WOR outlets to run it mostly Wednesday-Saturday when it`s freshest, but won`t turn down later repeats if we can`t do better (gh) ** U S A [non]. I tuned into AFN on 873 kHz via Frankfurt at around 0100 UT this morning, expecting to find Oldies Radio. Instead, I found the feed of news and short snippets which was in exact parallel to 6458.5 kHz USB. I don't know how long ago this schedule change took place, or if it was only a one-off (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, UK, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WMRO test CANCELLED. I talked to Scott this AM and he sends this on. ``SWMBO rules here! Powell, Anyway, please post this to AM/NRC list: The DX test I was planning to do tonite has been canceled. I might do it tomorrow nite, but I need to wait & see if my wife is coming home from visiting the grandkids on tomorrow. The 31st is our wedding anniversary and I've been told no playing radio on NYE! Will let ya know on tomorrow.`` He'll let me know. SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) rules over a DX test, you know! He said he might run it tomorrow and he IS on this list (Powell E. Way, Dec 29, NRC-AM via DXLD) So se moved it 24 hours later on MONITORING REMINDERS; not sure, but I don`t think it ran then either (gh) ** U S A. Speaking of small-town radio, Go to: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/4828977.htm for a look at small-market radio in Texas. (Bill Hale in Fort Worth, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Thought you guys might want to see a couple posts to the radio-tech list...... Ray says "IBOC helps" but doesn't say when and to whom under what conditions. No mention of any IBOC hurt. Not very much of a post. It basically says "We're IBOC. We're here to help." (Chuck Hutton, Dec 29, NRC-AM via DXLD) From: "Tom Ray" tomray@wor710.com To: radio-tech@broadcast.net Subject: Re: [RT] IBOC Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 11:07:35 -0500 You obviously don't have an AM station that is struggling and losing listeners....and not getting new listeners because AM is perceived as a low fidelity medium good for only talk and sports. And young kids? Unless they listen to a sports team on the air, they don't know the AM band exists. AM needs help. IBOC helps. And to those opposed, consider this. We put up a class B FM, get 50 or so miles from the transmitter and can no longer hear the station. We think nothing of it. But if you can't hear an AM outside it's coverage area, well, the world is coming to an end. Why? Can you sell outside your coverage area? We in AM have been clamoring for equity with FM for a long time. It looks like this equity may come with a coverage area comparable to FM. While the system is not perfect, it is coming, and sitting on the sidelines stomping our feet and proclaiming "IBOC sucks" isn't going to help the situation. Thomas R. Ray, III, CSRE Corporate Director of Engineering Buckley Broadcasting/WOR Radio New York 212-642-4462 fax: 212-921-4751 Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 11:32:49 -0600 From: Mike McCarthy towers@mre.com Subject: Re: [RT] IBOC Reply-To: radio-tech@broadcast.net With all due respect Tom, the goals of some AM's are not the same as WOR's or Buckley's. Some actively do have marketable coverage beyond market peer FM's and WANT to keep that coverage for a variety of reasons...and reasons which should be irrelevant to this discussion. For a distant station to cause harmful erosion to existing real and present "local station" coverage is patently unfair and wrong...FM coverage comparisons not withstanding since only a handful of AM's will even come close to matching FM coverage when all is said and done. Yours being one of them. When you look at the coverage footprints of AM's, only the 10 KW and greater signals (depending on the pattern, conductivity and channel) will have a chance at meeting Class B-1/C-3 FM coverages. Only 50's will match Class B and C stations to the FM's 1mV. So where does that leave the remaining 70% of the AM stations? Where is the "parity" here? Have you done any in-building penetration tests to see if the digital signal fares any better than analog inside a building... office...warehouse...high-rise? As for sitting on the sidelines, not me. If a client comes to me and says he wants it--make it play, I'll put it in and leave them with a written statement that it is done against my educated judgement. But I'm right now advising them to wait and see what happens with the first round of adopters and the resultant slew of complaints to the FCC which no doubt will come when some stations come to find they've had their interference free 1mV daytime coverage shrunk by 50% (or more). MM (via NRC AM Dec 29 via DXLD) ** U S A. From RAIN: Dear Mike, The U.S. Copyright Office and Library of Congress on Tuesday published the terms of the Small Webcaster Settlement Act in the Federal Register, the final step in making the terms of the deal available to all eligible small webcasters. The new law makes all copyrighted music available to webcasters with revenues under $1.25 million. The eligible webcasters would pay a percentage of revenues or expenses. There's more in today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter," online now at http://www.kurthanson.com (Paul Maloney, RAIN editor, Dec 30, via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. List of 812 LW beacons heard in California: http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/swl/2002-December/004042.html (Phil Atchley, swl Dec 29 via DXLD) ** VANUATU. 7260, 1030-1100, 16-12 R. Vanuatu, Emten Lagoon (tentative), Bislama (tentative), animated interview, splashes from SWRf 7265 and from *1100 also QRM from 7255. 23333 AP-DNK (Anker Petersen, Denmark, @tividade DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. The oldie "Ecos del Torbes" on 4980 seems to be off the air which is a pity (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Dec 29, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZANZIBAR. Tuning around this morning I came across the Voice of Tanzania, Zanzibar with the transmitter at Dole on 11734 at 2050 UT broadcasting African pop music, Swahili announcement by YL and OM with closing and National Anthem at 2059 with s/off right on 2100, slightly low level audio with slight distortion but readable (not that I can understand Swahili!) SIO 353. Dated December 30th UT time or 7:50 am local summer time on December 31st in eastern Australia. I was rather excited to hear this one considering the time of year (middle of summer with maximum daylight and early sunrise) as it is not the easiest country on shortwave to hear and the power is supposed to be only 50 kW (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Sangean ATS-909 with outdoor 15 metre longwire, EDXP via DXLD) ** ZIMBZBWE [non]. CLANDESTINE from MADAGASCAR to ZIMBABWE, 7120, Voice of the People, 0328 open carrier. Clear channel today and a better signal. Short tone at 0329, then return to dead air. 0330 man with ID's in English as well as postal and email addresses. Interview with a musician, it may have been Thomas Mapfumo, and playing of Zimbabwean music. This program was also in English, a bit of a blessing since when I have listened in the past they were broadcasting mostly in vernaculars. Interview continued through 0400, when I tuned out (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ In keeping with IL style, this item has every line centered, tho it may not display that way for you (gh) {originally, but quickly lost center formatting in DXLD; never mind} INTERNATIONAL LISTENER IS BACK! First appearing in magazine form in the 1970's, International Listener was published as a monthly 40-page program guide for English-language broadcasts. That magazine became a web site on January 22nd, 1999, helping listeners easily access audio from these stations through their computer. The site disappeared when Tropical Storm Allison flooded my home with five feet of water in June 2001 (the hit counter stopped at 49838). But now International Listener has been redesigned. The main page loads much more quickly. You can immediately click to live streaming or on-demand audio from international shortwave broadcasters by using a drop-down menu on this opening page. Click on the International Listener Shortwave Radio Stations page for links to the home pages of shortwave radio stations around the world. There are some more drop-down menus with on-demand shortwave programs. Since blind and partially-sighted viewers say they cannot use drop- down menus, there are regular links to shortwave webcasts. As with the original site, there's a new edition of the International Listener Shortwave News each month--a roundup of items gleaned from radio station web sites and shortwave news sources from around the world. The January 2003 edition of Shortwave News has Part One of International Listener's exclusive look inside the BBC World Service in Bush House (this page will be posted on New Year's Day). Find searchable shortwave schedules by clicking to International Listener Shortwave Links, as well as listening clubs, audio archives and receiver manufacturers. BBC World Service schedules from DigiGuide are available by clicking on the BBC logo. Also, you can be transported to a webcast of shows from the Golden Age of radio. International Listener News Organizations leads to news agencies and the news outlets of broadcasting networks from around the globe. A news ticker links to worldwide news, sports and shortwave news. There are U. S. and British newspapers, as well as a special section of UK comics and magazines. There's a searchable weather database from the Weather Channel. There are London and UK radio stations with webcast links at International Listener British Radio, and webcasts are a click away on a drop-down menu. You'll find DigiGuide schedules of the national UK networks. Other interesting sites from Great Britain are included. London's current weather conditions and forecast are available from the Weather Channel. Check International Listener Television for links to launch TV webcasts and playbacks of individual television programs, plus DigiGuide British TV schedules. Some favorite UK program links are featured. Shortwave club publications, magazines and books are described in the International Listener Library. Throughout this web site, there is a 24-hour clock that displays the time in GMT. The Google search engine is featured throughout the site, and links to other popular search engines are provided. There are still some sections of the site being tweaked, but I think it's ready for use. I'd appreciate it if you could help me spread the word. I've linked to you site, and I'd like you to link to mine (or update the link to me so it works again). The main URL is http://www.internationallistener.com. That's a re- direct of http://home.houston.rr.com/edmayberry. Thanks to all who have sent words of encouragement over the long months that my family and I have been rebuilding since the flood. (Ed Mayberry, TX, Dec 29, WORLD OF RADIO 1163, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MONDE REBELLES -GUERRES CIVILES ET VIOLENCES POLITIQUES -L'ECYCLOPÉDIE DES CONFLITS I want to indicate that there is in France a book which reçense for several years all the secret movements in the world. It is updated about every 3 years. For those that understand naturally French it is about a reference book. The title in French is: Monde Rebelles - guerres civiles et violences politiques -L'ecyclopédie des conflits ("Rebel Worlds" civil wars and political violence - The encyclopedia of conflicts (Publishing: Editions Michalon Paris). The book makes 1561 pages and costs 33,53 euros. The classification makes leave country. Publishing: Editions Michalon, 18 rue du Dragon, 75006 Paris (ISBN 2-94186-091) Codes bar: 0 7682841 860913 (Bernard Chenal, France, Dec 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ NEW JAVARADIO IN BETA TEST Hi! New javaradio in beta test at: http://www.javaradiofrance.com Coverage: 100 kHz to 1300 MHz with all mode. Situation: based at Orly (just near Paris). Online: 24/24. Free access, just give a nickname and your location to connect on server. Troubleshooting? Send a message to jean-marc.cera@wanadoo.fr (via rec.radio.shortwave via SW Bulletin Dec 29 via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ DXers Unlimited's Year End edition for 31 December 2002 and 1 January 2003, By Arnie Coro, radio amateur CO2KK Hi amigos FELICIDADES !!! Congratulations and Happy New Year to all DXers Unlimited's listeners and readers around the world. I am Arnie Coro, radio amateur CO2KK your friend here in Havana, where the weather is simply gorgeous with temperature around 25 degrees Centigrade and relative humidity of 70 percent... Beautiful blue sky as I was writing the script of the program just a few minutes after local noon Tuesday... AND HERE IS ITEM ONE: Scientists are wondering what has happened 93 million miles away from Earth, as the Sun has just reached a standstill of sorts, with the sunspot count reaching a record low of just 44, the lowest in several years... As a matter of fact during the past few days we have seen the daily solar flux going down at a very fast rate; just 6 days ago we had a daily sunspot count of 77 and the latest optical observation done Tuesday morning here in Havana, showed a still lower than 40 sunspot count. So, expect the daytime maximum useable frequencies to go DOWN below 25 megaHertz even on the best North to South propagation paths (via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 01 - 27 JANUARY 2003 Solar activity is expected to persist at very low to low levels until about 07 January, when formerly productive active regions (including, among others, old regions 224 and 226 described above) are expected to return to the visible disk over the course of the following four days. Moderate flare activity may be possible for the subsequent two-week period (through 23 January), depending on the characteristics of the expected returning regions. Low to moderate activity is possible for the remainder of the forecast period. There is a slight chance of a greater than 10 MeV proton event during the latter half of the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geo- synchronous orbit is expected to reach event threshold on 04 January, 16-17 January, and 23-25 January, in response to recurrent high speed stream effects. The geomagnetic field is expected to be in the range of quiet to active levels for most of the forecast period. Active conditions are possible on 04 January, due to expected effects from a compact, trans- equatorial coronal hole. Periods of enhanced geomagnetic activity are possible on 15-16 January and 22-24 January, due to the expected influence of recurrent coronal holes. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2002 Dec 31 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 Dec 31 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2003 Jan 01 115 10 3 2003 Jan 02 115 10 3 2003 Jan 03 120 10 3 2003 Jan 04 120 15 3 2003 Jan 05 120 12 3 2003 Jan 06 125 8 3 2003 Jan 07 135 8 3 2003 Jan 08 145 8 3 2003 Jan 09 155 8 3 2003 Jan 10 160 8 3 2003 Jan 11 165 8 3 2003 Jan 12 165 8 3 2003 Jan 13 170 8 3 2003 Jan 14 175 8 3 2003 Jan 15 170 15 3 2003 Jan 16 165 12 3 2003 Jan 17 165 10 3 2003 Jan 18 160 10 3 2003 Jan 19 155 15 3 2003 Jan 20 155 12 3 2003 Jan 21 145 12 3 2003 Jan 22 135 15 3 2003 Jan 23 125 30 5 2003 Jan 24 120 15 3 2003 Jan 25 115 10 3 2003 Jan 26 115 12 3 2003 Jan 27 115 12 3 (http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio Dec 31 via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-204, December 28, 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 1162: [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162h.ram [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1162.html WBCQ: Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Sun 0330 5070, Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WRN: rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 ONDEMAND: http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html OKLAHOMA BROADCASTING NEWS #8 has finally been updated Dec. 27 with material from DXLD since late September. http://www.worldofradio.com/oklahoma.html At the end of 2002 this file will be closed, renamed oklahoma8.html and a 2003 file started as oklahoma.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL I hope you like the Passport book I sent you. I thoroughly enjoy DXLD (Chris Hambly, Australia) Hi Glen[n], HCJB on their DX Partyline program this week gave you congratulations on completing DXLD #200. It was a very warm mention of your work (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, Dec 28) Well... thanks, but I usually put out about 200 editions per year (gh) ** ANTARCTICA. THE ULTIMATE SOUTHERN TRIP Northern hemisphere winter gets a lot of people thinking about heading south. Some, though will travel as far south as anyone can get on this planet. Yes, once again it`s summer at the South Pole. While several countries claim pie-shaped wedges of Antarctica, international treaties ensure that research stations remain the primary activities, regardless of whether or not military staff them. Short wave utility radio, also known as high frequency (HF), was once the lifeline back to the inhabited world, though now most routine traffic moves via satellite. Remaining HF capability is used by several countries and agencies to contact low-flying planes and field parties on the ground. Some 10- kilowatt bases are still in use, as maintained by technicians who make the trip south every year. In past seasons, many aircraft on Antarctic runs have used the appropriate callsign of ``ICE`` plus a number. United States stations are often reached by flights from New Zealand. Another ``cold`` radio is NNN0ICE, the Military Affiliate Radio System station at McMurdo. Look for them just above and below the 20-meter amateur band. This is also the season for the US Coast Guard`s Operation Deep Freeze. The icebreaker/cutter Polar Sea is making the six-month supply run this year, carrying two Coast Guard helicopters. These are for ice scouting and final deliveries to such isolated spots as Amundsen/ Scott Station, within sight of the South Pole. In the past, Deep Freeze has used Coast Guard net frequencies of 4426/4134, 6501/6200, 8764/8240, and 13089/12242 kilohertz (kHz), all upper-sideband voice (USB). The first frequency of each duplex pair is the coastal station, while cutters transmit on the second. The US National Science Foundation, which operates many of these research outposts, uses the primary Oceanic Data Facility (ODF) frequencies of 8998 and 11553 kHz USB. These also attract some other countries and agencies. In the past, Antarctic activity has also been logged on such frequencies as 4067, 4125, 4242, 7665, 8867, 11255, 11558, and 13385 kHz USB. Australia once operated a large HF network on 5400 kHz, linking Antarctic operations to Sydney. It`s now largely dismantled, but still used in a few places for specific ground-to-air contact. Interestingly, the Australian Bureau Of Meteorology (BOM) operates VLM, a 1000- watt radiofacsimile (FAX) transmitter at lonely Casey Station. Assigned frequency is 7470 kHz, or 7468.1 for USB reception. Polar weather charts are transmitted continuously. With its historic callsign (once used by Radio Australia), and general remoteness, VLM would be a very nice catch (Hugh Stegman, HF Communications, Jan MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) VLM was most recently ABC Queensland SW ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. Greetings to all on the EDXP E-NET. Thanks for everyone's contributions. I trust you have all had a good Christmas. HCJB World Radio's new transmitter site in Kununurra is nearing its start date, which has been rescheduled to January 5, 2003. On the DX Partyline this weekend, I will interview Dennis Adams of HCJB Australia to get a first-hand report on the final preparations. Dennis will also tell us the planned frequencies and broadcast times, as well as contact information for your Reception Reports. Current transmissions in English to the South Pacific from Quito (Pifo) will end once Kununurra goes on-line. Thankfully the DX Partyline will continue from the new site! Thank you, and I look forward to your company this weekend on the program. 73 and a Happy 2003! (Allen Graham, HCJB Quito, Dec 27, EDXP via DXLD) Target for first transmitter is Jan. 5. Reports with IRC may go to HCJB-Australia, GPO Box 691, Melbourne, Australia, 3000. Or to: office@hcjb.org.au (Dennis Adams, HCJB-Ecuador DX Partyline Dec 29 via gh, DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 4880, Bangladesh Betar (presumed), 1231-1301 27 Dec, Nice subcontinental music, 1232-1240 M in local Asian lang. with presumed news with mentions of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kabul, and Iraq. 1240 different M with brief announcements weakly, then into subcontinental music with M talk and vocals as part of the song. More very weak talk by M again. More music at 1250. Beautiful flutes and vocals towards Top of Hour. M announcer again weakly with possible ID but couldn't be 100% certain. Into presumed news by M (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 7184.98, Bangladesh Betar, 1226 28 Dec., OC with slight buzz, getting the same thing on 9550. *1227 start of IS. Audio level dropped to almost nil at 1228 and frequency jumped down 10 Hz. 1229 lively instrumental music followed by M announcer almost inaudible. W announcer at 1231 a little stronger but still unreadable. 9550 is always blocked (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** BHUTAN. If one cannot sleep as a DXer it makes sense to get up from the bed and to tune in to the frequency 6035 kHz. Last night I could observe here the Bhutan BS with sensational signal strength of partly S=9+10. Unfortunately there was some interference caused by a power station on 6040. 6035, BBS Timphu, December 27th, 0110-0145, Dzongha, Bhutanese songs, international news 0130-0135, QRM 6040; SINPO partly 43423. The station is active on SW only Monday to Friday, signing on at 0100 UT. The signal decreases after 0130 due to the local sunrise in Bhutan. A Happy New Year to all (Michael Schnitzer, Hassfurt, Germany, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 11815, Radio Brasil Central, 0800 Dec 25, Identification: "Radio Brasil Central, programa especial do Natal, em onda média, onda curta, 11815 kHz e onda tropical, 4985 kHz." SINPO 34333. Also on 4985 kHz (24222). (Manuel Méndez, Spain, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Has this one been otherwise inactive on 25m? (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4925.05, R. Educação Rural, *0952-1000, 28 Dec. While listening to presumed R. Internacional on 4929.93, got slopover QRM from this signing on, so immediately tuned down. Nice canned ID with QTH at sign-on, followed by ID, promo by M, canned announcement, then another with "Brasil" repeated echo-like at the end. 0954-0958 Choral ZY NA. Repeated "Brasil" again by M and ID/promo again, jingle, live M with TC, then what was probably a long canned ID news intro announcement with jingles, then presumed news by M and W. Very nice strong and clear signal. Easy (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA: RADIO STATION IN NORTH "TO TEST BROADCAST IN JANUARY" The Phnom Penh newspaper Reaksmei Kampuchea, a pro-government publication, carries in its 20 December issue a report on progress in the construction of the road linking the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to the historic temple of Preah Vihear on the Cambodia-Thai border. Among other things, the report notes that: "An official at the Phnom Penh City office also disclosed that the 10-kW radio station being built in Preah Vihear Province by Phnom Penh City is almost completed and can test broadcast in January 2003. Once the road construction is completed, there are plans to build schools and health centres along the road, starting from Tbeng Meanchey to Preah Vihear temple." Source: Reaksmei Kampuchea, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian 27 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTFK? What even is the band? ** CANADA. On January 8, 2003, radio station CHWO AM 740 - Prime Time Radio will be celebrating its second anniversary. Originally on 1250 kHz from 1956, it moved to 740 kHz in 2001 when [after] the CBC left for the FM dial. To commemorate this birthday, the station and the Ontario DX Association will be issuing a special QSL for reports made on January 8, 2003 only. To received the special 2nd Anniversary CHWO AM 740 QSL card: *Station must be heard on January 8, 2003 from 0000 to 2359 (EST) *Time you heard the transmission (local or UTC); *Program Material (at least 10 minutes of specific program material heard: i.e., name of announcer, commercials heard, news items etc.); *Signal/Sound Report, (a general overview of how well you heard the signal at your location and the sound quality of the program). *Mention of the type of equipment and antenna you were using to hear the signal is helpful information as well. All reception reports and comments for the station may be sent to: Brian Smith QSL Manager for AM740 Box 161, Willowdale Stn A, Toronto, Ontario Canada M2N 5S8 or email to am740@rogers.com Thank you and good listening, Brian Smith am740@rogers.com Ontario DX Association http://www.odxa.on.ca Reception Report Manager for CHWO AM 740 http://www.odxa.on.ca/chwo.html YahooGroup Moderator for AM740 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AM740 PS - CHWO will be conducting a DX test in late January or early February. Details to follow (Brian Smith, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CHINA. R. Fujian is reactive with one hour transmission. The schedule is followed: 4975 2256-2321, 0955-1032, 5040 2245-2324, 0945- 1035. The transmitter is turned on/off abruptly without any announcement; duration also varies. One notice to repeat is that CNR-5, CNR-6 Taiwan service shut down all shortwave service; MW service still works. CNR-5 0055-0615, 0955-0005 549, 765; CNR-6 2055-0105, 0355-1805 (stop tx on Wed 0605-0955) 684, 909, 927, 1089 (Miller Liu, Taiwan, Dec 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA. CROATIAN RADIO TO START BROADCASTING 24-HOUR PROGRAMME FOR DIASPORA | Text of report by Croatian TV on 22 December [Announcer] Croatian radio will start broadcasting a 24-hour programme called Voice of Croatia soon, which is intended for Croatians outside their homeland and national minorities in Croatia. So far this programme has been broadcast for two hours every day. Besides the introduction of the 24-hour programme, another novelty is digital technology. News and other programmes will also be broadcast in English, Spanish, German and French. [Unidentified report] Croatian radio broadcasts around 230 hours of programme on a daily basis. Programmes of interest to immigrants, minorities, tourists and all those in Europe and the world who wish to learn something about events in Croatia will be selected out of this rich production. According to the Law on the HRT [Croatian Radio and TV], Croatian radio is obliged to produce a programme for the diaspora and the minorities and the government will finance this project from the state budget. [Domagoj Versic, editor of Croatian radio's International Programme] We now spend 4m kunas on this programme annually and according to our calculations we will be spending 12.5m kunas on the 24-hour programme. Therefore, it is not too much money for such an ambitious, but very realistic programme. [Reporter] The programme will be broadcast on the satellite for Europe, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand on short wave and certainly on the Internet for the entire world. The digitalization will help improve the quality of reception. Preparations have been going on for a sesquiyear and the experimental broadcasting will begin in April. The 24-hour programme of Voice of Croatia will be launched on the Day of Radio and TV, 15 May 2003. The government has already earmarked finances for this major media project in the budget. Source: HRT1 TV, Zagreb, in Croatian 1830 gmt 22 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DENMARK. RADIO LUXEMBOURG PROGRAMME ON DANISH RADIO On New Year's Eve it will be 10 years since the English service of Radio Luxembourg very sadly was silenced. This anniversary will be celebrated by the national Danish pubcaster DR P4 on New Year's Eve from 2315-0400 UT. Usually the AM transmitters of DR are closed down at night - but not so on the night before New Year's Day. P4 will be carried on MW 1062 kHz from Kalundborg (250 kW) all night long - and so listeners in Northern Europe, most of Western Europe and parts of Central Europe should be able to pick up this programme, which will be hosted by Allan Krautwald and Florian Fastina. Most of the programme will obviously be in Danish but most of it will consist of music well known from Radio Luxembourg, jingles etc. Besides - there'll be a couple of interviews in English with a.o. Tony Prince and Benny Brown. Read more here: http://www.radionyt.com and http://www.radionyt.com/artikel/default.asp?id=5732 The long wave transmitter at Kalundborg will also be on the air through the night before New Year's Day. On 243 kHz (300 kW) the youth channel P3 will be audible from 0000 UT. It may also be of interest to someone that P3 will be celebrating its 40 year anniversary on New Year's Day. There's a story (in Danish) about P3 here: http://www.radionyt.com/artikel/default.asp?id=5747 and there'll be a couple of special programmes on this anniversary on New Year's Day. Probably only on FM - but you may try http://dr.dk/nav/netplayer/player.asp?station=2 where streaming of P3 is available. Best 73s, (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, Dec 20, MW-DX yahoogroup via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** DJIBOUTI. According to an article on DeepikaGlobal.com, Djibouti has been promised by the US government "$2 million to renovate state- run Radio Djibouti, along with $100,000 in annual rent, in exchange for a strategic transmission station the United States is building for the Voice of America just outside the capital. The targeted audience: Yemen and the southern regions of Saudi Arabia --- rich recruiting grounds for al-Qaida and home to more than half the Sept. 11 hijackers." Ref article: http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG4_sub.asp?ccode=ENG4&newscode=21353 Anyone heard if this will be a SW transmitter site? (Ulis Fleming, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Djibouti has been planned for a long time as a new MW relay site, more likely now for R. Sawa than plain old VOA. I`ve seen nothing about SW from there (Glenn, ibid.) Last June, BBG asked for bids for both AM and a 50 kW SW here for RTV Djibouti. See http://www.fbodaily.com/archive/2002/06-June/26-Jun-2002/FBO-00098287.htm (Hans Johnson, ibid.) Viz.: FBO DAILY ISSUE OF JUNE 26, 2002 FBO #0206 SOLICITATION NOTICE 58 -- MW and HF Transmitters Notice Date 6/24/2002 Notice Type Solicitation Notice Contracting Office Broadcasting Board of Governors, Associate Director for Management, Office of Contracts (M/CON), 330 C Street, SW, Room 2500, Washington, DC, 20237 ZIP Code 20237 Solicitation Number Reference-Number-B004-280007 Response Due 8/15/2002 Archive Date 11/30/2002 Point of Contact Kristine Muschette Hicks, Contracting Officer, Phone 202-401-5827, Fax 202-260-0855, - Herman Shaw, Contracting Officer , Phone 202-205-- 8412, Fax 202-260-0855, E-Mail Address kmhicks@ibb.gov, hshaw@ibb.gov Description The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has an anticipated requirement for a Contractor to supply two (2) 40 kW medium wave (MW) amplitude modulated and one (1) 50 kW high frequency (HF) transmitters including facility renovations at the Dorale Transmitting Station that is owned and operated by Radio-Television de Djibouti in the Republic of Djibouti, East Africa. The station is not owned or controlled by the BBG or by the US Government. Please note that only limited information on existing conditions is available. Interested offerors are advised that this anticipated requirement shall include the fabrication, supply and installation of two 40 kW medium wave (MW) amplitude modulated transmitters (1170 kHz and 1539 kHz) and one 50 kW high frequency (HF) transmitter; integration of the new transmitters with the existing single tower MW antenna and HF log periodic antenna; and, the removal and disposal of existing transmitters and obsolete building equipment. This requirement shall also include a complete facilities renovation with new waterproof roofing, replacement of electrical and water supply systems, refurbishment of generators, painting, and replacement of plumbing fixtures, doors and air conditioning equipment. The Dorale station is located on the coast about 10 km west of Djibouti City. It is expected that potential bidders will be required to visit the station before submitting a proposal. An offeror will need demonstrated experience in successful supply and installation MW and HF transmitters systems including work in remote locations with difficult logistics and extreme weather conditions. It is expected that the Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation for this anticipated negotiated firm-fixed price (FFP) procurement will be issued on or about October 1, 2002, with a proposal due date of forty-five (45) calendar days after the RFP issue date. Interested offerors may make arrangements for a site visit at their expense by contacting Mr. Walter Borys in Washington, DC at 202-205-8052. This public notice is not a RFP, IFB, or RFQ. Place of Performance Address: Dorale Station, 10 km West of Djibouti City, Country: Djibouti (via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. After several presumed and tentative loggings, I am very pleased to positively ID this one. 11805, Georgian Radio, Tbilisi, 0631-0701 12/26. English service with IS, ID "This is Georgia" and announcer mentioning "Tbilisi". Complete schedule was read, then the news with items on NATO, Serbia and terrorism. "...in the studio from Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia" at end of news. Russian dance/folk music until 0701 when German service began. Poor, fluttery signal (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. How are things by now? Only 30 percent of the power is back, and no one is being given preferential treatment: http://www.guampdn.com/news/stories/20021228/topstories/657846.html (Guam Pacific Daily News Dec 28 via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4779.98, R. Coatán, 28 Dec. 0203-0210, Lively LA Pop song, 0205 Rock song for a minute, then M announcer with talk and ID. First time the ute wasn't here and was hoping this was R. Satélite. So, is Satélite still here/on the air?? Coatán weak with 4781 HC QRM (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. TELECOMMUNICATIONS LAW AND AUCTIONS HAVE THROWN RADIO BROADCASTING UP FOR GRABS; STATUS OF CATHOLIC RADIO IN CAPITAL & NATIONAL NETWORK by Victor Hugo Aguilar Martínez, Director of Fundación para La Paz y Reconciliación, of the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala. CRU Editor`s Note - I asked Señor Victor Hugo Aguilar some information on a number of Guatemalan Catholic radio stations, including those operated by the Fundación para La Paz y Reconciliación, of which Señor Aguilar es the director. In answering those questions, he provided interesting background on the telecommunications situation in Guatemala. His report deserves publication. Guatemala City, Dec 15 (special)— First I have to ask pardon for the delay in answering your e-mail in regard to some doubts over the radio stations of Guatemala. I have delayed in virtue of the fact that there are some situations that are still not clear in regard to broadcasting in Guatemala because of the implementation of the General Telecommunications Act that appeared in 1996 and which we can say nullified the previous law although it seems that they wanted to leave or allow to continue to be applicable some aspects of that law. but their application is considered very controversial. All this creates an atmosphere of doubt whether there exists a true legislation over stations or frequencies for radio stations, especially in the FM band. Now that there is little or no interest in AM because applications for AM or almost zero, I hope to clear up for you some points. If they are not clear, please advise me and I will try to make them simpler. To get going. 1. Before 1996, the government conceded radio frequencies in its manner, specially if it were a mass medium that ought to be controlled given the situation of the civil war that existed between the army and the guerrillas. Thus on licensing a person the use of a frequency, they assigned some call letters that began with TG, which signified Telecomunicaciones Guatemala, and then other letters that indicated the name of the station which was registered from the moment of licensing. Today frequencies are obtained by means of auctions and the nature of radio broadcasting itself of no importance. That which is important is the money that one may have to buy a frequency on auction. In this way it is easy to change the name of a radio station from night to morning now that you can sell, lease, give or do what you want with your frequency, at least for the 15 years that the right of usufruct is valid. Thus, under my criteria, one cannot oblige some (the old ones) to identify themselves and the others no (the new ones obtained in auction now that the law is such there is no need of general observance, which is the basis of all law). In regard to your specific questions, I will now answer them: Radio 940 AM is property of the institution named ``Catholic Events`` whose director is Señor Orlando Coronado. This station has had various names but the latest that it uses is Radio Paz and its call letters use TGTL that means ``Telecomunicaciones Guatemala Traigo la Voz`` which was the first name used for this station. For a better understanding we can make the following division or separation. We will call Catholic radio stations those whose frequencies were assigned to a diocese, that is to say, these are diocesan radio stations and thus the property of the Church and, of course, their programming is Catholic. Other stations are private property but with Catholic programming (which supposedly ought to have the authorization of the bishop responsible for the region in which they broadcast). Well, then, Guatemala is divided geographically into departments, and in the Department of Guatemala City in which the Archdiocese of Guatemala is located, there is no station that is owned by the Church but all of these are of private property, whether the owners be individuals or groups of laymen or ecclesiastical organizations. For example, Radio Paz belongs to a Catholic group named Eventos Católicos. It is supposed that they broadcast with the approval of the Archbishop of Guatemala, but this I cannot guarantee that every one of them has this relationship (of approval). My relation is directly with the diocesan stations, that is to say, the Catholic Church, and that are found broadcasting in the rural areas of our Republic. Among the private stations with Catholic programming, such as Radio Paz, I can mention Radio María FM (which belongs to a group of Italian laymen named Asunción de María) and that have representation in Guatemala. There is Radio María AM which calls itself La Voz de la Familia, which belongs to the Ingeniero Arturo López and which operates on the frequency 1600 AM but now has a repeater on 1615 AM in the zone of the Departamento of Sololá, specifically from Santa Lucía Utaltlán. But I do not know if he has legal authorization to do it. His identification is TGML and he has no website. The frequency 107.9 FM belongs to a Church station which carries the name Stéreo Gerardi in honor of Bishop Juan Gerardi, assassinated a few years ago in Guatemala, a murder which involved a priest as possibly responsible for the same. This station does not have call letters because it was acquired in an auction. I have been made to understand that they have asked the regulating agency of frequencies in Guatemala, the Superintendencia of Telecomunicaciones that they be assigned call letters but, as of today, they have not been assigned them. I repeat, for me this is unnecessary in the system, form, or method of assigning frequencies, Thus it was that Radio Sololá, the same institution responsible for managing its operations took the decision to change the frequency from 96.9 to 88.7 MHz because on 96.9 FM they had a great deal of interference from other stations. Thus it is that they are now on 88.7 FM and identify still with the call letters TGIZ. Let me take this opportunity to tell you that in regard to satellite linking of our diocesan stations across Guatemala, things are going well. All that is lacking is that the donator of our funds approves our using these funds in a different area, that is to say, he gave it to us for one thing and we would like to spend them in another. If he approves the change we are ready to begin buying and installing the transmitting equipment and the 16 receivers (Dec 30 Catholic Radio Update, Dec 28 via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. EL LARGO CAMINO PARA LAS VOCES LIBRES A fines del 2000, representantes de las radios Comunitarias entregaron al presidente del Congreso de la república la Ley de Medios de Comunicación Comunitaria A pesar del arduo trabajo para llegar a ella, la presentación al Congreso de la ley fue sólo un acto político ya que el organismo no le dio el curso debido. En Febrero de 2001 las distintas coordinadoras de Emisoras Comunitarias tomaron la decisión de conformar el Consejo Guatemalteco de Comunicación Comunitaria con el cual se da un importante paso. Unos meses después esta vez desde la Presidencia se promueve la articulación de una propuesta de reglamento para las radios comunitarias sin que se haya hacho consulta alguna a las propias radios interesadas. Con este acto se desconoce una vez más el esfuerzo realizado por las radios comunitarias, el Estado asume una actitud paternalista de las entidades que se agruparon para trabajar esta propuesta. Pero la lucha continua. Se vuelve a presentar una nueva propuesta de ley y frente a la indiferencia de las autoridades se inicia una campaña para recolectar firmas en apoyo a las radios comunitarias. Más de 40,000 voluntades manifiestan su apoyo a la aprobación de la ley que se encuentra en el congreso. La acción obligó al presidente de la comisión de comunicaciones a precipitar la convocatoria a una reunión con otros sectores relacionados con los medios de comunicación A pesar de todos estos esfuerzos las radios comunitarias de Guatemala no tienen otra opción que seguir trabajando desde la ilegalidad con los peligros que esto significa. No obstante a las amenazas en contra del proceso de democratizar el acceso a la comunicación las radios comunitarias siguen creciendo en las comunidades fortaleciendo la capacidad organizativa de los pueblos (Agencia Informativa Pulsar via Arnaldo Slaen, Dec 28, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** HAITI. RADIO STATION CHIEF SURVIVES APPARENT MURDER ATTEMPT Press Freedom 26 December 2002 HAITI Reporters Without Borders said today it was outraged at an apparent attempt on Christmas Day to kill the head of Radio Haiti Inter, Michèle Montas, in which one of her bodyguards was shot dead. "The attackers wanted to eliminate the person who is fighting for the arrest and punishment of the killers in 2000 of her journalist husband Jean Dominique, Haiti's best-known journalist," said Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard. Ménard expressed his "great admiration" for the "courage and determination" of Montas in her nearly three-year battle and assured her of his "total support" in the wake of what he called a "despicable and cowardly action." He also expressed his condolences to the family of her bodyguard, Maxime Séide, who was shot and killed in the attack. Montas was one of five journalists from around the world shortlisted for this year's Reporters Without Borders / Fondation de France Prize in recognition of her fight against impunity in the murder of her husband, the head of Radio Haiti Inter, who was shot dead in the station's courtyard on 3 April 2000. Reporters Without Borders called on the authorities to thoroughly investigate the latest attack and asked that key people in the enquiry into the Dominique murder be given special protection, especially Bernard Saint-Vil, the investigating judge, and the state prosecutor, Josué Pierre-Louis. Two armed men appeared at the gates of Montas' house in Pétionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, in the late afternoon of 25 December a few minutes after she had arrived home after a Christmas lunch with family members. They threatened her security guards who immediately shut the gates. One of the guards ran to the house to get a gun. The attackers then fired at the second guard, Séide, fatally wounding him before fleeing. Montas said the attackers had intended to kill her. The two men were on foot, she said, and had probably waited near her house for her to arrive. She said she had, unusually, asked her driver to take a different route back to the house that day. The attack came a few days before Judge Saint-Vil is expected to announce completion of his enquiry into Dominique's murder, which has been hampered by many obstacles. The outspoken Dominique, Haiti's best-known journalist and political commentator, criticised all sides, whether supporters of the former Duvalier family dictatorship, ex-military figures, member of the country's wealthy families or, not long before his death, those he suspected in the ruling Fanmi Lavalas party of President Jean- Bertrand Aristide of having turned the party away from its original principles. The murder investigation was assigned in September 2000 to Judge Claudy Gassant after his predecessor, Judge Jean-Sénat Fleury, had resigned after receiving threats. Gassant fled to the United States after his mandate expired on 3 January 2002 and was not immediately renewed by Aristide. He had been repeatedly harassed after naming an Aristide supporter and former army major, Sen. Dany Toussaint, as the man responsible for Dominique's death. Since July, the investigation has been in the hands of Judge Saint-Vil, who has resumed questioning people and said his enquiry may be formally completed by the end of the year. The case file will then go to prosecutor Pierre-Louis, who will have five days to ask for any further information from the judge. After that, the completion announcement, with names of people to be arrested or charged, will be made public. Régis Bourgeat -- Despacho Américas / Americas desk Reporters sans frontières, 5, rue Geoffroy-Marie, 75009 Paris - France tél. : +33 (0) 1 44 83 84 68 fax : +33 (0) 1 45 23 11 51 e-mail : ameriques@rsf.org / americas@rsf.org (via Georges Lessard, CAJ-list via Ricky Leong, DXLD) This was trilingual, but I resisted the temptation to include French and Spanish versions (gh) ** HUNGARY. HUNGARIAN DUNA TV STARTS BROADCASTING TO NORTH AMERICA | Text of report by Hungarian Duna TV on 25 December Pope John Paul II blessed our television 10 years ago, when the satellite broadcasting of Duna TV started. After a decade, we can safely say that the television has become the television of Hungarians all over the world. At dawn today, Duna TV started to transmit its programmes overseas eight hours a day. For the time being, it covers the North American continent. Hopefully, our programmes will soon be available to Hungarians in the southern hemisphere as well. Source: Duna TV satellite service, Budapest, in Hungarian 1700 gmt 25 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTFK?? Not to mention any other details! One has the impression such presumably satellite services on obscure transponders have an unrealistic expectation of audience in North America, undoubtedly minuscule, but it must play well back home (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR Domestic Service. Recent morning logs from 1430 to 1600 include 4940 Guwahati fair (// with stronger freqs), 7140, 7255, 9910, 10330 Delhi going from fair to very good. The Delhi stations are strongest after sunrise on the California coast (David Norcross, CA, Dec 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL. NEW YEAR'S EVE ON THE WEB Several years ago Kim Elliott, former host of Communications World on the Voice of America spent his New Years Eve listening to how the world celebrated using shortwave radio. Lou Josephs adapted the idea for the Internet, and has assembled a list of Webcasters and Webcams that will usher in the New Year 2003. This is a great way see what Webcasting has to offer. More than 4,900 TV and radio stations worldwide are Webcasting. Lou has picked out some of the best ones. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/newyear021227.html (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter Dec 27 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. XM SATELLITE RADIO GETS NEW FINANCING, STOCK JUMPS --- REUTERS December 23, 2002 WASHINGTON - XM Satellite Radio Inc., a satellite radio broadcaster, on Monday said it reached financing agreements totaling $450 million that should provide the cash needed until its operations reach break- even. XM stock jumped more than 10 percent following the news. The Washington-based company said the package includes $200 million from a sale of notes convertible into common stock at $3.18 a share, and a small concurrent stock sale. Also, General Motors Co., which is installing XM radios in 25 different 2003 vehicle lines, has agreed to $250 million in payment deferrals and related credit facilities through 2006, XM said. "With this financing package, we believe we have achieved full funding through cash flow break-even," XM President and Chief Executive Hugh Panero said in a statement. XM and rival Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. (SIRI.O) have struggled to remain viable as the market for the capital-intensive satellite radio industry ramps up. Both XM and Sirius have lost money as they try to attract subscribers. Sirius said in November it was preparing for bankruptcy if debtholders did not approve a restructuring that included a debt-for-equity swap. XM shares were up 39 cents, or 13 percent, at $3.39 on Nasdaq in early trade. Sirius shares were up 1 cent at 55 cents, also on Nasdaq. In addition to the financing package, XM said it will start an offer on Tuesday to exchange its $325 million of outstanding 14 percent senior secured notes due 2010 for new 14 percent senior secured discount notes due 2009, warrants and cash. Based on sales to date and projections through the end of the year, XM said it expects to have more than 350,000 radios sold and ready for activation by Dec. 31, either through retailers or automakers. The actual year-end activated subscriber total is expected to be 340,000 to 350,000. XM also said it expects to add two new directors: Steven Hicks, the chairman of Click Radio, who has 33 years of experience in the radio and broadcasting media industry, and Thomas Elliott, executive vice president of automobile operations with Honda Motor Co. Ltd.'s (7267.T) U.S. operations (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. ARUTZ-7 RAID UNCLEAR From http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=36141 26 December 2002 The circumstances surrounding yesterday's raid on Arutz-7's ship are still unclear. Arutz-7 officials have not been able to determine why the raid was conducted, nor why it happened specifically yesterday. Israel Police and Communications Ministry personnel raided the Eretz HaTzvi broadcasting ship of Arutz-7 Israel National Radio yesterday, halting the station's signal for over an hour and warning the captain not to resume broadcasting. Nothing was taken or damaged. Arutz-7 broadcasts from outside of Israel's territorial waters because privately-owned radio stations are prohibited from airing nationwide. A law duly passed by the Knesset granting Arutz-7 a broadcasting license was recently nullified by the Supreme Court. Communications Minister Ruby Rivlin of the Likud said he was "furious" at the timing of the raid, and other right-wing politicians railed against what some called "political persecution." A spokesman for Public Security Minister Uzi Landau, who oversees the Israel Police, told Arutz-7 that he did not know of the raid in advance, and that the Communications Ministry initiated it a while ago. The Communications Ministry says the raid was a result of Elections Committee head Hon. Michael Cheshin's call to ensure that unlicensed stations do not broadcast election propaganda. Cheshin himself said he was not involved. Arutz-7 announced in response that it is more careful not to allow its interviewers and interviewees to speak on behalf of specific parties than are Israel's public stations. ARUTZ-7 issued this announcement following the raid: "For 15 years, the State Prosecution and the police have waged a campaign to harm Arutz-7 by "hitting us in our pockets." On two previous occasions, police have smashed and confiscated our state-of- the-art broadcasting equipment, under the pretext that the station's broadcasts are against Israeli law. No court has ever ruled that this is the case, but Arutz-7 has had to pay top lawyers' fees in order to defend itself against these allegations. Police raids like the one today on our broadcasting ship are aimed solely at portraying the station as illegal, thus bringing about an immediate decrease in advertising income. "The Prime Minister, Communications Minister, and Public Security (Police) Minister all denied prior knowledge of and involvement in today's attempt to silence Israel's only radio voice opposing the establishment of Palestinian state. How, then, did it happen? Raids of this sort happen under right-wing governments because extremist left elements control key government institutions, including the police, the State Prosecution, the courts, and the Israel Broadcasting Authority. They are largely behind the systematic attempts to financially cripple and harm the lone nationalist voice on Israel's airwaves. We turn to our listeners and internet readers to fight this trend in whatever legitimate manner is available. Please speak out, write letters and faxes, and support the station in its continual struggle to survive these blows against our right to champion the Jewish Nation's right to the Land of Israel." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) From Mike Brand 26 December 2002: From today`s Haaretz Newspaper :: Election committee to hear petition against pirate radio station Arutz Sheva The chairman of the Central Election Committee (CEC), Justice Mishael Cheshin, will today hear a petition asking him to issue a restraining order against pirate radio stations Arutz Sheva, prohibiting it from broadcasting until after the January 28 elections. The petition, filed by Keshev (The Center for the Protection of Democracy in Israel) and The Israel Religious Action Center, who claimed that Arutz Sheva is broadcasting election propaganda in flagrant breech of the election law. They also claim that the station's election broadcasts violate the concept of media evenhandedness, since they give unfair preference to the Likud, National Religious Party, the National Union and Herut. (Gideon Alon) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRELAND. We heard a number of Irish church services on 27 and 28 Dec. in the European afternoon, ca. 1300-1500 UT. Locations unknown. The reception was best in Finland. I copied a couple of them here in Holland as well. 27-12 ----- 27105 27185 26965 27305 (a wedding); 28- 12 ----- 27295 27025 27030 26805 27315 (a wedding) 27395 (3 different services at the same time, one was a wedding) (via Ary (from the Netherlands) in the WUN group via Hans Johnson, Dec 28, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. More Arutz-7: see INTERNATIONAL WATERS above ** ITALY. In the fall of 1988, a new shortwave radio station took to the airwaves of Europe. It started as a vision only six months before, and was operational in record time, thanks to the enthusiasm of its founders and a measure of good luck. This was a private station, with an independent, eclectic, experimental message – something distinctly different from the classic international broadcasters of the Cold War era. It's a story of broadcasting success against all odds, and how what started out as a gamble has made European broadcasting history. Bob Zanotti, formerly of Swiss Radio International, was a co-founder of the station, and has now decided to tell the story. WELCOME TO NEXUS-IRRS --- By Bob Zanotti In 1988 a new shortwave radio station took to the airwaves in Europe after being conceived a mere 6 months before. Its two adventurous founders set out to create something quite different from traditional Cold War broadcasting.... Alfredo Cotroneo was the front man for the Italian Radio Relay Service, but few folks knew that his partner was Bob Zanotti of Swiss Radio International. This is the first time the full story has been told. Part 1 gets us on the air: Part 2 will tell about keeping an independent shortwave station going – an entirely different matter! (January MONITORING TIMES via DXLD) ** JAPAN. Kunitoshi Hishikawa, Japan, sent me the URL for Year End Hitparade 2002: http://cgi2.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/new/image/02kohaku.pdf The following schedule for the 53rd "Year End Hitparade", which will LIVE broadcast in Japanese on 31 Dec 2002 at 1030-1545 UT. To: Southeast Asia 1030-1600 11815 Yamata To: Asian Continent 1030-1600 9750 Yamata [Acc to the PDF file, seemingly the live coverage broadcast occurs only on the Asian Continent and SEAsia services. Broadcast time shifts to a recording at 1500-1930 UT to the following targets, except Sackville 11705 kHz relay still at 1300-1500 UT, see below, ed.] To: Southwest Asia 1500-1700 12045 Yamata (instead of Ekala?) 1700-1930 11700 Yamata To: North America 1300-1730 11705 Sackville, Canada (extended) 1500-1930 9835 Yamata (extended) To: Central America 1500-1930 9535 Yamata (extended) To: South America 1500-1930 9835 Yamata (extended) 1500-1930 21600 Montsinery, French Guiana To: Oceania 1500-1930 7140 Yamata (extended) To: East Europe 1500-1800 9750 Rampisham, UK (extended) 62 degr 1800-1930 9565 Woofferton, UK (extended) 75 degr To: South Europe 1500-1900 6175 Skelton, UK (extended) 150 degr 1900-1930 6010 Skelton, UK 150 degr To: Middle East and North Africa 1500-1930 11880 Ekala, Sri Lanka (extended) To: C Africa 1500-1700 21630 Ascension 1700-1930 15165 Ascension To: S Africa 1500-1930 15355 Montsinery, Gabon (Kunitoshi Hishikawa, Japan, via BC-DX, Christoph Ratzer-AUT OE2CRM did do the transform job, thanks (via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** LATVIA. See UK ** LUXEMBOURG [non]. See DENMARK ** MEXICO. 9705, Radio Mexico Int`l, Christmas eve programming. Dead air between languages. English at 0445 rather, and continued for much longer than a half an hour. Call in or interview show was quite audible; by 05 this was coming in like a local! almost 55555. 11770 was good, but the modulation has a problem, sound is sloppy. This was markedly better here than as reported by Terry Krueger in TOCOBAGA DX #67 via DXLD. Perhaps their beam is towards the western US? (David Norcross, California, Dec 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I`ve noticed occasional much better signals than usual from XERMX, but tend to blame it on propagation (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. MEXICAN TV STATION ACCUSED OF ARMED RAID OF RIVAL TV AZTECA ACCUSED OF ARMED RAID OF RIVAL Federal prosecutors are investigating claims a rival television station took over another channel using private armed guards wearing ski masks. Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca took over the facilities of CNI Channel 40 in the early hours of the morning. CNI Channel 40 said the men in black uniforms stormed the station's transmission facilities before dawn, holding channel employees for several hours and taking over the channel's signal. The frequency is now carrying programs of Channel 13, TV Azteca's flagship station. Televisora del Valle de Mexico, or TVM, holds the license for CNI Channel 40, a UHF station broadcast in Mexico City and distributed on regional cable TV systems. CNI Channel 40 said its lawyers have already filed charges against TV Azteca, calling the takeover an "unprecedented abuse in the history of Mexican television." TV Azteca confirmed it took over the facilities, but it denied using violence and said it was "exercising its rights and in full compliance with the law." It adds it has evidence on video that it took over the facilities peacefully. Manuel Feregrino, news editor at CNI Channel 40, said: "They retained the IDs of our staff, their addresses were taken, and they were told that their families could be in danger." TV Azteca and CNI Channel 40 entered a strategic alliance in 1998, with the two evenly sharing earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for programming and advertising sales. The partnership fell into dispute in 2000, when TVM owner Javier Moreno Valle pulled out and alleged that the agreements weren't valid. He was expelled from TV Azteca's board soon afterward. TV Azteca said last week the International Court of Arbitration upheld the company's right to buy 51 percent of TVM. Story filed: 09:30 Saturday 28th December 2002 via http://www.ananova.com (via Pete Costello, DXLD) The wild, wild South ** MEXICO. MEXICAN DJ HOPES PLAYING 2,001 SONGS IN A ROW WILL LAND HIM IN RECORD BOOKS MONTERREY, México (AP) - A Monterrey disc jockey played 2,001 corridos - traditional, sometimes controversial, ranch songs - back-to-back last month, hoping to earn a spot in the Guinness Book of Records. Ricardo Escobedo, director of the AM station Radio Regiomontana, wants to set a record for broadcasting the longest radio show and the longest radio program in which no song was played twice. Guinness record book officials are investigating whether he qualifies, said Escobedo, who played 2,001 corridos in a row between Nov. 14-21 without leaving his microphone or playing any song twice. "I didn't feel tired during the broadcast, because I was very busy, but my throat hurt a lot afterward," the 34-year-old said Tuesday. He managed the feat, he said, by attacking the station's music collection alphabetically according to song title. Corridos are traditional northern Mexican ranch songs that often tell stories of betrayal, lost love, homesickness and the settling of scores over money or women. Los Tigres del Norte and other artists have given such songs commercial legitimacy in recent years. The Canadian Press, 2002 12/27/2002 12:30 EST (AOL Canada News via Fred Waterer, Dec 27, DXLD) I believe the word is Regiomontana, not Regiomontaña as some might think, correcto? (gh) ** MONGOLIA [and non]. Hello everyone and the best of the season to you all, I've been in Germany since March and as a result my international radio listening has been mainly focused on hearing the BBC! I'm back at home for Xmas and New Year and am re-exploring my clunky old computer and Worldspace receiver, both gathering dust for the last 10 months. While catching up on a few messages here I've also got BBC Radio 4's "A world in your ear" on (also available on the web I'm sure), which selects and plays choice features from broadcasters (and a number of international broadcasters) from around the world. [repeats Sun 2000] This week they talked to an Aussie journalist working at the Voice of Mongolia. Speaking about the station, he said that VoM's 'devoted listeners' consisted of Radio HAMs who struggle through the interference (in particular Radio Damascus) to hear the station, write to the station, receive their postcard and then go on to the next station. While the journalist's comment maybe a little tongue-in- cheek, I do wonder if this is really what many broadcasters think of their audience - that the only ones listening to the station don't actually listen for the programming and only listen the once for the QSL. Accurate or not it's energised me to write to the various international broadcasters I listen to regularly (for their programming of course) and to make sure they know that their hard work is appreciated. Peace and good listening to one and all, (Daniel Atkinson, England / Germany, Dec 27, swprograms via DXLD) - home of the internet's first SW FAQ (perhaps) http://www.eurobahn.co.uk ** NICARAGUA. 600, YNLD, Radio Ya, Managua DEC 27 0546 - caught a "Ya" mention during break in meringue music block by man; possible mention of "seis cientos" but too poor to be exactly sure. Anyway, country nr. 19 !! and obviously new catch. I hope to find some time to encode some of the tape made on 600 kHz last night into real-audio too! 73 and good DX, (Bogdan Alexandru Chiochiu, QC, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Bogdan has been going after LA MW DX quite successfully from Montreal, tnx to auroral condx. However, since ``ya`` is a common word in Spanish, meaning `already`, I would be hesitant to claim a definite ID based on the above. Merengue not exactly typical of Nicaragua, either. Good riddance, anyway, CFCF! 600 is thought to be the best chance for Nicaragua in North America (gh, DXLD) {See 3-307} ** NORWAY. Today I discovered that Radio Norway carries a program from BBC WS (European Branch) during the first half hour (0500-0530 on 7465 and 7490 kHz). Before, they used to carry their internal radio service (Alexander Egorov, Kiev, Ukraine via Active_DX, 12/27/02 via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3290, NBC Radio Central, Boroko was audible on Dec. 24th & 25th 2002 between 1155-1400* with a weak signal carrying Karai National Service. In addition to that, I have noted an unidentified station (Radio Milne Bay, Voice of Kula, Alotau) on 3365 kHz at around 1930 UT. No sign of other stations from PNG (Jari Korhonen, Kitee, Finland, Dec 27, dxing.info via DXLD) ** POLAND [and non]. The German Enigma Cipher Machine - History of Solving http://www.enigmahistory.org/enigma.html (via Frank Parisot, France, Dec 13, DXLD) ** QATAR. AL-JAZEERA BROADCASTS IN ENGLISH From http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,865365,00.html Ewen MacAskill, Friday December 27, 2002, The Guardian The Arabic satellite television station al-Jazeera, demonised in parts of Washington for its coverage of Osama bin Laden and the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, has begun experimental broadcasts using English subtitles in the US to try to expand its influence and revenues. A spokesman for al-Jazeera, which is based in Qatar and is popular throughout the Arab world, confirmed yesterday that the broadcasts using English subtitles have begun in the US. The move is aimed at finding new sources of revenue but staff believe that they have a mission to provide the context to Middle East stories they argue is often missing from Western media reports. The chief editor, Ibrahim Hilal, told the Christian Science Monitor that "the historical context is missing" in coverage of the Israel- Palestinian conflict and other stories. He cited, as an example, stories about the Iraq crisis that fail to carry a reminder that Saddam Hussein, was armed by the West in the 1980s. The channel is available in the US on subscription by satellite and cable but, until now, it has only been in Arabic. An hour-long phone-in programme, dealing with religion, is now being broadcast in Arabic, with English subtitles. If successful, the range of programmes with English subtitles will be increased (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Subtitles certainly help, but won`t cut it. From previous publicity I was expecting some programing audible in English. Perhaps later, after this first step. Since most of the staff started with BBC in Britain, there should be plenty of fluent English-speakers (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. FIRST HUNGARIAN-LANGUAGE RELIGIOUS RADIO STATION LAUNCHED IN ROMANIA | Text of report by Hungarian radio on 24 December [Presenter] Hungarians living in Kolozsvar can now listen to another Hungarian-language radio. Janos Moszkovics reports on the first day of the religious radio: [Moszkovics] The first Hungarian-language, Transylvanian religious and community radio started its broadcasting at 1100 hours local time today, that is, it has been on air for more than one hour in Kolozsvar [Cluj-Napoca, in western Romania] and its region. Agnus Radio, owned by the Transylvanian Reformed Church diocese, started with a pre-Christmas programme, lasting till 1500 hours [local time] this afternoon on 88.3 MHz. Tomorrow, it will broadcast a magazine programme between 0300 hours at dawn and 0800 hours in the morning. It will include a religious service, in addition to interviews, news and music, Attila Sebesi Karen [phonetic], the secular editor-in-chief of Agnus Radio, has told the Hungarian Kossuth Radio [this station]. He added that one-third of the daily eight-hour programme will be about religious topics, while in two-thirds of its broadcasting time it will transmit secular public service programmes to all generations. The religious programmes will include Reformed Church, Catholic, Unitarian and Evangelical programmes and, for three hours a week, the Romanian Orthodox Church will also be involved, since this denomination has no radio station yet. The basic principle of Agnus Radio, which is operated by only 15 staff members, editors, reporters and technical staff, is to supplement regional public service radio programmes. Therefore, at the end of the daily programmes, listeners will be advised to switch over to the Hungarian programme of Kolozsvar Radio, which will also keep its usual religious programme, which was launched in 1990 by the same Kolozsvar- based pastor, Laszlo Adorjani, who dreamt, planned and now directs the first Transylvanian community radio station, Agnus Radio. Source: Hungarian Radio, Budapest, in Hungarian 1100 gmt 24 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. PRESIDENT ANSWERS PUBLIC'S QUESTIONS President Putin on 19 December answered questions from the public in a live appearance broadcast over national television, radio, and the Internet, Russian news agencies reported. In a two-hour session, Putin answered 51 questions covering many aspects of domestic and foreign policy, as well as questions about his personal preferences, Interfax reported. The event was announced about two weeks in advance and in the interim the presidential administration received 1.2 million questions, from which advisers chose the ones they deemed most topical. Asked about the possibility of restoring the Russian monarchy, Putin said this is not desirable because Russia has not yet firmly established a multiparty democracy. "It is true that monarchies complying with democratic norms exist in countries like Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Spain, but in Russia I cannot imagine how [democratic] executive authority could be formed," Putin said. ("RFE/RL Newsline," 19 December via RFE/RL Media Matters Dec 27 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. LOCAL RUSSIAN TV COMPANY SEIZED IN FAR EAST | Text of report by Russian Ekho Moskvy radio on 27 December [Presenter] The Novaya Volna [English: New Wave] TV company in Vladivostok was seized today. We learnt of this from the deputy general director of the TV company, Yevgeniya Golodova: [Golodova] People who are controlled by legal structures and the [Maritime] Territory's administration arrived at the building of the Novaya Volna TV company. They entered together with police and people unofficially representing a certain Vladimir Nikolayev who at the moment wants to run for mayor and in the State Duma election. They told us roughly the following - today former deputy governor [Yevgeniy] Krasnov was killed, and what happened to him will happen to you if you don't leave the building in five minutes. We have been surrounded by a group from Mr (?Arzhanov), the police and Nikolayev's people. We are staying in the building. We tried to contact the governor's assistant. He told us he would need a report on the situation, because the people who came did not act in his name. But we hope that Sergey Mikhaylovich will sort the situation out. They contacted us and said they would come in two hours time' and the situation would be sorted out somehow. [Presenter] Yevgeniya Golodova links the seizure with a property dispute to do with the TV company. We have just learnt that armed persons have burst into the TV company's building. The journalists fear that they may be arrested. We will be following events. Source: Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian 1000 gmt 27 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) TV AND RADIO COMPANY'S OFFICE IN FAR EASTERN CITY STORMED BY POLICE | Text of report by Russian news agency Ekho Moskvy on 27 December: [No dateline, as received] The building of the Novaya Volna [Russ: new wave] television and radio company has been seized in Vladivostok, the company's deputy managing director, Yevgeniya Golubeva, has told Ekho Moskvy radio. At 1630 local time [0630 gmt] on 27 December people "in charge of the legal departments of the Maritime Territory administration" as well as people "unofficially representing Vladimir Nikolayev who is trying to run for the mayor of Vladivostok and for the State Duma" and accompanied by policemen appeared at the Novaya Volna with threats, Golubeva said. "They told us approximately the following: you have heard what happened to Krasnov (former deputy governor of Maritime Territory, who was killed in Vladivostok today). A similar thing will happen to you if you do not vacate the building in the next five minutes, Golubeva went on to say, quoting the raiders. She added that threats had been issued against the founders of Novaya Volna, Konstantin Tolstosheyin and Sergey Gubich. The building was cordoned off. The company's staff have no intention of leaving their office, Golubeva said. She added that the people who had made their way inside the building "had been brandishing the name of the governor" of Maritime Territory, Sergey Darkin. The company's staff contacted the governor's aide and he promised to inform Darkin of the incident. "We hope that the governor does not know what is happening and will clear up the controversy," Golubeva said. She said the raid may be linked to a business dispute surrounding the Novaya Volna television and radio company. In the summer of 2002, the founder of the Novaya Volna media holding, Oleg Sedinko, was killed in Vladivostok. His share in the company was bought up by Tolstosheyin and Gubich. A dispute between them and the late director's deputy, Oksana Rybalko, broke out. Later there came reports that armed people had stormed the company's office. The journalists fear that they may be arrested. [In a further report at 1108 gmt, the same agency quoted Golubeva as saying that riot policemen had stormed the Novaya Volna offices and were preventing the company's staff from leaving the building. She added that journalists had been lined up facing a wall with guns pointed at them. A TV camera and tapes had been seized from them. In the meantime, the Vladivostok main interior directorate denied reports that the Novaya Volna building had been seized. They explained that there had been a dispute about who should be guarding the building and the police were currently looking into the matter.] Source: Ekho Moskvy news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1014 gmt 27 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) The wild, wild, East (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA [and non]. Regarding site of VOR on 7125: The 1600-1900 transmission to Central Europe is from Yekaterinburg as stated in the HFCC. I believe the transmission listed as 2300-0600 is from the Moldova site, although I have not confirmed this for the current period. Since this frequency must not be used for transmissions to the Americas, the Russians report a more distant site (that would interfere less across the Atlantic) and a target area (CIRAF zone 17 = Iceland) that would be legal (Olle Alm, Sweden, 26 Dec, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Marcelo sends a view of his QSL which does say Kishinyov, Moldova on 7125 at 0400-0417 Oct. 17 (thus A-02 season in case that make a difference) (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA [and non]. Hi Glenn, I hope you enjoyed the holidays. So here some words on the 7125 matter. Yes, HFCC contradicts Voice of Russia, but it is quite obvious that the planning of the actual transmitter operation takes place more or less independently, they just put some suitable parameters in the HFCC file, like, why bother? Just see the power levels noted down for the other 7125 operations: The Popovka site near Krasny Bor, usually listed as St. Petersburg, has 200 kW transmitters, hence actual power levels are 200, 400 and 800 kW, respectively, but never 250 kW. And a Popovka transmission on 7125 not exists at all, this registration is a mere placeholder. Contrary Yekaterinburg uses 7125 (VoR German), but 240 kW? No way, they have 100 kW transmitters and operate them mostly if not always in pairs, so 200 kW are true spot. Once there used to be Russian shortwave transmitters rated at 120 kW (this design is still in use in China, once they got the blueprints and built such rigs, too), but I am not aware of any such ancient transmitter still in use in Russia. And just as a reminder, Serpukhov which probably still appears in the HFCC file is a non-existing site, just one of the ghosts from the old days. The German service of Voice of Russia received enquiries about transmitter sites quite frequently. This forced them to put a site table on their website. When looking at http://www.vor.ru/German/Liste/liste.html you will find various contradictions with the HFCC data. To make it short: Monitoring observations strongly suggests that the VoR list indeed reflects the true situation. Why not, they should know what they pay for! Conclusion: It should be true that 7125 after 0000 originates together with 7180 from Grigoriopol`, just as it always used to be. Best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. QSL: Radio Hargeisa, 7530 kHz in 3 weeks. Letter, including 1 USD, sent to addres in Germany: Konsularishe Vertretung Somaliland, DJ6SI, Baldur Drobnica, Zedernweg 6, D-50127 Bergheim, Germany. Letter poststamped in Czech Republic (Claes Olsson, Norrköping, SWEDEN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. COLOMBO ASKED TO EXPLAIN BROADCAST EQUIPMENT TO LTTE The Sri Lankan government is under pressure to explain how high powered radio equipment was dispatched to the Tamil guerrillas in northern Sri Lanka. Buddhist monks were the latest group to join opposition political parties to protest against the Sri Lankan government for handing over the radio equipment. The government has declared that it would give a full explanation about providing the guerrillas with radio equipment. Gulf News learns that the Norwegians want the Sri Lankan government to fully explain the position leading to the import of the equipment. According to diplomatic sources, Norway has taken the position that the equipment had been imported from Norway on the request of the government and Oslo had no interest in providing the broadcasting equipment. The equipment is expected to be used to boost the transmissions of the guerrilla's clandestine radio Voice of the Tigers. Buddhist monks on Monday called on President Chandrika Kumaratunga to use her powers to expel the Norwegian Ambassador in Colombo, Jon Westborg for providing the equipment to the guerrillas. The monks on Monday held a protest opposite the Norwegian embassy in Colombo, burnt down two flags of Norway and then proceeded to the President's office to hand over a petition calling for the expulsion of the Norwegian Ambassador. The Ambassador left for Oslo for urgent talks with his government, while the embassy has been avoiding answering questions regarding the equipment. A team of Security Forces communications experts, backed by representatives from the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation had studied the technical specifications before they were dispatched. They were of the view that the equipment would enable the LTTE to only broadcast on the FM frequency to a limited area, but other technical sources said their transmissions could be heavily enhanced through boosters to reach areas outside Sri Lanka. The cleared equipment included an FM transmitter, backup transmitter, MPX Clipper Generator, FM antennas, headphone, patch panel, loudspeaker, microphone, microphone holder, MD recorder, CD player, cables, antenna cables and RDS audio. Meanwhile, the Marxist JVP (People's Liberation Front) has called on President Chandrika Kumaratunge to hold an inquiry into the transportation of radio equipment to the LTTE with the assistance of the Norwegian ambassador on the grounds that a diplomatic mission has no right to interfere in the internal matters of the country. JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva said that an Independent Commission should be appointed to look into the matter. "The diplomat has gone beyond his call of duty. He has all the right to get down any equipment for him or the embassy but he has no right to get it down for a 'terrorist' organisation. We call on the president to hold an inquiry and take action against the ambassador," he said. The JVP states that the transaction was done illegally despite the government claiming that it was done through the proper channels. "Why was the equipment ordered by the ambassador to be sent to the LTTE," Silva said. "We feel that this was done under cover but when it was highlighted, the government came out saying there was nothing illegal," Silva said. With thanks to GULF NEWS (via D. Prabakaran, lecturer, N. L. Polytechnic, Mettupalayam, India, bcdxnet via Cumbre DX via DXLD) SRI LANKA JUSTIFIES RADIO EQUIPMENT IMPORT By V.S. Sambandan COLOMBO. DEC. 27. The Sri Lankan Government today justified the import of radio broadcasting equipment for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as part of the "positive developments" towards "permanent peace'', and termed the Norwegian "assistance'' as an "important contribution'' to the "peace process''. In a seven-page statement, the Government today sought to answer the queries posed by the Opposition parties on issues relating to the legality of the import and the role played by Norway. The LTTE, the Government said, had applied for licence on October 18 and described it as "an important step in the LTTE's transformation into a political grouping within the mainstream of the Sri Lankan political system''. The statement also reproduced a "specific request by the LTTE'' for licence. Signed by the secretary general of the LTTE's peace secretariat, Puleedevan, the letter had said: "the need for broadcasting services has become all the more important today to strengthen the peace initiatives undertaken by both the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE.'' The Government has interpreted the Tigers' application for licence as "the willingness of the LTTE to submit themselves to the authority of the Government in this manner is a 180 degree change from that which prevailed in the earlier period when the LTTE ran an unauthorised and illegal radio operation termed the Voice of Tigers'' (VoT). There was a bitter controversy most of this month, with the Opposition attacking Norway's role. What essentially should have been a direct political issue between the Government and the Opposition took an external turn on two fronts. The Opposition's charge against Norway and apprehensions over whether the LTTE's transmissions would reach the Indian shores. According to the Government's statement, the Norwegian involvement was initiated by it to resolve an impasse over a request by the LTTE for duty-waiver. The Tigers, the Government said, had asked for duty exemption as the import was "for a purpose associated with the peace process''. However, the Government could not grant the exemption "since no exemptions on duty of VAT were being permitted''. There is no clear explanation as to whether the duty was subsequently paid, or who paid it, but the statement said the Norwegian Government had agreed to finance the setting up of "institutional mechanisms to take forward the peace process'' with an assistance of over "Rs. 12 million as an initial contribution'' for the Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP), commonly referred to as the Peace Secretariat. The Government pointed out that the Norwegian contribution to the SCOPP could be "utilised for reimbursement to the Ministry of Finance for any loss of revenue, if required''. Moreover, Norway's role was that of a "consignee'' under the understanding that the "goods would be immediately taken over by the SCOPP'', the statement said. (via D. Prabakaran, lecturer, N. L. Polytechnic, Mettupalayam, India, bcdxnet via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Glen[n]: I notice some message for you. New Star Broadcasting Station is going to equip with spare new antenna and transmitter, so all number message from Taiwan is ceased. 11430, 8300, 9725, 15388, 13750 remains silent for months (Miller Liu, Taiwan, Dec 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Last reported Nov 8 at 1410-1419* on 9725 in DXLD 2-197 ** THAILAND [and non]. World Scout Jamboree to include Amateur Radio activity: The 20th World Scout Jamboree http://www.worldscoutjamboree20.org in Thailand from December 28, 2002, to January 7, 2003, will include Amateur Radio operation from E20AJ at the Jamboree site. E20AJ will use World Scout frequencies http://www.home.zonnet.nl/worldscout/Jota/frequencies.htm The station will be operational for the duration of the Jamboree, 24 hours a day, on SSB, CW, SSTV and packet on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10 and 2 meters. Three HF stations will be in operation. QSL E20AJ via HB9AOF or via the Thailand QSL bureau. GB2COS will be a special Scout station on the air from Chester, England, January 4-5. Activity will be on most HF bands, and GB2COS operators will attempt to contact E20AJ at the World Jamboree in Thailand. QSL GB2COS via G7BQY (some info from The Daily DX via ARRL Letter Dec 27 via DXLD) ** U K/LATVIA. It might be of interest read the statement below (via laserradio mailing list) by the producers of the Laser Radio transmissions via Latvia, regarding the legal status of their operations (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DX LISTENING DIGEST) From: laser_radio no_reply@yahoogroups.com Date: Thu, 26 Dec 2002 23:09:03 -0000 Subject: [laserradio] Re: Digest Number 34 To answer the questions regarding Laser Radio: a) We are NOT connected to the pirate station which operates from Eire and calls itself 'Laser HotHits'. b) We are NOT a 'Pirate' - We hold a broadcasting licence issued by the Radio Authority and more importantly, we are fully authorised for our shortwave transmissions by the Broadcasting council in Latvia. We are a Free Radio station which has gone to the trouble and expense of ensuring we conform to the laws of both the UK and Latvia. We also hold the copyright for the term 'Laser Radio' in the UK (and Latvia) and have done so since the mid-80's. The ultimate corporate owner of 'Laser Radio' is Laser Radio Limited. Hope this helps clarify some of the mystery ! To learn more about the station and our plans for the future - keep listening! (Via Bernd Trutenau, DXLD) [Re 5935 logging as Dec 23:] Yes, it was the 22nd....now waiting for the next chance on the 29th. See what happens when you have too many events happening all at once (Xmas gatherings, concerts and family/ friends over, etc., etc.) (Edward Kusalik, AB, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RADIO FARDA FLOODED WITH EMAILS SUPPORTING THE NEW PERSIAN- LANGUAGE STATION Washington, DC., December 27, 2002--Washington, D.C., Dec. 27, 2002 More than 1,000 people, most of them inside Iran, have emailed Radio Farda http://www.radiofarda.com in its first week of broadcasting, expressing thanks and support for the new Persian-language station. "You are famous among Iranians – every body is whispering of Farda," wrote one listener. "God Bless America," wrote another. "I have to say that Radio Farda is very professional and it is about time to show the world that we can produce a serious radio that is like their radios," said one email. "I think also that this is the more effective way to reach Iranian youth and people. I am very proud of you and wish you the best." Added a college professor inside Iran: "We love your radio. You have saved us from being bored. We listen to your radio whenever we can. I am a college professor. The most drivers who drive between two towns … they all listen to your radio. We all love you." ... (BBG Press Release Dec 27 via DXLD) More R. Farda fan-mail, strangely enough all in English and seemingly unedited: http://www.bbg.gov/_bbg_news.cfm?articleID=56&mode=general (BBG Press site Dec 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. VOA Language/Frequency Schedule: http://www.voa.gov/allsked.cfm (Chuck Bolland, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. COMMENTARY: TEN YEARS OLD AND NOBODY NOTICED Saturday, December 28th, WEWN Global Catholic Radio/Radio Católica Mundial marked its tenth birthday. It was on this day, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, in 1992 that Mother Angelica inaugurated her technically first-class shortwave operation to spread the Word of God Become Flesh and the Catholic Faith to the world. Financed by a wealthy Dutch couple, WEWN embarked on its mission using three 500,000-watt transmitters located in Irondale, Alabama, south of Birmingham, on a 24-hour schedule to North America and much of the world in English, Latin America in Spanish, and Europe in various languages. It was the developed world`s first full-service Catholic international shortwave station. It has continued to be so. HVJ Radio Vaticano broadcasts in dozens of languages around the world; it is the voice of the Holy Father and must be all things to all races and countries. Consequently, the longest program is barely an hour, because the antennas must be re- directed and the transmitter frequency changed to reach yet another part of the world. DZN Radio Veritas Asia is indeed a remarkable service, too; it broadcasts almost around the clock to the underdeveloped world of Asia in 17 languages; few of its programs are an hour length because it, too, with much less resources than HVJ Radio Vaticano, must be all things to all people. WEWN continues what it set out to do. At first, it merely rebroadcast the sound track of EWTN television programs, much like KTBN shortwave in Salt Lake City does with its network. The commercial American radio networks tried to do the same during the twilight years of network radio and the dawning of television. Such efforts didn`t work then and they do not work now. WEWN quickly realized that radio is not just sound, it is a different medium with its own demands and requirements. Mother Angelica hired a good group of professionals to make something of the radio station, and they have, and they have done it well. WEWN is an inestimable asset to the Church. The station is the only Catholic voice available in English and Spanish in many parts of the world, even where those languages are spoken. This is as true for the United States and Canada as elsewhere. Comparatively few U.S. cities have Catholic radio stations; those who do not have EWTN television or need portability will have some luck at certain times of the day and night in getting its powerful broadcasts. Not all will; I have never been able to get it during the daytime on my inexpensive shortwave radio, the kind most people have, and I assume they have the same reception problem. But we can get it sometimes, and it is a relief in a shortwave world of endless news, government spin, and half-educated ministers thundering out alleged Biblical prophecies about what is going to happen. Without WEWN, many of us in many places in the world would have no Catholic radio. Many places in Latin America are isolated; many Latin Americans live in rural areas, far more than in North America and Europe. For them, WEWN Radio Católica Mundial is the sole Catholic voice on the shortwave bands. In other countries, such as Argentina, almost all Catholic stations are comparatively low-powered FM stations that seldom get outside their cities of license. Again, WEWN is the sole available voice for many. Thank you, Mother Angelica. And thanks to the dozens of professional people at WEWN who give us that radio. Happy Birthday, WEWN! (Michael Dorner, editor, Dec 30 Catholic Radio Update, via DXLD) In Louisiana, Mike must be in the skip zone of the higher daytime frequencies. A bit further away here, WEWN is a blasting presence on all its frequencies, and for too many kHz either side of them. It`s still Dec 28 here and we have now noticed! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glenn. The DIA TIS (WPDI548) is indeed on 540. Although it uses a larger than normal ground mount antenna, it is still rated at 10 watts. I suspect that it might actually have a little higher ERP due to the antenna but the license data doesn't seem to reflect that. The CO Dept of Transportation station on 530 (WPLX284) is a 10 watt transmitter. But it has a licensed ERP of 40 watts due to the gain factor provided by the use of a 49 foot Valcom top-loaded antenna. That station covers the entire Denver metro area which is about 30 miles wide by 30 miles long. It replaced a number of smaller 10 watt stations, all on 530, that were located at every major roadway into the Denver metro area. Those have all been removed. So Denver has first adjacent channel TIS stations! They are located 16 miles apart. Happy holidays! (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, Dec 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The first thing I do after logging a new station is to do a search on Google to see if the station has a web page. Many stations don't have one and 99% of those that do have ones as bland and faceless as the station formats; Newstalk, Sportstalk, etc. Once in a while a web page comes along that has had many hours dedicated to its creation. Today I hit a real winner and I wanted to share it with the list. This morning around local sunrise here in the NC mountains, I was listening to a bluegrass gospel style station with a real down home feel with its ads and announcer. When it IDed, it turned out to be WMIK 560 in Middlesboro, KY. Although they faded out in about 15 minutes, I've been visiting the web site off and on all day long when I get a break from family duties. http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/cumberlandgapbc/index-original-page.html The opening shot of "Big MIK", an old RCA ribbon mike with the WMIK call plate on top, told me that this was not going to be an ordinary web site. This is the main page for the history of the Cumberland Gap Broadcasting Company. There is no link back to it from the above WMIK page. http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/cumberlandgapbc/ Reading the history of CGBC and studying the pictures gave me a feeling for the pride Middlesboro must've had when WMIK signed on in 1948. Imagine the isolation of a community deep in the hills of the coal country of southeastern Kentucky in these post war years that finally has their very own radio station. You can get a strong sense of the pride Middlesboro had in this station from the beginning and which lasts till today. My major in college was history, besides being a photographer, and sites like this really suck me in. I hope some of you will find it as interesting as I do. The picture of "Big MIK" is well worth your time. (Rick kf4ar Robinson, NRC-AM via DXLD) Excellent! That web site was a real slice of post-war little town America. The picture of downtown Middlesboro in the 50's was so full of flavor I'd have paid money for a print of it. I think I clicked on all of the links and looked at the whole thing. It was like reading a book or seeing a movie. Sorry it had to end. How many stories like this will be told in the future with the corporatization of radio? (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) To view some really kewl pictures, go to http://www.angelfire.com/ky2/cumberlandgapbc/index9.html At the top of the page Vice-President Richard M. Nixon dedicates the new Cumberland Gap Historical Park in 1959. WMIK was there to cover the event. Not only is this site a nostalgia trip to the 1940s and 50s, but a throwback to web surfing in 1995. Back in the days when most web pages were homemade do-it-yourself affairs. These guys didn't even bother to spend a few bucks for a domain name such as wmik.com or cumberlandgapbroadcasting.org 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, ibid.) I found a delightful website for a station where I worked when I came out of the Army in 1958, KPAN, Hereford, Texas. Chip Formby, current owner/operator, is the son of Clint Formby, a topnotch, local radio operator, who served a stint or two on the NAB Board. See: http://www.kpanradio.com/ Another Texas station that continues the dying tradition of local radio is KBEC-1390, Waxahachie. See: http://www.kbec.com/ (John Callarman, Krum TX, Dec 28, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Anyone going to CES [Consumer Electronics Show] in Las Vegas next month (I believe it's from 1/9-12)? Aren't the first IBOC consumer sets supposed to debut then? (Harry Helms, NRC-AM via DXLD) Kenwood is supposed to be showing their IBOC car radio. It should be available at high-end auto sound retailers summer 2003. Like any other chip-set, once Texas Instruments ramps up production, IBOC should be no more expensive than any other type of receiver. The number of options will determine final cost, whether it's just a simple Walkman- type or one with full display, memory, etc. No different than the wide range of models and prices available today (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, Dec 25, NRC-AM via DXLD) To be exact, TI's current solution is based on their TMS320C6000 family of DSP's, and is not a "chip set". They don't say exactly which of the many members of the family they are using, so the unit cost (in lots of 1000) could be anywhere from maybe $10 to $50. If people stay with the DSP approach to provide flexibility until real deployment of IBOC generates all the tweaks, you can expect to see (and this is just a guess) maybe $5 to $10 (based on very large volumes) of extra IBOC silicon cost per radio. When things finalize (unless the wheels come off of IBOC first!), expect a custom chip with cost of approximately half that of the DSP, and perhaps a little less. I don't expect to ever see IBOC in cheap portables, mainly for price reasons and somewhat because there will always be a bit of additional power draw. It will be an extra feature in the mid and upper end of receivers, as I see it in my crystal ball (Chuck Hutton, WA, ibid.) IMO, IBOC will be a debacle of incredible proportions and a stake through the heart of AM radio in many areas. I can just imagine the scan function on a car radio when IBOC gets going. . . . . those radios will be stopping on noise instead of stations. I can't fathom why so many otherwise intelligent broadcasting professionals have bought into this crap. 73, (Harry Helms, CA, Dec 27-28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Anything that informs the public is probably a better route than writing to your representatives in Congress and the Senate. Write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper informing readers about IBOC and other issues that may end what remains of local radio. Write letters to the editors of the national radio and science magazines; Pop'Com, Monitoring Times, Pop'Science, etc. Call local and national radio talk shows. I'm sure the topic would be welcomed on Coast-to- Coast AM or during open forum on the WBZ Steve LeVeille Broadcast. It might even interest Rush Limbaugh in terms of government mishandling. Call or write to the local TV news consumer reporter. The real problem right now is what little is known by the public. Only radio-heads like us seem to know what's going on. Your representatives could care less about losing a vote or two to DXers, but if it receives coverage in the local media then the issue might become more of a concern. Carry on. Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, Dec 27, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. On January 6, the Steve LeVeille Broadcast on WBZ Newsradio 1030, 12 - 5 a.m. will be about old-time radio shows. The in-studio guest will be the announcer from The Lone Ranger radio show (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH Dec 25, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Special MW DX Test: Monday, December 30, 2002 - WMRO-1560, Gallatin, TN - 1:00-1:30am EST [0600-0630 UT]. Arranged by DX- midAmerica (Lynn Hollerman, IRCA, via amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** U S A. Just heard from Bob Janney, CE of WBBR [1130 NYC]: His transmitter site is flooded and he can't get to three of his four towers! As a result, the downtime tonight and tomorrow night is CANCELLED. He expects to reschedule on the weekend of January 10-11, and will let us all know as soon as he knows for sure. Thanks to Bob for keeping us DXers in mind! -s (Scott Fybush, NY, NRC-AM Dec 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. NYC YULE LOG BROADCAST BURNS UP RATINGS .c The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - The Yule Log - a TV broadcast of logs burning in Gracie Mansion's fireplace to a Christmas carol soundtrack - burned up the ratings this year. The uninterrupted two-hour Christmas morning broadcast of the ``Yule Log Christmas Special,'' a holiday tradition for fireplace-less New Yorkers, returned to the air in 2001 after a 12-year hiatus. Wednesday's showing, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., boasted 284,012 viewing households, a 26 percent boost in viewership compared with last year, WPIX Channel 11 said. It smoked the 1 p.m. airing of the 1951 classic film version of Charles Dickens' ``A Christmas Carol,'' starring Alistair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, by 29,000 households. The rather bizarre Christmas tradition also burned up the airwaves every year from 1966 to 1989. During the Yule Log's absence, WPIX, the local affiliate of the WB, was bombarded with letters and calls from viewers asking for the broadcast to be brought back. For its triumphant return, the Yule Log tape was digitally remastered, but the soundtrack, including ``Joy to the World'' and ``Winter Wonderland,'' was left unchanged. On the Net: See the Yule Log at: http://www.wb11.com 12/27/02 15:31 EST (AOL Canada news Dec 27, via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. Hi Glenn, Just few moments ago I was happy to hear SAUTI YA TANZANIA = V. of Tanzania, Dole on 11734.1 kHz with very nice Tanzanian music till 20 UT. After that music format was suddenly changed to Zanzibarian. To my ears it very much sounded like Arabian. We all know the history of the Island of Zanzibar, I suppose. Nice reception of SAUTI YA TANZANIA, Dole on 11734.1 kHz around 1930 UT. It`s bitterly cold, -12 degrees below zero (about 10 F?) here in SW Finland. Up in Lappland even +30! To the all readers I wish a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2003! 73 (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Dec 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ INSIDE THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT Here's the web site for my latest book: http://www.the-shadow-government.com 73, (Harry Helms, CA, Dec 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) INTERNATIONAL LISTENER International listener is back and Ed Mayberry has resurrected his site at the following url:- http://home.houston.rr.com/edmayberry/International%20Listener%20Shortwave%20Radio%20Stations.htm or this one for ease: http://home.houston.rr.com/edmayberry/index.html and we welcome him back after that awful flood of last year!! There are also other links on the site as well for the Shortwave enthusiast! 73 (Tim Gaynor, DXers Calling Audiosend, Australia, Dec 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DIGITAL TV What do I like about DTV? From a standard TV viewers point of view, I'm curious regarding the possibilities of a clearer sharper picture. I don't like the wide screen aspect ratio, or the high price tag. So, for normal TV viewing, I'm mildly interested, but would generally prefer to stay with my trusty Blaupunkt 70cm colour TV. From a DXer`s point of view, DTV is the worst thing to happen in over 50 years of VHF/UHF DX. It's worse than any nightmare about all low band analog TV switching to UHF. In short, if DTV completely takes over, I'm out of here. I know DXers such as Jeff Kadet are doing very well with DTV DX. However, Jeff already does very well with analog long-haul tropo TV DX. And look at what Jeff uses for these long-haul DTV catches. How many US TV DXers are prepared to use a 7ft parabolic dish, masthead low noise GaAsfet UHF preamp, mounted on a high tower? 400-600 mile tropo is relatively common for several US TV DXers. This is partly because of your relatively flat terrain. In Australia, due to our undulating terrain, being able to watch weak pictures via tropo, at 400 miles, is very rare. We do well when we can watch 250 mile pictures. So, do you think we (Australian TV DXers) are going to bother with 100-200 mile DTV DX, which will only happen a few times every summer? None of us will. For these reasons, most Australian DXers concentrate on ionospheric propagation modes, i.e. Es, F2, TEP, and MS, etc. DTV will make all these modes obsolete. Frequency measurements. How many of you appreciate the advantage of determining if a video carrier is on -10, 0, or +10 kHz offset? This is a big help in identifying Es or tropo TV DX. And taking it to further extremes, precision frequency measurement is very useful for identifying 'poor quality' F2, multi-Es, or TEP low TV DX. With DTV, all the above methods of freq measurement will be obsolete. Any high quality scanner will only give you digital hash. How boring! I was brought up in the old school of crystal sets and MW/SW radios. I started listening to MW DX when I was 5. No one encouraged me to do it. No one was really interested. But it was the appeal of a noisy signal, which faded up from nowhere, that got my attention. With DTV, it's either there or it's not. No fading pictures, no analog reception techniques such as freq measurement, bandwidth reduction, no 2,000 mile Es catches, no EME TV DX, no international TV DX, etc, etc. During the late 1970s, when I really started to get serious in TV DX, I was fully aware of the fantastic medium of international satellite TV reception. I was amazed that my local TV stations was able to relay strong pictures from the US. But did this make me want to start satellite TV? Of course not! Satellite TV is not DX, and never will be. It's like getting cable TV, and nothing more. If I ever bought a satellite TV receive system it would only be for entertainment purposes. Similar to my cable TV service. Apart from destroying all of what I love about TV DX, digital TV, like satellite TV, is something completely alien to my interests. Why is there an intense push for DTV from the regulating authorities, when there is obviously no real compelling interest worldwide for a systems changeover? Because they know that most viewers are quite happy to stay with the current analog TV sets. They know that most viewers are not interested in digital TV, hence the only way to make them interested, is if the authorities force viewers to buy digital TV sets and subsequently switch off all analog TV. I only know one person who is interested in digital TV. He can certainly afford $7,000 for a new DTV. Also, he has over $30,000 worth of audio-visual equipment. Everyone else I know is not the slightest bit interested in DTV. Many of them only buy secondhand 10- 15 year old TV sets. Many viewers are content with mediocre picture quality, indoor antennas, and secondhand TV sets. The other minority group is much more demanding: they are easily prepared to spend $15,000+ on home theatre and other audio-visual high-end gear. I think DTV and analog TV should both operate, thus giving viewers a choice without forcing them into any one system. This would cater for both the connoisseur and average TV viewer. If DTV is fully introduced, this will have a devastating effect on analog DX-TV. Hopefully the current negative worldwide attitude to DTV, will greatly extend analogue. I predict that when DTV, IBOC, etc. starts to take hold, DX club membership will gradually reduce. I'm pleased that we are not going to use the IBOC system. Also, most countries around us, including New Zealand, have no immediate plans for DTV. So far, we continue to enjoy analog TV DX. In over thousands of years of man's history, only a few thousand DXers have been privileged to experience analog TV DX from the late 1940s up until now. Assuming DTV completely takes over by 2020, that's only 70 years! I used to take every summer Es season for granted. It was all I knew since I was 14. Now that analog TV is threatened by DTV, my appreciation for analog has never been higher. Sometimes we take things for granted that they will always be there until it's too late. Regards, (Todd Emslie, Sydney, Australia, Dec 27, WTFDA via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ This is the weekend edition of DXers Unlimited amigos, and YES, the fact is that the year 2002 has proven to be a unique one regarding solar cycle 23... We still have to wait for a few more days, but doing some basic mathematics shows that the data won't change much when the daily solar flux figures for the last few days of 2002 are included... Now, standby for NEWS, here is what has happened, again results won't be final until next week, but the fact is that average daily sunspot number for the calendar year 2002 so far is 178.3. This contrasts with 170.3 for 2001, 173 for 2000 and 136.3 for 1999, which is surprising, since the peak of the cycle was expected to be a couple of years ago. A very interesting finding by all standards, something that Cuban scientists engaged in solar research had already warned me about, explaining that the September of 2002 record breaking month was a really important finding. Now, something also very interesting has happened, during the past few days solar activity has dropped significantly, so we may see rather low daytime maximum useable frequencies for the period between Monday and about the 6th of January. Holographic observations of the far side of the Sun show two rather large sunspot groups, that will surely increase the daily sunspot count when they rotate into view... Sí amigos, yes my friends, oui mes amis!! Solar cycle continues to puzzle scientists among other reasons because this particular cycle is the one best studied so far!!! (Arnie Coro, RHC DXUL Dec 28-29 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-203, December 25, 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 1162: [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162h.ram [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1162.html [from Thursday] WBCQ: Wed 2300 on 7415, 17495-CUSB, Mon 0545 7415 WWCR: Thu 2130 on 9475, Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WRN: rest of world Sat 0900, Eu only Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Thanks Glenn for another year of unbelievably fine DX News and shortwave information. I have long appreciated you and what you can amazingly do. Merry Christmas and have a fine New Year (LeRoy Long, OK) ** ANGOLA. 4950 Radio Nacional, Angola 2311-2339 12/25. While scanning the 60m band I rechecked 4950 to find Angola with a nice signal. Music program, in Vernacular, with easy-listening ballads including Dire Straits, in English, "So far away from me". "Radio Nacional" ID at 2328 during talk. Hope you had an enjoyable Xmas, spent with loved ones.Here in NH we are in the grip of the snowstorm that is making the national news, snow piling up fast and furious (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 15820-LSB, FM Hit, Buenos Aires, \\ 105.5 Mhz. 1933- 1940. Romantic music in Spanish. Program conduced by female. 44444.- At same time, in this frequency, on USB mode, communications between Argentine military staff in Antarctic region with their family in the continent! (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, Dec 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. At 0030 UT I heard unID station playing some hits like Happy New Year by ABBA. Frequency was 5796. Any idea which station it was? Thanks for the reactions! 73! (Ruud Vos, Utrecht, Holland, Dec 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) It's the 7th harmonic of fundamental 828, of national service "Horizont" from Bulgaria (Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it ibid.) ** CANADA. There are over a thousand news and current affairs radio and TV clips at the CBC Radio & Television Archives Web site at http://archives.cbc.ca/ The site is searchable by keyword or browsable by categories. Categories include sports, life & society, conflict & war, and people. Click on a category and you'll get several topics. Topics under life & society include Christmas, Marshall McLuhan, and a 1984 Papal visit. Pick a topic and you'll get several clips with thumbnail stills. Each item contains a brief note as to what it's about, as well as the media type (radio or television) and the running length. It looks like the clips play in Windows Media Player format. The breadth of clips offered here is pretty amazing. You can listen to Churchill's "Chicken" speech or see a story about the Cabbage Patch Kid mania. You can follow the devastation of Hurricane Hazel or check out the punk rock movement in Canada. Very interesting (Mike Terry, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. 9724.9V, University Network; 1411-1420 Dec. 24, presumed the transmission source. The usual Dr. Gene Scott babble, Los Angeles phone number by the voice-over man and black gospel bumper music. Frequency varying all over the place between 9724.8-9725.05. Very good (Terry L. Krueger, TOCOBAGA DX #67 - 25 December, 2002 CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA, via DXLD) {TIRWR, remember} ** CUBA. Just before my sunrise most Americans got weaker, and instead of that I got a fantastic signal from Radio Rebelde on 1180 kHz, peaking far above the S9 mark for several minutes around 0740 UT. Never heard them so strong before. I checked the parallel frequency of 5025, but that was inaudible (!). So, nice signals, totally against what I expected because of the active magnetic field. Mediumwave, an interesting band! (Dick van der Knaap, Holland, Dec 23, BDXC via DXLD) Radio Rebelde from Cuba came in again on 1180; today it started somewhere around sunrise. I first came across them at 0810, and the signal disappeared at 0823. There was a lot of echo on the signal; so maybe some kind of ducting/multipath signal. Heard this before on their signal, which is rather interesting (Dick van der Knaap, Holland, Dec 24, BDXC via DXLD) When I searched the band for Americans I came across an talkstation on 950 kHz. First I thought it was an Canadian, but --- then I heard them talking --- Spanish!!!!!!! They probably do not speak that on Canadian radio. Hmmmmmmmmmm interesting While listening at this station I found out that I was listening to Radio Reloj from Habana, Cuba!!!! Well, the station was there for only a few minutes, and then disappeared for good. I decided to check the 2 frequencies on which I recently heard other Cubans. On 890, Radio Progresso had a fine signal, but with some European interference. On 1180 I could hear Radio Rebelde in, but it was suffering heavy interference from the station on 1179. On 1470 I heard a station playing non-stop Carribean/Latin-music, with no news on the top of the hour. Maybe Venezuela?? I kept listening to Radio Progreso on 890, with slow fading on the signal it came in fine. Then around 0742 the signal rose up to well above the s9!!, and peaked at SINPO 34444 levels for a short time. Around 0745 the signal started to get weaker. After 0750 the signal was there all the time, but slowly fading up and down. At 0835 it disappeared into the noise. Meanwhile the transmitter on 1179 had switched off/or reduced power, and Radio Rebelde produced a fine signal. It got slowly weaker, and became more echoed and fluttery. At 0840 UT this one disappeared. Earlier this weak I discovered the sunrise peak on Radio Rebelde around the same time. The Cubans seem to peak for a few minutes somewhere around 10 minutes before my sunrise. (DX-tip???) Have a nice X-mas, and have fun on the magic-mediumwave band! (Dick van der Knaap, East Holland, Dec 25, Benelux DX Club via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Treasury bureaucrats forget which side of the Straits they live on SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/101289_cuba24.shtml U.S. THREATENS TO FINE MAN WHO POSTED CUBA NEWS --- Seattleite didn't have federal permission to promote meeting of 'sister cities' group Tuesday, December 24, 2002 By SAM SKOLNIK SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER Retired Seattle plumber and World War II veteran Tom Warner says he's been a proponent of the Cuban revolution and the country's president, Fidel Castro, since "he came down from the mountains." Recently, as secretary of the Seattle/Cuba Friendship Committee, Warner, 77, supported developing a "sister-city relationship" between King County and Cuba's Granma Province. Even though there are tight federal restrictions on traveling to and conducting business with Cuba, Warner never thought he would run afoul of the law by posting on a Web site information about a meeting of the U.S. Cuba Sister Cities Association in Havana. But that's what has happened. Treasury Department officials, saying that Warner lacked a "specific license" to promote the conference, are threatening to fine him up to $55,000 if he doesn't tell them everything he knows about the conference and the organizations involved. Treasury officials also contacted King County Councilman Dwight Pelz, D-South Seattle, and Alice Woldt, head of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, who unlike Warner actually attended the conference. Warner has hired a lawyer to argue that the demand for information violates his constitutional rights of free speech and due process. He and several supporters in the civil liberties community held a press conference yesterday to publicize his plight. "All he did was post information on the Internet and they threatened him with fines," said Neil Fox of the Seattle chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "This is a serious escalation of the assault on civil liberties in this country. It's outrageous." On Oct. 16, an official with Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control wrote Warner about the Web posting that appeared in January regarding the Havana conference the following month. "OFAC did not issue a specific license to you to organize, arrange, promote, or otherwise facilitate the attendance of persons at the conference in Cuba," the letter said. It went on to require that Warner give a "full explanation" of his involvement with the conference, including providing all relevant records. Warner's attorney, Lynne Wilson, wrote in response that Treasury "has no authority under the U.S. Constitution (or federal regulations) to interfere with someone's rights to post information on the Internet about a conference in Cuba." Treasury Department spokesman Rob Nichols declined to comment specifically on the Warner case. But when department officials are presented with information of possible violations of the 40-year-old embargo, he said, "we have to follow up on it." The reason to enforce the embargo is plain, said Nichols: "The Cuban government violates internationally accepted, basic standards of human rights." The department has not yet decided to fine Warner, Nichols said; that decision will come after he has had a chance to present his case. Though individuals can be fined up to $55,000 per infraction, the average penalty is $7,500, he said. After an impassioned debate, the County Council voted 7-6 in late October to reject the plan for a sister relationship with the Cuban province. U.S. veterans spoke out on both sides of the issue. About a dozen U.S. cities, including Tacoma, already have sister relationships with cities in Cuba. © 1998-2002 Seattle Post- Intelligencer (via David Crawford, DXLD) ** CYPRUS. 8464 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1600 id 98426 USB 3 10426 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1600 id 98426 USB 3 11545 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1400 id 50699 USB 3 12603 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1500 id 69078 USB 3 13375 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1500 id 69078 USB 3 14487 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1300 id 29372 USB 3 15682 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1300 id 29372 USB 3 16084 Lincolnshire Poacher CYP 21-12-02 1300 id 29372 USB 3 (Ary Boender, Netherlands, BDXC via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 5009.78, Radio Cristal Internacional/Radio Pueblo 15-10, Santo Domingo; 2104-2323 Dec. 23. Per Gerry Bishop's request, I checked to see how this one is currently IDing. Turned it on at 2104 and had a weak carrier (probably just missed the s/on at about 2100), nonstop Spanish news by M&W coming up but threshold level till about 2130, then slowly improving. Recheck 2249, a clear canned "Radio Cristal Internacional" ID and into the usual bachata-type canned music format. Abruptly into this weird techo/synth loop from 2302 for a couple of minutes, then "Noticias... Radio Pueblo [no "15- 10" tag] en Santo Domingo, y Radio M(?)--- y onda corta" followed by newscast by M, telco-ish audio. Presume the techno music was filler while they patched Pueblo back in. News item on Fidel Castro's bum leg, end of newscast at 2316 and into a long ad block. They key has always been: music and brief announcements (rarely commercials) is Cristal canned prorgamming, but live news and commercials is usually Pueblo. But when you are going to hear either, I can't say (Terry L. Krueger, TOCOBAGA DX #67 - 25 December, CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, via DXLD) ** INDIA. Recently while TWR Sri Lanka on 882 kHz was off air for some days, I could hear AIR Imphal there which is usually blocked by TWR. A reply to my email report to AIR Imphal has just been received stating that on November 17, 2002 they have commissioned a 300 kw transmitter replacing the old 50 kw one on this frequency. The Station Engineer has asked me to inform other DXers about this and he appreciates Reception Reports which must be sent to: R. Narasimha Swamy Superintending Engineer, All India Radio, IMPHAL, 795001 Manipur State, India email: narasimhaswamy@yahoo.com [not truncated!!] As TWR Sri Lanka is using the same frequency, it is a difficult catch for those in South India. DX listeners please note that this station also operates on SW 4775 at 0030-0215 & 1030-1700/1730 and on 7150 at 0230-0430/0530 & 0630-1030 with 50 kw and the above address can be used. Info on any feedback received is welcome. 73 (Jose Jacob, India, Dec 21, dx_india via DXLD) Early this morning at 2.00 am IST (2030 UT) while checking the MW bands, I heard test tone with extremely strong signals on 648 kHz. This continued till 5.53 am (0023 UT) when the tuning signals and ID of AIR Indore was given. Enquiries with the station officials confirmed that it was tests by their new 200 kw French made transmitter which is being used from last week. This replaces their old 100 kw transmitter. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS/AT0J, Hyderabad, Dec 24, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 11784.83, Voice of Indonesia; 2046-2102* Dec. 23, tune- in to English W host, Indo vocals with flutes, ID at 2056 into news summary on (mostly) Indo-related international policy issues. Closing ID at 2059, filler music and abruptly silent just past 2100 and carrier off at 2102. Fair via LSB (Terry L. Krueger, TOCOBAGA DX #67 - 25 December, 2002 CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA, via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL. Here's a great site if you have a broadband connection: http://tv4all.com/portal.htm It lists about 570 TV stations from a bunch of countries and their streaming speeds. They make for some very interesting watching at times, and video @ 300k is pretty decent, IMO (Jacob Norland, Dec 23, WTFDA via DXLD) Hey, you found a great site! I'm at a music video site in Sydney Australia called the basement http://www.thebasement.com.au where right now they are playing music on the audio and for the video they have a camera (or webcam) on a bus as it makes it's route and the camera checks out the people going on/getting off, the stores, points of interest, etc. It drove past a Mobil station but too fast for me to check out the gas prices. What a cool concept! I do the same thing when we go to NYC on the bus. (The music is pretty good also.) Thanks Jacob! (Mike Bugaj - Enfield, CT USA, WTFDA Circulation, ibid.) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non?]. According to a story on the 2200 GMT Kol Yisrael English news, Israelnationanews.com/A7.org was off the air for an hour after complaints that the pirate was carrying election propaganda. The police did a search and took pictures but did not confiscate any equipment. According to the story on the INN/A7 website, the captain was warned not to resume transmissions. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=36073 Hmm - Kol Yisrael said the ship is inside Israeli territorial waters whereas the story on the INN/A7 website said it is outside. Apparently you can have private stations in Israel but NOT national ones. There was a law giving them a license but it was nullified by the Supreme Court. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1040703242951 http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=244681&contrassID=1&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=0 (Joel Rubin, NY, Dec 24, swprograms via DXLD) ** IRAN [and non]. IRANIAN "PRO-REFORM" JOURNALISTS WRITE TO US COUNTERPARTS AS NEW YEAR The following "message" from Iranian "pro-reform journalists" is addressed to "American journalists" in Persian and English is published on the web site of the Iranian newspaper Aftab-e Yazd on 25 December [This is the text in English] The Christian New Year starts in a few more days. Reformist Iranian journalists wish a happy new year for their colleagues all around the world with an aching heart though. Various members of the benevolent, alert and cultured Iranian society were saddened when they found out about how the US Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has mistreated their compatriots. Iranians have no time in history supported the use of violent and illogical measures against unarmed people. They have indeed every way possible rejected cowardly acts. The latest case in point is the Iranian nation's condemnation of the 9/11 terrorist operations which claimed many innocent lives.... http://www.aftabnews.net/payam/en.pdf (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. RE: 11292: There seems to be something wrong with the modulation on this frequency. I hear a strong carrier on exactly 11292.00 [1525 UTC ?], but only occasional snatches of very faint modulation, which does indeed sound like Arabic music. With the hash from 400 computers and God knows how many fluorescent light tubes, this place isn't electrically quiet enough to hear anything intelligible (A. Sennitt, RN, Holland, Dec 18, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. Hi, I am currently having one of my best Christmases ever as just yesterday we got some excellent news (its embargoed until January but you can probably guess what it is!) Hope you are also having a wonderful holiday and that 2003 is a wonderful year for you. Merry Everything (Paul Rusling FellowAnoraks@longwaveradio.com 25 December 2002 11:41 via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. Voice of National Salvation: As I promised I have tried to make scanned copies of a letter and a "QSL-card" (so they say, but it is a program schedule) from Voice of National Salvation. I heard it on 4450 kHz. The address used was: National Democratic Front of South Korea, Grenier Osawa 107, 40 Nando-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (B. Fransson, Sweden, Dec 20, 2002 for CRW) It`s up on the CRW Clandestine radio gallery in a few days (Martin Schöch, Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. R. Farda: On Medium Wave it is on 1593 kHz from Kuwait with a power of 150 kW. I would be interested in any reports on this particular frequency because I just spent three months in Kuwait installing that transmitter (smile). It is an old Continental 318.5D series working into a two tower 1/4 wavelength array. The transmitter in Kuwait is using an Orban Digital Optimod limiter/processor. There is another medium wave transmitter with only 60 kW on 1539 (I think) at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (Gaines Johnson, Dec 18, dxing.info via DXLD) Gaines, This transmitter on 1593 kHz has even been heard in North America. We heard this from the coast of Newfoundland on November 5th and 6th during a DXpedition. The signal was fairly strong but it was getting chewed up by interference from Romania, Ireland and Egypt. It was interesting that the MW signal was a couple of seconds ahead of the parallel programming on 9680 kHz. (Jean Burnell, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Dec 20, ibid.) Hi Glenn, American propaganda station R. FARDA, 1593 kHz, has been regularly heard with Farsi programming around 1730 UT. Reception is fair to good even with my indoor loop antenna. RX: AOR 7030+ ANT: Wellbrook ALA 1530P-active loop. PS. MERRY X-MAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!! 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Dec 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS [non]. Hmong Lao Radio: Heute kam auch mein Brief an ULMD/Hmong Lao Radio (Box 2426, St. Paul, MN 55106) zurück. Auf dem Brief findet sich allerdings ein Hinweis "try St. Paul MN 55102-1139". Ich weiß allerdings nicht, ob das nur ein Hinweis für einen POstbeamten ist, und der Brief schon dort war. Ich werde es auf jeden Fall noch einmal mit diesem ZIP Code versuchen (P. Robich, Austria, Dec 16, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) see also USA non ** MALDIVE ISLANDS. The URL you were asking for - Voice of Maldives - is at http://www.vom.gov.mv/ Happy Holidays (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, Finland, Dec 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 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/ Launches wmp automatically; nothing else is there (gh, DXLD) {Later: any English? Yes, at 1200. Does anyone remember what SW frequencies VOM once used?} ** MALI. 5995, RTV Malienne, 2252-2258 12/25. Music program, in French, featuring love songs. Cover of Elvis' "Cant stop falling in love with you". Announcer with several mentions, "love". Crushed at 2258 by CRI 5990 s/on (via Cuba). Switched to // 4835 fair // 4783 poor (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 11770.17, Radio México Internacional; 1616-1644 Dec. 24, noted a big carrier here around 1310+, no audio making it through. Rechecking at 1616: Spanish M&W chatter, ID, classical music fills from 1636. Extremely low modulation, easy to pass up if not for the het. Their transmitters must be about ready to be curbside trashed. And on Dec. 25th: tune-in at 1735 to French programming. Very bad FMing audio on this channel, and weak modulation on 9704.97, took a few minutes to actually confirm it was French, with W continuously talking except for classical, opera and flute fillers. Indeed French is listed (albeit the timing has shifted) per their schedule, which is at http://www.imer.gob.mx/programacion/rmi.pdf in Acrobat format (Terry L. Krueger, TOCOBAGA DX #67 - 25 December, 2002 CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA, via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Re Piepzender website, 2-202: Beware: Music lanuches automatically obliterating whatever you are already listening to on real player!!! I hate websites that do this. Bezoeker, BEWARE (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. PBC on new 5080 is no doubt the News and Current Affairs programme ex 7105. The morning transmission remains on 7105 (though currently close to 7106). This transmitter often has a problem with the frequency exciter and produces a loud howl with the audio barely audible. When this happens, the "carrier" consists of several subcarriers that interfere with each other. Both frequencies are equally affected (Olle Alm, Sweden, Dec 25) ** PARAGUAY. 7737.3, Radio América, Villeta, 1006-1015, Diciembre 25. Charla religiosa en español. Música cristiana. 24442/1. Inaudible en 2300 y 9983 kHz (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PERU. 6956.65, 0745 Radio La Voz del Campesino, fair sig on Xmas day with chicha music. PWO (Paul Ormandy, Oamaru, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com Dec 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A time, I suppose, when they are not normally on the air. Check again NY Eve if not sooner (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. 9720.4 Radio Victoria, Lima, 0048+, Diciembre 25. Reporte de la hora: "7 y 48 de la tarde". Anuncio: "seguimos con el pastor internacional.....Morais". Charla religiosa en español. 24432. No pude escucharla en su frecuencia de 49 metros (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina) 13565.6, Radio Ondas del Pacífico, Ayabaca, 0106+, Diciembre 25. Música tropical andina. Muchas ID's: "Radio Ondas del Pacífico...... categóricamente superior...."; "Siempre contigo, Radio Ondas del Pacífico"; "Radio Ondas del Pacífico......su mejor compañía"; "Radio Ondas del Pacífico es la radio que nació para usted". 34443 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. A Puerto Rican station has applied for a "unitary license" - a permit to operate four transmitters on the same channel under a single license. WSTE channel 7 Ponce is licensed for a site about 6 miles northeast of the city. In 1986 they licensed boosters at San Juan, Mayaguez, and Arecibo. (WSTE-1, WSTE-2, WSTE-3) At about the same time, they licensed an auxiliary ("backup") transmitter in Ponce proper. Puerto Rico is a mountainous place. The documents indicate the station decided no single site could provide a decent signal across all the island, even though island-wide coverage *is* predicted by the formulas. So, with FCC consent, WSTE shut down their main transmitter (which would interfere with the boosters) and began running their Ponce backup transmitter and the three boosters instead. However, boosters can only operate if there's a primary station to relay, and only if the boosters are located within the (predicted) Grade B contour of the primary station. So WSTE has been required to maintain an operational transmitter and antenna at the main site. This transmitter has not been used since 1992. Basically, WSTE's request is to make this arrangement permanent. All four transmitters (the Ponce auxiliary and the three boosters) would be covered by a single license. So would four DTV transmitters, all on channel 66, at the same sites. The main transmitter would be closed and removed. Correct ERPs and coordinates for the three boosters appear in my database. The HAATs are 332m at San Juan; 366m at Ponce; and 28m at Arecibo. The Ponce auxiliary is not in the FCC database. (this is not unusual) It's 100 kW at 81m, at 18-01-46N / 66-38-09W. -- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66, http://www.w9wi.com Dec 19, WTFDA via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. RRI, the best heard in a long time, good modulation and no QRM tho a bit fluttery, on 9510 at 0646 Dec 25 with news in English (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Radio Gardarika of St. Petersburg, is again on SW. It will be on the air since December 20 to 31, 2002 from 2000 to 2300 UT on 5920 kHz in Russian/English from 200 kW transmitter beamed to Western Europe. The station also identifies itself as Radio Studio and Radio Nevskaya Volna (i.e. Radio Neva Wave). It verifies reception reports with QSL cards. Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all members of EDXP! (Alexander Beryozkin, St.Petersburg, Dec 24, EDXP via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [non]. MOLDAVIA: 7125 kHz Voice of Russia. Kishinyov. Tarjeta QSL (mencionando sitio transmisor en Kishinyov, Moldavia), tarjeta navideña, carta personal de agradecimento por el detallado reporte de recepción firmada por Tanya Stukova (Mrs.), boletín de horarios y frecuencias y folleto de participación del concurso de celebración de los 60 años de la resistencia del Ejército Rojo en Stalingrado frente a las tropas nazis. Demora de 22 dias. Es el radiopaís número 138 (Marcelo Toníolo, NY, Conexión Digital via DXLD) But is 7125 really Moldova? PWBR `2003` says it is in the 0100-0600 period, but B-02 HFCC registrations show 4 other sites, depending on the time, which you did not mention: 7125 1330 1600 44,45,64 TCH 250 120 1234567 271002 300303 RUS VOR GFC 7125 1600 1900 28NW EKB 240 281 1234567 271002 300303 RUS VOR GFC 7125 2030 2230 17,27N S.P 250 268 1234567 271002 300303 RUS VOR GFC 7125 2300 0600 17 ARM 500 310 1234567 271002 300303 RUS VOR GFC TCH = Chita, as if the way it`s transliterated into French were relevant; EKB = Yekaterinburg, as if the initial Y- in Russian were insignificant (and I have been informed there is no soft-sign in Yek... as I had been putting); S.P. must be St. Peterburg; and ARM the catch-all Armavir, also known by other names, none of which could be confused geographically with Moldova. Just because Moscow QSLs it as such does not make it so. VOR/R. Moscow/RMWS have an awful track record in specifying sites which are incorrect or downright lies held over from Soviet-era deceit and paranoia. But HFCC registrations are often falsified, too. So 7125 could really be Moldova; I believe the experts have discussed this before and hope they will refresh us briefly on this. Altho Marcelo was upset at a previous contradiction and may have given up reading DXLD. Nothing personal, I would assure him (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. The Civil Administration in Thamil Eelam -An American Academic - A US Academic, who spent several months in Thamileelam during a three year period (1994 - 1996), on his return to the US in 1996 sent this special report to the Tamil Voice. In this report he outlines his observations on the LTTE administration of the north I spent a total of one sesquiyear in the northern province of Sri Lanka since early 1994, as a volunteer working with farmers and educators. During this period I came to know the LTTE administrators and their administration of the Northern Province areas under their control. My observations below are based on that experience.... Communications: The north has no telecommunications link with the rest of the island or world. In total about 100 computers were in use before the October 95 offensive. The Sri Lankan radio and television programs are received in certain parts of the north with a tall antenna. International radio stations are the main source of reliable news. The LTTE operates an FM station for a few hours each day. [excerpt of only brief graf of relevance in very long article about all aspects of LTTE governance of area under their control] (via D. Prabakaran, Tamilnadu, CRW via DXLD) The entire document is in CRW #123, to be issued Dec. 31 (gh, DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. Higher harmonics do propagate even if the fundamental is too low for the given time of the day! 21 Dec at 0936, heard Tajik Radio on 28980 kHz (343) - it's the 4th harmonic of 7245. Even the 3rd harmonic, 21735 kHz, was audible, but much weaker (O=1...2). As per WRTH, 2nd domestic program must use the frequency during the daytime (Alexei Kulinchenko, Kazan, Russia, Signal Dec 24 via DXLD) ** U K. UK FREQUENCY ALLOCATION TABLE PUBLISHED From http://www.radio.gov.uk/ 20 December 2002 The Radiocommunications Agency has today published the UK Frequency Allocation Table (UKFAT) on its website at http://www.radio.gov.uk/topics/spectrum-strat/uk-fat/uk-fat2002.htm The UK Frequency Allocation Table, until recently a classified document, now covers the whole radio spectrum from 9 kHz to 275 GHz. It also identifies the responsibility for management of those frequency bands or services where management has been agreed, showing whether they are managed by the Radiocommunications Agency, the Ministry of Defence, or another Government department. Its publication responds to a recommendation of the independent Review of Radio Spectrum Management. The publication of the UKFAT will contribute to greater transparency about the use of the radio spectrum and help to identify further opportunities for sharing between civil and military users. A printed version of the UKFAT will be available from the Radiocommunications Agency shortly. Those wishing to receive a copy should contact the RA library on tel: 0207 211 0502/05 (via Mike Terry, Dec 23, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K. Glenn, You can watch the Queen's Xmas message at the BBC news website, but only after 1500 today (Ivan Grishin, Ont., Dec 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And for how long afterwards, I wonder. Specifically via: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/2604079.stm (gh) ** U K. MEMORIES OF A WORLD SERVICE CORRESPONDENT Friday, 20 December, 2002, 22:28 GMT As the BBC World Service celebrates its 70th birthday, former correspondent Mark Brayne reflects on what the station means to him. There were many times in my foreign journalistic postings through the 1970s and 1980s when I was aware of the impact around the world of the BBC World Service - and perhaps the most dramatic was in China during 1989. Students and workers were demonstrating in their hundreds of thousands on Tiananmen Square, but it was from the foreign radio stations that most were getting their information. At the height of the protests, so bloodily put down by the Chinese army a few days later, one group of students paraded through Beijing with a banner reading "Thank you BBC". In the middle of the following night I was reminded dramatically of the responsibility that goes with reporting for the World Service. A BBC colleague telephoned from the Square with rumours there that China's then supreme leader, Deng Xiaoping, had resigned. Scarcely having slept for weeks, I allowed my professional judgement to slip, and broadcast a despatch without further corroboration. Literally within minutes, the word on the Square was not that Deng's resignation was just rumoured. It had now been confirmed, by the BBC no less, a source impeccable above all others. Unfortunately for me, it was not true, and was quickly corrected. But it was a healthy reminder how at so many critical junctures in the past 70 years, it has been the World Service to which the world has turned. Serious values We do not always get it right. We do, though, take accuracy and credibility very seriously, and our listeners' trust and admiration rubs off on the journalistic mortals who provide the reporting. Again and again, as I travelled Central Europe as BBC correspondent for the region in the early 1980s, I would be met with, "Are you THE Mark Brayne?" It was a comment flattering to the ego of a correspondent greenhorn, but of course it was not about me. Every BBC correspondent has a rich store of such anecdotes, although since the fall of Communism, the World Service has been playing a different role for many of its traditional audiences. Informative role Today we aim to bring explanation, understanding and the highest journalistic standards to countries now deluged and confused by information of their own. And of course we bring music, and art, and literature, and companionship. Whenever I wonder whether the World Service gets the right mix, I remember the words of one of the Western hostages held in Lebanon in the 1980s. During his six-and-a-half-year captivity, Thomas Sutherland had a small receiver in his cell. Listening to the BBC, he said, had kept him sane. And if someone were to begin with a blank sheet of paper and devise the world's best possible radio station, he observed, what would they would end up with? The BBC World Service. Mark Brayne spent nearly two decades reporting Cold War Europe and China for Reuters and the BBC, with postings in Moscow, Berlin, Vienna and Beijing (BBCWS website via Kim Elliott, Dec 24, DXLD) ** U K / U S A. The moaning and groaning about Byford and the BBC on this list is becoming tedious. Follow the money. BBC makes money from selling its programming to Sirius, XM Satellite Radio, and Public Radio International. Why do you expect them to compete with themselves by giving their product away free on shortwave to the North American audience? Get over it. The BBC will not be back on SW beamed to NA. I find that between 15.190, 12.095, 9.410, 6.195 and 5.975 I can hear BBC well enough at most any time of day or night. Granted, I live in a part of the USA that enjoys good SW reception from the UK direct or the relay facilities in Antigua. But then so does 80% of the US and Canadian population. If you can't hear them, I suggest you get a better antenna. I live over 100 miles from Washington DC and Philadelphia, PA yet I can hear an hour of BBC on FM at 5 AM, via WSCL, Salisbury, MD and a half hour of BBC World TV news via BBC America on Direct TV at three different times in the morning and at 6 PM in the evening. I also get an hour of BBC on the FM radio at 9 AM via the New Jersey public broadcasting network At 5 PM I get a program jointly produced by BBC and WGBH, Boston via WSCL. That totals up to 5 hours a day of BBC news without ever turning on my shortwave or satellite radio. And I live in the boondocks. Me thinks thou dost protest too much. "Aye, aye. Full power to the deflector shields. Brace for incoming photon torpedos." ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., Joe Buch, DE, Dec 20, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ No torpedoes, but I've done a little research. Here's the skinny as I have it: 1. BBC gets nothing from Sirius or XM. It's a straight barter arrangement, if one can call it that. BBC gets an outlet; Sirius/XM get (differing, btw) programming. Agreement has a shelf life (no one will say how long) and will have to be renegotiated at some future date. 2. PRI affiliates do pay...a flat fee regardless of how much BBC content they use. PRI also gets a cut of each affiliate fee. 3. Shortwave was never a factor in either negotiation, say my sources. BBC is free to distribute any way it wishes --- including DRM if they want. 4. If one only measures BBCWS hourly news availability, then BBCWS presence is up via FM in the US. There has been near zero success in getting PRI affiliates to relay other programming and more longer form news programs. (There is some churn....stations cancel or reduce output; others sign on and add.) Rich Cuff could check this with his sources, but I am told that there is disappointment at Bush House on this score, though their concern is much more with brand recognition - - raw numbers that say they have heard a BBC ID in the last month. To be perfectly frank, I find the concept that public pressure (due to loss of shortwave availability) will push PRI affiliates to add more BBC content to be preposterous. Equally so for an argument that potential to hear BBCWS will drive sat radio subscriptions. It just ain't happenin'. Joe's attempt to inject some logic into this subject is most welcome. Quite honestly, I think the whole thing is getting tedious as well. Yes, some frequencies still work somewhat. But it was a boneheaded decision, as much for how and when it was done, as what was done--and it sticks in the craw. I also don't think the Beeb's management should be let off the hook -- even at this late date-- for laying this egg. Furthermore and curiously, it was they that chose to bring it up all over again on Byford's Talking Point appearance. Obviously and oddly, *they* still think it's an issue! Even Coke relented and went back to its old formula when it received enough complaints! The part of this that's even more tedious is the willingness of the BBC to beat this dead horse (if that is truly what it is) itself on its own dime! PS: Sorry, Joe; but there's always the delete key. :-) Odd, though, isn't it that more PRI stations don't use more BBC content given that they pay the same whether they run 5 minutes of news or the full 24 hour schedule? The economics would appear to compel a different approach. My PD at the local public radio outlet says there's a limit to the audience's tolerance for foreign content. Evidently that ceiling is quite low (John Figliozzi, ibid.) I hate to say I told you so (not that anybody at the BBC was listening when I said the same thing back in 2001!) but public radio stations that play a "news/talk" format have certain things that they play that are well-established and are not going anywhere. No US public radio station that carries All Things Considered for two hours (and many do) is going to change to playing 1 hour of ATC and one hour of Newshour from the BBC. Ditto for Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, This American Life, Fresh Air, Marketplace, etc. Whoever convinced the folks at the BBC that stations would cut back programs like this to air BBC content did a fabulous sales job!! Interestingly enough, I have no idea if this is still the case, in the mid 1980s when I lived in Durham, NC, I heard the BBCWS for top of the hour updates on WCPE from Raleigh. This station played classical music and they got their BBCWS feed via shortwave. (At one point they were trying to put in a bigger antenna to get better reception.) I believe they felt that a membership in NPR wasn't cost effective since they were all music, and getting BBC on shortwave allowed them to have an hourly newsbreak without signing up for NPR. But that's just my hunch (Kyle Barger, Dec 21, swprograms via DXLD) WCPE recently had to drop BBC news (long since via satellite, not SW) as costs are going way up for rights, sewn up by PRI (gh, DXLD) If the BBC's intent is to drive more of the audience to alternative delivery modes including DRM, then cancellation of the North American and South Pacific targeting on analog SW will certainly work to that end. Once the audience is transitioned to these alternative modes, then the BBC will be in a better position to negotiate carriage renewal contracts or charge subscription fees. Think of the current arrangements as loss leaders with long term revenue possibilities. I think there is also a fear of British accents distorting the image of a station. To those of us who have been enjoying the BBC since we were kids, the British accents are no big deal but to most Americans, British accents sound haughty and aloof, just the image public radio is trying to move away from. That is why the two most carried programs on USA NPR/PRI outlets (The World and World Update) use an American hostess in one case and co-production by WGBH announcers in the other. I remember the first time I heard Estelle Winters' British accent on the Voice of Russia. She sounded really snooty. I was very surprised to find she was quite pleasant and friendly when I met her at the SWL WinterFest a few years ago. That just shows me how one might form an incorrect image of a person or a radio station based on accents. By the same token, many people from the southern part of the USA sound stupid to my yankee ears. You don't hear many southern accents on the radio north of the Mason-Dixon Line unless they are trying to cultivate a folksy radio image. (People in southern New Mexico told me I had a New York accent, but I don't think I did because I learned to talk in Indiana and had not lived in New York for 25 years.) I do know of one FM station in Carmel, California that was running the entire BBC stream 24 hours a day when I visited there a few years ago. That is a very upscale area with lots of rich, educated people. It is hardly representative of mainstream America. In this case the BBC programming certainly set the station apart from the rabble in a community where many of the people think of themselves as above average in affluence and lifestyle. Here the BBC seemed to fit right in. I would be interested to hear from other readers who know of other stations relaying BBC during prime time for extended periods. Maybe we can make some inferences based on where those stations are located. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, Dec 21, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ Remember, too, that not all public radio stations -- even those who take NPR programming -- are PRI members. For WDIY-FM here in Allentown, the PRI membership alone would be $17,000 per year. Money they don't have. Then there's the fees for the BBCWS programming on top of that (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, ibid.) [Listener support:] What's being suggested here is changing the funding model of an international broadcaster. And y'all thought that getting a station to reverse a mere policy was difficult! :-) Read my lips |g| --- The BBCWS feels that, via FM and the internet, it is already getting its broadcasts to the people they feel are important to its purposes. You heard Byford mention Boston, New York and Washington, as well as "opinion formers". You could add another handful of cities to that list, but not much more. That is the message from Bush House, I'm afraid. The fact of the matter is: they don't much care if they're heard in Sheboygan (sp?) or Ypsilanti (sp?) (or even Toronto, apparently). If they can be heard there (or by secondary shortwave frequencies), it's a "value-added" situation as far as the BBC is concerned --- and not something for which they are willing to pay extra --- such as that $700,000. We may not agree with the approach (and I don't, fwiw); but we really don't have a say. And if the dissidents are right and Byford is wrong, the WS will suffer some consequences from that approach. If you really want to hear them well and often and ON A RADIO, then FM is the main game and Joe's plan is the way to go. As Scott said, "Think local". I enjoy this discussion because it calls into play the purpose of international broadcasting, the viability of the public service broadcasting model and the future (or lack thereof perhaps) of them both --- not because of the declining importance of shortwave radio (what someone referred to as "nostalgia"). Shortwave is simply a means to an end for an international broadcaster and has not been the only such means for the better part of a decade now. It stands to reason that a broadcaster would want to deploy a range of distribution options to best effect. Where I disagree with the BBCWS most is in its attempt to target something called an "opinion former". Their model, in this regard, assumes a certain stasis in that definition. One need only to look at what it is happening in the world today to understand that today's "opinion-former" can be tomorrow's "nobody" (and vice- versa) in a heartbeat. With that in mind, one would think that a station would gladly want to serve anyone who finds something of value in what the station is doing --- especially those who have recognized that value over time. (Personally, I think the folks that run many of these stations and services lack an essential understanding of the nature of their enterprises and how they differ from other broadcasting ventures; and are surprisingly ill-equipped for their tasks. But that's only an opinion (one informed by some knowledge, I hope) and I fully understand that times do change. Nonetheless, I do feel we are experiencing a serious loss in some respects and I regret that.) As far as changing Byford's mind, that horse ran a long time ago. (Actually, it's dead and has been pulverized nearly into dust at this point.) But I still think it's fun to talk about (John Figliozzi, ibid.) I believe that for Byford, it's *not* about getting the greatest audience numbers. It's about getting to those "opinion formers", average people be damned. In this case, letting people to listen to things such as "Saturday Sportsworld", "Westway", or any of the classical music programs isn't necessary. As long as they get the news and information parts of the stream out, that seems to be all they're looking for. The impression Byford gives is that he believes shortwave in North America is only for a) people who believe in the black helicopter conspiracies, and b) people who care about tractor production in Albania (Ted Schuerzinger, ibid.) I was not an opinion former when I first heard the BBC. I must have been less than 8 years old because World War II was still in progress. In 1943 my family moved from Indiana to Long Island and the old man rented a house next to Mrs. Baxter. Mrs. Baxter had the habit of playing her radio pretty loudly with her windows open. Mrs. Baxter was a transplant from the UK who used the BBC to keep up with the war news. I asked her one day after hearing the chimes of Big Ben what that was she was listening to. She invited me in to listen to her big console radio with the green tuning eye. I was impressed. We had a Silvertone console in the living room as did most families of that era. I never knew it had any use except to listen to the Lone Ranger and Captain Midnight. I used that radio to tune in the BBC and other shortwave stations. I was hooked at an early age. As I grew in education and mental capacity I came to respect the BBC as a great source of news and, in those days, comedy. My sense of the world and my sense of humor were irreparably warped. I became an opinion former. But because the BBC was not only targeting opinion formers in those days, I was convinced as a very young person that the British had ideas I could learn from and funny stuff that could make my life richer. Today, I vote and like most people on this list, I am not shy about sharing my opinions. I do so often in print, in broadcast talk radio, or on the internet. I consider myself an opinion former whose opinion of the UK and its culture was formed long before I became an opinion former of others. The BBC can learn a lot from the Catholic Church or the Church of England. Get them young and brainwash them while they are impressionable. The BBC did that to me. (The Catholic Church tried but failed.) The BBC should not target only opinion formers but folks like me whose opinions can be molded over decades of intelligent radio listening. In my now-formed opinion they can best do that by targeting everyone via as many different media as possible and over time the opinion formers will evolve, understanding the UK's view of the world and respecting the UK's contribution to civilization. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more! The BBC on SW beamed to North America should not be a dead parrot, but it is as far as the BBC budget is concerned. So we do what we have to do. We listen on FM or the internet or on SW with a slightly better antenna than we needed before. Someplace out there is a pimple-faced kid surfing the internet who stumbles across the BBC web pages and the cycle begins again. Some day he or she may even may even stumble across the Universal Radio web site and jump to the next level of evolution. Or is it devolution? ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, ibid.) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ Last words from me on this: As you know, I disagree vehemently with the point that the difference (between public and commercial) doesn't matter and that it's all "inside baseball". NBC TV (stateside) prides itself on excelling in attracting a particular demographic (age and income) even though its gross numbers may be lower than another network's. Understandable because what you're really trying to do is sell soap --- the programming is just an intro to the ads --- and you'll sell more soap if you target those who have the money and are more easily convinced to buy. Others want large raw numbers and program to the lowest common denominator as a result. (NBC just programs to the lowest common denominator of its prime target demographic.) Public service broadcasting --- in its "purest" sense --- has an entirely different orientation. The programming is the point and the audience for each offering is almost always a minority one. (Of course, these are gross generalizations to illustrate the contrast, but the contrast is clearly identifiable and not at all illusory or subtle.) It may be true that some (many?) wish to blur the distinctions because it serves their own agendas. And I'm not saying that numbers don't matter at all. But Star TV (and CNN) is one thing; the BBC (at least traditionally) is another. The standards and measurements applied to each should be different to recognize these distinctions. But if public has to measure up to commercial (and, therefore, presumptively compete with it), then the public will, indeed, begin to resemble the commercial more and more until the distinction becomes illusory. That is what is going on with public service media, in my view. Instead of a Byford standing ground and insisting on a recognition of the difference (as some former BBC DGs and MDs have done), he blurs the distinction while insisting that the BBC is superior (to Star or CNN). Oddly enough, that's only true as long as that public/commercial distinction can be maintained because it is that distinction that earned the BBCWS its stature. But what point will the "commercial popularization" of the WS erase that distinction entirely and its reputation with it? Put another way, two items may be fruit, but one is an apple and the other is an orange. Telling me you're handing me an apple because it's the same thing as an orange may serve a marketing purpose, but it doesn't change reality. ("It's all fruit! Most people don't care whether they eat an apple or an orange!") Maybe (as the consumer) I'll shake my head yes and accept your apple as an equivalent to the orange I originally asked for --- but that only acknowledges your marketing skill or your force of will, not your knowledge of fruit or my skill at getting you to give me what I wanted in the first place. If the only kind of programming that is deemed worthy of seeing the light of day is the one that will produce the most eyeballs for an ad campaign, then so be it. But don't tell me there is no important difference between programming produced primarily for commercial imperatives and that produced for primarily social benefit (in the eyes of the producer) or artistic imperatives. That's just not so and it's a tremendous disservice to the public service foundations of our broadcasting system in the US, as well as that of the BBC, to perpetuate that new myth. Peace (John A. Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) ** U K. BBCR3 WORLD MUSIC DAY 1/1/2003 http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/world/wmdday2003.shtml Streaming available via web-embedded RA player. (You need to have RA installed in one form or the other.) Digging through my web cache I find: rtsp://rmlivev8.bbc.net.uk/farm/*/ev7/live24/radio3/live/fmg2.ra (Joel Rubin, NY, Dec 21, swprograms via DXLD) ** U K O G B A N I. NORTHERN IRELAND CLANDESTINE GETS TEMPORARY LICENCE Radio Failte /Triple FM, Teach Na Feile, 473 Falls Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT12 6DD. Tel: +442890319150 E-mail: feile@iol.ie The Irish Nationalist station "Radio Failte" based in Belfast has got a temporary 28 day licence from the UK radio authority despite broadcasting illegally in Belfast for several months now. Most of R Failte's (Failte = "Welcome") programming is in the Irish Gaelic language it broadcasts on 107.0 MHz FM. The only other clandestine known to have broadcast in NI in recent years has been the nationalist "Radio Equality" in Portadown which broadcast during the Durmcree/ Garvaghy riots in July however during the 1970's there were a lot of broadcasts from various Nationalist and Loyalist (pro British) factions (M. Byron, Great Britain, Dec 20, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. 15495, United Nations Radio (via BBC, Skelton); 1732-1745* Dec. 24, English M&W with UN news. A mere 15- minute transmission, listed as Monday-Friday 1730-1745 (Terry L. Krueger, TOCOBAGA DX #67 - 25 December, 2002 CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA, via DXLD) ** U S A. 540, WPDI548, CO Denver - 12/24 0900 - Noted with a full length Christmas song inserted into the usual parking and telephone number info loop. This is at Denver International Airport 15 miles east of me. (PG-CO) (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, Drake R-8 and Kiwa loop, NRC-AM via DXLD) Used to be on 530; I heard in Kansas on groundwave; or maybe that was another Denver TIS. 540 ought to get creamed at night by XEWA, CBK, etc. (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Re Bruce Elving`s message to the American Family Network: It's a fine letter, perfect in spirit and content. And I don't agree with those who feel that you are tilting uselessly at windmills, Bruce. Your application and use of your citizen's right to free speech is something that I take very dearly to heart, and I can think of no better use of it than to better the DX'ing hobby, not to mention attempting to correct an illegal practice by a large religious organization whose bullying tactics are way out of place, especially at this time of the year. I see posted gripes from those who whine about the ineffectiveness of the FCC too often; I'd MUCH rather see a post detailing action helping the FCC to correct problems. You are to be congratulated for your efforts (Paul Swearingen, Topeka, KS, amfmtvdx via DXLD) Many thanks, Paul, for your heartfelt comments. I hope I can continue to uphold the right of DXers to expect the finest of the broadcast stations they DX (Bruce Elving, ibid.) Subject: [AMFMTVDX] Bruce Elving, AFR and deregulation Bruce Elving has touched on a broader issue affecting not only the broadcast industry but the public: The deregulation of the airwaves. The airwaves are public property -- like the sidewalks, streets, national parks, and town squares. Furthermore, they are a vital form of communication, by citizens, and a foundation of our democratic political and social system. Thus, the airwaves themselves more than just a business. Businesses do use the airwaves for broadcasting, but so do government and non-profit civil-society institutions. No one outside of the state, representing the public, owns the broadcast spectrum or space on that spectrum. We the people -- so to speak -- do. Government agencies like the FCC, the CRTC, and their counterparts around the world exist to regulate the airwaves. In democratic societies, these agencies are supposed to be accountable to the citizenry. Citizens include those whose primary interest is business and religion, but these groups are among many interest groups in society. However, broadcast deregulation has in effect turned these agencies into -- at best -- paper pushers. Traditional anti-interference regulations and other measures have, for the most part, gone out the window. The result is chaos. IBOC and the whole introduction of digital broadcasting is a classic example of what we can expect from a government when that government chooses to serve and represent particular interest groups, or specific parties within larger interest groups. If IBOC continues as we are currently experiencing it, broadcasters will be able to use IBOC to obliterate each other. Like a bad game of splatterball. Deregulation means stations will be able to identify however they choose, if and when they want. They will be able to sell their broadcast licences to other parties without public input. They will be able to freely air racist language. I'm currently fighting an Ontario station that used the term 'wop' to describe an Italian scientist -- actually it was the U.S.-based Phil Hendrie Show, which runs on CKTB in St. Catharines. The CRTC no longer handles these complaints; I've been handed off to the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, an industry-run voluntary compliance outfit. They passed me onto the broadcaster, whose spokesperson says we should just agree to disagree. I wouldn't personally put my energy into Bruce's cause, and my methodology might differ from his, but I do wish him every success. We all have the right to know very specifically who the tenants are on public property. This is not a DX issue, to me. DXers don't have any special privileges. If there is room to make the spectrum more crowded, and in return increase the variety of programming and people who have access to the airwaves, then that is ultimately more important than having channels that can be easily DXed. Not to say I don't experience some mild disappointment when new locals take to the air (Saul Chernos, Ont., amfmtvdx via DXLD) Well! Put!! (gh) ** U S A. SPECTRUM WANTS TO BE FREE -- NEVER PAY FOR PHONE, CABLE, OR NET ACCESS AGAIN --- Issue 11.01 - January 2003 VIEW By Kevin Werbach A revolution is brewing in wireless. In an industry speech in October, FCC chair Michael Powell expressed support for a radical idea called open spectrum that could transform the communications landscape as profoundly as the Internet ever did. If it works, you'll never pay for telephone, cable, or Net access again. Open spectrum treats the airwaves as a commons, shared by all. It's the brainchild of engineers, activists, and scholars such as wireless gadfly Dewayne Hendricks, former Lotus chief scientist David Reed, and NYU law professor Yochai Benkler. The idea is that smart devices cooperating with one another function more effectively than huge proprietary communications networks. The commons can be created through distinct, unlicensed "parks" or through "underlay" technologies, such as ultrawideband, that are invisible to licensed users in the same band.... http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.01/view.html (via ??, DXLD) ** U S A. TV DXING IN A DIGITAL WORLD It's a safe bet to say that most of us in the WTFDA have access to a computer now and that most of have visited eBay at least occasionally, if not daily. It's also a safe bet to say that if we do any TV DXing at all we would also like to DX the DTV channels. But our options are few since a good DTV set-top box will set us back around $400 and most of us either can't or won't pay that price. If we can't afford a Samsung DTV converter the next best option might be a Hauppauge Win TV-D Card for our computers. Prices on these cards have come down on eBay to the point where you can purchase a new card for $130 or less. In one instance a WTFDA member recently bought one for only $115! 2003 will be another huge year for digital television. At this time the CEA reports that there are over 600 DTV stations on the air with another large batch ready to hit the streets on or soon after January of 2003. What this means is that analog TV DXing will be harder to accomplish than it already is. With all this in mind, what do we do? Do we stay with our analog TVs and hope we can log something new or do we just take down our antennas and say adios to TV DX or do we try to adapt to the new technology, which means purchasing a converter or a computer card. I went with the computer card. I really didn't want to give up on something I enjoy. The price was right and others have done it successfully and were there for support if I needed it. Watching TV with the Hauppauge DTV card is an eye-opener. Channels I thought were empty are not. Sure I could guess about a couple of stations, but others came as a real surprise. The "snow" I saw on channels 10 and 11 is a perfect WTNH and WWLP DTV picture. The same goes for channels 33, 34, 36, 39, 45, 46, 55 and 58. That stretch of channels from ch 30-40 that looked so empty on my Sanyo analog TV is not empty at all. DXing the digital channels should be interesting. However when one is accustomed to looking for weak, snowy signals as tropo indicators, a little re-thinking of the methods used needs to take place and I'm still in the re-thinking phase. As you all know, with DTV DXing you won't see a weak snowy picture. You'll see a black screen or a perfect picture or you might see a broken up picture with part of it out of place or digitally garbled. How do you know when the tropo is up? Luckily at this point we still have analog channels on the air. My best bet, I think, is to keep using my analog set to look for signs of tropo on those channels I still have use of. Or better yet, use my FM equipment to look for signs of trop. Next I have gone to Antennaweb.org on the internet and downloaded channel listings for Boston, NYC and other places, to get an instant grasp of what DTVs are actually on the air, and on what channels. And I also keep my VUDs handy for Doug's TV News columns. Then, all that is left to do when tropo shows is to find out where it's coming from, point my dish into that area and then check the available DTV channels. It's a strange feeling to watch a black screen…not at all like watching snow and the familiar audio hiss that goes with it. Watching a black screen is unnatural, if you ask me. But that's what we'll have to do if we want to do any TV DXing in the future. Right now we still have our old familiar analog stations to help ease the transition and provide some comfort, but when those have gone and the digital stations are the only ones left, will we still get any satisfaction out of staring into the black nothingness, hoping for a picture to appear? Each of us will have to answer that. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Yes, you can. Can a veteran analog DXer learn new digital tricks? No doubt about it, but the question is will the veteran analog DXer want to learn them. Time will tell (Mike Bugaj, CT, Jan WTFDA VHF-UHF Digest via DXLD) ** U S A. A CANADIAN HEARD ON HIGH http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/PEstory/TGAM/20021224/FASS24/Features/features/features_temp/2/2/3/ PRINT EDITION SOCIAL STUDIES A DAILY MISCELLANY OF INFORMATION BY MICHAEL KESTERTON Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ont.) Tuesday, December 24, 2002 - Page A20 At 9 p.m. on Christmas Eve, 1906, a dozen or so wireless-radio operators in the Caribbean began to hear faint, ghostly music. One said to his shipmates, "Listen, I hear an angel's voice on the microphone, and music and singing, too." But it wasn't an angel. It was Canadian-born inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden, called by some the Father of Radio. A few notes: Mr. Fessenden's target audience, crews sailing aboard the banana fleet of the United Fruit Co., were told only that there would be a special broadcast on their ship-to-shore telegraph systems. They expected it would be Morse Code dots and dashes from the equipment the company had purchased from Mr. Fessenden. Instead, they heard a short voice announcement, followed by the Edison-Bell recording of Handel's Largo. A woman sang some carols and Mr. Fessenden scraped out Oh Holy Night on his violin. He sang the last verse and remarked: "If anybody hears me, please write to Mr. Fessenden at Brant Rock" in Massachusetts. He had just become the world's first music deejay, by devising a successful AM transmitter. Mr. Fessenden disagreed with Marconi's theory that radio transmissions were brief electrical whiplashes. The inventor himself believed broadcasts were like water ripples that moved in continuous waves, in widening circles, and that voice and music might be carried on them. Thomas Edison, his one-time employer, had told Mr. Fessenden that wireless speech was about as likely as a man jumping over the moon. The Christmas Eve broadcast was Mr. Fessenden's first announced transmission over long distances. In 1900, he had sent the first voice-only message, a distance of one mile: "Is it snowing where you are, Mr. Thiessen?" The man once called "the greatest wireless inventor of his age" accumulated more than 500 patents in his career. (He might have done his inventing in Canada if McGill hadn't turned him down when he applied for a professorship.) Many of Mr. Fessenden's ideas were widely adopted -- without his consent -- during the First World War. In 1928, the U.S. Radio Trust paid him $2.5-million in recognition of his contributions to the medium. Source: Social Studies, 1996 (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. BEWARE OF FORKED-TONGUE WARRIORS By Ian Urbina, San Antonio Current, December 12, 2002 Wedged between a rack of 99-cent cheese crisps and a display of pork rinds stood a life-sized cardboard cutout of a buxom blonde in a red miniskirt. Resting on her inner thigh was a frosty bottle of Miller Genuine Draft. "That's essentially what we do," an army major remarked, pointing to the stiletto-heeled eye-catcher. "But we don't sell beer." The scene was a recruitment barbecue conducted by the U.S. Army's 11th Psychological Operations Battalion ("Psy-ops," for short), held recently at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington, D.C. Amid the Cheetos, cheesecake, and a sweaty game of softball, there was casual chit-chat about the workplace challenges faced by these fatigue-wearing PR execs. Part ad men and part ethnographers, these specialists, some of whom are just back from Afghanistan, are dispatched regularly to front lines in the Middle East for hearts-and-minds campaigns aimed at undercutting the enemy's military morale and winning over civilian support. Many are waiting eagerly for a call to Iraq. With the U.S. military deploying in every corner of the globe, demand is booming in the psychological warfare industry these days, and Psy-ops is especially eager to recruit outsiders who have experience or interest in the Middle East. Hence, the barbecues, accompanied by war stories - actually, psy-war stories. Although invited, I am a reporter, so recruiters and guests wouldn't speak to me for attribution. They did, however reluctantly, share some yarns. "Much of the time on the ground," one private recalled about a tour of duty in the Middle East, "is spent driving around the desert in Humvees mounted with nine speakers, each blasting a thousand watts of noise. Tank treads, helicopter propellers, huge guns - we broadcast anything that'll scare the shit out of 'em." When music is chosen, the playlist tends to be short: Beach Boys, AC/DC, and Jimi Hendrix's shrill "Star-Spangled Banner," repeat ad nauseam until the enemy submits out of sheer annoyance. Other psy-opers parachute in and then remain stationary, setting up the army's equivalent of a battlefield copy shop to churn out agitprop handbills in the millions. Some operatives are airborne aboard Commando Solo, an Air Force cargo plane converted into a $70 million flying radio and TV station, beaming news, tunes, and an occasional bit of disinformation to the enemy. "We just deliver the goods," quipped the major who played host to me. "The guys down South drawing the cartoons are the ones paid six figures to know that because bananas are a delicacy in Iraq, they should get drawn into the picture with an enticing feast scene." Headquartered at the 4th Psychological Operations Group in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the psy-op artists typically rely on cartoon animations to convey their messages. But it is psy-op history itself that belongs in a comic strip: Its collection of harebrained schemes is sometimes almost too colorful to believe, though all of the following tales have been covered in the press at one point or another. One such plan initially investigated by the Air Force before Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait entailed the projection of a holographic image of Allah floating over Baghdad and instructing Iraqi civilians to overthrow Saddam. The idea was promptly dropped after scientists informed the Pentagon that it would require a mirror a square mile in area, not to mention the added problem that no one knows what Allah looks like. Furthermore, since divine portrayals of any kind are strictly forbidden in Islam, the hologram would surely have elicited a reaction, but probably not the one intended. Framing an understandable message is always tough. When using comic strips, captions need to be as concise and simple as possible. Yet, even in small amounts, the use of text raises questions. One has to wonder, for example, whether it was really effective to drop millions of text-based leaflets on Afghanistan, where barely 30 percent of its 27 million people can read. In all cases, well-crafted animations are a must, and for the highest quality drawings, the 4th at Bragg sometimes opts to contract out. In 2000, it hired DC Comics to produce special versions of Superman and Wonder Woman comic books, in the languages of the Balkans, Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, to educate locals on the dangers of land mines. But even Superman can be confusing at times: Although widely understood in some contexts, thought bubbles appearing above a cartoon character's head left some readers, especially rural ones, completely baffled, according to press accounts. Often more confusing than convincing, psy-ops can suffer hugely from the smallest graphical errors. A T-shirt used in Cambodia to try to deter kids from entering certain unsafe zones featured a boy squatting over a mine that he was poking with a stick. The silk-screened shirt was yanked from production, according to one account, when angry villagers kept asking why American personnel were distributing images of kids defecating over land mines. The squatting boy was eventually redrawn. Bigger mistakes mean bigger consequences. Leaflets dropped in Somalia in 1992, prior to the U.N. troop arrival. were meant to assure the populace of the mission's humanitarian intentions. Unfortunately, of all the personnel the U.S. initially deployed in the country, only two were native speakers, and one turned out to be the son of the country's bloodiest warlord. Pamphlet proofreaders, needless to say, were in short supply, and the result was sometimes quite embarrassing. Instead of announcing help from the "United Nations," the pamphlets spoke of help from the "Slave Nations," and as anyone who has seen the movie Black Hawk Down can certainly attest, neither the blue helmets nor the boys with stars and stripes were welcomed with open arms when they eventually landed ashore. The backflow of misinformation can also be a serious problem. Although the Pentagon and the CIA are barred by U.S. law from propaganda activities in the United States, during the mid 1970s increased scrutiny of military intelligence operations revealed that programs planting fake leaks in the foreign press had resulted in false articles running back through the U.S. media. But sometimes the false articles are intentional. When the American public seemed to be developing weak knees about the Nicaraguan contras, the Office of Public Diplomacy, part of the Reagan-era State Department, quickly leaked fake intelligence to The Miami Herald that the Soviet Union had given chemical weapons to the Sandinistas. Distribution of misinformation overseas can be trickier. In 1999, during the NATO air war in Yugoslavia, more than 100 million leaflets were to be dropped on Kosovo. But at the designated time, there was too much ground-to-air fire for planes to fly lower than 20,000 feet. Swept by strong winds, many leaflets landed in the wrong country, according to military reports. Sometimes, the packages land in the right place, and the enemy is quite happy about it. During World War II, the Japanese utilized the standard tactic of telling American soldiers that their girlfriends were getting busy while they were away from home. But on the air- dropped handbills the Japanese illustrated their point a little too well, using graphic pornography that was otherwise tough to come by on the front lines. According to military historian Stanley Sandler, "Our guys loved it. They'd trade them like baseball cards ... five for a bottle of whiskey." But there are also some psy-ops success stories. In Vietnam, U.S. planes sprinkled enemy territory with playing cards, but prior to carpet bombing, they dropped only the ace of spades. Before long, the Pavlovian technique took hold, and just the dropping of aces was sufficient to clear an entire area. During the Persian Gulf War, many Iraqi soldiers surrendered with U.S. leaflets in hand. Throughout that war, American forces also cleverly floated 10,000 bottles with intimidating notes in the gulf toward Iraqi shores. According to subsequent interviews with captured Iraqi soldiers, the bottled messages effectively increased concerns in Baghdad over the possibility of a massive amphibious landing. No such landing took place. On occasion, enemy psy-opers have gotten it right, too. The North Vietnamese peppered American soldiers with leaflets using anti-war slogans from the States. "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?" was a particular favorite appropriated by Vietcong leafleteers. When American soldiers finally came home, many commented that the printed reminders of stateside opposition to the war really wore down morale. Last decade, the Iraqis made occasionally smart use of disinformation, often disseminated through their old enemy, Iran (making it more believable). According to U.S. military sources, leaflets were circulated in Bangladesh citing a Tehran radio report that U.S. troops had opened fire on Bangladeshi troops who refused to join the military strike on Iraq. The incident, allegedly leaving hundreds dead, was a complete fabrication. Less than an exact science, psy-ops is a clumsy art that has seen few real innovations over the years. In the 4th century B.C., Alexander the Great ordered his metalworkers to craft giant helmets to fit men the size of 20-foot monsters. His soldiers would then leave the helmets strewn about in conquered villages, hoping to inflame the wildest imaginations of enemy armies passing through the area. More recent psy-op folklore has it that along the same lines, though pitching at a slightly lower angle, American psy-op specialists in Vietnam left foot-long condoms along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, presumably to preoccupy the enemy soldiers with hiding their wives and daughters. The laundry list of actual psy-ops bloopers is certainly long and dirty, leaving some in the U.S. military skeptical of whether the American forked-tongued brigades are keeping up with the enemy. A May 2000 report by the Defense Science Board Task Force, an advisory panel to the Defense Department, concluded, "While the United States is years ahead of its competitors in terms of military technology, in terms of psy-ops there are already competitors on par with, or even arguably more sophisticated than, the U.S." But in other circles, confidence is unwavering. At a recent press conference, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said, "If Saddam were to issue such an order to use a chemical or biological attack, that does not necessarily mean his orders would be carried out." Rumsfeld's oblique speculation rested on the dubious hope, gaining popularity on Capitol Hill, that psychological operations might just do the trick on Saddam's key weapons handlers. But as one unnamed senior defense official pointed out to USA Today, the men in charge of the supposed Iraqi chemical or biological weapons and missile forces are likely Saddam's most loyal soldiers. In fact, if our psy-ops people are left to their old devices, the Iraqi commanders might just hit those red buttons all the faster. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=6343127&BRD=2318&PAG=461&dept_id=484045&rfi=6 (via Nick Grace, USA Dec 17, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. CIA SPY MASTER TED SHACKLEY DIES AT 75 By Carol Rosenberg, Miami Herald, December 13, 2002 http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/4733339.htm Theodore ''Ted'' Shackley, a legendary spy master and Cold War figure who ran the CIA's huge Miami operation during the height of U.S. tensions with Cuba during the 1960s, has died of cancer in Maryland. He was 75. Nicknamed ''The Blond Ghost'' because he hated to be photographed, Shackley was an exacting, intense, elusive covert operator. As Miami station chief during Operation Mongoose, an interagency U.S. effort to topple Fidel Castro, he ran about 400 agents and operatives during a period that included the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. The Miami assignment was only one of the many powerful posts he held during a 28-year counterinsurgency career that spanned the globe. The places where he worked as a senior CIA officer -- Berlin, Saigon, Laos -- served as signposts in the global struggle between the United States and Soviet-backed communism. In Miami, he directed an ambitious anti-Castro propaganda and paramilitary campaign, and as a sign of its significance, Shackley would later say that he commanded the third-largest navy in the Caribbean -- only the United States and Cuba had more vessels than the CIA station chief's flotilla. Thirty-year friend Tom Spencer, a Miami attorney, described Shackley Thursday as "the master spy chief, a strategist, tactician, a brilliant man, a chess player -- a person who could read tea leaves and watch things which ordinary people could not see or pick up.'' Added fellow CIA retiree E. Peter Earnest, now director of Washington, D.C.'s International Spy Museum: "He had a keen sense of discipline, and was very goal-oriented. He found himself periodically in situations where there was chaos, and he could pull some order out of that.'' RETIRED IN '79 Shackley retired from the Central Intelligence Agency in 1979 and set up a D.C.-area consulting firm that offered security strategy to corporate executives. But for nearly three decades before that, including 17 years overseas, he served as a CIA officer who recruited and handled agents, hatched plots and gathered intelligence in Cold War settings. From May 1976 to December 1977, he served as associate deputy director of operations, the No. 2 position in the clandestine operations branch. He held the job first under CIA Director George H.W. Bush, then under Adm. Stansfield Turner, who relieved him of his title in a late 1977 shake-up. At issue: a Carter administration decision to fire thousands of secret agents and informants, notably in the Middle East, and dismantle Cold War spy networks. Shackley, said Spencer, soon ''left in disgust,'' retiring from the agency he had joined straight from Army duty in 1945 in Europe. Besides consulting, he also wrote a primer on counterinsurgency in 1981 called The Third Option. Shackley was Miami station chief from 1962 to 1965, running his vast spy network out of the University of Miami South Campus, now the Metrozoo. It was the largest CIA hub outside of headquarters in Langley, Va. ''When I got there, the mission was to implement an intelligence collection program and clean up the residuals of the Bay of Pigs,'' he told retired Herald journalist Don Bohning in April 1998 in Washington. "As we got into the intelligence program and restructuring, we started detecting Soviet buildup in the context of all that, how to bring about change in Cuba.'' IN MIAMI Some of his Miami activities, he told Bohning, included ''psychological warfare pressure on Cuba,'' including infiltrations, radio propaganda and ties with a paramilitary, anti-Castro movement. The only full-fledged CIA station in the continental United States, its code name was JM-Wave. After Miami, he moved on to another Cold War hot zone, Southeast Asia, where he was a top CIA officer in Laos and Saigon in the late 1960s and early '70s. AUTHOR RECOLLECTS ''In Laos, Shackley helped run a secret war using local tribes people, and at the end of that campaign the tribe was decimated,'' said David Corn, author of the 1994 book, Blond Ghost: Ted Shackley and the CIA's Crusade. ''Shackley was in some ways the archetype of the Cold War covert bureaucrat. He took orders from above . . . running secret wars, undermining democratically elected governments, compromising journalists and political opponents overseas . . . and made them a reality,'' Corn said. Shackley also ran Latin American operations out of CIA headquarters in 1973 when Gen. Augusto Pincohet led a coup in Chile that toppled the elected government of President Salvador Allende. ''He was not the mastermind of the clandestine operations of presidents and CIA directors. He was the implementer,'' Corn said. 'And in doing so, he avoided the moral questions that accompanied such actions and embodied the `ends justify the means' mentality of America's national security establishment.'' Fellow former CIA agent Mo Sovern, who said they were colleagues for 45 years, summed up Shackley's management philosophy this way: "Screw up and you'd hear about it. Screw up twice for the same problem, and you're gone." He could be a controversial figure, said Sovern, chairman of the Central Intelligence Retirees Association. "A lot of people absolutely hated him. A lot of people thought he was marvelous. But he got the work done." LAST DETAILS He cited this example of Shackley's micromanagement style: After receiving last rites on Sunday, he had his wife summoned a funeral director to their suburban Washington home and he picked out a casket, negotiated the fee and asked to be buried in West Palm Beach, where he was raised and educated before going to the University of Maryland. He died Monday. Burial will be next week in West Palm Beach. Visitation is scheduled for today in Washington. Mass will be said Saturday in Bethesda, Md. (via U. Fleming, USA Dec 14, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) Ted Shackley's involvement in CIA-run clandestine radio stations includes Radio Swan, Radio Américas and Union of Lao Races (which supported the Hmong tribes in Laos). (N. Grace, USA, Dec 14, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 6155.08, Banda Oriental, Sarandi del Yi. 0139+, Diciembre 25. Apertura de transmisiones. Himno Nacional del Uruguay. ID completa por locutora: "A partir de este momento, inicia su transmisión, CWA155 Banda Oriental, en la frecuencia de 6155 khz, con estudios ubicados en calle Sarandí 328, Sarandí del Yi, Durazno, Uruguay. Nuestro correo electrónico es: norasan@a..." [truncated]. Luego, continúa una selección de música popular uruguaya. 44444 con algo de interferencia de Radio Fides, Bolivia (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. (TANZANIA) 11735, 08/12 1906 Voice of Tanzania, Zanzibar. OM en Swahili con programa noticioso y mencionando en reiteradas ocasiones: "Dar es Salaam". Fin del programa informativo a las 1916 cuando comenzo otro programa con el Cor`án y música de estilo africano. A 2000 "bips" (5 "bips" con el mismo tono y el sexto más agudo) seguido de la identificación(?) por OM. 34333 (a las 1906) pero con SINPO 23322 (a las 2000). (Marcelo Toníolo, NY, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Actually 11734+ ** ZANZIBAR. [TANZANIA] Radio Tanzania-Zanzibar, 11734.13, 2002-2059 Dec. 25. Possibly the one, after seeing the report of something here - - stating that it didn't quite seem to fit RT-Z -- program-wise. Tune- in to unID language (it did sound Swahili or similar), woman with possible news until 2006. She continued after 2006, but alternated with instrumental music (piano-type stuff, mostly). Nothing I could hear was particularly "Islamic" so-to-speak. At 2059, a man babbled a bit, but I had to depart briefly to answer the door (pesky neighbors). At 2108 recheck, they were gone (the station, but not the neighbors). Not even a carrier. Timing (closing just after 2100) and approximate frequency would fit my many past RT-Z logs. Despite a little line noise, signal at times peaked to a pretty fair level, just as RT-Z has sometimes done in the past here (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. ZIMBABWE JOURNALIST ACCUSED OF SPYING FOR BBC: REPORT (See 4th & 5th paragraphs! Andy.) HARARE, Dec 22 (AFP) - The Zimbabwe government has accused a local journalist of spying for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the state-controlled Sunday Mail reported. The paper, which reflects government views, said Lewis Machipisa, a Zimbabwean correspondent for BBC radio, was being hired by Britain's Foreign Office to also film and write stories for BBC television. The BBC has been officially banned from the country, but Machipisa, a Zimbabwean national, has been able to continue working here for the broadcaster. A senior BBC official quoted in the Sunday Mail denied the allegations against Machipisa and also said the BBC was not behind an exiled radio station broadcasting into Zimbabwe from London, as the government had suggested. The permanent secretary in Zimbabwe's Information Ministry, George Charamba told the BBC in a letter quoted in the Sunday Mail that the BBC's denials of these charges were not accepted or believed. The charges against Machipisa come ahead of the December 31 deadline set by the government for all journalists working here to be registered, turned down or de-registered under tough new press laws (AFP rt/ss Zimbabwe-media via A. Sennitt, Holland, Dec 22, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4790, 0046-0102 12/23. After listening to a presumed AIR, Chennai with Hindi music and talks, s/off at 0045, I could hear Arabic? style singing and chanting, reminiscent of the Kor`an. Brief talk at 0055 and more chanting until 0100 when pips, presumed ID, and more talks where heard. Weak tho audible. I'd like to think this was Pakistan, Azad Kashmir Radio (Scott R. Barbour, Jr., NH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 16 Dec, 2100 UT - 5025 kHz. A very weak talk in presumed English. Too severe conditions because of bothering utility pips. After YL talk music began. At 2105 Radio Tashkent started preparing its transmitter, cutting off the possibility to listen to anything else. After 2200 frequency was completely clear. 2100 was too early for Australia, it must switch to 5025 kHz at 2130 (per WRTH)... (Dmitry Puzanov, Kustanay, Kazakhstan, Signal via DXLD) As Chris Hambly has frequently informed us, the switchover times by the Northern Territory service are quite variable and unreliable. Sometimes they stay on the day frequency well into the night, or vice versa (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 23000, Over-the-horizon-radar 21-12-02 1349 very loud (Ary Boender, Holland, BDXC via DXLD) ### +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TRANSMITTER NEWS ++++++++++++++++ GEE-WHIZ WEAPONS COULD POSE RISKS - FOR U.S. BY SCOTT CANON, Knight Ridder Newspapers KANSAS CITY, Mo. - KRT NEWSFEATURES (KRT) - Imagine the effect of an electromagnetic burst over an Iraqi military hub - a radar station, an infantry command post or a Republican Guard bunker. That pulse of energy could wipe computer memories blank, fry telephone lines and radar circuits, zap tank ignitions. Defenses rendered instantly defenseless. The connected become the detached. High-tech turns obsolete. Best of all, the weapon aims to kill gear, not humans. Analysts say Iraq could end up the first testing ground for this next generation of GI gee-whiz weaponry. For now, though, much about high-powered microwave weapons remains classified. The very potential of these directed-energy weapons - the possibility that they could flip the "off" switch for a 21st century army - could keep them under wraps. That is because no military relies so heavily on electronics as the U.S. military does. U.S. troops depend increasingly on arms made ever more precise and lethal through electronic brains. "Network-centric warfare" - precisely choreographed battlefield movement and communication - sits at the core of the Pentagon's idea of a modern military. "The main reason why we keep this technology classified is not because it's so complicated, but because we want to conceal the degree to which we are vulnerable to what it could do," said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute in Arlington, Va., who has just completed a study on directed-energy weapons. Meantime, much remains to be seen about these untested weapons, which could range in form from an unconventional missile to a supercharged antenna. What is publicly known, for instance, suggests their performance in the laboratory can only roughly predict field tests. So what happens in the chaos of shifting battlefield conditions? Can microwaves effectively conk out enemy electronics? And would they indeed spare living things, or, if their power settings proved hard to control, would they cook a person from the inside out? Among the greatest risks comes if they perform perfectly, in which case using them holds at least a potential to backfire against America's high-tech military. Directed-energy gadgets are already a fixture on the modern battlefield. For years lasers have been key to aiming everything from rifles to tank cannons to bombs. There is evidence as well that they can be used not only to aim something, but also to inflict their own damage. In April 1997 a Canadian helicopter near Puget Sound hovered above the Russian trawler Kapitan Man, which was suspected of hunting for an American submarine. An American adviser on the chopper and a pilot reported severe eye pain. Photographs taken during the encounter suggested the Russian ship directed a handheld laser at the helicopter. Although lasers have yet to be fully developed as combat weapons, they represent one form of a technology widely believed to hold a range of warfare applications. Already microwaves temporarily jam enemy radar - a tactic now routine in American air assaults. It all starts with electromagnetic energy - from light to infrared to X-rays to the radio waves with lower frequencies and longer wavelengths at the far end of the spectrum. They batter you and all the electronics around you. High-powered microwaves shoot to concentrate, for just an instant, a burst of energy in the same part of the spectrum as the target. Lightning bolt-style, the energy overdose blows the circuits to transform a computer or radar into scrap metal. That power was seen from atomic bomb tests in the Pacific Ocean in the 1940s that sent out an electrical burst trashing phone lines in far-off Hawaii. The challenge now is to harness that effect without splitting atoms, and to point it in the right directions. Tests have begun on some weapons that look like modified radar dishes, like antennas or, to focus the transmission of energy, like horns. "These things are supposed to be directional," said Philip Coyle, a senior adviser at the Center for Defense Information. "The idea is to beam the energy at your target." He said the microwave weapons faced several hurdles on their way to perfection. They seem vulnerable to their surroundings, he said, penetrating physical barriers unpredictably and seemingly influenced by the weather or other radio signals. And they pose the problem of how to fry someone else's electronics without crashing your own motherboard. "We don't want to zap ourselves in the foot," Coyle said. In part because microwave weapons are believed to still be in need of fine-tuning, experts say their first use could come from a cruise missile or an unmanned vehicle. That way no U.S. troops would run the risk of their electronics melting down while delivering a blast. Instead, a remote-controlled blast might be rigged to convert the chemical energy of high explosives into an electromagnetic burst. In such a design, the effects would blanket an area rather than zoom in on a single target. What is unclear is the level of control over that burst of energy. Too little energy, and electronics escape unharmed. Too much, and not only do computers sizzle, but flesh burns, too. An article in Jane's Defence Weekly in August quoted an unnamed scientist who the publication said was familiar with the effects of the weapons and what the most powerful varieties could do to people. "All the fluid in their body cells would instantly vaporize into steam," the scientist told Jane's. "It would happen so fast, you wouldn't even be aware of it. "If, on the other hand, you were caught ... by a weak reflection of the main beam off a metal surface - which could easily happen in a city - you could probably suffer terrible burns as well as permanent brain damage." In fact, work is under way on microwave weapons for crowd control to, say, keep marauders from overrunning an American Embassy. They would make water molecules just beneath the skin vibrate violently, creating an intense burning sensation. Military officers who have experienced the effect said it creates instant panic. Thompson said he thought humans would not feel the effects of the weapons. The greater military risk rests in unleashing a genie that could bedevil American equipment in later conflicts, Thompson and other analysts said. Thompson noted that recent efforts to modernize the military led to the purchase of ever more sophisticated computers and other electronics from the civilian marketplace. While that makes for greater sophistication, he said, it also blends into the U.S. arsenal electronics that aren't hardened against attacks. And new forms of aircraft designed to avoid radar detection - the B-2 stealth bomber, the F-117 stealth fighter and the planned Joint Strike Fighter - have bodies of synthetic materials rather than metal. That makes them less visible to radar but lacking a built-in protection against microwave weapons. "We are probably doing too little to protect our equipment against electromagnetic attack," Thompson said. Some analysts, in fact, think the ever-widening technological edge the American military enjoys over its enemies has a potential to be an Achilles' heel. "We in the sophisticated and technological West are especially vulnerable to this," said Robert Hewson, editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons. "It would be great to blind the enemies' electronics with this. It could spare you collateral damage" - the military term for civilian casualties. "It could do a lot for you. "But we have the most to lose." © 2002, The Kansas City Star. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-202, December 24, 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 1161: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Wed 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 WORLD OF RADIO 1162: [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1162h.ram [Low] and (Summary) not yet available as of early UT Wednesday FIRST AIRINGS of WORLD OF RADIO 1162: WBCQ Wed 2300 on 7415, 17495-CUSB WWCR Thu 2130 on 9475 RFPI Fri 1930 on 15039 HOLIDAY MONITORING REMINDERS I have just completed compilation of a great number of holiday specials, mostly on webcasting US public radio stations, but also WGN, CBC, BBC and some others, for Dec. 24 and 25 into UT Dec. 26. Enjoy: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html (Glenn Hauser, swprograms via DXLD) And further updates at least a day ahead at a time UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Quite a compilation, Glenn! I don't know where you find the time, but I-- for one--are very glad you do. Thanks for another year of consistent and faithful service to the radio loving and listening community. Warmest best wishes for the Holidays, as well (John Figliozzi, NY) Glen[n], hope you can take some time out over the next couple of weeks to enjoy the season. Thank you for another wonderful year of DX news, and the help you have personally given me in identifying stations. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (Mark Coady, Ontario) Glenn, you've put in countless hours of effort and thought into the column over 2002, and I just wish to say 'thank you' for giving so much back to our hobby. Radio as a hobby touches us in so many ways, from DX to QSL, from technical to enjoying music, news and sports, and from windows on other cultures and beliefs to education and inspiration. From antique radios to the latest gizmo, from learning languages to collecting station promotional material and airchecks, politics, art and even genealogy these days as people look back at radio history to find family links and so much more. Your regular 'warts and all' roundup reflects well on all contributors, and is a wonderful mystery grab bag each time from which we readers can pick and choose as we each enjoy our own world of radio. Well done, have a happy holiday season, and looking forward to more in 2003 (David Ricquish, NZ DX Times) ** AFGHANISTAN. PAPER CONDEMNS INSTALLATION OF FOREIGN RADIO TRANSMITTERS IN AFGHANISTAN | Text of report by Afghan newspaper Payam-e Mojahed on 19 December The Ministry of Information and Culture has violated the press law by permitting the installation of foreign radio transmitters in the country. After the establishment of the transitional government, BBC radio, Voice of America and Radio France received permission from either the minister or deputy minister of information and culture to install their transmitters inside the premises of [Afghanistan] radio- television and embark on broadcasting their programmes received via satellites. The first paragraph of the fourth article of the press law considers broadcast of radio-television programmes as the privilege of the citizens of Afghanistan. It is worth reminding that the 1343 [1964y] constitution that is now in force (except for chapters referring to the king and the national council) radio and television broadcasting is the monopoly of the government. It seems that the Ministry of Information and Culture, which had drafted the press law, has not taken the articles of 1343 constitution into account. Therefore, the installation of foreign radio transmitters on the soil of Afghanistan is contrary to the constitution and the press law. The Justice Ministry and the office of attorney general are duty bound to take necessary actions in case of violation of the law. It is worth mentioning that so far the foreign radio stations are broadcasting on FM which has a short range. However, according to another agreement that was signed recently by the minister of information and culture with the president of the Voice of America in Washington, the Voice of America will be permitted to install a mediumwave transmitter in Pol-e Charkhi for broadcasting its programmes. The main problem will arise when foreign countries embark on broadcasting their television programmes in the country which will inflict cultural and social harms on the society that could not be compensated. It is worth reminding that the Ministry of Information and Culture has undertaken these agreements unilaterally and without consulting with the cabinet or the head of state, otherwise, this explicit infringement of law would have been pointed out in the cabinet. It is to be added that the government of Afghanistan has no control over the content of programmes that are disseminated by foreign radio stations, and in many respects the contents of the programmes of these radios are contrary to the government policy, religious values, and the customs and traditions of our Muslim people. A point worth mentioning is that the minister of information and culture has signed a similar agreement for rebroadcasting Iranian radio programme, but fearing the reaction of the Western countries he is dragging his feet to implement it. Source: Payam-e Mojahed, Kabul, in Dari and Pashto 19 Dec 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Direct from Roger Broadbent of Radio Australia, we have this program note and addition/correction to this week's e-mail newsletter: "On Christmas Day we will be joining forces with the ABC's Local Radio Network which brings together Metropolitan and Regional stations across the nation. We will join them after the news at 1905 UT on Tuesday [which of course is Christmas morning here in Australia] and stick with them until 1500 UT on Wednesday [Boxing Day morning here]. There will be RA news at the top of each hour." To all, Warmest Greetings of the Season! (via John Figliozzi, RA Previews via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. UNIDENTIFIED 15065.05, 0728 Dec 22 relaying Radio Australia's programme on Helen Duncan, then into "discussions on archaeology" with Patrick Green (some sort of harmonic of RA??) (David Norrie, NZ, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Find two RA frequencies on the air at that time on the 15 MHz band, at the proper separation producing mixing product here (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Em 1º de janeiro, o presidente eleito do Brasil, Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva, toma posse. As rádios Nacional AM, de Brasília (DF), e Nacional da Amazônia, em ondas curtas, estão anunciando cobertura completa do evento, a partir das 0800. A Nacional da Amazônia pode ser ouvida em 6180 e 11780 kHz [via WORLD OF RADIO 1162] BRASIL - A rádio Canção Nova, de Cachoeira Paulista (SP), está mudando de direção. Pedro Roberto, que também apresentava o programa Além Fronteiras, voltado para os radioescutas, vai comandar uma emissora da Rede Canção Nova localizada no Vale do Paraíba, no estado de São Paulo. O Além Fronteiras continuará a ser emitido, aos sábados, às 2100, com apresentação de Eduardo Moura e Antônio Kosta (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Dec 23, via DXLD) ** CANADA. The advert was published on Thursday. It does include the shortwave facilities in Sackville and you can rule the world via shortwave into kings' presidents' ears! Linkname: Coordinator's Communiqué # 30 URL: http://www.cbucc.org/cc2002/cns30.htm ______________________________________________________________________ December 19, 2002 Transmitters We were today advised that the RFP (request for proposals) may be going out to potential third party suppliers of transmitter servicing as of late tomorrow (Friday, Dec 20, 2002). Apparently CBC intends to give the union a copy of this RFP, and some information on the bid by Corporate Directors and Managers to take over this work. We were advised that although no decision has been taken, there are 122 CEP members potentially affected, and CBC would consider this as an outsourcing under article 41 of our agreement. This means that regardless of whether members take jobs with a new company, they would get a full 4 weeks per year severance. As well, should they not want or get jobs with the new company, they have full national bumping and redeployment rights, including the right to turn down redeployments in favour of bumps. These significantly enhanced rights were part of the negotiated settlement during our strike in 1999. And of course our practice has been that maintenance techs can redeploy to other maintenance positions and write the exams some months later, if they are not currently qualified. In addition the exams themselves have not been kept up to date, so we have been routinely waiving the writing of exams. If this outsourcing goes forward, we foresee significant impacts on the Radio and Television operations. Once we have a copy of the information we will be deciding whether it meets the test of the collective agreement. We will be consulting with legal counsel and with transmitter technicians about this information early in the New Year. In Solidarity, Mike Sullivan, National Representative, CEP (via Daniel Say, BC, DXLD) CEP is the techs` union ** CANADA. Hello, This week, [Sat Dec 28], we have a special feature on Quirks & Quarks: The Quirks Question Show. Yes - it's another edition of the award-winning Question Show, where we answer your scientific queries. Find out why snow is white, why bugs are attracted to light, whether dinosaurs had ears, and what would happen if the sun suddenly went out. All these and many more questions, Saturday right after the noon news on Radio One (Bob McDonald, Host, Q&Q mailing list via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 760, HJAJ, RCN Barranquilla, Dec 23 0057 - With canned local ID "En el Atlántico, H-J-A-J, 760 kilohertz, RCN Barranquilla", then RCN promo with man saying that this network attracts 75% of the Caracol listenership; a modern version of the "RCN, La radio de Colombia" jingle; followed by "Tiempo de Noticías Banco Popular, Banco Popular --- lo último en suceso" with a report from a narcotraficant in Cartagena and the "Policía de Bogotá". Building signal strength from poor to quite good. + Dec 23 0200+ Very good to fair, in WJR null with Phillips radio pointed at south, with talk-show about Colombia (presumably a part of the "Navidad de (Tendicos?) program); some splash from next-door WABC on 770. Heard this while walking in my Edward Higgins street! + DEC 23 0246 - On the Wootside street noted this excellent with absolutely no interferences at all in a very solid WJR null with a nice X-mas song by a younger child, then man in Spanish mentioning the program "Navidad de (su hijos?)", "tendicos?" or whatever that word is and talking a bit about the competition between various children`s singing Christmas songs from all over Colombia and winning various prizes, then another child song that sounded more like a speech than like a song. About that time, I tuned down to 530 kHz to hear music of more quality! The passants were looking very briefly to us, while hearing Spanish gospel on that radio (from Radio Vision Cristiana, of course; I don't think they knew this either) + Dec 23 0301 good, but quickly lost with signal fading down in strength, with anti drug aid with a child"...jugar" then strong man with "Prevenir consuma, compromiso de Colombia contra la droga", then lost to clutter and WABC-770 het/slop and weaker remains of nulled WJR Detroit; at the time I was glimpsing a coline on the Cérez Park while seeing a Ms with 2 dogs, one of the dogs jumping to Tom (our German shepherd dog) was down near the balanseories (Bogdan Chiochiu, QC, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. [RFPI-Vista] Vista-Online Christmas 2002 December 24, 2002 Dearest RFPI Supporters and Listeners, 2002 has been a year full of challenges and difficulties for RFPI, perhaps the hardest year it has experienced in its existence. However, due to the commitment of our listeners and supporters, RFPI has made it through the year and is now able to enter 2003 in better shape than we would have thought possible. 13 years ago, RFPI was visited by Doctor Harry Bury (a long time peace activist) who helped us plan our vision for our young radio project. He asked us to map out our vision for the first year, the first five years and the first ten years. This we did; by the end of the 10 year plan we wanted to have our own offices and studios (we were based in an area little bigger than a closet at the time) and a high powered shortwave transmitter capable of providing a quality signal with 24 hour programming to our listeners. As we sit today in our offices up on the mountain, with the volcano in the far distance, listening to our 24 hour a day programming, we realize that we are living and operating the vision proposed a decade ago. 2003 promises to be a milestone year and the beginning of the next 10 year vision, some of which has already started and we will build on from 2003. The new Peace Journalism and Progressive Media Through Radio course will be starting on January 27th and running throughout the year. RFPI has trained over three hundred peace journalists in the last 15 years and is becoming a center of excellence for the training of independent international journalists in the areas of human rights, social justice and environmental reporting. Besides supporting the station through funds raised, it creates a trained network of independent journalists who contribute to the station and other independent outlets in the rest of the world on an ongoing basis after completing their training. RFPI has been asked in the past to train indigenous people here in Costa Rica to enable them to make use of the frequencies set aside for their use by the Costa Rican government and is hoping to gain funding to allow us to do this in 2003. RFPI will also run courses for Costa Ricans as part of the push towards facilitating the setting up of other community radio stations here and world-wide. We have long-term expertise in setting up radio stations and managing them on little money, as well as technical knowledge regarding production, transmitter-building, etc which we want to share with independent organizations who want to set up their own radio stations. We recognize that we are living through times where the battle of information, and access to it, information output and control is a critical tool of contemporary political struggle with independent media at its core and we want to play a very active part in dealing with that reality. Within the next two years, RFPI will bring back its Progressive News Network, which was a popular Monday-Friday RFPI-produced world news program, unhindered by corporate involvement. RFPI will work towards the establishment of a Latin America-based independent news agency, (as called for by the McBride report many years ago now, commissioned by UNESCO, identifying the coming "New World Information and Communication Order" as a cause for grave concern and advocating amongst other things, greater support for independent media and the establishment of such news agencies in continents other than North America and Europe.) Directly connected to this, in 2003 RFPI plans to launch a campaign directed at UNESCO which will assess and criticize its failure to fully implement the McBride Report .One World, Many Voices,. culminating in an open letter and report to be signed by independent media all over the world and submitted to UNESCO with proposals for their future role in supporting democratic communications for the new century. Stay tuned for more information on this. RFPI will be adding to our current line up of programming with more independent programs sourced from a wider variety of countries and independent producers from all over the world. We will also be increasing our in-house productions and beginning our Spanish language programming again. Amongst planned RFPI in-house productions will be a history and personal stories from indigenous people in Costa Rica and recordings of the indigenous language local to the area where the radio station is based which is currently dying out, to be shared in projects with local schools, a regular Migration report, as well as a regular report on events in Colombia and the activities of peace movements there. We also plan some innovative programming made by children for children all over the world. RFPI will be on the cutting edge of radio production by bringing you internet interactive radio, thus bringing listeners into the radio show en masse for the live exchange of ideas from one side of the world to the other. We hope to have our 24 hour web-casting service fixed again early in 2003 and are struggling through red tape and bureaucracy in order to make this happen once again. We ask all our members to help support this vision by contributing your own ideas as well as financial assistance. None of these great projects can be achieved without you, and we would not be here today if you had not given us such strong support over the years. This year we ask you to support us as much as ever in this new stage of RFPI`s history and to stay with us and watch the unfolding of our collective dream. Please contact us here at RFPI if they have any questions or comments about Vista Online, our programming, or the station in general. If any of you have comments or ideas on how we can improve our service to you, or you want to send us a donation, enquire about the Peace Journalism course or volunteering with us, please send us a note via e-mail or traditional mail. Email: info@rfpi.org or rfpiradio@yahoo.com Mail: Radio For Peace International PO Box 75 Cuidad Colon, San Jose, Costa Rica Central America Tel. +506 - 249 1821 Fax. +506 - 249 1095 For information on how to make a donation via Pay Pal, check out our website at www.rfpi.org and click on the Pay Pal icon. We wish you a peaceful holiday on behalf of all the RFPI staff. _______________________________________________ RFPI-Vista mailing list RFPI-Vista@boinklabs.com http://www.boinklabs.com/mailman/listinfo/rfpi-vista (via DXLD) ** CROATIA [non]. Hi Glenn, Happy holidays. I was delayed in sending this, but here it is: Radio Croatia International 12/22/02: 7285, 0300-0400 GMT, SINPO 24333. Rebroadcast started 0401 following for Western North America. Announced as "a special two hour broadcast." Broadcast in several languages (including Spanish), a long segment presumably in Croatian dialect of Serbo-Croatian. English ID and Croatian news in English 0345-0350 and 0410-0415. Schedule as announced: (times were announced in local time) [gh rechecked 0400 UT Dec 25 announcement, viz.:] 9925 9:00 PM-11:00 PM Argentine 0000-0200 UT to S. America 7285 9:00 PM-11:00 PM EST 0200-0400 UT to E. NAm 7285 8:00 PM-10:00 PM PST 0400-0600 UT to W. NAm 9470 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM Wellington 0600-0800 UT to New Zealand 13820 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM E. Aust. 0800-1000 UT to Australia This was not a frequency I could find for them published for B 02, although I might just have missed it. None the less, it was coming in well (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Dec 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, 7285 booming in here at 0310 Dec 25 in Croatian, lots of mentions of Hrvatska anyway. English news around 0340, and 0358 recheck had them reciting schedule in Spanish. Cut off at 0359:30 or so for beam switch, back at 0400 with weaker and much flutterier signal, aimed toward west coast, and now adjacent SSB hams could be heard, no doubt pissed at this new affront. 7285 replaces 9925, where nothing remains after 0200, all presumably still relayed by DTK Germany, and outdating the schedule published recently in DXLD 2-199. The Europeans just won`t stop invading the North American hamband. You`d think DTK would know better, if not HRT. Intruder Watch Alert!! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. "Radio Reloj desde Habana Cuba" heard Dec. 24 under the BBC 6195 until that closed at 0759:30 and then in the clear. A good signal until off (noted c0840 re-check). Rolling news read by two male voices - seconds ticks - TC's every minute accompanied by a short burst of CW - ID most minutes including various announcements. Detailed weather forecast noted 0811. Last heard briefly December 16th until off at 0804 (Noel R. Green, Blackpool, NW England, Dec 24, Cumbredx mailing list via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** CUBA. Hi Glenn: I've noted in DXLD the discussion about where RHC is for the 2030-2130 broadcast. I've just been listening to a good signal on 11670. They were announcing 13660 and 13750, but of course neither of those were heard. Season's Greetings! (Harold Sellers, Newmarket, Ontario, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, seem to have settled on 11670, also noted here, at 2030-2130, but STILL awaiting completely updated new schedule (gh, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. An addendum to my report to you yesterday: After going back and reading George Maroti's report about Radio Bayrak from Dec. 7th (DXLD 2-193), he had heard the Supremes song 'Baby Love' at 2201 on 6150. That is exactly what I heard yesterday (12/22) at the same time, 2201, and at 2206 I heard the song 'Sounds of Silence'. I'm wondering if they have part of that program 'canned', or whether they just have a small supply of records? Best wishes, (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Glen[n], Gerry Bishop's logging on 5009.8 is definitely Radio Cristal. They do, however, relay Radio Pueblo (HIBL 1510) often during our late afternoons and evenings. From my January column, "Your Reports" in "Listening In" - the monthly magazine of the Ontario DX Association - I was fortunate to log them on November 25 at 2257 with lively Latin American dance music, canned Radio Pueblo ID at 2300 followed by a musical interlude, a mention of "Noticias e Informativo" then another ID at 2302 followed by what sounded like "por Radio Cristal, onda corta". (Mark Coady, Ont., Dec 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. NA-test: As informed also earlier SWR's 25 mb beam is now directed towards North-America. This direction is on from 10 PM to 06 AM UT. Please listen and let us know if you can listen this test! Our number for calls and SMS's is +358 400 995 559. Our schedule (25 mb): 10PM to midnight UTC 11720 kHz, 00-02 AM UTC 11690 kHz, 02-09 AM UTC 11720 kHz. Frequencies might change without notice, so please try both ones! Best Regards, (Alpo, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, Dec 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Every year, DW's German Service offers a special selection of Christmas programming that--due to a generous use of music and the station's unsurpassed reception quality--is easily accessible even to those who don't understand German. Tune around through the major shortwave bands and you will undoubtedly come upon the station broadcasting to your area during prime listening hours. Good Listening! DEUTSCHE WELLE GERMAN SERVICE SPECIAL PROGRAMMING FOR CHRISTMAS DW works to an 0600-0559 UT daily cycle. For our purposes, the new day starts at 0600. Heiligabend (Christmas Eve) 2205, 0205 - Der Bunte Teller (The Multicolored Palette): Geschichten und Gedichte (Stories and Poems to the Celebration). 2305, 0305 - Christmas Carols 0005, 0405 - Funkjournal (RadioJournal) 0035, 0435 - (A documentary featuring the voices of the homeless) 0105, 0505 - Weihnacht-Gottesdienst kath. (Christmas Service-Catholic) - aus dem Dom zu Munster, Bischof Reinhard Lettmann (from the Cathedral of Munster, Bishop Reinhard Lettman, Principal Celebrant) Weihnachtstag (Christmas Day) 0605, 1005, 1405, 2205, 0205 - Weihnachts-Pop (pop Christmas music) 0705, 1105, 1505, 1905, 2305, 0605 - DW-Weihnachtskonzert 2002 (DW Christmas Concert 2002): St. Gereon, Koln, Weihnachtsmusik des italienischen Barock mit Chor Accentus Concerto Koln (from St. Gereon Church in Cologne, Italian Baroque Christmas music with the Accentus Concert Choir of Cologne). 0905, 1305, 1705, 2105, 0105, 0505 - Was ihr Wollt (What You Want) - (Presumably a Christmas music request program). 26 December (Day After Christmas) 0605, 1005, 1405, 2205, 0205 - DW prasentiert Alfred Brendel: Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven (Classical Concert). Seasons Greetings, (John Figliozzi, NY, ODXA via DXLD) Should be more specials for Sylvester and Jahrwechsel (gh) ** GERMANY. Holzkirchen moved to KUWAIT? q.v. ** HAITI. As reported in a recent Newfoundland DXpedition, Radio Ginen, 1030 (nom. 1050) Port-au-Prince, noted here 12/21 at 1745 EST [2245 UT] with OM in Creole giving a sermon(?) to an audience. As usual reception only good for about 10-15 min. with heavy QRM from the SS station in the Orlando area, nonetheless still there for those who hear something "strange" on 1030 (Greg Myers, Clearwater, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** INDIA. INDIAN STUDENTS CLAIM THE AIRWAVES From The BBC: Friday, 20 December, 2002, 14:37 GMT By Ayanjit Sen, BBC reporter in Delhi The Indian Government is to allow colleges and universities across the country to set up their own radio stations. The decision has been welcomed by many universities as well as students - previously unable to get licences. The government will not charge any licence fees for the new radio stations which will be created at a time when India is opening up radio frequencies for the private sector. Radio broadcasting in India began in 1927 - but it is now seen to be time for the country's university students to tune into something closer to their hearts. Many people argue the time is right for new programmes, more listeners and new presenters - who would be starting their careers while they are young. The university stations will be amongst a number of FM radio stations which are soon going to be launched with educational and entertainment programmes. The Indian Information and Broadcasting Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said all universities, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Institute of Technology and residential schools would be granted permission. Apart from educational programmes... we will also be interested to air traditional and folk songs of the country. She said programmes in local language would help to tap into young talent, who would then get a chance to produce programmes. These FM stations would be set up with half a kilowatt of transmission power which would be able to broadcast in a range of five kilometres. These projects are expected to cost between $8,000 and $16,000. Professor SM Sajid, from the project in Delhi's Jamia Milia Islamia University told the BBC they have already sent a proposal to the government regarding the setting up of an FM station. "Apart from educational programmes like academic discussions, we will also be interested to air traditional and folk songs of the country," said Mr Sajid. He said the idea is to use the radio station as a supplement for academic inputs as well as provide entertainment. Although there will be no licence fee the government said rules for running such stations will be outlined soon. District authorities will keep a watch on programmes broadcast from these FM stations, which would be in accordance with the programming code of the state-run All India Radio. A senior Delhi University official, Shyam Menon, said the university is in the process of preparing a project to set up a station. He said, if implemented, the university will use it as a social medium where students can communicate with each other as well as an educational medium. A Delhi University student, Reshma Thakur, said students will now be able to get news about what is happening in the campus. One of the most famous Indian radio presenters, Ameen Sayani, told the BBC he expects these FM band stations to be very successful. "Since these programmes will be without commercials, it will attract more listeners who are already tired of too many advertisements broadcast on radio," he said. According to estimates, there are radio sets in about 105 million households in the country (via Mike Terry, DXLD) About time; how many people per household? ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. From http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/news.htm TEMPORARY TRANSMISSIONS. Our satellite signal is being currently carried on Hotbird 6. Listeners with motorised dishes can tune to : 13 Degrees East. Transponder 94. 12597 GHz. Vertical Polarity. Symbol Rate 27.5 FEC 3/4. We do not suggest that those with fixed dishes go to the trouble of attempting to get this signal. PERMANENT NEW CHANNEL In the early days of Jan 2003 we will be taking a full time long term channel on a 28 degree satellite. Those currently having dishes pointing at 19.2 should shift them to 28 and use the following information to hear out signal. 11661 GHz. Horizontal Polarity. Symbol Rate 27.5. FEC 2/3 Anyone possessing ' Sky ' equipment will simply have to select the ' other channels' menu and enter the above settings (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Hello Mr. Hauser, Firstly, let me send you and your family all the very best for Christmas and the new year 2003. I am writing to let you know that there are a number of interesting channels available on Worldspace digital satellite radio. I assume that you have already studied this, but I recently purchased one of these receivers and found it to be most interesting and entertaining. The unit itself is a Hitachi KH-WS 1 and is using an outdoor yagi antenna, manufactured by a company in Bombay, India, whose name escapes me. Worldspace makes all its channels available on it, and features Radio Prague, Polish Radio, etc. I am actually receiving the Afristar beam, that covers Europe, Mideast and Africa. Thought that you would be interested in knowing about this. Happy holidays (Christopher Lewis, UK, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. The future of radio is here. I've been listening to something called satellite radio for the past month and I'm convinced that everyone should give it a try. Satellite radio involves getting a special receiver for your auto or home that picks up signals beamed down from outer space. The reception is digitally enhanced and the quality of the programming is superb.... http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/122302/np4.htm?date=122302&story=np4.htm (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. Two Newsflashes - POLICE RAID THEN LEAVE ARUTZ 7 SHIP AT SEA From http://www.arutzsheva.org/news.php3?id=36057 13:53 Dec-24-02, 19 Tevet 5763 Israel Police Raid Ship, Close Down Arutz-7 Radio At 1 PM today, Israel Police raided the Eretz HaTzvi ship at sea, and closed down Arutz-7 radio broadcasts. Internet broadcasts are not affected. Arutz-7 officials noted that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of the Likud is the only Prime Minister to ever have given an order to close Arutz-7. Left-wing Prime Ministers Rabin, Peres, and Barak did not see fit to give such orders. 14:20 Dec-24-02, 19 Tevet 5763 ISRAEL POLICE LEAVE ARUTZ-7 SHIP, BROADCASTS RESUME Arutz-7 broadcasts were stopped for over an hour this afternoon when Israel Police raided the Eretz HaTzvi ship at sea. The raid began at 1 PM, the hour of Arutz-7's daily newsmagazine. The police left the ship at around 2:15, and broadcasts resumed (via Mike Terry, DXLD) OFFSHORE : ARUTZ SHEVA EQUIPMENT NOT CONFISCATED DUE TO LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS By Efrat Shalom and Nadav Shragai, Ha'retz Correspondents and Ha'retz Service, Tuesday, December 24, 2002, http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ Police and Communication Ministry officials on Tuesday raided the "Eretz Hatzvi" ship from which the Arutz Sheva pirate radio station broadcasts, though no equipment was confiscated and no arrests were made due to logistical and technical difficulties. The officials, who had search warrants, documented the station's activities, questioned the ship's captain, and recorded his personal details. The captain was warned that he was taking part in a criminal offense. The station's broadcasts were renewed one hour after the raid, the police said. In a deliberation on election propaganda that took place several days ago, the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Mishael Cheshin, instructed police to check whether elections propaganda was being broadcast on pirate radio stations. According to police claims, the raid was not linked to Cheshin's instructions, but was part of ongoing police handling of illegal Arutz Sheva broadcasts, following a Communications Ministry complaint filed in 1997. The "Eretz Hatzvi" ship is situated off of the Tel Aviv coast, outside Israel's territorial waters. However, the broadcasts originate in the West Bank settlement of Beit El, and the ship serves as a relay station. This is the first time police have raided the ship at sea. The ship had been raided while docked at the Ashdod port, and since then it has not anchored at ports in Israel. In the past, police raided the station in Beit El, and findings were transferred to the Attorney General. The police intends to continue the investigation, and at its conclusion, all findings will be presented to a court. The National Union - Yisrael Beiteinu party says Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is "shutting the mouths of the only broadcast station trying to avert a disaster in the state of Israel." During the raid, the Yesha Council called on Public Security Minister Uzi Landau to immediately renew Arutz Sheva broadcasts, which it claims serve as a "national and patriotic shofar." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ARUTZ-7 SHIP RAIDED, WARNED NOT TO BROADCAST http://www.israelnationalnews.org/news.php3?id=36073 24 December 2002 Israel Police and Communications Ministry personnel raided the Eretz HaTzvi broadcasting ship of Arutz-7 Israel National Radio this afternoon, halting the station's signal for over an hour. The ship's captain was warned not to resume transmission of the broadcasts. The raid began at 1 PM, just as the news magazine hour was about to begin, and ended approximately 2:15. The police photographed equipment and workers, but confiscated nothing. Reports on Israel Radio that the police found only one person on board - the captain - are groundless, and in fact there were close to ten crewmembers on board at the time. Arutz-7 broadcasts from outside of Israel's territorial waters in order to circumvent legislation that prohibits privately-owned radio stations from airing nationwide. A law duly passed by the Knesset granted Arutz-7 a broadcasting license was recently nullified by the Supreme Court. Arutz-7 management noted that this was the first time in the history of Israeli off-shore broadcasting - including 22 years of Abie Natan's Voice of Peace ship, and 15 years for Arutz-7 - that police had ever made such a raid. "Not under the governments of Yitzchak Rabin, Shimon Peres, or Ehud Barak were police ever sent to raid a ship broadcasting from sea," the station said. "Only under Ariel Sharon did this happen. Could it have something to do with our opposition to a Palestinian state?" Condemnations of the apparent blow against freedom of speech came only from the right-wing. Communications Minister Ruby Rivlin of the Likud said today that he was "furious" at the raid, citing in particular its timing during an election campaign. While the raid was underway, the Council of Jewish Communities in Yesha called upon Public Security Minister Uzi Landau - ministerial supervisor of Israel Police - to renew at once the broadcasts on Arutz-7, "which, especially during this period, is a national and patriotic mouthpiece for the struggle on behalf of the Land of Israel." A spokesman for Minister Landau told Arutz-7 that he did not know of the raid in advance, and that it was initiated by the Communications Ministry a while ago. He preferred not to comment on the political aspects of the raid. National Union party leader MK Avigdor Lieberman said that the raid is "nothing more than political scheming, based on election-campaign considerations and as revenge for Arutz-7's clear policy against a Palestinian state." His party colleagues also commented: MK Tzvi Hendel said that this is a case of "political persecution on the eve of elections," and demanded that Communications Minister Rivlin open an immediate investigation into how this occurred. MK Uri Ariel said that the raid is an attempt to "shut mouths." MK Benny Elon said that the authorities of the Supreme Court - which put a freeze on a duly- passed Knesset law legalizing Arutz-7 - must be curtailed "in order to prevent it from making a mockery of Israel's democracy." Blame for the raid is already being freely apportioned. The police say that the Communications Ministry ordered the raid as part of its efforts against unlicensed stations. The Communications Ministry, however, says that the raid came in response to Elections Committee head Hon. Michael Cheshin's call to ensure that unlicensed stations do not broadcast election propaganda. Arutz-7 announced in response that it is more careful not to allow its interviewers and interviewees to speak on behalf of specific parties than are Israel's public stations. Arutz-7's management released the following statement: Announcement By Arutz-7 Management "For 15 years, the State Prosecution and the police have waged a campaign to harm Arutz-7 by "hitting us in our pockets." On two previous occasions, police have smashed and confiscated our state-of- the-art broadcasting equipment, under the pretext that the station's broadcasts are against Israeli law. No court has ever ruled that this is the case, but Arutz-7 has had to pay top lawyers' fees in order to defend itself against these allegations. Police raids like the one today are aimed solely at portraying the station as illegal, thus bringing about an immediate decrease in advertising income. "The Prime Minister, Communications Minister, and Public Security (Police) Minister all denied prior knowledge of and involvement in today's attempt to silence Israel's only radio *voice opposing the establishment of Palestinian state. How, then, did it happen? Raids of this sort happen under right-wing governments because extremist left elements control key government institutions, including the police, the State Prosecution, the courts, and the Israel Broadcasting Authority. They are largely behind the systematic attempts to financially cripple and harm the lone nationalist voice on Israel's airwaves. We turn to our listeners and internet readers to fight this trend in whatever legitimate manner is available. Please speak out, write letters and faxes, and support the station in its continual struggle to survive these blows against our right to champion the Jewish Nation's right to in the Land of Israel." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN. IRAN BLASTS BUSH BROADCAST ON RADIO FARDA Iran has responded to last Friday's speech by US President George W Bush marking the inauguration of Radio Farda, the new US international radio service for Iran. Foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi described the speech, in which Bush told Iranians of his support for their "quest for freedom", as "a fruitless and interfering act intended to create divisions between the Iranian people and officials." He added that "the Iranian people have not given Bush the authority to express his opinion as their spokesman." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 24 December 2002 via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. USA/IRAN: US GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN IRAN NEWS AGENCY OFFICE IN WASHINGTON | Text of report by Iranian radio on 21 December On the instruction of the American government, the bank accounts of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Interests Section in Washington and the local office of the Islamic Republic News Agency [IRNA] in that city were closed down. According to a Central News Unit report from New York, a number of unofficial reports indicate that the closure of the bank accounts of the Iranian offices is related to a recent American court order against Iran. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, in Persian 1030 gmt 21 Dec 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. USA STARTS INVASION OF IRAQ Some purists might object to the headline atop this column, for a couple of reasons. At column deadline time for this month`s issue of The ACE there has still been no actual invasion of Iraq by United States military troops. Further, prior to now, aggressive military invasions of other countries had been lumped into a pejorative category formerly occupied by the former Soviet Union (who invaded a variety of countries over the years), the Nazi regime in Germany (who invaded several adjacent countries in the 1930`s and 1940`s), and similar governments. It has therefore baffled your editor about why it has suddenly become a good thing for the strongest country in the world to formulate and execute plans to militarily invade countries who have not attacked that country. In another comparison, about ten years ago it was considered a terrible thing when the military of Iraq invaded and occupied Kuwait. Countries simply do not have a license to aggressively invade other countries. That is, all countries except for the United States are covered by this principle, since being the strongest country in the world entitles the United States to invade anybody they want to at any time that they see fit. I have been baffled by this obvious bit of illogic. I expressed this bafflement to some other ACE members, from whom I received an explanation. I will leave the name of the person who provided me with the explanation anonymous in the column this month. But, here is the explanation: ``When the big dog wants to eat, you get out of the way.`` I was not very reassured about this new principle of international organization, which in fact is not really new, since empires throughout history have been big dogs that decided to eat at various times. Other political entities had to get out of the way of military aggression when those dogs started to develop an appetite. That`s it for the political analysis of the current situation this month. From a clandestine radio perspective, the United States invasion of Iraq has already begun. On or about December 15 the Unites States government cranked up its clandestine broadcasting effort. Its usual mobile radio transmissions from Commando Solo, previously made famous from his widely heard Information Radio broadcasts to Afghanistan and other countries, is on the air once again. USA aircraft dropped leaflets on Iraqi soil announcing the new broadcasts. Both Artie Bigley and Clandestine Radio Watch picked up this story virtually immediately. The station, according to the leaflets and various press accounts, was operating in mid-December on 9715 and 11292 kHz shortwave between 1500 and 2000 UT. In addition, it is using two medium wave frequencies on 692 and 756 kHz. Further, a channel on 100.4 MHz FM is being used for the broadcasts. On DXplorer, Paul Ormandy in New Zealand quickly noted a logging of the station on 11292 kHz at 1846 UT on December 17, although he had a weak signal and did not copy much in the way of programming except for Middle Eastern Music. Obviously all DXers will want to stay up on the latest information about this new operation. The best place to do this is the http://www.clandestineradio.com web site. A copy of the USA leaflet announcing the broadcasts is posted up on this web site. Clearly, even during the winter, these times and frequencies are a little less than wonderful for North American DXers. But, on a good opening to the Middle East, it is conceivable that either of these frequencies might poke through across the Ocean, especially to listening locations in eastern North America. So, if you have not tried to hear this one yet, you ought to turn on your receiver and give it a try, perhaps around 1900 UT or a little later. I have tried for it here in Cleveland, but so far I have heard nothing. Of course, if Saddam Hussein sent airplanes to drop leaflets over Florida announcing his new clandestine transmitter on 11292 kHz, we could expect that J. Eager Heaver would not be the only FCC employee assigned to counter this aggressive act. A full force of the USA military would be quickly deployed and war would be immediately declared. So, as you see, the USA invaded Iraq over the airwaves in mid-December (George Zeller, Clandestine Profile, Jan The A*C*E via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Arutz-7 raid: see INTERNATIONAL WATERS above ** KUWAIT. This is the snail mail address of VOA Kuwait as requested: Attn. Station Manager IBB, U.S. Embassy P.O. Box 77, Safat 13001, Kuwait Regards, Kuwait Master Control (via Ruud Vos, Netherlands, BC-DX Dec 23 via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. Olle drew my attention on a statement regarding the new 1593 kHz transmitter in Kuwait which can be also read at http://www.dxing.info/community/viewtopic.php?t=653 Well, on the Lampertheim sightseeing tour I also asked about the closed mediumwave transmitter at Holzkirchen and was told that this is a Continental, rated at 150 kW (i.e. not a higher rated unit running reduced power) and of the same age than the shortwave transmitters (they were installed in 1981). This perfectly matches what was stated about the just installed transmitter at Kuwait, also without considering the use of the very same frequency which is just coincidence of course. So I think there is a very good chance that Radio Farda now in fact uses the old Holzkirchen transmitter (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 23, WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LEBANON [non]. Despite the shrill language in this column so far [IRAQ non], all of the clandestine activity on shortwave is not concentrated only in Iraq. On DXplorer, Ed Kusalik noted a logging of Voice of Freedom/Free Patriotic Movement of Lebanon on 11515 kHz for an hour at *1600 UT on December 21. Ed heard a patriotic anthem at sign-on, with multiple announcers talking about Middle Eastern politics. If Ed can hear this one in Alberta, it certainly is worth a check at your own QTH. Ed notes that this one has a web site, in case you would like more information about the station. CRW #121 noted the appearance of this one with a test broadcast, but we don`t know a great deal about it yet. CRW notes that http://www.radio@tayyar.org {sic} is an apparently valid e-mail address for contact with the station (George Zeller, Clandestine Profile, Jan The A*C*E via DXLD According to their web site, Clandestine Voice of Liberty (FPM) testing period has ended on Dec. 22. Programs are scheduled to restart on the 6th of January 2003. Off air today Dec. 23, I heard *1600-1700* on 11515 an hour of Chinese music! (Mahmud Fathi, Germany, Dec 23, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. On 19 December, the transmitting centre in Sitkunai conducted a second test transmission on 1557 kHz (150 kW, ND) in cooperation with Radio Baltic Waves International (Vilnius), in order to determine the coverage area. The programme aired was a Chinese language broadcast of China Radio International at 1800-2000 UT. (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Dec 20, MW-DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 4725 went off abruptly in mid-sentence at 1230 yesterday (23 Dec), and programme continued on 5040.6. 5985.0 was heard with main sce before 1230 with English lang. lesson, so 3 SW frequencies carrying Myanmar Radio were on simultaneously. 6570 Defence Forces station was heard as usual from 1330 (Alan Davies, Sengigi, Indonesia, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) BURMA, 5040.58, Radio Myanmar, 1202 Dec 24m talk in presumed Burmese, music; // 4725; pretty much faded out by 1245 (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR- 7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage antenna, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, USA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. 6307.37, Radio Piepzender, 0043 Dec 25, ID spelled out phonetically at 0043 tunein, crazy Dutch schlaeger-like music, address and another ID in English with phonetics @ 0055, e-mail address, web address http://www.piepzender.nl lots more music, lots more IDs (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage antenna, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, USA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. JAKADA RADIO INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF HAUSA BROADCASTS | Text of report by Nigerian newspaper The Daily Trust web site on 23 December The Jakada FM which was denied licence in Nigeria by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) is to commence broadcasting in Hausa language today from Spain. In a telephone conversation with chairman of Jakada Radio, Ambassador Yusuf Mamman, Daily Trust gathered that the radio will transmit on 125 kHz 25 metre band on shortwave and could also be accessed from the Internet at http://www.jakadaradio.com [as published - the Jakada Radio web site gives the frequency as 12125 kHz.] The Hausa service which commences today will run from 8.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. [1900-1930 gmt] daily on weekdays. Ambassador Mamman stated that the radio station has signed a friendship agreement with the federation of Hausa radio listeners in Africa to enable the programme achieve its desired purpose and reach the target audience. The Jakada Radio which started transmission in Nigeria some time ago ran into trouble waters when the national regulator, the NBC, disowned it, saying it had not granted licence to any station by that name in the country. The commencement of broadcasting activities by the station from Spain has probably brought to a halt the face-off between the station and NBC. [Jakada Radio was first observed broadcasting on shortwave on 1 May 2002. Although programming is reportedly produced in Spain, it is believed that the radio hires airtime on a shortwave transmitter elsewhere in Europe. The Jakada radio web site states that: "Jakada Radio International (JRI) is owned by Oscar Mariano Benjy Inc., a legally registered media company in Europe with offices in London, Madrid and Frankfurt. It is made up of international broadcasters and broadcast investors led by a distinguished Nigerian international broadcaster and Diplomat, Ambassador Yaro Yusufu Mamman. Jakada Radio International is registered with all the relevant broadcasting bodies in the world and has fulfilled all the requirements for the issuance of shortwave broadcasting licence." Mission Statement The web site states that "Jakada Radio International is a non- religious, non-political, commercial radio station. It does not represent any political or ideological tendencies or manifestations. We are committed to fundamental human rights, democracy, rule of law and pluralism. Although African in perspective, we are global in our belief in our committed to the highest level of radio broadcast professionalism and ethics. We have a team of some of the best Africans, Africans in diaspora and other in radio journalism. "Our objective is to air views and opinions that will advance peaceful co-existence among people and NOT to preach hate or promote views and opinions that undermine peaceful co-existence and public peace. As professionals, our team will endeavour to accommodate and give balance, report and account at all times. Our listeners have right of reply, but the station reserves the right to reject comments or expressions inciting violence or that fall short of acceptable language. "We will provide you with news, sports and interviews across the African continent and beyond. Another area that JRI will also promote is the situation of woman and children in Africa. Additionally, we are committed to public awareness on the scourge of HIV/AIDS in the continent of Africa, and the environment. Finally, we would like to always have the comments and views of our listeners on all aspects of the programme aired. Please send us your letters by e-mail to: jakint2002@yahoo.com " Sources: The Daily Trust web site, Kaduna, in English 23 Dec 02; Jakada Radio International web site in English 23 Dec 02 (BBC Monitoring via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. JAKADA RADIO TO BEGIN HAUSA TRANSMISSIONS TODAY Jakada Radio International commences regular broadcasts in Hausa today (23 December). The broadcasts will be on 12125kHz shortwave and on the Internet at http://www.jakadaradio.com at 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm (1900- 1930 UT) Mon-Fri. Test transmissions were first heard in May 2002, and airtime is arranged through the Belgian company TDP. According to the TDP Web site, the station was last scheduled at 0600-0630 UTC Mon-Fri on 15695 kHz, but has been on a "temporary break." HFCC frequency registrations for the current broadcasting period indicate that the transmitter site used is Armavir in Russia. Jakada Radio International describes itself as a non-religious, non- political, commercial radio station. It says it does not represent any political or ideological tendencies or manifestations, and is committed to fundamental human rights, democracy, rule of law and pluralism. The station's chairman, Yaro Yusufu Mamman, is a former Nigerian ambassador to Spain. He is a former chairman of the Nigerian political party Alliance for Democracy. He has also worked as a journalist with the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria and the Nigerian Television Authority (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 23 December 2002 via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** NORWAY. Hi Glen[n], I noticed the following today. BBCWS on Radio Norway's frequencies, presumably Merlin Communications testing, December 24, 2002. 1700 to 1730 UT on 18950 1800 to 1830 UT on 15705 and 13800 1900 to 1930 UT on 13800 All were relays of the Europe stream on 9410 and 6195 and followed by Radio Denmark for the following half hours. At 2200 UT Radio Norway was back as usual on 7530 and 7470. 73 (Bernie O'Shea, Ottawa, Canada, Dec 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Most nights, KOMA 1520 blows the doors off of 1510 and 1530, which brings me to this question: Is KOMA REALLY running 50 kW? This is a blowtorch that is stronger than anything that Kansas City or Des Moines can serve up. I thought I'd once heard that KOMA was fined for running more than their allotted power, perhaps as much as 59 kW. I suspect that they may be up to their old hijinks again (Rick (I need Buffalo!) Dau, Omaha, Nebraska, Dec 22, NRC-AM via DXLD) They`ve always had an outstanding skywave; 59 vs 50 kW would be hard to distinguish; what`s the tolerance allowed on this, anyway? (gh, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I don't think KOMA is supposed to throw much signal towards the NE at night. From what I've observed from here near Chicago, I am convinced that they often switch back to day pattern late at night like this and especially on weekends. 73 (Neil Kazaross, IL, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Enid`s only local TV station, KXOK, ch 32 (cable 18) is showing some signs of life again, besides constant Dr Gene Scott. On Monday old movies were back, not sure from America 1 or what, along with constant advertising crawlers, but after heavy snow it was back to DGS, even tho their dish was obviously full of ice, and the picture struggled to refresh. For hours on end, mostly it was virtually a freeze-frame, and fuzzy at that, tho his audio kept on going. This made his appearance even less vieworthy, to say the least. We are supposed to visit the KXOK website and register for Big Prizes, but the site (or forwarding to it from `Tuvalu`) is not working: http://www.kxok.tv which forwards to http://www.tv/en-def-f6ab2b906d73/cgi-bin/glob.cgi?domain=www.kxok.tv (Glenn Hauser, OK, Dec 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. 5080v : see UNIDENTIFIED below and previously ** PARAGUAY. Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: Please accept my sincere wishes for a Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year! Radiodifusión América has Special Progamming, on 7737 KHZ, and a Special QSL to accompany it. Your reports will be most welcome. With Holiday Greetings, from Paraguay (Adán Mur, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay ramerica@rieder.net.py Dec 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. As announced by Mikhail Timofeyev, Radio Gardarika at present broadcasts on 5920 again, noted tonight with excellent audio/modulation but a somewhat weak signal. A report about a station visit can be found on the website of a German school: http://igs- norderstedt.lernnetz.de/schule/projekte/medien/deutsch/gardarika.htm Best regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 4625 KHZ BUZZER STATION REVEALED Have you heard the buzzer station on 4625 kHz? Here is the full scoop on this military signal. Have a look and a listen at UVB-76. http://www.geocities.com/uvb76/ (DXing.com Newsroom via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) a long file, saying it is 40 km west of Moscow (gh, DXLD) ** RWANDA. 6055, DEC 22, 2100 - caught end of anthem for a brief time after Slovakia signed off. DEC 24, 2104 - Christmas carols "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night", man and woman speaking in French in between selections, more talk over the music as 2130 approaches. Weak but steady, with buzzing static. Thanks to the tip from George-MA the other day, that this stays on later on Christmas Eve (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, Drake R8, 1000' beverage west, 1000' beverage nw, 100' longwire sw, Cumbredx mailing list, via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. CLANDESTINE - 8300, New Star Broadcasting Station, 1400- 1416 Dec 24. S/on routine with YL announcer and some traditional Chinese music, then to the numbers at 1404. Transmission ended at about 1416, but the carrier stayed on. Same sequence at 1500. Checked their former frequencies but no parallels found (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Nothing on 9890, but brought up VOT`s webcast at 1942 UT Dec 24 for the live Xmas eve call-in, or call-out. First contact was David Crystal in Israel, who only wanted to comment about reception at 0400 on 7240, which had been blocked by Russia, but lately VOT has been on top. They kept trying to get him talking about Xmas, even after he pointed out that he is Jewish and doesn`t celebrate it! It seems Moslem Turks often go to church on Xmas to honor the Christian minority. Second caller was Greg Fisher, Lacrosse WI, who won a VOT trip to Turkey in 1988. There were supposed to be about 16? People lined up, but they only had time for about half of them, with repetitious comments about Xmas, desires for peace, etc. Some other names I recognized were Alokesh Gupta in India, who had to explain that he is a Hindu and doesn`t do anything special for Xmas; and Henry J. Michalenka --- a once active DXer in Rhode Island whose name has not come up in a long time. In an attempt at ecumenism, the host perhaps unwittingly shut out rationalist non-believers (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Hello WWDXC topnews, From 1 January 2003 RUI will change its two frequencies: 6020 ---7420 (az. 290 deg.) 9810 ---7375 (az. 314 deg.) (Alexander Yegorov, Kiev, Ukraine, Dec 23, BC-DX via Wolfgang Bueschel, WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) A lonely on SW Ukrainian commercial radio company "ALEX" in Zaporizhzhia has launched into the air its transmitter on 11980 kHz. On December 22 at 10.12, I heard it with transmission of the Ukrainian National Radio channel UR-1. Bad modulation, weak signal (the power presumably is only 250 W). The frequency was shifted around +300 Hz or so. SINPO was 24342. From 1200 CRI began to broadcast on 11980 completely jamming "R.ALEX" (Alexander Yegorov, Kiev, Ukraine, Dec 23, BC-DX via Wolfgang Bueschel, WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** U K [non]. BBC via NORWAY: q.v. ** U K [non]. LATVIA, 5935, Laser Radio, 2253-2300* Dec. 23. Just managed to catch this one just before sign-off. heard musical selections, to anthem played at 2256. ID by male speaker at 2258 with closing words, then musical jingle and some more music played. Music to 2259 whereas I heard the distinctive sound of laser effects prior to sign-off. Signal was gradually building up in strength as I noted this one as early as 2152 with a carrier, but as usual didn't [get] to the receiver in time to get much more details (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, Canada, Dec 23, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Dec 23 was Monday. Station is supposed to be on Sundays only. Did you mean to say Dec 22? (gh, DXLD) LATVIA, 5935, Laser Radio, 1915 Dec 22, The Romantics "What I Like About You", Jefferson Starship "We Built This City", ID with web address http://www.laserradio.net and phone number at 1939, Eddie & the Hot Rods, "Only Want To Be With You", another ID at 1956, Elvis Costello "Pump It Up" at 2000, Ian Dury "What a Waste"; // MP3 stream at http://158.223.1.15:12690/listen.pls (Ralph Brandi, AOR AR-7030 Plus, 250-foot mini-Beverage antenna, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, USA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, You may have caught this: Kim Elliot was not on Main Street (VOA) this week. He was on DX Partyline (HCJB) so I guess he traveled to Quito. He mentioned that he will be on VOA with some special programs News Years Day. He will be on 17-18 UT as guest host and 14-15 UT with interviews with radio station big wigs. This will be repeated at 22-23 UT (Wm. "Bill" Brady, Harwood MD, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Talk to America, that I will guest-host on January 1 at 1700-1800 UT, will have two extra frequencies: 9775 (Greenville) and 17635 (Delano). 73 (Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear friends, Hello from Washington. I miss doing Communications World and our e-mail correspondence. However, this is to let you know that I will back on VOA News Now on New Year's Day, January 1, as guest-host of Talk to America, 1700-1800 UT. In addition to taking calls, I will also *make* calls -- thus saving you some long-distance telephone charges. If you would like me to call you on January 1 between 17 and 18 UTC, please send me an e-mail with your telephone number. If you record any interesting New Year's Eve radio listening, please send excerpts via e-mail, and I'll try to include it in the program. Here's the transmission schedule for Talk to America: To Europe, Middle East and North Africa 1700-1800 UT 6040 9760 15205 To Africa 1700-1800 UT 909 13710 15240 15445 17895 To East and South Asia 1700-1800 UT 1143 1575 5990 6045 9525 9795 11955 12005 15255 To the Americas (special frequencies for January 1): 9775 (Greenville) and 17635 (Delano) RealAudio: http://www.voanews.com/real/live/newsnow.ram Also on Worldnet/VOA-TV, if you can receive it! In addition to Talk to America, I am preparing a program that will be broadcast on VOA News Now between 1400 and 1500 UT. This will consist mostly of interviews with directors and other managers of international radio stations. Here's the transmission schedule for 1400-1500: To Europe, Middle East and North Africa 1400-1500 UT 1197 15205 To East and South Asia 1400-1500 UT 1143 6110 7125 9645 9760 11705 15395 15425 This program will be repeated at 2200-2300 UT (which is actually the morning of January 2 in East Asia): To Africa 2200-2230 UT 909 1530 6035 7415 11655 11975 13710 To East Asia 2200-2300 UT 7215 9770 9890 11760 15185 15290 15305 17735 17820 (+1575 after 2230) RealAudio: http://www.voanews.com/real/live/newsnow.ram I hope you will be able to tune in on January 1. All the best, Kim Kim Andrew Elliott (ex-)Producer and Presenter Communications World Voice of America Washington, D.C. 20237 USA Telephone: +1-202-619-3047 E-mail: ke@voanews.com Website: http://www.trsc.com/cw (via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Again this year, Kim has talked me into doing a SW YEAR IN REVIEW, which used to appear on COMMUNICATIONS WORLD --- this time on his Jan. 1 specials (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** U S A. Radio Farda has attracted a bubble jammer - noted on 13680 [KAVALA] c0830. The 21475 [IRANAWILA] outlet seemed unaffected (Noel R. Green, Blackpool, NW England, Dec 24, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Another note on Radio Farda: The RFE/RL tape loop after a Radio Farda transmission heard by Glenn as well as the use of a RFE/RL server for the audio stream http://www.rferl.org/realaudio/c21.ram seems to indicate that the console stands at Prague, so to speak, i.e. it appears that the output originates from the RFE/RL radiohouse, unlike Radio Sawa (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also KUWAIT ** U S A. WRMI has filled daytime Sunday on 15725 with this new show at 1500-2100, as well as earlier that UT Day, Sun 0500-1000 on 7385. From http://wrmi.net : (gh, DXLD) Solid Rock Radio - Welcome to the new home of Solid Rock Radio! We have a lot in store for you in the future, and look forward to hearing from you. WSRR Internet radio was established to accommodate aspiring music artists of the future with a marketing tool for self-promotion. Allowing only unsigned and Indie label musicians to participate, the station provides an Internet location where platinum albums of the future can be heard and visitors to the site can discover these artists. The station features a top-20 list of rising stars and other forms of programming. In 1992, Solid Rock Radio aired its first radio program over several international radio stations, The program was called America's Best Unsigned and ndie Label Artists. Because of the demand from listeners around the world to hear more, Solid Rock Radio increased its programs, then expanded to the Internet. On December 12, 1999, WSRR considered the possibility of giving back to the city of Buffalo, New York by entering into a joint venture with the Pratt Willert Community Center to establish a program for kids that would produce confident children in the community with entrepreneurial skills and the proper attitude and aptitude for business. Because of the increase of students wanting to enter the radio program, we now have moved to the Delavan Grider Community Center. Today we broadcast live over the Internet and FM 104.9 MHz. And don't forget our International Shortwave Broadcast on 7385 kHz from 12 midnight-5 a.m. Eastern time Saturday night (that's 0500-1000 UTC Sunday), and on 15725 kHz from 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (that 1500-2100 UTC). We target our broadcast to supporting record companies and to all classes of people in in life. We are always looking for new demo from unsigned and Indie label music artists. Contact us for more information. Mailing Address: c/o WRMI, P.O. Box 526852, Miami, FL 33152. E-mail: beebop@solidrockradio.net A new schedule is dated Dec. 15. What else? We now have an explanation of a previous new addition, UT Sun 0130-0145 on 9955: La Hora de Chibás - ``Un programa semanal del Partido Ortodoxo Cubano en el exilio, presentado por Mario Jiménez. Dirección: La Hora de Chibás, c/o Mario Jiménez, P.O. Box 451132, Miami, Florida 33245-1132, USA.`` Until now, 7385 had only been used on the NW antenna, but now the first half hour of that, 0300-0330 is specified to Carib and Latin Ameica, i.e. the beam normally used on 9955. So it should be interesting to observe what change in signal and/or break in transmission there be at 0330 between R. Prague in Spanish and then in Czech. Excerpted are non-huckster, non-far right programs: (gh) WRMI Schedule/Horario Effective December/Diciembre 15, 2002 Days are local days in the Americas; times are UTC. Días son días locales en las Américas; horas son UTC. MONDAY-FRIDAY/LUNES-VIERNES To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1100-1130 La Voz de la Junta Patriótica Cubana (español) 1130-1230 Entre Cubanos (español) 1230-1300 Viva Miami (English/español) Note: This transmission from 1000-1300 UTC is temporarily not aired on Tuesday and Thursday. To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1400-1600 Music [usually classical!, sometimes R. Prague at 1400] 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/7385 kHz hacia Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): Note: The following are Tuesday-Saturday UTC. Los siguientes son martes-sábado UTC. 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) SATURDAY/SABADO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1030 Viva Miami (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) 1200-1230 Viva Miami (English/español) To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-2300 Music [what kind? Keep forgetting to check on Sat – gh] 2330-0000 Wavescan (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are Sunday UTC. Los siguientes son domingo UTC. 0000-0100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 0100-0130 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0130-0145 La Hora de Chibás (español) 0200-0300 Radio Revista Lux (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Viva Miami (English/español) 0500-1000 Solid Rock Radio (English) SUNDAY/DOMINGO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-1400 Viva Miami (English) 1400-1430 Wavescan (English) 1500-2100 Solid Rock Radio (English) 2200-2230 Wavescan (English) 2230-0000 Viva Miami (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: The following are UTC Monday. Los siguientes son UTC lunes. 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) 0100-0115 Radio Vaticano (español) 0130-0230 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0230-0300 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 7385 kHz to North America (except as noted)/7385 kHz para Norteamérica (excepto donde anotado): 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español; hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica) 0330-0400 Radio Praha (Czech) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0445-0500 Radio Vaticano (español) (WRMI website Dec 24 via gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. ESTADOS UNIDOS VIA CHILE - O primeiro dia do ano de 2003 também será importante para a rádio Voz Cristã. A partir desta data, a emissora passará a emitir durante as 24 horas no idioma português. Significa que a emissão, em 11745 kHz, que antes terminava às 0400, vai se estender até às 1100. O programa Altas Ondas, que vai ao ar, nas sextas e sábados, às 1600, em 21500 kHz, lançou um desafio a todos os seus ouvintes: quem enviar 4 gravações interessantes de captações nas ondas curtas poderá ter o seu trabalho escolhido como a vinheta de início do programa. Ela será veiculada durante um ano e o ouvinte que mandou as gravações terá o crédito registrado sempre. As gravações devem ser enviadas, em CD, para o seguinte endereço: rádio Voz Cristã, programa Altas Ondas, Caixa Postal 2889, Miami, Flórida, 33144, Estados Unidos da América (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Dec 23 via DXLD) ** U S A. Couldn't sleep this morning and curiosity made me check 1710 and sure enough an early Christmas present with Lubavitch Radio [NYC] heard with English(!) initially 0433 EST [0933 UT], male announcer with religious talk, mentions of "Holocaust", "Gaza" and "exodus". 0459-0510 Male with talk in presumed Hebrew. Some fading but to good brief peaks on a relatively quiet frequency. No sign of the data QRM usually noted in the early evenings here. A very nice surprise (Greg Myers, Clearwater FL, Dec 23, NRC-AM via DXLD) Actually, I think this would be more properly classified as a late Chanuka present (:-)# (Brian Leyton, Valley Village, CA, ibid.) Congrats. I think you have the furthest US logging of them, now. I've had them here 35 miles NW of Chicago, but Clearwater is much further away. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL, ibid.) Now that's a band opening, since they are using something like an LPB or radio systems carrier current type transmitter out of a house somewhere in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I can sometimes hear them here in NJ, about 45 miles away. They are not running a lot of power. Every time I`m in that area I try and find them. I know I'm very close. If I had a DF receiver with a loop, I would have found them already. I've got within several blocks of them (Neal Newman, ibid.) ** U S A. George, did WMQM 1600 *really* go on the air, fullpower 50 kW daytime as planned, Sat Dec 21? Haven`t been able to hear it here around sunrise or sunset, but there is a lot of QRM (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Went on the air Saturday. Sounds very good in Memphis (George McClintock, TN, Dec 22, WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. AROUND THE DIAL THE RADIO AS RABBIT HOLE: ALICE COMES TO KCRW By Steve Carney, Special to The Times, December 21 2002 The premise sounds as nonsensical as anything from the pen of Lewis Carroll: a storybook's extraordinary illustrations prompting the creation of a play for radio. But the contemporary art by DeLoss McGraw in the 2001 edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" made the book so popular among listeners when KCRW-FM (89.9) gave it away as a premium last year that station management decided to stage a dramatic reading of the classic children's story. The two-hour trip down the rabbit hole will air from 2 to 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve, and at the same time on New Year's Eve. "Given the kind of station we are, we thought it was a suitable Christmas offering. It's edgy. It's unconventional. It's arch and it's playful," said KCRW general manager Ruth Seymour. "There's no sentimentality about this. It's just very crisp. It's mad." Seymour said it was a daunting undertaking. "After all, you're taking on a classic," she said, and "many of us have not looked at it since we were children." She said director Louis Fantasia and his star-studded cast have created an "Alice" meant to appeal to both children and adults. "I think children will read it naively, in the best sense of that word," said Fantasia, who also reviews theater for KCRW. Meanwhile, adults may appreciate not only the fantastic situations but also the subtle, acerbic humor. Harry Shearer, who among many other pursuits has hosted "Le Show" on KCRW for 20 years, narrates the tale. "It's a perfect Harry Shearer story. He has that humor himself," Seymour said. "He's such a wonderful storyteller, and he's got that great radio voice." Alice is played by 26-year-old Vinessa Shaw, who has appeared in such movies as "40 Days and 40 Nights," "Corky Romano" and "Eyes Wide Shut." Seymour said the actress ensures that the title character comes across as youthful but not childish. "Alice is a very sophisticated little girl," Seymour said. "Alice is a skeptic, and she constantly gets into situations where she's appalled by the people around her." Fantasia said he wanted an independent Alice, on a trip of self- discovery. "In the more traditional reading of the story, she seems to be the good girl doing what she's told." He said he also took care not to make the production overly broad or surreal, instead letting the wordplay and curious situations speak for themselves. "We have alienated a lot of the Lewis Carroll fan club. It's not English enough," he said. "I didn't want to make the English garden variety again." "That's precisely why I was interested in being part of it," said actor Michael York, who plays the Red King. "The perfect BBC version - - we've seen all of those." To further set it apart, Fantasia said he consciously featured a cast heavy in Americans, which also set up a collision between York and the other Britons in the royal court and Alice, who, he said, doesn't "surrender to English propriety." The rest of the cast includes Joe Spano as the March Hare, Héctor Elizondo as the Mad Hatter, Rhea Perlman as the Dormouse, Julia Migenes as the Red Queen, Malcolm McDowell as the Gryphon, Orson Bean as the Mock Turtle and John Rubenstein as the White Rabbit. "I'd listen to the thing just to hear Elliott Gould play the Cheshire cat," York said. "Simpsons" actors Yeardley Smith (Lisa) and Dan Castellaneta (Homer) play the Mouse and the Dodo, respectively. Even KCRW public affairs host Warren Olney gets a line. Seymour said the story was the biggest selling point in attracting performers. "Everybody saw it as an opportunity to play, but to play with a great deal of intelligence," she said. "There's not a facile word in all of this. That's why it's lasted all these years." Full of dichotomy, the story plays with relativity and upends notions of time and space. It's "complex and simple at the same time," York said "It's a children's story for children of all ages," he added. "It's a nice little gift to give at this time of year." (LA Times, Harry`s favorite rag, via Brock Whaley for WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) We have some additional times for this in MONITORING REMINDERS (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) ** U S A. Story from ZDNET. WHY UNCLE SAM MIGHT BUY YOU A TV David Coursey, Executive Editor, AnchorDesk, Friday, December 20, 2002 Talk back! How would you like Uncle Sam to help you buy a digital television? Would a $500 government rebate be enough to get you into the store? A TV industry analyst believes that, for many Americans, it would, and that tax credits may be the very best way to solve the chicken-and-egg problem that has stymied acceptance of next-generation digital TV. YOU MAY THINK it odd that the federal government would even consider paying for a hunk of your new TV set. After all, it's not like the government doesn't have other things to do with the money. But money is precisely what this is all about. When the feds authorized digital television, they assumed that existing television stations would abandon their old analog frequencies for the new digital channels. But that hasn't happened, and the 10-year timetable envisioned for the transition is now out the window. It's digital, it's got television... ...but it's not digital TV. HP's Media Center PC is the nicest PC I've used in a while. That's a problem, because the government has already spent the money it raised by auctioning off the frequencies that were to be vacated by the TV stations. They auctioned off those frequencies, in part, to telecom companies who were going to use the spectrum to offer new digital services. Now, we could talk about what a lunatic idea frequency auctions are, and how they haven't worked out nearly as well as proponents promised. But the fact remains that $16 billion in auction proceeds are already included in federal budget projections. IT'S UNLIKELY that money will be in the federal coffers as soon as Congress hoped. Until broadcasters give up their chunks of spectrum and switch to digital, the auction bidders aren't likely to pay up. If digital television adoption doesn't speed up soon, there's the possibility the transition from analog to digital won't be complete for another 20 years. It was supposed to be over and done with by the middle part of this decade. Phil Swann, editor of TVPredictions.com and a frequent guest on my radio program, is the force behind the $500 rebate idea. He thinks it's better to convince people to buy new televisions than to force digital TV tuners on them. That latter plan is just what the FCC has ordered consumer electronics manufacturers to do, beginning with big- screen TVs in 2004. Like many people, I sort of gag on the idea of tax dollars being used to help people buy television sets. I'd rather see the money do something useful, like feed hungry kids or provide decent mental health care. Of course, I'm not the idiot who linked the federal budget to getting people onto digital television, so I'm clearly out of step. OF COURSE, $16 billion isn't much --- especially spread out over several years --- when the federal budget deficit has been predicted by some analysts to top $200 billion (plus the cost of whatever happens in Iraq). But every little bit will help when we're talking about either raising taxes or cutting programs. Should any of that $16 billion be used as rebates to get people to switch to digital TV? Well, at $500 a set, a million digital televisions would cost a half-billion dollars. Twenty million sets --- which you'd think would be enough to jumpstart the transition --- would cost $10 billion. I can't imagine we'd actually spend that much, but the math illustrates just how expensive this program could be. In the digital age, the government could have important new roles to play beyond protecting our shores and delivering the mail. But should paying for television sets be one of them? In order to protect much- needed --- and already budgeted --- revenue, it may have to be. We'll see. Bob Ulm (via Fred Vobbe, NRC FMTV via DXLD) ** U S A. In today`s Tampa Tribune in the weekly Business and Technology, there is a full pager on eye-bock (can your kill-file parse THAT ??) It is THIRTY column-inches and a 5x7 photo. It is slugged back to the Associated Press with NO by-line. It is quite similar to a story that ran about a month ago, which I did not comment on. Today's piece ran the same photograph as the previous story. This is interesting. The pix caption says "In the sound room of his company, iBiquity Senior Vice President Jeffrey Jury holds up digital audio equipment that will replace the comparatively large box at his side". The new piece of equipment is a circuit board that appears to measure 5 x 7 cm, (perhaps a bit less than 2 x 3 inches) with what are apparently two ASIC chips and a bunch of typical surface-mount components. There appears to be some sort of edge connector on one edge of the board, similar to a PCI bus interconnect on a PC card. The photo res isn't good enough to tell more. The equipment that it "will replace" is a complete receiver shown with the top cover removed. I would estimate it to be about 18 x 15 x 4 inches. Inside the receiver are several circuit boards, at least two shielded assemblies, a number of interconnects with small coax and ribbon cable. On the rear panel of the device is what seems to be a 4 inch thin ferrite rod antenna. The whole thing looks like a 1980's vintage tuner, perhaps a Harmon-Kardon or similar. The whole story has to me, all the earmarks of a plant, with no independent verification of anything presented. There is no mention of any of the technical issues we discuss on this list, for one. I will leave it to others to discuss the ethics of saying a Circuit Board will replace a Receiver, along with a photograph of 'our Best-Case' vs. 'old technology Worst-Case'... Ahhh, Life Goes On (Bob Foxworth, FL, Dec 23, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. There is a program on the US History Channel on Dec 26 as outlined below. There is a webpage, with a number of links, that looks quite interesting. http://www.historychannel.com/saveourhistory/ Many times these shows end up on Canadian TV eventually. SAVE OUR HISTORY: SAVE OUR SOUNDS Thursday, December 26 at 8pm / 7CT Within the collections of the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress are tens of thousands of sound recordings that chronicle the history of America. There is music recorded by legendary artists of the past, speeches of Presidents and other historical figures, news reports that chronicle now historic moments as they were happening. There are slave narratives, cowboy songs, and man-on-the-street interviews recorded on thousands upon thousands of cylinders, disks, and tapes—national treasures, which are rapidly deteriorating. Save Our Sounds chronicles the enormous efforts being undertaken by these two national institutions to preserve these treasures before the sounds of history are lost forever (via Fred Waterer, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. ELVING DELIVERS POLITE BUT FIRM REPLY TO AFR Here's the text of the message I sent today to the American Family Network. It seems I have succeeded in getting the FCC to believe what they are doing is illegal. Bruce F. Elving, Ph.D. FM Atlas PO Box 336 Esko MN 55733-0336 (218) 879-7676 FAX (218) 879-8333 FmAtlas@aol.com Patrick J. Vaughn, General Counsel American Family Assn. PO Drawer 2440 Tupelo MS 38803-2440 December 24, 2002 Dear Mr. Vaughn: Thank you for writing and taking note of my e-mails to John Riley. It is not my intention to slander or discredit in any way the AFR ministry. I was rather surprised that my messages had such an impact on you and on certain pastors in Jamestown ND. I understand that one pastor was to have brought up the matter of K214BX *90.7 Jamestown not properly identifying at a ministerial meeting. I was not at any such meeting, nor did I call back and encourage him to discuss the matter. This can only be a partial answer to your letter, since the FCC is studying my charges. Specifically, Trang Nguyen of the audio division, media bureau, spoke to me at length Dec. 23, mentioning that "a lot of stations aren`t doing what they are supposed to do" with regard to identifications, and she said she knows you and tried contacting you, but got the message your office is closed to Dec. 26. She`s asked that I fax my complaint to the enforcement bureau regional office. A person from the Chicago field office may then call me. This could lead to a visit to your translator site to inspect the identification mechanism, the translator output power, and other parameters. Your identifying policies on that translator are clearly deficient. Trang Nguyen, in fact, on Dec. 24 called back and said "obviously this is a rule violation." I pray that you will voluntarily improve the operation, both locally and on your "network," by the expedient of rescheduling the break for local community announcements to immediately follow or precede the WAFR Tupelo MS station identification --- rather than covering that ID. Thus the audience would better know it is a rebroadcaster of a licensed FM station rather than a pure network feed they are receiving. It appears now that Pastor Scott, at First Baptist in Jamestown, is "hijacking" your signal with fill music hourly, even when there is no community announcement. And I`d appreciate your supplying some information about the equipment used to encode the local ID, like is it a Morse code ID done three times daily, or an AM injected signal done hourly? And how might one perceive this signal? Hey, I think we can still be friends. I enjoyed listening, and I believe with a few modifications in your method of identifying, everybody will be pleased. Do let me know if there are to be any corrections in how your translator(s) identify. I do not wish to conduct a vendetta against your fine organization, but do resent any threat to muzzle my freedom of speech. Save your money and don`t write back using certified mail! Sincerely, (Bruce Elving, MN, Dec 24, cc to DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. For obvious reasons our main concern in Clandestine radio at the moment is related to Iraq and the United States. But, in my judgment, an even bigger political crisis is taking place right now in Venezuela. The continual political turmoil directed against President Chávez is having a direct impact on the world price of oil, as well as an enormously destabilizing impact in Venezuela itself. Currently there is no clandestine radio activity directed toward Venezuela. As I write this column at 0100 UT on December 23 I am trying in vain to hear the licensed Ecos del Torbes on 4980 kHz. The days when we could hear several Venezuelan domestic broadcasting stations on 60 meters every night are long since gone. So, at the moment, shortwave radio is a medium that appears to have almost no direct impact on the coverage of the political situation in Venezuela (George Zeller, Clandestine Profile, Jan The A*C*E via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. For about the last two weeks I did not notice Zimbabwe on any frequency. This week it reappeared on 5975 with excellent signal, and heard as late as past 0000, so probably a 24 hr. operation. In 0spite of frequent checks, I'm not sure which service it is, only "ZBC" heard mentioned. Mainly in a vernacular, mostly phone-ins and Afro pops. ToH is usually ignored by the presenters (Vaclav Korinek, RSA, DX-plorer via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Re the item from Hans Johnson - frequency 5080 was recommended to the PBS [PBC?? -- gh] as a replacement for 7105, due to severe QRM on that frequency. I haven`t heard anything positive at my location, but if it is PAK, the service will be Current Affairs at 1300-1800, and possibly also at 0200-0400. Transmitter API-4 Islamabad 100 kW (Noel R. Green, Blackpool, NW England, Cumbre DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 11734 or 11735? Hello, Everybody! Great Christmas for all!! First of all - you the professionals in area DX, therefore probably also I ask to help me. Yesterday December 22 near Moscow with SINPO 34533 since 1938 UT I listened to radiostation, where till 2000 UT music non-stop, namely was transmitted Phil Collins, duet man and woman "Fall in love ...", others songs on English. After 2000 UT similar there was news, and at 2009 music, but already on a national language has begun to sound. Why I ask to help, business that I can not precisely determine frequency of broadcasting of radiostation at all, not that what even to identify it, as Passport 2003 gives on this time three stations, and I in this connection have got confused in its definition. Someone can all the same is capable me to help, and will call precise frequency of broadcasting and title of radiostation, to which one I listened. Thanks!! Yours faithfully, (Vlad ---, Russia, Dec 23, hard-core-dx via DXLD) I myself was listening to Zanzibar in the 2000+ hour the other day, on 11734, a dead giveaway if you can measure the frequency, but they were not playing Western music. Nothing was audible on 11735 at that time. Before 1900 the Methodists are on 11735 via Germany (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GEOMAGNETIC INDICES phil bytheway - Seattle WA - phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary November 25 2002 through December 15 2002 Tabulated from email status daily Date Flux A K SA Forecast GM Forecast Etc. 11/25 137 14 3 no storms no storms 5 26 142 12 5 no storms minor 9 27 143 16 3 no storms minor 9 28 140 15 2 no storms minor 5 29 141 12 3 no storms minor 9 11/30 146 15 2 no storms no storms 7 12/ 1 150 14 2 no storms no storms 3 2 146 11 3 no storms minor 7 3 149 10 3 no storms no storms 7 4 149 11 3 minor minor 5 5 149 8 1 no storms minor 3 6 148 7 2 no storms no storms 8 7 151 15 3 no storms no storms 8 8 154 10 2 no storms no storms 5 9 156 5 2 no storms no storms 4 10 161 7 3 minor no storms 5 11 152 6 1 no storms no storms 6 12 153 6 2 no storms no storms 2 13 167 4 1 no storms no storms 5 14 186 10 3 no storms no storms 7 12/15 203 6 2 no storms no storms 5 ********************************************************************** (IRCA Soft DX Monitor Dec 28 via DXLD) FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 25 DECEMBER 2002 - 20 JANUARY 2003 Activity is expected to be at low to moderate levels. Regions 224, 226, and 230 have the potential to produce M-class activity. Region 224, 226, and 230 are due to rotate beyond the west limb on 25, 25, and 30 December respectively. Low-level activity is then expected until these regions return to the visible disk around 08 January. There is a slight chance of a greater than 10 MeV proton event during the forecast period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geo- synchronous orbit is expected to reach event threshold on 30-31 December due to recurring coronal holes. The geomagnetic field is expected to be at quiet to active levels during the forecast period. A weaker recurring coronal hole is expected to return on 27-29 December resulting in unsettled to isolated active conditions. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2002 Dec 24 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 Dec 24 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2002 Dec 25 145 12 3 2002 Dec 26 140 10 3 2002 Dec 27 140 15 3 2002 Dec 28 145 25 5 2002 Dec 29 145 15 3 2002 Dec 30 145 12 3 2002 Dec 31 145 10 3 2003 Jan 01 150 8 3 2003 Jan 02 150 10 3 2003 Jan 03 150 15 3 2003 Jan 04 155 10 3 2003 Jan 05 155 8 3 2003 Jan 06 160 8 3 2003 Jan 07 155 8 3 2003 Jan 08 155 8 3 2003 Jan 09 165 8 3 2003 Jan 10 170 8 3 2003 Jan 11 180 10 3 2003 Jan 12 185 12 3 2003 Jan 13 185 12 3 2003 Jan 14 180 12 3 2003 Jan 15 175 25 5 2003 Jan 16 175 15 3 2003 Jan 17 170 10 3 2003 Jan 18 165 10 3 2003 Jan 19 160 10 3 2003 Jan 20 155 12 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio Dec 24 via WORLD OF RADIO 1162, DXLD) MORE TRANS-EQUATORIAL LONG-HAUL FM DX +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FREQÜENCIA MODULADA BARBADOS 95.30 16/12 0026 Hot FM, advs. Direct TV, MRP 98.10 17/12 2340 Liberty FM, mx "Talking to me", EE, MRP ILHAS VIRGENS AMERICANAS 97.90 0230 WGOD mx, EE MRP MONTSERRAT 95.50 10/12 0115 ZJB Radio Montserrat, comentários sobre economia, EE, MRP PORTO RICO 92.50 15/12 0132 WORO, mx instrumental, SS, MRP 93.70 24/11 0052 WZNT, advs do px "Lo mejor de jazz tropical", SS, MRP SANTA LUCIA 94.50 10/11 0043 The Wave FM, ID "This is The Wave. Ninety four point five and ninety three point seven FM", EE, MRP 97.30 17/09 0234 Radio Saint Lucia, mx reggae, EE Além dessas emissoras, também estou captando outras ainda não identificadas, em 100,10 MHZ e 105,60 (ambas transmitindo em inglês) e em 88,50 MHZ (transmitindo em língua semelhante ao francês ou talvez no próprio idioma francês). MRP (MRP - Márcio Roberto Polheim da Silva, Jaragua do Sul- SC, Brasil, receptor Sony ICF SW7600 G, @tividade DX Dec 23 via DXLD) DESPEDIDA +++++++++ I wish you all a safe, peaceful and joyous holiday and a sensational, DX-intensive New Year. May the white noise you hear next month be from falling snowflakes... (Pete Taylor, Tacoma, WA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-201, December 22, 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 1161: WWCR: Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Mon 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400 -- maybe; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 7490 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161h.ram [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1161.html QUARTERLY ARCHIVE UPDATED: As of Dec 22, all issues through DXLD 2-198 are now at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Glenn, as they say downunder, thanks for an awesome effort, consolidating the international radio scene for us through your digests. As someone who currently gets limited time for DX, I particularly value the ability to stay current with what the active DX community are hearing. We are just about to acquire 5 acres in the country for a retirement project and antenna farm, so I will return to the active ranks eventually. Your efforts are very much appreciated! (Bryan Clark, Auckland, New Zealand, Dec 22) Logs, AOR 7030, 20m wire at Musick Point, Auckland, New Zealand: USA 3210, 0741 22ND December, WWCR, good with Glenn Hauser World of Radio 1161, and pointing listeners to "worldofradio.com" website (David Norrie, Cumbre DX) Thanks to you for another year of great information, more than any of us could possibly absorb. All the best for the holidays and 2003, (Kim Andrew Elliott, DC) Glenn, Thanks for your invitation to EDXP members. I read DXLD every now-and-again and find much useful material in it. Certainly, I would encourage others to investigate if they have not already done so. I have to say, however, that sometimes the sheer weight of material in DXLD is overwhelming. Much of the stuff on radio programs, historical radio station facts, and US MW/FM stations is of little use or interest to us here in OZ. So, wading through all that to get to the good stuff is tiresome at times. I wish there was some way you could present it so that we could go directly to the things that interest each reader, rather than scrolling through thousands of words to get the stuff you really want. If you could improve the layout, I'd visit more regularly. Also, I reckon a little more editorial discretion wouldn't go astray. Some of the guys waffle on too much - increasing the output of useless words even more. The "red pen" should go through some contributions so that the newsworthiness of the material is not lost in a wash of words. However, having said all that (in probably too many words!!) thanks again for drawing our attention to your column. Cheers! (Rob VK3BVW Wagner, Melbourne, Australia, EDXP) I could divide it up into different categories, but there would be inevitable overlap and even more cross-referencing required. The objective is to be comprehensive, in contrast to so many other `specialist` DX publications (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. I have just received information that states that HCJB Australia will commence 0700z January 5th on 11755 from Kununurra WA. Presumably there will be test broadcasts prior to that and the final HCJB broadcast from Pifo will be on the 4th commencing at 0700 and s/off at 1059z (Robin Harwood, VK7RH, Norwood, Tasmania, Australia, swl via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 1620 2KM SOLD FROM RADIOINFO -- 19 Dec 2002 As predicted here on radioinfo last month, an Arabic broadcasting group has paid a record price for a Section 40 AM 'off-band' radio licence bought from the NSW Labor Council. The Labor Council sold its AM station 2KM 1620 to World Media for $2.1 million last week. World Media provides ethnic content to Pay TV, including a feed of the controversial Al Jazeera TV channel. The current music format, which plays "all time favourites" from the 1930s to the 1960s, will be dumped and replaced with Arabic programming. Three 2KM staff will be sacked. The station operates under a Section 40 commercial radio licence and, as such, is subject to regulation by both the ABA and the ACA. The Labor Council originally paid $30,000 for the licence five years ago when Barry Unsworth spotted the licence opportunity. The Labor Council sold racing AM station 2KY earlier this year to Sky Channel for $25.3 million. (via Tim Gaynor, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 9630.16, R. Aparecida, 2255-0015+ 12.21. Catholic programming in Portuguese; many mentions of Sao Paulo, Palabra de Dios, etc. No IDs or ads the entire time, although there were possibly some announcements of upcoming religious & Christmas events. Good signal and // to 6135.05 which was fair and improving (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 5054.4, Faro del Caribe, trouble again on this transmitter. Just a buzz when checking this morning Dec 22; 31 mb outlet was fine (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** CUBA. The RHC sked I gave in EDXP 278 was designed to stimulate some sort of feedback, to illustrate my point about broadcasters failing to publicise there actual schedules, either on-air, on the Web, or anywhere else! The RHC Website is heavy on self-agrandisement and tells us that it is one of the best! Sorry, but I beg to differ. The winter schedules for RHC published in WRTH and the Klingenfuss SW Frequency Guide differ, but both show 13660 and 13750 for French 2000, English 2030. I suspect that 13660 has been changed to 11670, due to SRI-Julich on 13660 at that time slot. For the Spanish service at 2100, WRTH shows 13605 11705 15230 and 15120, whilst Klingenfuss shows 13680 11705 11760 and 15230. I am greatly confused! (Bob Padula, Dec 21, EDXP via DXLD) See also FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT [non] at bottom. Would Arnie Coro deal with this issue? Of course not!::: (gh) ** CUBA. 41 years on the air and soon they will be 42, when on the 24th of February Cuba will celebrate the first day on the air of what was our first short wave broadcast from the Radio Havana Cuba transmitting center... From that date until May day of 1961, the station ID was Onda Corta Experimental Cubana, or Cuban Experimental Short Wave, then on May Day of 1961 the station became known by the name of Radio Havana Cuba .... yes I remember very well when our first just one kiloWatt Gates short wave transmitter running a single 4 dash one thousand in the final modulated by two 833's went on the air using just a dipole antenna that was supported by two power company wooden poles that we had obtained from the local utility!!!! What a difference from today's 4 by 4 and 8 by 4 curtain arrays amigos!!!! Now here is item five of today's weekend edition of Dxers Unlimited... Our ever popular you have questions and Arnie tries to answer them section of the show... QUESTION, sent by a listener in Jamaica.... Neville wants to know why he can sometimes hear our 9820 kiloHertz frequency and sometimes not, while he ALWAYS is able to pick up our 6000 kiloHertz frequency... Well dear amigo Neville near Kingston, this has to do with propagation... Short skip on the 31 meter band is only available under certain propagation conditions, while it seems to be ever present on the 49 meter band via what is known as NVIS or near vertical incidence skywave propagation. Our big 4 by 4 curtain array that I helped to design about ten years ago, does have a small high angle lobe, that is what makes possible for you to hear us every evening so well on 6000 kiloHertz!!!! Although the main beam of the antenna is pointing at 010 degrees azimuth, as registered with the International Telecommunications Union frequency registration .... So keep listening to 6000 kiloHertz amigo, and thank you very much for the nice comments about the program !!! (Arnie Coro, RHC DXers Unlimited Dec 22 via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD ** CUBA [non]. DUDAS E IRRITACIÓN POR CAMBIOS EN RADIO MARTÍ RUI FERREIRA, El Nuevo Herald, Posted on Sat, Dec. 21, 2002 El director de noticias de Radio Martí, Lázaro Asencio, fue despedido hace dos días de sus funciones al cabo de un año en el puesto, una decisión del director de la Oficina de Transmisiones hacia Cuba (OCB), Salvador Lew, quien no quiso hacer ayer comentarios al respecto. El despido, reveló Asencio a El Nuevo Herald, surgió en forma sorpresiva por medio de una carta donde se le aduce su presunta incompetencia para separarlo del cargo, pese a sus 40 años de experiencia profesional. ''Mi despido se produjo el 18 de diciembre con una carta de Lew cesándome en el cargo de director [de noticias] y como empleado de Radio Martí'', dijo Asencio, de 75 años. En marzo de este año, en una entrevista con El Nuevo Herald, Lew, de 73 años, defendió el profesionalismo y la calidad de Asencio, en un momento en que la emisora era blanco de críticas en Washington por parte de congresistas y senadores. ''Puede ser, pero no tengo las pruebas'', dijo el periodista, interrogado sobre si su despido puede estar relacionado con esas críticas. Según Asencio, él ha tenido diferencias con Lew, pero no han sido relevantes. ''Hubo diferencias porque él estaba llevando a cargos importantes a personas que habían puesto demandas contra él. Incluso trajo a un nuevo jefe de personal, Fernando Rojas, que ha asumido distintas posiciones que no corresponden al cargo'', dijo Asencio, refiriéndose a uno de los directores del grupo de exiliados Consejo por la Libertad de Cuba. De todos modos, ''para mí, esto es algo irracional, que no tiene ninguna explicación. Yo tengo las pruebas de que en mi gestión aumentaron las audiencias en Cuba'', añadió Asencio, quien en la década pasada dirigió el departamento de noticias de la emisora por años. Contactado ayer por El Nuevo Herald, Lew se excusó para no comentar el despido, limitándose a confirmar el hecho. La decisión fue, a todas luces, sorprendente para Asencio, quien ayer estudiaba si podía o no cobrar algún subsidio por desempleo. ''Estoy estudiando a ver qué hago'', dijo. Asencio y Lew se conocen desde sus tiempos de estudiantes en la provincia de Las Villas. La amistad siguió cuando ambos vinieron al exilio, y se prolongó durante los años que trabajaron juntos en emisoras de radio de Miami. Lew fue nombrado director de la OCB el 26 de julio del año pasado, y en octubre trajo a Asencio de vuelta a Radio Martí como director provisional de noticias. En enero de este año, el veterano periodista ganó un concurso interno para ocupar el puesto permanentemente. Tras el despido de Asencio, Margarita Rojo, quien trabaja en la estación federal desde sus orígenes en 1984, lo ha sustituido interinamente. Según escribió Lew en un memorando anunciando el nombramiento, Rojo ``por años ha demostrado un firme compromiso en la implementación de la misión de Radio Martí''. Lew ha estado bajo fuego de críticas por el modo en que ha conducido la administración de la OCB. De hecho, el modo como se procedió al cambio en la dirección de noticias de Radio Martí es, en lo mínimo, ''profundamente irregular en el ámbito federal'', según fuentes del Capitolio. De hecho, Rojo fue nombrada al puesto provisionalmente el 5 de diciembre, pero fue el 18 cuando Lew despidió a Asencio. Mientras, el departamento de noticias de Radio Martí tuvo oficialmente un director de noticias fijo y una directora provisional. Lew no quiso comentar sobre el detalle, ni siquiera sobre insistentes rumores, dentro y fuera de la emisora, de que se prepara para abandonar el cargo en enero. ''Yo me voy de aquí cuando me boten, y aún así y todo lo voy a pensar'', dijo Lew a El Nuevo Herald. 73's (via Oscar, Miami, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. CLANDESTINE from USA to CUBA. 9955, WRMI,1105 Dec 20, still enjoying above-jammer reception of the Cuban clandestines via WRMI. Long Spanish talk about Cuba by man, sounded like the Junta Patriótica Cubana program. Ended at 1124 with address, telephone, and fax numbers. Filler music till 1129, then start of Entre Cubanos program, but (Presumed) as jamming had gotten worse by this time and I heard no clear ID. Latest WRMI schedule, dated Dec 15, shows: 1100-1130 La Voz de la Junta Patriotica Cubana (español) 1130-1230 Entre Cubanos (español) Both are Mon/Wed/Fri (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CYPRUS. 6959U, "Lincolnshire Poacher" spy station; 2106-2125 Dec. 22, fair with UK-accented female five-digit numbers, "Lincolnshire" calliope theme a couple of times between numbers group (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, Tocobaga DX via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. Had a tentative log here this afternoon (12/22) at 2200 UT of Radio Bayrak on 6150. Playing English language pop music. Very poor signal, along with all the other QRM on the frequency (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Glenn, I've got a Dominican on 5009.8, have had for the last three days. Trouble is, I can't get an ID. No doubt it's DR, too much talk about the major league baseball players in Santo Domingo to be from anywhere else. I'd love to call this Radio Cristal and be done with it, but truth is that I can't get an ID. I've logged this at 2300 on Dec 19, 20, and 21, past 0030 each night. And I was searching for HRMI. 73s and Happy Holidays! (Gerry Bishop, Niceville FL, Dec 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. NEW SWEDEN-BASED OPPOSITION RADIO UNHEARD ON 22 DECEMBER | Text of report by Monitoring research on 22 December Please note that BBC Monitoring could not hear the Sweden-based new Eritrean opposition radio, Radio of the Voice of the Eritrean People, on Sunday, 22 December, on 15735 kHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 22 Dec 02 (via DXLD) ** GUADELOUPE. 640, Radio Guadeloupe, Pointe-à-Pitre, DEC 22 0317 - Near-excellent signal level with apparently a live program of Christmas Zouk song (one had a repetitious refrain about "Père Noël" - Santa Claus in French). The announcer seemed to speak French Creole, as very little was understandable. At 0321, Venezuelan QRM became intense, and by 0335, WNNZ Massachusetts was strong too, but during the excellent peaks with no QRM, some reception could be had even on a very cheap and very poor Panasonic Dx-D14 (with much poorer and very weak signal, of course), not all the cheap portables are good DX machines, especially considering the very short length of its internal ferrite bar antenna! (Bogdan Chiochiu, DXing from Pierrefonds, Quebec, Sanyo MCD-S830 w/ internal ferrite bar antenna, also using a Panasonic Dx-D14 with a very short ferrite rod ant.! Hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** GUAM. HAM RADIO HAS ROLE IN GUAM RELIEF, RECOVERY After a supertyphoon struck the Pacific Territory of Guam earlier this month, an opportunity for hams to step in and provide emergency communications never materialized, mostly due to a lack of fuel on the stricken island. Nonetheless, ham radio is playing a role as Guam residents get back on their feet. "Most of the guys are trying to get themselves back together," said Dick Manns, KH2G, "but one of the main problems immediately after the typhoon was fuel for generators, as the tank farm was burning and no fuel could be brought out and what little was available was being reserved for emergency vehicles." The Marianas Amateur Radio Club has discussed setting up emergency communications systems, he said, but insufficient funding has hampered the effort. Supertyphoon Pongsona hammered Guam December 8. Manns says FEMA, the US military and the nongovernmental relief organizations have been helping a lot in the typhoon's aftermath. But, it would have been nice, he suggested, if local hams had been able to reciprocate with some communications help using portable repeaters and packet radio. Another problem: The storm pretty much devastated amateur antenna systems, he said. Duncan Campbell, KF6ILA/KH2, was one of the few hams able to get on the air in the first few days after the storm hit, felling the island's lone 2-meter repeater tower in the process. Island hams used 2-meter FM simplex as a major means of communication, Campbell said. The repeater reportedly is back up. He was able to make several stateside HF to relay needs, but fuel to run emergency generators for radio use became scarce, and he had to shut down after December 10. Manns said electrical power remains out for most residents and that only about a third of the electrically powered water wells on Guam were functional. Telephone service remains out "pretty much island- wide for varying amounts of time" due to the power outages, he said. It's expected to be several months until electrical power is fully restored on Guam. At one point, despite an active listening campaign, Amateur Radio operators on the air from Guam were simply not to be found. "We have six amateurs engaged in this, almost our entire complement of HF operators," said ARRL District Emergency Coordinator for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Tim Hayes, NH0H, December 15. Amateurs on Saipan monitored the agreed-upon emergency frequency of 7085 kHz almost continuously for a week without hearing a single Guam signal, he said. The Pacific Inter-Island Net on 14,320 kHz also made a special effort to listen for Guam stations. Meanwhile, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army and 28 US Government agencies have combined to provide relief and recovery services. Reports say 1750 homes were destroyed or left uninhabitable by the typhoon. The Salvation Army is operating 12 temporary shelters and housing an estimated 3000 residents left homeless. Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) Coordinator Pat McPherson, WW9E, said SATERN this week established contact between Guam and the SATERN national office in Chicago via an EchoLink connection --- a marriage of Amateur Radio and the Internet. McPherson credited Al Paja, WH2Z, on Guam with helping to set up the EchoLink connection. Campbell, Manns and others have been able to maintain communication to the outside world via the Internet after December 11. The fiber optic line between Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands survived the storm, and local Internet Service Providers were able to reconnect to the backbone. With semi-reliable cellular telephone service available, Campbell was able to post updates on local conditions to several Internet bulletin boards. The Guam Pacific Daily News Web site http://www.guampdn.com/ also has remained active and current. It continues to provide a major conduit for those outside the island to leave messages for friends and relatives on Guam. Amateurs affiliated with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Emergency Response flew to Guam. "We're very active here with disaster relief and have two sites operational on HF," said Steve "Sid" Caesar, NH7C, the team's communications officer. Others on that team include Satoshi Manabe, WH6CTO, and Jayson Kohama, WH6BXK. Caesar has been in regular contact with amateurs in Hawaii over the past week (ARRL Letter Dec 20 via John W. Smith, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4799.77, R. Buenas Nuevas, 21 Dec 1100, Noted back down here with nice strong signal. So obviously they fixed the transmitter, whatever was wrong with it. Central Americans doing well this morning, but conditions very poor on the whole (Dave Valko, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ICELAND. 8 Dec, 1200 - 13865 kHz. Rikisutvarpid, 35443. Schedule gives the following data: 1200-1300, 13865 and 15775 kHz. But in reality 13865 kHz has been suddenly switched on only at 1211, and there was nothing at all on 15775 kHz. Transmission ended at 1300, as scheduled (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus, SIgnal via DXLD) Sergei Alekseichik is presumably referring to the HFCC entries, but those are only coordination slots. The noon broadcast was always 1215- 1300, and during this season only one frequency (instead of two) is in use for the RÚV relays, at 1215-1300 it is 13865 kHz. This is a live relay of the RÚV main noon newscast which actually starts at 1220. The "odd" start time has a long tradition and goes back to the time when people went home from work for the noon break, and RÚV (which until 1985 was the only broadcaster in Iceland) was waiting 20 minutes with the news so that everybody would have time to reach home, sit at the eating table and switch on the radio. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Cumbre DX via DXLD) How quaint ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. From Radiowaves SUNDAY 22nd DECEMBER 2002 EUROPE: Radio Caroline available via satellite again Radio Caroline can once more be picked up via satellite, this time from one of Eutelsat's Hot Bird fleet at 13 East. Tune to 12597 GHz; vertical polarity; symbol rate 27.5; FEC 3/4. The station have also confirmed that from early in January they will broadcast on a full-time transponder from a 28.2 East satellite, but without a Sky EPG placing. The frequency, which can be added via the other channels menu on the Sky Digibox, is 11661 GHz; horizontal polarity; symbol rate 27.5; FEC 2/3 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** IRAN. IRAN IN FERMENT II --- By Jackson Diehl Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2002. Page 12 After an Iranian court sentenced the reformist academic Hashem Aghajari to death last month, the largest and most sustained student demonstrations in years erupted in Tehran. As they grew, day after day, U.S.-operated Radio Azadi, or Radio Freedom, was their favorite medium. Every day, student leaders would call by cellphone from the roiling campuses to the radio's headquarters in Prague and narrate the latest developments live. Each night the radio would broadcast a roundtable discussion, patching together students and journalists in Tehran with exiled opposition leaders to discuss where the reform movement was going. So instrumental to the rebellion-in-the-making did the radio become that pro-regime counter-demonstrators recently held up a placard reading "Who does Radio Azadi talk to?" -- a taunt taken by the station's staff as a badge of honor. more at http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/12/17/006.html (via Fred Waterer, DXLD) Most stories about R. Farda/Azadi are filed under USA ** IRAQ [non]. NPR's Weekend Edition had an interview on Dec 21 with BBC Monitoring about the new Information Radio broadcasts to Iraq. Asked if there was anything unusual about the broadcasts, BBC Monitoring replied: While the broadcasts are in Modern Standard Arabic, the announcers (man and woman) are native-Lebanese, not native Iraqis. Given that this is a PSYOPS station, BBC Monitoring didn't understand the selection of some of the music being played, particularly some of the Western tunes (Hans Johnson, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Here`s the 7-minute item; has actualities off the air, and an ID at the very end: U.S. RAINS RADIO BROADCASTS, PAMPHLETS ON IRAQ Starting Dec. 16, the U.S. military has been broadcasting "information radio" to the people of Iraq, from a special-equipped transport plane outside Iraqi air space. Scott Simon discusses the messages -- similar to those transmitted to Afghanistan in Fall 2001 -- with Mike Linstead of BBC Monitoring, which intercepted the broadcasts.... http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesat/20021221.wesat.04.ram (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISLE OF MAN. RADIO MAST FIGHT GOES TO HIGH COURT From http://www.iomonline.co.im/fullstory.asp?storyid=2 SUN DEC 22 2002 A BRIDE resident's petition against the decision by the Communication Commission to award a broadcast licence to the firm proposing a long- wave radio station in the north of the Island will be heard in the High Court. Nick Cussons, of Lambhill, filed a petition of doleance in May seeking an order to have the licence to Isle of Man International Broadcasting quashed and the decision by the commission declared null and void. In a 16-page judgment this week, Deemster Cain decided to allow the petition to proceed to a hearing. IMIB's original proposal to site a radio mast on land at Cranstal, Bride, was foiled by an independent inspector but in December last year the firm unveiled plans to site it five kilometres off the coast of Cranstal. Bride Commissioners and residents have objected to the new plan claiming it will have a detrimental impact on both the view and environment in the area, both of which IMIB contest. An earlier petition from the commissioners against the decision by the territorial sea committee to give IMIB approval to site the mast offshore was heard in November and the judgment is awaited. Mr Cussons says there will be a directions hearing for his petition on February 17 next year (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ITALY [non]. Season's message from IRRS/NEXUS-IBA Dear friends of IRRS, For the first time this year we will not be running any special transmission via IRRS-Shortwave around Christmas and the new year. This is to save resources in order to be able to continue to serve our audience in the coming year. However, our regular operations continue Mon-Fri at 0630-0730, and Sat & Sun at 0900-1300 UT on 13,840 kHz. IRRS-Shortwave is run by NEXUS-IBA, http://www.nexus.org a non-profit association which has elected to do something different in the world of broadcasting. Our Shortwave station is built on the premise that profits are not the be-all and end-all of broadcasting. We are an all- volunteer cooperative with less than 15 people giving their spare time to keep us alive. They do this largely because we are a free radio station with no political or religious ties, and because of the free access policies of our operation. Since 1979, when all this began via FM in Milan, anyone with anything halfway sensible to say has been able to access our microphones, even if it meant having to run the risk of criticism. In fact, ours is one of the very few experiments in genuinely free media-accessing in Europe. In addition to Shortwave, we are now also on the Internet, with various services for our members, including live MP3 and ogg-vorbis streaming at http://mp3.nexus.org and http://www.nexus.org/IRN We also offer airtime at a small fee to non-profit, small program producers via IPAR (International Public Access Radio, http://www.nexus.org/IPAR Needless to say, all this is very expensive in time as well as money. We carry no advertising on our stations, and there is no commercial sponsorship except the active support of our volunteers, our Association members, and our listeners. We at IRRS-Shortwave want to continue to provide our services to the global community, and that's why for Christmas this year we're asking for your support by subscribing to NEXUS-IBA. Help and support can be sent online via our secure server at https://secure.nexus.org . Also if you would like to make yourself or a friend a BIG Christmas present, please visit http://www.nexus.org/txsale.htm [not found --- gh] Proceedings from this sale will help us keeping on the air. Stay tuned, and take care until the new year, With best season's greetings from all of us here, 73 de Ron / IRRS & NEXUS-IBA. -- (Ron Norton, NEXUS-IBA support, PO Box 11028, 20110 Milano, Italy e-mail : ron@nexus.org Dec 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Website includes propagation maps, but only for obsolete 3985 and 7120 kHz. Showing them for 13840 would give away where this current transmitter actually be located. Nothing shown in current program schedules (gh, DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. VOICE OF THE STRUGGLE OF IRANIAN KURDISTAN reported recently by Rumen Pankov and Dave Kenny. This radio station broadcasts 0300-0400 and 1700-1800 in the frequency range 4260-4290 kHz; the station doesn`t have a constant frequency at present (noted on 4260, 4277, 4281, 4286 kHz). The latest frequency I heard was 4286 kHz for both transmissions on 16/12. Seems this is the same station which was active in 1988-1996: the format of the programmes is identical - 45 min. in Kurdish and 15 min. in Farsi. ID in Kurdish is also the same: "Aira dangi Khabati Kurdistani Irana". A shorter version of the ID is: "Dangi Khabati Kurdistan". (Robertas Petraitis, Lithuania) This station had been on and off throughout the 1990s, my files show it inactive since April 2000 (MK) (who`s MK? Via Cumbre DX via DXLD) {must be Mathias Kropf} ** LATVIA. Laser Radio: see U K [non] ** LIBYA. I just heard Libya (Radio Jamahiriya) IN ENGLISH on 11635 from 2100-2130 GMT 12/20/02. Much huffing and puffing about the revolution, etc. A positive ID just before sign off, then into Arabic at 2129, then abruptly off the air. Signal only pretty fair here in the NW, so I cleaned it up through my Sherwood gizmo which made it very intelligible (Bruce Lindner, Portland OR, Dec 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) a full half-hour in English? Usually it`s just 5 minutes or so of news (gh, DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. Re. Sitkunai testing 1557: ``That I have no clue, why they carry Chinese programming is another story.`` -- Well, in light of what goes out on 1440 [CRI via Luxembourg] I could offer a possible explanation why they used this signal, especially why they bothered to obtain it from whatever source. Actually an interesting question from where they got the audio, had they to use a telephone/ISDN codec (would be really interesting!) or is it available on any satellite which can be received in Europe? By the way, Harald Kuhl added that the recording I posted includes an ID not only for CRI but also for Hubei PBS (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOROCCO. 15335, RTV Marocaine, 1402-1430+ 12/22. Nonstop Arabic music to 1428, then brief announcement by M and back to music at 1429. Fair and improving; was // to 15340, which was fair/poor with nasty splatter from VoTurkey on 15350. Both frequencies off by 1500, having switched to 15345, VG here. Don't know why they use 2 frequencies just 5 kHz apart at the same time (John Wilkins, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Drake R-8, 100-foot random wire, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Adjacent-channel operation is sometimes done, giving a station a seemingly `wider` signal and thus greater presence on the band, especially on cheap receivers. Current HFCC shows two different sites are used for these, Tangier and Nador, 27 and 110 degrees respectively. It probably wouldn`t work if they were at the same site, producing mixing products, etc. In that case it would be better to run two transmitters/antennas on the same frequency. Better not have a feed/satellite delay between them, either, lest echo. 15335 1100 1500 27SE,28N,28SW TAN 250 27 1234567 271002 300303 D MRC 15340 0900 1500 28S,37E,38 NAD 250 110 1234567 271002 300303 D MRC (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. 5985.00 even! R. Myanmar --- this week they have been off their usual v5986. Noted 1530-1600*, music, sign-off announcement, anthem, weak (Ron Howard, CA, DXplorer Dec 19 via BC-DX via DXLD) 4725, Radio Myanmar once again heard on this channel which was left last summer for 5040.6. What is interesting is that they are still on 5040.6. Weak to fair, but in // at 1243 Dec 20 with music. Not sure if this is a new or fixed transmitter or a readjusted frequency on 4725. Hummy transmitter still on 5040.6, cleaner audio on 4725. Not sure if the 'new' 4725 is ex-5985.8. I can't hear 5985.8 this morning, but I am too far away to hear it consistently and it carries a different program as well. Any additional observations would be welcome (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) 5040.59, R. Myanmar, 1245 Dec 21, quite a good signal here, Asian talk by woman, music. Nothing on 4725. MP3 file through top of the hour if any one wants to hear it. Thanks Hans for the tip (Dan Ziolkowski, RX- 320, 100 foot wire Franklin, WI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 4725, Radio Myanmar. Heard at 1110 UT Dec 22 with what sounded like local Christmas carols into talk by OM/YL. Parallel 5040 kHz. I agree with Hans' observation that the transmitter previously used for 4725 is now used to carry the program on 5040. The hum on that later can hardly be missed. 5985 is still there carrying the regular Myanmar program (not parallel 4725 and 5040) - at this time, it is heard underneath VOA in English (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Had heard 4725 during the 1200 hour Dec 22. By 1300 this one was off but 5040.6 was still on (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) Tuned in this morning Dec 22 at about 1225 UT. Had signal both 4725 and 5040.6. Both weak, but in clear and in parallel. Checked again at 1235 and 4725 was gone. So perhaps 4725 sign off at 1230? I did have a very weak signal on 5985 at 1243, but too weak for any details (Dan Ziolkowski WI, ibid.) I agree with your observation, but 4725 was on air earlier in the evening around 1005 on 21 Dec with the usual poor audio, parallel to 5040.6. 5985.0 kHz was audible in the late evening with the main service in Burmese/English, but not in the early evening. Possibly the same transmitter is used for 4725 and 5985 now but this needs further checking. It's possible that 5040.6 comes from the transmitter that is usually 600 Hz or so above channel on 9730 -- formerly it was also on 5985.6v throughout the evening. Regards from Sengigi, Lombok, Indonesia (Alan Davies, Dec 22, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. R. Farda on FM! see U S A [non] ** NICARAGUA. I received QSL letter from R. Miskut. 5770 kHz Radio Miskut 57 days for $2. f/d friendly letter, signed by Sr. Lic. Evaristo Mercado Pérez, Director de R. Miskut. The letter was written about [by?] Mr. T. Hirahara (Y. Uemura, Kanagawa, Japan, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. From http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=460430 Officials of the popular radio station known as "P4" claimed over the weekend that they will stay on the air, even though they lost a lucrative government concession to operate Norway's only nationwide commercial station. Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, Norway's Minister of Culture, has been the target of public fury since yanking a popular radio station's government concession. The P4 executives are also threatening to sue the government for billions of kroner after Culture Minister Valgerd Svarstad Haugland handed their concession over to a rival bidder on Friday. Svarstad Haugland has been the target of public fury since announcing that she effectively was pulling the plug on P4. Its concession was up for renewal and she chose another operator, called "Canal 4," which is backed by several Norwegian newspaper including the Christian-leaning Vaart Land. Svarstad Haugland herself hails from the Christian Democrats and claims Canal 4's programming will be "better" than P4's. Seven out of 10 of P4's roughly 1 million listeners disagree, according to two separate public opinion polls. They're big fans of P4's fast-paced, contemporary format that largely mimics American commercial radio stations. Canal 4, by contrast, promises to feature more programming aimed at children, that a full 35 percent of the music it plays will be Norwegian and that it will emphasize news and documentary. P4's managing director, Rune Brynhildsen, who is furious over Svarstad Haugland's decision, says his station has a digital concession that runs until 2010. "No one can take that away from us," he told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK). "We will give the Norwegian people their favorite channel for 10 more years, no matter what it costs." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** PERU. 9504.9 kHz, Radio Tacna, at 1004. After logging this tentatively from Dec 16 thru 19, finally ID'd them on this date with exceptional signal that was still above threshold an hour later (doesn't seem possible power is either the 500w or 180w as listed in WRTH and PWBR respectively). Radio Record not noted at this time but something is very weak on frequency before Tacna signs on- possibly Record fading out being much further east? 1005 time check then two OA songs to 1011 when a barking dog was heard. Then long string of ads and/or personal messages (such as Centro Electrónico in Tacna and Balion Italiano) to a Radio Tacna ID at 1015. Many mentions of Buenos Dias Perú, so possibly the name of the program. Of the 5 days I listened, they were already on by 1005 on 3 of them and signed on 1020 and 1030 on the other 2 days (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, JRC NRD- 515/K9AY & A/D Sloper, Dec 20, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. What I presume is Radio Gaderica is putting in a pretty good signal here at 2110 UT on 5920, probably same site as 6235 VOR which also seems to be around. The Signal is choppy, probably due to disturbed conditions at present, but I suspect the High Solar Flux is bringing it through. Many Thanks to Glenn Hauser for the 'alert' WOR 1161; also to check propagation see http://www.trsc.com http://www.SpaceWeather.com With acknowledgements to NOAA, Tom Sundstrom Mr Alvestead (sorry can`t remember your first name) for the 'propagation'. Yes, Identifying now (2117 UT). The station is expected to continue nightly 2000-2300 UT until 31st December 2002 (Ken Fletcher, 2122 UT 21st December 2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5920, Radio Gardarika, 2000 Dec 22 with IDs in English and Russian. Giving address in St. Petersburg, telephone number. Fair reception but I had enough of this loop by 2004 when I tuned out the Javaradio in Sweden (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** RWANDA. 6055, R. Rwanda 2057 12/21. Tail end of s/off and NA after Slovakia s/off. During the past several years Radio Rwanda has stayed on well past its usual 2100* on 12/24 to broadcast a Christmas eve party. Carols in English, French and (presumed) Kinyarwanda language, great local music. At local midnight (2200 UT) there's a countdown, sounds of a big celebration, and Xmas greetings in several languages including English. Good opportunity for NA listeners to hear this station, if the same broadcast is on this year (George, MA, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA [non]. CLANDESTINE from NORWAY? to SAUDI ARABIA. 7590, Radio Al-Islah (Presumed) *1859 Dec 18 with jamming already in progress. Started suddenly with audio difficult to understand and frequent breaks. All in Arabic, but nothing sounding like an ID or opening sequence; via Sweden Javaradio (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) "In an effort to overcome the current jamming, the following frequency shift and extended transmission is applicable starting Sunday Dec. 22; 9930 *1830-2130* ex 7590 *1900-2100" end. The above is V of al-Islah translation of announcement ...Developing (Mahmud Fathi, Germany, Dec. 21, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Sawt al Islah noted on the new channel of 9930 (9929.96m) kHz at 1854 with a much stronger signal than on 7590, though the bubble jammer has followed them. Still has audio breaks. Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, UT Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I also heard the same station (Voice of Reform) Dec 21 on new 9930 at 1833-1857* and again at *2058:53-2127:00*. The same man continued talking in Arabic on the usual 7590 at *1858:50- 2058*, so it is rather obvious that the same transmitter is used, just switching between these two frequencies. Best 73 and season greetings to all of you, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. INDIA EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER BROADCASTING FACILITY FOR TIGERS India has expressed its serious ``concern`` to Sri Lanka over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam acquiring modern equipment for its clandestine Voice of Tigers broadcasting station via Norwegian diplomatic channels, the Sunday Times newspaper reported yesterday. Quoting diplomatic sources, the newspaper said that India`s Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal, who was on an official visit to Colombo last week, raised the matter during a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Despite Sri Lankan government claims that the radio station had only a limited range, India`s ``concern`` has been heightened by the distinct possibility of the equipment being upgraded to reach areas in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Exacerbating these ``concerns`` of the government of India, the newspaper said was the apparent cloak of high secrecy over the transfer of six tons of broadcasting equipment. Although one of the Sri Lankan government`s peace negotiators, Minister Milinda Moragoda, regularly visited the Indian capital before and after every round of peace talks with the rebels in recent months, no mention had been made of the transfer of the broadcasting equipment. India had learnt of the move for the first time only from the opposition party in Sri Lanka. This was after Parliamentarian Anura Bandaranaike, who was a member of a three-member People`s Alliance delegation, briefed Indian leaders late last month. The Sunday Times stated that the questions on how the broadcasting equipment, said to be worth millions of rupees, was procured and handed over to the LTTE without payment of any import duty have become a subject of concern not only for the government of India, but also the opposition. Several questions are being raised. Who raised the funds to procure the broadcasting equipment? Were diplomatic norms and procedures not violated when an embassy in Colombo imports such equipment, clears it without duty and hands it over to a private organisation? Since diplomatic cargo is not subject to Customs inspection, was the container with the broadcasting equipment examined? These were among the many questions that are being asked, the newspaper said in its front-page story (via D. Prabakaran, India, Cumbre DX via DXLD} LTTE`S FM RADIO STATION Sri Lanka has issued a license to LTTE to set up a broadcasting station in the northern town of Kilinochchi and assigned an FM frequency, a weekly newspaper said today. The license was issued to the rebel group`s `Peace Secretariat` ``to maintain and operate a private broadcasting station for which equipment worth more than $100,000 was imported by the LTTE last month, the Sunday Leader said. The newspaper said the Tigers were keen to legalise their clandestine `Voice of Tigers` and had sought a license to ``disseminate news to Tamil people on the ongoing peace process.`` In a communication to LTTE `peace secretariat`, which was reproduced in the weekly, the Mass Communications Ministry secretary has said the ``licensee shall provide broadcasting programmes in accordance with the norms, standards and code of ethics followed by the state-owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. The import of the equipment had raised concerns in India as to whether the group, outlawed in India, would use it to broadcast propaganda in Tamil Nadu to gain support for itself. However, India has taken the view that it will not be unduly worried as long as the broadcasting facilities were only for FM transmission, which are only specified frequencies with limited range. An LTTE cultural wing functionary had recently said the rebel radio had expansion plans to cover South India and Singapore (PTI via D. Prabakaran, India, Cumbre DX via DXLD} ** TAJIKISTAN. 4940, Voice of Russia, 1257 Dec 22 with tones, 1300 sign on in language after short music piece. Sounded like woman gave VoR website address. A bit of talk and then music. Mixing throughout with co-channel presumed AIR Guwahati (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** THAILAND. Army refuses to relinquish media units The Bangkok Post Saturday, December 14, 2002 The army plans to maintain control over its most popular TV channels and radio stations despite an article in the constitution requiring the media be handed over to the National Broadcasting Commission for frequency changes. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/Weekly2002/12.10.2002/Thailand5.htm ARMY REFUSES TO RELINQUISH MEDIA UNITS The Bangkok Post Saturday, December 14, 2002 The army plans to maintain control over its most popular TV channels and radio stations despite an article in the constitution requiring the media be handed over to the National Broadcasting Commission for frequency changes. For the sake of safety and security in military operations, the army would not allow civilians to work at broadcasting stations located within its compounds, army chief Gen Somdhat Attanant said yesterday. "The army must maintain control of media that is crucial to national security,'' he said. "To ensure the public is kept aware of military operations, the major stations must not be affected.'' The army runs a total of 126 radio stations, as well as TV channels 5 and 7. Stations that recently begun airing would be returned to the panel, as required by law, Gen Somdhat said (via NASWA Flashsheet Dec 21 via DXLD) ** THAILAND/VIETNAM. A further example of atrocious frequency coordination is the use of 7285 by Radio Thailand and the Voice of Vietnam, both operating on that frequency to the same target area from 1100-1130. Thailand carries Vietnamese and Khmer Vietnam carries English Thailand formerly used 7260 during A02, but moved to 7285 to clear the channel for Radio Netherlands (Petropavlovsk Kamchatka) 0930-1130. Vietnam has used 7285 for many years but does not appear to be represented at the HFCC. There is ample clear spectrum space available on 7 MHz to eliminate this clash. I believe that IBB in Washington manages the Thailand scheduling, with transmissions coming out of Udon Thani. Regards! (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Dec 21, EDXP via DXLD) ** TIBET. The Lhasa daytime frequencies are now audible at times. 11950 in Chinese is regular here from 0259. This one is beamed to the west. The eastern beam on 11860 is very weak but has been confirmed repeatedly. The Tibetan channel on 9580 suffers much interference but has been confirmed repeatedly - this transmitter is the one that is well heard on 7385 mornings/evening. 9490, also beamed to the east, is weak, but can be confirmed days-evenings (Olle Alm, Sweden, Dec 20, BC-DX via DXLD) ** U A E. As sometimes happens with BC-DX, a frequency I did not report was inserted when picking up my recent item on Dubai at 1330, ``21597.64`` -- I have not tried to measure it that closely lately, and just say 21598v, but thanks for the precision, however it got there (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. SIR JIMMY'S RELUCTANT FAREWELL From BBC News Friday, 20 December, 2002, 14:17 GMT Sir Jimmy Young turned on his BBC bosses in his last lunchtime programme on Radio 2, telling listeners "it wasn't my idea" to leave the show. Young, who is 81, has left his show on Friday after half a century in broadcasting. But his anger at leaving Radio 2, his home since 1973, showed during his final programme, as listeners sent messages to the studio saying how sorry they were to see him go. It's the last programme - it's not what I want but that's what's been decreed so that's what we have to do. "Just so that we're all singing from the same hymn book, it was not my idea to go - I didn't want to leave you at all and I know from your messages that you don't want me to go either," he said. According to the BBC's media correspondent Nick Higham, Sir Jimmy feels humiliated at the way he has been sidelined by executives at Radio 2, who are looking for a younger image for the station. A Radio 2 spokeswoman said: "We were disappointed that Sir Jimmy Young had a change of heart about presenting a new show for the BBC. "We thank him for his great contribution to BBC radio over many years and send him warm wishes for every happiness and success in the future." The veteran broadcaster still manages to achieve ratings of around five million listeners. He had five months off recently after a hip operation, and only returned to his show two weeks ago. As his show finished, he told listeners he was writing his autobiography, and had received offers to appear in a one-man stage show. "There is life after the BBC, of course," he said, before playing his last track - his own 1955 version of Unchained Melody. He ended the show by saying: "The song's fading away and indeed so am I. "It's the last programme - it's not what I want but that's what's been decreed so that's what we have to do. "I'm looking forward to hearing you and seeing you at the theatre. Thank you very, very, much for the last 30 years - I've loved it all. "God bless, take care, and for the very last time I fear, bye for now." Sir Jimmy started working at the corporation in 1949, and was one of the first broadcasters on Radio 1 in 1969, moving to Radio 2 four years later. Sir Jimmy's retirement had been mooted for some time, but the DJ had always extended his contract. He had agreed to leave his 12 to 2pm show to do a weekend programme at the beginning of the year, but then changed his mind and decided to retire from the BBC altogether. On Friday, fellow Radio 2 DJ Terry Wogan said on his breakfast show: "Dear Jimmy Young is leaving us - or so he says. We don't have to believe it if we don't want to." He then read out a poem from a reader: "Goodbye to Sir Jimmy Young/ He's leaving us today/ Broadcasting to us the nation/ On Radio 2 each day/ We're really going to miss him/ But he'll be back somehow/ So all we say is BFN - byebye for now." When he announced his departure, Sir Jimmy said: "I know that my many listeners will understand. "This decision has nothing to do with my recent stay in hospital. My hip is fixed and I am not retiring, far from it - I will be pursuing a number of other interests." Sir Jimmy was replaced by Brian Hayes during his five month break, and the show will feature a new host, former Newsnight stand-in Jeremy Vine, from the new year (uk-radio-listeners yahoogroup VIA PAUL DAVID Chair, BVHG, DXLD) ** U K [and non]. FROM TELEGRAPH TO 3G TECHNOLOGY http://www.timesonline.co.uk/ December 21, 2002 By Dan Sabbagh AFTER a nerve-wracking week of checking and cross-checking, on December 21, 1902, Guglielmo Marconi was sure. Exactly 100 years ago, his Wireless Telegraph Company confirmed publicly that four telegrams had been successfully sent from Canada to Cornwall, across 2,000 miles of ocean. The first one was from Lord Minto, the Governor-General of Canada, "To his Majesty the King, London". It said: "May I be permitted by means of this wireless message to congratulate your Majesty on the success of Marconi's great invention connecting England and Canada." Buckingham Palace replied with a telegram the next day. On behalf of the Edward VII, Lord Knollys wrote: "The King has been much interested by your experiments, as he remembers that the initial ones were commenced by you from the Royal Yacht Osbourne in 1898." The applications of Marconi's inventions changed the face of the new century, heralding radio, television, radar and the mobile phone. But, ironically, radio never succeeded in displacing cables - the first of which was laid in 1866 - as the principal means of transmitting data across the Atlantic. Today 60 per cent of BT's transatlantic telecoms traffic is handled by fibre-optic cable, which offers virtually limitless capacity; the rest is handled by the successor to Marconi's technology, satellites. A report of Marconi's historic transmissions followed in The Times on Christmas Eve. Tucked away on page three, below news of Venezuela's "arbitration question", was an article headlined "Wireless transatlantic telegraph", which reproduced the telegraph messages that were sent and received. The Times played a central role in Marconi's famous experiments. With an eye for publicity, the Italian inventor invited the newspaper in October of that year to take part in his latest round of transatlantic experiments. "I shall be glad for the first Press message transmitted by wireless telegraphy from America to England to appear in your columns," Marconi wrote to the Editor. The previous year Marconi had proved it was possible to transmit radio signals across the Atlantic. On December 12, 1901, he received in Newfoundland a three-dot signal - Morse code for the letter "s" - 1,800 miles from where it was transmitted in Cornwall. It wasn't meaningful communication but it did show that it was possible to communicate without wires far beyond the horizon. The radio waves he used bounced off part of the Earth's atmosphere, the ionosphere, meaning that wireless communication could overcome the curvature of the planet to reach the New World from the Old. Marconi's offer was accepted by The Times, and the newspaper sent George Robert Parkin, its Canada Correspondent, to watch the inventor at work in Glace Bay. Indeed, it was Parkin who actually composed the first message sent across the Atlantic. Marconi, based in Glace Bay, started work in mid November 1902. But the signal strength was poor and it was not until December 14 that the inventor felt confident enough to start proper communications. He invited Parkin to write to his newspaper. "Have honour send through Times inventor's first transatlantic message of greeting to England and Italy," the message read. Over the next week Marconi, who after five years of radio demonstrations was a celebrity, sent three other messages to Edward VII and the King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel III. They were all released after they had been cross-checked on December 21. The transatlantic success increased the demand for Marconi's services. Its military and, in particular, naval applications were obvious. But The Times was interested, too, and in March 1903 persuaded the Marconi company to launch a news service for both itself and The New York Times. Unfortunately, that service lasted only a few days: the antenna at the Canadian station broke under the weight of ice in early April. A commercial service was not launched until 1907, and while it was a great success in terms of the amount of traffic carried, it ran at a loss amid heavy competition - a situation that today's telecoms companies, and in particular the successor to Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company, Cable & Wireless, would recognise as all too familiar. Even so, radio quickly became the technology of choice when mobile communications were essential. The Times's War Correspondent of the time, Lionel James, used a wireless telegraph to file reports from the front of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. In what was a mainly naval conflict, James was able to file from a steamer he had chartered, which was out in the Yellow Sea, speeding up the delivery of battle reports vastly. The story of the next hundred years of communications is largely one of increasing proliferation, falling cost and the occasional technological shock. Broadcast radio came in the 1920s, television in the 1930s, the mobile phone in the 1980s and the internet in the 1990s. Fortunes were made and lost as companies either under or overestimated how much money they could make from the changes in technology. Long-distance communications that were barely available to the elite 100 years ago are carried around in the pockets of virtually every adult in Western Europe. Next year, mobile phone operators hope to launch "third generation" services, which will allow two-way video calls on the move. (more on web site). (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Latvia 5935: World Bible Radio Network 5935 1700-1759. Nonstop choirs, carols and instrumentals, with ID and frequency given in between. Laser Radio started at 1800. Familiar 60-ies offshore pirate tune. "Well here we are at long last..." program introduced by Jeff Rogers... then Beatles-All You Need Is Love. Info about Latvia and Ulbroka transmitter. Unfortunately at 1800 also start of R. Prague on 5930 (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) LATVIA 5935 World Bible Radio Network heard at 1745 tune-in, hymns and choral music with one identification given. 1800 Laser sounds and Man of Action theme tune, start of Laser Radio transmissions with DJ Geoff Rogers, into All You Need is Love by the Beatles. Strong signals but some adjacent channel splatter (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, December 22nd, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Already audible here in New York at 1835 UT tune-in. Talk by OM DJ, then music with OM vocals. Website audio stream is approximately delayed by one minute. SINPO only 23332 at the moment, should definitely improve as darkness approaches (George Maroti, NY, R8B/100 foot long T2FD, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) ** U K [AND NON]. IRISH REPUBLICAN BALLAD NAMED WORLD'S TOP SONG By Sinead O'Hanlon LONDON (Reuters) - The Irish republican rallying cry "A Nation Once Again" was named Friday as the world's all-time favorite song, after a global poll by the BBC. The ballad performed by the staunchly republican group The Wolfe Tones, was among a minority of Western songs in the list and only narrowly triumphed over Indian patriotic song "Vande Mataram," the BBC said in a statement. Group leader Brian Warfield told Reuters from Dublin, "It's marvelous news." "We're absolutely delighted that this song, which has become such an anthem for the Irish people, has got such recognition all over the world. "The song was written to give the Irish people back a bit of spirit and support the fight to overturn (British rule) so I am very happy to see it is still giving us spirit the world over," he said. The poll of BBC World Service listeners attracted 150,000 votes from 153 countries and revealed the diversity of the world's musical tastes. Among the rest of the top ten was a Bollywood movie song, a love song from Nepal, a Tamil Tiger film song and a pop song from Hollywood singer/actress Cher. "A Nation Once Again" was written by 19th century Anglo-Irish army surgeon Thomas Osbourne Davis to support the fight for an end to British rule. It includes the refrain "And Ireland, long a province, be a nation once again." Many famous names contributed to the voting with Bianca Jagger choosing Bob Dylan's "Knocking on Heaven's Door" rather than anything from ex-husband Mick Jagger's band the Rolling Stones. Former Philippines first lady Imelda Marcos chose Handel's Hallelujah chorus, while Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey opted for Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife." The BBC said some artists suffered in the voting stakes because so many of their songs were nominated, splitting the vote. The Beatles had 55 songs nominated and Iranian artist Googoosh had 40. Reggae legend Bob Marley had 29 songs nominated, with "No Woman No Cry" topping the list. Europe's favorite song was "Wind of Change" by the Scorpions, a song many associate with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The United States went for "Girl from Ipanema" by Antonio Carlos Jobim while Latin Americans voted for "Solo le pido a Dios" from Argentine singer Leon Geico. Swahili classic "Malaika" was Africa's No. 1 while Australians and New Zealanders voted for both Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. The final top ten list is: 1. A Nation Once Again -- The Wolfe Tones. 2. Vande Mataram -- various artists. 3. Dil Dil Pakistan - Vital Signs. 4. Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu - Ilayaraja. 5. Poovum Nadakkuthu Pinchum Nadakkuthu - Thirumala Chandran 6. Ana wa Laila - Kazem El Saher. 7. Reetu Haruma Timi - Arun Thapa. 8. Believe - Cher. 9. Chaiyya Chaiyya - A R Rahman. 10. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen. Reuters/Variety 12/20/02 23:59 ET (via Fred Waterer, DXLD) I tuned in near the beginning of this show, only to hear some disgusting lyrics, so promptly tuned out (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB IS NOW TESTING TRANSMITTER GLOBAL FOUR Press Release 12/21/2002 For Immediate Release POC: Peter J. Taggart This morning (December 21, 2002) Radio Station WWRB began low power testing of its fourth transmitter, Global Four. This transmitter, built by Harris, is easily capable of running a full 150 Kilowatts power AM. So far, it has performed flawlessly in tests, far exceeding our specifications, and we are confidently optimistic of adding it to our official transmitter lineup within a few months. With the beginning of broadcasts utilizing this transmitter, we expect to significantly enhance our capabilities and coverage, offering services far exceeding our current capabilities. Radio Station WWRB's management has not yet determined the operational frequencies for this transmitter, however, the low three megahertz is considered an excellent candidate for nighttime operations. WWRB FACILITIES DESIGNATED AS AERONAUTICAL ENROUTE COMMUNICATIONS FACILITY Press Release 12/21/2002 For Immediate Release POC: Rei Hino Recently, the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration designated and licensed the parent company of Radio Station WWRB as an Aeronautical Enroute Communications Facility. Radio Station WWRB's transmitter site in Manchester, Tennessee and our receiver site McCayesville [sic], Georgia are equipped with extensive antenna systems perfectly suited for long and short range communications (point to point, ground to air, secure voice, data, and aircraft reservations.) This new venture is in the initial stages of development, we are beginning to receive frequency assignments, and rapid expansion is anticipated as time goes on (WWRB via Dave Frantz, DXLD) That explains the sign on the gate seen months ago claiming WWRB was an aero facility (gh, DXLD) Thought you would like to know the radio call is : "Nashville Radio" (Dave Frantz, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7354.5, WRNO: started checking to see how early they come on. 2348 on Dec 18 there was preaching in English here. Ended at 2351 and then dead air past 0000. On Dec 19 at the same time I heard nothing, not even the hint of a carrier (Hans Johnson, TX, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. The Charlotte Beers speech at the National Press Club is available on demand at ... http://video.c-span.org:8080/ramgen/ndrive/ter121802_beers.rm (Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. NEW ZEALAND. 107.1 FM: Radio Farda's new Persian Service has made a surprise appearance on the FM band here in Auckland New Zealand. While driving around the eastern suburbs of Auckland doing some last minute Christmas shopping yesterday (21 December), I discovered an unidentified Middle Eastern broadcaster on 107.1 FM in stereo. The language wasn't Arabic and the identification sounded like "Radio Fardough". Not having heard Radio Farda before, but given the number of references to Iran, I tried http://www.radiofarda.com and compared the webcast identification with the local FM signal to confirm they were the same, though programming was not in parallel. Then today 22 December I have tracked down a couple of Radio Farda's shortwave frequencies (15290 and 17675 at 0800 UTC) and established that our local FM broadcast is running 1 to 2 seconds behind the shortwave audio. It`s interesting to speculate as to the source of the local signal. Here in NZ, the edges of the FM broadcast band (88.0 to 88.5 and 106.7 to 107.3) are known as 'guardbands' and can be used by enthusiastic microbroadcasters with a maximum transmitter output of 300 milliwatts, that is, less than a third of a watt. Is this just an initiative of a young Iranian living in Auckland, or is there a desire by the organisation behind Radio Farda to entertain the worldwide expatriate Iranian community ? I checked the NZ Immigration Service statistics online and these show 149 Iranians have been accepted for NZ residence in the 6 months ending December 2002, compared with 300 in 2000/01 and 350 in 2001/02. So not sure there's a big Persian-speaking audience around here, and the 300 milliwatts probably has a range of 10-15 miles. Anyone else hearing Radio Farda on local FM? (Bryan Clark, Auckland, NZ, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I listened to 1539 early this morning and was able to sort out R Farda from the Spanish station. R Farda was on 1539.08, so most likely they are using the Sharjah facility, at least for the time being (Olle Alm, Sweden, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Isn`t it odd that R. Farda is running 24 hours on the two MW frequencies 1539 and 1593 from UAE and Kuwait. These could not penetrate very far into Iran in the daytime, at the high end of the band (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Interesting to see they are using 1539 too - maybe the 2 x 50kW at Sharjah? (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Dec 20 via DXLD) IBB frequency table shows DHA = Al Dhabbaya location anyway. I had a look into new WRTH '03, which arrived yesterday at Stuttgart. I guess maybe they-{Americans} made a deal with Sharjah/UAE authorities to use that channel straight northwards at 10 degrees, but with 500 kW of power. I don't believe that the US power would use a 50 kW unit from Sharjah towards Iran! (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) The distance from Sharjah to the nearest major city in Iran is at least 200 km, so the 2 x 50 kW would be of little use. I have not seen a coördination for a higher power. We'll have to wait and see what it sounds like. Sharjah has usually been a little off channel, so if we get to hear a loud signal spot on channel, then it's not Sharjah but Dhabbaya (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX, Dec 21, via DXLD) Radio Farda: I asked about the 7165 and 9835 frequencies, beaming the former Radio Azadi to Europe. Done; they were cancelled, confirmed on Dec 20 check. Re the frequency lists, I understand that VOA Farsi will continue. Otherwise it appears that the FRD outlets replace the RFE circuit 12 transmissions completely since they contain most of the former RFE Farsi (Radio Azadi) frequencies (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "{(Dan Ferguson, IBB, Dec 18, SWBC via DXLD) Not quite identical to: ... " (gh, DXLD 2-199) But nevertheless correct (Dan Ferguson, IBB, SWBC via DXLD) Meaning the other {tentative} version is incorrect ** U S A. Just reviewed a phone message from one of the churches in Jamestown ND, which is a "heavy contributor" to the local WAFR *88.3 Tupelo MS translator. They plan to bring up my charges against the American Family Association (translator W214AX *90.7 there) at a meeting of the local ministerial association. I have no intention at this time to capitulate to the AFR's attorney's demands that I be silent, lest I be sued for slander. In fact, I may be willing to travel the 800 mile round trip to testify at the group's meeting. I might also mention to you that my son-in-law is a pastor in Jamestown, and probably a member of the ministerial association. (He may or may not agree with me; hence my feeling that I should travel to Jamestown to be personally present.) If I go, wish me luck! The problem of a neglected station ID is so sacred to me as a DXer I am willing to go to great expense to protect this right. I hope other DXers agree (Bruce Elving/FM Atlas, Dec 21, amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** U S A. I thought you might want to see this one. The American Free Press, the source of this story, has their own particular bias, which I don't much care for, but I assume the information here is valid. The old saying is coming true more and more that a free press is for he who owns one (John Wesley Smith, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Rense.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Media Giants After ABSOLUTE Control Exclusive To American Free Press By Michael Collins Piper 12-19-2 Some populist critics of the major media giants in America say that "The Media Is the Enemy," Well, if other people have their way, the wealth and power of the mass media and its concentration in increasingly fewer hands will be greater than ever before... If you think that the masters of the American media --- men such as Edgar Bronfman, Sumner Redstone, Rupert Murdoch, S.I. Newhouse, Mortimer Zuckerman, Lawrence Tisch and others --- are rich and powerful now, just wait till you see what the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has in store for them. The FCC is considering loosening or doing away entirely with regulations that limit the number of newspapers and radio and television outlets that a single company can own. Americans have until Jan. 2 --- no later --- to register their opposition with the FCC. (See accompanying information on how to contact the FCC on page 20.) Although all of this is being proposed in the name of "the free market," this would be a major boon to the increasingly smaller number of global corporate media giants that are swallowing up once independent local newspapers and broadcast outlets across America and around the world. Such a move would also give expanded political clout to the already immensely powerful lords of the media allowing them-for example-to own a major television station and newspaper in the same town or city, thereby effectively having a monopoly on local news coverage. Advocates of "deregulation" say that because so many Americans now have access to the Internet and can thereby call up many news sources-literally, worldwide-that there is no longer any need for "out of date" regulations. In addition, advocates say that because of the expansion of satellite and cable television, previous concerns about the concentration of media ownership are no longer valid. While it is true that the Internet has provided a communications/ outreach explosion of unprecedented proportions --- just in the last several years alone --- most Americans get the bulk of their news and information from their local "mainstream" newspapers and television and radio which are themselves increasingly being grabbed up by major media monopolies. For example, in the small city of Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, the New York-based Newhouse family controls the major daily newspaper, The Patriot. The Newhouse family's Advance Communications also controls a number of smaller weekly newspapers in both suburban and rural "bedroom" counties surrounding Harrisburg. Most of those people have no idea that their "local" newspaper is actually owned by a national media conglomerate held tightly in the hands of a super-powerful billionaire family. Americans who use the Internet for "other" information tend to frequent the web sites of "major" widely-publicized and "fashionable" newspapers such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune and The Los Angeles Times. However, what many of those who fancy themselves to be "in the know" because they access multiple "big name" newspapers do not realize is that the owners of The Chicago Tribune, for example, are also the owners of The Los Angeles Times and New York's Long Island-based Newsday and The Hartford (Connecticut) Courant, to mention several in the Tribune Co.'s stable. So many readers who think they are getting "alternative" information from other news sources are victims of the growing media monopoly that prefers to keep its concentration of elite ownership out of the realm of public understanding and discussion. As one would expect from an appointed bureaucrat with high-level political connections, the FCC's chairman Michael Powell --- son of Secretary of State Colin Powell --- is taking a non-committal position on the controversial issue. Unfortunately, the issue is only "controversial" to those who are aware of the issue, since the matter has been largely relegated to the business pages of the major metropolitan dailies. The concept of media ownership and control being increasingly taken into the hands of fewer and fewer families and financial groups is not widely debated or understood. There is something you can do about it: make your voice heard. You have until Jan. 2 to contact the FCC and tell the commissioners that you are opposed to all plans to loosen current ownership restrictions. Urge the commissioners to tighten current standards and restrict the growth of the media monopoly in America. http://americanfreepress.net/12_11_02/Media_Giants_Crave/media_giants_crave.html MainPage http://www.rense.com (via John W. Smith, DXLD) ALTERNATIVE MEDIA CENSORSHIP: SPONSORED BY CIA's FORD FOUNDATION? by bob feldman The multi-billion dollar Ford Foundation's historic relationship to the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] is rarely mentioned on Pacifica's DEMOCRACY NOW / Deep Dish TV show, on FAIR's COUNTERSPIN show, on the WORKING ASSETS RADIO show, on The Nation Institute's RADIO NATION show, on David Barsamian's ALTERNATIVE RADIO show or in the pages of PROGRESSIVE, MOTHER JONES and Z magazine. One reason may be because the Ford Foundation and other Establishment foundations subsidize the Establishment Left's alternative media gatekeepers / censors. PACIFICA / DEMOCRACY NOW / DEEP DISH TV Take Pacifica / DEMOCRACY NOW, an alternative radio network with annual revenues of $10 million in 2000, whose National Program Director was paid $63,000 in that year. In the early 1950s--when the CIA was using the Ford Foundation to help fund a non-communist "parallel left" as a liberal Establishment alternative to an independent, anti-Establishment revolutionary left--the Pacifica Foundation was given a $150,000 grant in 1951 by the Ford Foundation's Fund for Education. According to James Ledbetter's book MADE POSSIBLE BY..., "the Fund's first chief was Alexander Fraser, the president of the Shell Oil Company." Besides subsidizing the Pacifica Foundation in the early 1950s, the Ford Foundation also spent a lot of money subsidizing many other noncommercial radio or television stations in the United States. According to Ledbetter's MADE POSSIBLE BY..., between 1951 and 1976, the Ford Foundation "spent nearly $300 million on noncommercial radio and television." In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Pacifica relied primarily on listener-sponsor contributions to fund the operations of its radio stations. And in the early 1970s, Pacifica also began to accept funds from the U.S. Establishment's Corporation for Public Broadcasting [CPB], according to Rogue State author William Blum--who worked as a KPFA staffperson in the early 1970s. But in the early 1990s, some Pacifica administrators decided to again seek grants from the Ford Foundation and other Establishment foundations. As former Pacifica Development Director Dick Bunce wrote in the appendix to the "A Strategy for National Programming" document which was prepared for the Pacifica National Board in September 1992, entitled "Appendix Foundation Grantseeking National Programming Assumptions for Foundation Fundraising": The national foundation grantseeking arena has changed enough in recent years to make activity in this arena potentially worthwhile—for organizations prepared to be players and partners in the same field as NPR, APR, maybe some others...The foundation funding of interest is in gifts of $100,000 or more a year, for several years...Three of America's six largest foundations (Ford, MacArthur, Pew) have begun to fund public broadcasting, public radio in particular, and evidently intend to continue doing so. Pacifica requested meetings with each of these foundations earlier this year and was treated seriously enough in subsequent meetings to give us some hope of securing funding possibly from all three. A `Report Sheet' on this work is included in Appendix 3. "Beyond these three foundations there are no others among the country's 100 largest which have made substantial grants to public broadcasting. So the second tier of foundation prospects look substantially different from the first tier requiring more work on our part to open doors, establish `standing' and find a workable `fit.' "There are nonetheless a number of interesting prospects--in some cases only because of particular people who are currently involved, or because of formal criteria which we could try to fit. The second tier list includes several from the top 100 --- Rockefeller, Irvine, Surdna, George Gund -- Nathan Cummings -- and a number of smaller foundations, but still capable of 6 figure grants: Aaron Diamond, Revson, Rockefeller Family & Associates, New World, Winston Foundation for World Peace. "Once we drop to the $35,000 to $75,000 grant range, the list enlarges, but these take as long to cultivate as the bigger ones, so it makes sense to start from the top. "Foundation fundraising at this level has extraordinary payoffs--but it takes senior staff time, not `grantwriting' but in communicating. It is therefore expensive, and not successfully done as an afterthought to everything else in the day. It also requires `venture capital visits' to the foundations to open doors and conversations that lead to partnerships. "In initiating three top level contacts in April, May and June, and attempting to capitalize on the opportunities apparent to us, we have already been stretched beyond our capacity to really interface effectively with these funders --- although admittedly much of the problem to date has been due to the fact that we don't yet have a clear business plan for national programming. "Foundation grantmaking will most likely proceed as short-term funding. Funders will want to `fund projects, not operations.' We should presume that we can succeed in raising serious money to launch or establish new programs, etc. but not to sustain them beyond start- up. The standard of self-sufficiency will be required for many proposals we submit, and our own planning will be most successful if we relate to this funding source accordingly. "Short-Run Strategies for Developing a Foundation Grantseeking Program "Seek Development Committee leadership in planning for Foundation grantseeking. "Pursue 3 `anchor' grants to acquire funding beginning in FY'93 from the Big 3 foundations we've already begun to work with. "Long-Range Strategies for Developing a Foundation Grantseeking Program "Initiate an informal `feasibility inquiry' of foundation support for Pacifica's objectives by requesting visits with the dozen top prospects to shape proposals and establish relationships... "Foundation Grants Summary: Late this spring we began our first efforts in national foundation grantseeking on behalf of national programming. We have a good chance of securing six figure grants in the coming fiscal year from any or all of the 3 foundations we're working with, but our approach is still dependent upon our own organizational progress toward a business plan that we are committed to following through on. "The second tier of foundation prospects is more challenging, and will require increased staff resources, a modest feasibility inquiry and active planning with the Board Development Committee. By 1995, billionaire speculator George Soros' Open Society Institute had given the Pacifica Foundation a $40,000 grant. And in 1996, the Carnegie Corporation of New York gave Pacifica a $25,000 grant to launch its DEMOCRACY NOW show. In 1997 came a $13,000 grant from the J.M. Kaplan Fund to Pacifica to provide support for DEMOCRACY NOW. And in 1998 came a $25,000 grant to Pacifica from the Public Welfare Foundation "to report on hate crimes and related issues as part of its `DEMOCRACY NOW!" public-affairs radio program and an additional $10,000 grant to support DEMOCRACY NOW from the J.M. Kaplan Fund. That same year the Ford Foundation gave a $75,000 grant to Pacifica "toward marketing consultancy, promotional campaign and program development activities for radio program, DEMOCRACY NOW." In 1998 and 1999, two grants, totalling $22,500, were also given to Pacifica by the Boehm Foundation, to support its DEMOCRACY NOW show. In early 2002, an additional Ford Foundation grant of $75,000 was given to Deep Dish TV "for the television news series, DEMOCRACY NOW, to continue incorporating the aftermath of the September 11th attack into future broadcasts." Besides being presently subsidized by the Ford Foundation to air Pacifica's DEMOCRACY NOW show, Deep Dish TV, with an annual income of $158,000 in 2000, was also subsidized by the MacArthur Foundation in the 1990s. Between 1993 and 1998, $190,000 in grants were given to Deep Dish TV by the MacArthur Foundation. And one of the members of Deep Dish TV's board of directors in recent years has apparently been a WBAI staffperson named Mario Murillo. Another Ford Foundation grant of $200,000 was given in April 2002 to the Astraea Foundation, whose former board finance committee chairperson, Leslie Cagan, is presently the chairperson of Pacifica's national board. Three other grants have been given to the Astraea Foundation by the Ford Foundation since 2000: two grants, totalling $75,000, in 2000; and a $200,000 grant in 2001 "for general support and subgrants to community-based organizations addressing social, political and economic justice, especially those focused on lesbians and other sexual minorities." The former finance committee chairperson of the Ford Foundation-sponsored Astraea Foundation recently signed a $2 million "golden handshake / sweetheart contract" with the Ford Foundation-sponsored, soon-to-be-privatized DEMOCRACY NOW producer (who has apparently been receiving a $90,000/year salary from Pacifica in recent years for her alternative journalism work). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- original URL for this article: http://www.questionsquestions.net/feldman/feldman01.html (via John W. Smith, DXLD) So? Fortunate that foundations hand out money to public broadcasting (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I haven't seen anything about WWRC using IBOC, but with us heading out of the testing phase and into the real usage phase I assume there's no media splash for many stations. So who knows of a way to track IBOC stations? Are they still required to get a STA or whatever for IBOC? If so, will that be accessible over the web? iBiquity isn't giving names of individual stations (Chuck Hutton, WA, NRC-AM via DXLD) The FCC has added categories "AM Digital", "FM Digital", "FM Translator Digital", and "FM Booster Digital" to their CDBS application search page on http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_sear.htm They seem to be only testing though. Selecting *all* "AM Digital" stations returns only three STAs. (KXNT-840, WSB-750, WKDL-730). Selecting all "FM Digital" stations returns seven FM stations -- and the three AMs. Likewise if you select the FM translators - you get the ten full-power stations (Doug Smith, TN, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. 87.9 MHz FLORIDA (PIRATE) unidentified, Tampa (presumed); I continue to hear this one sporadically since first discovering in early November. The latest reception began on local Friday, Dec. 20th around 8 p.m. and all day/eve the 21st, and still noted Sunday, Dec. 22nd at 11:40 a.m.+. So -- when active (weekends, mostly)-- it is 24- hours. Format continues to be automated with mostly early 60's bubble gum pop, soul and Motown, with a little early 70's pop/rock. Still noting occasional reverbed "nonstop music" singing drops, no slogan "ID" heard yet though. Stereo. In Pinellas county, a better signal in the Countryside area than my central county location. Need to go on another DFing mission, though I'm pretty sure I know who it is (formerly another format and another channel). (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, Tocobaga DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Your digest #2-099 lamented the deterioration of WWLG (calling itself WLG) Baltimore, on 1360 kcs. At this instant I'm copying the station on 1370 via my well-calibrated TenTec RX-320 in Reston, Virginia. Moved 10 kHz? (Charles Gillen, Dec 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. 640, YVQO Unión Radio, Puerto-La-Cruz (Anzoátegui state) DEC 22 0323 - One segment of their continuous newscast ended; then man repeating over 20 times "unionradio.com" (their new web-site) and the slogans "Unión Radio, La radio de noticias", "24 horas de información" and simply "Unión Radio Noticias"; then back to news. At 0343 again this repetitive promos, mention of "mil-noventa AM" which is their Caracas frequency (I tried to get this one which would have been a new one for me, but without luck, as WBAL was huge and alone), as well as several FM frequencies - one of them was 90.3 in the (Falcón?) state - back to news again. At 0351 gave 2 items about the Hugo Chávez manifestation. Good to very good reception; often way atop Guadeloupe/WNNZ QRM. I could get trace of this even on a poor Panasonic Rx-D14 portable, just to get an idea of how strong this 10 kW Venezuelan was at my QTH (Bogdan Chiochiu, DXing from Pierrefonds, Quebec, Sanyo MCD-S830 w/ internal ferrite bar antenna, also using a Panasonic Dx-D14 with a very short ferrite rod ant.! Hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Baseball games are suspended for the time being, due to the present political turmoil. As soon as things return to normal, nightly ballgame commentaries will be heard on the AM band. There are two interesting pages showing a list of the Circuito AM Center stations covering all Los Tiburones de la Guairá games http://www.tiburonesdelaguaira.com.ve/circuito.php and a list of the Circuito Radio Venezuela stations covering the Aguilas del Zulia games http://www.aguilas.com/circuito.html Not many of the CRV outlets can be monitored live on the Internet right now, but this morning I was pleased to have a go at "las grandes canciones de navidad" on Mara 900, which can be found at http://www.radiovenezuela.com.ve (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Dec 22, dxing.info via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA [non]. Radio Yugoslavia: Weren't there already rumours about possible CRI relays via Bijeljina some time ago? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5079.8 kHz - 16 DEC 2002 - 1515 UT. Sounded like Radio Pakistan in Dari (Karel Honzik, Czechia, Dec 21, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Hi Karel, If it is Pakistan on 5079.8 I think it will be their Current Affairs programme which is on air at 1300-1800. They have another transmission at 0200-0400. This is via a 100kW transmitter at Islamabad and was using 7105 - or thereabouts. The Dari service at 1515-1545 should be using 5860 and 7375. It was still heard there a few days ago (Noel Green, England, hard-core-dx via DXLD) 5080.3: Reports of Radio Pakistan in this range. Talk here at 1310 Dec 22 in language, carrier heard before 1300, any help most appreciated (Hans Johnson, Rio Hondo TX, Cumbredx mailing list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Dec 14 [Sat] 1325, 27735 kHz. Private church station (Ireland?). Songs by children, with piano accompaniment. Long breaks between songs, announcer was not there. S value varied from 1 to 3, and there was much QRM by CB operators. Dec 15 [Sun], 0900, 27335 [sic -- which is it?] kHz. Church sermon in English (Alexander Yegorov, Kyiv, Ukraine, Signal via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ FREQUENCY MANAGEMENT [non] ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bob Padula's hard-hitting, "take-no-prisoners" style of editorial on frequency management in the latest EDXP World Broadcast Monitor was right on the ball. Indeed, when international stations use non-technical bureaucrats to plan their schedules, you can be sure that we are in for chaos on the shortwave bands. Surely, with all the technical know-how at their hands, the three major bodies (ABU, ASBU and HFCC) could have sorted out their plans, even before their five day junket in Bangkok began!! Sophisticated propagation modeling software exists, and frequency management software is probably also available for use by the three organisations. For God's sake, even a simple Excel spreadsheet setup would suffice!! However, what Bob does not say in his editorial is that this mess is largely a result of political motivations within and between each organisation. Each group has to appease their own member countries broadcasting aspirations and demands. At the same time, each body is pushing their particular geographical region's broadcasting rights, obligations and desires. In particular, the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) has its own agenda and interests. On the surface, there is harmony and co-operation between the parties. Underneath, I believe, each group is trying to get "its pound of flesh". Add to this the DRM experiments, with their 20 kHz bandwidth signals, plus a few other countries who refuse to coordinate with anyone, and you have a recipe for disaster on the shortwave bands. I have felt for some time now that DRM testing should be allocated to a separate frequency range, well away from the existing analogue service, to minimise interference. This would also allow more realistic analysis of how DRM signals co-exist with each other when every station (......every???) switches over to DRM during the next 10-15 years. Once again, we have the wealthy broadcasters using their muscles to stomp all over the SWBC bands with wide bandwidth DRM signals, and to hell with everyone else. Unless broadcasters in general and frequency management bodies in particular begin to coordinate their activities better, the dwindling SW listener market will give up rather quickly bothering with this mode of broadcasting. Within a short time, the stations could end up talking to themselves! (Rob VK3BVW Wagner, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 20, EDXP via DXLD) 2002 CLANDESTINE ACTIVITY SURVEY ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ During the year 2002 the activity of political clandestine stations broadcasting on shortwave has increased by 21 % to 1732 Weekly Broadcasting Hours (WBHs). This is the highest level of activity since 1994 and the third year with increased activity in a row. The clandestine activity now has increased already by more than 50 % from its recent low in 1999. Clandestine activity to target areas on the Asian continent has increased by 20 % to 1312 WBHs and on the African continent by 15 % to 242 WBHs. On the American continent activity has dropped by 8 % to 162 WBHs. In Oceania, which was not active last year, activity is now at 16 WBHs. The number of active target areas (countries) worldwide has increased by one to 22. While Sri Lanka and Colombia are thought to be no longer active; Kazakhstan, Syria and Papua New Guinea are new or reactivated target areas. The three most active target areas worldwide are Iraq with 496 WBHs (+129 when compared with last year - the highest activity to a single target area ever since this survey was started back in 1986), North Korea with 217 WBHs (unchanged from last year) and Iran with 193 WBHs (+43). (unattributed via Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX Dec 22 via DXLD) I assume this be the work of Mathias Kropf, as he does every year (gh, DXLD) TIP FOR RATIONAL LIVING, SOLSTITIAL GREETINGS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2002 WINTER SOLSTICE GREETINGS FROM AMERICAN ATHEISTS Today at 8:14 PM, Eastern Standard Time, the Sun reaches its southernmost point in its annual apparent journey across the sky. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere know this as the Winter Solstice, marking the official beginning of winter. There is nothing supernatural or mystical about this event. Our planet's axis is tilted slightly with respect to the orbital plane around the Sun, which accounts for our seasons and variations in the length of day and night. Solar rays strike the surface of our hemisphere at a pronounced angle, resulting in less heating. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is summer. The term Solstice derives from the Latin, "solstitium" which combines "sol" or Sun and "stitium," stoppage. This is the longest night and the shortest day of our year. As the months roll by and we head into spring and summer, the days begin to grow longer in their duration. It was no wonder, then, that the ancients perceived all of this as an event laden with profound significance. Solstice events became the nexus of religious and communal rituals throughout the world, and during this time of the year, many of our ancestors celebrated the slow rebirth of the Sun. As Sky & Telescope Editor Alan MacRoberts notes, the Winter Solstice could well be humanity's oldest holiday. It certainly predates the Christian era, as societies and tribal units found cause to celebrate this time of year. Neolithic people knew something of the Winter Solstice, and a number of monuments throughout the world reflect the profound ceremonial significance of this period. New Grange in Ireland, Maes Howe in the Orkneys and other monuments were oriented toward the rising sun on the Solstice Day. The theme of solar rebirth carried over to later Pagan holidays which commemorated the births of numerous god-men and saviors -- Dionysius, Helios, Apollo, Hercules, Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus and others. Under the Roman Emperor Aurelian (270-275 BCE), these were combined into the "Feast of Sol Invicta," or birthday of the unconquered Sun on December 25. This cultural residue with roots in ancient human history survived even into the so-called "Christian era" and the alleged birth of Jesus Christ. Some early Christians celebrated the nativity feast in the spring. The Puritans later eschewed the holiday altogether, considering (rightly) that it was rooted in Pagan sensibilities and practices. Not all Atheists may choose to celebrate the Winter Solstice. For those who do, however, it is an event firmly entwined with the natural world and the motion of our cosmos rather than blind faith and superstition. It is a rational alternative to the often dreary and religion-saturated miasma of the Christmas time, redolent in its themes of blind submission and abandonment of the intellect. Besides, it is also a wonderful and fitting period to party with friends, exchange gifts and celebrate the human experience with all of its potential! And what a year it has been... So, on behalf of all of us at the American Atheists Center, the President, Board Members and Officers of our organization wish each and every one of you a happy Winter Solstice! The Winter Solstice Occurs on Saturday, December 21, 2002 at 8:14 PM EST -- Good Cheer and Good Wishes For the New Year! For more information: http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/seasons.html ("The Solstitial and Equinoctial Seasons," by Frank Zindler) http://www.americanatheist.org/supplement/wintersol-ej2000.html ("What I Want For Winter Solstice," by Ellen Johnson) http://www.americanatheist.org/supplement/wintersol-sun-moon.html ("Winter Solstice: Sun, Moon and Worship," by Conrad Goeringer) http://www.skyandtelescope.com (Web site for Sky & Telescope magazine -- click on December 16, 2002 Press Release link: "December Solstice Signals the Start of a New Season," by Alan MacRoberts) (AA Newsletter Dec 21 via DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ A few M class flares have been noted since the 16th, and combined with a coronal hole has raised the earth's geomagnetic field to active/storm levels today. The week started quietly but flare activity and coronal holes led to some degradation over polar paths. The current disturbance was originally forecast to hit earlier in the week but appears to have been delayed. IPS Geomagnetic Warning 45 was issued on 20 December and is current for interval 21-22 December. Coronal hole induced geomagnetic activity observed over past 24 hours. Further actviity expected first half of today particular if southward interplanetary magnetic field persists. Minor storm (Major storm periods) expected 22 Dec due to recent mass ejection associated with M2.7 flare. Activity could be extended to 23rd due to M6.8 event, effects expected to be less due to relatively impulsive nature of flare. Prepared using data from www.ips.gov.au Merry Christmas to all (Richard Jary, Australia, Dec 21, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-200, December 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 1161: WWCR: Sat 0700, Sun 0330 5070, Sun 0730 3210, Wed 1030 9475 RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on 7445 and/or 15039 WJIE: M-F 1300, daily 0400; Sun 0630, Mon 0700, Tue 0630 on 7490 WBCQ: Mon 0545 on 7415 WRN: Rest of world Sat 0900, Eu Sun 0530, NAm Sun 1500 ONDEMAND http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html [High] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161h.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161h.ram [Low] (Download) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161.rm (Stream) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1161.ram (Summary) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1161.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Thanks again for your fine efforts throughout this year and years past, and Happy Holidays, as Groucho Marx used to say, to you and whoever you are shacking up with! (Tom Roche) See Also FRANCE ** ABKHAZIA. 9489.4, R. Abkhazia, 1454 Dec 17 with Russian opera, talks by OM in Russian, ID at 1457 "...Abkhaz R" by YL followed by slow music "I will always love you'. Vacant carrier for about 1 min, then sign off. Signal ^-7 with carrier on 9490.0 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. RADIO TRANSMITTER INSTALLED IN AFGHAN GHOWR PROVINCE - IRAN RADIO | Text of report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 20 December An FM radio transmitter has been installed in the [Afghan central] province of Ghowr. According to the [Iranian] Central News Unit from Kabul, Dr Sayd Makhdom Rahin, the Afghan minister of information and culture, said that one of the most important programmes of the Ministry of Information and Culture was to install radio transmitters in all provinces of Afghanistan. Among them, some deprived provinces like Ghowr, Nimroz, Farah, Khost, Bamian, Urozgan and Badakhshan were at the top of the ministry's priority list. It [Ghowr] is the first deprived province of Afghanistan where a radio transmitter has been installed. The Afghan minister of information and culture had promised Herat, Farah and Nimroz provinces this [that they would have a transmitter installed]. The slow pace of reconstruction and non-realization of international assistance have prevented most provinces from getting even one radio transmitter. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Dari 0330 gmt 20 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 12/19/02. As per message received from Mr Ian Williams, start up date for HCJB-Australia broadcasts to India has been delayed till January 7, 2003. Frequencies also currently being reviewed and not finalised yet (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, EDXP via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC/RADIO-CANADA MAKES ARCHIVAL COLLECTION AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE ON THE INTERNET http://cbc.ca/archives http://radio-canada.ca/archives MONTREAL, Dec. 19 /CNW Telbec/ - What images are conjured up when you hear the words "Henderson has scored for Canada" or "This afternoon in St. John's, Newfoundland, a young man named Terry Fox started running and he says that he won't stop until he reaches British Columbia."? Internet users now have access to the bilingual CBC Radio & Television Archives Web Site [as above], making these Canadian memories available online through audio and video clips, with support from Canadian Heritage's "Canadian Culture Online funding program." According to Lucie Lalumière, Executive Director, New Media, more than 1,000 news and current affairs radio and television clips and 1,000 original pages of information are available online, enhanced with texts exploring the historical context surrounding significant events. Says François Boulet, Archives Website Director: "The CBC/Radio-Canada Archives site will double the original content in the coming year, offering all Canadians, especially teachers and students, a unique journey through time to learn about events and rediscover outstanding figures throughout Canadian history." The Archives project has confirmed financial support from Heritage's "Canadian Culture Online" funding program in the amount of $4.6 million, accounting for 75 per cent of the resources required to digitize and operate the site. As a result of this support, the CBC Archives site are now the largest digitized collection in the country. "This is one of the best gifts we could give our fellow Canadians," said Sylvain Lafrance, Vice-President, CBC French Radio and New Media. "The archives of English and French Radio and Television are our collective memory. The project ensures that the historic programming CBC/Radio-Canada has produced over the last 50 years will endure and continue to be enjoyed by the public, who may now access it on the Internet." The "For Teachers" section includes numerous educational class projects that are linked to themes such as war and conflict, politics and economy and disasters and tragedies. These materials are intended to complement the most recent school curricula from all Canadian schools. Educational activities are provided for each topic, organized by grade level, all at no charge. This section was designed by and for late-elementary and secondary teachers, with the objective of providing them with a research and learning tool to help their students discover the people and events that have marked our society. CBC/Radio-Canada has partnered with the National Film Board to promote awareness of Canadian culture and history. Both are recipients of funding from the "Canadian Culture Online" program. They have combined their resources to offer surfers mutual links and complementary references to key events in Canadian history. "The Government of Canada is committed to encourage learning about our history and to provide Internet access to innovative Canadian content that is both interesting and pertinent, in both official languages," said Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps. "The Canadian Culture Online program and CBC/Radio-Canada help breathe life into archives that echo the voices of Canada's previous generations." The CBC/Radio-Canada Archives has been made possible by the Department of Canadian Heritage's "Canadian Culture Online" funding programs. These programs exist to foster a deeper understanding of Canada and its rich diversity by stimulating the development of, and ensuring access to, quality digital Canadian cultural content in both official languages. For further information about the "Canadian Culture Online" funding programs, visit the Web site http://www.canadianheritage.ca/ccop-pcce -30- For further information: Barbara Nyke, CBC New Media Communications, (416) 205-8519, barbara_nyke@cbc.ca or Sonya-Kim St-Julien, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, (819) 997-7788 ==== (via Eleanor Brown, writer-editor- researcher, Montreal, Canada CAJ-list via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. Sorry for the late reply. We are all really busy as you can probably imagine. We are getting swamped with emails and telephone calls every day now. I'll do my best to answer most of questions. Our transmitter site is on the 75th floor at First Canadian Place in Downtown Toronto. We have been approved to use 250 watts. However, in a few more months, we will be increasing our power to 2500 watts and using flat panel antenna to increase our footprint in the South East area near Oakville. Our present signal footprint covers most of downtown Toronto with little interference. We have tested the signal as for North as King City. To the east, our signal is interfered with if you are close to the lake. WYRK out of Buffalo still has some Toronto air space. The same goes with in the west. Our official call sign is CFIE. As mentioned with our power increase, we also have applied in Kitchener, Edmonton, and Montreal. We have been given licenses in Calgary, Vancouver, and Ottawa. Our satellite channel is available 12 hours per day from 9-9. You will require a custom modified receiver and LNB from our Broadcast Partner. MediaNet Communications. We plan to have a channel on a Direct to Home satellite provider soon. (Star Choice or Bell ExpressVu). I hope this email serves you well and thanks for your interest. I knocked off to birds with one stone today as parts of this email our going to the website and an "auto-responder" email next. Once again, thanks. Chris Spence Technical Producer/Director Aboriginal Voices Radio Inc. 366 Adelaide St. E., Suite 342 Toronto, Ontario, M5A 3X9, Canada Ph: 416-703-1287 Fx: 416-703-4328 http://www.aboriginalradio.com *** Broadcasting in Downtown Toronto on 106.5 FM CFIE *** (via John Grimley, ODXA via DXLD) ** CHINA. CRI in Russian was 9+10dB on 7255 at 1005, and I could hear additionally the frequency 7245, which I see is registered as only 50 kW. It was not as strong as the other 41m outlets --- including HUH 7110. I think it was TWN audible on top of all else on 7415 around 1020 very strong, but 7105 is a dreadful mess of noise and voice jamming (Noel Green, England, Dec 19, via Olle Alm, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Urumqi went off at 0800; before that 7230 was at fair level. Maintenance at Urumqi thus seems to be Tuesday and Thursday at 0800- 1100. 11975 used for Kyrgyz during the summer has been replaced by 7120. Despite that the Mongolian channel has a break when Kyrgyz is aired, these services use different shortwave transmitters. There is a 5 to 10 minutes overlap between the respective frequencies. The reason seems to be that Kyrgyz is directional, Mongolian nondirectional. NRG, note that 7245 CRI in Russian is listed as 120 kW, 50 deg, not 50 kW. At my location this channel is much weaker than 7255, etc. (Olle Alm, Sweden, Dec 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Hi Glenn, I noted the following situation on 9530 today at 1100 to 1200 UT. This is a followup to my 6160 kHz observation of a few days ago. I heard VOA broadcasting in Chinese on 9530 kHz between 1100 to 1300 UT according to PWBR. I also heard a broadcast from China's Central People's BS which is parallel on 5880 kHz which is listed out of Shijiazhuang, China. This station isn't listed on 9530, however. The other day I ran into the same situation exactly on 6160 kHz. The only difference was the frequency, 6160 vice 9530. I wonder if this broadcast from China is intended to block VOA? (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, Dec 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sure, why not; they try to block VOA as much as possible; Shijiazhuang is just one of many transmitter sites carrying the same program ** CHINA. CHINA'S EXTENSIVE, SOPHISTICATED BLOCKING OF WEB SITES DOCUMENTED - REPORT China is successfully preventing the public from accessing a wide range of Internet sites, Harvard-based researchers have found. About 12 per cent of sampled sites were blocked in some form during the test period. The series of tests, carried out from May to November 2002, found that over 19,000 web sites were inaccessible through Chinese internet servers. The results are available in a report titled "Empirical analysis of internet filtering in China". Authors Jonathan Zittrain and Benjamin Edelman of Harvard Law School, found at least four independently operable filtering systems in operation. They believe that the systems which block web sites are becoming more refined. Many news, dissident, health, educational, religious, Taiwanese and some other foreign government web sites were blocked, they found. The report added that the BBC web site was consistently unavailable and that CNN, Time and some American newspapers were often blocked too. Blocking was not always consistent the report said, but the blocking policy did appear to be updated regularly. It concluded that Chinese internet filtering appears to be an important instrument of state policy and one to which considerable human and technical resources are apportioned. The report is available at http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china Source: BBC Monitoring research 19 Dec 02 (via DXLD) ** CUBA. RSF PUBLISHES REPORT ON REPRESSION OF INDEPENDENT MEDIA | Text of press release by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) on 17 December As the European Parliament today awarded the Sakharov Prize for human rights to Cuban dissident Osvaldo Paya, Reporters without Borders published a report condemning the complete absence of press freedom in Cuba. It called on the European Union (EU) to make Cuban membership in the Cotonou Agreement conditional on the Cuban government ending its media monopoly, legalising independent news agencies and releasing four journalists from prison. It also called on the EU "to give effective support" to independent Cuban journalists. The report - "Cuba, where news is the exclusive reserve of the state" - describes prison conditions for the four journalists: bad food, harassment, humiliating treatment and filthy conditions. The longest- held prisoner, Bernardo Arevalo Padron, was arrested in 1997 and has just been diagnosed with leptospirosis, which is spread by rats. He should have been freed on parole in October 2000, but the government refuses to release him "because he has not co-operated in his re- education programme." The Cuban constitution decrees that the government has a monopoly of the media. Like Arevalo Padron, about 100 independent journalists, grouped in 20 or so agencies that the authorities refuse to recognise, try to exercise their right to inform the public. Because they are censored in their own country, they publish their articles in the foreign press or on the Internet, which are not readily available in Cuba. The report details the constant harassment the journalists are subjected to, including arrests, police summonses, pressure on their families and visits to their homes. They are closely watched by the regime's police. One was even called in for questioning after a neighbour told the authorities she heard him shouting criticism of the government inside his house. About 50 journalists have gone into exile since 1995. "Despite this intimidation, independent journalists say their activities are fairly tolerated these days," the report says, but concludes that in reality this is not so. It says the government's repression has achieved its goal of keeping independent journalists this side of the "red line," which puts out unauthorised news to the general population. President Fidel Castro said on 8 December that Cuba will apply to join the Cotonou Agreement, which allows 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to receive economic aid and better trade terms from member-states of the European Union. Source: Reporters Sans Frontières press release, Paris, in English 17 Dec 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. 1098, Radio Bayrak 1st programme in Turkish was heard with distorted audio at 2110-2203 giving ID: "Burasi Lefkosa, Radio Bayrak". QRM Slovak Radio 1098 kHz and Radio Rossii. 6150.04, Bayrak International was heard at 1520-1730 giving "Bayrak International" identifications, playing international pop music. News in English around 1630 and a feature program in English on Northern Cyprus matters at 1700. QRM Radio Singapore International. A Chinese station started at 1730 UT and blocked the reception totally. Both stations were monitored in the beginning of December (Jari Korhonen FIN-82500 Kitee, Dec 18, dxing.info via DXLD) ** FINLAND. CHRISTMAS TRANSMISSION OF SWR - OFFICIAL STATION OF SANTA Howdy how dear listeners, Scandinavian Weekend Radio Christmas Day transmission on 25th December 2002 includes following programme items... Or, of course, if we are exact this transmission began already on Christmas Eve at 22 hours UT... UT Programme 22 Lahjattomat 23 Lasol Hot Hits 24 Lasol Hot Hits 01 SWR Crew 02 SWR Crew 03 SWR Crew 04 Radio Marabu - Dark Beat 05 Suomirokkia kantoaallolla höystettynä by Esa 06 Progressive rock and other strange things by Esa 07 Free Radio News by Esa 08 Letterbox 09 SWR Jouluparaati 10 Radiolehtikatsaus 11 Radiolehtikatsaus 12 Area 48. Paljastuksia Joulupukista.... 13 World Radio Roulette 14 SWR Crew 15 Lasol Hot Hits 16 Radio Marabu - Marabu Christmas 17 SWR Crew 18 Radio Marabu - Marabu Flashback Weihnachtstipps 19 Progressive rock and other strange things by Esa 20 SWR Crew 21 Joulusaunan lämmitys You ca
