DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE
NOTE: Since this file is getting almost too big to manage, we are closing it at this point, containing all DXLDs for the first three months of 2002, now renamed dxldta02.html Its original name, dxldtd02.html now applies to the current to-date file, starting with 2-052, April 1, 2002. |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ALSO NOTE: INDIVIDUAL DXLDS, JANUARY-JUNE 2002: On our own website we no longer have individual issues before July 1, 2002, just these massive quarterly archives. Individual issues are, however, still available at DXing.com, indexed here: http://www.dxing.com/dxrold.htm -- and 2001 archive is also there ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-051, March 31, 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 #1124: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Mon 0100, 0600 on 3210; Wed 1030 on 9475 NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sun 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-02 is now available: (STREAM) http://www.DXing.com/com/com0202.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.DXing.com/com/com0202.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0202.html ON RFPI: Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300, 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 8700 (USB). Information R Feeder to Command Solo was still audible until about Mar 15 in the early morning and late afternoon with the usual programmes in Pashto and Dari (Groppazzi, Italy, and Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) 8700 USB. Unidentified station after Commando Solo is reported to have arrived back in the States. Mar 24, 1530 (fade in)- past 2310. Playing typical Afghani music. I didn`t listen continuously, but no announcements were heard. Signal strength less than previously (Noel Green, England, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) The Command Solo aircraft reportedly have left Afghanistan, but the feeder which I believe is at a U.S. Base in Saudi Arabia may still be in use (Ed. Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ALASKA. ALASCA. HAARP -Escutei os sinais em 5800 kHz dias 26 (0740 UT), dia 27 (0845 h), dia 28 (0840 às 0900 e 0930 às 1000). Uai (mineiro tem que falar assim), estou escutando-os também hoje dia 29 de março em 3200 kHz e em 5800 khz às 0700 h. Pude perceber que os sinais em 5800 iniciam-se aos 30 minutos de cada hora e se extendem até aos 60 min da hora. De 30 aos 45 min os sinais são por 1'30" consecutivos com uma pausa de 30 seg. De 45 aos 60 min da hora, os sinais são continuos. Obs: Em 3200 kHz as transmissões comecam aos 0 min da hora e vão até aos 30 min (Nilson Couto, Betim - MG, Radioescutas via @tividade DX via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. March 29, 15425.55, LRA-36, 2105-2215, Latin American romantic type ballad music, with only occasional announcements in Spanish. I did hear announcements at 2123 and 2135. CD recording skipped at 2137. Signal was weak to begin with, but increased to fair level around 2144. Audio started dropping out at 2153. Definite ID announcement at 2200. I don't speak SS, but these are some of the words from my ID recording that I understand: "Transmite LRA ?? (pres 36)... Radio ? Arcángel?..." Then freq in kHz. was given "para todo ? " Played clip for Glenn Hauser who was fairly sure about station ID and 100% sure about ending slogan "para todo el mundo." This is a difficult one for us in N America to hear due to the frequency being too low for efficient mid-day propagation from Antarctica; however, the station was on later then usual, and I think there was a slight geomagnetic disturbance at the time, which pushed the MUF down. Signal was of fair strength and quite listenable at peak, but with rapid flutter, which would also suggest a degree of geo-magnetic disturbance (David Hodgson, TN, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Interesting observations, David. I have yet to hear them in Victoria between the usual 1800 and 2100 time frame. They were relatively well heard, however, during that test transmission a few years back for North America. Again that was a later transmission. Seems to be the same propagation characteristic as Radio St Helena. Consistently, the signal would be poor to non-existent, for the first hour, and then gradually increase, often to good to very good levels before starting to gradually fade during the last hour. Maybe they'll be on late again this Monday? (Walt Volodya Salmaniw, BC, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. 15475.5. LRA36, R Nacional, Base Esperanza, Mar 14 and 20, 2100, Spanish. Heard also on 14402.5 in USB. This may have been a switching error as the latter frequency is assigned to Base Esperanza, Base General Belgrano II and Base General San Martín for radiotelephone traffic (Maarten van Delft, Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. A nice QSL letter was received Mar 14 from Army station LTA. Address: Batallón de Comunicaciones 602, Ejército Argentino, Azopardo 250, piso 18, 1328 Buenos Aires. They are responsible for the relays of various broadcasting stations on 15820 (Maarten van Delft, Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 11423.15 LSB, R Bosques (presumed), 0237, Mar 30, Signal was weaker then usual, I suppose related to the elevated solar wind speed (600 kM/s). L Am pop and ballads, with announcements on the quarter hour, which is what I've observed in the past. I couldn't get enough signal to pick out individual words, so no ID this time. Switch to AM on 11423.95 at 0330. This operator is known to switch modes of modulation in the same transmission period. I caught only a few traces of AM audio on the peaks. Will try again over the next few weeks if solar/geo-magnetic conditions quiet down (David Hodgson, TN, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also SOUTH AMERICA ** AUSTRALIA. New frequency for R. Australia, 2330 UT Mar 30 in English, is 15230, no longer on 15240. Remember when 15230 was a frequency of VLH/VLR Melbourne? (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes. But no surprise, RA website still shows 15240, undated and apparently not updated, and always totally inadequate in not showing exact times, just morning/daytime/evening! http://www.abc.net.au/ra/hear/swguide.htm (Glenn Hauser, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Voice International, Darwin now running Australia- produced programming, with English 1000-1100 on 13685 to China, and Indonesian heard on 15365 at 1026 with "Suara Internasional" ID in between DJ banter and pops. Also heard Mandarin on 13775 at good level at 1030, so now seem to be running at full steam (Matt Francis, Canberra, 31 March, ARDXC via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. The schedule of R Gaúcha, Porto Alegre differs from publication to publication, so your DBS-editor asked Samuel for help. He phoned Claudia Landell at Rádio Gaúcha who said that it now is on the air as follows: ZYE 850, 6020, 0900-0400 ZYE 851, 11915, 0900-0300 More information about Rádio Gaúcha: http://www.clicRBS.com.br (Samuel Cássio, Brazil, Mar 18, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 5030, R TV Burkina, Mar 15, 16, 23, 24, 26, 1846- 0002*, French, songs, a communiqué regarding an EC foreign language interpreters request, a 2 minute newscast 1900, then Vernacular and French 1931 for an obituary; also heard later, 2250 radioplay in French. 2315, upbeat musical programme, talk by man, occasional mentions of Ouagadougou, sounded very professional. Very strong, like Mauritania, but with better audio. However, ended programme at 2359 and followed with a couple of minutes of their very interesting IS (with what sounds like birds in the background), same IS as on the Dave Kernick IS website, then off with no ID or NA. 55444 (Berg, D'Angelo, Gonçalves, Green and Petersen, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) 7230 R TV Burkina, Mar 11 and 14, 0824-1040 fade out, (signed off 0902 on Monday Mar 11), French/ Vernacular, traditional tunes and tribal songs. 25332 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC Radio 1 went into special (prepared in advance) programming at 1805 UT on the death of Britain's Queen Mother (Mike Cooper, GA, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also UK! You mean Canada`s Queen Mother? ** CANADA. CBC Radio One previews for Monday, April 1: TOO FOOLISH FOR WORDS: Easter Monday on CBC Radio One, join host Russell Bowers for Too Foolish for Words, a salute to five centuries of spoken English. From the lyrical to the downright ludicrous, there are about two million words in the English language (don't you wonder who counted?), and the average adult uses only about a thousand. Learn a few more on Too Foolish for Words, Monday at noon (12:30 NT) on CBC Radio One. RICHARDSON'S ROUNDUP: Today on the Roundup....happy Poetry Month! Hear the poetry winners of the 2002 Canadian Literary Awards. As well, can we build an entire person out of Canadian place names? You've been calling and writing with your anatomical nominations. Join guest host Sheryl McKay on the Roundup at 2:06 (2:36 NT) on CBC Radio One. YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME: It's never too early to start thinking about summer getaways. Easter Monday, join host Theresa Blackburn for Your Home Away From Home, a two hour foretaste of your summer escape - from the little orange pup tent to the cottage by the lake and everything in between. Great stories and even greater music: Your Home Away From Home, Easter Monday at 4 p.m. (4:30 NT) on CBC Radio One. IDEAS: Tonight on Ideas...Regarding the Mexican Pet. You know the story about the Mexican Pet? How about the choking Doberman? You've surely heard The Hook. Even savvy urban folk fall prey to urban folktales. A panel hosted by Paul Kennedy, tonight on Ideas at 9:05 (9:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CHECHNYA [non]. MOSCOW TO KEEP AN EYE ON RADIO LIBERTY'S CHECHEN SERVICE | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 30 March: Moscow is so far making no pessimistic forecasts towards the launch by Radio Liberty of broadcasts in Chechen, but pledges to closely monitor the subject matter of the radio station's programmes. Presidential aide Sergey Yastrzhembskiy told Interfax on Saturday [30 March]: "We won't hold any position on the issue in advance but will be judging by deeds." Yastrzhembskiy emphasized that the decision to unveil Radio Liberty broadcasting in Chechen "carries a certain risk". "The North Caucasus is a very sensitive region for Russia and Chechnya is a painful point," the presidential aide said. In this connection, he said: "We will be closely monitoring the subject matter of programmes and the newsmakers' composition, and only then draw conclusions." Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1643 gmt 30 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ???? Did we miss something? Last we heard, the RL Chechen service had been postponed indefinitely; are they now going ahead with it?? Or is the above story mere posturing (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. Wavelength on CRI: The April 5th edition will feature an interview with Radio Pekin's first English announcer Wei Lin. She worked at CRI for more than 50 years. Wavelength airs at 0040 UT [Fridays] on CRI's domestic service and can be heard by listening to the live feed on our web site at http://www.cri.com.cn/english (Wave- Length, China Radio International, Beijing, China; Attention: Lu Feng and Keith Perron, e-mail: wavelengthcri@yahoo.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Ouvida a Voice of Strait nos 6115 kHz em 23 de Março às 0937 com noticiário em inglês, boa recepção (Samuel Cássio, São Carlos SP, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 5957.6, Caracol, Mar 15, strong just after 1000 with extensive international and Colombian news, advertisements, mentions of Caracol, signal slowly drifting downward. Not there on Mar 17 (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 6233/6260v: The main transmitter of La Voz de la Resistencia which was located in the rural zone of Vista Hermosa in the Meta department, Amazon Basin, 200 km southeast of Bogotá, was destroyed with several charges of dynamite by the Colombian antidrugs police on Mar 19. It was the main radiostation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). It was powered by solar energy and had a 23 metres antenna. The FARC will, however, be able to broadcast from similar transmitters in other regions dominated by this guerilla organization (Héctor Arboleda via Monferini, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) This could be a retaliation for the closure by FARC guerillas on Feb 28 of Government controlled radiostation Onda Zero in the southern Colombian town of Acevedo, Huila Department, when some 10 fighters from FARC threatened to blow up the station and then made off with a transmitter, antennas, and other equipment (Ed. Anker Petersen, ibid.) There was nothing in previous press reports we had about this being the SW transmitter, but mentioned only MW 660. Is it unwarranted to assume they were at same site? (gh, DXLD) ** C I S. NDXC`s Foreign relays on SW through facilities in the CIS is partially updated; I think only the entries in blue refer to A-02: http://www2.starcat.ne.jp/~ndxc/relay.htm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO, DEM. REP. 9550.0, R Okapi, Kinshasa; In South Africa nice and strong signal. Is coming through with a fair signal at 0900, so possibly on 24 hours/day? Was off the air Mar 20 and 21 (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** CROATIA [non]. A-02 Schedule for Croatian Radio Starting March 31st 2002 you can listen Croatian Radio on these frequencies: (NB - mostly in Croatian) Europe 6165 0400-2300 Europe 7365 0400-0900 Europe 9830 0400-1700 Europe 13830 0900-2300 South America 9925 2300-0100 North America (East) 9925 0100-0300 North America (West) 9925 0300-0500 New Zealand 9470 0500-0700 Australia 13820 0700-0900 Copied from the Croatian Radio website. (via Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [and non]. PRAGUE: 31 March 2002 - 26 October 2002 Re-worked from R. Prague website today. CZECH 0830-0857 11600 S.W.Europe 21745 E.Africa/Mi.East 0930-0957 21745 S.Asia/W.Africa 1100-1127 11615 N.Europe 21745 S.Asia 1230-1257 6055 C.Europe 7345 W.Europe 1330-1357 13580 N.Europe 21745 S.Asia 1530-1557 5930 W.Europe 21745 E.Africa 1730-1757 5930 E.Europe/Asia/Australia 21745 C.Africa 1930-1957 5930 W.Europe 11600 S.E.Asia/Australia 2100-2127 11600 S.E.Asia/Australia 15545 W.Africa 2330-2357 11615 N.America 13580 S.America 0130-0157 6200 N.America 7345 S.America 0230-0257 7345 N.America 9870 FRENCH 0600-0627 5930 W.Europe 7345 S.W.Europe 0800-0827 9880 W.Europe 11600 S.W.Europe 1630-1657 5930 W.Europe 21745 C.Africa 1830-1857 5930 W.Europe 13580 W.Africa/S.W.Europe 2200-2227 11600 N.America 15545 GERMAN 0630-0657 5930 W.Europe 7345 Europe 1000-1027 6055 C.Europe 9880 W.Europe 1200-1229 6055 C.Europe 7345 W.Europe 1500-1527 5930 W.Europe 1630-1657 *5990 W.Europe ENGLISH 0700-0727 9880 N.W.Europe 11600 0900-0929 21745 S.Asia/W.Africa 1030-1057 9880 N.Europe 11615 N.W.Europe 1300-1329 13580 N.Europe 21745 S.Asia 1600-1627 5930 N.W.Europe 21745 E.Africa 1700-1727 5930 N.W.Europe 21745 C.Africa 2000-2027 5930 N.W.Europe 11600 S.E.Asia/Australia 2130-2157 11600 S.andE.Asia/Australia 15545 W.Africa 2230-2257 11600 N.America 15545 0000-0027 7345 N.America 11615 0100-0127 6200 N.America 7345 0300-0327 7345 N.America **7385 9870 0330-0357 11600 Mi.East/S.W.Asia 15620 SPANISH 0730-0757 9880 S.W.Europe 11600 1400-1427 11990 S.W.Europe 13580 1800-1827 5930 S.W.Europe 13580 1900-1927 5930 S.W.Europe 13580 2030-2057 5930 S.W.Europe 11600 2300-2327 11615 S.America 13580 0030-0057 7345 C.America 11615 S.America 0200-0227 6200 C.America 7345 S.America **7385 N.W. of SouthAmerica RUSSIAN 0400-0427 684 St.Peterburg 9865 E.Europe 11600 E.Europe/S.W.Asia 1130-1157 6055 E.Europe *15675 21745 E.Europe/S.W.Asia 1430-1457 *9430 E.Europe 11625 13580 E.Europe/S.W.Asia 1530-1557 *7235 E.Europe Transmitters at Litomysl l16E10 49N48 *Relayed via Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia 20E00 48N23 **Relayed via WRMI Miami, Florida 80W22 25N54 (Alan Roe, UK, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) English and Spanish portions also via (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, Spain) ** DENMARK [non]. 7490, R Denmark via Sveio, Norway, Mar 22, 1830- 1855*. The last programme produced by the Shortwave Section at Radio Denmark, edited by Karl Erik Jeppesen and with closing remarks by technicial adviser Erik Køie. 55555 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) By this ended 53½ years of own editorial production especially for Danes abroad. From Mar 23 nearly all items will be repeats from the main newscasts in the Domestic Service of Danmarks Radio. The next ``Stil ind`` (Tune in) with Erik Køie will be broadcast Saturday Mar 30 in each Danish broadcast from 1230 to 1730 after the news. Tune in and send him a report! (Cf. DX-Window no. 190) (Ed. Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 5009.8, R Cristal, March 23, 1050 Spanish talk about the Conference on Financing for Development held in Monterrey, Mexico, ID "Radio Cristal ...Santo Domingo", good (Ron Howard, CA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) Also heard in Denmark Mar 24, 0130-0246* with surprisingly good signal like a local station! ID as ``Esta es Rádio Cristal`` and a lot of fiery bachata dancerhythms. Artist Francisco Vez had problems in singing ``Polititica – Polititaca``, because the tempo was so fast that he nearly stumbled over the words! The closing announcement mentioned that it was a program from R Pueblo broadcast over HIMI R Cristal in Santo Domingo, followed by the National Hymn of the Dominican Republic. 44444 ! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING HCJB WORLD RADIO LIVE STREAMING On March 31, 2002, HCJB World Radio will terminate its multi-lingual Live Internet Audio Stream. We will be concentrating our efforts to provide on-demand archived audio of our programs which will better serve listeners who tune in via the Internet. We thank all of you who participated in our survey and who listened to our Live Stream at one time or other. Live Streaming may return at a later date in a different format, including special events. We welcome your comments. (HCJB Website March 31 via DXLD) Live stream still running at 0100 UT Sun March 31, but it was not DXPL; instead, some religious drama in Spanish, tho English was still appearing on the schedule. So I was forced to turn on a SW radio and confirmed new 11960, the hummy frequency for DXPL. Then at 0212 we checked 21470, the new service to India, and found it audible, tho poorly, with the mailbag show. In fact, HCJB website shows 0200-0330 as the new block to India, but times along the side are still 2330-0100!! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I'm wondering if anyone in India can hear HCJB's new retimed broadcast to India, 02-0330 on 21470? I've heard that the beam through Europe to India could make for interesting reception possibilities... so if you're able to hear it, share your thoughts with the group. DX Party Line should be heard on UT-Saturdays at 0200 on the above frequency, that's Friday night in North America (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, dx_india via DXLD) ** FALKLAND ISLANDS [and non]. Hola! Te invito a leer (y también a escuchar y ver) el especial que hemos realizado sobre los 20 años de la guerra de las Malvinas o Falklands. Puedes ingresar a través de http://www.bbcmundo.com o directamente pulsando en http://www.bbc.co.uk/spanish/especiales/0203malvinas/ Si te gusta, recomiéndalo! Cordiales saludos, (Roberto Belo | BBC WS New Media, 701NE Bush House, The Strand, London, WC2B 4PH, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 755 72864 | Fax: +44 (0) 20 7836 4332 E-mail: roberto.belo@b... [truncated by yahoogroups] Web: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice | http://www.bbcmundo.com (via Horacio Nigro, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Lots of stuff to read, but here is the page with audio links, including the ``Marcha de las Malvinas``: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/specials/newsid_1881000/1881019.stm (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. ``142nd DW Radio World DX Meeting`` with Uwe and Wolfram was heard as scheduled via webcast at 2335+ UT Sat March 30. They are still plumping for a weekly 10-minute show and have had lots of positive response from listeners. Had some DX tips from Roland Schulze, Philippines, including a Laos/Vietnam/Thailand broadcast pileup on 7145. But it will be another month until the next one. Closing with ``76 = Lord Bless You`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTNEING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 7265, SWR3, Rohrdorf and // 6030, Mühlacker, Mar 19, until 1100 heard with the usual good reception 45555, but at retune 1205- 1250 both transmitters were at low power (QSA2) and some adjustment tuning took place on 7265. Both stations were back to normal at 1315. I wondered what the reason was and wrote Wolfgang an e-mail (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) I phoned the transmitter site at Rohrdorf at Tel 49 7575 916-0. The guy was not willing to tell me much of the service. BUT they had as always put the regular SWR-3 program on air, using the RESERVE unit [Made by RIZ Zagreb Croatia] this day, not the regular SIEMENS Austria unit (ex R Bremen 50 kW unit, moved to SWR Rohrdorf in 1996/1997). Both transmitters handle 10 kW of power in an effective corner dipole antenna. But an old Rhode and Schwarz vertical 'creel' type antenna is still available for maintenance purpose, of broad band type, not very effective these days (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** GREECE. ERA-5 Athens really OOB 17905 kHz in the UTE band. \\ 15630 at 0830 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s All Greek to Me (music announced in English) timeshift confirmed, in progress at 1818 UT Sunday March 31 on 17705 via Delano (gh, DXLD) ** HONG KONG. I have been listening two early mornings now and have not heard a thing here from Hong Kong on 3940 at 0945 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, March 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HUNGARY. I'm very happy to inform you that on Mar 18 Mr Béla Szomraky phoned me from Budapest reporting about the new schedule of Radio Budapest. It's a remarkable success of our EDXC Conference in Budapest to notice that Italian, French and Spanish newscast are included in the new schedule with all existing languages. The Italian programme on Mar 31, 2002 will include a greeting from the EDXC Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General to all listeners. The EDXC portal at http://edxc.multimania.com will report about all frequencies. Someone told me the EDXC was unuseful. Hungary showed the contrary! (Luigi Cobisi, Firenze, EDXC Secretary General, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ICELAND. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA [non]. 3903 USB. AFN off, possibly due to the unexpected DXers' enquiries, but, then, may be not so, as a very similar clean, strong QSA is being noted on USB, though airing a mere tone signal instead of relaying AFN. I tried it Mar 15 around 2300, and that's what I could hear (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) Also noted here (Anker Petersen, Denmark, ibid.) Dear friends, I just received a highly appreciated black and white QSL-card directly from AFRTS in Keflavik poststamped by Icelandic Mail on 27 MAR 2002. As far as I know, no one else has received it so far ! It verifies my report of 3903 kHz on 2nd March 2002 heard at 0525- 0605. With the report, I attached an IRC and my businesscard, and the reply arrived after 26 days in a handwritten envelope from Sig Jonsson, Naval Media Center, 235 Keflavíkurflugvöllur, Iceland - nearly the same address which is in WRTH2002 page 232 which I used for the report. The card is signed by the same person, probably with the full first name Sigdur which is Icelandic. In Danish it would have been Sigurd. On the rear side of the card is printed: Official Business. Department of the Navy Officer in Charge U. S. Navy Broadcasting Service Detachment EIGHT Box 25, Naval Station FPO New York 09571 Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. The following changes of AIR SW schedule has been monitored from today 31 March 2002 up to 1400 UT. HOME SERVICE 9575 replaces 9565 at 1330-1740 EXTERNAL SERVICE Add 5990 0100-0200 Sindhi to Pakistan. Add 7250 Panaji (?) Nepali 0130-0230 to Nepal. 9575 replaces 9565 1215-1330 Tibetan Add 11715 Nepali 0130-0230 to Nepal. 11775 Panaji replaces 11695 1215-1330 Tibetan, 1330-1430 Nepali. Add 11835 Panaji (?) Hindi 0315-0415 E.Africa 13685 replaces 13700 1000-1100 English to Australia (Jose Jacob, dx_india March 31 via DXLD) ** INDIA [non]. IBC-TAMIL -- LONDAN A02-SCHDULE WITH EFFECT FROM 31-3- 02 EVENING UTC 0000-0100 17495 KHZ; MORNING UTC 1230-1330 11570 KHZ (D. PRABAKARAN, LECTUERER, N.L. POLYTECHNIC, METTUPALAYAM-641301, TAMILNADU, INDIA dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. The French-language WRN feed is now available on Telstar 5 digital, next to WRN1 and WRN2. No reference to this on WRN Web site (Mike Cooper, Mar 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sunday March 31, WRN1 to NAm was still running on standard time (as it should, but not made clear), so at 1400 UT had Prague, not WORLD OF RADIO. However, at 1500, fill music and ``technical difficulties`` for half an hour, when WOR could have been inserted, but it already ran this weekend on Sat at 1500. Next week, it is supposed to be on Sundays at 1400 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** IRAN. TEHRAN CUTS INTERNET ACCESS. Just days before the two-week Norouz (New Year) holiday, the Telecommunications Company of Iran (which is part of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone) cut the phone lines of scores of Internet service providers. Mohammad-Amir Forughi, a Tehran-based expert on the Internet, told RFE/RL's Persian Service that the ISPs would not be able to question the legality of this action because the courts will not be in session during the holiday period. When a number of Internet cafes were closed in May 2001 there was speculation that it was because young Iranians were using Internet cafes (also known as "coffee-nets") to make cheap international telephone calls, which deprives PTT of revenues. In August 2001, Iran's Supreme Cultural Revolution Council decided that the government would control Internet access and it made the Telecommunications Company and Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting the main Internet distribution centers. A December article in "Aftab-i Yazd" expressed regret that President Mohammad Khatami had signed the act restricting Internet usage by people under the age of 18. The act also restricts public access to some political websites, according to the article. The article asked if the next step would be the banning of radios, since Khatami was silent on the banning of satellite reception equipment. In addition to using the Internet for international calls, some people in Iran use Internet chat rooms to communicate in real time with their counterparts in other countries. Contributors to a Persian-language "weblog" (http://www.hoder.com/i/) agreed that the major newspapers -- "Iran" and "Kayhan" -- had published reports about the interruption of telephone service for ISPs. They offered conflicting views on the impact of this. "Ehsan," for example, said he would not be able to send his message if the reports were true, and "Sina" said that he had used several ISPs successfully. "Alireza" and others confirmed the report about the phone cuts but said it was being unevenly enforced. "Omid" said that so far there is no problem, but "God forbid if this happens." ("RFE/RL Iran Report," 25 March, via RFE/RL Media Matters March 29 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Glenn, Today terrible jamming noted against clandestine Voice of Iran station, in Persian. Scheduled 1630-1730 Daily on 15690 via Issoudun, France, \\ 17525. (reported to be via France on 3rd winter channel 12065, on 8-Jan-2002). On 15690 strong super-wide Bubble jamming, unbelievable 116 kHz wide, from 15631 to 15747 kHz affected. Seldom wide appearance in international broadcasting bands. On 17525 kHz channel only a small two-time motocycle type noise jamming observed. 73 (Wolfgang df5sx Büschel, March 30, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 7480: On this frequency at *1759-1830* of March 17th and 18th I only heard Radio Payam-e-Doost with strong signal, clear identifications, web site address http://www.bahairadio.org and mail address with a Box in Virginia, USA. So, it's quite different from what I read on DX-Window 189 and 190. Unfortunately I wasn't able to turn on the radio before 1750 (Alessandro Groppazzi, Trieste, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) I checked up on this and I hear daily R. Barabari at *1659-1730* and R Payam-e Doost daily at *1800-1830*, both in Farsi, so the information that R. Barabari had prolonged its broadcasts until 1830 obviously was wrong. To me, it sounded like the same, powerful transmitter is used for both broadcasts, but is it located in Grigoropol` (Moldavia), Jerusalem (Israel) or Sitkunai (Lithuania)? All three have been mentioned recently (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. 11660, Voice of Islamic Revolution of Iraq (from VOIRI, Iran), Mar 26, 0355-0526*, Arabic political talks about Iraq, Arab songs, ID's at 0400 and 0525, closed with a patriotic song about Iraq. 45344. Heard in parallel on 7100 with 32332. 9790 was covered by RFI QRM (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel until 1 July. Moshe phoned and stated that it will be necessary for new funds to be found in July in order for them to continue the broadcasts. Cheers (George Poppin, San Francisco, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. RAI, Italy March 31-Oct. 27, 2002 English schedule: 0055- 0115 N. America 9675, 11800; 0445-0500 Africa 7235, 9875; 1935-1955 Europe 5970, 9745; 2025-2045 Africa 9670, 11880; 2205-2230 Japan 11900, 15625. (from a RAI pamphlet e-mailed from Roberto Scaglione via Daniel Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ DXLD) ** ITALY. A list of Italian broadcasting on short and mediumwave is on http://www.bclnews.it -- it is today updated every hour. I need to know about Italian broadcasting on MW in USA. Many thanks (Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** LAOS. 4658.57, Lao National Radio (LNR), Houa Phan, Mar 04, 1157- 1230* in Laotian, at 1200-1229 relay of // 6130 from Vientiane. Local ID at s-off. Suffers co-channel QRM by a Chinese speaking station on 4658.8, also // 6130 suffers by co-channel Xizang PBS, Lhasa, Tibet. LNR had some transmitter power problems, and also covered sometime by the Chinese signal. Chinese station // on nearby weak 6110 signal too. On Feb 19, China was on 4660 and 6130, and LNR Houa Phan was on 4660.8. At 1232* both 60 mb stations signed off (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** LATVIA. UPDATE ON LATVIAN RADIO CHANGES Excerpt from report by Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site on 12 March Off to Latvia now. In front of me is a letter from Roland Straumal from Cesis district of this Baltic capital [Riga] (I quote):"... [ellipsis as published] Significant changes have recently taken place in local broadcasting. The first programme of Latvian radio in Lielauce in Dobele District is broadcast on 99.6 MHz and reception is good. Unfortunately, as of 4 January Latvian radio no longer broadcasts on mediumwave. It stopped broadcasting on 945 kHz despite the fact that the director-general of Latvian radio promised back in 2001 to continue mediumwave broadcasting for another four years at least. Incidentally, since the start of this year the first programme of Latvian radio is called Latvijas Radio Viens (which means Latvian radio -1). Since the beginning of January, Latvijas Radio-2 has been broadcasting from a new studio. What's more, its programmes are broadcast round the clock via transmitters in Cesvaine, Daugavpils and Rezekne. The second programme of Latvian radio - the Doma Square channel - is called Latvijas Radio Cetri Doma Laukums (Latvian radio-4 Doma Square) since 1 January. It broadcasts 24 hours a day but only via transmitters in Riga, Daugavpils and Rezekne, for the time being. The third programme of Latvian radio, Kfasika, since 1 January is called Latvijas Radio Tris Kfasika. It also operates 24 hours a day, but only in Riga, on 103.7 MHz. A new Riga transmitter has started to operate to relay plenary sittings of the Latvian parliament on 96.2 MHz. These programmes used to be broadcast on 945 kHz MW. [Passage omitted: in November last year Amadeus classical music radio stopped broadcasting]. A new radio station has appeared in Riga on 103.2 MHz, Radio Nova. It replaced Radio KNZ, a student radio station, which was warned by the national council for television and radio broadcasting after the replacement of its owner that its programmes did not correspond to its broadcasting plans - there were no news or information programmes. Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 12 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. 6100, "Voice of Liberia" (so announced), 0630 Mar 19 with African music, mention of "Ambassadors of Music," upbeat anmts, greetings to lstnrs, ID 0641, TC, 0645 speech by female Reverend of United Methodist Church, African music again 0650, seemingly more brief religious speeches. TC 0656, music, ads 0657, TC 0700, more music, 0702 "Good morning from Monrovia, the news read by . . ." Signal a little fluttery, but not too bad overall (Jerry Berg, MA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. PRO-RAVALOMANANA RADIO STATION RAIDED | Excerpt from report by Malagasy independent newspaper L'Express de Madagascar on 25 March It was a very eventful weekend in Andapa [northern Madagascar], one of the districts of Sava, Antsiranana Province, where 10 individuals wearing military fatigues arrived in a Land-Rover on Friday [22 March] evening from Sambava [a port town in northeastern Madagascar that supports President Ratsiraka]. Early on Saturday morning, members of this commando unit raided a tiny pro-Ravalomanana [who has also declared himself to be president] private radio station where they took three people hostage before thoroughly thrashing them, according to witnesses on the ground. The group is then said to have left with its "prisoners" for Sambava at about 1000 [local time]. Faced with this situation, several high-ranking leaders of the local KMMR [Marc Ravalomanana's Support Committee] took precautions and hid themselves in the surrounding countryside. Fear amongst local residents must surely have climbed up a few notches when death threats were pasted, to be seen by all during the night of Saturday-Sunday, on doors of homes belonging to some Arema [ruling Association for the Rebirth of Madagascar party] leaders, including Senator Julien Rakoto, in what seemed to be a retaliatory action. In fact, for several weeks now, no effort towards any rapprochement or dialogue between the two warring camps [pro-Ravalomanana and pro- Ratsiraka camps] has taken place. Faced with this escalation of violence, which looked like it was headed for the worst, Senator Jean- Max Rakotomamonjy, representing Antsiranana Province (on a Leader Fanilo [Malagasy for "Torch"] party ticket), and a former Andapa mayor - under the same Leader Fanilo banner - yesterday morning took the initiative to invite local leaders and representatives of both camps to a meeting at his home. The meeting, which took place in the evening, at last saw the attendance of the Andapa deputy prefect, accompanied by his two deputies, the commandant of the local gendarmerie branch, the town police station's commandant, as well as prominent political leaders representing the two camps. Following a heated debate earlier on - the authorities present saying they had not been informed of the arrival of any commando unit - Senator Jean-Max Rakotomamonjy managed to make the participants see sense and a "non-aggression pact" was signed. According to the agreement, Arema leaders, who include Senator Julien Rakoto and the provincial council deputy chairman, Norbert Randroso, personally pledged, if necessary, to meet the Antsiranana provincial governor, as representatives of Sambava, and negotiate the release of the three "prisoners" who are KMMR members... Source: L'Express de Madagascar, Antananarivo, in French 25 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MALI. ORTM Bamako appeared around 0805 UT on odd v9633.98 ... 9633.96, Vernacular news, also on \\ 11960.00 even (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NAMIBIA. The only night frequency at the moment is 3270 (presumed 1700-0500) and the day one 6060 (presumed 0500-1700). Both frequencies (the same transmitter, I suppose) are quite undermodulated and the signals are much weaker than I would normally expect here. Could be that the last SW transmitter is on its way out? (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Hi Glenn, Please note that the English transmission to Europe and North America starting at 1030 UT ends at 1225, not 1125. Mea culpa. I will correct it ASAP (Andy Sennitt, RN, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGER. 45,650 MHz VHF, La Voix du Sahel, Niamey, Mar 20, 0900-1400, regularly heard in FM-modulation on this unusual frequency. This is a so-called STL (Studio-Transmitter Link), i.e. carrying the signal from the studios in Niamey to the transmitting centre outside the city. Worldwide low-band VHF reception is possible as a result of the present sunspot maximum (Maarten van Delft, Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) Other Europeans frequently receiving it are equally convinced it is a semi-harmonic unintentionally radiated of 91.3 MHz (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Change in Okla. City frequencies: Greetings Glenn, WWLS 104.9 moves to 105.3 --- why, I don`t know; I can`t see the power is going to change any unless they like the Kingfisher transmitter being away from the OKC area to reach into the northern part of Oklahoma. I see on 1000000watts.com that the mile radius is 27.5 miles; I would appreciate your input on this. they have started announcing of the change today Saturday; I have not heard if 105.3 staff is moving to any place new (Bill Eckart, Mustang, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Can you tell me on what dates and times you will be broadcasting last year`s OK MOZART festival this spring?? Regards, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, to KCSC) Mr. Hauser: We'll be airing OK Mozart on Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. this year [0200-0400 UT Sundays]. The first broadcast will be April 13, and there are seven programs in the series this year. Thanks for listening, (Kent Anderson, KCSC-FM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Still don`t know about other usual outlets, KWGS Tulsa, and KOSU Stillwater; last year KCCU Lawton waited until May-June and then ran them consecutive days at 9 am. KCSC scheduling fits nicely into a gap between NY Philharmonic [non] Live broadcasts (gh, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Terrible audio of R Pakistan Islamabad observed on 21465.00 EVEN !! at 0800 UT onwards, \\ EVEN 17520.00, lower strength, but better audio, what ever that mean... (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINIAN MEDIA: GAZA TV CARRIES REPEATS, RAMALLAH RADIO OFF THE AIR Palestinian Satellite Channel Television in Arabic (Gaza), official television station of the Palestinian National Authority, has been observed since 2230 gmt on 29 March 2002 to carry a repeat of the programmes broadcast the previous night, focusing on the military situation in the Palestinian territories. Broadcast programmes consisted of newscasts, patriotic songs, phone calls from Palestinians praising the leadership of President Yasir Arafat, and demonstrations staged in Gaza in support of Arafat. Newscasts were carried at 0100 gmt in Arabic and O300 gmt on 30 March in English. An announcement urging Ramallah and Al-Birah citizens to donate blood for the wounded was repeated at 0242 gmt on 30 March. Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine in Arabic (Ramallah), official radio station of the Palestinian [National] Authority led by Yasir Arafat, is still off the air on its only FM frequency of 90.7 MHz. Wafa in Arabic, official news agency of the Palestinian National Authority, continues to carry reports on its web site, updating the situation in the PNA territories. Source: Voice of Palestine, Ramallah, in Arabic 29 and 30 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PERU. 3375, R San Antonio de Padua de Callalli verified with a no data e-mail reply to 18 DX'ers from v/s Hno Rolando del Carpio Montalvo, Director. The reply took 23 days in response to a postal report with US$1.00 return postage. The v/s mentions the station is on the air 1000-1330 and 2200-0130. Rolando indicated a postal reply would be coming soon. His e-mail address is: san_antinio14@hotmail.com He gave the station's postal address as: Hno Rolando del Carpio Montalvo, Director, Radio San Antonio de Padua de Callalli, Apartado Postal 1817, Arequipa, Perú. I'm quite pleased with this one (Rich D'Angelo, PA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** PERU. 6956.73, R LV del Campesino, 0215, Mar 30, Andean folk music. As always, nice to hear this one. "Happy Birthday" theme music and station ID given @ 0215, through the static crashes. Then I guess Birthday greetings were made over the air by announcer (David Hodgson, TN, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Sign on and sign off times is a variable affair with some of the smaller Peruvians. If nonstop music is heard beyond "regular" schedule, it's probably that someone has paid for a couple of hours of "background music" for a private event, a birthday party, a wedding anniversary, or whatever. The next morning, such a station will typically sign on much later than usual, if at all (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, via Dxplorer, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Por sua vez, Isabel Saraiva (isabelsaraiva@r...), do Departamento de Intercâmbio e Contacto, informa que a RDP transmite, todas as segundas-feiras, o programa "DX Internet", dentro do Correio do Ouvinte. Vai ao ar por volta de 0025 UTC, em 13660 e 15295 kHz, freqüências especialmente destinadas ao Brasil (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Mar 28 via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. A RDP INTERNACIONAL E AS ONDAS CURTAS No dia 22 de março passado tivemos a oportunidade de estar presente ao evento promovido em S.Paulo, pela RDP Internacional, com a finalidade de informar o público brasileiro, sobre a entrada em junho de seu novo transmissor de 300 kW dirigido ao Brasil e a Europa, que melhorará signficamente o serviço em OC dessa emissora. Tivemos a oportunidade de entrevistar para o Encontro Dx o sr. Jaime Marques diretor da emissora, que gentilmente nos recebeu na Casa de Portugal. O sr Jaime informou que a emissora aposta muito ainda nas ondas curtas e por isso a RDP fez um grande investimento em transmissores e na modernização das antenas. No evento ele informou que o Brasil tem uma grande participação nas emissões da RDP e por isso a emissora fez esse evento em S.P e no RJ, as duas maiores cidades do Brasil. Informou ainda que a RDP Int. pode voltar a emitir em outros idiomas num futuro próximo. Lamentavelmente os únicos dexistas/radioescutas conhecidos no evento eramos nós, apesar da RDP Internacional ter enviado a convites para os que escrevem a emissora. Além do sr Jaime Marques esteve presente outras vozes da RDP como a locutora Elisa Portugal o presidente do Instituto Camões e diretores da Casa de Portugal. O show foi muito bonito, com a presença de 3 cantores e 3 cantoras que vieram especialmente para o evento que na verdade foi uma amostra do show que a RDP apresenta anualmente em uma grande cidade portuguesa que leva o nome de Festa das Comunidades Portuguesas. Estamos remetendo para o site do SRDXC uma hora desse show , e acreditamos que nossos amigos da Paraíba possam disponibiliza-los para os interessados. O Encontro DX apesar de já gravado para até o mês de abril, irá fazer o possível para colocar ainda em abril a entrevista do sr Jaime Marques no AR e um trecho do evento (que inclui as palavras das autoridades e parte musical). Acreditamos que os colegas que ouvem emissoras internacionais deveriam ter uma maior presença no evento da RDP Internacional, pois seu diretor falou muito bem dos ouvintes que escrevem para os programas e da importância das ondas curtas. Sabemos que ouvir a RDP Internacional não é dexismo, mas o apoio as grandes broadcasting é importante, pois ajuda a formar adeptos para o nosso hobby. Afinal a maioria dos "cobras" começam ouvindo as grandes broadcasting (Cassiano A. Macedo e José Moura, Mar 30, radioescutas via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. RRI English March 31 - October 26, 2002 North America 0200-0300 9 510 11 940 Japan 0200-0300 11 810 15 105 New Zealand 0200-0300 15 180 17 815 North America 0400-0500 9 510 11 940 India 0400-0500 17 735 21 480 North America 0600-0700 9 635 11 940 Western Europe 0637-0656 7 105 9 625 9 550 11 775 North-East Africa 0700-0800 21 530 Western Europe 1400-1500 15 250 17 735 Western Europe 1700-1800 15 380 17 805 Northern Europe 1700-1800 11 740 15 365 Western Europe 2100-2200 9 510 11 940 Northern Europe 2100-2200 9 725 11 740 Western Europe 2300-2400 9 570 11 775 North America 2300-2400 11 740 15 105 (RRI website March 31 via gh, DXLD) ** ROMANIA. A bad co-channel clash on 15270 kHz at 0800-0827 UT, two stations performing on same level, Romania is there 8-9 UT, and the other ... Romania in Romanian 0800-0900 on 15270 15370 17790 17860, and maybe also on a 5th channel too. Same Sunday special only program at 0900- 1000 on 15180 15250 17745 17790 17840 21490 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Estimados amigos: Les comunicamos que al entrar en el horario de verano por estas latitudes, a partir del 31 de marzo y hasta el 26 de octubre de este año, "La Voz de Rusia" tendrá el siguiente esquema para sus emisiones en español: Hacia España: 2030-2100 UT 11630 y 7440 kcs. Nota: Desde el 01.09.02 se agrega la frecuencia de 9480 kcs. Hacia Centroamérica: 0000-0100 UT 11750, 9830 y 9665 (hasta 01.09.02) kcs. Nota: Desde 01.09.02 en este primer horario se agrega la frecuencia de 7180 kcs. 0100-0200 UT 9830 kcs. Hacia Sudamérica: 0000-0100 UT 12060, 12010 (hasta 01.09.02), 11510, 9965, 9860, 9830, 9480, 9450 (hasta 01.09.02) y 7330 kcs. 0100-0200 UT 12010, 11510, 9965, 9945, 9860, 9830, 9450 y 7330 kcs. Nota: desde 01.09.02, se agregan 9890 y 9470 kcs. en ambos bloques horarios. Agradeciendo su atención, les saluda muy cordialmente (Francisco Rodríguez "Frecuencia RM" LA VOZ DE RUSIA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. PUNISHMENTS FOR SPEAKING BAD RUSSIAN ON THE WAY? A special government council on the Russian language is preparing a draft law that may include fines for incorrect use of the mother tongue, gazeta.ru reported on 27 March. Education Minister Vladimir Filippov said the bill will be modeled on similar legislation in France. He said the council has asked a group of academics to contact media executives and editors to inform them about correct Russian usage. ("RFE/RL Newsline," 27 March via RFE/RL Media Matters March 29 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 11840-USB, R Sakhalin: From continued monitoring it now appears that their own program is 0900-1000 daily except Sunday; they break away from R Rossii (// 13705) at 0900 and pick it up again at 1000. Program is usually music and telephone talk. Finally got positive ID on Mar 22 (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) Now shift all that one UT hour earlier for DST, right? (gh, DXLD) ** SIKKIM. INDIA. 3390, AIR Gangtok, Mar 12, 1430-1500, English program with pops. Today the theme was "Old is Gold" with songs from Elvis, etc. English ID at 1430 announcing MW and SW (G. Victor A. Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** SOUTH AMERICA. PIRATE Radio Cochiguaz 11440 KHz USB March 31 0010 UTC relay of German pirate Radio Metropolis. SINPO 24332.Had transmitter problems, will try to return at 0400 (e-mail from operator) (Wade Smith, New Brunswick) Hi Glen, Radio Metropolis (Pirate??) copied here in NF... 31/03/02 - 0049 UT - 11440 KHz USB - Location given as somewhere in the Andes - music and then man gave station ID and reception report address (Europe) in phonetic alphabet. Signal was low but very clear with no IF. SIO 344 Regards, (Vernon Matheson - VO1VM RX - Kenwood TS450 ANT - Gap Vertical and 500' longwire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear friends of Cochiguaz, Our signal was put on 11440U kHz as usual. But, between 0028-0041 and also after 0114 the transmission was interrupted for a technical problem with our transmitter, but, fortunately now, after 0200 the problem was resolved. We will return as usual at 0400 31/3 with our programme relaying to Radio Metropolis with our usual power. Meantime, we inform you that our signal was heard in USA and Canada by recent reports received. FFFR, (Cachito, Radio Cochiguaz ,11440U khz http://www.geocities.com/rcochiguaz hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. We gave up trying to second-guess what RUI will do as DST starts; English at 0100 should have moved to 0000 UT March 31, but instead we heard German at 0000; but English was not at 0100 either; instead, Ukrainian on the webcast, and also on 12040 ex-7375, which at least we were able to confirm at 0116; no big signal here for a megawatt, with adjacent 12045 stronger. So English apparently got elbowed out. What would happen at 0400/0300 UT? By 0300 the shift had been made and English was airing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Expect major programming changes to BBCWS in the coming days following the death of the Queen Mother. BBC1 television has suspended normal programmes. 73, (Andy Sennitt, RN, March 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, at the risk of having a few tomatoes tossed my way, this appears to be a little "over the top". I mean it's nearly a six hour radio vigil at this point. Before anyone jumps on me, I realize fully the respect and love this woman commands--and deservedly so. But she was 101 years old and had been in declining health for some time. It's hardly a shock and not a "tragedy" in the hardest sense of the word. The WS has gone out of its way NOT to cover the UK in any signficant way over the recent past, and now it suspends regular programming to "analyze" the death of a 101 year old woman. I agree that some special programming is warranted, but this seems out of all proportion. One man's opinion...your mileage may vary (John Figliozzi, swprograms Mar 30 via DXLD) I remember getting a tour of Bush House (from a friend of mine that worked there about 10 years ago) and we were talking to the continuity announcer who was on duty that day. He was showing me the huge black binders underneath the control desk which were bio and background info on the major members of the Royal Family (including the Queen Mother.) He said that the informal mantra amongst the on-air folks in regards to a Royal death was "please, dear god, not on MY shift!" 73 (Maryanne Kehoe, GA, swprograms via DXLD) Yes, there was a long debate at the 100th (and before) of how much the BBC should do about this royal death and for how long. Many would just like to take notice and throw her in the bin, but the powers are of that era and class so it goes on, at Easter too. We may see a proper backlash by Monday. The Anti-royal Guardian news paper has some good articles about the prospects for coverage of Queen Mother's death and reactions. Try, for example, http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4234038,00.html Crown imperious As the professional royal mourners prepare, is anybody paying attention any more? by Nick Cohen The Observer (London) Sunday August 5, 2001 (Daniel Say, BRITISH Columbia, swprograms via DXLD) I flicked through the channels last night - BBC2, BBC4, BBC5, BBC6, BBC WS and BBCWS Extra were all carrying the same programme. Why? BBCTV and BBC5 didn't feel able to cover the Lottery draw. Why? With all the years that they have been planning this the coverage was pathetic. There was nothing to suggest why she should be regarded as significant - her achievements seem to be that she pioneered the supposedly touchy feely Royal Family that we have now (and isn't that where their problems started?), and she was a big supporter of National Hunt racing. And this being the BBC we only got half the story. No mention of the King and Queen's wholehearted support for the disastrous policy of appeasement. And as for the wartime walkabouts and the remark that she could "look the East End in the eye" - well that would only be true if the whole East End had also decamped to Windsor and safety every night. The domestic coverage (I only listened to WS for about 20 minutes) also featured the usual suspects wheeled out on every Royal occasion - Dickie Arbiter, Ronald Allison (who ARE they?) and Stevas (less visible since his job as cheerleader for Charles's marriage become redundant). The impression given, rightly or wrongly, is that only a very few elderly people actually care about the Windsors. Perhaps that is true. Now it may well be the case that the Queen Mum was a wonderful person fully deserving of being mourned, but from the BBC's partial and fawning coverage, who can tell? (Nicholas Mead, UK, ibid.) ** U K. Re "I kept hearing this headline on BBC news. ``Placed in administration`` means nothing to me as a North American. Is that an euphemism? Going bust is the cause or effect? I guess like we would say, being in the hands of a receiver running it (gh, DXLD)" Glenn-- It's the Brit version of "in bankruptcy," but I don't know enough about their system to know if it's the equivalent of Chapter 7 (liquidation) or Chapter 11 (continuing to operate under the control of the court). Regards, (Chuck Albertson, WA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. COMEDIAN BARRY TOOK DIES Sunday, 31 March, 2002, 11:07 GMT 12:07 UK Took helped write radio comedy Round the Horne Comedian and scriptwriter Barry Took has died aged 73. Took, who helped create classic radio comedy Round the Horne, had been suffering from cancer and died in his sleep at a nursing home in London. Took was behind a number of TV and radio shows He was a successful TV and radio presenter, hosting Points of View and panel games including The News Quiz. He died in the early hours of Easter Sunday, according to his youngest daughter, Elinor Holbrook. Took, also responsible for bringing the Monty Python team to the BBC, recently said: "There are people worse off than me. I've had a very long run. I'm fine really. I'm just old." He will be remembered with fondness for his sense of humour, Mrs Holbrook, 33, said. He was always funny, he had a great sense of humour "He was taken ill in December last year. I was with him yesterday and he wasn't too good at all," she said. He died at 0550 BST, she said, remembering her father by saying: "He was always funny, he had a great sense of humour." Took started his career as a stand-up comedian, but soon formed a writing partnership with Marty Feldman, who he had met while performing at a variety show at the old York Empire. The pair were the main writers on Round the Horne, the 1960s radio show that continued the comedy tradition started by The Goons. It starred Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams. Took also wrote a number of other radio shows, later moving to television with comedies including Bootsie and Snudge, which starred Alfie Bass and Clive Dunn. He became the voice of viewers when presenting TV's Points of View, and chaired BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz. In it, he kept the panel in order and the show proved such a success that it provided the basis for TV's Have I Got News For You? Took is survived by three other children - Mrs Holbrook's half-brothers Barry, 50, and David, 40, and her half-sister Susan, 46. ©2002 BBC News Online http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/tv_and_radio/newsid_1903000/1903696.stm Glenn, I recall listening to "Round The Horne" on BBC WS back in the late '60s. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. VOA will use 19000 kHz for an Uzbek program at 1230-1300 beginning 3/31. First VOA use of the band. df k4voa (Dan Ferguson, DC, via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Site??? ** U S A. WEBCASTS' INNOCENT AGE COULD COME TO A QUICK END From: http://www.cleveland.com/ 03/29/02 Fed up and feeling himself getting old in a young industry, Chuck Benjamin left the computer business at age 50 to devote full time to his longtime avocation of music. He wound up with a foot in both fields. These days, it gives him an unusual understanding of how ruthless both can be. Tuesday nights at 7:30, Benjamin broadcasts "The Innocent Age" on WELW AM/1330 in Willoughby. Drawing from his collection of every record on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1955, he specializes in music that listeners missed, or haven't heard in decades. He interviews artists, giving special attention to those the business forgot, and he takes requests. "I don't want to let the memories die," he said. "I think, as a society, we lost romanticism in the 1980s. I think it has survived in music, but you have to look hard to find it. All I want to do is help people go back to another time, when they didn't have a care in the world." By night, "The Innocent Age" reaches a comparative handful of eastern suburban communities. But because WELW simulcasts on the Internet, at welw.com, Benjamin has heard from listeners as far away as Australia. That's not unusual. Growing numbers of listeners find that "Internet radio" offers more than 10,000 outlets, from Net-only operations to simulcasts of over-the-air stations, and that it delivers an astounding variety of choices filling every conceivable niche - including those abandoned by corporate-controlled conventional radio. Benjamin, who also is the host of a weekly computer show on WELW, saw his future in radio on the Internet. But the future could end in a few weeks. Unless Congress gets involved and acts quickly, Internet radio will be killed in its infancy. The public interest - already reeling from a merger frenzy that has left control of entertainment and news in a very few corporate hands - will take another kick in the teeth. Here's why: In 1998, Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, supposedly to update copyright law for e-commerce. A goal was to protect recording artists from the threat of "perfect digital copies" of their work trading for free on the Net. To make up for their lost income, the DMCA required Webcasters to pay royalties to record companies, in addition to royalties they pay songwriters. (Broadcast stations, in contrast, only pay royalties to songwriters. Congress decided about 75 years ago that performers and labels weren't entitled to royalties because of the promotional value of radio airplay.) A basic problem is that Internet radio - unlike Napster or various file-swapping operations - doesn't provide "perfect digital copies." Webcasts, like radio broadcasts, tend to serve more as a promotional spur for CD sales - often helped by direct links on Internet radio sites. "It's not close to good, let alone perfect," Benjamin said. "Most of them sound a little on the tinny side. You're limited by bandwidth." A bigger problem is that fee negotiations broke down between big record companies and loose-knit Webcasters. So a panel convened by the U.S. Copyright Office came up with a recommendation that Internet-only Webcasters pay labels 14 cents per song per listener for what they play. Simulcasting broadcasters would pay 7 cents per song per listener. Noncommercial simulcasters, like public or college stations, would pay 2 cents per song per listener. Over a year, a Webcaster averaging 100 listeners a day would owe $500,000. But the panel also recommended making the fees retroactive to 1998, and added record-keeping requirements that are a burden in themselves. It will be a real killing for record labels if the recommendations take effect as scheduled on May 20. Internet radio will die before even turning a profit. Webcasters, working through sites such as SaveInternetRadio.com, radiocrow.com and wcsb.org are urging listeners to write Congress. "I don't mind paying a fee, as long as it's realistic," Benjamin said. "But it's not like the artists would see a nickel of this anyway. It's just the big record companies. It's just plain blatant greed." © 2002 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. DUELING ANNIVERSARY SPECIALS ON CBS, NBC Continuing TV's current nostalgia craze --- and apparently hoping to take a little air out of similar festivities on NBC--CBS has scheduled the two-hour special "CBS ... 50 Years From Television City" for April 27, the first Saturday during the next ratings sweeps. NBC's three- hour 75th anniversary special, which will range from the network's beginnings in radio to the present day, is scheduled for May 5. The CBS program will be hosted by Carol Burnett, whose special during November drew blockbuster ratings. Among the other blasts from the past scheduled for sweeps, which begin April 25, NBC has an "L.A. Law" reunion movie, a Bob Hope special, a 10th anniversary special for "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and a reunion of cast members from "The Cosby Show." NBC also will support its programming with a book, "Brought to You in Living Color: 75 Years of Great Moments in Television and Radio from NBC," to be issued in mid-April. ABC, meanwhile, will trot out a "Laverne and Shirley" special and an "American Bandstand" 50th anniversary show. ABC has canceled the critically acclaimed drama "Once and Again," announcing that the final episode will air April 15. Now in its third season, the low-rated program has bounced around the network schedule and been the subject of an Internet lobbying campaign (LA Times via Brock Whaley, March 30, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY'S REGIONAL ANALYSIS GOES ONLINE. Regional Analysis proudly presents our new website: http://www.regionalanalysis.org Log on for an in-depth look at all of RFE/RL's broadcast regions, read "RFE/RL Newsline" and 15 weekly analytical reports, and follow our briefings and roundtable discussions with policymakers and scholars (RFE/RL Media Matters March 29 via DXLD) ** VANUATU. At the end of November 2001 I visited the headquarters of Radio Vanuatu while on holiday in Port Vila. The transmitter site is on Emten Lagoon about 5 kilometres south east of Port Vila. The site houses a transmitter building containing two short wave and one medium wave transmitter and their associated antennas. The programmes are broadcast on short wave from a 10kW two channel Energy Onix Broadcast Transmitter Model HF-10K-2 tuned to 4960 and 7260. The signal is fed via coaxial cable to dipole antennas directed north and south to the islands in the group. 7260 is principally used from 1900 until 0600 hours, switching to 4960 at 0600 until the end of the transmission at 1115 (Sundays 1000). If one of the channels develops a fault, as happened while I was there, the other frequency acts as the standby. There is a standby transmitter tuned to 3945 kilohertz, but this is currently out of service because of shortage of spare parts to make it operational, and the date for its return to service is unknown (George Brown, Scotland, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. 5975, ZBC, Mar 13 and 15, 2030-2300, booming in with African Music, 2055 ID and news in Shona or Ndebele by man at 2100 (Korinek, RSA and Vaghjee, Mauritius, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) 6045, ZBC, Mar 15, 2200-2300, Shona and Ndebele (Korinek, ibid.) 6175, ZBC, Mar 15, 2200-2300, heard only that day. IDs as ``National Radio``. (Korinek) New frequency ? (Ed Anker Petersen, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. 7120, Voice of the People, via Talata, Madagascar, Mar 23, *0330-0430. Brief instrumental music and English ID. Signal surprisingly about even with co-channel RFE-RL in Armenian, but audio a little low. Following the results of the presidential election, station intends to continue this extra transmission which started early March., but with difficulty. As hoped, RFE-RL went off at 0357, but Voice of the People was much weakened by then and at 0400 got lost in the spillover between VOA 7115 and Voice of Russia 7125, both strong. I did hear a quick VoP ID (:33) and mention of Zimbabwe (:36) in the 0330 mix. Heard again Mar 24 when RFE-RL was much weaker due to poor propagation, but this time Voice of the People went right into introduction music and "Good morning and welcome to the program 'Let's Talk' . . ," without any real ID. Weakened quickly this night. (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6715 USB, mystery station (cf. DX-Window no. 189, 190). The Korean speaking religious station was operating Wednesday Mar 13 at 2112 and Sunday Mar 17 at 1940 (on air already) until sudden off 2018. This is a strange one (Green, UK and Groppazzi, Italy, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) On Friday Mar 15 I checked this frequency at about 2130 and there was nothing at all. At recheck at 2205 it was booming in. Perhaps it signs on around 2200 on Fridays? (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 27 via DXLD) 6715, UNID Korean Religious Station, 2302-2336* Mar 29, first time hearing what others have been reporting. Generally poor signal with talks and religious vocals with broadcast terminated during a piano instrumental (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Some A-02 observations. Hi Everyone, just came across an UNID Persian language station on 7300 kHz at 0930 UT. Not DW sce 9- 930. Will check it further. Music and freq selection looks like Bulgaria, but latest schedule sent out by Ivo doesn't fit such a Persian service from Sofia (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, March 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-050, March 29, 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 #1124: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070; Sun 0730, Mon 0100, 0600 on 3210; Wed 1030 on 9475 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, 2400 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 to rest of world; 1500 to NAm CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-02 is now available: (STREAM) http://www.DXing.com/com/com0202.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.DXing.com/com/com0202.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0202.html ON RFPI: Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300, 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130, Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB WORLD OF RADIO SCHEDULE ANTICIPATED FROM APRIL 7, 2002 Those who need this info in advance may now find it along with the current schedule at http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 8700 Information Radio, Diego García [sic], March 23 1535, 24222, Unidentified Male talk and local music, very weak signal rather than before. It seemed same program style as a month ago (Kazunori Watanabe, Tokyo, Japan Premium via DXLD) Here in Japan, there is nothing on 8700 today at 1355 now. But I heard it on 23 March 1535-1715. It seemed same program syle as a month ago (Kazunori Watanabe, Tokyo, Japan, March 28, hard-core-dx via DXLD) I listened to 8700 for some time early this morning (Thursday) around 0100. The programme consisted of the usual fare, modern Afghan pops and the occasional message in a local language. The only difference from the previous activity on this frequency was that the signal now consisted of USB plus CARRIER. This transmission actually was listenable in the AM mode. Reception was weak, in part due to a racket maker on the lower side (8702 silent at that time). At 1715 today (Thursday) there is a weak carrier on 8700, but the digital ute on 8702 is obliterating any possible audio. Today it's almost spring-like in Härnösand with 15 degrees above, but much of the winter snow remains, and can be expected to stay for another two or three weeks. The hours of daylight now are from 5 am to 7 pm, local time. Best 73's for now (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALBANIA. I just found a picture which apparently shows the transmitter hall at Cërrik: http://www.transmitter.be/chi-gd5056.html (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANGOLA. 7217, New frequency? National Radio, Luanda, Good Reception at 2100 March 27 with program in English (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Yes, first heard here on 15/3 with French at 2000, measured at 7216.8 on that day. Seems to replace 7245 (Craig Seager, Bathurst, Australia, ibid.) ** ANTARCTICA. Friday, March 29, on 15475.55, station with LA ballads, announcements at 2120, 2140, and ID at 2200, LRA36? On later than usual; went off around 2215 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Listening to his ID tape over the phone, I was almost convinced I heard ``LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcángel Gabriel....`` and definitely concluding as the music faded up, ``...para todo el mundo.`` (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** ANTIGUA. DEUTSCHE WELLE 3RD HARMONIC ON 10 METER AMATEUR BAND Glen[n], I was casually tuning the 10 Meter amateur band at approximately 7 PM CST 3/27/2002 (0100 3/28/2002 UT) on 29 MHz looking for amateur AM activity and was surprised to hear the musical tones of Deutsche Welle on 29.100 MHz. I monitored the programming until 7:45 PM. This apparent 3rd harmonic of 9.7 MHz (Antigua) mirrored the programming thereon. Signal levels were s9+. The receiving equipment here is a Yaesu FT1000MP and a Collins 51J-4. Antennas are a Cushcraft R7 amateur vertical (base at 15') and a 60' wire (at 15') with an antenna tuner. Signal levels were comparable on both setups on both frequencies. As a reality check, I contacted John Kaufmann by land line, K9KEU who lives about 20 miles to the south of me (Willowbrook, IL) and he verified reception of the 29.1 MHz DW signal (Frank J. Mercurio, Schaumburg, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, 3rd harmonics from 9 MHz broadcast stations fall all over the 10m hamband; if more hams tuned in AM, they might be encountered more often (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. DST ends in SE Australia this weekend, and some program changes affect R. Australia. Grandstand, sporting coverage, will run at 0200-0800 on Sat and Sun [certain frequencies only, I believe --- gh]; Australia All Over gets reduced by an hour local Sunday mornings, UT Sat 2000-2145. There is an additional half-hour version of Bush Telegraph, M-F at 1130. And in the local mornings and evenings, news on the half hour is being added at many times (John Westland, RA Feedback March 30, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BENIN. R. Benin, 7210.27, March 23 2230-2303* French talk, YL announcer, phone talk, variety of Afro-pops, French and US pops. S/off with NA, Fair. And March 24 *0556-0615+, s/on with local drums. NA at 0557 and vernacular talk followed. 0600 French ID, talk. Variety of local pops, US and French pops. Good. This on UT Sunday. I believe s/on is around 0500 on weekdays (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOTSWANA. 4820, R. Botswana, 3/24 0255 Cowbell and mooing IS for 5 minutes followed by man in language. Haven't checked for this one in a while. One of my favorite IS (Dave Tomasko, Downers Grove, IL, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** CAMEROON [non]. See MADAGASCAR ** CANADA. Thanks for the heads-up re the strike at CBC's French network. It's giving me the chance to hear some nice French vocal music without interruption via CJBC on 860. They even skipped the ID at 0400 UT, but they're doing quite well on a naked CC Radio here in Minneapolis. At about 0413, March 28, (i.e. Thursday evening local), they played an ID which began simply: Ici Radio Canada. The twist is that "Canada" was pronounced as in English, as if to make a point. Then, in good French, they continued, "La premiere chaîne vous propose une selection de musique..." etc., etc. (Max G. Swanson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Glenn, This from today's Toronto Sun: http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/dunford_mar28.html March 28, 2002 IT JUST AIN'T JAZZ --- WHY RADIO VET TED O'REILLY QUIT By GARY DUNFORD -- Toronto Sun T.O's EXIT: "Who do you listen to for jazz in Toronto if not Ted O'Reilly" asks musicman Rob McConnell. An odd and public question, since he asked it on-air yesterday of O'Reilly himself. The radio vet wrapped his amazing, 37-year-run at CJRT -- re-branded as JAZZFM91 -- with yesterday's show. The station says O'Reilly retired. Ted says he quit. What's the difference? "The difference is, I don't want to work there any more," he says. "It's 37 years next Monday, and for about 35 of those years I loved working there. There was a community of purpose, a place that was dedicated to really good stuff -- and now it's another commercial radio station. It sounds like CHFI; it sounds like EZ-Rock." That's not a harsh judgment. To a listener, the broader sweep of JAZZFM91's increasingly formatted playlist is jazz without edge. Hummable. Upbeat. All-day audio wallpaper. Call letters out of music. Call letters into music. Cups. Contests. Promotions. "It's mainly the music," O'Reilly says of his exit. "The new program director accused me of playing music with too much improvising in it. That's bad when you're at a jazz station. They want music that people will turn on and leave on, in the background. They don't want anybody getting excited or angry." No surprises. ' Manipulation In short, JAZZFM91 aims to do for jazz what Classical96 does for the classics. Manipulate a music genre to offer a safe, attractive, one- stop for people in full flight from charted pop, rap and crap du jour. Offer melodies you know. Guitars. Standards. Diva vocalists. Keyboards. Lifestyle earfood. As the station actually calls it, Dinner Jazz. "Jazz is supposed to be a personal music and they're de-personalizing it," O'Reilly says. "They'll say this is what jazz is today. I don't think that's true. There's no reason why you can't play Louis Armstrong or Jellyroll Morton beside John Coltrane." Unless you're afraid they'll put distinctive thumbprints on the clean, portion-controlled plates of carefully selected dinner music entrees. "I'm tired of the uphill flight to keep what I think is good jazz on the air," O'Reilly says. "When you go to the absolute softest side of jazz music and take only that, then toss in other artists who aspire to be jazz artists, is it truly jazz?" Does Sting get airplay because he once hired Branford Marsalis? Does Frank Sinatra make the cut because he's kinda like jazz? As a teen O'Reilly was hooked by Miles Davis and big band swing. After graduating from Ryerson, he had radio gigs in Kitchener and Brampton, then joined CJRT in 1965. The station had 150 jazz LPs. Today it has 15,000, plus 12,000 CDs. It's the music library he says he'll miss most. In 37 years, Ted produced and recorded 250 concerts for broadcast, interviewed Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Mingus. He's produced albums for jazz labels, written for magazines, been the go-to guy for local musicians seeking promotion and support. He admits jazz is his religion, his calling. "They play jazz by the pound," says O'Reilly, whose concerts-for- broadcast and pointed interviews with players defined his run. "Put that piece in the computer, let the computer check the repetition factor ... the aim is daytime listening at the office." Bigger slice Indeed, JAZZFM91's determination to cut itself a bigger slice of Toronto's radio pie is raising eyebrows in broadcast circles. The "membership-supported" station runs pledge drives but also sells commercial advertising. Increases in listenership come at the ratings and ad expense of commercial rivals. Licensed to serve a minority taste, it aims at the majority. "I'm surprised Ted Rogers hasn't asked why he can't issue charitable tax receipts too," one wag jokes. Oddly, during JAZZ91 pledge drives, the titles most often requested by listeners are distinctive jazz classics, often by "dead guys" and farthest in spirit from the tuneful wash of the "soft jazz" that fills new release schedules. "I have resigned, but not retired," O'Reilly told listeners last night after spinning his favourite, 12-minute version of Jeepers Creepers, unlikely to be playlisted again. "'Til I speak with you again sometime, somewhere ... think nice thoughts." If you say so, Ted. But as one of those listeners with a JAZZFM91 charitable receipt in hand, I ain't thinkin' them this morning. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (© 2002 Gary Dunford, Toronto Sun, via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) Glenn, I recall listening to Ted's nightly "Jazz Scene" program from 10PM-1AM on CJRT-FM, back in the '70s & '80s. His voice was just perfect for that time of night! 73, Ivan http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1017270068308&call_page=TS_Letters&call_pageid=968332189003&call_pagepath=News/Letters (Ivan Grishin, DXLD) Mention of Ted O'Reilly in the middle of this jazz column. It sounds similar to what happened to Rukeyser, but not as extreme. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1017183667944&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News (Ivan Grishin, DXLD) ** CHINA. Voice of Strait. According to the reply from the station, the transmitting schedule is as follows: News and Politics Channel: 6115 kHz 2225-1700 UT (Wed 1000-1700) Literary and Life Channel: 7280 kHz 2225-1700 UT (Wed 1000-1700) Amoy Language Channel: 4940 kHz 2225-1700 UT (Wed 1000-1700) (via Ogino, Cumbre DX March 28 via DXLD) See recent report of 6115 with some English ** CHINA [non]. CLANDESTINE? from TAIWAN to CHINA. 15388 and 13750: New Star Broadcasting Station Channels 2 and 5 respectively. Heard at 1010 and 1110 March 29. Numbers transmission at TOH. After the transmission, there is a short pause before music start up and message in plain Mandarin by YL announcer, "We thank you for listening to our program. To enable the latest news to be delivered to you, the sponsoring organisation has requested us to solicit entries on the manufacturing of mpeg systems. Fees will be given for articles used. Submit your articles to w2798@hotmail.com or by post to P. O. Box 12587, Taipei. Thank you for listening." Some popular theme music follows. There is of course, no mention of what the sponsoring organisation is (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX via DXLD) First time I have ever seen any kind of contact information for this one. (Cumbre Ed.) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI missing from 7445 around 0730 (Chris Hambly, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also missing earlier UT March 29 but 21815- USB audible past 0200. Hope it is just down for the long delayed antenna hoisting; 7445-USB back at 0307 UT check March 30 (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Glenn: concerning Fidel Castro's prodigal daughter's radio broadcasts from Miami. Ms. Alina Fernández is hosting a show titled Simplemente, Alina! on WQBA 1140 AM, 11.00 pm to 1.00 am EST [what days, local M-F?? currently 0400-0600 UT, soon 0300-0500]. Actually, she is not mentioned in a station's on-line schedule yet. - Her show is only 6 weeks old. So I had to call WQBA to find out her time slot. WQBA has both RealAudio and a webcam. But getting a live audio feed takes some extra clicks and a short registration. To listen, go to http://www.netmio.com/radio/wqba/listen/ and then push "power" button on a radio receiver image. To watch, go to http://www.netmio.com/radio/wqba/webcams/webcam43_en.html (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) TALK RADIO IN MIAMI HAS A NEW VOICE: CASTRO'S DAUGHTER Marina Jiménez, National Post, March 27 Miami's hottest new radio talk show host is a perfect match for the city's large and vociferous Cuban community, routinely criticizing the Communist regime and the ageing dictator at its helm. But Alina Fernández isn't just another embittered Cuban exile. She is the daughter of Fidel Castro, a relationship that has brought her neither power nor fortune, and one she never mentions on air. Listeners just know. Simplemente, Alina!, broadcast Monday through Friday on WQBA-AM, is run on a shoe-string and though it can be heard in Cuba she doubts her father has ever listened to it. "I don't think so. He doesn't have so much time to waste," she laughs in a throaty voice during an interview from her home in Miami's Little Havana. Ms. Fernández, 46, escaped from Cuba eight years ago disguised as a Spanish tourist and later wrote a book about being the daughter of Mr. Castro. She sees her six-week-old show as an effort to re-establish the institutional memory of her generation. Full article at: http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020327/462641.html (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** DUCIE ISLAND. Ducie Island DXpedition is a wrap: The inaugural VP6DI DXpedition to the newest DXCC entity has come to an end. A 2.5- square-mile atoll, Ducie was approved for DXCC credit last November, but it took three trips, many months of planning and a big budget to make this operation a reality. The DXpedition was sponsored by the Pitcairn Island Amateur Radio Association. The VP9DI team was on the air for just over nine days, logging something on the order of 40,000 contacts. The crew was reported heading for Henderson Island (OC-056), anticipating arrival March 27. Team members will operate for approximately 24 hours using their individual call signs. Look for VP6BK/JA1BK, VP6XX/JF1IST, VP6AJ/K9AJ, VP6VT/K5VT, VP6TC, VP6DB, and VP6MW. According to the pilot stations, QSLs for Henderson Island and /mm QSOs go to the individual operators. VP6DI HF QSLs go via VE3HO, and 6-meter QSLs go to JA1BK. On-line log is available at http://www.big.or.jp/~ham/VP6DI but not all contacts have been posted. More information is available on PIARA`s DXpedition to Ducie March 2002 Web site (The Daily DX via ARRL March 27 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Radio France Int'l schedule from March 30 to Africa. 0400-0430 M-F 11910, 11995; 0500-0530 M-F 11685, 15155, 17800; 0600-0630 M-F 11710, 17800, 21620; 0700-0800 M-F 15605; 1200-1230 15540ga, 25820; 1400-1500 11610, 17620; 1600-1700 11995ga, 12015ga, 17605; 1600-1730 11615, 15605 (RFI website via Daniel Sampson, WI, Prime Time Shortwave, http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/) ** HAWAII. My NZDXT item referring to the transmitter actually being atop Mt Haleakala was a misreading of the original item. The same storm which produced snow atop Mt Haleakala also brought high winds which resulted in an outage which knocked KNUI-AM off air for a week. Reception in the Pacific NW since clearly indicates KNUI is now back to full power, and indeed, is putting out an enhanced signal (David Ricquish, Wellington, New Zealand, March 28, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. Don't forget about the special broadcasts for the yacht race. 3940 at 0945 and 2345 (Hans Johnson, Mar 28, Cumbre DX via DXLD) How could we forget? It`s on the WOR MONITORING REMINDERS calendar... ** HUNGARY: Updated A-02 Schedule for Radio Budapest eff. March 31: Croatian to Eu 0400-0413 Daily 6025 2000-2013 Daily 6025 English to Eu 1900-1928 Daily 6025 7130 2100-2128 Daily 3975 6025 English to NoAm 0100-0128 Daily 9560 0230-0258 Daily 9570 German to Eu 1200-1258 Sun 6025 7220 1400-1458 Sun 6025 9850 1700-1758 Sun 5970 6025 1730-1758 Mon-Sat 3975 6025 1930-1958 Mon-Sat 3975 6025 French to Eu 0430-0443 Daily 6025 7165 2015-2028 Daily 6025 7235* (*) ex 9755 Hungarian to Eu 0500-1058 Sun 6025 (relay HS-1 Kossuth R) 0500-1558 Mon-Sat 6025 (relay HS-1 Kossuth R) 1100-1158 Sun 6025 1300-1358 Sun 6025 1800-1858 Daily 3975 6025 2200-2258 Daily 6025 Hungarian to NoAm 0000-0058 Daily 9800 0130-0228 Daily 9570 2000-2058 Daily 17690 Hungarian to SoAm 2200-2258 Daily 11755* 15455 (*) ex 9730 2300-2358 Sun 11755* 15455 (*) ex 9730 Hungarian to AUS 1100-1158 Sun 21560 2100-2158 Daily 15195 Italian to Eu 0445-0458 Daily 6025 7165 2030-2043 Daily 6025 11755* (*) ex 6170 2130-2143 Daily 6025 11885 Russian to Eu 0300-0328 Daily 3975 6025 1530-1558 Sun 6025 9575 1700-1728 Mon-Sat 6025 9575 1930-1958 Sun 6025 9575 Romanian to Eu 0345-0358 Daily 6025 1500-1513 Sun 6025 1615-1628 Daily 6025 Serbian to Eu 1645-1658 Daily 6025 Slovak to Eu 0415-0428 Daily 6025 1630-1643 Daily 6025 Spanish to Eu/SoAm 2045-2058 Daily 6025 6145 2145-2158 Daily 6025 11885 Ukrainian to Eu 0330-0343 Daily 3975 6025 1600-1613 Daily 6025 9575 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 29, via DXLD) ** INDIA [and non]. AIR band scan 17OO-1725 UT in Finland Hi Glenn. I checked this evening ALL INDIA RADIO frequencies (+others) audible here in Turku, former capital of Finland. Here´s the list of the frequencies I heard: -5040 kHz JEYPORE -5010 No trace of THIRU... or Garoua, it was MADAGASCAR. -5005 R NEPAL -4980 UNID (Chinese?) -4965 CHRISTIAN VOICE with ID in EE 1715 UT -4950 SRINAGAR (?) -4940 GUWAHATI formerly known as GAUHATI -4920 + 4910 + 4895 + 4860 + 4840 + 4800 + 4790 (really UNID) 4775 kHz AIR IMPHAL. I checked my QSL-list. In the seventies I used to listen to Asian MW-stations while living in eastern Finland. I listened to AIR IMPHAL on 920 kHz on Sept. 30th 1973, they replied in a month with letter. -4760 kHz very poor. Best of 73´s and a HAPPY EASTER! (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. World Radio Network posted new schedules today for WRN1 and WRN2, available digitally on Telstar 5 Ku satellite. On the English-language WRN1, World Of Radio shifts from Saturday at 10 am Eastern to Sunday at the same time, in the slot formerly held by VOA's Communications World. Wales Radio International takes over the Saturday morning slot formerly held by WOR. In other changes, Radio Netherlands becomes available for 3 hours a day -- for an hour each at midnight, 8am and 6pm Eastern -- replacing RTE in the first two slots and Russia/RTE in the third slot. Radio Polonia at 1 pm is cut from one hour to 30 minutes, with Channel Africa (M-F), Network Africa (Sat) and Wales Radio International (Sun) airing at 1:30 pm. On the multi-language WRN2, RTE's hourlong broadcast in Irish at 8 am disappears from the schedule, and there are minor time changes for YLE Radio Finland. By the way, WRN Web site indicates the "WRN Boutique" has been closed for renovation since last August (Mike Cooper, Mar 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. WRN AVAILABLE IN SOUTH AMERICA VIA TELSTAR 12 From 1st April 2002, WRN begins broadcasting a trial service to South America from the Telstar 12 satellite. This developments means WRN is now a truly global broadcast network covering most of the Earth's surface twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The footprint for Telstar 12 (see right) covers all of Central and South America with receive dish sizes between 60 to 100cm. The service will not be marketed to the partial footprint that covers the US and Canada - the service is not intended for this region. [eastern half of NAm] During the trial period from April 1st to December 31st 2002, we will initially be broadcasting a relay of our English and multi-lingual Africa Asia network as there is no customised feed as yet available to the satellite uplink site. Satellite Coordinates: Telstar 12 at 15.0 W, Transponder 35 (BVN TV) 11.974 Ghz Vertical Polarisation, Symbol Rate 3,400 Msym/s FEC 3/4, DVB MPEG2 NEW DESIGN, NEW NAVIGATION, NEW WRN WEBSITE! WRN is redesigning and relaunching its website and has commissioned Tornado Productions http://www.tornado.tv to undertake this work. Watch out for future announcements! (WRN press release via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. MARS --- NASA officials on March 27 released the first of what could be a daily flow of images of the Red Planet, snapped by a camera aboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The USD 300 million Odyssey was launched in April and arrived in orbit in October. It will eventually serve as a communications relay satellite for missions slated to land on Mars beginning in 2003. (AP) See: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey (SCDX/MediaScan March 28 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Titanic special event reminder: Special event station GB90MGY will be on the air April 13-15 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Titanic disaster. The call sign suffix recalls the ``MGY`` call sign the Titanic used on her fateful maiden voyage in 1912. The station will be active on all HF bands 80 through 10 meters--CW only--from 1030 UTC April 13 until 0647 UTC April 15-- the precise time in the UK that the Titanic sank after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic with a loss of more than 1500 lives. Members of the sponsoring Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group will operate GB90MGY from a replica of the Titanic`s wireless room. For more information, contact the Michael Shortland, G0EFO, Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group, msa-consult@dial.pipex.com or visit The Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group Web site http://www.gdrs.net/titanic The station will be set up in Godalming, Surrey, the birthplace of Titanic radio operator Jack Phillips, who stayed at his post sending out distress calls to alert other ships and saving more than 700 lives before he went down with the ship (The Daily DX via ARRL March 27 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** IRELAND. 9389.95, Laser Hot Hits, 0630 3/28, Several "Laser" IDs, by male DJ in passing. // 6220, but as expected, much clearer. Postal address, phone # and e-mail address given around 0635. Fair copy. I've read recently that they are using new transmitters, but not 100% sure this is not someone else relaying them. This is the first time I've heard them on this frequency. Fade out around 0700-0800 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. MARCONI BLOCKED JEWS FROM IL DUCE'S ACADEMY Inventor of the radio helped in Italy's anti-Semitic campaign Rory Carroll in Rome, Guardian, Tuesday March 19, 2002 Guglielmo Marconi, the father of radio and Italy's scientific hero of the 20th century, has been outed as a fascist hatchetman for Benito Mussolini's anti-Semitic policies. Documents unearthed in Rome have exposed Marconi as a clandestine but willing enforcer of the dictator's campaign against Jews years before the persecution came into the open... http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4376828,00.html (via Bill Westenhaver, QE, DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. UZBEKISTAN: Summer A-02 Schedule for Voice of Mesopotamiya in Kurdish: 0500-1100 NF 15675 TAC 100 kW / 256 deg, ex 15415 1100-1300 on 11530 TAC 100 kW / 256 deg, ex 1100-1700 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 29, via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. Glenn, The station on 5010.0 closing just after 1900 is Madagascar, heard tonight (28 March) very clearly in parallel with much weaker 3287.6. After the national anthem they play the usual and distinctive Madagascar interval signal which has been around for years and years. Here in Nairobi, 5010 is COMPLETELY CLEAR once Madagascar has signed off. I am very sceptical of these reports of Cameroon on that frequency. I think Cameroon has now left shortwave for good (Chris Greenway, Nairobi, Kenya, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [and non]. A-02 Schedule for R. Netherlands R. Netherlands sked 31 March to 27 October 2002 Retyped from website Dutch 0130-0225 AM 6010sa 11730fl 15315bo 0330-0425 NAM/AF 6165bo 9590bo 9845ma 15560ma 0500-0557 EU 1512wo 7125fl 0500-0757 EU 9895fl 0500-1700 EU 5955fl 9895fl 0559-0757 EU 11935fl 0700-0800 NZ/AU 9820bo 11655bo 0759-1700 EU 13700fl 13700fl 0930-1015 Surinam (mo-sa) 6020bo 1030-1125 AS/AU 13820ma 17575ma 21480ma 1228-1325 17495 1330-1425 AS/AU 9890pe 12065ta 13695kh 17580ma 21480ma 1630-1725 AF 6020ma 11655ma 1730-1825 EU/ME 9895fl 13700fl 15560fl 2030-2125 AF/EU15835ka 6015ma 6020fl 7120ma 9895fl 9895fl 11655fl 15315bo 17605bo 21590bo 2130-2225 AM 6020bo 9895fl 13700fl 15155bo 15315fl 2330-0025 AS 7280ma 9590si 17590kh Dutch (DRM tests) [more below...] 0530-0625 EU 11655bo 0630-0800 EU 15245bo 2030-2125 EU 15565bo English 0430-0530 NAM 6165bo 9590bo 0930-1130 AS/AU 9790bo 12065pe 13710ir 1030-1125 EU/NAM 5965sa 6045ju 9860we 1430-1625 AS/NAM 9890ma 11835ma 12075ta 15220sa 1730-2025 AF 6020ma 7120ma 11655fl 1830-2025 AF 9895fl 13700fl 2030-2230 EU 1512wo 2330-0125 NAM 6165bo 9845bo Indonesian 1130-1325 Indonesia 11690si 17580ma 21480ma 2130-2325 Indonesia 6120si 7285ma 9590ma Spanish 0130-0325 CAM 6165bo 9845bo 1100-1125 SAM 15450bo 1130-1157 SAM 6165bo 9715bo 1200-1225 CAM 6165bo 9715bo 2230-0125 SAM 9895fl 11720bo 15315bo Transmitters: bo = Bonaire fl = Flevo ir = Irkutsk ju = Juelich ka = Kaliningrad kh = Khabrovsk ma = Madagascar pe = Petropavlovsk Kamchatski sa = Sackville si = Singapore ta = Tashkent we = Wertachtal wo = Wolvertem (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Special DRM Demonstration for NAB During the Convention of the National Association of Broadcasters, our Bonaire relay station will be broadcasting a demonstration of the Digital Radio Mondiale system, beamed towards Las Vegas. The broadcasts start on Friday 5 April 2002 and end on Friday 12 April 2002. Bonaire will operate at 2330-0255 UTC on 15525 kHz with a DRM power of 10 kW. Content will be: 2330-0125 RNW English, and 0125-0255 RNW Spanish (Media Network newsletter March 29 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND: RNZI Frequency Schedule from March 31 to May 5, 2002: 1650-1750 Mon-Fri 6095 / 035 deg to NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Is 1751-1850 Mon-Fri 11725 / 035 deg to NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Is 1851-2050 Daily 15160 / 000 deg to All Pacific, also audible in Eur 2051-0458 Daily 17675 / 000 deg to All Pacific, also audible in WNAm 0459-0758 Daily 15340 / 000 deg to All Pacific, also audible in Eur 0759-1105 Daily 11675 / 000 deg to All Pacific 1106-1310 Daily 11675 / 325 deg to NW Pacific, Bougainville, E Timor, Asia 1311-1650 Occ`l 6095 / 000 deg to All Pacific (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 29, via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Re Defence Forces Broadcasts: The Armed Forces Canteen Council is a non-profit organization which operates facilities at military bases, the profits from which are used for a wide variety of activities. In this case, they include funding SW broadcasts via RNZI. It's similar to the Australian Army Amenities Service which funded a network of 22 radio stations in Australia, the Pacific, SE Asia and Japan during WWII. They had more mothers knitting and holding raffles so could afford more stations than NZers <grin> (David Ricquish, Wellington, NZ, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. NEW ZEALAND MUSIC QUOTA FOR RADIO 26.03.2002 4.00pm Regulating for New Zealand music quotas on radio is still an option if a voluntary code falters, Broadcasting Minister Marian Hobbs says. The code, launched today, will see radio stations playing on average 20 per cent New Zealand music by 2006. New Zealand music is applied to all music performed by artists normally registered as New Zealanders, including people performing in Australia and other countries... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=1291784&msg=emaillink (via Bill Westenhaver, QC, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Hi Glenn, Stumbled upon something which might be of interest to utility monitors: As of 1 May, the Meteorological Service of New Zealand is making changes to its weather radio facsimile services. They've been transmitting heretofore simultaneously on four frequencies, but due to needed transmitter maintenance, they'll be using only one frequency at a time from 1 May. Info, including links to PDF versions of the old/new skeds, may be found at: http://www.metservice.co.nz/forecasts/radiofax_changes.asp 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QB, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Progress(?) report on KXOK-TV 32, Enid`s ownly local TV station: some 10 pm newscasts have been missing without explanation, so the auction just keeps going. Good Morning Enid, however, at 7 am Friday had some news: we thought it looked different, and the reason is that they are currently originating from temporary studios next to the transmitter atop the Broadway Tower, as they still aren`t ready to move into Oakwood Mall. And Scott revealed that KXOK-FM started March 28 at 5:30 pm, on 104.7. Indeed it was on when we checked around 7:15 pm (all times CST) March 29, playing a cut from ``Tommy``. They plan to broadcast an Oklahoma Crude stupid ballgame live this weekend, but format if any is not yet clear. Close-in, it seems to have no trouble overriding KIXR Ponca City on same frequency, but I haven`t yet determined whether it is still officially LP, ex-KUAL. One of the few other locally produced TV shows so far is Doctor Fear, hosting monster movies at midnight early Saturday. He made a guest appearance on the morning show, reading a statement in (pig?) Latin (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OMAN. R. Sultanate of Oman, 15355, March 16 0300-0358* in English. Kor`an in Arabic with English translations and commentary on the recited verses. US pop music by Lionel Richie and others. Ad for contest to win a Toyota Corolla. Chimes and news at 0330-0342. Phone talk. Abruptly off at 0358. Fair-good. Barely audible one week later on March 24 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. Re R. América on SW 7300: But not all is ready. According to Tony Jones, obtaining a license in Paraguay is very bureaucratic and takes very long time (Nicolás Éramo, Argentina, Cumbre DX March 28 via DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. WDJD near Pago Pago, American Samoa is now conducting tests on 585 with 5kW power. Official sign-on date is April 13. I've asked the acting station manager, Vickie Haleck for precise dates and times for tests as well as an address for DX reports. The station is DX friendly, wants reports. Programs are 70% English/30% Samoan, ID slogan is 'for you and your family, 585 AM WDJD'. Check the April 2002 New Zealand DX Times for an exclusive front page article on WDJD, only the third MW station in 50 years in American Samoa (David Ricquish, Talkback, NZ DX Times / http://www.radiodx.com hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. The shortwave parallel frequencies for the 1521 Saudi Arabian are 9555 and 9870 kHz. I hear both the medium wave and shortwave stations best around local sunset. It is often the first TA signal to fade in because of its huge (2 megawatt) power and a transmitter site next to the Red Sea with a straight overwater trajectory towards us. At seashore sites in New England and eastern Canada, 1521 can come in 2 to 3 hours before sunset. 1 p.m. EST is my earliest reception (from Cape Cod) and 2:30 p.m. EST is about as early as I've noted them here in Billerica (about 15-20 miles inland from Ipswich, Marblehead, etc.) Sign-off is at 2300 UT (6 p.m. EST). Spain is usually what you hear on 1521 in Saudi Arabia's absence. Sometimes Czech, British, and even Chinese stations have been heard on this channel. When Saudi-1521 signs on again at 0300 UT (10 p.m. EST), there's more slop from WWKB-1520 than during the sunset receptions. If you're lucky (translate: super propagation + Beverage + beach), you can get some medium wave parallels to 1521, among these: 594, 648, 900, 1440. The 1512 Saudi station is not parallel to 1521. This one's usually good around 0200 UT (9 p.m. EST) if you aren't next to a 1510 pest like WWZN (Mark Connelly, WA1ION - Billerica, MA, USA, NRC-AM March 27 via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. There's some new Somali activity on 6750.25. It's in the Rahanwein language, so I need to check it out further. Regards, (Chris Greenway, Nairobi, Kenya, March 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Here`s another website with lots of testimonials about the alleged sins, to put it mildly, of Brother R. G. Stair: http://prophecy.sinfree.net/stair/stair.html If all of this is true, or for that matter, any of it, why hasn`t he been arrested and prosecuted? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN -- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "The S-Files" celebrates Stockholm's 750 years Friday: Good Friday special -- Stockholmers and THEIR Stockholm Saturday: Fringe and mainstream forms of expression -- graffiti and circus Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic", the top 100 ABBA songs and celebrity wannabe Emma Robinson Monday: Easter Monday special "The Ice Brothel" Contrary to our reports on the air and on the web, our new shortwave frequency schedule actually goes into effect on Sunday March 31 (and not April Fool's Day), along with everyone else, when Western Europe switches to Daylight Saving/Summer time (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan March 28 via DXLD) Who says SCDX has to be on Tuesdays? (gh) ** THAILAND. 8742.98, Thai Meteo Station 1220 playing interval signal. Very weak, best in USB. Still in at 1618 Mar 28 same level (Joe Talbot, Alberta, Cumbre DX via DXLD) I believe the last log of this was back in 1999 (- Cumbre Ed.) I think we had some last year if someone want to search DXLD (gh, DXLD) ** TUNISIA. Amateur station 3V8BB, Mike. 28494 USB 1540 - 1615 UT March 28, Good signal in Oregon. Working West Coast/Stateside/world. Said to QSL via YT1AD (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. I keep checking, and checking; UT Sun Mar 24 at 0100, there it was back on 7375, RUI in English to NAm! S 4/5. It was also there on 7375 at 0400 (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, I noticed a new "Real Audio Shedule" [sic] tag on the left side of the RUI web page. I thought that it would provide times of programs and languages used, but all they had was a general list of programs available in Ukrainian, English, German and Romanian. Perhaps it's still under construxion. [Later that same day:] I noticed that left-side tag on the RUI website now reads New Broadcasting Shedule [sic], and it brings up the new A-02 schedule (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. ITV Digital goes bust * A High Court judge agrees that ITV Digital, the crisis-hit UK broadcaster, can be placed in administration. Full story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/hi/english/business/newsid_1896000/1896732.stm (via Ricky Leong, Canada, DXLD) I kept hearing this headline on BBC news. ``Placed in administration`` means nothing to me as a North American. Is that an euphemism? Going bust is the cause or effect? I guess like we would say, being in the hands of a receiver running it (gh, DXLD) ** U K. 'THE SILENT KEY' RADIO PRODUCER WANTS FEEDBACK From RSGB: David Ellis, the writer and producer of the BBC radio feature 'The Silent Key' http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/speech/silentkey/sk18.shtml that featured amateur radio, is keen to receive feedback on the programme. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the 23rd of February and is now accessible on BBC on-line with both sound (realplay) and visuals. David Ellis, producer, Silent Key, writes about the programme: 'Erik Davis, cultural commentator, freelance writer for 'Wired' and 'The Village Voice' contextualised the more spectral, invisible dimensions of radio/cyber spaces whilst chipping away at the utilitarian shell of technology (or in the case of radio, the 'furniture', the knobs, dials, and accumulated junk) and it was this aspect of his book 'Techgnosis' that inspired many of the ideas within The Silent Key. Davis's 'electromagnetic imaginary' becomes a 'sonic imaginary'. During our early recorded conversations (extracts of which are used) we speculated on what Davis described as 'an archaeology of signals' and the 'collecting mentality' as represented by the 66 postcards that initiated the search for Arthur Trigell a.k.a. A Silent Key or dead radio ham. The cards became the pointers to a life lived, perhaps lost, though not unrecorded. Behind these cards existed a shadow story, as yet undetermined, of radio itself and of experiments conducted in wooden huts, spare rooms beyond geo-political and class borders. (At one point during my search I consulted a graphologist in an attempt to identify the 'hobbyist's underloop'). Composer and previous collaborator on various performance-based work Richard Kilgour ('The Titanic Signals', 'K.2 The Mountain', `Ezekiels Tounge', Iain Sinclairs 'London Essay') introduced me in 1999 to electronic engineer David Donnard who "knew someone, in the know", someone who might consider acting as my guide into the Ham fraternity, into what has been called 'the true art of radio'. The someone was Prem Holdaway, a North London-based radio enthusiast, formerly a teacher of electronics and badminton coach, and currently an active ham. Inducted into the esoterica/techno-jargon of the 'knob culture' Holdaway led me to Doreen Barnes an Essex-based morse operator who is one of the key voices heard throughout the 45 minute piece. The poignancy of Doreen and her husband Dennis's life (Dennis is now a Silent Key) led me to what radio aficionados recognise as the "pivotal year of 1957", and specifically October 1957, as this was the year when the first orbital satellite 'Sputnik' began transmitting signals from space. (According to Doreen they were "akin to the sound of a baby hedgehog"). Of equal importance, though more terrestrial in its impact, was what became known as 'TOMMOROW'S MUSIC', or the sound of Joe Meek, the maverick early 60's record producer and innovator of 'tape-splicing, cranked-up echo effects and sound montaged British pop. Filtering his 'homebrew' habits (as a radio experimentalist in the 50's he constructed a T.V in the woods) into his recordings, he revved up the post-war pop charts with 'Telstar' and 'Jonny Remember me'. Some of these homebrew habits (or simulation of them) were consciously used whilst in the studio with sound engineer/producer Neale Gardner during the editing/mixing of SK. SK was always about detour, digression and delay. It took as its model a previous semi-improvised performed lecture called 'K.2-the mountain' which was my attempt to trace the origins of the Y.M.C.A which I had discovered had been founded by my great, great grandfather George Williams, a pig farmer turned haberdasherer who worked in London. Of George Williams I learnt next to nothing. Of K2 and the outdoor movement? Lots. The search for Arthur Trigell, the Silent Key of the title, or G3JAF, became the point of departure in this investigation into the lesser known history of radio and, with it, the murky spiritualism of 19th century table rappers, the analog circuitry g'd upped to receive disembodied voices from the past, Lithuania nationalism, Slavic hymns, rogue frequencies, thrummings, spheric utteraces, whistlers. The Silent Key is an assemblage (sound montage) of broadcast clichés, composed music, clicks, dictaphonics, and interviews etc. It's also about making radio without a handbook.' (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ?? (gh, DXLD) ** U K [non]. RUSSIA: Effective April 6 Radio Ezra in English will be on air at new time: new 2330-2400 Sat NF 17665 P.K 100 kW / 060 deg to NAm, ex 0900-0930 Sun on 12110 VLD 100 kW / 140 deg to Pacific [but the old broadcast ended some months ago, not just now --gh] (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 29, via DXLD) ** U S A. Stories about VOA: The Committee to Protect Journalists annual report, "Attacks on the Press in 2001," mentions VOA's reassignment of Spozhmai Maiwandi, chief of the VOA Pashto Service. http://www.cpj.org/ The CPJ report and its mention of VOA was reported by RFE/RL: http://www.rferl.org/nca/features/2002/03/26032002091809.asp Freelance journalist Frank Smyth comments on the Spozhmai Maiwandi matter: Not many Americans have heard of Spozhmai Maiwandi, but many Afghanis have. A native of the Central Asian nation, she ran the Pashto service of the Voice of America for over a decade. VOA is the paid broadcast arm of the U.S. government, but Ms. Maiwandi is a journalist, and she aired more than just American propaganda. She reported the news, and, in a broadcast shortly after September 11, included the remarks of the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar. That raised hackles in the Bush administration, and she quickly became a target. Soon, under Bush-appointed director Robert Reilly, VOA turned on Ms. Maiwandi. First she found insulting notes slipped under her door by anonymous coworkers, she said, producing a note that simply read: "This is no longer your office. Move your big [expletive removed] out of here." Then she was fired from the Pashto service, although in an Orwellian twist Reilly claims he gave her a promotion. "You are being given a temporary promotion," VOA's department of human resources wrote to Ms. Maiwandi. "This action is not a reassignment from your current position. Your position of record remains Chief of the Pashto Service," the note added, even though she would no longer run the service. Unfortunately the VOA case is only one of many examples in which Bush officials have manipulated the press... http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/5294 (via Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. VOA Pronunciation Guide: The Voice of America now has a searchable index on-line --- complete with audio. (It beats scouring the Beeb site, and listening to a whole story...) http://www.voa.gov/pronunciations/ (Tom Popyk, CAJ List via Ricky Leong, QU, DXLD) ** U S A. Another story of great men with feet of clay, like the recent reports of Marconi's anti-semitism [see ITALY] KEN RUSSELL FILM CASTS EDISON IN A POOR LIGHT by Chris Hastings (Filed: 24/03/2002) THE family of Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, has attacked a new film by Ken Russell that portrays him as a ruthless sadist intent on destroying his closest rival. Mr Russell's new film biography of Nikola Tesla, who was one of Edison's greatest adversaries, will also undermine the scientist's claim to be the father of electricity and provide a very different picture of one of America's revered heroes... http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/24/wedis24.xml 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QB, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I heard that you had an 80th anniversary documentary about WLW. Wonder if and when this will be in your audio vault? Or rebroadcast with advance notice. Regards, Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO to WVXU via DXLD) Dear Glenn, Thanks for your e-mail. The documentary will be publicly released as a 2-CD set with a 70 page booklet in early summer. I'd suggest that you keep checking out the web site for specific information about its availability. If we do another rebroadcast, we'll also put that on the web plus there will be a fair amount of on- air promotion. Thanks again for writing (Dr. Jim King, WVXU, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. VETERAN RADIO STARS TO DISCUSS ALABAMA`S OLDEST STATION From: http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2002/03/25/daily19.html 19:03 EST Tuesday The two familiar names noted mostly for their local television careers will participate in the 80th birthday celebration of Alabama's first radio station, WSY, which later became WAPI. The station is still going strong as NewsTalk 1070-AM, owned now by Citadel Broadcasting. The celebration will be held April 1, sponsored by the Birmingham- based Alabama Historical Radio Society (http://www.bham.net/ahrs) and Alabama Power Co., which started WSY to communicate with linemen repairing power lines. The discussion will be held in the main auditorium of the Alabama Power building on Sixth Avenue North downtown. The festivities include a 6 p.m. panel discussion with longtime radio industry personnel, including Lucas, known in the 1960's as "Weathergirl Rosemary" on WAPI-TV (now NBC13 WVTM). Lucas paired with longtime talk show host Dave Campbell on WAPI for the Saturday Football Cavalcade pre-game show in the fall during the 1960s and 70s. Another former WAPI announcer, Sterling Brewer, went on to fame as the host of "Live Studio Wrestling" on WBMG-TV (now CBS42 WIAT). Former station manager and announcer Everett Holley also will sit on the panel. "We're proud Alabama Power launched the first radio station in Alabama," says company president and CEO Charles McCrary. A museum exhibit of radio history, with antique radios owned by private collectors, will be on display April 1 through May 31 in the Alabama Power archives department (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) ** U S A. I found a link to LDS Radio Network, run by the Mormons. The network has two "streams". "LDS Radio" features religious talk and music, while "LDS Instrumental" provides non-interrupted, non- religious (AFAICT) music. I enjoyed LDS Instrumental the morning of March 27, but it went silent around 1700 (Perhaps the soothing music put the operator to sleep!) It's still not heard past 2230. LDS Instrumental http://www.ldsradio.com/instrumental.asx LDS Radio http://www.ldsradio.com/ldsradio.asx (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, The links to LDS Instrumental and Radio are down right now, so I assume they are now working to correct the problem with LDS Instrumental. (Grishin, 1516 UT March 27) LDS Instrumental is back as of 1700 today. But now that I listen again, I notice that it is playing mostly instrumental and choral religious music, something they didn't do yesterday. Maybe it's because today is Maundy Thursday? 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 11490, WHRI Noblesville IN; 2119-2127+, 24-Mar; World Harvest Radio toe-tappin' Gospel music and religious program. 2x harmonic audible at noise level //5745 fundamental at S50!. (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. When Elephants Dance: Here's an excellent article about the state of the war on copyrights in the US, and how it may impact internet radio. Quite amusing in places, and well worth the read even though it is lengthy. http://www.farces.com/stories/storyReader$414 (Ray Robinson in L.A., Radio Caroline Mailing List via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. SAVING INTERNET RADIO From Dan Gillmor, San Jose Mercury News Tech columnist: "Media conglomerates are in a merger frenzy. Telecommunications monopolies are creating a cozy cartel, dividing up access to the online world. The entertainment industry is pushing for Draconian controls on the use and dissemination of digital information... "The offenses against the public interest have been piling up, one after the other...The most recent outrage...is the music companies' scheme to control Internet radio or murder it if they can't. Net radio provides the variety and value that broadcast radio, so dominated today by a few behemoths, has almost utterly lost. Now it's going to disappear, if the greedy souls who dominate commercial music have their way -- just one more whack at the public interest to preserve the untenable business models of well-connected corporations. "I'd been hoping that Congress would come to its senses one of these days, and mitigate the damage it has done with laws like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act [in .pdf form]. As prescient critics warned, the law has been abused by the entertainment crowd and its craven allies in the technology business to threaten scholars, curb free speech and even incite outrageous prosecutions. "I'd been hoping that lawmakers would see the danger of market concentration in telecommunications and media. No luck there, either. I'd been hoping that the courts might intervene. But courts are more political than we learn in our third-grade civics classes. Federal judges are nominated and confirmed by politicians who only occasionally peek out of the pockets of the special interests. Again and again, with few exceptions, judges are upholding laws that trample on tradition and rights. "There's no simple, all-encompassing solution to this dismal situation. Fighting for the public interest will involve work on a variety of fronts. It's essential, for example, that we put pressure on Congress and keep it there... "Here's my message to the record industry and its allies: I'm not a thief. I'm a customer. When you treat me like a thief, I won't be your customer." Read Gillmor's entire editorial in the San Jose Mercury News http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/2922052.htm (via RAIN via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) ** U S A. Here's yet another Salon.com piece on Clear Channel Communications. 73- Bill Westenhaver WASHINGTON TUNES IN, By Eric Boehlert Critics accuse Clear Channel of shady radio deals and nasty concert business. Now the government is starting to pay attention... http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2002/03/27/beltway/index.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. A NEWSLINE FOLLOW-UP: A POLITICALLY DISORGANIZED 11 METER CLASS D SERVICE A few weeks ago we reported that the FCC has refused to hear an appeal by an Illinois CB operator convicted of Disorderly Conduct for interfering with a neighbors home entertainment electronics. In the days since that report first aired, it caused quite a stir on several Internet discussion groups. Everyone wants to know how a service that once boasted 3 out of every 5 Americans with radios in their cars could wind up where the local sheriff or policeman could take an operator off the air. After a bit of research, the answer seemed pretty clear. In one word: Politics. Here is Amateur Radio Newsline`s South East Bureau Chief David Black, KB4KCH, with part 1 of a multi part look at the strange political side of 11 meter CB. When it comes to having political representation, most communication groups are in good shape. Hams have the American Radio Relay League looking after their political well being. Broadcasters have the powerful National Association of Broadcasters. Cellular telephone companies have the CTIA. Even the General Mobile Radio Service, which shares frequencies with the Family Radio Service, has representation amid the Personal Radio Steering Group. So, what form of communications lacks representation? That would be 11 meter, Class D Citizens Band radio. What does CB have? This: (Sound from 11 meter CB) Give CB a listen, and you hear lots of people using a service without any structure or formalized representation. Some might even call it anarchy. (More sound from 11 meters) Ironically, CB`s lack of political power--as well as its inability to defend against bureaucratic attack--is not due to shortage of people using the airwaves. Many believe that next to cellular telephones, the second largest selling piece of 2-way radio equipment in the 20th century has been the CB radio. During the gas crisis in the 1970s, many cars sported some sort of 11 meter whip and a cheap CB radio under the dash. Low cost 11 meter radios by the millions were manufactured, imported and sold. The industry had hobby magazines and several newspaper style newsletters devoted to CB radio. CB operators outnumbered hams by at least 20 to one. And they outnumber GMRS users by 1000 to one. But CB was not able to defend itself from outside pressures either back then or today. Why? Part of the reason goes back to CB`ers themselves in the 1970s and early 1980s. Most of them were not really interested in the service. It was just a utility. A way to help learn where to find the cheapest gasoline or avoid speed traps. The CB radio service lacked any real monetary commitment. Without that, there was no political commitment. And when fuel prices began to ease, many but not all 11 meter operators pulled their radios out of their cars--and put them in the attic. Then there were the few others, the die hard CB hobbyists. They treated CB channels 1 through 40 as a sort of ham radio-like hobby. Some operated illegally, but would take the chance just to make a DX contact. But they never organized. Why? Different CB groups formed over the years. Many called themselves political messiahs of 11 meters. But many turned out to be bogus. During the late 1970`s and early 1980`s, CB radio scam artists were busy, trying to separate the 11 meter radio operator from his hard earned cash. As group after group appeared and then vanished, it became apparent to most using CB that trusting anyone was too expensive. Now, more than 25 years later, trust in any CB political organization seems little more than a remote possibility. And what about the legal CB operators? Those dedicated to public service? That part of the story, next week. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I`m David Black, KB4KCH. Next week David tells us about the only successful CB organization and the reason that it survived when the rest went away. (ARNewsline(tm)) THAT FINAL ITEM: AN APRIL 1ST CB DXPEDITION TO THE ISLE DU CONEY Earlier in this week`s newscast we reported that 11 meter CB has no political clout. What it does have is a bunch of people who just want to have fun. Now, a group of them is planning what they call a People`s Radio DXpedition from an exotic island location. Roving reporter Pierre Pullinmyleg is here with the details: AUDIO ONLY, NO TEXT. Download MP3 audio at http://www.arnewsline.org Hopefully, Pierre will be back a year from now to pull your leg once again. (The April Fools Day File) (Amateur Radio Newsline March 29 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. SHORTWAVE: ARNEWSLINE VISITS AN SWL-FEST From CB to shortwave listening. Ham radio operators are not the only radio hobbyists who hold conventions. So do Short Wave Listeners and one of the most successful gatherings is Winterfest. Amateur Radio Newsline`s Steve Coletti took his tape recorder and visited this years gathering. He has this report: AUDIO ONLY - NO TEXT. Download MP3 audio at http://www.arnewsline.org by clicking on the newscast number. It may not be the size of the Dayton Hamvention or Huntsville Hamfest, but to Short Wave Listeners, Winterfest is truly the best (ARNewsline(tm) via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. Chatter from I, Liz, the Teletype Blonde: I finally gave in and bought a utility decoder-a Universal M-7000. I bought it used (all 7000s are used) just in case I didn't like it. As it turned out, I love this gadget. I have spent hours decoding Morse Code, teletype, and fax. I have yet to learn many other things. 6994: WC2XPF, an experimental RTTY station in Auburn, WA. Listed as NEWSMAX in Klingenfuss guide but that didn't appear in my printout. 50Bd/170Hz shift, reversed polarity. My prize logging possession. Will QSL (Liz Cameron, MI, 25 Mar, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) Time? ** U S A. March 28, 2002 SENATOR: $39M NEEDED FOR PLANE RADIOS WASHINGTON (AP) - F-15 fighter jets flying combat air patrols over the United States as part of homeland defense must have radios that can communicate directly with any commercial airliner deemed suspicious, Sen. Charles Grassley says. Because of different frequencies used by F-15s and commercial airlines' radios, communication now is accomplished by relay through ground controllers, he said in a letter to the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense panel. "A few short seconds and a miscommunication could lead to a tragic situation," Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote the subcommittee chairman, Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and the top Republican, Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska. His office released the March 20 letter on Thursday. Grassley asked that $39 million - the cost estimated by the Air Force - be included in an upcoming spending bill to equip 583 of the F-15s with such radios. Airlines communicate on the Very High Frequency, or VHF, band, while the F-15s communicate on the Ultra High Frequency, or UHF, band, and do not carry the VHF radios needed to talk to the civilian aircraft, Grassley wrote. "We need to find a way to ensure that these two planes can talk to one another," Grassley said in a statement Thursday. "Funding to make certain that no commercial airliners are diverted, or tragically, terminated, should be of utmost importance for homeland security." The F-15s have been assigned to intercept commercial airliners that are identified or suspected of being under terrorist control. "If hostile intent is determined, the interceptor acting through its chain of command, may be ordered to direct the airliner to an available airfield or, in the extreme case, to terminate the airliner's flight," Grassley noted. Lacking the ability to contact the airliner directly, "communications are accomplished in an indirect way, by relay through ground controllers," Grassley wrote. "This can be cumbersome, time consuming, and subject to error." There was no immediate reaction to the letter from Inouye or Stevens. (from lasvegassun.com via Sergei Sosedkin, March 29, DXLD) About time ** U S A [non]. Hi! Believe me, there is no AFRTS USB transmissions from Sigonella nor Diego García on those often mentioned frequencies. Not since last summer or so, least at the moment. That´s the sad truth. Frequencies for Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam and Hawaii transmitters seem right to the spot and active. Puerto Rico and Guam are heard best here in Southern Finland. Happy Easter from Helo (Kari Helpaltio, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) re AFRTS, a strange QSL came by mail, obviously to my report of them last month of the Guam transmitter on 13362U. Guam was the only one I had not reported earlier by ordinary mail, but here was a mail QSL from them that I had heard Diego García on 4319 which I had not. Not this time. That was a year ago, and I received their QSL. Let's face it, the AFRTS QSL dept. has computorized QSL-ing, and you can't blame them for not answering reports, but this time it got screwed up. I just wonder when all naval units will have their satellite receivers fixed up and this episode of AFRTS on SW ends. But so far it has been real fun. Anybody with a QSL from erratic Iceland on 3903U ? That would indeed be a good one for the history buffs in 50 years or so. 73 and enjoy the holiday ! (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, ibid.) What holiday? ** U S A [non]. AWR Combined schedule for 30 March 2002 to 27 October 2002 Retyped from the AWR website. Afar 1700-1730 AF 17665ab Amharic 0300-0330 AF 11975ab 1700-1730 AF 15520ab Arabic 0400-0500 ME 15470mo 0500-0600 AF 15470mo 0600-0700 AF 11610ju 15470mo 1700-1800 ME 15460mo 1800-1900 AF/ME 17555mo 1900-2000 AF 15175mo 15485ju Bangla 1300-1330 AS 15320ab 1330-1400 AS 15385ag Bulgarian 0400-0500 EU 9570ju 1700-1800 EU 15235ju Burmese 1400-1500 AS 11930ag Chin 0000-0030 AS 11770ag 1400-1430 AS 15380ag Dyula 0730-0800 AF 17780mo 2000-2030 AF 15355mo English 0030-0100 AS 6035ab 6055ab 0200-0230 ME 9820mo 0330-0400 AS 11775ab 0400-0430 AF 7235me 0430-0500 AF 11975me 0500-0530 AF 5960me 6015me 0530-0630 AF 15105me 0700-0730 EU/AF 7230mo 0830-0930 AF 17780mo 1000-1030 AS 11930ag 1000-1100 AS 11560ag 1300-1330 AS 15385ag 17740ab 1330-1400 AS 11705ag 11980ag 15320ab 1630-1700 ME 9385ag 9600ab 11850ag 15450ag 1800-1830 AF 5970me 6095me 1800-1900 AF 7170me 1930-2000 EU 7130ri 2000-2100 AF 9745me 2100-2200 AF 15355mo 2130-2200 AS 11850ag 11980ag Farsi 0230-0300 ME 6145ab 0330-0400 ME 11665mo 1630-1700 ME 15410mo French 0430-0500 AF 9845me 0700-0730 AF 11610ju 0800-0830 AF 17780mo 2000-2030 AF 7170me 9780me 15485ju 2030-2100 AF 15355mo Fulfulde 1900-1930 AF 11640me German 0730-0800 EU 7230mo 1500-1530 EU 7165mo Hausa 0600-0630 AF 15345me 1930-2000 AF 9745me Hindi 0000-0030 AS 6035ab 6055ab 1530-1600 AS 11890ag 13705ab 15195ag Igbo 0530-0600 AF 15345me 1930-2000 AF 11640me Indonesian 1100-1130 AS 15205ag 2200-2230 AS 11850ag 15320ag Italian 0900-1000 EU sa-su 11880ju Japanese 1300-1330 AS 11705ag 11980ag 2100-2130 AS 11850ag 11980ag Javanese 1130-1200 AS 15205ag 2230-2300 AS 11850ag 15320ag Kannada 1430-1500 AS 17860AB 1530-1600 AS 15575ag Karen 0030-0100 AS 11770ag 1430-1500 AS 15380ag Korean 1200-1300 AS 9720ag 2000-2100 AS 9740ag 11960ag Malagasy 0230-0330 AF 3215ta 1530-1630 AF 3215ta Malayalam 1530-1600 AS 11850ag 17630ab Mandarin 0000-0200 AS 12120ag 15370ag 17635ag 1000-1100 AS 15510ag 1000-1500 AS 15615ag 1100-1200 AS 11560ag 11975ag 1100-1300 AS 17835ab 1200-1300 AS 11775ag 15150ag 1400-1500 AS 11880ag 2100-2200 AS 15265ag 2200-2400 AS 12120ag 17635ag 2300-2400 AS 12010ag Marathi 1600-1630 AS 9600ab Masaai 1730-1800 AF 12130me Nepali 1500-1530 AS 11890ag 17630ab Oromifa 0300-0330 AF 11710mo 1730-1800 AF 17665ab Punjabi 1500-1530 AS 13705ab 15195ag Romanian 1600-1700 EU 13720ju Russian 0300-0330 AS 11775ab 1330-1400 AS 17740ab Sinhala 1430-1500 AS 17630ab Somali 0330-0400 AF 11955ab 1630-1700 AF 17665ab Swahili 0400-0430 AF 11975me 1700-1730 AF 12130me Tagalog 1030-1100 AS 11930ag 1600-1630 ME 9385ag 15450ag Tamil 1330-1400 AS 17860ab 1500-1530 AS 11850ag Telugu 1400-1430 AS 17860ab 1500-1530 AS 15575ag Tigrinya 0300-0330 AF 11945ab 1730-1800 AF 15520ab Urdu 0230-0300 AS 9820mo 1400-1500 AS 15320ab 1600-1630 AS 11850ag Vietnamese 0100-0200 AS 15445tn 1400-1500 AS 15490tn 2300-2400 AS 15320ag Yoruba 0500-0530 AF 15105me 2030-2100 AF 7170me Transmitters: ab = Abu Dhabi, UAE ag = Agat, Guam ju = Juelich, Germany me = Meyerton, South Africa mo = Moosbrunn, Austria ri = Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia ta = Talata, Madagascar tn = Taiwan (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** YUGOSLAVIA [non]. YUG(SER)/BIH: The Radio Yugoslavia website includes at http://www.radioyu.org/schedule.htm a programme schedule valid from April 8, 2002 at 1430 UT. Is this a target date for a revival of transmissions from Bijeljina? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Looks about the same as before, including English to NAm both on 9580, 0000-0030 East except Sunday, 0430-0500 West daily. The date suspiciously coincides with DST start in NAm, maybe automatic imaginary schedule? (gh, DXLD) R. Yugoslavia English schedule 1430 UT April 8 to 1330 UT October 27, 2002. 0000-0030 except Sunday, N America ce 9580; 0430-0500 N America w 9580; 1830-1900 Europe w 6100; 2100-2130 Europe w 6100; 2200-2230 Australia 7230. Something I just noticed about the Radio Yugoslavia schedule is that the broadcasts to Australia moved from 1330 to 2200 UT (R. Yugoslavia website via Daniel Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave, http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ ) ** ZIMBABWE. Your readers may recall this Reuters quote from DXLD 2- 034 ``The only way that Robert Mugabe can win this election is if he steals it." So now here's one from the well-whaddya-know file, Glenn. Those ZBC webcasts that went away just a week before the country's (insert your own adjective here) presidential election? Hey guess what, a week after the election they came back. How about that. New addresses however. ZBC 2, a.k.a. Radio Zimbabwe, w/ African and South African pop and announcers speaking Shona and Ndebele is now at http://66.8.38.108/zbc2-fm.asx Radio Three, a.k.a 3FM, mixing Zimbabwean pop with US rap and soul in English "catering to the youths" according to the website, is now at http://66.8.38.108/zbc3-fm.asx 3FM continues to do a 5 minute hourly newscast 24/7 that always has a Mugabe story as the lead. Still, both webcasts are a solid source for new African releases if that is your cup of tea. Lively music and stooge journalists: your best entertainment value. Please pardon my non-objective, dripping sarcasm. It is only temporary; DXLD deserves better! (Tom Roche, Atlanta, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6715: I tried Friday night Mar 22 from around 1700 past 2000 but it was not on air. However, when I retuned again around 2310 it WAS on air. At least, I think it was this - all I was hearing was a general hub-bub of noise similar to what you hear from a concert hall before the conductor appears. The signal was USB only and pushing the S meter up to 7. It would seem, therefore, that transmission is late on Fridays and earlier on Sundays??? I suspect this is something similar to the Irish CBers (Noel Green, England, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 6715 U, active again at 2245 tune in Fri Mar 29, but prohibitive amount of lightning static (David Hodgson, Nashville TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION NOTES When the next solar minimum will be? According to a recent NOAA Preliminary Report and Forecast of Geophysical Data, their prediction shows it to be some time between September 2006 and April 2007. Still a ways off, and right now we are enjoying the peak of the current cycle. You can read these NOAA reports at: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/weekly/ and the one showing the latest solar cycle projection is the March 5 issue. You can also see historic charts of this and previous solar cycles on WM7D's web site at: http://www.wm7d.net/hamradio/solar/index.epl (Bill Smith, TX, Cumbre DX March 28 via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-049, March 27, 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 #1124 available early UT March 28: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1124.html FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685, Sat 0600 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, 2400 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-02 is now available: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0202.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0202.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0202.html [available soon] ALSO FROM DXing.com: http://www.dxing.com FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300, 1730, 2330 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB DX PROGRAMS new revision by John Norfolk: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Glenn: I appreciate the posting. Thanks for the link to the latest issue. I have just returned to the hobby and am amazed at the resources that have come into play. I plan on checking-out your website later today. Thanks again, (Dave Lines, Spring City, PA) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Glenn: Gordon Adam, former head of BBC Pasto Service, writes about international broadcasting to Afghanistan in the Sunday Herald of Scotland.... http://www.sundayherald.com/23148 (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** ALASKA. Amigos, convido-os a visitarem a página http://www.grimm.med.br/radioescuta.htm onde logo na abertura colocamos a imagem (frente e verso) do QSL da emissora HAARP (High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program - Gakona) que o nosso grande amigo Marcelo Toníolo dos Anjos captou em 5800 KHz e ao reportar esta freqüência obteve este QSL raro, diga-se de passagem. Também convidamo-los a visitarem os demais segmentos da referida página (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, SP, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. Tirana at 0245 doesn`t seem to show up on UT Sundays already. Been that way for a few weeks. Continues to be late by 5+ minutes on both 6115 and 7160 at 0245. Or may show up on time on one and not the other, weekdays. March 21 0330, no show 6110 [sic] but OK on 7160, ditto at 0245 (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. OBSERVER #173 / 26-03-2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OBSERVER is an edition of RADIO BULGARIA compiled by Ivo Ivanov & Angel Datzinov Items here may be reproduced if it is mentioned "OBSERVER-BUL". All times in UTC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BULGARIA: Summer A-02 schedule of RADIO BULGARIA - March 31 to October 27, 2002: ADDR: 4, Dragan Tsankov Blvd., 1040 Sofia and P. O. Box 900, 1000 Sofia. Tel.:+359 2 9336 733; fax.:+359 2 650 560 Website: http://www.nationalradio.bg Programme Director: Angel Nedyalkov e-mail: nedyalkov@nationalradio.bg Frequency Manager: Ivo Ivanov e-mail: rbul1@nationalradio.bg MW: Petrich (G.C: 23.18E/41.42N): 747 kHz 500 kW/non-dir Vidin (G.C: 22.40E/43.49N): 1224 kHz 500 kW/205 deg SW: P=Plovdiv/Padarsko (G.C: 24.42E/42.10N): 2 x 500 kW, 3 x 250 kW S=Sofia/Kostinbrod (G.C: 23.13E/42.49N): 2 x 100 kW, 2 x 050 kW ====================================================================== ALBANIAN / e-mail: albanian@nationalradio.bg 0530-0530 Mon-Fri Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 0600-0700 Sat/Sun Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 1545-1630 -daily- Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 1900-1945 -daily- Balkans 5900 P250/248, 1224, 747 ====================================================================== BULGARIAN / e-mail: bulgarian@nationalradio.bg 0000-0100 -daily- North America 9400 P500/306, 11700*P500/306 0000-0100 -daily- South America 9500 P250/245, 11600 P250/258 0430-0500 Mon-Fri Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 0430-0500 Mon-Fri East Europe 7500 S100/030, 9500 S100/030 0430-0500 Mon-Fri West Europe 9400 P500/306, 12000*P500/306 0400-0500 Sat/Sun Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 0400-0500 Sat/Sun East Europe 7500 S100/030, 9500 S100/030 0400-0500 Sat/Sun West Europe 9400 P500/306, 12000*P500/306 1000-1030 -daily- East Europe 11700 S100/030, 15200 S100/030 1000-1030 -daily- West Europe 12000 P500/295, 13600 P250/306 1200-1400 -daily- Balkans 1224 1200-1400 -daily- West Europe 12000 P500/295, 15700*P500/306 1500-1600 -daily- Middle East 13600*P500/126 1500-1600 -daily- South Africa 17500 P500/185 1500-1700 -daily- East Europe 7500 S100/030, 9900 S100/030 1800-1900 -daily- Balkans 5900 P250/248, 1224, 747 1800-2000 -daily- Middle East 7400 P250/140 1800-2000 -daily- West Europe 7500 P250/306 ====================================================================== ENGLISH / e-mail: english@nationalradio.bg 0200-0300 -daily- North America 9400 P500/306, 11700*P500/306 1100-1200 -daily- West Europe 15700*P500/306, 17500 P250/292 1900-2000 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 11900*P500/306 2100-2200 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 11900*P500/306 2300-2400 -daily- North America 9400 P500/306, 11700*P500/306 ====================================================================== FRENCH / e-mail: french@nationalradio.bg 0100-0200 -daily- North America 9400 P500/306, 11700*P500/306 0600-0700 -daily- West Europe 12000 P500/295, 13600*P500/306 1700-1800 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 11800*P500/306 2000-2100 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 11900*P500/306 ====================================================================== GERMAN / e-mail: german@nationalradio.bg 0500-0545 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 12000*P500/306 1000-1100 -daily- West Europe 15700*P500/306, 17500 P250/292 1615-1700 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 11800*P500/306 1800-1845 -daily- West Europe 9400 P500/306, 11800*P500/306 ====================================================================== GREEK / e-mail: greek@nationalradio.bg 0400-0430 Mon-Fri Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 0500-0600 Sat/Sin Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 1630-1715 -daily- Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224, 747 1945-2030 -daily- Balkans 5900 P250/248, 1224, 747 ====================================================================== RUSSIAN / e-mail: russian@nationalradio.bg 0300-0400 -daily- East Europe 7500 S100/030, 9500 S100/030 0300-0400 -daily- East Europe 11900 P250/045, 1224 1400-1500 -daily- East Europe 7500 S100/030, 9900 S100/030 1224 1400-1500 -daily- Central Asia 13800 P250/045 1700-1800 -daily- East Europe 7500 S100/030, 9900 S100/030 2300-2400 -daily- Central Asia 12100 P250/045 ====================================================================== SERBIAN / e-mail: serbian@nationalradio.bg 0530-0600 Mon-Fri Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 0700-0800 Sat/Sun Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 1500-1545 -daily- Balkans 7300 P250/248, 1224 2030-2115 -daily- Balkans 5900 P250/248, 1224, 747 ====================================================================== SPANISH / e-mail: spanish@nationalradio.bg 0100-0200 -daily- South America 9500 P250/245, 11600 P250/258 0100-0200 -daily- Central America 9700 P250/295 1600-1700 -daily- South Europe 15700 P250/260, 17500 P250/258 2100-2200 -daily- South Europe 11800 P250/258, 13800 P250/260 2300-2400 -daily- South America 9500 P250/245, 11600 P250/258 ====================================================================== TURKISH / e-mail: turkish@nationalradio.bg 0430-0500 Mon-Fri Middle East 6000 P250/115, 7400 P250/140 0500-0600 Sat/Sun Middle East 6000 P250/115, 7400 P250/140 1715-1800 -daily- Middle East 7400 P250/140, 1224, 747 ====================================================================== (*) effective July 1, 2002 DX-MIX program in Russian will be on air: 1445-1500 Saturday on 13800, 9900, 7500, 1224 1745-1800 Saturday on 9900, 7500 2345-2400 Saturday on 12100 0345-0400 Sunday on 11900, 9500, 7500, 1224 Radio Varna with program "Hello Sea"/"Zdravey more" in Bulgarian will be on air 2100-2400 Sun and 0000-0300 Mon on 9800 Varna 100 kW / non- dir. 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 26 via DXLD) ** CAMEROON. Some days in January/February I heard football reports on 5010 kHz. Cameroon team participated in all of them. It was Africa Cup, hosted by Mali. Last broadcast I heard was on 10 February, final game: Cameroon vs. Senegal. Judging from this, I can conclude that broadcasts came from Cameroon, rather than Madagaskar (Vladimir Rozhkov, Kansk, Russia, via Kvadrat, via Signal March 27 via DXLD) Indeed, Africans regularly transmit reports from large football events. Let's check stations from that continent during the World Cup 2002, maybe we will hear come reactivated frequencies then. I recall that in 1996, the fantastic final Nigeria-Brazil was broadcast live by Nigerian transmitter on 4990 kHz, which was silent long before (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** CANADA. Further to the discussion earlier, here's what happened on the afternoon show, the tail end of which I caught coming out of school. It was called (wait for it...) The Afternoon Edition, hosted by Kenny King. The news was read by Patricia Pleszczynska, whose voice I recognized from the weather forecasts this past weekend (Ricky Leong, March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kenny King is Senior Sales Manager (Québec and Ottawa) for English TV, with offices both in Montréal and Ottawa. The idea of playing music he (presumably) liked reminded me of what I've done occasionally on CKUT, when I've been called in on short notice to host the morning show. Pleszczynska, as I mentioned in the last message, is head of English Radio in Québec. One person here told me that he heard Jean Larin reading news on French radio yesterday morning, and that he and another of the RCI bosses were on air on the weekend. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QU, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "UNION SUPPORT STRONG AT CBC" http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=897A75FB-7044-41AC-8A98-03F622B96697 More on the strike here. It will be interesting to see what the Labour Relations Board has to say. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, March 27, DXLD) You might be interested in this special issue on the SCRC strike. Particularly, you should check out the link for the "Blog-Out," the weblog on the strike by one of the striking journalists. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) TSF NUMERIQUE N 1162 [1] CONFLIT DE TRAVAIL À RADIO-CANADA, ET «BLOGUE-OUT», PORTRAITS D'UN CONFLIT DE TRAVAIL Un conflit de travail opposant les 1 200 membres du Syndicat des Communications de Radio-Canada (SCRC - journalistes, recherchistes, assistants de réalisation et de production, animateurs et lecteurs de nouvelles) à leur employeur perturbe sérieusement la programmation de la chaîne d'État, tant à la radio qu'à la télévision. Situation confuse : les syndiqués avaient déclenché une grève de 24 heures, mais se sont vus refuser l'entrée des locaux de la société d'État au terme de leur arrêt de travail; le SCRC a porté plainte devant le Conseil canadien des relations industrielles (CCRI); la direction affirme qu'il ne s'agit pas d'un lock-out, mais bien d'une grève générale illimitée. Assemblée générale du syndicat, ce mardi 26 mars, et audience devant le CCRI. La chroniqueure médias du quotidien La Presse brosse un triste portrait de l'information qui «reste à voir» à la télé : «Il n'y a plus de téléjournaux avec présentateurs et météo et analyses à Radio- Canada depuis vendredi. Mais après avoir annoncé un congé de nouvelles pour le week-end à la Première Chaîne, Radio-Canada s'est ravisée et a diffusé simultanément sur ses deux chaînes un bulletin où des voix généralement inconnues - sauf celle du patron des nouvelles Jean Pelletier - nous racontent l'actualité. Le style n'y est pas, mais la plupart des nouvelles y sont.» Pour ce qui est des informations à la radio... Répercussions sur le Web : le SCRC nous propose une revue de presse quotidienne sur le conflit tel que traité par les médias, et publie également son journal syndical, «Le Petit canard», qui d'éditions spéciales «négo» est passé aux éditions spéciales «grève» puis aux éditions «lock-out». Mais la perspective originale est celle de «Blogue-Out : portraits d'un conflit», un blogue mis en ligne par Jean-Hugues Roy, l'ex- animateur de l'émission sur les nouvelles technologies «Branché» qui a joint les rangs de la salle des nouvelles depuis le retrait de l'émission de la grille horaire. L'avis est de mise : «Ce blogue est une initiative personnelle de Jean-Hugues Roy et ne représente ni l'avis de Radio-Canada, ni l'avis du Syndicat des communications de R.-C.» Et pourquoi un blogue sur le conflit? On sait que la précarité des emplois des contractuels, surnuméraires, temporaires et autres est un des points en litige. Roy explique : «J'ai eu une idée la nuit dernière, celle qui porte conseil. Chaque jour que le lock-out se poursuivra, je ferai le portrait d'un-e collègue qui travaille dans la précarité. Ça mettra un visage sur une abstraction.» Mais le techno-branché et adepte de la photo numérique ne se limite pas aux images et y va également de commentaires bien sentis de l'intérieur, comme celui-ci : «Les cellulaires fournis par RC ne fonctionnent plus depuis vendredi avant-midi. Un moindre mal si on travaille à Montréal. Mais les copains de Sans Frontières qui sont en Israël et dans les Territoires sont soudain incomunicado... En zone de guerre, un cellulaire peut vous sauver la vie.» On aime les blogues de journalistes, on déplore qu'il y en ait si peu en français, mais souhaitons à Blogue-Out une courte vie. On se souvient trop, pour l'avoir vécue, de la grève de huit mois des journalistes, du 30 octobre 1980 au 30 juin 1981. Syndicat des Communications de Radio-Canada http://www.scrc.qc.ca/ Cyberpresse : Radio-Canada en conflit : ce qu'il reste à voir http://www.cyberpresse.ca/reseau/chroniqueurs/lcousineau/lcou_102030080862.html SCRC : Le Petit Canard http://www.scrc.qc.ca/sections.php?submit=sections§ion=5 Blogue-Out : portraits d'un conflit http://radcan.blogspot.com/ Radio-Canada : Sans frontières http://radio-canada.ca/actualite/sansfrontieres/ UNION DES ECOUTEURS FRANCAIS Radiodiffusions, utilitaires, radio-écouteurs, radioamateurs, techniques... Courriel: uef@nerim.fr uef@u-e-f.net Web: http://www.u-e-f.net La radio des radios : http://www.radio-uef.org U.E.F.: B.P.31, 92242 MALAKOFF Cedex, FRANCE. (via Bill Westenhaver, QU, March 27, DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC PLANS TO CHOP THIS MORNING http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020326/452419.html A disappointing story, especially the disappearance of "The House!" 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) March 26, 2002 Also facing axe: The House: 'They told us CBC Radio doesn't create enough buzz' --- by Chris Cobb, Ottawa Citizen The CBC is set to scrap high-profile programs This Morning and The House as part of an overhaul of its national Radio One service. This Morning, a radio institution that reaches 1.43 million listeners daily, began in the early 1970s as Peter Gzowski's This Country in the Morning and is currently hosted by Shelagh Rogers. The House, a weekly Parliamentary digest now in its 25th year, is a favourite with hundreds of thousands of political junkies across the country, 600,000 of whom tune in each week. Both shows are among the highest-rated programs on CBC Radio. Axing The House is sure to cause a stir among federal politicians. Jim Abbott, the British Columbia MP who is Canadian Alliance heritage critic, argued that The House offers an important service to Canadians. "It's an hour-long program that no private broadcaster could afford to do," he said yesterday. "It makes politicians more accountable and exposes to Canadians more of the detail of what's going on in Ottawa. And it has great listenership. So why are they playing with it? "It's exactly the sort of programming the publicly funded broadcaster should be doing." Anthony Germain, who recently replaced veteran broadcaster Jason Moscovitz as host of The House, confirmed the show is coming to an end, but refused to discuss the decision. "I'm just very disappointed that a show with such a loyal audience is being taken off the air," he said. The Radio One makeover, scheduled for September, is the first major overhaul of CBC radio in 30 years. It will affect local and national programming in the weekday-morning prime-time hours from 6 a.m. to noon, and it will mean major changes throughout the day on Saturday. Network management figures the makeover is necessary if the CBC is to better reflect Canada, attract younger listeners and widen its appeal among minority groups. Alex Frame, CBC vice-president of radio, yesterday refused to discuss specific programs until the changes are announced in late April. "This country has gone through significant changes," he said. "If you look at Vancouver, it would be hard to call it a northern European city now -- or Toronto, the same thing. "When you listen to CBC Radio in Vancouver or Toronto, does it sound like the city in which you are living? Ottawa is a very different city than it was 15 years ago. Are we reflecting those changes?" Whatever happens to The House, added Mr. Frame, CBC Radio will not reduce its political coverage. And he denied CBC Radio will deliberately target a younger audience, but said if the make-over is successful, the number of listeners in the 35 to 49 age group is likely to increase. During the past 10 years, the percentage of CBC Radio's audience older than 50 has increased to 69% from 53%. "We don't intend to pander to any demographic," he said. "We don't have to worry about our share of audience. We have a hell of a share." It also appears the popular science show Quirks & Quarks will shift from its current noontime slot to fill the morning hour left by The House -- 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. -- and Saturday afternoon will be all live programming. Other shows, such as The Sunday Edition and the venerable weekday evening As It Happens, are likely to stay in their current spots. Changes to the Saturday schedule have been partly forced upon CBC management because Arthur Black is retiring from his long-running morning show Basic Black, and Nora Young, host of the afternoon pop culture show Definitely Not the Opera, wants to work on other projects. Replacement shows are being developed but so far, CBC management has given no details to staff. One CBC employee, who asked not to be named, said management wants more "buzz" around its radio service. "They told us CBC Radio doesn't create enough buzz," said the employee. "They want a radio service that has people talking around the water cooler." CBC management believes national political coverage on CBC Radio has become too Ottawa-centred and more stories should emanate from elsewhere in the country. In a little-noticed shift last week, Tony Burman, the CBC-TV news chief, was appointed editor-in-chief for news and current affairs of both TV and radio. This is the first time one person has held both jobs and is a signal that some joining of radio and TV news resources is imminent. Senior CBC executives have taken the unusual step of producing briefing notes for middle managers so they could be consistent in answering employee questions about Mr. Burman's new job. "The announcement is likely to cause a stir internally, particularly among the radio news and current affairs staff," the briefing document says. The document gives managers a series of questions that staff might possibly ask, along with the answers to each question. (National Post March 26 via Bill Westenhaver, Ivan Grishin, DXLD) ** CANADA. Here's a piece about the funeral for Johnny Lombardi in Toronto. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1017097420579&call_page=TS_GTA&call_pageid=968350130169&call_pagepath=GTA/News 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QB, DXLD) Lombardi 'made people happy' http://www.nationalpost.com/news/national/toronto/story.html?f=/stories/20020326/452654.html Here more on Johnny Lombardi's funeral [CHIN-1540]. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QC; Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** CANADA. Received the following press release in my e-mail box from Star Ray TV --- the pirate/community (depending on your point of view) TV station that's been broadcasting in the east end of Toronto on UHF Channel 15 for the last number of years. 73 de Bob VE3SRE Star Ray TV, 186 Main Street, Toronto, ON M4E 1W2 Tel: (416) 693-7400 Email: srtv@s... [truncated] Website: http://www.srtv.on.ca March 26, 2002 Press Release For immediate release, Toronto: STAR RAY TV GOES TO PARLIAMENT Jan Pachul, has been fighting the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for years over a licence to operate a low power community television station in the east end of Toronto. Earlier this month, Pachul, general manager and owner of Star Ray TV was invited to appear before Parliament's Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. The Committee is studying the state of the Canadian broadcasting system, as a pioneer of community television Pachul was pleased to have the opportunity to speak publicly about his frustrations with the CRTC - to the people who can recommend the changes needed to grant his community, and others like it, the right to broadcast the kind of local programming that is not available from any other source. Pachul called for the disbanding of CRTC, referring to it as a "corrupt, wasteful, useless bureaucratic" organization. He makes the argument that a broadcasting system where five corporations own a majority of broadcasting properties nationwide is the result of the CRTC's biased policies in favour of a handful of industry élites. The CRTC denied Pachul's licence application for a new, innovative, community television station when five major broadcast organizations objected, even though the public was in total support of the station. Pachul maintains that the majority of commissioners fabricated reasons to turn down his application. "Yes, they came up with reasons right out of thin air that had absolutely no validity, " he says. Pachul believes that freedom of speech should include equal access to broadcasting frequencies for everyone, not just for a few wealthy corporate insiders. Pachul takes issue with the majority of CRTC commissioners being lawyers or consultants and questions their qualifications to judge what stations and programming Canadians can watch. He says, "A couch potato that watches 40 hours of TV a week would be more qualified and preferable as a CRTC commissioner than a lawyer." He proposes a broadcasting system that is competitive and responsive to new players in broadcasting. "Why is the CRTC dictating programming formats and protecting existing formats from any competition?" he asks. "The tasks needed to regulate broadcasting such as spectrum management and competition law are already done by Industry Canada. So what is the CRTC accomplishing?" It would appear that their agenda is to maintain the same kind of bureaucratic control that has made sure that only a select few players will continue to rule the airwaves, which do after all belong to all of us. The Heritage Committee meeting will be broadcast on CPAC this Thursday, March 28th at 8:00 a.m. Please tune in to watch these vital developments. Jan Pachul's complete speech can be found at http://www.srtv.on.ca/speech.html For more information, please contact Jan Pachul directly at 416.693.7400, srtv@s... [truncated], or visit the Star Ray WWW site at http://www.srtv.on.ca (via Bob Chandler, ODXA via DXLD) ** CHINA. 6115 \\ MW 666, Voice of Strait, Friday and Sunday in English 0900-1000 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, BC-DX Mar 22 via DXLD) ?? What kind of program in English? (gh, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. Okapi? Seems to have some problems already: not on air last night nor this morning (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DXplorer Mar 21 via BC-DX via DXLD) Any reports from Okapi 9550 since Sunday? Here in Salzburg I can only listen to Cuba and the CRI transmitter in Kunming after 2200 UT, but nothing from our African giraffe. The frequency is free here in CEu after 2000 UT (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, OE2CRM, DXplorer Mar 20 via BC-DX via DXLD) 9550 R Okapi, at 0241 opera, English ID "Radio Okapi broadcasting from Kinshasa. Time now for..." sound effects, more English, address given for Hirondelle Foundation, says broadcasts on SW on 9550 and mentions "2 hours UTC", 0257 instrumental IS. This seems to be on a weekend schedule. Poor, QRM/Cuba in Spanish (Peter Monterey [sic], CA, DXplorer Mar 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. I now do 99%+ of my international listening on the NET or local FM, but stories like this are reasons International Broadcasters should think multiple times about dropping shortwave (Larry Nebron, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ============================================================ From Wired News, available online at: http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,51270,00.html CUBA BANS PC SALES TO PUBLIC By Julia Scheeres, 2:00 a.m. March 25, 2002 PST The Cuban government has quietly banned the sale of computers and computer accessories to the public, except in cases where the items are "indispensable" and the purchase is authorized by the Ministry of Internal Commerce. News of the ban was first reported by CubaNet, an anti-Castro site based in Miami. According to the organization's correspondent in Havana, the merchandise -- which had been sold freely in the capital since mid-2001-- was yanked off store shelves in January. See also: - [links presumably in WIRED original] Cuba Not So Libre With the Net - Faint Voices Rise From Cuba - Fidel Won't Like This Website - Cuba Hears Call for Wireless - Everybody's got issues in Politics The computer departments of the retail stores were divided into two zones: a well-stocked area for government buyers, and a smaller area where the public could buy diskettes, CDs and other such items. A store employee told the correspondent she was forbidden from discussing the move, which was also referred to briefly in a newsletter published by the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. Early attempts to confirm the information independently were unsuccessful. Dozens of messages to Cuban retailers and government officials in Cuba went unanswered. Cuba's spokesman in Wáshington, Luís Fernández, was consistently evasive. "If we didn't have an embargo, there could be computers for everybody," Fernández replied when asked this question: Are computer sales to the public banned in Cuba? Several weeks later, a government employee in Cuba sent Wired News, through a Web-based e-mail account, a copy of a resolution mandating the ban. In an interview using an instant-messaging service, the source -- who asked to remain anonymous -- criticized the decree and said it had generated a great deal of controversy within government circles after it was unilaterally mandated by the Minister of Internal Commerce, Bárbara Castillo. According to Article 19, Chapter II, Section 3 of the ministry's Resolution No. 383/2001: "The sale of computers, offset printer equipment, mimeographs, photocopiers, and any other mass printing medium, as well as their parts, pieces and accessories, is prohibited to associations, foundations, civic and nonprofit societies, and natural born citizens. In cases where the acquisition of this equipment or parts, pieces and accessories is indispensable, the authorization of the Ministry of Internal Commerce must be solicited." The source's decision to send the information was especially daring in light of a gag law that mandates a 3- to 10-year prison term for anyone who collaborates with "enemy news media." Because government officials refused to comment on the ban, the reason for the move is a matter of speculation. The rise of independent journalists in Cuba, who published articles on the Internet criticizing the Castro regime, may have something to do with it. The correspondents, who risk jail time for their "subversive" reports, send their stories by fax, e-mail or phone dictation to supporters in Miami. "We believe our website had something to do with it," said Manrique Iriarte Sr., who helps run the website for the Cuban Institute of Independent Economists, which launched a few weeks before the ban was passed in late December. The economists' site offers a sharp contrast to the rosy Marxist dream proffered by Castro, including news of opposition arrests and detailed reports on the decrepit state of the island economy. The site is blocked in Cuba. Iriarte said he visited several Havana stores in January where employees told him computer equipment was only available for "accredited state entities." The move didn't surprise Cuba-watchers in the United States. "This just reflects a further restriction on communications with the outside world," said Eugene Pons, of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies at the University of Miami. The government already requires Cubans who can afford Internet accounts -- which cost $260 a month, while the average Cuban salary is $240 a year -- to register with National Center for Automated Data Exchange (CENAI), Pons said. For those who do manage to log on, the Internet experience is limited: The government-controlled ISPs block links to certain foreign media, anti-Castro sites and pornography. The government has also admitted to monitoring e-mail. To circumvent such spying, residents use Web-based e-mail accounts and chat services to make their communication harder to trace. Indeed, the Cuban source used a Web-based account to reply to a message sent to the person's government account. "If I disappear from cyberspace one day, it's because they found out I was talking to you," the source said. Related Wired Links: Cuba Zine: Viva La Revolución July 26, 2001 Our RAM in Havana June 7, 2001 Silicon Island: A Cuban Fantasy? June 6, 2001 Cuba Picks Euro Cell Standard May 2, 2001 Feds Say Fidel Is Hacker Threat Feb. 9, 2001 Copyright (C) 1994-2002 Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved. (via Larry Nebron, DXLD) ** CUBA. Re Castro`s Rebellious Daughter... This ran in local paper with photo, and the mic logo said WQBA 1140. Isn't this the daughter who began life in the back seat of Fidel's car? (if you consider began life to be 9 months before birth) (Bob Foxworth, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) Sure, she`s admittedly his, er, love child (gh, DXLD) ** EGYPT. Cairo remains terrible in English to North America at 2300 on 9900, with R. Nederland Spanish QRM from 9895. Hit or miss for #2 tx at 0200 on 9475. Usually 9480 Moscow QRM to LAm in Spanish (Bob Thomas, CT, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FALKLAND ISLANDS. Saw the item in DXLD 2-048 about the British Ham who received transmissions about the invasion. I dug up an old magazine format publication I had titled "The Falklands Story" by John Beattie of the Daily Star, copyright 1982, Express newspapers Ltd. "And for two weeks after the invasion, the islanders' only link with Britain was through the efforts of a brave radio ham, known then only as "Bob", who managed to transmit valuable information and intelligence about the invaders. Later he was identified as 28-year- old Bob MacLeod - one of the 112 islanders held under armed guard for 38 days in Goose Green recreation hall before being freed by British forces." So some of the story was known in 1982 (Larry Russell, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. SWL Winterfest on Radio Finland There will likely be a report from SWL Winterfest on Radio Finland's "Capital Weekend" show this coming weekend (Sat. and Sunday March 30- 31st). Capital Weekend airs on Saturdays at 1 pm Finnish time (1100 UT) on Capital FM (97.5 in Helsinki), as well as on 13755 and 17820 kHz SW. The broadcast can be heard again on Sundays at 7.30 am (530 am UT) on Capital FM, some FM stations elsewhere in Finland, as well as on Radio Finland's satellites. The broadcast is also rerun on Sundays at 11 pm (2100 UT) on Capital FM, as well as on 9720 and 11985 kHz SW. 73 (Mika Makelainen, http://www.makelainen.com/dx hard-core-dx via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) But, but, the different A-02 schedule begins in the middle of this; see previous info here (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. A printed Summer Schedule from Transmission Management, DW, headed Alaska/Canada makes some interesting selections in times, sites and frequencies, supposedly for this region, including English via Kigali: 0900-0945 21560, 1100-1145 21665, 1900-1945 11805, 2100-2145 9875, 15135 (via Richard Lemke, St. Albert, Alberta, CANADA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY/USA [non]. Voice of Hope via Biblis Actually this Voice of Hope / High Adventure Ministries transmission via Biblis is already in progress; on the Feb 22 visit Wolfgang learned that Biblis just started to air something for Deutsche Telekom (something = HAM programming) 1700-1900 on 9815 and that the IBB headquarters is in negotiations with DTAG about a future cooperation. I must add that the 80 degree azimuth is part of the original arrangement for Jülich itself, the respective line in the original Excel file reads as follows: 9495 1700 1900 29,30 110 80 217 1234567 310302 271002 VOH 100 KW aus Biblis This means that if Jülich would handle this slot then they would use antenna #110 with a beam heading of 80 degrees. The current Biblis operation has slightly different azimuths with a break/switch at 1800: 9815 1700-1800 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 02 088 9815 1800-1900 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 07 063 Indeed the Jülich transmitters are quite busy during these hours, so some transmissions were already "outsourced" to Wertachtal and Nauen, and now also the IBB started to do some work for DTAG with its otherwise underused facilities in Germany. But hey, why not let DTAG broker idle capacity (if there is any) on IBB facilities outside Germany, too? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. CRU Corrected on Deutsche Telekom. Re: ``Actually, - Deutsche Welle does not own transmitters itself`` [in Germany!, but Deutsche Welle is shareholder together with Merlin on Antigua; at Sines, Portugal, Kigali, Rwanda, and Trincomalee, Sri Lanka --- wb] The German external service has always relied on transmission facilities of the Deutsche Bundespost or, today, Deutsche Telekom. - There are several transmitter sites in Germany used for international short wave broadcasting. Since the unification of Germany Deutsche Welle transmissions have also been broadcast from facilities on East German soil. Today they use 500 kW-transmitters in Southern and Eastern Germany. - Because of this, the 100-kW-transmitters at the Juelich site have become redundant and Deutsche Telekom in the mid-90s started selling airtime to keep the station alive. According to Telekom staff actually in the business of selling the airtime say, selling the time just helps saving the jobs at the station. - The Juelich station has about ten 100-kW-transmitters. The number of 28 may relate to antennas. Finally, - Sentech which operates the short wave transmitter site at Meyerton, South Africa, is also selling airtime. So, I would suppose, that they are also in the race (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, World Conference on Religion and Peace, Mar 4, via BC-DX via DXLD) ** HAWAII. Re: ``Snowstorm knocks AM station off-air in Hawaii! Wow! What a headline. And, it's true. KNUI Kahului 900 has its transmitter atop Mt. Haleakala and a freak wind and snowstorm on January 19 blew the station off-air. It's since returned, using about 1.66 kW instead of the normal 5 kW but should power up again real soon. (Melvin Ah Ching`s Hawaiian Radio and TV Guide via March NZ DX Times via DXLD)`` Glenn - I don't think KNUI is on Mt. Haleakala. Mt. Haleakala is 10,000 feet above sea level. I visited Maui last fall and stayed about a mile from what I believe is KNUI's transmitter site (with KAOI-1110 diplexing off it). I have taken helicopter tours of Mt. Haleakala twice and there's nothing resembling an AM tower up there. 73, (Dennis Gibson, CA, March 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Of course, that makes sense and the story doesn`t. How about an FM transmitter up there? BTW... (gh, DXLD) 900 HAWAII KNUI Kahului, Mar 23 1405 - Excellent signal of SE Asian folk-pop tunes, and male announcer in Tagalog or minority lang. S- 9+20db level on Western Beverage (Guy ATKINS, Grayland Dxpedition, WA, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. Glenn: In DXLD 2046 I caught a news item in Spanish about re-inauguration of Spanish, Italian and French broadcasts from R. Budapest (starting from March 31 '02). There was only Spanish schedule given. Here's the schedule for French and Italian that was announced in today's English broadcast. The new broadcasts were described as "news bulletins." French 0430-0445 6025, 7165 2015-2030 6025, 7235 Italian 2030-2045 6025, 11755 2130-2145 6025, 11885 According to Alexandr Yegorov's news item in Russian DX_Bistro, R. Budapest is planning to cut its daily Ukrainian broadcasts from 30 to 15 min. in order to fund new language services. It is possible that other broadcasts will be shortened as well. Surprisingly, the official site of R. Budapest promotes the "new" summer schedule valid from March 25, 2001 (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, March 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More on R. Budapest: The Hungarian international broadcaster will be restructured and become part of the first national program (Kossuth Radio). The Hungarian language service will mainly take over rebroadcasts from the national channel. While broadcasts in German, English and Russian remain unchanged, the foreign language services will be reduced from 30 to 15 minutes. On the other hand Radio Budapest will start broadcasts in French, Spanish and Italian. These 15 minutes programs consist of news and music. Csaba Banky (Radio Budapest, German service via Vasily Gulyaev in DX-Bistro via Sergei Sosedkin, March 27, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 909, RRI Sorong, Mar 24 1315 - Nostalgia music selections ('Greensleeves' etc.); male and female announcers in Indonesian; signal in and out of noise. Lagu romantik music 1339; mentions of 'dari Jakarta' 1344. More lagu romantik 1350; phone interview 1355; music over TOH to announcer talk 1403. Woman announcer with mention of Jakarta and Sorong 1405. This catch was the highlight of the DXpedition for most participants; Indonesia is a very rare logging on MW from the Pacific NW (Guy ATKINS, Grayland Dxpedition, WA, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. USA: VOLKSWAGEN SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH XM AND SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO | Excerpt from press release from XM Satellite Radio on 25 March Washington DC, 25 March: Volkswagen of America, Inc., which also encompasses Audi of America, today announced it has signed distribution agreements with Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, to offer Volkswagen and Audi customers in the United States a choice of satellite radio services in the coming years. XM and Sirius are each broadcasting a satellite radio service, offering 100 channels of digital audio entertainment coast to coast for a low monthly fee. Specific vehicle installation plans and timing will be announced separately by Volkswagen and Audi in the future. "We are thrilled to add Volkswagen and Audi to the list of automakers that have embraced satellite radio," said Joseph P. Clayton, President and CEO of Sirius and Hugh Panero, President and CEO of XM, in a joint statement. [puff alert] XM is transforming radio, an industry that has seen little technological change since FM, almost 40 years ago. XM's programming lineup features 100 coast-to-coast digital channels: 71 music channels, more than 30 of them commercial-free, from hip hop to opera, classical to country, bluegrass to blues; and 29 channels of sports, talk, children's and entertainment. XM also brings to the car, for the first time on radio, the same diverse selection of 24-hour news sources available in the home on cable and DirecTV. General Motors in November rolled out factory-installed Delphi-Delco XM radios in Cadillac DeVille and Seville models, and will expand to a total of 23 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Olds and Pontiac models this year. Isuzu dealers will begin to offer XM radios to customers in April. XM radios are available at major electronics retailers nationwide including Best Buy, Circuit City, Tweeter, Ultimate Electronics, participating RadioShack Dealers and Franchisees, Crutchfield, Good Guys, CarToys, Audio Express and Sound Advice; and at independent retailers. Leading manufacturers such as Sony, Alpine and Pioneer offer a broad array of XM radios that easily enable any existing car stereo system. XM's strategic investors include America's leading car, radio and satellite TV companies - General Motors, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Clear Channel Communications and DirecTV. For more information, please visit XM's web site: http://www.xmradio.com Media Contacts: Tony Fouladpour Volkswagen of America, Inc. 248-754- 5064 tony.fouladpour@vw.com Mindy Kramer Sirius Satellite Radio 212- 584-5138 mkramer@siriusradio.com Charles Robbins XM Satellite Radio 202-380-4316 charles.robbins@xmradio.com Jennifer Cortez Audi of America, Inc. 248- 754-4729 jennifer.cortez@audi.com Source: XM Satellite Radio press release, Washington, in English 25 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAN. While many international broadcasters are depending more on rebroadcasting to reach their audiences, Iran is increasing its use of brute force radio transmitters to send signals across national boundaries. The Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran reports that IRIB - Iran's Voice and Vision broadcasting organization, in cooperation with an Iranian university, has built a one-megawatt radio broadcast transmitter. The report does not say what frequency this will use, or even if it's medium wave or SW. It does say that this is only the world's sixth one million watt radio broadcast transmitter (Baber Shehzad, NL of Pakistani Dxers, via WWDXC BC-DX Mar 19 via DXLD) ** IRAQ/KURDISTAN [non]. Voice of Iraqi People can be received after 1800 on 3900 in Arabic. ID: Huna sawt ash shaab al Iraqi. This station is different from mentioned in Kvadrat one known as Republic of Iraq Radio, Voice of Iraqi People and using 1053, 4785 and 9563. Another station signing off after 1700 is Radio Station Freedom, Voice of the Communist Party of Iraqi Kurdistan. ID in Kurdish is: Era Ezgay Azadiya, Dengi hizbi Shuyul Kurdistani Iraqa. Voice of the Iraqi Communist Workers Party, 01.55 on 4000 in Arabic. ID: Sawt al hizb al Shuyul al Ummali al Iraqi. (Vladimir Rozhkov, Kansk, Russia, via Kvadrat) Kvadrat editor's comment: according to ClandestineRadio.com, Voice of the Iraqi Communist Workers Party have been inactive since August 1999 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal March 27 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. On today's Jerusalem Post front page (print edition) it does confirm that Israel changes the clock forward one hour at 1 AM this Friday morning (Thurs night/Fri morning). (Doni Rosenzweig, Israel, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Glenn, Moshe [Oren, Bezeq] phoned me last night and advised me that KI will continue with their broadcasts until ONE JULY. At that time they will have to find additional finances to continue with their broadcasts. He gave me a schedule to monitor for the WCNA which included English, Hebrew and Persian. Hang in there (George Poppin, San Francisco, March 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel update: at least 3 more months. Today's Jerusalem Post mentions that the shortwave broadcasts will continue for at least the next three months. http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/03/26/News/News.45871.html SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS STAY - FOR NOW --- By Gil Hoffman JERUSALEM (March 26) - After receiving countless letters from angry Diaspora Jews, the Israel Broadcasting Authority decided yesterday not to eliminate its shortwave broadcasts. The broadcasts are heard in 11 languages by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. The IBA decided to maintain the broadcasts for at least the next three months, while it seeks funding from the Jewish Agency, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, and organizations dealing with the Diaspora. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Tzipi Livni, the minister in charge of public relations in the Prime Minister's Office, pushed to save the broadcasts at Sunday's cabinet meeting. Livni expressed outrage that at a time when the country needs to deepen its connection with the Diaspora and improve its public relations, such an important tool is being eliminated to save a little money. Minister-without-Portfolio Ra'anan Cohen, in charge of enforcing the IBA's mandate to broadcast internationally, said he was compelled to reverse the decision by the tremendous outcry from readers of The Jerusalem Post throughout the world. "These broadcasts represent the only living connection between the State of Israel and the Jewish Diaspora," Cohen said. "The Diaspora is one of the most important targets of the IBA, and reaching such an audience justifies its very existence." The IBA board had decided to replace the shortwave broadcasts with transmission via the Internet and satellite, starting April 1. A large percentage of those protesting the decision were listeners in countries without widespread access to advanced technologies, like Romania, Georgia, and Russia. The IBA broadcasts daily in English, Russian, French, Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian, Bukharian, and Mugrabi (via Daniel Rosenzweig, Israel, March 26, and via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Two pieces from the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz concerning a flap over programme content on Reshet Bet, particularly cancellation of some talk programming. ** ISRAEL. OPPOSITION MOUNTS TO PLANNED CHANGES AT RESHET BET Cancellation of current events discussions marks the `death of democracy,' charge critics. By Uri Ayalon Israel Radio's Reshet Bet broadcasts were stopped again yesterday during the scheduled time slot of "Behetzi Hayom" (from noon to 2 P.M.) in protest over the firing of the program's regular editor, Nili Amir. This time, the 1 P.M. news was also not broadcast. It was the first time workers had refused to broadcast a news program since the large-scale strike action at the Israel Broadcasting Authority in 1987. During the two-hour work stoppage yesterday, workers met to discuss the dismissal of Amir, the reduction in overtime pay, and the intentions of Amnon Nadav, the director of the radio, to change the broadcast format on Reshet Bet, canceling all of the "personal" current event programs, such as "Inyan Aher" and "Hakol Diburim," which make up the main part of Reshet Bet's programming schedule and are presented by a regular host. This last decision, approved on Sunday by the radio council of the IBA plenum, has aroused considerable opposition both within and outside the IBA. Nahman Shai, the IBA chairman, asked the authority's acting director-general, Yosef Barel, not to take any steps to implement the decision before it is discussed by the IBA plenum. Those opposed to canceling the "personal" programs are arguing that the Prime Minister's Bureau is behind these plans in an attempt to quash critical discussion of the events of the day and replace them with news broadcasts that leave no room for a range of opinions.... http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=145526&contrassID=2&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y&itemNo=145526 And an editorial: http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=145529&contrassID=2&subContrassID=3&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y&itemNo=145529 (via Bill Westenhaver, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. HJC REJECTS LEGALIZATION OF ARUTZ 7 RADIO STATION Glenn, Another view of the story from: http://new.globes.co.il Shmuel Dekalo, 26.03.2002 17:13 The High Court of Justice (HJC) today rejected the Telecommunications Law amendment making the Arutz 7 radio station legal. The HJC ruled that the amendment violated freedom of occupation and was therefore null and void. The ruling was written by Judge Theodor Or, with the concurrence of judges Aharon Barak, Shlomo Levin, Mishael Cheshin, Tova Strasberg-Cohen, Dalia Dorner, Dorit Beinish, Itzhak Englard and Eliezer Rivlin. The HJC was petitioned by MK Haim Oron (Meretz), MK Eitan Cable (Labor), MK Avraham Poraz (Shinui) and regional radio stations. In February 1997, the Knesset approved an amendment to the Telecommunications Law that legalized Arutz 7. The relevant clause said that whoever set up or operated a public radio station in Israel for five consecutive years before January 1999 and continued operating it after the said date would be considered as having been granted a license under the Telecommunications Law. Or ruled that the amendment effectively granted a license for operating a radio station without a tender. All the petitions filed with the court challenged the legality of such a consequence. At the beginning of his analysis of the implications of the amendment, Or said it violated the freedom of occupation and did not come within the exemptions allowed for by the basic law. Needless to say, Or says, that granting a license and a concession to radio stations operating without a license is improper. It offers a prize to offenders, thereby gravely undermining the rule of law, in addition to undermining the freedom of occupation of potential competitors, without advancing any social objective. Published by Israel's Business Arena on 26 March, 2002 (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) HIGH COURT NULLIFIES PIRATE RADIO LAW PASSED BY KNESSET By Dan Izenberg The High Court of Justice today nullified a law passed by the Knesset retroactively legitimizing pirate radio stations that had been operating for five consecutive years. Click here to read more: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/03/26/LatestNews/LatestNews.45891.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) Here`s a fuller story about this: HIGH COURT OVERTURNS KNESSET LAW LEGITIMIZING ARUTZ 7, PIRATE STATIONS By Dan Izenberg JERUSALEM (March 27) - The High Court of Justice yesterday nullified a law retroactively legitimizing pirate radio stations, including Arutz 7, that had been operating for five consecutive years. Click here to read more: http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/03/27/News/News.45960.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) Ha'aretz story re the court decision against the legalization of pirate radio stations: COURT RULES ARUTZ 7 BROADCASTING IS ILLEGAL By Moshe Reinfeld A nine-justice panel of the High Court of Justice yesterday ruled unanimously that the amendment to the Bezeq Law that enabled Arutz 7, the right-wing pirate radio station, to broadcast, is illegal since it violates the Basic Law on Freedom of Occupation. The decision prompted cries of outrage by right-wing MKs, and the National Religious Party called for a special Knesset session during Pesach recess to pass a law to circumvent yesterday's decision.... http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=146010&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0 73- (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** JAPAN. --- Notice from NHK WORLD --- NHK World Radio Japan's frequencies will be were changed at April 1st, 2002. [sic] http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ [go there only if you want an exercise in tedium and frustration] Welcome to NHK WORLD e-GUIDE Greetings everyone. We are proud to bring to all of our subscribers the first issue of NHK WORLD e-GUIDE, a new program information service provided by NHK WORLD.This inaugural issue focuses on the new programs starting in April. The next issue will be out on March 29. Every Friday from then on, this magazine will tell you all you need to know about the following week's programs. NHK World Radio Japan - In English - ((((((((((((((( Japan Music Treasure Box ))))))))))))))) Wednesday, 12:25 - 12:59 p.m. (JST), etc. [UT +9] This program introduces the alluring world of Japanese sounds. It features popular Japanese children's and other songs, with commentaries on history, customs and traditions. The beautiful moving words and melodies reveal scenery, livelihoods and traditions that shift with the each passing season. ((((((((((((((( Pop Joins the World ))))))))))))))) Saturday, 15:10 - 15:59 (JST), etc. Pop music is very popular in many parts of the world and in many communities of various ethnic groups. It conveys messages on such themes as love, hope, dreams, life, society and peace around the world. Pop Joins the World focuses on popular songs from the global music scenes, with brief profiles of the singers and history, culture and folk tradition, of the regions of origin. This program aims to spread through music people's earnest hope for world peace in the 21st century. ===We welcome your comments on programs and programming== * NHK WORLD TV worldtv@intl.nhk.or.jp * NHK World Radio Japan info@intl.nhk.or.jp ================================================== * The program information and broadcast times presented in NHK WORLD e-GUIDE may be changed without notice. * For inquiries about subscription (free) and delivery of NHK WORLD e-GUIDE: pr02@intl.nhk.or.jp (via Wolfgang Büschel, Jon Standingbear, DXLD) ** JAPAN. Radio Tampa to reduce broadcast times. The Japanese commercial SW broadcaster has announced plans to substantially reduce its Second Network broadcast times. From Apr 1, this network will be on the air ONLY on Saturdays and Sundays local days in Japan - the weekday services will be abolished. New (UT) schedule will be 2300- 0900 3945 and 6115, 2300-0800 9760 (Koji Yamada, Japan, BC-DX Mar 23 via DXLD) ** KENYA. 23-Mar-02 at 1122 UT, 4935 Kenya BC Corp, 14231, Unbelievable catch, tentative, English service, YL and OM with international sports news, poor signal but enough to catch snippets; Nairobi, Kenya, 10/100kW (Bruce Jensen, San Lorenzo CA, Icom R75, Alpha Delta DX-Ultra and 65' random wire phased through MFJ-1026, ShortWaveRadio yahoogroup via DXLD) I agree, it`s unbelievable (gh) ** LIBERIA. 6100, "Voice of Liberia" (so announced), 0630 Mar 19 with. 6100? I listen yesterday around 2230 UT on 5100 to the same Voice of Liberia with international pop music, s-off at 2300 UT (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, DXplorer Mar 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) It's the same station as on 5100. I'm not sure exactly what time they come on 6100; the frequency is blocked by DW until (I think) 0600. Seldom reported, it seems, but the signal is generally decent enough. Frequency is listed in PWBR and shown on their website http://www.afric-network.fr/afric/liberia/liberia.html (which does not, however, show 5100). (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Mar 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA/UKRAINE/RUSSIA. On March 20, the Lithuanian R and TV Commission awarded a new private company - R Baltic Waves International - with a 5-year broadcasting licence for the following AM channels: 630 kHz 200 kW ERP = 24.4 dBkW (~250 kW) ND Viesintos (to be moved to Vilnius region) - for daytime operations. 1386 kHz 1000 kW ERP = 32.1 dBkW (~1600 kW) ND Sitkunai (or new site in Kaunas region) - for nighttime operations. The transmitter operator is the Lithuanian R and TV Transmitting Center. RBWI plans tests on 1386 kHz with 150 kW. The Lithuanian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has contacted the respective Russian authority to take away the harmful interference on 1386 kHz, which is emitted from the Bolshakovo radio center, Kaliningradskaya oblast (1200 kW, 275 deg). (Radio Baltic Waves International press release, 22.3.2002 via Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX via DXLD) Comment by BT: 1386 kHz was assigned to a 1000 kW (with a maximum ERP of 31.2 dbW, ie. 1600kW) transmitter in Kaunas (USSR) in the Geneva MW/LW Plan 1975. When the USSR was dissolved, the ITU re-registered all transmitters to the successor states, according to the geographical coordinates given in the Geneva Plan. Thus, 1386 kHz was registered as "Kaunas, Lithuania", it is now a "Lithuanian frequency". Soviet or later Russian authorities never registered the site "Bolshakovo" or "Kaliningrad", which means that the operation of Bolshakovo or any transmitter in the Kaliningrad oblast on 1386 kHz is seen by the ITU as a violation of international telecommunications agreements. This concerns quite a number of frequencies in the successor states of the former USSR. For example, 1467 kHz which is used by a 150 kW transmitter at the radio centre in Maiac, Moldova (Pridnestrovye) was originally registered for a 300 kW in Kyiv in the Geneva Plan. It was never registered for a Moldovan site by Soviet or Moldovan authorities. Hence, the ITU registered it as a "Ukrainian frequency" after the end of the USSR. As late as in 1999, Ukrainian authorities have re-confirmed this registration for a transmitter in Kyiv at the ITU (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Mar 22 via DXLD) Was soll man denn davon halten, dass den Litauern das jetzt, nach ueber zehn Jahren, auf einmal einfaellt? Gibt es wirklich konkrete Plaene (Stichwort Finanzierung) zum Bau eines Grosssenders oder ist das ein reines Politikum? Zur Legitimitaet der Sendungen aus Bolschakowo: Was ist mit 1215 kHz? Soweit ich das ersehen kann ist die Frequenz im Genfer Wellenplan nicht koordiniert, jedenfalls nicht fuer Leistungen, die auch nur in der Naehe der aktuell gefahrenen 1200 kW liegen (von den frueher eingesetzten 2000 kW ganz abgesehen). Auch deshalb kann ich mir eine freiwillige Raeumung von 1386 kHz nicht recht vorstellen, da man sicher selbst die Kohle von devisenzahlenden Nutzern der Frequenz einfahren moechte, auf die man bei RBW ja abzielen duerfte (Kai Ludwig, Deutschland, BC-DX Mar 25 via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 5010, Radio Madagascar 1848-1901* March 26, English and then French pop song, announcements by man in presumed Malagasy, anthem, interval signal as on Dave Kernick`s site and off. Fair on clear channel (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) March 26, Madagascar 5010 closed down at 1902. Seems they are back on normal schedule. But no positive id even this time. Sign-off march/anthem and interval signal were the same I reported March 17. No trace of the parallel 90 mb outlet. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non?] I listened 1725-1800z to 5010.0 on March 26 and at 1800z the signal became unreadable through possible atmospherics. Although the music was coming through OK, talk was somewhat muffled between. Grey line was over Cameroon at that time and I thought I heard Douala mentioned. Really not sure, will monitor some more. 73 (Piet Pijpers, The Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Piet. I based my logging this as Madagascar to what I heard March 17. The parallel 3287.5 on 17th gave me some trust this being what I logged. And March 26 the closing ceremonies were almost identical. But, I did listen to this only some 15 minutes, so I can't say what was on this frequency at the time you were listening :-). Let's keep on monitoring. Thanks for the message 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CAMEROON ** MONTENEGRO. INFORMATION SECRETARY FAVOURS RETAINING RADIO YUGOSLAVIA | Text of report in English by Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug Belgrade, 25 March: Radio Yugoslavia is the only shortwave media of great importance for the world public and the diaspora and it should be preserved in the redefined state union of Serbia and Montenegro, said Monday [25 March] Montenegrin Information Secretary Bozidar Jaredic. In a statement for Radio Yugoslavia, Jaredic pointed out that the programmes of that electronic media, in 12 languages, reach every part of the globe, which is important for the affirmation of the positions of Montenegro and the establishment of new relations with Serbia, as well as for the affirmation of the reformist policy of Montenegro and of its potentials. Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 1629 gmt 25 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. I've got the A-02 schedule online at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/scheduleao2.html I will be off tomorrow, but if you (or any of your correspondents) notices anything amiss, please let me know and I'll try to fix it on Friday (Andy Sennitt, 1749 UT March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. RADIO NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FEARS CUTS | Text of report by Radio New Zealand International on 25 March The chairman of the board of New Zealand's public broadcaster says it may have to reduce the services of Radio New Zealand International further. The output by RNZI was halved four years ago because the then government, led by Jenny Shipley, cut funding while considering outright closure, and this year the government refused to cover the extra costs incurred to pay sharply higher electricity bills. The head of the RNZ board, Brian Corban, told a parliamentary select committee in Wellington that although the shortwave service is important, at the moment his efforts to reverse the cuts have not been successful. [Corban] At the moment we are down to absolutely skeletal broadcasting. We're having to look at contemplating cutting further. Source: Radio New Zealand International, Wellington, in English 2100 gmt 25 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Geez, what more can they cut? Very little of its own production left, and one transmitter less than 24 hours a day (gh, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 27/03/02 Frequency Schedule from 31 March - 05 May 2002 UTC kHz TARGET 1650-1750 6095 NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands 1751-1850 11725 NE Pacific, Fiji, Samoa, Cook Islands 1851-2050 15160 All Pacific [also heard in Europe] 2051-0458 17675 All Pacific [also heard West Coast USA] 0459-0658 15340 All Pacific [also heard in Europe] 0659-1105 11675 All Pacific 1106-1305 11675 NW Pacific, Bougainville, East Timor, Asia 1306-1649 6095 Usual Closedown is 1305 UT - this frequency is for occasional over-night broadcasts to the Pacific for Sports commentaries or Cyclone Warnings Adrian Sainsbury, Technical Manager, Radio New Zealand International P O Box 123, Wellington, Tel: +64 4 474 1430, Fax: +64 4 474 1433 Mobile: +64 (0) 25 504 578 Web: http://www.rnzi.com (27 Mar 2002) (via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. From RNZI web-site Updated: 18 March, 2002 From Saturday March 23rd Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) launches a new line-up of weekend programmes especially for New Zealand's Defence Forces serving overseas. The programmes are funded by the Armed Forces Canteen Council and the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The programmes will be produced and presented by Radio New Zealand broadcaster Katrina Batten. They'll include news and features from home, sports, entertainment and news from the NZDF. The two hour programmes will be broadcast to the Asia/Pacific region on Saturday and Sunday at 1105 UT (23.00 NZST). An hour will be repeated on Saturday at 1905 UT for listeners in Europe and for the Pacific at 0705 NZST Sunday . Forces Radio will be available as down- loadable audio file on the RNZI web site at http://www.rnzi.com The new programmes will compliment existing weekday re-broadcasts of Radio New Zealand's National Radio network which are aimed at service personnel serving in the Asia/Pacific area. Katrina Batten has worked in a number of roles in the radio industry over 15 years. She began her career as a Studio Operator for Radio New Zealand working in Wellington and in commercial radio in New Plymouth. After a stint overseas, including some radio work in London, she returned and qualified as a journalist. This led to reporting work, various roles for RNZI and the production of National Radio's current affairs programme Late Edition. The introduction of digital production equipment at Radio New Zealand led Katrina into the training field and eventually back to her first love ? sound engineering. However, she has continued to present National Radio's overnight programme from time to time and is now looking forward to taking up this new role. She says "the programmes are an opportunity for all NZDF personnel to keep up with what's happening at home. Along with news of what's happening in NZ, we'll also include lots of lighter news, plus some music and fun. All contributions, including messages from home to personnel overseas, are welcome". Katrina can be contacted at kbatten@radionz.co.nz or through RNZI at fax 64 4 474 1433 or phone 64 474 1437 (via Paul Ormandy, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) What's the Armed Forces Canteen Council? Sounds like a bunch of mothers of Defence Force personnel have got together in the tuck shop and have decided to fund broadcasts to their loved ones through raffles. <grin> (David Onley, Myrtleford, Victoria, Australia, ARDXC via DXLD). ** NIGERIA. See CAMEROON ** OKLAHOMA. KOSU screws up again. In NPR ATC, Tue Mar 26 at 2149 UT, automation made a one-minute promotional break, ignoring the fact that the Yiddish Radio Project series was running, supposed to override the usual break. There is nothing more off-putting than a station not paying attention to its own output. No doubt all affiliates were warned beforehand about this change in the usual format, but NPR does so at its peril. Apparently KOSU runs the cutaways by timer rather than inaudible cues from the network, which no doubt were suppressed in this instance (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. BANDSCAN 3/23/02 1054 UT 2410 R. Enga not heard 3205 R. Sandaun strong with US pops 3/23 3220 R. Morobe faint-tentative 3/23 3235 R. West New Britain strong with PNG pop mx countdown 3245 R. Gulf good; old bluegrass tunes; ID @ 1100 "R. Gulf, Voice of the Seagull" 3260 R. Madang strong; childrens stories in Tok Pisin 3275 R. Southern Highlands strong in Tok Pisin 3290 R. Central not heard 3305 R. Western poor signal, but definitely them in Tok Pisin. Seemed to have transmitter problems with signal cutting in and out. At 1123, rapid increase in signal strength, old US R&B tune. 3315 R. Manus not heard 3325 R. Bougainville probably them, behind RRI Palangkaraya 3325 R. East Sepik not heard 3345 R. Northern not heard 3355 R. Simbu not heard 3365 R. Milne Bay not heard 3375 R. Western Highlands not heard 3385 R. East New Britain not heard 3395 R. Eastern Highlands not heard- ute only 3905 R. New Ireland strong in Tok Pisin 4890 NBC Port Moresby excellent with US pops ------------------------ (Guy Atkins, DXing at Grayland, WA, AOR AR7030 with mods/JPS NIR- 12/ERGO software; 900-1200 ft. SW, W, and NW Beverage antennas with "Cat-a-Lac" terminations, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Amigos! Visité a Radio América el viernes pasado. Lastimosamente no pude ver las nuevas instalaciones en el nuevo QTH ya que estaba un poco alejada del QTH actual. Hablé mucho con el Sr. Mur que es una persona muy cordial y amable quien me explicó mucho sobre los detalles ya conocidas aquí en la lista, sobre la antena y direcciones etc. También demostró tener mucho conocimiento de las demás emisoras paraguayas, especial aquellas que anteriormente han servido en la onda corta. Explicó que el transmisor de onda corta es totalmente transistorizada y opera con bajo voltaje, lo que hace posible inclusive hacerlo funcionar a baterías. También me presentó al Presidente de la institución el Pastor José A Holowaty, o mejor dicho que sin el permiso de éste, no me podía mostrar nada. El Pastor me mostró los 2 estudios, entretanto equipado con dos consolas Gates Harris que anteriormente había estado, según entendí, en la KGEI. El Pastor no era así tan abierto como lo es el Sr. Mur, además no tenia mucho interés en que vea las instalaciones nuevas, casi al contrario. Representa una "línea" evangélica muy conservadora, no reconociendo prácticamente a nadie de las demás denominaciones, ya las considera como iglesias que se han "desviado" del camino. No permite las músicas con ritmos modernos; por tal motivo difunden mucho la música clásica. El Sr. Mur al final me propuso venir otro día para ir a mirar en el nuevo QTH. El nuevo QTH está en Villeta en la misma región donde anteriormente estaba la radio. Ahí ya se ha instalado la nueva antena para la onda media del tipo 5/8 (la actual es de ¼ y por ende bajito, 50m.). También se esta instalando un nuevo transmisor de 1 kW para esta banda. Tanto para la onda media como para la de onda corta se espera hacer emisiones de prueba dentro de más o menos dos semanas. Cuando tenga algo más información, les comunicaré. 73 de (Levi Iversen, Paraguay, March 27, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PERU. 4750.1, RADIO SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO. Sondor. 0218-0231* Marzo 24. Presentando música vernacular, luego con el cierre de emisión así: ``...Amables oyentes, Radiodifusora San Francisco Solano, la voz de la parroquia San Miguel Sondor y Sondorillo, finaliza sus transmisiones correspondientes al día de hoy. Les agradecemos la gentileza de escucharnos, nos despedimos hasta el día de mañana cuando estaremos reanudando nuestras cotidianas transmisiones. Buenas noches... Paz y Bien....`` 5557.8, RADIO COMERCIAL. Lajas. 2350-0230 Marzo 24. Nuevo nombre, ex Radio Lajas. A pesar que Malm en SWB vía DXLD la reporta operando en 6642.72, escuché esta emisora que sucede en la frecuencia a Radio Lajas, pero continúa siendo del Sr. Alfonso Medina Burga; presentando música tropical y tecnocumbias y con largos bloques de comerciales incluyendo Funeraria Nuevo Jerusalén, Centro Dental Chayotopa, Centro Naturista Las Plantas Curan cuando Dios quiere, en el programa Atardecer Tropical. ``...a través de la gigante y entretenida programación de Radio Comercial Lajas...`` Entre los locutores estuvo Julio Apolinar Díaz quien aparece reseñado el un reporte de Henrik Klemetz en Dateline Bogotá 1996 sobre la emisora Radio Lajas. Mencionan dirección en Jr. Rosendo Mendivil 585. 5855v, RADIO AMERICANA. Nueva Cajamarca. 2301-0115 Marzo 23. Presentando el Programa ``El Perú y su Folclor``. Luego un bloque de anuncios de Caja Rural San Martín, Restaurante Brisas del Mar, Botica San Lucas. ``...tu radio, mi radio, nuestra radio...Americana...`` ``...diferente, diferente a las demás así es tu Radio Americana....`` La primera noticia sobre esta emisora a través de Malm en SWB vía DXLD quien la reportó en 5854.6v: en mi opinión esta emisora trabaja con los equipos de la Radio Nueva Cajamarca, que operaba en este mismo rango de frecuencias hace algunos meses, ya que presenta el mismo sonido y la misma variación en la frecuencia ya que cuando inicia transmisión arranca en los 5849.2; luego recorre el dial hasta los 5858, presentando desajustes en el audio. Además presenta luego de las 0100 el programa Nochecitas Vernaculares, el cual tiene el mismo nombre de un programa de la desaparecida Radio Nueva Cajamarca. Notada con cierre a las 0202* y apertura a las *1100 (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, Colombia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. New 9582.3 PBS [Malolos?] again active. Noted at 0035- 0912* UT. In Tagalog. Transmission break at 0250-0252 UT. Ex 9618.4 kHz. 35543. Active March 7th and 8th, inactive 9th and 10th (Roland Schulze, Philippines, BC-DX Mar 13 via DXLD) Only Mon-Fri sce??? (wb) As I recall, the power and location listed in WRTH '02 were based on data in a QSL letter received from the station a few years ago, which seemed plausible. I doubt that it can be from an IBB transmitter, given the weak signal, variable frequency and intermittent operation. Personally I last heard it in Dec 2001 listening in Bali, where it was audible in the late afternoon LT. The only other locations where I've heard it are within the Philippines and in Sabah/Sarawak Malaysia. I haven't had a chance to check lately. My guess is that the IBB story could have arisen from confusion between this relay of PBS domestic services, and the PBS's external service Radyo Pilipinas which is transmitted via the IBB SW facilities in the Philippines (Alan Davies, Indonesia, BC-DX Mar 23 via DXLD) Further investigation has turned up a scan of the QSL letter and data card on Hans van den Boogert's website at http://members.tripod.com/DXlogbook/logs-1998-dur2-qsl.html according to which it's a 250 watt transitter "Modified BC-610 US army signals corps" at Marulas, Valenzuela, Metro Manila (Alan Davies, Surabaya, Indonesia, DXplorer Mar 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Radio Portugal A02 Radiodifusão Portuguesa (RDP) Internacional Broadcast schedule A02 (all programmes in Portuguese) From Monday to Friday: Europe 0500-0755 9815, 9840 0645-0800 11850 0800-1200 12020, 11960 1600-1900 15445+, 15125, 17650 1900-2300 13720-s M.East-India 0100-1500 21810 1000-1200 21830 Africa 1600-1900 17680 1900-2300 11945-s 0500-0700 15585 North America 1200-2300 17575-s 2300-0200 9715,11655 Venezuela 1900-2300 21540-s 2300-0200 13700 1000-1200 21655 Brazil-C.Verde-Guinea 1600-1900 21655 1900-2300 21800-s Brazil 2300-0200 13660, 15295 On Saturday and Sunday: Europe 0700-1345 12020, 13640 0830-1000 11995 1400-2000 13770 1400-2000 15555+ 1900-2300 13720-s 0000-1655 21830 Africa 1700-2000 17680 1900-2300 11945-s North America 1200-2000 17575+ Venezuela 1200-2000 17615 1900-2300 21540-s 0700-2000 21655 Brazil-C.Verde-Guinea 2000-2300 21800-s -s: Only for Special transmissions +: Possibility to extend until 23.00 ------------------------------------ (via Ramón Vázquez Dourado, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** QATAR. A71MA is active on 20m around 0420 UT (Bob Thomas, CT, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIERRA LEONE. Hello everywhere, there can be heard still something original on short wave! Who would have thought that the local radio station of a rather poor African country, which is hit by a civil war, transmits a 30 minutes advertising block? This happened yesterday night on SLBS Freetown on 3316 kHz. The station came in with unusually strong signal (SINPO partly 44334!). There could be heard several commercials like advertisement for the "Ladies Night" of a local disco, for a song festival at Victoria park, which seems to be a public place in Freetown, as well as - very surprising - a commercial spot for Holsten beer! Holsten is a well known brewery in northern Germany. As a German I enjoyed this commerical very much and on that reason I decided to record it and to prepare an audio clip (236 KB). On the clip one can listen to the national anthem of Sierra Leone, too. Things like that you cannot hear every day from Africa. If anyone has interest, please let me know in a personal mail. Anyway I have to correct now my former conception of Africa. Loggings in detail: SIERRA LEONE 3316 SLBS Freetown, 24th of March 02, 2255-0003, English and local language, religious program until 2305 followed by commercial spots, modern African music, national anthem, sign off at 0003. SINPO partly 44334 (Michael Schnitzer - michael_schnitzer@web.de hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** THAILAND. 6765.32, Bangkok Meteorological Radio, at 1320. Weather by M then 1338 IS, followed by M in local dialect. Terrible ute just above restricted filter on the WJ8712P to just 1.10 wide. Repeated IS, followed by English ID at 1345. Then local weather in English, followed by IS then weather in Thai (Don Nelson, WA, DXplorer Mar 18 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** U K. I suppose you heard my e-mail to WriteOn read on Friday. They still haven't figured out the problem, since I just discovered that the 30 March - 5 April week is up on the BBC schedules web site, but the later weeks are still unavailable in the Americas stream. Also, much of Friday 5 April is still blank, the way the previous week was for a month or so now! They have complete skeds for that week for Africa and East Asia, but later weeks have incomplete little grids without full data. And people expect the web to take the place of real paper documents! Sigh... (Will Martin, MO, March 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ``Difficulty entering the information into the database`` was the excuse. Greenfield Collexion cancellation was also objected to by Will. Harriet Greene, commissioning editor: ``...WS refreshes its output from time to time, to make sure it is offering relevant programmes with wide appeal... a reduction in overall amount of serious music, but... Concert Hall will start taking suggestions from listeners.`` That means, no, it is not being replaced by a similar programme, there will be an overall reduxion in classical music, and it is *not* relevant. Typical weaseling instead of giving a direct, honest answer. I just heard the final Greenfield Collexion via 2NUR at 1705 UT March 27. Greenfield was typically upbeat as he said goodbye, and played his opening theme all the way through, to conclude. Announcer then plugged Concert Hall which is open to requests now for one week a month. A lot of good that will do. Note that the usual repeat Sunday 2330 on Am/Eu streams will not happen, as by March 31 the new schedule will be in effect. Your last, best chance to hear it will be UT Thursday 0405 (gh, DXLD) ** UNITED KINGDOM. TOUGHER EXPECTATIONS FOR THE BBC Public Service Broadcasters who enjoy great privilege should expect tough regulation, says Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell. Speaking to broadcasting (TV and Radio) executives, at the Westminster Media Forum in London, earlier this week, Tessa Jowell announced: * The draft Communications Bill will contain proposals to ensure that the BBC will be more heavily regulated than any other broadcaster, with a new hierarchy of obligations for public service broadcasters * The review of BBC News 24 will go ahead and will be lead by Richard Lambert, former editor of the Financial Times, who will report to the Secretary of State by the end of June 2002. * A decision on BBC3 will be taken when further work is done on the market impact of a new channel Spelling out her belief that the BBC's goal should be winning new audiences instead of chasing ratings, Tessa said: "High share for good programmes is not a problem, but ratings are not the sole test for the BBC. A new service funded by a universal fee needs to reach as many people as possible. The BBC will ultimately be judged on quality, innovation, the ability to challenge, the desire to take risks and the ability to make the market, not follow it. It should not fail on these and use ratings as the excuse." "Public service broadcasting has a special place in the British psyche. Public service broadcasting is not a Heritage phrase. It is not the costume drama of broadcasting. It has been a vital part of our past, but I'm going to ensure it is a vital part of the digital future. Public service broadcasting is a straightforward contract: the state offers certain privileges to some channels, and in return each channel provides something of worth beyond that which the market alone would provide." "But being a public service broadcaster is not a licence to compete, unfettered, with all those commercial services which have to fight in the marketplace without any protection from the state. The BBC is loved by viewers and listeners worldwide, but of all the public service broadcasters, the BBC is the most privileged and for that reason it should be regulated more stringently. That is why I am announcing that a new hierarchy of public service obligations will be included in the Bill. Quite simply, the more public privileges the broadcaster receives, the tougher it will be regulated." Tessa Jowell also dispelled myths that the BBC will not be regulated by Ofcom. "Much of what the BBC does will be policed by Ofcom," she said. "But the BBC will also continue to keep their unique system of regulation by the Governors. Not because their burden should be light, but because it should be the heaviest." (The Radio Newsletter, 19/03 via Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK) ** U K. DANCERS REPLACE BBC ONE GLOBE http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/tv_and_radio/newsid_1895000/1895151.stm (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH FOR BBC The BBC is dumping the globe, the symbol of its heritage as the world's pre-eminent broadcaster, in favour of a new series of ``multicultural`` logos http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-249049,00.html (via G. Pollard, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Subject: RADIO EZRA - NEW SERIES Dear Friends and colleagues in DX-ing. Radio Ezra is due to commence a third series consisting of thirteen half hour weekly broadcasts beginning on Saturday 6th April 2002 between 2330 and 0000 UT. The frequency will be 17665 kHz and the target zone is Western North America. The transmitter location is Russia. I will be producing a limited number of QSL cards for the series and would be most grateful for any reception reports. Please enclose an International Reply Coupon or $1 to cover return postage. Radio Ezra used to carry the broadcasts for the Water Into Wine Ministry project but I have recently canceled this project and the station now has its own new website which features plenty of information about the station's recording studio, equipment, transmitter details and broadcast schedule. Check it out! Best wishes John D. Hill (Station Owner) ***************************************************** Radio Ezra, PO Box 16, Stockton on Tees, TS18 3GN, United Kingdom Fax: +44 1642 887546 http://www.radioezra.com "my glory will I not give to another" ISAIAH 42:8 ***************************************************** (Hill, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. http://www.washtimes.com/world/20020326-77709460.htm BUSH OPPOSES BILL TO RESTRUCTURE VOA By Ben Barber, THE WASHINGTON TIMES The Bush administration and Congress are at odds over a proposed restructuring of the Voice of America and other aspects of U.S. public diplomacy intended to improve the way the United States delivers its message to the world. Rep. Henry J. Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said passage of the Freedom Promotion Act, which he sponsored, was crucial to countering hostile views of America such as those broadcast by the Qatari television station Al Jazeera. But the measure has been set aside because of opposition from the Bush administration. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher cited fears the legislation would reduce the "flexibility" of the president to run foreign policy and determine America's message to the world. Mr. Hyde, Illinois Republican, has proposed far more than reorganizing the nation's public broadcast services, which include Radio Free Europe, Radio Marti and a new service broadcasting to the Middle East. His bill would enhance the authority of the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, a position created after the U.S. Information Agency was absorbed into the State Department in 1998. "If we are to be successful in our broader foreign-policy goals, America's effort to engage the peoples of the world must assume a more prominent place in the planning and execution of our foreign policy," Mr. Hyde said. "The task of countering misinformation and propaganda regarding the United States is a never-ending one, but we must go about this task more aggressively and more systematically, rather than simply reacting to crises as they occur." His bill would strengthen the power of Undersecretary of State Charlotte Beers, create a fund of $495 million for public diplomacy and mandate numerous other training and exchange programs. Mr. Hyde also has called for spending $7 million to create a satellite television broadcast system aimed at counting hostile views of America widely seen in the Muslim world. Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the ranking Democrat on Mr. Hyde's committee, said, "If we are to prevent future terrorist attacks, we must launch a concerted campaign to win over people across the globe who are subjected to anti-American misinformation and hate. "Unfortunately, we have been outgunned, outmanned and outmaneuvered in the information war for too long." Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the bill would create an International Broadcasting Agency with a powerful director to replace or oversee the eight-member bipartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors. The board, created as a "fire wall" to prevent U.S. government interference in U.S. foreign broadcasts over the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, became independent in 1999. The BBG also oversees Radio Free Asia, Radio and TV Martí, Radio Afghanistan and the Middle East Radio Network (MERN), which has been broadcasting only since last week. BBG communications coordinator Joan Mower objected that the replacement of the independent broadcast governors in the Hyde bill "would destroy the fire wall [between the broadcasters and the U.S. government] that the BBG was created for." But Hyde spokesman Sam Stratman said the BBG members "are a part-time board, micromanaging the [broadcasting] agency. The bill proposes a single person appointed by the president for a five-year term." Both the Clinton and Bush administrations tried at different times to halt VOA broadcasts of interviews with Chinese dissidents or Osama bin Ladin. Broadcasters called such efforts political interference in their mission to provide an objective news service (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** U S A. US-BACKED RADIO SAWA LAUNCHES --- 26 March 2002 The new Middle East Radio Network, a US Government-sponsored Arabic language broadcasting service aimed at young people, had a low-key launch on 22 March. The service uses the on-air identification 'Radio Sawa' (Together), and is initially available on FM in Amman and the West Bank on 98.1 MHz and in Kuwait City on 95.7 MHz. Agreements have been signed to broadcast in Qatar and Bahrain, and negotiations are being held to obtain mediumwave and FM frequencies in other Middle East countries. The service will also broadcast digitally on the Nilesat, Arabsat and Eutelsat Hotbird satellites. Programming initially consists of music and promotional announcements, with a news service due to begin in a few weeks' time. MERN is expected to be fully operational by late summer 2002. The Broadcasting Board of Governors received approx $35 million from Congress to fund MERN in fiscal year 2002, a figure that includes $16.4 million for one-time capital costs for transmitters. Station's Web site is at http://www.ibb.gov/radiosawa/ (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) The Radio Sawa web site at http://www.radiosawa.com states that: "Radio Sawa is a service of US international broadcasting, which is operated and funded by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an agency of the US government. The BBG serves as a firewall to protect the professional independence and integrity of the broadcasters. One of the guiding principles of Radio Sawa is that the long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly in Arabic with the peoples of the Middle East by radio. Radio Sawa seeks to win the attention and respect of listeners. In reporting the news, Radio Sawa is committed to being accurate, objective and comprehensive." (BBC Monitoring Mar 27 via DXLD) ** U S A. This is the guy touted to be following in the 'Shep' tradition (Chet Copeland, NYC, DXLD) KSTP-AM'S MISCHKE BEGINS NATIONAL SYNDICATION MONDAY Kristin Tillotson, Star Tribune March 22 "I would hate to be the person trying to sell my radio show," said T.D. (Tommy) Mischke, KSTP-AM's evening star, with typical self- effacement. "People ask me to explain it, and I can't." Starting Monday, the live "Mischke" show will be available nationally through a syndication deal cut between the independent distributor Jones Radio Network and St. Paul-based Hubbard Broadcasting, owner of KSTP (1500 AM). Amy Bolton, general manager for Jones, wouldn't say how many stations have signed up yet, but she claims strong interest in radio markets from Milwaukee to San Diego. Mischke, whose radio career began as a "frequent caller" to someone else's show, has garnered strong Arbitron ratings for nine years in what is traditionally a tough slot: 8 to 10 p.m. Not bad for a guy who said he plans each show by "getting up in the morning and thinking about how to fill two empty hours that night. I can't really narrow it down beyond that. "I can tell you what I'm not -- a conservative political talk-show host," he said. "It's a pretty homogenized world out there right now. I'm gonna throw a curve ball at these folks, and [Jones] must feel listeners are ready for something different." Bolton confirmed: "There's a lot of Rush Limbaugh wannabes out there," she said. "Even Bill O'Reilly is more of the same. Mischke pays homage to the days when radio was pure entertainment. He's destination listening, not just somebody mouthing off in front of a mike." This is the first national syndication deal that Hubbard has struck outside its own family of stations, said program director Joe O'Brien: "We decided it was a good match, as much for their marketing expertise as anything else." Mischke, who began talks with Jones about a year and a half ago, said that with no advance promotion he expects a slow start and hopes things pick up in the summer. He called the network's promise that they wouldn't pressure him to change a thing "critical to my decision. They don't want me to broaden my frame of reference." Bolton said: "I liken it to the movie 'Fargo.' It's a cult hit; either you like it or you don't." Mischke said he doesn't know "whether that means people will be laughing with me or at me, but I do think there's a certain Midwestern sweetness, a less jaded personality, that I don't mind maintaining." (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn, You have mentioned that Dr. Dean Edell is one of your favourite programs. I found his webpage, which also lists where his show can be found. http://www.healthcentral.com/drdean/drdean.cfm 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont. March 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) One state at a time ** U S A. I am hearing a pirate daily on 1710 khz. I've caught them between 0600 and 0730 ELT 1100-1230 UT]. Over-modulated bad cassette machine quality audio of male preachers in Yiddish? Hebrew? and English combined with various types of Israeli music. No transmissions on Saturday morning as per their holy day. It has deep fades as if it is on SRS. The TIS stations from NYC don't show this propagation. Is this possibly one of the Boston pirates? No ID has been heard yet - or any indication about location. Thanks in advance for your comments, (Karl Zuk N2KZ about 45 miles north of NYC, IRCA via DXLD) Karl, That's Lubavicher Radio broadcasting from Crown Heights. Many of us in the NYC area have heard it. I sent an email to their website a few months back asking for a verie and never received a reply. Hope this helps! (Dave Hochfelder, New Brunswick, NJ, ibid.) I've possibly have heard this one here in Coastal North Carolina before. It was something I thought was Spanish, but who knows, all I know is I couldn`t understand the program content. The signal here was in the noise level and could only be received by putting the radio on lower side band. The navigation beacons and the static was neck and neck with their signal here as well (Bob Carter, Operations/Engineering, WGAI, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. From Eric Houg: There will be a Crazy College Easter show this Friday at 10 PM [EST] on WHYY [also webcast]. http://www.whyy.org/91FM/womenhistspecials.html (via Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Hopefully no April's fools; the CP for 50/1.4 kW in Nebraska will be on as KKSC from April 1. This per info from the CE of Waitt Radio (KKAR, KOZN, KOIL etc). They will run directional patterns both day and night - alas, I'm afraid the night pattern won't favour Scandinavia. From the world's Northernmost DX-er (Bjarne Mjelde, N- 9980 Berlevag, Norway, N.Lat 71, E.Long 29, Receivers: AOR AR7030+, K+D KWZ-30, Palstar R30, MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) That should impact on 1020 Perry OK, or does it deserve protexion? (gh, Enid) ** U S A. From CBS Marketwatch.com 6:07 PM ET Mar 25, 2002 RUKEYSER DISMISSED ON `WALL STREET WEEK' OWINGS MILLS, Md. (CBS.MW) - Louis Rukeyser was sacked from "Wall Street Week" on Friday, removed three months earlier than expected after the financial television pioneer discussed his contract dispute with the show's owner on camera. Maryland Public Television, which announced last week it would begin a new show later this year without Rukeyser, said it will air alternative programming before revising "Wall Street Week' next fall with a host from Fortune Magazine, which is owned by AOL Time Warner. Rukeyser went on his show Friday and told viewers his version of what had happened to force him off the air, and promised that he would return on another station with his popular show. MPT resented his behavior, and that was that. Meanwhile, a CNBC spokeswoman said that the cable financial news network is speaking with Rukeyeser about possible joining its team. CNBC is a General Electric property. Michael Holland, a New York money manager and a panelist on the final program Friday, said Rukeyser was "resolute and confident" before the program and "relieved, joyful and anticipatory afterward" when he and Rukeyser had dinner at a steak house in Baltimore. For Rukeyser, it was a sad end to a brilliant 32-year-career at the helm of America's most durable and venerable business-news TV show. But Holland summed up the 69-year-old Rukeyser's mood as "life will be fine," and Rukeyser himself said last week that he has had several offers for a new home for his show. For Rukeyser, a move to a rival network would be the ultimate vindication. And CNBC would benefit because it is trying to establish its business-news network in primetime. Further, Rukeyser's demographics - he is a favorite with seasoned investors - would work well on CNBC. The network is anxious to broaden its programming and appeal to a wider group of viewers. CNBC has gone so far as to begin airing the Senior PGA golf tournaments on the weekends. Rukeyser has achieved pop culture status in his time on the air. With his easily identifiable silver hair, refined air and twinkling smile, he has become a fixture (via Ivan Grishin, Ont., DXLD) ** U S A. MARYLAND PUBLIC TV TO FIRE RUKEYSER By JAIME HERNANDEZ, Associated Press Writer, March 25, 7:39 AM EST BALTIMORE -- Maryland Public Television is firing Louis Rukeyser from its popular finance and investment program, saying the longtime host used the show to discuss a contract dispute and promote his new program. Robert J. Shuman, MPT's president and CEO, said Sunday night that "Wall $treet With Louis Rukeyser" aired for the last time Friday. Rukeyser, the show's host for all of its 32 years, said last week that he was leaving the program as it was being revamped by MPT. Alternate shows will be used until the station launches its new "Wall $treet Week with Fortune" next fall, he said. "We were surprised and saddened that he chose to use the show as a medium to air contract disputes and promote his new show," Shuman said. "The purpose of the show is anything but that. The qualities of this show aren't attached to one single person." Shuman said he has not spoken to Rukeyser since last week but that he was being informed of the station's decision to fire him. Rukeyser's contract with MPT ends June 30.-- Shuman declined to discuss details of the contract. Rukeyser, who gives a commentary at the opening of each show, started Friday's program by criticizing MPT for the new show's format. He also thanked viewers for their "amazing outpouring of support" after the station announced last week that he would no longer be the show's host. "Another weekly program with me as host and commentator will be on television," he said. "I want to assure all our loyal viewers ... that Louis Rukeyser will still be very much around." Rukeyser told the audience that the "woods are full of smart television executives who are wonderfully excited at the prospect of producing the new Louis Rukeyser program." He also asked viewers to write to their local public television stations and demand that they air his new show. Rukeyser said Sunday that he was still considering offers from several public and commercial television outlets and would decide which one to go with in a week or two. MPT, which normally retransmits the latest "Wall $treet With Louis Rukeyser" on Sundays, didn't do so this weekend because of Rukeyser's comments, Shuman said. The station also didn't post its usual transcript of Rukeyser's latest opening statement on its Web site. "All I can tell you is that many, many viewers are telling me how angry they are not to be able to find this commentary," Rukeyser said. The station entered a partnership with Fortune magazine to produce a new version of the show. Rukeyser, 69, was offered a senior commentator role on the new program but declined, saying he didn't want to have anything further to do with MPT. MPT officials said the shake-up was necessary because the show's audience and expectations had changed, and they felt Fortune was a powerful partner. One of the new program's co-hosts will be a Fortune editor. His show, which has received widespread acclaim and boosted viewership of public television around the country, claims to plug into every businessman in America. Though he did not have any ownership rights over the show, he said he did have co-production rights. Wall $treet With Louis Rukeyser: http://www.pbs.org/mpt/rukeyser/ Copyright (c) 2002, The Associated Press Link to the article: http://www.sunspot.net/sns-ap-wall-street-rukeyser0325mar25.story Visit http://www.sunspot.net (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) Later: -------------------- RUKEYSER SAYS HE CAN'T BE FIRED -------------------- By Associated Press March 25, 2002, 11:04 PM EST OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Louis Rukeyser, who was fired from his namesake show by Maryland Public Television, said he didn't work for the company to begin with. "MPT cannot 'fire' me because I am not now, and never have been, its employee," Rukeyser said in a statement, noting their contract to produce the show expires in June. MPT, which announced last week that it was reformatting the program, "Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser, fired the host Sunday because he used his weekly introduction on Friday's show to promote his new program. MPT president and chief executive Robert J. Shuman didn't immediately return an Associated Press phone call seeking comment Monday. Rukeyser, who gives a commentary at the opening of each show, started Friday's program by criticizing MPT for the new show's format. He also thanked viewers for their "amazing outpouring of support" after the station announced last week that he would no longer be the show's host. "Another weekly program with me as host and commentator will be on television," he said. "I want to assure all our loyal viewers ... that Louis Rukeyser will still be very much around." Rukeyser told the audience that the "woods are full of smart television executives who are wonderfully excited at the prospect of producing the new Louis Rukeyser program." He also asked viewers to write to their local public television stations and demand that they air his new show. On Monday, Rukeyser said the two sides would split after the contract ends June 30, 2002, but his production company was "ready, as always, to live up to its end of the deal." Copyright (c) 2002, The Associated Press Link to the article: http://www.sunspot.net/sns-ap-wall-street-rukeyser0326mar25.story (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) ONE IN A CROWD As PBS chops away at its distinguishing elements, its fans wonder if it will start looking - and programming - like everybody else. David Folkenflik March 27, 2002 The mission used to be indispensability. From its birth 33 years ago, PBS sought to create and distribute programs that Americans couldn't find anywhere else on the television dial. Big Bird, Julia Child, Monty Python, Evelyn Waugh and Ken Burns all cut memorable figures on the country's cultural landscape, the subjects of praise and parody, thanks to PBS. Now, the aim is relevance. In the past week, Louis Rukeyser's ouster from Maryland Public Television's Wall Street Week With Louis Rukeyser has directed a spotlight on public broadcasters as they scramble to compete with cable outlets and their commercial cousins.... Copyright (c) 2002, The Baltimore Sun -- Link to the article: http://www.sunspot.net/bal-to.tvradio27mar27.story (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) ** U S A. From: http://saveinternetradio.org America's fledgling Internet radio industry could be effectively killed on May 21st if the U.S. Copyright Office accepts the recommendations of its recent Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel ("CARP") recommendation concerning Internet radio royalty rates and record-keeping requirements. Congress passed a law in October, 1998, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) which established that webcasters must pay "performance rights" fees to record labels for the music they play. That law instructed the Copyright Office to set the appropriate rate. However, the CARP's recommended rates are currently more than 100% of most Webcasters' gross revenues! The Copyright Office is required by Congress to decide whether to accept, reject or modify the rates and terms set forth in the report by May 21, 2002. If they accept the CARP panel's recommendation, most observers believe that the decision will effectively kill Internet radio as an industry, as the decision will bankrupt all but the three or four largest webcasters. The purpose of this website The purpose of this website is to help concerned individuals have a voice in trying to encourage the U.S. Copyright Office to "set aside" the CARP recommendation - or, alternatively, Congress to amend the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) - in time to prevent the industry from being effectively shut down. WHAT YOU CAN DO: Send a letter to your Congressman and Senators! Explore the wonders of Internet radio (while it still exists): Guides to Internet radio stations include RadioJump!, Radio Crow, and VirtualTuner.com. Also see the menu at left, a little bit lower on this page, for links to about 20 webcasters and our "Webcasters (partial list)" page here. Good background material: http://www.educause.edu/issues/dmca.html The current Copyright Office response to e-mails from concerned citizens: Subj: Re: Please don't kill the Internet! Date: 3/7/02 3:19:16 PM US Eastern Standard Time From: copyinfo@loc.gov (Copyright Information) To: GTORadio@aol.com We are responding to your recent communication regarding the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel ("CARP") report delivered on February 20, 2002. That report recommends rates and terms for the statutory license for eligible nonsubscription services to perform sound recordings publicly by means of digital audio transmissions ("webcasting") under 17 U.S.C. §114 and to make ephemeral recordings of sound recordings for use of sound recordings under the statutory license set forth in 17 U.S.C. §112. The proposed rates and terms for webcasters operating under a statutory license announced on February 20, 2002, are the recommendations made by a panel of three independent arbitrators. The Panel made its recommendations after a six-month hearing. During this period, webcasters, broadcasters and copyright owners offered evidence for what the appropriate rates and terms should be for the public performance of a sound recording over the Internet. At the conclusion of this process, the Panel submitted its recommendations and a report explaining its rationale for the recommendations to the Copyright Office. The public version of the panel's report has been posted to the Copyright Office website. The panel's recommendations are now being reviewed. Under the law, only parties to the proceeding may request that the panel's recommendations be modified or set aside. These comments will be carefully considered during the review process. There is, however, no provision in the law for comments from the general public. A final determination as to the rates and terms will be made when the review process is completed. =========== "I read the summary which says that artists need to be compensated because permanent digital copies are involved. What this idea totally ignores is that the sound quality of 95% of streams because of bandwidth limitation is far inferior to the original CD and is in no real sense a competitive copy that anyone would want to listen to other than as a broadcast stream. They are out to get what they can. If they were genuinely concerned about competition with CD sales, they would have limited the levy to streams exceeding 64kbps which can reasonably compete with CD sound quality and they would have billed over the air FM stations because they can be input to a computer sound card to generate a much better quality digital file than almost all current streams available." -- Tony Carlson, Berkeley, CA (in Save-Our-Streams message board) ============ Another perspective on the size of the royalties: A Webcaster with one listener (e.g., himself) listening all the time would have to pay $.0014 x 15 x 24 x 365 = $184 in royalties per year. (This assumes 15 songs per hour.) Invite some family and friends to listen, get your average audience size up to 100 listeners, and you have an annual royalty payment of $18,400! If you've been doing this for three years, your retroactive bill is going to be $55,200 (all via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) RAIN today: Arbitron asks for 5-year hold on webcasting fees Dear Mike, Arbitron is speaking out in support of broadcasters and webcasters hoping to show Congress that the CARP royalties will mean the death of Internet radio. Yesterday, the company announced it has sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee requesting a five-year moratorium on CARP webcasting fees. Today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter" is devoted to the entire text of Arbitron's letter to Congress. There's also Kurt Hanson's RAIN Analysis of the letter. You can read both on the RAIN homepage at http://www.kurthanson.com Sincerely, Paul Maloney Editor RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter P.S. We have several other stories "in the hopper" right now concerning webcasters' efforts to save their industry. Please feel free to check back with RAIN later today, or our "Save Internet Radio" site anytime at http://saveinternetradio.org Thanks! (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Dan Gillmor: Bleak future looms if you don`t take a stand IF THE FEW CONTROL THE ALL... "Media conglomerates are in a merger frenzy. Telecommunications monopolies are creating a cozy cartel, dividing up access to the online world. The entertainment industry is pushing for Draconian controls on the use and dissemination of digital information. If you're not infuriated by these related trends, you should at least be worried." San Jose Mercury News 03/26/02 Full story: http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/2922052.htm (VIA WWW.ARTSJOURNAL.COM/ via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. Airplane crash into tower... http://www.wral.com/news/1304816/detail.html (via Fred Vobbe, NRC FMTV via DXLD) ** U S A. Radio station WWRB is well heard here in Ireland at 0000 GMT on both 6890 and 5085. Best heard in USB with religious varients. 73 (Ciaran Mc Carthy, March 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. MOTHER ANGELICA CONTINUES IMPROVING, SENDS EASTER GREETINGS Irondale, AL, Mar 22 (EWTN) — ``Please tell everyone that I'm getting better. Thank you for your prayers. God bless you,`` said Mother Angelica as she offered an Easter greeting to her ``family`` around the world while she continues to recover from a stroke she suffered at her monastery in Hanceville, AL on Christmas Eve. The stroke, which hospitalized Mother Angelica for nearly a month, left her with a partial paralysis on her right side and speech impairment. Since returning to her monastery, Mother has continued to undergo more than five hours of physical and speech therapy each week. Sister Mary Catherine, Mother Vicar of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, said Mother is improving each and every day. ``She now has the full use of her right arm and her speech is improving almost as quickly. Mother is sleeping well, eating well and she has regained most of the weight she lost while she was in the hospital,`` she continued. ``Mother looks good!`` Mother Vicar said in addition to her daily prayers, Mother Angelica uses a walker to go from her room to the chapel to spend an hour a day in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Her nuns visit with Mother individually or in small groups each evening and it's not unusual to hear laughter coming from her room as Mother jokes with them. ``Mother says she considers herself blessed to be allowed to go through this time of trial,`` Sister Mary Catherine said. ``But she is anxious to fully recover and get back with her 'family'.`` Meanwhile, as Easter approaches, the Spiritual Bouquet for Mother Angelica that is posted on EWTN's website http://www.ewtn.com continues to receive prayer intentions from around the world for Mother's complete recovery. According to the Network, to date, nearly one half-million Our Fathers have been pledged and 266 thousand Rosaries, 43 thousand Novenas, 69 thousand Holy Hours and 142 thousand Masses have been offered. A spokesperson for EWTN said the Network has also received nearly 25,000 letters and cards and thousands of emails and telephone calls from well-wishers. (Catholic Radio Update March 25 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC INTERNATIONAL BUREAU REORGANIZATION The reorganization of the FCC is effective today. FCC International HF Broadcast stations are now regulated by the Strategic Analysis and Negotiations Division of the International Bureau. All weblinks to FCC HF broadcast pages must now be changed to contain the letters sand instead of pnd. Example: the FCC HF Broadcasting Page was at http://www.fcc.gov/ib/pnd/neg/hf_web/hf.html it is now at http://www.fcc.gov/ib/sand/neg/hf_web/hf.html Many links on this page still need updating. Changing pnd to sand in other links seems to work (Donald Wilson, March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. V. of Hope via Biblis: see GERMANY ** U S A. Glenn, Below is an updated schedule for AFN, if case this is of interest. I managed to pick up two new frequencies for the freq section for May, always pleased to do that. Thanks (Gayle Van Horn, MONITORING TIMES) Navy Media Center in Washington Update to the current schedules for the US Navy AFN broadcast on their website and NPR. They indicate that the NPR broadcast schedule isn't correct and made a correction to the schedule for the Guam broadcast. Below is the new accurate schedule for AFN shortwave transmissions. Switchover from night to day, etc is based on local time at the transmitter site. Location Band Daytime Nightime Key West, FL Upper Sideband 12689.5 kHz 12689.5 kHz RR, Puerto Rico Upper Sideband 6458.5 kHz 6458.5 kHz Sigonella, Sicily Upper Sideband 4993 kHz 10940.5 kHz Guam (Barrigada) Upper Sideband 13362.0 kHz 5765.0 kHz Diego Garcia Upper Sideband 12579 kHz 4319 kHz Hawaii Upper Sideband 10320 kHz 6350 kHz The QSL@mediacen.navy.mil email address is still good for reception reports to get their QSL letter for the AFN broadcast (via Gayle Van Horn, MT, DXLD) ** URUGUAY. Según noticia aparecida hoy en el diario local EL TELÉGRAFO, a partir de mañana miércoles 27 de marzo a la hora 21 local, la emisora CASINO FM 96.3 de Paysandú, Uruguay, comenzará a emitir toda su programación "on line" por internet. La dirección es http://www.paysandu.com/casinofm Saludos (HORACIO E. COLACCE, NUEVO PAYSANDU. URUGUAY, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** YEMEN. Republic of Yemen Radio with a test transmission on 909: I picked them up around 2230 UT, an Arabic song followed by this announcement by a YL: Yemeni Radio with testing transmission from HUDAYDAH. Radio Yemen would like to hear from the listeners worldwide who are picking up this test transmission, here's the address: Radio Yemen - testing transmission, P. O. Box 3263, San'a - Yemen phone 00 967 33 111 93 or 00 967 33 111 92 Fax 00 967 32 197 01 e mail: radionet@y.net.ye [not 100% sure of the e mail address] (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, BC-DX Mar 24 via DXLD) Known e-mail address: yradio@y.net.ye Yemen R, YEM (wb) Nice that Tarek Zeidan got down all the details. The e-mail is wrong; it should be yradio@y.net.ye but they announce radio.@y.net.ye ! It is strong, stronger than Iraq at night, must be in the 100-300 kW range. (Mauno Ritola, Finland, to Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, BC-DX Mar 26 via DXLD) The wavelength announced is "330" meters (pronounced something like "tälät miya tälätiina metran") which corresponds to 909 kHz. Also, the last number before the "kiloherz" was "tessa" which is nine, so it must be 909 kHz announced. At what time did you hear this? (Mika Makelainen, RealDX yahoogroups via DXLD) They are fairly strong all evening from about 1900 until 0100 sign- off. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, RealDX yahoogroup via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA [non]. See MONTENEGRO ** ZAMBIA. 4965, 1541-1610, R. Christian Voice, Mar 23, Christian pops to trumpet fanfare 1559, local QRM buzz over top-of-hour (bad timing!), and into man and woman talking in English. 'He's The One For Me' song 1603. 'Christian Voice... the right call, every day of the year' ID at 1608. Poor, but periods of fair-good level approaching Zambia SS, and a full TWO hours past local SR. Only audible on SW Beverage antenna (longpath). Still in at 1620 with Christian drama, and signal was going through odd propagational peaks every 20 seconds or so (Guy Atkins, Grayland WA DXpedition, hard-core-dx via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Strange stuff on 10 MHz just behind WWV. ``The Whistler`` and two guys with Spanish phrases with accents. One likes to do a drawn-out ``hola.`` First heard 0310 UT March 22. They played for a few minutes, then went off. A few WORs back, I think you mentioned someone brought up hearing ``The Whistler`` on HF (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-048, March 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 #1123: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.html NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB NEXT AIRING ON WWCR: Wed 1030 on 9475 UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Keep up the great work you do! I listen to WOR every week on WWCR 5070 on Saturday night 0330 UT [Sunday] (Petro Giannakopoulos, GA) Also see IRELAND ** AFGHANISTAN. 'SERIOUSLY FLAWED' DRAFT MEDIA LAW A proposed media law currently being drafted in Afghanistan contains "serious flaws" which, if enacted, would have a harmful effect on freedom of expression, warns the International Press Institute (IPI). In a letter to the head of Afghanistan's interim government, Hamid Karzai, the group says the draft Law of the Press needs a "radical re- assessment." Only Afghan citizens are permitted to print publications, a restriction that would weaken the local media, IPI argues. A proposed ban on foreign investment in Afghan media could leave local outlets too weak to withstand potential government pressure, IPI says. The draft law also requires private media owners to obtain government permission to operate, but there are no stated criteria for granting or denying such permission. In addition, there is no provision for private ownership of such companies. The draft law also grants the government control over the distribution of foreign publications. (International Freedom of Expression Exchange Clearing House, http://www.freemedia.at 19 March via RFE/RL Media Matters via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. The station on 8700 USB is audible here March 24 as late as 1930. Last three days the signal has been very weak compared to what it used to be. Today soon after 1810 I had severe QRM and lost the signal for a long time. I wonder if it is now USB plus some carrier, also somewhat audible in AM mode. Or the QRM ute may produce the carrier. My Icom is very poor with AM. Information Radio or someone else taking its place? The format sounds similar it was weeks back. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I.R. was never reported on that late, nominally until 1730, but often closed by 1500, I recall (gh, DXLD) And still there at 2300. Maybe 24h/day now? At one point they had a two minute loss of audio and the carrier disappeared for that period too. So some kind of reduced carrier USB (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SITE(?) 8700 USB, Presumed Information Radio still heard here today, 1645 local music, 1715 announcements by lady in vernacular mentioning Afghanistan, Pakistan and Al Quaeda, back to music, 1730 more announcements by man but my local noise level had increased so copy difficult, back to music 1735 and still on 1742 tune out. Barely audible at tune in, had faded up by tune out but still weak though easy copy when local noise level low. Just prior to the 1714 bulletin what I assume was another station came on the frequency with a man making two or three brief announcements in unknown language and then saying Over (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Northern Italy (Bologna) March 25 on 8700U is audible with strong signal but with QRM, music only. 73, (Lucio Ardito, swl I4-883, JN54rn, Racal 1792 + dipole, 1829 UT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. Look for Mark, VK4KMT, to join the YA5T team. He is expected to fly to Dubai on March 25th and then into YA-land in about 5 days. His mode of preference is SSB, so this will help the guys waiting for SSB action (KB8NW/OPDX March 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 29810 LSB, Feeder, 2220 Mar 23, Fair at tune in, but rose to exceptional level by 2252, and remained quite good till signal went off at 2330. // 15820 LSB, but much stronger. Program consisted of a football match commentary. Game was between Argentina and Venezuela. I did hear one ID given around 2249, which sounded like "Radio Chaco Re?", but not sure since I don't speak the language (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 15820, Radio Rivadavia, Buenos Aires. 2040-2050 March 23. LSB mode. Sports programme. Results of second division argentine fútbol championship. ID: "Somos Rivadavia". Ann.: "Rivadavia Noticias en Perú", Advs: "Viaje con el Nuevo Rápido a Santiago del Estero". 44444 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. KEITH GLOVER KEITH GLOVER KEITH GLOVER KEITH GLOVER --- contrary to information on page 269 of the 2002 edition of `Passport to World Band Radio`, former Radio Australia personality Keith Glover has not died, but is living in retirement in Melbourne. Although he and his wife Gwendoline have both had health problems in recent years, Keith's distinctive voice can still be heard from time to time in charitable activities around Melbourne. Keith made several trips to NZ to meet with SWLs and DXers and was guest auctioneer at the 1975 DX Convention in Christchurch (March New Zealand DX Times via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. ABC Radio 70 years old: This year the ABC celebrates the 70th anniversary of broadcasting to the nation. In 1932, under the Australian Broadcasting Commission Act the Australian Broadcasting Company, a private company which at that time ran eight metropolitan and four regional radio stations, became the public broadcaster - the Australian Broadcasting Commission. The changeover from private to public broadcaster took place at 8pm on 1 July that year. The 12 stations operated by the new-born ABC were 2FC and 2BL in Sydney; 3AR and 3LO in Melbourne; 4QG in Brisbane; 5CL in Adelaide; 6WF in Perth; 7ZL in Hobart and the relay stations 2NC in Newcastle; 2CO at Corowa, 4RK in Rockhampton and 5CK at Crystal Brook. On 1 July, in celebration of the anniversary, the ABC will launch its seventh radio network, DIG, an internet only radio station. The all- music service is designed for the 30-50 age bracket and will particularly feature contemporary Australian music. Plans are currently underway to reunite the remaining ABC radio stations that originally joined to create a special anniversary program. All Divisions and Networks will contribute to the 70th anniversary celebrations through special programming and participation in local events (AMT Australian Radio News, March via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Radio Austria International A'02 (English only extracted from printed folder) 0130-0200 -9870, 17860 - Daily -To North America 0532-0600 -6155, 13730 - Daily -To Eu/ME/Af 1130-1200 -6155, 13730 - Daily -To Eu/ME/Af 1130-1200 -21780 - Daily -To Asia/Australia 1330-1400 -6155, 13730 - Daily -To Eu/ME/Af 1530-1600 -9870, 17860 - Daily -To North America 1605-1700 -1476 (MyMusic)- Sun -To Eu/ME/Af 1830-1900 -6155, 5945 - Daily -To Eu/ME/Af 1900-1930 -1476 - Daily -To Eu/ME/Af 2130-2200 -6155, 5945 - Sun-Fri-To Eu/ME/Af Regds (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, 25/3/02, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Note the 1530 broadcast; surely NAm is not the target on 9870; and 17860 would be Sackville, ex-17865, ex-1630; earlier version claimed the entire hour 1500-1600 would be in German. It seems this English broadcast, the only one reliably heard in C and WNAm, is always an afterthought (gh, DXLD) {looking at this again later, it has the same problem as last season, layout confusing. 17860 is surely not meant to be at 0130, any more than 9870 at 1530; et al.? -gh} ** BOLIVIA. 5964.87[73], Radio Nacional Huanuni, 1010-1015, several ments de Bolivia, seeming transmitter jump from .87 to .73 at 1017. On 5927.10, R. Dif. Minería, 1000-1035 (Bob Wilkner, Margate, FL, March 25, R75, NRD535D, with on the grass 10 meter "longwire", DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. 4815, March 19 at 1900 "Radio Burkina - la radio numéro un" with Burkina Inter Actualités. They spoke about the role of the mass-medias regarding the coming elections in the country. Seems to have difficulties making up their minds re the SW frequency. O=3 (Christer Brunström, SW Bulletin via Thomas Nilsson, DXLD) 5030 kHz, 2157-2400 sign off. Fair to good reception March 24 with live coverage of "Semaine Nationale de la Culture" continuing after news, lots of live music, commentary in French and local language. I did a search and this event is apparently under way until March 30. (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. No end in sight to 1-day CBC walkout CHARLIE FIDELMAN, Montreal Gazette, Saturday, March 23, 2002 The 24-hour walkout at CBC is now a blackout with no light at the end of the tunnel as each side calls on the other to make the next move. Striking CBC workers won't be allowed back in until "we sit down and get a new agreement" or protocol in the labour dispute is reached, CBC spokesman Marc Sévigny said. "We're not taking the onus of the lockout. Our position is that it's a strike. They walked out. By law, the link between the worker and the employer is broken. There's no such thing as a 24-hour strike," Sévigny said. On Wednesday, the union representing 1,300 journalists and production staff - the Syndicat des Communications de Radio-Canada - announced the 24-hour walkout in protest against stalled labour negotiations. 'It's No Picnic' The action canceled most English and French local radio and TV programs, including Daybreak, hosted by Dave Bronstetter, Newswatch with Dennis Trudeau and Radio-Canada's Téléjournal anchored by Stephan Bureau. It was to end at midnight. The next step, Sévigny said, should be "a sign from the union that they really want to sit down and talk. Except that now it's going to be a new agreement." The walkout was announced after CBC tabled its final offer on Wednesday. Union officials called it an ultimatum, not an offer. They didn't present it to the membership because it was practically identical to the offer rejected on Saturday, when 89 per cent voted in favour of strike action, union president Michel Couturier said. Key issues include raises, pay equity and job security, he said. "We had a mandate to go out for 24 hours and we exercised it," he said at a press conference in the basement of St. Pierre Apôtre Church, facing the picket line around the CBC building on René Lévesque Blvd. E. Agreement Unlikely It's not likely an agreement would have been reached by midnight last night given that talks have lagged since last June, he said. "We're ready to talk. We've been ready since June," he said, adding that the ball is now in the CBC's court. A party mood prevailed on the picket line with many young protesters jumping up and down to keep warm. Cars driving by the pickets honked their horns in support. "It's like a day off, but with a lot of stress," said Nancy Wood, host of CBC's two-hour Radio Noon. Many fear a repeat performance of of the 1980 strike that dragged out for eight months. "This is my first strike, but that's what a lot of us are afraid of," Wood said. "You don't make a lot of money at the CBC, so it's pretty scary." © Copyright 2002 Montreal Gazette (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA. Evidently there's a labor dispute of indeterminate duration between SCRC and the CBC affecting CBC operations in Quebec and SRC operations throughout Canada. "Vinyl Cafe" is being aired on RCI in place of the regular Sunday evening fare to the USA between 0200-0300 UT (Mon.) There was a brief announcement of the dispute near the beginning of the transmission (after the news). The RCI web site only has a "temporarily suspended" note on the Maple Leaf Mailbag page. CBC Montreal's web site does give notice that there will be no new content there for the duration of the labor dispute (John Figliozzi, NY, March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. I don't know how this happened, but Radio One management cared enough for Quebec to give us an original replacement program called Morning Edition instead of Daybreak. The host is Bill Herald (or Held, it is really still too early for me today!). The newsreader is Janet Irwin (Erwin?). Here's how the show has been carved up until now: World Report, intro, Quebec weather, Commentary, syndicated report on the Canadian composer of Lord of the Rings, Quebec weather, regoional news, BB King (It's Early in the Morning), interview on a 400-year-old law that prevents charities from performing advocacy work, Quebec news headlines at 8:46, Academy Awards, music from Shrek, Quebec weather. Gee, sounds sort of like... NPR's Morning Edition. (Who'd have thunk?) I have no idea where it's from (given the audio quality, it's either from here or Toronto; if it came from anywhere else, it would sound like a low bitrate Internet stream). A lot of the interval music is familiar to me, then again maybe all CBC local shows use the same music. Funny enough, there still seems to be fill music on Radio-Canada. Looks like either: a) CBC Radio One is more organized to replace striking workers or b) managers at Radio-Canada have much more moral fortitude. Will the suits put this much effort to replace RCI programs? Of course, Daybreak was at one time one of CBC Radio One's most highly rated local morning shows, right? Wonder what they'll do at lunch and for drive-home (Ricky Leong, QB, 1410 UT March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Ricky et al! Yeah, I was listening to the "Morning Edition" on Radio One 88.5, and noticed that they were trying to stick in as many of the regular features as possible. That included the network Business Report show at 5:45 AM, Bob Johnston's "Day in History" feature at 6:25, and a sports report from the national studio just before 7 AM. (They were trying to contact the usual finance guy from London, Jeremy Stretch (sp?) from RBC Capital Management, just after 6:50 AM, but that fell through.) I noted down the names of Bill Gerrold (sp?) and Janet Irwin, and decided to look them up in the CBC national phonebook. Guess what? Both are management personnel, and neither is from anywhere near Montréal. Janet Irwin is Executive Producer of English Radio in Fredricton, NB; Bill Gerald is Regional Director of Radio, English Radio News and Current Affairs, in Regina, SK. I have no idea where either of these people were broadcasting from, but there's always the possibility that they were brought to Montréal, and are at the Maison de Radio-Canada. Janet Irwin was doing news headlines on the noontime show. At the beginning, Patricia Pleszczynska, Director of English Radio in Québec, came on to tell us that the first hour (noon to 1 PM) would be the Ontario regional noon programme, and that the second hour would be a documentary about the singer/musician Lorraine Klassen. Don't know what they'll do about the afternoon show. The morning programme, by the way, was also being fed to Moncton, but I didn't hear any mention of Moncton for the noon show. Again, don't know what will happen from 4 to 6 PM. 73- (Bill Westernhaver, QC, March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. RADIO CHANGES CAUSING STATIC AMONG LISTENERS BUT CBC REVAMP IS MERELY A REJIG Sid Adilman ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST, Toronto Star, March 23 Shock waves are reverberating around the executive offices of CBC Radio. CBC Radio One program director Adrian Mills, CBC Radio vice-president Alex Frame and key staff are masterminding what they call the first major revamp of the national network's programming in 30 years. Changes will be made as of September, but not everyone likes what they've been hearing about them so far. Many outraged listeners are calling the revamp an undeserved slap on the ears for their loyalty. Mills and Frame have said one reason for the program changes is that CBC Radio One should appeal to "younger listeners." This has alarmed listeners, most of whom are 55 and older. They take those two words to mean a radical switch to a steady stream of hip-hop music, or worse. The response has been angry letters and e-mails to Mills and newspaper columnists. Inside CBC, there is fury, too.... http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1016665303931&call_page=TS_News_Columnist s&call_pageid=970599109774&call_pagepath=Columnists (via Ivan Grishin, Mike Cooper, Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** CHINA (non). Very interesting for me fact is CRI relays its Spanish transmissions at 0100 and 0300 via Brasília on 9665. I received 0100 transmission on March 17 with SINPO=23541. Parallel frequency was 11650 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) I still have my doubts this is really the site. Could some of our Brazilian readers absolutely confirm this? (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA [and non]. Besides Sunday 1800, UT Mon 0000, 0600, 1200 on RFPI, James Bean`s Spiritual Awakening broadcast/webcast schedule: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritualawakening/message/1490 and discussion group itself: http://www.egroups.com/group/spiritualawakening (RFPI Weekly Update via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. CASTRO'S REBELLIOUS DAUGHTER LEADS VITRIOLIC RADIO ATTACK FROM MIAMI As Cuba's communist regime enters its twilight years, a family feud is fuelling democratic hopes --- Cuba after Castro: Observer special Ed Vulliamy in Havana, Sunday March 24, 2002, The Observer A savage new voice of opposition to Fidel Castro's regime is being beamed into Havana from a Miami radio station. The owner of that voice is Fidel's daughter. Over the past month Alina Fernández Revuelta has become the latest talk-show host to hit the cacophonous airwaves in Cuba's fin-de- communist epoch. 'Buenas noches, amigos' - good evening, friends - she kicks off the show, entitled Simplemente Alina - Simply Alina. The programme makes no mention of who she is - 'people just know,' she says. Of all the dissidents hovering over Castro's final years, Fernández may be among the most damaging. 'I do not refer to Mr Castro as my father,' says Fernández. 'I do not love him, I am his exile.' Fernández's opposition to her father's regime is the stuff of heated family drama. It is also the story of the child who came to hate her father and everything that he represented, and defected to ally herself with his bitterest enemies, a group that has for years plotted in Miami for his downfall. Disgusted with Cuban politics as a young woman, Fernández joined the opposition, only to find herself persecuted by her father's government. She defected to the US in 1993, travelling on a false Spanish passport and heavily disguised via Madrid, before introducing herself to the Cuban exile opposition - literally, across a table in its unofficial headquarters, the Versailles restaurant in Miami's Little Havana. In 1997 Fernández published a memoir describing visits by her father engulfed in 'stinking' cigar smoke and his omnipotent presence in her early life. She recalls one box-wrapped gift of a doll for her to play with: of himself, with full beard, military fatigues, red star epaulettes, cap and boots. The emergence of the soft-spoken Fernández as the new star of Cuba's exile radio comes hot on the heels of the revelation last year that Castro had another love-child, Francisca Pupo, also living in Miami. Fernández was also born illegitimately, the fruit of a summer fling between Castro and a Havana socialite, Natalya Revuelta, while both were married. She communicates only by letter with her mother and is harshly denounced by her aunt - Castro's sister, Juanita Castro, who also lives in Miami. 'I would like to be in touch with family members' in Havana, Fernández says, 'but I just can't do it, I'm the enemy. It's ridiculous, but that's the way it is.' In the dynastic politics of Cuba, the personal is political. When Castro dies, his brother Raúl, Defence Minister, is slated to take over. Fernández is of a younger generation, and at 46 is unhappy with the way her father and his relations have kept power. She is 'doing whatever I can to spread the reality of life in Cuba'. Last week Fernández - whose show began six weeks ago - led a debate on how Mexico handed back to the authorities a bus-load of asylum-seekers who poured into its Havana embassy. 'We cannot forget what happens to Cubans who have been returned to the regime,' she said. Another show gathered together survivors of the infamous Mariel boatlift in 1980 of 125,000 refugees, her guests recounting their ordeals at home and at sea. She has even invited members of the hated right-wing Cuban American National Federation on to her programme. Her hope for change, she says, lies in 'democracy, not charismatic leaders, because some dynamic leaders become dictators', she says. 'Gandhi was a good leader. Nehru was a good leader. But Fidel has ruined his own country. My generation has been the victim of the manipulation of Cuban history.' The station's programming director, Chuny Montaner, said: 'She has a soft approach, but that doesn't mean she's soft at all.' A recent interview shows Fernández to be a nervous, complex woman, prone to biting her nails. Other accounts detail four marriages and a battle with anorexia (via Mike Terry, UK; Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) Full story at: http://observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,672977,00.html Time, station, frequency, of her program; webcast??? (gh, DXLD) ** DUCIE ISLAND. Pilot stations Stu/WA2MOE, Yoshi/JE2EHP and Jay/AF2C have been keeping the DX community well informed over the past week on the activity and status of VP6DI. As this was being typed, reports indicate that the team is tired but in good spirits. Over the past weekend there has been some activity on 80/40/17 meters. On 160 they make no promises. The operator N9TK (VP6DI) reported that the vertical antenna intended for use on 160 and 80 is giving the operators trouble. They are trying to repair it. Also, there is word that there is something wrong with the RTTY equipment. The VP6DI team is scheduled to cease operation on March 27th and leave the island that evening (their time). They intend to arrive on Henderson Island (OC-056) on March 28th. This is a rare IOTA. They will only stay for one day and depart Henderson on March 29th. On March 30th, they will arrive at Pitcairn (long enough to eat lunch). On April 1st, they are expected to arrive back in Gambier, and all should be back home by April 3rd. Remember, QSL Manager is Garth Hamilton, VE3HO, for all HF operations only. QSL Manager for all 6 meter QSOs is Kan, JA1BK. A log search is or will be available at: http://www.big.or.jp/~ham/dx.html (KB8NW/OPDX March 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB WORLD RADIO A02 BROADCAST SCHEDULE final (31 March 2002 - 26 October 2002; Revised 7 March 2002) excerpt: ENGLISH --- all daily 0100 0400 9745 100 351 N. Amer. (E) 0100 0330 11960 50 330 N. America 0100 0600 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 0200 0330 21470 100 40 India 0330 0400 11960 100 330 N. America 0400 0600 11960 100 327 N. America 0400 0600 9745 100 324 N Amer. (W) 0600 0800 11680 250 36 Europe 0630 1430 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 0700 1100 11755 100 228 S. Pacific 1100 1430 12005 50 43 Caribbean 1100 1430 15115 250 352/128 N/S America 2000 2200 17660 100 41 Europe 2030 2200 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. (Doug Weber, HCJB via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** FALKLAND ISLANDS [and non]. Unsung Hero of the SW CLYDEBANK RADIO HAM HELPED TO WIN BACK THE FALKLANDS Sun 24 Mar 2002, STEPHEN FRASER, Scotsman ARMED with a shortwave radio in a room in his Clydebank home, he was Britain's secret weapon in the Falklands war. Les Hamilton was the amateur radio operator who told the British government the islands had been invaded and the only person in Britain to be in regular radio contact with islanders during the Argentinian occupation. He was the vital link through which details of enemy troop movements and the success of RAF bombing raids were fed back to the Ministry of Defence. The information he provided was considered so important to the success of the war that within minutes his information was relayed to the task force in the South Atlantic. Yet until now Hamilton's role has been a closely guarded secret, known only by senior British politicians, military intelligence officers and a select band of amateur radio enthusiasts. Full story at: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=322342002 (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) Are his callsign, and those of hams in the Falklands further in the story, ever mentioned? Of course not! (gh, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Dear Glenn: This may not be earth-shattering news but I heard after 0500 Radio France International broadcasting to East Africa on 13610. Since I'm a shortwave deprived North American where the BBC doesn't broadcast to us, and the Voice of America can barely be heard on shortwave in NA, any reputable news source on shortwave is welcome (Charlie Harlich, Mar 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Here the A02 Jülich schedule, marked as draft, so last- minute changes are possible. Note the regular use of IBB Biblis for High Adventure Ministries. [see USA non for remarks...] For Wertachtal only the FEBC 250 kW transmission and 6140 from 1555 are shown while Nauen does no longer appear in this schedule at all, but probably the transmissions to be transferred to these sites are just not determined yet. Deutsche Welle daily 0600-1555 6140 120 (1555-1900 WER 130 deg.) RNW, booked by Deutsche Welle daily 1027-1225 6045 ND RTBF daily 0257-0459 9495 160 Sat, Sun 0427-0459 daily 0500-0712 17580 160 Sat -0959, Sun -0806 daily 0957-1206 21565 160 Sat 1000-1117, Sun 1057-1117 daily 1457-1716 17570 160 Sat 1557-1716 VRT/RVi daily 0457-0656 13685 115 daily 0657-0726 5985 265 daily 1729-1856 13710 120 Sat 1757-1956 5910 ND Hrvatska Radio daily 2300-0059 9925 230 daily 0100-0259 9925 300 daily 0300-0459 9925 325 daily 0500-0659 9470 230 daily 0700-0859 13820 270 Swiss Radio International daily 0555-0800 15445 160 17685 200 daily 1625-1815 15220 115 17735 115 daily 1825-2130 15220 160 17580 200 Democratic Voice of Burma daily 1455-1530 17805 70 daily 2330-0030 9490 80 Sagalee Bilisummaa Oromoo Wed, Sat, Sun 1700-1759 15750 125 Tigrean International Solidarity for Justice and Democracy Wed, Sat 1600-1629 15530 125 Rádio Ecclésia daily 0500-0559 15545 160 daily 1800-1859 13810 160 Sat 1800-2130 United Methodist Church daily 0400-0559 11645 145 13810 160 daily 1700-1859 13820 145 15265 160 Trans World Radio Mon-Fri 0655-0820 6045 ND Sat 0645-0750 6045 ND Sun 0645-0820 6045 ND daily 1230-1245 9490 130 Sat 1600-1645 7135 115 9690 120 Adventist World Radio daily 0400-0500 9570 115 daily 0600-0730 11610 200 Sat, Sun 0900-1000 11880 145 daily 1600-1659 13720 115 daily 1700-1759 15235 115 daily 1900-2030 15485 200 IBRA-Radio daily 1645-1715 13840 80 daily 1900-1930 13710 190 daily 2000-2100 9655 115 daily 2230-2330 9405 190 Evangeliumsradio Hamburg Sun 0858-1000 6045 ND Wed 1730-1759 6015 ND Universelles Leben (Radio Santec) Sun 0100-0129 9435 90 Sun 1600-1629 15670 175 Tue, Wed, Thu 1630-1659 6015 ND Sun 1800-1829 15750 145 Sun 1900-1915 15565 115 Christian Science (prgr. in German) Sun 0900-0959 5985 115 Family Radio (WYFR) daily 1600-1800 13855 145 daily 1700-1900 9695 60 daily 1800-1900 15775 160 daily 1900-2000 9495 115 daily 1900-2200 13855 200 Voice of Hope / High Adventure Ministries daily 0700-0800 5975 290 daily 0700-1200 21590 115 daily 1200-2100 15715 115 daily 1330-1430 15775 70 daily 1330-1635 17550 90 daily 1600-1700 13810 145 daily 2000-2100 6175 ND --- via IBB Biblis: --- daily 1700-1900 9495 80 ************* Remnants Hope Ministry Sat 0800-0900 13810 250 Sat, Sun 1200-1300 6110 295 Radio Reveil Paroles de Vie Thu 1830-1859 15750 145 The Overcomer Ministries daily 1200-1459 5975 290 daily 1300-1559 13810 115 Sun 1500-1555 6015 290 Sun 1555-1800 6015 ND FEBC via Wertachtal (250 kW) Thu, Fri 1800-1830 11895 120 LRT / Radio Vilnius -- backup arrangement daily 0000-0100 9855 295 SRI -- backup arrangements for Sottens daily 0555-0800 21750 160 daily 0825-1030 21770 160 daily 1625-1815 21720 145 daily 1825-2130 13645 140 daily 2155-2400 9885 240 DRM test arrangements daily 0600-2000 5850 290 daily 0900-1700 6110 60 (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. Today is Greece Independence Day - March 25th. Not sure what VOG will have on to celebrate this day on SW (Petro Giannakopoulos, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. Meanwhile, in Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii Hawaii, local NPR outlet KIFO 1380 KIFO 1380 KIFO 1380 KIFO 1380 KIFO 1380 has been sold to Utah based Legacy Communications and NPR uses the sales proceeds to expand FM coverage in the islands. Legacy then plans to move KIFO to 1370 1370 1370 1370 1370 so a Washington state station can redirect its signal on 1380 and avoid interference to and from Hawaii. What would Alan Roycroft say! Now, this Legacy outfit has a bit of a track record according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper. They also own 1170 1170 1170 1170 1170 the old KOHO KOHO KOHO KOHO KOHO which used to broadcast in Japanese. In the last two years, it's gone from KOHO to KBUG, to KBNZ to KZEZ, back to KBNZ and then to KENT KENT KENT KENT KENT in January 2002, and now it's gone altogether. Silent that is. (Gee, and I missed all those call changes too!) The plan is: KENT 1170 KENT 1170 KENT 1170 KENT 1170 KENT 1170 moves to join the KIFO tower, which sheds KLHT 1040 to its own new tower (because it can't run 10 kW from this location as the local FCC monitoring station is between the tower and downtown) and the double harmonic interference of 690 on 1380 disappears with KIFO's move to 1370. This reads like a QSL from Alan Roycroft, but shows that Al must still be putting some spanners in the works! Snowstorm knocks AM station off-air in Hawaii! Snowstorm knocks AM station off-air in Hawaii! Snowstorm knocks AM station off-air in Hawaii! Snowstorm knocks AM station off-air in Hawaii! Snowstorm knocks AM station off-air in Hawaii! Wow! What a headline. And, it's true. KNUI Kahului 900 KNUI Kahului 900 KNUI Kahului 900 KNUI Kahului 900 KNUI Kahului 900 has its transmitter atop Mt. Haleakala and a freak wind and snowstorm on January 19 blew the station off-air. It's since returned, using about 1.66 kW instead of the normal 5 kW but should power up again real soon (Melvin Ah Ching`s Hawaiian Radio and TV Guide via March NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. As announced over "DX Blockbuster", from A 02 the same shall be shortened due to introduction of a new co produced programme. A new DX programme "DX Corner" will be aired with latest DX news every Friday. 73's (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. SAVAK: A NEW PRETEXT FOR MEDIA REPRESSION IN IRAN? By Bill Samii Judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi warned in a 6 March speech that people linked to SAVAK (the previous regime's intelligence and security organization) and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency have been active in cultural and artistic centers. He went on to say that "the enemy" has "infiltrated the press and cultural and artistic institutions," state radio reported. This appears to be the most recent excuse for the Iranian government's closure of publications -- about 60 in the last two years, excluding student publications -- and its imprisonment of around 20 journalists over the same timeframe. Nor is the alleged SAVAK link relevant in all the current press-related trials. Often the complainants are hard-line institutions such as state radio and television (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, the Senate-like Guardians Council, and so on. Furthermore, some of the difficulties faced by the provincial press are often due to various practical problems linked to more mundane issues. Hashemi-Shahrudi's claims about SAVAK are linked with the current trial of 73-year-old journalist Siamak Purzand. The closed and unannounced trial of Purzand began in early March, "Iran Daily" reported on 9 March, and during the proceedings he allegedly confessed to having a relationship with SAVAK. Purzand was jailed in November, and the conservative "Jam" weekly subsequently claimed that he received millions of dollars from the American Iranian Council and then distributed some of that money among the reformist newspapers. The reformist "Noruz" daily on 6 January questioned how "Jam" knew all this when no official organization has acknowledged Purzand's arrest. The authorities have no reason to hold Purzand, Hanny Megally of Human Rights Watch said in mid-March, adding that "the judicial authorities are making a mockery of rule of law in Iran." In a 15 March statement from Paris, Reporters san Frontiers condemned Purzand's trial and expressed concern about possible psychological pressure on Purzand to confess. Indeed, Purzand had left telephone messages on his wife's answering machine in Los Angeles, begging her and their daughters not to make any comments about the trial and not do interviews with foreign radios. Purzand's wife, lawyer and human rights activist Mehrangiz Kar, said in an interview with RFE/RL's Persian Service that her husband has been brainwashed in prison. In some notable cases, those standing trial are parliamentarians. Such trials are meant to silence them and intimidate other members of parliament. The Tehran Public Court summoned "Hambastegi" publisher and parliamentarian Qolam Heidar Ebrahimbay-Salami to face complaints filed by the Hajj and Pilgrimage Association and the East Azerbaijan Water and Sewage Company, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on 11 March. He already faces 18 complaints filed by the Guardians Council, the Isfahan Ansar-i Hizbullah (a hard-line pressure group), the Islamic Open University, and the prosecutor-general. Another case involving a reformist member of the parliament is that of Mohsen Mirdamadi, the publisher of "Noruz." On 4 March, he was found guilty on 22 separate charges, including libel, attempting to incite the public, violating election regulations, insulting state officials, and publishing lies. The charges against him were filed by the state broadcasting organization, the Basij Resistance Force (which is part of the Revolutionary Guards), and the Elections Supervisory Board. Jailed journalist Emadedin Baqi, who already is being held in Evin Prison, was brought before the court on 19 February because of a complaint filed against him by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, "Noruz" reported on 21 February. Baqi objected because neither he nor his lawyer had received prior notification, so the hearing was postponed. Baqi will have a week-long home leave starting 18 March if he posts a 100 million-rial (about $57,143 at the official rate) surety bond, IRNA reported. Imprisoned journalist Akbar Ganji will have a home leave too if he puts up 600 million rials. The appeals court confirmed the closure of "Asr-i Ma," the weekly put out by the Mujahedin of the Islamic Revolution Organization (MIRO). Managing Editor Mohammad Salamati's 26-month jail sentence was reduced to 17 months, "Noruz" reported on 6 March. The original sentence was handed down on 15 December. On 17 March, furthermore, Minister of Islamic Culture and Guidance Ahmad Masjid-Jamei announced that the judiciary chief agreed to suspend the verdict pending further appeals, IRNA reported. The sentences of publisher Shahla Lahiji and writer and former editor Mehrangiz Kar (she is married to imprisoned journalist Purzand) were reduced to six months' imprisonment, calculated as time served, and a 500,000 rial (about $285 at the official rate) fine, the Writers in Prison Committee of International Pen reported on 27 February. They originally were tried for their participation in an April 2000 conference in Berlin and in January 2001 were sentenced to four years' imprisonment. They had remained free pending the appeal, and Kar is in the U.S. for medical treatment. The Association of Iranian Journalists, meanwhile, on 4 March called on judiciary chief Hashemi-Shahrudi to lift the ban on "Guzarish-i Film" monthly and "Cinema-yi Jahan" weekly, which were shut down in January. According to IRNA, Shahrudi has directed Tehran Justice Department chief Abbas Ali Alizadeh to lift the ban two separate times to no effect. It is not just the reformists who stand trial after complaints by hard-line individuals and institutions. "Kayhan" is a hard-line daily linked with the supreme leader's office, and in early-March Managing Editor Hussein Shariatmadari was questioned by press court judge Said Mortazavi and then freed on 300 million rials (about $171,430) bail. According to an 11 March report in the apparently irritated "Kayhan," the complainants were "the ministries of Science, Interior, Islamic Culture and Guidance, and Oil; as well as the managing director of Steel Parts Company; Mohsen Kadivar; Ahmad Hakimipur; Latif Safari; Mehrangiz Kar; Pak Party; a number of those who had lit candles at Mohseni Square for those who were killed in 11 September in America; someone convicted for abduction, rape, corruption and prostitution; and the prosecutor-general." In contrast to Hashemi-Shahrudi's claims about the enemy's infiltration of the press, some Iranian officials have spoken out on the harmful effect of the press bans and the trials of journalists. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mohsen Armin warned, "We cannot chant slogans in support of unity and then start arresting people and closing down newspapers," according to the 13 March "Bonyan." And the Council of Former Parliamentary Deputies on 3 March issued a statement calling for the lifting of the press bans and the release of political prisoners, IRNA reported. Such a step would reinforce national solidarity and block the efforts of the U.S. and other Iranian enemies, the former parliamentarians said. Provincial journalists face legal harassment and provincial publications face the possibility of having their licenses suspended, too, but the provincial press also is affected by greater practical obstacles than the Tehran-based media. A 21 January editorial in Yazd Province's "Sarv-i Abarkuh" said that its biggest problem is the "enormous cost of printing." Sales are inadequate to meet costs so there is a dependency on advertising revenue. Depending on advertising sales is not practical "in a small town where small businesses have difficulty meeting their own expenses," and state subsidies are too small. Another problem, according to "Sarv-i Abarkuh," is the dearth of professionally trained journalists, typesetters, administrators, and office equipment. The publication also must pay to receive Islamic Republic News Agency articles (Bill Samii is editor of "RFE/RL Iran Report" http://www.rferl.org/iran-report/ (via RFE/RL Media Matters via DXLD) ** IRAQ [and non]. Editorial Analysis: BROADCASTS FOR THE IRAQI PEOPLE International attention has now extended to include Iraq as well as Afghanistan. The state of Iraqi broadcasting and the level of media beamed in that politically isolated state could play a part in the war of words that is so often heard before, during and after military action. Audience research data from Iraq is non-existent, which makes it difficult to assess the impact of any individual programme, broadcaster or nation. Since 1991, broadcasts from Iraq have been almost inaudible outside its borders. Considerable damage was done to Iraq's once impressive broadcast installations. Domestic radio and TV is the most accessible in the parts of Iraq controlled by Saddam Husayn. BBC Monitoring has heard Baghdad radio's main service in Arabic on six mediumwave and two shortwave frequencies. The station also announces five different regional FM frequencies. In December 1998 two Arabic sources said Baghdad radio was using mobile transmitters and these may well have been FM. Other domestic services heard recently have been Voice of Youth run by Saddam's son Udayy and Holy Koran Radio. Services that have not been heard recently are Voice of the Masses, the domestic and Persian and Kurdish services from Baghdad and the infamous Mother of Battles Radio. Of the domestic TV services, only the Iraq Satellite Channel is seen on a number of satellites, although the main domestic TV service and to a lesser extent, Udayy's channel Youth TV, are available terrestrially. The radio and TV bands in Iraq are therefore open to incoming signals. Given the erratic operation of some Iraqi broadcasts, there is little evidence of an infrastructure that could jam incoming radio or TV services to any great effect. So what else is available to the Iraqi citizen? Anyone who possess a shortwave and mediumwave radio will have access to a wide range of general Arabic-language services from the Middle East as well as the UK, USA, Russia and France, amongst others. These include US-funded Radio Free Iraq, operated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from studios in Prague. It is probably the most audible in technical terms and may reach a sizable audience. There are several clandestine radio efforts too, which may take a small listening share: Voice of the Iraqi People in Arabic which is the radio of the Iraqi Communist Party; Al-Mustaqbal Radio in Arabic/Kurdish from the Iraqi National Accord, Voice of the Iraqi Republic from Baghdad/Voice of the Iraqi People and the latest, Radio Mesopotamia/Radio of the Two Rivers, which for four hours a day seems to be aimed at younger people. There is likely to be an upsurge in clandestine media activity if the political and military temperature continues to rise. Another such station, with INC and US backing, could be established on a mountain straddling the Iraq-Iran border in an area controlled by the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party. It could easily reach Baghdad on FM - and just as easily be blocked by relatively small local jamming stations. US psyops Commando Solo flights, delivering radio broadcasts from aircraft have also been used in recent conflicts, most recently, and probably with some effect, in Afghanistan. If Iraq comes under direct military threat and they want news, most Iraqis still don't have access to satellite TV, although some older analogue receivers may be available to some viewers. In September 2001 the London-based Iraqi National Congress (INC), a US-funded umbrella organization of groups opposed to President Saddam Husayn, launched Hurriyah or Liberty TV - aimed at Iraq. It broadcasts on a westerly trans-Atlantic satellite in a digital format unlikely to be available to many Iraqi viewers. Observers have questioned whether the opposition will be able to have a significant impact on Iraq's political structure through a satellite channel. Even if no single source has an overwhelming effect in Iraq, some media, including the pan-Arab TV channels do get through and London and Washington have less direct control of their message. The war against terror is not yet over and the war on the airwaves to influence hearts and minds is continuing too (© BBC Monitoring March 22 via DXLD) ** IRELAND. Glenn[n], thanks for all the work you put into DXLD. It's a prime source for my 'hit list'. Regarding recent postings of Irish church relays, last night (24th March) saw 2 received down on this side of the world by myself and Craig Seager. Frequencies were 27285 and 27155 both in NBFM as others have noted. Times were from 1120 tune-in till 1205 f/out with fair strengths on peaks. So, if they make it here they will make it to other places on this side of the world! Best Regards, (John Schache, Bathurst, Australia, DX LISTDNING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/03/24/LatestNews/LatestNews.45771.html CABINET NIXES ALL IBA SHORTWAVE PROGRAMMING By Gil Hoffman, March, 24 2002 Shortwave radio broadcasts in eleven languages heard by hundreds of thousands of people around the world will end a week from today after the cabinet approved the Israel Broadcasting Authority budget this morning. Minister-Without-Portfolio Ra'anan Cohen pledged last month not to let the budget pass unless the shortwave broadcasts were returned to the budget, but his office said today that "the pressure was too great" and he caved in. Cohen is the minister in charge of enforcing IBA regulations, which require that the IBA broadcast to the Diaspora. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said this morning that the Broadcasting Authority and Israel Television Channel 1 sometimes, "Serve the interests of Israel's bitterest enemies." To read more, http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/03/24/LatestNews/LatestNews.45760.html IBA officials said they believe broadcasting on the Internet and via satellite satisfies the regulation, even though the Internet is not available in many parts of the world. When founder Yosef Barel was named interim IBA director-general last week, foreign-language news staffers hoped the would cancel a decision to cut shortwave radio broadcasts in 11 languages heard daily by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. But that hope ended earlier last week when Israel Radio director Amnon Nadav wrote a letter to Bezeq, which had carried the broadcasts, asking the company to stop transmitting them as of April 1. The letter said the broadcasts would instead be available via satellite and on the Internet, in five to seven languages. "Hardly anyone receives shortwave radio anymore, and if they do, they receive poor quality reception," Barel told The Jerusalem Post. "Now the broadcasts will have much better quality at a much lower cost." The decision came despite hundreds of letters from angry Diaspora Jews. The cut is intended to save the IBA NIS 6 million at a time when it is making cutbacks wherever possible due to a multimillion shekel debt. IBA staffers are especially concerned about ending the broadcasts in languages of countries where Internet and satellite are not readily available. Among the letters protesting the decision are many from listeners in Georgia, Lithuania, and Romania. "These broadcasts are an important lifeline for the many living in Britain who wish to be kept up to date with impartial news and to hear interviews with government ministers not subject to editing by news outlets such as BBC, CNN, and Sky, which have tended to give very different perspectives of recent events in Israel," wrote Neville Nagler, director-general of the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Israel Radio spokeswoman Carmela Yisraeli wrote Nagler and others last month that the proposal to cut the broadcast had been reconsidered. However, her use of the words "in the meantime" meant the battle was far from over. Barel said a decision to move IBA English News to Channel 33 has been delayed from April 1 to "the end of April," blaming the delay on his predecessor, Ron Galinka. The IBA began laying the infrastructure last month for Channel 33 to be available to those who lack cable and satellite systems. The channel is to become a Middle East satellite network broadcasting Arabic news and IBA English News. The channel will feature two half- hour English newscasts nightly (via Daniel Rosenzqeig, NY, 1321 UT March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I just got word that they have postponed the implementation till May 1, for further deliberations (Daniel Rosenzweig, 1510 UT March 24, DX LISTENING DIGERST) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel update - israelradio.org closing as part of cutbacks. I don't have any updates regarding the 1 month extension... but this was posted on http://www.israelradio.org today: "The Israel Broadcasting Authority has announced that overseas broadcasting will end on March 31, 2002. A statement says that the IBA will cease shortwave broadcasting and instead organize the placing of some programming on the internet and satellite but it has not given a timescale or any details of this activity. This site will no longer be able to operate as will all rebroadcasts on other networks and radio stations outside of Israel. A new web site of `Friends of Israel Radio` will soon be operating." --------- (via Daniel Rosenzweig, 2244 UT March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I've been told that the rescheduling the cutbacks to May 1, came from Bar-el. (That's what I was originally told, but I had no idea who Bar- el was!) Bar-el is the interim Director General, the man who was previously nominated (Galinka) was not ratified and left. As Bar-el is new, he hasn't been briefed on this matter, so he couldn't take a position. Officially, at this point, though, the date is still March 31 (Daniel Rosenzweig, 1200 UT March 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Ed, P5/4L4FN, showed up over the weekend on 15 meters SSB (21225 kHz after 2230z). Really no new detail to report this week. (KB8NW/OPDX March 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Atención! REPUBLICA DE COREA: Respondiendo a muchas críticas y reclamos de oyentes de España por las dificultades en la recepción de sus emisiones y después de largas luchas e insistencias por parte del Servicio Español, Radio Corea Internacional cambia su esquema a partir del 31 de marzo de 2002. A través del programa Antena de la Amistad del 24/3/02, Sonia Cho y Ramiro Trost anunciaron las novedades al respecto: "Creo que son noticias importantes para la onda corta, veremos como andan esas frecuencias", dijo Ramiro en su reciente mensaje electrónico. Este es el nuevo esquema de transmisión de KBS en español: (las horas son UT y novedades van en negritas [perdidas en txt]) 1000 a 1100 7550 Europa 9580 América del Sur 11715 América del Sur (vía Sackville) 1600 a 1700 6150 Europa 2000 a 2100 7275 Europa 9870 Oriente Medio y África 15575 Europa 0100 a 0200 15575 América del Norte 0700 a 0800 13670 Europa En conclusión, se eliminan la emisión de las 1800-1900 (9515//9870 kHz) para Oriente Medio y Africa y la frecuencia de 11810 en la emisión correspondiente a las 0100-0200 dirigida a América del Sur. Se agregan dos emisiones más hacia Europa: 1600-1700 y 0700-0800 y una frecuencia: 15575 en la habitual emisión de las 2000-2100. De esta forma, Radio Corea Internacional pasa de su anterior esquema de cuatro horas al nuevo esquema de cinco horas diarias de transmisión en idioma español. ¿Se reactiva nuestro idioma en la onda corta?. Saludos cordiales de... (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, Mar 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Viernes, 15 de marzo 9:20 PM PRESENTAN LIBRO SOBRE LA RADIO PÚBLICA EN MEXICO (CNI EN LÍNEA) Tras la presentación del libro "Dimensiones de la radio pública en México", en el Palacio de Bellas Artes, el autor Luís Ernesto Pi Orozco señaló que la radio pública en México es una opción buena y necesaria frente a la oferta comercial. El ex director de Radio Educación explicó que resulta de vital importancia la existencia de opciones que divulguen la literatura, ciencia, arte, derechos humanos, ópera y todo aquello que sea importante para la sociedad, y que no promueven las estaciones privadas. Por su parte, el periodista Jorge Meléndez Preciado subrayó que el volumen "Dimensiones de la radio pública en México" contiene reflexiones de fondo, experiencia y cuidado en no aceptar ideas. Meléndez Preciado indicó que la televisión ha perdido puntos de rating por su actual programación, algo que le da a la radio un lugar importante, por lo tanto es necesario apoyarle con mayor presupuesto. Durante la presentación, el autor comentó que en su libro se "divulga la realidad de la radio pública, tratando de contribuir a una apreciación crítica desde un punto de vista objetivo", con lo cual busca hacer recapacitar al lector sobre la importancia de la radio en México (Héctor Garcia Bojorge, México, Conexión Digital Mar 24 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS "Alfa Lima International", 15070, 300 watts! "Skull" card on blue paper + info sheet with all QSL details filled in. Signer: Alfred. In 17 days by post for S.A.E. (used) and $1 (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion OR, 3/24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Here's the Radio Netherlands program guide again, this time for the shortwave transmissions only, rearranged in strict UT time and day order, and any inconsistencies hopefully removed: RADIO NETHERLANDS PROGRAMME GUIDE MARCH 31-OCTOBER 26TH 2002 0930-1125 As/FE/Pac 9790 12065 13710 1030-1225 Eur 6040 9860; NAm 5965 1430-1625 As/FE/Pac 9890 11835 12075; NAm 15220 1730-1830 Af 6020 7120 11655 1830-2025 Af 6020 7120 9895 13700 17605 21590 2330-0125 NAm 6165 9845 0430-0530 NAm 6165 9590 Sunday 0000-0030 Music 52-15 0030-0100 Roughly Speaking 0100-0105 News 0105-0125 Europe Unzipped 0430-0435 News 0435-0455 Europe Unzipped 0455-0500 Insight 0500-0530 Roughly Speaking 0930-0938 News 0938-0955 Sincerely Yours 0955-1000 Week Ahead 1000-1030 Dutch Horizons 1030-1035 Eur/NAm: News 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: Aural Tapestry 1035-1055 Eur/NAm: Wide Angle 1055-1100 Eur/NAm: Week Ahead 1100-1108 As/FE/Pac: News 1100-1130 Aural Tapestry 1108-1125 As/FE/Pac: Wide Angle 1130-1200 Dutch Horizons 1200-1205 News 1205-1225 Sincerely Yours 1430-1438 News 1438-1455 Sincerely Yours 1455-1500 Week Ahead 1500-1530 Dutch Horizons 1530-1600 Aural Tapestry 1600-1608 News 1608-1625 Wide Angle 1730-1735 News 1735-1755 Sincerely Yours 1755-1800 Week Ahead 1800-1830 Dutch Horizons 1830-1835 News 1835-1900 Wide Angle 1900-1930 Aural Tapestry 1930-2000 Dutch Horizons 2000-2005 News 2005-2025 Sincerely Yours 2330-2335 News 2335-2355 Sincerely Yours 2355-2400 Week Ahead Monday 0000-0030 Dutch Horizons 0030-0100 Aural Tapestry 0100-0105 News 0105-0125 Wide Angle 0430-0435 News 0435-0455 Sincerely Yours 0455-0500 Week Ahead 0500-0530 Dutch Horizons 0930-1000 Newsline 1000-1030 Research File 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: EuroQuest 1030-1100 Eur/NAm: Newsline 1100-1125 As/FE/Pac: Newsline 1100-1130 Eur/NAm: EuroQuest 1130-1200 Research File 1200-1225 Newsline 1430-1500 Newsline 1500-1530 Research File 1530-1600 EuroQuest 1600-1625 Newsline 1730-1800 Newsline 1800-1830 Research File 1830-1900 Newsline 1900-1930 EuroQuest 1930-2000 Research File 2000-2025 Newsline 2330-2400 Newsline Tuesday [original sked said 1130-1325 for Europe for Tuesday but I'm sure that's a misprint for 1030-1225] 0000-0030 Research File 0030-0100 Euroquest 0100-0125 Newsline 0430-0500 Newsline 0500-0530 Research File 0930-1000 Newsline 1000-1030 Music 52-15 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: A Good Life 1030-1100 Eur/NAm: Newsline 1100-1125 As/FE/Pac: Newsline 1100-1130 Eur/NAm: A Good Life 1130-1200 Music 52-15 1200-1225 Newsline 1430-1500 Newsline 1500-1530 Music 52-15 1530-1600 A Good Life 1600-1625 Newsline 1730-1800 Newsline 1800-1830 Music 52-15 1830-1900 Newsline 1900-1930 A Good Life 1930-2000 Music 52-15 2000-2025 Newsline 2330-2400 Newsline Wednesday 0000-0030 Music 52-15 0030-0100 A Good Life 0100-0125 Newsline 0430-0500 Newsline 0500-0530 Music 52-15 0930-1000 Newsline 1000-1030 Weekly Documentary 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: Dutch Horizons 1030-1100 Eur/NAm: Newsline 1100-1125 As/FE/Pac: Newsline 1100-1130 Eur/NAm: Dutch Horizons 1130-1200 The Weekly Documentary 1200-1225 Newsline 1430-1500 Newsline 1500-1530 The Weekly Documentary 1530-1600 Dutch Horizons 1600-1625 Newsline 1730-1800 Newsline 1800-1830 The Weekly Documentary 1830-1900 Newsline 1900-1930 Dutch Horizons 1930-2000 The Weekly Documentary 2000-2025 Newsline 2330-2400 Newsline Thursday 0000-0030 The Weekly Documentary 0030-0100 Dutch Horizons 0100-0125 Newsline 0430-0500 Newsline 0500-0530 The Weekly Documentary 0930-1000 Newsline 1000-1030 Aural Tapestry 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: Research File 1030-1100 Eur/NAm: Newsline 1100-1125 As/FE/Pac: Newsline 1100-1130 Eur/NAm: Research File 1130-1200 Aural Tapestry 1200-1225 Newsline 1430-1500 Newsline 1500-1530 Aural Tapestry 1530-1600 Research File 1600-1625 Newsline 1730-1800 Newsline 1800-1830 Aural Tapestry 1830-1900 Newsline 1900-1930 The Research File 1930-2000 Aural Tapestry 2000-2025 Newsline 2330-2400 Newsline Friday 0000-0030 Aural Tapestry 0030-0100 Research File 0100-0125 Newsline 0430-0500 Newsline 0500-0530 Aural Tapestry 0930-1000 Newsline 1000-1030 A Good Life 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: The Weekly Documentary 1030-1100 Eur/NAm: Newsline 1100-1125 As/FE/Pac: Newsline 1100-1130 Eur/NAm: The Weekly Documentary 1130-1200 A Good Life 1200-1225 Newsline 1430-1500 Newsline 1500-1530 A Good Life 1530-1600 The Weekly Documentary 1600-1625 Newsline 1730-1800 Newsline 1800-1830 A Good Life 1830-1900 Newsline 1900-1930 The Weekly Documentary 1930-2000 A Good Life 2000-2025 Newsline 2330-2400 Newsline Saturday 0000-0030 A Good Life 0030-0100 The Weekly Documentary 0100-0125 Newsline 0430-0500 Newsline 0500-0530 A Good Life 0930-0936 News 0936-0955 Europe Unzipped 0955-1000 Insight 1000-1030 Music 52-15 1030-1035 Eur/NAm: News 1030-1100 As/FE/Pac: Roughly Speaking 1035-1055 Eur/NAm: Europe Unzipped 1055-1100 Eur/NAm: Insight 1100-1106 As/FE/Pac: News 1100-1130 Eur/NAm: Roughly Speaking 1106-1125 As/FE/Pac: Europe Unzipped 1130-1200 Music 52-15 1200-1205 News 1205-1225 Europe Unzipped 1430-1436 News 1436-1455 Europe Unzipped 1455-1500 Insight 1500-1530 Music 52-15 1530-1600 Roughly Speaking 1600-1606 News 1606-1625 Europe Unzipped 1730-1735 News 1735-1755 Europe Unzipped 1755-1800 Insight 1800-1830 Music 52-15 1830-1835 News 1835-1900 Europe Unzipped 1900-1930 Roughly Speaking 1930-2000 Music 52-15 2000-2005 News 2005-2025 Europe Unzipped 2330-2335 News 2335-2335 Europe Unzipped 2355-2400 Insight (c) 2002 (Radio Netherlands web site; rearranged by John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI frequency schedule From 31 March-5 May: (as announced on 25 Mar Mailbox RA file) 1650-1750 6095 1750-1850 11725 1850-2050 15160 2050-0500 17675 0500-0700 15340 0700-1100 11675 E. Timor, EAsia, NW Pac- 1105-1305 11675 Special overnight when necessary 6095 Forces for NZ Forces overseas: 11-13 Sat; 19-20 Sat: For forces in Bosnia. The forces broadcasts are also on on Sunday (Joel Rubin, swprograms Mar 25 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. See SOUTH CAROLINA [non] ** NIGERIA. VON TO COMMENCE IGBO, YORUBA SERVICES SOON This Day (Lagos), March 25, 2002, by Kunle Akogun, Lagos In its sustained efforts to widen its listenership both locally and internationally, Voice of Nigeria (VON) plans to commence broadcasting in Igbo, Yoruba and German languages before the end of June this year. This is in addition to its existing six-language broadcasts in English, French, Hausa, Fufudi [sic], Kiswahili and Arabic. VON's Director General Mr Taiwo Allimi, who disclosed this, said the organisation was fully prepared for the three additional language services, having already re-engineered three of its super power transmitters. He told select media representatives at an interactive session in Lagos that to enhance the viability of the nine-language services, two other transmitters are currently being re-engineered, adding "with time, five transmitters will be running, one of which will be on stand-by during maintenance and another will be dedicated solely for languages' broadcasts". Allimi also hinted that before the end of May, VON will have developed its own website to project the best of Nigeria's cultural heritage. The Director General who was appointed about three years ago, said VON was almost moribund by the time he took over, adding "our mandate was to revive the organisation and make it the most effective and enduring instrument that will continue to expose the value of democracy and the developments in the country to the outside world." He said towards this, he had been able to put a lot of structures on the ground. For instance, Allimi said, he realised early enough that if VON is to cover Nigeria effectively to the outside world, it would not do to sit down in Lagos and Abuja alone, adding "this was why we started to open zonal offices in Gombe, Calabar, Sokoto and Ekiti." He said the same goes for the coverage of Africa to the world, pointing out that "we can't sit down in Nigeria and say we are covering Africa, and we have opened a bureau in South Africa." The VON boss said global broadcasting must promote world peace, development, universal understanding and world friendship. He said with this in mind, VON would not cover any conflict from the perspective of conflict alone but also from the perspective of efforts geared towards finding solution to the conflict. He acknowledged the support of president Olusegun Obasanjo and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof. Jerry Gana as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to VON since he took over and pledged to sustain the new VON's status of the "sole broadcaster of Nigerian viewpoints by radio to the outside world". (from allafrica.com via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. 680, ZP11, R. Caritas, main transmitter was destroyed in January 2002 in a fire caused by a transit accident. They suffered 500 million Guaraníes in damages or approximately 100.000 US dollars. They are now back on the air using a reserve transmitter working with 1 kW. Now and then they are leaving the air (Dom Mur via Editor ARC: Thord Knutsson via Tore Larsson, DXLD) ** PERU. 6347.2, Radio Unión, Lima. 0835-0900 March 21. Romantic music in Spanish. Ann.: "Te invitamos a tu programa, de lunes a viernes, de 4 a 5 de la tarde... Universitaria". ID as: "Radio Unión S.A., en sus tres frecuencias: 880 kilociclos, 6115 kilociclos, en onda corta y ... en FM estéreo, con estudios en Avenida Central 1217, Piso 12, San Isidro...". Audio very distorsionated. 34433. On March 22, I heard Radio Unión on 6348 at same hour with 34433 too (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS: Re DXLD 2-047: Hi Glenn, The story referred to the murder of a NZ career diplomat (Bridget Nicholls) in Honiara. She had been in Honiara a short while and was knifed to death in her garage within a patrolled area. Another NZer was killed a short time ago and all NZers have been told to be prepared for emergency evacuation. No- one has been arrested for her murder yet (Paul Ormandy, Host of The South Pacific DX Report, Mar 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. Can anyone shed light on my mystery? Fundamentalist American preacher Brother Stair`s programme THE OVERCOMER is being rebroadcast on 88.4 FM somewhere in the Canterbury province [of NEW ZEALAND]. SWLs will be familiar with Brother Stair from his broadcasts carried on Deutsche Telekom shortwave transmitters. The FM relay was audible widely - from about 90 km north of Christchurch (north of Waipawa) to Ashburton in the south (80 km south of Christchurch). Even in Christchurch, where 88.4 is dominated by guardband station Pulse FM; I could sometimes hear Brother Stair in elevated locations like the hills above Sumner. Such widespread coverage could mean multiple transmitter locations, or an antenna in a very elevated location. Does anyone have ideas on this? The only suggestion to date is that it could be related to a religious commune in the Waipawa area (Bryan Clark, March NZ DX Times via DXLD) ** SPRATLY ISLAND. Reports indicate that the Vietnam Amateur Radio Club (VARC) plan to be on from here during April. They will use the callsign XV9TH, however, specific dates are unknown. More details are forthcoming (KB8NW/OPDX March 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** TAIWAN / FRANCE. L'émission de Radio Taipei Internationale à destination de l'Afrique de l'ouest, via un émetteur d'Issoudun, sera diffusée entre 2200 et 2300 TU sur 12060 kHz. La transmission est prévue pour fin mars (NDR : probablement le 31, avec le début de la nouvelle saison). Il n'a pas été possible d'obtenir dans l'immédiat un horaire plus tôt dans la soirée (Radio Taipei Internationale - 16 mars -- les informations sont issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. CBS-R. Taipei Int'l European broadcasts from 2200 to 2300 UT can be heard on 15600 and 11565 starting March 31st. These are relayed via WYFR. All other frequencies will remain the same (CBS-R. Taipei Int'l website via Daniel Sampson, Arcadia, WI, Prime Time Shortwave via DXLD) http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ ** TURKEY. This is the English broadcast schedule of the Voice of Turkey that will be effective from 31 March to 27 October 2002: Europe: 0300 - 0400 (*) 11655 0300 - 0400 (*) 9650 1230 - 1330 17830 1830 - 1930 9785 2200 - 2300 12000 2200 - 2300 11960 North America: 0300 - 0400 (*) 11655 0300 - 0400 (*) 9650 2200 - 2300 11960 2200 - 2300 12000 Australia: 1230 - 1330 17615 2030 - 2130 9525 Asia: 0300 - 0400 7270 1230 - 1330 17615 2030 - 2130 9525 Africa: 0300 - 0400 7270 (*): The transmission frequency of the English Programme between 0300- 0400 UT will be changed from 11655 kHz to 9650 kHz on 02 September 2002 (via Ramón Vázquez Dourado, Spain, DXLD) We have already had this but in different versions, and I missed 7270 (gh, DXLD) ** U K. BBC World Service - A02 - English Service March 31 - October 27, 2002 [gh excerpts from a complete schedule, some strange new transmissions] 0200-0230 m-f 9510 eu 9820 am 1100-1530 12105 sa 1115-2130 m-f 11675 eu, am (via Gayle Van Horn, Monitoring Times, DXLD) ** U S A. BRIDGE SHOULD BE NAMED FOR FESSENDEN Hatteras, NC "Island Breeze", March 2002 Letters to the Editor On Christmas eve, 1906, wireless telegraph operators aboard ships off Norfolk, Virginia, and in the Caribbean, instead of dots and dashes, heard in their headsets Christmas music, then someone speaking, then a violin playing. Unheard of! What it was, was radio. It was the first radio broadcast ever. From Brant Rock, Mass., using methods he had patented and equipment he had designed while experimenting on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, R.A. Fessenden accomplished this remarkable feat. Earlier, in 1900 at Cobb Island, Md., Fessenden, while experimenting with wireless telephony, for the first time sent and received intelligible speech by electromagnetic waves over a distance of one mile. Then, in 1902, 100 years ago, R.A. Fessenden sent the first musical notes ever relayed by radio waves from Buxton, Cape Hatteras, some 48 miles north to Roanoke Island. A new, five-mile-long bridge almost completed, from Manns Harbor to Roanoke Island needs a name. This bridge crosses the path of the musical notes first sent north to Roanoke Island from Buxton by Fessenden. Much later North Carolina's most famous entertainer, Andy Griffith, used this "thing" called radio to promote his classic monologue, "What it was, was football." To help promote the naming of this new bridge The R.A. Fessenden Memorial Bridge, people should send their recommendations to the Dare County Commissioners, P.O. Box 1000, Manteo, NC 27954. Lee Browning, Buxton, NC (via Jay Novello, NC, DXLD) ** U S A. From DXLD 1-080, May 31, 2001: Dear Glenn, enclosed are three pictures of a shortwave transmitter site south of Ft. Worth, TX on I-35W. In all my research I have not been able to find out what SW station this belongs to. A telephone call to KAIJ about this site to their main engineer proved to me this was not theirs, as their engineer told me their SW transmitter site is north of Dallas (Richard Swanson, San Antonio, May 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have been on that highway not too long ago, and did not notice the towers, but judging from the photos, would be hard to miss now, immediately adjacent to the Interstate. A mileage sign next to them shows they are on the east side, 4 miles S of Burleson, 14 mi S of Ft Worth. At least seven towers have wires strung between them, meeting at least at two center points (multiple dipoles?) Perhaps someone will recognize this configuration, or this site. It`s certainly not a SW broadcasting station, but some military or commercial user (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-080) Guys, These towers are actually a failed amusement ride. The inventor of the ride is from Australia. This was the first attempt to start it in the US. A miniature scale airplane hangs between the towers from the cables strung between them. The patron then is allowed to operate the aircraft which operates in a circle about the hanging cable. The local residents deemed it to be too loud and successfully petitioned the local city council to shut them down early last year (Clay Ratliff, March 24, 2002, via DXing.com for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RADIO STATION WILL TEST INCREASED POWER LEVELS From http://www.columbian.com [Vancouver, WA, near Portland OR] Saturday, March 23, 2002 By SCOTT HEWITT, Columbian staff writer Radio station KVAN will test increased broadcast power levels next week, and people who notice new or aggravated interference problems are invited to call the station at 360-514-9601. But calling doesn't necessarily mean anything will get fixed. The station has one interference-fighting engineer going door-to-door in east Vancouver, near the station's four broadcast towers; even if there's a flood of calls he will likely get to just a handful before the testing is over. The rest of any complaints related to the raised power level will be addressed after power goes up for good, according to KVAN general manager Mark Ail. That long-sought power boost now seems unlikely to happen until late this year. KVAN, 1550 AM, got an initial green light from the Federal Communications Commission to boost its broadcast power from 10,000 to 50,000 watts years ago. Getting all the engineering done and tested has been a painstakingly slow process. That testing will widen the swath of land potentially affected by interference from the four radio towers at Northeast 34th Street and 155th Avenue, Ail said. "Our expectation is that ... new people will experience interference," he said. Ail said he doesn't know whether the problem will intensify for those already experiencing it, or return to those who've had it fixed. Here's what Ail said will happen next week: During daytime business hours on two or three days -- which days still aren't certain and could be affected by variables like weather -- KVAN will power its towers up to 50,000 watts. "We'll raise power up and take some readings and bring it back down," said Ail. That will be followed, in two or three weeks, by further technical adjustments and eventually more testing. There could be several rounds of testing before consulting engineers sign off on the project, Ail said. After that, it could be anywhere between 45 and 120 more days before the FCC gives its final approval to the power boost. Neighbors in east Vancouver are worried that the power boost will aggravate a host of radio-interference problems they already experience -- mostly with KVAN. For years neighbors have complained about radio sound and static on phone and TV reception, computers that can't get or stay online, and even toasters, microwave ovens and garage door openers that kick on and off by themselves. Because interference problems often originate with inexpensive equipment and appliances that aren't well shielded against radio signals, the FCC doesn't require broadcasters to fix interference problems. KVAN has been taking complaints and working its way down the list of complainants for years. On Friday, Ail said that KVAN has received 469 complaints to date and continues to work on 18 of them. All the others, he said, have been resolved to the complainant's satisfaction. Affected neighbors contacted Friday had varying opinions. Jim Hamilton, president of the Parkside Neighborhood Association, said his interference problems were solved when he bought a better telephone and that he hasn't heard any new complaints lately. But Gus Potter, a vice chair of the Parkway East Neighborhood Association, said she doesn't believe neighbors are "all that satisfied or happy" with the interference situation in the area. Residents have noticed that interference decreases in rainy, wet weather and increases when it's dry, she said, so any slowing of complaints is temporary only. Potter said radio sound used to come from her TV and her burglar alarm, but KVAN's traveling engineer solved the problem. RADIO INTERFERENCE? Call Mark Ail at KVAN: 360-514-9601 (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) ** U S A. A little DXLD item about the 1710 station was quoted on the NRC list and led to this heated thread: (gh) It's interesting to note that the illegal left wing pirate operation Lubavicher/Chassidic Radio on 1710 kc remains on the air unscathed by the FCC, while at the same time the FCC has closed down every right wing pirate operation on MW and SW! Must be political correctness! 73, (Thomas Giella, KN4LF, NRC-AM via DXLD) I've been able to log the pirate based largely on the music and some clearly Jewish references, but I've been unable to follow the talk on the station due to its very weak signal and imperfect modulation. However, I can't for a minute believe Lubavitcher or Chassidic Jews to be anywhere even remotely left-of-centre. We've attached these two labels (L and C) to the station, and if this is a leftie outfit, our labels and understanding of this pirate must be way off the mark. That said, I have been waiting to see what the FCC would do. I am curious, and not keeping track of the tiny handful of FCC busts -- which right- wing (or other) pirates have been busted in, say, the last year? (Saul Chernos (who could have been a rabbi but lacked faith, discipline and a whole lot more), ibid.) Thomas, I believe Lubavitcher Radio is a purely religious organization broadcasting entirely in Yiddish. The NYC guys would know better, but I've not heard any of any left wing political propaganda from this station (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Test # 1 - are they interfering with anybody else ? On 1710 ? Not likely. Test # 2 - are they overtly political in content and/or overly critical of the government? Not that I've noticed from others' loggings - I've yet to hear the station here. Test # 3 - is there any prior history of illegal/unlicensed broadcasting activity by the operators ? Not that anyone has yet discovered. Having answered these questions, to me at least, answers why the FCC hasn't and perhaps won't act (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) As a general rule, FCC busts are triggered either by complaints of interference or complaints from competing stations. I suppose with the station on 1710 it's not interfering with anybody, and since I'm not aware of any commercial Jewish religious stations in NYC there really isn't anybody to complain. They'll probably bust it eventually but I suspect the high-powered commercial pirates in Florida are a higher priority (Doug Smith, ibid.) Hmmm. I take it you're comparing the continued operation of Lubavicher Radio to the FCC ordered shutdown of McIntyre's station in the 1970s. Let's look at this more closely. Politics has nothing to do with it. Until recently, when the FCC stopped enforcing anything, they shut down many pirates, all across the political spectrum. Most pirate operators, in fact, would probably classify themselves as libertarian or anarchist, depending on whether they consider themselves right or left. Furthermore, in what specific respects is the Lubavicher station "left wing?" It's not exactly advocating gay rights, tree-hugging, or a worker's revolution; it's just a religious station. And how would you know if it is advocating those things? I doubt that you can hear it for yourself in Florida, or if you can that you listen regularly. So please explain your basis for asserting that it's a "left-wing" station. Rest assured that there is no left-wing "conspiracy so immense" to infiltrate the FCC. There are not 57 card -carrying members of the Communist Party, taking orders from the Kremlin, running the FCC. As a member of the left-wing-east-coast-academic-intelligentsia, I can assure you that we don't secretly control the government. Honest... If anything, the FCC is openly controlled by the large media corporations. This is called "regulatory capture," the process by which a regulatory agency, originally established to safeguard the public interest, becomes a tool of the industry it's supposed to oversee. The FCC is aiding and abetting an ongoing process of concentration in the media, a concentration tending toward monopoly. This process started during the Clinton administration, and the current FCC commissioners are more than happy to continue it. Witness the spectacular growth of Clear Channel, and the erosion of local programming on the dial. A destructive effect of this concentration of capital is concentration of control over the production and distribution of information and entertainment. The trend toward monopoly goes hand in hand with a trend toward mediocrity and uniformity. Indeed, the FCC seems intent on blocking access to the airwaves by anyone except the giant media corporations. Witness the death of low-power FM, which would have opened up a small portion of the spectrum to community-based organizations of all political stripes, from "left-wing" community groups to "right-wing" religious organizations. The spectrum is a public resource and of right ought to belong to the people, not a handful of corporations. A primary function of the FCC should be to ensure that there is room on the airwaves for a diverse range of entertainment and opinions, all across the political spectrum. Then we wouldn't need pirates (David Hochfelder, NJ, ibid.) My comments on Lubavicher/Chassidic Radio were not intended to be political, just an observation. However I have received directly and via the NRC e-list, emails that are political so here is my "last" two cents on the subject. The Jews invented Communism and have in the past and continue to at this time use the morally bankrupt system to destroy this country. The FCC track record for many years has been to silence mainly right wing radio stations only. What few left wingers like the recent Berkley FM pirate that the FCC has pursued, have received protection from leftist federal judges. the 1st amendment is reserved nowadays only for the left, period! (Thomas Giella, FL, ibid.) Now how can you call that non-political?????? Your message comes across as a total right wing political diatribe. If you have the willingness to say the rest of what you said, be honest about this part too. By the way, I object totally to your allegation of Jewish conspiracies. That stuff has no place on this list as it is totally out of the subject area. It has no place elsewhere either, as it nothing more than negative, hate based xenophobia (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Well, I have been trying to find a moderate talk show on commercial radio here in the Dallas-Fort Worth market since Jim Bohannon was shut out here. Neither NPR nor an occasional peanut-powered pirate can compete for the minds of those who can be entertainingly frightened into believing that all our woes are part of some all-powerful conspiracy on either the left or right or some mysterious extraterrestrial power that's manipulating sunspots and earthquake- producing faults. Deregulation that began in the Reagan years has made it virtually impossible for a family business to start up in any retail field, including broadcasting. Such seemingly liberal ideas as OSHA and minimum wage laws do not hurt the big businesses who can afford the fines for hiring illegals or the bribes to keep the regulators away. For the regulators, who have to show some results to justify their budgets, it's much easier to clamp down on a mom-and-pop store than it is on a major manufacturer with political clout. I can't find a good classical music station between 88.1 and 91.9 anymore, where the spectrum sounds like wall-to-wall preachers who tell us that God is for big business and against balanced government. The knee-jerk political correctness we get from the left is currently being swamped by the rhetoric designed to lead us back to the days when whatever markets there were were cornered by the robber barons. (That sounds like a political campaign oratory, doesn't it, where one side takes its dire prediction of the results of an action and claims that the dire result is advocated by the proponents of the action.) Meanwhile, the trash that we see on our TV sitcoms, our violent cop shows, the outrageous dialogue from the fake wrestlers and the Jerry Springers and Rosie O'Donnells plus what we hear on the radio from Howard Stern and his many imitators are controlled by good-old, unregulated, maximum-profit, bottom line free enterprisers. It's a sort of a marriage of the worst of liberalism ... freedom to sin ... and the worst of conservatism ... big profit no matter what. As one who was able to visit East and West Berlin in 1957 - before the wall went up - where a vivacious, free population spurred in part by Marshall Plan stimulation and the capitalist, free enterprise model provided a stark contrast to the dull, drab, listless, society controlled by iron-fisted foreign military power, I lost my fear of the threat of communism. My only surprise was that it took so long for the human spirit in eastern Europe to rise up and remove the insult to freedom the Russians imposed. Ugh, that's more than I really wanted to say ... and my apologies to those on the list for prolonging this kind of editorial comment (John Callarman, Krum TX, ibid.) I really feel compelled to reply. Disclaimer: I'm not Jewish or a communist, so I have no axe to grind, except to oppose such erroneous and offensive remarks. The First Amendment gives someone the right to say stupid things in public, but this list is not the proper forum to advocate female infanticide, devil worship, anti-semitism, or any other extreme political viewpoint. Let's get things back to radio. If anyone wants to reply to this, have at me off-list. Thomas Giella once again wrote: ``The Jews invented Communism and have in the past and continue to at this time use the morally bankrupt system to destroy this country.`` 1. It's bigoted. Period. It`s like saying that Italians invented organized crime or the Irish invented political corruption. 2. It's very close to the Nazi justification for the Final Solution. Furthermore, if memory serves, Thomas Giella posted remarks to this site a few months ago saying that the United States could do with less Communist ideology and more Fascist ideology. At the time I'd assumed that he didn't mean Fascist racial ideology or militarism. Now I'm not so sure. 3. It's wrong. Communism as an economic philosophy has diverse origins, ranging from late 18th and early 19th century French writers to good ol' American protestants who launched communal experiments before the Civil War. So Marx was a Jew. But Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Castro weren't. Equating a political philosophy with an ethnic group is just plain wrong. 4. It's baseless. It's absurd to assert that Jews and/or Communists are currently gnawing away at the vitals of the republic. Where's the evidence? Jewish control of the media or banking system? Perhaps the Protocols of the Elders of Zion? In fact, Thomas, you represent a far more serious threat to the republic, particularly to the values of tolerance, diversity, and level-headed political debate that have made this country great for over two centuries. Extremism in the defense of bigotry IS a vice (to paraphrase Sen. Goldwater, a Jew!). (David Hochfelder, ibid.) Tom, it's guys like you who give the left their best ammunition to make conservatives look like idiots. Unfortunately, those of us on the right have to deal with people like yourself claiming to be on our team and making us all appear foolish (Rick Shaftan, ibid.). ...I blame it all on the Illuminati and the Trilateral Commission. I can say this with confidence because my tinfoil baseball cap liner, diet of "Garlique" and conscientious use of Gold Bond Medicated Foot Powder have kept me free of these atheistic prevert attempts to mess with our Precious Bodily Fluids! Guys, if there existed so competent a group of conspiracies as people suggest, we'd all have been carrying those "666" RF ID tags for decades by now and V. I. Lenin's body would be on display in the Mausoleum in Times Square. Never ascribe to malice that which can be adequately explained by greed and stupidity. The nearest thing we seem to have to a Dark Empire right now is Clear Channel - and they're busy choking after biting off more than they could swallow.... Sheesh (Jack D. Ripper aka Lee Reynolds, ibid.) The "Clear Channel is in financial trouble" comment is all over the listener based boards as well. It is not true. They have very low debt, and excellent analyst opinions. If there is a debt crunch, look for IBM and GE to go out of business first as they have a greater debt to equity ration than Clear Channel (which bought most of its properties via merger or equity offerings, not debt). (David Gleason, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn: WLW did have a two hour documentary broadcast for its 80th anniversary on March 23, 2002. This was from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM EST. Here is their 80th anniversary newspaper article. http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/03/17/tem_wlw_700_turns_80.html (Artie Bigley, OH, March 24, DF LISTENING DIGEST) Wish we had known about it (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. THE COUNTRY MUSIC COUNTRY RADIO IGNORES March 24, 2002 By NEIL STRAUSS The roots-music soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" won album of the year at the Grammy Awards last month. Will country radio start playing traditional country music now? http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/24/arts/music/24STRA.html?ex=1018009525&ei=1&en=d985ea0c1eb36376 (Via Ricky Leong, Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. There is a very good article about voicetracking in Denver's Westword this week. It is on line at http://westword.com/issues/2002-03-21/message.html/1/index.html (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. CARL MCINTIRE - FUNDAMENTALIST RADIO EVANGELIST From: http://www.miami.com Posted on Sun, Mar. 24, 2002 Los Angeles Times Service The Rev. Carl McIntire, a firebrand fundamentalist radio evangelist who railed against communism, liberalism, racial integration, sex education, evolution and water fluoridation from his broadcast pulpit for four decades, has died. He was 95. McIntire died of natural causes Tuesday in Voorhees, N.J. From 1938 to 1998, McIntire served as pastor of Collingswood Bible Presbyterian Church in Collingswood, N.J. From 1948 until his death, he served as president of the International Council of Christian Churches, a group of fundamentalist denominations. During the peak of his popularity in the 1960s, McIntire's daily half- hour 20th Century Reformation Hour radio program was carried on more than 600 stations in the United States and Canada. McIntire's belief that every word of the Bible was inspired by God and his ultraconservative political views earned him a loyal radio following. But McIntire, who called himself ''the servant of the Lord in a very Holy Cause,'' had a flair for making his views heard off the air as well. In 1971, he led 14,000, mostly middle-age demonstrators down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., demanding a U.S. victory in Vietnam and promising, ``We are going to keep this country from falling to the communists.'' McIntire also picketed meetings of religious groups, including the World Council of Churches, where he protested appearances by religious leaders from behind the Iron Curtain, who he said were KGB agents. In the late 1960s, McIntire faced criticism of his own when his radio broadcasts got him into trouble with the Federal Communications Commission. Civic and religious groups were complaining that the station on which McIntire broadcast his program served as an outlet for what one clergyman called ''highly racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Negro, anti-Roman Catholic'' sentiments (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Didn't he once run or was rumoured to be starting an offshore radio station in the US? (Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Yes he ran one, Radio Free America. He owned WXUR-AM and WXUR-FM in Media Pennsylvania which were closed down by the FCC, they said he had failed to keep proper logs but the station was getting complaints also that they were violating the Fairness Doctrine which at the time stated that all sides of an issue should be aired. They closed on 5th July 1973 and he announced he would start Radio Free America. The MV Columbus anchored off Cape May in the last week of August and following some tests started regular broadcasts 19th September at 12:23 pm while sailing back and forth between Cape May and Avalon on 1160. I have a tape of the first broadcast recorded in Philadelphia and reception is not too good, after a hymn McIntyre opens by complaining about his licences being revoked, I will put some extracts on Tapecircle. By 4.00 pm they received complaints of interference from WHLW 1170 in Lakewood, New Jersey, though there were reports that this station had decided two weeks before RFA came on air that they would file a complaint and, in fact, the interference was only on the fringes of their area and was not severe. RFA closed at 10:14 pm. The next day a judge in Camden, New Jersey issued an order restraining RFA from making any further transmissions until 1st October when it would be decided whether it would be made permanent. The FCC filed complaints of interference from WHLW and from KSL 1160 Salt Lake City, 1160 was a clear channel frequency; the only other American stations on 1160 were local daytime only stations. As the Columbus had American registration McIntyre was liable to a one year jail sentence or a $10,000 fine for operating a radio station on board a US vessel under the 1934 Communications Act. A low power test on 1608, which McIntyre said RFA would use if they ever returned to the air, was made on 23rd September, whilst the ship was still in port! However RFA was not allowed to return, the legal cases dragged on and in March 1974 the order forbidding the station to broadcast was made permanent. The station had a 10 kW RCA transmitter, run at 5 kW, and an end fed inverted V supported by a 100 foot mast (Mike Barraclough, UK, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. On 14275-USB, from around 2042 UT March 25, intermittent music QRM to Glenn Baxter`s K1MAN, IARN transmission. Mostly oldies; very strong here, up to 20 over 9; went off at least for a while at 2100 allowing IARN to be heard again (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also audible here, then into QSOs about the jamming (gh, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. As above under GERMANY: Voice of Hope / High Adventure Ministries --- via IBB Biblis: --- daily 1700-1900 9495 80 !!! I believe this may be a first, a US government facility being used to broadcast private gospel huxters, a clear violation of separation of church and state. Apparently this is being done since Deutsche Telekom is the intermediary, perhaps overflow Jülich cannot handle?? Of course, private US SW stations have carried US government broadcasts under certain circumstances, e.g. KNLS with Radio Free Asia (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** USA. DX-ing with Cumbre Saturday 1230 edition on 9930 was finally cancelled and changed to sermon program which has been heard for the last two weeks (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hawai`i ** UZBEKISTAN. UZBEK WEBSITE LAUNCHED RFE/RL's new Uzbek-language website, http://www.ozodlik.org was launched on 20 March. The Ozodlik.org site, designed by the RFE/RL Internet team, is based on traditional Uzbek designs and is updated daily with news, reports, and features. Nine weekly feature programs cover press reviews, women's issues, science and technology, ecology, religion, music, and crime and society. Three feature programs are available as audio pieces and the remaining are text articles in Cyrillic Uzbek. An instruction page for reading Uzbek texts with Cyrillic fonts is also included. Ozodlik.org uses the Cyrillic alphabet so that RFE/RL's Uzbek content is easily accessible. In future, there are plans to also offer Latin-based texts. All broadcasts from RFE/RL's Uzbek service are streamed live on the Internet, recorded, and made available as on-demand files. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is the first international broadcaster with an Uzbek audio and text website. (RFE/RL Internet Team and RFE/RL Uzbek Service, 21 March via RFE/RL Media Matters via DXLD) THE INTERNET IN UZBEKISTAN. Although Uzbekistan was branded an "Enemy of the Internet" by Reporters without Borders (RSF) three years ago, the country has recently experienced noticeable growth in Internet availability. Six years ago, the country only had a single U.S.-funded Internet service provider (ISP), Pertka –- which mostly provides e- mail services for students. Today, there are dozens of ISPs. However, the cost of Internet usage remains extremely high relative to average earnings and so usage is mostly restricted to e-mail. Recently, the Uzbek government adopted a special program on Internet services development which promises to make the Internet available, in the technical sense, to 150,000 rural users by 2004. There are disparate reports on the current number of Internet users in Uzbekistan. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) estimates that there are about 7000, but Uzbek officials believe the total is around 200,000. Another measure of the growth of Uzbekistan's Internet can be seen in the Yahoo!-compiled directory which today lists 220 recommended sites, whereas five years ago it was limited to 25. Most of these links from the Yahoo Uzbekistan directory are in English, but a number of news sites have content in Russian and English. Only about 10 sites have Uzbek-language content, including those of the two opposition parties ERK (Mohammad Solih) and BIRLIK (Abdurakim Polatov), which are based outside the country. Another level of challenge for Uzbek websites is choosing which alphabet to use. In the early 1990s, Uzbek orthography was officially changed from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet. However, not many Uzbeks over the age of 30 can read the Latin alphabet, and so the transition hasn't been completely adopted. In 2000, Microsoft introduced an Uzbek font in the Cyrillic alphabet, thereby supporting continued online reliance on Cyrillic. Some very official sites –- most notably that of the Uzbekistan Presidential Press Center -- are available only in Russian or English but not in Uzbek (RFE/RL Internet Team and RFE/RL Uzbek Service, 21 March, via RFE/RL Media Matters via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 12019.86, VoV 1130-1230 with Asian music, then 1230 "Welcome to the Voice of Vietnam" and into news items in English, good signal (Bob Wilkner, R75, NRD 535D, Margate, FL, March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. Dear Glenn - The Zimbabwe audio is again available from http://www.zbc.co.zw in Windows Media format. 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, March 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5796, 14 March at 0325 with music; I stayed here as it was tango non-stop on the record player or in the CD, but it was nothing real and elegant from La Plata, but instead more like heavy dance shoving on a mosquito rich evening in Finnish Karelen. Only Q 2 (Johan Berglund, SW Bulletin, via Thomas Nilsson, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6715 Korean religious. March 24 at 1844 sign-on with two-three words by male, then he started singing. Boy, that man loves to sing, sounds he took couple of "one more times" at the end. At 1903 a short prayer. Then the usual stuff. Checking around 2000 show goes on, but rechecking at 2011 they were gone. The ute was off this Sunday. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ KEEPING A-02 SECRET Glenn, In view of your comments, I just checked the HFCC site an it says 'A02 Operational Schedule will be available here around 2 April 2002.' http://www.hfcc.org/data/index.html (Andy Sennitt, RNW, March 25, DX LISENING DIGEST) CALENDARIO RADIOFÓNICO, por Ruben Guillermo Margenet, MES DE ABRIL 1 1925 Comenzó sus transmisiones Radio Dinamarca 1 1930 CX6 SODRE (ex CWOA Radio Oficial), Montevideo-Uruguay 1 1937 SABC, Sudáfrica (3320 Khz) 1 1938 Radio Santa Fé, Bogotá-Colombia (4965 Khz) 1 1939 Golpe de estado del Gral. Franco en España. 1 1949 CBN, Newfoundland, Canadá (640 Khz) 1 1958 Radio Greenland (650/710 Khz) 1 1959 Radio Pio XII, Siglo XX-Bolivia (5952 Khz) 1 1973 Voice of Free Korea pasa a llamarse Radio Korea, Seúl 1 1982 Primer programa "Actualidad DX", RAE-Argentina (realización de Gabriel Iván Barrera) 1 1982 Radio Swaziland (6165 Khz) 1 1986 Se crea ADU Asociación DXman Uruguay, Montevideo 1 1992 Primer programa de TV de DW vía Satélite hacia el mundo 1 1994 Ultimo programa en portugués a través de VOA, USA 1 1999 Cierre de R. Minería, Santiago-Chile por problemas económicos 1 Día del Operador de Audio en Colombia. 2 1872 Muere Samuel Morse 2 1923 WOW, Nebraska (590 Khz) 2 1925 WIBA, Wisconsin (1310 Khz) 2 1962 Tropas argentinas recuperan las Islas Malvinas 2 1974 Picadilly Radio, UK (1152 Khz) 2 1992 CBC R. Canadá Int. inaugura transmisor en Sackville 3 1953 Radio América, Venezuela (890 Khz) 3 1954 Primer programa en idioma extranjero de DW (5 minutos en español, inglés, francés y portugués) 3 1958 KIRL, Missouri (1460 Khz) 3 1990 KBS comienza a emitir vía Sackville-Canadá 4 1937 R. Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Chile (1450 Khz) 4 1983 Country Sound Radio, UK (1476 Khz) 4 1986 Radio San Nicolás, Perú (5471 Khz) 4 1989 GEM AM, UK (945 Khz) 4 1989 Xtra AM, UK (1152 Khz) 5 1922 KKOB, New Mexico (770 Khz) 5 1922 KMBZ, Kansas City (980 Khz) 5 1922 WBAA, Indiana (920 Khz) 5 1922 WRTH, Saint Louis (1430 Khz) 5 1924 LR11 Radio Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina 5 1967 R. Cristal Internacional "570 AM", Sto. Domingo, Rep. Dominicana 5 1992 Autogolpe de estado en Perú. Alberto Fujimori 6 1947 WHOI Salinas, Puerto Rico (1210 Khz) 6 1965 Primer satélite de Comunicaciones. Early Bird (Intelsat 1), USA 6 1966 XERUY Mérida, México (1120 Khz) 6 1984 RGS Radio Grupo Sur - Fundación, Montevideo-Uruguay 6 1990 KCBC, UK (1584 Khz) 7 Día del Cartero en Argentina y otros países 7 1922 WJPC, Chicago (950 Khz) 7 1982 LRA60 Radio Nacional Islas Malvinas-Argentina 8 1928 HIX, República Dominicana 8 1964 Radio Alvorada de Londrina, Brasil (4865 Khz) 8 1989 North Sound Two Radio, UK (1035 Khz) 8 1996 Radio 1521, Irlanda del Norte (1521 Khz) 9 1944 Radio Victoria, Lima-Perú 9 1969 Radio Anguila (1505 Khz) 10 1922 WBBR [sic], New York (1130 Khz) 10 1924 WHO, Iowa (1040 Khz) 10 1945 LU5 Radio Neuquén, Argentina (580 Khz) 10 1954 RAI Radio Audizioni Italiana - Aniversario, Italia 10 1981 Caribbean Beacon, Anguilla 11 1936 Radio Cusco, Perú (6203.7 Khz) 11 1949 SIRA Servicio Internacional Radio Argentina, Buenos Aires 11 1957 Radio Garoua, Camerún (5010 Khz) 11 1969 Radio Veritas, Filipinas 11 1980 Great Yorkshire Gold, UK (1035 Khz) 12 1922 KBBT, Oregon (970 Khz) 12 1923 Primer emisión en Colombia de Estación Internacional de Morato 12 1924 WLS, Illinois (890 Khz) 12 1949 Ondas Azuayas, Ecuador (4980 Khz) 12 1954 Rock around the clock. Bill Halley & The cornets, USA (Primer gran éxito del Rock'n Roll) 12 1961 Regreso a la Tierra del Vostok 1, URSS (Yuri A. Gagarin) 12 1962 RCN Caquetá, Colombia (1440 Khz) 12 1999 Radio Mosoj Chaski, Cochabamba-Bolivia (3310 Khz) 14 Día de las Américas 14 1912 Hundimiento del Titanic (SOS recibido en N. York por David Sarnoff) 14 1942 Radio América, Lima-Perú (6010 Khz) 14 1972 La Voz de la Selva, Iquitos-Perú 14 1980 Radio Quepos, Puerto de Quepos-Panamá 14 1997 Radioemisora Carabineros, Chile (820 Khz) 14 2000 Radio Altair, emisora virtual de la Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia sólo emite por Internet: http://altair.udea.edu.co 15 1921 WSPD, Ohio (1370 Khz) 15 1947 Radio Berlín Internacional, ex Rep. Democrática de Alemania 15 1947 RNW Radio Nederland Wereldomroep - Aniversario, Holanda 15 1967 Se funda en México el grupo radial "MVS", dueña de 67 emisoras entre ellas: Pulsar y Radio Activo. 15 1981 Radio Nacional, San José de Costa Rica (590 Khz) 15 1994 R. Internacional Honduras en onda corta (4930 Khz) 16 1922 KFI, California (640 Khz) 16 1948 Azad Kashmir Radio, Pakistán (4790 Khz) 16 1995 Isle of Wright Radio, Irlanda del Norte (828 Khz) 17 1922 KNBR, San Francisco (680 Khz) 17 1925 CJVI, British Columbia, Canadá (900 Khz) 17 1958 Radio Tarma, Perú (4775 Khz) 17 1960 KICY, Alaska (850 Khz) 18 1926 Polskie Radio, Polonia (6135 Khz) 18 1934 CHSJ, New Brunswick, Canadá (700 Khz) 18 1970 LT20 Radio Junín, Prov. de Buenos Aires-Argentina (1470 Khz) 19 1976 BBC Radio Aberdeen, UK (990 Khz) 20 1922 CFUN, British Columbia, Canadá (1410 Khz) 20 1923 Primer emisión de radio en Brasil: R. Sociedade do Rio de Janeiro 20 Día Internacional de Guglielmo Marconi, ONU 21 1922 KSL, Utah (1160 Khz) 21 1980 Radio Satélite, Cajamarca-Perú (6724.3 Khz) 22 1928 Radio Clube do Pará, Brasil (4885 Khz) 22 1932 La Voz del Trópico, República Dominicana (790 Khz) 22 1947 WTOB, North Carolina (1380 Khz) 22 1980 Radio Metropolitana, La Paz-Bolivia (6195 Khz) 23 1934 La Voz de Carabobo, Valencia-Venezuela 23 1959 LS5 Radio Rivadavia, Buenos Aires-Argentina (630 Khz) 23 1961 Canal 4 Montecarlo - Aniversario, Uruguay 23 Día del idioma castellano 24 1938 LV4 Radio San Rafaél, Mendoza-Argentina (620 Khz) 24 1976 LR9 Radio América, Buenos Aires-Argentina (1190 Khz) 24 1997 CB82 Radioemisora Carabineros de Chile (820 Khz), Santiago- Chile 25 1922 WSOY, Illinois (1340 Khz) 25 1948 LV15 Radio Villa Mercedes, San LUis-Argentina (640 Khz) 25 1948 CMBF Radio Musical Nacional, La Habana-Cuba 25 1874 Guglielmo Marconi - Aniversario nacimiento, Bolonia-Italia 26 1922 WBAP, Texas (820 Khz) 26 1986 Explota reactor N 4 en Central Atómica de Chernobyl-Ucrania 27 1958 LU13 Radio Necochea, Prov. de Buenos Aires-Argentina (960 Khz) 27 1791 Samuel Morse - Nacimiento, USA 27 1926 Primera emisión de prueba de Radio Ayre, Caracas-Venezuela 27 1932 CX30 Radio Nacional, Montevideo-Uruguay 27 1950 Radio Intercontinental, España (918 Khz) 27 1958 Radio Carmelo, Uruguay (1460 Khz) 28 1922 WOI, Ames (640 Khz) 28 1948 WSAR, North Carolina (1480 Khz) 28 1954 Radio Clube de Paranaense en onda corta, Brasil (11935 Khz) 29 1922 WTVN, Ohio (610 Khz) 29 1922 WBAX, Wilkes-Barre (1240 Khz) 29 1924 DW Deutsche Welle, Alemania (6075 Khz) 29 1971 BBC Radio Derby, UK (1116 Khz) 29 1974 Radio Padilla, Bolivia (3476 Khz) 30 1949 CKRD, Alberta, Canadá (700 Khz) 30 1950 WRDZ, Ohio (1260 Khz) 30 1957 Radio Guaiba, Porto Alegre-Brasil (720//6000//11785 Khz) 30 1963 Radio Guatapurí, Colombia (740 Khz) 30 1991 Radio RSA - Cierre de servicios, Johannesbourg-Sudáfrica. (hoy emite como Channel Africa y sigue perteneciendo a SABC) 30 1993 Virgin Radio, UK (1215 Khz) Las fuentes de esta información son: Roberto Scaglione (BCL Sicilia News)-Italia; Radioactividades-Uruguay, Héctor Arboleda-Colombia y Rubén Guillermo Margenet-Argentina (Conexión Digital 3/24 via DXLD)### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-047, March 23, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1123: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.html NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830?, 2430? on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sun 0330 on 5070; Sun 0730, Mon 0100, 0600 on 3210, Wed 1030 on 9475 ** AFGHANISTAN. MISSION CONCLUDED FOR US PSYOPS AFGHAN BROADCASTS | Text of report in English by Radio Netherlands "Media Network" web site on 21 March Commando Solo: Mission Accomplished, 21 March 2001: The fleet of EC- 130E Commando Solo aircraft that were used for US psychological warfare operations in Afghanistan returned to their base in Pennsylvania this week after almost six months of continuous operation. The 40-year-old aircraft flew over 300 missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. Their shortwave frequency of 8700 kHz was heard by listeners around the world. The six specially equipped aircraft will now be upgraded to permit them to relay material from satellite. In Afghanistan, as in previous missions, most of the material was pre-recorded, with the occasional live broadcast by a native speaker if circumstances required it. For more details of the operation, see this page in our Afghanistan media dossier: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/afghanistan.html [BBC Monitoring confirms that the US psyops Information Radio broadcasts, which had been observed on mediumwave 864 kHz and shortwave 8700 kHz since 14 October 2001, are no longer heard.] Source: Radio Netherlands "Media Network" web site, Hilversum, in English 21 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Aha that explains it why I haven't heard them lately (Robin L. Harwood, Tasmania, Mar 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Re reports of Commando Solos are back home. March 22 at 1435 on 8700U same kind of programming as last several months. Rather weak signal, maybe poor conditions. If this is still Information Radio, it must be (and has been?) land based. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 8700, Information Radio, 14 Mar, 1518-1535, SINPO 35343, sometimes decreased to 25332. Most of the time music was played. Two short info messages sounded, each lasted less than two minutes. One of messages was in Pushtu, another one in Dari. USB mode (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** ANDAMAN and NICOBAR ISLANDS. See INDIA ** ARGENTINA? 13363.50 LSB: The mystery station heard on this frequency occasionally could be an Argentine Armed Forces outlet, more common on 15820 LSB. Relays material from various Argentinian radio stations. On Thursday morning from 0605 UTC onwards I heard a Spanish language Night Show with a female presenter. Lot of talk/phone-in stuff, plus music by Duran2, Eric Clapton and others. Also B.A. weather and news after 0630 UTC. Varied and enjoyable. Sad to note strong QRM on AFRTS frq 6,458,50 night and day. That´s new. Annoying utility stuff similar to that heard on 13362.00 USB during daytime. Oh, boy! Best 73`s, Helo (Kari Helopaltio, Finland, March 21, hard- core-dx via DXLD) Very likely it is Argentine. That frequency is listed for them in Domestic Broadcasting Survey (Denmark). Other listed frequencies are 8098, 15820, 20276, 29810. Possibly there are also other frequencies used by them. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, ibid.) ** AUSTRIA. A-02 schedule for AWR via Moosbrunn: 7165 MOS 300 kW/non-dir 1600-1630 German to Eu 7230 MOS 300 kW/non-dir 0700-0800 German/English to Eu 9820 MOS 500 kW/090 deg 0200-0300 English/Urdu to SoAs 11665 MOS 500 kW/100 deg 0330-0400 Persian to ME 11710 MOS 500 kW/145 deg 0300-0330 Oromo to EaAf 15175 MOS 500 kW/190 deg 1900-2000 Arabic to NoAf 15355 MOS 500 kW/215 deg 2000-2100 Dyula/French to NoWeAf 15355 MOS 500 kW/215 deg 2100-2200 English to NoWeAf 15410 MOS 500 kW/100 deg 1630-1700 Persian to ME 15460 MOS 500 kW/145 deg 1700-1800 Arabic to EaAf/ME 15470 MOS 500 kW/115 deg 0400-0500 Arabic to ME 15470 MOS 500 kW/145 deg 0500-0600 Arabic to EaAf/ME 15470 MOS 500 kW/190 deg 0600-0700 Arabic to NoAf 17555 MOS 500 kW/115 deg 1800-1900 Arabic to ME 17780 MOS 500 kW/215 deg 0730-0830 Dyula/French to NoWeAf 17780 MOS 500 kW/215 deg 0830-0930 English to NoWeAf (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** AZERBAIJAN. At last, I managed to catch the Voice of Azerbaijan on MW frequency 1296 kHz. I've become convinced in the possibility of such a reception after I've got the signal of Radio Liberty relay via Baku (it was on 13 March after 1900). "What a pity, why did I not tune in earlier, Voice of Azerbaijan has a Russian service at 1830", so I thought. Well, the evening of 16 March brought some success. I listened to Russian broadcast at 1830-1853. It was weak, periods of deep fading occured every 4...5 minutes, but nevertheless, I've pick up some definitive items and wrote a report. A number of political reports and news about Caspian states co-operation were aired that day (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal March 21 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. RADIO COSMOS - Cochabamba MW 770 7130 Mar/17 1730 -1745 s.off 6036 Mar/17 1745 -1830 s.off 3405 Mar/20 0135 Testes de Transmissão ? (Rogildo F. Aragão, Cochabamba, Bolivia, @tividade DX Mar 22 via DXLD) Added 3405 to earlier report ** BRAZIL. Esquema das transmissões da Rádio Gaúcha, Porto Alegre-RS em ondas curtas: ZYE 850 / 49 m: 6020 kHz 0900 - 0400 ZYE 851 / 25 m: 11915 kHz 0900 - 0300 http://www.clicRBS.com.br atendimento@c... [truncated by yahoogroups] (Claudia Landell, Rádio Gaúcha, @tividade DX Mar 22 via DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. MADAGASCAR(non): A-02 schedule for Democratic Voice of Burma via RNW/Madagascar: 17495 MDC 050 kW/055 deg 1430-1530 Burmese to SEAs (ex 17490/17805) 11715 MDC 200 kW/055 deg 2330-0030 Burmese to SEAs (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** CANADA. Just listened to the Première Chaîne of Radio-Canada at midnight EST. The newsreader read a quick scripter about the failed negotiations between the U.S. and Canada over softwood lumber, then went straight to a script about the failed negotiations between the union (SCRC) and CBC management. Fill music began 12:01 a.m. A cultural programme began at 12:05 a.m. This note appears after the weather on the RCI website: "Dear subscribers: I'm the editor who does this task during the week. But I won't be doing it on Friday because I'll be on a one-day labour strike. I enjoy the task and appreciate the idea of having readers. All this to say that the Cyberjournal-web bulletin may fall by the wayside once or twice in coming weeks because of strikes or lockouts. Please be patient, at least for a while; things may straighten themselves out. We want very much to bring you this service, the only daily Canadian news bulletin on the Internet, unless I' m mistaken. Thanks for reading us." (Ricky Leong, QU, March 22, DXLD) "CBC SET TO LOCK OUT STRIKERS, UNION SAYS" http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/story.asp?id=06E73346-EA44-4463-AF7D-D1A1FAE68763 This does affect RCI, with our on-air people, production assistants and newsroom staff being on strike. You certainly will be noticing the strike when you tune into RCI! 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QU, March 22, and via Ricky Leong, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: CBC SET TO LOCK OUT STRIKERS, UNION SAYS by Charlie Fidelman, Montreal Gazette, Friday, March 22, 2002 A labour dispute at the CBC is threatening to develop into more than a short 24-hour blackout. While one side is on strike, the other is threatening a lockout. Striking employees set up picket lines at the CBC's René Lévesque Blvd. broadcast office as of midnight, throwing English and French local radio and television programs off the air. But the strike action won't darken television screens completely or shut down radio because management will be taking over the newsroom. "It won't be a black screen," CBC spokesman Marc Sévigny said of television programming. "We will be in replacement mode." News programs and information shows with well-known hosts on the CBC and RDI, the French all-news channel, "will be replaced with something," he said. "Most managers aren't comfortable in front of a camera or microphone." There will be Saturday hockey - the visuals only - without the usual commentary. There will be some news programming and short news bulletins. Mostly, there will be music. "Obviously we cannot maintain the same service in the news section, but we will do our best," Sévigny said. Shows already in the can or produced elsewhere are not expected to be affected. Employees and support staff at the CBC's French-language news service in Quebec and New Brunswick have been threatening strike action since negotiations with management broke off Tuesday evening. Yesterday, the union representing 1,300 staff - the Syndicat des Communications de Radio-Canada - announced a 24-hour walkout as of midnight. But CBC officials say they will not accept the walkout. Workers shouldn't expect to come waltzing back to work the following day, Sévigny warned. "From our point of view it's a strike, not a 24-hour walkout. And before they can come back, we need a new agreement - a protocol." Does that mean that without such an deal on the table, workers can expect to be locked out? "These are your words," Sévigny replied. "The union knows the risks." Union representatives have accused the CBC of intimidation tactics. "The CBC is a fascist firm," union spokesman Daniel Roney said. "And you can quote me saying that." The company has "run a campaign of terror, threatening workers that they'll 'stay outside for months.' " "But for us, it's only a 24-hour strike," he said. If CBC proceeds with a lockout, it will find itself with a serious public relations problem, he added. Frustrated with negotiations that stalled since last June, workers voted 89 per cent in favour of a strike on Saturday. "Conciliation didn't work," said union president Michel Couturier. Negotiations broke down Wednesday, Couturier said, when the CBC tabled its final offer. Key issues include pay equity and freelance or part- time employment status. The union wants Radio-Canada to hire half of all employees on regular duty who are now designated as temporary staff. "It's really too bad for listeners, which is why we're only going out for 24 hours," he said. "We want to send a message to CBC: "Come back to the table and talk." A strike could affect employees in Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Moncton, Chicoutimi, Sept-îles and and Trois-Rivières. The last major CBC labour dispute that ended in a strike/lockout was in 1980-81. "It was a very long strike - about eight months," Sévigny recalled. © Copyright 2002 Montreal Gazette (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) RCI relay of SRC-AM at 1700 UT on Friday, Mar 22, consisted of fill music and announcements (in French) about strike (Mike Cooper, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I was just reading some stuff on the SCRC (SRC union's) web site. Their members will insist on returning to work tonight at midnight... Meanwhile, CBC management says one-day strikes don't exist, and the worker can't come back in. (Ricky Leong, early UT Sat Mar 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. We had a report from southern US of RFPI putting a spur on 21295 LSB. This was a very small one, about half a watt, but of concern. It turns out this happens only when both SSB transmitters are on at the same time, 21815 and 7445. So now we will avoid that happening. Plan in future to run AM again on 7445; now it is running almost full power on SSB, but that pushes the limit of the DC blocking capacitor. We have a donated DC blocking capacitor about to be tested. Hope to finish tuning the new antenna for 7445 in a week or two so it can be mounted atop the 200 foot tower, and then full power can be run on AM, gaining about 6 dB over present level. This should benefit most more distant listeners in Eu, SPac, NNam. We have a bartering situation: antenna worker who doesn`t mind climbing high tower, in exchange for James doing some high voltage repair work for him on ground. The antenna is a simple dipole with corner reflector made of many wires behind it. Thanks to a Canadian donating a nice computer, RFPI`s webcast is reliable, at 2200-1400 UT weekdays, 24 hours on weekends (RFPI Mailbag with James Latham and Joe Bernard, first airing 2000 UT March 22, notes by gh for DXLD) The night before, RFPI asked me to check out the 21295 spur. Could not hear it here around 0030 UT, but isn`t that the DXpedition frequency, currently very active with Ducie Island, so everybody must be monitoring it. I then figured out how 7445 and 21815 would put a spur on 21295: 3 x 7445 = 22335; 22335 is the same separation from 21815, 520 kHz, as 21815 is from 21295 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [and non]. DEFENSE ANALYST PLEADS GUILTY TO SPYING FOR CUBA By Neely Tucker, Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, March 20, 2002; Page A01 Colaboración Armando F. Mastrapa III, New York, E.U. La Nueva Cuba Marzo 20, 2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Defense Intelligence Agency's senior analyst for Cuban issues pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Washington to being a spy for Fidel Castro's government, admitting that for 16 years she used her highly classified position to steal top-secret information and pass it along to a nation the State Department lists as supporting international terrorism. Working with shortwave radios, encrypted transmissions and a pay phone outside the National Zoo, Ana Belen Montes gave the Cuban government the names of four U.S. "covert intelligence officers" working in Cuba. She also told Cuban officials about a "special access program related to the national defense of the United States" and disclosed that the U.S. government had tracked down the location of various Cuban military installations, federal prosecutors said yesterday. Montes, 45, apparently was motivated not by money -- her defense attorney and federal prosecutors said yesterday she worked for no more than "nominal" expense reimbursements -- but by her moral outrage at U.S. policy toward the impoverished island nation. "She engaged in these activities because of her belief that U.S. policy does not afford Cubans respect, tolerance and understanding," said Plato Cacheris, her attorney. "She was motivated by her desire to help the Cuban people and did not receive any compensation." Montes pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of conspiracy to commit espionage, a crime that could carry the death penalty. But federal prosecutors agreed to a 25-year term if she tells the FBI and other investigators all the details she knows about Cuban intelligence activities, according to the plea agreement. Judge Ricardo M. Urbina set a September sentencing date, meaning Montes has six months to be debriefed by investigators. That debriefing may prove to be a cache of counterintelligence information, as the indictment revealed yesterday said that Montes spied for the Cuban government at least from the time she joined the DIA in 1985 until her arrest Sept. 21 last year. "Montes used her position as an intelligence officer and, subsequently, a senior intelligence analyst . . . to gather writings, documents, materials and information, classified for reasons of national security, for unlawful communication, delivery and transmission to the government of Cuba," said Ronald Walutes, the assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, reading from the indictment. "Those statements are true and accurate," Montes said when Urbina asked her whether the charges were correct. Luís M. Fernández, spokesman for the Cuban diplomatic mission in Washington, declined to comment. Montes, a U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican descent, was a well-known if quiet figure in Washington's Cuba-watching community. She was a fixture at Georgetown University's Caribbean Project, an unofficial study group composed of academics, policy analysts and activists with an interest in Cuba. "I don't think I ever heard her voice an opinion" about U.S. policy, said Wayne Smith, a study group member who is a former chief of the U.S. interests section in Havana. "During coffee breaks, when everyone else would stand up and talk, she usually stayed at her desk." It was unclear yesterday how much damage was done by Montes' spying. The four agents she identified to the Cuban government are "alive and safe," according to U.S. Attorney Roscoe C. Howard Jr. Government officers who attended yesterday's hearing declined to say if they knew whether Cuba passed along the information to hostile countries or organizations. Montes has a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. She moved from the Justice Department to the DIA, the 7,000-member U.S. agency that produces military intelligence about foreign countries, in 1985. She lived alone in an apartment in the 3000 block of Macomb Street NW, worked at Bolling Air Force Base and went undetected until the fall of 2000. Acting on classified information, FBI agents began tracking her movements. They obtained court permission to enter her apartment and copy computer data. Agents found that Montes communicated with Cuba by high-frequency, encrypted transmissions that she picked up on a shortwave radio. She sent information back by using pay phones in Northwest Washington and Bethesda to transmit similar encoded information to an electronic pager number. "This was a classic case of espionage and counterespionage," said Van A. Harp, head of the FBI's Washington field office. Copyright © 1997-2002 - LA NUEVA CUBA NOSTROMO PUBLISHING CORP. All Rights Reserved. 73's (via Oscar, and Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) U.S. INTELLIGENCE ANALYST ADMITS SPYING FOR CUBA AT LEAST 16 YEARS DEFENSE DEPT. EMPLOYEE REVEALED IDENTITIES OF FOUR UNDERCOVER AGENTS Associated Press, The Baltimore Sun, Marzo 20, 2002 WASHINGTON - A U.S. intelligence analyst who revealed the identities of four undercover agents to Cuba pleaded guilty yesterday to espionage. She could spend 25 years in federal prison. Ana Belen Montes, 45, was spying for Cuba from the time she started work at the Defense Intelligence Agency in 1985 until her arrest Sept. 21, prosecutors say. By that time, she was a senior intelligence analyst and had used short-wave radio and coded pager messages to give Cuba U.S. secrets so sensitive they could not be fully described in court documents. "Yes, those statements are true and accurate," Montes told U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina after the charges were read. When Urbina asked whether one reason she had agreed to plead guilty was "the fact that you committed the crime," she said, "Yes." Roscoe Howard Jr., U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said law enforcement officials did not know whether any of the information Montes transmitted to Cuba was shared with other countries. However, the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington heightened the need to "get her off the streets," and influenced the timing of her arrest, he said. Howard added that, to the government's knowledge, Montes received only nominal payments for expenses. He would not speculate on her motivation. A U.S. official familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Montes was believed to have been recruited by Cuban intelligence when she worked in the Freedom of Information office at the Justice Department, between 1979 and 1985, and was asked to seek work at an agency that would provide more useful information to Cuba. The four undercover agents whose identities she revealed, Howard said, are safe. According to court papers, Montes communicated with the Cuban Intelligence Agency through encrypted messages and received her instructions over short-wave radio. The instructions were issued in numerical code, which she translated into Spanish text with a computer program provided by Cuba. From public pay phones, she then used a prepaid calling card to send coded numeric messages to a pager owned by Cuban intelligence. Those messages, prosecutors said, typically were codes for "I received message" or "danger." The FBI secretly searched Montes' residence under a court order May 25 and uncovered information about several Defense Department issues, including a 1996 war games exercise conducted by the U.S. Atlantic Command, authorities said. A message from her Cuban contact said, "Practically everything that takes place [during the exercise] will be of intelligence value. Let's see if it deals with contingency plans and specific targets in Cuba." The DIA, based at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, provides analyses of foreign countries' military capabilities and troop strengths for Pentagon planners. Copyright © 1997-2002 - LA NUEVA CUBA NOSTROMO PUBLISHING CORP. All Rights Reserved. 73'S (via OSCAR, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Radio HCJB will cancel its live streaming in the near future; only on-demand RA and MP3 will remain; see this posting from the German A-DX list: ------ From: "Markus Weidner" weidner@gsm-news.de To: a-dx@elitas.com inter-net-radio@yahoogroups.com Subject: [A-DX] HCJB streicht Livestream Der ecuadorianische Missionssender Radio HCJB http://www.andenstimme.org plant, den Internet-Livestream seines Programms in naher Zukunft einzustellen. Das wurde heute in der deutschsprachigen Sendung "Land und Leute in Südamerika" bekannt gegeben. Die deutschsprachigen und plattdeutschen Programme für Europa stehen aber weiterhin on demand in Real Audio und MP3 zur Verfügung (Markus Weidner, Biebergemünd, via Kai Ludwig, Germany, DXLD) But they don`t specifically say English or other language streaming will be cancelled, just Germans... (gh, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 2960.21, Radio Atlántida, Alausí (2 x 1480 harmonic) 1011- 1031 Mar 21, Talk about natural products and medicines. 1015 ID in passing "...por Radio Atlántida...", 1031 Andean flute instrumental. Very briefly // 5920.42 (4 x 1480) where ID was actually heard. Fair to poor signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FRANCE. 25926 NBFM, Comité Departemental du tourisme de la Charente-Maritime (the local tourism office for departement Charente- Maritime, in La Rochelle). 2123 March 21. This 1 watt French tourist information service continues to be heard fairly regularly in the southern USA. Last fall, I counted as many as 10-20 carriers all jammed together between 25924-8 kHz. The problem then was all those FM signals tended to cancel each other out, so even though signal strength was at times good, audio was quite difficult to produce. Today I noted there was only 1 carrier present, which means that the FM audio is much easier to hear. The French government has allocated 5 frequencies in which these 1 watt transmitters may operate. They are: 25845, 25880, 25925, 26000 and 26035 kHz. There maybe a number of signals on each frequencies. At his time I am only hearing one signal on 25926. For more info on this TIS: http://www.csa.fr http://tif.journal-officiel.gouv.fr/2000/12561001.tif http://tif.journal-officiel.gouv.fr/2000/12562001.tif http://tif.journal-officiel.gouv.fr/2000/12563001.tif The best time to DX this one in SE NAm is around 2000-2130 when the first point of refraction through the F layer of the ionosphere is experiencing dusk. I am observing the peak time rapidly getting later and later as the days lengthen here in the northern hemisphere (David Hodgson, TN, IC R-75, 5.5 meter dipole fed with 300 ohm twin line into an antenna tuner, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INDIA. 4760 AIR Leh, 1439, Leh under dominant Pt Blair, with music while M and W are talking on Pt Blair. Music more middle eastern for Leh (sung with chanting) while Pt Blair has movie style subcontinental music. Air Leh becomes dominant after 1440 and continues with Woman announcer. 5040, AIR Jeypore, 1414 Mar 18, Subcontinental music followed by usual program of Hindi News and EE news after Bottom of Hour. Strongest signal of the Indians during the mornings at Grayland, with S9+20 levels. 5050 AIR-Aizwal, 1456 Mar 18, Man in barely understandable proper Queen's English under dominating Chinese. AIR at 5050.01 and Chinese at 5049.97. Very difficult to hear these days as the Chinese dominates (Don Nelson, WA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) See also SIKKIM ** INDONESIA. 2960.02, RPDT Mangarrai, 1115 Mar 17, Lagu Lagu Romantik program with M at lower levels than music. Into church program at 1137 with Christian music. Mangarrai was at absolutely armchair levels for three days. ID at Top of Hour after SCI and into Jakarta News feed. Nearby Ngada was also heard but with relatively low levels of audio that made listening difficult (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Glenn, The Voice of Indonesia's webcast was not heard at 0800 March 22, but was on in English at 0820 when I checked again. After that, technical problems caused the webcast to occasionally drop out for a few seconds at a time. (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL INTERNET. Hello opera lovers, I have posted the new schedules for Opera on the Internet for the next two weeks. They can be found at: http://www.angelfire.com/or3/opnetradio/thiswk.htm http://www.angelfire.com/or3/opnetradio/nextwk.htm The Collector`s Guide to Opera Recordings and Videos: http://www.geocities.com/ehub035 = http://www.operacast.com (Geoffrey S. Riggs, rec.music.classical.recordings March 23, via John Norfolk, DXLD) I`ll include these links somewhere on MONITORING REMINDERS page (gh) ** ITALY. Hi Glenn, IRRS Milan in the 41 mb is not always heard on 7120 kHz here in Finland. Their transmitting power 8.5 kW is relatively low and 41 mb is really crowded in this part of the world. So there`s always heavy QRM. That`s why I like to use LSB or USB. By the way I heard IRRS yesterday evening around 22 UT on 3985 kHz. This channel should be far better for you American DX-ers, I suppose! Best of 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Finland, March 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. The latest information on NHK WORLD by e-mail Dear Viewer and Listener of NHK WORLD, Thank you for your patronage of NHK WORLD. This notice is being sent to everyone who has e-mailed NHK in the past. We are writing to tell you about the impending launch of our ``NHK WORLD e-GUIDE,`` to provide viewers and listeners with the very latest program schedules and information. It will be sent out by e-mail in Japanese and English versions every Friday. We will send the Japanese version to everyone who has e-mailed us in Japanese, and the English version to those who have e-mailed us in English or other languages. If you don`t want to receive the service, please cancel it from the NHK home page: http://www.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/ NHK hopes that the ``NHK WORLD e-GUIDE`` will bring you even closer to NHK WORLD. NHK International Planning and Broadcasting Department (via Joe Hanlon, PA, DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. There's only one change between the winter schedule and the summer schedule. The 0030 UT broadcast, which was on 7325 kHz, will be on 11690 kHz as of 31 March. The full schedule, then, is: To North America: 2330-2400 UT on 9875 kHz 0030-0100 UT on 11690 kHz To Europe 1900-1930 UT on 666 kHz MW 0930-1000 UT (the next day) on 9710 kHz. This last program is a repeat of the previous evening's broadcast. Let Vladas Dobilas, host of "Mailbag", and the rest of the Radio Vilnius staff know what you think of their programs: Snail mail: Radio Vilnius, Konarskio 49, Vilnius, Lithuania email: radiov-@lrt.lt -- (Ted Schuerzinger, swprograms via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 4990 [Radio Malagasy]: This station backed by Marc Ravalomanana has moved to 4985. Poor reception around 1900 while 9685 is still there (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, 20 March 2002, hard-core- dx via DXLD) There may have been others since our last reference to Weekend Edition, and another excellent report on the Mad. Situation from Julie McCarthy was on NPR Morning Edition, Fri Mar 22, at 1443 UT. Ondemand after 1700, via http://www.npr.org/programs/morning specifically: NPR's Julie McCarthy reports that a disputed presidential election in Madagascar is playing out in the island nation's economy. One side is setting up an oil blockade that's also cutting off supplies of raw materials and ruining the tourist trade. Fifty-thousand people could be left out of work. (5:12) http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20020322.me.07.ram Mentions i.a. that gasoline shipments into the capital are blockaded. Would this impact RN`s Talata relay? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. On the meaning of Mexican slogan ``La Consentida``, DX Listening Digest #2-046 and NRC-AM list. In English you cannot see from one single word, for instance the adjective ``powerful``, if it is meant for a person or an inanimate object, and less so if it is referring to a woman or a man. Contrary to what is the case in English, Spanish words, nouns and adjectives, have feminine or masculine gender, and so you can understand from a casual adjective if it is meant to be an attachment to a feminine or a masculine noun. That is why ``la poderosa``, the powerful one, with the typical –a ending for feminine words, should refer to something feminine, either a human being, or a radio station (``emisora`` ends in -a and is a feminine word), or both at a time. Such ambiguities are very common in Spanish speaking countries. On page 23 in my book ``Latin America by Radio`` (Helsinki, 1987), there is a list of Mexican slogans, all of which have been deliberately chosen to provide a catchy ambiguous meaning, for instance the following: La Tigresa, La Doña Norteña, La Tremenda, La Favorita, La Super Sabrosa, La Costeñita, La Campeona, La Reina del Mar, La Rancherita Contenta, La Pantera, La Chica, La Divertida, La Consentida, La Jarocha, La Correcaminos, La Pirata del Caribe, La Super Fiera, La Chica alegre del cuadrante, La Cotorra de tu radio. Take whichever Latin America country, and you will find more of this. Let me take just one single example, the Bolivian Radio Pío XII, owned by a Catholic order and much involved in dealing with human rights issues of their primary listenership, which is the indigenous mining population of the Bolivian Altiplano. The slogan to be heard on the air, and seen on their pennants, says ``Tu Compañera permanente``, ``Your permanent /female/ companion``. When a Spanish speaking ham operator is talking to another ham, he will sometimes refer to his XYL as ``la primerísima``, which of course implies that there might in fact be some other women in his life, a mistress, ``una consentida``. Having consented to an intimate relationship with a married man, she expects him to take care of some of her material needs, too, spoiling her with presents of all kinds. Trying to clarify the little understood slogan ``La Consentida``, may I add the following. In many Latin American countries, having an extramarital affair is not necessarily looked upon as totally negative by third parties, unless, of course, you are the married man and the victim of your wife`s escapades. For better, or for worse, this is the way it is in countries where `macho` values are accepted. And so slogans such as ``La Consentida``, ``the favorite /woman/``, ``the mistress``, carry a clearly sexual connotation. The same goes for many other less obvious slogans such as ``Qué buena``, even if written as ``Ké Buena``, which is just one out of hundreds of more elaborate compliments a Spanish language speaking male would use when describing a sexually attractive female. If the same characteristic, ``buena`` in this case, is applicable to ``música``, ``emisora`` etc. then there is an added bonus to the slogan, depending, of course, on the intended target audience. ``Su emisora predilecta``, your favorite station, is a slogan commonly used by Ecos del Torbes, in Venezuela. This slogan is plain, and the object is clearly stated. It refers to ``emisora`` with no other connotations implied. And their audience is probably rather adult than adolescent (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Mar 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 9705, Radio Mexico International Thanks White tip. 1400 Mar 20, back here and weeks of distortion on 9310v. Good signal with programming in Spanish, better than // 11770 (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Yes, I have not found the spur lately either (gh, Mar 23, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Frequency Changes On Sunday 31 March Radio Netherlands, along with other international broadcasters, makes its seasonal shortwave frequency changes. Most of our English broadcasts remain at the same times, but those beamed to Europe move one hour earlier UTC, that is 1030-1225 and 2030-2230 UTC. Details of the summer frequencies and programming can be found on the pages of our English language section at http://www.rnw.nl/en/html/tuning_in.html The complete technical schedule for all languages (plus relays of other broadcasters) will go online in the course of next week. Our Programme Distribution Department is still making final changes. New Radio Netherlands QSL Cards Radio Netherlands has launched a series of eight new QSL cards showing different scenes from a typical Dutch morning. We've put a preview of them on the Web site. Picture no. 4 was taken by Internet Producer Willemien Groot. The other pictures were taken by our Technical Webmaster Martien Sleutjes. Note that size limitations on this page don't do justice to the quality of the printed cards, which is outstanding. We anticipate that this series will be very popular, so get writing those reception reports! http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/qslcards.html (Media Network Newsletter Mar 22 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Radio Netherlands programme guide March 31-October 26th 2002 North America and Canada [sic] 1130-1325 UTC 5965 kHz [sic -- see below] 1430-1625 UTC 15220 kHz 2330-0125 UTC 6165 and 9845 kHz 0430-0530 UTC 6165 and 9590 kHz Details for World Radio Network 0400-0500 UTC, 1200-1300 UTC, 2200-2300 UTC How to Hear WRN - North America Via direct-to-home satellite WRN1 & 2 may be received throughout North America WRN1 is broadcast on Telstar 5, 970ø West, Transponder 27, 12177 GHz, Vertical Polarisation, 23,000 Msym/s, FEC 2/3, DVB MPEG2 and choose Audio Channel WRN1 (English) or WRN2 (Multilingual) More details on the WRN website [for some reason, times below begin at 1030 while above schedule says transmissions begin at 1130, which is correct?] [1130 in winter, 1030 in summer --gh] Sunday [into UT Monday] 1030 News 1035 Wide Angle 1055 Week Ahead 1100 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1130 Dutch Horizons 1200 News 1205 Sincerely Yours 1225 Week Ahead (WRN only) 1230 Dutch Horizons (WRN only) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 News 1438 Sincerely Yours 1455 Week Ahead 1500 Dutch Horizons 1530 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1600 News 1608 Wide Angle 1625 Ends 2200 News 2205 Wide Angle 2225 Week Ahead 2230 Dutch Horizons 2300 Sign off 2330 News 2335 Sincerely Yours 2355 Week Ahead 0000 Dutch Horizons 0030 Aural Tapestry new series) 0100 News 0105 Wide Angle 0125 Ends 0400 Dutch Horizons (WRN only) 0430 News 0435 Sincerely Yours 0455 Week Ahead 0500 Dutch Horizons 0530 Ends Monday [into UT Tuesday] 1030 Newsline 1100 EuroQuest 1130 Research File 1200 Newsline 1225 Press Review (WRN only) 1230 Research File (WRN only) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 Newsline 1500 Research File 1530 Euroquest 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends 2200 Newsline 2230 Research File 2300 Sign off 2330 Newsline 0000 Research File 0030 Euroquest 0100 Newsline 0125 Ends 0400 Research File (WRN only) 0430 Newsline 0500 Research File 0530 Ends Tuesday [into UT Wednesday] 1030 Newsline 1100 A Good Life 1130 Music 52-15 1200 Newsline 1225 Press Review (WRN only) 1230 Music 52-15 (WRN only) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 Newsline 1500 Music 52-15 1530 A Good Life 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends 2200 Newsline 2230 Music 52-15 2300 Sign off 2330 Newsline 0000 Music 52-15 0030 A Good Life 0100 Newsline 0125 Ends 0400 Music 52-15 (WRN only) 0430 Newsline 0500 Music 52-15 0530 Ends Wednesday [into UT Thursday] 1030 Newsline 1100 Dutch Horizons 1130 The Weekly Documentary 1200 Newsline 1225 Press Review (WRN only) 1230 Weekly Documentary (WRN only) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 Newsline 1500 The Weekly Documentary 1530 Dutch Horizons 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends 2200 Newsline 2230 The Weekly Documentary 2300 Sign off 2330 Newsline 0000 The Weekly Documentary 0030 Dutch Horizons 0100 Newsline 0125 Ends 0400 Weekly Documentary (WRN only) 0430 Newsline 0500 The Weekly Documentary 0530 Ends Thursday [into UT Friday] 1030 Newsline 1100 Research File 1130 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1200 Newsline 1225 Press Review (WRN only) 1230 Aural Tapestry (WRN only)) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 Newsline 1500 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1530 Research File 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends 2200 Newsline 2230 Aural Tapestry (new series) 2300 Sign off 2330 Newsline 0000 Aural Tapestry (new series) 0030 Research File 0100 Newsline 0125 Ends 0400 Aural Tapestry (WRN only) 0430 Newsline 0500 Aural Tapestry (new series) 0530 Ends Friday [into UT Saturday] 1030 Newsline 1100 The Weekly Documentary 1130 A Good Life (new series) 1200 Newsline 1225 Press Review (WRN only) 1230 A Good Life (WRN only) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 Newsline 1500 A Good Life 1530 The Weekly Documentary 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends 2200 Newsline 2230 A Good Life 2300 Sign off 2330 Newsline 0000 A Good Life 0030 The Weekly Documentary 0100 Newsline 0125 Ends 0400 A Good Life (WRN only) 0430 Newsline 0500 A Good Life 0530 Ends Saturday [into UT Sunday] 1030 News 1035 Europe Unzipped 1055 Insight 1100 Roughly Speaking 1130 Music 52-15 1200 News 1205 Europe Unzipped 1225 Insight (WRN only) 1230 Roughly Speaking (WRN only) 1300 Sign off (WRN) 1430 News 1436 Europe Unzipped 1455 Insight 1500 Music 52-15 1530 Roughly Speaking 1600 News 1606 Europe Unzipped 1625 Ends 2200 News 2205 Europe Unzipped 2225 Insight 2230 Roughly Speaking 2300 Sign off 2330 News 2335 Europe Unzipped 2355 Insight 0000 Music 52-15 0030 Roughly Speaking 0100 News 0105 Europe Unzipped 0125 Ends 0400 Roughly Speaking (WRN only) 0430 News 0435 Europe Unzipped 0455 Insight 0500 Roughly Speaking 0530 Ends Europe summer 2002 1030-1225 UTC 6045 and 9860 kHz 2130-2330 UTC 1512 kHz mediumwave (AM) Astra 1G digital satellite 0930 (Sun only), 1130, 1230, 1430, 1530, 1830, 1930, 2030, 2130, 2330, 0030 Details for World Radio Network: 1300-1400 UTC How to Hear WRN - Europe: Via direct-to-home satellite In the United Kingdom and Ireland, WRN EuroMax English is broadcast on SKYdigital channel 872 on Astra 2 at 28 degrees East For the rest of Europe WRN EuroMax English can be heard on Eutelsat Hotbird 5, 13 degrees East, Transponder 94, 12597 GHz, Vertical, Symbol Rate 27500 Mbaud, FEC 3/4, MPEG2 DVB Audio Stream Select WRN EuroMax English from audio menu. More details on the WRN website Sunday 1030 News 1035 Wide Angle 1055 Week Ahead 1100 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1130 Dutch Horizons 1200 News 1205 Sincerely Yours 1225 Ends 1300 News (WRN only) 1305 Sincerely Yours (WRN only) 1325 Week Ahead (WRN only) 1330 Dutch Horizons (WRN only) 1400 Sign off (WRN) 2030 News 2035 Sincerely Yours 2055 Week Ahead 2100 Dutch Horizons 2130 Aural Tapestry (new series) 2200 News 2205 Wide Angle 2225 Week Ahead 2230 Ends Monday 1030 Newsline 1100 EuroQuest 1130 Research File 1200 Newsline 1225 Ends 1300 Newsline (WRN only) 1330 Research File (WRN only) 1400 Ends (WRN) 2030 Newsline 2100 Research File 2130 Euroquest 2200 Newsline 2230 Ends Tuesday 1130 Newsline 1200 A Good LIfe (new series) 1230 Music 52-15 1300 Newsline 1325 Ends 1300 Newsline (WRN only) 1330 Music 52-15 (WRN only) 1400 Ends (WRN) 2030 Newsline 2100 A Good LIfe (new series) 2130 Music 52-15 2200 Newsline 2230 Ends Wednesday 1030 Newsline 1100 Dutch Horizons 1130 The Weekly Documentary 1200 Newsline 1225 Ends 1300 Newsline (WRN only) 1330 Weekly Documentary (WRN only) 1400 Ends (WRN) 2030 Newsline 2100 The Weekly Documentary 2130 Dutch Horizons 2200 Newsline 2230 Ends Thursday 1030 Newsline 1100 Research File 1130 Aual Tapestry (new series) 1200 Newsline 1225 Ends 1300 Newsline (WRN only) 1330 Aural Tapestry (WRN only) 1400 Ends (WRN) 2030 Newsline 2100 Aural Tapestry (new series) 2130 Research File 2200 Newsline 2230 Ends Friday 1030 Newsline 1100 The Weekly Documentary 1130 A Good Life (new series) 1200 Newsline 1225 Ends 1300 Newsline (WRN only) 1330 A Good Life (WRN only) 1400 Ends (WRN) 2030 Newsline 2100 Roughly Speaking 2130 The Weekly Documentary 2200 Newsline 2230 Ends Saturday 1030 News 1035 Europe Unzipped 1055 Insight 1100 Roughly Speaking 1130 Music 52-15 (new series) 1200 News 1205 Europe Unzipped 1225 Ends 1300 Newsline (WRN only) 1330 Roughly Speaking (WRN only) 1400 Ends (WRN) 2030 News 2035 Europe Unzipped 2055 Insight 2100 Music 52-15 (new series) 2130 Roughly Speaking 2200 News 2205 Europe Unzipped 2225 Insight 2230 Ends Africa summer 2002 1730-1830 UTC 6020, 7120 and 11655 kHz 1830-2025 UTC 6020, 7120, 9895, 13700, 17605 and 21590 kHz Intelsat 707 satellite: 0930, 1030, 1430, 1530, 1730, 1830, 1930, 0030, and 0430 Sunday 1730 News 1735 Sincerely Yours 1755 Week Ahead 1800 Dutch Horizons 1830 News 1835 Wide Angle 1900 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1930 Dutch Horizons 2000 News 2005 Sincerely Yours 2025 Ends Monday 1730 Newsline 1800 Research File 1830 Newsline 1900 EuroQuest 1930 Research File 2000 Newsline 2025 Ends Tuesday 1730 Newsline 1800 Music 52-15 1830 Newsline 1900 A Good Life 1930 Music 52-15 2000 Newsline 2025 Ends Wednesday 1730 Newsline 1800 The Weekly Documentary 1830 Newsline 1900 Dutch Horizons 1930 The Weekly Documentary 2000 Newsline 2025 Ends Thursday 1730 Newsline 1800 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1830 Newsline 1900 The Research File 1930 Aural Tapestry (new series) 2000 Newsline 2025 Ends Friday 1730 Newsline 1800 A Good Life 1830 Newsline 1900 The Weekly Documentary 1930 A Good Life 2000 Newsline 2025 Ends Saturday 1730 News 1735 Europe Unzipped 1755 Insight 1800 Music 52-15 1830 News 1835 Europe Unzipped 1900 Roughly Speaking 1930 Music 52-15 2000 News 2005 Europe Unzipped 2025 Ends Asia/Far East summer 2002 0930-1130 UTC 9790, 12065 and 13710 kHz 1430-1625 UTC 9890, 11835 and 12075 kHz AsiaSat 2 satellite: 0930, 1030, 1430, 1530, 1730, 1830, 1930, 0030, and 0430 Sunday 0930 News 0938 Sincerely Yours 0955 Week Ahead 1000 Dutch Horizons 1030 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1100 News 1108 Wide Angle 1125 Ends 1430 News 1438 Sincerely Yours 1455 Week Ahead 1500 Dutch Horizons 1530 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1600 News 1608 Wide Angle 1625 Ends Monday 0930 Newsline 1000 Research File 1030 EuroQuest 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends 1430 Newsline 1500 Research File 1530 Euroquest 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends Tuesday 0930 Newsline 1000 Music 52-15 1030 A Good Life 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends 1430 Newsline 1500 Music 52-15 1530 A Good Life 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends Wednesday 0930 Newsline 1000 Weekly Documentary 1030 Dutch Horizons 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends 1430 Newsline 1500 The Weekly Documentary 1530 Dutch Horizons 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends Thursday 0930 Newsline 1000 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1030 Research File 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends 1430 Newsline 1500 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1530 Research File 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends Friday 0930 Newsline 1000 A Good Life 1030 Weekly Documentary 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends 1430 Newsline 1500 A Good Life 1530 The Weekly Documentary 1600 Newsline 1625 Ends Saturday 0930 News 0936 Europe Unzipped 0955 Insight 1000 Music 52-15 1030 Roughly Speaking 1100 News 1106 Europe Unzipped 1125 Ends 1430 News 1436 Europe Unzipped 1455 Insight 1500 Music 52-15 1530 Roughly Speaking 1600 News 1606 Europe Unzipped 1625 Ends Pacific summer 2002 0930-1130 UTC: 9790, 12065 and 13710 kHz AsiaSat 2 satellite: 0930, 1030, 1430, 1530, 1730, 1830, 1930, 0030, and 0430 Sunday 0930 News 0938 Sincerely Yours 0955 Week Ahead 1000 Dutch Horizons 1030 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1100 News 1108 Wide Angle 1125 Ends Monday 0930 Newsline 1000 Research File 1030 EuroQuest 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends Tuesday 0930 Newsline 1000 Music 52-15 1030 A Good Life 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends Wednesday 0930 Newsline 1000 Weekly Documentary 1030 Dutch Horizons 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends Thursday 0930 Newsline 1000 Aural Tapestry (new series) 1030 Research File 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends Friday 0930 Newsline 1000 A Good Life 1030 Weekly Documentary 1100 Newsline 1125 Ends Saturday 0930 News 0936 Europe Unzipped 0955 Insight 1000 Music 52-15 1030 Roughly Speaking 1100 News 1106 Europe Unzipped 1125 Ends (Radio Netherlands web site via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND (non). Further to comments re our most famous composer Douglas Lilburn in the March 15 and 21 editions of DXLD, check out the link at http://www.southwest.org.nz/ Best 73, (Bryan Clark, Auckland, New Zealand, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Spepcifically, http://www.southwest.org.nz/dl/htm/index.htm ** NIGERIA [non]. U K(non): A-02 schedule for Salama Radio via Woofferton: 15250 WOF 250 kW/170 deg 1900-2000 Arabic to WAf (ex 15475 for A-01 season) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3905, 0947 Mar 18, Usual female announcer in Tok Pisin. Discussion on local survey results, time check at 0948 and ID for Radio New Ireland. Into CW music. ID at TOH and into local news in EE by M. Weather report for islands by M in EE " take precaution while going out to sea during bad weather. Weather warnings have been repeatedly ignored", says emergency office. Asked the people "to listen to avoid bad accidents. This has been the news in English". Then into Tok Pisin news by M (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. New on 5032 (former frequency 6011): Radio LTC (Leoncio Torres Callao) from Juliaca/Perú. ID: "en transmisión Radio LTC" (Andy Schmid,- Pennant Museum (via RAF) , Mar 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** PERU. Continua muito díficil acompanhar a Rádio Unión, Lima. Esta emissora apresenta uma variação excepcional de sua freqüência em onda curta; oficialmente é listada em 6115 kHz, mas desde alguns meses é reporta em diversas freqüências fora da banda de 49 metros. Rogildo Fontenelle Aragão, de Cochabamba, Bolívia nos envia mais estes informes da Rádio Unión : 6348 0150 22/03 R.U nión, Lima ID "La mejor opición, Unión la radio" 0311 22/03 R. Unión, Lima ID YL "Unión, la radio" 1055 22/03 R. Unión, Lima ID "Unión la radio, la mas potente del Perú" 6297v 2314 22/03 R. Unión, Lima ID "...en la más potente del Perú, Radio Unión, El mundo del automovil". Má modulação e freqüência variando (@tividade DX Mar 22 via DXLD) ** SIKKIM. 3390, AIR Gangtok, 1313 Mar 18, M with long speech in local dialect. Excellent on SW Beverage at Grayland, with stunning subcontinental music program. F announcer. Subcontinental music continues with dawn enhancement giving a stunning S7 signal level, and staying up for over 90 minutes at listenable levels. After 1430, program format changes from subcont. to Western music from the 1970's. One ID mentioning Gangtok heard (Don Nelson, WA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) see also INDIA ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.19, 1005, Mar 18 Man speaking to local government body, giving condolences to the government of New Zealand and the family of the deceased Deputy Prime Minister for the violence done by the people of Solomon Islands last Friday (local people apparently killed him). Parliament in mourning today. Local announcer in Tok Pisin dialect. Mention of 'Big Fella ...' (Tok Pisin for important person). ID and end of program at 1033, into music program. Ad for Computing Services company. Ad for advertising spots. Timecheck by M, into Church program. SIBS is unusually strong this season (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SOMALILAND. RADIO HARGEYSA LAUNCHES NEW AMHARIC SERVICE | Text of report by Somaliland's Radio Hargeysa on 21 March The spokesman of Somaliland's Ministry of Information and National Guidance has said that today, 21 March 2002, witnessed the launch of a new service in Radio Hargeysa. The service will broadcast in the official Ethiopian language, Amharic. The spokesman said the new service would be among the services of [word indistinct] languages which had been existing in Radio Hargeysa. The Amharic service will broadcast for 15 minutes daily. The spokesman further said the objective of launching the new Amharic service was to strengthen the brotherly and neighbourly relations between the two countries. Source: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 21 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SPAIN. Horario A02 de R. Exterior de España en español a partir del 31 de marzo del 2002: Europa: 0500-0700 9710 0500-0900 12035 0900-1700 15585 1700-2300 7275 1700-2100 9665 (sábado) 1700-2000 9665 (domingo) Oriente Medio: 0500-0700 17665 0900-1700 21610 Africa: 0900-1400 21540 1700-1900 17755 (lunes-viernes) 1400-2000 17755 (domingo) 2200-2300 7270 Guinea Ecuatorial: 1400-1700 17755 1500-1700 15385 (lunes-sábado) Norte de Africa e Islas Canarias: 2300-0200 11680 2300-0500 9620 Norteamérica: 1300-1500 17595 (lunes-viernes) 0200-0500 6055 1900-2300 15110 2300-0500 9540 1000-1300 21700 (lunes-viernes) Sur de Norteamérica: 0200-0600 6025 1200-1500 15170 (domingos) 1100-1400 15170 (lunes-viernes) 1600-2300 17850 (sábado) 1500-2300 17850 (domingo) Sudamérica: 0800-1700 21570 (lunes-viernes) 1000-1700 21570 (sábado-domingo) 1700-1900 17715 1500-1800 21700 (lunes-viernes) 1200-2100 21700 (sábado) 1200-2000 21700 (domingo) 2300-0200 11780 2300-0500 15170, 9620 Norte de Sudamérica: 0000-0400 6020 1000-1300 11815 (lunes-viernes) 1600-2300 11815 (sábado) 1200-2300 11815 (domingo) Centroamérica: 1000-1300 21700 (lunes-viernes) 1500-1800 21700 (lunes-viernes) 1200-2100 21700 (sábado) 1200-2000 21700 (domingo) 2300-0500 9540, 15160 0200-0600 3350 1100-1400 9765 (lunes-viernes) 1600-2300 9765 (sábado) 1200-2300 9765 (domingo) Australia: 0700-0900 21610, 17770 Japón: 1000-1200 9660 Filipinas: 1200-1400 11910 ------------------------ (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, España, March 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. This is the English broadcast schedule of the Spanish Foreign Radio that will be effective from 31 March to 27 October 2002: North America: 0000-0200 6055 kHz -az 290º 0500-0556 6055 kHz -az 290º Europe: 2000-2100 9690 kHz -az 38º (monday-friday) 2205-2300 9690 kHz -az 38º (saturday-sunday) Africa: 2200-2300 9595 kHz -az 170º (saturday-sunday) ------------------------------ (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, Spain, March 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA [non]. MADAGASCAR(non): A-02 schedule for Tamil Broadcasting Corp. via RNW/Madagascar: 17495 MDC 050 kW/055 deg 1230-1325 Tamil to SAs (ex 21590 via DTK/JUL) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. U K(non): A-02 schedule for Millennium Voice via Wooferton: 21550 WOF 250 kW/140 deg 1330-1430 Arabic to CAf (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** THAILAND. Radio Thailand Network 3 now operates 24h on 918 kHz in Bangkok. The format has changed slightly, with more live presentation, and at the top of most hours a 5-minute BBC WS news bulletin is relayed followed by a short bulletin of news about Thailand. A segment in French is now broadcast daily at 1430-1500, all other times appear to be in English (Alan Davies 2.3.2002, MV-Eko Info-Desk, March, Arctic Radio Club via Editor Olle Alm, DXLD) ** THAILAND. Vox populi: Next time you're in Kanchanaburi, check out Thailand's very first community radio station. Civil service mandarins say it's illegal. Residents can't get enough of its bright 'n' breezy format. Stay tuned Story by VASANA CHINVARAKORN Picture by YINGYONG UN-ANONGRAK There's a buzz of excitement in this most atypical of studios _ the very first community radio station that Kanchanaburi folk can claim as their own. Everything here goes out live. There are no pre-recorded slots. Regular call-ins keep presenters on the spot. And spontaneity is the name of the game for the hosts themselves are often doing this for the first time.... Andy gave me this link but I could never get anything but a 404: http://www.bangkokpost.com/en/Outlook/21Mar2002_out31.html Finding it instead via the Post homepage, the current funxioning URL for this rather long story actually turned out to be: http://www.bangkokpost.com/en/210302_Outlook/21Mar2002_out31.html and there is an accompanying story about this at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/en/210302_Outlook/21Mar2002_out32.html (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** TURKEY. Glenn, Voice of Turkey's English service from March 30th 0300-0400 : 11655 (Europe and North America) 7270 (Asia and Africa) (11655 will be changed to 9650 on September 2nd) 1230-1300 : 17830 (Europe) 17615 (Australia & Asia) 1830-1930 : 9785 (Europe) 2030-2130 : 9525 (Australia and Asia) 2200-2300 : 12000, 11960 (Europe and North America) Regards (Jean-Michel AUBIER, France, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Hi Glenn, I note there is some confusion about whether or not Radio Ukraine is on shortwave at present: Yes, they are. Kopani 1000 kW is indeed silent but the 100 kW transmitters at Brovary are on air, and I think Kharkov is on regular service, too. Regarding the observed delay: Probably the RealAudio encoding/streaming indeed took 6 minutes in this particular case. When listening to the German programme tonight at 2100 the stream was 35 seconds behind shortwave (usual 5905) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, actually last night I heard R. Ukraine Int. back on its North American frequency of 7375 kHz. If I'm not mistaken they are using it from midnight to 6 UT. Reception between 0100 and 0500 was ranging from excellent to very good. Those who enjoy Ukrainian music should take advantage of both SW and Internet broadcasts now. For it's only a matter of time before RUI disappears from both outlets due to unpaid bills (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, Mar 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) On 22 March, 1000 kW transmitter in Mykolaiv was switched on again on 7375 kHz after 2-month interruption. Meanwhile the Concern RRT is considering the using of Lviv's 1000 transmitter again for RUI's transmissions (Alexander Yegorov, Ukraine, 22 Mar, WWDXC via DXLD) Radio Ukraine International Tentative Summer Broadcasting A02 Schedule (effective from 31 March 2002) Freq Time UT Transmitter site Azimuth Target Area 5905 1600-0100 Kyiv 254 S.-W. Europe 6020 1600-2300 Kyiv ND C. Europe 7150 0200-0600 Mykolaiv 4 N.-E. Europe 7150 1600-2100 Mykolaiv 4 N.-E. Europe 7320 2300-0300 Kharkiv 55 Russia 7410 0400-0800 Kharkiv 277 W. Europe 9620 0400-0900 Kyiv 254 S.-W. Europe 9640 0000-0400 Kyiv 74 Russia, N. Kazakhstan 9640 1400-1800 Kyiv 74 Russia 9950 2000-2400 Kyiv 307 N.-W. Europe 11705 0500-1100 Kyiv 264 W. Europe 11705 1900-2300 Kyiv 264 W. Europe 11840 0400-1300 Kyiv 93 Russia, W. Kazakhstan 11950 1700-2300 Kharkiv 290 W. Europe 12040 2300-0400 Mykolaiv 314 N. America [1000 kW] 12045 1100-1700 Kharkiv 55 Russia 13590 0600-1600 Kharkiv 290 W. Europe 15520 0800-1400 Kyiv 307 N.-W. Europe Transmission schedules in various languages are as follows: GERMAN (one hour long): at 1700 5905, 6020, 11950 at 2000 5905, 6020, 9950, 11950 at 2300 5905, 7320, 9950 ENGLISH (one hour long): at 2100 5905, 6020, 9950, 11705, 11950 at 0000 5905, 7320, 12040 at 0300 7150, 12040 at 1100 11840, 15520 UKRAINIAN programmes are transmitted on all frequencies and at all times are as shown above except at the time reserved for German and English programmes. ROMANIAN (30 minutes long): at 1700, 1930 and 2100 on 657 kHz MW (Chernivtsi, 25 kW) Notes: 1. The output of all SW transmitters is 100 kW, except on 12040 kHz where the power is 1000 kW. 2. The Schedule is subject to changes. Regds, (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Mar 22, DXLD) Like I said in MONITORING REMINDERS, time varies for DX program on RUI. Good thing I brought up webcast early Sat Mar 23 because this week it started at 2218, ``The Whole World on the Radio Dial``. The presenter Alex Yegorov started off plugging the new webcast; explained what `DX` means (and I do not accept the X = unknown in this case now gaining currency -gh); English speaking staff at RUI cannot QSL MW and LW DX reports; FM DX in Finland; a reception report from Jonathan Murphy; another from 83-year-old Tom, WD3JJK/qrp, USA on a crystal set, which had QRM from three other stations (surprise). Must have been the 7375 megawatt. Lasted until 2232, then Hello from Kyiv (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. U S A(non): A-02 schedule for AWR via Al-Dhabbaya: 6025 DHA 500 kW/100 deg 0000-0100 Hindi English 6055 DHA 500 kW/100 deg 0000-0100 Hindi/English 6145 DHA 500 kW/045 deg 0230-0300 Dari 9600 DHA 500 kW/090 deg 1600-1700 Marathi/English 11775 DHA 500 kW/045 deg 0300-0400 Russian/English 11945 DHA 500 kW/225 deg 0300-0330 Tigrina 11955 DHA 500 kW/205 deg 0330-0400 Somali 11975 DHA 500 kW/230 deg 0300-0330 Amharic 13705 DHA 500 kW/075 deg 1500-1600 Punjabi/Hindi 15320 DHA 500 kW/085 deg 1300-1330 Bangla 15320 DHA 500 kW/060 deg 1330-1400 English 15320 DHA 500 kW/060 deg 1400-1500 Urdu 15520 DHA 500 kW/225 deg 1700-1800 Amharic/Tigrina 17630 DHA 500 kW/120 deg 1430-1500 Sinhala 17630 DHA 500 kW/075 deg 1500-1530 Nepali 17630 DHA 500 kW/105 deg 1530-1600 Malayalam 17665 DHA 500 kW/225 deg 1630-1800 Somali/Afar/Oromo 17710 DHA 500 kW/100 deg 1400-1430 Hindi 17740 DHA 500 kW/045 deg 1300-1400 English/Russian 17835 DHA 500 kW/060 deg 1100-1300 Mandarin Ch 17860 DHA 500 kW/105 deg 1330-1500 Tamil/Telugu/Kannada 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** U S A. VOA LAUNCHES NEW MIDDLE EAST RADIO NETWORK | Text of press release from the US International Broadcasting Bureau on 21 March Washington, DC, 21 March 2002: The Middle East Radio Network (MERN), a unique, US government-sponsored Arabic language broadcasting service, goes on the air across the region Friday, 22 March 2002, in the initial phase of a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service. "Now, listeners across the Middle East will have an opportunity to get their news, information and entertainment in a whole new format," said Norman J. Pattiz, a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The BBG oversees all US, non-military, international broadcasting and spearheaded creation of the service. "They'll also be able to learn the truth about America and what it stands for," Pattiz said. When it debuts first on FM radio stations in Amman, Jordan and Kuwait City, Kuwait, MERN will be called Radio Sawa, which means "together" in Arabic. MERN, a pilot project of the Voice of America, will also be available to millions of listeners through the digital radio satellite channels of Nilesat, Arabsat and Eutelsat HotBird. Marc Nathanson, chairman of the BBG, said MERN is an example of how the board "is focused on making sure that US international broadcasting does the best job possible reaching people whose sources of news are often biased and anti-American." Pattiz, head of the BBG's Middle East committee and a driving force behind MERN, called Friday's startup "Phase One". He added: "We'll be rolling this out in phases, starting with music and news promotions." News programmes will begin airing a few weeks after the launch. MERN, aimed at Arab listeners under age 30, will broadcast news, analysis, interviews, opinion pieces, roundtables, sports, weather, music and features on a variety of political and social issues in five regional Arabic dialects targeted to Jordan and the Palestinian areas, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan and the Gulf states. MERN is expected to be fully operational by late summer 2002. President George W. Bush praised MERN at a 25 February 2002 ceremony celebrating VOA's 60th anniversary. "The Voice of America's new Middle East Radio Network will offer music, reliable news, and information in Arabic, and an opportunity to better understand American principles and American actions," Bush said. The president cited Pattiz, who is the chairman of the Westwood One radio network, for his "perseverance and dedication" to the MERN project. MERN will be distributed by medium wave (AM) and FM, the most popular bands in the Middle East, as well as by satellite and the Internet. Besides Jordan and Kuwait, the US government has signed rebroadcast agreements on FM frequencies in Doha, Qatar; Manama, Bahrain; and Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Negotiations are under way in several other countries to obtain frequencies. MERN staff, journalists, producers, and technicians will be based in Washington, DC and in Dubai, using a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility. Mouafac Harb, a leading journalist in the Arab world, has been hired as MERN's news director. A former Washington bureau chief for the London-based newspaper, Al Hayat, Harb also worked for Newsweek magazine. Earlier, Harb was general manager of radio and television at the National Broadcasting Network of Lebanon. Harb, who will run the news division, said MERN was committed to producing "objective, fair and balanced" news. The BBG received from Congress approximately 35m dollars for MERN in fiscal year 2002, including 16.4m dollars for one-time capital costs for transmitters. "Broadcasting services such as MERN are the best high-yield, low-cost weapon in our arsenal. They are the most cost-effective way of reaching the outside world," said Tom Korologos, a BBG member. [Contact: Joan Mower Phone: +1 202 260 0167; E-mail: jmower@ibb.gov] Source: US International Broadcasting Bureau press release, Washington, in English 21 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. This weekend on the last "Special Program in the Time Slot Formerly Occupied by Communications World": Relatively little is known about the Voice of America from the end of World War II through the 1950s. This weekend's half hour is devoted to a conversation with Barry Zorthian, who worked in VOA newsroom and management positions at VOA from 1947 to 1960. Also an excerpt from a VOA tenth anniversary special (1952), reflecting the political rhetoric of that time. All the best, (Kim Andrew Elliott, Analyst, Office of Research, International Broadcasting Bureau/Voice of America, swprograms via DXLD) Should still be available ondemand via WRN at least ** U S A. Lubavicher/Chassidic Radio, Brooklyn NY?; 1710 AM, 3/21 0040-0210*?, Relaying call-in program on Jewish topics. 0115 song/chant and disappeared 0117-21. Back with commentary by Male without calls. Poor w/fair peaks; LSB and notch help with utilities but very tough copy. This log blessed by Rabbi Wolfish (Harold Frodge, MI, Free Radio Weekly via DXLD) ** U S A. CARL MCINTIRE, 95, FIREBRAND PASTOR By Kristin E. Holmes, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted on Thu, Mar. 21, 2002 The Rev. Carl McIntire, 95, the fiery anticommunist preacher in South Jersey whose multimillion-dollar ministry eroded amid battles with government agencies and theological disagreements with fellow Christian leaders, died Tuesday at Virtua-West Jersey Hospital Voorhees. At the height of Mr. McIntire's popularity in the mid-1960s, his broadcasts could be heard daily on more than 600 stations. The pastor's conservative message of fundamental Christianity and conservative politics amassed legions of followers whose donations helped him build an international ministry. But Mr. McIntire's mission was marked by battles with the Federal Communications Commission, local municipalities, and fellow Christians. He and his followers pitted themselves against dirty books and movies, racetracks and labor unions, sex education, gay rights, evolution, socialized medicine, dancing, smoking, drinking and fluoride in water. "I think you'd have to say that he was the most consistent fundamentalist of the 20th century," said the Rev. Martin Marty, a University of Chicago religion scholar and Lutheran pastor. "Whatever he decided was the truth he followed to the very end, no matter how few friends or colleagues were left." Curtis Bashaw, Mr. McIntire's grandson, put it differently: "He was willing to lose the physical and temporal things because of his beliefs." Those beliefs had been cultivated during a childhood spent on American Indian reservations in Oklahoma, where his mother and grandmother were missionaries. His first theological fisticuffs came when he, as a student, departed the Princeton Theological Seminary with scholar J. Gresham Machen over what the professor called the seminary's "trend toward socialism and modernism." Machen and his followers then organized Westminster Seminary in Glenside. Mr. McIntire graduated from the school in 1931 and was ordained a Presbyterian minister. Not long after being named pastor of a 1,200-member Presbyterian church in Collingswood, Mr. McIntire supported Machen again when his mentor concluded that the denomination's overseas ministry was too liberal. Ultimately, the pair's schism with the denomination grew so severe that they were defrocked by the church. Most of Mr. McIntire's congregation withdrew from the denomination and formed the Presbyterian Church of America, still in Collingswood. In 1948, Mr. McIntire lost a court battle to hold on to his church building, and his congregation marched from it to a tent erected on a nearby apple orchard. Soon, the Presbyterian Church of America was also troubled by internal debate, with Mr. McIntire again finding it too left-leaning. He left to start yet another denomination, the Bible Presbyterian Church. The denomination grew steadily. Mr. McIntire established its base in Cape May, where he purchased the Christian Admiral hotel and turned it into a retreat center. His media arm encompassed radio stations and a publishing division. He traveled among right-wing elites, hosting Irish Protestant leader Ian Paisley and visiting Ferdinand Marcos' Philippine palace. But Mr. McIntire's ministry would change swiftly after he took on the FCC in 1970. The agency revoked the license of the minister's radio stations, contending that he failed to uphold the Fairness Doctrine by programming overwhelmingly conservative shows. Mr. McIntire refused to provide a more balanced mix of shows, and his stations were taken off the air in 1973. He attempted to circumvent the order by broadcasting from a "pirate" television station aboard a converted World War II minesweeper anchored in international waters off Cape May. But an injunction delivered by a Coast Guard vessel silenced the station. Over time, debts forced Mr. McIntire to sell his retreat in Cape May and other properties. He retired as a Bible Presbyterian Church pastor three years ago, after more than six decades. His weekly show on Camden's WTMR-AM has consisted of rebroadcasts of sermons. At the time of his death, Mr. McIntire was president of the International Council of Christian Churches, a conservative body he founded in 1948, with much of its membership overseas. In 1992, Fairy D. Davis McIntire, the minister's wife of 61 years, died. In 1995, he married his longtime secretary, Alice Goff. In addition to his wife, Mr. McIntire is survived by a son, Thomas; daughters, Celeste McIntire Bashaw and Marianna Clark; and 13 grandchildren. Burial will be at Harleigh Cemetery, Camden. The full article will be available on the Web for a limited time: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/obituaries/2904540.htm (c) 2001 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) Another version: CARL MCINTIRE DIES AT AGE 95; CONSERVATIVE RADIO PREACHER http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5652-2002Mar22.html (via Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, DXLD) ** U S A. WWCR A02 Summer Schedule (Copied/pasted from WWCR website) Transmitter #1 - 100 KW - 46 Degrees FREQ TIME (CT) TIME (UTC) DATES 9.475 4:00AM- 5:00AM 1000-1100 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 15.685 5:00AM- 4:00PM 1100-2200 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 9.475 4:00PM- 6:00PM 2200-0000 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 3.210 6:00PM- 4:00AM 0000-1000 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 9.475 4:00AM- 5:00AM 0900-1000 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 15.685 5:00AM- 5:00PM 1000-2200 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 9.475 5:00PM- 7:00PM 2200-0000 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 3.210 7:00PM- 4:00AM 0000-0900 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 9.475 4:00AM- 5:00AM 0900-1000 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 15.685 5:00AM- 5:00PM 1000-2200 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 9.475 5:00PM- 8:00PM 2200-0100 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 3.210 8:00PM- 4:00AM 0100-0900 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 9.475 4:00AM- 5:00AM 0900-1000 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 15.685 5:00AM- 5:00PM 1000-2200 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 9.475 5:00PM- 7:00PM 2200-0000 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 3.210 7:00PM- 4:00AM 0000-0900 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 Transmitter #2 - 100 KW - 85 Degrees FREQ TIME (CT) TIME (UTC) DATES 13.845 7:00AM- 7:00PM 1300-0100 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 5.935 7:00PM- 7:00AM 0100-1300 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 13.845 7:00AM- 8:00PM 1200-0100 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 5.935 8:00PM- 7:00AM 0100-1200 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 13.845 7:00AM- 9:00PM 1200-0200 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 5.935 9:00PM- 7:00AM 0200-1200 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 13.845 7:00AM- 8:00PM 1200-0100 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 5.935 8:00PM- 7:00AM 0100-1200 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 Transmitter #3 - 100 KW - 40 Degrees FREQ TIME (CT) TIME (UTC) DATES 12.160 7:00AM- 5:00PM 1300-2300 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 5.070 5:00PM- 7:00AM 2300-1300 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 12.160 7:00AM- 6:00PM 1200-2300 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 5.070 6:00PM- 7:00AM 2300-1200 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 12.160 7:00AM- 7:00PM 1200-0000 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 5.070 7:00PM- 7:00AM 0000-1200 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 12.160 7:00AM- 6:00PM 1200-2300 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 5.070 6:00PM- 7:00AM 2300-1200 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 Transmitter #4 - 100 KW - 90 Degrees FREQ TIME (CT) TIME (UTC) DATES 9.475 8:00AM- 4:00PM 1400-2200 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 7.435 4:00PM-11:00PM 2200-0500 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 7.560 11:00PM- 8:00AM 0500-1400 31 Mar 02-06 Apr 02 9.475 8:00AM- 5:00PM 1300-2200 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 7.435 5:00PM-11:00PM 2200-0400 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 7.560 11:00PM- 8:00AM 0400-1300 07 Apr 02-31 May 02 9.475 8:00AM- 5:00PM 1300-2200 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 7.435 5:00PM-11:00PM 2200-0400 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 7.560 11:00PM- 8:00AM 0400-1300 01 Jun 02-31 Aug 02 9.475 8:00AM- 5:00PM 1300-2200 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 7.435 5:00PM-11:00PM 2200-0400 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 7.560 11:00PM- 8:00AM 0400-1300 01 Sep 02-26 Oct 02 (via Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FW: PERMIT TO LISTEN TO SHORTWAVE IN MICHIGAN? ----- Original Message ----- From: "SOAP" SOAP@Simple-Object-Access-Protocol.com Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave,alt.law-enforcement Sent: Friday, March 22, 2002 7:29 AM Subject: Permit to listen to shortwave in Michigan? FCC HF BROADCASTING PAGE High Frequency Broadcasting (HF) also known as Shortwave Broadcasting is a radio service licensed by the FCC to operate between 5,950 kHz and 26,100 kHz. This is an international broadcast service where transmissions are intended to be received by the general public in foreign countries. The rules applicable to this service are located in Part 73 Subpart F of the FCC Rules. http://www.fcc.gov/ib/pnd/neg/hf_web/hf.html TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION PART 73--RADIO BROADCAST SERVICES Subpart F--International Broadcast Stations Sec. 73.701 Definitions. The following definitions apply to terminology employed in this subpart: (a) International broadcasting stations. A broadcasting station employing frequencies allocated to the broadcasting service between 5,950 and 26,100 kHz, the transmissions of which are intended to be received directly by the general public in foreign countries. (A station may be authorized more than one transmitter.) There are both government and non-government international broadcasting stations; only the latter are licensed by the Commission and are subject to the rules of this subpart. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=47&PART=73&SECTION=701&YEAR=2001&TYPE=TEXT Does any police department in Michigan broadcast on shortwave frequencies? If not, why is the Michigan State Police concerned enough about shortwave broadcasts to require a permit to listen to shortwave broadcasts in a motor vehicle? There is no doubt that shortwave broadcasts are meant to be received by the general public. Shortwave is a form of broadcasting, just like AM/FM radio and Television, The rules for broadcasting (AM/FM/TV and Shortwave) are in Part 73 of the FCC rules Suppose you are a motorist driving on a highway in Michigan, you are pulled over for a minor moving violation, the officer asks "what radio station are you listening to?" You tell the officer that you are listening to WCMU from the Central Michigan University. http://www.cmuradio.cmich.edu/ The officer asks "do you have a permit to listen to WCMU?" You explain "Citizens don't need a permit to listen to the radio!" If the citizens of Michigan are free to listen at AM/FM radio without a permit, why do we need a permit to listen to shortwave broadcasting stations. The Michigan permit application makes several reference to a shortwave receiving set, then it makes several references to police frequencies. What is the intended goal of this permit? Shortwave radio and police radio are separate issues. The current text of this "short wave permit" has unintended consequences. Most people refer to broadcasters such as the BBC when they talk about shortwave. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/ Police departments can be assigned 10 frequencies in the shortwave band under Part 90 of the FCC rules. Frequencies listed in kHz: 2366, 2382, 2390, 2406, 2430, 2442, 2450, 2458, 2482 and 2490 If I wanted to listen to police dispatches, I would use a police scanner that tunes to the VHF/UHF/800MHz frequencies listed in Part 90. I wouldn't bother with shortwave. http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=47&PART=90&SECTION=20&YEAR=2001&TYPE=TEXT Michigan State Police MCL 750.508 Application for short wave permit in a vehicle to monitor police frequencies. I hereby make application to equip a vehicle with a short wave receiving set capable of receiving police frequencies. http://www.mpscs.com/com-022.pdf (.pdf file) (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) No doubt the cited 120mb frequencies for police use were abandoned sesquidecades ago, but the outdated regulation may still be on the books (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. From Radio World Newspaper - http://www.rwonline.com/ AM IN-BAND, ON-CHANNEL DIGITAL RADIO SYSTEM (IBOC) DAYTIME ONLY - FOR NOW The working group of engineers evaluating the AM IBOC system of Ibiquity Digital Corp. reportedly plan to recommend that the AM system be used in this country (US) - during the day only. http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=1358 (via Brian Smith, ODXA Mar 22 via DXLD) Viz.: AM IBOC DAYTIME ONLY - FOR NOW The working group of engineers evaluating the AM IBOC system of Ibiquity Digital Corp. reportedly plan to recommend that the AM system be used in this country - during the day only. Members of the DAB Subcommittee of the National Radio Systems Committee have concerns about potential interference to first adjacent channels and on the skywaves transmitted by clear channel stations during nighttime operation if AM IBOC were used. "With the data we had, we could not endorse AM IBOC at night. There's too much potential for interference. There were real concerns brought on by the way AM propagates at night," said a committee member. He believed Ibiquity planned further tests for the AM system and stressed that during daytime hours IBOC AM will be a "tremendous" improvement. Most listeners could not tell IBOC AM audio apart from FM analog in tests, he said. The DAB Subcommittee plans to vote on the report at its meeting at NAB2002. At that point, it would be delivered to the FCC (Radio World online Mar 21 via DXLD) ** U S A. Upcoming specials on KCRW Santa Mónica, The Home of the Homeless: UT Wed March 27 0300-0400 Jewish Stories from the Old World to the New UT Wed March 27 2230-2300 Capitol Steps: Politics Takes a Holiday, April Fool Special [and on many other NPR stations] UT Wed March 27 2300-2400 One People, Many Voices -- Passover special (Info@KCRW March 23 via DXLD) ** U S A. W$W has long been one of my favorite PBS shows. It put Owings Mills, MD on the map. I had thought the show was essentially his [Louis Rukeyser`s] creation, from concept through production. I saw this year-old article which may have some relevance: http://www.current.org/pbs/pbs0108.html. The current dust-up can be viewed here (long URL) http://www.quicken.com/investments/news_center/story/dj/?story=/news/stories/dj/20020321/on20020321000554.htm&column=P0DFP Looks like the decision was MPT's, and complaints should be sent there. The story was first broken here: http://www.sunspot.net/entertainment/tv/bal-te.to.rukeyser22mar22.story?coll=bal%2Dhome%2Dheadlines The MPT website offers a comments link and also offers a discussion board at their website http://www.mpt.org/about/contact.cfm MPT, Fortune appear set to oust Rukeyser http://www.sunspot.net/bal-to.wall21mar21.story (Richard Cuff, Mar 22, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. AWR A-02 via AUSTRIA and UAE are filed here under those respective countries, q.v. (gh) ** VIETNAM [non]. AUSTRIA(non): Voice of Vietnam via Moosbrunn A-02: 9725 MOS 100 kW/320 deg 1800-2000 English/Vietnamese/Vietnamese/ French to Eu (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. CANADA(non): A-02 schedule for Voice of Vietnam via Sackville: 6175 SAC 250 kW/212 deg 0100-0300 English/Vietnamese/Vietnamese/English to NAm 6175 SAC 250 kW/268 deg 0300-0500 Spanish/Vietnamese/Vietnamese/English to CAm (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. U K(non): A-02 schedule for Voice of Vietnam via Skelton: 9715 SKN 250 kW/150 deg 2000-2130 Russian/Vietnamese/Vietnamese to Eu (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 22 via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 7460, radio of S.A.D.R, 16 Mar, 2030-2101, SINPO 44333, in Arabic. Hard to say the exact station name: ID starts with "Idhaatu wataniya..." and ends with "...shaabi sahrawi". Probably this ID contains the Sahara state name. Songs, talks, news at 2059 (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. ZBC seem to have opened another SW frequency, heard on 6175 in our mornings (Chris Hambly, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [and non]. We have a short-wave radio broadcast to Zimbabwe. Now the Zimbabwe govt. have set up a station next to ours and thereby causing a heterodyne whistle. Can you tell me where I can get some good advice on how to combat this problem? Many thanks for your help Richard - Webmaster SW Radio Africa 6145 kHz on the 49m band http://www.swradioafrica.com (via Ed Janusz, via Sheldon Harvey, March 22, DXLD) VOICE OF THE PEOPLE One new transmission that I inadvertently failed to mention is a morning broadcast of Voice of the People via Madagascar which started in early March at 0330-0430 UTC on 7120 kHz. Following the result of the presidential election in Zimbabwe, Voice of the People has indicated that it intends to continue this extra transmission. The station has also opened a Web site at http://www.voxpop.co.zw/ Note that it opens with a Flash presentation that will take a while to load. If you don't have Flash or don't want to wait for it to load, point your browser at http://www.voxpop.co.zw/website/weare.html (Media Network Newsletter Mar 22 via John Norfolk, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6715-USB, Mystery Christian program in Korean continues to be heard on Fridays and Sundays. Audible in Europe between 1859v- 2018v [Sun] and on ECNA 2200v-2330v [Fri]. Reception seems to indicate a site in Europe. Kim made a few comments on the latest file I sent him: There is preaching ... Get out of here, Satan!... I pray, amen at revival service (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX thanks Green and Savolainen, via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ KEEPING A-02 SECRET Early UT March 23, I went to the websites of major international broadcasters whose A-02 schedules have not yet appeared in DXLD (and some which have), and with only a couple exceptions no one had yet posted the A-02 schedules, tho by now they must be pretty firm. It seems stations see no need to post info until the last minute. Their loss, as some of us are in a position to give them some accurate publicity in monthly publications, or even slightly in advance of going into effect (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-046, March 21, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1123: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1123.html FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, 2400 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070; Sun 0730, Mon 0100, 0600 on 3210 AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 rest of world, 1500 NAm DX PROGRAMS has been updated again by John Norfolk: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS I wanted to thank you for all the work that you do putting the digest together. I've recently returned to the world of shortwave listening. I have a 9 year old boy and he is finding great interest in it. I bought a DX 398 and we are having a good time. I was surprised to see all the NPR stuff in your digest, maybe it was just coincidence but the March 18th digest was the first i saw and it had 5 or so mentions of NPR. I've been there for 13 years and came to NPR as a lover of radio. I look forward to listening and checking out some of the stations in the digest. All the best (Bob Boilen, director, All Things Considered) Mr. Hauser - I must admit I sold my SWR years ago, and now regret it. Although I'm involved in broadcasting still, I miss the fun of SWR. Honestly, until I stumbled on your website tonight, I thought that there really wasn't much happening on the SW bands. I guess I was wrong! Looks like I need to turn off the computer and fire up the old radio more often. Thanks for the fun times when I was younger...and THANKS for still being around to help me revive an old hobby! (Doug Krile, Corporate Director of News and Public Relations, Equity Broadcasting Corporation, Little Rock, AR) ** AFGHANISTAN. Commando Solo update: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020320/ap_on_re_as/guard_broadcasters_1 PENGATON [SIC] RADIO LEAVES AFGHANISTAN Wed Mar 20, 6:46 AM ET By MARC LEVY, Associated Press Writer MIDDLETOWN, Pa. (AP) - One of Afghanistan's most popular radio stations for the past few months has gone off the air. The 193rd Special Operations Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard arrived home Tuesday after six months of flying day and night around Afghanistan, broadcasting messages and music to Afghans as part of the Pentagon's psychological warfare against the Taliban. "They've pretty much been on the air in the Middle East for the last several months, nonstop," said Col. Jim Lillis, the squad's vice commander, one of a couple hundred people on the guard's home tarmac at Harrisburg International Airport as the crews disembarked. Some of the crew members flew home in the same planes they flew in Operation Enduring Freedom: 40-year-old C-130s equipped with thousands of pounds of broadcasting equipment. The unit flew over 300 missions, each lasting nine hours. Its motto: "Never seen, always heard." The 10,000-watt broadcasts tried to get a wide range of messages across to Afghans who had hidden radios from the repressive Taliban. Listeners were told how to approach food drops, warned to stay indoors or away from U.S. soldiers during fighting, and assured that it was terrorists, not them, who were under attack. "We know they had radios stashed away," said Senior Master Sgt. Michael Kovach, a 46-year-old flight supervisor who has been with the unit since 1986. Some of the broadcasts were aimed squarely at the Taliban. "Attention Taliban! You are condemned. Did you know that?" one said. And another: "Our forces are armed with state-of-the-art military equipment. What are you using, obsolete and ineffective weaponry?" Afghan music was included because past missions had shown that music was a big draw to listeners. One of the songs broadcast was an old Afghan anthem that had been banned by the Taliban, Kovach said. The U.S. military's only unit of its kind, the 193rd has flown over most of the planet, from Panama to Kuwait. It has six of the specially equipped C-130s, which are capable of transmitting television broadcasts. Eventually, all will be able to relay live satellite feeds. While the radio messages, delivered in local languages, are usually broadcast from recordings, crews occasionally bring aboard a native speaker to do a live broadcast. Unit members say they were told by a number of sources in the military that the broadcasts were widely heard on the ground. Inside the planes, two huge banks of broadcast equipment mounted to steel supports loom over six swiveling seats at the controls. It seems a dreary place to spend nine hours at a time, but the unit members see their mission as a humanitarian one. "It's doing a good cause without going in and throwing things down people's throats," said Lt. Dawn Junk, a pilot. "You can do more with less." (via yahoonews via Artie Bigley, via Mike Cooper, via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) Now the question is: when did 8700-USB cease operation, or has it? If still heard past March 18, it`s obviously not on these planes. Now they`re back, perhaps they can fill us in on the previously classified details. The yahoo story has a head-on photo of the craft (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SITE(S)? 8700U Psyops Broadcast. After not hearing them for a few days, I thought they might be gone. Did some searching and confirmed it. This one is over (Hans Johnson, Mar 21) GUARDS RETURN HOME, Published March 19 2002 DAUPHIN CO. -- Some local Pennsylvania Air National Guard members are back home after serving six months overseas. The sixteen men and women are part of the guard's 193rd Special Operation Wing, and they were an important part of Operation Enduring Freedom. It's the moment Ralph Hall has been waiting for since September 28th. "We just heard last night that they were coming home." His son and grandson are members of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193rd Special Operation Wing. The wing was among the first guardsmen activated after the September 11th terrorist attacks, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. "Our role was very big," says Alan Kaylor. "What we have is a flying broadcasting television and radio station we broadcast to the people on the ground." For many of the family members that were left behind when their loved ones were called to duty say Tuesday's return was both happy and sad. "In a way it is kind of exciting because they are serving their country. I have a lot of pride over that." Ralph says that pride was always coupled with a feeling of anxiety. "There's a lot of fear and concern because they are not out of harms way. It's good to have them back." For the members of the 193rd, it is now time to get back into the old routine and catch up with family and friends. "I just can't wait to get home," say Kristen Kaylor," and have him back again." The group broadcast Afghani music interspersed with messages urging Afghans to help out the Taliban, so their country could be returned to them (WPMT TV Harrisburg, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. BALKH RADIO ANNOUNCES NEW BROADCAST TIME | Text of report by Afghan Balkh radio on 21 March An announcement by the Balkh Province radio and television: The Balkh Province radio and television informs all compatriots that the Balkh radio new broadcasting time will be 1800 to 2100 local time [1330 to 1630 gmt] as of tomorrow 2 of Hamal, 1381 [22 March 2002]. Source: Balkh Radio, Mazar-e Sharif, in Pashto 1330 gmt 21 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) That`s the one on 1584 kHz, I recall (gh, DXLD) ** ALASKA. HAARP: O projeto baseia-se na "injeção" de sinais eletromagnéticos na ionosfera e estudar como se comporta a área afetada por essa irradiação. Essa "injeção de sinais" na ionosfera está ocorrendo desde o dia 15 de Março e acontecerá até o dia 28 de Março. As frequencias de operação são 3200, 3300 e 5800 kHz, iniciando às 0400 UTC até às 1400 UTC. Conseguí ouví-los no dia 18 em 5800 kHz e hoje, dia 20, em 3200 kHz. O sinal não se parece com nada com que já se ouviu antes nas Ondas Curtas. Quase se assemelha a uma música, variando-se a tonalidade e o oscilamento; às vezes assemelha-se ao som gerado por alarmes de automóveis. Enviei no dia 18 um email para askhaarp@i... [truncated by yahoogroups] com um informe de recepção e um arquivo de Real Audio mostrando que os captei. Após algumas horas recebí um email de resposta agradecendo o envio de meu informe de recepção e dizendo que estavam providenciando o meu cartão QSL. Recebí o QSL full data hoje (após 2 dias) e digo....MAS QUE QSL.....lindíssimo mostrando o parque de antenas e transmissores do projeto e com todos os dados da recepção anotados no verso. V/S: Ed Ele me pediu que enviasse um QSL a ele e acabei enviando um QSL artesanal feito com um cartão postal de Long Island. Para maiores detalhes sobre o projeto HAARP visitem o site: http://server5550.itd.nrl.navy.mil/projects/haarp/ O endereço para correspondência é: HAARP Gakona Facility, PO Box 271, Gakona, Alaska 99586, USA Tentem ouví-los no Brasil e enviem um informe de recepção. Vale a pena ter esse QSL em sua coleção (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY (USA), JRC NRD 345, Dipolo 25 metros + MFJ959B, radioescutas via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Radio LRA36, Base Esperanza, 15475.50 kHz, 1935-1940 Mar 19, Italian music: Eros Ramazzotti!, ID, very good signal but distorted modulation, SIO 352 (Daniele Canonica, Switzerland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Re LOL E-mail address truncated: Glenn, their e-mail is: onba@hidro.gov.ar 73 HAN, (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM. Hola Amigos de la Lista! Seguidamente, una información que quizás pueda interesar sobre una emisora pirata belga que suele escucharse regularmente por aqui en Argentina, y por ende, quizás en otras latitudes de nuestro continente. RADIO BORDERHUNTER, 15795 khz, probablemente viernes 22/3 *2300v+ sábado 23/3 *2300-0130v. domingo 24/3 *0900+ 25700 khz, sábado 23/3 *1800+ QTH: Ostra Porten 29; 44254 Ytterby, Suecia. E-mail: borderhunter@h... [truncated by yahoogroups] 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barerra, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re Coari, 5035: Glenn, Esta emissora está ativa; eu realmente só posso ouvi-la quando R. Aparecida fica off entre 2200 e 2300 UT. Normalmente só aos domingos posso fazer esta escuta, não sei se R. Aparecida tem estado fora do ar todos os dias entre 2200 e 2300 UT, vou consultar o pessoal. Um abraço (Samuel Cassio, Brazil, March 19, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. http://www.radios.com.br es un muy interesante sitio en el que se publica una relación de las emisoras brasileñas en AM, por orden alfabético de ciudades: http://www.radios.com.br/rela_am1.htm y en OC, por orden de frecuencia: http://www.radios.com.br/rela_ot1.htm (Gerson Luiz Carvalho, Brasil, Noticias DX Mar 19 via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 5030, Radiodiffusion Nationale Du Burkina, 0611, Mar 19, Nice West African pop MX, with FF speaking M anncr. Strong signal, measured here at S9 with +10db peaks using 1/4 wave vertical. Thanks to Joe Talbot up in Red Deer, Alberta for helping me with the language (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s back on 4815, instead of 5030, around 1915 UT March 19 (Chris Hambly, Victoria, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DX LISTNEING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CHIN'S JOHNNY LOMBARDI DEAD AT 86 Well-known Toronto personality was in frail health By Caroline Grech, Toronto Star Staff Reporter CHIN Radio founder Johnny Lombardi has died after a short illness. He was 86. Giovanni Scarola, news director of CHIN television, confirmed early this morning that Lombardi died in hospital last night. "It was not a long-term illness, but his condition was frail lately," Scarola said. "He was a news pioneer," Scarola said. "When he built the station in 1966 it was a novelty. The only consolation is that he at least got to see the expansion of the station. He was there when Ottawa approved a licence for a second station last year." "He was the guy that introduced multiculturalism to Toronto," Mayor Mel Lastman told radio station CFRB this morning. "He came up with a multicultural radio and promoted it and showed people they've got to be proud of what they are and who they are." Lastman also said Lombardi was a "great big part" of the city, helping to make it what it is. Lombardi was well known for his annual Toronto CHIN picnics featuring Miss CHIN bikini contestants. The Second World War veteran and son of Italian immigrants received many accolades in his life, including the Order of Canada. Johnny Lombardi Way was named after the popular broadcaster in the Little Italy district of Toronto. He was born in Toronto. Lombardi had a lifelong love for music and learned to play the trumpet as a young man. In his 20s, he formed the Benny Palmer Orchestra. Playing lead trumpet, Lombardi's Big Band sound was heard in dance halls across southern Ontario. In 1966, his dream to own a community ethnic radio station came true with CHIN Radio, which now serves over 30 cultural communities. CHIN broadcasts in over 30 languages, to more than 30 cultural communities in Toronto and southern Ontario. CHIN's goal was to "contribute to multiculturalism by providing a forum for understanding and tolerance between people across every national, racial, and religious origin," according to CHIN's Website. In 1974, CHIN expanded into television. CHIN broadcasts 10 hours of programming each weekend on CityTV. Funeral arrangements will be announced later today. With files from Canadian Press (via Mike Brooker, March 19, NRC-AM via DXLD) TORONTO MOURNS BELOVED 'MAYOR OF LITTLE ITALY' http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?f=/stories/20020320/389906.html CHIN is, of course, on 1540 kHz. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** CANADA. from http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/newsitem_redux.asp?ID=2217 TONY BURMAN NAMED EDITOR IN CHIEF CBC RADIO AND CBC TELEVISION NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS Tony Burman has been appointed Editor in Chief for CBC News and Current Affairs for CBC Television and CBC Radio, effective immediately. As Editor in Chief, Tony will serve as CBC's chief journalist in interpreting CBC journalistic policy across all English media platforms - radio, television and Internet, as well as provide journalistic leadership around major events, elections and political conventions, as well as other special journalistic projects. "Collaboration and cooperation is increasing significantly among CBC's English media services, including CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC Newsworld and CBC New Media," said Alex Frame, vice-president, CBC Radio. "As all parts of the CBC work more closely together as a team, we increase the value of our services to Canadians and further our objectives and mandate as Canada's national public broadcaster. Tony's pre-eminent position as a leader of journalistic policy, coupled with his unprecedented success recent years throughout national, regional and Newsworld news operations, makes him the ideal candidate to provide leadership to this initiative." "By having a single Editor in Chief for all of our platforms, we ensure continuity and consistency in the interpretation of our journalistic policy, and in the continued development of exceptional journalistic programming that spans all of our media lines," added Harold Redekopp, executive vice-president, CBC Television. "Under Tony's leadership, we will better align our resources, people and planning while respecting the integrity of all of our services - ensuring that each medium is able to express itself to the fullest. The goal is dual: to enhance the impact of the country's largest journalistic organization in a highly complex and fragmented media environment; and to continue to ensure that CBC exemplifies best practices in the management of a highly efficient and effective organization." For the past two years, Tony Burman has been executive director and chief journalist of CBC News, Current Affairs and Newsworld, responsible for leading and managing all of CBC Television's news and current affairs programming. Prior to this appointment, Burman was head of CBC Newsworld for two years, where he renewed the Newsworld program schedule and refocused the network on its news roots. One of Canada's most widely-experienced journalists, Burman has held a variety of senior programming and management roles at the CBC, and has produced many award-winning news and documentary programs for both CBC Television and CBC Radio (via Ricky Leong, March 20, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. NY Daily News 3/21 WHERE THEY'VE GONE: AN 'SCTV' GUIDE Cast members' careers have stretched from H'wood to 'Oklahoma! By LANCE GOULD, Daily News Feature Writer If "SCTV" had parodied "Oklahoma!", it probably would have been renamed "Okinawa!", starred Billie Jean King and Julio Iglesias and featured cameos from Bob Hope, Merv Griffin and Jerry Lewis. As it is, the production of "Oklahoma!" opening tonight at the Gershwin Theater stars Andrea Martin, an "SCTV" veteran, and she'll be playing it relatively straight. Martin is just one of the alums of the cult Canadian sketch-comedy show who suddenly seem to be everywhere. "This is an opportunity to develop somebody with depth, and sketch comedy doesn't allow you to do that," says Martin about playing Aunt Eller in the musical. "It's not three minutes, as sketch comedy is. It's three hours. And the focus of this is not to get a laugh after each line - it's to tell the story." Martin, who was nominated for a Tony in the musical "Candide" and won the Best Featured Actress award in 1993 for her role in the Broadway musical "My Favorite Year," is best known for her work on "SCTV," particularly as Edith Prickley, the over-the-top manager of the fictional "SCTV" television station. But she wants to put Prickley's leopard-skin pillbox hat and horn-rimmed glasses well behind her. She stopped taking roles in sitcoms, hired the acting coach who helped Hilary Swank and Helen Hunt win Oscars, and focused on changing her image. Many of her "SCTV" castmates also have been undergoing career transformations. With the monster success of "American Pie," Eugene Levy has developed from a journeyman comic character actor into a star. His new TV series, "Greg the Bunny" (which starts Wednesday on Fox), is generating a media buzz. Levy also is at work on his third improv collaboration with Christopher Guest - a lampoon of folk singers. Martin Short morphs into his obese alter ego, Jiminy Glick, every Saturday in Comedy Central's "Prime Time Glick," a critical hit that began its second season last month with guest Tom Hanks. Harold Ramis has become one of the premier comedy directors in Hollywood. Ramis, who co-wrote "Animal House," also wrote and directed the Robert De Niro-Billy Crystal hit "Analyze This." The sequel, "Analyze That," starts shooting in New York in two weeks. Catherine O'Hara has co-starred in Levy's improv movies with Guest - she was the well-traveled Cookie Guggelman Fleck in "Best in Show" - and recently did a cameo with Ramis in "Orange County." Of the show's other regulars, Joe Flaherty played dads in the short- lived but critically hailed TV shows "Freaks and Geeks" and "Go Fish," and Dave Thomas was in last year's slapstick romp "Rat Race." Rick Moranis, who had a successful film career, has unofficially retired from show business. (John Candy, arguably "SCTV's" biggest star, died in 1994.) With the resurgence of many of its players' careers, interest in "SCTV" (which ran from 1976 to 1984) has risen. A long-rumored DVD project is in the works for late fall. And NBC aired old "SCTV" episodes after "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" for about a year until "Last Call With Carson Daly" started in January. When it was on the air, "SCTV" was in the shadow of its NBC stablemate "Saturday Night Live." SNL, because of its live broadcast, had an immediacy that hurt "SCTV" by comparison. "On 'SCTV'," says Short, the only regular to make the jump to SNL, "you'd write for six weeks, perform for six weeks and edit for six weeks. On 'SNL', you can be a star on Saturday night, go to the [post-show] party and enjoy your accolades - and if you don't have an idea on Sunday night, you feel like a total failure. It was more of a roller coaster." More demure than SNL, "SCTV" rarely touched on topics like sex or drugs, and it took place in the fictional town of Melonville, almost as far culturally from New York as Kabul. Still, the show was subtly dark and could offer devastating showbiz satires. "SCTV's" parody of the play "Evita!", called "Indira," featured Martin as the Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi and Flaherty as her adviser, yodeling country singer Slim Whitman. "We didn't have a lot of network interference," recalls Levy. "When they did have complaints, we would listen to them, nod and say 'Good point,' and then when they'd leave, we would go back to what we were doing. If they threatened to pull the plug on the show, we said, 'Let them do it.' We were young and kinda stupid." "SCTV," which was nominated for 13 writing Emmys (winning twice), is being recognized in Canada. The cast will get spots on Toronto's Walk of Fame in May, joining Wayne Gretzky, Gordon Lightfoot and other pillars of Canadian culture. "We became disproportionately large in Canada because of our notoriety," says Thomas. "We're sort of like old legends in Canada now." Adds Martin, "It truly was just to make each other laugh and have a vehicle to express ourselves. It really was just that, honestly. We had no aspirations at all that anything was going to happen." Original Publication Date: 3/21/02 (via Tom Roche, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Las emisoras radiales del departamento de Santander que transmitan publicidad del candidato presidencial Álvaro Uribe Vélez serán declaradas objetivos de guerra, anunció hoy el Eln. (El Tiempo, Bogotá, 20 de marzo 2002) Si las elecciones presidenciales colombianas se celebraran hoy, y no el próximo 26 de mayo, Álvaro Uribe las ganaría por abrumadora mayoría y sin necesidad de una segunda fecha de votación. Eln se refiere al Ejército de Liberación Nacional, la segunda organización guerrillera del país, y Santander es una región al nororiente de la capital Bogotá. Su capital es Bucaramanga (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. ELN THREATENS NORTE DE SANTANDER RADIOS THAT AIR PUBLICITY FOR URIBE | Text of report by Mexican news agency Notimex Bogota, 19 March: The rebel Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN) has today declared all radio stations in Norte de Santander Department which broadcast publicity for presidential candidate Alvaro Uribe Velez to be military targets. "We declare to be a military target any person or element that tends to support the presidential candidacy of Alvaro Uribe and, as a result, from now on the regional radio stations are prohibited from transmitting messages which refer to that campaign," the ELN warned. According to officials from that area, the authorship of the letter is attributed to the "Armando Cacua Guerrero" front of the ELN and it was sent to radio stations in Ocana municipality, 600 km northeast of Bogota. Uribe, the favourite according to the opinion polls to win the presidential elections to be held on 26 May, has strongly criticized the peace process and has promised, should he be elected, to strengthen the security forces for his presidency. Recent opinion polls put multi-party candidate Uribe in first place with 60 per cent, followed by Horacio Serpa (Liberal) with 24 per cent and former foreign minister and independent candidate Noemi Sanin with 5 per cent. According to the ELN, the second biggest active guerrilla group in the country [after the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia)], Uribe Velez's campaign "is oriented to generate more violence and war in Colombia, which spoils all intentions of finding a political way out" from 40 years of armed internal conflict. The ELN is pressing ahead with negotiations with President Andres Pastrana's administration in Havana (Cuba) in order to agree on a bilateral truce for six months, which would imply a reduction in the conflict in Colombia. The cease-fire, which could be extended, would be the first step to consolidate a peace process with the ELN, in the next government, which should take office on 7 August. Source: Notimex news agency, Mexico City, in Spanish 0102 gmt 20 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Policía "silenció" emisora de las FARC BOGOTA.--- La policía antinarcóticos destruyó la "Voz de la resistencia", emisora clandestina de las FARC que tenía cubrimiento en los 42 mil kilómetros de la liquidada zona de distensión. Los equipos de transmisión de la frecuencia 660 en AM fueron localizados por la policía a 25 kilómetros del municipio de Vistahermosa, en el Meta, en plena selva de los llanos orientales. Los equipos destruidos por las autoridades fueron una torre de 23 metros, un panel solar de energía, micrófonos, una consola y una repetidora ,así como una unidad solar (CARACOL via Henrik Klemetz) DESCUBREN EMISORA DE LAS FARC Marzo 21 de 2002, Reuters Bogotá http://www.elpais.com.co/historico/mar212002/NAL/A221N3.html Una potente emisora por medio de la cual las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, Farc, difundían música y mensajes revolucionarios, fue descubierta y bombardeada por la Policía Antidrogas en Vistahermosa, en el Meta. Mediante la estación, las Farc transmitían ilegalmente en amplitud modulada, frecuencia modulada y onda corta en la antigua Zona de Distensión. El director de la Policía Antinarcóticos, general Gustavo Socha, precisó que la emisora se descubrió dentro de las operaciones que se realizan para fumigar quince mil hectáreas de coca descubiertas en el antiguo enclave rebelde. Fueron destruidas una antena de 23 metros de altura, un panel solar, micrófonos, una consola, entre otros elementos (El País, Bogota, Mar 21 via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) SE APAGÓ 'LA VOZ DE LA RESISTENCIA' Bogotá (Redacción Judicial de El Espectador, edición 21 de marzo de 2002). La central de la radioemisora clandestina de las Farc, 'La Voz de la Resistencia', fue descubierta ayer por agentes de la Policía Antinarcóticos en el municipio La Macarena, una de las cinco localidades de la antigua zona de distensión. El Director General de la institución, general Gustavo Socha Salamanca, precisó que la central de la radioemisora contaba con paneles solares, modernos equipos de transmisión y potentes antenas. ``Allí se estaban lanzando consignas, transmitiendo todas estas canciones, especialmente los vallenatos que llevan toda una serie de mensajes de los insurgentes``, afirmó Socha. Según el jefe policial, guerrilleros de las Farc coordinaban ``actividades de narcotráfico y atentados terroristas`` desde la central de comunicaciones de la radioemisora (via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** CONGO. Brazzaville coming in well at 1945 UT March 19 on 5985 in French (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. (KINSHASA) 9550, Radio Okapi. In an e-veri, Dominique Jaccard at Hirondelle's main office confirmed my reception as reported in Cumbre DX Special 390.2. This for an audio file sent to the info@hirondelle.org address. She confirms that this one is indeed coming from Kinshasa with just 10 kW [so much for my relay theory :)] Ms. Jaccard adds that they had some problems with the electrical supply at first but that they are now on 24 hours (via Hans Johnson, FL, Mar 18, Cumbre DX Special via DXLD) Glenn, 9550, not Hirondelle but Fidel's Voice. Heard a French language station at 0120 UT, but was RHC's French service instead, booming into Europe with S=9 +50 dB (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Mar 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, Havana certainly dominates 9550 here too (gh, OK, DXLD) 9550.0, R Okapi first noted here yesterday Mar 15 (but have not listened for a couple of days prior to that) 2200-2330 in USB although also listenable in AM (nothing in LSB). Nice and strong signal. Mainly local pops with ID jingles and canned anmts, no other spoken word. Is coming through with a fair signal now (0900 UT), so possibly on 24 hrs/day? (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DXplorer Mar 16 via BC-DX via DXLD) Possibly the new Congo-Kinshasa coming through weakly here at 2001 UT with distinctly Congolese-sounding mx on the clear though weak on AM synch USB side with 353D and 7030+ through the SEIII. Best on DX- Ultra antenna (Tony Ward, Canada, VE3NO, ComputerViz; NYAA StarFest on-line, Mar 16 via BC-DX via DXLD) Tnx to above info from Vashek Korinek. Tony Ward heard this one from 2123 UT, weak signal but building. Improved a bit at 2137, and got a quick preliminary "Okapi" ID at 2138, a definite one at 2146. All soul-type vocals or African vocals, with occasional quick IDs between some songs. Signal rose and fell, as did the co-channel signal from Cuba which did not sound too healthy itself. Spillover from 9555 was also a problem. Still there at 2250 as I type this, with another ID and nominally dominant on the fqy; crisp audio helps it stand out (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer, Mar 16 via BCDX via DXLD) ** CUBA. Chicago Sun Times columnist Robert Novak says the head of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana has distributed "cheap shortwave radios" in Cuba: http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak25.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. There was a discussion here a while back about the power output for the Radio Martí AM transmitter on 1180. A story in the current issue of Radio World confirms that they are 100 kW day and 50 kW night. The story is primarily about the recent $1.5M renovation and conversion to digital which is just being completed at their Miami studios (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, March 20, NRC-AM via WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) ** CUBA. Glenn, I've just received this from the Spooks group. Might be interesting to check it out. Can't do it here as it's the middle of the night! (Roger Tidy, GMT) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nathan Kelderman" 123jimbo@bellsouth.net To: spooks@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, March 20, 2002 03:53 Subject: [Spooks] RHC Hello all, Don't know if this was already noted, but I heard Radio Havana Cuba on 12165 March 10 at 0300 UT. Audio was decent. Note the frequency, our good friend V2a. The frequency is not listed on their web page either as a new Spring frequency. Would have reported earlier but computer crashed. Nathan Spooks mailing list Spooks@mailman.qth.net http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/spooks Visit http://www.spynumbers.com/ for complete information about Spy Numbers Stations (via Roger Tidy, UK, DXLD) ** FRANCE. The La Rochelle TIS station on 25926 is being heard as late as 2130 UT; now there seems to be only one carrier instead of several. Do not hear anything on the five other frequencies previously reported (David Hodgson, TN, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hear his amazing 1- watt tape on WOR 1123 ** GERMANY. Berlin Nalepastraße : Do you wonder how the old headquarter of GDR radio may look today? I just found some quite distressing pictures: http://www.geocities.com/dasteil/rundfunk.htm On this occasion I also found a mention of the computer programs GDR radio used to broadcast. The simple home computers from GDR manufacturing used ordinary compact cassettes to store data. GDR radio copied such cassettes to 15 inch per second reel-to-reel tapes which were played over the air, just through the console like actual audio records. Listeners only had to record these noises on cassette to get a copy of the program. Quite bizarre, but it worked, as long as undisturbed FM reception was ensured: http://www.osterburg.org/stefan/computer.html (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. I had DW`s English stream on in the background and was somewhat startled to hear starting at 1501 UT Tue March 19, when I somehow expected news, a program on Deutsche Welle (pronounced as an English W) called ``Family Planning and Islam: The Gambian Approach``, apparently a co-produxion. There is a Gambia-Germany Family Planning Program in Banjul. Whew, we are fortunate that Germany is keeping down the Islamic population of Africa`s tiniest country (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. A-02 ERA-5 ERT Athens ERT S.A.: THE VOICE OF GREECE A02 SHORT WAVE TRANSMISSION SCHEDULE Effective from 31/03/02 to 27/10/02 (00:00) UTC Service Area GMT/UTC Frequencies Languages EUROPE 0000-0350 5865 7475 Gr 0400-0600 9420 15630 Gr 0600-0650 9420 15630 Gr, Eng 0700-0800 17905 15630 Gr, Eng 0800-1000 17905 15630 Gr, Eng 1100-1200 17905 Gr 1200-1250 12105 17905 Gr 1300-1400 9420 15630 Gr 1400-1500 9420 15630 Gr 1500-1700 9420 15630 Gr 1700-1800 9420 15630 Gr 1800-1900 9420 15630 Gr 1900-2000 9420 15630 Gr 2000-2100 9420 15630 Gr 2100-2200 9375 Gr 2200-2300 9375 Gr 2300-2400 7475 9375 Gr Foreign Language Transmissions 1200-1330 15650 Gr Ar 1330-1657 12105 D Rus E R Tr Bg Sc 1700-1800 12105 AI F 1800-1900 12105 BI Eng MW 0900-1800 792 Gr Ar D Rus E R Tr 2100-2230 792 Gr 2300-2400 792 Gr TASKEND 1200-1300 15650 Gr M.EAST, INDIAN OCEAN 0000-0350 15630 Gr 0400-0600 21530 17520 Gr 0600-0700 21530 17520 Gr 0700-0800 21530 17520 Gr 1200-1430 15650 Gr Ar MW 1000-1500 1260 Gr Ar D 2200-2230 1260 Gr ATLANTIC OCEAN 0000-0400 7475 9420 Gr 0400-0600 9420 15630 Gr 0600-0700 15630 9420 Gr 0700-1000 15630 17905 Gr 1100-1300 17905 Gr 1300-2050 15630 Gr 2100-2400 9375 Gr AFRICA 0000-0357 9420 Gr 2300-2400 12110 Gr JAPAN, PACIFIC OCEAN 0600-0800 15190 Gr AUSTRALIA 0000-0350 15630 Gr 0400-0800 17520 21530 Gr 0600-0800 15190 Gr 1200-1330 15650 Gr Ar 2100-2257 9420 12110 Gr 2300-2400 15650 Gr NORTH AMERICA 0000-0350 7475 Gr 1200-1500 9590 Gr 1600-2200 17705 Gr SOUTH AMERICA, PANAMA ZONE & SW AFRICA 0000-0357 9420 Gr 2000-2200 17565 Gr 2300-2400 12110 Gr (1) Gr=Greek, Eng= English, Al= Albanian, Ar=Arabian, Bg= Bulgarian, F=French, E= Spanish, I=Italian Pl=Polish, P=Portuguese, R=Romanian, Rus= Russian, S= Swedish, Sc= Serbocroatian, Tr=Turkish LIVE AUDIO URL: http://www.ert.gr Reports via e-mail: era5@ert.gr. Technical information: bcharalabopoulos@ert.gr ERT S.A. MACEDONIA STATION EUROPE 1100-1550 11595 EUROPE 1600-2250 9935 ERA 5 'THE VOICE OF GREECE' Messogion 432,15342, Ag. Paraskevi Attikis, Tel +301 6066308, 6066297, Fax +301 6066309 Macedonia Radio Station: Angelaki Str 2, 54621 Tel: +3031244979, Fax: +3031 236370 General Direction of E.RA (Engineering Div.): Messogeion 432, 15342, Ag. Paraskevi Attikis. Tel 301 606 6257, Fax +301 606 6243 (ERA-5 Greece, via WWDXC Germany, Mar 20 via DXLD) Note strange new frequency 17905, in the aero band carefully avoided by most broadcasters; will it really happen? (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) ** HUNGARY. Hola; Es con mucha ilusión que te pongo la siguiente información llegada desde unos minudos por parte de Radio Budapest. El nuevo 'schedule' en vigor del 31 de marzo 2002 de Radio Budapest incluye después 10 años de silencio emisiones en italiano, francés y español juntas a los otros idiomas. Es un éxito de la Conferencia EDXC del año pasado que esperaba hace unos meses. Espero que muchos oyentes de habla castellana puedan sintonizar a Radio Budapest en los siguientes horarios (español, 31.03-27.10.2002): 2045-2100 UT 6025 6145 2145-2200 UT 6025 11885 La emisión española inicia al término del informativo en italiano. Hay también algo de personal en esta emisión. Paolo y yo hemos participado a dos emisiones extraordinarias de Radio Buadpest en italiano em 1997 y 1999 y por fin llegamos a cumplir el sueño de una renovada emisión en idiomas latinos desde Hungría. 73's desde Florencia, (Luigi Cobisi, Secretario General del EDXC, Noticias DX March 19 via WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) Otras informaciones en el portal: http://edxc.multimania.com Radio Budapest, A-02 (31/03/2002 - 26/10/2002) English 0100-0130 9560 NAm English 0230-0300 9570 NAm English 1900-1930 6025 7130 Eur English 2100-2130 3975 6025 Eur (via Andreas Volk via WB, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) ** INDIA. (01/03/2002) India is another vast nation adopting the Eureka 147 system as the future of radio. The public broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR) started regular experimental DAB transmission in New Delhi in April 1997. In a major initiative, AIR plans to launch regular DAB services in the country by the end of this year. Although the government has already given in-principle the go-ahead to AIR for initiating action on DAB, the project is subject to approval of the Tenth Plan, which is in the process of being finalised. To begin with, the DAB service, which is meant for all four metro cities (Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai), will only be available in Delhi. Six stereo channels are being planned for the Capital. The remaining three metros will receive DAB only in the second phase. The current challenge for India therefore is to bring receiver prices down to a realistic level for the price-sensitive Indian consumer. For that, AIR is in talks with UK-based manufacturers of DAB sets, one of which is expected to tie up with radio manufacturers in India for making DAB-enabled sets in the country. It is expected that sets manufactured in India will cost much less than the imported ones. (source unknown via Ardic DX Club via dx_india March 20 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Glenn, I'm listening to RRI Indonesia online with English at 2030. Probably started at 2000. Some real "hurtin' music" right now! (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 19, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also check for English webcast hours at 0100, 0800 as on SW (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) Glenn, I only checked one time around 0100 this week (I think it was UT Tuesday) and they were not in English (sounded like Indonesian) but I'll make a point to check again. If you listened just before 1300 when they "sign-off", you will hear what I assume is the Indonesian national anthem, but they really do need a new tape of it, the one I heard this morning was just awful. They also keep the link up when they are off the air 1300-1730, but nothing is heard, other than some occasional test tones. Later: VOI is in English 0100 tonight [UT Mar 22]. Another example of a difficult accent to listen to. I had to pay close attention to the female newscaster. But it's still fun to listen, having very seldom heard them on SW. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. I would regret the failure of XM and/or Sirius. They provide vehicles for programming and formats that would not be viable on local radio stations. An audience of 0.1% in any Metro area is not worth bothering with, but 0.1% percent of the entire country could sustain a radio channel. The satellite radio services might have to look at (probably already have looked at) alternate business plans. One would be to drop the subscription fee altogether. The channels would be supported by advertising. Commercial radio is necessarily awful, especially if the amount of time devoted to ads is [not] kept within reasonable limits. At first, the numbers of XM and Sirius users would not attract advertisers. But, if the number of people signing up for satellite radio increases because it's free, the higher numbers will bring down the price of receivers and attract even more users. Another business plan is to make money by selling channel access to radio stations (or "radio stations") and program makers. Of course, when the program makers pay for access, rather than the satellites companies paying for the programming, much of the content will be very poor quality and perhaps even objectionable. But it might keep the satellite companies in business. The satellite radio companies could also function like a nationwide satellite SCA service. Each channel would be a pay radio channel. If you want old time radio 24 hours a day and are willing to pay for it, this service could provide it. Ditto Polka. Ditto computer talk. Ditto UFOs. Etc. Speaking for ke and not for voa/ibb/bbg/usg (Kim Andrew Elliott, DC, March 20, swprograms via DXLD) ** IRAN. CLOCKS TO MOVE FORWARD BY AN HOUR FROM MIDNIGHT 21 MARCH | Text of report by Iranian radio on 19 March The country's summer time will begin from 2400 on 1 Farvardin [2030 gmt 21 March], as the clocks are moved forward by one hour. In view of this change of time, the news on the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran [radio] will be broadcast at 2100 from Friday 2 Farvardin [1630 gmt 22 March]. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, in Persian 1630 gmt 19 Mar 02 (via BBCM via WOR 1123, DXLD) But this traditionally has little if any effect on foreign language broadcasts (gh, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. See LITHUANIA ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel cuts. Some new info: On March 20 the IBA Director of Finance sent a letter to Bezeq (countersigned by Director of Radio - Amnon Nadav) instructing them to cease shortwave transmission of Reshet Hei on March 31. Bezeq intends to interpret this literally but in the IBA there is confusion about what is Reshet Hei. For instance the IBA does not intend to include Persian but it is on Reshet hei (the confusion arises because administratively, salaries etc, it is with Reshet Dalet). English is on Reshet Alef and the IBA thinks this will be included. The matter comes up in the Knesset next week and the IBA is trying to force the issue. -- I've been told that this information will be in tomorrow's Jerusalem Post -- which would be available on the Internet this evening Eastern Time. I'll try to send the link when it comes in (Daniel Rosenzweig, March 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAMAICA. Hot off the press, here's what I did and didn't hear via saltwater daytime groundwave. No Jamaicans heard on: 560, 620, 750, 850, 1090. Jamaicans are broadcasting over 550, 580, 700, 720, 770. Quite some time ago I was asked by someone on the list about if 770 was in use in Jamaica. It is. I made a mini feature of this on tape. I don't ever recall logging any Jamaicans during the day offshore from W. Palm Beach and vicinity (Ron Gitschier, m/m, March 20, NRC-AM via DXLD) Re: ``From W Fla, a couple of Mexican stations can be heard during the day. Several years ago I could hear Jamaica-700 during the day from Jupiter, in very northernmost Palm Beach County, and of course ZNS on 3 frequencies, but when I was last there Jamaica was not heard.`` I was unclear in this posting. In 1992, my first visit to my (now -ex) mother in law in Jupiter, FL, I could 'easily' hear Jamaica 700 all day long, in summer conditions. Recent rechecks from the same area show no sign of their signal during the day. However I did not mean to imply the station was silent. In fact 700 and 720 are the only two Jamaican signals I hear regularly from Tampa, however only at night. The 700 daytime signal then was quite weak, of course, about s-1 and I had to go to Carlin Park (low noise level) to hear it. I have no idea what changed in this situation. I'll try to get back someday with a better receiver and loop and re-check it. It should be there at some low level (Bob Foxworth, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. 7590, Tomorrow`s News Today at *1959-2010, 35333, English, 1959 s-on with Opening music. ID. News. Thanks for tip from Iwao Nagatani via Japan Premium No. 201 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan, Japan Premium Mar 5) Obviously via Sitkunai, Lithuania (Wolfgang Büschel) Sitkunai operational schedule A02 season: 0000-0100 11690 310 100 RV Daily Lith.(30')/English(30') 0800-0900 9710 79 50 FBN Sat English 0900-1000 9710 259 100 RV Daily Lith.(30')/English(30') 1300-1400 9710 259 100 UL Sun German 2000-2030 7590 259 100 TNT Mo-Fri English 2300-2400 9875 310 100 RV Daily Lith.(30')/English(30') RV - R Vilnius (Foreign Service of Lithuanian Public Radio) FBN - Fundamental Bcing Network [no longer occasional tests? --gh] UL - Universelles Leben TNT - Tomorrow's News Today (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Mar 15) BC-DX has received information from a good source that R Barabari [IRAN clandestine] 7480 after a number of test transmissions is currently being relayed via Sitkunai, Lithuania (Wolfgang Büschel, BC- DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Those considering a reception report to this Mexican [on 660 heard during WFAN downtime], or any other by that name, may want to start with spelling it right. LA CONSENTIDA. I`ve always thought it a strange name for a radio station; perhaps David Gleason would explain what it means/connotes. Another tip: Spanish words, with the exception of occasional proper names, do not have double-S. So it`s Radio Progreso, not Progresso. 73, (Glenn Hauser, NRC-AM via DXLD) Literally, "the spoiled one" In Spanish, it means, sort of, a station that indulges or spoils or satisfies you. It is not a term that has a true English direct translation. Another good reminder would be that most Latin American stations don't use or care about their call letters. And "Progresso" with two "s" is an Italian soup brand (David Gleason, CA, ibid.) I wonder then if the "no, no, no, no, no!" after the slogan might be similar to the English phrases "Allow me!" or "Sit down! I'll take care of that!" or "Your money's no good here" or the like? (Steve Francis, Alcoa, Tennessee, ibid.) I think that it means a girlfriend or favorite girl (Kevin Redding, Mesa, Arizona, ibid.) Means "the Spoiled one" as in one who is "mimada" or showered with attention. No direct translation; idiomatic expression (Gleason, ibid.) Dave, I can't disagree with your translation, but interestingly all the people I work with say that it`s a favorite girlfriend. Where I work, we build jet engines and turbine engine parts. Almost everyone there is from northern Mexico. Almost 100% have told me that the translation is close to "favorite girlfriend." I would say that most come from Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Zacatecas. I guess it`s another case of Spanish being different from place to place. Perhaps it depends on the context in which the term is used (Kevin Redding, Mesa, Arizona, ibid.) It sounds to me as if the girlfriend of favorite girl can easily become the spoiled one. Both definitions, thus, make sense, heh heh! (Qal R. Mann, Qo Median, Krum TX, ibid.) As Kevin rightly said, usage is very geography dependent; his definition is also within the general meaning... Most fun I had was trying to explain to a non-Hispanic GM that "Qué Buena" was not a catcall (Gleason, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. Burmese Military Station: I checked 6570, after reading Adrian's report and I found that the station which was so strong a few months back is very weak now, BUT it is there. On my 40 mb two element yagi which is beaming towards Japan, I can hear it 1330-1600 with Burmese programming. On my long wire antennas it is barely audible, thanks also to the hash on the band. Best reception for me is when we have electricity cuts!! (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer Mar 12 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Glenn, Sounds Historical on RNZI is now 0806-1000 Sundays all on 11675. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Here's a link to an obituary in the Daily Telegraph of the NZ composer Douglas Lilburn (cf DXLD 2-043): http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/06/22/db04.xml I first discovered Lilburn back in the mid-late Eighties, when I ran across an LP of New Zealand contemporary music which included his Aotearoa overture. It's a very nice piece, and would have some themes which would do nicely as linking music on RNZI broadcasts. Unfortunately, I've run across virtually nothing else by Lilburn in subsequent years, especially in the CD era. And here's a link to the Lilburn obituary in the Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4221766,00.html 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. The Voice of Nigeria has commissioned new studios... http://allafrica.com/stories/200203200057.html And the VON director and houseguests were robbed... http://allafrica.com/stories/200203040391.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. Bruce Portzer forwards this message from Norway: Everyone: This message has some comments on listenability versus the signal-to-interference ratio. I've never seen it put quite that way before. For the record, 5-6 db equals one S-unit on a properly calibrated radio (Bruce Portzer, IRCA) "-----Original Message----- From: SvennM svennm@c2i.net To: Sorengo mwc@sorengo.com Date: Saturday, March 09, 2002 12:42 PM Subject: [mwc] Feedback Re-posting allowed Dear MWN Editor, We read about our project in a news item in the current MWN (World News), which also refers to BDXC and a comment about presumed nighttime interference from Radio Monte Carlo for our planned service on 216 kHz. We are pleased of your interest in our project, and encourage further constructive comments. Regarding the problem of nighttime interference, this is a problem found in all Europe and has its roots in the Geneva Plan, and is also due to the great number of transmitters in our part of the world, many of them high-powered, in a relatively small area. Anyone who wants to run an AM station in Europe will encounter this problem. And as you well know, it is already very evident even with some existing UK domestic services. In Norway, the following protection ratio figures were recognized when planning the 4 high-power channels of 155(153), 218(216), 630, and 1314 kHz for the 1974/1975 Geneva frequency conference, each 1200 kW. On the official 1977 coverage maps the boundary value used was <27 dB; in fact the basic values used were 30 dB for MW and 33 dB for LW. Let us refer to theory we have learned during our march forward: At 27dB, there will be good reception of both speech and music. At 20-27 dB, still relatively good reception, interference may be noticeable. At 10-20 dB, speech transmission may still be acceptable. We think people will listen to a signal with a signal to interference value down to 10 dB if the program is interesting enough. At 5 dB speech transmission may be possible, but the interference will be tiresome. We would also like to refer you to our website, where there are some calculations by our Norwegian consultant of how our service will do vs. R. Monte Carlo. http://www.northernstar.no Look up (in the left window) Coverage Maps Clear channel AM 216 and Open letter. In closing, In spite of the European interference problem AM radio does thrive with the right format. And now the sensational Digital AM is coming. Please look up the Digital AM/DRM link also to the left of our webpages and listen yourself to FM quality over 1000-1500 km. Most radio listeners agree that AM radio is interesting, no exciting! So do we, with great experience in listening in that field, and great knowledge of radio. But in the coming years it will be much more professionally interesting, no, exciting(!) than in recent years; AM radio licenses with very high power are very valuable already, and will in the future have even greater value. Svenn Martinsen, CEO, Chairman Northern Star International Broadcasters AS is a registered broadcasting company whose aim is to hold commercial radio licenses, and to trade in commercial radio and related media on a Christian foundation. http://www.northernstar.no Chairman S Martinsen; Directors E Morland, G Stokkeland Registration no.: 981 393 368 Registered office address: PO Box 153, N-5346 Ågotnes, Norway E-mail:gm@northernstar.no Phone: + 011 47 56 32 17 73 Fax +011 47 56 33 42 00" (via IRCA DX Monitor March 20 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. 15100, Radio Pakistan, Islamabad. 42 días. Recibido: tarjeta QSL, carta confirmatoria y adhesivos. V/S: ilegible. QTH: Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Headquarters, Broadcasting House, Constitution Avenue, Islamabad. El informe de recepción fue enviado en inglés vía e-mail. La dirección electrónica actual de Radio Pakistan se indica en la carta: cnoradio@isb.comsats.net.pk El idioma sintonizado fue el chino, confirmado en la carta. Este es un buen ejemplo de que pueden obtenerse QSLs de programaciones que se transmiten en idiomas muy distintos del nuestro; basta con redactar un informe de recepción detallado, con anotaciones sobre ciertas palabras escuchadas (nombres de personalidades, ciudades, etc). ¡Funciona!. (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, Brasil, Noticias DX Mar 19 via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Este es un extracto del escrito dirigido por Dom Mur (Consultor Técnico de Radiodifusión América, de Asunción, Paraguay) a Thord Knutsson (Editor del WRTH) anunciando la próxima puesta en el aire en período de pruebas de esta emisora: "Comentarle que esperamos comenzar emisiones de prueba en el mes de abril, con un azimut de 184º desde el norte magnético. Nuestra principal zona de objetivo será Buenos Aires, en la frecuencia de 7,300 kHz, 41 metros. Si todo marcha bien, la potencia de salida del emisor será de 5 kW y la potencia radiada efectiva, de aproximadamente 1.58 MW. La fecha de comienzo prevista para las pruebas es el día 7 de abril. Toda la programación de Radiodifusión América será transmitida durante las 24 horas del día, mayoritariamente en español, con algunos segmentos en guaraní. Hay que hacer notar que la programación de Radio América, al tratarse de una emisora cultural y educativa, contendrá mucha música clásica (Vía Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, Brasil, Noticias DX Mar 19 via DXLD) Se ha mencionado como ``engaño`` [hoax] la noticia de un servicio de onda corta de Radio América, de Ñemby, pero en una breve e inmediata respuesta a una pregunta que le formulé por correo electrónico, el director de la emisora confirma que sí se piensa transmitir en una frecuencia de onda corta, como complemento a la frecuencia habitual de los 1480 kHz. No mencionó la fecha prevista para su apertura. El que firma el mensaje es el pastor José A. Holowaty, a quien se podía escuchar con regularidad a través de la onda corta de KGEI, La Voz de la Amistad, de San Francisco, emisora que fue clausurada hace ocho años. El pastor Holowaty se interesó entonces por los transmisores de onda corta de Radio Nacional de Chile, cuyos equipos más tarde, como ya es de amplio conocimiento, fueron adquiridos por Christian Vision (Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, 20 de marzo, COMPENDIO DE ESCUCHAS DX, WOR 1123) La información que Thord nos ha presentado es cierta, o sea hoy también el señor Mur me lo ha confirmado vía una conversación telefónica mantenida con él después de que el amigo Thord me enviara el número telefónico de la radio. Tuve una muy buena conversación con el Sr. Mur y le pregunté si le podía visitar para mirar las instalaciones a la cual él me invitó cordialmente. Informó que sé esta instalando en un nuevo QTH dos transmisores, una para la onda corta y la otra, un nuevo transmisor para la onda media. El QTH actual luego quedará solamente para los estudios y administración. Si es que todo me sale bien pienso visitar la radio el viernes. También le pregunté si la parte legal, o sea el permiso / licencia para operar en esta banda estaba arreglada a lo que le respondió que afirmativo, aunque aparentemente faltan algunos detalles.... Saludos de (Levi Iversen, Paraguay, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PERU. 5009v, Radio Altura, Cerro de Pasco, Mar 19 0105, ID "Radio Altura, sintonía sin frontera" The description below seems to be relay of R. Panamericana... 5009v, Radio Panamericana, ? Mar 17 2240, S-3, Salsa Music, ID "Radio Panamericana con todo..." 73 (Rogildo F. Aragão, Cochabamba, Bolivia, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** PERU. 6045.37, Radio Santa Rosa, 0915-0950, ID by YL, priest with congregation, religious service, "Gracias, Señor" repeated, woman singing a cappella religious music, excellent signal (Bob Wilkner, R- 75, Noise Reducing Antenna, Margate, Florida, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND [and non]. Radio Racja, from Poland to Belarus`, s/on at 0559 March 20 on 6095 kHz. IS and ID tape, the Polish tx's wobbler noise at medium level, i.e. not too annoying. SINPO 44333. 15455: Radio Maryja, the Polish Catholic station via Krasnodar- Armavir/Russia, at 0611 UT Ma 20 with a choir of a mass, at SINPO 54343. 73, EiBi (Eike Bierwirth, Rx=JRC-NRD525, 100m wire loop in the window, QTH for a year: Stary Petergof, RUS-78, St. Petersburg metropolitan oblast; Find all SW sked at http://www.eibi.de.vu/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** QATAR. Al-Jazeera: see USA ** SAUDI ARABIA. A VOA editorial on anti-Jewish content in the Sa`udi press received two mentions http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,48293,00.html http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=11072&intcategoryid=3 The text of that editorial is at ... http://www.voa.gov/newswire/2d7ff27c.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SINGAPORE. All change in Singapore! MediaCorp has completely overhauled its MediaCorp SR ensemble. Seven Services are now being broadcast, of which six are exclusive to DAB:- CRUISE: oldies from the late 50s and 60s plus Jazz Standards and Jazz Fusion. CLUB PLAY: Singapore's Only Dance station JK-POP: The Latest Japanese and Korean Pop. CHINESE EVERGREENS: The Best Mix of Chinese Evergreen Classics. PLANET BOLLYWOOD: The Best of Bollywood. SYMPHONY: Singapore's Premier Classical Music Station. BLOOMBERG: Up-to-date news and financial information. Only Symphony is also available in analogue form, being transmitted on 92.4 MHz in the city state (Ardic DX Club via dx_india [off-topic] via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. R. Slovakia A'02 20 Mar'02 Radio Slovakia International Time And Frequency Schedule Summer 2002 (from March 31 to October 27, 2002) UTC Region Language Freq. 0100-0130 North America English 5930 49 Central America English 6190 49 South America English 9440 31 0130-0200 North America Slovak 5930 49 Central America Slovak 6190 49 South America Slovak 9440 31 0200-0230 North America French 5930 49 Central America French 6190 49 South America French 9440 31 0700-0730 Australia, Oceania English 9440 31 Australia, Oceania English 15460 19 Australia, Oceania English 17550 16 0730-0800 Australia, Oceania Slovak 9440 31 Australia, Oceania Slovak 15460 19 Australia, Oceania Slovak 17550 16 0800-0830 Western Europe German 5915 49 Western Europe German 6055 49 Western Europe German 7345 41 1300-1330 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 9440 31 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 7345 41 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 5915 49 1330-1400 Western Europe German 5915 49 Western Europe German 6055 49 Western Europe German 7345 41 1500-1530 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 13715 22 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 11715 25 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 9535 31 1530-1600 Western Europe Slovak 5920 49 Western Europe Slovak 6055 49 Western Europe Slovak 7345 41 1600-1630 Western Europe German 5920 49 Western Europe German 6055 49 Western Europe German 7345 41 1630-1700 Western Europe English 5920 49 Western Europe English 6055 49 Western Europe English 7345 41 1700-1730 Western Europe French 5920 49 Western Europe French 6055 49 Western Europe French 7345 41 1730-1800 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 5920 49 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 7345 41 Eastern Europe, Asia Russian 9485 31 1800-1830 Western Europe German 5920 49 Western Europe German 6055 49 Western Europe German 7345 41 1830-1900 Western Europe English 5920 49 Western Europe English 6055 49 Western Europe English 7345 41 1900-1930 Western Europe Slovak 5920 49 Western Europe Slovak 6055 49 Western Europe Slovak 7345 41 1930-2000 Western Europe French 5920 49 Western Europe French 6055 49 Western Europe French 7345 41 Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [geez, I hate tabs. I thought I had the above all lined up, but am not going to spend any more time on it ---gh] ** SOUTH AMERICA. An informal survey of shortwave stations in S. America. To see it, go here: http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/b/d/bds2/dying.html 73 de (Phil KO6BB Atchley, swl via DXLD) It`s by Brett Saylor; reminds me of something Anker Petersen did, the disappearing tropicals (gh, DXLD) ** SPAIN. [Spurs] REE Madrid, still regularly audible, though putting a very faint signal on 4885 kHz for French program, e.g. around 1930 Mar 11: any idea of which REE channel may be causing this 60 mb spur? I tried 2 x 4885 kHz, but TRT (?) in Turk. was the only audible signal on 9770; REE in French was, however, noted on at least 7150 and 9595 kHz at that time (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) Would fit, if the formula 12035(Sp) - 7150(Fr) = 4885 kHz comes into effect!? (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX ed., via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Hi, ask George Wood, who did edit that particular new A-02 schedule page, on both languages in English, and in Swedish too. The .XLS File shows only 1730 1179 and 6065 daily [white color, no weekdays/Sundays signs!], and 13580 Suns only in RED color !!! Swedish lang comments on page http://www.sr.se/rs/red/tabla/sve/svenska.pdf which is in CEST = UTC +2 hrs !!!! Swedish program A-02, also edited by George Wood: http://www.sr.se/rs/red/ind_sve.html This page noted a special broadcast on Sundays P4 Sport with [**] two asterisks signed: 6065 1700-1800 UT, or 1900-2000 Swedish Summer Time It's not stated clear, if also the MW 1179 is affected by that SPORTS P4 program. ... and the 6065 entry for 1700-1800 UT span on Sundays should be updated by Radio Sweden. 73 de wolfy df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, BCDX via DXLD) Hi, No, according to the new schedule, the only frequency for Radio Sweden English on Sundays at 1730 UT is 13580 kHz. No 1179, as that is being used for sports in Swedish. It's a stupid schedule, but I'm not the one who puts it together. Take care, (George Wood, RS, ibid.) RADIO SWEDEN--Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: In "HeartBeat", we visit the Health Fair, and laughing for health Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: In "Studio 49", the politics of the young, suicide, international adoptions Sunday: "Sounds Nordic" repeat, with Jenny Löfgren and the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest finalist (SCDX/MediaScan March 20 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. New AWR outlets via Taiwan, maybe tests for KSDA replacements during refurbishing time span on Guam transmitter site in coming months. Der ab Ende Maerz gueltige neue Sendeplan von Merlin fuer den Sommer 2002 verzeichnet neue Sendungen von Adventist World R aus Taiwan fuer Suedostasien: 0100-0200 15445 kHz (Taipei 250 kW, 250 degr) 1400-1500 15490 kHz (Taipei 250 kW, 250 degr) Dies ist insofern bemerkenswert, als die Siebenten Tags Adventisten bereits ueber mehrere 100-kW-Kurzwellensender in Guam verfuegen, die eigentlich zur Versorgung dieses Zielgebietes reichen sollten. Die Buchung von Sendezeit mag ein Testlauf sein, da KSDA in den kommenden Jahren grundlegend modernisiert werden soll (Merlin A-02 schedule; via Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, Germany, BC-DX Mar 14 via WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) ** TURKEY. VOT A-02 in English, all 500 kW DSB: Eu/NAm 0300-0400 11665 changing to 9650 Sept 2 2200-2300 12000, 11960 Eu 1230-1330 17830 1830-1930 9785 Au/As 1230-1330 17615 2030-2130 9525 Spanish to Eu: 1630-1700 15150 (From complete spreadsheet sked via George Poppin, CA, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, The 0100 March 19 RUI English transmission was delayed. We heard a Ukrainian announcement at 0102, then a selection from Beethoven`s 9th symphony, before the English broadcast started around 0106. Maybe someone didn't rewind the tape after the end of 2200 English broadcast? I agree with you, Glenn, the heavy accent of the host of the DX program makes for difficult listening, even at 16 kbits/s! But the weekend show's content was interesting. How dare he question the DX integrity of that listener! (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi, Glenn. Read in DXLD Radio Ukraine is active again, but, didn't see a frequency listed; do you have the schedule for North America? (I miss hearing 'Music from Ukraine'). 73s (Bill Bergadano, KA2EMZ) Bill, I`m not sure they are active again on SW. Recent items have been about their new webcast, which is active. 73, Glenn UGH....webcasting.....do you have the URL in that case? Bill From the WOR DX Programs page: Ukraine DX PROGRAM: Radio Ukraine webcast at rtsp://real.nrcu.gov.ua:7554/encoder/rui.rm tnx Glenn....another streamer on the web; I`m not sure I will tune it in tho; I don`t like webcasting. Bill [Later:] Glenn- the URL you gave me did not run did not run do to an HTML error. Tom Sundstrom did locate the correct one: rtsp://real.nrcu.gov.ua:7554/encoder/rui.rm 16 kps sure stream feed, good quality, and I am disgusted I have to listen over my PC to radio. Bill Bergadano. Rechecked and the URL I gave you was correct; perhaps your browser or hotmail confused by the rtsp. Oh, come on, RUI ``reception`` via web is much better than it ever was on SW even with a megawatt, and now I can almost understand what they are saying (gh to Bergadano, via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Hello, here is brand new information: Radio Ukraine International broadcasts now live in the web. The address is http://www.nrcu.gov.ua The live-stream includes also the programs in foreign languages like English and German. The times are parallel to the short wave schedule of the station; one of the English times is 2200 UT. I had problems during the start of the live-stream on the website. But after the direct certified lettercalling of the audio link in the Real Player I had reception of the German program on March 18th at 1800 UT. Here is the audio link: rtsp://real.nrcu.gov.ua:7554/encoder/rui.rm vy73, (Dietrich Hommel, Schwerin, Germany, March 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Times UK: BBC'S DESERT ISLAND D. VS PRIVATE PASSIONS http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,1442-235936,00.html Times U.K., Sat. Mar 16 Television & Radio Radio: Jonathan Lennie In addition to your eight pieces of music, we will give you the Bible and the Complete Works of Shakespeare, one other book and a luxury item. Sound familiar? If not, then you have probably been cast away on a remote island, for this year that venerable Radio 4 institution Desert Island Discs is 60 years old. To celebrate, the network is hosting a concert on Wednesday at the Festival Hall in London (scheduled for broadcast on March 23, R4, 6.15 pm), in which all the solo performers have been guests on the programme. DID began in 1942 and continued, under the control of its presenter Roy Plomley, to be a chat over what listeners imagined was tea and crumpets. Unfortunately, following Plomley`s death in 1985 and after a brief spell under Michael Parkinson, Sue Lawley got the gig. Gone was the tea and sympathy, replaced by ferocious inquisition; ``What do you mean you loved a man? Next record.`` But all is not lost and the spirit of Mr Plomley can still be heard over on Radio 3 on Private Passions. Amusingly, this became apparent when one of the guests, the conductor Richard Hickox, chose a piece of music by Patsy Cline; ``but I wouldn`t want it on the desert island,`` he declared. ``But this is not the desert island,`` retorted the somewhat abashed presenter Michael Berkeley. Indeed, it may not be set on that fantasy island, but Private Passions is currently superior to the show that it has copied because it is much more in sympathy with its originator. The chosen music provides a basis from which to have a conversation, rather than acting as a mere premise on which to interrogate the guests in a manner somewhere between Today and In the Psychiatrist`s Chair. Also, Berkeley is much more relaxed, as Plomley was; unlike Lawley who often lacks a similar rapport with her guests. The producers of DID would, no doubt, argue that Plomley`s deferential approach would seem twee to the modern audience, compared to the more thrusting and inquiring Lawley. But for those, like me, who enjoy a relaxed chat and think that investigative journalism should be left to the news programmes, here is to the original: long live Private Passions (via Chet Copeland, NYC, DXLD) ** U K. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/speech/silentkey/sk1.shtml Here's something curious I found on the BBC Radio 3 web page which I think will be of interest to you and other short wave listeners. You can listen to the program via the Real Audio web link, and look at the QSL cards used for this "reconstruction." "Silent Key is an audio- field diary investigation into the history of radio enthusiasts and short-wave hobbyists recorded and assembled by David Ellis." (Ira Holmes, DX LISTENING DIGEST) P.S. Thanks for all that you've done for the short wave community over these many years. (Holmes) I publicized and caught the original webcast, but glad to hear R3 have it on demand, not something they usually do, I thought; at least they don`t have a handy ``listen again`` page like R4? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Rep Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relational Committee, has introduced his "Freedom Promotion Act of 2002" including a major reorganization of U.S. international broadcasting. For his press release and the full text of the bill, see the right column of the Committee home page [pdf]: http://www.house.gov/international_relations/ Despite early reports, the ranking Democrat, Tom Lantos, is not yet supporting this bill. Former FCC chairman Newton Minow has several suggestions for U.S. international broadcasting in a USA Today op ed: http://www.usatoday.com/news/comment/2002/03/19/ncguest1.htm (via Kim Elliott, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) excerpt: ...Al-Jazeera, the only 24-hour Arab news station, is a source of anti-American tirades by Muslim extremists and the favored news outlet of both Osama bin Laden and the Taliban. The service had its beginning in the mid-1990s, when the BBC withdrew from a joint venture with Saudi-owned Orbit Communications that provided news on a Middle East channel. The BBC and the Saudi government clashed over editorial judgment, and the business relationship fell apart. Into the breach stepped a big fan of CNN, Qatar's emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al- Thani. He copied CNN's satellite technology, hired most of the BBC's anchors, editors and technicians, and Al-Jazeera was born in 1996. Al-Jazeera first came to our national notice when it broadcast a 1998 interview with bin Laden in which he called upon Muslims to "target all Americans." Al-Jazeera broadcast the tape many times. Last year, the network's Kabul office received a videotaped message from bin Laden, which it transmitted around the world on Oct. 7. Hiding in caves, bin Laden could still speak to the world in a voice louder than ours because we allowed our story to be told by our enemies. Forty years ago, as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, I accompanied President Kennedy on a tour of our space-program facilities. When he asked why it was so important to launch a communications satellite, I said, "Mr. President, unlike other rocket launches, this one will not send a man into space, but it will send ideas. And ideas last longer than people do." I just never dreamed that the ideas millions of people receive every day would come from the likes of Al-Jazeera and be filled with hatred for our country. Al-Jazeera teaches an important lesson: The global marketplace of news and information is no longer dominated by the United States. Whether the message is one of hate or peace, in the globalized communications environment it is impossible either to silence those who send the message or stop those who want to receive it. Satellites do not respect national borders; like Joshua's trumpet, satellites blow walls down. On the receiving end, television antennas are like periscopes, enabling those inside to see what is happening outside. Why do we remain silent? Where were we when Al-Jazeera went on the air? It was as if we put on our own self-created burqa and allowed the voices of America, the voices of freedom, to become not even a whisper. I believe the USA must aggressively re-commit itself to public diplomacy -- to explaining and advocating our values to the world. I suggest three simple proposals: Above all, U.S. international broadcasting should be unapologetically proud to advocate freedom and democracy in the world. There is no inconsistency in reporting the news accurately while also advocating America's values. Does anyone seriously believe that the twin goals of providing solid journalism and undermining tyranny are incompatible? As a people, Americans have always been committed to the proposition that these goals go hand in hand. We need to put our money where our mouths are not. Our international broadcasting efforts currently amount to less than two-tenths of 1% of Defense expenditures. What if we invest the equivalent of 1% of the defense budget -- about $3.3 billion -- on international communications, or one dollar to launch ideas for every $100 we invest to launch bombs? This would be about six times more than we invest now in international communications. This could be a ratio sufficient to inform and persuade others of the values of freedom and democracy. More importantly, we should seek a ratio sufficient to lessen our need for bombs. We should use all of the communications talent we have at our disposal.... (Newton Minow, USA Today via DXLD) ** U S A. Regarding gh`s remark about WWRB having to provide access to a public file: this applies only to domestic AM, FM and TV stations. Shortwave stations, since they are not serving a local city of license, do not have to maintain such a file. And it is hazy about who, if anyone, anywhere, has legal standing to object to anything broadcast by a US SW station (gist of remarks to gh by George McClintock, WWCR, DX LISTENING IDGEST) ** U S A. From: http://www.wkyt.com [TV station in Lexington KY]. A former member of the Kentucky Militia is still at large after he allegedly fired shots at a deputy sheriff. 54- year old Steve Anderson is accused of attempting to gun down Bell County Deputy Scott Elder last October. Anderson then eluded police and a manhunt has been underway ever since. After five months of searching police are still following several leads concerning where Anderson might be. Anderson allegedly fired several shots at Deputy Elder during a routine traffic stop on US 25E. The suspect then fled to nearby Sam's Mountain where he escaped from the law. The television show America's Most Wanted will be featuring Anderson within the next few weeks. Police say the show should make finding the fugitive much easier. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is offering a $20,000 reward to help authorities capture Anderson. The suspect stands about 6 feet 2 inches and weighs nearly 240 pounds. He also has green eyes and dark hair. Anyone with information should contact the Bell County Sheriff's office or the Kentucky State Police. He used to run a shortwave pirate station that was on for several hours just about every day... (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Hello Glenn, The FCC has posted the HF seasonal operating frequency schedule today for March 31, 2002-October 27, 2002 at http://www.fcc.gov/ib/pnd/neg/hf_web/hfff0z02.txt This includes schedules for KAIJ, KFBS, KHBN, KJES, KNLS, KSDA, KTBN, KTWR, KVOH, KWHR, WBCQ, WEWN, WGTG, WHRA, WHRI, WINB, WJCR, WMLK, WRMI, WRNO, WSHB, WTJC, WWCR, WWBS and WYFR (Daniel Sampson, WI, Prime Time Shortwave, March 20, http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No big surprises; confirms WBCQ`s new 11660 as already mentioned here; NO ``WWRB``, ``WWCV`` or even ``WWFV``, but just WGTG, making us wonder whether the other calls are out of Dave`s imagination. Also see WMLK item below for their registered but still yet to be activated 250 kW schedule. The Macon 4-hour-per week station, something which surely would not merit a license on AM or FM: 11910.0 2300 0100 WWBS 50 30 3,4,9 Sat-Sun I (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. From WMLK`s lengthy history page http://www.wmlkradio.com/history.html It is our opinion that Radio Station WMLK is fulfilling end-time prophecy. First of all the call letters WMLK are significant because Almighty Yahweh pushed us in the direction of requesting them. We had other ideas for call letters. We discovered that all these call letters we had chosen were already in use, until we asked about selecting the letters MLK. These were available and assigned to the station. "MLK" stands for the consonants of the Hebrew word mal'ak which means "messenger or angel." The letters can also under a different set of vowel points mean king (melek). A vocalization of the word will also yield the definition "salt." (from http://www.wmlkradio.com via gh, DXLD) Still only heard on 9465, but: 9465.0 0300 0900 WMLK 50 53 27,28,39 9465.0 1600 2200 WMLK 50 53 27,28,39 9955.0 0300 0900 WMLK 125 53 27,28,39 15265.0 1600 2200 WMLK 125 53 27,28,39 (FCC A-02 via DXLD) ** U S A. Former WABC (770 AM) Program Director and New York Post writer John Mainelli has been named Program Director of WOR (710 AM), effective Wednesday, March 20th. Mainelli, who replaces David Bernstein, will aim to turn around declining listenership at the heritage talk (New York Radio Guide: A Guide to New York Radio Stations via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. The KKEZ(FM) tower in Fort Dodge, Iowa, returned to Earth today. at the time of writing I have not found out why it collapsed. This makes the 4th tower I've heard about this year coming down. Is this a higher number than normal? the others were FOX 27 - Springfield, MO - Ice Storm KSEK - Pittsburg, KS - Ice Storm WFKT-TV - Near Raleigh, NC - Airplane (Glen Briggs, KB0RPJ, March 19, amfmtvdx via DXLD) RADIO TOWER DOWN (FORT DODGE-KWMT/KKEZ) -- A FORT DODGE RADIO STATION IS OFF THE AIR AFTER ITS TOWER COLLAPSED. AUTHORITIES AREN'T SURE WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THE 640-FOOT TOWER OF K-K-E-Z F-M WAS FOUND ON THE GROUND SHORTLY BEFORE THREE O'CLOCK TUESDAY MORNING. POLICE ARE INVESTIGATING. STATION MANAGER STEVE WINKE (WINK'-EE) SUSPECTS VANDALS. DAMAGE IS ESTIMATED BETWEEN 200-THOUSAND AND 250-THOUSAND DOLLARS. THE STATION'S ENGINEERS ARE WORKING TO GET THE STATION BACK ON THE AIR. IT MAY TAKE 45 DAYS TO REPLACE THE TOWER. EOM (from the KWMT web site. Pix at the KKEZ web site, via Charles W Wehking, ibid.) KKEZ site also refers to WHO-TV which has a report on the 6 pm news. Good full-screen video, under 2 minutes, available at http://www.whotv.com Downed tower is right next to KWMT-540 which still stands (gh, DXLD) Clear Channel's KKEZ FM (94.5) apparently lost their tower early Tuesday morning. WHO TV is reporting that vandalism is suspected. I'm not sure if this tower was shared with sister station KWMT AM (540) but they were apparently co-located. Photos of the downed tower on the KKEZ web site show one of the KWMT towers in the background. The KKEZ web site is at http://www.kkez.com/main.html (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, March 20, NRC-AM via DXLD) In wake of tower collapse story, can someone closer to IA confirm whether KWMT-540 is on the air? I can`t hear it in the null of TX, daytime, and I think I used to be able to, tho not tried for a long time (Glenn Hauser, Enid, OK, March 20, NRC-AM via DXLD) Glenn, they're on at a very low level, barely audible here in Topeka - (Paul Swearingen, KS, ibid.) After reading the messages this morning about KWMT, I called them to see what's up. Well, it isn't their #1 (north) tower. The 632' tower which also housed their FM antenna fell on the morning of 3/19 around 2 AM, possibly due to vandalism, leaving their short (320') tower for the AM. Day power is in the neighborhood of 1000 watts days and 170 watts night non-directional. The FM is operating off a 'very short' temporary structure hastily erected. Can only imagine what that is. They expect to be back on normal facilities in 45-60 days. This, according to the receptionist I talked to, who seemed fairly knowledgeable of what was going on. I also talked to their FM program director, who had no clue that the tall tower had anything to do with the AM station. !!!!!!! (Bill Hale in Fort Worth, ibid.) During the early 1970's, KWMT was heard by several DX'ers in the Northeast at sunset, myself included. I don't remember what power/pattern they ran then, and it was prior to all the flea-power nighttime operations, so it should be possible, although WLIX is dominant here daytimes, and as it approaches sunset, they usually end up sharing with WWCS (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) My understanding is that KKEZ used one of the two towers of KWMT's night array, which suggests that KWMT must have suffered at least some damage. My pictures of KWMT/KKEZ from last summer are at: http://www.fybush.com/site-010829.html and from looking at them, I thought KKEZ was on the tall stick that's also KWMT's day tower. Perhaps KWMT is running its day power into the shorter tower for now? (Scott Fybush, ibid.) It might also suggest interesting DX on 540, if they're going to have to operate non-directional while rebuilding (Mark Durenberger, ibid.) ARGH...just what I did not need, a non-directional KWMT here at night. It's tough enough being able to hear CBK, but getting anything else is extremely difficult. I guess that means chasing after KDFT and KNAK will have to go on the back burner, for now (Rick Dau, Omaha, NE, ibid.) Now`s our chance to test the limits of daytime groundwave DX on 540; states next to Iowa might have a chance at CBK, CBEF or KNMX, for instance. In a sharp null of KDFT Ferris TX, daytime, I can barely detect one or two other signals, subaudible heterodynes (Glenn Hauser, OK, March 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Once upon a time, KWMT held the distinction of having the largest daytime coverage of any signal in the United States. As proof, there were three successive years in the early 1960s where daytime bandscans were conducted at NRC conventions...Amarillo in '61, Indianapolis in '62, and Denver in '63. At all three locales, KWMT was the dominant station on 540 during the daytime. These days, KWMT has slipped to second behind KFYR, mainly for two reasons. One is that additional stations have sprouted up on 540 over the past 40 years in middle America, most notably in Jackson, WI (metro Milwaukee) and Ferris, TX (metro Dallas). The other is that KWMT's daytime signal just doesn't reach out in certain directions (mainly to the east and south) as well as it used to, and I believe this is due to changes that have been made in its antenna pattern over the years. Rick (listens faithfully to KWMT's country oldies program every Saturday morning!) (Rick Dau, Omaha, NE, NRC-AM via DXLD) Dear Glenn, This from my friend, and WOR listener, Debra Saylor, in Omaha: KWMT, 540, observed today, March 21, 7:00 AM Central, country music, I.D., into network news. Heard with normal strength here in Omaha. I haven't been paying attention to the station, so I can't say whether or not it was off the air, but it is definitely on now (Debra Saylor via Tim Hendel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Nothing spectacular here, just a few random observations while spending Sunday at the beaches (Ft. DeSoto county park, Mullet Key) from 9:30 a.m till nearly 5 p.m. on an 87-degree day. Just the car Alpine radio used. Only worthy fauna sighting were about a dozen white pelicans on a sandbar near me, not too often seen this far down the coast in the winter. [evidently times below are UT?] 99.1 MHz FLORIDA (PIRATE) "Radio Sonique," Tampa; 1935+ 3/17, stereo, xlnt w/ nonstop Kreyol M (possible preacher), frequent references to "Kiskeya." Not on mid-morning through early afternoon on checks this day. (KRUEGER, Ft. DeSoto) 99.9 MHz FLORIDA "WECX" Eckerd College, St. Petersburg (non-licensed carrier curent low power); 1340+ 3/17, actually on the air (versus usual open carrier), with nonstop techno, stereo mode. On the return home, past the college, they were running urban/hip-hop, and an alleged M announcer who broke in with "uh, umm" and "Ahhh" near the end of a song. A real board op in the making. (KRUEGER, Ft. DeSoto) 102.1 MHz FLORIDA (PIRATE) "102.1," St. Petersburg; 1501+ 3/17 mono mode, seemingly nonstop mix of Christian vocals (about equally split between modern-urban and reggae versions). Later, around 1740, live announcer (the frequently-appearing "Don Jehs") with "Gospel On Sunday/Gospel Serenade" program. Gave a simple "You're listening to 102.1" ID (haven't noted the "Hot 102" slogan from when this aired hip-hop/gangsta rap format under seemingly different ownership -- or "WFLX" used more recently, for that matter -- in a while). Then, at 1758, after some old school soul, announced "We're gonna take a little time off. You're listening to 102.5 FM" and transmitter immediately off. Back on at 1925 recheck, and with Kreyol programming (first time I've noted Kreyol on this one), nonstop slow Kreyol gospel. (KRUEGER, Ft. DeSoto) "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" is at: http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html (Terry L. Krueger, TOCOBAGA DX #63 - 18 March, 2002 CLEARWATER, FLORIDA, USA via DXLD) ** U S A. LAST DAY TO SAVE INDEPENDENT RADIO STATIONS SIGNALS FROM JAMMING by IBOC-DAB From alt.radio.digital: 20 March 2001 From: "Christopher Maxwell" wrfr@aol.com Date: 20 March 2002 23:01 Dear Supporters of Independent Radio, The Deadline for comment-replies in the FCC's consideration of new regulations that could force conversion to Digital Audio Broadcasting on the existing AM and FM dials is THURSDAY 3/21/02. Thus far all the FCC has heard from is mostly a cheerleading squad of huge corporations that own iBiquity, the very same company that will get money from selling the new technology! Even worse, the same huge companies are the main board members of the National Association of Broadcasters who are the sponsors of the organization that has been appointed by the FCC to test IBOC ! The Fox is running the Henhouse. America is founded upon a balance of powers, if you don't put in your part of the balance, they get what they want by default. All that`s needed is a simple comment, you don't have to say you KNOW there will be a problem, you can cite comments by Amherst, NPR and the Virginia Center for Public Press that cause concern and a need for better testing before implementation of these new regulations for a service called "IBOC-DAB". There is instructions, sample letters etc on the right side-bar of: http://www.DigitalDisaster.Org You could also use the sample letter below this signature. Here attached is the html document that pulls the images from the web (thus reducing email bandwidth). I also have a Word 97 version (minus the map). Also we have Public Service Announcements and our Congressional Testimony etc. posted on: http://www.DigitalDisaster.Org Thanks for the interest! Sincerely, Christopher Maxwell Secretary, Virginia Center for Public Press Radio Free Richmond Project http://www.RadioFreeRichmond.Org http://www.DigitalDisater.Org ============================= Sample Letter: ============= To: The Federal Communications Commission "From: ???? [State Your (or Station's) Name] "RE: Docket MM 99-325 (IBOC Digitalization) [If you are an individual, replace this line with info about the favorite weak station you are afraid of losing the ability to receive] "???? [am, is are] concerned that evidence and comments by some organizations that are NOT owners or members of iBiquity, the National Association of Broadcasters and the NAB sponsored NRSC testing organization may turn out to be valid issues and thus could destroy radio reception for many Americans. "We are filing these Reply Comments in regards THE VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE PUBLIC PRESS, and others, who have offered evidence that implementation of In Band On Channel (IBOC) Digitalization could displace both aspiring stations and established stations as well. Both NPR and M Street newsletter have noted that the public has demonstrated that they want less ads and a greater variety of programming content. If any substantial portion of the VCPP, NPR and Amherst Alliance predictions and concerns are correct, we could DECREASE the variety and quality of programming content on the broadcast bands. This is not in the interests of smaller broadcasters or the public interest. We urge the Commission to proceed with re-investigation of the Eureka-147 alternative Digitalization technology, which would avoid the displacement problem. Eureka 147 would possibly accomplish this by being implemented in the US using the same frequencies as are already used in Canada, on the L-Band from 1452-1492 MHz. While in 1992, the US Military needed 1452-1492 MHz for missile test telemetry, now that the Canadians are transmitting Elvis on the L-Band, the military is already coming to agreements with the Canadians to begin protecting those Canadian stations and relinquishing some use of the L-Band. Furthermore, in December 2001, just a few months ago, the FCC Commission announced that in a complete reversal of 1992 decisions, the Commission is now reallocating portions of the L-Band for private civilian uses. Thus it is now politically and technically possible as well as more economically advantageous to re-investigate America joining the rest of the world in using the world accepted standard for Digital Audio Broadcasting on the L-Band. Even then, of course, the Eureka-147 technology should first be tested and evaluated as thoroughly as the IBOC technology has been. "In no event should IBOC Digitalization be adopted without full and complete testing and evaluation of the less disruptive Eureka-147 Digitalization technology." Sincerely, [Your Name here] (via Mike Terry, UK, March 21, DXLD) ** U S A. Dialing: CLEAR CHANNEL EYES SEVENTH STATION Clear Channel Communications might be adding a seventh radio station to its Chicago area cluster. The company is seeking Federal Communications Commission approval to move WHTE, a station planned for Downstate Johnson City, to west suburban Berwyn. M Street Daily reports that such a move would expose the signal --- at 1690 AM --- to a potential audience of 6 million listeners here. In Chicago, Clear Channel already owns WGCI-AM (1390), WGCI-FM (107.5), WKSC-FM (103.5), WLIT-FM (93.9), WNUA-FM (95.5) and WVAZ-FM (102.7). (Bob Feder, Chicago Sun-Times via George Thurman, March 20, DXLD) ** U S A. Rukeyser off Wall Street Week TV legend leaves show he created, hosted for 32 years; New version of show in works. March 21, 2002: 6:10 PM EST: http://money.cnn.com/2002/03/21/news/rueyser.ap.ap/index.htm (via Ivan Grishin, Ont., DXLD) {URL above is correct, rukeyser without the k -- gh, later} ** U S A [and non]. Just my humble opinion: Probably this RealOne player is so far offered in the United States only; when calling http://www.real.com from here in Germany (I guess they sort this out my means of the IP) I only get references to the two versions of RealPlayer 8. Indeed the RealPlayer 8 Plus for 30 USD is on top of the page; to find the free RealPlayer 8 Basic one has to scroll down to find a smaller link. Quite tricky, but I think "dark, hidden recesses of the site" is somewhat exaggerated. Out of curiosity I tried http://www.necn.com and instead of video streams I only got "You will need the RealPlayer to view this story. Would you like to download it?" Silly, I already have the RealPlayer 8 Basic on my system. But even more embarrassing was the next error message: The site uses ActiveX, which is supported by Microsoft's Internet Explorer only and quite a security risk (simply spoken it runs a program on your PC), so it is of course disabled on my system. Frankly, this site sucks, although I at least got no message that it will work with cookies enabled only. By the way, some guys consider the Windows Media Player as "spy player", at least when combined with Windows XP. Just a quotation, I have not devoted my attention on this matter so far. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [+non]. La emisión número 100 del programa ``Aló, Presidente``, se emitió por Radio Nacional de Venezuela, Unión Radio y otras emisoras venezolanas, además de emisoras en Cuba (Telerebelde y Radio Habana Cuba) y Guatemala. Se inició a las 1400 horas UT y terminó casi 7 horas más tarde, por lo que, según se afirmaba, podía merecer su lugar en el libro de récords de Guinness. En el programa del domingo 17, realizado en en Monte Avila, de la capital venezolana, y en presencia de varios periodistas nacionales y extranjeros, el presidente habló por teléfono con sus colegas en Cuba, Guatemala y la República Dominicana. En el programa el presidente Chávez fustigó a la cadena RCN en Colombia, mientras que la cadena televisiva Caracol se salvó de la crítica presidencial por haber presentado sus disculpas por la transmisión de una noticia relacionada con Venezuela que luego se mostró falsa. En el periódico Tal Cual, del 18 de marzo, en un artículo titulado ``Aló despilfarro``, Alejandro Botía habla del costo del programa que se emite por radio y TV todas las semanas y siempre de localidades distintas. ``La cuenta por cada ´Aló´ puede treparse a los 12 ó 15 millones y más por programa.`` Y agrega, no sin una pizca de ironía, ``Pero la felicidad de un pueblo en sintonía con su líder bien lo vale. Y la felicidad del líder también``. (Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, 20 de marzo, COMPENDIO DE ESCUCHAS DX) ** WALES [non]. A-02 schedule for Celtic Notes in English via Merlin Communications: 2030-2100 Fri 7325 SKN 300 kW / 110 deg to Eu 0200-0230 Sat 9795 RMP 500 kW / 300 deg to NAm 1230-1300 Sat 17615*RMP 500 kW / 062 deg to Au/NZ *co-channel Voice of Turkey in Turkish and RDP International in Portuguese!!! (Observer, Bulgaria, March 19 via WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA [non]. [HCDX] Yugoslavia does not exist anymore. After 90 years of existence Yugoslavia disappears from the map of the world. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Last week Serbia and Montenegro signed an agreement (Javier Solana was present) about the future of the state named - until that day - Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija). A new state called "Serbia and Montenegro" (Srbija i Crna Gora) is an alliance of two almost independent countries with one president Vojislav Kostunica (Voyislav Koshtunitsa). After 3 years, not earlier, the two countries may dissolve the alliance. The new alliance has two capitals: Beograd and Podgorica (Podgoritsa). Its economy is separated and there are two currencies: dinar in Serbia, euro in Montenegro. Serbia and Montenegro were what remained of the former Federative Republic of Yugoslavia composed of Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia. The countries regained their independence during several civil wars in the 90s. Vojvodina and Kosovo are parts of Serbia (Karel Honzik, the Czech Republic (Czechia), hard-core-dx March 20 via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. V. of the People: Hi Glenn, I've been talking to our Programme Distribution Department, and it transpires that they did book an extra hour of airtime in the mornings, starting on 5 March. However, as you heard in the audio file, they were not able to make that date and launched on 8 March. It's at 0330-0430 UT. The extra airtime was booked for the days leading up to the election, but latest information is that they're going to make it permanent. So the full schedule is now 0330-0430 and 1700-1830 UT on 7120 kHz. The new frequency from 31 March will be advised shortly. Due to the heavy workload prior to the new broadcast season, and communications problems with Zimbabwe, my colleagues inadvertently forgot to notify me of this broadcast, and I have not seen any reports of it so far. A good job you spotted that announcement :-) 73, (Andy Sennitt, RN, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) A-02 schedule for Voice of People via Madagascar 50 kW, 265 degrees: 0330-0425 7310 new morning transmission; 1630-1755 7215 retimed, ex 1700-1825 (Observer, Bulgaria, WORLD OF RADIO 1123, DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ GUDAR Hi, Glenn! I was about to write and ask what "GUDAR" meant when I saw the other query and response in DXLD 2-043. I see you want to keep the actual acronym secret, so we all can guess at it. So here's my supposition: Guard Ur Data Accuracy Religiously! Oh, well, we'll see if anyone else has a better one... :-) (Will Martin, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-045, March 18, 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 #1122: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.html NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB DX PROGRAMS has been updated again anticipating more changes: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN. It has been reported that Chris, G0TQJ, will be going here around April 15th for two or three months. He is expected to try to get a license. If he does, look for him to be active on SSB and RTTY during his spare time. QSL via his home callsign (KB8NW/OPDX March 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ANGOLA [non]. ALEMANHA - A Rádio Ecclésia pode ser captada, via Jülich, diàriamente, entre 0500 e 0559, em 11795 kHz. Também das 1800 às 1900, em 13810 kHz. Aos sábados, entre 1900 e 2130, em 13810 kHz, com o programa Debate Informativo. É o futuro de Angola, sem Jonas Savimbi, que está em jogo. Leia crítica em que abordo o desdém dos veículos de comunicação social do Brasil em relação à catástrofe dos nossos irmãos angolanos em: http://www.observatoriodaimprensa.com.br/artigos/ipub060320021.htm (Célio Romais, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. ESTACION DE SENALES HORARIAS LOL (Argentina): El Servicio de Frecuencias Patrones dependiende del Observatorio Naval de la Armada Argentina, conocido con su sigla LOL, transmite desde Buenos Aires, siendo sus características las siguientes: * ESTACIÓN EMISORA: LOL * UBICACIÓN DEL TXR: Buenos Aires (34 37 19 S / 58 21 18 W) * FREQUENCIAS PATRONES DE TXN: 5000, 10000 y 15000 KHz * POTENCIA: 2 KW * SISTEMA IRRADIANTE: Dipolo Trifilar Horizontal * HORARIO DE TXN: 1100-1200 UTC 1400-1500 UTC 1700-1800 UTC 2000-2100 UTC 2300-2400 UTC * FREQUENCIA DE MODULACIÓN: 440/1000 Hz (alternativamente) * INTERVALOS DE MODULACIÓN: (minutos de cada hora) H+03-05 H+23-35 H+43-45 H+08-10 H+28-30 H+48-50 H+13-15 H+33-35 H+53-55 H+18-20 H+38-40 H+58-00 minutos * ANUNCIO DE LA HORA: (minutos de cada hora) H+04 H+34 H+09 H+39 H+14 H+44 H+19 H+49 H+24 H+54 H+29 H+59 minutos * IDENTIFICACIÓN HORARIA: Grabación de voz femenina * EXACTITUD DE LAS FREQUENCIAS: Dos partes en 10E-10 * SEÑAL HORARIA DE PRESICIÓN: Durante toda la señal se emite un pulso de 5 milisegundos. Los intervalos de tiempo son exactos dentro de los 2 microsegundos y las señales horarias tienen un error normal menor que +/- 0s,01 Los informes de recepción son verificados con tarjeta QSL e información de la emisora en la siguiente dirección: QTH: Armada Argentina, Servicio de Hidrografia Naval, Observatorio Naval Buenos Aires, Av. España 2099, 1107 Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-Mail: onba@r... [truncated by yahoogroups] Web: http://www.hidro.gov.ar/ (Marcelo Cornachioni, Argentina, Conexión Digital March 17 via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. PIRATE. 15795, Border Hunter Mar 16 2339 UT, SINPO 44334 music including Johnny Cash mentioning e-mails from listeners (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. RADIO COSMOS - Cochabamba, MW 770 7130 Mar/17 1730 Radio Cosmos, Cochabamba 1745 s.off 6036 Mar/17 1745 Radio Cosmos, Cochabamba 1830 s.off Would it be transmission test? (Rogildo F. Aragão, Cochabamba - Bolivia LOWE HF-225E Longwire 25m, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Here are some of the stations I heard and IDed yesterday. The most interesting one will be R. Ribeirão Prêto on 3205 kHz which just reactivated its transmitter after a long period of inactivity. Heard in the city of Curitiba, in the south of Brazil, using a Sony 7600G, a 15 meter homebrew T2FD antenna and something vaguely resembling an EWE. kHz UTC SIO details: 3205, 0320, 544, R. Ribeirão Prêto, SP, Brazil reactivated ... PP talk program w/ ID at 0342 (Rik van Riel, SWBC topica list via DXLD) Hoje eu ouvi R. Ribeirão Prêto no 3205 kHz, pela primeira vez. 3205 0320 03/16 544 R. Ribeirão Prêto, programma com escutores ligando para estação de rádio e falando dos políticos, tempo e a sociedade, ID 0342 (Rik van Riel, PN, radioescutas via DXLD) It seems R. Ribeirão Prêto on 3205 kHz is back on-air after a long period of inactivity. I've heard them Friday night with good signal quality here in Curitiba, the program was political and social talk with listeners calling in, many mentioning of the city of Ribeirão Prêto and after almost half an hour a station ID (Rik van Riel, Curitiba, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 5035, 10/03 2244, R. Educação Rural, Coari, Amazonas, música popular, OM "Agora, 1844 em Coari", ann de programa, 25322 (R. Aparecida fora do ar, voltou às 2300). SCM (Samuel Cássio Martins, @tividade DX via DXLD) I could be wrong, but seems Coari had not been reported in quite a while; reactivated? SCM got it only when a co-channel Brazilian happened to be off the air (gh, DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. Fans of African music should check out Burkina Faso (from Kim Elliott's favorite city to pronounce: Ouagadougou) on 5030. The station identifies as Radio Burkina. I began listening about 2130 UT today and they are still going strong at 2230. The signal is the best I have ever heard from Africa on the 60M band. They are peaking 10 dB above Mauritania on 4845 and Ghana on 4915. Truly amazing signal with excellent audio and music. There are rather long periods of "man speaking in French" but the music and the audio quality is worth the wait. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, Mar 18, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** CANADA. The following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE at http://cbc.ca/news ____________________________________________________ CBC'S FRENCH NEWS SERVICE MOVES CLOSER TO STRIKE WebPosted Sat Mar 16 22:19:02 2002 MONTREAL -- Journalists at CBC's French-language news service in Quebec and New Brunswick have rejected the corporation's latest contract offer. They voted 68.5 per cent against the deal, which had been described by the CBC as its final proposal. More than 1,100 workers at Radio-Canada's newsrooms in the two provinces are already in a legal strike position, and could walk off the job by Thursday. The CBC issued a statement Saturday saying it's "very disappointed" by the vote. "(The) disappointment is all the greater because the offer is generous and enables employees to maintain their competitive position in the market," the broadcaster said. "Moreover, the offer provides solutions that are realistic and reasonable for both sides to problems raised by the union. It's not clear if journalists, including French radio and television on-air staff, will go on strike. A walkout could affect programming in Montreal, Quebec City, Chicoutimi, Sept-Iles and Moncton. Wages are one of the key issues in the dispute. Another is the union's demand that many temporary employees who have been working on a regular basis be given full-time staff positions. Copyright © 2000 CBC All Rights Reserved (via Ricky Leong, QC, and Daniel Say, CB, DXLD) ** CANADA. Another Morningside regular gone: Fredericton, N.B. - Veteran political commentator Dalton Camp has died in Fredericton. Camp was a long-time strategist for the Progressive Conservative Party who became a commentator and a passionate defender of Canadian sovereignty. He suffered a stroke in February but in March appeared be recovering and was released from hospital. But his condition deteriorated, he returned to the hospital and died Monday. Though he was a prominent backroom political strategist for decades, Dalton Camp was perhaps best known to the public for the weekly political panel on CBC Radio's Morningside with Peter Gzowski. He was the Conservative who sparred with New Democrat Stephen Lewis and Liberal Eric Kierans. Entire story at http://nb.cbc.ca/template/servlet/View?filename=jp_camp031802 (via Wade Smith, New Brunswick, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. But did they give the frequency? (Ricky Leong) M Street Directory had CKMK, Mackenzie, BC on 1240 kHz (gh) http://www.mackbc.com/mackenzieradio/ An interesting group who are trying to establish their own local radio station after Jimmy Pattison closed the existing local station. =========================================== On November 26th, 2001, The Jim Pattison Group/CKPG closed CKMK, ending a twenty-five year tradition of local broadcasting in the Mackenzie area. Although CKMK was operating in the black, the plan was to increase profitability by shedding expenses while retaining advertising revenue. But the closure was effected without consultation with local government, advertisers, employees or listeners. This `fait accompli` created a deep sense of disappointment and anger in the community. That reaction soon gave way to excitement with the realization that Mackenzie had been handed a golden opportunity. An opportunity to create a radio station tailored to the needs of the community rather than the corporate designs of the Jim Pattison Group. The Mackenzie and Area Community Radio Society (MARS) was formed with the goal of opening a new radio station to provide a quality local radio service. Subsequent to the closure of CKMK, CKPG had hoped to insert separate Mackenzie commercials in programming originating in Prince George and heard in Mackenzie, but under CRTC rules it is necessary to apply for a ``split feed`` before closing a local station. CKPG applied after closing CKMK. An attempt was then made to retain Mackenzie advertisers by offering $30 commercials on the main Prince George station for a loss leader rate of just $8. Bitter over the closure of Mackenzie`s radio station, the vast majority of CKMK advertisers have declined to transfer their advertising to CKPG. Thus MARS will not only serve a listener need for local information and programming, but will meet the needs of advertisers wishing to get their message to local consumers. The new station will be managed by former CKMK manager/morning show announcer J. D. McKenzie. (The entire CKMK staff and radio personalities are aligned with the new radio station.) J. D. McKenzie will operate the radio station under the guidance of the MARS board of directors. The board represents a wide cross section of the community, including business, industry, and education leaders along with other prominent citizens. (via Barry Rueger, South River, Ontario, CAJ list, via Ricky Leong, QU, March 17, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. I have just been reading No 44 DXLD. Underneath your reference to me, under Canada is shown a Sked for RCI via HÖRBY. I cannot trace any broadcast in FRENCH Via HÖRBY at 2000 UT on 5850 on their Web Site and as far as I know ENGLISH is at 2000 on 5850, not 2100 (all UT of course) The FRENCH Broadcast is from SKELTON on 5995, 1900, as well as other frequencies. This 'Canada Saga' seems to go on and on!!!!!! (Ken Fletcher, Prenton, Birkenhead, 1855 UT 17th March 2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Hi Glenn, I have been hearing the Chinese traditional music jammer from 3/2/02 until today (3/17/02), 1700 until after 2000 on 11945, 13690, 13745, 15510 in Central North America. These frequencies correspond with Radio Free Asia broadcasts in Mandarin Chinese (per the Klingenfuss Shortwave Frequency Guide.) 13690 had a bit of the broadcast under it today (3/17/02.) Generally I cannot hear the RFA broadcasts under the jammers, but just the Chinese music. OK background music for a while. 73's (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR? 9550 U+C R. Okapi 2035-0145 At tune-in, only audible on my 45 meter dipole oriented NE/SW, with SINPO 32332 in USB+carrier mode. Programming consisted primarily of "hi-life" type music, with an occasional Okapi jingle ID. Signal kept improving throughout the evening, and was dominant over Cuba at 0145 UTC, with SINPO 43444. Hard to believe they're only 10 kW as previously reported (George Maroti, NY, Mar 17, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Not a one-off, just checked and decent reception particularly as Cuba ran just open carrier from 0158 to 0200. Okapi jingle ID at 0159. New stations often seem to get out well, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was a relay with high power from somewhere instead of 10 kW from the Congo (Hans Johnson, FL, Mar 18, Cumbre DX via DXLD) So much for the report that they were really on 9555 (gh, DXLD) More confusion - Radio Okapi has some Web pages on the MONUC site at http://www.monuc.org/radio/radio.html There they give the frequency as 9550, but David Smith specifically told me 9555. I guess 5 kHz is not much difference if you're in the target area with an analogue radio (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There are some OKAPI reports of the last week/weekend, after a silent period in past two weeks, when never seen any reliable report on the DX press. Christoph/OE2CRM of Austria told me the answer from Kinshasa: "I would like to thank you about your email concerning OKAPI radio. I'm in charge for the sudies/install all technical features for all OKAPI radio stations in the Democratic Republic Of Congo (FM and shortwaves). Your comments are welcome. Cheers Georges/VE2EK" And Dominique Jaccard answered immediately and in short: "If you heard that jingle on radio, it came from Radio Okapi in Kinshasa. Sorry, impossible for the moment to do more. " So, it's obviously, that people of the Aid Organization Hirondelle are in duty of more important commitments at present, !!! than celebrate a DX hobby event show !!!. 73 (wb DF5SX BC-DX Top news via DXLD) ** DUCIE ISLAND. The Ducie Island DXpedition team is now active as VP6DI for about one week. First reports started showing up on the DX Clusters about 1915z Saturday. Remember the main frequencies for this operation are 21020 kHz for CW and 21295 kHz for SSB twenty-four hours a day. Note, please, that the expedition will have both 15 meter frequencies active at the same time. Other suggested frequencies are 14195 kHz for SSB and 14020 kHz for CW, as well as 28495 kHz for SSB. If conditions on the higher bands are poor, they will use 7045 kHz for SSB and 7005 kHz for CW. The operators will not be active on 75/80/160 meters and on the WARC until the last part of the operation. A frequency for CW on the WARC bands will be announced later. Per Yoshi, JE2EHP, states there will be 5 stations (Stations A, B, C, D and E). Stations A and B will share one tent and stations C, D and E will each have their own tents. The team will try to set up the A and B tent about 500 meters from the other tents. This arrangement is not carved in stone; there may be changes depending on the situation. Station A - 50 MHz, KW to a 4 element Yagi 14 MHz, 500W or a KW to a Four Square 7 and/or 3.5 MHz, 500W or a KW to an Inverted V Station B - 21 MHz SSB, KW to a 2 element phased array beam Station C - 21 MHz CW, KW to a 2 element phased array beam Station D - 28 MHz CW, (100W) to a 2 element phased array beam Station E - 18/24 MHz (100W) to a Vertical The Pilot Stations Yoshi/JE2EHP, Stu/WA2MOE and Jay/AF2C release the following statements on Friday about the VP6DI operation: 1. They decided that they will basically use 40m Inverted V for 40m and 75m. 2. They will try to utilize the 80/160m vertical which the VP8 team has left in the vessel Braveheart for Ducie team. 3. They are asking all the stations on SSB to call with a full callsign, NOT BY LAST TWO LETTERS. 4. They will stay on Ducie at least until next weekend (March 23/24th) by local time. 5. They will stop over at Hendersen Island for IOTA service just for one day on their way back to Pitcairn. QSL Manager is Garth Hamilton, VE3HO, for all HF operations only. QSL Manager for 6 meter operation is JA1BK. For the latest updates on this operation, it is recommend to watch the following Web sites: http://www.qsl.net/aa0mz/ducie.htm http://www.qsl.net/wd4ngb/ducie.htm http://www.ve3ho.com/ve3ho-qslmgr.htm SPECIAL ADDED NOTES (for VP6DI)...... * Propagation guru Lee, KH6BZF, reports the following propagation for the VP6DI operation: FOR ALL (dated March 17th): The propagation has been good this first day for VP6DI. K-indices from 0000 to 1800 UTC were: 0,0,0,0,1,1,1 that is a running Alpha of 1.5 The Solar Flux Index appears on the rise. At 1700 UTC this morning it was 185.6, a good sign. Also Aurora levels have been low. Last index was a level three (3). For the next week and a half will be HN (High Normal) now through the 20th March, the AN (Above Normal) propagation through the 25th March. If no Solar perturbations occur, we'll all be in "fat city!" * Mike, VK4DX, informs OPDX to tell its readers to check out the few audio files from the VP6DI operation on his "VK4DX Contest Calendar" Web site to hear what the pile up does sound like from "the other side". The URL is: http://www.vk4dx.net By the way, the "VK4DX Contest Calendar" Web page now also includes a U.S. contest calendar (state QSO parties 'n things) and the Australian contest calendar (KB8NW/OPDX March 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** FINLAND. Received from the A-DX-List. Time table of Finnish YLE Regionalprograms on MW and SW. Hallo Liste! Wenig bekannt ist, dass YLE Radio Finland eine ganze Menge an Regionalprogramme auf Kurz- und Mittelwelle überträgt. Hier der Sendeplan gültig vom 31.03.2002-27.10.2002. 0430 - 0500 UTC: 963 kHz in Finnisch Mo: Oulu Radio Di: Ylen läntinen Mi: Radio Itä-Uusimaa Do: Turun Radio Fr: Tampereen Radio 0700 - 0830 UTC: 11755, 6120, 963 kHz in Finnisch Sa: Radio Keski-Suomi 0830 - 0900 UTC: 21800, 11755, 6120, 963 kHz und 0915 - 0945 UTC: 11755, 6120, 963 kHz in Finnisch Mo: Etelä-Savon Radio Di: Radio Perämeri Mi: Kymenlaakson Radio Do: Radio Häme Fr: Radio Keski-Pohjanmaa Sa: Pohjois-Karjalan Radio 1205 - 1300 UTC: 11755, 6120, 963 kHz in Finnisch Mo: Lahden Radio Di: Satakunnan Radio Mi: Tampereen Radio Do: Etelä-Karjalan Radio Fr: Lapin Radio 1300 - 1400 UTC: 9630 kHz in Schwedisch Mo: Radio Aboland Di: Radio Österbotten Mi: Radio Västnyland Do: Radio Mellannyland Fr: Radio Östnyland 1310 - 1400 UTC: 11755, 6120, 9705, 963 kHz in Finnisch Mo: Turun Radio Di: Radio Savo Mi: Kainuun Radio Do: Oulu Radio Fr: Pohjanmaan Radio 1400 - 1430 UTC: 11755, 6120, 9705, 963 kHz in Finnisch Mo-Fr: Ylen aikainen 73, (Patrick Robic, March 17, A-DX list, via Olaf Haenssler, Germany, MW Circle list via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** GERMANY. From March 31, all European English transmissions from Deutsche Welle will be broadcast on the frequency of 6140 kHz, including the evening one which had been previously been aired from various frequencies from Sines in Portugal (e.g. 6180 kHz until March 30). Complete schedule is 0600/1900 and 2000/2045 gmt. 73, (Stefano Valianti, Bologna, Italy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. Been intending to check out the alleged VOI live stream mentioned in DXLD 2-030 as http://www.wrrionline.com/streaming/voi.asx which of course has a typo in it, an extra w, but even when fixed to http://www.rrionline.com/streaming/voi.asx the connexion I got at 1945 UT March 18 brought nothing but noise, like an open FM channel input - -- after all, RRI is on 89.1 --- and no French modulation; nor English as I was hoping for at 2000 when others manage to get it on 15150 direct (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. WorldLink, the satellite channel bringing lots of foreign TV, including Mid East, excluding Al Jazeera, to Americans, was the subject of a report on NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, March 17, available on demand... Mosaic TV NPR's John McChesney reports that a new satellite television offering, Mosaic, culls reports from a variety of Middle Eastern news broadcasts and makes them available to American audiences. (5:35) http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesun/20020317.wesun.04.ram BTW, new host of WESUN is Lynn Neary, replacing Liane Hansen, who has moved over to weekday work on ATC, but is expected back in July. We hardly ever listen to the latter, but wonder if her effusive style will be toned down for the afternoon. She was practically synonymous with WESUN all the years we have listened to it as a weekend staple (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. Anybody know this European pirate on 6310 tonight (Saturday)? I listened to it between 1935-2015 UT before it was drowned in QRM. No audible ID was heard. Some program details; Song by The Supremes, Otis Reading (?) "War", Anita Ward (?) "Never say goodbye", T-Rex "Get it on" and what sounded like audio-clips of 70- ies pirate stations. SINPO 24442 (Gisle Vanem, Norway, March 16, Hard- core-dx via DXLD) R. Valleri special, as already reported in DXLD [non]. Nothing heard from Radio Valleri at this location either on 6310. Just the weak het a little off frequency; I also heard the RCI mixing product. Alfa Lima International was heard on 6265 kHz, SIO 242 at 0039 Mar 17 // 15069.7 KHz. UK Radio on 6295, Zambia on 6265 was a little stronger than usual at 0300 UT and the presumed Laser Hot Hits was down on 6219v. So Valleri was probably very very low power or had other problems (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. The Summer 2002 Kol Israel schedule has been placed on http://www.israelradio.org : http://www.israelradio.org/summer02.htm It clarifies some of the unclear timings of the graphical schedule. Here's a text version of the English/Hebrew schedule (copy/pasted from the website). March 31 to October 6, 2002 English 0400-0415 UTC (midnight EDT) Reshet Alef Relay: Europe/N. America 9435 15640 Australasia/S. America 17535 1030-1035 UTC (6:30 AM EDT) Reka Relay Europe/N. America 15640 17545 1600-1630 UTC (noon EDT) Reshet Alef Relay Europe/N. America 15615 17545 1900-1925 UTC (3 PM EDT) Reshet Hei (Israel Radio International Network) Europe/N. America 9435 11605 15615 17545 Africa 15640 According to the PowerPoint schedule, Israel changes its clock on March 28th. This is the first day of Passover. When I first followed up, I was told that the clock is changing March 28th, 11 PM Israel Time (after the first day holiday has finished). Looking at timeanddate.com, it tells me that the clock changes March 29th at 1 AM Israel Time (two hours later). I do not know who is correct. Anyhow, I just wanted to clarify that it's not happening the night of the 27th, morning of the 28th, as one may have assumed. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=110 Reshet Bet / Hebrew - all times UTC - subtract 4 hours for EDT. Europe/North America 0600-1900 15760 1900-0600# 15760 1900-0600~ 9345 0500-0100 17535 0100-0500 13850 1700-0430 11585 0430-0600 11590 S. Europe/S.America 1800-1850 15640 2000-2115 15640 ---- ~ In use March 31 – April 30 and September 1 – October 6 # In use May 1- August 31 --------- (Daniel Rosenzweig, NY, March 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kol Israel Schedule retyped from website at http://www.israelradio.org/summer02.htm Schedule effective 31 March to 6 October 2002 Arabic 0300-2210 ME 5915 12150 Bukharian 1200-1215 cAS 15640 17545 English 0400-0415 EU/AM/AU 9435 15640 17535 1030-1035 EU/NAM 15640 17545 1600-1630 EU/NAM 15615 17545 1900-1925 EU/NAM/AF 9435 11605 15615 15640 17545 French 0500-0515 EU/NAM 15640 17545 1000-1030 EU/NAM 15640 17545 1530-1555 EU/NAM 11605 15640 17545 1930-1945 EU/AM 11605 15615 15640 17545 Georgian 1215-1230 Georgia 15640 17545 Hebrew (Reshet Bet) 0100-0500 EU/NAM 13850 0430-0600 EU/NAM 11590 0500-0100 EU/NAM 17535 0600-1900 EU/NAM 15760 1700-0430 EU/NAM 11585 1800-1850 EU/SAM 15640 2000-2115 EU/SAM 15640 1900-0600 EU/NAM 9345 (31 Mar-30 Apr + 1 Sep-6 Oct) 15760 (1 May - 31 Aug) Hungarian 1645-1700 EU 9435 15650 Ladino 1645-1700 Medit. 15640 Moghrabi 1625-1635 nAF 15640 Persian (1400-1500 on Fri/Sat/holidays) 1400-1525 EU/ME/NAM 13850 15640 17545 Romanian 1625-1645 Romania 9435 15640 Russian 1730-1900 Russia 9435 11605 Spanish 1635-1645 Spain/LAM 15640 1945-2000 EU/AM 11605 15615 15640 17545 Spanish & Ladino (sat only) 15000-1525 EU/AM 15640 17425 17565 Yiddish 1600-1625 EU 9435 15640 15650 1700-1725 EU 9435 15650 (via Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Santa Palomba 846 is off and silent since March 9, 6 AM, according a decision of the TAR Lazio court. "Notturno Italiano" is now carried on the remaining 1332 outlet and in addition on Napoli 657, too. Monte Ciocci 1107 now carries RAI Radiodue instead of Radiotre to substitute for 846 in Rome area. --- summary of http://www.raiway.rai.it/news.htm This report also confirms that the recently reported power cut to a quarter actually refers to the reduction from 1200 to 300 kW reflected in WRTH 2002 and done some time ago, I think in 2000. Now 846 is indeed clear, instead Noginsk can be heard, noted here after 1900 with Radio Radonezh (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Ed, P5/4L4FN, is reportedly back in Pyongyang. He received good news that his contact has been extended until June 2003. This means Ed will have a chance to work more stations than expected. However, according to the KK5DO's Web site, Ed's current work load is heavy right now. This means he will not be able to be back on the air until March 23rd. There is still much to do in the outlying field stations, so he will be out of town during the week (KB8NW/OPDX March 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. RKI MWF was back to usual time on webcast March 18, after 0430 UT Monday, instead of Korean as heard the past two weeks. This month`s guest was Erik Køie, Denmark (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. We finally heard a report in some depth on the situation here, on American media --- One of the early segments on NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, March 17, available on demand: Madagascar's Strange Stand-off The island nation of Madagascar is in the unique position of sorting out which of their two presidents is actually leading the country. One man is their constitutionally-elected president, but he's been banished from the capital. The other leads by popular demand, but has yet to win an election. NPR's Julie McCarthy reports. (5:15) http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/wesun/20020317.wesun.03.ram (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. (tentative) heard today March 17 on 5010 and weak parallel 3287.5 until sign-off about 1701. Unfortunately no clear ID heard, only "Antananarivo" in the closing announcement. 1700 national anthem, then interval signal several times, short test tone and off. Closing ann. was in Malagasy. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. We are wondering if and when Mexico City will adopt DST of UT minus 5 this year, as it was late starting and early ending (compared to USA) last year amid controversy and legal challenges. Here`s a handy reference, which does not show any time change for Mexico, and then only certain other cities, until May 5 at the bottom of the list! http://www.timeanddate.com/time/dst2002a.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALAU. KHBN A-02: 9955.0 KHBN PALAU 0800-1700 SASIA 50.0 280 9955.0 KHBN PALAU 2200-2400 SEASIA 50.0 280 9965.0 KHBN PALAU 0700-1700 CHINA 80.0 318 9965.0 KHBN PALAU 2200-2400 CHINA 80.0 318 9985.0 KHBN PALAU 0700-1600 KOR/JAP 50.0 345 9985.0 KHBN PALAU 2100-2400 KOR/JAP 50.0 345 12160.0 KHBN PALAU 1000-1600 S.ASIA 50.0 270 13840.0 KHBN PALAU 1100-1600 S.ASIA 50.0 270 15725.0 KHBN PALAU 0700-1100 S.ASIA 50.0 270 (George Jacobs and Associates website via DXLD) Split personality: this station still referred to by US calls, which supposedly were changed years ago to Palauan call (gh, DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. El amigo y colega Thord Knutsson, de Suecia, nos sigue enterando de las novedades que le va adelantando el Asesor Técnico de Radio América, en Asunción, sobre las anunciadas trasmsiones de prueba que el mes próximo habrá de iniciar en 41m. Pero me entero via Tony Jones por Cumbre DX y gracias al amigo y colega argentino Nicolás Éramo que todo esto es una mentira, una broma o engaño ("hoax") !!! (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Conexión Digital via DXLD) "He recibido otro mensaje de Don Mur sobre las emisiones en la banda de 41 metros de Radio América. Creo que este mensaje es de interés y por esto les envío el mensaje. Cordiales saludos de Suecia, Thord Traducción del mensaje en inglés, más abajo: --Estimado amigo Thord Knutsson: Muchas gracias por su amable nota. Estoy agradecido por la difusión a la Comunidad DXista sobre la trasmisión de prueba (prevista). Esperamos empezar a probar con 5 KW a principios de abril. Dependiendo de los resultados de estas pruebas, comenzaríamos la construcción de un segundo sistema de antena direccional, orientado hacia los 310 grados (tomados desde el Norte Magnético), con el fin de servir el Norte de Argentina, Norte de Chile, Bolivia, Perú y el resto de la Región Andina. Debido a las características geográficas y propagacionales, estas señales entrarían también en América Central y la parte occidental de Norte América. En cuanto a la antena preparada para 184 grados, ya todo está pronto! Es un sistema Corner Reflector ("Reflector de esquina"), con un haz de irradiación horizontal que posee un ángulo de 22.5 grados, y un ángulo de elevación de entre 3 y 27 grados. Posee, aproximadamente, 25 dBi de ganancia. Calculo que no sólo será posible la recepción en el Cono Sur (de América) sino también habra propagación transpolar hacia Oceania y las regiones del Océano Índico. ¡Veremos qué pasará! Con los mejores saludos. Dom Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay La carta original en inglés: --Dear Friend Thord Knutsson: Many thanks for your kind note. I am grateful for the forwarding of the test transmission information to the DX Community. We hope to begin testing, at the 5 kW level, in early April. Depending upon the results of these tests, we may begin construction of a second directional antenna system, targeted on 310 degrees (from Magnetic North), in order to serve Northern Argentina, Northern Chile, Bolivia, Peru and the rest of the Andean Region. Owing to the geographical and propagational characteristics, these signals would also enter into Central America and the western part of North America. As for the antenna prepared for 184 degrees, all is now ready! It is a Corner Reflector system, with a Horizontal Beamwidth of 22,5 degrees, a Vertical Take-Off Angle of between 3 and 27 degrees, and has, approximately, 25 dBi of gain. I calculate that not only the Southern Cone Region will have reception, but also that there will be trans-polar propagation into Oceania and into the Indian Ocean regions. We shall see! With best regards. Dom Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay (Conexión Digital March 17 via DXLD) Voy a probar a averiguarlo... De vez en cuando suelo pasar las instalaciones (planta transmisora) de Radio América, ya que mi cuñada vive en Ñemby. Lo que me extraña es la frecuencia..... ¿Alguien tiene el n'umero de teléfono de la radio? Las guías telefónicas aquí son un desastre. Si es un hoax o no, no sé, pero también me parece extraño, ya que si era por mí, invertiría a mejorar el servicio de onda media que no es "tanto". Pero eso sí, es una radio religiosa (evangélica), y a estas muchas veces le gustan la onda corta ¿no? 73 de (Levi P. Iversen, Paraguay, March 17, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Sobre Radio América: Claro, no sé si las informaciones de Dom Mur están verdad o no. Pero según Dom Mur la potencia durante las emisiones anteriores era solamente algunos vatios. Dom Mur dice que van a utilizar 5 vatios en el futuro. Sería muy sorprendido si las informaciones han sido correctos o falsos [sic]. El futuro va a mostrar!! Saludos (Thord Knutsson, Conexión Digital March 18 via DXLD) ** PERU. Radio Satélite from Santa Cruz, is back again. The station disappeared for several years from the SW bands and returned now on its old frequency 6725.7v. Until 1996 R Satélite was to be heard almost every night, usually with quite good signal. Even if no other station of the out-of-band-Peruvians came through, R Satélite almost always was audible somehow. In those times I enjoyed the program very much. The typical mixture of Peruvian music and the so called mensajes produced the relevant "LA-DX-feeling". Unfortunately the present reception quality cannot be compared to the good signal some years ago. Obviously the transmitting power has been decreased drastically. The next disappointment: the program! Nothing of nice Peruvian music, only religious stuff. On that reason it isn't tragic furthermore that the modulation of the transmitter is poor only. It remains to say that here in Europe the frequency 6725 is occupied often by utility services. Due to that fact the reception of this Peruvian is not easy. For all, who want to try it, here the logging in detail: PERÚ 6725.7v R Satélite, Santa Cruz, 17th of March 2002, 0015-0110, Spanish, religious program, announcements of Christian events in the region, IDs; SINPO 23322. The station was drifting from 6725.65 to 6725.82 kHz (Michael Schnitzer, Receiver: JRC NRD-525. Antennas: 25m longwire, DX-One Professional, EWE to South America, EWE to Asia/Pacific; Location: Hassfurt, Germany, hard-core-dx via DXLD) But there is some contradiction about identity of 6726 station: (gh) ** PERU. 6726v Radio Unión, Lima, Mar/16-1200 Mar/18-0148 S-4 Latin Music non stop ID "Union la Radio" (Rogildo F. Aragão, Cochabamba - Bolivia, LOWE HF-225E Longwire 25m, hard-core-dx via DXLD) and: ** PERU. 6775.8v, Radio Unión, Lima. 0823-0835 March 15. Songs non stop ("salsa"). ID by male in Spanish as: "Unión... estás aquí, en el 880 de amplitud modulada". Then, more music. 34333 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5009v Radio Panamericana, ? Mar/17 2240 S-3 Salsa Music ID "Radio Panamericana con todo..." (Rogildo F. Aragão, Cochabamba - Bolivia, LOWE HF-225E Longwire 25m, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SAINT LUCIA. 660, ST. LUCIA, R. St. Lucia, Castries, MAR 16 0900 - Definitely the highlight of the night. I believe this was the station carrying VOA Music Mix program over night. Local program signed on with time pips, 5 short 1 long, then announcement by low-voiced man, then St. Lucia National Anthem. Man returned to give AM and FM transmitter locations and concluded with " ... our beloved nation of St. Lucia." Heard next night, but very faint, with BBC News. New country that I never expected to hear [Rick Kenneally, CT, NRC-AM via DXLD] ** THAILAND. Radio Thailand, World Service Broadcast Schedule For listeners in all parts of the world, on short-wave, relayed over transmitters in Ban Dung, Udon Thani, Northeastern Thailand, on frequencies shared with the Voice of America, as stated below: (effective March 31, 2002 as per A-02 seasonal change) GMT BKK Time Language Direction Frequency 0000-0030 0700-0730 English Europe-Africa 09690 0030-0100 0730-0800 English US-East 15395 0100-0200 0800-0900 Thai US-East 15395 0300-0330 1000-1030 English US-West 15395 0330-0430 1030-1130 Thai US-West 15395 0530-0600 1230-1300 English Europe 21795 1000-1100 1700-1800 Thai Asia-Pacific 11805 1100-1115 1800-1815 Vietnamese Asia-Pacific 07260 1115-1130 1815-1830 Khmer Asia-Pacific 07260 1130-1145 1830-1845 Lao Asia-Pacific 06030 1145-1200 1845-1900 Burmese Asia-Pacific 06030 1200-1215 1900-1915 Malaysian Asia-Pacific 11805 1215-1230 1915-1930 Indonesian Asia-Pacific 11805 1230-1300 1930-2000 English Asia-Pacific 09885 1300-1315 2000-2015 Japanese Asia-Pacific 11850 1315-1330 2015-2030 Mandarin Asia-Pacific 11850 1330-1400 2030-2100 Thai Asia-Pacific 11955 1400-1430 2100-2130 English Asia-Pacific 09830 1800-1900 0100-0200 Thai Asia-Pacific 09690 1900-2000 0200-0300 English Europe 07155 2000-2015 0300-0315 German Europe 09680 2015-2030 0315-0330 French Europe 09680 2030-2045 0330-0345 English Europe 09680 2045-2115 0345-0415 Thai Europe 09680 Radio Thailand, World Service, Public Relations Department, Royal Thai Government, 236 Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Din Daeng, Bangkok 10400. Tel(662)277-1814, 277-6139, 274-9098-9 website http://www.prd.go.th email address: amporns@mozart.inet.co.th (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, Mar 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, The RUI audio stream is always a sesqui-minute behind. The connection also has a tendency to switch between a 16 and 8.5 kbit/s connections. But even at 8.5, it's a lot better than what we in North America have been accustomed to from RUI on SW. Still no sign of English at 1200. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I heard the DX program final repeat at 0425 UT Sun; webcast helps a lot to understand the heavy accent of the speaker. This has been entered into MONITORING REMINDERS (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, You can add this to Monitoring Reminders: Ukrainian Parliamentary Elections on Sunday March 31. "Music from Ukraine" on Sundays, heard 2222-2255 March 17. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. March 18, 2002 RADIO CASTAWAYS CELEBRATE ISLAND'S 60 YEARS OF MUSIC By Adam Sherwin, Media Reporter BEETHOVEN`S Ode to Joy is the piece of music most often chosen by castaways to take to their desert island in the BBC radio programme whose 60th anniversary is being celebrated this week. Almost 2,000 guests, from prime ministers to royalty, sportsmen and actors, have accepted the invitation to choose eight pieces of music, a luxury and a book to take with them to the tropics since the late Roy Plomley, the first presenter, came up with the idea of Desert Island Discs as he was getting ready for bed one night. His first guest was the comedian Vic Oliver in 1942, and the series was billed for eight weeks. The programme became a fixture, however, and its popularity remains undimmed, with three million listeners tuning in to Radio 4 each week for the familiar strains of its theme, Sleepy Lagoon, composed by Eric Coates. The diamond jubilee of the series will be celebrated by a concert at the Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday which will feature the most popular choices of castaways, played by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Full article at http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-239781,00.html Roy Plomley started his broadcasting career as an announcer on Radio Normandy and I can recommend his autobiography ``Days Seemed Longer`` which deals with that period, ISBN 0-413-39730-0. Out of print so you need to do a book search but putting it in Google came straight up with a copy at 3 pounds plus post and packing from a bookdealer in Ramsgate: http://books2000.future.easyspace.com/AGEZZ05.htm I also found an article: Radio For Sale: Sponsored Programming in British Radio during the 1930's I had not seen before, by Sean Street, Media Professor at Bournemouth University http://www.ukc.ac.uk/sdfva/sound-journal/Street19991.html (Mike Barraclough, England, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. FEEDERS: 11195, BBC de Londres, 0212, Feeder en inglés de la programación, transmisión en SSB, buena señal, 44434, (Héctor Frías, Chile en "El Mundo está en sus manos", Conexión Digital March 17 via DXLD) ?? Thought BBC had not used SSB feeders for years and years. Incidentally, 11195 is where a receiver-produced image from 12095 would fall, minus 900 (2 x IF 450) kHz, but that does not explain it being in SSB (gh, DXLD) ** U K. Pirate, UK Radio International, Poor signal on 6295 kHz 0156 - 0245 UT Mar. 17. Gave 105 FM and 6266 KHz "..to the whole of western Europe" as the frequencies. Maybe a relay of a previous transmission (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A visitor to the WWRB transmitter site stopped without trespassing, and quotes the sign on the gate: ``WARNING THIS FACILITY IS USED IN AIR TRAFFIC COMMUNICATIONS. LOSS OF HUMAN LIFE MAY RESULT FROM SERVICE INTERRUPTION. ANY PERSON WHO INTERFERES WITH AIR TRAFFIC COMMUNICATIONS OR DAMAGES OR TRESPASSES ON THIS PROPERTY WILL BE PROSECUTED UNDER FEDERAL LAW.`` But the sign doesn't cite any statute, ordinance, or anything else. The sign is obviously a lie, no doubt inspired by Dave Frantz`s alleged former career in the FAA. It`s an international SW broadcasting station, with the towers holding up the rhombic visible, nothing to do with ATC. So can we believe anything WWRB tells us? Furthermore, aren`t citizens entitled at least to inspect during normal business hours the Public File all FCC licensees are required to maintain? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. George Jacobs sendeplaene/schedules http://www.gjainc.com/a02bystn.txt (via Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, BC-DX Mar 14 via DXLD) GJA clients keep shrinking, now covering only: KHBN, KTBN, KVOH, WBCQ, WRNO, WSHB --- of which the only ones of interest here are KHBN above under PALAU; KVOH for its specified overseas relay sites; WBCQ for a new 11 MHz frequency; and WSHB only for some `Merlin` unspecified relays; when there are two WBCQ entries one hour apart, that covers standard and DST periods both; viz.: 5975.0 KVOH JUELICH 0700-0900 EUR 100.0 290 6025.0 KVOH UAE 2330-0130 INDIA 250.0 85 6175.0 KVOH JUELICH 2000-2100 EUR 100.0 -0 7485.0 KVOH NOVOSIBIRSK 1200-1600 CHINA 100.0 111 9495.0 KVOH JUELICH 1700-1900 M.E. 100.0 80 9615.0 KVOH UAE 0200-0230 INDIA 250.0 85 9975.0 KVOH RANCHO SIMI, CA. 0100-0800 NAM/CARIB 50.0 100 9975.0 KVOH RANCHO SIMI, CA. 1300-1500 NAM/CARIB 50.0 100 11705.0 KVOH UAE 1600-1630 INDIA 250.0 85 13810.0 KVOH JUELICH 1600-1700 E.AF 100.0 130 15715.0 KVOH JUELICH 1200-2100 M.E. 100.0 115 15775.0 KVOH JUELICH 1330-1430 SEAS 100.0 70 17550.0 KVOH JUELICH 1330-1630 INDIA 100.0 90 17775.0 KVOH RANCHO SIMI, CA. 1500-0100 NAM/CARIB 50.0 100 17795.0 KVOH UAE 1230-1330 SEAS 250.0 85 21590.0 KVOH JUELICH 0700-1200 M.E. 100.0 115 7415.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1400-1600 SNA 50.0 245 7415.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1500-1700 SNA 50.0 245 7415.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 2000-1200 SNA 50.0 245 7415.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 2100-1300 SNA 50.0 245 9335.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1200-0500 SNA 50.0 245 9335.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1300-0600 SNA 50.0 245 11660.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1300-0500 SNA 50.0 245 11660.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1300-0600 SNA 50.0 245 17495.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1400-2100 SNA 50.0 245 17495.0 WBCQ KENNEBUNK, ME 1500-2200 SNA 50.0 245 9875.0 WSHB MERLIN 1200-1300 S CHINA 9940.0 WSHB MERLIN 1300-1400 India 11780.0 WSHB MERLIN 1000-1100 N China 17635.0 WSHB MERLIN 1200-1300 Indonesia (George Jacobs and Associates via Biener, BC-DX via DXLD) We extracted only some items of interest. Note that power and azimuth of the WSHB relays, not to mention the sites, are still being kept secret! Also, this page says ``Printed 86 of the 93 records,`` presumably meaning that seven entire entries are being kept secret (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. KRCL, 90.9, Salt Lake City, touts itself as a voice from ``Behind the Zion Curtain``. It is a community radio station, not an NPR, corporate sponsored affiliate. One weekly half-hour public affairs program on KRCL is ``Building a Good Society``, Tuesdays 12:30 pm MT since January 2000. It`s hosted by Unitarian Universalist Rev. Dr. Steven Epperson, where ``social justice outreach is an essential part of our ministry.`` (The Call, January 2002, UU for a Just Econonic Community, via Howard Box, TN, DXLD) We looked up http://www.krcl.org and found that they suspended webcasts in Dec due to the DMCA, but several shows including this one are available ondemand from archive at: http://www.krcl.org/PublicAffairs/ondemand.htm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Copyright 2002 The Omaha World-Herald Company March 9, 2002, Saturday SUNRISE EDITION SECTION: LIVING; Pg. 3e; SARPY COUNTY NEWS STATION SCHEDULED TO DEBUT IN APRIL By Kristi Wright, WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER Sarpy County residents are getting a radio station of their own. In April, Waitt Radio of Omaha will launch KKSC-AM at 1020 on the radio dial, said George Pelletier, vice president of operations for the company. The station will feature agricultural news for eastern Nebraska and sports, news and other information of interest to Sarpy County residents. Mike Hansen will lead the station. Its studio is located between Bellevue and Papillion, and it will have a news department. KKSC is not an entirely new radio station, but rather an old station with a signal boost and a call-letter change. Waitt Radio changed Plattsmouth station KOTD-AM to KKSC-AM and requested a signal boost from 1,000 watts to 50,000 watts. Pelletier says the extra power - which is only in the daytime - allows KKSC to reach many farmers and agricultural suppliers it seeks as its audience. Pelletier says Sarpy County residents crave news and information specific to their area. Disc jockeys will play music - the format has yet to be decided - but only as a filler between programs (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. There was a nice piece on NPR (National Public Radio) about the numbers stations. Go here to hear it on the web. http://search1.npr.org/opt/collections/torched/atc/data_atc/seg_74687.htm I work at NPR and I am about to get my DX 398 in the mail early next week. I look forward to sharing my experiences and most often reading the stories of others. Enjoy (Bob Boilen, director, NPR's All Things Considered, DX-398 Users yahoogroup via DXLD) ** U S A. DECADES AFTER ITS HEYDEY, YIDDISH RADIO RETURNING TO AIRWAVES By KATHERINE ROTH, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Ask Seymour Rexite to sing your favorite song and the 91-year-old will gladly oblige, in Yiddish. "Yiddish radio was very big," Rexite says, and so was he for 40 years on the air. "Name just about any song and we'd sing it in Yiddish." Then he breaks into a heartfelt Yiddish rendition of Cole Porter's "Night and Day," followed by a bilingual plug for the shaving cream "Bar-ba-soooool!" After a half-century on the shelf, recordings of Rexite in his prime and other gems of Yiddish radio history are returning to the airwaves - this time on National Public Radio, in a 10-part series starting Tuesday. The longest series ever to air on NPR, "The Yiddish Radio Project" is the product of 17 years of digging through archives for the fragile aluminum discs recorded during Yiddish radio's heydey, from the 1930s to the 1950s. Ranging from funny to heartbreaking, the broadcasts bring listeners into the everyday lives of an immigrant community at its peak, before its members - Jews from Central and Eastern Europe - assimilated more fully into mainstream American culture. More than 100 stations nationwide had Yiddish programming, and nearly 5,000 records were produced for the nation's 2 million Yiddish speakers. "This is really the story of every ethnic group in America that has ever tried to retain its cultural identity," said Henry Sapoznik, who produced the series with David Isay and Yair Reiser. "It doesn't matter that this is Yiddish or that it took place in the Lower East Side of New York. This is the story of Spanish- speaking communities, of Greek-speaking communities, of every community that's had to find a way to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable. There's a history waiting to be uncovered of these tiny, low-powered stations attempting to reach their own communities in their own language." Rexite performed with his wife, the late Miriam Kressyn. His silken voice and delicious translations earned him the title "the Yiddish Perry Como," and won him four Goldies, the Oscars of the Yiddish theater. The short bespectacled statuettes still line the mantle in his Greenwich Village apartment. On the walls hang pictures of Frank Sinatra, Fiorello LaGuardia and Albert Einstein - all fans, he says, of Yiddish performance. Segments of the NPR series include "Yiddish Melodies in Swing," which is also being released on CD. Inspired by a 1938-'55 show that mixed Yiddish music with American swing, the segment includes Yiddish versions of tunes such as "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top" and ads touting "gefilte fish in glass jars." Then there's "Levine Mit Zayn Flying Machine," by Sam Coslow, who went on to write "My Old Flame." His lesser-known hit celebrates Charles Levine, a self-made millionaire who, two weeks after Charles Lindbergh's famous trans-Atlantic flight, became the first passenger on a trans-Atlantic flight, the show's producers said. Unlike mainstream American radio of the time, "there was no Yiddish Lone Ranger, there was no Yiddish Flash Gordon," Sapoznik said. "They didn't want stuff that took them out of their world. They wanted stuff that reinforced a world they understood and made the entry into mainstream culture easier." The NPR series, to run on Tuesday afternoons, explores Yiddish dramas, news programs, advice and game shows, and includes some early man-on-the-street interviews. A heart-rending segment features the program "Reunion," which brought together people who hadn't seen each other in years. On one 1947 broadcast, a man is suddenly reunited with a son he thought had been killed in the Holocaust. "There's a moment where father and son are reunited and there's a scream, a cry. ... It's the father when he sees his son. Nothing compares to this moment when this man is reunited with his son, who he thought had been murdered with the rest of his family in the camps," Sapoznik says. The segment will be narrated by the son - Seigbert Freiberg, now in his 70s and living in Queens. By the end of the 1950s, the golden age of Yiddish radio came to a close. Television overtook radio. Yiddish culture in Europe nearly vanished because of the Holocaust. In America, "The melting pot was bubbling and no one wanted to encourage people to stay within their culture," Sapoznik said. "These people who did the Yiddish radio shows were swimming against the current." --- On the Net: http://www.YiddishRadioProject.org AP 03-17-02 1026 EST (via David R. Alpert, CA, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. New York silent on 660 and 880. Glad I checked DXLD just before heading off to bed. On 660, CFFR Calgary heard with oldies music at 0535 UT, ads for Calgary. "La Mexicana" jingles heard various times between 0802 and 0848 UT; can't believe they are only 1 kW. There were definitely two Spanish stations on this frequency early on, but no IDs. Checked 880 with Yacht Boy 400 and internal antenna at 0605 UT Mar 17. CKLQ was booming in from Brandon at that time with western lottery numbers, country music. Switched to Icom IC 735 with large inverted V; CKLQ Faded out to unID Spanish station, then English ads heard way down with "Good Times Great Oldies" at 0618, probably Edmonton. Radio Progreso, Cuba, ID at 0736 UT (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There was no third silent period UT Monday March 18 (NRCers) See also SAINT LUCIA ** U S A. From the WABC web site: Stephen Battaglio wrote a very nice article on WABC's run as a top 40 music station in the March 10th 2002 edition of the Arts and Leisure Section of The New York Times. You can read it online by clicking: http://www.nytimes.com (You must register to read the article--it's free) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Anyone know the location of a downloadable/ printable up to date list of North American MW stations? Going on a 9 night bush trip soon, well out of range of computer connections! (Richard Jary, NSW, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Richard, You may wish to check this out, it contains all US and Canadian stations between 540 and 1700 kHz and is usually kept very much up-to-date. http://www.geocities.com/amlogbook/amlog.htm (Graham Powell, Webmaster for the Online DX Logbook and 21 MHz.Com Full details available at: http://www.shortwave.org.uk ibid.) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Quick check shortly after 1400 UT Sunday March 17 of 9820 confirmed Aló, Presidente via Habana is still active (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Unión Radio is relaying this anniversary show [#100] right now. http://www.unionradio.com.ve/audio/ Rgds., (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, 1434 UT March 17 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [and non]. VOV English Program Schedule (as from March 31) Areas of coverage UTC Frequencies South East Asia 1000 9840 - 12020 South Asia 1100 1242 - 7285 Central Asia 1400 1242 South West Asia 1500 1242 Central Asia 1630 1242 Europe 1800 5970 - 9730 - 7145 [some of these Eu relays?] Europe 1900 9730 - 7145 Europe 2030 9730 - 7145 Europe 2330 9840 - 12020 South East Asia 1230 9840 - 12020 Europe 1330 9730 - 7145 Europe 1600 9730 - 7145 NE America 0100 6175 [these via Canada] NE America 0230 6175 Central America 0330 6175 (via GRDXC via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. V. of the People: Hi Glenn, Their official Web site has launched. More details in our Zimbabwe dossier later today. For those interested in hearing what Voice of the People sounds like, there's an audio file of the March 9th edition of their broadcast at http://zimbabwe.syntac.net/uploads/vop.mp3 The quality of the audio is excellent. 73, (Andy Sennitt, RN, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Andy, At the beginning of this audio file, he says that `yesterday` they meant to be on at 6-6:55 am, but really were on at 5:30-6:30 am...! Did I miss something about a morning broadcast? Is it still on? Is he talking about Madagascar or some other transmitter??? 73, Glenn Hi Glenn, I haven't listened to the whole thing, so I'll have to check. There's no morning broadcast as far as I know - their Web site only shows the 90 minute evening broadcast. But I have seen other reports that they're on "two and a half hours a day". If there is another transmission, it isn't via us (Andy Sennitt, RN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Sunday, March 17 I had some time to check this 6715 unID Korean language station. They signed on at 1844 with male religious songs until 1858. Some dead air, female voice at 1859 and after a while songs and preaching. Around 2000 a female voice again for a while. Program continued till 2018 and they signed off after some piano/chorus music. No announcement heard at that time. Rather weak signal and some qrm from the ute couple of kHz down. Deep slow fading. Too weak for any decent recording. So it seems they are regurlar on Sundays during this time slot. Heard also last Sunday. The Korean HLAZ on 1566 was also audible at this time with similar preaching, but not in parallel. Will wait and see if someone at last finds out who this is. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello, I`m eagerly following the items posted about the unID religious transmissions (late Friday nights here in Sweden) on 6715 kHz. The language is said to be Korean (although I could have guessed Japanese), it`s clearly evangelical, but it doesn`t seem like the transmissions are heard at all in the Far East (as e.g. Japan), from what I`ve read. We listened to it a week ago (March 8) at our shack in Fredriksfors, where we have Beverage antennas in different directions. The conditions were disturbed that night, and that could explain signals not coming in as supposed in the antennas, but we noticed that signals were much better on antennas directed towards South America, than on directions towards the Far East (that is a back lobe for us). On antennas towards e.g. North America it wasn´t heard at all. The fading and the ``sound`` on the transmission made us pretty sure that its origin was far away. Could it by any chance be that the transmissions originate from Latin America (although I don`t see why)? Best regards (Jan Edh, Hudiksvall, Sweden, (DX-ing from Fredriksfors) hard-core-dx via DXLD) Well, we already had a report of an Argentine pirate later in the evening on 6716. Maybe it`s the same transmitter? Is there a Christian Korean community down there? OTOH, when heard in Europe Sundays at 1844, that would be a bit early for Argentina on 6.7 MHz (gh, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WHY BOTHER? Concerning the correspondent who criticized stations for merely reading from a script, I think he misses the point. What matters is not whether someone is reading from a script but whether he or she is doing it properly, i.e. non-monotonously in a conversational tone. I can listen without a trace of boredom seeping in to Alistair Cook's Letter from America on the BBC and, so it would seem, can millions of other listeners. I could also, come to think of it, manage to listen perfectly happily to a nine-minute World Service bulletin, read by a competent announcer, if the BBC still deigned to offer such bulletins, which unfortunately they don't. Whilst I enjoy listening to American radio, I would not like American production values to become universal. Cultural imperialism is a real problem: national radio stations should strive to preserve the uniqueness of their culture and style. The greater the variety of styles on the radio the better. As for interviews, they don't always work well if the station is difficult to hear. When reception is mediocre, scripted stuff is easier to understand. If the scripts are badly read, train the announcers to read them better rather than adding a lot of other stuff that may not necessarily enhance the message. Or am I just old-fashioned? (Roger Tidy, England, March 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-044, March 16, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1122: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sun 0730, Mon 0100, and 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sun 0600, 1200, 1830?, 2430?... on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB MUNDO RADIAL: Nueva emisión de marzo-abril ahora disponible: (CORRIENTE) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0203.ram (BAJABLE) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0203.rm (GUIÓN) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0203.html (EN EL AIRE) Todos los viernes a las 2215-2230 TU por WWCR 9475 [aunque el 15 de marzo a las 2213...] UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Hi Glen[n]: It has been awhile, how have you been? Not much new here this DX season, DX logging wise. New tower and antennas otherwise. Just wanted to drop a quick note and let you know Glen that your DXLD has been absolutely great, very nice Glen! Thanks Glen. 73's (Joe Talbot, Alberta, March 16) Dear Glenn: As you know, I've been an active DX'er since 1976, and as such, I`ve experienced a great deal of changes in the ways we get our information. I`ve kept up with the times by upgrading to newer equipment each time it becomes available and more affordable. I also got to hear lots of interesting and unusual things since I began in the hobby with an old upright stereo in 1975. I want to thank you for agreeing to do "World Of Radio" and "COM" over the past few years. I`m pleased to share this with you in knowing that you will always better inform us hobbyists about new stations and skeds. Thanks for being there! Your faithful listener, (Noble West, TN) ** AFGHANISTAN. 1269 MW. In DX-Window no. 185 the Danish lead initiative to establish an independent public service radio broadcast in Afghanistan was described. The project was subsidized with 235,000 Euros from the European Union department for conflict prevention. On Feb 25, the new, daily morning programme ``Good Morning Afghanistan`` went on the air at 0200-0300 from Kabul on Radio Afghanistan. The inaugural broadcast, featuring male and female presenters, was divided equally between reports in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan`s main two languages. ``It will provide news, practical information, interviews with actors, reports from rural areas information on emergency aid and travel routes in the country. In short, a mixture of what you listen to without thinking much about it, and hard, straightforward news,`` Mr. Bent Noerby Bonde, Director of the Baltic Media Centre on Bornholm said to the Danish Newspaper, Berlingske Tidende. The Scottish R Tay and R Denmark donated six tonnes of outdated equipment to R Afghanistan to produce ``Good Morning Afghanistan``. The equipment arrived on a U.N. flight just two days before the launch of the programme. Details on the implemention phase can be found on http://www.bmc.dk (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window March 13 via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. 15/3/02 RADIO TIRANA, ALBANIA A'02 For the period 31/03/02 to 26/10/02 -------------------------------------------------------------------- FREQ STRT STOP CIRAF LOC POWR AZI SLW ANT DAYS LANGUAGE ADM BRC -------------------------------------------------------------------- 5985 1400 1700 28SW CER 50 0 0 925 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 6090 2300 0330 7,8 SHI 100 300 0 217 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 6100 0300 0800 28 CER 100 0 0 925 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 7110 0800 0900 28 CER 100 0 0 925 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 7270 1400 1700 28 CER 50 0 0 925 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 7270 2300 0330 7,8 CER 100 305 0 217 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 7295 2030 2200 28 CER 100 350 0 141 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 9575 2030 2200 27,28 CER 100 310 0 146 1234567 ALBANIAN ALB ALR 6100 1800 1830 28SW SHI 100 0 0 925 234567 ITALIAN ALB ALR 6115 0145 0200 7,8 CER 100 305 0 216 134567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 6115 0230 0300 7,8 CER 100 305 0 216 134567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 6135 2115 2130 28SE SHI 100 0 0 925 234567 SER/CRO ALB ALR 7110 2115 2130 28 CER 100 0 0 925 234567 SER/CRO ALB ALR 7130 2130 2200 27 SHI 100 310 0 146 234567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 7160 0145 0200 7,8 CER 100 305 0 218 134567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 7160 0230 0300 7,8 CER 100 305 0 218 134567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 7210 1845 1900 27 SHI 100 310 0 146 234567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 7210 1900 1930 27 SHI 100 310 0 146 234567 FRENCH ALB ALR 7240 1800 1830 28SW CER 100 0 0 925 234567 ITALIAN ALB ALR 9520 1845 1900 27 CER 100 305 0 217 234567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 9520 1900 1930 27 CER 100 310 0 146 234567 FRENCH ALB ALR 9540 2130 2200 27 CER 100 305 0 216 234567 ENGLISH ALB ALR 9570 1730 1800 28 CER 100 350 0 141 234567 GERMAN ALB ALR 6130 1700 CER 100 0 0 925 234567 TURKISH ALB ALR 6130 1715 1730 28S CER 100 0 0 925 234567 GREEK ALB ALR 7135 1715 1730 28SE CER 50 0 0 925 234567 GREEK ALB ALR 7140 1700 1715 39NW CER 50 0 0 925 234567 TURKISH ALB ALR Regards, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. An Argentine station on 15820 kHz using LSB must be R CONTINENTAL from Buenos Aires heard here in Finland around 07 UT. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku FINLAND, March 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Usually so reported, but I thought that as with all the Argentine ISB feeder frequencies, one could never depend on a certain station being carried, and indeed the stations may not even be aware of the relays (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 15 Mar '02. Starting from A'02 season Voice International has introduced a new broadcast in Hindi language towards South Asia via its Darwin relay. 1100-1700 UT on 13635 (Daily) - To India/SE Asia. Regds (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM [and non]. Here is the A02 schedule of Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal in a more handy style, retyped from the large .xls file: 0400-0500 E/D 15565 BON 250/320 NAm 0500-0530 D 9925 MEY 250/355 Af 0500-0700 D 13685 JUL 100/115 Eu 0500-0800 D 15195 ARM 200/284 Eu 0700-0730 E 5985 JUL 100/ND Eu 0700-0800 D 13685 RMP 250/168 Eu 1100-1130 D 15195 RMP 250/168 Eu 17670 ARM 200/284 Eu 21630 MEY 250/355 Af 1130-1230 E/D 9865 P/K 250/244 As 1200-1230 D 9865 P/K 250/244 As 17690 TAS 100/131 As 1300-1600 D 17670 ARM 200/284 Eu 1700-1800 D 15195 ARM 100/284 Eu 1700-2100 D/F/G/E 9925 ARM 100/284 Eu 1730-1900 E/D 13690 SKN 250/180 Eu 13710 JUL 100/115 Eu 1800-1900 D 7195 MDG 50/245 Af 15325 DHA 250/230 Af 1930-2100 E/D 13690 SKN 250/180 Eu 2230-2330 E/D 15565 BON 250/350 NAm Saturdays only: 1800-2000 D 5910 JUL 100/ND Eu Sundays only: 1000-1130 D 21630 MEY 250/355 Af 1300-1600 D 15275 SKN 250/175 Eu I understand these are the prices per kWh in EUR: Jülich 0.72 (100 kW, so 72 EUR per hour), Meyerton and Al-Dhabbaya 0.56 (250 kW, so 140 EUR), Skelton and Rampisham 0.30 (250 kW, so 75 EUR), all CIS sites (Tbilisskaya/Armavir, Tashkent and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky) 0.62, no matter which power (so 155, 124 and 62 EUR, respectively, for 250, 200 and 100 kW). Wolvertem 1512 kHz: 0500-0600 RNW 300 kW 0600-0700 D 25 kW 0700-0730 E 25 kW //5985 0730-0800 DAB 25 kW 0800-1100 R1 25 kW 1100-1130 D 25 kW //9865 for As 1130-1200 E 25 kW 1200-1400 D 25 kW 1400-1600 DW 25 kW 1600-1700 R1 25 kW 1700-1715 F 25 kW //9925 1715-1730 G 25 kW //9925 1730-1800 E 25 kW //9925 1800-1900 D 25 kW //9925 1900-1915 G 300 kW //9925 1915-1930 F 300 kW //9925 1930-2000 E 300 kW //9925 2000-2030 D 300 kW //9925 2030-2230 RNW 300 kW D = RVi Dutch, E = RVi English, F = RVi French, G = RVi German, R1 = VRT Radio 1, DAB = VRT DAB Klassiek (???), DW = Deutsche Welle relay, RNW = Radio Nederland Wereldomroep relay (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 16, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4915.0, R Difusora, Macapá, Amapá, Mar 10, 0500-0540, Portuguese, clear ID: ``Rádio Difusora de Macapá``, frequency announcement, light music, talk, songs, fading out. This indicates that the PWBR 2002 is right in stating that it broadcasts 24 hours a day. Other sources say 0800-0300. 35333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. R. Aparecida, 5035.1, March 3 0010, Portuguese talk by man and woman. Good, irregular, \\ 6135, 9630.17 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. From http://www.cyberpresse.ca/reseau/arts/0203/art_102030076504.html [Liberal translation of first few graphs follows:] Fifteen hundred employees and support staff at the CBC`s newsrooms in the province of Quebec and Moncton, N.B., will vote Saturday on a walk-out that could come as early as March 21. The assembly was called after CBC management made a final offer and ended negotiations. Daniel Roney, president of the mobilization committee, hoped for a meeting of all permanent, temporary and contract workers who earn more than $30,000 annually from the French and English networks (journalists, assistant producers, researchers, documentary makers, online reporters, etc.) from Québec, notably Montréal, Québec, Chicoutimi, Sept-Îles, as well as those from Moncton. [...] (via Ricky Leong, QU, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. UUMM Yes, 5850 Canada from Sweden 'Ken Fletcher Likes'!!! Not so sure that I am going to like this frequency; it`s got a nasty Utility Noise on it --- May have to try to persuade them to move up or down a bit, but I think best to wait and see what happens, as they can be quickly E-Mailed!! As for 'Ken Fletcher Likes' I suppose I 'asked for' that one with regard to 'Mount Arafat', last year, though indeed the situation has become serious over there, perhaps I should jest not, on this subject. Anyhow, keep up the good work. Best 73 (Ken Fletcher, Prenton, BIRKENHEAD, Merseyside, 1939 UT 15th March 2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. RCI Montreal relay via Hörby, Sweden: 0230-0300 5840 130 degr Ar to ME/EaAF 1915-1945 17630 130 degr Ar to ME/EaAF 2000-2100 5850 220 degr Fr to WeEUR/SoWeEUR 2100-2200 5850 220 degr En to WeEUR/SoWeEUR (.XLS file via ADDX Andreas Volk-D, BC-DX Mar 14 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 2200.12, HJMK, Emisora Ideal (2 x 1100 harmonic) 1003 Mar 13, Presumed sign-on with anthems into brass band "carnival" music. 1010 announcer with "Emisora Ideal" ID. Good signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg.; "VT-DX" http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 2580.00, CMHW, Rancho Veloz (2 X 1290 harmonic) 1027 Mar 14, Spanish vocal, //840 CMHW, very good signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 4970.00, Radio Rebelde (7 x 710 harmonic) 1037 Mar 13, Spanish talk, time check and ID, //3600. No sign of recently reported Radio Rumbos (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. CUBANET. INDEPENDIENTE 15 de marzo, 2002 LA MALDICIÓN DEL PANDA, por Juan Carlos Cárdenas, APLO SANTIAGO DE CUBA, marzo http://www.cubanet.org - Panda es la marca de los nuevos televisores que el gobierno de Fidel Castro adquirió en China y cuya manera de venta ha exaltado valores negativos en la sociedad cubana, como sentimientos impuros y quebrantamiento del respeto debido entre conciudadanos. Los Panda se distribuyen en asambleas populares que se realizan en la zona donde residen los aspirantes a la compra de estos aparatos o en sus centros laborales. Este procedimiento se adoptó por indicación estricta del gobierno de Castro, y para comprar uno de estos Pandas se requiere que el solicitante esté afiliado a la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (o sea al único sindicato permitido en el país), ser buen trabajador, lo que significa ser incondicional a la política del Partido Comunista, así como mantener una activa y correcta postura política-ideológica. Estos son los principales requisitos para obtener uno de esos equipos. No importa que un cubano tenga 20 ó 30 años de trabajo ni que sea un empleado competente: si no está integrado a la fila de los dóciles no podrá comprarle un televisor a su familia. Sobre este asunto nos dio su testimonio Bárbara Fábregas, empleada del hospital pediátrico de Palma Soriano. Ella nos reveló cómo dos trabajadoras de esa instalación del Ministerio de Salud Pública se agredieron con palabras obscenas, pues tanto la una como la otra sostenía que tenían más méritos para adquirir el televisor Panda. En la fábrica de tabacos ubicada en esta misma localidad, algunos trabajadores revivieron extintos desacuerdos en la asamblea donde se discutía el derecho de compra de los Panda. "No vale la pena perder amistades de años por comprar uno de esos Panda que, dicho sea de paso, se han convertido en las manzana de las discordia" -sentenció la señora Fábregas. La generalidad de los consultados sobre este asunto de los Panda coincidieron en que habrá nuevos y desagradables altercados en las próximas asambleas de asignación de estos televisores, tanto en los centros de trabajo como en las diferentes barriadas. Y este vaticinio es acertado si se tiene en cuenta que la mayoría de las familias de Palma Soriano no tienen televisor debido a la pobreza y a las pocas opciones de desarrollo real existentes en Cuba. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** ECUADOR [and non]. ECUADORIAN GOVT TELECOMMUNICATIONS WEBSITE SHOWS DRAMATIC CHANGES IN RADIO BROADCASTING Quito (CRU) --- Thanks to one of the several DX publications that I visit or read regularly, I have discovered the official website of the government telecommunications authority in Ecuador, Supertel http://www.supertel.gov.ec/concesionarios.htm A careful study of the AM, FM, and shortwave lists shows some dramatic changes in radio broadcasting there. By comparing my records of Ecuadorian Catholic stations and those listed on the website, I was able to track some recent and not so recent changes. These probably are paralleled in other Latin American countries, too. The most surprising and, for some, disturbing trend is the collapse of shortwave broadcasting. There are only two operating Catholic shortwave operations left in the country– Radio Luz y Vida in Loja, which operates one shortwave transmitter on 4850 kHz in the tropical band, and La Voz del Upano in Macas, which operates five transmitters. Interestingly, only one, 5965 kHz, is described by the Ecuadorian government as ``nivel nacional``— ``national level,`` that is, coverage. Closed are Radio Jesús del Gran Poder in Quito, which ran a 5,000-watt transmitter on 5050 kHz; Radio Católica Nacional in Quito, which ran a 10,000-watt transmitter on 5030 kHz; Radio Católica Nacional in Santo Domingo, which ran a 10,000-watt transmitter on 3395 kHz; and La Voz del Napo on 3280 kHz in Tena. Including commercial and Protestant stations, I counted only 30 authorized shortwave frequencies assigned to 23 stations. The 1983 World Radio-Television Handbook, in comparison, showed 65 authorized frequencies assigned to 50 stations. I got the impression, in looking over the list casually, that many of those shortwave stations in 1983 no longer exist on AM or FM, but I could be mistaken; I did not make detailed comparisons among the several webpages. In any event, in less than 20 years, both the number of stations and the number of frequencies used by those stations have been cut in half. Shortwave has been in serious decline around the world since the end of the cold war. Those high-power international operations that require a large staff competent in various languages of the world are expensive to operate. Almost all those that survive have cut their staffs, languages, and service areas greatly. The excuse has been that it is much cheaper to offer programs via the Internet. But this is to ignore the fact that most people in the world do not have a computer, let alone the Internet, and the thought of having either is so remote as to be fantasy. Computers are not portable, either. In Latin America, there have always been only a few shortwave stations that are genuinely international in scope, and fewer have survived. To my knowledge, the only truly international operations left are RAE in Argentina and Radio Mexico Internacional, and both are small. Other stations call themselves international because shortwave signals do cross national frontiers, and the language is almost always Spanish and can be understood by people in most all Latin American countries, Brasil being the notable exception. There are many high-power shortwave transmitters in Brasil, but its Portuguese language makes anything broadcast in that language pretty much a national matter. The dozens of Catholic stations that once proliferated up and down the shortwave bands have, apart from Brasil, largely disappeared; they were never international in scope or intent, although some labeled themselves as such. Powers rarely exceeded what was necessary to cover the intended target area. That was precisely what they were intended to do: cover the national territory economically and efficiently in an era when FM was unknown and rugged terrain in the Andean countries and enormous expanses of sparsely inhabited territory in Brasil and in the jungles of Colombia and Venezuela, not to speak of the great amount of noise on the AM band resulting from endless tropical thunderstorms, limited what AM stations could do. Those shortwave stations have been replaced by proliferating local stations operated by parishes, missions, religious orders, and dioceses. In Ecuador, the national network Radio Católica Nacional relies now on a network of FM transmitters that covers most provinces. I count 13 transmitters, most of which are probably but not necessarily repeaters. At least one certainly is not, but more like the network affiliates in the glory days of U.S. network radio. Radio Manabí of the Archdiocese of Portoviejo produces local programs for 80% of its broadcast day, taking only 20% from RCN (see below). The fairly recent Radio María Ecuador, based in Quito, the capital, has an expanding network of repeaters across the country, Olon 105.3 FM in Guayas province, Ibarrra 101.5 FM in Imbabura province; Macas 98.9 FM in Morona Santiago province; Nueva Loja 104.1 FM in Sucumbios province. There are minor networks, too, for Sucumbios FM in Nueva Loja and Radio Paz y Bien FM in Ambato in Tongurahua province. I have found existing Catholic stations of which I was not aware: Radio Matovelle 720 AM in El Cisne, La Voz de Galápagos 530 AM on those fabled islands, Radio Sucumbios 1300 AM and the Sucumbios FM network in Nueva Loja; and Radio IRFEYAL 1090 AM in Quito, part of the famous Fe y Alegría movement that started in Venezuela and is spreading its educational, cultural, and cooperative programs among the poor of northern South America. A revised database of Ecuador's Catholic stations appears below. Database: The Revised Catholic Radios of Ecuador New entries were in red [gh extracted only those currently or formerly on SW as mentioned] [continental Ecuador local time shown equals UT minus 5] [see also GALÁPAGOS, separately below in DXLD] Government Telecommunications agency website (Supertel): http://www.supertel.gov.ec/concesionarios.htm Ambato: HCRT6 Radio Paz y Bien 1340 (4,000 w) & 104.5 FM. Repitidoras: FM 92.9, 104.5, Cañar 106.9 FM. Los Franciscanos. Calles Francisco Flor 1452 y Cevalles. Apartado 18-01-115. Padre Luís Florencio León E., dtr. 0430-2030 horas. HCRT6 4820 kHz onda corta está cerrado. Loja: HCAV3 Radio Luz y Vida 1150 AM (10,000 w) y 4850 onda corta (3,000 w) and FM 88.3. Misioneras Sociales de la Iglesia. Originating station. Calles Rocafuerte 1143 y Olivedo. Casilla 11-01-222. Hermana Ana Maza Reyes, dtr. 0500-2230 horas. Macas: HCVB7 La Voz del Upano 1540 AM, and 90.5 FM, & HCSK7 en 3360 kHz, (potencia desconocida), 4870 & HCVB7 on 5040 kHz (10,000 w), y 6000 kHz. Nationwide service on 5965 kHz. Repitidoras: Gral. Leonidas Plaza, Limón 90.5 FM; Santiago de Méndez 90.5 FM; Gualaquiza 90.5 FM. El Vicariato de Méndez. Misión Salesiana. Calle 10 de Agosto s/n/ Padre Domingo Barrueco. Casilla 692, Quito. Teléfonos: (593 7) 70- 0356, 70-0259, fax (593 7) 70-0574. 0545-2200 horas. Habían dos servicios distintos, pero se parece que uno, quizás el comercial, está cerrado. Programas en Shuar. Quito: HCFF1, Radio Jesús del Gran Poder 670 AM (12,000 w). La onda corta en 5050 kHz (5,000 w) está cerrada. La Catedral de San Francisco. Casilla 17-01-133. 0445-2000 horas. Padre Jorge Enríquez Silva, dtr. 24 hras. Quito: HCRP1, Radio Católica Nacional 880 AM (50,000 w por los días, 40,000 w por las noches) y 94.1 FM. La onda corta en 5030 kHz (10,000 w) está cerrada. La Conferencia Episcopal del Ecuador. Fundación Juan Pablo II. Calles América 1830 y Mercadilo. Flagship. Casilla 17-03- 540. 0500-2100 horas. E-mail: buenanoticia@radiocatolica.org.ec René Torres, dtr., Padre Antonio Arreguí Y., el gerente. Quito: Radio María Ecuador 100.1 FM. Fundación Radio María. Calles Baquerizo Moreno 281 y Leonidas Plaza. Tels.: (593-2) 564714, 564719, and 558702. Fax (593-2) 237630. Control room: 239800. Fr. Francisco Palacios, director. E-mail: radiomaria@andina.net. Website: http://www.radiomariaecuador.org Repitidoras: Olon 105.3 FM, Ibarra 101.5 FM, Macas 98.9 FM, Nueva Loja: 104.1 FM [not mentioned here, but apparently taking over the 3280 facility below -- -gh] Tena: HCVN7, La Voz del Napo, 3280 kHz (2,500 watts). This station has been closed/Esta radio está cerrada. Misión Josefina, Tena. Señor Ramiro Cabrera, director (from Catholic Radio Update Mar 18 via DXLD) ** FRANCE. See TAIWAN ** GALÁPAGOS ISLANDS. From Catholic Radios in Ecuador [q.v.] listing: Galápagos , Puerto Baquerizo: HC--- La Voz de Galápagos 530 AM (unk. wats) y Galápagos Stéreo 97.1 FM. Prefetura Apostólica de Galápagos. Galápagos Isla San Cristóbal: HCVG8 La Voz de San Cristóbal 1320 AM (5,000 w). Misión Franciscana, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Padre Manuel Valarezo, dtr. 0700-2000 horas. [local time UT minus 6 ``en nuestro archipiélago de Colón`` -- Note: HCVG8 used to be on SW as La Voz de Galápagos --gh] Galápagos Isla Santa Cruz: HCSC8 Radio Santa Cruz 88.7 FM (1,000 w). Prefetura Apostólica de Galápagos. Puerto Ayora, Isla de Santa Cruz. Padre Jesús Guerrera, dtr. 0700-1900 horas (Catholic Radio Update Mar 18 via DXLD) ** GIBRALTAR. Narrator: THE RADIO SCENE IN GIBRALTAR by Wavescanner Dieter Kraus in Germany It was back in the year 1973, that Wavescanner Dieter Kraus, who lives in Neumunster in Germany, made a visit to the area. He was on vacation in Morocco in North Africa and he took a ferry across the Straits of Gibraltar into southern Spain, and then a bus into Gibraltar. Here is what he says, as translated into English and adapted for broadcast. The Rock of Gibraltar is a large limestone outcrop on the western edge of the Mediterranean. The entire Gibraltar peninsula occupies less than 6 square kilometers with a neutral zone separating it from the Spanish mainland. The Rock of Gibraltar and Mt Abyle in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, form what was known in ancient times as the Pillars of Hercules, named in honor of an ancient Greek hero. The Straits of Gibraltar, separating Europe and Africa, are just 12 kilometers wide at the narrowest point. The total population of Gibraltar is something over 30,000 with one of the highest population densities in the world, nearly 5,000 people to the square kilometer. Not only is the Rock home to a dense people population, but it is also home to the Barbary Ape, the only place in Europe that has native simians. The Rock of Gibraltar is composed mainly of limestone and it stands 426 metres high. The Rock is honeycombed with 16 kilometers of tunnels and one of the main tunnels, named in honor of St Michael, has an entrance that is 335 metres above sea level. A large cemented area on the windward side of the Rock acts as a catchment area for the rainfall which runs into a storage reservoir and provides the people of Gibraltar with their water supply. The climate in Gibraltar is quite mild with an average in winter at 6 degrees C and in summer at 21 degrees. English is the official language in the colony, though the people come from many ethnic backgrounds, notably Portuguese, Italian, Maltese and English, with many having also a Spanish descent. The Rock of Gibraltar occupies a strategic location at the entrance to the Mediterranean and the British navy has established a large naval base here. The governor of Gibraltar is appointed by the Queen, and local government is accomplished by an elected House of Assembly. It was on a Friday around midday that Dieter Kraus was granted an appointment to visit the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation in Barrack Street. At the time, the station was on the air using four different transmitters, 1458 mediumwave and three different FM channels. Programming is in English and Spanish. Historically, this first radio station in Gibraltar went on the air on February 16, 1958, nearly half a century ago, with two transmitters at 1 kW. The original channel was 560 kHz, though this was changed a year later to 1484 kHz, and later again to 1458. These days, Radio Gibraltar is on the air with 2 kW on that same mediumwave channel, 1458 kHz, and an additional three FM channels. In addition to Radio Gibraltar, BFBS the British Forces Broadcasting Service also operates an entertainment radio station in Gibraltar and this is heard locally with two program channels on four FM frequencies. In addition to the two local radio stations in Gibraltar, the Royal Navy also operates a communication station under the callsign GYU. This 5 kW station will verify reception reports with a QSL letter or card. Our thanks to Dieter Kraus in Germany for the story of his visit to the radio station Radio Gibraltar in Gibraltar (AWR Wavescan 377 for March 17, 2002 via Adrian Michael Peterson, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. Noticed some Guatemalans on later than usual March 10: Radio K`ekchí, 4845, 0310-0451*, religious programming in K`ekchí. Church service with preacher and church music. Mostly continuous preaching. ID at 0402. Many R. K`ekchí IDs at 0442-0443. Abrupt sign- off. Nice good clean strong signal but some announcements very muffled. Irregular. Not heard often and not usually on this late. La Voz de Nahualá, 3360, 0345-0433*, nice local marimba music, local pops. Very little talk, but some Spanish announcements. Sign-off announcements at 0432 and off. Fair-good. Radio Verdad, 4052.57, 0330-0505*, Spanish religious talk, but mostly continuous religious music. YL announcer with ID at 0444. Sign-off with long choral anthem. Fair-good (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. I'm getting things set up here to listen to Radio Valleri`s test on 6310, but at 2335 Mar 16 I`m hearing RCI on the frequency. Is this perhaps a mixing product from RCI`s transmitters? I'm trying to look at all the frequencies to figure out how that might work out (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, 6040 Spanish and 6175 English at 135 kHz separation. Fortunately they won`t both be on all night. In fact, 6040 went off at 2358, so that put an end to the mixing product on 6310 --- until 6040 came back on, late, in French at 2401. I just looked up RCI`s current tech schedule, and see that 6040 is in use at 2300-0059 and 0200-0259 (tho there was a 3-minute break at 2358). 6175 takes the Vietnam relay from 0100. Let me know if you do hear Valleri (gh, DXLD) No luck with Radio Valleri so far, just a very weak het on 6309.8 or so. It doesn't look to good here! I'm afraid it's not going to make it tonight. In retrospect I should have driven north to Don Hosmer's cabin in the woods where we have some Beverage's already set up. If I recall, there is about 400' set up to Europe. Here in Holland I have one 70' and one 100' wires (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, 0322 UT March 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. From March 13, Notturno Italiano is broadcast from Roma 1 on 1332, Naples 1 on 657, Milan 1 on 900 kHz. No longer from Roma 2 on 846. Also SW 6060. 73, (Stefano Valianti, Italy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. R. Europe, pirate, 7306-USB, March 10 0519-0530+, pop music, Euro-pops. English ID announcements with address. Talk in Italian. Surprisingly good signal. Heard quite often lately; also Feb 3, 17, 23 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Nexus BC Association - IRRS- SW, Milan was heard 0755 UT with religious programme in English on 7120 kHz. Best reception in USB-mode. Closing down 0805 UT asking for reception reports. 73`s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, March 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Is this unusual? ** NETHERLANDS. Alfa Lima is *booming* in here, S9+20dB. Great props from Europe tonight, folks (Chris Smolinski, location unknown, ACE Pirate topica list, UT March 17 0031 via DXLD) {15070, of course} ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260.00, Radio Madang, 1049-1111 Mar 14, Preacher giving a sermon with lots of "Hallelujah's". 1100 Announcer in Tok Pisin followed by anthem which continued to be repeated as if they weren't quite ready to start the news. Finally at 1104 "Radio Madang... Garamut" ID into news. Very good signal, the best of the 5 that were in this morning [others being 3204.96, 3235.0, 3245.00, 3275.00] (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 2257.2, Radio La Mejor, Tumbes (2 x 1130 harmonic) 1021 Mar 14, Andean vocal, 1023 ID "...en La Mejor mil ciento treinta..." Good sustained signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. R. Perú, 5637.21, March 9 0030-0130+, irregular, not heard very often; Spanish talk, brief music breaks, ID. Some OA folk music; weak (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Señor Gabriel Gómez of Uruguay has sent readers of the Montevideo DX Club Bulletin the website and e-mail address of Radio Marañón, featured in the last Catholic Radio Update: Dr. Andy Spiegl, Radio Marañón, Jaén, Perú; E-Mail: Andy@spiegl.de, Andy@radiomaranon.org.pe URL: http://spiegl.de and http://radiomaranon.org.pe (Catholic Radio Update March 18 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 11840-USB, GTRK-Sakhalin. If the Russian station here is them, then it appears that they have their own programming at 0900- 1000 on Saturday, as Mar 2 is the 2d time I have noted non-R. Rossii programming here at that time, with Rossii relay both before and after (// 13705, 7345, 7200). Program at 0900-1000 consists of pop vocals, mostly in Russian, occasional English, with studio talk by two men, one of whom is often on the telephone with someone, usually a woman, with the announcer rather than the caller doing most of the talking. Reception mediocre on Mar 2, tho improved some at 0945-1000. No ID noted, and would require better reception to pick that out (if there is one). (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window Mar 13 via DXLD) ** SAINT LUCIA [non]. US/CANADA/MEXICO/ST. LUCIA: This morning, March 16, 0600-1000z, WCBS 880 and WFAN 660 were off the air for transmitter maintenance. Since I often listen to WCBS for news while in the car, I heard an announcement mentioning that the station would be during this time. As in the past, when WCBS is off, so is WFAN. With the dominant stations gone, there was a lot of activity noted, some of which I need some help with. Observed on 660 was La Candela, Mexico City, at 0640 with a full ID mentioning the station address and the IMER network. At 0744, thanks to a tip from Dave Hochfelder of New Jersey, I went back to this frequency and heard CFFR. Calgary, with oldies, a mention of Calgary, and a "66-CFR" slogan, for a new one. At 0842 I heard a station identifying itself as "Fox Sports Radio", which is most likely WBHR Minnesota (according to the NRC Log), a station I've previously logged. At 0928 I heard CFFR again with the slogan "Good times, Great Oldies. WFAN came back on around 0945. Observed on 880 was CKLQ Manitoba with country music at 0658, and a Mexican National Anthem heard weakly beneath it. I have heard previously La Superestación, Los Mochis with anthem and sign-off at this time so perhaps this was it again. At 0704 things got interesting with an oldies station rising up, playing "Hooked on a Feeling", then a religious music station, identifying itself as Moody Broadcasting Network at t 0737 with "Music Through the Night" program. This Moody program was heard off an on all the way to 1000z, and apparently had news at xx:55, but never an ID I could hear. The oldies station was heard off an on as well, and I may have heard "Good times, great oldies" on this one at 0933. Dave reports hearing "Cool" slogan here twice, so most likely Edmonton, Alberta. By the way, my two phased longwires are oriented SWW and NWW. Also, Rich Kenneally [CT] reported that St Lucia 660 signed on at 0900, but I didn't hear this at all (I've heard this before). Tape replay of the previous report reveals a new one, time uncertain, around 0850 I think: "R. Formula, 970 AM, Cadena Nacional". Not bad for 250 watts! IRCA log says the antenna is directional, wonder which direction. Probably one of my best Mexican stations (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, March 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WCBS back with regular programming at 0459 EST. Just before that through the open carrier I heard "Aquí ocho-ochenta..." WCBS explained being off the air after network news, but said nothing about future periods off the air. WFAN did mention going off again on Saturday and Sunday night (Bruce Conti, Nashua NH, NRC-AM via DXLD) I`ve talked to the engineer there before. He doesn't decide until the last minute when they're going to do this kind of work. They are doing work on the antenna system, which is shared between WCBS and WFAN. The engineer waits to see if (a) the weather is OK if there is any outside work and (b) that it is a slow news night. If there is a big news story, they don't want to take WCBS off the air. Also, even though it is the middle of the night, he says they lose quite a bit of ad revenue when off the air. If you have an instant messaging service, subscribe it to the dxtip@nrcdxas.org list. I've got messages from that list directed to my pager/cellphone, so when Dave Marthouse and Barry McLarnon sent their messages, I knew immediately. Note, it looks like they'll be off again tonight. Try going to bed early and getting up after 1:00 am. That's what I did last night, and had a great time (Rick Kenneally, CT, NRC-AM via DXLD) This from the boston-radio-interest list: "WCBS 880 will be off the air from 1 to 5 AM Sunday for transmitter maintenance. Or so they said tonight. News Anchor Wayne Cabot quickly chimed in: "So, all you DXers can go listen to Chicago, or Cleveland...or whatever comes in." (via ~Adam Rivers, ibid.) I stayed up till just after 4 AM [0900 UT] last night, trying to dig out IDs on what I presume were the Calgary and Edmonton on 660 and 880. Here's what I heard: On 660: XEDTL, Mexico, DF, very strong and ID'd as "La Candela" at 0245 ET. Thanks to Jim Renfrew for his posting, which helped me to pick out the slogan with my non-existent Spanish. This is actually my first confirmed Mexican; I have a couple others logged as tentatives. With that nulled, an oldies station; at 0126 a local ad for a business at 1107 33rd St., and at 0330 "more of the music you love..." then into "96 Tears." On 880: Pinar del Rio, Cuba, a relog from the last time WCBS left the air in October 2001. ID'd as Havana, Cuba at tops of hours. With that nulled, an oldies station: at 0156 ad for DVD player giveway; at 0231 "Yellow Submarine;" at 0300 two mentions of "Cool" and into CCR's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." All in all, a great night, with three new ones: Mexico and two Albertas. No St. Lucia, though. Nice catch, Rick! Wish I would've stayed up, but I was getting punchy and I'm paying for it anyway today (Dave Hochfelder, New Brunswick, NJ, Sony ICF-2010, Kiwa Pocket Loop and Quantum Loop, NRC-AM via DXLD) See also USA ** SAINT PIERRE ET MIQUELON. RFO Television is available on the Canadian ExpressVu home-satellite system, offering a wealth of domestic French TV programming as well as RFO Sat programming overnight, which draws from France's overseas departments and carries local newscasts from Tahiti, Madagascar, French Guyana, etc. There is a window of an hour or two in mid-morning when RFO-TV is off the air and RFO SPM can be heard while the day's TV and radio programming scrolls on screen. RFO SPM Radio is mostly local programming, but joins domestic networks France Inter and France Info for newscasts most hours. France Inter also airs overnight live from France, but, alas, the audio from RFO Radio is only available for this hour or two window mid- to late-morning (Mike Cooper, Mar 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWEDEN. For English at 1730, the Radio Sweden website at http://www.sr.se/rs/red/ind_eng.html states the following: "17:30 1179 and 6065 kHz (Sundays on 13580 kHz instead)" I guess this means 13580 instead of 6065 (with 1179 continuing daily), but maybe not? (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN / FRANCE. Suite à l'information donnée sur les ondes de Radio Taipei Internationale, concernant un échange d'émeteurs entre Taiwan et la France, voici une information émanant de TDF : "Cet accord est avant tout un accord d'échange entre RFI et RTI. En ce qui concerne les diffusions ondes courtes pour RTI, RFI a effectivement fait une demande à TDF pour assurer ces diffusions à partir d'Issoudun. TDF a donc fait une proposition à RFI (pour le compte de RTI) mais à ce jour rien n'est finalisé entre TDF et RFI. à suivre..." (Alain Meunier, TDF - 05 mars 2002, via les informations de Jean-Michel Aubier via DXLD) I meant to point out before that France already has a swap deal with the PRC involving French Guiana, so how can they possibly do the same with Taiwan? Would CRI pull out if the RTI deal goes through? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAJIKISTAN. 5775, Tajik R, Yangi-Yul, Mar 05, *1600-2000* still testing here with nonstop Central Asian folkmusic and songs. May replace 5950 which was active until May 2000, but it is not in parallel with TR 1 on 4635 or TR Foreign Service on 7245, both also heard. 34444 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. The new RUI audio stream had after 0000 German, about 90 seconds behind 5905 but also English at 0100 started one and a half minute late, so this is no doubt live encoding of circuit outputs. First I only got a poor 8.5 kbit/s connection but after a couple of seconds the stream switched to quite listenable 16 kbit/s and worked stable afterwards, no any rebuffering occurred. Not bad (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Ukraine's English DX program heard online 2224-2233 (with probable repeats 3 and 6 hours later) March 16. Followed by the mailbag "Hello From Kyiv", filled with Ukrainian folk music and arias from some of Verdi's operas. Now that they are easily heard again, they should soon have many more letters to fill the time. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. England GUEST COMMENTARY: `YELLOW CARD` PUZZLE by Father Kit Cunningham, England Editor`s Note— This commentary was sent to me as a newspaper clipping by a reader in England. Unfortunately, he does not remember what Catholic newspaper it appeared in; it was not The Tablet, and the websites of two other Catholics papers are unfortunately down. Clearly, from the subject matter, it is a newspaper centered in London. I tried asking another reader to find out the diocese that the writer, Father Kit Cunningham, is assigned so that I may contact him, but received no response. I am taking the liberty of printing this without authorization because it says much about the times, and not just about London`s Christian radio station, Premier Radio. [Mike Dorner, CRU ed.] Many people have been puzzled that Premier Radio has been given a ``yellow card`` by the Radio Authority. This means that if the radio does not mend its ways, it could lose its licence. But what possible foul could a Christian radio station have committed to merit such a booking? asks Dr Colin Nicholl in an article in The Spectator. To find out, he got hold of the Radio Authority`s quarterly complaints bulletin. We all of us at times feel like protesting about material we hear on radio or see on television, but generally inertia and lack of time prevent us from pursuing a complaint. It is interesting that in the case of Premier Radio, there were 14 programming complaints and one advertising complaint lodged against it, far more than any other radio station listed. But as Dr Nicholl says, what stunned him was that every single complaint against Premier Radio was from the ``Mysticism and Occultism Federation.`` Clearly, he says, this was not a case of ad hoc complainers, but rather of blatant professional complainers. The Federation, it appears, is manned by five unpaid volunteers, who monitor particularly the Christian media such as Premier Radio, looking for ``unfair and offensive`` comments which are intolerant of other ``spiritualities,`` such as satanism, occultism, new age, magic, astrology and divination. Their website uncovers particular disdain for what they brand ``fundamentalists,`` in which category they place Premier Radio. ``Christian fundamentalists,`` we learn belong in the same camp as Marxists, Maoists, and Nazis – they are all ``fanatics`` and ``scripture cultists.`` It seems that this group are determined to remove Premier Radio from the airwaves in the name of pluralism. It is pretty clear that a Christian evangelical station is under attack. But what is now interesting in the light of the exposure of the activities of this group, the MOF, my researcher has discovered that their website is at present ``closed down for updating.`` I wonder why. Where does the Radio Authority come in all this? It seems that between July and September 2001, the Radio Authority received 64 complaints, of which 17 were upheld. Of the 17, it is striking that eight relate to Premier Radio, six having been ``upheld`` and two having been ``partially upheld.`` Premier Radio has been subjected, then, to politically correct judgements, which makes a nonsense of the reality of life, that people do have different opinions. One well known evangelical preacher, Dr Charles Swindoll, has warned Christians of the dangers of dabbling in the occult. In doing this, he was following the counsel of the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 19, verse 19. However, the Radio Authority asserted that ``divination`` was a part of some religious belief systems, and that Swindoll`s homily was tantamount to denigration of others` belief. There are many conclusions to be drawn from an attitude of mind like this, but one thing that can be stated is, as Dr Nicholl says, ``the Authority is making an ass of the broadcasting legislation with its P.C. judgements, which fundamentally undermine the freedom of expression for Christians. It is disturbing how much mischief can be accomplished by one group of occultists, and religious chauvinists acting in the name of religious pluralism, who conspire to look for trouble, and report every statement which is capable of being construed as exclusivistic.`` The future for Premier Radio would have been grim if the religious hatred clause had been passed in the Home Secretary`s anti-terrorist legislation. We can thank the House of Lords for its maturity and good sense. Perhaps the Radio Authority should look at its own legislation. One worries about the individuals who adjudicate in these matters, and who must have known that all the complaints came from the MOF. We Catholics cannot stand by and allow a Christian organisation to be hounded and banned from the airwaves. This will only happen if good people do nothing (Catholic Radio Update March 16 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. BULGARIA [sic]. 12110, Radio Ezra verified with QSL Letter to the second series of transmission. They say transmitter power is 100 kW, transmitter location is Vladivostok, Russia, Type is HR 2/2/0.5, Global coordinates are 131.51E 43.12N. For more information visit http://radioezra.members.easyspace.com Radio Ezra is planning to start a third series of transmission in March/April 2002, targeting North America or Europe and Africa. v/s: John D. Hill, Station Owner. QTH: P.O.Box 16, Stockton on Tees, TS18 3GN, United Kingdom (Ishii, DSWCI DX Window March 13 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. Radio Ezra A'02 Effective from 6th April'02: 2330-0000 UT on 17665 kHz - To North America (Sat Only) (John D. Hill -Water Into Wine Ministry via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, March 15, DXLD) Site??? ** U S A. ANDERSON AMONG `MOST WANTED` SOMERSET, BY JEFF NEAL Television producer Cindy Anderson remembers the fall of 1996 well. In August of that year, FOX-TV opted to cancel ``America`s Most Wanted.`` ``The day they told us was one of the saddest of my life,`` said Anderson, one of 10 producers for the program. ``We did that last show, and a lot of people left for other jobs.`` The pulsating final program marked the first time that host John Walsh profiled the tragic 1981 murder of his 6-year-old son, Adam. The next day, Anderson was called back to work. ``There was an outpouring from people all over the nation,`` Anderson said. ``The network listened, and we were back in the lineup.`` Fans of the show, governors from across the country and law enforcement officials on every level let FOX know that ``America`s Most Wanted`` does make a difference. After 12 years on the air, the show has led directly to nearly 700 arrests. ``The apprehension rate is outstanding,`` said Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron. ``I think the show is an asset to law enforcement. It links us to other agencies in a way that we wouldn`t be capable of without it.`` A crew from ``America`s Most Wanted`` was in Pulaski County this week, working on a piece featuring local fugitive Steve Anderson. Anderson, the Kentucky Militia reject who harassed minorities with his hateful short-wave radio tirades, has been on the run since Oct. 14 of last year, when he shot at a Bell County deputy who had pulled him over on a routine traffic stop. The hope is that ``America`s Most Wanted`` can help bring Anderson to justice. ``People all over Kentucky might know about Steve Anderson,`` said ATF agent Don York. ``But folks across the border in Tennessee have probably never heard of him. It`s possible that a segment on ``America`s Most Wanted`` could flush out some information.`` Catron was interviewed by AMW reporter John Turchin, who went up in the sheriff`s helicopter and viewed first-hand the heavily-fortified Anderson property on Elrod-Martin Road (Story created Thursday, March 07, 2002 at 9:42 AM. Somerset KY Commonwealth-Journal via DXLD) COFFEY`S GRIND SOMERSET BY CAROL COFFEY It`s strange being on the other side of the questions and frankly, I`m not good at it. I found myself on the other side of the fence Tuesday when a crew from ``America`s Most Wanted`` landed in our newsroom. I won`t bore you with the mundane — like how I was nervous and gave a poor interview. But some of the questions I was asked really made me think. And for that reason, I wanted to give readers a more detailed answer. One of the questions I was asked is how the community responded when we began covering the Steve Anderson saga. Truthfully, we had a mixed reaction. Some people in the community said we shouldn`t have given Anderson any press attention because it simply gave him more credence. Others said they were glad to know that such a person was in our community — forewarned is forearmed (Story created Thursday, March 07, 2002 at 9:46 AM. Somerset KY Commonwealth-Journal via DXLD) I am not in the habit of watching this show, and had to search the listings for it. Turns out I just missed this week`s, as it is Saturday 8 pm Central on Fox. But checking the site http://www.americasmostwanted.com for the March 16 subjects, did not find Anderson, nor on March 9, so evidently the Anderson segment is yet to air. Keep an eye on it upcoming weeks (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RADIO DRAMAS ON THE VOA From VOA: Written by Keming Kuo, Washington, 12 Mar 2002 2250 UT A VOA Snapshot - Part of the continuing coverage in this, VOA's 60th Anniversary Year. In VOA's early years - during the 1940s - radio dramas were a regular part of our programming, along with news of World War II. But as the years went by, changing priorities left the dramas off VOA's schedule for decades. Six years ago, radio plays came back to VOA. Each year, VOA produces several radio plays with the Los Angeles Theater Works and the Smithsonian Institution, in VOA's Washington auditorium. The VOA radio dramas feature such renowned film and TV stars as Laura Linney, who speak their roles to microphones on stage before an audience of several hundred people. But one of the most important cast members doesn't have a speaking role. He is VOA producer Gary Spizler and he does the sound effects. Gary Spizler says the source of sound effects may be as common as scrap paper or simply something in his pocket. "Somebody needs change, so some change goes from one hand to the next," he explains. "There are times I have to tear a piece of paper. Sometimes, they need to toss somebody the keys, so I toss my keys." When Mr. Spizler's sound magic is mixed with the voices of the cast of the radio dramas, the result is theater of the mind - as in a recent production of playwright Neil Simon's "Barefoot in the Park," from VOA's new radio drama series (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) So what and when is the next drama, to pre-empt News Now on a weekend? THE FOUNDING OF SPECIAL ENGLISH PROGRAM From VOA: Sarah Long, Washington, 5 Mar 2002 0033 UT A VOA Snapshot - Part of VOA's 60th Anniversary Year Coverage In the 1950s some VOA managers became concerned that our English broadcasts were not as understandable as they could be. Many listeners didn't know English well enough to understand a newscast or talk show, and poor shortwave reception made the problem even worse. So VOA came up with a solution. Special English went on the air in 1959. It used a limited vocabulary of 1500 words, and a slow delivery. But its programs covered the news and other sophisticated subjects. Special English became one of VOA's most popular services. But it nearly never happened. Richard Borden, who helped create Special English, says VOA asked several leading U.S. universities to study whether a limited vocabulary broadcast would work. "Those universities came back with a unanimous finding that it was impossible," Richard Borden said. But VOA managers trusted their instincts instead of the experts, and they put Special English on the air. "With our hearts in our mouths, we ventured into a VOA studio, and on the air we went with the words, 'This is the Voice of America, broadcasting in Special English," Mr. Borden recalled. Reaction to the broadcast was immediate. The U.S. Embassy in Manila, for example, said, 'Your programs would be demeaning, an insult!' But listeners disagreed. VOA still broadcasts three hours a day in Special English, and it's also on television and the Internet. Many listeners use Special English as a bridge between English lessons and listening to standard English broadcasts, like this one. To write to us about our anniversary, send an email to anniversary@voanews.com Or, send regular mail to Anniversary, VOA News Now, Washington, D.C. 20237, USA (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) ** U S A. The Article he listed was misleading by implying that the WRAL-5 tower was toppled but only the WKFT-40 was on that tower. Not WRAL-5 Tower which holds (about) 3 radio stations 3 TV stations and a repeater sharing that one tower which was toppled 13 years ago during a Ice storm (Ernest Gates, North Carolina, amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** U S A. As posted ahead of time on our MONITORING REMINDERS page, tnx to tips on the NRC-AM list, WCBS-880 and WFAN-660 NYC were off for maintenance early Saturday March 16, nominally 0600-1000 UT. A number of DXers in the East reported unusual DX on the open frequencies, such as Alberta and on 660, St. Lucia [q.v. for more], and: (gh) Both WCBS and WFAN were back with open carriers at 0443 EST. Then at 0450, WFAN returned to regular programming with the show host saying that they might be off again on Saturday and Sunday night! At 0455 WCBS still has an open carrier, and I'm getting some deafening bursts of lightning noise but I don't see or hear anything outdoors (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, March 16, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. MEDIAMAZING TURNS OFF FREE RADIO STREAMS From http://www.internetnews.com March 15, 2002 | By Ryan Naraine A recent ruling from the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) that mandates Webcasters to pay sound recording performance royalties has forced Internet-only Webcaster MediAmazing to turn off its free streams and implement a subscription-based model. The CARP recommendation, which is likely to be accepted by the Library of Congress Copyright Office, calls for Webcasters and commercial broadcasters to pay royalty fees on broadcasts. It will undoubtedly force a dramatic shift for streaming media companies offering free Webcasts. The Nazareth, Pa.-based MediAmazing, a top-rated Webcaster which depended on advertising to subsidize its free service, quietly reacted to the ruling by shutting off the free service and asking subscribers to pony up $3.95 a month ($35.55 per year) to listen to a commercial- free version. MediAmazing officials could not be reached at press time but Kurt Hanson, publisher of the Radio And Internet Newsletter that tracks the Webcasting industry, said that by switching to a paid subscription model, MediAmazing would be subjected to the royalty rate, which is yet to be determined. "However, that will not eliminate MediAmazing's obligation for retroactive royalties which would be, $16,000 for January 2002 alone and overall could be a quarter million dollars or more -- probably more than 100 percent of the company's total gross revenues to date," Hanson said on his Web site. According to Measurecast and Arbitron ratings, MediAmazing was among the most listened to audio streams on the Internet but a combination of the depressed online advertising market and the latest copyright ruling has caused some worry among company executives. The news of MediAmazing's paid subscription shift comes as a new a new audience measurement survey has painted a rosy picture of the streaming media sector, suggesting that a lucrative market is ripe for the picking. The joint study by Arbitron Inc. and Edison Media Research said approximately nine million consumers would be willing to pay a small fee to listen their favorite audio channel (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) MediAmazing? Never heard of it; never knowingly listened to anything via it; what of any worth is there? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Re High Adventure`s unconfirmed A-02 use of 7485 *1200-1600 111 deg to China, 100 kW 4X4X1 Curtain Antenna: The CIS relay parameters are typical of Novosibirsk (the old site). Will they really stay on this low frequency during the summer? Other stations via Novosibirsk to China usually move up to 22 and 19 meters. They have a strong 2nd harmonic on 14970, typical of old CIS sites like Novosibirsk, Kurovskaya, Tashkent, etc. with 100 kW rigs (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Hi Glenn, Re 'the reported extention [sic] of the programme to 1830 has not happened yet': Voice of the People booked the additional airtime as stated, but on the first day they informed us that they were having production problems and that the programme might not be a full 90 minutes. I checked the audio files in our system (the programme is played out from Hilversum) and found that some are indeed just under 60 minutes, and some run up to 88 minutes. So it appears that on some days, at least, they have been using the additional airtime. Communication with the programme producers is difficult at the best of times, and has especially been so in recent weeks. 73, (Andy Sennitt, RN, March 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I have been listening to 11.530 (local mornings) here in Portland from around 1430 GMT until signoff around 1700 GMT to this mystery station. I've never heard a positive ID, but it sounds a lot like Kurdish. The signal is enormous, almost armchair reception lately! Can you shed any light on this for me? If it's not Radio Mesopotamia, I don't know what else it could be. I suppose the xmtrs are somewhere in Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan, no? Thanx, (Bruce Lindner in Portland OR, March 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I had a look thru the DXLD 2002 yeartodate archive at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html --- searching on 11530, and found: issue 2-023: V. of the Strait(s), China, at 1525 in Chaozhou/Amoy issue 2-022: Denge Mezopotamia, 11530 at 1105-1700, more in 2-020. issue 2-018: Same station scheduled on 11530 for A-02 upcoming season from `Kishinov` (Moldova). And there are some further entries further back, including one giving the site as Yerevan at 1500-1700. There is a lot of uncertainty about the site. But I suppose the station is pretty definite, if you are sure it is Kurdish rather than a Chinese dialect. Any relation to Bruce MacGibbon in Portland? (gh to MacBruce) No relation, but I know Bruce pretty well. He's a pretty big radio buff, lives east of here in Gresham. I see him every year at the local radio shindig. Do you know him? He's quite a character! BL ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-043, March 15, 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 #1122: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070, 0730 3210 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, 2400 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB [however, WOR 1121 ran Fri at 1930...] AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 rest of world; 1500 to NAm MONITORING REMINDERS --- you should never be at a loss for something enjoyable or stimulating to listen to, especially from noncommercial stations via internet, if you frequently consult this site. We have several specials for St Patrick`s Day imminent: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 9950, Radio Voice of Afghanistan now has a website with audio archives, http://www.afghanbroadcasting.com/ (Hans Johnson, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ALASKA. Hi all, Trond Jacobsen posted this info on the WUN list, and I thought I'd share it here. The HAARP project in Alaska will be performing their VLF injection campaign March 15-28th. Transmissions will be on frequencies around 3200, 3300, and 5800 kHz. Transmissions will start at 1900 Alaska time (0400 UT) and last about 10 hours. What kind of signals to look out for: 3.2 MHz: 12.5 Hz on/off keying 50 % duty cycle 3.3 MHZ and 5.8 MHz: sinusoidal modulation with the following frequencies; 1225 Hz, 1875 Hz, 2125 Hz, 2375 Hz, 3365 Hz. At these two frequencies, there will also be chirp transmissions. The HAARP website is: http://server5550.itd.nrl.navy.mil/projects/haarp/ The HAARP project has QSL'ed reception reports in the past, so put on your aluminum foil hat and tune in some mind control signals! (Tom Sevart, rec.radio.shortwave March 14 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALBANIA. A-02 schedule for Radio Tirana: Albanian to Eu - Daily 0300-0800 6100 CER 100 kW / non-dir 0800-0900 7110 CER 100 kW / non-dir 1400-1700 5985 CER 050 kW / non-dir 7270 CER 050 kW / non-dir 2030-2200 7295 CER 100 kW / 305 deg 9575 CER 100 kW / 310 deg Albanian to NoAm - Daily 2300-0330 6090 SHI 100 kW / 300 deg 7270 CER 100 kW / 305 deg English to Eu - Mon to Sat 1845-1900 7210 SHI 100 kW / 310 deg 9520 CER 100 kW / 305 deg 2130-2200 7130 SHI 100 kW / 310 deg 9540 CER 100 kW / 305 deg English to NAm - Tue to Sun 0145-0200 6115 CER 100 kW / 305 deg 7160 CER 100 kW / 305 deg 0230-0300 6115 CER 100 kW / 305 deg 7160 CER 100 kW / 305 deg German to Eu - Mon to Sat 1730-1800 7185 CER 100 kW / 350 deg 9570 CER 100 kW / 350 deg Greek to Eu - Mon to Sat 1715-1730 6130 CER 100 kW / non-dir 7135 CER 050 kW / non-dir French to Eu - Mon to Sat 1900-1930 7210 SHI 100 kW / 310 deg 9520 CER 100 kW / 310 deg Italian to Eu - Mon to Sat 1800-1830 6100 SHI 100 kW / non-dir 7240 CER 100 kW / non-dir Serbian to Eu - Mon to Sat 2115-2130 6135 SHI 100 kW / non-dir 7110 CER 100 kW / non-dir Turkish to ME - Mon to Sat 1700-1715 6130 CER 100 kW / non-dir 7140 CER 050 kW / non-dir (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 15 via DXLD) Taking Sundays off is something new, at least admitting to it (gh, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. I probably heard Antarctica on 15475.495 on 3/3 [Sunday!] with a soccer till a late close at about 2245 (KA2HPU - Bud, NY/NJ?, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15475.6, R. Nac. Arcángel San Gabriel, Mar 11 2020-2100*, 25332, Spanish, Talk and Music. ID at 2023 and 2056 and 2100 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. A different fútbol continental game was heard on 15820 LSB from 22 to about 01 UT when they continued with music. UNID. Also hearing Spanish Latin on 29810 LSB often, incl. 3/10 at 1445z (KA2HPU - Bud, NY/NJ?, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BIAFRA [non]. 12125, V. of Biafra Int., Mar 9 *1900-1910 35333 English, 1900 s/on with ID and frequency announce. Song. 1904 ID. Music. Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Following covered earlier in DXLD in Portuguese (gh): 2470 kHz - Radio Cacique, Sorocaba (SP). This is just to let you know that this station is back on the air operating 24/7 with 250 Watts. Until a few days ago there was a controversy among some Brazilian DX'ers if this station was really back on shortwave or not. I decided to call the station and spoke to a technician called "Toninho". He was very friendly and told me that the station is back to shortwave since about 2 months ago. The schedule is: From 0730 to 0300 UT - in parallel with Medium Wave (1160 kHz). From 0300 to 0730 UT - in parallel with FM (96.5 MHz) - only music I haven't tried Radio Cacique yet but keep in your mind to check it out every day. We never know when the propagation would be open for Brazil and this would be a great DX. Reception reports should be sent to Toninho (Departamento Técnico) at: comercial@radiocacique.com.br I suggest you to write your reception reports in Portuguese language (Marcelo Toníolo, NY, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Not reported since June 1987! (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) Olá amigos da Lista Radioescutas. Estou enviando à vocês esta mensagem, com o objetivo de fazer alguns esclarecimentos, e me posicionar à respeito do "efeito" causado por uma dira "simples" escuta que realizei. A dias atrás, meu amigo Samuel colocou nesta lista, uma informação à respeito da escuta que fiz de uma emissora de Sorocaba, que fica à cerca de 80 quilômetros do local onde resido. Confesso que fiquei surpreso ao saber da reação de algumas pessoas, que além de duvidarem da veracidade de minhas informações, parecem ter tratado o assunto de maneira pouco elegante. Nem mesmo a informação prestada pelo Marcelo, que, sendo conceituado e experinte dexista que é, e que teve a idéia de entrar em contato com a emissora, confirmado que a mesma estava no ar na faixa de Ondas Tropicais, foi suficiente para cessarem as dúvidas e comentários nada construtivos de alguns. Nem mesmo as explicações técnicas prestadas pelo Marcelo, nem mesmo as alegações feitas pelo Samuel, foram suficientes para cessarem uma certa onda de "subestima" ou até diria um certo menosprezo expressado por alguns. Com base nisto, eu gostaria de relatar aqui, o processo no qual resultou da escuta dos sinais da Rádio Cacique em 120 metros, feita por mim, na noite do dia 06/03/2002, precisamente entre às 02:00 e 03:00 UTC. Como de costume, sempre escolho, entre os dias da semana, alguns horários para explorar determinadas faixas. Neste caso, eu havia escolhido a faixa de Ondas Tropicais. Para a escuta, tenho a minha disposição, diversos tipos de receptores. Como sou um aficcionado pelos receptores antigos, desenvolvi, ao longo dos anos, o hobby de restaurar e colecionar rádios antigos. Em minha modesta coleção, os receptores multibanda, como ex, National RF-5000, Zenith Trans-Oceanic, Philips Passeport, Nordmende Globetrotter, modelos da marca alemã Grundig, são os que mais utilizo em minhas escutas. Também restauro e coleciono receptores valvulados, como o Hallicrafters S-85 e outros de marcas brasileiras, americanas e européias. São receptores de grande confiabilidade, os quais, restaurei e calibrei utilizando métodos que nem sequer as fábricas que os produziram puderam fazer, devido ao fato de que na época em que foram fabricados não haviam os modernos equipamentos de teste e aferição que eu possuo para ajustar meus receptores. Voltando ao método da escuta, escolhi para fazer a varredura na faixa um Philips R-27 T, portátil da linha Philips Passeport, o qual restaurei à poucos dias, e introduzi algumas modificações técnicas com o intuito de melhorar seu desempenho, que normalmente já é bom. Este receptor é dotado, de fábrica, de uma antena de ferrite para a faixa de Ondas Tropicais, resultando num interessante experimento, já que o mesmo permite o uso de uma antena Loop de Quadro, feita nos mesmos moldes da conhecida loop de quadro para Ondas Médias, com excessão do número de espiras, que são de menor número, calculadas justamente para a faixa de Ondas Tropicais. Este conjunto que relatei, permite um efeito na faixa de Ondas Tropicais, tal como ocorre com a loop e os receptores comuns de Ondas Médias, ou seja, é possível aumentar o ganho de recepção com a simples aproximação entre a antena loop e a parte do receptor onde se localiza a antena de ferrite. Orientando-se corretamente a Loop, é possível otimizar a recepção, através do aumento do ganho e diminuição do ruído, bem como a separação dos sinais de duas emissoras na mesma frequência, desde que seus sinais sejam provenientes de regiões diferentes, tal como ocorre com a faixa de Ondas Médias, a qual, tenho certeza, muitos de vocês já fizeram experiências com as conhecidas antena Loop de quadro e RGP3. O processo em Ondas Tropicais é o mesmo, com a ressalva de que só é possível executar a experiência se o receptor for dotado de antena de ferrite para OT. Este é o caso do Philips que usei na escuta. Ao fazer uma busca pela faixa de 90 metros, a qual estava com um alto ídice de ruído, decidi, como faço de costume, descer até a faixa de 120 metros, ao passo que me deparei com o sinal de uma emissora que transmitia música. A primeira medida que tomei foi a de ajustar corretamente a antena Loop, para a frequência sintonizada. Vale ressaltar que, com o uso da loop nestes termos, é facilmente identificado qualquer imagem que o receptor venha a converter, devido ao fato que que a loop realça exatamente a frequência sintonizada pelo circuito oscilador local do receptor. Se o receptor produz uma imagem de uma emissora de Ondas Médias, por exemplo, na faixa de Ondas Tropicais, a ressonância provocada pela loop na etapa osciladora local do receptor irá por fim atenuar o sinal da possível imagem, e o resultado na prática seria o aumento do ruído "fundo de faixa" sobre o som da emissora que estivesse na condição de "imagem", denunciando, portanto, a presença da mesma. Ou seja, o sistema "entrega" as imagens, a não ser que sejam "harmônicos" gerados pela emissora. Portanto, uma possível falha do receptor seria facilmente constatada. Ao sintonizar a Rádio Cacique, verifiquei que o sinal captado era de fato um sinal em 120 metros, devido ao correto ajuste realçado pela antena loop. Após orientar a antena loop para a melhor posição de escuta, providenciei a sintonia desta frequência em um segundo receptor, moderno, dotado de mostrador digital, no caso um Sony ICF- SW7600 G, o qual fica costumeiramente em minha bancada, apostos para qualquer consulta, funcionando como se fosse um instrumento de apoio. Este receptor está conectado à uma de minhas três antenas long Wire, e que está orientada no sentido Leste-Oeste, possuido esta antena em questão o comprimento de dez metros, conectada ao receptor através de um capacitor variável, utilizado como atenuador. Ao localizar a emissora no Sony, constatei que a frequência sintonizada era a de 2470 kHz. O próximo passo, foi a possível identificação da emissora, através das listas que tenho à minha disposição, e que seriam as literaturas PWBR, WRTH e o sistema eletrônico ILG. Ao fazer a consulta às listas, constatei que a emissora que ouvia, possivelmente seria a Rádio Cacique de Sorocaba, SP. Ao me deparar com esta informação, e tendo em vista que as emissões da mesma estavam irregulares, bem como tem estado as emissões de outras emissoras em 120 metros, procedi atentando à programação, no intuito de identificar definitivamente a emissora. De posse de um gravador cassete, comecei a fazer pequenas gravações da programação, gravações estas que ficaram relativamente com boa qualidade, devido, primeiramente à boa qualidade de áudio do Philips R-27 T, e posteriormente ao fato da transmissão estar com bom sinal, e também com boa qualidade. Foram gravadas diversas informações, as quais destaco as seguintes: após música instrumental brasileira antiga "tico tico no fubá", o slogam: Todas as noites você viaja no tempo através da música... e você participa desta viagem através do telefone da saudade... Na miquelucci colchões tem toda linha probel em exposição... Três lojas em SOROCABA... Avenida São Paulo, 807, próximo à Santa Casa... ligue 231-7405... Vinheta IDENTIFICAÇÃO: ZYK 537, Ondas Médias, 1160 kHz, ZYG 851, Ondas Curtas-Tropicais, 2470 kHz, Faixa de 120 metros. Emissoras brasileiras da RÁDIO CACIQUE DE SOROCABA - Estado de São Paulo - Brasil. Volta o programa de músicas antigas, Locutor: meia noite e cinco, já é novo dia... e o telefone da saudade eu falo com quem? Bom dia, Orlando, bom dia Bezerra? como vai? como tá a vitória régia? ouvinte: tá bem. Então tá ótimo, se preparando para a madrugada... e nós vamos tocar o que pra você? Resposta: Eu queria escutar Demônios da Garoa, o Trem das Onze. Locutor: e você quer mandar pra quem? (microfonia) Sueli, Izabel e prá todos vocês aí... Segue então a música "O Trem das Onze". Bem senhores creio que desta forma, fica difícil dizer que não seja a Rádio Cacique de Sorocaba, a emissora que eu ouvi, não é mesmo? Até mesmo se eu estivesse com umas cervejas, eu certamente identificaria esta emissora. Gostaria de encerrar dizendo que passei a informação da escuta ao Samuel tendo a plena convicção de que eu estava certo quanto a identificação da emissora. Vou entrar em contato com a mesma para solicitar, através de um relatório de recepção uma possível confirmação da escuta por meio de um cartão QSL. A gravação será com certeza preservada. No mais quero me despedir dos amigos que leram esta nota, desejando à todos boas escutas, sorte em escutar a Rádio Cacique, que por sinal neste momento não está sendo escutada por aqui, e que o respeito mútuo seja uma das qualidades entre os radioescutas e dexistas. Um abraço à todos e muito obrigado pela a atenção. Do amigo de todos (Michel Viani - Osasco - SP, radioescutas, Mar 13 via DXLD) [He goes into great detail on how he restores antique radios, how he made sure 2470 was not an image from MW, etc., and is unhappy that some doubts were expressed about his discovery; in the last paragraph he says the signal was not being heard at the moment] ** BRAZIL. Radio Bandeirantes, fair reception on 11925 after 0300 when VOA in Chinese and its jamming leave the frequency. 60 m propagation from Brazil opened in March as I received presumably Radio Difusora on 4815, unidentified station on 4865, Radio Anganguera on 4915 and Radio Brasil Central on 4985 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal, March 15, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. Hi Glenn, According to the January 2002 edition of "Africa on Shortwave" from the British DX Club, "In August 2000, it had been reported that Radio Burkina was to install a new 100 kW shortwave transmitter." Perhaps that's a clue as to the source of the transmission on 5030. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, March 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non?] Hi Glenn, re DXLD 2-042 Burkina Faso. About suspects that this is not coming from Burkina Faso but instead via a relay station. I remember some time ago there was some info about a new transmitter to be used by Radio Burkina. The QIP web pages had info under Burkina Faso. Oct 1999 Maroti/Cumbre DX reports a QSL from R Burkina and the v/s says that in coming months they will have a 500 kW transmitter. Maybe this refers to the plans to use Africa 1/Gabon relay site. Hard to believe they would buy such an expensive transmitter by themselves. Unless the v/s means 50 kW.... 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, March 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Could Radio Burkina's appearance on 5030 KHz have anything to do with National Culture Week in that country. I'm not sure when it's taking place this year, but I did hear a mention of it on the broadcast Saturday night. (Wade Smith, New Brunswick) 5030, R. Burkina , 12-3 1959 man talking in VN with refs to Rwanda, M2wanda and continuous talks. 2015 tune in with folk songs (Afro pop). Underneath CNR but quite low to QRM Burkina. ON 14-3 at 1835 with Afro pops, news in French at 1855 and "Journal" (news and reports) at 1900. Sudden s /off at 1910 but on tune in at 1920 is back with FF program. Signal S9+10 on both dates and great audio quality (Zacharias Liangas, 12+ 14 March, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This makes 3 nights in a row that Radio Burkina has made it here [on 5030]. Maybe it's here to stay? (Mark Coady, Ont., March 13, ODXA via DXLD) ** CANADA. I know there's been a lot of talk recently about the FCC's laissez-faire attitude towards the enforcement of power cuts, pattern shifts, etc. on US stations, but has anyone commented on Canadian stations' observance (or non-observance) of stated operating parameters? I bring up this question because it seems that certain Canadian stations have directional patterns that don't afford much interference protection to US stations less than 500 miles away. Case #1: 1310 kHz Worcester, MA; Portland, ME; and Norwich, CT have stations on this frequency. Their night patterns throw very little interference at each other. On the other hand, CIWW in Ottawa, ON slams each of these three New England stations into the ground within 15 or so miles of each one's home base. Does this make sense ? Case #2: 1320 kHz CKEC in New Glasgow, NS usually clobbers Attleborough, MA and Derry, NH co-channel stations almost to within sight of these US stations' towers. If I thought about it a little longer, I could come up with a few more examples. Just wondering ... (Mark Connelly, MA, NRC-AM via DXLD) CIWW's nite pattern is (supposed to be) directed at 347 degrees, well away from the States. The day pattern throws quite a bit of power Massachusetts' way (> 20 kW). CKEC's nite pattern is (supposed to be) directed at 080 degrees, out into the North Atlantic. Non-DA days. Could be these guys are 'throwing fate to the wind' and staying on day pattern 24 hours??? (Bill Hale, TX, ibid.) Another cross-border QRM example: CKHJ-1260 in Fredericton, NB totally slams WMKI Boston in most of the western suburbs (Acton, Carlisle, Billerica, etc.) most nights. Somebody definitely messed up the math calculations on that one. WMKI would have perfectly good coverage there if it weren't for this one particular station. (Mark Connelly, WA1ION - Billerica, MA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC FINDS WINDFALL IN TORONTO From the Toronto Star: CBC to lease space to school The cash-strapped CBC is going to receive millions of dollars by leasing an entire upper floor and part of the main floor of its Toronto headquarters to a design and technology school. "The deal to lease the space for 15 years is worth approximately $75 million to the CBC," a source told The Star yesterday. The agreement with the International Academy of Design and technology, now based in three downtown buildings, will see the private school consolidate its operations on the 100,000-square-foot 8th floor of the Front St. W. building. Included in the lease is the full use of four state-of-the-art digital studios, a separate signed entrance at the corner of Wellington St. W. and John St., and the private use of two elevators for the academy's 200 students and staff. <snip> The deal has been met with stiff criticism by many CBC staff who have been forced to give up offices, relocate to smaller and more cramped workspaces and face a lot more reorganization and headaches in the months to come. "People are frustrated and morale is down," one producer said. "This is one of the most contentious issues, besides layoffs, in the past 10 years." Rest at http://www.thestar.com - click on Entertainment and scroll down about ten stories [maybe not any more –gh] (Toronto Star via Eric Geringas Mar 13 via CAJ via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. Please note point #4 in the following CBC press release. (Ricky Leong) ========== In calling for a renewed commitment to the nation's public broadcaster, the CBC recommends: Effective and predictable multi-year funding; Continuous and equitable access to the Canadian Television Fund (CTF); A re-balancing of public policies in support of distinctive Canadian television; Access to the necessary broadcast spectrum to extend the reach of CBC's radio services; and, Amendments to the Broadcasting Act that: Will reinstate the CBC's place in the broadcasting system, and Provide the CBC with the necessary flexibility so it can leverage its assets in order to re-invest in programming, and establish alliances and partnerships (via Ricky Leong, QE, DXLD) ** CANADA. Following is a news item posted on CBC NEWS ONLINE at http://cbc.ca/news ____________________________________________________ CBC ASKS OTTAWA FOR MORE MONEY FOR LOCAL SHOWS WebPosted Thu Mar 14 18:10:27 2002 OTTAWA --- The CBC called on Parliament Thursday to come up with increased funding for public broadcasting in the country. CBC President Robert Rabinovitch told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that the corporation wants to offer regional television audiences more. But he said Canada Now, the network's new blend of national and regional supper-hour news, hasn't caught on with the public, and the CBC will need extra cash to compete for an audience. "I must be very frank, it's not working," Rabinovitch said. "I am willing to concede that the private sector does local news extremely well, and it's going to be very difficult for us unless we have a lot more money." Carole Taylor, chair of the CBC's Board of Directors, argued that the country needs the corporation to maintain its role as the cornerstone of Canada's broadcasting system. "Without the CBC, market fragmentation and the economics of Canadian programs will further erode viewership," she said. "Today there is a greater than ever need for a distinctive Canadian voice." Canadian content rules needs review Rabinovitch said that current Canadian content regulations encourage quantity rather than quality, and that it might be better to have broadcasters spend a certain percentage of their revenues on homegrown productions rather than demand a specific "tonnage" of air time. He also argued that the CBC's contribution to broadcasting must not be taken lightly. "We are able to take the risks, devote the resources and create the programs that the private sector simply cannot afford to do," he said. "While it is unrealistic or wrong to think the CBC or any other single broadcaster can convince Canadians to turn their backs on American programs, we can say that a strong and vibrant national broadcaster is the most effective way of ensuring Canadians have a high-quality Canadian choice." To help preserve high-quality public broadcasting, the CBC wants MPs not only to come up with more money but to make sure that the funding is stable over several years. The Commons committee is reviewing Canada's broadcasting industry and is hearing mixed views about the CBC. Earlier this month, CanWest Global called on the corporation to get out of regional television. FROM MARCH 1, 2002: ASPER WANTS CBC TV OUT OF SPORTS, LOCAL NEWS One member of the committee, NDP MP Wendy Lill, said Thursday that she's not convinced the CBC reflects the regions. "We're being asked to trust them, that in fact they are committed to regional programming," Lill said. "I keep hearing them, though, going back to their national focus, and they are still missing the boat in terms of public affairs at the community level." Copyright © 2000 CBC All Rights Reserved (via Ivan Grishin, ON, and Ricky Leong, QB, DXLD) ** CANADA. Final Schedule for Foreign Relays via RCI Sackville, A-02, shows, valid from April 7, with any differences the preceding week in parentheses, with azimuths; all powers are 250 kW: RTE: 1830-1859 13640 277 English to USA VOV: 0100-0500 all on 6175 includes: 0100-0130 English, 0130-0230 Viet, 0230-0259 English 212 USA; 0300-0330 Spanish, 0330-0400 English, 0400-0459 Vietnamese 268 USA. (Last summer they were on 9 MHz; do they really expect 6 MHz to be ideal with T-storms and late sunsets??) CRI: 0100-0159 9790 277 English USA; 0300-0359 9560 189 Spanish LAm; 0400-0459 9560 277 English USA; 1200-1259 11855 240 Cantonese USA; 2300-2359 13680 285 English USA. DW: 0100-0145 6040 253 English USA; 0300-0345 9535 277 English USA; 0400-0600 9640 268 German USA; 1400-1700 15515 272 German USA. KBS: 0200-0259 9560 277 English USA; 1000-1059 11715 176 Spanish LAm; 1100-1130 9650 240 Korean LAm [sic --- same beam to USA as in next entry]; 1130-1229 9650 240 English USA. NHK: 0000-0059 6145 240 English USA; 0200-0359 5960 240 Japanese USA; 0500-0559 6110 253 English USA; 1100-1159 6120 240 English USA; 1300- 1459 11705 240 Japanese USA; 2200-2259 6110 240 Japanese USA. RMC: 0300-0320 5960 and 9755 240 Arabic USA [still 0400-0420 during previous Week of Confusion] RNW: 1027-1225 5965 240 English USA; 1427-1625 15220 253 English USA; 0130-0225 6020 240 Dutch USA. [Note the 5965 broadcast has been 1127- 1325 during winter, but shifts according to European, not NAm DST] ROI: 1500-1559 17865 272 German USA [has been 1600 winter; NO English] RSI: all on 9490: 0000-0029 176 Swedish LAm; 0100-0129 189 Swedish LAm; 0200-0229 268 Swedish USA; 0229:30-0259:30 268 English USA; 0300- 0329:30 277 Swedish USA; 0329:30-0359 277 English USA [RSI is the only client timed to the half-minute; why?] (CBC Transmissions 28.02, RCI Operations 04.03.2002, fax via Bill Westenhaver, QB, reworked here by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE. Since Mar 10 Chile uses UT minus 4 (Nicolás Eramo, Argentina, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** CHINA. New kind of Chinese jamming is using not only one program but both CNR1 and CNR2 on the same frequency. I noted this at 0445 on 15350 (jamming CBS?) and at 0545 on 15150 (RFA in Mandarin). (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal, March 15, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. CUBA. CRI in Spanish via Cuba noted at 0000 on new 15120 instead of 15210 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal, March 15 for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI is regularly heard quite good at around 0200-0400 on what my receiver frequency indicator says is 15038, not 15040. Is it correct? (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal, March 15, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Closer to 15039, like 15038.8 or .9, I think. James Latham says 7445 was off the air for a few days, apologies to distant listeners, and is now back with somewhat reduced power; capacitor is a bit too small. Hope to have antenna finally raised to 200 foot level within two weeks, improving reception in northern North America, Europe, South America, South Pacific (RFPI Mailbag first airing 2000 UT March 15, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. CUBAN HAM RADIO OPERATOR KEEPS IN TOUCH; Island`s isolation hasn`t stopped him for [sic] making friends around world. By Tracey Eaton, Cuba Bureau, Dallas Morning News --- yes, a story about Arnie Coro in the DMN, Feb 24, page 10A, apparently not online, but faxed to us by Ted Gurley. He is ``the guru of ham radio operators in Cuba, where amateur radio is booming, even in the age of the Internet and cell-phones... Among Mr. Coro`s specialties is the making of low-tech radios from pieces of broken-down VCRs, Soviet-era TV sets and fax machines...`` No doubt ``enhanced`` by the fax process, a shot of Arnie makes him look a lot like Fidel, minus the beard! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS GREEK. On the radio scene there are a lot of new FM stations. Here today I noticed a new FM Russian station operating on 106.20 FM for the local Russians in Limassol Cyprus, HQ in Moscow called "In your Car". I will try and find more info on this station. Also new is Radio Love on FM out of Limassol. Last week mention was made about the plans of the VOA on Cyprus. But things are still on hold as things look like having the site at Cape Greco or Linopetra. A bit of secrecy around to prevent any problems (Costa Constantinides, Cyprus, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. NORTHERN. 6150, R. Bayrak, 2220 March 2 [Sat], SIO- 233, sports broadcast in language between Lefkosa and Nikosia. (Karl Racenis, MI, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Interesting, I thought they signed off at 2200. On late for sports? (Cumbre Ed. Hans Johnson via DXLD) ** DENMARK. Drastic cuts will take place in the staff of R Denmark on Mar 23 as the Shortwave Staff will be reduced from four employees to Zero! This means that even if the hourly 25-minute shortwave broadcasts continue at a reduced number of transmitters, and partly depending on the Norwegian transmitting company ``Norkring``, the Danish programmes will no longer be specially edited for the audience abroad, but a repeat of the main domestic newscasts (Erik Køie, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window March 13 via DXLD) See also NORWAY! ** ECUADOR. HCJB WORLD RADIO A02 BROADCAST SCHEDULE (31 March 2002 - 26 October 2002; Revised 7 March 2002) [excerpts] UTC Freq. kW Az. Target SMTWTFS ENGLISH 0100 0400 9745 100 351 N. Amer. (E) 1111111 0100 0330 11960 50 330 N. America 1111111 0100 0600 21455 303 5/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 0200 0330 21470 100 40 India 1111111 [DIRECT! No relay] 0330 0400 11960 100 330 N. America 1111111 0400 0600 11960 100 327 N. America 1111111 0400 0600 9745 100 324 N Amer. (W) 1111111 0600 0800 11680 250 36 Europe 1111111 0630 1430 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 0700 1100 11755 100 228 S. Pacific 1111111 1100 1430 12005 50 43 Caribbean 1111111 1100 1430 15115 250 352/128 N/S America 1111111 2000 2200 17660 100 41 Europe 1111111 2030 2200 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 GERMAN (High) 0500 0530 11875 100 42 Europe 1111111 0930 1000 6125 100 155 S. America 1111111 2000 2030 17795 350 40 Europe 1111111 2000 2030 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 2000 2030 21470 50 41 Europe 1111111 2300 2400 11980 100 131 S. America 1111111 GERMAN (Low) 0530 0600 11875 100 42 Europe 1111111 1000 1030 6125 100 155 S. America 1111111 1030 1100 9745 100 324 N. America 1111111 0000 0030 11980 100 330/150 N/S America 1111111 SPANISH 0100 0500 15140 100 339 Mexico 1111111 0600 0630 11875 100 42 Europe 1111111 0600 0630 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 1030 0500 690 50 000/180 Ecuador 1111111 1100 0500 6050 50 18/172 S. America 1111111 1100 1300 11960 100 355 Cuba 1111111 1100 1500 15140 100 150 S. America 1111111 1300 1500 17690 100 341 Mexico 1111111 1430 1530 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 2030 2130 15205 100 42 Europe 1111111 2030 2130 17795 350 50 Europe 1111111 2100 2300 15140 100 150 S. America 1111111 2200 0100 21455 30 35/225 Eur./S. Pac. 1111111 2300 0100 15140 100 160/330 N/S America 1111111 [non] Note: HCJB`s shortwave broadcast schedule also includes these programs transmitted from the United Kingdom. SMTWTFS Tatar 1600 1615 11760 500 62 Central Asia 1000010 Georgian 1600 1615 11760 500 62 Central Asia 0100000 Uzbek 1600 1615 11760 500 62 Central Asia 0010100 Tajik 1600 1615 11760 500 62 Central Asia 0001000 Russian 1600 1615 11760 500 62 Central Asia 0000001 Russian 1615 1700 11760 500 62 Central Asia 1000111 Russian 1615 1645 11760 500 62 Central Asia 0111000 Ukrainian 1645 1700 11760 500 62 Central Asia 0111000 Arabic 2100 2230 12025 250 165 N. Africa 1111111 ______________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address: HCJB World Radio Frequency Manager: Douglas Weber 17-17-691 E-Mail: dweber@hcjb.org.ec Quito, Ecuador S.A. FAX: +593 2 226 7263 (via Volker Willschrey, Saar, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 6210, R. Fana, Mar 12 1610-1619, 24222, Amharic, Talk and Music. //6940 kHz (Kouji Hashimoto) 9561.7, R. Ethiopia, Mar 10 1606-1628, 33443, Music. // 7165kHz (22332). (Kouji Hashimoto) 9704.3, R. Ethiopia, Mar 12 *1459-1504, 32332-33333, Amharic, 1459 s/on with IS. ID. Talk (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Re DXLD 2-042: Scandinavian Weekend Radio is not a pirate. Please see: http://www.swradio.net/eng/faq.htm (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4698, Radio Amistad is back up and running at 500 watts after I rebuilt the power supply (someone decided to install a "voltage regulator" to protect the rig from line voltage spikes and sags. Trouble was they configured the output of the regulator for 220 volts instead of 115 and when they turned on the transmitter - ZAP ! Took out all the diodes in the high-voltage bridge rectifier, welded the switch contacts closed, and finally blew the line fuse! (Larry Baysinger, KY, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 4845, Radio Kekchi; Fray Bartolomé/Casas, 0204-0226 Mar 10; They seem to be back on higher power, and exactly on 4845 kHz. (used to be 4844.8 in the recent past). Songs with organ and male vocals; one song ending with "Amen", with short announcements in between. At 0214 talk by male in Kekchi, with ID at 0216. Open carrier for almost 1 minute at 0217, followed by more talk and another ID at 0221 UT. 34344 (Mark Veldhuis, Netherlands, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 0143-0155, mx, ID as "...la Voz de las Casas..." and "...Radio K'ekchí...", very good signal, SIO 343 (Daniele Canonica, Switzerland, Cumbre DX via DXLD) The old Gates transmitter at R. K' still needs some work on the modulator to remove distortion (they like too much bass which the old rig has trouble reproducing cleanly) but that will have to wait until I can find some parts. It is running 2.8 kW now - but we tested it at the full 5 kW and it looks like it will run OK at that level! (Larry Baysinger, K, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hi, some activity at Trollhättan, Sweden: 4845 14 Mar, 0230 unID, but definitely Guatemala, as their anthem was sung at closedown 0245. Good signal, just background noise and a few CW bursts. Orchestral music, and five minutes of religious talk by male in local language, one that had a number of Spanish words in it. No ID, just Amén and the anthem. But here's Radio K'ekchi, San Bartolomé de las Casas, if I may guess. [Mny tnx to Tore B. Vik, SWB, for this hint!] 73 and Good DX (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden AOR AR7030 K9AY, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** HAWAII. Dale Park in HI explains more about the HPR move/sale: Hawaii Public Radio's MW outlet, KIFO, moved from 1380 to 1370 kHz, noted March 2. For years KIFO, and its predecessor KLNI, had been plagued by the very strong second harmonic of KQMQ-690. KIFO also wanted to upgrade to 10 kW but was unable to do so due to its close proximity to the FCC monitoring station on Waipio Peninsula in Pearl City. KIFO did move to 1370, in advance of being taken over by the owners of the license for 1170! HPR sold the station in Feb. 2002 for some much-needed cash, which will help in its future plans to add more FM relays. No word on the new plans for 1370, which is still relaying KIPO-FM 89.3. Also, the freq. shift allows "a station in Washington state" (per Honolulu Star-Bulletin) to increase its power. That refers to KRKO. -- RT (Rich Toebe?, IRCA DX Monitor March 13 via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. HRMI: I spoke with Jim Planck, head of IMF and who has just returned from a visit to Honduras. 3340 he says is back on after being off. It runs 1 kW in AM mode. 5010 is on USB+carrier 150 watts. Both are on at 1200-0500v. He claimed that they are getting tons of reception reports (via Johnson Mar 13) I have never heard 3340 and I don't recall a single log of it. A look at LA-DX doesn't show any logs either. 5010 is irregular at best and I didn't hear it during a check last night. Decent reception when it is on (Hans Johnson, FL, Mar 13/14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. On Mar 02 & 03 we had R Litoral, La Ceiba on both 4830.28 (weak) and 4832.19 (powerful) at once at 1240. Looks like they must be bouncing back and forth. (Kuhl & Wilkner in Dxplorer). Heard on 4832.0 on Mar 06, 07, 09, 10 & 12 at 0100-0500v* with powerful signals. Nothing on 4830. Mostly Spanish religious talks, prayer and hymns, but "Litoral" was also mentioned. R Tachira was not heard. 35333 (Berg, Petersen & Wilkner...) They are usually listed with 500 watts. However, I see this on an undated Litoral-related website http://www.applegatefellowship.org/missions/honduras.asp "The station is still waiting for the permission of Honduras' equivalent of the FCC to go to 1000 watts, but we continue daily our broadcasting with good response from the Mosquito Coast and occasional letters from Europe and the United States. We are also in the process of moving our recording studio, so there is plenty of construction work as well." Maybe now at 1 kw? (Berg, DSWCI DX Window Mar 13 via DXLD) ** ICELAND. AFRTS - 3903 USB heard often // all the other transmitters (KA2HPU - Bud, NY/NJ?, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) You mean, since it was supposedly closed down? (gh, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. VOI in English is back on 15150, ex-11785, at 2025 check UT March 14. Can you hear it? (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No (gh, OK, DXLD) ** IRAQ/KUWAIT? Hi Glenn, Thanks to Mauno Ritola and Ydun M. Ritz for their info on the 1575 kHz Arabic broadcast. I didn't get much after reviewing the tapes, low key talk by man around 2358 03/08/02. The only word I think I could make out was something like Liban, I was thinking of Lebanon in French. If the sound recorder on this computer worked I would try sending an audio file to the British e-mail address (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGST) ** IRAQ [or non]. Re: ``Today I have received this log in an email from Robertas Petraitis: 1575.0 2100-2240 09/03 KWT al-Mustaqbal (Radio the Future), clandestine, A, s/on, Holy Qur`an, patriotic songs, radio drama, 33433 RPe. The same station??`` Hi Glenn, the answer is no: the clandestine from Kuwait (The Future/ Twin Rivers Radio etc.) is on 1575 kHz sharp (or 1566 or 1584). Iraq has been drifting between 1575.2-1575.4 and also heard on 1570.5 kHz. Probably these transmitters are there just for jamming the Kuwaiti transmitter. But now I note that in the original message it was NOT said that the station on 1575.3 kHz was Arabic at all. Sorry! 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. My best morning yet for church stations. Heard at 1131- 1143, 27681, 27205.3, 27244.8, 27575.7, 27.755, 27.871, 27.891.2, and 27.881. Now I'll start sitting on some of them and get some details (Hans Johnson, FL, Sunday Mar 10, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. In reference to my note of the other day regarding Israel not being in English at 1700 on 17545: Tuned in today at 1700 and for the first 30 seconds or so they were in presumed Hebrew, then switched to English which was already in progress. I'm assuming my report of the other day was simply a switching error much like today, except that the other day it was going on for at least 10 minutes as I had tuned in then at 1710 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel SW schedule Summer 2002 The Summer 2002 Kol Israel shortwave schedule March 31 2002 - October 27 2002, is now available on Bezeq's website http://www.bezeq.co.il The full URL to both PDF and PowerPoint versions of the schedule is at: http://www.bezeq.co.il/english/default.asp?maincat=2&catid=102&pageid=743 I would think that it'll be posted on http://www.israelradio.org Don't take this new schedule to mean that the broadcasts will continue. The latest I've heard was that letters were sent out which said that the broadcasts will cease once the budget is ratified. When I get a chance I'll type in the English/Hebrew frequencies and send them out, for those who don't have web access. Also, Joel Rubin said on today's broadcast they said that the Rabbi/Psychologist call in show is cancelled (Daniel Rosenzweig, NY, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kol Yisrael decides NOT to go ahead with 14 March program with rabbi/psychologist on topic of stress according to an announcement made on the Wednesday English news on Reshet Aleph at about 1728 GMT (Joel Rubin, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So here is the new IBA schedule in English, effective March 31 to October 27. However, the timeshift takes place three days earlier on March 28! The times below are during DST in Israel starting that date; until then, one UT hour later, and still on winter frequencies. 0400-0415 Eu/NAm 15640 9435; SAm/Au 17600 1030-1035 Eu/NAm 15640 17545 1600-1630 Eu/NAm 15615 17545 1900-1920 Eu/NAm 15615 11605 17545; SAf 15640 From PDF graphical display the three language segments in the 1900- 2000 hour look about equal, thus English ending at 1920; but I suppose it`s really -1930 or -1925 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. New schedule for Kol Israel Reshet Dalet in Hebrew from March 10: 0500-1900 15760 050 kW / 315 deg 1900-0500 9345 050 kW / 315 deg 2100-2215 15640 250 kW / 264 deg DELETED FREQ: 0430-0600 11590 100 kW / 318 deg 0600-1900 17535 250 kW / 330 deg 1900-2300 9390 250 kW / 330 deg 1700-0430 11585 100 kW / 318 deg 2300-0600 7545 250 kW / 330 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 15 via DXLD) ** ITALY. The Santa Palomba (Rome) transmitter site of RAI on 846 and 1332 kHz is to reduce its power to less than a quarter due to a decision of an administrative court in Rome following the row on e.m. pollution. Notturno Italiano is to be affected very heavily by this decision (Luigi Cobisi, Mar 10, Italy, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. More on JSWC special on VOA: see U S A ** KOREA NORTH. Second North Korea DXpedition attempt abandoned: Efforts by noted DXer Hrane Milosevic, YT1AD, to operate from North Korea (P5) apparently have failed. YT1AD reported that the team had a license with the call sign P5A and had started to set up a station, but the military intervened and informed the team that transmitting from P5 was forbidden. The Daily DX cites information from Harry, RA3AUU, who reported receiving a telephone call from YT1AD, who stated that they were unable to get a license to transmit. YT1AD "was obviously very disappointed and leaving North Korea," the report said. Meanwhile, Ed Giorgadze, P5/4L4FN, continues to operate from North Korea as his schedule permits. He has obtained oral permission to operate, but his operation has not yet been approved for DXCC credit. More information on P5/4L4FN is on the AMSAT Net Web http://www.amsatnet.com/p5.html site operated by Bruce Paige, KK5DO.-- thanks to The Daily DX and Doug Waller, NX4D for this information (ARRL March 13 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) YT1AD SAYS ``NEVER AGAIN!`` TO FUTURE P5 DXPEDITION ATTEMPTS NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 14, 2002 --- The Daily DX today reported additional details about the recent aborted effort by noted DXer Hrane Miloshevich, YT1AD, to operate from North Korea. Miloshevich described his visit there as ``a thrill,`` but said the DXpedition was thwarted when military personnel intervened. He indicated that he would not make any further attempts to operate from North Korea--now the second most-wanted DXCC entity after the soon-to-be-activated Ducie Island. Accompanied by Voja Kapun, YU7AV, Miloshevich said he arrived in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang March 5 and was welcomed by representatives of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Foreign Affairs. ``We were stationed in Yangakdo Hotel, on the bank of the river with the same name,`` he said, according to a translation of e-mail communications provided Nenad Stevanovich, VE3EXY, provided to The Daily DX. ``The hotel has 47 floors, and we were on the 40th floor, with almost ideal conditions for work. All our equipment was put together, and we were about to start our operation with the previously assigned call sign, P5A.`` The P5A team reportedly had the nod to operate from civilian authorities in North Korea, but Miloshevich said a uniformed official appeared unexpectedly and imposed a ban on the operation until the team got permission from military authorities as well. That permission was supposed to arrive March 8, ``but nobody showed up, possibly because of a holiday,`` Miloshevich speculated, adding that he and YU7AV did not want to risk starting up an unauthorized operation. ``Meanwhile,`` he added, ``we had fun listening to all the pirates pretending to be us, when we did not make a single contact.`` When a military official finally showed up last Sunday, March 10, he simply said, ``No transmission until further notice.`` At that point, Miloshevich said, he and Kapun had no other choice but to leave North Korea. ``After landing in Beijing, our only comment was, never again!!!`` Miloshevich said. North Korea is not out of reach for DXers, but DXCC credit remains elusive. Ed Giorgadze, P5/4L4FN, of the Republic of Georgia continues to operate from there as his schedule permits. Giorgadze --- who is with the UN World Food Program --- has obtained oral permission to operate, but his operation has not yet been approved for DXCC credit. More information on P5/4L4FN is on the http://www.amsatnet.com/p5.html AMSAT Net Web site operated by Bruce Paige, KK5DO (ARRL via John Norfolk, OCKOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LESOTHO. 4800 has been inactive now for several months (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, Mar 5, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** LIBYA. 15435, signal was 10 dB over S9 in English from 2030Z until 2045. My location northern Illinois. 73 Glenn, I have enjoyed your programs for years! (Rick Gunderman, N9CXA, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA [non]: New A-02 schedule for LJB in Arabic [via FRANCE]: 11635 2000-2130 15205 1800-2000 15315 1900-2030 15660 1600-1900 17635 1700-1900 17695 1100-1130 17695 1500-1900 17880 1700-1800 21675 1100-1500 21695 1000-1400 21810 1100-1130 21810 1500-1600 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, March 15 via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR STATE RADIO, TV NOW FIRMLY UNDER CONTROL OF RAVALOMANANA Since 6 March - when state radio and television in Antananarivo (Malagasy National Radio and Television Malagasy respectively) resumed broadcasting after a 10-day absence - both stations have been observed to be under the control of the "information minister" appointed by the country's self-declared president, Marc Ravalomanana. Both stations refer to him as "President Ravalomanana" and to his cabinet appointees as "ministers". Source: BBC Monitoring research 6-15 Mar 02 (via DXLD) Well, Vaghjee was reporting recently that each faction had a set of SW frequencies, tho this may have changed (gh, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND [and non]. I have not heard Douglas Lilburn`s music very often. CBC Radio 2 sometimes plays his music as part of requests – but not very often. RNZI may play his music via NZ National Radio`s Concert Network programmes --- but again, not very often. It would be nice if RNZI were to make some of his music part of their signature tune sequences. It seems he is probably the last of the era of English (Commonwealth) composers in the realm of the `music of the future`. Please note his obituary appeared in The Times, UK, June 9, 2001, but the URL is now expired. Born in Wanganui, Nov. 2, 1915, died in Wellington June 6, 2001 (Max Power, area code 425, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. Since the closure of the international staff of R Norway at last New Year, and now also at R Denmark [q.v.], the company which owns the four transmitters at Kvitsoy and Sveio, Norkring, has been negotiating with foreign companies like the U.K. company Merlin to hire transmitting time on these rather new and modern transmitters, says Mr Christian Skottun from Norkring. All four transmitters can easily be updated for Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM). Merlin seems interested, and did conduct some tests in January for HCJB. Furthermore, most of the Merlin transmitters in the U.K. are old and have to be taken out for possible refurbishment to DRM. In the meantime the Norwegian transmitters could handily come in as provisional replacement (Bernt Erfjord in DX-News no. 1, 2002, via DSWCI DX Window March 13 via DXLD) ** OMAN. BBCWS relay, verification letter received in 126 days for 9790, no return postage, verie signer Mohammed Saeed al-Farsi, Training Engineering Technician, BERS (Mark Humenyk, Weston, Ont., Canada, March World DX Club Contact QSL Report via DXLD) BBC Eastern Relay Station ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3205 kHz - Radio Sandaun, Vanimo. Received Letter QSL that is also a personal letter from the V/S Celina Korei in 40 days. Celina said that the station has been receiving reception reports from around the world in places as far as Sweden, Canada and Alaska. She also said that she is basically the ONLY person at the station who verifies reception reports and she enjoys doing that. Celina is a journalist (she will be 32 years old on April 1st), married and has 5 kids. She also sent me a photo of herself and a friend taken in Port Moresby on November 2001. I sent her an audio tape, US$ 2 + 1 IRC and a post card of New York (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY (USA), March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. Radio América (Cumbre DX follow up). Per Tony Jones in Paraguay, the reports of this station testing on shortwave are a hoax (Nicolás Éramo, Argentina, Mar 12, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Really? Well, the hoax proceeds: (gh) Traducida de un mensaje de Thord Knutsson, Suecia, enviado a mi, la info relevante queda así: -comienzo de traduccion de la carta-- "Hoy he recibido este mail de Don Mur sobre futuros tests desde (R.) America. .. Thord -----Ursprungligt meddelande----- Fran: Dom Mur [mailto:radioamerica@l...] Skickat: den 12 mars 2002 10:41 Till: thord.knutsson@t... Amne: (No Subject) Mr Thord Knutsson, Editor, WRTH, Sweden Estimado amigo Thord Knutsson: Espero que estes bien alli en Suecia. Aquí todo bien con las temperaturas del verano moderandose lentamente. Le aviso que esperamos comenzar trasmisiones de prueba, en abril, dirigidas a un azimuth de 184 grados (medidos desde el Polo Norte Magnético), con destino principal hacia Buenos Aires, en la frequency de 7,300 kHz, 41 metros. Si todo sale bien, el transmisor tendrá una potencia de salida de 5 kW. La potencia efectiva radiada será de aprox. 1,58 MW [sic]. La fecha pensada para el inicio de estas pruebas es 7 de Abril. El horario completo, las 24h, de la programación de Radiodifusión América será emitida, la mayoría en español, con algo de Guaraní. Es fácil de identificar la programación de Radio América, ya que es de formato cultural y educacional, con mucha música clásica. Agradeceremos informes de recepción que serán rápidamente verificados. QSL E-Mail Address: ramerica@r... [truncated by yahoogroups] FAX: 595 21 963 149 Postal: Radiodifusión América, Casilla 2220, Asunción, Paraguay .... Dom Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay" --fin de la traducción de la carta-- Traducida por Horacio Nigro (mar 13). Gracias Thord por la info!! (Horacio Nigro, Conexión Digital list via DXLD) ** PERU. 4835 kHz - Radio Marañón, Jaen. Received QSL card full data signed by Francisco Muguiro Ibarra (S.J.), Director, and personal letter from Marco Rumiche Purizaca in 14 days. I sent a reception report in Spanish by email with an audio clip in Real Audio to correo@radiomaranon.org.pe (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILLIPINES. 15190, R. Pilipinas, 1808-1930 March 10. Good signal with Filipino talk and many references to "Phillipine Nat'l Police," "PNP," and "Metro Manila"; other English words appeared from time to time, as well. ID at 1826 as "...R. Pilipinas, the Overseas Service of Phillipine Broadcast Service from Metro Manila...," then 20-minute phone talk program. Other features followed up to 1928 s/off, with sked announced as follows: EG 0200-0330 on 15120, 15270, and 12015. Filipino 1730-1930 on 15190, 11730, and 17730. Transmission end at exactly 1930. This station has a nice "homey" sound to it (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ST. PIERRE ET MIQUELON. To me, this is probably the most exotic location in North America: St. Pierre et Miquelon. A small archipelago, just off the southwestern coast of Newfoundland and over 3,000 miles from "Metropolitan" France (France no longer has colonies, they are overseas "departments", like Alaska and Hawaii are to the USA), they are the remainder of France's once vast holdings that were relinquished after the French and Indian (or Seven Years) War in 1763. The French were allowed by the British to keep it as a fishing station. Today, many East Coast DXers hear their AM outlet on 1375, the only split frequency in North America. You can check out RFO's (Réseau France Outre-mer) website at http://www.rfo.fr/st_pierre_et_miquelon_ie15m.php --- click on "Qui Sommes Nous?" for information about the station. Clicking on "Notre Radio" brings up "Journal" webcasts for all of the RFO stations. The site is in French, and if you can decipher it, there's a wealth of information, with pictures, about the islands, their history, and the AM, FM and TV stations. At RFO's home page, there's a world map; roll your mouse over the territory's name, and see the dots on the map, showing their locations, change to yellow. A free geography lesson, courtesy of http://www.rfo.fr/index_ie15m.php (author unknown, IRCA DX Monitor March 13 via DXLD) ** SPAIN. A new update of Spanish MW Stations List was uploaded at: http://www.aer-dx.org/listas/eaenom.htm The list is compiled by Martín Estévez, ee@aer-dx.org, and edited by Pedro Sedano, editor@aer-dx.org both are members of AER Asociación Española de Radioescucha (= Spanish Radiolistening Association) http://www.aer-dx.org The data of every station are: QRG, Name, Location, Network, Kw, Observations, Tx Location, QSL, Address, Tel. and Fax. Next: web and e-mail. There are 3 PDF files sorted by frequency, by location and by network. Changes inside this update: - New data: -- New tx of RNE-R5 in Algeciras (Cádiz) on 1503 kHz. -- New tel. of R. Asturias Cadena SER: 985236823 and fax: 985272924. - Observations: more info about RNE-R5 local broadcast - New design of every sort. Till next one! (Pedro Sedano, Madrid, Spain PSEDANOR@coitt.es editor@aer-dx.org AER http://www.aer-dx.org info@aer-dx.org hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SURINAME. 4990.95, R Apintie, Paramaribo, 14th of March, 0415-0515, Dutch, soft pop, advertisement, song "Island in the Sun" from Harry Belafonte, tentative ID; bad modulation. SINPO 24322; nice pictures of the station can be seen here: http://www.apintie.sr/ vy 73 (Michael Schnitzer - michael_schnitzer@web.de Receiver: JRC NRD-525 Antennas: 25m longwire DX-One Professional EWE to South America EWE to Asia/Pacific Location: Hassfurt, Germany / Alemania, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN --- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: In "GreenScan": What is the future of wind power in Sweden? Why are some groups opposed to what many believe is one of the most environmentally-friendly source of energy? Why hasn't the trendy "green consumption pattern" proved to be as environmentally-friendly as it is claimed to be? Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: "Spectrum" visits the Stockholm Art Fair Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic" the Swedish finals for the Eurovision Song Contest and we meet singer Jenny Löfgren (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Mar 12 via DXLD) ** TURKS and CAICOS ISLANDS. I haven`t done much medium-wave listening in the past few months, but as far as of Thursday March 5, Caribbean/ South American reception conditions were rather weakish, fair at best. The strangest thing was the total absence of RVC-530 at all the times I checked this week and the past week-end. Did Radio Visión Cristiana Internacíonal deactivate their Turks and Caicos 530 kHz transmitter, or maybe they run very low power; they used to be a powerhouse here? They were not audible at all, not even detectable as a het: 530 kHz TURKS & CAICOS Radio Vision Cristiana - NO SIGN OF THEM DURING THE WHOLE WEEK !!!! (Bogdan Chiochiu (QTH: Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, Rx: Sanyo MCD-S830 portable with internal ferrite bar antenna, hard- core-dx via DXLD) Radio Vision Cristiana, 530 kHz, from Turks & Caicos Islands is ACTIVE. I just heard the station between 0155 and 0205 UT broadcasting a Christian program (actually, rebroadcasting WWRV, 1330 kHz, New York) and identification at 0200 UT (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY (USA), hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, Right now, I'm listening to RUI from their website. They continue to webcast in Ukrainian after 1200. I'll stick around until after 1300 to see if they switch to English. Check out the program descriptions from the RUI webpage. Most of their shows deal with "problems" in Ukrainian life. Later: As I monitor the RUI webcast, they have been in Ukrainian 1100-1800, German 1800-1900, now back to Ukrainian at 1900. I'll plan to check at 2200, 0100 & 0400 for English. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, English, checked quickly at 0455 UT March 15 introducing Nel Blu di Pinto di Blu; direct link is rtsp://real.nrcu.gov.ua:7554/encoder/rui.rm (gh) Glenn, I've confirmed that the RUI webcast is in English 2200-2300 and 0100-0200 (I didn't check at 0400). They also had German hours at 1800, 2100 & 0000. They have a new direct link to the webcast on the left of their home page at: http://router.nrcu.gov.ua/eng/frame.html You can also get there directly at: rtsp://real.nrcu.gov.ua:7554/encoder/rui.rm 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., March 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. CONTROVERSY: IS THE BBC IMPARTIAL? The BBC's domestic service has been criticised over its coverage of Zimbabwe. This raises the wider issue of whether the BBC, which is obliged by its charter to be unbiased, is genuinely impartial. In my experience it is not, especially in its international coverage. The language used says it all. Countries currently in favour are ruled by "governments" or "administrations" while others languish under "regimes". Thus BBC presenters speak about the "Bush administration" and the "Castro regime" instead of using the same nomenclature for both. Worse still, propagandistic phrases such as "rogue states" are bandied around as though they represent an unquestionable truth rather than one side's position in a controversy. Such controversies represent for the BBC a struggle between "the international community" and evil. The war involving NATO and Yugoslavia was, for example, presented as a fight between Miloshevich and the rest of the world even though the world was split, with two of the largest powers and many Third World nations opposing NATO's actions. In Britain the broadcast media is now being used to prepare public opinion for more interventions, notably against Iraq. The stock justification for such interventions is "human rights violations" and the absence of democracy. The alternative view, that the fundamental principle of international law is non-intervention in the affairs of sovereign states and that democracy as practised in the West may not be appropriate at all times and in all places, are virtually ignored. The BBC, far from being impartial, accepts without question a whole range of debatable assumptions. It will remain a hypocritical organisation so long as it continues to violate its own sworn principles of impartiality (Roger Tidy, England, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. "Why has the Beeb's new boss got it in for the middle classes?" Following is the slightly abridged text of an article, by Lesley Garner, in the London Evening Standard of March 13. When a BBC executive wants to make headlines, he or she attacks the middle classes. So Gavyn Davies, the BBC chairman, knew he would create a stir by berating anyone who criticises the corporation for being "southern, white, middle-class, middle-aged and well-educated". This seem to be BBC-speak for any licence-payer who believes in the oot BBC values of educational aspiration, objectivity, free inquiry and self-improvement. Lord Reith, were he alive, would be the first in the firing-line, followed by the vast majority of the BBC's board and programme makers. I assume that Gavyn Davies is white, middle-class, middle-aged and well-educated himself, so it is ironic that he feels under attack from a group who must be the bulk of his audience: 92.7 per cent of us are white, after all, and according to Mori, 68 per cent of us are middle- class. Who would he rather be talking to - the poor, black, young and uneducated? These are the very people, like the working-class of past generation, who have most to gain from the free education and open door that the BBC has always provided, the very values that its middle-class viewers and listeners try to defend. I suspect Gavyn Davies resents the middle classes because they are the vocal last-ditch vigilante force that stands between him and the charge towards an open ratings battle with his rivals. Is it because what he sees as building up audiences they see as dumbing-down? Is it because this is the group that still carries the standard for a Reithian vision of the BBC as a force for good, for aspiration, for the improvement of mind and society, for the opening of doors onto the outside world? It must be irksome for a chairman of a BBC which wants to shake off the restraining hand of the past to have to deal with a group which expects to be stimulated and changed each time they turn on the television or radio. This is a group, ironically, which has been raised, educated and formed by a lifelong relationship with the BBC. No white, middle-class middle-aged, educated person would be the same if they hadn't been brought up on Listen with Mother and Children's Hour. They are relics of a time when people made appointments with their television sets for Tonight and Z Cars and Shakespeare's The Age of Kings. .... I can imagine BBC executives groaning as they read the list, flinching from the restraining hand of the past, but where is it they want to take the BBC? Do they want to chuck out the values of inquiry and investigation, talent-spotting and mind-broadening in order to have endless series of Changing Rooms and Ground Force? The point of the BBC is to take us out of the confines of our houses and plunge us into the jaw-dropping mysteries of the Blue Planet. David Attenborough is southern, white, middle-class, beyond middle-aged and very well educated, the epitome of the lure of the BBC. Is he for the chop then? Nobody and nothing is safe in a BBC which yanks Panorama from a prime- time weekday slot and loses it on a Sunday night, which has relegated all arts programmes to late-night slots and denied young audiences the chance to discover drama, opera, music and ballet in mainstream scheduling. The magic of a broadcasting system which leads, rather than follows, is the sense of sudden revelation that comes from stumbling across a play, a reading, an argument, a piece of music that you would never otherwise have heard. This revelation should be open to everyone but it is middle-class, well-educated people who will argue for it. It is one of the ironies of the BBC's recurrent self-flagellation for being the bearer of middle-class values that its programme makers and board members are, likewise, middle-class and well educated. But they aren't all white. In the World Service the BBC has one of the great colleges of multicultural broadcasting. From Romania to Rajasthan, people of every background, tribe and colour turn to the BBC for news and entertainment. The unique expertise of World Service staff means that the radio is a lifeline in troublespots and in times of conflict, the antidote to dictatorship and propaganda. I remember crouching under bombardment at home in Kabul, listening to a tank battle rage outside the window and waiting, in perfect confidence, for the World Service to tell me what was happening and who was responsible. Of course the BBC should broaden its appeal. Of course it should reflect the demographic mix of its audience. It is great that Radio Three sponsors world music and that BBC Talent reaches out for the young stars and broadcasters of the future. Regional radio should reflect the ethnic, social mix of a changing Britain, but this doesn't mean throwing out middle-class, educated values. These values are universal. Those black, uneducated, working-class audiences that Gavyn Davies, by implication, seems to want are the very people to whom the BBC could be a revelation and a lifeline, as it was for the aspirational working class of the past, our parents and grand-parents. As for us middle-aged, middle-class, devoted BBC audiences, Gavyn Davies had better make his peace with us. Time and demographics are on our side and we won't shut up (via Roger Tidy, UK, DXLD) ** U K. Where are on-line schedules for April? The BBC website has not had on-line programme schedules for April for at least a week now. The one for the last full week of March (23-29 March 02) has had the Friday listings incomplete for that same time. Why is this? Surely you know what you'll be broadcasting in April by now! It is insulting to the site visitor to let them choose the week to bring up a schedule and then just display a message saying that no data is available! Also, I heard when tuning in the Greenfield Collection late last night that it will be cancelled after the end of March. Sad to see him go. Is it being terminated because Mr. Greenfield wants to stop? If so, then my best wishes to him. If it is being cut out by the BBC management, though, I protest strongly (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri USA, March 15 to BBC Write On, cc to DXLD ** U K. Greenfield Collection: If you enjoy this program of classical music requests, you have only two more weeks to hear it! It was announced tonight on the BBCWS that "The Greenfield Collection" has only two more programs left in its "long run" on the World Service. Greenfield himself first referred to the next program as being his "penultimate" edition. Then the announcer after the program confirmed that it was indeed near the end and offered that a new monthly special edition of "Concert Hall" would pick up the task of providing listeners with a classical music request program. All this monitored on March 14 at 0430 UT or thereabouts. PS: What will be next to get the ax: "From Our Own Correspondent"? Sheesh! Just received the April edition of "BBC On-Air". Curiously, no frequency chart was included as has been the case in transition months (Oct. and Apr.) I've e-mailed them to inquire as to why. On a positive side, the guide now includes an alphabetical guide on the last inside page which leads the reader to the proper page for each program. This is a noteworthy improvement that makes it much easier to refer between the program charts and the main magazine (John Figliozzi, March 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) About time ** U S A. Hi Glenn; Even though this isn't a logging, just thought it might interest you. In the current rotation on Classic Arts Showcase, they are running a 1936 animation clip entitled "The Ship of the Ether." It seems to be a promo for Philips table radios, where at the end of the clip they have a banner proclaiming "The World Under Every Roof." I remember you mentioning that your local cable system offers Arts on its lineup. Otherwise it`s on Galaxy 1, 133W, transponder 5 horizontal. Nice how it romanticizes international broadcasting; very fun to watch (Steven Zimmerman, Milwaukee, WI, March 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tnx for the tip! I ran across this in progress months ago, but would like to get it on tape. CAS is not helpful with exact scheduling; did you notice what came immediately before it? (gh to Steven) Hi Glenn; Well I managed to catch that clip again on CAS. It came during a small group of animations, and immediately after a Peter Pan animation entitled: "Peter Pan rescues ??? from Captain Hook." Was just glancing at screen so didn't remember who he rescued... Hope this helps. 73; (Steven Zimmerman, March 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I watched, and watched, but didn`t run across it until 1510 UT Thursday March 14, and again, it was already in progress. It`s part of ``The Puppetoon Movie``, directed by George Pal. Folk music samples by tuning to Beromünster, Hilversum, etc. as marked on old radio dials. Refers to http://www.scifistation.com for videos, etc., altho a quick check there did not find this particular Pal item. If you see Cecilia Bartoli with a video of beach scenes (!) you`ve just missed it --- assuming the clips always play in the same order. As I recall, CAS makes one reel per week which runs over and over, several hours long. Later: here it comes again at 1635-1543 UT Friday March 15. But I didn`t have tape ready to roll! Anyhow, saw it almost from beginning. No, this time it was followed by Mozart: In an XVIIIth Century Drawing Room, so they jumble the play order (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WGH: I've been hearing weak harmonic #?? of WWV on 30.000 kHz often. 3/12, 3/10 1439, 3/9 1330, 3/3 1908, 2/10 1903, 1/26 1415z. Often only the tones, esp. at 00seconds. Sometimes voice and ticks also are heard. My good receiver tunes to 30000 but I've heard it on my old Sony-2001 by tuning to 29999 kHz (KA2HPU - Bud, NY/NJ?, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 26450/FM, KTRK-TV (presumed) Houston TX; 2145-2230+, 13-Mar; Promo for Houston athletes", Fran Tarkenton car and local lawyer ad. 2200 "News at 4"; 2205 Houston amd Texas weather; said look at the map, so must be TV. Possible ABC spot. Web search finds KTRK, Ch. 13 is the Houston ABC outlet and "News at 4" is their program. Poor, in/out and scratchy; Fair when not being stepped-on by CB outbander? 2247, 14-Mar, presume them again w/Rosie O'Donnell Show. I would have missed this completely if I hadn't been in FM mode; zilch signal in AM/SSB (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet via DXLD) ** U S A. K???: Jim Planck of IMF tells Cumbre DX that he has an unofficial construction permit, but doesn't want to announce anything just yet (via Johnson Mar 13) This one is going very slow, this is essentially where they were a year ago (Hans Johnson, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) That would be the one planned for Piñón, New Mexico. Unofficial CP?? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Please visit WMLK Radio's new web page at http://www.wmlkradio.com You will find some interesting things here to report about WMLK radio (via Gary A. McAvin, Station Manager Mar 12, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Worth a look; has pictures of old/new transmitters and antennas. (Hans Johnson, Mar 12, ibid.) ** U S A. WINB A-02 Authorized. In practice station signs off earlier in the evenings than authorized sked. Largest change is that 9320 will be in use for part of the evening during some of the spring and fall. Mar 31-Apr 6: 9320 1100-1300, 13570 1300-2300, 12160 2300-0200, 9320 0200-0600 Apr 6-30 and Sep 1 to Oct 26: 9320 1000-1200, 13570 1200-2300, 12160 2300-0100, 9320 0100-0500; May 1-Aug 31 13570 1000-0000, 12160 0000-0500 (via Hans Johnson, Mar 13, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. NOTICE - Last chances to log VOA [Greenville feeders] 6873 and 18275 are near! (KA2HPU - Bud, NY/NJ?, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glenn: The long-unused Delano sideband feed transmitter will be on Saturday [March 16] 0900-1400 on 9350, LSB or USB, i.e. DSB. It will be beamed to Japan and will include the SPITTSFOBCW saluting the Japan SW Club at 0933 and 1333. Japan SW Club will issue a special QSL for reception of any SPITTSFOBCW this weekend (Kim Elliott, VOA, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [We mentioned this in Cumbre DX 390, but Kim has added some critical information on additional transmissions via Delano- Cumbre Ed.] VOA's "Special Program in the Time Slot Formerly Occupied by Communications World" will, this Saturday March 16, salute the Japan Short Wave Club on their fiftieth anniversary. This will include a transmission of VOA News Now on the long-unused sideband feed transmitter at Delano, 0900-1400, on 9350, LSB or USB (i.e., double sideband). JSWC will issue a special QSL for the reception of this program (at any time, on any frequency). To East Asia, South Asia, Pacific 0133-0158 UTC 7200 7255 9850 11705 11820 15250 15300 17740 17820 0933-0958 UTC 11995 13615 15150 plus special 9350 LSB USB via Delano 1333-1358 UTC 6110 9645 9760 11705 15480 plus special 9350 LSB USB via Delano 1733-1758 UTC 6110 7125 9645 15395 2133-2158 UTC 9670 11870 15185 17735 17820 To Europe, Middle East and North Africa 0133-0158 UTC 1548 0533-0558 UTC 7170 9700 11825 15205 0933-0958 UTC 1197 1733-1758 UTC 6040 9760 15205 2133-2158 UTC 1197 1260 6040 6095 9595 9760 To Africa 0533-0558 UTC 909 5970 6035 6080 7295 11835 13710 1733-1758 UTC 13710 15240 15445 17895 2133-2158 UTC 909 1530 6035 7415 11975 13710 15240 15580 17895 To the Americas 0133-0158 UTC 5995 6130 9455 0300-0328 UTC SUNDAY 5070 [WWCR] (Elliott Mar 15, Cumbre DX Special via DXLD) ** U S A. Rep. Henry Hyde has introduced legislation for another reorganization of U.S. international broadcasting. See.. http://www.house.gov/international_relations/news0314.htm and http://quote.bloomberg.com/fgcgi.cgi?mnu=news&ptitle=Technology%20UK&tp=ad_uknews&T=news_storypage99.ht&ad=uktechnology&s=APJE75RXpVS5TLiBM 73 (Kim Andrew Elliott, VOA, March 15, DXLD) Viz.: NEWS Henry J. Hyde (R-IL), Chairman House International Relations Committee Contact: Sam Stratman (202) 226-7875 (Hyde) Matt Gobush (202) 226-6832 (Lantos) March 14, 2002 For IMMEDIATE Release HYDE INTRODUCES REFORM OF U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY; WILL IMPROVE AMERICA'S OUTREACH TO INTERNATIONAL MASS AUDIENCES Legislation Expected to be Reported by Committee on March 20 (WASHINGTON) - The U.S. Government must do more to counter misinformation overseas about American policies and culture or risk undermining its influence in the world, the Chairman of the House International Relations Committee warned today. On Thursday, U.S. Reps. Henry J. Hyde (R-IL) introduced the Freedom Promotion Act of 2002 to begin rebuilding a mass communications infrastructure to explain American policies and culture to the world. "Public diplomacy - which consists of systematic efforts to communicate not with foreign governments but with the people themselves - has a central role to play in the task of making the world safer for the just interests of the United States, its citizens, and its allies," said Hyde. "If we are to be successful in our broader foreign policy goals, America's effort to engage the peoples of the world must assume a more prominent place in the planning and execution of our foreign policy," Hyde said, adding, "The task of countering misinformation and propaganda regarding the United States is a never-ending one, but we must go about this task more aggressively and more systematically, rather than simply reacting to crises as they occur." The legislation reshapes critical elements of the State Department, including new authority to the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, new requirements for the development of a comprehensive strategy for official communications overseas, and new requirements that hiring and promotions within the department be based in part on public diplomacy experience. It also reorganizes U.S. international broadcast services, including establishment of the International Broadcasting Agency to oversee the Voice of America. PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES: Specific authorizing language. The State Department already possesses the authority to conduct public diplomacy. This legislation gives shape to the direction and manner in which public diplomacy is carried out by defining the statutory authorization more specifically in terms of standards, technologies, and target audiences. The legislation also creates a firewall around the budget for public diplomacy ($497 million annually not including U.S. broadcasting) and authorizes an additional $70 million for exchange and cultural programs and $40 million for other public diplomacy programs over two years. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy - Created in 1999 with the consolidation of the Department of State and the United States Information Agency (USIA), the Under Secretary is given new authority over the Department's public diplomacy programs and personnel and an enhanced role in coordinating its public diplomacy activities. Establishment of the International Broadcasting Agency - The legislation reorganizes U.S. international broadcasting programs, now headed by a part-time Board of Broadcasting Governors, into an agency headed by a director. The reorganization is designed to ensure accountability by an identified decision maker while preserving the strengths of the Board. This reorganization will be accomplished with minimal disruption to existing broadcasting operations. The director will be appointed by the President - with the concurrence of the Senate - for a term of five years, similar to that of the chairman of the Federal Reserve System, with safeguards to preserve journalistic integrity from political influence. The present board of governors will be reconstituted as the Board of International Broadcasting (BIB) which will retain operational control of grants to entities including Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. The BIB will function in an advisory role to the International Broadcasting Agency. Mandates development of an annual strategic communications plan by the Department of State to advance U.S. foreign policy goals including a tactical communications plan for implementation worldwide. The development of this plan is to be coordinated with the many federal agencies active in international programs. Although the State Department is not given operational control over programs and activities conducted by other agencies, it is designated as the lead agency. Establishment of the Public Diplomacy Reserve Corps - Includes a database of eligible experts in foreign policy and mass communication for temporary assignments to augment the Department during "emergency and critical circumstances worldwide." Development of satellite television services. The legislation provides an initial amount of $7.5 million annually to the Office of Broadcast Services at the Department of State to accelerate its outreach to the world. In addition to other provisions, the legislation mandates the development of a long-range plan for the use of satellite television and other new media, such as the Internet. It also authorizes funds for discretionary use by the State Department to lease air-time on satellites and to develop other media channels serving key regions, such as the Middle East and East Asia, in order to dramatically expand unfiltered access to mass audiences. A key objective is to equip the State Department with the requisite facilities, including studios and satellite capability, to enable it to act as a command center for a public diplomacy operations globally and in real time. Enhanced training in media and advocacy skills for the Foreign Service and Ambassadors. The Foreign Service is encouraged to recruit individuals with experience in public diplomacy and to emphasize to all incoming officers the importance of their role in public diplomacy. As part of the overall effort to raise its importance throughout the State Department, public diplomacy should be included in the entrance examination and the performance review process. In particular, training for ambassadors will be amended to include public diplomacy, including the press, cultural and educational components. Ambassadors will be given a prominent role in the formulation of public diplomacy strategies for the country and regions to which they are assigned and be formally held accountable for the operation and success of the public diplomacy efforts at their posts. Development of programming. The State Department is authorized to develop programming for foreign audiences separate and apart from the renamed International Broadcasting Agency and specifically authorizes the use of the private sector. State is encouraged to work with foreign television broadcasters and other media to produce and distribute programming. Budget authority to undertake in-depth research on public and media attitudes in regions chosen at the discretion of the Department of State. This includes a requirement that analyses of the comparative effectiveness of the various efforts undertaken in the area of public diplomacy be provided annually, including the use of the private sector in the U.S. and overseas. Translation services. To assist Public Affairs Officers in embassies worldwide, the legislation adds an additional $4 million annually for document translation services. Alumni program. A database of international alumni of U.S. exchange programs will be created in order to expand and utilize the connections that have been established through exchange programs. Library initiative. A demonstration program will examine the most effective way to augment resources in local public library systems overseas in order to "familiarize participants with American values and society, particularly the importance of freedom and democracy." Language education for Americans. An authorization of funds for early learning language training in difficult languages, such as Arabic, Mandarin, and others, in targeted regions. Reform of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. Mandates a comprehensive biennial study by the Commission of the State Department's public diplomacy efforts. This study will be conducted in conjunction with the General Accounting Office. The legislation requires that at least four of the seven Commission members have "substantial experience in the conduct of public diplomacy or comparable activities in the private sector." Initiatives Aimed at the Muslim World: Youth Ambassadors - Authorizes a summer youth exchange program for young individuals from countries with a predominantly Muslim population. (Short- term exchanges of 3-4 weeks in length). Journalism program - Authorizes an initiative to work with foreign journalists to enhance international standards of quality and objectivity. This program will be established and operated in cooperation with private sector sponsors, including universities and exchange programs. English language training. Creates a pilot program to send Americans to middle schools in the Muslim world to provide English language instruction. Sister Cities Initiative: Authorizes funds for an expanded "sister cities" program to increase the number of US-sister city partnerships in countries with a predominantly Muslim population. (Currently there are 42 such partnerships). These partnerships are aimed at community level development and volunteer action and include non-federal support. [end of HYDE release] U.S. LAWMAKER FAULTS OVERSEAS PROPAGANDA, SEEK CHANGE By Paul Basken Washington, March 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. should overhaul the way its image is promoted overseas by creating a new agency to take over Voice of America and its other international broadcast outlets, a House Republican leader said. ``America's effort to engage the peoples of the world must assume a more prominent place in the planning and execution of our foreign policy,'' House International Affairs Committee Chairman Henry Hyde said in a statement. The proposal follows criticisms by lawmakers that the support the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks generated in the Arab and Islamic world showed that the U.S. is failing to take advantage of its media expertise to improve world opinion of the U.S. Hyde proposed legislation to replace VOA's governing board with a federal agency too improve accountability by creating a single responsible decision-maker. Hyde's plan includes developing satellite television and expanding media training for U.S. ambassadors. The Bush administration, citing similar concerns with U.S. image- making overseas last year, named former J. Walter Thompson Co. Chairwoman Charlotte Beers as undersecretary of State for public diplomacy, and asked her to improve the U.S. image in the Muslim world. Hyde said in a statement issued by his office that his legislation was being sponsored jointly by his committee's top- ranking Democrat, Representative Tom Lantos of California. Lantos' chief of staff, Robert King, later called the Hyde announcement premature. Not Fully Endorsed Lantos supports much of the bill, though he had not fully endorsed the proposal for the VOA board of governors, King said. ``It's not a minor issue,'' he said. Bush administration officials said they had not seen the proposal and had no comment on it. The legislation would create a federal International Broadcasting Agency that would replace the nine-member part-time Broadcasting Board of Governors in overseeing the VOA and government's other non-military international broadcasting outlets. Those outlets include Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio and TV Martí, WORLDNET Television, and Radio Free Asia. They broadcast to more than 100 million listeners in 67 languages, with an annual budget of about $450 million. The present board of governors would remain in an advisory role, with authority to issue grants, Hyde said. Hyde also proposed making greater use of foreign policy and communications experts to help in ``emergency'' circumstances worldwide, emphasizing public diplomacy skills in hiring and promotion decisions, and spending more to encourage Americans to learn difficult languages including Arabic and Mandarin. Television Service The plan includes an initial allocation of $7.5 million annually to develop a satellite television service and to let the State Department develop media channels in the Middle East, East Asia and other regions. The State Department would be encouraged to work with foreign television broadcasters to produce and distribute new programming, said Hyde, an Illinois Republican. His Senate counterpart, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, a Democrat of Delaware, and the panel's top-ranking Republican, Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, proposed in December the establishment of a ``Radio Free Afghanistan'' service broadcasting in local languages. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last month abandoned a new Pentagon effort, the Office of Strategic Influence, after it was described in news reports as planning to spread deliberately deceptive information in the media. Secretary of State Colin Powell has praised Beers as ``somebody who can market our value system, somebody who can get out there and mix it up in the kind of world we're living in.'' Along with the $450 million broadcasting budget, the Bush administration has asked Congress for $567 million in other ``public diplomacy'' funds in next year's budget, an increase of 6.8 percent over the current year, allowing Beers to hire 55 new staff positions. Public Diplomacy The Hyde plan would authorize an additional $70 million for exchange and cultural programs and $40 million for other public diplomacy programs over two years. The proposal takes the U.S. in the wrong direction, since it should be working to build and strengthen local broadcast outlets around the world rather than pursuing increased censorship, said David Hoffman, president of Internews Network, a non-profit supporter of independent media worldwide. ``The Voice of America, which used to have quite a bit of credibility, has lost most of it since then,'' he said. ``Because people who listen to it realize that it has much more of a political agenda and is much less credible as a news source.'' (Bloomberg UK linked as above, DXLD) A summary of what's planned appears on our Media Newsdesk page at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/medianews.html It's a mystery to me why the US government believes it needs to produce its own programming 'separate and apart from the International Broadcasting Agency'. I can't help but be reminded of Radio Moscow and Radio Station Peace and Progress back in the Cold War era. Surely that can't be the kind of thing now being proposed by the Bush administration? We'll be watching closely as things unfold. This news makes all the more appropriate the second part of our feature 'Mediate the Conflict'. Canadian writer and journalist Ross Howard argues that conventional journalism is still enormously important in reducing conflicts and bringing about stability within war-torn states. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/mediate020315.html (Andy Sennitt, Media Network Newsletter Mar 15 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. CONTROVERSY AMID VOA ANNIVERSARY From: http://www.msnbc.com/news/ March 13: March 8 - The U.S. war on terrorism is entering its sixth month and America's voice can be heard louder than ever on radio airwaves across the globe. But as the United States-sponsored Voice of America celebrates its 60th anniversary after expanding its service to Afghanistan and the Middle East, it has undergone changes that could prevent its journalists from covering the biggest story of our time. As U.S.- led forces pummeled enemy fighters in eastern Afghanistan this week, a notable absence from VOA's Pashtun-language broadcasts, serving Afghanistan's largest ethnic group, was its best-known reporter on Afghanistan. Spozhmai Maiwandi, a 20-year veteran of VOA, is rarely on the air nowadays since she was shifted in early November from her duty as supervisor of the Pashtu service. "Practically, I do nothing," Maiwandi said of her new role as coordinator of Afghan programs. "I attend conferences here and there and if there's something on Afghanistan, I put it on air," she said. "But other than that I 'm sitting behind the desk, but without any real responsibilities." In a statement issued last month, VOA said Maiwanda's assignment was part of a reorganization and represented a promotion in responsibility and salary. It noted that she still originates and airs reports and was sent to cover the conference on the reconstruction of Afghanistan held in Tokyo in January. Maiwandi told MSNBC she'd prefer to be still broadcasting on a daily basis. Her fate may offer an insight into the new approach adopted by VOA since the outbreak of hostilities. Prior to Sept. 11, Maiwandi was on the air 3-4 times a day, leading VOA's effort to provide what she viewed as balanced news coverage for an isolated and information-starved Afghan population. After the United States was rocked by terrorists on Sept. 11, her daily beat became the world's obsession as reporters rushed to offer an insight into the nation that harbored Osama bin Laden, accused of masterminding the attacks on America. Maiwandi had a significant edge, through her extensive contacts with Taliban officials. But, as she soon learned, it was an advantage not necessarily appreciated as the United States began to reassess all that had been taken for granted - including the role of Voice of America - in the dawn of the war on terrorism. HEARTS AND MINDS Since Sept. 11, the Bush Administration has approached the battle to win the hearts and minds of the world with the same determination as war to root out terrorist groups. The recent debacle over the Office of Strategic Influence demonstrated the length to which the government will go to sway global opinion. Only the media outcry after details of the proposal that would involve leaking false news to foreign media forced the Pentagon to ditch the plan. Established in 1942, shortly after the United States entered World War II, VOA is overseen by the Board of Governors, a panel of media-savvy presidential appointees that act as a firewall between the news- gathering operations and political interests. The organization's charter, signed into law in 1976, calls on the network to be a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news that should be accurate, objective and comprehensive while clearly presenting U.S. policies. The service, with more than 1,200 employees broadcasting in 53 languages, costs around $147 million annually. But the political dimension couldn't be ignored after Sept. 11. VOA director Robert R. Reilly, appointed in October by President Bush, referred to the battle in Afghanistan as a "war of ideas," with VOA "on one side in that war." President Bush, speaking at VOA's headquarters on Feb. 25 to mark the service's 60th anniversary, is applauded by Director Robert R. Reilly at right. One of the most prominent critics of the service was New York Times columnist William Safire, who opined in September that the service was the "wrong voice" for the United States in Afghanistan. "In the climate of today's undeclared war, private media in democracies are free to take either or neither side, but U.S. taxpayer-supported broadcasting is supposed to be on our side," he wrote. Even reporters within the Pashtu service were concerned about the coverage. Dr. Habibullah Tegey, a 19-year veteran, said he felt the service was giving too much airtime to the Taliban officials. The new views from America Nowadays, he said the service has more hours, more reporters and still provides balanced news coverage for its Afghan listeners. 12-MINUTE INTERVIEW Caught in the swirling controversy was Maiwandi, who scooped the competition with an interview that would have been the envy of most other news organizations: an exclusive with the Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. "My feeling was if anyone else had done this exclusive interview that person would have been rewarded because I had accomplished something," Maiwandi said. "I did my job; It's sad." The 12-minute interview on Sept 21 with the reclusive one-eye Taliban leader wasn't especially provocative. She asked Omar about the terrorist attack on the United States and whether he was would expel bin Laden. The Taliban leader repeated the Taliban's refusal to hand over the Saudi exile and blamed the United States for creating the "evil that is attacking it." But the scoop, with America still reeling from the terrorist attacks, was too much for the State Department, which got wind of the story and urged the Voice of America board of governors to can it. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told the Washington Post: "We told members of the board of broadcast governors that we didn't think it was appropriate for the Voice of America to be broadcasting the voice of the Taliban into Afghanistan and we didn't think it was consistent with their charter." Maiwandi's fellow reporters responded with outrage at what they viewed as blatant censorship. After holding the tape a few days, VOA English reporter Ed Warner packaged 40 seconds of the Omar interview into a Sept. 25 broadcast (in English) that also quoted President Bush, a Northern Alliance leader and a Georgetown University professor. The report was broadcast in Pashtu a few days alter. "I do understand that it's a wartime, but I think war or no war the job should not change," Maiwandi said this week. "As far as I know there was nothing that would harm national interest. it's the right of the people to know what the man was thinking." A FUTURE ROLE Omar is now on the run, but the repercussions from Sept. 11 can still be felt at VOA. In December, director Reilly issued a directive prohibiting the network from airing interviews with "any official from nations that sponsor terror." According to VOA chief of staff Horace Cooper, the service was merely fulfilling the requirements of Congress. Under an appropriations bill that became law on Nov. 28, 2001, the VOA was told not to "air interviews with any official from nations that sponsor terrorism or any representative or member of terrorist organizations." Cooper said that the directive was in keeping with its longstanding policy of not allowing the airwaves to be turned over to non- democratic points of view. He also took exception to the focus on VOA's editorial independence, which he felt was clouding a celebration of the hard work the journalists were doing. Post Sept. 11, Cooper said VOA has increased the esteem in which its news gathering staff is held as well as the recognition it receives from the federal government. But in a letter to Reilly in January, the Committee to Protect Journalists asserted VOA was doing a disservice to its millions of listeners. "Maiwandi's reassignment, coupled with VOA's misguided new policy, suggests that VOA is sacrificing its hard-earned reputation as reliable and independent news source to short-term political considerations," CPJ executive director Ann Cooper said. Still President Bush, who kicked off the 60th anniversary celebrations with a visit to the Washington headquarters in late February, paid tribute to the VOA, saying the network has added to the momentum of freedom. He said VOA tells the truth about U.S. policies, but added: "The Voice of America is not neutral between America and America's enemies." With a contribution from special correspondent Heather Maher in Prague (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** USA/MIDDLE EAST. BBG SIGNS AGREEMENTS FOR NEW RADIO SERVICE TO MIDDLE EAST | Text of press release by the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) dated 11 March Washington, DC, 11 March 2002: The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) has signed agreements in Bahrain and Qatar for FM radio transmission of the Middle East Radio Network (MERN), paving the way for broad distribution of the new service, Governor Norman J. Pattiz said Monday [11 March]. Pattiz, who led a BBG delegation to the Middle East, also said the group received commitments for additional FM frequencies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates. "These agreements - along with others reached earlier in the region - will ensure listeners in the Middle East will have a chance to hear our programmes on the most popular medium around - FM radio," Pattiz said from Los Angeles. "We're committed to making sure people can hear America's voice and better understand our country and what it stands for," he added. Other FM stations committed to carrying MERN are in Amman, Jordan and Kuwait. MERN, a pilot project of the Voice of America, is a new 24-hour, seven-day-a-week, Arabic-language service aimed at listeners under 30. This service, which is set to start soon, will be phased in over a number of months. It will broadcast news, analysis, interviews, opinion pieces, sports, weather, music and features on a variety of political and social issues. The network, distributed on AM, FM, digital audio satellite and Internet, will operate from Washington and the Middle East broadcast centre in Dubai, where the BBG delegation visited last week. The BBG delegation that accompanied Pattiz to the Middle East included MERN Project Manager Gary Thatcher, News Director Mouafac Harb and the VOA's Sheila Gandji. For more information, contact Joan Mower at 202.260.0167, jmower@ibb.gov or Joe O'Connell at (202) 619-2538, jdoconne@ibb.gov Source: US Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, Washington, in English 11 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. For Sale: Herald's SW Station The second largest privately owned shortwave radio station in the United States is on the block. The Herald Broadcasting Syndicate owns the station, WSHB, in South Carolina. WSHB has two 500-kilowatt transmitters, operating independently into high-gain curtain antennas that serve audiences worldwide. Station Manager Ed Evans said Herald has decided to shift its focus to program production rather than owning and operating program delivery facilities. The station cost $19 million to construct, but the asking price is $6.5 million. Most recently, Herald Broadcasting has used WSHB to broadcast religious programs of The Christian Science Publishing Society. Radio World News - March 13, 2002 http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=1340 (via Benn Kobb; and Brian Smith, ODXA via DXLD) Please let the buyer be something other than a broadcaster of extremist religious and political propaganda... (Amen. <g>) (John Figliozzi, NY, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. WOR TRANSMITTER SITE RELOCATION. My son emailed WOR [710 New York] about the upcoming transmitter move. This is the response he received. John: Good News, the new site which we will be constructing will be similar to the old site. The new array will actually only be several thousand feet north of our existing site. It will utilize a three tower dog-leg array, with towers almost identical in height and efficiency. The layout will be somewhat altered. As far as you are concerned from a DX standpoint, we will have an all new antenna and ground system, which will certainly help the signal. As far as the parameters of the actual array, it will be slightly different and we will lose a small amount towards the west. This is caused by the new design in regards to the current FCC regulations. When testing starts, on the new array, we will most likely be running at 10 kw Non directional, it will be interesting to see how our new signal behaves in this mode as well. Stay tuned, and watch our website, we will have all the details as they become available. As far as our great signal up and down the east coast, I was recently in Washington DC, and could pick up WOR during the daytime without trouble. I attribute this to our superior audio processing, which we have maximized for the best possible coverage. Quite frankly, our current site, although over thirty years old is still quite efficient and well behaved. Do not hesitate to email if you have any other questions. Kerry Richards, Chief Engineer, WOR-AM, Buckley Broadcasting Corporation (via Allan Dunn, K1UCY, NRC-AM March 14 via DXLD) ** U S A. The old WKXY 930 Sarasota [FL] changed calls to WLSS and went talk. WLS has a had a court order that makes them cease calling themselves "WLS-Sarasota" and "WLS Radio". It seems ABC/Disney has registered WLS as a service mark. The 930 owners admit they wanted to attract people who moved from the Midwest. Next up, they are going to try, get this, WGNF "WGN-Sarasota (Brock Whaley, GA, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Here's a link to a Roanoke Times article saying that the land the WLVA-590 towers are on is worth more than the station itself, and that they are off indefinitely (estimated 18 months) until they can find a new site. http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story127094.html Interesting note from the article, so much for "NIMBY" - several listeners offered space in their own yard for the displaced towers, if it would mean the "soft oldies" (my term) would be returned to the air sooner (Paul Mount, Morganville NJ, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. SMALL PLANE HITS TV TOWER IN LEE COUNTY A small plane has crashed into a television transmission tower in Lee County. [NORTH CAROLINA] Reports said that the WRAL-TV tower, which also serves WKFT-TV channel 40, has collapsed in Lee County near Broadway. WKFT-TV is currently off the air. They hope to be back on the air by 6:30 to 7 p.m. "Roman Bunn, who saw the plane hit the tower, claims it looked like a "fireball" hitting the tower. Harnett County Maj. Steve West said he received reports at 4:50 p.m. that a plane hit the tower. The tower is not close to any residential areas. Authorities said that they have found a piece of the plane 300 yards northwest of the tower building. The tower itself was 2,000 feet. Authorities and emergency crews are on the scene. There are no reports on what type of plane hit the tower or where the plane is from. After an ice storm on Dec. 10, 1989, warm temperatures caused uneven thawing of the estimated 40,000 pounds of ice that accumulated on the WRAL-TV5 transmitting tower's supporting wires. The tower fractured and fell. Three hours later, WRAL-TV5 was back on the air, thanks to Capitol Satellite, a sister company, and to WKFT. WXII ThePiedmontChannel.com Thursday March 14 06:05 PM EST (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) From bnet: A small plane apparently hit a guy wire on the WRAL TV tower in North Carolina today, killing the pilot and collapsing the tower. http://www.wral.com/news/1304816/detail.html (Bill Frahm - C.E. Citadel Boise KBOI KKGL KIZN KQFC KZMG, AMFMTVDX mailing list March 15 via DXLD) The stories are not very explicit; apparently the tower is owned by WRAL-5, but not used to transmit that station; instead, WKFT channel 40 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. From Radio Ink: (3/14/02) U.S. REP. HOWARD BERMAN URGES MEMBERS OF LEGISLATIVE PANEL TO INVESTIGATE CLEAR CHANNEL. Rep. Howard Berman, a California Democrat and ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, is urging members of a legislative panel on intellectual property to hold hearings on claims that the nation's top radio broadcaster, Clear Channel Communications Inc. (CCU), has abused its market position to shut out competitors. "We've been talking to the majority representatives of the committee and are encouraging them to hold hearings about these issues," a spokeswoman for Berman said on Wednesday. In a January letter to the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission, Berman called for a probe into Clear Channel after allegations by competitors that the broadcaster and concert promoter had limited airplay of stars, such as Britney Spears, who do not use its concert services. In recent filings with the FCC, Washington, D.C.-based attorney Arthur Belendiuk claimed Clear Channel had exceeded its ownership limit in several markets by taking control of stations and warehousing them in front companies. "Clear Channel's conduct demonstrates a clear intent to conceal material information from the FCC. In this case, and presumably in others, Clear Channel provided engineering services for front companies and then attempts to conceal its involvement," said Belendiuk in petitions opposing Clear Channel's proposed purchases of two stations (via Dennis Gibson, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. HIGH ADVENTURE A'02 13/03/2002 High Adventure Global Network Frequency Schedule for March 31 to October 27, 2002 UT kHz Band Antenna Target --------------------------------------------------------------- Relay Transmitters-Europe [all Germany?] ------------------------- 0700-0800 5975 49 m Omni Western Europe 2000-2100 6175 49 m Omni Western Europe 1330-1635 17550 16 m 90 deg SAs-India 0700-1200 21590 13 m 115 deg Middle East 1200-2100 15715 19 m 115 deg Middle East 1600-1700 13810 19 m 130 deg EAF-Ethiopia 1700-1900 9495 31 m 80 deg Eastern Europe 1330-1430 15775 19 m 70 deg SEAS, Vietnam Relay Facilities from CIS ------------------------- *1200-1600 7485 41 m 111 deg China NOTE Not confirmed. 100 Kw 4X4X1 Curtain Antenna Relay from Middle East [UAE?] ---------------------- 2330-0130 6025 49 m 85 deg India 0200-0230 9615 31 m 85 deg India 1230-1330 17795 16 m 85 deg India 1600-1630 11705 25 m 85 deg India 250 Kw Transmitters, 4 X 4 X 1 Curtain Antenna Revised: 03/06/02 ------------------------------------ (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. REAL ONE'S PLAYER IS A DUPE! [Lost Remote.com Opinion] Steve Safran 3/04/02 DOES REAL NETWORKS deliberately want to fool consumers? That's my only guess, after using RealOne for the last couple of months. The company's new media player is intrusive, obnoxious and downright confusing for most people. This is their answer to Microsoft bundling Windows Media Player even tighter into XP?Just trying to download the free version of RealOne is a baffling ordeal. Go ahead - I defy anyone without a compass and GPS to find the free player. And then, when you finally discover the link in the dark, hidden recesses of the site, it STILL tries to trick you into paying for the "premium" version. I'm not against folks paying for content on the web. On the contrary, I've written before that we should all join together, pick a date, and start charging ever after. But you convince people to pay for content by giving them quality stuff, not by tricking them. Once you've figured out how to download it, RealOne then tries to become your pseudo-browser. It's worse, actually. Real has built in a "Message Center" that pops up glorified ads under the disguise of important messages from the company. Absurd. Microsoft has worked Windows Media Player into its OS even closer now, thanks to XP. People don't think of it as a "plugin" any more - it's just part of the program. In Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, WMP acts as a sort of "preview window" in streaming media sites. It's a clever addition, and one that makes it even harder for newbies to understand why they should bother to download any other streaming video player. Real should have given people a compelling reason to use their product. Instead, they're just trying to confuse. Real's business model seems to be developed from the porn industry. "Come here! It's free! Really! OK, maybe it's not! Give us a credit card! If you don't like it, cancel at any time!" Sheesh. My site has RealVideo. And since Real has switched to RealOne, I have had one complaint after another from people who insist Real doesn't offer a free player. Real Networks makes money off me - I have to pay for my license to stream from them. That's as it should be. But don't charge me a license fee and then confuse my customers into thinking they have to pay you, too.That's just a Real pain. STEVE SAFRAN is Managing Editor of NECN.com, the streaming video website of NECN: New England Cable News in Boston (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** URUGUAY. Hi Glenn, Re.: DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-041, March 11, 2002, URUGUAY entry: Info reporter Malm guessed wrong: They do not relay any TV/UHF channel 42. When they say "aquí en (la) 42", they are identifying themselves, since CX42 is their MW callsign, which is simulcasted on SW. The late evening and next day morning (UT) extended broadcasts are in the final days. Heard as late as 0500 during weekdays -whenever local weather favor live broadcasts from an open theater as Teatro de Verano is! Ditto: nothing heard from Chile for several weeks, over here (Horacio A. Nigro, Uruguay, Mar 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UZBEKISTAN. Another R. Tashkent 3rd harmonic noted at 1400 on 15120. Fundamental frequency is 5040. Seems every Uzbek transmitter radiates harmonics at least up to 3rd. Did someone receive QSL for R. Tashkent harmonics? (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal, March 15, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN [non]. Glenn, I did not quote the time on my item on BBC R Four Archive Hour's feature on Vatcian Radio. It is 2000-2100 Saturday March 16th (Mike Barraclough, March 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. CLANDESTINE from USA to VIETNAM. Radio Free Vietnam now only on Sat at 1500. Que Huong now just 1230-1300 Mon-Sat. All on 9930. Both stations have reduced their schedules (Hans Johnson, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) via KWHR Hawaii, of course ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. 1620 kHz - WRRA (The Reef). Received "standard" verification letter made in Microsoft Word signed by Beverly Meyers (Operations Manager) in 1 day. I sent an email with an audio clip in Real Audio attached to wrra@islands.vi (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY (USA), March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. ZBC heard on reactivated 5975 around from 2145 until 2200 fade UT March 13. No sign of Antigua. On Mar 14 still heard past 2200 (Chris Hambly, Vic., WORLD OF RADIO 1122, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I suppose different program than on 6045 you previously heard at 2000+ (gh, DXLD) ZBC is booming on 5975 at 2030 with African music, 2055 ID and News in Vernacular by man at 2100 then back with music at 2112 (Mahendra Vaghjee. Mauritius, 13 March 2002, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Well, they were on 6045 when I was in South Africa in October, so ZBC has been on shortwave. 5975 is a reactivation, though (Hans Johnson, FL, Mar 14, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ZBC has upgraded its SW transmitters with new spares and will again be operating at full capacity, having been on reduced power. Since Mar 05 R Zimbabwe (ex Radio Two) again has been broadcasting on 6045 in Shona and Ndebele for a predominantly rural listenership, and since Mar 06 National FM (ex Radio Four) has been on 5975 in English, Shona, Ndebele and 12 other languages. Up to and during the elections, both were on 24 hours a day with the usual-sounding programme of local pops and occasional vernacular announcements, except EVERY song extolled either Comrade Mugabe or ZANU Party (apparently requests). Rather pathetic. Nothing on the elections in progress (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, Mar 10 & BBCM, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Two stations are active and both of them are powerhouses here and are tops technically. Apparently the reception in Zimbabwe is excellent and they enjoy a wide audience: 6145, SW R Africa is regular daily *1600-1900* and has added *1100- 1200* transmission on 11670 which has been noted regularly from Feb 25. The characteristics of both transmissions are very consistent with Meyerton site. SADEC (Southern African Development Corporation), of which South Africa is a member, has condemned the external broadcasts to Zimbabwe. 7120, Voice of the People is regular *1700-1800*, i.e. the reported extention of the programme to 1830 has not happened yet (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, DSWCI DX Window Mar 14 via DXLD) The election is just over, but these stations continue to be needed! (DSWCI Ed) UNIDENTIFIED. Hans Johnson mailed me about unknown station used Korean. It is heard 6715 usb 2200-2330 Friday only. I checked it, but no audio here. Any idea? (Gaku Iwata, Japan Premium Mar 15 via DXLD) UNID. 6715U: I had a Korean-speaker listen to an audio file Johnson sent. It is a Christian program in Korea[n?]. The station is not heard here in Japan (Gaku Iwata, Mar 9) Ditto (Richard Lam, Singapore, Mar 9) Fridays only around 2300 (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WHY DO THEY BOTHER? I spend 90% of my radio time listening to six stations: BBC, R. Netherlands, Deustche Welle, R. Netherlands, R. Australia, and RCI/CBC. To broaden my horizons a bit, I spent the last week tuning into stations I don't usually listen to: R. Romania International, Bulgaria, V. of Greece, Tirana, Voice of Indonesia, and several others. It was excruciating. I don't mean reception conditions. Maybe it's not fair to base an opinion on a week's worth of listening, but it seems like a lot of these stations haven't changed much since I first heard them back in the early '70s. The rhetoric may be mostly gone, but the style, delivery, and content remains pretty much the same. News: the Bulgarian Agriculture Minister visits Poland; a sketchy report about joint Greek-Turkish military training; a two-sentence story about lower than expected rice harvests in Indonesia. All read straight from a script - no interviews, no recorded inserts, no background information, nothing. Five minutes of news, two minute editorial, maybe a press review. A "cultural program" or music selections. Finish with the broadcast schedule and mailing address. This has been the English Service of Radio Ennui. Repeat in Spanish or French. I'm amazed how so many broadcasters who purport to broadcast to the west still have no clue as to how to do it. Now, I realize I'm a media-saturated American who can't pay attention to anything unless there's an explosion or a reference to sex, but you would think the RAIs and R. Romanias of the world would have figured out by now that simply reading from a script is not going to communicate much of anything to anyone. Does anyone actually listen to these stations in English? Would anyone notice if they went off the air tomorrow? (Jim Tedford, Bothell, Washington USA, March 13, swprograms via DXLD) Nicely done! My only rejoinder -- playing Devil's advocate somewhat -- is that even if Radio Ennui doesn't craft programming to the standards of the six stations you cited, the programming may still be of interest to expatriates looking for a little touch o'Bucharest. These stations get potentially interesting when things happen in the neighborhood -- Albania was interesting when Yugoslavia was being bellicose. It's tough for some of these stations to do much in English when it's rarely spoken in the country. It's tougher to do English language man-on-the-street (sorry ladies) interviews in Tirana than it is in Tasmania. Every once in a while, for the sake of vicarious travel, I like to pay a visit to the class of stations you mention. Fans of a particular program type might wish to schedule those visits for a day when they air a program of their favorite type. John Figliozzi's programming counsel (available via MT, NASWA, ODXA, and the NASWA website), can be a valuable aid here. I agree with you that my motivation for listening to Radio Tirana is different from my motivation for listening to the "big six". There's a happy medium out there as well -- the Voice of Russia, Radio Prague, Radio Taipei International, and Radio Austria International all come to mind as examples of broadcasters that don't have the breadth of your Big Six but still craft some quality and spice into their programming. Thoughful comments -- muchly appreciated (Richard Cuff, Allentown, PA, ibid.) Actually, Radio Vilnius does do interviews with people in the street. Most of Radio Vilnius' features are translations of reports from the domestic service, largely because the English service is so small (down to four people), and because of the lack of people in Lithuania who speak English well. The street interviews are usually on Thursdays (local time), and rebroadcast over the weekend. Radio Vilnius airs to North America at 2330 UTC on 9875 kHz, and airs a repeat of this broadcast at 0030 on 7325 kHz. If memory serves, the schedule to Europe is at 1900 UTC on 666 kHz medium wave, with a repeat at 0930 the next day on 9710 kHz. And when (not if!) you listen, please let Vladas Dobilas know. From his emails, he gets very worried every March and October when they change frequencies that they're about to lose most of their listeners. :-) As for Radio Prague and Radio Austria, it should be noted that there seems to be a *large* number of English speakers in both the Czech Republic and Austria, especially amongst the chattering classes who tend to be the largest part of the people interviewed in any broadcaster's features. The point, of course, is that it's much easier to do a good mix of current events and features when you've got a larger stock of people available to interview in English. -- (Ted Schuerzinger, swprograms via DXLD) Bart Simpson, interviewing his father: What religion are you? Homer: You know, the one with all the well-meaning rules that don't work out in real life. Uh, Christianity. [Ted`s tagline] WHY INDEED? I suppose it depends what you want. Personally I prefer straight news to a programme with interviews and recorded inserts, whilst these may add to the entertainment value of the show, it is my opinion that they don't really help with understanding what is going on. And would you have needed background information if you had been listening for 6 months instead of one week? For instance, and I've no idea whether this is right, does Voice of Indonesia run stories about rice most nights? I'm completely ignorant about Indonesia - how significant is the rice harvest? I suspect if we listened for a few months we would know. And then we'd get hacked off if the same stuff was reported over and again as "background information". If you are actually interested in finding about a country then I don't think a few nightly broadcasts will sort you out. Is it the content or the way it is presented that is important? Joint Greek-Turkish military training is hugely significant - but it hasn't been reported here (England) whereas David Letterman has. In what sense is Letterman more newsworthy than moves towards a rapprochement between Greece and Turkey? In the sense that he is more entertaining. What is really happening in Zimbabwe? Listening to the BBC and VoA the impression given, by the comment made by reporters, and by government spokesmen is that Mugabe has stolen the election. The few facts hidden within the rafts of hot air don't seem to support that view, and the Africans don't agree. Why is that? And wouldn't it be nice if the BBC, for example, were to point out that it is perhaps a little rich for the administration of Jeb Bush's brother to criticise the way other countries run their elections? And in case you think I'm US bashing, I don't think that a lot of the elections in this country would bear close scrutiny either. This is not to say that I don't recognise that Voice of Turkey, Radio Bulgaria and the rest are propaganda merchants like the broadcasters you mention, but they are at least coming from a different angle. The broadcasters you listen to, and I add in VoA to which I listen a lot, are essentially singing from the same hymn sheet. The best way to find out about Greece and Turkey is to listen to Greece and Turkey and draw your own conclusions (Nicholas Mead, UK, March 14, swprograms via DXLD) I listen to shortwave primarily for news and information. I don't care if news is entertaining, but I do expect it to be informative. What we get from most of these stations is basically one-sentence headlines. I shouldn't have to listen for six months to know what the implications of a bad rice harvest is for the Indonesian economy. While I don't expect a complete social and cultural history of Indonesia in every half-hour program, I do expect more in the way of context, implications, and analysis of news stories. Content and presentation are equally important. The Greek-Turkish military training report is a hugely important story. It warranted two sentences. A BBC or Netherlands would likely supply a little more in the way of details of the story, something about the motivation for this thaw in relations. I expect that the two-sentence report was all Voice of Greece will say on the subject, at least in English. Well, perhaps in a week we'll hear: "Military exercises with the Turkish have ended." When I criticize content, I'm not talking so much about what they report so much as how they do it. "How" in the sense that there are usually few details given, and no attempt to put a story in context. A good example of this, from a station I do listen to frequently, is Radio Japan. Japan has gone through profound social changes in the last decade, thanks to their persistent economic slump. Radio Japan's coverage of the ten-year-long recession is program after program where an economics professor from some university talks about interest rates. Sure, interests rates are an important part of the story. But it's not the only part. I want to hear about the human effects of the what's happened in Japan. Young people there have very different expectations and attitudes than their parents. I've heard very, very little about this from Radio Japan. What I have heard has come from BBC programs. I think you are far more likely to get this kind of perspective on the BBC than you would on, say, Voice of Zimbabwe. The big western broadcasters are far from perfect. They certainly have their biases, and some, like the BBC, are mimicking the deplorable tendency of North American broadcasters to mix entertainment and news. (The David Letterman story hardly rates a mention on any international station, let alone be included in a World Service Newscast). But if I want any chance of understanding what's going on in many countries, the BBC, Netherlands, etc. are far better than what the actual country in question puts out. I disagree. I think the best way is to go on the web and read newspapers from those and surrounding countries. And listen to the BBC, R. Netherlands, et. al. (James Tedford, ibid.) Great discussion. I wrote a column for Monitoring Times a few months back about using shortwave as one tool to seek out "the truth behind the news", mentioning international newspapers available on-line as one fundamental resource. Much of that column tracks the discussion here. The bottom line is that all perspectives are valuable, but one needs to start somewhere. It's much more useful if that starting point is as objectively informed and intellectually honest as possible. (i.e.: This what I think I know; this is what I think I don't know.) Effective listening (and reading, for that matter) should provide challenges to those assumptions that end up either confirming or reinforcing assumptions or altering them in some fashion. It's a continuous re-evaluation process (hopefully) taking one closer to the essential truths, while realizing that one can only approach the truth, but never actually and ultimately arrive there. Fun stuff, if one is always intellectually curious. One can also construct a hierarchy of generally trustworthy sources over time. That, too, needs to be continuously re-evaluated. That list will also change somewhat with the issue, the geographic location, the ideological perspective that generates the issue, and other factors. What should be less important is the style of the presentation. Obviously, Radio Netherlands is easier to listen to than, say, Radio Romania International. But the extent to which one can discount fully the "entertainment value" of the content will have a direct bearing on how effective one's listening is. That is not to say that broadcasters have no responsibility for making their programs as listenable as possible. I'm just pointing out that the extent to which the listener is willing to accept full responsibility for his or her listening has a direct bearing on his or her ability to perceive value in what is being broadcast. One might say that a heavily accented newsreader mars the experience. But if one is ultimately after the information content, that newsreader will not be the ultimate impediment to gaining the information sought, if the information is there. I love these kind of discussions. Carry on! (John Figliozzi, ibid.) The whole reason I listen to shortwave is that I'm curious about how the rest of the world thinks and considers things. And, challenging my assumptions is always an interesting exercise. Unfortunately, lots of shortwave programming doesn't really do that. When I say "style of presentation" I don't so much mean how they read it than what information they present. Too many stations just tell us that this or that happened. That's fine, but I'm equally interested in why something is important, and what the effect is going to be on that region and the world as a whole. Analysis, reaction (official and otherwise) and context is what distinguishes journalism from news reading. I realize that asking this from some stations and countries is a pretty tall order, since many places don't have a tradition of free and honest journalism. What I'm waiting for is the day when listening to international radio via PC is more of a commonplace occurrence amongst internet users. I know many people who listen to radio on the their PCs but it's mostly local music stations or sports. They download MP3 files, rip CDs and the like, so they're comfortable with the technology of it all. I do have a hard time believing many of them would be willing to fiddle with an actual shortwave radio, putting up an antenna, etc. Most of these people are surprised when they find out there's all this international programming being streamed. One co-worker of mine, a pretty savvy computer person, was astounded when I pointed him to the WRN site. He had no idea. Being a U.S. public radio junkie, he was delighted. However, I have to admit that most of my internet-familiar acquaintances aren't all that impressed or interested in 24-hour access to BBC or VOA. Despite what you might hear about Americans being more interested in news and current affairs after September 11, I've seen precious little evidence of it. (I do wish I could figure out who those people are who buy those 1 million plus Grundigs every year.) I'm likely waiting for a day that will never actually come. Maybe the best I can hope for is that delivery systems (radio, internet, whatever) continue to make international radio reasonably available to those of us who want it (Jim Tedford, Bothell, Washington USA, ibid.) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ CODAR == THE SWISHER Josh, I have read, with great interest the letter you have sent to some others on this subject of your study. I understand that the radars are only 50w and polarized to be groundwave. Given those aspects the layman would normally be led to think that these would be non-obtrusive to other forms of communication. I can say that I have clearly logged CODAR mid-day from here in Central Virginia (some 400- 500 miles away) on the following frequency ranges: 4370-4402 4522-4552 4634-4660 4773-4802 4802-4831 4894-4920 In your letter, you state that only five bands are being used. Therefore some of these ranges as stated may be yours, and some may be from someone else's tests. Nevertheless, I was easily able to determine the ranges of 50w transmitters at a time of day that would tend to have the greatest adverse impact on long range transmissions. The first range is directly within that allocated for Mobile Maritime use and potentially interferes with Coastal channels 406 through 416. Luckily these do not overlap with any critical distress frequencies on that band. Also, the overlap is with voice communications rather than digital. The one-second bursts would most definitely hinder any ship- to-shore digital message traffic if that were the case. Since your application is maritime in nature, this seems the best fit provided there are no complaints from the US Coast Guard. The second two ranges potentially interfere with a frequency band that is allocated for aeronautical navigation. They are primarily used for air-to-ground communications for long distance flights. However your frequency choices seem to be below the most common of these frequencies (4666, 4669, 4675, 4678) in that range. The ranges you've selected here seem the safest to use, if any at all in this band. However, again, you might want to check with the ARINC and FAA to make sure that this is on a non-interfering basis and that no complaints have been filed. The last three ranges overlap and severely disrupt the 60 Meter Broadcasting band. Normally, these are used by so-called Tropical broadcasters, mainly in South/Central America and Africa. These bands are used to cover long distances because of the widespread populace as well as irregular terrain. What we typically know as the AM broadcast band (530-1710 kHz) cannot adequately cover a sufficient range in those regions. I understand it is virtually impossible to poll all of the broadcasters (if they even understand English) to see if there are any interference issues. However, I have been in contact with people from South America (Brazil in particular) and they have found the CODARs to be a nuisance. Although the systems emit only 50w they have been propagating via skywave extremely well and have been interfering with the reception of stations not only in South America, but in Europe and Africa. It is for this reason I strongly urge that more research on frequency selection is done. Poor frequency selection in this area (as noted) has the potential to be dangerous not only for Maritime and Aeronautical safety reasons, but have been known to cause international incidents if it is perceived as intentional jamming. In light of the latter, I strongly recommend that any transmissions between 4700 and 5100 kHz be avoided at all costs. If you need any clarification or additional help in this matter, please feel free to contact me. I will do my best to help you succeed in your mission. Thank you, (Mark J. Fine / mark.fine@fineware-swl.com Remington, Virginia, USA, March 13, to Josh Kohut, Rutgers, via DXLD) Mark: Thanks for your quick and informative reply. We are certainly very open to your suggestions. Based on your analysis we will begin to focus on our lower FCC approved frequency ranges (4.66 and 4.55). We have been operating within these bands for about a year continuously and have not received any interference complaints from the FAA, ARINC or the U.S. Coast Guard. In fact, the Coast Guard is exploring ways to use the surface current information from these sites to improve their SAR (Search and Rescue) and environmental protection activities in the coastal ocean. We are currently in the process of upgrading all of our systems with the GPS synchronization hardware that I discussed in my previous letter. This will allow us to collapse all of our systems to the same frequency. In the meantime, I am going to try and move the two sites operating at 4.9 and 4.8 MHz to lower frequencies. It is important that we maintain the operational status of these sites for the demonstration studies we are currently conducting with the Coast Guard. Thank you again for your advice and please let me know if you have any more questions or comments. Josh _________________________________________ Josh T. Kohut Rutgers University Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences 71 Dudley Rd. New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Phone: (732) 932-6555 ext. 542 Fax: (732) 932-1821 E-mail: kohut@arctic.rutgers.edu (via Mark Fine, DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Unsolicited, ironic and nothing to care about GUDAR?? Dear Glenn, I read the list and like it a lot. I saw your remark GUDAR, and I well understood it's some abbr. of yours, I never saw it before. Tell us what it means. That "word", especially with an exclamation mark GUDAR ! means Gods ! in Swedish. It's plural. According to the ceremonials of all the different faiths we hear about on the radio, there is just one, they all say. Can you sort that out ? Mein Gott - meine Götter - Götterdämmerung. Sri, just doodling. (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A coincidence, OR IS IT? GUDAR means DO NOT BELIEVE, of course, tho I hesitate to mitigate its exoticism (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-042, March 13, 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 #1122 available early UT March 14: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1122.html FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685, Sat 0600 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, 2400 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL I just wanted to publicly thank Glen[n] Hauser for World Of Radio. Your site is very accessible. As a blind person I'm now able to hear the shows and it's great. Keep up the good work (John Faircloth, J. F. Productions, swprograms) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN BALKH RADIO TESTS NEW FREQUENCY | Text of report by Afghan Balkh radio on 13 March We want to inform our dear compatriots and honourable listeners that after 1800 [local time = 1330 gmt] we will start broadcasting on 909 kHz frequency, that is the 330 metre band, through our new transmitter for a test. We hope that our dear listeners will contact us with regard to broadcast quality by telephone, using the following Radio [Balkh] numbers: 3131, 3276 and 2296, and keep us informed. Your cooperation will be appreciated very much, and we thank you in advance cordially. Source: Balkh Radio, Mazar-e Sharif, in Dari 1327 gmt 13 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Re: ...Unfortunately, TWR does not officially indicate the exact country of location of this MW transmitter. On QSL and in schedule it is reflected as "Central Asia"... (Signal No.48 - Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia) It's according to the law of Republic of Armenia. It does not permit to officially reveal transmitter locations. This law was adopted for security reasons, when RFA relays began (Vasily Gulyaev, Astrakhan, Russia, Signal March 13 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. UT Fri. 2305 and Sat. 0530: LINGUA FRANCA - about language. "NewZealspeak". On not understanding Maori: George Seddon on his discovery of NewZealspeak. With the Maori language being taught in many New Zealand schools, more and more Pakeha are becoming familiar with Maori and more and more Maori words are entering everyday speech and writing. As a result, readers on this side of the Tasman can find themselves 'up the creek' without a glossary. George Seddon of the Centre for Studies in Australian Literature at the University of Western Australia reflects on the implications of the emerging sub- language he calls 'NewZealspeak'. [Transcript available] (RA Previews for Mar 15-16 via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. Summer A-02 Schedule for VRT/RVI in English: 0700-0725* 5985 JUL 100 kW / non-dir to Europe 1130-1155* 9865 P.K 250 kW / 244 deg to EaAsia 1730-1755* 9925 ARM 100 kW / 284 deg to NoSoEu 13690 SKN 250 kW / 175 deg to SoWeEu 13710 JUL 100 kW / 133 deg to SoEaEu 1930-1955* 9925 ARM 100 kW / 284 deg to NoSoEu 13690 SKN 250 kW / 175 deg to SoWeEu 2230-2255 15565 BON 200 kW / 320 deg to NoAmEa 0400-0425 15565 BON 200 kW / 350 deg to NoAmWe * also on MW 1512 to Eu 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Mar 12 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re DXLD 2-038, 18815 for R. Brasil Central was obviously a typo for 11815 (Anker Petersen, DSWCI) Unfortunately not obvious enough to me (gh, DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. This whole Burkina thing has me wondering. I haven't heard them in a few years on 4815. Yet, they come in like gangbusters periodically on 5030. I don't think they have the money for a new transmitter let alone the money for the proper antenna to deliver that type of signal. Perhaps my surmise on the ODXA group is right, perhaps they are using Africa No. 1. After all, they have been known to put in a blow torch signal on 9580 in our afternoons. It would be interesting for someone visiting the country, or someone who has the shekels to call them, so that we can clear this up (Mark Coady, Ontario, March 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) For the 2nd night in a row, Burkina Faso has made a nice trip into Bridgenorth on 5030. I sent Glen Hauser an e-mail mentioning that I suspect that this must be via another country, perhaps Gabon's Africa No. 1, as the blow torch signal was never heard on 4815. After looking at an atlas, I notice that Burkina Faso is next door to Togo. Togo on 5047 has been missing for a while. Their signal quality on that frequency was similar to what we are getting from Burkina now. Perhaps they are relaying Burkina. Who knows? (Mark Coady, Ont., March 12, ODXA via DXLD) Re Karel Honzik`s tentative on 5030: Yes, Radio Burkina. Heard here March 10th 1830 onwards and several solid R Burkina IDs. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski Finland, March 11, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Yes, it's Burkina Faso, with many ID, music, talk in French, from two or three evenings this week. Here the best time to listening it is 2200-2300 UT. 73 (Salvo Micciché, Sicily, EU, ibid.) ** CAMBODIA. 11940.0, Tent. National Voice of Cambodia *0000-0102 Mar 12, Asian language. Sign-on with brief anthem by chorus, announcements. Talk show - interviews, much laughter. Rock music at 0052. Heard "National" at 0100 but no definite ID. No English heard. SINPO 43443, splatter from China, 11945, but no RRI on freq. Peaked S9. Incredible (Bill Flynn, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. SCIENCE SHOW STAYS IN RADIO REVAMP Sid Adilman, Toronto Star FOR ALL the fans who have written me, hoping it will not be cancelled, and for its other regular listeners, there is good news about Quirks And Quarks, the 25-year-old weekly science show on CBC Radio One. It not only will survive in Radio One's first major programming revamp in 30 years, but starting in September it will get a better time spot plus a night-time repeat. Unlike TV, prime time on Radio One is Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Quirks And Quarks, currently broadcast after the noon newscast on Saturdays, will be moved to 9 a.m. that day, replacing The House, a program that recaps the week's doings of Parliament and the national political scene. The House's future has not been decided. There is some feeling at CBC Radio that national politics are well covered by other programs and will be, too, by a new daily morning show to run from 8:30 to 10, likely hosted by Ralph Benmergui. Quirks And Quarks will also be repeated during the week at 8:05 p.m., on a spot yet to be chosen.... http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1015887708147&call_page=TS_News_Columnists&call_pageid=970599109774&call_pagepath=Columnists (via Ivan Grishin, Ont., DXLD) ** CHINA. 6185, China Huayi Broadcast Corporation, Fuzhou, Fujian, relay program of 99.6 and 107.1 MHz FM. Jingle ID "CFBC [sic— you mean CHBC? --gh] radio", "This is FM 99.6 and 107.1, China Huayi Broadcast Corporation", English ID, most of the time Chinese pop music. At 0800 UT S=9+20-30dB. At 0100 UT Feb 24th, only Chinese ID's on air. Usually the regular program starts around 2330 UT (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Feb 10-24, BC-DX Mar 11 via DXLD) 6185, China Huayi Broadcasting Corp., 1259 Mar 4, Mandarin Chinese, announcement for program tomorrow evening from 7 to 9 (1100-1300 UT) about medical wine (wine with herbs), pips (5 long, 1 short), Ch ID, En jingle "CHBC, CHBC, CHBC Radiooooo," ID: "This is FM 996 1071" (99.6 and 107.1), China Huayi Broadcasting Corp.," call-in program in Ch from 9-10 (1300-1400 UT) with two doctors from Tongren Hospital answering medical questions, phone numbers given to call in and bus numbers given to get to the hospital. Fair. (Per PWBR-2002, the station says "Corporation," but a better translation is "Company." For myself, I will go with the translation made by the station itself. The jingle when I first heard it sounded somewhat like CFBC, but the more I listened to the tape I think it is CHBC. Thanks to my wife, Jiaying, for the translation.) (Ron Howard, CA, DXplorer Mar 7 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. Kinshasa, 9555. Hoere gerade auf 9550 sehr schwach eine Station mit einem Programm in English. Kinshasa wurde erwaehnt, daneben die Weltbank. Ansonsten ist das Programm kaum aufnehmbar. Um 1832 kam so etwas wie eine ID (unverstaendlich) gesprochen von einer Frau sowie afrikanische Trommeln. Koennte R Okapi aus dem Congo sein, aber ich wusste nicht, dass die auf Englisch senden (Enzio Gehrig, Spain, A-DX Mar 6 via BC-DX via DXLD) Some RealAudio at http://www.hirondelle.org/hirondelle.nsf/ Contact info shown there: R. Okapi, QG Monuc, 12, Av des Aviateurs, Kinshasa Gombe, RDC, tel: +1-212-963-01-03, ext. 56384, 56397 (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Mar 10 via BC-DX via DXLD) I have checked 9550 last night 1830-1900, there is a weakish Bangla Desh signal until 1900 s-off, thereafter a completely free channel, no trace of any signal whatsoever. 9555 is occupied by Saudi Arabia, no trace of anything else either. If indeed R Okapi is active on SW, I doubt it is on these two frequencies. Will keep checking from time to time (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DXplorer Mar 10 via BC-DX via DXLD) There is some audio from R Okapi at http://www.hirondelle.org Click on "R. Okapi" and scroll down to the audio. Has anyone heard them on SW yet? (Jerry Berg, DXplorer Mar 10 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. SPIDLA: WE WANT RFE TO CONTINUE BROADCASTING FROM PRAGUE. Copyright (c) 2002 Radio Prague (Vysilani do zahranici CRo) News MARCH 11th, 2002 By: Rob Cameron The deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla said on Monday he had reassured the United States that his government wants the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe to continue broadcasting from the Czech Republic, but was concerned about the station's present location in centre of Prague. Speaking after his return from an official visit to the U.S., Mr Spidla told reporters that the station's current headquarters at the top of Prague's Wenceslas Square were "completely unsuitable." The Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) building has been surrounded by armed personal carriers and soldiers since the September 11th attacks on the United States. Earlier Radio Free Europe said it had turned down an offer from the mayor of Budapest to move the station's headquarters to the Hungarian capital (via Chris Brand, UK, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. This time my wife will take the scan on a diskette to my IT-café where the owner hopefully sends it to SWB. I hope it works. With the exception of a 4-month period when I for medical reasons was in Sweden, all my bandscans have been coming out without any break! I have been in bed for some time due to a persistent throat infection. So if somebody has written without getting an answer, there will for sure be an e-mail reply within due time! That is also why the bands have been checked less intensely during the last 14 days. After a very long and serious period of dry weather, "finally" it has now started to rain a little every day - it also means that the "grip"-epidemics begin to show up. In my old home country, Sweden, the doctors are very restrictive to prescribe antibiotics. Here in Quito you just visit the nearest pharmacy when catching the smallest cold symptoms. At first an injection with antibiotics in your "back" and then a 3-day cure with antibiotic pills. Everything without any medical control, whatsoever. This is nothing I like, I prefer entering the bed instead. Despite this I have managed to start up my radio a few times -but hearing heavy protests from my wife.. Recently the whole family was invited to a 65-year celebration at Sr. Guido Garcés, brother to my father-in-law. He lives together with his wife a couple of hours away by car from in the valley "el valle de Tumbaco" - maybe you are familiar with the local station of the valley on 1360 kHz: "Oyambaro AM". 5 years ago he was, next to the President, the second most important person in Ecuador. Somewhat astonished I got a warm reception from a man dressed in a checked woodman skirt and baggy blue jeans. I was not less surprised when the gathered forces of the big farm went to attack - two very big ducks and a tiny and friendly Labrador she-dog. In Quito all windows are covered by iron bars, our own house is equipped with alarm system, but here there was nothing to protect the big window areas - Guido Garcés has nowadays a high rank in the Ecuadorian judicial system and perhaps he thinks this is defence enough. This has nothing to do with DX, so I will finish up in a hurry. I left the farm happy and cheerful after getting my favourite dish "hornado", pig meat with vegetables. A few hours later the house was surprisingly attacked by a band - yes, I mean a "mariachi band" dressed up in their typical costumes with wide brimmed hats. Two guitars, two trumpets and two violins. My favourite music here in LA is just the "mariachi" so one or two tears fell down my cheek by pure happiness ...... (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin March 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** FINLAND. YLE Radio Finland Summer 2002 SW schedule All transmissions from Pori (21E35' 61N28') kHz UT azimuth kW target 6120 0200-0400 130 250 East Europe 6120 0400-2200 240 100 Northern Europe 6120 1900-2200 220 250 Northern Europe 6140 1900-2000 130 250 East Europe 6180 0700-0800 *80 250 East Europe 9560 0530-0700 225 250 Central&West Europe 9605 1600-1700 130 250 East Europe 9630 1300-1900 225 250 Central&West Europe 9655 0400-0530 130 250 East Europe 9705 1300-1500 130 500 East Europe 11755 0400-0500 175 250/500 SE Europe/Middle East 11755 0500-2000 220 250 Central&West Europe 11755 1100-1200 175 250/500 SE Europe/Middle East 11755 1400-1600 175 250/500 SE Europe/Middle East 11770 2330-2345 90 500 Asia/Australia 11990 0000-0100 **310 500 North America 11990 0100-0200 310 500 North America 11990 0100-0200 240 500 South America 13665 2330-2345 90 500 Asia/Australia 13730 0000-0100 **325 500 North America 13730 0100-0200 325 500 North America 13770 0430-0500 325 500 North America 15135 0600-0800 240 500 Europe/Australia 15400 1200-1300 310 500 North America 15445 0400-0530 175 500 Middle East/E.Africa 15530 0930-1000 225 500 Central, West Europe 15530 1000-1200 *225 500 Central, West Europe 17615 0800-0900 75 500 Russia 17625 1300-1330 130 250 India/Near East 17670 1200-1300 295 500 North America 17670 1530-1600 295 500 North America 17670 1600-1800 *295 500 North America 21520 1000-1100 **90 500 Asia/Australia 21670 0600-0700 *75 500 Asia/Australia 21670 0700-0800 75 500 Asia/Australia 21670 0800-0830 75 500 Asia/Australia 21800 0900-1100 90 500 Asia/Australia 21800 1100-1200 240 500 South America 21810 1700-1800 175 250 Middle East/E.Africa ** = Saturday only * = Saturday and Sunday only (Arto Mujunen, Finland, World DX Club email group via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** FINLAND. 6170 +5990 2.3 1045 After 1105 on 5990. The funniest pirate I heard for a long time. Scandinavian Weekend Radio. I don`t want to act or be like the schoolmaster, but in fact it is wrong to say that Jyväskylä is situated in Scandinavia, even if you wish it was a fact. Scandinavia is Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, and you have to say Nordic, the Nordic countries, if you include Finland. Unfortunately. I have never dreamed of investigating this if it has not been because of my work. There is a difference in air freight charges between places in Scandinavia and the rest of the Nordic countries, i.e. Finland. If a circuit board (50 g) is sent to Pajala via Arlanda-Helsinki and Oulo including delivery, it is bloody more expensive than via Arlanda and Luleå. I am speaking of door-to-door delivery the same day. After a dozen years in the business I am familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of Jetpak. The cost when an industry in Pajala stands still can reach several thousand Swedish crowns per minute, so that is not the problem, the circuit board must be delivered. It is very difficult to explain to the customer that there is an additional cost of SEK 6000 if you guarantee delivery 1700 via Helsingfors than 1745 via Luleå. But that depends on the fact that the dear computer does not recognize via Finland as an inter-scandinavian freight area, and neither due to ev. different land transports. Hard facts of Life in Jyväskylä, I am sorry, but those are the facts. The freight-example is hypothetical, but I have been involved in much worse cases. But in any case don´t bother with this, pretend I never wrote it, continue with SWR!! You are very funny (JB = Johan Berglund, SW Bulletin Mar 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** GEORGIA. R. Georgia in English 1830-1900 on 11910 (Mar 2, not on Mar 7). On 4540: 1515-1545 in Abkhaz(?); 1600-1630 in Azeri (Mar 7). R Hara 1700-1730 4875 (Mar 7), 0500-0530 4540, 4875 [via Dusheti]. (Mar 8). (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Mar 7-8 via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. Re DXLD 2-036, HRMI`s plans to activate 3340 as well as 5010: perhaps we should point out that the two frequencies are sesquiharmonically related, no accident, I am sure (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 2960, The last couples of days I was able to hear the s- off announcements clear (100%) as "RPDT2 Manggarai", s-off time is varying 1250 ... 1314 UT*. The other ID is "Radio Ruteng", or "Radioprogram Ruteng", or "Radio Manggarai". Fade-in time is about 1100 UT in the Philippines (Roland Schulze, BC-DX Feb 10-24) 300 watt in WRTH 2002 (via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. I remembered to try 7480 today March 6, but there were no clues that I could hear as to where it was coming from. I tuned at 1655 and found an 'open' carrier - a very faint hum in the background. Freq so far as I could measure was 7480.00. Drumming music started at c1659, then program at 1700:05. There was a clear ID for Barabari. Audio quality sounded good - signal strength was averaging 7, with occasional peaks to 9. There was splatter from Sveio-Norway 7490 180 deg to EUR averaging 30dB over 9 before and after the hour. The program finished c1729:35 and transmitter dropped carrier 1730 - and that was it (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX via DXLD) I took another listen to R. Barabari today (07/02) and found the station on at 1657 with music extract and ID over and over. Program started at 1700 and finished c1731. The signal today was peaking 40dB over 9 and dropping back to 20 over 9 - so obviously another site - or another more powerful transmitter. Audio quality was very good and frequency exact, so far as I could tell. There were no identifying signs at close down - transmission just stopped. I could hear voice and music very weak in the background at 1657 - I thought it might have been bleed through on tape. It was also audible when program started, too weak to obtain any details. So - is that the tests completed??? (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. KUWAIT, 1575: I picked "Radio Future" "Idhaat al mostaqbaal" on 1575; around 2200 March 10 the program was in Kurdish, followed by an Arabic song around 2215 and then back to the Arabic program. ID followed by radio drama against Saddam Hussein. I wonder why would they transmit around this time; it's very late for anyone in Iraq to hear this?? (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, BC-DX via DXLD) Hi Glenn, Referring to DXLD 2-041-item concerning IRAQ: ``Re DXLD 2-040 GERMANY non: ``No Megaradio heard on 1575 kHz; did hear Spanish talk fading out to Middle East music and Arabic talk and another station off frequency at 1575.3 kHz.`` Hi Glenn, I have heard Iraq regularly on 1575.2 kHz. Maybe that was Wade's station. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` Today I have received this log in an email from Robertas Petraitis: 1575.0 2100-2240 09/03 KWT al-Mustaqbal (Radio the Future), clandestine, A, s/on, Holy Qur`an, patriotic songs, radio drama, 33433 RPe. The same station?? Best 73s, (Ydun M. Ritz, Denmark, March 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) http://www.ydunritz.com/y-news.htm mostly from DXLD ** ITALY. I've got some info about RAI sports program, which goes out every Sunday at 1350-1730. Frequencies are 17820 (but they still announce 17780), 9670, 9515 (belongs to RAI Due), 21520, 21535, 21710 kHz. QRM on 17820 kHz: 1400-1430 R. Liberty in Kyrgyz, 1500-1600 RCI in English, after 1700 RCI in French. Unfortunately, my rx (Ishim-003) does not have 13 meter band. Monitored 9670 kHz on 3 March: at 1400 S=2, at 1600 S=4 (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus, Signal Mar 13 via DXLD) ** JAPAN. 5428.00, 2030 JKM 21, Mihara can be heard almost every evening with USB-transmission. With 300 watt in the antenna relaying NHK Osaka. Starts on the second after bell ringing. Extremely dull programmes with classical music if they are not talking. Usually heard a lasting hour forwards. Seldom (never) strong. 2 (SA = Stig Adolfsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Mar 10 via Thomas Nilsson, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. Dear Mr. Glenn Hauser, I am Nobuya Kato, a member of Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC). This year, JSWC celebrates 50th anniversary since its foundation, and has a plan to broadcast its special programs on shortwave. According to Toshimichi Ohtake, a senior member of my club, the first special program will be on the air on 16 March from Voice of America. As you may know, Dr. Andrew Kim Elliott, the former host of Communications World, still has a program related to the 60th anniversary of VOA on the same times and frequencies as CW was broadcast until 23 February. So you can hear the special program of JSWC during his program on 16 March, together with the segment looking backs on the VOA Japanese service which went off the air in 1970. A special QSL card from JSWC will be issued for correct reception reports sent to: Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC), 50th Anniversary Committee, P.O.Box 138, Yokohama Port, 231-8691 Japan. Here is a part of the broadcast schedule of the former Communications World: To Pacific/East Asia/South Asia (All times in UTC) 0133: 7115 7200 9850 11705 11820 15250 15300 17740 17820 0533: 15205 0933: 11995 13615 15150 1333: 6110 9645 9760 11705 15425 1733: 6110 7125 9645 9760 15205 15395 2133: 6095 6160 9595 9670 11870 15185 17735 17820 Those who are living outside of above area may receive the program at the same time on the frequencies directed to their area. With kind regards, (Nobuya Kato, March 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. LATVIA SHUTS DOWN RUSSIAN RADIO By J. Michael Lyons, The Associated Press RIGA, Latvia -- Latvian officials have canceled the broadcast license of a popular Russian-language radio station that they accuse of violating laws requiring that substantial on-air programming be in Latvian. Many Russian speakers, who make up nearly 40 percent of the Baltic republic's 2.4 million population, say the move to close down Radio Bizness and Baltic is discriminatory and a violation of free speech. Full story at: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/03/11/044.html (via Fred Waterer, Mar 12, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. It seems clear that Madagascar has 2 Radio Stations now (1) The official Station RTM which is on 5010, 6138 and 7155. 3287 was off and has been heard to-day. It signed on at 0300 and for the moment [due to the unrest] it went off at 1702 instead of 1900 after usual ID, NA and IS. (2) The station backed by Marc Ravalomanana, the mayor of Antananarivo and self appointed president is on 9685 from 0300 to 2000 and 5000 which has moved to 4990 is from 1700 to 0300 (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, 11 March 2002, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MAURITIUS. RADIO ONE, FIRST PRIVATE STATION, GOES ON AIR Radio One, the first independent radio station in Mauritius, began broadcasting on 12 March, the Mauritian newspaper L'Express reported. Radio One belongs to the Sentinelle media group, the owner of L'Express. It aims to be a mass market station, carrying news bulletins every 30 minutes and entertainment programmes. Radio One is one of three private stations to be issued a licence as part of the liberalization of the sector. Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth said on 12 March that independent television networks would also be set up. "The advent of private radio, which is to be followed by the arrival of independent television, is not just a commercial operation. It is a considerable advance in democracy," Sentinelle's managing director, Jean-Claude de l'Esctrac, wrote in an editorial in L'Express on 10 March. Two other private licence holders, Radio Plus and Sunrise Radio, have yet to announce their launch dates. Source: L'Express web site, Port Louis (Mauritius), in French, 10 and 12 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Webcast??? ** NAMIBIA. NAMIBIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION IN "FINANCIAL CRISIS" | Excerpt from report by Namibian newspaper The Namibian web site on 11 March A serious financial crisis has compelled the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) to scale down its operations. Journalists' wings have been clipped after they were told that international and domestic trips will not be sanctioned due to the lack of funds. The NBC has an annual overdraft facility of 10m Namibia dollars [878,000 US dollars] on which it has been paying interest of 2m dollars... The financial crisis has been blamed on "uncontrolled expenditure" within the NBC. Insiders cite mismanagement, extensive foreign travel by staff, abuse of overtime claims and fuel card fraud as among the causes. Approached for comment, chairman of the NBC Board, Uazuva Kaumbi, said the NBC's financial crisis "is not anything new", but he acknowledged that the causes of the uncontrolled spending are being investigated. The NBC's deficit ballooned to 18m dollars last year [1.5m US dollars] - up from 600,000 in 1991, says a source close to the unfolding crisis. Financial cutbacks have already affected newsroom operations. The broadcaster was only able to send one journalist to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia. The reporter had to double up as a cameraman while there. For the Zimbabwean elections the sole journalist sent there had to perform a variety of duties. In an internal directive last week, the NBC ordered staff members to assist the corporation to lower its annual telephone bill of 3m dollars [263,000 US dollars] by reducing the number and the duration of local and international telephone calls... Another senior NBC staffer attributed the crisis to the fact that some top employees "have been travelling extensively and expensively. They know themselves what led to this. They must cut down on extensive travel and on petrol cards." Board Chairman Kaumbi said yesterday: "The financial crisis is not anything new. Last year we appointed an internal auditor. We were worried about uncontrolled expenditure." "Because the company has an overdraft facility of 10m dollars, the overdraft is always used up and exceeded. We must move towards a situation where we control cash flow," he said... [In July 2000 sweeping management changes were announced by NBC, in line with new cost-saving mechanisms.] Source: The Namibian web site, Windhoek, in English 11 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. A gunman shot himself after a seven-hour siege in Amsterdam's tallest building. The man held people hostage at the Rembrandt Tower in protest at the quality of wide screen television http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_541734.html?menu=news.latestheadlines (via Jeff Kadet, WTFDA via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. See AUSTRALIA ** OKLAHOMA. More notes on Enid`s only live local TV station, KXOK, channel 32: on the 10 pm news, March 12, a story about Bill Clinton helping somebody fundraise, was illustrated by a still of Bill instantly recognizable as ``I did not have sex with that woman`` with him wagging his finger at us. A minute later, an impressive official portrait of a beaming Gov. Frank Keating (Republican) appeared. Looks like KXOK is playing politics in its news, and not very subtly. All kinds of technical problems do not prevent them from going ahead with live news broadcasting, leaving unfortunate anchors with egg on the face (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE. VOICE OF PALESTINE REPORTEDLY STOPS BROADCASTING AFTER RAMALLAH ATTACKS Israel radio on the morning of 12 March quoted its correspondent in the Palestinian territories as saying that the Voice of Palestine "has stopped broadcasting owing to power cuts in several sections of Ramallah". A Palestinian policeman and an 18-year-old youth were killed by Israeli troops during attacks in Ramallah, the radio said. It quoted Palestinian sources as saying that the IDF "demolished the home of Wafa Idris, the female terrorist in the Al-Am'ari refugee camp..., and of the terrorist who staged the attack on the Seafood Market restaurant in Tel Aviv last week". The radio said IDF soldiers had also killed "four terrorists in the Netzarim area in the northern Gaza Strip overnight". Source: Voice of Israel, Jerusalem, in Hebrew 0600 gmt 12 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) VOICE OF PALESTINE RADIO HEARD RESUMING BROADCASTS Voice of Palestine (VOP), the official radio station of the Palestinian National Authority led by Yasir Arafat, was observed to resume transmission on its FM frequency of 90.7 MHz at 0647 gmt on 12 March. The station, broadcasting from Ramallah, gave no reason for the interruption in its transmission earlier that morning. Earlier on 12 March an Israeli radio station in Hebrew had been heard with good reception on the VOP frequency. Voice of Israel at 0600 gmt on 12 March reported that "Voice of Palestine has stopped broadcasting owing to power cuts in several sections of Ramallah" (following Israeli attacks on the town). Voice of Palestine broadcast only patriotic songs since 0647 gmt. The daily news feature "A New Day" and the first major news bulletin were not carried. Palestine Satellite Channel TV from Gaza, in its 0700 gmt news bulletin on 12 March, showed pictures of the Palestinians killed in the Israeli incursion into the Jabaliya refugee camps at dawn on the 12th and gave the names of those killed. Source: BBC Monitoring research 12 Mar 02 (via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. At 1145 UT the following eleven channels are active: 2410 3205 3235 3245 3275 3303 3315 3325 3375 3905 and 4890. 3220 is silent for at least a month now. Only Korean stn and some Russian Ham[?] radio operators in ssb mode on that channel. 2410 irregular active. 3205 active, but suffers tx problems. Not every day on air: 3245, 3275, 3315, 3375. 3305 low modulation level. 3325 suffers few tx problems. 4890 regular on air, but sometimes suffering modulation problem. From about 1000 UT in Pidgin, and seldom English. From 1100 UT music request show, 1200 nx, then mx request show again til s-off 1402* UT. On weekends mostly religious program and Gospel Singers (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Jan 1 - Feb 24, BC-DX March 11 via DXLD) ** PERU. 6780.5, Radio Unión, Lima (Tentative). 1006-1020 March 11. Short commentary read by male about the economy in Piura Department. After, farmer short news. Ann.: "..seguimos en breve con más información". Song ("cumbia"). Then, interview. 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. LESZCZYNKA`S UNCERTAIN FUTURE [SW site used by R. Polonia]: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/poland020312.html (Bernd Trutenau, Media Network March 12 via DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. Re ``The AFRTS Radio Station Roosevelt Roads, PR listing is wrong in the WRTH. 1200 AFRTS Roosevelt Roads, PR is 250 Watts, not 50w.`` Well, the info in the WRTH 2002 is correct, 0.25 kW. 73's (Tore Larsson, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. RRI QUIZ "DOWN THE ARGES RIVER - 2002" QUIZ Radio Romania International invites you to participate in yet another prize-winning contest, titled "Down the Arges River - 2002". As usual, you will only have to send your answers to a thematic quiz. So tune to RRI, follow our features, come up with the correct answer and you can become the big winner. The quiz will be regularly broadcast in our programmes and you can send your answers by April 30, 2002, the post date, at the latest. Don't forget: as part of what has already become a tradition with RRI, the winners will be awarded a series of prizes by the sponsors of our contest which are: the Prefect's Office of Arges County, the Arges County Council, the Arges Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Pitesti City Hall, the Curtea de Arges City Hall, the Arges County Culture Department and the Brasov City Hall. The grand prize is a 7 day trip for two between July 1st and the 10th to Arges County, granted by Posada Ltd Curtea de Arges. And now, the quiz - here are the questions: In what part of Romania is Arges county situated? What is the name of the main city of Arges County? Who were Romania's first kings, who are buried in the Episcopal Church in Curtea de Arges? Which are Romania's highest mountains, stretching in the north of Arges County? The first car-making plant in Romania was inaugurated in Pitesti on August 20, 1968. What is the name of the car make manufactured by that plant? We would also like to know what determined you to participate in this latest RRI contest. You can send your answers by letter, by fax or by e-mail. We'll be looking forward to your answers. Don't forget, the deadline is April 30, 2002, the post date. The winners are to be announced at the end of May. Good luck and don't miss out on your opportunity to visit Arges County! (From RRI's Site) Note: according to an announcement of RRI's Russian Service, the trip for two to Arges County does NOT include the travel expenses from your home country to Romania (Sergei Sosedkin, March 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Non-disclosed is no doubt an important fact about this contest, and it ought to be illegal to withhold this info: merely answering all the questions correctly (not that difficult, with a little research, even without listening), will NOT win the contest. In all probability the correct entries will be eligible for a drawing. But since they don`t say, it could be merely at the whim of station officials who gets the prize! The ultimate random nature of the winners is usually the case with seemingly easy contests (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ST. HELENA. Hello! Back from Ghana and in the harness again. On SW nothing unusual or new was heard when I tested from various QTH in Ghana. MW gave a lot of stations in West Africa. On 1548 a weak English speaking station was heard every evening when I stayed in Kumasi, circa 300 km northwest of Accra. It might have been St. Helena. Portable receivers like Sony 7600D ought to be forbidden. You rather give up listening to avoid hearing all that intermodulation, distortion and all the other peculiarities that this junk radio shows (Stig Adolfsson, Ghana, SW Bulletin Mar 10 via Thomas Nilsson, DXLD) ** SARAWAK. RTM Sarawak seems to work on old reports. Although a report for a reception on 4895 kHz from Feb. 11, 2000 had been verified by letter after 4 weeks, I now received 2 (!) detailed QSL cards showing the broadcasting house. This card is still the same as one I got in 1986. The name of the V/s is not readable. vy 73, (Willi Passmann, Germany, dx_india via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Frequency change for BSKSA Holy Kor`an service in Arabic: 1800-2100 NF 11915 (55444), ex 11935 \\ 11820 and 15230 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Mar 12 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. SA`UDI RADIO TO START PASHTO PROGRAMMES TO AFGHANISTAN | Text of report in English by Saudi news agency SPA web site Riyad, 13 March: The radio of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will begin Friday [15 March] transmission of a radio programme in Pashto directed at Pashto-speaking people in Afghanistan and Pakistan for one hour daily starting at 07:00 pm Saudi local time [1600 gmt] using a 31- meter, 9695 kHz short wave. The minister of information Dr Fu'ad Bin-Abd-al-Salam al-Farsi, said the transmission was approved in line with directives by the Saudi leaders to broaden radio transmission using various bands and languages to make the voice of the kingdom heard all over the world. Source: SPA news agency web site, Riyad, in English 1535 gmt 13 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. 3316, The SLBS, Goderich, - by far Africa`s best 90 mb signal noted at same time, 2nd best being Ghana`s outlet on 3366 - heard today 6th Mar 1943-2009, 55433 in Vernacular, with talks, ads, then ID and national newscast in English 2000 Mar 6 after jingle (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SINGAPORE. 3915, BBC SNG always a strong signal at night. This outlet is not given prominence in BBC scheduling due to the fact that it is a high powered outlet in what is supposed to be a local SW band (Adrian Peterson, Kuala Lumpur?, DXplorer Mar 8 via BC-DX via DXLD) Local SW band? How do you mean that? I thought 75m was for international broadcasting, not even tropical (gh, DXLD) ** SOMALILAND. BBC TO TRAIN RADIO HARGEYSA JOURNALISTS | Text of report by Somaliland's Radio Hargeysa on 12 March A two-week course attended by Radio Hargeysa journalists was today opened at the Ministry of Information in Hargeysa. The training course was opened by the minister of information, Hon Abdullahi Muhammad Du'ale. Speaking at the function, the minister said it was gratifying to note that Radio Hargeysa staff had been selected for the course. He said this kind of knowledge transfer was made possible by the prevailing peace in Somaliland. The director-general of the Ministry of Information, Mr Hasan Umar Hori, spoke at the function and welcomed the participants. He said the current course was aimed at improving the country's journalistic skills, and specifically tailored for Radio Hargeysa. The course was based on a recent accord between the BBC and Radio Hargeysa . The director-general said that more courses would be conducted in May. Mr Yunis Ali Nur from BBC Training, who will conduct the course for the Radio Hargeysa staff, also spoke at the function, detailing how the course would be conducted. The director of Radio Hargeysa, Muhammad Sa'id Muhumed, told the officials about the importance of this course for the journalists, the need for the participants to benefit from the course and the need to keep time. Source: Radio Hargeysa in Somali 1700 gmt 12 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Not to be outdone... ** SWAZILAND/USA. VOA TO TRAIN JOURNALISTS FOR STATE BROADCASTER | Text of report by Radio Swaziland on 11 March The deputy director of the Swaziland Broadcasting and Information Services, SBIS, Timothy Shongwe, says the Voice of America radio station, VOA, can play a vital role in the training of SBIS staff in engineering, communications, and production. Addressing visiting VOA media personality Rita Rochelle when she called on him this morning, Shongwe said both SBIS and VOA stand to benefit from the exchange of personnel and programmes between the two sister stations. Shongwe and Rochelle recommended that SBIS staff members should attend courses in America and at the same time American media experts should come to SBIS to conduct courses. Rochelle is in Swaziland to speak with local journalists, university students of mass communications at Kwaluseni, and Women in Business. Source: Radio Swaziland, Mbabane, in English 1600 gmt 11 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. R. Sweden A'02 12 March '2002 Radio Sweden Frequency Schedule A'02 - English Language -------------------------------------------- To Europe/Africa/Middle East: 1330-1400 - 17505 khz 1730-1800 - 6065, 1179 (Except Sun) 1730-1800 - 13580 (Sun Only) 1930-2000 - 6065, 1179 2130-2200 - 6065, 1179 To East Asia & New Zealand: 1230-1300 - 17505 To Australia & South East Asia: 1130-1200 - 17505 1230-1300 - 21530 1330-1400 - 17505 2130-2200 - 15255 To South Asia: 0130-0200 - 13625 To North America: 0230-0300 - 9490 [via Canada, presumably] 0330-0400 - 9490 [via Canada, presumably] 1130-1200 - 18960 1230-1300 - 18960 1330-1400 - 18960 (All times in UT, freq's in kHz) Regds, (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [another version:] R Sweden in English from 1 April to 27 October 2002 0130-0200 sAS 13625 0230-0300 NAM 9490 (via Canada) 0330-0400 NAM 9490 (via Canada) 1130-1200 AU/seAS 17505 NAM 18960 1230-1300 eAS/NZ 17505 AU/seAS 21530 NAM 18960 1330-1400 EU/AF 17505 AU/seAS 17505 NAM 18960 1730-1800 (ex sun) EU/AF 1179 6065 1730-1800 (sun) EU/AF 13580 1930-2000 EU/AF 1179 6065 2130-2200 EU/AF 1179 6065 AU/seAS 15255 (Printed sked via Michael Beesley, Hampshire, UK, World DX Club via Alan Roe and Mike Barraclough, DXLD) Glenn, Further to this just sent. The spreadsheet is somewhat confusing, but indicates that both 1179 and 6065 at 1730 will be daily, contrary to what the printed sked shows. My guess is that both are wrong, and that 6065 will be Monday to Saturday, with 13580 on Sundays only and 1179 daily (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND. SRI remaining English for A-02: English 0730-0800 15445 JUELICH 100 160 nAF English 0730-0800 17685 JUELICH 100 200 wAF English 0730-0800 21750 SOTTENS 500 165 AF English 0830-0900 21770 SOTTENS 500 165 AF English 1730-1800 15220 JUELICH 100 115 EU/AF/M English 1730-1800 17735 JUELICH 100 115 neAF/ME English 1730-1800 21720 SOTTENS 500 140 neAF/ME English 1930-2030 13645 SOTTENS 500 140 AF English 1930-2030 15220 JUELICH 100 160 AF English 1930-2030 17580 JUELICH 100 200 wAF English 1930-2030 17735 MONTSINERY 500 115 sAF English 2330-2400 9885 SOTTENS 500 230 SA English 2330-2400 11905 MONTSINERY 500 175 SA (Swissinfo A-02 via Andreas Volk via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Radio Taipei International in Spanish to Europe noted on March 1: 2100-2200 again on 9955.1, ex 7130 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Mar 12 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [and non]. 11940, Clandestine channel of "Voice of China" via Taiwan. On Feb 23rd 0803-0900*, two stations appeared, a stronger Beijing station and a very poor signal, not IDed. At 0900* five short / one long time pips, China ID from Beijing. From 0900 UT BBC English s-on on 11945, S=8-9. On Feb 24th, from 0730 UT onwards: QRG free. At 0752 UT carrier on, into Chinese language modulation S=9+20 dB, switched-on suddenly during the program, only a single signal on the 11940 channel. At 0755 Chinese instrumental music started, large orchestra, 0759 female announcer, into international music at 0759. In the background noted the Chinese ID "Zhongguo zhiyin", and male announcer talks in Chinese. Latter signal was covered by the Beijing signal, which is in use as a jamming station usual. On Feb 24th another - second - China mainland program joined the jamming service. At 0818 and at 0830 UT ID by male Chinese announcer "Zhongguo zhiyin", at 0845 UT three Chinese stations active, two covering talks, and the third with music jamming. 0900 UT s-off, only a single Beijing time announcement heard, then channel is free, V of China and the two Beijing stations off the air! All observation with R8, 30 m sloper antenna North/South, 1.8 kHz filter (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Feb 23-24, BC-DX March 11 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN [and non]. A DXer in the north of Tajikistan reports that the mysterious nonstop music station on 5775 kHz which is suggested being from Tajikistan is not audible in his region at all. As for R Tajikistan, the English program is currently aired 1645- 1700 and 0345-0400 (repeat) on 7245 & 972/1143 kHz. The English department can be reached in the person of Nasrullo Ramazov by email at davr@cada.tajik.net (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, March 6, BC-DX via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. UZBEKISTAN: Frequency change for Voice of Tibet in Tibetan and Chinese: 1215-1300 NF 21555 TAC 100 kW / 131 deg, ex 15670 [Tashkent site] \\ 15645 DB 100 kW / 115 deg (alt. 15655) [Dushanbe site] 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Mar 12 via DXLD) ** TUNISIA. New schedule for RTT via Sfax 500 kW as of March 7: 7110 / 265 deg to NoAf 0400-0700 7110 / 265 deg to NoAf 1700-2300 (ex 1900-2300) 7225 / 340 deg to WeEu 1600-2300 (ex 1800-2300) 7275 / 340 deg to WeEu 0400-0800 9720 / 100 deg to ME 0200-0500 9720 / 100 deg to ME 1600-2100 (ex 1700-2100) 11655 / 265 deg to NoAf 1400-1700 (ex 1400-1900) 11730 / 340 deg to WeEu 1400-1600 (ex 1500-1800) 12005 / 100 deg to ME 0200-0500 12005 / 100 deg to ME 1600-2300 (ex 1700-2300) 15450 / 100 deg to ME 1200-1600 (ex 1200-1700) 17735 / 100 deg to ME 1200-1600 (ex 1200-1700) 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Mar 12 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Radio Ukraine International has added Real Audio to its website with a live webcast of RUI programs. RUI's website indicates that English programs should be available at 2200, 0100, 0400, and 1200 UT. Getting there is somewhat complicated because the site uses frames extensively. Your best bet is to visit: http://router.nrcu.gov.ua/eng/frame.html and select "Channels" and a menu of options will appear at the top of the screen. Select RUI and then a Real Audio link will be made available (Phillip M. Dampier, President, Rochester Free-Net, Inc./The Genesee Gateway, Rochester, New York, March 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That`s a station which certainly needed webcasting! (gh, DXLD) ** U K. The Greenfield Collexion will be coming to the end of its long run on BBC WS at the end of March (BBCWS to Australia announcement at 1729 UT March 13 via 2NUR via gh, DXLD) However, Edward Greenfield is presenting the current Composer of the Month: William Walton; so maybe he will still be heard on that series, if it not canceled too? (gh, DXLD) ** U K. BBC ZIMBABWE LINE COLONIAL, SAY STAFF; CONCERN IN WORLD SERVICE AT RISK TO IMPARTIALITY Matt Wells, media correspondent, Tuesday March 12, 2002, The Guardian Senior figures at the BBC World Service have expressed concern to the domestic news division that coverage of the Zimbabwe elections has been driven by a "colonial" agenda, potentially causing damage to the corporation's reputation for impartiality. Particular anxieties have been expressed about the tone of coverage on Radio 4's Today programme and about a Correspondent documentary in which the former Observer journalist John Sweeney smuggled himself into Zimbabwe in the boot of a car. There has also been concern about the frequent BBC claim that it is banned from Zimbabwe. While it is true to say that BBC correspondents have been refused entry, a number of African World Service reporters are working legitimately there. After one of the reporters appeared on Radio 5 Live yesterday, the BBC changed its policy. Radio news will now use terms such as "severely restricted", while TV bulletins will say either that "BBC television is banned from Zimbabwe" or "BBC correspondents are banned". Sources at the World Service, who did not wish to be named, told the Guardian that concerns had been expressed by senior executives at Bush House in London to Adrian van Klaveren, the head of BBC newsgathering, and to Steve Mitchell, the head of radio news. There were worries about the tone of coverage on the Today programme, which, according to some at the World Service, has made a conscious attempt to "illegitimise" the Robert Mugabe administration with the use of pejorative terms such as "regime" and adjectives such as tough, fierce and brutal. While these were acceptable when used by correspondents on the scene, they were being used by Today presenters in the introduction to reports, and during news bulletins. The sources did not attempt to suggest that Mr Mugabe was without fault, but they pointed to worse abuses committed by governments in Liberia and Congo. Elections in Congo were held last weekend amid allegations of huge electoral fraud, yet did not feature prominently on the domestic news agenda. It is suggested that the interest in the Zimbabwe elections is being driven by the "residual British interest and the presence of white farmers", according to one Bush House source. Another said the agenda was characterised by "latent and unwitting colonialism". There has also been concern about the prominence being given to the Zimbabwe elections on the World Service's main news programmes, the World Today, World Update and Newshour, which are broadcast to tens of millions of listeners around the world. Several sources suggested the agenda was more "foreign" than "international": that the story was being seen from a London-based rather than a global perspective. The Correspondent documentary, broadcast on the World Service as well as BBC2, caused upset because Sweeney appeared to suggest it was necessary to hide in a car to interview the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai. In fact, Mr Tsvangirai has been interviewed many times by different BBC outlets, even appearing in person at Bush House. The BBC said it was committed to reporting extensively from Zimbabwe. A spokesman said: "Clearly the Zimbabwe elections are one of the biggest international stories at the moment, and of course we are going to cover it extensively. In terms of the tone, we are wedded to being impartial and careful, but clearly when there is such huge worldwide concern about allegations of intimidation and violence, that will be reflected in coverage. "The BBC has three bureaux and many correspondents in Africa and we probably cover more on African affairs than anyone else. We have done Congo, Malawi, Liberia and Nigeria, all on mainstream BBC1 bulletins." Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Daniel Say, DXLD) ** U K. This shows the attitudes now at the top of the BBC for those on the list interested in the wider picture and the debate in general on the role of public service broadcasting. Coincidentally I booked yesterday for Sir John Mortimer's latest play, and I am northern! (Mike Barraclough) March 13, 2002 WE'RE BEING HIJACKED BY THE MIDDLE CLASSES, SAYS BBC CHIEF By Adam Sherwin, Media Reporter and Laura Peek GAVYN DAVIES, the chairman of the BBC, last night accused a white, middle England elite of trying to hijack the BBC and force it to produce only the programmes they wanted. Mr Davies stunned an audience of ministers and media executives when he dismissed the BBC¹s critics as a group of southern, white, middle-class, middle-aged and well- educated people.... Full article at http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-234558,00.html (via Mike Barraclough, England, March 13, DXLD) ** U K. MUSIC STATION SEEKS TO GIVE DIGITAL RADIO A GENTLE PUSH Matt Wells, media correspondent, Tuesday March 12, 2002, The Guardian The BBC yesterday launched its first new national music radio station since the start of Radio 3 in 1970. But when 6 Music opened at 7am with a fiery track by the Irish pop-punk band Ash, it was to a private audience of little more than a few hundred listeners. At the moment, only 14,000 digital radio sets are in circulation: 6 Music, aimed at "serious" rock and pop fans aged between 25 and 44, is one of five new BBC digital stations that form part of a strategy to boost take-up. Despite the low potential audience, the BBC and its commercial rivals believe digital is the future and is worth the investment. "When the BBC started 80 years ago, very few people were listening. But you have to dare," said Jenny Abramsky, the BBC's director of radio. Part of the problem is the cost of digital radios: the cheapest model for home use costs £249, with prices starting at £199 for in-car radios. But the cost is falling: £99 sets will soon be available, and car manufacturers will begin to fit them as standard. In anticipation of the digital future, the first of the BBC's five new digital radio services, 5 Live Sports Extra, a part-time station which broadcasts uninterrupted sports coverage when there is no room for it on the main network, is already on air. 1Xtra, a station for fans of black and urban music, launches this summer; the Asian Network, available conventionally in the Midlands and North, will be available to a national audience on digital later this year; and the as yet unnamed Network Z, a speech station broadcasting archive comedy, drama and children's programmes, is also due for launch this year. All the stations will be broadcast on the internet and on digital satellite television; most will be on digital cable. 6 Music is on Sky Digital channel 911 and Telewest channel 909. It will be available to NTL customers in the next few weeks, the company said. The BBC defended its £4m annual investment in 6 Music, compared with the £40m spent annually on Radio 2, the station to which it is "attached". The first voice on air yesterday was the breakfast presenter, comic Phill Jupitus; his first track, Ash's Burn Baby Burn, was chosen by internet vote from a shortlist that also included Led Zeppelin, Ian Dury and the Specials. 6 Music aims to play about 14 tracks an hour. Of these, two will be live session tracks from the BBC archive, three will be from the station's contemporary playlist, two will be hits from the past year, and the rest will be hits from the past four decades. John Sugar, programme editor, said bands had to have "credibility, influence and longevity" to be played (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. U S A/U.K./SOUTH AFRICA. B-01 / A-02 Schedule for United Nations Radio: 1700-1715 Mon to Fri French 6125 / 6125 MEY 100 kW / 076 deg 17595 / 17705 SKN 300 kW / 180 deg 21490 / 21490 MEY 500 kW / 342 deg 1730-1745 Mon to Fri English 6125 / 6125 MEY 100 kW / 005 deg 15495 / 17710 SKN 300 kW / 125 deg 17580 / 15105 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg 1830-1845 Mon to Fri Arabic 9885 / 15315 RMP 500 kW / 115 deg 13770 / 17565 SKN 300 kW / 180 deg 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Mar 12 via DXLD) No more Portuguese?? ** U S A. A SEPT. 11 CASUALTY: 'RADIO MAN' JAILED FOR A MONTH, THEN FREED EGYPTIAN STUDENT PERPLEXED BY MISTAKEN ARREST By Christine Haughney, Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, March 11, 2002; Page A03 NEW YORK -- "Radio man." That's what the guard called Abdallah Higazy when he rapped on his cell window. It was better than "Taliban" or "fly the unfriendly skies" -- taunts the guard used on other suspected terrorists locked up nearby in the Metropolitan Corrections Center. But "Radio Man" was bad enough, for an innocent man. Higazy spent 31 days there, all but a few hours in solitary confinement. He was accused of lying about a hand-held pilot's radio found in his hotel room across from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 -- a radio that, prosecutors said, could have been used to communicate with the terrorist pilots who attacked the twin towers.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5553-2002Mar10.html (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Latest on VOA Shopping Center at Bethany... http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/03/07/loc_big_retailers_could.html Thursday, March 07, 2002 BIG RETAILERS COULD JOIN DEVELOPMENT PLANS INDICATE TARGET, BIGG'S LIKELY TENANTS By Jennifer Edwards, The Cincinnati Enquirer WEST CHESTER TWP. — Retail giant Target and grocery store chain Bigg's are planning stores at the northeast corner of Cox and Tylersville Roads, according to development plans filed with the township this week. Borders, Pier 1 Imports, Bed Bath & Beyond, Famous Footwear and T.J. Maxx also are shown on proposed plans for Voice of America Centre, which will face Cox Road. Sit-down restaurants, a bank and perhaps a convenience store are also expected, said John Silverman, project manager with Midland Atlantic, which is developing the site. The final development plan for the 75-acre shopping center will be heard at the township's March 18 zoning commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. Officials of the stores in the plans declined Wednesday to say whether they are coming. ``We don't like to confirm actual tenants until we have our groundbreaking event, and that will happen in another month or so with an expected opening in Spring 2003,`` Mr. Silverman said. The shopping center will rise next to the 325-acre Voice of America Park across Cox Road from University Pointe, a medical office center expected to open this fall. just off I-75 between Cincinnati and Dayton. A representative of Bigg's, which opened a store at the corner of Ohio 747 and Union Centre Boulevard last August, said the company wants to expand locally because of its success there and the fast-growing area's strong demographics. ``I don't know that it would be accurate to say we are 100 percent committed to that site, but I also wouldn't say we are not pursuing that site,`` said Mike Brooks, Bigg's director of operations. Target would join three other outlets along or near Tylersville Road: Home Depot, Meijer and Wal-Mart. It will sit across Tylersville Road from a Kroger shopping plaza. An adjacent Kohl's department store is expanding by 20,000 square feet on the side closer to Kroger. Construction is expected to begin soon, a Kohl's employee said Wednesday. The 125,000-square foot Target store would be the latest one to pop up in the Tristate. A new Milford store is expected to open in July. The Minneapolis-based retailer has locations in Deerfield Township, Middletown, and Tri-County and 1,053 nationally. The coming stores mark more development along Tylersville Road off Interstate 75, which already is packed with restaurants, gas stations, video stores and shopping plazas. Its location is expected to lure shoppers from Butler and Warren counties and beyond, including from the Dayton area, said Joe Hinson, president and chief executive officer of the Southeastern Butler County Chamber of Commerce. The extra customers the shopping center is expected to draw will benefit existing businesses, he noted. But some residents are concerned about the increase in cars the center would bring, especially on five-lane Tylersville Road, which already is jammed during rush hours and weekends. Some 51,000 cars travel Tylersville Road daily, with at least 33,000 cars using the intersection, according to the engineer's office. That is expected to jump with the coming development by 15 percent at the intersection and 40 percent on Tylersville. ``You can't get up and down the road now,`` complained Phyllis Whiteford, 57, a 25-year resident who lives about three blocks from the planned center. ````But I'll probably shop there because it's close to home and the prices are very reasonable.`` Cox Road is scheduled to be widened from two to five lanes from Tylersville to Hamilton-Mason Road starting next month, according to the Butler County Engineer's Office. The $5.5 million project, expected to be complete this fall, is being paid for with tax increment financing from the county, said Chris Petroci, spokesman for the engineer's office. Turn lanes also will be added at entrances to new businesses. (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** U S A. VOA BUILDING MIGHT BECOME HISTORIC SITE VETERANS GROUP SEEKING PUBLIC HELP WITH PROJECT By Mary Lolli, Cox News Service http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/local/0309voa.html HAMILTON | For decades, the Voice of America radio towers in West Chester Twp. beamed messages around the world. Now a local veterans organization wants the VOA building turned into a museum and national historic site. The Butler County Commission on Thursday gave its blessing to the idea. Fred Carroll, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7696, West Chester Twp., proposed the idea, and with the assistance of township Trustee Catherine Stoker is seeking public support for the endeavor. "We will be soliciting private donations, nationally and internationally, for the project," Carroll said. "I don't think we will have any problem getting contributions. I think people recognize the important role the site played in our history." The original 600-acre VOA site contained a network of radio towers, an outdoor switching station and the broadcast building, which transmitted and received radio broadcasts worldwide during World War II. The first broadcast in February 1942 went out from what was then called the Bethany Relay Station. "Winston Churchill literally defended Western civilization with his words, which were broadcast to the world through the Voice of America site," Commissioner Mike Fox said. Stoker, who is a member of the VFW Auxiliary and secretary of the Veterans Voice of America Committee, said West Chester Twp., which owns 200 acres of the site, including the building, already has given support for the project. In addition, Butler MetroParks, which owns 300 acres of the site, is working with the township to make their respective uses of the property compatible. Miami University owns 25 acres of the site. The U.S. General Services Administration earlier sold 75 acres in the southwest corner of the site to Midland Atlantic, a Cincinnati-based company planning a retail development on the site. Although the towers have since been dismantled and removed, Carroll said the Ham Radio Operators Association is considering erecting a working tower on what will become part of the restored site. Carroll said organizers have no estimates yet on the cost. "We're relying on donations of money, time and talent to do this," Carroll said. [From the Dayton Daily News: 03.09.2002] (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. JAZZ FANS OUTRAGED BY CHANGES AT WYSO STATION MANAGER DEFENDS DECISION By Bob Batz, Dayton Daily News YELLOW SPRINGS | Last week's announcement that WYSO-FM (91.3) will dump its locally produced jazz shows and some other programming has brought a flood of criticism from programmers, musicians and listeners of the National Public Radio station. By Tuesday dozens of people had contacted the Dayton Daily News to protest station manager Steve Spencer's plan, which will eliminate weeknight jazz shows, the long-running Women in Music program on Sunday afternoons and the eclectic Sound Canvas show hosted Sunday afternoons by Ken Hanes. Ten volunteer DJs will lose their slots.... http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/go/0306wyso.html (Dayton Daily News March 6 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) [...you are reading OHIO BROADCASTING NEWS... gh] WYSO-FM CUTS PROMPT CALL FOR LISTENER PROTESTS; GROUP WANTS PLEDGES WITHHELD, PRESSURE ON STATION By Bob Batz and Carol Simmons, Dayton Daily News YELLOW SPRINGS | Anger over the impending cuts of jazz and other local, volunteer-hosted programs at WYSO-FM (91.3) is prompting supporters of the canceled shows to ask listeners to withhold financial pledges from the public radio station. http://www.activedayton.com/ddn/local/0312wyso.html (Dayton Daily News March 12 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Editorial. Radio Waves Tuesday, March 12, 2002 PUBLIC STATIONS' CONSOLIDATION WORTH A LOOK With public radio facing funding challenges, it should surprise no one that the community's three public-broadcasting stations might require some consolidation. The Columbus Board of Education voted last week to allow negotiations for shifting management of its station, WCBE (90.5 FM), to another entity; WOSU (820 AM and 89.7 FM) is the front- runner. Allowing such negotiations makes sense on several fronts... http://libpub.dispatch.com/cgi-bin/documentv1?DBLIST=cd02&DOCNUM=10952&TERMV=5502:4:15779:4:15814:4:21109:4:26324:4:26367:4:31609:4:36679:4: (Columbus Dispatch via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. Risto Kotalampi`s photos of Kulpsville 2002 are now at: http://www.kotalampi.com/cgi-bin/photo/index.cgi?album=Kulpsville_2002&mode=view (gh, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hello All: Earlier today, I spoke with a Station Engineer at Entercom Radio regarding outstanding reception reports for KFXX. Over the winter we have been attempting to get, at least a few QSLs from the station. This much like the situation at WFLA last DX season. He tells me today, he has selected a "small pile" that will be QSLed. At the top of that pile is our friend Ewald Glantschnig of Switzerland, no one has tried harder to QSL KFXX than Ewald has, hi, hi. I hope at the very least this helps some of you. And I also hope in the future, more reception reports will be verified by this helpful and concerned Station Engineer. Good luck and good DXing, 73's Joe Talbot, Alberta, March 11, hard-core-dx via DXLD) 25910 ** U S A. LETTERMAN WILL STAY AT CBS, ENDING FLIRTATION WITH ABC March 11, 2002 By BILL CARTER David Letterman will keep his late-night talk show at CBS, the star announced tonight, spurning a strong bid from ABC that would have displaced the network's highly regarded news program ``Nightline.'' Mr. Letterman made his decision official in a statement he delivered during the taping of his ``Late Show'' this evening in Manhattan after he finished his opening comedy monologue. On the show, which will be broadcast tonight at 11:35 Eastern time, Mr. Letterman told his audience that he appreciated the offer from ABC but that he was not comfortable with replacing a journalist of the quality of Ted Koppel, the respected anchor of ``Nightline.'' The decision brings to an end more than a week of intense speculation in the television industry about Mr. Letterman's future and how it would affect Mr. Koppel. Executives close to Mr. Letterman said today that he returned from a weeklong vacation eager to resolve the issue without any further delay, at least partly because he was concerned about how the news of ABC's offer was affecting Mr. Koppel and his program. With Mr. Letterman's choice of CBS, ABC executives will be thrust into an uncertain position about Mr. Koppel and ``Nightline,'' having assured Mr. Letterman's representatives during the negotiations that ABC intended to make a change with ``Nightline'' in the near future, regardless of Mr. Letterman's decision. The terms of Mr. Letterman's new contract with CBS were not immediately disclosed, but each of the two networks had been offering him deals with a salary in the range of $31.5 million a year, up only 5 percent from the $30 million he had been making. Mr. Letterman has long been reported to be unhappy with CBS. He has complained that inadequate network promotion of the ``Late Show'' and weak ratings for the local newscasts that lead into his show have made it difficult for him to overtake Jay Leno's ``Tonight Show'' on NBC. Mr. Letterman has also had a troubled relationship with Leslie Moonves, the president of CBS Television. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/11/business/11CND-TUBE.html?ex=1016889304&ei=1&en=f4ad0be5d13f9406 (via Tom Roche, DXLD) WHAT DAVE SAID: TV Barn has been furnished with David Letterman's remarks, made on the "Late Show" telecast taped this afternoon in New York: You folks came on a good night - I'm still here. I woke up this morning and had to check New York Times to see where I was working today. This is a very interesting time right in the middle of a very tricky contract negotiation. CBS all of a sudden they can't kiss up to me enough -- it's crazy. I finally got a get-well card for my bypass surgery - two years ago - crazy. I figured out what I'm going to do. I'm going to get a face-lift then I'm going to FOX News. That is exactly what I am going to do. Can you believe there are two networks fighting over this crap - crazy, ain't it? This is how strange my life has been last week and a half - earlier today I got a call from NBC offering me the Tonight Show. I recognize that what I am going to talk about is ridiculous when you consider what happened on this day six months ago when New York and Washington DC were attacked. Compared to that this is all trivial, pointless and downright silly. Paul and I came over in 1993. We'd been fired from NBC. CBS was nothing. Who ever watched CBS - nobody. From 11:30-on, the rest of the night there was nothing but Gunsmoke all night long. So we had nothing to do and this beautiful theatre used to be a K- Mart and we were able to build something. We made it our own and we've had a lot of wonderful things happen. We have had some highlights. A couple of months ago - my contract is going to be finished in August -- I get a call from the boys. They say we have to negotiate. I say fine -- negotiate. 9 years - it's like a family. There's been good times and we've had fistfights. I'm not speaking figuratively, I'm speaking literally -- I actually punched some executives. I'm getting confused, we get a call from another network and apparently the guy had been drinking. He says come on over, come on over, and I'm thinking he is nuts. This is not like Everybody Loves Raymond - we do alright but... Turns out it's ABC and they are serious and they wanted you too Paul. The more I talked the more I realize they are serious and they have all the damn money in the world. I get a call from Regis saying he would be available for sex. Isn't that odd? And then it got crazier and crazier and it was...when I drop dead there won't be this much press. I just need to say a word about Ted Koppel. He has been on this show 3 or 4 times and to me he has always been a gentleman, a great guest and very funny, really funny. He might be actually too funny for a newsman. Back in '79 he began on Nightline, started out doing nightly reports on American hostages in '79 I had my first job running errands for Jim Nabors. The point is Ted -- what he has done and his contributions to American culture -- speak for themselves. He is one of a very small group that represents the highest echelon of broadcast achievement, without question. I've never been in a situation like this in my life the whole thing has made me dizzy. The one thing I know for a fact: Ted Koppel, at the very least -- because of his contributions and the kind of guy he is and what he has done for this country and the world of broadcasting - he, at very least deserves the right to determine his own professional future. Absolutely no less than that. So what I have decided to do, I've decided to -- and this has not been a very easy decision for me -- I have decided to stay here at CBS and I'd like to thank... [APPLAUSE] I know it sounds pretty good to you folks, but there goes the vacation to Disney World. I was talking to Al earlier in the make-up room and he says "I was talking to the crew and most of them would like you to stay." Most. Most of them would like you to stay. The morons running this network think there won't be fistfights, by god there will be fistfights and that's too bad. It's my hope - I would like to finish my career - a week from Tuesday - at CBS. I just want to say a word about the folks at ABC. I would rather ride naked on the subway than go through what these people had to go through with the last couple of weeks. To me they were gracious and generous and very very patient. Whatever you decide to do at 11:30, I wish you the very best. And my personal hope is that it will continue to be occupied by Ted Koppel and Nightline for as long as that guy would like to have that job - that is just the way it ought to be. Aaron B. 7:54 PM ET. (via TV Barn via Tom Roche, DXLD) Loses a little in the text; you should have seen it (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. March 12, 2002 Clear Channel Drawing Static. Radio: NO. 1 BROADCASTER DISPUTES CRITICS WHO SAY IT CONCEALS STATIONS TO EVADE FCC OWNERSHIP CAPS. By JEFF LEEDS, TIMES STAFF WRITER How many radio stations does Clear Channel Communications Inc. really own? Some advertisers and competing broadcasters have petitioned the Federal Communications Commission, alleging that the media giant has evaded federal law and misled regulators by taking control of radio stations above the ownership limit in various markets by warehousing them in front companies.... http://www.latimes.com/business/la-000018129mar12.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dbusinessor http://www.latimes.com/la-000018129mar12.story (Los Angeles Times March 12 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. Boston's a tough town for DXers to the west, since most of the AMs (except WBZ) have sites west of town and are highly directional to the east. WEZE-590, WRKO-680, WEEI-850 and WWZN-1510 are all nulled to the west to some extent. That said, I've heard 680, 850 and 1510 in Rochester multiple times, generally just before Boston sunset. I suppose if I could stand to get up earlier, a good time would be just after Boston sunrise, when the stations have gone to their less-restrictive day patterns but there's still darkness 'twixt them and the west. A few other potentials: 560 - WHYN Springfield - some nulling to the west, but not impossible 580 - WTAG Worcester - should be better heard to the west than it generally is 640 - WNNZ Westfield - listen before local sunset or just after local sunrise, when they're at 50kw and beaming west 730 - WACE Chicopee - 5kw ND daytimer, so another potential SRS/SSS catch 740 - WJIB Cambridge - NRC'er Bob Bittner, who owns the station, does DX tests here occasionally (better when CBL was silent and CHWO not yet on) 760 - WVNE Leicester - another potential SRS/SSS catch if you can get rid of Detroit and ColOmbia 830 - WCRN Worcester - now with 50kW day, should be a decent SRS catch for someone, though the pattern does not favor the west very well 860 - WSBS Great Barrington - 2500 watts day ND, another potential SRS opportunity under Toronto 1060 - WBIX Natick - has been reported at SRS, and has been known to cheat at night with its 40kw day signal 1200 - WKOX Framingham - has a CP for 50kw if it can overcome neighborhood objections in Newton to new towers at the existing WUNR-1600 site; we shall see... 1420 - WBSM New Bedford - a relatively old allocation on a not-terribly-crowded regional channel 1440 - WVEI Worcester - a VERY old allocation on this regional channel; should be possible for someone, somewhere. It's simulcasting WEEI-850 most of the time 1480 - WSAR Fall River - another old allocation with a decent pattern 1600 - WUNR Brookline - has a CP for 20kw day and night, still nulled to the west, as part of the project to move WKOX and WRCA 1330 Waltham to its Newton transmitter site. Hope that helps! -s, ex-Bostonian (Scott Fybush, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. I got a mail from Cris Alexander from Crawford Broadcasting http://www.crawfordbroadcasting.com/home and it`s dealing with their upcoming IBOC changeover in Chicago in May. Cris has given me permission to post parts of the message. I think you will find this interesting. From Cris... [a.k.a. W. C. Alexander in Radio World --- gh] This spring's NAB show in Las Vegas begins the terrestrial digital rollout. FM, which stands to gain the least from hybrid digital, is nevertheless the medium that is ready to deploy now. iBiquity is kicking off a six-market "push" at the spring show. Our Chicago market (four FMs) will be part of this push and we will be purchasing digital transmitters, exciters and combiners. At the fall CES show the receivers will be rolled out. By that time, it is hoped that in the top six markets all the FM stations will be transmitting in the digital hybrid mode. AM, which stands to gain the most from hybrid digital, is probably a couple of years behind FM. Because in AM we must do more with less bandwidth, it has taken longer to develop a working system. That system has been developed and tested, however. Much of this year's NAB Boradcast Engineering Conference will be devoted to preparing AM transmission systems (and antennas in particular) for digital. We are told by the iBiquity folks that we have to meet a 1.4:1 or better SWR at carrier +/- 15 kHz. That's a tall order for a lot of AM systems, particularly directional antennas and diplexed/multiplexed systems. It's going to be interesting. Still, there is so much to be gained that I hope station owners will bite the bullet and make the investment. AM stereo as we now know it will go the way of FMX and so many other interim technologies as we move into the hybrid digital mode. Stay in touch and peek at the website from time to time. We will post facility photos as they become available or as things change. If you haven't already, take a peek at the station page for KCMN/KCBR in Colorado Springs. There is a facility photo page for that state-of-the-art transmission facility. We had a professional photographer come take those shots. Anyway, you can look at the engineering newsletter on the engineering page. [end Alexander] ...from me now: So we see IBOC is real, its happening and we need to get ready for it. DXing is about to change as we know it (Kevin Redding, Mesa, Arizona, WTFDA via DXLD) ** VATICAN [non]. BBC Radio Four The Archive Hour on Saturday 16th March is entitled "Listen for Heaven's Sake." Almost as old as the BBC, Vatican Radio was set up by Marconi in 1931 for Pope Pius XI to address the world in Latin. Now it broadcasts programmes in 40 languages- but how do its journalists deal with sensitive issues? The Latin may have gone but has the message changed? Radio Times has the programme as one of its choices for the day and Peter Barnard reviews it: This splendid staple of the Radio 4 diet is a weekly testament to the value of diligent research and tonight`s programme, presented by Gerry Anderson, is yet another example. In 1931 Marconi established Vatican Radio, at that point a modest experiment designed to transmit Pope Pius XI's pronouncements in Latin. There was great excitement among Catholics worldwide, including those in London, many of whom queued to hear the first broadcast relayed to Westminster Cathedral. But few could have predicted the network's growth to its present size, transmitting around the world in 40 languages with a programme schedule that includes music and arts programming as well as religious broadcasting. There is even an English monk who flies out to Rome from his monastery each week to answer listeners questions in Ask the Abbot (via Mike Barraclough, England, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Does anyone know if there would be a station relaying "China Radio" and "Swiss Radio International" between 2100 and 2200 on 1700 kHz. No ID heard at 2130, but it sounded like there was some kind of promo at 2129:20 for thirty seconds, then it went into a fade. Does not seem to be an image unless a shortwave station somewhere is relaying these two stations back to back, which would be odd IMHO. Goodnight from (Lima, Fred Vobbe, W8HDU, OH, NRC-AM via DXLD) Later: I can't seem to find anyone that relays these programs back to back. However, more investigation shows that WRN-1 runs these programs, so is someone on 1700 programming the World Radio Network as a format or as filler to a format change? I've not seen anything in the list, and with the X-band X-perts we have, I would have thought someone would reported it. BTW, signal strength was very weak, under the usual 1700 stuff. Heard on a Sony ICF-2010 with no external antenna (Fred, ibid.) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-041, March 11, 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 #1121: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.html NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Hi Glenn, The site is WONDERFUL! It always was and now it is better. You know that I have held you in highest regard for what you provide for all of us. I just thought I'd remind you and say "Thank You So Much". (Michael C. McCarty, Plain City, Ohio, WDX8IAH, N8EYE) ** AFGHANISTAN (YA5T Update). Robert, S53R/YA5T, reports the following dated March 7th: "YA5T has not been much on the air during the past week due to work commitments. It really is hard to get on the radio after working for 18 hours and you have to be up at 7 o'clock in the morning - day after day. However, since our last report we have hit over 17,000 QSOs. First U.S. contact on 80 meters also came through. I bet you know who that was! Bob, W6RJ - and it was on SSB long path. Bob serves as a beacon every day, hi! In following days N7UA and W6KW were also worked CW with very good sigs. Don't forget we are using 100 W and a piece of wire. 160 meters is going well with some 400 Qs, but no U.S. so far. ICOM America is sponsoring a PW1 kilowatt amplifier, so I hope we are getting closer and closer to YA - North America contact! Mark, ON4WW, left Kabul today and will do some ground work for WFP in the next weeks in northern part of the country. Peter, ON6TT, was here for 2 days, but just too busy to do any radio. I stay for another 3 weeks and promise to be on bands as much as possible. So, CU in the next days from 160-10..... 73 Robert, S53R / YA5T" (KB8NW/OPDX March 11/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4716.7, Radio Yura, Yura. 0105-0111 March 10. Music program conduced by female in Spanish. ID as: "para todos ustedes que están en la sintonía de la Radio Yura". 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine) 5952.5, Radio Pio XII, Siglo XX. 0038-0045 March 10. Music program conduced in Aymará by male and female. Very nice Andean music. 32432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine) 6085.2, Radio San Gabriel, La Paz. 0115-0120 March 10. Romantic music in Spanish. Ann. in Aymará by male. 22432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine) 6155, Radio Fides, La Paz. 0050-0100 March 10. Music program. Ann. and ID as: "Y seguimos, seguimos, seguimos aquí, en Fides". Greetings for the Women International Day. 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. R. Burkina back on 5030 again. Time is 1846, 10th March; I am hearing RDTV Burkina Faso IDing as Radio Burkina in French, good signal and with good modulation. Hope this is useful (Stuart Austin, Blackpool, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi, a very strong signal (S9+20) found this morning (MAR 11, 0540 UT) on 5030.0 kHz. Burkina Faso has been reported here some time ago with irregular operation. Program: political comment in unknown language (parties, programs...), an announcement mentioning Burkina Faso at 0554, one commercial in French, more commercials in vernacular language. No ID at 0600, just commercials followed by "African pop". Sporadic announcements. Quite good signal still at 0620, but getting worse rapidly and quite poor at 0630 (= 7:30 am local time)... No real Burkina Faso ID heard. GOOD DX, (Karel Honzik, the Czech Republic (Czechia), AOR AR-7030 30 m Long Wire, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CANADA. A goldmine of radio articles in Globe DON'T TOUCH THAT DIAL? Plans to shake up CBC Radio have been met with concern by staff and protests by loyal listeners. GAYLE MacDONALD takes a behind-the-scenes look at what's at stake Late one afternoon last December, Adrian Mills, the newly appointed executive director of programming at CBC English Radio, sent a beaming memo to staff. The fall BBM radio survey had just been released, and management was ecstatic: CBC Radio had notched its highest audience reach ever, with 3.9-million Canadians tuning in on an average week. FULL STORY: Go to http://www.globeandmail.com/thearts ========== Jeffrey Simpson DON'T WRITE OFF CBC RADIO'S AGING FANS, Page A17 FULL STORY: Go to http://www.globeandmail.com/columnists and look under National ========== Russell Smith WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE WANT IS NOT RADIO LITE, Page R3 FULL STORY: Go to http://www.globeandmail.com/columnists and look under The Arts (via Ricky Leong, QE, and Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. On 5020, RCI at 1524 Feb 4. Frequency not listed by ILG or RCI, Relay from Honiara, perhaps? Quirks and Quarks program at excellent levels, co-channel QRM. BBCWS found here again unscheduled a 1512 Feb 16 at good strength (Edwin Lowe, Culburra NSW DXpedition, March Australian DX News via DXLD) Best guess, barring receiver image, would be Solomons got the wrong satellite feed (gh, DXLD) ** CHECHNYA [non]. From CDI Russia Weekly: March 4, 2002 US POSTPONES CHECHEN BROADCASTS IN GOODWILL GESTURE TOWARDS RUSSIA By Ariel Cohen There will be no Radio Free Chechnya, at least not in the near future. Less than 48 hours before the Chechen service of Radio Liberty was supposed to go on the air in late February, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the governing body which supervises Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, decided to postpone the North Caucasus broadcasts indefinitely. The broadcasting body acted after US diplomats expressed concern that the Chechen-language broadcasts might be counter-productive in waging the campaign against terrorism. The postponement reflects the complexity of US-Russian relations, as well as the pressures of the war on terrorism. Officials and non- governmental organization representatives in the United States remain concerned about Russia's conduct of the Chechen war. However, the Bush Administration does not want to put Russia's support for the global anti-terrorism campaign in jeopardy. Russia's foreign policy élite reportedly seethed over the US decision to launch a north Caucasus service at the Radios. Broadcasting in Chechen was seen as particularly offensive to Kremlin officials, who portray Chechen separatists as Islamic terrorists with links to the al Qaeda network. Moscow insiders also saw beginning of the North Caucasus broadcasts as a strong signal that the United States supports the cause of the Chechen independence, a perception that is not necessarily true, especially after September 11. Some officials in Moscow viewed the broadcasting plan as a move to undermine US-Russian relations. Since September 11, President Vladimir Putin has been consistent in his support for the US-led anti-terrorism campaign. [For more information, see the Eurasia Insight archives]. Broadcasts in the languages of the Northern Caucasus, such as Chechen, Avar and Cirkassian, were mandated by the US Congress in 2000. But according to a memo by Thomas A. Dine, Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty's president, full-time broadcasters and stringers will now provide coverage of the region through Radio Liberty's Russian service. In informal conversations, conducted over the last several months, Russian officials complained that influential "Russophobes" in the US government had influenced Sen. Jesse Helms (R-NC), the then-Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to support legislation to fund the broadcasts. To counter the US plans, the Russian officials embarked on a campaign of pressure to link the Chechen broadcasts to the ability of Radio Liberty Russian service to broadcast on AM and FM frequencies, which the Prague-based Radio Liberty leases from dozens of independent Russian radio stations. Russian legislation requires less than 50 percent of foreign ownership for stations operating in Russia, a requirement that may jeopardize Radio Liberty medium wave broadcasting. Some Russian officials even requested that the United States provide "reciprocity," under which Washington would allow Russian broadcasts on similar popular AM/FM frequencies in the United States. The latter project is highly unlikely to materialize, as such broadcasts will cost millions of dollars that the Russian budget simply does not have. Sergei Yastrzhembsky, a top Putin aide, claimed February 28 that the US decision to postpone the Chechen-language broadcasts had "not aroused any particular emotions among Moscow officials." However, the semi-official RIA news agency reported that the Chechen broadcasts would have aggravated the conflict and complicated efforts to find a political solution to the crisis. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov reportedly intervened with Secretary of State Colin Powell, requesting that broadcasts be postponed. Meanwhile, some offcials in the Bush Administration also pointed to an apparent contradiction in authorizing the deployment of military advisors to Georgia, ostensibly to help contain a building terrorist threat in the Transcaucasus republic, while also turning the switch on the Chechen broadcasting. At a regular press briefing, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher explained that the decision to postpone the broadcasts began with a letter written by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to the BBG, on which the Secretary of State sits ex officio, asking to postpone the broadcasts. The State Department asserted that the broadcasts were ill-timed, given the post September 11 geopolitical environment. At the same time, Boucher said the US government was eager to see the Chechnya peace process make progress. "We believe that the only way is to solve the problems there is a political solution. We want to make sure that everything we do contributes to that goal and doesn't detract from it," Boucher said. Despite the decision on Chechen broadcasts, human rights groups and US officials continue to exert pressure on Russia to seek a negotiated solution. For example, a bipartisan initiative launched in late February in the Senate, - spearheaded by Paul Wellstone (D-Minnesota), and Senator Sam Brownback (R-Missouri) - seeks the adoption of a resolution on Chechnya requiring President Bush to pressure Russia into a negotiated political settlement. Whether the Bush Administration is willing to take action that complicates its relatively cordial relationship with Putin, at a time when the campaign against terrorism may expand, remains to be seen. Many administration officials are wary of doing anything that creates an appearance of support for the Chechens, who have allied themselves with a variety of radical Islamic elements. Editor's Note: Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., is a Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, and author of "Russian Imperialism: Development and Crisis" (Praeger/Greenwood, 1998). (via Mike Terry, March 10, DXLD) Since when has any country had the right to control the output of another country`s international broadcasts? This is a dangerous precedent. If the US is not to promote a `free` Chechnya (perhaps an unfortunate name for the proposed service), then broadcasts in the languages concerned should go forth under the banner of the Voice of America. The Russians need a heavy dose of reality, and quit blaming the US for their own problems, e.g. also the Olympics. And again, I challenge them to broadcast to the US in any minority Indian language, and see if we care (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE. La dirección correcta de la página con las frecuencias de las emisoras chilenas de música es.... http://www.ham-radio.com/n6ca/50MHz/CE_musicfreq.html en lugar de... http://www.ham-radio.com/n6ca/50MHz/CE_musicafreq.html Aprovecho la ocasión para felicitar a Glenn por sus clásicos informes y a Jaime y Alfonso por el excelente trabajo en Radio Nederland (Gustavo F. Durán, Argentina, March 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It was OK in 2-031, but not on the Radio Enlace page ** CHINA: INTERNAL REVIEW OF MEDIA GROUPS "TO PREVENT SABOTAGE" | Excerpt from report by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post on 11 March The Communist Party's Central Publicity Department has ordered the heads of all media organizations to conduct thorough "self-inspection" of employees to prevent sabotage. The order came after Falun Gong members interrupted scheduled broadcasting at a mainland cable television network in Changchun, Jilin province, on Tuesday [5 March] and managed to broadcast a programme about the banned sect to viewers for 50 minutes. The Central Publicity Department called an emergency meeting on Wednesday [6 March] and instructed heads of main broadcasting organizations and newspapers as well as provincial officials in charge of the media to "learn a lesson" from the incident. The media organizations were asked to review workers' backgrounds and especially to make inquiries about their family members to ensure their relatives were not Falun Gong members, a Beijing source said. The bosses were told to review staff rosters and ensure senior editors were present late at night to prevent sabotage. They were told at the meeting that no similar incidents would be tolerated and that they would be held responsible for further "political incidents". The bosses were also reminded to review their daily routines and to plug any loopholes. The meeting was followed by a circular issued by the Central Publicity Department to all provincial media organizations to strengthen security... The cable station has about 300,000 subscribers, but it was not clear how many saw the Falun Gong programme... Official media earlier said only one Falun Gong follower and three witnesses had been detained since Tuesday's incident. A government official at Changchun confirmed that three were under arrest. Source: South China Morning Post, Hong Kong, in English 11 Mar 02 p 8 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. A single report of R. Auténtica being heard on 5875.2 has been quoted in various DX bulletins. Since none of the other editors have questioned it, and the reporter has not corrected it either, I point out that the station is normally heard on 5975.2, causing that het against BBC Antigua. Surely this is a typo. If not, the reporter and editors should have remarked that it was not on its usual frequency. It also had `adjacent channel splatter`, surely pointing to 5975 rather than 5875. GUDAR! (gh, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 3120.06 (Harmonic?) Colmundo Radio, unknown QTH. Feb 2002 - 1050 UT. Probably a harmonic, in that case from the fundamental of 1560 kHz. Only listed "Colmundo" there according to WRTH is: HJXZ, Emisoras El Poblado in Medellín (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin March 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CUBA. Going back a few years, I did the Congressionally mandated annual evaluation of Radio Martí. As part of that, there was a comparison of the way news was reported to Cuba via Martí and the main Cuban radio outlets. At that time, it was very common to hear criticism of the American lifestyle, the "inherent racism" of Americans, and the support of Americans of a corrupt, brutal, etc., form of capitalist government. While most barbs were directed at government policy, there was every intent to paint the (white) population as a whole as uncaring and unsympathetic to the Cuban cause ("La Causa Cubana") and to the plight of the working man world wide. This confirmed what I heard while managing stations in Miami; back in the 80's at least, stations paid someone to listen to Progreso, Rebelde, etc., and give regular résumés of the broadcasts. Of course, the most attacked people are the vile Cuban refugees, the "worms," who betrayed their country and their people for a corrupt life in the USA (David Gleason, CA, March 10, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. Today R Prague announced in their "Mailbox" program release of long awaited R Prague history book. The same will be started distributing from next week free of cost (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, March 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DUCIE ISLAND. There were no press releases over the past week to report on. The VP6/D team should be leaving Mangareva, French Polynesia, (March 12th) to head to Pitcairn Island by the time you read this. They will pickup supplies and operators, and then head to Ducie Island (two day trip). Activity should take place by the weekend. Keep watching the following Web page for updated details at: http://www.qsl.net/wd4ngb/ducie.htm (KB8NW/OPDX March 11/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** FRANCE. One of the TIS outlets on 25926 was heard the best yet at the late hour of 1941 UT March 10, and would expect it to stay in another hour or more (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. "Deutsche Welle World DX Meeting" noted in S Asia, Sats at 2335-2345 in DX English Mailbag program. "World DX Meeting" ask OM's and SWL for help as support inquiry, to establish a 10 minute DX Meeting program on *all* English program targets. DX Meeting help support comments by letter, postcard or e-mail to Deutsche Welle Radio, English Service, D-50588 Cologne, Germany. fax +49 221 389 3000 thorsten.karg@dw-world.de or kristin.zeier@dw-world.de (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Feb 10-24, BC-DX via Wolfgang Büschel, March 10, DXLD) see also MONGOLIA non ** GERMANY. Hi Glenn, re. the German TV debate: German TV is on air since March 1st; see http://www.germantv.info/en_empfangtechnik.php for technical details and http://dw-world.de/english/0,3367,3294_A_464752_1_A,00.html for PR stuff on the launch of German TV (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1575 kHz: High power is not (permanently) in use yet (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also IRAQ ** INDONESIA. JEMBATAN DX 129, March 10, 2002 edited by Juichi Yamada: 3264.6, RRI Gorontalo. At 1240 talk by male and female, sometimes EG pops. Suddenly signed off at 1259 without announcement. Fair to poor. Mar 9, 2002 (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) 3344.8, RRI Ternate. At 1313 local pops and male talk. The program was enjoyable for me. Fair Mar 9, 2002, (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) 4874.57, RRI Sorong. 0956 Talk by man and Music. Very strong and clear audio. Local ID at 1004 Mar 1, 2002 (Nobuo Takeno, JAPAN) 6153.7, RRI Biak. At 0908 reading of Holy Koran, lagu Qasidah, then local pops. Not heard local news at 0930. Fair to poor Mar 9, 2002 (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) 7171.2, RRI Serui. At 0948 male long talk only. Not interesting but best signal at this time. Fair Mar 9, 2002 (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) RRI Manado on 3214.8 kHz is not found in the beginning of March. (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) RRI Merauke on 3905.0 kHz is not found in the beginning of March. (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) END OF (JEMBATAN DX March 10 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. HF Distress Frequencies. As a result of changes agreed internationally at the World Radiocommunication Conference 2000, use of carrier frequencies 12290 kHz and 16420 kHz for calling purposes is being phased out. These channels are to be reserved for distress and safety communications. The alternative carrier frequencies 12359 kHz and 16537 kHz may be used by ship stations and coast stations for calling on a simplex basis, provided that the peak envelope power does not exceed 1 kW. (sourced from a posting from VK5ZWI via WIA Q-News March 10 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** IRAQ. Re DXLD 2-040 GERMANY non: ``No Megaradio heard on 1575 kHz; did hear Spanish talk fading out to Middle East music and Arabic talk and another station off frequency at 1575.3 kHz.`` Hi Glenn, I have heard Iraq regularly on 1575.2 kHz. Maybe that was Wade's station. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. The legendary Irish SW pirate R. Valleri will be returning to the air on St Patrick`s weekend for a special one-off broadcast. The station will use 6310 kHz with 40 watts from the evening of Sat 16 Mar, continuing until the following night. This will give North American listeners the chance to hear the station. Original presenters Derek Jones and Mike Anderson will host a nostalgic show to celebrate two sesquidecades since R. Valleri`s first broadcast. Last heard in the mid 80s, the station will announce contact details for reception reports over the air (Ian Biggar, Harrogate, Yorkshire, March BDXC=UK Communication via DXLD) But cf DXLD 2-040 ** IRELAND. 6295 - R. Reflections Europe, Donegal - 9 dias. Recebido cartão QSL full data (usando o mesmo QSL da antiga emissora inglesa Radio Fax) e schedule de programas e horários. Enviado relatório de recepção por email com arquivo de som em Real Audio e posteriormente um relatório de recepção impresso acompanhado de US$ 1. V/S: Trevor Brook. QTH: Radio Reflections Europe; The Forge; Cranleigh, England GU6 7BG Obs: Transmitem sòmente aos Domingos (Marcelo Toníolo dos Anjos, Greenvale, NY, EUA, @tividade DX Mar 11 via DXLD) see also UK ** ISRAEL. Beginning this Thursday during the 1700 English newscast on Reshet Aleph, Israel Radio will have a program (weekly?) with a Psychologist/Rabbi answering questions about dealing with stress and with children exposed to trauma. Questions can be phoned or faxed to the IBA or emailed to: englis-@iba.org.il I don't know if this will be on the 2000 broadcast. The 1700 broadcast is available on demand or for download around 1742 from wrn.org. It is not on the Reshet Heh live webcast (which has Yiddish at 1700) but the 2000 broadcast is (Joel Rubin, NY, March 10, swprograms via DXLD) I went to listen to Israel's English broadcast at 1700 on 17545 and it was not there, instead had another language on (possibly Hebrew). Have they dropped English, or simply gone on summer time, changing the scheduled time? (Steve {Lare}, Holland, MI, March 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Surely no DST yet; they usually wait at least until after Passover (gh, DXLD) ** ISRAEL [non]. Re the previous item about a WPBR Florida talkshow holding a mock war-crimes tribunal against Ariel Sharon, as immediately posted on MONITORING REMINDERS, it was a no-show; some other local program, about entertainment, aired Thursday after 1900 UT. Looking through the WPBR site, apparently the host in question is actually on at 1700-1900, contrary to their own press release. Anyhow, it was obviously a publicity stunt by the host who, BTW, is a Republican running for U.S. Senate (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. 7306 USB, R Europe, Pioltello (500 watts), Mar 9, 0405-0420, Italian and English special program to the NASWA Winter SWL Festival at Kulpsville. Dario Monferini and the producer read and commented reports on its recent special broadcasts to the Convention of the New Zealand Radio DX League. Covered by Vatican R 0030-0400, but then 24233. The programme will be repeated from Mar 9, 2300 till Mar 10, 0600 UT (Anker Petersen, Denmark, hard-core-dx via DXLD) 7306 USB, Radio Europe (pirate), Special broadcast for SWL Winterfest 2002 heard weak to fair at 0430-0600 March 9. Best just before and after 0500. In Italian and English (Lee Silvi, OH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. QSL fever seem to have halted at least as we reached 160 reports from over 30 countries including China and Iran, after our Special Marconi Broadcast was aired by WRMI, Lesea stations and by AWR. I see also other international clubs organising special broadcasts as radio amateurs used to do with their special stations. It's something we can develop and ideas are very welcome from all of you. So I thank Mr Nobuya Kato of the Japan SW Club, celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special program on the air on 16 March in the former Communications World slot from Voice of America, together with the segment looking back on the VOA Japanese service which went off the air in 1970. A special QSL card from JSWC will be issued for correct reception reports sent to: Japan Short Wave Club (JSWC), 50th Anniversary Committee, P.O.Box 138, Yokohama Port, 231-8691 Japan (Luigi Cobisi, European DX Council email list via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. This one is currently up in the air. All we can say is wait and listen. During last week there was conflicting info about Hrane's, YT1AD, location (was he at the airport in Rome, presumably heading back to Belgrade or in Pyongyang, North Korea). It is believed he is in Pyongyang with Voja, YU7AV, the docs/ permits and is awaiting the "OK" to begin Amateur Radio transmissions (which they hope will happen March 11th). All activity so far (P5/YT1AD) has been the work of a pirate (KB8NW/OPDX March 11/ BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. This week I checked RKI webcast again UT Monday, March 11 at 0415 to see if English were back, since last week at 0445 check they were in Korean contrary to posted schedule, which still this week shows English 0400-0500 (but no simul SW at that hour). Guess what: Murtiwave Feedback was already in progress at 0415, and they were already in the mailbag segment, so I missed Paul Ormandy. Fortunately, I had already weblistened at 0235 and heard the entire program as usual. But this MWF repeat must have started close to 0400, and/or the English hour actually started at 0330. Since they do have half-hour versions of English, like we used to get via Canada in the mornings, this webcast could really be only half an hour at 0400. They were wrapping up by 0425, and into Korean! at 0426, accounting for that language being heard last week in the second half of the 0400 hour. But why doesn`t RKI make clear in their schedule what they are really doing?? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 9685 [station] is also being heard on 5000 right now mentioning twice Radio Madagascar at 1800. The reception is much better on this frequency. Now it remain to know if it will be on the air until 0000 as on Saturday RTM went off around that time (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, 09 March 02, hard-core-dx via DXLD) There are now TWO "R. Madagascars": (1) The official one, which is neutral, is on 5010, 6135 and 7155. 5010 went off earlier Mar 9 (due to the unrest), 1702* with the usual ID and IS. (2) 5000 [moved up to 5003 around 2340] and 9685, backing the self-appointed government; on Mar 9 9685 went off at 2000, while 5000 was still on the air at 0100 with anmts in Malagasy, sometimes mentions R. Madagascar, sometimes Malagasy Radio. It was also strange that no French words or songs have been heard, but many English songs (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, DX- plorer via DXLD) ** MALAWI. After first reappearing on 7130 in Jan, MBC switched to using another of its former frequencies, 3380. At the time of writing [when??], I only hear Malawi on 3380 in the early morning and again from the late afternoon onwards. It`s not clear whether there are no SW transmissions during the middle of the day, or (as I suspect) if they are on 3380 which is not propagating as far as Kenya (Chris Greenway, Nairobi, March BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** MALTA. RADJU RTK: ONE HECKUVA PROFESSIONAL RADIO Blata-l-Bajda (CRU) --- It`s got one of the busiest, brightest websites that I have seen for a Catholic radio station and it programs international rock for its young, classical for adults, country and western for the adventurous, and educational, social, cultural, and religious programming for everyone. This station`s website works well and is interesting, and the station itself commands almost 20% of the audience in the Maltese Republic. It is Radju RTK, operated by the dioceses of Malta. Malta: the land of the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Crusaders, the Arabs, the French, the Italians, the English, and since 1964, an independent nation. Malta is the island on which St Paul shipwrecked and found impressively warm hospitality. Say Malta and you go go all the way back to the mists of European prehistory. You can get to know Malta well through Radju RTK. Visit its website at http://www.rtk.org.mt/ and note the interesting Maltese language. Click on the audiostreaming button and hear it. If you say it sounds like Arabic, you are right. Maltese is a west Arabic dialect with many Italian words. On this small, extremely densely populated nation 60 miles south of Sicily in the middle of the Mediterranean, Maltese and English are the official languages. The website is entirely in Maltese from what I can see, with a good number of English words sprinkled in. Almost 400,000 people live on three islands, the largest of which is 90 square miles; 96% are Catholic. There are two dioceses, the Archdiocese of Malta, see in the capital, Valletta, and the diocese of Gozo on Ghawdex, the second largest island. The two dioceses founded the station, ``Radju RTK`` in Maltese, with a license grant in 1991. It went on March 14, 1992, with its main transmitter on 103.0 FM and relay transmitters on 97.6 FM for Malta Island and 97.8 FM on Ghawdex Island. If I get the sense of the brief history correctly, it was Malta`s first private station, and it has done very well. The home page identifies Real Player as the system (a download button for a free Player), but in fact the system is Windows Media. When you first come onto the home page, you hear the neat little station jingle-- ``RTK`` – in English. The weather is upper right, major programs highlighted on the right, and the various page buttons stacked on left. ``Skeda`` is the schedule, as you might guess; ``Taghrif fuq il-programmi`` when clicked offers an interesting array of buttons for the various programs Radju RTK offers. These include programs on finances, on culture and education, on family life, and on religion. The music button reveals a range of programs from rock to country and western to classical. Clearly, Radju RTK offers something for everyone. What is fascinating about this station, and I am impressed, is the thorough professional sound it has. Radju RTK takes a back seat in professionalism to nobody. Radju RTK, as are many European Catholic stations geared to the general public, is commercially supported. As I write this, I am hearing a professionally done ad complete with jingles for JB Carpets, followed by the ID jingle, ``RTK.`` This is one professionally done radio station, and it is much more lively and professional than a similar station I heard over a year ago, RFM, operated in Lisbon by the Portuguese Bishops for young people. You can see the rate card by clicking on ``Reklamar.`` The national money is the Lira, which is worth about US$3. This being the case, a 60- second spot is about $30, with discounts for packages of over 50 spots, and surcharges for special placement in the 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. slots and a surcharge of about $30 for voice production. Insertion into weather forecasts and at time checks carries special rates. ``Kuntatti`` is exactly as it sounds, ``Contacts,`` a full range of officials and their phones, faxes, and e-mail addresses; many terms here are in English. ``RTK Rating`` is entirely in Maltese and the graph showing an 18.2% rating is self-explanatory. ``Dwar i-RTK`` is the station history. The ``Ghanjuna`` button is blank; ``Media Centre`` is not a photo page, but the list of contacts again. While Radju RTK is commercial, it simultaneously relies on listener donations. Click on ``Membri`` (Members) and ``Beneficcji`` (Benefits) to see that members get a newsletter, are eligible to take part in special programs and contests. ``Radju RTK — I-istazzjon li jaghmel differenza!`` Database Blata-l-Badja: Radju RTK 103.0 FM, Malta 97.6 FM, Ghawdex 97.8 FM. Archdiocese of Malta and Diocese of Ghawdex. Triq Nazzjonali, Blata- l-Bajda HMR 02. Tel.: 2569 9100, 2569 9158, fax 2569 9151 and 9160. Website: http://www.rtk.org.mt Executive chairman: Fr Nicholas Cachia; managing director Jeffrey Calafato. Program director Tonio Bonello, Technical director George Pollacco, marketing mgr Sylvana Magro. E-mail: info@rtk.org.met, engineering: gpollacco@rtk.org.mt managing director: jcalafato@mediacentre.org.mt Format: news, educational programming, entertainment programming. Bilingual. Founded March 14, 1992. Audiostreams using Windows Media (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update #165, March 11, via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA [non]. Deutsche Welle preview for Mon Mar 11: INSIGHT: Ten years ago, Mongolia adopted a democratic constitution following decades of Communist rule. During the early 1990s, the ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party gradually yielded its monopoly on power. In 1996, the Democratic Union Coalition defeated the former Communists in national elections. Over the next four years, the Coalition implemented a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and institutionalize democratic reforms. But the former Communists posed a strong opposition that stalled additional reforms and made implementation difficult. Then in 2000, the Revolutionary Party came back into power and completely reshuffled the government. This edition of Insight takes a closer look at where Mongolia has gone and where it is heading. For more information please turn to our internet website at http://dw-world.de/english (DW Previews via John Norfolk, swprograms via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Per an announcement on Mailbox, New Zealand will revert from GMT +13 to GMT +12. RNZI on 17 March (mostly for domestic relay time changes) 1650 - 6095 kHz 1750 - 11980 1850 - 15160 2050 - 17675 0459 - 15340 0759 - 11675 1105-1305 15175 The main change to RNZI will be on European summer time day, on the last Sunday in March. (My note--there is a good chance, as usual, for North Americans to be confused during the one week between European summer time day and U.S./Canada summer time day. Note that WRN to North America usually keeps European summer time.) (Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) ** NORWAY. Here's why the asterisk is on the Denmark/Norway schedule. Here is a reply to a letter I sent to Erik Koie of Radio Denmark... if you're wondering why there's an asterisk (*) on some of the transmissions in the A02 sked that might be cancelled at short notice, here's the answer...--Joe Erik, I've looked up the new A02 schedule for Radio Denmark in DXLD. I see you have asterisks which note that some frequencies/times may be discontinued without notice. Can you explain to me why some transmissions in the summer schedule might be cancelled? Is that a matter with NRK, or the people who run the Kvitsoy and Sveio transmitters? If this is a matter with NRK then I guess they might be cutting out some broadcasts at some point in the summer schedule to save money... (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA) Dear Joe, Radio Norway wanted to quit short wave completely by the end of last year, but the decision-makers were not aware of - for instance - the contract with Norkring, that runs the stations, and the similar contract with Denmark...so they suddenly had a problem! To make a long story short, Norway (NRK) wants to sell as much airtime as possible, and we have agreed - if necessary - to be willing to cancel the broadcasts marked with the *. If they succeed in selling airtime. OK? Regards, (Erik Koie, DR Radio [sic], March 10, via Hanlon, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Subject: Programming advice To: KXOK@yahoo.com KXOK, We`ll see if this gets through, with the incomplete E-mail address in the TV Spotlight ad, and the misleading one on your website with -TV. I certainly hope Mr Faulkner will follow through with his big plans for the station, especially local production. I have yet to see any sign of it; instead, after a few days of animated IDs all day long, you reverted to MTV2, and the excruciatingly boring auctions of your predecessor. I suggest you really get a fresh start by dumping both MTV2 and the auctions, and build up a schedule of a variety of entertainment and information programming. You could probably get quality programming at little or no cost by taking some international broadcasters, such as Deutsche Welle TV from Germany (including English, newscasts), BBC World, etc., etc. Minor networks such as America-1, once carried by K32DZ, would be an improvement over the current fare. Or have you signed a long new contract with MTV-2, taking the money and running? Regards, (Glenn Hauser, Enid, Dec 23, 2001, to KXOK via DXLD) Mr. Hauser, We do hope that You have our e-mail address figured out, and that the "misleading -TV" suffix on our address is no longer confusing to you. Yes, instead of .COM there is also org, gov, and now .TV As You are most certainly aware, (especially since you write critical reviews in your newsletter about all media outlets), We recently went thru a horrible icing condition on our antennae that blew the final in our EMCEE TV transmitter. All repairs are done, and the station is transmitting once again at full power. We have recently gotten information on our class A upgrade, and will be raising power to 50 Kw in the very near future. This should increase our coverage from "barely across town" to approxiamately 50 miles all directions city grade signal. The station is currently undergoing a complete re-build of the transmitter plant (new antennae, new transmitter, new micro-wave, new processors, new line, HDTV ready!) and also putting in all new digital studios at the Oakwood Mall. We have hired newspeople and a meteorologist to augment our programming. In other words, we are a real TV station with big plans. Our engineer has seen your newsletter somewhere on the internet. We were wondering if You would be open to being interviewed on set. You are the un-official expert on all forms of broadcasting in Oklahoma, and We think it would be interesting to have an interview with You to share both locally, and with our networks. Oh yeah, the "cheesey MTV2" is gone......should make you happy! Now, maybe You can see us on your rabbit ears, and hopefully You will approve of our line up. Is it OK if Anita stays with us to do the auction? We have tried to increase the quality of our retail products. Could not find a local number for your residence, so had to e-mail you instead.............74 (KXOK-TV [sic], February 8, 2002 via DXLD) Subject: Re: Programming advice To: "Rex Faulkner" <kxoktv@yahoo.com> Dear Mr Faulkner, Thanks for your reply of almost a month ago, which I leave below to refresh your memory. I have been waiting and seeing, as well as being preoccupied with other matters. I of course took note of your tiny-print schedule last week in the Enid TV supplement, not least the final line ``All Times Are Eastern`` -- surely, that must be a misprint. Why would anyone list local programming as in a different timezone? So, silly me, I actually looked for your local morning and evening news shows as if the times given were Central, and found none of it. Besides, some of the other listings did not match anything actually transmitted. And again this Sunday, Eastern time listings! I happened to tune by after 6:30 pm Monday, and discover you are actually doing locally originated news, at that time and the announcer closes saying he will be back at 10 (not 11). Now I must try to see what you actually air at 7 am, not 8 am. I do commend you on your initiative to make something out of this property, and hope to see progressive improvements. However, Just as I rebel at OKC TV stations wasting time in their local newscasts for national and international stories (what are their networks for? They cover those so much better) -- I wonder why in the world you are bothering with news beyond Enid, and Oklahoma at the most. Give us some *depth* about what is really happening in Enid, and you could fill most of the half hour, with the remainder some OK stories perhaps the big stations are missing. Are you going to spring for a TelePrompTer? As I mentioned before, however, if you want to cover international news, you really ought to pick up something which is not available otherwise (at least on Cox basic/extended), such as BBC World, DW TV, and no doubt others. Since you ask, no, you may not keep Anita (or anyone) doing auctions, the most excruciatingly boring, wasteful, programming imaginable. But no doubt you shall anyway, if that is actually producing some income. I have plenty else to watch and hear during those hours. The continuous shot of traffic going by on Garriott you ran one afternoon was immeasurably more engrossing; I could hardly take my eyes off it. Glancing through your Eastern programming schedule, I am struck by one thing, in case this is really accurate (excepting a few hours on Sundays, and `paid programs` which are probably infomercials, but could be...), the lack of preachers!!!!!!! God bless you! Preachers here, preachers there, everywhere is the downfall of Pegasys, not to mention a number of on-air stations we are subjected to. Please keep it that way, and find a way to turn away any further preachers who may approach you. And thank you for the invitation to be interviewed on the station. I do appreciate that, but am a bit camera shy. Possibly I could be persuaded eventually as I see how things are going. I have also just looked at your website again, in faraway, sinking Tuvalu, and still can`t find a program schedule there. Given the advance deadlines no doubt in effect for the Eagle which have so far prevented you from changing the listings to accurate Central Time, the website ought to be an excellent resource for conveying your true program schedule (updated at last minute if necessary) in true local time. Strangely enough, the programming I have enjoyed most, so far on KXOK has been the ancient cartoons that A1 uses to fill out the hours of their equally ancient westerns. Ahh, the Public Domain! Naturally, those don`t appear on the schedule, as mere fillers. As you increase power, you really must get off the Broadway Tower. There is so much RF coming off that building, with yours at the top of the list, that those of us unfortunate enough to live a mile or two from it (and most Enidians do), are faced with overload problems, adjacent channel interference, etc. I understand there are some positions available on Chisholm Trail towers, if not others, to the west of Enid at a respectful distance. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, March 4, 2002, to KXOK-TV via DXLD) No reply yet, but have monitored some of the local news by now. The actual scheduling, contrary to the published schedules even when timeshifted, all Mon-Fri only, is: Good Morning, Enid 7-7:30 am (1300- 1330 UT); News 6:30-7 pm (0030-0100) and 10-10:15 pm (0400-0415 UT). I`ve barely seen the morning show, it`s so early, but on one of them I heard mention that KXOK will soon have a radio station too, on 104.7. That happens to be the frequency briefly occupied last fall by KUAL ``Cool`` as one of the nation`s very first Low-Power FMs on the air. So is there some connexion? All I know is that I continue to hear KIXR in Ponca City on 104.7, a non-LPFM which moved onto that frequency in the meantime, and it would seem inadvisable for any station as close as Enid to be on the same channel now. Will KXOK-FM have to funxion only as a low-power? It was also mentioned that the 10-foot satellite dish was about to be lowered down the outside of the Broadway Tower, presumably as part of their studio move into Oakwood Mall. That`s for incoming programming. Nothing was said about moving KXOK`s own ch 32 transmitting antenna. BTW, I never complained about KXOK`s lack of signal strength, ``barely across town``. It`s excessive as is, with the centrally-located antenna. Overloads my rooftop UHF antenna with amplifier. Have seen bits and pieces of KXOK evening news shows. It`s a start, and in a way refreshing without all the hard-sell glitz of the OKC stations. A small graphics library is evidently on hand, and used to excess, e.g. to illustrate national stories, some generic graphic which doesn`t really apply, left on the screen far too long. The weatherman is making a good effort with what he has available, e.g. showing a computer screen with animated storm fronts. On Friday night, when severe weather was threatening, he both muttered something about staying on duty into the night, and seeing us again on Monday... For the third week in a row, the Enid News and Eagle TV supplement staring March 10 still has KXOK listings in Eastern time. We noticed from one night to the next that the blue fabric backdrop had been ironed. The other newscasters seem to be quite inexperienced, but hey, what better place to get started in the business! This is the first local TV news Enid has had in sesquidecades since KGEO-TV channel 5 succumbed to the lure of the Big City. There has been none whatsoever on cable, tho we do have four reserved cable-access channels, of which a sesquichannel is actually programmed by PEGASYS: strangely, PEGASYS has never felt the urge to bother with news; instead, one gospel huxter after another, and occasional other public affairs productions. Note: I do not include Not Necessarily The News, an occasional supposedly humorous show with several friends amusing each other, if not the audience, with `news of the weird` type stories for as much as two hours, live, and it can really drag. Also, the last one suffered from `dark` video, cameras not properly adjusted. But back to KXOK. We made a point of taping the 7 a.m. (1300 UT) show on Monday, March 11. It`s strictly a one-camera show, mostly looking at Anita (Maley?) at her desk featuring a yellow rubber duckie in front, and some other artifact at stage right. The half hour was mostly continuous chat with someone strictly off-camera, at first anonymous, then referred to as Scott. Sort of like a semi-radio show, except I don`t think this was on any radio station. About the only local news was the day`s public school menu. Scott then gave a few international news headlines starting with the Zimbabwe election being protracted. And Anita had some `Bozo news` about a thief who, to his own detriment, swallowed a necklace he had just pulled off some woman. From the chatter we gleaned that Anita has a new homepage (not given); the 10-foot satellite dish previously lowered down the outside of the Broadway Tower has now been raised to the top of the (one-storey) Oakwood Mall, thanks to a crane operator who happened by and did the job by mistake instead of another company which had just been called. She will be off next Monday, but back on Tuesday, when seemingly they will be ready to operate from the new studio in the mall. The meteorologist (not to be seen in the morning) is named Tim Bradfield. Scott vowed to have KXOK go out and do stories concerning all the surrounding little towns in its coverage area, not just Enid, and think about warning them too about severe weather, not just Enid. They are still talking about the upcoming radio station (and I am still only hearing KIXR Ponca City on 104.7), where they plan to start the morning show with Anita at 6 a.m., and she will have to wear headphones along with her earrings; and then jointly telecast it from 7 a.m. At one point we got a subliminal snap of a street scene, later taken deliberately to confirm that there was traffic actually going by on Garriott, but we focused on the trash in a gutter. Not a pretty sight. And so another half hour of our life has expired, with very little to show for it (Glenn Hauser, Enid, March 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST, for OKLAHOMA BROADCASTING NEWS) http://www.worldofradio.com/oklahoma.html ** PERU. 4950.17v, Radio Madre de Diós, Puerto Maldonado, la provincia de Tambopata, el departamento de Madre de Diós. March 2002 - 1030 UT. Always heard with weak signal and lately varying in frequency between 4949.99-4950.17v kHz. Announces SW, MW and FM. Radio Bahá`í, Otavalo (Ecuador) seems to be completely inactive on SW; my last notation is from Nov 1999 on 4950.14v kHz. Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Tambopata, cuya capital es Puerto Maldonado. Sus distritos son: Inambari, Las Piedras, Tambopata; con una población total de 45,773 hab. 5637.22, Radio Perú, San Ignacio, la provincia de San Ignacio, el departamento de Cajamarca. March 1 2002 - 0200* UT. The word "reactivated" has almost lost its importance concerning Peruvian radio stations but my latest note is from March last year on 5637.26 kHz. When allowed to be called "reactivated" I think the station must have been off air for at least a year. Seems to be on air only between 0000-0200 UT. Definitely active on its FM-frequency 97.3 MHz. Mentioned telephone: 80 21 02. 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. 5854.60v, Radio Americana, Nueva Cajamarca, Región San Martín. March 5 2002 - 0100 UT. I reported this new station in SWB 1468. Began around Sept 20 last year, active only a few days, and like RD Comercial below been off air until this date. ID also as "Estéreo Americana". Good signal and varies in frequency a few kHz. As a matter of fact no mentioning of provincia "Rioja" but only "Nueva Cajamarca, Región San Martín". 6324.35, Radiodifusora Comercial "La Voz del Vecino", Nueva Cajamarca, la provincia de Rioja, el departamento de San Martín. March 5 2002 - 1055 UT. Reported about this new station in SWB 1475. Started around Dec 25 last year and only active for a few weeks. Off air until this date when they told us they suffered from problems with the power distribution. Funny coincidence that two new Nueva Cajamarca-stations are "reactivated " the same date, March 5! Annoying QRM from shipborn utility. Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Rioja, cuya capital es Rioja. Sus distritos son: Awajun, Elías Soplín Vargas, Nueva Cajamarca, Pardo Miguel, Posic, Rioja, San Fernando, Yorongos, Yuracyacu; con una población total de 69,231 hab. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin March 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** PERU. 9720.6, Radio Victoria, Lima. 0752-0757 March 8. Spanish transmission. Religious program. Commentary read by male. 24232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. RADIO MARAÑÓN A BIG STATION FROM A SMALL JESUIT VICARIATE IN THE NORTHEASTERN PERUVIAN JUNGLES by Gabriel Gómez, Coordinator General of the DX Club Montevideo, and Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, of Tokyo, Japan. Republished with the kind permission of Señor Gómez [actually, I think it`s entirely by TIN -gh] Montevideo, Uruguay, Mar 5 (DX Clube de Montevideo) Nothing can deny the special attractiveness that the Andean stations have, from the cultural point of view, for those who live in Latin America and for people on other continents, as is the case of Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, who lives in the city of Tokyo, Japan. He lived some time in Peru, where there is a large Japanese colony, to learn the Spanish language and visit most of the stations he had heard. We are pleased to share the following information, thanks to colleague and friend Horacio Nigro, of wide and substantial fame in the world of DXism, based ultimately on the Miscellaneous Section of Conexión Digital, published by members of the Platense Group of Radio Fans. In this sense it seems to me opportune to tell you the history, technical information and programming of Radio Marañón on shortwave from Perú on 4835 kHz. Radio Marañón was created with the goal of accompanying the inhabitants of the northeast region of Perú in the process of integration and development, promoting the participation of all sectors in it. It began operations August 20, 1976, in the city of Jaén as an educational station of the Vicariate of San Francisco Javier del Marañón and directed by the Society of Jesus. Two years after its launch, RM attained its two primary goals: ``Presence of Radio in the Region,`` the first, and ``Differentiated Programming,`` the second, with schedules and programs dedicated to the diverse strata of an audience principally campesino. From the beginning, RM placed emphasis on programs directed to the campesinos, orientating agricultural activities dedicated to the cultivation of local crops and the breeding of small animals. Three years after its launch, RM won the First National Prize awarded by the Center of Tele-education of the Catholic University of Perú (CETUC) to the best educational radio programs. In 1985 RM began the Literacy Program, but this was suspended after two years because of little interest on the part of the Ministry of Education. In its place it created INTERAMA (Educational Institute of Radio Marañón), which offered an informal formation. [sic] They also brought forward programs of fish culture, family orchards and rabbit raising, constructing in effect a fish farm, an orchard, and an experimental farm on the grounds of the studios of RM, where students can observe what they are being taught. In the same manner it broadcast a new model of ``Ecological Kitchen,`` destined to avoid the massive consumption of wood, building a demonstration model of the kitchen on the same grounds of the station. It has also published instructional materials, and furthered the students` learning by means of slides and audiovisuals in meetings that took place in the RM auditorium. In 1990 it began its ``University Courses over the Air,`` which lasted three years, and three basic courses: Medicine and Hygiene, Housekeeping and Farming, and Ethical and Moral formation. Given the absence of telephones and adequate means of communication in the region, it inaugurated its ``Community Service,`` providing an open microphone for listeners, over which the campesinos could broadcast their messages; this service has an average 150 callers every day in the three-hour-long program. To spread and revalidate the culture of the northeastern campesinos, a series of live broadcasts were organized to promote folkloric music and native art, characterizing them with massive participation on the part of the artists and composers of the region. Since then, their creations and compositions became well known on the part of a numerous public that met to hear them in the RM auditorium. And to help the formation of the catechists of the region, it broadcast programs on the weekends that explained the Sunday readings of the Bible, as well as the catechism and the Sunday Mass. With the purpose of reactivating the station in a manner that accords with the new circumstances and that is based on recognition of the customs of the campesinos and the marginal-urban population of the region, in 1992 the station did an audience survey through a group of specialists. It had the end of analyzing the relation that exists between RM and its listeners, to know the characteristics of radio use on the part of its audience, to identify RM`s audience share, and to know the usefulness to and the interests that the listeners have in the services of empowerment, information, entertainment, self- improvement and apostolate that the station provides. With the results of this investigation, from October 1992 to September 1993 the station began a process of reorganization and redirection towards the necessities and new characteristics of the audience and the region. At the end of 1992 a public meeting was held to choose adequate staff, and courses and training sessions in various areas were organized for the new personnel. New announcer booths, recording studios, and control rooms were constructed, and the offices were remodeled. The sound proofing material was renovated as well as the studio equipment. Among the new personnel, four teams were organized: production, information, administration, and technical, with 14 people in all. Another two people, doctors by profession, belong to the health team of the station as collaborators with the production team. Training classes are permanent and form part of the annual plans. All of the people who participate on these teams take part periodically in various training and instructional courses offered by national and international institutions. In 1993, RM completed its process of integration into the Coordinadora Nacional de Radio (CNR) and in July of 1994 was accepted as a member of the Asociación Latinoamericana de Escuelas Radiofónicas (ALER). It is also a member of the Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias (AMARC). On October 4, 1993, and after having been partially off the air for almost a year, the relaunch of Radio Marañón took place with completely new programming, positioning itself more and more as a participative and popular station. During the last four months of 1994, the Asociación Latinoamericana de Escuelas Radifónicas (ALER), headquartered in Quito, Ecuador, supervised in the region an audience survey carried out by a team of specialists. The results placed Radio Marañón as the preferred and most listened to station in the region. Its programs are the most listened to and its newscasts, in addition, inspire the greatest credibility in the population. Database Jaén: Radio Marañón 580 AM (10,000 watts), 96.1 FM (250 watts), and 4835 kHz (1,000 watts). Asociación Civil Radio Marañón, Calle Francisco Orellana, 343; Apartado 50, Jaén, via Chiclayo, Perú. Tel.: (044) 73-11-47, 73-21-68. Fax (044) 73 25 80. E-mail: correo@radiomaranon.org.pe. Francisco Muguiro Ibarra, director. Lunes a viernes 0500-2200, sábados 0500-21000, domingos 0600-1300. Fundada (AM) October 4, (FM) April 3. Radio Marañón on 4385 kHz Shortwave Schedule Monday through Fridays; different programming on weekends 04:30 Carioca Songs, Agricultural topics, national music 06:00 Marañón Newsreport 08:00 Rapid Communication, personal messages 09:00 In Family, a family magazine program with topics for women, on health, and varied music 11:30 Rapid Communication 13:00 Marañón Newsreport 14:00 Musical Telegram; music to please 16:00 Rapid Communication 16:30 People Like You, magazine program with topics for young people 18:00 El Guayusero, Music: cumbias and Andean national music 20:00 Point of the Heart, romantic music 22:00 Sign Off (via Catholic Radio Update #165, March 11, via DXLD) I wonder where the name Marañón comes from, what it mean exactly; does it derive from the B.V. Mary? (gh, DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. The AFRTS Radio Station Roosevelt Roads, PR listing is wrong in the WRTH. 1200 AFRTS Roosevelt Roads, PR is 250 Watts, not 50w. Hmm... They use a pair of Nautel ND-1's, one standby and one on-air. The FM is on 101.5 FM. 1 kw. Horizontally polarized two bay antenna. Sort of strange - two horizontal X's stacked vertically looks like a type of receiving antenna. The closest municipality is Ceba. Photos to follow of studios, transmitters, and antennae. Many thanks to Journalist Petty Officer Second Class Jennifer Peter for the Grand Tour, the run to the store for more film, and an evening with her and her husband and another sailor friend out in town at a local Mexican restaurant. She is the Program Director. They are live during AM and PM drive (Ron Gitschier, On the Road, March 10, NRC-AM via DXLD) See also USA non below for thread discussing Spanish usage ** ROMANIA. Received a QSL for my December report to Radio Romania. The report was sent to the exact same PO Box 111 address, with the exact same postal code on it. (As noted in a recent posting by me Romanian postal authorities recently returned my October reception report as having an incomplete address.) The outside of the current mailing envelope has both the P O Box and street addresses listed as found in recent postings and the major reference books (Lee Silvi, Mentor, Ohio, March 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) To people interested in writing to Radio Romania International: I usually send my reception reports by snail mail to RRI, 60-62 General Berthelot Street, Bucharest and I always received their answer (Ramón Vázquez Dourado, Spain, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re Georgiana Zachia: She is a young lady, and she was the mailgirl of Radio Romania International, until this B-2001 season. For decades, RRI did not have a mailgirl. Replies were taken care of by the head of the English Department, Frederica, when she had nothing better to do. This left the listeners without schedules for months into the season, and very frustrated. Frederica wanted another editor, not a mailgirl. I also wrote that the mailgirl must be Romanian, for she is the ambassador of the station to the listeners. At least [last?] Frederica found Georgiana Zachia. G.Z. was the mailgirl, office and errand girl. She was very industrious and had some common sense. QSL cards arrived promptly. Schedules arrived on time. It is very easy for a mailgirl of a radio station to get into trouble. I was forever warning her not to answer my letters with anything more than a QSL card and to stay out of trouble. They taught her some announcing. She has a good voice and her English is perfect. Romania is the most difficult country in the world for an announcer. Monologues are long, long, ever so long and they must be read at high speed. In one case, she failed and had to be replaced in the middle. She was the youngest person at the station. She presented pop music, no doubt because she was more expert on it that anybody else. She took part in Youth Club, but without a by-line. She presented other programs too. She was also very Romanian. Romanians want to be dignified. She didn`t like being called a mailgirl. She preferred ``in charge of listeners` letters``. Frederica left, for reasons of health, and the new boss is Ioana Masariu. Georgiana Zachia was no longer allowed to initial QSL cards with her G with a squiggle. This season, several people at he English department were replaced, and G.Z. is no longer there, and she was not replaced. Replies are sluggish, almost as bad as in the old days (David Crystal, Ramat Zvi, Israel, March CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** SOMALILAND. 7530, R. Hargeisa: as usual, this was the only Somali outlet audible at my location this morning. Weak with Horn of Africa music. Tho always weak, this is usually reliable and just audible, 1845 Feb 16 (Charles Jones, Castle Hill NSW, March Australian DX News via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. MADAGASCAR, 12060, Voice of Hope relay via Talata 0439-0505 Mar 9, English to Sudan. "War - a time of suffering..." etc. SINPO 33333, pulser QRM (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UT Sat only ** U K. Fortunately, we tuned in BBC WS early March 11 at 1500, since the Commonwealth Day Observance actually started at 1503, not 1515 as publicised in BBC ON AIR and consequently in our MONITORING REMINDERS. But we quickly fixed that in two minutes, for those constantly checking our calendar page. The announcer pointed out that the service involved six ``affirmations`` or different faiths which are involved in the Commonwealth. Only six???? Come on! And you can bet Agnostics and Atheists are left out in the cold by this supreme example of why church and state should not be mixed, something the British have yet to comprehend. No doubt they mean well, but being `ecumenical` doesn`t cut it. Of course, religion of any kind is the opiate of the masses, and there are plenty of masses in the Commonwealth to be sedated and duped, rather than enlightened. Some nice music, tho. At the very same hour, Acting Pres. Bush was speaking outside the White House about the 9/11 semi-anniversary, a bit more involved in the real world, tho with no less phony piety. Five of the six religions involved in the CD service were Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and I suppose Jewish the sixth but my attention lapsed; however, there is no predominantly-Jewish Commonwealth country, tho Britain historically bears a lot of the blame for the present Israel/Palestine situation (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. I won a BBCWS T-shirt in a "Wright Round the World" contest. He announced the winners on Dec 23, and I got the shirt in the mail last Fri. It's a pretty nice shirt, they spared no expense (P J Allen, location unknown, March 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC LAUNCHES NEW NATIONAL DIGITAL RADIO CHANNEL 6 MUSIC | Text of press release from the BBC on 11 March This morning (Monday 11 March) Ash beat all competition to officially mark the birth of 6 Music, the BBC's new national radio network. Phill Jupitus opened the mic at 7.00 a.m. with the energetic chords of the award-winning single "Burn Baby Burn". In an online vote, the public awarded the punk pop trio from Belfast the honour and a place in broadcasting history as the BBC launched its first new national music radio station in 32 years. [sic] Phill Jupitus, Breakfast Show presenter, says: "To be launching not only a new radio station, but also a new technology has me feeling quite excited, then hungry and finally sleepy. It's quite an honour to be the first voice on 6 Music and then to follow that up on air with a fantastic line up and play great tunes all morning is a dream gig. I'm glad Marconi invented radio so, a century odd down the line, I get the chance to give Offshore Banking Business by the Members the airplay it so richly deserves." Gideon Coe took the reins from Phill at 10 a.m. to present his Mid- Morning Show for the first time. His warmth and engaging music complements the other shows in 6 Music's schedule, including Lunch with Liz Kershaw, Craig Charles' Funk Show, Teatime with Andrew Collins, The Sunday Lie-In with Sean Hughes, Bruce Dickinson's Rock Show and Tracey MacLeod's Sunday morning show. John Sugar, Programme Editor, 6 Music, says: "It's a passion for great music that drives 6 Music - we're all united in that, especially the production team. This network isn't dictated to by the charts or the latest thing. It draws on the best music from the past through to today, and looks for the best music of tomorrow. We play contemporary songs that other networks would deem too daring and that should be heard. 6 Music has been years in the making and it's an amazing day for all of us and for the UK radio listener." 6 Music is available through DAB digital radio, digital satellite television (channel 911), digital cable television (currently only Telewest channel 909) and the Internet. Source: BBC press release, London, in English 11 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U K. SHORT WAVE MONOPOLY TO EC COMPETITION COMMISSIONER NEWS RELEASE - 11 March 2002 Trevor Brook has made a submission to Mario Monti, the EC Commissioner for Competition Policy, about the monopoly in short wave broadcasting in the United Kingdom. He is asking the Commissioner to investigate the refusal by the government to issue a licence for an independent short wave station, Radiofax. Brook has been trying to obtain a licence since 1984. In 1997 he instituted an action in the European Court Of Human Rights but it ruled that the case did not constitute a sufficient curtailment of his Human Rights. In October 2000 he approached the Office of Fair Trading which concluded that the issue was simply not covered by the Competition Act. Historically, there was one short wave broadcaster: BBC World Service transmission. On 1 April 1997 this body was privatised and became Merlin Communications International. The government made no attempt to split the several UK transmitting facilities between more than one operator. Neither was any invitation made to potential new operators. There is no monopoly for AM and FM broadcasts. BBC domestic transmission was privatised at the same time but there are several other operators. On 14 November 2001, Merlin, with its monopoly, was acquired by Vosper Thorneycroft Holdings PLC for £95 million. Trevor Brook comments: Apart from broadcasting BBC World Service, Merlin transmits programmes for overseas state radios, as well as for a variety of private organisations. This is what I have been seeking to do. It is outstanding maladministration that the government refuses to grant a licence to anybody else. Contact: Trevor Brook Tel: 01483 275 997, Mobile: 07950 549 075, Fax: 01483 276 477. s.e@ndirect.co.uk Surrey Electronics Ltd., The Forge, Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 7BG, England (via DXLD) see also IRELAND ** U S A. Commentary --- THE PUBLIC BE DAMNED Several developments on the U.S. broadcasting scene are cause for grave concern. Some weeks ago, a Federal court told the FCC that its cap on cable system ownership was arbitrary and indefensible at the stipulated –I think it was about 35%– figure. Some weeks later another court ruled that the FCC could not forbid a corporation from owning more than one television station in a market unless there were at least eight stations in that market. While the court ruled that the FCC could indeed set limits, these could not be arbitrary or capricious. The problem now is, on what basis do we find a national standard to limit the number of stations per market, or cable systems nationwide? The FCC has a major problem given it here by the courts. This is not a matter that can be objectively determined; we are not dealing with the boiling point of water. Any number the FCC chooses will be hard to justify using the court`s decision— why 50 percent and not 66 percent? Why two stations in a market rather than three? or four? Why limit ownership to caps with six stations? Why not four? There is already speculation on how the caps on TV stations per market will affect radio. Radio is a sad example of how deregulation has changed a once vibrant business whose stations were, outside major cities at least, largely owned by individuals, married couples, and small corporations. Now, almost every important radio station in every city of size is owned by one of a handful of megacorporations. The largest is Clear Channel Communications of San Antonio; it owns over 1,200 stations and, despite, the bad economy, a decline in advertising, and diminished revenues, continues to purchase stations. One professional website reports that Clear Channel pulled in over one billion dollars in revenue last year; its nearest competitor pulled in only $400 million. It is not just a question of a handful of companies controlling the major stations. It goes far beyond this. Many conglomerates have in fact reduced once independent stations into relays of a flagship station in a distant market. ``Voice tracking`` is spreading – a star announcer in a distant city records all the local announcements, weather forecasts, public service announcements, and even song intros and outros for all the regional stations owned by the same conglomerate. Computers splice all this together seamlessly so that the local station sounds as if the corporate owner is right there in the listeners` city and involved in the community, when in fact the only presence in that community is the local sales staff. Then, the other week, the FCC decided on a new requirement to fulfill the instructions of Congress to remove television channels 51 through 69 from television broadcasting. The FCC will expedite matters by requiring all applicants with pending applications for a television station on channels 51 through 69 (some of which are almost 10 years old) to amend their existing applications within a few weeks to (1) pledge that they would operate such stations, if granted, as digital television stations (DTV), or (2) they will find another, vacant analog channel below channel 50, which they must find themselves. If as in many cases, there are several applicants with competitive applications, they must all agree on a new vacant analog channel or all their applications will be dismissed. But there is more; such channel finds must meet the FCC`s stringent requirements of protection against interference to existing stations, authorized and under construction, analog and digital. Class A community stations must also be protected. One FCC Commissioner, Michael J. Copps, was upset. He argued that the FCC was demanding more than was necessary in requiring that new stations in channels 51-59 be digital, that in fact such assignments were temporary anyway, in light of the law passed by Congress. He said that the FCC was foreclosing on any analog operations before more vacant channels opened in the bands of channels 2 through 50 as present licensees converted fully to DTV and turned their old analog channels back to the FCC. In fact, he said, his preliminary study of the list of affected applicants showed that this new requirement would eliminate a first television station to at least a dozen communities. Two consulting engineers have told me that this Federal push into DTV is something nobody wants— but the Feds. To which I add PBS, which is eagerly converting to DTV through NTIS PTFP funds and dedicated funds through the Department of Commerce and Congress; and of course, technology junkies. Nobody else seems to want DTV. Nobody. Truth to tell, for everyone else, DTV has become an expensive burden. No station has shown a profit yet with DTV; station owners have invested millions in building a second, digital station. But the public has shown very little interest in DTV; even in markets where all the stations have DTV operations up and running, DTV set sales remain small. Understandably this is so, given the astronomical prices for sets, from $1,400 to $8,000. Television stations in small markets, ranks 101-210, will have a very hard time paying for DTV conversion because their ad revenues are much smaller than big cities but the price of conversion is basically the same, at least a million dollars a station. The TV industry has released figures showing that stations in the 10 biggest markets pull in a combined $62.6 million in ad revenues, compared to only a combined $11.1 million for markets 61-70, and $6.9 million for markets 101-110. The 35 smallest markets pulled in a mere $3.7 million, all stations combined. The situation is so critical that some small owners have said DTV conversion will drive them to bankruptcy. The American public is not aware what is being foisted on them by the Federal government. All existing television sets, except for those small numbers of new DTV sets, will become completely useless in a few years, except maybe to watch old VHS tapes of movies, weddings and family events. All sets. And the high cost of new DTV sets will preclude having a second set in the bedroom, or the wife having a small set in the kitchen to watch as she prepares meals, or dad to have in the garage when he does woodwork. Then, the question arises, what will become of these millions of existing, perfectly good but perfectly useless analog sets? Most will wind up in the landfills, a thought that should drive any environmentalist wild, if only they knew about it. But few people anywhere seem to know anything about it. Say DTV and they think about the new channels being offered by cable systems, which few want anyway, as cable systems are sorrowfully learning. For that matter, sales of digital hookups to computers via phone lines or cable systems are flat and one large provider is thinking of getting out of the business. No, the public does not realize that the present system of television is being destructed by a government intent on handing over the vacated television channels to giant wireless technology businesses. Recall that 22% of the population does not subscribe to cable television or satellite television, that this percentage tracks well the percentage of poor U.S. households; that the percentage of black households not subscribing to cable or satellite TV is higher, and that of Hispanic households even higher. For the poor, African- Americans, and Hispanics, broadcast television is often their sole option. But all this does not deter the government. The Bush administration is thinking of levying large fines in the form of ``spectrum rental fees`` on stations that do not convert to digital quickly and return their analog channels. The Congress has held hearings at which they berated television executives for not converting faster. One Congressman, Billy Tauzin of Louisiana, has said that if owners do not convert, they will be made to do so. But it is clear to everyone that DTV is failing (and not just here, but in England; one news source has quoted a BBC official saying that this year will make or break DTV in England). FCC Chairman Michael Powell has formed a task force to find out why and what can be done about it, which is a more rational approach than that of the White House or Capitol Hill. One wonders in all this where the interests of the American public are being considered. Instead of locally owned radio stations with roots in the community, we get relays of faraway stations so as to enhance the profit margins of megacolossal corporations and make Wall Street analysts happy. We see the Federal courts, which ought to be the last bulwark of the public`s rights, abetting this development in cable, broadcast television and, soon, radio. We see a Congress that mandated such ownership changes and channel shrinkage under the Clinton administration continue to promote them under the present, and a present White House administration that continues the course full steam ahead. We see a Congress intent on pulling even more TV channels away from stations (recall that the TV band once ran from channels 2- 83) and giving them to lucrative cellular phone and wireless technology interests. And that, in the final analysis, is where the action is, where the money is, where the real reason for this madlong push towards a digital world is going. Forget all the political garbage about the benefits of an interconnected digital world, of untold increase of benefits for everyone when radio, television, cable, and computers are all connected in one big digital world. The real reason is to benefit the cellular and wireless technology businesses. All else is buzz. Hype. Bull. Politics. Courts, Congress, and the FCC— the American public is being ill served by them in matters of mass media. The attitude is, the public be damned. (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update #165, March 11, via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. HOW SPECTRUM SALES TURNED SOUR WIRED March 5, 2002 by Joanna Glasner Even in an era of rampant privatization of public assets, it's not easy to grasp the concept that rights to cross sections of air are routinely sold off to the highest bidder. Certainly airwaves -- or the ability to use them -- aren't the sort of tangible goods, such as old equipment, confiscated property or even rights to mine on state land, that the government has traditionally sold at auction. But when it comes to raising money for the U.S. Treasury, the numbers speak for themselves. Since 1994, spectrum auctions -- in particular, auctions of airwaves for wireless telecommunications -- have constituted the most profitable asset sale ever conducted by the U.S. government. In the last eight years, the Federal Communications Commission has raised more than $40 billion from spectrum sales, including bids that have been accepted but not yet paid, to fund the U.S. Treasury. Despite the auction's financial success, however, the mechanics of the bidding process have come under fire. Fueling the criticism is a high- profile dispute between the FCC and NextWave Telecom, a bankrupt firm that is contesting the agency's decision to resell licenses it failed to pay for on time.... http://www.friendscb.org/articles/Wired/wired020305.htm (via Ricky Leong, QE, DXLD) ** U S A. A SAD STORY - CLASSICAL MUSIC ON THE WANE ON US RADIO From Andante: Radio Waves http://www.andante.com/magazine/article.cfm?id=16078&highlight=1&timeline=1&highlightterms=radio&lstKeywords=radio Peter Goodman observes that WNYC's recent cutbacks mirror a larger trend - the slow but steady disappearance of classical music from America's airwaves. The change has been brewing for years. Virtually since the day in 1995 that Laura Walker became president of the newly independent WNYC Foundation - owner and operator of New York City's famous WNYC/93.9 FM and 820 AM - the probability mounted that the FM station, home for decades of a very successful classical music format in the most competitive radio city in the nation, was eventually going to eliminate or greatly diminish the diet of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and John Adams that the city's connoisseurs had grown to love. Their replacement would be the commercially successful format already used on the AM station: news, talk, commentary and information from National Public Radio and WNYC's own local studios. Here's how the reasoning went: we have to pay New York City $20 million to buy the two stations, and we need even more money to increase our audience and raise more money. What brings in more support, music or talk? Talk, of course. That's what the radio consultants have been telling us for years, and that's what we have found in our own fund-raising. So, gradually at first, classical programs began to disappear from WNYC FM. Then came September 11th. WNYC's share of the destruction included the loss of its FM transmitter and antenna with the collapse of the World Trade Center, as well as the temporary loss of its nearby studios and offices, due to smoke and dust damage. Immediately, in response both to the loss of the FM signal and the urgent need for news around the clock, WNYC FM dropped all its midday music and began simulcasting the AM station. It's been five months now, with no move back to music. But listeners didn't understand what was happening until 4 February 2002, when the astute weekly New York Observer detailed the unhappiness and off-air conflicts within the station, starting with Walker's $321,539 compensation package and then exploding with the news that the station was seriously considering dropping classical music almost completely. New York - that smug city that, among other things, considers itself the classical music capital of the United States - suddenly faced the possibility of a future with only one classical station. And that was the staid, middle-of-the-road WQXR/96.3 FM, owned by the equally staid Gray Lady, The New York Times. Listeners were outraged; protests poured in from highly placed, wealthy members of WNYC's own board, among many others. Walker pulled in her horns and said that the news/talk format was just one of several possibilities under consideration. All this seemed like a catastrophe of the first significance in the Big Apple. In fact it was just New York coming in at the tail end of events, as usual. Classical music has been slowly disappearing from the commercial airwaves for more than a decade. At the same time, public radio, which had become the main hope for classical listeners nationwide, was also switching from Beethoven to Bob Edwards. Everybody knew that's where the money was. The commercial story has been especially sad. The days of family-owned stations, which made enough money to be comfortable if not enough to be rich, have given way to the deregulated, consolidated era of powerful corporations whose obsessive focus is "shareholder value." They spent too much money (stations in New York and other large cities were going for upward of $100 million apiece) and owed too much money, to waste time with a piddling few millions of profit. They needed lots, lots more - and right away. So the cozy classical stations began to disappear - at first with some protest, but finally with barely a peep. WNCN/104.3 FM, New York's second upstart classical station, was sold in the early 1970s to a group that gave it a rock format. Furious fans fought back and got the signal sold to a firm that agreed to restore the old programming as long as it was in the black. But 20 years later, when that company found it could make a lot more just by selling WNCN, they did - with nary a peep. Today, there are just 34 commercial stations around the country playing classical music, down from 48 in 1992 (although the share of the total listening audience shrank only slightly, from 1.8 percent in fall 1991 to 1.5 last summer). The most recent flip came just two months ago, when Cox Communications bought Miami's venerable WTMI/93.1 FM and turned it into WPYM "Party 93.1," devoted to underground dance music. As Sean Ross, editor of the Billboard Airplay Monitory trade weekly, put it: "If 20 years ago, or even five years ago, you had gone to a major [radio] group manager and said I'd like to take your classical to underground dance and make more money, you would have been greeted with skepticism. Now dance is more in the mainstream. It seems less frightening." Still, since WTMI disappeared, the managers of a public station in nearby Palm Beach County, WXEL/90.7 FM, announced that they will broadcast 90 hours of music a week (as well as a news/information format) into Miami and Dade County, starting in early June. One way that public stations are trying to preserve some balance of both news and music has been to acquire second frequencies in the same city, as Colorado Public Radio has done in Denver. The Colorado system has even joined with the University of Southern California's KUSC to create the Classical Public Radio Network, which combines the resources of both operations to form a 24-hour musical stream that is available for syndication nationwide to other public stations. And there are rival networks: Minnesota Public Radio's Classical 24, for instance, is not happy about the arrival of CPRN. "The two signals have done magnificently in Denver," says CPRN artistic director Evans Mirageas, a former major-label record executive. "People today want more specificity, either all classical or all news. Gone is the idea of the intellectual companion, with news, lectures, jazz, classical music and so on. There are more 'genre-specific' listeners, and public broadcasters have awakened to this." The move toward niche programming mirrors the trends in commercial pop, rock and rap, for which stations have been targeting their programs at increasingly specific audiences. (WKTU/103.5 FM in New York, for example, is directed at 25-to-34-year-old women). Where do we go from here? Are American classical music lovers doomed to the eventual dripping away of our favorite sounds from the airwaves, where so many of us (especially outside the main cities) learned how to listen to and appreciate the music? Not necessarily. For starters there is the Internet, an inexhaustible resource for the dissemination of all manner of global sounds. Readers of an internet magazine such as that of andante hardly need to be reminded of how much there is to read and hear in cyberspace. Internet radio itself is increasingly a place where old music can meet new ears, and it is addressing the hunger for the music around the nation - an appetite which will surely be piqued as computers enter more households and Internet access increases. And now there's satellite radio, too, provided by two competing firms: XM Satellite Radio, based in Washington, D. C. and Sirius Satellite Radio, based in New York. The latter launched in its first four markets just last week on 14 February 2002. As one who has enjoyed an XM installation for several months now, I can report that it's great - even with a few flaws in the design of the receivers. XM and Sirius have four and three classical channels respectively, with at least one devoted to vocal music (try finding that as a steady diet, or even during a weekday, on your local station). The sound quality is superior to FM now, the reception is superb - I listened recently to one station on a round trip from New York to Vermont. It was wonderful. All these trends and new developments suggest that traditional classical radio seems to be going the way of "adult standards" from the late '30s to mid '50s and slowly disappearing from the airwaves. Fortunately, as new technologies and avenues of distribution take its place, the music's staying power seems as strong as ever (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. March 9, 2002, Saturday, BC cycle VETERANS PUSH FOR MUSEUM AT VOICE OF AMERICA RADIO BUILDING [Bethany] A veterans group wants to open a museum on the site where Voice of America radio broadcasts from the U.S. government were beamed behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. The original 600-acre Voice of America site in Union Township contained a network of radio towers, an outdoor switching station and the broadcast building, which also transmitted and received broadcasts worldwide during World War II. The towers have been removed, but the Ham Radio Operators Association is considering erecting a working tower if a museum is opened in the former broadcast building, owned by the township. Fred Carroll, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7696, proposed converting the building and seeking a national historic landmark designation. The museum idea has been discussed for years, but the VFW recently took over fund-raising. The group plans to solicit donations internationally, but has not determined the cost of the project. West Chester officials also plan to raise $42 million to build parks for dog-walking, skating and soccer on the grounds, 20 miles north of Cincinnati. LOAD-DATE: March 10, 2002 (AP via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. The Corporate Director of Engineering for Crawford Broadcasting just tipped me off to their updated web site. It has a lot of facts and photos. The "stations" link shows basic info and slogans used at every one of their 30 or so stations. A few of the "stations" links have another link on them to photos of the antennas and transmitters including KBRT on Santa Catalina Island. Look way at the bottom of each page for the link. The "engineering" link has more photos (slow loading but worth the wait) and some interesting info about their Chicago cluster which anticipates going digital later this year. I'm still not sure what the creature in the microwave in the St. Louis photos is. Possum maybe? The page is at http://www.crawfordbroadcasting.com Enjoy! (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. N. COLO. ANTI-TOWER EFFORT IS ON FINAL TRY By Coleman Cornelius, Denver Post Northern Colorado Bureau Sunday, March 10, 2002 - LIVERMORE - Rural neighbors near Livermore have launched a last-ditch attempt to save the skyline from a 500-foot radio tower that would beam rock 'n' roll to northern Colorado. The tower would soar about 50 stories into the sky - complete with anchor cables and flashing lights - near the well-known landmark of Steamboat Rock in the Laramie Foothills, a historic area that's been the focus of land conservation. From some vantage points, the tower will be visible for miles. In this ranching community 25 miles north of Fort Collins, the issue of the tower has divided longtime neighbors and is a painful symbol of the conflict between progress and preservation.... Interesting story in the Denver Post today about a fight between Clear Channel and some rural property owners north of Ft. Collins. CC is putting up a 500 foot tower near Livermore, CO for an FM license in Cheyenne, WY. The tower is going up within view of the Overland Trail stagecoach route from the 1800s. It looks like CC is winning the fight. The story is at: http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,53%257E452939,00.html (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, NRC FM-TV via DXLD) ** U S A. 26350 & 26450 NBFM, KUSA Denver, Colorado, 2300 Mar 8. TV feeder for KUSA noted first on 26350 at 2300 tune in, then on 26450 about an hour later. There was much feeder activity from the Denver area due to a large snow storm. Also heard avalanche warning. Multiple 9 News IDs. Website address given over the air, at one point. http://www.9news.com/ 26400 NBFM, KMGH, Denver, Colorado, 2358 Mar 8, noted the 27th of February on 26450, but this is the first time I've heard it on 26400. Huge pile up on I-76 due to snow storm. Denver airport closed, many flights delayed. ID "7 News", see http://www.thedenverchannel.com/ 26300 NBFM, UNID TV feeder/cue, 2320 Mar 8, Traffic report mentioning "The 202". Also several mentions of Chicago. Some co-channel QRM, so unable to work with it (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. COLLEGE RADIO OFF AIR AFTER INSULTING TALK North Jersey News http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=2724603 Thursday, March 07, 2002, By JUSTO BAUTISTA, Staff Writer MAHWAH - The campus radio station at Ramapo College of New Jersey was shut down Wednesday by school officials who said student broadcasters had aired insulting and racist remarks about black politicians, Hispanics, women, and homosexuals. The college administration said the 29-year-old station - WRPR - won't go back on the air until station advisers and student disc jockeys follow FCC regulations and "our own written rules," said college Vice President Pamela Bischoff. Students and teachers said there had been two inflammatory broadcasts. The first, last month, involved a talk show called "Chit Chattin' with Chet,'' hosted by John Tomaszewski, president of the student government. During the show, unidentified guests - one pretending to be Paterson Mayor Marty Barnes, the other pretending to be Newark Mayor Sharpe James - bantered in a way that suggested racial stereotypes, at least in the view of the administration. A recent issue of the college newspaper, The Ramapo News, said the first show mocked homosexuals, lesbians, and Hispanics as well. Tomaszewski, who survived a vote of confidence following the first program, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. One offended student - Brian Wilson, a junior and student government senator - called the station to complain and gave a tape of the show to school officials, the school newspaper said. The second offending show occurred Tuesday night, while college President Rodney Smith presided over a town hall meeting with students and faculty. The meeting dealt with diversity. Smith said yesterday he hoped students would be more thoughtful. "Ramapo College is an educational institution, and we hope to use this experience as an opportunity to learn and grow,'' Smith said in a statement. "As I said in last night's town meeting, we need to begin the process of healing, engage in healthy dialogue, and move beyond the personal to an understanding of these issues in the context of a broader society.'' The Tuesday show contained derogatory language and "untrue statements,'' said Bonnie Franklin, a college spokeswoman. She said she didn't know whether the controversial statements were made by callers or the DJ. Andrew Bernstein, a sophomore and WRPR program director, said he would supervise the DJs more closely from now on. "I feel like I have to be more stern with the DJs and not sit back and say, 'This is college radio,'" Bernstein said. "People are actually listening." One result of the controversy is that more students are listening - or were listening to the station - said Adam Laskowtiz, a junior who has a show. In addition to the campus, the station can be heard in Mahwah, Glen Rock, and Rockland County. "The student reaction has been stronger than anything I've seen," said Michelle Maskaly, a senior and editor in chief of the Ramapo News. "In the past, students have been apathetic about campus issues. This issue has definitely mobilized people." (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Re: 1700 WJCC Miami Springs, FL replacing 1210 kHz Miami. I wouldn't count on 1700 here replacing 1210. The main programming is still on 1210 WNMA, with 1700 WJCC being leased out to a religious group [Voz Cristiana, also on SW via Chile –gh] When the 5 year grace period comes up for them (should be sometime around Nov/Dec of this year), we will most likely see 1700 being turned in. Won't bother me a bit, since they have been in violation of FCC rules by not being in Stereo (Tony S/Miami, NRC-AM via DXLD) In fact, 1700 is the flagship station for the entire Radio Única network. The question should probably be, "will Única make it till the end of the year?" The net is bleeding badly, with increasing losses, and the shares are around a buck, down form the $20 offering price two years ago. Oh, and did I say, "No ratings?" (David Gleason, CA, NRC-AM via DXLD) Why is Única bleeding so badly? Obviously the format isn't as popular as suspected, but do you or your broadcasting colleagues have any conjecture as to why? Just curious....73 (Neil Kazaross, IL, with an Única local on 950, NRC-AM via DXLD) Why? US Hispanics don't like a talk format done from Miami with a one- size-fits-all content. Many of the people on the air, or who have been on the air, are TV people who just don't do fun talk radio. Then there is the sports show, which has a bunch of Argentines and Uruguayans with accents most US Hispanics find either hard or impossible to understand. Única was built by ex-Univisión and Telemundo folks. It has a "TV on the radio" model. It's boring. The ratings generally make Única the lowest rated Spanish station in every market they are in. In some places, they have stations and don't even show up in the ratings! As DXers know, half their stations are real dogs, like KBLA in LA which covers Maui better than Long Beach. A good example of the lack of success would be a comparison of the Única net to the leading US Spanish language station, WSKQ in NY. WSKQ as a single station has more audience than the entire Única net. Ad buyers have stayed away, as it has no efficiency; it also is not regionalized and advertisers know you have to do different versions of Spanish commercials for different areas of the country. I'm guessing that the Única net will be bought by one of the Spanish TV nets as an adjunct to their existing operations and as a promotional vehicle. Disney is enormously happy with RD despite low ratings, given the brand reinforcement and imaging it does for the corporation, so this idea is not out of bounds. I give this about a 30% - 35% probability. After that, there is a 20% chance someone else in Hispanic radio will take the net and rework it... SBS or someone with talk experience. Then, the options are for sale to a large religious broadcaster, Salem, Crawford, etc. Then we have it being broken into pieces, in which case most of the stations are worthless for anything except religion or paid ethnic programming (Haitian in Miami, Korean in LA, etc.) One thing is understanding, another thing is enjoying radio programming in a different accent with different usages. An educated Spanish speaker from anywhere in Latin America will "understand" people from elsewhere, although many Americanisms (Spanish words indigenous to areas of the Americas) will throw almost anyone. I can not speak perfect colloquial Mexican Spanish; nor can I speak 100% Argentine everyday Spanish, despite having had 4 decades of exposure to both. It takes me concentration to listen to Argentine airchecks, it takes a bit of an effort to do same with Mexican ones. It is like hearing myself think to hear stuff from Puerto Rico. The key is enjoyment. When I hear Argentine TV shows, that extra bit of concentration needed makes them more work than pleasure. I'm pretty used to Mexican shows as I have worked with Mexico for so long and they purposely "internationalize" all shows for syndication sales. I've played an LA morning show for folks in Puerto Rico and no one could understand the show. At all. Nada. And nearly everyone not form the Caribbean has trouble with Puerto Rican Spanish, due to speed, accent, contractions and the huge, huge number of colloquial terms and Anglicisms in the language there. In the case of Única, most Mexican sports fans reject the difficult Argentine accent of the sports dorks they have because "they don't speak like I do." Hell, they don't even use the same words. There are probably more Spanish-dominant Dominicans on the East coast than Spanish-dominant Puerto Ricans. The Puertoricans came in the 50's and are 3rd generation now; the young folks don't speak Spanish. In addition, there is positive reverse migration back to the Island ever since 1970 or so. There are relatively few Cubans outside Miami, where the bulk of them are over 50. Miami (metro) under age 55 is now 52% non-Cuban among the Hispanic population... Colombians and Nicaraguans being the largest groups, followed by Dominicans, Puerto Ricans and Ecuadorians. The dominant language influence in Mexico is Náhuatl, not Mayan. The Mayans only covered the lower area from Yucatan to Chiapas, and the northern languages are not Mayan based. Words like Chocolate and Tomato come form Náhuatl (David Gleason, CA, March 10, NRC-AM via DXLD) Re Mayan language immigrants to the U.S.: I think that the Mayan languages (Tzutuhil, Quiche, Cakchiquel, etc.) aren't heard much from the Guatemalan and Mexican (Chiapas) immigrants that come to the US. The speakers of Mayan languages often have very poor Spanish (or none at all), are from the isolated highlands, tend to "stick to themselves" culturally and not have as much desire to come to the U.S. My Spanish is only good (or used to be...) as opposed to great, but in many of the villages of Guatemala I feel that I am the best Spanish speaker. The people of the smaller villages usually have little education and most haven't studied Spanish. Those that know some Spanish are really Spanish speakers, and have big trouble with the written language. I do know that there are quite a few refugees from the terrible 30 year Guatemala civil war that live in Miami. As the refugees are "indígenas" as opposed to the landed white gentry (imagine that), perhaps Miami and Texas have a little more Mayan influence than I'd think, but it has to be small (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) In researching thousands of users of Spanish radio in Miami in that last 7 years (and actually living there in the early 80's) I never came across one Guatemalan indigenous person. They most go directly to English radio; Guatemalans in the Market data done by Strategy Research Corp. are listed as "insignificant." I programmed a station for a number of years in Quezaltenango (Estéreo Rey) and did some digging at Tikal before going head-first into radio, so I know what you are talking about. There are areas in Chiapas where Spanish is not spoken, but not in the cities (Gleason, ibid.) I've talked at length with Spaniards about the differences between say Chilean Spanish and Mexican Spanish, and how that compares to the difference between Australian English, American English and English English. Everyone there feels that the differences are smaller between the Spanish speakers. I certainly believed it - Madrid was a Mecca for people from CA and SA (including many of my co-workers) and they fit right in. I never, ever witnessed anyone having to ask someone from SA or CA to repeat something. And never any puzzled looks. One explanation is that these were engineers, and their education tends to normalize their Spanish. But the explanation they believed is that for hundreds of years, there were two forces that prevented regionalization: Spain was running the show, and even afterwards the role model for language was the Castilian spanish. Even today, many of the better-offs still send their children to Spain for a while to get a dose of castellano. As for the transition from high school to college Spanish, I've yet to meet anyone that thought it was easy. And I've yet to meet anyone with just HS Spanish that could really have an entire conversation with a native and understand it all. HS Spanish prepares you only to ask "por favor, ¿dónde está el Hotel Shératon?". I don't expect that castellano versus "American" Spanish was the real problem, but you would know better. My only issues with American Spanish were Ustedes vs. Vosotros, Cuban accents and regional differences in word usages like coche vs. carro but that never stopped the show (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) Vos is unused except in Argentina and Chile and parts of Central America (El Salvador seems to have a dose of it). Ud. is hardly used in Puerto Rico where everything, even conversations with strangers, is "tú." And you are right. Educated people who have had García Lorca and Cervantes and García Márquez and such can certainly communicate using formal Spanish. The average José and María, however, find the accents daunting and have no reference for colloquialisms. I did the first station in Buenos Aires that used "vos" instead of "usted" on the air, and its speech is very, very "street." When I have a tape on or have it streaming, the folks in LA [here: Los Ángeles] are constantly asking what phrases mean. For example, during the events of December, we had a promo on the air that said "que no te pinte el bajón" meaning "don't get depressed" over the situation. No one in LA new what that meant! Another couple of fun ones: guagua is a bus in Puerto Rico; it is a baby in the Inca-Andean zone. Chaqueta is a jacket in the Caribbean; in Mexico it is Male masturbation. Somewhere at work I have an 80-page photocopied tome of words that are used somewhere in Latin America that have a negative meaning somewhere else! Even in radio: a log is a log, a pauta, a planilla. A commercial stopset is a break, a tanda and a corte. A spot is a spot, a cuña, an anuncio, a mensaje, a corto, and several more. A meeting is a reunión in some places, and a junta elsewhere. Famous saying, "Latin America has 20 nations divided by a single language." Every time I travel, I have to go into parrot mode for a day or so to get with the accent, and more so, the cadence, of local speech. You are right about regional dialects. In Mexico, national talk radio has never been truly successful ratings-wise do to the enormous accent difference between "chilangos" (those from Mexico City) and the rest of the nation. In fact, there are many colloquialisms in the DF that are unused in the rest of Mexico. In Ecuador, I could not put a Quito announcer on a Guayaquil station or vice versa as they sounded so different. In fact, quiteños called those from Guayaquil "monos" or "monkeys" because, in part, of their fast chatter. Even Puerto Rico, only 100 miles long, has distinct regional accents, particularly in the inland area around Lares! Both US nets try to use "international Spanish" as many of the programs are later sold via syndication to Latin America. Most Mexican novellas and such are also done in neutral Spanish for the same reason. When I was doing radio syndication out of Miami, it took a long time to train the announcers I used to voice track the formats so that they would sound good anywhere in the Hemisphere; it must have worked as at one time the formats were on about 70 FMs in every country but Nicaragua, Cuba, Uruguay and Argentina! It took me a couple of years, but I used to write all the promos for the stations I managed there... and I still name programs and promotions. Latest is "De Pecho con Sonya" on Salsoul; it sort of means "head on" but also refers to the female anatomy. Oh, it is a sex-talk show! There are really major differences between Puerto Rican usage and that of anywhere else (David Gleason, CA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. WOR was not carried by WWCR 3210 at scheduled time of 0730 UT Sunday March 10 (John Norfolk, OK) EXCID, a make-good had to be inserted in that slot, but still supposed to be scheduled. Anyhow, we are back at 0100 UT Monday on 3210, confirmed March 11 (gh) ** URUGUAY. 6155, Banda Oriental, Sarandi del Yí. 0146-0205 March 10. Uruguayan folk music non stop. 44433 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** URUGUAY. 6010.37, Emisora Ciudad de Montevideo, Montevideo. March 2002 - 0100 UT. Heard every evening with rather weak signal and direct from carnival celebrations. I get the opinion that they relay TV/UHF channel 42 as they sometimes say "....aquí en 42". This station together with Radio Mil on 6010.00 kHz are the only stations heard in Quito on this frequency. Radio L.T.C. seems to be off air and no sign from the Chilean transmitter (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin March 10, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. STATE RADIO, TV "GROSSLY BIASED" IN ELECTION COVERAGE, SAYS NGO | Text of report from South African news agency SAPA web site Cape Town, 11 March: The state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) was guilty of bias and distortion "like never before" in the run-up to the presidential polls, according to Zimbabwe's Media Monitoring Project (ZMMP). The non-governmental organization said in a report released at the weekend that its preliminary figures showed ZBC television carried 402 election campaign stories in news bulletins monitored between 1 December 2001 and 7 March 2002, the penultimate day of the election campaign. Of these, 339 of them (84 per cent) favoured the ruling ZANU-PF's candidate, President Robert Mugabe. Only 38 (or nine per cent) covered activities of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), but "virtually all of them" were used to discredit the party and its candidate, Morgan Tsvangirai. The 24 other reports gave publicity to the three other candidates contesting the election. Radio - a state monopoly - had following the same pattern, the project said. Radio Zimbabwe, ZBC's most popular station, carried a total of 275 campaign-related stories in the news bulletins monitored. A total of 237 of them (86 per cent) were promotional stories in favour of ZANU-PF, while 20 (7.3 per cent) were negative stories about the MDC. "However, the most damning statistic to emerge from MMPZ's work was the fact that out of a total of 14 hours and 25 minutes that ZBC television news bulletins devoted to the presidential election campaign, ZANU-PF's candidate was granted a total of 13 hours and 34 minutes, or a little more than 94 per cent. "This compares to the national broadcaster's TV coverage of the MDC and its candidate of just 31 minutes and 30 seconds, a paltry 4 per cent. "But even this was subverted by ZBC, which used the time to attack, denigrate and discredit the MDC. "Never before in the life of the Media Monitoring Project has ZTV's coverage been so grossly biased." ZBC television had also so grossly distorted the extent of the nationwide campaign of violence that it seemed to be deliberately suppressing the truth. The project said these "extreme levels of distortion" deprived Zimbabwean voters of their fundamental rights to freedom of statement and the opportunity to make informed decisions. Source: SAPA news agency web site, Johannesburg, in English 0911 gmt 11 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. ZBC seems to be 24 hours on both 6045 and 5975 (which has not been on for a while). I gave up after 0000 and they were still on, and they were on when I checked a while ago at 1500 Mar 10. Today the elections are still in progress, and there is some talk about extending them for another day. So these two frequencies could be on extended sked for the next couple of days. 6045, R. 2--Listened 2250- 2315 Mar 9, the usual-sounding program of local pops and occasional vernacular announcements, except EVERY song extolled either Comrade Mugabe or ZANU Party (apparently requests). Rather pathetic. Nothing on the elections in progress. 5975, presumed R. 1--2340-2350 Mar 9, similar program to 6045, also in a vernacular (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DX-plorer via DXLD) ZBC heard well here on 6045 Mar 11 from 2000 to fadeout at 2050, in English and vernacular (Chris Hambly, Vic., DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 6715-USB. Mystery stn, hrd at 2203-2327* [Friday] Mar 1, good signal, seemed over modulated at first but was okay once signal built up arnd 2230. Almost obliterated by RTTY at 2230-2240, and there were occasional bursts and other passing noise makers at other times, but mostly in the clear except for background whine, seemingly from a ute. This was a Christian church svc, with hallelujahs and amen's noted here and there. Preacher was moderately animated, and there was piano mx in the background most of the time. Preacher seemed to turn it back to another man for a few minutes from time to time. Religious male vocals occasionally, one by female at 2320, "How Great Thou Art" at 2324, followed by some brief talk and piano, then off without more. At 2300- 2315 there was piano mx with what sounded like an open mike in the church, with some people singing but, in general, just background noise, as if there was something else going on during the service. At this hour, Anker Petersen in Denmark was hearing nothing, ditto Walt Salmaniw in Br. Columbia. Bill Harms has listened to some of the audio and says the lang. is definitely Korean, but I doubt that the xmsn is originating from there. Seemingly not daily (Berg-MA, NASWA Flashsheet March 10 via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-040, March 9, 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 #1121: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sun 0330 on 5070; Sun 0730 on 3210; Mon 0100 and 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, maybe 1830, 2430 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Wow. Granted, I'm fairly new to the SWL hobby. I've always been somewhat interested and slightly familiar because of an uncle. But not until. I came across your website have I seen such a complete and thorough work of dedication. I can see myself using your Calendar like the TV guide. Except without the sex and violence. So I won't miss a thing and I'll relax and enjoy. Thank You (``PEPAWWUD``) ** AFGHANISTAN. Glenn: Re. DXLD 2-038, I think this "Voice of Peace" in Afghanistan is the station which was covered by various reports a while ago? If so the frequency would be 96.0 MHz (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. OFF BAND NARROWCAST STATIONS --- letter AMT received a letter about off-band stations this week, which raised some interesting issues about content for older demographics. 2KM is the Sydney station targeting older listeners, originally begun by Barry Unsworth while he was at 2KY and now a separate company. ``I was told about your Web site last year and I keep coming back to it regularly... I have had good experience in the entertainment industry. I grew up listening to the 'great jocks' like Allan Toohey, Tony Withers, Bob Rogers and many others... I do many interstate trips for pleasure & business and always check out the radio scene. Having almost given my age away at the beginning, I search the dial for older music. Sadly, none exists on FM except an hour here & there on Community Radio. When in Brisbane I settle for 4BH which seems to play more adult music than anyone else. In Melbourne I really enjoy Magic 693. Back home in Sydney, 2CH occasionally satisfies but I do not enjoy the more contemporary easy listening tracks played. I prefer Nostalgia rather than Easy Listening. This leads me to my latest discovery. Last year I was surprised to discover a diverse range of stations past 1600 on the AM band ranging from country music to ethnic programs. Right in the middle of these was a nostalgia music station at 1620 that is very enjoyable. The call sign is really confusing. Sometimes it's 2KM and at other times just 1620. I was born in Kempsey and spent the first 18 years of my life there and the local station was 2KM. Something is not quite right here. There seems to be an identity problem. Also, the programming is confusing at times. At breakfast, the announcer tries to be all things to all people. There are long-winded interviews ranging from education & politics to the sounds of Christmas toys or marathon walks around Castle Hill Showground. Then, on other mornings there is just music. Overnight, repeated & repeated recorded messages tell you that music only is played in the mornings. I am not going to wait 10 minutes plus for the next song. Also, the announcer very occasionally plays contemporary music which is annoying because this interrupts the nostalgia sound. The afternoon program & weekends are as good as any of the stations I mentioned earlier. Even more confusing are the details listed in the radio guide in the Sydney Morning Herald. Printed besides 2KM AM 1620 is: 5 am Country Music(cont), 12 Ethnic 12am Country(cont). Obviously, this is not informing potential listeners of the great sounds of yesteryear. In my opinion, this station has the potential to satisfy the needs of many older people who want music only... Not all older people want to listen to talk & interviews. Those that do have GB, UE, AW, BC & the ABC... Twelve months ago when I last visited the USA, most major cities had at least one station playing to an older audience. One in Las Vegas was excellent. Nice warm & friendly announcers with plenty of Sinatra, Doris Day, Perry & Bing and great instrumentals. So come on you radio execs, how about a good outlet for us 'oldies'. 1620/2KM (whatever it is) could nearly fit the bill provided there is a controlled format with totally nostalgia music only... Thank you for the opportunity to express an opinion. Allan Samyia (March Australian Radio News, AMT via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. STATION JINGLES ON NET: Andrew Baudinette has recently put together a new site which is an archive of Australian Radio station jingles from the '60's to today. There are presently 25 stations listed and they are always on the lookout for new jingles.The site is located at http://www.radioatwork.com.au/jingleshrine.htm (March Australian Radio News, AMT via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. RADIO AUSTRALIA EXPANDS DELIVERY IN INDONESIA Radio Australia's Indonesian language programs can now be heard live on six local radio stations in key urban centres across Indonesia. Radio stations in Aceh, Yogyakarta, Kediri, Ujung Pandang, Jakarta and Sumedang are now relaying Radio Australia's most popular news and current affairs programs to their local audiences direct via satellite. ``The announcement of the six new Radio Australia Partner Stations in Indonesia follows several months of equipment installation and testing to ensure the stations can all access a strong Radio Australia signal, ensuring that their listeners can now hear Radio Australia loud and clear,`` says the network's Head, Jean-Gabriel Manguy. The six stations taking Radio Australia live via satellite downlinks join a group of 17 Radio Australia Partners delivering the network's programs to local listeners across Indonesia. Other stations receive programs weekly by mail on CD. ``The establishment of a network of partner stations is an integral part of radio Australia's efforts to ensure listeners throughout Indonesia have access to our programs,`` Manguy told AMT. ``Over recent months we have received many requests for programs from stations in Indonesia and are also finding that our current partners are demanding more and more Radio Australia content, facilitating access to new audiences.`` Radio Mara FM, with an estimated audience reach of four million listeners throughout the Bandung area, will be the next Indonesian radio station to join the Radio Australia partnership network via PanAmSat 8. Plans are under way for Radio Mara to begin relaying Radio Australia's news and current affairs programs live within the next few weeks. All partner stations are relaying news and current affairs content, and the four stations in Medan, Jakarta, Bandung and Sumedang also have live weekly talkback segments with Radio Australia's Indonesian broadcasters. Radio Australia's Indonesian and English language programs can also be heard on the internet at http://abc.net.au/ra (March Australian Radio News, AMT via DXLD) ** AZERBAIJAN. A few comments and additions related to the schedule of the Voice of Azerbaijan published a week ago. At my location, it's better to listen to Baku on MW 1296 kHz. Radio Liberty broadcast at 1600-1700 is in Azeri language, with ID "Radio Azatlig". It goes in parallel with SW frequency 9795 kHz, which is transmitted via Lampertheim, Germany. After the end of foreign service broadcast in Russian, at 1900, Radio Liberty again begins its Azeri service. This time it is parallel to SW 9670 kHz (via Biblis, Germany). There is another Azeri announcement at 2000, but I was not able to recognize the broadcast because of heavy QRM by ÷÷ó [sic –- BBC] World Service (Orfordness, UK). SW frequency 6110 kHz is less suitable for reception of broadcasting from Baku. QRM is much worse there: it is simultaneously used by VoA English, Brother Stair, RAI etc. (Vasily Gulyaev, Astrakhan, Russia, Signal March 9 via DXLD) ** BAHRAIN. Bahrain radio listeners will be among the first in the region to get to listen to the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) new Arabic station on 89.2 megahertz (MHz) when it goes on air in the coming weeks. The station will provide a mix of music and news which have been designed after careful research to appeal to as broad- based an Arab audience as possible with local news later becoming a major component. The station is part of BBG`s foreign-language services alongside Voice of America and Radio Free Europe although it is still to be branded in the Arab world with a specific name. It is part of the new Middle East Radio Network to be broadcast on FM frequency from Bahrain. A formal agreement was signed to celebrate the frequency assignment and licence agreement between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the US. Executive Director of Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation, Khalil Al-Thawadi signed on behalf of Bahrain and Governor Norman Pattiz of BBG on behalf of the US. The ceremony at Le Royal Meridien was attended by the Minister of Information, Nabeel bin Yacoub Al Hamer, US Ambassador to Bahrain, Ronald Neumann, officials from the Ministry of Information and members of BBG. The service will be a full-fledged daily 24-hour one by the middle of this summer. According to Governor Pattiz, careful research has gone into the project to ensure that listeners get what they are looking for and that the station`s effectiveness is not compromised by complacency. ``The prospect of a much-improved Arabic service is very important in fostering better understanding and communication between America and the Arab world,`` he said, ``We have been working on this idea long before 9/11 --- in fact I have visited here over a year ago and we have done extensive research on what our listeners will want to hear. ``We intend to provide quality programs which are research- driven. It is very important to us that we put broadcasting on air that people want to listen to. The emphasis will be on local not international news.`` Pattiz said he wanted American media to be heard and said the service was a first step in providing a free flow of ``accurate, reliable and credible news``. He said BBG comprised of eight private citizens and the US Secretary of State sat on the board as one of nine members. Responding to a question about the perceived tilt towards Israel in U.S. media coverage, he said, ``The BBG acts as a firewall to protect our journalists from pressure and let them act as independently as possible. We want to provide a free flow of accurate, reliable and credible news.`` The station is currently testing four different names to get the branding of the station right, having discarded the ``Voice`` theme in the name. The Program office will be based in Dubai and will expand to provide short and medium wave services also in the near future. Khalil Al-Thawadhi, BRTC Executive Director said Bahrain was looking forward to more co-operative ventures with foreign media, this being the first Arabic service licensing with the US. Copyright 2002 BAHRAIN TRIBUNE all rights reserved as distributed by WorldSources, Inc. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** BELGIUM. The Flemish Radio Amateurs have announced a special initiative on the occasion of this year's Flemish National Day on July 11. On that day, Flanders commemorates the Battle of the Golden Spurs in 1302. This means that this year it's the 700th anniversary of the event, and it will be commemorated throughout the year by the Flemish government and a myriad of organisations. The VRA, Vlaamse Radio Amateurs, the Flemish ham association, have gained permission from the Belgian Communications Department for all Flemish ham operators to use the special OS prefix instead of the usual ON, and that's from May 18 to July 11. They are calling on amateurs worldwide, and in particular the Flemish ones abroad, to contact OS stations. On Thursday, the 11th of July there will be a special station on the air: OS4VRA, at 1400-0200 UT on 3620 kHz, from Kortrijk, scene of the battle of the Golden Spurs, seven centuries ago. There is an award for those who make a number of contacts. Details will be announced shortly. We received this information from the radio ham association VRA and will communicate further information when available (Franz Vossen, Radio World March 10 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** BELGIUM. It's March 10 already and time to say something about our own transmissions from the end of the month when we adapt our programme schedule for the summer season. One very visible change is that in our English-language desk, we've decided to change the name of our daily programme from Brussels Calling into Flanders Today. We felt that Brussels Calling was becoming a bit old-fashioned. It is too much reminiscent of the old pioneering short wave days. So, from March 31, the programme will be known as Flanders Today. As usual, most of our programmes will be aired one hour later [sic! it`s earlier, really! -gh] in Universal time. Let's have a look at that English-language schedule, which is tentatively valid from Sunday March 31st. We will be broadcasting to Europe at 0700 UT on 5985 kHz from Jülich in Germany. Also on medium wave 1512 kHz. At 1130 UT we will be on medium wave and on short wave 9865 kHz from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatky for listeners in East Asia; at 1730 on medium wave and on three short- wave frequencies for listeners in Europe: 13710 kHz from Jülich for South East Europe; 13690 kHz from Skelton (UK) for South West Europe, and 9925 kHz from Krasnodar in Russia for North and South Europe. At 1930 UT on medium wave and on 13690 kHz from Skelton for South West Europe, and 9925 kHz from Krasnodar for North and South Europe. And at 2230 and 0400 UT we will be on 15565 kHz from Bonaire for listeners in North America. So, there you are. Broadcasts in French (15 minutes) and German (15 minutes) will be at 1700 and in German (first) and French at 1900 UT, both on 9925 kHz, from Krasnodar. The bilingual half hour is also on medium wave 1512 kHz at 1700 UT (Franz Vossen, Radio World March 10 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary DX-Antwerp will broadcast a special commemorative programme, via Krasnodar Tbilisskaya in Russia, on the 25th of May 2002 between 0800 and 0900 UT. Frequencies will be 17785 kHz (250 kW) and 9945 kHz (100 kW). A specially issued and very attractive QSL card will be available for correct reception reports. During this broadcast five keywords will be given. If you note at least 4 of these keywords, you can send them, together with a reception report to the following address: DX-Antwerp, PO Box 16, B-2660 Hoboken, Belgium or email us at : qsl@dxa.be. After verification of your reply, we will send you this special DX-Antwerp QSL card by mail (Guido Schotmans, Belgium, March 8, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re DXLD 2-039: Conversei com um técnico chamado Toninho que foi extremamente atencioso comigo. Ele disse que a Rádio Cacique ESTÁ ATIVA em 120 metros, na frequência de 2470 kHz, com potência de 250 Watts, 24 horas no ar. Segundo o Toninho o transmissor sempre esteve ativo porém como estava com defeito ele foi mantido em atividade com baixissima potência (apenas alguns miliwatts) para que a emissora pudesse manter a licença de operação. Porém, com muito esforço eles conseguiram consertar esse transmissor antigo (mais ou menos 40 anos de idade, o Toninho não se lembra da marca) e desde o começo do ano o transmissor está em operação com 250 Watts com o seguinte esquema de operação: Das 06:30 até as 24:00 horas transmissão em paralelo de Ondas Médias (1160 kHz) [UT: 0930-0300]. Das 00:00 até as 06:30 horas transmissão em paralelo com FM (96,5 MHz). [UT: 0300-0930]. Programação Musical Eles tem planos de muito em breve começar a transmissão em paralelo com Ondas Médias às 04:30 [0730 UT] da manhã, portanto 2 horas mais cedo. Isso vai acontecer em breve, segundo o Toninho. Enfim, ele ficou muito contente com meu telefonema e disse que gostaria muito que qualquer pessoa que ouvir a Rádio Cacique em Ondas Tropicais entre em contato com ele e informe como está a recepção. O email é: comercial@r... [truncated by yahoogroups] (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, Estados Unidos, both via Samuel Cássio, @tividade DX via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. Is back on 5030 tonight. African music, and a "Radio Burkina" ID at 1845 UT, followed by male talk in French. Very nice signal here in the Netherlands (Mark Veldhuis, March 8, SWBC via DXLD) ** CAMEROON. Re DXLD 2-039: Hi Glenn, just a minor correction. The 5010 Cameroon station which some claim reactivated is from Garoua, not Douala. Bye, and congratulations on your great job (Davide Maspero, Italy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Oops... well, I knew it had ``oua`` in it... (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. Radio Canada International, A-02 frequencies retyped from their website into a more readable text form. 31 March - 7 April 2002: Arabic 0230-0259 ME 5840hb 11835vi 0330-0359 ME 11945vi 13735we 1915-1944 ME 15200vi 17820we 17630hb 2100-2129 nAF 11920we 17820 Chinese 1300-1329 China 9810ki 9660ya 15190ya 1430-1459 China 6075ki 9680ya 11890ya 2300-2329 China 13660ya 15360sn 17835ya 11810ki English 0000-0057 seAS/China 9640ki 11897xi 0200-0259 AM 6040 9755 11725 11990 0200-0257 India 15260xi 17860xi 1200-1259 China 9660ya 15190ya 1300-1559 m-f NAM/Carib 9515 13655 17710 1400-1659 s-s NAM/Carib 9515 13655 17710 1500-1557 India 15455xi 17720xi 2000-2059 EU/AF/ME 5850hb 5995sk 11690sk 11965we 12015dh 15325 15470ar 17870 2100-2129 EU/AF/ME 5850hb 7235sk 13690sk 15325 17870 2300-2329 AM 13730 15305 2300-2329 AM 6175 9590 13670 2330-0059 NAM 6175 9590 13670 French 1200-1259 m-f NAM 13655 15425 1200-1359 s-s NAM 13655 15425 1700-1759 NAM/Carib 17820 21565 1900-1959 EU/nwAF 5995sk 7235sk 15245fl 15325 17570sk 17870 2130-2159 EU/nwAF 5850hb 7235fl 13690fl 15325 17870 2230-2259 AM 9590 13730 15305 2200-2259 seAS/China 11810ki 17835ya 0000-0059 NAM/Carib 6040 11865 13645 Russian 1500-1529 Russia 9920ms 11935we 15325rm 17820wo 1600-1629 Russia 11935 15325 17820 Spanish 0130-0159 AM 5960 9755 11865 2330-2359 Carib 13730 15305 Ukrainian 1530-1559 Ukraine 11935sk 15325rm 1630-1659 Ukraine 11935sk 15325rm ========================================= 7 April - 27 October 2002 Arabic 0230-0259 ME 5840hb 11835vi 0330-0359 ME 11945vi 13735we 1915-1944 ME 15200vi 17820we 17630hb 2100-2129 nAF 11920we 17820 Chinese 1300-1329 China 9810ki 9660ya 15190ya 1430-1459 China 6075ki 9680ya 11890ya 2300-2329 China 13660ya 15360sn 17835ya 11810ki English 0000-0057 seAS/China 9640ki 11897xi 0100-0159 AM 5960 13670 15170 15305 0200-0257 India 15260xi 17860xi 1200-1259 China 9660ya 15190ya 1200-1459 m-f NAM/Carib 9515 15305 17820 1300-1559 s-s NAM/Carib 9515 15305 17800 1500-1557 India 15455xi 17720xi 2000-2059 EU/AF/ME 5850hb 5995sk 11690sk 11965we 12015dh 15325 15470ar 17870 2100-2129 EU/AF/ME 5850hb 7235sk 13690sk 15325 17870 2200-2229 AM 11920 15305 17880 2200-2229 AM 6175 9590 13670 17695 2230-2359 NAM 6175 9590 13670 17695 French 1100-1159 m-f NAM 5990 9515 11910 1100-1259 s-s NAM 5990 9515 11910 1600-1659 NAM/Carib 9515 13650 15305 1900-1959 EU/nwAF 5995sk 7235sk 15245fl 15325 17570sk 17870 2130-2159 EU/nwAF 5850hb 7235fl 13690fl 15325 17870 2130-2159 AM 9590 11920 17880 2200-2259 seAS/China 11810ki 17835ya 2300-2359 NAM/Carib 5960 15305 17880 Russian 1500-1529 Russia 9920ms 11935we 15325rm 17820wo 1600-1629 Russia 11935 15325 17820 Spanish 0030-0059 AM 9590 11895 13670 15170 15305 2230-2259 Carib 11920 15305 17880 Ukrainian 1530-1559 Ukraine 11935sk 15325rm 1630-1659 Ukraine 11935sk 15325rm Relays: ar - Armavir, Russia dh - Dhabayya, UAE hb - Hoerby, Sweden ki - Kimjae, Korea ms - Moscow, Russia rm - Rampisham, England sk - Skelton, England sn - Singapore vi - Vienna, Austria wo - Wooferton, England we - Wertachtal,Germany xi - Xian, China ya - Yamata, Japan (Via Alan Roe, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Why was the CBC allowed to use prefixes beginning with 'CB'? My allocation list shows CAA-CEZ assigned to Chile. Perhaps the allocations came out after the CBC already had their callsigns? (Jeff Richardson, March 8, ODXA via DXLD) There is some debate on this very issue. There are two prevailing thoughts: 1. Permission was obtained from the Chilean government to use CB- prefixes. 2. They just went ahead and did it without regard to international convention. Both arguments have merit. Assuming, of course, that this prefix had already been allocated to Chile by the mid-1930's, it is possible that permission was requested and granted. One would then assume a far greater spirit of international cooperation than one might find today! On the other hand, they may very well have been assumed by the CBC as local identifiers for what was essentially a network operation in which case they may have felt that there was no real conflict. I'm trying to locate specific information in the CBC library. As an aside, it should be kept in mind that the CBC's predecessor stations, the CNR network, used CN prefixes which had been allocated to Morocco in 1913 (when if fact the CB prefixes were still unassigned). Here, too, the argument swings both ways. A factor for consideration would be the fact that most of the CNR callsigns were for "phantom" stations. These were stations having no physical equipment of their own; they simply leased time on existing stations. The CNR chain ran limited hours matching train schedules to station locations for the express (sorry 'bout the pun) purpose of providing radio entertainment to passengers aboard its first class trains. These stations were clearly never intended to be anything other than point to point broadcasters with the added bonus of having anyone else with a receiver being able to listen in! (Ori Siegel, VA3ORI, LISTENING IN NOSTALGIA Columnist, Ontario DX Association, ODXA yahoogroups via DXLD) ** CAYMAN ISLANDS. Narrator: CAYMAN ISLANDS - HISTORICAL REVIEW The Cayman Islands are located in the central Caribbean, almost half way between Cuba and Central America. There are three major islands in the Cayman group; Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman. The total population in the Cayman Islands is a little over 10,000, and the capital is Georgetown, on Grand Cayman. These islands are a popular tourist destination, particularly for Americans who wish to escape the cold northern winter. The first European explorer to discover the Cayman Islands was the famous navigator Christopher Columbus who visited the Caymans on his last Caribbean journey in May 1503. The Cayman islands are a Dependency of Great Britain, and the name ``Cayman`` is derived from an old Spanish word meaning ``alligator``. Radio broadcasting came very late to the Cayman Islands, and up until the early 1970`s, local residents had to tune their radio receivers to stations in other nearby countries, such as Jamaica and Miami for programming in English, or Cuba and Central America for programming in Spanish. The first radio station in the Cayman Islands was an educational FM station with 100 watts on 101.1 MHz which was opened somewhere around 1973. This station identifies on air as ICCI-FM and it is owned and operated by the International College on Grand Cayman. A commercial FM station, ZFZZ with 15 kW on 99.9 MHz made its first appearance in 1997. Radio Cayman in Georgetown is first listed in the World Radio TV Handbook for the year 1976, with three transmitters; 10 kW on 1555 kHz, 1 kW on 1205 kHz, and 250 watts on 105.3 MHz FM. According to a 1981 letter from Loxley Banks, the Director of Broadcasting, their station began broadcasting in December 1976. Additional test broadcasts began in April 1977, and the station was officially inaugurated three months later on July 13, 1977. The 10 kW mediumwave transmitter at Gun Bluff on 1555 kHz was closed eight years ago due to the cost of operating the facility and the fact that the transmitter area became built up with housing domains. The old and ailing 1kW unit on 1205 kHz was closed just three years ago. Radio Cayman is on the air these days from just four FM transmitters at two different locations; Georgetown on Grand Cayman, and Cayman Brac. During the nearly quarter century that the mediumwave units were on the air, this station was heard widely throughout the Caribbean, and at times in the United States, and occasionally even in Europe and the South Pacific. The station always verified reception reports with a courteous letter in English. The AWR collection contains two verification letters from Radio Cayman, each signed by Loxley Banks, the Director of Broadcasting. * Narrator: Some time ago, William Matthews, who was heard here in Wavescan for several years with his regular DX reports, took his annual vacation in the Cayman Islands. While he was there, he visited Radio Cayman and interviewed the Director of Broadcasting, Mr Loxley Banks. Here now is William Matthews with this historic interview, which was recorded before the last mediumwave unit was finally switched off. [listen to archive via http://www.awr.org -- WS 373] * Historical Interview with Radio Cayman - William Matthews, approx 5:00 Narrator: Back announce William Matthews for historic interview with Loxley Banks, Director of Broadcasting, Radio Cayman. Radio Broadcasting in the Cayman Islands -- WRTVHB Listings 1976-1986: 1205 1 kW, 1555 10 kW, 105.3 0.25 kW. 1987-1988: 1205 1 kW, 1555 10 kW, 105.3 5 kW 1989-1994: 1205 1 kW, 1555 10 kW, 105.3 5 kW, 89.5 and 91.9 .25 kW 1995: 1205 1 kW, 105.3 5 kW, 89.5 and 91.9 .25 kW 1996: 1205 1 kW, 105.3 5 kW, 89.5 .25 kW, 91.9 and 93.9 .25 kW 1997-1999: 1205 1 kW, 105.3 5 kW, 89.5 3 kW, 91.9 and 93.9 .25 kW 2000-2001: 105.3 5 kW, 89.5 3 kW, 91.9 and 93.9 .25 kW Radio Broadcasting in the Cayman Islands Locations as listed in WRTVHB Georgetown: 1205, 105.3, 89.9; Gun Bluff: 1555; Brac: 91.9, 93.9 (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan 373, Feb 17, via DXLD) ** CHINA. FALUN GONG BREAKS ONTO CHINA'S AIRWAVES China's drive against Falun Gong has not relented China's banned Falun Gong spiritual movement has managed to make an uncut TV transmission to the northeast of the country. Viewers in Changchun city in the province of Jilin told Reuters news agency the broadcast went out on Tuesday evening on cable TV channels. The programme, which condemned the Communist state's crackdown on the movement, replaced state television for about 50 minutes. "There was a brief blackout and then there was Li Hongzhi speaking," one viewer told Reuters, referring to the movement's US-based leader. The broadcast accused the authorities of staging the self-immolation of two alleged Falun Gong members on Beijing's central Tiananmen Square last year. Falun Gong's office in New York said it had broadcast two films on eight of the 32 TV channels broadcast to Changchun, starting at 2000 local time on Tuesday. It said the films, entitled "Immolation or deceit" and "Falun Gong spreads through the world", had the potential to reach 300,000 homes and an audience of more than one-million people. Investigation The French news agency AFP quoted a cable TV employee as saying the broadcast was being investigated. "An inquiry has been opened to find out who was responsible for this business", the source said. Reuters quoted a city official in Changchun as saying a high-powered team of investigators had been dispatched from Beijing. According to an unconfirmed report on Falun Gong's website, at least three people have been arrested in Changchun in connection with the broadcast (BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC March 8 via Rick Kissell, DXLD) ** CHINA. 6937, Yunnan People's Broadcasting Station. No data letter signed by the nationalities languages frequency of YPBS in 1 month for cassette report and US$1. Verifier pointed out that my recording was for their broadcast in Dehong Dai and Jingpo languages. Report sent to 73 Renmin Xilu, Kunming 650031. Return address given as 182 Renmin Xilu, Kunming (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX March 8 via DXLD) ** CHINA. Here are RFA in Mandarin and Tibetan at 15-16 UT monitoring results. There is Chinese jamming on all frequencies: in Tibetan on 7470 it's Chinese music, 7495 and 15385 - CNR1. There's Mandarin transmission on 9920 instead of Tibetan jamed by Chinese music as on 11945 and 13745. Jamming on 7540 is NFM Chinese music, on 9905 is CNR1. 13680 is off. It's hard to identify definitely situation on 15510 but it seems there's CNR (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal March 9 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. FARC GUERRILLAS SILENCE COMMUNITY RADIO STATION | Text of press release by Lima-based Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) dated 6 March On 28 February 2002, community radio station Onda Zero [sic] ceased broadcasting after guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC), 61st Division, stole the station's transmission equipment. The incident occurred in the Acevedo municipality, southern region of Huila department. Radio station director José Vicente Rodríguez informed IPYS' correspondent in Colombia that at around 8 p.m. (local time) a group of heavily armed guerrillas arrived at the La Estrella hill, where the transmission equipment was located, five kilometres from the municipality's head office. The guerrillas threatened Ramiro Calderón, his wife and three children, who looked after the equipment and often stood in as broadcasters. The guerrillas tried to take the equipment by force. Failing this, they threatened to blow up the area. Calderón was left with no option but to cooperate with the guerrillas and hope that at some point he would be able to recover the equipment in good condition. The guerrillas stole a 4.4 kW electric board, a 300-Watt transmitter and a 10-Watt radio link. In addition, two Yagi broadcasting and transmission antennas were destroyed. The total value of the stolen or destroyed equipment is about 25 million pesos (approx. 12,500 US dollars). According to the local police department, the guerrillas justified the robbery by noting that the equipment belonged to the government. The community radio station will be celebrating its 11th anniversary on 7 March. It received official recognition from the Communications Ministry four years ago. It is the only radio station in the region. "We do not want to get involved in the conflict. Our goal is to work on social issues with the community," said Rodríguez of the radio station's aims. The day after the robbery, journalist Divier Alexander López fled the region, fearing for his life. The FARC have stated that "anyone who speaks about them will be declared a military target". The radio station's managers have publicly called on the FARC to return the stolen equipment. They emphasize that they are a non- profit, community-based entity that is not government-run. The guerrillas responded that "if they relaunch [the radio station], they [the FARC] will silence it once again." The radio station broadcasts 16 hours a day on 107.8 [MHz] FM. Its programming includes a midday news programme, various music programmes and programmes inviting the local community to participate. Station management stated that this is the first time they have been threatened. The Acevedo municipality has 24,500 inhabitants, spread out over 84 settlements. It is located four hours from Neiva, the department's capital. For further information, contact Guillermo Castro at IPYS, Calle Sucre no 317, Barranco, Lima, Perú; Tel: +511 247 3308, +511 247 0406; Fax: +511 2 473194; e-mail: postmaster@ipyspe.org.pe; Internet: http://www.ipyspe.org.pe Source: Instituto Prensa y Sociedad press release, Lima, in English 6 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH (NORTH). 6150, BAYRAK RADIO INTERNACIONAL, Dr Fazil Kucuk Boulevard, Lefkosa, Turkish republic of Northern Cyprus, via Mersin-10, Turkey. Sent QSL with complete data, verified by Mustafa TOFUN, also sent a card with their schedule and frequencies and info about the station. 54 days. No IRCs (José Hernández, Spain, Cumbre DX March 8 via DXLD) ** DENMARK [non]. R. Denmark via Norway, March 31-October 26, 2002 UT Target (primary coverage in brackets) kHz Tx Beam 11.30-11.55 *Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 North America (east), Carribean 18950 S 280 12.30-12.55 Far East 15705 K 40 North America (east + central), Greenland 15735 S 300 *South East Asia, Australia (west), Russia 18920 K 80 *North America (east), Carribean 18950 S 280 13.30-13.55 *Europe 9590 S 180 *North America (east + central), Greenland 15735 S 300 *Far East 17525 K 40 South East Asia, Australia (west), Russia 18920 K 80 14.30-14.55 South Asia, Middle East (north), Russia 15735 K 95 North America (west), Greenland 17525 S 315 15.30-15.55 Russia, Europe (south east), Middle East (east), South Asia 13800 K 110 Middle East (north), South Asia, Russia 15735 K 95 *North America (west), Greenland 17525 S 315 16.30-16.55 *Europe 9595 S 180 *Russia, Europe (south east), Middle East (north), South Asia 13800 K 95 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 15735 K 145 North America (east), Carribean 17525 S 280 17.30-17.55 *Europe 7490 S 180 Middle East (west) 13800 K 120 *Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 15705 K 145 North America (east + central), Greenland 17505 S 300 18.30-18.55 Europe 7490 S 180 New Zealand 11615 K 35 *Africa (west, central + south), Europe (south) 13800 K 180 19.30-19.55 *Europe, Canary Islands 7490 S 180 *New Zealand 11615 K 35 Africa (west, central + south), Europe (south) 13800 K 180 North America (west), Greenland 15705 S 315 20.30-20.55 Europe, Canary Islands 7490 S 180 *Australia (east) 9510 K 65 21.30-21.55 Australia (east) 9510 K 65 22.30-22.55 South America 9925 S 235 Far East 11620 K 35 23.30-23.55 South East Asia, Australia (west) 9920 K 80 *North America (east), Carribean 9945 S 280 *South America 9985 S 235 *Far East 13710 K 35 00.30-00.55 *South East Asia, Australia (west) 9930 K 80 North America (east), Carribean 9985 S 280 *North America (east + central), Greenland 11635 S 300 01.30-01.55 *South Asia 9975 K 95 *North America (east), Carribean, South America (north west) 9985 S 280 North America (east + central), Greenland 11635 S 300 02.30-02.55 South Asia 9975 K 95 03.30-03.55 Russia, Europe (south east), Middle East (north) 7490 K 95 North America (west), Greenland 9960 S 315 *Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 13800 K 145 04.30-04.55 Europe 7465 S 180 *Russia, Europe (south east), Middle East (east) 7490 K 110 *North America (west), Greenland 9475 S 315 Europe (south east), Middle East (west), Africa (east) 13800 K 145 05.30-05.55 Europe 7465 S 180 Europe (south east), Middle East (west) 11615 K 120 *Europe (south), Africa 13800 K 165 06.30-06.55 *Europe, Canary Islands 7180 K 165 Europe (south west), Canary Islands, Africa (north west), New Zealand 9590 S 195 Europe (south), Africa, New Zealand 13800 K 165 07.30-07.55 *Europe 7180 K 165 Europe, Canary Islands 9590 S 195 Africa (west), Canary Islands, New Zealand 13800 S 220 08.30-08.55 Middle East (east) 11640 K 110 Australia, Europe (south west), Canary Islands, South America 13800 S 235 09.30-09.55 *Australia, Europe (south west), Canary Islands, South America 13800 S 235 *Far East, New Zealand 17505 K 40 10.30-10.55 Europe, Mediterranean, Canary Islands 13800 S 180 South America, Canary Islands 21745 S 235 Address: Radio Danmark, Radioavisen, Rosenorns Allé 22, DK-1999 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. RD office telephone: +45 35 20 57 84 (then press `9`) - Telefax: +45 35 20 57 81. e-mail: schedule, programme matters: rdk@dr.dk - technical, reports: rdktek@dr.dk The schedule is also available by auto-reply email from: schedule@dr.dk WWW: http://www.dr.dk/rdk or http://www.dr.dk/radiodanmark - including RealAudio 'on demand' of our broadcasts. The two daily news transmissions in Danish only are aired at 11.30 and 17.30 UT. Transmissions inbetween are repeats. The technical letterbox programme, ``Tune In`` is heard bi-weekly on Saturdays in uneven weeks from 11.48 UT until 16.48 UT. An asterisk (*) indicates that this transmission may be cancelled without warning. Radio Denmark shares the Norwegian transmitters with Radio Norway. They broadcast at xx.00-xx.30, followed by Denmark at xx.30-xx.55, 24 hours a day. Stations: Kvitsoy (K) and Sveio (S) each have two 500 kW transmitters. They are located on the Norwegian west coast near Stavanger and Haugesund at 05.27E 59.04N (K) and 05.19E 59.37N (S). Kvitsoy covers the Eastern Globe, while Sveio covers the Western Globe [hemisphere]. Radio Denmark replies to complete reports by a QSL-card. Although not necessary, return postage is appreciated (1 IRC, 1 Euro or 1 US dollar). Recordings (incl. RealAudio and MP3 email files) are accepted. Tapes, however, are not returned (Erik Køie, R. Denmark, March 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. Rádio Cairo: Pessoalmente aqui em Salvador tenho recebido todos os dias a Radio Cairo com sinal entre S7 a S9+20 dB; entretanto, a portadora vem carregada com um ruido tipo aquele que voce escuta quando está dentro de um avião de propulsão a helices. Resultado, nada se entende do que falam, apenas brevissimos momentos de escuta de músicas. Eu pessoalmente não entendo o que acontece, pois, são anos que isso está acontecendo e eles não mudam a situação. Seria interessante procurarmos os consulados da rep. Árabe do Egito e conversar com o cônsul sobre esse ssunto, enviar cartas à direção maior da Radio Cairo, questionando esse procedimento, que a meu ver, é um desrespeito aos nosso ouvidos. Eu particularmente tenho varios QSLs do Serviço Brasileiro da R. Cairo, e sinto falta das escutas de outrora. Infelizmente a situação atual é pessima, e talvez seja hora de dar um basta nisso, ou melhoram, ou vamos protestar de todas as formas possiveis. Infelizmente em Salvador é muito reduzido o número de consulados aqui instalados, apesar de ser uma cidade muito procurada por turistas do mundo inteiro, e o consulado do Egito não tem aqui. Pessoal de São Paulo, Brasília, poderiam dar uma mãozinha nisso, até repassando para a lista emails de pessoas que possam receber nossos protestos. O horário da transmissão é : 15420 kHz das 2215 às 2300 UT (Djaci Franklin, Salvador, Baía, @tividade DX Mar 9 via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Saludos, queridos colegas diexistas; para todos un fuerte abrazo rompecostillas. Hoy viernes 8 de marzo estoy sintonizando en forma aceptable la señal de la Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial, en la frecuencia 6249.3. La transmisión es en español y se está informando entre muchos temas los hechos y actos con motivo del día internacional de la mujer. Lo que pude notar es lo siguiente: La voz de los reporteros cuando pasaban las noticias eran nítidas, pero cuando daban el pase a los estudios la voz del locutor de guardia casi no se entendía. La hora de escucha es 2140 hasta 2210 cuando estoy enviando esta información. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, March 8, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** FINLAND. YLE Radio Finland A-02 in English to NAm: Mon-Sat 1230- 1300 15400 17670; Sundays, meaning UT Monday, I think, 0000-0100 on 11990, 13730. The latter is presumably the Capital Weekend program, but it may be on hiatus for part of the summer. The show at 1230 is a repeat of original airing at 0430, and the Sunday show originally airs Saturday afternoon, per schedule folder I picked up at Kulpsville (Joe Hanlon, PA, March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. 25926 NBFM, 'Comité Departemental du tourisme de la Charente-Maritime', 1930, Mar. 8. This French 1 watt tourist information service continues to be audible in the southern USA when 11 meter conditions are good. Today I heard it several hours later in the day, then I have in the past, (typically around 1230-1400 in the late fall and early winter). I think 1700-1800 is probably the optimum time for reception in the S.E. USA this time of year. Some nice sustained peaks with clear audio breaking through the FM shot, consisting of FF speaking OM talking over background music (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. The media authority of the German state Sachsen-Anhalt issued this announcement about applicants for vacant 261 frequency: ----- Ausschreibung Übertragungskapazität 261 kHz Langwelle (Standort Burg/Magdeburg) Eingang von Zulassungsanträgen Für die o.a. Übertragungskapazität haben sich zwei Antragsteller form- und fristgerecht beworben: 1. Starlet Media AG mit dem Programm "Radio COUNTRYSTAR" 2. Europäische Rundfunk- und Fernseh GmbH Europa 1 mit dem Programm "Europe1" Die Anträge werden bearbeitet. ----- Item two sic, I seriously doubt that Europe 1 really intends to put its French program on 261; instead they have probably the establishment of a true German branch in mind. The mentioned company is according to all available sources actually called "Europäische Rundfunk und Fernsehen AG", not GmbH (limited liability company). This is in fact the mailbox of Europe 1 in Germany, responsible for the operation of the 183 kHz transmitter. The other applicant has a presentation at http://www.starletmediaag.de (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. (Regarding comment by Ricky Leong, QU, in latest DXLD) I believe the German TV already offered by ExpressVu in Canada is DW-TV, not the German TV channel being launched with some domestic German programming (Mike Cooper, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. Hi Glenn, extremely good medium wave opening to Europe on Friday night/Saturday morning. I was just checking for the new Megaradio outlet on 1575 kHz, but was surprised at the other stations coming through. Positive IDs from BBC Radio Five 693 kHz, Virgin Radio 1215 kHz, the Dutch station on 675 kHz, unID on 666 kHz with English music then piano music seemingly to fill leading up to 0100 time pips and of course fade out. Spanish on 999 kHz possibly COPE Network with YL host talking to OMs on phone followed by music. Repeated love songs in English on 1098 kHz with no IDs then possible fade out to talk by OM and YL very weak in unID language. No Megaradio heard on 1575 kHz; did hear Spanish talk fading out to Middle East music and Arabic talk and another station off frequency at 1575.3 kHz. Even heard traces of signal on 1602, 1584, 1557, 1485, 1458. Nothing from 1314 kHz Norway. Certainly worth checking out again tonight. Also have a couple of tapes to review for possibly more IDs (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, March 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4698, Radio Amistad is off the air for the moment. 4845, R. K`ekchí still operating on low power transmitter (Larry Baysinger, Guatemala, Mar 2, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ICELAND: AFRTS 3903: Thank you guys for solving this. Sad to say we also lost one interesting station. You can't win them all :-). Explanation - mistake. Just can't believe a transmitter of this power (must be at least 10 kW, maybe much more) can run unnoticed day after day. In the military base! If it is so, there must be something really wrong in operating control in general. Watch out, anything can happen in Keflavik :-). I'd rather believe this was just "explanation" from Navy about unauthorized broadcast to calm down Icelandic authorities. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, March 8, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INDIA. In All India Radio's web site, a new interesting historical section has been uploaded on MUSEUM OF RADIO AND DOORDARSHAN with 30 slides. For that page go to: http://allindiaradio.com/v3_document.htm ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, March 9, dx_india via DXLD) ** IRELAND. From: http://www.radiowaves.fm/news/index.html Radio Valleri are planning a 30th Anniversary special broadcast. The Dublin station first appeared back in 1972 and will return to air for a nostalgic broadcast on St Patrick's weekend. Original presenters Derek Jones and Mike Anderson will together present the programming from 9 pm next Saturday night on the short wave frequency 6310 kHz ceasing at 9 pm on St Patrick's Day [UT Sat Mar 16 2100-UT Sun Mar 17 2100] Speaking to Radiowaves News today, Derek Jones said that will enjoy being back on the air with the old favourite. "We also have a limited amount of original station posters from the '70s and will make them available on a first come - first served basis to anyone who sends us a reception report," he added. The station can be contacted with said reception reports or for information in general at radiovalleri@y... [truncated by yahoogroups] or at 52 Grange Road, Baldoyle, Dublin 13, Republic of Ireland (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. KOL ISRAEL - LETTER FROM RAANAN COHEN'S OFFICE I just received the following response from Minister Raanan Cohen's office. The letter was from Lea Hermann, who has the title of "Bureau Manager." The letter was dated, Monday, February 25th. The Israeli postmark was March 3rd. "Thank you for your letter. Indeed there is a plan to eliminate all short-wave broadcasts and transmit them through the Internet, This will save about 6 million ILS paid by the Broadcasting Authority to "Bezek", (Enclosed is a letter in Hebrew from the Broadcasting Authority to our bureau on the subject). I might add, that my teacher at N.Y.U's School of the Arts, Professor Falk, used to tell us that during the Second World War the Nazis were unsuccessful in their propaganda in the US because Americans do not listen to short-wave radio. I do not think that this fact has changed in any meaningful way since the Second World War. On the other hand, the Internet is rapidly becoming very popular all over the world. Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have any questions concerning the IBA. Sincerely yours, Lea Hermann, Bureau manager" The Hebrew letter, from the Director General's Bureau, basically said the same thing (without reference to the NYU professor's comments) (Daniel Rosenzweig, NY, March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Radio Europe, 7306 USB, March 9 monitored with poor to mainly fair signal from 0431-0550 UT with Italian/English broadcast for SWL Fest in Pennsylvania (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 9685, The station was absent yesterday (7 March) and is back again this morning at 0400 with good reception. The programs are mainly musical and announcements in Malagasy and French by man and woman. No ID and no news bulletin, same as R. Malgache but here the announcements seem to be pro "the Self appointed President" and his Government while the programs of Radio Malgache (RTM) differ from this one. To know more about this station I have contacted some Mauritian friends in Madagascar but unfortunately no one is aware about it and only one told me the following: "if they have two governments, two capitals then two radio stations is not too much" !!! BTW, the station was on 9690 on 3 March and the next day it moved to 9685 (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, 8 March 02, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA [non]. ...Rounding out this season`s winners are a pair of space exploring hams who have been named as co-recipients of the 2002 Hamvention Special Achievement Award. Former astronauts Owen Garriott, W5LFL, and Tony England, W0ORE, are being honored for paving the way for manned ham radio operations from the space shuttles that has made ham radio a permanent part of mans exploration of space. Owen Garriott, W5LFL was first. On November 28, 1983, Garriott, was launched into space aboard the space ship Columbia for the STS-9 mission. It was the Spacelab 1 mission and Garriott brought along the first Amateur Radio station on a crew-tended space vehicle. It was a simple Motorola hand held transceiver connected to a special antenna designed to fit in the Space Shuttle`s window. Three days later, W5LFL came on the air and hams across the United States and around the world were witness to a historic radio transmission: Owen Garriott W5LFL: ``This is W5LFL in Columbia. W5LFL in Columbia orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 135 nautical miles passing over the U.S. West Coast and calling CQ.`` Among those who heard Owen Garriott`s Amateur Radio transmissions from space was Lance Collister, WA1JXN of Frenchtown Montana. Collister, who is now W7GJ, is credited with being the first amateur to work an astronaut in orbit. Take a listen: Lance Collister WA1JXN/W7GJ: ``W5LFL on Columbia, WA1JXN, W-A-1-Japan - Xray-Norway, WA1JXN Frenchtown Montana standing by.`` Owen Garriott, W5LFL: ``Hello W1JXN, WA1JXN, WA1-Juliet-Xray-November. This is W5LFL. You`re our first contact from orbit. WA1JXN, how do you read? Over?`` The success of Garriott`s mission led to the development of SAREX -- The Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment. And, over the years, SAREX permitted youngsters in classrooms around the world to speak directly with astronauts in space. But for this to happen, the technology of manned ham radio operations from space had to be enhanced. This aspect of the then new SAREX program fell to the next ham radio operator orbited: Tony England, W0ORE. W0ORE flew into space on the shuttle Challenger in 1985. It was Mission 51F, Spscelab 2. In addition to the 2 meter FM voice gear, Tony England also had with him the first ever ham television station to go into space. Slow Scan yes, but capable of sending back high resolution images which hams on the ground equipped with SSTV gear could view live or record on a simple audio cassette for later viewing and historical archiving. From space, Tony England described the station he was using: Tony England, W0ORE: ``Essentially we`ve got a commercial TV camera that anyone could go out to their local radio store ant buy. We feed this into a scan converter built by a commercial outfit and modified by NASA Amateur Radio clubs and this takes a snapshot of the scene and digitizes it and put it in a memory. Then its sent to a handie-talkie like this. From there we will send it over a wire up to the upper window upstairs and to this antenna when I get it up there in the window. Then it will be transmitted to the ground. When we get going, we will be able to send color TV images of what we are doing on board as a series of snapshots updated every 10 or 20 seconds. Amateurs anywhere on the ground will be able to receive them, and ones with scan converters will see the pictures.`` That flight also marked another first. The first ever two way television -- ham radio television -- to and from space. Tony England went on to flight prove both the improved FM voice and then new SSTV systems. The SSTV was so successful that NASA gave very serious consideration to a permanent installation on all shuttles for back up communications. More important, the early on-orbit operations by Own Garriott W5LFL and Tony England W0ORE made possible the thousands of educational contacts between children in school classrooms and the crews flying in space. First, on board the shuttles, and now as a permanent part of the International Space Station. Hap Holly KC9RP, Alan Waller K3TKJ [of qsl.net and qth.net], Owen Garriott W5LFL and Tony England W0ORE will receive their honors at the Hamvention Awards Banquet slated for Saturday evening, May 18th at the Nutter Center in Dayton Ohio. Amateur Radio Newsline will be there to bring you this story and all the news about Hamvention 2002. (ARNewsline(tm) from Dayton Hamventionr news release. Some audio from ``Amateur Radio`s Newest Frontier`` and ``SAREX - The Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment`` video presentations) (Amateur Radio Newsline March 8 via John Norfolk, OKCOK via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. PAK CLOCK TO BE ADVANCED BY ONE HOUR Islamabad, March 8: Pakistan is all set to advance its clock by an hour for this year`s summer on trial basis to test the dual daylight saving system from next month as well as to save electricity, officials here said. Under the new system Pakistan would advance its clock by one hour in summer and revert to the present timings during winters. [UT +6 and UT +5] The system was being adopted on a trial basis and would be continued if it received good response from the public, the director general of Pakistan`s Meteorological Department Qamar-uz-Zaman Chaudhary said. At present over 73 high altitude [sic] countries were following different time systems for different seasons, he said on the State television PTV, adding this included Iran, Iraq and Syria. Rehina Gul, senior joint secretary, cabinet division said the system would be followed for summer from the first weekend of April. She said it was decided to try the new system as sun rises early as well as sets late during summers in Pakistan. This would be beneficial for office-goers and provides an opportunity for more recreational activities (via Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, India, March 9, 2002 http://www.deccan.com/neighbours/template.shtml#Pak via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS via DXLD) This will put Pakistan in the absurd position of being half an hour ahead of India to its east, instead of half an hour behind --- unless India also goes on DST, as there has been some talk of doing. But now, India could hardly copy Pakistan (gh, DXLD) ** ROMANIA. (Cumbre DX 388 follow up) I listened to R. Romania International today, just to see what address they give on the air. In all language services they gave P.O. Box 111. If there were an address change, they should be quick to point that out. I might have some explanation for Silvi's reception report bouncing back. As the address was said to be "incomplete", not "incorrect", I suspect one should perhaps add O.P.1, (or Of.P.1) (stands for "Post Office"). The usual practice here when writing to a P. O. Box, is to also mention the Post Office, as there might be several Post Offices in the same city, each having its range of P. O. Boxes numbered from 1 to, say, 250. Having said that, I think the gesture of the Romanian postal authority to send the letter back is quite far-fetched. We are talking about the Romanian public radio, after all. But I've had my experience with overzealous postworkers as well. Maybe the guy was new...On Monday I'll try to phone the station to make double sure no address change has occurred. If you don't hear any more from me on this matter, it means nothing changed (Christian Mocanu, Romania, Mar 2, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SPAIN. 11945, 15370 VOA via Pals, F/D card in 67 days. Listed on IBB site as Holzkirchen. Same thing happened on an earlier report - website continues to list these freqs as Holzkirchen, VOA continues to QSL them as Pals (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX March 8 via DXLD) But, but, Pals has been closed permanently for quite some time. Was this an old report from before it closed? Perhaps they have not heard about this in Washington; surely this was not one of John Vodenik`s QSLs (gh, DXLD) ** THAILAND. A Broken Mirror --- A THREAT TO EXPEL TWO REVIEW JOURNALISTS HIGHLIGHTS CONCERNS ABOUT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS By David Plott/BANGKOK, Issue cover-dated March 14, 2002, Far Eastern Economic Review WHEN PRIME MINISTER Thaksin Shinawatra addressed the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok last June, ably articulating his government's policies and fielding questions in English, foreign reporters were impressed and commented how much more at ease with the media he seemed than his predecessor, Chuan Leekpai. But with Thaksin's apparent support for moves to expel two foreign journalists, he is unlikely to be so well-received again.... http://www.feer.com/hg76dkg75jg/0203_14_p019region.html Comments: Here's more on the censorship in Thailand, including of radio. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QC, March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. 4930 R. Turkmenistan, Asgabat. First time I've ever heard them in English with daily news *1540-1545*, 27/1 to 7/2 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, ARDXN via Jary, Cumbre DX March 8 via DXLD) ** U A E. I picked them up today around 0400 UT on 21695 in Arabic with a new ID "IDHAAT ALEMARAAT FROM DUBAI..SOUT AL EMAARAT AL AWAL". In English that's Radio UAE from Dubai the only/first voice from UAE. I think they are pointing to the closure of UAE [Radio,] ABU DHABI. They also gave an e mail radio@dubaidd.org.ae -- first time to get such an ID! (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, Mar 7, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. WJCR (Cumbre DX 388 follow up). The last time I was there, both 7490 and 13595 were just running the exciters into the antennas. With the difference in gain for the two antennas, the ERP for 13595 should be about 200 watts and 7490 about 125! (Larry Baysinger, KY, Mar 1, Cumbre DX Mar 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. Due to a serious dispute involving a program on the Christian Media Network, which has been on WBCQ for two years, WBCQ had to suspend broadcasts of CMN this week, until the matter was just resolved today. CMN will resume on 9335 Monday at 5 pm ET. Many, many, many free speech issues came up, raising the question how far can a program go. WBCQ was faced with a lawsuit over this. It was gut- wrenching for Allan. PD Mike points out that WBCQ is the *only* broadcast station of any kind in the USA which explicitly defends free speech... (summary by gh of Allan Weiner Worldwide, live from Kulpsville, UT March 9 0100-0200, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) On 7415, which Allan imagined was being simulcast on 9335, where we heard no signal, but the latter was on after 0200. Listened the entire hour, and never heard anything specific on what the dispute was about! I imagine there are plenty of community/alternative radio stations which would dispute WBCQ`s Free-Speech claim. AWWW did not last two hours as forecast by a Cumbre DX Special. At 0205 on 9335 I heard Timtron say ``I`m going to drop the line to the station, OK?`` And then there was dead air for a while until Brother X filled in for Tasha at 0205 on both frequencies, but also, he said, from Kulpsville (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Special MW DX test scheduled: Monday, April 1, 2002 - WTBQ-1110, Florida, NY will conduct its 7th annual DX test at 5:15-6:00 am EST [1015-1100 UT]. "Novelty" music as well as CW IDs and voice IDs will be played. WTBQ will broadcast at 250 Watts, omni-directional. Reception reports (with return postage) may be sent to: WTBQ-AM 1110, 62 N Main St, Florida NY 10921, ATTN: Rob McLean WEB: http://www.wtbq.com (Lynn Hollerman, IRCA DX Monitor via DXLD) ** U S A. WNYC New York is splitting its AM and FM services again starting April 8. The most significant change, compared to pre-9/11 schedules, is that classical music on the FM will be mostly limited to evenings and overnights. Most of the daytime news/talk will still be simulcast on AM and FM. Details at: http://www.wnyc.org/new/today/pressrelease.html (Kevin Kelly, Arlington, Massachusetts, USA, PublicRadioFan.com March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: WNYC Radio Completes New Antenna Construction: Re-Launches Separate AM 820 and FM 93.9 Stations on Monday, April 8, 2002. WNYC FM 93.9 to Broadcast 24/7 News, Classical Music & Cultural Journalism; WNYC AM 820 to Broadcast 24/7 News & Information; Station Website at http://www.wnyc.org to Relaunch in Conjunction With Changes NEW YORK, NY - March 7, 2002: WNYC Radio President and Chief Executive Officer LAURA WALKER today announced that the New York City public broadcaster would resume independent broadcasting on its two radio stations on April 8, 2002. WNYC has been broadcasting one schedule of programs on both WNYC AM 820 and WNYC 93.9 FM since sustaining damage to its broadcasting equipment in the Sept. 11th World Trade Center attacks. "I am delighted that construction work on WNYC's new FM antenna at 4 Times Square is now complete, allowing us to re-launch a full-power WNYC 93.9 FM station and return to our regular AM programming on April 8, 2002," she said. WNYC Chairman EDUARDO MESTRE added, "This is a bright day for the station and for our one million listeners, who have supported us so generously and waited so patiently as we've worked through this recovery period." Beginning April 8, WNYC AM 820 will return to 24/7 news, information and entertainment programming. WNYC's flagship programs, including On the Line with Brian Lehrer, New York & Company with Leonard Lopate, On the Media, Selected Shorts, This American Life, A Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, Living on Earth, and Latino USA will all return. Beginning April 8, WNYC 93.9 FM will offer a new schedule integrating National Public Radio and local news programs with daily classical music and cultural journalism. On weekday mornings, NPR's Morning Edition and On the Line with Brian Lehrer will be supplemented with daily, locally-commissioned cultural journalism and classical music news from WNYC's stable of arts producers-including Sara Fishko's The Fishko Files. Four hours of cultural programming in the afternoons at 12-4 pm will be anchored by a new, one-hour classical music performance and interview program hosted by John Schaefer and broadcast at 2 pm. On either side will be the award-winning cultural interview programs New York & Company with Leonard Lopate (12-2 pm) and Fresh Air with Terry Gross (3-4 pm). [A complete schedule will be announced 4/1/02.] Following early evening broadcasts of NPR's All Things Considered and Marketplace, WNYC 93.9 FM's evening classical music hours will be extended by one hour to create a daily, 10-hour block of uninterrupted, locally produced classical music beginning at 7 pm nightly. These music showcase hours will feature a compelling, adventurous mix of the elements for which WNYC 93.9 FM is acclaimed: excellent classical music of a breadth and selection unavailable elsewhere on the radio dial; live WNYC concert broadcasts from the city's leading performance venues; premieres of WNYC commissions and other new works from living composers; and interviews, features and cultural news from WNYC's stable of arts and cultural news reporters. On weekends, WNYC 93.9 FM will present a mixed broadcast of news, music and cultural programming, including the return of public radio music favorites Schickele Mix, Hearts of Space and Sound & Spirit. "News and culture are both crucial components of our listeners' lives," said WNYC Vice President of Programming, DEAN CAPPELLO. "The new schedule allows us to serve those appetites in better ways. News listeners will hear more about music and music listeners will hear about the music they love in all of our programs. We'll be able to take great advantage of all of the cultural diversity available to us in New York." In conjunction with the re-launch of the WNYC stations, Ms. Walker announced an imminent re-launch of WNYC Radio's website at http://www.wnyc.org The new, expanded website will feature a greater amount of archived audio and a stronger search engine, enabling listeners to access extensive radio content from WNYC's local and nationally syndicated programs on the web. The site will continue to offer daily streaming audio, along with expanded online music news and education content to complement WNYC's daily classical music broadcasts. WNYC's extensive cultural partnerships with Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the 92nd St. Y, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and other organizations will be highlighted on the website and discussions are underway to enable archived musical performances by the world's leading artists online. In characterizing the changes, Ms. Walker said, "We are pleased and excited about these developments in WNYC's public service to the New York community. In recent months, New Yorkers have turned to WNYC's quality public radio programming in greater numbers than ever before. In particular-and perhaps not surprisingly, given world events-we have received an excellent response to our daytime news and information broadcasts on WNYC 93.9 FM and there has been overwhelming demand from listeners to retain the new schedule. "At the same time, WNYC Radio has always been a major cultural, musical and artistic outlet, providing extensive public exposure for New York's diverse cultural community. WNYC is a magnet for the very finest classical music, live performance and cultural journalism this city has to offer, and we are strongly committed to this important role." Chairman Eduardo Mestre added, "In weighing our options, the WNYC Board of Trustees has sought to balance these philosophical obligations while also forging a sustainable future for WNYC Radio as a vibrant, independent public broadcaster serving all New Yorkers. We have sought, received and assessed a great deal of community input. The path we have now chosen will ensure that WNYC Radio continues to thrive for future generations." Ms. Walker added, "For 77 years, WNYC's mission has been to serve this community with intelligent, excellent, independent public radio programming of all kinds. These changes are tremendously exciting and will allow us to serve WNYC's diverse audience while fulfilling our mission to make the mind more curious, the heart more tolerant, and the spirit more joyful through excellent radio programming." (WNYC website via DXLD) WNYC PLANS TO REDUCE CLASSICAL MUSIC March 8, 2002 By DINITIA SMITH The radio station WNYC-FM announced yesterday sweeping changes to its programming that would eliminate five hours of classical music from its daytime schedule and replace them with news and varied cultural shows. The changes - approved by an "overwhelming consensus" of the board of trustees at a meeting yesterday, said a WNYC spokeswoman, Emma Dunch - signify the transformation of WNYC from a quirky station operated by sometimes eccentric hosts to a public radio station of the modern age, one that is a serious business requiring significantly larger funds to keep on running. The changes also mean that there will be only one radio station devoted primarily to classical music in New York, WQXR-FM (96.3), which is a commercial station owned by The New York Times Company. In making the changes, WNYC is following other public radio stations across the country that have been gradually reducing classical music programs in favor of talk shows. Surveys indicate that classical music drives away many listeners - and their contributions. The anticipated changes have been discussed for months and generated an outcry from fans who feared that classical music would have a diminished presence on the station. The new format will begin on April 8 when the station resumes broadcasting separate fare on its two frequencies, AM (820) and FM (93.9). Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that destroyed its transmitters at the World Trade Center, WNYC has been simulcasting a mixed schedule of AM and FM programming and offering a diet of mostly news and talk. A new FM antenna has been installed on top of the Condé Nast building at 4 Times Square, and WNYC-FM can now resume its own schedule. Where classical music previously began at 9 a.m. with Steve Post's "Morning Music," there will now be news, including National Public Radio's "Morning Edition," and "On the Line," with Brian Lehrer, until noon. Ms. Dunch said that Mr. Post would be "redeployed." From noon until 4 p.m. there will be cultural programming, mostly in a talk format. But the station will include a program on classical music anchored by John Schaefer. That show, from 2 to 3 p.m., will contain some broadcasts of classical music, plus interviews with cultural figures. From 4 to 7 p.m., the schedule will remain the same, with the news broadcasts "All Things Considered" and "Marketplace." Regular evening music programming will begin an hour earlier than before the Sept. 11 attacks, at 7 p.m. It will include live broadcasts of concerts and premières of music commissioned by WNYC. Before yesterday's meeting, a petition signed by prominent figures in the music world was delivered to WNYC. The petition, which originated with David Finckel, the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet, and the pianist Wu Han, his wife, urged that "classical music be restored to its prominent place in the schedule." The signatories included Itzhak Perlman, André Previn, Ruth Laredo, Dawn Upshaw, John Corigliano, Pinchas Zukerman and members of the Juilliard String Quartet. Laura Walker, president and chief executive of WNYC, said the changes were a result of soul-searching and audience surveys. "Our music listeners are much more loyal in the evening, they listen longer, with greater intent," she said. "What our listeners wanted to hear during the morning and afternoon is news." WNYC-AM will return to its previous news-and-information format, Ms. Walker said. Weekend programming will remain essentially the same, but with an extra hour of classical music beginning at 7 p.m. instead of at 8 p.m. Shows such as "Schickele Mix," "Hearts of Space" and "Sound and Spirit," which have been off the air since Sept. 11, will return. Ms. Walker also said that WNYC's Web site http://www.wnyc.org would be designed and unveiled on April 8. She said WNYC remained committed to finding a second FM station that would broadcast mainly classical music. After Mr. Finckel learned that the reduced classical format for the FM station had been approved, he expressed disappointment, especially because there would be no classical music during morning drive time. "New York is a leader in many industries, especially the culture industry, and we need to set a great and shining example of what is happening in the world," Mr. Finckel said. "It's embarrassing for me as a citizen of New York having lost classical music on public radio." http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/08/arts/music/08WNYC.html?ex=1016619751&ei=1&en=c404073853599654 Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company (via Bill Westenhaver, QB, DXLD) Dear WNYC, I am concerned about the future of these two programs, as I have not seen them mentioned in the latest press about the changes coming in April. Will New Sounds continue, lumped into ``classical music`` in the evening, as usual 7 days per week? I had thought Spinning on Air had been suspended since 9/11, as I did not see it on your schedule, but just looked at program site and see a few shows listed since then including one in January. Just how is this being scheduled, and will it be scheduled more reliably? I also miss Oscar Brand`s show Saturday evening. Is it gone forever? Regards, Glenn Hauser Dear Mr. Hauser, All three programs will return on April 8. Please check the website at http://www.wnyc.org on or after April 1st for full details of broadcast times and stations. Kindly, (Emma Dunch, Listener Services, March 8, WNYC reply to gh via DXLD) ** U S A. A belated remark about NBC`s Olympic coverage. We were pleased to see Jim McKay on opening night, despite his long ties with rival ABC, sharing the stage with Bob Costas, to introduce some features. We`ve enjoyed Jim`s enthusiasm for the wide world of sports other than stupid ballgames. So it was embarrassing to see him tongue- tied on his first appearance; not sure if he was flustered after a long time away from live work, a hung-up teleprompter, or what. Costas helped him through it. The features were pre-produced, but the next time, we could see that after a brief interchange with Costas, McKay`s on-camera intros to the pieces were also pre-taped, with a hard cut, altho made to look as if they were not. So he could have done as many takes as necessary. As one who used to do live radio announcing, I too find myself frequently doing second takes in the process of recording World of Radio, but I`d like to think I could still handle live broadcasting if required. However, I`m working without a word-for-word script, so I often think of a better way to express something than my first attempt. I used to pride myself on being able to read news copy `cold`, if there wasn`t time to go over it ahead of time, actually, by scanning the line ahead of that being spoken, to anticipate possible stumbling blox (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Cheers from Kulpsville 2002 and Winter SWL Festival. First pictures from the event are online: http://www.hard-core-dx.com/kulpsville2002/ (Risto Kotalampi, hard-core-dx March 8 via DXLD) Unfortunately they are not captioned, so guess who? The first several evidently are of a pre-convention visit to a town called FINLAND (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. I checked Altas Ondas, the weekly Friday DX program in Portuguese from Voz Cristã, Miami via Chile, again March 8 from 1615 past 1630 UT via webcast. I am going to have to delete this from MONITORING REMINDERS, since I can`t take any more of the unctuous host. He spends more time in mindless palaver, and praising his lord, than he does with DX information, and it`s all mixed together. Unfortunately, I understand Portuguese well enough for him to make me want to puke. What a waste. There are better things to listen to during this hour, such as FILM SCORE FRIDAY from KUAF in Arkansas, http://www.kuaf.com (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]/PALAU. (?) 7485, Voice of Hope, 1209-1230, SIO 444, in English and Chinese. ID at 1230. Moved here from 7460 kHz, which was stated in initial schedule for this season. Sources say the broadcast comes from Palau transmitters. Is that really so? Signal is very strong here, and the audio sounds very much like the audio of, say, transmitters in Russian Novosibirsk (Alexei Kulinchenko, Kazan`, Russia, Signal, March 9 via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. Glenn, The webcasts of Zimbabwe's news and pop station ZBC-3, which I described in DXLD 2-038 as being rock-solid and dependable, went down 2 days ago. All requests from my computers to the stream at http://196.36.199.8/zbc3-fm.asx are met with "server not responding." The same for their Radio 2 service. I rechecked their website links and those posted via http://www.comfm.com with the same result. It could be said sardonically it is their dead air that is now rock solid and dependable. Could there be a connection between the expansion of their SW services this week and the demise of the webcast? I doubt it. With some luck the link will come back up, but it is curious that there would be a sudden technical fault just 2 days before the world's eyes turn to Zimbabwe to see if their election will be free and fair. I will leave it to your readers to speculate if this is more than co-incidence (Tom Roche, Atlanta, March 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. from http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/news/080302/radioafrica_080302.shtml London's expat Zimbabwean community are waiting anxiously for this weekend's elections in their home country. New laws mean that foreign broadcasters - including the BBC - are no longer allowed to report from inside the country. But as we discovered, one Zimbabwe radio station - Radio Africa - has got the airwaves covered quite freely - from Hertfordshire. Unable to broadcast from Zimbabwe or neighbouring countries this independent Zimbabwean radio station started broadcasting to its African audience from a discrete London surburban location last December to get its electoral message across. One of the founders of Radio Africa, Gerry Jackson said "It's a group of Zimbabweans speaking to Zimbabweans, we're not controlled by anyone else, we have complete freedom" Its unlikely Radio Africa will change the course of this weekend's election in Zimbabwe but it confirms a time-honoured tradition of London providing a safe haven for dissenting voices from around the world. Watch: BBC Ldn's Kurt Barling's report on this story http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/realmedia/news/zimb080302.ram Useful websites: Radio Africa http://www.swradioafrica.com/index.htm (via Paul Bowery, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Has the station dropped `SW` from its name, or is this another instance of BBC`s anti-shortwave mindset? (gh, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. SW RADIO AFRICA "JAMMED" Glenn, I've just heard a claim on BBC 1 TV's regional news for London that SW Radio Africa, which has studios on the outskirts of the city, was "jammed" in Zimbabwe on Wednesday evening (March 7). This was stated during a report about the station by a BBC reporter. He added that the alleged jamming was unsuccessful. Although it is true that most journalists would not know the difference between jamming and other interference, and although no source was quoted, I'm wondering if this report, if true, could be connected with the reactiviation of ZBC's shortwave transmitters, reported by World of Radio earlier (Roger Tidy, UK, March 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. INDEPENDENT RADIO SHOWS ITS METTLE Mar 07, 2002 (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- When the Zimbabwe government refused to grant them a broadcasting licence, Radio Dialogue moved out of the studio and into the community in an innovative bid to reach the people. Each weekend Radio Dialogue "road shows" perform live at shopping centres in Zimbabwe's second city of Bulawayo, mixing music, drama and poetry with messages on human rights and community empowerment. The station also hands out tapes of its programmes to taxi drivers to play to their passengers. "We are taking the station to the people," Jethro Mpofu, head of Radio Dialogue, told IRIN. "We want to play a developmental and democratisation role. We want to be a platform for the community where ideas around democracy can circulate freely." There is not one licensed independent radio station in Zimbabwe. After the Supreme Court ruled against the legal monopoly of the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in 2000, the government introduced new regulations that have effectively barred private and community radio. "It's clearly undemocratic. Licences are subject to approval by the minister [of state for information] and ZBC's monopoly has remained as a result of that," explained Takura Zhangazha of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). "Basically they are using it to stall any liberalisation of the air waves." The regulations do not allow foreign funding for private broadcasters. Without that, "community radio is not able to exist", said Mpofu. "Bulawayo is economically and politically marginalised and we cannot afford to buy the equipment." Zhangazha suggested that Radio Dialogue, which was set up last year, would not escape the government's attention for much longer. "Inevitably the government will clamp down on them," he told IRIN. Another radio initiative in Zimbabwe is Voice of the People, aimed at a rural audience. The programmes are produced in Zimbabwe, but broadcast by Radio Netherlands on short wave back into the country. Programme editor Ish Mafundikwa said the role of the station was: "An exercise in empowerment, especially for rural people as they don't have access to information. We are giving a voice to people who would never have a platform on ZBC." Voice of the People broadcasts two-and-a-half hours each day in English and in Zimbabwe's two main vernacular languages, Shona and Ndebele. The key to reaching its rural constituency is the use of short wave. FM signals do not extend beyond the cities. Minister of State for Information Jonathan Moyo has accused Voice of the People of being a "pirate" station. However, some officials from the ruling ZANU-PF party have agreed to be interviewed. "In a democratic country we would be a community radio station," said Mafundikwa. "We are doing social issues, some political stuff, voter education, the environment, consumer rights." Instead, the station has been denied accreditation to cover this weekend's presidential election, and has felt the "psychological" pressure of Moyo's disapproval, Mafundikwa said. Copyright UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. Distributed by All Africa Global Media(AllAfrica.com) -0- (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS --- EUROPEAN MEDIUMWAVE GUIDE From the first of February the most recent edition of the European Mediumwave Guide is available. This is the excellent work of Herman Boel, a most distinguished member of the DX-Antwerp, the Flemish association for shortwave listeners. He's also a staff writer for the club's trimestrial magazine DXA Bulletin. The European Medium Wave Guide has a comprehensive listing of all stations on the long medium waves in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In these 95 pages you'll find everything you need for the hobby: the frequencies, the exact locations, the power, the addresses, telephone and fax numbers, web sites, contact persons, formats, times of transmission, languages and much more. You also find a list of all transmission sites including the geographic positions. There are 230 bookmarks and 494 internet links. And another most interesting detail is that the European Medium Wave Guide is now entirely free for downloading as a PDF file at http://users.pandora.be/hermanb/Emwg Free it is, but Herman would greatly appreciate financial contributions. You'll find details on the website. So, feel free to spread the world. Tell your friends, fellow club members, and put the information in your hobby magazines (Franz Vossen, Radio World March 10 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-039, March 7, 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 #1121: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070; Sun 0730 on 3210 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB WORLD OF RADIO, CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE MARCH 7, 2002 It always pays to check all RFPI frequencies beyond their scheduled hours. Schedule shown is nominal, but it is not unusual for one transmitter to be down. 7445 may be on AM or USB. For latest updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html Days and times here are strictly UT. Note: as of April 2, 2002, times on WBCQ, WWCR, WNQM, WPKN, WSUI shift one UT hour earlier to stay at same local summer time. As of March 31, 2002, times on WRN1 and Studio X shift one UT hour earlier. Thu 0030 WOR WBCQ 7415 [first airing of each edition] Thu 0600 WOR WBCQ 7415 Thu 2130 WOR WWCR 15685 [ex-9475] Fri 1900 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15039 Fri 1930 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15039 Fri 2215 MR WWCR 9475 Fri 2330 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sat 0100 COM RFPI 15039 7445 Sat 0130 WOR RFPI 15039 7445 Sat 0500 WOR R. LavaLamp, Osaka, Japan, internet only [may run late] Sat 0600 WOR WWCR 5070 Sat 0700 COM RFPI 7445-USB Sat 0730 WOR RFPI 7445-USB Sat 0900 WOR WRN1 to Eu, Au, NZ, WorldSpace AfriStar, AsiaStar Sat 0955 WOR WNQM Nashville TN 1300 Sat 1300 COM RFPI 21815-USB Sat 1330 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Sat 1500 WOR WRN to North America, also WLIO-TV Lima OH SAP Sat 1700 WOR R. LavaLamp, Osaka, Japan, internet only [may run late] Sat 1730 COM RFPI 21815-USB Sat 1800 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Sat 1928 WOR WPKN Bridgeport CT 89.5 [week delay] Sat 2330 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15039 Sun 0000 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15039 Sun 0330 WOR WWCR 5070 Sun 0500 WOR R. LavaLamp, Osaka, Japan, internet only [may run late] Sun 0530 COM RFPI 15039 7445-USB Sun 0600 WOR RFPI 7445-USB Sun 0728 WOR WWCR 3210 Sun 1130 COM RFPI 7445-USB Sun 1200 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Sun 1700 WOR R. LavaLamp, Osaka, Japan, internet only [may run late] Sun 1730 WOR Studio X, Momigno, Italy 1584 87.35 96.55 105.55 Sun 1730 COM RFPI 21815-USB [sometimes as substitute] Sun 1830 WOR RFPI 21815-USB [often as substitute; or 1800] Sun 2330 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15039 [sometimes as substitute] Mon 0030 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15039 [often as substitute; or 0000] Mon 0100 WOR WWCR 3210 Mon 0430 WOR WSUI Iowa City IA 910 [week delay] Mon 0530 COM RFPI 15039 7445-USB [sometimes as substitute] Mon 0600 WOR WWCR 3210 Mon 0630 WOR RFPI 7445-USB [often as substitute; or 0600] Mon 1230 WOR RFPI 21815-USB [often as substitute; or 1200] Tue 1900 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Tue 2000 COM RFPI 21815-USB 15039 Wed 0100 WOR RFPI 21815-USB 15039 7445 Wed 0200 COM RFPI 15039 7445 Wed 0700 WOR RFPI 7445-USB Wed 0800 COM RFPI 7445-USB [or try webcast] Wed 1030 WOR WWCR 9475 Wed 1300 WOR RFPI 21815-USB Wed 1400 COM RFPI 21815-USB Latest edition of this schedule version is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html An expanded schedule also showing local times: http://www.worldofradio.com/wormast.html Internet on demand: see Our Current Audio page for availability: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html Webcasts at times shown are available from all stations except WWCR, WNQM, Studio X. WRN: http://www.wrn.org/live.html RFPI via SW feed: http://www.boinklabs.com/ifpi.html RFPI direct webcast: http://www.rfpi.org R. LavaLamp: http://www.rinku.zaq.ne.jp/bkaec205/index.html WPKN: http://www.wpkn.org WSUI: http://wsui.uiowa.edu Hope you can listen! 73, Glenn Hauser DX PROGRAMS, by John Norfolk, new edition anticipating many seasonal changes: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN. Glenn, I don't think you posted these URLs on the Afghan YA5T operation. If you did, I must have missed it. http://www.qsl.net/ya5t/ YA5T Web Site http://www.ve9dx.com/ya5t/ya5t.html YA5T Online Log Search and http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2001/12/19/1/#Change ARRL info (Pete Costello, NJ, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALASKA. A-02 Schedule for KNLS, Alaska From the KNLS website when checked today: March 24, 2002 to August 24, 2002 (UTC) (kHz.) TIME BAND FREQ. LANG. 0800 25m 11765 English 0900 25m 11765 Russian 1000 25m 11765 Mandarin 1100 31m 9615 Russian 1200 25m 11765 Mandarin 1300 25m 11870 English 1400 25m 11870 Mandarin 1500 25m 11870 Mandarin 1600 25m 11765 Mandarin 1700 21m 12105 Russian August 25, 2002 to October 26, 2002 (UTC) (kHz.) TIME BAND FREQ. LANG. 0800 25m 11765 English 0900 25m 11765 Russian 1000 25m 11765 Mandarin 1100 31m 9615 Russian 1200 25m 11765 Mandarin 1300 25m 11870 English 1400 31m 9615 Mandarin 1500 31m 9615 Mandarin 1600 31m 9615 Mandarin 1700 21m 12105 Russian October 26, 2002 to November 23, 2002 (UTC) (kHz.) TIME BAND FREQ. LANG. 0800 31m 9615 English 0900 31m 9615 Russian 1000 31m 9615 Mandarin 1100 31m 9615 Russian 1200 31m 9615 Mandarin 1300 25m 11765 English 1400 31m 9615 Mandarin 1500 31m 9615 Mandarin 1600 31m 9615 Mandarin 1700 41m 7355 Russian (via Alan Roe, UK, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) KNLS makes schedule changes on odd dates, somehow mixing high latitude concerns with outdated IFRB seasons. But we need to get it straight now: does the A-02 season begin on the 4th Sunday of March or the last Sunday of March? I thought the latter (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. DWCD07: Kookaburra (bird call only, no music) Narrator: Call of the Kookaburra The Australian continent is home to many unique birds and animals and these have caught the attention of naturalists and tourists alike. Some of these original fauna in Australia have become national symbols, such as the Kangaroo, the Emu (EE-MEW), and the Kookaburra. The Kangaroo and the Emu are national symbols on the Australian Coat- of-Arms, and the Kookaburra is the state bird for New South Wales. This bird was pictured on some of the earliest postage stamps issued by the PMG Department in the Commonwealth of Australia. The Kookaburra is a large variety of the Kingfisher and it lives on small animals and birds and insects and snakes. Even though it is an attractive bird, it can nevertheless be a difficult bird, and it is very hard to rear in captivity. The call of the Kookaburra, with its strange and almost human-like laugh, has become an unofficial symbol for Australia, and multiudes of international radio listeners throughout the world have heard this laughing bird as part of the sign on routine from Radio Australia. The earliest records that we have been able to research indicate that the call of the Kookaburra was first introduced to wireless listeners back in the mid-1920`s. In that era, amateur radio stations were permitted to broadcast programming on the upper end of the mediumwave band on Sunday afternoons. Back in the year 1924, Victor Coombes in Adelaide, South Australia obtained an amateur wireless license and the call of the Kookaburra was heard quite regularly over his station VK5WS. Victor was bedridden from an accident, and his Kookaburra calls were also heard occasionally over another experimental station, VK5BS, which was a professional installation operated by the Bedford Park Sanitorium. At the outbreak of World War 2 in September 1939, all amateur stations in Australia were ordered off the air and the programming with Vic Coombes and his laughing Kookaburra was transferred to the ABC mediumwave stations, 5CL-5AN. Another amateur radio station, VK2NE, was operated privately in Sydney, and the call of the Kookaburra was used in the sign-on and sign-off routine for the mediumwave broadcasts from this station. On the shortwave scene, there was experimental station VK5DI in Adelaide, South Australia, which was associated with the commercial station 5AD. Station 5DI was noted in the United Sates in 1938, with a sign off routine which included the National Anthem and the call of the Kookaburra. Some time back, Jerry Berg, who lives on the edge of Boston in Massachusetts, came across a children`s book called, ``Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra``. This book was published in 1933 and it tells the story of a Kookaburra that was captured in the Australian bush and domesticated by a woman called Thelma. The ``Listener In`` radio magazine of that era tells us that the family name was Jury. Thelma`s pet Kookaburra was taken on a tour of many localities throughout eastern Australia and it was presented live on air from radio stations in many cities, ranging from Melbourne in the south to Brisbane, more than 1,000 miles to the north. Disc recordings of Jacko, the Laughing Kookaburra, were also made by gramophone companies in Melbourne and Sydney. The story of this famous ``Jacko``, as presented on Jerry Berg`s web site, www.ontheshortwaves.com, indicates that this recording was also used on air as the identification signal by the pre-war AWA shortwave station, VK2ME. When Australia Calling - Radio Australia was launched in 1939, this same recording was used to identify Australia`s new shortwave service. However, as Keith Glover stated on one occasion, a new recording of the laughing Kookaburra was made for Radio Australia at the Melbourne Zoo some time in the 1960`s. The Kookaburra has also featured on QSL cards issued by many radio stations in Australia. The colorful QSL card from broadcast station VK2ME pictured a Kookaburra super-imposed upon a map of Australia, and Radio Australia has issued many QSL cards depicting the Kookaburra. In addition, several amateur stations have also depicted the Kookaburra on their QSL cards, as did the mediumwave station 6PM in Perth, Western Australia. The available information would indicate that at least 5 different Kookaburras have been heard on air in Australia. The call of the laughing Kingfisher was presented in the broadcast programming from several amateur stations throughout Australia. At least two different birds have been featured as the identification signal from broadcast station VK2ME and Radio Australia. However, the most famous of them all would have to be ``Jacko`` who was heard on dozens of mediumwave stations throughout eastern Australia, as well as on shortwave from VK2ME in Sydney and Radio Australia in Melbourne. * DWCD07: Radio Australia (music & bird call), 54 secs The Call of the Kookaburra References ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date Station Reference ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Publications 1928 3LO Jacko on front cover, Listener In, Feb 15, 1928; NB 79.217B 34 1932 VK2ME Pictured on QSL card, AWA SW broadcasting station Sydney 1933 Book, ``Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra``, by Brooke Nicholls 1935 VK2ME Photo Kookaburra now famous call VK2ME; LI 79.27 5-10- 35 34 38 1937 VK2ME Pictured on QSL card, AWA SW broadcasting station Sydney 1937 VK5HL Kookaburra art drawing on amateur station QSL card, Adelaide 1938 VK2AFQ Kookaburra art drawing on amateur station QSL card, Sydney 1938 VK3EP Kookaburra art drawing on amateur station QSL card, Rochester 1940 RA ``No better sales agent than Kookaburra``; ABCW 77.19 13-7-40 4 1943 6AM Photo QSL card, ``The Breezy Bird`` each morning on 6AM Perth 1950 RA QSL card color photo 2 Kookaburras, 4 large cards 1954 RA Yellow print QSL card VLA9, map of Australia with Kookaburra 1958 RA Orange print QSL card VLB11, map of Australia with Kookaburra 1961 RA Orange print QSL card VLE15, map of Australia with Kookaburra 1984 RA QSL card color photo Blue Kookaburra, large card 1999 RA QSL card color photo 2 Kookaburras, 2 large cards, Thai print Jerry Berg, article, ontheshortwaves.com - ``Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra`` Official State Bird of New South Wales 1923 Jacko hatched in bush in Victoria Jacko captured in bush in Victoria, cared for by Thelma and Boss Jacko recording Columbia Studios, Melbourne, Doctor and Barbara Arrangements made for broadcast on ``one of the wireless stations`` Melourne: ABC 3AR 3LO, commercial 3UZ 3DB 3KZ 3AK 3AW Jacko appearances at theatre with Thelma & Doctor Jacko regularly on air and at moving picture theatres Touring; Ballarat (3BA), towns in the bush 1933 Aug 29 Jacko recording Columbia Studios, Sydney, Mrs Harold Clapp Broadcast over 2UW Sydney relayed to Melbourne Touring north New South Wales Newcastle: 2NC 2HD 2KO NNSW country: 2XN 2GF 2TM Touring Queensland Laughed to full house and on air 8 nights in Toowoomba (4GR) Heard on network throughout Queensland (probably AWA network) ABC: 4QG 4RK AWA: 4TO 4WK 4AY on relay from Brisbane station Brisbane:4BC 4BK 4BH Country: 4GR 4MK 4RO 4MB Jacko laugh heard America England France Japan other countries VK2ME VK3ME Broadcasting - Amateur 1924 VK5WS Vic Coombe Adelaide Kookaburra call 2 birds; Radio in SA 92 AMP 1924 VK5BS Occasional relays of 5WS with Vic Coombe and Kookaburra Call 1936 VK2NE Kookaburra call as opening & closing theme; ARW 77.8 1- 10-36 29 1938 VK5DI 14085 kHz Sundays, sign off anthem, Kookaburra call; RN 9-38 59 1939 ABC Vic Coombe with Kookaburra transferred 5CL/5AN Adelaide; AMP Broadcasting - Shortwave 1927 2FC-2ME 3rd Empire Broadcast, Mrs W. Clarkson`s pet; LI 79.23 9-11-27 1 1928 3LO 1st use Kookaburra, Feb 24, 1928; NB 79.217B 33 LI 15- 2-28 1928 3LO Jacko Healesville reared Mrs Jury; NB 79.217B 34 LI 7- 3-28 13 1931 VK2ME Call used from beginning of regular programming; LI 79.24 30-7-38 1932 VK2ME Call of Kookaburra opens closes AWA Broadcasting Service, QSL 1937 VK2ME Call of Kookaburra opens closes AWA Broadcasting Service, QSL 1939 RA Recommendation to include call of Kookaburra; AWA paper 6-1-39 1960`s RA Kookaburra call re-recorded at Melbourne Zoo; Interview K. Glover ================================================================== The Call of the Kookaburra --- How Many Different Birds? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- No Year Owner Station City Occasion ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1920`s Private in Adelaide VK5WS Adelaide Amateur broadcasts 2 1930`s Private in Adelaide VK5WS Adelaide Amateur broadcasts 3 1927 Mrs W. Clarkson 2FC-2ME Sydney 3rd Empire Broadcast 4 1928 Mrs Thelma Jury 3LO Melbourne Jacko on air 1931 Jacko record? VK2ME Sydney Regular broadcasts began 1936 Jacko record? VK2NE Sydney Amateur broadcasts 1938 Jacko record? VK5DI Adelaide With broadcast station 5AD 1939 Jacko record? RA Sydney Radio Australia launched 5 1950`s Melbourne Zoo RA Melbourne Kookaburra call re-recorded ====================================================================== (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan 374, Feb 24 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Australians are coming? PANAMSAT, AUSTRALIA`S TARBS SIGN 10-YEAR SALES PACT WILTON, Conn., March 5 (Reuters) - Satellite company PanAmSat Corp. said Tuesday it signed a deal with Australia`s Television & Radio Broadcasting Services to launch a TV platform in the United States. Terms of the new 10-year, multi-transponder sales pact for the direct- to-home TV platform were not disclosed. PanAmSat is a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. TARBS, Australia`s leading multicultural broadcaster, will use multiple international satellites in PanAmSat`s fleet for the new platform and contribution services in the Asia-Pacific and it will now broadcast more than 50 channels of multicultural TV programming direct to consumers` homes in the United States over PanAmSat`s Galaxy XR North American satellite. ``TARBS is targeting to grow to more than two million customers over the next five years, and we now have in place the global satellite platform that will facilitate the delivery of quality programming from our broadcasting partners to virtually any migrant home throughout the world,`` said the Australian company`s chief executive, Regina Boulos (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** BAHRAIN/USA. FM RELAY DEAL FOR NEW US MIDDLE EAST RADIO NETWORK | Text of report from Bahrain newspaper Gulf Daily News web site on 7 March A US government broadcasting service is to launch a service for listeners in Bahrain. The Arabic-language service, for which a name is being finalized, will be transmitted from Bahrain by the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which operates services such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Asia and others. BBG has been granted a licence by the Information Ministry to use the FM frequency for its new Middle East Radio Network. A licence agreement was signed yesterday in the presence of Information Minister Nabil al-Hamir by Bahrain Radio and Television Corporation (BRTC) chief executive officer Khalil Althawadi and BBG Governor Norman Pattiz. Also present at the signing ceremony, at Le Royal Meridien Hotel, was US Ambassador Ronald Neumann. "This is the first agreement between us and Voice of America," said Mr Althawadi. The BBC Arabic service and Radio Monte Carlo are currently licensed by Bahrain. The agreement with BBG will enhance and enrich Bahrain-US cooperation in many fields, said Mr Althawadi. "Media is very important in strengthening relations between our countries," he said. Mr Pattiz said the Bahrain service was the first such service in the GCC. It is the first step in BBG's plans for improving its Arabic service, with the aim of improving communication between the Middle East and the US. The Bahrain service, to be transmitted on 89.2 MHz, will be a 24-hour service, which will include music, news and other information programmes. "We should begin broadcasting in two to four weeks, as soon as we can get our transmitters in place," said Mr Pattiz. However, it will be summer by the time the full service is offered, he said. BBG currently broadcasts a seven-hour-a-day Arabic service, which has a limited listenership in some areas of the Middle East. "We want to create a 21st century broadcasting service," said Mr Pattiz. This will be done through the use of FM frequency in areas of dense population as well as digital audio capability from satellites for rural areas, to cover as much of the Middle East as possible. The news content of the service would be objective, accurate and reliable information, promised Mr Pattiz. "BBG comprises eight private citizens, besides the Secretary of State," he said. "Our mission is to ensure free flow of accurate and reliable information about the US and we will represent the news fairly and accurately." Source: Gulf Daily News web site, Manama, in English 7 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BERMUDA. * Narrator: CALLING BERMUDA The islands of Bermuda are located out in the Atlantic Ocean 600 miles off the coastline of the United States. There are some 300 islands in the Bermuda group, mostly smaller coral atolls and these are the most northerly coral islands in the world. Just 20 of the islands of Bermuda are inhabited with a population less than 100,000, though more than 100,000 people visit the islands each year as tourists. The capital city is Hamilton which is located on the main island, Bermuda. The first European explorer to visit these islands was a Spanish voyager, Juan de Bermúdez in the early 1500`s and the first settlers came from England 100 years later. Bermuda is a British dependency with a governor appointed by the monarchy in England. The first radio station in Bermuda was erected in the early 1930`s. This station was located in Hamilton and it was on the air with communication traffic under the callsign ZFA, and with experimental broadcasting on shortwave as ZFD. Around the same era, the tourist ship, ``Monarch of Bermuda`` was also on the air with occasional broadcasting under the callsign VQJM. During the era of World War 2, American AFRS stations were on the air in Bermuda; ZFA3 on shortwave and WXLQ on mediumwave. Regular local radio broadcasting began in the era soon after the end of World War 2. The AWR collection in Indianapolis contains two QSLs from Bermuda. One is a QSL card showing the waterfront at Hamilton and it verifies reception of the communication station ZFD. The other is a QSL letter from the maritime station, ZBM. This station can be heard with weather reports on 2582 kHz. [listen to the archive at http://www.awr.org --] * Interview 1: Program Director ZFB-ZBM Darlene Ming * Interview 2: Program Director ZFB-ZBM Darlene Ming (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan 375 March 3 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Amigos da lista, Abaixo uma escuta de Michel Viani, Osasco- SP. Muito interessante pois Rádio Cacique, Sorocaba -SP estava inativa há muitos anos em 2470 kHz (Samuel Cássio, radioescutas via DXLD) Sintonizada ontem 06/03, às 02:45 UT, em 2470 kHz (120 metros) em Ondas Tropicais, a Rádio Cacique de Sorocaba - SP, com um programa de músicas populares antigas, e diálogo entre o locutor e ouvintes de diversos bairros da cidade. O comportamento da transmissão se assemelhava muito com o de emissoras de Ondas Médias, no tocante à propagação. Boa qualidade de áudio. Fadding lento, algumas vezes o sinal ia ao "fundo do poço", voltando em seguida com intensidade. Escutada durante uma hora. SINPO 35333. Receptor Philips R27 T, (equipado com ferrite para OT) e antena Loop de quadro para Ondas Tropicais (Michel Viani, Osasco-SP, radioescutas via DXLD) Amigos da lista boa noite !!! Em testemunho da verdade, vos digo que a uns 10 dias atrás eu sintonizei uma emissora nesta frequencia de 2470 kHz, a qual transmitia um jogo de futebol de equipes do interior paulista. Inclusive eu cheguei a comentar esta escuta com o Ulisses Galetti na rodada dos radioescutas e DXistas. 73, (Hailton, Rio das Ostras-RJ, ibid.) ** BRAZIL. A situação da freqüência 3325 kHz no Brasil é a seguinte. 3325 kHz, é Rádio Mundial, S. Paulo. Mundial AM 650 e 3325 kHz. Mundial FM 95.7 MHz e 4975 kHz. Programações distintas das emissoras da Rede CBS que ainda possui mais uma emissora na cidade de São Paulo, Rádio Difusora do Brasil em 1150 kHz. Um abraço (Samuel Cássio, Brasil, Mar 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMEROON. State radio says private radio blocks rivals | Excerpt from report by Cameroon newspaper Le Messager on 27 February Officials of the state-owned radio are accusing their young rivals of interfering and are calling for sanctions... The accusations were clear and without nuance: it would appear CRTV [Cameroon Radio and Television Broadcasting Corporation] Douala has problems caused by its young rival RTM [Real Time Music], owned by famous musician Tom Yoms and which has been operating experimentally on 103.50 [MHz] FM for only two months now. The problem is that early last week in Bali, a Douala neighbourhood, CRTV listeners, according to one of its top officials, complained of not being able to receive their favourite national radio... A CRTV official said: "We carried out a technical test which shows that within a radius of 500 metres around the RTM transmitter situated on the Hogmeni building in Bali, all other networks transmitting in FM are scrambled. "This radio station has an oversized transmitter, which covers everything that is transmitted around it. This type of transmitter, which blocks frequencies, should not be tolerated in a settlement area..." He concluded: "We do not think it is only a problem of the distribution of frequencies, there must be, most especially, some regulation to ensure that there is no interference; and, believe me, at this game, CRTV is not a novice. It just suffices, for instance, that I ask my technician to increase the frequency for all surrounding networks to be covered."... Meanwhile, at RTM, there is general surprise at the accusations, which they believe is a plot mounted by CRTV which is at a loss since "RTM has swept over nearly all listeners in town"... Source: Le Messager, Douala, in French 27 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Could this by any chance have a bearing on the reported reactivation of CRTV Douala on SW 5010?? (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. This week on Quirks & Quarks we feature a special full- edition public forum: "First Contact: What If ET Calls Us....?" If we ever successfully make contact with extraterrestrial life, what then? A panel of experts - including a science fiction writer, a psychologist, a physicist, and a lawyer - discuss the psychological, legal, scientific and political implications of making first contact with alien beings. How would we react, and how would our world be changed, if we ever met up with ET - or even just received a message from outer space. Hear the experts and the audience at this public forum, recorded this week at York University in Toronto. That's Quirks & Quarks, Saturday right after the noon news, on Radio One (Bob McDonald, Q and Q mailing list via gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. The RCI Summer Schedule is now 'posted'; I will not steal GLENN HAUSER'S Thunder. All I will say is that there is GOOD NEWS for us here in Europe. Over to you GLENN (Ken Fletcher, UK, 2012 UT 7th March 2002, BDXC-UK via DXLD) For the Week Of Confusion, March 31-April 7: http://www.rcinet.ca/horaires/A02WK.htm April 7 to October 27: http://www.rcinet.ca/horaires/A02.htm From the latter, I suppose you refer to the following: 2000-2059 HBY 5850 300 230 Europe/ MON: The Mailbag/Spotlight SKN 5995 300 150 N.W. Africa/ TUE-SAT: Canada Today / SKN 11690 300 110 Middle East Theme Programs WER 11965 500 180 SUN: Business Sense / DHA 12015 250 230 Canada in the World 15325 250 60 ARM 15470 100 188 17870 250 60 2100-2129 HBY 5850 300 230 Europe/ MON-FRI: World at Six SKN 7235 350 150 N.W. Africa/ SAT: Media Zone SKN 13690 300 180 Middle East SUN: Canada in the World 15325 250 60 17870 250 60 (RCI website March 7 via gh, DXLD) Yes, you have it right, it`s the use of Hörby again this summer, for RCI (it was such a terrific success last Summer). I wanted to drop a hint without revealing all the details, which I felt was YOUR domain. I presume these details refer to both the 'week of confusion' and the subsequent weeks thoughout the summer. Perhaps I don`t appreciate 'the week of confusion' problems you have there; this is a problem that affects us, relatively little, here in Europe. As you will gather from a recent posting of mine, which you posted, I am more concerned about the Autumn Period really, here in Europe. Our differing Geographical Locations do cause difference of emphasis. I apologise for not fully appreciating this, at the time of my original E-Mail and for the confusion thus caused (Ken Fletcher, 2335 UT 7th March 2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Here's that ABC news clip on Herb Hilgenberg the Weatherman. From here, http://abcnews.go.com/Sections/WNT/ I went to here, http://abcnews.go.com/sections/wnt/MP/020305walker_video_mp.html where the RealPlayer clip URL is this long monster URL http://play.rbn.com/?url=swave/abc/g2demand/DI_commercial2.swf&?url=swave/abc/g2demand/020305walker.rm&proto=rtsp&plugin=1 (Pete Costello, NJ, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. GUANGDONG RADIO LAUNCHES ENGLISH NEWS PROGRAMME | Text of report entitled "'Guangdong English News' programme launched to introduce Guangdong's new outlook to foreigners living in Guangdong" published by Chinese newspaper from Guangzhou Yangcheng Wanbao web site on 27 February The Guangdong People's Broadcasting Station held a grand ceremony on the morning of 27 February to mark the launch of its "Guangdong English News" programme. Beginning 1 March, this English programme, which is aimed at publicizing Guangdong to the world and promoting Guangdong's exchanges with other countries, will be broadcast at a fixed time on the station's news channel and the Voice of City and Voice of Education programmes. The "Guangdong English News" is an English programme launched to implement the plan of the provincial party committee and government for establishing a new image and intensifying the publicity of Guangdong and promoting education of English. It will mainly broadcast the important news of Guangdong and introduce in a timely manner the new measures, progress, and achievements in Guangdong's reform and opening up, economic construction, scientific and technological innovation, culture, and education. Its service is beamed to foreign experts, foreign institutions, or foreigners in the business circles working and living in Guangdong, foreigners coming to Guangdong for tourist purpose, and people loving and wanting to learn English. The "Guangdong English News" will be broadcast from Monday through Friday at 1700, 1900, and 2300 [local time] in the news channel, at 2130 and 2330 [local time] in the "Voice of City" programme, and at 1800, 2000, and 2200 [local time] in the "Voice of Education" programme. Source: Yangcheng Wanbao web site, Guangzhou, in Chinese 27 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Webcast? ** CHINA. Presumed CPBS Xizang station heard with English lesson on 7335 kHz under CHU March 4 at 2240 UT. Same program also weak on 7360 (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. NEWS FROM THE COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS For more information, contact Marylene Smeets at 212-465-9344 x 120 **************************************************** FARC REBELS FORCE RADIO STATION OFF THE AIR Bogotá, March 7, 2002-Leftist guerrillas forced a radio station to shut down after accusing it of serving government interests. Onda Zero [sic], based in the southern Colombian town of Acevedo, Huila Department, stopped broadcasting on the evening of February 28, when some 10 fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) threatened to blow up the station and then made off with a transmitter, antennas, and other equipment valued at US$12,500, said director José Vicente Rodríguez. A journalist at the station, Divier Alexander López, fled the region the next day in fear of his life. Neither he nor anyone else at the station had previously been threatened. "They argued that they were taking us out because we were working for the government," said Rodríguez. "I don't know what reasons they have for saying that." The radio station is located near the border of the Switzerland-sized safe haven that the Colombian government ceded to the FARC in 1998. On February 20, the government ended peace talks with the FARC and launched a military operation to retake the safe haven. In the weeks since negotiations collapsed, the FARC has blown up electrical towers in Huila Department as part of a wider war against the nation's infrastructure. The 38-year civil conflict pits leftist rebels against the government and right-wing paramilitary forces. Rodríguez denied FARC accusations that Onda Zero, which employs eight people, was working for the government. The station serves nine townships and began broadcasting 11 years ago. Seventy percent of its 16 hours of daily programming is popular music. The balance is devoted to educational programs, said sources at the station. Rodríguez said he would raise money to buy new equipment if the rebels refuse to return the transmitter and other equipment. For more information about press conditions in Colombia, visit http://www.cpj.org CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom around the world. ENDS (CAJ list March 7 via Deborah Jones via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Saludos colegas diexistas. Hoy estuve escuchando a Radio Martí con muy buena señal en la frecuencia 29620 kHz desde las 1200 UT hasta las 1330. Nota: actualmente se escucha muy bien Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, Mar 7, Conexión Digital via DXLD) That would be the fourth harmonic of 7405, Greenville, I think (gh, DXLD) ** CZECH MINISTER, US-SPONSORED RADIO'S HEAD IN TALKS OVER LOCATION | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 7 March: Foreign Minister Jan Kavan negotiated today with Thomas Dine, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's director, about the radio's moving from Prague's centre, but no definitive result seems to ensue from the meeting. The meeting was also attended by the US embassy representatives and by representatives of the Czech Defence Ministry, which seeks appropriate building where the radio could move. "I can only confirm that we met today as we had planned," Kavan informed after the meeting. US representatives refused to talk to journalists at all. Both sides agreed beforehand not to talk about the negotiations until they are closed. Previous such meeting took place in January, the next one ought to take place in April. "These things must be negotiated in quiet," Kavan said, adding that he hoped the negotiations would be closed before the current government's term expires in June and that he did not want to make any inconsiderate decision. The government decided on the RFE's security measures in autumn last year. The traffic on the adjacent town motorway is now limited owing to the risk of terrorist attacks. RFE would rather not move, pointing to high costs of the moving. Furthermore, the RFE does not want to run away from the terrorist threat, but it wants to face it, according to its previous statements. The government also intends to reach an agreement on who will pay the costs of the moving. The US financed RFE/RL is seated in the building of the former Federal Assembly close to Wenceslas Square in the very centre of Prague. The radio moved to Prague from Munich in 1995... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1321 gmt 7 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** FRANCE. Radio France International's 14 UT broadcast to Asia (17620) remains a 55-min. program daily, with features on the second half-hour. You may recall that at one point last year they had reduced the length of the show to only 30 mins. at this time slot, but it's a good thing that RFI knows their audience in India, etc. is getting the full amount of news and features (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non?]. Re RFI harmonic on 19580 at 2119: 9790 2000-2200 37E,38W,47,52,57 ISS 500 162 French F RFI TDF 9790 2100-2200 37S,46,47S GAB 250 307 French GAB RFI TDF Both on service that time span, I guess the harmonic coming from Gabon, see azimuth of 307 degrees (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY: Re German TV coming to US: German TV is already available on DTH systems in Canada (at least on Bell ExpressVu). It costs C$5.00 a month (Ricky Leong, QU, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. Caught the tail end of the latest advertised DRM test of DW via Sines, Portugal on 21630, March 7 at 1350, reminded of it by the noise on 17450. The DRM noise has no squeal, and not being very strong here way off the beam, could easily have been overlooked as just more background noise infecting the band. If there were any analogue segments, I tuned in too late, but could tell that this signal went off promptly at 1400:00. It did not bother the nearest analogue signal, RFI on 21645 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. 6th March'02 A - 02 Tentative Frequency Schedule for KTWR --------------------------------------------- Trans World Radio - Guam (March 31, 2002 - October 27, 2002) Freq Time UT Pwr Azm Target (KHz) Open-Close (kW) (deg) CIRAF (zones) Languages ======= ==== ==== === === ============= ========== 7455.0 1100-1615 100 320 43,44 Mandarin 9430.0 1100-1145 100 285 49 Vietnamese 9430.0 1400-1445 100 278 49 Vietnamese 9430.0 1500-1530 100 345 33,44,45 Korean 9465.0 1200-1300 100 345 45 Japanese 9865.0 0930-1100 100 315 42,43,44 Mandarin 9870.0 1300-1330 100 315 42,43,44 Mandarin 9870.0 1330-1400 100 285 44 Swatow 9870.0 1400-1430 100 285 43,44 Cantonese 9870.0 1400-1445 100 285 43,44 Cantonese 9870.0 1400-1500 100 285 43,44 Cantonese 9910.0 0915-1100 100 320 43,44 Mandarin 11690.0 2100-2200 100 345 45 Japanese 11720.0 1300-1330 100 278 49 Khmer 11765.0 1100-1200 100 345 33,44,45 Korean 11850.0 1200-1300 100 255 49,54 Javanese 11900.0 1230-1300 100 248 54 Sundanese 12105.0 2230-2300 100 285 43,44 Hakka 12130.0 0915-1630 100 305 42,43,44 Mandarin 12130.0 2115-2200 100 305 42,43,44 Mandarin 15195.0 2200-2230 100 255 49,54 Indonesian 15200.0 0900-0915 100 248 54 Balinese 15200.0 0900-0915 100 248 54 Torajanese 15200.0 0915-0930 100 248 54 Madurese 15200.0 0930-1230 100 248 54 Indonesian 15215.0 0715-0900 100 278 49,50,54 English 15330.0 0815-0930 100 165 51,55,56,58,59,60 English 15330.0 0815-1000 100 165 51,55,56,58,59,60 English 15330.0 1300-1400 100 285 49 Burmese 15330.0 1430-1600 100 285 41,48,49 English 15395.0 1330-1400 100 293 41,49 Indian 15445.0 2200-2230 100 293 42,43,44 Cantonese 15445.0 2200-2245 100 293 42,43,44 Cantonese 15445.0 2200-2300 100 293 42,43,44 Cantonese 15585.0 2200-2315 100 305 42,43,44 Mandarin KTWR Frequency Coordination, Trans World Radio, USA Phone (671)828-8637 Fax (671)828-8636 e-mail: ktwrfreq@guam.twr.org Regds, (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. Subject : 3903U, Iceland? Hi Glen[n]. I got this email from Iceland today; Q: I asked a ham radio operator to tune in and listen on 3903 USB. A: ******** Hello dr om, I have forwarded this letter, and also have contacted the appropriate person at the Icelandic PTA and they are investigating the matter due to a complaints. I will report back as soon as I know something. vy 73 ******** Complaints = QRM/RFI? -A wild guess... I'll keep in touch if I get some more information :) Take care, and 73 from (TSBauge - Norway, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hello Glenn. I received these letters from a ham radio operator from Iceland today; // Quote. (Letter 1) Hello OM, I will try to look into this matter but I have never heard about it before. I try to listen to this freq. this morning from the Rjupnahed transmitting station ca. 55 km north from the Keflavik base and did not hear a sound on the freq. I will try from my home QTH to night. 73´s (Letter 2) Hi OM, I just got some info from a "BIG GUN" at the base at Keflavik and he told me that they have been looking in to this mater for some time. They are not broadcasting on this freq. but it look's like that somebody are rebroadcasting the AFRTS (AFN) program on this freq. but they will look further into it and thank you people for the help. 73's // Quote end. ************* Regards (T. S. Bauge - Norway, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Got these two mails from Iceland today; Hi, I just got a note from the Icelandic PTA and they tell me that the case is solved and closed, hi. 3903 is dedicated to IDF for aeronautical control and due to a mistake the AFRTS program got on that freq as well. They have now closed it. We will monitor this for the next days, and also if it is heard again please let us know at the soonest. vy 73 es tnx ********** Hi. The repairmen at the Keflavik found the problem for the broadcasting on 3903 kHz, wrong patsing [sic] on a program line so they were sending the program into audioline for some HF TX at the same time they send it to the 1530 kHz TX. It is OK now. 73´s ********* Regards (TSBauge - Norway :-), later March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Post- and Telecom Administration of Iceland has been in contact with the Iceland Defense Forces about the transmissions on 3903 kHz. The IDF confirmed that they indeed have transmitted AFRTS on 3903 kHz from Iceland during recent days. This frequency is an aeronautical channel of the IDF and AFRTS was carried on this frequency "by mistake", as the IDF put it. Comment BT: I would not exclude the possibility that this was a similar kind of "action" like we repeatedly have seen it in Eastern Europe during the last years (Belarus`, Ukraine, Russia) where local radiostations were switched on utility channels by operators "just for fun" or training purposes... 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well done, Bernd -- as you say, mystery solved. I didn`t hear it yesterday, and it hasn`t been on today, so obviously the operator has been "warned off". Your explanation of what the operation might have been sounds very feasible. Both Olle and I noticed audio drop outs which might also suggest such an operation (Noel Green, England, Mar 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If the mystery AFRTS transmissions on 3903 kHz are coming out of Iceland, the QTH is the transmitter site for NAVTELCOMSTA Iceland at Grindavik. It is about 10 miles from Keflavik, on the south coast of the Reykjanes Peninsula. I was the Leading Electronics Technician there 1970-73. TX compliment at the time included a room full of AN/FRT-39 (10 kW PEP) and -40 (40 kW PEP) HF transmitters made by Technical Materiel Corp., plus LF on AN/FRT-19 and a Continental AN/FRT-72 connected to 600 and 800-foot insulated towers. While there we installed the first Harris/Continental auto-tune HF sets (AN/FRT-83/84/85 series) and TCI antennas to support ASW operations. The previous report that the Iceland PTT has control of emissions is correct; they shut us down once when harmonics in the 65 MHz range were QRMing the local TV translator. However, I can assure you that the tactical HF pool authorized for use by the Navy goes all the way down to 2 MHz. I have heard it here weakly after 0500 UT \\ 6458.5 (John Cobb, ETC, USN Ret., Roswell, GA, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. NASA breaks DX barrier: NASA successfully bridged 7.4 billion miles of space this month to contact the Pioneer 10 spacecraft on the 30th anniversary of its launch. Scientists beamed a message to the craft March 1 from a radio telescope in the desert east of Los Angeles. A radio telescope in Spain received the return response 22 hours and six minutes later. The return signal was loud and clear. NASA last heard from the craft in July. Pioneer 10's original, 21-month mission has improbably stretched three decades. The spacecraft was launched March 2, 1972. It passed through the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter and obtained close-up images of Jupiter. In 1983, it became the first manmade object to leave the solar system when it passed the orbit of distant Pluto.-- NASA via AMSAT News Service (ARRL March 7 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. * Narrator: RADIO BROADCASTING FROM SHIPS - THE PACIFIC SCENE, PART 2 In our continuing series of topics on radio broadcasting from ships, we return to the exotic South Pacific in the era between the two wars. In this era of experimental radio broadcasting, a large number of ships plying the oceans of the world would transmit short special programs. The wireless equipment was available and it was not in continuous usage for navigation and maritime communications. These unique radio broadcasts were presented for the benefit of passing ships, and for the benefit of listeners located ashore on nearby land areas. Sometimes these music broadcasts were made from the old 78 rpm records, and sometimes they were presented live by the ship`s orchestra. Many of these broadcasts have gone unmentioned in the radio magazines of the day and the information is forever lost. However, some of these exotic and spontaneous broadcasts did receive brief mention in a radio magazine from some listener who happened to tune in. One of these brief references to a ship broadcast is found in the weekly radio newspaper, ``Listener In``, printed in Melbourne, Australia. This brief statement tells of radio broadcasts in early March 1927 when the passenger liner, ``Franconia`` made a series of broadcasts of music from the ship`s orchestra. Nearly a decade later, back in early 1935, the schooner ``Seth Parker`` was in the South Seas on a geographic expedition. During its visit into the South Pacific, several radio broadcasts were made back to the United States for relay nationwide on one of the mediumwave networks. These point-to-point relays were accomplished through the radio transmitter on board the ``Seth Parker`` which was allocated the callsign KNRA and seven channels in the shortwave bands. We move ahead another decade to the month of January in the year 1946. The war is over, and the Americans are making preparation for atomic tests at Bikini Atoll. American navy vessels will carry relays of these events for the Voice of America, and Royal Navy vessels from England are also patrolling these same seas. Shortwave listeners in New Zealand and along the eastern coast of the Australian continent heard several radio program broadcasts from the ships in the British fleet. These broadcasts were sometimes for communications purposes and sometimes for the entertainment of navy personnel and they were noted in the utility bands ranging from 11 Mhz to 18 MHz. When on air, three of these navy ships identified as Radio Romance, Radio Grenville, and Schooldame. It is suggested that these were code names, due to the fact that subsequent research reveals no navy vessels from England with these names. One of these ships, operating as Grenville, was heard with a relay of station 2KY, a commercial mediumwave station in Sydney. During this same era, Lieutenant Eric Morley was on the air with a one hour broadcast each Sunday from Radio Australia. He was a navy officer with previous radio experience at BFBS Gibraltar. The Morley broadcasts were on the air from the 50 kW transmitter VLC in Shepparton and they were directed to the British fleet in the Pacific. It is suggested that these broadcasts from Radio Australia were occasionally relayed by some of these navy vessels on duty in the South Pacific. Radio Broadcasting from Ships - Pacific 2 Time Lines ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Year Date Ship Country Area Events ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1927 Franconia Pacific Broadcasts by ship`s orchestra 1935 Seth Parker USA Pacific Radio broadcast back to USA 1946 Jan Romance England Pacific Navy, heard as Radio Romance 1946 Jan Grenville England Pacific Heard with relay 2KY Sydney 1946 Jan Schooldame England Pacific Royal Navy on duty in Pacific 1944-1946 Shepparton Australia Pacific Morely relay to Pacific Fleet =================================================================== Radio Broadcasting from Ships - Pacific 2 References ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ships Information & References ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Franconia Broadcasts by ship`s orchestra; Notebook 79.217B 36 LI 12-3-27 Grenville 12640 kHz, from Fleet HQ; R&H 77.10 2-46 36 14400 relay 2KY Sydney; R&H 77.10 2-46 36 Romance Radio Romance 11010 kHz; R&H 77.10 2-46 36 Royal Navy Transmissions, broadcasts & relays; R&H 77.10 2-46 36 Schooldame 12630 kHz; R&H 77.10 2-46 36 Seth Parker KNRA 7 channels; SWL Feb-Mar 1935 RD 41& 43 Shepparton - Radio Australia British Pacific Programme on Radio Australia since 1944; BFBS 84.445 59 Morley with later BBC broadcasts to Royal Navy in Pacific; BFBS 84.445 59 Relay BBC via VLC4 one hour Sundays 15315; RN 1-46 86 May 13 - July 30 1945 VLC relay BBC to Fleet in Pacific; AMP RA 236 July 30 - end Dec 1945, Morley with program to Pacific Fleet; AMP RA thesis (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan 376, March 10 via DXLD) ** IRAN [NON]. I listened to 7480 Thursday from 1655 to 1732. At 1655 an "endless loop" type ID was running, consisting of ID, short music and pause. 1700-1730 Barabari programme. 1732 sign off. Throughout the Barabari programme another programme, also in Persian, was heard in the background, perhaps Iran with programme jamming. No high or low frequency heterodyne between the two signals. The Barabari frequency appeared to be spot on. S-9 signal level (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. EXPLOSIONS AT IRAQI TV COMPLEX - INC OPPOSITION CITED | Text of report in English from Kuwaiti news agency Kuna web site London, 5 March: The Iraqi National Congress (INC) opposition faction said here on Tuesday [5 March] that new series of fresh blasts went off at one of the main centres in the Iraqi capital, despite tight security measures. Elaborating, the INC said in a statement that the blasts that occurred last night inflicted heavy damages to the three TV transmission and jamming stations at the west Iraqi Abu Ghurayb complex. The statement said the blast caused the breakout of great fires and heavy losses, but there were no reports on casualties among the staff. It added that the Iraqi security forces rushed to the scene of the blasts, cordoned the area and started interrogations on complications of the blasts. Source: Kuna news agency web site, Kuwait, in English 2030 gmt 5 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRELAND. (presumed) 27124.1/AM 1238-1249:20*, 3-Mar; Somber organ music w/background voices and shuffling sounds; presume church departure musical. These have been reported as Irish church services on various CB freqs in recent months. SIO=1+43/best in LSB (Harold Frodge, MI DXPedition, MARE via DXLD) ** ITALY. QSL: R. Europe, 7306-USB, v/s Alex by email radioeurope@iol.it with bmp image Radio Pirata CORDIALI SALUTI DA RADIO EUROPE (David Norrie, Auckland NZ AOR 7030 March 7 DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KUWAIT. RK, 11990, at 1825 2 Mar, program about S. Hussein called the Butcher of Baghdad. This was the title of a larger series called Testimony of History. Near flawless signal (Liz Cameron, MI, DXPedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. STATE TV, RADIO PLEDGE "NEUTRALITY", "OBJECTIVITY" Malagasy state radio and TV resumed their broadcasts on the evening of 6 March after being suspended since 25 February. The state radio station's 1600 gmt news in Malagasy was shorter than usual, lasting only 15 minutes instead of the usual 40-45 minutes. No news bulletin in French was broadcast. Apologizing to listeners before ending the news bulletin, the announcer said the radio station was to be closed at 2000 [local time, 1700 gmt, instead of 1900 gmt] because of the "ongoing events" and "shortage of oil supplies". The radio station closed at 1700 gmt as announced. The state TV station's 1630 gmt news in Malagasy and 1700 gmt news in French were also shorter than usual. All the above radio and TV news bulletins began with a commentary stressing that after a staff meeting with "Information Minister" Eric Beantanana, their stations would remain neutral and objective, especially in their coverage of the current political events in the country, adding that their news bulletins would be "shorter", "concise" and "focusing on news points". In all the above news bulletins, both Marc Ravalomanana and Didier Ratsiraka were described as presidents of the republic. Similarly, their respective "prime ministers" and "ministers" were described as such. Source: Television Malagasy, Antananarivo, in Malagasy 1720 gmt 6 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. RTV Malagasy is back on 5010 kHz, but apparently with a different schedule. Heard just before 1700 with Malagasy music, and a brief announcement by male speaker in Malagasy. After 1700 the National Anthem was played. Then IS, a few testtones, and off at 1702 UT. Nice signal (Mark Veldhuis, Netherlands, March 7, SWBC via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. Has been heard on 9685 for the last few days from 0400 to 1900 with Musical program and local comuniqué in Malagasy and French but nothing to-day while is back on the air on 5010 // 6135 and 7155 with its normal program (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, March 8, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. In most of Latin America, an ID is not required by call letter, but is required by the licensed name. Mexico is an exception, requiring the calls, name and even location of the station to be broadcast. I have found that Latin American stations, which ID by name, generally are very good about it. This may come form the commercial fact that the markets have more stations per capita than the US has so a clear ID is necessary with great frequency. Keep in mind, I do not distinguish between a name or a call letter ID. The station identity is that which the management has decided on. "KFI" and "Coast" are both IDs to the listener. The ID allows them to know what they listen to, to find it again and to register it in a ratings service. Mexico City stations, I notice, have been using call letters much less than they used to since Arbitron began measuring Mexico City. At a seminar I did for Arbitron clients there, most PDs realized that call letter are confusing, hard to remember and generally to be avoided. In SoCal, the Spanish language stations tend to only give the ID once per hour, in English (as required) and not to give the calls ever, ever in Spanish. Again, to avoid confusion and the fact that calls are murder to remember. The ones I'm with, KLVE, KTNQ, KSCA, KRCD and KRCV have never intentionally given their calls in Spanish in the last 7 or 8 years, I believe. Only exception: KWKW which calls itself KW Radio 13-30 (David Gleason, CA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. RADIO OMROEP ZUID: 21889.9/AM, 1245-1418+, 2-Mar; M announcer in English sez it's raining in the Netherlands; wondering if frequency is open to NAm. Long uninterrupted runs of techno then UC/rap but threw in Macarena. ID'd as ROZ & Radio OZ during talk segments. e-mail rozam@iam.nl. SIO=2+53 (Harold Frodge, MI, DXPedition, MARE via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. THIS WEEK IN RADIO HISTORY - PESHAWAR IN PAKISTAN Back in the early days of wireless telegraphy, a Morse Code wireless station with the callsign VWP was established near Peshawar (pe-SHAH- wah) in the North West Frontier Province. In those days, this area was a part of British India. The AWR Historic Collection contains an old postcard of this long forgotten but historic wireless station that was obtained during a visit to England. Many years later, in 1935, the Marconi company in England granted a small radio transmitter and several wireless receivers on loan to the provincial government in Peshawar. This station was on the air as VUP with 250 watts on 1500 kHz. Two years later, station VUP was transferred to the Government of India, though programming was still produced locally. It was on March 1, 1939, just 63 years ago, that the small Peshawar station was converted into a relay station of All India Radio, taking a program feed off air shortwave from station VUD in Delhi. These days of course, the North West Frontier is in Pakistan, station VUP in Peshawar is identified with the callsign APP, and it is on the air with two mediumwave transmitters at 100 kW and 300 kW, and a shortwave transmitter at 10 kW (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan 376, March 10 via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3245, R. Gulf, 1015 3 March, "religious music and love on Radio Gulf" good (David Norrie, Auckland NZ, AOR 7030, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5009.54, R. Altura, 1053 6 March, Spanish preaching in good clear audio, "Radio Altura" seemingly discussing problems in Argentina (David Norrie, Auckland NZ, AOR 7030, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 21560, SA Amateur Radio League, 0808 3 March, "up coming contest Field day next weekend 1200 central African time", fair and clear (David Norrie, Auckland NZ, AOR 7030, March 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sundays only ** U S A. WBCQ: Al Weiner's show Al Weiner World-Wide will be broadcast live from the SWL Winterfest this week from 0100-0300 UT Sat Mar 9 on 7415 and possibly on 9335 as well. The topic of Allan's show will be "Free Speech and Broadcasting" (Weiner Mar 6, Cumbre DX Special via DXLD) ** U S A. WINB 40th Anniversary Contest Update Dear DXers and SWLers: Now that WINB's first 40th anniversary contest is over, let me provide you with a summary. The station received reports from every continent except Africa. I was surprised by the fact that WINB got so many reports given the time and frequency of the contest. It was particularly interesting to compare levels of local QRN from around the world. As expected, some folks had poor reception and others had great reception. Most of the recordings were on cassette, but WINB did receive audio files as well as one CD! All reports will be confirmed by QSL card and station pennant as promised. Those will be sent out within a few weeks time. I think folks will also be pleased with the new WINB QSL card. (Some sent in photocopies of old WINB cards from as far back as the 1960's.) WINB would like to thank everyone who participated. A special thanks goes out to those who sent return postage, post cards, shack photographs, stickers, etc. The next contest will be in April. 73's (Hans Johnson, Frequency Manager, WINB, Mar 7, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U S A. ACTIVISTS' MISSION: BRINGING RADIO POWER TO THE PEOPLE By Eils Lotozo, Inquirer Staff Writer When radio station WRYR-FM went on the air last month with its inaugural broadcast of a bluegrass concert and the meeting of a local preservation group, it was a historic moment. Launched by an anti-sprawl organization in tiny Churchton, Md., the station is one of the first of a new breed of community broadcasters to hit the airwaves. And Pete Tridish and his Prometheus Radio Project cohorts played a vital role. The West Philadelphia-based Prometheus helped figure out how to get the station's signal to bounce across Chesapeake Bay - and drew more than 100 people for a weekend-long conference called a "radio barn-raising." Next month Tridish will travel to Northern California to help citizens in Oroville get on the air. After that, it will be Opelousas, La., where a community group that helps farmers and stages a huge zydeco festival hopes to begin broadcasting.... The full article will be available on the Web for a limited time: http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/2809741.htm (via Bill Westenhaver, March 7, DXLD) ** U S A. WOSU HAS BIG PLANS IF IT GETS WCBE --- Thu, March 7, 2002 Tim Feran, Dispatch TV-Radio Critic WOSU will become a powerhouse of public radio if it takes over management of WCBE. The move, if it happens, will place three local public-broadcasting stations -- WCBE (90.5 FM) and WOSU (820 AM and 89.7 FM) -- under one umbrella, allowing them to cut costs, improve programming and perhaps boost the fund raising that supports all three, said David B. Carwile, WOSU station manager. The Columbus Board of Education, which owns WCBE, voted Tuesday to allow negotiations for shifting management of its station to another entity, and WOSU is the front-runner... http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/news/news02/mar02/1127443.html (Columbus OH Dispatch via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO BEAT: 'O BROTHER' TUNES ELUDE MAINSTREAM Thursday, March 7, 2002 By BILL VIRGIN, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER After the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack and other traditional artists stormed through the country categories of the Grammy Awards, reporters from the Nashville Tennessean explained the shock and befuddlement on Music Row. "Nashvillians might be confused: Grammys went exclusively to songs you've never heard on country radio." The confusion would hardly be limited to Nashville. "O Brother" managed to sell millions of copies while being largely snubbed by mainstream country radio.... http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/61074_radio07.shtml (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. LIVE FROM AN OLD RV, REAL ROOTS RADIO IS CUTTING EDGE Drew Jubera - Staff, Wednesday, March 6, 2002 Clinton, Tenn. --- A big morning moon illuminates a gravel road, a sign offering propane refills, a frosty field of RVs and the studios of WDVX --- a lone 14-foot camper with a 20-foot antenna. It's 5:58 a.m.... http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/today/news_c3581ca6d5b330820015.html (Atlanta Journal-Constitution via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. 87.9 MHz, GEORGIA (PIRATE) "Radio Citadelle," Atlanta; per a good [anonymous] friend who was in Atlanta during this timeframe (late February/early March): "I've been hearing a station in mono on 87.9 in [Haitian] Creole. No call-letter ID, but calling itself "Radio Citadel," the voice of the Haitian community in Atlanta. I would estimate the transmitter is southeast of downtown Atlanta but inside of I-285. Signal can be heard outside of I-285; I would estimate the station is audible for about 15 miles in all directions from the guesstimated transmitter site." (anonymous, via Krueger, Tocobaga DX via DXLD) FLORIDA. The following is a summary of mostly FM pirate activity as submitted by regular West Palm Beach vicinity contributor K. Simon: PIRATE 88.7 MHz [Haitian] Creole is off. 90.5 MHz Drive-In [which one, Ken?... TLK] suffers badly from new legal translator with finally got on the air. [Licensed] 90.7 MHz WXEL-FM is asking Ft. Lauderdale residents getting ACI ["Action Radio" ???... TLK] pirate [in Ft. Lauderdale on 90.9] to call FCC. PIRATE 93.3 MHz a new? Weak station. PIRATE 91.5 MHz in rarely with oldies. PIRATE 95.1 MHz appears to be both reggae and [Haitian] Creole. PIRATE 96.1 MHz sounds a lot like open carrier in 5:45-7 a.m. time. PIRATE 100.5 MHz new Hip Hop. PIRATE 104.9 MHz heard in p.m. PIRATES 95.1, 101.1, 96.9 and 100.5 MHz are active most of the time with 104.9 MHz on weekends. (Ken Simon) ### (Terry L. Krueger`s Tocobaga DX via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. AFRTS 3903-USB: It`s ICELAND, q.v., and it`s gone ** VIETNAM. CHAM ISLAND DXPEDITION Hello Glenn. Here is some very interesting news. There is to be a ham band DXpedition, March 12-18, 2002 to Cham Island, which is just 20 miles from Da-Nang in Vietnam. Cham Island is IOTA (Islands on the Air) #AS-130. Stations will be on 80 thru 6 meters. Callsigns will be 3W3C and XV3C. Operational modes most likely will be CW and SSB. QSL requests --- and should include an IRC --- go to: 3W3C- Antonio EA5RM, PO Box 930, E-38320 Elche, Spain XV3C- Jose EA5KB, Apartado 5013, 46080 Valencia, Spain. This will be the very first operation from a most remote area! Be most patient while waiting for a QSL. The operators will begin QSLing most likely AFTER returning home. 73 (Bill Bergadano, KA2EMZ, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. The last several evenings, WDHP-1620 in the Virgin Islands has been coming in better with each successive night, corresponding to a daily increase in solar activity. With Aurora warnings out for tonight (March 7), perhaps this will mean better reception for many of us further inland and to the North here in North America. Reception has been best from about 0200 UT 'til about 0330 UT, mainly consisting of quite spirited local music. Also, at 0300 UTC each evening, I have been hearing some sort of anthem. Can anyone tell me if this is a portion of their National Anthem, or just a piece of theme music for a regularly-scheduled program? Thanx and 73! (J. D. Stephens, Madison, AL, March 7, IRCA via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE I saw the item on the Zimbabwe SW transmitters on the Media Network site; this is the news report on the ZBC site tonight March 7, 2002. ZBC resuscitates use of transmitters ... [same as:] ZIMBABWE: ZBC RADIO REVIVES ITS SHORTWAVE TRANSMISSIONS, also to boost FM | Text of report from Zimbabwean radio web site on 7 March The Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, ZBC, has resuscitated the use of shortwave transmitters. Radio Zimbabwe [which broadcasts in Shona and Ndebele] started transmitting on shortwave Tuesday night [5 March] while National FM [which broadcasts in English, Shona, Ndebele and other languages] started on Wednesday morning [6 March]. For the past two years, ZBC has been operating at a low capacity as it has been having difficulties in getting spare parts. The ZBC chief executive, Mr Alum Mpofu; acting head Radio Services, Mrs Abigail Mvududu; and the Midlands Governor, Comrade Cephas Msipa as well as the minister of public service, labour and social welfare, Comrade July Moyo toured [the station at] Guinea Fowl [near Gweru, central Zimbabwe] which houses the transmitters. Speaking after the tour, Mr Mpofu said this was in line with the ZBC's policy of being the first and permanent media choice for every Zimbabwean. "The shortwave will enable people from areas such as Binga, Lupane, Chimanimani, Chiredzi, Plumtree, Beitbridge and Nyanga to receive transmission," he said. Mr Mpofu added that by next week ZBC will have installed five new transmitters around the country aimed at boosting FM transmitters. National FM can now be accessed on shortwave 4828 kHz or 5978 [as published] kHz. Radio Zimbabwe can be found on 6045 kHz. Source: ZBC radio text web site, Harare, in English 7 Mar 02 (via Wade Smith, NB, Bernie O`Shea, Ottawa ON, and BBCM via DXLD) Radio - Transmission ZBC uses an assortment of transmitters: The RCA three kilo watts, LGT Thompson Telefunken and Edson FMS. The usual four channels per site are combined into one antenna. The Corporation's transmitter antenna masts have heights varying from 90 metres to 161 metres. It transmits radio programmes on short wave and FM. There are 20 FM stations in the country. Each of these has a capacity to radiate four channels. Although studio output is stereo, the Posts and Telecommunications Corporation who control the country's airwaves cannot presently meet the stereo transmission. Radio Services The Radio Services of ZBC, like other strategic business units is in he process of revamping itself. The unit has changed the names of its radio stations to tally with the restructuring exercise. Radio One becomes Spot FM with programming focused on national and international sporting activities. It will also carry current affairs discussion programmes. Radio Two becomes Radio Zimbabwe broadcasting in Shona and Ndebele with programmes that continue to cater for its huge rural listenership. Radio Three becomes 3FM catering for the youths and Radio Four becomes National FM, a multilingual station dedicated to broadcasting in the fourteen minority languages spoken throughout the country. Spot FM Programming will be focused on National and International Sporting activities. Radio Zimbabwe The Station will be broadcasting in Shona and Ndebele with programmes that continue to cater for its huge rural listenership. 3FM It is a pop music station aimed at the young generation. It is primarily an entertainment channel blended with information and education. The majority of its listeners are young people who are highly impressionable. 3FM broadcasts 24 hours daily. National FM It is a multilingual station dedicated to broadcasting in the fourteen minority languages spoken throughout the country. (From homepage http://www.co.zw/radio.htm via Wade Smith, DXLD) ZBC RESUSCITATES GUINEA FOWL TRANSMITTERS The State broadcaster has reported that the Guinea Fowl transmitters have been upgraded with new spares. There was no specific mention on which parts, but I think the upgrade is along the lines of a new valve or somewhere along that path. According to the report the transmitters will be operating on full capacity. Previously they were not operating on full capacity because of lack of spare parts. The stations that broadcast from the G. Fowl site are National FM, formerly Radio 4 and Radio Zimbabwe still known to many as Radio 2. The new year heralded changes at the state broadcaster. These include the decentralisation of the entity and promotion of local acts in the culture, music and the whole lot. If any one is interested, I'll be more than happy to answer their questions on broadcasting/media and ham radio in Zim/SA. I will answer as far as I would know as someone who lives in my part of the world (Spencer Chirume, Zimbabwe? March 6, ODXA via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. WEB ONE PROMO: Zimbabweans head to the polls this weekend for a presidential election. Once viewed as a model of stability and democracy in Africa, Zimbabwe has been tainted with violence and bloodshed. CBC Radio takes a critical look at Zimbabwe's descent into chaos with a special web site: go to http://cbc.ca/one for more (CBC Hotsheet Mar 7 via DXLD) Also current topics such as Skeleton, Gzowski; Specifically: http://cbc.ca/one/zimbabwe/index.html (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Dear Glenn, With ref. to your enquiry on harmonics, no English News is noted on 4760 and 7140 at 0300 UT. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Somajiguda, Hyderabad, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re 42840 UNIDENTIFIED. 17450, the high-pitched squeal is still there, and not identified, tho discussed at some length here periodically, most recently at the end of last year in DXLD 1-209 and 1-210. Mar 7 at 1350 check centred around 17450, and audible out to 17430-17470 with an external antenna, 17440-17460 on an internal (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-038, March 6, 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 #1121 available early UT March 7: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.html FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on *15685*, Fri 1030 on 9475 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN. From VOA: Gary Thomas, Jab-Ul-Siraj, Afghanistan, 4 Mar 2002 20:08 UT During the years of Taleban rule in Afghanistan, many Afghans turned to foreign radio stations for news and information. But another, much smaller station has been on the air in Afghanistan since last year. The Voice of Peace is a little station with a big message. Broadcasting a mix of news, culture, and a dose of the wisdom of fallen folk hero Ahmed Shah Masood, the station is dedicated to freedom of expression. The Voice of Peace began last year as he brainchild of Mr. Masood, the military leader of the fight against the Taleban. He obtained funding from the European Union for the project only days before his assassination on September 9. Producer Haji Sultan Bagramwal says the Voice of Peace is also the voice of Masood. "Yes, Mr. Masood helped in establishing this radio, and also it was the people who wanted to have a radio," he said. "At a time when people were fighting against the Taleban, many things were happening here, and people had the need to know what was going on in the world and also they wanted to have a source in which they could reflect their views." The tiny station is nestled in a village at the mouth of the Panshir Valley, Mr. Masood's home ground, after the paved road ends and a bone-jarring journey over crater-pocked, rock-strewn dirt tracks begins. The reach of the station is small; its signal can perhaps be heard 50 kilometers away, and only in higher locations in Kabul to the south. News is obtained from a variety of sources, both foreign and domestic, says Mr. Bagramwal. "We are using our reporters," he said. "We have a reporter in Kabul. And also the source of our news is the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and also the BBC. And also in this area itself we have a reporter who goes around and collects information and makes stories." Reporter Abdul Aleem Saqeeb says they are watching political developments closely He says there is intense interest about the work of Hamid Karzai's interim administration and about the groundwork for the Loya Jirga, the grand council in June that will choose Afghanistan's form of government. "As journalists, and as free journalists, we are trying to prepare people for Loya Jirga and raise their awareness about the Loya Jirga, to tell them what it is and how it will be working," he said. The Voice of Peace may be small and its signal limited, but its message comes through loud and clear (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) WTFK??!! FM, I assume, and we may have heard about this before. Hey Gary, while you`re at it, would it be too much trouble to mention the frequency????? (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 8700 - heard on Mar 3rd afternoon again. Versuche mal die Adresse: Pennsylvania Air National Guard Headquarters, 193rd Special Operations Wing 81 Constellation Court, Middletown, PA 17057-5086, U.S.A. Wer die Portokosten scheut, kann es mit dieser Emailadresse versuchen: brent.keener@paharr.ang.af.mil (Willi Stengel, Germany, A-DX Mar 4 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. RNA 4950, Mulenvos, heard at 2316-2338 Feb 28, 25342 airing Port program as usual, w/ Af light songs; no \\ outlet was audible here, and in fact 4950 is being noted very poorly, either before or after VOA's usage of the same channel (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC- DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. RA preview for Sunday March 10: 1505 ENCOUNTER - the religious experience of multicultural Australia. This week: "In God We Trust: Civil and Uncivil Religion in America". America's founding documents establish a civil religion based on the Biblical ideal of a moral community, and the values of individual freedom and responsibility. However, this idea of a "common project" would be torn apart by the Vietnam War, the counterculture, and the religious experimentation of the 60s and 70s. Rachel Kohn's award- winning feature. [Transcript available] (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. HCA registrations in A-02 season. There may be registrations for the same station, which I guess is the new HCJB via Australia - when it comes on air. 11755 0700-1130 60 KNX 100 132 ENG AUS HCA 15425 1130-1830 41 KNX 100 298 17560 0700-1130 60 KNX 100 132 17580 1130-1830 41 KNX 100 298 17750 1130-1830 41 KNX 100 298 (BC-DX Mar 6 via DXLD) Not really before yearend, they say (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. This log caught my eye since the frequency is very strange; doesn`t work out to be an obvious harmonic. I suspect it`s a typo or some kind of error, but just in case, here it is (gh): 18815,0 0900-1000 B 05.02.2002 Radio Brasil Central, Goiânia, Portuguese 23432 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI SW News March via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re: log report of Guatemala on 3325 at 0915: Aqui em Curitiba sòmente posso ouvir R. Iguatemi de Osasco, que voltou no ar na começa do mes (Rik van Riel, radioescutas via DXLD) A Rádio Iguatemí está de volta aos 90 metros? Em que freqüência? É a de 3295 kHz? Isso é novidade para mim (Marcelo Toníolo, NY, ibid.) ** CAMEROON. R. Cameroun, 5010 kHz, Garoua, is just another 60 mb African station among those in the group I used to try regularly and it has indeed been absent for quite a while, but I wouldn't say it's simply inactive for years; I'm convinced the station I logged on 1st Dec '01 1914-1925 was Garoua, airing African light songs of a style. I don't think it's the usual you'll hear from Madagascar, which usually broadcasts slightly above 5010 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Mar 4, BC- DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. Heads up! SW good guy on TV tonight! I was listening to what I refer to as "The Herb Show" today and it was mentioned that there is supposed to be a piece about him on the ABC Evening News tonight in the States. To fill in on what the Herb Show is, Herb shows up every day on 12359 USB (maritime simplex channel) at 2000 UT and gives accurate weather forecasts to sailboats traveling in the Atlantic Ocean. He's very good at it and has been doing this for years, for free. It's a good listen if you have good propagation from the Atlantic/Caribbean region. Herb himself is located up around Ontario, Canada and he and the sailboats he talks to are generally good copy from my South Florida location. Give a listen sometime-the boats start checking in with their positions starting around 1930 or so while Herb keeps quiet and takes notes as to who's out there and what areas propagation favor at the moment, rotating his antenna and working those stations first that are in favorable areas, trying the other ones later on. I enjoy listening to the foreign accents of the cruising crowd, and try to imagine how it must be to be far out to sea and be able to rely on Herb's excellent forecasts to keep yourself out of trouble. It's currently 2150 UT and Herb is still at it, looks like there's a lot of boats out there in the deep briny today.... So, just wanted to give the group a heads-up on a dedicated SW operator getting some recognition tonight on TV-assuming nothing comes along to bump the story (Donald Reeve, Tuesday March 5, ShortWaveRadio yahoogroup via DXLD) So did it appear? (gh) Also check out the following on Herb : http://hometown.aol.com/hehilgen/myhomepage/vacation.html http://members.iglou.com/maryl/Personal/aboutpersonal/aboutpersonal.htm http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/1999/08/23.html http://www.weathernotebook.org/transcripts/1999/08/24.html (Brian Smith - ODXA, ShortWaveRadio yahoogroup March 6 via DXLD) ** CHINA. This week`s edition of Wavelength: Keith Perron and Lu Feng will interview Dan Brann from radio station CFMQ in Hudson Bay, one of the most interesting community radio stations in the world. For More information contact Keith Perron and Lu Feng. Wavelength airs at 00:40 UT [Fridays] on CRI's Domestic Service and on KRLA in the US. You can tune in at http://www.cri.com.cn/english and listen to the archive version on Realtime Beijing. ===== (Wave-Length, China Radio International, Beijing, China. Attention: Lu Feng & Keith Perron e- mail: wavelengthcri@yahoo.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Before we start French-bashing, let's look at the reality of what RFI does to encourage feedback. It's been a while since I have written RFI for a QSL. But I think that times have changed not only at RFI but at many stations which find themselves understaffed. I have always been a regular listener to RFI's Spanish service, which comes in loud and clear from French Guiana here in my QTH in Puerto Rico. I do know that they do invite listeners from Latin America to participate in their call-in feedback program which is broadcast on Sundays and is very popular. I have participated twice. So to say that they don't care about their listeners is far from the truth. I have received several emails from them but never a QSL because I haven't asked for one. Their online site also invites listener participation and has even held contests for world band radios (Martin Delfin, San Juan, Puerto Rico, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non?]. 19580, RFI, 2 x 9790, 2119 March 5. African program in French with Afro-pop music. ID by YL at 2130. Harmonic fair, fundamental strong. Not sure which relay this is (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Heard promo announcement over Deutsche Welle North American service that German TV news and entertainmnent in German is comiong ot the US in spring of 2002. More info at http://gernmantv.info or call 1-877-GERMANTV (Bob Thomas, CT, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. MEGARADIO states that first tests of the new 500 kW transmitter on Burg 1575 (so far running 10 kW only) can be expected within the next days. Contrary to previous information 1575 will run high power for 24 hrs. All other own frequencies (576, 630, 693, 738, 1116, 1431) will stay on 24 hrs, too, at least for the time being. Next project of Megaradio are outlets at Heidelberg- Dossenheim, Freiburg-Lehen and Ravensburg. Like 738 at Stuttgart- Hirschlanden these will be new frequencies; they are not known/coordinated yet (Michael Fuhr, Germany, A-DX Mar 3 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** GREECE. ATHENS, March 6 (Reuters) - Greek journalists went on a 24- hour strike on Wednesday to demand pay hikes and an end to lay-offs, forcing the cancellation of all daily TV and radio news programmes. Television and radio stations across the country, including state broadcaster ERT, skipped usual news broadcasts and instead played music. Newspapers stopped their presses and cancelled their Thursday editions. The Greek journalists union said it opposed recent redundancies and urged media companies to implement already agreed labour contracts. "This strike is a warning and if the owners' position does not change, our actions will increase," the union said in a statement. It was the second journalists' one-day strike in the past two months. REUTERS (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ICELAND. The AFRTS broadcasts on 3903 USB are not supposed to originate from Iceland, unless this is an illegal operation. Any frequency that is used on Icelandic territory has to be approved by the Post- and Telecom Administration of Iceland. This includes frequencies used by the Iceland Defense Forces (US Navy troops stationed in Iceland). According to this authority, no permission has been given to the IDF for 3903 kHz. The IDF has indeed applied for SW frequencies to be used from their base in Keflavik, but only in the range of 7-12 MHz. 73 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More under USA [non] below ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. WORLDLINK --- High school history teacher Suzanne Maxson is fed up with U.S. television coverage of the war on terrorism and what she believes is its lack of a global view. "The more interested you are in what's going on in the world, the more frustrating it is," complains Maxson, who lived in Iran for two years as a child. "When it's not shrill, it's sentimental, and it's a very narrow view." Maxson, who makes a point of discussing current events with her students in the San Francisco suburb of Windsor, tunes in to "Mosaic", a half-hour news show featuring unedited newscasts from Middle Eastern broadcasters translated into English. The program, which operates with a staff of six in a bare-bones studio in San Francisco, began airing in December and reaches viewers daily through San Francisco-based WorldLink TV, a noncommercial satellite channel that focuses on world events and culture. Viewers see stories from Dubai TV in the United Arab Emirates mixed with Jordan TV, and Al Manar, the television station financed by the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah guerrilla group. The show carries news from the Palestine Broadcast Authority and is in negotiations to add Israeli TV. All are shown unedited, translated into English as closely as possible. When a broadcaster refers to Israel in Arabic as "the Zionist entity", that's how it's translated. Kim Spencer, co-founder and president of WorldLink, says the growth of the U.S. immigrant population is creating a largely untapped and growing market. WorldLink was created in December 1999 after the Federal Communications Commission ruled satellite services must set aside several stations for nonprofit, public service programming. It now reaches nearly 17 million homes and 30 million adults through DirecTV and the Dish Network. Nielsen Media Research doesn't yet track viewership on satellite channels, but a study commissioned by the station in November estimated that 1.2 million adults watched WorldLink one to four hours per week. (AP) For more: http://www.worldlinktv.prg (SCDX/MediaScan Mar 6 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Teheran [not on 9022 anymore] in German ab 6.3. auf neuen QRGs. Mittwoch, den 6. Maerz von 1730-1830 UT auf 11765, 13665 und 9500 kHz senden wird. Ich frage mich, ob manche Frequenzplaner Tomaten auf den Augen haben ... immerhin werden doch die RRs ueber die 9022. (Thorsten Hein-D, A-DX Mar 1) WRTH 1973 zeigt noch 9005 und 9030 kHz fuer Tehran, man hat halt Kol Israel auf 9009 in die Zange genommen. In 1972 habe ich die 12165 kHz mit dem Eintrag 9022 kHz handschriftlich ersetzt, in 1971 war anstatt 12165 die 12176 kHz im Einsatz. Auf 9005 wurden Fremdsprachendienste gesendet, 1730-2030. Und auf 9030 lief Persisch 1600-2030 UT. Die 9022 war ja eine Kuriositaet am Rande, auch Israel 4XB21 war frueher in der Naehe auf 9009, das erklaert so manches. Das kommt aus der Kolonialzeit des Albion Empire. Als die Briten und Franzmaenner die Teile des verblichenen ehemal. Osmanenreichs, wie Syrien, Libanon, Palaestina, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait in Interessengebiete unter sich aufteilten ... und im Friedensvertrag von 1923 vergassen einen Staat KURDISTAN zu gruenden !!! Das wirkt heute noch nach. Persien hatte im Jahr 1950 auch 8007 6818 6845 belegt. Cuba war auf 9026 und 9030. IRIB hat es bei Nutzung von 28 x 500 kW Sender, sowie mindestens 5 x 250/350 und einigen 100 kW Sender wahrlich nicht noetig Ausserband zu gehen. Uebrigens in der A-02 Saison 31.3.-27.10 dann auf den Sommerfrequenzen: 11765 1730-1830 27,28 KAM 500 304 11855 1730-1830 27,28 SIR 500 320 13665 1730-1830 27,28 SIR 500 322 17590 0730-0830 27,28 SIR 500 322 (Wolfgang Büschel, A-DX Feb 28 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Re Seday-e Iran, 17525 and 15690: Both via France?? Since they are using these high frequencies, France is by far the best bet for both frequencies. I have not tried this "station" for some time, so I have no fresh observations (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Mar 4 via DXLD) Here in Germany, location is rather in the close-by dead zone, Iranian jammers are much stronger than the basic Persian clandestines from Issoudun (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, BC-DX Mar 6 via DXLD) I tuned in to Voice of Iran 17525 and 15690 today at 1625. Just before 1629 both came on with open carrier with less than a second between them. The audio came on some 10 seconds later with a couple of seconds between the two frequencies. No discernible delay between the channels and very good signal strength on both with only moderate jamming (S-3 jamming compared to S-4 signal on the SINPO scale). Clearly, both frequencies are still coming from France, and all references to Moldova for 15690 are incorrect. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. OK, I checked Baribari [7480 tests at 1700] using a javarig. No tones, just IS a couple of minutes before the program started. Weak signal strength, but given I was using a javaradio (Scotland) don't read anything into that (Hans Johnson, FL, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. On Feb 17 the following informations were reported [by whom, from where, Bulgaria?]: [Kol?] 1800-1830 Hebrew service MW 657. Russian service "REKA" MW 954. Arabic service MW 738, 1026, 1205, and SW 5915 12145. Galei Zahal in Hebrew MW 1287 1305, SW *0604-1632* 15785, *1634-0602* 6973. International Waters: "ARUTZ SHEVA" Radio, 1800-1900 Hebrew MW 1143. On MW 1539 in Ru 1400-1800. Fr 1800-1900, En 1900-2200 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Feb 25, BC-DX Mar 6 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL [non]. FLORIDA RADIO TALK SHOW HOST ANDY MARTIN WILL CALL ARIEL SHARON THE 'ADOLPH HITLER OF THE 21ST CENTURY,' ASK U.N. TO CONSIDER AN ISRAELI WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL WASHINGTON, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida talk show host Andy Martin will convene a Mock War Crimes Tribunal on the Internet Thursday, March 7th to indict Ariel Sharon as a war criminal. Martin will also ask that the U.N. appoint a war crimes tribunal for Israeli atrocities. "Ariel Sharon is becoming the Adolph Hitler of the 21st century," says Martin. "He slaughters human beings for sport, while his demented mind slips slowly into societal madness. Ultimately, Sharon's terrorism will destroy Israel as surely as he seeks to destroy Palestine. America must stop being a fellow traveler along Sharon's road to self-destruction. "The quotations attributed to Sharon in the New York Times and Washington Post are chilling. Sharon wants to slaughter Palestinians to create a basis for 'negotiations.' Sharon said 'the aim is to increase the number of losses the other side. Only after... will we be able to conduct talks.' This is insanity. That the U.S. Government associates itself with such a madman is also insanity. "Sadly, the Israeli Defense Force is becoming a Nazi SS organization. They kill women, children and Red Cross workers. They smash beds, guitars. This is vandalism, not military action. Israelis sabotage water plants to deprive Palestinians of water. If depriving people of water in the desert does not constitute war crimes, what does? "Israel was conceived in hope and democracy; it is descending into a reprise of the Third Reich, with a mad dictator seeking slaughter to slake his thirst for blood. But Sharon not only endangers Israelis with his madness, he jeopardizes the war against terrorism, which the Bush administration seems willing to ignore for domestic politics. "The truth of the matter is - the world should know - the American People do not support Israeli genocide against the Palestinians. Only American politicians endorse such horrific acts. "Thursday, during the 2:00 P.M. hour [1900 UT] of my program, we will convene a mock war crimes tribunal to indict Sharon for crimes against humanity. I will also ask the U.N. to appoint a war crimes tribunal for Israeli atrocities. Why are we prosecuting Miloshevich and not Sharon," says Martin. Martin has traveled through the Middle East. His family has been involved there for almost a hundred years. His foreign policy experience includes Iran and Asia. Martin's forums have become the fulcrum of foreign policy analysis on the internet. Martin's radio program, heard Monday-Friday over WPBR-AM, West Palm Beach, covers Florida issues at 1-2 P.M. and national/international issues at 2-3 P.M. Martin is an adjunct professor of law, a foreign policy consultant and has professional experience in the area of military security and intelligence. Radio call-in (561) 641-8256. SOURCE Andy Martin -0- 03/06/2002 /CONTACT: Andy Martin, +1-888-320-ANDY, or andy@@andymartin.com/ /Web site: http://www.andymartin.com http://www.1340wpbr.com / (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. The most often ID is "Dendzhi KOMALA" (also "Azadi Kurdistana" and "Dendzhi Kurdilara") or VoKOMALA (= Kurdish Communist Party in Iran) in Kurdish and Persian *1625-1803* on 4615 & 6810, both jammed (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Feb 25, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. On 1548 s-on VoA at 1500, (underneath superpower Grigoriopol` Maiac, Moldova station). On MW 1557 s-on at 2057 "Future" Radio (and jammed by IRAQ). On 1566 kHz *1557-2003* "Two Rivers Radio" [IDed by Bengt Ericson, Sweden], or on three neighbouring channels [wandering? wb]. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Feb 10-25, BC-DX March 6 via DXLD) ** LAOS [non]. Beware of Tibet/China using 6130 when trying for Laos: Im letzten Sommer (A-01) war folgendes gelistet: A01 list of R. Xizang stn at Lhasa and Shijiazhuang(*), compiled by Nagoya DXers Circle. 6130 0000-0400 Tibetan 50 ND 6130 0500-0730 Tibetan 50 ND 6130 0950- 1300 Tibetan 50 ND 6130 1400-1700 Tibetan 50 ND 6130 2250-2300 Tibetan 50 ND (BC-DX Mar 6, 2002 via DXLD) ** LESOTHO. 4800 has been inactive now for several months (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, DXplorer Mar 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. 9690, R Madagascar, or a station run by the \\ government of this country; that is the question. For more that a week, R Madagascar has been off the air on 3287, 5010, 6135, 7155 and 9690, as well as MW, due to very serious political unrest. A state of emergency has been declared, but the \\ government wants to show that there is no emergency in the country, and possibly for that reason 9690 was on the air at 0500-1900 with music and short anmts (not political) in Malagasy. Neither the usual ID, e.g. "R Madagascar" or "R National," was heard at any time; instead, they mentioned "...Malagasy" every hour, and it went off at 1900 without the usual IS or National Anthem. Probably a low powered transmitter, as the signal was very poor (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, DXplorer Mar 3 via BC-DX via DXLD) No broadcasts on any of the usual frequencies noted yesterday. No trace of the 9690 broadcast reported by Mahendra, even when the channel was clear last night 1700-1800 (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, DXplorer Mar 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. STATE MEDIA RETURNING TO AIR --- 6 March 2002 State TV has resumed broadcasting in around the Madagascan capital, Antananarivo, three weeks after former president Didier Ratsiraka had it shut down. Ratsiraka and his supporters have set up a 'temporary capital' in the port city of Toamasina, 360 km east of Antanarivo. Despite claims by self-proclaimed President Marc Ravalomana that he won the recent presidential election outright, five of Madagascar's six provincial governors still support Ratsiraka. Eric Beantanana, named Minister for Information, Culture and Communication in Ravalomana's administration says that there will be no more censorship of the media. He said that the state radio station, would also resume broadcasting soon. According to Beantanana, nobody has been fired, and all the existing staff want to continue in their jobs. (© Radio Netherlands Media Network March 6 via DXLD) ** MALAWI. MBC was not noted on any SW frequency yesterday (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, DXplorer Mar 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. Observations during period 25 Feb - 2 Mar: Sole day when 4845 audible after 0800: Thu 28 Feb, 0814-0858 s-off, 25433 w/ program in Arabic airing phone-ins, tunes and chantings; would have f/out a little while after s-off. No activity on 7245 kHz until Thu 28 Feb, when R Mauritanie s-on 0900, 55444 airing program in Arabic mainly consisting of talks, incl. phone-ins, and some Arabic music; audible till 1029, then later in the day 1600-1731, 23342 again for program in Arabic airing newscast 1600 followed by talks; adjacent QRM at first, then also co-channel QRM. On Fri 1st Mar, it s-on abruptly 0800 w/ Koranic prayer till 0830 when language changed to Vernacular w/talks, chantings and was monitored until f-out 1115, 55433. Still no reply from my 7th Feb e- mail (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Mar 3, BC- DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. He escuchado a XERMX Radio México Internacional; en su frecuencia de 9705 están transmitiendo con muy poca potencia. Toda ésta se está desperdiciando en dos armónicos [sic] en 9300 kHz y en 10110 kHz, en donde la primera se recibe con mayor potencia, pero ambas se escuchan muy distorsionados. Teniendo mejor presencia en los 11770 kHz. ------ ,__o ------ _-\_>, (Héctor García Bojorge, DF, March 6, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** NAMIBIA. 3290 has been off air for the second month now; 3270.1 is still regular as scheduled (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, DXplorer Mar 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. Subject: TWR Bonaire. Here is an e-mail I received today from a TWR employee in Miami (Patrick Griffith, N0NNK, NRC-AM via DXLD) Greetings Patrick As a veteran of TWR-Bonaire from 1986 to 2000, I attempt to speak to your inquiry about the signal on 800 AM. Over the years, TWR has wrestled with how best to reach the western hemisphere with one AM signal. Located midway between the Americas on a salty island, AM propagation is probably as good on Bonaire as anywhere in the world. Since AM signals are attenuated, or weakened, by sunlight, TWR has only ever broadcast during sundown hours. The first transmitter, installed in 1964, was a 500-thousand watt behemoth. A 500,000 watt signal unhindered by sunlight, and beaming from a salt flat, goes literally around the world. We were picked up from Canada to Tierra Del Fuego, India, Japan, and not surprisingly, your Colorado. I used to receive the Bonaire signal myself in Pennsylvania, and while I was raising support, speaking to a church, it was useful to tune my little portable radio in to Bonaire and let the people hear the thing for themselves right there in the pews. In fact if there are any little green men on the moon, some of them may have gotten saved by listening to the Bonaire signal prior to about 1999. But as you probably know, the world is going after FM nowadays, and our AM audience got slimmer as FM stations began popping up on various Caribbean islands. For budgetary reasons, we had to try a smaller transmitter which gets the Caribbean but not Colorado. Sorry. Part of our ministry has also shifted into serving some of these established FM stations in the Caribbean and Latin American cities with Gospel programming. So Bonaire is not going to shut down. TWR is not about to abandon the opportunities afforded by owning a 100,000 watt station in the middle of the Western Hemisphere, on a better-than-perfect antenna field. Neither are we going to walk away from the opportunity of reaching a former communist island with 11 million poor people who have demonstrated a hunger for God's Word. Because we still have lots of people in South America and Cuba who will not only listen to the Gospel on AM but get up early in the morning if necessary, and take notes on what they hear. I hope it helps you to know the background of what is being worked on and considered in the way of ministry and the fulfillment of Christ's Great Commission in a changing world. If you are on the web, you can browse to hear actual programming being done in the Caribbean. http://www.twr.org And thanks for your interest! May God add a blessing to you. Bill Early, TWR-Miami (via Griffith, NRC-AM via DXLD) What are the chances of receiving PJB out here in California? (Kevin Burnett, NRC-AM via DXLD) Well, first of all we need to know if you are an ex-Communist who needs saving. Apparently they get first priority. If you are just an ex-Socialist, you may or may not merit their attention. Democrats would have only the most marginal of chances (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) ** NEW CALEDONIA. WVUS Noumea - And A Dog Called Satchmo. Another article just posted to Radiodx.com... ... Fungus was another serious problem. It not only grew in shoes, toes and crotches, it grew in equipment such as microphones. The ultimate in radio listening pleasure is not listening to a man scratching his fungus-filled crotch while being cheerful through a fungus-filled microphone. The station manager at Nouméa, reported back to AFRS that it was necessary to twice-daily blow out the fungus from the microphones with a bellows. He made no mention of how he solved the other fungus problems. Fungus, along with frequent periods of 99.999% humidity, limited the useful life of radio receivers to about four months before their innards simply rotted away.... Read the whole article at http://radiodx.com/spdxr/wvus.htm Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That reminds me, the callsign WVUS was used much later; was it in the Cuban missile crisis? For some US transmitter temporarily taken over by VOA --- WNYW? Anyone remember details? (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. R Rossii, 29160 kHz (3 x 9720) 0735-0750 UT, O=4. Staerker als die Fundamentalfrequenz! (Hans Pammer, Austria, A-DX Mar 3 via BC- DX via DXLD) Das ist ein Sender aus den 50er Jahren; diese sowjetischen 100 kW- Sender alter Bauart sind dafuer bekannt, kraeftige Oberwellen auszustrahlen. Standort ist uebrigens Kurowskaja suedoestlich von Moskau, dort stehen neben diversen 250 kW-Sendern auch rund ein Dutzend dieser alten 100 kW- Anlagen; ich wuesste nicht, dass ausser R Rossii noch jemand davon Gebrauch macht... Und das Zielgebiet dieser Frequenz ist u.a. Belarus, wo R Rossii vom Sender geflogen ist. Sie haben wohl zuviel Wahrheiten gesagt (Kai Ludwig, Deutschland, A-DX Mar 3 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. Made a visit to SLBC Ekala this morning with Merlin Engineer. Was great to be there after so many years. The old Marconi SEAC transmitter is still going strong. They are installing a new generator to make up for the 2.30 hours power cut which makes NHK relay go off the air. So from next week NHK relays should be on without a break. The Ex VOA Collins 35 kWs are doing okay. 15425 was on air at the time I was in the hall at 0330 UT (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer Feb 27 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN -- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: In "Nordic Report", our monthly joint production with Radio Finland, we look at security policies Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: Our monthly current affairs magazine "Sweden Today" Sunday: Another chance to hear the most recent edition of "Sounds Nordic" (SCDX/MediaScan March 6 via DXLD) ** THAILAND. NATION EDITORIAL WARNS PREMIER AGAINST SILENCING OPPONENTS | Text of editorial in English headlined "No telling where this will all end" published on Thai newspaper The Nation web site on 6 March Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is absolutely right. Reporters, columnists or commentators are fallible beings whose opinions can be misleading. But his philosophical remarks yesterday about the dangers of an irresponsible media touches on only a bit of the truth. First and foremost, he himself is only human and his opinions, especially as he's in such a powerful position, need to be counter-balanced. Moreover, this world needs a free flow of "wrong" opinions in order to shape what is actually "right". Democracy is about building, through trial and error. It's about absorbing ideas and exploring their values, and about finding common ground and locating the merits from unlikely sources. On the other hand, dictatorship is about one man forcing others to accept his ideas - and his alone. Thaksin has shown adequately which side of the fence he is on. All of his critics are "enemies" who have to be controlled, intimidated or simply wiped out. Consequently, Thailand is becoming a country where freedom of speech is limited to those willing to admire the emperor's clothes. The Nation Group has decided to suspend its political coverage on UBC 8 because of the ominous atmosphere now pervading the country. The decision was made after the virtual ban on our radio news programme on 90.5 MHz. But it was based also on other incidents which have convinced us that the once-cherished freedom of statement in Thailand - something we all have been proud of for years - is no more. The suspension of political news on Nation Channel is meant to send a social message. When we embarked on the historic move to provide Thailand with its first around-the-clock TV news in 1999, we knew it was not going to be easy. But Nation Multimedia Group has proven to be truly professional in the face of business complications and the fact that survival in the tough world of broadcasting still depends on policymakers. The immense political pressure that has swamped us in the past few days is testimony to our efforts. Political coverage on UBC 8 will not return until the black clouds are dispersed. The station will remain an objective news channel, dealing with every non-political issue. Thaksin says he had no hand in what is happening to Nation Group's TV and radio operations. The people can decide whether he's telling the truth. We are concerned only with government critics being eliminated one after another, the "other side of the story" will get paler and paler. The Nation's print journalists have sworn to keep the looming "Dark Ages" at bay. As always, they will perform their duties with the highest ethical standards, along with their counterparts in other organizations, whose sympathy for us yesterday is thankfully accepted. Not since May 1992 has the Thai media been placed in such a precarious position. Then, broadcasters were censored and newspapers were shut down under intimidation and threats. That was in the midst of violent upheavals that scarred the country. Today, there is no violence. But if any ruler wants to believe that people will remain, he can do so at his own risks. Source: The Nation web site, Bangkok, in English 6 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** THAILAND. NATION GROUP STATEMENT ON NEWS COVERAGE SUSPENSION | Text of report in English from Thai newspaper The Nation web site on 6 March The Nation Multimedia Group, producer of Nation Channel on UBC 8 and radio news programmes for FM 90.5, would like to clarify the issues related to the cessation of news production for FM 90.5 and the reorientation of news coverage by Nation Channel towards economic, social, cultural, entertainment, sports and foreign affairs. We will refrain from political news coverage and commentary on UBC 8 for the time being until such time as we can ascertain that our political news production will be free from all forms of interference, directly or indirectly. The decision followed a telephone conversation with the management of Smart Bomb Co Ltd, the concessionaire of airtime on FM 90.5, on 4 March during which we were told that a senior officer of the Defence Energy Department, which owns the radio station, had ordered that news programmes produced by Nation Multimedia Group be discontinued immediately. Nation Multimedia Group had been supplying a total of eight hours of news programmes, including hourly news updates, to the radio station from Monday to Friday. The verbal order given to Smart Bomb was unequivocal and final, leaving no room for negotiation or explanation. It was regrettable that the almost 10 years of a good working relationship between Smart Bomb, the Defence Energy Department and Nation Multimedia Group has come to an end in this manner. Nation Multimedia Group believes the ban on our news programmes on FM 90.5 was related to the "technical problem" experienced by UBC 8 between 9.20 and 9.30 a.m. on 27 February during an interview with Squadron Leader Prasong Soonsiri, a vocal critic of the Thaksin administration, by Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda and Kanok Ratwongsakul. This section of the interview was blacked out, although it proceeded uninterrupted on FM 90.5 under the normal simulcast arrangement between the two broadcasters. Pipe-smoking Prasong was implicitly referred to by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as the source of the controversial article published by the Hong Kong-based Far Eastern Economic Review. Since 4 March, FM 90.5 has been broadcasting news updates produced by Nation Multimedia Group without giving credit to the Group. Nation Multimedia Group insists that it has always strictly adhered to a fair presentation of news and commentary without fear or favour. We have given equal opportunity to all individuals and parties to air their views and to engage in public debates. In addition to the above, Nation Multimedia Group has also been told specifically by people in power that Nation Multimedia Group Editor- in-Chief Suthichai Yoon, Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda, Kanok Ratwongsakul and Piraphat Wattanapirom have to be taken off the air. Now that the political situation has affected the straight and fair presentation of political news and commentary, Nation Multimedia Group has decided to discontinue its political coverage until the atmosphere clears up. Nation Channel UBC 8 views the current political atmosphere in Thailand with great concern. It appears that there are uncertainties suggesting that the government has neither the will nor the inclination to guarantee freedom of statement as guaranteed by the constitution. The mass media, particularly the broadcast media, will remain under the control of the government as long as the broadcast frequencies for television and radio continue to be monopolized and run by state mechanisms. Members of the broadcast media will not have the freedom to report and comment on political news. They will continue to be subjected to all manner of interference. Without a guarantee of freedom of statement to report and comment on political news, Nation Channel UBC 8 will henceforth concentrate its coverage on news other than political news so as to make it clear that we harbour no malicious intentions towards the prime minister and some of his cabinet members. Nation Multimedia Group reiterates that its editorial policy regarding television and radio news production strictly conforms to professional ethics required of independent journalists. Source: The Nation web site, Bangkok, in English 6 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) JUDOC! Since The Nation funxions primarily in English, I wonder if they are perceived in Thailand as somewhat disloyal, farang, non- native? (gh, DXLD) ** UNITED KINGDOM. Article in Monday's Guardian about the BBC's new black music network: Even before it gets off the ground, the BBC's new digital black music station has a serious credibility problem. The corporation has a hard enough time connecting with young audiences at the best of times, let alone a young black audience. And when it launches this summer the new station will not be easy to find: without an expensive digital radio set, it will only be possible to hear it on the web or on satellite television. The listening figures are likely to be tiny - possibly immeasurably so - for a considerable time after its launch. Hardly anyone has a digital radio - and those who have are largely white, middle-class technology anoraks. Full story at http://media.guardian.co.uk/mediaguardian/story/0,7558,661033,00.html in which the BBC answers the points in the first paragraphs. As to your comments in recent DXLD's about BBC 6 Music, Glenn, I disagree. It is providing a format and music that is not available on commercial radio, or indeed any radio, in the UK, has signed up well known presenters who are knowledgeable about and passionate for the music they play and is making use of a neglected resource, the huge library of live performances the BBC has built up over the years. What we don`t need, in my opinion, and what makes me yawn is more commercial music radio stations that have no local content, restricted safe playlists and disc jockeys that just do a job and have no interest in the music they are playing (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, March 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Tuning to Christian radio programmes on a basic radio is possible throughout most parts of the world. The choice is somewhat restricted in the U.K. unless you have a short wave receiver or tune to satellite broadcasting. In most parts of this country a domestic receiver will bring in the five national BBC programmes, three national commercial stations and maybe two, three or four local commercial services none of which are Christian broadcasters. However, there's a choice for listeners in London to tune to Premier Christian Radio which has been broadcasting since 1995. It has applied to the Radio Authority for a renewal of its licence to run to 2011 on 1305, 1332 and 1413 kHz. In Stoke on Trent also there is a choice as Cross Rhythms City Radio has been awarded a one year trial licence in the community broadcasting programme called Access Radio other than that there's not much other than trying overseas to TWR on 1447 kHz. Present U.K. legislation restricts broadcasting by religious bodies and any relaxation in the law is subject to approval by the broadcasting regulator. This is a complex area of decision in what can and cannot be discussed in regard to religious faith, beliefs and bible teachings over the air. Daily outbursts of religious hatred by ethnic orators became widespread after September 11 and this in itself shows how difficult it will be to bring in acceptable new legislation giving religious broadcasters the legal right to hold licences. The government admits that to prevent religious radio stations the opportunity to use digital broadcasting is an anomaly and will probably alter this when it brings forward a new Communications Act (feature built from text supplied by David O. French, March World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** U K. EDDIE MAIR'S DIARY --- IT'S ALL IN THE TIMING Wednesday March 6, 2002 The Guardian Beep beep beep beep beep BEEEEEEEEEP. Or it might be pip pip pip pip pip PIIIIIIIIIIIIP. Either way, the Greenwich Time Signal is one of those sacrosanct radio institutions that you can't muck about with. When something goes wrong with the pips, it upsets people. I learned just before going on air for Broadcasting House at nine on Sunday morning that we were to be pipless and I actually became short of breath. Several people in the production team began to weep and one just sat there and started screaming - although, to be honest, he does that rather a lot. At first I thought the problem was "something technical" - the catch-all phrase I use to describe the many things in broadcasting I don't understand. But it turned out things were over-running a little. Alistair Cooke, who normally reaches his climax neatly before nine, was apparently eager to continue. So we had to come on air 15 seconds late. It just wasn't the same. It threw me for the whole next 59 minutes and 45 seconds. I knew that no matter how good the show was, the only thing people would remember was that the pips were missing. I'm sure it affects listeners too, in subtle, almost imperceptible ways. Perhaps someone pranged their car on Sunday afternoon, or lashed out at the cat or told a terrible lie to Jonathan Dimbleby. They could all trace it back to the missing pips throwing them out of kilter for the whole day. Once, at the start of a Radio 4 news programme, the preceding pips were "strangulated". They were there but were shorter than usual, of varying tones, and there were about 12 of them. I heard myself announcing "It's five o'clock. Sorry about the pips". It wasn't my fault and I had some rather important headlines to impart, but I felt I had to reassure people that everything was going to be fine. "Crashing the pips" - talking over them - is an enormous crime. Poor Sue MacGregor did it last Wednesday on her final Today programme. This isn't something she was prone to and, deep down, I suspect the pips decided to start early amid all the emotion. But at least the pips normally start on time... unlike Big Ben whose bongs have a mind of their own. They can start anywhere between 27 seconds to the hour and 20 seconds. Rounding off the PM programme every night is radio Russian Roulette. Crash the bongs and your career really is finished. Eddie Mair presents Broadcasting House and PM on BBC Radio 4. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Daniel Say, DXLD) ** U S A. ASPITTSFOBCW Re: Does this show have a name of its own?? I'm calling it "A Special Program in the Time Slot Formerly Occupied by Communications World," or, in the spirit of UKOGBANI, ASPITTSFOBCW. It's to help VOA English Programs fill the time until a permanent replacement can be arranged. Here's the tentative schedule: March 9: University of Minnesota Professor Don Browne's 1980 radio program about VOA. It was written and presented originally for University of Minnesota radio station KUOM, part of a series that eventually became his book, ``International Radio Broadcasting: The Limits of the Limitless Medium``. March 16: Salute to Japan SWL Club on its 50th anniversary, plus a look at VOA's Japanese Service, which left the air in 1970. March 23: A conversation with Barry Zorthian, a journalist and manager at VOA from 1947 to 1960. 73 (Kim Andrew Elliott, Analyst, Office of Research, International Broadcasting Bureau/Voice of America, 330 Independence Avenue, S.W, Washington, D.C. 20237 USA; Telephone: +1-202-619-3047; E-Mail: ke@voanews.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) JUCAM (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Re WSHB `being sold` --- George Jacobs tells me that it is not actually in the process of being sold, altho it is for sale (George Thurman, IL, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WPHE - THE ORIGINAL X-BANDER Another new article posted to radiodx.com: The X Band currently exciting radio listeners worldwide is really nothing new. The current stations with their 1 kW nighttime powers are being heard around the world, and over 50 years ago, 1 kW stations on similar MW frequencies were being heard around the world from the same states. At that time however, these were emergency service radio networks, such as police and fire departments. In July 1943, New Zealand DXer Merv Branks heard several of these stations on 1634 kHz and subsequently received several letters from the Indiana State Police.... Read the rest at http://radiodx.com/spdxr/wphe.htm Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Subject: RADIO PETITION CAMPAIGN Folks, Please announce this and re-post it where appropriate... Citizens Media Corp and Allston-Brighton Free Radio 1670 AM in Boston, MA are going to undertake a campaign to petition the FCC to open up the expanded AM band (from 1600-1710 AM) for public access use and we need your help. One important thing we will need to demonstrate is how underutilized 1600-1710 AM is. So, we are asking you and many other supporters of community media all over the country to listen to that part of the AM band and to let us know what, if anything, you hear. This could include licensed stations, Travelers Information Service transmitters, pirates or signals from powerful stations lower in the band that have sent an unwanted "harmonic" into the expanded band area. It's simple to report. Please send us an email stating: Name (Optional) "I live in--------------"(not optional) "On ----------- 2002, I heard a local station at 1650," or "I heard a distant station at 1680," or "I heard a transmitter giving out airport arrival information." (We have that in Boston at 1650, coming from Logan Airport). Please state the language any stations were using. Please e-mail the results of your radio-monitoring to improv@speakeasy.net or use the address or phone number listed at the bottom of this message. Your participation puts you in the vanguard of a grassroots effort to return some control of the Public Airwaves to the public. The information that you send will be used as an important part of our filings with the FCC and in our public information campaign. We are most appreciative of your participation. Remember the phrase: Free the EX-AM band! ------ Steve Provizer Citizens' Media Corps 451 Cambridge St. Allston-Brighton Free Radio Allston, MA 02134 Broadcast: 1670 AM 617-232-3174 Webcast: Radio Studio: http://www.abfreeradio.org 617-254-2728 (via Scott Gurian, March 6, DXLD) ** U S A. SF Gate: LEGAL AFFAIRS: PIRATE BROADCASTERS GET A BOOST FROM FREE-SPEECH RULING/COURT TOSSES BAN ON LICENSES FOR LOW-POWER REBELS The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/03/03/MN183649.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sunday, March 3, 2002 (SF Chronicle) Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer After years of losing battles against big government and big media, the renegade promoters of low-powered community radio seem to have finally won one. A little-noticed federal appeals court ruling last month overturned part of an industry-sponsored federal law that restricts access to low-power broadcast licenses. It's the first cause for optimism for radio pirates since their hopes of emerging from the underground were doused by the political might of the broadcast industry. "I hope it's the first brick out of that wall, with more to come," said microradio pioneer Stephen Dunifer, whose leadership of 50-watt Free Radio Berkeley was ended in 1998 by a federal court injunction that silenced the station. The Feb. 8 decision threw out a provision of the year-old law that prohibited ex-pirates -- anyone who has ever broadcast without a license -- from obtaining low-power FM radio licenses. The 2-to-1 ruling, issued by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., said the law was an unjustified restriction on free speech. More importantly, say some supporters of microradio, the ruling could set a precedent for overturning the core of the law: FM frequency restrictions that have effectively outlawed low-power broadcasting in all major metropolitan areas, including the Bay Area. Those restrictions are being challenged in a federal court case involving a gospel music station in a suburb of Hartford, Conn. "This is a small victory, but . . . it may give us legal ammunition," said attorney Robert Perry of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who represents would-be microbroadcasters in both the Washington and Hartford cases. The Federal Communications Commission, which is defending the law, declined comment on the ruling and wouldn't say whether it planned to appeal. If the FCC seeks review by the full appeals court or the Supreme Court, the ruling will become final only after the appeal is resolved. Microbroadcasters -- a diverse assortment of community groups, churches, music lovers, students, political dissidents and eccentrics -- were driven underground in 1978 when the FCC stopped licensing them and set a 100-watt minimum for most stations. The FCC's position was upheld in court but came under increasing attack as giant media companies gained control of most of the commercial airwaves. In January 2000, the commission passed new rules authorizing a limited number of noncommercial FM stations of 10 to 100 watts, with a range of one mile to a few miles. Former pirates could apply only if they had shut down when ordered to do so. The rules didn't last long. Congress, at the behest of the National Association of Broadcasters and National Public Radio, passed a law in December 2000 requiring FM frequencies to be separated by three bandwidths in order to protect existing stations from interference. The law also permanently denied licenses to former radio pirates. Many unlicensed broadcasters have shrugged off the law and stayed on the air, but a few have gone to court, including Greg Ruggiero, a longtime radio activist in New York City, whose case reached the appeals court last month. In declaring the ban on low-power licenses for former radio pirates unconstitutional, the court majority noted that the law allowed anyone else, including convicted felons and repeat violators of other broadcasting rules, to apply for licenses. The ban applies no matter how long ago the piracy occurred, and even to those who were unaware of the licensing requirement, but does not prohibit anyone -- including pirates -- from seeking a full-power radio license, the court said. The provision is "so poorly aimed at maximizing future compliance with broadcast laws and regulations as to raise a suspicion that perhaps Congress' true objective was not to increase regulatory compliance, but to penalize microbroadcasters' message," wrote Judge David Tatel. Dissenting Judge Karen Henderson said the court should have accepted Congress' conclusion that those who ignored the rules in the past were likely to do so in the future. Lawyers for microbroadcasters said the ruling would allow license applications by as many as 1,000 former pirates -- "the most committed people who really wanted to create a different kind of radio and were willing to take some risks to do it," said Peter Franck, a National Lawyers Guild attorney in San Francisco. But their chief obstacle is still the limit on available frequencies, now under review in a Connecticut federal court. Microbroadcasters say the requirement is out of step with modern technology, citing past reports by FCC engineers, but commercial broadcasters say the law protects listeners as well as existing stations. Allowing more closely spaced signals "would be unfortunate for radio listeners because it would add to interference on airwaves that are considerably overcrowded," said Dennis Wharton, spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters. Dunifer, who traded his Berkeley pirate's nest for a project that provides equipment and training for small broadcasters, said it's ludicrous to argue that a 50-watt transmitter would interfere with a 50,000-watt station two channels down the dial. Not a part of the current cases, Dunifer also warned that legal microradio would have its drawbacks. "With legalization comes control," he said, "and decreased ability to operate as I so choose." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 SF Chronicle (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. Culture & Ideas 3/11/02 [sic]. Change on the dial NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO IS RECONSIDERING ITS CULTURAL PROGRAMMING. WILL MUSIC PAY THE PRICE?? BY DAN GILGOFF Last year, the National Public Radio member station WKMS in Murray, Ky., snagged 11,000 new weekly listeners, increasing its audience by more than half. The key, says Program Director Mark Welch: replacing Performance Today, the 15-year-old NPR classical music program, with The World, a news show distributed by Public Radio International, in the afternoon slot. Performance Today now airs at night, when it still draws few listeners, and Welch says he would ax it completely were it not for "the mission issue." The mission he is referring to is NPR's original charge, which read, in part: "National Public Radio will not regard its audience as a market . . . . It will promote personal growth rather than corporate gains." Welch's dilemma–how to fulfill that mission while building an audience–is driving a national debate over the institution's direction, as NPR management considers major changes. Public-radio purists say NPR should produce high-quality jazz and classical music programs, especially for listeners who ordinarily couldn't access such fare. Critics of the traditional approach say big audiences prove the success of syndicated news programs. They don't see much worth in producing stellar arts shows if no one's listening to them. Listen here. In the case of WKMS, Welch says that replacing NPR's weekly cultural programs with daily, locally produced shows and nationally syndicated news and talk has streamlined the station and won a loyal listenership. It's a message that NPR headquarters is getting from across the country. "Although stations recognize that cultural programming helps to set themselves apart from commercial radio and other forms of media," wrote NPR Senior Vice President for Programming Jay Kernis in a recent memo to staffers, "stations voiced concerns about the lack of program funding, as well as market forces which are leaning towards exclusive news and information programming." That memo, which comes on the heels of a months-long survey of NPR member stations, proposes dissolving some musical programs in favor of 24-hour jazz and classical streams–satellite feeds of music programming that member stations could tap at will–and short cultural "modules" that would fit into newsmagazines like All Things Considered. Kernis calls it "the largest commitment to cultural programming in probably 20 years." But critics of the proposal worry that 24-hour feeds would spread NPR's already limited musical programming resources impossibly thin and, like existing radio stream services, rely almost exclusively on recorded music by established mainstream artists. With the new emphasis on modules (the memo suggests that all arts reporting fit into a 51/2-minute format) some NPR cultural staffers are fretting over the prospect of whittling down performances and interviews into newsy sound bites. "We're putting aside our role as a world stage for theater and music," says Jazz from Lincoln Center Producer Steve Rathe, "for three to five minutes of culture explained by a reporter." Rathe's show, featuring concerts organized by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, may be among the first to be cut or dramatically reworked because of declining listenership and carriage by member stations. Some cultural staffers also complain about being shut out of the decision making. "I have not had a voice" in the current programming overhaul, says newscaster and weekend Performance Today host Korva Coleman. "If others in cultural programming had a voice, I have no knowledge of it." To some extent, that's the point. The new cultural programming paradigm draws on the input of member stations, which provide a big chunk of NPR's revenue by subscribing to shows and fill more than half the seats on NPR's board of directors with station reps. Call and response. Hourlong music programs, management found, don't fit well into the schedules of member stations and usually draw smaller audiences than syndicated news and talk. "If we're not meeting people's expectations, they don't pick up the phone to make a pledge," says Doug Myrland, general manager of KPBS in San Diego. "What a waste," Myrland adds, "to use hundreds of thousands of watts of power to broadcast to a ridiculously small number of people." And in the NPR empire, stations are king. Since the mid-'80s, when virtually all federal funding was rechanneled through its member stations, headquarters has increasingly depended on affiliates for revenue. As programming costs have climbed and federal funds plateaued, stations have come to rely on audiences for the largest part of their revenue. At the same time, the rise of audience statistics services like Arbitron have allowed NPR and member stations to target single, core audiences willing to put their money where their ears are. "No one," says Kernis, "is sending us money to reach small audiences." His memo, which was sent to NPR staff and member stations in February, defines successful programming as that which "finds a significant audience, has a cost/ revenue formula that supports the programming, and gains acceptance in major markets." Some public-radio advocates say that's too narrow a definition. "The aggregate cannot be the sole or primary criterion for public radio as it was originally conceived," says Ralph Engelman, author of Public Radio and Television in America: A Political History. "Otherwise, how does it distinguish itself from commercial radio?" "When I started here, it was about bringing music to people who couldn't get it anywhere else," says Bettina Owens, a jazz programming coordinator and 11-year NPR veteran. "Now, the money has dried up and we're more like a corporation." Adds Rathe: "I think public radio is writing off part of its mission." Kernis counters that although "the mission statement is burned into our psyches here," times have changed. "Our mission is to reach the largest radio audience with the best radio programs," he says. With the recent launch of the Tavis Smiley Show (a news/talk show aimed at African-Americans) and the Motley Fool Radio Show (a humorous look at personal finance), and two NPR channels on Sirius Satellite Radio (a new digital station that gives the subscriber-only XM Radio its first competition), Kernis says that NPR is innovating and diversifying. But none of those efforts include any music. Nor does the show NPR vaunts as its most successful "cultural" venture: Car Talk. http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biz/e_friend.php3?goto=%2Fusnews%2Fissue%2F020311%2Fideas%2F11npr.htm (US News via Bill Westenhaver, March 6, DXLD) ** U S A. Jim Hightower radio commentary for March 6 about the DoD Office of Strategic Influence, http://www.jimhightower.com/commentary.asp?type=comment It's always a knee-slapping hoot to hear the Pentagon try to fool We the People with one of its GBHLs --- Great Big Honking Lies. My favorite was when Major Joe LaMarca, spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, declared in 1998: "We don't practice propaganda in this country." Surely he was wearing a clown suit when he said that. Less humorous (and much scarier) is when the military brass becomes so powerful that it no longer feels it needs to lie to We the People about its lying. Unfortunately, we are at that point. The Pentagon has now conceded not only that it engages in propaganda, but that it even is creating an office to distribute what it admits will be lies. The new "Office of Strategic Influence," headed by Brig. General Simon Worden, will be in the business of mass distribution of official lies, not merely spreading "disinformation" to hostile nations, but unapologetically giving false information to the leaders and journalists of our allied nations. The OSI has a multimillion budget for its lying––a budget drawn from the $10-billion unrestricted fund that congress so carelessly shoved into George W's hands after the September 11th terrorist attacks. And, yes, the Pentagon concedes that, since news is global, the lies it places in foreign media outlets quite likely will be picked up by our media, thus propagandizing us and our congress critters. Gen. Worden also plans to create third-party fronts for the distribution of the lies. A senior Pentagon official told the New York Times that propagandistic email messages will be zapped from the Pentagon to opinion leaders around the world, but instead of identifying the true source, "the return address will probably be a dot-com" that the OSI will create This is Jim Hightower saying...The Pentagon was already several bales short of a haystack when it comes to credibility, but now that it has opened up a full-fledged propaganda shop, we can believe nothing it says. This is what happens when congress gives too much money and power to an autocratic agency. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sources: "Pentagon plans world media campaign" Austin American Statesman 2/19/2002 Copyright - Saddleburr Productions, Inc (via Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) Slightly dated, as Dubya supposedly nixed this idea under pressure. But, Citizen, beware... (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. ICELAND. AFN's 3903 kHz USB transmission heard today, 4 Mar 1949-2009 at a QRK I was already expecting, if the site is here in Europe, viz. 55444, airing a program called "The Jim Roll Program" (I think the name was "Roll") consisting of different issues, from music to the world's formula I circuits, then news at 2000; at times though, audio was like trimmed or cut causing a weaker signal carrying exactly the same program to be noted on the background. If what I heard was another \\ AFN outlet, then its QSA was substantially poorer, probably meaning very different powers at AFN Italy & AFN Iceland and/or directional antennae. I then tried \\ 6458.5 at about 2002, but QRG was a mess. Now, as I write, i.e. 2219, 3903 kHz is not strong, it still has that kind of audio break down allowing the other lesser \\ signal to be perceived, but 6458.5 kHz USB is trackable despite very strong utility QRM and is airing the same program (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) Hi Glenn, this reply cam for further enquiry about the QTH of the 3903 broadcast: "Dear Mr. Ritola, You are correct that several people have heard the broadcast on 3903 kHz, and several have requested reception reports. Our official frequency schedule does not include 3903, so I inquired and learned that there are possibly some temporary broadcasts underway for testing purposes only. I hope that helps. Best regards, JO1 Bruce Moody" 73, (Mauno Ritola Finland, March 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Too bad he couldn`t go one step further and say tests from WHERE (gh, DXLD) See ICELAND! ** VANUATU. R New Zealand Int`l Pacific news this evening (in Europe) reported the huge financial difficulties currently experienced in Vanuatu's national broadcaster, to a point the station may be forced to highly restrict or even close. It seems the panorama is not that different from the one in PNG. It`s been quite some time since I cannot track R Vanuatu's channel of 7260 right after 0800, but am sure that`s still due to propagation (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Mar 4, BC-DX via DXLD) ** VANUATU. MANAGER BEMOANS STATE OF NATIONAL BROADCASTER'S FINANCES | Text of report from Radio New Zealand International audio web site on 6 March The general manager of the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation [VBTC] says the former head director [William Mahit] is not responsible for the organization being close to bankruptcy. Bob Makin says it is true that the previous board, which was sacked by the government [recently], proved a financial drain on the VBTC with its expenses and frequent meetings, but Mr Makin says the VBTC has always been in a precarious financial position. [Makin - recording] Bankruptcy has never been far from VBTC in its 10- year history. I don't think it could be said that Mr Mahit or the previous board made such a difference to our finance that they put us any closer to bankruptcy than we normally are - we're pretty close to it all the time. We don't as yet have the pay for a fortnight down the track. I have managed to find pay through the five months I've been here and I think we may well find it by the 15th of the month, but nevertheless we don't have it in hand at the moment. [End of recording] The government had alleged that former head director William Mahit had led the VBTC into possible bankruptcy. Mr Makin says he is expecting the VBTC to be in a better financial position over the next couple of months. Source: Radio New Zealand International audio web site, Wellington, in English 0330 gmt 6 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US [and non]. When I hear WDHP 1620 I generally get them mixing with WTAW [Texas] and there is a noticeable sub-audible het of about 20 Hz which puts a flutter effect on whichever is the weaker signal, as it demodulates against the stronger carrier. I have noticed this every time I have heard them, and whenever WDHP appears to rise over WTAW fades, it _seems_ then that WTAW is the one off frequency. But almost all the time it is WDHP that has the flutter effect since they are usually far down. Assuming that whichever station is off channel by some 20 Hz, and I am pretty sure it is WDHP since I never noticed this effect on any 1620 reception before WDHP opened up. This should be apparent to DXers farther west who should be able to hear this effect whenever the WDHP signal is present. (This is the point of this posting. It would serve as an indication of whether audio is possible on fade-ups) This is the basis of the DXing technique first publicized by Gordon Nelson in 1965 to identify European signals too weak to deliver audio. The technique involved use of precise freq measurements publicized monthly by the six European Broadcasting Union monitoring stations at places like Tatsfield, Jurbise etc. Back then, frequency stability was somewhat worse than today and it was not uncommon for stations to be as far as 50 Hz off channel. The receiver AGC buss was optimized for fast response at freqs < 100 Hz or so and the AGC voltage fed to a DC-coupled oscilloscope, and the hetrodyne signal voltage was readily apparent. This technique probably would work today to detect the presence of the WDHP signal. It would give a precise indication of the presence of the SAH that a S-meter or LCD bargraph would not begin to show. Three reasons that this technique probably is obsolete (1) no availability of the frequency measurement reference lists (2) transmitter frequency stability is much better, and (3) many more competing on-channel signals making identification of signature waveforms difficult. GPN was doing some part time work on using Fourier analysis of recorded waveforms to try to determine how many carriers were present on a channel but lack of good sampling/ digitizing techniques then made this impractical. The EBU lists gave the mean measurement to 1 Hz of all European signals and occasionally would also show WINS, WNEW, Rio on 1280 etc. I seem to recall they always had WINS (my local then) on 1010.002 kHz. Can anyone out west notice this effect ?? (Bob Foxworth, FL, March 5, NRC-AM via DXLD) Did you notice the horrible high end audio? From my observations in it's local service area WDHP sounds almost like it's a little off frequency based on the audio alone with the splattery high end. Maybe too many elements of the audio chain are overdriven. Anyone notice this? Wonder if they use the same transmitter site for all three of their stations, maybe even the same tower. Before my trip is over I'll get to be able to record its city grade signal in AM stereo, and see if it's any better. Usually when I have the time to record them in stereo over 1620 they have some dry public affairs programming on. I want to wait for the soca music programming... something with a local flavor for my aircheck (Ron Gitschier, m/m, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [and non]. Two stations are active and both of them are powerhouses here and are tops technically. Apparently the reception in Zim is excellent and they enjoy a wide audience: 6145, SW R Africa is regular daily *1600-1900* and has added *1100- 1200* transmission on 11670 which has been noted regularly from Feb 25. The characteristics of both are very consistent with Meyerton site. SADEC (Southern African Development Corporation), of which S Africa is a member, has condemned the external broadcasts to Zimbabwe. 7120, V. of The People is regular *1700-1800*, i.e. the reported extension of the program to 1830 has not happened yet (Vashek Korinek, South Africa, DXplorer Mar 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. Subject : ZBC 3-FM Hello Glenn, As a fan of African music, it was good news when Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp's "pop channel" 3-FM began streaming on the internet last year. African webcasts have been traditionally fraught with interruptions, dropouts, and even weeks-long outages. But somehow, ZBC's Windows Media feeds have been rock-solid. I listen in the evening in the eastern US and while the overnight music is sometimes a mix of local Zimbabwean jit and US soul/rap, other times it is purely local/regional new African and South African pop, and it is all fascinating and sometimes flat out great to these ears. Also fascinating to a lesser degree are the hourly newscasts in English 24/7. It comes as no surprise that I've never heard a newscast on ZBC where the comings and goings of President Robert Mugabe has NOT been the lead story. It would be funny if it were not a touch sad --- this ageing hero of the colonial revolution now overstaying his welcome with tight-fisted control of the domestic media. Which brings us to their national elections this weekend, March 9-10. With his citizens weary from corruption and shortages, Comrade Mugabe, as you may have read, has run most of the international election monitors out of the country. His regime, according to his opponents, has engaged in brutal voter intimidation. I have heard ZBC mention Mugabe's lead opponent, Morgan Tsvangirai, only once, and that was in a report last week in which Tsvangirai had been jailed, then released on plainly trumped-up charges of trying to assassinate Mugabe. The VOA noted last weekend that Zimbabwe has one of the highest literacy rates in Africa, over 80%, and it is this educated population that could be Mugabe's downfall this weekend. ``The only way that Robert Mugabe can win this election is if he steals it,'' said an opposition leader quoted by Reuters yesterday. The ZBC 3-FM page is at http://www.zbc.co.zw/radio.htm and select "Radio 3." Even though the ZBC's home page says "streams not activated yet", they are, directly via http://196.36.199.8/zbc3-fm.asx (Tom Roche, Atlanta, March 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Hello all; yet another mystery station - no listings for it on HappySurfer or in my books, and I tried tuning in 900 up and 900 down to see if it were a reflection - no luck. I assume it's a spur though. 3890 kHz, (Mar 6) 0030 UT, SINPO 22232, two men talking about particle physics (quarks, protons, leptons, bosons, etc) and quantum physics (my cup of tea!). I promise to file a log this week - things busy at the homestead, one slightly injured 15-month-old recovering from a minor cut on her foot! Cheers all and good DX; (Sue Hickey, Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Most likely US or Canadian amateur, not broadcaster, on favorite AM mode frequency; this was in AM? (Glenn Hauser, to Sue, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. The 6715 kHz USB station was on the air this past Fri. with a fair signal; unfortunately, reception this time was unattended, i.e. I left a tape running 2145-2215, yet I made no estimates re. probable s/on UT w/ the tape counter, so suppose the station s/on at about 2200, w/ a 3 min+3 sec. piano theme (IS?) immediately followed by a brief station announcement after which a song started. The religious program content does seem to sound like an adaptation of some English speaking program, given both the music and style. Again, I'm still very much inclined to believe the lang. is NE Asian, most likely the one I put forward days ago, i.e. Korean, and do look forward to hearing a definite explanation from someone among us who may be able to hear the station and clearly ID the idiom that's used. Then maybe there's a chance to ID the station itself (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Mar 4, BC-DX via DXLD) Korean Prayer service to the Foreign Workers in Asia, or the Korean fishing fleet vessels?? Fris/Sats only?? (wb, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. Re 42840 harmonic: Dear Glenn, About harmonics, AIR has NE Indian news in English at 0300-0305 on 4970 4990 5050 7150 but don`t know of any harmonics. Sincerely, (Jose Jacob, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) You probably would not hear a 42 MHz harmonic that close, but can you say there is *not* English news at 0300 on 4760 or 7140, the possible fundamentals? (gh, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-037, March 5, 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 #1120: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.html NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815 WORLD OF RADIO #1121 available early UT March 7: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1121.html FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. RFE/RL DOUBLES AFGHAN BROADCASTS (Washington, DC--1 March 2002) RFE/RL today doubled the number of hours per day of its Radio Free Afghanistan programs in Dari and Pashtu, from three to six hours. RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine hailed the increase as "another indication of the commitment of RFE/RL and its sister organizations in US international broadcasting to help build a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan through the medium of news and information." Radio Free Afghanistan's programming in Dari can now be heard at 1300- 1400 UT (8:00 AM-9:00 AM EST), with repeats at 1800-1830 UT (1:00 PM- 1:30 PM EST), 1930-2000 UT (2:30 PM-3:00 PM EST) and 0400-0500 UT (11:00 PM-midnight EST), while broadcasts in the Pashtu language will air at 1200-1300 UT (7:00 AM-8:00 AM EST) with repeats at 1700-1800 UT (noon-1:00 PM EST) and 0300-0400 UT (10:00 PM-11:00 PM EST). The programs are broadcast to Afghanistan via shortwave and on a joint RFE/RL-Voice of America mediumwave broadcast stream administered by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. agency that oversees American international broadcasting. Live and on-demand RealAudio of the Dari and Pashto broadcasts to Afghanistan is available on RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan website, located at http://www.rferl.org/bd/af/ RFE/RL operated a "Radio Free Afghanistan" service broadcasting in Dari and Pashto from 1985 until 1993, when the services were closed as part of an overall restructuring of RFE/RL operations following the end of the Cold War. Legislation approved by the U.S. Congress in December 2001 appropriated funds to resume the Afghan broadcasts as part of the post-September 11 U.S. war on terrorism. http://www.rferl.org/welcome/english/releases/2002/03/74-010302.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) WTFK?: ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. New schedule for RFE/RL/Radio Free Afghanistan in Pashto and Dari: PASHTO 0300-0400 7230 KAV 250 kW / 088 deg 9815 HOL 250 kW / 077 deg 15215 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg 17725 UDO 500 kW / 300 deg 1200-1300 12120 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg 15510 HOL 250 kW / 077 deg 15525 IRA 500 kW / 334 deg 17590 BIB 100 kW / 085 deg 1700-1730 6170 DHA 500 kW / 050 deg 9785 UDO 500 kW / 300 deg 11920 UDO 500 kW / 305 deg 15525 HOL 250 kW / 077 deg 1800-1830 6095 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg 9805 UDO 500 kW / 300 deg <<<<< co-ch VOA in Portuguese!!! 11920 UDO 500 kW / 305 deg 15525 HOL 250 kW / 077 deg DARI 0400-0500 11710 KAV 250 kW / 080 deg 11710 KAV 250 kW / 088 deg 15215 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg 17725 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg 1300-1400 11920 KAV 250 kW / 080 deg 13605 UDO 500 kW / 340 deg 15525 IRA 500 kW / 334 deg 15705 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg 17590 BIB 100 kW / 085 deg 1730-1800 6170 DHA 500 kW / 050 deg 9785 UDO 500 kW / 300 deg 11920 UDO 500 kW / 305 deg 15525 HOL 250 kW / 077 deg 1930-2000 6095 UDO 500 kW / 308 deg <<<<< co-ch RL Ukrainian!!! 9750 UDO 500 kW / 304 deg 11690 HOL 250 kW / 077 deg 12070 IRA 500 kW / 340 deg Voice of America ceased transmissions in English to Afghanistan: 0000-0100 on 5995 6015 6105 7195 0100-0300 on 5995 6015 6105 7255 0700-0730 on 12025 15335 15425 0830-0930 on 15140 15235 17875 0930-1100 on 15140 15235 17895 1200-1400 on 15170 15260 17630 2100-2200 on 6160 7140 9530 2200-2400 on 6160 7290 9530 9880 (Observer, Bulgaria, March 5 via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. 15474.4, R. Nacional, Base Esperanza, 1830 Mar 4, fair signal with female host, using Jean Michel Jarre's "Oxygène" theme as a music-bridge between chat and Argentinian ballads. Don't know that I've ever heard them this early before and not often this clearly! (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Nacional is vandaag on air met de "Final del primer tiempo" via de zender van LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcangel (ANT). Normaal gesproken zendt men daar enkel op weekdagen uit. Het is nu 2148 [UT??] en men is nog altijd in de lucht met een signaal van S6 (Guido Schotmans - Antwerp, BELGIUM, Sunday March 3, BDXC via DXLD) ``Final`` = stupid ballgame? (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 17645 Christian Voice International, 0430, fair - good signal, now originating programmes from it's Queensland studio, mostly gospel-rock though weather from around gretaer including Beijing, Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila etc. (thanks to Chris Hambly). Address given as VOICE INTERNATIONAL, PO Box 1104, Buderim 4556, QLD Australia Ph 61-7-5477-1555 Fax 61-7-5477-1727 e-mail voice@vil.com.au http://www.vil.com.au (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, Mar 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310 kHz - Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Alice Springs. QSL card full data. I sent a reception report by email to reception.advice@abc.net.au with a Real Audio clip attached. Card received in 11 days (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC-RADIO WILL PUT NEW MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS First major special in years set to air in April, by Sid Adilman INJECTED RECENTLY with an extra $5 million, CBC-Radio is not only about to undergo its first major programming revamp in 30 years, the network is now embarking again on major sporadic specials. Planning for the first one in years, a three-hour report on the rebuilding of Afghanistan, shows out-of-the-box thinking on the part of Radio One executives. Aimed to air in April, the special is being planned by network news staff and foreign correspondents and by producers of arts and music shows. Two news reporters, one of them Connie Watson, will be sent to Afghanistan; there will also be reports about Afghan communities in Pakistan, India and Canada. These will be augmented by what Afghanistan is like, from social issues to its media and pop music.... http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1014678151725&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News (Toronto Star via Ricky Leong, QB, DXLD) ** CANADA. from http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/search/tgam/SearchFullStory.html&cf=tgam/search/tgam/SearchFullStory.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&encoded_keywords=cbc+radio&option=&start_row=7¤t_row=7&start_row_offset1=&num_rows=1&search_results_start=1 CBC RADIO TO UNDERGO MAJOR CHANGE By MICHAEL POSNER, ARTS REPORTER Saturday, March 2, 2002 – Print Edition, Page A9 Confronting an aging demographic and clear evidence of decline in at- home audiences, the CBC's English-language radio service is about to undergo a major renovation that senior managers hope will save it from its current "boredom" and "earnestness." Managers at the Crown corporation have been engaged in a feverish round of meetings since the beginning of the year, with the intention of having a new "vision" in place more or less by this month and ready for implementation in September. The service will introduce a range of new programming initiatives aimed at extending the corporation's reach to a younger, more culturally diverse audience. What this is likely to mean for listeners is the cancellation or substantial refurbishment of some of the CBC's core programs, including This Morning, its flagship weekday public-affairs show, and As It Happens, its evening current-affairs show. Among the likely changes are: A reduction of CBC Radio One's local weekday morning show to two or 2½ hours from three; The breakup of the current three-hour, weekday morning slot occupied by This Morning into two program blocs of 1½ hours each, both national in scope, with CBC veteran Ralph Benmergui acting as host on the first; Greater reliance on the network's capabilities to broadcast live, with fewer pretaped features or programs delayed because of time-zone differences; The presence of newer and younger voices, with more ethnic and racial character, acting as hosts of shows that are shorter, snappier and more service-oriented. A still-undetermined radical overhaul of Saturday daytime broadcasting on Radio One, prompted by the retirement, after 20 years, of Basic Black host Arthur Black this spring, and a request for reassignment by Nora Young who, for eight years, has acted as host of Definitely Not the Opera. Adrian Mills, the CBC's executive director of radio programming, noted this week that "69 per cent of our audience is over 50. And a large proportion of those are over 65. So we're programming in a way that is less relevant and appealing to younger audiences." At the same time, radio listening habits are changing -- less at home, more on the road. Combined with the CBC's older, stay-at-home demographic, that trend, Mr. Mills concedes in an internal booklet entitled Program Development Guidelines, is putting CBC Radio "at a competitive disadvantage." The introduction to the guidelines booklet acknowledges that even the CBC's most loyal listeners now find the service "boring and too earnest." Mr. Mills declined to say exactly what new programs were in the pipeline. But he did say that the service would work harder at connecting with listeners in Canada's major English-language, urban centres, Toronto and Vancouver. "Our major cities have changed in the last 20 years," he said. "Do you hear them reflected on the air?" Targeting an audience tilted at ages 35-64, the guidelines booklet suggests that CBC Radio must provide "more varied tone and vocal styles," with "a lighter, more sociable delivery." (via Ricky Leong, QE, swprograms via DXLD) ** CANADA. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO SHELAGH ROGERS? Thestar.com Mar. 5, 01:00 EDT Sid Adilman NO WONDER popular CBC-Radio One host Shelagh Rogers is fielding calls from concerned friends and staff at This Morning, the national morning program she has fronted for two years. The three-hour daily show is being axed and along with it, sources at CBC Radio say, what could be her key position on Radio One's morning lineup.... http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_=2340e0314bc8c170&pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1015282999463 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA. NEWS FROM CANADA DAB digital radio was a big hit at the Toronto Auto Show in February. It's the second largest car show in North America and DRRI (Digital Radio Rollout Inc) teamed up with General Motors of Canada to put together a new DAB exhibit. On display was the DAB in-car radio which GM Canada will factory install in more than 20 models of its 2003 vehicles, available this summer. Programmers from a wide variety of Toronto stations supported the DAB exhibit with special programming. And a demonstration of data display capabilities, including a sports ticker with Olympic updates, song titles, artist names, format information etc., enhanced the exhibit experience. During the 10 days of the show, consumers were surveyed on a number of issues including which features were most important to them, their intentions to purchase in-car or home receivers in the next year, and possible price points for receivers. Also in Canada, radio programmers have agreed a set of programming practices for the deployment of DAB. This will ensure that Canadian listeners enjoy consistent programme services across the digital dial. Along with the station name and format, and details of the song currently playing, features will include public service announcements. In the wake of September 11, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters is working with DAB to implement a system of emergency warnings which could appear on the display in the event of weather or civil emergencies. Click below for the full press releases: http://www.worlddab.org/pressreleases/Toronto_car_show-overview.pdf http://www.worlddab.org/pressreleases/DAB_programming_features.pdf (The World DAB Forum Newsletter N.10 - March 2002 via bcdxnet [India] via DXLD) All past editions of the newsletter can be found on the World DAB Web Site: http://www.worlddab.org/dab/aboutdab_frame.htm ** CHINA. On March 6 [UT Wed], China Horizons will focus on one of the ancient capitals of China, Kaifeng. Located in central China's Henan province, Kaifeng is home to cultural relics from the Song Dynasty. (—Jim CRI Shortwave http://pw2.netcom.com/~jleq/cri1.htm swprograms via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. [Rfpi-announce] Live RFPI Interactive Radio Show Attention RFPI Listeners! In a recent gathering of 3,500 right-wing political activists, Ann Coulter, a conservative columnist and television commentator stated: "When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty. We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed too." Please join other progressives in a special "VOICECAST" which will be transmitted world-wide via shortwave and the Internet - establishing a special "portal" between the Internet and shortwave radio. Besides listener call-ins, the portal will feature a global Town Hall chat room were we can re-learn to use our voices to make change. The portal will allow people who are not Internet connected - but listen to radio (and vice-versa) - to discuss progressive ideas with those who are active on the Internet. Topics in this first event include: * How do Progressives achieve a stronger voice in media? * What is real security in the world today and what strategies are needed in the post 911 world? * Or bring your own topics.... Time: 6:30 pm PST (9:30 pm EST) March 7th -- or in UT: 0230 Friday, March 8th. Place: On short wave @ 7.445, 15.040 MHz and streaming live in MP3 at Shoutcast.com (do a search for "RFPI"). Or join the chat room on yahoo messenger under governmental/politics, user rooms at "RFPI Progressive Talk." Directions for entering the Chat Room: If you don't already have a Yahoo ID, go to Yahoo.com to get one - they are free! After getting your ID, sign up for amd download Yahoo Messenger - this allows you to enter the Yahoo Chat Rooms. Next bring up Yahoo messenger. Sign in with your Yahoo ID and password. Next click on "Log in," then find the "Yahoo! CHAT" option under the "Tools" button on the top menu bar. When the "JOIN ROOM" window pops up, look under categories and click on Government and Politics. On the right side of the window should appear USER ROOMS, click on this. Next a window pops up with a warning of possible offensive topics - click the OK box. On the right side of the window should appear a list of user rooms (most right wing) scroll down to RFPI and click on it, a box will appear after a few seconds. There will be a welcome sign and a screen that has text scrolling down it. You've arrived at the home of the RFPI Chat Room. Hook up your microphone and speakers and join in the progressive talk or if you don't have a microphone but are a wiz on the key board type us your ideas and we will convert them to voice at this end. Note: we will have the system up and running a hour earlier so check in and test your system if you like. If you can't get into the Chat Room and would like to send us a message for the program, email us at info@rfpi.org or call us at 011-506-249-1344 (Costa Rica) I hope to hear you there! (James Latham (jiver), Rfpi-announce mailing list Mar 5 via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS RELOCATION OF RADIO FREE EUROPE | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 4 March: Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and director of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Thomas Dine will discuss the relocation of the radio station on Thursday [7 March], Kavan told CTK today. A lessening of safety precautions around RFE/RL might be discussed as well. The radio station leaves up to experts to pursue the safety precautions adopted after the September attacks on the USA by the Czech government. However, its staff would prefer not to work in a "military atmosphere." Kavan said last week that security risks in the Czech Republic had somewhat lessened. The Czech government has not yet found an alternative building for RFE/RL. Kavan said that less [sic] than 10 sites were being considered. Cabinet members want to decide about the site by the end of their term, which means by mid-2002. The radio station has been reluctant to move from its current building. Dine said last year that terrorism had to be faced. However, US ambassador to the Czech Republic Craig Stapleton said that people's safety was the most important thing. The US-financed RFE/RL is seated in the building of the former Czechoslovak parliament close to Wenceslas Square in the very centre of Prague. The radio moved to Prague from Munich in 1995. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1637 gmt 4 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DUCIE ISLAND. A press release sent out early last week states the plans for the Ducie Island DXpedition are now complete, and the group is in the final countdown phase. The team expects to depart from Mangareva, French Polynesia on March 12th. The team consists of VP6TC, VP6DB, VP6AZ, VP6MW, VP6BK/JA1BK, JF1IST, K9AJ, K5VT and N9TK. Mac, JA3USA, has had to leave the team because of unforeseen business conflicts, and Jim, N9TK, has replaced him. They will head to Pitcairn first to pick up supplies and equipment left there from their first attempt and then head on to Ducie Island. Their operations are expected to be for one week. The VP6 callsign is expected to be announced at the beginning of the activity. As announced earlier, their main activity will be on 21020 kHz (CW) and 21295 kHz (SSB) 24 hours each day until the demand falls. This is to allow more individuals to find and work the group, depending upon propagation to their area. Vince/K5VT and Mike/K9AJ will primarily operate the CW station while Jin/JF1IST and Jim/N9TK will be the primary SSB operators. Other prime SSB frequencies are 28495 kHz, and 14195 kHz, with 14020 kHz being the other prime CW frequency other than 15 meters. It is planned that there will be some operations on all bands, 160-6 meters, and RTTY in addition to SSB and CW operations. It is expected that low band and WARC operations are more likely to take place in the last days of the operation, as concentration from the beginning will be to allow as many operators as possible to work this rare IOTA and new DXCC Entity. The team will be chartering the ship "BRAVEHEART". The charter will cost them 68,000 USD, and support would be appreciated. Donations may go to the group's treasurer, JA1BK: Kan Mizoguchi, 5-3 Sakuragaoka 4 Chome, Tama-city, Tokyo 206 JAPAN. QSL Manager is VE3HO for all bands except 6 meters. 6 Meter cards go to JA1BK. Pilot stations will be WA2MOE and JE2EHP. For up-to-date info on this DXpedition and for log searches, go to the Web site at: http://www.qsl.net/wd4ngb/ducie.htm (KB8NW/OPDX March 4/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Today I listened to Radio María on the frequency of LV del Napo [3279v]. I remember that R María del Ecuador wanted to buy LV del Napo and also that R María programs were aired via LV del Napo. Does anybody knows the current situation? Is LV del Napo still existing and relaying Radio María or is the station now called R María? 73, (Max van Arnhem, The Netherlands, March 4, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. BROADCASTING AGENCY TO ISSUE LICENCES IN TWO MONTHS | Excerpt from report in English from Ethiopian newspaper Addis Tribune web site on 1 March Minister of Information Bereket Simon said the Ethiopian Broadcasting Agency would start issuing licences in two months to local radio and television broadcasters who wish to be engaged in the electronics media business. The minister, at a meeting with head of the BBC World Service Africa and Middle East Region, Barry Langridge, said that once the office of the Agency is organized, they will start issuing licences to broadcasters. The Broadcast Law was promulgated in June 1999, but it has not been put into effect until now. After two and half years' delay, the government is now in the process of organizing the office of the Agency and a general manager has been appointed. The Agency is established by the Broadcast Law to "ensure the expansion of high standard, prompt and reliable broadcasting service which can contribute to the political, social and economic development and to control thereof." At least 10 companies are gearing up to start FM broadcasting in and around Addis Ababa. One of them is the Addis Broadcasting Company (ABC), led by the prominent economist and human rights activist, Dr Berhanu Nega. This week, Barry Langridge was in Addis to meet Dr Berhanu and Ethiopian information ministers. ABC will be transmitting its programmes for 24 hours a day and BBC programmes will be relayed for some hours of the day. The BBC in return will provide equipment and train the staff of the ABC. "What comes with the BBC broadcasting is a big package of BBC partnership and training," said Barry Langridge. However, the ABC and BBC have yet to agree on the details of the broadcasting. So far, it is just an agreement in principle and the legal agreement will come after the ABC secure its licence. "The main thing is that Ethiopia is deregulating and as in many other countries, the BBC wants to come in and take part in that process. What we seek is to be heard locally and to play within the rules, and bring some resources and expertise here as a two-way process," Langridge told Addis Tribune. Only four countries in Africa, namely Ethiopia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Eritrea, have yet to deregulate their media. The BBC is relaying its programmes in 32 African cities. The ABC was established with a capital of 3.4m birr having 26 shareholders and it has been waiting for the Agency to be established and obtain its licence, incurring costs every time the process of establishing the Agency is delayed... ABC will transmit programmes on civic, social affairs, culture and education, and through "its thoughtful analysis, will contribute towards responsible media and democratic culture," Dr Berhanu said. Source: Addis Tribune web site, Addis Ababa, in English 1 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** GERMANY [and non]. Just been reading the A02 Sked of 'DW' Broadcasts in English, Thanks to GLENN HAUSER. Oh Dear, 7130 was GREAT here (=Birkenhead, near Liverpool) last summer. I see they propose 6140 this year.(2000-2045 UTC English to Europe). For us, here on the West Side of the UK I 'favour' 7130; it was good last year. In an ideal world I suppose we would have 7130 to August 31st and 6140 from 1st Sunday (September 1st in 2002). I do have SOME reservations regarding there being only 2 Frequency Periods a year. The worst problem is not making a shift to Winter Frequencies until the Last Sunday in OCTOBER about 4/5 Weeks AFTER the Autumn Equinox, where as in the Spring we 'wait' until the Last Sunday in MARCH when we are PAST the Spring Equinox, very uneven. It is interesting to note (at least I think so!) that Russian Frequency Planners 'fall in with the rest' in the Spring/Summer ='A' but NOT in the Autumn ='B'. (Ken Fletcher, 1850 UT 4th March, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. TITANIC 90TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EVENT Mike Shortland, G0EFO, from the Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group, informs OPDX readers to look for a special event station to operate from 1030z on Saturday, April 13th, through 0547z on Monday, April 15th, to commemorate the heroism of Jack Phillips, Chief Wireless Telegraphist of the Titanic. His SOS calls (in Morse Code), saved more than 700 lives when the liner sank 90 years ago to the day on April 15th at 0547z. [note on times, compared to last issue in local time, which will then be UT plus 1: the start time was given as 9:30 am, so that would be 0830 UT, not 1030! The cutoff time, if it is really to match the Titanicsink and if that was really at 0547 GMT, of course, would not shift now. Right? --gh] Tragically, Jack himself was drowned [actually, it is my understanding that Phillips survived the sinking but died from exposure while awaiting rescue --Norfolk]. He was only 25 years old. The special callsign GB90MGY will be aired during this event (Titanic's callsign was MGY), which will be operated by the members of the Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group (20 local hams and all members of the local Guildford and District Radio Society). The station will operate from Godalming, Surrey, UK, birthplace of Jack, where his heroic deeds are still celebrated. Activity will be on all amateur bands, CW only, from 80-10 meters (including the WARC bands). QSLs via RSGB. More information (including preferred operating frequencies), can be found at: http://www.gdrs.net/titanic (KB8NW/OPDX March 4/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. WVLC, THE LITTLE SHIP THAT COULD Latest article added to the Radio Heritage Collection: "When I shipped overseas, it was to General Headquarters, Southwest Pacific Area, based at the time in Brisbane, Australia. It was the headquarters of fabled General Douglas MacArthur. I came into the organization at a time the Chief Signal Officer was gathering a group of former broadcast technicians and engineers who were to create a high power shortwave broadcast station within a ship. The proposed mission was to open a radio channel for the exclusive use of broadcast network war correspondents. The concept was to use the ship as a roving shortwave news platform during combat operations against Japan. The station would have sufficient power to be reliably heard on the US West Coast..." Read the whole article at http://radiodx.com/spdxr/wvlc.htm Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. I got this email reply and message from the editor of Radio Barabari today and want to share the information with you. I reported them on 7480.11 kHz on May 10th 2001. 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, March 4, hard-core-dx via DXLD) [sic:] From: Radio Barabari Björn Fransson, Thank you for your lovely e.mail and sorry so much about our delay for your confiramtion. Now have started to test new stations and new Antennas for our boardcast. I would appreciate if you could give your reception report for 7480 kHz at 1700-1730 UTC (1800-1830 Central European Time) for 5 march, 6 march, 7 march The three test transmmissions are being broadcasted with three different ones. Which is best one ? Thank you in advance Editor of Barabari (via Fransson, ibid.) What? You missed the March 5 one? Not if you checked MONITORING REMINDERS, http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html where this was entered several hours in advance. Not much chance of reception here, but checked 7480 anyway for 2 seconds at 1722:23 March 5: zilch (gh, DXLD) ** IRELAND. On Sunday mornings, as reported on Cumbre #388, are operating some church radios broadcasting religious functions. I tried to tune them from Italy and around 0930 March 3 I heard Holy Masses on 3 frequencies: 27325 - 27335 - 27680. The propagation was going up and down, but sometimes the signals were good (Giampiero Bernardini, Avvenire, Milano, Italy, hard-core-dx via DXLD) This is going on since many years now and I have heard it here in Germany on other days too, not just on Sundays. I suspect it is meant for disabled people who cannot go to church and/or who cannot hear good. We had a similar system here in Germany during the 1970s, using 27 MHz channels. This would make it Utility, not broadcast. I suspect it would be kind of difficult to QSL them ;-) vy73 (Harald Kuhl, March 4, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ITALY. 7306 kHz - Radio Europe, Pioltello. Two QSL cards full data signed by Dario Monferini. The reception report was sent by email along a Real Audio clip of a special transmission for the DX CAMP that happened in New Zealand in early February. Later I sent Dario a printed reception report by mail along US$ 2. Dario also sent me several stickers, 2 PLAY DX magazines, 2 Italian stamps issued in 1974 celebrating Marconi's 100 birthday and also a personal letter showing himself in a picture next to his receivers and some of his of 235,000 stickers (!!!). I received this package in 11 days (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. This is the week Hrane/YT1AD and Voja/YU7AV are expected to fly to P`yongyang. The start of their activity as well as their callsign is unknown. Stay tuned and LISTEN, LISTEN and LISTEN. Remember, they are expected to train North Koreans. AMATEURS SHOULD BE ON THEIR BEST BEHAVIOR AND SET A GOOD EXAMPLE OF OPERATING SKILLS. DO NOT SCARE THE NEW OPERATORS AWAY (as well as their government listening over their shoulders)....... Ed, P5/4L4FN, will be off the air until about the middle of March. According to the KK5DO's Web page, Ed will be traveling around North Korea and will be making a trip to China. By the way, Ed made an interesting (rare) QSO this past week with the boys from PW0T (KB8NW/OPDX March 4/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Expected to catch Victor Goonetilleke on the final repeat of RKI Multiwave Feedback webcast, UT Mon Mar 4 at 0445 but stream instead was in Korean, which according to on-air schedule still displayed, is at 0300 and 0500, but English at 0400. Worse, two feeds were mixing about a second apart, as I first launched my own WM player, and when I went to the http://rki.kbs.co.kr site to check on air, that launched separately. It was evidently some kind of drama, and continued without a noticeable break past 0500. What`s going on here? Do they just dump the scheduled English webcast when they feel like it? Or was it the wrong input completely? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. TASK FORCE TO REVIEW STATUS OF NATIONAL BROADCASTER | Text of report in English by Latvian news agency LETA Riga, 5 March: After lengthy debate, the Cabinet of Ministers today decided on setting up a task force to work out conceptual proposals for the change of a status for institutions which are independent from the government... The issue has become urgent in connection with the current debate on the legal status of the Latvian Television (LTV) and National Radio and Television Council... Source: LETA news agency, Riga, in English 1426 gmt 5 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) I wonder if this has something to do with R. Riga International / R. Latvia International – both names were used almost in the same breath – dropping English webcasts as previously reported, something too frivolous to spend any resources on? (gh, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. NO TV OR RADIO OBSERVED EVENING OF 1 MAR No satellite transmissions from Madagascan state TV or radio were observed during the evening of 1 March. Similarly, no transmissions were observed on the radio's usual evening shortwave frequency of 5010 kHz. Normal broadcasting by state radio and TV was suspended on 25 February. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 1 Mar 02 (via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. FOUR RADIO STATIONS ATTACKED AS POST-ELECTION CRISIS DEEPENS | Text of press release by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 28 February New York, 28 February: Four radio stations were attacked and destroyed on 23 February as violence erupted over disputed presidential election results. Supporters of President Didier Ratsiraka allegedly attacked the offices of the Madagascar Broadcasting Service's (MBS) radio station in Fianarantsoa, some 90 miles south of the capital, Antananarivo. The station's facilities were set ablaze, seriously injuring three security guards. MBS is owned by Marc Ravalomanana, Antananarivo mayor and opposition leader who declared himself president on 22 February, prompting embattled President Didier Ratsiraka to declare a state of emergency. After the MBS station was attacked, Ravalomanana supporters ransacked and destroyed Radio Tsiokavao, a private, pro-government station. Radio Vatovavy Mananjary, owned by former cabinet minister Jacquit Simon, and station ART Ambositra, owned by Prime Minister Tantely Andrianarivo, were also attacked. On 25 February, Malagasy state radio and television released a statement saying that its stations could not broadcast because supporters of President Ratsiraka had seized the outlet's broadcast equipment, including transmitters, and moved it to an undisclosed location. The conflict follows a hotly contested 16 December presidential poll between Ratsiraka and Ravalomanana. Ravalomanana claimed victory with 52 per cent of the vote, but the Constitutional Court ruled that neither candidate had captured a clear majority and ordered a runoff. Ravalomanana rejected the ruling, and the second round of voting never occurred. On 22 February, Ravalomanana declared himself president; in response, Ratsiraka declared a state of emergency, which empowers the government to take control of public services and the media. "Madagascar has long had a reputation as a stable democracy that respects freedom of statement," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "We call on all parties involved to cease their attacks on the press immediately." For more information about press freedom conditions in Madagascar, visit http://www.cpj.org CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For further information, contact Yves Sorokobi (Ext 112) or Wacuka Mungai (Ext 106) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, USA, Tel: +1 212 465 1004, Fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: africa@cpj.org, ysorokobi@cpj.org, wmungai@cpj.org, Internet: http://www.cpj.org Source: Committee to Protect Journalists press release, New York, in English 28 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Ran across the text of the Mexican National Anthem on a google search: Chorus Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra El acero, aprestad y el bridón, y retiemble en sus centros la tierra. Al sonoro rugir del cañón. First Stanza Ciña ¡Oh patria tus sienes de oliva! De la paz el arcángel divino, Que en el cielo tu eterno destino Por el dedo de Dios escribió. Mas si osare un extraño enemigo Profanar con su planta tu suelo Piensa ¡Oh patria querida! Que el cielo Un soldado en cada hijo te dio. Chorus [as above] Second Stanza ¡Guerra, guerra sin tregua al que intente De la patria manchar los blasones! ¡Guerra, guerra! Los patrios pendones, En las olas de sangre empapad. ¡Guerra, guerra! En el monte, en el valle Los cañones horrísonos truenen, Y los ecos sonoros resuenen Con las voces de ¡Unión! ¡Libertad! Chorus [as above] Third Stanza Antes, patria, que inermes tu hijos Bajo el yugo su cuello dobleguen Tus campiñas con sangre se rieguen Sobre la sangre se estampe su pie. Y tus templos, palacios y torres Se derrumben con hórrido estruendo, Y sus ruinas existan diciendo: De mil héroes la patria aquí fue. Chorus [as above] Fourth Stanza ¡Patria! ¡Patria! Tus hijos te juran Exhalar en tus aras su aliento, Si el clarín con su bélico acento Los convoca a lidiar con valor. ¡Para ti las guirnaldas de oliva! ¡Un recuerdo para ellos de gloria! ¡Un laurel para ti de victoria! ¡Un sepulcro para ellos de honor! Chorus Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra El acero, aprestad y el bridón, y retiemble en sus centros la tierra. Al sonoro rugir del cañón. Found the English text of the Mexican Anthem: http://www.digischool.nl/mu/volklied/mexico.htm (Bruce Winkelman AA5CO Tulsa, OK, Corazon DX via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. After lots of struggles with Yahoo/Geocities we finally have our own domain and it here to stay. So our webpage has moved to http://www.alfalima.net Have added some new features like a for sale page with all kinds of equipment for sale, radiomarkets page, where and when there is a radio market in west Europe and other new stuff. Anyway, change your bookmarks and links. Also don't forget Alfa Lima International can be heard weekly again on 15070 AM at Saturday night. Tune in. Na veel zorgen en werk hebben we onze gratis provider eindelijk verlaten en hebben nu ons eigen domein. Wat dus betekent een ander web adres. Invervolg kun je onze site vinden op http://www.alfalima.net We hebben nog weer wat nieuwe dingen toe gevoegt zoals "te koop" en een pagina waar je alle radio markten kunt vinden van dit jaar. In iedergeval, verander je links en favorieten (bookmarks) Greetings, (Alfred, ALI, March 5, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** NORWAY. Glenn, In DXLD 2-035 it is reported: ``Svenn Martinsen, the CEO/Chairman of Northern Star International Broadcasters AS, informs us that his company is the conditional licence-holder of new Swedish-based station, with the working title of Cruisin' 216. The station intends to broadcast in English to Scandinavia, the British Isles and many areas of Western Europe by means of a 1.2 million-Watt transmitter on 216 kHz AM Long Wave.`` Well, I wish them luck, in light of Atlantic 252 throwing in the towel on music programming and switching to a speech based sports format, but what I question here is the coverage. When in London, with a "barefoot" Sony 2010, 216 kHz had a fair daytime groundwave signal from the 1.4 MW Radio Monte Carlo transmitter in southern France. This signal was very strong in the evening. Given the northern location of this proposed station, and the tendency of signals from the south to dominate longwave and medium wave during even minor auroral conditions, I would expect a co-channel battle anywhere outside the new stations grade A signal radius. Should be interesting if it gets off the ground (Brock Whaley, GA, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Why wish them luck? It`s just another gospel huxter per their not-so- hidden agenda (gh, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. This week on Oklahoma's Public Radio ... March 5 KOSU's Kelly Burley examines the myriad of problems surrounding the Tar Creek superfund site. Burley and reporter Ted Riley visited the Picher-Cardin area of far northeastern Oklahoma recently and talked with residents who live within the borders of the EPA's number one superfund site. Tuesday at 4:35 p.m. & Wednesday at 7:40 a.m. [Picher was subject of ABC-TV NIGHTLINE last UT Sat ---gh] March 6 "Oklahoma Audio Almanac" - Host Steven Kite remembers the end of the Civilian Conservation Corps program, which was designed to alleviate the impact of the Great Depression in Oklahoma. Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. March 8 "The Voices of Oklahoma" - KOSU's Kelly Burley visits with linguist Brian Levy, who is working to preserve the language of the Caddo tribe. Friday at 8:00 a.m. & 5:00 p.m. "Morning Edition" - SAVING TONGUES - The Alaska Native Language Center has a one million dollar federal grant to preserve native Alaskan languages of which there are 20. Joe Palca will talk to Lillian Garnett, a Gwich'in native speaker and teacher at ANLC, about the need for the Gwich'in language to survive and what she is doing to try to revitalize it. Friday 5:00 - 9:00 a.m. [and all over the NPR network, and ondemand subsequently without listening four hours straight hoping to catch it] "The Front Row" - Kelly Burley visits with the silver medallist of the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, prior to his piano recital. Friday at 9:00 a.m. -- All Times - Central Time. Programs subject to change without notice. Listen to KOSU live at 91.7 FM or at http://www.kosu.org (KOSU Weekly March 4 via DXLD) ** RWANDA. RWANDA BEATS FLORIDA AS GLOBAL LIGHTNING CAPITAL Glenn, I suspect that this item from the Rwandan News Agency is the sort of thing that interests you (as it does me). And it is not without interest for DXers (Chris Greenway, DX LISTENING DIGEST) KIGALI, March 02 (RNA) -- The central African nation of Rwanda, according to NASA researchers, receives more than twice as much lightning as Florida. Although Florida is still the "Lightning Capital of the Americas," science has put to rest any claims of worldwide honors. Scientists recorded 35.4 lightning flashes per square kilometer per year in central Florida. That figure is dwarfed by the global high found near Kamembe, Rwanda, where scientists recorded 82.7 flashes. However, the Sunshine State still beats out Texas and Alabama for most-charged in the nation. To make the determination, scientists used a new map of the world that takes data from satellite sensors to show lightning strikes. The map reveals areas prone to lightning get a lot of it, while the globe's oceans and polar regions see almost none of the atmospheric fireworks. Florida's opposing sea breezes force heated ground air upward, triggering thunderstorm formation, particularly over central Florida. The frequency of summer storms helps explain why Florida has more than twice as many lightning-strike deaths than any other state, according to the National Weather Service. But most of Florida's storms come in the summer months when the temperatures are highest. There's no seasonal break in central Africa. "They're right near the equator there," said Richard Blakeslee, a member of the lightning team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. "Lightning occurs there year-round really strongly," Other American hotspots included parts of Texas, with as many as 33 lightning flashes annually per square kilometer. Mobile, Ala., came in at 32. Blakeslee added that the biggest surprise in the data was that the number of lightning strikes worldwide is about half of earlier estimates. Before the global mapping was possible, scientists had to rely on local measurements and then extrapolate that across the circumference of the globe. The estimates proved high, perhaps in part because most of the world is covered by water and the new data shows that lightning occurs over water even less frequently than what had been believed. Some of the new understanding of lightning is due to satellite-based detectors operated by NASA scientists at the National Space Science and Technology Center in Huntsville. The optical sensors fly in a low orbit and use high-speed cameras to note changes in the tops of clouds and detect lightning flashes that might be invisible to human eyes. Before the satellite sensors, scientists had to rely on ground-based lightning detectors that used radio-frequency sensors. The ground- based sensors provided good local measurements but were limited in range. The space-based optical detectors represent a major advance because for the first time, researchers have a complete picture of planet- wide lightning activity. "Lightning (study) is a very young science," said Matt Bragaw, a lightning specialist and forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Melbourne. "We're discovering things about lightning now that we didn't know 10 years ago. There's lots and lots of areas of lightning science that still need to be discovered." (End) (via Chris Greenway, Kenya, DXLD) ** RWANDA. TRIAL CENTERS ON ROLE OF PRESS DURING RWANDA MASSACRE March 3, 2002, By MARLISE SIMONS ARUSHA, Tanzania - A trial is unfolding far from the spotlight in this East African town, but its outcome may one day ring out around the world. It is the trial of three journalists that focuses on the question, can freedom of speech degenerate into genocide? Or put differently, can journalism kill? According to prosecutors of the United Nations war crimes tribunal for Rwanda, the answer to both questions is a forceful yes.... [Read entire long article:] http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/03/international/africa/03TRIB.html?ex=1016219842&ei=1&en=a421971e8db83afc (NY Times March 3 via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) See also: The Atlantic Monthly | September 2001 [very long article] BYSTANDERS TO GENOCIDE The author's exclusive interviews with scores of the participants in the decision-making, together with her analysis of newly declassified documents, yield a chilling narrative of self-serving caution and flaccid will—and countless missed opportunities to mitigate a colossal crime --- by Samantha Power http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2001/09/power.htm (via Kim Elliott, swprograms via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN [as Anker Petersen presumed it to be]. 5775 is also heard - the last time I tried on March 2 at 1725 the signal was peaking to about S7. Whenever I tune it there is always and only music (Noel R. Green, England, March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. RADIO STATION OF THE NATION SILENCED Radio Nederland http://www.rnw.nl/news/news.html#3110258 The Thai authorities have taken one of the last remaining independent radio stations off the air. Radio 90.5 is well known for its criticism of the current government. Four television presenters were also taken off the air after a broadcast critical of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The prime minister claimed the ban was not politically motivated. However, he did emphasize that the media should be constructive in its reports and should not sow seeds of confusion in society. Most Thai radio and television companies are controlled by the government or the military. BBC London World Service http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1855000/1855322.stm Tuesday, 5 March, 2002, 10:39 GMT THAI GOVERNMENT BANS RADIO BROADCASTS In its latest tussle with the media, the Thai Government has ordered a radio station to stop broadcasting programmes from one of the few independent news providers, the Nation Multimedia group. The order follows the airing last week of an interview with Prasong Soonsiri - a leading critic of the Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. But Thai ministers have insisted the ban was not political. One mister, Thammarak Issarangkul na Ayutthaya, said the reason was that Nation Multimedia had been running advertisments in its programmes, contrary to regulations. Mr Thaksin's handling of the media has come under criticism after issues of two foreign news magazines, the Far Eastern Economic Review (FEER), and the Economist were banned because of articles about the Thai monarchy. The Hong-Kong-based FEER apologised on Monday in a bid to stop the threatened expulsion of two of their reporters. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service (via Dr. Hansjörg Biener, Germany, DXLD) ** THAILAND. EDITORIAL VIEWS FEER DISPUTE WITH GOVERNMENT | Text of editorial: Time to forget the whole issue, carried by Thai newspaper The Nation web site on 5 March The controversy over the Far Eastern Economic Review has reached a virtual impasse. The Review yesterday sent a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives to express its regret over the controversy caused by the article in its 10 January edition. But while the letter apparently falls short of an unconditional "apology", the Thai government should accept it and lay the matter to rest. For it will not do anybody any good if the Review vs Thaksin case is allowed to drag on. There are far more important matters that the government should be focusing its effort and energy on than contretemps with the magazine. Besides, it will hurt the government and the image of Thailand more if this issue is not settled quickly. The Review, in a tactical manoeuvre, apologized to the people in its letter. Addressing it to Uthai Pimchaichon, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the magazine expressed its regret to the Thai people as a whole. It still insisted on the accuracy of its brief article, published in the Intelligence column, in which one palace source suggested tension between Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Royal Palace. Reading between the lines, the Review is practically saying: "We are sorry if our article breaks local tradition regarding the monarchy, and we appreciate that such a report could have unfavourable consequences." Two things are obvious: the magazine is not apologizing to the Thaksin government, and it is not changing its stance regarding the administration's charge that the report was a lie. For such a prestigious international magazine, this may be as good as it can, or will, do. The government should let the issue lie or proceed through legal channels. The Review correspondents, Shawn Crispin and Rodney Tasker, as well as publisher Philip Revzin and editor Michael Vatikiotis, have been threatened with an immigration blacklist on vague charges of undermining national security, certainly not a wise way to cope with this kind of situation. The episode should give the Review a tough lesson in how to handle coverage of sensitive affairs which need to be independently confirmed. In such a weighty affair as the relationship between the highest institution in the land and the government, the treatment of hearsay as fact simply fell far short of the universally accepted journalistic standard. As for the government, it is not wise either to pursue a course of litigation or threats of visa revocation. There are always channels of communication that both sides can work on to create a better understanding. If there are any policies it thinks the public might not have a good understanding of, the government should make an extra effort to keep people informed through local and foreign media alike. Fortunately, the problem with The Economist has been brought under control quite rapidly. The Economist has agreed to refrain from distributing in Thailand its latest edition, in which it comments on the role of the monarchy. If that is the case, then it is not going to violate any Thai laws. All in all, the government should not wage war against or appear to be vengeful against the media, foreign or domestic. The world is looking at us closely. Thailand needs to be a more mature country, capable of taking criticism and also increasing the depth, breadth and quality of its own public debates. Source: The Nation web site, Bangkok, in English 5 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Hmmm... One absolute taboo in Thailand is saying anything critical of the monarchy (gh, DXLD) ** U K. Brooklyn, N.Y. - The September 11 attack on America and its aftermath was the subject matter covered by four of the 13 winners of the George Polk Awards for the year 2001, announced today [20 Feb] by Long Island University. BBC World and BBC World Service Radio received the Television and Radio Reporting award for their authoritative and wide-ranging accounts of all aspects of the attack and the war in Afghanistan. BBC's North American business correspondent, Stephen Evans, was sitting in the lobby of the World Trade Center South Tower when the first plane struck. He and his colleagues covered the first 24 hours non-stop, and continued to provide a clear picture of unfolding events in the ensuing days and weeks. In addition, BBC used longstanding contacts in Afghanistan to gain special access to political leaders there. ---- Rest of news release at... http://www.liu.edu/cwis/bklyn/polk/press/2001.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, March 4, DXLD) ** U K. Glenn, I don't see the weekly live webcast of BBC WS "Go Digital" listed in your Monitoring Calendar. It's at 1500-1530 on Mondays. I find it of interest, especially host Tracey Logan's facial expressions while reading the script. You can see previous editions on their website. Click on the Technology option at http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice 73, (Ivan Grshin, Ont., Mar 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Direct for latest show: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/progs/01/go_digital/latest.ram (gh, DXLD) ** U K. BBC RADIO AND 4 LETTER WORDS (Times U.K. Radio Columnist, Sat. Mar 2) Radio: Jonathan Lennie Ali G indulged in some much publicised swearing on Radio 1 last week. Apparently the Controller Andy Parfitt was livid. But how many kids rang in to complain? Surely the credibility of Radio 1 hangs on the fact that mum and dad don`t approve of it. Make your mind up: one minute Generation X is lamenting that there is no rebellion left in pop music, the next they are protesting that a pop star or comedian is corrupting their children. Anyway, it is not Radio 1 that the easily offended need to worry about. When it comes to rude words that network is child`s play compared to its grown-up relatives.... Times (U.K.) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,1168-218549,00.html (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) Such would still be unimaginable in American environment (gh, DXLD) ** U K. NEW FROM THE BBC On March 11, the BBC will launch the second of five new national DAB digital radio stations. 6 Music is the first new national music station from the BBC in 32 years and will feature of mix of contemporary and classic artists, plus new and emerging bands. 6 Music's web site can be found on http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/ (The World DAB Forum Newsletter N.10 - March 2002 via bcdxnet [India] via DXLD) Who needs it? ** U K. Editorial Critiquing BBC's Set Up (Guardian [U.K.] Mar 4) In a globalised economy, we must dare to be world class: Peter Preston By trying to do everything at home, the BBC is failing internationally The Guardian - United Kingdom; Mar 4, 2002 (The last half:) The BBC has an international reputation and helps keep our domestic radio and television standards reasonably high (though not always as high as legend would have it). But the price of that public interest here is a regulated environment which ends at Calais and a feebleness which has denied us any true global role. We have the reputation - but we don't have the clout that ought to go with it. The taxpayer, in a sense, pays twice over: he buys his licence and then watches Chancellor Brown offer fat tax breaks to rich investors in indigenous film-making which wouldn't be necessary if the market place wasn't skewed to begin with. A debate? Between home excellence at a price and overseas impotence? About the hidden cost of the BBC? That's long overdue - and the collapse in confidence since September 11 makes it imperative. Tessa Jowell and her (ex-Beeb) special advisers will need to make their case as they wave more digital challengers through. But the case itself has changed since the high water mark of Birtism. Now it isn't just a matter of whether the charter should stay, whether Ofcom should rule everything, whether the BBC can survive for another two or three decades. Now the question is what we'd have left if the corporation was dismantled. America (another result for September 11) has just dramatically weakened the cross-ownership rules for media conglomerates: more vast mergers on the way. Perhaps it's too late for us to start playing that game. We haven't the stars left standing to compete. The last whistle is almost blown. What we do have, though, is an independent state broadcasting company of some excellence bearing a brand the world trusts. Why hobble that with increasingly artificial restraints in an increasingly interconnected world? Why limit the things far away it could do well and fail to analyse the home things where its mission has crept too far? The Birt debate was framed in trench warfare terms: every trench had to be filled with something. The new debate could be a deal more life- enhancing than that. How do you make BBC World more than an empty phrase? Which of the shackles ought to come off? Not questions of self-interest, you see: questions of real public interest. p.preston@guardian.co.uk http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020304000685&query=BBC+Radio9 (via FT.com's Global Search pages via Chet Copeland, NYC, DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn: I'm not aware of any special anniversary QSL, but I'll make the suggestion to our External Affairs office. 73 (Kim Andrew Elliott, Voice of America, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. March 1, 2002 CENSORSHIP NOT VOA'S ISSUE, Steven C. Munson On Feb. 24, 1942, the Voice of America (VOA) went on the air for the first time, in German, in the midst of a world war. Its mission was to report the news, good and bad, about the fight against fascism. Sixty years later, VOA is still on the air and in the midst of another war, this time against an international terrorist network that is, in some respects, reminiscent of the Nazis. In this war, VOA's mission remains what it has always been — to try to broadcast the truth about the United States and developments on the international scene. And, as it has on other occasions, VOA continues to face controversies in carrying out this mission... http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20020301-98853102.htm (Washington Times via DXLD) Gets to typical Moonie stance ** U S A. Re David Hodgson in DXLD 2-035: A great letter. David makes a good point. To a thinking individual the crap the spews from commercial US shortwave stations is no different than today`s North Korean propaganda, or the answers given on the old "Moscow Mailbag" program of my youth. How I wish AFRTS was in the clear on 500 kW transmitters for the world to hear, and that VOA would broadcast ALL manner of music from the US, from Country to Hip Hop to Rock, Blues and Jazz on shortwave. Again, I thought David's remarks hit the truth 100%. "Where have you gone, Willis Conover?" (Brock Whaley, GA, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A previously overlooked issue of the AA newsletter may shed some further light on an event last fall: (gh) APOCALYPTIC MILITIA FIGURE KILLED IN ARIZONA SHOOT OUT William Milton Cooper, one of the nation's most prominent militia radio broadcasters was killed Tuesday morning during an armed confrontation with county sheriff's deputies attempting to serve an arrest warrant at his home in rural Arizona. Cooper had been indicted for failure to pay income taxes, and was a fugitive after failing to appear in a Phoenix court in 1998. He had settled in the town of Eagar, Arizona in the state's eastern high plains region. From there, he beamed a short-wave radio program, "The Hour of the Time" across the nation to an audience of "patriot militia" followers. His message fused dire warnings of a coming "New World Order" and plots by the United Nations and the U.S. government with apocalyptic Bible prophecy and reports of UFO invasions. Cooper's millenarian book, "Behold A Pale Horse" was popular within militia circles, and even percolated into mainstream culture. Michael Barkun, professor at the Maxwell School of Government at Syracuse University and an expert on religious right extremist movements, noted, "As the title suggests, Cooper draws on the Book of Revelation, but he also manages to fit in far more exotic elements: UFOs, extraterrestrials, a hologram of the Crucifixion, the Trilateral Commission, the Illuminati, 'The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,' Luciferian Freemasons, and a host of others." While wanted on the tax evasion charges, the raid early Tuesday morning came after local law enforcement decided to act on an incident from July, when Cooper ordered a local man to abandon property Cooper did not own. According to the Arizona Republic, Cooper followed the man to his home, pulled a gun and made threats. Authorities were nervous about the possibility of a shoot-out, and a repeat of the law enforcement debacles at Ruby Ridge which resulted in the death of Randy Weaver's wife, or the 1993 blow-up at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. "Scott Garms, Eagar's police chief, said he had urged federal law officers to stay away from Cooper's two-story compound, high on a mesa overlooking Round Valley, because militia group members do not recognize the legitimacy of federal law officers," noted Republic staff writer Mark Shaffer. The arrest operation by 17 officers involved a ruse to lure Cooper away from his house; Cooper, though, "surprised the officers by driving, not walking, to them, and he never left the vehicle during a verbal altercation." When an undercover police vehicle blocked passage leading back to the home, Cooper drove off the side of the road. At the entrance to the house, he reportedly fired an undetermined number of gun shots at Apache County Deputy Robert Martinez, who was hit and later listed in critical conditions. "He vowed that he would not be taken alive," said a spokesman for the U.S. Marshall's service. Cooper was well known for his outspoken views which often went far beyond the standard rhetoric of militia groups. One admirer was Tim McVeigh, convicted in the truck bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City and later executed. McVeigh reportedly visited Cooper in 1995 when he was living in the nearby town of St. Johns, Arizona. Nolan Udall, identified as a local repairman and friend of Cooper told the Republic: "McVeigh wanted his (Cooper's) help but wouldn't tell what for. Finally, Bill just got frustrated with him and told him to leave him alone.." Cooper's political confabulations and mixture of conspiratorial, religious right, new age and pseudoscience themes were "representative of a large and growing genre," according to Barkun. Thematically, he was similar to other writers such as David Icke and Stan Deyo who provide audiences with a new brew of end-times literature. The blend of political, conspiratorial and occult material is manifest, for instance, in Cooper's declaration that "A grand game of (geopolitical and cultic) chess is being played on a level that we can barely imagine." "Cooper described how his research proved that President Dwight Eisenhower signed a secret treaty with beings from outer space allowing them to abduct humans in return for advanced technology," noted an intelligence report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization which tracks extremist "patriot" militias and other groups. Cooper refined this particular conspiratorial belief -- more appropriate as a script for "The X-Files" or "Dark Skies" -- later suggesting that fear of alien invasion was a tool used by elitist cabals to control Americans, as in the subtext of the "Star Trek" television series which Cooper described as "an indoctrination into the concepts of socialism through subliminal initiation of the youth of the nation." The infiltration of occult and apocalyptic themes into the "patriot" movement is not new, of course. In a 1996 profile of militia patriarch James "Bo" Gritz (AANEWS, 4/29/96) we noted how the former Green Beret sought involvement as an attempted mediator in the Ruby Ridge shoot out, and the confrontation in Texas with the so-called "Freemen" movement. Earlier, Gritz had reportedly been active in "rescue" efforts funded by billionaire Ross Perot in Southeast Asia ("Operation Lazarus"); and some have considered him the real-life inspiration for movies like "Rambo" and "Apocalypse Now." When not searching for MIA slave labor camps, though, Gritz has also been hot on the trail of space aliens. Gritz is known to have made one trip into the mountains of California looking for an eight-and-a-half-foot tall reptilian alien according to the book "Cult Rapture" published in 1995 and authored by Adam Parfrey. Crank political philosophies which become fused with pseudoscience, apocalyptic hysteria and a lack of critical facility find a wide audience, even with the passage of the latest millennium. They often cross traditional ideological boundaries. Cooper's death will likely serve to re-enforce such beliefs among followers and believers, and prove that once again, the apocalypse is near, and the forces of evil are gathering for their final assault. For further information: http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/apoc2.htm ("Backers see 'Left Behind' Christian thriller as chance to break into the cultural mainstream," 2/7/01) http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/mill8.htm ("Midnight of the 'real' millennium approaches," 12/30/00) http://www.channel1.com/mpr/Articles/24-ufos.html ("UFO's and the Apocalypse," by Ted Daniels, Center for Millennialist Studies) http://www.mille.org/scholarship/papers/berletnihilism.html ("Apocalyptic Nihilism," by Chip Berlet) http://www.mille.org (Center for Millennialist Studies) (A M E R I C A N A T H E I S T S #976 11/8/01 via DXLD) ** U S A. WWCR splattering: Hey Glenn, Recall I wrote you about the above splattering. Well, several days later it didn't do it anymore; been running clean ever since (Tony Sudney, MI, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. March 4, 2002, 1:12PM SORTING OUT THE STATIC : CONTROVERSY CONTINUES AS TRADITION COLLIDES WITH QUEST FOR NEW LISTENERS AT KPFT, By CLIFFORD PUGH, Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle BEFORE taking over as the general manager of radio station KPFT (90.1 FM), Duane Bradley likened the prospect to "dipping myself into a vat of honey and jumping into an ant bed." After two weeks on the job, he remarked, "It's been said that no good deed goes unpunished, and this is one of those situations." If his good deed helps save Houston's progressive community radio station, his punishment will be figuring out, amidst a clamorous debate, just who needs it most and loves it best.... http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/ae/zest/1276481 (Houston Chronicle via Artie Bigley, Mike Cooper, DXLD) Feb. 28, 2002, 2:03PM WHAT'S ON AT KPFT [+webcast] Here is a sampling of KPFT's eclectic offerings [Central = UT-6]: Blues Brunch -- Nuri Nuri, who calls himself Houston's "big bad boss man of the blues," spins blues favorites. Noon-3 p.m. Sundays. Democracy Now! -- The signature show from Pacifica, hosted by Amy Goodman, tackles topics seldom covered by the mainstream media, such as casualties of the U.S. bombing in Afghanistan. 9-10 a.m. weekdays. Nuestra Palabra -- Latino writers have their say in a weekly show hosted by Tony Díaz. 9-10 p.m. Tuesdays. Open Journal -- The newest show signals a return to the station's activist roots, with newsmaker interviews, speeches and panel discussions. Noon-1 p.m. weekdays. Pe-Te's Cajun Bandstand -- Les Johnson, a.k.a. Pe-Te, and friends play lively Cajun music and talk about Cajun culture and events. 6-9 a.m. Saturdays. Queer Voices -- Jack Valinski, Jone Devlin and Glenn Holt feature news, interviews and discussions aimed at Houston's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. 8-10 p.m. Mondays. Roark in the Afternoon -- Roark Smith fled commercial radio for the freedom to play a mix of classic rock, blues, folk and alternative country. 3-6 p.m. weekdays. SpareChange -- Larry Winters presents acoustic Texas music and gently caustic commentary. Noon-3 p.m. Saturdays. Technology Bytes -- Self-described computer geeks Jay Lee and Peter Hughes host a live call-in show. 8-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays. This American Life -- Pure storytelling at its best, this Public Radio International show explores quirky subjects such as the kindness of strangers and baby-sitting. 8-9 p.m. Fridays. The Prison Show -- Ray Hill and several co-hosts focus on issues in the Texas prison system. Poignant calls from family members of inmates are riveting. 9-10:30 p.m. Fridays. A complete program guide is available at http://www.kpft.org This article is: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/ae/zest/1275834 (sidebar to above article, via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. March 5, 2002 NETWORK NEWS IS STILL SERIOUS BUSINESS By TED KOPPEL WASHINGTON -- I have to confess to a slightly perverse satisfaction at the outpouring of warm and generous support that my "Nightline" colleagues and I have received since news reports that our employers at ABC are negotiating with David Letterman to take over the time slot we currently occupy. The eulogies have been wonderful, but premature. "Nightline" (or some program with a striking similarity to "Nightline") ought to have a place in television's expanding universe, and I am confident that it will. I continue to hope that it will be at ABC, but that decision is beyond our control.... http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/05/opinion/05KOPP.html?ex=1016345334&ei=1&en=17c0d5dcf8139ea9 (NY Times March 5 via Richard Cuff, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. WHAT WAS HIS LINE? FUNNY. Radio: Fred Allen, who wasn't able to transfer his success to TV, nevertheless influenced the comic styles of many. Proof of his staying power: a sold-out Paley tribute http://www.latimes.com/templates/misc/printstory.jsp?slug=la%2D000016114mar04 (Los Angeles Times Mar 4 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) See also: http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Calendar-X!ArticleDetail-52645,00.html (via Chet Copeland, NY, DXLD) ** U S A. WJR SPECIALS MARK 80TH ANNIVERSARY --- March 5, 2002 Longtime WJR-AM (760) host Mike Whorf ("Kaleidoscope," "Patterns in Music") has created two-hour specials airing 7-9 a.m. Sundays through April 28 to mark the station's 80th anniversary... http://www.freepress.com/entertainment/namesandfaces/namesd5_20020305.htm (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) We appreciate all of the feedback we've received relating to the absence of our audio-streaming. It's nice to know that many of you miss the steaming audio and anxiously await its return. We agree! Rest assured, the streaming will return to the WJR web site once we have overcome a few final hurdles relating to licensing agreements and other mandated regulations. Meantime, with a signal as strong as WJR's, never under-estimate your ability to pick us up on a nearby radio (Steve Stewart, WJR Operations Manager from http://www.wjr.com as of March 5 via DXLD) ** U S A. [A Letter from LA to The Twin Cities' The Rake: The author interviewed for job at David Brancaccio's Marketplace -Chet Copeland] MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S BILL KLING: "PUBLIC RADIO'S DARTH VADER?" © Rake Publishing, Inc. | http://www.rakemag.com Letter from LA: What is MPR doing in Los Angeles, anyway? [March 2002] Erm... I mean, Do you take cream in your coffee, Mr. Brancaccio? by Tim Cavanaugh If you think Walter Mondale's presidential campaign was the last time Minnesotans were considered a threat to their fellow Americans, guess again. According to fans of public radio here in California the Gopher State, and in particular Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Kling, are squandering one of our most precious intellectual resources. "The daily advertisement for the wonders of corporate socialism called 'Marketplace'" is how Salon's Lorenzo Milam described the Los Angeles- based program MPR purchased in 2000. "Minnesota belongs in Minnesota, not in Los Angeles," the owner of a Santa Monica public radio station famously complained. "I view Bill Kling as a barracuda in the public- radio waters," a Pasadena academic said in an article that labeled Kling "Public Radio's Darth Vader." When elephants fight, the grass suffers. My own work history has played out entirely in the private sector, so I had barely an inkling that an innocent (if unnecessarily grueling) series of job interviews at "Marketplace" would be a window on an ugly clash of cultures. Sure, the occupation in question --- webmaster and official excitement-generator for the program's deadly dull web site --- didn't look like anybody's dream job. With a sense of design worthy of the DMV, Marketplace.org attracts about 2,500 page views per week. That's fewer than any schoolboy can generate by posting a few dozen J.Lo scans on his home page. The radio show, by contrast, attracts four million listeners each week. MPR wanted my expertise in figuring out how to leverage those numbers. For my part, I did my best to reflect what seemed to be a popular feeling around the office-that "Marketplace" host David Brancaccio is a colossal genius whose shoes I was unfit to carry. (But by God I'd try!) All the nasty stereotypes about Minnesotans --- the slow-talking, mind-numbing mannerisms, the blandly liberal, vitamin-enriched mindset-were on shocking display among these Angeleños, who seemed worried that North Star Corporate was encroaching on their wild and crazy party. Hired out of the Minnesota office, I would always be an alien presence. Worse still, job details from my Twin Cities-based supervisor hinted at a dark future as a Pacific-coast mole for my Midwestern overlords. No wonder the radio people viewed me with contempt and loathing (beyond the fact that I happen to be loathesome and contemptible, that is). In the end, though, they went with some other candidate, one who already lived in L.A. Was it a victory for Brancaccio's holdouts? An olive branch from Minnesota to the City of the Angels? I'll never know. Around the "Marketplace" office, it's hard enough to find a pulse, let alone a telling display of emotion. Perhaps this place really is an outpost of Lutheranism worthy of its Minnesota landlords. I've kept tabs on Marketplace.org since getting rejected, however, which furnishes this story's one bright spot: In the months since my rival was hired, the site hasn't changed a pixel.... MORE (from The Rake) http://www.rakemag.com/angle/detail.asp?catID=40&itemID=96 (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. It was a very good morning to hear AFRTS today - at 0800, 3903 was a good clear signal - and there are still traces of it at 0945 - and it was // loud 6458.5. There were also signals on 6350 12689 and 13362 which were tentatively in //, but all were suffering various degrees of UTE QRM. 4278.5 was tentatively heard under a loud UTE. There was no signal audible from the Diego García frequency 12579 (I didn`t check the lower one). I think every indication is that 3903 is Iceland. I`m not sure that I agree with Andy Sennitt`s e-mail message - viz: ``The frequency suggests that a radio ham on staff may have set up the service using a ham band transmitter. Since it's unofficial, and probably unauthorised, you may have a hard time getting anyone to admit to it.`` It sounds a bit better than a ham band transmitter, although there was a problem with the audio feed. According to the current WRTH, AFRTS Keflavik 1530 carries AFRTS (network?) programmes, while FM mainly has own programmes, so a ready feed to 3903 exists. The only "problem" I have with the use of 3903 is the daytime range likely to be achieved - not much better than 1530. Unless, of course, the frequency is changed upwards during daytime (Noel R. Green, England, March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In response to the HCDX posting: "I think it is Keflavík because it is still audible at 0730. Unfortunately The Broadcast Operation Specialist" doesn't seem to be aware of such an operation." The AFN Broadcast Operation Specialist is anything but!!! He is NOT a reliable source of information. Disregard information from him; he does not have up to date info at his disposal. I can attest to this from my own experience. Unknown QTH, 3903U, AFN, 0647-0900, Mar 4. Received here in S.E. USA with overall fair signal, but audio kept dropping out, due to tech problem. Also, signal strength was highly variable independent of fading. Feed was // both 6350 USB and 6458.5 USB, with about a half second delay. Signal first noted around 0647, increased in strength after 0700, continued at the same level till well after 0800, down to weak level by 0900, or about 20 minutes after RUV Iceland on 189 kHz LW faded out. Signal enhancement and fade at those times is consistent with Iceland (Keflavik) QTH for this time of year (David Hodgson, Nashville TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Observations show that at my location 3903 fades out between 0800 and 0830 and gradually becomes audible from about 1700. This again confirms a location to the west from here. Under undisturbed reception conditions the signal is rather good, but it still suffers from very frequent and annoying dropouts. 73 (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. WDHP 1620 from the Virgin Islands is in very well with southern Gospel music at 8:35 - 8:55 PM CST, in EE with an ID every 10 minutes or so. They we also in well on Friday evening at the same time with Caribbean style music. This is a Golden opportunity is catch this station while frequency is still open in parts of the country. Randy Stewart in Missouri reported earlier that he caught them yesterday. If you are away from WTAW or can null them give WDHP a try. Using R8A and Quantum loop (Tom Jasinski, Shorewood, Illinois, March 3, IRCA via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. The media situation in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe has deteriorated further in the run-up to presidential elections. This dossier will put media developments into perspective. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/zimbabwe.html (Media Network Mar 5 via DXLD ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Gerry Jackson, Station Manager of SW Radio Africa, is speaking at the AIB Global Media Business Conference [London] in April – full details on line at http://www.aib.org.uk/conf_home.html (AIB International Broadcasting Newsletter, March 5 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Nothing heard on 6715 over the weekend, but there is now a very loud digital UTE on about 6712 which will make reception here difficult (Noel R. Green, England, March 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-036, March 3, 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 #1120: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.html NEXT AIRING on WWCR: Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815 UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL To whom it may concern I am a licensed amateur radio operator and avid short-wave listener for the past 25 years. However I am a relative new comer too the world of digital satellite communications and WRN. So it gave me great pleasure to tune in to "world of radio" on Saturday 1st March 2002 and listen to a quality programme on amateur radio and short wave listening. I look forward to your next broadcast and hopefully one day also contribute towards the programme. 73's (Gary Barlow (ZS6GB), Messina, South Africa, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. KANDAHAR TV STRUGGLES TO TAKE TO THE AIRWAVES By Andrew Marshall KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 1 (Reuters) - The launch of Kandahar's new television station this week was not a resounding success -- the signal was so poor the Afghan musicians shown in the first broadcast looked like grainy, quivering ghosts. "All our television equipment is Russian and more than 20 years old. It hasn't been used for years, because it was banned by the Taliban. To be honest, it doesn't really work," said Abdul Ali, head of radio and television in the southern city. "We don't have many programmes to show either, because almost all of our archives were destroyed by the Taliban. But we are working on it, and God willing, we will succeed." Test broadcasts began on Thursday, with an hour of Afghan music due to be broadcast every evening between seven and eight. But technicians have so far been unable to improve the signal and get the station working properly. "Our plan is to broadcast for two hours every evening -- news, music, health and education programmes and community announcements," Ali told Reuters. "But we can't do that until we can make the signal better. At the moment it's terrible." The Taliban, who took control of Kandahar in 1994, forbade television in line with their Islamic ban on representations of the human form. The new Kandahar administration is keen to get the station running again. It will have to compete with the scores of satellite channels that can be received by residents who have bought dishes. Thousands have been sold since the Taliban fell and they can receive programmes from all over the world -- everything from news to drama to pornography. UPHILL STRUGGLE Ali acknowledges he has an uphill struggle. "There were around 1,400 tapes in our archives, with programmes that had been made in Kabul before the Taliban, dramas and cultural shows and so on," he said. "But the Taliban burned most of them. We only have about 100 left." Presenters are being recruited, and although almost all women in conservative southern Afghanistan still wear the all-enveloping burqa head-to-toe veil, women on air will wear a headscarf and their faces will be visible. "Before the Taliban times, three women worked for Kandahar television," Ali said. "We have asked them to come back, but only one is available." The local government hopes to use television to educate the region's population on the benefits of education, on basic healthcare and to warn against the dangers of drugs. Local radio is already performing this function, broadcasting for five hours a day. Music is played, unlike in Taliban times, and listeners from across southern Afghanistan can send in requests which are read out on air. But most of the airtime is taken up with announcements on health and education. "Radio and television are our best ways of reaching the people," Ali said. "But it will take a long time before we can do it properly." In the capital Kabul, local television flickered back to life in November within days of the Taliban fleeing for their lives from advancing Northern Alliance forces. The station now broadcasts interviews, round-table discussions, music and news in Pashtun and Dari and features female presenters wearing headscarfs. And like Kandahar, sellers of satellite dishes and decoders have been doing brisk business now that the killjoy Taliban have been vanquished. REUTERS (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. RATINGS KING IN KABUL, THE GOVERNMENT-RUN STATION IS THE ONLY GAME AROUND By Teresa Wiltz, Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, March 3, 2002; Page F01 KABUL, Afghanistan -- Perhaps it's the bombed-out satellite dish. Maybe it's the four gunmen guarding the entrance. Or maybe it's the crone in the back room conducting body searches on female visitors. They do things differently at Kabul TV, Afghanistan's one and only television station. Of course, they do things differently in the entire country. But Westerners tend to think of television as a modernizing medium through which disparate cultures can understand each other. Here, those expectations would be wrong.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A18993-2002Feb28?language=printer (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Interesantes archivos de audio (se requiere Windows Media Player) en http://www.tiflolibros.com.ar/Sonido/historradio.htm TIFLOLIBROS --- Libros digitalizados para ciegos Primera Biblioteca Digital para Ciegos de Habla Hispana Eduardo Aliverti - Historia de la radio Argentina: Los años 20 -- 6.04 min Eduardo Aliverti - Historia de la radio argentina: los años 30 -- 15.12 min Eduardo Aliverti - Historia de la radio argentina: Sobre "La guerra de los mundos" Eduardo Aliverti - Historia de la radio argentina: los años 40 (via Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo - Uruguay, Mar 2, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. 15270, Voice of Armenia, Gavar, in German at 0850 March 3, with intro, then into news and features, fair-good. This frequency is heard Sundays only and has English at 0910-0930 (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Increasing investor interest in buying radio spectrum and transmitter sites was confirmed with the sale of 578 transmitter sites to Macquarie Bank last week. NTL, whose network covers 98% of the Australian population, was sold to Macquarie for 850 million dollars. The transmitter sites collectively earn 50 million dollars annually. Macquarie plans to include them in its planned communications infrastructure fund. Investment analysts say that the long-term income-oriented nature of these assets would make transmitter sites most attractive to older investors seeking a retirement income (Weekend Australian/AMT - APC News via David Onley, March 3, ARDXC via DXLD) ** CANADA 6030, 1623-, CFVP Calgary Mar 2. Fair signal under a Chinese speaker (?VOA or CNR) with the Garden show (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 6025.65, 0333-0300*, R. Amanecer International, Mar 2. Tentative logging with low level Spanish talk and EZL music. An exceptionally difficult target with terrible splatter from Martí and jammers on 6030. Best audio using USB, however, no AGC, gain at 50%, and PBS at -0.7 kHz on my 7030+. Sounded like a choral anthem at 0358, but talk by OM continued past TOH (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. INDOTEL DISPONE DESMANTELAR RADIO TRICOLOR El Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones (INDOTEL) dispuso el desmantelamiento de las instalaciones de la emisora Radio Tricolor que operaba en la frecuencia 1410 en amplitud modulada (AM), por cometer faltas graves contra la Ley 153-98, que faculta a ese organismo a ordenar los cambios de ubicación o de características técnicas de las estaciones radioeléctricas. El INDOTEL tomó la decisión en atención a una denuncia hecha el nueve de noviembre del 2001, sobre la existencia de una antena que representaba peligro para los moradores adyacentes al área donde estaba ésta ubicada, en la calle Ramón Marrero Aristy, número 51 del ensanche Osama. Mediante la resolución 004-02, INDOTEL ordenó a los propietarios de Radio Tricolor la reubicación de los equipos de transmisión en Villa Mella. Según INDOLTEL, el nueve de noviembre del 2001, el Centro de Asistencia a los Usuarios de Servicios Públicos de Telecomunicaciones recibió una denuncia sobre el peligro que representaba una antena que la citada emisora había colocado en la calle Ramón Marrero Aristy, número 51 del ensanche Ozama. El INDOTEL dijo que los técnicos de ese organismo se trasladaron al citado lugar y determinaron que la antena representaba peligro para los moradores adyacentes al área. Uno de los considerandos de la resolución del INDOTEL dice que anteriormente, la estación de Radio Tricolor se encontraba ubicada en Villa Mella y que fue trasladada a la calle Ramón Marrero Aristy, número 51 del ensanche Ozama, sin que sus propietarios hicieran una solicitud previa a ese organismo, que es el que regula los cambios y traslados. Otro de los considerandos de la resolución del INDOTEL dice que: "la torre antena de dicha estación tiene una altura de 150 pies aproximadamente y el espacio donde se encuentra no permite que se instalen los vientos con los parámetros técnicos requeridos, por lo que no presenta ningún tipo de seguridad para el área adyacente, que es una zona residencial densamente poblada. En su resolución, el INDOTEL solicitó la participación del Ministerio Público para que haga cumplir la decisión de desmantelamiento y rehubicación de la citada emisora *Publicado en el Periódico Dominicano "El Nacional" el 2 Marzo 2002 (via Dino Bloisse, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Subject: [SWL] Forget Radio France Today I received a letter from Radio France International. After one year, three reception reports each containing 3 IRC and failed e-mail attempts, I got a reply. I was thrilled. Then I opened it up. Those yucks had the audacity to send me reception report forms, a sticker and a pamphlet in French! There was a letter explaining they get a lot of mail and they could not answer all of it, but they did read every single one of them. Why would anyone want to spend money sending them reception reports when they are too cheap to even acknowledge reception of their station? They sure as heck kept the 9 IRC coupons I sent them! At least Radio Japan had the courtesy to return the extra ones they did not need for return postage. The 'ONLY' station to ever do this, by the way. So as far as I am concerned, save your postage and IRC coupons, green stamps or hard cash on both Radio France International and Radio Budapest. Neither one answers their e-mail, at least not mine, and neither one bothers to verify, or even acknowledge, reception reports. Yet both send out reception report forms! No wonder the short-wave stations are going off the air. If I spoke French, I would send them a note suggesting that a plague of Grape Beetles was going to suck their vineyards drier than Alpine Goat bones baked in the scorching Sun for fifty years (Duane Fischer, W8DBF, MI, March 2, swl QTH list via DXLD) Duane moans because RFI didn't send a QSL. He'll show them, he says. Forget sending either them or any other that doesn't QSL promptly any indication that you've heard them. Look at it from their perspective. Their ranks grow ever smaller as nation after nation looks at its growing demands for shrinking bank accounts and wonders if talking to the world is worth it. Especially when it doesn't anymore appear to do any good to let people know who you are and what you value. I'm on their side, Duane. Let them know you're listening. Don't expect them to do any more than stay on the air in this age of changing priorities (Vern Modeland, Listening in the Arkansas Ozarks, ibid.) Vern, Then let them pay the postage OM! I am tired of wasting money on stations that ignore your existence. If they cared, they could at least reply by e-mail. A simple "Thank You", anything is better than silence. I have been mailing RFI for over a year and Radio Budapest for nearly two years. If they cared, then they would reply someway somehow. If they do not care, then why should we? (Duane W8DBF, ibid.) You're missing the point, Duane. The do care. But they no longer can afford to care about individual contact the way they once did. They can only survive if they demonstrate multiple numbers of listeners. We don't recognize that and we quicken losing our window to the real world. And, more`s the pity, so do the countless and likely never counted, peoples of the world to whom a little radio is a year`s biggest investment, but worth it to seek the truth and find something to hope for (Vern M., Listening from the Arkansas Ozarks, USA, ibid.) Being as they already have e-mail, Vern, is it so difficult for them to send out a pre-written brief thank you note? If they demonstrated interest, more of us would care. You can excuse them all you want, but when people send you Christmas cards, and you do not reply, it is not long before you do not receive cards, is it? An e-mail would have cost them far less than a printed pamphlet in French that I can not read (Duane Fischer, swl QTH list via DXLD) ** GERMANY [and non]. Deutsche Welle, Operational Schedule A-02 (Version 1) Source: DW Frequency Management Sorted by language SPRACHEN START ENDE FREQ. STATNAM POWER AZIM. ZIELGEBIET ================================================================= ENGLISH 0000 0100 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 0100 0145 6040 SACKVILLE 250 253 NAM ENGLISH 0100 0145 9640 WERTACHTAL 500 300 N/CAM ENGLISH 0100 0145 11810 ANTIGUA 250 340 NAM ENGLISH 0100 0145 13720 SINES 250 290 N/CAM ENGLISH 0100 0200 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 0100 0200 1548 TRINCOMALE 400 035 SAS ENGLISH 0200 0245 1548 TRINCOMALE 400 035 SAS ENGLISH 0200 0245 11965 TRINCOMALE 250 345 SAS ENGLISH 0200 0245 13720 WERTACHTAL 500 090 SAS ENGLISH 0200 0245 15370 TRINCOMALE 250 025 SAS ENGLISH 0200 0300 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 0300 0345 9535 SACKVILLE 250 277 NAM ENGLISH 0300 0345 9640 ANTIGUA 250 340 NAM ENGLISH 0300 0345 11935 SINES 250 305 N/CAM ENGLISH 0300 0345 15105 BONAIRE 250 320 NAM ENGLISH 0400 0430 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 0400 0445 6180 KIGALI 250 180 AF ENGLISH 0400 0445 7225 KIGALI 250 0ND AF ENGLISH 0400 0445 12045 SINES 250 130 AF ENGLISH 0400 0445 13690 WERTACHTAL 500 150 AF ENGLISH 0400 0500 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 0500 0545 9670 ANTIGUA 250 340 NAM ENGLISH 0500 0545 9785 SINES 250 315 NAM ENGLISH 0500 0545 11985 BONAIRE 250 320 NAM ENGLISH 0500 0600 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 0600 0645 11925 SINES 250 180 WAF ENGLISH 0600 0645 13790 SINES 250 150 AF ENGLISH 0600 0645 17860 WERTACHTAL 500 180 WAF ENGLISH 0600 0700 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 0600 0700 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 0700 0800 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 0800 0900 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 0800 0900 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 0900 0945 6160 ANTIGUA 250 205 OC ENGLISH 0900 0945 9510 ANTIGUA 125 235 OC ENGLISH 0900 0945 9510 ANTIGUA 125 310 N/CAM ENGLISH 0900 0945 12035 KIGALI 250 0ND AF ENGLISH 0900 0945 15410 KIGALI 250 180 AF ENGLISH 0900 0945 15470 IRKUTSK 250 110 FE ENGLISH 0900 0945 17715 KOMSOMOLSK 250 178 SEAS/OC ENGLISH 0900 0945 17770 TRINCOMALE 250 120 SEAS/OC ENGLISH 0900 0945 17800 TALATA VO. 200 245 EAF ENGLISH 0900 0945 17820 TRINCOMALE 250 090 SEAS ENGLISH 0900 0945 21560 KIGALI 250 295 AF ENGLISH 0900 0945 21780 WERTACHTAL 500 165 AF ENGLISH 0900 0945 21790 WERTACHTAL 500 090 SEAS/OC ENGLISH 0900 1000 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 0900 1000 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 1000 1100 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 1100 1145 11785 KIGALI 250 0ND C/EAF ENGLISH 1100 1145 15410 KIGALI 250 180 AF ENGLISH 1100 1145 17860 WERTACHTAL 500 210 AF ENGLISH 1100 1145 21665 KIGALI 250 295 AF ENGLISH 1100 1200 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 1100 1200 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 1100 1200 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 1200 1300 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 1300 1400 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 1400 1500 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 1500 1555 6140 JUELICH 100 130 EUR ENGLISH 1555 1600 6140 WERTACHTAL 125 120 EUR ENGLISH 1600 1630 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 1600 1645 1548 TRINCOMALE 400 035 SAS ENGLISH 1600 1645 6170 TRINCOMALE 250 015 SAS ENGLISH 1600 1645 7225 TRINCOMALE 250 345 SAS ENGLISH 1600 1645 9735 KIGALI 250 0ND AF ENGLISH 1600 1645 11665 KIGALI 250 180 AF ENGLISH 1600 1645 17595 WERTACHTAL 500 090 SAS ENGLISH 1600 1645 21840 NAUEN 500 170 AF ENGLISH 1600 1700 6140 WERTACHTAL 125 120 EUR ENGLISH 1600 1700 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 1700 1800 6140 WERTACHTAL 125 120 EUR ENGLISH 1800 1830 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 1800 1900 6140 WERTACHTAL 125 120 EUR ENGLISH 1900 1945 11805 KIGALI 250 295 WAF ENGLISH 1900 1945 11965 TRINCOMALE 250 240 AF ENGLISH 1900 1945 13720 WERTACHTAL 500 210 WAF ENGLISH 1900 1945 15390 KIGALI 250 280 WAF ENGLISH 1900 1945 17810 TRINCOMALE 250 270 AF ENGLISH 1900 2000 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 2000 2045 6140 WERTACHTAL 500 300 EUR ENGLISH 2000 2100 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 2100 2145 9670 TRINCOMALE 250 120 SEAS/OC ENGLISH 2100 2145 9765 WERTACHTAL 500 090 SEAS/OC ENGLISH 2100 2145 9875 KIGALI 250 295 WAF ENGLISH 2100 2145 11865 WERTACHTAL 500 195 WAF ENGLISH 2100 2145 11915 TRINCOMALE 250 105 SEAS/OC ENGLISH 2100 2145 15135 KIGALI 250 295 WAF/AM ENGLISH 2100 2200 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 2130 2200 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 2200 2300 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 2300 0000 199 DAB BERLIN 001 0ND BLN ENGLISH 2300 0000 96000 KIGALI 002 0ND KIG ENGLISH 2300 2345 9815 WERTACHTAL 500 075 SAS/SEAS ENGLISH 2300 2345 12000 TRINCOMALE 250 090 SAS/SEAS ENGLISH 2300 2345 17560 KOMSOMOLSK 250 213 SAS/SEAS ENGLISH 2300 2345 21790 PETROPAVL. 250 247 SAS/SEAS And, DW`s latest language will then be scheduled, daily, or Sun?: ROMANES 1730 1800 7170 WERTACHTAL 500 120 EUR ROMANES 1730 1800 17835 SINES 250 075 EUR ROMANES 1730 1800 88000 PRSTINA 001 0ND KOSOVO (DW via Andreas Volk, Germany, ADDX March 1, 2002 via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Megaradio states that first tests of the new 500 kW transmitter on Burg 1575 (so far running 10 kW only) can be expected within the next days. Contrary to previous information 1575 will run high power for 24 hours. All other own frequencies (576, 630, 693, 738, 1116, 1431) will stay on 24 hours, too, at least for the time being. Next project of Megaradio are outlets at Heidelberg-Dossenheim, Freiburg-Lehen and Ravensburg. Like 738 at Stuttgart-Hirschlanden this will be new frequencies, they are not known/coordinated yet (Michael Fuhr via Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. 11980, 1654-1700*, KSDA GUAM Mar 3. I thought that RNZI had moved here, but caught instead the tail end of Wavescan at this time. Very strong. AWR fanfare at 1658, with Nicosia address, then in English, and invitation to listen to their Farsi service on 41 meters (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. KIFO Pearl City, HI now on 1370 ex 1380 still HPR (Chuck Boehnke, Keaau, Hawaii, March 3, NRC-AM via DXLD) See DXLD 2-022 for what`s gong on here (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. Yesterday I was able to hear All India Radio's 11715 transmitter (beaming to Australia/New Zealand) signing on at 2045, // to 11620 (beamed to Europe) and other frequencies... note the difference in modulation on the two 25 meter channels! 11715 has cleaner modulation while 11620's audio is muffled, sometimes it's difficult to copy an announcer on it (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 3/3/02, AIR TO INTRODUCE 24 HOURS NEWS & INTERNET SERVICE ------------------------------------------------- Mr Tridib Ranjan Malakar, Director General of AIR speaking to media persons in the conference hall of the Silchar center told about the immediate and long term planning of AIR. These, he said, would include improvement in the quality of sound, more slots for entertainment and music, radio-internet service as well as classical songs by talented artistes at the regional & national level. The planning was also for release of cassettes of the best of its archive collections on music and speeches of the 'greats' on commercial basis to augment to revenue of the cash strapped AIR. Besides, the Director General revealed its much touted programme 'festival of music' from important centres would be hooked up with 18 major stations for which sponsors were available. A feature called 'India Calling' for youths, he added, was on the anvil to be surfed on the internet and broadcast on FM channels. As a part of its creativity and innovation, Mr Malakar said AIR with its 198 stations and 310 transmitters was being readied for 24 hour news channel including current affairs programme and from server- bulletin, news on demand now available in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and being extended to other major centres (From 'The Sentinel' newspaper Dated 22nd Jan, Guwahati edition via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA [NON]. Altho it was corrected swiftly in both our text and html archives, some may have received only the original version of DXLD 2-033 where R. Enga, Wabag, was misidentified as an RRI Indonesian, instead of PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Please fix if necessary (gh, DXLD) ** INDONESIA. RRI Jambi on 4925 kHz became inactive again at the end of February (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN, Jembatan DX March 3 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. THE TITANIC WIRELESS COMMEMORATIVE GROUP Global Radio Link-up to Honour Titanic Hero Godalming, Surrey, will be the focus of a world-wide radio link-up on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th April 2002 - the 90th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage to New York and went down with the loss of 1490 lives. The link-up is being organised in co-operation with Guildford & District Radio Society and Godalming Museum by the Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group - a group of local amateur radio enthusiasts - to honour the memory of Jack Phillips, Chief Wireless Telegraphist aboard the Titanic. Born and bred in Godalming, Jack Phillips, 25, stayed at his post sending out distress signals in Morse code to alert other ships - which saved over 700 lives - before he went down with his ship two hours and 40 minutes after it struck the iceberg. The Group plans to set up both a modern short wave station and a replica of the Titanic's Wireless Room in a public building - the Wilfrid Noyce Centre, Crown Court, Godalming - with radio aerials erected on the adjacent sportsfield. From there, many hundreds of radio amateurs world-wide will be contacted using Morse code. The plan is being supported by Waverley Borough Council and Godalming Town Council. The chairman of the Group, Brian Grist, one of the originators of the plan to commemorate Jack Phillips' heroic deed believes that radio amateurs will wish to join in this tribute to Jack's dedication and sacrifice by making contact with this unique radio station using Morse code transmissions. "Morse was Jack Phillips' sole means of alerting rescue vessels to the predicament of the Titanic", says Brian. "Exchanging greetings with radio stations world-wide using the same code will be a fitting tribute to his heroism." Titanic's radio call sign - MGY - will be remembered in the special call sign for the event - GB90MGY - issued to the Group by the UK Radiocommunications Agency. The station will be on-air and manned continuously from 9.30am on Saturday 13th until 6.47am on Monday morning 15th April when the transmitter will fall silent at the exact time in the UK when, ninety years ago, the last distress message went out from the Titanic. The station will be open to visitors from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm on both Saturday and Sunday, 13th and 14th April and admission is free. There is car parking on-site at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre. Members of the Group will be on hand to explain who our experienced Morse operators are in contact with, where they are located in the world, and what is being said. Visitors will have the opportunity to see lots of Titanic memorabilia, early wireless equipment and maps - and even use a Morse key! Introducing the anniversary weekend, Ralph Barrett, broadcasting consultant, will attend the Borough Hall, Godalming, on Friday 12th April, to give an illustrated presentation entitled: "Titanic and the Wireless SOS", which will include a new and more accurate perspective of the tragic events. The talk will feature sound recordings made by Titanic survivors which have never been publicly heard in Britain before. Ralph's presentation will begin at 7.30 pm. Tickets £3.00 from Godalming Museum, address below. Complementing the special event station, there will be an important exhibition at Godalming Museum from Tuesday 12th March to Saturday 25th May which will describe the Titanic disaster and Jack's heroic efforts in detail. The museum is open Tuesdays to Saturdays and admission is free. For further information, please contact: Titanic Wireless Commemorative Group: Michael Shortland (G0EFO): Tel +44 (0)1483 574996; msa-consult@dial.pipex.com Godalming Museum: 109a High Street, Godalming, Surrey +44 (0) 1483 426510 museum@godalming.ndo.co.uk Derek Watson, Museum Publicity Officer: Tel +44 (0)1483 414673 Click here for "The Jack Phillips Story" - The operators, the radio room, the dramatic messages and the ice warning which might have saved the ship GB90MGY - information for Radio Amateurs and Short Wave Listeners: Click here for technical details, bands, frequencies, QSL information and list of sponsors (from http://www.gdrs.net/titanic via Bill Smith, TX, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. CLANDESTINE (FRANCE TO IRAN) 17525, 1628-, Sedeye Iran Mar 3. Already beginning s/on announcements at 1628:30, then into vocal revolutionary sounding anthem, and then mentions of kHz. Water drop jamming faintly heard underneath. Strong signal. When rechecked at 1653, 15690 via Moldova is in parallel, but only weak under the same loud jammer (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. 4085 kHz - 2110 UT - Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan OM giving speech to crowd in Arabic type language - crowd cheering and chanting louder and louder as speech went along. OM gave two references to Kurdistan. After speech they played a little MX and then YL announcer came on. I checked back after an hour or so and they had signed off. Signal was quite good with very strong audio but did have static and a bit of fading. SIO 433 (Vernon Matheson, Trepassey, Newfoundland, Kenwood TS450s/at, 500 foot longwire, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Presumed? ** MADAGASCAR. Radio and television have been off the air this week MADAGASCAR'S CAPITAL DEFIES MARTIAL LAW VOA News 2 Mar 2002 18:01 UT, Antananarivo, Saturday March 2 Residents of Madagascar's capital have defied martial law to show support for self-proclaimed president Marc Ravalomanana. Tens of thousands of people gathered in Antananarivo's main square (Saturday) to see Mr. Ravalomanana's prime minister, Jacques Sylla, present what he calls his government. Mr. Ravalomanana, who named the ministers Friday, did not attend the ceremony. Opposition rallies have continued in defiance of the martial law proclaimed Thursday by internationally- recognized President Didier Ratsiraka. The military governor of Antananarivo said Saturday the armed forces have not tried to enforce the president's order so far because the people have no knowledge of the martial law decision. He said the flow of information has been impeded because radio and television have been off the air this week. Mr. Ravalomanana, the capital's mayor, declared himself head of state February 22. The opposition leader says he beat Mr. Ratsiraka in the December presidential election and refuses to take part in a runoff scheduled for March 24. However, the country's supreme court says Mr. Ravalomanana did not receive the 50 percent needed to win and insists the runoff must be held. Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters (via Mike Terry, DXLD) AFAIK, R. Nederland`s relay station here has not been affected by political strife in the country, and this is not the first instance; perhaps it maintains a very low profile. But it wouldn`t hurt to spot check some of their scheduled transmissions. Unlike DW in Rwanda, and other instances, this relay station has never been involved in carrying the host government`s broadcasts (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Pirate - Alfa Lima International in Netherlands 15070 AM 0041-0102, 0135-0140 UT English; rock & rap music. Lady emcee - no copy. But clear ID by man at 0135 with address, then more rock. SINPO 24332. Big surprise on WCNA - more power ? (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion OR, Mar 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15069.7, 2324-, Alfa Lima International Mar 2. Very weak signal, in the clear, with ALI ID at 2327 following usual technopops. Prolonged talking at BOH, with frequent mentions of Alfa Lima International, 19m band, etc. Not the strongest I've heard them, but not too bad of a signal, nonetheless. Rechecked at 0100. A nice S5 to S7 signal. This is about as good as I ever hear them. Well done, Alfred! Suddenly off at 0222 during music. Still at about S5 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Hi Glenn, It is very unlikely that RNZI's power outages were caused by lack of power. Back in September-October, storage lake levels for hydro electricity generation were severely affected by low rainfall from the previous seasons and we were warned that if voluntary power savings weren't achieved, we "may" face outages. I would guess that 90% of NZ's power generation capacity is hydro so the effects of the drought were very serious. Fortunately, Mother Nature dumped heavy rainfalls over the country for a prolonged period (it wasn't much of a summer!) and fears of power outages are nil now that the storage capacity of the hydro lakes is back to normal levels. In fact, living in a rural area in what has for years been drought- prone, I haven't seen it as green in the middle of summer for years... Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, NZ, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see GUAM ** OMAN. 15355, 0257-, R. OMAN, Mar 3. Arabic music, into National Anthem played by military band, then into English with time check for 0700 AM. Fair reception, best in LSB (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [non]. Hi Glenn, last night I remembered to check 7125: Simply nothing after 0000 [UT Sun Mar 3]; Grigoriopol` came up with open carrier not earlier than around 0045 for scheduled Voice of Russia from 0100. By the way, Radio Center was already on shortwave around 1993/1994 for some time, like other commercial stations in Russia then. Do you remember Radio Ala? Back in 1992/1993 when Radio Ala was on air I had no shortwave radio yet (I was told that Radio Ala used up to 20 transmitters simultaneously) but they were also on 1386 daily from 10 PM through the night, running full 2500 kW to Germany, resulting in an enormous signal strength and local-like reception. I still remember the creaky chair of the news announcers... At present I am somewhat absorbed by the opportunities offered by my new ADSL connection, like listening to BBC Radio 1 as I do right now. Unbelievable; I just started to fully realize how poor German radio is (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Mar 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.94, 1615-, R. Solomon Islands, Mar 2. Surprising reception, still, with BBC sports news. Some splatter from dirty Chinese tx on 5030. About an S5 signal (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. 6055 AM, 0535-0600 Mar 3 English. Feature on cities and palaces; "Radio Waves" interesting DX info. Begging for reports/comments. SINPO 43333 (Bill Flynn, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SPAIN. Amigo Glen[n], una estación de radioaficionados especial, EG5PTA, emitirá los días 9,10, 16 y 17 de marzo para celebrar la DESPEDIDA DE LA PESETA, la moneda española. Estará activa en todas las bandas, 10, 12, 15, 17, 0, 30, 40 y 80 m. Tanto en CW como en SSB. Se enviará una QSL conmemorativa del adiós a la peseta. QSL manager EA5ELT, vía asociación (Vicent Marí, EA5FHU, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UNITED KINGDOM. Re DXLD 2-035. The BBC LDN multi platform idea is an interesting one but the question must be asked as to why it has been introduced on probably the BBC's only unsuccessful station. GLR [Greater London Radio] had a format which earned praise at last year`s Radio Academy Manchester conference from Tessa Jowell who described it as "distinctive" and "listenable", the sort of format a public service broadcaster should be developing, in my opinion. However the station suffered from a non existent publicity budget. With little consultation with the public, the daytime format was revamped, whilst keeping the specialist music format of evening broadcasts. Despite continuing publicity campaigns the audience figures went from a weekly reach of 404,000 for GLR to 355,000 for London Live. The figures for BBC LDN are even worse, in a quarter where radio audiences generally increased, particularly for speech and news based formats post September 11th, and despite constant publicity on television, BBC LDN`s weekly reach was 322,000 and audience share just 0.7%, one of London`s least listened to stations, equal in audience share were the AM station Premier Christian Radio. More information at the website: http://londumblive.com London's newest radio station - LDN - was relaunched in October 2001 from the ashes of London Live. Even though London Live's daily diet of boring chat and phone-ins failed - the new station is continuing with the same formula. Many people have complained that the BBC has DUMBED DOWN its London service in a bid to increase audience share and have called for 94.9 FM to return to being an intelligent, witty and informed station, focusing on the capital's rich cultural and musical life. This website campaigns for the BBC to give the most vibrant and creative capital in the world the radio station it deserves! (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, March 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC NEWS BROADCASTS SAVED BY UNLIKELY COLLECTOR MONTREAL PROFESSOR TAPED 15 YEARS OF WORLD SERVICE Adrian Humphreys, National Post, March 2 http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20020302/215013.html The recently unveiled obsessive hobby of a dead Canadian professor who recorded almost every daily broadcast of the BBC World Service for more than 15 years has salvaged a remarkable output of world news that had largely been lost. Denis Diniacopoulos, a former professor in communications at Montreal's Concordia University, made a habit of tuning his short-wave radio to the daily reports from the renowned international news desk of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and then placing the microphone of his reel-to-reel tape recorder next to the speaker. The Watergate scandal that brought down U.S. president Richard Nixon, the end of the Vietnam War, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the scuffle over the Falkland Islands and innumerable other world events taking place during a period of rapid change and development were captured in more than 9,000 hours of audio tape. Prof. Diniacopoulos methodically recorded the date and time of each broadcast, sometimes several reports in one day, from 1970 to 1986. Surprisingly, however, despite the popularity of the broadcasts on the world stage, not many of them were otherwise saved for posterity. Even the BBC did not retain copies of its broadcasts. When Prof. Diniacopoulos died in 1997, the vast collection was passed to his mother, Olga, who also recently died. The dusty collection of deteriorating tapes was then donated to Concordia's Communications Studies, where its importance was recognized by a team that has embarked on an admirable salvage operation. After negotiations with the BBC, a recovery project to make the works available for researchers, but not for public broadcast, was launched. On Nov. 1, 2000, four reel-to-reel machines were hooked up to four high-end computers, and the tapes started to be systematically digitized and stored on CD-ROM. About 32 hours of tape a day are being transferred under an agreement between the university and the BBC that will allow the collection to be used for research purposes. The last tape is expected to spin off this fall. "It is the only known collection of its type that exists. Even the BBC hasn't kept copies or tapes of its own programming," said Roger des Ormeaux, technical supervisor for the project. "On 1/4-inch magnetic tape, its shelf life is already in danger. Many of these tapes are showing signs of deterioration. "It seemed to have been a personal interest. For a lot of people of his generation, who arrived here after the war, the BBC was a staple as far as finding out what was going on internationally," said Mr. des Ormeaux. "He was very meticulous. Over 90% of them are identified at the beginning of each side of each reel and in between with his voice, saying things like: 'Side A, Nov. 12, 1975, 12 p.m.' And you hear his voice very clearly, and then when the broadcast begins it sounds like it comes from across the universe. Those are the problems related to short-wave broadcasting." Despite the interest in his collection, there is little known about Prof. Diniacopoulos. Why he was so obsessive about capturing the BBC and why he ended his personal project a decade before his death remains a mystery, said Mr. des Ormeaux. "This was not something that was left behind, and nobody is privy to the recordings themselves who can tell us much about them." (via Robert Ellis, CIDX, via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) ** U S A. TIME MACHINE REVOLUTIONIZES TV February 18, 2002, BY DAVID BAUDER NEW YORK -- It's called a Time Machine, and the television industry only wishes it was as benign as the device that sent Michael J. Fox back to the future. Instead, the new box that can warp TV time is making many people grumble, while others see only dollar signs. Invented by Bill Hendershot, an engineer from San Jose, Calif., the Time Machine enables television stations to compress their programs to fit in more commercials. It works by going through these programs frame-by-frame, and when two identical frames appear side-by-side, one is removed. This can usually be done enough in a 22-minute program (the actual length of most sitcoms without commercials), to add 30 seconds of time. Viewers are none the wiser, said Hendershot, president of Prime Image Inc. ''It is so good, that you can take the original artists and directors who made the piece and they cannot tell the difference,'' he said. He's sold about 100 Time Machines to television stations across the United States. They cost $93,000 each. If a station uses it two or three times a day--Hendershot warns against overuse-- the machine would pay for itself through additional advertising revenue in two months, he said. ''There's never, ever been a single unit returned, not for any reason,'' he said. The Time Machine's existence might have gone unnoticed by the public if it hadn't been for a reporter who was covering a Pittsburgh Steelers football game last October. He noticed that the game in front of him on the field didn't match the game being broadcast on KDKA, the CBS-owned station. KDKA got in trouble with CBS network executives, since the NFL limits the number of commercials that can be shown during games. Beyond that, the Time Machine has so troubled the American Association of Advertising Agencies that it has started an investigation into how widely it's being used. If stations can use the Time Machine to compress the programs, they could shorten the commercials, too, said Kathy Crawford, executive vice president of the ad firm Initiative Media. Advertisers that pay for a 30-second commercial better be getting 30 seconds, not 29, she said. Hendershot said stations don't use the machine to cut commercials (AP, Chicago Sun Times Feb 18 via William T. Hassig, via DXLD) WBBM-TV ch. 2 had been using this during the ``60 Minutes`` program to add 30 seconds of ads to each of the 3 segments of that program. Each segment would start 30 sec behind channel 22 in South Bend or ch 3 in western Michigan. They would be only 2 sec behind at the end of the segment. It made the ticking watch sound funny (I can no longer DX channel 3 [due to WBBM-DT -gh]). WLS-AM 890 uses an audio version to add 60 seconds of ads to each segment of the Art Bell Show. You can hear it, compared to WTAM 1100 and other stations. WBEZ 91.5 FM delays the 2-hour ``Whaddya Know`` program by 1 hour with a similar device so they can run ``Wait2 Don`t Tell Me`` live at 10 am Saturday. ``Whaddya Know`` is not time compressed; it runs the full 2 hours (William T. Hassig, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. It appears that The Program Formerly Known as Communications World retains some of the timeslots of CW itself, not only on VOA. It`s on WRN1 NAm Sunday March 3 at 1500, and I believe it (or was it last week`s) was on WWCR UT Sun 0300 on 5070. Also, what will become of the Greenville SSB `tests` using CW as an excuse? Still there, Sun Mar 3 at 1405 check on 18275 USB and LSB, as I briefly heard Dubya`s speech on checks. This gives affiliates most of the rest of March, if needed, to decide how to fill the vacuum (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In the spot formerly occupied by Communications World, WRN1 carried the first of Kim Elliott's shows airing in the old CW slot on VOA (Mike Cooper, Mar 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noted here too, but nothing on 15725 where WRMI used to relay, Sun Mar 3 1500 UT. Does this show have a name of its own?? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Re: ``How can Jeff White live with himself, allowing such garbage to be broadcast on his station?`` Pastor John Lewis has been claiming for several months now that the "reprobates" comprising the US Government are responsible the World Trade Center tragedies, on his thrice-weekly broadcast on WGTG/WWFV/WWRB (usually M/Tu/F on 6890//5085 at 0100). I've long wondered how Dave Franz and company can live with themselves, allowing such reprehensible material to waste valuable bandwidth in the HF band. With best regards, (Larry Will, Mount Airy, Maryland, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Last we heard, WNYC-AM and FM were going to re-split into separate programming first of March, but now the website says this is not expected to happen until April; also: ``We made a decision at that point, though, to see through a six-month commitment to intensive news coverage around September 11th and will round that out with a special news documentary series, SIX MONTHS: Rebuilding Our City, Rebuilding Ourselves, to be broadcast March 4- 11th.`` 3.4 - 3.10.02 Six Months: Rebuilding Our City, Rebuilding Ourselves is a major WNYC- commissioned documentary series. The documentaries are a series of five, one-hour programs that focus on the indelible effects of the World Trade Center disaster as they relate to the lives of all New Yorkers. Beyond the documentaries, the collective talent of WNYC's editorial staff is collaborating on the larger Six Months project, which will include related programming across the WNYC schedule. Six Months will be broadcast on both WNYC-AM and WNYC-FM this week, March 4-11, 2002, in the week leading up to the six-month anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks. Each day that we move beyond the events of September 11th new issues, fears, wisdom, and challenges arise. Six Months will help us to see where we are today and to set our vision to the months ahead. ON THE AIR: March 4-8, 2 and 7 pm (EST) [1900 and 2400 UT] Mon Mar 4: Rebuilding Lower Manhattan: "Missing something that was there yesterday." Tue Mar 5: Immigration and Identity: "This was my city, too." Wed Mar 6: The Economic Aftermath: "Holding On" Thu Mar 7: The Psychology of the City: "A different atmosphere altogether." Fri Mar 8: Our Sense of Security: "It was a beautiful day ... just another day" Mon-Fri Mar 4-8: Each day, Brian Lehrer will focus on the topics covered in the Six Months documentaries and will welcome WNYC to comment and discuss the issues at hand. [presumably at his usual time, 10 am - noon = 1500-1700 UT] Sat Mar 9: 24 Hours on the Edge of Ground Zero 11 - 11.30A [1600-1630 UT] The Next Big Thing: The People We Met 11.30A - Noon [1630-1700 UT] The New Normal A WNYC Special w/ Brian Lehrer: Noon - 2P [1700-1900 UT] Sun Mar 10: The Next Big Thing: Revisiting the People We Met 11A - Noon [1600-1700 UT] State of Mind: America 2002 Noon - 2P [1700-1900 UT] The Designated Mourner 8 - 11P [UT Mon Mar 11 0100-0400] (WNYC website via gh, DXLD) All the above are in MONITORING REMINDERS ** U S A [non]. On 3903 I have right now (2215 March 2) a weak USB signal which appears to be AFRTS. This not really sounds like originating from Central Europe or being meant for Poland (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re: Possibly Keflavík. That could well be true. I remember in the past that there were sometimes "unofficial" transmissions arranged by local units for the benefit of their colleagues who were out of range of normal AFRTS signals. In some cases, AFRTS genuinely did not know about the transmissions. The frequency suggests that a radio ham on staff may have set up the service using a ham band transmitter. Since it's unofficial, and probably unauthorised, you may have a hard time getting anyone to admit to it :-) (Andy Sennitt, std disclaimer, hard- core-dx via DXLD) No ham radio transmitter would be able to put out such a solid signal over such a long period of time, whoever it is: they are using professional transmitting equipment. vy73 (Harald Kuhl, Germany, hard- core-dx via DXLD) I was up very early today Sun Mar 3rd, at about 0510-0530: on 3903 kHz AFRTS program was loud and clear, fair signal at least S=3-4, so seems coming from Iceland ... 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. FINALLY... talk about being on the right frequency at the right time. I started monitoring 1620 about 2115 CST (0315 UT), not expecting much through the usual KZAP/WTAW crud, as well as a bit of Spanish talk that may have been Idaho around this time. But I kept hearing lively, pulsating music way in the background. Suddenly at 2137 CST (0337 UT) up came the full ID mentioning "The Reef," WRRA, WDHP & WAXJ-FM! Continued mixing with the usual dominants, occasionally surfacing on top with lively soca/Caribbean music. If they're running announcements or spots between songs I can't pick 'em out, however. Country #30 logged, and man, has THAT been a long time coming! (Randy Stewart/Springfield MO, Yaesu FRG-100B, Quantum QX Pro, March 2, IRCA topica list via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Yesterday I checked 6715 a couple of times after 2000 but could not hear anything. However, I tried within my flat only (Kai Ludwig, Germany, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Re unID 6715U in DXLD 2-035: Most of the guys seem to be hearing this preacher (Korean?) only on Fridays. But they are audible here also on some Sundays. Feb 17th as I reported earlier and also today Mar 3 at 1925. Today at this time only fair level but no question, same station. If Korea is UT plus 9 hours, it is rather early in the morning for Korean listeners, and early for preacher and the background audience (if this is live broadcast). But who knows where this originates from and what is the target country (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION REMARKS Some very nice openings on 60 meters in the early morning hours, if you're awake! Also when the MUF permits, lots to hear in the evening on the higher bands. Equinoxial conditions are always best, so spend some quality time listening to the bands! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-035, March 2, 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 #1120: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.html NEXT AIRINGS on WWCR: Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Mon 0100?, 0600 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, 1830?, 2420? on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815 MONITORING REMINDERS: Now that a number of stations` monthly schedules are available, many additions are being made for March at http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Hello! I am a listener of "World of Radio" since many years. Your programme is very interesting and gives me many informations about shortwave and other international broadcasting. Critical remark about your website: Only after a long searching a visitor of your sides can find your E-Mail-address. It would be better, a visitor can find a link to your E-Mail-address after the opening of http://www.worldofradio.com and not after a very long searching (Dietrich Hommel, Schwerin, Germany, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. The Brussels-based European Commission - that`s the body that governs the European Union on a daily basis - has provided 240,000 euro ($210,000) funding for a daily breakfast show. This is unusual from any point of view. And what is the show about? Is it to promote love and understanding between the peoples of the European Union? No, it isn`t. It cannot even been heard in the EU. Is it promoting the Union abroad? Maybe it is, in a way. The show is called: ``Good Morning Afghanistan``, and it went on the air on Monday February 25. It`s a two-hour programme - one hour in Dari, one hour in Pashto, Afghanistan`s two main languages. The show reached a potential audience of 22 million Afghans, more than 80 per cent of the country`s population. An Afghan team of 20 young journalists representative of the population are putting together the programme from the Old Kabul Radio Building, using donated second-hand equipment from European radio stations, so the Commission announced in Brussels. ``Good Morning Afghanistan`` is produced by a Danish non-governmental organisation, the Baltic Media Centre (BMC), in partnership with Radio Afghanistan. The Baltic Media Centre is described in the European Commission blurb as ``an independent, mainly Danish-funded foundation dedicated to promoting democracy, social development and peaceful international cooperation through active participation of the media``. The Commission says there is a two-minute overlap where Pashtu and Dari broadcasters discuss news items in the two languages, aimed at confidence-building between various ethnic groups. Sounds all very noble. The â‚240,000 grant will pay for the first four months of broadcasting from an abandoned studio in the centre of the capital Kabul. Conditions are not ideal, as there is no water, and power supplies are intermittent. Also, and most amazingly, the jingles in ``Good Morning Afghanistan`` come from Radio Tay. Anybody ever heard of Radio Tay before? I hadn`t. So, off to the internet, for information. First, I learned that the Tay is a river, loch and firth in Scotland. The station is based at Dundee, and that`s also the main city in the target region, Tayside, together with Perth. In fact, there are two stations: Tay FM (SOUND) and Tay AM (SOUND). Tay FM is on 94.4 MHz in Perth and on 102.8 MHz everywhere else. Tay AM is on 1161 and 1584 kHz. These are commercial stations, and some of the commercials are quite amusing to listen to: SOUND Tay FM commercial Both Tay FM and Tay AM have news on the hour: SOUND Tay FM news I hope you enjoyed the delicious accent of the newsreader. SOUND Tay AM news Radio Tay and Radio Denmark donated six tonnes of outdated equipment to Radio Afghanistan to produce ``Good Morning Afghanistan``. The equipment arrived on a U.N. flight just two days before the launch of the show. That Danish NGO, is called BALTIC Media Centre, because it was set up in the early 1990s to help promote democracy in the former Soviet Baltic Republics. The organisation later set up ``post-conflict`` radio stations to aid the process of reconciliation in the Balkans. BMC says ``Good Morning Afghanistan`` is going to be a questioning, probing and relaxed programme in the true Western sense. The broadcasters say the concept has been warmly welcomed by Afghanistan`s interim administration, led by Hamid Karzai. Some of the ``Good Morning Afghanistan`` team have a lot of experience, working for Radio Sharia, the Taliban station. We`ll see how they are going to make questioning, probing , relaxed and impartial programmes. Good luck to ``Good Morning Afghanistan``. (Frans Vossen -30- RVI Radio World March 3 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Radio Bosques is now here, 6715.59, 2/27 0100-0312+, with a music program, ID at 0114 as "aquí en la única emisora libre de la República Argentina", and "...muy pronto el noticiero popular que habla de las cosas que los medios masivos no hablan o que prefieren transar, 'la verdad' el noticiero popular de RB muy pronto aquí en tu frecuencia libre", at 0122 political talks against neo liberalismo and its economic politics that give the closing of the argentine factories and the hunger to its people. At 0130 "Estás sintonizando a RB, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, República Argentina, en su tercer año de difusión libre por la onda corta, única emisora libre de la República Argentina en onda corta", then Joan Manuel Serrat music. 0141 Argentina folk music up to 0155+. The station will be on the air some hours more on this frequency; its e-mail is: radio_bosques@yahoo.com.ar 0248 "Estás sintonizando a RB, Buenos Aires, República Argentina", then music of Shakira (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Free Radio Weekly via DXLD) !! Almost same frequency as the ``African evangelical`` unID, q.v., but it`s heard only Fridays before 2333 (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4761.65, R. Guanay (presumed), Guanay. Mar 2, 1036-1108. Sign on with takirari music and full ID "... 4760 kHz, banda tropical de 60 metros ...", then famous saya music "Llorando Se Fue". Tnx DXLD and Hideki Watanabe (RNM) for tips (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. I'm presently running intermittent tests of a radio amateur beacon on 1998.5 kHz, if anybody has receivers and antennas to monitor that frequency. It is a CW signal, with a repeated message "V V V DE VE7DXR" followed by a long dash. A radio amateur in Ottawa, ON is monitoring the channel, trying to see if there is a Victoria sunset enhancement of the signal, but so far he hasn't had success hearing the beacon. It's been heard in Edmonton by Don Moman, but it would be nice to know if it is getting out elsewhere. If possible, could people listen 0130 to 0215 UT Sunday morning for this beacon and let me know if they can hear it? Sorry, I don't have QSL cards, but I'll certainly express my gratitude via e-mail. ***the beacon broadcast is 2030-2115 EST Saturday night, for those not used to UT. ***the identifier for those not familiar with Morse code is: "..._ ..._ ..._ _.. . ..._ . _ _ ... _.. _.._ ._." followed by a long dash; it's repeated ad infinitum. Thanks and 73, (Nick Hall- Patch, Victoria, B.C., Canada, e-mail: Nick_Hal-@telus.net [truncated by yahoogroups] IRCA via DXLD) I can post a message back on that list if anyone wants to reply via me (gh) ** CHECHNYA [non]. RFE/RL BROADCASTS TO NORTH CAUCASUS 'DELAYED TEMPORARILY.' The chairman of RFE/RL's oversight body, Marc Nathanson, announced a last-minute delay in the U.S.-backed broadcaster's plans to offer local-language news in the North Caucasus on 27 February, RFE/RL reported. He cited "serious" and "real" security issues. Broadcasts in Avar, Chechen, and Circassian were slated to begin on 28 February. Nathanson said his Broadcasting Board of Governors expects to meet "in a few weeks with the [Bush] administration" following White House consultations with the U.S. Congress, which has already approved funding for the broadcasts. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters the same day that the administration "felt that perhaps broadcasts in these local languages...could be counterproductive to the overall effort to get a dialogue started in Chechnya," RFE/RL reported. Sergei Yastrzhembskii, the Kremlin's chief spokesman on Chechen affairs, told Russian media in late January that the Putin administration would "pay special attention" to the broadcasts, and hinted that authorities could take away RFE/RL's local broadcast license if they detected a pro-rebel bias, news agencies and local media reported. ("RFE/RL Newsline," 28 February via RFE/RL Media Matters via DXLD) ** CHINA. Here's a response on my report concerning All India Radio's Chinese service being QRMed by a China National Radio outlet (1145 on 15795). Unfortunately, I do not hear anything re Tibet on this channel, though maybe someone else in the world is hearing it better than I am? (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) China is jamming Voice of Tibet and not All India Radio on this freq. Bye 73's (Badri Kulkarni, dx_india via Hanlon) BTW, CNR's 15795 frequency signs on at 1130, before India does; noted at 1130 on Feb. 28; later heard CNR's time pips at 1200 while India in Chinese continues; no trace of a Voice of Tibet station being heard on 15795, so perhaps CNR might be QRMing India by mistake? 13745 at 1500: heard some Chinese talk overriding Radio Free Asia's signon in Chinese (via Tinian); probably has Chinese domestic programs then instrumental music after 1600 (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. AUMENTAN DÍGITOS DE TELÉFONOS CAPITALINOS La Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba, ETECSA, informa a la población que a partir de hoy domingo 24 de febrero los números telefónicos de La Habana Vieja, Centro Habana, Plaza de la Revolución, parte del Cerro y la localidad de Casablanca, cambiarán. A partir de esa fecha se antepone el 8 a los números que comienzan por 60, 61, 62, 63, 67, 70, 73, 74, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 30, 31 y 32; a los números del Vedado que comienzan por 3 y tienen 5 dígitos se les antepondrá el 83. El número telefónico de la pizarra del hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Hermanos Ameijeiras será 877-60-77 y el del Cuerpo de Guardia del Ginecobstétrico Ramón González Coro será 833-93-02. Este cambio forma parte del Plan de Numeración Nacional que implementa ETECSA en todo el país para dar respuesta al crecimiento de los servicios de telecomunicaciones y que establecerá paulatinamente: en la Ciudad de La Habana la numeración de 7 dígitos, un código único de teleselección en cada provincia y en el resto de las localidades números telefónicos de seis dígitos, lo que facilitará, además, la extensión de la teleselección nacional. ETECSA agradece a sus clientes la gentileza de informarles su nuevo número a las personas que suelen llamarles y ofrece disculpas a la población por las molestias que este cambio pueda ocasionar. Dirección de Relaciones Públicas (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CUBA. EL MISTERIO DE LOS TELEVISORES PANDA Héctor Maseda, Grupo Decoro LA HABANA, febrero http://www.cubanet.org - El gobierno de Fidel Castro, como de costumbre, no pierde la ocasión de obtener beneficios de cualquier país, principalmente si esas transacciones le permiten realizar alguna jugada de engaño al pueblo cubano. Una delegación china de alto nivel visitó Cuba a finales de 2001. Entre los resultados de este encuentro oficial estuvo la concesión por parte de los asiáticos de un crédito de 100 millones de dólares para que la parte cubana comprara un millón de televisores a color marca Panda, así como un lote de piezas de repuesto que cubriría una buena parte del período de garantía ofrecido por el proveedor. A esto hay que añadir que, para garantizar la venta de los televisores Panda, el gobierno retiró del mercado dolarizado los televisores de otras marcas. Estos televisores Panda no podrán ser adquiridos por cualquier ciudadano, sino que se exige un informe integral del comprador ofrecido por el Comité de Defensa de la Revolución (CDR) de la cuadra donde resida, mediante el cual se confirmará la incondicionalidad del solicitante al sistema comunista, además que éste deberá demostrar que no recibe remesas de dinero del extranjero. Por último, cada aspirante a comprar un Panda deberá enfrentar una asamblea de lobos contra lobos en la cual se analizará su vida y milagros. Lo cierto es que el gobierno de Castro no le concede gratuitamente al pueblo cubano el disfrute de 100 mil televisores para que los destine a programas sociales. No. Es ese mismo pueblo quien los está pagando, a la vez que el régimen podrá guardar una ganancia de 93,7 millones de dólares, casi la misma cantidad de capital invertido. Lo demás es pura ilusión óptica, manipulación de la información. Nada, que a los funcionarios cubanos no les gusta perder ni a las canicas. *Las cifras fueron tomadas del periódico Granma, del semanario Trabajadores y del boletín mensual editado por el Instituto Cubano de Economistas Independientes (ICEI), número 11, año 1, de fecha 30 de septiembre de 2001. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CUBA. RÉQUIEM POR LA RADIO DE PINAR DEL RÍO Víctor Rolando Arroyo, UPECI PINAR DEL RIO, febrero http://www.cubanet.org - Setenta años después de sus inicios en la provincia Pinar del Río, la radio se limita a una emisora provincial y otra municipal. Ambas bajo el férreo control de los ideólogos del Partido Comunista. Al indagar sobre lo que los pinareños escuchan en la radio local, resalta su frustración, pues unánimemente los consultados expresaron que la estación provincial carece de inmediatez, sello distintivo de este medio, además de que los programas culturales o de entretenimiento son anticuados, con guiones que decepcionan al público en general. En cuanto a los noticieros, éstos no cumplen su cometido porque los temas tratados siempre están fuera de contexto o dejan un vacío de información cuyo saldo es una audiencia confundida. Rara vez se escucha en la radio pinareña una crítica a las eficiencias del gobierno, y en las pocas veces que ocurre la alocución está saturada de justificaciones. En el siglo pasado, en la década de los 50, en Pinar del Río había varias emisoras de radio, con mejores condiciones técnicas que las dos que quedan, las que mantenían muy bien informada a su audiencia. Hoy es frecuente que alguna estación de radio nacional informe con lujo de detalles sobre hechos que hayan sucedido en Cuba, pero las emisoras pinareñas ni siquiera repiten esas noticias autorizadas por la censura oficial. A pesar de los avances que dice la propaganda gubernamental que existen en este sector, en extensas áreas de Pinar del Río se producen frecuentes interrupciones del servicio radial, fenómeno que es más frecuente en la región noroeste de la provincia. La indagación realizada para este artículo reveló que el número de radioreceptores ha disminuido en Pinar del Río. La mayoría de los consultados aseguró que tuvo uno de estos aparatos, pero que por rotura de los mismos o por falta de baterías ya no lo tienen en servicio. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CUBA. COMPUTADORAS AL POR MENOR CUBANET INDEPENDIENTE 1 de marzo, 2002 Claudia Vázquez Linares, Grupo de Trabajo Decoro LA HABANA, marzo - La mutilación de la libertad individual es el mayor atentado que ha cometido la revolución contra los cubanos. En estos tiempos en los que poseer una computadora y acceder a Internet es un requisito indispensable para mantenerse informado, el gobierno de la Isla limita la venta de equpos de computación en su afán de controlarlo todo. Meses atrás se liberalizó la venta de equpos y accesorios de computación, incluso a cualquier cubano que no perteneciera a una empresa estatal. En los conocidos centros de venta (DITA) se podían adquirir, a elevados precios (en dólares), monitor, disco duro, teclado y mouse, lector de CD, y aunque la venta de impresoras y escaners estaba prohibida, hubo quien, por unos cuantos dólares más, pudo adquirirlos. Según aclaró un empleado de la tienda ubicada en la terminal de ómnibus de La Habana, se ha prohibido, desde el día 15 de febrero, la venta de equipos y accesorios a los particulares. "No podemos vender ni un mouse a un particular, solamente a empresas estatales". La medida es la respuesta gubernamental al auge alcanzado por los cibernautas clandestinos. Aunque el gobierno se muestra benévolo con la instalación de computadoras en las escuelas y la multiplicación de los Joven Club de Computación, estas entidades dependen para acceder a Internet del llamado "servidor", que no es más que la potestad del régimen de otorgar o no la página WEB solicitada. La directiva gubernamental se encuentra atrapada entre la necesidad del desarrollo tecnológico y el afán de controlar cualquier vestigio de información libre que pueda circular en el país. Cuando los cubanos puedan disfrutar de libertad política y económica, entonces podremos decir que hemos dado el primer paso hacia la prosperidad. Mientras continúe el actual estado de cosas seguiremos como hasta ahora: sumidos en la bancarrota. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 5009.75, R. Pueblo via R. Cristal Internacional, Santo Domingo. Mar 2, 0957-1130. Often heard here in Japan since the end of Dec/'01, playing merengue music. IDs were given as "Radio Pueblo, estación 15-50(?).", "Radio Pueblo, 15-50(?) AM, dando la hora.", etc. No mention of its SW outlet R. Cristal Internacional (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA. OPPOSITION ERITREAN LIBERATION FRONT-REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL LAUNCHES WEB SITE | Text of report in English from Eritrean opposition Awate.com web site on 1 March Nowadays, the rapid advancement in the field of information technology has made decision making a crucial imperative rather than a merely dispensable option. Considered in this perspective, the launching of Nharnet.com by the ELF-RC [Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council] at this moment in time squares up well with the demand of our time in which quick dissemination of information has become a boom in modern communication. Indeed, the power of the Internet and the possibilities it offers have proven to be the scourge that haunts despots right in the very inner abodes of their rule. As can be noticed, the name "harnet", a Tigrinya word for liberation, embodies a profound meaning that signifies the ultimate goal of our past and present struggles. As a matter of fact, "harnet", as the aspiration of our people, acquires originality when the depth of its implication is sought back in the roots of both the peaceful and armed forms of the Eritrean national movement. The word "harnet" or its Arabic equivalent " al-tahrir" in the names of the ELM [Eritrean Liberation Movement] and the ELF indisputably underscored the conscious dedication of the founding fathers of our struggle to the dual pursuit of our people. They were very much aware that national independence was only an essential prelude to total liberation of the Eritrean person from all vestiges of spiritual and material enslavement... The launching of Nharnet.com by the ELF-RC is a decision necessitated by the need to arm itself with tools that would enable it to maximize its contribution to the struggle of the Eritrean people against tyranny. This web site is thus designed to serve as a responsible medium in the interest of our nation's common objective by way of making itself accessible to all who choose to espouse real change in Eritrea with the aim of safeguard the freedom and human dignity of all Eritreans... This web site shall, moreover, become a bridge of communication between the ELF-RC and other Eritrean organizations or persons. News and developments pertaining to the Alliance of the Eritrean National Forces (AENF) will get close attention. Not least important too, Nharnet.com will host constructive views that could help rectify the tarnished image and bad reputation our country has earned abroad due to the misguided military adventures and irresponsible conduct of the regime. Efforts will be made to clear the bitterness felt by the peoples of the neighbouring countries by promoting friendship and peaceful coexistence... Source: Awate.com web site in English 1 Mar 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) http://www.nharnet.com or http://nharnet.com ** FINLAND. Sorry, this comes so late, but it is really so busy time... Anyway here it comes... (Alpo Heinonen, Rovaniemi, Finland http://personal.inet.fi/koti/alpo.heinonen/ via DXLD) NRD 525 "A weak voice from the Finnish Arctic Circle" SCANDINAVIAN WEEKEND RADIO! Our new QSL -card series is released We have made a series of new QSL-cards. Take a look into picture http://www.swradio.net/fin/images/QSL_2002_1_2_A_C.jpg to find out the first of them, which are available right now. More is to come in later time (autumn 2002). There is also special X-mas QSL, but you have to report us to see it... Collect them all! And please remember to enclose with your report 2 IRC (Remember that you have it stamped correctly!) / 2 USD / 2 EUR for return postage. You may also print our new reception report form (in pdf -format). 2. Here is SWR`s frequency schedule for March 2nd 2002 broadcast! We will start our transmission normal way at 00 hours local Finnish time (=22 hours UT Friday 1st March). Some changes might happen. UT 48 mb 25 mb 22-24 6170 kHz 11690 kHz 00-01 5980 kHz 11690 kHz 01-06 5980 kHz 11720 kHz 06-09 6170 kHz 11720 kHz 09-12 6170 kHz 11690 kHz 12-17 5990 kHz 11720 kHz 17-20 6170 kHz 11720 kHz 20-21 5990 kHz 11720 kHz SWR is on the air at every month`s first Saturday 24 hours, starting 0:00 local time (+2 UT). We publish our programme schedule on this page one week before transmission. Phone number +358 400 995 559 is on use during transmission weekends. Also SMS -messages are welcome. 3. Contact info Mail address: Scandinavian Weekend Radio, P.O Box 35, 40321 JYVÄSKYLÄ, FINLAND Phone and FAX: Phone number +358 400 995 559 and fax number +358 3 475 5776 is in use during transmission weekends. E-mail addresses: General mail: info@swradio.net Editor-in-chief: jarkko.lehtovaara@swradio.net Webmaster: v-v.haikarainen@swradio.net Technician: esa.saunamaki@swradio.net Editors: tex.willer@swradio.net radio.jack@swradio.net lasol@swradio.net tapanih@mbnet.fi dr.turo@swradio.net madman@swradio.net WEB Page: http://www.swradio.net Best Regards, (Dj Madman, Scandinavian Weekend Radio, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [non] TAIWAN / FRANCE. Suite à un accord intervenu entre Radio Taipei Internationale et Radio France Internationale, les émissions de RFI en chinois seront diffusées à partir de Taiwan. En contrepartie, les émetteurs d'Issoudun diffuseront les émissions en français de la République de Chine vers le continent africain. De plus, R. Taipei International bénéficiera des émetteurs de TDF pour diffuser ses programmes en chinois à destination du Royaume-Uni et du Nord de la France où semble-t-il, il existe un auditoire potentiel. Les détails techniques ne sont pas encore connus, mais cet accord devrait entrer en vigueur début mars (Radio Taipei Internationale - 23 février 2002) (les informations sont issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** GERMANY [non]. Digital Radio Mondiale. Deutsche Welle will be transmitting a DRM signal out of Sines on 5, 6 and 7 March 2002 at 0830-1400 UT, beamed 80 degrees towards Dubai on 21630 kHz. The transmission, which is in connection with a conference in Dubai, will carry DW's English service. We will be adding some new DRM information to the Web site in the course of next week (Andy Sennitt, Media Network Newsletter March 1 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** HONDURAS. 5010, Radio HRMI. Per IMF, the parent mission for this station, their president, Jim Planck, is in Honduras. They were a bit sketchy on the details, but he is apparently working on this station, perhaps working on the above transmitter or putting in an additional unit on 3340, something they have talked about for years (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX Feb 28 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. New schedule for clandestine station Voice of Iran in Persian: 1530-1630 on 15690 <<<<< irregularly on air 1630-1730 on 15690 17525 1730-1830 on 15690 1830-1930 on 15690 <<<<< irregularly on air (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. 252 kHz, New Atlantic 252, Clarkestown, Jan 19, 0305 - Loud Signal, promo "Radio is direct, you never are looking at a screen, use your imagination and give us a call, give us your opinion. Stand by for wall to wall sports! Team Sport, more detail across the world!" JAN 28 1158 - Male plus female sport hosts with rock music bumpers, only TA signal heard, weak. FEB 15 0210 - Reporting hockey scores, then basketball, LA Lakers etc..also Rugby matches, YTF beacon under, big signal! [Erik Stromsted W1ZBT, Pepperell MA; Yaesu 1000MP. Antenna is a 700 meter terminated Long Wire aimed NE (toward Europe), NRC IDXD March 1 via DXLD) In response to an IDXD follow-up, John reports ``I do not have an address for Teamtalk in Ireland - although I have an email address info@teamtalk.com The postal address I have is Teamtalk Media Group, 3rd Floor, 2 Tavistock Place, London WC!H 9HA. Hope this is of some help. They also have a web site http://www.teamtalk.com (John Williams in Medium Wave Circle e-mail list, ibid.] ** IRELAND [non]. SINGAPORE: Freq change for RTE Radio 1 in English to AUS via SNG 250 kW / 135 degrees: 1000-1030 NF 15280 (55544), ex 15540 to avoid Voice of Russia in German to Eu! (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. RAI's "TUTTO IL CALCIO MINUTO PER MINUTO/DOMENICA SPORT" noted on Feb. 24: 1350-1730 again on 17820, ex 17780 \\ 9515(RAI Due) 9670 21520 21535 21710 co-channels on 17820: 1400-1430 Radio Liberty in Kyrgyz 1500-1600 Radio Canada International in English 1700-1730 Radio Canada International in French (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. RADIO EUROPE SPECIAL PROGRAM Hi Glenn, I have recorded yesterday evening the Special Mailbox program of Radio Europe dedicated to the Winter DX Festival 2002; the program will be put in the schedule of 2300-0600 UT with other programs devoted to Marconi. The mailbox is in Monferinglish and Italian, hi. Frequency as usually 7306 USB with 500 watts from Friday till Sunday. This is the text you may publicize in DXLD. "Radio Europe, the Italian Pirate station operating on 7306 USB with 500 watts will have a special DX program presented by Dario Monferini and Alex Bertini, dedicated to the 2002 Winter SWL Festival. The program will be transmitted from 2300 hours UT Friday 8 march till 0600 UT Saturday 9 march, and repeated from 2300 UT Saturday 9 March till 0600 UT Sunday 10 March. The program will feature many GAGS dedicated to the participants and a mailbox dedicated to the reports received for the preceding special DX program dedicated to the NZDXL DX CAMP organized in New Zealand in the beginning of February. Programs featuring Marconi life and historical topics dedicated to Marconi will be also transmitted during the 7 hours broadcasts; however NO STRATEGIC IDs will be given. Reports with 2 US $ or 2 IRCs will be verified with the special color QSL card featuring the Marconi ship Elettra saling the Venezia sea port in 1934 and the Marconi Italian stamps issued in 1974 will be sent to all reporters as little gift. The reporters will also receive the NEW 2002 QSL-card issued by Radio Europe. Reports by snail mail to : Radio Europe, C/o QSL-Manager Dario Monferini, Via Davanzati 8, IT-20158 Milano, Italy. Audio clips may be sent, to radioeurope@iol.it but QSL cards will be sent out ONLY for snail reports. If you wish to receive the original 2000 lire paper money of Italy with Marconi and reproduction of his receiver and antenna, please add 2 US $." (Dario Monferini, Italy, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. See USA [non]. Who Is Listening? ** LATVIA. RADIO RIGA INTERNATIONAL ends its English language web broadcasting on March 9th. The shortwave English transmissions ended some years ago. Now that is the end of the English language foreign service from Latvia! Here is the web link to the audio side: http://www.radio.org.lv/program/index.htm There you must open a Saturday side of the section "International". Here are audio-on-demand-programmes in Latvian and in Russian and also in English, a 30-minute news programme about the events in Latvia of the past week. 73 from (Dietrich Hommel, Schwerin, Germany, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Oops, we almost missed it (gh, DXLD) ** LIBYA. I checked with Happysurfer to find that mysterious frequency which still came in loud and clear on 20775, and there was no listing! I guess it's a harmonic or something but I don't know, still what the station is - I have been able to pick it up much of the morning and more faintly in the afternoon, it's mostly Arabic music, prayers, the occasional English broadcast - I mentioned the reading of the Revolutionary Committees Association which makes me think it's a Libyan station or Libyan supporters in another country. But Libyan national radio doesn't broadcast in English at the times I've picked up the mystery station. It's really bugging me!! (Sue Hickey, Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada, via Jon Standingbear, DXLD) Sue, I don`t have your original report at hand, but if the time was between 1100 and 1500 UT, Libya has been reported on 21675 (among many other new frequencies), and the revolutionary programming you heard certainly sounds like them. [found by searching for 21675 at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html ] What`s that got to do with 20775? It`s 900 kHz away. Receiver-produced images commonly occur at such a separation of twice the receiver intermediate frequency of 450 kHz (sometimes it`s 455 kHz, so the separation is 910). Some receivers have this defect, others don`t. Some of mine do this, others don`t. I don`t know what receiver you are using, but the same thing should happen in other cases, especially when the original signal is quite strong. Next time I suggest you check 900 kHz higher to see if you are getting the same thing. Let me emphasize, that while SW stations sometimes actually transmit on spurious frequencies, the scenario I describe occurs completely and only within a receiver, so the signal isn`t really there. Regards, Glenn Hauser, to Sue Glenn; I just tuned in (1156 UT) to 21675 and it is the same! The mystery I guess has been solved. My receiver? Just a little Grundig YB300 PE (yes, I am looking for something new), with 25-m longwire hooked up (and my clothesline pole). So I guess it's the Libyan station. The signal is quite strong on both 20775 (SIO 454) and 21675 (454). Thanks and 73s (Sue Hickey, Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Freq change for RNZI effective Feb. 25: 1650-1850 Mon-Fri NF 11980 co-ch AWR in Eng til 1700, ex 11725 to avoid RFE in Arabic (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. From: http://www.radiolondon.co.uk/whatnew.shtml Svenn Martinsen, the CEO/Chairman of Northern Star International Broadcasters AS, informs us that his company is the conditional licence-holder of new Swedish-based station, with the working title of Cruisin' 216. The station intends to broadcast in English to Scandinavia, the British Isles and many areas of Western Europe by means of a 1.2 million-Watt transmitter on 216 kHz AM Long Wave. The station will also be heard around the world in other media, such as the Internet. Northern Star International Broadcasters AS is a registered Norwegian broadcasting shareholding company whose aim is to hold commercial radio licenses, and to trade in commercial radio and related media on a Christian foundation. The station website has information about the company, the history of the project, and the team involved. http://www.northernstar.no This website presents NSIBC AS, conditional license holder of a coming new international AM radio station broadcasting in English. The station will be heard in Scandinavia, the British Isles and many areas of Western Europe by means of 1.2 million BIG watts on 216 kHz AM Long Wave. The station will also be heard around the world in other media, such as the Internet. Cruisin' 216 is the working title of our radio station. It is subject to further market research prior to launch and therefore not necessarily the 'on air' name of the station. On this website, now under construction, we plan to give you the latest official news about the progress of our venture. The site has information about the company, the history of the project, our team and our proposals. It also will bring the latest news on various developments, such as our exploring the use of potential sites for the building of the transmission facility. To the best of our knowledge, all contents are absolutely correct, honest and truthful. Watch out for good music and good news coming to YOUR radio! Cruisin' 216-The AMazing AM --- The Rhythm of Northern Europe Site Update: December 10th, 2001 Site last Updated: February 5th, 2002 (via Mike Terry, March 2, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Looking around for harmonics this morning and I came across 31.080, 2 X 15.540 Radio Portugal in Portuguese at 1345 UT. Came in pretty good for about 15 minutes or so, then was gone. This broadcast from Portugal is apparently only a Sat/Sun operation (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 31080, RDP 2 x 15540, 1810 Mar. 2, Football match commentary in PP. // 17745. Harmonic quite good at tune in, but quickly dropped to poor level. Fundamental was strong (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** ROMANIA. B-01 schedule for Radio Romania International via 50 kW transmitter in Saftica: 0500-0526 Bulgarian 5955 220 deg, strong co-ch Radio Liberty in Russian 0530-0556 Ukrainian 7105 040 deg, (55544) but bad modulation 0600-0626 Hungarian 7225 285 deg, strong co-ch Deutsche Welle in English 1100-1126 Italian 17795 270 deg, NO SIGNAL!!! 1130-1156 Turkish 11795 155 deg, (55555) but bad modulation 1200-1256 Russian 9570 040 deg, (55544) but bad modulation 1300-1326 Serbian 11765 255 deg, (55555) but bad modulation 1330-1356 Greek 11765 195 deg, (55555) but bad modulation 1400-1426 Italian 17735 270 deg, strong co-ch RTTunisia in Arabic 1600-1626 Ukrainian 9650 040 deg, (43333) co-ch Chinese mx 1630-1656 Bulgarian 7135 220 deg, (55555) but bad modulation 1700-1726 Turkish 9595 165 deg, strong co-ch Voice of Turkey in Croatian 1730-1756 Greek 9735 195 deg, strong co-ch Deutsche Welle in French 1800-1826 Aromanian 11880 270 deg, strong co-ch Radio Japan/NHK in Japanese 1830-1856 Serbian 5990 255 deg, (55544) but bad modulation 2000-2026 Italian 7245 270 deg, strong co-ch Radio Liberty in Tatar-Bashkir 2030-2056 Aromanian 9590 270 deg, strong co-ch Radio Japan/NHK in Japanese Additional times for Radio Romania International on MW 756 kHz: 0600-0656 French/German/English; 0700-1256, 1430-1556, 1900-1956, 2100-2156 Romanian (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Hola Amigos, Lamentablemente, una noticia de último momento, informa que la planeada emisión de Radio Center, para los dias 1, 2 y 3 de Marzo, se ha suspendido, fue cancelada. La razón: tarifas astronómicas querían ser cobradas por la "Radio Agency" que iba a retransmitirlos por onda corta, informa A. Nekrasov. (Informacion de Vladimir Titarev, UKR, aparecida en la Lista DXplorer de hoy) 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, March 1, Conexión Digital via DXLD) [The much-publicized R. Center 10th anniversary DX special, UT 0000- 0100 on 7125 March 1, 2, 3, was cancelled at the last moment because of ``astronomical costs the Radio Agency would have charged for the SW relays``. Geez, shouldn`t they have worked this out in advance? Whew, I myself forgot to check the first two nights, anyway. Wonder if something else like VOR was on then? However, just another gospel huxter and no great loss as revealed from their website (gh, DXLD) Radio Center is Russia's first Christian non-denominational radio station which broadcasts on the frequency of 1503 AM. It went on air on March 1, 1992 and covers the regions of European parts of Russia, Ukraine, Belorus, and the Baltic states. The main aim of the station is to preach the Gospel and to introduce its audience to Christian values in the modern world. Radio Center is situation in the very heart of Moscow, right next to Red Square (from http://www.radiocenter.net/testimony.htm via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Special transmissions via Meyerton on Thursday March 21, 2002 for the National Community Radio Forum as follows: 0700-0800 21800 MEY 250 kW / 328 deg to West Africa 0800-1000 11770 MEY 100 kW / non-dir to South Africa 0900-1000 21800 MEY 250 kW / 019 deg to East Africa (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 3320, Radio Sonder Grense, vía Sentech, 10 días. Recibido: tarjeta QSL y boletín de horarios y frecuencias. V/S: Kathy Otto. QTH: Private Bag X06, Honeydew 2040, South Africa. Escucha efectuada en São José-SC. Informe de recepción enviado por e-mail a la siguiente dirección: ottok@sentech.co.za ¡Bonita QSL!. (Rudolf Grimm, São Bernardo, Brasil, Noticias DX Mar 2 via DXLD) ** SURINAME. 4990.95, R Apintie, 0730 Mar. 1, with a far greater number of announcements and talk breaks then in the recent past. Strange mix of a language, with a few English words thrown in. 70's pop hit "All by myself" at 0730, Short talk break by DJ, then into "Little bit you, little bit me" by The Bee Gees at 0732. Several minutes of live and recorded announcements, including ID given several times in passing around 0743. Subcontinental style song with female singer. Announcements again at 0750. Good signal strength with regular S9 peaks, but as usual undermodulated (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN [non]. RTI and RFI enter a transmitter-swap deal; see FRANCE ** TAJIKISTAN? 5775 unID Tajik stn... heard today with medium strength around 1800-2028 UT (but Anker mentioned 16-20 UT schedule) on even 5775.00 kHz like in USSR era. There is another strong 'empty' carrier on 5774.64 [most likely some test 'scratches' of a fax machine could be heard], which makes the Tadjik station suffer, so switched to USB mode for best results. Most likely the former 5830 or 5750 outlet of Yangi Yul, Tajikistan 50 kW moved away down to 5775. Cross checks with Tadjik Radio's other channel of 7245 kHz have been negative. Today heard continuous female singer of Central Asian Turk folk songs till 2007:30 UT. Then two announcers of mostly female voice - and a male voice in between - heard from 2007 til 2017:30 UT. Short piece of female singer again. Signal fade away around 2028 UT. Made a carrier check at 2031 UT again, but the 5774.64 fax machine outlet left alone. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. At 0930 I noticed Brovary back on 11825, 9600 and 6020. The Kharkiv "singing" transmitter this winter is using 11840 and 9610. On 11840 this carrier problem causes only a singing noise, while 9610 also has whistles on +/- 2.3 kHz. The problem as such is not original but appeared some time in the '80s. The transmitters first came on the air one by one in 1970. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. PAIN BEHIND THE LAUGHTER --- Like many a creative genius, comedian Spike Milligan was dogged by depression Bill Taylor, Staff Reporter Winston Churchill called it "the black dog" and dreaded its visits. The list of geniuses who have suffered the torments of manic- depression is long. To name a few: Churchill, Samuel Johnson, Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Plath, Scott Fitzgerald, Robert Burns, Lord Byron, Vincent Van Gogh, Spike Milligan .... Milligan, who died Wednesday aged 83 of kidney failure, didn't just come out of the left field of comedy, he invented it. And paid the price.... http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1014937691995&call_page=TS_Life&call_pageid=991479973472&call_pagepath=Life/News&col=991929131147 (Toronto Star, via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) ** U K. BBC [NEWS] SHORTWAVE ARCHIVE CREATED From a classmate of mine, via the CAJ list-serv... (Ricky Leong, QB, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Eleanor Brown wrote: COLLECTION OF BBC NEWS TAPES PROVIDES RICH LOAM FOR SCHOLARS Sixteen years` worth of world events are steadily beeping and crackling their way into broadcast history at Montreal`s Concordia University. In all, the tapes contain about 9,000 hours worth of newscasts from the BBC World Service, systematically recorded from short-wave radio by the late Denis Diniacopoulos between 1970 and 1986, while he was a professor in Concordia`s Communications Studies Department. Now, the Concordia Centre for Broadcasting Studies (CCBS), which was bequeathed the recordings after Diniacopoulos` death in 1997, is transferring them onto CD-ROM to turn them into a unique archive. Not even the BBC has kept the newscasts. More at http://pr.concordia.ca/ctr/2001-02/Feb_28/02-BBCTapes/index.shtml ===== Eleanor Brown, writer-editor-researcher, Montreal, Canada (CAJ list via Ricky Leong and Don Moore, DXLD) ** U K. Hello from Hilversum; I've just come back from a conference at the Radio Academy in London. The British radio industry is in remarkably good spirits, largely based on the announcement late last year that the average Brit spends slightly more time listening to radio than watching TV - the first time in many years that radio has come out ahead. But the industry is not resting on its laurels. There are experiments going on with 'free form' radio - which sounds to my ears like the sometimes anarchic stuff we used to produce on student radio in the 1970's. There are also interesting things happening at the BBC, one example of which is this week's main feature. "This is LDN" To international radio listeners, the phrase BBC London means World Service. But for 12.7 million people in the Greater London area, BBC London (or BBC LDN as it's now known) is their local BBC radio, TV and Internet service. In a rebranding exercise following the splitting of the southeast television region into two parts, BBC LDN is pioneering a new approach to public service broadcasting in the British capital. Radio, TV, teletext and Internet services are now completely integrated in the rebuilt production centre in Marylebone High Street. I had the pleasure of visiting BBC London on Wednesday evening, and at the end of a long and tiring day Executive Editor Jane Mote agreed to talk to Media Network about the relaunch and her hopes for the future. The new set-up drew gasps of admiration from those who visited the "building site" one year ago. I didn't see it then, but what I saw on Wednesday was impressive. Read more and listen to the interview at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/bbcldn020301.html (Andy Sennitt, Media Network Newsletter March 1 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U K. ONLY RADIO AT THE BBC IS ON THE RIGHT WAVELENGTH Simon Jenkins, March 01, 2002 Why is British television so bad and British radio so good? Last night the BBC launched yet another digital channel, BBC Four, in its desperate bid for market share in advance of the digital revolution. Initiated with a tacky handkerchief signed by Tracey Emin, the new channel is to compete with Artsworld, Performance and History. It will thus free BBC One and BBC Two to concentrate on bankrupting ITV and Channel 4... http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,1059-222543,00.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K / U S A. Thanks to the rights issue, the only music from the USA on the internet seems to be public radio stations, campus stations, and internet only.I've taken to listening to the UK stations using this link. UK Radio Stations broadcasting on the Internet http://www.radiofeeds.co.uk/ (Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No great loss here, as I avoid listening to US commercial stations by any means. There is more great listening than I or anyone can possibly take in, mostly from public radio, BBC, etc., compiled at http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** U S A. DISTURBING NEWS RE US INTERNET RADIO From: http://www.radiolondon.co.uk/kneesflashes/happenings/current/hapcurr.html News From the USA. John Schneider reports on a disturbing development for Internet radio: The Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) has set royalty rates for broadcasters who stream music online. CARP was designated to create a royalty rate as part of 1998Õs Digital Millennium Copyright Act after broadcasters and Webcasters could not agree with the record community on the amount to pay the artists and the labels. Under the plan outlined by CARP, commercial radio stations that stream their signal over the Internet would pay 0.07 cents per performance. A "performance" is defined as "each instance in which any portion of a sound recording is publicly performed to a listener via a Web site transmission or retransmission." Which means the streaming of any portion of a single track from a CD to one listener. Webcasters who retransmit over-the-air AM or FM broadcasts, such as Yahoo! and StreamAudio, will pay the same rate as traditional broadcasters Ð 0.07 cents per performance. However, Internet-only broadcasters will pay 0.14 cents per performance. The CARP report will be reviewed by the Copyright Office, which will recommend to the Librarian of Congress whether to accept, reject or modify the rates and terms in the report. The Librarian must accept or reject the report no later than May 21, 2002. We need it to be REJECTED, folks. If the fees stay in any form or fashion, not only will traditional radio have to stop simulcasting on line completely, but Internet-only stations (like Radiopoly) will never have a chance to succeed. My music friends (many of whom are among the nearly 100 people on my e-mail list) know that I would NEVER even CONSIDER trying to shortchange them with regard to being compensated for their work. But the proposed new royalty fees (which would be in ADDITION to the already existing ASCAP and BMI fees that compensate artists) are not really about artist compensation. They're about the record companies seeking to gain as much control as possible over music on the Internet. Here is the address if you would like to see the full report that recommends the fees: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/carp/webcasting_rates.html You'll need the "Adobe Acrobat" reader (the files are PDF), which can be downloaded for free. The e-mail address for public comment on the webcasting fee issue is: copyinfo@loc.gov Just put "webcasting fees" in the subject line, and tell them to REJECT THE FEES COMPLETELY. Fancy Digging That Up! (via Mike Terry, UK, DXLD) ** U S A. There are two interesting articles in the February 2002 edition of Scientific American. One is a profile of FCC Chairman Michael Powell on pages 36-37 and on pages 38-43 is an article called "Network in every room", which is about sending Internet data through the U.S. electrical grid . The website address is http://www.sciam.com which you can follow the links to the articles from last month, if isn't availiable in magazine form. 73, your listener, (David Moore, Morro Bay, California, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. ARRL TAKING WAIT-AND-SEE ATTITUDE ON FCC ULTRA-WIDEBAND ORDER The ARRL is taking a wait-and-see approach regarding the FCC`s recent First Report & Order on the deployment of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices. The largely untested technology has been touted by proponents as a means to provide high-speed wireless data connections as well as for such applications as object-penetrating imaging --- all while using spectrum occupied by existing services and without creating interference. The FCC Order in ET Docket 98-153 was approved February 14 at an open meeting but has not yet been released. It promotes a vision of potential UWB public safety applications in addition to broadband Internet access. ``The FCC claims that it has exercised caution, but only time will tell whether they have been cautious enough to avoid harmful interference to existing services,`` said ARRL Executive Vice President David Sumner, K1ZZ. ``The statement that `The FCC will act vigorously to enforce the rules and act quickly on any reports of interference` is not reassuring to anyone who lives in the real world.`` The FCC`s UWB Order will be among the items up for discussion at a meeting of the ARRL Executive Committee March 2 in Arlington, Virginia. The EC will study the Order`s implications and consider whether it warrants further action on the part of the League. Wireless Internet connectivity systems are expected to be among the first commercial UWB applications. Proposed UWB devices include a range of imaging systems such as ground-penetrating radar, through- wall imaging systems, medical systems, and surveillance systems. The FCC has described the standards its Order outlines as ``a cautious first step`` with UWB. For now, at least, communication uses of ultra- wideband will be restricted to frequencies above 3.1 GHz. Amateur Radio has secondary allocations above 3.1 GHz at 3.3-3.5 GHz and 5.65- 5.925 GHz, which are allocated to government radiolocation. The ARRL has been part of an industry coalition that called on the FCC ``as a matter of fairness`` to issue a Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making that included proposed UWB rules and specifies emission limits before it took action to authorize UWB equipment under Part 15. ``We are disappointed that the FCC did not pay closer heed to the coalition`s recommendation to keep UWB above 6 GHz,`` said ARRL`s Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI. Although the ARRL has agreed in its formal comments that UWB can have useful and beneficial applications, it wanted the FCC to first establish specific rules, definitions and classes of UWB devices as well as appropriate interference avoidance regulations. ``Until we know the specific technical characteristics and geographic distribution of UWB devices,`` Rinaldo said, ``it is difficult to estimate the interference potential to amateur receiving systems.`` Concerns have been expressed by the US Department of Defense, the airline industry and cellular telephone companies about the potential of UWB devices to interfere with the Global Positioning System (GPS). The Defense Department said the FCC`s decision to keep UWB communication applications above 3.1 GHz will protect GPS and other critical military systems from interference, but the DoD plans to monitor future UWB developments. The FCC said it intends within the next six to twelve months to review its UWB standards and issue a Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making to ``explore more flexible standards and address the operation of additional types of UWB operations and technology. Since most UWB applications have not yet been made fully public, the League plans to evaluate what effect new UWB devices could have on Amateur Radio as they are rolled out to market. Rinaldo says the coalition partners will be gathering evidence and field testing UWB production models as they become available. ARRL`s comments in the UWB proceeding are available on the ARRL Web site http://www.arrl.org/announce/regulatory/et98-153/index.html ARRL Legislative and Public Affairs Manager Steve Mansfield, N1MZA, provided information for this report (ARRL Letter March 1 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. WYFR has replaced 11550 with 11900 at 0400-0800, one hour each in English, Arabic, English and Italian; clashes at 0600-0800 with V of Greece via Delano, 250 kW, 296 degrees (Observer, Bulgaria, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. DKOS Program News for the week of 2/28/2002: This Saturday, 3/2/02, it's A Different Kind Of Oldies Show meets The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl as we simulcast our show on Doo-Wop Cafe Radio. We'll be substituting for the first 2 hours of Dave "The Swinger's" show. So WBCQ listeners, join us for an all doo-wop party show from 0100 to 0200 UT, and then plug in your computer to http://www.doowopcaferadio.com for a 2nd hour of me followed by 3 hours of Woody "The Woodster" for the balance of the show. Because we will be on Doo-Wop Cafe Radio, we will not be feeding our show by way of live365.com. Next Saturday we'll be at the SWL Winterfest in Kulpsville, Pa. Our show will be prerecorded that week. We haven't decided on a playlist yet, but we may present the 2nd hour of this weeks show. We're thinking about splitting up our two ports on live365.com. On one port we would only present A Different Kind Of Oldies Show and on the other the Vault Of Vintage Vinyl and live broadcasts. In order to accommodate those who may not have a wide bandwidth or stable connection, we would present the programs in 56 kbs Stereo for the first two days and then switch them to mono at 33.6 kbs for the rest of the week. Please let us know what you think of this plan. Please note our new email address, (actually it's an old one we've reactivated): bigstevecole@email.com During our live shows we'll open the phones up at 212-995-2637 for your requests. The phone is NOT open when we're not on the air, so please don't call in before air time. Currently Running on live365.com: A Different Kind Of Oldies Show from 2/23/02. Open up url http://www.live365.com/stations/15660 in your browser to listen in mono or http://www.live365.com/stations/63579 for stereo. You can also use http://www.live365.com/play/15660 or http://www.live365.com/play/63579 in either your browser or as the "open location" in your MP3 player program to go directly to the audio stream without the graphics. Sundays at 3 PM Eastern, (2000 UT), it's "The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl" on Doo Wop Café Radio. We play 90% Doo-Wop and the rest of the time something close to it. Link to http://www.doowopcaferadio.com and your real audio player will start automatically. For our program schedule use http://www.doowopcaferadio.com/schedule.html Check the Doo Wop Café website out for more information, the club has exclusively moved to Yahoo! While we're on the air our members can use the chat room to be interactive with the D.J., http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/doowopcafe is the url. Remember to tune in Dave Kirby, N1DK, and his Cybershortwave Live program on live365.com Join him at 11 AM Eastern, 1600 UT, on alternate Sundays. Go to http://www.n1dk.com for the latest schedule. Reminder: A tribute website for Time Capsule Show, which ran from 1968 through 1974 on WFUV in New York has been set up by Nikki Gustafson & Jim Dunn. There are 12 of those shows available for listening or downloading in Real Audio on the webpage. To link to it go to http://www.harmonytrain.com/timecapsule.htm New shows from my archives will soon be available on the site. Some tapes were recorded in the studio. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> < "Big Steve" Coletti > < A Different Kind Of Oldies Show on WBCQ, 7415kHz Shortwave > < Saturday Evenings at 8:00 ET, 0100 UTC-Sunday > < E-mail: bigstevecole@email.com Web page: http://bigsteve.wbcq.net > < US Mail: P.O. Box 396, New York, NY 10002 > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** U S A. CAPTAIN GANJA GOES LEGIT!!! RADIO FREE EUPHORIA has gone legal! Euphoria will be on WBCQ - The Planet 3 Sundays a month, and Radio 3 will be on there once a month. RFE will be on 7415 kiloHemps at 2230 UT this Sunday the 24th following the last broadcast of Communications World. I'll be introducing both Radio 3 and myself with 13 minutes of each show. RFE will be on one hour on 7415 most Sundays (except R3's once a month broadcast) at 2200 - 2300 UT. After the time change, it will be on at 2100-2200 UT cuz WBCQ sticks to their regular US times (Free Radio Weekly March 1 via DXLD) Another program on WBCQ with its root in Free Radio is Julia's Wild Kingdom. It is on Friday. Check the WBCQ website for the correct time. It is a good show. Enjoy Life, (Greg Majewski, Free Radio Weekly March 1 via DXLD) 2200-2230 Fri on 7415 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. KCRW is promoting the addition of TNBT, but typically ignores the fact that this puts an end to JOE FRANK, at least on KCRW. However, their website still shows a huge audio archive of Joe Frank: http://www.kcrw.com/show/jf and we can only hope that will not be deleted, viz.: (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) KCRW Introduces THE NEXT BIG THING with DEAN OLSHER Beginning SUNDAY, MARCH 3 at 11 AM, [1900 UT --- so it replaces JOE FRANK!! -gh and Kevin Kelly] KCRW (89.9 FM and KCRW.com) introduces a New York state of mind to Southern California, with its launch of THE NEXT BIG THING, a weekly, one-hour variety program created and hosted by Dean Olsher and produced by WNYC Radio. Quirky, fast-moving, and humorous, The Next Big Thing takes you to places you didn`t know existed, even though you go by them every day. Explains Olsher, ``I want The Next Big Thing to be a kind of anti- Seinfeld a show about anything. It`s a general interest program. Culture, science, politics, sports, advertising, fashion it`s all fair game.`` The Next Big Thing is set in New York, but it`s not about New York. It speaks about the human condition, and it does so with a New York accent with the sounds and flavors of the city itself. As This American Life`s Ira Glass said, ``The Next Big Thing sounds like it`s tramping around the streets with a tape recorder, getting all sorts of voices and sounds. It`s lively. It`s unpredictable. You really cannot tell where you`re going next. That`s fantastic.`` ---------------------------------------------- ON THE AIR AT KCRW ---------------------------------------------- ``The Treatment,`` with host Elvis Mitchell on Fridays at 2:30p, repeat broadcast Tuesdays at 7:30p ** [UT: Fri 2230, Wed 0330] - Tues, March 5 * New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell hosts HOWARD SHORE, who has composed the scores of more than 60 films including THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, SEVEN, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS (for which he is a current Academy Award nominee). For archived editions of The Treatment go to: http://www.kcrw.com/show/tt ``The Politics of Culture,`` Wednesdays at 2:30p [2230 UT] - Wed, March 6 * It stands accused as a member of the Axis of Evil, but how much do we really know about Iran, its mythic past and its present politics? Join authors GINA NAHAI and TERENCE WARD for a conversation about Ward`s memoir ``Searching for Hassan.`` For archived editions of ``The Politics of Culture`` go to http://www.kcrw.com/show/pc (KCRW Newsletter March 1 via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. AROUND THE DIAL 'ALL THINGS CONSIDERED'S' NOAH ADAMS TAKES FLIGHT --- The program's longtime co-host strays from radio for a Wright brothers book. By STEVE CARNEY, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES After Noah Adams had worked for nearly two decades as co-host of "All Things Considered," it took two men and plane to carry him away from National Public Radio. Yet the flight lasted only 12 seconds. Adams is leaving for a year to write a book about the Wright brothers, to be published in time for the 100th anniversary of their short but groundbreaking flight on Dec. 17, 1903. He announced that today will be his last on the NPR newsmagazine, and when he returns after his sabbatical, it won't be as co-host of "All Things Considered."... http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/printedition/calendar/la-000015313mar01.story (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. ABC IN TALKS TO LURE LETTERMAN MOVE TO RIVAL FROM CBS COULD DISPLACE TED KOPPEL AND 'NIGHTLINE' By Howard Kurtz, Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, March 1, 2002; Page C01 ABC is in serious negotiations with CBS late-night host David Letterman about bringing his show to that network's 11:30 p.m. time slot, which would lead to the relocation or even the demise of ABC News's "Nightline" after 21 years, industry sources said yesterday. Ted Koppel, the founder and anchor of "Nightline," is described by network sources as furious over the talks that could well result in the jettisoning of one of the most prestigious news shows on television.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21127-2002Mar1.html (via DXLD) I don't want to give short shrift to tonight's subject; it really is a wonderful broadcast, and I encourage all of you, as I always do, to join us tonight. You won't be sorry. But this is a difficult day for all of us at Nightline, the first, I fear, of many difficult days to come. Last night we learned that the New York Times was going to report that ABC is in negotiations with David Letterman to come to ABC, replacing Nightline at 11:35. This came as a complete shock to all of us. Ted has returned from what was to have been a long weekend, but to this point, no executive from ABC or Disney has spoken to him. I know that all of you care deeply about Nightline, or you wouldn't have signed up for the email, but for now, we are going to let our work speak for itself. I normally sign all these notes with just my name. But today, and I think from now on, I will sign them all on behalf of the entire Nightline staff. Some names you know, some names you'll never hear. But we are all members of a team, and I couldn't be prouder. Friday, March 1, 2002, The Nightline Staff, Nightline Offices, Washington, D.C. (Nightline list via Tom Roche, DXLD) LETTERMAN BID REFLECTS ABC'S SHIFT FROM NEWS NETWORK: MOVES TOWARD ENTERTAINMENT INCLUDE REPLACING '20/20' WITH A DISNEY-PRODUCED DRAMA. By BRIAN LOWRY and ELIZABETH JENSEN, Times Staff Writers ABC's dramatic bid to bring David Letterman's late-night talk show over from CBS to replace "Nightline" marks only the latest slight to ABC News--once the network's crown jewel--since Walt Disney Co. acquired the network. The proposed deal underscores a power shift from the network's high-profile news anchors to its entertainment side... http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-030202tvnews.story (via gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Fascinating ... an apparently honest-to-God conservative; writing in an honest-to-God conservative publication; arguing in favor of regulation. Ain't it interesting how all this ideological stuff becomes very relative when it's your ox that's being gored? The right; which has vastly more media access and more outlets for their points of view today than ever in history; still feels paranoid because they aren't a majority and the majority that is doesn't agree with them, so it's all the fault of the brain-washing "liberal" media. Interesting article on Super-Sized Media: http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-crawford030102.shtml Pretty interesting...another sign the FCC is just withering away (Frank Doosey, Programmer/Analyst, MicroWarehouse, Inc., Lakewood, NJ, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. I mistakenly said that Grave Hallsel had demonstrated Reagan's policies came from Revelations and Late Great Planet Earth. Actually, I meant Grace Halsell, _Prophecy and Politics; Militant Evangelists on the Road to Nuclear War_ (Westport, CT: Lawrence Hill, 1986) (Lester Ness, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Who is listening? In response to the question posed by Lester Ness, Feb 28, swprograms via DXLD, "Does anyone have any idea what kind of influence (American Evangelical SW) shows have on foreigners?." I often wonder if anyone is listening to these religious broadcasters at all, with the exception of a small domestic audience. I can't imagine anyone who was raised outside of the American evangelical experience enjoys having "The Word" shoved down his throat, which is about what proselytizing amounts to. Even more baffling to me than the large U.S. American religious SW operations, are the U.S. preachers regularly heard ranting on 90m Central American stations like R Cultural on 3300. Who, besides a few American DXers, scanning by, can even understand these programs? Do the religious organizations who produce this material not realize that these English programs are being transmitted by a regional station to an exclusively Spanish speaking target audience? Do they even know what stations are airing their material? My guess is that it does not matter to them. As long as the Gospel gets out over the air, the actual audience demographic is of little importance. The main point is, that they have an ideological agenda, which goes something like this: The world needs to come to understand "The Truth", and that truth shall, by the grace of God, be submitted to, by all the people of Earth. Does this sound familiar? One of my favorite SW stations is Voice of Korea, formerly, R. P`yongyang. I enjoy hearing how wonderful and rosy life is in the DPR, how all the workers are content, and no one is for want. I also enjoy that uplifting, inspirational music played between the commentaries. If not for years of mass starvation and human rights abuses in N Korea, it would be no more then a joke; unfortunately V. O. Korea is the mouthpiece for one of the world's last communist dictatorships, and as such, nothing more then a propaganda outlet. I also wonder, who listens to this? How many people in the North American target area are listening at the same time I am, not just coming across the signal while scanning, but taking the time to tune in the news and views of V.O. Korea? My guess is almost none. It's hard to imagine that the N Korean government and their writers and producers of the English language service actually think that there are millions of listeners in North America who believe the rhetoric. Why else would the government spend the money maintaining (albeit poorly) expensive high powered SW transmitters and facilities, while their population goes hungry? My only explanation is that if a person has lived one's entire life within the borders of a communist dictatorship, why wouldn't one believe the rest of the world would accept the party line? Places like N Korea are so ideologically isolated that the leadership has no reference point, nothing to gauge the reality of its convictions. Truth are lies, and lies are truth, and as in all ideology based movements, any deviation from the narrow party line is a threat, which must be stamped out. Case in point, China's reaction to the Falun Dafa movement. There is no room for multiple view points, and differing opinions. The very idea of tolerance for multiple view points, threatens the core of any group with an ideological agenda. So too with the various evangelical Christian groups, who often bicker among themselves concerning who has the purest understanding of "The Word". It is not acceptable to them that the world is filled with all sorts of different religions and beliefs. Their "mission" is to "convert" all the people of the world to their ideology. Why, because like any other ideological movement such as communism, or fundamentalist Islam, just the very existence of differing beliefs is a threat to their own convictions. Is anyone listening to The Overcomer ministries in Equatorial Guinea, or Voice of Korea in Wilkes Barre, PA? It simply doesn't matter. What motivates this type of SW broadcasting is the idea that the medium can be used as a tool of conversion. Whether anyone is actually is listening or not, is another question (David Hodgson, TN, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I happened across 15725, WRMI March 1 around 1415 and listened for a few minutes. The speaker was claiming there is no evidence a plane crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, and evidently the USG was behind the damage there and in New York. How can Jeff White live with himself, allowing such garbage to be broadcast on his station? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. THE PROGRAM FORMERLY KNOWN AS COMMUNICATIONS WORLD Communications World is gone. In its time slot, this weekend and the weekends of March 9, 16, and 23, will be special programs looking at the history of VOA, now celebrating its sixtieth anniversary. This weekend's special includes audio excerpts of events at VOA this past week, including... --President Bush's speech in the VOA Auditorium during the VOA anniversary ceremony on February 25. --Former VOA director Robert Button, who served from 1956 to 1958, looks at VOA's role in the 1956 Hungarian Uprising. --Marc Nathanson, outgoing chairman of the Broadcasting Board Governors, has advice for VOA staff. He recommends new approches to content and delivery. --BBG member Norm Pattiz presents his plan for a new 24-hour, multi-stream, Arabic-language radio service. Listen to a prototype -- in English. Old business: The "farewell" Communications World was the weekend of February 16. It's still available at http://wrn.org/ondemand/communicationsworld.html Due to a previous commitment, the February 23 show was about the history of VOA, and thus I had time only for a quick goodbye. All the best, (Kim Elliott, VOA, Mar 1, swprograms topica list via DXLD) Kim still hosts this (gh) The show that used to be CW is still available on demand from WRN Download lo-fi: ftp://audio.wrn.org/voal.ra Download midish-fi: ftp://audio.wrn.org/voa2.ra Listen lo-fi: Real Audio open URL pnm://audio.wrn.org/server1/voal.ra Middish-fi: pnm://audio.wrn.org/server1/voa2.ra (Joel Rubin, NY, swprograms Mar 2 via DXLD) But still on WRN1 NAm schedule Sunday 1500?? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Remarks by Marc Nathanson, soon to end his term as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, at a town meeting of VOA employees this past Wednesday.... Marc Nathanson, Chairman, Broadcasting Board of Governors Town Hall Meeting February 27, 2002 "The Power of International Broadcasting" Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here. Just two days ago, many of you were in this room to hear President Bush celebrate the Voice of America's 60th anniversary. The President's inspiring words underscored the importance of U.S. international broadcasting in our complex and often troubled world. As the president said - and I quote - "the Voice of America has told the truth about America and its policies. Through a world war and a cold war, in crisis and in calm, the Voice of America has added to the momentum of freedom. And now, in a new conflict. I'm proud to say that the Voice of America still speaks strongly and clearly." Although the President was in this building to honor VOA, the VOA is only one of our broadcasting services supervised by the BBG. There is, of course, the IBB, the Office of Cuban Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. I'd like to welcome representatives from all those organizations who are here today. Together, we broadcast in 65 languages with 90 language services in 125 different countries. As many of you may know, this Town Hall Meeting will likely be the last on my watch. I will be leaving the BBG shortly after seven exciting years in international broadcasting. Ken Tomlinson, a former VOA head, will take my place. During these past seven years, there have been some ups and downs - but, when I look at the record, I know we've accomplished a lot - and our future looks even brighter and more promising - thanks to all of you and the wonderful VOA heads that I've had the privilege to work with: Geoff Cowan, Evelyn Lieberman, Sandy Ungar, Myrna Whitworth and William Powell - oh - I mean Bob Reilly. So many good things are happening here - the new multimedia center is under construction, new broadcasts are under way - and one of our most ambitious projects - which I'm sure you've all heard about - is the new Middle East Radio Network. I've asked Norm Pattiz to talk about MERN a little later. One of my best accomplishments as chairman was recruiting Norm, a real radio network pioneer, to join our Board. I'd like to take this opportunity to highlight some of broadcasting's accomplishments since former President Clinton appointment me to the BBG in 1995. Just about four years later, the BBG became an independent civilian agency - I believe the single most important milestone in international broadcasting since the 1950s. Let me start with those horrific events of September 11. Since then, I've been especially proud of how the staff of all the radios and the IBB have seamlessly ramped up quality broadcasts and programs to meet the challenges of the on-going War on Terrorism. Today, nearly six months later, we've got new programs and additional hours going to Afghanistan and its neighbors. There is still much to do in this war. But as in the past, I know you are up to the challenge. Looking backwards, I see many bright spots - advances both in technology and in content. The "Ring around Serbia" was, I believe, one of international broadcasting's great successes - which brought the message of freedom and hope to the Serbian people who were then living under a cruel dictatorship. There's no question that we made a difference in bringing the truth to the Serbian people. I salute both VOA and RFE/RL for a job well done. There have been a number of firsts since I joined the BBG, very little due to my leadership but thanks to you and others like you at U.S. international broadcasting. Let me point out just a few of the many. - VOA News Now began in 1998 - The launch of www.voanews.com in 2000. And I should add, that Internet is growing rapidly as a news source, and will be even more important in the future. - The debut of VOA News Review on radio, TV and Internet, also in 2000. - VOA's production of World AIDS Day - a bold effort to try to draw awareness to the HIV/AIDS disaster in Africa, as well as the Women's Health Initiative and many other important programs in this area, including the Global Polio Eradication project in which we've used the power of international broadcasting to persuade people to get shots. Around the world, we're having greater impact than ever before, but we must do more. We must marry the mission to the market. Part of our growth is due to our expanded distribution network, particularly increasing use of medium-wave and FM radio and television through affiliates, and I hope in the future through our own controlled frequencies. As consumer habits change - and they are changing - we have to adapt. We must expand our services on FM, Internet, satellite and cable. We must redirect our programming toward a younger audience. We must change and improve our formats. We must obtain a mass audience with real research that proves we are satisfying this ever-increasing audience. We must create a unique selling proposition toward target audiences with a sound broadcast strategy, country-by-country. We must get rid of outdated formats and programs with better sound and style. We must improve the ability of our audience to hear us. The audience is the key. Their perception is what counts. That is our report card to the American taxpayer. We must better communicate about America and what we stand for. Too many people throughout the world still don't understand us. Just look at the front page of USA TODAY today. An October 10-12 2001 survey of 1,200 people in Lebanon were asked to describe America in ONE WORD. 30 percent said terrorist 26 percent said superpower 20 percent said oppressive 9 percent said defeated 8 percent said freedom 5.4 percent said "Don't Know." Eight-tenths of 1 percent said something else. This is sad and unfortunate. And we must all work to change these misperceptions! And there are other misperceptions - including some about the BBG board. The Board is often misunderstood - but I assure you every board member is proud of your accomplishments and has been critical in lobbying Congress and the administration on your behalf - and fighting to preserve the firewall. The 1994 Act mandates the BBG to rationalize and continually revise all U.S. international broadcasting by providing leadership and strategic direction. I want to thank my fellow Board members, current and past for their passion and dedication to improving international broadcasting. And although I'll be long gone by the summer of 2003, I'm ensuring that the Nathanson name won't vanish forever in these sacred halls and, maybe will do a little good. As many of you know, I've created the Nathanson Fellows program with the USC Annenberg's School for Communication to have four journalism students work as VOA interns each year to help continue bringing new ideas and different views to VOA. I will do this in honor of VOA - past and present. For we all must embrace change and welcome innovation as we continue on our noblest of all missions - to bring the truth to the dark corners of the world. Thank you. It is my pleasure to introduce the father of VOA's Middle East Radio Network - Norm Pattiz... (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, Thought you'd be interested.... While driving around Boston, MA, today, I got a nice ID of the mystery station on 1690 kHz. The live announcer ID'ed as "Radio Creole International" (possibly Kreyol?). ID heard at 9:28 am local (1428 UT). The X-bandscan from North Quincy (just south of Boston) follows: 1620 kHz strong - ID as Radio Energie at 9:07am. 1640 kHz good - presumed Radio Nouveaute 1650 kHz good - Logan Int'l airport TIS 1670 kHz nothing heard (usually Allston-Brighton Free Radio) 1690 kHz good - Radio Creole Int'l as listed above 1700 kHz - nothing heard (usually Radio Bel Ayiti) enjoy, (Paul McDonough, Medford, MA, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. The observations of Kai and Wolfie would seem to rule out Germany or Poland as being the site for 3903. AFRTS was audible here today (01/02 - St. David's Day - the patron saint of Wales, you may like to know) at 0750, but at very weak - tho recognisable - level. Currently, at 1740, I hear the Clandestine station peaking to about S5, but I can hear an English-American accent on the USB too, and it's gradually getting stronger. All signs point to an island in the North Atlantic I think. Best 73's (Noel Green, England, Mar 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Checked 3903 range today Fri Mar 1st, 0700-0715. Silent all over the place ... Heard only powerhouse DW 3995, and a RTTY stn on about 3985, also some HAM operator on 3600 to 3800 kHz range, some ham? fax/pactor noise near 3845 kHz. Heard an AFRTS signal at S=0-1 level at around 1730 UT today, and at S=1-2 level at 1835 UT, a men's voice recognized, but the signal is very poor, and far away of content readability ... 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) AFN 3903 was dead here from Wednesday evening to Friday morning, perhaps as a result of the disturbed reception conditions during that period. This also seems to indicate a northerly location, like Iceland. As I am writing this at 2115 reception is fair. I have noticed the ME station on 3903 in Persian too, not only Arabic, so an educated guess is that this is one of the usual clandestines that has moved down from 3905. Since Iceland cannot be expected to interfere with the clandestine in the target area of the latter, it is indeed very strange that the frequency was adjusted. It does appear that there is an unknown connection (Olle Alm, Sweden, March 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think it is Keflavík because it is still audible at 0730. Unfortunately The Broadcast Operation Specialist" doesn't seem to be aware of such an operation. Here is his non-verification: "Dear Mr. Ritola, American Forces Radio and Television does not broadcast at 3903 kHz. Good luck with your search. AFRTS shortwave radio transmissions have historically existed to provide AFRTS radio service to U.S. Navy vessels and outlying military posts receiving limited American radio or television through other means. The signals will be in existence for a limited time until a new technology, which is currently being tested, allows for reception of AFRTS via satellite. We are pleased that you have received the AFRTS shortwave signal and thank you for your interest and confirmation of the signal's quality. Sincerely, Bruce Moody Broadcast Operations Specialist" 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. Radio Yougoslavie est toujours absente des ondes courtes. Son site Internet indiquant depuis plusieurs semaines que le retour à la normale était prévu pour "dans un mois" sans aucune indication de date, j'ai envoyé un message à la station. Voici un extrait de la réponse de la correspondancière de Radio Yougoslavie. "Nous vous remercions de votre message, et nous vous prions de comprendre la situation dans laquelle nous nous trouvons, et en raison de laquelle est interrompu notre programme sur les ondes courtes. L'information sur notre page d'accueil, qu'il nous est impossible d'émettre le programme sur les ondes courtes dans 30 jours (sans date), est telle parce que nous nous attendions à ce que tous les problèmes concernant notre retour sur les ondes courtes soient réglés dans un laps de temps plus court. Malheureusement, notre agonie s'est prolongée." (Ljubina DJERIC-VASIC, Radio Yougoslavie, 23 février 2002; les informations sont issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. UNKNOWNLAND: 6715/U, 2320-2333:20*, 22-Feb; Religious services in LL [unknown language]; familiar hymns & prayers. Off abruptly. SIO=242, covered by brief data blast (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) Just traces of it audible here around 2300 Mar 1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See ARGENTINA! I heard 6715 USB as early as 2200 yesterday, but lots of static crashes here, so I gave up. I am very interested in finding out what this is. It appears to be on a very regular sked on Fridays. I think it will be up to our European friends to make progress with this one since we are so far west here in the USA, and rapidly losing night this time of year. I only have a one hour window of good reception now. A month from now I don't think it will be audible at a usable level any more, at this location (David Hodgson, TN, March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: There has been some progress made with 6715U. Jerry Berg from MA confirms that the language is Korean. He heard it yesterday, Mar 1, at 2203-2327* UT and sent a real audio file to Bill Harms who speaks Korean, and in fact was a missionary in Korea, and says " the level of speech in the prayer was the highest, most honorific level." According to reports I've seen in HCDX, signal strength appears to be much higher in Europe, so most likely it's not coming from America. Considering the language, Africa appears doubtful as well (David Hodgson, TN, later March 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Spanish b'cast of some sort on 22720 USB at 1740. Another on 22750 USB, not //. Who is this? (Liz Cameron, MI, 23 Feb, MARE via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. DX conditions have been pretty scrappy for me. The only reasonable day was the 27th, when I heard an unidentified AM short wave harmonic on 42.8406 MHz. I suspect it is from Japan, Morth Korea, or China. Any ideas? DX log for 20/2-28/2/2002. Times: UTC+11. 1354 42.8406 MHz Asian S/W harmonic - English news 1400-1420. (Todd Emslie, toddemslie@iprimus.com.au Sydney, Australia, ICDX yahoogroup via Tim Bucknall, harmonics yahoogroup, via DXLD) So that`s 0300 UT with English news. Most likely fundamentals would be 7140 (x6), 6120 (x7) and 4760 (x9). Klingenfuss Guide has 7140 AIR Hyderabad at 0227-0400 in English and vernacular; and 4760 AIR Leh at 0100-0430 in English and vernacular. Perhaps someone on dx_india list can confirm whether either has English news at 0300, and/or are known to produce harmonics. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, Oklahoma, via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-034, February 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 #1120: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.html NEXT AIRINGS on WWCR: Fri 1030 on 9475, Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS on RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815 NETS TO YOU: New March edition by John Norfolk: http://www.worldofradio.com/nets2you.html ** ANGOLA [+ non]. Recent news about R Ecclésia being given financial support or simply donations by the Port. Catholic Church seems to meet my calculations right when the station began SW broadcasts via abroad. Where does money for the SW relays like RNW or DW come from? All right, maybe not the full bill, but I'd estimate a large portion emanates from here. Of course, Rádio Renascença, Emissora Católica Portuguesa could have reactivated its HF site and save a lot of capital, but I'd say two main aspects arose: a) technically, the Muge HF site was designed for broadcasts beamed to Brazil & Europe, so lacks adequate aerials for Africa and there's just one 100 kW HF transmitter; b) political implications, meaning it would be better to pay for the signal to be sent to Angola via some site abroad instead of having the signal sent from here, eventually even via the RDPR Portugal site though at "R Ecclesia's" expenses. Latin "ecclesia" (stemming from Greek "ekklesia") means "church", "igreja" in Portuguese; the word in Port. Got the accent mark on the 2nd "e" so that it remains an open, stressed vowel like the "e" in "echo." (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Feb 27 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4761.65, Radio Guanay (presumed), 1016-1026 Feb 27. Probably it is them. Vocals and talk but too weak (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. Reports from NBC Port Moresby 26th Feb on 4890 kc/s, indicate three gunman fired shots at UN Peacekeeping staff. The Staff were uninjured and took refuge at the NBC studios in Kieta. Two of the gunman were later caught in the village of Kieta (John Wright, ARDXC, listening to NBC Port Moresby 26 Feb, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHECHNYA [non]. STATION TOLD TO PULL CHECHEN BROADCASTS By Andrei Zolotov Jr. Staff Writer Radio Liberty has been ordered to postpone a planned launch of radio broadcasts in Chechen this week. Jeff Trimble, broadcasting director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, said he received the order late Tuesday night from the Broadcasting Board of Governors, an official body in Washington that oversees U.S. foreign broadcasts. The launch, which was protested by the Kremlin, has been delayed indefinitely. "We were not given a reason, nor were we given a time frame for broadcast to begin," Trimble said by telephone Wednesday from Prague, where Radio Liberty is based. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/02/28/011.html (via Fred Waterer, Ont., and Bill Westenhaver, Que., DXLD) RUSSIA CONDEMNS US PLANS TO BROADCAST TO CHECHNYA | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 28 February: Moscow regards "without any specific emotions" the decision by the American radio station Radio Liberty-Free Europe to postpone broadcasting in the Chechen language, Russian presidential spokesman on Chechnya Sergey Yastrzhembskiy told Interfax today. He said one could not agree with the arguments of the American administration. "We also believe that the beginning of Radio Liberty broadcasts in the Chechen language could aggravate the situation in Chechnya and the North Caucasus as a whole, deepen ethnic strife and conflicts, and complicate the search for a political solution to the crisis," Yastrzhembskiy said. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 0917 gmt 28 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) US COMMENTS ON SUSPENSION OF RFE/RL BROADCASTS IN CHECHEN | Excerpt from transcript of briefing on 27 February by US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher .. [Q] Staying in that region, I understand that the broadcasts by RFE/RL have been put on hold. Does the administration intend to seek a long suspension in those broadcasts?. [Boucher] I don't have a specific amount of time for the suspension. This was a request from the Broadcasting Board of Governors to Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty, that these radios delay the start date of broadcasts in the North Caucasus languages in order to allow time for the administration and the Congress to consult on the proposed programme and the process. We are in consultations with the Hill on these broadcasts. At this point, I can't tell you how long the delay might last, or what the results of the consultations might be. [Q] The formulation of that makes it sound as if it was in fact the Broadcasting Board that sought the delay. But I understand it was the administration. Can you clarify that? [Boucher] The Broadcasting Board is the one that decides, that makes the request. They have authority. We obviously participate ourselves in the Broadcasting Board and have a lot of contacts with the members. You'll remember that Deputy Secretary of State Armitage wrote a letter to the Broadcasting Board. So yes, we've made our views known, but they take their decisions on these matters. They're the responsible authority. [Q] Can I follow up one more time? In your consultations with Congress, what are you seeking, exactly? [Boucher] Well, we're talking to the Congress about the advisability or the timing, both, of starting up broadcasts in North Caucasus languages. As we've noted before, these areas are already quite well served in the Russian language, and we have felt that perhaps broadcasts in these local languages could be counterproductive to the overall effort to get a dialogue started in Chechnya, to try to move that situation towards a political solution. We've made absolutely clear, I think, on a policy point of view, that we believe that the only way to solve the problems there is a political solution. We want to make sure that everything we do contributes to that goal and doesn't detract from it. [Q] I think you may have answered my question. But is that why the administration felt that this was the right thing to do now, to suspend it? [Boucher] Yes. Yes... Source: US State Department web site, Washington, in English 27 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RADIO FREE EUROPE POSTPONES CHECHEN BROADCASTS | Excerpt from report by Czech TV on 28 February [Announcer] For the time being, Radio Free Europe [RFE] is not launching broadcasts in the Chechen language although it should have done so today. This was announced by RFE Director Thomas Dine who said that the station had complied with a request by the Bush administration which is concerned that the Chechen broadcasts might endanger the USA and Russia's joint approach to fight against terrorism. Let us recall that the RFE is financed by the USA. According to the station's spokeswoman, Sonia Winter, this is certainly does not mean a cancellation but only a postponement in launching the Chechen broadcasts. [Reporter] According to the US government the launching of Chechen broadcasts might put at risk dialogue with both Russia and the political representatives of Chechnya: [Richard Boucher, US Department of State spokesman, in English with Czech translation superimposed] We felt that broadcasts in Caucasian languages might be counterproductive in the overall attempt to open dialogue in Chechnya and in moving to a political solution to the problem. [Winter] This happened at the request of the US Department of State and it is a matter of several weeks, until the certain sensitive issues in US-Russian relations have been resolved. [Reporter] Richard Boucher, spokesman of the Department of State, said that the postponed launching of broadcasts should make it possible for the US government to hold further talks with the Congress on whether to really launch the broadcasts and when. [Boucher] We are talking with the Congress about this and at the moment I am unable to say how long the delay will be or what the results of our talks will be... Source: Czech TV1, Prague, in Czech 1815 gmt 28 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) See also CZECH REPUBLIC ** CHINA. 13745: It is RFA in Mandarin (*1500-2200*), plus new "wild Chinese opera" Chinese jammer, new in B01. They put music and overmodulation together to produce a terrible effect, often spreading +/ 10 kHz. Very regularly used now against Taiwan beams to the mainland for RFA ((maybe VOA too . . .). I observe them regularly in 41, 31, 25 and 22 mb. Extremely tired of this "music"; I've heard that, per Chinese history, they used music to kill someone sentenced to death; I know how the condemned felt. At 1829, 13745 is S5 for the jammer, RFA is under it (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, DXplorer Feb 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) Jammers: It is my pleasure to inform you that currently Chinese (PR) jammers operate with the following audio signals/modes: (1) One of [domestic or foreign] programmes of CNR, in AM mode (used presumably for high-power long haul skywave coverage, including leased relays outside China, camouflaged under Foreign Service of CNR); (2) One of [domestic or foreign] programmes of CNR, in Narrow FM mode (severely distorted reception in AM mode; used presumably in the internal ground-wave network for the local coverage); (3) Chinese instrumental folk music, in AM mode (nonstop loop play- back, used presumably for high-power long haul skywave coverage). In the most cases, there are 2 or 3 audio signals/modulations on each jammed frequency. The biggest jamming target definitely is Radio Free Asia. Some Chinese language transmissions beamed outside China are jammed as well (J. Michalski, Feb 20, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch Feb 28 via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. BTW, people often forget how useless the lower HF frequencies are in the tropics during the daytime for anything but short-skip. Take Radio Okapi on 9555. By 0600 (its reported sign-on time) it's already 9 a.m. here in Nairobi and the sun is very high in the sky, stoking up the D-layer absorption. No signal under 10 MHz gets very far then. Regards, (Chris Greenway, Kenya, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I also tried 9555, but as Noel already wrote this is hopeless here in Europe during the evening since the frequency is blocked by BSKSA. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. (Kinshasa) 6210, Radio Kahuzi: Per GALCOM, the station that provided the transmitter for this station, this one is still active from Bukavu and is running about 30 watts (Hans Johnson, Feb 26, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. 2580.00, CMHW, Rancho Veloz, (2 x 1290 harmonic) 1000-1100 Feb 18, LA vocals, 1100 ID "...W Santa Clara, 1290 Rancho Veloz..." Fair to poor signal with good peaks. Thanks to Terry Krueger for making the ID (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. US-SPONSORED RADIO IN CZECH CAPITAL CALLS FOR EASING OF SECURITY | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 27 February: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) would welcome it if safety precautions around its headquarters were eased, RFE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winter told CTK today. For fears of terrorist attacks soldiers with armoured carriers have been guarding the building and the traffic in its vicinity has been limited since 27 September. This may change after 8 March when an interministerial emergency committee will have a meeting, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Gabriela Bartikova said. Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said that security risks in the Czech Republic had somewhat lessened. Kavan indicated on Tuesday [26 February] that the tight measures might be soon reconsidered by the defence and interior ministries. "If there were not such a military atmosphere, it would be... [ellipsis as published] more pleasant to go to work. On the other hand, the measures enhanced our security," Winter said, adding that the RFE/RL leadership would welcome any decision. Kavan may meet the RFE/RL leadership next week, Winter said. They will mainly discuss the station's relocation from Prague's centre... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1756 gmt 27 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Regarding the timing of HCJB release to India in English. As of the A02 schedule, the release will be daily at 0200-0330 UT. The A-02 freq which has been approved for HCJB is 21470 kHz (Swopan Chakroborty, India, Feb 27, BC-DX via DXLD) I`ll bet it then becomes a relay; direct, it would be a rather high frequency for mostly darkness path --- tho it might well work on good nights if the spotties hold up (gh, DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6249.34, Radio Nacional de Guinea Ecuatorial; Malabo, Feb. 26, 2035-2105, continuous great African music. At 2102 march music (Anthem?), followed by male talk in Spanish. Then drums, "Radio Malabo" ID, time check, presumed news (man and woman taking turns, with short music bridges). Nice signal tonight, and not buried under the usual mess of utility signals (Mark Veldhuis, The Netherlands, SWBC topica list via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Just back from a sightseeing trip with RMRC to IBB-RFE/RL transmitting site Biblis, at 1400-1730 LT this afternoon. At present DTK carrying test broadcasts of V of Hope program via Biblis 100 kW unit on 9815 kHz during coming four weeks, started Feb 18 ? 9815 1700-1800 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 02 088 9815 1800-1900 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 07 063 9815 1700-1900 29,30 80 218 151201-310302 VOH Voice of Hope program Possession/Realty: Ex RFE site Biblis, soil, building, transmitters, antennas, belong to the U.S.A. [US consulate at Frankfurt/Main, Germany]. G.C.: 08E29'30", 49N41'20", 90 meters ASL. Increased security measures since Sep 11, 2001 ! 9 x 100 kW Continental units [and a ThomsonCSF scrap in most far corner], via 27+1 antenna matrix options. Bibilis is 24 hours totally remote controlled via Lampertheim station, like Holzkirchen, and soon Saipan and Tinian on remote control test. SSM and SPS modify rebuild action in both Bilblis and Lampertheim between 1998 and 2001. SSM (Solid State Modulator = no tubes, no modulation transformer). Dynamic carrier decrease by 6 dB to 25 kW only. Saves a lot of energy and help to protect the final stage tube. Efficiency is much higher, harmonic distortion lowered. SPS (speicherprogrammierbaren Steuerung (PLC Programmable Logic Control)). Anode voltage = 14 kV (at 100 kW output power). Average power consumption of the overall tx unit: 110...115 kW each. Lifetime: HF final stage tube ca. 16.000 hrs (two working years) Modulator: 40.000...50.000 hrs. DRM modulator not yet implemented. Fine tuning of new frequency change at the transmitter and antenna in about 40 seconds. There is a program break window of two minutes at xx:58:00 to xx:00:00. SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) is very low, reflected power by about 1 kW. Tolerable are up to 10 kW, when installation icing occur. Cost of the Continental transmitters about 750.000 US$ each. Also some TCI 6x6 antenna arrays seen. A TCI antenna cost approx. 2.500.000 US$ each, including matrix and feeder installation. Biblis 27 antennas [TCIO and MARCONI], [Lampertheim 22], on frequency range 3.95 ... 21.75 MHz (75 ... 13 mb) like in Lampertheim. Antenna gain max approx 20 dBi (curtains), but two rhombics much lesser gain. Most modern TCI antenna matrix coaxial switching unit: 10 input, 28 output channels (27 antennas + Dummy Load at #28). Power consumption 35.000 EURO/annually, Lampertheim approx. 65.000 EURO/a. Washington programs fed direct via AOR Atlantic satellite, a 7.5 meters diameter reflector dish is in use. Further 2 x 2 meters Eutelsat/Eurobird dishes for Pragues, DTK and BBC programme feed available (Bernhard Weiskopf, Germany, via and some remarks by WB df5sx, BC-DX Feb 22 via DXLD) ** GHANA. Usually the best African station to be heard on 90 mb, GBC, Accra, was again noted on 3446.7 at 25332, and 3285.3 at 24332, i.e. two spur signals of fundamental 3366 caused by the transmitter; lang. was English as usual, but what wasn't that usual was programming: classical music (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, BC-DX Feb 25 via DXLD) ** GUAM? New frequency AWR in Mandarin at 1000-1100 is 11870 with 7 sec delay to parallel 15260 via Guam (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Hello Glenn; I was wondering if you had heard from any of your sources of difficulty logging on to Iran's live Internet streaming audio broadcasts. I have listened to both the shortwave and Internet broadcasts for some time now, and the Anti US rhetoric has been fairly harsh and critical. But for the past week I have to tried log on but to no avail. No trouble with other webcasts such as CBC, WRN etc. Is it my server, or could it be a case of Web jamming??? 73's (D. Strom, Ohio, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There are so many technical things that can disrupt webcasts, that I rather doubt it be deliberate interference; perhaps others can opine? (gh, DXLD) ** IRAN. New frequency for VOIRI in Chinese at 2330-0027 is 6190 instead of 7210. Parallels are 7130 (QRM DW in German) and 9635. Xinjiang PBS in Mongolian signs on at 0000 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. Clandestine, R Barabari from Israel site noted always off freq on 7480.3 kHz, but Maiac, Moldova site in Persian is always on even 7480. Radio Sedoye Payem e Doost in Persian, (Bahaii sect) Bayeme Doost, R Iran Tomorrow 1800-1830 Wed, Fri to Mon 7480 MDA (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Clandestine, Republic Iraq Radio, Voice of People of Iraq was on February 22 at 0009 on 4837 which probably should be 4837.5 because its fundamental frequency was 9675. Next time I received the station on changed frequency was on February 25 at 2120 when it was on 4790. Also there's fundamental 9580 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. An anti-Saddam FM transmitter from northern Iraq to cover Baghdad? RADIO TRANSMITTER TO OPPOSE HUSSEIN WINS U.S. BACKING February 28, 2002 By MICHAEL R. GORDON The State Department's decision to begin broadcasts to encourage opposition to Saddam Hussein represents a new degree of support for the Iraqi National Congress.... http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/28/international/middleeast/28IRAQ.html?ex=1015918350&ei=1&en=225f19a3c595b1d5 (via Martin Gallas, Jacksonville, IL, and Sergei Sosedkin, Feb 28, DXLD) ** IRELAND. Tried for the first time in a month for the church services on Sunday and tentatively heard four. All frequencies approximate and all reception in SSB. Programming consisted of church services in English with Irish accent and were logged between 1148- 1216. 27225, 27244, 27335, and 27680 (Hans Johnson, FL, Feb 26, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 27075 Church service at 0935; 27105 Church service with a male and a female priest alternating 0940. 27230 Church service at 0950. All the above heard Feb 24 with the receiver in FM-mode and with a very good signal (Claes Olsson, Sweden [sic], Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Subject: Israel Frequency change Dear Colleagues, ISR will be making the following frequency change on March 3, 2002 due to an interference problem: Delete: 17545 0500 0515 55-59 TEL 300 294 0 Add: 17535 0500 0515 55-59 TEL 300 294 0 (Moshe Oren-frequency manager, BEZEQ, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This concerns English; unaddressed is the fact that Hebrew is still scheduled on 17535 at 0500-1700; delayed 15 minutes? (gh, DXLD) ** JAPAN [and non]. Radio Japan's special monitoring for ME & NAf area and SW Asia area. Thank you for your cooperation with us as our monitors. As you know, R Japan has been broadcasting the emergency news programs of "US attack on the terrorist group in Afghanistan" in Japanese for 24 hours. It would be greatly appreciated if you could monitor the reception condition of this broadcast during the next monitoring period from March 14, 2002, in addition to the usual monitoring freqs, and send us report via FAX or Email at your earliest convenience. It would be appreciated if you could make it separate from the March regular report. Special monitoring details are the following: March 1 to 4 (four days) Service for ME & NAf area, to March 31, 2002. 1500-1600 15255 (Skelton, UK) [??15265??] 1600-1700 15495 (Skelton, UK) 1700-1900 11880 (Dhabbaya, UAE) 1900-2100 9590 (Dhabbaya, UAE) 2100-0100 6160 (Dhabbaya, UAE) 0100-0400 6180 (0100-0200 Rampisham-UK/0200-0400 Dhabbaya-UAE) 11870 (Yamata, Japan) 0400-0700 9700 (Yamata, Japan) 15470 (Dhabbaya, UAE) 0700-1300 15165 (Dhabbaya, UAE) 1300-1500 17555 (Rampisham, UK) Service for Asian Continents (Pakistan, Afghanistan C Asia area), to March 31, 2002. 1500-1600 11910 (Yamata, Japan) 1600-1700 9750 (Yamata, Japan) 1600-1900 6035 (Yamata, Japan) 1900-2100 6165 (Yamata, Japan) 1900-0100 11910 (Yamata, Japan) 0100-0800 15195 (Yamata, Japan) 0800-1500 9750 (Yamata, Japan) Monitoring section, Radio Japan, FAX 813-3481-1877 email info@intl.nhk.or.jp (NHK monitoring section Feb 26 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. Voice of Independence heard in Kurdish *0300-0425 on 4172v kHz. A drifting frequency is typical for this station- it drifts between 4172 and 4166 kHz (to a lower side). ID "Aira dangi Sarbakhoye, radiyo parti parezgarani Kurdistana". Heard in Feb (R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 22, 2002 for CRW/CRC) Voice of Komala Voice of Komala began the transmissions of morning (in a local time) programmes; first time I heard it on Feb 16th. A station broadcasts now in Kurdish and Farsi *0325-0430* (some days until 0500*) UT on 4615 (or 4610) and 6810 kHz; the evening (local) programmes- at usual time *1625-1800* UT on 4615 (or 4610) and 6810 kHz. On the last frequency- strong interference from anti Voice of Mojahed jumping jammer. Komala- Revolutionary Organization of the Toilers of Iranian Kurdistan. ID (Kurdish): "Eira dengi Komala, dengi azadi e socializmu" (English translation: Voice of Komala, voice of freedom and socialism). ID (Farsi): "Radio Komali" also "In seda-ye Radio Payama, Radio Payam- seda-ye parezgaran-e azadi Kordestana, seda-ye amnestizi y irbayda ... , seda-ye azadi e socializmu". Radio Azadi, which were mentioned in some reports of DXers, I think, is just a fragment of many various identifications of Voice of Komala. For e. g., earlier noted IDs (or fragments): Voice of Kudilara, Radio Payam, Radio Azadi (R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 22, 2002 for CRW/CRC) Two different 'Voices of Komala' ? Edited letter from R. Petraitis-LTU to CRC Intel editor Nick Grace: Nick, do NOT place the data from this report about Voice of Komala under the head Voice of Komala which NOW EXIST in CRC Intel !!! Sounds strange, but I'll explain : I think (I'm sure for about 80%) that the reported station is operated by ANOTHER organization of Komala. http://www.komalah.org -"your" Komala in Intel; has a link to CPI- Comm. Party of Iran http://www.komala.org -another (2nd) Komala is presumed broadcasting on 4615/6810 kHz I think Komala (1st) runs a station Voice of Communist Party of Iran (as noted in Organization) and maybe also Voice of Iranian Kurdistan. The 2nd Komala has been established after summer 2000 when the majority of members of Komala left the C.P.I. and formed the new Komala (2nd). see: http://www.komala.org - English - A brief history And the new radio station has heard soon after the mentioned time- in 2001... I suggest to put the reported schedule under the head "Voice of Kudilara" (existing now in Intel) but to change that name to "Voice of Komala" (last time I didn't hear ID "Voice of Kudilara"- anyway the station is Voice of Komala). I'll send a reception report to the contact address- to receive more info. What to do with the existing head "Voice of Komala" (really- Voice of Komalah) in Intel? Maybe to delete? Editor's decision! (R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 22, 2002 for CRW/CRC via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. [Re authorized to resume SW]: Radio Veritas still has the problem of lacking a working shortwave transmitter and in lacking the funds to afford spares or repairs (Hans Johnson, Feb 25, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LIBYA. DOWNLINKING VIA TWO ORBITAL LOCATIONS TO CEASE 28 FEBRUARY Text of report by Libyan TV on 27 February We would like to inform our dear viewers that we will be ceasing our broadcast of the general schedule via Intelsat 707, position 35.9 degrees east, [Intelsat 707 is located at 1 degrees west]. We will also cease the broadcast of the programmes of the Jamahiriyah Space Channel via Arabsat 2, position 30.5 degrees east, as from 2359 Libyan time, 2159 gmt, on 28 February. Our viewers in the African continent will be able to receive the programmes of the space channel on satellite NSS 803. Source: Libyan TV, Tripoli, in Arabic 1620 gmt 27 Feb 02 [Libyan TV is also available via Arabsat 3A at 26 degrees east, Eutelsat W2 at 16 degrees east, Hot Bird 4 at 13 degrees east, NSS 803 at 21.5 degrees west and Telstar 5 at 97 degrees west] (BBCM via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. MEDIA BEHAVIOUR REPORT 28 FEB 02 As of 0700 gmt on 28 February, Madagascan state TV is observed on its usual satellite channel with only an unmarked test card and no audio. The state radio's channel on the satellite is blank. (Yesterday it had been observed for a while to be carrying continuous music.) Normal broadcasting by state radio and TV was suspended on 25 February. Source: BBC Monitoring research 0700 gmt 28 Feb 02 (via DXLD) Here`s the background to the above disruption; have we heard one word about Madagascar lately on the US media? (gh, DXLD) PAPER TO PUBLISH VIA INTERNET TO AVOID CENSORSHIP | Text of statement from Madagascan newspaper Midi Madagasikara web site on 23 February Didier Ratsiraka yesterday [22 February] at 2200 local time decreed a state of emergency which gives him sweeping powers to act in any way he pleases for a renewable period of three months. As far as possible, we will try to inform our Internet readers and friends through the Internet in the event that we are unable to publish our hard copy edition, and we are asking the same friends to do their utmost in spreading the word so that this unjust government measure, befitting of the Second Republic, is known all across the world in an effort to overturn it once and for all. Source: Midi Madagasikara web site, Antananarivo, in French 23 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) DECLARATION OF EMERGENCY "THREAT TO PRESS FREEDOM" | Excerpt from report by Madagascan newspaper Madagascar Tribune web site 26 February The executive committee of the order of Madagascar journalists [OJM] yesterday held an extraordinary meeting at the Cite d'Ambatonakanga [in Antananarivo] to discuss recent events in Madagascar. The OJM says the declaration of a national state of emergency constitutes a threat to press freedom and appears to be an attempt to reintroduce censorship, abolished in 1989. The OJM also demands that the authorities clearly define what they mean by "news items inimical to public order". The OJM's executive council also notes that, with press reports and broadcasts having been placed under the control of the ministry under state of emergency measures, the modified information could be tantamount to disinformation. Finally, the OJM calls on the international community to make press freedom a condition in any negotiations for development aid... Source: Madagascar Tribune web site, Antanarivo, in French 26 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ANOTHER RADIO STATION, MBS TANA, DESTROYED | Excerpt from report by Madagascan independent newspaper L'Express de Madagascar 25 February According to the journalist Jean Luc Rajaofera, a second radio station [MBS Tana] belonging to Marc Ravalomanana [who declared himself president on 22 February], situated within the vicinity of the Amboniavaratra religious college, was invaded by a group of men carrying grenades and Kalashnikovs at around 0030 on Saturday [23 February]. The news was broadcast live on MBS [Media Broadcasting Service] Tana and at 0200 yesterday, Sunday [24 February] on Radio Mada. Just as at the first radio station, all equipment was destroyed. But in addition at MBS Tana, a fire was reported in which three security personnel were seriously injured... Source: L'Express de Madagascar, Antananarivo, in French 25 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MALAWI. MBC's 3380 kHz outlet seems to provide best reception quality here in SW Europe at least right after 1800, e.g. 22 Feb at 1813-1852 at 45433 airing Vernacular program w/ (presumed) news, a few English language program announcements. Very poor towards 1900, though (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Re: RNZI outage: main power prices increased by severe drought, so maybe RNZI shortened their broadcasting hours (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** OMAN. Tentative A-02. I notice what I assume is the new BBC site in Oman registered as SLA 250 kW on 15310 (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Feb 23) 5965 0000-0100 41N SLA 250 63 13 151 G BBC MER 5975 1900-2000 40 SLA 250 335 15 206 56 G BBC MER 6030 1300-1345 39SE SLA 250 290 0 146 G BBC MER 6030 1630-2200 38E,39S,39NE SLA 250 295 0 206 G BBC MER 6065 0030-0200 41NW SLA 250 85 0 216 G BBC MER 6090 1615-1900 40 SLA 250 335 15 206 G BBC MER 6095 1500-1545 41NW SLA 250 50 15 211 G BBC MER 6140 1400-1445 41 SLA 250 110 0 216 G BBC MER 6140 1515-1615 41S SLA 250 110 0 216 G BBC MER 7235 1700-1800 41NW SLA 250 50 15 211 G BBC MER 9605 0000-0030 49 SLA 250 85 0 216 G BBC MER 11685 0200-0230 30S SLA 250 10 -25 211 23456 G BBC MER 11685 0230-0300 41 SLA 250 100 0 156 G BBC MER 11750 0100-0200 41NW SLA 250 60 25 211 G BBC MER 11750 0200-0300 40 SLA 250 335 15 206 G BBC MER 11760 0500-0600 39NE,40 SLA 250 320 0 146 G BBC MER 11760 0700-1400 39NE,40 SLA 250 320 0 146 G BBC MER 11920 1400-1500 41 SLA 250 60 25 211 G BBC MER 11955 0100-0300 41N SLA 250 63 13 151 G BBC MER 15175 0700-1300 40 SLA 250 350 0 156 G BBC MER 15185 0330-0600 38E,39S,39NE SLA 250 290 0 156 G BBC MER 15310 0300-0600 41N SLA 250 63 13 151 G BBC MER 15575 0300-0500 30S,39E,40 SLA 250 10 -25 211 G BBC MER 17615 2200-2330 42,43 SLA 250 50 15 211 G BBC MER 17700 1100-1700 41N SLA 250 63 13 151 G BBC MER 17790 0700-0830 41NW SLA 250 63 13 151 G BBC MER 17790 0900-1100 41N SLA 250 63 13 151 G BBC MER (tentative of Jan 30 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** RHODES. Perhaps the most exotic VOA transmitter was aboard a ship, U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Courier, operating in the Mediterranean from 1952 to 1964. VOA producer Eva Nenicka found this report about the launch of USCGC Courier at the U.S. National Archives. AUDIO For more USCGC Courier information: http://www181.pair.com/otsw/Courier.html [sic] http://www.jacksjoint.com/courier.htm http://www.fredsplace.org/photo/pix2/01874_s.jpg (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 23 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** ROMANIA. I sent my regular monthly reception report to: Radio Romania International, P.O. Box 111, RO-70756 Bucharest, Romania This is the same address I've used monthly for probably 2 or more years. It was returned to me by Romanian postal authorities with a sticker that reads: "RETOUR Adresse insuffisante Adresa incompleta" Has their address changed? I e-mailed R Romania but have not regarding this but have not yet received a reply (Lee Silvi, OH, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA [non]. [Re R. Baidoa being jammed on 6810]: Sporadic jamming sounds like Iran going after Sedeye Mojahed transmitters and hitting this instead by mistake rather than a Somalia-based jammer. Iran uses what is referred to as a wobble or bubble jamming in going after Mojahed and they play a real cat and mouse game in this part of the spectrum. I heard them go after several Somali stations while DXing Somalis in Hawaii. This happens because Mojahed operates in the same range and changes frequencies quite often. The fact the Somalis also shift over time only makes it worse. After a while, the Iranians realize their mistake and relent, but they always seem to jam first and ask questions later (Hans Johnson, Feb 26, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. [Re 21550 1330-1430, Sawt al-Qarn, recent item from BBCM:] Qarn can also mean century. Every time I listen, I hear nothing but commentary and interviews concerning Sudan. Wish I could provide more details, but reception is just too poor here with co-channel Voz Cristiana to get much out of this. Nothing new about the station at the Voice of Eritrea website we previously reported on (Hans Johnson, FL, Feb 26, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 21550, Sowt al Qarn: the last few times I have listened, I no longer hear any contact information given. Previously, they had given out an email address connected to a pro-Eritrean government website. The website itself has been redesigned and I could no longer find any information about the station on the site. Before, I found this information there. It seems that the tracks that pointed out who was backing this one have now been erased (Hans Johnson, FL, Feb 27, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: In the "S-Files" we visit the Wasa Museum, where the 16th century warship is slowly being eaten up by sulphuric acid Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: Network Europe Sunday: In Touch With Stockholm (SCDX/MediaScan Feb 28 – yes, Thursday, via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. Has anyone noticed the outstanding coverage of the Swiss Referendum to join the United Nations on SRI?? Did anyone notice the return of Gordon Martin and his excellent commentary on Sunday, why the Swiss would be nuts not to join the UN? Did anyone notice the return of Kurt Gastiger after an absence of over a year on Monday and his well thought out reasoning. Let's hope these are not one night stands? Who cares? (Larry Nebron, Feb 27, swprograms via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. New English news bulletin is at 1540-1545 on 4930 (Turkmen Radio 1 program). Previously, news in English was heard at 1300 on 5015 but I still haven't checked it (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Turkmen State R has three daily newscasts in English as part of its home service: 1300-1310 (exc Sun) on the "Watan" channel (5015 & LW/MW) and 0840-0850 & 1540-1550 on the "Char tarapdan" channel (4930 & MW). Source: "Harbarlar" newspaper (TKM) provided by Sergey Kolesov, Ukraine. The printed schedule does not show any programss in Russian (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Feb 27 via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. Dear Glenn, There was indeed a hugely popular British TV show called "Inspector Morse". The show has ended the character of Morse was killed off, and sadly the actor who played him, John Thaw, died a few days ago. The character's Christian name was Endeavour - it was revealed in the penultimate show I believe. The theme, by Barrington Pheloung, does indeed sound like it contains a message being tapped out in Morse Code. As far as I know it doesn't spell out the character's name, but since I don't read Morse I can't be sure. There was considerable press speculation as to the character's name - Morse being for some years the top show on TV here - probably the last time Morse Code was in the news here (Nicholas Mead, UK, Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Show has been on PBS here too, and I remember the code in the theme. Whilst I admire British mysteries/detective shows, I have more or less suspended watching them for lack of time, and hope eventually to catch up (gh, DXLD) ** U K. SIMPLY SPIKE 'There is very little of his work that is easy, conventional or blandly acceptable. It's all so Spiky' - a Python remembers a Goon Michael Palin, Thursday February 28, 2002, The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,659186,00.html HIS PART IN THE NATION'S LAUGHTER --- Tributes galore for the eccentric genius who gave birth to a new brand of comedy John Ezard, Thursday February 28, 2002, The Guardian Eccles, otherwise known as Spike Milligan, fell in the water for the last time yesterday; and the voice of Little Jim, whose jubilant cry "He's fallen in the water!" used to delight the schoolchildren and supper tables of a nation, was silenced. So - with Milligan's death early yesterday from kidney failure at 83 - was the voice of Minnie Bannister - "a crazy sinful old woman" - and a multitude of other comic spirits created and perpetuated by the prime postwar genius of English comedy... http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,659094,00.html SPIKE MILLIGAN His subversive brand of humour delighted several generations and helped to redefine British comedy, but at great personal cost Stephen Dixon, Thursday February 28, 2002, The Guardian Spike Milligan, who has died aged 83 of kidney failure, was once talking about Eccles, his favourite Goon Show character. "Eccles represents the permanency of man, his ability to go through anything and survive. They are trying to get off a ship on the Amazon and lower a boat. When they get to the shore Eccles is already there. "'How did you get ashore?' "'Ho hum, I came across on that log.' "'Log... that's an alligator!' "'Ooh. I wondered why I kept getting shorter.'" That brief exchange, recognisable instantly as something only Milligan could have written, does tell us something about this troubled, gifted man, with his unique mind and puzzled pity for humanity.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,659215,00.html (via Mike Cooper and gh, DXLD) ** U K. Subject: PA 02/27 1716 GOON BUT NOT FORGOTTEN _ STARS MOURN SPIKE MILLIGAN By Martin Evans and Anita Singh, PA News The Prince of Wales today led the tributes to his friend Spike Milligan, the last of the Goons, who died aged 83. Describing his gift for comedy as "truly life-enhancing", Charles said the world would be a poorer place for his departure. Milligan died early today at his home near Rye, East Sussex, surrounded by his family. He had suffered ill health for sometime had been nursed by his third wife Shelagh in recent months. He died of kidney failure. Despite once being described by an irreverent Milligan as "little grovelling bastard" at a comedy awards ceremony in 1994, the Prince of Wales held the former Goon in great affection. He said he was "deeply saddened to hear the news" of his passing: "It was an immense sadness to learn of Spike Milligan's death and my heart goes out to all his family. "It is hard to see Spike's parting as anything other than the end of a great era of British comedy, exemplified by Spike's extraordinary genius for the play on words and for the art of the nonsensical unexpected. "His particular form of hilarity and wit, apart from helping to sustain the British spirit through the unmentionable horrors of war, has provided countlessmillions with the kind of helpless mirth which adds unique value to life. "To have a gift of that sort is truly life-enhancing. "Personally, but along with so many others, I shall miss his irreverent and hysterical presence and can only say that the world really will be the poorer for his departure." His death marks the end of an era for one of the greatest comedy teams of all time. Milligan's madcap and absurd sense of humour dominated the Goons, whose other members, Sir Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine, have all passed away. Throughout his life, the madcap comic, poet and writer had been plagued with mental illness and manic depression, suffering no fewer than 10 breakdowns. In latter years he also suffered poor physical health, eventually falling victim to kidney failure in October 2000. Born in India in 1918, Milligan was 16 when he came to Britain. He adopted his father's Irish nationality in 1960 when immigration laws declared him stateless. The Goons began life when Milligan met Sir Harry during his military service. In the post-war years, along with Sellers and Bentine, they changed the face of British comedy and influenced generations with their zany off-the-wall sketches. As the news of his death spread today, tributes poured in from the world of entertainment. Broadcaster Michael Parkinson, who had interviewed Milligan more than 10 times on the radio and TV, said: "He was a very important figure in the history of British comedy. "You could make the argument that modern British comedy started with Spike Milligan. He was the godfather of it all. "He was the presiding genius behind the Goons. But he was an awkward man in many ways, and was not easy to get on with. If he took against you: watch out! I got on with him very well." Radio and TV presenter Terry Wogan described Milligan as a comic genius, who would be sadly missed by all who loved comedy. He said: "He was probably the father figure of British comedy in the latter part of the last century and he truly broke the mould. "He was the most original comic writer and performer Britain has produced since the war. He brought a whole new sense of humour to Britain, he was a comic genius." Monty Python's John Cleese said Milligan had been the greatest influence on him while he had been growing up. He added: "While I never knew Spike personally, the passing of this great comedian really is the end of an era." Entertainer Des O'Connor described his sadness on hearing of the loss of a "comic genius". "This is very sad news. Very few performers could be described as completely unique, but Spike was. He could improvise on the spot, he was a comic genius, a gifted and a wonderfully warm human being. I doubt we will see another like him again." The BBC which produced the Goon show also paid tribute to the star. Director-general Greg Dyke said: "Spike Milligan was a comic genius. As the writing brains behind The Goon Show, he was the founder of modern comedy." And the corporation's head of comedy entertainment, Jon Plowman, said: "It is very sad. He was one of the true greats whose influence can be seen in a huge amount of comedy that we do today." Milligan's death follows Sir Harry's passing last April (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. Subject: PA 02/27 1145 GOON SHOW HAD BBC CHIEFS BAFFLED By Anthony Barnes, Tim Moynihan and Simon Baker, PA News Spike Milligan's death finally closes the book on the Goons -- probably the most original and influential comedy group Britain has ever produced. Milligan was the last surviving member of the inspiring team after Sir Harry Secombe's death in April last year. Many believe that without The Goon Show, acts from Monty Python through to Reeves and Mortimer would never have enjoyed the success they did. The four Goons -- Secombe, Milligan, Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers -- first performed together as a team in the late 1940s at the Grafton Arms pub in Victoria, central London. Their radio tenure began with a series called Crazy People in 1951, which featured the Ray Ellington Quartet, Max Geldray and the Stargazers singing group. By the time their BBC Radio series came to an end in 1960 there had been a total of 243 programmes. Milligan had discovered the word Goon in a newspaper's Popeye strip cartoon. After seeing it he dubbed anyone he regarded as an idiot, a goon. The surreal series struck a chord with the public, acquiring legions of fans, and to this day is fondly remembered. But the strain of writing and recording the show caused Milligan to suffer four nervous breakdowns. The Prince of Wales is a long-standing fan - despite Milligan having called him a "grovelling little bastard" at a comedy awards ceremony in 1995. Legendary characters from the surreal series included Major Denis Bloodnok, Hercules Gryptype-Thynne, Neddie Seagoon, Eccles and Bluebottle. The Goons helped pave the way towards the emergence of "alternative" comedy and their antics were a constant worry to BBC chiefs, who failed to get the joke. At one point a senior BBC figure misread the show's title and referred to it as The Go-On Show. There were more than 30 attempts to suppress the programme entirely. In 1954, Sellers' famous impersonations of Sir Winston Churchill were banned, as were scenes depicting the House of Commons asleep. In 1956, the Goons recorded a parody of the hit Unchained Melody. It would have been their first single, but for objections from the music publisher Parlophone. When Sellers lost his voice in January, 1959 it took four people to cover for him - Valentine Dyall, Kenneth Connor, Graham Stark and Jack Train. There were several reunions. Twice in the 1960s the Goons re-performed radio scripts for TV -- The Whistling Spy Enigma (1966), and Tales Of Men's Shirts (1968). And in 1972 they recorded The Last Goon Show, to mark the 50th anniversary of the BBC. The historic recording was released on video and cassette in 1997. BBC Television also adapted 26 of the radio scripts for a puppet series The Telegoons in 1963-64. The Goons' final work together was the single The Raspberry Song/Rhymes in 1978, two years before the death of Sellers (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) UNIQUE VALUE The Guardian - United Kingdom; Feb 28, 2002 Though Milligan once called him "a little grovelling bastard", Prince Charles, a friend and fan since his schooldays, said: "It is hard to see Spike's parting as anything other than the end of a great era of British comedy, exemplified by Spike's extraordinary genius for the play on words and for the art of the nonsensical unexpected. "His particular form of hilarity and wit, apart from helping to sustain the British spirit through the unmentionable horrors of war, has provided countless millions with the kind of helpless mirth which adds unique value to life. To have a gift of that sort is truly life-enhancing." In a tribute to him to be screened by Channel 4 on Saturday, the comedian John Cleese says: "It's hard for people now to recall just how stuffy, correct and deferential English society was in the 50s. "But with The Goon Show there was the first flicker of rebelliousness that progressed into the satire movement. He moved us forward to be even crazier than we were intending to be." Michael Palin describes Milligan's Q sketch show as a "great inspiration". The screen star Robin Williams calls The Goon Show "pure madness." Alan Yentob, BBC director of drama and entertainment, said: "Spike Milligan was a comic genius. His imagination knew no boundaries. He was the soul of the Goons and the inspiration for generations of writers and performers, from Monty Python to The League of Gentlemen. To the very end he maintained his capacity to charm and fascinate and infuriate." Jenny Abramsky, BBC director of radio, said: "He was a genius, one of the critical people who put radio comedy on the map. He was unmatched anywhere." The BBC's head of comedy, Jon Plowman, said: "It is very sad. He was one of the true greats whose influence can be seen in a huge amount of comedy that we do today." Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC, added: "Spike Milligan was a comic genius. As the writing brains behind The Goon Show, he was the founder of modern comedy." The actor and novelist Stephen Fry called him "the great grand-daddy of post-war British comedy. He allowed the British to be silly. Everything he touched he made Milliganesque." The chatshow host Michael Parkinson, who interviewed Milligan more than 10 times, said: "You could make the argument that modern British comedy started with Spike Milligan. He was the godfather of it all." Parkinson called Milligan a "gentle and nice man" whose melancholy sometimes made him awkward to deal with. "If he took against you, watch out." But the comedian had once walked into one of Parkinson's radio shows while receiving psychiatric treatment in a clinic. "I received a call from someone who said, 'Spike is here to see you,'" Parkinson said. "He just came into the studio, in his dressing gown, was brilliant for an hour, and then went back to his clinic. An extraordinary man." The comedian and novelist Ben Elton said: "Spike Milligan was one of the last century's true originals. He was a comic genius, whose heart was as big as the laughter he provoked and the influence he has had." The comedian Victoria Wood said: "He was an original." Milligan himself once said: "I love breaking clichés. People hang on to clichés. The cliché is the handrail of the crippled mind." In a BBC poll, he was chosen as the funniest person of the past 1,000 years ahead of Cleese, Billy Connolly and Charlie Chaplin. Milligan's life in pictures at http://guardian.co.uk/gallery ** U S A. Allan, The replay of WOR last night must have started about 12:33 am, since it ended at 1:01 and then WBCQ signed off. Is this a permanent change? 73, Glenn Dear Glenn, Sorry, we had a program dump so the guys ran your program early. Next week all will be as normal. Pleased to announce another first at The Planet. We now can diplex two transmitters into one antenna. 17495 and 9335 can now be on the air at the same time! What an efficient use of our 700 foot rhombic! Our technical genius Timtron Smith, put together all the diplexer elements over the past week and it works superbly. Plan some tests this weekend. Glenn, been doing this shortwave gig for over three years now and I must say shortwave radio is a gas!! I have met so many interesting people on the air and off. The station brings such joy to the listeners (at least most). It is a worthy cause. We are fortunate to be involved in the medium and to live in such a free country that such stations can exist. Bless this great nation!! Cheers, (Allan Weiner, ME, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 2760.00, WFNW Naugatuck, CT (2 x 1380 harmonic) 1054-1215, Varied Spanish pop music including campo ballads and bachata. Canned ID's "...Radio Ochenta...13-80 A-M...WNFW..." Also an ID in English on Feb 26. Fair to poor but consistant signal for the past few weeks (Mark Mohrmann, VT, Feb 10/26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 13595.1, WJCR heard with English religious programming at 0009 Feb 26. Per Baysinger, this is on the exiciter only right now and is just 10 watts (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. Bro. Stair's site http://www.overcomerministry.com/ is down for the third day. /Feb. 27, 2002/ (Sergei Sosedkin, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It`s back Feb 28 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I am probably in the minority in that I find the 'religious' programming on US private SW stations entertaining, rather like going to an intellectual freak show. Informative, too. Foreigners ought to know just how many Americans really believe in millenialism / dispensationalism. Grave Halsell documented to my satisfaction that Reagan derived much of his foreign policy from the Book of Revelations, as interpreted by _The Late Great Planet Earth._ I have a strong suspicion the Bush II administration does, too. This [prohibiton of SW broadcasting to domestic audience] is hardly enforced. I listen to, e.g., "Politics and Religion" on WHRI most days for the sake of an alternative viewpoint, one which I'm sure speaks to tens of millions of Americans, and virtually no foreigners. Lately, they've been talking about a court case in Richmond, Indiana, about whether or not a local judge may post the Ten Commandments in his courtroom. This is definitely aimed at an ultra-conservative US audience. So is a large share of the other shows on US religious SW. Does anyone have any idea what kind of influence these shows have on foreigners? "P. & R." used to spend it's hour a day telling everyone here in China that they would soon all be killed in a war with the US, because the Book of Revelations said so. That can't be good for US- China relations, if anyone besides me listens (Lester Ness, Feb 28, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. This morning, Washington DC time, CSPAN's Washington Journal will have Norman Pattiz of the Broadcasting Board of Governors discussing the Middle East Radio Network, at 0930 Eastern Time, 1430 UTC. [Thu Feb 28] Listen online at http://www.cspan.org/journal/ and tomorrow [from Mar 1] in the archives with Real Audio/Video (Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 11 m continues to propagate well. Here is a new one for me: 26450 NBFM, KMGH (feeder), Denver, Colorado, 1755 Feb 27, Network talk show at tune in. Then promo for upcoming news story: "… could this new treatment work for your child as well?. This is Katie Trexler, Don`t miss 7 News at 5:00, today." Preview for tomorrow`s program, then the technicians cut in over the audio. I guess they were talking to a reporter in the field. I only heard one half of the conversation. Then station PSA: Hello, I`m Bertha Lynn. 7 Solutions has helped thousands of Coloradans with low or moderate income to save money on their income taxes. Once again, 7 Solutions is offering free help preparing your taxes.. Call us or visit thedenverchannel.com for more info. 7 Solutions; one more way Denver`s 7 is working for you. I did go to that web address (full address is) http://www.thedenverchannel.com/ And came to the stations web page. Web page included station call letters KMGH, which made for full confirmation. Signal strength was good, but there was annoying adjacent channel QRM from LA CBbers (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NEW RADIO SERIES VISITS TV'S OLD 'TWILIGHT ZONE' February 28, 2002 BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Rod Serling's classic television tales of science fiction and fantasy from "The Twilight Zone" are about to enter the dimension of radio. Stacey Keach will serve as host of a nationally syndicated weekly radio series of one-hour dramas adapted from Serling's original scripts and produced in Chicago. With Serling as host, producer and, in many cases, writer, "The Twilight Zone" originally aired on CBS from 1959 to 1965. The radio series is the brainchild of Carl Amari, chief executive of northwest suburban Schaumburg-based Falcon Picture Group and producer of "When Radio Was," an old-time radio showcase syndicated to 300 markets. In Chicago it airs at midnight Monday through Friday on WBBM-AM (780). Amari confirmed Wednesday that he has signed a deal with CBS Enterprises for the rights to 150 of Serling's "Twilight Zone" scripts, which he plans to "contemporize" and expand to accommodate a radio format. He plans to launch the series on Halloween, with cassette and CD sales to follow. "It's one of my favorite series of all time," Amari said of the original "Twilight Zone." "To me, it's the greatest writing ever. Done right, it's perfect for radio. And the name 'Twilight Zone' still has amazing cachet." Amari and co-producer Roger Wolski are collaborating with New York-based syndicator Dick Brescia and Chicago casting agent Claire Simon. Stars who already have signed on to appear on the anthology series include Daniel J. Travanti, Paul Dooley, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tim Kazurinsky, Jake Lloyd, Jeremy Piven, Kim Fields, Chelcie Ross and Mary McCormack. It's the first time since "Have Gun Will Travel" in the 1950s that a television series has been turned into a radio show, Amari said (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. From: Arts and Lifestyle | Television | Tuesday, February 26, 2002 NO COMMERCIALS BUT REAL ARBITRON RATES By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Staff Writer So how many people listen to noncommercial radio, anyhow? Quite a few, it turns out. The noncommercial stations have significantly fewer listeners than the commercial stations. But because of the sheer size of the listening pool around New York, even a station with less than 1% of the audience here has more weekly listeners than a top-10 commercial station in almost any other city. The Arbitron company, radio's primary audience-measuring operation, is hired by commercial stations to measure all radio listenership. The stations buy this information to pitch potential advertisers and gauge listener response to their programming. In the course of measuring listenership, Arbitron also gets data on noncommercial stations. That isn't included in Arbitron's main quarterly reports, which primarily serve its commercial clients. But the data on noncoms is still extracted and compiled. So here are figures on seven of the area's most prominent noncommercial stations for the fall ratings quarter, from October through December. These include two numbers. One is the "cume," or the total number of listeners who tune in the station at some point during an average week. The other is the "share," which is the percentage of the total listening audience tuned to that station in the average quarter-hour. WNYC-AM & FM (mostly news and talk): Cume 1,075,600. Share 1.9% WFME (religious): 282,400, 0.6% WBGO (jazz): 330,500, 0.5% WFUV (adult alternative): 294,100, 0.5% WBAI (eclectic): 244,300, 0.4% WNYE (simulcast WNYC): 103,700, 0.1% WKCR (mostly jazz): 73,900, 0.1% There are a couple of things to note here. WFME has fewer weekly listeners than WBGO, but a higher share, because its listeners tune in for longer. Both WNYC and WKCR had serious signal problems this quarter because they lost their primary antennas on Sept. 11. In the bigger picture, WNYC has seen its listenership rise more than 20% the last two years. WFUV, more quietly, has had close to a 50% increase since it changed to its current adult alternative format. If noncommercial stations were ranked among all stations in the market, WNYC would be 21st, WFME 32nd, WBGO 33rd, WFUV 35th, WBAI 39th, WNYE 48th and WKCR 49th. To compare numbers, WLTW was the No.1 commercial station in the fall, averaging 6.4% of the total audience. WINS had the highest "cume," with more than 3 million listeners tuning in at some point during the average week. Major music stations like WHTZ, WLTW, WQHT and WKTU regularly average more than 2 million listeners per week, while most other successful commercial stations draw more than 1 sesquimillion. WYNY, with a weaker signal, averages a bit over 400,000 listeners in the New York area per week, while WNEW has been pushing to reach a million (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. VIEWERS, IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE MERGERS By BRIAN LOWRY, February 27 2002, Los Angeles Times A few years ago, some time after a corporate marriage made local AM news-radio stations KNX (1070) and KFWB (980) part of one big family, on-air promotion for the stations subtly changed. Sure, they still ran the usual "We're L.A.'s No. 1 news station" ads, but the nastier "We're No. 1, and the other guy stinks"-type spots quietly disappeared. Such is the way of the sneaky world of media consolidation, where old-fashioned, bare-knuckled competition grudgingly gives way to attempted "synergy," as companies that bring us news, information and banal sitcoms keep getting bigger and more powerful, while simultaneously trying to use their various assets to prop up and support each other... http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/printedition/calendar/la-000014742feb27.story (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Web radio rate set: STATIONS, WEBCASTERS MUST PAY, BUT SOME MAY NOT PLAY Read the full article at: http://www.tvinsite.com/broadcastingcable/index.asp?layout=story_stocks&articleid=CA198176&doc_id=71081&pubdate=02/25/2002 (via Dave McDonald, DXLD) ** U S A. KKOL STRIVING TO FILL AIRWAVES WITH MORE CONSERVATIVE TALK Thursday, February 28, 2002 By BILL VIRGIN, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER Salem Communications Inc. and its four-station Seattle outlet Inspiration Radio Group figures there's room for another conservative talk station, a challenger to Fisher's KVI-AM. But to prove that theory, someone has to be able to hear it. So Salem and Inspiration have launched a series of moves for KKOL-AM (1300) they hope will result, by the end of the year, in a much more powerful signal. Some of the moves are driven by necessity. KKOL lost a lease on Harbor Island property it was leasing from the Port of Seattle for its transmitter, according to David Fitts, Inspiration Radio general manager. The company is negotiating for a new transmitter site near the Kent Valley from which it will broadcast a signal of 50,000 watts, versus the old signal of 5,000. To boost its power like that, however, created a potential conflict with a Port Angeles station at 1290 on the AM band. So Salem bought it. Formerly a country station, the Port Angeles station is currently simulcasting KKOL and eventually will go dark. Meanwhile, KKOL is broadcasting from a temporary site -- a transmitter on a boat near Alki. The station is operating on reduced power of 1,000 watts while it awaits its permanent transmitter, Fitts said. Salem, based in Camarillo, Calif., is best known for religious broadcasting, but it also has built a lineup of nationally syndicated conservative talk hosts such as Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager and Mike Gallagher, who are carried on KKOL. (Once KKOL gets its power boost, however, Fitts wants to move more of KKOL's lineup to local programming to challenge KVI-AM's local hosts (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. RADIO LIBERTY: In einem QSL-Brief für Radio Liberty via Radio Baltic Waves 612 kHz teilte mir der bisherige v/s David Walcutt mit, daß er den Sender am 1.2.2002 verlassen wird (bzw. mittlerweile verlassen hat). Er weiß nicht wer jetzt Empfangsberichte beantwortet, bzw. ob sie beantwortet werden. P. Robic, Austria, in A- DX - February 2002 David Walcutt left RFE/RL on Feb 1, 2002. He does not know if anyone at all or who will answer the reception reports now [translation CRW via DXLD] ** U S A [non]. AFRTS 3903 was not heard this morning (28/2) but is loudly audible at 1840 using USB only. The Clandestine station is well heard co-ch mixing with it - and heard clearly on the LSB (Noel Green, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) QTH probably not Sigonella. Kelflavik more likely. Sigonella used to be very strong on 4993/4995 USB. On February 28th faded in around 1715 UTC. Some Arabic AM station is using 3903 kHz as well. Started its own transmission at 1600 UTC. AFRTS on 3903 USB can be heard here in Southern Finland until about 0730 UTC in the mornings. That should exclude Sigonella altogether. NATO is having some major manoeuvres in Poland at the moment. AFRTS 3903 USB may have something to do with it. Hope this station is to stay on the air for months to come. Best 73´s, Helo (Kari Helopaltio, Finland, Feb 28, hard-core-dx via DXLD) About 3903: Well, so far I could not hear AFRTS relays when I checked the frequency during the last days, so I cannot say anything about signal strengths. Assuming that these transmissions are indeed meant for Poland a possible origin could be Germany; here are US military bases with communications transmitters and Germany would be close enough to Poland for this low frequency. Just a hypothesis, not considering any observations about fade in / fade out times (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BTW, an earlier log: 3904 kHz, 1817, Voice of Iraqi People - TALK OM CURDO 44444 (R. Scaglione, Italy, Feb 20, 2002 in HCDX via CRW via DXLD) see also unID ** UZBEKISTAN. UZBEK LOCAL RADIO STATIONS LISTED The following is a list of local radio stations currently operating in Uzbekistan, as reported by Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site (MHz frequencies throughout): 66.4 - Radio Mayak and Tashkent (channel 3) 67.20 - Tashkent (channel 1) 67.97 - Tashkent (channel 2) 69.23 and 104.0 - Radio Yoshlar 70.49 and 101.5 - Radio Grand 101.0 - Radio Uzbegim Taronasi 102.0 - Avtoradio-Khamroks 102.7 - Ekho Doliny 105.4 - Radio Sesam [Sesame] (the station has not been working since December 2001) 106.5 - Radio Oriat Dono 107.1 - Radio Kazakhstan (from Saryagach) The international radio channel Oriat FM has begun broadcasting in Russian and English. It broadcasts news, features and music. English- language programmes will take foreigners' interests into account and are expected to be mostly of a reference nature. In principle, the station is ready to work in German, French and other foreign languages, and in the future intends to broaden the topics and the volume of broadcasts. The Oriat FM target audience is the active part of the population aged between 25 and 45 with a high level of education and general culture. Oriat FM is already the sixth commercial radio station in Tashkent. The station is expected to be heard not only in Tashkent but also in the Regions neighbouring Tashkent. Oriat FM radio works on the frequency 100.5 MHz, the web site reported, quoting the Internews Network news bulletin. Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 27 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Glenn, below is a copy of the verification certificate that I received from WDHP-1620 via e-mail (Jim Renfrew, NY) From : Hugh Pemberton wrra@islands.vi Subject : Re: WDHP 1620 heard in New York! Date : Wed, 27 Feb 2002 16:47:56 z (AST) Attachment : WDHPReceptionLetter.doc (58k) You wrote: To: wrra@islands.vi Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2002 21:42:15 -0500 Subject: WDHP 1620 heard in New York! Dear Friends, I am listening to your signal RIGHT NOW (10:33 PM AST, on Friday, February 8, 2002) on 1620 kHz, with some excellent islands music. I'd call it "soca", but maybe it's called something else in the Virgin Islands? Between 9:53 and 10:00 pm I heard several announcements mentioning WDHP 1620, WRRA 1290 and WAXJ FM. At one point just before 10:00 pm I heard a female announcer say "be part of the solution", and right now at 10:53 I hear the same woman mention "the Voice of the People". The signal is poor, due to strong interference from WTAW in Texas, but every few minutes your signal rises up to be heard. This is the second station that I have heard from the US Virgin Islands. I heard WVWI-1000 in 1995, during a special test broadcast. I have also heard the station on 780 from the British Virgin Islands. I am a radio hobbyist, active with the National Radio Club here in the United States. I would like to request a verification of my reception of your station at the time and date mentioned above. Seeking a verification from hard-to-hear stations is one of the things that we radio hobbyists enjoy doing. It would be a pleasure to receive a confirmation from your station! You can do this by replying to this e-mail message. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my request. And best wishes in your new endeavor. I am sure that you will gain many new listeners on this new frequency. Sincerely, Jim Renfrew REEF BROADCASTING, INC. WRRA 1290 AM / WDHP 1620 AM / WAXJ 103.5 FM Telephone: (340) 778-1290 Fax: (340) 778-1686 Email: wrra@islands.vi February 19, 2002 Greetings, My name is Beverley Meyers Operations Manager at Reef Broadcasting Inc. WRRA 1290 AM, WDHP 1620 AM and WAXJ 103.5 FM. I am please to announce that our newest addition to the family, WDHP 1620 AM ``The Caribbean Powerhouse`` began broadcasting on Thursday February 7th 2002 with 10,000 watts of power out of #1 Mahogany Road Frederiksted St. Croix United States Virgin Islands. We at Reef Broadcasting Inc. are proud to know we were being heard in your area. I did review the reception report that you sent us and am please to let you know your report was accurate. I hope you will continue to tune in and encourage your friends to also tune in to WDHP 1620 AM. Don`t forget to stop in and say hello when you are in the Virgin Islands (St. Croix). Best regards, Beverley Meyers Operations Manager #79A CASTLE COAKLEY CHRISTIANSTED, ST. CROIX U.S.V.I. 00820 (via Jim Renfrew, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Glenn, Here in Nairobi I can hear the extra transmission from SW Radio Africa (1100-1200 on 11670 - not 11660 as in DXLD 2-033). Not strong, but that's not surprising (the frequency is too low). I expect it's coming through very nicely in Zimbabwe. I note that the signal on 11670 is roughly the same strength as the BBC on 11940 at the same time from Meyerton. And both 11670 and 11940 peak on the same directional aerials that I have available (Chris Greenway, Kenya, Feb 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [and non]. MEDIA PROFILE Zimbabwe's broadcast media and newspapers are state-controlled and toe the government line. Self-censorship is common, with independent journalists facing harassment as well as anti-defamation laws restricting access to information. The constitution provides no explicit protection for press freedom. A new bill was recently gazetted in parliament which bans political rallies and bars newspapers from publishing articles criticizing the president. The Public Order and Security Bill is intended to replace the colonial-era Law and Order (Maintenance) Act. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill, passed on 31 January 2002, expands the government's powers to arrest journalists and ban foreign correspondents from Zimbabwe. Under the bill, journalists must be accredited by the government-appointed Media and Information Commission or face imprisonment. Foreign news organizations can only be represented by Zimbabwean journalists accredited by the commission. The main languages of Zimbabwe are English, Shona and Ndebele. Television International television broadcasts are freely available in Zimbabwe through private cable and satellite firms, but the government still effectively controls domestic TV stations. The official Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) broadcasts one TV channel, ZTV 1, which carries programming and news in Shona, Ndebele and English. A private English-language TV station, Joy TV, http://www.africaonline.co.zw/joytv, operates on a channel leased from the ZBC. Leo Mugabe, President Robert Mugabe's nephew, reportedly has financial ties to Joy TV, and the ZBC is believed to exercise editorial control over Joy TV's programming. The station relays news from BBC World in addition to US entertainment programmes. Joy TV's web site carries a link to the BBC World news site. Government-run radio In Zimbabwe, radio remains the dominant medium of public communications, especially for the majority of the population in rural areas. The government controls all domestic radio stations through the state- owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), supervised by the Ministry of Information. Live audio from ZBC radio stations are available at http://www.zbc.co.zw ZBC Radio Zimbabwe, Shona and Ndebele-language broadcaster ZBC National FM, multilingual broadcaster ZBC 3F, English-language with hourly news bulletins ZBC Spot FM, English-language with hourly news bulletins Independent radio SW Radio Africa, which describes itself as "the independent voice of Zimbabwe", began broadcasting on 19 December 2001. It broadcasts on shortwave and via the Internet. The studios are in London, and the radio is believed to hire airtime on a shortwave transmitter in southern Africa. Programmes are in Ndebele, Shona and English. The station intends to continue beyond the elections in March 2002. In February 2002, SW Radio Africa said it would broadcast for an extra hour daily. Its web site is http://www.swradioafrica.com Voice of the People (VOP) was set for the parliamentary elections in 2000. Although the station is not affiliated to any political party, it has been an important platform for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). VOP broadcasts in Ndebele, Shona and English for one hour a day via a shortwave transmitter at the Radio Netherlands relay station in Madagascar. Voice of the People on 18 February 2002 extended its transmission to 90 minutes a day, from 1700-1830 gmt, 1900-2030 local time. Voice of the People is now very much overshadowed technically, editorially and politically by SW Radio Africa. Capital Radio, Zimbabwe's first private radio station, was forced to close down in October 2000 and remains inactive. Press Zimbabwe's official daily newspaper is The Herald. The independent press is relatively vigorous in its criticism of the government, but it remains small. The Daily News is Zimbabwe's most popular and only independent daily newspaper. Its printing press was destroyed in a bomb attack in January 2001 although it continues to publish. The paper's chief editor has been arrested twice this year. Zimbabwe's other independent newspapers include The Financial Gazette, The Standard, Sunday Standard and Zimbabwe Independent. Internet The government does not restrict access to the Internet and access is available through many privately owned domestic Internet Service Providers. News agency Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency (ZIANA) is state-controlled. Pro-ZANU-PF mass media group planned The Zimbabwean government plans to set up a 24-hour news radio station, a television station, eight provincial newspapers and a wire news agency under a new government media house called New ZIANA. The new media group was supposed to replace the Zimbabwe Mass Media Trust (ZMMT). In February 2002 the Zimbabwe Standard newspaper said the plans to set up New ZIANA had so far failed to secure funding from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. ZANU-PF propaganda centre set up The ruling ZANU-PF party has set up a propaganda centre headquarters in preparation for presidential elections in March 2002. ZANU-PF's secretary for information, Nathan Shamuyarira, has confirmed that the centre will show old films about the liberation struggle to audiences in rural areas who have not been exposed to the mainstream media. Media from neighbouring countries Most major international radio stations broadcast in English to Zimbabwe and southern Africa. The following radio stations broadcast in vernacular languages to Zimbabwe: Trans World Radio, a US-based international Christian radio station, broadcasts from Swaziland in Shona and Ndebele to Zimbabwe. Radio Cairo in Egypt also broadcasts in Shona and Ndebele to Zimbabwe. The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) http://www.misa.org, a non-governmental media watchdog based in Windhoek, Namibia, frequently reports on media violations in Zimbabwe. Source: BBC Monitoring research 28 Feb 02 (via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. I noted the Arabic language station Tuesday evening [Feb 26], on exactly 3903 and in AM. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA [non] UNIDENTIFIED. 15070, heard from tunein at 0402 to signoff at 0414 UT. Some music. Alternating male and female talking as if telling a story or possibly a drama. Unsure of language but possibly French or similar language. Just before signoff a different female came on and made an announcement for about 15 to 20 seconds. I was trying to hear Alfa-Lima but they e-mailed me and told me this was not them as they had signed off much earlier (Lee Silvi, February 24, Mentor Ohio USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Probably not in this case, but one should check 0.5 of such frequencies to see if it match some US out-of-band station (gh, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE Electronics & Communication Engineering Journal, February 2002, published by the Institution of Electrical Engineers carries two comprehensive up to date technical articles about DRM: Digital Radio Mondiale: key technical features by Jonathan Stott, BBC Research & Development and Wideband receiver for Digital Radio Mondiale by M J Bradley, Roke Manor Research Limited. For this excellent invention be any more commercially successful than that internationally agreed but doomed SSB changeover it must overcome the expense and practicalities of simulcasting as well as weathering real adjacent channel interference problems, arising from mixing a system having a square energy spectrum occupancy across its channel, with AM and its triangular energy spectrum (Trevor Brook, Surrey Electronics<>Radiofax, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DRM: After finding the digital USB transmission active again on 6180 at 0800+ I decided to have a look around for others, and found one on 9685 (loud sounded DSB), 11700 (weak but seemed DSB) and 11760 (loud seemed only USB) and also 21790 (this is DSB). I have not heard 11970 or 12035 today. There were also loud digital signals on a9958 and 11540 these are often heard and appear to be utility rather than broadcast. 6180 was causing QRM to Brazil DW 9690 and VOA 9680 were unaffected by 9685 11700 was not affecting anything - 11760 was heard on KNLS 11765 but not affecting Finland 11755. Russia had left 21790, but I have heard this one QRMing Russia and DW. If these were broadcasts then someone else besides DRM would appear to be testing (Noel R. Green, UK, Feb 25, BC-DX via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-033, February 27, 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 #1120, available early UT Feb 28: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1120.html FIRST AIRINGS on WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS on WWCR: Thu 2130 and Fri 1030 on 9475, Sat 0600 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS on RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815 SELECTED ENGLISH LANGUAGE DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS ON SHORTWAVE, by John Norfolk, revised Feb 26: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Hi, Your Best Programmes are: 1.. Glenn Hauser's world of radio 2.. Prairie home companion 3.. All things Considered and NPR 4.. Network Plus (Roderick Hood, Farnborough, Hampshire, Sky Digital, and internet Broard Band, to WORLD RADIO NETWORK via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. /Japan: JAPAN TO HELP REBUILD AFGHAN RADIO, TELEVISION | Text of report by Afghan radio on 25 February The general director of [Afghanistan] radio and television, esteemed Abdol Hafiz Mansur, received the Japanese charge d'affaires in Kabul and representatives of Japan's NHK television company this afternoon. Bakhtar Information Agency reported: The Japanese chargé d'affaires in Kabul briefed the general director of his country's interest in reconstruction of the [Afghan] radio and television. He said: A 14-strong group of technicians and engineers from Japan radio and television will soon arrive in Kabul to rebuild Afghanistan's radio and television. The acting head of planing and foreign liaison of Afghanistan's radio and television, esteemed Amanollah Sayfi, and technical assistants of the radio and television were also present at the meeting. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Pashto 1430 gmt 25 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. The following is a digest of some of the key reactions and reports from regional and Islamic world leaders, governments, organizations and media to the campaign against the Taleban and Al-Qa'idah, available to BBC Monitoring as of 1600 gmt on 26th February 2002... [very long item; go to:] http://www.worldofradio.com/afghreax.html (via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. 15475.8, LRA36 R Nacional, Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza was still active Feb 18, 2000-2100*, Spanish talks about Argentina with girls shouting, pop songs, 2059 ID and close down. 35444 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. RA at 2305 UT Fri.: LINGUA FRANCA - about language. "Beware of Killerlitter". Singlish, Manglish and Standard English-- linguist and lexicographer Vincent Ooi on what's special about a dictionary of Singaporean and Malaysian English. Vincent Ooi teaches at the National University of Singapore. He recently headed the team that produced the 2nd edition of the Times-Chambers Essential English Dictionary, which is aimed at advanced learners of English in Singapore and Malaysia, many of whom already speak one or other of the local varieties of English: Singlish, with words and constructions borrowed from Hokkien Chinese, or Manglish, with words and constructions borrowed from Malay. He explains how the Dictionary is both descriptive and prescriptive. [Transcript available] (RA previews by John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Repeated at 0530 UT Sat ** AUSTRALIA. Good 120 meter openings to Down Under have been observed several days recently. Checking at 1120 UT today (2/26), I found Alice Springs-2310, Tennant Creek-2325, and Katherine-2485 kHz all \\ with music, female DJ, and good signal levels. Alice is usually the strongest here but Tennant Creek was about 2 S-units better than the other two this morning. They are useful beacons for 160-meter ham band openings to VK (listen on LSB around 1840 kHz). (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, R75 and 80-foot Windom with L/C tuner, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Rádio Gaúcha, Porto Alegre, RGS 11915 one of the standard 25 mb Brazilians that I've obviously forgot to report. It took me 45 years to do so. Well, I did report them Feb 25, after hearing "Super Sábado" on the day before , and the email answer from Gilberto Kussler Gerente Tecnico- was here after 15 hours. I used the address gaucha@rdgaucha.com.br as in the WRTH 2002 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden AOR AR7030, K9AY, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC preview for Wed. Feb. 27: IDEAS: PAPER NOISE: THE LIFE OF LU XUN. This fiercely independent thinker was only enshrined as a revolutionary hero after his death. Chinese readers today experience their greatest modern author through the prism of ideology. But are they actually "reading" Lu Xun? Is his status as socialist icon true to the values of his art and life? Charles Foran investigates, tonight on Ideas at 9:05 (9:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) 0105, 0205, 0305, 0405 and 0505 UT Thu on various timezone feeds, webcast (gh, DXLD) ** CHECHNYA [non]. RUSSIA/USA: US PONDERING CHECHEN-LANGUAGE BROADCASTS - STATE DEPARTMENT | Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Washington, 26 February: It has not yet been decided when and whether Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe will begin broadcasts in the Chechen language, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said on Monday [25 February]. He said the question about whether Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe should launch programmes in the Chechen language has been under discussion in the White House and in Congress. Asked whether his words implied that no Chechen-language programme would go on the air on Thursday [28 February] as announced earlier, Boucher replied briefly: "Let us see." He added that Radio Liberty and Radio Free Europe were already broadcasting to the North Caucasus in Russian. Boucher also stressed that the US position remained immutable on the Chechen settlement. This position is that the conflict in that republic could not be resolved by military means. Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 1022 gmt 26 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) U.S. UNSURE ABOUT CHECHEN BROADCASTS --- Combined Reports U.S. funded radio broadcasts in Chechen, which are due to begin this week, appeared to be in doubt on Tuesday as the State Department said it was discussing their future with Congress. The Kremlin has objected to the planned Radio Liberty broadcasts and threatened to revoke the station's license to broadcast in Russia if the programming is deemed pro-separatist. The Chechen language programming was mandated by Congress to start by Thursday. But a Senate source said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had written to the Broadcasting Board of Governors in December, asking them to hold off pending consultations with lawmakers... The rest of the story is at http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/02/27/011.html 73 (Fred Waterer, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHECHNYA [non]. U.S.-BACKED CHECHEN RADIO BROADCASTS IN DOUBT Mon Feb 25, 8:37 PM ET, By Elaine Monaghan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-funded broadcasts in Chechen, which are due to begin this week and would certainly offend the Kremlin, appeared to be in doubt on Monday as the State Department said it was discussing their future with Congress. The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty programming was mandated by Congress to start by Thursday. But a Senate source said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage had written to the board of governors who oversee such broadcasting in December, asking them to hold off pending consultations with lawmakers. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed a letter had been sent but he offered no details. "This is a matter that has been discussed and continues to be discussed with the White House and with the Congress," Boucher told a news briefing. Asked if the broadcasts would begin as scheduled, he replied, "We'll have to see." Prominent commentator Fred Hiatt, writing in the Washington Post Monday, accused the Bush administration of kow-towing to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue. He said Putin's spokesman had threatened Radio Liberty's license to operate in Moscow because of the planned Chechen broadcasts, and wrote that the Bush administration should be expected to stand up to such threats. "Instead, it is pressing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to back down," he wrote, contrasting the move with a speech by Bush last month describing Iran, Iraq and North Korea as an "axis of evil" that supported international terrorism. A senior State Department official, asked if the administration was seeking to avoid offending Russia, a key ally in the war on terrorism, replied that Washington was anxious to avoid distracting the Kremlin from seeking dialogue with Chechen separatists. "We think we need to maintain a focus on trying to encourage the discussions and not take actions that could potentially distract them," the official said. The case highlights a diplomatic puzzle faced by Washington as it pursues closer ties with allies in its war on terrorism. Putin was the first foreign leader to call President Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, heralding a dramatic warming in relations partly because the hijack assaults blamed on Osama bin Laden recalled bombings in Russia that Putin blamed on Chechens linked to the Saudi-born exile. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was at odds with the Kremlin during the Cold War and antagonized it again with its coverage of suffering in Chechnya, where Russian troops arrested one of its reporters in 2000 and swapped him for servicemen held by rebels. Moscow fears broadcasts in local language could further fuel separatism in the region but proponents say they would give unmatched coverage of local issues. The Senate source said he knew of no recent consultations with Congress on the broadcasts that would include 15 minutes a day in Chechen and in two other north Caucasus languages. Boucher noted RFE/RL already broadcasts in Russian to the north Caucasus, where Russian is widely understood and spoken, but offered no argument for why Chechen should not be used. A source familiar with the station's broadcasting said the new services would go into more detail about issues like refugee flows and tensions in the wider region. The Senate source said the broadcasting was mandated in language accompanying foreign appropriations bills for fiscal year 2001 and 2002, so it was not a legal statute. But he said the executive branch ignored such orders at its peril. /Note: the broadcasts to Northern Caucasus were to begin on Feb. 28. According to a well-informed source, they'll go on the air despite all the objections from the State Department on March 1. The proposed schedule: 1800-1900 UT on 11845, 9590 and 0500-0600 on 11875, 9725. - S.S./ (via Sergei Sosedkin, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO LIBERTY BROADCASTING IN NORTH CAUCASUS DELAYED PRAGUE, February 27, 2002. /from RIA Novosti correspondent Leonid Sviridov/. The broadcasting of Radio Liberty (Free Europe) in the North Caucasus was delayed, Free Europe press secretary Sonja Winter said on Wednesday. According to her, the board of directors in Washington decided to delay the broadcasting. Prague is still unaware of the causes for this delay, Winter added. Radio Liberty was expected to broadcast from Prague in the Chechen, Avar, Circassian and Russian languages in the North Caucasus on February 28. Technically, we are ready to broadcast, Winter said. Czech analysts explain Washington's decision by Moscow's firm standpoint against the beginning of broadcasting in the North Caucasus (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) PUTIN CALLS FOR QUICK END TO CHECHEN INFORMATION VOID MOSCOW, February 27 /from RIA Novosti's Oleg Ossipov/ - Chechnya is in an information void, and efforts to fill it in must make a spurt, stressed Russia's President Vladimir Putin as he was opening a federal Security Council session. The television companies ORT and RTR -- national Channels One and Two -- have resumed casting for 16 districts in Chechnya. The republican radio has revived, and periodicals are coming out. Nevertheless, public information leaves much to be desired in the anti-terror action area, said President Putin. ... (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. RADIO OKAPI LAUNCHES. 26 February 2002 Media Network contacted Chief of Information to the UN Mission in the Congo (MONUC), David Smith, about the new station Radio Okapi which launched on 25 February. David informs us that they did not manage to get the shortwave transmitter on the air in time for the launch, but hoped to have it running by Tuesday afternoon (26 Feb). The frequency is 9555 kHz (not 9550 as mentioned in press reports), and they're initially using an old 10 kW Collins transmitter. Three ten kW transmitters are being built, and are due to be delivered at the end of March. Broadcasts commenced as scheduled on FM in three cities: in Kinshasa on 103.5 MHz, in Kisangani on 94.8 MHz and in Goma on 105.2 MHz. Radio Okapi is operated jointly by MONUC and Fondation Hirondelle. It will broadcast round the clock seven days a week, with news, features and music, focusing particularly on the DRC, MONUC's activities, the inter-Congolese dialogue and humanitarian assistance. The launch coincides with the start of peace talks in South Africa. In due course, programmes will also be delivered on satellite and the Internet. No Web site domain has yet been announced, though Media Network notes that the domain okapi.org has been registered by a Swiss Internet provider. The main studio will be at MONUC headquarters in Kinshasa, with regional studios in Kananga, Mbandaka, Goma, Kisangani and Kalemie, All studios and transmitters will be located on protected UN property and, will have their own generators. Further regional studios are planned in Gbadolite, Kindu, Bukavu and Bunia. Britain and Switzerland have already committed funds covering 85% of the operating budget of just under US $4 million for the first year. Radio OKAPI will ultimately have a staff of around 100, the majority of whom will be Congolese nationals. Broadcasts will be in French, Lingala, Swahili, Chiluba, and other local languages, as well as English. The project involves co-operation with the existing media in the DRC, and it's intended that the station will continue after MONUC has completed its activities. Speaking earlier to UN Radio, David Smith explained how he sees the station's role: "There is no single voice that unites all the Congolese people. This radio project will allow people in rebel held territories to speak to people in government-controlled territories for the first time since the war broke out. A big role of the radio will be to convince people that it's in their interest to lay down their arms, and either be repatriated to their home country, if they come from somewhere else, or to find ways to join civil society and leave the war behind." (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 9550, Radio Okapi. I called Hirondelle. They tell me that Okapi is on shortwave at 0700-0930 and 1800-2030 local. This is coming from a transmitter Hirondelle set up in the Congo. I believe that Congo is UT +1 so that's 0600-0830 and 1700-1930 UT (Hans Johnson, FL, Feb 26, Cumbre DX Special via DXLD) I need to point out that there are TWO Congos, and the one involving Okapi is the CONGO DR. That`s the bigger one, ex-Zaire, ex-Belgian. I have had to correct the country name as given both by Media Network and Cumbre (gh, DXLD) I'm tuned to 9550 as I type this (1845) and there is a good signal - not yet identified - playing pop music - "Say You, Say Me" (if that's a title) "Great Balls of Fire" and others. I haven`t recognised the language of the announcer yet due very severe splash from DW 9545 and ARS 9555 - both BIG signals at this time - and there's noise/distortion in the audio when he? speaks - and the announcer seems to be speaking in an echoing room. 9550 doesn`t sound like an African signal would. Glenn`s list in 2-032 shows CRI on 9550 1800- 1900 - the latest sched I have says only 1800-1827 in Persian. I didn`t hear it at 1845. The transmission has ceased at 1900 after announcement - no anthem/IS - and replaced with just a noisy carrier and a tone. Carrier dropped at 1902. I have no idea what this was. No other signals audible on 9550 now (Noel R. Green, England, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This was before he got word about 9555 being used; I would guess what I heard on 9550 last night was Bangladesh - but unusually? on frequency. If Okapi is using 9555 then we - in Europe - can forget it evenings. RCI via Woofferton is using the frequency 1600-1800 and the Saudi's 1800-2300. Both are big signals here. Maybe it's worth a try between 0600 and 0830 - or until 0800, when WYFR opens up. My monitoring chart doesn`t start until 0700, but I note a big signal here from Finland 0730-0800 on 9560 (Noel Green, England, Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI, 0437 Feb 27. I noted RFPI on all three frequencies simultaneously. 7445 Strong signal. 15038.65 Strong signal. 21815.1 USB. Good signal. PX consisted of an interesting interview of Dick Gregory. 19m abruptly off @ 0454 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. ROMA RADIO TO BE LAUNCHED ON INTERNET AT END 2002 | Text of report by Slovak commercial Radio Twist on 26 February [Announcer] Czech civic association Dzeno http://www.dzeno.cz majority members of which are Romanies, wants to set up a professional Roma radio. The station should start broadcasting on the whole territory of the Czech Republic in Roma, Czech and English within three years. However, at the turn of the year it will start operating on the Internet. Dzeno Chairman Ivan Vesely commented on efforts to set up a Roma radio: [Vesely in Czech] Romanies need a national tool to affect public opinion not only in the Romany community but also in the whole Czech population. Looking back 10 years and assessing all the good and wrong that was done in those years, I believe that had there been such a tool at the time, a tool which would have been influencing people, the situation would have been somewhat different. Source: Radio Twist, Bratislava, in Slovak 1400 gmt 26 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. CZECH MINISTER SAYS RADIO FREE EUROPE'S RELOCATION DECIDED, RFE DENIES IT | Excerpt from in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 26 February: The final decision on the relocation of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has been made, Foreign Minister Jan Kavan said after today's meeting of the government Security Council, but RFE/RL spokesperson Sonia Winterova denied the information. "The decision has not been made yet. It is an issue that requires long and complex negotiations," Winterova told CTK. She did not rule out the possibility of relocation. "If a more suitable premises than the ones we have now are found, we would seriously consider relocation," Winterova said... In connection with the terrorist attacks against the United States of last September, there is a concern that RFE/RL could become the target of terrorist attacks... RFE/RL will surely move to a safer location from Prague's centre, according to Kavan. "Thus we are not discussing whether the radio moves but where it moves," Kavan said today... Kavan should again discuss the issue with the RFE/RL management at the beginning of March. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 2157 gmt 26 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Radio Amanecer Internacional, 6025, Dominican Republic, data-printed letter post-marked Sto. Domingo Sep 9, 2001.It arrived here Feb 19, 2002, so some under-the-way quarantine must have been imposed. Never mind, as long as they get here, I am very satisfied. V/s is Lic. German Lorenzo. Radio Cristal Internacional, 5009.8 same city and country as above by e-mail from Program Manager Fernando Hermón Gross. I took advantage of the email address supplied in HCDX, so many thanks to that contributor (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden AOR AR7030, K9AY, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUINEA. 7125, R Conakry, Feb 19, 0831-0930 (fade out), noted mornings & evenings, programmes in Vernaculars, talks & local tunes, 25421; today, 21 Feb 1909-1930 when Turkey blocked it yet still allowed Conakry to be tracked underneath, 54433 with adjacent QRM, Vernacular chantings & few talks (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. As late as 1996, DXers heard Radio TV Hong Kong weather reports broadcast on shortwave for participants in the China Sea Race. This is a sailing race between Hong Kong and the Philippines organized by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. The Cape D'Aguilar HF station in Hong Kong provided the actual transmission facilities, operating on 3940 kHz with 10 kW. In 1997, Radio TV Hong Kong told Cumbre DX that the broadcasts would no longer be made due to trouble and expense. The broadcasts were forgotten about until late 2001 when Roland Schulze in the Philippines reported to Wolfgang Bueschel's BC-DX that he heard weather broadcasts during a race in November. The 2002 China Sea Race Series will be from March 28th until April 6th. According to the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club the broadcasts will begin on March 28th starting at 0945 UT (1745 local). There will also be a morning broadcast at 2345 UT (0745 local). Both will be on 3940. The transmissions will stop on the morning on Tuesday 2nd April whereby most of the boats should have arrived. There will be a 2345 UT transmission for the return journey from Sunday 7th April through to Friday 12th April. The website for the race is: http://www.rhkyc.org.hk/chinasearace/home.htm Those wishing to receive a QSL can contact: Cape D'Aguilar HF station, P. O. Box: 9896, GPO Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2888 1128. Fax: +825 2809 2434. Lam Chi Keung, Assistant Engineer, is the verification signer. (Richard Lam and Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX Feb 26 via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. HONG KONG CHARGES TWO COMPANY DIRECTORS WITH DEFRAUDING BBC -- Wed Feb 27,10:08 AM ET HONG KONG - Hong Kong's anti-graft watchdog on Wednesday charged two company directors with defrauding the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corp. Daniel Jonathan Berman, 31, director of Eurasia Management Services Ltd., or EMS, and Sydney Edels, 59, director of EMS Asia Ltd., were accused of taking bribes from toy suppliers to inflate prices of goods sold to the BBC, the Independent Commission Against Corruption, or ICAC, said in a statement. The ICAC said the duo is accused of accepting bribes from toy supplier G.C. & Co. and defrauding the BBC with false invoices between Aug. 1999 and Sept. 2001. It said Berman is also accused of accepting U.S. dlrs 49,306.20 from Sun Shine Toys Ltd., another toy supplier, to inflate invoices and grant purchase orders on behalf of the BBC during the same period. Berman and Edels, who could not be reached for comment, were released on bail pending a court appearance Friday. AP World Business (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR was organizing the Sangeet-Utsav (Festival of Classical Indian Music) on the night of the Vasant Panchami on Feb 17-18. It also celebrated the Platinum Jubilee Year of AIR. This all night music program was broadcast from 1630 till 0030 and heard at 1945-2330 on these frequencies, often with 44444: 3315 Bhopal, 4760 Port Blair, 4775 Imphal, 4840 Mumbai, 4880 Lucknow, 4895 Kurseong, 4910 Jaipur, 4920 Chennai, 4960 Ranchi, 4990 Itanagar, 5040 Jeypore and 5050 Aizawl (Berg, Petersen & Titarev, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) {OOPS: Major mixup in next item, reported as INDONESIA, but is actually PAPUA NEW GUINEA, and not RRI! -gh} ** INDONESIA. 2410, RRI Enga, Wabag, reactivated on Jan 05-08 and again Feb 05-09, 1100-1306*, closed with local ID, birdcall and national song. Best reception 35333 at 1225 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 3250: On Feb 22, I received a QSL letter and card from RRI Banjarmasin after several follow up's. My report was for a transmission I heard in June 1995. The v/s Drs. Bastah Ansyari, Senior Manager of Broadcasting Division writes that they left shortwave and now only are on mediumwave 1134 kHz and FM 97,75 MHz. Address: Jalan Jend. Akhmad Yani Km 3,5 No. 7, Banjarmasin. e-mail: banjarmasin@rrionline.com Website: http://www.rrionline.com (Max van Arnhem, Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Static for satellite radio: Unless you like the sound of no earnings and stupid valuations, turn the dial. February 25, 2002: 6:09 p.m. ET By David Futrelle NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Nostalgic for the good old days of the tech bubble? Pine no more. Just take a look at the stocks of two satellite- radio companies, XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio... http://money.cnn.com/2002/02/25/techinvestor/futrelle/index.htm (via Richard Cuff, swprograms via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. 7480, R Barabari, Feb 14, 1720-1730*, talks in Farsi, ID announcing a web page http://www.radiobarabari.net, an e-mail info@barabari.net and a phone number. Close at 1730. Very good. (Arturo Fernández, Spain, DX Window) (50 kW). Since Feb 18 increased airtime from 1700 till new 1830. This is one of the two independent SW (DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) Previously {rather: subsequently} reported to have suspended operations (gh, DXLD) ** IRAQ. Mother of Battles Radio, a station from Iraq, heard in Arabic *1700-2000* on 11787 (or 11785) and 9715 kHz. The transmissions were not daily, but the several times a week. Litened to on Feb. 07-15th. Note: mainly used 11787, but on Feb. 13th the station was on 11785 kHz (R. Petraitis, Lithuania, Feb 15, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** IRELAND. 75 YEARS OF IRISH RADIO (RTÉ RADIO ONE) : Archive Last year at this time, RTE 1 (Ireland) began doing a series on Sundays commemorating 75 years of radio in Ireland. The shows are available for archived on demand listening at http://www.radio1.ie/archive/radiodays/ The first: An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD Radio One : Archive http://www.radio1.ie/archive/radiodays/25feb.html In the first programme, An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, TD, recalls his personal memories of radio in the 1950s and 1960s. The Taoiseach, who was born in 1951 - the 25th anniversary of the foundation of Irish national radio - recalls the sponsored programmes, The Kennedys of Castleross, Pop Call, the great matches featuring hurler Christy Ring and `the Dubs', coverage of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, presenters such as Terry Wogan and Philip Greene and the famous Irish soccer internationals from the 1960s. Talking about his radio memories, the Taoiseach says: "Often now, I have a bit of fun with my daughters and I say to them `could you imagine sitting down, looking at the radio and listening to a sports match or following `The Foley Family' or `The Archers?'' For their generation, not to mention for the one coming behind them, that would be impossible, but that is what we did - we followed serials and followed them passionately and followed sports passionately by a small box in the corner of the room". The Taoiseach also says: "Certainly in the household that I grew up in - and I was the youngest of five children - radio was immensely important. I think it was just something real, real special. And I don't think that can be replaced. I don't think you can take away the value of Irish radio as it was in those days". (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** IRELAND. I saw this on the Medium Wave Circle list posted by Michiel Van Ooijen: RTE Radio 1 will air a 45 minute documentary about the history of radio on Wednesday evening starting at 8.02 pm. Try their medium wave frequency outside Ireland (567 kHz). I found more details at their website http://www.radio1.ie/infocenter/ which also offers online streaming and archives programmes, the documentary I think is archived for a week. Documentary On One: Whispers In The Air This week, Whispers In The Air, by Chris Brookes, tells the story of the "Father of Long-distance Wireless Communication" Guglielmo Marconi, and his first Trans-Atlantic wireless transmission a century ago. Before December 12th, 1901, the air was empty. Messages crossed the Atlantic by ship, or via submarine cable between Valentia Ireland and Heart's Content, Newfoundland. Then the 27-year-old inventor flew a kite aerial in St. John's, Newfoundland, and pulled a signal right out of the air: the morse code letter "s" transmitted from Cornwall. And the world changed forever ... Chris Brookes' radio documentaries have been broadcast in the United States, Ireland, Australia, England and Canada, and have won national and international awards. He lives at the bottom of the cliff where Marconi received the first trans- Atlantic wireless message in St. John's, Newfoundland. RTÉ Documentary on One listeners have previously heard several of his radio features about subjects ranging from World War Two to a strange Celtic flamenco group (via Mike Barraclough, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. From: http://www.radiowaves.fm/news/index.html 26/2/02 A new radio station on the long wave frequency of 252 kHz started full broadcasting today across the British Isles. TEAMtalk 252 is an all- sports network which will be on air 24 hours a day and will officially launch on March 11th. It takes over from music station Atlantic 252 after RTL sold their share in the station based in Co Meath. The station is also available via digital satellite (EPG channel 910 on Sky Digital). (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. 47280 kHz, Kol Israel, Hebrew, 3 x 15760, 0730+0810+0922 UT (Juergen Lohuis, Germany, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) 47 MHz! Our highest harmonic yet! Congrats, Juergen (Tim Bucknall, ibid.) ** JAPAN. 3373.50 USB, NHK-Osaka (presumed), Feb 16, 1025 "Welcome to Radio English", English lesson with some Japanese, poor; also Feb 18, 1025 English lesson with words repeated many times, till 1045, fair (Ron Howard, CA, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** KASHMIR. AIR Srinagar 4950 - card from New Dehli. Signed A.K. Bhatnagar, Director (Freq. Assignments). (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden AOR AR7030, K9AY, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 6810, Voice of Komala, Feb 15, 0410-0445 (fade out), additional time for this new station, Kurdish opening announcement with many mentions of Komala, ID: ``.. Dengi Komala``, martial songs, 0415 political comments and intermittent heavy jamming, often mentioned Komala and Kurdistan (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. STATE TV AND RADIO APPARENTLY OFF THE AIR On Tuesday morning, no transmissions are being received from Madagascan state TV or radio (Television Malagasy and Malagasy National Radio respectively). No satellite transmissions from the TV or the radio have been observed since approximately 1100 gmt on Monday. The transmissions were observed earlier that day as usual on the LMI 1 satellite at 75 degrees east (on 3980 MHz, vertical polarization). However, the television failed to broadcast its scheduled main lunchtime news bulletin at 1000 gmt, instead carrying a musical programme. Shortly afterwards, only a test card was shown. Transmissions then appeared to cease altogether and have not been observed since. On Tuesday, no transmissions have been observed on Malagasy National Radio's shortwave frequency of 9690 kHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research 25-26 Feb 02 (via DXLD) STATE RADIO NOW HEARD AGAIN, BUT ONLY BROADCASTING MUSIC. Madagascan state radio was heard again at 1000 gmt on 27 February on its usual satellite channel. However, it was only playing music and did not carry the usual news bulletin in French scheduled for that time. As of 1100 gmt the radio is still heard playing music. This is the first time the radio has been heard since 25 February. The TV's satellite channel is still displaying an unmarked test card with no audio. Source: Malagasy National Radio, Antananarivo, 27 Feb 02 (BBCM via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 4845 Nouakchott is not being heard mornings right before 0800; Also, s/on time 4845 seems to vary daily... 7245 R Mauritanie, Nouakchott, Feb 22, 0819-1055 (possibly fade out little after 1100, but couldn't check). At last! Arabic talks, prayers (Friday is a special day for Moslems), followed by some arabic type music & songs. 55444. It was silent Saturday Feb 23 as if confirming (is it really?) this particular frequency is only used on Fridays for the special Moslem occasion - but, again, earlier observations on other days, Friday included, were unsuccessful (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. Moldovan TV/Radio under siege NEW ACTION OF PROTEST BY MOLDOVAN OPPOSITION CHISINAU, February 27, 2002. /from RIA Novosti correspondent Lyudmila Rybkina/. - The opposition Christian-Democratic People's Party has organized the second action of protest by TV and Radio Centre in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. At first demonstrators were picketing the presidential palace, the government, the parliament and the Russian Embassy. On Wednesday the organizers of the action sent about 3,000 people, mainly schoolchildren and students, to the Moldovan TV and Radio Centre. On Tuesday the leaders of the opposition demanded to put them on the air, the Teleradio Moldova governmental company said. In addition, they demand to alter the status of the company and transform it into a public company. A group of the company's officials, supporting the Christian Democrats, advanced the same demands. The opposition will not stop the marches until its demands are fulfilled, Teleradio Moldova said (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5040 R Myanmar, Feb 19, 1230. Heard under AIR Jeypore // 5986. I am getting AIR like a local station. 5040 was a Rangoon frequency years ago (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) Can anybody confirm this return to 5040 ? (DXW Ed) ** NETHERLANDS [non?]. Nice conditions today, great opening to the east in the morning including Syria strong on E2 TV- plus a plethora of interesting stuff across low vhf- too much to mention. Two which stood out however were Dutch and Turkish radio relays. The Dutch one on 33.3 was accompanied by a hum mostly so I`m wondering was it for Dutch military overseas somewhere?. I also wonder do the Dutch army have an equivalent of AFN or BFBS?. 33.300 Dutch Radio Station relay via? Military?. Accompanied by hum sometimes. Hopefully more tomorrow! regards and good dx- (Paul Logan, Lisnaskea, N. Ireland, Feb 27, WTFDA topica list via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Due to a power failure at the HF transmitter site, Rangitaiki, RNZI was off the air a substantial number of hours as also announced at http://www.rnzi.com but was back on Feb 19 for the evening (UT) transmission though at reduced power via a generator, but heard it the same day at about 1900 on 15160 and signal was nevertheless superb - I couldn't tell the difference, except perhaps later when changed frequency to 17675 putting a slightly lower signal than in previous days, but maybe on propagation account, even though Australia was very good at the same time on 17715, 17795 & 21740, i.e. if this may eventually mean propagation from that area towards Europe was fair-good (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. RADIO KADUNA TO REACTIVATE TRANSMITTERS Kaduna state government has purchased 5m naira worth of spare parts to reactivate Radio Kaduna transmitters in preparation for 24-hour weekend broadcasting, which is scheduled to commence this quarter, Nigerian newspaper This Day reported on 22 February. The state radio's executive director, Alhaji Nuhu Sani-Ibrahim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that "part of the acquired spare parts had been installed to reactivate two transmission sub-stations at Kafanchan and Zaria", the report added. "All our channels on the FM and AM frequencies will be involved in the 24-hour weekend service," Sani-Ibrahim said, adding that the radio station had completed arrangements to introduce new programmes designed to educate its listeners on the values of democracy. Source: This Day, Lagos (via allafrica.com), in English 22 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) So is SW included in ``AM``?? ** PALESTINE. West Bank & Gaza: Voice of Palestine's second programme resumes | Text of report in English by Egyptian news agency MENA Gaza, 27 February: The Voice of Palestine's "Radio Two" on Wednesday [27 February] resumed its normal daily broadcasting after the Israeli occupation forces destroyed the radio's offices, antennas and other equipment in Gaza recently. The radio resumed broadcasting to address the Palestinian people from among the rubble left over by Israel's demolition of the radio's main building in Gaza, Mahir al-Raiyes, chief of Palestine Satellite Channel, said in remarks aired Wednesday by the Voice of Palestine. Raiyes praised efforts made by the staff of the radio who did their best to restore the broadcasting. Source: MENA news agency, Cairo, in English 1249 gmt 27 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTF, K? ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA: See INDONESIA! ** PERU. 4835, R Marañón verified with a full data logo QSL card, letter, wall calendar, and three pocket calendars in 49 days from v/s Marco Rumiche Purizaca, Periodista. The package was sent by priority mail. A verification by e-mail was previously received (Rich D'Angelo, PA, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. URGENT: A SPECIAL SW TEST FROM R. CENTER, MOSCOW! To commemorate its 10th anniversary, Radio Center from Moscow is to conduct a special SW test. The station will be heard world-wide with a bilingual program in Russian and English on March 1, 2 and 3 from 0000 to 0100 UT on 7125 kHz. For the first time in its 10-year history Radio Center has printed a limited edition of a special QSL card. To receive a full-data anniversary verification card, listeners are invited to mail a correct reception report along with U$2.00 (cash) for p&h to Radio Center, Nikolskaya, 7, Moscow, 103012, RUSSIA Due to budget considerations, no reception reports can be confirmed without a $2.00 fee. Sorry but reception reports sent by e-mail will not be confirmed, either. For more background information on Radio Center in English and Russian go to http://www.radiocenter.net/ (via Sergei Sosedkin, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 3921.7, R Samorodinka, Moscow, Feb 11, 2120-2140*, Russian Pirate with Old Russian patriotic hymns and talks in Russian. Suddenly off at 2140*. Heard at Anker Petersen's home with decent signal levels and little QRM (Dan? Henderson, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. During 1990-2000 this country had no police force, no centralized currency and no Government. It was effectively run by various militias headed by gangster-like kingpins jockeying for power in Mogadishu. In mid 2002, however, a new Government was created following two months of intensive negotiations sponsored by the United Nations in neighboring Djibouti, and Abdulkassim Salat Hassan was appointed to be the new President. The militias, also called clans by the international press, are not keen on stepping aside too quickly. The radio scene is very changeable, and schedule information can quickly go out of date. In 2001 at least 3 different stations, run by competing militia leaders, called themselves Radio Mogadishu ! Here is an update on those SW stations which have been heard this year with their latest known schedules: 6810 R Baydhabo (Baidoa), Iidaale (recently moved from Baydhabo), Southern Somalia. Run by the Rahanwein Resistance Army. 1500-1800 Mamay (= Rahanwein dialect) except 1730-1735 Somali. Beware of the Voice of Komala on the same frequency in Kurdish at 1630-1800. 6822 R Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia - the radio station of the Transitional National Government in support of the President – was raided by about 20 heavily armed men on the evening of Feb 11 around 1830, made off with its transmitter and voice mixers and forced it off the air. It was still off the air on Feb 13. Since the attack occurred, armed police have been guarding the radio station. Former schedule: 0400-0500 (Fri –0600) 1000-1100 1300-1430 1600-1800. Somali & Arabic. ID: ``Halkani wa Radio Moqdisho, Odka Jamhuriyada Somalida.`` 6985 R Gaalkacyo (Galcaio), Gaalkacyo, Puntland, Northeastern Somalia. Run by the Somali Salvation Democratic Front with help from International Amateur Radio Network. It is now much easier to hear with the Sudanese opposition station (Voice of Freedom and Renewal) having moved from this channel to 6965. 1000-1200 1600-1700 Somali, ID: ``Halkani waa rediyo Gaalkacyo, Idaac-adda Dowlad Goboleedka Puntland.`` 7002 R Banaadir, Mogadishu. The station was built by Sam Voron of the International Amateur Radio Network. Voron had previously created Radio Free Somalia (now inactive) and Radio Gaalkacyo. 1000-1100 1500- 2000 Somali. 7530 R Hargeisa, Hargeisa, Somaliland, Northern Somalia. Run by a secessionist movement led by Somaliland President Abdirahman Ahmed Ali. 1500-1930 Somali. ID:``Halkani wa Radio Hargeisa, Codka Jamhuriyada Somaliland`` (= The Voice of the Republic of Somaliland). QRM from a Chinese station (Grace/CRW, Greenway/BBCM via DXLD, Petersen, Werdin, WRTH 2002, in DSWCI DX Window Feb 26 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 5775, Tajik R, Dushanbé, Feb 18, *1600-2000*, Test transmission without announcements, non-stop Central Asian and Gipsy music and songs. Abrupt s/off. 44444 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) Cf. previous; it`s not unID for him (gh) ** TURKEY. Nice conditions today, great opening to the east in the morning including Syria strong on E2 TV- plus a plethora of interesting stuff across low vhf- too much to mention. Two which stood out however were Dutch and Turkish radio relays. The Turkish one was on 47.25 also in NFM with the ID "Ankara Radio", was this a TRT outlet? 47.250 BC Link " Ankara Radio", yl with Turkish radio talk show. Hopefully more tomorrow! regards and good dx- (Paul Logan, Lisnaskea, N. Ireland, Feb 27, WTFDA topica list via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. Schedule information on the Turkmen State Radio domestic channels, acc. to the Turkmen paper "Habarlar" provided by Sergey Kolesov, Ukraine (week 14-20 Jan 2002): - Prgr 1 ("Watan"): 24h in Turkmen on Asgabat 279/576 kHz. News in English: 1300-1310 (exc. Sun). - Prgr 2: 0100-2100 in Turkmen on Asgabat 675 kHz. (*). Prgr 2 is divided into the channels ``Çar tarapdan`` 0100-0400, 0700-0900, 1400- 1700 (N. English: 0840-0850, 1540-1545) and ``Miras`` 0400-0630, 0900-1400, 1700-2100. No Russian programmes are listed. (*) The programme schedule lists 576 kHz for both Program 1 and 2; this is thought to be a typing error (576/675), Program 2 used to be carried on 675 kHz (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Feb 27, MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) There are also SW frequencies, 4930 and 5015 where English newscasts have been heard at above times (gh, DXLD) ** U K. THE LAST GOON DIES http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/tv_and_radio/newsid_1843000/1843963.stm Wednesday, 27 February, 2002, 12:08 GMT Actor and comic Spike Milligan has died at his home in Sussex, at the age of 83. One of Britain's most respected performers, he was known to millions as one of the founding members of The Goons. Together with Peter Sellers, Michael Bentine and Harry Secombe, the quartet helped redefine comedy programmes for a generation. [...] Be on the lookout for Goon specials on BBCWS and on the Real Audio feed of the Light Programme er um Radio 2 (Joel Rubin, NY, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Another blow for classical and jazz programming. To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8064-2002Feb26.html NPR CULTURAL PROGRAMMING PUT TO TRIAGE By Paul Farhi National Public Radio has begun an extensive review of its musical programming, and is considering overhauling or eliminating some of its venerable jazz and classical offerings. A strategy paper written by NPR's top programming executive says some of the network's live performance and recorded music shows "may disappear," although officials stress that nothing is final. The paper by Jay Kernis, NPR's senior vice president of programming, is generally critical of the opera, jazz and classical programs that the Washington-based organization produces and distributes to its 680 affiliated stations. In many cities, commercial broadcasters have abandoned these formats because of low ratings, leaving public stations as the only outlets offering them. "Many [public] stations, including major markets, use NPR cultural programming to fill holes in their program schedules, not as featured shows," Kernis writes in a paper distributed internally earlier this month. "Within NPR, this has created some dissatisfaction with cultural programming and raised questions about the division's value to [NPR-affiliated] stations." Kernis, in the paper and an interview, didn't identify the programs NPR is considering dropping, saying such decisions are at least six months away. But his report said station managers, in a survey, ascribed "the lowest value" to NPR's national jazz programs, such as "Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center" and "Jazz From Lincoln Center" (both heard locally on WETA-FM). NPR also produces the eclectic weekday show "Performance Today" (also on WETA) and the Celtic music "Thistle and Shamrock" (heard here on WAMU-FM). It's not clear how they fared in the survey. Station managers assigned the highest value to NPR's newsmagazines ("All Things Considered," "Morning Edition," etc.) and general entertainment shows ("A Prairie Home Companion" and "Car Talk"). These preferences mirror the trends in commercial radio. Public stations have gradually been moving toward news and talk formats because they draw higher ratings, and thus bigger donations during pledge drives. Locally, for example, WETA dropped its morning classical programs in favor of "Morning Edition," even though that show is carried on WAMU at the same time. WAMU, meanwhile, has cut back on bluegrass for more news and talk. Kernis's report, which was obtained by The Post, has fueled concerns among NPR's 40-person cultural staff that the organization is moving away from one of its basic programming missions. "The talk here is that at the end of this [review] we'll end up abrogating NPR's mandate to serve stations and listeners that aren't being served by commercial radio," said one programming employee, who asked not to be identified. "This is going to result in huge changes. The change remains to be seen." However, Kernis and Ken Stern, NPR's executive vice president, said in interviews that a reorganization could result in more cultural programming, not less. NPR, they said, is exploring the idea of offering an all-day "stream" of classical music, comprising recorded and live performances, plus interviews and features. Stations would broadcast any part of this stream they desired. They also want to improve NPR's news coverage of cultural events and artists, which Kernis's report says, "too often takes a 'this is good for you' approach, rather than 'this is really interesting' to listeners." The paper suggests that NPR's news staff examine popular culture more closely: "We cannot sell out to popular culture," the report says, "but we must recognize that something has become popular and embraced by millions." Both men said the programming review was prompted by a desire to produce high-quality programs within NPR's traditionally limited budgets, and not by financial and ratings pressures alone. "This is about service to our stations," Kernis said yesterday. But in his report, Kernis -- who rejoined NPR last year after 14 years as a CBS news producer -- stressed his desire to make NPR's programs more popular, which would help local stations attract more pledge dollars. "NPR will develop streams of radio services that concentrate on fewer, more valuable programs designed to deliver audience and warrant placement at prime times in the larger markets," he writes. He adds, "NPR's music programming has generally not been successful in terms of audience and financial performance." (via Tom McNiff, DXLD) ** U S A. Here`s news from one of the major personalities on WNIB, the classical station in Chicago, which was sold out from under him. Altho he doesn`t mention it, WNUR does webcast: http://www.wnur.org/live.ram It`s free-form, with very little classical on the grid. We`ll add his show to MONITORING REMINDERS (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: Back on the air! To my friends around the world... Well, I'm back on the air - in a VERY small way... WNUR-FM, 89.3, the station run by Northwestern University has asked me to do a show. It's once a week on Saturday mornings at 8 AM [1400-1500 UT], and features mostly composer-profiles, with a few performers thrown in. It's only been on twice so far, so you've not missed very much, and I wanted to make sure it was all running well before telling everyone about it. To see the list of guests, here's the page on my website... http://www.bruceduffie.com/wnur.html and I'll keep it up-to-date so you can check to see when your favorite people will be on... or just tune in and have an enjoyable hour 'meeting' someone new. I've also been putting more interviews up on my site - the latest are part of "The Opera Journal" series from past issues... Ken Recu, who ran the 'supers' at Lyric for several years (and it's got LOTS of pictures), and Sarah Caldwell of the Boston Opera. And there are a couple others which are finished and just waiting to get posted. So check out the 'Recent articles and interviews' page often to see what's new... http://my.voyager.net/~duffie/arts.html That's the URL, but it's always linked on my second page with the other places to go on my site. I've also added some pictures of my mother's family. And I'm always putting up more things on the Links page. Kathy is getting ready for her solo-show, which will be early-April through May. I'll send you all an invitation next month when the opening is set. It's really exciting for her to do this and should be fun. It will be at the University of Illinois at Chicago, so it's just SW of the loop (Bruce Duffie, Feb 26, via KB9NXD Michael A. Mathis, DXLD) ** U S A. BREAKING THE FM BROADCAST APPLICATION LOGJAM [From CGC] The FCC has released the full text on its Second Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking offering proposals to award construction permits for commercial FM spectrum (92.1-107.9 MHz) in which both commercial and non-commercial applicants have expressed an interest. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-44A1.doc (via Fred Vobbe, NRC FMTV via DXLD) ** U S A. Voicetracking is actually a violation of FCC rules. Lee Kent explains this on his Radio Aid Web site. For more details, check out http://www.radio-aid.org/ (click on "73.1208 Explained"). 73 and good DX from (Eric Bueneman, Amateur Radio Station N0UIH, IRCA topica list via DXLD) ** U S A. For what it's worth, Clear Channel announced their quarterly earnings today and their loss was much greater than the Wall Street whiz kids were expecting. So Darwin may be at work again. Advertising revenues are down. Clear Channel paid big bucks for independent stations and now finds they cannot service the debt they took on to buy these stations. Maybe we are seeing the beginning of the next step in Darwinian radio. When Clear Channel and Infinity go into bankruptcy, they will have to sell off the stations they bought at inflated prices. Local radio will return as entrepreneurs gobble up the conglomerate's assets at bargain basement prices. That may decrease diversity as they all go for the lead demographic in their area (~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., Joe Buch, DE, Feb 27, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn, WOR's website currently has a text and photo history of their station, coinciding with their 80th anniversary. http://www.wor710.com 73, Ivan Grishin, Ont., Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glenn, Wasn't this [censored] associated with that militia SW station that was fouling the airwaves last year? Regards, (Chuck Albertson, Seattle, Wash., Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes; Steve Anderson`s ``KSMR``, UPR, but had a falling out; Steve was too extreme for Charlie. Meanwhile, Anderson remains at large (gh, DXLD) *********************************** KENTUCKY PARAMILITARY LEADER ARRESTED By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:32 a.m. ET LEXINGTON, Ky (AP) -- The commander of a civilian paramilitary group was arrested on charges of possessing guns, pipe bombs and nearly 35,000 rounds of ammunition soon after being interviewed for ``Unsolved Mysteries.'' Charlie Puckett, who heads the group called the Kentucky State Militia, was arrested Tuesday on a nine-count federal indictment. The items were seized in November. Puckett, 55, pleaded innocent during a brief court hearing and remained in jail without bond. He faces another court appearance Friday. He has a felony record and felons are not allowed to possess firearms. Puckett, from Lancaster, argues that his felony, stealing more than $100 worth of food from a store in Virginia, was committed two years before the felony gun ban was enacted in 1968. Puckett was arrested shortly after completing the ``Unsolved Mysteries'' interview, said his attorney, Gatewood Galbraith. He was interviewed about Steve Anderson, who was kicked out of the militia and is accused of shooting at a Bell County patrol car Oct. 14 before fleeing. Police have not found him. Among the items seized from Puckett's garage and office were 34,914 rounds of ammunition, according to the indictment (via Chuck Albertson, DXLD) Anyone know when, which Unsolved Mysteries he appears on? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I have not heard WRNO for the past several weeks, maybe due to the station's small transmitter failing (Jim Moats, OH, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Another VOA 60th anniversary special was on Kaleidoscope, Feb 24, about the history of VOA`s cultural programming, 0433, repeated 4-hourly (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 23 via DXLD) Missed it, but evidently this one is ondemand for a week (maybe more); at first deals with preserving audio recordings: http://www.voa.gov/stream/voa/english/kale/engl0333a.ram (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Re AFRTS on 3903 USB: It's audible as a good strong signal here in NW England at 1945. Could it be the "missing" Sigonella back again? 73's. (Noel R. Green, Feb 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Yes - I heard 3903 at 0745 today (26/02) at good level in // strong 6458.5. It started to appear this evening soon after 1710 and currently at 1840 it is a good signal. Via HCDX I suggested Sigonella, but am now doubtful, as I could not receive RAI Caltanissetta at such good strength on any frequency at 0745. Any ideas where it's from??? (Noel R. Green, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3903 fair to weak all evening here with AFN network. Only dead air before the hour when I tried for a regional ID (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) SITE? 3903U AFRTS 0948 // to 6350U with sports talk. I think that the time rules out Sicily and Diego García. Both are well into daylight at this point. Iceland looks like it is in daylight at this time but not by much. Terminator was also in vicinity of Guam at tune in so a signal from there may have gotten a temporary boost as well. Quick fade and just bits and pieces by 1000. I heard the following outlets at the same time 4278, 5765, 6350, 6458, and 12689 (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX Feb 27 via DXLD) 3903 USB, AFRTS Keflavik, Iceland or Sigorella, Sicily, Feb 23, 24, 25 & 26, 1700 (fade in) – 0815v (fade out). New frequency with usual news, talks and sports reports in U.S. English. ID's for AFRTS and AFN, but local ID not heard. With this long reception period in Denmark on such a low frequency, these two sites are the only possible, if coming from known AFRTS SW transmitter locations. With the late fade out, Keflavik is most probable. News were heard // Puerto Rico 6458.5 and Frankfurt, Germany on MW 873, but own programmes were different (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) On Feb 23 there was a huge AFRTS signal on 3903U at 2000-2345. (Kuhl & Titarev) and Feb 24 & 25 at 0550-0650 // (and very slightly behind) 10320 (van Arnhem, Berg & Green, ibid.) I note that Anker is suggesting Iceland for AFRTS-AFN 3903. Indeed, it is still audible here this morning at 0920 - low level but recognisable. This is long after I would expect Sicily to [cease to] propagate on 3.9 MHz. There appears to be something wrong with either the transmitter or feed - audio is heard in alternately loud and weak bursts (Noel Green, England, Feb 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3903 26/2 0310 AFN from where? Sport EE, some problems with the transmitter. Weak signal SINPO 24232 (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, ITALY, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U S A. ANALYSIS: CONTROVERSIAL US UNIT CLOSED AFTER "MEDIA MANIPULATION ROW | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 27 February The US Department of Defence on 26 February announced the closure of its short-lived Office of Strategic Influence (OSI), set up after the terrorist attacks on 11 September. Last week Douglas Feith, the US undersecretary of defence for policy, who was in charge of the unit, said its role was primarily to coordinate information campaigns such as broadcasts to overseas populations and leaflet drops in Afghanistan. US politicians and military officials had expressed concern after reports in the New York Times and other US media suggested part of the OSI's role was to "provide news items and possibly false information directly to foreign journalists and others abroad to bolster US policy and the war on terrorism," in a bid to manipulate public opinion in both friendly and unfriendly countries. Retired General Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded US troops during the Gulf War, recalled that a similar plan had been considered but rejected at the start of the Gulf War. "We don't deliberately lie to other people. That's not America," he said. US media watchdogs were also dismayed by the revelations of the plans to manipulate media coverage. Paul McMasters, an analyst at the Freedom Forum in Washington, commented: "Setting out to deliberately lie or `spread misinformation' can't have anything but a terrible impact down the road for any nation that claims to be an open and democratic society." Revelations of the OSI's existence and role were the latest in the Bush administration's campaign to manipulate media coverage, McMasters added. These efforts included warnings to news agencies from US officials not to broadcast full interviews with terrorism suspect Usamah Bin-Ladin; a request from Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Emir of Qatar to monitor the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera satellite TV channel; and pressure on federally-funded Voice of America not to carry an interview with a Taleban official. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said at a news briefing on the 26th that the fears about the OSI were "off the mark". But he admitted the controversy had damaged the initiative beyond repair, saying: "The office has clearly been so damaged that it is pretty clear to me that it could not function effectively. So it is being closed down." Asked by a reporter if disinformation was part of the Defence Department's work, Rumsfeld replied: "It most clearly is not." However, US forces would continue to broadcast from special "psy-ops" aircraft and drop leaflets on battlefields, he added. The Defence Department has carried out information operations missions targeted to Afghans, Rumsfeld noted, adding: "We will continue to do that in the future." The department defines information operations as "actions taken to affect adversary information and information systems while defending one's own information and information systems". A prime reason for setting up the OSI was to drum up support abroad for the "war on terrorism", especially in the Islamic world. But despite its demise, other US initiatives to win hearts and minds in the Middle East continue. The US Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) soon plans to launch the Middle East Radio Network, a US government-funded top-40 station for the Arab world, with a mixture of Western and Middle Eastern music and some VOA news. Influential sources in Washington have also called for the launch of a new US TV network to compete with Al-Jazeera for Arab audiences. However, these initiatives may be a case of too little, too late. A survey published this week indicates that the Islamic world remains strongly opposed to US foreign policy. Gallup polled 10,000 people in nine Islamic countries from Turkey to Indonesia. The results show that Muslims feel sympathy for the US after the September attacks, but feel even more strongly that the West's military action in Afghanistan is wrong. Respondents also feel, among other things, that "Western nations do not respect Arab or Islamic values, do not support Arab causes and do not exhibit fairness towards Arabs". Source: BBC Monitoring research 27 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. 6145, SW Radio Africa, Feb 20, 1600-1900 in Vernacular and English with lots of talk and reports on political situation in Zimbabwe and interview of candidates of the forthcoming presidential election - poor reception with heavy QRM, much better after 1800 (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) [Re SW Radio Africa 1100-1200 on 11660]: I have tried - and tried - for 11 MHz signals from Africa (south of the Sahara) during our local daytime at all times of the year but never succeeded in hearing any. RFI blocks the channel anyway (Noel R. Green, England, Feb 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. FROM: Vernon Matheson, QTH: Trepassey, NF LOC: GN36hs [sic] REC: Kenwood TS450s/at ANT: 500' longwire Can anyone help to ID: Feb 26, 2002 - 4500 kHz - 0037 UT OM and YL playing MX - sort of Chinese sounding with the same beat. Instruments appeared to include accordion and flute - OM only says one or two words between songs - music at the end was woman singing and sounded very Chinese - listened to 0142 UT and then some sort of net started to come through on the 4500 frequency. Signal was very good at first but IF from net became stronger. My propagation at the time was very strong to India and China and had logged 4820 (TPBS) in Tibet. Could my UNID possibly be Mongolia? I checked the Voice of Mongolia and no reference to 4500. The only reference to 4500 was here at HCDX. TIA (Vernon - VO1VM, Matheson, Newfoundland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) As frequently reported in most DX bulletins, China has a lot of new transmitters which are showing up all over the place, including the 4 MHz band, on previously unlisted frequencies, from uncertain sites. I see that PWBR 2002 and Klingenfuss 2002 list nothing on 4500, but my WRTH 1998 had Xinjiang there. When I was in Thailand in 1970, I often had a Chinese station on 4500, which had a lot of local QRM problems from TV sets, 4.5 MHz being the audio offset from the video carrier frequency of any NTSC channel. So 4500 is a frequency SW stations should avoid, just like 21480 and 21485 because of a constant signal any VCR plugged in emits on 21482.5, even when turned `off`. Klingenfuss says 4500 is a frequency for many USAF MARS stations (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) They are most probably located in western China (Tibet, Xinjiang). BTW - be aware of abbreviations: programs on 4800 and 4820 kHz come from CNR - China National Radio (domestic service). Abbreviation for foreign service is CRI - China Radio International. Your "RCI" can be confused with RCI - Radio Canada international. GOOD DX, (Karel Honzik the Czech Republic (Czechia), hard-core-dx via DXLD) Vern, I am currently listening to 4500 kHz at 1720 UT and am listening to the Mongolian Service of Xinjiang PBS broadcasting from Urumqi in China. This station is also heard from 0000-0330 UT, so is almost certainly what you were listening to (Graham Powell, Webmaster for the Online DX Logbook & 21 MHz.Com Full details available at: http://www.shortwave.org.uk hard-core-dx via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ MORSE CODE IN MUSIC While listening to your favorite music, don't be surprised if you hear those strange and annoying sounds of that terrible Morse code! Case in point, on Joe Walsh's solo album "Songs for a Dying Planet" is a song titled "Vote For Me". The song is preceded with Morse code which pounds out "REGISTER AND VOTE FOR ME AR". Brian, KF2HC, states that the same message appears on Joe's first album "Barnstorm" in a song titled "Mother". Joe holds an Advanced class Amateur license. Another album worth noting is Roger Waters' album "Radio Kaos". This album is filled with Morse messages. Most of the code is underlying the haunting music and very difficult to copy. The album's cover is littered with Morse code characters. The album's song titles are all spelled out in Morse Code! The rock band RUSH has a song title "YYZ" on their album "Moving Pictures". This songs starts out with heavy percussion belting out "YYZ" followed by bass and guitar blaring out the same. Well, the characters YYZ are the beacon identifier for the Toronto International Airport. The inspiration for the song came from Alex Lifeson, the guitarist for the band, who holds a private pilot`s license. Carter Bennett, KI5SR, adds that there is badly formed Morse code on Kate Bush's album "Hounds of Love". Carter informs me that the song "Watching You Without Me" contains the code "SOS". It was also reported that this track has some RTTY going in and out of tune. KI5SR continues with information regarding the album "Saving the Wildlife" by Mannheim Steamroller. He states that there is a track on the album which sounds too much like "CQ" in Morse. Charlie, N2JQA, says that there is Morse Code on Ronnie Montrose's album (Elektra 1982 EI-60034) "GAMMA 3". The song "Stranger" contains Morse Code which spells "STRANGER". Wayne, WA6MPG, states that in 1967, the band "PEARLS BEFORE SWINE" recorded a song with an adult-rated CW message in it. The song was titled "MISS MORSE". The song is said to have vulgarities in it spelled out with Morse Code. The album was titled "ONE NATION UNDERGROUND". Randall, KE0YG, provided the following info about Morse Code in the computer game called "RED STORM RISING" by Microprose. Randall says that in the opening credits there is music which contains Morse Code which spells out "THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING" at about 18 WPM. Randall says that he can confirm this on the C-64 version and he believes that the IBM version plays the CW message in the theme song. Craig, VK3CRA, reports a TV show called "INSPECTOR MORSE". Craig has never seen the show but, from info gathered, states that the inspector's name is never given in the show. It is alleged, however, to be contained in Morse Code which is played as part of the show's introductory music. Howie, N2WX and Mark, KM6XU, claims that "Radioactivity" by Kraftwerk has lots of good Morse code in it. Mark also states that the band Missing Persons has a song with some code in it but Mark didn't supply any info on the song. A message from John, NI6D, says that there is pseudo Morse code in the song "Radio Silence" on Thomas Dolby's album titled "The Golden Age of Wireless". Dave, N0DET, adds that there is code in the song "Planet Claire" by the B-52's. In the intro to "Planet Claire", a kind of Spy vs. Spy mood is created by the music, and plainly audible CW. The Morse code says, "NAKS DE CFH I I ZKR F13395 5156 AS 662 ....,", then fades to music. Dave believes that 'NAKS' and 'CFH' are commercial station callsigns. More information pertaining to the code comes in from Ron, VE3RYN. Ron says that "NAKS" should be "NAWS" which stands for 'North Atlantic Weather Station' and "CFH" is a CDN military ship/shore station located near Halifax, Nova Scotia. Michael, W9OJ, claims that the words "love you" are spelled out in morse code at the end of the "Iron Butterfly Theme" Iron Butterfly. This song is on their first album "Heavy" and is also on the double album titled "Rare Flight". Ian, VK2IAQ, writes in with information stating that the UK rock band 'Barclay James Harvest' has two songs which contain morse code. Ian states that the song "Nova Lepidoptera", a sci-fi song from the 1977 album "XII", starts off with "UFO" repeated in slow morse code. Also, the title track of the album "Ring of Changes" starts with the title sent twice in morse code. John Lees, the lead guitarist, is a licensed amateur operator in the UK. Bill, WA6ITF, reports some really good Morse code on the CD "SEEK YOU" by Andrew, G3WZZ, and Lissa Huddleson. Taken From The AES Home Page http://www.aesham.com (via KB7TBT, ham- radio-history yahoogroup via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DXLD) This is interesting. Some of the music mentioned is familiar to me and yet I didn't catch it! BTW Joe Walsh is a ham. And does anyone else hear Morse in the noise a dotmatrix printer makes? When I walk by one printing a job, I can't help but hear "N-E, N-E"... etc. Thanks Pres Waterman, W2PW, Long Island, ibid.) And don't forget there was a certain enjoyable rhythmic Iambic Pentameter to the old RTTY Carriages of Yesteryear when metal struck paper. Chang chang chang chang chang chang, Ding Chang chang chang chang chang chang, Ding Chang chang, Ding Chang chang, Ding, Ding Chang chang chang chang, Ding (repeat as necessary) ...And the unmistakable sound of rows and rows of CQs being sent out over the air followed by the club call sign. Not to mention, the rhythmic melodious sound of text graphics being printed as it was being received over the air. Soothing sounds that many of us enjoyed. (Allen Grey, ibid.) Navigate to http://www.qsl.net/k4wc and get an earful of music/code.......fascinating... 73 (Norm K1AA Gertz, ibid.) There is some Morse in the Beatles song "Strawberry Fields Forever" but it spells out gibberish. Or perhaps it's the callsign of the Yellow Submarine. 73 de (Jim, N2EY, ibid.) If anyone was interested in "underground" music back in the 60s or 70s, do you remember a group called "Pearls Before Swine"? They did a song entitled "Oh Miss Morse" and in the background they were doing code by saying "dits" and "dahs", and what they were spelling out is unprintable here. Having studied the code and passed the exam for my Novice license I knew what they were saying, nobody else I knew understood code and I seemed to be the only one that 'got the joke.' (Jacque N3ZEL Gosselin, ibid.) I too must admit after some 60+ years of copying cw i still hear messages hidden in music, noise and etc. I just thought I was a little zany. The only one I am familiar with is the theme of the PBS series "Inspector Morse" which still appears, though the final episode was aired a couple of years ago. In a followup, a behind the scenes documentary titled "The Last Morse" was produced. I saw it again just last week. In it the composer discusses his use of the word Morse in the theme. It is easily discernable, when you are expecting it. After all isn't a synthesizer just an expensive code practice oscillator? (Wayne, KB6KN, Thalls, ibid.) Adding my contribution to the thread in Ham Radio History: In Brazil, a folk singer called Waldir Silva recorded a musical theme called "Telegrama Musical", in which he "plays" in cavaquinho, a vernacular small guitar, some Morse notes followed by a "message of peace" also in cavaquinho-Morse. The commentary of this piece appears in the Brazilian magazine "Antenna-Eletrônica Popular", issue published in Sep-Oct 1986. The song was recorded by "Bemol" in Belo Horizonte, but the original "matrix" was in their headquarters factory in Sao Paulo. 73 (Horacio A. Nigro Montevideo - Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NEW INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS IRCs purchased after Jan 01, 2002 have a new design and are valid only until the end of 2006. The old coupons will remain valid for exchange indefinitely, but they loose their value concurrently with the inflation. (Akhilesh Mathur, Mail Programme Manager, International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, and Danish Mail Information Service). I advise you to use your old IRCs before Jul 01, 2002 (Anker Peterson, ed., DSWCI DX Window Feb 26 via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-032, February 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 #1119: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.html NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445 AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN RADIO ANNOUNCES NEW PROGRAMME | Text of report by Afghan radio on 23 February The new Radio Afghanistan programme "Good Morning" will be broadcast via Radio Afghanistan, starting this coming Monday [25 February]. Mr (?Charlie Lecslister) in charge of the (?Baltic) mass media, director of the (?BLC) institute, said today to the reporter of Bakhtar Information Agency that the Afghanistan programme "Good Morning" has been designed by the Baltic Mass Media, [word indistinct] with the cooperation of Radio Afghanistan. This programme will be broadcast live every morning from 0630-0730 hours [local time] from Radio Afghanistan. The programme will include news, weather forecast, plane departure and arrival timetable, athletic news and financial reports. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Pashto 1430 gmt 23 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. NEW "GOOD MORNING AFGHANISTAN" PROGRAMME GOES ON AIR 25 FEB 02 New breakfast programme "Good Morning Afghanistan" started broadcasting at 0200 gmt on 25 February 2002 on the Radio Afghanistan frequency of 1269 kHz. Classical music was broadcast before the start and the programme signed on at 0200 gmt with a female announcer saying in Dari: Good Morning Afghanistan, it is 6.30 am, on Monday, followed by a male announcer saying: My name is (?Najibul Niso). Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 0200 gmt 24 Feb 02 (BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. DANISH, SCOTTISH STATIONS ASSIST EU-FUNDED RADIO BROADCASTS FROM KABUL | Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA Brussels, 24 February: "Good Morning Afghanistan", a daily breakfast radio show in Pashto and Dari funded by the European Commission, begins broadcasting from Kabul on Monday 25 February. The programme can be received by up to 80 per cent of the Afghan population. It will focus on factual information, but will also provide for entertainment and education, said a EU announcement in Brussels Sunday [24 February]. Following the European Commission's decision on 13 December on a quick-impact support package, a contract with the NGO Baltic Media Centre (BMC) was signed a week later, after which preparations started immediately in Kabul. BMC established a partnership with Radio Afghanistan and has been allocated two hours of daily broadcasting (6.30-8.30 a.m.) [0200-0400 gmt] for the programme "Good Morning Afghanistan" out of the daily six hours available. On 19 February, equipment necessary for the production and transmission of the programme arrived in Kabul, thanks to generous contributions of second-hand equipment by Danmarks Radio, Radio Borders Scotland, Radio Forth, Radio Bornholm, TV 2 Bornholm and BMC it was possible to fully equip the old Kabul Radio building, noted the announcement. An Afghan team of around 20 young journalists who are representative of the population has been selected, which has been working very hard to install the equipment in order to start broadcasting on 25 February. The programme is supported by the European Commission with 235,000 euros. Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 1239 gmt 25 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) See also RUSSIA ** AFGHANISTAN. "GOOD MORNING AFGHANISTAN" PROGRAMME DEBUTS ON KABUL RADIO | "Good Morning Afghanistan", a new morning radio programme offering news and entertainment to listeners in Afghanistan, was launched on 25 February. The programme went on the air between 0200- 0300 gmt (6.30-7.30 a.m. local time) on Radio Afghanistan broadcasting from Kabul. The project is subsidized with 235,000 euros (over 200,000 dollars) from the European Union department for conflict prevention. The show is produced by Baltic Media Centre, whose director Bent Norby Bonde says the intention of his organization is "to provide Afghans with independent and propaganda-free radio". "It will provide news, practical information, interviews with actors, reports from rural areas information on emergency aid and travel routes in the country. In short, a mixture of what you listen to without thinking much about it, and hard, straightforward news," Bonde told the Copenhagen newspaper Berlingske Tidende earlier this month. The Baltic Media Centre, established nine years ago, has the goal of promoting democracy and international understanding in the world's hotspots. It has focused on the role on the media in conflict-torn areas including the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans. The inaugural broadcast, featuring male and female presenters, was divided equally between reports in Dari and Pashto, Afghanistan's main two languages. The opening announcement - "Subh Ba Khayr Afghanistan, soati shashu si daqiqai subh, dushanbe [Good Morning Afghanistan, it is 6.30 am, Monday]" - was followed by a mix of national and international news including: 1. Peacekeeping forces have provided Kabul city with four well- equipped ambulances. 2. Israel has decreased pressure on Yasir Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. 3. The Sri Lankan authorities call on international society to help reconstruct the war-torn country. Subsequent items included, among others: - Interview with head of Kabul airport, flight schedules discussed. - Talk on maintaining Afghan relics and monuments; interview with Minister of Information and Culture Sayed Rahin Makhdum about Kabul Museum and repair work. - Music - News and reports in Pashto, largely repeats of the earlier reports in Dari. - Interview with A. Ghafar, head of radio and TV in Kabul. - Reports on Id al-Adha festival. (very poor reception). Sources: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari and Pashto 0200 gmt 25 Feb 02 Berlingske Tidende web site, Copenhagen, in Danish 4 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. NORTHERN ALLIANCE WEB SITE SAYS NEW PRESS LAW HAS "NOTHING NEW" | Text of report headlined "The press law and some of its shortcomings" from Afghan Northern Alliance newspaper Payam-e Mojahid web site on 14 February Last week, the leader of the interim government signed the Press Law for implementation in the country. According to the Bonn agreements, Hamed Karzai became chairman of the interim government. The agreements also authorized the new government to implement the Afghan constitution of 1965 (minus the articles related to the royal family). However, the new government was not authorized to modify any of the laws. Now that some of the press laws have been modified, we ask: does the new administration have the power to make such changes? Does the new administration have the authority to make any changes in all aspects of the laws in the constitution? It appears that only the name of the law has changed. Otherwise it is the same as those implemented during Prof Rabbani's administration. Aside from that, the following points are worth mentioning: 1. The Press Law does not specify the amount of money the editor and owner of a publication must pay. The space for the amount is left blank, a serious shortcoming in the law. 2. After signing the draft of the law, it became apparent that the question of the monopoly of radio and television by the government is left unanswered. His excellency the chairman of the government only verbally pointed out that radio and television could be privately owned and operated. 3. The current laws do not say anything about the problem of the Internet and satellite dishes. This needs serious consideration since the Internet and satellite dishes are very common nowadays. Yet the Press Law does not address this important issue. 4. Freedom of statement has been recognized as a basic principle internationally. However, the Press Law does not say anything about freedom of reporters in obtaining information. This is a big shortcoming of the law. 5. The Press Law states that: a. "Subjects or topics that weaken the army must not be published by the press." However, it does not explain which topics are harmful to the military so that their publication can be avoided. b. "Emotional subjects that are against the sacred principles of Islam and other religions and sects in Afghanistan should not be published." The question arises as to which topics are good for Islam and which ones are bad emotionally for other religions. One's reading of the new Press Law indicates that this new law has nothing new in it. It is similar to the press laws during the Mojahedin administration. Our people are witness to the fact that during the Mojahedin, too, there was freedom of the press and reporters could criticize the government and their administration. Source: Payam-e Mojahid web site, Parwan, in Dari 14 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Rádio Difusora 6 de Agosto, Xapurí-AC ouvida em 3255 kHz às 0015 com anúncios de festa para trabalhadores da zona rural, 33333 (José Moacir Portera de Melo, Pontes e Lacerda MT, via Samuel Cássio, Feb 24 [so logged UT 25th?], Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** CAMEROON. For 2 or 3 days you can listen an audio clip about Radio Garoua 5010 on http://www.bclnews.it In this clip there is NO identification, but it was sent two days ago to Camerun, and here is their reply: ``Confirmation : It's Radio Garoua`` (Roberto Scaglione, Italy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Clip is 12 minutes, mostly noise to me (gh) ** CANADA. Just received this information from the engineer at CFRB regarding sun down and sun up times used for signal pattern change for 2002. As I mentioned before, CFRB has completed their new antenna system, which consists of 4 X 550 foot towers. AM PM [EST, EDT] Jan 745 500 Feb 715 545 Mar 630 615 Apr 530(630 DST) 700(800 DST) May 600 DST 830 DST Jun 530 DST 900 DST Jul 545 DST 900 DST Aug 615 DST 815 DST Sep 700 DST 730 DST Oct 630 (730 DST) 530 (630 DST) Nov 715 500 Dec 745 445 (Steve Canney, Feb 25, ODXA yahoogroup via DXLD) ** CANADA. Would someone please tell the guys in charge of the webcasts that the Olympics are over and there is no further reason to block the country music shows in Cree from Yellowknife for a bit over two years until the 2004 Summer Olympics? (Joel Rubin, via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Feeds from Newfoundland, Moncton, NB and Vancouver, BC are still playing that stupid recording about how the IOC is banning webcasting of Cree country music and Madly Off in All Directions and how it won't return until after 2/24. Montreal and Toronto are back but CBCNQ says file not found (Joel Rubin, NY, 1316 UT Feb 25, swprograms via DXLD) I did a similar check about 1500 UT Mon and found the same nonsense, but Saskatchewan and Whitehorse were back. Strangely enough, the Olympix were still in the news (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. For the first edition of Wave-Length for the year of the horse we will pay tribute to Canadian Broadcasting legend Peter Gzowski. Air Date: March 1, 2002. Time: 0040 UT on CRI Domestic Service http://www.cri.com.cn/english For more information write us at any time. ===== Wave-Length China Radio International Beijing, China Attention: Lu Feng & Keith Perron wavelengthcri@yahoo.com website: http://www.cri.com.cn/english (Keith Perron, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. Subject: OTC 02/22 1220 RADIO OKAPI TO BEGIN BROADCASTING ON MONDAY Feb 22, 2002 (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks/All Africa GlobalMedia via COMTEX) -- A new radio network with a particular focus on peace-making efforts will be launched in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday, 25 February, to coincide with the convocation of the inter-Congolese dialogue in Sun City, South Africa. Radio Okapi, a joint initiative of the UN mission in the DRC (known by its French acronym, MONUC) and the Fondation Hirondelle, a Swiss-based nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that specialises in using information for peace, will begin broadcasting simultaneously from three studios in the capital, Kinshasa (103.5 FM), the northeastern city of Kisangani (95 FM), and the eastern city of Goma (103.5 FM), 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The broadcasts should be receivable via short-wave radio throughout most of the DRC, on 9550 kHz. Initially, Radio Okapi's programming will consist of news bulletins in the morning and evening, in French, Lingala, Swahili and Tshiluba, with contributions from Congolese correspondents throughout the country. Shows focusing on the inter-Congolese dialogue, and on MONUC and other UN agencies will also be broadcast daily, with musical interludes. In the coming months, additional stations will be opened in Kananga (south-central DRC), Mbandaka (in the northwest), Kalemie (southeast), Gbadolite (northwest), Kindu (east-central), Bukavu (east), and Bunia (northeast). Currently, no medium in the DRC has the capacity to broadcast nationwide, although the government has announced its intention to establish one. Few politically independent broadcasters exist, although Radio Amani in Kisangani, and Radio Maendeleo in Bukavu have managed to survive as independent news broadcasters, and have operated intermittently over the past three years. Their reach is very limited, however. The material broadcast by Okapi will be made available to other local media free of charge. Radio Okapi will enable Congolese to talk to each other across the country's several political divides, the organisers said. The radio's transmitting stations are guaranteed freedom from censorship under agreements with the various authorities in the DRC, and will broadcast from UN military mission bases, guarded by UN troops. The main sponsors for the project are the British and Swiss governments. So far, the project has a budget of 2.67 million Swiss francs (about US $1.63 million), according to the organisers. The main sponsors for the project are the British and Swiss governments. So far, the project has a budget of 2.67 million Swiss francs (about US $1.63 million), according to the organisers. Copyright UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. Distributed by All Africa Global Media (AllAfrica.com) (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Not clear whether the SW frequency is 24 hour, nor where it`s really from. They planned to set up own transmitter in Kinshasa, but, until they be explicit about it, I would not be surprised if at least initially it be leased from Gabon or some other nearby country. Started checking 9550 around 2345 UT Feb 25, and for the next hour heard mostly a mix of Chinese and Habana in French. Okapi has picked a not very clear frequency, as shown in HFCC B-01 listings. BTW, RTC stands here for the Chinese broadcasting administration: (gh) 9550 0000 0400 27,28,37 SRN 250 260 1234567 281001 310302 D RUS VOR MCB 2745 9550 2130 2300 41,43,49,54 KRS 50 175 1234567 281001 310302 D RUS VOR MCB 2746 9550 0200 0300 7-10 TIG 250 307 1234567 281001 310302 D ENGLISH ROU RRO ROU 2755 9550 0300 0400 9-11 TIG 250 292 1234567 281001 310302 D SPANISH ROU RRO ROU 2756 9550 0400 0500 7-10 TIG 250 307 1234567 281001 310302 D ENGLISH ROU RRO ROU 2757 9550 1900 2000 29 TIG 250 037 1234567 281001 310302 D RUSSIAN ROU RRO ROU 2758 9550 0900 1000 44,45 BEI 120 102 1234567 281001 310302 D CHN CRI RTC 2760 9550 1100 1600 49 KUN 150 163 1234567 281001 310302 D CHN CRI RTC 2761 9550 1800 1900 40 URU 500 270 1234567 281001 310302 D CHN CRI RTC 2762 9550 2100 2130 28 JIN 600 315 1234567 281001 310302 D CHN CRI RTC 2763 9550 2230 0100 49,54W KUN 150 191 1234567 281001 310302 D CHN CRI RTC 2764 (HFCC via DXLD) {Note that Cuba, using 9550 a lot, is missing here} I'd be interested to learn if anyone manages to hear the new station in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Radio Okapi. Congolese press reports say the station started today, and its shortwave frequency is 9550 kHz. I have sent an E-mail to David Smith of the UN, who's running the station, and I'll pass on any relevant information to the list. If you want to learn the background to Radio Okapi, check out our latest story at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/medianews.html (Andy Sennitt Radio Netherlands, Feb 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) {Actually, not starting until afternoon of Feb 26, and on 9555, not 9550, with 10 kW, reports Media Network; see next issue} ** INDONESIA. 4925, 1546-, RRI Jambi, Feb 23 Good to very good signals with Indonesian talk and local music. Don't the RRI stations have an absolutely typical and unique modulation style! Not listed in the most recent ILG database. Into Muslim type programming at 1549 with Arabic music in background and talk by male in foreground (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. "RADIO MESOPOTAMIA" HEARD ON MEDIUMWAVE A radio station identifying itself as "Radio of the Two Rivers" [Idha'at Wadi al-Rafidayn] is being observed on 1566 kHz daily at 1600-2000 gmt. It was first heard on 18 February. Wadi al-Rafidayn, or the "land of the two rivers" is another Arabic name for Mesopotamia or Iraq. Programming mostly consists of Arabic popular music, generally Lebanese and Egyptian songs that appeal to young people. Some of the announcers speak in Iraqi dialect. The radio has no sign-on or sign-off theme or signature tune. It opens suddenly with the following announcement: "This is Radio Mesopotamia. You are welcome. We will begin our programmes of news and music. We, at Radio Mesopotamia, are trying to present to you the best programmes, information and music. This is Radio Mesopotamia." No news has been monitored so far. On 18 February, the radio carried a programme on Afghanistan and Afghan refugees, sports news, and a 10-minute programme called "Discover the world", describing a "trip to Mauritania". At 1730 gmt on 18 February, the radio carried a feature called "interesting stories". A man speaking in Iraqi dialect talked about how Iraqi officials behave under the regime. He mentioned, among others, Amir Hammudi, possibly a reference to Amir Hammudi al-Sa'di, former industry and minerals minister and official in charge of the chemical file. On 18 February, the radio signed off at 2000 gmt with the following announcement: "We thank you for listening to Radio Mesopotamia. We will end our programme now. We hope you have enjoyed listening to us and that you will listen to us tomorrow at the same time. We remind you that Radio Mesopotamia presents to you the best of music. This is Radio Mesopotamia, your favourite station." The above announcement was also given at the end of the 20 February broadcast. On 22 February, the entire four-hour broadcast consisted of Arabic popular songs. Occasionally, the radio would make announcements on its upcoming songs or carry the announcement: "Radio Mesopotamia, people's favourite radio". The radio closed at 1958 gmt without a sign-off announcement. The radio has not been observed to announce any times or frequencies and may still be testing. The frequency 1566 kHz has been used in recent years to relay a number of anti-Iraq broadcasts, such as Al-Mustaqbal (The Future), Iraqi Army Radio and other Iraqi opposition broadcasts. These stations have not recently been heard on or around 1566 kHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research 25 Feb 02 (via DXLD) From KUWAIT (gh) ** IRELAND: INTERNET TV NEWS STATION LAUNCHED | Excerpt from press release by Ireland Live Television on 22 February Ireland Live Television News, a new digital media television news channel aimed at the global market, was officially launched today [Friday 22 February] with a live broadcast by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, TD. Ahern said: "It is a great pleasure to officially launch Ireland Live Television News on behalf of The Anner Media Group. I warmly welcome the start-up of Ireland's first 24-hour news channel. I wish it every success as a digital media television service, which is aimed at the global Irish community of over 70 million people." With start-up investment costs of nearly 6.35m euro (5m Irish punts), Ireland Live Television News is part of Ireland Live Television Networks (ILTN), which can be found at http://www.irelandlivetelevision.tv and offers the world's first dedicated 24-hour live news channel on broadband... Ireland Live Television has a rolling news service that will be repeated and updated every 15 minutes using pictures from its own staff crews. Essentially it is an Irish Sky News. The 15-minute bulletins cover all the major Irish stories, Irish business news with daily reports from various stockbrokers, Irish sports news and results, international news headlines, a look at all the Irish newspapers and weather. While relevant to the domestic market, the network is primarily aimed at the global Irish community of over 70 million people based mainly in the United States, Britain, Europe, Australia and all those interested in Irish affairs. ILTN will also offer a range of niche on- demand channels to complement the main news channel. These will feature business and finance, sport, music, entertainment, comedy, cookery, betting, travel and daily drama. An Irish-language channel and Irish shopping channel will also be available. Eventually the network could have up to 25 different channels. The network is available free to viewers and will be funded through advertising. As with many other broadcasters, Ireland Live Television News will show television commercials and is targeting major brands for advertising with the emphasis on Irish owned international brands. Broadcasting from the Anner Media Group's facility at 50 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, close to government buildings, Ireland Live Television News will be broadcast to a worldwide audience. The channel will be viewable via a traditional 56K modem installed in most computers, but the majority of viewers are expected to access the channel through much faster broadband Internet connections, ISPs and uplinked to cable TV head-ends around the world... For further information contact: Sinead Ryan or Joanne Byrne, O'Leary PR and Marketing Ltd, Tel: 01 6789888. Source: Ireland Live Television Press Release in English 22 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. See IRAQ [non]. ** MALAYSIA. 4844.9, 1553-, RTM Kuala Lumpur, Feb 23. RTM slightly off frequency with nice Indian music. Use LSB to avoid much stronger Chinese on 4850 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Change to RNZI frequency schedule effective immediately! Please note, at 1650-1850 UT RNZI will be using 11980. Please delete 11725 from the frequency schedule (Adrian Sainsbury, Technical Manager, Radio New Zealand International, Feb 24, via Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Inaudible here as usual Feb 25 (gh, OK, DXLD) ** PERU. Radio Marañon from Jaen on 4835 is sending a beautiful QSL CARD for reception reports; I can listen to it at 1900 till 0200 UT. E-mail: correo@radiomaranon.org.pe note: maranon without Ñ (César Pérez Dioses, Chimbote, Perú, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. 11830, 1706-1755*, R. ROMANIA INTERNATIONAL, Feb 24. Nice S5 signal in English with news about large protest in Moldova. Parallel 15245 almost as good, but use USB to avoid splatter from lower side. I`m impressed with RRI`s technical improvement over the past few years. They used to be somewhat of a DX catch here in WCNA, but are now quite widely heard at many times (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 21870, 1649-, VOICE OF RUSSIA, Feb 24. I'm presuming this to be VOR with a third harmonic, in German at poor level. In fact, the 4th on 29160 is also heard at same strength. Nothing on the fundamental or 2X [7290, 14580] (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. VOICE OF RUSSIA RADIO COMPETES WITH WEST FOR AFGHAN AUDIENCE | Text of report by Russia TV on 25 February [Presenter] "Good morning, Afghanistan" - this is the name of a new programme broadcast for the first time on Kabul radio today. The money for it was given by the European Union, the equipment was delivered by the Danes, the radio call sign - by the Scots. A distinctive simultaneous rivalry of several radio projects of antiterrorist coalition countries is starting in Afghan broadcasting. Our correspondent Andrey Medvedev speaks about the editorial policy and prospects of Golos Rossii [Voice of Russia] radio station in Afghanistan. [Correspondent] This is Moscow speaking, you are listening to the news programme by Golos Rossii radio station in Dari and Pashto languages. The station broadcasts to Afghanistan six hours a day without any days-off or holidays. [Director of regional broadcasting department, Mikhail Baryshev, captioned] Broadcasting to Afghanistan has been done for more than 60 years. During all these years broadcasting has never stopped for a minute or for an hour, although, due to the circumstances, the number of hours and the amount of broadcasting varied. Nevertheless it has always been here and stood up for the interests of Russia in this region. [Correspondent] Mahwash Ruygar has already lived in Moscow ten years. It was she who read out the news about the Taleban government's collapse. [Presenter Mahwash Ruygar, captioned, speaking Russian] Frankly speaking at that time I did not want people to hear me in Afghanistan, as my family lived there and, I think, they did not like a woman to work anywhere, especially on radio. [Correspondent] The Taleban also thought the radio to be the most important of the mass media. Newspapers are useless in a country where most of the population is illiterate, and TV was called the "product of the devil" by religious fanatics. Somehow they were not embarrassed by the European origins of radio and that was why " The Voice of the Taleban" ["The Voice of the Shar'iah"] was the main information and propaganda body of the recent administration. It was the main rival of "The Voice of Russia", and judging from how well Afghan citizens understand the peculiarities of Russian politics the competition was successful for Russia. As a rule, letters from Afghan listeners come to the office of Golos Rossii with a big delay. Up until recently they could be mailed only from neighbouring countries. The post in Afghanistan is only starting to work now, and that is why any single letter is of great value. Here is a New Year postcard, and this letter contains a word of thanks for a feature about Islam in Russia. In general, as many people working at the station say, despite everything many Afghans remember the Soviet presence in their country with great nostalgia. [Baryshev] Soviet people never were colonizers in Afghanistan. We have always treated them [Afghans] as people, as equal to us. We sincerely wanted to help them. And we had some success in this. [Correspondent] Mikhail Baryshev worked in Kabul for three years - from 1982 to 1985. He was then helping to set up radio broadcasting to the new - as it was then said - people's democratic Afghanistan. He does not know what happened to his Kabul colleagues, but Mikhail Baryshev believes that they at least sometimes listen to Golos Rossii from Moscow. Andrey Medvedev, Igor Kuznetsov, Vesti. Source: Russia TV, Moscow, in Russian 1700 gmt 25 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS? 5019.88, 1520-, Feb 23. Fair to good signal with BBC sports programming. I suspect this must be the Solomon Islands relaying the BBC long after their normal sign-off. Anyone else hearing them at this time? Gradually fading as the sun rises here (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA: PRO-GOVERNMENT RADIO MOGADISHU RESUMES BROADCASTS | Text of report by Somali Radio HornAfrik on 24 February Pro-government Radio Mogadishu last night [23 February] came back on air after a 12-day absence. The interim government minister of information, Abdirahman Adan Ibrahim Ibbi, who spoke to HornAfrik radio, said the station would resume operations, although he did not specify when. Sources close to the team of technicians working on the radio say the radio would resume its regular programmes today. Equipment belonging to the station, which was looted, has been recovered and the radio was heard broadcasting songs last night. The equipment was salvaged after a lengthy mediation effort with those who looted the station, although it was not clear whether or not any money had been handed over. Source: Radio HornAfrik, Mogadishu, in Somali 0500 gmt 24 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTF, K? ** SRI LANKA. 15425, 0027-, SLBC COLOMBO, Feb 24. Nice sign-on with drums, vocal anthem, more drums, more singing. Time pips and sign-on for 0600 India time, 0630 Sri Lanka time and Sunday morning programming. All Asia Service of the SLBC. Always interesting programming. About S5 signal tonight (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKMENISTAN. TURKMEN COMMUNICATION MINISTER, TV HEAD DISCIPLINED FOR POOR PERFORMANCE | Text of report by Turkmen TV on 25 February [Presenter] And now we presenting the official chronicle. The president of Turkmenistan [Saparmyrat Nyyazow] has issued a decree ordering that one month's salary should be withheld from the minister of communications, [Resulberdi] Hojagurbanow, for failing to maintain proper supervision of the efficient operation of means of communication at vital facilities and for taking an irresponsible attitude towards his official duties. The sum is to be transferred to the state budget of Turkmenistan. The president of Turkmenistan has issued a decree ordering that one month's salary should be withheld from the head of the Turkmen TV Altyn asyr (Golden age) channel, [Dovletmyrat Meredowic] Annamyradow, for producing unprofessional and low quality programmes dedicated to the celebration of the national holiday Id al-Adha. The sum is to be transferred to the state budget of Turkmenistan. Source: Turkmen TV first channel, Asgabat, in Russian 1400 gmt 25 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 21597.5, 1613-, UAE R. DUBAI, Feb 23. English program, 'Role of proverbs in Arab society'. Good signal, but 13675 is strongest, and 13630 fair. Buzz in the background on this frequency only (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 7355, 0145-, WRNO NEW ORLEANS, Feb 24. This is not a logging. Haven't heard WRNO since the Christmas period. Not even a het. Are they on at all? Anyone else hearing them? Are they using any of their other frequencies aside from nominal 7355? (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. C. Ed Evans, Senior Manager of WSHB, was interviewed in the March issue of El Dial, Spain, by Eduard Boada i Aragonès. Following are translated excerpts from much longer story: ED EVANS, A DIVER ON SHORTWAVE Cypress Creek in the southwest corner of SC, is a rural area [actually it`s in the southern corner, not SW -gh]. Other industries nearby are hunting wild boar and peacocks. He supervises nine people: 4 operators, 2 engineers, 1 engineer in charge of transmission, 1 systems engineer and 1 administrative assistant. All programming is produced in Boston and fed to WSHB via internet, where it is stored on two computers (one a backup), and played back as required. A satellite downlink receives programming from Merlin, which is also responsible for the WSHB relays in other parts of the world. All correspondence goes directly to Boston, and letters requesting verification are forwarded to CC, where QSLs are issued as quickly as possible. Since a couple of years ago, WSHB has contracted with a company called Econco, to rebuild power amplifier tubes, which saves operating costs. Ed graduated in E.E. from Clemson in 1972. Hobbies are diving, since 1979, and for the past ten years combined with underwater photography. Some of his shots have been published on calendars. He is also a science fiction fan; his two favorite books are Strangers in a Strange Land, by Robert A. Heinlein; and The Ringworld Engineers, by Larry Niven. Favorite music: Coconut Telegraph, by Jimmy Buffett; and Rumors, by Fleetwood Mac (gh`s summary for DX LISTENING DIGEST) The article did not enquire whether Ed himself is actually CS, and whether that was a job requirement, something I have always wondered, but Heinlein`s oeuvre is not exactly reverent! Another question I would have asked is whether any *new* programming is being produced by CS HQ in Boston. I don`t know if they do a mailbag or ever deal with current events since news was ditched, but if not, it seems to me they could easily be running the same CS dogma programs over and over, and perhaps even they are getting tired of hearing them, accounting for losing interest in maintaining WSHB (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 15745, WEWN, 17 Feb, 0955-0958, SIO 252, in Spanish for South America. Signal covered by another stronger carrier. I presume the latter also belonged to WEWN, because at 1000 the station begins its operation in the direction of Europe on the same frequency (Alexei Kulinchenko, Kazan, Russia, Signal via DXLD) Such coördination ** U S A. Hi Glenn, Well here we go again, I heard WWCR's 15685 kHz freq --- splattering all over the 19 meter band this morning (Feb 25th). Time was approx. 1525 UT. Wonder when they will get this transmitter working correctly......nasty indeed !!! Regards, (David Zantow, Janesville, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I could hear some of that splatter too, at least plus/minus 200 kHz in clear spots. Same transmitter previously reported splattering from 9475 at other times (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWV and WWVH propagation info is to change format March 12. This page explains that, and also what the info means in general, for those who may be wondering: http://www.sec.noaa.gov/Data/info/WWVdoc.html#samples (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. PRESIDENT SALUTES VOA'S 60-YEAR COMMITMENT TO FREEDOM Remarks by the President in Honor of the 60th Annual Celebration of Voice of America WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The following are remarks by President Bush in honor of the 60th annual celebration of Voice of America: Voice of America, Cohen Building, Washington, D.C. 2:16 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much for that warm welcome. I'm glad I came. (Laughter.) Bob, I want to thank you very much for your hospitality, and I want to thank you very much for your willingness to take the reins of the Voice of America in such a critical time. I also want to thank all the supporters who are here, those who support the Voice of America. And I'm glad to see so many friends of international broadcasting, the Voice of America staff, the members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, former Voice of America directors, former U.S. Information Agency directors, staff and directors from Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, Radio Marti. (Applause.) You all are dedicated professionals who serve your country and its highest ideals with honor and with purpose. I also want to thank Marc Nathanson, who's the chairman of BBG. Deserves a special thanks for his endowment of the Nathanson Fellows, between the Voice of America and the Annenberg School of Journalism. (Applause.) Sixty years ago, only 79 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the first Voice of America broadcast across the Atlantic into Nazi Germany, with these words: Here speaks a voice from America. We shall tell you the truth. For decades, the Voice of America has told the world the truth about America and our policies. Through a world war and a cold war, in crisis and in calm, the Voice of America has added to the momentum of freedom. And now, in a new conflict, I'm proud to say that the Voice of America still speaks strongly and clearly. To people whose governments broadcast messages of bigotry and hate, the Voice of America sends a message of tolerance and respect. To people who are told that democracy is soft and weak, the Voice of America shows freedom's strength and determination. To people who live under governments that sustain their power with lies, the Voice of America brings truth. Under some regimes, like that in North Korea, simply listening to the Voice of America is treated as a crime. And the fears of these regimes are well-founded, because tyranny cannot survive forever in an atmosphere of truth. The Voice of America is not neutral between America and America's enemies, between terrorism and those who defend themselves against terror, between freedom and between tyranny. The Voice of America is a broadcaster with a special purpose, a special mandate and a special trust. As President Reagan said, freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings. The Voice of America spreads that message throughout the world, with special emphasis on those countries where information is restricted and free voices are silenced. The Voice of America broadcasts in 53 languages, to nearly every country on Earth, reaching an audience of over 90 million listeners. Many are listening right now, exercising their God-given right to freedom, free access of information. And their numbers are growing every day. The Voice of America's new Middle East Radio Network will offer music, reliable news, and information in Arabic, and an opportunity to better understand American principles and American actions. And I want to thank Norm Pattiz for his perseverance and dedication to this project. Even before our Armed Forces helped bring freedom to the Afghan people, the Voice of America was bringing them the news in languages of Dari and Pashtu. Since September the 11th, Voice of America has increased its programming in these two languages, serving as a vital partner in helping rebuild that country. Throughout its history, Voice of America has applied the power of technology to the advance of liberty. It has used every means possible -- shortwave, television, and now the Internet -- to bypass the barriers of tyrants. Radio waves are not hindered by borders, and as technology improves, the Internet will become less vulnerable to the censor's hand. No one knows what new information technologies will be available 60 years from now. But two things we do know: first, that the Voice of America will find a way to use them; and second, though these means of delivery may change, the message never will. It's a simple message. It's a message of freedom, and freedom is worth defending. (Applause.) And the truth, no less than the force of arms, is needed for its defense. Since 1942, you have defended freedom by speaking the truth to millions. (Applause.) You not only have the ear of the world, you have the gratitude of your country. May God bless your efforts, and may God bless America. (Applause.) END 2:24 P.M. EST SOURCE http://www.whitehouse.gov -0- 02/25/2002 /CONTACT: White House Press Office, +1-202-456-2580/ /Web site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/ (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) I enjoyed the 60th anniversary VOA program at 1900 UT on Monday, February 25 -- until Neal Lavon was cut off in mid-sentence so we could hear the regularly scheduled "World Of Music" program on the VOA's English to Africa service. Geez -- This taped program (which made absolutely no reference to the anniversary) was more important than a live event marking a major milestone? (Mike Cooper, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) On 15580, maybe? You should have been listening to the NN webcast, which stayed with it until wrapup about 1945. I also heard, and watched, Talk to America, 1705-1755 with two groups of former VOA directors, but I don`t think they added up to nine as advertised. This should be available on demand until somewhat after the next live edition finish Tue at 1800 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Meanwhile........ WHITE HOUSE ANGERED AT PLAN FOR PENTAGON DISINFORMATION By Mike Allen, Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, February 25, 2002; Page A17 In a rare airing of disagreement within the Bush administration, White House aides were furious about a Pentagon proposal that could have led to the feeding of false stories to foreign journalists, officials said yesterday. The Pentagon's Office of Strategic Influence was created in November to oversee military propaganda and other information- related operations, which could have blurred the line between public relations and covert actions. West Wing aides "hit the ceiling" when the idea of using the office to plant disinformation with overseas journalists was reported by the New York Times on Tuesday, several officials said. Bush was in Asia on a week-long mission, and one senior official said whoever leaked the story "did a tremendous disservice to the president" by raising questions about the administration's credibility when he was overseas. Karen Hughes, who is Bush's counselor and oversees all the public words of the administration, called back from Asia to ensure "that there be no change in the administration's strict policy of providing reporters with the facts," an official said. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday that the OSI may be killed. "I think the person who's in charge is debating whether it should even exist in its current form, given all the misinformation and adverse publicity that it's received," Rumsfeld said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I know they are considering what to do about it." As a result of the article, high-level administration officials spent much of last week articulating the fine line between spin and deception. Several officials said they were determined to maintain the "purity" of the information the administration gives to reporters. "The Pentagon does not lie to the American people," Rumsfeld said on NBC. "It does not lie to foreign audiences." He said he had never heard of the idea before the news report. Pentagon officials said the OSI was given a large budget for overseeing and formulating propaganda and psychological operations. These include dropping leaflets with information about a reward for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, advertising for the collection of weapons of mass destruction, and writing scripts for radio broadcasts such as one that Rumsfeld said was designed to "counter the lies that this was a war against the Afghan people or a war against Muslims, which it wasn't." Douglas J. Feith, the undersecretary of defense for policy, said at a Defense Writers Group breakfast on Wednesday that officials were working on guidelines for legitimate missions for the office and that the article appeared "in the midst of our work." "We're going to preserve our credibility and we're going to preserve the purity of the statements that defense officials make to the public," Feith said. "We're also going to preserve our option to mislead the enemy about our operations. And those are not inconsistent." Shortly after the attack on Afghanistan, the White House started a Coalition Information Center to coordinate the war message in the United States, Britain and Pakistan. Now the CIC is to be made permanent, with the mission of coordinating "government-wide efforts to communicate America's message around the world," an official said. Specifics are being worked out, but the new office is expected to promote a unified message from the White House; Pentagon; departments of Justice, State and Treasury; the Voice of America; the U.S. Agency for International Development; and participating allies. Jim Wilkinson, deputy White House communications director and head of the CIC war room, said the administration will always keep a fire wall between public relations and military operations. "The president is a plain-spoken, truthful man and he expects that same high standard from every public affairs spokesperson in the government," Wilkinson said. Staff writer Thomas E. Ricks contributed to this report. © 2002 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) earlier: U.S. PLANTING FALSE STORIES COMMON COLD WAR TACTIC Mon Feb 25, 5:25 PM ET, By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Recognizing that sometimes the pen is mightier than the sword, the CIA has a colorful history of planting false information in media outlets overseas, with results ranging from irritating the Soviet Union to paving the way for a coup in Latin America. ... The CIA used disinformation tactics in Latin America, using radio broadcasts under the name Voice of Liberation to help topple the government of Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in 1954. Full story at: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020225/ts_nm/attack_propaganda_tactics_dc_1 Note: but now it's Pentagon, not CIA who wants to try its luck at planting false reports in foreign media (Sergei Sosedkin, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Hallo Glenn, Also here the AFRTS was heard around 0700 UT with a very good signal on 3903 USB. I sent a question to HCDX if somebody knows more about the station. Just after that I read your item in the DX Listening Digest. 73, (Max van Arnhem, The Netherlands, Feb 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. This was posted to the Public Radio Music Personnel list. Randy Stewart/Springfield MO CLEAR CHANNEL USES HIGH-TECH GEAR TO PERFECT THE ART OF SOUNDING LOCAL By ANNA WILDE MATHEWS, Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL On Feb. 15, disc jockey "Cabana Boy Geoff" Alan offered up a special treat for listeners of KISS FM in Boise, Idaho: an interview with pop duo Evan and Jaron Lowenstein. "In the studio with Evan and Jaron," Mr. Alan began. "How're you guys doing?" The artists reported that they had just come from skiing at nearby Sun Valley, then praised the local scene. "Boise's always a nice place to stop by on the way out," Evan Lowenstein said, adding that the city "is actually far more beautiful than I expected it to be. It's actually really nice, so happy to be here." Mr. Alan chimed in: "Yeah, we've got some good people here." Later, he asked Boise fans to e-mail or call the station with questions for the performers. But even the most ardent fan never got through to the brothers that day. The singers had actually done the interview in San Diego a few weeks earlier. Mr. Alan himself has never been to Boise, though he offers a flurry of local touches on the show he hosts each weekday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the city's leading pop station.... [Wall Street Journal, 2/25/2002 - Via Robert Ziegler, Fred Vobbe, Randy Stewart, NRC-AM via DXLD] [Another source for the full story is:] http://www.msnbc.com/news/715538.asp?cp1=1 (via Ralph Brandi, swprograms via DXLD) Somebody on the Public Radio Music Personnel list posted this in response to the original posting of the Wall St. Journal article there... "Some listeners probably won't know or care, but wait 'til this hits the newspapers in each city. Traditionally, newspapers hate radio because it's a medium competing for their lunch (ad dollars). They'll be ecstatic at the chance to break such a story." (Randy Stewart, Springfield MO, NRC-AM via DXLD) Legalities of voice tracking stations Here`s a link to an interesting article done about Raleigh, NC radio stations and voice tracking. The article brings up a point that voice tracking may violate FCC rules. Here`s a pull quote from the article from the Spectator in Raleigh: There is one tiny catch, though. According to Section 73.1208 of the Communications Act of 1934, voicetracking as it operates today is probably illegal. The section clearly states: "Any taped, filmed or recorded program material in which time is of special significance, or by which an affirmative attempt is made to create the impression that it is occurring simultaneously with the broadcast, shall be announced at the beginning as taped, filmed or recorded. The language of the announcement shall be clear and in terms commonly understood by the public." Obviously, deception on the airwaves was on someone's mind back in 1934. The rule even survived the massive 1996 rewrite of the Communications Act -- the same rewrite that eased station ownership restrictions and made Clear Channel possible. It seems unlikely, however, that Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell will make enforcing Section 73.1208 a priority. "Radio has a long history of playing loosely with FCC regulations," says Reed Bunzel, editor of the industry magazine Radio Ink. "The FCC also says you're supposed to let someone know you're putting them on the air before you put them on the air. How many morning zoos bother to do that?" Keeping the illusion alive Some radio deceptions are obviously worse than others. One of the more benign little white lies is the recording of listener phone calls for later use on the air. "Phone calls are never live," explains WQDR's Meyer I've never seen this concept discussed here or anywhere else. I wonder what anyone else thinks? For the full article click here: http://www.spectatoronline.com/news_cover.html (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Sarasota, FL, Feb 25, NRC-AM via DXLD) The whole thing is a travesty. Voice tracking should either be banned, or identified as such every 10 minutes. Just one of many ways CC is ruining American broadcasting. But then, some of us abandoned listening to commercial radio, with very few exceptions, long ago. But the waste of spectrum is appalling. A similar article is in LA Times: (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Monday, February 25, 2002 RADIO Clear Channel: an Empire Built on Deregulation CEO L. Lowry Mays went shopping after Congress eased ownership limits. Now the company's size is drawing complaints. By JEFF LEEDS, Times Staff Writer To see how deregulation can turn an obscure businessman into a sudden power broker, look no farther than Texas radio billionaire L. Lowry Mays. Six years ago, his modest San Antonio-based chain Clear Channel Communications Inc. owned 36 radio stations, four under the legal limit. Then Congress did away with most radio station ownership limits and Mays went on a frantic shopping spree. Today, his sprawling empire covers all 50 states, with 1,225 radio stations, about 10% of the nation's total, plus the country's biggest live-concert promotions firm, 19 television stations and 770,000 billboards. In a decade, Clear Channel's sales have jumped from $74 million to about $8 billion last year, a stunning 100-fold increase. Full story: http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Search-X!ArticleDetail-52085,00.html (via gh, and another, tnx to tip from Dennis Gibson, IRCA...via DXLD) FEATURE 02.21.02 Long-Distance DJs How local radio stations' "cyber-jocking" misleads Triangle listeners BY TODD MORMAN WRDU evening disc jockey Big Rig is taking a call from a listener. "Bill out in Goldsboro tonight!" the DJ says. "How you doing?" "Doing all right," answers Bill before requesting a song. It sounds like a typical moment on one of the Triangle's commercial radio stations. It's not. Big Rig doesn't live in North Carolina. Big Rig is actually the live afternoon host at WXTB, a rock station in Tampa, Fla.... http://www.spectatoronline.com/news_cover.html (via DXLD; the above URL will presumably change with following issue) UNIDENTIFIED. Mauno Ritola asked me to listen to a mysterious station on 5775 kHz. Well, on 18 Feb I did hear it, with a good, but slightly unstable signal. Songs, nothing else. Seems that they are in Turkic- group language. So, possible candidates are Azerbaijan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, or Uzbekistan. Other Turkic nations have, in my opinion, different music styles. I've sent an e-mail inquiry to Mr. Arzu Abdullayev, Azerbaijan Radio & TV: Maybe it is some test transmission from Azerbaijan? Below is what he answered me: "Radio listeners from various countries often ask us similar questions. They write about reception of broadcasts from Azerbaijan on 9155 and 5775 kHz. But our stations do not use mentioned frequencies." (end of quote) In my opinion, this does not exclude Azerbaijan from the list. If this is a test, non-disclosure of its source is very possible. Nobody knows, at last, which kind of station is to materialize here. Maybe it will be a clandestine, not interested in showing its location to the public. Let's wait... (Dmitri Mezin? Signal Feb 25 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 5775, with continuous folk songs at 1745 Feb 25. Music continues also after 1800 and 1830 and passes also 1930. After 1805 it had much of operators QRM on the USB side. I suppose music is Kurdish or possibly Azeri as noticed in a previous DXLD although it reminds me a little bit Uighur. All songs seem to be from the same woman singer. Signal S9+20 or 43433 before 1800 or 42432 after 1800 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-031, February 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 #1119: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.html NEXT AIRING on WWCR: Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445 AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN. BC-AFGHAN-EU-RADIO "GOOD MORNING AFGHANISTAN" RADIO SHOW TO GO ON AIR BRUSSELS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - "Good Morning Afghanistan," a daily breakfast radio show funded by the European Commission, will go on air from Kabul this week, the European Union's executive arm said on Sunday. The first edition of the two-hour programme in Pashtu and Dari, which can be received by up to 80 percent of the war-torn country's population, will be broadcast on Monday. The Commission said the programme would focus on factual information but also provide entertainment and education. The Commission's 235,000 euro funding for the programme was part of a 4.9 million euro package of quick-impact projects for the country after U.S.-led military action swept away the ruling Taliban last year. An Afghan team of 20 young journalists representative of the population will put together the programme from the old Kabul Radio building, using donated second-hand equipment from European radio stations. It will be produced by a Danish-based non-governmental organisation, the Baltic Media Centre, in partnership with Radio Afghanistan. The centre is an independent, mainly Danish-funded foundation dedicated to "promoting democracy, social development and peaceful international cooperation through active participation of the media." The Commission said there would be a two-minute overlap where Pashtu and Dari broadcasters discuss news items in the two languages, aimed at confidence-building between various ethnic groups (REUTERS via David Alpert, CA, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Re: 7090 report. Sim, tenho certesa pois ouvi claramente uma mulher dizer Sharia em idioma Pashto. Porém pode estar em outro local sem ser no Afeganistão. Vou Gravar e mando para você o arquivo MP3 e pode ser que eu esteja enganado. Eu não vi ainda o comentário do Glenn Hauser. Achei o comentario do Glenn; tudo bem que eu saiba distinguir um idioma do outro mais sei ouvir muito bem a palavra uma mulher dizer Sharia. (Claudimir Gomes de Faria, Receptores Kenwood R-5000, Sangean ATS 803 A, Trasnceptor VHF, ICON 28-H, Antenas dipolo com 30 metros + Longware 30 Metros, Belo Horizonte- Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) Claudimir, Você pode ter ouvido a Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan. 73 (Samuel Cássio, ibid.) ** ARGENTINA. 15820 LSB, Tent. R. Continental 2333-2350 Feb 23, Spanish - Romantic vocals, promo for a Sunday prgm, ads - but no ID heard. Fair signal SIO 333, but ute on top at times (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 6537.27, Radio La Voz del Campesino, Sipe-Sipe, el departamento de Cochabamba. Feb 2002 - 0100 UT. This logging will be presented as quite definite even if it is based --- on circumstantial evidence --- in 3 steps! A great thanks to Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, Vt. USA whose e-mail made it possible. In latest SWB 1478 I had this station as unID. Evidence #1: Everything pointed at Bolivia with charango-guitar and mentioning of "Cochabamba" and "Santa Cruz". Evidence #2: Listened very intense for a few days and then I note in my log book, without the tape recorder, a very weak signal with lots of question marks in the margin: "ID: Radio La Voz del Campesino /Vecino??????". Only these two evidences had not been sufficient but after having read Mark`s e-mail I feel OK to enclose the logging completely without the ?-mark. The station continues to be heard very regularly both mornings and evenings but often with very weak signal. Rather professional station with news and genuine, Bolivian folklore and also is very frequency stable. Here comes finally "Evidence" #3: (Please tell me your opinion re this way of getting "ID"!) Mark: "Hello Björn! Radio La Voz del Campesino from Sipe Sipe, Bolivia was reported here last November by Sr. Aragão in Cochabamba. Maybe you have them reactivated? See log from Boletim Eletrônico do DXCB Numero 70 - 04 de Novembro de 2001. Take care & 73's /Mark Mohrmann". Mark also encloses this info: BOLIVIA Escutei a tarde e reativada agora em 6537v, 2105, 02/N0V, Radio La Voz del Campesino, Sipe Sipe- Depto. Cochabamba. Uma pequena localidade não muito longe de casa. No final de dezembro passado visitei junto ao amigo Takayuki(TIN), neste momento estava desativada SW por problema do transmissor. No meio do ano passado tx em 3190 e antes tinha escutado em 6213.6, era um transmissor para cada frequencia. Em MW esta na freq. de 873.5v com 3 armonicos. (Rogildo F. Aragão, Cochambamba, Bolivia, via radioescutas). (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Feb 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CAMEROON. Hi Roberto, I'm not saying it can't be Garoua reactivated; let me however point out two facts: Last week (until Feb 15), 5010 in late afternoon was definitely Madagascar (many IDs and local news); I hadn't tuned them for some time and I was surprised to find them on 5010 sharp and with better modulation than I was accustomed to; - I don't think the CRTV webmaster can be trusted 100% as far as shortwave is concerned; he says Garoua broadcasts every day, but on shortwave they haven't been heard for years, even when Madagascar was off frequency; they probably have MW or FM as well and he might be referring to that. Anyway nice if they're back; I'll check the frequency in the week-end. Later: Dear All, a number of fellow DX-ers who heard Garoua 5010 recently felt that my previous message was questioning the station's reactivation, and expressed their disappointment in private e-mails. To avoid further misunderstanding I want to make clear that I didn't mean to question Roberto's news. My two points were that: 1) this reactivation must be a very recent one, since I happened to check the frequency daily for a number of days before Roberto's tip; 2) the CRTV webmaster's e-mail, in my opinion, does not add much to Roberto's own words (Davide Maspero, Italy, hard-core-dx Feb 23 via DXLD) ** CANADA. Out of curiosity, I went to check to see if today's US/Canada hockey game is on SW... and it is on CBC North 9625 kHz. Just by coincidence, CBC North Quebec is mixing (faintly here in Montreal) with the the Voice of America. (It's 2030 UT right now.) (Ricky Leong, QB, Feb 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Who cares who won? ** CHILE. You can experience a little of this [F2 FM DX on the 45 MHz band] during the current F2 cycle: In Chile there are several wide- band FM stereo background/foreground music channels --- some with so- called 'beautiful music' some with AC/lite rock etc. On my Kenwood RZ- 1 receiver (import version) that I use to monitor foreign TV DX, I can receive these often in stereo (punching up the stereo light on the RZ- 1) with my 50 MHz (6 meters band) stacked 7-element yagis. They are often strong enough that just about any VHF antenna (even modest ones) will pull them in. They were heard as recently as yesterday (for about an hour) here in south west British Columbia around 2024 UTC - this time of day is average for S. America DX, but try earlier & later. If you have a scanner you might want to try & receive these...good luck. For a complete list of the Chilean wide-band FM frequencies in the 47 - 49 MHz region that I just mentioned, check out: http://www.ham-radio.com/n6ca/50MHz/CE_musicfreq.html 73 (Mike Cherry VE7SKA, Salt Spring Island, BC Canada, Feb 10, WTFDA topica list via DXLD) ** CHINA. Re: ``I`ve just been listening to CRI`s 60th anniversary special / Spring Festival show, 0100 UT broadcast on 9790 via Canada. Includes a few words from Daniel Say at 0134; preceded by George J. Poppin, who is heard again at 0151. Lots of music. This was the show publicized for Saturday 23rd, so evidently CRI`s program day now begins on the 0100 UT broadcast, rather than the 1200 as used to be the case`` (Glenn Hauser, swprograms via Daniel Say, DXLD) A repeat of a repeat. It was also on last week in January. China has had a week off for Chinese New Years, two weeks off for civil servants and others (partly because of the cultural necessity to travel (5 days one way or less) to home or parents for Xmas/NewYear). So there are no staff at CRI, which is why you hear some managers, Li Ping and others) on the air. They worked out some programs outside to the normal programs as fill, but they were all on last week and this, and some used during the 01 January week. Too bad, as they could have used their archives to better extent than using the local (40,000 potential foreign listeners) Beijing FM programs. The news part is updated, though not "live" every few hours (though as you can hear, at this holiday time of year it is mostly Xinhua News agency rewrites of AP (Associated Press) stories. Having George W. Bush come at this time put a real crimp into their relaxing time. Yes their "day" starts at 1:00 UT, which is 9 in the morning in Beijing. And quoting me was a clip from a half-hour chat I had with them after a leisurely lunch with staff in June of 2001. The anniversary was for the creation of what became CRI, but the Japanese services were the most important at the beginning in the war. Many Japanese guests came, from the old marxists to radio aficionados for this December show (Daniel Say, BC, Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. ASIAN RECEPTION PATTERNS IN ECNA February 23: I happened to run across some Chinese music (possibly CNR?) at around 1945 UT on four frequencies: 11790, 13625, and 13745 which were good here (and they are supposed to have Radio Free Asia from Tinian, in Chinese, on the air, per Klingenfuss' 2002 SW Frequency Guide), and 11970, which was fair to poor (adjacent channel QRM from France, -5 kHz). Later at 2115 I heard Radio Free Asia in Cantonese via Tinian on 11785 kHz (again per the Klingenfuss book). Coming in quite well here, comparable to KSDA-Guam in English at same time on 11960; also noted DW to As/Pac at 2120 check on all three frequencies: 9765 from Wertachtal (fair w/VOA -5), and 15275 and 17560 from Sri Lanka relay (good). Perhaps this might be an indicator of good openings to Asian transmitter sites in the late afternoons here, as the equinoxial window approaches... More Chinese music frequencies noted Feb. 24: at 1600 using 17565, 15510, 13800, 13745, and 13690; no Radio Free Asia signals heard underneath, tho Norway's home service relay was heard under the Chinese signal on 13800 (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also INDIA 13745 CHINA music jammer; 1757-1840+ GMT Feb. 24, here with a huge signal and alone, polar flutter. Nonstop Asian instrumental flutes, strings and percussion Muzak. Actually nice background music while doing a few chores, though can understand how it could eventually convince you to place a 9mm to your temple and squeeze (Terry L. Krueger, FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COCOS ISLAND [Costa Rica]. Like the PW0T [Trindade Island] operation, this DXpedition will continue until March 2nd. Pile-ups are getting smaller, and it is getting easier to work on the usual higher bands. There is plenty of RTTY and 6 meter activity. There has been some activity on the lower bands. QSL via AK0A. Check the Web site for continuing updates at: http://www.qsl.net/ti9m (KB8NW/OPDX February 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 2319.72 harmonic, HJAU, Ondas del Orteguaza, Florencia. Feb 2002 - 1100 UT. This has been unID (see SWB 1475 and 1476). Belongs to TODELAR and announces also SW, where they have been inactive for a long period --- I have a note from Oct 1999 on 4975.03v kHz (see SWB 1418). ID and ads for companies in Florencia. Harmonic from 1160 kHz (2 x 1159.86). (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Feb 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** FINLAND. Radio Finland's Capital Weekend show was heard at 11-12 UTC February 23, with best reception (improving as sunrise approached here, which was appx. 1145) on 17820 for Asia; 13755 for Europe was only fair (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sun Feb 24 at 2100 both 9720 and 11985 were audible but unlistenable here (gh, OK, DXLD) Radio Finland's new Capital Weekend show, on Sundays for North America, was heard with very good reception here; 2100 on 9720 and 11985, per Feb. 24 check (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. I just listened to the special edition of Club 9516 with David Page interviewing the heads of RFI, the BBC, DW, RN and VOA about radio. Page did a good job. The program was interesting and is well worth your time. You can download it from http://www.rfi.fr but do it quickly. It won't be there tomorrow. My comments on it follow: 1. Reilly of the VOA ducked a question about pressure on the VOA from certain US government sources over the way it reports on post-9/11 matters. Page phrased the question very well and it deserved a better response than a quick, flat denial from Reilly and a diversion to another subject. My impression of Reilly has gone down some from listening to him here and on the VOA. On the other hand, he gave good answers to other questions about the importance of radio to international broadcasting and the limitations of the new technologies in places like Afghanistan and China. One would hope that his words (both on VOA and RFI) about the importance of credibility would be better reflected in his actions, such as vocally defending against and deflecting unfounded criticism of the VOA from the more reactionary elements of the Administration and Congress. Recent VOA internal policy decisions also appear to contradict in at least some part his stated views in these two venues. 2. Marks (yes, *that* Marks -- Jonathan) of RN made an interesting observation about international broadcasting having to change to be more than the "shouting across borders" that characterized much of it in the past. He suggested the need for more dialogue with listeners and said that international broadcasters needed to foster an honest, respectful exchange of views, recognizing that there will be differences. Marks also pointed out that even though RN does not broadcast to Afghanistan, it does broadcast to Indonesia which is a Muslim nation (the largest, I believe) and needs to be kept accurately informed about international issues. (His unstated point being that all stations can have an important role even if their "brief", like RN's, is not the entire globe.) 3. Nigel Chapman of the BBC, while (curiously) pointing out that stations had to listen to their listeners and meet them where they listened, also made a special point about shortwave's utility in "rural areas" which he said may not have access to new technologies for quite a while. The others agreed that the quality of shortwave and its reception in areas outside population centers is very clear and pleasant sounding! He agreed! The only thing that comes to mind is that North America, Australia and NZ have vast tracts of rural land with significant populations living there. Again, as with the VOA, the BBC's words and actions exhibit a yawning gap in credibility. (John Figliozzi, Feb 24, swprograms via DXLD) ** INDIA. All India Radio's Chinese service was heard Feb. 24 on 15795 at 1245 but was buried under a (presumed) CNR outlet which was QRMing it (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) China now has more transmitters than they know what to do with, so why not jam India -- a first? (gh, DXLD) If you tune to 15795 kHz at 1145-1315 UT, you'd likely hear some interference from something else in Chinese, possibly another China National Radio outlet trying to QRM another country in the radio world. Well that is what I got today, when I was checking for All India Radio's Chinese-language service at 1245 UTC. I wonder as to just what the Chinese are up to --- maybe the jammer is one of those new transmitters that we (the US) sent them? Grrrr.... (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. RRI Sorong on 4875 kHz sign off time monitoring: February 3 1159* February 4 1200* 5, before 1100* 10 1107* 12 1204* 13 1148* 15 1110* 16 before 1100* 20 1155* 21 1158* (Atsunori Ishida, JAPAN) RRI Jayapura on 6071 kHz sign off time monitoring: February 13 1059* 15 1100* 16 1145* 20 1037* 21 1108* (Atsunori Ishida, JAPAN, Jembatan DX via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. We came on at exactly 1400! It's perfectly audible in Sweden's Stockholm (at 200 miles) and OKish at Sweden's Umeå (at 500 miles). Malmö in southern Sweden has problems with Mega Radio from Germany, but the receiver I used there has an omnidirectional antenna - unlike a portable set you can spin on its axis to null out such nasties! Suggest you try with a portable set late this afternoon through the night. Subject : CAROLINE ON 576 NOW COMING THROUGH AS DARKNESS FALLS From The Radio Caroline list: At this moment I am listening to both Geoff's wonderful webstream and to the 576 kHz test. I am using a directable antenna (for those who know: Wellbrook's ALA 1530), but the problem is that both German stations on this frequency are at different directions from my home, so I can never outnull both. However, things may change later tonight (still not dark here), as at night the transmitting power is more important than the distance, and it is well possible that Caroline's 150 kW outweigh the 40 kW of Mega Radio. Yes, now that I have had another chance to hear her voice, I clearly notice this is not Alex (no offense meant, Ally!), but when I heard her (and the Caroline bells), I was really so excited I never really wondered if it was Alex or not... I never thought it would be this emotional to hear Caroline back on AM... but then, in the end I am only human, ain't I? All of you (especially Val - yes: since I am human I can have my favourites, can't I?) do have a good weekend. As for me, there's no way (at least, I hope) to waste it, after hearing Caroline on the radio... Frank(ee) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. As of Friday, the Kol Israel staff hasn't been told anything about the outcome of the Kol Israel cuts. I'll let you know once things become more official. Nothing has been reported in the Jerusalem Post yet. Re Andy Sennitt's comments, such as: "It seems likely that this is a deliberate ploy to draw attention to the need for a bigger budget, and elicit cross-parliamentary support for Kol Israel." Please do NOT take my previous/current silence as agreement/denial of such statements... I have absolutely no idea if this is the case or not. Thanks, Doni --------- (Daniel Rosenzweig, NY, Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later]: It`s not good news. This is what I've been told: The letter is a downright lie written to stop 'inconvenient' pressure being put on to the broadcasting authority. A letter was originally drafted by the overseas people to send to those who had written complaining. It mentioned that there is nothing in the 2002 budget but nothing would be cut right now... at this moment, that is until the Knesset decision ...but that bit was later edited out by another person to try and calm things down .... So nothing has in fact changed (Daniel Rosenzweig, Feb 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Such intrigue. I`m about to say, the hell with them... After all, the Palestinians never had an external SW service to tell their side, and can hardly keep any broadcasting on air, tnx to Israel (gh, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. 6973 - Galei Zahal heard with light popular music (US, European and Israeli) and news on the hour with ID in Hebrew. First tuned at 0015 UT and still going strong at 0310 Feb 24. SINPO-45544. (If this is only 10 kW as stated in PWBR, it's putting in one heck of a signal to eastern NA) (John Figliozzi, Clifton Park, NY Lowe HF-150 A/D sloper oriented west to east, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. See VATICAN ** ITALY. RAI`s calcio on Sundays is back on 17820, after 1500 UT Feb 24, instead of 17780; 17820 clashes with RCI via China at this hour (Joe Hanlon, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. Re NHK harmonic on 30990, this is one of the additional frequencies added because of the Afghanistan situation, as reported previously in BC-DX: 1600-1700 15495 (Skelton, UK) (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH (P5/4L4FN Status). It was reported this past week, Bruce, KK5DO, (QSL Manager for Ed, P5/4L4FN) was heard saying he has a good feeling that all of the P5/4L4FN contacts will count for DXCC. However, this is not official yet. He mentioned North Korea doesn't issue any license so any written permission to operate will suffice. Government officials have checked his station on a few occasions and the North Korean government obviously knows he is operating there. His current contract with the United Nations World Food Program is good until June and if it is renewed he will be there for another year. Ed continues to be active on 15 meters SSB. However, he has been practicing some RTTY and CW and should be on those modes soon (KB8NW/OPDX February 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. RKI via Sackville 9650 checked Feb 24 at 1220 during Multiwave Feedback, but severe QRM again from Chinese co- channel. Same problem they were having months ago; presumably another China/Taiwan conflict, as there was a third station as well. The Chineses had it to themselves after 1230, but then I was listening to KOA, q.v. RKI obviously needs to get away from this mess, but has demonstrated its extreme reluctance to change traditional frequencies. Nothing much on 9630 on this occasion, probably QSY de (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KUWAIT. There may be special broadcasts. Amateur activity: 9K - Members of the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society (KARS) will be active as 9K2NLD to celebrate Kuwait's National Liberation Day (25-26 February). The special event call will be used from 00.00 UTC on 23 February through 2359 UT on the 28th. QSL via KARS (Kuwait Amateur Radio Society, P.O. Box 5240, Safat 13053, Kuwait). [TNX 9K2HN] (ODXA via Mike Terry, DXLD) (Special Activity). Every year on February 25-26th the country of Kuwait celebrates its "National and Liberation Day". To participate in this occasion, the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society will be active using the callsign 9K2NLD on many amateur bands and modes. There will be a special QSL card issued for the occasion. By the time you read this the event should have started and it is expected to end 2359z on Thursday, February 28th. There is no deadline for submitting applications for the QSL card which should be addressed to: Kuwait Amateur Radio Society, P.O. BOX 5240 Safat, 13053, Kuwait (KB8NW/OPDX February 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** LAKOTA NATION. LAKOTA SIOUX PROTEST POLICIES OF CATHOLIC KINI Rosebud Reservation, SD, Sep 12, 2000 (Native News)— Thursday, September 14, 2000, we will begin to gather and meet at the Community Center of St Francis, South Dakota, at noon and go to the radio station, which is about a half mile south of town, and then on to the main offices of the church. We are requesting help in protests that we are beginning to expose the Media suppression, censorship ethnic cleansing and exploitation that are being committed against the Sicangu Oyate of the Lakota Nation on the Rose bud Indian Reservation, located in south-central South Dakota. These protests are against radio station KINI 96.1 FM, which is run by the Rosebud Educational Society, the name the Catholic Church uses. The Wisconsin Province of the Society of Jesus . . . [Ellipses are in the original; there is no missing text.—Editor] They will not allow anything traditional or treaty related to be aired. They stock to their policy of conversion. The money used to run the radio station is solicited or begged for in the name of the local Ndn People, and it sets on tribal land leased by the church. They have such a powerful transmitter that it drowns out all other radio stations so that you cannot pick them up very clear. We need help in getting gas money for our people who may be coming in for this protest. Please contact Alfred Bone Shirt (605) 747-4114 or Frances Zephier (605) 384-5333 for more information. Please help get the word out for us. Editor's Note— I have long been curious about the thrust of KINI Rosebud Radio in St Valentine, Nebraska, just south of the South Dakota line and the Rosebud Indian Reservation. It is listed among Catholic stations on the Ave Maria Radio website http://www.wdeo.org You can hear KINI and find out more about the station at its website, http://www.gwtc.net/~kinifm/ Now that it is clearly established in the editor's mind that KINI is a Catholic station in philosophy, CRU will be doing an article on it in the future and adding it to the Directory of Catholic Radio stations (Catholic Radio Update Feb 23, 2002 via DXLD) ** MALAWI. NEW SW STATION IN MALAWI The text below has been extracted from the TWR Africa website http://www.twrafrica.org/ It seems that Malawi is going to have a private SW station. 73 de (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, Finland, hard- core-dx via DXLD) "...As TWR-Malawi already has the newly commissioned Blantyre FM radio station on air together with the studio transmitter link (STL) that feeds it, it is now time to proceed further with phase two of the project. Phase two includes the installation of three additional fm repeater stations. On completion this network of stations will provide continuous fm coverage from Blantyre in the south to capital city of Lilongwe in the central region. Crown transmitters, antennae and associated equipment will be installed on the Zomba Mountain site and will cover Zomba and part of the shore of Lake Malawi. In addition equipment will be installed on Dedza Hill for the central region and a link to the studios in Lilongwe (the capital) will need to be established along with a radio station. TWR in partnership with HCJB World Engineering Centre's (HCJB) engineering department are in the process of plotting coverage patterns and testing power levels for each of the sites in question. Phase two will be completed with the installation of an HCJB, 1 kW SW Tropical Band Transmitter that will provide nation wide coverage at night. Phase three will be the completion of the FM network to Chitipa in the north that will carry the Good News to the peoples of that region. This will require approximately a further eight repeaters...." (via Pentti, hcdx via DXLD) ** MEXICO. FYI: Almost in time for A02, Radio Mexico Int`l has finally posted their B01 program grid as a PDF file: http://www.imer.gob.mx/programacion/rmi.pdf 73, (Mark J. Fine / Remington, Virginia, USA, Feb 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In Spanish, they have some interesting additions, such as daily 0230- 0300 AVE DE MIL VOCES CON OPUS 94, evidently from the IMER classical FM station; alternate Mondays 0000-0100 TERCERA LLAMADA. Wonder what that is about. And, yes, XERMX claims to be on 9705 instead of 9288v FM (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. MEJICO FESTEJAN ANIVERSARIO DE RADIODIFUSORA INDIGENISTA EN ETCHOJOA Etchojoa, Son., 17 Feb (Notimex).- Con la participación de unos cinco mil indigenas de las etnias de Sonora, Sinaloa y Chihuahua, se realizan los festejos por el sexto aniversario de la radiodifusora indigenista XEETCH "La Voz de los Tres Rios". Al dar la bienvenida al evento, el alcalde Heriberto Gaxiola destacó la importancia que ha adquirido la "Voz de los Tres Rios", una de las 20 radiodifusoras indigenistas que hay a nivel nacional, que fomenta la cultura, costumbres y tradiciones de las etnias. Señaló que la producción y programación de la XEETCH es responsabilidad única de los indígenas; la radio ha propiciado la unidad y participación entre los grupos enclavados en las márgenes de los rios Mayo, Yaqui y Fuerte. Para celebrar el acontecimiento, se desarrollo un encuentro cultural en los patios de la radio, donde se presentan danzas y sones tradicionales de las tribus mayo de Sonora y Sinaloa y guarijios, principalmente, pero también de yaquis, seris y tarahumaras. En las tradicionales ramadas se instalaron exposiciones y venta de artículos elaborados por las etnias, asi como medicina tradicional. El alcalde aseveró que las comunidades indígenas mayos tienen historia que hoy en día se [sic] y tradiciones, pero también futuro porque se destinan recursos para fomentar su desarrollo y sacarlos de la marginación. La radio XEETCH se localiza en la banda 1130 de amplitud modulada, con potencia de cinco mil watts y transmite en mayo, yaqui, guarijio y español. La prioridad en los contenidos de los programas es el uso cotidiano de la lengua materna (mayo, yaqui y guarijio), y la producción de programas culturales como tradición oral, costumbres, música, danza, prácticas de medicina tradicional y artesanías". Asimismo, se manejan programas de entretenimiento como música y radionovelas, y educativos sobre actividades agropecuarias, pesca, medio ambiente, salud, procuración de justicia, entre otros. De igual forma, se tienen programas informativos que abordan temas locales, regionales, estatales, nacionales e internacionales, así como avisos comunitarios e institucionales (via Héctor Garcia Bojorge, Mejico, feb 18, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Hello everyone. It is time again (almost?) to be on regular base again on 15070 kHz AM. Tonight we are going to be there again. So take a few bottles of beer and tune in. Hopefully the propagations will be with us. We will start around 2330/2400 UT today till Sunday morning (if props are good). Otherwise we will only be there for a few hours So guys, don't forget. We will be on again. Also interesting to say that we did add some new features on our webpage. Greetings, Alfred, Alfa Lima International Feb 23, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Some music on 15070 audible here at 0015 UT Feb 24 check, so posted immediately on my CALENDAR page (gh, OK, DXLD) ** NEWFOUNDLAND. The Telegram Online - Top Stories VOAR BECOMES CANADA'S LARGEST CHRISTIAN NETWORK 2/22/02 Mount Pearl --- The CRTC has approved an expansion of the VOAR Christian radio station into 12 communities across the province. Station manager Sherry Griffin says the expansion makes her station Canada's largest Christian radio network. VOAR (AM dial at 1210) has been operating in Mount Pearl since 1929, and will broadcast to 12 new FM transmitter sites. In Bay Roberts, the station will be heard at 90.9; in Botwood at 101.3; Corner Brook, 105.7; Deer Lake, 102.1; Gander, 89.7; Grand Falls-Windsor, 98.3; Lewisporte, 91.7; Marystown, 99.5; Port aux Basques, 99.9; Springdale, 103.3; Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 101.9; and 102.5 in Wabush (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Tests on experimental basis from Paraguay. I have for some months had some contacts with Dom Mur, Technical Advisor at ZP20 Radio América, Ñemby in Metro Asunción on 1480 kHz. The station has been testing on an experimental basis for several months in direction Cono Sur area centred on Buenos Aires. The station has used various frequencies in the 41 metre band for these tests. The last tests have been on 7385 and 7740 kHz. Earlier also 7300, 7345 and 7375 kHz have been used. The tests were made with low power ranging from 1 watt to 1 kW with a provisional antenna. They will shortly test again with a high-gain antenna and with much more power. Why using 41 metres? I quote Dom Mur: ``The band 41 metres offers us excellent propagational characteristics for our intended area of service, centred on Buenos Aires. The 49 metre band is a bit too low, and 31 metres is very crowded, although it too offers excellent characteristics. The bands over 31 metres are too high, for many hours of the day, for stable reception. --- Yes, please advise the DXers of the tests, emphasizing the `experimental` nature. Once the tests have been completed, the `experimental` will convert into `permanent` broadcasting`` adds Dom Mur (via Thord Knutsson, SW Bulletin Feb 24 via DXLD) ** PERU. Hot news!!!! Radio Unión return to his correct frequency (Assigned by the Government) : 6115 kHz; around 1125 UT I heard it, in 6114.7 kHz SINPO 34423, 70's romantic Spanish music. ICOM IC R-71A Antenna: Wire (10 meters) Greetings (Alfredo Cañote, Perú, Conexión Digital Feb 24 via DXLD) This is a good place to point out the significance of where I place the date in DXLD items (not always helped by ambiguity from contributors or other publications quoted). In this case, there was no date given with the item. If it had been clear that a date mentioned was the date of reception, I would have put it (moved if necessary) right next to the time, before or after it. Since this was not the case, all I can do is quote the date of the Conexión Digital issue, which is located right next to that in the credit. I can only wish all other DX editors would do the same! Many continue to make a standard of putting the date (presumably of reception) always in the credit line, which makes no sense whatsoever (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. 4161.42 // 6242.13; Radio Frecuencia Popular, unknown QTH, el departamento de Cajamarca (?). Feb 20 2002 - 1100 UT. This station with unknown QTH in SWB 1478, then on the frequency of 6242.05, which is a type of harmonic I have no experience from; 4161.42 x 1.5 = 6242.13! A guess is that location is in el departamento de "Cajamarca" but where? They say something like: "Estamos transmitiendo desde (Las?) Amazonas" and "Estamos ubicados en el parque principal de (Las?) Amazonas". On the other hand the DJ greets a person in Región Grau/Huancabamba which is in dpto "Piura"! The same program as last time: "Amanecer campesino". The DJ`s mike is of bad quality but in any case much better here than on its "fundamental" 4161.42 kHz. 4457.30, unID, probably Ondas del Suroriente, Quillabamba, la provincia de La Convención, el departamento de Cusco. Feb 2002 - 0115* UT. Up to 0035 a religious program followed by "La hora del Campesino" --- a musical program, per information, is broadcast this time every day. Lousy, distorted audio and an elderly DJ with indistinct speech make me say "probably ...". Ondas del Suroriente has been off air for a long time and was earlier noted on 5067.10 kHz where I heard the station in March last year. Closedown at various times between 0100- 0200 UT, always with the Nat. Anthem. Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de La Convención, cuya capital Quillabamba. Sus distritos son: Huayopata, Echarate, Maranura, Ocobamba, Quellouno, Santa Ana, Santa Teresa, Vilcabamba; con una población total de 152,576 hab. 5601.91 harmonic (Tentative), OCX58 [sic -- last character should be a letter, so B? -- gh], Radio San Clemente, Pisco, la provincia de Pisco, el departamento de Ica. Feb 2002 - 1058 UT. Had this as "unID Perú" in SWB 1473. Often only possible to trace the carrier without any audio. This date a little better with a probable "Radio San Clemente" ID. Harmonic from 1400 kHz (4 x 1400.48 kHz). Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Pisco, cuya capital es Pisco. Sus distritos son: Huancano, Humay, Independencia, Paracas, Pisco, San Andrés, San Clemente, Túpac Amaru Inca; con una población total de 107,315 hab. 6642.72, Radio Comercial, Lajas, la provincia de Chota, el departamento de Cajamarca. Feb 2002 - 0200 UT. This station has been heard during a few weeks and does not seem to be listed either on SW or MW. A "mystery" in other words! Regular, weak signal and frequency stable with somewhat "broken" audio. Blocks of ads every hour and halfhour. At these occasion I have noted ads from Lajas, Chota, Cajamarca and Nuevo Jerusalén. The music program was called "Perú Andino". ID: "Radio Comercial, Lajas". Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Chota, cuya capital es Chota. Sus distritos son: Anguía, Cochabamba, Conchán, Chadín, Chiguirip, Chimbán, Chota, Huambos, Lajas, Llama, Miracosta, Paccha, Pión, Querecoto, Tacabamba, Tomoche; con una población total de 183,627 hab. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Feb 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) see also UNIDENTIFIED below ** RUSSIA. PEOPLE AND EVENTS: The Voice of Russia opens a new series of programs - "How Russia Defeated Napoleon in 1812". What caused the war; how it was fought; relations between two emperors - Napoleon and Alexander I; why did Russian troops leave Moscow; the French army's stampede and Napoleon's hasty fleeing to Paris; Russia's triumphant military campaign in Europe - this and more, once a week in "Russia: People and Events". The program can be heard at 0220 on Monday, at 0345 on Wednesday, 0730 on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, at 1520 UT on Sunday, at 2030 on Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2145 on Wednesday, all times UT. We wish you all good listening. Copyright 2002 The Voice of Russia (via swl via DXLD) ** ST. HELENA. Glenn, I've been missing the broadcasts from Radio St Helena, and lo and behold, listening on 10 m (28479.9), there was Bruce, ZD7VC from St Helena with quite a pile up of hams. He's on now at 2037 UTC Sunday. Thought you'ld like to know. Walt Salmaniw, BC, Feb 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tnx; yes, I hear the pileup if not ZD7. I believe there are a number of active hams on the island, but they are no R. St. Helena... (gh, DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. BREAKING: RADIO VERITAS ON SHORTWAVE MAY FIRST Troyeville, Feb 22 (CRU) --- Radio Veritas Productions in South Africa announced on its website that it will begin broadcasts on shortwave starting May 1st. At first the programs will run four hours daily, says director Father Emil Blaser, OP. ``This will allow us to gradually increase our hours on air as we progress. Cost and production needs have prompted this move, and we need to interact with you so as to establish and meet your needs,`` Father Blaser says on the website. Radio Veritas does not indicate if it will own its own transmitter or lease one, but from the announcement it appears that RVP will be leasing time. RVP says that it will announce the frequencies soon on its website, and there is a table with blanks for those frequencies. Interestingly, it lists various areas of South Africa as if different frequencies will be used for each: Bethlehem/Free State, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg/Gauterg, Witbank/Mpumalaga, Rusenburg/Mafikeg, Pietesbufrg/Linpopo. Foreign countries are also listed, including the wholly surrounded countries of Lesotho and Swaziland, and Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. In all these countries except Mozambique, English is an official or the official language and is spoken or understood by the educated. RVP`s website does not identify the station on which it will lease time, and whether or not there is an option to buy. Clearly the airtime available for leasing, if such be the case, is open-ended, as RVP says it plans to expand. The shortwave transmitters in question are either in a nearby country or perhaps in Jülich, Germany, where Deutsche Telekom has a lucrative business renting airtime on 28 powerful Deutsche Welle transmitters in Jülich to dozens of international groups, including churches and religious sects. RVP has been trying to secure an FM license from the South African government for some years now, and last year obtained a temporary license for two weeks to run a community FM station, with great success. Temporary licenses are a European phenomenon that has spread to Africa; groups and organizations are issued licenses for a week or two to go on air with their own programming. Radio Veritas Productions first announced that it was looking at shortwave as the method of getting on air at a fairly recent date. It removed the teaser about the possibility of shortwave broadcasts early last Monday morning; on Thursday evening it announced that these would start May 1st, and last Friday it indicated additional details with a promise of continuing updates. You can read the latest, and see links to various South African Catholic institutions, at http://za.op.org/veritas/ South Africa`s 3 million Catholics make up 7.4% of the population. There are 4 archdioceses, 21 dioceses, and 1 vicariate apostolic. The Kingdom of Swaziland has one diocese for 50,000 Catholics in a population of 1 million. The Kingdom of Lesotho, on the other hand, has about 900,000 Catholics in a population of 2.06 million, equal to 43%; there are one archdiocese and three dioceses. Database Johannesburg: Radio Veritas 92.7 FM (temporary license, expired as of June 8, 2001). Director Fr. Emil Blaser, O.P., Radio Veritas Productions, 36 Beelaerts St., 2139 Troyeville, South Africa. Tel.: +27 (11) 624-2516 or 624-2517; fax 614-7711. E-mail: veriprod@iafrica.com Website: http://za.op.org/veritas (Catholic Radio Update Feb 23 via DXLD) ** TRINDADE ISLAND. This operation became active on February 18th and will continue until March 2nd. Some 1.5 tons of gear was off-loaded to the island by a Navy helicopter early Monday morning. Currently, the pile-ups are getting smaller and PW0T is getting easier to work on the usual higher bands CW/SSB. There has been activity by PW0T on the lower bands and RTTY. QSL via KU9C. Check the Web site for continuing updates at: http://www.trindade2002.com (KB8NW/OPDX February 25/BARF- 80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U K. From: "Donald Field" {g3xtt@lineone.net} To: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org Subject: Announcing GB50 Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 10:40:32 -0000 CELEBRATING THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE BY AMATEUR RADIO The unique callsign GB50 (yes, Golf Bravo Fifty) has been issued by the UK Radiocommunications Agency for a special event station to be established at Windsor Castle to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee (50th Anniversary of her succession to the throne) from 29th May to 9th June 2002. The station will be run by Cray Valley Radio Society (CVRS), in association with Burnham Beeches Radio Society (BBRC), and with the suupport of the Radio Society o Great Britain (RSGB). Activity will be on all bands from 3.5 - 50 MHz on CW, SSB, PSK31 and RTTY. A 144 MHz station will also be active on CW, SSB and FM. The organising team hopes to make many QSOs with radio amateurs around the world, especially the British Commonwealth. The station will be operational from 0700 - 2200z daily, and will be well equipped to allow simultaneous operation on several bands. Icom have kindly agreed to provide equipment for GB50, as they did for M2000A. The station will be open to the public. A Web site is now up and running and will be kept updated with the latest news: http://www.gb50.com The QSL Manager will be Owen, G4DFI, who did such a great job as QSL Manager for M2000A. An attractive commemorative card will be produced. Cards may be sent via the bureau, or direct to Owen Cross, G4DFI, 28 Garden Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4LF, England. Publicity is being handled by Don Field, G3XTT (who was also Publicity Officer for 9M0C and D68C), who will be providing further details as they come available. This will include an Awards programme based around the Jubilee. Don can be reached by e-mail at: g3xtt@lineone.net Background Windsor Castle is the perfect location for this high profile, prestigious event. Not only will it celebrate a landmark in British history, it will provide an opportunity to establish an amateur radio station that is of national and international importance - one that will raise the profile of amateur radio in the British Isles, and will attract young people to the hobby. Both societies are well qualified to undertake this project. BBRC operated from the Castle in 1977 during the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations and, in January and February 2000, CVRS organised the M2000A station at Greenwich (www.qsl.net/m2000a) to celebrate the Millennium. This was done in conjunction with English Heritage and the London Borough of Greenwich and was the most successful UK special event station of all time: in the two months of operation 48,000 contacts were made with 202 countries. Organising Committee Bob Treacher BRS32525 (Team Leader) Dave Lawley G4BUO (HF Manager) Chris Whitmarsh G0FDZ (VHF Manager) Paul Lethbridge G3SXE (Project Manager) Bernard Harrad G8LDV (Treasurer) Nigel Peacock G4KIU (Webmaster) Tim Kirby G4VXE (Station Manager, Specialist Modes) Dave Chislett G4XDU Owen Cross G4DFI (QSL Manager) Don Field G3XTT (Publicity) Miss C Treacher RS102891 (Awards) (KB8NW/OPDX February 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U K. Story in the Times about the BBC plans for Broadcasting House: February 23, 2002 BBC IN ROW OVER HQ By Angela Jameson THE BBC last week threatened to pull out of Central London after a stand-up row with Westminster Council`s chief planner over the future of Broadcasting House. In a heated meeting with Carl Powell, Westminster`s planning chief, Alan Yentob, the BBC`s director of drama and entertainment, is understood to have threatened to call on contacts at No 10 in order to push the proposals through. Full story at http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,5-216235,00.html (via Mike Barraclough; and Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K. Rosko (a British radio legend) Hi Everyone, As a member of the media and DJ with no small ego I am promoting myself! I have decided to launch my own radio station and hope you will help me let the secret out of the bag!! I thought it might be nice if the information I am about to divulge went directly to you, as I am about to rock! I am offering the Best of Rosko on the Internet starting tomorrow. I will be starting with 5 hours and will expand it to 50 hours over the coming months. There will more details at the new web site http://www.emperorrosko.com The site also in its infancy will be expanded soon. I am continually bombarded with requests for shows on tape, station information, etc. so, I thought in light of my global reach, I will make myself available on the Internet. You asked for it, you got it! The station can be found at: http://www.roskoradio.com For the time being the station will be commercial free. I may have to take ads in the future to ensure that the quality, availability, and continuity remain first class. I am featuring music I have played for you over the years at different times and at different stations as well as all the little productions and your favorite jingles. I will be reviewing new product and will devote a selection of hours to the best of what's cutting edge. I will also be featuring new writers, composers and artists with finished material looking for deals, publishing, and distribution. A few of you grew up listening to the Emperor on Radio Caroline (South), Luxembourg, Europe #1, Radio Monte Carlo, Radio One, Virgin, Merlin, EKR, and many of the ILR stations. For those of the younger journalistic generation please allow me to introduce myself... More information is at my web site http://www.emperorrosko.com As with any start up operations I hope we won't drop the ball too much. Your input once you have had a taste will always be welcome. Thank you for your loyalty over the years and now, enjoy! The UK group I am sure know where to find me - Saturday noon till three on Classic Gold. The program continues to grow and if you have Sky Digital, we are on channel 859. Negotiations with many others continue and we look forward to the next UK tour that could be this summer 2002. Now, if each one of you turns a friend or two or three, on to the new Station, http://www.roskoradio.com we could start something!! Regards, Emperor Rosko (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. WWV/WWVH TO CHANGE FORMAT. Propagation guru Lee, KH6BZF, informs OPDX that "SEC/NOAA has announced that a WWV/WWVH format change will occur on March 12, 2002, radio day." Stay tuned to 2.5, 5.0, 10, 15, 20 MHz for details (KB8NW/OPDX February 25/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC REDESIGNS AMATEUR SERVICE WEB SITE: The FCC has redesigned its Amateur Radio Service Web site and changed the URL http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/amateur/ The new layout makes it easier to find information on topics most requested by amateurs, including licensing, amateur exams, filing an application, changing an address or using the Universal Licensing System (ULS). The refurbished site also provides links to recent Amateur Radio-related news from the FCC. "The new design is a part of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau's continuing effort to meet the needs of the Amateur Radio Service operators as identified in focus groups, letters, phone calls, and e- mails," the FCC said in a news release. The new design clusters FCC public notices, news releases, and other official documents affecting Amateur Radio operators on the right side of the page. On the left side of the page, the new navigation scheme displays information on the Amateur Radio Service, the sequential call sign system, licensing and vanity call signs as well as amateur- related communications policies such as reciprocal agreements. The site also offers links to information on the limited federal preemption known as PRB-1, the Part 97 Amateur Service rules and the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and ULS sites. The site, launched on February 20, includes a search engine for the entire FCC Web site http://www.fcc.gov Direct questions or comments concerning the FCC's Amateur Radio Service Web site to Bobby Brown, babrown@fcc.gov, or Jennifer Bush, jbush@fcc.gov. For information concerning the Amateur Radio Service, contact Bill Cross, bcross@fcc.gov; 202-418-0680 (ARRL Letter Feb 22 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, on CyberShortwave March 3rd at 1600 UT, I will be speaking with famous Shortwave Listener, Tim Gaynor of Brisbane Australia. Tim is a fascinating individual, and his passion for this hobby is very apparent, as you will hear. Through his Live365 server (dxerscalling shortwave) he provides an alternative way to hear World of Radio, Dx'ing with Cumbre, and The South Pacific DX Report. Tim will also speak about "The Land Down Under" its People, music, climate, and much more. Tim and I will be comparing the similarities and differences between Australia and The United States. Details on how to listen are on my web site http://www.n1dk.com (Dave Kirby, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The first airing (or should I say "netting") of this special will be on Sunday March 3rd at 1600 UT. Broadband Connections: http://www.live365.com/stations/154745 Lower Bandwidth connections: http://www.live365.com/stations/10164 Tim Gaynor has very generously loaned CyberShortwave one of his extra Live365 accounts, so that I can put up a second server dedicated to broadband (56 kbps Stereo), while still keeping my original server for lower bandwidth connections (24 kbps Mono). These and alternative methods on how to listen are always on my web page http://www.n1dk.com Tim Gaynor's "Dxerscalling shortwave" is available at: http://www.live365.com/stations/280578 Tim's web site is: http://www.geocities.com/nri3/ If you have a radio related topic that you would like to speak about, Just e-mail me and we will work out the details on how you can appear on CyberShortwave, "The Voice of the Radio Monitoring Enthusiast" 73 (Dave Kirby N1DK, swprograms Feb 23 via DXLD) ** U S A. From The New York Times: February 18, 2002 E-Commerce Report ARBITRATION PANEL TO RULE ON INTERNET RADIO ROYALTIES, By BOB TEDESCHI An arbitration panel is to rule this week on the amount that Internet radio stations must pay recording companies for songs played online. The ruling could clear up one of the more nettlesome issues facing the Internet radio business. Recording companies and Internet radio operators were mandated by a 1998 law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, to come to terms on royalty fees for artists. The two sides entered arbitration last year worlds apart in their negotiations. The Internet radio operators - as well as terrestrial stations that stream their broadcast music on the Web - argued that the recording companies were demanding such high fees that they might kill Internet radio before it developed into a full- fledged business. So, Internet radio executives are waiting to learn how much they will have to pay to keep playing music on the Web. "It's probably the most substantial issue" facing Internet broadcasters, said Dave Goldberg, vice president and general manager for music at Yahoo (news/quote), which operates a Web music service. But the royalty issue is far from the only one facing online broadcasters, according to Mr. Goldberg and other industry executives. Regulatory bickering, rising costs and the foul mood of advertisers are all casting shadows over the remarkably robust audience growth that Web radio is experiencing. The online audience levels of some Internet stations, and some terrestrial stations that also broadcast over the Web, now rival those of modest-size offline broadcasters, with tens of thousands of listeners tuning in at any given moment. (The biggest offline stations, like Clear Channel Communications (news/quote)' KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, attract roughly 100,000.) Even so, Internet radio "is at the stage where FM was in 1970," said Kurt Hanson, an Internet radio consultant. "The audiences are growing," he said, "but they're too small for advertisers to pay attention to." There are some exceptions, of course, most notably at the online portals operated by AOL Time Warner (news/quote), Microsoft (news/quote)'s MSN and Yahoo. AOL Time Warner, for instance, is attracting well-known advertisers and making money with its online radio division, which is led by Spinner.com, and Radio@AOL. But AOL, like the other portals, has an advantage over radio-only companies: it can offer music- minded advertisers sponsorship packages that include media beyond online radio. For radio broadcasters, though, expanding into the online medium often means looking the other way when picking up the balance sheet. Take KING-FM, a classical radio station in Seattle, which according to MeasureCast, an Internet radio research firm, is one of the 10 most popular on the Web. Peter Newman, who as the station's program manager has led its Internet initiative since 1995, says about 24,000 people log onto the King.org Web site every day, listening for roughly an hour. "We've not made money on the Internet - by a long shot," Mr. Newman said. "If you're simply doing this as a business proposition, you'd look at it and say it doesn't make any sense right now." But Mr. Newman said that KING had stayed the course for two reasons. First, he said, streaming music on the Internet is a defensive move against technologies that are threatening the role of local on-air radio, like cable and satellite radio. Second, he said, "We wanted to be sure that if we're going to be on the Internet, we wanted to be the most popular classical station." Fortunately, Mr. Newman said, the station is owned by a consortium of nonprofit arts groups that is not as bottom-line oriented as commercial station owners. As a result, the station has been able to endure the most troublesome fiscal aspects of broadcasting on the Web - at least until the arbitration panel's ruling on royalty fees is handed down. Unlike on-air broadcasting, in Web radio the station's costs rise as the audience grows. That is because the station has to pay for additional bandwidth, or network capacity, every time it streams music to another listener. "Bandwidth costs are coming down," Mr. Newman said, "but they have to go down by leaps and bounds before this starts making commercial sense." As for the other side of the equation, advertising revenue, Mr. Newman said that during last year's advertising slump, radio advertising sales representatives were having a hard enough time selling conventional on-air ads without approaching prospective clients about Internet advertising. And yet, there are signs that advertisers are starting to pay attention to online radio companies, if only in isolated pockets. The Loudeye Corporation, which among other things sells Web broadcasting technologies and advertising, is in the midst of a six-week road show, speaking to advertising agencies and brand advertisers about marketing through Internet radio. The initial feedback has been encouraging, according to Joel McConaughy, Loudeye's senior vice president and chief technology officer. Still, Mr. McConaughy said that enthusiasm would translate into only modest growth this year because "no one has a significant amount of audience that will be interesting to advertisers." Mr. Goldberg did say that at least one issue that stunted the growth of online radio last year was less of a problem now: fees for radio advertising actors whose work is broadcast on the Internet. In accordance with the 2000 American Federation of Television and Radio Artists contract, advertising agencies and advertisers had to pay a 300 percent premium to actors in radio commercials also played on the Internet. That fee complicated the efforts of all Webcasters. And it helped push many radio broadcasters like Clear Channel Communications, the dominant terrestrial radio company, to halt Internet broadcasting altogether. Now, using technology that allows so- called Webcasters to replace offline radio ads with others using nonfederation actors, Clear Channel and others are edging back into the market. Some industry analysts say advertisers may view the re-entry of established broadcasters as adding credence to Internet radio and thus prop up smaller players. But Kevin Conroy, a senior vice president at AOL Music, is not convinced that even if marketers warm to the idea of Internet radio advertising, the independent Webcasters will thrive. "It's very hard to make it on a stand-alone basis," Mr. Conroy said. Because of the scope of the America Online operation, the company can market news, music and sports radio stations in their respective AOL "channels," Mr. Conroy said, while working with advertisers on promotions that bridge various media within the AOL Time Warner empire. Such "efficiency," as he put it, is hard to replicate in a stand-alone Internet radio operation. But some industry executives, like Zack Zalon, general manager of Radio Free Virgin, a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, disagree. Mr. Zalon, whose Web station (RadioFreeVirgin.com) attracts about 20,000 listeners during peak times of the day and employs seven people, began running advertisements last week for the first time. "This is not the kind of business that requires $40 million in cash to make it work," he said. "It's true that the biggest advertisers aren't beating down the door," Mr. Zalon acknowledged. "But they're also not kicking people to the curb, which I couldn't have said 12 months ago. This is going to work. You have to have some faith, and some patience, but it's going to work." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) There's a very interesting thread on a web site I frequent discussing the recent agreement on public performance charges for webcasters. From what I read here, it sounds like the royalties charges are likely to drive a lot of stations off the net, particularly those that are Internet-only. One of the participants in the discussion is a lawyer who was involved in the litigation, and she does an excellent job of explaining what the likely impacts are. The short version is that webcasting is likely to get too expensive for damned near everyone. Say goodbye to your favorite online stations. http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/15021 (Ralph Brandi, swprograms via DXLD) Those would be the postings by IPLawyer. You may want to search for those among all the other comments (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. If you have noticed that periodically NYC's WNYW Fox 5 and WWOR UPN 9 go off the air from 1 am to 5 am; they are not working on their transmitters. Due to the positioning of their jury-rigged post 9/11 antenna arrangement on the Empire State Building, channels 5 and 9 have to go off the air to protect workers from RF exposure when they change the colored lexan filters allowing the building to appear in different colors. Examples: red, white and blue for President's Day; green and red for Christmas; etc. The process takes about three hours (Karl Zuk, NY, Feb 13, WTFDA topica list via DXLD) ** U S A. SIMPLY HUGE: MARTIN SHORT IS A MIGHTY MANIC 'GLICK' By Tom Shales, Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, February 23, 2002; Page C01 When in the course of human events -- oh, the heck with human events right now, and the same for subhuman events, though Heaven knows there's plenty of them. Let's talk instead about Jiminy's Glick -- I mean Jiminy Glick. Let's talk about Jiminy Glick's enormous place in the annals of hilarity, in the annals of insanity, in the annals of just about everything. Because if Jiminy Glick is anything, he is annal retentive. [Oh, brother -- Ed.].... Full review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55177-2002Feb22?language=printer (via Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U S A. I quit listening to Perspective from ABC News months ago, fed up with constant retreads of ABC TV news soundtracks, and crammed full of repetitive PSAs primarily from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America; but finding myself awake at 1230 UT Sun Feb 24, I tuned in KOA, 850 Denver, which this time of year still hasn`t faded out (indeed still there after 1400 UT recheck), where Perspective is carried at 5:05 am MST. This time there were a number of reports seemingly produced for radio (but I could have been fooled, since I also quit watching the ABC TV newsmagazines very much). New (to me) female anchor, Karen Chase. Obviously going for the younger demographic than the old Perspex catered to, with unnecessarily fast pace, mandatory. Did not hear a single PDFA PSA, but instead a lot of anti-alcohol PSAs from government agencies. This would have been unheard of in the PDFA era, since that is actually run by the liquor industry! By `drug-free`, they sure don`t include alcohol; indeed, by constantly railing against marijuana, the hidden agenda of PDFA has long been suspected to drive young people toward liquor. ABC may have finally caught on. Oh yes, the content of the program appeared to have improved, so may give it some more tries, tho it`s no FOOC. Last time I checked, it could be heard on demand from an obscure corner of the ABC website too. Finally found that after sidetracked at http://www.abcnews.com which is only about television as if radio did not exist! Latest show is at http://play.rbn.com/?url=abcradio/g2radionews/g2demand/perspective.rm&proto=rtsp and that has been added to the Ondemand Audio Links section of MONITORING REMINDERS (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. THE FACE OF PIRATE CAT RADIO - SCREWING THE AIRWAVES SINCE 1997. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/laweekly/20020222/lo/32574_1.html Beware: strong language (Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) Pirate on 87.9 is moving to Santa Cruz; claims state of war makes him legal (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Huge AFRTS signal noted yesterday evening on 3903 USB - and it`s there again tonight as of tune it at 1940 UT. Not sure of the location but perhaps Sicily which has been off air since last July (Dave Kenny, Caversham, Feb 24, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Subject: KCJJ on 4890 kHz ! From: j999w@aol.com (J999w) Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave Date: 24 Feb 2002 22:43:35 GMT Was spinning through the band looking for early Africans and heard something just out of the noise on 4890khz starting at 2130z. Was thinking ... cool, Senegal ! Songs by Alanis Morissette, 3 Doors Down. Wow, Senegal really rocks ! But as it got stronger, it sounded more and more American. Then it hit me ... 3 x 1630 = 4890khz. Flip to VFO B and punch in 1630 ... yup, that 's them ! State number three for me via BCB harmonics (CO, WI, and now IA). (John Wilke, WB9UAI, Milwaukee, Feb 24, rec.radio.shortwave via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. CATHOLIC NETWORK EWTN OPPOSES FRAUDULENT LPFM APPLICATIONS By JohnBroomall@Yahoo.com The Birmingham, Alabama, based Eternal Word Television Network only owns and operates one broadcast station – on shortwave. EWTN has no plans to own or operate additional radio or TV stations. EWTN`s President states, ``Not only did we *not* authorize Lyle Evans (``The Chief``) to apply for any low power FM stations on our behalf, we did not know in advance that he had filed any applications (much less several hundred) to benefit EWTN. We freely allow our satellite network signal to be used by any station and we don`t know all our affiliates, but we do not condone illegal or unethical activity on behalf of our affiliates.`` While the largest number of applications filed by Mr. Evans using the name of a saint (or other Catholic name) and ``Educational Association`` or ``Radio Association`` are in Wisconsin, a large number have been filed in Texas and other states. Local and regional church officials have found that inactive members of their parish have used their local church name and have applied for a station using that name, without obtaining permission from anyone (ccbroadcasters.com Feb 23 via DXLD) ** VATICAN. Italia SANTA MARIA DI GALERIA RESIDENTS ENRAGED; OFFICIAL THREATENS TO TAKE THE CASE TO EUROPE Roma, Feb 20 (La Repubblica) --- Thanks to Article 11 of the Lateran Treaty, Radio Vaticana is escaping the judicial process on the alleged harmful electromagnetic emissions of its powerful antennas in Cesano north of Rome. The Roman tribunal has decided that that judicial process cannot be done because the Lateran Treaty secured the Vatican and all its extraterritorial lands [from Italian law]. ``Defect of jurisdiction`` the judge said, to be precise, that Italian justice cannot commit an eventual offense against another nation. This clearly brought protests from the citizens of Cesano, who accused the Vatican radio station of being the cause of of frequent cases of cancer in their area, when the decision ``you may not proceed`` was delivered in the charges against the station director, Father Pasquale Borgomeo, of the president of the board of directors, Father Roberto Tucci [named a cardinal late last year—editor], and the technical vice-director, Constantino Pacifici. The announcement in the courtroom provoked an outburst of residents constrained to live with the powerful antenna of Radio Vaticana. A despairing protest of whistles and cries. ``It is a shame. Criminals, mafiosi,`` was the sense in the hall. No one was spared the invective: the judge, who has recessed his court for two months, and the lawyers Eugenio Pacelli (nephew of Pius XII) and Marcello Melandri, who assisted Radio Vaticana. ``I hope,`` cried a woman, ``that the first nephew that is born has leukemia.`` Calabria asked those present for silence (``This is a hall of justice``) but the response was ``But what kind of justice, if citizens are protected in this manner? This decision tortures us even more. Towards the Vatican there has always been great deference!`` Government ministers Gianfranco Amendola and Stefano Pesci said after the inquiry, ``We will take all recourses possible,`` Amendola insisted; ``I myself am also displeased.`` A colleague agreed. ``We believe in the thesis that we have always held. After we have read the decision, we will decide if we can appeal or have recourse through Cassazione.`` And Lina Pantanella of the Committee ``Babies Without Radio in Cesano`` has commented: ``We are strongly and profoundly disillusioned in our grave misery that the judge`s interpretation of the data in favoring the defendants constitutes a license to commit a crime. In the face of a deliberate crime, anyone who appeals to an interpretation of an article of the treaty cannot be brought to justice, thereby escaping from the law. And only the Vatican State can do this.`` And while the offended parties think of turning to the European Court on Human Rights, while others ask for a referendum to remove its transmitters from Italian territory, the lawyers of Radio Vaticana are satisfied and applaud the decision of the judge on the defect of jurisdiction. ``Radio Vaticana is considered a central entity of the Catholic Church, in that it broadcasts all over the world the voice of the Pontiff and the evangelical messages by means of radio waves.`` —From Canale Radio, by Nicola Franceschini, via BCL News, Italy. La Repubblica is Rome`s biggest newspaper in circulation. (via Catholic Radio Update Feb 23 via DXLD) Commentary: ROMAN UPROAR: THE FAT LADY HAS NOT SUNG I forget the football coach who said, ``The opera ain`t over until the fat lady sings.`` In the case of the supposedly harmful effects of the high-power transmitters of Radio Vaticana in the Roman suburb of Santa Maria di Galeria, in Cesano, the fat lady has not yet sung. We have here all the makings of a melodrama. There are parents who are convinced that their children and themselves are being physically harmed by the powerful electromagnetic waves emanating from Radio Vaticana`s medium wave (AM) and shortwave transmitters. There is the Radio Vaticana staff, obviously stunned by the proportions that this matter has taken. There are the Italian politicians who, like this miserable class found all over the world in all kinds of regimes, are seizing every opportunity to ingratiate themselves with the voters. And there is the leftwing media in Italy, and elsewhere in the world, who clearly are gleeful at the opportunity to do another one on the Catholic Church. When it comes to their children, otherwise placid and easy-going parents become bears. Anyone who has watched a mother defending her child against critics and other children needs no further elucidation. William Shakespeare, that unexcelled portrayer of human behavior, wrote that ``Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,`` but he was wrong. Hell hath no fury like a mother going into battle for her child. We have very basic human needs, drives, and instincts at work here. Reason has no beachhead in such situations. A mother convinced her children are endangered or coming out second best is a wild boar. The Italian politicians, going back to Willer Bordon, the Italian Environmental Minister, have seized the opportunity to endear themselves with the people of Santa Maria di Galeria and sympathizing Italians, and grandstanded before the public and the press. No matter that the radiation intensities of Radio Vaticana have been well within European electromagnetic radiation standards. No matter that studies conducted by a joint Vatican–Italian committee composed in part of scientists found only one instance at one location of exeedance of those standards. No matter that no scientific studies anywhere have shown electromagnetic waves to cause cancer. No matter than Radio Vaticana cut down its powerhouse on 1593 AM to 300,000 watts and then 100,000 watts, at great loss of range across Europe. No matter than many of its shortwave programs were transferred at great expense out of Santa Maria to the privately run shortwave transmitters of Radio Monte Carlo. The politicians were there to champion the people against the big, bad Vatican. You have to understand, too, the long course of anti-clericalism in Italy. Italy may well be the land of Popes and saints, and 90% of Italians may say they are Catholics, but the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is widely despised. A good deal of that animosity goes back to the days when the Popes dug themselves in against the reunification of Italy and excommunicated all those who supported Italian independence. The Popes saw themselves as protecting a good part of the Italian peninsula known as the Papal States and which they considered as part of the patrimony of St. Peter. Patriots had no choice but to abjure their desires for a reunified Italy, the last country in Europe to be reunified in fact, or to leave the Church. Hundreds of thousands of Italian men in fact did stop practicing their faith, and when I was a kid growing up, I knew a bunch of Italian men who went to church only for weddings and funerals, if then. This attitude was passed from grandfather to father to son. After ``solemn Communion,`` few boys went to Church. The great Verdi, for instance, had little use for Catholicism; it was he who came to symbolize the Italians` desire for nationhood and liberty against the Pope and the Papal States. Fortunately for Verdi, and fortunately for the Church, he received the Last Rites and died in the bosom of the Church. Italian politics are decidedly leftwing and have been since World War II. In fact, in the late 1940`s and through the 1960`s, the Communist Party of Italy was so powerful that at one point Pope Pius XII even lifted the cloister and ordered nuns and monks to the polls to help defeat them. (They were successful.) Curiously, despite a century of championing the working class and trying to defend the weak, marginalized, and poor, who are the same clientele of the range of leftists, from mild socialists to hardcore Marxists, the Catholic Church is still despised by the left. You do not have to look at the terrible persecutions of Communists in Russia, East Europe, and China to know this. Consider our boy in Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez, self-styled champion of the Venezuelan downtrodden, who called the Church the other week ``a tumor on the body of society.`` Consider Fidel Castro, product of a Jesuit education, which proved of no avail. Consider the guerrilla army in Colombia, the FARC, who routinely blow up churches after they have killed off the town`s policemen (which FARC, by the way, the Colombian bishops still want to hold peace talks with.) In fact, wherever and whenever the leftists have come to power, the Church has suffered. So, when the good citizens of Santa Maria di Galeria saw the powerful radio installation of Vatican Radio, they found a cause of their cancers and health problems. The battle was joined and the politicians did not miss the opportunity. Here was another opportunity to take on that powerful old boys` club of celibate priests and bishops and cardinals. They, the politicians, of course, had the people`s true interests at heart. Throw in the press, leftwing in much of the world to start with. They, too, see themselves as champion of the so-called little people. Here was a troubled community of ordinary people (good) trod upon by a big international organization (bad) controlled by a bunch of males (worse) who answered to nobody but themselves (worst of all). All those prevalent journalistic instincts of idealism, crusadism, and going for the jugular sailed forth. If you think I exaggerate, go back and read the La Repubblica article. Every word is loaded; only those who attack the Vatican are quoted (except for a last quotation), and these are emotional. The Italian is even stronger. Coverage of this story in the press in England was little better. It is seldom that the Church gets a fair shake in the media these days, not even in Italy. Just why that has come about is matter for another Commentary. Oh, yes. Let us not forget the environmental movement, which has been taken over by leftwingers, malcontents, misfits, and modern luddites. Here is another chance to roll back technological progress. To the long list of targets, the crowd that Rush Limbaugh so aptly calls the environmental wackos has added radio. In the United States, the environmental crowd has begun a long campaign against radio towers, saying that these cause the deaths of thousands of birds who, flying through fog, snow, rain and darkness, do not see them and collide fatally with them. So now, all radio towers have to be registered. That will not be the end of it, of course. Civic groups routinely protest cellular towers, calling each over their cell phones to organize the protests, and in the Seattle area, a crusade has broken out against an AM station that wants to go 50,000 watts. Autos pollute; planes puncture the ozone protection layer; offshore oil pollutes; plastic fills up landfills; coal mining kills streams and air; paints harm children and the atmosphere; radio towers kill birds; high-voltage electric lines cause health problems; mining pollutes streams; nuclear energy creates radioactive wastes; dams destroy rivers; farmers` one crops destroy the land; radio waves hurt people; and on and on. If you think all these events in Rome concern only Radio Vaticana, you are mistaken. This is only the beginning. We have a new wagon for the politicians, the leftwing press, and the environmentalists to ride. In time, every radio station will become fair game. There is no end to the parade of people who want to destroy the societies that brought them forth and nurtured them (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Feb 23 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 2740.05 (Harmonic?) Radio Continente, unknown QTH. Feb 2002 - 1020 UT. Very clear "Radio Continente" IDs and also a "Coooooontinente"-type. If this is a harmonic so is most likely 1370 kHz the fundamental but no Radio Continente is listed there. Weak signal (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Feb 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 5046.31, unID LA, unknown QTH. Feb 18 2002 - 0035 UT. Nonstop LA-music without any speech up to close down around 0045 UT. Watch this frequency as WRTH lists 5046.3 Radio Integración in Abancay [Perú] --- in that case reactivated. Until now only heard this date. Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Abancay, cuya capital es Abancay. Sus distritos son: Abancay, Curahuasi, Circa, Chacoche, Huanipaca, Lambrana, San Pedro de Cachora, Pichirhua, Tamburco; con una población total de 93,109 hab. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Feb 24, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-030, February 23, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1119: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.html NEXT AIRINGS on WWCR: Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Mon 0100?, 0600 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, 1200, maybe 1830, 2430... on some of: 7445 AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN: RADIO AFGHANISTAN EXTENDS EVENING PROGRAMMES | Text of report by Afghan radio on 21 February Radio Afghanistan will air special programmes during Id al-Adha. The programmes will be broadcast on Id days [Friday 22 to Sunday 24 February] from 0700 [0230 gmt] to 1230 [0700gmt]. The evening programme of Radio Afghanistan will be from 1700 to 2200 [1230 gmt to 1730 gmt]. In an interview with our correspondent, esteemed Gholam Hasan Hazrati [head of news at Radio Afghanistan] said the following about the programmes: [Hazrati - recording in Dari] I would like to congratulate all our compatriots on the occasion of Id al-Adha. In order for Radio Afghanistan to play its role during Id, the broadcast department of Radio Afghanistan has produced some 32 programmes, which are ready to be aired. They include literary, (?learning) and entertaining programmes. The first programme will be aired from 0700 to 1230 during Id days . Radio Afghanistan's second programme will be aired from 1700 to 2200 [local time]. I should add that Radio Afghanistan has increased its broadcasts in order to serve our dear compatriots. After the holy days of Id, the second programme of Radio Afghanistan which used to be aired from 1700 to 2030 [1230 gmt to 1600 gmt], will now begin at 1700 and will continue until 2200 [ local time, 1730 gmt] with interesting scientific, literary, entertaining and music programmes for our compatriots. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1530 gmt 21 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Salve dexistas; ouvi ontem a radio Voice of Sharia do Afeganistão em 7.090 KHz chegando muito bem em idioma Pashto YL com ID as 03:55 UT (Claudimir Gomes de Faria, Receptores Kenwood R-5000, Sangean ATS 803 A, Trasnceptor VHF ICON 28-H; Antenas dipolo com 30 metros + Longware 30 Metros; Belo Horizonte- Brasil, Feb 21, radioescutas via DXLD) We thought the US saw to it that this station ceased to exist on Oct. 7; but he seems certain he heard its ID in Pashto, which evidently he can distinguish from Kurdish (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. CLANDESTINE to AFGHANISTAN. 8700U, Psyops, 1238 Feb 20. This transmission is still heard here on a regular basis, with the same sort of format. Today, with a fairly good signal by 1300. Same type of regional music, with M and W announcers. Heard the YL mention the words "Afghanistan", and "American" around 1250 (David Hodgson, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. Amigos, Recebi há poucos instantes um telefonema do Caio Fernandes informando da maior notícia da República de Angola desde a sua independência: a morte do líder da UNITA Jonas Cidônio Malheiro Savimbi pelas tropas do Exército daquele país. As informações das agências internacionais dão conta de que ele foi morto por volta das 15h (hora de Angola). É uma oportunidade ímpar para o radioescuta acompanhar as emissões da Rádio Nacional da Angola e Rádio Ecclésia, pois é o futuro angolano que está em evidência. Já a Rádio Ecclésia possui uma emissão entre 0500 e 0559, em 11795 kHz, muito embora a emissão desta madrugada possa já estar gravada. Neste sábado, há o programa "Debate Informativo", pela Ecclésia, entre 1900 e 2130, em 13810 kHz, via transmissores de Jülich. Na Internet: Rádio Ecclésia: http://ecclesia.snet.co.ao/ Rádio Nacional: http://www.rna.ao/ Boas escutas! (Célio Romais, Porto Alegre - Brasil, DX Clube do Brasil, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2325 kHz - ABC Radio, Tennant Creek. I sent a reception report by email with a 5 minute recording in Real Audio format to Katreena Doherty reception.advice@abc.net.au Received QSL card full data in 17 days. V/S: unknown (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, Feb 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELIZE. The VOA Belize coverage maps are still up at http://www.voa.gov/miscl/belize.html (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA http://community.webtv.net/N0NNK/ http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ NRC-AM via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. A Direção da Rádio Difusora, de Poços de Caldas (MG), está prometendo retornar com força total em ondas tropicais. Diante do racionamento de energia elétrica, a emissora vinha desligando seu transmissor muito cedo. Entretanto, com o término do apagão, a emissora já está analisando a manutenção dos transmissores no ar. Foi o que o Diretor, Fábio Zambrano, informou a Valter Aguiar. A freqüência da Difusora é 4945 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX, DXCB Feb 23 via DXLD) ** CAMEROON. 5010 1724 R. GAROUA - MX AFRO ID TALK OM F 44444 (Roberto Scaglione, Palermo - South Italy, http://www.bclnews.it daily updated, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Hi, do you have a positive ID of this one? Garoua has been off the air for ages; Madagascar is usually on 5010 at this time (at least here in Finland). 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, ibid.) From: "crtv" crtv@cameroun-online.com To: "BCL NEWS.IT" bclsiciliaclub@yahoo.com Sent: Friday, February 22, 2002 4:49 PM Subject: Re: Reception report Hello Sir, Radio Garoua broadcasts everyday. Infact, broadcast begins at 5:30 am, and goes on till midnight. I am certain that you listened to Cameroon's North Provincial Radio Station, Garoua. Regards, (Nelson TAWE, Webmaster, via Scaglione, ibid.) I still have not a real audio of these days, and today 5010 was clear, but we (me and Salvo Miccichè in Scicli) listen to it often in these days. We are sure it is Garoua, we have also listen to a clear identification and the language is Hausa. In the next days I'll put a real audio of Radio Garoua on http://www.bclnews.it (Roberto Scaglione, ibid.) ** CANADA. 6070, CFRX Toronto ON; 1730-1740+, 20-Feb; Back on! "The station with more than just headlines, CFRB 10-10". The Mott's call-in program. SIO=3+54, //1010 Fair (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. Nice to see RFPI listening to their output --- 0730 UT Saturday 23rd Feb. They started WoR 1118, realised it wasn't WoR 1119. Announced that they'd go onto the Net and get hold of 1119. While they do that, they'll change the schedule around. Mailbox got an airing at 0731 (instead of 0800). And they hope to get WoR 1119 out at 0800. All this on 7445 kHz USB, which had a very nice signal. 73s (Mark Hattam, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RFPI will have a live listener-participation show in the Global Community Forum slot Thursday evening March 7 at 8:30 pm local, UT Fri 8th at 0230; including chatroom, E-mail, and if possible phone line patched in. I tuned in late and didn`t catch all the details or the topic (RFPI Mailbag Feb 23 1830, noted by gh for DXLD) ** CUBA. Desde Dentro de Cuba. Distribuido por Cuba Free Press, Inc. - http://www.cubafreepress.org 18 de Febrero del 2002 RECONOCEN OPOSITORES TRABAJO DE RADIO MARTÍ Maria del Carmen Carro, de Cuba Free Press.- La Habana.- Las Organizaciones que conforman la Junta Pacífica de la Oposición Interna, reconocieron el trabajo de la Radio Martí el que califican de ``meritorio`` y de gran importancia para los cubanos dentro de la Isla. ``Un espacio bien ganado dentro de los hogares cubanos se ha ganado la emisora que por nombre lleva Martí, quien es el guía de todos los hijos de La Mayor de las Antillas, Cuba.`` Manifestó Leonardo Bruzon Ávila, quien forma parte de la Dirección Colegiada de la Junta Pacífica. ``Radio Martí, llega día a día en los hogares cubanos, rompiendo la censura que mantiene sobre los medios de comunicación la dictadura Castro Comunista, llevan en sus transmisiones la verdad de lo que sucede en la Isla, mostrando su imparcialidad y objetividad en cada uno de sus espacios.`` Resalta La Junta Pacífica de la Oposición Interna, que junto al trabajo de la Emisora Radio Martí, se encuentra el de los periodistas independientes que ``sin Temor a las Palabras llevan la realidad y el acontecer de los pacifistas y presos políticos dentro de la Isla.`` Finalmente este grupo de Organizaciones que integran la Junta le envían un mensaje de felicitación y agradecimiento a todos los que diariamente hacen posible este trabajo que como dice la propia emisora ``Radio Martí, siempre con nosotros``. Reportó, María del Carmen Carro, de Cuba Free Press. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CUBA FREE PRESS, INC., P.O. Box 652035, Miami, FL 33265-2035 Phone: (305)270 8779 -- Fax: (305)595 1883 E-mail: mailbox@cubafreepress.org Home: http://www.cubafreepress.org Copyright © 2002 - Cuba Free Press, Inc. (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CUBA. FUNCIONARIOS DE LA HABANA PREOCUPADOS POR FRAUDE TELEFÓNICO LA HABANA, 21 de febrero (José Antonio Fornaris, Cuba-Verdad / http://www.cubanet.org) - El fraude en los teléfonos públicos que funcionan con tarjetas magnéticas para realizar llamadas internacionales comienza a preocupar a los funcionarios de la capital cubana. El periódico Juventud Rebelde sacó a la luz pública parte de la respuesta que el director de servicios públicos de la Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba S.A. (ETECSA), Alejandro Marcos Jambú, le dio a un habanero que se quejó de no poder comunicar con sus familiares residentes en Canadá por medio de esos equipos. El funcionario Jambú reveló que durante el año 2001 ETECSA se vio en la necesidad de limitar las llamadas internacionales en numerosas estaciones públicas debido "a la acción de ciudadanos inescrupulosos que, violentando las líneas y equipos, llaman irresponsablemente y sin costo alguno a diferentes lugares del mundo". Estos teléfonos públicos funcionan con tarjetas magnéticas de 5, 10, 15 y 20 dólares. Se instalaron profusamente en la capital cubana y en otras ciudades del país, principalmente para facilitar el servicio de llamadas internacionales a los turistas extranjeros. Esta es la primera vez que públicamente se informa de este tipo de delito. El funcionario de ETECSA anunció que para solucionar el problema esa compañía instalará sistemas antifraudes que resultan muy costosos. La pregunta de si la instalación de esos sistemas encarecerá aún más el servicio de llamadas internacionales de ETECSA ya comienza a ganar espacio entre los clientes de la única compañía telefónica de Cuba. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (Oscar, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. NORTHERN. 6150, R Bayrak International 2158-2203* Feb 18. I haven't tried for them lately, and was surprised to hear pop music dominant at tune-in. At 2202 the usual YL announcer began their sign-off in English. The only words I could make out were "kilohertz, shortwave". The Turkish NA at 2202 was played with fluctuations in tape speed (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Capital Weekend on YLE Glenn, here is the response I got from Mika concerning Radio Finland's weekend program... note there is a frequency for us at 21 UTC, but can it propagate enough at that time? Yep, Mika is coming to Kulpsville, so we as attendees should press on for the new Capital Weekend show to get a prime-time slot this summer (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DXLD) Joe, Thanks for your email! I'm glad you noticed the news item about the new show. Check out Radio Finland on the web at http://www.yle.fi/rfinland/en_etusivu.shtml - as you can see, at 1100-1200 UT on 13755 kHz the English transmission is targeted to Europe. The 2100-2200 UTC broadcast on 9720 kHz is beamed to North America. [and 11985, it says, but Sundays only – gh] Hope you will be able to catch the show! Thanks for the info - incidentally, I know about the conference, and will be coming over as well, as representative of Radio Finland. I'm looking forward to meeting you there. 73 (Mika Makelainen, Finland, Feb 18, via Joe Hanlon, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Hi all, Am receiving strong signal on 4817 in USB (Feb 22, 2002, 0615 UT), transmitting the same voice mirror over and over: ".... [5 sillables, final two sounding like maxif]. Ceci est une émission destinée au reglage de vos récepteurs. lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samédi, dimanche; janvier, février, mars, avril, mai, juin, juillet, août, septembre, octobre, novembre, décembre. Essai terminé" (... This is a transmission for the adjustment of your receivers. monday ... sunday; january ... december. Test finished." Anybody know this station? Tnx in advance and 73 de (Frank van Gerwen, ICQ # 2231692, Castricum/Netherlands, BDXC topica list via DXLD) Hallo Frank, Deze voicemirrors kun je de laatste tijd (on) regelmatig horen op diverse frequenties tot ergens in de 7 Mhz. De vm's zijn niet allemaal hetzelfde, ze verschillen enigszins van elkaar. Ze zijn vrij zeker afkomstig van de Franse Air Force. Mijn ontvangstrapport is tot nu toe nog onbeantwoord gebleven, maar ik heb nog hoop omdat ik nog niet zo lang geleden geschreven heb. Dit is waarschoijnlijk de laatste voice mirror die nog te horen is (Max van Arnhem, ibid.) ** FRANCE. DISCOVERING FRENCH TV (IT'S MUCH LIKE AMERICAN) From the Book: Living and working in France, By David Hampshire "Television and radio" The French complain endlessly about their television, particularly its lack of quality, surfeit of advertising, dependence on trashy foreign programmes, moronic game shows and endless repeats, although it's generally no worse than that of most other European countries. Although France prides itself on its culture, this isn't evident from its TV programmes. Many Frenchmen prefer to listen to the radio rather than watch TV, particularly the educated middle classes, many of whom don't watch TV at all. A colour TV licence (redevance pour télévision couleur) is required by TV owners in France. The licence fee covers any number of TVs (owned or rented), irrespective of where they are located in France. The licence fee subsidises France 2 (40%) and FR3 (80%), and also contributes towards the Radio-France and Radio-France International public radio stations. This extract is taken from 'Living and Working in France: a Survival Handbook' by David Hampshire, which is published at £12.95 by Survival Books. Actual page: Click here: Spencer Stuart Talent Network http://www.spencerstuart.com/execlife/content/en/uk/template-b.asp?SectionDBID=2415355&ArticleDBID=3541362 (Chet Copeland/nyc, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. BIBLIS SIGHTSEEING Just back [Fri 2200 UT] from a sightseeing trip with RMRC [Rhein/Main Radio Club?] to IBB-RFE/RL transmitting site Biblis, at 1400-1730 LT this afternoon. At present DTK carrying test broadcasts of Voice of Hope program via Biblis 100 kW unit on 9815 kHz during coming four weeks only, started Feb 18 ? 9815 1700-1800 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 02 088 9815 1800-1900 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 07 063 9815 1700-1900 29,30 80 218 151201-310302 VOH Biblis contains 10 x 100 kW Continental units, [solid state units of 1979 to 1985, but fully refreshed - pulled out some tubes against semiconductor {replaced tubes by semiconductors?}, and fully automatically controlled frequency/antenna change units, all done at Lampertheim and Biblis sites in past 20 months] via 29 antenna matrix options. And a Thomson-CSF transmitter scrap[!] of 1990, in the very distant corner of the transmitter hall. Biblis is 24 hours totally remote controlled via Lampertheim station, like Holzkirchen, and soon Saipan and Tinian will follow on remote control TEST. Also some TCI 6x6 antenna arrays have been seen. All 10 transmitters can be connected to the 29 aerial options via the TCI antenna matrix, plus dummy load port. Washington programs fed direct via a 7.5 meters diameter dish; six satellite receivers for this purpose have been installed, and different units for the Eutelsat downlink. Further 2 x 2 meter Eutelsat dishes for RFE/RL Prague feed, DTK and BBC programme feed available. regards wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Kai Ludwig laments he missed the tour because of bad train connexions (gh) __________ MERLIN B-01 Freq From To Days Site kW deg Lang Target 7110 1500-1515 .mtwtf. Biblis 100 126 CROAT SEEUR 9635 1130-1145 smtwtfs Biblis 100 126 SERB SEEUR Current Frequency Schedule Report Feb.21,4:40:0,2002. FREQ B_TIM E_TIM B_CDE NET LANG ST_CD XMTR AZI DAYS 5955 0300-0600 RL RL-1 RU BIB 10 063 5965 1900-2000 VOA C1 ENGL BIB 04 105 12345 5985 1800-1900 RL RL-7 UK BIB 04 088 6010 0400-0430 RFE RL-6 RO BIB 05 105 12345 6030 0600-0630 VOA E ALBA BIB 01 126 6035 0630-0700 VOA E SERB BIB 01 126 6035 2000-2100 RL RL-7 UK BIB 03 088 712345 6095 1900-2000 RL RL-7 UK BIB 03 088 6115 1800-1830 VOA E SERB BIB 10 126 6140 1900-2000 RL RL-4 BR BIB 05 063 6150 1800-1900 RL RL-4 BR BIB 05 063 6170 2000-2200 RL RL-4 BR BIB 04 063 6180 0530-0600 VOA E CROA BIB 01 105 7110 1500-1515 BBC BBC1 CROA BIB 01 126 12345 7165 1600-1630 RFE RL-6 RO BIB 01 105 7165 1700-1730 RFE RL-6 RO BIB 01 105 7165 1730-1800 RFE RL-6 RO BIB 01 105 12345 7165 1900-2000 RFE RL-6 RO BIB 01 105 12345 7165 2000-2100 RL RL-7 UK BIB 07 088 712345 7165 2100-2200 RFE RL-8 SC BIB 08 105 7175 1900-2000 RL RL12 FA BIB 06 085 7175 2100-2200 RFE RL-8 SC BIB 05 126 7180 2000-2030 RFE RL-3 KO BIB 01 126 7180 2030-2100 VOA E SERB BIB 01 126 7190 1600-1800 RL RL-4 BR BIB 07 063 7245 1700-1800 RFE RL-8 SC BIB 05 105 9530 1500-1600 RL RL11 TU BIB 08 085 9565 0830-0900 RFE RL-8 SC BIB 01 126 9615 1600-1800 RL RL-4 BR BIB 04 063 9625 1500-1700 RFE RL-5 BU BIB 05 105 9625 1800-1900 RL RL-7 UK BIB 03 088 9635 1130-1145 BBC BBC2 SERB BIB 01 126 9660 1400-1430 RFE RL-8 SC BIB 04 126 9670 1900-2000 RL RL-3 AZ BIB 08 085 9680 0400-0600 RL RL-1 RU BIB 03 085 9680 0600-0900 RL RL-1 RU BIB 03 065 9695 1700-1800 RFE RL-8 SC BIB 03 105 9725 1600-1630 RFE RL-6 RO BIB 03 105 9770 1600-1800 RL RL11 TU BIB 08 085 9805 1400-1500 RL RL11 TU BIB 08 085 9815 1700-1800 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 02 088 <<<< 9815 1800-1900 VOA DTK1 VAR BIB 07 063 <<<< 9865 2100-2200 RL RL-1 RU BIB 02 075 11680 1330-1415 BBC BBC2 ALBA BIB 10 126 7 11680 1415-1430 BBC BBC2 ALBA BIB 10 126 11730 0600-0700 RL RL-8 TB BIB 10 065 11795 1400-1500 RL RL-3 AZ BIB 05 085 11805 1700-1800 RL RL-1 RU BIB 10 063 11885 1600-1700 RL RL-1 RU BIB 10 063 11895 1500-1600 RL RL-2 AR BIB 02 085 11985 1400-1500 RL RL11 TU BIB 02 085 12020 1600-1700 RL RL13 UZ BIB 02 085 15430 1400-1500 RL RL-3 AZ BIB 03 085 17660 1400-1500 RL RL-9 TA BIB 01 085 17725 1300-1330 RL RLAF PA BIB 01 085 17725 1330-1400 RL RLAF DA BIB 01 085 (IBB website, Feb 21 via Büschel, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 2570, Radio Cultural // 3300 but with a much weaker signal at 1005 Feb 16. Religious program in Spanish. I believe this is a product generated by their 3300 kHz channel minus their 730 kHz MW channel [equals 2570 kHz]. (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. Looks like India is staying with UTC+5½ but daylight saving time is a possibility. From today's Times of India. HC REJECTS PETITION ON 2 TIME-ZONES IN THE COUNTRY Times News Network [ Friday, February 22, 2002 11:40:33 PM ] NEW DELHI: The Union on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that even as it was a good idea to have two time zones in the country, it is still more practical to have only one time zone. Responding to a PIL, the Department of Science and Technology in its affidavit said: ''A committee of experts has observed that two time zones would not be majorly advantageous despite a difference of about half-an-hour between east and west India.'' Government counsel, Upamanyu Hazarika, said the panel was of the view that the eastern states ''do face some disadvantages because of the early sunrise,'' but the problem could be solved by advancing the office and factory times in Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa, Sikkim and seven north-eastern states by one hour. Satisfied with the government's submission, the high court disposed of the PIL filed by an NGO, Common Cause, seeking adoption of two time- zone system in the country saying that the IST (Indian Standard Time) methodology adopted over a century ago was of great disadvantage to the people of eastern regions. The committee in its report had stated that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has already advanced office timings to overcome the problem. ''Some of the governments of eastern states even felt that a single time-zone is preferable from the point of view of sharing the common IST for the entire country,'' Hazarika told court. The committee was of the view that the government could consider adoption of daylight time saving system by advancing the clock by an hour during summer — April to September — for the entire country. ******************************************************************** (via Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON M6G 3X8, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. La Voix de l'Indonésie dont la réception est souvent difficile sur ondes courtes propose maintenant ses émissions en Real Audio. Se référer à la page audio pour plus de détails. Viz.: Bonne nouvelle! La Voix de l'Indonésie, si difficilement audible en ondes courtes diffuse aussi ses émissions en français, en direct à 1900 TU. http://www.wrrionline.com/streaming/voi.asx (les informations sont issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) Anglais aussi? ** INDONESIA. V. of Indonesia, 11785.03, Feb 16 2000-2057* English news, IDs, local pop music, nice signal. Listed \\ 15150, 9525 not heard. Used to hear 15150 but not even a het on this frequency (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL: Re `encouraging news`: This will not come as a surprise to those of you who read my media news item of 30 Jan in which I wrote "It seems likely that this is a deliberate ploy to draw attention to the need for a bigger budget, and elicit cross-parliamentary support for Kol Israel." Radio stations have been using this ploy throughout the 35 years I've been an SWL, and people fall for it every time :-) They will tell you, of course, that the reaction from listeners and from politicians is what made them "change their minds". When you can't afford to do an international listenership survey, this is a very good alternative! (Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, std disclaimer, ODXA yahoogroup via DXLD) Such a cynic ** ITALY. IRRS heard on Feb. 21, 0607-0626 UT on 3985. Instrumental music and preaching in English. SINPO - 33422 (Sergei Sosedkin, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. EAGLE 810 STILL TRANSMITS U.S. CULTURE By Tsumoru Nishioka/Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer The radio studio of the American Forces Network (AFN), previously called the Far East Network (FEN), broadcasts from the U.S. Yokota Base in Fussa, western Tokyo. The station was set up to cater to U.S. military and their families stationed in Japan, but from the beginning it also attracted Japanese listeners. Powerful rock music thumped within the room's sound-proof walls as Debbie Decker, a 29-year-old staff sergeant dressed in camouflage combat fatigues, watched the radio equipment and computer screens. She is confined in the studio for at least three hours a day, but said she enjoys the work. In addition to broadcasting programs from the United States, Decker and her colleagues produce AFN's own programs. Decker also works as a disk jockey. Decker said many Japanese listen to their broadcasts. Hand-made plates bearing the names of programs --- gifts from Japanese fans --- hang on the studio wall. The AM radio station, which is nicknamed Eagle 810 after the U.S. national bird and the radio's frequency, broadcasts to the Kanto region 24 hours a day. Other U.S. military bases in Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, and Okinawa Prefecture also broadcast their own AFN programs. Japan's 50-year alliance with Washington saw U.S. military bases established in many parts of the nation. The bases brought not only national security but also American culture to postwar Japan via radio waves. Masaya Miyoshi, president and chairman of FM Japan which broadcasts J- Wave, said: "The English of the FEN was totally different from the British English that I learned in middle school in the prewar era. Jazz music aired by the FEN let me feel something of the mood of America." Miyoshi, 72, was best known for his role as secretary general of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren). His knowledge of English improved during the time he spent listening to FEN broadcasts while baking egg-flavored bread and karinto, Japanese sweet stick cookies, in a bakery in his early 20s when he was a student. Miyoshi's efforts to learn English enabled him to enter U.S. bases as an interpreter. Today, it is not unusual for disk jockeys speaking fluent Japanese and English to host J-Wave and other FM radio shows, but at that time FEN broadcasting was astonishing. "I was surprised that such a prosperous country existed across the Pacific Ocean. In the prewar era there was a slogan that Americans and Britons were demons and beasts, so I held some antipathy toward the United States when I first listened to the broadcast. But my attitude gradually changed to a desire to find out more about the country and then to empathy toward the United States," Miyoshi said. The history of AFN Tokyo dates back to September 1945, just after the end of World War II. The station began round-the-clock broadcasting in 1952, when the San Francisco peace treaty and the Japan-U.S. security treaty went into effect. The name Far East Network began to be used at that time. U.S. military broadcasting was also a window through which Japanese could obtain information about international situations such as the Korean and Vietnam wars and, later, the Gulf War. The chief of AFN Tokyo, Douglas Smith, 41, said that people in U.S. bases become nervous when issues flare up, and that the services provided by AFN assumes more importance at such times, as it helps allay the anxieties of U.S. base personnel and their families. Of course, FEN staff must inevitably show an interest in events in Japan. AFN reported on the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo and dispatched a news van to Haneda airport when Emperor Showa visited the United States in 1975. Kazusada Kobayashi, 57, who was a studio engineer for more than 30 years, said live sumo reports were also popular among foreigners. When Emperor Showa died in 1989, the AFN broadcast solemn classical music out of respect for its Japanese listeners. AFN officials call their Japanese audience "shadow listeners." AFN's main mandate is to provide information and entertainment to soldiers and their families in U.S. military bases in Japan. But English which is not simplified for non-native speakers and Western music also attract Japanese listeners. In the mid-1970s, it was estimated that 25 million Japanese a week listened to FEN. In 1985, ALC Press Inc. started issuing a monthly FEN Guide. However, an increasing number of broadcasting media have begun offering English programs in Japan, such as CNN, which attracted a following owing to its Gulf War reports. In 1993, publication of the FEN Guide was indefinitely suspended. As the name FEN disappeared, some in the broadcasting industry speculated that Japanese were losing interest in the radio station. So, the FEN Guide was revived in 1996 and has been published once a year since then, with the backing of U.S. military radio listeners. "Though the number of listeners may be small, most of them are enthusiastic fans," said Hideko Ogose, managing editor of the Book Editorial Department 1 of ALC Press. Smith said that the U.S. military radio has a plan to link all AFN stations in Japan and revive the name FEN. He says that many Japanese and a lot of military personnel still recall the days of FEN, and expressed his hope and expectation that FEN will be reborn. John Tway, a 31-year-old technical sergeant who directs the broadcasting of AFN Tokyo, said that continuing the work of his predecessors was at times daunting. On the one hand, he acknowledged that there were some pretty big shoes to fill, and that he sometimes wondered if he were up to it. But then he thought it might be a nice idea to return to the AFN building 50 years from now, to see how things had changed. Copyright 2001 The Yomiuri Shimbun Daily Online (via Tom McNiff, VA, Feb 23, DXLD) For those of us who were able to live in Japan courtesy of the US military, this site brings back memories. Sounds of the Far East Network: http://jg3.com/fen/index.shtml (Tom McNiff, Burke, VA, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. RADIO ESTATAL DE JAPÓN EMITIRÁ DIARIAMENTE DIEZ MINUTOS DE NOTICIAS EN ESPAÑOL La corporación estatal de radio y televisión de Japón NHK informó hoy viernes que iniciará en abril próximo una emisión radial diaria de diez minutos de noticias en español, dirigida a la creciente comunidad hispanohablante en este país. Según un portavoz de la NHK, hasta ahora se emiten noticias en inglés, portugués, chino, y coreano, y el nuevo servicio en español permitirá "cubrir los idiomas de casi todas las nacionalidades que se encuentran en Japón". El espacio informativo será transmitido en la frecuencia AM 693, canal 2 de NHK Radio entre las 18:10 y las 18:20 horas. [0910-0920 UT} Los extranjeros que viven en Japón van en aumento desde hace 32 años consecutivos y hasta el final del año pasado alcanzaban los 1,7 millones, de los cuales unos sesenta mil son de habla hispana, según NHK (EFE/PP vía El Universal, Caracas, Febrero 22/02 via Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. (DPR) 11735 kHz - Voice of Korea, Pyongyang. Amazing package of goodies including full data QSL card, letter, magazines, pennant of Voice of Korea, 2 calendars, schedule, reception report form. I sent a reception report and a post card of New York in a sealed envelope to Mr Willi Passman (Mülheim, Germany) along 2 IRC's and he forwarded it to Pyongyang. Only 50 days. V/S: illegible (Marcelo Toníolo, Greenvale, NY, Feb 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. V. of Africa, 15435.51, 1819-1830+ IDs, English news at 1819-1821. French news 1821-1823. Back to English 1823-1830 with program about concepts of the ``Revolutionary Committee`s Movement``. Back to French at 1830. First time I have heard something other than the regular news bulletins. This Revolutionary Committee program was repeated at 2122-2129. Very good signal. Parallel on 17750 with strong carrier but very weak modulation. 17750 covered by a very strong WYFR at 2000-2300. Regular English news bulletins also heard at: 1920-1922, 2032-2039, 2117-2119, 0026-0028 (Brian Alexander, PA, Feb 16-17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. R. Mexico Int. heard on Feb. 21, 0545-0600 UT on 9288 kHz (approx.). A surprisingly powerful yet overmodulated, clearly non- standard signal that took quite a chunk of a frequency spectrum (a harmonic?). Mexican music, frequent IDs in Sp. and other languages. The transmitter was turned off exactly at 0600:30, right after a short song - I guess, a Mexican anthem (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 6010, XEOI R Mil, 0713-0725 Feb 20, in Spanish with time announcement, commercials and songs like Mamy Blue and Time to Say Good-bye, fair (Enzio Gehrig, Spain, A-DX via BC-DX via DXLD) Tuning around on the bedside radio, UT Sat Feb 23 at 0615, came upon R. Mil, 6010, DX program ``Encuentro DX`` in progress with item about WINB. The co-hosts soon paused for music, however, and I dozed off; roused for program ending at 0633. Clear frequency at this time and good modulation. This reminds me that I have seen zero publicity about this show in the past year or more. It used to have multiple airings. This one would be nominal 0600 UT Sat (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONGOLIA. Re: R Khokh Tenger / Blue Sky (BC-DX #559 25 Jan): "Khokh Tenger" is the 2nd program of state-run Mongolian R and the news are broadcast on every top of hours in \\ with Mongolian R 1st program (LW 164 kHz etc). When I was in Mongolia in April 1999, Khokh Tenger was on the air on FM and SW 4850. Translation (Mongolian to English via Japanese) of opening announcement at 0100 UT on 3 Apr 1999 follows: "This is Blue Sky R Station. Good morning, everyone. Mongolian R 2nd program now begins broadcasting music, information and education progoram for youth. The program is on the air on 100.7 MHz in Ulan Bator and SW 4850 for other regions. On Sunday we broadcast 1000-1500 and 1700-2030. On weekdays 0900-1500 and 1700-2300. We relay the programs of VOA 0600-0900 and 1500-1700 everyday. We hope you will be fine today." (All time in LT) As far as I monitored there, VOA in English was relayed only on FM. SW relayed first program at that time. There were still many Russian in the country even after the communist bloc collapsed, and Russian pops were also popular among Mongolian people. Some commercial FM radios had Russian programs featuring Russian pops then. So it's no wonder Russian is used in the program (Hironao Oguma, Japan, Feb 12, BC-DX via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RADIO'S REGIONAL DREAM 23.02.2002 By LOUISA CLEAVE As the Government ponders spending millions of dollars on a youth radio network, a group of radio enthusiasts have reached the airwaves on a shoestring budget. Fledgling station The Mulcher can be heard in only a small pocket of Auckland [on 88.1 FM] and in Kaikohe, but the ultimate aim is to build a network of regional stations.... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=940778&msg=emaillink (New Zealand Herald Feb 24 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. OTC 02/20 1620 -- The CNN Report Was Fundamentally Dangerous - Prof Gana Feb 20, 2002 (Vanguard/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- After the announcement of new broadcast licences in Abuja, last week, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Prof Jerry Gana, granted an exclusive interview to a select group of journalists where he spoke on a number of issues; among them, the activities of CNN and SABC in Nigeria and the controversial Media Tour. Prof Gana was as articulate as ever as he spoke his mind unrestrained, saying for instance, that if he released the full video of the Media Tour some governors would be finished politically. Our Hi Tech Editor, Okoh Aihe, was there and he features the minister uncut. Read on. Q. We just like to find out something. Last week something unusual happened, what has not happened for a very long time. Sporadically and without prompting, people got out in Port Harcourt and Jos to protest CNN`s recent reports on Nigeria. And I know that the NBC only a few months had actually sent out a warning to CNN about its activities in the country. I do not know after this recent development of public disapproval what you further hope to do to make the station behave properly? Thank you very much. This is a very very important element you have drawn attention to, because the CNN report was fundamentally dangerous in the sense that it was basically trying to invite the Nigerian military or give them the impression that the people of Nigeria prefer military rule to democracy. And that was so wrong and so devastating that we had to really come out publicly for that intervention the DG, NBC was there, the DG, Voice of Nigeria, the Executive Director, News, N.T.A. And I was so delighted that without any prompting from government, ordinary Nigerians who are lovers of democracy came out in Port Harcourt, Jos and in fact, Labour too came up with a very clear statement, we have also had editorial opinions, right across the nation people have expressed solidarity with democracy. This is very important. What we have done so far is this. This initial directive of government was that, look, this was not in the interest of Nigeria, Nigerians are really infuriated by this, get this man out of Nigeria. Well, that was the directive to the Internal Affairs. As the Minister of Information, I had to intervene, to say that whereas that is absolutely correct because what they said is totally a violation, a violation of national solidarity and integrity and support for democracy. They will not do that to their own democracy. But while that is the case, I think there is a more refined way of doing this rather than deport the guy immediately and we will now have a media war and some other negative reports. So I called the reporter, for two or three hours here, with the DG, Voice of Nigeria, and we pointed out to him one by one the areas he made serious mistakes. And at the end of the day, he himself was profoundly devastated, in the sense that he discovered he was just addressing the wrong public in terms of this particular issue. Then immediately he gave me the telephone number of his boss in Atlanta. I phoned the boss to tell him, look, the credibility of CNN in Nigeria is very seriously at stake. You better move your man, relocate him and send someone who has a more profound understanding of the diversity in Nigeria, to cover the place. I am hoping that has been done. Fortunately for me, the NBC has been very alert and has been giving us tremendous support. We want to be refined about this because we love free press, we like to give opportunity to the local and international press to do their job. But there is a limit. Because at that point the very stability of the nation was being threatened by this kind of reporting, which was international, that was the most terrible part of it. It was on the Internet, it was everywhere, you can down-load it, he was sending them wrong signals. We hope they will not press the government to the extent of applying the law firmly. So, we are taking this professional procedure, we have advised them professionally, we have no doubt they will take that route and relocate the guy from Nigeria, if they haven`t already done so. Q. There is a kind of culture in the media that when something like this happens, the organisation will carry a retraction or an apology. Did you ask for that? We feel the report was wrong. Initially they felt it was only government that was reacting, that the rest of Nigerians were happy with their story, until they now started seeing reactions without any prompting. And it is true, government didn`t prompt anybody apart from letting Nigerians know what has happened. Now that they know the true situation of things, I have no doubt at all that if they want to rebuild their credibility in Nigeria, they will make amends. There is this school of thought which says that apart from Western powers behind this negative media, perhaps the government hasn t done things in the way they had expected. It seems there is some element of truth in that statement because of the growing influence of Nigeria, there is no doubt at all there are certain powers abroad that will be getting very worried . But perhaps, the more worrying aspect of this is that there is a local, very, very strong local kind of support, the design has a location in the system because a number of things that we are discovering in this whole process, it would appear that certain anti-democratic forces thought they could use events here and there to discredit democracy. Fortunately for us, they now are discovering that Nigerians` love for democracy is so-deeply rooted, and their hatred for military rule is so severe, eh, that they better think again. Otherwise we will take note of internal forces that were thinking they could ride on this one, public reactions, all this explosion that happened and so, they just find out that democracy is the only thing needed to deliver the goods. That is what we are trying to do. Nigerians are saying, look, whatever may be the problem of a democratically elected government in the area of security, we prefer democracy much more than military rule. They don`t even want to think about it. That s what Nigerians are saying. So, I don`t want to blame the foreign forces so much as I want to blame the internal forces that are trying to engineer all these crises here and there. And they should stop it! It is wrong. Because some of these crises are just internally generated. I am not talking about the explosions now, I am talking about the ethnic ones. They better stop it. If they want to come up for election in 2003, the people of Nigeria will freely elect them. Copyright Vanguard. Distributed by All Africa Global Media (AllAfrica.com) -0- (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** PALESTINE. IFJ CONDEMNS ISRAELI BOMBING OF PALESTINIAN RADIO/TV | Excerpt from International Federation of Journalists press release on 21 February The International Federation of Journalists [IFJ] today warned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that Israel's latest bombing of Palestinian radio and television facilities, this time in Gaza City, was a dangerous strategy that could lead to targeting of media around the world. In a letter to the Israeli Prime Minister, the IFJ says that attacks on public broadcasting facilities in Ramallah and Gaza City were not justified and "reinforce our strong belief that Israel is making the world a more dangerous place for journalists". "The broadcasts of the Palestine official media have infuriated many Israelis because they tell the story of the conflict from a clear Palestinian perspective," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary; "However, such anger does not justify military targeting of public broadcasting offices and installations." The IFJ protest comes only days after an emergency series of risk- awareness training courses organized by the IFJ for around 100 Palestinian journalists in the West Bank and Gaza. "We are anxious to improve levels of safety for both Palestinian and Israeli staff," says White in his appeal to the prime minister. "However, the policy of your government and military strategists compromises the validity of these humanitarian objective." White last week visited the destroyed premises of the Voice of Palestine in Ramallah and met with Israel's press information director. The IFJ, which is the world's largest journalist group, says Israel's destruction of Palestine broadcasting offices and equipment continues an unacceptable trend of targeting of media which began after NATO's 1999 bombing of the RTS broadcasting station in Belgrade, in which 16 media staff died. This clear precedent is now being followed in the Middle East, in the conflict between India and Pakistan, and the unexplained destruction of the Kabul office of Arabic broadcaster Al- Jazeera in the Afghanistan bombing campaign. The IFJ has called on Prime Minister Sharon to immediately end targeting of media, if not, "we fear this cycle of violence will intensify with the journalists and media workers becoming victims everywhere in spite of their protection under international law". The IFJ also deplored the Israeli attack over the weekend on the headquarters of the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions, an organization affiliated with the International Confederation of Trade Unions. The building, which was erected with the support of the international labour movement, was severely damaged. The IFJ says that military assaults on legitimate civil institutions like trade unions have nothing to do with the fight against terrorism. "Such attacks," said White, "damage the functioning of legitimate, democratic civil institutions; movements that are essential in any future lasting peace for the region."... Source: International Federation of journalists press release, Brussels, in English 21 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. Re Poro VOA site: The 50 kW units are mobile; that's why they are called PHX. The Tinang Transmitter Plant includes twelve 250,000-watt and three 50,000-watt transmitters with 31 large, high-gain curtain antennas suspended between towers 400 to 500 feet high. Commercial power is used to run all equipment and is obtained from a 230,000-volt highline through our own 20-megawett power substation. Construction of a standby 8,000,000-watt power generating plant was completed in 1995. The Poro Transmitter Plant in La Unión Province, 180 miles north of Manila, has a one million-watt MW transmitter, and one (1) MW 3- pattern array antenna. Power can be generated at the Poro Power Plant with an installed capacity of 6,000 kW; however commercial power is currently utilized. http://usembassy.state.gov/manila/wwwh3027.html (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Feb 11 via DXLD) This is the IBB situation in the PHL: PHT Tinang 250 kW SW PHX Tinang mobile 50 kW SW PHP Poro 1 MW mediumwave (Olle Alm-SWE, BC-DX Feb 13) PHP Poro PHL 16N26 120E17 PHT Tinang 1 PHL 15N21 120E37 PHX Tinang 2 PHL 15N21 120E38 (HFCC sites list) It's interesting that the PHX designation is made up of mobile transmitters - I assume 'mobile' in the sense that these units are readily capable of being shifted from site to site, whereas the others are 'fixed' installations. TDP lists Tinang with 3 of 50 kW GAT HF-50C of 1966 - Poro is listed with three of the same, but dated 1964 (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Feb 13 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. RUSSIAN RADIO DROPS OLYMPIC TUNE FROM BROADCASTS | Text of report by Russian Mayak radio on 22 February The Voice of Russia radio company has removed the Olympic jingle from its broadcasts in protest against the biased refereeing at the Olympic games. Voice of Russia broadcasts in 33 languages. The company's leaders said might is right at the Olympic Games instead of a spirit of fair play. That's why the majority of Russians regard what is happening as an insult to their national pride. Source: Radio Mayak, Moscow, in Russian 1700 gmt 22 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Take that! ** SOMALILAND. 7530, R. Hargeisa, 1855 Feb 18. Heavy atmospherics destroyed the readability of male speakers in unID language. Typical Horn of Africa music could be heard quite well despite the usual low level signal. No sound from other Somalia outlets this day (Charles Jones, Australia, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SPAIN. Schedule for REE includes: 2300-0000 on 9540 9620 11945 15160 15945 (Héctor Goikoetxea, Feb Asociación Diexman del Uruguay, via DXLD) 15945??? Perhaps a typo for 11945, but that frequency rang a bell; unfortunately, the previous unID in DXLD 2-022 was on 15954 (gh, DXLD) ** SPAIN. Today (22/2/02) I heard once again a strange signal that I noticed 2 weeks ago, on 14911.5 kHz Radio Exterior de España in Wide FM!!! I monitored from 1555 to 1644 UT, with a huge signal. I was so baffled by this, that I phoned Alan Gale, who confirmed not only that the signal was NOT a spurious image in my receiver, but also that the signal was indeed in Wide FM! Any ideas? Why would REE want to transmit an FM signal on 14 MHz? Regards, Tim Bucknall, N.W England. Rx Lowe HF 125 and ALA 1530 outdoor broadband active loop, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. SLBC, 9770, Feb 17 0050-0120+, English. Lite instrumental music, ``R. Sri Lanka`` IDs, timechecks. Religious program at 0115. \\ 15425 weak at tune-in but progressively improved to fair to good level by 0120. 9770 weak but in the clear until 0100. Wiped out by DX via Sackville at 0100 on 9765 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. CLANDESTINE, 21550, Millennium Voice via Woofferton, 1355-1430* Feb 17. Program in Sudanese Arabic with commentary by female speaker, interspersed with ID's as 'Idha ' at sout al Qarn' and 'This is Millennium Voice. 1400 into a African News Bulletin with references different events in Zimbabwe/Sudan/Tanzania etc. 1417 Report of upcoming elections in Zimbabwe by CNN Reporter. Selection of up-beat modern music at close, off with final IDs. Signal was quite good over Christian Voice (Ed Kusalík, Alberta, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U K. Couple of programmes of interest this weekend: Amateur Radio on BBC Radio 3, 23 Feb ------------------------------------ Richard Buckby, G3VGW, kindly passed on a message originally posted on the packet radio network by Bob, M0RAW. There will be a programme featuring amateur radio on BBC Radio 3 this Saturday, the 23rd of February, at 10.00pm. The programme, called 'Between the Ears', is this week subtitled 'The Silent Key' and, according to the 'Radio Times', is an audio diary investigation into the history of radio enthusiasts and short-wave hobbyists. The presenter follows the trail of one particular operator who was a teenager in 1957 when he first exchanged QSL cards (Min Standen, Reading Amateur Radio group email list) It is a 45 minute programme. Radio 4 on the same day has at 1530-1600 The Indispensables: Lynne Truss examines the impact of inventions that are now taken entirely for granted. Don't Drive to Wagner; the Car Radio With the first commercial car radio in 1932 came fears that distracted motorists would crash. But it became every commuter's companion and saved millions from going mad in traffic jams. Elton John, Sean Street and Vicki Butler Henderson applaud the car stereo and look to the future, including car TVs, computers and the internet (via Mike Barraclough, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just heard the latter, and that was a really fun show. Unfortunately, it`s not on BBCR4`s on-demand list, but those who refer to our MONITORING REMINDERS page had plenty of advance warning (gh, DXLD) ** U K. [BDXC-UK] BBC WS and Bush House . Does anyone know the latest on the plans for BBCWS to vacate Bush House? Cheers Chris Brand ----------- Hi Chris, I don't know how this proposed move is progressing. I did have raised eyebrows at the thought of both BBC's sharing Broadcasting House. The idea of sharing facilities and reducing manpower seems commendable enough, but it would seem an accountants nightmare to separate the costs for each service. Particularly as the W/S is funded from taxation and the domestic services from TV licence fees. It would surely make sense to amalgamate the financial structure too so that all BBC radio was paid for by taxation and just BBC TV to be financed by the TV licence. I suppose the W/S will occupy some of the areas vacated by the "BBC Experience" which was probably interesting to Anoraks, but as a visitor attraction was not far behind the Greenwich Millenium Dome in terms of a financial success. Regards (Andy Cadier, Feb 22, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Report No: IHF 00030 Released: 02/21/2002. INTERNATIONAL HIGH FREQUENCY RE: APPLICATIONS ACCEPTED FOR FILING. OET. Contact: Tom Polzin at (202) 418-2148, TTY (202) 418-2555, e-mail: tpolzin@fcc.gov (Benn Kobb, Feb 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Among the points VOA Director Bob Reilly makes on this week`s Press Conference USA, as heard on webcast at 1633 Feb 23, responding to questioning by the host Neal Lavon, and by Kim Elliott: It was a mistake to eliminate music from VOA when News Now was formed; soon there will be an hour of music back on the NN schedule. VOA should broadcast in more languages, and expand programming in some existing languages. VOA should be ``rebuilt``, and extend reach to troubled areas, such as the Horn of Africa. Final repeat of this non- archived show is Sat 2033-2055 (notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. VOA will be broadcasting a 60th anniversary special UT Mon Feb 25 at 1900 (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn: President Bush will visit VOA on Monday, and his speech at 1900 UT in the VOA auditorium will be broadcast live by VOA News Now. Talk to America on Monday [1705-1755] will have as guests nine former directors of VOA. 73 (Kim Elliott, VOA, Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NOGO LOGO By Al Kamen, Friday, February 22, 2002; Page A23 Amidst all the uproar over the Pentagon plan for an official office of dezinformatzye, folks at the Voice of America have signed a contract for $1 million a year for up to four years with a Baltimore communications firm to boost their audience overseas. The firm, Eisner Communications, has billed VOA about $130,000 so far under the contract. Part of its effort was to come up with a new logo for the VOA. Everything was fine until someone at the Senate got a peek at a proposed logo that looked, according to someone who's seen it, something like this: "Many voices?" The notion apparently didn't sit well with Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), who favors VOA speaking with one voice. Helms fired off a letter to the Broadcasting Board of Governors asking to see the design and to "please share with me an itemized accounting of the costs to the U.S. government to develop the logo." The board has not reviewed any of the draft logos, BBG Chairman Marc Nathanson, a Clinton holdover, said in a Feb. 12 letter to Helms, and all this is in a most "preliminary stage," part of the "creative process" and "not yet adopted." "The logo that you have heard about," Nathanson wrote, "is a very small part of a strategic marketing plan being developed to increase VOA listenership in areas important to U.S. foreign policy." VOA folks say the agency spends a pittance on marketing and promotion and needs to do better. Betcha the final logo won't look like the draft. © 2002 The Washington Post Company From: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49490-2002Feb21.html but unfortunately the nogo logo is not illustrated; perhaps it be in the print edition (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WWCR spur on 9300v: Feb 16 at 2145-2200+, English religious programming; wideband distorted spur from 9475, which had a good, strong, clean signal. Spur was covering 9050-9475 almost continuously. Strongest around 9300. Heard on two different receivers plus a Sony 2010 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SPECTRUM ALLOCATIONS: FCC APPROVES ULTRAWIDEBAND The nation's communications regulators have approved limited use of a new technology that is actually capable of seeing through walls, finding disaster victims and even preventing car crashes. Known as ultra-wideband, is a new method of wireless transmission is being promoted as a potential solution to the squeeze on the nation's airwaves created by the explosion of mobile phone, pager and other wireless device usage. We have more in this report: Ultra-wideband devices will for now operate only in 960 MHz and in the 1.99 to 10.6 GHz bands. In theory, at least, you should never even know that they are there. This is because proponents of ultra-wideband claim that interference to other spectrum users is virtually non- existent -- based on the ultra short duration and pulsed nature of the transmissions. And the Federal Communications Commission agreed when it voted unanimously about a week ago to allow the technology to be used on a limited unlicensed basis. The FCC proceeded cautiously out of uncertainty whether ultra-wideband could coexist with other strategic services. In other words, it wanted to be certain that it would not cause harmful interference to military communications, cellular telephones and the Global Positioning System. So it only provided ultra-wideband access to a small portion of RF real estate. None-the-less, the real-life implications of the limits of the FCC decision are far reaching. Up to now the military has been the only ultra-wideband user. This FCC action will allow for wireless communications and accurate readings of location and distance that have a wide range of civilian applications. For the general public this includes wireless, high-speed transmissions over short distances. Possibly as a way of sending video from a camcorder to a television set or data from a personal digital assistant to a laptop computer. The technology might also include sensor systems in cars to alert a driver to movement near the vehicle. This could prevent collisions and promote smart air bag deployment. Otherwise, the FCC has limited use of ultra-wideband technology to public safety. Only police and fire officials, scientific researchers, mining and construction companies will be permitted the use of so- called ground-penetrating radar devices. These would only be permitted to radiate straight down with little or no signal leakage in any other direction. The FCC notes that this system could help rescuers find victims in rubble following a disaster or locate ruptured underground pipelines without digging up entire neighborhoods. The FCC severely limited distribution of ultra-wideband devices that can see through walls and detect motion within certain areas. Only law enforcement and firefighters will be permitted to have them. In other words, you won't soon be buying a home camcorder that can peer through your wall and into your next door neighbor's apartment. And you probably never will. Right now the introduction of ultra-wideband will have very little impact on ham radio due to the limited spectrum being allocated to it. But it's use could be expanded in the future if it's proved not to interfere with existing military and public service communications. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Robert Sudock, WB6FDF, in Los Angeles. If ultra-wideband is successful it could eventually open up a whole new world of communications for ham radio. For starters, think in terms of so-called smart software defined radios. Radio's that are so smart that you tell it who you want to talk to and it calls you when that person is ready to hold a QSO. More on this emerging technology in future Amateur Radio Newsline reports (FCC and other published reports, ARNL Feb 22 via John Norfolk, DXLD) Finally a report actually mentioning the frequency ranges; fortunately, way above HF --- so far (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. ENFORCEMENT: DON'T PLAY MUSIC ON THE AIR The FCC has told three hams that they have been caught allegedly playing music on the air. In letters to the trio, FCC Rules Enforcer Riley Hollingsworth says that such transmissions are contrary to the Commission's rules regarding the Amateur Radio Service: Hollingsworth: "We warned Ronald Marshott, N2NGY of Berkely Heights New Jersey, Frank Grzych W1FU of Johnston Rhode Island, Martin J. Bellingeri, W2OT, of Saddle Brook New Jersey and Zack Elliott K2BLU Haworth New Jersey about playing music on the 75 meter band." According to Hollingsworth the transmissions took place on 3.832 MHz on the evening of November 27, 2001. (FCC, RAIN, via Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 22 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. FCC LOOSENS COMPLAINT RULES By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Staff Writer The FCC has proposed new rules that could make it easier for listeners to complain about radio content. Under current rules, a complaint about, say, indecency must be accompanied by a tape or transcript. FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, among others, says this is a burden, because most people don't carry recording equipment around. Under a sweeping new proposal that would apply to everything the FCC regulates, including radio, consumers would be allowed to file informal complaints. They would cite a station and a time, and the station would have to respond. The FCC says this would streamline the process, because most complaints would also be resolved informally. Perhaps surprisingly, Copps says that while he supports the proposal, he would want to be sure the FCC doesn't use such a rule to avoid taking a strong stand of its own on indecent content. Original Publication Date: 2/21/02 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Monday, February 18, 2002 FORNATALE CONCERNED OVER FUTURE AT WFUV By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Staff Writer As if to illustrate that WBAI and WNYC aren't the only non-commercial stations with programming controversies, WFUV (90.7 FM) is having a dispute with its Saturday afternoon host, Pete Fornatale. Fornatale wasn't on-air for his "Mixed Bag" this weekend, though he picked the songs and sent a statement saying he had received a reaction inside the station to his Feb. 9 show that made him wonder if he could continue doing "Mixed Bag." The station said nothing more, and Fornatale yesterday declined further comment, except to say that he and his wife are taking a short trip and he expects to speak with station officials when he returns later in the week. Those conversations, he indicated, will determine whether he comes back next week. His fans have launched a flurry of speculation on this rift, much of it focusing on the content of the Feb. 9 show. Fornatale raised several topical issues that day, including a joke Valentine for Osama Bin Laden and a lament about rich people like Mayor Bloomberg spending so much money to win elective office. He also made a crude characterization of Enron executives when he played Ray Stevens' "Mr. Businessman." None of the comments seemed to go beyond remarks widely heard elsewhere in media. Fornatale, who began his career at WFUV in the '60s before moving to WNEW and elsewhere, has been an outspoken critic of what he calls today's cookie-cutter "McRadio." He just did a show marking his one- year anniversary back at WFUV and said, "The thrill for me is back. I feel like I'm doing some of my best work ever right now." (via Bob Thomas, DXLD) Wednesday, February 20, 2002 WFUV WONDERS IF FORNATALE HAS NEW 'BAG' By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Staff Writer WFUV loves Pete Fornatale's Saturday "Mixed Bag" show, station manager Ralph Jennings said yesterday, "but if he wants to add political commentary, that constitutes a change in format we would want to discuss with him." Fornatale didn't do his show Saturday, though he picked the music, saying he was troubled by an unspecified response from WFUV (90.7 FM) to his Feb. 9 program. Jennings said yesterday that the problem was what Fornatale called on the air "the first 'Mixed Bag' editorial" — an Internet article that talked about killing Osama Bin Laden and used the F-word. While the word was bleeped out, Jennings said it was "very clear what it was ... and it's something we don't allow." The bigger issue, however, said Jennings, was "the addition of one- sided commentary on editorial issues. It is station policy that [Fordham president] Father [Joseph] O'Hare is the only person who does commentary on the air." Jennings said he spoke with Fornatale on Friday and the issue was left unresolved. "We told him that if he wanted to change the format of 'Mixed Bag' to include commentary, that's something we would have to consider, and we would. We did not tell him it could not happen. We did not tell him he could not be on the air Saturday." Jennings praised "Mixed Bag," calling it "a marvelous show. I love the music, and we've been very happy with it since Pete came back. ... So I was flabbergasted when this came up." Fornatale said Sunday he hoped to speak with station officials when he returns from a brief vacation this week, and Jennings said he will be glad to. "We've enjoyed our relationship with Pete," he said, "and I'm hopeful we can find a resolution." (via Bob Thomas, DXLD) Sat 2200-0100 UT Sun, still on the WFUV block schedule at website; however Feb 23 is pre-empted by stupid ballgame 3:55-6 pm local, i.e. until 2300 UT, and the 6-8 pm segment is not specified. Suspense! (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Friday, February 22, 2002 'GLICK': A TERRIFIC TOADY, WARTS AND ALL By DAVID BIANCULLI, Daily News TV Critic PRIMETIME GLICK. Tomorrow [local Saturday EST] at 10 p.m., Comedy Central. Adrian van Voorhees, the harp-playing sidekick to the rotund and clueless Jiminy Glick, begins the second season of his boss' Comedy Central talk show by asking, "Am I the only one who needs a Glick fix?" No, he's not. Martin Short, in his padded suit as showbiz sycophant Glick, is one of the most unpredictable delights on TV right now. As the second season of "Primetime Glick" begins tomorrow night at 10, viewers, like the celebrity guests, have a better idea what to expect. All that means, though, is to expect the unexpected. In Glick, Short has created another fully rounded comic character — literally. Like Ed Grimley, Jiminy is so odd, yet so human — so surreal and so real — that he doesn't have to say funny things to be funny. He just is. Michael McKean, as van Voorhees, is just as credibly incredible. Together, he and Short make the best fictional TV talk-show team since Garry Shandling and Jeffrey Tambor on "The Larry Sanders Show," Martin Mull and Fred Willard on "Fernwood 2Night," and Joe Flaherty and John Candy (as Sammy Maudlin and sidekick William B.) on "Second City TV." The "SCTV" comparison is especially apt, because Short got his start there, too — and "Primetime Glick," with its interview segments, film and commercial parodies and other antics, could well be called "SCTV: The Next Generation." If Glick were called into the management office, it wouldn't be surprising to have Andrea Martin as Edith Prickley and Flaherty as Guy Caballero (former executives of the ersatz SCTV network) running the shots. The surprises here, though, come whenever Short, as Glick, opens his mouth — asking a stupid question, telling guests he's bored with their answers or just cramming some more snacks into his mouth like a hoarding chipmunk. Half the time, guests don't know quite how to take him, even when they're game to try. Ben Stiller, one of tonight's guests, never quite recovers. Tom Hanks, on the other hand, is so good a guest, and so playful, that he turns the tables on Glick, and Short, by doing something so shocking that the host is the one who's speechless. Great stuff, and a great start to a new season (NY Daily News via DXLD) That`s UT Sunday 0300-0330 on Comedy Central; repeats are UT Tue 0630- 0700, following Sat 1330-1400. Maybe there will be more repeats now that a new season has begun; CC feed as received here; there may be a delayed west-coast feed too (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. INTERNET MUSIC, By DAVID HO, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) -- Individual music lovers listening to songs on the Internet may play an important role in determining royalties broadcasters will have to pay record companies, a government panel says. The U.S. Copyright Office ruled in December 2000 that organizations distributing music and other radio content over the Internet must pay additional fees to record companies that hold song copyrights. Over the past seven months, the panel has heard testimony from more than 50 witnesses, including musicians such as Alanis Morissette and various officials from the recording, broadcast and Internet industries, which have been struggling to determine the price of music in the Information Age. Proposed rates announced Wednesday are based on each person who is receiving a broadcast sent online. The rates range from .07 of a penny per song for a radio broadcast to .14 of a penny for all other copyrighted audio sent on the Internet. For example, if 1,000 people use their computers to listen to a song broadcast by a radio station online, the broadcaster would have to pay for the song and for each of those listeners, or 70 cents. If those people listen to two songs, the fee would be $1.40. Record companies do not receive fees for songs played only on radio broadcasts. "We feel that this is a thoughtful, carefully reasoned decision," said Eric van Loon, chairman of the arbitration panel. For the next month, parties from the music and Internet industries will be able to comment on the recommendations, which do not become final until approved by government lawyers and the librarian of Congress, said David Carson, general counsel with the Copyright Office. He said more details of the proposal probably will be made public within a week. The recommendations left both sides wanting more. "We would have preferred a higher rate," said Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Association of America. She said, however, that the recommendation is about 10 times the amount Web broadcasters wanted set. "Artists and labels, who have supported these new businesses from the start with their music, are one step closer to getting paid," she said. The Digital Media Association, which represents companies that deliver music and video online, said it was "extremely disappointed" that the proposed rate was not lower. "A lower rate would more accurately reflect the marketplace for music performance rights and the business environment of the Webcast industry," said Jonathan Potter, executive director of the association. National Public Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting negotiated a separate confidential rate for their stations, van Loon said. Other nonprofit groups broadcasting online would be charged a lower rate of .02 to .05 of a penny. The Copyright Office ruling was a major defeat for operators of radio stations, many of whom also run Web sites that carry the content of their broadcasts live. Broadcasters have argued they already pay licensing fees to songwriters and music publishers so that they can play the copyrighted material on radio airwaves. Paying record companies to transmit songs and other content on the Internet would be double-dipping, they said. Last August, a federal court threw out a broadcasting industry challenge to the ruling. The broadcasters have appealed. ------ On the Net: U.S. Copyright Office: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/ Digital Media Association: http://www.digmedia.org National Association of Broadcasters: http://www.nab.org Recording Industry Association of America: http://www.riaa.com (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. UPROAR OVER NEW US COVERT PROPAGANDA PLAN Sydney Morning Herald Story http://www.smh.com.au/news/0202/20/world/world103.html Washington: US media watchdogs reacted with dismay today to news that a little-known Pentagon office was considering influencing international opinion on the war on terrorism, with a broad campaign possibly including planting false stories in foreign media. Should the proposals offered by the cloistered and well-funded Office of Strategic Influence (OSI) be approved by Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, it bodes ill for both US journalists and perception of US operations abroad, several experts said. "Setting out to deliberately lie or 'spread misinformation' can't have anything but a terrible impact down the road for any nation that claims to be an open and democratic society," said Freedom Forum analyst Paul McMasters. "The only thing more dangerous than reacting in panic is to set out on a deliberate policy of lying and deception, where it is next to impossible for ordinary people, Americans or otherwise, to know what is the truth and what is a lie." Air Force General Simon Worden was quietly installed as the head of the OSI, established after the September 11 terror attacks, to wage a campaign to shape international opinion, defence officials said today, confirming a report by the New York Times. The office envisions its mission as ranging from overt public diplomacy to the covert use of disinformation such as false stories to wage a secret propaganda war, Pentagon officials said. "This is terrible," said Reed Irvine, the founder of the conservative watchdog Accuracy In Media. "It's true that Winston Churchill said the truth was so precious it should be guarded with a bodyguard of lies, but there is no justification for this. There are great disadvantages in the (US) govt copying the communists and the old Soviet Union in the battle of disinformation." That foreign media outlets are the potential vehicles for deliberate misinformation is not surprising, said Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting analyst Peter Hart, as "foreign media have generally been more skeptical of the war in their coverage". "And it's readily acknowledged by anyone paying attention to this, from the White House point of view, that there is some effort to undo some of that." Revelations of the existence and function of the Office of Strategic Influence are only the latest on the Bush administration's campaign to obfuscate the US war on terror and manipulate media coverage, noted McMasters. Warnings to nx agencies from US officials not to air full interviews with top terror suspect Osama bin Laden; a request from Secretary of State Colin Powell to the emir of Qatar to monitor the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network; and pressure on federally-funded Voice of America not to air an interview with a Taliban official are all part of the same campaign, he said. "That, combined with the real, heightened attention to secrecy... at the Pentagon and the unprecedented restrictions on press covering the war... means that essentially, Americans are being asked to trust their govt while govt at the same time is saying emphatically that it does not trust the American public," he said. Such policies could also put US journalists in harm's way while they are reporting overseas "even more than they are now", McMasters added. "There is already the perception among some abroad that American journalists are instruments of American foreign policy, in league with govt agencies," he said, pointing to the kidnap of Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl in Pakistan as an extreme example. Journalists, both American and foreign, either working in the United States or abroad, will have to redouble efforts to ensure that "the integrity of (our) work is more important than any other propaganda campaign", said Hart. "Journalists in other countries are on notice now, to be even more skeptical of official and unofficial claims coming from American sources," he added (AFP Feb 20, via Barry Hartley, NZ, BC-DX via DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB: Just heard this one for the first time tonite. strong and clear signal into Sydney Australia, 6890 at 0700 UT. A rather disturbing mix of Race hate, pro Gun, anti-government and religious venom (something really scary about these people). Sign off with ID (World Wide Religious Broadcasting) and mentioned they were using //5085 (which I didn`t check). Off at 0727. Note they have a web-page at http://www.wwfv.net so this is the old WWFV, I guess (Jem Cullen, Australila, Feb 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Again this Fri Feb 22 tried to hear webcast of Altas Ondas from Voz Cristã, during the 1600 UT hour, but could not get a connexion despite several tries. Attempt again at 1704 and connected immediately, with Édson talking about antennas, and then into some Brazilian gospel rock, which he had not played much of in previous DX shows; I was suspecting that programming might shift one UT hour {later} to keep up with return of Brasil to standard time last Sunday. But evidently not, as the next few minutes did not get back to DX subject matter, but more overt evangelism. He seems to be obsessed with this subject, not a healthy mental state. BTW, the Brazilians have come up with some interesting given names, not deriving from Portuguese. Édson, I think, comes from Edison, whom one might expect to be honoured by North Americans in naming their children, but I cannot think of anyone on this continent with such a given name; yet it is relatively common in Brasil (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. HEY, IT'S NEWS 4 N.Y. - SO WHY'S IT COMING FROM UTAH? By ADAM BUCKMAN February 22, 2002 -- IF you think it's odd for a New York TV station to start its 11 o'clock news with the words, "Live from Salt Lake City!" join the club. That's how Ch. 4's newscasts have been starting for almost two weeks now. And I know I can't be the only one scratching his head over the station's nonsensical decision to move its news anchors all the way to Utah for the duration of the NBC Winter Olympics. About the best thing I can say about the nightly ordeal of watching Sue Simmons and Chuck Scarborough wearing parkas and headsets on the 11 o'clock news is that it will soon be over. And that will bring the curtain down on one of the most ridiculous spectacles ever staged in the annals of TV news - a local station sending its anchors 2,200 miles away to present stories originating from right around here, such as the one on Wednesday night about the battle to save a 100-year-old tree in Riverdale from a developer's chainsaw. Did they really have to send Chuck and Sue all the way to Salt Lake City for that? Relocating our local news anchors to Mormon country is an extreme example of the lengths a network will go to create an across-the-board uniformity in programming during unique, special events such as the Olympics. Unfortunately, to viewers watching Ch. 4's news every evening for the past two weeks, this particular effort has come across as just plain silly, not to mention downright jarring. But if Ch. 4's Salt Lake City newscasts seem strange, they're no stranger than some of the other stuff going on lately in local news. At Ch. 5, for example, everyone suddenly has ants in their pants. On the 10 p.m. news, people move around so much it's as if the new management has forbidden anybody to stand still. It's like watching people who have drunk far too many cups of coffee. And the station has been dumping its most familiar faces left and right. Bob O'Brien's been moved to Ch. 9. Penny Crone is going to Ch. 2. Tom McDonald, one of the best sports guys in town, has flown the coop entirely. If memory serves, Ch. 2 cleaned house in much the same way a few years back and they're still paying for it. At Ch. 11, the news director has apparently hired a deejay because there's music playing every time you turn on "The WB News at 10." And, if there's a more stupid and useless feature anywhere on any local newscast than Ch. 11's "Tell Us at 10" survey question ("Log on to our Web site and tell us: 'Who's your favorite member of *NSYNC'!"), then I haven't seen it. A local New York newscast originating from Salt Lake City? Why am I not surprised! Copyright 2001 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. A reminder that WGY is scheduled to do its DX test tonight, early Sunday 0700-0900 UT; tho those who keep up with http://worldofradio.com/calendar hardly need reminding; details back in DXLD 2-015 (gh) Sunday, February 24, 2002 - WGY-810, Schenectady, NY 2:00 am - 4:00 am EST (NRC via Lynn Hollerman, DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Following up on last week's tip from Harold Frodge he passes along this: ex-MARE Chuck Boehnke [Hawai`i] says he thinks the new US Virgin Islands station 1620 WDHP in Fredericksted may already be off the air. I haven't heard them either after that first catch on 8-Feb. Here are the USVI stations listed in the NRC 22nd ed. AM Log: 970 WSTX Christiansted; 5/1 KW. Ethnic //100.3 FM 1000 WVWI Charloiie Amalie; 5/1 KW. AdCon, Talk, "Radio 1" 1090 WGOD Charlotte Amalie; 0.25D KW. Religious [Forget it.] 1290 WRRA Fredericksted; 0.5/0.29 KW. ESPN [Not much chance for this one either but 1620 WDHP relayed them.] 1340 WSTA Charlotte Amalie; 1/1 KW. Talk 1620 WDHP Fredericksted; 10/1 KW. Variety mx, //1290 WRRA 1690 WGOD Charlotte Amalie; 10/1 KW. Religious [Move from 1090, not on yet.] (Ken Zichi, MI, MARE Tipsheet Feb 22 via DXLD) Well, there have been lots of other reports of it since Feb 8, but that is not to say that it has not been missing at times (gh, DXLD) 1620 | US VIRGIN ISLANDS | WDHP, Fredriksted, St. Croix, FEB 17, 0126 - soca song "Long Time to Wait"; piling over WTAW/WDND on N-S broadband loop, in jumble on other antennas. + FEB 17 0600 - booming in with ID mentioning WRRA-1290 AM, WAXJ-103.5 FM, and WDHP-1620. [Mark Connelly, MA, NRC-AM via DXLD] ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Nothing about it [additional mid-day broadcast on 11670] at http://www.swradioafrica.com Elections are March 9-10, so the two-week before-and-after period would be Feb 23-Mar 24. Presumably via SENTECH; not good for ECNA at that hour, plus RFI is strong on the channel (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Feb 20, via BC-DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 6715 USB, 2230 Feb. 22, African Evangelical, heard here again, becoming audible around 2230, up to fairly good strength by 2300. Apparently, this station is maintaining a Friday night sked. Program was similar to last week, with excited preaching by OM in unfamiliar African dialect @ 2230. At 2310 I heard evangelical type of music, in what sounded like an arena or concert setting, with a couple of musical instruments and lots of excitement, screaming, and moaning in the background. I checked again around 2330 and heard a man giving a sermon. Off by 2340 recheck, which was about the time it went off last week. Again, I heard no station announcements (David Hodgson, Nashville, TN, Feb 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also checked for it here around 2300 and afterwards, but not audible here a megameter further west (Glenn Hauser, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Otherness/Wierdness/Clandestine etc.: 2662: The Backward Music station at 0553 14 Feb. Weird and eerie. Some people think this sounds like whales. More than likely feedback from some sort of Navy operation, according to the spooks@qth.net list (Liz Cameron, MI, MARE via DXLD 14 Feb) 15265 from USA, 2320 1/29 Something splattering all over the range 15000-15600. Seemed to be from 15265. 15265 was // to 12010. 15265 listed as IBB Greenville in HFCC list. VOA or Marti? (Larry Russell, MI, MARE via DXLD) Well, as in DXLD 1-139, the A-01 schedule matches for WMLK on 15265: 15265.0 1700 2200 WMLK 125 53 27,28,39 However, this frequency had not yet been reported active, presumably not until their new transmitter be ready, and it would not be \\ 12010. Anyhow, this was a sesquihour later. Rather than HFCC, when IBB be involved, one ought to check the more updated schedule at http://sds.his.com:4000/fmds_w/schedules/cur_freqsked.txt Where one finds it`s VOA in Spanish, not R. Martí: 12010 2300 0000 VOA LA-2 SPAN GB 07 176 15265 2300 0000 VOA LA-2 SPAN GA 08 164 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15375/U; 2034-2101+, 19-Feb; Howling sound; started out sounding like a Halloween pirate; kept getting lower in pitch sounding like a stuck motor bike till 2053 then back up in pitch. S8 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SWIPER 60 Meter Band? I am wondering if you, or other European DX'ers have experienced significant interference in the 60 mb as a result of a "sweeper" signal? I'm not the most technically oriented person, but I'd describe it as a signal that bleeds over large portions of the 60 mb here in NAm and makes a loud, muffled beeping sound. It has been confirmed that this signal emanates from universities in Maine and New Jersey (and other places), that are conducting oceanographic experiments regarding ocean waves. A friend and fellow DX'er Andy Wallace has researched this topic (I am sending him a copy of this e-mail), and is in contact with the involved universities and the manufacturer of the radio equipment they are using, to explore how to resolve this problem, and has made some progress. However, if it could be demonstrated that this interference is also experienced by European listeners (I would imagine that Britain, Ireland, France, Portugal, and Spain would be the most likely places) this might help to push them to resolve this problem. Basically, the 60 mb is almost ruined for DX'ing here, and not just on the USA East Coast! If you could suggest any ways to contact European DX'ers, or could inquire about this with others, it would be appreciated. If these signals are being received in Germany or further inland in Europe that would be especially interesting. Apparently, there are going to be more such oceanographic experiments using this radio technology, here and elsewhere (Ross Comeau, Andover MA, Dxrcomeau@aol.com to Martin Elbe, BC-DX Feb 16 via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-029, February 21, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1119: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.html FIRST AIRINGS on WWCR: Thu 2130 15685, Fri 1030 9475, Sat 0600 5070 FIRST AIRINGS on RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, 2400 on some of: 7445 AM/USB, 15039, 21815-USB AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 rest of world, 1500 to NAm ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. U.S. Military, 8700 USB, Pysops, 1238 Feb 20, This transmission is still heard here on a regular basis, with the same sort of format. Today, with a fairly good signal by 1300. Same type of regional MX, with M and YL anncrs. Heard the YL mention the words "Afghanistan", and "American" around 1250 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I also checked it around 1350, and 8700 had a better signal than RVOA 9950 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Craig Seager reports that the ABA's database for Australian Mediumwave and FM stations is now available for download at its web site. Simply navigate to http://www.aba.gov.au/broadcasters/radio.htm Supposedly current as of September 2001, and is in PDF format by callsign, frequency or area served. There's also a television section, which may be useful for the summer sporadic E openings, though it's getting tougher to ID the TV stations due to networking/monopolies. Well worth the download! (Australian Radio DX Club – Jan/Feb 2002 via Arctic MV-Eko Information Desk Feb via DXLD) ** CANADA. This week on Quirks & Quarks we sail off to distant stars with our feature item: "The Milky Way Mayflower". The idea of colonising space has long fascinated both scientists and science fiction writers. But the challenges seem overwhelming. It might take at least 200 years to reach the first habitable solar system, even using our most advanced propulsion systems. That means the original space pioneers would be long gone before their great-grandchildren ever reached their destination. So how would you design such a colony to survive in space over several generations? What kind of people would you choose? How would they travel? We'll explore some of the scenarios. Plus --- does the language you speak influence the way you think? All this and more on Quirks & Quarks, Saturday right after the noon news on Radio One (Bob McDonald, Q&Q list via DXLD) ** CANADA. RABINOVITCH DEFENDS CBC, ATTACKS CANWEST OpEd: Robert Rabinovitch, President and CEO OTTAWA, Feb. 20 /CNW/ - A recent spate of articles in CanWest Global publications has called for the dismantling of CBC English Television. So did the company's Executive Chairman, in a recent interview. The motivation for these attacks is obvious: blatant self-interest. (CanWest owns the National Post, the Ottawa Citizen, and numerous other dailies across the country. It also owns Global Television.) What is less clear is any logical or factual basis for these comments. In fact, there is none. CBC Television attracts as large a share of conventional Canadian television viewing as it did five years ago. In fact, this past year, our share of viewing actually went up, while those of the private networks went down. Two-thirds of the population tune in to us each week. All conventional channels are facing audience erosion due to the proliferation of new specialty channels. In this environment of ever- increasing fragmentation, CBC Television is holding its own, while strengthening its role as "Canada's Own" public television network. CBC Television is overwhelmingly and proudly Canadian. In prime time, when most viewers are available to watch, CBC is presenting Canadian dramas, documentaries, public affairs and arts programming produced in all parts of this country, while private broadcasters are simulcasting American sitcoms with Canadian commercials substituted into them. They are driven by an economic imperative; we are delivering on a mandate to serve Canadians. About forty percent of all the prime-time viewing to Canadian programming on all English-language television is on CBC. Less than five percent of it is on Global. Many of CBC's Canadian shows are as popular and high-impact as anything the privates can import from south of the border. One in every two Canadians saw some part of Canada: A People's History. Recently, our Newfoundland-based historical drama Random Passage drew average audiences of 1.2 million. That's equal to Hockey Night In Canada. And those numbers held up even while Global was running the Super Bowl. Right now, millions of people are tuning in to CBC's Olympic coverage. And once again, it's being praised by commentators and viewers on both sides of the 49th parallel as better than NBC's, with about one-tenth the staff. Our Salt Lake City coverage isn't costing the taxpayer a penny; in fact, it's turning a profit. We earned the right to broadcast the Games in Canada, not by outbidding other networks, but by offering clearly superior coverage to anything they could provide. In times of crisis and national importance, people turn first to CBC Television for reliable news and information, as they did during the last federal election and the week of September 11th. We continue to provide a uniquely Canadian perspective on the unfolding events in Afghanistan. Before the last provincial election in Mr. Asper's home province of Manitoba, only CBC Television carried a provincial leaders' debate and full election night results. Meanwhile, his station continued business as usual: paying the bills with simulcasts of US shows. Now, there's nothing wrong with running a profitable operation. But please don't pretend that it takes the place of an essential public service. And please don't repeat the ludicrous suggestion to close CBC-TV but keep CBC Newsworld. Newsworld pays its own incremental costs, through subscription and advertising revenues. But it simply couldn't exist without the basic infrastructure of CBC's award-winning journalists, based across Canada and around the world. Today's media environment is a paradoxical combination of fragmentation and convergence. More and more channels are owned by fewer and fewer players. That adds up to less and less real choice - especially since those players are focused entirely on the interests of their shareholders and advertisers. In these circumstances, a strong public broadcaster, dedicated to the genuine interests of all Canadians, is more necessary than ever. In repeated independent surveys, nine out of ten Canadians say they believe that CBC Television is essential. In the face of ever-increasing concentration of media ownership, only CBC Television provides a public space on the airwaves: a place where Canadians can come together to share important national events, issues and celebrations; a place where they are treated as citizens, not just as consumers. That's why we've cut commercials in half in our flagship newscasts, expanded our ad-free blocks for children and youth, and reintroduced weekly prime-time, commercial-free performing arts programming. Is all this worth it? CBC English Television costs less than $300 million a year in public funds (not the half, three-quarters or one billion some ill-informed writers suggest). That includes the national network, fourteen local stations and the longest distribution system in the world. Perhaps a better question is: can we afford not to have it? Our management team is running our business more efficiently and effectively than ever. And we are reinvesting the proceeds, not in shareholder dividends, but in quality Canadian programming. The orchestrated campaign against CBC Television in this and other publications is the new face of media convergence in Canada. CanWest Global is simply looking out for number one by using (or abusing) its newspapers' editorial pages to push the business objectives of its television stations. We believe Canadians deserve better. And we will continue to provide it to them. -30- For further information: Martine Ménard, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, (613) 724-5720 (via Canada Newswire via CAJ List via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CYPRUS. Re DXLD 2-028 item, Cyprus Radio. Actually their ID says "...maritime service.." not "monitoring". 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Re RFI special, Feb 24 at 1206: The "gang of five" (BBCWS, DW, RN, RFI, VOA) directors recently met at RFI, so perhaps that will be the program. BBCWS and RN sent deputies (Jonathan for RN). (Kim Elliott, VOA, Feb 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. Feb 19 at 1835, AFN Guam, instead of its nominal 5765U was noted on 5770U. Then at 1837 they jumped to 5763U and when rechecking at 1905 they continued there (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Friends, AIR Mumbai is not heard on 4840 & 7240 for the last couple of days. Elections for state elections in Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Uttaranchal etc. are taking place now. Counting of votes will start on 24th February. Look out for special broadcasts on election results on AIR then from 0330 UT. The following SW stations are in those states: Lucknow 4880/7105, Imphal 4775/7150. Other stations may also cover this till the results are fully announced i.e. till around 25th February. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Feb 20, dx_india via WORLD OF RADIO 1119, DXLD) ** INDIA. Received QSL card from AIR Thiruvananthapuram 5010 after 12 1/2 months for report and $1 direct to station. Card sent from New Delhi, v/s A. K. Bhatnagar, Director Frequency Assignments (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, Feb 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR station lists are available from this URL: http://air.kode.net/schedule/fqsch1.html No powers or schedules and no future plans are mentioned for MW stations (Olle Alm, ARC MV-Eko Information Desk Feb via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Hello all, here comes the Thailand Report #2, this time from the island of Ko Pha Ngan. We will stay here until Feb 23, then go back to Bangkok for a day and then travel back to Germany. Equipment: Sony ICF 2001D, magnetic loop antenna All observations from Feb. 19, 2002 At 1300 UT (2000 LT) I found the following station in parallel with News from Jakarta: 3264.7 Gorontalo 3325.0 Palangkaraya, local ID at 1320, O=4-5 3344.9 Ternate 3960.3 Palu, weak modulation, O=3 3976.1 Pontianak, christian choir noted at 1328, 1424 local ID, O=5 4000.1 Kendari (tent; but to my knowledge, RRI Padang has not been reported here for several month here) 4753.3 Makassar 4925.0 Jambi At 1500 the following stations were in parallel for news: 3960.3 Palu 4000.1 Kendari 4753.3 Makassar Pontianak had a music programme of its own at this time. The following s/off times were noted: 3264.7 Gorontalo at 1315 3344.9 Ternate at 1400 3325.0 Palangkaraya at 1448 after sweet sounding music 4000.1 Kendari at 1530 4925.0 Jambi at 1552 3976.1 Pontianak at 1557 after sweet sounding music 4753.3 Makassar at 1558 after sweet sounding music I remember having heard R. KIP on 4696.6 two years ago from the same location. This one seems to be inactive now. 5040 was covered by AIR Jeypore; English news at 1530. (Willi Passmann, Thailand, Feb 20, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM {non]. EARTH AT NIGHT The lights of the nations of the world! Pretty impressive- and even more mind blowing when you start to really think of what it means. Check the link below. This is really a sight to behold. The image is a panoramic view of the world from the new space station. It is a night photo with the lights clearly indicating the populated areas. You can scroll East-West and North-South. Note that Canada's population is almost exclusively along the U.S. border. Moving east to Europe, there is a high population concentration along the Mediterranean Coast. It's easy to spot London, Paris, Stockholm and Vienna. Check out the development of Israel compared to the rest of the Arab countries. Note the Nile River and the rest of the "Dark Continent." After the Nile, the lights don't come on again until Johannesburg. Look at the Australian Outback and the Trans-Siberian Rail Route. Moving east, the most striking observation is the difference between North and South Korea. Note the density of Japan. What a piece of photography. It is an absolutely awesome picture of the Earth taken from the Boeing built Space Station last November (2000) on a perfect night with no obscuring atmospheric conditions. Click or copy/paste here: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights_dmsp_big.jpg (via Randy Stewart, MO, DXLD) I think I see one dot at Enid (gh, Enid) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Dear Listener, Radio Caroline will be running a high power test transmission on 576 kHz AM this coming weekend, from 1400 UT on Saturday 23rd February to 2000 UT on Sunday 24th February. Although this transmission is intended for listeners in north eastern Europe we expect it to be audible in other areas too, particularly after dark. Please send reception reports to: Radio Caroline, 426 Archway Road, Highgate, LONDON N6 4JH, UK. Tel: 01622 684400 Fax: 01622 684485 Email: piratecaroline@cs.com There will be an extra six hour Imagination Show beginning at midnight on Saturday, which features one hour of West Coast progressive rock at 3:00 am and Roger Glover's entire Butterfly Ball and Grasshopper's Feast album at 4:15 am. If you don't have access to equipment to receive Caroline's satellite, cable or web transmissions, this is an ideal opportunity to hear Europe's most unique [sic] radio station. Best regards, Rob Leighton, Radio Caroline *********************************************** Imagination ".....we are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams....." http://www.imagination.clara.net imagination@clara.net (Imagination Radio, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. Clandestine Voice of Iran in Farsi noted on Feb. 19 with new schedule: 1630-1730 on NF 17525 (53553) co-ch Kol Israel in French/English, ex 15690 1730-1930 on NF 15690 (55555), ex 1630-1830 on 12065 (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 20 via WORLD OF RADIO 1119, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. RADIO BOPESHAWA SUSPENDS TRANSMISSION Radio Bopeshawa (Forward), the clandestine radio of the Worker- Communist Party of Iraq (WCPI), is no longer on the air. The WCPI web site was observed on 18 February to carry an announcement saying: "For a better radio transmission and more appropriate broadcast times, Radio Bopeshawa has stopped transmitting its programmes for the time being." The site carries no other reference to Radio Bopeshawa. Radio Bopeshawa, which began broadcasting on 1 February 2001, announces a London address and is believed to broadcast via a hired shortwave transmitter in eastern Europe. The WCPI has a web site http://www.wpiraq.org --- It carries material in Arabic, English and Kurdish and was last updated on 10 February 2002. It gives information on the web site on its Iranian counterpart, the Worker-Communist Party of Iran http://www.wpiran.org (Source: BBC Monitoring research 20 Feb 02 via WORLD OF RADIO 1119, DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. From ukradio.com: Tuesday, 19 February 2002 A new national commercial radio station will soon be heard on millions of ordinary radios following the award of a full broadcast licence by the Isle of Man Government. The new station will broadcast on 279 Long Wave with a power of half a million watts, making it the joint most powerful station in the region and audible throughout the British Isles. Its transmission base will be an offshore platform, just a few miles from the coast but within Manx Waters. The grant of the licence signals the realisation of a long held dream by the Manx Government who have coveted such a powerful voice since Radio Caroline was anchored off its coast in the 1960s. The imposition onto the Island of the anti radio ships bill by Parliament sparked a long running constitutional crisis between the independent island and the UK. As a Crown dependency it enacts its own legislation and has long campaigned for a suitable frequency for such a radio voice. The project is the brainchild of former Caroline disc jockey Paul Rusling, who has run a radio consultancy responsible for setting up several other 'cross border' radio stations, including the very successful Laser 558. He has also been responsible for launching radio stations in other European countries. "There is room in the market for a radio station serving adults," he explains. "Most stations are youth oriented, and as such are in demand by advertisers, however the baby boomer generation is forgotten by all but BBC Radio 2, which doesn't accept commercials. There is a tremendous thirst by advertisers to reach that audience." The offshore base will give a much better take off for the signal which will not only cover the UK and Ireland but parts of neighbouring European countries such as Holland and Belgium. The new station will launch as soon as the facilities can be built and promises a signal audible throughout the entire British Isles. "Our signal will use just one frequency and be audible on millions of existing radios, unlike the digital stations which can only be heard by tuning a satellite receiver, or on a small number of expensive DAB tuners," said Rusling. While programming is not yet finalised, the station expects to be music-led, using well known personality presenters. Investment in the company comes from a mixture of Manx and Yorkshire individuals, but "We are talking to several trade investors - it makes a good fit for several other media companies and we are seeking partners with marketing expertise," confirmed Mr Rusling. Paul Rusling (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Technical error for Kol Israel on Feb. 19: 1630-1655 French and 1700-1730 English both on NF 17525 strong co-channel Voice of Iran in Farsi, ex 17545 (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 20 via WORLD OF RADIO 1119, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Glenn, RE: "hasbaraâ [sic! what`s this? --gh] making its own case in the world." Over the past few months, there has been much discussion, in Israel, about the lack of "Hasbara", the explanation of Israel's positions / point of view to the international community. Hasbara literally means "explanation", from the Hebrew root, LeHasbir, "to explain." Since the lack of appropriate press (non biased) to explain Israel's positions has been such a hot topic, the cutting off of Israel's voice to the world via Israel Radio International, was seen by many, as cutting off one of the few means of "Hasbara" that exist. That would surely not be a smart move (Doni Rosenzweig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel --- Encouraging UPDATE! I should be getting more information tomorrow --- but I was just forwarded the text of a letter sent to the Head of Britain's Jewish Community from Carmelli Israeli the Assistant to the Director of Radio (Amnon Nadav). It reads ...as typed: ---- "Your letter date February 14th, 2002 that was sent to the General Director have been forwarded to our attention. As IBA was under budget constraints towards 2002 it was suggested to cut down some broadcasts. In the meantime, being aware of the importance of "Kol Israel" broadcasts in English and other languages in short-wave, and being aware to the impact of our news these days, we have reconsidered the proposal. Following this reconsideration our external broadcasting will continue as before. Thank you for your concern." ---- Of course, we'd all rather that they would expand their broadcasts -- but, it seems that we're at least getting to keep the current broadcasts. Thanks, Doni (Daniel Rosenzweig, Feb 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. This morning whilst fiddling around with some VHF skip I decided to look for some harmonics. I found one on 30.990, 2X 15.495. Apparently Radio Japan as I heard the NHK ID at 1700*. First heard at around 1605, seemingly in Japanese. I'm not sure where this transmission actually originates from. (Steve Lare, N8KDV, Holland, MI, Feb 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not listed by HFCC for B-01 (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. Harmonic logs: 32.600, Radio Pyongyang [sic] broadcast 5 x 6.520, 2252 UT, AM with OM & YL in Korean. At moderate to strong levels. 34.005, Radio Pyongyang, 3 x 11.335, 2230 UT, AM with OM & YL in Spanish. At strong levels. Cheers for now, (Ian Julian, ZL1TBM, Pukekohe, New Zealand, Feb 21 [so logged UT Feb 20?], harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. Kuwait Amateur Radio Society special event: Kuwait celebrates its national day of liberation February 25-26. To mark the occasion, the Kuwait Amateur Radio Society will operate special event station 9K2NDL from 0000 UT February 23 until 2359 February 28. A commemorative QSL card will be available. Contacts may be on any band or mode. Address QSL requests to Kuwait Amateur Radio Society, PO Box 5240, Safat, 13053, Kuwait. For more information, visit the KARS Web site http://www.kars.org (ARRL February 20 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** LATVIA. Caroline test: see INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non] ** LITHUANIA. Baltijos Bangu Radijas (Radio Baltic Waves) is planning to leave the present transmitter site in a suburb of Vilnius (612 kHz/100 kW) for a new location in southeastern Lithuania late 2003. The new transmitter will operate on 630 kHz/200 kW daytime and 612 kHz/100 kW nighttime. BBR broadcasts in Belarusian for ethnic Belarusians in Lithuania and listeners in Belarus. (Bernd Trutenau via MWDX 30.1.2002 via Arctic MV-Eko Information Desk Feb via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. PALESTINIAN RADIO-TV CENTRE NEAR GAZA BLOWN UP IN ISRAELI ATTACK Israeli tanks and troops staged raids in the Gaza Strip early on 21 February, demolishing a Voice of Palestine radio and TV local transmission centre near Gaza City and killing five people and wounding 30 in another town, Voice of Palestine reported. Palestinian sources cited by international news agencies said the troops entered a local broadcasting centre which transmits television and FM radio to the eastern part of Gaza City. They set off explosives inside the two-storey building, which then collapsed. Israel has accused the Voice of Palestine of inciting violence, a charge that Palestinians deny. Voice of Palestine devoted all its programming since 0500 gmt on 21 February to the news of the Israeli air and ground strikes on Palestinian positions. It reported, among other things, the destruction of the building housing the second programme of Voice of Palestine in Gaza, which reportedly led to an interruption in the transmission of Gaza television's ground station, and the damage caused to Yasir Arafat's premises in Ramallah. Voice of Palestine continues to be heard with good reception on 90.7 MHz, the only outlet used by the radio after the destruction of its mediumwave transmitters in December last year and its Ramallah building in January this year. The radio went off the air abruptly at 0855 gmt on 21 February and came back at 0906 gmt. The announcer attributed the interruption in transmission to a power outage. Palestine Satellite Channel TV has been monitored with good reception since 0500 gmt on 21 February. The television station carried a 24- minute news bulletin at 0711 gmt, 11 minutes behind schedule. No reason for the delay was given. The bulletin was devoted to news and footage of the destruction caused to Palestinian installations in the latest wave of Israeli strikes. Voice of Palestine, second programme, was not heard on 102 MHz on 21 February. As noted above, it broadcasts from Gaza and its building was reportedly completely destroyed in Israeli raids at dawn. The Palestinian private FM stations Ajyal radio, broadcasting on 103.4 MHz, and Amwaj radio, broadcasting on 91.5 MHz, continue to be heard with good reception. Both are carrying scheduled programming. Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Feb 02 (via DXLD) From The Financial Times: ISRAELI TROOPS ENTER GAZA CITY AS VIOLENCE ESCALATES By Avi Machlis in Jerusalem and agencies, February 21 2002 03:01 The Israeli army on Wednesday night sent tanks and troops into Gaza City in the Palestinian Authority for the first time since the start of the Palestinian uprising, after a day of ground, sea and air strikes left at least 18 Palestinians dead. Israeli warships simultaneously fired at Palestinian security compounds along the Gaza Strip coastline, and the Palestinian broadcaster, Voice of Palestine, was blown up, taking television and radio off the air. In Gaza City, loudspeakers on mosques were used to urge Palestinians to confront the Israelis, and police and gunmen raced to the scene. The sound of heavy gunfire reverberated across the city, witnesses said. Palestinian doctors said four people had been killed in the latest raids, which began shortly after midnight. The Israeli army declined to comment. Earlier, Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, declared his people remained resilient. "The tanks and missiles and the planes do not terrify us," he said. "We are not scared of the soldiers, the bombardment of our headquarters or prisons." The reprisals came after Palestinian gunmen killed six Israeli soldiers on Tuesday. Throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian militias celebrated the most deadly strike on Israeli military personnel since the conflict erupted. The Israeli retaliation earlier in the day included a naval bombardment of Mr Arafat's presidential compound in Gaza. Missiles launched at Palestinian Authority installations in the West Bank town of Ramallah landed close to the office where Mr Arafat has been under siege by Israeli tanks for weeks. Israeli military officials insisted they were not trying to kill him. Most of the victims of the air strikes were members of Palestinian security forces but at least four civilians were among the dead. The security cabinet of Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister, earlier said it approved a "new action plan", but gave no details. Despite the spiralling violence, he said he would soon hold another meeting with senior Palestinian officials. Three weeks ago he convened a secret meeting with two top Palestinian officials. The Palestinians have asked for an urgent Security Council meeting to hold Israel accountable for what they call a "crisis situation". In Washington, the State Department said Mr Arafat had to do more to stop the violence but also said Israel's offensives were not helping to bring security. (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) PALESTINIAN RADIO-TV CONDEMNS ISRAELI ATTACKS AGAINST ITS GAZA PREMISES | Text of report by Palestinian news agency Wafa web site Gaza, 21 February: Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation today strongly condemned the new Israeli aggression against its premises in Gaza at dawn today, which led to the destruction of the building housing Voice of Palestine's second programme and the Palestinian Television's domestic channel. In a statement issued today, the corporation called on all those concerned with the freedom of opinion and democracy in the world to immediately intervene to stop the continuing Israeli aggression against the PNA [Palestinian National Authority] establishments and facilities, especially the media and humanitarian installations. The statement also called for an end to the killing of innocent Palestinians who seek to end the Israeli occupation of their land, attain their freedom, achieve their national independence and establish their independent state with holy Jerusalem as its capital. The Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation stressed that the new Israeli aggression on its premises in Gaza, which was preceded by an aggression on its premises in Ramallah when the building housing Voice of Palestine and the Palestinian Television was destroyed a month ago, will not prevent it from carrying out its professional media role and national duty in exposing the practices and crimes of the occupation [forces] against our people and national authority. The corporation considered the new Israeli aggression as a direct attack on freedom of opinion and statement, not only in Palestine but also in the civilized world. The aggression is also a violation of the laws that guarantee the freedom of opinion and the right of people under occupation to defend themselves through the honest word, which expresses their national aspiration for independence and liberation. In its statement, the corporation noted that the occupation army's destruction of its facilities, premises and studios is an Israeli aggression aimed at destroying the freedom of the Palestinian media. Therefore, this requires the immediate intervention of media organizations and institutions and world human rights organizations in order to stop this dangerous trend in the mentality of the Israeli government, which had earlier committed crimes against media men working in the region. These crimes took the form of killing, arresting or physically assaulting the media men, be they journalists, correspondents, photographers or intellectuals from all parts of the world. Source: Palestinian news agency Wafa web site, Gaza, in Arabic 21 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Note the 1480 item below, which says R. América has been testing on SW 7 MHz band! (gh, DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. I quote from an e-mail from Dom Mur: ``The media situation in Paraguay, at the moment, is in a state of transition and redefinition. There exist various ``generations`` of radio stations: the ``traditional``, or ``long-established``, which obtained their operating authorization long ago and under the circumstances of that era. The ``newly established, formal stations``, which have recently obtained authorization and are well-established formalised broadcasters. The ``community`` stations. Which may be interpreted in a variety of manners. Some have formal authorization, many do not. Many are commercial in nature, although they use the term ``community``. The ``informal`` or ``pirate`` stations. There are many of these, as well, mostly on FM. They exist where, owing to historical anomalies, no frequency authorization exists for a given location, or insufficient authorizations, for a larger, metropolitan region.`` Information from the Paraguayan radio scene supplied by Dom Mur: Some Paraguayan stations change frequency at times to avoid interference: The stations are: 640 ZP19 R Caaguazú sometimes changes to 645 to avoid interference from R Bandeirantes in Porto Alegre. 840 ZP6 R Guiará sometimes changes to 835 to avoid interference from R Bandeirantes in São Paulo. 890 ZP33 R Tres de Febrero sometimes changes to 885 to avoid interference from R Gazeta in São Paulo. Other Paraguayan radio information: 550 ZP16 R Parque is inactive. 570 ZP15 R LV del Amambay no longer varies in frequency. Now has a new PDM transmitter. 650 ZP29 R Vallemi is inactive. The frequency has been transferred to Asunción and is used by R Uno. 650 ZP.. R Uno is a property of ex President, Engineer Juan Carlos Wasmosy. To the best of my knowledge R Uno and R Chaco Boreal are entirely different organizations, although it is possible that there is some investment made by the owners of R Chaco Boreal, and participation of former Chaco Boreal on air personalities. R Uno is located at the Grupo Multimedia Building at Av. Mariscal López 2948, Asunción. Te: +595(21)612 991. Ed´s note: See also this column dated 14/1 2002. 660 ZP26 R Itapirú Addr: Av. San Blas c/Bruno, Ciudad del Este. 680 ZP11 R Caritas E-mail: caritas2@conexion.com.py 750 ZP42 R LV de la Policía is the station of La Policía Nacional del Paraguay and has a power of around 0.5 kW. They broadcast helpful suggestions to the population, as how to drive properly, how to handle firearms correctly, how to avoid conflicts with the neighbours and, excellent Paraguayan music. Addr: Comandancia de la Policía Nacional, El Paraguayo Independiente c/Chile, Asunción. Te: +595 (21)492 515. 760 ZP5 R Encarnación has been inactive for several years. 840 ZP6 R Guairá E-mail: guaira@rieder.net.py 920 ZP1 R Nacional del Paraguay Addr: Av. Blas Garay 241 c/Iturbe, Asunción. 980 ZP31 R Mburucuyá Addr: Villa María Victoria, Fracción San Jorge, Pedro Juan Caballero. 1020 ZP14 R Ñandutí E-mail: holding@holdingderadio.com.py Web: http://www.holdingderadio.com.py 1200 ZP44 R Libre uses this call sign. Addr: Av. Zavala-Cué 1615, Fernando de la Mora. E-mail: rlibre@highway.com.py Presidente: Dr. Benjamin Fernández. 1250 ZP3 R Asunción is back. Their tower collapsed and they had to build a new transmitter site. Then they had other problems with the new transmitter site. There is only a short distance to the tower of R Primero de Marzo, which causes much problems. R Asunción`s transmitter is very beautiful. It is an old TRAMEC from Argentina. All valves, everything is hand-built by Italian craftsmen in Buenos Aires. It looks like some kind of yacht. It`s fine workmanship, even if it is 40 years old. 1300 ZP10 Em Paraguay The frequency is under ``licitación`` at CONATEL. People having interest in acquiring licence are presenting their documentation. 1330 ZP4 R Chaco Boreal is not exactly the same as R Uno (650 kHz), although some of the personnel are involved. Chaco Boreal is owned by the Domínguez Dibb family. Their telephone was 448552. This number has been disconnected. 1360 ZP37 R Ybu Yaz is the correct name of this station. Addr: Ruta V, Ybu Yaz. 1480 ZP23 R Mariscal Francisco Solano López. Addr: Iturbe y Lomas Valentinas, Bella Vista Norte. 1480 ZP20 R América no longer varies in frequency, has a new PDM transmitter. The station has constructed a new transmitter site, which includes short wave facilities. They have been testing on various frequencies in the 41 meter band beaming to Buenos Aires. Future target areas are the Cono Sur and Andes regions. Addr: Casilla de Correos 2220, Asunción. Te: +595(21)960 228. Fax: +595(21)963149. E- mail: ramerica@riedercom.py Web: http://www.radiodifusionamerica.com.py 1570 ZP21 R Oriental ex 1230. Ed´s note: See this column dated 14/1 2002. This station is not new (Dom Mur, ARC MV-Eko LA News Desk Feb via editor Tore Larsson, DXLD) ** PERU. The Radio Oriente [6190] web site http://www.dxing.info/radio/oriente/ has been created and uploaded by Finnish DXer Mika Mäkeläinen. The site has been authorized by the station. I think this is a commendable initiative, and I would not be surprised to see more examples of DXers designing web sites for some more Peruvian shortwave stations in the near future (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Feb 20, WORLD OF RADIO 1119, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6528.5, R Unión, 0702 Feb 20, This morning, I found Unión R. up 220 kHz higher then it was this weekend. Still audible in AM mode, but signal is already worsening since recent repairs. ID at 0702 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAMOA AMERICAN [and non]. Glenn asks about K-calls for Hawaii and W-calls for other locations in the Pacific... Glenn, I refer you to an excellent website covering the W and K call assignments, including the anomalies of W signs in the western part of US, and K signs in the eastern part of the USA: http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/kwtrivia.htm (Don Nelson, Oregon, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bottom line about WDJD-585 is that it`s an anomaly (gh, DXLD) ** SOMALIA. RADIO BAYDHABO STILL HEARD, BUT APPARENTLY JAMMED Broadcasts continue to be heard from Radio Baydhabo (alternative spelling: Baidoa), a station in southern Somalia operated by the Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA) and hostile to the transitional government in Mogadishu. It continues to be heard on its usual shortwave frequency of 6810 kHz with a daily broadcast beginning at 1500 gmt. However, reception is currently severely impaired by what appears to be deliberate interference (jamming). This interference consists of a distinctive electronic noise sometimes described as a "wobble" and often associated with radio jamming. This electronic noise is transmitted on the same frequency as Radio Baydhabo. Radio Baydhabo is sometimes heard without this interference. However, recently it has always appeared by the time of the radio's main news bulletin at 1700 gmt. Because of this, BBC Monitoring East Africa Unit has been unable to monitor the radio for news of recent developments in the Baydhabo area. (The UN's Integrated Regional Information Network, IRIN, reported on 19 February that telecommunications to Baydhabo had been cut since the previous day, fuelling speculation over military movements in the area. IRIN said it had been told that the RRA had shut down all communications. HornAfrik radio in Mogadishu reported on 19 February that the communications blackout was due to renewed fighting in the area between rival militia groups.) Source: BBC Monitoring research 19-20 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. OBSERVATIONS ON MOGADISHU-BASED HOLY KORAN RADIO BBC Monitoring has confirmed that Holy Koran Radio (Somali: Halkan wa idha`ada Quranka Karimka) broadcasts in Mogadishu on 102.5 MHz FM. It is on the air daily at 0800-2000 gmt with news bulletins at 0830, 1030, 1545, 1700 and 1830 gmt. In the past this station broadcast only religious and social programming. Source: BBC Monitoring research 14 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. ARABIC RADIO "SAWT AL-QARN" HEARD ON SHORTWAVE An Arabic-language shortwave radio station identifying itself as "Sawt al-Qarn" is currently being heard daily at 1330-1430 gmt on 21550 kHz. The Arabic word qarn can mean either "horn" or "age" (or "era"), and so the radio's name may be translated as Voice of the Horn (of Africa) or Voice of the Age. It is possible that the station intends both meanings to be valid. The radio's opening and closing announcements include a brief identification in English as "This is Millennium Voice", indicating that Voice of the Age is a valid translation of the Arabic name. However, the radio's opening music is of Eritrean origin, suggesting that Voice of the Horn is an equally valid title. Furthermore, its time checks are three hours ahead of gmt, the time zone used in the Horn of Africa, east Africa and Sudan, suggesting that this is its target area. Voice of the Horn/Voice of the Age has not been heard to announce its location or the name of any sponsoring organization. Reports in Internet newsletters published by radio hobbyists have suggested that the station is transmitting via hired facilities in Britain. The daily programmes begin with a Koranic recitation and commentary. Programming is then largely devoted to human rights and other issues in the Arab world. Reports on Sudanese affairs feature particularly prominently. A bulletin of African news is carried at 1400 gmt. Source: BBC Monitoring research 19-20 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. For those of you in eastern North America and Europe, you should be able to listen to Radio Taipei International's wonderful program "Instant Noodles", featuring news of the bizarre, weird, and stupid, on Thursday 21 February at 2215 UT on 9355 kHz. The program is broadcast from the WYFR relay in Okeechobee, FL (Ted Schuerzinger, Feb 20, swprograms via DXLD) ** THAILAND. R. Thailand was not heard on 4830, 9655, 11905 during February. 6070 covers the domestic program in Thai in parallel to 891 kHz, s/off 1600 (as listed). Vy 73 from Thailand, (Willi Passmann, Thailand, Feb 20, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U K. Have you noticed the extreme number of dropouts on 15190 kHz in the morning broadcast from the BBC, especially in the 1400-1700 UT timeframe? This morning (20 Feb.), I could barely listen; it seemed there was a 30 second to 1 minute drop-off-the-air every 5 minutes or even more often! What on earth is going on? I wrote Write On about that a while back but they didn't address it. Speaking of Write On, I wrote them recently about the defective entries in the BBC on-line weekly schedule that didn't specify whether it was Write On or that alternative programme each week. I actually got a response from Penny Vine that said that they'd fix that, and that Write On would become a 52-week-a-year programme after the one missing edition in March. So you can pass that good news on to the world (Will Martin, MO, Feb 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. SPECIAL EVENT STATION, PREFIXES TO MARK QUEEN ELIZABETH`S GOLDEN JUBILEE: Thanks to the efforts of the Radio Society of Great Britain, UK Amateur Radio operators will be allowed to use the prefix ``GQ`` during the month of June to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II`s accession to the royal throne. The Queen officially ascended the throne February 6, 1952, but the golden jubilee will be celebrated in June, the month of her coronation. In addition, special event station GB50 (as in ``Great Britain Fifty``) will be on the air from Windsor Castle from May 29 until June 9, with operators from Cray Valley Radio Society operating in association with Burnham Beeches Radio Society and RSGB support. Activity is expected on 80 through 6 meters on CW, SSB, PSK31 and RTTY. QSL via G4DFI. For more information, visit the GB50 Web site http://www.gb50.com (The Daily DX, RSGB via ARRL February 20 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. Olympic special event redux: Special event stations associated with the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City have been racking up hundreds of contacts. W7U and WA7ITZ/W19OG (for ``19th Winter Olympic Games``) have been on the air since the games began. WA7ITZ/W19OG operator Ray Friess reports he`s worked more than 1000 stations; W7U has logged some 2000 contacts. On February 19, W7U and W19OG hooked up on 20 meters. ``We not only worked each other, but we both stayed on the same frequency and worked the pileup together, giving other hams the chance to work both Olympic special event stations at the same time,`` Friess said. ``Two for the price of one! We called it our blue light special.`` There are other special event stations on the air to commemorate the games. Rich Fisher, NS7K, reports he`s been active as K7K during the Winter Olympics. K7K is operating on 80 through 6 meters. A fourth Olympics special event station, K7O, is scheduled to be on the air February 22-24. For W7U contacts, QSL to W7EO, PO Box 98, Grantsville, UT 84029. For W19OG contacts, QSL to WA7ITZ, 1801 Jennifer Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84116. An SASE would be appreciated. For K7K contacts, QSL to Rich Fisher, NS7K, 590 W 200 S, Clearfield, UT 84015. For K7O contacts, QSL to Gordon Smith, K7HFV, 632 University St, Salt Lake City, UT 84102-3213. (ARRL February 20 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. In addition to the W7U and W19OG special events for the Salt Lake City Games a special event station will be operated by the Utah Amateur Radio Club using the callsign K7O during the weekend of February 23 and 24, the last weekend of the olympics. This is from the UARC website http://www.xmission.com/~uarc/ From the 1X1 Data Base http://ncvec.spindle.net/ the following calls have also been authorized for use, and might be on during the last days of the Games; K7B, K7K, K7R, W7O, & W7S. (Wade Smith, VE9WGS, New Brunswick, Feb 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. On Feb. 20 at around 2100 UT I noticed that http://www.VoANews.com was down, including its Russian-language part. It's still not operational today. This is the message that I get: VOANews.com is currently experiencing technical difficulties. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please check back later. I wonder what's going on there... BTW, http://www.VoA.gov is running as usual (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, 1934 UT Feb 21, DX LSITENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Voice of America station manager offers insights on international broadcasting: The station manager of an international broadcasting transmitter site in Greece, David M. Sites, WX7YZ, spoke with Idaho amateurs February 16 at a monthly Amateur Radio Emergency Service breakfast in Boise. Sites and his wife, Barbara, both Idaho natives, were back home on vacation. Sites manages the International Broadcasting Bureau in Kavala, Greece, that provides transmitting services for Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and the Voice of America. In his remarks, Sites noted that half of the world`s population has never heard a dial tone, has no Internet access or television and still relies on shortwave radio. Radio outlets such as VOA and RFE provide people of developing countries with unbiased news and information they would not otherwise get about the US, he said. Since September 11, the station has been increasingly busy with programs directed at Afghanistan and surrounding countries. Sites commended Boise`s Amateur Radio operators for volunteering their skills and equipment to provide vital public services during major emergencies and disasters. He also encouraged Americans to to study other languages. ``People in other countries are always amazed, and deeply appreciate, when Americans speak their language,`` he said (John Cline, K7BDS, ARRL February 20 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. PENTAGON SETS UP A PROPAGANDA AGENCY Immediately after last year's September the 11th attacks in New York and Washington the US defense department established an agency of influence overseas. This has been revealed by the New York Times and the main aim of the body is to engage in a propaganda war to counter the growing anti-American sentiments throughout the entire world including in countries considered America's allies. Viktor Yenikeyev looks at America's new tangled propaganda agency. If someone had predicted such a turn of event in democratic America our news analyst would not have believed him. The caricatures of well known Soviet artists in the 50s and 60s usually in the Vremya Gazeta always made one grimace. Those caricatures depicted the Pentagon carrion crow frightening the world with imagined Soviet threat with the help of falsehood and provocations. All Mr. Yenikeyev's previous skepticism evaporated when he read the New York Times news item and heard it on the CNN television broadcast that the new Pentagon baby is to be used to disinform, that is to engage in a propaganda to improve America's international image. For want of a better description the new Pentagon agency has all the attributes of the type of psychological warfare which America used in Korea and Vietnam, during the peak of the Soviet-American escalation as well as during the Persian gulf war. The use of the word propaganda has been considered until now a bad usage in journalism and politics. At least that was what undergraduates of the faculty of journalism of the Moscow State University bearing the name of Lomonosov were told in the 70s. Now America has openly spoken about plans to brainwash both friends and foes especially those opposing American global policy. Those in love with American democracy will, quote and unquote be happy that the creation of a propaganda agency by the Pentagon is an integral part of the present administration's global and all spectrum efforts to dominate. The New York Times says that a special organ has been created as part of the propaganda machine to coordinate all foreign political propaganda and war against anti-Americanism. That means that all those opposed to America's black list of rogue-states or of nations in the axis of evil against America's hegemony and over self-confidence can count on the most appropriate brain-washing from the mighty United States. It's America's right to chose the worst form of response to the daring challenge by terrorists or perhaps it is the US convenient means of justifying its new crusading approach towards realising the myth of a greater America [in the Russian original: Pax Americana, not greater America]. The late British prime minister Winston Churchill has put it most succinctly by saying that Americans always do the right after exhausting all options. It seems that we have not entered the 21st century but still living in an era of confrontation and mutual lack of trust. Voice of Russia 02/20/2002 The news item addressed in this commentary can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/19/international/19PENT.html (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ONE MAN'S STRATEGIC INFLUENCE IS ANOTHER MAN'S PROPAGANDA 20 February 2002 There's controversy in Washington after details reached the press of a new plan devised by the recently-created Office of Strategic Influence. The OSI was set up within the Defense Department last October, in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. It's headed by Air Force Brigadier General Simon P Worden, and coordinates with a new counterterrorism office in the White House run by a retired general, Wayne Downing, who once headed the military's Special Operations Command. According to the reports from Washington, the controversial plan aims to "provide news items and possibly false information directly to foreign journalists and others abroad to bolster US policy and the war on terrorism." The Defense Department already has an Office of Public Affairs, which deals with legitimate information, and department officials fear that its credibility will be compromised. One unnamed official is quoted as saying "we shouldn't be in that business. Leave the propaganda leaks to the CIA, the spooks." This development appears to conflict with a promise made by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in the wake of the September 11th attacks, never to lie to reporters. It has already brought condemnation from such eminent people as retired Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who commanded US troops during the Gulf War. Schwarzkopf said in a speech that a similar plan had been considered but rejected at the start of the Gulf War. "We don't deliberately lie to other people. That's not America. That's not what we do," he said. The plan is bound to cause consternation at the Voice of America, whose own role in reporting the War Against Terrorism has already been compromised by the emergence of new US-operated broadcasting services such as Radio Free Afghanistan. There are also rumours that the Radio Voice of Afghanistan broadcasting from London is being financed by the US (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) ** U S A. RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS FORCE OUT NEW PRESIDENT EVANGELISTS WERE URGED TO BE LESS POLITICAL By Alan Cooperman, Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, February 21, 2002; Page A19 Just weeks after starting work, the president of the National Religious Broadcasters has been forced out of his job because he called for television and radio evangelists to become less political, leaders of the powerful trade association said. The board of directors of the NRB, which represents 1,400 Christian broadcasters, accepted Wayne Pederson's resignation at its annual convention, which ended Tuesday in Nashville. No successor was named. Pederson left gracefully, saying he did not want to "trash talk" an organization he still supports. But his brief tenure at the Manassas-based NRB stirred a vigorous internal debate over whether religion can be separated from politics and exposed a rift among electronic preachers over their role in society. The controversy began in early January when Pederson gave an interview to his hometown newspaper, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, lamenting that "evangelicals are identified politically more than theologically." "We get associated with the far Christian right and marginalized. To me, the important thing is to keep the focus on what's important to us spiritually. . . . We need to not be pulled into the political arena," he said. Those comments drew fire from leading electronic evangelists -- including Don Wildmon of the American Family Radio Network and James Dobson of Focus on the Family -- who began calling for his resignation. "There are land mines in our association, and Wayne basically tripped a wire on one of those land mines," the NRB's chairman, Glenn Plummer, said this week. In late January, the NRB executive committee voted 5 to 4 against firing Pederson, with Plummer breaking the tie. But the undercurrent was so strong, NRB officials said, that Pederson offered his resignation on Feb. 8, even though he kept on fighting for the job. The executive committee voted 7 to 1 last Friday to accept the resignation and end what Plummer indicated were weeks of acrimony. "There were individuals -- I won't name names -- who in my opinion were shameful in the methods they used [in pushing for Pederson's removal]," Plummer said. "We are a Christian, biblical organization, and the Bible is very clear: If you feel that a fellow Christian has offended you, you go to that person first." Pederson said in an interview Tuesday that he had not meant to offend anyone. "What I was trying to say is that Christian broadcasters should be more known for their theology than for their politics. That caused some concern from some of our broadcasters, who feel very called toward being involved politically. They thought I was trying to move in another direction," he said. In truth, Pederson added, moving away from politics was not among his priorities for the NRB. "I think the spiritual should take priority over the political, but not to the exclusion of the political. We must preach the gospel and, at the same time, we must speak to the social and moral issues of the day," he said. One of Pederson's opponents, Richard Bott of the Bott Radio Network in Kansas City, Mo., said Pederson was trying to recast his position without denying that he was quoted correctly in the Star Tribune interview. Bott said Pederson's "use of the term 'far Christian right' in a pejorative way" in that interview "was very offensive and very alarming to many people." Moreover, Bott said, Pederson's call for emphasizing spirituality over politics betrayed a one-sided view of the role of Christian broadcasters. "What he calls 'politics,' others call 'policy' or 'principle,' " Bott said. "NRB has never been a partisan political organization, never. But the involvement of NRB member organizations in politics or policy is because of their conservative Christian theology, not in spite of it." Before moving to Manassas last month to take over the helm at NRB, Pederson had worked for more than three decades at Minnesota's Northwestern Radio, which owns 14 radio stations and two satellite networks. Pederson said that although he is "disappointed this didn't work out," he has "no animosity toward the NRB" and plans to remain a member. "My average tenure at a job is now 17 years -- 34 years at the first job and a few weeks at this one," he said. © 2002 The Washington Post Company (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. RIGHT WING MYTHS EXPOSED: THE RED-BLUE MYTH, THE LIBERAL MEDIA MYTH Shades of Purple - the Myth of the Red and the Blue America http://www.webpan.com/dsinclair/myths.html (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. Obituary of Howard K. Smith: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/19/obituaries/19SMIT.html?ex=1015303382&ei=1&en=b878a75b518d1701 (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. MINNESOTA'S MPR = MONEY PUBLIC RADIO TAKING THE PUBLIC OUT OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING (TWIN CITIES') CITY PAPER [This week's?] http://www.citypages.com/ MPR: BY ROB LEVINE You've got to hand it to the folks over at Minnesota Public Radio's KNOW-FM (91.1) and KSJN-FM (99.5): Not only have they cultivated a highly educated, well-heeled audience, they have managed to convince those listeners that they are the sole reason the station stays on the air. Take the network's tri-annual radio membership campaigns, one of which begins today. From a financial standpoint, there would seem to be no reason for the fund drives, which are pitched to listeners by on-air personalities as a civic duty. After all, the network has primary access to endowments and investments totaling more than $130 million that, in 2000 alone, generated $8.5 million in revenue. Throw in another $4.3 million in state and federal aid and MPR ends up with a whopping $12.8 million in annual income, just standing still. To top it all off, in fiscal year 2000 MPR took in $7.4 million more than it spent, which, coincidentally, is almost the exact amount it received from listeners. Yet MPR still comes around three times a year, hat in hand, begging for contributions. Read Article http://www.citypages.com/databank/23/1107/article10161.asp?page=4 [link via Jim Romensenko's Media News} http://www.poynter.org/medianews/ Help out...post at Public Radio Programs, A new Topica List http://www.topica.com/lists/pubrad/read (Chet Copeland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. This story in yesterday`s Radio and Internet Newsletter and today`s issue has much reaction to it with a feeling that many internet streamers will find it impossible to comply with. UNITED STATES It appears that the U.S. Copyright Office, in handing down a set of reporting requirements for Internet streamers that use copyrighted music, has almost unilaterally followed the wishes of the record industry. What broadcasters are taking as a ridiculously onerous set of requirements for webcasting and streaming broadcast and satellite radio transmissions was released without fanfare in a February 7 document titled "Notice and Recordkeeping for Use of Sound Recordings Under Statutory License." Brian Parsons's RadioHorizon reports (here) that, "broadcasters, to say the least, are stunned" and "outraged." reports Paul Maloney. Full story at http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/021902/index.asp#story1 Today`s issue with reactions http://www.kurthanson.com (via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) Basically, it`s totally unworkable RAIN News Flash: CARP RELEASES THEIR ROYALTY RECOMMENDATIONS... Mike -- CARP, the copyright arbitration panel given the task of determining for the Copyright Office a fair royalty fee for webcasting, has released its recommendation. The panel recommends that the fee be set at 0.07 cents per webcast "performance," for "retransmissions of over-the-air signals." The fee will double for "other Internet transmissions," assumed to be Internet pureplays. We'll have more analysis and explanation tomorrow in RAIN. Read all about it in today's issue of "RAIN: Radio And Internet Newsletter" at http://www.kurthanson.com Hope you find it interesting! Sincerely, Paul Maloney RAIN Editor P.S. Feel free to forward this e-mail to a friend or co-worker who might be interested in following this story. Thanks! (Feb 20 via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) COMPROMISE PROPOSAL ON US WEBCASTING ROYALTIES --- 21 February 2002 A compromise proposal has finally been agreed in the long-running dispute between broadcasters, musicians and recording companies over appropriate royalties for Webcasting. An arbitration panel set up by the US Copyright Office said this week that commercial Web-only radio stations should pay record companies and musicians 0.14 cent for each song heard by each listener. Commercial AM or FM radio stations streaming their programmes on the Web would pay half that amount, or 0.07 cents per listener per song. Rates for non-commercial broadcasters would be lower, at 0.05 and 0.2 cent respectively. The panel's recommendations must be approved by the Librarian of Congress in May, and will last only until the end of 2002. Negotiators believe that the recommendation offers a solid basis for future deals. However, the recording industry is much happier with the proposal than the Webcasters. The suggested rate is 10 times what the Webcasters had originally offered, and Kenneth Steinthal, a lawyer representing the Webcasters, said the 'high' rate could force some out of business. (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) From the San Diego Union-Tribune, Feb. 21, 2002 INTERNET RADIO ROYALTY PLANS CAUSING STATIC By Kim Peterson STAFF WRITER February 21, 2002 A U.S. government panel offered a compromise yesterday in the battle over royalty rates for songs played by Internet radio broadcasters, but none of the groups involved seemed happy with the decision. If adopted, the panel's recommendations could have a major impact on the way radio stations operate --- and could ultimately lead to the death of many free online radio stations. Record companies and musicians have argued with Webcasters for years over how much royalty money is due for songs that are broadcast online. Hundreds of radio stations have sprung up on the Internet in the past several years, but because they didn't fall under the same category as land-based stations, the royalty issue was unclear. A three-person panel spent seven months discussing the problem and released recommendations yesterday that could eventually be adopted by the U.S. Copyright Office. Record companies and musicians had asked for royalties of 0.4 cent per listener per song, which could have reaped as much as $50 million a year. Webcasters wanted to pay only about 0.013 cent, or one-thirtieth of that amount. Yesterday's decision fell between those two proposals, recommending that Internet-only Webcasters pay 0.14 cent for each song heard by each listener. Internet broadcasts of existing AM or FM radio programs would pay half as much, at 0.07 cent per listener per song. Non-commercial broadcasters would get a better deal, paying 0.02 cent for radio rebroadcasts and 0.05 cent for Internet-only programming. Webcasters said they were unhappy with the decision, especially because they already have to pay certain royalties to performers that land-based radio stations are not required to pay. Under the panel's recommendation, Webcasters will now have to pay twice as much in royalties as land-based radio stations with an online presence. "I'm fairly outraged by that, from a competitive standpoint," said Bob Ohlweiler, senior vice president of business development at San Diego- based MusicMatch, which has an online radio service with more than 100,000 subscribers. The royalty rates could make it nearly impossible for some Webcasters to stay in business, particularly those who rely on selling advertising, instead of user subscriptions, to make money, Ohlweiler said. "It's going to substantially threaten advertising-funded radio on the Internet," he said. MusicMatch had previously signed its own deal with the recording industry, and will not be directly affected by the panel's decision. About 25 different Webcasters, including Internet portal Yahoo, have made similar deals with the recording industry. Those who haven't could be liable for royalty payments going back to 1998. That could bankrupt some Webcasters who never expected royalty payments to be so high, said Dale Smith, vice president of Cablemusic Networks, an online radio network based in San Diego. Cablemusic also has worked out its own deal with the recording industry. If it had not, Smith said, the company could have owed $150,000 under the proposed royalty terms. "For individual Webcasters, it's going to be very difficult to stay in business," he said. Record labels also said they were disappointed with the proposed rates. Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents five major record labels, said she would have preferred a higher rate. Still, she said, "the panel clearly concluded that the Webcasters' proposal was unreasonably low and not credible. "The panel's decision will undoubtedly be appealed, said Mark Radcliffe, a Palo Alto lawyer who has represented a number of online music companies. Reuters contributed to this report. Copyright 2002 Union-Tribune Publishing Co. (via Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, DXLD) ** U S A. Re: [BDXC-UK] USA Frequency Document THANK YOU GLENN http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-27A1.pdf Or go to Glenn Hauser's World of Radio 1118 either through his WOR Site or via DXLD 2-028 and look for the FCC Item. [Link] It is a PDF File; you will need Acrobat Reader to download it. This is not for the 'faint-hearted'; it is all about future FCC Policy to the HF Bands and it could take you 10-15 Minutes to Download and is 66 Pages Long. I've only just started to read through it; one of the most interesting documents I have ever seen on HF Policy (as far as I have read it). Mike B. and others might be interested to note the 10 kHz and conditional 5 kHz spacing that I have mentioned in recent weeks (Ken Fletcher, Feb 20 BDXC-UK via DXLD) The document only took me 1 minute to download and the meat of it is in the first 20 or so pages; there is also a section on the Expanded AM band including the amount of stations the FCC expects to be using the band shortly. It shows the US still thinks that international broadcasting on shortwave has a future with expanded bands and clearing other users off the new band allocations. I had to smile at their mention of scrapping all the references to use of single sideband broadcasting in expanded bands to make use of the spectrum more efficient (Page 11, note 17 and footnote 44). I was never convinced at the time that listeners would listen to international stations in reduced carrier SSB. Jim Vastenhoud of Radio Netherlands was one of the main protagonists of this in the 1970's. But is DRM "spectrum efficient modulation technology" as they say? I have not found anywhere in the document which addresses DRM and analogue transmissions existing together in the same band and the interference DRM may cause to analogue transmitters on the same or adjacent channels (Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO STATION'S ANTENNA PLAN ALARMS RESIDENTS, MERCHANTS Wednesday February 20 08:20 AM EST By Angela Lo, Seattle Times staff reporter SNOHOMISH --- A proposal by an Everett radio station to erect eight antennas up to 425 feet high in the Snohomish River Valley is drawing fire from residents and merchants who fear the potential impact on wildlife, property values, businesses and their daily lives. News-and-sports radio station KRKO-AM (1380) plans to build the antennas to increase its output from 5,000 watts to 50,000. The boost would allow KRKO to expand its broadcast area to cover all of Snohomish County. "We're expanding to improve our local content," said KRKO president Andy Skotdal.... Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/134407711_antennafight20m.html (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** U S A. 26450 NFM, KRON (11m feeder), 0214 Feb 21. KRON channel 4 San Francisco, California. I caught this one a couple hours after dark here. The local news program was perfect for ID purposes. This is what I heard: "That's right, there is a mayoral election in Oakland, and there is a candidate running against Jerry Brown. I'm ??? . . . coming up on KRON 4 News at 6:00." The call letters weren't spelled out, but rather pronounced as a word. Then a man spoke: "The domestic violence death report is out, and the numbers show a mix of encouraging and discouraging news. The story at 6:30." Then fade down. Next thing I heard was an ad for a Dodge dealership. Fade down, then "Closed captioning is brought to you by Sweet Dream Mattress Co. You're watching KRON 4 News at six." Then I heard two female technicians speak over the feed for a while. Fade down for about 10 minutes and back around 0230 with story about the Vice President's four day visit to the "Golden State". Fade out for good after that (David Hodgson, Nashville, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Mr. Hauser, We have had many request from listeners to visit our transmitter facilities. Our policy is: ABSOLUTELY no visitors to our facilities: no exceptions. Anyone who trespasses upon WWRB, WWFV, or Blueridge communications, Inc transmission facilities will be arrested and subsequently prosecuted for Trespassing, Criminal intent to inflict damage, Terroristic threats and acts. ( felony's) Our staff has been instructed to call the local sheriff / 911 if anyone crosses over our fences or gates. Please advise listeners to govern themselves accordingly (Peter J. Taggart, Operations manager via Dave Frantz, Feb 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN. Glen[n], Have just come across this on the BBC's news website: ================================================ VATICAN RADIO OUT OF THE DOCK A court in Rome has dismissed a case against three officials from Vatican Radio whom Italian prosecutors said were risking lives by violating restrictions on electromagnetic emissions. Judge Andrea Calabria ruled that Italy had no jurisdiction over the three, citing a 1929 treaty between the Holy See and Italy which enshrined the Vatican as independent city state. Residents in the Rome suburb of Santa Maria di Galeria, where the transmission centre is located, have alleged that excessive electromagnetic levels have caused an unusually high number of cases of leukaemia in the area. Those locals who were present in court responded to the verdict with dismay. "All are not equal before the law," they shouted, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. Among the three Vatican officials on trial was a recently elevated cardinal, Roberto Tucci, an aide who has helped prepare many papal trips abroad. The other defendants were Reverend Pasquale Borgomeo, the radio station's director-general, and Constantino Pacifici, an engineer. Vatican Radio said it was pleased with the outcome of the case, but insisted that it would continue to guard against health risks posed by its transmissions, which are broadcast around the world in around 40 languages. Last year, the then Italian Environment Minister, Willer Bordon, threatened to cut off electricity supplies to the radio service if it failed to reduce its emissions. He noted that levels has been measured at three times the Italian legal limit for electromagnetic radiation during an evening broadcast. He was, however, overruled by former Prime Minister Giuliano Amato. It was believed he feared such an action could seriously divide his cabinet. People living near the transmitters have frequently taken to the streets in protest at the emissions. When the 440-hectare (960-acre) site was opened in 1951, the area was sparsely populated, but now about 100,000 people live in the vicinity. ================================================ A relief for all the listeners, I suppose. (via DXDave, Bristol, UK – http://www.dxdave.freeserve.co.uk -- DXLD) ** VATICAN. ITALY V VATICAN: CASE CLOSED --- 20 February 2002 An Italian court has ruled that it has no jurisdiction in a case brought by the government against Vatican Radio over illegal and possibly hazardous radiation from its main transmitter site at Santa Maria di Galeria. Residents living near the site, 30 km north of Rome, claim that radiation from the transmitters is responsible for the higher incidence of leukaemia and cancer tumours in the area. Their case was supported by various environmental groups as well as the Italian Green Party. The court ruling was made because Article XI of the 1929 Lateran Treaty, by which Italy recognises the sovereignty of Vatican State, states that the "central institutions of the Catholic Church are exempt from any interference by the Italian state". In an official statement, Vatican Radio says that the court's decision "does not mean that Vatican Radio won't adopt precautionary measures and understandings to allay the fears of the population." However, the statement points out that "no reliable study has demonstrated the existence of damage to health connected to the activity of the Santa Maria di Galeria transmission centre, and therefore no reasons have been found for alarm." Vatican Radio says that not only has it always respected the international recommendations on electromagnetic emissions, but also has put into effect within the required time limit (31 August 2001) the necessary measures to bring electromagnetic emissions from Santa Maria di Galeria within the Italian norm. The power of the mediumwave transmitter on 1530 kHz - thought to be the root cause of the problem - has been cut from 300 kW to 100 kW, and its broadcasting hours reduced. This has had consequences for listeners, compensated in part by the transfer of some broadcasts to a transmitter of Monte Carlo Radiodiffusion (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) RADIO VATICANA: Emittente, restano misure precauzionali ROMA - 'L'auspicata conclusione della causa penale non significa che Radio Vaticana cessera' di adottare le misure precauzionali sanitarie ed ambientali'. Lo precisa Radio Vaticana al termine del processo per il presunto inquinamento elettromagnetico del Centro di Santa Maria di Galeria. Alla lettura della sentenza, e' esplosa la rabbia dei residenti dell'area di Cesano e del Comitato Roma Nord. 'La legge -hanno urlato- non e' uguale per tutti'. E per Pecoraro Scanio ora deve intervenire il Ministro della Sanita'.(ANSA). 2002-02-19 - 14:59:00 © Copyright ANSA Tutti i diritti riservati (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. 11985, Voice of Khmer Kampuchea Krom. Feb. 15 at 1400-1430. SINPO 34333. Opening announcement and music at 1400. Male and female talk in Cambodian followed (Iwao Nagatani, Kobe, Japan Premium via DXLD) Fridays only ** ZIMBABWE: GOVERMENT'S PROPAGANDA PLANS SCUPPERED - BY ITS OWN MINISTRY --- 19 February 2002 According to a report in the Zimbabwe Standard, plans to set up a government-owned multimedia news organisation called New Ziana, designed to blanket the country with propaganda for the ruling ZANU PF party, have failed to materialise. The project was strongly promoted by Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, and would have cost the taxpayer $1 billion. But it has failed to secure funding from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. According to Moyo, New Ziana was to be a multimedia organisation that would tell the story of Zimbabwe to the world. The aim was to counter reports on the BBC, CNN and Reuters, among other organisations, that Moyo considers hostile to Mugabe. New Ziana was to have four strategic units: News Agency, Community Publishing, TV and a 24-hour news channel called Ziana Radio. The organisation would have employed more than 200 journalists (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD). ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ KLINGENFUSS` 2002 SHORTWAVE FREQUENCY GUIDE I`ve decided to send my copy of the Klingenfuss SW guide so you can do a review sooner than later. I`ve had it only a month and the binding is giving away already. I really appreciate all the work you do for the DX community, and anything you want in DX publications, schedule changes, etc., please let me know (Chris Hambly, Victoria, Jan 11, DXLD) Thanks, Chris. Having heard about this for a long time, it`s nice to have a look at it. Yes, the softcover binding is falling apart, but none of the 528 pages are loose --- yet. Subtitle is ``Worldwide broadcast and utility radio stations``. But Utility comes first, filling the first 201 pages. There`s a horizontal line between every pair of frequency listings, so following the info across the page is easy. Utility section shows Freq., Callsign, Station [name and location], ITU country code, Mode, Details. The Details never include any info about times or days of operation, but baud, QSX frequencies, etc. I`ve used it a bit to look up some utilities I logged recently, some successfully, some not. Then the broadcast section. Although the publisher never offered me a comp copy, I am glad to see that I and DXLD are on the contributors` list, unlike certain other directories I can think of. Besides the purely reference material, the book is fun to read for Jörg Klingenfuss` strongly worded opinions, e.g. Situation report on HF broadcasting, such as, factors that make frequency planning so difficult: ``the incompetence of many so-called experts in this field to realize that HF is a limited physical medium that will not submit to the absurd and unrealistic demands by bureaucrats, politicians, and religious zealots for extensive frequency spectrum allocations for pure agitation and propaganda.`` The meat of the book is the 166 pages of SWBC frequency listings, and in this case start and end times are included, as well as columns for language and target area. Powers and azimuths are not. These listings appear to be pretty accurate, as of sometime last fall, and a few anticipated changes for the March sub-season are included. In the case of broadcasters, a useful cross reference in country order follows, with just the basic info of language, times, target and frequency for each country and station. There is no address information, postal or internet. Klingenfuss unabashedly exposes his political view in naming certain countries, and we can hardly disagree, such as CHINA and KOREA, both (COMMUNIST UNDEMOCRATIC), while South KOREA is here called KOREA (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF) starting with the Hwasong listing, which was previously misplaced in DXLD; Likewise, TAIWAN is subtitled (DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CHINA). CONGO (SMALL) for Brazzaville`s. There follows a separate section showing clandestine schedules, organised by target country. Although 3-letter country abbrs. in both sections are headed `ITU`, Klingenfuss explains in Section 6 that he has modified some of those, where an English speaker could not easily guess the French-based or outdated originals. Such as AFS, ARS, CLN, DDR, HRV. The last, of course, is Croatia, which had the privilege of being based on its very own language. There are extensive lists of abbrs. accompanying transmitter sites, utility modes, station names, etc. Also available are the frequency lists on CD-ROM and various software to assist utility monitoring. Details on this and ordering no doubt can be found at http://www.klingenfuss.org (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-028, February 19, 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 #1118: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.html FINAL AIRINGS ON RFPI: Wed 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-AM/USB 15039, 21815-USB WORLD OF RADIO #1119 available early UT Feb 21: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1119.html FIRST AIRINGS on WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 ** AFGHANISTAN/IRAN: IRAN INSTALLS 200-KW TV TRANSMITTER IN KABUL | Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA Kabul, 16 February: Iran granted on Saturday [16 February] a 200-kW transmitter to Afghanistan in a bid to help reconstruct the system of TV of the country which is recovering from a two-decade-old civil war. Afghan Minister of Information and Culture Rahim Makhdum thanked Iran for granting key support and assistance to Afghanistan which he said was leaving behind critical circumstances. He said Iran was a brother country which has spared no efforts to help the Afghan people in tough times. With making operational of the transmitter, capital Kabul and the neighbouring provinces were covered by the TV programmes. Iran has already given a 50-kW radio transmitter to the war-devastated country. Iran has pledged to contribute to reconstruction of the economic, industrial and agricultural infrastructures of Afghanistan. The rural development, repair of telecommunications, radio and TV networks, and improvement of the health and educational standards of the Afghan people are areas where Iran contribute to the reconstruction of the country, shattered by more than two decades of conflict. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) is to continue to help rebuild Afghan radio and TV networks and produce programmes with regards to the cultural, linguistic and religious commonalities between the Afghan and Iranian people. [A report by Radio Afghanistan on 16 February 1430 gmt stated that this transmitter would also cover areas to the west of Kabul.] Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 1935 gmt 16 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) 200 kW is an awfully big TV transmitter, but maybe called for. Or do they mean ERP including antenna gain, as is customary over here? (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Satellite television has come to the conservative southern Afghan city of Kandahar, and as well as Lithuanian documentaries, Polish cultural programs and Catalan soap operas, the city's inhabitants can now watch something equally alien to them -- pornography. Following the fall of the Taliban, satellite dishes are springing up on rooftops across the staid city. Private homes, restaurants and guesthouses are tuning in to 170 channels from all over the world. Four of them show nothing but porn. The Taliban, who told women to stay indoors and even beat them if their shoes made too much noise when walking, may have gone but Kandahar's Pashtuns have not abandoned the strict social and religious codes that govern interaction between the sexes. Almost all women between puberty and old age still wear the burqa head-to-toe veil when venturing out of their homes. Most men have never seen a naked woman outside their immediate family. Until now. Despite their lurid names -- one is called "100 percent hardcore" -- the porn channels are mild by Western standards, showing topless women gyrating around poles or reclining languorously as telephone numbers for sex chat-lines and mail-order videos scroll across the screen. But most Kandahar men, cut off from the outside world by decades of conflict and warlordism and then by the harsh rules of the Taliban, have never seen anything like it. Many are uneasy. But there is no shortage of viewers. In one guesthouse a group of bearded Afghan men sit glued to the screen, one of them frantically stabbing at the remote control to change the channel when a female Western aid worker walks into the room. Abdul Wasi runs one of the many satellite television shops that have emerged in Kandahar since the Taliban left. He sells six-foot dishes for about $100 and eight-foot dishes with a digital receiver for about $250, importing the equipment from Pakistan. The small brick shop is surrounded by dozens of dishes littering the pavement. "I've been in business a month, and I have sold nearly 400 dishes," Wasi said. "My shop is always busy. Everybody wants to watch satellite television." (Reuters via SCDX/MediaScan Feb 19 via DXLD) ** BOTSWANA. 4820, Radio Botswana, Gaborone. 908 days for a QSL-card. V/S: Ted Makgekgenene, Chief Engineer, Radio Botswana. QTH: Private Bag 0060, Gaborone, Botswana. u$s 1 (Nicolás Éramo, Argentina, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Radio One stream via Toronto has been more or less funxional, cutting off for 20-second Olympics announcement only during news. So I started listening to the first episode of the oceans series on Ideas at 0205 UT Feb 19 --- but it stopped at 0211 and all I could get back was the Olympic item. Come on! This is not the way to run a network. I will cease to list any further CBC programs on MONITORING REMINDERS until the Olympix be over (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGST) ** CANADA [and non]. GZOWSKI'S DEATH LIKELY PUSHED SOME CANADIAN SMOKERS TO QUIT SAYS HEALTH EXPERTS By JAMES MCCARTEN TORONTO (CP) - Call it a testament to the power of Peter Gzowski: even in death, the chain-smoking CBC Radio luminary is probably helping countless Canadians to kick the habit that killed him, experts say. It may never be clear to what extent Gzowski's death, coming as it did last month in the midst of National Non-Smoking Week and Health Canada's latest anti-smoking campaign, persuaded others to try to quit. But there are already anecdotal signs that Gzowski, who died Jan. 24 of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease despite kicking his three-pack-a-day habit in 1999, has proved a powerful incentive. "You can hear statistics about the number of people that die of smoking and the health consequences, but that still is rather abstract," said Barbara Kaminsky of the Canadian Cancer Society's B.C. and Yukon division. "When you see a high-profile, quintessentially Canadian person that's been affected, it really does drive it home and makes it very real." Several people who called the society's toll-free smoker's helpline in Ontario the day after Gzowski's death cited the tragedy as motivation, said Ontario spokeswoman Christine Koserski. "A lot of callers said that they found all the tributes very touching, and that hearing and reading the tributes to Peter Gzowski made them want to quit," Koserski said. "There was one caller who said that Gzowski had said, 'If you are a smoker, quit,' and just hearing that made that person call to find out if they could get help quitting." Gzowski was a prolific author, broadcaster and columnist, but Canadians knew him best from CBC Radio's Morningside, a daily three-hour showcase of unique nationalism that Gzowski hosted from 1982 to 1997. Just how much of an inspiration he proves to be for smokers may never be fully known, said Paul McDonald, a smoking cessation expert at the University of Guelph. New Year's always makes January the most popular month to quit, which is why major anti-smoking ad campaigns and National Non-Smoking Week usually fall in that month. That, coupled with the usual January surge in sales of stop-smoking aids and calls to smoker's helplines, make it difficult to say just how many people were moved to quit by Gzowski's death, McDonald said. But his passing will almost certainly have a lasting impact, he added. "I think there will be an immediate effect, but I think there will be a longer-term effect, too," McDonald said. "People like Peter Gzowski will not disappear from the radar screen of Canadians anytime soon, because of his multiple and long-term contributions to this nation." One of the leading reasons cited by helpline callers for their decision to quit is family and friends, Koserski said. To countless fans of Morningside, Gzowski was both. "They felt like they knew him because they listened to him every single day, and followed his career over many years," said McDonald, who met the man during a radio interview about quitting smoking four years ago. "It was as if he was a family member or a friend." Gzowski wasn't the only prominent smoker to die recently; Princess Margaret, who died of a stroke last week at the age of 71, was also a notoriously heavy smoker who suffered a host of health problems late in life. Late last year, Gzowski used his profile to record video footage for an anti-smoking campaign for the Canadian Lung Association which was set to air in March. But the family has not yet decided whether or not they want the footage used, said the cancer society's Kaminsky. "Understandably, they need some time to think this through and get over their own shock." Gzowski had the most common form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The Canadian Lung Association estimates about 15 to 20 per cent of all smokers eventually contract the disease. His thoughts on quitting were published in a 2001 essay entitled How to Quit Smoking in 50 Years or Less, which appeared in the book Addicted: Notes From the Belly of the Beast. "You can spend thousands on personal therapy and professional guidance, or you can stick a carrot in your ear and whistle Four Strong Winds - if you have enough breath," Gzowski wrote. "The method makes no difference. If you've decided to quit, you will. If you haven't, you should get your affairs in order." Joanna Kotsopoulos, a publicist for publisher Douglas & McIntyre, said bookstores experienced a run on the book in the days following Gzowski's death. "Bookstores had people coming in and asking them about it," Kotsopoulos said. "One of the last things he had published was about his smoking, and that in the end is what contributed to his demise." A look at chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the lung condition that killed Peter Gzowski at the age of 67 last month: What is it? COPD can be several different things, all of which culminate in a blocking of the airways in the lungs; most common form is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. How serious is it? Permanent and incurable. Chronic Bronchitis: A narrowing and clogging of the lung airways; indicated by the presence of cough and sputum for more than three months for two consecutive years. Emphysema: Enlargement and destruction of the alveoli, or air sacs, deep in the lungs, causing surrounding airways to collapse. Cause: Between 80 and 90 per cent of all emphysema and chronic bronchitis cases are caused by smoking. (Canadian Press via Mike Cooper; and similar AP story via David Alpert, DXLD) As I used to occasionally tip for rational living: ``Anyone who smokes is a fool; anyone who smokes in public is a dangerous fool; anyone who sells tobacco products is a merchant of death``. You may be grateful for the restraint I show on this subject I feel extremely strongly about? (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. A Southam News article in today's Montreal Gazette reports that ourprime minister's lack of availability to the foreign press in Ottawa fuels "Canada's bad image" abroad. The article quotes another story written in a German newspaper: "Canada is known as a vacation destination with wilderness and the beauties of nature, but not as an industrial centre. [...] Political observers on the Canadian capital, however, also attribute Canada's weak international profile to the obvious lack of interest of [Prime Minister Jean] Chrétien and his closest advisers in a continuing foreign presentation of the country." The Prime Minister's Office flatly rejects the suggestion that the PM is unavailable. This story may explain why the government is so darned slow to react to potential problems at RCI (Ricky Leong, QB, Feb 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. Ecos del Atrato, 5019.64, Feb 9 0245-0404*. Irregular; Spanish talk, many mentions of Colombia, CARACOL jingles. Mosty continuous news items with short music breaks. Ads, promos, jingles. Abrupt s/off. Weak-poor in noise (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. LOS CUBANOS SABOREAN LA TELEVISION NORTEAMERICANA Cuba lo prohibe y las empresas matrices atacan a los piratas cambiando a los softwares, pero aun asi el acceso clandestino a la televisión de Estados Unidos se ha transformado en la Habana en una moda para todas las edades, gustos y bolsillos, que desafía el control del gobierno sobre los medios. "Es que la de aquí está peor cada día" , aseguran algunos cubanos sobre la televisión estatal, la única que transmite en la isla desde hace 40 años, con una programación eminentemente politíca, histórica, didáctica y sin publicidad comercial. Esa propuesta es la principal opción recreativa para el cubano de a pie en el único País socialista de Occidente. Abarca todo el territorio con dos canales y "yo creo que su factura es aceptable, para nuestros intereses", según declaró Joaquín G. Santana, un consultor de la televisión local. Pero cada día son más los cubanos que buscan otra alternativa en los clubes de videos - la mayoría ilegales - y "pirateando" las señales televisivas estadounidenses o hispanas. "A mi me desagrada que me seleccionen hasta lo que tengo que ver", comentó Alejandro, de 30 años, un técnico en informática que desde su apartamento de la capital cubana accede cada noche, en directo, a más de 50 canales norteamericanos. En la Isla sólo están autorizados a captar la "televisión foránea" algunas instancias del gobierno, ciertas empresas, los hoteles y los extranjeros residentes. Es casi inexistente la comercialización de receptores digitales, antenas parabólicas y videocaseteras (VCR), así como receptores de Radio en Onda Corta. Pero todos esos medios entran al País, algunos de la mano de un "hermano, marino mercante" o por "un amigo diplomático" y hasta en las valijas de funcionarios cubanos que salen en viajes de trabajo y que quedan exentos de controles aduanales. "Un paquete de 22 canales cuesta $60.00 (dólares), no pesos cubanos mensuales", afirmó una empleada de CUBACABLE, la empresa oficial dedicada al tema. Pero en las calles habaneras un "paquete" mayor se compra por $25.00 (dólares). Por su parte, los suministradores clandestinos resuelven en pocos dias los sorpresivos cambios de softwares y tarjetas que hacen las casas matrices en Estados Unidos. Las autoridades están a la caza de vendedores y clientes para "impedir que la influencia ideológica del enemigo" nos contamine" , decomisan todo cuanto descubren, pero el negocio aumenta. El Sábado Gigante de Don Francisco, un show de factura inadmisible para las normas cubanas, o la pelicula El señor de los Anillos, con 13 nominaciones a los próximos Oscar, se alquilan por cinco pesos, unos diez centavos de dólar. "Yo gano $171.00 (pesos cubanos) mensualmente [poco más de $6.00 dólares], pero hasta dejé de fumar para darme el lujo de ver los programas que me dé la gana" , declaró Alicia, una secretaria de 35 años (tomado de EL NUEVO HERALD, MANUEL SOMOZA / AFP, via Oscar, DXLD) ** CYPRUS. 8737, Cyprus Radio 20 Feb at 2420 in USB. Voice QRA. "This is Cyprus Radio, Radiotelephone Monitoring Service". Presumed Greek then English. Haven't logged this for years, although I am just now getting into utes again after a while (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. New transmission for YLE Radio Finland in English to EAs/Au: 1100-1200 Sat on 17820 (55555), Pori 500 kW / 075 degrees (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 19 via DXLD) ** FRANCE. RFI announced at 1730 Feb 19 that they would have a special on Feb 24 [Sun] at 1206 about the future of communications, including Kim Elliott and Robert O`Reilly of VOA, Jonathan Marks of RN, and others (Chris Hambly, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: That's the first I've heard of any such appearance on RFI. Mais pourquoi pas? 73 (Kim Elliott, DC, VOA, DXLD) ** INDIA. As scheduled, AIR's Festival of Music yesterday was broadcast by most stations on MW, SW and FM from 1630 to 0030 UT. Such extended broadcast by AIR from 10.00 pm to 6.00 pm IST was not observed before except for coverage of General Election results. Notable absentees on SW were 3365, 4800, 4820, 4950, 6085, 7140, 9565 and 9835 which signed off as usual. Radio Kashmir Srinagar & Jammu did not carry the program. Vividh Bharati stations also did not relay this and no additional channels were observed. Of special interest was AIR Gangtok on 3390 which relayed the program fully. Hope that some members of this reflector monitored this special broadcast. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx-india Feb 18 via DXLD) ** INDIA. Dear Fellow Hams/SWLs, For last couple of days there has been spurious emissions heard on entire 14 MHz ham band and 15 MHz broadcast band between 1615 and 1715 UT. The fundamental frequency is 15140 from AIR super power transmitter Bangalore. Programs are in Russian. On complaint from ARSI, and myself, the guys in Bangalore have done some alignments today. Please do monitor today between 2145 and 2245 IST and let me/VU2SDN know the feedback ASAP. This QRM has been reported mainly by hams in North and Central India. Thanks for the help. Raman VU3DJQ (via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Feb 18, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Radio Caroline has not used 576 so far, at least as far as I know. But they already tested 5935 and 945 from Riga-Ulbroka, and it was quite clear to me that the nebulous mention of ``another test on a fresh frequency only this time with 500 kW`` (DXLD 2-026) referred to 576, since this Riga outlet is indeed rated at 500 kW, and the good contacts of Radio Caroline to Latvia are obvious from the previous transmissions. Now we have 576 confirmed, still not the transmitter site, but I really donot believe that it will be Vidin/Bulgaria (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn -- more info on the upcoming Radio Caroline test this weekend. It will be on 576 kHz, from 1400 UT on Saturday 23rd until 2000 on Sunday 24th. The transmitter will be running at 150 kW. Location has not been disclosed, but it's probably from Latvia (Ray Robinson, Los Angeles, Feb 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The transmitter will be running at 150 kW, and not 500 as suggested previously. This is rather unfortunate - when I recorded Thursday's Imagination show I announced that if all the Virgin Radio transmitters were added together they would still be 170,286 watts short of our 500 kW! Now we're going to be 179,714 watts short of them! Perhaps I should think up a different marketing policy - how about "If Caroline's one hundred and fifty thousand watts were laid end to end they'd reach from Easter Sunday 1964 to infinity"? Time to go back to the home... (Rob Leighton, Radio Caroline mailing list via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. A song about WBCQ's Allan Weiner THE DARK AND THE ROLLING SEA A Song Dedicated to Allan Weiner ------------------------------------------- Bm A D G Oh you slipped away from the harbour side D A G Em In the morning bright and clear Bm A D G And your sails were filled with the rising wind D F# G Em And you laughed for all to hear Bm A D But you never glanced at the ragged dance G Em F#m A Of your friends back on the quai Bm A D G Don't call on them when the winds rise high D A G Em On the dark and the rolling sea. Bm A D G You set your course for the furthest shores D A G Em And you never once looked back Bm D G And the flag you flew was the pirate cross D F# G Em On a field of velvet black. Bm A D And those landsmen who you but lately knew G Em F#m A Were left stranded on the lea Bm A D G Don't call on them when the storm clouds rise D A G Em On the dark and the rolling sea. Bm A D G Oh I have no need of a chart or creed D A G Em You told your waiting crew Bm A D G For the winds of chance, they will bear us straight D F# G Em And you spoke as though you knew. Bm A D So you paid no mind to the warning signs G Em F#m A As you gave your words so free Bm A D G Don't change your tack when the timbers crack D A G Em On the dark and and the rolling sea. Bm A D G Now the thunder rails in the great mainsails D A G Em And the stars desert the skies Bm A D G And the rigging strains as the hands of rain D F# G Em Reach down to wash your eyes. Bm A D And your oarsman stands with his knife in hand G Em F#m A And his eyes spell mutiny Bm A D G Don't call my name when your ship goes down D A G Bm A G Bm A G D C Bm On the dark and the rolling sea. (via Radio Rebel, DXLD) Well, that`s a first for DXLD. If the chords don`t line up, I`m not in a position to fix them (gh) ** IRELAND. Don't you believe the WRN press release claiming it carries "5-7 Live" from RTE in Ireland. WRN1 used to carry this two- hour program, but quite some time ago cut this two-hour slot to only 30 minutes (Mike Cooper, Feb 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. From The Jerusalem Post, By Gil Hoffman http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/02/18/News/News.43612.html JERUSALEM (February 18) - Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior embarked on a campaign yesterday to prevent the Israel Broadcasting Authority from ending foreign-language shortwave broadcasts heard daily by hundreds of thousands throughout the world. After receiving confirmation from IBA chairman Nahman Shai the proposed budget will eliminate broadcasts in 11 languages to save NIS 6 million in broadcast fees, Melchior wrote Minister without Portfolio Ra'anan Cohen, who is in charge of the IBA, asking him to intervene to save the broadcasts. "I understand the need for the IBA to tighten its belt and make budget cuts, but the cuts should not come at the expense of such an important information tool," Melchior wrote. "Ending the broadcasts during this difficult conflict would be an irresponsible move that would harm the interests of the Israeli public." Melchior noted in the letter Cohen had promised him in a personal conversation weeks ago the broadcasts would not be eliminated. Cohen's office, which forwarded the letter to the IBA, said he would not be able to comment until he sees the IBA's response. Politicians from across the political spectrum and shortwave radio listeners from around the world sent Cohen angry letters demanding the broadcasts be saved, after The Jerusalem Post reported about the cut on January 25. But Cohen, who went on a trip to Central America and then organized last week's Labor Party central committee meeting, has not even been updated on the controversy. Melchior said Cohen is in charge of directing the IBA's policy and can demand the cut be restored. The cuts, which also require approval by the cabinet and the Knesset, are expected to be finalized in the next couple of weeks. The IBA broadcasts daily on shortwave radio in Russian for 90 minutes, in French for 85, in English for 75, and for less than an hour in Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian, Bukharan, and Mugrabi. IBA foreign-language department director Shmuel Ben-Zvi said more people listen to Israel Radio abroad via shortwave broadcasts than listen to all of Israel Radio's stations here combined (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. An Editorial from the Feb 19, Jerusalem Post http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/02/19/Opinion/Editorial.43652.html THE IBA'S TIN EAR (February 19) - If any proof were needed the country often has a tin ear when it comes to hasbaraâ [sic! what`s this? --gh] making its own case in the world, the proposed cancellation of the Israel Broadcasting Authority's foreign language broadcasts settles the argument. That such a suggestion would be made shows these broadcasts do not belong under the IBA, where their importance is clearly not appreciated. As first reported in this newspaper, the 2002 budget recently approved by the Knesset eliminates Reshet Heh's NIS 7.7 million budget. The shortwave radio network, which along with the Hebrew and Arabic sections, constitutes one of the IBA's three divisions, currently broadcasts daily in 11 languages: Russian (90 minutes), French (85 minutes), English (75 minutes), Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian, Bukharan, and Mugrabi (less than an hour each). According to the IBA foreign language department director Shmuel Ben- Zvi, more people listen to Israel Radio's shortwave broadcasts abroad than listen to all of Israel Radio's local stations combined. For budgetary reasons, a proper survey of the listenership of these foreign broadcasts has never been conducted. When news broke of the proposed axing of the service, the IBA was flooded with protests from around the globe. The seemingly avid and loyal listenership shows the argument the same information can be found on the Internet does not wash. News from Israel is certainly available on the Web, as the popularity of The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition and its Internet radio station attests. But this information is not translated into all the languages broadcast by the IBA. Even if the broadcasts were transferred to the IBA Web site, this would not solve the problem. As the leader of Georgia's Jewish community wrote in a protest to Minister without Portfolio Ra'anan Cohen, responsible for the IBA, not all communities have ready access to the Internet. Furthermore, its existence has not rendered other media, such as radio, press, and television, obsolete. Even in English, the language in which the most information is available in every form of media, IBA news is rebroadcast by numerous radio stations in English-speaking countries. In a letter to Cohen, Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior argued the broadcasts are a critical "information tool" and "ending the broadcasts during this difficult conflict would be an irresponsible move that would harm the interests of the Israeli public." Melchior is right, and he is writing to the right address, even though Cohen is not directly responsible for the IBA budget. Though IBA Director-General Ran Galinka is more directly responsible for implementing necessary budget cuts, Cohen is responsible for the law that governs IBA broadcasting. This law specifically requires that the IBA broadcast in foreign languages. It is ludicrous to argue, as the IBA does, that transferring its foreign broadcasts to the Internet would fulfill this legal requirement. If the IBA is looking for savings, there should be no shortage of places to cut. The IBA has not fundamentally adjusted to the fact it is not the only game in town, as it was for so many years. While some argue the idea of a government-run television channel is completely obsolete, a case can be made for some form of public broadcasting, as is done in many Western countries. The foreign language broadcasts are a prime example of a necessary service not performed by the commercial channels. It is not at all clear why the IBA should compete with the main news and entertainment broadcasts of the commercial channels. A pared down IBA could focus on quality programming not deemed commercial, rather than paying large sums for popular foreign entertainment programs. As for the foreign radio broadcasts, perhaps they should become an independent authority associated with the Foreign Ministry, similar to the Voice of America's arrangement. Israel cannot rely on government- sponsored news programs to make its case to the world, but providing credible news about Israel to people who thirst for it is an important task that should, if anything, be enhanced rather than cut. --------- (via Daniel Rosenzweig, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel, 7545 at 2445 15 Feb with out-of-tune version of "All You Need Is Love". Human version of horn section. Excellent signal. Hebrew. Another tune later w/human trumpet sounds. Bad music (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. "TUTTO IL CALCIO MINUTO PER MINUTO" in Italian noted on Feb. 17: 1345-1730 again on traditional 17780, ex 17820, re-ex 17780 \\ 9670 21535 21710 (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 19 via DXLD) ** LIBERIA: PRESIDENT AGREES TO RESTORE SHORTWAVE FOR RADIO VERITAS 19 February 2002 Dr Hansjoerg Biener reports: In a surprise development at a news conference on 9 February 2002, Liberian President Charles Taylor announced the "immediate" restoration of the shortwave frequency for the Catholic-run Radio Veritas. The announcement came barely 24 hours after he had declared a state of emergency in the country. President Taylor said his action was a demonstration that the state of emergency was not intended to clamp down on peaceful citizens nor on free speech and the press. At the time of the announcement, the lawsuit of the Catholic Church against the July 2001 closure of the frequency was still pending at the circuit court. Radio Veritas Station Manager Ledgerhood Rennie said he was pleased by the President's gesture to allow the station run its shortwave frequency. He said it is an opportunity for the Liberian people to have access to information and that the station looks forward to working with all spheres of society. [Editorial note: The station was previously reported using 3450 and 5470 kHz] In March 2000, the Government ordered the closure of Star Radio "until its ownership and management structure were transferred from the international media NGO Hirondelle to a Liberian-run media institution". The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) welcomed the restoration shortwave to Radio Veritas and expressed continued interest in the re-opening of Star Radio. (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) ** MEXICO. RMI, Feb 16 0045-0310+, still heard around 9280v with transmitter problems. Heard since early Jan [before Xmas –gh]. LA music, Spanish talk. Strong, very distorted wideband signal. Much better on \\ 11770 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. R. Miskut, 5770, 0020-0130+; normal s\off time is 2400, but frequently runs past then. Heard Feb 16 [Sat] with Spanish talk by woman, Spanish pops, ballads, US country music and Spanish remakes of US pop tunes. Good; reduced carrier USB. Also heard Jan 27 [Sun] 0010- 0107* (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 15 February 2002 RADIO AUSTRALIA SIGNS DEAL WITH PNG NATIONAL BROADCASTER Some of Radio Australia's most popular programmes will soon be carried by the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) of Papua New Guinea. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed last week by NBC Managing Director Dr Kristoffa Ninkama and the Head of Radio Australia, Jean- Gabriel Manguy. The arrangement involves news, information and education programmes in both Tok Pisin and English. NBC has a network of AM radio stations in 19 provinces and FM stations in key urban centres. Radio Australia programmes now available to NBC listeners include Radio Australia News, the current affairs programmes Asia Pacific and Pacific Beat, and Pacific Focus, a weekly magazine programme exploring the region's health, environment, business, arts, culture and sport sectors. In Tok Pisin, there's news and current affairs and a variety of informative magazine programmes focusing on health, rural development, social and cultural issues. The agreement also provides for staff exchanges, enabling programme makers at each organisation to gain valuable work experience in the other country (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Hi Glenn, FYI we published this on the DRM pages today: DRM Test from Sines: Our colleagues at Deutsche Welle advise us that DW will be transmitting a DRM signal out of Sines, Portugal, on 20, 21 and 22 Feb 2002 at 1200-1400 UTC (beam 40 degrees) on 21630 kHz (Andy Sennitt, RN, Feb 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAMOA AMERICAN [and non]. Glenn asks about K-calls for Hawaii and W-calls for other locations in the Pacific. Here's my best shot: When the first stations in Hawaii were licenced, the US had already made the K-W split, and, as a Territory west of the Mississippi, Hawaii was immediately allocated callsigns beginning with K. The same applied to the AFRS station located on Midway Island at the end of WWII. The callsign KMTH stands for Midway Territory (of) Hawaii because Midway is technically within the State of Hawaii, but was allocated when it was a Territory. The W calls are a legacy of WWII. The AFRS Mosquito and Jungle Network stations were allocated W calls because they were located in places either belonging to someone else (e.g.: Britain, France, or Holland for example), or the US (but administered from Washington). Hence, WVYW American Samoa (the original WVUV), WXLE Eniwetok/Canton; WVTV Johnston Island etc. Actually, the key seems to be, who was running the station. For example, in Alaska, a whole series of W call AFRS stations co-existed alongside commercial K stations during WWII. Even in Hawaii, a W call AFRS station broadcast during WWII near Honolulu, co-existing with KRHO (early VOA via shortwave) and local K call commercial stations. The same in the Philippines, a former US territory with K calls before WWII and between 1945 and 1949. Here, W call AFRS stations co-existed from 1945 onwards with local K call stations until the latter became DX, DY or DZ calls. On Guam, KSAI operated by the VOA co-existed with a W call AFRS station, and after WWII, AFRS became FEN and dropped the W callsign whilst local K call stations (such as KUAM) came on air. US administration stations in the former League of Nations Japanese Mandate territories all had W calls after WWII (e.g. WSZO Majuro, WSZD Carolines, etc.) until independence and new calls. In American Samoa, former AFRS station WVYW was handed over to the territorial government and became WVUV. More recently, private commercial FM stations have K calls. Many years ago, KBQN was planned for 585, maintaining the K call tradition for a private station. However, the latest planned 585 outlet, WDJD does not fit this pattern, unless there is some government link to the station or the call is in error or American Samoa is simply a bit screwed up. Cheers (David Ricquish, Pacific Radio Heritage Collection, http://www.radiodx.com via Paul Ormandy, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Perhaps the need for a catchy evangelical slogan trumps the K/W dichotomy. Or, knowing how things actually work within the USA, ``WDJD`` itself could be a slogan rather than a legal callsign (gh, DXLD) ** SWEDEN. NORDIC MEDIA NEWS --- Coming up on Radio Sweden: Wednesday: In "Money Matters", a portrait of embattled executive Percy Barnevik Thursday: In "HeartBeat" pre-operation drinks and healthy practical jokes Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: "Network Europe" looks at the euro Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic", the Swedish Grammy Awards and this year's City of Pop Monday: More about Sweden and the Winter Olympics in "SportScan" Tuesday: A special edition of "Network Europe" about the technique, ethics and implications of stem cell research (SCDX/MediaScan Feb 19 via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. 15470, Jan 6 0300 R Dniezhnya? abbreviated to ``Radio D`` at times V/good in unknown language & RR Also included KK in some programs. Starts as soon as carrier on air and heard twice with carry over S/off for R Liberty. Refs to ``Turkmen`` and also mentions ``California`` Home office? ID 0339 6/1 KVB (Kelvin Brayshaw, Levin, Feb NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES via DXLD) Are we sure this is transmitted from Turkmenistan? ** U K. BBC Radio 3 is going all out with a Baltic theme Feb 17-22. I listened to most of the Monday evening programme and found it most enjoyable. Details including Live from Estonia on Friday at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/speech/baltic/index.shtml (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. WWCR has several programmes produced by the London Radio Service; I found them listed on the program guide at http://www.wwcr.com/pgmtext.html The London Radio Service website is http://www.lrs.co.uk (Mike Barraclough, UK, swprograms via DXLD) The interesting thing about LRS is that it operates on behalf of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, i.e. the British government, unlike the BBC, which the uninitiated often assume is run by the government. LRS programmes are generally innocuous, e.g. about science, and well done, but one wonders why the FCO bothers to do this, and if in an emergency it would compete with the BBCWS? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) I have been checking their website. They have a partner US website at http://www.BritFM.com This offers online audio of news stories as well as their English programmes. They produce 8 programmes, 4 in English and the others in Russian, Arabic, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese, the latter the BBC WS does not broadcast in. As you say, Glenn, it does seem odd that the FCO chooses to fund this operation as when London Radio Service programmes are going out the BBCWS is on the air as well. It might not do any harm to let them know people in North America are listening to the programmes, and that you would also appreciate the resumption of direct shortwave transmissions from the BBC WS, as well as these London Radio Service features (Mike Barraclough, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. On Mon., Feb. 19 I briefly stopped by WJCR studios near Upton, KY. I was told that recently their SW-transmitters had another major problem. There was some overloading and automatic protection didn't kick in when it should have. As a result, some expensive tubes and resistors burned. Currently, the station is broadcasting on 7490 kHz with only 2 kW. 13595 is not used at all. Their engineer is in Guatemala right now. Next week, when he returns, WJCR will try to start using 50 kW on 7490 again. Later, they'll work on 13595. While listening to WJCR FM 90.1 MHz, I noticed that their music sounds a little bit more mainstream than before. I also felt that the commercials became more frequent than two years ago. Among other things, I heard an announcement for a benefit concert with proceeds going for a purchase of a new FM transmitter for WJCR. BTW, WJCR has a pretty good coverage on 90.1 FM. Driving on I-65, I could hear the signal on a car radio already in northern TN, through all of KY, and even in south-east IN (Sergei Sosedkin, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. On February 3rd, WSHB replaced 11550 with 13780 between 20 to 22 hours UT for E. North America and Europe. No reason was announced for this frequency change. With the station up for sale again, will the CS Board of Directors contract with Merlin and/or Deutsche Telekom to broadcast to South America and Africa, as the April 14, 1997 press release announcing the sale of Monitor Radio, WSHB, and KHBI outlined? 73, (Jim Moats, OH, February 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Table of Truth, the anti-R. G. Stair program, airs twice a week on WBCQ 7415: UT Thu and UT Fri at 0200. More and more brewing... (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I tried for the similar/same show at 1700 on 17495 this weekend, and could not detect WBCQ on the air. Posted schedule has it Mon/Wed/Fri/Sat/Sun (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also INTERNATIONAL WATERS non ** U S A. The final segment of PBS` Newshour Feb 18 is about Middle East Radio Network, VOA, RFE/RL, etc. More at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/public_diplomacy/ with extended interviews, some real audio, but not video. The above are dated Jan 16, so was all this a re-run Feb 18? Not the following 6:32 audio linked, a demo of MERN if it were in English, which it won`t be, including a clip of Pres. Bush explaining that we`re fighting terrorism, not Islam (Seems to me that Moslems who can`t see the distinxion here are a big part of the problem...), viz.: The Middle East Radio Network Listen to an English- language version of what the U.S. government's Middle East Radio Network, aimed at young Afghanis, will sound like. When the network goes live, its programming will broadcast in Afghanistan's native languages. (Courtesy Middle East Radio Network) http://audio.pbs.org:8080/ramgen/newshour/expansion/2002/02/13/radionetwork.rm?altplay=radionetwork.rm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Press Conference USA, just recorded, is not available on- demand, so one will have to listen via shortwave or the live News Now stream at http://www.voanews.com (Kim Elliott, VOA, Feb 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sat Feb 23, 0433 UT plus 4-hourly. That`s the one with Kim et al. questioning VOA director (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. PACIFICA FIRES 9, DROPS NATIONAL NEWS SHOW By Paul Farhi, Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, February 16, 2002; Page C03 Pacifica Radio, the embattled non-commercial broadcaster, dismissed its national news staff in Washington yesterday, ending the nightly newscasts that have been on the air for 20 years. The Pacifica Foundation, the nonprofit parent of Pacifica Radio, cited financial pressures, including a deficit of almost $5 million, a result partly of a three-year struggle for control of its board. But the network's news director characterized the firing of the nine- member news staff as a purge by a new management team intent on cleaning house after winning the long battle to run the organization. The Washington-based Pacifica Foundation, founded by pacifists in 1949, owns stations in five cities, including WPFW-FM in Washington. Its stations carry music, and news and talk shows with a left-leaning perspective. Pacifica has been roiled by internal and external dissent over its programming and management. When its board sought to make changes in programming and station personnel three years ago, listeners and some dissident board members protested, claiming the network was becoming mainstream in an effort to attract more donations. After street demonstrations, lawsuits and lockouts, the dissident factioneventually prevailed and took power in December. This new management has subsequently dismissed some of its old opponents at the stations, including the general manager of WPFW. It has also reinstated programming and on-air hosts scuttled under the old regime -- in effect, bringing Pacifica full circle. However, the infighting came at a price: An audit this month pegged Pacifica's debt at $4.8 million, which includes outstanding bills for lawyers, public relations companies and security guards hired during the long fight. Pacifica anticipates revenue of $10.8 million this year. Sacking the national news staff will save roughly $1.3 million annually, said Verna Avery-Brown, interim deputy executive of Pacifica Radio. Avery-Brown said this and other belt-tightening measures will enable Pacifica to keep its network intact. She ruled out the sale of any of its stations, located in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Berkeley, Calif., as well as Washington. The news staff has produced a half-hour daily program called the Pacifica Network News that has been carried on the Pacifica-owned stations since 1982. News will be produced only on a local basis now, said Avery-Brown. "It's sad," said Patricia Guadalupe, Pacifica Radio's news director, who was told of her dismissal yesterday. "It's very sad. It's the end of an era. We were the only ones doing stories on issues that no one else in the media was paying attention to." Guadalupe said the news staff was being let go because management believes it is insufficiently loyal: "This is basically 21st-century McCarthyism here." Among other subjects, Pacifica Network News reported on how Sept. 11 affected minority businesses around the World Trade Center; about the growing Mexican American community on the East Coast; and about the effect of Argentina's economic collapse on ordinary people. But Pacifica's national news staff didn't cover the story it was closest to: the protests against the organization and the lawsuits seeking to oust board members. That was left to Pacifica's five local stations. "We didn't cover it because we felt we couldn't be objective about it," Guadalupe said. "We were getting personally attacked. . . . We felt it wasn't fair to our listeners. We wanted to stay above the fray and cover the news," such as the 2000 election and the Sept. 11 attacks (© 2002 The Washington Post Company via Jim Romanesko's MediaNews via Kevin Kelly, and via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. LITTLE GUYS GET AIRTIME AS LOW-POWER FM DEBUTS IN REGION By Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, February 19, 2002; Page A01 The radio revolution sounded like it would be a blast. Real power-to- the-people stuff. Thousands rushed to apply for licenses to run tiny, 100-watt community radio stations two years ago during a moment of federal government largess. Everyone from religious fundamentalists to nature lovers to Cajun accordion aficionados hoped to take back pieces of the airwaves from corporate giants. They dreamed of preaching the Gospel or railing against pollution or spreading the magic of zydeco rhythms. But something happened on the way to community-radio nirvana. Something like reality.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30191-2002Feb18.html (via Tom McNiff, DC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** USA/AFGHANISTAN: RSF CONCERNED AT US ARMY'S ALLEGED THREATS AGAINST REPORTER | Text of press release in English by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF) on 15 February In a letter to United States (US) Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, RSF expressed its preoccupation after American soldiers aimed their rifles at Doug Struck, The Washington Post's correspondent in Afghanistan, while he was investigating the impact of an American missile fired in Afghanistan. RSF asked Rumsfeld to provide explanations for the incident. "Our organization is worried, as is The Washington Post staff, about why American soldiers in Afghanistan prevent journalists from reporting about military operations in Afghanistan," said RSF Secretary-General Robert Menard. Menard also noted that American special forces are suspected of attacking three American press photographers on 20 December 2001. According to information obtained by RSF, on 10 February 2002, American soldiers aimed their rifles at Struck, a correspondent in Afghanistan for The Washington Post, and threatened to shoot him if he did not respect a security perimeter around the US missile impact area. "If you go further you would be shot," said the commanding officer. The Washington Post said it was "baffled" by the incident. Philip Bennett, the newspaper's assistant managing editor for foreign news, asked: "On what basis does the military in Afghanistan prevent American reporters from reporting on aspects of military operations in Afghanistan?" During a press conference held on 11 February, Defence Department Spokeswoman Victoria Clarke and Deputy Director of Operations John Stufflebeem refused to confirm the information. Nevertheless, recalling that [Afghan Northern Alliance] Commander Masud was killed by two men claiming to be journalists, the American officials explained that the situation in Afghanistan was so chaotic that American soldiers could not be sure that someone claiming to be an American reporter was in fact a reporter. According to a 12 February dispatch from Agence France-Presse [AFP], American Col Frank Wiercinski, the multinational force commander deployed at Kandahar airport, stated that "the journalist was accompanied by armed men... [ellipses as received] he approached a combat patrol without presenting himself, and... he was lucky he wasn't shot". In an audio interview available on The Washington Post web site, Struck states that he informed the American military authorities in Khost (approximately 150 km south of Kabul) before leaving for the zone in question. He also said that the soldiers threatened to shoot him after consulting their superiors. Struck wanted to go to Zhawara (50 km south of Khost), where a missile fired on 4 February by a US spy plane killed suspected Al-Qa'idah members. Since there was a possibility that one of the victims might have been Usamah Bin-Ladin, leader of the terrorist organization, American military commanders sent a task force to investigate. RSF recalled that on 20 December, The New York Times photographers João Silva and Tyler Hicks and Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder were roughed up and threatened by Afghans in the presence of American special forces soldiers in Meelawa, near Tora Bora (eastern Afghanistan). The American commandos refused to allow US journalists into the area, and local Afghan forces were put in charge of preventing the press from reaching it. According to Guttenfelder, the US special forces soldiers personally gave orders to Afghans to arrest them. The photographers' film was confiscated as well. During a 12 February conference on war coverage organized in New York by the Museum of Television and Radio, several media organizations prodded the Bush administration to open up the war to more scrutiny. For further information, contact Régis Bourgeat at RSF, 5, rue Geoffroy Marie, Paris 75009, France. Tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51, e-mail: ameriques@rsf.fr, Internet: http://www.rsf.fr Source: Reporters Sans Frontières press release, Paris, in English 15 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. TIME DOMAIN GETS FCC GO-AHEAD 02/15/02, CHARLES R. McCAULEY, News staff writer Huntsville's Time Domain Corp. got federal approval Thursday to begin limited sales of products using ultra wideband radio technology that proponents think could revolutionize the wireless industry. The Federal Communications Commission, in what it called a "cautious first step," adopted rules for the marketing and operation of certain imaging, vehicular radar and communications devices using ultra wideband technology, or UWB. Although the rules restrict operation of most devices to law enforcement, fire and rescue groups, and health care providers, consumers may see some products this year. "The FCC made history today," said Ralph G. Petroff, CEO of Time Domain, which has spent more than a decade developing the technology. "Commercial use of ultra wideband has been approved." Since UWB products employ very narrow or short-timed pulses over low radio frequencies occupied by existing radio services, the FCC limited use until further data shows no interference with air safety, military and other existing services. "Since there is no production UWB equipment available and there is little operational experience with the impact of UWB on other radio services," the commission said it chose "to err on the side of conservatism in setting emission limits when there were unresolved interference issues," the agency said. "The standards adopted today represent a cautious first step with UWB technology," the FCC said. The rules are based largely on standards that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration believes are necessary to protect against interference to vital federal government operations. "We think it is a terrific milestone in our company's history to have gotten this (ruling)," said Time Domain's Petroff, who was at the Washington, D.C., hearing. "A lot of people predicted this ruling would not happen. It was never our expectations that they would open the floodgates." However, he said, "It's open and the FCC has made a commitment to do a second order." Within the next six to 12 months, the FCC said, it plans to explore more flexible standards. Petroff said Time Domain's next step is to get all the products under design to the market. "We're expecting to have products for customers this year. We'll be shipping products this year." The products will use PulseOn, Time Domain's patented chipset that can be used for super high-speed communications, precision positioning or radar, or combinations of the three, Petroff said. Investors in the chipsets include IBM, Sony, Siemens, WorldCom, Quest and Marconi. Petroff would not name companies that will produce devices but potential producers include Boeing, Lockheed-Martin and TRW, which are working with on projects with Time Domain. FCC Commissioner Kevin J. Martin, in a statement issued separate from the ruling, says he was disappointed that the agency did not adopt more flexible limits allowing more widespread ultra wideband use. He said consumers stand to benefit from UWB-enhanced laptops, phones, video recorders and personal digital assistants that can wirelessly send and receive streams of digital video, audio and data (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. NPR Morning Edition, Feb 15, had a story about NOAA Weather Radio being used in South Dakota to warn people of other types of emergencies. Note the slight error in the report. The broadcaster from SD implies, if not actually says that NOAA only broadcasts during emergencies. It sometimes amazes me how people in the media don`t know what is going on in other portions of other media (Tim Hendel, AL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, they were talking about an emergency signal activating weather radios in standby mode, but did not make clear transmission is actually supposed to be continuous. I found this: (gh, DXLD) Emergency Radios From South Dakota Public Radio Curt Nickisch reports on the state's effort to broadcast terrorist alerts on weather band radios, usually used for tornado advisories. State officials see this as a cheap and efficient way to get the word out in case of an emergency. (3:32) http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20020215.me/05.ram (via DXLD) ** U S A. I`ve logged special event W7U out of Utah for the Olympic Winter Games. There`s another not published AFAIK, special callsign W19OG. Operator: Ray. QSL via: WA7ITZ. He`s on\around 14260 and should be actie for duation of games. He`s made some nice contacts. I got him at 0217 UT Feb 10 (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Gene Scott via Samara 17765 unheard for the past few days, and may have been off for some time although I didn't notice it before. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I heard Dr. Gene talking last week when doing some monitoring of the 16mb, so I don't think 17765 has been off air for long. I haven`t put in my log when last I heard him, but it doesn`t seem all that long ago (Noel Green, England, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VATICAN. VATICAN RADIO CASE THROWN OUT By Associated Press February 19 2002, 6:11 AM PST http://www.latimes.com/sns-ap-vatican-radio-trial0219feb19.story ROME -- A Rome judge threw out a criminal case against three Vatican Radio officials accused of polluting the air with electromagnetic waves from the station, ruling Tuesday that Italy has no jurisdiction over them. Judge Andrea Calabria said the three enjoy immunity under a 1929 treaty between the Holy See and Italy that established the Vatican as an independent city-state. Italian prosecutors had accused Vatican Radio officials of violating Italy's very strict standards on electromagnetic emissions. They have alleged that their transmitters in Santa Maria di Galeria, a suburb of Rome, damaged the health of 100,000 Italians who live nearby. Vatican Radio, which beams the pope's words around the world, has maintained it abides by "international recommendations" on emissions and that there no proof of health effects. It decided last year to move a main transmitter abroad. The station welcomed Tuesday's ruling and said it would continue "adopting precautionary measures" against health risks. The ruling was criticized by citizens in the suburb where the radio's antennas are located. Some of them in the courtroom shouted "all are not equal before the law," the ANSA news agency reported. The three Vatican officials on trial were a recently elevated cardinal and papal aide, Roberto Tucci; the Rev. Pasquale Borgomeo, the station's director-general; and Costantino Pacifici, a layman and engineer. (Copyright 2002 Associated Press, LA Times via Jim Moats, DXLD) Also: http://rd.yahoo.com/alerts/email/news/*http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020219/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_radio_trial_3 (via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CPJ CONCERNED BY PRESIDENT'S "THREATS" AGAINST JOURNALISTS | Text of press release by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 15 February; subheading as published In a 15 February 2002 letter to President Hugo Chávez Frías, CPJ expressed alarm over the numerous cases of harassment and intimidation against the Venezuelan press that the organization has documented during the last six weeks. CPJ believes these acts are the logical result of the president's relentless diatribes against the media. The organization urged the president to refrain from making the sort of harsh statements that may lead his followers to target the press. In recent weeks, the already tense relations between Chávez' government and the press have worsened amid signs that the president's popularity is declining and that society has become increasingly polarized. In March 2001, CPJ noted that Chávez' verbal attacks undermined the credibility of the press, making journalists vulnerable to legal and even physical attacks. CPJ is now concerned that such fears may have materialized. CPJ expressed concern about the following incidents in particular: In a 6 January radio broadcast, the president referred contemptuously to the Caracas daily El Nacional and accused one of its journalists, Yelitza Izaya Yáñez, of "disrespect" and "lying" after she reported that demonstrators in the Caracas neighbourhood of Catia protested Chávez` visit by banging pots. The next evening, some 100 supporters of the president's Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) surrounded the offices of El Nacional for two hours. Some of the protesters were armed with baseball bats and sticks, according to local news reports. During that time, the newspaper's employees could not leave the building for fear of being attacked by the protesters. On 10 January, El Nacional filed a complaint with the Washington DC- based Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). The next day, the IACHR asked the Venezuelan government to adopt so-called precautionary measures designed to guarantee the physical safety of El Nacional's staff and uphold their right to freedom of expression. Venezuelan authorities have agreed to adopt the measures. On 13 January, the "Caravan for the Truth", a column of around 30 vehicles loaded with MVR supporters, paid threatening visits to several media outlets in Caracas. The MVR demonstrators first congregated in front of the El Nacional offices, where they banged pots and demanded that the newspaper "tell the truth" about Chávez administration's achievements. Later, they staged demonstrations in front of the offices of Radio Caracas Televisión and the Caracas daily El Universal. On 20 January, a team from the television channel Globovisión, including reporter Mayela León, cameraman Jorge Manuel Paz, and assistant Jhan Bernal, was attacked by a crowd of the president's supporters while covering a broadcast of the president's weekly radio programme, "Aló, Presidente", in the Caracas neighbourhood of 23 de Enero. The mob surrounded Globovisión's van, kicking and rocking the vehicle and hurling insults. After soldiers intervened, the Globovisión journalists left without finishing their reporting assignment. A Radio Caracas Televisión team led by reporter Luisana Ríos was also manhandled during the broadcast, according to local press reports. On 29 January, Globovisión asked the IACHR to grant precautionary measures in favour of the journalists who were assaulted. On 30 January, the IACHR sent a letter asking that the Venezuelan government adopt the measures in favour of the journalists from Globovisión and Radio Caracas Televisión. Venezuelan authorities have agreed to adopt the measures. On the morning of 31 January, two men on a motorcycle launched a home- made explosive device at the entrance of the daily Así es la Noticia, part of the publishing house C.A. Editora El Nacional, which also owns El Nacional. The attackers fled after throwing flyers that accused Así es la Noticia Editor Ibeyise Pacheco and three other journalists of orchestrating a campaign against "the process of change". The explosion shattered the glass door at the entrance but caused no injuries. Ten minutes after the attack, an unidentified caller said that another bomb would go off in the building's parking lot. Two hundred employees were evacuated from the building. The police arrived minutes later but did not find any explosive. In statements quoted by El Nacional, Rafael Vargas, minister of the presidential secretariat, dismissed the attack: "What exploded in front of the daily Así es la Noticia was, practically, a matchbox that was put there to cause alarm." The Ministry of Interior and Justice has since assigned police to protect the newspaper's facilities and staff. Pacheco told El Nacional that she had received several anonymous phone threats on the night before the attack. The caller told her that her house and her newspaper would be raided. The threats came one day after Pacheco and journalists Marianela Salazar, Patricia Poleo, and Marta Colomina made public a video showing Venezuelan military officials and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrillas discussing the release of a kidnapped Venezuelan citizen with alleged links to Colombian paramilitaries. The video suggested close collaboration between the Venezuelan military and the FARC. On 4 February, a crew from the television channel Venevisión, led by reporter Rafael Garrido, was harassed while covering public celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the president's 4 February 1992 coup attempt. Unidentified individuals tried to push the journalists off a platform on which they were standing. As the Venevisión crew made their escape, a window of their vehicle was smashed, according to local news reports. Recommended action Send appeals to the president: - Commending him for the steps his government has taken to protect journalists, but at the same time expressing the belief that his verbal attacks on the media may have contributed to the current climate of intolerance - Urging him to demonstrate his active support for press freedom by condemning all attacks on the Venezuelan press and by creating a climate in which journalists may fulfil their professional duties without fear of reprisal For further information, contact Joel Simon (x116), Marylene Smeets (x120) or Sauro González Rodríguez (x118) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York NY 10001, USA. Tel: +1 212 465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e- mail: jsimon@cpj.org --- americas@cpj.org --- msmeets@cpj.org or sgonzalez@cpj.org Internet: http://www.cpj.org/ Source: Committee to Protect Journalists press release, New York, in English 15 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. REBEL STATION HAS A NEW QUEST Byline: Peter Ford Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Date: 02/19/2002 (BELGRADE) The journalists at B92, the iconic Belgrade radio and TV station that symbolized and succored defiance of former Yugoslavian President Slobodan Miloshevich for more than a decade, might have hoped for a bit of gratitude from the new democratic government. They have been disappointed. "If someone was highly courageous during the Milosevic era, we will give them a medal but not a TV channel," said Zoran Djindjich, the Serbian premier, recently. Welcome to the new Yugoslavia, where ratings and realpolitik count for much more than the romance of rebellion.... Click here to read this story online: http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0219/p06s01-woeu.html (via Jim Moats, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. SW RADIO AFRICA TO BROADCAST FOR EXTRA HOUR DAILY | Text of press release by London-based Zimbabwe independent Short Wave Radio Africa dated 12 February 2002 The team at SW Radio Africa have been absolutely delighted with the reaction to the station. From day one the response has been nothing but positive and reaffirms the fact that Zimbabweans desperately need independent radio. From feedback we're receiving, we have a wide and diverse listenership spanning urban and rural areas, young and old. Due to the unacceptable level of violence in the country, we have been unable to conduct research of actual listenership figures in Zimbabwe itself. It is this level of violence that is so disheartening for the broadcasters to cover. We approach each morning's news meeting with concern, as we find out who died or was tortured that day. We continue to try to get all points of view. This has now become virtually impossible. Apart from a couple of rare exceptions, government refuses to speak to us, stating that we're a "pirate" station. We have found that there are a number of people in government who would very much like to speak to us but for fear of their jobs and their lives, cannot. This fear is a common feature of the country. Increasingly our interviewees are reluctant to be identified and even though we are Zimbabweans who know the situation well, it is still disturbing to realize the countrywide extent of the intimidation. Our web site http://www.swradioafrica.com has been a huge success. We have reached the half million mark of hits. All over the world people are logging in and listening to the programming. International press interest in the station has been overwhelming. In one four-week period we gave 40 interviews covering radio, television and newspapers in UK, France, Sweden, America, Ireland, Scotland, West Africa and South Africa. It has helped keep the international spotlight firmly focused on Zimbabwe. The press interest continues but is now down to a more manageable average of three interviews a week. Over the critical election period we will be producing an extra hour of programming over lunchtime 1-2 p.m. [1100-1200 gmt], 11670 kHz in the 25-metre band. This will be in the two-week run up to elections and two weeks post election and will be live, seven days a week. This is a different frequency to the nightly programmes, which will continue on 6145 kHz in the 49-metre band. Thank you all for listening and please continue to be brave enough to speak to us. You can always call us collect on (44) 208 387 1406. And please use your democratic right to cast your vote, for whoever you believe can lead Zimbabwe out of its nightmare. Source: SW Radio Africa press release, London, in English 12 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) 11670 should have a slightly better chance of being heard overseas (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Station with Kor'an recitation noted on Feb. 15-18: 1200-1245 and 1300-1345 on 6175 (34333). 73 from Ivo and Angel! (Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 19 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Re reports of 6715 in DXLD 2-027: I tuned 6715 last night (Sunday 17/02) at 1855 and found a station using USB only. The signal was strong, peaking to 9 on my meter - but with distortion. There was QRM from what I think were unlicensed "amateur" transmissions on about 6720LSB. I tried it again c1950 and it was still on air then, but gone when I made a further check at c2215. Unfortunately, I was plagued by a local thermostat causing much noise on/off. However, when in the clear, there was music and singing which might - or might not - have been religious, and talk by a man in a unknown language which sounded to have a central Asian sound. It did'nt sound to be of African origin. This evening I will try again and hope for a quieter background. Best 73's (Noel Green, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6715 USB, 17 Feb at 1940-2016, religious program, preacher, hymns and prayers. Strange language, could well be African, first sounded like Korean but after listening a while had to admit I had no idea what it was. Peaking up around 2000 to a nice level on clear frequency. This was USB, no carrier at all. No keywords heard for any possible ID except couple of Amens and one possible mention of Zimbabwe but that could as well be some other similar word. The Congolese stations on appr 6713 and 6828 in the past used to be very weak compared to this. Interesting. Had to go away at 2016, so don't know what time 6715 signed off (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) There's no trace of anything on 6715 tonight between 1730 and 1930 check - except for some unidentified SSB communications. Is it a weekend only station??? Will keep checking (Noel Green, England, Feb 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ TRAVELERS` CENTURY CLUB To each his own, but you think DXing 200+ SWBC countries is an achievement, or working 300+ DXCC ham countries? How about actually *visiting* hundreds of countries?? We ran across an article from an old USA Today (April 14, 2000, page 5D) about the TCC, and tracked down their website (not given), at http://www.travelerscenturyclub.org If you have lots of time, and lots of money, this may be for you! We wonder how much overlap there is between TCC activities and ham DX- peditioning. There should be some, for mutual benefit! Check out in particular the TCC Country List (splitting Antarctica into 9, e.g.): http://www.travelerscenturyclub.org/countries.html (Glenn Hauser, who has been to South Caicos and Macau, for a total of about 43 visited, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-027, February 17, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1118: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Mon 0630, 1230, Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-AM/USB 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN. (Update). Robert, S53R/YA5T, informs OPDX that ``YA5T has been on the air now for over 2 weeks with over 10,000 Qs in the log (plus over 2000 which Peter, ON6TT, made during his first visit). Recent activity has mostly been on CW. We will try to dedicate some time to SSB too. Digital modes are not planned now. However, if Peter comes here in the next weeks he may bring the modem along and will give it a try. We are still very much tied up with our work, but at least Fridays and Saturdays (weekend here) we try to stay on the radio as much as possible. A small vertically polarized antenna has been installed for 80/160. About 200 Qs were made on 80, but we still have to hit 160. Next weekend Eid celebrations will bring business life to a standstill here, so we will try to do more radio, focusing on lower bands over night - however still work permitting. We still are in emergency situation so there are basically no schedules for us... 73 de Robert, S53R/YA5T`` (KB8NW/OPDX February 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ANGOLA. A Special Report: RÁDIO ECCLÉSIA: ON SHORTWAVE SOON? Luanda, Feb 9 (CRU) -- In Angola, the much-persecuted, sometimes shut- down Rádio Ecclésia in the capital, Luanda, is hoping to receive government authorization to add shortwave to its 97.5 FM frequency. Currently it is being broadcast over the shortwave transmitters of Deutsche Telekom, the firm responsible for operating the nation's shortwave facilities for the state Deutsche Welle and leasing them out to various private groups and other countries. Originally, Rádio Ecclésia was being broadcast for two hours daily over Radio Nederland, but the equipment in Luanda failed and there was no one capable of repairing it. Effectively, this ended the transmissions over Radio Nederland because Rádio Ecclésia could not longer lift its signal to the satellite to be downloaded in Holland. Some months later, a visiting electronics engineer repaired the equipment for the plucky little station, and Deutsche Telekom began carrying the signal, on what arrangements I do not know. In December, a Portuguese newspaper reported that the Episcopal Conference of Portugal had purchased all the necessary equipment for the station to begin its own shortwave operations and that the bishops were awaiting final authorization from the Angola government. Funds had been collected in the annual communications campaign of the Bishops Conference in Portugal. Angola is a former colony of Portugal, as is Mozambique, and Portugal maintains close ties and constant communications contact, including mass media broadcasts via satellite and shortwave over Radio Portugal, to the former colonies. The Episcopal Conference of Portugal at one time offered services over its own shortwave operation, Radio Renascença, but this service is now offered only over satellite channels. Rádio Ecclésia has a long history, including a 20-year suppression by the government of this civil war torn country, a more recent self- imposed suspension, and years of arrests, raids, threats, and harassment of all kinds. The station, operated by the Episcopal Conference of São Tomé and Angola, is Angola's single independent voice and has attracted widespread international listenership and support, particularly in Europe. The station audiostreams and has a recent website at http:ecclesia.snet.co.ao The website is in Portuguese, but those who can read Spanish or Italian, and perhaps French, will have little trouble understanding it. Database Luanda: Rádio Ecclésia 97.5 FM, Emissora Católica de Angola (5,000 watts). Conferência Episcopal de Angola e São Tomé. Rua Comandante Bula 118, São Paulo, 3579 Luanda, Angola. +244(2)343041, fax 00 244 (2) 343093. Padre Aristides y Senhor António Jaca, dtrs Audio- streams. Website: http:ecclesia.snet.co.ao E-mail can be sent from this site. 0600-2130 hrs. Programming heard via Deutsche Telekom transmitters at Jülich, Germany, at 0500-0600 on 15545 kHz and 1800- 1900 on 13810 kHz (Catholic Radio Update Feb 11 via DXLD) Rádio Ecclésia in Angola --- An Endless Battle of Wits Against a Marxist Regime RÁDIO ECCLÉSIA POISED TO OPEN FM NETWORK, SW Luanda, Feb 12 (CRU) --- Rádio Ecclésia, the FM station of the Conference of Bishops of Angola and São Tomé, is scheduled to launch a network of five transmitters this month and, if the government issues its license, restore its original shortwave service that goes back almost a half-century. Rádio Ecclésia is historically Angola`s oldest and principal independent voice. Inaugurated in 1954 when Angola was still a Portuguese colony, it quickly became Angola's most listened to station until 1978, when a Marxist government took over the colony and nationalized and suppressed the station. It was not for another 20 years that Rádio Ecclésia would be able to return to the air, and then under constant harassments, arrests, searches and seizures. The political background is important. At the start of the dictatorship of António de Oliveira Salazar in Portugal in the 1920s, a large number of Portuguese emigrated to Angola, a Portuguese colony in southern Africa on the west coast. In the 1950s, there was a rising cry for independence from Angolans, and in 1956 they organized the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola, or MPLA for short. When their quest for independence was frustrated, rioting broke out and the insurrectionist movement of MPLA began. During the 1960s cultural differences led to the rise of two more rebel groups, the lesser important FNLA, and UNITA, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, destined to become a major player. When Portuguese military officers staged a coup d'etat in 1974, they granted independence to Angola the following year. At first, the three rebel groups agreed to share power, but this agreement failed almost immediately, and civil war continued between MPLA, FNLA, and UNITA. The Soviet Union and Cuba furnished MPLA with a great deal of military and economic aid; thousands of Cuban soldiers arrived on the scene to take part in the battle. The Communist world had a great stake in seeing Angola become a Communist nation in the south of Africa. MPLA went on to defeat FNLA and UNITA in 1976, and declared itself a Marxist government. That MPLA continues as the ruling dictatorship today. FNLA died out in 1984, but UNITA, said to control most of the countryside, continued mounting incessant terrorist attacks under the leadership of Jonas Savimbi. During the 1980s and 1990s, thousands of Portuguese, who made up the educated, professional, and business classes, fled the country when the civil war showed no end in sight. Thousands of hapless Angolans who could not flee have died in the war or from starvation. Angola has proved the basket case of the dozens of African nations that have emerged in the twentieth century. During all of this Rádio Ecclésia has been a source of authentic news and information; with its own staff of continuously threatened reporters and the services of the Portuguese bishops` Rádio Renascença, the BBC Portuguese African service, and the African service of the government Radio Portugal, it has broadcast news about UNITA and even interviews with its officials. Such independent behavior has enraged the Angolan government. It is only constant international attention, particularly from Europe, to the situation and to this plucky little FM station that has kept it on the air and protected its staff from assassinations that journalists of other organizations, including the government-owned Radio Angola, have suffered. When the station revived in 1997, it was not permitted to operate its shortwave transmitters again. Three years later, arrangements were made to have two hours daily of its programming rebroadcast on the shortwave transmitters of Radio Nederland in Holland. But the satellite transmitting equipment failed after two weeks, and there was no one in Luanda who knew how to fix it. A visiting engineer in Angola heard about their plight and repaired the equipment, and now Rádio Ecclésia is heard daily over the shortwave transmitters of Deutsche Telekom in Germany. Perhaps it is in light of these developments that the Angola government has apparently authorized Rádio Ecclésia to launch 5 new FM relay transmitters that will bring the station to 5 more of Angola`s 15 provinces. It is not clear whether the government has authorized the resumption of shortwave broadcasts by Rádio Ecclésia. The Portuguese bishops have bought the equipment and are ready to ship and install it as soon as Angolan bishops are given the green light by the government. Why the government of Angola should relent is not hard to see; presumably they justified refusing Rádio Ecclésia a shortwave service because they did not want the station`s independent voice heard internationally and particularly across the length and breadth of Angola. Now that the Deutsche Telekom relays are heard across Europe and all Africa, that justification has been lost. The only reason that would continue the government's refusal to issue a shortwave license, then, would be spite. Meanwhile, the situation in Angola continues badly. A peace conference held in the Hotel Trópico in Luanda in September brought together the Church and many Angolan groups and individuals. Archbishop Zacarias Kamwenho of Luanda said, ``. . . high-ranking officials of the armed forces, police and frontline commanders tell us, in frank conversation, that this war has no military solution . . . .`` The Italian organization SICOM described the civil war ``not as a struggle between the government and UNITA,`` but ``a conflict between, on one hand, political elites that make war with no regard to the consequences —and on the other, the mass of ordinary Angolans who daily suffer the effects of a war that is not of their own making.`` The official Angolan media, Radio Nacional de Angola, and the country`s only daily newspaper, Jornal de Angola, run by the government, either gave the conference short shrift or accused the attendees of being supporters of terrorism. Rádio Ecclésia maintains a website at http://ecclesia.snet.co.ao It is in Portuguese, but if you can read Spanish, French, or Italian, you should have no trouble. You can also listen to the station at that site, and write by e-mail to it. The Conference of Bishops of Portugal maintains an excellent website at http://www.ecclesia.pt --- for the daily news, click on Informação Diária for the latest news. The Conference of Bishops of Africa maintains a website at http://www.secam-secam.org The Diocese of Oslo, Norway, maintains an indispensable site listing and linking all the Catholic dioceses of the world, of all rites, at http://www.katolsk.no Although the news and much information about the Church is in Norwegian, introductory sections and explanations. as well as the great directory of dioceses, can be found in the world`s major languages. According to the Diocese of Oslo, the Angolan Church consists of the following dioceses. Archdioceses are in boldface italics, their suffragans in regular typeface. Huambo– Benguela; Kwito-Bié; Lwena Luanda– Cabinda; Dundo; Malanje; Mbanza Congo; Ndalatando; Novo Redondo; Saurímo; Uíje Lubango– Menongue; Ondjiva (Catholic Radio Update Feb 18 via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Skip's final transmission from South Pole Station KC4AAA on 14243 USB was about 0430 UT on 14 FEB. He was packing to leave and thought it might be a non-stop flight to Christchurch, but he was heard for a few hours on the following UT morning from McMurdo Station as KC4USV, during a stopover. There is a general class operator wintering over at Pole Station but Skip said he's new to HF and didn't know how often he would be on (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Testing my new Icom R75, Feb 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. FEEDER: 15820 La Red, Buenos Aires. 1129-1140 February 17. LSB mode.- In // with 910 kHz. Tops at 1130. Weather report. News: "las noticias en La Red..... La Red informativa, donde vive la noticia". Headlines. Ann.: "Lleve y viva la radio en La Red". The programme is: "Redespiertos". Old hit by Supertramp. Commentary about the National Congress. 44444 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310.00, ABC Alice Springs, 17 Feb 0935. In English, music program with blues and jazz, hosted by male announcer. Parallel to Tennant Creek on 2325 and Katherine on 2485. 2310 is the strongest and steadiest of the bunch, with 2485 popping only occasionally out of the noise floor. Receiver: Drake R8A Antenna: 100' longwire with MLB 73, (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS`. 9 Feb at 2150 observed multiple spurs of Belarus` Radio. Besides nominal 7110 kHz, it was heard on 6910 (strongest), 7010, 7210, and 7310 (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus`, Signal via DXLD) ** CANADA. All this week on Ideas... Learning From the Oceans. Life as we know it apparently emerged from the oceans. In a special eight-part series, Ideas host Paul Kennedy visits all three of Canada's coasts. It's a trip through communities whose economies, cultures and lives depend on the oceans. That's tonight on Ideas at 9:05 (9:35 NT) on CBC Radio One (Hotsheet via DXLD) Webcast currently only via Toronto at 0205-0300 UT Tue-Sat; resumes following weeks (gh, DXLD) BETWEEN THE COVERS: This week, Between the Covers begins a broadcast of the highly-acclaimed "Smilla's Sense of Snow" by Peter Hoeg. Reviewers around the world acclaimed this international thriller by Danish author Peter Hoeg. His heroine Smilla is a half-Inuit glaciologist who knows how to read snow - and learns how to decipher evil by battling power-hungry scientists. That's Between the Covers, in Hour One of Richardson's Roundup, which begins at 2:06 (2:36 NT) and later tonight at 10:40 (11:10 NT) on CBC Radio One. (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) I.e. 0340 UT on Toronto stream Tue-Sat; the first airing during RR is nominally 2:30 pm local, or 1930 UT, but I`ve noticed it varies widely, and could start almost as late as 2:45 (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA / GERMANY. You might be interested in noticing that members of Canadian Forces formerly stationed in Germany have an extensive website at http://badenremembered.com/ which includes some information on the radio station CFN/RFC at http://www.badenremembered.com/history/cfns.htm The site was built by a couple of ex-Badeners - Sonja Fagnan (Courtiol) and Paula Leaman - as a means of meeting up with old friends online. Since the site's beginning in March '98 thousands of people have surfed on in (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, 17 Feb 2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. DXPL`s Listen Now page is back with last week`s and many previous editions, I discovered before 0100 UT Feb 17, so I wouldn`t necessarily have to catch this week`s then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I notice that after some problems involving "hacking" (their explanation) the audio files for January and the first two weeks in February are finally downloadable from HCJB.ORG (Joel Rubin, Feb 16, swprograms via DXLD) And earlier (gh) ** GEORGIA. Glenn, you wrote: Re Salmaniw`s item on DXLD 2-019: I am a bit confused; thought English started at 0630, and he reports some English toward the end of his log showing 11805 signing off at 0630. Is this correct? (gh, DXLD) The problem was with my logging programming, which has a sign-off time "pre-programmed". I normally delete this feature, but forgot. The English service did start at 0630, and continued past, though reception was so poor later on, that it was impossible to hear the exact sign-off (Walt Salmaniw, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Re DXLD 2-026 on DRM in Germany, the material from Media Network should not be copied without permission; and is liable to be updated at any time, so please refer to: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/drm_germany.html (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Just a few comments on the German DRM transmissions on mediumwave: 810 kHz: The actual output power is/was certainly clear below 10 Kw; anyway the maximum permitted power on this frequency is 5 kW. In the past this frequency carried BBC Worldservice, probably until 1988. Then Deutschlandfunk was relayed here for a couple of years. During the nineties 810 was used for first digital tests from the now defunct Uhlenhorst/Mahlsdorf Süd site; otherwise 810 always originated together with 567 and 1449 from the Sender Freies Berlin site on Stallupöner Allee street. 855 kHz: The transmitter is actually a 100 kW Nautel. During the nineties the output power was reduced to 50 kW; some time ago a further reduction to the current 25 kW level took place. If I remember correctly, it was prior to the introduction of the TRAM model line a common practice of Telefunken to deliver Nautel rigs if a customer demanded a semiconductor mediumwave transmitter. AM transmissions on 855 primarily contains special broadcasts like relays of the TV soundtrack of the national ARD and ZDF networks during political talkshows in the later evening, occasionally also own productions (next time on Monday, Feb 18, at 1800). This stuff usually goes out on 177, too. Furthermore 855 also is used to relay the soundtrack of a satellite TV network called Phoenix [not "Phönix"] if coverage of any party convention or parliament session is up there. In these cases 177 stays with the regular program. ``The system is trouble-free``: Well, for those who do not consider splatter over more than +/- 100 kHz as trouble. Putbus/Rügen: Probably the transmitter there will soon come up with Megaradio on 1017, in AM of course. Otherwise is to report that all TV transmitters at Berlin will be switched to DVB-T, i.e. digital transmissions, by 2003. Yes, it is to be expected that analogue PAL will be history at Berlin in just one sesquiyear. Meanwhile less than 10 % of the households still use terrestrial TV; hence ARD director Pleitgen considers the change to digital as last chance to rescue the TV transmitter network. This does not affect FM radio at all. A shut down of FM is no issue at Berlin and Brandenburg; instead some 30 new FM outlets are currently under preparation (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. RRI STATION INFORMATION RRI Stasiun Nasional, Jakarta - Phones : (62-21) 3846557, 3846810, 3862375, 3866712, 3842083, 3849091, 34834353 (pro 4), 3866712 (pro 3), 3438450 (pro 1), 3455993, 3455381, 3456811-13, 3857831, 3521210, Fax : 3853764, 3457132, 3846817 - RRI Pro 2 : (62-21) 3459191, 3866708, 3522185, 3522186 (fax) Pro-1 : FM 99.85 MHz Pro-2 : FM 105.1 MHz Pro-3 : FM 104.05 MHz - MW 1332 kHz - SW (various) Pro-4 : FM 94.95 MHz - MW 999 kHz - SW 4777 kHz Pro-5 : FM 93.2 MHz - MW 1215 kHz - SW (various) Pro-6 : FM 103 MHz Pro-7 : FM 89 MHz - SW (various) - RRI Online Website : http://www.rrionline.com - email : rri_jakarta@yahoo.com Pro 2 website : http://www.kopitime.com/pro2fm Pro 2 email : pro2fm@uni.net.id Pro 2 live : pnm://209.66.66.39/farm/203.130.232.29/encoder RRI Regional 1, Ambon - Phones (62-911) 52740, 53261, 53263, 53262 (fax) Pro-1 : MW 720 kHz - FM 90.3 MHz, 107.3 MHz, 105 MHz Pro-2 : FM 98.4 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) Short Wave : 4865 kHz RRI Regional 1, Banda Aceh - Phones (62-651) 22116, 22156 Pro-1 : MW 1251 kHz - FM 88.5 MHz, 97.6 MHz, 99.3 MHz Pro-2 : FM 103 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) Short Wave : 3905 kHz RRI Regional 1, Bandung - Phones : (62-22) 707031, 775551, 7219693 (pro 3), 7279976 (pro 3) - RRI Pro 2 : (62-22) 706644, 7217041-43 Pro-1 : MW 540 kHz - FM 101.95 MHz, 104 MHz Pro-2 (Fire FM) : FM 96 MHz Pro-3 (Star FM) : FM 97.7 MHz - Website : http://www.kanguru.org/rristationprofiles.htm - email : rribandung@yahoo.com RRI Nusantara 3, Banjarmasin - Phones : (62-511) 268601-03, 261562, 252238 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 3250 kHz - MW 1134 kHz - FM 97.6 MHz Pro-2 (Power Pro 2 FM) : FM 95.7 MHz Pro-3 : FM 92.3 MHz RRI Regional 1, Bengkulu - Phones : (62-736) 350811, 350927 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 3265 kHz - MW 747 kHz - FM 93 MHz, 105 MHz Pro-2 : FM (freq ?) Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Biak - Phones : (62-981) 21211, 21197, 21905 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 6153 kHz - MW 1044 kHz - FM 93.7 MHz Pro-2 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 1, Bogor - Phones : (62-251) 312450 (pro 1), 313565 (pro 2), 315484 (fax) Pro-1 : MW (freq ?) - FM 94.25 MHz Pro-2 (Adipura Pro 2 FM) : FM 91.1 MHz Pro-3 : FM 92.35 MHz RRI Regional 1, Bukittinggi - Phones : (62-752) 21319, 21320 Pro-1 : SW 3232 kHz - MW 1521 kHz - FM 97.2 MHz Pro-2 : FM 107 MHz RRI Regional 2, Cirebon - Phones : (62-231) 207154, 204074, 206260 (pro 2) Pro-1 : MW 864 kHz - FM 93.5 MHz, 99.6 MHz Pro-2 (Panteng Pro 2 FM) : FM 107.3 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 1, Denpasar - Phones : (62-361) 222161, 223087, 227312 (fax) - RRI Pro 2 : 223361, 235476, 227129 (fax) Pro-1 : MW 1206 kHz - FM 88.8 MHz, 95 MHz, 95.5 MHz Pro-2 (Hot Pro 2 FM) : FM 93.5 MHz Pro-3 (Paradise FM) : FM 100.9 MHz RRI Regional 2, Fakfak - Phones : (62-956) 22519, 22521 FM 93.3 MHz Short Wave : 4789 kHz, 7231 kHz RRI Regional 1, Gorontalo - Phones : (62-435) 2901590-91, 21121 Pro-1 : SW 3265 kHz - MW 1080 kHz - FM 102 MHz Pro-2 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 1, Jambi - Phones : (62-741) 62792, 23964, 63482 (pro 2) Pro-1 : SW 4925 kHz - MW 1098 kHz - FM 103.7 MHz Pro-2 (Citra Telanaipura Pro 2 FM) : FM 88.8 MHz Pro-3 : FM 98 MHz RRI Nusantara 5, Jayapura - Phones : (62-967) 33339, 33439 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 6070 kHz - MW 1053 kHz - FM 90 MHz Pro-2 : FM 93.6 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Jember - Phones : (62-331) 85323, 85133, 41196, 41165, 61123 Pro-1 : MW 963 kHz - FM 98.45 MHz Pro-2 (Idola Pro 2 FM) : FM 104 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 1, Kendari - Phones : (62-401) 21464, 21730 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 4000 kHz - MW 954 kHz - FM 91.2 MHz Pro-2 : FM 107.3 MHz Pro-3 : FM 103 MHz RRI Regional 1, Kupang - Phones : (62-380) 821437, 825444, 833149 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 3385 kHz - MW 1107 kHz - FM 90.6 MHz Pro-2 : FM 102 MHz Pro-3 : FM 93.5 MHz RRI Regional 2, Lhokseumawe - Phones : (62-645) 43404, 45331, 45900, 45330 (fax) FM 97.9 MHz, 94.4 MHz Website : http://www.rrilhokseumawe.com RRI Regional 2, Madiun - Phones : (62-351) 464964 (fax), 464419, 462726, 459495, 459198 - RRI Pro 2 : (62-351) 455306 Pro-1 : MW 1008 kHz - FM 99.05 MHz, 104 MHz Pro-2 : FM 96.3 MHz Pro-3 : FM 97.6 MHz Website : http://www.kanguru.org/rristationprofiles.htm RRI Nusantara 4, Makassar - Phones : (62-411) 321853 Pro-1 : MW 630 kHz - FM 97.6 MHz - SW 4753 kHz, 9552 kHz Pro-2 : 99.05 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Malang - Phones : (62-341) 487500 (pro 1), 495848-50, 479900 (pro 3) - RRI Pro 2 : (62-341) 490022, 486522-24, 495848 (ext. 122), 486540 Pro-1 : MW 891 kHz - FM 94.95 MHz Pro-2 (Makobu FM) : FM 102 MHz Pro-3 (Milenium FM) : FM 105.1 MHz Pro-2 email : makobu@mlg.globalxtrem.net RRI Regional 1, Manado - Phones : (62-431) 863392, 863492 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 3215 kHz - MW 1188 kHz - FM 97 MHz, FM 89 MHz Pro-2 : FM 102 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Manokwari - Phones : (62-962) 21040-42, 21343 Short Wave 3987 kHz - MW 702 kHz - FM 97.8 MHz, FM 92.4 MHz RRI Regional 1, Mataram - Phones : (62-370) 23713, 21355 Pro-1 : MW 855 kHz - FM 89.1 MHz, 91.8 MHz Pro-2 : FM 104 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Nusantara 1, Medan - Phones : (62-61) 324222, 324441, 512161 (fax), 846313 (pro 2) Pro-1 : SW 4766 kHz - MW 855 kHz, 801 kHz - FM 92.35 MHz Pro-2 : FM 95.1 MHz Pro-3 : FM 97.8 MHz Other frequencies : FM 88 MHz, 90.6 MHz RRI Regional 1, Merauke - Phones : (62-971) 21396, 21376 Pro-1 : SW 3905 kHz - MW 810 kHz - FM 90 MHz Pro-2 : FM 105 MHz RRI Regional 2, Nabire - Phones : (62-984) 21013 Short Wave 6127 kHz - FM 98.1 MHz, 96.3 MHz RRI Regional 2, Natuna FM 90 MHz, 104.1 MHz RRI Regional 1, Padang - Phones : (62-751) 28363, 21030, 27482, 21643 (pro 2) Pro-1 : SW 4003 - MW 1179 kHz - FM 90.9 MHz Pro-2 : FM 93.5 MHz Pro-3 : FM 103.7 MHz RRI Regional 1, Palangkaraya - Phones : (62-536) 21778-79, 41778 (fax), 39928 (pro 2) Pro-1 : SW 3325 kHz - MW 1197 kHz - FM 89.4 MHz, 93 MHz Pro-2 : FM 92.1 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) Pro 2 FM website : http://www.pro2fm.itgo.com RRI Regional 1, Palembang - Phones : (62-711) 350811, 350927, 309977, 352193 (pro 2) Pro-1 : MW 1287 kHz - FM 93.5 MHz, FM 88.9 MHz Pro-2 (Kotabaru Pro 2 FM) : 97.2 MHz Pro-3 : FM 91.8 MHz RRI Regional 1, Palu - Phones : (62-451) 21621, 94112 Pro-1 : SW 3960 kHz - MW 1035 kHz, 1125 kHz - FM 93 MHz Pro-2 : FM 90.6 MHz Pro-3 : FM 105 MHz Short Wave 7235 MHz RRI Regional 1, Pekanbaru - Phones : (62-761) 22081, 23606, 25111, 23605 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 5041 kHz - MW 927 kHz, 1116 kHz - FM 91.2 MHz Pro-2 : FM 88 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) Other frequency : FM 88 MHz RRI Regional 1, Pontianak - Phones : (62-561) 734987, 734659 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 3976 kHz - MW 1233 kHz - FM 90.3 MHz Pro-2 : FM 102 MHz Pro-3 : FM 104 MHz RRI Regional 2, Purwokerto - Phones : (62-281) 21998, 32336, 21222 (fax), 40227 (pro 2) Pro-1 : MW 765 kHz - FM 93 MHz Pro-2 : FM 98.8 MHZ Pro-3 : FM 100 MHz website : http://www.kanguru.org/rristationprofiles.htm email : rripwt@astaga.com RRI Regional 1, Samarinda - Phones : (62-541) 743495, 741693 (fax) - RRI Pro 2 : (62-541) 749009, 753288, 748945, 748508 (fax) Pro-1 : SW 9615 kHz, 3295 kHz - MW 1215 kHz - FM 93.5, 96.9, 97.9 MHz Pro-2 : FM 88.8 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Pro 2 website : http://www.pro2fmsamarinda.com RRI Pro 2 email : pro2fm@pro2fmsamarinda.com RRI Regional 1, Semarang - Phones : (62-24) 8316686, 8316661, 8316330, 8316501 (pro 2) Pro-1 : MW 801 kHz - FM 89 MHz, 97.75 MHz Pro-2 (Citra Atlas Pro 2 FM) : FM 95.3 MHz Pro-3 : FM 90.4 MHz website : http://www.kanguru.org/rristationprofiles.htm RRI Regional 2, Serui - Phones : (62-983) 31150, 31121 Short Wave 4606 kHz, 7171 kHz - MW 886 - FM 97.5 MHz RRI Regional 2, Sibolga - Phones : (62-631) 21183, 22506, 22947 Pro-1 : MW 1044 kHz - FM 98.1 MHz Pro-2 : FM 93 MHz Pro-3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Singaraja - Phones : (62-362) 21740-42, 24644, 25564, 25565 (fax), 21743 (fax) Pro-1 : MW 1080 kHz - FM 103.7 MHz, 93.2 MHz Pro-2 : FM 102 MHz website : http://www.kanguru.org/rristationprofiles.htm email : rrisingaraja@singaraja.wasantara.net.id RRI Regional 1, Sorong - Phones : (62-951) 22111, 21003 Pro-1 : SW 4875 kHz, 9742 kHz - MW 909 kHz - FM 96.7 MHz Pro-2 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Sumenep - Phones : (62-328) 62317, 21811, 21317, 66768 Pro-1 : MW 1098 kHz - FM 93 MHz, 98.5 MHz Pro-2 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Sungailiat MW 1413 kHz - FM 97.3 MHz RRI Regional 1, Surabaya - Phones : (62-31) 53423551, 5342327, 5341327, 5345474, 5340478, 5473610, 5342351 (fax) - RRI Pro 2 : (62-31) 5342353, 5462961 Pro-1 : MW 585 kHz - FM 99.15 MHz Pro-2 (Metro FM) : FM 95.3 MHz Pro-3 : FM 97.05 MHz RRI Pro 2 website : http://www.etnikom.com/metro.htm RRI Pro 2 email : metro@etnikom.com RRI Regional 1, Surakarta - (62-271) 634004-05, 638145, 654399, 641178, 642208 (fax), 825441 (palur) Pro-1 : MW 972 kHz - FM 102 MHz Pro-2 : FM 105 MHz Pro-3 : MW 1053 kHz - FM 99 MHz RRI Regional 1, Tanjungkarang - Phones : (62-721) 555280, 562767, 569720 Pro-1 : SW 3395 kHz - MW 1035 kHz - FM 93 MHz, 98 MHz Pro-2 / Pro 3 : FM (freq ?) RRI Regional 2, Tanjungpinang - Phones : (62-771) 21278, 21540, 21916, 29123 MW 1341 kHz - FM 96 MHz RRI Regional 2, Ternate - Phones : (62-921) 21582, 21762, 25525 Pro-1 : SW 3345 kHz - MW (freq ?) - FM 93.5 MHz Pro-2 : FM 102 MHz RRI Regional 2, Tual FM 93.2 MHz, 97.8 MHz RRI Regional 2, Wamena - Phones : (62-969) 31380, 31299 (fax) Short Wave 4866 kHz - MW 1332 kHz - FM 93.5 MHz, 97.8 MHz RRI Nusantara 2, Yogyakarta - Ph. : (62-274) 512783-85, 580333, 512420 (Demangan), 513065 (Seturan), 891507 (Kaliurang) Pro-1 : SW 7099 kHz - MW 1107 kHz - FM 91.2 MHz Pro-2 : FM 107.2 MHz Pro-3 : FM 103 MHz, 102 MHz email : rri-yk@yogya.wasantara.net.id (Arief B. Sunarso via IDXC via JEMBATAN DX Feb 17 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Glenn -- it was announced today on the Radio Caroline Yahoo group that the station would be testing again on high power AM for Western Europe, on 576 kHz on Saturday, Feb. 23rd. Neither the transmitter site nor the exact times of the planned test were given, but the last such test a couple of weeks ago ran from 0600 Sat to 0600 Sun UTC. Content will be a relay of their live Satellite feed on Astra 1G, which is also carried on cable in the Netherlands, on FM on the French and Italian Rivieras, and on several Internet streams. Later: Now also mentioned on their web site: http:\\www.radiocaroline.co.uk\latestnews.htm (Ray Robinson, Los Angeles, Feb 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Seems like this frequency was used before; see LATVIA (gh) ** IRELAND. Re Oireachtas: Typing 'Oireachatas' into http:/www.google.com elicited the information that Oireachatas is the collective name for the upper and lower houses of the Irish parliament. I must confess that, at the age of 51, that's a new one on me, proving that DXing and SWLing is educational :-) The official Web site is at http://www.oireachtas.ie (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND [non]. The RTE Ireland schedule from Johno Wright in DXLD- 2026 appears incorrect. The 1000-1030 and 1800-1830 broadcasts were reversed and 15540 has moved to 15280 (Edwin Southwell, Basingstoke, UK, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, DXLD-2025). The two lines should be as follows. 1000-1030 15280 South East Asia & Australasia 1800-1830 9895 Middle East. (Daniel Sampson, Arcadia, WI, Prime Time Shortwave http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/02/18/News/News.43612.html MELCHIOR TO COHEN: SAVE SHORTWAVE BROADCASTS, By Gil Hoffman JERUSALEM (February 18) - Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior embarked on a campaign yesterday to prevent the Israel Broadcasting Authority from ending foreign-language shortwave broadcasts heard daily by hundreds of thousands throughout the world. After receiving confirmation from IBA chairman Nahman Shai the proposed budget will eliminate broadcasts in 11 languages to save NIS 6 million in broadcast fees, Melchior wrote Minister without Portfolio Ra'anan Cohen, who is in charge of the IBA, asking him to intervene to save the broadcasts. "I understand the need for the IBA to tighten its belt and make budget cuts, but the cuts should not come at the expense of such an important information tool," Melchior wrote. "Ending the broadcasts during this difficult conflict would be an irresponsible move that would harm the interests of the Israeli public." Melchior noted in the letter Cohen had promised him in a personal conversation weeks ago the broadcasts would not be eliminated. Cohen's office, which forwarded the letter to the IBA, said he would not be able to comment until he sees the IBA's response. Politicians from across the political spectrum and shortwave radio listeners from around the world sent Cohen angry letters demanding the broadcasts be saved, after The Jerusalem Post reported about the cut on January 25. But Cohen, who went on a trip to Central America and then organized last week's Labor Party central committee meeting, has not even been updated on the controversy. Melchior said Cohen is in charge of directing the IBA's policy and can demand the cut be restored. The cuts, which also require approval by the cabinet and the Knesset, are expected to be finalized in the next couple of weeks. The IBA broadcasts daily on shortwave radio in Russian for 90 minutes, in French for 85, in English for 75, and for less than an hour in Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian, Bukharan, and Mugrabi. IBA foreign-language department director Shmuel Ben-Zvi said more people listen to Israel Radio abroad via shortwave broadcasts than listen to all of Israel Radio's stations here combined. --------- (via Daniel Rosenzweig, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH (Updates). Nenad, VE3EXY, received the latest update from Hrane, YT1AD, on the upcoming P5 DXpedition. Hrane/YT1AD and Voja/YU7AV are ready for their departure to Pyongyang on March 5th. They will travel to P5 using the following routes: Beograd - Moscow - Beijing - Pyong Yang. Their equipment will be as follows: TS-850, FT- 100, LPA 400w, dipoles, dipoles 80/40m and a multiband beam for 20/17/15/12/10 meters (which is already in P5). No problems are expected at this point in time. QSL info and duration of stay to be announced. Ed, 4L4FN/P5, was active this past weekend on 15 meters SSB during his usual times (between 2230-0300z). He has been testing some RTTY equipment and has made a few QSOs with it. The KK5DO Web site states ``NO CW`` yet. Also, Ed will pack everything up and will be gone for about a week. (Still no word on his written permission.) (KB8NW/OPDX February 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** LATVIA. Re: 'Radio Caroline, now transmitting via Astra and from April via 6 Dutch cable systems' Just to clarify, this doesn't mean *all* Dutch cable systems. It's my understanding that they have concluded agreements with four cable systems in the south of the country. Many of the cable systems in the larger towns and cities have no spare capacity for additional radio channels. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA? Re. ``Caroline is now planning another test on a fresh frequency only this time with 500 kW``: This would be 576 from Riga-Ulbroka, too, left by Latvijas Radio years ago, then used by Radio Liberty (Belorussian service) until last summer. 576 is also occupied by two German high power transmitters (Mühlacker/SWR and Wöbbelin/Megaradio), so... (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. A Special Report: GOVERNMENT TALKING TO RADIO VERITAS ON SHORTWAVE ISSUE; BREAKTHROUGH PROMISING Monrovia, Feb 9 (CRU) --- ELCM, Radio Veritas, the embattled station of the Archdiocese of Monrovia in this west African country, may soon be returning to the shortwave. For the first time in years, the administration of strongman President Charles Taylor has indicated that his administration is now discussing the matter with the Archdiocese. According to the Monrovia The News, President Taylor made the disclosure January 22nd at a meeting of the Liberian National Bar Association at City Hall. President Taylor has said that the operation of a shortwave station is ``a privilege, not a right.`` President Taylor has been criticized by human rights institutions and other organizations for his hard-handedness in brooking no political or social opposition and criticism. International groups are concerned that he will continue this stance until after the 2003 national elections. But President Taylor told the lawyers that he will ensure that the elections are held freely and fairly. He also said that he will authorize the reopening of Star Radio once the station is transferred out of the hands of foreigners, the Swiss foundation Hirondelle, into the hands of Liberians. Radio Veritas has been a special case and has attracted the widest international attention as the sole spokesman against the dictatorship of President Taylor. The station has been repeatedly harassed. Years ago, before the station was twice destroyed in the endless civil war that afflicted Liberia and has once again broken out, the station operated not only its present FM station, but also on shortwave. It has been trying to return to the shortwave frequencies since. But President Taylor, a former warlord elected president in 1997, has consistently refused to allow Radio Veritas to return to shortwave, even though the station continues to pay its license fee for it. He has shut down all other stations in the country, including Star Radio, operated by the Swiss foundation Hirondelle, which ran four 10,000- watt transmitters on shortwave in addition to a local FM frequency in Monrovia. In fact, Taylor`s government has licensed a number of Monrovian FM stations: Kiss FM on 89.9 FM, Radio Monrovia on 98.0 FM, ELDC 101.1 FM, and ELCM Radio Veritas on 97.8 FM. Star Radio on 104.0 FM remains shut down. The government operates its own station, ELBC-FM on 91.7 and 99.9 FM, and is the country`s sole shortwave station, ELBC Radio Liberia International, with a 75,000-watt transmitter. It does not want another Liberian voice on the air, particularly an independent one, that can be heard on international shortwave frequencies, and so has repeatedly refused to authorize both Radio Veritas and Star Radio to return to shortwave. Unlucky too has been the historic Protestant missionary station operated by the Sudan Interior Mission, ELWA, which until it was destroyed in the bloody civil war, operated on 711 AM and nine shortwave frequencies using two 10,000-watt and two 50,000-watt transmitters on 3230, 4765, 6070, 6135, 9550, 11830, 11870, 11930, and 11960 kHz. Last week, the Press Union of Liberia (PUL) applauded the President for his announcement that he is ready to return ELCM Radio Veritas its shortwave license and permit the reopening of Star Radio under Liberian management. ``We attach great importance to it at this time because it was made at the joint session of the National Legislature, the bastion of democratic governance in our society,`` PUL said. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated a printing press to PUL, which hopes to open up the country`s first nongovernment-controlled newspaper under a separate corporate entity. Politically, the situation in Liberia continues to be a disaster. For details of recent and historic developments, see the Editor`s Note at the start of the following article. Database Monrovia: ELCM Radio Veritas 97.8 FM (5,000 watts). Archdiocese of Monrovia, Box 3569. Phone: +231 221658. 5 am-11 am & 6 pm-11 pm. A Special Report: Liberia THE ONGOING BATTLE BETWEEN RADIO VERITAS AND THE GOVERNMENT FOR RETURN OF ITS SHORTWAVE Editor`s Note --- Some of the long-running battle between ELCM Radio Veritas, owned by the Archdiocese of Monrovia, and the Charles Taylor administration in Liberia can be seen in the following article, dated August 1, 2001, and appearing in the Liberian Orbit of Minneapolis. Years ago ELCM Radio Veritas in Monrovia had a shortwave license in addition to its FM license; the station was destroyed twice in the long first civil war in Liberia, and the government of Charles Taylor has continuously hassled what has proven to be Liberia`s only long- surviving independent voice. Finally it was allowed to reopen the FM transmitter, but not the shortwave one, for which it continues to pay license fees. The Liberian expatriates in the United States maintain excellent websites and contacts regarding the Taylor dictatorship. Liberia has been through a bloody coup in 1980 and a civil war that broke out in 1989 and cost the lives of more than 200,000 people in this country formed by freed American Afro-American slaves in 1822 and formed into a republic 25 years later. Its constitution is modeled on the American, and even its radio stations sport four-letter call signs, as do American ones. Last summer, civil war in what one correspondent called ``this anarchic country`` broke out again, and the rebels are now within 25 miles of the capital. In recent days, the refugee crisis in Liberia has worsened and a state of emergency has been declared. Liberian Orbit`s website is maintained assiduously at http://www.liberiaorbit.org Another superb site is http://www.liberianews.com The following article is © Copyright 2001 by Liberian Orbit and reprinted with permission. The Catholic Church in Liberia is challenging moves by the government to shut down the Church distant broadcasting. The manger of the Veritas radio station questioned justification of a decision by the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication to withhold the broadcast license of the Catholic radio station. Station Manager Leger Rennie disclosed that his organization received a letter from Post and Telecommunication Minister Emma Wuor banning any further broadcast. Veritas distant shortwave broadcasting has been off the air for a while. Rennie said the station has been paying the required fees for both FM and shortwave, money which the government gladly received without complaint. Veritas is not the only victim. The government has banned all new shortwave radio broadcast in the country, leaving Taylor`s radio network as the only distant broadcasting in the country. The Post and Telecom Ministry said it would not allow the registration of any new shortwave facilities, and those who have been operating as such would not be renewed. The Catholic radio authorities say they are not aware of any law that requires a legally registered and licensed radio station to seek new permission to operate because it has had a technical breakdown. The station management said it would definitely fight the Ministry order, and would not ``allow it to die unresolved.`` Catholic Archbishop Michael Francis has asked lawyers to pursue the matter immediately. Radio Veritas and Star Radio, another independent station, were both stopped from operating in March 2000. The government said the two stations were being used by ``agent provocateurs to plunge the state into another round of civil upheaval.`` Charles Taylor described the independent media as ``dissidents.`` The action was roundly condemned, and the Press Union of Liberia protested the closure with a week-long newspaper blackout in the country. The government in turn reacted by pronouncing that all newspapers ``enforcing the blackout will no longer benefit from commercial advertisements from government agencies and public corporations.`` It further announced that the bureau of general auditing would be instructed to audit such newspapers for payment of corporate and personal income taxes. The government then claimed that independent papers were ``engaged in unpatriotic publications, thereby abusing freedom of the press, creating hatred in society and preventing investors from coming to the country.`` A week of behind the scene talks led to the reopening of the Catholic Veritas station, which the government claimed had agreed to cooperate in the areas of communication, health and education. The Star Radio, operated by a Swiss organization, Hirondelle and funded by the US government, has since remained closed. Meanwhile, the organization, Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Frontiers), has asked the Liberian government to desist from banning Veritas radio. In a letter to the Minister of Post and Telecommunication, RSF said: ``We ask you to repeal this measure and not to constrain the free circulation of information.`` The organization also urged the government to ratify the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights that guarantee freedom of circulation of information (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update Feb 11 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 1630, XEUT has been on at night the last few nights. Not sure if they're on all night. This is lousy timing, given the new X- bander on 1620. XEUT is my closest local and they are a blowtorch. Also, XEKAM-950 was off the air for a while midday yesterday, so you may want to keep an ear on 950. Sometimes when they experience technical problems, they go off for months. There`s always hope [Tim Hall, CA, NRC IDXD Feb 15 via DXLD] ** OKLAHOMA. I`ve been wanting to check out ``Oklahoma Innovations``, a science show carried on KCCU Lawton and its relays Saturdays at 1200 UT, but that`s a bit early. KCCU does webcast, and its website also shows other stations carrying that show, Weatherford 97.3, and KTOK- 1000 OKC, whose site I then went to. It`s Sundays at 1100-1200 and 2300-2400 UT, but I still haven`t listened to it yet (evidently KTOK does not webcast, but it dominates 1000 day and night here). While at it, I noticed some other potentially interesting locally-produced shows on KTOK Sundays, UT: 1600-1700 ONN [Oklahoma News Network] Conference Call; 1900-2100 Entertainment Show; 2200-2300 Fish On (Glenn Hauser, Enid, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PITCAIRN ISLAND [and non]. Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 08:57:22 -0600 From: Tom Anderson {ww5l@gte.net} Organization: Anderson Communications VP6TC TO BE HAMCOM DX LUNCHEON SPEAKER The Lone Star DX Association is proud to announce that Tom Christian, VP6TC and leader of the upcoming March 2002 Ducie Island Dxpedition, will be the DX luncheon speaker at Ham-Com 2002 in Arlington, Texas, June 7-8. Christian, great-great-great-grandson of Fletcher Christian leader of the famous ``Mutiny on the Bounty`` in 1789, is known as the voice of Pitcairn as the island`s most active ham radio operator. He is also president of the Pitcarin Island Amateur Radio Association (PIARA). Tom will also have color slides and video from the Ducie Island Dxpedition scheduled for March 2002. With assistance from an ARRL Colvin Award, PIARA plans to conduct the DXpedition from Ducie--which became the newest ARRL DXCC entity as of November 16, 2001 and has not yet been activated, making it the most-wanted DXCC entity. Poor weather scuttled the initial attempt to land a DXpedition team on Ducie Island in November. Christian, VP6TC, has announced that a international DXpedition team now plans to depart by boat from Mangareva on March 12. Once on Ducie Island, the DXpedition will use a VP6 call sign to be announced at the start of the operation, which will include both SSB and CW and possibly RTTY on 160 through 6 meters. In addition to Christian, operators will include Kan Mizoguchi, VP6BK/JA1BK; Dave Brown, VP6DB; Mike McGirr, K9AJ; Vince Thompson, K5VT; Miralda Warren, VP6MW; Jin Fujiwara, JF1IST; and Mac Shimamoto, JA3USA. HF QSLs go to Garth Hamilton, VE3HO. Six-meter QSLs go to JA1BK. Log checks will be available on the ``DX Cluster from Japan`` Web site. More information is available on the VE3HO QSL Manager Web page, and on WD4NGB`s DX Is Web site. Some 2,000 articles and books, 5 major motion pictures, and numerous shorter documentary films have looked into virtually every aspect of this mutiny led by Fletcher Christian against Captain William Bligh. It is undeniably one of the most famous sea stories of all time. There is much disagreement as to who was to blame for the incident, and the history remains, to this day, an interesting topic for maritime history and South Pacific historians. The people onboard the Bounty arrived on Pitcairn in late 1789 and Pitcairners celebrate the January 23 as the day in 1790 when the Bounty was burnt. The community at Pitcairn, wasn`t located for 18 years until an American ship stopped at the island. In 1808 an American sealing ship called Topaz (Captained by Mayhew Folger) found Pitcairn; and at that time only one of the original mutineers (John Adams) was still alive. It was during the time the Tahitians and Mutineers were on Pitcairn the Pitcairn/Norfolk (Pidgin English) language was developed. It continued to be developed other places they went. In the 1830`s the Pitcairners were invited to Tahiti by the Queen of Tahiti. They went but once they arrived they realized that life there wasn`t for them. They convinced an American captain, William Driver to return them back to Pitcairn. They sailed on his ship the Charles Doggett and arrived on Pitcairn on September 3 1831. Pitcairn today is one of the world`s most isolated inhabited islands as ships call on the island only a few times a year. It has a resident population of about 60 persons. Registration and DX luncheon information will be available soon at the HamCom web page http://www.hamcom.org/ or Lone Star DX Association web page http://www.dxer.org/lsdxa Additional information on Christian and Pitcairn Island is available at: Pitcairn Island web page http://www.lareau.org/pitc.html (also includes Tom`s normal on-air operating times and frequencies) http://www.janeresture.com/pitcairn/ (includes map of the island) In addition to the DX luncheon, the LSDXA is planning nearly two full days of DX programs, activities, and lots of door prizes at the luncheon and DX programs. 2001-2002 LSDXA Officers: Bill Priakos, W5SJ, president, bpriakos@sbcglobal.net Herb Blair, K5AT, Information Director, K5AT@dxer.org Bud Walton K5HW, treasurer, bud.walton@att.net Bob Alexander W5AH, activities director, w5ah@dxer.org Tom Anderson, WW5L, membership director, WW5L@gte.net (KB8NW/OPDX February 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** PERU. 5950.3, Radio Bethel, Arequipa. 1007-1015 February 16. Perú National Anthem. Identification by male in Spanish as: "Radio Bethel, ...onda media..." Then, religious program. Commentary read by man in Spanish: "...levantaremos la bandera con un mensaje de poder y fe de nuestro Señor...". Note: The WRTH2002 and PWBR2002 indicate the station's name as "Radio Arequipa Bethel" but I head the ID as "Radio Bethel" very clearly. 23422 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4746.78, R. Huanta 2000, Huanta 2/2 0915 bilingüe español/quechua o aymara. mx "Carnaval de mi Tierra". SINFO=43333. 6535.78, R. Dif. Huancabamba, Huancabamba 9/2 0047 "Ahora tenemos las 7 de la noche más 47 minutos en Radiodifusora Huancabamba, la poderosa..." 6797.59, R. Ondas del Río Mayo, Nueva Cajamarca 17/2 0015 "En el día de hoy estamos en los diferentes lugares más humildes e históricos de nuestro querido Perú... algunos amigos se sorprenden cuando uno saluda a países como Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Brasil, Estados Unidos, a los amigos de Francia... nuestra onda corta internacional va haciendo acortar las fronteras... Radiodifusora Comercial Ondas del Río Mayo, la primera..."; "...Para bailar en sintonía, amigos y amigas, transmitiendo en nuestra onda corta internacional y en nuestra FM 105,7..."; "Ahora sí presentamos nuestra programación en Sábados Sensacionales y Variaciones Musicales". SINFO=34232. 6956.60, La Voz del Campesino, Huarmaca 9/2 01:04. S.off: -01:10* "Amigos y amigas, hasta aquí nuestra programación del día de hoy, a nombre de la Gerencia General del profesor Hernando Huancas Huancas, esperando que la programación de hoy día haya sido del completo agrado de todos y cada uno de ustedes... les decimos gracias... amigos y amigas muy buenas noches, que tengan un feliz decanso y un dichoso amanecer; mañana sábado a las 8 en punto de la mañana (1300 UT) retornamos con nuestra programación. Buenas noches y hasta mañana". Himno nacional. SINFO=34343 13565.40, R. Ondas del Pacífico, Ayacaba (6782,7 x 2) 16/2 2359 "6 de la tarde con 59 minutos". Slogan: "Amigos comerciantes, si usted desea vender más, anuncie en radio Ondas del Pacífico... los atenderemos". 0018 "7 de la noche con 18 minutos a través de su Radio Ondas del Pacífico, la onda corta de alcance internacional". SINFO=35232 (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, margenet@arnet.com.ar Rx: Kenwood R-5000, antena T2FD dipolo plegada 27 m., C.C.950, S2000WAJ Rosario-ARGENTINA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. Cada domingo, aproximadamente a las 1830 y 2230, lunes 0030 y 0330, continúa el espacio 'Rincón Diexista' dentro del programa "Club de Oyentes" de Radio Rumania Internacional emitiendo la información que voluntariamente sea remitida a su conductora Victoria Sepciu span@rri.ro Esta es una de las últimas posibilidades que nos queda de difundir diexismo a través de una emisora de Europa del Este. (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, margenet@arnet.com.ar Rx: Kenwood R-5000, antena T2FD dipolo plegada 27 m., C.C.950, S2000WAJ Rosario-ARGENTINA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Radio Tsentr (1503 kHz) issued a new QSL card, dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the station. The very first broadcast went on the air on 1 March 1992. Send your reports to: ul.Nikolskaya 7, Moscow, 103012, Russia. 3 IRC or 2 US$ must be enclosed. (MIDXB No. 254 - Konstantin Gusev, Moscow, Russia via Signal Feb 17 via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. A special report: RADIO VERITAS SERIOUS ABOUT SHORTWAVE Troyeville (CRU) --- Radio Veritas Productions, headed by Dominican Father Emil Blaser, is looking seriously at shortwave radio as the best way of getting on the air, according to its website at http://za.op.org/veritas Radio Veritas, which operates a solid audio- visual program production center in South Africa, and whose programs are furnished to various community radio stations, has been looking to have its own station in South Africa. Last year it was given a temporary community license to operate two weeks. RVP said the effort was very successfully, and animated people even more to push for a license for what would be the Catholic Church`s first station in this former English colony. A hearing on a permanent community license for the Church was to have taken place this month, but it appears that that hearing has been postponed. RVP gives no indication as to whether they plan to construct their own shortwave station or purchase an existing one in South Africa or an adjacent nation, or in the self-contained nations inside its frontiers, Lesotho and Swaziland. In South Africa, only the government operates shortwave stations at present. Radio Lesotho runs a 100,000- watt transmitter on the tropical frequency of 4800 kHz; in Swaziland, the American Protestant group Trans-World Radio runs Trans-World Africa on various frequencies using two 100,000-watt transmitters, the commercial Swazi Radio operates a 100,000-watt transmitter in addition to its AM powerhouse, and Radio Cidade operates a 100,000-watt transmitter in addition to its FM stations. One correspondent wrote CRU that the price tag is over $1.1 million and that the project is not likely to go through. While that sum might be a large one for Africa, it is not a bad price for a shortwave station, and it may be possible for RVP to raise that kind of money both at home and through International foundations in Europe. Indeed, given the vast expanse of territory of South Africa, almost 471,000 square miles, plus the vast southern continent of Africa where those few Catholic stations that exist are comparatively low-power FM stations, the acquisition of a shortwave station by Radio Veritas of South Africa would be a blessing not only for South Africans but for most African Catholics, too. Catholics make up 7.2% of the 42.1 million population; there are four archdioceses and 21 dioceses. Database Johannesburg: Radio Veritas 92.7 FM (temporary license, expired as of June 8, 2001). Director Fr. Emil Blaser, O.P., Radio Veritas Productions, 36 Beelaerts St., 2139 Troyeville, South Africa. Tel.: +27 (11) 624-2516 or 624-2517; fax 614-7711. E-mail: veriprod@iafrica.com Website: http://za.op.org/veritas (Catholic Radio Update Feb 11 via DXLD) ** TRINDADE ISLAND. By the time you read this, the PW0T operation should be active. Activity will be on 160-6 meters, including the WARC bands, using CW, SSB, RTTY, SSTV and PSK31. QSL via KU9C. Check out the following web page for up to the minute information and pictures at: http://www.trindade2002.com ADDED NOTES BY Steve, KU9C: Steve requests to WAIT until the operation is QRT, and send all of your QSL requests in one envelope. If you need a separate QSL for that 160 contact, let Steve know with a post-it note or something. But, save yourself some postage, and don`t send multiple envelopes. Also, DO NOT request cards for other operations in the same envelope (such as BQ9P, WP2Z,...etc). If you want a bureau card, simply E-mail Steve your QSO information to: ku9c@arrl.net DO NOT ask for a Bureau QSL if you have already requested a direct QSL response. Steve states to look for a wait on the Bureau cards because he mails bureau cards direct to each country`s bureau once or twice a year. He just finished his winter mailing. Donations will be deeply appreciated by the team, and can be sent with your QSL request or directly to K7BV (see the web site for details). This is not a low cost undertaking. Fuel alone for the trip out and back was over $12,000....but they hope the lengthy stay will substantially diminish the demand for this country (KB8NW/OPDX February 18/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U A E. Re Dubai 21598v: They have been on this spot ex 21605 for a couple of months now. Intentional or not? (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BBC R4'S COMEDY, THE NOW SHOW & MORE This Financial Times (U.K..) column from the 15th has a paragraph at the end re BBC R4's comedy, the Now Show: http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/article.html?id=020215001802&query=BBC+Radio ...It would be a brave, and preferably humourless, man who claimed that radio comedy is showing the same improvement - on the whole, fingers crossed, the usual exceptions made - as radio drama. I'm ashamed to say I've only recently started listening to The Now Show regularly. Its strengths may encapsulate the very reasons I hadn't noticed it before: it's unflashy, it lacks meaningless catchphrases, it's not an ego-trip for the self-consciously clever, it's not gratuitously hurtful. Oh - and it's funny, sharply observed and basically good-natured without being soft. Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis lead the company in comedy that is hard to characterise and that lacks an unmistakable, distinct image but, perhaps because of that, is constantly surprising you. Gold nugget of the week (and Radio 4 can still throw them up): Other People's Voices, in which Don Taylor shared his passion for the otherwise unknown G.H. Vallins, a poetic parodist from between the wars, a superbly accomplished mimic of such grand styles as the Miltonic and Wordsworthian - as only the erudite and (literally) well- versed can be. A young veteran of the first world war, he also managed a parody of Houseman that was genuinely moving and moved from pastiche to homage; poetry in its own right (via Chet Copeland, NYC, DXLD) Unfortunately, THE NOW SHOW series has just ended, to return in May. Succeeding it is NEWS QUIZ, Fri 1830 and Sat 1230, per CALENDAR (gh) PS: From R4's website re The Now Show: Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis front this audience sketch and stand-up show covering the news and taking a swipe at current trends and perceived wisdom. Friday 6.30 pm, repeated Saturday 12.30 pm. Discover more about the programme by going Behind The Scenes, or find out what Steve Punt's favourite Radio 4 programmes are in our Interact section. Finally, via a Google Search. I came across this monthly guide to U.K. comedy-culture, "The Mighty Boosh". http://www.themightyboosh.inuk.com/feb02radio.html Here are its BBC R4 reviews for Feb. (the Home page links to feature articles on XFM-Radio's Breakfast Show): THE NOW SHOW BBC RADIO 4, FRIDAYS 6.30PM, REPEATED SATURDAY 12.30PM. The Now Show, as part of the BBC's Department of Punt and Dennis, returns for its 6,598th series, taking a wry and often unfunny look at the week's topical happenings, with some people doing voices, some other people doing songs, Emma Kennedy constantly doing her "Welsh" accent, Marcus Brigstocke managing to convey being both tall and wry on the radio at the same time, Steve and Hugh laughing about how much money they're being paid, and Jon Holmes making smug topical references to things while making up new words to make it sound like he's swearing. That was an even longer sentence than last month, but again, that's quite often what this show feels like. (Do you see?) LITTLE BRITAIN TUESDAYS, BBC RADIO 4, 11.00 PM Little Britain, the love child of David Walliams and Matt Lucas, returns for a fabulous second series of what the BBC insist on calling "off-the-wall" sketches. Walliams and Lucas promise to "explore British life in Britain as it is lived by Britons today in Britain". While doing so, they tackle the majority of the roles, playing school girls, priests, rubbish transvestites, Olympic gold medallists, and of course Fat Fighter Marjorie Dawes, in the sketch show that promises to encompass all manner of life around Little Britain. They are currently working on a television version of the series with television's all round darling Graham Linehan which is due to go into production in May, so this way you get to say you heard it all first, and that anyway it was better on the radio (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U K [non]. LASER RADIO: from http://laserradio.net/schedule.htm Complete details of our broadcasting schedule will be published on this page when they are finalised. Our intended channels of distribution are : 1) 100 kW shortwave signal from Jülich, Germany 2) Via an Internet Webcast 3) Via Digital satellite. We hope to secure carriage on the WorldSpace AfriStar satellite. At present we are in discussion regarding these distribution channels. Check again soon for the latest news (via Mike Terry, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I heard on the Alan H. Weiner show - WBCQ - 0100-0200 UT [Sat] - on shortwave - that WBCQ has live internet audio feed - Windows Media Player and a MP3 format which is down due to moving the server they said on the show. The WMP is working and they said they had 316 listeners listening to the WMP feed. I think the Web site address is: http://www.wbcq.com (Petro Giannakopoulos, GA, Feb 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) http://wbcq.com as opposed to .net – the former is the site run by Scott Becker, with lots of commercials and crashing features, so I avoid it (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Commentary: A BORN FIGHTER: MOTHER ANGELICA The news Friday is that Mother Angelica, now back in her Alabama monastery, continues to do very well after suffering a second stroke on Christmas Eve and spending that night and much of Christmas Day in the operating room as she underwent brain surgery to remove a clot. Two weeks passed in intensive care unit, and several more in the hospital before she was allowed to return home, where she continues to undergo physical therapy to handle speech and physical problems. This little nun is a fighter. But we all know that, don`t we? She single-handedly, with the help of carefully chosen collaborators, put together the first national Catholic broadcast services, succeeding where the others failed after wasting millions. EWTN television began in her monastery garage; shortwave radio followed some years later. About two years after that, she launched a campaign to promote the construction of Catholic AM and FM radio stations across the United States. Some people in the Church have never forgiven her for that. They either could not or would not achieve what she did. But Mother Angelica saw a need and she steamed ahead into a world filled with broadcast industry and financial sharks, a merciless world of cut- throats who routinely do one another in, be they CEO`s, station owners, managers, anchormen, or program hosts. Her innate intelligence and shrewdness proved a match for them. ``They must think just because I am a nun, I am stupid and they can take me for a fool,`` she observed once on her evening program. Mother Angelica also serves as spokesman for the millions of lay Catholics outraged to see their children getting a third-rate catechetical instruction that was more pop sike and cultural anthropology than religion at the hands of so-called professional religious educators; for the millions of lay Catholics outraged to see the beautiful churches built by the hard-earned pennies of their desperately poor immigrant ancestors gutted by liturgical terrorists. Millions simply stopped going to Church and other millions entered Protestant fundamentalist sects, but for the millions who stayed, she has been their voice. She speaks for the common man against an unbearably arrogant Catholic intelligentsia. Many Church hierarchy and priests have never forgiven her for that, and they harbor resentment to this day. I have the greatest respect for this woman, not least for the incredible faith she has in her Master Jesus and the utter trust she has in Divine Providence. She prayed, she mulled, and then she went ahead. She figured if Jesus wanted it, He`d make things happen. He did and He did. Therefore, when I first saw on her program after her stroke, I was appalled. I had not been watching EWTN or listening to Catholic Radio for some months and I did not know she had suffered a stroke. (When I tell you I get little news from people in Catholic Radio, I am not exaggerating.) Here, on screen, was this poor little nun wearing an eye patch, her mouth twisted to one side and her speech slurred, carrying on in front of an obviously sympathetic audience. She was –pardon me for saying it– a caricature of a pirate in a nun`s habit. ``Dear God,`` I thought, ``is this the way You treat someone who has gone to such extraordinary lengths and suffered such extraordinary pain in life, that has done so much for You? Someone who has created an international radio and television service that has strengthened the faith of millions, brought thousands back to the Church, and introduced what Catholics really believe to millions of non-Catholics, bringing some of them to the Faith?`` From all I read and hear, Mother Angelica has suffered these terrible events with great equanimity and faith. Jesus has never let her down and she does not believe He is going to do so now. She`s probably right. Maybe some great breakthrough in Catholic communications somewhere in the world will happen as the result of all this. Maybe some great conversions of hardened hearts. That kind of faith distinguishes people like her from people like me. I figure God owes her more than she got. Yeah, that attitude might be near blasphemy, but it a common one among mediocrities like me, I assure you. And the Old Testament is filled with it. Go back and read the constant complaints to God by the prophets, ``The evil thrive and the good suffer,`` to the point where finally God (I think it is in Jeremiah) starts mocking the prophet: ``The evil thrive and the good suffer, the evil thrive and the good suffer, the evil thrive and the good suffer. I am tired of hearing `the evil thrive and the good suffer.` Go do what I told you.`` But it makes it no easier for us. In fact, those closest to God seem to get it much worse than the miserable sinners who populate the stories on the evening news. We found out recently that Mother Theresa suffered greatly from doubts about the work she was doing and whether or not she was doing God`s will, and maybe she was deluding herself and accomplishing nothing and ought to be doing something else. Apparently, this agony lasted much of her life. We never knew it from her serenity and her utter self-donation. Years ago a saintly Christian Brother told the likes of us the story of St Theresa of Avila, or as we call her in this neck of the woods, ``Big Theresa,`` to distinguish her from ``Little Theresa,`` St Therese of Lisieux. It seems that, towards the end of her life, she was traveling to make one of the official visitations of her convents. The steady rain had soaked everything and, I assume, chilled everyone. Descending a slope towards a ford, her donkey lost its footing and she was thrown into the thick mud. Filled with Spanish passion, she stood up, covered with mud, sputtering with anger, shaking her fists at this unpleasant culmination of an unpleasant trip. Christ appeared in the rainy skies to her at that moment. ``Now, now, Theresa, I treat all my friends this way,`` He admonished. ``I know,`` she sputtered in rage, ``that is why You have so few!`` (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update Feb 11 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. On right now. 6715 USB, UNID African evangelical station, 2320 Feb 15. Are you familiar with this one? I think this looks like it will be an interesting one. Program consisted of sing song type of evangelical hymns, with lots of enthusiastic prayer between. Heard some religious references, as well as "Africa" mentioned a couple of times, in a some African dialect, I don't recognize. Off by 2345 recheck (-David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNID, 6715 USB, 2242 Feb 15, African evangelical programing, in a language I don't recognize. The program sounded like a church service or tent revival, with OM preacher singing evangelical type hymns, with two or three other instruments, alternating with long, impassioned, prayers. I heard the word "Africa" mentioned several times, as well as religious references like "Amen". The congregation could be heard very faintly in the background. No station ID of any sort, that I heard. Gone by 2345 recheck. Fairly good reception here. Does anyone know this station? Any info would be appreciated (David Hodgson, TN, Feb 15, Cumbre DX via DX LISTENING DIGEST) All set for it next day Feb 16 but nothing there 2300-2330, Did not check Feb 17 (gh, DXLD) After 2200 I went out with my radio into the cold night: There was a faint carrier on 6715, far too weak to get any audio, but it seems that indeed something was up there, apparently in AM or probably USB with carrier rather than the reported pure USB (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi, just 2222 UT, nothing heard here, except a Greek pirate radio net on 6745. Klingenfuss 2002 directory shows 9 services of USAF and Canadian Forces on 6715 kHz in SSB mode. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 26150, Feb 11 just before 2300 UT for 3 or 4 minutes, heard a news anchor with a British accent, saying ``Good morning``, and mentioning Hong Kong. At slower pace than usual North American newscasters; then had a financial report from New York, also greeting with ``good morning``. I listened closely to the anchor`s accent, and would say it was from southeast UK; could not detect any Chinese influence. And not from Australia or New Zealand. Then it was wiped out by some noise, and not heard again. There may be some closer explanation, but if actually from Hong Kong, to avoid darkness it would have to be long path. Nothing else in at the time, but an hour later, WREG Memphis was heard on 26100, probably no correlation. This was observed in my very frequent scans of the 26 MHz band for signs of broadcast auxiliaries, mostly in the US (Alan Roberts, St. Lambert, Quebec, Feb 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SWOOPER Regarding DXLD 2-022: ``?? It`s nowhere near one megahertz wide, fortunately. Five megahertz wide segments?? Loud buzzing noise??? It`s a soft swooshing noise, but still annoying (gh, DXLD)`` I have no idea how ARN misinterpreted my analysis, when I actually said: quote: While I'm at it, I just re-scanned to find the frequency ranges this thing is on. With a best guess there are about six transmitters, each sweeping about 30 kHz wide with a pulse rate of about 1/sec.: 4370-4402 Maritime 4522-4552 Aero 4634-4660 Aero 4773-4802 60m 4802-4831 60m 4894-4920 60m I've annotated the specific allocations for these. Note that half of it is well within restricted frequency bands, potentially interfering with long distance air control and maritime distress and rescue frequencies. This is in addition to the 60m broadcast band, which is of course getting obliterated. The only justice would be if one of our kooky domestic broadcasters operated in this band, but alas, they don't. Wonder if George Jacobs helped with the frequency management for this study? G. unquote 73, (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-026, February 15, 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 #1118: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070, 0730 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200 on some of: 7445-AM/USB 15039, 21815-USB PRECEDED BY CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-01 half an hour earlier AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 to rest of world; 1500 to NAm WORLD OF RADIO ON SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO Sirius has just launched Feb 14, including WORLD RADIO NETWORK on channel 111, which in turn includes WORLD OF RADIO, Saturdays at 1500 UT. Details under INTERNATIONAL VACUUM below. UPDATED WOR/COM/MR SCHEDULE: http://www.worldofradio.com/radiosked.html ** AFGHANISTAN. Analysis: AFGHANISTAN GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO PRIVATE BROADCASTERS | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 14 February 2002 On 9 February the Afghan interim administration issued a new law which it said would guarantee media freedom. The law, drawn up on the basis of the 1964 constitution, also brings to an end the government monopoly over the media, including radio and television. It will allow private radio and TV stations to be set up for the first time in Afghanistan, where up to now newspapers had been the only privately-owned media allowed to operate. The minister of information and culture, Said Makhtoum Rahim, said: "Any Afghan citizen has the right to own a private television or radio station, but not foreigners." He added that the law placed no restrictions on operators, provided they remained within the law. "Freedom will be respected," he said. "If they don't break common law and security, and there is no defamation, and nothing is broadcast against religions, there will be no limitations." Hamed Karzai, chairman of the interim administration, said the new law meant Afghan journalists were free to criticize the government. "People can have their newspapers, people can have their radios and they can write things, they can criticize us as much as they want," he said. The new measure could end decades of censorship, made worse during Taleban rule in the last five years by a virtually total ban on freedom of expression. Need for independent media All those involved in rebuilding Afghanistan's media agree on the need to promote the independent press and broaden the range of information available to the population by setting up independent radio and TV stations. The number of independent publications launched in Kabul in recent weeks is now almost in double figures. The Kabul Weekly, banned in 1996 when the Taleban took control of the capital, has been restarted. A new women's magazine, The Women's Mirror, offers a female perspective on news and social affairs. And new magazines featuring cartoons, satire and military issues have been launched. "The need for an open press environment is very strong. Independent press is always important; as we say, it is the cornerstone of a democracy," says Martin Hadlow, the UNESCO representative in Kabul. International aid workers believe that independent media could help to check that future Afghan governments spend the billions of dollars expected in foreign aid in a responsible and transparent way. But while some Afghan journalists and writers have begun asking questions in public about corruption and accountability in the post- Taleban era, many of their exiled journalist colleagues are reluctant to return home. They are worried that while Afghanistan remains riddled with armed groups, Karzai's good intentions may founder if inter-factional conflict resumes on a large scale. Aid to rebuild media Meanwhile, international aid and offers of cooperation to assist the reconstruction of Afghanistan's media sector continue to flow in. This week, Afghan TV and the country's Bakhtar news agency both welcomed greater cooperation with Iran. India sent a consignment of musical instruments and promised more music and video cassettes of popular Hindi films. And the BBC World Service Trust, an NGO established by the BBC World Service, announced it would use a one- million-pound grant from the UK Department for International Development to provide equipment and training for Radio/TV Afghanistan and open a Media Resource Centre for Afghan journalists. With the end of the state's monopoly on broadcasting, the next issues to be addressed are the need to establish an independent broadcasting authority, and develop a plan for the allocation of broadcasting licences that results in an appropriate mix of public service and private stations, including local stations. Source: BBC Monitoring research 14 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Glenn, Fim do horário de Verão no Brasil neste domingo às 0200 UT, quando os relógios serão atrasados em um hora. 73 (Samuel Cassio, Brasil, Feb 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Summer time in Brazil ends Sun Feb 17 at 0200 UT when clocks will be set back an hour. In the east, switching from UT minus 2 to UT minus 3 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMBODIA/USA. OPPOSITION RADIO RECEIVES FUNDING FROM VOA | Excerpt from report by Cambodian newspaper Chakkraval on 1 February; as published throughout The Sambok Khmum radio station, run by Mam Sonando, which is dying because of a shortage of funds, seems to have some hope now following a decision by Voice of America [VOA] headquarters in Washington DC to provide some funding to support and relay Sambok Khmum`s programmes through VOA... A group of officials at the Information Ministry told Chakkraval that VOA`s funding for Sambok Khmum was the only way to allow this radio to continue broadcasting. Between 25 and 27 per cent of the people listen to this station. Sambok Khmum radio chief Mam Sonando recently announced the closure of the station because "funding dried up". But now the radio can continue to broadcast through funding from VOA to expand its programmes... Sambok Khmum radio station tends to carry news about the suffering, famine and poverty of the Cambodian people who are workers and victims of oppression of factory owners, and so on. In particular, it tends to carry news with insinuation aimed at the government. It is for this reason that the Cambodian people nationwide support Sambok Khmum more than any of the other 14 radio stations in operation. Source: Chakkraval, Phnom Penh, in Cambodian 1 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA/USA. VOA, LOCAL RADIO BEEHIVE LAUNCH CALL-IN SHOW ON FM | Text of press release by Voice of America on 15 February Washington DC, 15 February: As the polls were closing in Cambodia on 3 February, the Voice of America's Khmer Service went live for the first time on an FM station on Cambodian soil, thus becoming the first international station to broadcast live from inside Cambodia in Khmer. The topic of the programme was an instant analysis of the early results of Cambodia's first village elections since the war. The interactive call-in show, moderated from a studio in Washington DC, received calls from all over Cambodia through VOA's affiliate, Radio Beehive [Khmer: Sambok Khmum], for instant relay to Washington and equally fast broadcast back into Cambodia. On Thursday 7 February, Radio Beehive and VOA Khmer aired a second call-in featuring the Venerable Ouk Chanhan, a monk from the Silver Spring, Maryland Temple, who took calls about "Freedom of Religion in the United States". Building on the popularity of these two programmes, VOA and Radio Beehive plan to air a 30-minute call-in show every Thursday at 9.00 p.m. Cambodian time (1400 gmt). To ensure the signal reaches the remote regions of Cambodia, the programme will also be carried on 1575 [kHz] AM [from THAILAND – gh] and several shortwave frequencies. VOA's Khmer Service broadcasts one and a half hours a day - 2200 to 2230 gmt and 1330 to 1430 gmt. It was on the air from 1955 to 1957 and after a brief lapse, returned to the airwaves in 1962. [Radio Sambok Khmum or Radio Beehive is believed to be affiliated to the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. It is an independent commercial station broadcasting in Phnom Penh.] Source: Voice of America press release, Washington, in English 15 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Cambodia has repeatedly denied VOA permission to set up its own FM relay station there (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. Russian scholars feel that the geomagnetic pole of North has moved 200 kilometers sideways. Gangers [?? -gh] of the Central Military-Technical Institute of Moscow say the magnetic poles of other planets of the Solar system have done the same, most likely because neighboring space systems influence the Solar system. The phenomenon is likely to produce a telling effect on the weather and people's physical condition, on Earth. The growing number of car crashes may be explained by this geomagnetic phenomenon (Voice of Russia News in English, Feb. 13, 2002) Note: Actually, the original news report in Russian speaks about the increasing number of _plane_ crashes... (Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Canforce HF Radio Frequencies & Callsigns including Trenton military: http://www.canairradio.com/canforce.html (via Big Johnson, DX-398 Users yahoogroup via DXLD) ** CANADA. 1010, CFRB, Toronto ON; 1925-1931+ 10-Feb; program on birth control. "News-Talk Radio CFRB 10-10". Tfc/wx/nx @1930. Good- No sign of CFRX on 6070 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) [Niel Wolfish sends a note from Steve Canney, CFRB/CFRX QSL Manager, that CFRB has had some silent periods recently testing a new 4 x 550' tower antenna system. That may have something to do with CFRX's absence.] (MARE via DXLD) ** CANADA. 02/14/02 - Fifty years of AM radio history comes to an end in Nanaimo Friday morning as crews remove the old CHUB/CKEG AM 1570 radio towers, which will be dropped by cutting the guy wires. Meanwhile CKCI AM 1350 Parksville (currently simulcasting the new CIBH FM 88.5) will be leaving the air at 3 p.m. Friday, February 22. All the equipment for both stations is for sale. Details and photos are available at the following sites: From Northwest Broadcasters. The details and photos noted below are hyperlinks to http://www.islandnet.com/~kabbott/CKCI/ and http://www.islandnet.com/~kabbott/CKEG/ Thanks to Kam Abbott (Eric Flodén, BC, Feb 15, IRCA topica list via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC Previews: Sunday on The World This Weekend: from Radio Moscow reporter to FM millionaire: capitalism in the new Russia. Reese Erlich tells the story of Yuri Kostin, a humble radio journalist who took advantage of the crumbling Soviet system and made a bundle with Radio 101, an American style station he started with a handful of CDs and some young people who were ready to rock. Hear that report and more Sunday on The World This Weekend, with Lorna Jackson, at 6 pm (7 AT; 7:30 NT) on both CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two. [webcast probably only from Toronto due to Olympic restrixions, at 2300-2330 UT] [2300-2330 UT Sunday on RCI to the Americas on 5960, 6040, 6175, 9590, 9755, 11865 and 13730 kHz. – Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD] SOUND ADVICE: Rick Phillips spotlights new CDs of cello music - cello and piano, cello and orchestra. In the Library, another step in building that great classical collection. This week, the magnificent Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok. That's Sound Advice, Sunday at 6:30 (7:30 AT, 8:00 NT) on CBC Radio One. [2330-0100 UT via Toronto] SUNDAY SHOWCASE: More of WorldPlay4, the fourth international festival of new plays for radio from around the world. This week, "Weekend Quartet" by Gao Xingjian, translated by Gilbert Fong and adapted for radio by Dino Mahoney. Gao Xingjian was relatively unknown in the West until he won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year. This play explores the shifting dynamics and chemistry between four characters brought together for a weekend in the country. An elderly couple, owners of a farm, play host to a young couple - at a time when both relationships are on the rocks. That's Sunday Showcase starting at 10:05 p.m. (11:05 AT, 11:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. [0305 UT Monday via Toronto] ROOTS & WINGS: Host Philly Markowitz has Afro-funk from Mali's Issa Bagayogo, king of the four-stringed kamele n'goni, tunes from the Shetland and Orkney Islands where Celtic meets Nordic music, and classic Persian songs of praise from the master Mohammed Reza Shadjarian. That's on Roots and Wings, Sunday evening at 5:05 (5:35 NT) on CBC Radio Two. [2205-2300 UT] (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CANADA. Here is a link to an excellent homage to Peter Gzowski. It speaks for itself. It appears on the Bourque Newswatch site http://www.bourque.com It is written by Scott Disher of Rockburn, Quebec, and is found at: http://bourque.myforum.net/read.php3?id=22997 (Sheldon Harvey, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Searching the Internet can lead to some very interesting things. I`m not sure why, but today I entered the following URL, wondering what might come up, if anything : http://www.montrealradio.com Lo and behold, look what comes up! Something called Montreal Daily. This seems to be connected with something called the World News Network. I went to their information page at http://www.aboutwn.com to see what they are all about. On that page is a link to the World News Broadcasting Network at : http://www.wnbroadcast.com/ which is an unbelievable collection of international on-line radio sources. Of particular interest to me though, going back to the Montreal Daily page, the left hand tool bar has a link to something called Canada FM. Clicking on this takes you to : http://www.canadafm.com/ which takes you to a page of links to Canadian radio and TV stations, plus newspapers. There are a number of Montreal outlets listed, with some very obvious exceptions as well. I`ve never stumbled on to this before, but I will be exploring more of it in the days ahead, that`s for sure. I thought you would find this information interesting. I`m not sure who`s behind all of this, but they certainly seem to have invested a lot of time, effort and probably money into it (Sheldon Harvey, Québec, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [and non]. I have just received a copy of the ***summer*** schedules from CRI. TIMES AND FREQUENCIES OF ENGLISH BROADCASTS Beginning March 31, 2002 EXTERNAL SERVICES (In UT and kHz) North America {East Coast) 2300-2400 5990(B)* 0100-0200 9580(8)* [sic, means B for CuBa] 0300-0400 9690(S) 0400-0500 9730(G) 1300-1400 9570(B)* 1300-1400 1120 AM {Washington D.C.) North America {West Coast) 2300-2400 13680(C) 0100-0200 9790(C) 0300-0400 9690(S) 0400-0500 9730(G), 9560 1300-1400 7405 1400-1500 7405, 17720(B) 1400-1600 17720(8) Europe 2000-2100 11790, 15110 2100-2200 11790, 15110 2200-2300 9880(R) 2300-2330 558 AM (London) Southeast Asia 1200-1300 1341, 9730, 11980 1300-1400 1341, 15180, 11980 South Asia 1200-1300 1188* 1400-1500 15110, 9700, 11675 1500-1600 7160, 9785 The South Pacific 0900-1000 15210, 11730 1000-1100 15210, 11730 1200-1300 11760, 9760, 15415 1300-1400 11760, 11900 East and South Africa 1400-1600 13685(M), 15125(M) 1600-1700 9565, 9870 1700-1800 9570, 11920, 15265, 9695* 2000-2100 11640(M), 13630(M) 2100-2130 11640(M), 13630(M) West and North Africa 1900-2000 9440, 13790 2000-2100 9440 *Testing Frequencies B - Relay from Cuba C - Relay from Canada S - Relay from Spain G - Relay from French Guiana M - Relay from Mali R - Relay from Russia (via Lionel Carter, Berkshire, UK, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI is aware that 15040 is slightly off-frequency below 15039, and will try to get or grind a crystal to correct this (James Latham, RFPI Mailbag 2000 UT Feb 15, gist notes by gh for DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. European Times: Prague CZECH GRATITUDE FADES AS RADIO FREE EUROPE SQUATS ON PRIME REAL ESTATE http://news.independent.co.uk/world/europe/story.jsp?story=119310 By Justin Huggler 11 February 2002 Recent visitors to Prague have been rather alarmed to see three armoured personnel carriers positioned at the head of Wenceslas Square. Heavily armed soldiers stand glowering at tourists on their way to the state opera house. They are even standing guard outside the building that used to house communist Czechoslovakia's rubber-stamp "parliament". It all looks rather worryingly as if the clock has been turned back to the bad old days when Soviet tanks tore up the streets of Prague in 1968. They have been here ever since the 11 September attacks on America. The Czech government believes the old parliament building – a rather ugly, modernist, polished black slab surrounded by plate-glass extensions – is a probable target for the al-Qa'ida organisation of Osama bin Laden. That is because ever since Czechoslovakia broke up, in the "Velvet Divorce" of 1992, the building has been home to Radio Free Europe (RFE), the US government-funded station that used to broadcast anti- communist propaganda from West Germany across the Iron Curtain. RFE was cherished by the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia. At one time, illegal foreign radio broadcasts such as those of RFE were the only way some Czechs and Slovaks could hear about the writings of Vaclav Havel, who was then imprisoned and his works officially deleted from history. After the fall of communism, the dissidents, led by Mr Havel, gained power. They presented RFE with the old communist parliament building in a grand gesture of gratitude. The station could base itself in the building that was once a symbol of one of the most hardline communist governments in Europe. But now, in what may be a sign of the times, the RFE is to be booted out. To the dismay of radio executives, who say they have invested millions of dollars converting the building, the Czech government wants to move the station. RFE is facing a costly relocation and is engaged in negotiations, which have at times been acrid, over finding a suitable new location. There was even talk of pulling the station out of the Czech Republic altogether in response, and the Hungarians quickly offered Budapest as an alternative host city. Radio executives now say that idea has been shelved and that they are staying in Prague. But RFE employees fear they will be moved out of the centre to some distant suburb. The authorities say the move is because of the threat from terrorism. It all goes back to a mysterious meeting that took place in Prague between Mohamed Atta, the pilot of the first plane to fly into the World Trade Centre, and an Iraqi embassy official. The Iraqi diplomat Ahmed al-Ani, who was subsequently expelled for spying, spent rather a lot of time hanging around the RFE building at the top of Wenceslas Square. The Czech authorities say that they fear an attack was being planned on the building. But many here believe there is more to the authorities' eagerness to get RFE out. The station pays a symbolic rent of $1 a month. There are those in the Czech Republic who say grand gestures are all very well but that RFE is sitting pretty in a prime piece of real estate. The RFE building is in about as good a location as you can get, just when property developers are hoping for a boom as the country prepares to join the EU. Radio Free Europe isn't happy – but it looks as if it will just have to go along with the move (Independent, UK via DXLD) ** DENMARK [non]. Received full data QSL in about 30 days for 1/1/2002 broadcast of Radio Denmark via Norway. Printed notice from Radio Denmark reads as follows: Quoting the notice in its entirety: "INFO about the closure of Radio Norway's Foreign Service: Radio Norway International's last broadcast was on Dec. 31 at 2200- 2230 UT on 7465kHz to the Far East and on 7530 kHz to the Canary Islands and South America. After this final broadcast Norway is relaying their home service program 'Always News' between 05.00 and 19.30 UT Mon-Fri. At other times the NRK 1st home service program is aired. This until further notice (which means until an agreement is made with the transmitting company Norkring). Kvitsoy 1314khz continues as before (1200kw). Radio Denmark is not affected by this" The last sentence had one word hand printed to reword it to read "Radio Denmark is not YET affected by this" (Lee Silvi, Mentor, Ohio USA, 2/15/2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. I am very familiar with the Plautdietsch language, as I`m from northern Indiana, where there are several Amish and old-order Mennonite communities. Many of the more conservative speakers of the language do not own radios or other modern appliances, but apparently enough do to warrant a weekly HCJB transmission (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 9 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 3289.90, Radio Centro 1018-1055 Feb 12. Announcer with time checks and many mentions of "Ambato", Andean music 1029 "Radio Centro" ID in passing. Fair to good signal but hets from Guyana above and RTTY below (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. WWCR`s Amharic program, Sundays at 1730-1745 on 15685, is not specified as such in the printed schedule dated Feb 2, but is called ``The Day of Salvation`` with Alemaychi Mammo (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. Radio Finland is inviting you to listen to the CAPITAL WEEKEND on Saturdays and Sundays. Broadcast hosts Elizabeth Moulton and Bill Fisher take you to various locations in the Helsinki area. The Capital Weekend airs at 1 pm Finnish time (1100 UT) on the Capital FM as well as on 13755 and 17820 kHz SW. The broadcast can be heard again on Sundays at 7.30 am Finnish time (0530 UT) on the Capital FM, some FM stations elsewhere in Finland as well as on Radio Finland's satellites, and on Sundays at 11 pm (2100 UT) on the Capital FM as well as on 9720 and 11985 kHz SW. Source: http://www.yle.fi/radiofinland/en_etusivu.shtml 73s (Mika Makelainen http://www.makelainen.com/dx Feb 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Toulouse 945 carries tonight again France Bleue (// 1377 etc.), no longer Le Mouv' (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. 11910.00, Georgian Radio, 15 Feb 1843. In English, news items and commentary read by woman, followed by local music with male vocals at 1852. Apparent signoff at 1857. Signal was weak to fair, but audible, with some QRM from VOA Arabic on 11905. Strange mid-day propagation for this station here (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Changes on Deutsche Telekom transmissions after Jan 17: Trans World Radio: Additional broadcast since Jan 26 Sat 1657-1745 7180 (Nauen 125 deg.) IBRA-Radio: Additional broadcast temporarily from Feb 1 until Feb 28 daily 1900-1930 13765 (Jülich 200 deg.) Remnants Hope Ministry: New schedule since Feb 13 Sat 0800-0900 13810 (Jülich 250 deg., Australia via long path, new) Sat, Sun 1300-1400 6110 (Jülich 295 deg., ex 1215-1315) CANCELLED: 6125 on Wed "The Overcomer Ministries", changes since Feb 12: daily 1200-1459 5975 (Jülich 290 deg., ex 0900-1459) daily 1300-1559 13810 (Jülich 115 deg., new) (6110 Sat 1500-1800 remained unchanged) (Excerpted from Feb 14 schedule release) (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ``Remnants``: see also USA – WBCQ, the anti-B.S. faxion (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Glenn, I do not know if you can use this article about DRM in Germany, taken from Radio Netherlands Media Network, dated 5 Feb 2002. The 531 kHz racket maker is heard more or less daily here, though seldom very strong. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Recent and Current Activity From 20 Aug. 2001 until the end of December 2001, Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) broadcast its first FM network also in DRM mode on mediumwave 810 kHz. The tests used a 10 kW mediumwave transmitter of Telefunken, and an audio encoder of the Fraunhofer Institute. As of 21 August 2001, DeutschlandRadio (DLR) broadcasts regularly, in DRM mode on 855 kHz. DeutschlandRadio Berlin uses this frequency alternatively for analogue and digital broadcasts of its Berlin programme. A 25 kW Telefunken transmitter is used, together with the same DRM technique as used by SFB. The system is trouble-free, despite frequent changes between analogue and digital mode. Digital broadcasting began in Summer 2001 from the transmitter site of Deutsche Telekom AG, Burg (Saxony-Anhalt). On 531 kHz, a 10 kW Telefunken transmitter is operating 24 hours a day in DRM mode with the "531 digital" programme. The actual DRM power is 2.7 kW. This field trial, organised by the Landesmedienanstalt Saxony-Anhalt, Hit- Radio Brocken and the publisher Mitteldeutsches Druck-und Verlagshaus, is scheduled to last for two years. On 25 July 2001, DRM partner Deutsche Telekom AG started broadcasting digitally 24 hours a day on the mediumwave frequency of 729 kHz. This DRM transmission originated from a station at Putbus/Ruegen. It used a 10kW transmitter, and the main service channel contained audio and data streams encoded by Fraunhofer's Content Server. These transmissions have now been concluded In the Berlin area, tests can be heard on 1485 kHz, using a network of three separate low power transmitters in DRM mode. These tests are running until April 2002 (via Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 14, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. MARKET COMPETITION THREATENS COMMUNITY RADIO | Text of report by Toronto-based media freedom group International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) dated 5 February The Guatemalan government has announced plans to reopen a public auction for the granting of 14 radio broadcasting frequencies, despite recommendations by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that the government guarantee equal opportunity and access to all social sectors, report the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) and Cerigua (Centre of Informative Reports on Guatemala). AMARC says allowing public bidding on frequencies, whereby the highest bidder wins, excludes sectors of the population who are unable to compete on an equal economic footing. The announcement also goes against the proposed Community Media Law currently being considered by Congress, which takes into account the April 2001 recommendations of the IACHR's special rapporteur on freedom of expression. In its Special Human Rights Report on Guatemala, the Rapporteur urges the government to "review the regulations governing the granting of radio and television licences with the purpose of incorporating democratic criteria guaranteeing equal opportunity". It also notes that "bidding procedures that do not go beyond economic considerations, or that do not give a fair chance to all social sectors, are incompatible with participatory democracy and the right of freedom of expression and information enshrined in the American Convention on Human Rights". AMARC says the Community Media Law, proposed by the Guatemalan Community Communications Council (CGCC), Congress' Indigenous Peoples Commission and the state-run Social Communications Secretariat, provides indigenous peoples and other sectors of society with access to their own media outlets. Cerigua reports that the GCCC has rejected the government's plan to auction off the frequencies and is urging the government not to obstruct the passage of the proposed law through such a proposal. To view the IACHR's Special Human Rights Report on Guatemala, see http://www.cidh.oas.org For more information, see http://www.amarc.org Source: International Freedom of Expression eXchange, Toronto, in English 11 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INDIA. [dx_india] Special broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2002 FESTIVAL OF MUSIC --- Sunday, 17th February, 2002 PLATINUM JUBILEE CELEBRATION OF ALL INDIA RADIO AIR will be spreading out a feast of melody and rhythm on the night of the Vasant Panchami for the lovers of classical music in the Indian sub continent. It is a timehonoured custom in India to enliven the night hours in the enjoyment of classical music and dance. In keeping with this tradition, AIR is organizing the Sangeet-Utsav (Festival of Music) on the night of the Vasant Panchami on the 17th of February 2002. The Sangeet-Utsav also celebrates All India Radio's Platinum Jubilee Year. The all night musical extravaganza featuring great maestros is presented to the music lovers all over the country and originates from the 4 metros viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. The music program will start at 1630 UT of February 17, 2002 and end at 0030 UT of February 18, 2002 (i.e. 10 pm Sunday to 6.00 am Monday, Indian Standard Time.) This programme can be heard live from all the stations of AIR except Local Radio Stations. (Local radio stations operate with low power on MW and FM). So it is a good time to watch MW & SW for AIR. The SW stations to look out are: kHz kW Station 3223 50 Shimla 3315 50 Bhopal 3365 50 Delhi 3390 10 Gangtok 3945? 50 Gorakhpur 4760 10 Leh 4760 10 Port Blair 4775 50 Imphal 4800 50 Hyderabad 4820 50 Kolkata 4840 50 Mumbai 4850 50 Kohima 4860? 50 Delhi 4880 50 Lucknow 4895 50 Kurseong 4910 50 Jaipur 4920 50 Chennai 4940 50 Guwahati 4950 50 Srinagar 4960 50 Ranchi 4970 50 Shillong 4990 50 Itanagar 5010 ? 50 Thiruvanathapuram 5040 10 Jeypore 5050 50 Aizawl 6085 50 Delhi 7140 100 Delhi 9565 100 Delhi 9835 100 Delhi 10330 ? Chennai/Delhi/Guwahati/Mumbai (Vividh Bharati) ? = Doubtful, but worth checking Plus any additional channels from Delhi /Aligarh. Your valuable comments and suggetions may please be mailed at s_utsav@air.org.in More details from http://allindiaradio.com/fomusic.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This group specialises exclusively on Broadcasting in India! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Dates for Extended Broadcasting by AIR : ---------------------- 22 Jan to 22 Mar Haj Broadcast in Urdu 0530-0600 13620 15770 15-17 Feb Cricket Zimbabwe vs Board President's XI Vijayawada 17 Feb *** Platinum Jubilee Celebration of AlR 1630-0030 UTC (Music Concerts) 21-25 Feb Cricket Zimbabwe vs India 1st Test Nagpur 24-25 Feb Election results of Uttar Pradesh, Manipur.... 28 Feb-4 Mar Cricket Zimbabwe vs India 2nd Test Delhi 7 Mar ,, 1st ODI Faridabad 10 Mar ,, 2nd ODI Mohali 13 Mar ,, 3rd ODI Kochi 16 Mar ,, 4th ODI Hyderabad 19 Mar ,, 5th ODI Guwahati (ODI = One Day International) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (via Jose Jacob, dx_india, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO OFFICIAL LAUNCH Dear Colleagues, Today, 14th February 2002, marks the official launch of Sirius Satellite Radio in the USA. World Radio Network is one of the channels on this new digital, multi-channel, satellite-to-car service. WRN sits alongside other news providers including CNBC, Fox News, CNN, Bloomberg, ABC and BBC World Service; WRN has been allocated channel 111. For information about subscribing to the service and purchasing a car receiver please visit the Sirius website: http://www.siriusradio.com If you would like to contact Sirius Satellite Radio directly: Serena Kodila, Programming Department Tel: +1 212-584-5332 Fax: +1 212-584-5300 Email: SKodila@siriusradio.com We are delighted that today marks the official launch of Sirius Satellite Radio in the USA. As the service roll outs across the USA and more Americans begin to subscribe, we believe the WRN channel will stand out as a unique and exciting prospect for listeners, thanks to your programming. Kind regards Tim Ayris, Marketing and Rebroadcasting Manager, World Radio Network Tel: +44 20 7896 9000 Mobile: +7747 627 607 Fax: +44 20 7896 9007 http://www.wrn.org Listen NOW to World Radio Network! Click on: http://g2.wrn.org:8080/ramgen/wrn1usa.smi WORLD RADIO NETWORK PRESS RELEASE For immediate release 14 February 2002 WORLD RADIO NETWORK GOES COAST TO COAST ACROSS AMERICA WITH THE LAUNCH OF SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO Today, Americans have a new window on world events as World Radio Network (WRN), the London-based international programme aggregator and broadcaster, becomes available across the USA with the official launch of Sirius Satellite Radio, the satellite radio broadcaster which offers 100 channels of digital quality radio to motorists throughout the continental United States. World Radio Network, available on channel 111, will bring Americans on the move an unprecedented line-up of radio programmes from public service broadcasters around the world including: Asia Pacific from Radio Australia Canada Today from Radio Canada International Dateline Africa from Channel Africa 5-7 Live from RTE Ireland News and features from Swiss Radio International News and Reports from China Radio International Sixty Degrees North from Radio Sweden Celtic Notes from Wales Radio International Dateline Pacific from Radio New Zealand International Week in Review from Israel Radio As one of the few broadcasters on Sirius Satellite Radio headquartered outside the USA, Tim Ayris, Marketing Manager believes World Radio Network offers Sirius subscribers a unique perspective on international news and current affairs, ``A central purpose of WRN is to gather together the distinct voices and views of our partner broadcasters the world over and offer these views and voices back to listeners, providing news direct from the source and not filtered through any single news organisation. With our partners broadcasters, WRN comprises a new world of information --- a world without borders.`` February 14th marks the beginning of Sirius` three-phase service rollout strategy, culminating in service offered nationwide beginning in July. Phase I sees Sirius launching commercial service in four markets – Houston, Phoenix and Denver and Jackson, Mississippi. Phase II sees Sirius expanding its regional rollout across the southwestern United States beginning in April/May in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Tulsa, OK; Albuquerque, NM; and Little Rock, AK. Service will be available in the southern and central U.S. starting in June/July, and will include the leading metropolitan markets of Miami, Tampa Bay and Orlando, FL; Indianapolis, IN; and Nashville, TN. Phase III sees Sirius expecting to offer its service nationwide during the third quarter of 2002. Sirius Satellite Radio From its three satellites orbiting directly over the U.S., Sirius http://www.siriusradio.com will broadcast 100 channels of digital quality radio to motorists throughout the continental United States for a monthly subscription fee of $12.95. Sirius will deliver 60 original channels of completely commercial-free music in virtually every genre, and 40 world-class sports, news and entertainment channels. Sirius has agreements to install AM/FM/SAT radios in Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Mazda, Dodge and Jeep( vehicles. Kenwood, Panasonic, Clarion and Jensen satellite receivers, including models that can adapt any car stereo to receive Sirius, as well as home and portable products, will be available at retailers such as Circuit City, Best Buy, Good Guys, Tweeter and Crutchfield. [standard financial disclaimer] SIRIUS ANNOUNCES NEW LAUNCH MARKETS, NASCAR TEAM SPONSORSHIP, PROGRAMMING NEWS AND UNIQUE MOBILE LISTENING TOUR New CEO Joe Clayton Bolsters Management Team with Consumer Electronics Industry Veterans CES, LAS VEGAS January 7, 2002. --- Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI), the satellite radio broadcaster, today announced the next phase of its market rollout, beginning February 14 and culminating in nationwide service during the third quarter. At a news conference at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show hosted by Sirius President and CEO Joseph P. Clayton, the company discussed its upcoming service launch and new programming lineup, unveiled details of its new Dodge NASCAR Racing team sponsorship, highlighted a new management team and debuted the new Sirius web site, http://www.siriusradio.com ``This is the beginning of a new era at Sirius,`` said Mr. Clayton. ``With our national launch strategy in place, new and dynamic programming, the sponsorship of a Dodge NASCAR racing team, our strengthened and experienced management team and a redesigned web site, all systems are go to make 2002 a milestone year for Sirius. We fully expect to own the in-car entertainment space for consumers.`` SERVICE LAUNCH DETAILS Mr. Clayton announced Sirius` three-phase service rollout strategy, culminating in service offered nationwide beginning in July. Phase I -- Commencing February 14, 2002, Sirius will launch commercial service in four markets – Houston, Phoenix and Denver (which were previously announced) and a new market – Jackson, Mississippi, where Mr. Clayton first debuted satellite television with RCA in 1994. All four markets feature early adopters of technology, favorable attitudes towards mobile electronic products and strong retail environments. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Clayton said, ``Jackson was the successful launch city for DIRECTV and we plan on duplicating that success with Sirius` satellite radio service.`` Phase II -- Sirius will implement the next phase of its regional rollout across the southwestern United States beginning in April/May in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Tulsa, OK; Albuquerque, NM; and Little Rock, AK. All were early rollout markets for RCA and DIRECTV. Service will be available in the southern and central U.S. starting in June/July, and will include the leading metropolitan markets of Miami, Tampa Bay and Orlando, FL; Indianapolis, IN; and Nashville, TN. Phase III -- Sirius expects to offer service nationwide during the third quarter. DODGE RACE TEAM SPONSORSHIP Sirius announced it has joined the Evernham Motorsports/Ultra Motorsports Dodge racing team, part of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Sirius will be the primary sponsor of the No. 7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge Intrepid R/T, driven by Casey Atwood. The car will compete in the 2002 and 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the premier circuit in stock car racing, making its debut at the Daytona 500 on February 17 at the famed Daytona International Speedway. Ray Evernham and Casey Atwood will also be featured on Sirius` music and talk channels. NEW SALES AND MARKETING TEAM As part of a strong focus on sales and marketing, Clayton introduced a number of industry veterans joining Sirius. The new executives, with deep ties to the consumer electronics industry, will be part of the company`s sales and marketing organization and will collectively be responsible for sales, marketing, distribution, merchandising and strategic planning for retail. The group will report to Guy Johnson, Sirius` new EVP, Sales and Marketing. The new executives have all participated in the rollout and success of numerous consumer electronics products, including the development and launch of DIRECTV satellite television. RETAIL MARKET PROMOTION As part of its launch program, Sirius announced a unique consumer and retail experience, the ``Rhythm of the Road Tour.`` This mobile demo tour features a custom-built 65-foot giant ferris wheel dubbed the ``Wheel of Sound,`` which is equipped with eight Sirius-ready musical theme cars for consumers to ride in and listen to Sirius` service. The tour also features specially designed trailer trucks that open up into listening kiosks for consumers, a stage for local musicians and a DJ booth that will play the Sirius service live at each location. Consumers can also listen to Sirius` service in any one of a variety of demo vehicles, including the No. 7 Sirius Satellite Radio Dodge Intrepid R/T, a BMW X5, Ford Mustang and Dodge Ram Quad Cab. NEW PROGRAMMING Sirius unveiled its new channel lineup, including 60 original music channels, all commercial-free, in almost every musical genre, from rap to reggae, classical to country, new rock to hard rock, as well as HITS channels playing all the top hit songs in pop, rock, country, R&B, rap and dance, virtually on demand. Rounding out its lineup, Sirius will broadcast 40 world-class channels of the best variety of sports, news, talk and entertainment through partnerships with world- class providers, including ESPN, ABC News, CNN Headline News, E! Entertainment Television, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and more. Sirius announced it will simulcast live trial coverage from Court TV as well as the ``Catherine Crier Show.`` Court TV programming will be featured on Sirius` ``Real Sirius`` channel, an entirely new radio format that will deliver reality and true crime programming, and live, interactive talk shows. Commenting on its new programming lineup, Sirius CEO Joe Clayton said, ``Sirius listeners are going to hear something fundamentally different from anything out there, and that`s because our approach and commitment to the listener is unlike anything that exists right now. In fact, we call it entertainment so great you`ll never want to leave your car.`` NEW WEB SITE The redesigned Sirius web site offers live streaming of Sirius` 60 commercial-free music channels and will serve as an interactive, online complement to Sirius` broadcast programming. On the new site, visitors will be able to sign-up and become ``Sirius Insiders`` for access to exclusive content, including behind-the-scenes interviews with artists. The site features ``customer command,`` which allows consumers to subscribe and manage their Sirius accounts online and interact with customer service representatives 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via live chat and e-mail. About Sirius From its three satellites orbiting directly over the U.S., Sirius will broadcast 100 channels of digital quality radio to motorists throughout the continental United States for a monthly subscription fee of $12.95. Sirius will deliver 60 original channels of completely commercial-free music in virtually every genre, and 40 world-class sports, news and entertainment channels. Sirius has agreements to install AM/FM/SAT radios in Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Mazda, Dodge and Jeep vehicles. Kenwood, Panasonic, Clarion and Jensen satellite receivers, including models that can adapt any car stereo to receive Sirius, as well as home and portable products, will be available at retailers such as Circuit City, Best Buy, Good Guys, Tweeter and Crutchfield. Sirius Satellite Radio 1221 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 tel 212 584 5100 fax 212 584 5200 http://www.siriusradio.com SIRIUS TUNES IN ITS 100 CHANNEL LINEUP 60 Commercial-Free Music Channels Includes HITS Channels in Major Genres 40 News, Sports, Entertainment Options Serve Up Unique Content CES, LAS VEGAS January 7, 2002 --- Sirius Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: SIRI), the satellite radio broadcaster, today announced the programming lineup for its 100 channels of digital entertainment. Sirius will broadcast 60 original music channels, all commercial-free, in almost every musical genre, from rap to reggae, classical to country, new rock to hard rock, as well as HITS channels playing all the top hit songs virtually on demand. Rounding out its lineup, Sirius will broadcast 40 world-class channels of the best variety of sports, news, talk and entertainment. TOP HITS ONLY ON SIRIUS With distinct channels dedicated to the top hit songs for Rock, Top 40, Country, R&B, Rap and Dance, Sirius brings listeners all of their favorite songs in these popular music genres. Whether in the car for a short drive or settling in for a long morning commute, listeners can always hear their favorite tracks on Sirius` HITS channels. ``Sirius is the only way for listeners across the country to get this vast choice of 100% commercial free music, along with the latest hits whenever you want them,`` said Joe Capobianco, Sirius` senior vice president of content. ``There is no listening experience in the car that can match Sirius. Our music channels are original, not just recycled radio, and we`re focused on bringing our listeners what they want to hear.`` The sheer volume of choice and variety is just part of the story. Each channel is fine-tuned to provide the most entertaining listening experience possible, and listeners are encouraged to explore the broad and deep choices. For example, Sirius offers eleven rock channels from Classic to Alternative, Eclectic and Soft Rock, and Modern Rock to Hard Rock. Listeners can also regularly hear live performances and interviews direct from Sirius` national broadcast studio. Capobianco added, ``DJs will concentrate on the music experience, offering listeners not only the music they want to hear, virtually on demand, but also information they want to know about the music and the artists they are listening to.`` Rounding out the 100-channel lineup on Sirius is an expansive range of superior entertainment programming. Renowned media outlets on Sirius include CNN, Fox News, ABC News and National Public Radio, along with distinguished international sources such as BBC World News and World Radio Network. Other channels offer listeners everything from up to the minute sports news on ESPN to financial news on CNBC to a dedicated channel for America`s truckers on the Sirius Trucking Network. Sirius will also broadcast content from E! Entertainment, A & E, Discovery, Radio Disney, Speedvision, Outdoor Life, The Weather Channel and more. SIRIUS` 60 ORIGINAL MUSIC CHANNELS. ALL 100% COMMERCIAL-FREE: Channel # / Genre / Channel Name POP 1 Top 40 HITS -- Sirius HITS/US-1 2 Adult Contemporary -- The Pulse 3 Alt Pop Mix -- The Trend 4 Love Songs -- StarLite 5 Best of the 50s/60`s -- Sirius Gold 7 Best of the 70`s -- I-70 8 Best of the 80`s -- I-80 9 Best of the 90`s -- I-90 ROCK 15 Soft Rock -- The Bridge 17 Eclectic Rock -- E-17 20 Rock HITS -- Sirius Rock HITS 21 Modern Rock -- Octane 22 Mainstream Rock -- Big Rock 23 Classic Rock I -- Classic Rock 24 Classic Rock II -- The Vault 25 Classic Alternative -- First Wave 26 Alternative I -- Alt Nation 27 Alternative II -- Left Of Center 29 Hard Rock -- Hard Attack COUNTRY 30 Country HITS -- Sirius Country HITS 31 Today`s Country -- New Country 32 Country Mix -- Big Country 35 Classic Country -- Classic Country 36 Alt Country -- Alt Country 37 Bluegrass -- Bluegrass R & B / URBAN 40 R & B HITS -- Sirius R & B HITS 42 Urban HITS -- Hot Jamz 43 Soul Ballads -- Slow Jamz 44 Classic Soul -- The Express 45 R&B Oldies -- Soul Revue 47 Rap HITS -- Sirius Rap HITS 48 Today`s Rap -- Hip Hop 49 Classic Rap -- BackSpin DANCE 50 Dance HITS -- Sirius Dance HITS 51 Mainstream Dance -- Planet Dance 53 Electronica -- The Vortex 56 Disco -- The Strobe JAZZ & STANDARDS 60 Classic Jazz -- Pure Jazz 61 Latin Jazz -- Jazz En Clave 62 Contemporary Jazz -- Planet Jazz 63 Smooth Jazz -- Jazz Café 65 Standards -- Standard Time 66 Swing -- Swing Street 67 Broadway`s Best -- Broadway`s Best LATIN 70 Latin HITS -- Latin HITS 71 Latin Pop Mix -- Romantica 72 Rock en Español -- Alt Ñ 74 Mexicana -- Mexicana 77 Tejano -- Tejano CLASSICAL 80 Symphonic -- Symphony Hall 82 Chamber Works -- Vista 85 Classical Voices -- Classical Voices VARIETY 90 Blues -- Sirius Blues 91 Reggae -- Sirius Reggae 93 Gospel -- Praise 94 Christian Hits -- Spirit 95 World Music -- Horizons 96 New Age -- Soundscapes 99 Kids -- Sirius Kids 100 Specialty Showcase -- Galaxy SIRIUS` 40 WORLD-CLASS SPORT, NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT CHANNELS: NEWS & INFORMATION 101 CNBC 102 FOX News 104 CNN Headline News 105 Bloomberg 107 NPR Now 108 NPR Talk 109 PRI 111 World Radio Network 112 BBC World Service 114 C-SPAN 115 The Weather Channel Radio Network 116 Sirius Talk 117 Real Sirius 119 ABC News & Talk SPORTS 120 ESPN Radio Network 121 ESPNews 123 Sports Byline USA 124 Speedvision 125 Outdoor Life Network HISPANIC NEWS 140 BBC Mundo 142 La Red Hispana HISPANIC SPORTS 144 Radio Deportivo HISPANIC TALK & INFO 146 Radio Mujer 147 Radio Amigo in English ENTERTAINMENT 150 Radio Disney 151 Discovery Radio 152 E! Entertainment 154 A & E 156 Radio Classics 158 SCI-FI Radio 159 Sirius Entertainment 160 Sirius Comedy 161 Sirius Arts 164 Personal Achievement 165 Wisdom Radio 167 African American Talk 168 The Scandal Channel 172 Women`s Talk 175 Guy Talk 180 Trucker Channel 184 Preview Channel (via Tim Ayris, WRN, DXLD) The two new consumer satellite radio systems in the USA are at last going head to head. Sirius Radio launched its service in four US cities on 14 February. But is the market big enough for both of them? (15 February 2002) http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/satellite011018.html (Media Network via DXLD) ** IRAQ. OPPOSITION GROUP SAYS REGIME PLANS TO SET UP MOBILE RADIO STATIONS | Text of report in English by Kuwaiti news agency Kuna web site Vienna, 13 February: An Iraqi opposition group said Wednesday [13 February] the Iraqi minister of education, Fahd al-Shaqrah, issued emergency orders to restore and equip all schools bearing his [Saddam's] name before 28 April, which marks the birthday of the Iraqi ruler. The Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) said the orders came as most Iraqi schools suffer from shortages in equipment. SCIRI also said that the Iraqi regime has ordered the installation of mobile radio stations in most Iraqi provinces to be used if the Baghdad radio comes under air strikes. It added that the large number of mobile radios would be installed to be used as alternatives in case one of the radios was seized by the opposition. Source: Kuna news agency web site, Kuwait, in English 1926 gmt 13 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRELAND. UCB STILL CLAIM RUSSIAN MW FREQUENCIES DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). Irish Christian Broadcasters (ICB) have addressed an Oireachtas committee for a third time in their attempt to secure a licence to broadcast their religious message legally over Ireland's airwaves. Yesterday [13 Feb], the Joint Committee on Public Enterprise and Transport were addressed by the ICB, who claim that they have been given permission by the Russian Federation to utilise the radio frequencies of 549kHz and 846kHz formerly used for Communist propaganda. The radio group told the committee that they had spent ten years talking to the authorities here and have become increasingly frustrated at their lack of progress. The ODTR granted a licence to Solas AM to broadcast a religious service from Dublin last year but the station have yet to start broadcasting. (from: http://www.radiowaves.fm/news/index.html via Dave Kenny, Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Clearly UNITED Christian Broadcasters wanted to distance themselves from transmissions of questionable legality on terrestrial frequencies. Nevertheless, you don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to work out who are behind IRISH Christian Broadcasters, given their previous history. Being a committed and evangelical Christian, I've every reason to support them in their endeavours, really, but in this case I don't. When will they ever learn! To have some cognisance of the realities of international frequency registration and transmitter siting is surely the first essential if their credibility as a broadcaster, let alone as preachers of the gospel, is to be trusted. One word in this story could have done with a word of clarification however. What on earth is "Oireachtas"? I'm presuming it is the Irish Parliament but honestly don't know. Can anyone offer some enlightenment on this? 73s (MARK [Hattam???], BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRELAND [non]. RTE RENEW BROADCAST CONTRACT WITH MERLIN Monday 11th February 2002 Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE), Ireland's national public service broadcasting organisation, has renewed its contract with Merlin Communications to broadcast RTE programming on Merlin's short wave network for a further year. Merlin will transmit daily programming from its UK sites, as well as Singapore, Ascension and Sackville, offering comprehensive coverage of RTE's key target areas. In addition to the standard contract, Merlin will also broadcast the "All Ireland" Hurling & Football Finals' in September on behalf of RTE. [lots of puff omitted...] RTE Transmission Details Time Frequency Service Area 0130-0200 GMT 6155 KHz Central America 1000-1030 GMT 9895 KHz Middle East 1830-1900 GMT 13640 KHz Central & Eastern USA 1800-1830 GMT 15540 KHz South East Asia & Australasia 1830-1900 GMT 21630 KHz Africa (via Johno Wright, Australia, DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. GRANT OF LONG WAVE LICENCE The Isle of Man Communications Commission has today (13 February 2002) announced the grant of a substantive licence to Isle of Man International Broadcasting plc (IMIB). The licence, under the Broadcasting Act 1993 (of Tynwald), is to enable IMIB to provide a long wave radio service broadcasting on 279 kHz, and will be for a ten-year period. The service, provisionally called MusicMann 279, will be music led and will target an audience across Britain and Ireland. It is expected to launch towards the end of 2003. IMIB plans to install the transmission antenna on an offshore platform in Manx waters some 9 km northeast of Ramsey, Isle of Man, near the spot Radio Caroline was anchored in the 1960ís. Some 50 new jobs, both full and part time, will be created in the town where the studios will be located. As well as its Isle of Man broadcasting licence, IMIB will hold a Wireless Telegraphy licence from the United Kingdom Radiocommunications Agency. Announcing the grant of the licence, the Chairman of the Communications Commission, the Hon Phil Braidwood, MHK, said ``The Isle of Man first sought a high power broadcasting frequency four decades ago. IMIB now has the opportunity to demonstrate that the Island is again a vibrant source entertaining radio for the whole of the British Isles``. The Director of the Commission, Anthony Hewitt, added ``It is now nearly 3 years since the selection of IMIB to exploit this opportunity was approved. With planning issues behind them, the way is now clear for IMIB and its backers to get the station on air and to realise its full commercial potential``. Welcoming the news, IMIB's founder Paul Rusling said: "We welcome the positive steps taken by the Communications Commission to issue the licence. We are determined that the station will become a first class promotional vehicle for the Island as well as an entertaining and informative radio service for listeners." "There are many people to thank, not only for their help in realising this long held dream for the Isle of Man, but for their continued support in the face of the most appalling slurs and criticism from certain quarters. In particular, my colleagues and I wish to thank the members and officials of the Communications Commission and other Isle of Man Government departments for their diligence and performance well beyond the call of duty on the licensing work. We shall now do our utmost to ensure that their sterling work has not been in vain," said Mr. Rusling (Paul Rusling, IOMIB via Mike Barraclough, UK, WORLD OF RADIO 1118, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ISRAEL SEEN LAGGING BEHIND IN WEB INFORMATION WAR | Text of report in English from Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post web site on 13 February Israel`s use of the Internet to disseminate its point of view in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is "one of the biggest failures in the information campaign", MK Nehama Ronen said yesterday during a joint session of the Knesset Science and Technology Committee and Defence Committee. She said that she found 3,000 to 4,000 pro-Palestinian web sites "directed from above", while Israel has nothing comparable. MK Michael Eitan, who chaired the session, said thousands of young Israeli and Diaspora Jewish Internet aficionados should join chat groups, establish pro-Israeli sites and send e-mails to explain the Israeli position. Eitan, an Internet expert among MKs, said computer viruses and other means that could harm the Internet should not be used to harm hostile sites. Private citizens cannot declare war; that`s the prerogative of a state, he said. Hanna Ziv, a writer and deputy director of Al Yisrael (Centre for Information on Israel), told the MKs the Islamic world has established a powerful propaganda network with anti-Semitic messages linking Nazism, racism and Zionism. "When we saw it and the failures of Israeli information on the Net, we decided to set up a voluntary organization to give... [ellipsis as received] ideas for all public streams," he said. Israel Radio`s Internet expert Eli Hacohen said that there are at least five Hezbollah web sites and a personal one for each of its leaders. They use servers in the US and the Middle East. Hacohen advised using an integrated approach of chats, discussion groups and sites and that there be a central body to coordinate the effort and ensure that sites appear not only in Hebrew and English, but in other languages as well. The state has two active sites, said Uri Noy of the Foreign Ministry`s information and Internet department: the Army Spokesman and the Foreign Ministry. Israeli embassies and consulates abroad will soon open web sites in various languages, including the local tongues. "The Palestinians violate copyright laws all the time, but we must observe the law, and this is the right thing to do. We are a moral country, and we are proud that we observe the rules. We do not lie," Noy said. Eitan promised to consult with the participants and transmit ideas and concrete proposals to Minister Tzipi Livni, who is responsible for the information campaign, and to the prime minister. Source: The Jerusalem Post web site, in English 13 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LATVIA [non]. From Radio Goss: The mischievous ex pirate Radio Caroline, now transmitting via Astra and from April via 6 Dutch cable systems, may have caused confusion to listeners tuned to the GWR Classic Gold service that broadcast on 945kHz. While these services tend to use power levels of a few PiddleWatts, Caroline (with the help of a friendly overseas transmitter operator) made a 24 hour test on 945 using 150kW. In the station's previous marine era, such an act would probably have had the station forcibly boarded again and closed down - but since the operator is licenced to use that frequency with that power, the test was quite legal. Having enjoyed this piece of fun, Caroline is now planning another test on a fresh frequency only this time with 500kW. Cheeky boys! (14/2) (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** MEXICO. PRESIDENT`S RADIO SHOW TO BE REVAMPED | Excerpt from report by Mexican newspaper El Universal web site on 23 January ...As part of the Presidency of the Republic's new communications policy, the radio programme "Fox en Vivo, Fox Contigo" [Fox Live, Fox With You] will be broadcast starting this Saturday [26 January] with a new format, in which there will no longer be invited reporters as moderators, who habitually questioned President Vicente Fox on topics dealing with the current situation. Now, Fox will be the only one in charge of directing the programme, but he will have a much more discreet participation and will not intentionally bring up controversial topics on the national political situation, as was the rule in his past speeches, unless those arise in the conversation he is having with the invited personality on his radio programme, which will continue to be one hour long. Francisco Ortiz, general coordinator of Public Opinion and Image of the Presidency of the Republic, talked about the changes in the radio programme directly under his responsibility and about the strategy to "manage the persona of the president, his appearances, and speeches in the media". He explained that as part of his new structure, "Fox en Vivo, Fox Contigo" will count on the presence each week of a distinguished figure, an artist, an athlete, writer, or human rights defender, among others, for whom Mexicans feel admiration or pride. The programme, whose approximate cost each week is some 20,000 pesos, will open a new area for publicizing the actions of each of the federal agencies, the scope of their activities, and the duties of their heads. Also, a reporter hired by the Presidency of the Republic will prepare reports in which the work of each of the state secretariats is described. In addition, this reporter will be added to the presidential information source and will even travel with the president on his working trips, he stated. Starting this Saturday, "Fox en Vivo, Fox Contigo" will have what will be called "radio voting", and through this system the radio listeners themselves will be able to give their opinion on the topics they want the programme to deal with, or the personage they want as guest on the following radio broadcast. Francisco Ortiz explained that, with the new format, they are aiming at making the programme much more dynamic and in some way enhancing President Vicente Fox's closeness with the people, who want to know his plans. In the programme's format, there will be reports on what happened during the week and what will happen the following week. "There is no longer going to be a co-moderator, that is disappearing; basically it is the president who talks with some Mexican, it could be anyone from Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (movie director); to the trainer for the national football team, Javier 'El Vasco' Aguirre; or even Jose Luis Cuevas." Why the changes in the programme? Did it maybe not have much of an audience? "No, no, we are saying that we have already been at it for a little over a year, and all radio formats have to evolve; we always have to be looking for what the people want, don't we?" Will President Fox's exposure in the media diminish? "He has wanted to implement the exposure strategy for some time now, and well, the strategy in general continues to be the same, that is, we have to manage the persona of the president, manage his appearances and his speeches." Is Fox going to continue making comments on the country's current topics, like the tax reform of the matter of the media? "In principle, no, unless the guest on the programme raises the question. Here, it is not going to be like that, instead, really, the magisterial participation of the president, let us say, is at the time of the conversation with the invited personality, but if within the conversation the latter touches on some controversial topic, well, it would come up." Source: El Universal web site, Mexico City, in Spanish 23 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) In all that verbiage, they never give a hint of when or where to hear the show (gh, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. Burma: MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY CONTACTING FOREIGN RADIO STATIONS | Text of report by Burmese opposition radio on 14 February The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] military intelligence personnel in Kawthaung have been closely monitoring Burmese nationals who have returned from Ranong in Thailand. A Burmese national, who returned from Ranong on 12 February, was arrested by the SPDC authorities in Kawthaung and accused of sending information to foreign radio stations. Furthermore, the SPDC alleged that there are many informers sending information to foreign radio stations and noted that arrangements are under way to arrest them as soon as possible. Democratic Voice of Burma correspondent Myint Maung Maung filed this report. [Myint Maung Maung] Ko Tin Saw alias Tharkhan, who returned from Ranong on 12 February evening, was arrested by a combined group of Bayintnaung Market security forces and Kyant Phut [derogatory term for Union Solidarity and Development Association] members in front of Daw Khin Kyi's shop in Bayintnaung Market, Kawthaung. He was caught with a mobile phone and the February issue of Khit Pyaing journal [an anti-Burmese government monthly journal published in Thailand] and was accused of passing information to foreign radio stations. Ko Tin Saw was handed over to Kawthaung-based No 3 Military Intelligence Battalion that same evening. After torturing and interrogating Ko Tin Saw, the military intelligence obtained through his confession the list of another five persons who have allegedly passed information to foreign broadcasting stations and arrangements were made for their early arrest. A combined team has been monitoring and questioning those who returned from Ranong at Mway Kyun, Bayinnaung Bridge, and Dhammayone jetties. Two SPDC military intelligence personnel have been waiting everyday at Kawthaung Airport ready to arrest any suspect. Furthermore, another 10 informers have already been sent to Ranong. On 29 January, Kawthaung Border Committee sought the assistance of Ranong Border Committee to arrest and repatriate anti-SPDC activists in Ranong. Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1430 gmt 14 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [and non]. Hello from Hilversum, In recent weeks a disturbing trend has become apparent to me: some international broadcasters as using the Internet as an excuse for cutting services instead of admitting the real reasons (usually lack of money or too little listener feedback). Experienced users of the Internet know that it's far from being a realistic alternative to traditional radio as a means of programme delivery. A useful addition, yes, but not an alternative. At Radio Netherlands we realise that and plan our services accordingly. But in my new editorial, I'll explain what concerns me about the approach of some of the other broadcasters. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/editorial.html (Andy Sennitt, MN newsletter Feb 15 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Who Is At Radio Kaduna's Throat? http://library.northernlight.com/FD20020208330000134.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc (Africa News Feb 8 via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN/USA. "ANTI-US" BORDER RADIO STATION RAIDED Pakistani authorities have raided an "illegal" radio station broadcasting anti-US messages near the border with Afghanistan, a local newspaper from Peshawar has reported. On 26 January, The Statesman newspaper said local police in Bajaur Agency arrested a man and confiscated radio equipment during the raid on the station. "According to details, the administration through its sources got the information that an illegal radio station is working in the area airing the programmes in a long radius, and provoking the people of the area against America," The Statesman reported. According to official sources, The Statesman said "the culprit came in the Agency after change of government in Afghanistan and launched different small radio station to propagate against America". "He was using speeches of anti-America leaders for creating an anti- America atmosphere in the area," The Statesman said. Source: The Statesman web site, Peshawar, in English 26 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Highlands Post Wednesday 13th February, 2002 ELCOM BAN NOT OVER FOR RADIO SIMBU [3355 --gh] ONE of the 19 National Broadcasting Corporation provincial radio stations, Radio Simbu, would remain closed due to insufficient funding from the Simbu Provincial Government. Radio Simbu's management has lodged a submission for K200,000 as operational funds from the Ambane government but only K6000 was appropriated in the 2002 Provincial Budget of K30 million. According to the "Karai Bilong Mambu's" records, the station was closed last July because Elcom has disconnected the electricity supply to the main studio and the transmitter due to non-payment of bills. The station has yet to pay a total of K4000 to Elcom before electricity can be restored and broadcast resumed. "Depriving the people's rights to news and information is a sad mistake, especially when the election is around the corner," a program officer said. Meanwhile, the Simbu government has injected a hefty K80,000 into a new cable television network for the Kundiawa town residents. The Hausman TV operates from the provincial headquarters building, transmitting locally-produced documentaries, extension programs and news every Monday and Thursday, between 6.30pm and midnight. Manager Pastor Joe Kile said Hausman TV would soon beam signals to other parts of Simbu and Papua New Guinea via satellite. Provincial Administrator Joseph Durpar said Hitron was engaged to effectively link Hausman TV to a satellite in a bid to reach more people. Mr Durpar admitted that Hausman TV was currently operating without a Pangtel issued licence but this would soon be taken care of. In another development, Radio Eastern Highlands has resumed its broadcast as of Monday. The reception can be received by people in the Asaro Valley, which includes the township of Goroka. [3395 –gh] The Eastern Highlands Provincial Government has allocated K60,000 to "Karai Bilong Kumul" in its 2002 budget (via Don Nelson, OR, DXLD) ** PERU. 6308v, R Unión, 1102 Feb 15, has good audio once again, at least for the time being. The carrier still wavers and drifts in the same manner it has over the last year or so. Signal strength seemed somewhat lower today, but still, fairly good reception here this morning. Full ID at 1104 (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6141.04v, CPN Radio, Arequipa, 1100-1120 Feb 10. Reactivated again on shortwave. It was heard today with poor signal. ID was given as "CPN Radio" in the morning newscast. (CPN = Cadena Peruana de Noticias). Note: This shortwave outlet was formerly used by Radio Concordia, but some years ago Victor Fernández, the owner of Radio Concordia sold it to the CPN Radio Network according to my investigation realized in Arequipa, in 1999. Nowadays, CPN Radio in Arequipa relays 100% of programs sent from Lima, so there are no local programs. Radio Concordia was formerly authorized to broadcast on the following call signs and frequencies: OBZ6B 6150 kHz, OBZ6A 9580 kHz, OAX6L 1140 kHz and OCZ6A 95.9 MHz FM (Takayuki Inoue Nazaki, Japan, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. 4835, R. Marañón, registered, no-data personal letter from Marco Rumiche Purizaca, Periodista (journalist), and full-data station logo card from Francisco Muguiro Ibarra, S.J., Director, in one mo. after both an E-mail and a registered postal rpt. Also a full-sized calendar and three pocket calendars. I had originally E-mailed the station; Marco answered the E-mail four days later, promising to send me the calendar on Jan 8 and I should received the letter between Jan 20-25. Sorry, but no QSLs available but will be in soon. So I assume he waited for the QSLs to come in because the letter was sent on Jan 22. 4940, R. San Antonio, second e-mail response from Gerardo A. Zerdin in 1 day for a follow-up e-mail telling him I received the return receipt card from my snail-mail report and did he get a chance to listen to the cassette. His original e-mail was a "thanks for your report" answer with a promise of more details in the future. The letter starts with "Indeed, you have listened to us". It goes on about not being near a highway and that the station is new and located in the forest. He says something about sending a listening certificate but "one does not imagine the types of hardships I have". He was named a bishop and is responsible to answer letters. He thanks DXers who wrote and says he tries to answer but it will take time (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX Feb 15 via DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. LOCAL EFFORTS TO BRING NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO TO AM. SAMOA --- Based on Press Release National Public Radio is coming to American Samoa, thanks to the persistent efforts of Reverend Randy and Sharon English. According to Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin, who supports the plan, the couple "has been instrumental in putting together a grant application that would fund the construction of a public radio station in American Samoa." The US Congress passed the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967 authorizing the creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. National Public Radio was founded shortly thereafter-in 1970 with 90 public radio stations. "Today, NPR has 620 member stations, and we are encouraged that American Samoa may become the base for this service in the South Pacific," Congressman Faleomavaega said. "The Reverend and his wife were also gracious enough to incorporate my suggestion of constructing the facility at the American Samoa Community College," he recalled. "If funded, the ASCC will be the beneficiary of more than $260,000," he added. "The money will be used primarily to purchase broadcasting equipment," the Congressman continued. "The money will also be used to build a production studio at ASCC. "Needless to say, this on-campus radio station will open up new avenues for students wishing to pursue degrees in journalism and public broadcasting," he pointed out. NPR will also provide "local access to information that will promote community growth and development," he said. In 1999 and by way of a Congressional directive, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior established an Economic Development Commission to produce a body of work that would serve as a catalyst for real and sustainable economic development in American Samoa. Pursuant to a partnership agreement with the Commission, the ASCC conducted an unprecedented survey to identify the attitudes, aspirations and long-range goals of the local community. Compiled and published in November of 2000, survey results showed that there is strong agreement (83.1%) that development information should be disseminated to educate and inform the public. More than 67.5% of respondents felt that the local government does not provide the public with enough information on economic development. More than 56.3% of the community felt that development information was privileged and inadequate. "In round-table discussions, many participants noted that there was also a deficiency in education programs and made reference to Western Samoa's weekly agricultural programs where farmers are encouraged to set up and maintain their own farms, crops, etc.," the Congressman said. "There was also notable concern that school curriculum was limited to general education," he said. "The majority of respondents felt that increased emphasis should be placed on vocational education and extension-related activities that promote community growth and development. "There was also a general sense of concern (76.3%) that the community is shifting away from the extended family system and, as such, there was overwhelming support 978.5%) for the idea that Samoan culture should be considered in the context of community development," the Congressman said. "It was also noted by 62.8% of respondents that rural areas and outer islands were not receiving fair and equitable access to resources and service. "Survey results indicate that the people of American Samoa have a strong belief and interest in the future development of their homeland. However, given the remote geographic distance of American Samoa and its limited infrastructure, there is widespread concern that access to information is more private than public. "Given these concerns, it is fair to say that American Samoa desperately needs a public radio station. This is why I want to commend Rev. English and his family for initiating a grant application that would pay for the construction of non-commercial FM station and which would establish National Public Radio programming in the Territory." Rev. English is the director of PIBS, a non-profit foundation that was established in the Territory in 1993. He has nine years of media experience in producing educational broadcast programs for use throughout Pacific Island countries, including American Samoa, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. "Rev. English has agreed to provide station management on a non- compensated basis," the Congressman said. "PIBS has also assembled an advisory team of the most experienced broadcast personnel in public radio and has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ASCC to see this project to its fruition. "I am pleased that Reverend English was willing to work with my office to include ASCC in this project," the Congressman continued. "There is no doubt in my mind that ASCC is the most ideal place to house public radio in American Samoa. "To ensure that the station has adequate funding to meet expected start-up expenses, I am committed to continuing my efforts to seek additional funding for this project. "I am also committed to ensuring that everyone in American Samoa has access to National Public Radio," the Congressman concluded. (Editor's Note: The status of the application is not immediately known.) ( http://www.samoanews.com Feb 9 via DXLD) Found the above when trying to confirm the previous URL for the WDJD story; but it`s gone. Sámoa News apparently keeps stories for only one week. BTW, Since Samoa American and Hawaii are in the same UT-10 timezone, and on the same east side of the dateline, can someone explain why Hawai`i has K-calls and Samoa W-calls? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. CURRENT STATUS OF MOGADISHU-BASED WEB SITES Following the recent report that Internet services had been restored to Mogadishu after being cut last November, BBC Monitoring's East Africa Unit notes the following current status of the web sites of some Mogadishu-based sources: 1. Ayaamaha newspaper - http://www.ayaamaha.com (please note that this address replaces the previous address www.ayaamahapress.com Observed to have been updated on 27 January. 2. Xog-ogaal newspaper - http://www.xogogaal.com Observed to have been updated on 28 and 29 January. 3. Qaran newspaper - http://www.qaran.freeserve.co.uk Unable to access the web site. 4. SomaliGov.com (the official web site of the Transitional National Government) - http://www.somaligov.com Not updated. 5. HornAfrik radio and TV - http://www.hornafrik.com Not updated. 6. Radio Banaadir - http://www.radiobanadir.com Not updated Source: BBC Monitoring research 30 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** SOMALIA [non]. What about this logging. Who really does know more about it? Frequency is 21550 kHz and S/OFF time was 1330 UT. Program language was Arabic, but they announced constantly their name in English, something like Millennium Voice or Malayan Voice... Their Arabic ID sounded like this programme is coming from the Horn of Africa. Reception is exceptional good here in western Finland. After S/OFF 1330 UT of this station on 21550 kHz, king of the frequency was VOZ CRISTIANA from CHILE. 73´s (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Numerous previous items about this in DXLD ** SWITZERLAND. Jonathan Murphy comments on my news last week that Bob Zanotti is leaving Swiss Radio International. TALENT: Some refer to Swiss Radio International going ``sterile,`` losing all character. I agree. Bob had a brilliant program called the ``Name Game,`` a fantastic collage of sounds and speech that would lead an attentive listener to the name of a Swiss town, sometimes not on the average map! It was one of my favorite programs of all time on shortwave, gone since last year (VOA Communications World Feb 9 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U A E. I heard UAE RADIO from Dubai with several IDs in Arabic around 13 UT on NEW 21597.59 kHz. Is it really a drift from 21605 kHz? BSKSA RIYADH offered news in FRENCH on 21600 kHz at 1400. QRM by UAE R from Dubai (Jouko Huuskonen, Turku, FINLAND, Feb 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. QUEEN ELIZABETH'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY Thanks to the efforts of the Radio Society of Great Britain, UK Amateur Radio operators will be taking part in a very special celebration. On Wednesday the 6th of February, England's Queen Elizabeth marked the 50th anniversary of her accession to the royal throne. The Queen's Golden Jubilee will be celebrated next June, and the RSGB has negotiated the use of a special prefix for the celebration. Starting June 1st and continuing through the 30th, UK hams will be permitted use of the 'GQ' prefix to help commemorate the event. (GB2RS via Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 15 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. MORE STAIR-BASHING ON BCQ! The anti-Stair broadcast you mentioned on WOR No. 1118 is not the only one. On WBCQ's 17 MHz frequency, at 1700 UT, there's an hour-long one. It's called "The True Remnant," (or "remuhnent" as the host likes to pronounce it,) and lasts a whole hour. It runs several days per week, and the preacher/host says he's a former member of Stair's commune. He paints a picture of Stair's ruling with an iron hand, even saying that he badgers the teenaged boys in order to leave himself a clearer field for the females on site. Can't think of the sponsor's name, nor can I think of the frequency [17495 –gh]. My Excuse? Switching from an 818CS to an ATS-909 --- my first receiver with true sideband after 35 years SWL-ing. No Web presence is indicated for "The True Remnant." (Max Swanson, Feb 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Per the http://wbcq.net website, this is scheduled at 1700-1800 on 17495, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Their e-mail spells it remnent, of course. See also GERMANY! (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. A DIFFERENT KIND OF OLDIES SHOW UPDATE Program News for the week of 2/15/2002: Please note our new email address, (actually it's an old one we've reactivated): bigstevecole@email.com. We are no longer using the old bigsteve387@msn.com address. Please delete it from your address book. Live365.com has made some negative changes that are incentives to upgrade to pay services so that you can get what were once free options. Well, they have been losing money for a while now, but I still don't believe I'll be upgrading very soon. We just got a major increase in online expenses since we are now connected broadband via cable. We dropped MSN which doesn't make much difference and we subscribed to email.com's pop service so we can now get your mail to us in our mailbox instead of a klutzy web based interface. What the live365.com change means is a very short program name and no search criteria when going through the index. It may also mean that live broadcasting and uploads without the slower web interface may be pay services too. Currently Running on live365.com: Program 155, February Made Me Shiver - Our tribute to Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valenz from 2/9/02. Beginning on Friday we will present our Vault Of Vintage Vinyl show from 2/3/02. Open up URL http://www.live365.com/stations/15660 in your browser to listen in mono or http://www.live365.com/stations/63579 for stereo. Next Week's Different kind Of Oldies Show, (2/16/02): It's back to an assorted show without a theme. We'll open the phones up at 212-995- 2637 during the show for your requests. The phone is NOT open when we're not on the air, so please don't call in before air time. We will also be paying a short tribute to Waylon Jennings during the show. Sundays at 3 PM Eastern, (2000 UT), it's "The Vault Of Vintage Vinyl" on Doo Wop Café Radio. We play 90% Doo-Wop and the rest of the time something close to it. This week, it's a new lighter edition of the show. It seems that were getting only those fellow hardcore fans in the chat room during the show so this week we'll be playing a lot more of the familiar tunes during at least the first hour of the show. Link to http://www.doowopcaferadio.com and your real audio player will start automatically. Check the Doo Wop Café website out for more information and other shows from Doo Wop Café Radio. The club also has exclusively moved to Yahoo! While we're on the air our members can use the chat room to be interactive with the D.J., http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/doowopcafe is the URL. Remember to tune in Dave Kirby, N1DK, and his Cybershortwave Live program on live365.com. Join him at 11 AM Eastern, 1600 UT, on alternate Sundays. Go to http://www.n1dk.com for the latest schedule. Please note that the domain registrar "experienced a distributed denial of service attack" this past weekend and his site was unreachable. Everything is OK now. Reminder: A tribute website for Time Capsule Show, which ran from 1968 through 1974 on WFUV in New York has been set up by Nikki Gustafson & Jim Dunn. There are 12 of those shows available for listening or downloading in Real Audio on the webpage. To link to it go to http://www.harmonytrain.com/timecapsule.htm At least 7 new shows from my archives will be sent to Jim for addition to the web site this week. If you're reading this on our website or on a newsgroup but would like to get it in your mailbox instead, please write me back at bigstevecole@email.com Similarly, if you do not want to be on our mailing list, also write me at the same address. Do not use any other e-mail address we may have had. I no longer use them. As a back up you can connect to our website at the host address, http://www.dorsai.org/~bigsteve if there is a problem with connecting to http://wbcq.net You should bookmark it. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > < "Big Steve" Coletti > < A Different Kind Of Oldies Show on WBCQ, 7415kHz Shortwave > < Saturday Evenings at 8:00 ET, 0100 UTC-Sunday > < E-mail: bigstevecole@email.com Web page: http://bigsteve.wbcq.net > < US Mail: P.O. Box 396, New York, NY 10002 > (Big Steve, Feb 14 via DXLD) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA PULLS REPORTER OFF AIR AMID GOVERNMENT PRESSURE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/7/2002 CONTACTS: Al Cross, SPJ President, 502/875-5136 ext. 14 or across@spj.org Charles N. Davis, SPJ FOI Committee co-chairman, 573/882-5736 or daviscn@missouri.edu Ian Marquand, SPJ FOI Committee co-chairman, 406/542-4449 or ian@kpax.com http://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=120 INDIANAPOLIS -- Voice of America`s decision to yank a reporter off the air after her interview with a Taliban official was an insult to the worldwide fight for press freedoms and a blow to the organization`s journalistic credibility, says the Society of Professional Journalists. Former Voice of America officials pulled 20-year employee Spozhmai Maiwandi off the air after State Department officials criticized a report that included her interview with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. The report was put on hold after the State Department`s comments but eventually aired Sept. 25 when VOA employees became infuriated with the situation. After the report was broadcast, Maiwandi was ``promoted`` to a position where she is rarely allowed on the air. She and her news director say the outside pressure also prompted VOA officials to ban interviews with any official from countries that sponsor terrorism. VOA`s Horace Cooper, however, told SPJ that VOA`s current leadership has no agenda against Maiwandi. ``As America fights a war against terrorism to protect our freedom, it must be careful not to undermine the freedoms that make America a beacon to the world,`` said SPJ President Al Cross, a political writer and columnist for The Courier-Journal in Louisville. ``Punishing a VOA employee in this fashion does incalculable damage to VOA`s credibility, which must be maintained in order to achieve its mission.`` Maiwandi, an Afghanistan native, is a Washington-based VOA reporter who, for the past 10 years, has headed VOA`s Pashtu language service. She conducted a phone interview with the Taliban leader shortly before he disappeared, and about 40 seconds of the interview were used in the Sept. 25 radio report that quoted President Bush, a Northern Alliance leader and a Georgetown University academic. ``This action besmirches the long and distinguished record of Voice of America serving as a model of American press freedom,`` said Charles N. Davis, co-chairman of SPJ`s Freedom of Information Committee and a professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. ``This reeks of propagandistic manipulation.`` The issue concerns SPJ leaders because of the far-reaching implications of Voice of America`s actions. VOA`s move could give news organizations, especially government-run entities in other countries, support for pressuring or gagging reporters who they deem overcritical or overzealous in their quest for fair and balanced reporting. VOA`s action also condoned bending to government pressure on access to sources and information and providing the public with unbalanced reports – practices the Society strongly opposes. ``VOA apparently was subscribing to a new kind of post-September 11 political correctness. Namely, that there is only one viewpoint that counts – the American government`s,`` said Ian Marquand, SPJ FOI Committee co-chairman and special projects coordinator for the Montana Television Network in Missoula, Mont. ``While that might be popular here at home, it`s not acceptable on the world stage. If VOA wants to retain credibility as a source of news around the world, it cannot engage in this kind of censorship.`` Voice of America`s action also went against its charter, as established in 1976 by President Ford. ``VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news,`` the charter states. ``VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive. VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institution.`` Anyone wishing to voice disdain for Voice of America`s action can contact the organization at 202/619-2538 or voanews@voanews.com The Society of Professional Journalists works to improve and protect journalism. The organization is the nation`s largest and most broad- based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press. -END- (SPJ via DXLD) ** U S A. I hadn't noticed this before, but the American Forces Network seems to have a new website http://www.myafn.net It lists their AM/FM/TV affiliates worldwide, program schedules, etc, plus SW freqs and other information (including an e-mail address for DX reports). (Bruce Portzer, WA, Feb 14, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Colourful, but the SW table still doesn`t answer outstanding questions (gh) I think that website has been around for several months. The list of SW freqs is "very optimistic". I haven´t heard Sigonella or Diego Garcia for ages (six months or more), or any "new" freqs. AFN Europe program package/ services is now on AFN HotBird 13 degrees East. The whole package is coded, including The Voice channel we are able to hear from Puerto Rico & Florida via SW at least few hours each day. Wouldn´t it be nice to have The Voice Channel on HotBird uncoded, free to air 24 hours daily! It would be audible in the Most of Europe, and probably in many other places, too. Paul Harvey News and Commentary, and other familiar features. Probably as good as BBC World Service, and fast-moving news-wise. That`s one of my faves for a Christmas present. Best regards and 73, Helo (Kari Helopaltio, Finland, hard- core-dx Feb 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. Loggings Done by: Alan Roberts, St Lambert, Quebec. Equipment : Fairhaven RD500 and 26 MHz dipoles. MHz Mode Details When 26.100 nFM WLOX-TV (Ch 13) Biloxi MS 6 Dec 2300 "You are watching WLOX-TV Newswatch 13 at 5". Good signal. 26.100 nFM WKRN-TV (Ch 2) Nashville TN 31 Dec 2255 "News 2 at 5", viewers asked to check WKRN.com Fair signal. 26.150 nFM KOLN (Ch 10) Lincoln NE 11 Dec 2330 Weak signal came up just enough for "You're watching KOLN ...." 26.150 nFM WTVT (Ch 13) Tampa FL 11 Dec 2210 Fox 13 ID, mentions of Tampa. Fair signal. 26.250 nFM WVTM-TV (Ch 13) Birmingham AL 14 Dec 2225 Talk of Alabama's roadways, promo for NBC pgms. ID as "NBC 13". Poor signal 26.250 nFM WPLG (Ch 10) Miami FL 22 Nov 2300 "Live from WPLG this is Channel 10 News". Fair signal. 26.250 nFM WESH (Ch 2) Orlando FL 6 Dec 2215 "News Channel 2", mentions of Brevard County, talk of Highway A1A. Fair signal. 26.250 nFM WISH-TV (Ch 8) Indianapolis IN 27 Dec 1605 Talk about Indianapolis, ID as "Wish TV, Channel 8, Indianapolis" at 1630. Fair signal. 26.300 nFM WHBQ-TV (Ch 13) Memphis TN 27 Dec 2320 "Judge Judy", ad for Memphis area GMC dealers, "13 News" and Fox IDs. Poor to fair signal. 26.350 nFM WTSP (Ch 10) St Petersburg FL 6 Dec 2230 TV news, Tampa, Bay-area and city of Mulberry mentions, "10 News" ID. Fair signal. 26.400 nFM WLNK (107.9) Charlotte NC 29 Dec 1905 Light rock, male DJ with "107.9 The Link with hits of the 80s, 90s and today". Fair signal. 26.450 nFM WJXT (Ch 4) Jacksonville FL 26 Nov 2245 "From WJXT News Channel 4 ....." Fair signal. 26.450 nFM WHO-TV (Ch 13) Des Moines IA 11 Dec 2250 Game show, then "WHO-TV 13 News". Poor signal. (25 Plus, Jan CIDX Messenger, via Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) ** U S A. Posted by George B. Hutchison w7ksj@attbi.com on February 10, 19102 at 12:33:22: WC2XPF is an experimental RTTY broadcast station which has been operating for about a year and a half on 13972 and 6994 kHz, on the air five days a week depending on the season and our work schedule. Our format has been news and other items of interest from wherever we can glean it. Our license is due to expire on April 1st. We would like to know how many who frequent this bulletin board have ever copied WC2XPF, and if so, what your opinion of this activity happens to be. We have a short questionnaire on our website, WWW.RTTY.COM, seeking some statistics for presentation with our upcoming license renewal application. We ask that those interested please check out WWW.RTTY.COM, and if interested, fill out our little survey form. Thanks so much in advance for any and all input (George Hutchison, W7KSJ, Licensee, WC2XPF, Monitoring Times Chat Feb 10 via DXLD) ** U S A. The George Jacobs item [as heard on VOA CW] mentioning a new American station [``in *California*`` --gh] is almost surely the below. IMF is located in California. Here is what we had in Cumbre about a year ago: USA: K??? Jim Planck and IMF are building a new shortwave station. The station will be located near Piñón, New Mexico, which is about 175 kilometers northeast of El Paso, Texas. The property for the station has already been purchased and they already have one 50 kW ransmitter. George Jacobs is handling the FCC regulatory process for them. The new station will have two 50 kW transmitters and target both Mexico and Canada in support of IMF's missionary and church building efforts. No word yet on the callsign or exact frequencies, although Planck did say that they would try and get a tropical band frequency for the broadcasts to Mexico. When they actually come on the air will depend largely on how fast their permits and license are granted by the FCC. (DIRECT via Johnson Mar 9, 2001, repeated in Cumbre DX Feb 15, 2002 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC APPROVES LIMITED USE OF ULTRAWIDEBAND TECHNOLOGY By JENNIFER LOVEN, The Associated Press, 2/14/02 7:50 PM WASHINGTON (AP) -- The nation's communications regulators approved limited use of a new technology being developed by an Alabama firm that is capable of seeing through walls, finding earthquake victims and even preventing car crashes. The technology, known as ultrawideband, is a new method of wireless transmission promoted as a potential solution to the squeeze on the nation's airwaves created by the explosion of mobile phone, pager and other wireless device usage. That's because ultrawideband devices operate over a wide swath of the airwaves, within frequencies already allocated to other uses, but by using millions of pulses each second that emit so little energy they do not interfere. The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously to allow the technology to be used on an unlicensed basis. The commission, however, opted to "err on the side of conservatism," at least for now, by requiring that ultrawideband be used only at certain frequencies and, in some cases, only by certain users. All real-life implications of the limits, described in a 100-page document few were able to digest immediately, were unclear. Still, companies involved in developing ultrawideband applications were happy to see the FCC take a step forward. "We've gone from basically being illegal to being legal," said Jeffrey Ross, a vice president of Time Domain Corp. Based in Huntsville, Ala., Time Domain is one of a handful of companies that have received waivers to begin marketing the technology and were pursuing FCC approval. Mostly used now by the U.S. military, ultrawideband allows for wireless communications and accurate readings of location and distance that have a wide range of applications. Potential new commercial uses that could be allowed under the standards set by the FCC include: -- Wireless, high-speed transmissions over short distances, such as sending video on a camera to a television set or data from a personal digital assistant to a laptop. -- Sensors in cars that can alert a driver to movement near the vehicle, prevent collisions and promote "smart" air bag deployment. Otherwise, the FCC primarily limited ultrawideband technology to public safety uses. For instance, only police and fire officials, scientific researchers and mining or construction companies could use so-called ground-penetrating radar devices, which could help rescuers find victims in rubble or locate ruptured gas lines underground. The FCC also limited devices that can see through walls and detect motion within certain areas to law enforcement and firefighters, which could use them to see into a building during a hostage situation or evaluate a fire from the outside. It was unclear whether those applications will be possible at the low power levels set by the FCC. The FCC proceeded cautiously out of uncertainty whether ultrawideband could coexist safely with other services, such as military airwaves use, cell phones and the Global Positioning System, the U.S.-built network of navigation satellites. Commissioners acknowledged the standards might be overprotective but pledged to consider the question again in six months to a year. Commerce Secretary Don Evans and Steven Price, a deputy assistant secretary at the Pentagon, praised the FCC's approach. "To remain the world leader, we must continue to encourage deployment of important new technologies while protecting those that already exist," Evans said. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Gee --- sounds just like the description of a spark gap transmitter! (Brock Whaley, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Has CNN`s World Report been cancelled permanently? Or does it still run on CNN International which we don`t see here (Glenn Hauser, to Mika, DXLD) Yes, the show is still on. The daily CNN World Report program airs at 2:30 pm Eastern Time (1930 UT) in Asia only. The same show airs the following day at 8:30 am Eastern Time (1330 UT) in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. I don't know if they have it on any domestic CNN channel - I remember that at one time it used to be on CNNfn during the night. The weekend show airs on Saturday at 11:30 PM EST or 0430 UT on all continents (except North America?) and the Sunday show at 11:30 am EST or 1630 UT. Check out http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/world.report/ - although the content there is pretty poor. 73 (Mika Makelainen, Finland, Feb 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 'MONKEY TRIAL' SPECIAL RECALLS WGN BROADCAST February 14, 2002 BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST The role of WGN-AM (720) in the famed Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 will come to light this weekend in a 90-minute "American Experience" documentary on PBS. WGN and announcer Quinn Ryan made history in Dayton, Tenn., when they aired the first live broadcast of a trial and brought the courtroom clash on evolution between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan to listeners in Chicago and beyond. In a re-enactment of the trial on its 75th anniversary in 2000, WGN afternoon host John Williams played the role of Ryan. Williams also appears in "Monkey Trial," airing at 8 p.m. Sunday on WTTW-Channel 11. "The idea that you could hear a human voice through the airwaves was fantastic," Williams said. "The radio station received the rights to rearrange the way the courtroom was set up. And this was the first time this happened where the media manipulates an event literally the way it's played out." The trial involved a science teacher named John Scopes, who was charged with violating Tennessee law for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution. He was found guilty and fined $100 plus costs. A WGN microphone used in the courtroom is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. * Bruce DuMont takes his "Beyond the Beltway" talk show to the Olympics this weekend when he broadcasts from the studios of KOVO-AM in Salt Lake City. The station, owned by Chicago-based Marathon Media, is DuMont's newest syndication affiliate. Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt will be among guests on the political gabfest, airing live from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday on WLS-AM (890). (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. CHICAGO'S PBS STATIONS BATTLE TO KEEP OUT 'RIVAL' February 15, 2002 BY ROBERT FEDER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Just think of it as an old-fashioned turf war -- only in this case, the rival gangs happen to be public television stations, and their battleground is high in the sky above Sears Tower. On one side of the dispute is WYIN-Channel 56, a low-budget (and low-rated) PBS station licensed to northwest Indiana, best known for broadcasts of local high school basketball and football games and reruns of "Lawrence Welk" and "Doctor Who." Although the station has been around for 15 years, its antiquated antenna and transmitter break down so often that Channel 56 seems to disappear for days or weeks at a time. Just last week, the debut of a new set for its news show had to be postponed because the station again was off the air "due to antenna difficulties." On the other side --- both literally and figuratively --- are Window to the World's WTTW-Channel 11, one of the richest and most powerful public television enterprises in the country, and the City Colleges of Chicago's WYCC-Channel 20. Channel 56 has a chance to solve its chronic signal problems once and for all by installing a new transmitter atop Sears Tower. The money and space for the move are available, and all systems are go --- except for the objections of Channel 11 and Channel 20. In filings with the Federal Communications Commission, the two Chicago outlets are trying to block Channel 56, claiming that the real motive behind the Indiana station's bid is an "apparent drive to become a Chicago public television station serving an audience already well served by commercial and public television stations." In other words, Channel 11 and Channel 20 don't want a third PBS competitor muscling in on their territory, potentially diluting their viewership and siphoning off funds. Channel 56 would have an unfair advantage since it pays only a pittance for programming from PBS, while Channel 11's annual dues run into the millions. "Sure, there is a competitive issue," said Dan Schmidt, WTTW's president and chief executive. "But our bottom line on this is that it's not in the public interest because it exacerbates the notion that PBS stations are overbuilt in some markets and not serving others. "If WYIN moves to Sears Tower, it will be abandoning Indiana viewers to create overlapping services in Chicago," he said. "It will be using Indiana tax dollars that have been appropriated to serve public television viewers in Indiana to build and operate facilities in Chicago." Schmidt also pointed to an engineering study that suggests Channel 56's signal from Sears Tower could interfere with that of WXFT-Channel 60, the new Spanish-language "TeleFutura" outlet owned by Univision Communications. Jim Milner, president and chief executive of Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting, strongly disputes Schmidt's claims. Channel 56, he insists, "has no desire or intention of competing directly with Channel 11. We're very happy doing our own thing. We just want to do it as best we can." Understandably, Milner casts his station in the classic role of the little guy. "We see WTTW as the PBS flagship in Chicago. We see ourselves as a little lighter and more fun PBS station. Channel 11 likes to wear tuxedos. We like to swing." Technically, he points out, Channel 56 already is considered part of the Chicago television market--as are Gary-licensed WPWR-Channel 50 and Hammond-licensed WJYS-Channel 62, both of which broadcast their signals from Chicago. Even if it too beamed its signal from Sears Tower, Channel 56 would continue to be controlled by a board of directors from the Gary area, assuring that its programs would still be geared to northwest Indiana viewers. As for the claim of interference with Channel 60's signal, Channel 56 not only challenges that conclusion but argues that it's none of Channel 11's business anyway. The FCC is expected to decide the matter in a few weeks. (Robert Feder, Chicago Sun-Times via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. OLYMPIC-CLARIFICATION --- URGENT FROM NBC REGARDING OLYMPIC RESTRICTIONS The following represents a clarification of Paragraph 1.b of NBC's News Access Guidelines, issued on January 18, 2002. Footage from any official press conference held in the Main Press Center, such as that given by the International Skating Union on February 13, 2002, may be televised, provided that such footage may not be televised in whole or in part until 30 minutes after the conclusion of such press conference. Excerpts of Olympic Material related to the subject matter of the press conference, such as the long programs skated by the Canadian and Russian pairs on February 11, 2002, may be incorporated into newscasts for a 72-hour window following the time that the use of such excerpts is first permitted under the News Access Guidelines. Although excerpts of Olympic Material in any single newscast normally may not exceed two minutes, each newscast covering the subject matter of the press conference may include an additional minute of excerpts of related Olympic Material. Notwithstanding anything in this paragraph and the News Access Guidelines, absolutely no Olympic Material (aside from any official press conference held in the Main Press Center) may be presented on the Internet or on any other interactive media, including but not limited to within regularly scheduled news programs that are streamed on the Internet. The prohibition on Internet presentation extends to Olympic Material related to the subject matter of the press conference (e.g., competition footage from the long programs skated by the Canadian and Russian pairs on February 11, 2002). Brett Goodman Director, Business Affairs & Business Development, NBC Olympics IN SALT LAKE CITY JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 25 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. HAM RADIO AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS: ANOTHER COMMEMORATIVE STATION Yet another commemorative station is taking to the airwaves form near the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Linda Reeder, N7HVF, reports from Salt Lake City Utah. Linda Reeder, N7HVF: "It will start on Friday February 22nd at 5 PM to the 24th. Our station call will be K7O on 80 through 10 meters. If you want a QSL send an self addressed stamped envelope to Mark Richardson, W7HPW, 11361 South 5825 West Payson Utah 84651-3622" Again the call sign to listen for is K7O and QSL's with a SASE go to Mark Richardson, W7HPW, 11361 South 5825 West Payson Utah 84651-3622 (ARNewsline (tm), N7HVF Feb 15 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO LAW: COURT THROWS OUR PIRATE RADIO LICENSING BAN Just because a person one operated a pirate radio station is not enough reason for the FCC to ban him from ever getting a broadcasting permit. So says a Washington D.C. Federal Appeals court. Amateur Radio Newsline's Paul Courson, WA3VJB, reports from the nations capitol: The government is not allowed to use your past as a bootleg radio operator to block you from holding a legitimate broadcast license, according to a ruling from a federal appeals court February 8th. But any victory might be short-lived for onetime pirate operators wanting to turn legit. The case out of Washington DC involved Greg Ruggiero, a onetime bootleg radio station operator around New York. He challenged an FCC rule that bans those found guilty of pirate broadcasting from ever holding a license, or being formally associated with the recently- created low-power radio station service, an industry that has become known as FM microbroadcasting. The appeals court agreed with Ruggiero's claim such a ban is unconstitutional as the law is now written. But the court also left open the possibility Congress could write a more narrow law in line with the First and Fifth Amendments. Part of the argument centered on a protest philosophy held by many unauthorized microbroadcasters, who see their bootleg ops as civil disobedience. The appeals court, siding with the former bootlegger, said there was some evidence Congress, in writing the ban into broadcast law, meant to punish those with a protest message, without really improving future compliance with the law. They called it viewpoint discrimination, and said ... not allowed. Communications law experts are mixed whether the ruling has implications beyond FM low-power broadcast licensing, including whether FCC can use violations in one service to administer broader punishment. Traditionally, the FCC has kept open the option of revoking other licenses held by a violator, beyond the service where the violation took place. For example, someone in violation on the ham bands might have his commercial radiotelephone license pulled as well. In Washington, Paul Courson, WA3VJB, reporting for the Amateur Radio Newsline. And what might this decision mean to Amateur Radio? Especially those cases where ham licenses are challenged based on character issues. According to retired ARRL President George Wilson, W4OYI, probably very little. George, who is also an attorney, says that despite the ruling, the FCC still has the authority on a case by case basis to deny a license to a pirate broadcaster. They can also still designate for hearing the license of any station who breaks the law or violates government rules. (Published news reports, Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 15 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. 3689.99 harmonic, WMFR, High Point, NC 3 x 1230 at 1024 Feb 8, morning show with talk, news and ads. 1027 ID "...WMFR Newstalk 1230..." Fair signal with good peak (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 4500 harmonic, WTOP, 0418 Feb 9. Channel surfing over this frequency, came across WTOP with AM1500 ID and traffic report for I- 95. Was a surprisingly good signal at tune-in, but had deep fades. One of the few harmonics I've heard where I could also listen to the fundamental at the same time. Tried all multiples (including 3000) up to 9000, but not a peep anywhere else (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. I often forget it, at its unusual and inconvenient time, so I entered Altas Ondas, the weekly Brazilian Portuguese DX program from Voz Cristã, Miami via Chile, on my MONITORING REMINDERS calendar along with a direct audio link, Friday 1600-1700 UT, also on 21500, usually poor here and unchecked, as the stream held up perfectly for the entire hour. On Feb 15 it actually did not start until 1605 after some news and promos. Host Édson Bruno is quite a gabber, and along with some musical stingers, could easily fill the entire hour with palaver, and almost does; I would estimate actual DX info amounted to less than 10 minutes of the 60, including items read from the regular contributors Célio Romais, Samuel Cássio, Rudolf Walter Grimm and Valter Aguiar. First significant segment was Célio`s main DX news of the week, which was up-to-date, but nothing we had not already heard about, e.g. Taubaté reactivated on 4925 (not quite 62 meters as Edson claimed), Nepal 5005, etc. Édson teased us with talk of adding a repeat of the show in the evening of Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday, as numerous e-mailers have requested. Present Brasília time of 2 pm Friday is not exactly convenient for working Brazilians either; but Portuguese service is still in experimental phase, and it will be a while before the repeat can be implemented; meanwhile, listeners are invited to suggest preferred night and time for this. After a pause for manchetes at 1629, the second half featured some all-too-brief recordings off the air, including P`yongyang, Voz da Coréia, theme music, and schedule in Spanish. Then in the `DX File` segment, an historic one of R. Tahiti (music, tho I did not catch an ID), which is ``muito longe, lá no méio do Pacífico``. (Actually, Tahiti is not that far away from the American continent, UT minus 10 timezone; certainly not as far as Korea.) Then there was an even more historic recording of FDR`s oath of office on March 4, 1933, and a few words from the beginning of his inaugural address; interesting, but not exactly sure what this has to do with shortwave, today. Tho he`s in Miami, Édson doesn`t know how to pronounce Delano... Édson remarked that Christian Voice has lots more antennas at its Chile site, and plans to put in more transmitters to go with them in order to expand service to Portugal and Africa. I am not sure if this is to be taken literally, or if some existing transmitters still need to be refurbished. BTW, this could shift to 1700 UT from next week, as Brazil [q.v.] is going off summer time, if VC want to accommodate local time-oriented listeners. Now here`s a report on the same program from one of the participants (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Salve, dexistas! Estou neste momento ouvindo o Altas Ondas e relato o seguinte para os colegas que não podem ouvir devido ao horário do programa: "Atenção: Édson Bruno foi bombardeado, mas irá sobreviver." Esta foi a frase de abertura do programa Altas Ondas desta sexta-feira, quinze de fevereiro. Édson relatou na abertura do programa haver sido bombardeado por um número muito grande ("quantidade fantástica", segundo ele) de e-mails pedindo a reprise do programa à noite. Elogiou a organização demonstrada pelos dexistas e deixou para responder com detalhes mais à frente no programa. Após a coluna Correspondente Dexista (Célio Romais), Édson Bruno agradeceu aos ouvintes que vêm se correspondendo com o programa e iniciou a coluna DC (Distante Conhecido). Nessa coluna, Édson leu mensagens sobre o horário do programa enviadas por: Cláudio Marcelo Teixeira, Aílton Biancardini, Valter Aguiar, Djaci Franklin da Silva (que comentou também a comparação com o Editor DX da Rádio Suécia), Jorge Silva (que falou da fase experimental), Rudolf Walter Grimm, Adiel Nunes Ferreira (que informou que a esposa grava o programa para ele ouvir de noite, mas não é a mesma coisa). Édson Bruno respondeu que é complexo transmitir para outros países, mas que a Voz Cristã irá sair "logo, logo" da fase experimental. A programação está crescendo, há uma equipe instalada, outros estão chegando e há ainda muito o que fazer. Têm antenas especiais para fazer a programação chegar na África com a mesma qualidade e trabalhando com o áudio na Internet. Édson informou que não pode alterar o horário do programa durante a fase experimental, pois a programação em português está sendo encerrada às 2100 UTC e não há como colocar nenhum programa após esse horário, por enquanto. Entretanto, Édson já falou com a Berenice Ramirez, diretora do departamento de português e ela já concordou com a reapresentação do programa quando a grade estiver toda preenchida para o período noturno. O horário de reapresentação será divulgado oportunamente e, enquanto isso, Édson pede sugestões para o dia da semana. Ele solicita que os ouvintes enviem e-mails incluam três opções de dias de semana à noite para poder apurar qual o melhor dia para a reprise noturna do programa (que também continuará sendo exibido ao vivo na sexta-feira à tarde). Abraços, (Valter Aguiar, radioescutas Feb 15 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 4970, R. Rumbos, 1140-1158+ Feb 5 and 2315 Feb 5. I was quite surprised to hear this one, which I have not heard for years. I didn't believe that it was Rumbos until a very clear ID at 1158. Mainly a talk program by a man. A decent signal in the morning, but considerably weaker in the afternoon. I wonder if this had something to do with the current turmoil in Venezuela (George Zeller, FCDX-PA, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Voice of the People 15 February 2002. From Monday 18 February, the transmission of Voice of the People via the Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station will be extended to 1700-1830 on 7120 kHz (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) Prior to 18 February, Voice of the People broadcast between 1700-1755 gmt on 7120 kHz. The station began broadcasting in June 2000, about 10 days before Zimbabwean parliamentary elections. The Zimbabwean presidential election is to be held between 9 and 10 March 2002 (BBC Monitoring via DXLD) We're also working on a Zimbabwe media dossier which will be published within the next couple of weeks (MN newsletter via John Norfolk, DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-025, February 13, 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 #1118, available early UT Feb 14: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1118.html FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685, Fri 1030 on 9475, Sat 0600 on 5070 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-AM/USB 15039, 21815-USB PRECEDED BY: CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-01 half an hour earlier MUNDO RADIAL, nueva emisión para febrero-marzo, a partir del 15 de febrero, todos los viernes 2215 en WWCR 9475. Y pronto disponbile: (Corriente) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0202.ram (Bajable) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0202.rm (Texto) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0202.html ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 8700, Information Radio still working in USB with real nice signal in Pasthu (or Dari) with usual political talks and traditional songs at 0250 Feb 9, SINPO 44444 (Giampiero Bernardini, Avvenire, Milano, Italy; Visita il sito di Gregorio di Nissa: http://space.tin.it/lettura/giampib/ hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Afghanistan/UK: RADIO VOICE OF AFGHANISTAN FOUNDER SETS OUT AIMS, PLANS | Excerpt from remarks by Said Jalal Karim, founder of London-based Radio Voice of Afghanistan, speaking in London to Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring on Wednesday 6 February 2002; subheadings added editorially: Audience Our radio is a little bit different from many other radios that are currently broadcasting to Afghans. This is probably the first international-standard radio owned by an Afghan and with full Afghan staff. We are receiving e-mails, telephone calls from Iran, from Pakistan, from Afghanistan, from Holland, from Germany, and they are very much impressed with the standard that we have. The staff are very highly qualified; each of them has from 17 to 20 years' experience... For as long as possible, I will keep the broadcasting from outside [Afghanistan]. First of all, my audience is not only the Afghanistan people inside. I want my audience to be all Afghans in Europe, and America, Iran, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Russia - I'm getting a lot of calls from Russia... Programming Currently we have only one hour a day [of programming]. During this hour we put out a programme for women, a religious programme, a youth programme for sports, we are planning to put out a programme for children, we are planning to increase our music output, and we are intending to put out an anti-drug programme. We have already started that. We are the only radio right now to have a half-minute broadcast every day in which we urge people to stop producing narcotics... We concentrate very little on news. The rest of our programmes are all cultural programmes, Islamic programmes, women's programmes, anti-drug programmes, and so on. I'll have a monthly programme about refugees, for example. I'll send one of my journalists to go to one of the refugee camps and see what the problems are... When we chose our name, we called ourselves Radio Voice of Afghanistan. Many people even think of us as Radio Afghanistan. Many of the listeners think that this is Radio Afghanistan, because the broadcasters, the voices, are known to them... The staff we have here, most of them are from Radio Kabul - they have been working for Radio Kabul previously. They have the experience, and in fact their voices are even known to the Afghanistan people. That's very important. From our feedback from inside Afghanistan, whether this is Pashto or Farsi, everybody is asking us now to increase the timing. The nicest thing is that the way we have scheduled our timing, we are ahead of BBC by one hour. So we are not actually competing with them. What we would like to do now is to increase the one hour, we'll also make it one hour before. We cannot go in direct competition with BBC. The other [additional] one-hour programme will be for family programmes, for children, for others... Funding Currently I am handling the funding [for the radio station]. But I hope I will now apply for funding from the European Union and the UN and others. I believe that once I can produce programmes for three or four months, where we can show to a lot of people - for example, the EU, if I'm going to start producing anti-drug programmes - I'm sure that will get funding from some sources... When we started the [anti-]drug half-minute programme every day, nobody told us to do it, we though it would be a very good thing. And then we're going to do maybe about education, and then we're going to do about gun culture - having machine guns all over the country, bombs. And then maybe probably we'll do a small thing about mines - a lot of children are losing their hands and legs on mines... Future plans Once I can prove that I have a sector - we need time, maybe six months, or a bit more - that we have our own audience, and that this audience increases and increases, once we have a sector of an audience, let's say 20 or 10 or 15 per cent, then we can go to companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Nike, these big shots, and say, look, I have a sector, I have got four million people listening to me, give us some ads. But we cannot do that now because there is no agency who can actually prove that. Maybe six months down the line we can go and ask a consultancy to go and do a sampling - even if it's just in the major cities - and show that we have a segment, 10 per cent, 20 per cent, 5 per cent, whatever it is. Then we can go to companies, especially sports companies, or Kit Kat, things like that, small materials that people can buy, and Afghans can afford. I think those people will be very interested... In the future, if things go fine, and I can get some other funding, maybe what I will do is go to educational satellite, where you teach people through the satellite, through the TV... Source: BBC Monitoring research 6 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** ARUBA. I just returned from a DXpedition to Aruba in the southern Caribbean. Look for more details under Aruba, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Venezuela. I also enjoyed the Light Parade of the Aruban Carnival in Oranjestad on Saturday night Feb 2 at 2200-0015 local time. It can be compared with the famous Brazilian Carnival, but the music here was not Samba, but hot Calypso --- real hot! (Petersen) The following stations are at present active on Aruba: MW: 1320, R Holland Aruba, Savaneta 123-B, P. O. Box 2020, San Nicolas has replaced the Voice of Aruba. Heard 24 h // 89.9 MHz in Papiamento except for a nightly Tourist programme in English ``Aruba Radio`` with URL: http://www.DickMiller.com FM: A total of 17 stations are on the air, most of them 24 hours a day (Anker Petersen, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. ORF in various languages noted on Feb. 9-11: 1800-2300 on NF 5735 \\ 5945 6155. Formula is: 6155 - 5945 = 210, 5945 - 210 = 5735 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 12, via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Everest Radio discontinued via Moosbrunn since Feb 05, due to lack of budget. Radio Afrika International via Moosbrunn morning broadcasts 1100-1200 on 17815 ended Jan 31. Afternoon broadcasts 1500-1600 on 17895 continue, and will be kept during the summer schedule. So will the relays of AWR, TWR, RCI, and Voice of Vietnam (Wolf Harranth via BC- DX, via DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9586v. Radio Globo, Rio de Janeiro. 1940-1945 February 9. Football match transmission. ID and jingle at 1942: "Radio Globo no camino da Copa do Mundo". 24432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Glenn: Regarding the report from DXLD 2-024: CBC Radio Two's stream out of Toronto was functioning this morning (Tue. –1350 UT). But all Radio One streams, including Toronto, were shut off with the "come back on Feb. 24" message. CBC North is similarly affected. RCI's Internet stream appears unaffected. "This Morning" and the Olympic updates are being heard fine via shortwave on RCI. This circumstance appears ridiculous to me on two counts. The Olympics are also a news event and coverage of them as "news" (as opposed to detailed, "live commentary"-style events coverage) should be fair game. In point of fact, news organizations within the CBC and BBC should insist on a bifurcation of these coverages, even when their parent corporations are rights holders to broader coverage. It would be a public service for them to force a law suit, if necessary, on this issue. (Or is this another classic case of conflict of interest?) Only a relatively tiny proportion of CBC Radio's broadcast day deals with the Olympics. What makes it necessary to shut down streams entirely? It would appear that minimally careful planning (pre-planned mechanized cutoffs of newscasts and special Olympic reports) could prevent broadcast of "restricted content". This approach only bespeaks a lack of respect for the network's Internet audience. (Or is that audience so insignificant in size and importance --- domestically at least --- that such a policy is deemed inconsequential? If so, then why go to the expense in difficult budgetary times of having them at all?) All in all, just shutting down the streams seems most unprofessional. There's got to be a better way (John Figliozzi, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Re DXLD 2-024: Gannan means Southern Gansu. Actually it's the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Region, which is part of the Gansu Province. The capital of Gannan is Hezuo Town (zhen = town). Xiahe is another place in Gannan, not too far from Hezuo. Lately Gannan PBS has been on new 3990 in // with the traditional 5970 (used to be on 5971, now on 5969.6). It seems to be a silly idea to let them share 3990 with the strong Xinjiang transmitter. My QSL letter from Gannan does not mention a place and I have not been able to find the cover it arrived in. (This QSL is most attractive: printed station letterhead in Chinese/Tibetan and detailed QSL text in Chinese). Yushu is the capital of the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Region in Southeast Qinghai Province (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. The only active Colombian SW stations I was able to hear from Aruba were: 6035 La Voz del Guaviare, San José del Guaviare – weak with VOA QRM until 2200*, then better. 6115 La Voz del Llano, Villavicencio – weak under QRM 9635 R Dif. Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá – only noted 2100-0200 The following stations were off the air: 4785 R Súper, Ibagué 4815 R Guatapurí, Valledupar 4835 R Buenaventura, Buenaventura 4865 La Voz del Cinaruco, Arauca 4885 Ondas del Meta, Villavicencio 4895 Colombia Estéreo, Bogotá 4895 Emisora de CREER, Tolima 4905 Ecos del Orinoco, Puerto Carraño 4915 Armonías del Caquetá, Florencia 4955 R Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá 4965 R Santa Fé, Bogotá 4975 Ondas del Orteguaza, Florencia 5020 Ecos del Atrato, Quibdó 5040 La Voz del Yopal, Yopal 5075 Caracol, Bogotá 5955 La Voz de los Centauros, Villavicencio 5975 R Auténtica, Villavicencia 6015 R Mira, Tumaco 6045 Cadena Melodía, Bogotá 6065 Colmundo, Bogotá 6085 Ondas del Darién, Turbo 6150 Caracol, Bogotá 6170 Caracol, Florencia 6233 La Voz de la Resistencia, Santa Ana 6260 La Voz de la Resistencia, Bloque Oriental On MW I could hear 970 RCN Guajira, Maicao during daytime and many more stations at night (Anker Petersen, Aruba, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s Interactive Radio Show Tue-Sat at 0345-0400 tries different angles, sometimes just reads reception reports. The best of the week`s shows is repeated on a Mailbag. One night tried having listeners phone one number to approve of a show, another to disapprove, not picked up, RFPI just evaluating by the different rings. Theme music of show is Peter Gunn. This week`s best-of was a remote from a few miles away, featuring very loud insects. Live streaming continues to be a problem. Was down for about a sesquiweek and were pleased that listeners missed it. Had been using an old computer that kept crashing, so switched to a better office computer which doesn`t crash (tho server outages still interrupt, and the computer resumes automatically). But this computer has to be used for other things during office hours on weekends, so for the time being cannot run stream 24 hours then; therefore temporarily like weekdays 2200-1400 UT only. Thanks to listeners reading notice on website, have some prospects for donation of a better computer to be dedicated to streaming. Uses a server in Switzerland, and one feed from that goes to Shoutcast, which in turn allows another 32 listeners at once. Just search on RFPI at Shoutcast. Website improvements: now has a search engine to find things more easily; and contributions can now be accepted via PayPal (RFPI Mailbag Feb 13 0130, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. ¿RADIO MARTÍ EN LA ENCRUCIJADA? por Manuel David Orrio, CPI LA HABANA, febrero http://www.cubanet.org --- Por estos días la nostalgia me anda cerca. Gracias a la ayuda de unos amigos he podido acceder al magnifico archivo de CubaNet y rescatar para mi papelería todo lo que publiqué en esa página web durante 1996 y 1997, perdido cuando en este último año fui víctima de un registro de la policía política cubana. Entre esos escritos hoy rescatados de la censura del gobierno de Fidel Castro se encuentra uno de 1996, el cual me ha llamado la atención por su dolorosa actualidad, a juzgar por comentarios y opiniones de colegas del periodismo independiente. Su título es "Concilio Cubano: la censura en Radio Martí". En este escrito critiqué a la emisora por no informar sobre hechos acaecidos en el seno del que fuera foro de la oposición a Fidel Castro, y condené el negativo rol jugado entonces por la que aún es hoy una de las pocas fuentes de información alternativa al modelo de prensa oficiosa de Cuba, dirigida al isleño de a pie. Sencillamente, Radio Martí ocultó a sus oyentes lo que estaba ocurriendo en Concilio Cubano, para así contribuir a la muerte sin glorias del que fue un momento crucial en las luchas pacíficas por hacer de la isla un Estado regido por normas democráticas internacionalmente aceptadas. Doloroso apuntarlo, duro admitirlo: si dentro de Cuba, particularmente entre los periodistas independientes, existe consenso en favor de que Radio Martí debe ser una emisora consagrada a reflejar todas las tendencias políticas, brindar un espacio a todas las voces y devenir ágora de la diversidad censurada dentro de Cuba, lo cierto es que nunca como ahora se está más lejos de esa aspiración. Cada día, más acusadamente, Radio Martí está tomando un giro hacia las posiciones de la extrema derecha del exilio cubano. Y conste, por lo menos en tres ocasiones periodistas independientes representativos han expresado preocupación por semejante escora a estribor, y lo han hecho donde se debe, como se debe y cuando se debe. No sólo han sido marginados por la emisora disidentes políticos de renombrada trayectoria y establecido crédito, así como periodistas independientes cuyo rigor profesional ni siquiera discute Fidel Castro en persona (recordar el primero de noviembre de 1999) sino que Radio Martí ha convertido en "estrellas" de su programación a algún que otro individuo que dentro de Cuba goza de pésima reputación en el movimiento por los derechos humanos. Si se quieren pruebas, algunas de ellas pueden ser aportadas por personal de plantilla de la emisora con motivos sobrados hasta para resistirse a grabar sus reportes. Pregunta lógica es por qué tales individuos disponen de tantas oportunidades. Muy sencillo: conocida es su abierta adhesión al sector más duro de la derecha cubana exiliada, por lo que vale interrogar si para la actual dirección de Radio Martí es más importante la opinión política que la credibilidad. Por lo menos en uno de esos casos, no será la primera vez que una de esas "estrellas" crea graves problemas al periodismo independiente cubano, públicamente desmentidas por los supuestos entrevistados y sin que tal personaje haya presentado descargos mínimamente creíbles. Radio Martí es propiedad del gobierno de los Estados Unidos; este hecho le crea por definición un conflicto de interés que la obliga a una política informativa y editorial de exquisito equilibrio entre todas las tendencias políticas presentes en la realidad cubana. Desde 1996, por lo menos, Cuba espera que se eleve hasta esas alturas. ¿Tendrá alas para hacerlo? Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH (North). This week I received a QSL with some infos about Radio Bayrak in North Cyprus: Bayrak Radio, BRT Sitesi, Dr. Küçük blv, Lefkosa, KKTC, via Mersin 10, Turkey. AM transmitters: 1098 kHz, 2 x 50 kW, program Radio 1 1494 kHz, 10 kW program Bayrak International 6150 kHz, 25 kW (uses only 12.5 kW) program Bayrak International (Christian Ghibaudo, Nice, France, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. The only active Ecuadorian domestic SW stations I was able to hear from Aruba were: 3280 La Voz del Napo, Tena 4783 R Oriental, Tena 4815 R El Buen Pastor, Saraguro 4919 R Quito, Quito 6050 HCJB, Pifo 6080 HCJB, Pifo (Anker Petersen, Aruba, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. For us in Europe the download/stream function on HCJB's DXPL is USELESS due to pooooooor load speed. To download a single WoR .ra/.ram file, it takes about 70 seconds, but about 40 minutes for a DXPL program audio file, even with A-DSL 768 Kbit option on the European front end side. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Voice of Tigre --- Tigerian [sic] International Solidarity for J and D 15685, Voice of Tigre-Tigerian International Solidarity for Justice and Democracy via WWCR Transmitter One. Full data prepared letter with WWCR QSL card, used the SASE in 34 days. This was when this organization was using WWCR for their broadcasts. v/s illegible Operations Manager. [RR sent to WWCR] (Ed Kusalík, Alberta, Feb 5, for Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) ** FRANCE. Since 14th January, TDF broadcast Digital (DRM) and analogue tests on 1062 kHz from Villebon sur Yvette (12 miles south west Paris) with a power around 5 kW. The tests are not regular but at this time we have a continuous 4 minutes analogue program without identification, but with a dialogue in English with two people about "new technologies" and about "The futuroscope" in Poitiers (France). At certain times, this is a digital signal and only a noise can be heard (Thierry VIGNAUD - Boulogne-Billancourt (France) http://www.emetteurs.fr.fm alt-radio-uk via Steve Whitt, Medium Wave Circle email group via Mike Barraclough, Feb 13, DXLD) ** FRANCE. World Radio Network has discontinued the half-hour of Radio France Internationale in English that was broadcast daily at 1600 UTC on WRN1. Radio Australia replaces RFI during this time slot. (Mike Cooper, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. The only active Guatemalan SW stations I was able to hear from Aruba were: 3300 R Cultural, Guatemala City 3325 R Maya, Barillas 3360 La Voz de Nahualá, Nahualá 4052 R Verdad, Chiquimula 4800 R Buenas Nuevas, Huehuetenango 4845 R K`ekchi`, Fray Bartolomé de las Casas 5955 R Cultural, Guatemala City (Anker Petersen, Aruba, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. Just for your info: There is a Guatemalan station on 1620 kHz listed in the 2002 World Radio & TV Handbook, from Pahaj, Sololá (never heard by me). Is a repeater of 1600 kHz "La Radio de María", an easy catch from my QTH here in San Salvador, El Salvador. I had posted a mp3 clip of this statation for a European DXer sometime ago at: http://www.geocities.com/jhmolinam/rdemar.html regards (Humberto Molina, San Salvador, El Salvador http://www.geocities.com/hmolina.geo Feb 12, amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** INDIA. Friends, According to a message on the AIR website, to mark the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of AIR, special music programs will be broadcast continuously from 1630 UT on February 17 to 0030 UT February 18.(i.e. 10.00 pm to 6.00 am Indian Standard Time). So looks like all Home Service stations of AIR will be operating throughout the night on that date on MW, SW & FM. For the official information go to: http://allindiaradio.com/fomusic.html 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India. Telefax 91-40-3310287 http://www.niar.org dx_india via DXLD) ** INDIA. 4850, AIR Kohima, Feb 3. Sunday Morning special transmissions with a Christian flavour with devotional music and many IDs at 0030 and later. Very good reception here. IDs both as Akashawani Kokima and All India Radio Kohima. English News at 1435 in our evenings (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. CLANDESTINE. 3881, Voice of the Iranian Communist Party. Jan 28, 1431. ``The Internationale``, into programming. 333. Must be about 50 kW (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** IRELAND [non]. RTE Ireland via Singapore between 1000-1030 to Australia/New Zealand now heard on 15280, ex 11740 and 15540 (Edwin Southwell, Basingstoke, UK, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** ITALY. 7306-USB, R Europe, Jan 31, 0745-0820. Not very exciting programming, mostly conversations about music, no IDs at strategic times, and all in Italian. I guess the New Zealand DXers who are the target of this special operation will be happy enough just to hear the station, and not worry too much about how entertaining the programming is (or isn't). (John Campbell, UK, via DXplorer via DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** JORDAN. Radio Jordan in Arabic noted on Feb. 10: 2100-2400 on NF 11840 (55544), ex 11930 \\ 11810 15435 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 12, via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. LJB/Radio Great Jamahiriya/Voice of Africa observations on Feb. 10: by frequencies: 7330.0 2200-2300 9415.0 2200-2300 9445.0 2200-2300 9485.0 2200-2300 11635.0 1800-2200 11715.0 1900-2030 (ex 1900-2200) 11865.0 1900-2200 (deleted) 15220.0 1600-1900 (ex 1630-1900) 15435.5 1015-2300 15615.0 1600-1900 15660.0 1700-1900 17695.0 1100-1130 (ex 1045-1230) 17695.0 1500-1600 (additional) 17750.0 1015-2300 21630.0 1100-1130 (ex 1045-1230) 21630.0 1500-1600 (additional) 21675.0 1100-1500 (ex 1045-1230) 21695.0 1000-1400 (ex 1045-1230) by time: 1000-1015 21695.0 1015-1100 15435.5 17750.0 21695.0 1100-1130 15435.5 17695.0 17750.0 21630.0 21675.0 21695.0 1130-1400 15435.5 17750.0 21675.0 21695.0 1400-1500 15435.5 17750.0 21675.0 1500-1600 15435.5 17695.0 17750.0 21630.0 1600-1700 15220.0 15435.5 15615.0 17750.0 1700-1800 15220.0 15435.5 15615.0 15660.0 17750.0 1800-1900 11635.0 15435.5 15615.0 15660.0 17750.0 1900-2030 11635.0 11715.0 15435.5 17750.0 2030-2200 11635.0 15435.5 17750.0 2200-2300 7330.0 9415.0 9445.0 9485.0 15435.5 17750.0 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 12, via DXLD) ** MOZAMBIQUE. NEW MW, FM TRANSMITTERS INSTALLED | Text of report by Radio Mozambique on 12 January In 2001, Radio Mozambique installed 50 kW mediumwave transmitters in Niassa Province, and a 250-kW FM transmitter in Inhambane Province as part of its programme to deliver the station's signal to every corner of the country. That is according to information disclosed at the start of the eighth Radio Mozambique consultative council session in Maputo on 12 February 2002. With the details, here is Fernando Canana, Radio Mozambique's administrator and spokesman for the session: [Canana] In 2001, we completed the first phase of our plan of action, which included the coverage of the whole country using mediumwave repeaters. FM repeaters have been installed in every provincial capital. A 50-kW mediumwave transmitter was installed in Lichinga in 2001 to carry the Niassa provincial service. A 250-kW FM transmitter was installed in Maxixe to relay the Antena Nacional signal. In the first quarter of 2002 we will complete the installation of FM transmitters that will carry the Gaza provincial service. Source: Radio Mozambique Antena Nacional, Maputo, in Portuguese 1730 gmt 12 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTF,K? ** NEW ZEALAND. Glenn, As you no doubt have gathered, Sounds Historical is heard via RNZI 0706-0758 on 15340 & 0806-0900 on 11675. Reception was weaker than usual this morning (Sun Feb 10, Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio New Zealand International English schedule: 15340 is now 0359- 0759 and 11675 is now 0800-1005; this is despite daily announcements giving the changeover as 0659 at 1207 on 15175 (Michael Beesley, Hampshire, UK, World DX Club, via Mike Barraclough, Feb 13, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Hello Glenn and Mauno, Re the point raised by Mauno in DXLD 2-024 concerning Radio Pakistan using 5010 according to Adrian Peterson`s article about the station. I feel this article must have been written some time ago as frequency information given does not correspond with the current schedule that I have received direct from the station. As far as I'm aware, PAK is not using 5010 at all. The Rawalpindi regional 10 kW transmitter is, as reported, using 4790 only at 0230- 0430, 1230-1330 and 1345-1430. This frequency it shares with Islamabad based API-8 100 kW - usually reported as Azad Kashmir Radio, but always listed on the schedule as Rawalpindi-III. The transmitter operates 4790 at 0045-0215 & 1445-1810 and 7265 at 0900-1215. API-8 is also reported to be used for Clandestine station Voice of Jammu & Kashmir Freedom Movement on 5985 at 0230-0400, 7230 at 0745-0845 and 5100 at 1300-1430, but I cannot positively confirm this - it is not, of course, listed on the official schedule. Domestic programmes via API-2 use 7100 at 0045-0215 & 1615-1700 and 9580 at 0600-0907 & 1000-1115 and also the Balti and Sheena news on 7335 at 1350-1400 & 1420-1428 respectively. Current Affairs at 0200-0400 & 1300-1800 is listed on API-4 7265, but changed the second transmission to 6140, and has been reported on this same frequency at 0200 as well. Others listed by Adrian Peterson - Karachi APK-4 & 5 10 kW left the air several years ago. APK-2 has been off for at least two years, and APK-3 went off at least one year ago. There is therefore no longer any SW activity from Karachi. Quetta is using 5025 (usually reported on 5027) and 7155, and Peshawar uses only 7320. It is believed that the Mirpur facility was never actually completed. There are no references to it in Pakistan`s information, and nothing has been heard -- or reported -- that cannot be accounted for. The Islamabad facility is referred to as Rawat. All transmitters listed by Adrian are on air, except API-7, which is no longer used. Muzaffarabad and Trarkhel have never featured in Radio Pakistans literature. AKR 'Trarkhel' 100 kW listed by Adrian is actually API-8 located at Islamabad. Mauno - I hope this clears up the situation as I know it. Best 73's, (Noel Green, England, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. The frequency/transmitter usage in Adrian Peterson's article was rather outdated. Updated transmitter info below (updated by me from Adrian's article and current information provided by Noel Green): Call City kW Make Year Location Service API-1 Islamabad-1 100 RCA 1968 15 miles SE International API-2 Islamabad-1 100 RCA 1968 15 miles SE Link & some international API-3 Islamabad-1 100 Continental 1968 15 miles SE International API-4 Islamabad-2 100 Russian 1974 15 miles SE Current Affairs API-5 Islamabad-2 250 BBC 1972 15 miles SE International API-6 Islamabad-2 250 BBC 1972 15 miles SE International API-7 Islamabad-1 10 Gates 1968 15 miles SE Kashmir (off air) API-8 Islamabad-2 100 Russian 1979 15 miles SE Kashmir ("Trarkhel"), Balti/Sheena, clandestine APK-2 Karachi 50 RCA 1949 20 miles east International (inactive) APK-3 Karachi 50 RCA 1949 20 miles east International (inactive) APK-4 Karachi 10 Gates 1954 20 miles east Link Service to Dacca (inactive, scrapped?) APK-5 Karachi 10 Gates 1954 20 miles east Link Service to Dacca (inactive, scrapped?) APP-2 Peshawar 10 AWA 1960 In Peshawar Regional APQ Quetta 10 Gates 1962 SE of Quetta Regional APR-2 Rawalpindi 10 Gates 1962 Western edge Kashmir ("Trarkhel") AKR Muzaffarabad 1 Australian? 1961 Upper edge of town Regional (inactive?) AKR Mirpur 100 Thomcast 1997 Near town Regional (U.C.) (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non]. Pres. Gen. Musharraf is to appear on a live broadcast from the National Press Club, Washington, Thu Feb 14 at 1800-1900 UT. See http://www.npr.org – also on C-SPAN (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. 6045.6, Radio Santa Rosa, Lima. 1025-1030 February 10. Romantic music in Spanish. "Usted escucha Radio Santa Rosa.... Lima. Amigos, amigas, también tenemos saludos para todos los departamentos del Perú... estamos esperando su llamada aquí, en Radio Santa Rosa, con bonita música de América". Greetings. 33422 6355.6, Radio Unión, Lima. 0710-0716 February 10. Romantic music in Spanish. ID by male as: "tu mejor alternativa está aquí, en la amplitud modulada, por Radio Unión, la más potente del Perú". More music. 25332 6956.6, La Voz del Campesino, Huarmaca. 0245+ February 10. Music program (Andean cumbia). Greetings. "...seguimos con las bonitas entregas musicales...". 35343 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. The management of Radio Marañón in Jaén, Peru, wishes to know in which countries the station has been logged recently. So if you are living in a country different from those mentioned already at http://www.radiomaranon.org.pe/oyentes-mundiales.html then please send word of your reception to webmaster@radiomaranon.org.pe (Henrik Klemetz (Sweden, Feb 12, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** PERU. 6299v, R Cielo, Chiclayo, capital of the Department of Lambayeque. Heard regularly in late Jan by Björm Malm in Ecuador. While I was in Chiclayo, I visited Radio Imperio which transmitted on 4388.9 kHz shortwave. I was informed that the shortwave outlet runs with a transmitter manufactured and designed by Cielo Salazar. He is a radio technician, however he is a policeman. He also has a very small radio station named "Radio Cielo" in his house. The station runs with about 100 watts of output power. As the station has no commercial advertising, Sr. Cielo Salazar operates his radio station as a hobby. Therefore there are no fixed programming and no regular transmitting schedule. Unfortunately, his address can not be reported for the illegal operation (Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Japan, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** POLAND. Contrary to the AWR Wavescan piece, Wolfgang Büschel notes in []: The international SW service of Polish R was on the air for three quarters of a century, though due to a shortage of funding, it was closed towards the end of last year. The seven Russian [sic, other sources say Czech TESLA units, Made in ex-CSSR] made txs at 100 kW near Warsaw are now silent [sic, still in service for Polish Radio {at least four transmitters in parallel} and R Racja in Belarussian], though it is possible that R Polonia will take out SW relays on other stations that are closer to their desired target areas. Poland is currently remembering the 76th anniversary of its first regular radio broadcasting station (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Feb 10 via DXLD) Re DXLD 2-024: ``BC-DX, Sep 11 --- so an old item repeated, I guess, if not meant to be Feb 11`` Hello, indeed Feb 11 would be correct. This is a comment on the alleged closure of Radio Polonia (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DXLD) ** SOMALIA. ARMED GROUP RAIDS RADIO MOGADISHU, SEIZES EQUIPMENT The premises of the radio station of the Transitional National Government --- Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia --- were attacked by a group of armed men on the evening of 11 February, who seized equipment and forced the station off the air. According to AFP news agency, the raid, by about 20 heavily armed men, took place at around at around 9.30 p.m. (1830 gmt). The BBC correspondent in Mogadishu reported on the "Network Africa" programme on 12 February that the raiders may have taken the action over unpaid debts. Since the attack occurred, armed police have been guarding the radio station, AFP reported on 12 February. Source: BBC Monitoring research, 12 Feb 02 (via DXLD) GOVERNMENT RADIO STILL OFF THE AIR AFTER RAID BBC Monitoring's East Africa Unit (EAU) has been informed that, as of the morning of 13 February, the radio station of the Transitional National Government - Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia - is still off the air. (The radio was raided by armed men on the evening of 11 February and forced off the air. The Associated Press reported on 12 February that the raiders "made off with its transmitter and voice mixers".) Source: Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia, 13 Feb 02 (BBCM via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. 4870, SLBC Ekala, Feb 4, 1415-1436, Sinhala Service with a programme of Baila music which got intrenched into Sri Lankan society during the time of Portuguese rule of the maritime areas of Sri Lanka/Ceilan from 1505 to about 1650 when the Dutch took over. The music stuck on along with Roman Catholicism. Sri Lanka has the largest Catholic population in Asia after the Philippines (8.5% of the population). A few weeks ago I asked one of my close friends in Windsor, Onatario, to copy one of her Sri Lankan CDs for a friend in Baltimore and my friend quite indifferent to the Baila sent her a copy of the Baila music she has, and my friend asks me why I sent South America music!!! Here in Sri Lanka the Baila beat remains the same and at a drop of a hat people will dance the baila (which here means a particular type of dance!) and the Baila is a means often to tell a story in music about a damsel or anything. Right now it is the story of a man servant asking the lady of the house to teach him to dance. SIO 444 (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) When I visited Sri Lanka, I was surprised that you have such a kind of beautiful songs in Sinhalese. When I play these CDs purchased in Colombo, my guests also guess they are South American! (Ed. Anker Peterson, ibid.) ** SWEDEN. Coming up on Radio Sweden: Thursday: "GreenScan" focuses on environmental crimes Friday: Our weekly review Saturday: The Gothenburg Film Festival and the Spring Art Salon in "Spectrum" Sunday: Another chance to meet Marie Johansson Monday: Sweden's scorecard at the Winter Olympics in "SportScan" (George Wood, SCDX/MediaScan Feb 13 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Re Brovary active: At lunch, 6020, 9600 and 11825 were all active, so indeed they seem to be back in full operation. 73 (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. UAE Radio Dubai noted on Feb. 10: 0600-2100 on NF 13670.0, instead of traditional 13675 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 12, via DXLD) ** U S A. NASA --- The Kennedy Space Center's new Web Broadcasting Facility opened on February 11. The new facility, which incorporates a TV studio, will use live broadcasting via the World Wide Web and exclusive programming to bring the public closer to KSC than ever before. Interested space fans from around the world will be able to follow launches, landings and other KSC events in a real-time environment. Adding to the excitement and educational value, an interactive chat feature will allow anyone watching to submit a question to be answered by featured experts. (NASA via Richard Buckby) The Kennedy Space Center is at: http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/ (SCDX/MediaScan Feb 13 via DXLD) ** U S A. REBELS ON THE AIR" BY JESSE WALKER: Before it became an ATM machine for station owners, radio was briefly the province of madmen who made it the liveliest medium in America. Salon, Feb 11: http://salon.com/books/review/2002/02/11/radio/print.html (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. [Rhode Island]. I worked at 1110 when it was WHIM. Around 1983 or so, they got a letter from their Washington attorney, Hogan and Hartson I think. It stated that due to an agreement with Canada, they were being allowed 250 watts at night. Didn't specify DA or ND, just 250w. After some back and forth, where they were assured it was legitimate, they started night-time operation, 250w into the normal DA which pointed about SE. They tried to verify with the FCC, but never got any real answer. They were told it was due to some treaty, and not in the FCC database. They operated like that for over ten years without any complaint. WHIM was heard throughout the Northeast, and into Pennsylvania, IIRC. The owners ran country music, and were well liked in the RI broadcast community. Nobody much questioned it. In fact, I convinced a couple of my engineering compadres to simply ignore it. They wanted to bring it up with the Boston FCC Field Office. It was sold to a Spanish concern in the mid-90's. Soon after, they often (usually) "forgot" to drop to 250w and ran the 5kw 24/7. At that point, I was no longer working for them. I have worked at WRIB 1220 in Providence since around 1975. They do a lot of Spanish. The Spanish broadcasters were getting upset that WPMZ was at high power. Several of the local engineers conferred, and felt that this was beyond the pale. We measured the field intensity. Since one of my other employers, WBRU-FM has a transmitter in the same room as the WPMZ rig, I wired the WPMZ Common Point current to read on the WBRU remote control. The WBRU jocks were told to "log this number on this sheet. Sign and date it as you would the normal log". I had weeks of verified high-power nighttime operation. With this info, the other engineers went to the FCC. They really didn't care. So, we contacted WBT, and explained the situation. They didn't really seem too bothered, but did follow up. I'm not sure they believed it. Since WPMZ was Spanish language, WBT ASSumed their recent interference was a Latin American station. Finally they put two and two together and put some pressure on Washington to fix the problem. It took over two years, but WPMZ was told to revert back to a daytimer, as they had *never* been given fulltime status. Moral of this is to not be greedy. If WPMZ had simply observed the 250w nighttime "authorization", I'm convinced they would still be fulltime. By losing that fulltime ability, it cut the value of their license to about 30-40% of what they bought it for (Craig Healy, Feb 12, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. Re New York Radio, 5550, DXLD 2-024: I'm sure he's talking about SELCAL checks, not cell phones. More veteran aero DXers than I can better explain it, but I believe it involves a four-letter "callsign" encoded from the plane. Thanks! (Eric Loy, Champaign IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Regarding Bob Thomas' Feb 6 discussion of aviation communications, those pilots are asking for SELCAL checks, not cellphone checks. Selcal, or selective calling, is a tone system sort of like that used on touch-tone telephones. In aviation, these involve two tones that can be used to call, or page, an individual aircraft -- sort of equivalent to calling the plane using a two-digit phone number. Each tone has a two-letter identifier. This system pre-dates and has nothing to do with cellular phone service (Mike Cooper, DX LISTNEING DIGEST) ** U S A. We are now putting in a smaller [than 500 kW] SW station in California that wants to broadcast primarily to Mexico and Central America (George Jacobs, DC, interview recorded several weeks ago and broadcast on VOA Communications World Feb 9, notes by gh for DXLD) ** U S A. Hey Glenn, First let me qualify myself. Been building xtal sets and small radios since after WWII when I was a kid, loved shortwave since. Been an amateur radio operator since 1959. Got my 1st class phone license in 1969. Worked at several local AM radio stations during the summer months until I became a radio technician in the Wayne County Sheriff's Dept. (Detroit, MI). Retired in 1992 as a Lieut. and bureau commander of Wayne county central communications after putting in an 800 MHz trunking system. My son is also an amateur (KB8TVB); The two of us listen to more short wave than we do hamming. We repair and service mostly older short wave and amateur gear with some pretty good test and alignment equipment. Now my complaint ----- Over the last several days to say the least, every day later in the afternoon (EST), WWCR seems to be splattering over most of the 31 meter band. I mostly use an old Hallicrafter SX- 42, with a Yeasu FT-980 for freq readouts. My son, whose shack is upstairs hears the same thing, while listening on his 51J-3, using a Grundig Satelite 650 to verify his freq readouts. We hear this spattering on all receivers in the house. We've shut down all but one at a time to eliminate possible radioing (sic) from one rcvr to another. Maybe it`s our location, but WWCR is the only one doing it. This didn't start until about a week ago. My son said he could hear a bit of fussiness (sic) when they modulate. Could you check into this and maybe advise us; it certainly would be appreciated (Tony Sudney, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, Feb 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I`ve forwarded your report to the chief engineer and general manager of WWCR, George McClintock. I`m sure he`ll check into it. The 9475 signal is extremely strong at the appropriate skip distances, so possibly a case could be made that the spurs are sufficiently attenuated. But as you say, something seems to have changed recently. Regards, Glenn Hauser (reply to Tony Sudney, via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Hi All, Does anywun know who the religious broadcaster is on 7590 kHz? Trying to pick up Angolan diamond miners on 7594 last night when at 20.00z the signal was swamped by a program called "Tomorrow's News Today", with an address in Kentucky. I missed the very beginning but at the end of the programme there was just a carrier for a minute or so then shut down. 73's (Peter. North Wales, UK, WUN list Feb 13 via Larry Van Horn, NC, DXLD) Several items recently in DXLD about this. Speculation about site, but seems to be LITHUANIA. Same program on WWCR UT Sun 0200 on 5070 (Glenn Hauser, reply to Larry, via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. The only active Venezuelan SW stations I was able to hear from Aruba were: 4830 R Táchira, San Cristóbal - faded out during daytime, but strong at *1100 and 2100-0400* 4939.5 R Amazonas, Puerto Ayacucho - faded out during daytime, but strong at 0940 and 2240-0400v* 4980 Ecos del Torbes, San Cristóbal - faded out during daytime, but strong *0900-1000 and 2100-0400* 9640 Ecos del Torbes, San Cristóbal - strong daytime *1200-2200 // 4980, then QRM The following stations were off the air: 4730 R San Juan Int., San Juan de los Cayos [or rather, never has been on -gh] 4840 R Valera, Valera 4970 R Rumbos, Villa de Cura 9540 R Nacional de Venezuela, Caracas 9660 R Rumbos, Villa de Cura 11695 R Nacional de Venezuela, Caracas. On MW I could hear 25 Venezuelan stations during daytime and many more at night. A new one was heard on 570 with ID Rádio Cristal. Location unknown, but probably near Caracas (Anker Petersen, Aruba, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, is becoming less and less popular in the general population despite his weekly 3-5 hour talkshow on radio and TV. His friendly connections to Fidel Castro, Arafat, Ghadaffi, Saddam Hussein and the FARC-Guerrilla in Colombia are suspicious. He is criticizing the Catholic Church and recently his Government proposed that all radio- and TV-stations should come under State Control. During the past 3 weeks there have been demonstrations against the President --- one counted 250,000 people. On Monday evening (Feb 5 around 0100) I watched from Aruba on Venezuelan TV an officer speaking for hours from a balcony to a big crowd on the streets. This may have been Air Force's coronel Pedro Soto, who has asked Chávez to resign his presidential post. On Thursday evening (Feb 8 at 0230) I heard from Denmark a speech on 4980 Ecos del Torbes, and press reports told about a large demonstration in Caracas walking to the Presidential Palace. There Colonel Soto was arrested, but because of the strong protests from the crowd, he then was released again and the demonstration was dissolved – for that night (Anker Petersen with background information from van Arnhem, Cobisi, Klemetz and various Press reports, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Unlike the 403 reached when tried, the direct URL to article ``Los primeros días de Radio referenced in DXLD 2-024 is: http://www.el-nacional.com/revistas/todoendomingo/todo122/reportaje1.htm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. 5733.8 R Yen Bai, Jan 23, *1150-1200, Reactivated on this new frequency drifting from 5767.4, ex 4930. ID and tribal music. Jan 24 on 5733.5 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 7460, Correction to Voz del Sáhara Libre in DX Window no. 187: where you read "English news", you should read "End of Spanish news". I have never heard any English news on this station!" (Arturo Fernández, Spain, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. It seems the station I reported Jan 30th as unID on 5550 (non stop music) is now on 5775. Feb 10th at 1750-1930 on 5775 again same female vocals without announcements. Didn't have time to check the s-off time. And one song also this time mentioned often Azerbaijan. Also today Feb 11th, as writing this, they are on the air (1640). Good signal, S9 plus 10 dB. Some kind of test transmission, but from where? (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO RELATED MUSIC References to European offshore stations appear in many songs. Check out http://www.offshoreechos.com/offshorethemes/index.htm and click on tributes for a list of songs, including several mp3 extracts. Mostly European but does include one North American song, Pirate Radio by Mojo Nixon, with an mp3 extract. The song is sung as a sea shanty and comments on the US free radio scene and FCC raids. There are many piratical noises and lyrics about gouging their (the FCC's) eyes out, cutting their legs off, describing them as "lily livered scoundrels full of mendacity" and the chorus ends with "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave, the FCC crawl in your grave". Van Morrison has two songs with radio references. Wavelength, from the album of the same name, including among other radio related lyrics "I heard the Voice of America calling on my wavelength" and In The Days Before Rock N Roll from the Enlightenment album. The lyrics refer to Van's Belfast childhood and tell of him down on his knees the wireless knobs tuning in a Telefunken to Luxembourg, AFN, Hilversum, Budapest, Helvetia, Athlone. They go on to say how this enabled Van to listen to artists like Fats Waller, Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Elvis Presley, Lightning Hopkins, Ray Charles, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, all of whom have influenced his music. I myself used to listen to AFN daytime in North Yorkshire when I grew up, no needletime restrictions, as there were on the BBC at the time, and, as Van says, lots of artists you never heard anyway on UK radio at the time. Some other songs: Nanci Griffiths, Listen to the Radio from the Storms album, upbeat celebration of radio listening. Rolling Stones, Faraway Eyes from the Some Girls album, country tinged number with sardonic comment on tuning into a radio evangelist on a car radio and sending money off for a prayer. Byrds Drug Store. Truck Driving Man from the Dr Byrds and Mr Hyde album. Written by country rock pioneers Roger McGuinn and Gram Parsons this is a direct personal attack on right wing conservative WSM disc jockey Ralph Emery who had described the group as "hippies, complete undesirables and even possibly dangerous" following their appearance on the station`s Grand Ole Opry show (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-024, February 11, 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 #1117: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.html NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: on 15039, 21815-USB FOLLOWED by CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-01 one hour later than times above ** AFGHANISTAN. PRESS LAW ENDS STATE MEDIA MONOPOLY | Text of report by Afghan news agency Bakhtar Kabul, Bakhtar, 20 Dalw [9 February]: Afghanistan's press law was signed and approved today by Hamed Karzai, chairman of Afghanistan's interim administration. The law has nine chapters and 49 articles. The law brings to an end the government monopoly over the media, including radio and television. The law has been drawn up on the basis of the 1343 [1964] constitution. Restrictions apply only in four cases: 1. Material which insults the sacred religion of Islam, and other religions and faiths. 2. Material which insults individuals or violates media ethics. 3. Publication of articles with offensive and indecent pictures which might corrupt public opinion. 4. Publication of articles with the aim of weakening Afghanistan's army. The law allows Afghan citizens to set up any kind of press and publication facilities. A commission comprising representatives of the Science Academy, Ministry of Information and Culture and Journalism College of Kabul University has been set up in order to review the press. Representatives of foreign agencies and the UN can only publish their news bulletins with the [word indistinct] of the Ministry of Information and Culture. Source: Bakhtar news agency, Kabul, in Dari 1415 gmt 9 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN (YA5T Update). Robert, S53R, reports: "YA5T is back on the air since 30th of January, running only 100W and R7 vertical. 80 and 160 will be very difficult due to space restrictions, but we will try to do something. We also face problems on 30m band, with extremely nasty local noise. Due to heavy workload only evenings (after 1300 or 1400 zulu) are suitable for us. Now that we are 2 here (S53R and ON4WW) we may find some more time even during the night times. Pile- ups are huge. So far some 4000 CW-only QSOs were made. Mostly EU, some JA and just a few hundred US. E U R O P E !!! Please give a chance to US guys. When we say US only, please do not break in. Path from US to YA is extremely difficult, openings short and signals marginal. All EU guys stand a very good chance of working us, but for Ws, things are much different, and the more we go into spring the harder it will be for them. Once again-show a great deal of ham-spirit and let them work us too! There were quite a few slims heard during the past week. To make sure you can check if you are in the log, we will try and make arrangements to put the logs on the web. Be patient." (KB8NW/OPDX February 11/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Noted a SBG covered in Spanish on 15345 around 2345 UT Sun Feb 10, no doubt LRA; so checked 15820, SSB, and found a different game (or at least different play by play), announcer screaming ``gooooooooooooal`` at least three times in a row. Who cares? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. RA Preview for Feb 15 at 2305: Fri.: LINGUA FRANCA - about language. "Teach yourself Tetum". Tetum is the lingua franca of East Timor and has been declared both the national language and one of the two official languages. Portuguese is the other. Indonesian and English are also spoken, along with many native languages. Melbourne University linguist John Hajek and Alexandre Vital Tilman, an East Timorese refugee long resident in Melbourne, have collaborated on the East Timor Phrasebook which has just been published by Lonely Planet. John Hajek explains why Tetum is the lingua franca and why the Phrasebook is also a pocket guide to East Timorese cultural sensitivities. [Transcript available] [repeated Sat 0530] (John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ** BAHAMAS. Our site DOES provide an accurate listing of Bahamian radio services...unless you know something I don't (Larry A. Smith, President, General Manager, Media Enterprises Limited, 31 Shirley Park Avenue, P. O. Box N-9240 Nassau, Bahamas, tel/fax: 325-8210/325-8065 info@bahamasmedia.com http://www.bahamasmedia.com Advertising, Communications, Publishing, Distribution, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Specifically http://www.bahamasmedia.com/resources/media-profile.htm Larry, I suppose this is in reference to something I wrote or published months ago. Could you be more specific? Date and issue? While it may be accurate, it is hardly complete without at least giving the exact frequencies of the AM and FM stations. Regards, (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) OK...true, we do not give the exact frequencies. Thanks for listing us. Actually it was June 29, 2001. I must commend you for being so thorough. Cheers, (Larry, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS`. INDEPENDENT RADIO FOR BELARUS`: Despite living in a country with an autocratic government, the people of Belarus` can listen to two independent radio stations broadcasting from outside the country... See: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/belarus.html (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Media Network Feb 11 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4761.67, Radio Guanay, Guanay. Feb 1 2002 - 0215 UT. Reactivated or extremely irregular. First time for me here in Quito -- - frequent "Radio Guanay" IDs but in WRTH listed as "Radio Constelación". I believe the DJ enumerated at least 50-60 first names in a music-and greetings programme. Was heard again Sunday morning a few days later, with Bolivian flute music. Announces FM and SW: "....now we are heard as far away as China" the DJ said to an astonished listener during a telephone contact! Probably the unID heard by Kenneth Olofsson Jan 21 in SWB 1477 (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) See also UNIDENTIFIED below ** BRAZIL. [HCDX] WEB PAGES OF BRAZILIAN SW STATIONS | Here's a collection of links to web pages of some Brazilian SW stations: 3205 R Clube Ribeirão Preto - http://www.clube.com.br/ 3325 Radio Tupi - http://www.tupi-am.com.br/ 3365 R Cultura Araraquara - http://www.culturafmam.com.br/ 3375 R Clube de Dourados - http://www.radioclubeam720.com.br/ 4755 R Difusora de Maranhão - http://www.sistemadifusora.com.br/ 4775 R Liberal - http://www.radioliberal.com.br/ 4805 R Difusora do Amazonas - http://www.difusoramanaus.com.br/ 4825 R Cancão Nova - http://www.cancaonova.org.br/cnova/radio/ 4845 R Cultura Manáus - http://www.tvculturaamazonas.br/ 4845 R Meteorologia Paulista - http://www.ibinet.com.br/radioibitinga/ 4865 R Alvorada de Londrina - http://www.radioalvorada.org.br/ 4865 R Missões da Amazônia - http://www.kaleb.hpg.ig.com.br/ 4875 R Difusora Roraima - http://www.radiororaima.com.br/ 4885 R Clube do Pará - http://www.radioclubedopara.com.br/ 4905 R Anhanguera/R Araguáia FM - http://www2.opopular.com.br/ 4905 R Relógio - http://www.radiorelogio.com.br/ 4915 CBN Anhanguera - http://www2.opopular.com.br/ 4915 R Difusora de Macapá - http://macapa-ap.com.br/empresas/rdm.htm 4935 R Difusora de Jatai - http://www.difusora.am.br/ 4945 R Difusora de Poços de Caldas - http://www.difusorapocos.com.br/ 4945 Emissora Rural A Voz do São Francisco - eMail: emissorarural@silcons.com.br 4975 R Mundial - http://www.radiomundial.com.br/ 5015 R Cultura de Cuiabá - http://www.grupocultura.com.br/ 5015 R Pioneira de Teresina - http://www.igrejadeteresina.hpg.ig.com.br/ 5035 R Aparecida - http://www.radioaparecida.com.br/ 5970 R Itatiáia - http://www.itatiaia.com.br/am/index.html 5980 R Guarujá - http://www.radioguaruja.cjb.net/ 5990 R Senado - http://www.senado.gov.br/radio/ 6000 R Guaíba - http://www.guaiba.com.br/ 6010 R Inconfidência - http://www.inconfidencia.com.br/ 6020 R Educadora da Bahia - http://www.educadora.ba.gov.br/ 6040 R Clube Paranaense - http://www.clubeb2.com.br/ 6050 R Guarani - http://www.guarani.com.br/ 6150 R Record - http://www.rederecord.com.br/ 6160 R Rio Mar - http://www.geocities.com/radioriomar/ 6160 R Rio Grande do Sul/R Boa Vontade - http://sistema.lbv.org.br/ 6180 R Nacional da Amazônia - http://www.radiobras.gov.br/ 9585 CBN São Paulo - http://radioclick.globo.com/cbn/ 9615 R Cultura São Paulo - http://www.tvcultura.com.br/ 9665 R Marumby - http://www.gmuh.com.br/marumby.htm 9685 R Gazeta São Paulo - http://www.fcl.com.br/ 11805 R Glôbo - http://www.radioglobo.com.br/ 11915 R Gaúcha - http://www.radiogaucha.com.br/ 11925 R Bandeirantes - http://www.radiobandeirantes.com.br/ 11950 Rádio MEC - http://www.radiomec.com.br/ 15265 Radiobrás - http://www.radiobras.gov.br/ (73 de Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, Finland, Webmaster of 1000 Lakes DX Page http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Park/3232/dx.htm and dxlinks.info http://www.dxlinks.info/ and Finnish DX Association http://www.sdxl.org/ hard-core-dx Feb 10 via DXLD; gh added accents) ** BRAZIL. 11805.23, Rádio Glôbo, Rio (tentative) 0625-0640 Feb 10, Portuguese ? Hymns by choruses, man preaches. SINPO 35422, fluttery. No Georgia in English heard ! (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Radio Difusora, Taubaté-SP, heard again on 4925 kHz, at 2338 8 February with transmission of carnavalescos events, directly from São Paulo and a club from Taubaté, with the reporter Alexander: "abrem-se as cortinas do carnaval de Taubaté ...", good reception. (Célio Romais, Porto Alegre, Brasil, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CANADA. 6275, transmitter mixing product, R Netherlands/NHK, 1145 Feb. 10, Fair signal strength. 5965 relaying R Netherlands, and 6120 with NHK, were mixing at an offset interval of 155 kHz (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. I was trying to listen to a non-Olympic program webcast from CBC Radio One at 1800 UT Sun Feb 10, but found all the Atlantic Zone stations I tried blocked with a 20-second `tough luck till Feb 24` Olympics announcement. Then tried CBL Toronto and it was there, but suddenly cut off at 1831, and could not get back to it. What`s the CBC policy on this?? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Initially it looked like a complete block, but now it seems that for the Toronto streams (R1 CBLA and R2 CBL) only, they are turning the service on and off selectively. Sunday afternoon I found both streams available from 2115 UT through a cutoff at 2158 just when an Olympics update was about to begin; they came back by 2205. When the streams are blocked they're totally inaccessible -- you can't get at them with an old shortcut or ram file. I find it incredible that CBC is taking the heavy-handed approach of shutting down all the regional streams entirely, especially when the Toronto streams show that they have the technology to do better than that. Thankfully, BBC WS is taking the minimally restrictive approach this time, unlike in 2000. They don't seem to have asked their PRI affiliates to do anything special. P.S. Glad you're back after the lengthy storm outage, and that you made the best of the down time (Kevin Kelly, Arlington, Mass., Feb 10, of http://www.publicradiofan.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHECHNYA [non?]. 7183, R Kavkaz, Jan 16, 1259-1309, music, ID "Radio Kavkamize, dize...", talk with rather poor reception (Ishii, Japan, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** CHINA. The Chinese Lunar New Year, the "Year of the Horse", is celebrated February 12. CRI will air a weeklong series of special programming to celebrate the Spring Festival. Programming (all days UT) includes a look at horses in Chinese culture [January 11], a recap of how Chinese media showcased the celebration [February 13], how the nation's WTO entry will affect the Chinese people [February 14], and highlights of a recent concert celebrating the 60th birthday of CRI broadcasting [February 16] (--Jim CRI Shortwave http://pw2.netcom.com/~jleq/cri1.htm swprograms via DXLD) As I said before, the days may be UT, but CRI`s typical programming cycle has the previous UT day`s shows repeating through 0500, right? Also misleading order in schedule below (gh, DXLD) Feb 16 schedule: Last 3 February Yu Meng, presenter on China Radio International's Listeners's Garden program, interviewed me by telephone on the occasion of my 1000th technical monitoring report to CRI. If you have the time you may want to listen to the interview on the following frequencies: [as corrected by gh] 2300 13680 0100 9580, 9790 0300 9690 0400 9730 0500 9560 1300 9570 1400 7405, 17720 1500 7405, 17720 Best wishes and kind regards (George John Poppin, Technical Monitor, San Francisco, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear George, The Spring Festival special including the interview of you will be broadcast on Feb 16th and 23rd. It's a 40 minute program. Best regards, Yu Meng, CRI, Feb 10, via Poppin, DXLD) ** CHINA. 15060, CNR-8, 9 and 10 Feb, Kazakh language program heard starting at 0500, SINPO 35343. ID as "Wortalyk khalyk radiostantsiyase". First half of program filled with informations read by man and woman alternatively, and after the half-an-hour music program goes on the air. Then, at 0600, Chinese-type march played, Uighur ID "Merkeze khalyk radiostantsi" sounded, and the hour in Uighur followed. Most reference sources mention this time and frequency for CBS Variety Network, Taiwan, in Chinese. But the latter was not audible at all. Did CBS leave the frequency, or maybe we are facing another type of Chinese jamming? To be honest, I don't believe Chinese authorities use minorities' service for jamming (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal Feb 11 via DXLD) CNR-8 via the Lingshi transmitter site is used for jamming on several frequencies, including 17525 at 0300-0700 (moved from 17580) and 7395 in the afternoon (I have not made note of exact times). (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Xinjiang PBS back to full transmitter usage from 6 Feb, including 4980, 5060, 9600, 11770, 11885, 13670 and more. I have heard CNR-2 back on the traditional 9080 in the mornings until 0300 and around 1300 in the afternoon. Are they jamming something? (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Feb 7, via DXLD) ** CHINA. 5969.57, Gannan PBS-?, Jan 20, 1120-1129. Slow Chinese singing; poor signal, not as good as "Yushu"-6075 (Cf. DXW 186. Ed), but improving (and not an especially good morning). Alas, wiped out by R Netherlands via Sackville *1129 on 5965. PWBR shows this one on 5969.6, 10 kw (WRTH 1 kw), to 1200* in Chinese and Tibetan; Nagoya DX Circle schedule updated Jan 13 says 1400*, 5970//3990. This is apparently in Gansu Province. A QSL received by Martin Elbe, and PWBR, give the location as "Hezuo Zhen, Xiahe." WRTH and DBS give the location as "Hezuo," and another German DXer, Hans-Dieter Buschau, received a QSL after mailing to that address. Hezuo is about 85 mi. SW of Lanzhou (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 2320.56 harmonic, Radio Única, Cali. Jan 2002 - 1100 UT. Up to 1100 nonstop music, mostly Mexican. 1100 Todelar-ID followed by "Noticiero El Valle". This means that my unID on 2319.72 harmonic kHz, also announcing SW, can´t be the Cali-station (see SWB 1475 and 1476). Harmonic from 1160 kHz (2 x 1160.28). On 2950v, harmonic unID LA, Radio "Esporting", unknown QTH (Colombia). Feb 2002 --- cd 0200* UT. This is probably the "Tricolor Radio"(see SWB 1455 and 1473) I previously reported. In that case they have changed the name to something sounding like Radio "Esporting". "Esporting" is actually no Spanish word but is used together with sport. Actually there is a football club in Guayaquil called "Esporting Cristal". Maybe the station instead is called Radio "Es por tí" which can be translated as Radio "for you!" --- as a matter of fact not so far-fetched, here in Quito there is a station called "Éres 93.3 FM!", which means "You are 93.3 FM!". Said MW 1480 kHz, which "Tricolor" also said, and broadcasts from south western Colombia. Probably the same station having news from "Todelar" at 1150 UT. Heard both mornings and evenings (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. La Voz [de la] Resistencia: Numerous checks in the morning of each day of the DXpedition, plus bandscans of plenty of frequencies just above 49 meters, revealed no sign of this one, which has not been reported for a while. The reason why it isn't being reported appears to be that it is inactive, at least on 49 mb. It's no wonder that the Colombian Rebels aren't doing better than they are; with all of those cocaine profits you would think that they would have the brains to invest in a good transmitter (George Zeller, FCDX, PA, DXplorer Feb 3-5 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. This Sunday Feb 10, RFPI`s substitutions were a bit different; COM 02-01 noted during the 2330 hour; a new Mailbag which was not yet ready Friday at 2000, during the 2430, instead of WOR which had been running at 1830/UT Mon 0030/0630/1230 slot; WOR heard at 0600, so it was between them, and also 1800/0000/1200. This happened to be the same pattern as on Saturday 1730/1800/1830 plus repeats into Sunday. On 15038.8 and 21814.9, later 7445 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. What`s become of DX Partyline audio archive? Need it to hear this week`s Feb 9 edition, but can`t find it at website (George Thurman, TX, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Me, too, but there are no entries under the headings at http://www.hcjb.org/english/dxplaudio.php and the latest program with a text synopsis is Dec 29 (Glenn Hauser, OK, Feb 10-11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE [non]. It`s All Greek to Me, the music show was back at its usual time, 1900 UT Sun, on 17705 Delano, Feb 10, instead of Hellenes Around the World, which was carried (by mistake?) last week (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. 4850, AIR Kohima, Jan 17, 0015-0125*, beautiful English hymns, Vernacular talk (not Hindi), 0024 two times ID in Hindi: ``Akashvani Kohima``, web address, 0030 ID ``AIR Kohima`` and news in Vernacular followed by songs. Early sign off. 34333. From *0057 QRM Mongolia (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) {Thu} ** INDONESIA. Some stations which are sometimes inactive, or irregularly/sporadic active. 2899.1 RPDT2 Ngada, Bajawa. Jan 21 1234 UT. ID+QRG's+FM, native music in progress. 25233 2960 RRI Manggarei not active in past weeks. 3102.4 RSPDT2 Halmahera Tengha, Saosi, 1120- on Jan 25. ID at 1159. Also very seldom active, today heard a relay program from RRI Temate, {Ternate? -gh} \\ 3344.8 till 1259, at 1300* s-off. 25432 many tx modulation problems. 3099.4 was active again on Jan 24, 35543, RRI Jakarta relay 1207-1239 UT. 1319 ID, IS, s-off at 1320* UT. Fair modulation today. 3355.4 RRI Jambi use only this QRG, but very weak signal. (4926 is inactive) Jan 29. [4926 reported active since --gh] 4874.6 RRI Sorong, only sporadic active on this QRG. But regular active on 9741.7. Jan 29 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Jan 31, BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAN. 702, Voice of the I.R. of Iran, 9 Feb, 1345-1400, SINPO 34333, in Kazakh. At 1400 broadcast in Russian started. Never heard Kazakh service on this frequency before. My own monitoring reveals that 702 is only used for external broadcasting. Below is a list of services I managed to receive this winter: 0330- Azeri (scheduled till 0530) -1230 English (scheduled from 1100) -1400 Kazakh (scheduled from 1300) 1400-1500 Russian 1500-1700 Azeri 1700-1800 Georgian 1830-1930 Turkish 1930-2030 English. 2nd domestic program of TRT, Turkey, also uses this frequency, in parallel to LW 180 kHz (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal Feb 11 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. A few tidbits which I received today: Someone wrote a letter and received a reply that said, 'more people now use the Internet than SW and they may have to stop SW because of the cost.' (paraphrased) Therefore, when writing, people should stress that Shortwave is still relevant. I've also been told that there is much lobbying for other languages, but English (which is of supreme importance) does not have such champions. So people should also emphasize the importance of the English programming. The decision is going before Knesset Finance committee at the end of February, so I've been told that we must keep up the pressure and mainly target Ra`anan Cohen. That's all for now. Thanks, (Doni Rosenzweig, NY, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. 11605, Kol Israel, Jan 14, 1545-1625*: Farsi phone-in programme. I read in a Danish newspaper, ``Søndags-avisen``, that hundreds of citizens in Iran each Monday call a specific phone number somewhere in Europe from where they automatically are given access to the air in a live phone-in programme of Kol Israel, hosted by Mr Menashe Amir and Ms Orly (Farnoosh) Ram. Iran and Israel have no diplomatic relations with each other, so this possibility for angry Iranians to protest against the Iranian Government is both illegal in Iran, and very unique. According the Mr Amir they count about one million listeners per programme, and their webpage has 100,000 hits per day! It is also strange that the programme is not jammed from Iran. I easily heard it with 55555 and in parallel to 9985 (44544) and 17545 (44544) That day the subject for comments was the War against terrorism as declared by President Bush (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 27 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. On 4 Feb Galei Zahal was back on its nominal 6973 kHz. (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus, Signal Feb 11 via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. According to the KK5DO Web site, Ed, P5/4F4LN, will be off the air for approximately 2 weeks while on an inspection tour of the World Food Program field offices. For updates, stay to tuned to the Web page: http://www.amsatnet.com/P5.HTML (KB8NW/OPDX February 11/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** LEBANON [non]. /VATICAN STATE. 11715, La Voix de la Charité, Lebanon, 0530, Arabic. It's via Vatican Radio, but it's now the only way to listen to a Lebanese station on short wave! (Christian Ghibaudo, Nice, France, DSWCI DX Window Jan 27 via DXLD) ** LIBYA. Spotted an unusual one tonight, 7945 kHz, 1957 10/2 Arabic music, then IS at 2000, crossmod spur. Could hear a second programme in the background (classical music); no idea of the math behind this one. Regards, (Tim Bucknall, N.W England, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** LIBYA/FRANCE. Monitored 7330 LBY via [supposed to be] Issoudun site from 2200 UT onwards, on few days in past week. All outlets [\\ 9415 9445 9485] on very weak, thiny level here in Stuttgart-Germany (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX Feb 4-7 via DXLD) ** MALTA. New EMail address of the Voice of Mediterranean in Malta E-mail: info@vomradio.com Web Site: http://www.vomradio.com (Ingrid Huettmann, VoM Malta + OM Bernd Seiser, Gaggenau, Germany) 73,s (Volker Willschrey, Dillingen (Saar), Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Apparently Mailbox has just gotten back, well rested and southern hemisphere tanned, from its extended Christmas-New Year's-January vacation as the file http://www.rnzi.com/audio/mailbox.rm just changed dates at about Sunday 0245 GMT (Joel Rubin, NY, Feb 10, swprograms via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. Ante una consulta a un conocedor de la actividad pirata en esa zona del Continente, sobre la actividad en esa región y sus frecuencias y horarios para ver la posibilidad de escucharles aquí en Sudamérica, he recibido la siguiente respuesta: "Ultimamente, aproximadamente un 90% de la actividad pirata norteamericana está dentro de 5 kHz de 6955. El otro 10% de actividad tiende a estar entre los 6900 y 6955, y quizás en algún momento, alguien podría utilizar los 7415, frecuencia que utilizaba antes [todavía -ggh] la WBCQ, o también algo dentro de los 49 metros o en cualquier parte. En otras épocas, habían emisoras en la banda de 19 metros, alrededor de los 15070, y algunas emisoras ocasionalmente utilizan frecuencias en los 26 MHz. Las frecuencias impares parecen tener menos uso hoy en día. Una banda fuertemente descuidada donde antes había actividad, es el extremo alto de la banda de onda media, alrededor de los 1700 kHz e inclusive los 1600. No he escuchado una pirata en onda media durante dos o tres años. Durante el verano, la mayoría de las transmisiones se inicia despues de las 0100 y duran hasta pasadas las 0500, pero durante el invierno norteamericano, como es ahora, éstas se inician más temprano, alrededor de las 2100 o a veces antes y luego la mayoría de las emisoras están fuera del aire alrededor de las 0200. Esto es por una cuestión de propagación. Algunas emisoras comienzan aún más temprano, alrededor de las 1500, pero en este horario no hay posibilidades de que se puedan escuchar en Sudamérica. Creo [que] la "línea gris" entre Norteamérica y Sudamérica sería una buena opción de buscar para poder quizás lograr la escucha de una pirata norteamericana. Buena suerte (George Zeller, Cleveland, USA, via Gabriel Iván Barrera, Conexión Digital Feb 10 via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. We continue to have sporadic power outages in Enid; for less than an hour Saturday evening, and over a sesquihour on Sunday evening starting at 2300 UT. So after reporting it to OG&E, along with everyone else in Enid, a few minutes later I scanned for local stations: the only two AM stations, KGWA-960 and KCRC-1390 were silent so they still don`t have instant generator standby! Also off: KGWA`s KOFM 103.1; all of KCRC`s FM stations, except 99.7 and 96.9, both with transmitters far outside Enid, were running open carrier having lost feed from Enid; all Broadway Tower translators except KLVV 98.3; and as during the previous outage, KBVV-91.1 had transmitter on relaying white noise from open STL. Cox Cable, quickly hooked up again to a battery portable TV, had *again* lost 4, 5, 9 and 13 from OKC, but the satellite-delivered and UHF OKC stations were OK. So we quickly switched to antenna for 60 Minutes at 0000 UT Monday. Cable 9 finally came back around 0025. Sometime around 0030, KGWA was finally back on the air, with OG&E rep explaining that there had been a major failure affecting much of NW Oklahoma, but power was already being returned to Enid in stages. Came back on here about 0038. It turned out all of Enid and much of NW OK was blacked out due to a failure at a non-OG&E power station at Mooreland OK (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Hi Glenn, re: the latest DXLD: I wonder if there is an error in Adrian Peterson's article: both Rawalpindi 10 kW and Islamabad 100 kW are said to be on 5010 kHz? 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. It`s not equipment problems that keeps a lot of the PNG stations off the air... (Don Nelson, Oregon, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Don forwards these stories: RADIO EAST SEPIK BUDGET ALLOCATIONS MISUSED: YAANUM - by Alison Anis (3335) RADIO East Sepik would still be on air if its K150,000 budget allocation for 2000 was distributed honestly and accordingly by the provincial treasury for the station's usage, Provincial Program Manager for the station Peter Yaanum said. Mr Yaanum accused the provincial treasury for misusing the money saying it was one of the reasons why the station was still off air. According to Mr Yaanum, the station only used half of the K150,000 budget but do not know where the rest of the money went to. "The station's expenditure on the budget was about K70,000 to K88,000 and as for the other half, we do not know where that money went to," he said. Mr Yaanum said he would obtain a print-out of the station's expenditure to find out what amount of money was used and for what purpose. "This will help us find out exactly where the rest of the money went to," he said. Last year the government allocated K87,000 for Radio East Sepik alone and this year K90,000 was approved by the government for the station but is yet to be given, according to the manager. Mr Yaanum said Governor Arthur Somare has facilitated K39,000 for the station in December last year. This covered the cost of the electricity bills and the replacement parts for the new transmitter after the old one broke down in August last year. The station also acquired a new vehicle from the money contributed by Mr Somare. However, the phone bills are not included as they are still being paid by the station. Mr Yaanum said that K10,000 is yet to be paid for the phone bill which dates back to the Aitape tsunami disaster in September 1997. He explained that the Aitape Disaster Office was supposed to pay the bill for using its services but since it won't the station will pay for it. But there are still outstanding claims of about K40,000 by local contractors and youth groups in the province who carried out construction of the building and the fence and cleaning around the office complex. Mr Yaanum said these claims were outstanding from 1999 till now. He said the local contractors have issued threats to them over the non-payment of these claims And RWNB (3235): RADIO WNB TO CHARGE GOVT FOR AIRTIME RADIO West New Britain will in March begin charging airtime fees on all government extension programs. Speaking during a farewell reception for two National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) Kimbe staff members, the station's program manager Valuka Lowa said that this measure was an initiative now being carried out in all other provincial radio stations throughout the country, and Radio West New Britain is no exception. Government extension programs which will be affected are the Didiman program, education, news, radio doctor, bisnis news, police and various other programs. In announcing this new initiative, Mr Lowa said that Radio WNB and New Britain Palm Oil Limited (NBPOL) will in the next few days sign an MOU to facilitate the oil palm industry program called OPIC. The program is the Oil Palm industry's extension program that reaches out to oil palm growers on issues relating to the industry. "We are embarking on this exercise mainly to assist us in bringing in much needed funds to enable the radio's efficient daily operations and to supplement the provincial governments annual grant of 50,000," Mr Lowa said. He has appealed to all government divisions in the province to understand the financial plight of Radio WNB and value the radio's vital role in amplifying government information to the people. He asked that all divisions cooperate with this new measure and help make it materialise for the betterment of the people. both stories above from: (PNG INDEPENDENT ONLINE Feb 7, 2002 issue via Don Nelson, DXLD) And from Post-Courier Online 7 Feb, 2002: BAIL OUT RADIO WEWAK (R E Sepik 3335), By Cyril Gare ACCESS to information and freedom of expression are constitutional rights and pillars of any democratic society which the State is obliged to provide for the people at all cost. Concerned citizen and vice president of the Melanesian Peoples Party (MPP) branch in East Sepik Lucas Fesinki was commenting on the absence of Radio Wewak which has been off air about two years ago. Mr Fesinki was concerned that the people of East Sepik had been deprived of these rights during the "off air" period and is calling on the East Sepik MPs to rescue Radio Wewak immediately. He said the people have the right to express an opinion, share views and have access to information using the electronic medium of the Government in order to be well acquainted with issues leading up to the June elections. It is the same story for many other State run NBC Kundu services in other provinces, and he extended his call to the National Government to give this issue a high priority Mr Fesinki said East Sepik needed a vibrant forum for debate on developmental issues which were lacking for far to long and it was important that the people had access to new ideas and changes through their choices in the ballot boxes. He said MPP was confident to provide a strong and decisive leadership following the elections, the strength of which is expressed in the party's policies such as the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Act 2000 and the country's industrialisation plan 2020 (IP20) adopted by Parliament and as a working document of the government (via Don Nelson, OR, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. On Jan 06-15 I made daily monitoring for the DSWCI of all PNG SW frequencies from 1000 till sign off: The following stations were Active daily: 3205 R West Sepik, Vanimo Early sign off 1202*. Transmitter problems. 3235 R West New Britain, Kimbe Sign off 1302*. 3245 R Gulf, Kerema Sign off 1303*. Transmitter problems. (Cf. story above! Ed) 3275 R Southern Highlands, Mendi Sign off 1303* (some days earlier). 3305 R Western, Daru Sign off 1302* (some days around 1245*). Tx problems. 3315 R Manus, Lorengau Sign off 1202* (some days 1252*). 3325 R Bougainville, Kubu Sign off 1203* (some days 1248*). Transmitter problems. 3375 R Western Highlands, M. Hagen Sign off 1202*. 3905 R New Ireland, Kavieng Sign off 1203*. 4890 NBC, Port Moresby Sign off 1402*. Transmitter problems. Many regionals relay the Karai National Programme from NBC, Port Moresby at 1100-1110 for news in Tok Pinsin. On certain days, some stations relay NBC, Port Moresby after sign off of their local programme. Religious programmes are heard on Sundays on many stations. At 1110 NBC, Port Moresby carries ``PNG Music request programme, P. O. Box 1359 Boroko``, except Sundays when ``Gospel music`` is played. The following stations were inactive: 3220, 3260, 3290, 3335, 3355 and 3365. The following stations may be inactive or just drowned in static noise: 2410, 3385, 3395 and 9675 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window Jan 27 via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Port Moresby presumed, 4890, just caught end of music (anthem) to 1403:30 Feb 11, but carrier stayed on for at least several minutes (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radio Marañón, currently on 4835.5, has an interesting page with DX reports, sound files etc., asking for reports, at http://www.radiomaranon.org.pe/oyentes-mundiales.html (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Feb 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Regarding 6242.05 Radio Frecuencia Popular, unknown QTH. Jan 31 2002 - 1000 UT, previously in DXLD: After e-mailing this logging I have got some lines from our member Thord Knutsson/TK at the WRTH staff. He writes: "Hello Björn! I have no solution for Radio Frecuencia Popular 6242.05. But a quick view in WRTH 2002 reveals at least 3 stations with this name: 1320 OBX2Q in Chepén (stn 307), dep. La Libertad, 1460 OBX9B in Rioja (stn 935), dep. San Martín and 1480 OCX1L in Piura (stn 142), dep. Piura. Probably I might have missed someone. As I understand the one on 6242 can´t be a harmonic from any of these. On the other hand it might be any other station or a slogan for a station listed with another name. The popular (alt. national) frequency sounds good for the listeners! Incidentally only some thoughts coming to my mind re your writing. Saludos /Thord". BM: Thank you Thord for your "thoughts"! I still don`t know the location of their transmitter; the only clue is that most of the music comes from the "Cajamarca"-area. In "Dateline Bogotá" you can find this comment from our member Henrik Klemetz/HK, unfortunately without stating any QTH: "4012.1 PERU. R Frecuencia Popular, raided and closed in early Dec. 1995. [Cf. 4300 and 6803v]". On 6524.07, Radio El Libertador, Bagua Grande, la provincia de Utcubamba, el departamento de Amazonas. Feb 2002 - 0050 UT. By this logging two pieces of the puzzle fall in the right place. Earlier on this frequency I have logged: 6524.07 "No name", Cajaruro, la provincia de Utcubamba, el departamento de Amazonas, (see SWB 1457 and 1458). Was only active during the Peruvian campaign for the President election and a few days after that. Also with missing name. Also Radio El Libertador" was active a short period a year ago, then on the frequency of 6270v kHz (see SWB 1451, 1452 and 1453). The station is religious and the name probably hints at something religious. Maybe a coincidence but during Feb in LA they celebrate "El Libertador" (liberator) Simón Bolívar. "Radio El Libertador" was only heard in Feb 2001 and Feb 2002! Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Utcubamba, cuya capital es Bagua Grande y cuenta con los distritos de Bagua Grande, Cajaruro, Cumba, El Milagro, Jamalca, Lonya Grande, Yamón; con una población total de 100,891 hab. On 6560.35, Radio Estación Dos, Huancabamba, la provincia de Huancabamba, el departamento de Piura. Jan 29 2002 - 2000 UT. New Peruvian! This needs an explanation when I in Nov last year reported that Radiodifusura Huancabamba-6535.76 had changed frequency to 6559.95 kHz (see SWB 1472). Obviously this new station has been on air a few times with an ID as "Radiodifusora Huancabamba". They said it was test transmissions. On Jan 29 I reacted for the first time when "RD Huancabamba" on 6535.79 was heard simultaneously but with another programme than on 6560.65 kHz. When I tuned in to the frequency at 2357 UT the station gave ID as "La auténtica Radiodifusora Huancabamba" but the rest of the evening until close down 0207 UT this ID was repeated: "Radio Estación Dos". Until 0005 UT a DJ named Sr. García Rojas. He said that he had worked at "Radio Estación C" and "Radio Campesina". His wife took over the mike at 2315 [sic] with the programme "Tradiciónes populares". She gave the address "Barrio San Francísco, Avenida Quiles Escala s/n". "s/n" shall read as "sin número" /without number. Telephone: 47 32 33. Jingle: "la radio de la nueva generación". Responsible for "Radio Estación Dos" is Néstor Guerrero Santos and Sr. Federico Ibáñez. Huaynos. San Juanitos, Marineras, Pasillos, Cumbias and Boleros are part of the programme format. Transmission scheme is said to be 1000- 1400 and 2030-0200 UT. They will broadcast more regularly from sometimes in March/April. The music is somewhat weak in modulation but no problem with the DJ´s mike. [as previously in DXLD] Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Huancabamba, cuya capital es Chanchaque. Sus distritos son: El Carmen de la Frontera, Huancabamba, Huarmaca, Lalaquiz, San Miguel de El Faique, Sóndor, Sondorillo; con una población total de 125,458 hab. 73 from BM in Quito! bjornmalm@yahoo.es (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** POLAND. Have I missed anything that could lead to the conclusion that R. Polonia was closed? Not so of course; in fact I hear right now the German broadcast on 7285. A visit at the Leszczynka transmitter site by Bernd Trutenau confirmed that indeed Tesla transmitters are in use there, namely the same KRV- 120 model as at Litomysl. Some were already dismantled but five are still there and operational. Indeed, R Polonia considers to use other sites abroad (Rimavská Sobota and Jülich were mentioned as possibilities), but not because they would be "closer to their desired target areas", since Europe is in fact the target. The actual problems with Leszczynka are low modulation depth, almost telephone-bandwith audio and background noises. These faults are quite annoying, especially since the programing is really interesting and certainly deserves better transmission quality (Kai Ludwig, Germany, BC-DX, Sep 11 --- so an old item repeated, I guess, if not meant to be Feb 11 --gh) ** ROMANIA. 11830, R. Romania International, 0614-0625 Feb 10, English. "World of Culture" possible program title. SINPO 23432, splattered by VOAs in English on 11825, 11835 (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. Only recently I wrote you, correctly, about RRI on 17730 at 0700-0800 in English. Now it`s back on 17720 Feb 3 (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, DX LISTENING DIGEST for CIDX) ** RUSSIA. Re: station check Radiostantsiya Tikhiy Okean Vladivostok. Hi, Wolfgang, Sorry to delay my answer. Signals are NOT observed here at 0130-0215 UT on 21750 or at 1900-1945 UT on 648 7345 9885 9900 (Hironao Oguma, Japan, Feb 9, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SUDAN [non]. UK/SUDAN/ERITREA Here's what I got about "Millennium Voice" "Sout Al Qarn". On Feb 8th I picked them up as usual on 21550 around 1335 UT. The new thing was the whole half an hour of the transmission was in English[!] only, which is pretty strange coz [ibid. - previously, wb] the 60 minutes used to be only in Arabic. Program content were mainly anti-Sudanese Govt. [coz is slang for because -- gh] Around 1400 UT the Arabic program took over, and was by the same YL. There was an interview with the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, mainly talking about the latest situation of Sudan. The whole show was about how ALBASHEER (the Sudanese President) rules Sudan etc. And also there was an announcement about a new program mainly talking about the Vice President and rumours of millions of Sudanese pounds!!! This program to be aired next week. I wonder why is this change of attitude by this station as they used to shed some light on the African nations, not ONLY Sudan! Mainly we can say now, they are a Clandestine station to Sudan, but the Q remains the same. Where from?? Eritrea?? [studiowise, wb]. (Tarek Zeidan, Egypt, SU1TZ, Feb 8, BC-DX via DXLD) GAM - Millenium Voice / R Voice of Horn. (IDHAAT SOUT AL QARN), Sudanese Arabic. 1330-1430 21550 via (Merlin broker) at Woofferton-UK site (BC-DX, Feb 10 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Just noted (10 Feb 1130) that Brovary 207 is back on the air. Heard on top of or level with DLF, depending on antenna. None of the Kyiv shortwave frequencies listed for the same time was audible, and all probably remain off. Khar`kiv still heard on the listed channels. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Now also the shortwave transmitters at Brovary are on again, at least 5905 is right now up with German (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 12 0019 UT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. How BBCWS is handling Olympics: see CANADA ** U K. RE: DX Listening Digest 2-023: Princess Margaret: ``If they had SportsWorld on they probably ain't making too many extreme changes for Princess Margaret. 71 years old may not be Queen Mother old but it isn't shocking the way it was when Princess Diana died at 36 either (Joel Rubin, NY, Feb 9, swprograms via DXLD)`` Glenn, Just to clarify this: The BBC, and other broadcasters, will have consulted Buckingham Palace about the appropriate level of coverage. I was not listening to World Service when the news broke, but on television both BBC1 and BBC2 were simulcasting the digital service BBC News 24, which they continued to do for about 90 minutes until 1000 UTC. At this point, both BBC1 and BBC2 resumed normal programmes. BBC1 inserted an extra 5 minute news bulletin at 1200 UTC, and on the soccer preview show that followed the studio presenters were wearing dark suits and black ties. Soccer crowds generally observed 1 minute`s silence before matches kicked off, but all sport went ahead as planned. On radio, BBC 5 Live extended its breakfast show right up to 1100 UT, followed by a one hour documentary on the life of Princess Margaret, then an extended news bulletin before resuming scheduled programmes at 1215 UT. The Royal Family have announced that the Princess's funeral on Friday will be a private affair, and not a state occasion. However, a public memorial service will be arranged for a later date. The Queen is about to embark on some overseas trips in connection with her Golden Jubilee, and those plans will go ahead. Next week she travels to Jamaica. The death of Princess Margaret, while sad, does not have any constitutional implications as she was 4th in line to the throne after Princes Charles, William and Harry. So there was relatively little for "experts" to discuss other than to review her colourful life. This includes some episodes that the Royal Family would no doubt prefer not to be discussed at great length as (if you'll excuse the metaphor) there are some skeletons in the cupboard. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. MONSTERS: JOHN BIRT, TONY BLAIR'S RAILWAY GURU. Article on John Birt, formerly of the BBC, at: http://slate.msn.com/?id=2060511&entry=2060559& 73, (Rick Brunet, Feb 10, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Dear Glenn, Interesting to see Chet Copeland's excerpt on this subject from http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2002-01/eavesdropping.html in DXLD 2-022. The researcher discussed and quoted on this page is Henry Sapoznik, outstanding musician and folklorist. He spent several days this past June/July at the New York City component of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC doing presentations in their NY radio area. Henry did the Yiddish radio stuff, while others did Hispanic, African American, and other radio formats from the NYC area. Wonderful discussions on the history of such ethnic broadcasting ensued ...wish I could have attended more, but I was up the Mall working as a techie for the Bermuda component of the festival. For info on the festival in general, go to http://www.folklife.si.edu/CFCH/folklife.htm For the 2001 festival in particular: http://www.folklife.si.edu/CFCH/festival2001.htm 73, (Saul Broudy, Philadelphia, PA USA, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Some shows on `BCQ I like; some I don`t. I like the music programs, some old radio shows, Marion`s Attic, and Allan Weiner live. I check 7415 frequently to watch propagation, since it`s 50 kW. The ``anti-Stair show`` I caught part of a few weeks ago airs once a week on Wednesdays at 0200 UT [Thu]. Reason I looked for it was Weiner was upset about it and defended friend Stair. One chap was with Stair for six years. I heard more dissing of Stair at that hour. Again gave http://www.thenetteam.net to view testimonials vs. Stair. ``Brother Ben`` and ``Brother Mike`` ran the show. Another preacher was hit too. Feb. 6 notes: Letters of those abused by Stair were read on-air. Many with just poor English and writing style, or syntax almost stereotype of Southern speech; or poor education. More allegations of Stair running a cult. Forcing his followers to sell all possessions and give him the money. They then work on the farm in Walterboro, SC, and attend the services, etc. Also allegations of rape, promiscuity, pedophilia and attacks on women with limited education or high emotions. There was also a note a week ago that he especially manipulated black women, of legal age and minors. One of the co-hosts said he was a follower of Stair for 6 years and he knew what Stair did, what he hid from the people, etc. He also said that Stair`s prophecies haven`t come true and it was mentioned Time [magazine] was collecting info. I assume they`ll do an investigative article?? So it seemed suggested. Stair has really been milking 9-11 and its aftermath, the war on terrorism, the economy downturn and the Axis of Evil in his (uh,) preachings. Oh, he`s excused his prophecies that have not come to be; he just saw `em the wrong way. He spoke *with* God (he often does) and was told it was ``OK, he was just doing what God told him to do.`` He does feel low about it. Stair says things and has said things and then weeks later contradicts them. He denounces those who point this out or write him – some even send him tapes; none of this is wanted, of course! Meanwhile, Brother Stair continues doing his talks along with call-ins on 7435. Now, this is *not* the first time Stair has been hit. A preacher on WWCR (5070) went on-air about a year ago and questioned his resources and who funded him. This preacher said he toiled to raise funds for airtime and Stair was purchasing blocks of time all over the band --- AM domestic, SW domestic and CIS lands. This preacher contended that contributions just don`t roll in from listeners. Not at the rate Stair spends. He also brought up that Stair took $$ from followers who sold all to join up. Some gave $100,000 to $250,000. This was also mentioned Feb 6 in the case of an ousted follower named Michelle. Her parents gave Stair $200K. Some events that befell Michelle were mentioned and she was thrown off the farm for disobedience to Stair. I only listened for 10 minutes. I do have other things to do. However, if you get a chance, check 7415 on Wednesdays -- UT Thursdays 0200. (Bob Thomas, CT, Feb 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Show on the WBCQ 7415 schedule UT Thu 0200 is: TABLE OF TRUTH (gh) ** U S A. I checked 5550 at 0100 for the unID Mid-East like broadcast. I didn`t hear any. What the frequency is in my area, and it covers Atlantic routes, is New York Radio, as it IDs itself; aeronautical check-ins by airlines as they fly through the routes. They`ll do radio checks. They`ll ask for cellphone checks (you`ll hear tones sent). They`ll give altitude, weather in area, heading in degrees, airspeed, etc. The secondary frequency is 8825 USB, 6586 USB, for some, or 6577. Another primary and secondary (backup) is given for cell phone checks or other comms if not done on 5550. Listen for them; also planes are passed to other check-ins. NY Air will read back info, give them other airport frequencies along route to check-in (some not listed in regular aero books) to, say JFK International, NY on 128.5 MHz VHF/AM (New York Center frequency), or San Juan Center on 134.3 or they`ll track the flight and tell pilot when he`s 500 miles from Bermuda to check back on 5550. Now these aero center frequencies are in Grove SW directories among others. They can be easily looked up. I know there`s some paranoia about easily found info, especially commercial aero, what with 9-11 (Bob Thomas, CT, Feb 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {make that SelCall, not Cell -- see next issue} ** VENEZUELA. [HCDX] Re Anker Petersen: possible military coup in Venezuela Hi, Anker and others: about possible unrest in Venezuela, there might be some political one, but I really doubt that the military will march. I have myself heard a long, long speech over 4980 Ecos del Torbes, and it was a military man - a colonel or something - who talked about old glories and traditions, and it turned out to be a prelude to an enlistment campaign for the Venezuelan army. I sweet female voice came on the air and told possible mosquito- and anti-guerrilla fighters about the benefits of joining the army. Salaries and so on. The army of Venezuela had a need for personnel. So that was it. This was last autumn, and I just made a mental note of it. First I thought this was a coup. It was not, so I believe that this was what you heard too, Anker. I have monitored a few "golpes de estado" live from Latin American countries, and also from Spain, and the last one was from Quito, Ecuador, when the reporters of Radio Quito, La Voz de la Capital on 4919 kHz were out in the streets and plazas and reported live. Some political mess in High Places in Quito. This hullabaloo with excited voices and cars honking outside the "Palacio de Justicia" ended in nothing, but really comical in retrospect. In 1998 I think. Of course I am not a political analyst, but generally speaking a dedicated DX-er has a lot more knowledge than that of an ad-hoc studio reporter, whatever station he or she represents. So let's stay in that avant-gard position, before the news break! And Anker, thanks for reminding me. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, hard-core-dx via DXLD) It was Air Force coronel Pedro Soto, who asked Chávez to resign his presidential post. Excellent coverage of the situation (and Realaudio live channel) on Union Radio Web site, http://www.unionradio.com.ve/ 73s (Andy Lawendel, Italy, Feb 10, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Yes, I was seeing a Venezuelan TV channel on my local cable service; they were live from several cities with the riots, but now things look quiet. I think the protest will continue but, at least for now, no sign of coup. There were two military officials calling for a coup but without success (Humberto Molina, San Salvador, El Salvador, Feb 10, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Les invito a visitar la siguiente pagina, correspondiente a una revista del diario El Nacional, en la cual se encuentra un trabajo muy bonito sobre la radio venezolana y sus pioneros. La dirección es: http://www.el-nacional.com/revistas/todoendomingo/ Luego de entrar, lo primero que se ve en pantalla es la reseña de este trabajo, escrito por Rosanna Di Turi. A quien le estamos escribiendo para felicitarla por este reportaje tan interesante sobre el medio de comunicación que más queremos "La Radio". (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Venezuela, en lista dxclubmontevideo, Feb 2, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. Quick check of Habana 9820 around 1430 UT Sun Feb 10 showed no sign of Aló, Presidente or any transmission, unlike last Sunday; but no further chex of this or any other frequency were made this date (Glenn, Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. 6020, Voice of Vietnam, Buon Me Thout (?), Jan 26, 2320- 2330, 2320 Tribal language, 2325 Vietnamese talks, instrumental music, 34343, heard // HS2 5925 (33343) (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Hi out there, The new VI station on 1620, WDHP, has been heard here on my island every morning since Feb 8th. Best between 0535 and 0630 UT, then fading out. I got an informal, but correct (in my eyes), e-mail confirmation this morning from one of the working DJ's. Verified country 216! Yipee! Best wishes from (Björn Fransson on the island of Gotland, Sweden, Feb 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Definitely eclectic. They seem to run syndicated talk shows after local midnight (2300 EST - USVI is one hour ahead), and music before that. Last night it was reggae, and on Thursday night they had C&W between 2145 and 2300. If this pattern holds, 2200-2300 EST would seem to be a likely time for them to stand out from all the talk on the other stations (Barry McLarnon, Ont., Feb 9, NRC-AM via DXLD) Heard this morning with fade-in at 0515 UT the new WDHP (or maybe WCHP), Fredriksted, American Virgin Islands on 1620 kHz. Talk format but a break with local ID for WRRA Talk -12-90, WDHP 16-20 and WAXJ - 103.5 MHz at 0555 UT. Very strong here in Sweden at our local sunrise. 73 (Bernt-Ivan Holmberg, Moklinta, Sweden, Feb 10, hard-core-dx via DXLD) DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). I made an overnight recording of 1620 kHz on Sunday morning (10 Feb) and was very surprised to find really clear and perfectly listenable reception of the new US Virgin Islands station WDHP - it was particularly good around 0400 and 0500 UT with many IDs mentioning "WRRA 1290 simulcasting WDHP 1620 AM, WASJ 103.5 FM". News was from IRN - Information Radio Network. It was weaker at 0600, mixing then with WTAW College Station, Texas (also not a bad catch from here!) They are probably testing on full 10 kW at the moment, so this is a good time to try for it as once tests are over they are only licensed with 1 kW at night (10 kW daytime). (Dave Kenny, Caversham, Feb 11, AOR AR7030 + 90m beverage on ground at 270 degrees, BDXC-UK via DXLD) 1620.00, WDHP, Frederiksted. Feb 6 2002 - 0200 UT. New station which has started up just now and they also ask for reception reports. Address to the transmitter-QTH is said to be: WDHP, 1 Mahogny Road, Frederiksted, Virgin Islands (American). I can´t get the address 100% to the studios: WDHP, 79A Castle-(+ "copin"?), Christiansted, Virgin Islands (American). Telephone (+1 340) 778 -1290. Announces that this is a sister station to WRRA-1290 kHz and WAXJ-103.5 MHz FM and that their effect is 10 kW. Can be heard with really good strength. Here in Quito, just as back home in Sweden, WGIT-1660 kHz has been outstanding on the X-band regarding audibility. WDHP, Virgin Islands is in fact even better! Nice VI-music and the DJ with a charming VI- dialect. Years ago everything above 1600 was regarded as SW. Nowadays it is more or less hunting grounds for MW-DXers but anyhow I include the logging here in SWB (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador...) The address is the same as for WRRA 1290 Radio, i e. No. 79A Castle Coakley Christiansted, VI 00820. Congrats to the logging, BM! /HK ----------------------- Got after the mail to ARC those comments from Jan-Erik Räf: I can only fall back to experiences and conditions some 25 years ago ... The band above 1600 kHz is regarding "propagation" similar to MW, and spontaneously with my experiences in the background I think those stations belong to MW, it is a natural extension of the MW-band. But I have not been quite updated during recent years so I have no idea how the different authorities involved in frequency planning look at those stations. This is just my view! /73 JER ----------------------- Hello BM & thanks for the tip! WDHP 1620 AM can be heard well also here in Småland. The signal is not too strong but without noise. Strange enough the signal seems to come in from the north. Can be heard around 0545 UT with fade out around 0630. Heard both Feb 8 and 9. Unfortunately no VI-music at this time, mostly telephonetalk about sex problems. ID: "You are listening to WRRA 1290 AM, (simulcasting?) with WDHP 1620 AM, WAXJ 103.5 FM. The (real?) [reef, I think –gh] in the United States Virgin Islands. Our transmitter is at 1 Mahogany Road, Fredriksted. Our studios at 79A Castle Coakley, Christiansted. We`re in the same Corp --- WRRA 1290 AM, WAXJ 103.5 FM, WDHP 1620 AM. /73, Stefan Björn / SND (all from SW Bulletin, translated by ed. Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 7460, Voz Sáhara Libre, Jan 24, 2335-2400*, Spanish news about saharaui prisoners and their situation. Good. English news at 2342. ID as "...desde el estudio número 4 de la Radio Nacional Saharaui". Then, non stop rock music in English until close at 2400* with announcement by male presenter and national anthem (Arturo Fernández, Spain, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 5944, LA, unknown QTH. Feb 3 2002 - 2356*. Close down at this time with Quichua, or Quechua, and without any close-down- ceremony. Until now only heard this date. "Quechua" is a variant of "Quichua" -- Peruvian talk but I can´t separate the two. On 6537.27, unID LA, unknown QTH. Feb 3 2002 - 0100 UT. This is probably the station that is most interesting at the moment. Began to be heard at this date and can be heard every morning/evening but with weak and fluttery signal which only now and then is above the local noise level. I only can hear fragment of words and phrases. Mixes Spanish with an Indian language and has a type of music that is hard to locate. The singers have pretty monotonous melodies to a sole string instrument, which could be a "charango" --- a small 5-stringed guitar. I have no real indications from which country; does not feel like Ecuador or Perú. I speculate on Bolivia, where the "charango"- guitar is used, and Radio Cultura in Cochabamba which is on MW 1090 kHz (in that case 6 x 1089.54 kHz) but of course it can be an ordinary, "real" SW-station. When the signal is so weak it is very easy to imagine anything, so mentioning of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba might be a total misunderstanding from me! I have never here in Quito managed to log Bolivia on MW or at any of their harmonics (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO RELATED MUSIC And Thomas Dolby - another 80's guy - has a song "Radio Silence", appears to be concerned with Radio Caroline's battle with the government (Jim Renfrew, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-023, February 9, 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 #1117: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sun 0730 on 3210, Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, maybe Sun 1830, Mon 0030, 0630, 1230 on some of: on 15039, 21815-USB MONITORING REMINDERS: a lot of new items have been entered http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html ** AFGHANISTAN. Just posted an article to radiodx.com from UNESCO worker and DX League member Martin Hadlow who is in Kabul. "It looked like it would be an impressive place to visit. At the front gate, two guards stood with their tripod-mounted machine gun placed strategically atop what looked to be a table. The weapon was wrapped in a long belt of live ammunition. Steel combat helmets sat on the table alongside the gun and the guards gave us a cheery salute as we entered the compound. We were at the training centre of Radio-Television Afghanistan, a fine old building which had once been home to the first Radio Afghanistan station. Nestling in a back-lane in the old city of Kabul, just a stone's throw from the bustling money market and sellers of clothing and fruit, the building wears its age gracefully, albeit with countless scars of bullet holes dotted across its facade..." Read the rest at http://radiodx.com/spdxr/writing.htm Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, Host of The South Pacific DX Report, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. United Kingdom/Afghanistan: BBC WORLD SERVICE TRUST TO ASSIST AFGHANISTAN MEDIA | Text of press release by the BBC on 8 February The BBC World Service Trust starts work today in Kabul in strengthening the media sector in Afghanistan. The UK Government's Department for International Development has given a 1m pound grant to support immediate actions in the next three months. These will focus on five areas: Providing equipment to Radio/TV Afghanistan for two radio studios and to stabilize radio production; Training more than 150 journalists in Kabul and the regions; Working in partnership with the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) to assess future needs and the foundations for a regulatory framework for the media; Production of radio programmes on the BBC World Service in Pashto and Persian on the `Loya Jirga' - the traditional council which will define the future constitution of Afghanistan; Open a Media Resource Centre for Afghan journalists Stephen King, Director of the World Service Trust said: "A strong, vibrant and independent media is vital for rebuilding the social fabric of Afghanistan. The BBC is looking forward to working in partnership with Afghans to offer its expertise, experience and technical know-how to lay one of the key foundation stones for a stable future for the country." Activities will focus on: Opening a Media Resource Centre for Afghan journalists in Kabul, to provide information, training and communications facilities. The centre will also contribute towards coordination of international media efforts in Afghanistan. A five person training team aiming to provide basic journalism courses to as many as 150 journalists in Afghanistan over a five week period from 8 February. The team is led by William Reeve, previously the BBC World Service Correspondent in Kabul, who survived the US bombing of the Al-Jazeera [Qatar-based Arabic-language satellite TV channel] office in Kabul, when next door being interviewed live on BBC World television. The team includes Meena Bakhtash from the Persian Service, Shir Aqa Karimi of the Pashto Service, former BBC News Editor Nick Nugent and Senior Trainer, Jackie Chambers. Equipment - which includes studio equipment will be supplied and installed by a technical team from BBC Technology Ltd. A number of experts from the BBC and other organizations including the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) and Article 19 will work closely with the AIA to assess priorities for the reconstruction of the media over the coming months. They will address topics such as broadcast policy, freedom of speech, gender and educational needs. The World Service Trust The BBC World Service Trust is an NGO established by the BBC World Service. It is a registered charity which channels funds from outside sources and uses communications for development in developing countries and countries in transition. It builds the capacity of local and national broadcasters and civil society organizations. It works closely with the BBC World Service to deliver educational, health and governance programmes and training. Building on its previous work in the region, the Trust and the BBC's Afghan Education Projects in Peshawar commenced a series of 15 minute 'lifeline' programmes in November 2001, targeting refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in Afghanistan. These programmes were broadcast twice daily in Pashto and Persian on the BBC's Pashto and Persian services and were also supported by DFID. The Trust has now developed a series of proposals for a more extensive project addressing technical rehabilitation, regulatory frameworks, training of journalists and educational and other programming in Afghanistan and in the region which it hopes to deliver over a three to five year period. Background on January 2002 needs-assessment work in Afghanistan As the first stage of planning for the current project, a BBC team took part in a needs-assessment mission in Afghanistan under the auspices of the UN's Department of Public Information in early January 2002. The BBC team included a range of expertise from BBC Technology, BBC Public Policy (for regulatory frameworks), the World Service Pashto and Persian services, the Afghan Education Projects and the Trust. They met with Hamid Karzai and leading Ministers in the interim government, Afghan broadcasters, journalists and UN agencies. The mission's findings were incorporated into the `Preliminary needs assessment for recovery and reconstruction in Afghanistan' which was presented by the World Bank, UNDP and the Asian Development Bank to the recent donor's conference in Tokyo. Source: BBC press release, London, in English 8 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ANGUILLA. 95.5 vs Radio Anguilla. 0000. OM en inglés. 232; 107.5 vs Radio Heartbeat, The Valley. 0010. OM en inglés. 222 (Claudio Rotolo de Moraes, desde la region de Florianópolis, SC, Brasil, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Trans-equatorial DX; more of such under ANTIGUA, BARBADOS, DOMINICAN REPUBLILC, GUADELOUPE and VIRGIN ISLANDS US ** ANTIGUA. 91.1, The Observer FM, Antigua. Transmisión en inglés, con diversas menciones a Antigua y Barbuda (Rudolf Grimm, São José-SC, Brasil, entre los dias 07 a 23 de enero, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** BARBADOS. 92.9, The Voice of Barbados, Bridgetown. Nuestro colaborador informa que es muy habitual su recepcion en Florianópolis. 95.3 Hot FM, Bridgetown, Barbados. En ingles, con musica de rap e identificacion (Rudolf Grimm, São José-SC, Brasil, entre los dias 07 a 23 de enero, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4924.48, Radio Difusora; Taubaté, Feb. 8, 2227-2233, Male with talk and ID in Portuguese, piece of music, more talk, followed by what sounded like a sports report. 23232 (Mark Veldhuis, The Netherlands. Icom IC-R75, 24 mtr. longwire with MLB, SWBC topica group via DXLD) 4925, 08/02 2338 Rádio Difusora, Taubaté (SP), novamente no ar, com transmissão de eventos carnavalescos, diretamente de São Paulo e de um clube de Taubaté, com o repórter Alexandre: "abrem-se as cortinas do carnaval de Taubaté ...", SINPO 44444 (Célio Romais, Porto Alegre - Brasil, Sony ICF SW7600G, fio 10m, radioescutas via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. No último dia 8 de fevereiro, a Rádio Gaúcha, de Porto Alegre (RS), comemorou 75 anos de fundação. A emissora apresentou programas especiais contando sua história, desde a época das radionovelas até o momento atual. De negativo, na minha opinião, apenas a política da emissora, que investe na Internet e rede por satélite, esquecendo que a maioria dos brasileiros não tem acesso à Internet e, por outro lado, que os ouvintes de cidades do interior do país não aprovam a programação gerada em grandes centros. Recentemente, pesquisas encomendadas por alguns veículos, revelaram que a rádio mais ouvida numa pequena cidade é a emissora que fala justamente daquele cotidiano. Ou seja, ao ouvinte do interior, não interessa o engarrafamento do trânsito em São Paulo, muito menos se faz frio ou calor em Porto Alegre! (Célio Romais, Porto Alegre, Brasil, @tividade DX Feb 9 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. LISTA ONDAS MÉDIAS BRASILEIRAS Dentro de algumas semanas estará disponível uma listagem de emissoras brasileiras que transmitem em ondas médias. A lista fornecerá todos os subsídios necessários aos dexistas para a prática do hobby nesta faixa: Frequência, potência do transmissor, endereços, prefixos. Para que tenhamos um material o mais atualizado possivel, peço aos amigos que nos enviem informações sobre as emissoras AM de sua cidade, e se possível região. Faz-se necessária a confecção deste material como fonte de informações tanto para nós dexistas brasileiros como para os dexistas de outros países. Até o início da década de 90, o Dexista Antonio Ribeiro da Motta, na época residente em São José dos Campos editava a BSWL, porém atualmente não dispomos de outra fonte de consulta senão o WRTH. Lembro a todos, que este trabalho estará disponível em formato PDF para download GRATUITAMENTE na home page do DXCB. Haverá ainda a possibilidade de obter-se a listagem impressa, encadernada, a um valor mínimo. Conto com a participação de todos em prol deste projeto. Para maiores esclarecimentos escrevam em private para: caio_fernandes@u... [truncated by yahoogroups] (Caio Fernandes Lopes, Coordenador do Projeto Brasil Rádio, DX CLUBE DO BRASIL, @tividade DX Feb 9 via DXLD) ** CAMBODIA. 11940.3, Voice of Cambodia; Phnom-Penh (presumed), Feb. 9, 0102-0111*, Asian music, slightly overmodulated. At 0111 short announcent by female (Vietnamese listed at this hour) with tentative mention of Phnom-Penh. Then off. Best signal I had from then in a long time, but with splatter from adjecent frequencies. 33433 (Mark Veldhuis, The Netherlands. Icom IC-R75, 24 mtr. longwire with MLB, SWBC topica group via DXLD) ** CANADA. Re: "Gary Zenkel, NBC's executive vice president for the Olympics coverage, said the global nature of the Internet would interfere with territorial rights assigned to broadcasters. "Ratings could suffer, Zenkel said, if viewers decided to watch footage at a European site before its broadcast on NBC, which has paid $3.5 billion for U.S. rights through the 2008 Games." ---------- Or maybe Americans should just watch CBC television, where almost everything is live, live, live!!! (It must be easy to get a gray market ExpressVu or StarChoice if you don't live near the border... right?) (Ricky :) Leong, QU, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Page URL: http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020201/1306180.html February 1, 2002 FORMER EXEC: KILL ENGLISH CBC TV CALLS IT A DRAG ON THE ENTIRE CORPORATION Chris Wattie, National Post A former senior executive of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation says the public broadcaster should shut down its English-language television network "as soon as possible." Robert O'Reilly, the former head of CBC's shortwave service, told a broadcasters' conference in London that dismal television ratings in English Canada have become a drag on the entire corporation. "CBC English television is no longer a mass media broadcaster, but a specialty service offering generalized programming fare of significantly lesser depth, breadth and imagination than it did a decade ago," Mr. O'Reilly said in his speech to the conference, organized by Britain's Broadcast magazine. He said CBC TV no longer fulfills its mandate as a public broadcaster and "should be closed as soon as possible and practical, before it becomes so irrelevant that it threatens the survival of the entire corporation." He said the English-language service could be relaunched after five years once it had been completely redesigned. Spokesmen for the CBC did not return telephone calls last night about Mr. O'Reilly's speech. Stephen Ward, a journalism professor at the University of British Columbia, said the speech may be an attempt to provoke public debate about the future of the CBC. "It's perfectly valid for someone in his position to make these kinds of provocative statements and get people talking," he said. "But I don't think it's going to happen. "In this day and age of media convergence we need a public broadcaster more than ever." Mr. Ward acknowledged the television service is expensive and has perennially low ratings, but said if it were cut entirely the rest of the CBC could soon follow. "I suspect that radio would be the next to go ... [and] any government that managed to rid itself of the expense of CBC TV would be very unlikely to bring it back." Mr. O'Reilly, who resigned last June as executive director of Radio Canada International, has been a broadcaster and policy maker for more than 30 years. In 1990, when the corporation made some of its most drastic cuts, Mr. O'Reilly was the CBC's executive director of communications and broadcast services. His abrupt departure followed a series of major programming cuts to the Montreal-based RCI. All foreign-language newscasts and weekend shows were cancelled and radical programming shifts were made -- changes that alarmed listeners and supporters and left staff morale ravaged. A few days after announcing the changes, Mr. O'Reilly accepted a retirement package from the CBC saying he was "not happy" about the cuts. He had spent much of his four years as director of RCI attempting to persuade the federal government and CBC management to provide guaranteed funding for the service. In 1997, he succeeded in convincing Ottawa to provide annual funding of $15-million but could not secure additional money to enable RCI's programming to continue at the same level. In his speech on Tuesday, Mr. O'Reilly suggested the CBC would be better off without its English television arm and said it should be taken off the air for at least five years. "The only way for the public broadcaster to survive is to take unprecedented political action now," he said. "A redesigned CBC English Television service, within a new and contemporary national broadcaster, should be relaunched within five years from closure." In the meantime, existing news and current affairs output could be transferred to CBC Newsworld, Mr. O'Reilly said. CBC's French-language television network still has a respectable market share and should remain on the air, Mr. O'Reilly said. He said such a move could be the CBC's only way out of its financial crisis, without more government funds. It would also be a boon to private stations, Mr. O'Reilly noted. "The complete withdrawal from advertising by the public television broadcaster [except for Newsworld] will have a major impact on private broadcaster fortunes." Mr. O'Reilly said the cause of the CBC's troubles, which he calls "a slow, painful and very public crash-and-burn," is the unwillingness of governments to adequately fund the broadcaster. But he was also critical of the corporation, observing most of its senior levels are occupied by non-broadcasters. Of the 10 CBC presidents in the last 40 years, "only two would be defined as broadcasters, and one of these two was a stopgap appointment lasting only months, between non-broadcasters." Mr. O'Reilly also said only four of the 12 members of the CBC executive committee were broadcasters and said the dominant attitude at the CBC was "if you have public broadcasting experience, or are a programmer, you are part of the problem, not the solution -- whatever that is -- to the ills of public broadcasting." Mr. O'Reilly also proposed Radio Canada International be taken away from the CBC and turned into "an independent agency, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure its continued existence and output is directly reflective of Canadian foreign policies, rather than to domestic broadcaster financial requirements." (via Gary Walsh, Thunder Bay, and Bill Westenhaver, Montréal, DXLD) ** CANADA. Subject: DIGEST OF REACTIONS TO O'REILLY FROM CAJ LIST The Media Network article about Robert O'Reilly created quite the stir on the listserv of the Canadian Association of Journalists. Here is a digest of what transpired after someone else copied the link of the article on the list. Enjoy (Ricky Leong, Jan 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ========== Oh, perfect. Yet another member of the Canadian media élite arguing that the CBC is irrelevant because *he* has alternatives, while disregarding the fact that for many rural Canadians the CBC is still the *only* television option out there. *Just* what we needed. Craig Schiller (via CAJ listserv) Here's an intellectual exercise to try: think of every single Canadian eminence gris in culture and entertainment whose name you know. Now think of how it is that person came to be prominent in Canada, and perhaps known, in some small way, outside Canada. You will find without any doubt whatever that the CBC was instrumental in that person's rise to cultural significance. Now do the flip side exercise. Try, just try, to come up with so much as ONE NAME of Canadian importance that became noted as a result of exposure on Canadian private television. Without the CBC, we would long ago have become a cultural colony of the U.S. I, for one, would prefer we never do. But I suspect we will, simply because the almighty buck has overtaken any collective sense of nationalism we ever had. Judy Waytiuk, Words, Ink. waytiuk@wordsink.ca Website: http://www.wordsink.ca (via CAJ listserv) Judy, I agree with you, but just to play devil's advocate, tell me this: the CBC has a venerable history of creating, not just promoting, Canadian culture, but what has it done for us lately, at least on the television side? CTV produces approximately as much TV drama, and has poached a lot of the variety programming that only CBC used to do. City-tv and its offshoots, for better or worse, are trying to create a pop-culture star system. At the CBC, "Serious" culture is mostly restricted to Radio, with the exception of Opening Night. And the popular success stories that the privates wouldn't have touched (such as The Newsroom and the very expensive People's History of Canada) are few and far between. The question is, where does CBC television go from here? Does it try to rebuild its central role in Canadian culture, or does it stick to the things it still does well -- news and current affairs -- and forget about everything else, as O'Reilly is suggesting? Eric Geringas, Who's wondering why the baby has to go out with the bathwater, Toronto (via CAJ listserv) Are we to understand that the CBC's mandate is to make famous some small fraction of the Canadian population? Just wondering about the distinction between culture and the people who create it. Corey Tomsons (via CAJ listserv) Well why don't we just say almost every Canadian comedian except the Kids in the Hall. What? Are you forgetting the Dead Dog Comedy Café, which is to funny what Joe Clark is to suave. Wayne MacPhail (via CAJ listserv) I take your point about the other categories you list, but in terms of TV-journalism exports the CBC has the privates beat hands down. Off the top of my head, the following CBC alumni are working for US national news operations: Colleen McEdwards (CNN), Gillian Finlay (ABC), Keith Morrison (NBC), Kevin Tibbles (NBC), Elizabeth Palmer (CBS), Jeffrey Koffman (CBS)... and the list goes on. The fact is, the CBC's news and current affairs programs consistently do the best work in Canada (and consequently train the best journalists). And that's why few but the most ideological opponents of public broadcasting talk about cutting these divisions of the Corp. Eric Geringas, Who still doesn't know what the fuss over Ashleigh Banfield is about, Toronto (via CAJ listserv) I think that CBC is being abandoned by viewers in the rural areas, like urban viewers, of this country. With almost 1.5 million ExpressVu and StarChoice boxes in this country, the bulk of them in the rural areas, and literally hundreds of thousands grey market American satellite dishes, viewers are voting with their remote controls. I counted 24 vendors selling the gray market boxes in the local shopper publication here. I doubt if there is anyone who has to rely solely on the CBC-TV anymore. Richard Blanchard (via CAJ listserv) Not to say that CBC has not had successes: but The Corp is not the be all and end all of Culture or Regional News. Just off the top of my head... Music -- Every Canadian Rock/Hip Hop/Pop/Electronica group in the last 20 years thanks to MuchMusic. (The CBC has been wholly absent as a force in popular and youth culture) Acting -- Pamela Anderson (well you did say exposure -- and she is the most recognized Canadian in the world.) Everyone on SCTV (a private production) Red Green (was a private production before bought by CBC) Paul Gross (CTV) Colin Mocherie (private prod. long before "this hour") Jim Carey Tom Green (thank local cable) Norm Macdonald Eric Mccormick (well why don't we just say almost every Canadian comedian except the Kids in the Hall) Movies -- name one successful international movie in the past 15 years that came from CBC funding or production. TV Journalism -- John Roberts (CBS fmr CITY) Thalia Assuras (CBS fmr CTV/Global City) Ashleigh Banfield (MSNBC -- who has noted the lack of CBC opportunity for her move down south.) BTW: Private TV News stations now far outnumber the CBC in most regions of Canada -- except the north. The CBC does not have any daily local anchored news presence outside of major cities. Meanwhile private stations broadcast TV news from: Prince George; Prince Rupert/Terrace; Kelowna; Red Deer; Lethbridge; Prince Albert; Yorkton; Brandon; Portage; Kenora; Northern Ontario; Hamilton; Durham/ Peterborough; Kingston. Etc..... This is not any justification to shut down the CBC. But let`s give some credit where credit is due. And perhaps value for money as well None of these stations or artists get direct taxpayer funding. Tom Popyk, Reporter. Videographer. CBC Supporter (via CAJ listserv) Fully half of the markets you've listed here get their local news programming from privately-owned affiliates of the *CBC*. (Yes, I know there's a difference between "privately-owned CBC affiliate" and "CBC-produced", but still, these stations have to air *something* the rest of the time they're on the air.) Of the other half that don't get their local news from a CBC affiliate, the majority of those are "twinstick" markets where the CBC and CTV affiliates are both owned by the same company anyway. And the Kenora station airs half an hour of local news programming per *week*, citing the dubious "fact" that Kenora is too small a market to support that broadcaster spending money on a nightly newscast. The CBC is, as well, the only broadcaster that actually runs separate newscasts in each Maritime province. CTV and Global each run one local newscast for all three provinces *combined*. Anyway, the value of the CBC isn't just in news, either. The reason the CBC gets low ratings for much of its prime-time programming has more to do with the fact that it's the only network running an almost entirely Canadian-produced schedule, and Canadians are, as we all know, *notorious* for not watching our own programming. It's not as though the private networks have ever really outdone the CBC at making ratings hits out of homegrown programming, with the obvious exception of "Due South" -- commercial network shows like "Traders" and "The Associates" don't do any better in the ratings than the CBC's entertainment programming does. The CBC's ratings tend low because the programming is Canadian, not because it's bad. Craig, food for thought (via CAJ listserv) Deborah Jones wrote: caj-l moderator fwding to list: * 'Elites' should pay for CBC, Liberal MP says OTTAWA - Roger Gallaway, a veteran Liberal MP and member of the Commons heritage committee, says CBC television should lose its government funding. http://npdirect.nationalpost.com/cgi-bin2/flo?y=eFsU0EMfPE0CQA0BhjF0Ar Gallaway is senior only in terms of the time he has been here. He has no clout in the government. Mark Bourrie (CAJ via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. It's baaaaack. If you connect to the Newfoundland or Atlantic Time Zone streams of CBC One right now you get a 20 second announcement about how they can't let you listen to the show until February 24 due to Olympics rights issues. For the time being, Montreal and Toronto still seem to work. I wonder if they're going to cut out say Madly Off in All Directions or music programs on Radio 2 from their streams for this reason (Joel Rubin, NY, Feb 8, swprograms via DXLD) ** CHINA. 11530, Voice of the Straits. 1522 UT Feb 2 Amoy opera in progress. Ends at 1525, piano music for 5 minutes before any musical appreciation program with selections from classical Chinese instrumental music and male solo Chaozhou opera singing. All station announcements in Amoy dialect. The Chaozhou dialect is similar to Amoy but has a higher tone. CRI is the only international broadcaster to carry programs in Chaozhou (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX Feb 8 via DXLD) ** CHINA-TIBET-XINJIANG. ANALYSIS: CHINA'S MEDIA DRIVE GOES WEST China's fast-paced modernization of its broadcasting industry is gradually spreading from the prosperous east coast inland towards the western regions. The borderlands of Tibet and Xinjiang will receive millions of dollars to develop radio, television and the Internet. The initiative is part of the government's "western development" programme to open up China's poor interior provinces to the free market and private investment. President Jiang Zemin in February called for a further expansion of broadcasting in northwest China, Tibet and Xinjiang to help promote economic development and maintain social stability. Radio and television are seen as an important mouthpiece for promoting the central authorities' policies and achieving "stability", which Beijing says is a prerequisite for economic growth. Jiang said that the "Tibet-Xinjiang project", which was launched in September 2000, will also enable "the voice of the party and the state to be transmitted further to millions of households and the voice of China transmitted all over the world". As part of the "Tibet-Xinjiang project", the state plans to set up more TV and radio stations in rural areas, increase ethnic minority- language programming and invest in training and equipment. Tax cuts and exemptions will be offered to encourage foreign and domestic investment in broadcasting in the western regions. Radio transmission boosted There has been dramatic growth in local radio and television in Tibet over the years as it is an effective medium for disseminating information to a largely illiterate rural and nomadic population. A number of shortwave transmitters have been reactivated and several new higher-power mediumwave and FM transmitters installed in Tibet. The regional government has already spent 80m yuan (nearly 10m US dollars) on installing 75 FM stations at county level, upgrading 14 mediumwave stations, each with transmitter power over 1 kW, according to state media reports. The government has promised to fund the building of TV and radio relay stations in 5,000 or so villages before 2010. Original programming in ethnic minority languages is being increased in Tibet and Xinjiang. Although there are separate TV channels for Tibetan, Kazakh and Uighur languages, programmes are often dubbed from Chinese perhaps because of limited funding. Crackdown on satellite TV In the last year, Chinese media organizations have merged into conglomerates in a bid to become global players in international broadcasting and to help bring order to a chaotic and rapidly expanding media sector. Last December, Xinjiang Television Station, Xinjiang Cable Television Station and Xinjiang Economic Television Station merged into the new Xinjiang Television Station. The expansion of broadcasting and media streamlining coincides with a reported clampdown on "illegal" satellite TV in Xinjiang to isolate the region from Western culture. The Taiwanese newspaper Chung-Kuo Shih-Pao said China had issued an internal circular at the end of last year ordering the dismantling of unauthorized satellite dishes. Access to satellite TV is strictly controlled in China and is restricted to international hotels and foreigners' residences. Recently, illegal TV stations have mushroomed across the country. According to the circular, hotels and residential compounds must prove that more than 80 per cent of their occupants are foreigners to qualify for satellite dishes. Academic institutes can only receive foreign satellite TV programmes for research projects. A local newspaper in the Yili, Xinjiang reported the manufacture, installation and illegal use of satellite receiving equipment had significantly increased in the region. "In the past few years, enemy foreign forces have continued to use radio and television to culturally infiltrate China," Yili Ribao reported. An overseas Uighur group also reported on a clampdown on watching foreign TV via satellite in Xinjiang. In January, the Munich-based East Turkestan Information Centre quoted an alleged circular as saying "government agencies, local radio and television offices should strengthen political leadership and limit any person from accessing Western programmes". Countering "hostile" broadcasts Local officials and media appear to see the expansion of state-run broadcasting as a matter of national survival. Although Beijing has recently offered an amnesty to Tibetans living overseas to return home, local officials and media remain highly critical of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Xinjiang and Tibet radio and TV regularly issue warnings about "splittists" or separatists, the Dalai Lama and "hostile" foreign infiltration. Xinjiang radio recently warned that the authorities faced a "grim situation" in tackling "illegal publications trumpeting ethnic splittism and disseminating religious fanaticism" despite repeated bans. Muslim Uighur separatists lay claim to the revival of a short-lived earlier political entity of Eastern Turkestan. The Dalai Lama and exiled Tibetans also seek greater autonomy for Tibet. But Beijing fears greater self determination for its Tibetan and Uighur citizens. The regions are rich in natural resources and also act as strategic buffer zones. Xinjiang radio recently announced that the expansion of regional broadcasting was aimed at countering foreign broadcasts. "Infiltration by hostile radio stations from abroad into our region has become more serious recently," the radio warned. "Digital Tibet" Beijing's concerns about overseas Tibetan rights groups and international media coverage of the Dalai Lama have led to plans to create a "digital Tibet". The government says fibre-optic cables will reach all counties in Tibet by 2004, and all towns in the region will be connected by telephone by 2005. Internet services were opened in Lhasa in 1998, and Tibetan-language software has recently been developed. The current number of registered Internet users is over 4,000, and Lhasa has an estimated 35 Internet cafes. Xinhua news agency says the impetus behind the project is to halt the spreading of information about Tibet by foreign countries via the Internet. Despite the Chinese authorities' raids on illegal cyber-cafes, illegal satellite dishes and pirated publications, Beijing struggles to control an increasingly vigorous and outspoken media. A younger generation of Western-educated leaders are expected to take the reins of power this year in Beijing. They will have to decide if they can risk easing media censorship without it proving to be a threat to the party's survival. Source: BBC Monitoring in English 7 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** CHINA. "Ondas Curtas desde a China" é o nome de novo programa que a Rádio Internacional da China leva ao ar, todas as quintas-feiras, em língua portuguesa. Pretende apresentar notícias e informações sobre o mundo das ondas curtas. No primeiro programa, foi ao ar informações sobre como montar uma antena externa. Na segunda edição, foi entrevistado Rubens Ferraz Pedroso. A apresentação é de Guilherme Korte. A emissora aceita contribuições gravadas em MP3 no seguinte endereço: cripor@c... [truncated by yahoogroups] Das 0030 às 0100, a CRI pode ser captada em 7245, 9365 e 11850 kHz (Célio Romais, Brasil, @tividade DX Feb 9 via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 93,5 Especial FM, San Francisco de Macorís, República Dominicana. Programa musical. Anuncio de la hora: "son la s9 con 11 minutos"; Saludo al Administrador de la Lotería. Anuncio: "tiene un mensaje por la 93.5 Especial FM". Entre los días 15 y 25 de enero de 2002, Marcelo Cornachioni, Gerardo Choren y el autor de estas líneas: Arnaldo Slaen, hicimos un viaje de vacaciones por algunas ciudades de Uruguay y Brasil. Uno de los objetivos del mismo era tratar de aprovechar la epoca en que puede registrarse la propagación transecuatorial para intentar realizar captaciones distantes en FM. Así, de los diez días empleados para nuestro periplo, en sólo dos de ellos pudimos aprovechar este verdadero fenómeno que se registra, aproximadamente, entre noviembre y marzo de cada año. Para quien esto escribe, con casi 22 años de práctica ininterrumpida de nuestra afición, fué la primer oportunidad en la que tuve ocasión de disfrutar de este "milagro" de la propagación. Así, la primera de estas dos jornadas espectaculares la vivimos en Bage, estado de Rio Grande do Sul, en Brasil. Elegimos un hotel sencillo en la zona de la terminal de ómnibus, ubicada sobre un morro. Desde allí podiamos ver la considerable altura desde la que estabamos, lo cual evidentemente favorecía la escucha. Por la noche, entre las 0030 UT y las 0230 aproximadamente, comenzó el festival. La infinidad de frecuencias espúreas de las FM`s locales dejaron paso a un verdadero concierto de emisoras lejanas. Se reproducen las captaciones realizadas, empleando una Sony ICF2001D y una Sony ICF2010, ambas dotadas simplemente de sus respectivas antenas telescópicas, el día 18 de enero pasado, desde Bage. Cabe resaltar que en una misma frecuencia podían escucharse hasta dos estaciones y en muchos casos, la señal pasaba de 5 a desvanecerse casi totalmente (Conexión Digital via DXLD) Besides this and the VI US log excerpted here, they reported numerous Puerto Ricans and Venezuelans (gh, DXLD) ** GHANA. VISIT TO GHANA BROADCASTING CORPORATION SHORTWAVE TRANSMITTING STATION, by CHRIS GREENWAY -------------------------------------------------------- On 29th November I visited the shortwave transmitting station of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) in Accra. This is located in the GBC's former Broadcasting House, sometimes called BH 2 to distinguish it from BH 1 (now a private residence; where broadcasting in Gold Coast colony first began in 1935 from station ZOY) and BH 3 (the current Broadcasting House, built in the late 1950s and early 1960s). BH 2 is often referred to as "The Old House", to distinguish it from the current BH. The current BH (BH 3) is situated just off the ring road that passes around the centre of Accra. This is where the radio and TV studios are. BH 2, where the shortwave transmitters are, is just a mile north of BH 3. The shortwave transmitters at BH 3 in Accra are now the GBC's only ones. In the past, the GBC had shortwave transmitting stations at Tema (just to the east of Accra) and at Ejura (in the interior of the country), but these are long defunct. The current station houses three NEC 50 kW shortwave transmitters of type HFB-7847. The transmitters still have their original manufacturer's plates on them, giving the date of manufacture of all three as August 1984 and their NEC serial numbers as 106, 107 and 108. Here are some more details about each of the three transmitters: Transmitter 1: The control panel on the front of the transmitter shows that it had been set up to operate on the following pre-set frequencies: 3350, 3366, 4915, 4980 or 5990 kHz. At present it is used only to transmit GBC Radio 1 on 4915. Transmitter 2: The pre-set frequencies for this are: 3350, 3366, 5990 and 7295. This transmitter is no longer operational. It is being cannibalised for spare parts to keep the other two going. Transmitter 3: The pre-set frequencies for this are: 3366, 4915, 4980, 6070, 6130 and 7295. At present it is used to transmit GBC Radio 2 on 6130 (daytime) and 3366 (early morning and evening). I gently raised with the engineers the fact that transmitter 3 in particular radiates a large number of strong spurious signals. They apologized for this, but said they had no spare parts at all (presumably including harmonic filters) for the transmitters, and of course no money to buy any. They were just hoping to keep them on the air as long as possible. Their biggest fear was one of the main valves burning out. To prolong the life of the valves they are running the transmitters at below full power (they said at about 35 kW). I was also shown the aerial matrix, housed in a small, separate building. This was manufactured, also by NEC, in July 1984 (i.e. obviously installed at the same time as the transmitters). It can switch the output of four transmitters between four aerials. The four aerials currently at GBC's disposal are those for 3366, 4915, 6130 and 7295 kHz. However, they explained that they intended to remain with their current frequency usage and had no plans to use 7295 again. ______________________________________________________________________ EAST AFRICAN REPORTS: Chris Greenway`s articles written exclusively for BDXC whilst in Kenya can be found on the club`s website at http://www.bdxc.org.uk (Feb BDXC-UK COMMUNICATION via Tony Rogers, DXLD) ** GREECE [non]. Checked VOG via Delano 17705 Sat Feb 9 at 1705 to find out whether It`s All Greek to Me, the music show presented in English, has swapped places with the talk show, Hellenes Around the World, since the latter was heard during the former`s time slot last Sunday at 1900 on same. At first I thought this had indeed happened, since I heard music until 1714, but then a talk segment with the unpronounceable woman host, but then some more music, contrary to the usual format of long conversations. So we still can`t predict which will appear at 1900 this Sunday (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUADELOUPE. 88.9 Radio Guadeloupe, Comentarios en francés por por 2 locutores con referencias a Guadeloupe y la region (Rudolf Grimm, São José-SC, Brasil, entre los dias 07 a 23 de enero, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. * Narrator: World War 2 Memorabilia - JAPANESE STATIONS IN INDONESIA Back in the era before the Pacific War, Indonesia was the Dutch East Indies and Jakarta was Batavia. It was during this time that the Dutch established a large shortwave facility at Bandoeng, 100 miles from Jakarta. The original purpose for this station was for radio communication with Holland, and with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The transmitters at this radio facility were rated at 80 kW, 40 kW and 2 kW, and the large antennas were directed towards Europe, Asia, the Pacific and North America. The callsigns in use at the time were all in the series beginning with PL. During the developmental era of shortwave broadcasting, the Dutch station at Bandoeng often served as an intermediate relay station, with an onward relay of programming from Europe to Australia and from Australia back to Europe. On the occasion of the first round-the-world relay in 1930, international programming was produced in the studios of the General Electric station W2XAB in Schenectady. The Phillips station PHI in Holland relayed the programming to the Dutch East Indies where it was onward relayed to Australia and then beamed back to the United States from VK2ME in Sydney. Three transmitters in Bandoeng participated in this unusual propagation experiment, and they were PLE, PLW and PMB. With the onward progress of the war in the Pacific and Asia, the Dutch authorities hastily began work on the installation of a new 100 kW shortwave transmitter at a location near Batavia. However, war movements were very rapid and this project was abandoned before it was completed. Then, on Saturday March 7, 1942, at the end of their evening broadcast beamed to Australia, the announcer signed off with this statement in English: ``This is Radio Bandoeng closing down. God save the Queen. Goodbye everyone until better times come.`` With that, the station left the air. Eleven days later, on March 18, 1942, the Dutch officially surrendered to the Japanese, and the Japanese began to take over the radio networks throughout the former Dutch East Indies. The large colonial radio station in Bandoeng was by far the largest radio station operated by the Japanese authorities during the Pacific-Asia War, even larger than their home base at Nazaki in Japan with its three transmitters at 50 kW. Soon afterwards, the shortwave service was revived, with communications beamed to Japan and Germany and with programming beamed towards Australia, New Zealand and India. With the very high power, as it was in those days, of 40 kW and 80 kW, the signal was always reported as ``strong`` in Australia and New Zealand. One of the first new transmissions from the radio station at Bandoeng as reported in Australia was noted with the callsign ABC. Station personnel in Bandoeng recorded off air the tuning signal, station announcements and other significant items from Radio Australia and then wove these segments into their own programming, with the intent of capturing unsuspecting listeners in Australia. At around this time, the government Listening Post near Melbourne took directional bearings from these transmissions and announced that they were coming from the 80 kW shortwave transmitter located at Bandoeng. They also stated that the Japanese had just installed a 50 kW transmitter near Batavia, probably at the location where the Dutch had begun preliminary construction work a few months earlier for a 100 kW unit. However, it is understood that the majority of the shortwave transmissions from the island of Java during this era were from Bandoeng, regardless of the callsigns in use. Several different callsigns were in use during this era. There was station ABC mimicing Radio Australia as we just mentioned. Then there was JBC, which we could guess stood for Japanese Broadcasting Company; and another Japanese callsign JFAK. Some broadcasts were identified simply as Radio Batavia, and at one stage they apparently used an earlier callsign, PMC. The broadcasts on the air as ``Radio Batavia`` always signed off with the American march, ``Liberty Bell``. Around the beginning of the year 1943, the name of the city Batavia was changed to Jakarta, with several variations in spelling. The final listings in radio magazines of radio broadcasts from these stations was soon afterwards, not because the station left the air, but because of wartime restrictions in Australia and New Zealand. It is known now that the final Japanese broadcast from the radio station at Bandoeng was on July 26, 1945. Many months later, this station was noted in Australia, again with the callsign ABC. The first edition of the World Radio Handbook in 1947 lists all of the shortwave stations on the air in what has since become Indonesia under two series of callsigns, some in the new Y series and some in the old P series. Not listed anywhere are the hgh powered shortwave transmitters that were on the air during the occupation years. It would appear that these units did not survive the war. The Radio Scene in Indonesia --- Time Lines - Political ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Year Date Event ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1937 Japan invaded China 1941 Dec 7 Pearl Harbor 1942 Jan 11 Japanese forces landed in Indonesia 1942 March 7 Japan occupied Indonesia 1945 Aug 17 Nationalists declared independence for Indonesia =================================================================== Japanese Stations in Indonesia --- References ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit Reference [AMP`s personal reference notes comprehensible to him] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DEI - Indonesia Bandoeng less than 100 miles from Batavia-Jakarta Dutch surrender, Japanese take over radio stations 18-3-42; R&H 77.14 1-57 98 Indonesia WW2 Japanese 1st heard in Melbourne, May 1942; Meo 84.133 35 Batavia broadcast last POW info 26-7-45; Meo 164 No high powered 80 kW or 50 kW stations in Indonesia in 1947; WRHB 1947 DEI - Early Wireless 1913 Two local spark stations on air with irregular callisigns; YBWTT 1913 192 1921 monster Telefunken arc under construction Java 3.5 MW; YBWTT 82.7 44 1923 1st contact between Holland Java Assen & Malabar; 82.7 YBWTT9 Official opening May 5, 1923 delayed lightning strike Malabar; 82.7 YBWTT 14 DEI - Early Radio Broadcasting Soerabaya 1925 club station 90 m; 1926 WRHB 1927 Java SW ANE ANF ANH; 1928 WRHB JFC Soerabaya; 1928 WRHB YDB Sourabaya, YDC & PMH Bandoeng; R&H 79.11 4-39 50 Pre-War - Batavia & Bandoeng PLE PLF SW Bandoeng; 1929 WRHB PLE weekly music broadcasts 15.93; 79.1 WW 13-6-30 19 Round the world relay Jun 30 1930; RA Thesis 621 PLE 15.3 PLW 38 & PMB Bandoeng 30-6-30 1st world relay; LI 79.23 5-7-30 42 PLE & PMP carry relay from London 21-1-30; A&NZ 77.5 NZRAHB 1931 20 11 PMY heard in 1931; LI 79.23 20-6-31 52 PMB PLE PMC PLM PLW all 80 kW and all Bandoeng; LI 79.23 15-8-31 50 PMB 14.55 PLE 15.93 PMC 16.33 PLM 24.4 PLW 36.9; LI 79.23 15-8-31 50 PLE Bandoeng with broadcasts Tuesdays only, QSL letter; LI 79.23 15-8-31 50 Round the world relay April 2, 1932; RA Thesis 621 PLV 80 kW Bandoeng; LI 79.23 6-7-35 64 PMA PLE PMC all 40 kW Bandoeng; LI 79.23 6-7-35 64 PLP PMN 2 kW Bandoeng; LI 79.23 6-7-35 64 YDB Sourabaya, YDC & PMH Bandoeng; R&H 79.11 4-39 50 Bandoeng 15150 19.81 m closed March 7 1942: ``This is Radio Bandoeng closing down. God save the Queen. Goodbye everyone until better times come.``; ARW 77.8 4-42 23 ABC Batavia - Bandoeng ABC 15950 is Bandoeng 80 kW copy RA; Green Book 86 4-42 ABC Batavia now 50 kW copy RA; Green Book 86 4-42 ABC DEI 19 m, Japanese control?; R&H 79.12 6-42 46 ABC Batavia 18245 16.45 very strong signal, English; ARW 77.8 7-42 22 ABC Batavia 16.45 16.54 19.9; 77.8 ARW 7-42 22 ABC Batavia 16.45 16.54 & 19.9; ARW 77.8 7-42 23 XBC (?) Batavia; R&H 7-42 47 ABC Batavia 18 & 19 m; R&H 79.12 7-42 48 ABC 18007 16.56 Batavia; R&H 79.12 9-42 49 ABC 18007 16.56 Batavia news & POW info; R&H 79.12 10-42 49 Batavia 18007 16.56 POW news; R&H 79.12 11-42 46 PMC 18007 16.56 Batavia news & POW info; R&H 79.12 12-42 49 ABC 18007 16.56 Batavia; R&H 79.12 12-42 49 PMC Jacutta; 77.8 ARW 2-43 ABC Bandoeng 24.44 heard at 11:15 pm; LI 79.24 27-4-46 JBC Batavia JBC = ABC = PMC 18007 kHz 16.60 m JBC Batavia 18007 16.60 heard by many; R&H 79.12 7-42 47 JBC 18007 16.60 Batavia; R&H 79.12 7-42 50 JBC 18007 16.60 Batavia good strength; R&H 79.12 8-42 49 JBC 18135 JFAK 12270 Batavia with POW info; ATCRLG 7 Batavia Batavia began broadcasts to Australia, May 1942; Meo 35 POW news from Batavia; 79.12 R&H 11-42 46 Batavia 16.54 good signal DEI; R&H 79.12 11-42 47 Batavia heard well; R&H 79.12 12-42 47 PMC 18135 Batavia good strength; R&H 79.12 1-43 47 PMC 18135 16.54 Batavia good strength news & POW info; R&H 79.12 1-43 49 Batavia 18135 very good signal; R&H 79.12 2-43 43 Radio Batavia short of Victrola needles, asking Tokyo to send; Meo 35 Batavia asked Tokyo if 18 appointees had left Tokyo; Meo 36 Batavia now Jarcutta; R&H 79.12 2-43 43 PMC 18135 Jacutta Radio; ARW 77.8 2-43 24 Jacutta Radio 18135 16.54 final listing (not final broadcast); R&H 79.12 3-43 43 JBC 18135 JFAK 12270 Batavia with POW info; ATCRLG 7 Batavia sent last message May 31, 1945; Meo 164 WRHB 1947 Batavia YDD 3 kW & PLB 3 kW Bandoeng PLC 3 kW & PMB 3 kW Surabaya YDI 3 kW Voice of Batavia VOB 8846 31.92 new station, Japanese control Liberty Bell; R&H 79.12 6-42 47 Voice of Batavia 31.92 m Liberty Bell; ARW 77.8 6-42 21 Voice of Batavia Batavia 8846 31.92; R&H 79.12 6-42 50 Voice of Batavia 8846 31.92 closing with Liberty Bell March; ARW 77.8 7-42 23 Voice of Batavia 8846 31.92 with Liberty Bell; R&H 79.12 8-42 49 Voice of Batavia 8846 31.92 final entry (not last broadcast); R&H 79.12 2-43 45 (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Feb 10 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Here are two websites that work for me: http://www.rrionline.com (lists rri_jakarta@y...) [truncated by yahoogroups] (Note that there is a _ between rri and Jakarta! Did that copy correctly for you?) http://www.kanguru.org/rristationprofiles.htm Best regards (Don Nelson, Oregon, GRDXC via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. AMYR KLINK O navegador brasileiro Amyr Klink (que está no mar novamente), está operando nas seguintes freqüências: 13.982 kHz preferencial (freqüência de uso maritímo) Outras frequencias secundárias (menos usadas) 14.450 kHz ou 14.362 Khz, 28390 kHz em 10 metros (raramente usada) (via Dinan Rogério, Iracemápolis -SP) Pretendemos combinar com ele umas transmissões em frequencias e horários pré determinadas e ai sim as escutas deverão ser informadas e objeto de confirmação por QSL. Tão logo haja algo de concreto eu informo (Ulysses A. Galletti, PY2 UAJ, São Paulo-SP) Recepção boa aqui, bem agora, em 13982 (1930 local). Ainda não ouvi eles em 14450 ou 14362 ... Estou usando um Sony 7600G e um antena T2FD de 15 metros, em Curitib- PR (Rik van Riel, Curitiba-PR) Amyr Klink partiu em 30/01 para a Antártica, onde realizará a primeira experiência navegável no Mar de Bellingshausen. "Uma região ainda não cartografada", ressalta o velejador, que desta vez terá a companhia de três tripulantes: Crespo, Marcão e Zezinho. A expedição à Antartica é a primeira fase da Viagem à China, parte do projeto Petrobrás Global, que tem previsão de durar três anos. "O Paratii 2 está pronto para ir ao fim do mundo", diz Klink. O Paratii 2 volta da Antartica em maio e depois retorna ao continente gelado para um novo 360 graus. No fim deste ano, o barco zarpa rumo à China, passando pelo Ártico. Amyr Klink e sua tripulação mal completaram seis dias no mar e já enfrentam os primeiros problemas. Na última sexta-feira, o veleiro polar Paratii 2, de 96 pés e 100 toneladas, foi atingido por uma onda de cerca de 10 metros. A tempestade, com ventos de 60 nós, pegou o barco de surpresa e quebrou a janela da sala de comunicação. "Um ciclone veio do Pacífico e gerou ventos de proa. A pressão caiu de repente para 30 milibares e, da posição onde eles estavam, não havia nada a ser feito", explica Fernando Bonini, da equipe de terra que acompanha a Viagem à China. Amyr Klink em contato por telefone via satélite comentou: "Foi uma onda muito grande que cobriu o convés, derrubou a janela dianteira para dentro e veio bater na parede do fundo da mesa dos computadores..." A janela foi re-colocada no lugar. Agora está com uma trinca e tem uma madeira de apoio por dentro. Infelizmente, todos os aparelhos eletrônicos que estavam na mesa deixaram de funcionar: computadores, telefones, videos... Para se ter uma idéa do que esta onda fez dentro do barco, sobre um dos aquecedores havia uma panela e verificamos hoje que ela estava com cerca de uns 20 cm de água salgada." Felizmente a bordo do barco todos estão bem. Seguem viagem agora para uma rápida escala em Ushuaia (Terra do Fogo) onde os reparos e trocas dos equipamentos de comunicação serão feitos. Marina Bandeira, mulher do navegador, partirá na próxima quinta-feira para Ushuaia (Terra do Fogo). Ela levará um kit de reparo da janela além de computadores e outros equipamentos eletrônicos. Após os reparos o Paratii 2 com toda a sua tripulação seguirá viagem para a Antártica. A previsão é que o barco atinja o continente gelado daqui a duas semanas. Para saber mais : http://www.amyrklink.com.br/ (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Feb 9 via DXLD) ** KENYA. EAST AFRICAN REPORT with CHRIS GREENWAY Greetings once again from Nairobi, where we are now enjoying the hottest and driest season of the year. I returned here in early January after almost three months away, mostly spent in the Ghanaian capital Accra [q.v.]. FM IN NAIROBI On my return to Kenya I had to do some catching up with the local media scene. I found that a new FM station had opened in the city during my absence. It is called "East Africa Radio" and is notable for the fact that it is broadcasting simultaneously in three East African cities: Nairobi, Kenya (on 94.7 MHz); Kampala, Uganda (99.0); and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (87.8). The radio is based in Dar. Its programming is largely music-based, but there is news on the hour in either English or Swahili. The station announces a web site of eastafricafm.com, but my attempts to reach this site have been unsuccessful. However, I believe that East Africa Radio may be part of the same Tanzanian media group that operates Radio One, ITV television and various newspapers in that country. Then, on 19th January, I noticed that Radio Citizen, a Nairobi FM station that was forcibly closed down by the authorities last April, had resumed broadcasting on its old frequency of 106.7. As I write, it seems that they've yet to get their full programme schedule back on the air. Also back on the FM dial (at 89.5) is the KBC's Eastern Service. You may recall that in my East African Reports last year I noted that this service was in financial trouble, which had forced it to suspend its shortwave outlet, and then the whole service. During my absence the service returned to the air on both FM and shortwave. The later frequency (4915) is now the only the only shortwave broadcast outlet from Kenya. Unfortunately for DXers its audio quality is rather poor and it shares a channel with Ghana. All these developments bring the number of stations broadcasting in Nairobi on FM to 18! And I should add that all of them are audible with good reception on an ordinary portable set with no external aerial (Chris Greenway, Feb BDXC-UK COMMUNICATION via Tony Rogers, DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. I assume it was Sitkunai active at 0800 today (09/02) on 9710 with Fire & Brimstone religion. The signal was very good, but with co-channel Australia audible in the background. I had to leave the radio before transmission concluded so did not catch an ID - FBN programming heard previously was more 'subdued' than this! (Noel Green, England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAWI. An exciting find for me on 21st January was the reappearance of Malawi on shortwave (7130 kHz). On 24th January it was subsequently heard going past 1700 but had closed by 1730 or so. Next day it closed, somewhat suddenly, at 1630, which was a pity as the signal was good. So, should be a possible late afternoon catch in the UK unless you have something strong on 7130. It is spot on channel and with good audio. In the mornings it is not on first thing, but is there by 0600. Even here in Nairobi, reception in the middle of the day is very poor (southern hemisphere summer conditions). I believe this is the first time that Malawi has been definitely heard on shortwave for about a year. Many of us had feared that Malawi had joined the list of African countries that had left shortwave for good. (Chris Greenway, Kenya, Feb BDXC-UK COMMUNICATION via Tony Rogers, DXLD) ** MALAWI. MBC, reactivated on 3380, is putting in a good signal, one night at 1750, another around 2000, mostly in presumed Chichewa, and some religious programming (Chris Hambly, Victoria, Feb. 7-9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Here's an interesting on-line article about XEROK-800's days as a top 40 station (in the late 70s). The URL is http://www.reelradio.com/km/index.html#xerok7780 It accompanies a composite aircheck of them from that era. (Bruce Portzer, Feb 9, IRCA topica list via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Hi Glenn, XERMX continues to put out a distorted FM like signal, as you reported. Logged on 1/27/02 (9250.3 - 9269.7),1/30/02 (9264.5 - 9266.0). Today, 2/7/02, the signal covered 9262.7 - 9270.0, best at 9268.5. 0250 - 0410+ SINPO 32333 with Spanish talk, IDs at 0305 and 0400, Mexican music, English ID and frequencies followed by Spanish IDs and frequencies at 0406. I did not hear // on either 9705 or 11770 (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEPAL. Friends, The sign on time of Radio Nepal on 5005 kHz is 2315 (not 2345). They sign off at 1815 (Jose Jacob, India, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI was again on air via 15340 until 0759 this morning - no cricket - so this could be the actual schedule now (Noel Green, England, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And I think NZ and/or Australian states are about to go off summer time (gh, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Wavescan 370: Sunday January 27, 2002 Narrator: PAKISTAN IN THE NEWS - SHORTWAVE STATIONS IN PAKISTAN Along with Afghanistan, the neighboring country of Pakistan has also featured frequently in the spotlight of recent international news. In this edition of Wavescan, we take a look at all of the active shortwave stations that are currently on the air throughout Pakistan, each of which I visited during the time we lived in Pakistan back 30 years ago. As far as is known, no new transmitters have replaced any of the older units, and only the old original shortwave transmitters are still in use today. The callsigns allocated to the radio stations in Pakistan are all in the AP range, with A standing for Asia and P for Pakistan. Transmitter 1 in each of the Pakistani callsigns is the local mediumwave unit. KARACHI - Southern port city, and largest city in Pakistan. The shortwave base for Radio Pakistan Karachi is located 20 miles east of Karachi on the highway running towards Hyderabad (Sind). Two 50 kW RCA transmitters APK2 & APK3 were installed in 1948 and two 10 kW Gates units APK4 & APK5 were installed in 1955. The 50 kW transmitters are used in the regional and international services of Radio Pakistan and the 10 kW units were installed originally for the ``Link Service`` with Dacca in what was then East Pakistan. It is unlikely that the 10 kW units are in use these days. QUETTA - Located on the western edge of Pakistan in a mountainous area across the border 150 miles from Kandahar in Afghanistan. The shortwave transmitter APQ2 of Radio Pakistan Quetta is located on the southeastern edge of Quetta and is co-sited with the mediumwave facility. The single 10 kW Gates transmitter was installed in 1962 and is on the air during the day on 7170 kHz, and in the morning and evening on 5025 kHz. PESHAWAR (p`-SHAH-w`r) - Frontier city in the plains near the Khyber Pass en route to Afghanistan. The shortwave transmitter APP2 is co-sited with the mediumwave station and is located in Peshawar itself. The 10 kW AWA transmitter from Australia was installed in 1960 and it is currently listed on just one channel, 5045 kHz. RAWALPINDI (RAW-al-PIN-dee) - Located in northern Pakistan near the foothills of the high Himalayas. The Rawalpindi shortwave station APR2 is located on the western edge of Rawalpindi towards Peshawar and it is co-located with the mediumwave unit. The single 10 kW Gates transmitter was installed in 1962 and it is currently listed for two channels, 7335 kHz during the day and 5010 kHz morning and evening. This unit was recently re- activated. The Rawalpindi mediumwave service can be heard on shortwave on 7110 kHz via a 100 kW transmitter located in the Islamabad twin facility. ISLAMABAD - National capital, modern twin city with Rawalpindi, on the northern edge of Rawalpindi. The shortwave radio station known as Radio Pakistan Islamabad is located 15 miles southeast of the twin city complex Rawalpindi- Islamabad on the Grand Trunk Road that leads to Lahore. There are two shortwave facilities located here, side by side, on the northern edge of the highway. There were 79 antenna masts on these two radio properties. The older station was built in 1968 and housed four transmitters; one Gates at 10 kW, two RCA at 100 kW, and one Continental at 100 kW. The newer facility was constructed in 1972 and houses four shortwave transmitters; two BBC at 250 kW and two Russian made units at 100 kW. The 100 kW transmitters were installed for coverage into what was then East Pakistan and for international programming. The 10 kW units have been in use for the regional Islamabad service and also for the ``Link Service`` as a back-up relay to other stations. All of the 100 kW and 250 kW units have been on the air for the international services from Radio Pakistan, though all units are not in use these days. One of the 100 kW transmitters is in use with a relay from Azad Kashmir Radio. The Islamabad mediumwave service can be heard on 5010 kHz via a 100 kW transmitter at the Islamabad twin complex. MUZAFFARABAD (m`-ZUFF-ar-a-BUD) - Small capital city for Azad Kashmir, administered by Pakistan, located in a wide valley in the rugged Himalayas. Azad Kashmir Radio operates two shortwave transmitters. The 1 kW AKR at the studio building on the upper edge of Muzaffarabad was established in 1961 and its only channel is 3665 kHz. MIRPUR - Small town located near Islamabad radio complex The 100 kW Thomcast at Mirpur was established in 1997 as a high powered relay unit for Azad Kashmir Radio. It is probable that this is the unit that is listed for 7265 kHz. TRARKHEL - a very small village in southern Azad Kashmir Azad Kashmir Radio Trarkhel is in reality a 100 kW unit located at the large shortwave base, Islamabad-1, with studios in Rawalpindi. This unit is currently on the air on 4790 kHz. Shortwave Callsigns in Pakistan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Call City kW Make Year Location Service API1 Islamabad-1 100 RCA 1968 15 miles SE Islamabad & foreign API2 Islamabad-1 100 RCA 1968 15 miles SE Islamabad & foreign API3 Islamabad-1 100 Continental 1968 15 miles SE E Pakistan & foreign API4 Islamabad-2 100 Russian 1974 15 miles SE E Pakistan & foreign API5 Islamabad-2 250 BBC 1972 15 miles SE International API6 Islamabad-2 250 BBC 1972 15 miles SE International API7 Islamabad-1 10 Gates 1968 15 miles SE Regional API8 Islamabad-2 100 Russian 1979 15 miles SE International APK2 Karachi 50 RCA 1948 20 miles E International APK3 Karachi 50 RCA 1948 20 miles E International APK4 Karachi 10 Gates 1955 20 miles E Link Service to Dacca APK5 Karachi 10 Gates 1965 20 miles E Link Service to Dacca APP2 Peshawar 10 AWA 1960 In Peshawar Regional APQ2 Quetta 10 Gates 1962 SE of Quetta Regional APR2 Rawalpindi 10 Gates 1962 Western edge Regional AKR Muzaffarabad 1 Australian? 1961 Upper edge of town Regional AKR Mirpur 100 Thomcast 1997 Near town Regional AKR ``Trarkhel``100 1968 At Islamabad-1 Regional ====================================================================== (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 27 via DXLD) ** POLAND. Hi Glenn, Some corrections on the AWR wavescan item on the history of Polish Radio: Radio Polonia (the foreign service of Polish Public Radio) is still continuing as usual, there are no plans to close down this service. They are currently renting four 100 kW SW transmitters in Warsaw from Polish Telecom, these are TESLA transmitters made in Czechoslovakia, not of Russian origin as stated in the AWR item. Polish Radio never had any SW transmitters of their own. There is no decision yet to use relay stations in other countries (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA. Radio Slovakia International broadcasts in English to North America at 0100 UT on three frequencies: 5930, 7230, and 9440. Unfortunately, there's usually a fair bit of interference. RSI made a fairly big deal of Daniela Hantuchová's victory in the mixed doubles at the Australian Open, but failed to point out that she was wearing a skimpy black cocktail dress on court. :-) (Ted Schuerzinger, Feb 7, swprograms via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. This country has often been in the news recently as the possible next target for US military action. Regular followers of the Somali radio scene will know that it is changeable, and schedule information can quickly go out of date. However, for those wishing to have a go for a Somali catch, the following stations have all been heard recently in Nairobi: 6810 - Radio Baydhabo (Baidoa) 6985 - Radio Gaalkacyo (Galcaio), now much easier to hear and identify with the Sudanese opposition station having moved from this channel to 6965 7002 - Radio Banaadir in Mogadishu 7530 - Radio Hargeysa in Somaliland Best wishes from Nairobi, (Chris Greenway, Feb BDXC-UK COMMUNICATION via Tony Rogers, DXLD) ** U K. The Association for International Broadcasting has recently released details of a Conference they are having in Manchester, UK April 30th. Agenda is at: http://www.aib.org.uk/conf_agenda.html Covers many questions we have been debating in this group. I would find it an interesting day but 435 pounds is a bit outside my budget (Mike Barraclough, England, Feb 8, swprogams via DXLD) ** U K. One thing which may well change the WS at least as far as streaming is concerned, is the Olympics. As of 1606 GMT, the European RA stream was down due to this, and Radio 5 RealAudio was down. However, Radio 4 was up and the American BBCWS stream Real Audio was up. (even though it was carrying SportsWorld, a sporting news program) So it looks like they aren't just taking down the streams the way CBC Radio 1 in English is. If they had SportsWorld on they probably ain't making too many extreme changes for Princess Margaret. 71 years old may not be Queen Mother old but it isn't shocking the way it was when Princess Diana died at 36 either (Joel Rubin, NY, Feb 9, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Winter Olympics special event: The West Desert Amateur Radio Club will sponsor special event station W7U to commemorate the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. W7U will be on the air from February 8 until February 24. Look for W7U on or around 3.768, 14.250, 21.300 and 28.400 MHz. QSL to W7EO, PO Box 98, Grantsville, UT 84029 (ARRL Letter Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. I'm in engineering and frequency management, but I'm aware of NO credible evidence of INCREASING shortwave audiences. Conversely, in program review after program review for VOA the SHRINKING shortwave audience is documented voluminously by IBB Audience Research. May Kim, in his new position, can shed further light on this in the future. Even if you believe the manufacturers, sales of radios capable of receiving shortwave [in addition to AM, FM and who knows what else] does NOT mean more people are listening to shortwave. On a program note; I find the loss of Communications World lamentable. I found an excellent source of news about MY OWN EMPLOYER! Though ours is a business of COMMUNICATIONS, there is increasingly little of it in the halls that Kim and I both wander (Bill Whitacre, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. If you're in a position to try for KUET, Black Canyon City, AZ, on 710, now's a good time to try. A legal ID once every minute, likely till Tuesday morning at nine. This station hasn't been on since around 1986, now with higher power (22000/3900.) Airing a loop consisting of ticking clock and spoken word announcement about a new station in Phoenix coming Tuesday. I'll leave it to you to transcribe the precise wording (and any anomalies) for QSL purposes. If they continue running like they are now, a few minutes' listening will produce an anomaly which you can report. This station may be using a different callsign starting Tuesday, don't know for sure. Good luck! (--Rick Lewis, AZ, Feb 9, amfmtvdx@qth.net via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Like most of the stations in town, XETRA was assimilated by the Borg some time ago. All of the Borg stations in San Diego occasionally refer to their newscasts as coming from the "KOGO newsroom", as if that somehow was a sign of credibility (KOGO is just another cheesy talk station that thinks they're a news station). In their attempt to stave off the Borg, KFMB eventually let their entire news department go (18 people) and made their TV news folks do double duty on the radio. But I'm sure the folks at the Federal Corruption Commi$$ion know what they're doing, and we're all better off as a result of their fine efforts :) 73, (Tim Hall, Chula Vista, CA, Feb 8, IRCA topica group via DXLD) ** U S A. The death of classical music on the radio is one of my hot buttons! I don't think this is accurate, in that when a radio station drops the format, it is very rare for another station to "fill the void". For whatever reasons (I'm thinking about writing a screed on the subject and trying to get it published somewhere) people who run radio stations have decided that playing classical music is just plain Bad. A lot of people argue that it is a demand issue (people don't want to listen to it), but I'd suggest there is also a problem on the supply side in that stations don't want to broadcast it, even in situations where there is a demonstrated demand. Oops, this is a shortwave list... look how this applies to the BBC World Service situation. How many people on this list have complained that relying on FM reception means we get the news and events programming, and completely lose the music, drama, and other non-news features that make up so much of the World Service program? Am I the only one who has gotten the impression (with the business about reaching opinion formers, etc.) that BBCWS is more interested in having its news programming reach us that anything else it broadcasts? We vote from among the options presented to us. In my opinion classical music is becoming an option that is rapidly being removed from our menu because the broadcasters assume it's not viable, not because it's been proven to not be viable (Kyle Barger, Feb 6, swprograms via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Success, of sorts, I did get an ID on VI on 1620 by working the sunset option. Actually, the first thing to fade in this evening was (who else) WTAW which first appeared well at 1815 EST all alone, with the sun just hitting the horizon and red-tinged clouds in the sky. They ran Gabe Merkin. A bit weaker by 1830 and something very weak under. However at 1900 recheck (just now) WTAW had dipped down a bit and definite 2nd station was UP and at 1900 break caught ".., wrra ... st. croix ..." then a 10 or 15 second a-cappella jingle with "radio" mentioned twice. Another "wrra and wd-- " mention at the end of newscast at 1905 while WTAW was ending cbs news, at that point was nearly equal, to a bit below, and the something-like-20 Hz SAH (sub-audible het) was pronounced. So I count this as a definite log, but not enough detail for a report; since I don't send QSLs, I am pleased with this so far. A better antenna would definitely help (this was on the radio in my truck, parked outside) and of course the state of propagation is everything. 73 (Bob Foxworth, Tampa FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) FEB 9, WDHP 1620 with a string of IDs mentioned several times between 0153-0200, mentioning WRRA 1290, WDHP 1620, and what sounded like WVSJ on FM. I think the latter is WAXJ as listed in the WRTH 2002. This is USVI #2; I got WVWI 1000 on an NRC test in 1995. Just prior to the announcements there was some pulsing soca music. Very poor signal, I think the TIS in Niagara Falls is off frequency and making a mess of things. Go for it, Ladies and Gentlemen! (Jim Renfrew, Byron NY, amfmtvdx@qth.net via DXLD) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. 104,3 WVPI, Charlotte Amalie, Islas Vírgenes. Programa musical. Muchas identificaciones por OM. Programación en inglés. "WVPI....one zero four point three FM" Jan. 18 (Marcelo Cornachioni, Gerardo Choren, Arnaldo Slaen, Bage, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil; see more details under DOMINICAN REPUBLIC; Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. As has been widely reported, two stations are currently broadcasting into Zimbabwe each evening on shortwave in an attempt to break the Mugabe government's monopoly of the airwaves. Both stations are clearly audible here in Kenya. They are: SW Radio Africa at 1600-1900 GMT on 6145 kHz Radio VOP, Voice of the People at 1700-1755 GMT on 7120 kHz Reception of SW Radio Africa is particularly good, notably for the final two hours of its broadcast. This would fit in with the theory that the station, which has studios in London, is using the Meyerton transmitting station near Johannesburg in South Africa. Signals on 6145 from South Africa beamed north-northeast towards Zimbabwe would then carry on nicely to reach us here in Kenya. And the fact that my reception is rather poor at the start of the broadcast is in line with the fact that, at this time of year, at 1600 GMT it is still quite sometime before sunset in southern Africa and so propagation on 6 MHz is not very good. If you can't hear SW Radio Africa where you live, its transmissions are available live on the Internet at http://www.swradioafrica.com Reception here of the other station - Radio VOP - is not as good as it is for SW Radio Africa, which is not surprising as it is coming from the Radio Netherlands relay station in Madagascar, and so in Kenya we are only receiving signals off the side of its main beam (Chris Greenway, Kenya, Feb BDXC-UK COMMUNICATION via Tony Rogers, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO RELATED MUSIC --- My radio music list I wasn`t going to follow this up, but --- I can`t help myself. I have 3 entries from the early 80s/late 70s UK music scene. _____________________________ Song "Atmospherics" by Tom Robinson Lyric (Excerpt) Atmospherics after dark Noise and voices from the past Across the dial from Moscow to Cologne: Interference in the night Thousand miles on either side Stations fading into the unknown: You throw off your coat, pick up the post And put a coffee on Lie down on the bed, lay back your head And smoke a cigarette And listen to the radio Listen to the radio All night long... ___________________________________ Another was from the duo Godley and Creme, Get Well Soon I spend the night with Radio Luxembourg Pop music crackles me to sleep I tune the dial to Radio Luxembourg It's better than counting sheep I wrote away to Radio Caroline I need to hear your saddest reggae song And I'll wallow like a zombie in it Tear up my Ipi Tombi ticket Let chocolate buttons limbo under my tongue I've never liked the taste of Lucozade Another sip of hospital champagne Charge your glasses "Radio Luxembourg" Am I the only one tuned in to Luxembourg tonight Do they only programme music to accompany my cough Lousy words and drab percussion Fading in and out of Russian I haven't got the strength to turn it off 208 - fabulous - 208 Fabulous - 208 - fabulous - 208 Contagious flu cold faint I am getting better thanks to Luxembourg But I didn't stop to thank the radio Today when I was downstairs eating It's Ever Ready heart stopped beating Was it just coincidence, who knows? Get well soon, get well soon ______________________________________ And finally The 3rd Album by OMD (Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) "DazzleShips" contains so many sound grabs from Shortwave, you can`t count them all, complete with hets, pops and fades. It`s an album all radio lovers should hear ...once... (very experimental early 80s's Kraftwerk type music) It opens with the old Radio Prague Interval signal and sign on, includes a pastiche made up of many overdubs of all different Frequency/Time stations off shortwave (BPM, CHU etc); another song contains voice recordings from one of the old Soviet stations (or perhaps R Berlin) The Album also has this song: Radio Waves (lyrics) From the transmitter, to the receiver. Across the ether, out of your speaker. Radio waves have life! Radio waves have life! Machines are living too, they`re working for me and you! From the transmitter, to the receiver. Across the ether, out of your speaker. To the Baltic Fleet and Atlantic Fleet. Faster than the breeze over stormy seas. Through America to Albania. Over Reagan`s head, under Moscow`s bed. To the Warsaw Pact and the NATO Pact. Down this cul de sac, never turning back. _________________________________________ OK, I will leave it there before I think of 50 more! 73 de jem (who might turn off his receiver now and slip in some 80s cassettes....) (Jem Cullen, Australia, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-022, February 8, 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 #1117: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sat 0600, Sun 0330 on 5070, Sun 0730 on 3210 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: on 15039, 21815-USB AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 rest of world, 1500 to NAm ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. CLANDESTINE from ? to AFGHANISTAN 8700.03/05U recent observations on Commando Solo ops - on 1/28 signal was again jammed by a variable tone jammer during 1408-1415+ period, different than the sweep jamming observed on 1/23 - on 1/29 heard at 0148-0215 w/ vocal/instrumental Afghani music w/ no jamming at an excellent signal increasing to S3+ by 0215. Again on 1/30 around 1400 w/ no jamming. Jamming attempts seem only half-hearted (Bruce Churchill, CA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) How about Iranian jammers going after Sedeye Mojahed? They often jam everything in sight until they confirm it isn't Mojahed. That would explain half-hearted effort (Ed. Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Pashto/Dari - Radio Free Afghanistan - additional frequencies 1300-1400 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 UDO 500/300 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. 4810.00, Voice of Armenia, 0309 Feb 6, continuous local music with mostly female vocals. Program went without an announcement until 0350. Station continued with ID in Spanish, followed by news items in an unID language (sounds close to Russian), read by a man, until 0357. Traditional music with male vocals through 0359, followed by another brief announcement and more traditional music at the top of the hour. Fair signal, hindered by that blasted swooper and other assorted artifacts. Listened in LSB due to RTTY on upper sideband. (Mark J. Fine / mark.fine@fineware-swl.com Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) More on swooper at bottom ** AUSTRIA. B-01 schedule for AWR via Moosbrunn: 0100-0200 English/Urdu 6160 0330-0400 Persian 9740 0400-0500 Arabic 9875 0500-0600 Arabic 11905 (ex 11915) 0600-0700 Arabic 11670 (ex 11915) 0730-0900 Dyula/French/English 17820 0800-0900 German/English 9660 0900-0930 English 11670 (ex 17820) 1600-1630 German 7135 1630-1700 Persian 11905 1700-1800 Arabic 17735 1800-1900 Arabic 11740 1900-2000 Arabic 11870 2000-2100 Dyula/French 13690 2100-2200 English 9660 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. RÁDIO GAÚCHA COMEMORA ANIVERSÁRIO COM PROGRAMAÇÃO ESPECIAL Emissora completa 75 anos nesta sexta [Friday] Em comemoração aos seus 75 anos, a Rádio Gaúcha coloca no ar, a partir da meia-noite desta quinta-feira, uma programação especial com entrevistas, depoimentos de profissionais que passaram pela emissora, abordagens sobre a importância da rádio para os gaúchos, fatos históricos que foram noticiados e outros assuntos. Confira os programas: [horas UT -2??? -gh] • Sexta- feira, 8 de fevereiro • 08h10min às 09h25min – Gaúcha Atualidade 09h30min às 11h – Polêmica 14h às 16h – Gaúcha Repórter 16h às 17h – Gaúcha Entrevista • Sábado, dia 9 de fevereiro • 08h10min – Ruas de Porto Alegre 08h30min às 09h30min – Gaúcha Comportamento, especial com Jayme Sirotsky 09h30min às 10h30min – Os Gaúchos e o Rio Grande especial – O Rádio Ontem, Hoje e Amanhã • Além destes programas, a Rádio Gaúcha vai veicular diferentes vinhetas com personalidades das áreas política e empresarial e de personalidades de emissoras afiliadas à Rede Gaúcha Sat, com depoimentos sobre a relevância da emissora. A Gaúcha pode ser sintonizada em 600, 6020 e 11915 kHz. (do site http://www.clicrbs.com.br via Célio Romais, radioescutas yahoogroup Feb 8 via DXLD) ** CANADA. This week on The House, the week in national politics... Jennifer Fry on the allegation by some journalists that Canwest Global is censoring their work. They want Parliament to look into media giants that are too big and two powerful. Host Anthony Germain asks several MPs whether Ministers and their minions should have to report exactly how their travel money is spent. That's The House, Saturday after World Report at 9 a.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC Radio One (via Hugo Rodrigues, Peterborough, ON, Underemployed journalist, http://www3.sympatico.ca/hrodrigues Forever Fruvous!!! *MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO*MOO, CAJ List via Leong, DXLD) Also on RCI Saturday morning, 1300 UT on 9515, 13655 and 17710 (Ricky Leong, QE, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. HOT SHEET FOR WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 9 & 10, 2002 [excerpts] 2002 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES FROM SALT LAKE CITY CBC Radio will have full coverage of the Games, including weekday morning sportscasts live from Salt Lake City. During the weekends, Kevin Sylvester and John Hancock will alternate the hosting duties on a live four-minute sports cast following World Report on Saturday and Sunday mornings on CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two. You can also hear Olympic Update, at two minutes to every hour on Radio One from 12:58 through to midnight in every time zone, Monday through Friday. The Olympic Report, with host Robin Brown, can be heard weekdays at 5:24 p.m., except in Toronto and Vancouver where it will air live at 5:55 p.m. Robin Brown will also host The Inside Track from Salt Lake City on Sundays at 1:30 p.m. (2:00 NT, 4:30 PT) on CBC Radio One. This Morning and As it Happens will air special reports from producer/reporter Peter Anawati, and Christopher Grosskurth will provide CBC local shows special documentaries, offering a look at life in Salt Lake City during the Olympics. TAPESTRY: Author Ruth Ellen Gruber on her book "Virtually Jewish: Reinventing Jewish Culture in Europe." Almost sixty years after the Holocaust, the percentage of Jews in Europe is minuscule, but there has been an astonishing resurgence of interest in Judaism. That's on Tapestry, with host Don Hill, Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. (2:30 NT; 4:00 p.m. MT; 3:00 pm. PT) on CBC Radio One. THE WORLD THIS WEEKEND: Sunday, The former Soviet Union had one of the largest militaries in history. Now, the remnants of those once powerful forces are underfed, underpaid and corrupt, liable to sell their Kalashnikovs and their nuclear secrets to the world's rebels. Keith Porter reports that a weak Russian military poses a serious threat to both Russian democracy and international security. The World This Weekend, with Lorna Jackson, Sunday at 6:00 pm (7 AT; 7:30 NT) on both CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two. PEARLS OF WISDOM: Host David Wisdom has film noir classics, plus the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir, La Bottine Souriante, Finjan, Cuban doo-wop and much more. That's Pearls of Wisdom, Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. AT, 8:00 p.m. NT) on CBC Radio Two. (CBC Hotsheets via gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. Good grief Charlie Brown, the CBC refuses to let the man die. Am I being picky or did Peter Gzowski really have as much influence on Canada as these endless tributes would imply? Sure he was a smart guy and I listened avidly every Sunday morning. But this expression of adulation seems to me to be out of proportion to his contribution to Canadian society. I sure hope Ian is still healthy; or Wayne Gretzky for that matter. I think Tim Horton's legacy will live on street corners all over Canada long after Peter Gzowski is forgotten. Of course I could be wrong (Joe Buch, DE, Feb 1, swprograms via DXLD) It may seem to some, outside of Canada particularly, and to those in Canada who are not fans of the CBC, that the CBC is over doing it with respect to Gzowski. I don't think so. This is very similar to what happened at the passing of Barbara Frum. I guess I would have to compare it on the level in the U.S. to what it might be like when Walter Cronkite passes on. Gzowski is known in Canada, not only for his radio work, but for his writings, some television work, but probably most of all for his passion for this country. The United States does a LOT of flag waving, often too much to my liking, but Canada doesn't do enough. Gzowski will be remembered in different ways, but hopefully, most of all, for being a proud Canadian and having a true love for this country. Gzowski also worked diligently on particular causes. He was fascinated with Canada's north and did what he could to introduce everyone, Canadians alike, to it and its treasures. He also was dedicated to the cause of literacy in Canada, having raised over $6 million for the cause. Canadian need to stand up and take notice of great Canadians like Gzowski. The U.S. can have our export stars such as Celine Dion, and the like, who all too often after achieving success, settle in outside of Canada, making the token visits back when it's deemed necessary. Gzowski was Canadian through and through. I am sure that came across loud and clear in his broadcasts on CBC Radio. The CBC`s Gzowski obituary on the CBC website refers to him as "Mr. Canada" These types of lenghty tributes to Canadians within Canada are few and far between. We certainly are guilty of falling into the trap of not truly recognizing what we have until we lose it. So, one more tribute to the man and his legacy is welcomed, at least by me, and quite surely by many other Canadians (Sheldon Harvey, swprograms via DXLD) I'm not sure whether to be more surprised that they actually did an obituary for Gzowski, or that it took them so long to get around to doing it. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST): PETER GZOWSKI, 67, RASPY VOICE OF HOMEY RADIO FOR CANADIANS February 7, 2002 By ANTHONY DePALMA. Peter Gzowski, the rumpled host of a national radio program in Canada whose gentle, homey tones gave voice to a generation of Canadians searching for their national identity, died on Jan. 24 in Toronto. He was 67. The cause was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a severe form of emphysema, a family spokesman said.... http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/07/obituaries/07GZOW.html?ex=1014183277&ei=1&en=160ce385f5fb602e (New York Times via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** CHINA. Xinjiang PBS is back on 4980 and 5060. First was noted on February 6 at 1145. (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Xinjiang PBS back to full transmitter usage from 6 Feb, including 4980, 5060, 9600, 11770, 11885, 13670 and more. I have heard CNR-2 back on the traditional frequency 9080 in the mornings until 0300 and around 1300 in the afternoon. Are they jamming something? (Olle Alm, Sweden, 7 Feb, DXLD) ** CHINA. 33300 Central Peoples Broadcasting Station (CPBS) Beijing China B/C harmonic 3 x 11100, 0215 UT, AM with YL in CC. At very strong levels. Cheers for now, (Ian Julian, ZL1TBM, Pukekohe, New Zealand, Feb 8, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 2340.16 harmonic, Radio Almirante, Riohacha, 780 AM on 780 x 3 at 0959 with Mark Mohrmann once again IDing a real audio file I sent him that I couldn't ID. Played a strange 'anthem' right before the ID that we didn't recognize, which really threw me. Mark heard: "...Super Radio Almirante...HJZW 7-80 AM...Radio Almirante...Colombiano..." Thanks Mark. This was from a log of Jan 29 (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CONGO DR (KINSHASA). 5066 Bunia (presumed) 1612 UT Jan 26. This has become a regular now, but best heard tonight with radio drama, festive music (echo effect), YL spoken word and abrupt signoff at 1616. Does anyone knows the name of this station? (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CUBA. Harmonics: 2180, Radio Cadena Habana, 1090 x 2, ID at 1059 Jan 29 as "Radio Cadana Habana, la frecuencia modular (sic)." Better on 1090 where it was mixing with an American station. 2360, Radio Rebelde (presumed) 1012 Jan 29 // to very strong 1180. 2580, Radio Enciclopedia (tentative) 2 x 1260? Not // to Rebelde. Talk by man and woman in Spanish at 1117 with mentions of workers, people and Cuba. Upbeat music bridges. Another weaker station, sounding like another Latin, underneath them. Heard two stations here as early as 1032 Jan 29, but the above time is when the 'Cuban' was best. 1109 Jan 31 now know that weaker station is Radio Viva. More mentions of Cuba during news, but no ID heard (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) {You mean 2 x 1290? or 2560?} ** CUBA. 5679.98, Radio Rebelde (8 x 710 harmonic) 1128 Feb 5, Weak // 5025 (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. ZAHRADA V OPERE - AN INTERNATIONAL BASTION about a restaurant in the RFE/RL building in Prague. http://www.prague-tribune.cz/articles/2002/02/23.html (Prague Tribune February 2002 via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) RFE/RL UNDER ARMED GUARD My colleague Hans de Vreij, who's RN's Economics Editor, has just been in Prague, where he took some rather striking photos of the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, from where the new Radio Free Afghanistan service is being broadcast. The former Czechoslovak parliament building, just off Wenceslas square, is now under 24 hour armed guard. We've added one of the photos to our Afghanistan media dossier, and you can see it if you scroll down this page: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/insideoutside.htm (Media Network newsletter Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2700.07, Ondas del Yuna, Bonao (2 x 1350 harmonic) 1053 Feb 3, Bachata music, canned ID. Fair to good signal. (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR [and non]. Kürzlich gab die Leitung von HCJB grünes Licht zur Ausstrahlung von Sendungen in plattdeutscher Sprache. Die Vorbereitungen laufen auf Hochtouren. Im Februar 2002 soll das erste Programm auf Sendung gehen. Damals vor 70 Jahren gab es nur die Kurzwelle. Heutzutage werden die Sendungen außerdem auch über Satellit und Internet ausgestrahlt. Die Plattdeutschen Sendungen sollen für Nord-. und Südamerika in Kurzwelle auf 11980 kHz am Samstag zwischen 23:30 und 23:59 UTC (Weltzeit) ausgestrahlt werden. In Europa kann man die Sendungen jeweils Dienstag zwischen 16:45 und 16:59 MEZ (Mitteleuropäische Sommer und Winterzeit) über Satelliten und AfriStar empfangen. Genaue Daten, siehe unten. Unser Wunsch und Gebet ist, unser Plattdeutsches Programmangebot in den nächsten Monaten zu erweitern. Nach Informationen von Sprachforschern sprechen weltweit mindestens 400.000 Menschen plattdeutsch als Muttersprache. Sie leben vorwiegend in: Argentinien (ca. 4.000) Belize (ca. 6.000) Bolivien (ca. 60.000-80.000) Brasilien (8.000) Costa Rica (ca. 2.000) Deutschland (ca. 100.000) Kanada (ca. 80.000-100.000) Kasachstan und Russland (ca. 100.000) Mexiko (ca. 40.000) Paraguay (ca. 40.000) Uruguay (ca. 2.000) USA (ca. 10.000) Wir senden ab Februar 2002 in Plattdeutsch nach Süd-., Mittel-. und Nordamerika: 23:30 - 23:59 UTC (Weltzeit) auf 11980 kHz am Samstag Wir senden ab Februar 2002 in Plattdeutsch nach Europa: 1645 - 1659 MEZ - EuroMax-Deutsch am Dienstag 1645 - 1659 MEZ - AfriStar Kanal 628 Programmkennung "WRN2" am Dienstag EuroMax-Satellite Deutsch analog: Astra 1B, 19 Ost, Transponder 27 (MTV Deutsch), 11.612 GHz, Horizontal, Audio Tonunterträger 7.38 MHz. Alle Programme auf Deutsch. EuroMax-Satellite Deutsch digital: Eutelsat Hotbird 5, 13 Ost, Transponder 94, 12.597 GHz, Vertikal, Symbol Rate 27.500 Mbaud, FEC 3/4, MPEG2 DVB Audio Stream. Auswahl WRN EuroMax Deutsch aus dem Audio Menu. (quoted from Radio HCJB website by Rudolf Sonntag already on Jan 14) --- So indeed German at 2330 on 11980 is on Saturdays now Platt(deutsch) instead of standard German. By the way, I never heard the term "Plautdietsch" previously; I think this is rather "Plattdütsch". And I really wonder how the cited number of only 100,000 speakers of Platt in Germany was determined, since it is actually the native tongue of northern Germany. Probably this is to be considered as wishful thinking since at least the GDR Commie linguists considered variations of German as an evil which everybody should avoid in favour of standard German. But my impression is that the vast amount of people in northern Germany deviate quite distinctively from standard German when not trying to speak "properly". And I wonder if HCJB broadcasts in Bayerisch, Sächsisch, Schwäbisch, Hessisch and Berlin dialect will be next (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EL SALVADOR. La página de la Asociación Salvadoreña de Radiodifusores (Radio y TV) ha regresado en línea, con información bastante detallada sobre cada estación asociada; el sitio es: http://www.asder.com.sv por su parte las radios comunitarias mantienen siempre su sitio: http://www.arpas.org.sv Saludos desde San Salvador (Humberto Molina, http://www.geocities.com/hmolina.geo Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** FRANCE. Radio France Internationale today (Wednesday, Feb. 6) carried an exclusive interview with Mariane Pearl, the wife of kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter. A news announcer said Ms. Pearl "used to work for RFI." (Mike Cooper, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. Re Salmaniw`s item on DXLD 2-019: I am a bit confused; thought English started at 0630, and he reports some English toward the end of his log showing 11805 signing off at 0630. Is this correct? (gh, DXLD) ** GERMANY. Re. ``Viktor says there is no SW transmitter in Holzkirchen. He thinks it is Lampertheim.`` Holzkirchen is indeed an existing shortwave site with four 250 kW transmitters, acc. previous info from Kim Elliot operated only at 100 kW anymore, allegedly to save operation costs. The antenna farm is evidently limited to curtains aiming at the former USSR but herewith covering Tibet and Afghanistan, too. A citizen actions group fights the continued operation of this facility, see their homepage http://www.sender-freies-oberland.de which also contains some pictures. Lampertheim was brought up as Radio Free Afghanistan site by a local newspaper, but actually Biblis is in use. These are more or less twin sites, less than 10 km away from each other. By the way, a possibility to visit the Biblis site is scheduled for Feb 22 on 2 PM, i.e. 1300 UT, so when Free Afghanistan is on air. I hope that I will be able to take this opportunity (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUANTANAMO BAY. Miami Herald, jan. 30 CUBAN CULTURE HARD TO FIND ON BASE AT GUANTÁNAMO --- WORKERS FROM FARAWAY LANDS DOMINATE JOBS, BY CAROL ROSENBERG GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- In many ways, Miami may be more culturally Cuban than this nearly century-old U.S. Navy base -- the only part of Cuba not controlled by Fidel Castro.For one thing, Spanish is scarce here. A visitor is more likely to hear a Jamaican patois or Filipino Tagalog than South Florida's second language. Guest workers from Jamaica and the Philippines dominate the civilian contract market, doing everything from working the ferry that links the two sides of the base to baking pizzas at The Clipper Club, a combination bar, pool hall and pizza parlor.A Cuban cafecito is even more scarce. You have to head back to Calle Ocho for a classic café con leche passed through a window. And, unlike in Miami, they don't serve a medianoche here at the only McDonald's on Cuban soil. Moreover, Castro-controlled Cuba is only a few miles away, separated by a minefield and shark-infested waters, but news from Havana is a rarity, much harder to find than in South Florida's highly competitive, Cuba-centric news market. Base television does not tune to Cuban, state-run radio and television broadcasts. Rather it offers an American-produced satellite package that includes mainstream U.S. commercial, cable and National Public Radio broadcasts. No one here is talking about granting prisoner-of-war status to the terror captives who were airlifted here from Afghanistan. But, even if they were inclined to do it, the curious collection of terrorist detainees don't fit any traditional military model known to the U.S. Marines and Sailors, Army MPs, Air Force members and Coast Guard men and women who are running the prison project.``They don't ... http://cgi.herald.com/cgi-bin/rc_emailfriend.cgi?mode=print&doc=http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/national/digdocs/018504.htm (Miami Herald Jan 30 via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. 4698.9, R. Amistad, San Pedro La Laguna, nice computer- produced QSL certificate: "Reception Report --- R. Amistad gratefully acknowledges your report. Jerry Berg. Your correspondence and reception report is a great encouragement to the announcers and staff of R. Amistad. 90.7 FM & 4700 SW, San Pedro La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala. Quality Christian Broadcasting." Also a long "Dear DXer" letter from David Daniell, Int`l Mission Board, SBC, address on letterhead Apdo. Postal 25, Bulevares, MX, 53140 México. However, return address on envelope was David Daniell, Cto. Cronistas 220, Cd. Satélite, MX, 53102 México, Tel./FAX 525/572-9633. Ltr talks about his family, past work, stns they have been involved with. Also gives URL http://www.casabautista.org/bri and apologizes for not updating it for a long time. In 2 mos. for English rerport and tape to Apdo. 25. Tnx to Larry Baysinger for making the arrangements for Daniell to verify on behalf of the station (Jerry Berg-MA) Same, in about 6 weeks. Letter gives interesting info on all of their L. Am stns. Mentions that Honduran "R. Buenos Nuevos" [sic] ex-4960 will return but on FM instead (Lobdell-MA, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** HAWAII [and non] Pacific Business News (Honolulu) - January 29, 2002, 13:38 EST Tuesday http://pacific.bcentral.com/pacific/stories/2002/01/28/daily25.html HPR TO BOOST KIPO POWER Hawaii Public Radio is finally on the cusp of being able to respond to a frequent complaint of its listeners -- that KIPO isn't as a strong as sister station KHPR. In an internal memo distributed to staff Monday, Hawaii Public Radio announced it had reached agreement to sell KIFO-AM for $500,000 to broadcast interests in Utah, producing funds for the KIPO project. "For years the plan has been so sell KIFO to raise the money we need to boost the power of KIPO," said GM Michael Titterton. "Our objective is to make it just as strong as KHPR is." Both KHPR, which broadcasts NPR's "Morning Edition" (with Pacific Business News reports) and classical music, and KIPO, which broadcasts news programming by day and jazz at night, can be heard in downtown Honolulu. But listeners commuting to Hawaii Kai or Mililani lose clear KIPO reception. The memo to staff said the project to boost KIPO's power could begin in a couple months if the Federal Communications Commission approves the sale. The Utah broadcasters seeking to buy KIFO reportedly want to change its frequency to improve reception of a station they already own on the mainland. Hawaii Public Radio, an independent organization with no ties to governments, universities or others, also has a North Shore repeater and stations on Maui and the Big Island which simulcast -- simultaneously broadcast -- what it's broadcasting from Honolulu. (via Chet Copeland, NY, DXLD) Frequency details?? (gh) {KIFO = 1380} ** HONDURAS. 2541.54, Radio Sonaguera (harmonic 2 x 1270), 1037-1050 Jan 29, Ranchera vocals, 1048 announcer with good morning greetings and IDs. Good sustained signal with S-9 peaks. An e-mail received from the Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones of Honduras states that a request to operate a station on 1250 kHz from Sonaguera, under the name of Radio Sonaguera was granted on January 15th of this year. Presumably this is them on the air with their as yet mistuned transmitter (Mark Mohrmann, VT, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. Friends, AIR's 11620 kHz frequency is on the move again! Just now (0300 UTC Thursday) the Urdu Service is noted on 11397.5 kHz. On Feb 4, 2002 it was on 11628. 11620 is scheduled to operate at various times by AIR especially the morning Urdu Service at 0015-0430 to Pakistan.Parallel fqs then are 9595 and 6155. Later: Friends, With reference to AIR's 11620 kHz drift today to 11397.5 at 0300 UT, continuous monitoring of showed that it is drifting to higher side. Now, after 1 hour i.e. 0400 UT it is noted on 11404.22 (i.e. about 7 kHz drift to higher side in 1 hour) 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS Feb 6, dx_india yahoogroup via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR heard very good drifting 11395-11400 at 0200-0300, apparently the ailing Bangalore transmitter ex 11620, which was gone. (Olle Alm, Sweden, 7 Feb, DXLD) ** INDIA. 4760, AIR Leh, 0129-0158 Jan 26 appeared to be in // 4950 with M with local language until 0145. Best signal of season from Leh (at SR, rx at SS). At 0145 the programs diverge, with Srinagar into a subcontinent music program but Leh continuing to broadcast the same discussion. Note that the programming for Srinigar was not typical of other days --- usually 0130 to 0135 is news followed by Kor`anic recitations 0135-0140 (Possibly Indian Independence Day celebrations are the cause?). Srinigar signal disappears mid-song at 0200:20. Leh continues until fadeout due to tx local SR (Don Nelson, OR, Cumbre DX via DXLD) So the fire did not put Leh off, for long (gh, DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. U S A (non): Some freq changes for RFE/RL: Arabic - Radio Free Iraq - additional transmissions 1700-1800 9870 LAM 100/108 11835 KAV 250/095 1800-1900 9785 UDO 500/300 11725 UDO 500/300 11835 KAV 250/095 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Voici le contenu d'un courrier électronique qui m'a été envoyé par Mati ben-Avraham, Rédacteur en chef à Kol Israël: "Merci de manifester votre inquiétude. Les menaces existent. Elles se précisent meme de plus en plus. Mais rien n'est encore definitif... Le débat réel aura lieu a la Knesset, dans les différentes commissions au moment de la discussion sur le budget de l'Office. D'ici la, comme disent nos cousins, Allah hou akbar... Merci encore." (courriel du 27 janvier 2002) Le site de la station mentionne dorénavant ces possibles coupures et il est demandé aux auditeurs d'écrire au ministre responsable Ra'anan Cohen à raacohen@knesset.gov.il Mauvais présage? Le 31 janvier, sur le site de la station, le lien vers les émissions en français n'était plus valide! Il serait toutefois très étonnant qu'Israël saborde la majorité de son service extérieur considérant la situation dans la région (les informations sont issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. On 1 Feb at 0150 encountered Galei Zahal 11 kHz down its usual frequency, on 6962 kHz, SINPO 45444. Don't know whether it is a replacement or an error. Next days must reveal this (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus, Signal via DXLD) ** JAPAN/UAE/UK. Tent. A-02 schedule for NHK in Japanese to ME/Afghanistan via Merlin Comm.: 0100-0200 6180 RMP 500/105 0200-0400 6180 DHA 500/300 0400-0700 15480 DHA 500/300 0700-1300 15165 DHA 500/300 1300-1500 15400 RMP 500/105 1500-1700 15265 RMP 500/105 1700-1900 11880 DHA 500/285 1900-2100 9590 DHA 500/300 2100-0100 6160 DHA 500/300 DHA=Al-Dhabbaya/Abu Dhabi, UAE; RMP=Rampisham, UK (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Hwasung 3930 logging in DXLD 2-018 was headlined Korea North, but since it was KBS, should be South (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. 31150, Radio Korea International B/C harmonic 2x 15575, 0425 UT AM with music. At strong levels (Ian Julian, ZL1TBM, Pukekohe, New Zealand, Feb 8, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. Denge Mezopotamia now regular schedule on 15415 0500-1100 and 11530 1105-1700. (Olle Alm, Sweden, 7 Feb, DXLD) ** LIBERIA. Re DXLD 2-021, only LCN allowed on SW: How about ELWA? They are on the air, regularly heard here in the Netherlands on 4760 kHz. Does the above ("At present, only President Taylor's own Liberian Communications Network is allowed to broadcast on shortwave") mean ELWA's not legally broadcasting on shortwave? Have a good weekend, (Mark Veldhuis, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hmmm, a slight oversight, but I think ELWA gets a pass since it is supposedly religious-only, non-political (gh, DXLD) ** LIBYA/FRANCE. Radio Great Jamahiriya in Arabic noted on Feb. 6 via Issoudun transmitters: 1400-1600 on addit NF 17695 (55555) NF 21630 (55555) new time!!! 1600-1800 on addit NF 15220 (55544) \\ 15615 (55555) and from 1700 on 15660 (55555) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. See USA [non]: TNT ** NEPAL. 5005, Radio Nepal very poor reception from here in Mauritius around 1400 [UT] with talk and music; 1415 news in English by woman. Hope the reception will improve in the coming days, while nothing on 7165 when checked. 73 (Mahendra Vaghjee, from Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, dx_india Feb 7 via DXLD) 5005, Radio Nepal heard back here February 8th, 1658 Local music, 1710 Identification and news in Nepali, 1715 Local music and male announcer, 1745 Time check in English as 1130 pm followed by news in English by male announcer, 1755 back to local music, 1810 Closing news headlines in Nepali, anthem and off. Fair strength on clear channel. Later sign off and new English news bulletin (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. DUTCH RELAY SERVICE ACTIVE AGAIN IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS Dutch relay will be active again in the upcoming weeks, We will launch the programs of a few USA stations. Witch are WAIR All Indie Radio, PO box 69, Elkhorn NE 68022 USA *********************************** Mystery Science Radio with a tribute to M Python and others (for the second time due bad props) Mystery Science Radio, PO box 69, Elkhorn, NE 68022, USA ************************************* Rock it Radio from the USA with the email address Rockitradio@aol.com and their website http://www.rockitradio.net and their maildrop Rock-it Radio, p.o. box 5617, Ventura, California, USA 93005 ******************************** One from Europe witch is Geronimo radio from the UK with the email address radiogeronimo@hotmail.com Their maildrop is still the same. ******************************** And one from South America. Marabunta radio with the station operator MR Ant. email is rmarabunta@yahoo.com the maildrop of this South American Station is Radio Marabunta, Casilla 159, Santiago 14, Chile ************************************ Frequency's would be somewhere in the 48 mb. others could be 15070 kHz and 21900 all in AM It can be that these programs run already early in the morning around 07.00 UTC, So,,, Get up. Greetings Al D*R*S pirates@rendo.dekooi.nl D*R*S (Dutch Relay Service), po box 663, 7900AR Hoogeveen, the Netherlands. Always enclose one US$ for reply http://www.geocities.com/dutch_relay_service/ (R. Alfa Lima International via hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI Previews for Sunday Feb. 10, 11675 until 1006, then 15175: 0706 - Sounds Historical with Jim Sullivan - This week: A trip on today's last run of the Southerner train. 0912 - Mediawatch - reporting on the NZ media. 0938 - Sunday Supplement - the views of ordinary New Zealanders 1005 - Sportsworld 1112 - Mediawatch (refer to 0912) 1138 - Sunday Supplement (refer to 0938) (John A. Figliozzi, Volunteer Publicist, Radio New Zealand International, GRDXC via DXLD) Hi Glenn: I hope all is back to normal in Enid and things are warming up. I just read the RNZI website where it is mentioned that Mailbox will return the w/c February 11, 2002. 73 (Mick Delmage, Alberta, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {w/c means? (gh)} Mostly; well, it`s not on JAF`s previews for Feb 14, UT Thu 0308, but instead some show about meeting the RNZI staff (gh, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Thailand Report #1 Location: Island of Ko Tao; Rx: Sony IC-2001 D, magnetic loop antenna The following frequencies were checked in the time slot 1140-1235 on Feb. 6 (corresponding to 1840-1935 LT; sunset at ca. 1850). I wanted to confirm s/off times today, but signal levels were much weaker than yesterday. So I send you the following observations instead of trying further receptions: 3205 O=3-4, gone at recheck 1229 3220 nil 3235 O=2-3, still on at 1231 3245 nil 3260 nil 3275 O=3-4, gone at recheck 1231 3290 nil 3305 hardly S1 signal, no ID possible 3315 O=2 at 1204 with no interference, clear ID; mixing with AIR Bhopal at 1226, which soon covered the signal completely 3325 a second signal was detectable under RRI Palangkaraya which had a S4-5 signal (these local pests.... ;-)))) 3335 nil 3355 O=1-2 3365 nil 3375 O=4, off at 1200 3385 nil 3395 nil 4890 O=4-5 If no signal was received, it does not mean that the station has to be inactive. PNG is not a local area from Thailand, hi, and reception is only possible during greyline. IDs were mostly by language and programme content, as the purpose was to get an overview, not to send reception reports (Willi Passmann, Thailand, Feb 8, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** PERU. 4879.02, Radio Comas TV 1100 Feb 3, Presumed sign-on with ID's and opening announcements. Fair signal. On 5039.18, Radio Libertad 1103 Feb 3, Canned ID, good signal. On 5460.32, Radio Bolívar 1107 Feb 3, Spanish vocal, announcer with time check and ID. Good signal. On 5677.92, Radio Ilucán 1110 Feb 3, Andean vocals, announcer with time check and ID, "La hora en Ilucán..." Good signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. THIS WEEK IN RADIO HISTORY - POLISH RADIO, FEBRUARY 1925 It was some time during the month of February 1925 that the first regular radio broadcasting service was launched in Poland. Prior to this, an experimental wireless station had been on the air with intermittent concert programs. The original transmitter was a 500 watt unit located in Mokotow, a southern suburb of Warsaw and it was on the air under the callsign PTR on a wavelength of 380 metres, 790 kHz. The first shortwave station was a low power unit which was launched just prior to the beginning of the European War and it was on the air with callsigns in the SP series, followed by two numbers. After the war, the first new radio station was installed into a railway van, and the shortwave service was again revived soon afterwards. The international shortwave service of Polish Radio was on the air for three quarters of a century, though due to a shortage of funding, it was closed towards the end of last year. The seven Russian made transmitters at 100 kW near Warsaw are now silent, though it is possible that Radio Polonia will take out shortwave relays on other stations that are closer to their desired target areas. Poland is currently remembering the 76th anniversary of its first regular radio broadcasting station (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Feb 10 via DXLD) Didn`t think they were silent yet (gh, DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. Try this website - Samoa News for Saturday 1. Feb 2001. WDJD 585 - Assemblies of God (What Did Jesus Do) http://www.samoanews.com/saturday/SAframeset.html What Did Jesus Do? WDJD 585 AM, AOG Radio Station by Tauva Esera American Samoa's Assemblies of God Ministry will soon be opening a radio station at the Assemblies of God Hall in Tafuna. Mr. Bill Snider, an off-island Technical Advisor, who will serve as Media Director to the new Christian radio station, is conducting training for those who are interested in becoming staff members of the AM radio station. Acting Station Manager, Mrs. Vicky Langkilde Haleck, told Samoa News that the training offers interested church pastors and lay people the necessary information on how to produce local ministerial programs for the station. Starting this Monday, Mr. Snider will demonstrate to the training participants the installation of basic studio equipment, training in announcing and production skills as well as training in the use of a BSI computer for automated air sound. In addition to the training offered by Mr. Snider basic training for Station Manager and Program Managers are also provided. Radio Operations exercises are also provided during the training. What Did Jesus Do? WDJD 585 AM Radio Station is expected to officially open in approximately seven weeks. WDJD 585 Radio Ministries will provide competition for the three-year- old Showers of Blessings radio station run by Pastor Gary Sword who is also expecting to open another Christian Radio Station very soon. (via E. Baxendale, UK, Feb 6, DXLD) ** SPAIN. 14914 kHz, 8/2 1639 RTVE in 50 kHz WFM!!! Phone in px in SS, then mx at 1654, then Loop of OM Id, YL ID and Jingle, then off air at 1656! what on earth is that for??!!! Today`s rx is a lowe HF 125, which I'm enjoying a lot; I'm finding it much closer to my Icom R75 than the Yaesu was, so for me it's easier to use. The front end is also very similar to my Icom RX (Tim Bucknall, NW England, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** SRI LANKA. LISTENING TO THE WEB ON THE RADIO By BBC News Online's Alfred Hermida Radio is bringing the internet to people in a mountain village in central Sri Lanka. Every day for an hour, presenters in the studio translate and read out web pages on topics suggested by the listeners. The aim of the Kothmale Community Radio project is to provide access to the web to villagers who do not have computers and may not be able to speak English. The web is an expensive luxury for most in Sri Lanka and many areas have no internet access points at all. "This digital divide we talk of is not something artificial or only academic in Sri Lanka. It's a real problem," said M J R David who helped to set up the project. "In the cities, children have access to the internet and e-mail, and the use of telephone is increasing. "But in the countryside, very few people even have telephone connections. And in five or six years, all the same children will be standing in the same queue for employment," he explained. The project was started almost three years ago with funding from UNESCO. It has proved a big success, with no shortage of volunteers to help out. "There's always a queue at the computers," M j R David told the BBC programme Go Digital. During the programme, listeners are encouraged to write in or turn up at the station to use the computers there to find out information on the web. If the sites are in English, the bilingual presenters will translate and read them out over the radio. To make the villagers get the most out of the internet, the radio station brings doctors, lawyers or teachers into the studio so they can dig out the relevant information from the web and explain it to the listeners. The internet is also used by other programmes to research stories and incorporate information, news, weather reports and music into their broadcasts. The concept of extending the internet via radio to rural regions in developing countries was devised in 1996 during discussions between UNESCO and community radio broadcasters. The idea was that the two mediums could be integrated to make the internet accessible to a wider audience. Tuesday, 5 February, 2002, 08:41 GMT From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1796000/1796236.stm More about Kothmale Community Radio at: http://www.kothmale.net/ (a very informative site in English but RealAudio isn't working) (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** SUDAN. 7200, SNRC Omdurman. Good reception at 1700 but more interesting, seems that this station have changed its programs as the usual religious chant and koranic talk has not been heard. Instead it was traditional songs presented in Arabic by man from 1700 to 1759, then ID by woman and at 1800 "Akbar" news bulletin; 1830 time pips and ID. 8 February (Mahendra Vaghjee from Mauritius, dx_india via DXLD) ** TAIWAN: GOVERNMENT TO CRACK DOWN ON ILLEGAL RADIO STATIONS | Text of report in English by Taiwanese Central News Agency web site Taipei, 7 February: The government will begin another massive crackdown on illegal radio stations after the Lunar New Year holiday [11-14 February] and anticipates eradicating all illegal stations by the end of the year, Vice-Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Tui said Thursday [7 February]. Tsai said that the Cabinet has formally established a special task force to handle the crackdown on the 130-some illegal stations that remain unlicensed, disrupting aviation communications and "affecting public safety". According to the Directorate General of Telecommunications, 663 pieces of broadcast equipment were seized over the past five years, with over 10m NT [New Taiwan] dollars (285,000 US dollars) in fines levied and 184 people convicted, with the longest sentence being three years and five months in prison. Although the government has released 10 batches of frequencies since 1993, allowing illegal stations to apply for broadcast licences, only 151 broadcasters have taken advantage of the government's liberalizing moves. Official figures indicate that most of the illegal stations provide programming content such as astrology, medicine sales and matchmaking. Source: Central News Agency web site, Taipei, in English 1434 gmt 7 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** THAILAND. 4212, Strong harmonic from fundamental 1404 kHz. 1140 Feb 7. Report in Thai with frequent mentions of the city of Chanburi. Fundamental is listed with 4 transmitters in the recent edition of the WRTH. O=3-4. 4830, R. Thailand seems to be inactive here. Frequent checks at various times brought no result. I will check the other qrgs of R. Thailand as well as the Indonesians within the next two weeks. vy 73, (Willi Passmann, Thailand, Feb 8, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** TRINDADE. In DX, the Trindade 2002 PWOT team reports that several major sponsors have come forward providing vital support for the upcoming DXpedition. ICOM America will be providing a number of ICOM IC-756 PRO II transceivers. ICOM will also be sending along an IC-910H for satellite operation. Possibly the first-ever satellite activity from Trindade. But that`s not all. Electril, a Brazilian manufacturer, has begun shipping antennas to the team staging area and Bob Heil, K9EID, of Heil Sound has personally made arrangements to insure that the DX`ers will have new reliable headsets. Meantime, JA1FGI and JA1WSK have covered the cost of purchasing and shipping a complete RTTY, PSK-31 and SSTV equipment package. Lastly, its reported that the Six Meter Amateur Radio Klub and the Chiltern DX Club are the first organizations to provide the DXpedition with financial support. The operators will leave Rio de Janero on February 15th for Trindade. More information is at the DXpedition website located in cyberspace at http://www.trindade2002.com (PW0T release via Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U A E. UAE Radio Dubai noted on Feb. 8: 0300-0330 in Arabic; 0330-0350 in English; 0350-0530 in Arabic; 0530- 0550 in English all on 15435.0 17829.9 21695.2 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. (from Memphis Commercial Appeal, Tuesday, February 4, 2002) OLYMPICS STILL RESTRICTING INTERNET COVERAGE By Anick Jesdanun, The Associated Press NEW YORK - Perhaps you want to catch a replay of a breathtaking downhill run or missed the misstep that cost a promising figure skater the gold. You won't find Olympic events on the Internet during the Winter Games that start this week. You'll have to settle for photos online. Again, the International Olympic Committee is restricting audio and video footage online. That means no live or delayed coverage of competition, no highlights and no interviews with athletes in Olympic venues. It all comes down to figuring out the proper place for the Internet in a world dominated by television, which pays hefty sums for broadcast rights. Until that balance is struck, the IOC is simply saying no. For the hometown Salt Lake Tribune, the restriction means offering multimedia presentations using text, music and still photos. For the British Broadcasting Corp., it means interviewing its TV correspondents and fans - or grabbing athletes outside the official venues. For the FeedRoom, which repackages local newscasts from around the United States for Internet broadcast, it means trimming the sportscast. "You cringe as an online video destination," said Jon Klein, FeedRoom's chief executive. "You wish you could supply them, yet you sit on your hands and wait." Two months after the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, the IOC convened a special meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland, bringing together industry leaders from new media and old. But little was resolved, and objections remain. Michael Payne, the IOC's marketing director, said Olympics coverage may be routine online in the future, but today the Internet pales compared with television. He said the Internet audience is much smaller and Internet companies have yet to come up with a proven business model. Gary Zenkel, NBC's executive vice president for the Olympics coverage, said the global nature of the Internet would interfere with territorial rights assigned to broadcasters. Ratings could suffer, Zenkel said, if viewers decided to watch footage at a European site before its broadcast on NBC, which has paid $3.5 billion for U.S. rights through the 2008 Games. Nevertheless, the IOC is showing some signs of embracing the Internet. Payne said 75 percent of tickets were sold online this year, compared to about 4 percent for the Sydney Games. Also, the IOC is for the first time giving media passes to online-only journalists. With video, the IOC approved a trial by a Swiss rights holder, Television Suisse Romande, to stream video using Internet protocols to a closed network of high-speed DSL subscribers in three cities. Up to 2,000 subscribers, paying less than $10 for the entire Games, will be able to watch simultaneously. Swiss subscribers will get up to four full-screen feeds online, including some events shown online live before they appear on television in prime time. They will be able to catch obscure sports normally glanced over by TV and use digital tools to place any two skiers side by side. The experiment expands on a test during the Sydney Games in which NBC piped delayed video down controlled fiber-optic cables to only 100,000 homes. For the most part, Web site operators believe they can get by without video - as long as the same rules apply to all sites. Major sports leagues also restrict video, although many allow some highlights as well as live audio feeds of games at designated sites. "Video highlights would be useful to package with stories that say 'So and so won and by the way, here is the winning ski jump,' " said Joe Ferreira, vice president of programming for CBS Sportsline. "But we have the ability to tell the story enough" without video. Manny Mellor, creative director for The Salt Lake Tribune's site, said it will still have plenty to cover outside the venues. "It's a 17-day party here," he said. Even the strongest advocates of video during Sydney are more accepting of the restrictions this time. Matt Rightmire, general manager of Yahoo's media properties, said discussions with the IOC have been promising even though they didn't lead to any noticeable changes for Salt Lake City. Rather than being viewed as a protector of broadcasters at any cost, the IOC is now thought of as a body that understands the issues but needs time to sort them out and act, Rightmire said (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. WINTER OLYMPICS 202: COMMEMORATIVE STATION ON THE AIR The Winter Olympics are in Salt Lake City Utah and ham radio is helping to celebrate the games with a special events station. Linda Reader, N7HVF, has more: ``It`s going to start on Thursday at 5 PM Mountain Standard Time and it will go until the 25th of February. It will be available on all bands, so people will only need to listen around. The station call will be W7U and the trustee is W7EO.`` Again, listen for W7U celebrating the 2002 Winter Olympics through February, 25th (Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. Monday, January 28, 2002 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal RADIO RESURRECTIONIST Virginia City curator can fix them all, puts many on display By ED VOGEL, REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU VIRGINIA CITY -- Henry Rogers has never met a radio he couldn't repair -- even the one he got as a gift from his mother for his 14th birthday. The shortwave band was broken on the Zenith, and naturally the teen was a little peeved. He brought it down to the radio shop in Richmond, Calif., and demanded repairs. But instead of merely fixing the radio, the shop owner invited Rogers to return the next day. He would show him how to fix it. They got the Zenith functioning like new, and Rogers was hooked. "It's like putting together a puzzle," Rogers said. Soon he was buying radios to repair, thrilled with the response he got from people when he was able to make an old clunker broadcast a clear signal once again. Today, Rogers and his wife, Sharon, operate the Western Historic Radio Museum out of the basement of a Victorian mansion in Virginia City. The state's only radio museum contains more than 200 vintage radios dating to 1910. The collection includes a radio bought for $7 back in 1964 and one that sold for more than $1,300 in 1929. With the museum and a repair business, Rogers also operates a Web site that details the history of radio in Nevada.... [full story:] http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Jan-28-Mon-2002/news/17929190.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** U S A. Kim Elliott is going back to his roots, as it were. He started out at VOA in Audience Research. It's unfortunate, to say the least, that Communications World will not be continuing without him. Given the overall atmosphere at VOA --- which has not been friendly to those trying to maintain the integrity of the service in their journalistic practices --- does not appear to be conducive to a program that looks in depth into international communications (John Figliozzi, NY, Monitoring Times chat board via DXLD) While shortwave listeners will certainly miss Kim's voice on the air, his professional colleagues are delighted that he is to return to a field in which his knowledge and experience are unparalleled. Kim stepped into the breach in 1995 to take over Communications World from Gene Reich, who moved across Washington to WorldSpace (where, incidentally, he still is). Kim sometimes added personal touches to his media stories, with anecdotes about his family, which gave the programme a very warm feeling. Some shortwave listeners are reacting to the news by suggesting that the end of Communications World sounds another death knell for shortwave. But I remember people saying that when Radio Australia and Radio New Zealand stopped their media programmes, when Sweden calling DXers shifted its focus to satellite, when the Two Bobs finished their run on Swiss Radio International, and indeed when Media Network ceased to be a radio show. In any case, Kim will now be in a position to analyse how his decision has affected the size of the shortwave audience :-) (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) Well, there you are: another good and popular programme to be axed. Next Saturday [not yet –gh] will be the last Communications World programme from the Voice of America. I'm certainly not the only one in failing to understand this move. I'm sure it would be easier for the VOA to find someone else to work in their audience research department, than to replace Kim as host of Communications World. Come to think of it: if the VOA bosses really cared about the audience they are keen to research they would leave Kim where he is. On March 9 Dr Elliott will be the banquet speaker at the Winterfest meeting in Kulpsville, Pennsylvania. I hope to attend this annual gathering of shortwave listeners and might learn more about this. I'll keep you informed (Frans Vossen, RVi Radio World Feb 10 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. CPJ CONCERNED AT VOA INTERVIEW POLICY, "HARASSMENT" OF JOURNALIST | Text of report by press release by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 17 January New York, 17 January: CPJ is concerned about a recent policy memo issued at the Voice of America (VOA), a U.S. government-funded broadcaster, prohibiting the airing of interviews "with any official from nations that sponsor terrorism". VOA director Robert R. Reilly issued the directive on 12 December in response to language contained in recent congressional legislation ordering the VOA not to air "interviews with any official from nations that sponsor terrorism or any representative or member of terrorist organizations, or otherwise afford such individuals opportunities to air inaccurate, propagandistic, or inflammatory messages." The new policy directive follows the involuntary reassignment of a VOA journalist who broadcast an interview with Taleban leader Mola Mohammed Omar. Spozhmai W. Maiwandi, who heads the VOA's Pashto Service, was notified on 26 October that she would have to vacate her office. Although the reassignment was billed as a "temporary promotion", Maiwandi believes that she is in fact being punished for airing excerpts from her exclusive telephone interview with the Taleban leader in September. CPJ sent a letter to VOA director Reilly on 11 December requesting additional information about the reassignment and urging that allegations of harassment against Maiwandi be investigated. To date, CPJ has not received a response the letter. "Maiwandi's reassignment, coupled with VOA's misguided new policy, suggests that VOA is sacrificing its hard-earned reputation as reliable and independent news source to short-term political considerations," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "Such a policy is a disservice to VOA's millions of listeners around the world," Cooper said. "It may also violate the station's own charter, which affirms that VOA 'must win the attention and respect of listeners' by serving 'as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.'" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists press release, New York, in English 17 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. Re: ``Part of a VOA transmitting site at Bethany, Ohio, which was taken out of service in 1994, will be developed into a large shopping center.`` If Patrick Humphreys (formerly of Radio Finland) hears about this, will he say "this is a supermarket, not a radio station" ? :-) (Andy Sennitt, Holland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The UT Monday 0100 slot on 3210 will probably be available for WORLD OF RADIO again in a week or two (Dawn, WWCR, Feb 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The WWCR Specialty Program Guide [i.e., mostly non-religious or public service] has finally been updated, as of Jan 25; note, however, the WOR listings are incomplete: http://www.wwcr.com/cr_specialty_pgms.html (Glenn Hauser, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WINB CONTEST. Shortwave station WINB in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, USA, is marking its 40th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, WINB plans to run a few contests. Here is the first- From Feb 9th until Feb 23rd only, A WINB pennant will be sent to anyone who sends an audio recording and reception report of WINB as heard on 9320 kHz between 1100-1200 UT. Recording can be on cassette or CD and mailed to: WINB, P.O. Box 88, Red Lion, PA 17356 USA Alternatively, you may send a real audio or MP3 file to winb40th@yahoo.com [No WAV files please.] While CD's and cassette recordings may be of any length, please keep audio files between two and three minutes long. WINB has never had a pennant in its 40 years. The pennants will only be sent to those participating in this and other contests scheduled for this year. Questions or comments can be emailed to me at winb40th@yahoo.com 73, (Hans Johnson, Frequency Manager, WINB, http://www.winb.com Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. one of today's FCC texts (not merely a news release, but a full-text item) concerns HFBC: AMENDED PARTS 2, 73, 74, 80, 90 AND 97 OF THE COMMISSION'S RULES TO IMPLEMENT DECISIONS FROM WORLD RADIOCOMMUNICATION CONFERENCES CONCERNING FREQUENCY BANDS BELOW 28000 KHZ. Proposed amending rules to implement domestically various allocation decisions from ITU World Radicommunication Conferences concerning the frequency bands below 28000 kilohertz ("kHz"). (Dkt No. 02-16). Action by: the Commission. Adopted: 01/30/2002 by NPRM. (FCC No. 02-27). OET FCC-02-27A1.doc FCC- 02-27A1.pdf FCC-02-27A1.txt The document number is FCC 02-27 and the docket number is ET 02-16. With that information you should be able to pull the document from the FCC website. Best regards, (Benn Kobb, Feb 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FCC NPRM ON HF: Today's 2/7/02 FCC daily digest contains at http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-27A1.pdf the NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING AND ORDER in ET docket 02-16. In the Matter of Amendment of Parts 2, 73, 74, 80, 90, and 97 of the Commission's Rules to Implement Decisions from World Radiocommunication Conferences Concerning Frequency Bands Below 28000 kHz This is a 66 page document proposing and making many changes to FCC rules in the HF bands. HF and expanded band broadcasting are particularly affected. See appendix B, C, and especially E first. Comments will be due 30 days after Federal register publication of the proposal. (Federal Register publication is often months later.) This is a very significant proceeding, and serves both to bring FCC rules up to date (WARC 1979 HF Broadcast frequencies are not in current rules), and to accommodate current pending changes (WARC 92). This includes clearing other private users from these bands (Donald Wilson, dwils@loop.com Venture Technologies, 5670 Wilshire Bl, Los Angeles CA 90038, 323-904-4098, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WHITE HOUSE MOVES TO SPEED DIGITAL TRANSITION [via Electronic Media - 4 Feb 2002] The Bush administration proposed Monday that commercial television broadcasters still offering analog signals in 2007 and beyond be slapped with annual fees totaling $500 million. The idea, designed to speed the transition to digital TV, is contained in the president's just-released budget for fiscal year 2003 and would require legislation to implement. Previous efforts by the Bush and Clinton administrations to push through TV spectrum fees have failed. The National Association of Broadcasters is vowing to fight the new effort. The White House also recommended that the auction of spectrum for analog TV channels 60 to 69, scheduled for June 19 after several delays since 2000, should occur in 2004. And it said the auction of analog channels 52 to 59, also slated for June 19, should wait until 2006. The later auction dates could allow the government to reap an additional $6.7 billion for the U.S. Treasury. Meanwhile, the White House wants the Federal Communications Commission to receive $278 million in funding for the next fiscal year (via Fred Vobbe, Feb 8, NRC FMTV via DXLD) ** U S A. Tuesday February 5 9:41 PM ET U.S. LAWMAKER ASKS FOR CLEAR CHANNEL INVESTIGATION, By Sue Zeidler LOS ANGELES, Feb 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. lawmaker has asked federal regulators to investigate complaints that Clear Channel Communications Inc abused its dominant market position as the No. 1 radio broadcaster and concert promoter to shut out competitors. In a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell, U.S. Rep. Howard Berman called for an investigation into allegations that Clear Channel limited airplay of artists such as Britney Spears for not using its concert promotion services. ``These allegations, if true, have obvious, negative implications for consumers, both through higher concert ticket prices and reduced selections of broadcast music,'' Berman wrote in the Jan. 22 letter obtained by Reuters. Clear Channel has led the U.S. concert promotion market since its $4 billion acquisition of SFX Entertainment in 2000, producing about 26,000 live events annually. Through additional acquisitions, Clear Channel has also become the dominant force in radio, with 1,200 stations. In his letter, Berman, a Democrat from California, said the clout of a single entity controlling radio stations, TV stations, concert promotion services and other distribution channels for copyright content raised potential problems. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice (news - web sites) said the agency was reviewing Berman's request. A spokeswoman for the FCC was not immediately available. AGGRESSIVE AND FAIR A Clear Channel spokesman said the company plays by the rules. ``We are satisfied and excited about the ways we have grown our businesses. Our company competes aggressively, fairly and totally within the law,'' said Clear Channel spokesman Randy Palmer. ``If there is an investigation, we are confident this will continue to be proven true,'' he said. Berman's action followed a chorus of complaints within the industry and a lawsuit filed against Clear Channel in August by a small Denver concert promoter, Nobody in Particular Presents. In the suit, the promoter charged Clear Channel with using its radio stations to play Clear Channel-promoted artists in the Denver area, while excluding or limiting airplay of artists promoted by smaller competitors. The suit also alleged that artists were threatened they would lose airplay and on-air promotional support unless they use Clear Channel as their concert promoter. A spokeswoman for Berman said several recording stars had approached the lawmaker on the matter, but declined to elaborate. Clear Channel's unrivaled leadership in radio and concert promotion has long been a sore spot for its competitors and is often a topic at industry conferences. The music business has come under regulatory scrutiny recently with antitrust enforcers at the U.S. Justice Department (news - web sites) looking into the online music business, including two new joint ventures. Regulators have also launched a probe of allegations of CD price-fixing. ``The consolidation of the radio industry also lends growing support to persistent allegations of incidents in which record companies must pay radio stations to play the music of their artists,'' said Berman. Reuters/Variety REUTERS (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. 2002-01-28 - The Denver Business journal PUBLIC RADIO CONFRONTS GROWING PAINS NONPROFIT RAISES FUNDS TO PAY FOR REACH INTO AM Lyn Berry-Helmlinger, Denver Business Journal Nearly 10 months into Colorado Public Radio's ambitious expansion to a two-channel network, the broadcaster is confronting its growing pains with a trendsetting flair -- and a minimum of static from its listeners. "The two-channel format is working very well," said CPR president Max Wycisk, of the new programming that took effect on April 10, 2001. ... http://denver.bcentral.com/denver/stories/2002/01/28/story5.html?t=printable (The Denver Business Journal via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. WNYC-FM REASSESSES PROGRAM FORMAT February 5, 2002 By DINITIA SMITH WNYC-FM (93.9) the public radio station in New York, has long been cherished by lovers of classical music as a refuge from the drumbeat of rock, rap and chatter that crowds the airwaves. But since Sept. 11 the station has broadcast mostly news and talk shows, and now station managers are studying whether to cut back permanently on classical music as part of a larger plan to revamp all of its programming. Laura Walker, president and chief executive of WNYC, is scheduled to present possible changes to the programming committee of the station's board on Feb. 26. "We are looking at options that have more music and that have less music," she said. "But under no circumstances will we become a news- talk show station. Our commitment to classical music and cultural programming remains strong." No final decisions have been made, she added. Programming on the station's AM side (820), which features mostly news and talk shows, is also under review. WNYC-FM is one of two stations in New York City devoted largely to classical music. The other is WQXR, which is owned by The New York Times Company. In recent years, public radio stations throughout the country have dropped classical music in the face of marketing surveys saying that talk radio is what draws audiences and contributions, and that classical music tends to drive potential listeners away. WNYC itself has been transformed into a privately operated nonprofit business with an annual budget of $21.5 million from a quirky municipally run station with a budget of $9.2 million in 1996. Ms. Walker's compensation package for the 2000 fiscal year was $321,539. The station reduced its classical music after two of its transmitters were destroyed in the attacks at the World Trade Center, partly because of a weakened signal and partly because managers wanted to devote more time to news about the events. It has been simulcasting on WNYC-AM, WNYC- FM and WNYE-FM, a station borrowed from the New York City Board of Education that is normally devoted to ethnic and community programming. The arrangement with WNYE ended last weekend, which means that some listeners may now have trouble receiving WNYC-FM's signal. A new transmitter is being installed on top of the Condé Nast building at 4 Times Square and should be up by the end of the month, Ms. Walker said. Until then, there will be no changes in programming. WNYC made an unsuccessful effort in recent months to get a long-term lease on WNYE and to turn it into a third WNYC station, devoted primarily to classical music. Before Sept. 11, classical music was broadcast from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Now regular classical music broadcasting does not begin until 8 p.m., and it lasts until midnight, with occasional special programs. The possible reduction in classical programming was first reported last week in The New York Observer. Lately, Ms. Walker has been meeting with staff members to elicit ideas for changes in programming. "I would say the process obviously makes people nervous, and I understand that," she said. Irwin Schneiderman, a member of the board who is also chairman of the New York City Opera, said, "I hope we will get back to classical music starting at 9 and continuing all day long." He added, "My position is, we have a mission beyond creating the greatest audiences." In October, while the station was still broadcasting mainly news, it had a record-setting fund drive, raising $3.1 million. Even some in the music department say that the fund- raiser may indicate that listeners want more news. "It presented us with a difficult decision," said John Schaefer, the station's music director. "It's great to have the opportunity to retool to make it a little more relevant." Ms. Walker said that the station was still exploring the possibility of having another, mostly classical music FM station. "That remains a key and strong priority of WNYC," she said. "I am a music lover. And we're still hoping to have this." Whatever happens, said Billie Tisch, who is chairwoman emeritus of the board and remains a board member, "we will do it with the greatest attention to our core mission, which has to do with presenting news, information, music and culture in all its forms as appropriate to radio." http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/05/arts/05STAT.html?ex=1014000227&ei=1&en=f736c666bb8e9d10 Copyright 2002 The New York Times Company (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) {later: corect date for following is Thu. Feb. 28 -- Chet} ** U S A. COMEDIAN AL FRANKEN ON NATIONAL PRESS CLUB (FEB 28 [sic]) 12:30 p.m. Tues., Feb 26, Al Franken, Comedian and Author. Topic: "Predatory Lending" Sponsored by: NPC Location: Ballroom http://press.org/programs/luncheonspeakers.shtml [CHET: I presume NPR will carry this [after lunch at 1800 UT]; Franken is replacing a cancelled event that NPR's version at http://www.npr.org/programs/npc/ hasn't caught yet. Note his topic!] "The Salon Interview" of A.F. [Feb 5?] http://www.salon.com/07/features/franken.html The Onion's A.V. Club Interviews A.F. http://avclub.theonion.com/avclub3639/bonusfeature1_3639.html "Al Franken's career is sprinkled with success and failure in many different media: As a performer and writer on Saturday Night Live, he was there for both its '70s peak and its mid-'90s nadir. Lateline was canceled after two brief runs on NBC, with the network and audiences never getting behind Franken's work as buffoonish TV news reporter Al Freundlich. The Harold Ramis-directed 1995 film Stuart Saves His Family, based on Franken's SNL character Stuart Smalley, was a commercial bomb. As an author, however, Franken enjoyed remarkable success with the best-selling Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot And Other Observations and Why Not Me? The Inside Story Of The Making And Unmaking Of The Franken Presidency. The latter details the strategy ``and laments the horrific consequences`` of his run for president, though he's ironically spent recent weeks stumping for Al Gore. Franken recently took time out from a campaign stop to talk The Onion A.V. Club about the presidential candidates, his TV and movie career, and the perils of political satire." (via Chet Copeland/nyc, DXLD) ** U S A. Humanities Jan/Feb 2002. An archive of hundreds of Yiddish- themed radio programs broadcast from the 1920s to 1950s. Article about a project of Sound Portraits.org EAVESDROPPING ON A GENERATION YIDDISH BROADCASTS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF RADIO By Maggie Riechers In 1938 in Berlin, Siegbert Freiberg, a twelve-year-old Jewish boy, saw his father taken away by the Nazis and sent to Buchenwald. Fortunately, not long after, his stepmother was able to get her husband released and he escaped to Shanghai, leaving his family behind. Freiberg's stepmother and other family members eventually died in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Freiberg was arrested and was supposed to be sent to a concentration camp when luck again intervened and he escaped Berlin to spend the rest of the war with a gentile family in the suburbs. In 1946 he made his way to the United States. His story does not end there. The same year Freiberg came to the United States, he was reunited with his father -- not at the offices of a social service agency or at a refugee camp, but in dramatic fashion in the studios of WOR Radio in New York, during a live broadcast. With the show's host retelling Freiberg's story and sound effects in the background adding to the real-life drama, father and son were brought together. Both men were heard sobbing hysterically, caught up in the moment Freiberg described as the ``happiest of my life.`` [full long story:] http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/2002-01/eavesdropping.html (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. WWVA-1170, Wheeling WV, Jan 19 at 1900 EST: ``...this is the second longest running live radio show in existence... Radio Jamboree USA has been broadcast live on 1170, WWVA, since January 7, 1933, complete with regional talent...`` (David Larabee, Columbia MD, DX Digest, NRC DX News Feb 4 via DXLD) ** U S A. WSM comments (revised from NRC DX News Feb 4 for DXLD) Y'know, it's been about 15 years since I mused, so I guess a brief re- intro would be in order. Actually, if you go to my web site http://members.home.net/tjbdx/ you can learn a lot about me and my 42 year broadcast career. For those who don't have internet access, or could care less, suffice to say that I spent over 30 years at WSM in Nashville. I'm writing this in response to a lot of inquiries regarding my personal feelings about the recent firestorm which was sparked by the announcement that WSM-AM was contemplating a format switch from classic country to sports-talk. Well, since I'm retired, and have no work-related ties with WSM's owners, Gaylord Entertainment Company, I can and will speak freely. In an age when formats get changed about as frequently as diapers (and the contents are often similar) WSM's proposed switch was a shocker that stirred unprecedented national attention. For a one-of-a-kind establishment which is virtually the broadcast version of the Smithsonian Institution to throw out 75+ years of history would be unconscionable. Or would it? If the claim is true that WSM lost $1.5 million last year, perhaps a change is in order. But would it be necessary to toss the baby out with the bath water? Take a look at some of the accompanying circumstances and draw your own conclusions. First, you must understand that the overall situation is extremely complex. Not only is WSM-AM's heritage as a country music pioneer and promoter a factor; so are the formats of two other co-owned Nashville FM stations. Also involved: public opinion, bean counters, changing times, demographics, bottom lines, emotions, traditions, and probably a dozen other factors I've either overlooked or don't know about. My initial reaction was one of shock. They're thinking about doing WHAT? "IDIOTS", I thought to myself. After the numbness had subsided, I looked back over the last 10 years, and realized that the Gaylord people have done a horrid job of preserving the country music institutions and heritage established and nurtured by their predecessors. Regardless of how volatile the subject might be, a proposed format change really shouldn't have been a surprise. After all, this is the same ownership that shut down the Opryland USA Theme Park (making money, just not enough) and replaced it with a shopping mall. This is the same ownership that disposed of the successful TNN and CMT cable channels. Those actions eroded Gaylord's image, and were considered an abdication of its commitment to country music. Many of their corporate moves (particularly since the retirement of former National Life VP/Opryland CEO Bud Wendell) have been been unprofitable. Some have created bad vibes with Nashville residents. Others simply appear to have been money grabs with little or no direction or justification. Of course Gaylord is entitled to do as it wishes with any entities it owns, including the programming on WSM --- and in the long run probably will. This time, however, their CEO (himself an "outsider") seemed to be caught completely off guard by the public outcry against the possible change. I can only speculate as to why the proposed change was called off and a promise made to cease meddling with WSM's vintage country format. I don't care to openly express my theories; however, I believe that it would be safe to say that for at least this one very rare occasion, public opinion and sentiment played a part in the formation of a Gaylord corporate edict. While WSM and its continued devotion to the content that made it (and Nashville) famous are in a safe haven for the moment, I don't expect the bottom-liners to go away. CEO Colin Reed made it clear that it will NOT be business as usual. There MUST be improved profits. Considering the continually declining state of AM radio --- unique formats included --- fulfilling that demand is not going to be an easy task. Syndication of the Grand Ole Opry has been mentioned as a means to increase listenership and revenue. That's been tried several times with little success. Is there any reason to believe it would work now? They seem to think so; I don't. Then, there's the sad fact that (no thanks to the FCC) the "clear channel 650" AM signal isn't what it used to be; and as each year passes it reaches fewer potential listeners. The Opry (Gaylord considers it the "crown jewel" of its properties -- - or at least that's what they say) is available on the internet, but no one believes that's where its future lies. So, is its future in XM, Sires, or another satellite delivery system? Could be. The honchos say they're looking into everything but don't care to discuss specifics. If they can get the beloved Grand Ole Opry (and maybe even the unique WSM programming) on an easily accessed satellite feed, perhaps the heat will disappear for the AM operation. Bottom line? I don't know for sure if there IS one! Will there be changes? Sure. What will they be? That's anyone's guess. Are there any right answers? Probably, but considering their track record, I doubt that the Gaylord people will find them. Two probabilities loom large in my mind, neither of which would seem likely to appeal to the Gaylord impresarios. One is to donate WSM-AM, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Ryman Auditorium to the Country Music Foundation which would in turn run it in conjunction with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. I am not a number cruncher, and defer to the experts figure out how to fund the operation under that plan. The other is simply for Gaylord to leave WSM-AM and the Opry alone, as is, and use them as tax writeoffs. While I'm not sure how that works, I hear about them all the time, and am aware that big corporations commonly use "loss leaders" as image boosters. For the present, WSM and the Grand Ole Opry are intertwined to the point where one without the other is virtually unthinkable. WSM with a non-country format is, I suppose, an option; but I'll have to borrow a comment from country entertainer Charlie Daniels to summarize my thoughts. I concur with his analogy that switching WSM-AM from classic country/Grand Ole Opry to ANYTHING else would be akin to tearing down the Washington Monument to make way for a 7-11 store. If any company ever needed an image improvement, Gaylord does. I hope they act sensibly. (Tom Bryant, Nashville, TN (retired WSM Production manager) and (current WSM QSL manager), Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 2130.00 WOR, New York (3 x 710 harmonic) 0944 Feb 5. Raspy audio // 710. On 3000.00, WIOO, Carlisle, PA (3 x 1000 harmonic), 2255 Feb 2, Country & Western vocals, 2300 canned ID. Fair signal. On 3630.00, WPHT, Philadelphia, PA (3 x 1210 harmonic), 1038-1101 Feb 1, Network ads, 1101 // 1210 with local Philadelphia news and ID's. Brief good peak. On 4500.00, WTOP, Washington DC (3 x 1500 harmonic), 2234 Feb 2, "WTOP news time..." ID, mostly raspy modulation peaks, poor signal. (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Both WWV and WWVH were creating symmetrical spurs on 31 meters around 1130 on 6 February. The fundamental frequency for spurs from both stations is 10000. The two stations blend on this freq (at my location), so both male voice (WWV), and female voice (WWVH), are heard. WWV, 10026 and 9974. 26 kHz offset. Male voice only. WWV, 10094.6 and 9905.4. 94.6 kHz offset. Male voice only. WWVH, 10100 and 9900. 100 kHz offset. Female voice only. 10080 and 9920. 80 kHz offset. Very weak, unable to determine voice announcements, but did hear second and minute pulses. (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** U S A. Since Mother Angelica is now "home" at her monastery and is undergoing her rehabilitation therapy there, we will be updating this site every other week instead of the twice-a-week schedule we ran when she was in the hospital. Our next posting will be on Friday, February 8th. According to the Nuns, Mother is doing fine and is responding to her therapy quite well. Please continue to keep Mother and the Nuns in your prayers (EWTN website Feb 7 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Hello, tonight I tuned into the new 7590 transmission. I hope you will like the unsolicited audio file I include. It is not meant to frighten you, that's just the usual local noise here in my flat. Indeed the run-up tones are quite a creation: A long tone of 980 Hz is followed by four short tones of 98, 400, 1000 and 3998 Hz, respectively. But this nevertheless sounds like a Russian test tone generator to me, so I still assume that this is once again one of the many 100 kW rigs at the Tbilisskaya centre (Krasnodar/Armavir). One has just to wonder why they became so innovative in their run-up tone sequence now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The matter of transmitter site is the only point of interest about TNT, as it is a program, not a `station` already easily heard on WWCR UT Sun 0200-0230 on 5070, per currently posted sked (gh, DXLD) RUSSIA [sic]: New transmission via Armavir: Tomorrow's News Today in English noted on Feb. 5: 2000-2030 Mon-Fri on 7590 (55555) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 8 via DXLD) I tuned in to 7590 at 1942, and already at that time the unusual tones were on. I have heard those tones before and no doubt they originate from the feed (satellite?). Reception was modest (S-9) with some flutter and scatter propagation echo. These facts and the observations provided Noel and others leave little choice but Sitkunai in Lithuania, so it seems that they have added another client to their stable, which also includes the more unusual Falun Dafa 5925 (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. HAM RADIO GROWTH: CENSUS REDUX Some dark news following the good news on ham radio growth patterns. The numbers may not be as good as we reported two weeks ago. So says Fred Maia, W5YI, who follows growth trends in ham radio. And Fred says that the numbers we presented are overly optimistic: Fred Maia: ``The FCC database is a database of all amateurs who have been licensed for twelve years. That`s ten years for the license term and an additional two. The reason it stays in the database for the additional two is so that it can be renewed during the grace period. Therefore, the licenses in the database are two years more than the ten year term or twenty percent inflated.`` In our story we used statistics from several sources including QRZ, W5YI and others. But Fred says that there are more recent numbers that show things may not be as good as they may seem on the surface. According to Fred, as of January 15th 2002 there are actually only 98,030 holders of the Extra class license, 86,425 legacy Advanced, 138,546 Generals, 318,603 Technicians and legacy Tech plus and only 39,972 Novice class. The total is 681,576. That is considerably lower than the 720,194 in the latest QRZ census and 10,424 lower than the adjusted 692,000 we believed to be accurate. The bottom line. Once you take away the expired licenses that are in their grace renewal period, the club and military recreation stations and the like the numbers tell a different story. One that`s not nearly as rosy as we and others thought only two weeks ago. (ARNewsline(tm) Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. UZBEKISTAN REFUSES RFE/RL LICENSE PRAGUE, February 7, 2002. /From RIA Novosti's Leonid Sviridov/. - The Uzbek authorities have refused Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty the license to broadcast in Uzbekistan, the press service of the company told the RIA Novosti correspondent on Thursday. President of Radio Free Europe Thomas Dine, having failed to persuade Tashkent to grant his company a license, said he was disappointed by such a result of his 4-day Tashkent visit. The station is broadcasting to Uzbekistan from Prague, relaying its signal via Spain. The incoming signal is extremely weak [sic], so Dine wanted to get a license for broadcasting in middle and short waves. Three new correspondents have been accredited in the country, he noted. Dine also held talks with Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov. He was going to personally meet with President Islam Karimov, but the meeting did not took place. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is sponsored by the US Congress. In 1995, on the invitation of Czech President Vatslav Havel and the Czech government, the company moved from Munich to Prague (via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN [non]. Czech Republic/USA: RFE NOT SURE WHY UZBEKISTAN DOES NOT PERMIT ITS BROADCASTS | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 7 February: Sonia Winterova, the spokeswoman for the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), said she did not know whether Uzbekistan's decision not to allow broadcasts from there was connected with the activities of Uzbek dissident Mohammad Solih. RFE/RL head Thomas Dine wanted to get the permit because RFE's signal is weak in Uzbekistan and only strong radio sets can accept it. However, the Uzbek authorities did not grant the permit. Last November Solih was detained on his arrival at the Prague airport on the basis of a warrant issued for his arrest by Interpol at Tashkent's initiative. Solih fled President Islam Karimov's regime in Uzbekistan, where he was in early 1999 sentenced in absentia to 15.5 years in prison for his alleged participation in a terrorist attack in Tashkent in which 16 people were killed. In Uzbekistan he could face even death penalty, according to observers. Solih was eventually released and returned to Norway... Winterova said she did not know to what extent the attitude of Uzbek authorities could have been influenced by Solih. "I don't know if there is any connection," Winterova said. She said that the Uzbek government had known that Solih had cooperated with RFE/RL. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1849 gmt 7 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA . Re ``Aló, Presidente``, DXLD 2020. El Nacional newspaper appears to have neglected reviewing the program for a while, but as far as I know, President Chávez has been on the air regularly, every week, after Sep 22, except when traveling abroad. On a web page belonging to the other major newspaper, El Universal, which is also critical of President Chávez, there is a transcript of part ``Aló, Presidente``, broadcast from the Observatorio Cajigal, Jan 23, http://politica.eluniversal.com/2002/01/31/alo200102.html#xml=http://manduca5.micron.net:80/xmlread.jsp?k2dockey=h:\canales2\politica\docs\2002\01\31\alo200102.html@Politica&querytext=Al%3F+Presidente This was his 93rd successive talk show. Also interesting is their commentary on his use of radio during his 2nd year in office, at http://politica.eluniversal.com/informespecial/2doano/laradio.htm http://politica.eluniversal.com/informespecial/2doano/aloido.html carries a number of audio clips from his show, at least one of which was conducted alongside with Fidel Castro (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. Atención con la Radio y TV de Venezuela Saludos colegas diexistas. La situación en Venezuela se torna muy candente. Se debe estar pendiente de la Radio y Televisión Venezolana para estar al tanto de los acontecimientos. Atte: (José Elías Díaz Gómez, Venezuela, Conexión Digital Feb 7 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Subject : [HCDX] Coup in Venezuela ? Dear friends, A military coup d'état may be in progress in Venezuela according to current press reports. I just returned from a DXpedition to Aruba, and this Monday evening I was able to watch on Venezuelan TV an officer speaking for hours from a balcony to a big crowd on the streets. Right now at 0230 UT there is a political speech in Ecos del Torbes on 4980 kHz. The only active Venezuelan SW stations I was able to hear from Aruba were: 4830 R Táchira, San Cristobal 4939.5 R Amazonas, Puerto Ayacucho 4980 Ecos del Torbes, San Cristóbal 9640 Ecos del Torbes, San Cristóbal. Best 73, (Anker Peterson, Feb 8 hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA, There's not a lot of new information about Radio San Juan International, my wife's applied-for station in Venezuela, except to say that the frequency authorization appears on the CONATEL, the Venezuelan telecommunications authority, website as a frequency authorization on 4730. But the construction permit has not been issued yet. The bureaucracy moves very slowly in Venezuela, and we found that there is at least one other person who is also awaiting a response from CONATEL on a SW application. We're not in any hurry with this, and are confident that it will eventually be granted (Jeff White, FL, Feb 1, Cumbre DX Special via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 3060.00, Radio San Felipe (2 x 1530 harmonic), 1031-1045 Feb 3, Soft guitar instrumental, 1045 ID. Fair signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg. http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/ DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIRGIN ISLANDS US. Further to my previous message about 1620.... it appears to be WDHP in Frederisted VI testing. Saul Chernos caught a lengthy ID which mentions WRRA on 1290 AM an FM and a slogan of "The Reef".... (Niel Wolfish, Ont., Feb 7, NRC-AM via DXLD) Saul just played the tape he made into the phone for me. I see WDHP listed as having a CP that may be expired. Tuned in to 1620 myself at 2335 EST and a phone-in show was on top of the frequency. At 2358 I heard the same lengthy WRRA/WDHP ID just before midnight, with a mention of their website http://www.wrra.vi Information Radio Network news at midnight.. This station is bombing in again tonight, completely dominating the channel. A folksy announcer just thanked a long list of people for listening, and mentioned getting phone calls from all over, including "Kwee-bec Canada" and England (Barry McLarnon, VE3JF Ottawa, ON, ibid.) I went to http://www.wrra.vi and there it was... wrra@islands.vi BTW, if you're so inclined their real audio works too (Niel Wolfish, ibid.) Got this e-mail this about 20 minutes after sending a messge to WRRA this morning: (Niel Wolfish, Toronto, Ontario): Greetings from Reef Broadcasting Inc. WRRA 1290AM, WAXJ 103.5FM and our newest addition WDHP 1620AM broadcasting out of Frederiksted St. Croix U.S. Virgin Islands. Glad to know you heard us this morning. WDHP officially when on the air last night after days of testing. We are broadcasting at 10,000 watts in digital stereo. Hope you will try and tune in again. Beverley Operations Manager (via Niel Wolfish, NRC- AM via DXLD) WRRA 1290 is right up against PJD2 (PJB2? working without notes) from St Maarten at 5 kW on 1300. Also during the infamous "Hurricane Hugo" (1990s) some technicians from a US Navy Ship visiting Fredriksted USVI right after it passed actually had a big hand in getting the WRRA 1290 transmitter back on the air so that St. Croix could have broadcast service for that community. I was not part of that working party, unfortunately... but I've sailed past it a thousand times and nabbed an ID or two. The last time I heard 1290 WRRA they said they were simulcasting with the FM (Ron Gitschier, maritime mobile, ibid.) 1620, WDHP, Frederiksted USVI; 0030-0208+, 8-Feb; Oldies, big bands & real twangy C&W, no pop C&W. May have run a 103.5 FM spot. Folksy M ancr said, "It's soooo nice to be here in St. Croix". Closed program @0140 & mentioned St. Thomas & downtown Christiansted. More C&W hrd @0145 but without the folksy ancr. No break @0200. Poor w/occasional fair peaks, mainly u/WDND/KOZN echoing w/ESPN. USVI #1 & MW country #32. Tnx Niel Wolfish for tip. Apparently last night was their first night on the air (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE Tipsheet special Feb 8 via DXLD) Posted by Doug Smith on February 08, 19102 at 05:54:26: WDHP-1620 Frederiksted has come on the air, and is being widely heard in Eastern North America. IDs are frequent and include WRRA-1290 and an FM station. Best time to listen is early evening (Monitoring Times chat board via DXLD) That station was in earlier and very strong till 8:45 pm EST. It may still be on playing C&W music with no ID. in between songs now (Jim, Springfield, Mass. K1YGG, Feb 7, NRC-AM via DXLD) No joy in Tampa so far; best I did was about 2120 EST when WTAW faded a bit, I am hearing the mx, usually about 30 to 40 dB down and seems offset by about 15 to 20 Hz. WTAW is just blistering here, as they are many nights. Will have to try just at sunset (Bob Foxworth / Tampa FL, Feb 7, NRC-AM via DXLD) You think WTAW is a problem where you are! (gh, OK, DXLD) Heard atop the channel 1845-1902 2/7 with Dr. Gabe Merken phone-in, NBC News Update 1853-55, more Dr. Gabe, then at 1900 a lengthy full- blown ID for all 3 stations including studio and transmitter locations. Initially I thought that I had the Alabama pest running past sunset on day facilities. This should make USVI almost easy throughout much of the Eastern part of the country not near another 1620! I wish this were a new country for me, but I had logged WVWI-1000 during an intense aurora 30 years ago from North Jersey! (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, NRC-AM via DXLD) Maybe not as far west as Missouri, though... but maybe I tried for it too late in the evening. I checked around 2230 EST (9:30 pm Central) and was totally blown away by WTAW in Texas with the G. Gordon Liddy show... sounded like it was still on day power, as it was *60* over S9 here!! KOZN Nebraska in its null with ESPN radio. The only two stations audible on the frequency. Not so much as a murmur of anything else (Randy Stewart/Springfield MO, ibid.) I'd bet dinner at Bern's Steak House, dessert included [ Bern's has a separate dessert room - you should see it ] that WTAW has never been on night power, at night, since they came on the air. This is as reliable a night signal on Xband as I have ever heard. Last night, it was by far the best signal on anything from 1610 to 1700, much better than I ever hear WBAP (Largo nulled) or WOAI or KRLD, and this is a common occurrence. Sometimes I just _listen_ to them when the Michael Reagan show in on. I suppose being at the top end helps, and I must be at just the right skip distance. I heard Liddy last night when checked again around 2300, totally atop, one unreadable sig way underneath. Wonder how they are doing in Atmore, AL ??? (Bob Foxworth, Tampa, FL, ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE. Re DXLD 2-019: Glenn, A belated follow-up to the item about Australian and British "bio-terrorism" attacks against Zimbabwe. They are of course rubbish, and demonstrate that the Mugabe regime has made an art form of disinformation and smearing its opponents, domestic and international. Similar smears have been directed against members of the Opposition Movement for Democratic Change, not to mention other forms of intimidation and direct phyiscal violence. The Australian High Commissioner in Harare was instructed to formally protest to the Zimbabwe Government over the allegations. The Zimbabwe authorites produced no evidence to back their assertions. Coincidentally, the allegations surfaced on the eve of a meeting in London at which Australia and Britain were pushing for Zimbabwe's suspension from the Commonwealth (Matt Francis, Canberra, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. REBEL RADIO... NEWSWEEK: Right now, the only radio station allowed to operate inside Zimbabwe is the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp. What are its broadcasts like? Gerry Jackson: You would have to be there to really understand how unbelievably bad the news has become. It's never been great, but it has sunk to truly new depths. There is no attempt to try and cover it up with some form of balance. It is full of very dated, nationalist rhetoric and neocolonialist type stuff. It is just endless ...When the violence started in the run-up to parliamentary elections in 2000 and [squatters who occupied white-owned farms] started killing white farmers, you got no information. There was no one telling the story and no one giving Zimbabweans a voice. [Full interview:] http://www.msnbc.com/news/698256.asp (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) BTW, there is a photo of Jackson, and in case you`re wondering, she appears to be a white woman, blonde in fact (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 15954 kHz 8/2 1705 ?? teletalk in unID language; despite a very good signal, I can't ID the lang. I've never heard any language like it!! (Tim Bucknall, N.W England, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECENT SONY CAR SHORTWAVE MODELS Glenn, Your readers may be interested that I've recently noticed a few new Sony car MW/FM/SW radios available the Mexican version of the Sony Style webpage, see http://www.sonystyle.com.mx/site/productos/categories/mx0601.jhtml;jsessionid=OEPHJGEYCJFHDQFIFA0CFEWAVAUDIIV0 and choose "Cassette." There is also a small variety of CD Changer Car Radios and MiniDisc Car Radios, but for whatever reason Sony only carries the SW option on the cassette players. There are 3 models offered, the XR-4950X, the XR-C5500, and the XR- CA620X. See (respectively) at http://www.sonystyle.com.mx/site/productos/product.jhtml?producto_id=mxXR-4950X http://www.sonystyle.com.mx/site/productos/product.jhtml?producto_id=mxXR-C5500 http://www.sonystyle.com.mx/site/productos/product.jhtml?producto_id=mxXR-CA620X The pages and specs are in Spanish of course, but if you load the links into http://babelfish.altavista.com/ and select "Spanish To English" you'll get an approximate translation. I have no idea how one would obtain any of these from Sony Mexico without taking a trip south of the border. I mention these pages only as a guide to those who might stumble upon on these models on an international trip, or, if you are lucky, in a 220v shop in an urban area of the US. You will recall I wrote a review of my Sony Car Stereo (the XRC 5200 now discontinued) for DXLD one year ago this month, and I can report it is still works flawlessly and I'm happy I sprung the $$ for it. Just last month I took a long drive to the next state with a friend who also owns a car SW, and he remarked that even if one were to buy an XFM car satellite receiver, and pay their fees, you still would not have the numerous religious programming options you find on SW. At this point I stopped and made him walk some of the way. Anyway, one of the models offered in Mexico (the XR-CA620X) is the same one that is offered at Jacky's website in Dubai UAE where I purchased mine, and the price has dropped about $50 to only $129, see http://www.jackys.com/product/product.asp?prod_id=1583&qcatname=Car+Audio&qcatid=35 All these Sony units are to universal size and power specifications and can be installed just like any US unit. Jacky's will tack on another $50 for air freight, but at least the parcel will be traceable the whole journey and you get it in just 3 days User reviews for the unit at http://www.jackys.com/review/cust_feedback.asp?prod_id=1583 are mostly good, but it seems like some car makes however have far noisier ignition systems then others. Mine, a Toyota, hardly interferes with SW listening at all, as does a person with a Mazda who posted a review. The only sour review comes from someone who put the unit in his Mercedes, and he can barely pick up a thing unless he goes to a singles bar (Tom Roche, Atlanta, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SWIPER / CODAR Knowing some people do not always have the time to read every item in Glenn`s excellent DX Listening Digests can I draw everyone's attention to the final item. It is important that we all are aware of the various systems that could cause potential, and in this case, actual interference to broadcasting on both shortwave and medium wave as there is now a perception that listening to broadcasts on these bands is declining and that the HF spectrum is underused. In this case the company concerned has been very responsive and it shows how email groups and chat rooms enable information to be collected very quickly and passed on. I do not think all companies will prove as responsive however. I can remember the days of the Russian woodpecker and much of the international broadcasting bands in Europe being affected by Russian jamming. The one thing that would really kill AM and shortwave listening is interference. (Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Mike, at least, will know that this is an 'old acorn of mine'. I applaud the fact that DX Enthusiasts seem to be getting some response from 'officialdom' about this, BUT would ask PLEASE that we bear in mind that as hobbyists, here in Region 1 and in America (Region 2 I think) we have NO RIGHTS WHATSOEVER regarding the availability of these frequencies for Broadcast Use. These Tropical Band Frequencies are assigned for other uses in Europe, America etc. The fact that we can pick up broadcasts on these frequencies is no more than a 'legitimate accident'. Please, be careful, in ANY discussions with 'officialdom' of any sort regarding the use of Tropical Band Frequencies outside of the Geographical Range 30 Degrees North of the Equator to 30 Degrees South of the Equator, we don`t want our International Bands (26, 21, 17, 15 MHz, etc.),'harmed' by any further incursions from non broadcast sources. I feel there has always been some sort of perception amongst SOME DXers/SWLs that we have some sort of 'rights' regarding Tropical Bands. (60, 90, 120 M). I can assure you we don`t; PLEASE bear this in mind. It`s very important from an International Frequency Management point of view. Thank you for 'bearing with me' over a topic I feel VERY STRONGLY about. (I am sorry some people will complain I am shouting!. It may be necessary in this case?) (Ken Fletcher, BDXC48, 2100 UTC, 7th February 2002 via DXLD) THAT FINAL ITEM: THE SWOOPER And finally this week, a loud buzzing noise being heard in the international shortwave band is apparently a new RADAR system used to measure wave height. According to Mark Fine, the system is located at Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, and transmits a one megahertz wide signal in varying five megahertz wide segments. Take a listen: swooper audio here Fine tells Amateur Radio Newsline that he made that recording on 4.795 MHz at 1850 UTC on February 5th. He was listening on a Drake R 8 A receiver set to upper sideband and a 2.3 kHz bandwidth. He says that during the evenings this beast takes over a whole band and is heard as far away as Europe and South America. Already, some SWL`s have nick-named the noise a ``swooper`` because it sweeps quite fast making a ``swoop`` noise as it goes by in SSB. Others have called it the Windshield Wiper Network, which they say is very apropos. (DXLD, CGC Communicator with ``Swooper`` audio provided by Mark Fine). (Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 8 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ?? It`s nowhere near one megahertz wide, fortunately. Five megahertz wide segments?? Loud buzzing noise??? It`s a soft swooshing noise, but still annoying (gh, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO RELATED MUSIC / SONGS ABOUT DXING Hi Glenn, Not to disturb too much the real subject of your DXLDs, I did a check on a music database I have here, for the term "radio" and some few more related to radio, and I found the list as attached below. I cannot comment on most of the titles found, - mostly unknown to me. Also, no word on availability. However, for specific titles I probably could provide some additional details such as label, but would prefer that those needing such would email me directly. Enjoy! Dr. Anton J. Kuchelmeister, Munich, Germany, http://www.qsl.net/dk5tl/ Here is the list, giving but title and artist: Title, -- Artist ------------------------------------------------------------------- Acid Radio, -- Big Bang Adventures In Radioland, -- Mclaughlin, John Biological Radio, -- Dreadzone Closed Captioned Radio, -- Bogmen Dead Air For Radios, -- Chroma Key I Love My Radio '98, -- Taffy Kicks On The Radio, -- King Koen Kitchen Radio, -- Steeple Jack Long Live Radio, -- Wishmountain Is Dead Marching On-The Radio Ep, -- Ballistic Brothers, The Mojo Radio, -- Lo Jo On The Air (Radio Woof N. Dak.), -- P.D.Q. Bach Radio, -- Rother, Michael Radio, -- Ll Cool J Radio, -- Darwins, The Radio, -- Naked City Radio, -- X-Dream Radio, -- Wishmountain Radio Africa, -- Latin Quarter Radio-Aktivität (De), -- Kraftwerk Radio Bavaria, -- Nicki Radio Bostich, -- Voyu Radio Collagen, -- Ror Wolf Radio Days, -- Legrand, Michel & Big Band Various Radio Days, -- Reeves, Jim Radio Eriwahn, -- Lindenberg, Udo Radio Ethiopia, -- Smith, Patti Radio Face, -- Smith, Bob Band Radio Hades, -- Techno Animal Radio Inferno, -- Ammer/F.M.Einheit/Blixa Barge Radio K.A.O.S., -- Waters, Roger Radio Komedy Alle Fi, -- Knallinger, Heiner Radio Kringelig, -- Klaus Dieter & Dieter Klaus Breitschaedel/Herbig Radio M.T.S., -- M.T.S. Radio M.U.S.I.C.Man, -- Womack and omack Radio Macho, -- Trafalgar Radio Mali, -- Toure, Ali Farka Radio Maria, -- Westernhagen Radio Memories, -- Wells, Tommy Radio Moog 96, -- Inducing The Pleasure Dreams Radio On!Stop And Shop With Th, -- Modern Lovers Radio One, -- Hendrix, Jimmy Radio Orchid, -- Fury In The Slaughterhouse Radio Paletti, -- Albrecht, Helmut F. Radio Pascani, -- Fanfare Ciocarlia Radio Söck, -- 3 Söck Radio Station Wagon, -- Gravity's Pull Radio Sturmhölle, -- Unsinkbaren Drei, Die Radio Vs Television Cd, -- Particular People Radio Zitrone, -- Hoffmann, Hermann Radioactive Earslaughter/100%, -- Chaos Uk Radioactivity(Mcd), -- Ukrainians Radiohead, -- X-Dream Radiophonics, -- Fripp, Robert Radiowaves 2, -- Khan & Walker Raised On Radio (Sbm, -- Journey Rolfs Radio Lollipop, -- Zuckowski, Rolf So Muss Radio Sein, -- Nobel, Stefan Talk Radio/Wall Street, -- Ost/Copeland, Stewart Talking Mother Nature/Radio So, -- Achinger, Katrin The Great Radio Controversy, -- Tesla The North Pole Radio Station, -- Pram The Spliff Radio Show, -- Spliff Totally Radio, -- Beat Poets, The Treinta Kilometros De Radio, -- Esplendor Geometrico Turn The Radio Off, -- Reel Big Fish Underground Radio, -- Bombshell Rocks Wall Street/Talk Radio, -- Ost/Copeland, Stewart Wtwp Class/Talkity-Talk Radio, -- Schickele/Browne/Forrest Anti-Racist Dub Broadcast, -- Mad Professor Broadcast, -- Cutting Crew Broadcasting From Home, -- Penguin Cafe Orchestra Broadcasting Live, -- Dj Cam Glenn Miller-War Broadcasts, -- Miller, Glenn Terrestial Broadcast, -- T.V.O.D. The Secret Broadcasts, -- Miller, Glenn Controlling Transmission, -- Final Fantasy Trade Test Transmission, -- Buzzcocks Transmission, -- Tea Party, The Transmission Central/Mic Check, -- Rockers Hifi Transmission Pervous, -- Steril Transmission To Chaos, -- Deviser Transmissions From Uranus, -- Hanzel Und Gretyl Waveform Transmission, -- Mills, Jeff Waveform Transmission, -- Vision, The Feat.Rob Hood White Rose Transmission, -- White Rose Transmission Antenna, -- Zz Top Antenna Tool And Die Sessions, -- We Dx-Invader,-- Nuccle, Jon (via Anton J. Kuchelmeister, Munich, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-021, February 6, 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 #1117: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1117.html SECOND AIRING ON WBCQ 7415: UT Thursday 0600 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685, Fri 1030 on 9475 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: on 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. RFE/RL press release in DXLD 2-019 is also at: http://www.rferl.org/welcome/english/releases/2002/01/71-300102.html (RFE/RL website via John Norfolk, DXLD) R. Free Afghanistan: In Dari they announce 11925 kHz for transmission at 1700 UT (instead of 11920 which is the actual frequency). At 1700 I hear only very weak signal on 6170 kHz (listed as Holzkirchen). Viktor does not hear anything due to his simpler equipment. Viktor says there is no SW transmitter in Holzkirchen. He thinks it is Lampertheim. What do YOU think????? We both are surprised by a very strong signal on 11920 kHz at 1700. Is it really Tinang? (Karel Honzík, Czechia, BC-DX) 6170 is really Al Dhabbaya in UAE; see the bearings towards Afghanistan and to Czech Rep/Germany below. 11920 at 17 UT is Udorn Thani relay site in Thailand. Helped me to the final 10 minutes at 1750-1800 UT today, heard AAR on all three channels, Udorn Thani 9785 and 11920 much stronger than Al Dhabaya 6170 SIO=222, which 50[!!] degrees outlet doesn't fit properly in our direction towards Central Europe 325[!!] degrees (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, BC-DX Jan 31 via DXLD) [Previously published frequency list revised to indicate, excerpted]: 6170 1700-1800 VOA RLAF VAR HOL 059 (former placeholder) 7230 0300-0400 VOA RLAF VAR KAV 051 (former placeholder) 9785 1700-1800 VOA RLAF VAR PHT 315 (former placeholder) 11920 1300-1400 VOA RLAF VAR KAV 095 (former placeholder) 11920 1700-1800 VOA RLAF VAR PHT 315 (former placeholder) 15345 0300-0400 VOA RLAF VAR UDO 300 (former placeholder) 15525 1300-1400 VOA RLAF VAR IRA 310 (former placeholder) 17725 0300-0400 VOA RLAF VAR UDO 300 (former placeholder) 17725 1300-1400 VOA RLAF VAR BIB 085 (former placeholder) The new R. Free Afghanistan heard at 1300-1400 on clear channels 11920 15525 and 17725 - the last one being the best here. I made a recording for the Eastern Germany regional radio station, accompanied for Kai's text contribution there. Ironically 15525 Iranawila Sri Lanka was the best channel at that time span. Despite I had a fair signal on the lower side, because of strong +60 dB of RUI Khar`kiv on 15520 at 290 degrees. So I heard on flank side around 15528 kHz with the 20 kHz wide filter. Kavalla 11920 has an annoying buzzy tone all over the channel, upper and lower side even. A side lobe of the back curtain net array behind the 95 degrees installation at Kavalla produces this terrible radiation. And - lucky Noel overthere - 17725 is useless here, some 140 kilometers away from Biblis, I only can hear an echo signal in the dead zone, like Wertachtal signal which rounded two times the earth. Biblis is skipping over my head. Sudden s-off was 1359:33 UT. The staff of both, Pashto, and Dari services has a female announcer each as news reader; that's totally contrary to the former Taleban politic. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 1, BC-X via DXLD) 7230, 0301 Jan 31, Radio Free Afghanistan. Programme in Pashto / Dari with announcements and occasional music. English speech (voiced over in Dari) at 0337 UT: "I am delighted that Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty though our broadcast service Radio Free Afghanistan". A recording is available on the HF Latest Pages at http://www.shortwave.org.uk (Graham Powell, Wales, shortwavelistening yahoogroups via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. US-SPONSORED RADIO RESUMES BROADCASTS TO AFGHANISTAN FROM CZECH CAPITAL | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 30 January: The Prague-seated Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) launched its planned regular broadcasts to Afghanistan at 2:00 p.m. CET [1300 gmt] today. The first half-an-hour programme, prepared by about 10 employees of the station's Afghan section, was broadcast in the Pashto language. A programme in Dari, another language spoken in Afghanistan, followed. The RFE/RL will broadcast for two hours a day for the time being. Later it plans to extend the broadcasts to 12 hours a day. The US-sponsored RFE used to broadcast to Afghanistan from its former Munich seat in the 1980s. In the past years, however, Afghans could listen only to RFE/RL programmes broadcast to the neighbouring countries - Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Iran and Uzbekistan. RFE/RL officials said the broadcasts can reach 80 per cent of the Afghan population who possess radio sets. RFE/RL President Thomas Dine said he believed that the broadcasts would help people, after almost 30 years of war and isolation, get objective, accurate and general information on local economic and political topics. RFE/RL is proud of having been entrusted to help build a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan, Dine said. The Afghan section broadcasts on short waves at nine frequencies, for the time being from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and from 4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. CET. "We already have reporters in Afghanistan," RFE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winterova said. She said that a special office, or a base for the reporters, would be opened in Kabul in two months. About 20 correspondents are to provide news to the Prague headquarters, she said. Almost 50 journalists are to work for the RFE/RL's Afghan section in the future, said Dine. Visibly moved, members of the Afghan section did not conceal their joy over the start of the project. They said that practically no newspapers or television functioned in Afghanistan where radio was the best source of information. At present, the Afghans can listen to the Voice of America and the BBC as well, they said. The resumption of the RFE/RL's broadcasts to Afghanistan was approved by the US Congress after the terrorist attacks on the USA last year. Formerly the RFE/RL broadcast to Afghanistan in 1985-1993. About 7 megadollars have been earmarked as an annual subsidy to cover the Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts. Information about the Afghan section is available on the Internet address http://www.rferl.org Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1500 gmt 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Afghanistan/USA: RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN'S INAUGURAL BROADCAST A US-funded station based in Prague, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), resumed its service to Afghanistan on 30 January. RFE/RL operated a "Radio Free Afghanistan" service broadcasting in Dari and Pashto from 1985 until 1993, when the services were closed down as part of an overall restructuring of RFE/RL operations following the end of the Cold War. Following is an excerpt from the inaugural broadcast at 1300 gmt on 30 January: [Female announcer in Pashto] This is Radio Free Afghanistan [Pashto: Da de Azad Afghanistan Radio da]. In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Dear listeners, welcome to the first half-hour broadcast of Radio Free Afghanistan in Pashto. Radio Free Afghanistan, which is being established within the framework of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is an independent and non-profitable organization funded by the Congress of the United States of America. The aim of Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts is to provide the latest news and important information concerning Afghanistan, the surrounding region and the world. Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts in Pashto and Dari. Times and frequencies will be announced during the broadcasts. - News headlines. - News in detail, including: 1. Radio Free Afghanistan began its broadcast today. Radio Free Afghanistan, which is based in Prague and has an office in Kabul, broadcasts in Pashto and Dari every day on shortwave for 90 minutes. It is envisaged that the radio will increase its broadcasts to 12 hours per day. 2. Former Afghan King Mohammad Zaher Shah has issued a statement welcoming the relaunch of Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts. 3. US President George W. Bush, in his first State of the Union address, has told the American people that the war against terrorism has just begun. Iran, the Philippines and North Korea have criticized the US president's speech. 4. Afghan Prime Minister Hamed Karzai is expected to address the UN Security Council this evening. 5. The Afghan Interior Ministry has established security posts in Kabul city. - Interview with the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Thomas Dine, on the start of Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts. - Message from the former Afghan King Mohammad Zaher Shah on the relaunch of Radio Free Afghanistan. The recorded message in Dari was read out by the former king's press spokesman. - Report on Hamed Karzai's speech at the National Press Club in Washington DC. - Correspondent's report from Kabul on the Afghan people's reaction to Hamed Karzai's US visit. - Music. - 1400 gmt Broadcast in Dari. - News headlines. - News in detail: (See news in Pashto) - Interview with the head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Thomas Dine on the start of Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts. - Message from the former Afghan King Mohammad Zaher Shah on the relaunch of Radio Free Afghanistan. - Report on George W. Bush's first State of the Union address. - Report on Hamed Karzai's speech at the National Press Club in Washington DC. - Correspondent's report from Kabul on local reaction to Hamed Karzai's visit to the USA. - Music. - Closing announcement. Source: Radio Free Afghanistan, Prague, in Dari and Pashto, 1300 gmt 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. RADIO-CONTROLLED PEACE? BBC bureaucrats aren't the obvious candidates to help rebuild Afghanistan. But as John Tuckey explains, Afghans are desperate for an independent national broadcaster to change its culture Guardian, Monday January 21, 2002 http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4339314,00.html (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Afghanistan/USA: CHRISTIAN BROADCASTERS TARGET AFGHANISTAN | Text of report in English by press release by HCJB World Radio web site on 5 February HCJB World Radio is assisting FEBA Radio in broadcasting five major languages spoken in Afghanistan after recently adding weekly Pashto and Hazaragi broadcasts. Pashto, a language spoken by about eight million Afghanis and 19 million people in the region, went on the air [on] 31 January, while Hazaragi, spoken by 1.5 million Afghanis and 6 million people regionwide, began 9 December. The half-hour weekly programs air from the same undisclosed site outside of Afghanistan that began airing programmes in the Turkmen, Southern Uzbek and Dari languages last year. The Christian programmes make up a 45-minute block called "Sound of Life" that begins at 8:15 p.m. local time Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The programs include such things as the "Jesus" film edited for radio, contemporary Christian music, Bible teaching and news from a Christian perspective. Roger Stubbe of HCJB World Radio's International Radio Group in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the programs are not a "knee-jerk reaction to the events of 11 September. The Lord put all the pieces in place long before that. But now that the tragedy took place, we have a timely opportunity to send a message of peace to a country torn apart by war." HCJB World Radio President Dave Johnson adds, "It has been shown in the past that in times of unsettled conditions, people are more open to the gospel." While these aren't the first Christian broadcasts in Afghanistan's major languages, HCJB World Radio's involvement only began within the last year. Source: HCJB World Radio web site, Colorado Springs (USA), in English 5 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ALASKA. Glenn, This was forwarded to me by a friend; I'm not a member of this VLF group. Standard disclaimer (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, DXLD) * * * Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2002 17:17:22 -0700 To: VLF_Group@yahoogroups.com Subject: [VLF_Group] HAARP HF/VLF injection tests The HAARP transmitter will be conducting another series of HF injection experiments again this year during spring and fall to try and induce VLF waves in the ionosphere. Basically, a high powered HF signal is modulated with a VLF carrier and beamed into the ionosphere. This HF signal has VLF frequency ramps and all! I'll pass on the details once they become available later this month into early March. Actually, until February 19th, HAARP may conduct a few of these HF injection experiments off and on. Due to an ongoing optics campaign (which has the current priority) the HF injection experiments will only be held occasionally (if at all) on cloudy days at the HAARP transmitter site. If you have a shortwave receiver with you while listening to VLF you might try tuning in 3.3 MHz or 5.8 MHz to see if an HF/VLF injection experiment is in progress. The shortwave/HF signal to look for will be in the form of various steady on/off tones that also occasionally rise and fall in frequency within a given amount of time (frequency ramps). The times for these transmissions (when they are being conducted) will be between the hours of 7 PM and 4 AM PST [0300-1200 UT]. (Shawn via John Cobb, WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. ARGENTINE ANTARTIDA: 15475.93, LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, Base Esperanza. 1915-1934 January 29. Spanish transmission. Romantic music. ID by male at 1921 as: "Desde la Base Esperanza, Antártida Argentina, transmite LRA36, Radio Nacional Arcangel San Gabriel, en español, en su frecuencia de 15476 kHz, de lunes a viernes, para todo el mundo" (tx only Monday to Friday). After, more music. 34443 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO NACIONAL ARCÁNGEL SAN GABRIEL ACENA COM QSL Recebi a seguinte comunicação via e-mail desta interessante emissora do continente antártico: "Estimado Señor Caio: Hemos recibido su correspondencia que tan gentilmente nos envío, y ya la hemos respondido con la tarjeta y folleto informativo sobre la Antártida, por la demora del avión que se lleva la correspondencia todavía la carta no salió de la Base pero en días saldrá. Le enviamos saludos y esperamos que nos siga sintonizando" O IR foi enviado via correio ordinário. O e-mail utilizado para contactar a LRA36 foi: lra36@i... [truncated by yahoogroups] - Dica de Gabriel Ivan Barrera e José Elías Díaz (Caio Fernandes Lopes, @tividade DX Feb 1 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 15825.0 LSB, Radio Continental, Buenos Aires; Una nueva frecuencia alternativa de este feeder operado por los militares, fue reportado por vez primera desde Tokio, Japón, a 0700-0810 del día 26 de enero, con señal regular a buena. Nuestro colaborador escuchó un programa de la mañana titulado "Brillo de Luna", durante el cual se irradia una variedad de música popular latinoamericana, viejos pops de los Estados Unidos de los años 1950's a 1980's y charlas. El programa era conducido por Cristina Pereyra y se transmite de lunes a viernes de 0200-0600 hora local y también los sabados, de 2000-0600 y los domingos de 0000-0600, con la conducción de Mariela Rocha. El anuncio del programa, escuchado a las 0701 y a las 0800 fue: "Estamos compartiendo por Continental, Brillo de Luna. La compañía justa para un camino con la música de siempre. Brillo de Luna, un lugar donde irás del recuerdo." The following day, the station was heard on the usual channel of 15280.0 [sic: must mean 15820.0] kHz on LSB (Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Japón, en "Relámpago DX" via Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. FEEDER ARGENTINO. Amigos, vejam a nota do colega (Alemanha) que recebeu uma confirmação da R. Continental (Argentina) sintonizada através do link de 29810 kHz: Tradução: "Olá lista, há pouco esteve o corréio me entregando uma bela correspondência vinda da Argentina. Radio Continental respondeu meu informe de recepção relativa à escuta em 29810 kHz às 1352 UT em 15.12.2001, com um QSL e 2 adesivos. Meu informe de recepção foi enviado acompanhado de um cartão postal e 1 dólar. 73. Fritz-Walter". (Lista A-DX via Rudolf Walter Grimm, @tividade DX Feb 1 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Novedades de estaciones de OM de caracter "no oficial": 890 kHz, Radio Soberanía posee su QTH en la calle Terrero 18, Piso 1 (1765 Isidro Casanova). Tel: 54 (11) 4669-0019. 1290 kHz, Radio Líder, posee su QTH en Heredia 920, Barrio Arco Iris (1722 Merlo). Tel: 54 (0220) 498-1498. 1560 kHz, Radio Almirante Brown posee su nuevo QTH en la calle Bynnon 5074, Barrio San José (1847 Rafael Calzada). Tel: 54 (11) 4211-5536. Su propietaria es la Sra. Liliana I. Núñez. 1610 kHz, Radio Éxitos (Ituzaingo), anuncia sus Tels: 54 (11) 4458- 1601 y 4621-7663. 1640 kHz, Radio Bolivia posee su correcto QTH en la Av. Int. Francisco Rabanal 1465, PA (1437 Capital Federal), Tel: 54 (11) 4919-3659. Su propietaria es la Sra. Haydee E. Catalano. 1710 kHz, Radio M.E.C. -(Música, Educación y Cultura)-, es una nueva emisora que transmite desde la localidad de Caseros. Tel: 54 (11) 4716-4734. (Todas infos de Marcelo Cornachioni, Argentina, Conexión Digital Feb 3 via DXLD; last one on WORLD OF RADIO 1117) ** ARGENTINA. PIRATE/ARGENTINE: 6460.8, Radio Bosques. 2155-2207 January 30. Romantic music in spanish. ID at 2201 as: "En el aire, ésta es Radio Bosques, desde Villa Domínico, Provincia de Buenos Aires, República Argentina". Argentine National Anthem. S/off at 2207. 34333 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Time signal station VNG must be closed on 1 July 2002, so QSL hunters must hurry up. VNG emits voice IDs at the 15th, 30th, 45th and 60th minute of the hour on 2.5, 5 and 16 MHz. Morse IDs can be heard on 8638 and 12984 kHz. Address for reporting: Radio VNG, National Standards Commission, P. O. Box 282, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia. An IRC must be enclosed. But station's resources are minimal now, and QSL is not guaranteed. (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal Jan 30 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5927, R Difusora Minería, Oruro, 1025 fair signal with ID, time check & Andean pops (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, Jan 29-31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. I caught this from the Post-Courier Online, Port Moresby, Papua-New Guinea. MOMIS SEEKS FUNDS TO STOP RADIO BOUGAINVILLE`S CLOSURE RADIO Bougainville, the island`s only means of communication is shutting its operations as of today because of severe financial problems. And Bougainvilleans are concerned the whole peace process on Bougainville is at risk and could collapse if Radio Bougainville is closed down. Bougainville Governor John Momis left Bougainville early yesterday, an unplanned trip back to Port Moresby to source funds to keep the radio station going. Mr Momis was shocked at the news, saying he was not aware of the problems despite the radio`s significant service to the peace process. Mr Momis has been on Bougainville since last week attending various meetings, one of which was to recommend a new Bougainville administrator. Provincial NBC program manager Aloysius Rumina said the station needed more than K30,000 for a complete service with an additional K22,000, owing to business houses on the island. Mr Rumina said Bougainville leaders were notified of the situation since September and nothing was done to reverse the situation. ``Funding for Radio Bougain-ville`s operations ``dried up`` in September last year and since then the station was able to survive on a small commercial revenue, which was not much to sustain the increasing expenses the station was incurring in maintaining its operations,`` Mr Rumina said. ``Telephone lines were disconnected months ago for non-payment of bills and for the past four months Radio Bougainville operations were on pretentious situation despite severe financial problems. ``Because of the importance of promoting the peace process by disseminating information to the rural people, the Radio Bougainville team has sacrificed and pretended to work under a conducive situation.`` Mr Momis said, ``The reason for me leaving the island early today is to go back and source funds to keep Bougainville Radio on air because this is the most important and powerful medium on the island, especially with the peace process.`` (Feb 6 via Ivan Grishin, Ont., WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) WTFK?? 3325 and 5985 listed (gh, DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 26/01/2002, 2336-2358 UT, 4815: Heard a female speaking French at 2336. Poor signal which died completely at 2344. [I] Went to another channel for 5 minutes and then returned to 4815 at 2349. Better signal and still in French. No ID or location heard so I cannot confirm if this was RTV Burkina or not but Burkina F. is the only French channel to use 4815 as far as I can see. Quite a success after much trying and patience! Transmission closed without warning at 2358. Silence for about 1 minute then repeated oriental music. Opening announcement in Chinese was heard ("Zhongguo guoji guangbo diantai") which was Radio China International. Signal Quality: 2336 to 2344 was SINO 2323 but 2349 to 2358 was SINO 3433 with the latter variable. Best 73s, etc. (DXDave [Harries] http://www.dxdave.freeserve.co.uk Bristol, England, Feb 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC plans to remake morning radio 'YOUNGER SOUND': THIS MORNING AND SATURDAY PROGRAMS EXPECTED TO CHANGE by Chris Cobb, National Post, Tuesday, February 05, 2002 The CBC is planning a radical revamp of its national Radio One service this fall, in an effort to attract younger listeners and get the network a bigger piece of the workplace audience. Radio One's makeover, the first major overhaul of CBC Radio in 30 years, will affect all local and national programming in the weekday morning prime-time hours from 6 a.m. to noon. The daytime Saturday schedule is also facing massive change and will likely see existing, pre-recorded shows replaced by live shows with a younger sound.... http://www.canada.com/entertainment/story.asp?id=162B2014-6ED6-483F-95DC-B1FFECA0842C (via Ricky Leong, QE, WORLD OF RADIO 117, DXLD) And Sid Adilman, The Star on the same subject: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1012863728411&call_page=TS_Entertainment&call_pageid=968867495754&call_pagepath=Entertainment/News&col=969483191630 73, (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) ** CANADA. Just a quick note to say CFRB's new antenna system is now complete. If anyone notices any major changes to the day or night reception [on 1010 kHz], please pass it along to me via this reflector. They are now using 4 X 550 foot towers. They look very impressive too! 73 and tnx. (Steve Canney, CFRB/CFRX QSL Manager, Feb 4, ODXA yahoogroup via DXLD) ** CANADA. 6030, CFVP: I misquoted Ken in my last report; CFVP is 6030 kHz +/- 5 Hz not "+/- 5 kHz". I told Ken he had best be a better engineer than that, hi, hi. I called just now and Ken is happy to tell us that CFVP is back on the air 6030 kHz exactly, 24 hrs relaying CKMX 1060 AM Calgary. The old SW transmitter may in the future drift +/- 5 Hz. The tx was taken back to the engineering shop, cleaned up (Ken said it was full of cobwebs and dust), aligned, powered up and tuning up nicely on dummy load. 2030 syndicated national news by YL, local Calgary wx/nx with report on pending teachers` strike, CKMX ID at 2318, Tom Jones "She's A Lady". Poor with co-frequency Spanish tx and polar flutter. Best in LSB (Joe Talbot, Alberta, Cumbre Jan 30 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHILE. 6030, R. Santa María, Coihaique, through a phone call has informed that they transmit during the whole day (00:00-23:59) in the 49 mb (Hugo López, Chile, Cumbre Jan 30 via BC-DX via DXLD) Noted 6029.7 at 0846 (David Norrie, New Zealand, Cumbre Jan via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. Un IDed, 'continued traditional music' station heard as follows: 12th Jan 1430 9605, 7330, 6160 13th Jan 0505 11795 13th Jan 1240 12040, 9605, 7330, 6160 14th Jan 1110 15500, 9605, 7330, 6160 16th Jan 1330 9605 17th Jan 1400 9660, 9605, 7330, 6160, 6065 18th Jan 1430 9660, 9605, 7330, 6160, 6065 19th Jan 0430 11770 19th Jan 1250 12040, 9660, 9605, 7330, 6160 21st Jan 1350 12040, 9790, 9680, 9660, 9625, 9605, 7330, 6160, 6065 many channels! 22nd Jan 1510 12040, 9660, 9640, 9625, 9605, 7330, 6095, 6065 23rd Jan 1200 11995, 9780, 9680, 9660, 6160 26th Jan 1420 9605, 6160, 6065 29th Jan. 1400 7330, 6160, 6065 30th Jan 1300 9530, 7330, 6160, 6065 3rd Feb 1250 9680, 9605 It seems to transmit for the interference with the broadcasting toward China. 11795, 11770, 11995, 9660 kHz. Good signal which is possible to use for the music appreciation. Others are poor due to heavy QRM or over-modulation (Masahiro Umemura, JH9RUI, Japan, Feb 5, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. China Radio International: 7065 kHz - Card from French language Department, 14 days for email-report to crifra@cri.com.cn And one week later another card, French cc-email to crieng@cri.com.cn confirming freq. as 7120 kHz. Looks like the technicians switched a wrong button, as 7065 kHz is not a used or announced freq. for CRI. It was an intruder in the ham band that time. Date for transmission: 16 Jan 2002 - 2030 UT - French Programme - 7065 kHz (DL8AAM, Tom, Feb 4, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. TAIWAN, 11940: I notice that V. of China (clandestine via Taiwan) is now listed for a full hour 0800-0900 on 11940 in Passport - memory seems to suggest it used to start at 0830, but I could be wrong! I must check back. This, then, is probably what the racket on 11940 is all about - and nothing to do with the BBC. They come on 11945 via Thailand at 0900 - audible here if the wind is in the right direction! Voice of China not on your clanny list, Wolfie! (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Feb 2 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. En la red: Radio Cadena Nacional RCN http://www.rcn.com.co Viva FM http://www.vivafm.com.co La FM http://www.lafm.com.co Radionet (sólo noticias 24 horas) http://www.radionet.com (Juan Carlos Castro Sepúlveda, Armenia, Quindío, Colombia, Noticias DX Feb 4 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. II ENCUENTRO INTERNACIONAL DE LA RADIO PARA UNA CULTURA DE PAZ: Entre el 17 y el 21 de junio próximos se realizará en San José de Costa Rica el Segundo Encuentro Internacional de la Radio para una Cultura de Paz. El evento estará destinado a analizar los grandes temas de nuestro tiempo y el papel de los medios de comunicación. Participaran destacadas figuras internacionales como: Rigoberta Menchú, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Óscar Arias, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Ignacio Ramonet, y muchos otros. Radio Nederland de Holanda, Radio Nederland Training Centre - Costa Rica con la participación de Cámara Nacional de Radio de Costa Rica, CANARA; el Instituto Nacional de Aprendizaje, INA; el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia, UNICEF, y la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura, UNESCO convocan al Segundo Encuentro Internacional de la Radio para una Cultura de Paz. La vida en la tierra ha cambiado tras los atentados del 11 de setiembre del 2001 en Nueva York y Wáshington. La seguridad ha devenido en inseguridad. La lucha contra el terrorismo amenaza con coartar las libertades públicas. La vida sigue igual o peor en la tierra. Se ahonda la pobreza en los países del mal llamado Tercer Mundo. En América Latina la ilusión que despertaron los procesos de democratización sufren los avatares del desencanto democrático motivado por la corrupción, la mala administracion del Estado, la desconfianza en una clase política que no ha estado a la altura de los desafíos. Es esta inquietante situación internacional la que motiva la creación de este espacio de reflexión. Los organizadores esperan una asistencia de aproximadamente 500 representantes de los medios de comunicación de América Latina y el Caribe (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina de la pagina web de Radio Nederland, ene 30, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ¿No figura en esto Radio Paz Internacional?? (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. Publicado el sábado, 2 de febrero de 2002 en El Nuevo Herald: ENCUESTAS DIFIEREN SOBRE LA AUDIENCIA REAL DE RADIO MARTÍ Rui Ferreira, El Nuevo Herald Siete meses después de un cambio en su administración y del inicio de reformas en la programación, la audiencia real de Radio Martí sigue siendo objeto de lecturas contradictorias. Esta semana, el director de la Oficina de Transmisiones hacia Cuba (OCB), Salvador Lew, entregó a El Nuevo Herald dos encuestas según las cuales la audiencia de la emisora federal en la isla ha subido bajo su liderazgo un 62 por ciento desde el pasado agosto. Lew asumió la jefatura de OCB un mes antes, en julio. Uno de los sondeos fue hecho por periodistas independientes; el otro, por un funcionario de la Sección de Intereses de Estados Unidos en La Habana. Sin embargo, otra encuesta encargada a una firma europea por la Junta de Gobernadores de Transmisiones, que supervisa a la OCB, arroja conclusiones opuestas a las dos mencionadas anteriormente. El sondeo fue enviado a El Nuevo Herald por un empleado de la junta. La encuesta hecha entre octubre y diciembre pasados por la Fundación de Periodistas Independientes Asociados (FPIA), contó con la participación de 1,000 habitantes de Ciudad de La Habana. El estudio llegó a la conclusión de que: El 92.5 por ciento escucha Radio Martí en algún momento del día; de esta cifra, el 62.3 por ciento lo hace durante toda la jornada y el 32.2 sólo en horas de la noche. Un 7.5 por ciento reveló que escucha la emisora ocasionalmente o en los fines de semana. El sondeo realizado por la Sección de Intereses a 29 personas en noviembre y diciembre pasados, arrojó resultados porcentuales parecidò El 93.1 por ciento (de 27 personas encuestadas) respondió que escucha Radio Martí; sólo dos dijeron que no lo hacían. ``Los entrevistados fueron 10 activistas de derechos humanos, 12 periodistas y 10 bibliotecarios independientes'', aunque algunas de estas personas puede realizar más de una actividad a la vez, precisó el informe. El sondeo de la Junta de Gobernadores arriba precisamente a la conclusión contraria. Lew argumentó a El Nuevo Herald que los resultados de esa encuesta no son válidos porque la última parte de la misma se efectuó en agosto, mientras que las dos primeras encuestas son más recientes. De todos modos, apuntó Lew, su divulgación el pasado 10 de enero pudiera obedecer a motivos políticos. ``No sé lo que está pasando, pero esa información es errónea; no responde a la realidad'', agregó. ``No conozco a la gente en Washington [que encargó el sondeo], pero lo único que me preocupa es que tratan de molestar a los organismos anticastristas'', indicó el director de OCB. La encuesta de la Junta de Gobernadores sostiene que en agosto la audiencia de Radio Martí decreció por primera vez desde 1998. ``A las personas [en todas las capitales de provincia] se les preguntó qué emisora escuchaban. Cuando decían Radio Martí, entonces se les preguntaba con qué frecuencia para compararla con las demás emisoras extranjeras'', declaró a El Nuevo Herald Scott Michael, de la Oficina de Investigaciones de la Junta de Gobernadores. Michael coordinó el proyecto con una encuestadora europea cuyo nombre no quiso divulgar para no afectar planes futuros. En los sondeos, realizados semanalmente entre 1998 y el 2001 entre un promedio de 1,100 personas, se registró una merma en la audiencia de Radio Martí entre un 9 y un 5 por ciento. No obstante, ``Radio Martí aún sigue siendo la de más audiencia entre las emisoras extranjeras'' escuchadas en la isla, afirmó el sondeo. Michael negó que hubiera manipulación en los resultados, y subrayó que la metodología usada ``ha sido la mejor que pudimos encontrar dadas las circunstancias en que se vive en Cuba''. Además de la OCB, la Junta de Gobernadores supervisa las transmisiones de Radio Libertad, Radio Europa Libre y Radio Asia Libre, así como una señal de televisión hacia Irak. NOTA: Todas las bandas y frecuencias en operaciones de Radio Martí tienen un fuerte Jamming incluyendo la de 21.675 kHz de la Banda de 13 metros [Oscar]. (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. [North] 6150, R. Bayrak Internatational. Two f/d QSL letters for my receptions on Dec 20 & 31, mailed in separate envelopes. Each included what they consider to be their "QSL card", which unfortunately makes no mention of QSL or verification. Rather, it is a folder with a picture of their studio and tx tower, and information about their various radio services, including names of station personnel and their phone numbers. Acc to the letter from v/s Mustafa Tosun, the power at the time of my receptions was 50% of the rated 25 kW for their tx. Received in 1 month for an audio CD of my reception, 1 IRC and $1.00 (George Maroti, NY, DXplorer Feb 2 via BC- DX via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. [from Weekend All Things Considered for Feb 3] Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has been based in Prague since 1995. But the Czech government, citing fear of terrorism, has asked the United States to move its broadcasting operation out of the city. NPR's Guy Raz reports the reasons may be more complex. (6:45) Listen: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/watc/20020203.watc.06.ram (via Ricky Leong, Chet Copeland, swprograms via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB TO BROADCAST IN PLAUTDIETSCH GERMAN | Excerpt from of report in English by HCJB World Radio web site on 1 February The 400,000 speakers of Plautdietsch, a form of Low German spoken primarily by Mennonite groups scattered around the world, will be able to hear Christian broadcasts in their mother tongue starting Saturday, 2 February, when HCJB World Radio begins airing programmes in this language... Programmes in Plautdietsch, a language distinct from regular German, will air 30 minutes weekly via shortwave from Quito with releases going to South America, North/Central America and Europe. Programmes will also be available to listeners across Europe via the EuroMax satellite network. This is the first time HCJB World Radio will air programmes in this language. Primary targets are traditional Mennonite colonies in Mexico, Paraguay, Bolivia, Brazil and Belize. However, about 100,000 speakers also live in Russia and Kazakhstan with another 100,000 in Canada, 90,000 in Germany and additional pockets of speakers in the U.S., Uruguay, Argentina and Costa Rica. Programme producers Hermann Schirmacher and Emmi Salmon in Quito say the programmes will feature preaching as well as a mailbag programme to answer listeners' questions. Plautdietsch is one of 13 languages being broadcast from HCJB World Radio's international facilities in Ecuador. Including ministries with local partners worldwide, HCJB World Radio broadcasts the gospel in more than 100 languages in more than 100 countries. Source: HCJB World Radio web site, Quito, in English 1 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTFK??!! We already found this out from DXPL. As I recall they used to have regular German at the same 2330 hour (gh) ** EUROPE. From: HANS ANDERS R. Borderhunter: I will return on 21880 at 1330 UT today [Feb 3] (Sunday), and next Sunday again [Feb 10] on 15795 from 0700 UT (via Jem Cullen, ARDXC via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Scandinavian Weekend Radio will be active in the following dates: 2.2.2002, 2.3.2002, 6.4.2002, 4.5.2002, 1.6.2002, 6.7.2002, 3.8.2002, 17.8.2002, 7.9.2002, 5.10.2002, 2.11.2002 and 25.12.2002. Frequencies are: 11690, 11720, 5980, 5990, 6170 (Sergey Kolesov, Kiev, Ukraine) (SWR has two transmitting units: one for 25 mb, another for 49 mb. Detailed schedule for usage of above-listed frequencies is usually announced in station's newsletters and at Web site http://www.swradio.net - Ed.) (Signal Jan 30 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. /USA: GERMAN TV STARTS TEST BROADCASTS TO USA | Text of report by press release by Deutsche Welle on 1 February German TV began broadcasting operations in the United States on 1 February 2002 with a daily seven-hour test program. The Deutsche Welle (DW) reported this on 1 February 2002. German TV is a purely German language program by the ARD and ZDF networks and DW with the emphasis on information and entertainment. Programs include Tagesschau, Heute Journal, Sabine Christiansen, Berlin Mitte and Boulevard Bio, in addition to fiction programs such as the ZDF Fernsehspiel (television play) and ARD's Tatort (scene of the crime), also children's programs. The test program is to serve first of all to check the technical quality of the transmission from Berlin via London to Miami and Staten Island in the United States. From those places the signal will be relayed by the Telstar 5 and GE-1 satellites. The technical tests will include the satellite receiving equipment, the encoding system, smartcards and the NTSC transmission standard, which is the usual one in the United States. The test phase will also test the complicated work processes between the national radio networks of ARD, ZDF and the DW as to implementing the program. The test program will be broadcast as a test loop with a weekly change in programs until the end of March. In early April regular transmission of the full program will begin. Starting in May, subscriptions will be required to watch German TV. Even before the start of the test broadcasts, there were more than 400 inquiries from interested persons in the United States about German TV. Source: Deutsche Welle press release, Cologne, in German 1 Feb 02 p 1 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** HUNGARY. A R. Budapest special is forthcoming Fri March 15 commemorating the 1848 Revolution (Budapest International via Arthur Ward, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Nationalists proclaimed self-government and the Croat minority resisted Hungarian rule (Edwin Southwell, ibid.) One of the oldest DX-progrmes in the world, the English language DX- SHOW of R Budapest, Hungaria, is celebrating its 45th anniversary in the year 2002. The first DX-Show was broadcast in 1957; the R Budapest Short Wave Club (RBSWC) was founded at Jan 1, 1965. In 1989 the RBSWC had more than 11.000 members worldwide; today the number of members is around 5.000 worldwide! The first issue of the RBSWC-DX-NEWS bulletin was at Nov the year 1965; today the bulletin is published twice a year, especially to the active members of RBSWC. First broadcast of the external service of Magyar Radio, today`s R Budapest, was in 1934. German lang program was inaugurated 1948. German section address: nemet1@kaf.radio.hu (Siegbert Gerhard, Germany, A-DX Feb 4 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. Friends, AIR is back on 11620. 11628 was noted only on Feb 4, 2002 for the Urdu transmission ending at 0430. 11628 was noted even by Steven Zimmerman, Milwaukee, WI at the same time according to Glenn Hauser's DXLD. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via DXLD) I heard a station that could be All India Radio on 4745 kHz on February 1 at around 2330 UT. Very weak signal, program in English, All India Radio mentioned. The signal was still there at 2345, but gone at recheck shortly before 2400. I heard something on this frequency about 2 or 3 months ago, but the signal was even weaker, so it remained unID. GOOD DX, (Karel Honzík, the Czech Republic (Czechia) hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Radio Republik Indonesia - Voice of Indonesia's website http://www.rri-online.com has been changed so that there are no languages other than Indonesian - well, there is a small news report in French. So, this website is basically useless to us DXers (Mark Coady, ODXA yahoogroups via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Re http://www.israelradio.org site: I don't know who's actually running this domain but the Network Solutions registration form says World Radio Network. Registrant: World Radio Network (ISRAELRADIO3-DOM) 10 Wyvil Road London, UK SW8 2TG ENGLAND Domain Name: ISRAELRADIO.ORG Administrative Contact, Billing Contact: Cohen, Jeffrey (JC20586) jeffc@WRN.ORG World Radio Network 10 Wyvil Road London, UK SW8 2TG GB 011441718969000 (FAX) 011441714317157 (Joel Rubin, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. R Europe and Europirate status. 7306-usb mode, 0500-0900. In the message he asked if R Europe is a pirate or not. That's an interesting philosophical (or legal) question. As far as I know, only RAI and AWR have something like a license to broadcast on SW, as Italian stations. In most countries, anything unlicensed would be a pirate. In Italy things are (or, at least, were) more complicated. About 25 years ago the constitutional court there made a ruling which could be interpreted to say that a bcing monopoly or near-monopoly (they were thinking of RAI at the time) was unconstitutional (provided that the broadcasting in question was for domestic use). SW pirates treated this as permission to bc. I guess they all reasoned that they could be heard domestically. Quite a number of them even showed up in the non-RAI section in the WRTH listing for Italy, at least in years when monitors were reporting them to WRTH and the editor was interested enough to publish the information. So, if you argued that nothing land-based that was listed in WRTH could be a pirate, these weren't pirates. It was expected (sort of) that the government would fill the vacuum left by the court's ruling, and make a law that would say something clear about what was legal and what wasn't. As far as I know, no government ever got round to doing anything like that. (Politicians had more exciting things to do, like forming coalitions and playing politics). Some Italian SW operators have been harassed from time to time, but apparently not because of anything systematic related to the status of pirates in general. There are enough other Italian laws and enough Italian police agencies that a cop who wants to give a station operator trouble can always find some reason for doing that. For example, the last semi-general anti-pirate offensive that I heard of happened after one pirate who also liked computing turned a virus loose on the Internet. Probably the reasoning was that, because one pirate was the sort of fellow who would spread a virus, all pirates were the sort of fellows who would spread viruses. So, the basic Italian answer to whether the Italian pirates are pirates seems to be "Who cares?" The situation probably won't change until and unless piracy involves doing for $0 what Mr. Berlusconi would like 1 or more of his companies to be doing for $0. Do any Italian experts or expert Italians out there know more about the situation than this? (John Campbell, UK, DXplorer Jan 29 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** ITALY. Glenn, I meant to add that R Europe was heard well by the Dxers at the NZ Radio DX League in Oamaru, South Island, NZ (David Norrie, Auckland, Jan 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. The schedule for Denge Mezopotamya has not been reduced, but we are testing other frequencies and implementing other changes to improve the reception in the coverage area. As we first informed you, the intention was to use 1 single frequency for the entire 12 hour service. This does work, but reception is not perfect all of the time, so we are carrying out tests to improve the service. You can expect to hear broadcasts between 0500 and 1300 during the next week on the usual 11530 frequency, but also on 15415 and 15620 (Ludo Maes, Belgium, TDP, Jan 31, BC-DX via DXLD) ** LATVIA. 945, the last mediumwave outlet of Latvijas Radio, Riga (Ulbroka) on 945 kHz (150 kW) was closed on the 1 January 2002 (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Jan 30 via DXLD) Re: R. Caroline 24 hour test on 945: Reception quality here in Denmark was so-so this morning - sometimes with a lot of interference from Classic Gold in Derby, UK, on same channel. Also - when using a ND aerial - some problems with Toulouse. Signal strength however from Latvia was good. On my car radio however - no signal at all. But reception fairly OK on my portable Sony ICF5900 in my bathroom :-) Daytime reception (at 1130-1300 UT) here was fair with a fair signal from Latvia - however with some static and some deep fades. No interference from other stations. From around 1300 UT signal strength was gradually starting to pick up, and right now - while writing this at 1330 UT reception is perfect here with a solid 9+10 signal and no interference. Nice to hear Caroline back on the air (Stig Hartvig Nielsen, Denmark, hard-core-dx Feb 3 via BC-DX via DXLD) Latvian sources confirmed the announced relay of Radio Caroline on 945. This frequency was abandoned by Latvijas Radio effective from January 1st. Herewith in Latvia no MW transmitters are in regular service anymore (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Jan 31 via DXLD) 945 is 150 kW from Riga-Ulbroka. This site also houses the otherwise silent 5935 SW transmitter which was used by Radio Caroline several times in the recent years, certainly a better idea than this MW relay since they certainly have an audience outside the Baltics in mind (Kai Ludwig, Germany, BC-DX Jan 31 via DXLD) Latvijas R benutzt Riga 945 seit 1. Januar 2002 nicht mehr; er ist jetzt also für andere Betreiber frei. Der Sender ist ja nicht Eigentum von Latvijas Radio, sondern war (wie üblich) von der lettischen TELECOM gemietet. Die hat ihn für den Test am Wochenende an R Caroline vermietet. Das ist aber nur ein Test; die Zukunft steht noch in den Sternen ... (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Jan 31 via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. President Charles Taylor said his government and the Liberian Catholic station Radio Vertitas are discussing that station's resumption of shortwave broadcasts. At present, only President Taylor's own Liberian Communications Network is allowed to broadcast on shortwave, the most effective means to reach audiences throughout Liberia. President Taylor also said that Liberia's Star Radio, now off the air, may be able to resume broadcasts if it can meet conditions laid down by the government. The president claims that Star Radio is under foreign control (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 2 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ON VERITAS AND STAR RADIO ISSUE, GOVERNMENT LEANS TOWARDS DIALOGUE The News (Monrovia), January 29, 2002, Posted to the web January 29, 2002 by: Stanley Mcgill President Charles Taylor has disclosed that talks are being held between the Government and the management of the Catholic-run Radio Veritas concerning the granting of a short wave frequency to the station.... http://allafrica.com/stories/200201290424.html (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. RTM noted on 5010.0 kHz at 0255 UT with their frantic IS, choral anthem at 0300 and into Sunday church service. Not on customary 5009.5 which agrees with report in DXLD 2-019. (John Cobb, Roswell GA, Feb 5, WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1050, XEVD, Ciudad Allende, COAH, FEB 5 0235-0305 - new frequency for this one? Listed on 1380. I've been chasing another XE under dominant XEG here for weeks, and finally pulled a couple of legal IDs up this evening. 0235 "X-E-V-D, mil cinquenta de amplitud modulada, desde Allende, Coahuila..." then mentioned an "Organización Radiofónica de (something-or-other)," and slogan "La Radio Viva!" On top at this time over XEG; noted another legal ID 0304 but much harder to copy as XEG was way atop by now (Randy Stewart, Springfield MO Yaesu FRG-100B, Quantum QX Pro, IRCA topica group via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 12085 - Voice of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar - 79 dias. Recebido belíssimo cartão QSL, sked, informações sobre o país simpática carta; pessoal: V/S: David O'Connor, Editor. QTH: Voice of Mongolia, CPO Box 365, Ulanbaatar 13, Mongolia. Sem dúvida alguma esta confirmação tem diversos aspectos interessantes: o próprio QSL, que é muito bonito, mostrando imagens de templos e monges budistas em Obs: fotos maravilhosas. A carta pessoal ressaltava que meu informe estava muito bom, apesar de eu não entender nada do conteúdo da transmissão (em Mongol). Isso serve para reafirmar que mesmo que ouçamos transmissões em idiomas totalmente irreconhecíveis é possível obter o tão almejado QSL. Este é meu rádio país de número 36. (Ivan Dias, Sorocaba-SP, Brasil, @tividade-DX Feb 1 via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. Enviei à lista um de meus log's como tentativo (tent) da Radio Myanmar. Hoje, 26/01, tentei novamente e embora a qualidade de recepção ainda não permitia uma identificação da emissora comparei o idioma da transmissão com o programa em Birmanês da BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/burmese/ em real audio, e não deu outra...o idioma é identico. Porém, retiro o (tent) do meu log e o reapresento na lista: 5985.85 26/01 1215 Radio Myanmar, Yangon; programa em idioma local com OM e YL batendo papo e às 1229 música curta e novamente o mesmo OM. 23322 (com Myanmar chego a 169 rádio países ouvidos segundo a lista do DXCB). (Marcelo Toniolo, Greenvale NY, Estados Unidos, Radioescutas, via @tividade DX via DXLD) ** NEPAL. Friends, Radio Nepal is noted back on 5005 kHz from s\on at 2345 Feb 5. Earlier they used to be on 7165. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) ** NEPAL. Radio Nepal is back on 5005. I heard clear identification on February 5 at 1215. The station signed off between 1810 and 1817, most likely at 1815. On February 6 morning the frequency was noted again (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Re 21575 via Abu Dhabi report, DXLD 2-020: I can confirm that this matches the details of what was in the service. Apparently there was a switching error in Bush House in London at some point during the broadcast. (The transmission was arranged by Merlin Communications, whose main switching centre is at Bush). Officially it was the Dutch service, but apparently a bit of English and Indonesian was also transmitted. I don't have the details of the exact times. Just to add to the confusion, both English and Spanish was also used in the service as well as Dutch. It was a bit like a revival of Happy Station :-) (Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. One program that used to be listed in Shows We Like (a few years ago?) is Sounds Historical on RNZI. 0700-0900 Sundays on 11675. I know the timing could hardly be worse for NAm, but I have trouble sleeping anyway, so it's not so bad for me. It continues to be one of my favourite programs. Two weeks ago they played a recording, made back in the '60s, of an interview with an elderly chap about his younger days in Timaru back in the 1890's. Just fascinating! However, he program was prematurely cut short by a SBG :( Normally RNZI is much weaker from 1000-1200 on 15175 when they change their beam. But whenever they are carrying a SBG (like this morning), they are as strong as they were before the freq change from 11675, which I assume means that they do not change beams. (An added bonus this morning was that the game ended early, so they resumed with normal programming!) I think the next game is Friday morning. RNZI Mailbox was a no-show from 1730-1800 today, (on-line anyway). Yesterday was a holiday in NZ (Waitangi Day), perhaps a reason for its absence? (Ivan Grishin, Ont., Feb. 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI Previews for Feb 7: 0308 - Thu.: Mailbox (refer to 0706 Mon.) 0706 - Mon.: Mailbox - Myra Oh reads letters and shortwave news of interest, Paul Ormandy reports on the latest DX news, and Frequency Manager Adrian Sainsbury answers and explains technical questions (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) So the Mailbox is back, 17675 being the frequency at 0300 (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) Later: poor, but doesn`t sound like it to me UT Feb 7; nor did Ivan Grishin hear it earlier in the 1700 hour (gh) ** NIGERIA. STATE BROADCASTER TO SET UP 32 NEW FM STATIONS Nigerian public broadcaster, the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), plans to set up 32 new FM radio stations across the country, a local paper reported on 5 February. The director-general of FRCN, Eddie Iroh, told This Day that the corporation wants to use the new FM stations to broadcast information and education at a grassroots level across the country. "The purpose, I want to emphasize, is to bring information and education to the grassroots level so that wherever you are you can get a Radio Nigeria station transmitting valuable public enlightenment programmes," Iroh told the paper. "The studios and transmitters will be co-sited for efficiency and ease of operation," Iroh told the paper, adding that "it will be compact technology and there would be no more than 30 staff per station". The FRCN head criticized private broadcast stations over what he called their attempts to promote foreign culture, a foreign way of life, at the expense of Nigerian traditions, This Day reported. Iroh expressed concern that Nigerian artists are hardly given sufficient air time on private radio stations. He added that most private stations considered it a major achievement to hire presenters who speak with American accents, the paper reported. "We must be proud of who we are and the medium of radio is a very forceful, very effective, very powerful medium of promoting who we are. If we lose sight of that then we are not broadcasting to Nigerians," Iroh told This Day. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 5 Feb 02 (via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. See BOUGAINVILLE ** PERU. unID (Latin). 6380.14, ?, 0806-0810 Feb 3, While chasing Europirates, I stumbled upon this one, playing music somewhat like African "hi-life" music. I heard what sounded like a time check in Spanish at 0810, so I think this one may be from South America. SINPO 23332 (George Maroti, Mount Kisco, NY, Real DX via DXLD) This is Peruvian Radio Unión, or Unión, la radio, as they also tend to say. No ID, only a TC on this segment, but further clips, sent to me by George, reveal the actual station ID (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, ibid.) ** SWEDEN. Coming up on Radio Sweden: Wednesday -- "Money Matters" takes up the deregulation of the electric market and IKEA in Japan Thursday -- In "Nordic Report", Children's literature in Scandinavia Friday -- weekly review Saturday -- our monthly current affairs review "Sweden Today" Sunday -- In "Sounds Nordic", a new book about ABBA and we meet Marie Johansson Monday -- "SportScan" looks back at the Sweden-Britain Davis Cup meeting and ahead to Swedish prospects at the Winter Olympics (SCDX/MediaScan Feb 6 via DXLD) ** SYRIA. Syria's government has agreed to permit private broadcasting on condition it steers clear of politics, the official "Al Ba'ath" daily said on January 30. It said the cabinet had added a clause to a 1951 media law to allow commercial radio stations "whose programming is limited to music and advertising" in the country of about 17 million people. Licences would require cabinet approval, it said. Since coming to power in 2000, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has taken tentative steps toward economic and political liberalisation after his late father Hafez al-Assad kept a tight grip on Syria for 30 years through the socialist Ba'ath party (Reuters via SCDX/MediaScan Feb 6 via DXLD) ** TIBET. China: POWER INCREASES FOR TIBETAN RADIO | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Lhasa, 6 February: China has been carrying out a programme in Tibet to amplify radio emissivity [increase the transmission power and improve reception] in an effort to boost development in the remote autonomous region. The programme, which costs the central government 80m yuan (nearly 10m US dollars), has so far helped set up 75 frequency modulation [FM] stations at county level and renovated 14 mediumwave stations, each with emissivity [transmitter power] over 1 kW. The regional government has also spent more than 20m yuan (2.4m US dollars) in renovating six mediumwave stations and training 290 staff. The overall emission [transmission] capacity in Tibet has reached 4,000 kW compared with 2,500 kW a year ago. As a result of this endeavour, radio stations have extended their Tibetan-language broadcast time from nine hours a day to 17 hours. "The move is building an 'air bridge' that keeps a closer tie between the government and the people, and spreads more advanced culture and modern science among the Tibetans," said Guo Jinlong, secretary of the regional committee of the Chinese Communist Party. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0711 gmt 6 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** TOKELAU ISLANDS. Media Network has learned that a radio station is being planned for the Tokelau Islands, and is due to open later this year. The islands, with a combined population of around 1,500, are administered by New Zealand. The purpose of the radio station is to help improve the sense of community, and enable the different islands to communicate more effectively with each other, leading to more efficient government. The project is being funded by the New Zealand Department of Economic Development. Local musicians are said to be enthusiastic about the plan. The station will have studios and FM transmitters on each of the three atolls ((c) RN Media Network Feb 4 via WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. Reported on Jan 27, 29, 30: news in English at 1540- 1545 on 4930. At 1530-1535 news in Russian (presumed), then muisc till 1540. Till 1530 and after 1545 program in Turkmenian (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 31 via WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) ** U K. JOWELL WARNS BBC OVER `DUMBING DOWN` http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,644649,00.html (Media Guardian Feb 4 via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. The transmission line burnt up at the tower end so 7415 kHz is off the air. Allan hopes to have it back up by tonight. My [Different Kind of Oldies] show will be on 9335 kHz at 7-9 PM ET [Sat], 0000-0200 UT [Sun] (-Steve Coletti, Feb 2, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Eric Wolfe in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, heard the discussion last week about reception between 30 and 50 megahertz. Bruce Atchison mentioned trunking, and Eric would like to know what trunking is. Well, borrowing from the Tandy Web site, trunking communications lets a large group of 2-way radio users efficiently use a large range of frequencies. So instead of having just one, say, police department use one frequency, with lots silent periods between transmissions, several public service agencies can use several frequencies at the same time. The trunking system automatically transmits the call on the first available frequency, and also sends, on a different frequency, a code that uniquely identifies that transmission. This has posed a dilemma for scanner enthusiasts because it's difficult to keep track of your police or fire department if their transmissions are flitting from frequency to frequency. There are now "trunk tracker" scanners that deal with this problem, with varying degrees of success (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 2 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. Part of a VOA transmitting site at Bethany, Ohio, which was taken out of service in 1994, will be developed into a large shopping center. The Dayton Business Journal reports that the center will be called the Voice of America Shops. It will be a strip shopping center, where each of the stores has an entrance facing the parking lot, rather than a shopping mall, in which the store entrances face an indoor walking area. The Voice of America shops will occupy about 47 thousand square meters and cost 40 million dollars to develop. It will serve the growing population living between the Ohio cities of Cincinnati and Dayton (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 2 via John Norfolk, DXLD) DEVELOPERS INVEST IN STRIP MALL by Julie Thompson DBJ Senior Reporter A local real estate group is buying into a massive retail development planned for a northern Cincinnati suburb. Unified Developers Inc., a partnership that includes Les Sandler and Jeff Samuelson, is raising a multimillion-dollar pot for the Voice of America Shops in West Chester. The project, to include 500,000 square feet of space and cost up to $40 million, is being developed by Cincinnati-based Midland Atlantic Properties.... http://dayton.bcentral.com/dayton/stories/2002/01/28/story2.html (Dayton Business Jounral Jan 28 via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** U S A. Reaction to Kim Elliott`s announcement of VOA CW ending: Thank you, Dr. Elliott, for you wonderful work. You will be missed (John Norfolk, OK, swprograms via DXLD) Well, All I can say is, I wish you all the best. You will be missed not only for the fine quality of the programs you produced, but in the spirit that they were produced (Larry Nebron, CA, ibid.) Another nail in the shortwave coffin. Thanks for your many years of service, Kim. Your insight on the listener community, the history of shortwave broadcasting, and your grasp of the technical issues associated with the evolution of all methods of content delivery have certainly been helpful to me. Fair winds and following seas old friend. (Actually I heard on CW you're di-dah-di-dit years old. Maybe you qualify to file an age discrimination suit. Di-di-di-dit, di-dit.) (~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., Joe Buch, ibid.) I just want to say thanks for all the good work on Communications World, Kim. Although this is another blow for Shortwave I am going to keep on listening until the last transmitter goes silent (Ryan Ellegood, Northwest Tennessee, USA, ibid.) * U S A. REPORTER OFF RADIO AFTER TALIBAN STORY By James Warren, Tribune staff reporter, Published February 6, 2002 A Voice of America journalist who scored an exclusive and controversial September interview with the Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has been taken off the air and reassigned to what she and the agency's news director call a "useless job." The reporter and the news director assert that the job change is in response to outside pressure that has prompted the VOA's chief to impose a ban on interviews "with any official from nations that sponsor terrorism." A spokesman for VOA chief Bob Reilly could not be reached Tuesday to respond to allegations brought by Spozhmai Maiwandi, an Afghanistan native who has worked for the VOA in Washington for 20 years, the last 10 as head of the agency's Pashtu language service. The Washington-based Maiwandi conducted the interview by telephone with Omar, his next-to-last before disappearing. About 40 seconds of the interview were used to produce a radio report that also quoted President Bush, a Northern Alliance leader and a Georgetown University academic. But that report was put on hold amid criticism from State Department officials. The department oversaw the VOA until a 1998 restructuring that left the agency under the guidance of a board of governors that includes the secretary of state or a designee. The hold infuriated many within the VOA who opposed it as censorship, and the report eventually was broadcast in English on Sept. 25 and in Pashtu Sept. 26. Though the VOA does broadcast clearly defined U.S. government positions, its charter calls for presenting news in an "accurate, objective and comprehensive way." Maiwandi was technically promoted to a position where she apparently has little to do and is not allowed on the air. "What is striking is that here is a superstar of journalism, who got a big interview and has now paid the price for it. Because of her contacts, she got the interview but has now been sent to Siberia," said Andre de Nesnera, the VOA's news director. "I am being punished for the fact that I did a good job, that I did my job," Maiwandi said from Washington on Tuesday. An official VOA investigation of six months of Pashtu programming, triggered by a former U.S. ambassador's claim that it was pro-Taliban, concluded the service showed no pattern of bias. Reilly has previously sought to allay staffers' fears of political interference, saying during a December meeting that "we do the news." But many VOA journalists see him overreacting to outside criticism, especially from conservatives such as columnist William Safire who has rebuked the broadcast agency for giving air time to pro-Taliban figures. Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune (via Daniel Say, Chet Copeland, WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) The Committee to Protect Journalists is also concerned about this: http://www.cpj.org/news/2002/USA17jan02na.html (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DXLD) ** U S A. WTOP: RADIO ON A ROLL, By Chris Baker THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Feb 4 http://www.washtimes.com/businesstimes/20020204-81092643.htm (via dcrtv via Chet Copeland/nyc, DXLD) ** U S A. Goodbye, Perfect Paul! An announcement is running on NOAA weather radio station KAC-80, Peachtree City, GA (162.55 MHz) that Perfect Paul is on his way out soon. The new synthesized voice sounds almost human, and says that the test is running on only five transmitters nationwide. They are asking for comments and suggestions via an announced phone number. The new voice is much more intelligible and less irritating, but still has trouble when saying the web site URL, running it by so fast that it's hard to catch. Gee, I'm gonna miss that robot... not! 73, (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Feb 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Why: Fewer On-Air Women On Radio Than TV? I AM/FM WOMAN, By Fred Shuster, Los Angeles' Daily News, Jan. 31 It's generally agreed that women hold up half the sky. Yet you'd never know it by listening to local radio's prime time, where female broadcasters are in the minority and the forecast calls for rain. [Caption:] KABC talk show host Gloria Allred (Hans Gutkencht/ Daily News) James Brown has nothing to do with hiring at the 51 stations in the Los Angeles area, but to borrow one of his best-known song titles, radio is clearly a man's, man's, man's world.Unlike television, where high-profile news and chat stars like Katie Couric, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Pauley, Rosie O'Donnell and Barbara Walters appear to go from strength to strength (although none currently anchors network news), commercial radio's leading ladies are a waning bunch. The city's top music and talk stations all have a few on staff, but none are headlining their own shows in the big-money time periods when the freeways are packed and radio listening is at its peak. Sure, we've all heard of Dr. Laura, who periodically stirs up controversy by placing hoof uncomfortably close to mouth, but just try and name five other major local female radio personalities -- and National Public Radio anchor Susan Stamberg doesn't count. Some blame radio's male- dominated power structure.... Read entire article: http://www.dailynewslosangeles.com/life/articles/0102/31/lif01.asp (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. THE BATTLE FOR WNYC When New York public radio station WNYC lost its FM tower on the World Trade Center, its classical music programming got compressed to late night hours on its sister AM band. Now that FM is up and broadcasting again, the classical music hasn't expanded to its former proportions again. Changes at the station signal a rift between WNYC's ambitious corporate-style managers and more traditional staff... http://www.observer.com/pages/frontpage6.asp (New York Observer 01/30/02 VIA ARTS JOURNAL http://www.artsjournal.com/Media.htm via Chet Copeland/nyc, DXLD) ** U S A. PUBLIC NOTICE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 445 TWELFTH STREET, S. W.; TW- A325 WASHINGTON, D. C. 20554 News Media Information: (202) 418- 0500 Fax-On-Demand: (202) 418-2830 DA 02- 239 Released: February 1, 2002 FREEZE ANNOUNCED ON THE FILING OF AM EXPANDED BAND MAJOR CHANGE APPLICATIONS The Mass Media Bureau (the ``Bureau``) announces a freeze on the acceptance of applications for major changes in authorized AM expanded band stations. This action is effective on the date of this Public Notice. Major change applications currently on file will be processed in accordance with current technical and legal rules and policies. The Bureau anticipates issuing in the near future a public notice accepting for filing all pending AM expanded band major change applications determined to be in compliance with our technical rules. Minor change applications will continue to be accepted under established first-come, first-served filing procedures. As part of a wide ranging rulemaking to revitalize the AM service, the Commission developed a national allotment plan to encourage the migration of certain AM stations to the AM expanded band, 1605 kHz – 1705 kHz. See Review of the Technical Assignment Criteria for the AM Service, 6 FCC Rcd 6273 (1991) (``Expanded Band R& O``) (subsequent history omitted). The allotment plan was designed to favor stations receiving or causing extensive interference. The final version of the allotment plan identified eighty-eight stations eligible to apply for specified allotments. See Implementation of the AM Band Allotment Plan, 12 FCC Rcd 3361 (1997), recon. denied 13 FCC Rcd 21872 (1998). The Commission issued sixty- five permits for AM expanded band stations in 1997 and 1998. In the Expanded Band R&O the Commission expressed its intention to manage the migration process to maximize the benefits to the AM service as a whole. Expanded Band R& O, 6 FCC Rcd at 6277. It also stated that one year after the initial allotment plan became final it would open a second filing window for additional applications for expanded band stations. Id. at 6318. The allotment plan became final on December 5, 2000. A freeze on the filing of major change applications will provide an opportunity to study novel and complex AM expanded band licensing issues, including protection standards, facility classes, and eligibility requirements. The Bureau is also concerned that the continued acceptance of AM expanded band applications that specify new communities of license and propose relocating facilities substantial distances may be limiting opportunities for additional expanded band stations. A freeze will preserve the rights of potential applicants for new AM expanded band stations and the opportunity to use competitive bidding procedures to award these authorizations. For further information contact Peter Doyle or Edward De La Hunt, Audio Services Division, Mass Media Bureau at (202) 418-2700. Adopted by Chief, Mass Media Bureau (via Fred Vobbe, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. From The Master List of Part 15 Radio Stations of North America, http://home.att.net/~weatheradio/part15.htm "1620 Elizabeth, NJ. Format: Hispanic; Spanish-language only. This station has a (collectively speaking) powerful signal and has been heard by the author in Elizabeth, Woodbridge, Springfield, Cranford, Rahway, Linden and Clark, NJ. According to a colleague, uses 16 USI transmitters in various locations in the above listed towns - arguably making it perhaps the largest 100 mW antenna-type (Part 15.219) setup in the nation. Has been heard by the author for about 3 years, and probably was on-air prior to that time. No other information known to the author concerning this station at the present time." (Bruce Conti, Nashua NH, NRC AM via DXLD) ** U S A. This afternoon heard a new Part 15 station: Allstong Brighton Free Radio 1670 kHz with talk and an eclectic mix of music. Here is their website: http://www.abfreeradio.org/ (Keith McGinnis, Winthrop MA, Feb 2, IRCA topica list via DXLD) ** U S A. The 15th annual Winter SWL Festival -- a fun radio listening convention covering the spectrum from longwave to satellite -- is coming up on March 8 and 9 in Pennsylvania. Speakers include Bob Zanotti of Swiss Radio International fame, and Dr. Kim Andrew Elliott, host of Communications World on the VOA. For more information: http://swlfest.com/ (Tom Sundstro, SCDX Mediascan Feb 6 via DXLD) The 15th annual Winter SWL Festival -- a fun radio listening convention covering the spectrum from longwave to satellite -- on March 8 and 9 is a month off. We have news at http://swlfest.com/ 1. The first edition of a tentative forums schedule, provided by John Figliozzi, is now posted at http://swlfest.com/forums_events.html On Saturday, Bob Zanotti of Swiss Radio International fame will be the luncheon speaker; Dr. Kim Andrew Elliott, host of Communications World on the VOA, is the banquet speaker. 2. If you need require hotel reservations and have not yet made arrangememts, time is short. The special rate is only available directly through the hotel. Details at http://swlfest.com/fest_hotel.html 3. Arriving on Thursday? The public Topica 'fest discussion group -- http://swlfest.com/mailing_lists.html -- is alive with carpool plans to travel to a new restaurant in Allentown (just a few minutes away). Its name? Pancho Villa, of course! Are you new to the 'fest? The history of the 'fest and the legend of Pancho Villa are linked. See http://swlfest.com/history.html for details. 4. Are you looking for a special radio item? Do you have a large, heavy radio for trade? Enter details on the classified ads page at http://swlfest.com/swap_meet.html. 5. Are you bringing the family? They aren't interested in radio per se? Then trip on over to the tourism links at http://swlfest.com/links_tourism.html. We continue to add and update the this page. Ditto for links to travel, weather, local media, and area webcams. 6. As the gathering of the faithful gets closer, the Web site will be updated be updated more frequently. Continue to check the "what's new" page at http://swlfest.com/whats_new.html for details. And sign into the guestbook at http://swlfest.com/guestbook.html, introduce yourself, and tell us when you are arriving. (I'll be arriving before 8am on Friday.) 73, Tom W2XQ --- Thomas R. Sundstrom - TRS Consultants - tr-@trsc.com - www.trsc.com PO Box 2275, Vincentown, NJ 08088-2275 USA - 609 859 2447/fax 3226 Contributing Editor, Radio Netherlands' Media Network Contributing Editor, Oz's Radiomag/Radio and Communications mag Web page work: WWCR - VOA Communications World - Winter SWL Fest ** U S A [non]. Tomorrow's News Tonight [sic], or simply TNT, will start broadcasting through TDP Shortwave Transmitter Airtime - http://www.airtime.be - towards Western Europe as of this coming Monday, February 4, 2002. The broadcasts can be heard from Monday to Friday from 2000 to 2030 UT on 7590 kHz. More information about TNT, Tomorrow's News Tonight, can be found on their web site at http://www.tnt777.com (TDP Mailing List, Belgium, February 2, 2002) viz.: Welcome to Tomorrow's News Today Sponsored by Yahweh's Philadelphia Remnant Assembly, helpers and coworkers from around the world. We preach and teach the Gospel/Good News of the soon-coming Kingdom of Yahweh to be established here on this earth ruled by his glorified Son, Yahshua the Anointed One. Mail all inquires to: Tomorrow's News - Today, P O Box 2100, Bowling Green, KY 42102-2100 USA. Copyright © 2000 by TNT All rights reserved (website via DXLD) The announcer had a very hoarse voice, like a strong smoker. So, I couldn't determine, either was the transmitter audio so 'hoarse', or was it coming from the announcer. When I switched on at about 1954 UT, the transmitter was still on, and performed a tone signal opening procedure. But all different to usual URSS sites. The high 800-1000 Hertz tones were followed by a much lower tone of 150-200 Hertz?. Anybody came across such test tones before? I'll divide the observation in two parts: 1954-2016 UT The signal was strong and on steady level; even when I dropped down the AM RF Gain on the \\ ICF2010, the signal showed a contnuous line of diode lights on the strength scale of the SONY receiver. I twisted over the 41 and 49 mb, and all Russian stations, and also the very strong Xinjiang, China outlets had a continuous wave signal on the diode lights row. But all southerly stations like Bulgaria, Greece, Rome, Spain and Sines were very FLUTTERY at this time span. Bulgarians on 7500 and 5800 were not as strong, as one could expect. 2016-2029 UT: The 7590 signal became also FLUTTERY from that time. But all Russian stations on 41 mb from Moscow, Kaliningrad-5835, also Samara, Yekaterin`burg, Krasnodar R Marya 7400 kHz, also the Chinese stations kept on steady signal level. No flutter at all. But on 7315 an Issoudun station could be heard with the same Diode indicator FLUTTERING like the 7590 kHz signal. The puzzle is wide open: Issoudun, Lithuania, (but I don't believe coming from Maiac or Plovdiv ... ) So the different high and low tones on the opening procedure puzzle me up. 73 de (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Feb 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. A lot of RFE/RL jobs offered at both, Prague RL HQ Vinohradska, as well as a Chief Engineer post at Washington, D.C.: http://www.rferl.org/welcome/english/jobs (BC-DX via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. USA/Afghanistan: WORLDSPACE DONATES RECEIVERS TO US MILITARY PERSONNEL | Excerpt from by press release by WorldSpace organization on 30 January Washington, DC, 30 January: WorldSpace Corporation, the global pioneer in satellite radio, has donated 1,000 compact, portable satellite receivers to bring news and entertainment to the American men and women serving overseas with Operation Enduring Freedom. The receivers, manufactured by Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., are now in Kuwait and will be gradually distributed to US forces across the theatre of operations. The WorldSpace system of direct satellite radio will enable US service personnel with Operation Enduring Freedom to receive broadcasts with high fidelity and digital clarity from Saudi Arabia to Diego Garcia to a remote hillside in Afghanistan. Military personnel serving outside the United States typically have few choices in radio, in many instances only one or two local stations broadcasting in languages other than English. For thousands of American troops beyond the reach of AM or FM transmitters, the only alternative, until now, has been shortwave, a medium with poor sound quality and unreliable service. "We at WorldSpace are proud of the American men and women with Operation Enduring Freedom and serving throughout the world," said Noah Samara, Chairman and CEO of WorldSpace Corporation. "Our forces are away from families and loved ones and many have limited sources of news and information. As a gesture of our gratitude, we want these men and women to enjoy the many unique channels of WorldSpace satellite radio." WorldSpace offers dozens of choices of information and entertainment, including news broadcasts from CNN-International and the BBC, plus ten music channels - available only via WorldSpace - offering the best in jazz, alternative rock, urban contemporary, country, dance and pop music. WorldSpace will carry the live broadcast of Super Bowl XXXVI. The advanced encryption capabilities of the WorldSpace system will make it possible to restrict the Super Bowl broadcast to only those receivers operated by US servicepersons. WorldSpace looks forward to working with athletic federations and broadcasting organizations to bring future sports events to forces serving with Operation Enduring Freedom. The two WorldSpace satellites - AfriStar and AsiaStar - serve all of Africa and the Middle East, most of Asia and a large portion of Europe... Source: WorldSpace press release, Washington (DC), in English 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. LA VOZ DE ARTIGAS EN OC: De acuerdo a una conversación mantenida con el director de CX118, Radio La Voz de Artigas, el Sr. Roberto Murillo, se pudo saber que la estación en onda corta CXA3 (6075 kHz), sale al aire sólo durante los días domingos de 1430 a 1700 UT con 1 kW de potencia, en momentos en que el director y los técnicos de la emisora, disfrutan de un "asado de fin de semana" en las instalaciones donde se ubica el transmisor y las antenas de la misma. (!!!) Los reportes de escucha pueden ser remitidos a: Radio La Voz de Artigas, Av. Lecueder 483, 55000 Artigas, Artigas, Uruguay. E-Mail: lavozart@adinet.com.uy (Marcelo Cornachioni y Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, durante visita a la emisora, Conexión Digital Feb 3 via DXLD) ** VATICAN CITY. Vatican City transmissions. Just to update. I was anxious to have a go at the 10 kW transmitter since I haven't heard it in a long time. So I asked the Chief Engineer yesterday while sending my regular monitoring report. Well, I quote from their reply. "Speaking about the Transmitting stn inside the Vatican Gardens, the answer is yes, it is still operating both on MW and SW. The SW operational schedule is the follow: 4005 (10 kW) 0330-0845 and 1700-2300 [heard here in Germany regularly, wb.] 5885 (80 kW) 0410-0800 0845-1030 (Wed. 0900-0915 1000-1015 1100-1115 1300-1330 1500-1810 In Oct 2000 I had the great pleasure along with my XYL Niromi to be the guests of Vatican Radio, on our return journey from Washington and Canada. In all my life I have never had such a fine reception from a radio station. Of course the VOA freq Division is like my second home. As has been R Netherlands. It was like a state visit for us. The Chief Engineer Humberto Tollaini and Deputy Sergio Salvatori were just there at every moment, from the airport pick up to departure. Three Glorious days of meetings, a pilgrimage, opportunity to kiss the ring of the Pope (yes special for this old fashioned Roman Catholic!!!) and visit the Vatican City transmitting stn and touch those txs were indeed very special. Behind the old control desk is the Vatican R Museum with the first microphone that Marconi himself made and so many other things. This is not open for the general public. At Santa Maria Galeria the atmosphere was electric(!!) Every few mins you could hear the Vatican Tuning Signal as various services went out. It does something to you. Of course Vatican is special for me in many ways. It was the 3rd radio stn I wrote to after picking up its N American Sce in 1966, and they came back to me asking if I could help with their Asian bcs. That association turned my life without any exaggeration. Humerto Tollaini and Sergio took me inside their office and opened a huge file spanning 32 years and took out a picture of a young fellow and asked Niromi "Is this the guy you married in 1974?" For many reasons I was overwhelmed. That they would keep those letters and pictures, intact, that the picture and the ink of my writing behind it was as if printed that day (in our humid tropics they waste away very fast) ... (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, DXplorer Jan 31 via BC-DX via DXLD) 4005, IS came on at 0327 then into language at 0330. RTTY very strong and although Vatican R strong for listed 10 kW, couldn't shake the ute, even using USB and offsetting up a half kHz. So reception was such that no ID could be heard at sign on. I did hear an ID on Jan 31 at 0520 at the beginning of their listed Polish program (John Sgrulletta, NY, Feb 1, BC-DX via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. I tried 11985 at 1400+ today for Khmere Krom's Friday only broadcast and found Radio Liberty opening in Turkmen // 9805 & 15185 - but listed 12030 not audible. According to the Bulgarians, should be Vladivostok tx site. And RL via Darmstadt Biblis site (Noel Green, England, Feb 1, BC-DX via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. ENVOY SAYS CHRISTIAN JOURNALISTS WHO FAULT ZIMBABWE WILL GO TO HELL | Text of report by South African newspaper The Star on 1 February Christian journalists who write negative reports about Zimbabwe are going to hell, and future generations will spit on their graves, Zimbabwe's high commissioner to South Africa has predicted. Speaking at the invitation of the Pretoria Press Club yesterday, Simon Moyo launched a blistering attack on foreign and South African media as well as the British government, which he said was inciting violence and revolt. "Recycling stories has become the order of the day for the media. Those who write such stories, in my view, if they are Christians like me, they will not enter the Kingdom," he said. Moyo, who chastised a reporter for failing to refer to Robert Mugabe as "Mr President", denied that his country was deteriorating, saying a bumper harvest was expected and that "things are getting better". Asked whether the ruling ZANU-PF party accepted any responsibility for the economic crisis in his country, Moyo said "everyone", including the media, was to blame. "When your neighbour's house is burning, you don't come running with a bucket of fuel," he said. He invited journalists from South Africa to apply for permission to report on the upcoming election. "South African journalists could play a positive role in finding a solution to the problems facing Zimbabwe. I regret, however, that so far the media has not been helpful," Moyo said, while accusing Britain of using radio broadcasts to incite revolt. Source: The Star, Johannesburg, 1 Feb 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Oh, come on! (gh) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. The schedule of R Netherlands still lists a broadcast of the Voice of the People to Zimbabwe 1700-1755 7120 kHz (Madagascar 50 kW, 265 degrees). Could someone confirm the ongoing broadcasts as well as compare them to the SW R Africa which also regards itself as a Voice of the People of Zimbabwe (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, Germany, BC-DX Jan 31 via DXLD) Voice of the People 7120: The reception is not very difficult from here, good signal but with atmospherics noise. Start at 1700 with announcement in vernacular including ID in English by man, then a long talk in the local language by man and woman on "Consumer buying club". 1715 ID and addresses of buying clubs given, followed by a song and then continued with the talk. Strange, but the program sounded very normal instead anything against Mugabe or his government (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, BC-DX Jan 31 via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ON MINIMIZING THE `SWIPER` QRM, or THE CODAR OCEAN WAVE RADAR AFFAIR Hello Glenn, I'd like to ask you to contribute your expertise here about possibly minimizing the impact of "The Swiper" interference that is creating such havoc down in the 4 MHz band. For the past week I've been exchanging e-mails with some researchers who use, and the manufacturer who produces the Long Range CODAR radar systems which are creating the interference. I received a fairly long message from Don Barrick, the president of CODAR Ocean Sensors, Ltd., which manufactures the radar systems. (see below) Basically he says that while they have full FCC approval for the frequencies they are using, he understands that there is an interference problem, and he is willing to work to help minimize the problem for shortwave listeners. They are already planning to redesign the systems so that multiple radars will be synchronized to use only one 25 kHz segment instead of separate bands for each unit. He is asking for some input on which segments in the 4.4 to 5.0 MHz range would create the least interference for shortwave listening. I told him that I felt the priority would be to stay out of the 60 meter band. Taking a quick look at my LA-DX list and WRTH2002 I've identified this segment which seems to be totally clear of tropical band broadcasters: 4534-4594 and these segments which would include inactive stations: 4422-4460 (R. Frontera, Bolivia) 4485-4520 (R. Moderna & R. Paucartambo, R. Amistad, Perú) I'm not up to speed on Pacific and Asian tropical band DX, and I know WRTH has holes in it. Do you know of any other stations that are in these bands? I'd like to suggest them to Mr. Barrick. I think it's worth it to give him some input. The fact that they have decided to consolidate their frequency spread makes me think that they've already gotten some flak from someone. Let me know what you think. I told Mr. Barrick I'd get back to him with some suggestions next week. Thanks (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, Vt., hackmohr@sover.net mohrmannm@mail.lsc.vsc.edu DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] Glenn, I was hoping to get some quick input because Barrick seems so eager to deal with this. I went ahead and did some more checking. V. of National Salvation on 4450 and Xinjiang on 4500 have both been recently reported. So I went ahead and suggested the 4534 - 4594 segment to him. His reply was positive as far as international broadcasters in the band, but he is worried about "other users" of this segment. He's already gotten word of interference from a Shannon aeronautical station on 4.58. (40 watts across the ocean to Shannon?) In fact I heard some type of "military" traffic on 4585 the other morning so it may be that there are bigger targets out there who are going to want to protect themselves, at the expense of swl/dxers. In any case he definitely sounds amenable to staying out of the 60 mb proper. If he can get FCC approval to squeeze into the above segment that will be a plus for us. I've enclosed the rest of our correspondence at the bottom. He's making it sound like the frequency changes are imminent (if not immediate) so that would be news for the SWL/DX community. Go ahead and publish. Let's see where it goes from here. The background research that I did is up at: http://www.sover.net/~hackmohr/swiper.htm 73's (Mark Mohrmann, VT, Feb 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) COSDon@aol.com wrote: Dear Mr. Mohrmann: Dr. Neal Pettigrew has passed along your EMails to me. I am president of the company (CODAR Ocean Sensors, Ltd.) that designed and produces the radars operating in the 4-5 MHz band. The folks from Maine described the intended environmental and safety uses of these radars, so I will not cover that again. The radar signals require a 25 kHz band to achieve an acceptable range (spatial) resolution for observing surface currents. They must operate below 5 MHz to achieve the ranges needed to be useful (to 200 km). To compensate, the radiated power is kept low: 40 watts average, 80 watts peak. All of the radars are operating on FCC approved frequencies. These frequencies are well away from the ham bands and radio astronomy channels, and the FCC monitors those to ensure our signals do not get into these regions. Looking at data bases of existing HF licensed users around the world, there is not a single 3 kHz slot anywhere in the HF spectral region that does not have a radio emitter from some location on this planet, authorized to broadcast at some time or another; in fact, most slots have two or three stations occupying them. So, the FCC selects channels for the HF radar owners that they deem will be the least objectionable to U.S. listeners. But they cannot find any that will be guaranteed not to interfere with someone's broadcasts at one time or another. The signals you are observing in Vermont are propagated by skywave (ionospheric) paths, and are probably only observed by you at nighttime, when this skywave mode is supported. The intervening land would block any groundwave signal, day or night. We wish your suggestion to beam the energy only out to sea were possible, but it is not. Even with several antennas forming an array, the backward signals will only be down 4-5 dB from the seaward signals. And, the seaward pattern will be have too many nulls to be acceptable. Seaward coverage must view nearly 180 degrees. We recognize your concerns, and have the following plans to mitigate the problem of the increasing number of these radars occupying ever more frequencies. We have invented a multiple-radar synchronization technique (based on GPS timing) that will allow all of the radars to use a single frequency (25-30 kHz bandwidth). The radars can all operate continuously, but not interfere with each other because of precise timing of their modulation cycle (the 1-second clicks you hear). Thus, we can collapse our multiple frequency usage down to one, somewhere between 4.4 and 5 MHz. This is costing us a considerable investment, but we feel it is worth it to do our part to be good spectral neighbors (even though the FCC does not require it). Here is how you can help us. Please tell us which of the frequency channels you hear us on, that are the most offensive to your desired shortwave listening. If there is more than one, please prioritize them, as to your preferences. Because we must ultimately land on one channel in this region, this will help us end up with one that is least offensive to you. Thanks for your cooperation and help. Don Barrick ----------------------- Dr. Donald E. Barrick, President CODAR Ocean Sensors, Ltd., 1000 Fremont Avenue, Suite 145, Los Altos, CA 94024. Office: (408) 773-8240. FAX: (408) 773-0514 --------- Dear Dr. Barrick, Thank you for taking the time to write me. I'm very pleased that you are aware of the interference problem and are willing to work towards a solution to minimize it. From a shortwave listening perspective, the priority item would be to keep the International 60 Meter Broadcast Band clear of interference. This band from 4.7 to 5.1 MHz is densely packed with stations usually at 5 kHz spacings. Below this band, from 4.4 to 4.7 there are a number of segments which are free of any broadcasters. If we can use this as a starting point, I will do some research over the weekend and get back to you with a list of segments that would accommodate the 25 kHz bandwidth of the radar and also minimize interference with any broadcasting stations. Thank you again for contacting me about this matter. I appreciate the fact that you are coming up with solutions to the problem even though you are not required to do so. Mark Mohrmann ----- Dear Mr. Mohrmann: Thanks for your support and understanding. I'd like very much to take you up on your offer to check channel vacancy from 4.4 - 4.7 MHz. We can head toward that range if there are few other users there. Right now we have approvals from the FCC at: 4.40 MHz; 4.54 MHz; 4.58 MHz; and 4.66 MHz. Even with these approvals, I know there is a U.S. amateur military band near 4.66 MHz that has been a problem, and near 4.58 MHz is an aeronautical band in which there is occasional interference with a communications center in Shannon, Ireland. Any further info you can find will be useful to us all. Thanks again, Don Barrick -------- Dear Mr. Barrick, There is a 60 kHz segment between 4.535 and 4.595 which is not occupied by any international broadcasters at this time. One recent user has abandoned their frequency for the 6 MHz band. If you were able to center the radar sweep between these limits at 4.565 MHz I think the shortwave listening community would be very grateful to you. Mark Mohrmann -------- Dear Mr. Mohrmann: Thanks much for this information! In your seaRch, are you able to check whether there are possibly other users of your suggested band (4.535 to 4.595 MHz) besides shortwave international broadcasters? It's difficult in the bureaucracy of the FCC to make a simple inquiry seeking an answer to this; a radar owner needs to formally apply requesting this band and see what response he gets back the formal way, which takes a couple months. So any outside insight you can provide will be useful. You may not see any change in the short term (i.e., one or two weeks). However, I am already encouraging present radar owners to use our GPS timing technology to share frequency with others, so over the longer haul, I would expect to see consolidation, of more users on fewer frequencies than are out there now. Also, any new systems we sell in this band come with the GPS synchronization/sharing module: it is no longer an option. And if they buy several systems, they will operate on one frequency, rather than separate ones as they have in the past. Thanks again for your inputs. Regards, Don Barrick (all via Mark Mohrmann, VT, WORLD OF RADIO 1117, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Furthermore: THE 60M BAND IS TOAST... DXers on or near USA`s east coast have a new enemy to deal with. We have an invading marauder that destroys the 60m tropical band. Our favorite stations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Pacific are mostly gone, virtually impossible to hear. Most members will remember the decade-plus-old infamous Russian woodpecker broadband signal that created a cottage industry of noise filters specifically designed to nuke the woodpecker signals. Now we have a US-invented pest. This is a long-range HF radar system manufactured by a company called CODAR. The radar does real-time ocean current mapping to distances almost 200 km from shore. Far below our radar screen, the HF radar history dates back to 1955. The company was formed in 1983 by ex-NOAA personnel. There are three radar sites, two on the west coast and now there is one near Barnegat, NJ. Regular participants in the IRC Starchat room #swl noted the annoying signal a few months ago, and the information came to light. So what`s the problem? The operating range is 4.5 to 5.5 MHz! Rated power is 40w (80w peak). The modulation is Pulsed Swept Frequency CW, with a sweep bandwidth of 12.5-50 kHz. The signal is vertically polarized, thus a low take-off angle. According to reports noted in #swl, the Barnegat radar transmitter signals are very strong in NJ, PA and around the NYC and Washington, DC/northern VA areas. The rapid blips have been noted in Canada, Ohio, North Carolina, The Netherlands, Norway and Brazil. The radar blips seem to most often cover approximately 4850 to 4950 kHz, but all listeners have noted this signal above and below this range. None of us can believe this signal is just 40w. I often used Ghana on 4915 as an indicator of how early I could hear Africans in the fall and winter afternoons. Now I can only listen when the signal peaks at sunset. Ralph Brandi, the NASWA Journal`s guru, spends a lot of time digging out the weaker 60m signals, but the going is very difficult. And the horror stories just go on and on. I just don`t understand how the FCC can allow such a device on a broadcast band used by USA broadcasters and NBS-WWV. Read the details and weep: http://www.codaros.com http://www1.etl.noaa.gov/codar/ (Net Notes, by Tom Sundstrom, Feb NASWA Journal via DXLD) More... I`m surprised at the amount of interest this NASWA mini-feature has generated. In addition to a number of "thank-you" notes, Harry Helms commented that these radio transmissions are military and thus do not fall with the FCC`s scope. My reading of the web sites didn`t pick up the military aspect; I will have to re-read the Web site pages. Thanks to Mark Fine, Bill Pasternak of Amateur Radio Newsline http://www.arnewsline.org will be doing a story this week about the pest. Amateur radio operators can be affected too, especially if the new proposed ham band between 75 and 40 meters is established. Fine has noted the signals as low as 4370 kHz, which additionally takes in international allocations to maritime and aero use. I invite your readers and listeners to e-mail me at trs@trsc.com if they hear the radar, with location, type of receiver and antenna, and time(s) of the day. Brazil, Norway and The Netherlands are some of the countries reporting in, so far. Look for a follow-up page on this subject at http://www.trsc.com, our Web site. (Tom Sundstrom, W2XQ, http://www.trsc.com Editor, Net Notes, NASWA Journal http://www.anarc.org/naswa Feb 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-020, February 5, 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 #1116: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1116.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1116.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1116.html FINAL AIRING ON RFPI: Tue 2300 (special time) on 15039, 21815-USB NETS TO YOU: New February edition: http://worldofradio.com/nets2you.html DX PROGRAMS: New Feb 5 edition soon: http://worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html EDITOR`S NOTE: We are still not caught up following our involuntary downtime, and next issue may contain some info that predates this issue. But here is plenty for now. It`s been snowing all day Tuesday, but fortunately no more ice (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. We keep expecting PsyOps to cease its 8700-USB transmissions as no longer necessary, but reconfirmed UT Jan 31 at 0030, presumably this with music. Also Feb 3 at 1352 check more music running past 1400. RVOA, 9950, however, was making better use of its broadcast with talk conveying some message. Having previously heard it at 1730, I checked for R. Free Afghanistan`s next broadcast at 0300 UT Jan 31: 7230 inaudible with hams; 15345 very poor, and 17725 poor. Then I notice on the RFE/RL website Feb 5 that while the 1300 and 1700 have the three frequencies listed, 0300 has only two, lacking 7230 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. USA, 17725, RFE RL, new Afghan program, Jan 30 at 1344 with theme on RT Afghanistan, talk in English with immediate translation to Dari?, 1348 ID as R Afghanistan Azad. 1350 theme on Daniel Perez and at 1354 on Israel. Signals for 17725 S5-9 or 34333, 11920 as S9+20 44444, 15525 S9+20 with minimal QRN from monitor and some satellite feed delay (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, week concluding Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN LAUNCHES By Nick Grace C., CRW Washington Bureau [Jan 30]. Radio Free Afghanistan, the latest addition to the U.S. stable of surrogate broadcast initiatives, launched today as Afghan interim leader Hamid Karzai visited the World Trade Center site. The service opened in the Pashto language with a female announcer. Radio Free Afghanistan (RFA) currently broadcasts according to the following schedule (Time in GMT): 1300-1330 Pashto 11920, 15525, 17725 kHz 1330-1400 Dari 11920, 15525, 17725 kHz 1700-1730 Pashto 6170, 9785, 11920 kHz 1730-1800 Dari 6170, 9785, 11920 kHz Identifications: (Pashto) Da Azad Afghanistan Radyo (Dari) Radyo Afghanistani Azad Reception reports can be sent to RFE / RL, 1201 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20036 USA. Web Site: http://www.rferl.org/bd/af/ STATEMENT BY ED ROYCE http://www.house.gov/royce/rfastarts.html [Jan 30]. Radio Free Afghanistan today began broadcasting into war-ravished Afghanistan, while U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA-39) said he was pleased broadcasts have begun. "I have been calling for Radio Free Afghanistan for over 5 years now. Finally, the voices of freedom and democracy will fill the air in the region, offering an alternative to the hate radio that has been heard," he said. Royce first proposed the idea in 1996, and following the September 11 terrorist attacks he immediately made it a top legislative priority. On October 2, he introduced the Radio Free Afghanistan Act [H.R. 2998] in the House. The measure was expedited and quickly signed into law by President Bush last month as part of the Department of Defense spending bill [H.R. 3338]. Prague based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is performing the surrogate broadcasts into Afghanistan in local languages. Limited broadcasts will be expanded as soon as new transmitters, provided for by the Royce bill, can be moved to the region. Royce recently met with Afghan interim ruler Chairman Hamid Karzai, and the two discussed Radio Free Afghanistan. After the meeting, Royce said, "I had the opportunity to meet with Chairman Karzai. He was very excited about Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts starting. He believes that this will have a significant impact on Afghanistan's development." "The concept behind Radio Free Afghanistan is to do what was once done with Radio Free Europe in Communist countries like Poland and Czechoslovakia. When we talk with leaders of Poland or the Czech Republic, they say that the hearts and minds of those behind the Iron Curtain were turned by the opportunity to listen daily to a radio broadcast which explained what was actually happening inside their society, and explained liberty, tolerance, political pluralism and democracy," he said (Clandestine Radio Watch via DXLD) Hi Glenn, Below are two items for your consideration in the next DXLD. Here is the schedule for RFE/RL transmission of Radio Free Afghanistan as monitored on 1 & 2 Feb 2002 - all times GMT: 0300-0330 Pashto, 0330-0400 Dari 7230 (Kavala) 1300-1330 Pashto, 1330-1400 Dari 11920 (Kavala), 15525 (Iranawila), 17725 (Biblis) 1700-1730 Pashto, 1730-1800 Dari 9785 (Tinang), 11920 (Tinang) Frequent identifications in Pashto "Da Azad Afghanistan Radyo" and Dari "Radyo Afghanistani Azad" were heard throughout the transmissions (Mike Ford, UK, NRD515 mod, NCM515, 22m wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. RAE was putting in an unusually good signal UT Fri Feb 1 at 0200 on 11710.0, with multilingual IDs, complete English schedule (of only two weekday broadcasts, 1900? On 15345, 9690; 0200 Tu-Sa on 11710, 6060). Then leisurely exposition of how to send reception reports, listing postal and 3 E-mail addresses, one of which was Gabriel Iván Barrera`s personal address; music; not until 0217 did they get around to some news, but already back to music at 0221. Larry Nebron would have been pulling his hair --- when are they going to get down to business??? I listened until about 0240 with various talks, but this was not a night for GIB`s DX program. Modulation was good; there was some flutter; and inaudible on 6060 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. (Comments re my logging of Argentina on 2380 in DXLD from Jan 28:) Seems highly unlikely this domestic outlet would mention ``RAE`` in its ID, the external service (gh, DXLD) BM: Oh yes, they mention both "Radio Nacional" and "RAE". The station, whichever of the two listed "Radio América" or "Radio Nacional de Tucumán", relays both RNE and VOA, so why not RAE? (Björn Malm, in Quito translated by Thomas Nilsson, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. During icestorm blackout here, took advantage of lower line noise level to tune around; altho my main longwire also came down. Jan 31 at 0218 on 2749.5 USB heard marine weather in French, mentioned Shelburne Harbour, Liverpool, so presumably in the Maritimes. 0221 YL gave bilingual ID as something - Radio, out, but I could not catch it. So I consult the Klingenfuss 2002 SW Frequency Guide, and find on 2749 (no decimal), both VCO CCG Sydney and VCS CCG Halifax NS, so must have been one of them (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Gander with VOLMET, Winnipeg weather at 0228 Jan 31 on 3485-LSB, off at 0229, ``Gander, out`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. There are some notes about CBC Radio's coverage of the Olympics here: http://radio.cbc.ca/sports/ HIGHLIGHTS... * CBC Radio One local morning show hosts will be chatting live with the Radio Sports announcers. There will also be four-minute live reports during local afternoon drive shows. (These two new features might explain the next item...) * Note that the hourly olympic updates on Radio One have been trimmed to two minutes instead of the five-minute updates from previous olympics. (They've always been this short on Radio Two.) * As with the last winter games, CBC Radio One will carry play-by-play of men's and women's semi-final and final hockey games, should the teams advance (Ricky Leong, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE. 6010.2, Radio Parinacota, Putre (Tentative). 0708-0731 February 2. Romantic music in Spanish (many songs with Andean style) 23322 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHILE. 6090, Radio Esperanza, Temuco. 0655-0703 February 2. Gospel music in Spanish. ID at 0702 by male as: "Tanta Esperanza lo acompaña en la Isla Grande de Chiloe en los 98.5 de Ancud, en la IX [novena] Región de la Araucania: 106,9 MHz de Temuco y Esperanza onda corta, banda internacional de 49 metros". Then, more songs. 34433 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Lots of frequencies bore parallel Chinese music, presumably mainly as jammer, when 9, 11, 13 and 15 MHz were scanned between 1633 and 1700 UT Feb 3: First found on 9640, and paralleled it on 13745, but the latter had co-channel QRM, in Chinese? Ditto 13690. And 11850, 11945, 11955, 9680(weak), 15510 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Xinjiang PBS has been operating again on many frequencies for a few days now, but remains silent on 4980, 5060 and some higher ones on 41-25-22 m (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. CRI plans to honor longtime official monitor George J. Poppin, San Francisco, on a Spring Festival program Sat. Feb. 16, the occasion being his 1000th regular reception report (Yu Ming, via Joe Hanlon, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also CUBA ** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s live ``Interactive Radio Show`` with James Latham, 0345 UT Feb 1 on 7445/15039, said transmitters are OK now, and internet should be back soon; RFPI really needs, for the sake of Joe Bernard`s sanity, donation of a high speed computer, 500 MHz Pentium. It appears that the 0345 show does not get repeated 6 or 12 hours later, but some of them have been included in subsequent Mailbag programs (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A last-minute reminder of the Homelessness Marathon from KBOO, on RFPI UT Wed Feb 6 0000-1400 on some of: 7445, 15040, 21815-USB (gh) ** CUBA. Even before 1400 UT Feb 3, the dirty transmitter for CRI relay in English on 17720 was already on the air with open carrier. Despite the lack of modulation on the center frequency, noisy sidebands extended from 17700 to 17740, which only DW Antigua 17730 was capable of combating (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Radio Havana Cuba in Spanish noted: 2100-2300 on NF 17750 55444), ex 13680 (73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 5 via DXLD) Yes, I noticed them there for a few weeks (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Radio Martí can be heard in Tomsk every morning on 13820 (clear signal) and 11775 (QRM from CNR-8 on 11780). Here is full schedule. 0000-0300 6030, 7365, 11775, 13820; 0300-0400 6030, 7365, 7405, 11775; 0400-0600 6030, 7405, 9805, 11775; 0600-0700 6030, 7405, 9805; 0700-1000 5980, 6030, 7365, 7405; 1000-1200 5980, 6030, 9565; 1200-1300 5980, 6030, 7405, 9565; 1300-1400 7405, 9565, 11930, 13820; 1400-1500 9565, 11815, 11930, 13820; 1500-1700 11815, 11930, 13820, 21675; 1700-2200 11930, 13820, 21675; 2200-2400 6030, 11930, 13820, 15330 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. 2480, Radio Sonorama, 1030-1105 Feb 2, (2 x 1240 harmonic from Riobamba), Ecuadorian folk music and man with announcements and ID. Poor signal, was lucky to catch ID on a peak. Believe this was the first time I've logged this one in Iowa. In past years this frequency has been dominated by the harmonic of a domestic station in Aberdeen, Mississippi. No sign of them now (Don Moore, Davenport, Iowa, Drake R- 8, Various wire antennas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. HCJB is going ahead with its long projected transmitter site move from Pifo near Quito, to Santa Elena near Salinas, somewhat inland from the coast. On DX Partyline Feb 2, John Beck reported this had just been decided. The WRMF board had considered several scenarios; evidently the PTB have decided to proceed with building a new airport for Quito which will require that the present HCJB antennas at Pifo be leveled so they do not obstruct flight paths. The HCJB relocation, however, will just about pay for itself: $5 million income from the sale of the Pifo property is about what it will cost to build the new site; the only problem is cash flow. So HCJB is now in the process of commencing the move. Santa Elena is between Guayaquil and Salinas near the westernmost point of Ecuador. The project, like everything at HCJB, has its own acronym: SERVE, for Santa Elena Renewing the Voice of Ecuador. Phase one lasts through 2002; phase 3 starts in 2003, with transmission from new site to start by mid-03, but will overlap with both sites in use for a while. Move should be complete by mid-05 with Santa Elena only in use; the Pifo site is to be leveled by mid-06. So if you want to see the present HCJB Pifo site, do so in the next couple of years. Santa Elena is much less convenient to Quito. It takes 10.5 to 11 hours by car, or a one hour flight to Guayaquil, and 3 hours by car. Pifo is only a 40 minute drive from Quito. News release will be issued ASAP; more info on request. Plans to put up website about this showing plots, progress, maybe even a webcam! There is absolutely nothing at Santa Elena now, no water or electricity. Other HCJB news: just starting a new program in ``Mennonite Low German`` Feb 2, on SW and satellite, to such communities in Americas, mainly Bolivia, Mexico and Belize, Saturdays at 2330 on 11980 to N&SAm. In the A-02 season this will also be broadcast daily to Europe. And the 40th anniversary of DXPL QSL card is now ready to be released (HCJB DX Partyline Feb 2, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) I should think the Mennonites are already firmly Christian as their raison d`être is their own sect, so why is this necessary? (gh, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB, 12005 at 0500 1 Feb w/African music. ID phonetically as "ahhsh say hota bay". Kikongo. Moderate (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. DX Party Line can be heard on Sundays at 0100-0130 and 0400-0430 on 9745 and 11840. Signal on 11840 at 0100 is very poor with QRM from CNR-1 on 11835. Signal on 9745 is quite poor with QRM from Radio Cairo on 9740 (bad modulation) and VOA on 9750. Reception on 9745 is better and more comfortable to listen to at 0400. Signal on 11840 rises to SIO=252 by the end of broadcasting at 0600 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. /GERMANY: Radio Rainbow in Amharic noted on Sat Feb. 2: 0900-1000 on additional NF 15410 (45533) via unID transmitter \\ 6180 via Jülich. According to B-01 HFCC Operational Schedule 15410 is registered by Deutsche Welle: 15410 0900-0945 KIG 250 kW, 180 degrees in English to Africa (Observer, Bulgaria, via DXLD) ** GERMANY. 6030, Südwestrundfunk, 0745 4 Feb, Very difficult to hear this outlet in the USA, because R Martí and the Cuban bubble jammer usually occupy this frequency most nights. The only exception is sometimes late on Sunday night/Monday morning. Südwestrundfunk was mixing with CFVP-CKMX (.1 kW) from Calgary, Alberta, at about an equal level. Program consisted of commercial format with pop music, and male announcer in German. This frequency was // 7265, but much weaker then the 41m //. The signal was far too weak for this time of day and frequency to be the full listed 20 kW. Carrier level was about the same as the German pirate R Marabu, which is found at times just above the 49 mb. It sounds like somewhere around 1 kW (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi David, that's not the case ... SWR-Südwestrundfunk 6030 kHz uses normally also 20 kW of power. But since early days after WW II, the station used always a simple horizontal dipolE line in STRICTLY !! North-South direction !! like an EIGHT 8, towards ex-GDR and Scandinavia and also to the holidaymakers in the Mediterranean area like Croatia, Italy, Tunisia, Monaco, France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and the Canary Islands and Madeira. So, only a thin, poor side lobe of the simple dipole will reach North America (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No wonder it only sounded like 1 kW! 73, (David Hodgson, DXLD) [At same transmitter site:] The ex-AFRTS / AFN American Forces Network mediumwave tower, which was in use from June 1945 till October 1962 with 100 Kilowatt of power, mainly on mediumwave 1106 kHz. AFRTS/AFN left that site in 1962 for another Stuttgart Hirschlanden site by German FCC then - now Deutsche TELEKOM - now on [1142]/1143 kHz with 10 kW only, to serve the approx. 14.000 US American personnel which is on duty on the various EUCOM command centers around Stuttgart, and also very special CIA/NSA and other veiled intelligence services stationed at this region. EUCOM was on command duty and planning structure, which planned the Iraq-Kuwait war in 1991. SW 6160 kHz started on Sept 14, 1947, but moved soon to 6030 kHz on 16 February 1949. Since 28 March 1948 increased to 10 Kilowatt. From 22 July 1949 increased to 20 Kilowatt, used til 26 June 1975. Between 25 July 1949 and 27 May 1969 in use: TWO three-element dipole antennas in direction of 45 and 225 degrees were in use, each equipped with dipole, director and reflector elements. From 4 Oct 1967 a new 'simpler' Horizontal Dipole antenna was built up in strictly 000 and 180 degrees direction, true North and true South. The 'self-produced' 20 kW tx of July 1949 was replaced by a latest semi-conductor transmitter of Croatian firm RIZ Zagreb in 1996/1997. The transmitter which used the one and only TUBE of EIMAC in the final stage. Both the MW and the SW tube transmitters were replaced by new Telefunken and RIZ semi-conductor units this year. At this time, the only 20 kW SW transmitter producer on the market is RIZ Zagreb-Croatia. (Only 10 and 100 kW units were/are on bid tender. It would be very strange or rather crazy, to decrease a proper 100 kW Telefunken SW unit to 50 or even 20 Kilowatt of power ... ) SWR 6030 and 7265 kHz are 24 hrs in service. The old 20 kW 'home brewed' unit of July 1949 is still present as BACK-UP unit for the RIZ transmitter. Contrary to the DW, VoA, DTK Jülich etc. frequency registrations at the regular HFCC conferences, German regional broadcaster like BR Munich Ismaning 6085, DLR 6005 and DLF 6190 both from Berlin Britz, and both SWR outlets at Muehlacker and Rohrdorf 7265 kHz --- have no rights, --- and no protection against co-channel QRM or interference of neighbouring channel stations !!!! (report of Dr. Hansjörg Biener, Germany, AGDX July 25, 1999 via wb df5sx, BC-DX wwdxc-germany via DXLD) ** GREECE [non]. Surprised to find ERA with the `wrong` English hour in progress at 1945 UT Sun Feb 3 on 17705 via Delano: ``Hellenes Around the World``, usual woman doing interview, rather than musical ``It`s All Greek to Me``. HAW had been scheduled Sats at 1700, and IAGTM Suns at 1900. Is this a deliberate change, or did they get the tapes mixed up? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. R. Verdad, a safe presumption on 4052.5, music alternating with homilies at 0233 UT Jan 31 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. After Ivo Ivanov announced in DX-mix DX-ing with Cumbre schedule I tried to check some frequencies and found better reception at 1200 on 9930 via KWHR-3. Ironically, in that edition Marie Lamb said this time was to be dropped. However I still hear DX-ing with Cumbre at 1200 on 9930 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. 2541.5, Radio Sonaguera, 1023-1040 & 1130-1145 Feb 2, (2 x 1270 harmonic). Presumed, at very poor level with ranchera music. When I rechecked this frequency at 1045, I was surprised to find it covered by a moderate-strength harmonic of my local WKBF 1270 Rock Island, IL. Have never heard a harmonic from them before. Checked in a few more times and at 1130, WKBF was gone, but Sonaguera faded out soon afterwards. Wonder if they were doing work at WKBF. Tnx Johnson & Mohrmann tips on this one (Don Moore, Davenport, Iowa, Drake R-8, Various wire antennas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. An article in the Christian Science Monitor yesterday discusses efforts by Hondurans to locate disappeared relatives who have set out to enter the US, presumably illegally. These efforts include a radio program called "Without Borders". The article doesn't make clear where the broadcasts take place, in Honduras I assume. "The Association of Relatives of Missing Migrants was formed in Progreso, Honduras, in 1999. The first of its kind in the region, the association now has 250 members representing 284 missing migrants, almost all from Progreso, a town of roughly 140,000 people. "The group's principal goal is to raise awareness about the plight of migrants, which they do through their weekly radio broadcast, "Without Borders." They hold press conferences, carry photos to marches and demonstrations, and lobby their government." The full article can be found at http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0131/p07s01-woam.html 73 (Fred Waterer, Ont., Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND / INDONESIA. Dear Glenn, I'm SO SORRY! Frequency for Ríkisútvarpið was 12120, one for RRI Sorong was 4875 kHz (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Hi Glenn; Just a quick note to tell you that I'm currently listening to AIR on 11628 instead of nom. 11620, with music program, and 34333 signals on a Yaesu FRG-7700 receiver, so the resolution is 1 kHz. Hope I did not miss any announcement of this frequency deviation. Date 2-4-02z 0349z 73 (Steven Zimmerman, Milwaukee, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Punch-up error? Probably have keypad like our phones, 8 just above the 0. But this happens all too frequently at various stations. Don`t they double check what they have just entered? (gh, DXLD) Friends, AIR Urdu Service just now (0230 UT) noted on 11628 rather than the normal 11620. 11620 is scheduled to be used at various time by AIR (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, UT Feb 4, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 3325, RRI Palangkaraya. Has been touching a solid S9 on my HF225 with the 90m inverted Vee tied at the feeder point to a coconut palm at 50 feet on Dua puloh January from about 1420 until s.off at 1500 with Love Ambon. This Sunday evening they have been playing some beautiful music, vocals, mainly Indonesian versions of The Old Rugged Cross and similar. Absolutely dreamy music, a fusion of the East and West. I lost power at 1400, so hooked my old car battery and I got stuck on 3325 kHz. It is all dark in the house with some moonlight filtering through the lace curtains that my XYL has put on the window. Looking at the digital readout and dimly lit S-metre, does something to me listening to Indonesians. I know it is the same with many of us, cross cultures, continents and all (Jan 20, 2002, G. Victor A. Goonetilleke, SRI LANKA, Jembatan DX Feb 5 via DXLD) RRI Jambi on 4925 kHz reactivated on January 30. The station signs off at 1555 (G. Victor A. Goonetilleke, SRI LANKA & Juichi Yamada, JAPAN) MONITORING LIST IN JANUARY 2002------------------------------------ 2899.1 RPDT2 Ngada 3214.8 RRI Manado 3264.6 RRI Gorontalo 3325.0 RRI Palangkaraya 3344.8 RRI Ternate 3905.0 RRI Merauke 3960.2 RRI Palu 3976.1 RRI Pontianak 4000.2 RRI Kendari x4003.2 RRI Padang seems to be inactive in January. 4753.4 RRI Makassar 4789.1 RRI Fak Fak 4925.0 RRI Jambi reactivated on January 30. 6071.2 RRI Jayapura 6153.8 RRI Biak 7171.4 RRI Serui 9525.0 V.O.Indonesia, Cimanggis 9552.5 RRI Makassar, local daytime broadcast 9680.0 RRI Jakarta, Pro5, Cimanggis 9741.8 RRI Sorong, local daytime broadcast 11785.0 V.O.Indonesia, Cimanggis 15125.1 RRI Jakarta, Pro3, Cimanggis (Juichi Yamada, Japan, JEMBATAN DX Feb 5 via DXLD) see also ICELAND ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Los Angeles Times, Feb. 4, 2002 -- Technology SATELLITE RADIO AIMING HIGH Media: XM has signed up 30,000 customers; Sirius is set to launch this month. But the subscriber services face many challenges. By JUBE SHIVER Jr., TIMES STAFF WRITER, February 4 2002 WASHINGTON -- With a bluster reminiscent of high-tech boom years, Hugh Panero, president of XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., boasted recently that his pioneering radio service had signed up 30,000 subscribers since launching Nov. 12. That's 30,000 down and at least 4,970,000 more to go. Although XM is seeing early success, analysts believe that the Washington-based company and its main competitor, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., each will need 5 million to 6 million subscribers to break even. That's a long road for any new technology to travel--and it's one fraught with daunting obstacles.... [full story:] http://www.latimes.com/business/la-000008775feb04.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dbusiness (via Stephen E. Tulley, Iowa City, DXLD) ** IRAN. 11720, 0334-0527*, VOIRI TABRIZ, Feb 2. Exceptionally strong S9+50 signal in presumed Azeri, blows away any chance to hear Scandinavian Weekend Radio. Kor`an, into talk at 0335 (Volodya Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. 11787.00, Radio Iraq Int'l, 31 Jan, 0242. In English, some traditional music and talks by female announcers. IDs given by a woman at 0246, 0251 and 0301: "This is Radio Iraq International." Booming signal with little QRM, if any, but a few spots of dropped carrier. Audio was typical Middle Eastern-overmodulated voices with a little hum (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. U S A(non): Additional transmissions for RFE/RL/Radio Free Iraq in Arabic 0400-0500 6130 MOR 250 kW/083 deg 9695 KAV 250 kW/105 deg 11970 LAM 100 kW/108 deg 0500-0600 5985 MOR 250 kW/083 deg 9695 KAV 250 kW/105 deg 11970 LAM 100 kW/108 deg (73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 5 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Glenn: As a longtime Monitoring Times reader, I came across something you may not know about, for the Global Forum column. In response to a reception report and QSL request, I received a nice letter from Sylvia Rapoport, English News Department: "Dear Mr. Lufkin, Thank you for your informative letter that included a reception report. I am unable to send you a QSL since Kol Israel has recently discontinued the use of reception reports. We still, however, appreciate hearing from our listeners." Well, another one bites the dust! They did send me an interesting overview of Israel, called "A Letter from Israel," but that's it. Oh, well. Regards, (Dave Lufkin, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That, of course, was a prélude to talk of cancelling external language SW completely; still heard Feb 2 at 1700 check on 17545 in English news, 1707 Week in Review (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 30 Jan 2002: Kol Israel is the latest international broadcaster to find itself under threat. The management of the Israel Broadcasting Authority have recommended closing the shortwave service, which currently broadcasts in 11 languages, as a cost-saving measure. However, there's still hope that the cuts will not materialise, as the plan has to be approved by the IBA Board, then the Cabinet, and finally the full Knesset. Given the current political situation in Israel, it seems likely that there will be widespread opposition to silencing Israel's voice, especially given the large number of high power shortwave services operating from neighbouring Arab countries. The IBA is preparing to submit its budget to the government in a few weeks, and reportedly does not include any provision for foreign language broadcasts. It seems likely that this is a deliberate ploy to draw attention to the need for a bigger budget, and elicit cross- parliamentary support for Kol Israel (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. 9.1: Today it became known that the planned radio project from Harry de Winter off the coast of Israel will not go on. A research taken by him and his partners showed there is no future at the moment for such a station. Harry thought to bring a station for Peace, like Abe Nathan did between 1973 and 1993. However at the moment there are so many stations that the cake would be divided into too much parts. He was in Israël for talks during the past period. He now thinks that there is more need for pro peace advertisements in the newspapers. On Dutch television Nederland 1, a few days later, he confirmed the decision not to go for a Peace station (Hans Knot, Nieuws from Holland, Feb 3, via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** JORDAN. R. Jordan, 11690 in English at 1637 UT Feb 2, mentioning Jordan; best on sync-upper to avoid RTTY on low side (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Ed, P5/4L4LN, continues to be active on 15 meters (21225 kHz) usually starting around 2230z. Reports indicate he has a much better signal with his new vertical (check the KK5DO Web page for pictures). Still no word on whether Ed has received the proper license/documentation. QSL via KK5DO (KB8NW/OPDX February 4/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OCKOK, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. On Feb 16 [Sat], instead of From Us To You, RKI will have a special program on the future of broadcasting. Victor Goonetilleke made his second appearance on MWF, this month with only three items: SLBC All Asia Service 0030-0430 and 1230-1545 on 6005, 9770 and 15425, with a recording of 9770`s 50-year-old transmitter which is holding up well; R. Free Afghanistan schedule; and a list of some Papua New Guinea frequencies heard until 1300*, for Swopan who had requested some hard-DX news (RKI Multiwave Feedback Feb 3, notes by gh for DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. CLANDESTINE: Past days received my verification of The Voice of National Salvation on 4557 kHz. The station sent me a very friendly letter and a QSL card in 118 days. V/S: "Editorial Staff of The Voice of National Salvation". I wrote my letter to Grenier Osawa 107, 40 Nando-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The letterhead corresponds to NDFSK --- National Democratic Front of South Korea (in Korean & English). The station aired by NDFSK is broadcast at: 0500-1000 Korean time on 3480, 4400, 4450, 4557 & 1053 1200-1600 Korean time on 3480, 4400, 4450, 4557 & 1053 1900-0200 Korean time on 3480, 4400, 4450, 4557 & 1053 1900-2100 Korean time on 6010 The English language programme is aired at 0930-1000 Korean time, on 3480, 4400, 4450, 4557 & 1053 kHz. Korean time is UT+9. I sent my reception report to the NDFSK (National Democratic Front of South Korea) Mission in Japan and the mail is: ndfsk@campus.ne.jp and the web site is http://www.ndfsk.dyn.to The North Korea Mission is at: NDFSK, Munsu-dong, Taedonggang District, Pyongyang, North Korea. The email is: ndfskpy@campus.ne.jp (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non]. Denge Mezopotamia was heard this morning Feb 2 at 0500-0700 on 15415 mentioned by Ludo Maes. Medium signal, apparently from Samara. The daytime transmission again seems to be continuous 0700-1700. Most of the programming seems to be traditional and modern Kurdish music with news on the hour (Olle Alm, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If it's Denge Mesopotamia I'm listening to on 15415 it's a good signal here at 1130. Some splash from a buzzy Dubai now on 15420! I hope Continental - or Thales - soon receive a contract to replace their four transmitters! The audio on 15415 sounds a bit woolly - as it did at times on 11 MHz - but this higher frequency should reach the target well, especially if Samara (Noel Green, England, Feb 3, via Alm, DXLD) I thought it was at 1100 I heard Denge M switch from 15415 to 11530, but I did not make a written note. Anyhow, they went off just after the hour and reappeared on 11530 2 minutes later with programming back at :05. Much interference from Oz on 15415 in the mid morning. The 1100 frequency shift confirmed 4 Feb (Olle Alm, Sweden, Feb 3-4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. Cland, 4099, R Kurdistan Iraq, 2034 Arabic music. ID by YL as '... Kurdistan Iraq' in Arabic program with commentaries and many IDs in between. At 2052 full ID ``Idaat Kurdistan ... Kurdistan Iraqi`` then with progressive songs (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, week concluding Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KUWAIT. Work on the SW transmitters for R. Free Afghanistan here cannot begin until RFA is officially authorized by the House and Senate, even tho money for it has already been appropriated. This is expected to happen within the next few weeks as there is widespread bipartisan support for it. The transmitters will be installed at the present MW 1548 site in Kuwait. BTW, I just found out that R. Free Iraq has been using Kuwait 1548 since December, at 0200-0300 and 2100- 2200 instead of VOA News Now; so one less frequency for CW Saturdays at 2133 (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 2, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA/FRANCE. Radio Great Jamahiriya in Arabic noted on Feb.2: 2200-2300 on NF 7330 ISS 500 kW/204 deg SINPO 55555 <<<<<< additional \\ 9415 ISS 500 kW/185 deg SINPO 55555 9445 ISS 500 kW/140 deg SINPO 55555 9485 ISS 500 kW/153 deg SINPO 55555 (73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 5 via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non?]. I note causing a het to the Chinese transmission on 15435. I measure it close to 15435.5. The 17750 outlet has audible audio today and I have done what Kai suggested some time ago - compared it with parallel 17695. The latter frequency is well behind 17750 so that appears to indicate two sites. 17695 is the strongest signal here, but a bit muffled in audio, at 1145. News in English at 1148:45. ID as "Voice of Africa from the Great Jamahariyah". 17750 continued in // but audio level dropped very low during English news. I could still hear the het on 15435 but no audio (Noel Green, England, Feb 3, via Olle Alm, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAWI. 3380, MBC, Radio One, 1/29 2145-2200*. Thanks to Vaghjee tip, heard with "African" music at tune-in, followed by talk by OM. At 2158, a YL began the sign-off procedure, including an ID as "Malawi Broadcasting Corporation". National anthem at 2159, with transmitter off at 2200. Due to high QRN, SINPO was only 24332 on my 45 meter dipole. However, I'm not sure their signal will improve very much as Ghana 3366 and Liberia 4760 were heard at the same time with very good signals. Still, really nice to have them back on 90 meters (George Maroti, NY, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 630, XEFB Monterrey, 1205-1215 Feb 2, Man with string of local announcements & Monterrey weather, though no actual ID heard. At one point they played about ten seconds of instrumental Andean music between two items --- that really woke me up! Using Quantum Phaser, was able to bring this up to about even with several stations of co- channel QRM (Don Moore, Davenport, Iowa, Drake R-8, Various wire antennas and Quantum Phaser for MW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. XERMX still with large FM spur; noted at 0250 Jan 31 covering 9250 to 9295, centred around 9265 with music \\ 9705. Also Feb 3 at 1525 check covering 9266 to 9287 with marimba, best around 9271, and had QRM on 9280, Taiwan? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONACO. 17260? 0931, IS reel with ``Ici Monaco, Radio 3AC``, very good mod on IS but muffled during talks by OM [SIO?] 31-2 at office (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, week concluding Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NAMIBIA. Hi Glenn! For a long time the NBC website http://www.nbc.com.na is "under construction". But if one types "/index.html", i.e. http://www.nbc.com.na/index.html the progress of work can be observed. Programme schedules are missing, but the rest is very nicely built up and very informative. The technical equipment is listed in detail. As a special feature there's a map where is shown which of the FM transmitters are powered by solar energy (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Germany, Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. U A E. (presumed), 21575, Radio Netherlands (presumed). According to the Radio Netherlands web site this was a special one day use of UAE site for presumed Dutch broadcast / live coverage of the marriage of the Crown Prince to Máxima Zorreguieta. Weak but audible for a time at local sunrise here in Ohio. Heard fading in around 1130 Feb 2 until I left for work at 1215. Heard the song "Ave Maria" at 1138, ``Halleluia Chorus`` later on, and what sounded like prayer(s) at times. Some interference at times but unsure if it was adjacent channel or co-channel as the other station was also weak (Lee Silvi, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. 15450 -- HOLANDA -- Radio Nederland vía Isla Asención. 2 de Febrero, 10 horas TU, transmisión especial del casamiento del Príncipe Alexander y Máxima Zorreguieta, en idioma español vía el transmisor de la Isla Asención que no utiliza normalmente Radio Nederland y que es propiedad de la BBC de Londres. QRK 5 (Gabriel Gómez, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA [and non]. Having trouble hearing KOSU? Again it's the ice buildup on the antenna at the 1,000' level. At 2:45 p.m. today, 1/29, we are broadcasting at 45% power. If you are having trouble receiving KOSU on your radio, don't forget you can listen live on-line a http://www.kosu.org Weather Information Live radar and the latest weather developments can be accessed at http://www.kosu.org (KOSU Jan 30 via DXLD) No degradation detectable here, fortunately (gh, Enid) Had not bandscanned local FM dial lately looking for RDS, so Jan. 31- Feb 1 found these on the ATS-909, including some Kansans: On 91.1 KCFN: KCFN [in the absence of Enid`s KBVV] On 91.7 KOSU: KOSU91.7 On 92.5 KOMA: KOMA-FM On 96.1 KXXY: KXY-FM On 97.5 KMOD: KMOD On 101.3 KFDI: KFDI-FM On 101.9 KTST: TWISTER On 103.1 KOFM: KOFM [when later reactivated] On 104.1 KMGL: MAGIC104 On 107.3 KKRD: 1073KKRD Because of the icestorm, all of Enid was without power from 2223 UT Jan 30. KMKZ 96.9 Enid/OKC was running open carrier for many hours, having lost STL from powerless Enid, and apparently unable to turn off transmitter near Crescent remotely, or feed programming from business office in OKC! Finally it was off when checked at 0429 UT Jan 31. 106.7 KTUZ still had open carrier at that hour, probably a similar situation. ALL ENID AM, FM and TV frequencies were off the air. This cleared numerous FM channels of gospel huxter translators, allowing us once again to hear without external antenna, public radio from Wichita, KMUW on 89.1; and Tulsa, KWGS 89.5. Also cleared were 88.3, 90.3 and 98.3. First of these to come back was KLVV`s translator on 98.3. We were too busy with cleanup and catchup to keep checking, but Tue Feb 5 at 2120 bandscan we found 88.3, 89.1 and 90.3 still off, with 89.5 running open carrier. First local station to come back was KGWA-960, but not until some 24 hours after the outage started. It`s only 1 kW, so why didn`t they switch to generators immediately at studio and transmitter site? Turns out their generators were inoperable and they had to wait to have others shipped in. Whatever became of emergency broadcast responsibility? Despite this, Enidians were profuse in their praise for KGWA, once they came back, unaware of the station`s abandoned responsibility to come back on immediately after losing commercial power. The station did pre-empt regular program for continuous emergency information, but for the critical first night in the dark, Enidites had *no* source of local info. It took KGWA`s competitor, KCRC-1390, almost another day to get back on the air, around noon Friday February 1, but regular ESPN programming was quickly rejoined, defaulting to KGWA for continuing local emergency info. There was no hurry for either company to get their FM outlets back on the air. KOFM 103.1 of KGWA remained off, as did those of KCRC: 95.7 KXLS and 99.7 KNID, both of which have transmitter sites some distance west/northwest of Enid. By 1530 UT Sat Feb 3, 99.7 was on but 95.7 and 103.1 were still off. KBVV 91.1 was broadcasting white noise, obviously main transmitter came back on, but not the STL! This went on all Friday evening, still at 1530 UT Sat. KGWA lost power briefly at 1618 UT Saturday just as they were talking about a borrowed generator at the transmitter site. Too busy to keep checking until just before finishing this issue 2120 UT Tue Feb 5: KOFM 103.1 had returned sometime in the meantime; KXLS-95.7 was still off. Many other OK radio stations were probably off the air at least briefly, but another we noticed was Perry 1020, allowing KDKA to be heard again in the clear. Also missing was their FM 105.1. NOAA Weather Radio -- what a laugh. Still with Perfect Paul, and among the first casualties of the ice/power failure, as it has been in previous storms, just when it is most needed. Or is it? Programmed from faraway Norman, where they have a lot more on their mind, and apparently can`t go live even if they wanted to. The transmitter serving Enid on 162.455 is near Drummond, a small town SW of Enid, and is far enough away for it to be subject to heavy static here during storms, even if it manages to stay on. Furthermore, Drummond is statistically likely to be hit first by a tornado on the way to Enid! Great site planning. STILL missing Feb 5. Cable-access channels are supposedly rare in OK, so Enid is proud of Pegasys, which unfortunately devotes most of its time to gospel huxters. One locally-produced gem, however, is ``The Postcard Show``, by Hugh Hairs of Waukomis, who has done some 75 half-hours now. He has an immense collexion of picture postcards, many of them quite antique, which he preserves in breadbags, and each show has a different theme, along with clever music selexions. It`s currently scheduled Sundays 8:30 pm and Fridays 5:30 pm CST, and worthy of wider dissemination. But I digress. Pegasys had also supposedly set up an emergency communications system for just such disasters. But it did no good when Pegasys, in downtown Enid, had no power and no generators to keep on the air (or rather cable). Our cable service was interrupted at first, but came back long before AC, so we watched it on a battery TV. All the Pegasys channels (11, 12, 19; and 18, leased out to commercial low power KXOK-32) remained absent from Cox Cable. By 1530 UT Feb 2, Pegasys 12 was back with its usual ARTS, but not 11. Instead 19 was carrying text info and BBCWS audio, which is normally on 11 before programming begins, with KOSU audio normally on 19. By Tue Feb 5 at 2120 UT, KXOK-32 was back, running movies in afternoon as they sometimes do instead of MTV2. We finally found the studio location of this at 2711 West Garriott, where there is no street number, and no sign, inside a store of some sort, but with a telltale STL antenna pointed downtown. Since Enid and Garfield county are not completely cabled (nor is anywhere), we maintain that Pegasys should get on the *air* as well via LPTV, pre-empting its sublessor KXOK-32 in emergencies if nothing else. We have another oustanding complaint against Pegasys, for the hissy audio it constantly runs on channel 12 from the Classic Arts Showcase channel. Classic HQ assures us that it is not uplinked in that way, but it is apparently left to this sole subscriber to persuade Pegasys to upgrade this to at least consumer- quality hi-fi sound. Periodically the OKC VHF channels also disappeared from cable, even tho we confirmed they were on the air. Cox must have had a damaged off-air receiving antenna, another thing which should have been repaired or replaced immediately. KETA-13, however, was actually off the air for a period. At 1611 Feb 2, Cox Cable in Enid was missing OKC channels 4, 5, 9, 13 and 62 (the last being on cable 22). Rechecked at 1914, Cox had lost 4, 5 and 9 again (as well as 13 really off?). We were not aware of any serious ice problems in OKC itself, tho apparently significantly worse on the north side where most of the TV stations reside (Glenn Hauser, Enid, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. 9737.5, 0257-, R. NACIONAL PARAGUAY, Feb 2. Good strong signal, best in USB to avoid het from 9735. All in Spanish. ID for Radio Nacional Paraguay, and frequencies given including 31 meters Onda Corta. Then into National Anthem by military band, then vocal version? Open carrier from 0259:30 (Volodya Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 2258.6, Radio La Mejor, 1040-1122 Feb 2, (2 x 1130 harmonic from Tumbes). Peruvian folk music, man w/ announcements, time checks. ID at 1101. Generally poor but several peaks at fair level. Thanks to Mohrmann tip. 4746.8, Radio Huanta 2000. Presumed w/ Peruvian folk, man in Quechua. Fair. [time?] 4996, Radio Andina, 1001-1006 Feb 2. Poor w/ anmts by woman including several mentions of Huancayo (Don Moore, Davenport, Iowa, Drake R-8, Various wire antennas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radiodifusora Camercial "La Voz del Vecino" on 6324.34 kHz which I reported in SWB 1475 was not active for more than a few weeks --- a well-known pattern. Stations, like "LV del Vecino", which also are active on FM seem to be active on SW only at special occasions. Also the station below is on FM --- they have in fact jingled "la estación de triple frecuencias". 6560.35 Radio Estación Dos, Huancabamba, la provincia de Huancabamba, el departamento de Piura. Jan 29, 2002 - 2000 UT. New Peruvian! This needs an explanation when I in Nov last year reported that Radiodifusura Huancabamba-6535.76 had changed frequency to 6559.95 kHz (see SWB 1472). This obviously new station has been on air a few times with an ID as "Radiodifusora Huancabamba". They said it was test transmissions. On Jan 29 I reacted for the first time when "RD Huancabamba" on 6535.79 was heard simultaneously but with another program than on 6560.65 kHz. When I tuned in to the frequency at 2357 UT the station gave ID as "La auténtica Radiodifusora Huancabamba" but the rest of the evening until close down 0207 this ID was repeated: "Radio Estación Dos". Up to 0005 UT a DJ named Sr. García Rojas. He said that he had worked at "Radio Estación C" and "Radio Campesina". His wife took over the mike at 2315 with the program "Tradiciónes populares". She gave the address "Barrio San Francísco, Avenida Quiles Escala s/n". "s/n" shall read as "sin número" /without number. Telephone: 47 32 33. Jingle: "la radio de la nueva generación". Responsible for "Radio Estación Dos" is Néstor Guerrero Santos and Sr. Federico Ibáñez. Hyaynos, San Juanitos, Marineras, Pasillos, Cumbias and Boleros are part of the program format. Transmission scheme is said to be 1000- 1400 and 2030-0200 UT. They will broadcast more regularly from some time in March/April. The music is somewhat weak in modulation but no problem with the DJ`s mike. Info from "Ventanaperú": Provincia de Huancabamba, cuya capital es Chanchaque. Sus distritos son: El Carmen de la Frontera, Huancabamba, Huarmaca, Lalaquiz, San Miguel de El Faique, Sóndor, Sondorillo; con una población total de 125,458 hab. 6242.05, Radio Frecuencia Popular, unknown QTH (Perú). Jan 31 2002 - 1000 UT. New Peruvian, at least not listed in WRTH and unknown to me. Heard a few days but weak and very difficult to ID. On Jan 31 the readability was improved somewhat and I got an ID but QTH is still unknown. The programme consisted of Peruvian folk music, greetings and some "comunicados", and was called "Amanecer campesino" --- one of the most common program titles among Andean stations. Started at 1000 and gave ID as "Aquí transmite Radio Frecuencia Popular". 73 from (Björn Malm in Quito! bjornmalm@yahoo.es via Thomas Nilsson, Jan 30, DXLD) ** ROMANIA. RRI for Africa at 0700-0800 is on 15335, 17730; they were on 17720 at the beginning of the season, but now they are permanently on 17730. I discovered the new frequency Jan 28 but they must have moved there some time ago (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, DXLD for CIDX Messenger) ** RUSSIA. 15870, (3 times 5290) 0209-, Radio Rossii, Feb 3. Finally some audio. Up to tonight, I've only heard a carrier. Now audible at S3 with Radio Rossii programming at very weak level, but without any interference. Just missed TOH. This has nothing to do with the other external Russian broadcasts of the Voice of Russia/Golos Rossii, which are on many SW frequencies. Heard with time pips at 0300, then the old Soviet anthem, resurrected as the new Russian anthem. Getting too weak to make anything else out (Volodya Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 17266, R S Atlantika, 0946 with man talking in Russian, a song interval. 0952 same man with ID and interview /discussion on economics, etc. Program close with music then sign off. Reception at office, signal started good but after 50 was just fair. USB mode (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, week concluding Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 17299, Russian radio (Mayak?) 0936, YL in Russian. Seems to be IS reel but could not find any ID. Who they might be? USB and low signal level, S4 with ICOM R75 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, week concluding Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This channel has been reported often here before. See also TANNU TUVA ** SAUDI ARABIA. Frequency change for BSKSA/Holy Kor'an in Arabic: 0300-0600 NF 9715 (55444), ex 11820 \\ 15170, 15435, 21495 (73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 5 via DXLD) ** SPAIN. REE in Spanish noted on Feb. 2, 0700-1700 on spurs 15750/15420 or 165 kHz plus/minus from fundamental 15585 (Observer, Bulgaria, via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND [non]. Bob Zanotti announced this week that he is leaving SRI, taking early retirement in February; he will be attending the Winter SWL Fest in PA March 8-9; and I have been invited to be the keynote speaker (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Feb 2, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also USA!!! ** TAIWAN [non]. Tuning 15215 at 0247 Jan 31, found R. Taibei Internacional with Chinese lessons in Spanish; this led me to check English frequencies 5950 and better 9680, all via WYFR, and at 0248 there was Carson Wong opening ``Let`s Learn Chinese``, specifically Elementary Spoken Chinese, part 2, page 54, lesson 13 – so contradicts previous report that such lessons had been terminated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAJIKISTAN. 4760 (tent) Radio Afghanistan, Kabul. Heard from 0158 tune in to *0158 with male and occasionally female announcer with talks in (presumed) Dari and Pushto and local music. Many mentions of Iran, Pakistan, Taliban and Afghanistan. At 0157 female announcer made closing announcements with frequent references to "... Afghanistan". Although a good signal in the UK no positive identification was detected. Best regards & good DX (Mike Ford, UK, NRD515 mod, NCM515, 22m wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This must be one of the recently started RFE/RL/VOA relays via this country, not Afghanistan (gh, DXLD) ** TANNU TUVA. RUSSIA. Radio Rossii and Tuvinskoye Radio channel 6100 kHz from unknown location is back on the air. Tuvinskoye Radio in vernacular and Russian was noted on February 2 and 3 at 0110. Signal was good but DW in German made heavy interference. Clear signal after 5 UT. Address: GTRK "Tyva", ul. Gornaya, 31, Kyzyl, Republic Tyva, 667003, Russia (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. No RUI NAm service heard since... and I sent a couple cards recently. It`s been missing at 0100 and 0400 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Checked website map for zone 8 Feb 5 and it says 7375 has been off since Jan 16; never even tried to serve zone 7 (Glenn Hauser, CIRAF Zone 7, DXLD) ** U A E. B-01 schedule for AWR via Al-Dhabbaya/Abu Dhabi: 0000-0100 Hindi/English 6025 0000-0100 Hindi/English 6055 0230-0300 Dari 7135 0300-0330 Amharic 11975 0300-0330 Tigrina 11945 0300-0400 Russian/English 11795 0330-0400 Somali 11955 1100-1300 Mandarin Chinese 17835 1300-1400 Bangla/English 15385 1300-1400 English/Russian 17870 <<<< (ex 17630) 1330-1500 Tamil/Telugu/Kannada 17775 1400-1430 Hindi 17850 <<<< (ex 17560) 1400-1500 Urdu 15385 1430-1600 Sinhala/Nepali/Malayalam 17590 1500-1600 Punjabi/Hindi 15215 1600-1700 Marathi/English 9890 1630-1800 Somali/Amharic/Tigrina 15465 1700-1800 Afar/Oromo 15485 (73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 5 via DXLD) ** U K. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). The RAJARS for the period ending December 2001 have been released and show that BBC Radio 2 are still the most listened to station in the UK with a 15.2% listening share. BBC Radio 4 have a 12% share; BBC Radio 1 a 9.1% share; BBC Radio 5 Live a 4.6% share and BBC Radio 3 a 1.1% share. Overall 42% of listeners tune to one of the BBC stations. However 44% tune to one of their commercial rivals - with Classic FM on 4.5% pulling the biggest National listening share (Mike Terry, BDXC-UK, Feb 2, via DXLD) AAMOF, I am listening to Radio 2`s new music series Tue 1900 as I type this, but spend more time on Radio 3 and 4, I think (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music is now accessible (Ray Woodward, Feb 2, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Viz.: Stand by for the BBC's first new national music radio station in 32 years. 6 music will provide a hip, credible music mix that's unavailable elsewhere on UK radio. The all-new, digital service will go live at 7.00am on Monday, March 11th 2002 when Phill Jupitus opens the mic to present the network's breakfast show. The network can be accessed via DAB digital radio, digital satellite television and online, right here. 6 Music is a station for people who are passionate about pop and rock music. Expect a rich mix of contemporary and classic artists ranging from The Clash through to Sly & The Family Stone, via Beck, Bjork and Public Enemy. The network will also champion some of the best emerging music talent like The Strokes, Turin Brakes, Elbow and many others. The outstanding line-up of presenters includes musicians, journalists, comedians and broadcast legends, all united by authority, attitude and a passion for credible timeless music. Expect names like Phill Jupitus, Liz Kershaw, Andrew Collins, Tom Robinson and Gideon Coe. Online and on-air 6 music won't be afraid to be controversial. There'll be strong editorial opinions and breaking music news from our in-house team of journalists, plus insightful reviews of CDs and gigs, the finest that 40 years of BBC sessions have to offer, and a continuing search for the best new musical talent. 6 music will set the tone for the way we listen to and interact with radio in a digital world. As well as the ability to listen online from wherever you are in the world, 6 music will offer chatrooms run by presenters, in-depth debate on message boards, live chats with guest bands and artists, email and SMS communication with the 6 music team throughout the day, and a webcam view of daily life in the studio. (BBC 6music site via DXLD) Yawn ** U S A. COMMUNICATIONS WORLD ENDS FEBRUARY 23 To My Friends in the Radio Community: With sadness, I must inform you that I will leave Communications World after the February 23 program. I will return to audience research at VOA, which was my profession before I became host of Communications World in September 1995. I will miss most of all the support of my listeners, whose participation was the main reason the program succeeded. VOA does not plan to continue Communications World under a new host, at least for the time being. I will remain active in the shortwave and DXing communities, and I hope to keep in touch with my listeners via postal- and e-mail. All the best, Kim --- To receive the updated Communications World schedule by auto-reply, send an e-mail to cwschedule@voa.gov ---------------------------- Kim Andrew Elliott, Producer and Presenter, Communications World VOICE OF AMERICA, 330 Independence Avenue, S.W, Washington, D.C. 20237 USA Telephone: +1-202-619-3047 Fax: +1-202-260-8319 E-Mail: ke@voanews.com Web site: http://www.trsc.com/cw ---------------------------- (Kim Elliott, Feb 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) What a shock. We shall greatly miss your presence on the air, and Communications World, but glad you are able to go back to your primary profession. Best wishes to you! (Glenn, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A story on Myrna Whitworth, former interim director of VOA: MAKING TOUGH CALLS AT VOICE OF AMERICA --- JOURNALIST AT U.S. NEWS AGENCY ENDS HER TENURE IN THE HOT SEAT 01/31/02, by Jeremy Breningstall She was raised in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey, the child of a foreign service officer. Her husband was in the National Security Agency and she spent several years living in Taiwan when he was stationed there. But for South Laurel resident Myrna Whitworth, her biggest foreign affairs decision came as acting director of Voice of America (VOA), the U.S. government media agency broadcasting radio and TV programming to tens of millions of people around the world. A career employee at VOA, the 60-year-old journalist made the controversial decision Sept. 25 to broadcast an interview with Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar on the agency's Afghan radio broadcasts... http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=810&NewsID=247217&CategoryID=5845&on=0 (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** U S A. Recently, I received 2 QSLs from IBB Delano transmitting station for reports sent to letters@voanews.com Does VOA Washington D.C. office pass all reception reports to Delano? (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2002, WBCQ is off the air due to high winds damaging the transmission lines. Repairs are in progress. Later: WBCQ UPDATE --- WBCQ 7415 OFF THE AIR --- SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2002 If 7.415 is not back on the air tomorrow, 7.415 programming starting at 4:00 pm Eastern Time may be broadcast on 9.335. For the rest of the evening today, Saturday, through 2:00 a.m. 7.415 programming may also be broadcast on 9.335 (WBCQ - The Planet, DX LISTENING DIGEST) However, quickly checked around 0127 UT Feb 4, 7415 was active as usual and 9335 was not (gh, OK, DXLD) ** U S A. Have you heard the blowups over `BCQ?? Other preachers (including former followers) are going after Bro. Stair for running a cult, allegedly taking advantage of folks and their property, allegedly taking advantage of young (under age??) and older women (some say consensual?) It`s been building and building and --- Supposedly a police report posted at http://www.thenetteam.com or .net --- I heard both given. It`ll be interesting if Weiner defends Stair Friday Feb 1 as he did on Jan 25. Later: He`s still on [WWCR] 7435. I`ve been hearing a lot of negative things about R. G. Stair (brother Stair) by other ``Brothers`` who do an hour on `BCQ 7415. Last Friday during his weekly live segment [UT Sat 0100-0200 on 7415] Allan Weiner defended his friend Stair against lies said by others on his station WBCQ. Wednesday night two guys were on 7415 WBCQ making charges against Stair, saying he is a false prophet, has taken advantage of his followers and taken away their holdings, has committed adultery several times, has allegedly assaulted many women of legal age and also minors. There`s supposedly a police report on an assault; I think it`s http://www.thenetteam.net It was only said once. There will be more next week about it over `BCQ, so said both chaps. One was a Stair follower for over 6 years and he was thrown off the ranch for questioning Stair`s preaching, not following the Bible. As I write this, Stair is reading a prediction from a woman who claims to have been told there will be two major events in the near future. She had this vision Jan 26. One will be a devastating attack by terrorists on some city in the US with major consequences. The second will be an event on some location by God. It too will have major consequences (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Which ex-Brothers, exactly, at what time and in what program were attacking him? Such charges are not new, but no one seems to care enough to do anything about them. VERY serious charges are made on that website; see the testimonials. The police reports also look serious, but appear ultimately to have been dismissed (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WRMI has redesigned its web site. Check it out! (John Norfolk, OKCOK, Feb 5, DXLD) At last! We no longer have to hunt for `portfolio` to find the program schedule (gh, DXLD) WRMI PROGRAM SCHEDULE Effective February/Febrero 4, 2002 [complete] 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: 1000-1030 Radio Prague (English) 1030-1200 Words of the Spirit (English) 1200-1230 Creciendo en Gracia (español) 1230-1300 Radio Praga (español) Note: The above transmission on 9955 kHz has been temporarily suspended on Monday-Thursday, but should resume again very soon. Favor notar: La transmisión indicada arriba en 9955 kHz ha sido temporalmente suspendida de lunes a jueves, pero debe reiniciarse muy pronto. To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-1600 The Power Hour (English) 1600-0000 Christian Media Network (English) To North America on 7385 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 7385 kHz: Note: The following are Tuesday-Saturday UTC. Los siguientes son martes-sábado UTC. 0000-0300 Christian Media Network (English) 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español) 0330-0400 Tomorrow's News Today (English/español, Monday-Thursday/ lunes-jueves) 0330-0345 Standing in the Gap (English, Friday) 0345-0400 Words of the Spirit (English, Friday) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Words of the Spirit (English, Monday & Wednesday); Carter Report (English, Tuesday) 0430-0445 Words of the Spirit (English, Thursday & Friday) 0445-0500 Phil Hensler Ministries (English, Thursday & Friday) 0500-0515 Herald of Truth (English) 0515-1000 Christian Media Network (English) SATURDAY/SABADO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1030 Radio Prague (English) 1030-1130 Words of the Spirit (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) 1200-1230 Creciendo en Gracia (español) 1230-1300 Reality in Jesus (English) To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 2300-2330 Battle Cry Sounding (English) 2330-2345 Regard sur le Monde (français) 2345-0000 Voix et Croix (français) The following are Sunday UTC. Los siguientes son domingo UTC. To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 0000-0100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 0100-0130 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0130-0145 Voix et Croix (français) 0145-0200 La Verdad Para el Mundo (español) 0200-0300 Radio Revista Lux (español) To North America on 7385 kHz/Para Norteamérica en 7385 kHz: 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español) 0330-0400 Drive-in Double Feature (English) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Viva Miami (English) SUNDAY/DOMINGO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamerérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 1100-1115 Radio Vaticano (español) 1115-1145 Wavescan (English) 1145-1200 Abundant Life (English) 1200-1230 Jack Van Impe (English) 1230-1300 Doctrines of Grace (English) To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1300-1315 Words of the Spirit (English) 1315-1330 Truth for the World (English) 1330-1400 Wavescan (English) 1400-1430 Radio Prague (English) 1430-1500 Battle Cry Sounding (English) 1500-1530 World Radio Network (English) 1530-2100 Off Air - Fuera del Aire 2100-2130 Jack Van Impe (English) 2130-2200 Kol Israel (English) 2200-2230 Wavescan (English) 2230-2300 Viva Miami (English/español) 2300-2345 Radio Vaticano (español) 2345-0000 La Verdad para el Mundo (español) The following are Monday UTC. Los siguientes son lunes UTC. To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) 0100-0115 Souls Vision International (English) 0115-0130 Truth for the World (English) 0130-0215 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0215-0230 Living Faith Fellowship (English) 0230-0300 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) To North America on 7385 kHz/Para Norteamérica en 7385 kHz: 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español) 0330-0400 Wavescan (English) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0445 Abundant Life (English) 0445-0500 Souls Vision International (English) E-mail us for information about purchasing airtime/Envíenos un e-mail para información sobre la compra de tiempo Program Descriptions/Descripciones de los Programas [excerpts] RADIO PRAGUE This is a relay of the daily English program from the external service of Czech Radio. Seven days a week, the English Service of Radio Prague brings you a fresh supply of news, views, features and information. Our concise, half-hour format packs a lot of potential. Every transmissions from our studios in central Prague opens with a live news bulletin, which covers all the major domestic stories and items of general interest. This is followed by current affairs analysis, press review and a lively mix of feature programs. These range from the arts and culture to economics, from interviews with people we think you would like to meet to quotations from Czech weeklies, and from weekly sessions of listeners' mail to a feature highlighting the intriguing history of this nation. In our "Talking Point" we focus on issues not necessarily in the headline news. And every Saturday, we have a musical feature, presenting virtually all types and genres of music available on Czech sound carriers or taped live in concert. These programs are written, compiled, produced and introduced by a small team of full-time presenters and external contributors. Address: Radio Prague, Vinohradska 12, 12099 Prague, Czech Republic. Tel (English department) +420-2-24218349. Fax +420-2-24218239. E-mail: cr@radio.cz VIVA MIAMI - Jeff White hosts the English edition of Viva Miami, which features information, music, entertainment, letters from listeners, DX news and interviews from Miami and the state of Florida, as well as travel features from around the world. Address: WRMI, P.O. Box 526852, Miami, Florida 33152 USA. Tel +1-305-559-WRMI (9764). Fax +1-305-559- 8186. E-mail: info@wrmi.net WAVESCAN A weekly program from Adventist World Radio for DXers and shortwave radio enthusiasts, with news about radio around the world. Produced by Adrian Peterson and presented by Dave Barasoain. Address: Wavescan, P.O. Box 29235, Indianapolis, Indiana 46229 USA. Tel/Fax +1-317-891- 8540. E-mail: wavescan@awr.org CONVERSANDO ENTRE CUBANOS - Un programa de actualidad de la Asociación de Ex-Presos Políticos Cubanos en el Exilio. Producido por Justo Gabriel Quintana. Dirección: Ex-Club, 6858 W. Flagler Street, Miami, Florida 33144 USA. FORO MILITAR CUBANO - Programa político para Cuba producido por el Grupo de Apoyo a la Disidencia (GAD). Productor: Frank Hernández Trujillo. Dirección: Foro Militar Cubano, c/o GAD, 1000 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Suite 312, Coral Gabeles, Florida 33134 EUA. RADIO REVISTA LUX - Programa de noticias y actualidades del Sindicato de Trabajadores Eléctricos, Gas y Agua de Cuba en el Exilio. Productor: René L. Díaz. Locutor: Marcial Ontivero. Dirección: Radio Revista Lux, 7175 SW 8 Street, Suite 213, Miami, Florida 33144 EUA. Teléfono/Fax: +1-305-262-6050. VIVA MIAMI (ESPAÑOL) - Jeff y Thaís White presentan esta versión en español de "Viva Miami," con información, música, entretenimiento, cartas de los oyentes, noticias DX y entrevistas desde Miami y el estado de la Florida, y viajes turísticos alrededor del mundo. Ver detalles de contacto bajo "Viva Miami" (en inglés) arriba. NIUEWE [sic] CONNECTIES - A weekly program in Dutch from United Nations Radio, especially for the audience in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba. [so when is it? I don`t find it on time schedule -gh] CHRISTIAN MEDIA NETWORK CMN offers a variety of Christian radio talk programs, many of them live with audience participation by telephone. The network's flagship program is James Lloyd's "The Apocalypse Chronicles." CMN is heard Monday-Friday from 11:00 am-7:00 pm Eastern time on 15725 kHz, and from 7:00-10:00 pm and 12:15-5:00 am Eastern time on 7385 kHz. Address: Christian Media Network, P.O. Box 448, Jacksonville, Oregon 97530 USA. Tel: +1-541-899-8888. E-mail: james@christianmedianetwork.com RADIO ORIENTE LIBRE - Una transmisión de la Asamblea Provincial de Oriente en el Exilio para sus compatriotas en Cuba. Dirección: 15611 SW 48 Street, Miami, Florida 33185 EUA. DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURE - A new program from Seldom Heard Radio including episodes of the B-Movie Bob Show (a celebration of B-Movies from the 50's, 60's and 70's) and a new incarnation of Seldom Heard Radio playing science-fiction related and unusual music. This is a very homemade production and will hopefully add something different to the shortwave listening spectrum (WRMI via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. Checking 90 meters, found SSB on 3269.5 USB, but not WWRB or UPR: a US Navy MARS net, at 0215 UT Jan 31, including NNN0VAG. Ran across another Navy MARS net, and spent more time with it, Sat Feb 3 at 1507 on 7373-USB, NCS NNN0ASF-8, et al, covering AR, OK, LA and TX. Some other NNN0 calls checking in were: GBW, FZQ in OK, BXC-mobile = Frank in central TX, WTD, HZN, GKG in South Texas; LAN Bill; ESX Art. Net designator was 3X1A as an Admin net; not much chit chat after formalities, and closed at 1518* Is there a MARS callbook available? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Bandscanning 11 meters, I found a freebander(?) on 25900-USB Fri Feb 1 at 2349 talking about SW stations and programs to a contact who was inaudible here. Never any IDs, but he was obviously on the west coast from timezone references, most likely OR or WA due to skip distances. However, WFLA 25870 was also in well at the time, but not Portland on 25910 or 25950. He recommended Marion`s Attic at this time tomorrow on WBCQ, and a show called Pocket Calculator after her. Also mentioned a show on some other 7 MHz station in FL or TX at 8 pm local playing Plan 9 music. (No doubt WRMI 7385 Seldom Heard Radio.) And that both stations carried the so-called Genesis Network during many hours. Went on and on about 7 MHz broadcasters, especially WBCQ ``Totally off the wall, almost pirate radio, except different``. Mentioned WWRB testing; CRI; R. Moscow [sic]. By 0002 UT Feb 2, he even recommended World of Radio on WWCR Saturday nights. Recheck at 0057, still going, about football DNA, referred to ``Paul, Unit 27`` being unheard. Others in the group are Mick, J.D., someone in Jamaica, heard today on a wild, crazy frequency, ``triple-nickel``. But greater DX no longer heard for two weeks. 0125 recheck, still audible; and around 2210 the following afternoon (still UT Feb 2) there he was again on 25900-USB, but this time some of his contacts could be heard, tho both sides weak; about no-code, etc. Pse QSL (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Bandscanning 10 meters, at 2235 UT Feb 2, on 28730-USB I came upon a ``Ten-ten Net``, with coded messages, from NC6V et al., involving points, `Restoration Project` and `Santa Fe Trail` numbers. What is this, some game playing? Need to search through http://www.ten-ten.org/ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) *** U S A. BROADCASTERS MAY BORROW AMATEUR BAND FOR WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE The FCC has granted the Salt Lake Organizing Committee a Special Temporary Authority to utilize the 13 centimeter band (2300-2305 and 2390-2450 MHz) for broadcast auxiliary operations at Olympic venues through March 1. While the STA does not forbid amateur use of the band between now and then, it does authorize the Broadcast Auxiliary Service as a co-secondary user until March 1. ``These types of STAs are not unusual during major broadcast events, and the Olympic Games qualify,`` said ARRL regulatory correspondent Brennan Price, N4QX. The FCC has designated the Salt Lake Organizing Committee as the single point of contact for coordinating operations under §74.24 of the Commission's rules through March 31, 2002, for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to be held in Salt Lake City, Utah (ARRL Letter Feb 1 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. Dr. Dean Edell is one of the few network talkhosts worth listening to, with good medical advice. You never know when different stations will run him, so I note where I find him: WBAP-820 TX, UT Sun Feb 4 at 0145, so on at least during that hour. Probably filling for stupid ballgames. Wonder if this show has an accurate affiliate and time listing website (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Here's a piece you might find interesting. BTW, hope all is as well as could be expected out there. When I didn't hear a new WOR last night, I wondered if you were being hit by the bad storms. 73- Bill Westenhaver -------------------- WJHU becomes WYPR -------------------- National Public Radio outlet, formerly WJHU, anticipates no drastic changes. By David Folkenflik, [Baltimore] Sun Television Writer January 31, 2002 The Johns Hopkins University is set to complete the $5 million sale of the NPR station it has held for one sesquidecdade to a local not-for- profit corporation at midnight tonight. At that point, WJHU, heard at 88.1 FM, will become WYPR. The station's new parent company, led by talk-show host Marc Steiner, has been rechristened the Your Public Radio Corp. The transfer, to be marked in a ceremony on the Hopkins campus this afternoon, will be the culmination of a sometimes-arduous 10-month process. Starting last spring, the university sought to find an outside group to buy the station. As some possible out-of-town suitors blanched at its finances, those already working at the station, including Steiner, jazz host Andy Bienstock and others, hoped to win control. To cover the asking price, Steiner said his group raised more than $1 million from donors and recently secured a $4 million loan from the Mercantile-Safe Deposit & Trust Co. Station officials say listeners should expect to hear mostly familiar shows on the air for a while. "The programs are not going to change that drastically," Steiner said yesterday. Locally generated five-minute segments are being created to slip into NPR programming each day. He said he hoped to create regular features, such as a brief bit with the Maryland Historical Society, reviews of film and media, astronomy, cooking and other human-interest features. "We can't go right out of the blocks with an hourlong show," said Martha Rudzki, the station's director of marketing and development. "That's extremely expensive, and staff-wise we just don't have the bodies." On the business side, Rudzki said she hoped to restore Friends of WJHU, a dormant group of supporters who helped to raise money and awareness for the station. And she said the station is planning its first fund-raising drive for next month. Bienstock, WYPR's new programming director, has decided to cancel weekday evening broadcasts of The Connection, a public affairs show produced by WBUR in Boston. It will be replaced by repeats of Steiner's daily show. Steiner will also serve as an executive vice president over programming at WYPR. Along with station manager Anthony Brandon and Steiner, the station's new board of directors includes the people who guaranteed the loan from Mercantile: Barbara Bozzuto; William Clarke III; Anne Daniels; Jane Daniels; Darielle Linehan; Jonathan Melnick; Albert Williams; and Charles Salisbury, who will serve as the board's first chairman. The financial challenges of meeting the regular loan repayments will be stiff, Rudzki acknowledged. "We can't add any more debt," Rudzki said. "We don't have Hopkins to fall back on anymore to foot the bill. People have to understand that." New long-form programs may have to wait until the station secures underwriting grants from corporations, foundations or individuals, she said. Copyright (c) 2002, The Baltimore Sun Link to the article: http://www.sunspot.net/bal-to.wjhu31jan31.story Visit http://www.sunspot.net (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. From: Pacifica Campaign pacificacampaign@yahoo.com Subject: Pacifica Campaign Update Feb 1, 2002 Dear Supporters of the Pacifica Campaign: JUAN GONZÁLEZ RESIGNS AS PACIFICA CAMPAIGN CHAIR, RETURNS TO DEMOCRACY NOW! Recently, we issued an email request to you, our supporters, for input into future plans for the Pacifica Campaign. We would like to thank you for the several hundred thoughtful emails we received in response. Most responses called for the Pacifica Campaign to continue, mostly to fulfill a watchdog function until the threat to the network has been more assuredly overcome. On January 23rd, the Pacifica Campaign also held a strategy meeting in New York City with local activists concerning our future. This included a discussion on the Pacifica Campaign's position on the listeners boycott, which culminated in a vote to lift the boycott. It was the opinion of Juan González, local activists, and the staff of the Pacifica Campaign that we must respond to the urgent financial needs of Pacifica Radio by encouraging listener-sponsors to immediately begin pledging funds and conducting outreach to new listener-sponsors. In order to facilitate access to operating funds, local bank accounts are currently being established for the radio stations, in cooperation with Pacifica National Headquarters, so that the stations will have some local control of funds. During this meeting, Juan resigned as Chair of the Pacifica Campaign. Expressing full confidence in the remaining staff of the Campaign to carry on, he cited new projects that are looming on his horizon. We at the Campaign are speaking for many in the independent media movement when we express our deep thanks and respect to Juan for creating the Campaign and fostering its success by giving us a winning strategy, as well as lending his reputation and credibility to the struggle. Only time and history will be able provide a real measure of his contribution. Since the "fired and banned" returned to WBAI, three other Pacifica Campaign staff have moved on. Dan Coughlin, former coordinator, became Executive Director of Pacifica Radio Network on January 14th. Bernard White has returned to WBAI as Program Director and host of the morning show, "Wake-Up Call." Valerie Van Isler has returned to her work as Station Manager of WBAI. The dedication, loyalty, and spirit of service of Dan, Valerie, and Bernard were phenomenal. The Free Pacifica movement is indebted to them - particularly to Dan Coughlin for his tireless and vigilant commitment to the Campaign. Remaining staff members of the Pacifica Campaign include Bok-Keem Nyerere, Denis Moynihan, and Ursula Ruedenberg. The three of us have agreed to draft a new mission statement for the Pacifica Campaign and will present our ideas to local activists and to supporters across the country by email. Pacifica Campaign activists in Los Angeles are also working (without pay currently) to build towards the March 8-10 Board meeting. Unfortunately, real threats to the network appear to still exist. We agree with people across the country that the Campaign should not disband at this time. According to our sources, Pacifica's previous management cultivated a culture of contempt for the institution, with patronage and no-show jobs and sensational spending habits. The Campaign has learned that former Executive Director Bessie Wash sponsored a bonanza of severance packages for over 20 employees with pledges of up to 9 months pay, 6 months vacation pay and continued health insurance. For some, it appears that laptop computers and even car repairs and car leases were promised. We understand that Pacifica's new management has stopped payment and will challenge most of these agreements. There are virtually no remaining funds due to past policies and mismanagement. Currently the network is struggling to meet payroll and operating costs. Meanwhile, Pacifica has financial liabilities totaling approximately $4,000,000. Half of those liabilities are comprised of debts to law firms, public relations firms, and security firms. The other half of the debts were incurred through operating expenses. Debts to Legal firms contracted by Pacifica include: $460,000 to Williams & Connolly and $410,000 to Epstein, Becker & Green (EB&G) after at least $700,000 already paid to EB&G. Another union-busting firm in Pacifica's employ, Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp, is seeking about $300,000 in addition to the quarter million paid out already. Their attorney Larry Drapkin was the principal recipient of the business, for his work attacking the Democracy Now staff. Attorneys at yet another firm, Fulbright and Jaworski, are lining up for around $200,000. Seeking $250,000, Westhill Partners, the latest and highest-powered public relations firm hired by the former Pacifica National Board, may be planning to go to a judge to force Pacifica into involuntary bankruptcy. In an extraordinary development, we have learned that a firm called Decision Strategies has a bill due for $230,000. Decision Strategies is a high-end corporate security and "intelligence" firm, which touts its use of "multijurisdictional online and onsite searches with the involvement of overt and covert field operatives." According to a USA Today article, the firm hires "ex-FBI, CIA, IRS, DEA, and Secret Service agents; former police, prosecutors, customs agents, federal marshals and military intelligence experts; veterans of Britain's MI6, Europe's Interpol or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and lawyers, forensic accountants, database specialists and journalists." Pacifica's use of this firm points to even deeper corruption and total abandonment of the network's mission than heretofore understood. See the firm's site at http://decision-strategies.com Furthermore, John Murdock, EB&G lawyer and former Pacifica National Board member, told New York Newsday on January 30th that if there are too many changes to some of the stations, "I think that there will be challenges to their licenses." Clearly, Pacifica will soon be facing more attacks while we work to restore the network to its progressive mission. In conclusion, some news of Pacifica National Headquarters include: - Verna Avery Brown has been employed as Deputy Executive Director of Pacifica Network. Ms. Brown was the former Pacifica National News Anchor until she resigned in protest over Pacifica policy. - Station Managers at WBAI, WPFW, and KPFT have been terminated and at KPFT the Station Manager resigned prior to the January 12th meeting of the Interim National Board. They are currently being replaced by Station Managers hired on interim bases. - In Los Angeles, local Indy Media activist Stephen Starr replaced KPFK Station Manager Mark Schubb. - In Washington DC, Tony Regusters, former press secretary for congresswoman Maxine Waters replaced WPFW Station Manager Lou Hankins. - In New York, former WBAI Station Manager Valerie Van Isler of WBAI has returned to replace interim manager Robert Daughtry. - In Houston, a KPFT General Manager will be named Monday. Garland Ganter has been replaced by the station operations engineer in the interim. - The next national board meeting will be held in Los Angeles on March 8 -10. We encourage everyone to join us there to support the free-Pacifica struggle in Los Angeles. As in New York, the venue will be a school or union hall instead of a corporate hotel. - Finally, New Yorkers were delighted to hear Free Speech Radio News during WBAI's time slot for national news recently. The Pacifica Campaign heartily endorses a commitment at all Pacifica stations to airing FSRN regularly. Thank you for your support in the past and we look forward to the next phase. Sincerely, Pacifica Campaign Staff: Bok-Keem Nyerere, Denis Moynihan, Ursula Ruedenberg (via Preston Rudy, DXLD) ** U S A. CITY WORKING TO GET NPR BACK ON THE AIR By BRUCE SCHULTZ, Acadiana bureau It was a clash of titans between a religious broadcast network and National Public Radio in Lake Charles. But federal money is being used to restore NPR to the airwaves in this southwest Louisiana city. Two NPR stations, KRVS in Lafayette and KUHF in Beaumont, Texas, transmitted their signals to Lake Charles via low-power relay systems on the rooftop of Lake Charles City Hall. Both stations had to dismantle their relays after the American Family Radio network obtained Federal Communications Commission licenses for two channels in the Lake Charles area... To read the entire story please point your web browser at http://www.theadvocate.com/opinion/story.asp?storyID=3843 (The Advocate Online, Dec 28 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 6010.5, Em. Ciudad de Montevideo, 0245 Feb 2, extended sked has begun. Heard here with Carnival contents. They will be on the air on an extended sked for roughly a month, on the occasion of the Carnival season that extends for a month. So normal sked while testing on this new frequency that had run 1500-1800 goes as late as 0300 or even later of the following day. 9650 not heard. Website is http://www.emisoraciudaddemontevideo.com.uy and they have realaudio webcast therein (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** URUGUAY. 6155, Banda Oriental, Sarandí del Yí. 0221+ February 3. Uruguayan popular music. Ann.: "...II [Segundo] Encuentro Gaucho, Durazno los invita... los dias 8, 9 y 10 de febrero... XXIX [vigésimonono] Festival Nacional de Folklore, invita... Intendencia Municipal de Durazno..." Complete ID by female and s/off at 0256. 44433. Attention: Next week, on February 8, 9 & 10, perhaps the station transmit this important local festival on SW, from Durazno city, in the local night!!! (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Helps; so many Uruguayan SW avoid darkness emissions (gh, DXLD) see also RADIO RELATED MUSIC below! ** URUGUAY. 6125, Radio Monte Carlo y Radio Oriental desde Montevideo. 2 de Febrero, 1030 UT, informativo ``Diario Oral, Monte Carlo y Oriental, le acercan en 60 minutos la actualidad de Uruguay y el Mundo``, ``Diario Oral Montecarlo y Oriental el primero en informar``. QRK 5. Diario Oral es emitido en dúplex por Radio Oriental 770, Radio Monte Carlo 930 en paralelo a los 6140 de CXA 20 Radio Monte Carlo (Gabriel Gómez, Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA [non]. GH`s MONITORING REMINDERS calendar called for us to check out `Aló, Presidente` this Sunday, and we were happy to comply. Indeed it was on the air Feb 3 via the usual RHC frequencies, tho one can never be sure which weeks it will appear and which not. From *1401, announcer in Habana on 9820 said A,P would start in a few minutes, joining R. Nacional de Venezuela; had been on the air since 24 Dec 2000, he said. Announced frequencies as 11705, 11875, 9505, 9820 and 6140, of which only 9820 was usable here; indeed, 9505 and 11705 were blocked by R. Japan, and 11875 by WEWN as usual, with 6140 too low for good daytime propagation. Tho 9820 was strong, the audio was poor, presumably a remote lofi line feed. I would not listen long, but at 1554 noted 11705 now in the clear and on USB, but some adjacent from 11710; Pres. Hugo Chávez was ranting and raving, no doubt trying to outdo Fidel and DGS for the title ``sacamuelas del éter``. Rechecked at 1817, and this was still going, tho presumably about to wrap, with announcer talking, crowd noise and mentions of R. Nacional; by this time 11705 was on AM, not USB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Fine, on Aló, Presidente. You might like to have a look at the review of his Sunday exercise as filtered thru main opposition newspaper El Nacional http://www.el-nacional.com/actualidad/alo/alo_presidente.asp (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Feb 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also has archive of previous shows` reviews, but the latest there is Sat. Sept. 22, 2001. Has it been off since then? Henrik suggests he may have moved it back to Sunday to accommodate the RHC relays whose transmitters are otherwise idle on Sunday mornings (gh, DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. UZBEKISTAN: Radio Voice of Free Vietnam [sic] in Vietnamese via Tashkent 200 kW, 130 deg 1400-1430 Mon-Fri on 11880 now totally blocked by CNR-1 in Mandarin Chinese (73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Feb 5 via DXLD) Commies gotta stick together UNIDENTIFIED: 2 MHz BANDSCAN At various times between 1000-1130 Feb 2, noted weak audio on 2460, 2580, 2680, 2780, 2800 (English pops), and 2840 kHz. Carriers only on 2200, 2960, 2980 (Don Moore, Davenport, Iowa, Drake R-8, Various wire antennas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Probably all harmonics UNIDENTIFIED. 2715 USB, Spanish 2-way at 0222 Jan 31. Nothing listed here by Klingenfuss (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. BC-DX #557 contained a selection of observations regarding the Buzzer on 4625. I would like to add some of my own observations. The pulse frequency seems to be stable at 59 pulses in 2 minutes. Just before the hour there is one minute of continuous buzz being swept up and down by about 15 Hz. The basic buzz frequency is about 140-142 Hz. Each pulse is being frequency swept by a few Hz upwards. This is the basic principle of the so called chirp radar. For precise distance determination a radar requires very short pulses, but that also limits the power each pulse may contain, and hence the maximum range available. By transmitting frequency swept pulses and using a receiver filter that adds a frequency dependent delay a long pulse can be compressed to the desired short one while the long pulse can also accommodate the high power desired. (The principle was first developed for sonars in the '30s.) I don't know if this is what the Buzzer is doing, but at least it's a possible explanation. With the low frequency used the short daytime range excludes a long range service like that of the woodpeckers. One possible use could be for ionospheric measurements. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. This one is maybe the same station Graham Powell reports in DXLD 2-017. 5550, Jan 30th, 2002, 1845 unID with endless non-stop local music. Music was similar to that you hear from Armenia, Turkmenistan etc. and one song by lady mentioned several times Azerbaijan. Strong signal, AM mode. Sometimes interfered by Russian female-ute (USB) but not much. No announcements heard, station signed off at 1958. GTRK Respublika Tuva, Kyzyl was reported around this frequency in the past, but I think they are now in the 49 mb (6100?). And this unID was stroong. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RADIO RELATED MUSIC In DXLD there is a short list with music with radio and TV connection by Mark Connelly. A couple of years ago I ran a regular list in my column in Eter-Aktuellt (published by the Swedish DX-Federation). It resulted in a number of contributions from readers. Among them the list mentioned by Bo Nensen. But the total list turned out to be a lot longer. Unfortunately I never got time to make a complete collected list of all the contributions I got. The list in DXLD reminds me of the fact that I will have to find all the magazines in the stores and make a completed list one day. ´I'll send it when it's ready in a couple of months (or years, or decades or ....) Thanks for the DXLD 73 (^*~-.,_,.-~*'^'*~-.,_,.-~*'^'*~-.,.-~*'^'*~-.,_,.-~*'^'*~-.,.-~*^ Sven Ohlsson, Sweden, In touch with the world on shortwave - http://listen.to/the.world DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, To add to the thread about radio related music from "dxld2- 018", let me add my two cents (actually more like 4 cents), if I may: (1) Entire album - "Radioactivity" by the German group Kraftwerk (2) Entire album - "Radio KAOS" by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame (3) Single - "I Watched It All (on my radio)" from "I Watched It On the Radio" by Lionel Cartwright (4) Single - "Grandpaw's Radio" from "I Know a Good Thing" by David Parmley. If I climb into "The Wayback Machine" I seem to recall a photo and caption from "QST", probably mid to late 50s, about someone (a Ham I think) who wrote a piece of music called "CQ Serenade" Be careful, this could snowball! 73 and many thanks for your great radio and communications news, (Paul Spurlock, Old Hickory, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: Favorite DXing (or better Radio)-related music This is my list regarding radio related music, not rock but concrete and classical music. Also a song by Manu Chao, a Latin music creator. Last but not least, Kraftwerk and their "Radioactivity" --Vladimir Ussachevsky's "Wireless Fantasy"-- Here is the discographic info, as well as the writeup from the CD booklet about this piece. Vladimir Ussachevsky (1911-1990), "Wireless Fantasy," appears on a CD devoted to works of Ussachevsky, produced by and available from Composers Recordings (CRI). The CD is number "CD 813." CRI can be reached at http://www.composersrecordings.com or at Composers Recordings, Inc., 73 Spring Street (Suite 506), New York, NY 10012- 5800, 212/941-9673, info_order@composersrecordings.com (I wrote them, but never received areply...HAN) The following are notes about the piece from the CD booklet, written by Eric Saltzman, a student of Ussachevsky: "'Wireless Fantasy' (1960) has a notable historical background. It was commissioned by a group of early radio buffs and researchers known as the De Forest Pioneers, named for Lee De Forest, whose invention of the vacuum tube made modern radio and recording possible. The piece is meant to evoke the early period of radio communication by using wireless code as a primary sound source. For this purpose, Ussachevsky recorded signals tapped out by an early radio pioneer, Ed G. Raser, on old spark generators in his W2ZI Historical Wireless Museum in Trenton, NJ. The following signals can be heard extensively in the piece: 'QST,' a stand-by call meant to alert listeners to a forthcoming broadcast or announcement of note; 'DF,' the ID call of the Manhattan Beach radio station, one of the best known of the early broadcasters with a range from Nova Scotia to the Caribbean; 'WA NY' for the Waldorf-Astoria station which started broadcasting in 1910; 'DOC DF,' De Forest's own code nickname; and, finally, 'AR' for 'end of message' and 'GN' for 'good night.' Under the montage of wireless signals, we hear a fragment of Wagner's Parsifal, electronically treated to sound like a SW transmission. With this, Ussachevsky is evoking the fact that Lee De Forest used the music-drama, then being heard for the first time outside of Germany, for his first musical broadcast." --"Melga Sinfónica" by Eduardo Fabini-- In Uruguay, Eduardo Fabini (1882-1950) is our most famous composer of classical music. He created his music inspired in our national folk rhythms and musical expressions. The first bars of "Campo" were used in the IS of the SODRE External Service. He was also Director of the National Discotheque at SODRE. "Campo" is the first ever "electric" phonograph recording made for a Latin American composer. This happened in the U.S. One of his symphonic works is "Melga Sinfónica," which premiered in 1931. One Uruguayan musicologist, Roberto Lagarmilla, noted that Fabini (I translate from the Spanish) "doesn't hesitate to include the bare rhythm of the Morse telegraph. The original idea (put into practice a few times) was to use this effect from a speaker connected to a true telegraph key." [Lagarmilla, "Fabini," Uruguay, 1971] In Morse, the word "URUGUAY" is as follows: ..- .-. ..- --. ..- .- -.-- "Accordingly, in the 32nd, 33rd, 34th and 35th bars, there is an exact translation of these tones made with horns and trumpets; then in the 43rd to 46th bars, using drums, and in the 58th, 59th and 60th, only with trumpets; and finally, a last appearance at the 159th and 160th bars. In this way, Fabini alluded not only to the telegraph, but also to the opening and closing signature of the SODRE broadcasts (at that time using the callsign CWOA) which used the word "Uruguay" in Morse." [Graciela Paraskevaidis "Eduardo Fabini" 1992]. Lagarmilla indicates that the sentence "Salve Uruguay" ("Save Uruguay") that was keyed in Morse Code at SODRE's s/on as the identification used during nation's centennial celebrations of Independence in 1930. The recording is "Las Cinco Grandes Obras Sinfónicas" ("The Five Major Symphonic Works"), Conducted by L. Baldi, H. Protasi, Orquesta Sinfónica del SODRE, Ediciones Ayuí-Tacuabé/SODRE, Uruguay (1998).The morse tones played by orchestra trumpets are easily heard. They are subtle, but evident, though not as evident as in the Ussachevsky theme! --Manu Chao's "Me gustas tú"-- A song by Manu Chao, called "Me gustas tú", from his album "Próxima Estación: Esperanza" has been at "top of the charts" at the end of 2001. The theme includes excerpts from broadcasts of Cuban "Radio Reloj" and other Central American stations and I also know of something recorded from Radio Moscow in other parts of the album. In issue 874 of "Rolling Stone" magazine (Aug 2, 2001), James Hunter writes the following about Manu Chao's biography: "Manu Chao, formerly of the rock en espanol band Mano Negra, is a French-born, Barcelona- and Rio-based singer-songwriter whose solo debut, 1998's Clandestino, sold more than 2 million copies internationally. Próxima Estación . . . Esperanza is a showcase of Chao's musical, political, romantic and literary preoccupations: It's anchored by unfailing melodies that are quick and tricky instead of grandly dramatic, and that mesh exactly with the fleet realism of Chao's singing. His music reshuffles Latin rhythms with ska and reggae beats - it has a slight novelty aura and an overheard-lyric feel, like Beck's sonic motels rather than, say, Caetano Veloso's intricate castles. Sometimes Chao sings in English, as in the jazzy Parisian romance "Trapped by Love" or "Merry Blues," a blippy little Latin- reggae fusion. Other times he sings in Spanish and French in the same song, as in "Me Gustas Te," which smushes words and beats into a fast- moving pop dance, or "Denia," with its prayerful, singalong folk quality. Proxima Estacion is unusual for Latin or any other type of music: It's bold without shouting that fact to the world." --Kraftwerk's "Radio Activity" Another example is the German group "Kraftwerk" with their work " Radio Activity" (1975). It was about communication, juxtaposing the beauty of the electronic hymn "Ohm Sweet Ohm" with the unseen pulses of sound waves, static and interference. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/profiles/kraftwerk.shtml The phrase: "radioactivity" from a song in the recording is used by Uruguayan SODRE's media program "Radioactividades". I look forward to see the ultimate definitive "DX music" list somewhere (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS DEBATE (Reports Continue) * Alf, 5B4AFB, informs OPDX new style IRCs are on sale in Cyprus. They are 15 x 10cm in size with a "Bar Code" along the bottom edge and are only valid until December 31, 2006. * Ivan, G4BGW, informs OPDX that the "new" IRCs are now available in the UK, and he has bought some from his local village post office on January 14th. So presume they will be available from all UK post offices as and when they replenish their stocks. * Martyn, G4JZO, reports "that no NEW IRCs on sale in the UK isn't true up here. I live where some people would call the outer reaches of the known universe!, and my local Post Office has known about the new IRCs for several months. They even sold me some this morning, and very nice they were too!" * Gunnar, SM0SMK, President of SSA (The national radio amateur society in Sweden), informs OPDX that in Sweden they have been informed by their postal administrator that IRCs will not be sold in Sweden after the 1st of January, but they will be allowed to cash in both old and new IRCs. For one IRC they get a 10 SEK stamp (about 90 cent). The reason for not selling the new IRC is the risk of forgery; every country must print their own. Only 72 of 198 members in the World Postal Union, UPU, will print and sell IRC. However, every country must accept the new IRC. * QSL Manager Alan Roocroft, VK4AAR, states the following: "Since my first submission on 8th January 2002, I have still not received any official written advice from 'Australia Post'. Staff at my local Gatton post office feel that the old ones will continue to be honoured for an unknown length of time. The bigger city of Toowoomba has several post offices but again they had nothing concrete to tell me except that they felt that the old ones would probably remain valid indefinitely. I have never had to buy IRCs in the last 10 years and these post offices had still NOT seen the new ones.... EXCEPT FOR THOSE THAT I HAVE BEEN CASHING IN FOR STAMPS. In recent times I have received quite a few new style IRCs, mainly from Japan. Finally, yes, it is well known that in some countries a Greenstamp can be dearer than an IRC but in many countries it is the opposite. Like I said... CHECK WITH YOUR POST OFFICE AND COMPARE PRICES." (KB8NW/OPDX February 4/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OCKOK, DXLD) HAM RADIO SCIENCE: TWO SOLAR MAXIMUMS THIS SEASON In case you are wondering why the current solar cycle is still providing such amazing VHF and UHF DX, one researcher may have the answer. He says that the current cycle appears to be having a second peak and that this is really not very unusual. Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ, looks at the scientist and his latest data. The most recent and ongoing Solar Maximum -- or Solar Max -- theoretically crested in mid-2000. Sunspot counts were higher than they had been in 10 years, and solar activity was intense. One remarkable eruption on July 14, 2000 caused brilliant auroras as far south as Texas. But after that, sunspot counts slowly declined and the Sun was relatively quiet for month-long stretches. Most scientists said that the Solar Max was over. But was it? Now, as 2002 unfolds, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration`s solar forecasters say that it looks as if the Solar Max is back with us again. The Sun is again peppered with spots, eruptions are frequent and hams notice that the VHF DX keeps rolling in. Why is this happening? Well David Hathaway, a solar physicist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville Alabama has one theory. Hathaway says that the current solar cycle appears to be double-peaked, and the second peak has arrived. Hathaway Audio Here In-Q: We have seen other cycles... Out-Q: ...define this maximum Scientists track solar cycles by counting sunspots and Hathaway is an expert forecaster of sunspot numbers. He says that sunspot counts peaked in 2000 some months earlier than we expected. He says that the subsequent dip toward solar minimum seemed premature and before long, sunspot counts reversed course and began to climb toward a second maximum that now appears to be only a few percent smaller than the first. Hathaway Audio Here In-Q: Its a bigger than average... Out-Q: ...smaller than 19, 21 and 22. Hathaway notes that there is a widespread misconception that solar activity varies every eleven years like a pure sinusoidal wave. It isn`t. He says that solar activity is chaotic and there can be more than one peak in any given period. Translated for ham radio: Enjoy the VHF DX while you can. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, Henry Feinberg, K2SSQ. Hathaway says that the Solar Max eleven years ago was much the same as this one. The first peak arrived in mid-1989 followed by a smaller maximum in early 1991. And if you are interested in hearing more about this interesting phenomena from David Hathaway its as easy as taking your web browser over to www.rainreport.com. Or you can call on the phone to area code 847-827-7246. (NASA, RAIN) (Amateur Radio Newsline Feb 1 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-019, January 30, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits HTML version of this issue will be posted afterwards at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html NOTE: If you are a regular reader of DXLD, and a source of DX news but have not been sending it directly to us, please consider yourself obligated to do so. Thanks, Glenn WORLD OF RADIO #1116 available online late UT Feb 4: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1116.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1116.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1116.html FINAL AIRINGS ON RFPI: Tue 1900, 2300 (special time) on 15039, 21815- USB NOTE!! As you may have heard, we had a major ice storm in Oklahoma. Virtually every tree in Enid was damaged, and many power lines were knocked down. WOR was without AC power from 2223 UT January 30 until 1654 UT February 4. Except for a library session February 3, we have also been offline, and it will take some time to catch up. THIS issue is the one under preparation January 30 when power went out, although not distributed until February 4. Subsequent issues will no doubt update some of the info herein. WORLD OF RADIO 1116: could not be completed in time for WBCQ scheduled airings UT Jan 31, so 1115 ran instead. It was completed in time for WWCR from Jan 31, and RFPI from Feb 1, which received it by phone feed. WRN cannot accept phone feeds, the only method which was available to us, so re-ran 1115. Stations and listeners depending on WRN for WOR 1116 could not get it; however, it will shortly be ondemand from WRN as well as from worldofradio.com Thanks to everyone expressing concern about our situation. While inconvenient without electricity or internet for almost 5 days, we had plenty of gas heat, and as a bonus more time than usual to monitor the bands on battery power, with less line noise than usual, the results of which will be in next issue (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. RFE/RL press release on launch of "Radio Free Afghanistan" | Text of press release by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty dated 30 January Prague, Czech Republic, 30 January 2002: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc. today launched broadcasting to Afghanistan in the Dari and Pashto languages. At a brief opening ceremony in Prague, RFE/RL President Thomas A. Dine said "we are proud to be given this opportunity to help build a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan through the medium of news and information." Dine said that "after nearly three decades of war and misery and a near total blackout on information, we believe people in Afghanistan will welcome the chance to hear accurate, objective and comprehensive news and analysis about local developments on RFE/RL broadcasts." He noted that RFE/RL already has a sizeable audience among ethnic minorities that listen to RFE/RL's daily broadcasts in the Farsi, Uzbek, Turkmen and Tajik languages. Radio Free Afghanistan will begin by providing two hours of original broadcasts to Afghanistan daily, from 1400-1500 hours CET [1300-1400 gmt] and from 1800-1900 CET [1700-1800 gmt], as well as one hour of repeat programming from 0400-0500 CET [0300-0400 gmt]. The first 30 minutes of each broadcast are in Pashto, followed by 30 minutes in the Dari language. The programmes will be broadcast to Afghanistan via shortwave and on a joint RFE/RL-Voice of America mediumwave broadcast stream administered by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the US agency in Washington that oversees American international broadcasting. RFE/RL operated a "Radio Free Afghanistan" service broadcasting in Dari and Pashto from 1985 until 1993, when the services were closed down as part of an overall restructuring of RFE/RL operations following the end of the Cold War. Legislation approved by the US Congress in December 2001 appropriated funds to resume the Afghan broadcasts as part of the post-September 11 US war on terrorism. RFE/RL Director of Broadcasting Jeffrey Trimble said that 15 people will be hired to fill Prague-based Afghan Service staff positions, while plans call for 20 stringers to report for the service from Afghanistan's eight largest cities. RFE/RL is making preparations to open a bureau in Kabul within the next two months. Additional Afghan Service stringers will be located in Islamabad, Tehran, Tashkent, Dushanbe, Ashgabat, Bishkek, Almaty, New Delhi, Ankara, Moscow, London, New York and Washington. Service reporting will be enhanced by contributions from existing stringers from RFE/RL's Tajik, Uzbek, Persian and Turkmen Services who have been covering events in Afghanistan since last fall. Live and on-demand RealAudio of the Dari and Pashto broadcasts to Afghanistan is available on RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan web site, located at http://www.rferl.org/bd/af/ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international communications service to Eastern Europe and Southeastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East funded by the US Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Tel: 202-457-6900; Fax: 202-457-6992 http://www.rferl.org Contact: Martins Zvaners +1-202-457-6948 Sonia Winter +420-2-2112-3007 [BBC Monitoring heard the opening broadcast of the new RFE service for Afghanistan at 1300 gmt on 30 January. The announcer identified the service as "Azad Afghanistan Radio" (Radio Free Afghanistan), and said it was broadcasting "in the framework of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty". The first 30 minutes of the broadcast were in Pashto, followed by programming in Dari.] Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty press release, Prague, in English 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RFE RESUMES BROADCASTS FOR AFGHANISTAN | Text of report by Czech radio on 30 January [Announcer] After several years, Radio Free Europe [RFE] is right now resuming its broadcasts for Afghanistan. The two-hour programme will be gradually extended to cover 12 hours. RFE spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told us that she did not fear low interest in broadcasts: [Winterova] According to the latest US surveys, some 80 per cent of men in Afghanistan own a shortwave radio. That is a large part of the population. Already now we have listeners in Afghanistan. They are among language minority groups and listen to our broadcasts for Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. So we already have listeners there and we are hoping to increase their numbers. Source: Czech Radio 1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1300 gmt 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RADIO FREE EUROPE RESUMES BROADCASTS FOR AFGHANISTAN | Text of report by Czech radio on 30 January After several years, Radio Free Europe [RFE] is right now resuming its broadcasts for Afghanistan. The two-hour programme will be gradually extended to cover 12 hours. RFE spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told us that she did not fear low interest in the broadcasts: [Winterova] According to the latest US surveys, some 80 per cent of men in Afghanistan own a shortwave radio. That is a large part of the population. Already now we have listeners in Afghanistan. They are among language minority groups and listen to our broadcasts for Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. So we already have listeners there and we are hoping to increase their numbers. [The RFE broadcasts for Afghanistan were heard by BBC Monitoring on Wednesday 30 January from sign-on at 1300 gmt. The broadcast was heard on the shortwave frequencies of 11920, 15525 and 17725 kHz. On 18 January a spokesperson for RFE/RL said the broadcasts in Pashto and Dari "will initially be on the air for one or two hours per day, increasing to a total of 12 hours a day". The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill that would establish and fund "Radio Free Afghanistan" on 13 December 2001. On 7 November, the US House of Representatives had passed a law on setting up the new service, and on 10 January, President Bush signed a measure approving funding of over 19m dollars for the project.] Source: Czech Radio1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1300 gmt 30 Jan 02 "Radio Free Afghanistan": Likely sked for this new RFE-RL/IBB program in Dari and Pashto: It looks like "R. Free Afghanistan" may go on air "tonight" in North America, specifically 0300 Jan 30. Not sure if this will be known as R Free Afghanistan (maybe Afghanistan is now considered "free"?) or just the Afghan Service of RFE/RL. Sked is slightly different from the one in my message of Jan 24 on this: 0300-0400 on 7230, 15345 & 17725, 1300-1400 on 11920, 15525 & 17725, and 1700-1800 on 6170, 9785 & 11920. First 1/2 hr. in Pashtu, second 1/2 hr. in Dari. Nothing at http://www.rferl.org about it. (Jerry Berg-MA-USA, DXplorer Jan 29 via BC-DX via DXLD) 6170 1700-1730 RL RLAF PA DHA 050 6170 1700-1800 VOA RLAF VAR HOL 059 6170 1730-1800 RL RLAF DA DHA 050 7230 0300-0330 RL RLAF PA KAV 051 7230 0300-0400 VOA RLAF VAR KAV 051 7230 0330-0400 RL RLAF DA KAV 051 9785 1700-1730 RL RLAF PA UDO 300 9785 1700-1800 VOA RLAF VAR PHT 315 9785 1730-1800 RL RLAF DA UDO 300 11920 1300-1330 RL RLAF PA KAV 095 11920 1300-1400 VOA RLAF VAR KAV 095 11920 1330-1400 RL RLAF DA KAV 095 11920 1700-1730 RL RLAF PA UDO 305 11920 1700-1800 VOA RLAF VAR PHT 315 11920 1730-1800 RL RLAF DA UDO 305 15345 0300-0330 RL RLAF PA UDO 300 15345 0300-0400 VOA RLAF VAR UDO 300 15345 0330-0400 RL RLAF DA UDO 300 15525 1300-1330 RL RLAF PA IRA 310 15525 1300-1400 VOA RLAF VAR IRA 310 15525 1330-1400 RL RLAF DA IRA 310 17725 0300-0330 RL RLAF PA UDO 300 17725 0300-0400 VOA RLAF VAR UDO 300 17725 0330-0400 RL RLAF DA UDO 300 17725 1300-1330 RL RLAF PA BIB 085 17725 1300-1400 VOA RLAF VAR BIB 085 17725 1330-1400 RL RLAF DA BIB 085 DA RL RLAF 0330-0400 UDO 17725 300 DA RL RLAF 0330-0400 UDO 15345 300 DA RL RLAF 0330-0400 KAV 7230 051 DA RL RLAF 1330-1400 BIB 17725 085 DA RL RLAF 1330-1400 IRA 15525 310 DA RL RLAF 1330-1400 KAV 11920 095 DA RL RLAF 1730-1800 UDO 11920 305 DA RL RLAF 1730-1800 UDO 9785 300 DA RL RLAF 1730-1800 DHA 6170 050 PA RL RLAF 0300-0330 UDO 17725 300 PA RL RLAF 0300-0330 UDO 15345 300 PA RL RLAF 0300-0330 KAV 7230 051 PA RL RLAF 1300-1330 BIB 17725 085 PA RL RLAF 1300-1330 IRA 15525 310 PA RL RLAF 1300-1330 KAV 11920 095 PA RL RLAF 1700-1730 UDO 11920 305 PA RL RLAF 1700-1730 UDO 9785 300 PA RL RLAF 1700-1730 DHA 6170 050 VAR VOA RLAF 0300-0400 UDO 17725 300 VAR VOA RLAF 0300-0400 UDO 15345 300 VAR VOA RLAF 0300-0400 KAV 7230 051 VAR VOA RLAF 1300-1400 BIB 17725 085 VAR VOA RLAF 1300-1400 IRA 15525 310 VAR VOA RLAF 1300-1400 KAV 11920 095 VAR VOA RLAF 1700-1800 PHT 11920 315 VAR VOA RLAF 1700-1800 PHT 9785 315 VAR VOA RLAF 1700-1800 HOL 6170 059 (IBB website, Jan 30) vy73 de (Wolfgang DF5SX Büschel, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Audible here before and after 1730 language change on 11920, but not 9785, and no point in checking 6170. Note that above schedule has redundancy, two different sites available for 1700 broadcast, i.e. Thailand and Philippines for 11920 and 9785; UAE and Germany for 6170 at this hour. Some slight jamming on 11920 probably bleedover from the Commie Cubans against Martí 11930, not a problem in target area. But, but... Afghanistan is ``free`` now, so such a name, always meant to contradict regimes in the past, is inappropriate (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1116, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. HCJB now await the town planning appeals. The results will be known by early March. On air date is still 25th December 2002 (HCJB newsletter, via Don Rhodes, EDXP via DXLD) ** BENIN. 7210.29, 0601-, R. Benin, Jan 27, Poor to fair reception at 0558 tune-in. National anthem at 0600, then into French ID. Lots of adjacent QRM. African music at 0602. 7210.26, 0518-, R. Benin, Jan 30, Better reception tonight versus the weekend. Carrier already present before 0500. When rechecked at 0517, African high life music, and talk in French, so most certainly Benin. About an S7 signal. No ID at top of hour, and spoiled then by BBC Croatian from Rampisham (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Radio Anhanguera was heard on January 26 at 0201 on 4915 for the first time this season. Most regular station received here in Tomsk on 60 mb was Radio Brasil Central but it haven't been heard during a couple of months. Anhanguera was second best interfering with Ghana BC Radio 1 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CAMEROON [non]. See MADAGASCAR ** CHINA. Re VIETNAM [non] DXLD 2-018: What was assumed to be RFV was heard on clear channel 11880 on Jan. 22nd in Vietnamese with dreadful audio quality. It closed after what sounded an ID and a song at 1429. Carrier remained on and a transmission in possibly Burmese started c1429:30 but carrier suddenly dropped after about one minute. However, a check on Jan.25th revealed two stations operating on 11880 until 1430 - both were in Chinese (Mandarin to my ears), and the dominant one IDed as CNR-1. This stayed on after 1430, but the other went off. Only CNR-1 was on air on Sat/Sun (Jan.26-27) but on the 28th I tried again. A single "Russian" style on/off tone was heard at 1355. CNR-1 came on with a crash start at 1358. The tone stopped at 1359 and Chinese announcements were made. Two time sigs were heard at 1400 - one milli-seconds behind the other - then both continued (in Chinese) until 1430, when the "Russian tones" station went off - CNR-1 remaining on. This pattern has continued since then. I cannot ID what the non CNR station is. Thanks for all the hard work in producing an excellent news bulletin. Hello again Glenn, Re my mail earlier today (Jan. 30th) concerning Radio Free Vietnam....... I took another listen to 11880 and found a station in Vietnamese was today (30/1) co-channel with CNR-1 at 1425. China was dominant, and it was difficult to obtain many details from the Vietnamese speaker - simply 'talk' - but I heard what sounded to be an ID at conclusion of transmission at 1428. After a pause, I again also heard a brief transmission in what sounded to be Burmese before the transmitter dropped carrier. Obviously, this frequency requires more work. Best 73's, (Noel Green, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. CNR-2 was noted on January 26 between 6 and 8 UT on 15040. No sign of the signal next day at the same time. Chinese music occupied the only DW Russian frequency for our area at 15 UT, 9715. Sometimes O=1. Does China jam AIR in Chinese? I heard CNR-1 on 15795 just before 1145 when AIR Chinese started and after 1330. CRI in Russian was heard on 9935 on January 25 at 1645 as the background for Greek Macedonia. I guess it was a kind of spur but can't find its cause (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Re: Cubans seem prone to switching formats at will so one must be careful Changing format can be as simple as joining the national feed at midnight when your local origination is done. Or perhaps picking up an alternate feed for some reason, which happens. You'll want to differentiate between private stations and networked stations and stations that consistently carry one of the network feeds at all hours. Some private stations do use call letters, and some don't seem to. One good example I recall from being in Key West was CMES on 1540 which is in Sagua la Grande (directly north of Santa Clara in Villa Clara province.) who I heard with call letters several times (daytime) in late December. I can't think offhand of any time I have heard a known station use different call letters, as a local ID, from time to time. But I am sure there are times you might hear a network feed. I one heard CMQ used as an ID on 640 but it was apparently a relayed broadcast. Generally on 640 one hears only the Progreso ID (note: only one "s"). This leads me to believe "CMQ" is the name of a program, not a station. The 630 situation is unclear to me, sometimes there is no sign of any // to 640, when 640 is 100% reliably heard here day and night. Generally WDAE 620 swamps that freq out anyway; since I have no room for outdoor antennas my DX options here are limited. Something seems to have changed recently on the 880 signal which is much less reliable here than before, compared to 890; the same thing on 900 as well (Bob Foxworth, Tampa FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. RADIO MARTÍ ENTRE LA ESPADA Y LOS CAMBIOS Lázaro Raúl González, CPI HERRADURA, enero http://www.cubanet.org - Radio Martí ha introducido recientemente cambios en su programación. ¡Enhorabuena llegan!, porque la emisora ha venido perdiendo oyentes hasta que ahora alcanzó los niveles de sintonía más bajos de su historia. Ya constituyen un pasado remoto aquellos tiempos en que Radio Martí tenía un alto rating entre los oyentes de la isla y cuando su programación contrastaba con los aburridos espacios de las emisoras nacionales. Entre 1985 y 1992 Radio Martí fue la emisora más popular en Cuba. Si embargo, desde hace alrededor de una década todo comenzó a cambiar para mal. Retado en su terreno preferido, la propaganda, el régimen de Fidel Castro reaccionó con efectividad: multiplicó las horas de transmisión de las emisoras nacionales, inauguró otras y las dotó con equipos modernos. También se le subió el salario a los periodistas oficialistas, así como al personal técnico y artístico. Las medidas dieron resultados. En detrimento de Radio Martí, Radio Rebelde, Radio Progreso y algunas plantas provinciales recuperaron la audiencia. Para garantizarse el éxito, el régimen de Castro comenzó a interferir la señal de Radio Martí con tanto acierto que, desde hace años, esta emisora es inaudible en numerosas regiones del país. Por citar un ejemplo, en horario diurno es absolutamente imposible sintonizar Radio Martí en todo el territorio suroriental de la provincia Pinar del Río. Pero la pérdida de oyentes de Radio Martí no sólo se debió a las eficaces medidas del régimen, sino también a la química degenerativa de la propia emisora dada por la desaparición de programas de gran audiencia, como la novela, Puente familiar y La tremenda corte, entre otros. Además, en oscuras circunstancias, la emisora prescindió de los valiosos servicios de la periodista Angélica Mora. Por otra parte, también fatalmente para la audiencia cubana menos politizada, Radio Martí se fue convirtiendo poco a poco en la emisora casi exclusiva de la oposición más radical al régimen de Fidel Castro y, aunque abunden, no todas las orejas de este lado del Estrecho de la Florida pertenecen a furibundos anticomunistas. En general, Radio Martí degeneró en una emisora politizada, viciosamente repetitiva, dudosamente administrada y efectivamente interferida. ¿Saldo? De acuerdo a consultas realizadas por este periodista en el último trimestre de 2001 entre 400 residentes de la provincia Pinar del Río, La Habana, Ciudad La Habana, Matanzas y el municipio especial Isla de la Juventud (otrora Isla de Pinos), sólo el seis por ciento de ellos escucha Radio Martí con regularidad, mientras el cuatro por ciento la sintoniza diariamente y el dos por ciento la considera su fuente de información preferida. Si se comparan estos resultados con la época dorada de Radio Martí (1985-1992) resultarán pésimos, pero en verdad aún tienen peso, porque significan que miles de cubanos aún escuchan esta emisora. Sin embargo, la cifra de radioyentes podría descender al punto que ya no justifique su existencia si Radio Martí no hace cambios en sus programaciones que satisfagan las necesidades reales de la audiencia de la isla, si no imprime frescura y modernidad a sus mensajes y si no resuelve satisfactoria y definitivamente el problema de las interferencias. ¡Casi nada! Ciertamente, la labor de rescatar a Radio Martí necesita del trabajo, la pasión y la inteligencia de un genuino salvador. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB, New 12035 was received at 2330 with 34443 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. Very interesting evening tonight. First time for me for Radio Georgia's Russian and English service. Usually MUF is below 25 meters at this time, and their broadcast is intermittent only. It's on right now, but the audio is pretty awful, akin to Cairo. Walt (viz.:) 11805.26, 0609-0630*, R. GEORGIA, Jan 30, Finally, after trying for months, Radio Georgia heard here on off frequency channel with S9 signal. A bit distorted. Somewhat muddy audio makes interpretation difficult. Thanks to Joe Talbot who reported this one back around Christmas. Short clips of talk. Frequency seems to be drifting downward. At 11805.23 at 0621. Longer Georgian vocal at this time. Not a bad signal toward end of program at 0628. Then IS once, and into English ID by woman, but difficult to understand her. She proceeded to give a long schedule in kHz and meters. Then into news (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. SWRF, 7265 at 0440 29 Jan in German. Techno. Signal so strong it sounds local. No ham QRM. Fun to hear (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ICELAND. I tried to receive Ríkisútvarpið on January 25 at 1818 and heard very poor signal. It wasn't off at 1825 as announced (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) fq???? ** INDONESIA. I received RRI Sorong twice last week. On January 25 RRI Jakarta is can be heard at 1159 until CRI started its Mongolian program on 4883 at 1200 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sorong would be 4875? ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. More extracts from RadioCarolineMailinglist@yahoogroups.com yesterday. Latvia is a former Soviet Baltic state. The information I posted earlier was taken from this afternoon`s Nigel Harris show, so I`m sure there will be some official notification to come soon; I believe that it will be the previously mentioned 150 kW rig that will be used, Cheers Paul Suppose that in the dark hours you should be able to hear this station, provided you have a good receiver and a good directional antenna... At this very moment (January 29, 2002 - 2225 UK time/UTC), I can hear their signal weakly underneath Toulouse, but then I have no directional antenna. I suppose that with a loop antenna I would hear them in an acceptable quality. Guess we'll just have to wait and see (hear)... AFAIK (at least as far as I have looked up in the latest edition of Herman Boel's excellent European Medium Wave Guide - check out for more details at http://go.to/emwg ) 945 kHz is a relatively quiet frequency. Apart from the 150 kW transmitter in Latvija (operated by Latvijas Radio Pirma and Radio Latvia, don't know who owns it), there is another one in Russia (``Rossii Radio`` Rostov-na-Donu) [never heard here] and a 300 kW transmitter in Toulouse (Southern France, heard quite regularly). Reception will depend on the reception conditions and on the equipment you are using (a sensitive receiver and a loop antenna will come in quite handy). I could not give you any information on the other points... sorry! (Frank(ee), via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ITALY. 7306U R. Europe, 0715, playing taped conversation in Italian with Dario Monferini, "Dario...play dx.`` then ID ``you are listening to Radio Europe" at 0718. special broadcast to NZ for NZ Radio DX league convention at Oamaru. Alas, I couldn't attend. Heard 30th January. Regards (David Norrie, Auckland NZ, AOR 7030, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. LATE LEADER'S BIRTHDAY WEB SITE LAUNCHED | Text of report in English by South Korean news agency Yonhap Seoul, 30 January: North Korea has opened a Korean, Japanese, English and Chinese Internet site to attract South Koreans and other nationals to what it has dubbed a "once-in-a-millennium" event slated for two months from late April. DPRKorea Infobank, a Beijing-based North Korean Web site, has been operating the new site http://www.arirang.dprkorea.com in an apparent effort to draw more tourists to the 29 April - 29 June "Arirang Festival". The festival is aimed in part at celebrating the 90th birthday of late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung. Before opening the Korean-language site, North Korea's tourism agency had operated a Japanese site to promote the festival. An English version is also available http://www.arirang.dprkorea.com/english/ Japanese and Chinese speakers can find information in their languages by replacing "english" with "japanese" or "chinese" in the web address. The new web site, however, indicates the festival will run through 26 June, instead of 29 June as previously announced. Among other things, the festival will feature what the North calls a "mass gymnastic display" involving 100,000 performers. North Korea said last week that South Korean tourists to Mt. Kumgang on North's east coast will be invited to travel to Pyongyang to see the festival. The South Korean government has yet to make a decision whether to allow its citizens to attend. Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0742 gmt 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 9335 v, Voice of Korea, 1317 Jan 30, This morning, I received Voice of Korea with a marvelous set of symmetrical spurs from its transmitter on 9335, beamed to NAm. All spurs are offset at multiples of 112 kHz from the fundamental. On the lower side descending in freq: 9223, 9111, 8999, 8887, and 8775. On the upper side ascending in freq: 9447, 9559, 9671, 9783, and 9895. Program consisted of good old fashioned communist propaganda, mixed with inspirational music. Makes North Korea sound like a paradise. What a relic! Bad frequency drift, hum and audio was overdriven, which made the young lady especially difficult to understand, but even so, overall, a great station (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. On January 27, RKI Russian on 15575 at 1600 UT was excellent! I call such a signals absolutely strong because their level equals to local AM stations signals. Distance between Korea and Tomsk is about 4,000 km. I plan to collect statistics on "absolutely strong" signals (Vladimir Kovlenko, Tomsk, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. I didn't know about new FBN test via Lithuania so didn't check it. But on January 26 I received special "FBN Lithuania QSL" for the first test held on December 22 and 23. Report was sent to fbn@clis.com (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. Re DXLD 2-018 CAMEROONS 5010. Hi Glenn, I have been monitoring this one regularly and my opinion - now - is that it is in fact Malagasy. On checking the Grey Line internet page I found that, at 1550, the grey line ran through the south-west corner of Madagascar - the sun had set north of there. 5010 has been heard fading in soon after 1600 (when the Chinese station goes off), and peaks around 1700, then a slow and gradual deterioration in signal usually sets in. I think this pattern suggests Madagascar and not Cameroon (which was suggested to me). There is no trace of AIR Trivandrum. [you mean, T`puram] When not carrying football commentary, the station has been heard with news in French for about 10 minutes starting c1700. Otherwise, the language is not recognised. The music played is a nondescript mix, difficult to describe. Due my local noise level I have not heard a positive ID. The football is African Nations Cup, and it is coming to its climax, and the final matches cannot be far away. When carrying commentary, I have heard 5010 on air until c2050 (Noel Green, UK, Jan 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAWI. 3380, MBC Radio One is back on this frequency. Good reception here at 1830 in Vernacular with talk and music. ID as MBC Radio One at 1845, then continued with talk and music. 1930 program in English. 29 January 2002 (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, Jan 29, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** NIGER. EXCHANGING GUNS FOR RADIOS IN NIGER http://www.freeplayfoundation.org/News/NewsItems/NigerRCP.htm Dec 28 2001 Freeplay Foundation. The Freeplay Foundation along with the UNDP and the government of Niger have donated over 12,000 wind-up, battery free radios that will be used to encourage Nigerienes to hand in illicit guns. The radios will be given to rural communities as they return illegal guns to the government for decommissioning. The programme is also designed to promote community radio and train youth in radio repair. [May be reproduced or forwarded provided the following is included.] > Via / From / Thanks to: Haa Ai from Education Nunavut (EC&SS Division) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/haa-ai (From the DEVMEDIA list via Don Moore, DXLD) ** NIGER. 9705, 0600-, La Voix du Sahel, Jan 27, tentative logging. Very difficult frequency. Best heard in LSB with notch against 9704.2 Ethiopia. Too much splash from 9710. French broadcasting, including a hymn with Alleluia. I had expected a Muslim nation rather than Christian. Will need to do more listening to be sure (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. Voice of Nigeria signal on 15120 was just excellent on January 27 starting with IS and IDs at 0450. At 0456 they made program announcements in English. The same station was heard on January 26 at 7 UTC with just SINPO=24541 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OMAN. 15355, 0340-0400*, R. OMAN, Jan 27. Infrequently heard with any useful signal in the Americas. News broadcast in English by YL. Fair reception. I miss the superb reception of this station in Hawaii. The recitation of the Koran in English is very beautiful (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** QATAR. AL-JAZEERA TV "SERIOUSLY" CONSIDERING ENGLISH CHANNEL, WEB SITE | Text of report in English by Qatari newspaper Gulf Times web site on 29 January The Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel is seriously considering a proposal to broadcast programmes in English, Al-Jazeera chairman, HE Shaykh Hamad Bin-Thamir Bin-Muhammad Al Thani, said yesterday. Instead of a separate channel, the present 24-hour Arabic telecast may be divided into two sessions of 12 hours each in Arabic and English, he told reporters at a press conference at the Diplomatic Club yesterday. A full-fledged English channel could be set up later, he said. Shaykh Hamad reiterated that Al-Jazeera would not succumb to pressure and change its policies while answering a question on Western criticism of the channel's coverage of events, particularly the developments in Afghanistan. "Top US government officials had asked the channel to tone down the level of its coverage of the American campaign in Afghanistan," the chairman said. "We have always stood for neutrality, objectivity and accuracy and would continue to stick to these ideals." Asked about reports of a proposed US-sponsored Arabic television channel to counter the popular Al-Jazeera, Shaykh Hamad said it was for the people to choose what to see. "I welcome any such move," he said and pointed out that the BBC and Voice of America already broadcast radio programmes in Arabic." Asked how the expenses of the Al-Jazeera television channel are met, the chairman said the channel had its own resources. The press conference was organized as part of the first anniversary celebrations of Aljazeera.net, the web site owned and operated by Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel. The chairman later honoured associates and employees of Aljazeera.net at a function yesterday. The web site was launched in January 2001. Among those honoured included Jasim al-Mansuri, chairman of Horizons, Doha, and Abdul Razzaq al-Siddiqi, managing director of Afkar Information Technology Ltd. Termed as the first specialized online Arabic news service, the web site was launched to provide Arab audiences with an interactive and continuous follow up of news, programmes and analyses on the Internet and has scaled great heights within an year of its launch. One million visitors and 6m page views in just January highlights the popularity of the site, a spokesman said, who revealed that the site registered seven million visitors and a whopping 70m page views in October last year. The total traffic in the year exceeded 38m visitors and 265m page views, he said. Targeted at an influential audience, including decision-makers, diplomats, politicians, intellectuals and students, the site caters to the wide section of Arab society with varied ideological, cultural and political background, the official said. Mahmud al-Hadi, general manager of Aljazeera.net, told the Gulf Times that plans are afoot for the launch of a corresponding web site in English since there are already some sections with an English content pertaining to advertising and marketing. Source: Gulf Times web site, Doha, in English 29 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. On January 27 I noted yet another transmission of Krasnoyarsk radio "Center of Russia" heard also on 5290 3rd harmonic 15870. It was at 1010 after Radio Rossii news. I still can't understand the transmitter's behaviour. I mean the harmonic appears and disappears not in parallel to main frequency. For example on January 20 poor signal on 15870 appeared at 0451 and at 0452 it grew to normal SINPO=35443. On some days it appears just before or just after 0400. On January 26 signal disappeared at 1011 and I can't say if it just faded or switched off. What may happen to let transmitter radiate harmonic only at certain time? (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [non]. RADIO LIBERTY TO START BROADCASTS TO NORTH CAUCASUS IN FEBRUARY | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Vladikavkaz, 30 January: Radio Liberty will open a separate broadcasting service for the North Caucasus as of February. Liberty's reporting office in the North Caucasus told Interfax on Wednesday [30 January] that the broadcasts will be in the Chechen, Avar, Cherkess and Russian languages. "Fifteen-minute reports will be culled for a common one-hour broadcast" in the first stage, and with time programmes for the North Caucasus will be longer, said a radio source. Financed by the American Congress, Radio Liberty programmes will be pieced together in their central office in Prague. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1147 gmt 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. 15275, 0401-, BSKSA RIYADH, Jan 27. Tone until 0400:30, then directly into National Anthem, then announcement in listed Turkish, and into Kor`an recitation. S9+20 to 30 signal. Other broadcasts include 17760 in Somali, with signal almost as strong, well over BBCWS from Thailand in English. Also 15170 with same excellent signal in Arabic. Too bad they didn't have an English service on at this time (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I sometimes let the music/Qur`an on 15170 in this hour lull me to sleep (gh, OK, DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. January 27 was the first day when 5020 didn't propagate at all. Reception peak was on January 24 when I heard SIBC closing at 1101 with SINPO=35443. For the time being they switch to BBC WS relay immediately after SIBC signoff. Last season there were some seconds or even minutes breaks. This time I can receive BBC WS on 5020 even after 18 UT (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 13675, 0343-0350*, UAE R. DUBAI, Jan 27. Good reception with dramatization. Program was called, 'Role of ? in Arab society', I think. Muffly sign-off ID, then NA (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. BEEB WEBSITE SACKS HALF OF ITS STAFF John Cassy, Wednesday January 30, 2002, The Guardian The controversial shopping website launched by the BBC as part of a push to make the corporation more commercial is to sack half its workforce and has lost its chief executive. Beeb.com said the job cuts followed an extensive redesign and repositioning of the site, which relies heavily on e-commerce revenues. The business is part of Beeb Ventures - a division of the broadcaster's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, which also runs the internet service provider beeb.net. About 40 jobs will go. Julian Turner, chief executive of Beeb Ventures, is stepping down immediately but does not have a new job. "My decision to resign, coupled with the removal of a good deal of other costs, is a reflection of the execution and completion of the vision I had for beeb when I took over [in September 2000]," he said. Chief operating officer Kym Niblock will assume day-to-day operation of the business but BBC Worldwide chief executive Rupert Gavin will take a hands-on role by becoming executive chairman of Beeb Ventures. Beeb.com has featured shopping guides linked to programmes including Top Gear, Gardeners' World, Holiday, Good Homes and Top of the Pops. Some commercial sector rivals have argued that a public service broadcaster has no place subsidising its licence fee revenue with commission on shopping sales. They also argue that public money has built the programme brands on which the shopping business is based. Beeb Ventures also competes with commercial sector media sales businesses. The division has been largely funded by a £32.5m investment from private equity firm TH Lee Global. The US firm bought its 13.5% stake in 2000, when Beeb Ventures was valued at £240m. At the time the company was tipped to become the first stock market-listed company to be spun out of the BBC but the diminished investor appetite for internet shares now makes that unlikely. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Daniel Say, DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn: To answer your question in the latest DXLD (2- 018)..... The time (2220) in the 1710 log was indeed Eastern Standard Time. The station was audible all Saturday evening post- sunset (I assume they went on after they finished lighting the Havdallah candles at the station) and was the next morning post- sunrise when I checked around 0800 EST. (Niel Wolfish, Toronto, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. For many months now, I've been hearing strong and very annoying spurious signals, centered on 842 and 858 kHz, from WSPO-850 in Johnstown PA. It mystified me that no other DXers were complaining about it, although Saul [Chernos] did mention it once. I guess it's because their DA sends most of their signal to the north at night. Anyway, I finally called the station last week, and was surprised to get right through to the CE, a gent named Jim Boxler. I explained what I was hearing, and he said he hadn't had any reports of problems, but he would check it out. I thought, uh huh, sure... Today Jim called me back, and thanked me for alerting him to a serious problem. He said he first took a careful listen to the audio out of a receiver, and thought it sounded okay, though maybe a little substandard - it was harder to tell with the sports talk format than with the previous music format they had when they were WJAC. He did note, however, that there was crud on the adjacent channels. He then checked the input to the audio processor (probably an Optimod or similar - I didn't ask), and was shocked to find that it sounded terrible. It turns out that the carrier system provided by the telco for the station's audio feed has some kind of malfunction in the "channel bank" hardware, and it was injecting high-frequency junk into the audio. While they diagnosed the problem, they switched the feed to a copper pair, and the audio problems went away. I checked tonight, and sure enough, the spurs are gone. He's happy, and I'm happy. This was a very positive experience, and the next time I come across something like this, I won't hesitate so long before I call (Barry McLarnon, Ont., NRC-AM via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. See CHINA ** ZIMBABWE. "BIOTERRORISM ATTACK" ON STATE DAILY BLAMED ON UK, AUSTRALIA | Text of report by Zimbabwean radio audio web site on 30 January The government has strongly and unreservedly condemned the sinister and cowardly bioterrorism attack on the editor and staff of [state- controlled] The Chronicle newspaper in Bulawayo yesterday. The attack was carried out using a yet-to-be-identified substance contained in two separate letters sent from Britain and Australia respectively. The latest attack, which comes hardly two weeks after similar attacks targeted at government officials and parastatal workers, has been mounted from the two countries. The countries have been in the forefront of coordinating a series of hostile actions and campaigns against the people of Zimbabwe for demanding back their land. The Department of Information and Publicity says this attack constitutes a grave threat to democracy and press freedom. Ironically, it emanates from countries which claim to be leaders of the free world, countries in the habit of immodestly parading and flaunting their disputable democratic credentials to the rest of the world. The government is therefore challenging Britain and Australia to acknowledge their lamentable and indictable status as safe havens for bioterrorists. The government is also demanding that the two countries should condemn without qualification such evil misdeeds by these dark figures of hidden, genocidal evil, who find and enjoy succour and impunity in the hostile policies of the two countries, and actions against Zimbabwe. The Department of Information and Publicity is in the meantime calling on genuine and patriotic editors and reporters in The Chronicle and anywhere across the country to remain steadfast and unnerved in their defence of the national interest, for which they have been turned into fitting targets of such deadly terrorism. Source: ZBC Radio 3FM audio web site, Harare, in English 0400 gmt 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Oh, come on! (gh, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE/FRANCE. REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES BANNED FROM ZIMBABWE The Paris-based media watchdog, Reporters Sans Frontieres, says it has been banned from entering Zimbabwe. In a statement released on 29 January, RSF said: "Two representatives of the embassy of Zimbabwe in Paris received the head of RSF's bureau for Africa and announced their refusal to grant him a visa. 'Your articles are too critical,' explained the employees of the embassy." Agence-France Presse (AFP) news agency on 29 January at 1515 gmt quoted RSF Secretary-General Robert Menard as saying: "This refusal [by the embassy] proves that the Zimbabwean authorities still have things to hide and that they are ready to do anything to prevent people from knowing what is happening in the country," Menard said in a statement on 29 January. According to the RSF statement, staff at the Zimbabwean embassy in Paris explained that they had received instructions from Harare to stop RSF journalists from entering Zimbabwe. Source: Monitoring research, in English 30 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-018, January 29, 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 #1115: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.html FINAL AIRINGS ON RFPI: Wed 0700, 1400 on one of: 7445-USB, 21815-USB FIRST AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO #1116: UT Thursday 0030 and 0600 on WBCQ 7415 UT Thursday 2130 and Friday 1030 on WWCR 9475 ** AFGHANISTAN. Nothing noted on either IBB or RFE/RL sites, no time or frequency table yet [for R. Free Afghanistan, supposed to start Jan 30, but]: http://www.rferl.org/welcome/english/jobs/openings/BRFA.asp The first two of many qualifications: Native language fluency in Dari and/or Pashto Advanced ability to comprehend source materials and to communicate in English (via Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Free Afghanistan": Likely sked for this new RFE-RL/IBB program in Dari and Pashto: 0300-0400 on 7230 (Kavala), 15345 (Udorn) and 17640 (Udorn); 1300-1400 on 11920 (Kavala), 15525 (Iranawila) and 17725 (Biblis); and 1700-1800 on 6170 (Holzkirchen), 9785 (Tinang) and 11920 (Tinang). Possible start on Wed, Jan 30 at 1300-1400 (via Jerry Berg, DXplorer, Jan 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) No trace of R FREE AFGHANISTAN so far. Here is the present IBB VOA Dari and Pashto time table: 6035 0200-0300 VOA M DARI DUS 180 6170 0200-0230 VOA M DARI KAV 100 6170 0230-0300 VOA M DARI KAV 100 7260 1530-1630 VOA M DARI UDO 300 7260 1900-1930 VOA M DARI UDO 308 9575 1900-1930 VOA M DARI UDO 304 9705 0200-0230 VOA M DARI UDO 308 9705 1630-1700 VOA M DARI PHT 315 9750 0200-0230 VOA M DARI IRA 334 9750 0230-0300 VOA AFG DARI UDO 308 9875 1630-1700 VOA M DARI KAV 095 11760 1630-1700 VOA M DARI KAV 095 11770 1530-1630 VOA M DARI UDO 300 11865 1900-1930 VOA M DARI IRA 340 13605 1215-1230 VOA AFG DARI UDO 300 15580 0230-0300 VOA M DARI PHT 315 15705 0230-0300 VOA AFG DARI IRA 334 15705 1215-1230 VOA AFG DARI IRA 340 15705 1530-1630 VOA M DARI IRA 340 17780 0230-0300 VOA M DARI PHT 283 6170 0100-0130 VOA M PASH KAV 100 6170 0130-0200 VOA M PASH KAV 100 6170 1400-1430 VOA M PASH DUS 180 7145 0100-0200 VOA M PASH LAM 088 7270 1830-1900 VOA M PASH UDO 308 9505 1830-1900 VOA M PASH UDO 304 9750 0100-0130 VOA M PASH IRA 334 9750 0130-0200 VOA M PASH IRA 334 11770 1400-1430 VOA M PASH PHT 283 11770 1430-1530 VOA M PASH UDO 300 11865 1830-1900 VOA M PASH IRA 340 13605 1200-1215 VOA AFG PASH UDO 300 13605 1400-1430 VOA AFG PASH UDO 300 15515 1400-1430 VOA M PASH WOF 082 15705 1200-1215 VOA AFG PASH IRA 340 15705 1400-1430 VOA AFG PASH IRA 340 15705 1430-1530 VOA M PASH IRA 340 17680 1400-1530 VOA M PASH MOR 067 DARI VOA AFG 0230-0300 IRA 15705 334 DARI VOA AFG 0230-0300 UDO 9750 308 DARI VOA AFG 1215-1230 IRA 15705 340 DARI VOA AFG 1215-1230 UDO 13605 300 DARI VOA M 0200-0230 IRA 9750 334 DARI VOA M 0200-0230 UDO 9705 308 DARI VOA M 0200-0230 KAV 6170 100 DARI VOA M 0200-0300 DUS 6035 180 DARI VOA M 0230-0300 PHT 17780 283 DARI VOA M 0230-0300 PHT 15580 315 DARI VOA M 0230-0300 KAV 6170 100 DARI VOA M 1530-1630 IRA 15705 340 DARI VOA M 1530-1630 UDO 11770 300 DARI VOA M 1530-1630 UDO 7260 300 DARI VOA M 1630-1700 KAV 11760 095 DARI VOA M 1630-1700 KAV 9875 095 DARI VOA M 1630-1700 PHT 9705 315 DARI VOA M 1900-1930 IRA 11865 340 DARI VOA M 1900-1930 UDO 9575 304 DARI VOA M 1900-1930 UDO 7260 308 PASH VOA AFG 1200-1215 IRA 15705 340 PASH VOA AFG 1200-1215 UDO 13605 300 PASH VOA AFG 1400-1430 IRA 15705 340 PASH VOA AFG 1400-1430 UDO 13605 300 PASH VOA M 0100-0130 IRA 9750 334 PASH VOA M 0100-0200 LAM 7145 088 PASH VOA M 0100-0130 KAV 6170 100 PASH VOA M 0130-0200 IRA 9750 334 PASH VOA M 0130-0200 KAV 6170 100 PASH VOA M 1400-1530 MOR 17680 067 PASH VOA M 1400-1430 WOF 15515 082 PASH VOA M 1400-1430 PHT 11770 283 PASH VOA M 1400-1430 DUS 6170 180 PASH VOA M 1430-1530 IRA 15705 340 PASH VOA M 1430-1530 UDO 11770 300 PASH VOA M 1830-1900 IRA 11865 340 PASH VOA M 1830-1900 UDO 9505 304 PASH VOA M 1830-1900 UDO 7270 308 (IBB Jan 29 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN/USA. US REPORTEDLY TO SET UP CABLE TV IN KANDAHAR | Text of unattributed report in English by Azzam Publications' Jihad in Chechnya web site on 28 January Kandahar (Special Reporter): The US authorities, in its campaign to rid Afghanistan of Islam and moral decency, have made plans to set up a cable television network consisting of approximately 200 channels. This cable network will be the first of its kind in Kandahar. The governor of Kandahar is believed to have disclosed this information. The apparent motivations behind what the US might deem as a project to "civilize" Afghanistan, are probably to corrupt the minds of the Afghan people with indecency and hence destroy the whole nation from within. This ploy is seen as standard US/Israeli policy to weaken the Muslims and to fool them into thinking that Western civilization and democracy are the only means to "success" in this world. Do the Muslims around the world not see as to what is really happening in Afghanistan? We expect no complaints whatsoever from those preachers of modern secular Islam as to what is happening in Afghanistan today. The same people, who so vehemently attacked and disowned the Taleban for establishing the Law of Allah in its entirety, will be the first to flock back to spread secularist- disbelieving concepts in the minds of the Afghan people. Furthermore, how sickening it is to know that such so called Muslims are in fact heads of Muslim organizations and "respected" members of the community all around the Muslim world. Indeed Allah makes apparent the believers and hypocrites in times of trials and afflictions like these. We ask Allah that the Muslims of Afghanistan are not distracted from their faith by the evil effects of television and a non-Islamic rule. Source: Jihad in Chechnya web site, London, in English 28 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ALBANIA. R. Tirana to NAm scheduled at 0245 and 0330: one or both late. Sometimes both no show at 0245. At 0330 lately on 6120 avoiding BBC 6110. 7160 no show and has 40m ham QRM (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. AM-1630 is a one-year old station in La Plata, capital of the province of Buenos Aires, inaugurated Feb. 10, 2001, by Red 92, an FM station already 10 years old, on 92.1, now with a 35 kW Continental transmitter and a 144 meter antenna, but which started with only 100 watts. Red 92 wanted to extend its coverage with the AM station, and offer different programming. It uses a Nautel XL30 30 kW AM transmitter operating at 10 kW; reports have been received from as far away as Venezuela and New Zealand, thanks to its relatively clear channel. It has a 112 meter antenna, and 120 radials. Address is am1630@red92.com (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, summary translation by gh of a much longer illustrated article in El Dial, Spain, Feb, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. The location of the huge transmitting station named Gavar (formerly Kamo) in central Armenia has been confirmed using Soviet military maps now available on the Internet See: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/EART/maps/azerbaijan/K-38-127.jpg The station is located on a point of land protruding into Lake Sevan east of Gavar. This is a piece of flat land in an otherwise mountainous region. The map shows a large number of symbols, each representing one or more antenna masts. The site has several high powered transmitters for LW and MW (and SW) and a number of directional MW (and SW) antennas. Heard LW-MW frequencies are 234, 864, 1314 and 1350. The coordinates of the centre of the site are 40N25, 45E11. The station was built in the late '60s (Olle Alm, 7.1.2002, ARC Information Desk 14 Jan 2002 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. An item in The Sydney Morning Herald and on ABC news today, states that NTL, the huge multinational company which, as part of its concern, operates the transmitters for many radio and TV stations in Australia (including ALL ABC transmitters) is in deep financial difficulties. Apparently the share price has dropped from US$90 about 2 years back to 44 CENTS now! and they are about $1000 million dollars in debt. It went on to say that this coming Friday, there will be debters meeting to try and restructure which will involve a "debt for equity" deal. SO ABC transmitters will have a new owner, it seems. These transmitters used to run in-house by the ABC, but as part of a massive restructure years back this was transferred to the Dept of Communications, then a special "Transmitter Authority" was set up to do the job. About 2 years ago, the Howard Govt. sold them off to NTL, stating that their size and stability meant they had the resources to keep the ABC on-air indefinitely. Well that`s what the report said...... (Jem Cullen, ARDXC via DXLD) Another triumph for outsourcing! These bean-counting clowns should be seen for the wreckers they are. So there! (Ian Johnson, ARDXC via DXLD) Something about short term gains versus long term benefit? I dunno if these people ever think about where we will be in 50 or 100 years time. Just what will this year`s profit sheet look like (Jem Cullen, ibid.) My recollection is the ABC actually preferred this arrangement: for the first time, they had some say over the use of transmitter resources and were funded directly by the government to buy transmitter time. It was a better arrangement than went before when transmission was centrally managed by an a gov't organisation that did not even make radio or TV programming (Matt Francis, Canberra, ibid.) ** AZERBAIJAN. The FS of Azerbaijan State Radio is broadcast on Pirsaat 1296 (and Gäncä 6110) at 0315-0400, 1100-1600, 1700-1900 in the following languages: 0315-0400 Azerbaijani ("Güney Azärbaycan"); 1100-1200 Persian, 1200-1300 Turkish, 1300-1330 German, 1330-1400 French, 1400-1600 Azerbaijani ("Güney Azärbaycan"); 1700-1800 Arabic, 1800-1830 English, 1830-1900 Russian. At 1600-1700 these freqs relay Relay RL in Azerbaijani (Azerbaijan State R via Mauno Ritola via Bernd Trutenau, BC-DX 2.1.2002) Güney Azärbaycan = South Azerbaijan, i.e. Iranian Azerbaijan, apparently the target area of these broadcasts. There are at least three places called Pirsaat (Azerbaijani) or Pirsagat (Russian). The one giving name to the transmitter site is believed to be the town south of Alyat with the radio station located 6 km south of Alyat. (Olle Alm) The location of the Gäncä transmitting station in western Azerbaijan has been found using Soviet military maps now available on the Internet. The site is located some distance south of Gäncä, just north of Xanlar (in Russian: Khanlar). This station was often heard on 218/216 kHz relaying Baki programmes until the mid '90s. The coordinates are 40N37, 46E20. The highest tower shown is (was?) 235 m. The station seems to have existed from the early '50s (Olle Alm, 7.1.2002) (all: ARC Information Desk 14 Jan 2002 via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. On Jan 12 observed home service program "Christo Botev" at 0700-1700 on 7th harmonic 5796; fundamental freq is 828. On national service "Horizont" first time ever will start news in Turkish language at 1900 UT [to Turkish minority in BUL ?, or external to TUR/CYP target??, wb.]. R Bulgaria is planning to resume its Arabic Service in A-02 season (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Jan 16, BC-DX via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 5030, R Burkina, 1750 Jan 23, African music, 1800 ID, TC and program details by man in French, then talk in vernacular by woman after a song. Still there at 2000 check (Mahendra Vagjhee, Mauritius, DXplorer via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BURUNDI. STUDIO IJAMBO RADIO TO BROADCAST VIA WEB SITE | Text of press release issued by the US-based organization Search for Common Ground and published by the allAfrica.com web site on 28 January Washington, DC: Studio Ijambo, the cutting edge conflict resolution radio programme producer in Burundi, is reaching out to the Burundi diaspora community with a web site featuring a selection of its radio shows. The web site, http://www.studioijambo.org will offer five weekly programmes in streaming audio, in RealMedia and WinMedia formats. The programmes will be added to the web site soon after their on-air broadcast in Burundi. The programmes, in Burundi's national language, Kirundi, as well as French, deal with current events and processes related to Burundi's transitional period. The programmes include the popular current affairs magazine programme Amasanganzira (Crossroads), with its French-language version Express to be added soon. Burundians will also be able to listen to the inspiring "Heroes" programmes (Inkingi y'ubuntu), which profiles stories of people from one ethnic group who saved the lives of those from another ethnic group during the violence. An investigative human rights programme and a vox pops programme featuring the opinions of ordinary Burundians will complete the line-up of programmes on the site. More programmes may be added later if there is sufficient demand. Studio Ijambo is a project of Search for Common Ground and the European Centre for Common Ground, two nongovernmental organizations working together to change the way the world deals with conflict, from confrontation to cooperation. The studio, based in Bujumbura, was established in 1995 in response to the "hate radio" that had been used to stoke the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups in neighbouring Rwanda. Currently producing 28 radio programmes per week, broadcast on both private and state radio stations, Studio Ijambo has been credited with helping open a dialogue and reducing tensions. The studio is operated almost exclusively by Burundian nationals. An initial streaming-media presence was inaugurated on the Search for Common Ground web site in early 2001, but contained only a few brief samples of programs. This revision of the site now makes it possible for Burundians outside of Burundi to hear some of the same full-length programmes as those inside the country. This initiative will coincide with other efforts by Studio Ijambo to open up a dialogue between Burundians in Burundi and those outside its borders, around the issue of repatriation and national reconciliation. "Given the tremendous popularity of Studio Ijambo's programming within Burundi, we have been working for some time to find a way to make this programming easily accessible to the many Burundian outside the country, in Europe, North America, and elsewhere in Africa," said John Marks, President of Search for Common Ground. "We believe this innovation will greatly enhance the Studio's contribution to healing and reconciliation on Burundi." The new Studio Ijambo site is also part of general expansion plans by the two parent organizations to use streaming media to reach out to diaspora communities. Another Common Ground radio studio, Talking Drum Studio of Sierra Leone, plans to debut a similar web site in February or March. Visitors to the site will also be able to get more information about the rest of the organizations' Burundi programme on the main web site, http://www.sfcg.org The site requires the user to have RealMedia Player or WinMedia Player, both of which are in common use and available for free download. For more information, please contact the director of Studio Ijambo, Lena Slachmuijlder, at lena@speednets.com. Source: Search for Common Ground press release, Washington, in English 28 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CAMEROON. 5010, on Jan 12 at 2025-2105 poor signal, disco & rap music, timecheck in French, must be Cameroon. But the modulation is as on Burkina Faso, earlier on 4815 (Rumen Pankov-BUL, BC-DX via DXLD) Hopping between 5010 and 4815 ?? wb. Could 5010 be Cameroons, and on air only to carry football? The next games are Thursday - and kick-off at 1900 is Mali v Nigeria. South Africa also play Ghana, but Brit. Eurosport is not taking this live - it could be a 1600 start. On Friday there are three games : 1530 Egypt v Tunisia, 1730 Cameroon v Ivory Coast and 1930 Liberia v Nigeria (Noel R. Green-UK, Jan 23, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. ``SHUT DOWN CBC ENGLISH TV`` A former senior executive of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has recommended that the CBC English Television service "should be closed as soon as possible and practical, before it becomes so irrelevant that it threatens the survival of the entire Corporation". In a speech given today on the theme "The New Millennium – Canada and Public Broadcasting", Robert O'Reilly argues that with an audience share down to single digits, "CBC English Television is no longer a mass media broadcaster, but a speciality service offering generalised programming fare of significantly lesser depth, breadth and imagination than it did a decade ago". He suggests that the poor performance of the network reflects badly on the CBC as a whole, and that the Corporation would be better off without it. By contrast, CBC's French-language TV network still has a respectable market share.... Radical Proposal for RCI O'Reilly has an equally radical proposal for the future of Radio Canada International (RCI), of which he was Director until his abrupt departure in May 2001. He recommends that RCI "should be taken away from the CBC and allowed to exist as an independent agency, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure its continued existence and output is directly reflective of Canadian foreign policies, rather than to domestic broadcaster financial requirements, and other predatory practices to which they are currently subject".... FULL STORY with video clips: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/canada020129.html (RN Media Network Jan 29 via DXLD) My initial take on this is that he's got the problem properly diagnosed but his prescription threatens to kill both patients! The cure he offers is worse than the disease --- and the disease is chronic and threatening to become fatal itself. It's hard to fathom a way that, once killed the CBC English TV service can somehow come back to life in some renewed fashion five years hence. Also, placing RCI in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and forcing the former to do the latter's bidding may remove the service from the clutches of the clueless CBC. But, doing so will destroy RCI's credibility --- which, at this point, tattered though it is, is the about the only thing the service has left --- thanks only to its doggedly persistent and professional program production staff. Having said that, I heartily agree with his observation that a key problem for the CBC is that non-broadcasters and non-public broadcasters are running it! Long term service to the corporation is, indeed, seen as a liability so the "new" masters literally throw out the baby with the bath water. Let's see, where have we seen this before? BBC, ABC, Radio-TV New Zealand --- now at RCI. You'd think by now one of these geniuses would have figured out that this sort of "renewal" hasn't worked anywhere! (Unless, that is the objective --- and I don't discount that possibility.) How sad, truly sad, that less than one week after the death of Peter Gzowski, a CBC broadcaster whose career was the embodiment of what public broadcasting can be at its best when entrusted to those who truly believe in its ideals, we are presented with comments that sound as if he who is making them has all but given up. I do respect Robert O'Reilly. I think he truly tried to do what was best for RCI and was forced out for his trouble. But, I think he's missed something unless I'm somehow misinformed by only having read the short version of his remarks (John Figliozzi, NY, ODXA via DXLD) ** CANADA. REPORTER'S INSTINCT GZOWSKI'S STRENGTH, By Sid Adilman WHEN CBC works together --- and that's not often --- the results are a wonder. This certainly was the case with all the CBC Radio and CBC-TV tributes last week and Sunday to Peter Gzowski, who died last Thursday.... http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1012258938668&call_page=TS_Entertainment&call_pageid=968867495754&call_pagepath=Entertainment/News&col=969483191630 (Toronto Star via Ivan Grishin, Mike Cooper, Jan 29, DXLD) ** CANADA [non]. RCI, 0000-0057 UT Jan 16 in English on 11895; around 0029 they announced 11895 and 9750. I doubt they were on 9750 but can`t prove this; I do know that RCI was on 9755 in English with a different program (David Crystal, 19125 Israel, DXLD for CIDX Messenger) Current posted schedule at http://www.rcinet.ca/horaires/B01.htm shows this hour in English to SEAs via South Korea on 9750, 100 kW, 225 degrees, whilst 11895 is Xi`an, China, 120 kW, 188 degrees. 9755 is among four Sackville frequencies to USA at the same time (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA. China Radio International noted on additional frequencies 4815 and 4883 as follows: 1200-1257 Mongolian; 1300-1357 Russian; 1400-1457 Mongolian; 1500-1557 Russian (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29, via DXLD) ** CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC. 6100, R. Centrafrique, 2024, highlife vocals and man in Swahili-sounding vernacular. After 2030, the language sounded more like Creole, with mention of "Radio Centrafrique" at 2035. Off at 2100 after National Anthem. This on Dec [sic] 26; next day, woman gave closing announcements in French at 2100 before anthem and s-off. Fairly strong but with horrendous co-channel QRM from Iran, so bad that at times it was difficult to tell which station was which (Bob Hill, MA, via DXplorer, Jan 24 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. Xinjiang PBS was in full activity for one day only on Wednesday 23 Jan. Except for that they remain off on all known shortwave frequencies. 73s (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. CHINA DEVELOPS TECHNOLOGY TO ACCESS INTERNET VIA POWER LINES | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Fuzhou [Fujian Province], 29 January: Chinese researchers have developed a technology to access the Internet via power lines, which is expected to rapidly increase Internet usage in China. Developed by the Fujian Electric Power Testing and Research Institute and known as 10 mbp/s digitized power line (DPL) the technology enables computers to access the Internet via an USB [universal serial bus] power line communication adapter. With a modem, it also allows data communication to be made via a power line between computers and any electrical equipment, such as computers, TV, DVD and even heating devices, making remote control easier. Lin Han, president of the research institute, said that the technology is superior in speed and stability to similar technology in foreign countries . "It works well with a voltage range from 180-240 volts, with a maximum data transmission speed of 10 MB per second. According to the institute, the technology is now ready for commercial use. When mass produced, the special modem required will cost around 500 yuan (60.24 US dollars), which is about the same cost as conventional modems. The institute still has to go through a series of formalities before commercializing the technology. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0737 gmt 29 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Hey, even more ``jamming`` of MW and SW as a bonus! (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI in English noted on Jan. 26: 0100-0710 on 7445 in AM mode 0712-1200 on 7445 in USB mode (Observer, Bulgaria, via DXLD) ! It was audible in Bulgaria all the way until 1200? Runs that late only on weekends (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI TO CARRY HOMELESSNESS MARATHON Friends, RFPI is pleased to announce we will be broadcasting the 5th annual Homelessness Marathon with Jeremy Alderson (AKA ``Nobody``)-- hosted this year by community radio KBOO-FM in Portland, Oregon. The show will air on RFPI in its entirety (14 hours) beginning 0000 UT February 6th (Tuesday Evening/Wednesday morning in the Americas). We hope you can join us or all or part of the event. In order to bring this special to the airwaves, we will be altering our regular broadcast schedule beginning 2200 UT, 5 February. Here's the rundown: UT Tuesday, 5 February: 2200: Democracy Now! 2300: World of Radio 2330: Freespeech Radio News UT Wednesday, 6 February: 0000: Homeless Marathon 1400: Continent of Media 1430: University of the Air 1500: Living Enrichment Center 1530: Peace Forum 1600: Democracy Now! The following is from the marathon`s website http://www.homelessnessmarathon.org 5TH HOMELESSNESS MARATHON SET FOR PORTLAND, OREGON, FEB. 5-6, 2002 The mission of this acclaimed radio broadcast is to let homeless people speak to the nation, but that's not all that happens during this annual, overnight program which has originated from a different city each year. Host "Nobody," broadcasts from outdoors to dramatize the plight of people with nowhere to go in the cold. For 14 hours he interviews experts on various aspects of poverty in America (e.g. health care, hunger, public housing, etc.) and takes calls from around the country in addition to talking with homeless people. The Homelessness Marathon -- already the largest media event in America focusing on poverty -- has been widely recognized as an historic broadcast. Tapes of the marathons have been archived by libraries at Harvard, Stanford, Cornell, UCLA, Berkeley, the University of Chicago and many other institutions around the country. The 4th marathon was on at least 35 stations coast-to-coast, including stations broadcasting to such major metropolitan areas as Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. The 5th marathon will be hosted in Portland by community radio station KBOO and "Street Roots," Portland's homeless paper. "I've really come to believe that the American people want this problem solved," says Nobody. "That's the good news. But there's bad news too. The ongoing terrorist attacks and economic downturn are sure to make the numbers on the streets spike up dramatically. I think there's going to be an urgency to the next marathon unlike anything we've encountered before." The Homelessness Marathon is a consciousness raising, not a fund- raising event. "We don't want people to think this is a matter of charity," says Nobody. "It's a matter of changing our national priorities. And to do that, we've got to listen to what homeless people, themselves, have to say." Jeremy Alderson, 607-546-2084, radio@lightlink.com (via RFPI, DXLD) KBOO suspended its own webcasting some months ago due to rights issues (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. LIMITAN LAS VENTAS DE ACCESORIOS Y PARTES DE COMPUTADORAS A EMPRESAS ESTATALES LA HABANA, 28 de enero (Juan Carlos Linares, Cuba-Verdad / http://www.cubanet.org ) - La mayoría de las ventas de accesorios y partes de computadoras en La Habana se prohibió a la población desde el 24 de enero del año en curso, en todas las tiendas de la capital cubana. Monitores, impresoras, escaners, teclados y demás partes de computadoras que se vendían libremente desde mediados de 2001 en algunos comercios dolarizados de esta ciudad, pertenecientes a la cadena comercial DITA, ahora sólo podrán ser comprados por empresas del Estado. Los departamentos donde se venden estos utensilios han sido divididos en dos áreas. Una destinada a las empresas estatales, en la cual el surtido es completo; y otra en la que la población puede comprar disquetes, CDs y alguna que otra pieza de menor cuantía. "Se prohibió a los empleados que den explicaciones sobre la limitación de las ventas" -declaró una trabajadora de la tienda dolarizada ubicada en 7ma y 84 [street intersection], en el municipio capitalino Playa. Algunas fuentes consultadas al respecto cuestionaron la medida restrictiva e incluso hubo quien la calificó de "fundamentalista y contra el progreso humano". Un experto en informática opinó que la política del gobierno de Fidel Castro sigue siendo la misma: "Por un lado, limitar el poder de información del pueblo, y por el otro, mantener el control absoluto sobre todos los medios de difusión masiva". Hoy por hoy, Internet es una de las prioridades de la propaganda política del régimen de Castro. Tan es así que fuentes oficiales dieron a conocer que éste dispone de al menos 300 sitios web, además que bloquea cualquier página cuyo contenido considere contrario a la doctrina de gobierno, como sucede con CubaNet y otras en las que los periodistas independientes publican sus noticias y artículos. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. SE VEN EN LA HABANA CANALES DE TV ESTADOUNIDENSES LA HABANA, 28 de enero (Juan Carlos Linares, Cuba-Verdad / http://www.cubanet.org ) - Canales de televisión estadounidenses se están viendo en Cuba y son preferidos a las televisoras nacionales que controla el Estado socialista, aseguraron fuentes confiables en Ciudad La Habana. El fenómeno, según un especialista en telecomunicaciones que pidió no ser identificado, es frecuente que ocurra en esta época del año "porque la atmósfera hace menos resistencia a las transmisiones procedentes de Estados Unidos". Cuba-Verdad confirmó en diferentes localidades de la capital del país que los programas de los canales estadounidenses han impresionado a quienes han captado esas transmisiones, principalmente por la calidad y variedad de los mismos. Otro aspecto que cautiva a los habaneros es la publicidad de los automóviles, alimentos, cosméticos, medicinas y otros bienes de consumo que en la isla sólo están al alcance de los funcionarios. "El canal 23, Univisión, me quitó el sueño anoche", declaró un residente del municipio Diez de Octubre que añadió estar muy impresionado con los programas de esa televisora. Los canales estadounidenses se están viendo en Cuba pese a la interferencia que el gobierno de Fidel Castro les hace constantemente mediante diferentes dispositivos electrónicos, así como con la proscripción de antenas de UHF. Las fuentes consultadas coincidieron en que los programas televisivos estadounidenses son buena opción para contrarrestar la tremenda propaganda política que bajo la denominación de "batalla de ideas" difunde el gobierno de Castro por todos los medios nacionales. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente. Cordiales 73's (via Oscar, DXLD) ** CZECHOSLOVAKIA. My all-time favorite DXing-related music is from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (aka OMD), a 1980's Euro group who put out an album in 1983 called "Dazzle Ships". It featured many off- the-air cuts of recordings from Radio Prague mixed in with their music. Featured on the album were songs like "Radio Prague" (which started with an off-the-air Radio Prague Czech ID and anthem), "This Is Helena" (featuring Radio Prague announcer Helena telling you to "start your tape recorders"), and "ABC Auto Industry" (with reports on Czech economics). Not easy listening, to be sure, but quite interesting none the less. I love the song "Time Zones" which is nothing but synchronized, layered recordings of various time recordings in many languages (taken off the phone, but quite similar to sta... Go to CDNOW.COM and search on artist OMD to hear cuts from the album (Brett Saylor, N3EVB, NRC-AM via DXLD) Also see bottom ** CZECH REPUBLIC. CZECH MINISTER, US ENVOY, RADIO FREE EUROPE HEAD SAY RFE READY TO MOVE | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 29 January: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is ready to move from the centre of Prague to an alternative location if the new site meets its requirements, RFE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told CTK after RFE/RL leading representatives met Foreign Minister Jan Kavan today. The meeting was participated in by US Ambassador to the Czech Republic Craig Stapleton, radio president Thomas Dine and Kavan... "Security remains our prime concern. Should a more secure facility or site be found, we will be prepared to move. Such a site would naturally have to meet all the logistical and broadcasting requirements of the radio," Winterova said in a statement she gave to CTK... Winterova said "both the USA and the Czech Republic expect the radio to be in Prague for the long term"... The US financed radio is seated in the building of the former Federal Assembly close to Wenceslas Square in the very centre of Prague. It leases the building for a symbolic one Czech koruna per year. RFE/RL moved to Prague from Munich in 1995. RFE/RL, which will extend its broadcasts to embrace Afghanistan as from tomorrow, could become the target of terrorist attacks. That is why it is now guarded by paratroopers with armoured vehicles. [One dollar equals 37.16 Czech korunas.] Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1810 gmt 29 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CZECH PRESIDENT DOUBTS NEED TO MOVE RADIO FREE EUROPE FROM PRAGUE CENTRE | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 29 January: President Vaclav Havel said today he did not find it reasonable to move Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (FRE/RL) from the centre of Prague. He said previously debates on the relocation were absurd... "I personally have a very reserved relation to this stand. If Free Europe is to be moved somewhere to the fields for security reasons, then the question arises whether the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies [lower house of parliament], the government, Prague Castle, the Presidential Office should be moved there. Since anyone of us may be threatened by some sort of fanatics," Havel said... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1915 gmt 29 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** EURAFRICA. LONGWAVE BANDSCAN FROM JANUARY 29: This winter has not been the best for TA LW reception, due to lots of solar activity, but the last few weeks have been relatively quiet, with mostly low level c-class flares. The geomagnetic field has consequently remained quiet to unsettled. 153, 2 stations audible, 0607, One station presumed to be Algeria. Weak/fair. 162, R France, Allouis, 0601, R France ID mentioned by OM in passing. M and YL spoke in FF. Fair/good strength. 171, Morocco, Nador (p), 0603, French language px. Fair strength. 180, UNID, 0603, Not sure about this one. Fair but faded very quickly. 189, Iceland, RUV, 0605, ID "Utvarp Rekjavik" @ 0606. Noted with classical mx @ 0645 recheck, which means channel 1. Service had switched to channel 2 by 0715, when I heard popular mx. Fair signal. 216, France, RMC (p), 0608. French language px, weak to fair. 252, UNID, 0610, No trace of the Irish sports station today. What I heard sounded like French, but not 100% sure. Pop mx @ 0630, but mostly just talk (David Hodgson, TN, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. Three more pirate stations observed at 1500-2100 UT span: MW 1566(!), 5045, and 6682 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Jan 16, BC-DX via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. QSL from R. Verdad: Today I received a QSL card, a paper pennant, a personal letter, a calendar and a radiation area info sheet in 4 weeks for a report (in Spanish) incl. an IRC and a recording of their programme on CD. They said it was the first recording they ever got on a CD. The radiation info sheet lists also the countries from which they received reports. Belgium was not on their list until now. V/s is Dr. Edgar Amilcar Madrid, Director y Gerente (Guido Schotmans - Antwerp, BELGIUM, Jan 29, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. DX Information from the British DX Club From: RadioCarolineMailinglist@yahoogroups.com 29 January 2002 18:15 Dear all, May I be the first person to say get your radios out this weekend and see if you can pick up Caroline on medium wave, from 06:00 on Saturday till 06:00 on Sunday beaming in from Latvia on 945 kHz. Sadly up here in the Midlands there is a strong Classic Gold station (G.E.M.) on that frequency so it must be time to dust of the old loop frame and see what comes in. If you are lucky enough to be able to hear these broadcasts could you please send your reception reports to Peter Moore via the usual e- mail address Piratecaroline@cs.com, Cheers for now Paul miamigo2 miamigo@lineone.net Good listening (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. No trace of Radio Barabari (Radio Equality) [Bahai sect] via Israel relay today Jan 25 Fri. Usually at 1701-1731 UT in Persian on v7480.2 kHz on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun only. Beware of R Iran Tomorrow, which is usually on air also on even 7480.00 kHz at 1800- 1830 UT via Maiac-Moldova relay site in Pridnestrovye. E-mail: info@barabari.org --- website http://www.barabari.org latter only in Persian. MOLDOVA, 7480.00, R. Iran Tomorrow via Maiac [Grigoriopol`] Moldova transmitter site, strong signal and professional program, good audio heard at exact 18.00:00 to 18.29:58 UT. Despite still strong side splash interference occurred from Norway 7490 today (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAQ. 11787, (tentative) RII, Baghdad 2107 Jan 28, Lady in English, article about Russia. March music. Very distorted, mostly unreadable. SIO 341 (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. 3969.9, Laser Hot Hits, 0640 Jan 29: Good lower band conditions continue this morning with reception of this pirate station on the 75 meter band. The signal was //, and remarkably stronger, than 6220. The 41 meter // frequency of 7464.9 was inaudible, with only a carrier detected here, which is just the opposite of the way it usually is (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel Situation - My Own Article KOL ISRAEL TO CEASE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE by: Phillip M. Dampier Shortwave listeners are facing the loss of another international radio service with the announcement by Kol Israel that their external service is to cease broadcasting by the end of February because of budget cuts. The Jerusalem Post reported this week [DXLD 2-015] that Reshet Heh, known to worldwide listeners as Kol Israel, is facing termination after recommendations by the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to completely eliminate the 7.7 million shekels (1.7 million dollars US) budget for Kol Israel, leaving only broadcasts in Hebrew and Arabic produced by the domestic radio services. The decision, called "astonishing" by Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior, would end more than 50 years of shortwave broadcasts from Israel. Its programming, in English, French, Spanish, Ladino, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Moghrabi, Yiddish, Hungarian, Farsi, Romanian, Bukharian, and Georgian, is targeted primarily on the widely scattered Jewish Diaspora to keep them informed about events in the country, but Kol Israel also serves as an important voice for the Jewish perspective on the troubled Middle East. The IBA foreign language department director Shmuel Ben-Zvi told the Jerusalem Post that more people listen to Kol Israel abroad via shortwave than to all of Israel Radio's stations inside of the country combined. Political reaction to the announced budget cuts have been negative from across the political spectrum, citing the potential catastrophe of losing a voice for Israel's perspective on events home and abroad at a time when the Israeli government is locked in a battle with the Palestinian Authority. IBA staffers working for Kol Israel are said to be gloomy about the proposed cuts. "The Zionist ideal is being completely trashed by canceling these broadcasts and no one who can do anything about it seems to care," the Post quoted one IBA staffer who wanted to remain anonymous. Israeli government officials are considering relying on the Internet to reach the Jewish Diaspora and other audiences abroad, instead of shortwave. Listeners have faced this situation before, with stations like Swiss Radio International and the BBC World Service eliminating or reducing the use of shortwave to reach audiences. In addition to text news and current affairs, proposals exist to increase streaming audio of Israel's domestic services. Currently, those broadcasts are in Hebrew and Arabic, with special news and current affairs programs in English on Reshet Alef and programs for new immigrants to Israel on the Reqa network in several languages. But all of those programs are targeted to domestic audiences. Additionally, the Israeli media scene has always had to cope with a dispersed Internet presence, with independent web site israelradio.org maintaining an archive of externally-directed radio programs, and the IBA maintaining its own web site, in Hebrew, for domestic audiences and Israelis abroad. The IBA's own site only streams Hebrew programming. Additionally, other independent sources maintain on- demand streaming, including the World Radio Network. Kol Israel presently receives several dozen letters a week from interested listeners, but israelradio.org is calling on listeners of Kol Israel to make themselves known in numbers much larger than that. The web site is calling on supporters to give their opinion on the matter to the government minister responsible for broadcasting affairs in Israel - Mr. Ra'anan Cohen. He may be contacted at: Mr Ra'anan Cohen, The Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel email: raacohen@knesset.gov.il The site asks listeners to give their opinions about Kol Israel and whether or not the service should maintain shortwave broadcasts in all of its current languages and whether or not you support Kol Israel receiving full funding to continue its external service. Citations: http://www.israelradio.org/ http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/01/25/News/News.42317.html (Phillip M. Dampier, Editor, Consumer Investigation, Editor, Internet Watch, A service of Time Warner's Rochester Road Runner division, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN [non]. NHK WORLD SEEKING MORE REBROADCAST PARTNERS | Text of report in English from Japanese broadcaster NHK World News newsletter, Winter 2002 NHK is making it easier for overseas viewers and listeners to receive NHK World by expanding the rebroadcasting of its programmes by foreign broadcasters. The shortwave radio broadcasts of NHK Radio Japan are already being transmitted locally on mediumwave and FM by foreign broadcasters, under contract with NHK. The rebroadcasting brings stable reception and excellent sound quality to listeners. Since 1999, this rebroadcasting of programmes has been continually expanded as a means to complement and fortify the provision of Radio Japan's services abroad. The rebroadcasting is now conducted by 72 broadcasting stations in 12 countries, including Singapore, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. NHK World TV can already be viewed worldwide with a digital satellite tuner and parabola antenna [dish]. The aim is to expand programme provision further through rebroadcasting arrangements with local broadcasters (both satellite and/or cable TV) in each country. NHK is now searching for suitable rebroadcasting partners in those countries and regions where the NHK World's rebroadcasting service is not yet available. Source: NHK World Newsletter, Tokyo, in English 29 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KASHMIR. PAKISTAN, 3668, Azad Kashmir. Sorry folks, no signals here for months now. I think it is gone for good. Or else I can't think of a more compelling time for it to be on. 28/1 and many weeks earlier (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, Jan 28, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. "V of Korea" was silenced from approx. Jan 11 on all their frequencies, but BACK just on Jan 13 at 1300 UT, on 11335 kHz in English (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KOREA {SOUTH}. 3930, KBS HWASUNG. No jamming, Korean program 1400 past 1420, 233, static and fading. Surely this is more than the sesqui-kW listed in PWBR? Regularly heard in the last week (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, Jan 28, BC-DX via DXLD) {not NORTH!} ** KURDISTAN [non]. RUSSIA/UZBEKISTAN/MOLDOVA: Tentative A-02 schedule for Voice of Mesopotamiya: 0500-0700 on 11530 SAM 250 kW, 288 0700-1100 on 11530 TAC 100 kW, 255 1100-1300 on 11530 SAM 250 kW, 288 [see below] 1300-1700 on 11530 KCH 500 kW, 115 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) 11530, Denge Mezopotamia, has cut back its schedule and lately has been on the air 0700-1100 via (presumed) Tashkent and 1400-1700 via Samara. The Tashkent signal usually is very weak here, while Samara is much better. Just after the cutback I noted them with a crash start at the old transmitter site change-over time 0700. There was no such crash start at the former 1100 change-over (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) BC-DX just received says Denge Mezopotamia 11530 at 288 deg from Samara and at 115 deg from Kishinev during A02. Currently Samara is not particularly strong and certainly is not beaming into CeEu. I guess it's a typo for 188 deg. I don't believe they are using KCH for the time being. The whole afternoon session seems to be from Samara. 73, (Olle Alm, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA. See INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non] ** MALAWI. I'm not sure (lots of atmospherics, overall weak signal) but it seems that I've been listening to 3380 MBC, Limbe at 1830-1915z tonight (Jan 29). Vernacular, 'local' music, no timesignal heard at 1900 but woman reading news?? Maybe someone more near to the location could check this frequency. I read about 7130 being active but nothing about a (temporary?) re-activation of the 3380 frequency. 73 (Piet Johan Pijpers, Netherlands, SWBC via DXLD) DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). Chris Greenway reports from Nairobi that he is hearing Malawi reactivated on 3380 kHz today from around 1525 tune in. Yesterday (28 Jan) it had been on 7130 kHz up to at least 1655 gmt. Chris notes that this is "the best reception we can remember here on any frequency. They've definitely done something to their transmitter - excellent audio and spot-on frequency." Carrier could be hear here in UK on 3380, with traces of audio, when checked at 1930 (Dave Kenny, Caversham, Jan 29, BDXC-UK via DXLD) 7130, MBC R One. Jan 24 1540 UT, Chat in vernacular by two men, then at 1558 ads; at 1600 ID and time given in English by man then followed with news in English by woman. Poor and heavy QRM from China. Checked again today (Jan 25) at 1515 program in vern; at 1530 ID and ads then followed with an interview, 1558 address given, 1600 news bulletin in English after ID. Reception still poor (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, DXplorer via BC-DX via DXLD) ** MOLDOVA. According to the website of the Moldovan Communications Ministry, the mediumwave transmitters in Chisinau (Codru) and Edinet (but not Cahul) are running on reduced power, after pressure from the health authorities. These transmitters are located close to settlements, and it is feared that the radiation could cause harm to people living in the neighbourhood. No frequencies mentioned, but the likely frequencies are 873 and 1494 kHz (1494 only Edinet) respectively (Bernd Trutenau, Lithunia, 12.1.2002, ARC Info Desk via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we'll be publishing the details of how Radio Netherlands will be covering the Royal Wedding on Saturday in English. Basically, if you tune in to our English transmissions between 0930 and 1330 UT, you'll be able to hear extensive live coverage. Listeners outside Europe and North America can follow the coverage on our live Internet feed. Subsequent transmissions will have highlights. More details on Wednesday at http://www.rnw.nl/holland/marriage/index.html I'll also be preparing a highlights package for the Website that will go online as on as possible after the event. All of us at Radio Netherlands hope you can join us for a memorable day. I would also like to commend to your attention our weekly documentary, broadcast tomorrow (Wednesday) and repeated on Friday. Marijke van der Meer tells the story of the House of Orange. If you can't tune in to the broadcast, I've encoded it and it will be added to our Wedding dossier in the course of Wednesday (Andy Sennitt, RN, Jan 29, swprograms via DXLD) Yawn, if they want North Americans to listen to their wedding, why are they having it before most of us wake up??? (;-| (gh, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Friends, Today I got a blank QSL card & letter from Senior Broadcast Engineer of Pakistan Broadcasting Corp. HQ "acknowledging" a report that I had not sent! They were also requesting reports on their Hindi Service to our area. They must have got my address from my emails in DX reflectors which gives my full address. Wonder if any other Indian DXers also got the same type of mail. Last time I wrote to Radio Pakistan was about 25 years back during our political emergency period around 1975 after which I (and several Indian DXers) had problems with our security agencies. Wonder what is in store this time around. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Raj Bhavan Road, Hyderabad 500082, India, Telefax: 91-40-3310287, http://www.niar.org dx_india Jan 29 via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. EU angry that aid is going up in smoke. European foreign ministers threatened to seek reparations for the deliberate destruction of the Palestinians' port, airport, and radio station. By Peter Ford http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0129/p06s01-wome.html (Christian Science Monitor Jan 29 via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. R. West New Britain 3235 is the strongest but Daru 3305 barely makes it. Occasionally R Manus under AIR on 3315. 3205, R West Sepik had a transmission break at 1220 on the 20th of Jan. I have not heard it since. Anyone hearing it since the 20th? (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, Jan 27, DXplorer via BC-DX via DXLD) ** PERU. Hello Glenn, Here's a recent log from Maryland that may be of interest to you and the community: Radio La Voz Del Campesino, 6957, UT Tue 1/29/02 0004-0045* After many attempts I have finally been able to get an ID from the Latin American music station that's been popping up around 6957 over the past month between 2300 and 0100. This station has drifted upwards since last summer's loggings on 6955. Fair to good signal at 0004, lively music with frequent male announcer in Spanish. ID at 0028. Several nearby utilities nearly obliterated the weakening signal after 0045. Regards, (Larry Will, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 9618.4, R. Pilipinas, PBS, (ex 9580.3) [not 9616.5 DZRM Quezon City] first day on this new frequency was Jan 9th, at 0715 S=7. Fade-in at 2345 UT S=9, in Tagalog language. At 0805 "Radio Periódico, R Ng Bajan, PBS Balita (news). S=9 at 0500 UT. 35543. Announced also DZRB on MW 738, (WRTH 1997- 2001 list DZRB in the national section, but DZFM in the international frequency list). "Balita" program in Tagalog at 0800: on Jan 3rd, for 3 persons of Filipina womans at Digo City ransom of five million pesos. The terrorist group is not related to the AbuSayaff or Pontagong gang..." " .. three Filipina woman riding in a van were stopped by alleged "Policemen" 'for overspeeding and for overrunning a child'. The three woman were taken out of their van and brought to a raft, then transferred to a boat. At Jan 9th these three woman were freed for 5 million pesos (around 100 000 US$) ransom (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Jan 9, BC-DX Jan 29 via DXLD) 12015, R. Pilipinas, English at 0230-0330 (ex 11885), 250 kW, 283 degrees via IBB Tinang site, 35543, \\ 15120 & 15270 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Jan 13, BC-DX Jan 29 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Some frequency changes for Voice of Russia: Chinese 1300- 1400 ADD 4965, 1400-1500 ADD 7305. English WS 0800-1000 NF 17590, ex 21810; 1500-1600 NF 9875, ex 7315; 1600-1700 DEL 4975 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. VOR in English is on 7440 at 1900-1959, now new but not mentioned in printed schedule or in WRTH 2002 (David Crystal, Israel, undated, for CIDX via DXLD) Well, it is listed at http://www.vor.ru/Eng_EUR.htm :: 1900-2000 9775, 7440, 7360, 7340, 6175, 5950, 5940 (via gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. #740, Tuesday, January 29, 2002 TOP STORY KREMLIN MONITORING RADIO LIBERTY, By Andrei Zolotov Jr., STAFF WRITER MOSCOW - The Kremlin's chief spokesperson on Chechnya said Monday that the government will closely follow Radio Liberty's coverage of the conflict and may revoke the U.S.-funded station's license to broadcast in Russia if it sees the programming as pro-separatist. The Kremlin spokesperson said the government will monitor Radio Liberty's broadcasts for content, tone, selection of newsmakers and frequency with which wanted men appear on the air. If the coverage incites religious or ethnic hostility or justifies terrorism, the station will be dealt with "according to the law," Yastrzhembsky said. The law, he noted, provides for an official warning from the Press Ministry and, if the warning is not heeded, withdrawal of the broadcast license. http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/740/top/t_5621.htm (St. Petersburg Times Jan 29 via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Re David Hodgson`s 22455 3rd harmonic unID, DXLD 2-017: Only at 0100-0200 UT is 7485 used by RFA in Uighur. But WSHB via Novosibirsk WSHB 1200-1300 Vari[ous languages] 7485 NVS; 1300-1400 En 7485 NVS; 1400-1700 Vari 7485 NVS[-1600?]. WSHB relay is widely reported since Oct 27th, 2001. 73 wb (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. The Allrussian State Broadcasting Company VGTRK has now its own website: http://www.vgtrk.com. Not all pages are working yet (also the starting page is currently not available), but you can go directly to http://www.vgtrk.com/second.htm where you will find a map of Russia: you can click on the regions to get full contact info on the regional state broadcasting companies incl. e-mail addresses. All pages are in Russian (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, ARC Info Desk Jan 14 via DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. Here's the current status of the American Samoa station WVUV-648. I sent an email to KKHJ-FM which is co-owned with WVUV, and received the following reply: "WVUV is on 648 kHz. It's on- air at low power, simulcasting KKHJ-FM. The original facilities were destroyed in a fire in '98. Plans are in the works for a new site and a return to 10 kW." (Bruce Portzer, IRCA SDXM 26.12.2001 via ARC Info Desk via DXLD) ** SIKKIM. Today the 27th January, AIR Gangtok is stronger than usual from around 1245. At 1405 there was a beautiful local ID, with a YL giving the ID with the MW freq and then the SW. It`s akin to saying " bcing on ... kHz ... metres Medium Wave ... kHz Short Wave Yeh Akasawani Gangtok Sikkhim." (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, Jan 27, DXplorer via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5020, had BBC relay, 1810 tune in to 1900 on the 27th, then into SIBC programs, but not the day before or today the 28/1. Today they started at 1901 with the talking drums and the anthem. Some days BBC news summary at 1900, some days BBC relays, other days no BBC at all, like today (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 4S7VK, Jan 28, BC-DX via DXLD) ** TIBET. China: Agency report on new Tibetan-language software, Internet use | Text of "Feature: COMPUTER POPULAR ON 'WORLD ROOF'" in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Lhasa, 29 January: The word of computer [as received], was once almost unknown to most Tibetans, but is now a necessity for many Tibetans in their daily life. Computer has changed work style and rhythm of life of the Tibetan people. In a spacious office, Nyima Cering, a young Tibetan writes a letter by computer using new Tibetan language software. Tubdain, also a computer whizz, is using Computer Aided Design (CAD) technology. He once helped his friend, Gaisang combine the Potala Palace and a clear lake in one picture, making the scene more dramatic. Yang Song, vice-president of the regional government, usually surfs on the net for more than an hour every night before going to bed. During weekends and public holidays, he often uses the net for two to three hours a day. "I am interested in all information about the development of the western region and all matters relating to Tibet," Yang said, " I can get much information and material about these on the Internet." Ceyang, a female professor at Tibet University, has equipped her study with one PC and one portable computer. "The computer paves the way for me to have better communication with my overseas counterparts. Moreover, I get new information from the Internet and can add it to my lectures. Many lecturers at Tibet University are now familiar with the world of the Internet as they spent most of their spare time on it. On the eve of New Year, Liu Surong, who works in Lhasa, stepped into an Internet Cafe to send her best wishes to her parents simply by clicking a mouse. Statistics show that the number of registered dial-up Internet users in Tibet is over 4,000. So far, there are more than 100 web sites about Tibet in simplified Chinese and over 300,000 related web pages. On 15 December 2001, multifunctional integrated software in Tibetan, Chinese and English languages developed by the Northwest China Institute for Nationalities was approved by experts. Using the software, Tibetans with computer and the Internet knowledge can compile application software programmes in their native language. The Founder Group, one of China's high-tech leaders, recently invented a Tibetan language input software which makes it possible for every Tibetan citizen to write with Tibetan character into a computer as easily as they write with Chinese character into a computer. The popularization of the Internet and software technology innovation has greatly boosted the local computer market. In Lhasa City, capital of Tibet, a 50-metre-long computer street has opened. Major computer providers from domestic and overseas such as Compaq, Toshiba, Legend, Founder and Canon have all set up outlets there. Dawa, carrying his new laptop computer, said that surfing on Internet and designing web pages occupied most time of his life now, therefore he had decided to buy a new and more advanced computer so that he could enjoy his computerized life more. Not only are the customers pleased, but computer salespeople are also in a happy mood. Chen Yong, manager of the Founder outlet, said that the Tibetan- language input software sells very well in Lhasa. Some organizations such as the office of the Tibet Daily [Xizang Ribao] and Tibet university ordered their computers in batches. Tibet's modernization, especially its computerization should eventually facilitate the local robust economy and people's improved living standard. Wangqug, a farmer in Bainang county, said that in the past he supported his family only by farming. It was impossible for him to buy a luxury computer. He said, "In recent years, my income increased and the living condition has been greatly improved." "I opened a department store and set up a hotel. My daily income exceeded 10,000 yuan. Recently, I bought a "Compaq" to manage my business better," he added. Statistics show that last year, the per capita net income of Tibetan farmers and herdsmen reached 1,410 yuan in 2001, up 5.9 per cent from 2000. The per capita income of Tibetan urban residents amounted to 7,090 yuan last year, 4.34 times more than that in 1990. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 0304 gmt 29 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. Turkmen Radio: some info which was found in HABARLAR 2002 14-20.01: WATAN radio programme 279, 576, 5015, 7115 kHz 24 hrs. "MIRAS" radio programme 4930, 576 kHz, 104.4 mHz, 3549 mHz (?) 0400- 0630, 0900-1400, 1700-2100 UTC. "CAR TARAPDAN" radio programme 4930, 576 kHz, 104.4 mHz, 3549 mHz (?) 0100-0400, 0700-0900, 1400-1700 UTC. All programmes are in Turkmen only. In WRTH 2002 under International Section transmission in English is mentioned but HABARLAR states 1 hr programme "Beylik Turkmenbasynyn yurdunda" daily (Sergey Kolesov, Ukraine, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, Jan 29, DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Well, I guess RUI Kiev needs to hold a radiothon? I haven`t heard them since my previous card. Like R. ``Yugo``, I presume they are short on funding and arrears in paying their respective electric companies. RUI had past woes. I`m sure their transmitters --- they need a biggie to reach us --- and antenna system need work as well (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. 13675 improving at 0330, English to NAm (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. In keeping with the petition I launched late last year, the following was received today via Canada Post sent January 21 from Buckingham Palace. "Dear Mr. Coady The Queen has asked me to thank you for your letter of 30th December expressing your concern that the BBC World Service has discontinued direct broadcasting on short-wave radio to North America, Australia and New Zealand. Her Majesty has taken careful note of your comments. The Queen has asked me to send your letter to the Headquarters of the BBC World Service, Bush House, Strand, London, WC2B 4PH, so that your approach to Her Majesty on this matter may be known, and the points you raise may be considered. Yours Sincerely, Mrs. Deborah Bean, Chief Correspondence Officer" Let's see what, or if anything, comes of this. (Mark Coady, Ontario, ODXA yahoogroup Jan 29 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. [VTN/AUT/UK] Typical example for a [WRN] satellite mistaken feed: On Dec 27 instead of V of Vietnam at 1800-2000 on 5955- MOS-AUT & 2000-2020 on 5970-SKN-UK, the subcarrier sound of Yugoslav TV was heard (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jan 16 via DXLD) I think WRN is not involved in the Voice of Vietnam transmissions, so I guess the Merlin control room in Bush House London is to blame. Another switching error, this time presumably indeed by WRN, was reported by Austrian DXer Herbert Meixner: On Jan 26 at 2029 the Dutch program of Radio Netherlands was heard on 1440. On 2100 recheck the proper CRI English was on (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 29, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1710 kHz, ``Lubavitcher Radio`` 1-26 2220 [EST??] --- usual fare of Chassidic music and sermons. Also caught a prayer being sung with a background of children reminiscent of the kids one would hear on shortwave station KJES (Niel Wolfish, Coe Hill, ON, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO HIGHLIGHTS By Steve Knopper, Special to the Tribune, Published January 29, 2002. Old-school radio dramas of the week: When Radio Was: Midnight [CST, probably giving previous days here] weekdays on WBBM-AM 780. Tuesday: "Stan Freberg Show" from 7-14-57 (pt. 2); "The Whistler" from 4-1-46: "Three Times a Sinner." Wednesday: "Dangerous Assignment" from 7-26-50: "Elusive Guerrillas"; "Ozzie & Harriet" from 8-12-45: "Vase Problem" (pt. 1, pt. 2 Thursday). Thursday: "Ozzie & Harriet" (pt. 2); "This Is Your FBI" from 3-14-47: "Fugitive Pirate." Friday: "Suspense" from 12-9-43: "The Night Reveals"; "Blackstone, Magic Detective" from 1-23-49: "Intermezzo." Monday: "Nero Wolfe" from 10-20-50: "Stamped for Murder"; "Burns & Allen" from 11-2-43: "Jack Benny" (pt. 1, pt. 2 Feb. 5). (Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune Jan 29 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) E.g. (gh) ** U S A. Possible closure of WSHB: It appears that this SW station in South Carolina will follow in the footsteps of KHBI Saipan, which was sold in 1998. Sources at the Christian Science Publishing Society say that they are in the process of selling the station, after which they will reassess their options for future broadcasts, not completely closing the door to CS broadcasts, but not at the present level. WSHB began on 12 March 1989. Everything points to 2002 being its final year as a CS mouthpiece (Eduard Borda, via Pedro Sedano, Spain, Feb El Dial, translated by gh for DXLD) ** U S A. Continental is now a division of Metric Systems, Inc. out of Fort Walton Beach, FL. This re-structuring puts it in a more secure position as regards its existence as a discrete entity. Half or more of Continental's annual sales are defense-related. Following their strategic alliance with Harris last year, Continental dropped their own MW line. Continental presently makes 100 kW, 250 kW, and 500 kW SW transmitters. TCI Report. Dielectric Corporation just recently purchased TCI. Overall quality and overall customer support and service remain a key concern of both companies. Additionally, TCI has recently purchased a tower company, Central Tower. These acquisitions broaden the overall capabilities and support the company can offer. Phone numbers will remain the same. Existing e-mail addresses will function for about six months, then some will change, especially at TCI. Dielectric itself is owned by a larger company, the SDX Corporation. Their website is http://www.dielectric.com This will also link to TCI and Central Tower (NASB Newsletter Feb via BC-DX Jan 29 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. Del Carson-Leasing. [??] The modern era of leasing for the IBB got underway in 1992 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. It began by leasing some of the Russian and Armenian transmitters for just a few hours a day. They now have leasing agreements with 17 separate entities from 20 different sites and are leasing in excess of 60,000 hours annually. Their budget exceeds $10,000,000. Leasing agreements provide about 13% of the total bc hours for the VOA, RFE/RL, and RFA. The trend is toward more medium wave leasing. At present, 50,000 of the 60,000 annually leased hours are SW (NASB Newsletter Feb via BC-DX Jan 29 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. CHÁVEZ LASHES OUT AGAINST MEDIA IN RADIO PROGRAMME Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has defended his administration's record on protecting press freedoms and has accused some media owners of orchestrating a press campaign against his government. Speaking live on his "Hello, President" programme from the southwest city of Mérida on 27 January, Chávez criticized a group of more than 100 journalists who are planning to speak out to the international community on the political situation in Venezuela. "The journalists are not to blame for this situation but the businessmen, the owners of the main television stations and newspapers. They are the true culprits," Chávez said. Chávez praised provincial television stations and newspapers, which according to him, are not participating in this "manipulative campaign" by leading Venezuelan media. Media owners have launched "war", Chávez says Chávez also accused the national press of being "pathetic". "El Nacional and El Universal are pathetic, the television stations - with a few exceptions - are pathetic," he said. "They call cowards those who do not bow their head to the fundamentalist and dictatorial ideas and the infamous campaign by the media owners. They are just businessmen who want to earn more money and bribe the government. Some media owners even came to me with their proposals. Some day, I may give names. Some asked for a loan and since I did not yield to their immoral demands, they launched this war against me. But they made a mistake with me because I will not yield and will not be defeated." Warning to media owners Chávez said his government was not afraid of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights visiting the country. "We just hope they will not be biased," he said. "They will only come to confirm what everyone already knows. The government does not imprison any journalist, blackmail anyone, kill anyone, sanction anyone, or ban programmes. There is full freedom of expression. The media owners are the ones who abuse this freedom," Chávez added. Chávez urged media owners "to reflect on their actions and stop provoking millions of people in the country". "We have told you - tirelessly - that we have tolerated enough. Do not be surprised if one of these days, we adopt a decision - within the legal framework - to put things in their right place," Chávez warned media owners. In a letter dated 24 January, the Organization of American States (OAS) commission gave Chávez 15 days to announce what steps he would take to protect the freedom of the local daily, El Universal. The OAS commission earlier this month made the same request on behalf of El Nacional, whose headquarters were surrounded by pro-Chávez supporters on 7 January. Censorship law planned When answering a call by a listener who stressed the need for TV censorship, Chávez said that the Content Law, which the opposition is trying to stop at any cost with the assistance of former President Carlos Andrés Pérez, "will put an end to the immoral programmes aired every day". Chávez added: "The Catholic Church must demand, but not with the communiqués we have seen lately, that the media respect Christian morals and the Catholic people." Source: Caracas Radio Nacional de Venezuela in Spanish 1430 gmt 27 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Is Aló, Presidente still relayed via R. Habana? Haven`t looked for it lately after a lot of absences. Check 9820 et al. Around 1400/1430 UT Sunday, since this was a Sunday, Jan 27, even tho it had been reported to have moved to Saturdays (gh, DXLD) ** VIETNAM. 4930, R Yen Bay is inactive these days (Roland Schulze, Philippines, Jan 13, BC-DX via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. RUSSIA: Frequency change for Voice of Khmer Krom Radio in Khmer via VLD 250 kW, 230 : 1400-1500 Fri only NF 11985, ex 7515 to avoid CNR-1 in Mandarin Chinese For A-02 is registered new 11685 via VLD 250 kW, 230 1400-1500 (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29, via DXLD) VLD = Vladivostok ** VIETNAM [non]. UZBEKISTAN: Frequency change for R. Free Vietnam in Vietnamese via TAC 200 kW, 130 1400-1430 Mon-Fri NF 11880 (55444), ex 11850 to avoid CNR-1 in Mandarin Chinese 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 29 via DXLD) ** YUGOSLAVIA. FEDERAL OFFICIAL PROMISES FUNDS FOR RADIO YUGOSLAVIA WORLD SERVICE | Text of report in English by Yugoslav state news agency Tanjug Belgrade, 28 January: Yugoslav Information Secretary Slobodan Orlich has announced that due to its importance Radio Yugoslavia's world service will be financed from the federal budget, while the local broadcasts - YU Radio - will operate on a commercial basis, apart from the news desk, Radio Yugoslavia said on Monday [28 January]. Visiting Radio Yugoslavia, Orlich offered his full support to the country's only short-wave radio station, which informs the world public about all changes and developments in the state. He supported Radio Yugoslavia's efforts aimed at ensuring that YU Radio restart its FM broadcasts in Montenegro and that it cover southern Serbia and Kosovo- Metohija with Albanian-language broadcasts. Source: Tanjug news agency, Belgrade, in English 1638 gmt 28 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WRC '03 IWG-6 COMMITTEE REPORT Three agenda items for WRC '03 deal with HF: introduction of digital technology; realignment of the 7 MHz band between the amateurs and the broadcasters; determining the adequacy of spectrum for HF broadcasting between 4 and 10 MHz. Part of the proposal regarding digital broadcasting will be to defuse the regulations presently existing that relate to single sideband requirements for access to new frequency allocations in 2007, and the mandated conversion to SSB in 2015. The requirement for a 10[!] kHz bandwidth for digital transmissions may be a major obstacle at WRC '03 or WAC '06 as the broadcasters seek additional spectrum allocations in the 4-10 MHz range. This may be regarded as being a step backward in frequency conservation as compared to the previously mandated change over to single sideband transmission. Broadcasters must define clearly what they really want in terms of additional frequency allocations how much and where. Merely proving a shortfall of frequency-hours will not suffice for the purposes of WRC '03. If the USA goes into the WRC with a package that specifies potential frequencies that we'd like to have allocated, in addition to proposed changes to the radio regulations, the WRC then has something to work with. A major effort is being made to come up with a unified position for WRC '03 by the USA private and government sectors. Only one position from the USA will go to the WRC. IWG-6 is the informal working group established by the FCC for the private sector. Government representatives do attend and participate in IWG-6, assisting in the preparation of preliminary views, and in the preparing of position documents. IWG-6 meetings are being held once a month. These preparations must be completed by September for the broadcasters, and by October for the amateurs. The final date for proposals going to the CPM (Conference Preparatory Meeting) is May 31, 2002. The CPM provides the foundation that is given to the WRC in order for the WRC to do its work (Walt Ireland, ARRL in NASB Newsletter Feb via BC-DX via DXLD) WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IBOC AND THE DRM? There is an agreement between the two groups to work towards allowing both systems to be introduced into an ITU system recommendation with neither group disputing the effectiveness of the other's approach. An effort is being made by some members of both groups to merge the working of the two systems to the extent that a single consumer receiver can work with either system. The major improvement resulting from a change to digital radio will be for the AM modes, medium wave and short wave. The result for AM modes will be equivalent FM monophonic quality with much less susceptibility to adjacent and co- channel interference (NASB Newsletter Feb via BC-DX via DXLD) SONGS ABOUT DXING? Since music and radio are directly related to each other, it's not a surprise that one mentions the other quite often (the same sort of relation that films have to television). Anyway, here's a list I put together in a hurry. Radio references are in the lyrics, if not in the actual titles. I'm sure that there are many other good choices as well. Maybe someone with a longer memory (e.g. World War II era and before) would have Big Band jazz tunes to add to my rock-oriented list. I think there was one called "Disc Jockey Jump" among others. Bo Nensen over in Sweden had a long list with a lot of titles unknown outside of Scandinavia. Bruce Conti did up a list some time ago that might have some additional titles on it. Feel free to e-mail any comments to me. And now, your shopping list for the next time you visit cdnow.com (or whatever) ... MARK'S RADIO SONG LIST ** Top 5 ** 1. Jonathan Richman & Modern Lovers: Roadrunner 2. Wall of Voodoo: Mexican Radio 3. R.E.M.: Radio Free Europe 4. Doors: Texas Radio and the Big Beat 5. Rush: Spirit of Radio ** a few others worth mentioning ** Ramones: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? C.W. McCall: Convoy Sass: Radio Buggles: Video Killed the Radio Star Wolfe Tones: Radio 2 Song R.E.M.: What's the Frequency, Kenneth? Golden Earring: Radar Love Elvis Costello: Radio L.L. Cool J: I Can't Live Without My Radio Queen: Radio Gaga Mark Dinning: Top 40 News, Weather, and Sports Freddy Cannon: Transistor Sister Joe Jackson: On Your Radio Donna Summer: On the Radio Private Lightning: Physical Speed Steely Dan: FM Ramones: We Want the Airwaves Dinah Washington: TV is the Thing This Year Joni Mitchell: You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio Corrs: Radio Everclear: AM Radio Harry Chapin: WOLD (Mark Connelly, MA, NRC-AM via DXLD) See also CZECHOSLOVAKIA above ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-017, January 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. 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 #1115: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.html FINAL AIRINGS ON RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1400 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB MONITORING REMINDERS – do a google search on that and you`ll get to http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html which is constantly being updated with interesting listening suggestions, mostly webcasts of public radio, but also DX tests, pirate specials, etc. ** AFGHANISTAN. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). From: http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_505025.html A UK-based broadcaster is to launch a daily breakfast news programme in Afghanistan. BMC Scotland, which is part of the Baltic Media Centre group, will start broadcasting Good Morning Afghanistan next month. The show will be transmitted on Radio Afghanistan to 75% of the country, covering 22 million people and will be broadcast in both Dari and Pashtu languages. It will initially last an hour but producers say it will later be extended to a two-hour show. The organisation say it will include news, sport, travel and weather information as well as features and general stories from around the country. The programme, due to go on air on February 25, will be produced and presented by a 20-strong team of Afghan journalists recently recruited in Kabul. Charles Fletcher, a former Scotland Correspondent with Sky News who is the show's executive producer, said: "The team is getting terrific support from journalists and the authorities in Afghanistan and to get this far is incredible." The project has received some funding (240,000 euros, £153,800) from the European Commission to enable workers to set up, launch and run the show over the coming months. BMC, a Danish-registered foundation which was set up nine years ago to support broadcasters in the Baltic Sea region, also revealed plans to create a series of training courses and workshops for other journalists. BMC expanded its operations two years ago when it moved into other areas including Bangladesh, Nepal and Nigeria. Story filed: 00:02 Sunday 27th January (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. http://www.nandotimes.com/world/v-text/story/229823p-2209797c.html?printer AFGHANS TO HEAR RADIO PROGRAM PATTERNED AFTER U.S. MORNING SHOWS By IAN TALLEY, Associated Press LONDON (January 26, 2002 5:28 p.m. EST) Copyright © 2002 AP Online A British broadcaster announced Saturday that Afghans will soon be able to wake up to a U.S.-style morning radio show. "Good Morning Afghanistan," which goes on the air Feb. 25, is aimed at "contributing to a democratic, peaceful and stable development of the country," executive producer Charles Fletcher said. "It will be like 'Good Morning America' and 'NBC Today' shows," he said, with a mix of news, sports, travel, weather and features. The show is being launched by BMC Scotland, part of Baltic Media Center, a Denmark-based charity that supports broadcasters in more than 30 countries. The project is funded with close to $216,000 from the European Union. Fletcher, a former correspondent with Britain's Sky News, said the program's 20 Afghan journalists had been recruited in Kabul and taught how to work in an uncensored and less hostile environment. He said they would not hesitate to ask difficult questions."For years journalists have been forced to peddle the Taliban line," he said. "We are there to probe, to do all the things that journalists are supposed to do. It is very much about accountability," he added. Fletcher said producers had secured an agreement of independence from Afghanistan's new interim government. "They told us 'We are accountable,'" he said. Initially occupying a one-hour daily slot on Radio Afghanistan, the show will be transmitted nearly 22 million people across three quarters of Afghanistan in the Dari and Pashtu languages. The editor of the program will be Barry Salaam, an Afghan journalist who recently returned to Afghanistan after a year in exile in Pakistan. In order to get the show on the air, BMC had to buy new equipment for the Radio Afghanistan studio in Kabul, as the old equipment had been stripped from the offices. Despite the fall of the Taliban government and the presence of international peacekeepers in Kabul, BMC has enough security concerns to have hired guards for the station. "We could be bashed when we go out to work, and there is the very likely possibility that we could be looted," Fletcher said. "But we are training the kids how to look after themselves.""To get so far so fast is incredible," Fletcher added. BMC said it planned to seek additional funding from the EU in Brussels next week to extend programming on Radio-Television Afghanistan. Copyright © 2001 Nando (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Radio Afghanistan, TV officials appointed | Excerpt from report by Afghan radio on 27 January On the proposal of the Ministry of Culture and Information and the approval of the chairman of the interim administration, the following appointments have been made in the Ministry of Culture and Information: Esteemed Abdol Hai Mobarez, as deputy minister for broadcasting... Esteemed Mohammad Alam (?Etekyar), as deputy head of Afghanistan's Radio and Television. Esteemed Gholam Hasan Hazrati, as head of Radio Afghanistan's broadcasting. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1330 gmt 27 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. There are no new updates on Peter and boys other than what we reported last week. However, a new station, YA0USA, was reported on the air this past week operating on 17 meters CW/SSB. Watch 18068 and 18120 kHz after 1330z. Also, watch 14210 kHz around 1700. The operator is Karl, K4YT, who is working at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. He states to QSL via K4YT. A report from ``The Daily DX`` over the past weekend states Karl has been there ``for about a week and has just obtained a club license from the Minister of Communications for the American Embassy in Kabul.`` Reportedly, the license, YA0USA, can be operated by Embassy U.S. government officials; there are several of them stationed there now. Karl will be here until the end of the month and will be active in his spare time. ``The Daily DX`` states Karl is using a TS-50 and a 80 meter dipole with a tuner (KB8NW/OPDX January 28/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. ANTARCTIC NEW ZEALAND DX TRIP. Chris Post, N3SIG, informs OPDX that the first ever Antarctic New Zealand DX Trip will take place next weekend on February 2nd. The McMurdo Station Amateur Radio Club will sponsor this first ever event. The primary operators will be Chris Post, N3SIG, and Mike Poole, KE6ZYK. They will operate portable HF from the Ross Ice Shelf in front of Scott Base. Operating primarily on 20/17/15 meters; with the possibility of 40 and 80 meters as well. Start to look for them on 20 meters at or about 14243 kHz starting at 0500z Saturday the 2nd of February or 2:00 AM Eastern US Time. Times may change to be earlier. Their equipment will be an Icom 706 MkII with IC2KL amp at about 500 W. Antennas will be all wire antennas. QSL cards go to AI3D with SASE please. Chris states that this should be very popular with the big DXers as the Antarctic New Zealand ham radio callsigns are very rare and Scott Base has no hams or any type of a ham shack like they do at McMurdo. A special QSL card will be printed when Chris returns. For more info on the Scott Base Antarctica check out their Web page at: http://www.scott.aq (KB8NW/OPDX January 28/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ?? 0500 UT == midnight EST; 2 a.m. EST == 0700 UT (gh, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 2379.85 harmonic, Radio Nacional/R.A.E. 98.7 FM, Buenos Aires. Jan 2002 - 0300* UT. First of all --- this station is now ID-ed by Mark Mohrman, VT, USA as "Radio Nacional de Tucumán", San Miguel de Tucumán in DXLD from Jan 20. I have not yet caught this ID. The few times readability has improved I only hear ID for Radio Nacional/RAE FM-transmitter on 98.7 MHz in Buenos Aires. Except for "Radio Nacional de Tucumán" also "Radio América", Buenos Aires is listed on the fundamental 1190 kHz. Probably this is my unID from Nov last year on 2379.60 (see SWB 1473). Both of these have in common to close down a few seconds after a time pip at 03:00:00 UTC without CD- ceremony. Obviously in the evenings they have no own programmes --- except for Nacional/RAE FM-program I have heard Spanish programs from RNE and VOA. I have never before managed to log Argentina on MW here in Quito or any of their harmonics. Harmonic from 1190 kHz (2 x 1189.92). (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 27, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) Seems highly unlikely this domestic outlet would mention ``RAE`` in its ID, the external service (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Stumbled across Radio Africa International broadcast Sat. Jan 26 at 2204 UT on 5945 kHz. Very good signal strength, some QRM from US relay of Taiwan. Schedule announcement in English and French. Music request and dedication program followed mainly in French with greetings to listeners, acknowledging reception reports. News in French followed at 2232 UT, then programming in other language until 2259 UT. Schedule announcement was a little confusing (possibly problems translating it into English). This is what I heard in French (times changed to UT) 1500-1600 on 17895 2200-2300 on 1476 Daily 1800-1900 on 1476 Sunday 2200-2300 on 5945 & 6155 Saturday 0800-0900 on 94 MHz in Vienna, Sat-Thur 1600-1630 on 94 MHz in Vienna, Wed-Fri I missed the start of the announcement and just caught the announcer giving what sounded like 17850, but it was probably supposed to be 17815 at 1100-1200 UT. The website http://www.radioafrika.net/ gives this schedule except for the Saturday 2200 broadcast (Wade Smith, NB, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CANADIAN PUBLISHER RAISES HACKLES, By DeNeen L. Brown TORONTO -- Late last year, columnist Stephen Kimber says, the editing of his writing became more and more inexplicable. It wasn't so much dropped commas or the introduction of errors. Sometimes he would open the newspaper, the Halifax Daily News, and find that his opinions had been removed. "I put up with that for a while, then I began to censor myself," said Kimber. "I would remember, 'No, I'm not supposed to write about that.' " Kimber had been writing his column without such concerns for 15 years. But things changed, he said, after CanWest Global Communications took over his newspaper and 135 others last summer. In December, the company announced that all 14 of its big-city newspapers would run the same national editorial each week, issued from headquarters in Winnipeg, and sometimes written at CanWest papers around the country. Any unsigned editorials written locally at the 14 papers, the company said, should not contradict the national editorials, which covered such subjects as military spending, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and property rights.... To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44073-2002Jan26.html (via Bill Westenhaver, QE, DXLD) ** CANADA. Another view of Gzowski: TOO MUCH MOOSE JAW FOR T.O. By Antonia Zerbisias -- Toronto Star, Jan 26, 2002 There must be millions of Canadians, new and old, who are wondering today when this guy Peter Gzowski became Pierre Trudeau. Did they miss a prime minister somewhere? What else would justify the massive front-page pictures and pages of play inside all the papers? The hours and hours of coverage on CBC Newsworld and CBC Radio? The lengthy tributes airing on competing private broadcasters? How else can they understand this massive outpouring of grief over the death of a CBC Radio host whose voice was heard by a mere million or so loyal listeners every day? Sure, Gzowski's Morningside earned good ratings -- but they didn't include the 20 million or more other anglophone Canadians who never tuned in, whose radios were planted on the Top 40/Soft Rock/Open Line commercial stations crowding the dial and who had no interest in Saskatoon berry pie recipes, Cape Breton fiddlers or debates over whether a classic outdoor chair should most correctly be called a Muskoka, Laurentian or Adirondack chair. In a sense, they had no interest in Canada. So could "the national conversation" that so many members of the chattering class have been attributing to Gzowski this week been more exclusive that the media coverage would make it seem? Gzowski himself, publicly and privately would lament how Morningside had triumphed in attracting certain listeners, mostly white, mostly middle-aged, mostly Canadian-born, but failed to draw the young, the ethnic and the urban. Kind of like CBC itself: a hit in the hinterland but not in downtown Toronto. As Gzowski observed in 1997 during his farewell broadcast in Moose Jaw, Sask., where he got his start in radio, "This is the heartland. This, I think, is what we've been about." But perhaps the heart he was talking about meant not waving wheat fields and prairie sunsets but a special place inside his listeners kept for Canada. It's as if his country in the morning was divided, not along language lines, not country versus city, not old versus young, not even East versus West but in whether or not you listened to Morningside. You were either part of the tribe, or not. And yet, yesterday, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps told CBC that Gzowski was the "best connector of Canadians we've ever had." Some Canadians anyway. Indulge me in a personal but relevant anecdote. On Victoria Day, 1992, the day Candice Bergen's Murphy Brown was scandalously due to become a single mother, I went on Morningside to talk about the controversy. Because the show goes live to the Atlantic provinces -- we hear the taped edition here -- I was able to rush home and tune in to hear how it sounded. Just as the discussion was getting under way, a guy I had met at a party the previous Saturday night called to say, "It's a beautiful day. Let's get in the car, drive to the country and have a picnic." "Can I call you back?" I asked. "I'm listening to myself on Gzowski." "What's Gzowski?" was his perplexed reply. He didn't even know where to find CBC Radio on the dial -- and he wasn't stupid, uneducated or 12 years old. He just wasn't part of the culturally nationalistic tribe. And so, although this might have been shortsighted of me, I blew him off. Today millions of Canadians must be equally bemused over the fuss, as Gzowski himself was everytime the Morningside agenda turned to pop culture. He just didn't get it. For example, during one discussion, somebody brought up Tim Burton's movie fantasy Edward Scissorhands, which had recently hit the screens. Gzowski's reaction? Who? What? Hunh? It would make many of the younger producers he worked with despair. Which is probably the sort of thing that, in 1993, led Geoff Pevere, now a film critic at The Star, to famously opine "if you are bad you will go to hell. And if you go to hell, you have to listen to Morningside 24 hours a day." He made the comment to listeners of his now-defunct CBC radio program Prime Time, which he has described, ironically of course, as a nightly "wallow in the acrid slop of mass media: We did shows on comic books, sitcoms, punk music and horror movies, and we gave generous airtime only to people dedicated to compromising the quality of tradition that is the hallmark of Canadian public broadcasting." Not surprising that Pevere, whose show was axed soon after the "hell" comment and replaced by highlights from Morningside, was dubbed the "anti-Gzowski." It's as if he personified the cultural schism and generational tensions then swirling within CBC, between those who wanted to shoot the aging sacred cows of programming and fashion a new public broadcaster, one that would truly hew to its mandate of reflecting all Canadians to each other. Even those who identify more closely with U.S. culture. After years of devastating budget and staff cuts, political upheavals and an explosion of competitors for the audience, CBC-TV has indeed progressed, paradoxically becoming more Canadian and, at the same time, more diverse. But it's been a long, hard and slow slog. As for CBC Radio, much of its schedule has been the same for decades, although management is currently working on an overhaul. (Changes, by the way, will surely rile up the tribe of long-time listeners.) That would be good -- and could help ensure CBC's survival. The sad thing is, so many people who this week were puzzling over who Peter Gzowski was will never know the country they live in. And the country they live in will never be the same for it (via Ivan Grishin, DXLD) IT WASN'T JUST HIS VOICE; WHEN HE LAUGHED, THE AUDIENCE JOINED IN --- AS A CBC HOST, HE EXCELLED AT THE MOST INTIMATE MEDIUM Elizabeth Gray, Special to the Star Much is made of Peter Gzowski's "gravelly" voice; many believe it was the secret of his success on radio. The voice certainly helped but then there have always been fine voices, "gravelly" or otherwise, on the airwaves, and few have had the magic of Gzowski's.... [full story:] http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1012086167790&call_page=TS_GTA&call_pageid=968350130169&call_pagepath=GTA/News&col=969483202845 (via Ivan Grishin, Ont., Jan 27, DXLD) I know that Peter Gzowski is very special to Canadians; I hope I give no insult to that memory or that sense by relating how he could also be quite special to an American. Americans are born (of if they're not they're quickly infused with it) with the idea that Canada is "just like us". But the forebears of my mother's side of the family were mill workers who migrated to Lowell, MA from the Sherbrooke area of Quebec in the 1840s. Because of this -- - and because of a college roommate from Champlain, NY who took me on first forays north of the border --- the seeds were planted for more than the typical American experience of Canada. However, it wasn't until I first heard a program called "Morningside" that I began to learn that there were many (and refreshing) distinctions --- some quite substantial, but most rather subtle; all of them important. I began to do some rather extreme things (with receivers and antennae) to hear the program. And the reason for those gyrations was Peter Gzowski. He was --- hands down --- the best interviewer I have ever heard and ever expect to hear. He had such a soothing, relaxed, courtly manner. He respected his guests even if he disagreed with them--something uncommon at any time, but especially so today. He made the person he was talking to the centrepiece and always seemed able to bring out the best in them and get them to clearly explain their talent, art, attitudes, ideas and beliefs. His "Morningside Papers'' series of books should be considered required reading for anyone who really wants to get to know Canada and Canadians. His other works --- columns and books --- do the same and also give one a pretty good sense of what was an often very private public person. Not only did he have a knack for asking the question you were thinking at that very moment, but he also had a talent for making things you might've first thought uninteresting, compellingly interesting. I listened to interviews on such a diverse range of subjects! Peter, it seems, was interested in everything and he could lead you to be interested in everything as well. Peter also had a solid sense about what it was to be a Canadian. By that, I don't mean he had some sort of static image. It was something that was always changing, always developing --- but, somehow, it was always consistent. His style in this regard was insistent and respectful, firm but tolerant. Canada's struggle (if I can put it that way) to find and maintain it's own voice, in the almost enveloping shadow of its southern --- usually well-meaning but equally clueless - -- neighbor, The word "inspirational" gets thrown around a lot. Even at 48 and with a quarter century as a civil servant, I hope to have a second career as a writer and, if I'm lucky, maybe even a broadcaster. I hope it is neither too trite nor too grandiose to say: I am a fan of Peter Gzowski and his body of work is an inspiration to me. [I know I already posted a statement that I wrote for my Monitoring Times column. I only get 300 words there, though, and I had so much more to say. I have found the tributes and the recollections of his colleagues, friends and fans deeply affecting.] (John Figliozzi, ODXA via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 3200.05 (harmonic?) unID LA, unknown QTH (Colombia). Jan 2002 - 1125 UT. ".....cristiano" plus TC. "Radio Impacto Cristiano" in Popayán is listed on 1600 kHz. Religious music and weak signal. As a matter of fact improved after sunrise! (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 27, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) 4200.09 (Harmonic?) unID "La Voz de (Niguel?)", unknown QTH (Colombia). Jan 2002 - 1040 UT. Also heard on 2800.06 harmonic. Title of the program "Amanecer campesino". WRTH lists 5 "La Voz de...."- stations, but only one matches fonetically: "La Voz de Niguel" in Montelíbano (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 27, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CUBA. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/01/28/016.html Monday, Jan. 28, 2002. Page 5 RUSSIA'S LOURDES BASE CLOSES DOWN IN CUBA Reuters BAUTA, Cuba -- A Russian spy base in Cuba has finally been closed and its electronic equipment is waiting to be transported back to Moscow, the head of Cuba's armed forces, Raul Castro, said Saturday. "The Lourdes base exists no more. It has been dismantled and the complete withdrawal is the Russians' responsibility," Raul Castro, the No. 2 in Cuba's political hierarchy after his brother, President Fidel Castro, told reporters. President Vladimir Putin pleased Washington and infuriated Havana last October by announcing that Moscow was pulling out of the spy station less than 160 kilometers from U.S. soil. The decision to evacuate Lourdes, which Moscow used as a listening post for monitoring U.S. communications throughout the Cold War, spelled the end of four decades of Russian military presence in Cuba. (Part of a lengthier article via Fred Waterer, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. 3259.94, Estéreo Carrizal, Calceta. Jan 22 2002 - 2350 UT. Reactivated in Nov last year (see SWB 1473) and was on air irregularly for a short period without its own programming, instead relaying Radio Capital, Portoviejo (temporary QTH). Off air until this date when I listened to an interview with the owner, Sr. Ovidio Velásquez who informed that the transmitter now is located in Calceta and that they are very interested in listeners` reports from abroad. The program was called "Buenas tardes El Espectador" with news/information from Calceta and the province of Manabí. After 2330 music for 1-2 hours. Jingled "Más apasionante que nunca, Estéreo Carrizál". So now they are running "for real"! (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 27, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** FRANCE. See LIBYA ** GUADELOUPE. ANTI-HAITIAN TV BROADCASTS PROVOKE RACIAL UNREST IN GUADELOUPE | Excerpt from report by French news agency AFP; ellipses as received Pointe-a-Pitre, 26 January: More than 5,000 people - according to the police - or 6,500 - according to the organizers - held a demonstration against racism and xenophobia on Saturday [26 January] in Pointe-à- Pitre [capital of the French overseas department of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean]. This was a response to last weekend's arson attacks on four shops owned by Haitians... A group of some 15 people shouting insults at the demonstrators were kept at bay by the police... During their march, which lasted nearly three hours, the demonstrators chanted slogans, including "No to racism and xenophobia", "Solidarity with our Caribbean brothers" and "Close down Channel 10". Channel 10, a privately-owned TV station... broadcasts a daily one-hour live programme entitled, "Good Advice" and featuring regional councillor Simon Ibo (extreme-right). This elected representative comments on local affairs and regularly attacks immigrants, especially Haitians, calling them "a rabble", "dogs" and "undesirables". The arson attacks against the four Haitian-owned shops last Sunday came after a suit for incitement of racial hatred was lodged against Mr Ibo by four Haitian immigrants' associations... Source: AFP news agency, Paris, in French 1739 gmt 26 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ. STATE TV STARTS KURDISH BROADCASTS | Text of report by German-based Kurdish newspaper Ozgur Politika web site on 27 January It has been reported that the Iraqi administration started Kurdish broadcasts in order to have more of an impact on the Kurds in southern Kurdistan. According to a Reuters news report based on information from Kurdish officials in southern Kurdistan, the Iraqi administration started Kurdish television broadcasts to increase its influence on the Kurds in southern Kurdistan in the event of an American attack. It was also reported that the television, which is carrying out test broadcasts from its studios in Karkuk [Kirkuk], will start scheduled broadcasts in the coming days. Source: Ozgur Politika web site, Neu- Isenburg, in Turkish 27 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. IMPORTANT MESSAGE: The Israel Broadcasting Authority has announced its intention imminently to end radio broadcasts in all languages but Hebrew and Arabic. This will mean the closure of English, French and all other services that you get via this site and on shortwave and all other media. No financial provision for other languages has been included in the 2002 budget. The decision has yet to be ratified by the responsible Government Minister Mr Ra`anan Cohen and if you wish to give him your opinion on the matter do write to: Mr Ra`anan Cohen, The Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel email: raacohen@knesset.gov.il (from http://www.israelradio.org Jan 28 via DXLD) ** ITALY. Hi Glenn ! Kia ora from the land of Kiwi and Maori people, I send this message only to you. Radio Europe, 7306 kHz USB, located in Pioltello (Milano) in Italy, will do a serial of special broadcasts in ENGLISH from next 30 January till 3 February at 0500-0900 UT with regards to the DX camp organized by the New Zealand DX League in Camp Iona by Paul Ormandy; almost 30 people will be present at this interesting get-together from 5 countries. The reception reports are welcomed by snail mail to: PLAYDX, VIA DAVANZATI 8, IT-20158 MILANO, ITALY. please add 2 US $ for the special QSL-card featuring the ELETTRA SHIP saling in Venezia harbour, in full color. E-mail reports will be also replied BUT WITH usual QSL-card with PEGASUS HORSE: to playdx@libero.it Best regards, (Dario Monferini, New Zealand, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. 3607.5 USB, NHK (feeder), 1141 Jan 28, Weak, but audible, relaying Japanese language service. Confirmed using a second rx and antenna on // 9750. Although the 9750 outlet was competing with a co-channel station, I did make a positive match (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Re 2-016, reports to VOK: Please note that I will not be able to forward reports from Jan 29 - Feb 25 due to a holiday stay in Thailand. However, no letter will get lost, it will only take more time. vy 73, (Willi Passmann, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH. Ed, P5/4L4LN, is back on the air testing out his new Butternut Vertical. Reports indicate that Ed is being heard better, and he has begun operating on 15 meters. Look for him to show up on 21225 kHz (now his primary frequency) after 2300z, working stations by call areas and other parts of the world. Also, continue to watch 28580 kHz; he may show up here (KB8NW/OPDX January 28/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** LIBYA [and non]. LJB via Eutelsat: The II-F3 bird on 16 degrees East was replaced by a new satellite called Eutelsat W2 a couple of years ago. I think Libya also uses Arabsat (C-band), probably the Eutelsat outlets (there is a digital one, apparently TV only, on Hotbird, too) are no direct uplinks from Libya but instead "relays" of this Arabsat feed, which also appears to be the likely audio source for the new shortwave transmissions. Antenna types at Issoudun [FRANCE]: The antennas of the Centre E sub- site are evidently large 4/4 curtains, certainly producing a rather sharply focused beam. It also looks like Africa was in mind as main target area when this facility was designed, old radio magazines suggests that in the beginning all transmissions from Centre E aimed at Africa exclusively. RFI uses only the new ALLISS systems at Issoudun anymore, perhaps the amount of spurious radiation is indeed higher on the ALLISS design than on old-fashioned curtains. (ALLISS = ALLouis/ISSoudun since the original plan was to install such transmitter/antenna combinations also at Allouis, but finally only Issoudun got them. This is the design in use also at Nauen, just with Telefunken S4105 transmitters instead of the original Thomcast rigs.) Also the question about different LJB networks involved in the shortwave transmissions arose. The reports at hand so far suggests this scenario: Network #1: Main program in Arabic "Radio Great Jamahiriya", seemingly this one carried via Issoudun now, on mediumwave amongst other frequencies on 675/1125 (latter one outlet for this network contrary to WRTH data; this program is shown there simply as "home service"); Network #2: In the past known as "Voice of the Great Homeland". The Bulgarian reports suggests that at times a "Holy Koran" ID is in use on this network but otherwise the well-known "Voice of Africa" one. Carried via Tripoli-Sabrata shortwave, i.e. 17750 and, if on, 15435*), mediumwave 711/1251 and Eutelsat W2 (11.554 GHz, subcarrier 7.20 MHz). This network is also in use for the scheduled Voice of the Mediterranean relays on 711 in the morning, shortwave and seemingly also 1251 are off at this time. A while ago one guy reported about hearing the VoM stuff also on the satellite channel, either they simply failed to switch it away or this is indeed a regular and just completely unknown feature. It's hard to find satellite monitors with a sense for such matters, and unfortunately I cannot operate a satellite dish. *) On Jan 25 I noted some off-frequency transmission badly hetting against BSKSA on even 15435, so seemingly Sabrata indeed at present uses both 17750 and 15435 (or 15435 instead of 17750). (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MACEDONIA. INSTALLATION OF NEW HIGH-POWER MW TRANSMITTER | Text of report in English by Macedonian state news agency MIA Skopje, 28 January: The expert teams from the public enterprise Macedonian Broadcasting started the installation of the mediumwave [810 kHz] transmitter in Ovce Pole on Monday [28 January]. The new transmitter will improve the reception of the Macedonian Radio outside the Macedonian borders, Ljubisa Gjorgjoski, the director of "Macedonian Broadcasting" said on the occasion of the fourth anniversary since the independence of this public enterprise. The transmitter, whose power is 1.2 Megawatts, will become operational by the end of April 2002, and was provided with the financial assistance from France and Germany. The transmitter is produced by the French company Thales. With the installation of the new transmitter in Ovce Pole, the programmes of the Macedonian Radio can be heard in most parts of Europe, North Africa and some parts in the Near East. "Macedonia needs such transmitter as the existing equipment in this sector is of low quality, not profitable and not functional. Our main task is to provide the signal out of the Macedonian borders," Gjorgjoski said. He announced that the operations on realizing the third radio network in the area of ultra short waves will be intensified as well as the network for the third TV channel in the languages of the nationalities in Macedonia. Minister of Transport and Communications Ljupco Balkovski stressed in his address that the "Macedonian Broadcasting" actively worked on maintenance, managing and construction of TV and radio networks. The public enterprise Macedonian Broadcasting was established by law on 28 January 1998 with basic task of development, design, maintenance, construction and usage of the main broadcasting network of Republic of Macedonia. The enterprise aims to provide transmission, broadcasting and distribution of radio and TV programmes through the existing networks, to provide transmission and broadcasting of the public local radio programmes and free access for all those interested in using the broadcasting frequencies in the country, for broadcasting and telecommunications. With the decision of the government, this enterprise is nominated as main satellite broadcasting operator, and should broadcast the programmes of the Macedonian Radio Television throughout the world and to provide a satellite output to the other broadcasting companies. Source: MIA news agency, Skopje, in English 1515 gmt 28 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** MALTA [non]. Press Release 28 January 2002 For immediate release Malta`s Voice of the Mediterranean debuts on World Radio Network`s German service Voice of the Mediterranean (VOM), the shortwave broadcaster based in Malta, has begun working with World Radio Network (WRN) with the debut on Sunday 20th January of its weekly German programme on WRN`s EuroMax Deutsch service. VOM`s German programme, ``Hier ist Valletta`` is presented by Ingrid Hüttmann and looks at all aspects of life in the Mediterranean island including its culture and history. It will be broadcast on WRN`s EuroMax Deutsch service each Sunday between 0200-0300 UTC and repeated at 1700-1800 UT. EuroMax Deutsch is available across Europe on the Astra 1B and Eutelsat HOTBIRD 5 satellites, via the WRN EuroMax website http://www.euromaxonline.com and on Telegeneve`s digital cable service in Geneva, Switzerland. Thomas Voelkner, WRN`s German Channel Organiser said, ``WRN is delighted to welcome Voice of the Mediterranean onto EuroMax Deutsch. I know our listeners will enjoy this new programme.`` Richard Muscat, Voice of the Mediterranean`s General Manager said, ``I am very pleased that our German programme will be reaching new listeners through our new strategic partnership with World Radio Network. WRN is an important new outlet for us.`` The two organisations are working together to extend their new partnership to include other programmes from VOM on WRN`s international radio services. - ends - -------------------------------- Tim Ayris, Marketing and Rebroadcasting Manager, World Radio Network Tel: +44 20 7896 9000 Mobile: +7747 627 607 Fax: +44 20 7896 9007 http://www.wrn.org Listen NOW to World Radio Network! Click on: http://g2.wrn.org:8080/ramgen/wrn1usa.smi (via DXLD) Thomas Voelkner -- formerly with RFPI; and with Radio Journal. So that`s what he`s up to now... (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. A recent addition to my website is a log of MW stations heard during a visit to Guadalajara in November, 2001. It includes around 75 real audio files. Go to: http://donmoore.tripod.com/patesounds/mexilog.htm Or, just go to the main menu at http://donmoore.tripod.com/ and click on "What's New". (Don Moore, IA, Jan 26, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MOUNT ATHOS. The following letter from Monk Apollo, SV2ASP/A, has been sent to OPDX over the past fews weeks. Thanks to DL5EBE, GW3CDP, SV2WT, and W6/IK3ZAW for providing the following............... -------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS FROM MOUNT ATHOS Dear Friends DXers, Thank God, despite a number of difficulties, year 2000 saw the accomplishment of Mount Athos` 10 years on the air. To celebrate this event I had required and I obtained the special call-sign SY2A. My aim was to provide as many colleagues as possible with a contact with Mount Athos. Within the year the prefix `SY` (belonging to Mount Athos as a DXCC entity) was heard a number of times, while being used from stations without any relationship with Mount Athos. This happening created a great confusion within the international amateur radio community. Hence, I demanded the Ministry some explanation. I was answered that after a recent circular Greek ham radio stations can apply for the `SY` as a special call. This made me very sorry, so on September the 10th 2000 I wrote the Ministry about that, informing them that after this happening I had decided not to use the SY2A call- sign at all. Since they might not be familiar with amateur radio matters, I sent them international lists where Mount Athos appears as `SY`, as well as the CEPT list. So far, I have received no answer. Despite all this, some colleagues begged me to show up as SY2A, and so, as a monk, I obeyed and I made happy over 6500 operators! Nevertheless, after that (end of year 2000) I stopped, waiting for some answer from the Ministry. Unfortunately, the people working at the Ministry are not hams and they cannot understand the importance that Mount Athos has for the DX, being it a separate DXCC entity. Since in these months I have been asked by many friends from abroad why I do not show up, today I let you know the reason. Furthermore, I ask for your help. You can send a message to the Ministry (E-mail: yme@otenet.gr) and ask them to stop issuing the SY as a special prefix, since it has belonged to Mount Athos for the last 30 years, as international lists and maps show. Furthermore, seizing the opportunity, you could ask that SY will be permanently assigned to Mount Athos, as it is reported also on the `CEPT` list, so that confusion will come to an end, once for all. Placing my trust in God, I wait for the solution of the problem, and then I will be with you again... as much as my monastic duties and all the difficulties here will allow it to me. From Mount Athos, ``the Garden of the Virgin Mary``, I send all of you my best wishes for a peaceful 2002!!! God bless you. Monk Apollo SV2ASP/A (KB8NW/OPDX January 28/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. Rarely do radio stations explain to their listeners in such detail their rationale for programming changes. A lot of them are coming up in Feb at KGOU=KROU, Norman, OK, which also webcasts. See http://www.kgou.org/Managers_Desk.htm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6141.04v "C.P.N. Radio", unknown QTH (Perú). Jan 13 2001 - 2300 UT. This is the same station as our member Kenneth Olofsson/KO reported in SWB 1476. Irregular for a couple of weeks and probably now off the air. Several different FM-IDs but caught only this: "En....de Pasco.....90.9 FM....". Listed station in departamento "Pasco" is "Radio Huayllay"-6140.1 kHz, but according to WRTH, listed as "irr". (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 27, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) Re: David Hodgson`s unID in Jan 18 DXLD on 4572v: Hello David, hope it is OK to copy your logging into SWB 1477. I am convinced that the station you heard is "Radio Cielo", Chiclayo. Extremely irregular but the last 3-4 times I logged this "pirate of pirates" it has been noted around 4572v. Typical for Radio Cielo is distorted audio, drifting frequency and only music programmes --- often a lot of tunes without announcements. I logged Cielo for the first time in Oct 1999. During all this time the clever DJ never has revealed the transmitter location, i.e. until July last year. After that they again use recorded IDs without mentioning QTH. Cielo has been logged on these frequencies: 4572v, 4586.58v, 4610v, 4663.00v, 5768.00v, 6299v, 6705.00v and 6915v kHz. Here is my logging from SWB 1463: 6299v, Radio Cielo, Chiclayo, la provincia de Chiclayo, el departamento de Lambayeque. July 2001 - 0200 UT. For the first time I dare to precise the station QTH! They often have used recorded, quite funny "Radio Cielo"-IDs with lots of variation. During recent time they have clearly stated broadcasting from "la ciudad de Chiclayo" and the DJ is also "live" with IDs and greetings to various people in departamento "Lambayeque", for example to "Muy Finca" and "San José". At one occasion greetings to señor Galán and his radiostation "Radio Oceánica", San José (Lambayeque) on 720 kHz. Greetings also to neighboring places in the surrounding departamentos: Iquitos (Loreto), Cutervo (Cajamarca) and Bagua (Amazonas). Announces (at the moment ....) "6.30 MHz" and also heard better than before. The frequency drifts a lot. Except for R. Cielo it is also interesting to mention loggings of several other short-lived stations in the province of Chiclayo on adjacent frequencies --- I wonder if there is any connection between those: 4574.64v Radio Independencia, Chiclayo (Perú). March 16 2001 - 0005 (see SWB1453 and 1455) and 4576.00 -4597v Radio San Juan, Chiclayo (Perú). Jan 2001 - 0150 . (see SWB1452). (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 27, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** PERU. 5949.9v, RADIO BETHEL. Arequipa. 0048-0105 Ene. 28. Testimonio evangélico, mencionan la ciudad de Tumbes, luego música de alabanza. Anuncios comeciales de Librería Impacto, Repuestos El Ustiano, Academia preuniversitaria Miguel Serve. "...usted está en la compañía de los 1050 A.M. y 5950 en la onda corta de Radio Bethel..." Ésta es mi primera escucha de esta emisora, al parecer ha reactivado sus emisones, con una muy fuerte señal a pesar de la presencia en la misma frecuencia de WYFR desde USA (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** PERU. 6560.3, RADIO ESTACIÓN 2, Huancabamba. 0120-0215*. Nueva emisora desde Huancabamba, a pesar de mi reporte en diciembre pasado cuando reporté en esta frecuencia a RD Huancabamba haciendo emisiones de prueba, ahora nace esta nueva emisora; según indicaciones escuchadas hacen referencia que la emisora pertence a un familiar del los dueños de RD Huancabamba, de hay que las emisones de pruebas retransmitieran la señal de ésta. Mencionan que a partir del Lunes 28, tendrán ya programación continua en dos horarios: Matutino 0600-1000 (1100-1500 UT) Vespertino 1700-2100 (2200-0300 UT) "... les informamos la hora: 8 de la noche con 45 minutos; así es, amigos, somos Estación 2 de Huancabamba, la radio de la nueva generación es una radio que nació para nosotros y también para ustedes oyentes..." La direccion que mencionaron para las cartas y mensajes fue: RADIO ESTACION 2, Barrio San Francisco, Huancabamba, Piura, Perú (Rafael Rodríguez, Colombia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 4010, Voice of Russia, 1059 Jan 28, Fair signal strength. Pop mx at tune in. Then VOR interval signal at 1100. Chinese language service with YL announcer. // 7490 USB (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. I just received the February 2002 edition of Monitoring Times, and they list Voice of Russia on 7260 kHz at 1700 UT. They've been listing this frequency since the inception of B01, and I've been trying to tune it in with no results for over 2 months. Being I utilize a Drake R8B and it is supposedly beamed to NAm, would you know the problem? Thanks,73 Enrico Oliva Long Island,NY, Jan 28, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Enrico, The problem is that it is transmitted from far east Russia aimed at the west coast, and one could hardly expect 7 MHz to propagate to the east coast at noontime there, even in winter (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Russia/USA: RADIO LIBERTY MAY FACE LICENCE REVOCATION OVER CHECHEN BIAS | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 28 January: Radio Liberty, which will start broadcasting in several local languages, Chechen included, in the Northern Caucasus on 28 January, may take a biased and tendentious stand on the Chechen issue, presidential aide Sergey Yastrzhembskiy said in an interview published in the Monday issue of Gazeta. "To our mind, the policy of Radio Liberty in the coverage of Chechen events in 1999-2000 was one- sided, biased and far from neutral: the station justified the actions of the separatists," Yastrzhembskiy said. Yet "it is hard to define any position a priori, and any judgment must be based on facts: the content of programmes, their tone, the selection of newsmakers, the frequency of interviews with people who are on the Interpol wanted list and suspected of committing crimes in Russia," Yastrzhembskiy said. Radio Liberty has a Media Ministry licence to broadcast in Russia, the aide said. "But the station's Russian office may face legal proceedings if it breaks the law," he remarked. "The first proceeding is a warning. Another misdeed will entail revocation of the licence to broadcast in Russia, and closing the office. We have no other possibilities but legal ones," Yastrzhembskiy said. Russia plans to avoid any international complications over the stand of Radio Liberty, he said. However, "there is still a long road to success and a complete understanding [by the West and the United States - Interfax] of the peculiarities of the Chechen situation and the position of Russia," the aide noted. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 0859 gmt 28 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Beef up those SW transmitters, and dust off those jammers, and let`s have at it! :-( Or, as facetiously suggested some time back, Russia should start SW broadcasting to oppressed first-nations minolities in NAm. Would serve us right (gh, DXLD) RUSSIAN SPOKESMAN SAYS CANCELLING RADIO LIBERTY LICENSE WORST-CASE SCENARIO Russian presidential spokesman Sergey Yastrzhembskiy has said that the cancelling of Radio Liberty's broadcast license would be the worst- case scenario in relations between the station and the Russian authorities. The threat appeared following the station's decision to start broadcasting in North Caucasus languages. Interviewed by Russian Ekho Moskvy radio 28 January ... Asked at the end of the interview about Radio Liberty's intention to start broadcast in North Caucasus languages and his earlier remarks on this issue, he said: "Taking into account the fact that they are starting to broadcast in such a sensitive region as the Caucasus where rather unusual processes are taking place, namely the counter-terrorist operation Chechnya, we found it appropriate to remind them once again that they will have to meet our high demands". Asked about the possibility of cancelling Radio Liberty's broadcasting licence, he said: "This forecast is too dark. In my newspaper interview I pointed out that this is an undesirable scenario for us. The main thing is that we have no methods of resolving this problem other than those presented by the law. No silencers will work. But each state should protect its interest through legislation. We should look attentively at how our partners in the anti-terrorist coalition are doing this. I can give you numerous examples as to how they are succeeding in this. And, you know, everybody over there is nicely co-existing with each other - the authorities and the mass media". Source: Ekho Moskvy radio, Moscow, in Russian 1217 gmt 28 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. Glenn, it's probably the way I hear the names; I thought actually they said radio Taipei International, 'TBS', I thought it was; maybe it's CBS, It's their Asian dialect that gets me every time. 73 (Tim Gaynor, Gold Coast, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 22530 (3 x 7510), KTBN Salt Lake City, 1413 Jan 26. 3rd harmonic, with positive match. Heard ID as well. Harmonic was weak, fundamental was very strong. I've logged the 2nd harmonic of this transmitter in the past, but I think this is the first time I've received the 3rd (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** U S A. KQED RAISES $113,000 FOR N.Y. STATION Neva Chonin, Chronicle Staff Writer Saturday, January 26, 2002, ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle Sisterhood is powerful in the world of public radio. On Thursday, San Francisco's KQED Radio (88.5 FM) raised $113,000 in a special on-air pledge drive for a sister public radio station, New York's WNYC-FM, which lost its FM transmitter and antenna in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Thursday's all-day fund-raiser, which kicked off KQED's own winter pledge drive, asked listeners to donate $25 to aid the popular Manhattan station. "We usually compete with WNYC for the No. 1 spot for radio listenership in the country, but we do consider them our sister station," says Jo Anne Wallace, KQED vice president and general manager for radio. "There's a real sense of camaraderie. We wanted to do this for our WNYC colleagues. They need our help, and we would hope for the same thing if something catastrophic were to happen to us." KQED isn't alone in showing solidarity with WNYC. Since a Minnesota station first suggested holding emergency pledge drives in October, public radio stations from Texas to Vermont have raised a total of more than $600,000. Laura Walker, WYNC president and CEO, calls KQED and other stations' fund- raising efforts "a real testament to the public radio community." "For many of us, pledge drives are core to our survival. It touches us that KQED is getting on the air and asking its supporters to support us. The funds are tremendously important, but so is the sentiment." Known for producing groundbreaking documentaries and special reports such as "The Execution Tapes" in May, WNYC has been broadcasting at reduced power since Sept. 11. Costs for building a new primary antenna on the Empire State Building and a backup antenna in Times Square are expected to run to $4 million. The station's struggle to remain on air on Sept. 11 has become radio legend. Immediately after its FM antennas on the twin towers were destroyed, its offices a few blocks northeast of ground zero were evacuated. Walker and a skeleton crew remained behind to keep WNYC's New Jersey AM station on the air and to feed reports to National Public Radio. When electricity and telephones were lost, they set up a satellite studio at NPR's midtown Manhattan bureau and broadcast over a phone line. Its New York listeners appreciated these Herculean efforts and donated a record $3.1 million to the station's fall membership drive. Most of that money went toward basic operations, however, and the $4 million needed to rebuild broadcasting facilities will come from pledge drives such as KQED's, contributions from foundations and limited insurance coverage. Walker says WNYC hopes to be back to full power by spring. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle Page D - 1 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. ``A Grieving Atheist,`` commentary by Katherine Bourdonnay appeared last Dec. 27 on NPR`s Morning Edition: http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20011227.me.06.ram (noted by gh on WLRN Miami website, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 3845, VOA (spur), 1022 Jan 28. Right in the middle of the 80m ham band. I bet this one won`t last long! Heard //s on 5745, 5985, and 7370. I think this is most likely a transmitter mixing product, but I couldn`t get the math to work. I just don`t know all the different freqs they use at this time. Fair strength (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FREQUENCY SWEEPER INTERFERES WITH US MILITARY HF COMMUNICATION: 4395 USB, U.S. Military, 1112 Jan 28, Heard military transmission. The station Identified itself as GW, with an infernal frequency sweeper blaring away in the background. At tune in, I heard him trying contact other stations but no one returned his call. Then I heard some info given: "…posture 3 is set, keeping condition Y spotlight unit inactive. No COI, no CCOI. Air defense posture Bravo is set... air defense alert posture Charlie is set... No flares active in the link, no duties assigned… prelude Jacksonville, break Lima." I hope at least the military will object to its communications being interfered with by this super wideband radar (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The Metro Amateur Radio Club (MAC) of Chicago will activate Chicago Harbor Lighthouse, Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society USA #171, on February 9-10th. The special event station K9Y will be operated from Columbia Yacht Club, according to Mike Dinelli, N9BOR. A special QSL will be available. The usual ARLHS frequencies will be used: SSB on 7270, 14270, 21370, 28370; and CW on 7030, 14030, 21030 and 28030 kHz. For more information, please visit the MAC website at: http://www.qsl.net/mac Watch them via the WebCam while operating from the pilot house of the Abby. Questions may be directed to: mac@qsl.net (KB8NW/OPDX January 28/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. ESTADOS UNIDOS: 7415 WBCQ "The Planet", 0605. 17 de enero. Transmision en ingles. Programa: "World of Radio", conducido por Glenn Hauser. 34433 (M. Cornachioni, G. Choren y Arnaldo Slaen, Salto, Uruguay, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 6010.5, Emisora Ciudad de Montevideo, Montevideo. 1300- 1310 January 26. In // 1370 kHz. Local ads. ID by male as: "En su receptor CX42 Emisora Ciudad de Montevideo, Uruguay, traNsmitiendo en 1370 kHz, la frecuencia que se sintoniza con mayor frecuencia". After, more local advs. Music. 24432. 6125, SODRE, Montevideo. 1216-1220 January 26. In // 1050 kHz. Music programme with old songs (tangos) 24422. 6140, Radio Montecarlo, Montevideo. 1221-1230 January 26. In // 930 kHz. Program: "Aquí está su disco". Music. ID by male as: "Desde Montevideo, República Oriental del Uruguay, transmite CX20... Montecarlo... 930 AM, la super radio". Weather report. 44444. 9620.6, SODRE, Montevideo. 1209-1215 January 26. In // 650 kHz. Program "Variedades Musicales". ID as: "Transmite CX6 en 650 kHz y CXA6 en 9620 kHz, emisoras de Radiodifusión Nacional, SODRE, Montevideo, República Oriental del Uruguay". Afterwards, program "Música de Zarzuela". 33422 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. "NUEVA LEY DE CONTENIDOS EN VENEZUELA, ¿UNA LEY MORDAZA? Estimado Don Guillermo, Reciba nuevamente un cordial saludo, esperando como siempre que se encuentre Ud. muy bien en compañia de todos los suyos. No sé si ha estado al tanto del acontecer político en nuestro país los últimos días, pero debe saber que la libertad de expresión y la democracia en Venezuela se encuentran en grave peligro debido a la radicalización que ha tomado el gobierno venezolano frente a los clamores de la sociedad por la definitiva salida del poder del Presidente Hugo Chávez Frías, que cada vez toma posiciones autocráticas con un claro matiz al favor de una ideología comunista disfrazada con el nombre de nuestro sagrado padre de la patria, calificándola como "Revolución Bolivariana". Al respecto con la presente, le anexo el texto completo de una controversial ley llamada por el gobierno como "Ley de Contenidos" con el cual se pretende controlar la información, así como también apropiarse de todas las emisoras de radio y televisión para ponerlas al servicio del gobierno. Esta ley afecta directamente a todos los medios de información de Venezuela, los cuales en uno de sus artículados se dice que debe suministar con anticipación toda la programación que se emitirá a través de los medios, para de esta manera ser evaluada. Espero que la pueda leer con detenimiento, y esté al tanto de lo que se pretende convertir con la libertad de expresión en Venezuela. Por otra parte, la evolución de los acontecimientos políticos en nuestro país están sucediendo muy rápidamente, por lo cual invitamos a todos aquellos que deseen conocer a profundidad lo que suceden aquí en Venezuela, visiten las siguientes páginas web: TV Venezolana: Globovisión: http://www.globovision.net Venevisión: http://www.venevisión.net Televen: http://www.televen.com CMT Canal Máximo Tv: http://www.cmttv.com Venezolana de Televisión (Gobierno): http://www.venezolanatv.com Radio Caracas Televisión: http://www.rctv.net Sin más por el momento Don Guillermo, muchas gracias por el momento y seguimos en contacto. Atentamente, 73´s. (Jorge García Rangel, Editor DX, Banda Tropical, Barinas, Venezuela, Jan 28, E-mail: jorge.garcia@rocketmail.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) Es un documento word muy largo de 156 kb. Sin duda se les envíe a quienes lo desean Don Jorge desde la dirEcción arriba (gh) UNIDENTIFIED. 5550, at 0100, Middle Eastern Station with continual instrumental music. No talk heard so unable to ID Language. Programme Signed off abruptly at 0342 UT. Very strong clear signal throughout will little or no QSB noted on signal. Glenn, Continual middle eastern instrumental music on 5550 kHz heard again this evening from before 1700 UT (Graham Powell, Wales, Jan 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Webmaster for the Online DX Logbook & 21 MHz.Com Full details available at: http://www.shortwave.org.uk UNIDENTIFIED. Asian, 22170, 1340 Jan 26, Chinese language program, at fair level. I tried all bands, and harmonic frequencies, but found no match. What I did find was a very strong Chinese jammer on 7390 (1/3 of 22170). I may have I received the 3rd harmonic of the station being jammed on 7390, but this is just speculative (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 22455 (3 x 7485), R Free Asia (presumed), 1355 Jan 26, Asian language program. Positive match to fundamental with second receiver/antenna. Harmonic was a little stronger then the fundamental, though both were weak. Heard YL speaking, and then interval signal, but I didn't recognize the tune. R Free Asia is listed for this time/frequency (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) SHORTWAVE COVERAGE MAPS A couple of new ones at http://www.hard-core-dx.com/covmaps/ Radio Kuwait >February 2002 >March 2002 Radio New Zealand International >February 2002 >March 2002 73! (Jari Perkiömäki, Vaasa, Finland, jpe@uwasa.fi DX LISTENING DIGEST) INTERNATIONAL REPLY COUPONS IRC OR USD? THAT IS THE QUESTION. The IRC discussion still continues on some of the DX reflectors about the use of IRCs and the ``NEW IRC``. OPDX was informed this week by David, PA0DVM, that in The Netherlands such a discussion no longer makes sense. The Dutch Post Office just informed him that from January 1, 2002 on, they stopped selling IRCs completely. So, for the amateurs in The Netherlands, the use of green stamps is the only possibility left, or they could try to collect IRCs from other countries. David added that airmail postage from Holland to outside Europe is 0.75 Euro, and that is well below one USD which is quite different from the situation in Germany. Also, Paul, G4XTA, reports/states the following to OPDX: ``I`ve seen all the hype about the NEW IRC`s and read that the USA and Australia already only issue the new type and that my stocks of old ones will be worthless soon. All the changes allegedly took place on January 1, 2002. BUT.......this just ain`t true! I`ve called the international section of the ROYAL MAIL here in the UK. They know nothing about it. All British Post Offices are still fully stocked with `OLD` type IRC`s which they continue to sell. I`ve also talked to many DXers in USA and Australia, and they`ve never seen the new type of IRC, and say that their post offices are also still selling the `OLD` ones.`` So, many DXers and QSL Manager, would have to ask what is going on? Do we dump the old IRC (cash in) or use them? Any advice would be appreciated... (KB8NW/OPDX January 28/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-016, January 26, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. 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 #1115: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210, Mon 0600 3210 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sun 0000, 0600, 1200 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-01 also via DXing.com: (STREAM) http://www.DXing.com/com0201.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.DXing.com/com0201.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0201.html NEXT AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130; Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Czech Republic/USA: RFE broadcasts to Afghanistan to start on 30 January | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 25 January: The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) radio station will start broadcasting to Afghanistan from Prague as of next Wednesday [30 January], FRE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told CTK today. First the station will broadcast two hours a day with the goal of achieving 12 hours of programmes in Pashto and Dari. A proposal for the broadcasts was approved by the US Congress and the Chamber of Representatives last November. The USA has allotted 19.5m dollars to launch the broadcasts and it will allot another 8m dollars in 2003 to cover the regular operational costs... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1802 gmt 25 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 9550.02, Bangladesh Betar 1827 26 Jan, Talk in English by man, with ID given at 1831: "You are listening to the external service of Bangladesh", followed by local music with female vocals. Good signal with QRM on USB and some hum on the audio (Mark Fine, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Re R. Soberanía, DXLD 2-015: This station was operating on 98.1 MHz, says article in newspaper El Deber http://www.eldeber.net/20020123/nacional_2.html (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CANADIAN FORECASTER GIVES SHIPS A GUIDING HAND "A Canadian man is being credited with saving hundreds of ships over the past 15 years with accurate radio forecasts broadcast from his basement. Sailors simply call him 'Herb.' " A profile on Herb Hilgenberg VAX498 who operates a marine weather net on 12359 kHz USB at 2000-2200 UT was aired on CTV News January 23, 2002. Text and video available at http://www.ctvnews.com Can find it under Features, then Success. Or by going to archive for Jan 23 under Success. It's a tough site to navigate though (WADE SMITH, NB, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Unfortunately the air waves are filled tonight with reminiscences of Peter Gzowski who died today. You have probably heard the radio coverage, As It Happens etc. There has also been a lot on TV, CBC Newsworld has had two one hour specials including a phone-in. Even Talk TV the CTV owned channel aimed at a somewhat younger crowd interviewed Shelagh Rogers of This Morning. Lots of info at http://www.cbc.ca PETER GZOWSKI- BROADCASTING'S 'MISTER CANADA' http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/gzowski_peter/index.html A special four hour This Morning begins at 8 am local time on Radio One tomorrow [Friday]. (WADE SMITH, NB, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 940 News had a short report with audio clip on Peter Gzowski's death tonight. It was very fitting to hear the end of his last Morningside on the "former" CBM 940 (Ricky Leong, QC, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Interesting to note that 940 News was making Gzowski's death the lead story last evening, while CJAD was burying it near the end of the newscasts. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, QB, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This the eulogy that will appear in the March `Monitoring Times`... IN MEMORIAM PETER GZOWSKI (1934-2002) If you never were fortunate enough to have experienced the broadcast work of Peter Gzowski, take my word for this. You are the poorer for it. Peter was not an international broadcaster --- at least, not an intentional one. Morningside, the CBC Radio program Gzowski so elegantly shepherded for fifteen years, was relayed for some of those years by Radio Canada International and the CBC North Quebec shortwave service. This was almost accidental, brought about by RCI budget cuts. How fortunate. Put succinctly, Gzowski and Morningside were all about Canada. Notwithstanding RCI`s fine efforts to bring Canada to the world, the essence of Canada was right here all along. Peter remains the best interviewer I`ve ever heard. He had a knack for asking the question that you would`ve asked when you would`ve asked it. He had a respect for his guests that is sometimes seen as passe today. He didn`t so much try to challenge their ideas as challenge them to reveal all they could about whatever it was they came to talk about. In so doing, he had a capacity to make things that you might`ve initially thought uninteresting, most interesting. He listened. That may seem too simple; but in truth, it is all too rare. He raised that talent to an art form. For me, he embodied all the qualities that makes radio the powerful and superior medium it is. The desire --- no, the need --- to hear his program when it was no longer on RCI led me to do some pretty drastic things with receivers and antennae so I might be able to pull in, even faintly, the nearest CBC affiliate several hundred miles away. Radio in Canada has not been the same since he retired from Morningside. I dare say, Canada will not be the same now that he has retired from this life. The CBC web site has a tribute to Peter Gzowski that includes audio, video and text. It may be accessed at http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/gzowski_peter/index.html (John Figliozzi, NY, ODXA via DXLD) ... and CBC Ideas program at 8 pm local (7:30 NFL) [sic] is pre-empted by a special two-hours (repeat of the mo(U)rning show of 4 hours?) on Peter Gzowski. For those readers not in Canada and relying only on Radio Canada International, the Gzowski death was 3/4 of the front page of most newspapers across the country on Friday, with several full pages inside and editorial cartoons, tributes. The CBC's English talk show Cross-Country Checkup will also be devoted to Gzowski on Sunday. In the Toronto Star on Friday 600 lines here, front page story. Front page of Globe and Mail with basic story, national political tributes, reminiscence taking altogether 75 percent of front page, continuing to a full interior page. Full op-ed page in Globe with cartoon, short editorial on smoking and Gzowski. Here in the Vancouver Sun, 5000 km away from Toronto (but biggest paper in Canwest chain) It is the sole banner at the top, major 8-inch 4 col portrait of Gzowski [ Z aw skee] in dark fairisle sweater looking at the camera (from National Film Board), editorial cartoon, full op-ed appreciation by national Ottawa writers. I imagine other papers are similar. One read the morning newspaper (all papers are morning), listened to the radio, then at 9 turned to Peter's show to see who he had brought into the studio or on the phone to comment on the issues of the day or the week. The daily national supplement or second section. And there is no part of the country that didn't have reception of the CBC program 'bicycled' across the country 9 - 12 (8:30 Newfoundland). [sic] Probably more on Saturday. I see that the Globe, perhaps others, is soliciting online comments to their web site, but the letters pages will be filled for a few years with appreciations, etc. And he's been off the air for several years, but what a power he had in his voice, his writings and some of his views. Sound files on the http://www.cbc.ca site if you were curious (Daniel Say, BC, swprograms via DXLD) THE VOICE OF CANADA Peter Gzowski, who died yesterday, once said, 'This country is my beat' MARK ABLEY, Montreal Gazette, Friday, January 25, 2002 Peter Gzowski, the broadcaster and writer who was for many years the best-loved voice of English Canada, died yesterday in a Toronto hospital. He was 67 years old, and had been suffering from chronic lung disease. Mr. Gzowski achieved his greatest fame as host of the CBC Radio show Morningside, a job he held from 1982 to 1997. He became such an institution that his retirement from Morningside was front-page news and his final show was broadcast on TV as well as radio. As he once observed, "This country is my beat." ... FULL STORY: http://www.canada.com/search/site/story.asp?id=6FE6CBB2-4F26-48DA-9C0A-4E0A7EB7B9A8 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) GZOWSKI: HE PUT CANADIANS AT EASE CBC Radio broadcast legend is dead at 67 Greg Quill, Arts Writer He brought profound thought and small talk into our kitchens and private morning spaces. He asked questions that were, more often than not, longer than the answers, and put prime ministers, pop stars, professors, philosophers and poseurs alike on the spot with his disarmingly warm way of getting people to talk about things they didn't want to talk about... LONG story: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/ Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1011913859657&call_page=TS_Canada&call_pageid= 968332188774&call_pagepath=News/Canada (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) January 24, 2002 PETER GZOWSKI'S CONTRIBUTION TO LITERACY IN CANADA CALLED `IMMEASURABLE' TORONTO (CP) -- Peter Gzowski will be remembered by most for his time on CBC Radio. His was the voice that accompanied millions of Canadians through years of mornings. But before, during and after his radio career, Gzowski was a writer. He wrote for the student paper at the University of Toronto; he wrote for small daily newspapers, then big daily newspapers, and for magazines. He also edited Maclean's for awhile. And he wrote books -- 16 in all-- about his years on Morningside, compilations of columns he wrote for Canadian Living magazine, about hockey and horse racing, and in 1980, The Sacrament, the harrowing story of a young couple from Saskatchewan who survived a plane crash in Idaho. "Because he had so many other careers, newspaperman, magazine writer and editor, radio personality, TV personality, etc., etc., etc., it was easy for people to forget that he was first and last a writer," said Doug Gibson, president and publisher of McClelland & Stewart. "We found that we had to remind him of that when we went out with a new book." Gibson, who edited Gzowski's last book, A Peter Gzowski Reader, said Gzowski was a major presence on the Canadian publishing scene both as a writer with his own work and "most spectacularly as a reader and an enthusiast for books." "It was famously true that when an author was on Morningside in Peter Gzowski's heyday, and spoke well about his or her book, booksellers across the country found their phones ringing off the hook and people coming into their stores." said Gibson. "He was our Oprah." Gibson said Gzowski's love of Canadian writers and writing had an enormous impact on the popularity of Canadian books in this country. But Gzowski's passion for reading and writing went beyond authors and radio plugs for their books. In 1986, he got together with Frontier College, the organization that trains and recruits students as literacy volunteers, for the first Golf Tournament for Literacy. Since then the annual tournaments have raised $6 million and are now held in every province and two territories. Golfing for literacy in Nunavut will begin soon. John O'Leary, president of Frontier College, said Gzowski's contribution to literacy in Canada is immeasurable. "There's no other individual who has made as much a contribution to this cause as Peter," said O'Leary. "He has mobilized tens of thousands of people from Newfoundland to B.C. to become volunteers and advocates." He said Gzowski brought the issue of literacy to the attention of every premier and prime minister since 1986, in many cases personally. And he called influential media people, community leaders, musicians and creative people and got them out to the tournaments. "Everyone would return his phone calls," said O'Leary. Both Gibson and O'Leary called Gzowski a true Canadian star, but one who used his celebrity thoughtfully. "He was very Canadian in the sense that he didn't bask in the public spotlight," said Gibson. "Instead he shuffled in the public spotlight." Gibson said it was paradoxical that Gzowski, whom millions of people felt they knew because he spoke so personally to them on the radio every morning was really very shy when they met him in the flesh. "He was a huge star in a Canadian context. When you look at the recognition that he's received for his careers -- the plural is significant -- I think you're talking a dozen honorary degrees, which is quite extraordinary. "And you're looking at a huge number of very varied awards, including the Companion of the Order of Canada." (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) As marvelous as it is working in a field which boasts such creative genius, I find it difficult to describe the sadness I feel at having lost, in as many weeks, two of my broadcast heros. Many a lunchtime at the now closed Broadcast Centre cafeteria were brightened by Frank Shuster's wit and charm. I, a relative nobody in the broadcasting scheme of things, was as welcome in his world as any of the greats who also shared his circle, and many a chuckle were shared over coffee and sandwiches. His dedication to his craft and to his country are legendary. A truly lovely man was he. Peter Gzowski was such an icon, it is almost impossible to imagine him gone. About a year-and-a-half ago, whilst driving somewhere in rural Saskatchewan and listening to CBC's great Watrous transmitter, I enjoyed a program of Peter (in Toronto) interviewing a Simon Fraser University professor (in Vancouver) on the subject of this person's research into a Chinese musical storytelling artform. It was a truly Canadian experience! It never ceased to amaze me how Peter was able to speak to absolutely ANYONE on any topic. Fred Waterer really did catch the essence of the man in his posting to this group. He never found Canadian culture ellusive; he knew that it was to be found everywhere around him, and I was in awe of the man (Ori Siegel, ODXA via DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. GOTA set for February 16-17: The annual Guides on the Air --- or GOTA --- event will be held February 16-17. Although this event originated in Canada, it has spread to the US, and Brownies and Girl Scouts in the US are welcome to participate. Outside Canada, GOTA is known as "Thinking Day on the Air" (TDOTA). The purpose of this event is for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to meet through Amateur Radio. Suggested frequencies are 3733, 3788 and 3888 kHz; 7033 and 7288 kHz; 14,133 and 14,288 kHz; 21,288 kHz and 28,488 and 28,588 kHz (ARRL January 24 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** CHINA. Dear Glenn and all, There were some messages in DXLD on "Radio China International". I always thought the correct name was "China Radio International". Does the station identify itself in English as R.C.I. or C.R.I.? There are many Russian speaking DX-ers who don't worry about stations` correct names. They call station something like "Voice of Iran" meaning VOIRI or even just Iranian Radio. I think we always must use correct names and try to find out them if don't know (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I agree, but in the case of CHINA, the station is inconsistent. Yes, in English it is always ``China Radio International``, ``C.R.I.`` but I think this does not carry over to other languages, where that word order would not be permitted, or at least would sound strange. I know that in Spanish it is ``Radio Internacional de China`` even tho ``China Radio Internacional`` would be understood. Can`t speak of other languages. Another reason for avoiding ``R. China International`` in the first place was probably to avoid confusion with RCI -- Canada -- when abbr`d (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 4960: Thanks to a tip from Wolfgang I checked 4960 today at 1345-1405. As noted by others, the frequency ran continuous Chinese classical music, but apparently not in parallel with the usual jamming programme. On the other hand, I found synchronized parallels on 3980, 7265, 12010. The interesting thing is that 4960 also leaked a scratchy talk programme signal in the background. The ID on the hour was for Xinjiang Uighur or possibly Kazakh. This leak was traced only on 4960, but most likely all four transmitters are co-sited, given the separate programme and the well synchronized timing. So the reason why all the regional services from Xinjiang currently are off the air on SW seems to be that further transmitters are being put into operation. Here's the rest of this evening's observations of the Xinjiang (as presumed) tests: 1500-1700 on 5975, 7550, 9515, 12010. 7550 with Xinjiang PBS audio leak. 1700-1800 on 3980 (to 1758.40), 5975 (-1800), 3980 with the audio leak. 1800-2000 on 4960, 6065 (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 19, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. Even more of a mess from China in the 15040-15060 range. This morning, Jan. 25, I noted three transmissions in that range. 15040, 0958, Heard Chinese ID @ 1000, with "Beijing", so presumed to be from the PRC. 15050, 0957, Noisy distorted audio, obviously intended to jam Taiwan. 15060, 1000, 2 Chinese language stations at good level (1 at least, presumed to be Taiwan), until 1003 when the transmitter on 15050 jumped on top now in // with the one on 15040. The PRC transmissions on 15040 and 15060 were also in // with 15320 and 15665. All four frequencies were quite strong here. 15040 was gone by 1100 recheck (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) N.B., RFPI, tho not currently using 15040 at that hour (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA [non]. Re 7445 RFPI reception: Glenn, Hi, tonight Jan 25 at 1000 UT (8 PM MY TIME) there was a transmission of Chinese music, from Taipei again, by the sounds of it, so they are really using this frequency. I couldn't hear RFPI tonight at all, so will have to try them at an earlier time, will let you know tomorrow about reception, but they are not there when TBS is present. Later, Jan 26: Glenn, TBS Radio Taiwan International, is using 7445 kHz to North America, Pacific and Asia mainly from 1100 and also on 11985, they say directed to Chinese mainland, but in actual fact 11985 is clearer and cleaner here in Australia, where 7445 is marginally weaker. They were testing 7445 yesterday at 1000 with some traditional Chinese music (Merlin testing perhaps). Not heard today till usual 1100 sign on. All on till 1200 sign off. 73 (Tim Gaynor, Nerang Q, Australia, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Are you sure of the names? I thought it was R. Taibei International, and didn`t know they used `TBS` either. You mean CBS? (gh, DXLD) [non non]. Hi Glenn, tuned in to RFPI Costa Rica, earlier tonight, at 0730, heard your program, followed by internet radio show at 0800 (interactive listener based show), noted that just before 1000, they went clear (or did they switch to AM? Not audible here). Last night TBS signed on an hour earlier, at 1000, with some traditional Chinese music but not there tonight till the usual 1100 sign on. Is TBS playing cat and mouse with RFPI? (Tim Gaynor, Nerang Q Australia, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. 5953.9, Radio Casino reactivated on Jan 24 after being off about a week. Nice signal at 1030 with IDs. 2559.8 Harmonic: Radio Alajuela // 5119.6 at 1130 Jan 19 with the latter being much stronger. Both had man and woman talking in Spanish. 1280v x 2 and 4. On 4965.8, University Network, heard Dr. Gene here at 1020 Jan 19; I guess this is a spur from 5029. Fair signal found. I search this range/times a few times a week and first time I have heard this one (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CROATIA. Re DXLD 2-014: Croatian Radio HS-1 observed on 6165 1100 January 24/25, nothing heard on 6150 (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Croatia was back on usual 6165 today (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. Cuba's Arnie Coro, CO2KK, to speak in US: Well-known Cuban amateur Arnie Coro, CO2KK, the host of DXers Unlimited on Radio Havana, will be the featured speaker at the Colorado QRP Club annual banquet. The event will be held in Aurora, Colorado, Saturday, February 16. For more information, contact Rich High, W0HEP, cqcdinner@aol.com, or visit the Colorado QRP Club web site http://www.cqc.org Coro also will present a program on antennas during the ARA Swapfest, February 17 in Denver (ARRL January 24 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) photo of Coro at http://www2.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/01/24/3/?nc=1 ** ECUADOR. HCJB: Le service français diffuse une annonce en demandant aux auditeurs de se manifester. Le résultat de cette enquête permettra de déterminer l'avenir du service. La fermeture ne serait-elle donc pas définitive? (Jean-Michel Aubier, http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) Hmm, I wonder if they ever came up with a French slogan matching their call letters? (gh, DXLD) ** EUROPE. Dear DXers! The European free radio station Power 41 will be on air on Sunday (27/January/2002) with a modulation and antenna test on 7495 kHz. We are on air with an short own transmission and with 2 relay transmissions for the German free radio stations "Star Club Radio" and "Radio Metropolis". The schedule for Sunday : 0500-0530 UT Power 41 0530-0630 UT Relay Star Club Radio 0800-0830 UT Power 41 0830-0930 UT Relay Radio Metropolis 0930-1030 UT Relay Star Club Radio Mode will be AM and the power will be 100 Watt ERP. The transmission at 0500 will be for DXers outside of Europe! So please if you listen to us send us an mail to: POWER41@aol.com ! reception reports via snailmail for Star Club Radio and Radio Metropolis please to this address: P. O. Box 100621, 45806 Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Many greetings and good DX from the crew of POWER 41! (via Andy Cadier, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** FRANCE. See LIBYA ** GERMANY [non?]. Yesterday 24 during bandscanning and today 25.1 I have found 3 spurs of DW of 11615 on the following freqs: 12975 fair, 14610 good, and 15405 fair with programming in Romanian at 0845 and presume Serbian after 0930? (did not check the time). Muffled modulation, supposedly 'FMish', but Yupiteru 7100 today seems not to decode it on FMN. Better listening is on AM wide. Main receiver is Phillips D2935 on office (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. Notes from an interview of Wolf Harranth (ROI/Intermedia on Jan 25) with the head of the German Eurosonor-Radio project: The last programme was aired on Dec 29, but the station just takes a break and intends to return in about three or four months. The originally used transmitter site "in Bulgaria" suffered from lacking "engineering conditions", but the switch to Krasnodar was also driven by "administrative reasons". (Kai Ludwig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. Over the next two years, five virtually new transmitters, an antenna matrix switch, a test load and a new automation system will be installed which will make AWR Guam a state-of-the-art shortwave radio broadcast station (AWR Current via Sergey Kolesov, Ukraine, Feb World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** HONDURAS. Re 2541.5: Finally listened to the files this evening. The one from Hans is amazingly good, and clear Radio Sonaguera and Valle del Aguan [is that really Aguán? --- gh]. I thought the ID on yours sounded more like "Sonag*o*ra, but probably a trick of the noise level. I was never to Sonaguera, but I did make the Ceiba-Olanchito-Trujillo trip in 1983 for Easter week. The Olanchito-Trujillo highway passes south of Sonaguera through Tocoa. In 1989 in Michigan I heard and QSLed Radio Mundial 2 x 1430 = 2860 kHz from Tocoa. It's one of just a couple LAm QSLs I have. The Valle del Aguan is a real big banana-growing area. From the road everything is flat banana fields as far as you can see to the distant mountain peaks to the south with occasional banana towns here and there. Nothing particularly of interest to the traveler until you get to the coast. Paul Theroux's novel "The Mosquito Coast" took place in this area, specifically in a spot about 30 km south of where the Aguan river runs into the sea. Theroux's story took place in the 1980s, when the book was written, yet his geography was totally outdated. He described it as taking several days to reach this spot, yet at the time is was only about two miles from a paved highway. He also said the only ways in/out of La Ceiba were by boat or plane, yet the city had been connected to the rest of the country by paved roads since the 1960s and by railroad since early in the century. For decades the Valle del Aguan was practically an independent country ruled by the US fruit companies. I've read accounts of people traveling through the region in the 1930s & 1940s, and it is amazing what it was like - US style housing complexes with swimming pools and tennis courts built in the middle of nowhere for the American company workers (and fenced off to keep the local people out). In the 1950s (1957, I think it was), there was a huge lengthy walkout strike that basically closed down all the banana industry in Honduras. The workers didn't give in and eventually their new union was recognized, they got a decent (by Honduran standard) wage and benefits - and they got the Honduran govt. to put some labor laws in place, especially ones protecting unions. Honduras has the some of the best labor laws and strongest unions in Latin America. The fruit companies, of course, were still there - they owned the land and everything - but they had to change their attitude somewhat. When I lived in Honduras in the 1980s, the banana plantation jobs were among the best in Honduras in terms of pay & benefits. From what I hear, it's not quite as good anymore. Hurricane Mitch wiped out a lot of plantations & infrastructure, and it is only slowly being rebuilt. The companies have cut back somewhat on Honduran production because they can grow them cheaper in other countries where there aren't the unions. Also, because Honduras had been the biggest producer of bananas for several decades, a lot of the banana land is wearing out from over-production and too many chemicals (Don Moore, IA, Jan 25, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ICELAND. RUV transmission on 12120 kHz at 2300 UT 24 Jan was almost completely buried by very strong RTTY. They were much better off on 11402 (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Just wondering what causes all the `spikes` in Iceland`s coverage. Must be an unusual type of antenna? (gh to Jari) [See bottom] Yes, that is the radiation pattern of the rhombic antenna; it has a strong main lobe but also has strong side lobes which then are on both sides of the main lobe. However, the antenna chosen for the maps is just a guestimation because I do not have exact details of RUV's antenna. 73 (Jari Perkiömäki, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. [dx_india] Republic Day parade commentry Friends, Today January 26, 2002, India is celebrating its Republic Day. The running commentary of parade held at New Delhi is noted from 0350 UT today. It will continue till 0630 approx. All stations of AIR are relaying it. Hindi and English versions of the commentary are noted on following special frequencies: 6155 Hindi (replaces Urdu Service) 9565 English 9595 Hindi (replaces Urdu Service) 11620 Hindi (replaces Urdu Service) 11735 English 11790 Hindi 15020 English 15770 Hindi (replaces External Service) Among other things, a new TV Channel of Doordarshan called DD Bharati will start transmissions from today evening. With Republic Day Greetings, 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via DXLD) History now, but the above was posted before it was too late both on our Anomaly Alert and Calendar pages. Couldn`t hear any of the frequencies here (gh, OK, DXLD) ** INDIA. Friends, AIR Gangtok is heard on 3390 but with weak signals. AIR External Services via Aligarh on 9910 is still noted having some problems. The transmitter is noted on and off in between programs. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india Jan 26 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. DX Information from the British DX Club Arn't Caroline supposed to be interested in the '171 kHz' project as Delta failed to meet the Deadline of 1st January 2002, or I have dreamt this? (Ken Fletcher, BDXC-48, 1922 UT 25th January 2002) Well they are and they aren't, so to speak. Peter Moore has written to the Dutch DTI expressing an interest, but in a newsletter published in the January Horizon magazine by Caroline Sales he says they are looking at Sky or perhaps Worldspace and that the only way for Caroline to progress is outside of the conventional radio industry. Using 171 kHz would clearly be inside the conventional radio business. The fact is Caroline have no cash and can hardly afford any maintenance on their rusting ship; nobody will invest money with Radio Caroline as it is a one man business with virtually no assets, virtually everything they use is rented. The owner wishes to remain in sole control and will not apparently contemplate setting up a properly constituted company so as to attract external investment. It is suggested that any Radio Caroline not managed by the present regime would not be the real Caroline. So any expansion to bring Radio Caroline back into main stream broadcasting is very unlikely. Looking at the fortune or should I say misfortune of Atlantic 252 it makes one wonder if LW frequencies are overpriced. I understand TalkSport took over this station for 2 million quid, which is cheap compared with the 12 million that has been suggested it will cost to build a sea borne transmitter set-up in the North Sea or the IOM. Radio Caroline have also suggested that they be given access to 225kHz (an under used LW frequency once cleared for use in Britain by the BBC) under the Access Radio conditions. The Radio Authority are saying they do not have any LW frequencies for use for independent radio. I suspect with so much effort being used to sell DAB the last thing they want to be seen to be doing is licensing music stations on the crackly LW band. Sorry to be so long winded! (Andy Cadier, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRELAND. Received a partial data QSL letter from Susannah Wilson, PR Executive at TEAMtalk Media group for report on TEAMtalk 252. Official launch will be February 25th when 252 kHz will become // the internet audio which has been on for over a year (Wade Smith, NB, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Why take so long? (gh, DXLD) ** IRELAND. DX Target: Jolly Roger Radio International FREE RADIO FROM THE EMERALD ISLE --- By Richard A. D'Angelo The 2001-2002 DX season started off nicely in North America. There was a boom in Europirate activity during the late summer months that continued into the early fall. Consequently, a number of Europirate station have been heard on a regular basis along the East Coast of North America making DXing a lot of fun. As the cold nights of winter close in, Europirate activity should continue to be red hot. One of those stations adding to that listening enjoyment has been Jolly Roger Radio International ("JRRI") from Ireland. Since Ireland does not have a licensed domestic or international service, either private or from the government, the only way to log and verify Ireland as a radio country today is through tuning into a Europirate transmission from the Emerald Isle. For this DX season, it looks like one of the best ways to hear and verify Ireland is by tuning in to JRRI Radio. Background Joe Vincent is the DJ, founder, operator and QSL manager at JRRI. According to Joe, "We are a free radio station, we are classed as pirates of the airwaves, because we do not have a licence to broadcast on short wave. We fly the Jolly Roger flag, hence Jolly Roger Radio Ireland. In recent years we use call letters only and we are known as JRRI or simply JRR International." Joe always had a great love for listening to radio stations back in the 1960's; especially distant ones. Sounds like a natural DX'er to me! Along with his late brother, they discovered pirate radio stations such as Radio North Sea International and Radio Caroline. One night while listening to a small transistor radio in bed after Trans World Radio closed down, on came a new station, this was Radio Geronimo. Joe was very fond of the music they played. Joe found that at Radio Geronimo "they cursed and swore just to prove that they were liberated. This was much more exciting than listening to TWR at night time. Alternative Radio was very attractive to me from this time onwards." Shortly thereafter, numerous pirate stations began operating in Ireland. Joe's favorite station was ABC Radio on 1026 AM. According to Joe Vincent, "There were some real exciting and English DJs on ABC such as Richard Staines, Clive Derek, Dave Windsor, Andy Ellis, Dave Hunt, John Lewis and they all had a history of pirate radio, having worked on The Voice Of Peace, Radio Caroline and well known shortwave pirates as well, including Radio Zenith and Superclan Radio." Later he was introduced to his favorite DJ Richard Staines. They began talking about shortwave radio and home made transmitters. Joe discovered that ABC Radio was on shortwave every Sunday so with a small shortwave transmitter he relayed ABC Radio from his home. Although he had great fun doing the relays, with the transmitter so close to his home, he couldn't listen for other shortwave pirates on the weekends. He then recorded his own show using the station name of Riverside Radio International. About a week or so after broadcasting he had a bundle of letters at his Waterford address. Riverside Radio International was now a new pirate station and was logged every week in the Anoraks UK newsletter. This station lasted for a few years. It was in 1988 that JRRI was formed and it has been on the airwaves on a weekly basis since then. The station has a team of dedicated C&W DJs consisting of Ted Clark, Holland, Eddie Russell, Texas, USA, Chuck Wilson, Ireland, Bjarne Christensen, Denmark, and Big Bill Harris, Nebo, North Carolina, USA. Also, Joe Vincent records or does live shows every week on JRRI and sometimes those go out on Riverside FM as well. The station has had many guest DJs as well down the years, including Roger Davis, Richard Staines, Richard Grahame, Johnny B., David Dew, Nicholas Sharp, Ron D. Heney etc. JRRI specializes in C&W, folk and non-mainstream music. The Station JRRI was born in November, 1988. During this time all the radio stations that operated in Ireland on medium wave, FM and shortwave were closing down voluntary in the hope of obtaining a license to broadcast. Over 100 Irish pirate stations closed down but only about 20 licenses were granted. At the end of November 2001, JRRI Radio celebrated 14 years of pirate broadcasting. As well as being on shortwave every weekend, they now broadcast locally on 107 FM. The station has never had any problems with local authorities. They play mostly country and western, Irish, folk, bluegrass, Cajun and rockabilly music. Also, from time-to-time they relay radio shows by various recording groups without any advertisements, political talks, etc. Maybe this low profile has helped JRRI stay out of trouble with the authorities. Jolly Roger Radio International operates on 6,239 kHz with a 180-watt transmitter, which was revamped in April 2001. The transmitter is home made. The station sports a new antenna as well. This combination surely is working as they report being heard on a regular basis in the U.S.A. during autumn. JRRI has a standby transmitter on 6395 kHz with just 50 watts output that is always on. They have good friends at Laser Hot Hits and Britain Radio International, which have helped them stay on the air over the years. The station has quite an array of equipment in the studio, including several CD players, Mini Disc recorders, double tape decks and a mixer, record decks, as well as a radio scanner. Jolly Roger Radio International is Europe's most westerly free radio station on shortwave. JRRI has been heard in seven continents direct from Ireland. Thanks to pirate broadcaster friends in Europe, North and South America, as well as the pacific region for various relays on shortwave and FM, JRRI has been heard around the world. The station will gladly facilitate relays of other free radio stations at any time. Over the years, JRRI has had a selection of colorful QSL cards with listeners having a chance of getting a different one for various reception reports. The station is very friendly and responds to listener reception reports. You can contact its operator, Joe Vincent, at: JRRI, Post Box 39, Waterford , IRELAND You can also e-mail the JRRI Radio at jr_radio@hotmail.com (Richard A. D`Angelo, Feb World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** IRELAND. 27731 NFM, presumed site, 1310 Jan 20 with church service, choral mx thru mess and quickly lost. Another similar format on 27681.7 NFM arnd same time, latter with telco audio. Both unreadable thru outbander QRM. Had some readable speech (if you can understand Welsh accents anyway) on other random UK/IRL CB fqys from 27601 to 27991 NFM, first time here in FL that has been so, otherwise usually just unreadable pileups of weak sigs; fading is very heavy (David Crawford, FL, DX-plorer) I suspect these are wireless headphones using the 27 MHz range. I remember that similar devices have been used here in Germany for relaying church services to handicapped people (Harald Kuhl, Germany, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** IRELAND [non]. Hello, this is what I had found some years ago about this broadcast. DTI Press Release - 12 February 1999 The Radiocommunications Agency confirmed today that it is illegal to use Citizen's Band Radio for broadcasting church services. The announcement follows the discovery last year that a number of churches were using CB Radio to broadcast church services to parishioners unable to attend the service. Whilst the Radiocommunications Agency recognise the value of broadcasting services to the elderly and housebound, Citizen's Band radio is not an appropriate band for broadcasting. It is designed for short term social or business conversation and lengthy services can jam the channels. There is also concern that CB is not a protected service, leaving it open to interference from other users and making it unsuitable for religious purposes. The CB Licence conditions therefore have been amended to clarify further that such use is not permitted. Other minor changes have also been made at this time and all changes will be effective from 1 March 1999. Use of CB radio other than in accordance with a licence is an offence under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 and offenders may face fines and/or imprisonment. The courts can also order apparatus or other things used in the offence forfeit. The Agency does recognise that there is a demand for this service, potentially across all religions and discussions are ongoing to identify spectrum more suited to this purpose. regards (karel, BDXC via DXLD) No nation is mentioned in the above item, but I suspect it be the UK, not Ireland, with such terminology as the DTI and the RA (gh, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. From: http://www.offshore-radio.de/ In a not really surprising move, the people behind the project to bring a new peace station to Israel have put it on a "back burner" for the meanwhile. The results of a feasibility study made here recently by the Harry de Winter group showed that it is not ready to start a radio station with a peace orientated theme at this time under the present Israeli broadcasting laws, and the offshore option was also ruled out. A spokesman for the project told me that they will approach the subject (of peace) from "other angles". (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ITALY. Rai: Their recent frequency change at 1935-1955 English, to 9745 (ex-9760) is of not much use, as Voice Of Turkey already occupies this one (Silvain Domen, Belgium, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Duh! (gh) ** JAPAN. My friend Masao Hosoya in Tokyo sent me some new Japanese postage stamps commemorating the 50th anniversary of commercial broadcasting in Japan. The 80 yen stamps include a picture of an old microphone, plus the shape of a television in the three primary colors used on color television screens: red, blue, and green (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Jan 19 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. QSLs from Voice of Korea (former R. P`yongyang) Hi Gordon, Sue, Glenn, and "The List": All of your comments have been quite accurate, including Sue's regarding mail from the States to the DPRK. In fact, Passport to World Band Radio indicates mail from the US to DPRK has sometimes ended up in the ROK, with listeners receiving anti-Communist materials in return. QSLs from the DPRK station have been sporadic recently, but here are some methods I have tried with varying success: (1) I sent one report via China Radio Int'l with a pleasant note requesting they "forward the enclosed letter" to the DPRK. The letter to Radio Pyongyang was in a sealed envelope ready to be remailed from China to the DPRK. I also included a reception report for China Radio Int'l with a request for a CRI QSL; and included small souvenirs, and a couple US$ to cover postage costs from China to the DPRK. In time I received a very nice QSL from both stations along with some small souvenirs. This was in 1997. (2) A method suggested as a possibility in PWBR is to address your letter direct to the DPRK address, and then write "Via Beijing, China" at the bottom. (3) A reliable source listed in PWBR that I have used is to send my report and envelope inside another envelope to Willi Passman, Oberhausener Str 100, D-45476, Mulheim, Germany. If you send it via Willi the PWBR recommends a couple IRCs to cover his expenses. Instead I sent him a US $2 bill, which is somewhat rare overseas. (If you include your e-mail address Willi might be able to acknowledge that he received your report for forwarding) [The US $2 bill seems to be well appreciated by station staff at some radio stations too as it as it is not commonly found overseas. A couple times I have received thank-you notes with QSLs for me sending the bill instead of two IRCs!] (4) Another reliable source is a fellow DXer in Japan, Sonny Ashimori, but I don't have his address handy at this time. I used the same method identified in item #3, above). Finally, whatever method you use be sure and use the "proper" country name. Even though we here in the states refer to "North Korea" and "South Korea", the proper name for North Korea is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and for South Korea it is the Republic of Korea. Obtaining hard to get QSLs can be made slightly easier by using the country name preferred by it's citizens !! Good luck (Lee Silvi, Mentor, Ohio, Jan 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. Re my report of this 6810-USB clandestine: Jan 23rd at 1628 listened again on 6810 and under heavy jamming several announcements as "Dengi Komala". Seemingly the program started at 1630. They gave their web-site as http://www.komala.org Sent report to e-mail addresses of Radio Komala and Komala Netherlands repr. given on this web but no reply so far. The Swedish repr. e-mail bounced back. The transmission was USB reduced carrier. I had no chance to check this other days; maybe this program is on only once, twice a week as I have seen reports that Azadi Kurdistan is also on this freq. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Jan 25, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** LIBYA. Any ideas as to how the Libyans are feeding those French transmitters? Already for a couple of years LJB carries its TV program via a certain Eutelsat bird (II-F3 if not replaced by a new one meanwhile, anyway the one on the 16 degrees East position), and also Voice of Africa is available there on a subcarrier. There were reports about another Libyan network carried via Issoudun, too, but it would be no big deal to just add another subcarrier on this existing transmission. (anon. via WB) Hi, That's a deal for A-02 season. The tests in past six weeks mostly towards ME and Af originate from Libya soil. There were so many breaks on the Libyan transmissions, sometimes on three of four freqs, and also the 25 and 31 mb signals are so thin and lousy in strength some days, never originate from France ! 73 de wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So A-02 suddenly start 50 freq/hours a day with no test phase? My money is on at least some of this current stuff coming from France. Same freqs/times in many cases yes? ... (Hans Johnson to WB) In case that is really true, I think they use a new built, different 'sharp bundled' antenna type, like the Made by French Thomson company removable antennas, like at DTK Nauen location near Berlin. Consist two rows of dipoles like 4x4 or 4x6 in both directions and a metallic curtain in between. There is really no back and side lobe signal of the antenna installation. The 9415, 11715 and 11865 kHz Libyan outlets have been on poor S=1 to S=2 signal level, compared to roaring RFI outlets on 9790/9805 or 11615/11700/11995 and others. Though the 13 mb channels and 17695 were all on even .00 kHz. And coming 7330 channel will roaring into Germany too. 73 de (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Libya/France: Well, 9415 is right now quite weak and fluttery, certainly matching Issoudun as origin. So that's the next new user of the Centre E I wondered for. Speechless for tonight, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. To DX Editors, DXers and radio enthusiasts: Fundamental Broadcasting Network (USA) will be testing via Lithuania again. There will be at least two more weekend tests, at different times to find out the best reception in target areas. 1. Saturday Jan. 26 at 0600 UT on 612 kHz MW 2. Saturday Jan. 26 at 0800 UT on 9710 kHz towards Russia 3. Sunday Jan. 27 at 1000 UT on 9710 kHz towards Western Europe 4. Saturday Feb. 2 on 612 kHz MW 5. Saturday Feb. 2 on 9710 kHz towards Russia 6. Sunday Feb. 3 on 9710 kHz towards Western Europe Times (UT) for the weekend February 2/3 may be the same as January 26/27, or different if FBN chooses to change them. To be announced, so to say. 612 kHz is 50 kW from Vilnius, 9710 kHz is 100 kW from Sitkunai. Reception reports should be addressed to: Fundamental Broadcasting Network, 520 Roberts Road, Newport, NC 28570 USA Email: fbn@bmd.clis.com 73 de (Sigitas Zilionis, Vilnius, Lithuania, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAWI. Update on Malawi reactivation from Chris Greenway in Nairobi, 25 January: Just been listening to the reactivated Malawi on 7130 kHz. It closed, somewhat suddenly, at 1630 (25 January), which was a pity as the signal was good. Last night it was going past 1700 but had closed by 1730 or so. So, should be a possible late afternoon catch in the UK unless you have something strong on 7130. It is spot on channel and with good audio. In the mornings it is not on first thing, but is there by 0600. Even here in Nairobi, reception in the middle of the day is very poor (southern hemisphere summer conditions). (Chris Greenway, Kenya, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. SINALIZA COM QSL: Rubens Ferraz Pedroso, atuante dexista de Bandeirantes-PR, nos informa que a R. Mauritânia, que emite sua programação na freqüência de 4845 kHz desde Nouakchott, enviou a mensagem abaixo via e-mail ( rm@m... ) [truncated by yahoogroups] como resposta ao reporte enviado: "Radio Mauritanie est très fière de vous compter parmi ses auditeurs et vous remercie d'avance pour l'interêt que vous portez à l'écoute de ses programmes; Sur ce, je vous enverrai une certe QSL par courrier postal pour confirmation de la réception. Salutations amicales Le chef de Service diffusion Hanne Abou" Guillermo German Barrionevo diz que o "pulo do gato" para obter esta exótica confirmação é o envio do informe de recepção em idioma francês. Não perca esta chance (@tividade DX Jan 26 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. unID: 9290, 0010-0020+, 20-Jan; Extreeemely distorted strong sig; almost makes it in FM. Not //9335 WBCQ or other nearby freqs but very tough to compare. Same 2319 next nite. Sig about equal 9280-90 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) We know who doesn`t read DXLD, don`t we? :) (gh, DXLD) ** NEPAL [non]. Hi Glen[n], please find the latest schedule of Everest radio --- but no frequency?? Regards (Baiju Prabhakar, Dubai, UAE, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Currently on 6035 via Austria (gh, DXLD) Dear Baiju, Thank you very much for your e-mail. please find below our latest programmes schedule. Studio:- London Transmission:- Broadcasting live 9-10pm (UK time) Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. [2100-2200 UT] Features: * News about Nepal. * Local Community activities. * Interviews (Local & visiting guests from Nepal). * Greetings & dedications/requests. * Travel guide to Nepal (Namaste Nepal). * Letters/Post cards/e-mail/internet. * Nepalese music (Folk/Modern/Instrumental). * Gifts/Prizes etc. For more information please write to: Everest Radio, 226 Greenford Ave., Hanwell, London, W7 3QT, UK For any community news please phone, fax, or e-mail to our newsroom: Tel: +44 (0) 20 8840 7645, Fax: +44 (0) 20 8840 3449, Mobile: +44 (0) 7989 154730 (Bijaya Thapa) E-mail: everestradio@hotmail.com With Best Regards, (Bijaya Thapa, Director, Everest Radio, London, via Baiju, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [?]. Hello listeners, Classic Rock Radio will be active the coming weekend 27-01-2002 in the 41 meter band between 7470-7480 kHz independent what is free, starting around 0800 UT; hopely are the conditions good. Of course you will heard only classic rock music with a little info, but the mostly continue classic rock music. Greetings Classic rock radio. http://www.geocities.com/classicrockradio voor [sic] more info. (SW Pirates Group via Gayle Van Horn, Monitoring Times chat Jan 24 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. CUPIDO RADIO realizará una transmisión el próximo domingo 27 de Enero, comenzando a las 1300 UT en 21.895 kHz. La emisión sera en modo AM, 60 watts de potencia, y la antena estará orientada primeramente a América del Sur, y luego será orientada hacia Norteamérica. QTH: P.O. Box 9, 8096 ZG Oldebroek, Holanda. Buena cacería entonces! 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Desde Holanda, el pasado domingo 20, estuvo transmitiendo Radio Cupido, en los 21895 a partir de las 1230 siendo escuchada en todo Norteamérica e inclusive en algunas partes de Sudamérica, se informó en varios medios (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, RN Radio Enlace Jan 25 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 0308 UT Thu.: tba ['Mailbox' returns in Feb.] (John Figliozzi, Jan 25, GRDXC via DXLD) ** OMAN. F/d QSL folder in 70d., no rp. 15140kHz, 1400 UT English broadcast. QTH: Radio Sultanate of Oman, PO Box 600, Muscat, v/s director of frequency. 73's (Giovanni D'Amico, Switzerland, hard-core- dx via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. I've heard a lot of English from Radio Pakistan recently. It seems all government statements and press conferences are made in English and interrupt regular transmissions in other languages (Susan Evans, Feb World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** PALESTINE. From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1780000/1780684.stm Palestinian broadcasters say they plan to sue Israel for at least $10m compensation for destroying their headquarters and transmission tower. Israel said it blew up the five-storey Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) building in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Saturday in retaliation for the killing of six people by a Palestinian. They said the gunman was from a group linked to the Fatah faction of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. But despite the attack, the main Palestinian radio station, the Voice of Palestine, has continued to broadcast from other transmitters. The head of the PBC, Radwan Abu Ayyash, said his company would pursue the Israeli Government through unspecified international legal channels. He said the estimated cost of destroyed equipment was between $10m and $15m. He said there was no estimate yet on the cost of the damage to the building, which had been leased. Mr Abu Ayyash said the transmission equipment had been donated by European countries and the United States after the PBC was set up in 1994 - a year after the breakthrough Oslo peace accords. "Israel destroyed historically important tapes and many things that cannot be replaced," he said. The PBC says historic material was destroyed in the attack The station ran on funds from the Palestinian Authority and foreign donations. Criticism of the attack by Israeli troops came from the United Nations and international media organisations. US-based press-freedom campaign group Committee to Protect Journalists called the destruction a "reprehensible attack". Israel has accused the Voice of Palestine of incitement during the 16-month-old Palestinian uprising, a claim denied by Mr Abu Ayyash. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the demand for compensation (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. R. West New Britain, 3235 1245-1302 1/20 s-off announcement at 1300 mentioned "West New Britain", time check "11 o'clock", then anthem. Had to tune to 3238 to avoid ute QRM. Fair signal; all the neighborhood noisemakers must have been off. first time heard from home. Weaker 3245 went off at 1304. 3275 still going at 1304, but local noise increasing (Larry Russell, Flushing, MI, MARE via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. MILITARY ARMS ITSELF WITH TV RADIO AND FILM http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/01/25/003.html "The army -- tarnished by hazing, draft dodging and underfunding -- is not as bad as it is cracked up to be, military officials declared Thursday. "To prove it, the army is going to work hand in hand with the cultural elite to revive a Soviet-era tradition of making movies, television shows and radio programs dedicated to the machine gun-toting boys in fatigues. "And to make sure that there is no doubt left in the minds of those in the armed forces, the country's top performers will tour barracks across the nation to bolster morale. The article continues discussing the sketchy plans that have been drawn up. Further down... "On Soviet-era radio shows, letters were read from soldiers and their relatives between the playing of popular songs. Movies included the much-loved "Officers," which followed a family whose children and their children proudly joined the army. Puzanov refused to say how much the military plans to sink into the ventures. He did say, however, that he was confident the army's reputation would grow stronger in the public's eye, particularly among a younger generation that lacks the respect their grandparents had for the military. Moreover, the morale of soldiers and officers stationed in remote regions in Siberia and the Far East and volatile areas such as Chechnya would be boosted by the performances of popular singers and actors." (via Fred Waterer, Ont., Jan 25, DXLD) ** SIKKIM. See INDIA ** SOUTH AMERICA. Se ha reactivado desde el pasado 3 de Enero, la pirata sudamericana Radio Piraña Internacional que emite en la frecuencia de 11420.3 en modo AM. Radio Piraña Internacional, La Voz Latinoamericana estuvo inactiva por mucho tiempo debido a problemas técnicos en su transmisor y ahora ha retornado al aire con sus programas los fines de semanas y también algunos viernes, a partir de las 21 y a partir de las 01. En sus programas anuncia emitir con 50 watts, pero su señal ha sido escuchada en países tan distantes como Canadá, Estados Unidos, Escocia y Europa, así como también en casi todos los países sudamericanos donde hay diexistas (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, RN Radio Enlace Jan 25 via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. I wonder if those fortunate to receive Radio Taipei's beautiful desk calendar which has a gorgeous 3D blue butterfly - until they look at it from a different angle and see its an equally attractive brown butterfly. Not only the colour, but the shape of the wings changes. Happy New Year (Patric Jeffers, WDXC 1053, Feb World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) See also COSTA RICA non ** TAJIKISTAN. Voice of Russia relay on 4965 at 1300-1500 on January 24 was back in Dari instead of Chinese and Urdu. 4975 was still off at 1600 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TURKEY. 6900.08, Turkish Meteorological Radio, 0523 Jan 20 open carrier, then sign on with Turkish music @ 0524, occasionally stopping as the have to flip the record or put on a new album; absolutely pounding in, peaking at S9, fading to S3 by 0623; also very loud the following night (Ralph Brandi, NJ, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** UNITED ARAB EMIRATES. UAE Radio Dubai noted on 15400 ex 15395 for English at 1030 1330 and 1600 (Mike Barraclough, UK, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U K [non]. We are planning to broadcast to the Americas at a ``much more user-friendly hour``. (Station owner to Craighead, Kansas, December NASWA QSL Report) Radio Ezra formerly carried the broadcasts for the Water Into Wine Ministry radio outreach. I have since canceled the aforementioned ministry after generally becoming sick as a parrot. Not with God but with bloody manmade religion. Nor have I given up with Radio Ezra which I hope will be on air again but with a rather different approach. With God`s approval I hope to be on air again within a few months, perhaps in March or April. 97 reports from 18 countries received for last set of broadcasts including 57 from Japan (Station website via Mike Barraclough, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) But...but...ALL religion is man-made. Isn`t this obvious? (gh) ** U S A. HAM RADIO NUMBERS: THE HOBBY IS GROWING AGAIN Ham radio is growing again. Amateur Radio Newsline's Bruce Tennant, K6PZW has the details: Some numbers that the ham radio industry will be glad to hear in these hard economic times. According to a census on the QRZ Super Site, as of January 15th, there are now 720,194 Amateur Radio Licenses in the United States. Of these, 99,470 are Extra Class, 88,982 hold the legacy Advanced Class, 142,723 are now General Class, 95,174 hold the legacy Technician Plus, an unbelievable 241,179 are codefree Technicians while only 52,666 are left holding the legacy Novice class. By geographic location, California has more hams than any other place. The Golden State represents over 15 percent of the nations total with 109374 of its citizens licensed as Radio Amateurs. And there has been some dramatic growth in Texas which has unseated Florida as the Second place leader with 6.23 percent. Florida now is in third place with 5.99 percent. Forth place goes to New York State with 4.76 percent with another growing state -- Ohio breathing at its boots with 4.43 percent. It should be noted that these figures include military, recreational and club call signs. When you look at the adjusted numbers, the number is closer to 692,000 which is still a sizable increase over the figures in June of 2000. That seems to have been the low point of the past ten years when numbers dipped to only 674,792 people holding ham radio licenses in the United States. For the Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bruce Tennant, K6PZW, in Los Angeles. By the way, legacy license classes we refereed to are those discontinued when ham radio restructuring was introduced. The Advanced, Technician Plus and Novice fall into that category. They can be renewed, but no new licenses in those classes are offered (W5YI, QRZ, others) (Amateur Radio Newsline Jan 25 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. On Nov. 28th I heard a TIS station on 1610 kHz from Baxter State Park in Maine (WPJG430). Had never heard it before so I figured it was new. Received QSL letter this week with info on the station which has been on the air since 1997. Antenna is about 35 feet above ground and designed for audiences within a maximum distance of 1/2 to 1 mile radius of the Millinocket, Maine headquarters. Didn't give transmitter power but said they have poor to fair reception within the immediate area. Said they have never received any other inquires about the station from outside the immediate area. Distance to my location is about 140 miles (Wade Smith, NB, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I just added a few more scans of old radio station picture postcards from my collection to my web site for anyone who is interested. Some of these date back to the Marconi days! It's interesting to note that these cards chronicle the progression from the flat-top style antenna to the vertical. The address is http://community.webtv.net/AM-DXer/ then click on the BROADCASTING EPHEMERA tab near the bottom of the page. Enjoy! (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, NRC-AM via DXLD) Nice, but I wish the illustrations were larger with better resolution (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I also caught your program on WWCR 9475 tonight [Friday] just prior to them signing off at 1100 UT; signal and modulation were very good here in Australia. Also, WWCR on 12160 during our morning period is well heard, usually from 1900 UT; by comparison, WWRB on 12172 is heard here with a fair signal, also during our early mornings (Tim Gaynor, Nerang Q, Australia, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The SF Chronicle on Jan 24th ran a story about an armed man who says he was influenced by radio talk show host Alex Jones to invade the property of the Bohemian Grove club last weekend. The man was subsequently arrested and is being held in a county mental ward. Jones airs on shortwave station WWRB twice a day local M-F. Complete story at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/01/24/MN115878.DTL (rec.radio.shortwave via Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Way to go, Dave! (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Upping the ante can bring out the greed in any poker player and law enforcement officials are hoping the same is true in upping the reward being offered for fugitive Steve Anderson. Yesterday, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms announced it was increasing the reward for Anderson from $5,000 to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of Anderson. ``The reward has been raised,`` said Carl Vasilko, resident agent in charge for the ATF. ``We are asking the public for their assistance on any information that would lead to his arrest.`` Anderson, 54, has been on the run since Oct. 14, 2001. He fled after firing multiple gunshots at a Bell County deputy sheriff who was attempting to stop him on a traffic violation. Authorities charged the self-proclaimed member of a paramilitary group with damaging a sheriff`s cruiser with an assault rifle. Bell County Deputy Sheriff John Hoskins said Anderson ``tried to saw a cruiser in half`` with fire from a rifle after Deputy Scott Elder pulled him over to alert him to a broken tail light about 2 a.m. EDT on Oct. 14. Hoskins said Anderson fled in a camouflaged 1990 Chevrolet pickup truck after the shooting, which shattered the cruiser`s windows and left 25 bullet holes. Anderson`s pickup truck was located about 6 a.m. EDT on Oct. 14. A search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of a large amount of ammunition and several pipe bombs. Police also searched Anderson`s residence on Elrod-Martin Road in Pulaski County and shortly after that, federal explosives charges were filed in U.S. District Court in London. Don York, the public information officer for the ATF in Louisville, said the agency is hoping ``to shake some trees`` and that the increased reward will prompt someone to disclose Anderson`s whereabouts. ``We think somebody is probably harboring him,`` York said. ``We`re hoping that when people see him out they would call the police because of the increased reward.`` He added that several people told authorities that they wouldn`t get a call about Anderson for only $5,000. York also said news of the increased reward was saturated throughout Kentucky and in the middle Tennessee area. York said that anyone who calls with information about Anderson`s location can remain anonymous and collect the reward anonymously as well. Looking for Anderson hasn`t stopped since he fled three months ago. York said agents have continued to work the case actively and pursued every available lead. ``It`s a very active case,`` York said. ``We consider him a pretty bad character.`` Anderson is considered armed and dangerous and is being sought by the Kentucky State Police on charges of attempted murder. He is also wanted by the ATF on federal charges of illegal possession of a firearm, which includes destructive devices, such as pipe bombs. Authorities are advising that no one should attempt to apprehend Anderson on their own. If you spot Anderson, immediately notify your local law enforcement agency, the Kentucky State Police at 606-573- 3131 or 1-800-222-5555 or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms at 888-283-8477 (Somerset KY Commonwealth-Journal Jan 17 via DXLD) ** U S A. Re AFRTS 4278.5: Yes, I received confirmation that 4278.5 is Florida at the same time I got a QSL from Puerto Rico (6458.5). It parallels 12689.5 (also Florida). The location in Florida was "Florida Keys". I recall in the past year that someone posted a note stating the exact Key location in Florida. I've heard and verified 4319.0 as Diego García, also 12579.0. Although I have not been able to log any Diego García frequency since last May. (Anyone know if they are still transmitting --- it was a very irregular catch from Oregon or Washington state). (Don Nelson, Oregon, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Television Radio FORNATALE LETTING IT ALL OUT OF THE 'BAG' By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Staff Writer Radio history fans may want to turn on their tape recorders tomorrow afternoon when Pete Fornatale marks the first anniversary of his return to WFUV (90.7 FM) by looking back at radio in general over the last 35 years. His "Mixed Bag" show, 5-8 p.m. [UT Sat 2200-0100 Sun], will include interviews with artists who talk about radio, like Paul Simon, and airchecks that go back to the early days of WNEW-FM, featuring voices like the late Rosko. Fornatale says he will trace the evolution of radio and the disappearance of the free-form music radio that developed with FM in the late '60s. "I found I've accumulated a lot of material that has always been fascinating to me," says Fornatale. "But I never put it all together in one show like this -- and a lot of it I could never use at all, because it might have involved other stations' call letters. This time, I'm going for it." Fornatale, who worked at WFUV as a student at Fordham in the '60s, returned last Jan. 27. He almost returned in 1997, but at the last minute instead took an offer to go back to WNEW, which tried a "classic rock with classic jocks" format for a while. "In retrospect, that was a mistake," says Fornatale. "It was a bad experience. I should have just come here. But it was something that had to be tried, I guess. "When I got back here, it took a little while to find the groove again. But it came together, particularly after 9/11. I'm not sure what I would have done then if I hadn't had this outlet on the radio." Next weekend also marks an anniversary at WFUV for Fornatale's old WNEW compadre Vin Scelsa, who moved "Vin Scelsa's Idiot's Delight" to 'FUV last Feb. 3. Original Publication Date: 1/25/02 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Tim Hendel in Alabama wrote about a report he heard Monday on National Public Radio's Morning Edition. The report, by Anthony Kuhn in Beijing, was about foreign news getting into China by satellite and the Internet. Tim was amazed that this report made no mention of shortwave, or the stations such as VOA and BBC that use shortwave to transmit news into China. Time writes, "What is the problem here? Either VOA is so totally irrelevant in China that it didn't bear mentioning, or VOA really needs to increase its visibility on the US scene, because even people at NPR don't even seem to know about it." Tim, I listened to the report. Recent audience research does show low listening rates for VOA and other shortwave broadcasters in China. This might have something to do with hesitation on the part of many Chinese to admit that they listen to foreign shortwave broadcasts. But keep in mind that China now has very well developed television and FM radio broadcasting, and access to the Internet is growing. Uncensored news is not now available via these media, but otherwise they are a more pleasant way to pass the time than trying to tune in distant shortwave signals, especially given vigorous jamming by the Chinese government (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Jan 19 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. KIM: One item of business before we close this week's program. The sixtieth anniversary of the Voice of America will be February 24th. Beginning that weekend, and for much of the rest of the year, VOA will present several programs and reports looking back at VOA's history. A special edition of Communications World on February 23rd will spearhead this series of programs. I would therefore like to make one more request for you to write to me with any special memories you might have of listening to VOA over the years. And if you have any interesting old recordings of VOA, please send those, as well, either by mail or electronically. Thanks to those of you who have already sent your reminiscences of VOA listening, as well as audio recordings. I'm looking forward to using this material on February 23rd (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Jan 19 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Tom McNiff, who lives not too far away from me in Virginia, found statistical data from the popular Google Web search engine, comparing the number of visits to Web sites operated by international broadcasters. The chart shows mainly the rank order of the number of hits, rather than specific numbers. BBC World Service is in first place, followed by Radio France International. RAI, the broadcaster of Italy, is in third place, but the RAI site, unlike almost all the others on the list, is mostly for the RAI domestic radio and television services in Italy. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is in fourth place, followed by VOA News in fifth, and VOA dot gov in sixth. If VOA's Web presence were not divided into two sites, the VOA ranking may have been higher. Radio Canada International has the same problem, with two sites occupying seventh and eight places. Channel Africa of South is ninth, and Radio Netherlands tenth. These rankings are interesting but not of particular scientific value in measuring the audience size or impact of an international radio station or its Web site. See http://directory.google.com/Top/Arts/Radio/International_Broadcasters/ (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Jan 19 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. More FBN tests: see LITHUANIA ** URUGUAY. Some hours ago, I returned from my holidays in Uruguay and Brazil. I visited, together with the Argentine DXers Marcelo Cornachioni and Gerardo Choren, the following cities: Concordia (Argentine), Salto, Artigas, Chuy and Montevideo (in Uruguay) and Quarai, Bage and Rio Grande (in Brazil). Last Friday, we visited CX118, Radio La Voz de Artigas. Its General Manager, Mr. Roberto Murillo, told us about the sporadic test transmissions on short wave, only on Sundays, of CXA3, on 6075 kHz, between 1430-1700 UT, with 1 kW. If you report this station, send your reception reports to: LaVozArt@adinet.com.uy (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM [non]. (Presumed) I heard a Khmer language station on 11985 kHz today Fri Jan 25th, at about 1412-1440 UT only. The carrier heard still later onwards on my \\ Sony 2010 SYNC rx, and the carrier disappeared at exact 14.58:59 UTC. Signal level of this transmission was very thiny and weak, at least using my present equipment. Signal mostly under threshold signal level 'S = zero to 1' on my Kenwood rx with Collins filter used. But I guess, the transmission time of the station last 1400-1500 UT (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, Cumbre DX via DXLD) WRTH/PWBR HISTORIC WEBSITE CLOSING I have decided to close the WRTH/PWBR website due to personal financial reasons and ALL is for sale. See: http://www.wrth.itgo.com It has certainly been fun and it would never have been possible if it were not for everyone that helped. I hope that I have been of some service to the community. Please feel free to save whatever pages of the site that you like. It should be up until at least Feb. 5, 2002. Again, Thank You all (Terry Palmersheim, KC7LDP, Helena, Montana USA, hard-core-dx via DXLD) SHORTWAVE COVERAGE MAPS New maps at http://www.hard-core-dx.com/covmaps/ Ríkisútvarpið, Iceland >January - February 2002 Radio Sultanate of Oman >January 2002 >February 2002 >March 2002 Radio Jordan >January 2002 >February 2002 >March 2002 73! (Jari Perkiömäki, Jan 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-015, January 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. 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 #1115: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.html NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Fri 1030 9475, Sat 0600 and Sun 0330 5070 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 to rest of world; 1500 to NAm CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-01 also via DXing.com: (STREAM) http://www.DXing.com/com0201.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.DXing.com/com0201.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0201.html FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB OTHER AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130; Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 WORLD OF RADIO, CONTINENT OF MEDIA, MUNDO RADIAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE January 24, 2002 http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html DX PROGRAMS has been updated again January 24: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN. Radio station brings joy to Kandahar --- by Mark MacKinnon KANDAHAR -- They come to the offices of Radio Kandahar from all walks of life. Some are would-be radio stars hoping the station manager will hear their voices and give them jobs. Some are older men who come to reminisce as the music they once loved hits the airwaves, after almost eight years of Taliban edicts that allowed only religious hymns to be played in the city. And there is Kamaluddin, a frail, elderly man who simply smiles and shrugs when you ask him his age. Kamaluddin, who like many Afghans has only one name, has spent 30 years working at Radio Kandahar. When the Taliban first seized the station in 1994, he stayed at home. But he was forced back to work when the hard-line Islamic regime realized he was the only man who knew how to keep it running. For more than seven years, his bosses never suspected that their quiet employee was defiantly stashing hundreds of banned musical tapes under his kitchen stove, risking a whipping and a month in jail if he was found out. "They came in my house, but they never looked there," he says with a wry smile. "I was afraid, but I had to do it to preserve these things for the people." What he helped preserve has been nicknamed "Radio Free Kandahar," the most successful and popular venture to emerge from the ashes of Taliban oppression. The station is still a work in progress. Its building is cold and mostly empty. The equipment is more than 30 years old and several technological revolutions behind the times. There are no windows, and the walls of the building are pockmarked with holes left by Soviet shelling in the 1980s. There is, however, Kamaluddin's music. Just one day after the Taliban were driven out of Kandahar, he brought the hidden tapes back to work and put them on the air. After a month of broadcasting two hours a day, the station is now offering four hours of daily programming. After kicking off the day with the national anthem, Jamil, the station's anchor, reads the news, then hands it over to disc jockey Zalmay, who offers a program of local music, popular Indian tunes, poetry and readings from the Koran. Just two months ago it was known as Shariat Ghagh (Sounds of the sharia), for the sharia Islamic law espoused by the Taliban and other hardline Muslim groups. Then, the station broadcasted only government- written news reports, speeches by Taliban leaders, readings from the Koran and hymns. The new format is a runaway hit; when it's on the air, the station can be heard from virtually every car and market bazaar. Though few Afghans have televisions, station manager Abdul Ali said he receives about 30 letters a day from residents of Kandahar and the four surrounding provinces asking when he will resurrect Kandahar's television station, which the Taliban destroyed. He also wants to start a small newspaper. "We want to give the people what they want but we need new equipment. We need foreign help." Copyright (C) 2001 Globe Interactive, a division of Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Has PSYOPS finally gone silent? Last night (Wednesday) I was listening on 8700 kHz at around 1230z to see if the PSYOPS station was still there and instead there was a VFT transmission with several guard channels on frequency. No Audio from PSYOPS was heard and I can only assume that it may be QRT. I will try again tonight. It was there as late as Friday of last week and I have not seen any references to it going silent although it is to be expected. Later: Further to my earlier post re the Psyops station. It is there again tonight albeit weakly. It came on exactly at 1230z with its distinctive flute I/S. The VFT station last evening was not there tonight but there was a C/W signal which was sending random figures and numbers irregularly. My apologies (Robin L. Harwood, Norwood, Tasmania, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. RFE-RL carried a Radio Free Afghanistan program in 1985; a very nice QSL-card that they issued at the time. I am not sure if our old friend David Walcutt was instrumental in organizing that QSLing initiative, but he did answer reports to RFAFG and was a helpful contact to have at the time. Alas, David will be leaving RFE- RL at the end of this month (Jerry Berg, USA, DXplorer Jan 20 via BC- DX via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Amigos: Puede resultar de interés el saber que está en base Escudero, Antártica chilena, una estación de radioaficionado todos los días entre las 1700 y 1900 UT en los 21275 kHz USB. CE9R, op: Ricardo, Manager CE3HDI Ricarddo Velasquez Aravena QTH: Base Científica Profesor Julio Escudero del Instituto Antártico Chileno (INACH) Isla Rey Jorge, Shetland del Sur, Antártica Latitud 62 11 25 Sur Longitud 58 58 53 Weste Para los interesados a obtener QSL de esta base chilena, dirigir sus informes con sobre autodirigido con 1 IRC a: CE9R, Casilla 183, La Cisterna, Santiago, Chile (Hugo López, Santiago, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. KC4AAA, a research stn at 90 degrees S. was coming in very solid copy tonight at 5 GMT till 535 when Skip signed off. He was on 14243 and advised they usually hung out on or about this freq. I'm sure he had been on for quite some time as he had attracted a pretty good pile up. Regards (Bob Mendria, Jan 24, ODXA via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Authorities shut down coca growers` radio station The authorities have closed down a coca-growers` radio station in central Bolivia, local TV has reported. According to a government minister, Radio Soberanía, La Voz del Cocalero, known in English as "Radio Sovereignty, Voice of the Coca Grower", was operating illegally without a licence. The crackdown follows a series of violent clashes in central Cochabamba, as coca producers demand the right to keep producing a limited amount of the product for legal use. The government says all coca crops, which can be used for the production of cocaine, will remain illegal. Following is text of the report by Bolivian Red PAT television on 22 January Information Minister Mauro Bertero has announced that the Superintendency of Telecommunications has decided to close a coca growers radio station. [Bertero] According to Administrative Regulatory Resolution No 2001, 1,153 of 14 December 2001, it has been intervened by a technical commission and delegates of the Superintendency of Communications, with the presence of a prosecutor, due to its [word indistinct] illegal presence in the area of Chipiriri. [end of recording] According to the information provided by the Superintendency of Telecommunications, through Minister Mauro Bertero, Radio Soberania of Chipiriri has been closed. Not only that, its equipment has been dismantled. It did not have an operations licence. Source: Red PAT television, La Paz, in Spanish 1730 gmt 22 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WTFK? I don`t recall ever hearing of this being on shortwave (gh, DXLD) ** CAMBODIA/USA. Cambodia again refuses to play host to VOA The Cambodian government has again turned down a request by the US radio service Voice of America (VOA) to broadcast from the capital Phnom Penh, a Cambodian newspaper has reported. The Phnom Penh Post quoted Secretary of State Khieu Kanharith as saying that the Ministry of Information ruled that VOA broadcasts would affect Cambodia`s relations with its neighbours. "The VOA belongs to the US government," Kanharith told the Phnom Penh Post. "It will broadcast not only Khmer and English, but also in Laotian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Burmese. The government would face criticism from these countries," he told the paper. However, Edward E. Kaufman, a member of VOA`s board of governors, told the Post that the station had applied to broadcast only in Khmer and English. The Post said Kaufman had e-mailed the paper, saying: "VOA`s rationale for requesting a frequency is based in part on the BBC and RFI (Radio France Internationale) - both have frequencies (in Phnom Penh)." According to the Post, Kaufman said VOA had planned to set up an office in Phnom Penh in 1999. The paper quoted Kaufman as saying: "1999 was our target date. (However) a number of undecided matters remain, and we still do not have a firm date to start." VOA has tried for several years to get an FM broadcasting licence in Cambodia, the paper added. Source: Phnom Penh Post web site in English 18 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CANADA. Peter Gzowski seriously ill in hospital with pulmonary disease: family http://ca.news.yahoo.com/020123/6/hn5u.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) Here's more on Peter Gzowski...and expect CBC Radio One to do something special when he does die, maybe even cancelling network programming in progress. Family says Gzowski, 67, gravely ill in hospital http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20020124/1223823.html 73- (Bill Westenhaver, Jan 24, DXLD) TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian broadcaster Peter Gzowski, one of the country's best known media personalities, is seriously ill with lung disease and in hospital, his family said on Wednesday. In a brief statement, the family said Gzowski is suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The term covers a range of lung disorders and is most often a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. "Mr. Gzowski's family request privacy at this time and have no further comment," the statement said. Gzowski, born July 13, 1934, is best known for hosting the national radio program Morningside on CBC Radio from 1982 to 1997. The program was a folksy mix of interviews, essays, music and discussions. It had a strong following across Canada, with listeners ranging from truckers to housewives tuning in on weekday mornings. Morningside helped earn Gzowski a Peabody Award for outstanding contribution to broadcasting, as well as numerous awards and honorary degrees in Canada. Prior to Morningside, Gzowski hosted other CBC programs, worked as managing editor of Maclean's newsmagazine and wrote a column for the Toronto Star newspaper. He is also the author of several non-fiction bestsellers in Canada. Gzowski continued to write a weekly column for the Globe and Mail newspaper. In a recent piece he discussed his 50-year addiction to smoking, which left him reliant on oxygen. He contributed an essay on the subject to a just released anthology "Addicted: Notes From The Belly of The Beast". (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Peter Gzowski, former CBC Radio Morningside host, died today of an emphysema-related illness. He was perhaps one of the best known CBC Radio hosts. CBC's page on Peter Gzowski, including some archival material. http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/gzowski_peter/index.html (Saul Chernos, Ont., Jan 24, ODXA via DXLD) By JOHN SAUNDERS, Globe and Mail Update Peter Gzowski, whose tobacco-cured radio voice helped to give English- speaking Canada a sense of itself, died Thursday, apparently of the effects of a three-pack-a-day habit he kicked less than two years ago. He was 67. As host of the CBC's This Country in the Morning in the early 1970s and then Morningside for 15 seasons in the 1980s and 1990s, he became one of the nation's best-loved broadcasters, projecting an affectionate view of Canada as a place of down-to-earth, often quirky but generally reasonable people. A heavy smoker most of his life, he spent his last year hooked up to what he called a stroller loaded with an oxygen tank. He suffered from emphysema, in which the lungs lose elasticity and capacity to feed oxygen to the blood, causing shortness of breath and difficulty in exhaling. Suanne Kelman, head of the broadcast division of Toronto's Ryerson school of journalism and a former CBC Radio producer, recalled him as the last figure in an increasingly regionalized country who could conjure up an image of English Canada as a whole... (via Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) Gzowski was the lead story on World at Six, heard at 0100 UT via Edmonton, and on As It Happens at 0130 (gh, DXLD) CBC Radio One will have special coverage on Thursday evening and all day Friday, as it remembers and celebrates the life of Peter Gzowski. On Thursday evening listeners can tune in for a special edition of This Morning Tonight (9:00 to 10:00 p.m. local time - 9:30 to 10:30 in Newfoundland). It will be the programme where Peter gathered musicians from across country to join in a Canada-wide hymn sing. Beginning at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning Shelagh Rogers will host a special edition of This Morning (8:30 in Newfoundland) devoted to the memory of Peter. [4 hours, starting an hour earlier than usual] And from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET there will be a special edition of Cross Country Checkup. Rex Murphy will ask Canadians to share their memories of Peter (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) Various sound files for those who may never had heard of Gzowski X-URL: http://www.cbc.ca/news/obit/gzowski_peter/index.html Peter Gzowski - Broadcasting's 'Mister Canada' Martin O'Malley and Blair Shewchuk, CBC News Online So engaging were some of Peters Gzowski`s radio interviews that many people who were listening to them on their car radios would drive to the shoulder of the highway or park by the curb on a leafy street so they could better pay attention to what was being said. He was a giant of radio in this country, "Mr. Canada" to many, "Mr. Broadcasting" to many others. He was a writer, a columnist, a magazine editor, the author of at least 10 books, depending on which ones you count - the marvelous collections of letters sent to This Country in the Morning and Morningside, his personal writings such as The Private Voice, or his elegant true stories of teams and athletes and adventures..... (via Daniel Say, ibid.) ** CANADA [non]. Re gh`s remark on WOR 1115: Well, the Americans seem to be even more reluctant to use the .us domain. It seems to be pretty well exclusively state governments and local organizations such as sfpl.lib.ca.us (San Francisco Public Library) or state.mn.us (State of Minnesota) or co.nassau.ny.us (the Long Island county which seceeded from Queens County after NYC took over what is now Queens) And in many cases those who DO have .us domains seem to be trying to get less "weird sounding" alternatives. state.wa.us wa.gov ci.nyc.ny.us nyc.gov state.nc.us ncgov.com mta.nyc.ny.us mta.info (subway, bus, commuter rail, bridges, tunnels) queens.lib.ny.us queenslibrary.org (Joel Rubin, NY, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. I can confirm that the Yunnan PBS in Kunming is heard loud and clear here in Tasmania from as early as 1100. It has very distinctive local music and some of the programming is very similar to Vietnamese. The local music reminds me very much of the Hmong music from Vietnamese regionals within the 6 MHz marine/aero allocation. There is also frequent mention of Kunming. It is on 6937 kHz (Robin L. Harwood, Norwood, Tasmania, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA? The mysterious broadcasts of Chinese folk-music are heard rather well in the Midwest, daily on 17565 kHz (starting at 1300 UT or earlier and going to 1800 - last half hour are jammed by VOA in Creole, though) and on 15510 kHz (1800-1900). Sounds like they are testing powerful Western-build transmitters. - Very good modulation (Sergei Sosedkin, USA, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DENMARK. Dear Glenn, I've now looked into the DENMARK entry in DXLD 2-012, that Denmark might begin broadcasting the 5 minute home service English newscast on short wave, and Mr. Ib Lavrsen informs me that he has never promised Mr. Chris Hambly that English should return to the Danish short wave programs. It was a mistake as discussed and explained in DXLD 1-198 (and 1-199). There is nothing more in that story. 73, (Erik Køie, Copenhagen, DR, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. This morning I heard an announcement on HCJB stating that, starting this Sat, the station is changing its frequency for English broadcasts to India. The new frequency will be 12035 kHz. No time was given but I guess it's 2330 to 0100 UT (Sergei Sosedkin, USA, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) * ECUADOR. Hello Glenn, I would appreciate your help in letting listeners and readers know of a change that we are making on our English release to India. We will move from the current frequency of 11785 to 12035 as of 2330 Saturday, January 26. The change is being made due to interference on the current frequency. Our observations via the VOA Remote Monitoring System show that 12035 should give us a good, clean signal into India. We would appreciate hearing from listeners in India as to the quality of the new frequency. Reception Reports and comments may be sent to dxpl@hcjb.org.ec Thank you, Glenn. 73 from The Middle of The World! (Allen Graham, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. See LIBYA! ** FRANCE. This from the Medium Wave Circle list: The CSA, the French radio authority, have announced that they will soon make a number of MW frequencies available to the private sector. The first batch of five licences are expected next month. Interestingly, they call these "AM" licences. The term "ondes moyennes" (mediumwave) is no longer used. Meanwhile Radio France have relinquished two of their unused channels, 585 kHz in Marseille and 963 kHz in Paris. What is still unclear, is whether the CSA wants to let the private sector use the high power TdF stations previously used by Radio France or simply make the frequencies available for stations to set up their own LP transmitters. RMC Info, Littoral AM, Superloustic and Ciel AM are widely regarded as favourites for the first batch of licences. Ciel AM make no secret of the fact that they want a channel in Marseille and Lyon in addition to the one in Paris, which they feel they should get automatically since they ran an experimental station there a while ago (Rémy Friess, France, MWC, via Mike Barraclough, Jan 23, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ICELAND. New frequencies for the SW relays of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service RUV: EUR at 1215-1300 on 13865, 1755- 1825 on 12120; NoAM 1410-1440 & 1835-1905 on 13865, 2300-2335 on 12120 kHz (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 24, BC-DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. Fire at Leh radio station | Text of report by Indian news agency PTI Srinagar, 22 January: A devastating fire broke out in the All India Radio complex in Leh damaging recording and administrative sections Tuesday afternoon [22 February]. Fire services and personnel of Indian security forces and district administration jointly put out the fire after a three-hour battle. The cause of the fire was not known, an official spokesman told PTI, the extent of damage was being ascertained. The Leh station of AIR was constructed in 1971. It was renovated and equipped with latest equipment recently. It was not immediately known whether the programmes from the station were affected. Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1542 gmt 22 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INDIA/USA. VSNL`s TV broadcasts to US via undersea cable India`s state-run international telecommunications service provider, Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), will offer broadcasters an undersea fibre-optic path for transmission of television channels from India to New York, USA, an Indian newspaper has reported. "We are planning to launch within six months a service that will enable TV channels in India to transmit to New York through undersea cable. We are in the process of buying equipment for this purpose," K. P. Tiwari, director, operations, VSNL, told the Financial Express newspaper. Broadcasters in India have, until now, broadcast to the US via satellite. Undersea cable transmission will be much cheaper than satellite transmission, the Financial Express noted. Broadcasters will pay 1,200,000 rupees [approximately 24,850 US dollars] per channel per month for the transmission service. VSNL will transmit the TV channels to New York, where broadcasters will have to make their own arrangements to distribute to other territories in the US, either through cable or direct-to-home broadcasting, the Financial Express reported. VSNL will install line terminal equipment at the two ends. "The transmission will be point-to-point, from India to New York. It will not be a multi-point transmission," Tiwari told the paper. VSNL is targeting channels who want to enter the US market. Several news, regional language, Hindi entertainment and music channels have plans to enter the US market, but are finding the satellite route expensive. TV broadcaster such as Sony, Zee and B4U are already in the US. The state-owned company plans to bundle 20-30 channels into one pipe. The STM-1 (synchronous transfer mode) link will be used to facilitate the service. "We can go at 155 mbp/s. Every channel needs 4-6 mbp/s. We will put between 20-30 channels into one pipe, which will be sent by undersea cable to New York," Tiwari told the paper. Source: Financial Express web site, Delhi, in English 22 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Once every 100 minutes, a bargain basement satellite loops around the earth, sending and receiving digital messages over antennae made from a metal tape measure. A sailor on a solo crossing of the Atlantic bounces signals off the satellite to stay in touch with his family. New Zealanders on a cross-country hike use it to communicate with friends back home. Any ham radio user with the proper digital packet-transmitting equipment who is within 2,000 miles of the 25-pound satellite can use it to send single-line text messages to a public channel. After four months in space, the U.S. Naval Academy's "bird" is proving surprisingly resilient, to the delight of the midshipmen and faculty advisers who designed and built it. The so-called Prototype Communications Satellite (PCSat) was the 44th amateur satellite put in orbit. It is one of more than a dozen built by university students around the world. At a cost of just $50,000 - including plane tickets to the Alaska launch site - it was constructed using off-the-shelf parts not designed to withstand the rigors of space. Its life span was only expected to be a few months. Six students put together the satellite last year after a three-year research and design project made possible with a grant from Boeing Co. The Department of Defense Space Test Program approved the project and put it on a launch list. A tape measure from Home Depot provided the antenna. Power comes from two dozen AA batteries that are recharged by the solar panels, which are in sunlight an average of 75 minutes per orbit. Midshipmen designed circuit boards, ordering them from an Internet supplier. Parts rated for use in space, which are built to withstand the effects of radiation from the sun, would have been too expensive, so the students went with regular circuit boards. Sept. 29 was Launch Day, and there were anxious moments at the academy as the cube-shaped satellite hitched a ride aboard an Athena rocket that blasted into space from Kodiak, Alaska. Save for the failure of one of the six solar panels, damaged when the satellite separated from the rocket, there have been no problems. On Launch Day, it was nine hours before PCSat made its first pass over Annapolis and the midshipmen and faculty advisers could see for themselves that their satellite was working. "I was thrilled. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life," said Steven Lawrence, who helped build the satellite before he graduated in May. In the following weeks, people in remote areas began to use the satellite as word about it spread through an international organization of ham radio operators. Just how long PCSat works depends on how much solar radiation bombards the satellite and how long the batteries, solar panels and thousands of transistors withstand the sun's damaging effects. "If we get lucky with radiation, it could last three years," said Darrell Boden, a professor in the aerospace engineering department. --- On the Net: http://www.ew.usna.edu/pcsat (via David R. Alpert, CA, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. From the Jerusalem Post - Here is the first press article I've seen of the information that I posted a few days ago about the proposed cut of all non Hebrew/Arabic Kol Israel programming from shortwave. I'm currently awaiting contact info for the appropriate person to protest this action. The contact info should be posted on http://www.israelradio.org when available. http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2002/01/25/News/News.42317.html --------- (Daniel Rosenzweig, NY, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: IBA to halt foreign-language broadcasts abroad, By Gil Hoffman JERUSALEM (January 25) - Shortwave radio broadcasts in 11 languages heard daily by hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world will cease in a few weeks unless the Israel Broadcasting Authority reverses its decision to end the broadcasts, top IBA officials told The Jerusalem Post yesterday. The IBA management team has recommended to its board that NIS 7.7 million in broadcast fees and manpower costs can be saved from the IBA budget by eliminating the broadcasts, which are known as Reshet Heh. The cuts require approval by the board, the cabinet, and the Knesset. Politicians from across the political spectrum called the decision shortsighted and counterproductive, especially at a time when Israel is in the midst of an information war. IBA foreign-language department director Shmuel Ben-Zvi said more people listen to Israel Radio abroad via shortwave broadcasts than listen on all of Israel Radio's stations in Israel combined. He said that no ratings survey has been done because of cost, but that the broadcasts serve an important purpose. "It's true that there are no commercials and the broadcasts make no money, but the majority of world Jewry still lives in the Diaspora," Ben-Zvi said. Reshet Heh broadcasts daily in Russian for 90 minutes, in French for 85 minutes, in English for 75 minutes, and for less than an hour in Yiddish, Ladino, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Georgian, Bukharan, and Mugrabi. IBA board member Reuven Shalom said the broadcasts may not be cut if it is determined that the amount saved would be much less than NIS 6 million. He said the IBA intends to submit its budget to the government in two or three weeks. Shalom said that the Internet and other methods are being considered to continue broadcasting abroad, but he acknowledged that using the Internet alone would not be enough to satisfy the IBA's requirement by law to broadcast to the Diaspora. "We know the broadcasts are important, but we must find a way to make them cost-effective," Shalom said. Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior, who is in charge of relations with the Diaspora, said he was astonished by the cuts. "Everyone understands that Israel is in the midst of a battle of public opinion," Melchior said. "In such a situation, we need a substantial addition, not a cut. It is beyond my understanding why we would willingly diminish the tool of information in a world in which information is key." Melchior, who has had to deal with cuts in the Foreign Ministry's hasbara (information) budget, said he has learned of the effectiveness of the broadcasts from his many trips abroad. He tried to reach the minister in charge of the IBA, Ra'anan Cohen, to protest the decision yesterday, but Cohen is in Honduras. "There is no party that has hasbara as its flag, so there is no one to fight for this," Melchior said. "If we silence the Voice of Israel, we leave the voice to media that are not always objective." Deputy National Infrastructure Minister Nomi Blumenthal, who chairs the World Likud organization, said she would also fight to save the relatively small budget for the broadcasts. "This is exactly the wrong thing to do at a time when we must be in constant contact with a Diaspora that is doing its part to show solidarity in these tough times," Blumenthal said. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's foreign affairs adviser, Zalman Shoval, said he would raise the matter in a meeting with Sharon next week. MK Tzippi Livni, who is in charge of hasbara in the Prime Minister's Office, said she would also make the matter a priority. The Jewish Agency, which uses the broadcasts to reach communities abroad, is also lobbying to keep as many of the broadcasts as possible, agency spokesman Ephraim Lapid said. The IBA gets dozens of letters a week from listeners abroad, including Arab states and other countries that Israel does not have relations with, said Alan Ben-Ami, a former English radio news director at the IBA. He accused IBA management of making its decision without first evaluating the consequences. "It's a real tragedy, because there is an audience," Ben-Ami said. "I can't believe that this is the only thing that can be cut." Dismissing the Internet as a solution for much of the world, Ben-Ami said that the English news is available on the Internet on a independent Web site, http://www.israelradio.org, but Israel Radio currently posts only its Hebrew broadcasts on-line at http://bet.iba.org.il. "The Zionist ideal is being completely trashed by canceling these broadcasts and no one who can do anything about it seems to care," said another IBA staffer. (Jerusalem Post Jan 25 via Rosenzweig via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Police close ultra Orthodox pirate radio stations | Text of report in English by Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post on 22 January Police detectives confiscated broadcasting equipment and closed down two pirate radio stations in Jerusalem yesterday. The sting operation, carried out in cooperation with the Communications Ministry, took place in a hotel room on Jaffa Road. According to police, the pirate stations were operated by "The Voice of Truth", affiliated with Shas [ultra-orthodox Jewish party]. One of the broadcasters was detained for questioning. Source: The Jerusalem Post in English 22 Jan 02 p 5 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KENYA. The FM radio dial in Nairobi | The following stations are currently audible on FM in Nairobi: 88.0 Sound Asia 89.3 KBC Swahili Service (also available in Nairobi on 92.9 FM and 612 kHz mediumwave; broadcast throughout Kenya on other mediumwave and FM frequencies; also available via the WorldSpace satellite system) 89.5 KBC Eastern Service in Somali, Boran, Rendille, Burji and Turkana (also on 4915 kHz shortwave) 89.9 KBC Central Service in Kikuyu, Kamba, Masaai, Meru and Embu (also on 1269 kHz mediumwave) 91.9 Coro FM in Kikuyu (KBC-operated station; also on 99.5 FM) 92.9 KBC Swahili Service (see entry for 89.3) 93.7 BBC World Service in English and Swahili 94.7 East Africa Radio in English and Swahili (based in Dar es Salaam and broadcast simultaneously on FM frequencies in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala) 95.15 Iqra FM in English, Somali, Swahili and Urdu (Islamic station) 95.6 KBC English Service (also available in Nairobi on 97.3 FM and 747 kHz mediumwave; broadcast throughout Kenya on other mediumwave and FM frequencies) 96.4 Nation FM in English and Swahili 97.3 KBC English Service (see entry for 95.6) 98.4 Capital FM in English 99.5 Coro FM in Kikuyu (see entry for 91.9) 100.3 Kiss 100 in English (also broadcast via the WorldSpace satellite system) 101.1 Kameme FM (largely in Kikuyu) 101.9 Metro FM in English and Swahili (KBC-operated station) 105.2 Family FM (Christian station) 106.0 East FM (Asian station; also broadcast via the WorldSpace satellite system) 106.7 Radio Citizen 107.5 Voice of America in English and Swahili Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. Yesterday I heard a Kurdi speaking station on 6810 and they IDed as "Radio Dengi Komalah". Tipped by Reijo Alapiha I found a web page http://www.komala.org/radio/rindex.htm Also heard IDing as R Free Kurdistan so there are many organisations/producers using the same fq? (Hans Johnson-USA, Cumbre, BC-DX Jan 24 via DXLD) ** LIBYA. LJB/Radio Great Jamahiriya/Voice of Africa noted on Jan. 23: 1015-2215 on odd 15435.5, instead of nominal 15435.0 // 17750.0 also on // 21630, 21675, 21695 1045-1230 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 24 via DXLD) ** LIBYA [non]. LIBYA/FRANCE: Registered A-02 frequencies for LJB via Issoudun 500 kW to Af: 1045-1230 17695 / 204 deg 1045-1230 21630 / 185 deg 1045-1230 21675 / 153 deg 1045-1230 21695 / 140 deg 1630-1800 17530 / 153 deg 1630-1800 17635 / 140 deg 1630-1900 17695 / 185 deg 1630-2000 15625 / 204 deg 1800-2000 15205 / 153 deg 1800-2000 15660 / 140 deg 1900-2100 15615 / 185 deg 1800-2200 11715 / 140 deg 2000-2200 9415 / 204 deg 2000-2200 11635 / 153 deg 2100-2200 9415 / 185 deg 2100-2200 11645 / 185 deg 2200-0400 7330 / 204 deg 2200-0400 9445 / 140 deg 2200-0400 9485 / 153 deg (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 24 via DXLD) !! These are frequencies already reported testing last few weeks, and assumed to have been direct from Libya. So have these actually been via France? (gh, DXLD) ** MADAGASCAR. Noted good signals from here at 1530 on 3215 in French and R Malagachy on 3288 and 5010 (Victor Goonetilleke 4S7VK, Sri Lanka, DXplorer Jan 18 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** MALI. RTM Bamako, the 41 mb outlet seems to have "locked" on 7285.9, e.g. 18 Jan 0817-0855 almost f/out, rated at 35322, airing a theatre play in Vernacular (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. Repeated observation on 7245v have all been in vain, but if this channel is used at 0800, then listed power would enable reception here, if compared w/ same power level & band from neighbouring Mali. 4845 audible mornings, e.g. on 16 Jan 0814-0912 f/out, rated at 35433, airing program in Arabic w/ chantings rpts in both A & F; no trace of it today, 24 Jan, at about 0845. The WRTVH 2002 insists in listing the MF channel as 738 or 739 kHz (both QRGs are mentioned), but they're often "loud & clear" on 783 kHz despite co-ch QRM from Spain & Portugal (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jan 24 via DXLD) ** MOZAMBIQUE. Muslim community to launch Maputo-based radio service Mozambique`s Islamic community in Maputo will soon have their own commercial radio station. The service will broadcast news, education, and programmes focusing on moral issues, according to a report from the Portuguese news agency Lusa. Mozambican businessman Amade Camal says that steps have been taken to hire technical personnel, and to oversee the installation of the broadcast equipment at Radio Iman. "We have not set a date for the beginning of transmissions. We are putting the final touches on the project," added Camal. Camal was a Frelimo (Mozambique Liberation Front) MP during the 1994- 1999 legislature, and in 2001, led the demonstrations against the United States for its intervention in Afghanistan. He said that the radio service would not broadcast music: "One should bear in mind that this is basically a religious service. Music will not be a priority." "Modern" equipment was being installed and only a few staff would be hired, given its high level of automation, the news agency says. There are several licensed radio services in Mozambique, but most of them have never operated. Seven radio services operate in Maputo, six of which are private, supplemented by the public broadcaster Radio Mozambique. Radio Terra Verde (Radio Green Land), one of the private stations, is linked to Renamo (Mozambique National Resistance). Three other private stations have connections with church organizations, notably Radio Maria (Catholic Church), Radio Miramar (Church of the Universal Kingdom of God), and Radio Capital (Protestant Church). According to the 1997 census, there are 2.7 million Muslims in Mozambique out of a total population of 15.2 million people. The largest Muslim community lives in Nampula Province, forming 90 per cent of its population. The report add that there is an estimated 200,000-strong Muslim community in Maputo Province, its members being primarily involved in business activities. They control every foreign exchange bureau in the country. Correio da Manhã, a fax news sheet, reports that Mozambique-born RDP Africa correspondent Darwin Cardoso has been invited to run the new private radio service. Source: Lusa news agency web site, Lisbon, in Portuguese 16 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** NIGER. Almost "at last!" This is somewhat outdated, but it's been quite, really quite some time since I last caught Niamey on 31 mb w/o the usual very strong adjacent &/or co-channel QRM; heard it on 9705.6 on 14 Jan 1742-1827 when blocked by RL, rated at 33432, airing progra, in Vernacular, talks, news (tentatively) 1800, tribal instruments; adjacent Egypt 9701 in Arabic causing a mess all around... Afternoons are no longer "RF calm" to receive the few & once regular African stations on 31 mb, not to mention those who seem to have vanished, like Nigeria 9570. It seems, nevertheless, that other DXers are still lucky with Niamey on 31 mb! (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Jan 14, BC-DX via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Unpredictable behavior by Radio Pakistan, observed 24 Jan on 17520 kHz with prayer in progress at 1056 UT, followed by announcement and ID in Urdu, anthem, and s/off at 1100 - no English time check, ID, or news. This agrees with earlier reports of missing EG segment, so one never can tell. Not heard on 21465. 73, (John Cobb Roswell, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Further to my monitoring of R. Pakistan with their transmission at 0800-1105 in Urdu with 5 mins of En news at the beginning and end of the broadcast, it appears to me that the transmitters of R Pakistan are in urgent need of servicing or upgrading, they seem to be variable in their output power and the audio quality is often distorted with loads of hum. Sometimes, they are not even on the air and I have to keep switching between the two freqs to be able to keep understanding the speech. The freqs are 17520 and 21465 kHz. I guess that is why I have heard such a variation of programming and transmission. I shall keep monitoring (Michael Stevenson, Australila, EDXP Jan 17 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. West Bank and Gaza: PBC suffers 10-15m dollar losses in Israeli attacks | Text of report in English headlined "News conference summary: "The voice and image of Palestine will always be the voice and image of freedom" by Palestine Media Centre web site on 24 January In light of the Israeli destruction of the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) building, Mr Radhwan Abu Ayyash, PBC Chairman, Mr Bassem Abu Sumayya, PBC Director General, and Mr Ali Rayan, Palestine TV Director, held a press conference at the Palestine Media Centre (PMC) in Ramallah today, in which they urged the international and national media institutions to unreservedly condemn the Israeli destruction. Mr Abu Ayyash stressed that this is not the first time Israeli occupation forces attack the PBC. He stated, "The PBC has so far witnessed three attacks, the second of which involved the destruction of the transmission station by Israeli Apache helicopters." "This totally outrageous destructive act of aggression against Palestine's official Broadcasting offices comes at a time during which Israel is escalating its collective punishment measures against the Palestinian People and institutions." Mr Abu Ayyash stated. He further emphasized, "We have an important message to convey to all Arab writers, scholars, and media institutions. We call upon them to keep their eyes open and cover the Israeli aggression and to launch solidarity campaigns to rebuild the PBC, which has been destroyed. The voice of the Palestinians, however, can never be destroyed. The voice and image of Palestine will always be the voice and image of freedom." In terms of losses, Mr Abu Ayyash affirmed that evaluation estimates them to be between 10-15m dollars worth of equipment. He added, "The greatest and most severe loss however was our huge archive system, which covered a history of ten years." Asked about Israeli allegations that the PBC encouraged incitement against the Israelis, Mr Abu Ayyash asserted, "Israelis are the ones inciting against our people, leadership and national identity. We have always maintained professionalism in our work and have simply mirrored the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people". Mr Abu Sumayya concluded, "We are aware that we will continue to be targeted with impunity by the Israeli aggression, yet we will proceed with our work in our professional and national way." Source: Palestine Media Centre web site, Ramallah, in English 24 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Analysis: Israel destroys Palestinian broadcasting HQ in West Bank | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 24 January Palestinian leaders and international media watchdogs have condemned the Israeli attack on the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters in Ramallah on 19 January. Israel, which has repeatedly accused Palestinian radio and television of inciting violence, said the operation was in retaliation for an attack by a Palestinian gunman in which six Israelis were killed. Israeli forces seized equipment from the building, which housed administrative offices and broadcasting facilities for the Voice of Palestine (VOP) radio station as well as studios for Palestine TV, before detonating explosives which set parts of the building on fire. The Gaza-based Palestine TV continued to broadcast through its main facility, although the four hours per day of programming that was produced on the West Bank has been lost, Radio Netherlands' Media Network web site noted. VOP, meanwhile, resumed broadcasting via the facilities of Radio Amwaj, a privately-owned Palestinian FM station. Amwaj is one of over 40 private Palestinian radio and TV stations in the West Bank. Some of these radio stations - including Ajyal, Amwaj and Voice of Love and Peace - can also be heard live on the Internet; the URL is http://www.palestine-net.com/news/ The Israeli attack was the latest in a series of strikes against Palestinian broadcasting facilities in recent years. In December 2001, Israeli forces destroyed a VOP building in Ramallah and blew up a 90- foot radio and TV tower. In October 2000, Israeli forces attacked VOP transmission towers in Ramallah, and in November 2000, Israeli helicopters bombed the offices of Palestine TV in Gaza. Radwan Abu-Ayyash, head of the Palestinian Radio and Television Corporation, told Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV that "10 years of ceaseless work by good Palestinian youth" had been undone, and equipment worth millions of dollars completely destroyed in the latest attack. Palestinian leaders, in a statement carried on the Palestinian news agency Wafa web site, accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government of aiming "to silence the Palestinian voice and prevent the world from knowing about the crimes committed by the Israeli occupiers against our people, land, institutions and Christian and Muslim sacred places". Jibril al-Rujub, commander of the Palestine Preventive Security Service, said the government of Israel wanted to destroy a symbol of Palestinian sovereignty. "The Palestinian TV and radio station has been for a long time a centre of incitement against the state of Israel, its citizens and against the Jewish people," said Israeli government spokesman Arie Mekel. But Radwan Abu-Ayyash rejected the Israeli accusation, saying: "This is not a Bin-Ladin training centre, it is not a centre for heroin or drug rackets, this is something cultural, civilian and human." The destruction of the Palestinian broadcasting headquarters renewed the debate on the propriety of attacking civilian-operated media outlets. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticised Israel for blowing up the radio station, saying violence would not resolve the Middle East conflict. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said such attacks not only deprived the Palestinian public of news and information, but also put journalists at risk by potentially undermining their civilian status and turning them into military targets. "Radio and television stations are civilian facilities, and therefore protected from military attack under international humanitarian law," said a statement by CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. Amidst a chorus of criticism of the Israeli move, a different view came from Anne Applebaum, a journalist writing in Slate, a magazine published on the Internet http://slate.msn.com/ In a commentary headlined "Kill the Messenger - why Palestine radio and TV studios are fair targets in the Palestine/Israeli war", she wrote: "The official Palestinian media is the right place for Israel to focus its ire... From the Israeli point of view, the Palestinian Authority's official media also express tacit approval for terrorism in general and for terrorist `martyrs' in particular." Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Radiostantsiya Tikhiy Okean has eliminated its SW 7175, LW 234-Magadan & 243-Vladivostok from this year. Only 810 kHz-Vladivostok has been used. Opening announcement is not changed and describes itself as "program for fishermen, seamen & all the people living in Far East Russia", but now, as a matter of fact, the program seems only for Vladivostok (OGUMA Hironao, Tokyo, Japan Premium Jan 24 via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Winter B-01 schedule of B S K S A: MAIN PX in Arabic 0600-0900 17560 17760 21505 21705 0900-1200 21505 21705 1200-1500 17585 21505 21705 1700-1800 11785 15315 15435 1800-2300 9555 9870 SECOND PX in Arabic 0300-0600 9578.9 0600-1700 11855.1 1700-2200 9578.9 CALL OF ISLAM in Arabic 1500-1700 11785 15315 15435 HOLY KORAN in Arabic 0300-0600 11820 15170 15435 21495 0600-0800 15380 17895 0800-0900 15380 0900-1200 11935 17615 21495 1200-1400 15380 17895 21600 1400-1500 17745 17895 1500-1600 13690 17745 1600-1700 13690 15205 17560 17745 1700-1800 13690 15205 17560 1800-2100 11820 11935 11950 15230 2100-2300 11820 11935 15230 FOREIGN SERVICES Bambara 1700-1800 17775 Bengali 1600-1700 15345 <<<<<<< retimed, ex 1400-1500 French 0800-1000 21600 1400-1600 21600 Indonesian 1000-1200 21670 Pashto 1700-1800 9695 <<<<<<< new language Persian 1400-1600 11745 Somali 0400-0500 17760 Swahili 0500-0600 17760 Turkish 0400-0600 15275 Turkmen 1400-1600 9730 <<<<<<< retimed, ex 1500-1700 Urdu 1200-1400 15345 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 24 via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. Internet service reportedly restored in Mogadishu | Text of report by UN regional information network IRIN on 24 January Nairobi, 23 January: Telecom Somalia, better known as Olympic Telecommunications, has brought the Internet back to Mogadishu after a two-month absence, a senior manager of the company told IRIN. "We started providing Internet online services as of yesterday," Abdullahi Muhammad Husayn, the deputy general manager of Telecom Somalia, said on Wednesday [23 January]. Internet services were cut off in Mogadishu last November after the closure of the Al-Barakaat company, one of the organizations running the service. The Al-Barakaat group is one of the 62 organizations and individuals which the US authorities have accused of having links with terrorism, and whose assets were seized worldwide on 7 November. The group has consistently denied the charge, and accused the US government of responding to "rumours and lies". Abdullahi said the company would not open Internet cafes, but would make the service available to individuals wishing to open such facilities. The service would cost users three dollars per hour. He said many international aid organizations with offices in Mogadishu had already signed up for the service. Meanwhile, a new telecommunications company opened its doors in Mogadishu on Tuesday [22 January], a local businessman told IRIN. The company, Netexchange, is wholly owned by Somalis and also comes into operation two months after Al-Barakaat, the largest telecommunications company in Somalia, was shut down. Netexchange is charging its customers 60 US cents per minute for all international calls, lower than the current one dollar charged by other companies, the businessman said. "I believe this a promotional price, to cut into the market share of the established companies." Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 24 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS. See ANTARCTICA ** THAILAND. Government postpones plan to infuence news The Thai government has postponed indefinitely the launch of its information management centre, known as the "Centre to Improve Public Understanding", following a public outcry over media interference, a Thai newspaper reports. The Bangkok Post on 21 January reported that the government media office had been intended "to create public understanding'' by dissemination of government news and views through media outlets. Premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his Thai Rak Thai party have pushed ahead with the plan despite opposition from senators, journalists and media rights groups. Agence France-Presse news agency on 22 January reported that the centre would set guidelines for news coverage at hundreds of state-run radio and TV stations, which comprise most of the kingdom`s 520 stations. Two television stations run by the military would also be issued guidelines, AFP said. Yongyuth Sarasombat, PM's Office minister chosen to direct the centre, said the growing public outcry forced the decision, the Bangkok Post reported. The centre was denounced as an infringement of the people`s right to information and a contravention of the constitution. Yongyuth said the government would study the idea more carefully. Yongyut told the Bangkok Post it was the prime minister's policy to strengthen state-controlled media and emphasize accuracy in news presentation. He, not the premier, had ordered the centre set up. Chavarong Limpattamapanee, secretary-general of the Thai Journalists Association, said his association was drumming up opposition to the centre and to the order by Defence Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh that military-owned broadcasting stations carry regular news coverage of the government`s achievements, the Bangkok Post reported. Chavarong said the government`s attempt to control even state-operated media defied Article 41 of the constitution, which guaranteed free reporting and expression of editorial opinions for government media, the Bangkok Post added. Source: Bangkok Post in English 21 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, following info about RUI is from Alexander Yegorov. "From January 23, 4 SW, 1 LW and 1 MW transmitters in Kyiv have been off the air following 2 transmitters in Mykolaiv which have been stopped on January 16. Only 3 Kharkiv transmitters remains on the air for RUI's programmes. An operative info concerning RUI's frequencies being available can be obtained from the site of RUI (NRCU) on frame http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/eng/program/vsru/world_map.php3 Then you need click your or nearest SIRAF zone on the map entering the table with the frequencies and schedules detailed." 73, (-.. . Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, Jan 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. THE MEDIA CAN PUBLIC RADIO SELL FANS ON MOZART AND DIAPERS? WBUR takes risk with 'online supermarket' By Mark Jurkowitz, Globe Staff, 1/24/2002 Fans perusing online shopping opportunities at the ''Public Radio Store'' on WBUR-FM's popular Web site will come across many products that seem well attuned to the public broadcasting universe, and closely connected to the station's programming: Books on ''eco- terror'' and the genocide in Rwanda, the film ''Mark Twain's America,'' or, perhaps, a ''Baby Needs Mozart'' CD. But in November, as part of an ambitious and risky experiment, the station vastly expanded its array of online products, turning itself into a veritable virtual supermarket. Now WBUR fans can use the ''Public Radio Store'' to purchase everything from the George Foreman Grill to Huggies diapers, from a minitrampoline to Bactine antiseptic. Depending on the product, WBUR takes anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of the cut. Initiated a week before the station, which cited a projected 35 percent decline in corporate underwriting, laid off nine staff members, the ''Public Radio Store'' is an attempt to mine new e- commerce revenue during very uncertain times. And it is sparking a debate, not only over the propriety of using a public radio Web site as kind of upscale Wal-Mart, but also over the wisdom of the business strategy. ''WBUR is taking a completely different approach,'' says Gina Maniscalco, chief executive officer of the Boston-based firm Public Interactive, which sets up the more modest online shopping operations that many public broadcasters use. ''I think it's an interesting time for them to do it ... while everybody else is bailing out of the e-commerce business.'' Many public outlets do sell online items, such as CDs and books, which provide some station connection, but little significant revenue. WBUR's new cybershop, however, is ''more extensive than any other online store offered in public radio,'' says station spokeswoman Mary Stohn. She adds that if successful, the ''Public Radio Store'' could supplant on-air fund-raisers that ''listeners have told us are intrusive.'' ''Frankly, we don't know how its going to work,'' says WBUR assistant manager Steve Elman. ''The only way for us to really know whether online shopping is going to be viable ... is to give it a complete and wholehearted try using all the resources available.'' Reaction to the idea has been mixed. Steve Behrens, editor of Current, the newspaper that covers public broadcasting, warns that ''even a company like Amazon, which everbody knows about ... is nevertheless unable to make a profit.'' (After billions in losses, the company announced it had moved into the black this week.) But Behrens also says the idea of raising money via online shopping is journalistically preferable to ''putting the station under the debt of an underwriter'' who may be the subject of a news story. Conversely, Kathryn Montgomery, president of the nonprofit Center for Media Education, says: ''When what has essentially been a noncommercial public resource gets so closely linked with a highly commercialized e-commerce enterprise, it risks undermining its mission. It's your proverbial slippery slope.'' Public Interactive has about 65 public broadcasting clients, but their online shopping outlets are ''not meant to be a big revenue generator. It's meant to be a service,'' Maniscalco says. ''The margins are very slim. It's sort of like being in the liquor business. You need high volume.'' A typical client is New Orleans public radio station WWNO-FM. ''We're not interested in anything that would not be program-related,'' general manager John Batson says of the merchadise its ''Public Store'' sells. ''So far it has not generated very significant revenue.'' In setting up its greatly expanded ''Public Radio Store'' with the Arizona-based Vcommerce company, WBUR (and its sister station WRNI-AM in Providence), have what Elman characterizes as ''very extensive'' inventory. So far, station officials say that 600 to 800 items have been sold. On-air promotional spots for the online shopping run 19 times a day. National Public Radio spokeswoman Genny Lawhorn, says NPR has not established guidelines for its affiliates which set up online stores because ''they have that discretion.'' NPR, she adds, is ''watching with interest.'' Maniscalco cheers WBUR's efforts to blaze ''a whole other e-commerce trail. WBUR has such a strong brand in the community.'' Still, one potential problem for the venture was highlighted in a recent letter to the station from Patrick Carrier, president of the Globe Corner Bookstores (no corporate connection to The Boston Globe). Indicating that he had canceled plans to spend several thousand dollars with WBUR as a corporate underwriter, Carrier said: ''As a local retailer, we are offended by the relentless promotion of WBUR's own online store and WBUR's suggestion to their listeners that shopping in retail stores is a negative experience.'' This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 1/24/2002. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. From the NRC CPC: WGY (810 AM, Schenectady, New York) will do a DX test on Sunday, February 24th. Since they will be running Coast-to-Coast AM at the time, they will run DX announcements three times per hour between 2 am and 4 am [0700-0900 UT], at :03, :32 and :58 past the hour. Possible Morse Code ID too. People can report their reception reports to: Greg Foster, Program Director WGY/Clear Channel Radio One Washington Square Albany, NY 12205 or e-mail: dx@wgy.com QSL's will be mailed. (Lynn Hollerman, Lafayette, LA, IRCA via DXLD) Check out the IRCA Web site at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5792 ** U S A. Re problems reaching WCBS CE on phone: I asked a question over the phone about power reductions at night at WFAN and I had no trouble reaching engineering. I believe WCBS and WFAN both use the same transmitter off City Island in the Bronx. They're both owned by Infinity. The phone numbers listed in the Queens phone book for WFAN are 718-472-7200 and 718-706-7690; I forget which one I called. Maybe it's a different radio culture if you work in an office building in Manhattan versus a restored 1920 movie studio (kaufmanastoria.com) in Queens (Joel Rubin, NY, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. From: Arts and Lifestyle | Television | Wednesday, January 23, 2002 WNYC Intent on Rebuilding By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Feature Writer Radio station WNYC is planning an ambitious series on "Rebuilding New York" even as station officials write the parallel story of rebuilding the publicly financed outlet. The station is still putting together the money to replace two lost transmitters and make a final $3.3 million independence payment. It is still a few weeks from programming separate AM and FM shows again. But after setting records in the fall both for fund-raising and listenership, executives are confident that WNYC's own story, like the city's, will have a happy ending. Since Sept. 11, when its FM and backup transmitters went down with the twin towers, WNYC has had to raise more than $4 million to replace them — at the same time it faced that final independence payment. It has also had to simulcast AM (820) and FM (93.9) programming over its weaker AM transmitter and a makeshift low-power FM arrangement. But spokeswoman Emma Dunsch says WNYC is feeling good. The best news was the fall Arbitron ratings. WNYC isn't listed in the ratings for commercial subscribers, but WNYC-AM and WNYC-FM each averaged 1.1% of the audience. That combined 2.2% share would put them 20th among all city stations, close behind WPLJ and WOR. The total number of listeners who tuned in WNYC at some point during an average week in the fall was 1,010,900 — the first time WNYC or any other public station has cracked the million mark and a 28% increase from 1996, when the WNYC Foundation bought the station licenses from the city for $20 million. WNYC had hoped an early-January fund drive would cover the final payment on that purchase, which was due Jan. 7. The drive ended about $825,000 short, however, and while that won't derail independence, it has postponed a note-burning party until spring. The problem is that the January drive came close on the heels of an emergency October drive to pay for new transmitters. Listeners anted up an unprecedented $3.1 million then, and with funding from foundations and other sources — public stations outside New York have contributed more than $500,000 — the transmitter cost seems to be covered. Most important for listeners, the backup FM transmitter is expected to go into service from the Condé Nast building in Times Square early next month. That will restore FM power to about 80% of pre-Sept. 11 strength and enable WNYC to offer separate AM and FM again. That also means that as of Jan. 31, WNYC will stop simulcasting some programs on WNYE (91.5 FM), which it has done on an emergency basis since mid-September. WNYC is currently drawing up its new AM and FM program schedules. FM used to be primarily classical music. WNYC's long-term programming plans took a detour last fall when it was unable to lease WNYE from the Board of Education. While WNYC had made no public statements, it had been privately hoping to put music on 91.5, thus freeing up 93.9. So now officials are hoping to keep the station's new listeners with shows like five hour-long specials on "Rebuilding New York." Those will air leading up to March 11 (via Chet Copeland, NYC, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Hi Glenn, Since I last wrote about getting the OK to QSL VOA/ RFE/ RL programs, I have been informed NOT TO verify ANY Radio Free Asia broadcasts. Also, right now, e-mail reports are being forwarded to me here in Delano. Have quite pile of reports right now, but working through them a little every night. 73, (John Vodenik, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non?]. 4278.5 has been on as long as any of the SSB AFRTS broadcasters. Earlier on, this frequency was reported as Key West. It is never strongly heard here, but is very regular most evenings with around a S5 signal. No way this can be Diego, not with the regularity of the signal. Can't recall whether I've heard 4319, but I think Don Nelson in Oregon has, and I've heard the daytime frequency of 12579 occasionally, but these are real DX targets. As far as I'm concerned, 4278.5 is "local" until proven otherwise, and at low power, possibly lower than the usual AFRTS senders of 5 and 10 kW. Should be easy to locate. Can someone in the Key West area receive the transmission via groundwave? (Walt Salmaniw, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. State radio expands ethnic minority-language programmes | Text of report in English by Vietnamese news agency VNA web site Hanoi, 23 January: Radio the Voice of Vietnam (VOV) has increased broadcasting time and variety of languages for programming in ethnic minority languages, and improved the quality of such programmes. Chairman Cu Hoa Van, of the National Assembly's Council for Ethnic Minorities, praised the VOV during a recent working session on development of ethnic minority languages programmes. The VOV has so far broadcast 2,230 hours a year in eight channels in ethnic minority languages for the Hmong, Khmer, Ede, Gia Rai, Banar, Sedang, and Kohor groups in northern mountainous, Mekong delta, and central highlands provinces. Seventy-nine per cent of ethnic minority people have gained access to VOV programmes, according to surveys. Since the early 90s, the VOV has focused on broadcasting in ethnic minority languages, equipping facilities for provincial, district and communal radio stations, and installing transmitters to broadcast in mountainous areas. Source: VNA news agency web site, Hanoi, in English 23 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. "Secret US funding" for SW Radio Africa --- Interesting report in today's Guardian: US FUNDS PENETRATE ZIMBABWE AIRWAVES Chris McGreal in Harare, The Guardian, Thursday January 24, 2002 The United States is secretly funding a radio station in London which has infuriated Robert Mugabe with its nightly broadcasts to Zimbabwe and led his government in Harare to blame the BBC. SW Radio Africa, which broadcasts three hours a night on short wave from clandestine studios in Borehamwood, receives millions of dollars from a department of the US international development agency, the office of transition initiatives (OTI). The Zimbabwean exiles running the station say the money comes from "human rights and media freedom groups" but decline to name them. SWRA, which has been on the air for a month, has angered the Zimbabwean ruling party by giving the opposition a platform and providing a credible alternative to the endless diet of propaganda and falsehoods on state radio. It has embarrassed and irritated British officials, who have publicly denied that Britain plays any role in it. The Zimbabwean information minister, Jonathan Moyo, has accused the BBC of providing it with studios, transmitters and frequencies but the BBC World Service director, Mark Byford, says the BBC has no connection with it. Diplomatic sources say OTI pays for the studios, equipment and airtime on the transmitters of what SWRA calls a "global communications provider" but declines to name. The Voice of America, which is owned by the US government, has transmitters in a number of southern and central African states. The US embassy in Harare said it could not confirm or deny Washington"s involvement. SWRA's spokeswoman, Georgina Godwin, said by email that the funding came from "human rights/media freedom groups", but would answer no further questions. SW Radio Africa is headed by Gerry Jackson, who was sacked by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation five years ago for broadcasting telephone calls describing police brutality. She then opened an independent station, which the police closed after six days. http://www.guardian.co.uk/zimbabwe/article/0,2763,638228,00.html (via Dave Kenny BDXC-UK via DXLD) This was previously reported in British non-BBC media to be transmitted from South Africa. While it doesn`t necessarily follow, the alleged US involvement raises the question whether it could really be via VOA-Botswana, or maybe São Tomé! I have been wondering how overtly the South African government would participate in undermining Mugabe (gh, DXLD) It's not only Britain that has upset Mr. Mugabe. So have we! The full story is at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/zimbabwe020124.html Jonathan Marks fans may like to know there's a short interview with him to accompany the story :-) (Andy Sennitt, RN, swprograms via DXLD) [Note: following story contains shorter story previously carried] ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Jan 24, 2001 (Financial Gazette/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- But the presenter presses on, rattling off names of constituencies where human rights activists have recorded that thousands of Zimbabweans have fled either political violence or looming food shortages. The politician is Eddison Zvobgo, chairman of parliament's legal committee in Zimbabwe and author of various electoral laws which aim to exclude huge chunks of Zimbabweans from voting in the March presidential elections. Zvobgo denies the allegation even when pinned down with the constituency names, until he finally crumbles and becomes personal. "You are sitting there in London telling me about what is happening in Zimbabwe. Why don't you come here and show me these displaced people?" he asks belligerently. It is 4 pm in a dark, slushy north London and SW Radio Africa, the only independent radio station that is run by and broadcasts to Zimbabweans, has hit the airwaves for its daily three-hour broadcasts. The station broadcasts from London because Zimbabwe's media rules do not allow independent broadcasters, making the voice of the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation the only one heard in the country. Until December 19 last year, that is, when SW Radio Africa, with eight staffers and a small office space, started broadcasting. After a lengthy and robust interview with Zvobgo, presenters Violet Gonda and Tererai Karimakwenda move on to an interview with former Anglican archbishop Desmond Tutu and then to an assessment of the Zimbabwean economy. The interviews are long and indepth, the questions uncompromising. "We want to bring texture to the story of Zimbabwe. There is only one voice, and we want to hear more. We really don't want Zimbabwe, or this station, to be a one-way conversation," says Gerry Jackson, the station's founder. And Zimbabwe seems to be listening keenly. Jackson speaks of how the station has received reports of people putting their radios on the tree tops just so they can receive a better signal and an independent news service. Zimbabweans living outside Zimbabwe have also been visiting the station's live webcasts, on http://www.swradioafrica.com, in droves: 170 000 have already visited in the past month. "This is a nation that is hungry for news. You've got to give them the whole story, that is why we touch on everything from current affairs to health, particularly HIV, which is a major problem," says Jackson. The station has rattled the Zimbabwean political establishment to the core. This week Jackson was accused by the state-owned Herald newspaper of spreading ethnic hatred, division, intolerance and violence. It was a position punted by Zimbabwe's Minister of Information, Jonathan Moyo, who has called on Britain and the European Union to ban the station, saying: "The broadcasts are fanning tribal divisions and ethnic hatred among Zimbabweans and we cannot accept that The broadcasts have all the trappings of he genocide broadcasts in Rwanda and we don't want to act after the fact. We must intervene while we are able to do so." Moyo has reason to be fearful independent voices. At the last elections in Ghana, for example, the opposition parties won in six of the country's eight provinces. The six provinces had independent radio stations. In countries where the population is largely rural, radio has the potential to transform lives and bring down governments - a fact of which Zimbabwe's leaders are fully aware. The irony is that, despite Moyo's strident calls for the station to be closed down, government leaders like Zvobgo and Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa have agreed to be interviewed on SW Radio Africa. But in their small studio and offices in London, the staffers at SW hardly seem the types of fan racial hatred. As broadcast time approaches, only Jackson appears relaxed as the rest of the crew make calls, prepare for news bulletins and rush about like ordinary journalists anywhere in the world. The station is not linked to the opposition forces in Zimbabwe, and staffers emphasise that they are to exiles or a propaganda radio station. They are providing a news service that should be available in Zimbabwe, say Jackson. Mandisa Mundawarara, a producer, says: "I am not ashamed of what we are doing. We are filling a gap in Zimbabwean life. I am not a martyr but the inaccuracies about us do not daunt me." The station came about in an extraordinary manner. As Jackson tells it, she was a freelancer on Radio Three, a ZBC music station in Harare, happily playing Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix, until the food riots in 1997. She took live calls from angry Zimbabweans and was accused of insubordination and fired. She fought and won a legal battle in the Supreme Court two years ago to set up a radio station. The court battle was won and Capital FM went on air. Within six days men with AK-47s closed it down after Mugabe used his presidential powers to overturn the Supreme Court decision. Not a word had been uttered on the station. They had merely played songs. It took Jackson a year to raise funds to start up SW Radio Africa, and she arrived in London two months ago to set it up. Within a month it was running. "I hope that sense prevails in Zimbabwe, that the broadcast laws change and we can do this inside the country. This is a real radio station and accusations like Moyo's do not bother me one bit," says Jackson. She says the political violence in Zimbabwe today is terrifying, and being a journalist is one of the toughest jobs to perform. Newspaper vendors are attacked for selling independent titles, people are frightened to speak or have their photographs taken and government leaders often refuse to give interviews, she explains. "You really cannot take anything that Moyo says seriously. His comments only add to people's curiosity about what we say," says Jackson. Oddly, SW Radio Africa does not say anything. It just tells the news and gets ordinary Zimbabweans to call a local number, leave a message and they are called back to give their views. Callers report police harassment, intimidation and other events while doing what Jackson was fired for doing: stating their opinions. Southern African Development Community leaders have criticised the station, but Jackson says she suspects they are afraid that someone else might get the idea to do the same in their own countries. She says although the situation in Zimbabwe is very complicated, regional leaders are "too ambivalent" on taking action. This was the reason she had decided on the United Kingdom to the United Kingdom to set up the station, and the fact that there were as many as 500 000 Zimbabweans in the country added to her decision. The launch of the station reflects a growing inability by Zimbabweans to do in their country what is deemed normal in any other democracy and has led to a virtual exodus - for economic and political reasons - from the country. Each day 500 Zimbabweans leave for South Africa. In London on Monday evenings Zimbabweans gather to share information and to hear the latest news about their country. "There is a cross- section of people who come here. There are people who have just come off the boat, most of them fleeing persecution. Then we get a lot of economic migrants. "It is a microcosm of what Zimbabwe could be, really. Many people have never mixed across racial lines and now, 6 000 miles from home, they are doing that," explains Harry Laubscher, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change's central London branch. The highlight of the meetings is always the guest speaker, who comes from Zimbabwe and gives a synopsis of the latest events. From her job at a pubic relations firm, Ciaryan Marara says she doubts she will return to Zimbabwe until conditions change. "I have written letters to the independent press slamming Mugabe. So now I have heard that they have visited my mother asking about me, only to find I am here. I fear that my mother will be victimised." Like most exiled and expatriate communities, Zimbabweans in London are staring to organise Zimbabwean-style, get-togethers. Last September's Zimfest saw about 650 Zimbabweans gathering to eat Zimbabweans beef. The tickets were out, with proceeds going to Amnesty International and Zimbabwe's victims of torture. The exiles believe that agents of Zimbabwe's Central Intelligence Organisation opearate in London. "They are everywhere," says Dorcas Chireka. "I know people who were living with us normally and then suddenly they disappear. It's true. It is the work of the CIO. They can reach everywhere and anywhere." But Rose Mlambo is adamant that she will not keep quiet or live in fear. "England is full of Zimbabwean school managers and teachers now working as cleaners and labourers. It should not be this way, and I am happy to go anywhere and appear anywhere to speak about Mugabe's atrocities. "Things will not change unless black Zimbabweans in particular stop being so fearful." The emergence of a station like SW Radio Africa reflects the spirit of Zimbabweans in London and elsewhere, that their courage will not flag and that they will continue to fight for the small things in life 3/4 like the right to choose what station they listen to. That spirit is reflected by a comment written next to Moyo's name on a list of Zimbabwean Cabinet ministers on the wall at the SW offices. "Ha" it says. And every day, when they start broadcasting, that is exactly what the station seems to say to the architect of Zimbabwe's draconian media laws and other government ministers. And every day, when they start broadcasting, that is exactly what the station seems to say to the architect of Zimbabwe's draconian media laws and other government ministers. Copyright Financial Gazette. Distributed by All Africa Global Media (AllAfrica.com) -0- (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-014, January 23, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. 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 #1115 available early UT Thu Jan 24: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1115.html FIRST AIRINGS ON WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685, Fri 1030 on 3210 or 9475 FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB CONTINENT OF MEDIA 02-01: (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0201.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0201.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/com0201.html FIRST AIRINGS ON RFPI: Fri 1900, Sat 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039, 21815-USB OTHER AIRINGS ON RFPI: Sat 1730, 2330, Sun 0530, 1130; Tue 2000, Wed 0200, 0800, 1400 UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Dear Glen[n], I have been a reader of Monitoring Times for many years, and Global Forum is one of the first things I read. DX Listening Digest is very excellent. I have been reading it since Nov., 2001 and would not miss an edition. Keep up the great service to DXers! (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Jan 22) ** ALBANIA. Tirana to NAm doesn`t always show up or it`s quite tardy, especially at 0245 on 6115, 7160. At 0330, 6115 may not show up or be mired by 6110 BBC, but 7160 OK (Bob Thomas, Bridgeport CT, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Re 2379.84: So Tucumán was actually mentioned at last? (gh, DXLD) Yes, a distinct 30 second announcement, 2 or 3 mentions of "Radio" and "Radiodifusión", a possible mention of "Estéreo", and in the middle a clear "Nacional San Miguel de Tucumán ". (Mark Mohrmann, VT, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARMENIA. Unusually good reception of Voice of Armenia in Armenian is at 0300. Transmissions begin some minutes before 0300 and contain no news or information but only music (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Oops, no frequency!} ** BELARUS`. Recently I've started a volunteer job at Radio Hrodna, reading incoming reception reports and preparing QSL verifications. You may write to: Radio Hrodna, ul. Gorkovo 85, Hrodna, 230015, Belarus`. (Voice of Russia, Club DX No. 582 - Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus`, Signal via DXLD) ** BULGARIA. R. Bulgaria, Sofia, English to NAm at 0000 and 0300: at 0000, 7400 has splash from VOA; after 0105, 7405 is R. Liberty and gets jammed. So at 0300, it`s usually jammed, too. Both times have \\ 9400 which has co-channel RTTY (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 18, DX LISENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. 4815.0, RTV Burkina Faso, 1845-1905 Jan 22. Talk in French about the 'Sahel', Coca Cola ad, prizes to win (Motorola), Ouagadougou ID at 1858 and local news at 1901. Very good signal (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, SWBC, BDXC via DXLD) Rare reactivation, instead of 5030 (gh) ** CANADA. Attention News/Radio/TV/Culture/Arts and Entertainment Editors: CBC French Radio's Chaine Culturelle Inaugurates Winnipeg Transmitter (89.9 FM) WINNIPEG, Jan. 23 /CNW/ - CBC French Radio's Chaîne culturelle will go on air in Winnipeg on Saturday, January 26, 2002 at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET). To mark the occasion, a major concert starring Sylvain Lelièvre and his Sextet, accompanied by members of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, will be broadcast live on 89.9 FM in Winnipeg (100.7 FM in Montreal). The evening will be attended by representatives of Manitoba's world of culture, education and politics, including Daniel Boucher, President of the Société franco-manitobaine. Also taking part in the celebrations will be Sylvain Lafrance, Vice-President, CBC French Radio, Andrée Girard, Director of Programs for the Chaîne culturelle, and René Fontaine, Director of CBC French Radio for the Prairie Region. Suzanne Kennely will host the event while André Rhéaume will be the on-air host for the concert featuring some of Sylvain Lelièvre's great hits, including "Tombouctou, Marie-Hélène" and "Lettre de Toronto". Mr. Lafrance is justly proud of the fact that the repeated demands of Manitobans to gain full access to the Chaîne culturelle's programs have finally been met. "The Chaîne culturelle is unique among French- language broadcast services," says Mr. Lafrance, "because it offers both great music and programs that happily blend novelty, boldness and reflection." "The Chaîne culturelle will quickly become the reference for area listeners looking for quality cultural radio, in tune with their own dynamic local institutions," adds Mr. Lafrance. In return, several regional cultural institutions will be able to contribute to the Chaîne culturelle's network programming. For example, the Laurent Roy Sextet recently gave a concert at the Centre culturel franco-manitobain that attracted a lot of attention and was recorded by the Chaîne culturelle. In the months and years ahead, many more musical and cultural events taking place in Manitoba will become features of the Chaîne culturelle's programming. -0- 01/23/2002 For further information: Stéphanie Lincourt, Manager, Radio Communications, (514) 597-5873 or Huguette Le Gall, Head, Regional Communications, (204) 788-3699 (via CAJ list via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** CANADA. A reunion was held Monday night in Toronto for a number of artists and DJs of the former 1050 CHUM in Toronto. http://www.pulse24.com/Showbiz/Top_Story/20020121-002/page.asp They still stream at http://www.1050chum.com Info on The CHUM Story book available at http://www.1050chum.com/chumstory/frames_index.htm Might be of interest to many who listened to the station in the early days and later too (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. For fans of singer Peggy Lee, she passed away Monday at 81 years. http://www1.sympatico.ca/news/Fullstories/e012249.html You can hear the stories and songs of Peggy Lee in a retrospect on CHWO AM740 Wednesday night, January 23rd on "Spotlight with Jim Paulson" from 7:00 pm to midnight EST (0000 to 0500 UT Thursday) (Brian Smith, Ontario DX Association Director, Reception Report Manager for CHWO AM 740, http://www.odxa.on.ca/chwo.html ODXA via DXLD) CHWO was also reported to be on low power temporarily. No webcast (gh, DXLD) I have started an "AM 740" radio Yahoo! Groups, a free, easy-to-use email group service. CHWO / Prime Time Radio presents the "adult standard" in music, the '50s - Sinatra, Clooney, Mathis - into the softer '60s stuff - the Beatles, Streisand, Neil Diamond - and into the '70s with Billy Joel, the Carpenters and Whitney Houston. Feel free to post comments and questions for the staff and to find out more on how to send reception reports about the station. Events will also be posted as available. To learn more about the AM740 group, please visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AM740 To find out more about AM 740, please visit http://www.odxa.on.ca/chwo.html Regards, (Brian Smith, Ontario DX Association Director, Reception Report Manager for CHWO AM 740 (ODXA via DXLD) ** CHINA. Chinese music was noted on 4960 on January 18 at 2150 and on January 19 at 1020 in parallel to also new 11870 (interference to DW in German for our broadcasting zone). Transmission disappeared between 1400 and 1445. On January 20, Chinese music on 4960 appeared between 9 and 10 UT and disappeared at 1200. Seems Haixia uses all former Huayi frequencies. I didn't hear any identification on 11590 when tried to do this on January 18 because there was a long radio drama, but I heard definitely Haixia on 4940 in parallel to 5050 on January 20 at 2240. By the way, reactivation of 5050 is special news. I hadn't heard this frequency and 4900 for several months before the beginning of this one. Today (UT January 20, 2330) I received 4900 in parallel to 5050. There's no 4940 at that time (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6937, 1/21/01, 1057, Yunnan People's BS, China (presumed). Asian music with flute, alternating m and f speaking in Chinese at 1100, SIO 212. Also observed on 1/22/02 from 1139 to 1142 with similar acoustic music and Chinese f. High noise levels prevented any kind of ID (Larry Will, Mount Airy, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Hi! found today (16 JAN 2002, 2040-2105 UT) Radio China International in French (news magazine and Chinese economy magazine) on 7065 kHz in the middle of the 40m HAM band. Was also monitored in Belgium. A new frequency, did not find this one listed. Any information about the relay station which was/is used? Has anybody any email address for the French department (found several for the English crieng@...) for reception report. 73, (Tom - DL8AAM, Jan 16, hard- core-dx via DXLD) Many years ago, China was a notorious intruder in the 40 metre ham band, but after years of lobbying the Chinese authorities finally moved all broadcast transmissions out of that band. I doubt they have reverted to their previous policy, so this looks like either a spurious emission or a technical error. It would indeed be a step back into the dark ages if CRI were to do this on a regular basis (Andy Sennitt, Jan 17, standard disclaimer, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Hi, Noted yesterday (Jan 21st) at 1950-2000 Radio China Int`l with a programme about Telecommunications in Portuguese on 7035 kHz! 73 from (Björn Fransson on the island of Gotland, Sweden, Jan 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Press Release Issued by World Radio Network For immediate release 22nd January 2002 RTL Radio in Luxembourg to broadcast programmes from China Radio International via World Radio Network In a significant development for international broadcasting, London- based World Radio Network (WRN) has signed an agreement with RTL Radio in Luxembourg to transmit programmes in French, English and German from China Radio International, seven days a week. These comprise news and current affairs and features about China's people, places and culture including items on food, music, language and the arts. The programming is specially produced by China Radio International in Beijing for a European audience, and is broadcast in French, English and German to the whole of Western Europe via RTL Radio's very high power transmitter on 1440 kHz AM -- the famous 208 Metres medium wave. This will provide a potential audience of some 500 million Europeans with programming they can hear on any home or car radio. After a one-month trial period, regular broadcasts commence on 1st February 2002. This European initiative follows a collaborative agreement signed by WRN and China Radio International in Beijing in August 1999, since when English, French and German programming from the international arm of the Chinese national broadcasting organisation has been transmitted on WRN's international networks. This was followed most recently by the inauguration of news and current affairs programming in Standard Chinese for London-based speakers of the language on Spectrum Radio 558 AM in England. RTL Radio is the on-air name of one of Europe's most renowned broadcasters that for decades has broadcast services to France, Germany and Britain. It is operated by Broadcasting Center Europe, an RTL Group company. China Radio International celebrated its 60th birthday in December 2001, and is established as one of the world's leading international broadcasters, offering over 200 hours of programming worldwide every day in 43 languages. -- ends -- For more information contact: Tim Ayris, Marketing Manager, World Radio Network Tel: +44 20 7896 9000 Fax: +44 20 7896 9007 E-mail: tim.ayris@wrn.org Web: http://www.wrn.org Ronnie Friederich Broadcasting Center Europe S.A., an RTL Group company Tel: +352 42 142 7114 Fax: +352 42 142 7119 E-mail: ronnie_friederich@bce.lu Web: http://www.bce.lu (WRN via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. MALI: China Radio International via Bamako relay noted on Jan. 19-21: 1700-1727 in Swahili, 1730-1757 in Hausa, 1800-1827 in Hausa, 1830-1927 in Arabic on NF 13670, ex 13685 to avoid RVI in Dutch/English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 23 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. CRI via Cuba 9580 no show, late or dismal with co- channel at 0100. Parallel 9790 [via Canada] is much, much better, nore solid and reliable (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. /Switzerland/United Nations: Radio Okapi launch delayed | Excerpt from report by UN regional information network IRIN on 21 January Kinshasa, 21 January: A Swiss NGO, Fondation Hirondelle, in collaboration with the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRCongo], plans to start a nationwide radio station within the next month, the mission's information officer, David Smith, said at the weekend. "It will give priority to the needs of people worst affected by the conflict," he said. The station, Radio Okapi, will also promote a peaceful resolution of the country's civil war, broadcast entertainment and impartial news. Using frequency modulated (FM) and shortwave frequencies, it will broadcast in at least three local languages, in addition to French and English. It will also carry information from seven regional FM stations, and from FM and shortwave stations in the capital, Kinshasa. Around 100 staff are being recruited, nearly all of them local. Expatriates will manage the stations. Currently, no medium in DRC has the capacity to broadcast nationwide, although the government has announced its intention to do so. Few politically-independent broadcasters exist, although Radio Amani in Kisangani in the northeast, and Radio Maendeleo in the eastern town of Bukavu have managed to survive as independent news broadcasters, and have broadcast intermittently over the past three years. Their reach is very limited however. The material broadcast by Okapi will be made available to other local media free of charge. Radio Okapi would enable Congolese to talk to each other across the country's several political divides, the organizers said. The radio's transmitting stations are guaranteed freedom from censorship under agreements with the various authorities in DRCongo, and will broadcast from UN military mission bases guarded by UN troops... Initially, Okapi will be broadcasting two hours a day, first from Kinshasa, and then, within the next two months, from regional stations. However, the volcanic lava that has engulfed the eastern town of Goma has delayed the start date and caused one of the stations to relocate from the town to Bukavu, the organizers said. The other stations set to go ahead are at Kisangani in the northeast, Mbandaka in the northwest, and Kalemie in the east. There are also plans to set up stations at Kindu in the east, Bunia in the northeast, and Gbadolite in the northwest, as UN troops move to these locations, the organizers said... The main sponsors for the project are the British and Swiss governments. So far, the project has a budget of 2.67m Swiss francs (about 1.63m US dollars), according to the organizers. Fondation Hirondelle, which specializes in broadcasting impartial news in conflict zones, was founded in 1994 by Swiss journalist Philippe Dahinden, in response to the Rwandan hate radio station Mille Collines... Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 21 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. James goes crazy for his live show at 0345 UT tonight. Bet you've never hear anything like it before! (Joe at RFPI, UT Jan 23 via DXLD) He was climbing an antenna tower, one not on the air at the moment, live... Is the 0345 show repeated, and if so, whens? (gh, DXLD) ** CROATIA. Croatian Radio HS-1 in Croatian noted on Jan. 22/23: 0500-2300 on NF 6150 via Deanovac 100 kW / non-dir, instead of traditional 6165 Other freqs for Croatian Radio: 7365 0600-1000 9830 0700-1800 13830 1000-2200 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 23 via DXLD) ** CUBA. RHC 11705 USB poor lately. 6000 OK with 6005 BBC splash. 9820 sometimes has RTTY, co-channel (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DEUTSCHES REICH. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). I have a copy of this book [Hitler`s Irish Voices], ISBN is 1-900960- 04-4. 216 pages as well as over 40 photographs; one of the appendices has a complete list of all the transmitters and frequencies used by the service. Is 7 pounds 95 list price, using http://www.comparisonmagic.com Cheapest internet price was 8 pounds 92 from http://www.swotbooks.com (Mike Barraclough, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Since you always care for name spellings etc.: The item under "Deutsches Reich" shows the spellings Goebbels as well as Göbbels for Hitler's propaganda minister. The correct version is Goebbels. And the mentioned "Rundfunkhaus" is actually called "Haus des Rundfunks", today home of the radio department of Sender Freies Berlin and still known under the old name; I think I wrote something about this building back in last summer (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Fernando Hermón Gross, Program Manager of SW station Cristal Internacional (5010 kHz) needs reception reports from all over the world. Please, send your reports to: cristalinternacional@hotmail.com or Apartado Postal 894, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. QSL card will be send to OK reports. Now, the station is // 1510 kHz, but in the near future will separate the signals (Pedro Sedano, Madrid, Spain, Jan 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. V. of the Tigray Revolution, new 6350 tnx to WOR tip, ex- 6315. Jan 19 *0354-0415+. S/on with IS, into talk in language and local music at 0358, fair. \\ 5500 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 3300, 1/17/01, 0344, Radio Cultural, Guatemala. Religious program in English. Fair to strong signal, SIO 322. Also observed from 1143 to 1150 on 1/22/02, with mellow music, a national anthem?, and ID in Spanish at 1146, SIO 322 (Larry Will, Mount Airy, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. 3291.29, GBC, 0930-0950, continues to be a favourite in multicultural programming. English news followed by sub continental music, obituaries with "call names", a great variety of music. Similar to 730 Trinidad on the rare occasions that it make an appearance here (Bob Wilkner, FL, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. Re UNIDENTIFIED 2540.0: After reviewing recordings from Hans Johnson's very clear reception and my somewhat noisier one, it sounds as if this station is Radio Sonaguera. Sonaguera being a town in Honduras near the coast between La Ceiba and Trujillo. There are many mentions of "Valle de la Aguana" which is the river which runs through the town. Hans got a great ID which goes something like, "Radio Sonaguera el ?color? con más calor en el Valle de Aguana". Also, with a few carriers in the vicinity of 2540 I got the frequency wrong; it is actually closer to 2541.5 (Mark Mohrmann, VT, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. FIRE IN AIR LEH COMPLEX: A devastating fire broke out in the AIR Complex in Leh damaging recording and administrative sections on Tuesday. Fire services and personal of security services and district administration jointly put out the fire after a three hour battle. The fire was caused by a "bukhari", the traditional pot of coals used to warm the room. Programming was briefly affected, and 40 percent of the station was burnt. The Leh station was constructed in 1971 and renovated and re-equipped recently. (Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad) ===== 73 (via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Jan 22, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Re the recent XM radio discussion in DXLD: Anyone interested in this should look at the article on XM in the just-out Feb/Mar 2002 issue of "Sound & Vision" magazine, page 94. It illustrates and goes into some detail about the company and the channels. The main thing I find odd in all the discussion I've seen on XM and Sirius is that I've never seen anything that even mentions hacking the reception so that someone can ge the signal without paying the monthly fee. I admit that I haven't searched the net for this; I suppose some cracker/hacker sites have addressed this. (Anyone want to give a reference to them?) But I would have supposed that at least some mass-media articles should have mentioned it in passing, even if it is just to say that doing that was "impossible" or the like. I would think that any audio encryption system should be breakable by a modern PC, given all the time this signal will be available for attack. (A hundred channels 24 hours a day, some of which are parallel to in-the-clear broadcast stations, sounds like a codebreakers dream... :-) I would think that this would be far simpler than breaking the satellite-video encryption, and we know that this is done routinely since every now and then one sees news items about people being busted for selling devices to do this. So I realize that this is an illegal act, but it should be discussable and not ignored. As someone who doesn't even have a computer or satellite reception gear, I'm in no position to do this, but I wouldn't mind reading about it! 73, (Will Martin, MO, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. V. of Islamic Revolution in Iraq [from Iran], Jan 12 and 19 *0330-0400+ on 7100, not to be confused with V. of the Broad Masses of Eritrea, also listed for 7100, but not heard. Talk in language, Kor`an, local ME music, strong, \\ 11660 strong and 9790 fair but mixing with France (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. Detailed follow up to Irish church CB activity. Glenn: I have been in contact with Irish DXer Roger Caird from Dublin, regarding the recent reception of Irish CB church service relays. He provides a lot of interesting info on the subject: (David Hodgson, TN, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi again David, The details below only refer to Churches in the Dublin area. It is quite possible that what you have been hearing are from other cities in Ireland, or even the UK, where this form of pollution[:-)] is also apparently quite prevalent. It can be quite difficult to identify which churches are using these frequencies. The only hints available are during the "church notices" read out during the Mass, where a comment might give an idea of the area the church is in. Unfortunately, they never identify themselves! Most activity is during the weekends: Saturday evening, [Irish local time = UTC]. Sunday morning 1000-1300 UT and evening 1800-2000 and weekday evenings 1800-2000. Funerals usually 1700 UT and then 1000 UT the following day & weddings can be at any time! > Last week I heard even more. Roger helped give me a better idea as to what I was hearing. From Sunday the 13th of January: (Hodgson) 27730, 1235, Church organ and choir. Prayer by Priest. Frequency is actually 27.73125 NFM (UK CB channel 14). There are three churches in the Dublin area on this frequency. The one I have logged most often at this time on a Sunday is actually quite close to my home. Drumcondra Corpus Christi, Griffith Avenue Dublin, 9 Ireland. > 27780, 1240, Church service, with CB QRM. This frequency (27.78125 NFM, UK CB Channel 19) is also shared by 3 churches. This is probably a Roman Catholic church on the Navan Road, on the north side of Dublin. I think the priest`s house is at 192, Navan Road, Dublin 7, Ireland. > 27790, 1255, Choir then Priest. 27.79125 NFM (UK CB Channel 20) I'm not too sure about this one. The frequency is shared by two churches outside Dublin. The most likely, going by the time is: Roman Catholic Church, Kill-o-the Grange, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, > 27680, 1312, Prayer, Communion given by Priest. 27.68125 NFM (UK Channel 09) This church in is the same general area as the one on 27.79125. The time of the transmission is a bit odd. I'm assuming you are using UT? Most Masses start at 1000, 1100, or 1200 or at 15 minute intervals in the hours and 1312 would have been a very long Mass! I've noted that this transmitter is a bit over modulated. There are several churches in this suburb, but I think the most likely one is: St. Michaels Church, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire. I asked Roger if he knew the power output is of these transmissions. He replied: I suppose they must be using something other than standard CB rigs; I don't think an over-the-counter CB base station would stand up to several hours of continuous transmission several times a week. Some churches leave the transmitter live between masses! They do appear to use normal 27 MHz 1/2 wave whips in most cases. I'd suspect they use something around 25 W. Some frequencies are almost unusable on occasions with up to three churches transmitting simultaneously. It probably doesn't affect the listeners who will be within a mile or so of their church. My 1/2 wave GP picks them up from about 20 miles away. If you do try for a QSL, (I doubt that they are equipped with QSL cards!) that might be able to tell you what company set up the equipment for them. These people might be able to give you more accurate details of what church are on what frequencies. For your information, the UK CB frequencies are from 27.62125 to 27.99125 at 1 kHz spacing, i.e. 27.62125, 27.63125, 27.64125 etc. all NFM. Some of the transmitters on the US CB frequencies use AM (Roger Caird, Dublin, Jan 22 via David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Irish church services have been heard in the 27 MHz range on Sundays the last few weeks during the 1200 and 1300 UTC hours. The practice of broadcasting Irish Church services on CB frequencies has been going on for several years now. Both the standard US Citizen Band channels and the UK CB channels are used. Housebound parishioners (the sick or the elderly) are issued with pre- tuned CB capable receivers and can listen in to the Mass from home. In Dublin there are at least 27 channels in use catering for about 45 churches, and churches in Cork, Limerick and Galway are also jumping on the band-wagon. 27225 is the frequency I heard on Jan 20 at 1225 [Hans Johnson, FL]. There is a church in the Dublin area who transmits on this frequency but I haven't identified it yet. Some transmissions can be very difficult to identify. Sometimes you get a hint of the area of the city the church is located in, by the comments of the priest (Roger Caird, Ireland, Jan 23 via Johnson) [Incidentally, this problem also arose here in the UK as the Radio Authority back in 1999 issued a press release confirming these relays of church services were illegal in the UK: DTI Press Release - 12 February 1999 The Radiocommunications Agency confirmed today that it is illegal to use Citizen's Band Radio for broadcasting church services. The announcement follows the discovery last year that a number of churches were using CB Radio to broadcast church services to parishioners unable to attend the service. Whilst the Radiocommunications Agency recognise the value of broadcasting services to the elderly and housebound, Citizen's Band radio is not an appropriate band for broadcasting. It is designed for short term social or business conversation and lengthy services can jam the channels.] (Anon Aug 31 Irish Radiowaves message board via Pennington BDXC Jan 21) CB is widely used in remote parts of Ireland as well as FM relays (Cashin ibid.) Finally, a tuning tip. Tune in sideband as it is easier to hear them in SSB, albeit a bit distorted at times. If the signal improves, try AM. If it continues to improve then try FM mode (Johnson Jan 23) (all: Cumbre DX Special Jan 23 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Here is the latest word from Israel - it's bad news: Last night the IBA Board approved the 2002 Budget after removing shortwave transmission of all but Reshet Bet (Hebrew) and Dalet (Arabic) ...no other languages will be transmitted... though will still be produced. The Knesset has to ratify this and all involved with overseas broadcasting are mounting a campaign to try to stop it happening. Information will be placed on http://www.israelradio.org with an address to write protest letters to (Doni Rosenzweig, NY, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think the reason is budgetary, as it was some years ago when they decided to eliminate prime-time English to North America just after the Gulf War, even though their listenership was quite high at the time. I'd also received word that Kol Israel was going to stop sending QSLs and no longer wanted reception reports, so I knew something was amiss. It is often the case in many countries that broadcasters, or rather the governments that fund their operations, often have no clue that anyone is really out there listening. That is why it is SO important to let stations know that you're listening and send them your feedback! It can be vital for their survival, believe me! (Marie Lamb, NY, ShortWaveRadio yahoogroup via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN. You are absolutely correct, this Radio Almaty has nothing to do with shortwave, it is a mere local station, using only the mentioned 106.5 FM outlet at Almaty. During the recent years Kazakh Radio suffered a serious decline, all shortwave transmissions were discontinued, the vast majority of the mediumwave/longwave transmitters shut down and the second program discontinued. This defunct second program was indeed called "Radio Shalkar" and also aired on shortwave, namely via the transmitters in the Ukraine which Kazakh Radio used then. Now the name "Radio Shalkar" was recycled for the local station of Kazakh Radio at Almaty as result of the province farce covered by the original report. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALAWI. Hot tip just in from Chris Greenway in Nairobi, 22 January: Since yesterday [21 Jan] I've been hearing Malawi reactivated on 7130 kHz. (Note: WRTH lists 7130 @ 1400-2210. Other MBC freqs previously used are 3380 & 5995) (via Dave Kenny, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 4845, 1/21/02, 0000, Radio Mauritanie, observed with an unusually strong and clean signal (544/545 with s20 peaks). Music at 0001, a brief station ID at 0002. Improvisational guitar music with chanting m announcer. Unique style that might be described as sort of a "Bob Dylan of northwestern Africa". At 0017, he takes a telephone call, and continues to play while talking with callers. This continued nonstop until Kor`an recitation began at 0050 (Larry Will, Mount Airy, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. [follow-up to reports of the RMI spur in DXLD 2010, et al.] 9295v, 1/12/02, 0512, Radio Mexico International (spur). Was bandscanning for the RMI DX show on 9705//11770, but both inaudible here. Discovered instead a surprisingly strong, heavily distorted wideband signal audible from 9288 through 9304, peaking at 9295. DX show in English, "Dxperience" ID given at 0526, holiday music at 0530, then French? speaking f accompanied by "inspirational" music and children singing; "Jingle Bells" at 0552, RMI ID at 0555, and dead air from 0557 (Larry Will, Mount Airy, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In DXLD 2-012, R. Mexico International was reported at 9270 by Brian Alexander, and you reported it at 9375 v. On 1/21/02 at 0350-0420, Radio Mexico International was covering from 9284.1 to 9287.0, with the best reception at 9285.0 with Mexican music, Spanish talk, and IDs in English and Spanish at 0409. The signal was very distorted and `FM like.` This was // with 11770, and 9705 was not heard. Indeed, the 9705 frequency is ``slightly`` off (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Radio Mil writes in a letter that due to reorganization in management several letters from DXers might have been lost. So if you're still waiting for an answer, try it again. Besides the n/d personal letter they enclosed a Radio Mil report form, a programme schedule, a sticker and a calendar. Responsible for "sección DX" of Radio Mil XEOI is Héctor García Bojorge. In the letterhead the following email address is given: info@nrm.com.mx 73s, (Andy - Pennant Museum - Schmid, Germany, Jan 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. Voice of Mongolia very rarely comes here stronger than Damascus on 12085 kHz. 6th of January was one such unusual day. Station was heard in Mongolian at 0955, with SINPO 33433. At 1000 Chinese broadcast started. By 1015 SINPO raised a bit, reaching the value of 43433 (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** NEPAL [non]. Everest Radio, QSL in 17 days. Freq 6035 with card of Everest and on the rear side with printed thank you. and card with features of the program. Address noted: Everest Radio, 226 Greenford Ave, Hanwell London W73QT, UK. Tel 44 0 208840 7645, Fax 208840 3449; e-mail: everestradio@hotmail.com (Zacharias Liangas, Greece, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAKISTAN. Planned to check Russian broadcast of Radio Pakistan (6 Jan, at 1445 on 9396 kHz), but found a press conference in English there instead. Nothing was audible on parallel 7375 kHz, because of heavy noise. In about 10 minutes the puzzle has been solved: station returned to speaking Russian, and the presenter said it was President's urgent press conference (Dmitri Mezin, Kazan, Russia, Signal via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. I found the Radio Amwaj (referred to in various news items on Voice of Palestine) web site at: http://amwaj.al-carma.com/ RealMedia -streaming available but not working, perhaps overloaded. 73 de (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, FINLAND, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. This morning, Jan 23, I noticed a couple of regional PNG 90m outlets relaying Port Moresby and running // 4890. These were: 3205 @ 1215, presumably R West Sepik, and a little later, on 3315 @ 1249, with full Port Moresby ID and freq allocation for MW, FM and SW. PNG reception was well above average this morning (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. Romania/USA: Romanian TV programmes to air in USA | Text of report in English from Romanian news agency Rompres web site Bucharest, 21 January: Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dan Nica inaugurated on Sunday evening [20 January] the digital television station in the Cheia mountain resort, 100 km north of Bucharest. The new television station provides for the transmission of an audio- video duplex dialogue between Cheia and Romania's embassy in Washington. It is the largest such digital communication station in southeastern Europe, Prime Minister Nastase said. The station secures direct communications with North America, South America and the Far East. "It is an outstanding technological achievement, which will be continued with over five million US dollars expected to be invested in it over the course of this year, and I am greatly pleased to welcome this exceptional initiative, which will provide telephone links in the country to hardly accessible zones". Prime Minister Nastase then ran a test by speaking on a duplex basis with a group of Romanians who live in the United States and who were hosted by Stelian Stoian, the deputy chief of mission at Romania's embassy in Washington. The Romanians said it was very important that the Romanian communities in the United States stayed in touch with the country, keep their cultural identity, and learn about the developments in Romania in every moment. Nastase saluted the group of Romanians, as well as the possibility that from now on, the Romanians living in America and in other far-off zones of the world, can find out in real time about the goings-on in their motherland. "All that means Romanian cultural identity can now be transmitted across, and our values can be preserved within the Romanian families in the United States and Canada", Nastase said. In a telephone conversation with the national television station, Romanian Ambassador in Washington Sorin Ducaru, now in Los Angeles, said that the programmes of the Romania International TV Channel would be received very soon throughout the United States territory, by either ground relays or cable television. Source: Rompres web site, Bucharest, in English 0718 gmt 21 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) As always in such cases, one suspects this has a much greater impact in the home country than in the USA (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. The Moscow Times (in English) has an article about Vasily Strelnikov... ``A Soviet Boy's Dream Comes True on MTV`` (ex-R. Moscow, VOR) http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2002/01/22/018.html (Kim Elliott, DC, Jan 23, swprograms via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. Radio Banaadir unable to update its web site. The home page of the web site of Mogadishu-based Radio Banaadir - http://www.radiobanadir.com/index.html - is currently carrying the following message (in Somali): "Radio Banaadir informs its esteemed listeners that radio services will be unavailable [on its web site] for some time because of technical problems arising from the current lack of an Internet link which is being experienced in the country. We inform our esteemed listeners that we will resume our daily radio service next year [presumably 2002], God willing. Please bear with us for the inconvenience caused by technical problems." The technical difficulties referred to in this message are assumed to be the severing of Somalia`s Internet links by the USA last year. It appears that Radio Banaadir had earlier been posting on its web site the audio of its 1700 gmt news bulletin. It also appears that the web site has not been updated since 20 November (although the home page always displays the current date). Source: Radio Banaadir web site in Somali 8 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN --- Coming up from Radio Sweden: Tuesday Special feature about a new book about ABBA Wednesday "Money Matters" Thursday In the "S-Files", an unusual runestone Saturday "Studio 49" takes up Sweden and the European single currency Sunday another chance to hear "Sounds Nordic" with the A-Teens! We hope you've noticed that our web news, the only regular English- language news from Sweden, is now posted to the web much earlier. You'll find our online round-up Mondays to Fridays by 12:00 hrs CET. Dynamic schedules are the latest new feature on our website. No longer will we manually updating html tables, as all our schedule information is now in an easy-to-keep-updated database. We also have a new language. The latest addition to Radio Sweden's Immigrant Languages department is Romany (or Gypsy). Programs in 5 of the many Romany dialects are being broadcast 09:00-09:30 hrs local time on Fridays on our 89.6 MHz FM transmitter in Stockholm, and on the P2 network around Sweden (MediaScan Jan 22 via DXLD) ** SWEDEN [non]. GERMANY: Additional transmission for IBRA Radio in Pashto/Dari via DTK/JUL to ME: 1645-1715 Daily on 9425 (55544), 80 deg. For A-02 is registered 13620 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 23 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. Some changes of Voice of Russia relays. 13-15 in Dari still on 4940 and 4975. 4965 changed to Chinese at 1300-1400 and Urdu at 1400-1500. 4975 dropped for English transmission at 1600-1700 (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia via Signal for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** THAILAND. R. Thailand, English to NAm at 0030 on 13695 is hit by 13700, which I think is Portugal? (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UKRAINE. I wonder what`s going on over at RUI Kiev? Haven`t heard it since Jan 15 to English to NAm at 0100 or 0400 on 7375, Jan 16 or 17. Later: still not a peep out of RUI, checked again Fri Jan 18; so far, 3 days off (Bob Thomas, CT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. UAE Radio Dubai monitoring schedule: 0600-1015 Arabic 13675.0 15400.0 21597.6 1015-1030 Arabic 13675.0 15370.0 15400.0 21597.6 1030-1050 English 13675.0 15370.0 15400.0 21597.6 1050-1315 Arabic 13675.0 15370.0 15400.0 21597.6 1315-1330 Arabic 13630.0 13675.0 15400.0 21597.6 1330-1350 English 13630.0 13675.0 15400.0 21597.6 1350-1600 Arabic 13630.0 13675.0 15400.0 21597.6 1600-1640 English 13630.0 13675.0 15400.0 21597.6 1640-2100 Arabic 11945.2 13630.0 13675.0 15400.0 co-channels: 11945.2 RFA in Mandarin Ch 1640-2000 on nominal 11945.0 CHR1 in Mandarin Ch 1640-2100 on nominal 11945.0 13675.0 VOIROI in Arabic 1030-1530 VOA in Amharic/Tigrina/Oromo/English 1800-1900 15370.0 RL in Russian 1100-1315 15400.0 RFE/RFIraq in Arabic 0600-0700 BBC WS in English 0700-1130 NHK in French 1230-1300 Radio Finland in Finnish/English 1300-1400 BBC WS in English 1500-2100 Radio Finland in Finnish 1630-1900 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 23 via DXLD) ** U K. TUESDAY JANUARY 22 2002 HANCOCK FAN FINDS LOST HOUR, by ADAM SHERWIN Two episodes of the Hancock`s Half Hour radio show that had been lost for almost half a century have been found. The classic comedy programmes were discovered by a fan as he was listening to a collection of old tapes. The episodes, first broadcast in 1956, are Sid James`s Dad and The New Secretary. The BBC, which was afraid that they had been wiped, hopes that they will be of broadcastable quality after being restored. The New Secretary has especially excited fans because, until now, only a 1959 remake of the show had been available. It was in this episode that Hattie Jacques appeared for the first time, beginning what became a classic comedy partnership. In the other episode, James`s father is played by Kenneth Williams, who would normally appear only at the end of the shows. Jeff Hammonds, sound archivist for the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society, said: We have been contacted by one of our members who says he has reel-to-reel tapes of these performances. We will listen to them and see if the quality is good enough for them to be put on CD. It is three great comic performers at their best. Williams plays a typical rogue in this episode and Tony can`t believe that Sid`s dad is even worse than Sid. A BBC appeal for classic shows lost from the archives produced two episodes of Dads Army, which were broadcast at Christmas. Many other Hancock tapes are missing, including the whole of the first series, dating from 1954. Mr Hammonds said, hopefully: There must be someone out there who has them. There are episodes coming in all the time and we track them down from car boot sales or people who taped them off the radio in the 50s. The BBC got rid of a load of tapes in 1964 and one wonders why they didn`t take more care over their archive. Copyright 2002 Times Newspapers Ltd. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Translators on Trucks? NBC TO STRETCH ITS SIGNAL, By Michele Greppi, Electronic Media NBC hit the streets of San Francisco last week in search of creative solutions to reception problems that have had thousands of Bay area viewers complaining they haven't been able to see Must-See TV since the Jan. 1 affiliation switch. The network began conducting tests to determine whether it is possible to pipe its signal into pinpointed neighborhoods with a small network of trucks that could effectively serve as low-power transmitters during the Winter Olympics (via Brock Whaley, GA, Jan 22, DXLD) ** U S A. 6955, 1/20/02, 0300, Crunch Radio, USA?, vintage jazz and big band music from the 1920s through 1940s, excellent sound and signal quality, with brief occasional IDs alternating between voice and slow-scan television transmissions. In a posting to the FRN site at http://www.frn.net/vines/Forum1/HTML/000579.html, crunch reveals that the unique station IDs were slow-scan transmissions of the station ID card (Larry Will, Mount Airy, Maryland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Sunday, February 3, 2002 - WKDK-1240, Newberry, SC will conduct a DX test at 12:00-1:00 am EST [0500-0600 UT]. Tones of 400 Hz and 1000 Hz as well as Morse code IDs will be broadcast. The station's regular format is AC - some DX music (marches) will be played. WKDK will be operating at 1000 W non-directional. For QSLs, a SASE is REQUIRED! QSLs will be sent on station letterhead with a refrigerator magnet, and a Newberry County calendar will be given away. Also, calls will be taken during the test at 1-800-749-WKDK (9535) - callers will be put on the air! Further, this station will send CW IDs every day during the month of February, 2002 at 6:04 am EST, immediately following ABC news. Reception reports (with return postage) may be sent to: Powell Way, Email (Reception reports only): W4OPW@yahoo.com QSL Manager, WKDK-AM, P.O. Box 753, Newberry, SC 29108 (Arranged by Powell E. Way III and Lynn Hollerman, IRCA DX Monitor via DXLD) ** U S A [non?]. Glen[n], AFRTS, in other letters has stated they have no station on 4278.5. I can hear that outlet most of the time I try. I cannot hear any signal on 4319 kHz. How do I count this one? Diego García? Is this a case of an official frequency of 4319, but an actual frequency of 4278.5? 2002 PWBR has 4278 as Key West! As I write this note on Jan 19 at 0116 UT, AFRTS is on 4278.5 USB --- very poor copy - -- as it is most of the time. This cannot be Key West! This was received in response to a report of Nov 13, 2001 at 0225-0255 UT on 4278.5 USB: ``Dear Leonard, This letter serves as confirmation of your November 13, 2001 reception of American Forces Radio and Television. The signal originates from Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Station, Diego Garcia, 4319 kHz. AFRTS short-wave radio transmissions have historically existed to provide AFTS radio service to the U.S. Navy vessels and outlying military posts receiving limited American radio or television through other means. The signals will be in existence for a limited time until a new technology, which is currently being tested, allows for reception of AFRTS via satellite. We are pleased that you have received the AFRTS short-wave signal and thank you for your interest and confirmation of the signal`s quality. Sincerely, April Ball, Broadcast Operations Specialist`` [Jan 11 on AFRTS letterhead: NAVAL MEDIA CENTER, Mobile Detachment TWO, 2713 Mitscher Road SW, Naval District Washington Anacostia, Annex – no further address or postal code] (Leonard F. Estorge, Metairie LA, Jan 19 via P-mail, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I don`t recall 4278.5, which we have also heard from the outset of the revived SW service on SSB, ever having been pinpointed for certain. AFRTS HQ or QSL address habitually deny any knowledge of it. Comments? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. GERMANY: New transmission via DTK/JUL - Remnants Hope Ministry in English as follows: 0200-0300 Wed on 6125 / 295 deg to NAm. For A-02 is registered 9855 1215-1315 Sat/Sun on 6110 / 295 deg to Eu. For A-02 is registered same freq (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 23 via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. 4980, Ecos Del Torbes, Venezuela. Listenable signal most evenings here between about 0100 to 0400. Often playing a nice mix of vintage Latin American music. Recent loggings: 1/2/02, 0024, SIO 222; 1/8/02, 0313, 323; 1/11/02, 0240, 444; 1/12/02, 0334, 434; 1/21/02, 0055, 322. A belated happy new year and best regards for 2002, from Mount Airy, Maryland! Cheers, (Larry Will, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. Miércoles se cumplen 44 años de la caída de la última dictadura militar en Venezuela. Al efecto, para celebrar esa importante fecha toda la sociedad civil venezolana en compañia de organizaciones no gubernamentales, partidos políticos y público en general, realizarán a partir de las 12:00 horas UTC una gran marcha en contra del gobierno del Presidente Hugo Chávez Frías, el cual se ha caracterizado en estos últimos meses en atacar de manera verbal y através de sus fanáticos a todos los medios de comunicación que no esten de acuerdo con su gestión de gobierno. La Marcha de mañana será considerada como la más multitudinaria que jamás se haya hecho en contra de un Presidente en la historia democrática de Venezuela. El partido de gobierno va a realizar otra marcha en la misma hora, para de esta manera contrarestar a la de oposición. Actualmente hay en el país una atmosfera muy tensa, cuando solo faltan horas para ese acontecimiento y porque se teme que puedan haber heridos y hasta muertos. La razón es porque existe los llamados "Círculos Bolivarianos", ordas de personas parecidos a los comites de defensa cubanos, que desean aplastar cualquier tipo de manifestación en contra del presidente Chávez. Esperamos que esto no suceda, pero solicitamos a todos que sintonizen las emisoras venezolanas, sean por onda corta ó Internet, así como la televisión venezolana porque la jornada de mañana será muy larga y seguramente marcará un hito muy importante en la historia contemporanea de nuestro país. ¡Muchas Gracias! Cordiales 73´s. (Econ. Jorge García Rangel. Banda Tropical. Editor DX. Barinas, Venezuela, received 0415 UT Jan 23 and immediately posted on our Calendar page and notified on Anomaly Alert --- gh) Around 1400 UT we tried to get webcasts from R. Caracas/TV, Unión Radio and Radio Rumbos, but servers were full or inaccessible (gh) PACIFIC ASIAN LOG UPDATE I've just updated the Pacific Asian Log. [mediumwave only] This was the first update since it was issued last August. I've added central Russia and the Asian CIS countries to the log, so the PAL and the EMWG now have complete coverage of Asia and Europe. The country version is now sorted in country, frequency, location order, making it a bit easier to use. I've also incorporated several suggestions, and updated many of the listings. Special thanks to Miller Liu for a major update to the Taiwan listings. The Log is available for free from the TPDX website: http://www.qsl.net/n7ecj You can download the log in Frequency or Country order. It now has over 3500 listings. As always, your comments are most welcome, as are any additions or corrections to the list. I'm especially interested in the new Russia/CIS listings, since I'm not too familiar with the MW scene in that part of the world, and information is hard to find. Information on China would likewise be very welcome. I've also added more material to the TPDX website in recent weeks, including more links, logs from the November Grayland DXpedition, and several more audio files (including the final signoff for KAIM-870). 73 (Bruce Portzer, WA, Jan 22, hard-core-dx via DXLD) YLE LIST OF TROPICAL RADIO STATIONS: http://194.252.88.3/rswebpri.nsf/sivut/tropical.html (Michael Stevenson, NSW, EDXP via DXLD) Just updated a few days ago, but has some strange omissions: nothing `out of band`, between 2500 and 3200; 3400 and 4750! Except 3492 R. Padilla, Bolivia; does have a full list of 75m up to 4005, altho it is *not* a tropical band; nothing above 5100. Has XERTA on 4870, but nowhere else; WWCR still on 2390 tho inactive; WWFV tho apparently no longer existing, on 3270 (gh, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-013, January 21, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. 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 #1114 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.html NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Tue 1900, Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039v, 21815-USB DX PROGRAMS has been updated January 21: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN. According to the YA5T Web site, Peter, ON6TT, should be in Pakistan by the time you read this (January 21st) and should be back in Afghanistan for one week on January 23rd. After that he will be in New York for one week and fly back to Pakistan after that. Peter should be in and out of Afghanistan for the next two months. Robert, S53R, is expected to leave Slovenia and should be in U.A.E. (A6) by the time you read this before moving onwards to Pakistan a couple of days later. He should be in Afghanistan around January 31st for two months. Mats, SM7PKK, is in A6 for a couple of weeks. He might be going into Afghanistan after one or two months. Mark, ON4WW, is in Pakistan and should be flying into Afghanistan by January 31st for at least a couple of weeks. PLEASE NOTE: All YA5T activity after December 2nd, 2001, until now was bogus. Again, it should be noted that all operators are there for their work with the UN World Food Programme. Their activity might be limited, the equipment they use is QRP, and their humanitarian work has priority. Meanwhile, Nick, G4KUX/YA, continues to be active on 20 and 10 meters SSB. Check around 14194 kHz after 0300z and around 28487 kHz after 0630z (KB8NW/PODX January 21/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Nuevo sitio web de una emisora comercial en OM (ver archivo LT39 Radio Victoria). Nueva emisora argentina en la expandida onda media. El 21/1/02 capté en 1710 kHz a NET identificándose de las siguientes maneras: 0340 "Con la música te queremos llevar a donde nadie te puede alcanzar, Net 1710 marca la diferencia"; 0355 "Si el amor es un sentimiento, cada sentimiento es único; si cada persona es irrepetible, cada noche diferente, nosotros también, NET como vos en la noche..."; 0358 "Transmite NET en 1710 kHz desde Buenos Aires, Argentina". Buena potencia, QTH desconocido (Rubén Guillermo Margenet KENWOOD R-5000 Antena dipolo plegada T2FD 27 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I guess this is the one on 1710 previously reported in DXLD 1-210 and 1-204 as ``Mec``. His attachment had melissa virus, so I did not see the website referenced. It would be very much appreciated if everyone would dispense with anything other than plain text when distributing DX reports. Turn off your html, please, avoid word documents, RTF attachments (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Spur 6275 from Radio Everest: Mixing product of fundamental 6035 with 6155 -- ROI (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELARUS`. 3346.00, Radio Mayak, 0342 21 Jan, Popular and light rock music with Russian vocals. Songs interspersed with quick announcements and sweepers by man in an apparent DJ style. Intro music then apparent news items read on top of music (sounded almost like the Miami Vice theme) by a man at 0400 until 0405. Strong, clear signal despite a few brief service drops (and RTTY bursts before top of the hour). (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BELGIUM [non]. I got 4 of the TDP-QSL's (from four different reception reports and follow ups) on Monday as well: Denge Mezopotamya-11530 Netsanet Le Ethiopia-12110 Radio Bopeshawa-9450 Dejen Radio-12110 They were all alike --- and I am not very proud nor happy about this kind of QSL-ing! Anyway - they are as good as or even more beautiful than mass produced and all alike e-mail letters, so I want to thank Ludo Maes for his nice and prosperous initiative! (B. Fransson, Sweden, Jan 17, 2002 for QIP/CRW via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4471.72, 21/1/02 -0035* R. MOVIMA, Santa Ana. S.off con canción de Leonardo Favio y sin despedida. 4716.75, 18/1/02 0105 R. YURA, Yura. Ann "La voz de los Ayllus hasta las diez de la noche" (E-mail: canal18@cedro.pts.entelnet.bo QTH: Casilla 326, Yura, Provincia Antonio Quijarro, Potosí. V/s: Rolando Cueto F., Director /Hans-Dieter Buschau en Play-DX N 1133). 4774.95, 18/1/02 -0043* R. MALLKU, Uyuni. S.off "A esta hora Radioemisora Mallku cierra sus emisiones con la firme promesa de volver dentro de algunas horas; Radio Mallku operó en la frecuencia de 4795 [sic] kilociclos, banda tropical de 60 metros, onda corta, muchas gracias por su preferencia" (E-mail: frutcas@hotmail.es QTH: Casilla 16, Uyuni, Potosí. V/s: Freddy Juárez Huarachi, Director /Serginho Nuzzi en Play-DX N 1133). 5952,44 19/1/02 11:10 R. PIO XII, Siglo XX. Conexión con Cochabamba informando acerca del grave conflicto entre los cocacoleros y la policía boliviana (E-mail: radiopio@nogaloru.entelnet.bo /Rudolf Grimm-DXCB"Radioescutas" en Play-DX N 1133). (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, Argentina, KENWOOD R-5000, Antena dipolo plegada T2FD, 27 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Wave-Length on China Radio International has a new time and day. Fridays at 0045 UT. It`s part of RealTime Beijing which can be heard at http://www.cri.com.cn/english The Friday show is archived for 2 days. Starting on Friday's edition of Wave-Length a three part interview with short-wave legend Tom Meijer of the Happy Station from Radio Nederland. Cheers, (Keith Perron, CRI, Jan 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good idea, as the previous timing, 24 hours earlier, conflicted with the first airing of WOR on WBCQ (gh, DXLD) ** DEUTSCHES REICH. [BDXC-UK] Publication - Hitler's Irish Voices: The Story of German Radio's Wartime Irish Service (Beyond the Pale Publications, Belfast, 1998) An interesting historical piece from The Sunday Business Post: David O'Donoghue, Dublin, Ireland, 26 August, 2001 Irish army officers at McKee Barracks in Dublin could scarcely believe their ears when, at the end of 1939, they tuned into a fluent Irish speaker on Radio Berlin. At first they thought it was some pirate broadcast from Dublin, or someone's idea of a bad joke. But the speaker in Berlin, Professor Ludwig Muhlhausen's tone was deadly earnest as he predicted the imminent defeat of England. Professor Muhlhausen and Dr Hans Hartmann broadcast their Irish language talks on Wednesday and Sunday nights. Before the war, both men had studied Irish in the Kerry, Connemara and Donegal Gaeltachts. But why did the Nazi radio bosses in Berlin bother to put out programmes in Irish at all? The answer was German thoroughness. Irish listeners weren't their only targets -- radio audiences all over the world were being treated to weekly doses of Nazi propaganda. In the course of the war, Radio Berlin broadcast in no less than 54 languages, nine more than the BBC could manage. And, yes, Irish was included in the hope of reaching the hearts and minds of a people the Germans considered 'anti-British' and who, they hoped, could be attracted to the idea of a German military victory. But because they were operating in neutral territory, the Germans had to tread more carefully than they did in other countries, adopting a personalised, and less warlike, approach to Irish radio listeners. Professor Muhlhausen, one of the two weekly broadcasters, had a habit of sending greetings over the airwaves to his friends in Ireland. He would read out birthday and anniversary wishes, once broadcasting the exam results of one of his Irish students at Hamburg University, Se´amus 'Kruger' Kavanagh, who had returned home to Kerry just in time to avoid the outbreak of war in 1939. In the run up to Christmas 1939, Muhlhausen broadcast seasonal greetings to a Donegal teacher, Sean O hEochaidh, who had helped the German professor to learn Donegal Irish on a visit to Teelin in 1937. Muhlhausen's good intentions didn't quite have their desired effect. The morning after the broadcast, at dawn, Garda special branch officers swooped on O' hEochaidh's bedroom, demanding to know the exact nature of his relationship with the German. The Donegal man recalled years later: "When Muhlhausen named me on the radio the gardai thought I was some sort of fifth columnist, which I was not." During 1940, Muhlhausen rejoiced in Luftwaffe raids on English factories and other enemy targets, assuring his Irish listeners that England would soon surrender. But the Nazi bosses at the Rundfunkhaus (radio centre) in Berlin were tiring of Muhlhausen's semi-hysterical rantings in Gaelic. They guessed, rightly, that his talks were having little or no effect in Ireland. Students at UCG pilloried the German professor, nicknaming him Dr Fullhausen. And the only reason they listened to him at all was that his talks piggybacked onto the end of William 'Lord Haw Haw' Joyce's Sunday night "Views on the News" broadcast, which was very popular among west of Ireland listeners. Joyce had spent most of his youth in Galway as a student of the Jesuits at the city's St Ignatius College. In Berlin, plans were afoot to revamp the programmes to Ireland in the hopes of attracting a broader listenership, open to the station's anti-British rantings. Muhlhausen was duly dispatched to join an SS unit working with Breton nationalists in occupied France and his assistant, Hans Hartmann, took over as head of a new nightly service beginning in 1941. The test transmissions for the new service began on 26 August 1941, using the powerful Zeesen transmitter in Berlin. What Irish listeners to the revamped broadcasts couldn't have known, however, was just how important they were to the German government. Dr Goebbels's propaganda ministry and Joachim von Ribbentrop's foreign office were both vying for control of the Irish Service, (Irland Redaktion as it was known in German.) The Irish Service was seen as a jewel in the media crown of whichever department controlled it, and it was a jewel neither ministry was going to give up without a fight. To complicate the power struggle, the head of German Radio's foreign services, Dr Toni Winkelnkemper, was an SS officer. For a brief period of five months, from June to October 1941, Göbbels had the upper hand appointing his nominee, Wolfgang Dignowity -- a 28- year-old journalism graduate from Chemnitz -- as head of the Irish Service. Unfortunately, Dignowity had never been to Ireland and what he knew about the country could have been written on the back of a postage stamp. His "Irish" team was recruited in Paris, and included: a Breton aristocrat, Alain Keroer; another Frenchman, Jacques Piche, who had worked as a journalist in America; a Russian woman, Sonja Kowanka, whose family had fled the 1917 revolution; and a Scotsman, James Blair (whose mother was Irish), who had been working as a Paris-based stringer for some American newspapers. From the outset, the non-'Irish' team's days at the Berlin radio centre were numbered. Ribbentrop had his eye on the Irish Service and sent one of his top Irish experts, Dr Adolf Mahr, to unseat Dignowity. Mahr, an Austrian Nazi, was on leave of absence from his job as director of the National Museum in Dublin, and was close to Von Ribbentrop, whom he met a number of times when the latter was German ambassador to London between 1936 and 1938. The Austrian drew up a damning report on the ineffectiveness of the Irish Service. Dignowity and the two French men were sacked. Mahr produced an 11-page blueprint to revamp the Irish radio unit, turning it into a nightly bilingual service in Irish and English. His success was such that, by 1943, the Irland-Redaktion was on air for three 20 minute segments every night of the week. Mahr's report, which was accepted in full by Von Ribbentrop, concluded that "the overthrow of British imperialism `will bring with it Ireland's reunification"' The museum head's spin appealed to Ribbentrop who at the same time, but through diplomatic channels, was trying to impress upon the Dublin Government that post-war Irish unification would be on the cards in the event of a German victory. With German Foreign Office backing, Mahr then set about establishing his Irish radio service in Berlin. He appointed Hans Hartmann as the new head of the service, while Kowanka and Blair were kept on. Hartmann was intent on presenting a friendly German face to neutral Ireland, and his programmes -- including war communiqués, anti-British invective, flashbacks to Black and Tan atrocities in the Irish War of Independence, and praise for the Nazi leadership -- were interspersed with traditional Irish music and songs by John McCormack. After the German invasion of Russia, on 22 June 1941, Hartmann's team broadcast anti-Soviet propaganda emphasising the Communist threat to Ireland's Catholic way of life. Hartmann himself exhorted his listeners to "keep your neutrality" and kept stressing the importance of Ireland remaining out of the war. In later years, he explained his radio talks were based on the fact that Irish neutrality "was a part of the [German] war aims". "When de Valera declared his neutrality, Hitler said to himself that that was the best thing for him. He really wanted to respect Ireland's neutrality, so long as Ireland was not foolish enough to make some move to make that difficult for him; to force him into another attitude". In other words, play ball with Uncle Adolf or you'll be annihilated. Apart from Hartmann's Irish language talks, however, there was little about the Irland-Redaktion that could be called Irish. The only genuine Irish member of the radio unit at this time was a man called John O'Reilly. Born in Kerry in 1916, O'Reilly grew up in Kilkee, Co Clare, and arrived in Berlin during the war, having been recruited by the Germans when they invaded the Channel Islands. Behind the scenes, O'Reilly was having fierce rows with Hartmann over what should and should not be broadcast to Ireland. The German wanted the Kilkee man to read extracts from Wolfe Tone's diaries, but O'Reilly argued that such material would be of no interest to Irish listeners. O'Reilly was ordered to carry on reading the extracts, while Hartmann also read them in Irish. Their uneasy detente lasted a year before, in a fit of frustration, O'Reilly quit. By late 1942, he could see that Hitler's Russian campaign was not going to be a blitzkrieg walk-over and so he duped the Germans into sending him on a spying mission home to Ireland. O'Reilly was arrested after landing by parachute near Kilkee in December 1943 and spent the rest of the war in Dublin's Arbour Hill prison. Hartmann had more success with the Irish writer and republican activist, Francis Stuart. In 1942, both men were working as lecturers at Berlin University and the German had little trouble in persuading his colleague to contribute a weekly talk to Ireland, entitled "Through Irish Eyes". At around the same time, Hartmann also hired an English woman, Susan Hilton, who broadcast under her maiden name of Sweney. Her brother Edward Sweney, from Oldcastle, Co Meath, remained convinced throughout his life that, being offered an alternative of incarceration in a camp, she had little choice. And in 1944, Susan Hilton was locked up in Liebenau internment camp but managed to survive the war. Francis Stuart's first talk was broadcast to Ireland on St. Patrick's Day, 17 March 1942. He stuck close to Hartmann's propaganda line, criticising the arrival of US troops in Northern Ireland and supporting Irish neutrality: "What a blessing it is that we are celebrating this day at peace, not having escaped war by dishonourable and cowardly means, but by refusing, as far as lay within our power, to waver from a strict and fearless neutrality". Stuart supported de Valera's neutrality policy but was less inclined to support Dev in the run up to the general election of June 1943. The dissolution of the Dail sparked a wave of election broadcasts by Stuart who advised Irish voters to ignore the mainstream parties and vote for extreme republicans. This was more than de Valera could take. He dispatched his ambassador in Berlin, William Warnock, to the German Foreign Office to lodge a protest about this "unwarrantable interference in our internal affairs". The formal complaint put an end to Stuart's election broadcasts and, in any case, de Valera won the election. Six months earlier, Stuart had used his weekly radio talk to praise the IRA's Northern commander, Hugh McAteer. This prompted a milder protest from de Valera who called in the German ambassador to Dublin, Eduard Hempel, for a dressing down. Francis Stuart had a knack of stirring things up on the airwaves. On 15 May 1943, he urged Irish born members of the British Army to mutiny and join the German or Italian forces. The broadcast was fraught with danger for Stuart himself since he could have been hanged for treason after the war on the basis of his Co Antrim upbringing. Luckily for him, however, while the BBC monitored the "mutiny" talk they did not identify Stuart as the speaker (although the Irish Army monitors did). Stuart admitted after the war that he had taken a major risk in making that broadcast, but he made sure that he was captured by French troops, not British ones, in order to minimise the possibility of execution. With the tide of war going against Nazi Germany, time was now running out for Dr Hartmann's radio team. As the Allies increased their bombing raids on Berlin, it was decided to move staff from the Rundfunkhaus to the studios of Radio Luxembourg in August 1943. In January 1944, Francis Stuart left the radio team in protest at increasing pressure to broadcast anti-Soviet propaganda (he secretly admired Stalin). After the D-Day landings in June 1944, the radio staff moved again, to Apen, a small town in north-west Germany. By the end of April, American troops were patrolling the fields around Apen. but Hartmann persisted. His last programme, including a news bulletin in Irish, went out on May 2, 1945. Then there was only time for one more record, John McCormack singing "Come Back to Erin". It was the service's swansong. David O'Donoghue is the author of Hitler's Irish Voices: The Story of German Radio's Wartime Irish Service (Beyond the Pale Publications, Belfast, 1998). (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** FRANCE. M'Toulouse is still on air and will stay as long as there are still aftermaths of the disaster on Sep 21 to overcome. At present M'Toulouse broadcasts Mon-Fri 0700-2100, Sat/Sun 0700-1800 UT; otherwise 945 carries Le Mouv'. However, 945 will revert to France Bleue when M'Toulouse finally closes (Michael Fuhr via Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUANTANAMO BAY [and non]. I escaped winter weather to the lovely Caribbean Sea. On Tuesday I was sailing about 20 miles south of the southeast tip of Cuba. As I was sitting on the fantail with my trusty YB-400, sipping an adult beverage and enjoying the sun and the balmy breezes, I was scanning the FM band to check out what was available on the Cuban domestic broadcast scene. All of a sudden my auto-search function stopped on 102.1 MHz. Then and only then did I realize why the US military had chosen Guantánamo Bay, Cuba to sequester "detainees" from the war on terror. Before that revelation, I just assumed the plan was to let a few detainees escape into Cuban territory so the US would have an excuse to invade Cuba. That is not their plan at all. The USA has discovered the ultimate torture weapon. What I heard was obviously a radio transmission designed to strike fear into the hearts of the Al Qaeda and force them to talk. The AFRTS station on the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base on 102.1 MHz was relaying the Rush Limbaugh program. I could close my eyes and see the long rows of razor wire, the tin roofs blazing in the tropical sun, and the pole- mounted speaker horns blaring out the bombastic rantings of the man "with talent on loan from God." Over Rush's voice I could envision a simultaneous Arabic translation with the poor, defenseless prisoners cowering under the threat that they would forever be subjected to this program until they gave up their secrets. Ah, what a country! Meanwhile, the 1340 kHz AFRTS outlet on the same base was broadcasting the NPR program "Talk of The Nation" so Navy and Marine Corps personnel on the base would not have to listen to "El Rushbo" too. I don't know what was on the 103.1 MHz outlet as I did not have my WRTH with me and was unaware of that station's availability. My scan did not turn up any unusual programming on that frequency so it might have been pop music. The signals from these two stations were outstanding. I continued to receive them for at least 4 hours on a ship that was moving at 21 knots. It is hard to believe they are only running the low power levels shown in the WRTH. That is the magic of saltwater as a propagator of MW frequencies and tropospheric inversions over the water as an assist on the FM band. While parked on the beach at the southeats end of the Yucatan Peninsula, I had clear daytime reception of a ststion in Belize on FM (forgot the frequency) and an English-speaking religious station from Honduras identifying as HRVC on 1390 kHz. The Mexican stations up and down the coast sounded just like Mexican stations everywhere (Radio Educación excepted). The only classical music I heard on the entire trip was on the low end of the MW band on a cheap analog radio so i do not know the frequency accurately. DFing using the loopstick antenna indicated it was coming from the general direction of Havana. It is nice that the Cubans still can find room for classical music but too bad they are not using FM stereo for it instead of AM. In fact there were quite a few Cuban FM outlets heard which had no stereo pilot signal. I guess the exciters and studio equipment they are using is from before the revolution. So a word to the wise. If you go sailing in the Caribbean, take along a radio and your WRTH. It can provide some interesting diversions from a life of fun in the sun and adult beverages. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch -- It's 10 PM in Buenos Aires; Do you know who your president is? Swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ ** HUNGARY. Hungarian comment criticizes Budapest mayor over Radio Free Europe offer A Hungarian radio commentator has criticized the mayor of Budapest for his offer to house Radio Free Europe after the Czech prime minister told the radio station to move out of its current location in the centre of Prague. Budapest's mayor, Gabor Demszky, tried to endanger the lives of Budapest's residents, said the commentator, who went on to compare Demszky's approach unfavourably with that of the Czechs. Noting that Demszky's offer was rejected by Radio Free Europe, the commentator said that the "writing is on the wall" for Demszky's political career. The following is an excerpt from a commentary by Istvan Lovas for the regular Hungarian radio slot "Sunday News" broadcast on 20 January: [Presenter] Josef Vissarionovich Stalin, the dictator who can be freely condemned or hated now, is still an honorary citizen of Budapest. However, this is not the only subject of Istvan Lovas's commentary: [Lovas] The mayor of Budapest, who already admitted defeat as leader of the Alliance of Free Democrats [SZDSZ; Demszky was SZDSZ chairman from 3 December 2000 until 1 July 2001], knows perfectly well that his political career is coming to a final end. The writing is on the wall and on Demszky's forehead: Loser... Part of his nature, of course, is that Josef Vissarionovich Stalin is still an honorary citizen of Budapest. The despot who extinguished the lives of several tens of millions of people can be deleted from the capital's list of honorary citizens via Demszky only. If another dictator, Adolf Hitler, had earlier been elected honorary citizen in Budapest and if he had been forgotten on the list of honorary citizens, Demszky obviously would not have referred to the reasons as in the case of Stalin's inexpungeability. Demszky is a one-sided person who incites strife, while the mayor of a capital ought to be a person who integrates in his approach. Demszky's mark is on the city. In order to find out what this mark is like, all you have to do is compare Budapest and Prague 12 years after the system-change [collapse of communism]. In Prague order and cleanliness prevail; in Prague the buildings glitter in their restored glory. Budapest is full of Balkan filth. Instead of order and cleanliness, Demszky prevails here. However, Demszky has gone further now. He has tried to endanger the lives of people - as they say of his own accord and while singing a tune. What is at issue? Milos Zeman, the Czech prime minister who is far from being right-wing, said that the location of Radio Free Europe in the centre of Prague, on Wenceslas Square, next to the national museum and the main railway station, constitutes a major danger to the population and for this reason the radio must be moved out. The government's stand is shared by the national defence council. According to polls, the decisive majority of the population do not wish to see the American radio station in its current location. Tom Dine, the head of RFE, announced in a statement that moving the radio from the city centre would be capitulation to the terrorists and this was completely unacceptable to the Americans. Mayor Gabor Demszky immediately took the stage. He, who joyfully welcomed Soros's Central European University which also moved from Prague to the heart of Budapest, and the [Radio] Free Europe archives which were taken over by Soros and also brought to Budapest, on this occasion voluntarily offered what was undesirable for the Czech population, the left-wing Czech government, the Czech prime minister and the Czech security forces, in the interest of the Czech population's safety - that Radio Free Europe should move to Budapest. This is what Demszky wrote in a letter to the American head of RFE. He added: RFE in Budapest would partake in the same protection as that provided by the Budapest Police Headquarters for the US embassy and other American institutions... Demszky voluntarily wished to reduce the safety of the residents of Budapest and guarantee the guarding of a facility which constitutes a major risk, naturally at the taxpayers' cost. As many of those who live near the Soros university on Nador Street know and who - for this reason - are increasingly apprehensive, the terrorists consider American institutions to be a classified target. Not to mention American institutions which - to put it finely - are not really known for being Arab-friendly... We must mention that the offer made by the overenthusiastic Demszky was rejected by the RFE head. It is true that Radio Free Europe will not remain in its current building on Wenceslas Square, but will move on. It is doing precisely what Demszky will do on the basis of the Budapest inhabitants' will in the local elections this year. That is when Demszky will move on, thereby overcoming the final obstacle to Budapest approaching Prague in cleanliness and European character within a few years' time. Source: Hungarian Radio, Budapest, in Hungarian 0550 gmt 20 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Sorry, my Hungarian is too rusty to re-accent. On a related topic: (gh) http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/hungary020121.html ** ICELAND. Hi, today (20 JAN) I heard Ríkisútvarpið, Island on 12120 kHz (USB), starting at 1755 UTC. Very strong. No signal on scheduled frequency of 11402 kHz. GOOD DX, (Karel Honzik, the Czech Republic (Czechia), AOR AR-7030 hard-core-dx via DXLD) See bottom ** INDIA. Pilot PNG 4890 was above average at 1330 check Jan 21 so tuned around 60m, and found talk in unID language on 4840, perhaps news, with commercial interruptions, and then mostly music, but fading out before 1400 when I expected not to hear a timesignal, as this was most likely AIR Mumbai (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Friends, The External Service of AIR from Aligarh is noted back on 9910 at various times (1315-0345 with gaps) after drifting around 9860-9880 for several days. Hope other DXers also noticed this. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. Hans, There was some discussion on these Irish Mass rebroadcasts (on 27 MHz & FM) back in August 2001 on the Irish Radiowaves message board. Link to these is at: http://www.radiowaves.fm/news/msgmassfreq.htm For example (from Anon): "Many Churches nationwide broadcast on the CB radio band (27-28 MHz) during mass times. There are 80 channels used for CB. All churches transmit using narrow FM NFM. All the churches use one of the 80 channels many nearby churches use different channels. I have personally heard them in Dublin, Wicklow and Waterford. Some known frequencies are given below: 27.89125 Holy name church Beechwood Avenue 27.78125 Corpus Christie Drumcondra 27.73125 Mobhi Road Church 27.405 Three Patrons Rathgar 27.375 Westland Row Church The full set of 80 channels are available from CB radio Web Sites. They are the CEPT FM (Band D) and UK FM (27/81) frequencies. I assume the 88-108 frequencies are illegal although they might have got licences. The local priests recommend cheap radios which cover these frequencies to the old and infirm who can't attend the masses. Normal radios cannot tune in to these." Incidentally, this problem also arose here in the UK as the Radio Authority back in 1999 issued a press release confirming these relays of church services were illegal in the UK - see http://www.radio.gov.uk/publication/press/1999/12feb99.htm (Alan Pennington, Caversham, UK, BDXC-UK Jan 21 via DXLD) [and non]. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). Hi, are we really serious about this broadcasting on CB bands? I would have thought this is an isolated case --- all the trouble to go through installing rigs & twigs (for non Cbers, transceivers/ aerial) when most people would have access to an FM radio. Small FM transmitters are very cheap --- and the relaxed laws in Ireland... Mind you, it does open up the possibility of a two way connection; example, request a hymn/prayer, etc. Sorry, but I do find this hard to take this seriously. Does anybody know what became of the proposals to have a 2 or 3 MHz short range service for churches here (UK)? (Paul Ewers, Brill, member 953, BDXC-UK via DXLD) I originally come from Ireland, so know just a little about the situation there. I think, as you suggest, these Mass Broadcasts probably are 'illegal' ones, I suspect, however that unless there are serious complaints from CBers on 27 MHz that the Authorities will turn a 'blind eye', as they apparently do to long term 'illegal' Evangelical Broadcasts on 3.910 MHz etc, on Sunday Afternoons/ Evenings. So far as I am aware these have been left untouched in the recent 'crack-down on 'Pirate' Radio Activity in the Irish Republic. (Ken Fletcher, BDXC-48, 21st January 2002, 1811 UT via DXLD) ** KAZAKHSTAN. Radio Shalkar to replace Radio Almaty | Text of report by Kazakh newspaper Novoye Pokoleniye on 18 January One of Almaty's first radio stations, eponymously called Radio Almaty, has been closed down. It became the first victim of the new rules of the game on the Kazakh media scene 18 days after amendments to the law on the mass media came into force. For almost seven years, Radio Almaty broadcast on a frequency of 106.5 FM. Now it's become the new Kazakh Radio Shalkar [former Kazakh Radio second programme]. The decision to close the station down was adopted on the old-style New Year, 13 January. A month earlier, the team of well-known DJs, journalists and sound engineers had received notice of staff cuts, even though contracts with Radio Almaty were valid until December 2003. According to former Radio Almaty editor-in-chief Noel Shayakhmetov, "the station management explained it was halting broadcasts because it wanted to operate in line with the new media law". It is not clear at the moment how the radio will survive. The entire music library used by Radio Almaty DJs belongs to Dmitriy Sakhnenko and Noel Shayakhmetov. The records of foreign music of the 1960s- 1980s, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, left the station along with its managers and presenters. Now the station is operating with old recordings, and the new Kazakh radio is going out on 38 [cm] speed from spools [tape speed of 15 inches per second] which have had to be brought up from the basement. So in the age of digital technology, the station has switched to old- fashioned recording tape. According to Noel Shayakhmetov, however, "Nurlan Onerbayev, the present head of Shalkar, is trying to get budget funding to modernize the station". Meanwhile, in the past few days the telephones of the former Radio Almaty haven't stopped ringing as listeners vent their outrage. The audience is unhappy with the decision to close one of the oldest Radio Almaty stations. The devotees of the station included politicians, MPs and bankers. According to Dmitriy Sakhnenko, the republic's chief banker, Grigoriy Marchenko, voiced his displeasure this week after listening to this frequency for several years. From 1995, 106.5 FM was played everywhere, from banks and large offices to the former Gorkiy Park of Culture and Rest. The former broadcasters have managed to find a way out of this difficult situation, however. Cassettes with the best recordings of Radio Almaty are soon to appear in the music shops. So Radio Almaty will live on, albeit in a different form and without the familiar voices of the DJs. At the same time, says Noel Shayakhmetov, "the republic's only collection of good old British hits from various periods will survive". Source: Novoye Pokoleniye, Almaty, in Russian 18 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) I suppose, but am not positive, this has nothing to do with the SW station known as R. Alma Ata (or Almaty) (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Hi DX Friends, Radio Korea International, the overseas service of the Korean Broadcasting System, has opened a NEW site for a Korean language lesson program explained in 9 different languages. The site provides simple but useful tips of Korean grammar and various expressions often used in daily conversations. All the texts are read by KBS announcers who are highly acclaimed for their standard Korean pronunciation. Click on : http://rki.kbs.co.kr/learn_korean/lessons/e_index.htm 73, Sincerely, (Harjot Singh Brar for GRDXC, Jan 21, via DXLD) ** MYANMAR [non]. 17805, Voice of Democratic Burma, 1435-1528* Jan 11. At 1430 no signal at all, after sign on 5905 at 1430. At 1435 weak with woman talking and // 5905. Strange, at 1454 signal suddenly jumped to S4, but was practically blocked by Radio Roumania who came out of the blue at 1501 or 1502 without proper s/on. Program lasted till 1528:50 but this could only be noted by tuning to 5905 (P. Pijpers, Netherlands, Jan 11, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) Not strange; 1454 is the oddly scheduled time for a transmitter site switch; see previous reports (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS ANTILLES. DRM Advisory FYI. This refers to the scheduled long-term tests as previously published. 21 January 2002: Our engineers advise us that due to an intermittent problem with the DRM transmitter in Bonaire, the tests are currently subject to interruption. This does not affect the regularly scheduled broadcasts from Bonaire. (Andy Sennit[t], RN, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE. We will be back, says Voice of Palestine chief After Israeli forces blew up the Voice of Palestine HQ in Ramallah on Saturday 19 January, Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV interviewed Basim Abu-Sumayyah, director of Voice of Palestine, who said: "The destruction of buildings, equipment and studios does not mean that the Voice of Palestine has collapsed. The Voice of Palestine is transmitting at this moment on local radio stations." "Very shortly, half an hour from now," Abu-Sumayyah told Al-Jazeera in remarks broadcast at 0503 gmt on 19 January, "we will, God willing, be back on our own FM frequency, which we started using after the transmission station and the radio transmission tower were destroyed a month ago." At 0705 gmt on 19 January, Al-Jazeera's correspondent in the West Bank, Walid al-Umari, told the TV in a live hook-up that the building housing the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation had been completely destroyed in the attack that morning. He said the studios, which occupied four floors of the building, were also completely destroyed. Asked if there were other locations from which Voice of Palestine could broadcast, Al-Umari said: "We understood from officials here that they will seek the help of local stations and may resume their broadcasts in the next few hours through local radios that transmit in the Palestinian areas." "There are over 40 private television and radio stations in the West Bank, and they will use them to continue broadcasting, which is not expected to be on the same level and with the same equipment they had before," Al-Umari said. Source: BBC Monitoring research, Caversham, 19 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Palestinians defiant after Israel blows up radio-TV HQ BBC Monitoring observed Voice of Palestine loud and clear on Saturday 19 January, on its own FM frequency of 90.7 MHz, in addition to 91.5, 99.4 and 104.8 MHz, despite the blowing up of the VOP premises south of Ramallah early that morning. The radio resumed broadcasting via the facilities of privately-owned Radio Amwaj, an FM station it has used periodically since the attack in December on VOP transmission facilities. Radwan Abu-Ayyash, head of the Palestinian Radio and Television Corporation, told Al-Jazeera TV on 19 January this was "not the first time that Voice of Palestine has been attacked." "Before that," Abu-Ayyash said, "the radio's transmission towers in Al-Irsal Road were bombed. And, several times before, they destroyed the infrastructure of this radio. We say that this voice can only silenced when there are no Palestinians left on the surface of this earth." Asked what they would do without a radio station, Abu-Ayyash said: "We have not stopped. We are still on the air. We are transmitting on an FM frequency. The television is still functioning. The satellite channel is still functioning. The question is not that of the building, but the symbol, which represents Palestinian sovereignty. They do not want any symbols of freedom or Palestinian sovereignty on this land." Asked to estimate the extent of the damage to the Palestinian Radio and Television Corporation headquarters, Abu-Ayyash said: "You cannot put a value to this damage. This was the result of 10 years of ceaseless work by good Palestinian youth. Equipment worth millions of dollars was completely destroyed." Asked what steps the Palestinian Television and Radio Corporation intended next, Abu-Ayyash replied: "We will work in three directions. First, we will resume our work immediately, even better than before. We pledge this to every Palestinian. Second, we will contact all Arab and foreign friends and all people to ask them to raise their voices against this destructive war machine. Third, we will build an even better building, God willing." Source: BBC Monitoring research, Caversham, 19 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Voice of Palestine radio, TV continue broadcasts after attack | Text of report by Israel radio on 19 January The Voice of Palestine [VOP] Radio and Television continue to broadcast although the station was blown up before dawn [on 19 January] by IDF [Israel Defence Forces] soldiers, our monitor Mikhael Gurdus reports. Armoured, engineering and paratroop forces entered the PNA [Palestinian National Authority] in Ramallah's Umm-al-Sharayit district and seized the structure. Avi Issakharov, our correspondent in the territories, reports that the soldiers confiscated equipment and then blew up the premises. After the action, the forces returned to the areas under Israeli control. The Palestinians reported that the building was empty at the time. Several weeks ago, IDF soldiers toppled the VOP's transmitter mast in Ramallah. Jibril al-Rujub, commander of the Palestine Preventive Security Service, said this morning, in response to the blowing up of the broadcasting station in Ramallah, that the government of Israel wants to destroy the symbol of Palestinian sovereignty. Al-Rujub told Reuters that VOP is not only a building, it is situated in the hearts of all Palestinians. To repeat, the VOP continues to broadcast, and our correspondent in the territories reports that the broadcasts continue on the frequencies of private stations in Ramallah. Source: Voice of Israel, Jerusalem, in Hebrew 0800 gmt 19 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Palestinian leaders say Israeli attack on radio building "serious violation" | Text of report from Palestinian news agency Wafa web site Ramallah, 19 January: The Palestinian leadership today stressed that by committing the appalling crime of destroying the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation headquarters, Sharon's government aimed to silence the Palestinian voice and prevent the world from knowing about the savage crimes committed by the Israeli occupiers against our people, land, institutions and Christian and Muslim sacred places. In a press statement issued by the Palestinian official spokesman, the leadership urged the UN Human Rights Commission and all international organizations concerned with defending basic rights to raise their voice to denounce this Israeli crime against our people, who are fighting occupation and settlement activity in their lands. Following is the text: 1. At 0230 [local time] on Saturday, 19 January 2002, seven Israeli tanks and tracked vehicles advanced into Umm al-Sharayit area in Al- Birah. They encircled the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation building from all sides. Israeli engineering units stormed the building and placed explosive devices inside all five floors of the building. The building, the transmission equipment, the studios, and the third, fourth and fifth floor of the building were completely destroyed as a result of the powerful explosion. 2. The leadership views as very serious this new Israeli crime against the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation. This crime constitutes a serious violation of the Oslo Agreements and a flagrant infringement on the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. 3. By committing this deplorable crime, Sharon's government aims to silence the Palestinian voice and prevent the world from knowing about the crimes committed by the Israeli occupiers against our people, land, institutions and Christian and Muslim sacred places. 4. The Palestinian leadership urges the UN Human Rights Commission and all international organizations concerned with basic rights to raise their voice to denounce this Israeli crime against our people, who are fighting occupation and settlement activity in their lands. Source: Palestinian news agency Wafa web site, Gaza, in Arabic 19 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Palestinian official quantifies damage after Israeli attack | Excerpt from interview with Radwan Abu-Ayyash, head of the Palestinian Radio and Television Corporation, in Ramallah on 19 January; published by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on 20 January Ramallah: ...[Corriere della Sera] Why did the Israelis bomb you? [Abu-Ayyash] It is simple: they were seeking to shut our mouths. But they have not succeeded because we are already broadcasting from another station. [Corriere della Sera] The [Israeli Premier] Sharon government has accused you of inciting the people to violence and to hatred. [Abu-Ayyash] They are the occupiers and they have no right to hand out report cards to others. My journalists confine themselves to doing their job and in this activity we are witnesses to their crimes. [Corriere della Sera] Did you feel threatened? [Abu-Ayyash] To some extent yes, we did. Israel is demolishing the symbols of the [Palestinian National] Authority one after the other, and so it was inevitable that we, too, would end up in the firing line. It is a blow to our dignity. [Corriere della Sera] How did you first set up your broadcasting business? [Abu-Ayyash] Aid from European countries was crucial, especially from France, which provided us with our initial equipment in the mid-1990s. That was followed by contributions from the Germans, the Dutch and the Italians. Also the Rai [Italian state broadcasting corporation] and [Italian Prime Minister and Mediaset media empire owner] Berlusconi lent us a hand in one way or another. Some people gave us television cameras while others trained our camera crews. [Corriere della Sera] What is the cost of the damage done by the explosion? [Abu-Ayyash] It is difficult to put a figure on it right now. The final figure might come to more than 1m euros. The building is damaged and we have to see whether it is going to be possible to restructure it. All our equipment has been destroyed. [Corriere della Sera] And how did you manage to continue broadcasting after the raid? [Abu-Ayyash] Thanks to the assistance provided by other, smaller broadcasters. Some of the editorial staff have transferred to a private radio station in Ramallah, where it has begun to broadcast its programmes. [Corriere della Sera] How many people work at the "Voice of Palestine"? [Abu-Ayyash] We have a staff of 1,200 people in total, some 300 of whom worked in this building. Then, in addition to them, there are the technicians and journalists in our Gaza office. [Corriere della Sera] And what is your editorial line? [Abu-Ayyash] Our aim is to inform the Palestinian people, to explain to them what is going on all around them. We seek not only to provide the news but also to impart a fresh boost to culture. Come and see, look at our offices, and you will realize that we are not sheltering Bin-Ladin. Source: Corriere della Sera, Milan, in Italian 20 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Voice of Palestine radio updates transmission frequencies: At 0859 gmt on 21 January, Voice of Palestine, the official radio station of the Palestinian National Authority, announced that the station was currently transmitting on its own FM frequency 90.7 MHz, and on the FM frequencies of the private radio station Amwaj as follows: 91.5 MHz for "central Palestine"; 104.8 MHz for "northern Palestine"; and 99.4 MHz for "southern Palestine". Voice of Palestine is currently heard on 91.5 and 90.7 MHz with good reception and on 99.4 MHz with fair to poor reception. The radio is not heard on 104.8 MHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Voice of Palestine: Don't Believe the Papers! 21 January 2002 Andy Sennitt writes: On 19 January the Israeli army destroyed the Headquarters of the Voice of Palestine for the second time in about six weeks. But press reports over the past couple of days have varied widely in accuracy about what happened next, and again we have seen the worst of popular journalists using technical terms they don't understand in completely the wrong way. So, depending on what newspaper you read, the station is back on the air with 'limited bandwidth' or using 'limited range AM' - just two of the things we've seen in the past 24 hours. In fact, the best way to find out what's going on is to consult a Web site with close contacts in the area. We looked at Palestine-Net http://www.palestine-net.com/news/ the day after the incident, which reported that "after the Israeli occupation blew up the Palestinian Radio and TV building (Jan. 19, 2002), the voice of Palestine is now heard on radio Amwaj". That's a private station (described in one Israeli newspaper as a 'pirate' station) operating on FM in Ramallah. Yet 24 hours later, some news sources are still reporting that the PBC is back on the air from a "secret location". For secret, read 'we haven't bothered to find out. It took me about 90 seconds, at home, on a Sunday, to locate the information. The destruction of the radio and TV studio facility in Ramallah has not silenced the television service, as it was not the main production centre. The headquarters is in Gaza, which so far is still operating normally. However, the four hours per day of programming that was produced on the West Bank has been lost. It remains to be seen whether the Israelis will attempt to destroy the transmitting facilities, as they did the main mediumwave mast of the Voice of Palestine in December. (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Here's some info on Palestine Radio web sites: So far, I've found two: R Tariq Al Mahabeh on 97.7 and 108.0 FM, web site at http://www.tmfm.net/ VOLP - Voice of Love and Peace on 94.2 FM, web site at http://www.volpfm.com/ Both offer live RM -streams. 73 de (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, FINLAND, Webmaster of 1000 Lakes DX Page http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Park/3232/dx.htm hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** PERU. 4485.52, 21/1/02 0043, R. FRECUENCIA VH, Celendín. Slogan: "Radio Frecuencia VH, su mejor compañía". 4774.95, 18/1/02 0050, R. TARMA, Tarma. Px "El Mundo del Folklore", "Estamos transmitiendo El Mundo del Folklore a través de los 1510 de amplitud modulada en Radio Tarma Internacional...". 0058: ID "OCX4J 1510 kHz, onda media, OCX4E 4775 kHz, onda corta tropical, banda de 60 metros, en amplitud modulada, transmite Radio Tarma desde Tarma, Perú en América del Sur". 73's de (Rubén Guillermo Margenet, KENWOOD R- 5000, Antena dipolo plegada T2FD 27 metros, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. NTV Mir plans US broadcasts, own news programmes | Text of report by Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site on 16 January The NTV television channel intends to organize round-the-clock broadcasting to the USA. The NTV Mir television company has issued a press release on its plans for broadcasting to the USA, Canada, Israel and European countries. NTV Mir intends to show, above all, programme owned by NTV, including "Sevodnya" [regular news bulletins of 15-40 minutes], "Kukly" ["Puppets", political satire puppet show], "Kriminal" ["Crime", reports on latest police investigations], "Hero of the Day" [15-minute studio discussion with a prominent public figure], "Freedom of Speech" [studio discussion], "Our Favourite Animals" and "Vprok" ["To advantage", consumer advice talk show]. In the future, the company intends to start producing its own programmes, particularly news. In particular, a news programme to be broadcast five times a week is to be produced in the USA together with CBS. A studio for its production is already being built in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Round-the-clock broadcasting to the USA is to start in January and the production of own programmes, in February or March. Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 16 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Mir = world (gh) ** TRINDADE ISLAND. From: K7bv@aol.com Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 21:34:02 EST Subject: TRINDADE 2002 DXPEDITION To: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org DX Editor, This is the first official release of information regarding what I am sure will shape up to be one of the most memorable 2002 DXpeditions. Thank you for helping us spread the good word, my friends. 73 Dennis Motschenbacher K7BV TRINDADE ISLAND DXPEDITION The Araucaria DX Group, with unprecedented cooperation from Inepar S.A company and its Chairman Oms PY5EG, the Brazilian authorities and Navy, is proud to announce that it will sponsor a major DXpedition to Trindade & Martin Vaz Archipelago, the most eastward point of Brazilian territory. The DXpedition will operate from Trindade Island situated at 20º 30'S and 29º 18' W (grid locator HG59) 1,142 km east of the southeast Brazil state of Espírito Santo. This will be the first lengthy DXpedition in several years to this much-needed DXCC entity. Trindade & Martin Vaz Archipelago currently appears in the Top 30 on the "Most Wanted" lists. Occurring near the sunspot peak, tens of thousands of new band/mode DXCC QSOs will be made with country collectors around the world. The team will depart Rio de Janeiro aboard a Brazilian Navy vessel on February 15, 2002. The team expects to be on the air some time during the late hours of February 18 and to operate non-stop with as many as four stations until their departure on March 2. Operations on 160 through 6 meters including the WARC bands will include RTTY, PSK31, and SSTV. Amateur satellite activity is uncertain at this time. Special plans have been made to insure that the low bands and 6 meters are activated with appropriate antennas and experienced operators dedicated to overcoming the challenges these bands offer. DXpedition Leader Andre PY0FF, taking over after months of delicate negotiations by Oms PY5EG, has gathered the following operator team: PY5CC, PY5HSD, PT7BZ, PY7XC, PY7ZY, PY7ZZ, PY0FF, N6FF and W9VA. The team received very short notice of the departure date therefore intense preparations are underway. The group will be required to pay for at least $12,000 of fuel for the Navy vessel, therefore financial support from the DX community is urgently being sought. Individual financial contributions will be deeply appreciated and acknowledged by the group. Dennis K7BV, having to cancel as an operator, will head up Publicity and Fund Raising with assistance from Bill W9VA and Steve KU9C. Watch for the DXpedition website http://www.Trindade2002.com to become active no later than January 19. Direct questions regarding the DXpedition to K7BV k7bv@aol.com or PY5EG Oms py5eg@inepar.com.br until the actual operating begins. Then lead Pilot Station Rod WC7N wc7n@gb.wave.net will take over coördination chores with assistance from Carl N4AA. Rod may add continental Pilot Stations in difficult to reach parts of the world like Asia. The group is pleased to have the services of renowned QSL Manager Steve KU9C, another operator who had to cancel due to business obligations. Please send early individual support contributions to K7BV. Your kind contribution can also be sent with your QSL-SASE to KU9C. Dennis Motschenbacher K7BV, 4357 Appollonio Way, Carson City, NV 89704 The Araucaria DX Group would like to express deep thanks to the Brazilian authorities and especially to the Brazilian Navy for its extremely important support that will permit the World Ham Radio Community to contact Trindade Island on all popular modes and bands. Please visit the Araucaria DX Group website http://araucaria.inepar.com.br/ 73, Atilano de Oms PY5EG From: K7bv@aol.com Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2002 12:38:19 EST Subject: Trindade 2002 DXpedition Release 2 To: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org MIME-Version: 1.0 DX Editors, Naturally, right after Release 1 went out yesterday, additional important information became known... 73 Dennis K7BV Trindade 2002 DXpedition Release 2 The Trindade 2002 DXpedition are happy to announce that they have been issued the special callsign PW0T. This fact has special meaning to many of the crew because several of them were participants in last year's extremely difficult and dangerous yet successful PW0S DXpedition to St. Peter & St. Paul Rocks. We are also proud to announce the addition of the following Pilots Stations for Asia and the Pacific; parts of the world where Trindade remains near the top of the Most Wanted lists. The DXpedition team welcomes well-known DXers Toshi JA1ELY and Duncan ZL3JT to our crew. We are certain these two accomplished DXers will insure that DXCC chasers in those critical areas get adequate coverage in what we are sure will be huge nearly nonstop pileups. 73, Dennis K7BV (KB8NW/OPDX January 21/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK) Note to all those who may have occasion to pronounce this place: treen-DAH-gee with the first ee nasalised (gh, DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. 4930.00, Turkmen Radio, Asgabat 0322 21 Jan, Continuous light classical music. Announcements by woman in presumed Turkmen, ID at 0324. Program change at 0330, which was introduced by gongs then music and announcements read by a man. Good signal with little fading. Lower sideband was missing, making AM reception muddied. Best heard in USB (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Photos of VOA Delano, California, mainly antennas: http://hawkins.pair.com/voadelano.shtml (via GEORGE THURMAN, TX, DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB is testing; adjusting antenna / Auto tune (coupler) resonance / Phase / Magnitude / Reject / adjustments on its new 200 feet high phased dual broadband 28 DBd gain corner reflector antenna(s) on various frequencies. Many SWLs have responded with a multitude of kudos and thanks to WWRB management as hearing the old RSA 'IS' on their shortwave radios brought back great shortwaving memories to some of the older 'seasoned' SWL's that listened to Radio RSA in their youth. Many [SWL'S] told us that they 'frantically got out their original shortwave radios used back in the '60's '70's (Star Roamers, Eicos, Lafayette Explore-air etc) to hear the RSA interval signal via shortwave once again on their first SW radio. In no way is WWRB trying to offend anyone with this test signal; We may try some other defunct 'IS' signals during testing periods to make this test period is fun and interesting for everyone! It sure beats tones. Reception reports will be replied with a multi verification reception certificate. Not an ordinary 'QSL' card. Reception reports to: WWRB, Box 7, Manchester, TN 37349-0007 (Peter Taggart, Operations Manager WWRB via Dave Frantz, Jan 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, On World of Radio #1114 you mentioned this (quote from summary): *Grand Ole Opry isn`t the only live country music show on radio; Jamboree USA is on WWVA, West Virginia, but not weekly, next Feb 2; see http://www.jamboreeusa.com The Wheeling Jamboree, for anyone not familiar with it, is a long- running (since 1933) show from the Capitol Theater, broadcast on WWVA- AM. I had the pleasure of attending the live show one time. WWVA is one of those clear-channel stations which has had a great influence on the spread of country music. In fact, I remember reading an article in the Canadian Folk Music Journal about how WWVA's music influenced traditional singers in Newfoundland, Canada(I can try to find this citation if you're interested). In the 1950s, I used to listen to WWVA's all-night DJ, the late Lee Moore, "The Coffee-Drinkin' Nighthawk". He was a musician who sometimes took a break from playing recorded music to pick up his guitar and sing such numbers as "The Wildwood Flower" or "Paul's Mission" (based on the story of St. Paul, originally recorded by Brother Claude Ely of Kentucky). Incidentally, I wonder what would have happened if KVON's [you mean KOMA-1520 ??] Oklahoma City antenna's radiation pattern had been aimed eastward instead of westward. Would Western Swing music have spread to the Southeast instead of to Texas and west, so that Bob Wills' "Texas Playboys" would have been the "Tennessee Playboys"? Perhaps we should hook some musicologist up with antenna radiation pattern charts for an interesting dissertation! 73, (Saul Broudy, Philadelphia, PA, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. -------------------- Classical fans boost radio static -------------------- By Lawrence A. Johnson, Classical Music Writer, January 20, 2002 Like Network anchor Howard Beale, classical radio listeners in South Florida remain mad as hell about WTMI dropping its classical format for club dance music. Numerous ex-listeners view the station's general manager, Mike Disney, as just this side of Satan for not only removing classical radio and the Metropolitan Opera broadcast from South Florida airwaves, but also for the way it was done. By running jocular "It ain't over till the fat lady sings" jingles and following the last classical work aired, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with the elegant ditty Shut the F--- Up and Dance, the station seemed to view the format switch as a joke, which further infuriated already angry classical fans. "It was incredibly mean-spirited," said Ellen Stahl, one of the many former WTMI listeners who felt insulted as well as betrayed by Cox Broadcasting's jettisoning of Bach, Beethoven and Mozart. "It seemed like they wanted to jeer at us and throw mud in our face." Unlike many, Stahl, a history teacher at Coral Springs Middle School, is doing something about it. She has organized a group that is boycotting the current advertisers of the station, now known as "Dance 93.1" Stahl already claims several victories -- Proctor & Gamble pulled its Nyquil ads from the station when the group informed the company of the format change, and Home Depot, Burger King and SunCruz Casino have followed suit. Cox Broadcasting, which purchased the station from Howard "Woody" Tanger and Marlin Broadcasting for $100 million in July 2000, and parent corporation Cox Enterprises are taking an above-the-fray attitude. Cox executives have not responded to repeated requests for interviews, and the public relations department refers all calls to Disney. For his part the man responsible for the switch says he was not surprised by the extent of the reaction from the WTMI faithful. "Radio has always been a very, very personal medium," says Disney. "When formats change, people feel like you're taking away something that belongs to them and they feel very passionate about that." While Disney says he feels empathy for those upset about having classical music disappear from South Florida's airwaves, he has no regrets. "This is a business and we have to go with what we feel is going to be the best business decision for the company. We feel we're filling a gap with this format [of non-rap dance music]." With Cox unlikely to switch back to classical anytime soon, other possibilities are being examined by listeners and broadcasters. One easy option is for existing stations to increase their hours of classical programming. The National Public Radio station in West Palm Beach, WXEL 90.7-FM (a Sun-Sentinel news partner) airs 39 hours of classical a week including Performance Today, plus overnight classical programming. The difficulty is that there's a pirate station situated somewhere in northwest Fort Lauderdale that blares hip-hop at 90.9 FM and blasts WXEL out of the frequency waters for most downtown listeners. The Met broadcasts are available on two affiliated AM stations, WPBI 1420-AM in Delray Beach and WDBE 1000-AM in Palm Beach County, but the signals are so weak that they're hard to pick up in Fort Lauderdale. WLRN 91.3-FM, Miami's public radio station, programs virtually no classical music, quite possibly the least of any comparable-sized NPR market in the country. "We're assessing the situation," said station manager Ted Eldredge. However, if WLRN decided to increase its scant allotment of classical, Eldredge says it won't be for some time to come. The pop-centered Clear Channel corporation, which owns 30 stations in South Florida and seven in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area, has no plans to jump in and fill the void. "It's really not in the cards," said regional vice president David Ross. "I really don't have another station I could run classical on." Recently there have been reports of Woody Tanger entering into a partnership with WVUM 90.5-FM, the University of Miami's student broadcasting outlet. Both Tanger and UM officials now say that reports of making the educational station into a largely classical format were exaggerated. And in any event, the signal doesn't reach far north of Miami. For his part, Tanger says that neither he nor his company, Marlin Broadcasting LLC, feels any guilt about selling the station to a corporation whose dedication to keeping WTMI classical seemed minimal from the outset. "When you sell your house to someone, it's none of your business what they do with it after someone else owns it," Tanger said. Asked if there is a difference in that the public airwaves contain some element of public trust and considerations beyond the profit margin, Tanger responds that he and his shareholders "made sacrifices" by taking fewer profits with classical music than they could have made with other formats. "I'm very proud that we kept it classical for 18 years," he said. "We served the community and served it well, supporting the arts and the cultural community and doing the right thing." So why not keep on doing it? "Because of the price that was offered and the internal requirements that at some point we would keep a monetizing event" -- i.e., sell it at a large profit. Tanger says that what is more likely is that a broadcast outlet would be found for Marlin Broadcasting's Internet classical outlet, Beethoven.com. In the meantime, what options are available for those looking for classical music on the radio and Met broadcasts on Saturday afternoon? For those with computers, the Internet offers a way to pick up excellent classical radio programming. One can listen to streaming Met broadcasts and a discriminating selection of classical performances and recordings on the finest radio stations in the country. It's probable that at some point classical radio will return to South Florida. Too many people, consumers, arts organizations and radio listeners want it to happen for some outlet not to open up, even if it's not a 24/7 operation. But for the near future, the most appropriate accompanying music will likely be the Unfinished Symphony. Copyright (c) 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. USA/Middle East: CNNarabic.com launched US news organization CNN has launched its first Arabic-language web site, and has opened a bureau in Dubai, Dubai newspaper Gulf News reported. CNNarabic.com was launched on 19 January and is aimed at Middle Eastern and North African markets, Gulf News said. The new Dubai bureau, located in Dubai Media City, is CNN's fifth in the region, in addition to Cairo, Beirut, Baghdad and Jerusalem. Content for the Arabic web site will initially be sourced through CNN's network of international correspondents as well as affiliations with other news organizations such as Reuters. In time, the Dubai team will develop local and regional content, Gulf News reported. "It is important that http://www.CNNarabic.com stands on its own and generates its own revenues as CNN does not have a policy of subsidizing, nor do we receive aid from governments," Ronald Ciccone, senior vice-president and managing director responsible for Europe and the Middle East at CNN parent Turner Broadcasting System, told Gulf News. CNN has web sites in Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish and Korean. Source: Gulf News web site, Dubai, in English 20 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. Zimbabweans tuning in to UK-based SW Radio Africa, founder says | Excerpt from report by Justice Malala entitled: "A voice of independence" from South African newspaper Sunday Times web site on 20 January; subheading as carried A voice of independence A group of Zimbabwean journalists have rattled their government by broadcasting from London. Justice Malala reports on SW Radio Africa... It is 4 p.m. in a dark, slushy north London and SW Radio Africa, the only independent radio station that is run by and broadcasts to Zimbabweans, has hit the airwaves for its daily three-hour broadcasts... "We want to bring texture to the story of Zimbabwe. There is only one voice, and we want to hear more. We really don't want Zimbabwe, or this station, to be a one-way conversation," says Gerry Jackson, the station's founder. And Zimbabwe seems to be listening keenly. Jackson speaks of how the station has received reports of people putting their radios on tree tops just so they can receive a better signal and an independent news service. Zimbabweans living outside Zimbabwe have also been visiting the station's live webcasts, on http://www.swradioafrica.com in droves: 170,000 have already visited in the past month... The station has rattled the Zimbabwean political establishment to the core. This week Jackson was accused by the state-owned The Herald newspaper of spreading ethnic hatred, division, intolerance and violence. It was a position punted by Zimbabwe's minister of information, Jonathan Moyo, who has called on Britain and the European Union to ban the station, saying: "The broadcasts are fanning tribal divisions and ethnic hatred among Zimbabweans and we cannot accept that... [ellipsis as published] The broadcasts have all the trappings of the genocide broadcasts in Rwanda and we don't want to have to act after the fact. We must intervene while we are able to do so."... The station is not linked to the opposition forces in Zimbabwe, and staffers emphasize that they are not exiles or a propaganda radio station. They are providing a news service that should be available in Zimbabwe, says Jackson... Source: Sunday Times web site, Johannesburg, in English 20 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) SHORT-WAVE STATIONS OF THE WORLD, 1926y The Apex webpage referenced in DXLD 2-003 leads to many other historical pages including this one: http://members.aol.com/jeff560/1926sw.html I couldn`t help but notice that many of the frequencies (surely not ``wavelengths`` as mentioned) are quite odd ones, not even or multiples of 5 as they tend to be today. Sure enough, dividing some, but not all of them, into the conversion factor 300 revealed that the original wavelengths specified must have been ``even meters`` and thus only roughly accurate, far less accurate than the kilocycle conversions would imply. E.g., 4283 = 70.0 m, 4759 = 63.0 m, 18738 = 16.0 m, 17636 = 17.0 m. I never cease to be amazed at the widespread lack of understanding of significant digits when applied to frequency measurement. An accompanying list for 1931y is explicitly in meters, but with no standardization of accuracy, from even meters to one decimal place to two. A station on `70 meters` should be converted to `4.3 megacycles/second` at best (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION MAPS at http://www.hard-core-dx.com/covmaps/ My coverage maps have been moved to a new home at the Hard-Core-DX web site. At the moment, we have maps for the following stations: YLE Radio Finland > January 2002 > February 2002 > March 2002 Radio Sweden > January 2002 > February 2002 > March 2002 Lithuanian Radio > January - March 2002 KNLS, Alaska > January - March 2002 Soon available will be Ríkisútvarpið, Iceland, and others, stay tuned! I have also written a selection of articles on how to use VOACAP and VOAAREA, the programs I use for drawing these maps. I hope all HF users will find the Guide useful enough to encourage them to try to make coverage predictions, too. 73! Jari (Jari Perkiömäki, Vaasa, Finland, jpe@uwasa.fi DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-012, January 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. 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 #1114 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.html NEXT AIRING on WWCR: Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Mon 0030, 0630, 1230 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039v, 21815-USB MONITORING REMINDERS CALENDAR, continuously updated: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html ** ARGENTINA. 2379.84, LRA15 Radio Nacional Tucumán (harmonic 2 x 1190), 0050-0150 Jan 19, strong continuous signal for over an hour. Program of ballads possibly entitled "Raíces", 0100 time pips over song into news and weather with "Nacional" ID. 0103 Back to music program. Local ID at 0149 (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) So Tucumán was actually mentioned at last? (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Spur: 6275, R Everest, 2135 Jan 19, is producing a spur here with signal S4. I understood it with the structure of the program (songs and ads). If any one other found this spur lease let me know (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4955.00, Rádio Cultura, Campos, 2245-2302 Jan 18, Ads, announcer and ballads. Many mentions of "Cultura", full ID and jingle at 2300. Good signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Wojtek Gwiazda will be the guest on tomorrow morning's edition of the International Radio Report on CKUT-FM Radio McGill, 90.3 FM and on the CKUT website, live streaming, at http://www.ckut.ca at 10:30 AM Eastern, 1530 UT. He will be updating everyone on the latest developments with the RCI Action Committee and Radio Canada International. If you can't catch it live, or if there are streaming problems, as there sometimes are with the CKUT website, the show will be available later on in the day on Sunday or Monday at http://members.fortunecity.com/crazyaboutradio/ I hope you can tune in (Sheldon Harvey, QE, Jan 19, swprograms via DXLD) I've just uploaded the International Radio Report to an alternate location, in case the Geocities/Fortunecity site is not available: http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/ricky.leong/radioreport-020120.html Of course, the normal site can be found here: http://members.fortunecity.com/crazyaboutradio And for TEXT ONLY SUMMARIES: http://members.fortunecity.com/crazyaboutradio/all.html Regards, (Ricky Leong, QC, swprograms via DXLD) ** CANADA. CFVP: Per Ken Pasolli, CFVP has been "off the air" for a sesquiweek (so between Jan 4-Jan 16). I listened this AM to 6030 and there is something there, but nothing // to AM 1060! As for 6035.32 some very weak unidentifiable station. [Yunnan PBS usually the one here from what I have heard in WY. Johnson] Ken told me that after lunch today (Jan 16) he was sending his assistant out to the transmitter site to see why CFVP is off the air. He reminded me that CFVP frequency when operational is 6030 +/- 5 kHz (Joe Talbot, Alberta, Jan 16, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. Challenges postponed --- 15 January 2002 Due to recent changes at Radio Canada International, the next conference in the series Challenges for International Broadcasting has been postponed until at least September 2002. The theme remains ``A Response to Terror``. A further call for papers has been issued. All international broadcast stations are kindly requested to send in summaries of programming and distribution changes made as a result of the events of September 11 and the war on terrorism, by April 1, 2002. The compiled reports under the title "For the Record" will be available to all participants in the registration kit and later published in the volume of proceedings with the reviews and assessments of the September 11th coverage. Contact: Elzbieta Olechowska, Challenges VII Organizing Committee elzbieta_olechowska@radio-canada.ca Source: Association for Int'l Broadcasting webpage http://www.aibcast.demon.co.uk/newsjanuary.html (via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 5953.9v, Radio Casino is off the air for the moment, or should I say they are completely untraced at 1100, when they are usually quite strong here. About a week ago, they left their transmitter on seemingly all night for about two nights, something they never did previously. Wonder if this had something to do with what seems to be a break down (Hans Johnson, FL, Jan, Cumbre DX Jan 18 via DXLD) ** CUBA. LA DICTADURA INICIÓ EL BLOQUEO A "LA NUEVA CUBA" EN LA ISLA A Todos Nuestros Lectores "El pasado 19 de diciembre el régimen de La Habana tomó la decisión de impedir el acceso a La Nueva Cuba a todo cubano que desde dentro de la Isla intentara leer nuestro periódico electrónico. En suma, la policía política se decidió finalmente a dar inicio a un bloqueo a La Nueva Cuba. Quedaron atrás las tácticas de envíos de virus con las que durante noviembre e inicios de diciembre pasado nos inundaran. La paciencia de la Dictadura se agotó con nuestro reportaje investigativo del 18 de diciembre sobre la presencia en Cuba del líder del brazo político del IRA, Gerry Adams y los antecedentes terroristas que expusimos sobre su compañero de viaje: Gerry Kelly, el "bombero" de Londres. El bloqueo de La Nueva Cuba se ha implementado por medio de un procedimiento que no sólo es engañoso sino que pudiera ser ilegal y contravenir estatutos internacionales relacionados con los protocolos de la Internet. Los lectores cubanos cuando tratan de acceder a http://www.lanuevacuba.com/ son redirigidos a un IP address fraudulento: http://205.134.182.166/ y encuentran el siguiente mensaje: "The page cannot be displayed The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings". Por supuesto que ni nuestro periódico está inaccesible, ni confronta problemas técnicos, ni el internauta tiene problemas con su navegador. Simplemente la policía política del régimen ha redirigido hacia otro IP address (en este caso: 205.134.182.166) e impedido de acceder a nuestra dirección electrónica. El régimen se caracteriza por su larga tradición de actuar con impunidad contra nuestro pueblo. Su política de impedir el libre acceso a la información, libros, publicaciones, fuentes alternativas de divulgación, medios televisivos y radiales es proverbial. El basamento de sus técnicas de control poblacional es transparente, visible, percatable. Pero las víctimas darán una respuesta inteligente a los perpetradores de la violencia bruta..." Por Alex Picarq, Director, La Nueva Cuba, Enero 18, 2002 (Cordiales 73's via Oscar, FL, DXLD) ** DENMARK. Re DXLD 2-011: It will be interesting to see what happens if this gentleman is serious. As far as I know, a law is still in place that says Radio Denmark must not broadcast on shortwave in any language other than Danish. Ironically, they continued to make announcements in English before each broadcast saying that "this station broadcasts entirely in Danish". You may recall a few years ago that the DSWCI had to get special permission to make a one-off broadcast that included English portions. Personally I do not see a great deal of point in relaying the 5 minute English newscasts, which are primarily intended for English-speaking visitors to Denmark who want a brief wrap of the day's news, and a weather forecast. It's mainly international news anyway. The main advantage would be to assist non-Danish speakers to get QSL cards. Perhaps Erik Køie knows more about current thinking within DR. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, Jan 19, + standard disclaimer, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As I told Chris, I`ll be very surprised if this actually happen. But I think there is a greater symbolic importance even to such a minor English broadcast as a 5-minute domestic news relay: showing that the country in question has some interest, however limited, in communicating with the world outside (gh, DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2219.85, Radio Villa (harmonic? spur?) 0030 Jan 19. This one continues to mystify. "Radio Villa, La Sencilla" IDs and bachata vocals. Villa is AM 1480, so this would either be 2 x 1110 or 3 x 740. Maybe another outlet carrying Villa programming? Raspy audio, weak signal with fair peaks (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Notice that 1480 plus 740 equals 2220. Therefore this is a sesquiharmonic, probably arising from original 740 frequency being doubled in the transmitter to produce 1480, and inadvertently also radiating at triple (gh, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB has been broadcasting in French since 1941, but the time has come to terminate due to diminishing SW audience in that language, at the end of March, the 27th, at 2000 UT. Will no longer have any offices or French personnel in Quito. The manager will be going back to France at the end of January, primarily to work in local Christian radio. Another couple who used to run the French service at HCJB are now in Abidjan, Côte d`Ivoire. Comments and questions welcome to Curt Cole ccole@hcjb.org.ec (Cole, on HCJB DX Partyline Jan 19, notes by gh for DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. 6249.35, R. Nacional, Bata, 2130 Jan 19 with folk (hilife) songs. At 6252 there is a strong digital carrier (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Perhaps you remember the M'Toulouse project of Radio France on 945, which was back in the last year said to broadcast until Christmas. Recently I failed to keep track of this matter, but I just received word that yesterday Le Mouv' was observed on 945 already prior to midnight. So apparently M'Toulouse indeed ceased in the meantime but 945 stayed with Le Mouv' and did not revert to France Bleue, at least until now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 20, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Some further comments on Megaradio: The cooperation with Antenne Bayern was already announced when some modest power outlets in Bavaria were allocated to Megaradio recently, and the current contact information on the website finally confirms that this coöperation is in effect now, since the address as well as phone/fax numbers belong to the headquarters of Antenne Bayern at Ismaning near Munich. With the know-how of this partner Megaradio now outgrew its previous provisional programming. The current music selection is a mixture of Techno/Trance, New Rock and Hip Hop, not a dull CHR format which would include a lot of embarrassing tracks. Some listeners already commented that they find the new Megaradio programming quite agreeable. 1575 kHz: Megaradio director Horst Bork recently stated that this frequency will be boosted to 500 kW "within the next weeks", but high power will be used during nighttime only. Indeed 1575 is meant as "nighttime standard" and an overnight switch-off is under consideration for other outlets, a scenario which no doubt would result in an outcry of the DX community (uh?). In fact this is an old concept: 1575 should once become the nighttime frequency of Radio DDR 1 for the whole GDR. For this purpose a special antenna was constructed at Burg, consisting on three horizontal dipoles for vertical incidence radiation without groundwave to avoid groundwave/ skywave congestion. Indeed this antenna performed well, so good that Radio Berlin International took 1575, thwarting the original plan, so the whole MW network of Radio DDR 1 was kept on air through the night. Yes, the Megaradio website does not mention 1440, but this seems to be an omission, especially since Luxembourg is shown on the coverage map. Anyway 1440 is still in use 0500-1800 UT, at least this was the case until today. __________ Azimuths of IBB transmissions via Jülich (IBB document claims 108 degrees rather than 70/75): The antenna numbers in the original schedule document fit the given azimuths: For 6180 and 7105 HRS 4/3/0.5 and HRS 4/3/0.7, respectively, aiming at 60 degrees and slewable to either 50 or 70 degrees. The antenna for 6055 is a HRS 4/4/0.5 at 90 degrees with possible slews 60, 75, 105 and 120 degrees. Anyway 70/75 degrees seem to be proper azimuths for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; globe and string suggests that 108 degrees points to Iran instead (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Germany supports DRM --- 11 January 2002 Over the next three years, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research will support the development of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM), to the tune of 3.9 million Euros. This will be done through a consortium consisting of the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS-A, Deutsche Telekom AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Sony International (Europe) GmbH, the semiconductor manufacturer Micronas GmbH and Atmel Germany GmbH. Fraunhofer IIS-A will manage the project, but will also be engaged in research tasks. With more than 2 billion radio receivers existing worldwide, AM radio in the long, medium and short wave bands still is one of the most important distribution media. DRM aims to achieve standardised AM digital transmission worldwide. The German funding will go towards the development of new data services for DRM, such as traffic and weather information, and also the development of chip sets with which audio programmes and data services can be processed simultaneously. These new chip sets will form the basis of low-cost receivers which are indispensable for a broad market launch. Contact: Birgit Janner jnr@iis.fhg.de http://www.iis.fhg.de Source: Association for Int'l Broadcasting webpage at http://www.aibcast.demon.co.uk/newsjanuary.html (via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, DXLD) ** HONDURAS. 4830.07, Radio Litoral, 1135 Jan 16, Soft religious ballads, 1138 ID, "Swiper" QRM. Fair to good signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONG KONG. Hong Kong Radio charge to use Web archive Subject: hongkong.scmp.com - South China Morning Post online coverage of Hong Kong politics and news X-URL: http://hongkong.scmp.com/ZZZUSBUN5WC.html Saturday, January 19, 2002 Radio charge to use Web archive SOPHIA CHU ______________________________________________________________________ Commercial Radio has become the first Hong Kong broadcaster to charge Internet users for listening to its archived programmes. The radio station announced on Thursday that it had begun the charges for its Web site http://www.881903.com. The annual membership fee is $240 [HK]. However, online users can still view and listen to live programmes, news specials and text pages free of charge. PCC Skyhouse Limited, a joint venture between Pacific Century CyberWorks and Commercial Radio Production, took over the operation of http://www.881903.com in early 2000. A spokeswoman for the broadcaster's external affairs department said the new fees had nothing to do with recent salary cuts. This month, salaries were cut by six to 12 per cent and will be adjusted on a monthly basis based on the ratings and corporate results. Principal consultant of the Hong Kong Productivity Council's Information Technology Services Branch Fritz Chiu Leung-fai said broadcasters would face commercial problems if they could not charge for back programmes. He said most Internet home pages earned their revenue through advertisements, transactions and subscription. Head of corporate communication at RTHK Tai Keen-man said it had no plans to introduce similar fees. "RTHK is the public broadcaster in Hong Kong. The aim of our online service is to allow Net users to understand more about Hong Kong through our radio and television production," Mr Tai said. He said RTHK's Internet home page averaged six million hits a day. Nearly half came from overseas. Metro Broadcast's spokeswoman said it also had no plans to charge Internet users for its programme archives (via Daniel Say, BC, DXLD) ** INDIA. 4896.00, AIR Kurseong, 1500-1600. For the past seven days, I have observed that AIR Kurseong has been on 4896.00 rather than the usual 4895.0. At 1515-1530, they run Hindi news followed by EE "News at Nine" 1530-1545. Observed // 4820, 4860, 4880, 4910, 4940, 4970, 4990, 5040 . Not sure whether this is transmitter drift (to exact value?), punchup error, or an attempt to separate themselves from the Malaysia on 4895 (which signs off at 1500 UT). (Don Nelson, OR, Jan 20) Making it to ECNA as well. (presumed) No ID heard, site based on nominal frequency of 4895. Heard at 1205 with a nice signal and a cricket match in English. // 4760 (Hans Johnson, FL, Jan 19, both Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. Re 9910 off-frequency: I am also hearing it now on 9864.5 at 1700 of January 19, 2001. It`s Aligarh facing some major transmitter problems going unnoticed by the concerned officals. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Hyderabad, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Subject: [dx_india] AIR Shillong Dear friends, On 14th Jan 2002 I had an opportunity to visit Northeastern service of All India Radio (AIR), Shillong. Shillong is well known as the Scotland of east. Had no trouble to find out centrally based Directorate office & studio. Mr. H Diengdoh, soft spoken station engineer, discussed many SW related topics & showed me all their broadcasting equipment. Presently they are using a 50 kW Brown Brovery Co. (BBC), Switzerland make transmitter for SW & 100 kW Bharat Elec. Ltd. (BEL) make MW transmitter. They have also a one kW transmitter for Shillong itself. Transmitter site is located at Mawgrong, another 30 km away from Shillong without any generator facility. Station has both uplinking & downlinking facility with INSAT. As a standby there is one Sony communication type digital receiver. But model no. is not readable. In near future AIR Shillong will get two FM transmitter, 2 x 5 kW = 10 kW. Northeastern service started its test transmission from 1988 & regular programming from 3rd Jan 1990 to cater to 7 northeastern states in Hindi & English language. Except relay from AIR New Delhi they have programs in English on northeastern states culture, local festival, regional news etc. Met a Hindi presenter also who calls himself ``Akelabhai`` & publishes a book in Hindi language on SW radio listening. The book ``Shrotadarshan`` can be obtained free of charge from : Akelabhai, AIR Staff Quarters, P. O. Rynjah, Shillong – 793 006, Meghalaya, India. Phone no. 91-364-233073. Any writing on SW either in English or Hindi is welcomed for his coming 3rd edition. He also gave a few blank full data QSL cards which presently they can not issue due to less manpower. Present broadcasting time & freq of AIR Shillong. UT kHz 0022-0400 4970 0655-0930 7130 1055-1630 4970 Address for communication: Station Director, Northeastern Service, All India Radio, Pomdngiem, Opposite GPO, Shillong 793 001, India Not Choura Maidan as listed in WRTH. Since that was a local holiday for ``Bihu`` festival I could not collect station e-mail ID which is operated by the station director only. Thanks & regards, 73's (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Important Dates for Extended Broadcasting in India : ---------------------- 22 Jan, 2002 Cricket: India vs England, Cuttack 0330-1200 approx. 22 Jan to 22 Mar Haj Broadcast in Urdu 0530-0600 13620 15770 25 Jan Cricket:India vs England at Chennai 0900-1700 approx 26 Jan Republic Day 28 Jan Cricket: India vs England at Kanpur 0330-1200 approx 31 Jan Cricket: India vs England at Delhi 3 Feb Cricket: India vs England at Mumbai 0900-1700 approx. (dx_india via DXLD) ** IRAN. 9650, VOIRI (via Sirjan per ILG) 0115-0127 Jan 19, Spanish to Latin America. Reports. Exotic music. Postal address. "Actualidad". Lite concert music. SINPO 34433 (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). Further to Tony's logging on 15 Jan, Clandestine Voice of the Iraqi People (via Sa`udi) this evening (Sat 19 Jan) heard on 4837.5, sub- harmonic of // 9675. Heard from tune in at 1725 and still audible (now with improved reception) at past 2300. Best on usb after Mali appeared on 4835.3 at 1810 (Alan Pennington, Caversham, UK AOR 7030+, longwire, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRELAND. Re church services on CB: There certainly is a lot of such activity here. Only up the road there is a church doing it every Sunday. As for getting a QSL from Father, I don't think that's possible, maybe a transcript of the sermon though! It's for the elderly who can't make it to mass (Jonathan Murphy, County Cork, Ireland, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) Our local Church in Mooncoin, in County Kilkenny broadcast all ceremonies on 108 FM. I christened it MASS FM and it has stuck. I would say the clergy would be interested to hear from listeners from a far on the FM band. Piltown Parish Church broadcast all services on 107.8 and some of the Waterford Churches have begun to broadcast on 107.6. Lots of people tune in to those services and it is an ideal way to record the audio from weddings and special ceremonies. etc. It is not legal but nobody is saying anything at the moment, the Government are too busy otherwise I guess. I will keep you posted if I find out of any more of those relays. CB is widely used in remote parts of Ireland as well as FM relays (Joe Cashin, Ireland, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. 6810, Radio Azadi Kurdistana Irana, heard 1640 January 17th. Long piece of music, announcements in Middle Eastern language 1650 including Azadi Kurdistana Irana, two more pieces of music, brief jamming 1655, commentary 1700 with many mentions of America, Iran and Al Qaeeda, more music 1711. Recheck 1752 man with commentary, piece of orchestral music, closing down announcements by lady, brief anthem and off 1801, jamming and local interference made copy difficult at this stage. Fair signal, heavy utility on 6808.5, seemed to be on reduced carrier USB, some distortion on AM, no signal on LSB, fair copy on USB when no jamming and local noise. Is pro Soviet per a report from Rumen Pankov last October (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. 21675, Libyan Jamahiriya Broadcasting, 1135 Jan 20, start of English programming with man IDing as ``This is the republic of .. Jamahiria`` with immediate news in English about Libya and Egypt. Continuous use of the word `revolution`. Signal is S9 to 9+10 with parallels (as per DXLD on 21630 and 17695) (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. Radio New Zealand International amended English language schedule announced at 1210 11th January: 1650-1850 11725 1851-2050 15160 2051-0358 17675 0359-0659 15340 0700-1005 11675 1006-1210 15175 1211-1649 6095 (occasional sport and cyclone warnings) (Michael Beesley, Hampshire, UK, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Hi Glenn, The following was heard as top story in Voice of Russia News at 2100 UT Jan 19/02, 7300 kHz. "Radio Voice of Palestine has resumed its broadcasts, the director of broadcasts (Yousef ? ) announced this on Saturday. He said programs are being broadcast through local stations on the FM band. Earlier in the day the Israeli military destroyed the radio station building in Ramallah in the West Bank in response to a terrorist attack by a suicide killer in the Israeli city of Hadera on Thursday. Palestinian leaders accused Israel of destroying the symbol of Palestinian Independence". (Wade Smith, New Brunswick, Canada, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE. WE WILL BE BACK - VOICE OF PALESTINE CHIEF Al-Jazeera TV also spoke on Saturday morning to Basim Abu-Sumayyah, director of Voice of Palestine, who said: "The destruction of buildings, equipment, and studios does not mean that that Voice of Palestine has collapsed. Voice of Palestine is transmitting at this moment on the local radio stations." "Very shortly, half an hour from now," Abu-Sumayyah told Al-Jazeera in remarks broadcast at 0503 gmt on Saturday 19 January, "we will, God willing, be back on our own FM frequency, which we started using after the transmission station and the radio transmission tower were destroyed a month ago." At 0705 gmt on Saturday 19 January, Al-Jazeera's correspondent in the West Bank, Walid al-Umari, tells the TV in a live hook-up that the building housing the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation was completely destroyed in Saturday morning's attack. He says the studios, which occupy four floors of the building, were also completely destroyed. Asked if there are other locations from which Voice of Palestine can broadcast, Al-Umari says: "We understood from officials here that they will seek the help of local stations and may resume their broadcasts in the next few hours through the local radios that transmit in the Palestinian areas." "There are over 40 private television and radio stations in the West Bank, and they will use them to continue broadcasting, which is not expected to be on the same level and with the same equipment they had before," Al-Umari says. Source: BBC Monitoring research, Caversham, 19 Jan 02 (via DXLD) PALESTINIANS DEFIANT AFTER ATTACK ON RADIO BBC Monitoring's local outpost is observing Voice of Palestine loud and clear on Saturday on its own FM frequency of 90.7 MHz, in addition to 91.5, 99.4, and 104.8 MHz, despite the early morning attack on VOP premises south of Ramallah. The radio is broadcasting via Radio Amwaj facilities, as has been the case since last month's attack on VOP transmission facilities. Radwan Abu-Ayyash, head of the Palestinian Radio and Television Corporation, told Al-Jazeera TV on Saturday morning this was "not the first time that Voice of Palestine has been attacked." "Before that," Abu-Ayyash said, "the radio's transmission towers in Al-Irsal Road were bombed. And, several times before, they destroyed the infrastructure of this radio. We say that this voice can only silenced when there are no Palestinians left on the surface of this earth." Asked what they will do without a radio, Abu-Ayyash says: "We have not stopped. We are still on the air. We are transmitting on an FM frequency. The television is still functioning. The satellite channel is still functioning. The question is not that of the building, but the symbol, which represents the Palestinian sovereignty. They do not want any symbols of freedom or Palestinian sovereignty on this land." Asked if they have been able to determine or at least estimate the extent of the damage to the Palestinian Radio and Television Corporation headquarters, Abu-Ayyash says: "You cannot put a value to this damage. This was the result of 10 years of ceaseless work by good Palestinian youth. Equipment worth millions of dollars were completely destroyed." Asked what steps the Palestinian Television and Radio Corporation intends next, Abu-Ayyash replies: "We will work in three directions. First, we will resume our work immediately, even better than before. We pledge this to every Palestinian. Second, we will contact all Arab and foreign friends and all people to ask them to raise their voices against this destructive war machine. Third, we will build an even better building, God willing." Source: BBC Monitoring research, Caversham, 19 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. ISRAEL ATTACKS PALESTINIAN RADIO, TELEVISION IN WEST BANK From VOA News: By Meredith Buel, Jerusalem, 19 Jan 2002 16:11 UT Israeli soldiers set off an explosion in the offices of Palestinian radio and television in the West Bank Saturday in retaliation for an attack by a Palestinian gunman that left six Israelis dead. Under cover of darkness and backed by tanks, Israeli soldiers took over the Voice of Palestine building in the West Bank town of Ramallah. The soldiers confiscated some equipment, then detonated explosives inside the building, setting it on fire and destroying much of the complex. The Voice of Palestine renewed radio broadcasts from a smaller, private station in the West Bank. The Israeli army says it carried out the operation in retaliation for a deadly attack by a Palestinian gunman Thursday night in the northern town of Hadera. The gunman burst into a banquet hall and sprayed a crowd of Jewish partygoers with automatic weapons fire before being killed by police. Hours later, Israeli F-16 warplanes destroyed a government complex in the West Bank town of Tulkarem, and tightened the siege around Chairman Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah. Palestinians described the destruction of their broadcasting facilities as a crime and an attack on Palestinian sovereignty. A close advisor to Mr. Arafat, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, accused the Israeli government of destroying all hopes of returning to the peace process. "This Israeli escalation is aiming to damage the peace process and to damage any effort to safeguard the peace process. We hope that the world community, the United States, would put enough pressure on the Israelis to stop this escalation and this aggression, because everybody will lose in this confrontation," he said. Israel has frequently accused the stations of broadcasting incitement and propaganda since the Palestinian uprising erupted nearly 16-months ago. Israeli Cabinet minister Danny Naveh accuses the Palestinian Authority of failing to take measures to stop the violence and crackdown on militants. "The Palestinian Authority is responsible for that. They have never really taken any action to stop terrorism. They haven't arrested terrorists. They haven't done anything against the infrastructure of the terrorist organizations, and we have no choice but to take serious actions, based on our right for the self-defense of the Israeli population," he said. Israel demolished one of Voice of Palestine's transmission towers and another building last month, but the station continued to broadcast on local frequencies in the West Bank and Gaza. (Later reports said the station has returned from private facilities). (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. I just found this on Palestine-Net: New: Live Radio Broadcasting from Palestine - you can now listen to Palestinian radio stations live on the Internet. Listen to Amwaj Radio carried by Carma Cyber Club, VOLP (Voice of Love and Peace) by Palnet and Ajyal. Note that reception may not be that great - keep trying. After the Israeli occupation blew up the Palestinian Radio and TV building (Jan. 19, 2002), the voice of Palestine is now heard on radio Amwaj. More news at Intifada update [which alas is only in Arabic. AS]. The relevant links are at http://www.palestine-net.com/news/ (Andy Sennitt, swprograms Jan 20 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 4635, Tajik R, 2106 Jan 19 with music in part. Immediate talks by woman about Afghanistan, in Tajik or Dari, reports on 2116, but continuous talks on Afghanistan. Clear today at S8 as 43323 (Zacharias Liangas, Thessaloniki, Greece, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. [BDXC-UK] IS PREMIER RADIO BEING CENSORED BY THE RADIO AUTHORITY? This topic was discussed on "Sunday" on Radio 4 at 7.40 this morning. A recording of the programme can be heard on the Radio 4 website. There were different views - some were concerned that the Radio Authority is acting in a heavy handed way, others felt more control was necessary. There were 15 complaints were from a small group stating that the programme code was broken, however it is arguable if this is the case. In particular broadcasts from the US preacher Rev Charles Swindle (not sure how his name is spelt) were considered to be unreasonably critical of other religions and this complaint was apparently upheld by the Radio Authority. There is far more control over programme content in the UK than in the USA. Some felt that if the broadcasts were outside the rules they should affect Premier's licence application. The station's management would not comment except to say in a statement that it has recently reinforced its programme content procedures etc. (Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) viz.: Statement from David Heron, Chairman of Premier, 10.01.02: "PREMIER SUBMITS LICENCE APPLICATION I thought you would wish to know that we lodged our re-licensing application with the Radio Authority on Tuesday and were told that there were no other applicants and could expect to know the outcome in mid March. The application document ran to 100,000 words and was accompanied by over 25,000 pages of supporting documents including new research prepared especially by Peter Brierley. However, we are emphatically not home and dry yet. There is still the risk that further upheld complaints could jeopardise our application and there is no sense that the Mysticism and Occultism Federation, which damaged us a few months ago, have lost interest. The next nine weeks are our period of maximum risk because some inappropriate "statement" might slip through the net and be picked up by people monitoring our programmes looking for such errors rather than by our staff watching out (listening out!) for such things. We are asking people to pray for protection in this very vulnerable period and for a satisfactory outcome at the end of it. This is altogether an eventful year! How glad we are that God is for us (Rom 8 v 31). David Heron, Chairman of Premier, 10.01.02" Here is David Heron's earlier statement on 31.10.01 in response to complaints recived by the Radio Authority from the Mysticism and Occult Federation: PREMIER CHRISTIAN RADIO The Radio Authority has recently informed Premier that it is upholding several complaints made against the Station by the Mysticism and Occultism Federation. It has issued a yellow card warning to Premier and will monitor the Station's output. The Radio Authority has determined that a number of statements made on air in the summer expressed intolerance or denigrated other faiths and could cause offence to people of other faiths or beliefs. Premier is committed to strict observance of all aspects of the Broadcasting Act and Code and has never previously had a complaint upheld. However, we accept that we have breached the Code and have apologized. The complaints largely arose from statements made in preaching or teaching programmes in which the speakers were highlighting the risks of involvement in practices implicitly or explicitly condemned in the Bible. Some statements went on to criticise the religious activities or sacred books of other faiths so as to breach the Code. The Radio Authority has clarified parts of the Code which previously we had found to be grey areas. We have reinforced our procedures and have assured the Radio Authority that there will be no further breaches of the Code. The team at Premier Radio would greatly appreciate your prayers as we seek to retain the distinctive and exclusive nature of our Christian broadcasting in an environment that has become much less sympathetic to exclusively Christian answers to questions of faith and spirituality. DH 31.10.01 (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. 12172, WWRB: If you hear an interval signal sounding like Channel Africa watch out: it may just be WWRB. Heard testing during the 1600 of Jan 15 here and on 9320 using what sure sounded like the Channel Africa IS spliced with the same loop announcement they ran previously. On Jan 17 the station announced that they were using two Harris transmitters, and gave the power at 130 kW, but exact number of transmitters here and type remains in question. Repeated past claim of having five transmitters and said that "brand X" [WWCR] was concerned. One antenna directed to Mideast/Africa, other to "Canada." (Hans Johnson, FL, Jan 15-18, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Hi Glenn, While sitting inside watching people shovel snow, I logged a possible new frequency for WWRB: USA 15725 WWRB TN 1728 Jan 20, playing chirping bird IS (sounds like old RSA) and simple guitar melody. Interrupted by EE male with positive ID for WWRB and mention of antenna tests to ME/AF/EU and 9320 frequency (also heard but much weaker in Boston area). (Paul McDonough, Medford, Massachusetts, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WWRB. Jan 20 at 1717, now testing on 9320 and 15725.00, per occasional announcements. Announcements were made over old Radio RSA interval signal. 12172 was quiet (Mark J. Fine, Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Not there on 15725 at 1812 check; note that this time would clash with WRMI if done on a weekday. Current WRMI sked shows 15725 M-F 1300- 2400, but Sat it is OFF 1300-2300, and Sun OFF 1530-2100 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. En el programa ``Club de Oyentes`` emitido por VOA -La Voz de América- el 19 de enero'02, la conductora Betty Endara se refirió a la muerte del recordado Roland Massa Ferreyra quien años atrás trabajó intensamente en la emisora, incluso conduciendo también el mismo ``Club de Oyentes``. Roland falleció el pasado 11 de enero en Uruguay, su país natal, según pudimos informarnos a través del dato facilitado por el colega uruguayo Horacio Nigro --- entrar en la página http://200.40.43.213/buscador/2002/01%20enero/020117/ecos%5F1.html La trascripción del comentario de Betty es el siguiente: ``Tengo una triste noticia para darles... Roland falleció la semana pasada; fué un caso muy imprevisto, a nosotros nos golpeó de una manera increíble porque el se había mantenido en contacto con algunos de nosotros aquí en la radio, siempre lo veían y siempre salían a comer con él y estábamos al tanto de lo que estaba haciendo. Él tenía muchos proyectos pero la vida es así y el rato menos pensado le diagnosticaron un cáncer y de pronto, al día siguiente del que nos dieron el anuncio, nos avisaron que había fallecido. Como les digo, él fué uno de los grandes de la VOA, una de las generaciones que más se recuerda de la VOA... siempre será muy recordado. Y a propósito de eso, nosotros tenemos un casete -que me comentaba el Sr. Richard Araujo que es el Director de la División Latinoamericana de la VOA- en el que está una declaración que hizo Roland a una emisora en una entrevista a propósito de los 50 años de la VOA y parece mentira, cuando lo escuchen se van a dar cuenta que lo mismo que él dice allí se aplica ahora, la VOA va a cumplir sesenta años en febrero y las declaraciones de Roland se aplican ahora como se aplicaron antes a los 50 años, se los buscó en seguida... ``Bueno, ya tenemos el casete con la voz de Roland, para que tengan una idea la pregunta era ¿Para qué sirve la VOA al haber terminado la Guerra Fria?. Y la pregunta es la misma ahora; hay gente que piensa que la VOA ya no tiene razón de ser. Aquí está la respuesta de Roland: ```Bueno, el hecho que haya terminado la llamada Guerra Fría no significa que se hayan terminado los problemas en el mundo y que debe finalizar el diálogo si es que siempre ha existido el flujo de información a una y otra parte del mundo. Seguimos con problemas de millones de personas en China, Irak y Cuba que se las siguen ingeniando para escuchar noticias sin censura y otros programas transmitidos por La Voz de los Estados Unidos de America.` ``Ahí lo tienen; Roland Massa Ferreyra falleció la semana pasada, paz en su tumba. Amigos, muchísimas gracias a todos ustedes que nos han acompañado en este programa. Los esperamos mañana a la misma hora y en estas mismas frecuencias, adios.`` Quienes deseen recibir una grabacion en casete con la voz de Roland Massa Ferreyra, deben remitir U$S2.- a Ruben Guillermo Margenet, Casilla de Correo 950, S2000WAJ Rosario, Argentina (e-mail: margenet@arnet.com.ar) (Ruben Guillermo Margenet, Rosario, Argentina, Conexión Digital Jan 20 via DXLD) see also URUGUAY below ** U S A [and non]. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dr. Hansjoerg Biener Hansjoerg.Biener@asamnet.de To: remnent@bellsouth.net [sic] Sent: Friday, January 18, 2002 1:39 PM Subject: inquiry concerning short wave broadcasts Dr Hansjoerg Biener - Neulichtenhofstr.7 - DE-90461 Nuernberg http://www.asamnet.de/~bienerhj Dear friends, having heard that Remnants Hope Ministry started broadcasting via Juelich, I used a google search to find an address. Unfortunately, the only reference I found was the e-mail address I use. Running a non-commercial news service for short wave enthusiasts, I would like to ask you for information concerning your short wave broadcasts as well as your ministry. Thank you very much in advance, Hj. Biener From: "Tim Butler" remnent@bellsouth.net God bless you Doctor Biener, Our Ministery started broadcasting in October of 2001 on international short-wave. We began broadcasting on WBCQ out of Monticello, Maine in the U.S.A. The broadcast reaches all of the America's, both North and South as well as Europe and Asia. We are on that station 7 days a week. Our frequency's are as follows. Monday thru Friday 17.495 mhz 1700-1800 utc, Tuesday and Thursday on 7.415 mhz 2230-2330 utc, Saturday 9.335 mhz 0000-0100 utc, Sunday 9.335 mhz 0100-0200 utc. In December of 2001 we began broadcasting on Deutsche Telekom out of Juelich, Germany. Our broadcast is heard every Saturday and Sunday on 6.110 mhz from 1215-1315 utc and is geared to reach all of Europe and western Asia. We also send a signal back into the United States on 6.125 mhz on Wednesdays from 0200-0300 utc. Our ministery is given to us by God. We were charged by him to reach out to his people. We preach about the times and the seasons that we currently live in and try to line them up with the word of God. We believe that as we see this world coming nearer and nearer to having a One world Government that the time of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ soon return is near at hand. We are alerting God's people to this and trying to ready a people for his coming. I hope that this helps you. If you have any further questions we would be glad to answer them for you. Best Wishes Pastor Tim Butler [all sic] (via H. J. Biener, DXLD) Can`t spell the plural of ``frequency``, `` ministry`` or even their own name ``Remnant`` but by golly, they know what God is up to!! (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. A 'DEMOCRACY' AGAIN, BUT 'BAI STILL ROILS By DAVID HINCKLEY, Daily News Staff Writer Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now" returned to WBAI (99.5 FM) yesterday and the other "banned and fired" apparently aren't far behind. But some hosts warned this is not necessarily a step forward, and WBAI's bitter internal clashes of the past year did not cease even after the interim board of WBAI's parent Pacifica Foundation met here this weekend and approved almost every proposal from the "dissident" faction. Besides ordering the return of "Democracy Now" and 37 hosts who left or were removed, the board fired WBAI station manager Robert Daughtry, who had charged the board was overstepping its authority with "illegal" actions. Daughtry called the dissidents "people who say, 'We get to stay on as long as we want and do anything we want.'" Dissidents charged that management has diluted and "corporatized" WBAI and Pacifica under the smokescreen of broadening listenership. With "banned and fired" staffers Bernard White, Robert Knight, Mimi Rosenberg, Ken Nash and others returning as early as today, it is not clear what will happen with current hosts. Earl Caldwell, who had been doing a thrice-weekly morning show, yesterday told listeners he may be gone. Morning host Clayton Riley yesterday warned that the changes will undo a year of progress in which the station embraced communities of color. The new hierarchy, he said, places the station "entirely in the control of whites. ...No black person can aspire to other than a subordinate position." He warned that Goodman, with whom he has long been at odds, is now in effect making all decisions. Dan Coughlin, who sided with the dissidents, has been named Pacifica's national executive director. (David Hinckley, NY Daily News Jan 15 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. TV & Radio Radio Beat: LOW-POWER AM PLAN FOR AUBURN Thursday, January 10, 2002 By Bill Virgin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Reporter Approval of low-power FM stations for Washington by the Federal Communications Commission may still be months away, but in the meantime Paul Nelson has an alternative idea: Low-power AM. Nelson, weekend jazz host on KPLU-FM, producer of radio public affairs programs and head of the Northwest Spokenword Lab, has submitted one of the more than 60 applications from this state for low-power FM. He hasn't given up on that idea, but he has another more immediate venture in the works, called Auburn Community Radio. Nelson's plan, through his non-profit It Plays in Peoria Productions, is to cover Auburn with four or five low-power AM transmitters as well as Webcasts. Nelson has been working with a Pennsylvania company that makes small transmitters often used for tourist information and special events. The FCC does allow low-power, very limited range AM transmissions. Nelson said his operation would not be an illegal or "pirate" broadcast, which aside from running afoul of FCC rules, would disqualify an applicant from a low-power FM license. For programming, Nelson would combine community news, sports, events, discussion and information with arts programs; Nelson said literary groups have been invited to use an hour each month for poetry, plays and prose. Nelson said the station would not only fill a void for community-based radio but would help promote a philosophy of regional economic and environmental sustainability. Financial support would come from grants, philanthropists, and underwriting by local businesses and listeners. Nelson's target date for launching the service: April 11. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** URUGUAY/ESTADOS UNIDOS. FALLECE ROLAND MASSA, RECORDADA VOZ URUGUAYA EN LA VOA Y EXCELENTE PERIODISTA URUGUAYO "Con la repentina desaparición del uruguayo Roland Massa Ferreira, la radiotelefonía internacional ha perdido uno de sus más prestigiosos cultores. Nacido en Durazno, muy jovencito se radicó en Montevideo donde lució su espléndida voz en emisoras tales como Austral, Sur y Clarín, si no recordamos mal. Su inquietud lo llevó a los Estados Unidos de América donde pronto entró a formar parte del personal de la Voice of America, en cuya división en español para América Latina trabajó intensamente tanto en estudios como en exteriores hasta llegar a ser el latinoamericano de más alta figuración en el personal superior de la VOA. También se desempeñó como traductor y escolta oficial de visitantes de habla hispana para el Departamento de Estado y prestó servicios a empresas de cine y televisión para la realización de documentales en materia de relatos, doblajes y tareas técnicas diversas vinculadas con el periodismo y la locución. Fué corresponsal para numerosas emisoras del continente, varias de ellas uruguayas, como Monte Carlo, Carve, Sarandí, Nuevo Tiempo y Setiembre, labor que desempeñó con particular acierto, signada por la sobriedad, la precisión y el donaire propio de los inspirados vocacionales de la noticia. Cuando la reapertura democrática en Uruguay logró que la Voz de los EE.UU. de América radicara sus transmisiones nocturnas de onda corta durante una semana en Montevideo, lo que significó que en ese lapso fuéramos cabeza de transmisión para todo el continente de una de las mayores emisoras del mundo, con el consiguiente traslado a esta ciudad de personal técnico y de producción para acompañar al elenco local, tarea que comandó con su característica eficiencia. Hace pocas semanas la teleaudiencia de Canal 12 pudo ver a Roland Massa en el marco del programa "En Tránsito", donde se lo apreció trabajando en Wáshington DC y en su espaciosa casa de Accokeek, un verde suburbio de Maryland muy cerca de la capital norteamericana. A su hija, a su esposa Judith y a sus hijos, nuestras expresiones solidarias en este trance inesperado". (Ángel Benítez , Montevideo en "El País", via Horacio Nigro, ene 18, Conexión Digital via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 2295 kHz, very weak, but something here at 1010 this day Jan 16. A rather goofy frequency for a Latin harmonic, but I'm not really sure what this one is (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) A very long shot, but fundamental 1147.5 brings to mind VOA Philippines megawatt, which periodically shifts off its usual 1143 to a split to avoid jamming..... (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 2540.0, (harmonic 2 x 1270) 1127-1155 Jan 19, Spanish announcer between Campo/Ranchera vocals, time checks UT -6, possible IDs for Radio Sonora in Honduras but they just don`t sound quite right on the recordings. Fair signal with very good peaks, faded out at 1155 (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Strong on 7525 kHz all day today. Playing a mix of 70s easy listening EE mx and continental stuff. Not sure of language, possibly Italian. Cheers, (Tom Read, UK, Jan 20, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-011, January 18, 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. 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 #1114 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.html NEXT AIRINGS on WWCR: Sat 0600 5070, Sun 0330 5070, 0730 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Sat 0730, 1330, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039v, 21815-USB UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL To David Bobbett, editor-in-chief, WRTH, Greetings! I would like to address the issue of your list of contributors. I was shocked when I read it and did not find Glenn Hauser and his DX Listening Digest on-line publication mentioned in that roster. That is the single best source of information on shortwave-radio-related news and data that exists today, along with his "World of Radio" weekly broadcast. I'm sure that many of your listed contributors use him as a source of radio news and tips, and his role should be acknowledged in your credits. He really should be listed there personally; reading and listening to his output would be mandatory for anyone in your data- compilation role. Using what he puts out, up to the last minute of your deadlines, would eliminate most if not all of the complaints I have read over the past years about the WRTH's accuracy. It was because of what I read in his material that I bought the 2002 WRTH; I had been buying it for decades in the past, and stopped a few years back after hearing how poor it had become. You have made great strides in restoring the quality and reputation of the WRTH; please use Mr. Hauser as an acknowledged resource to make it even better. I hope you pay your contributors; Glenn does all his work basically gratis, and he deserves some monetary recompense for all that effort. Let me add that, though I am sending this by e-mail, I do not have a computer and do all my international listening via shortwave. I go to the local library once a week or so and use public-access computers for e-mail and to access Mr. Hauser's website. Regards, (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri 63111-2133 USA, Jan 17, cc to DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Radio Afghanistan test broadcasts heard in north | Text of report by Afghan Balkh radio on 17 January Test radio broadcasting to cover the whole of Afghanistan on a frequency of 620 kHz [frequency as heard] has been resumed. In last night's broadcast, the first radio and television speech delivered by esteemed Hamed Karzai, chairman of the interim administration, he described the interim government's future economic plans and aims and its intention to provide an atmosphere for the convening of a Loya Jerga [Supreme Council] and sent messages to the whole nation. This was followed by patriotic songs and an interview with esteemed Dr Sayd Makhdum Rahin, minister of information and culture in Afghanistan's interim government. So far, the broadcasting schedule has not been fixed. Source: Balkh radio, Mazar-e Sharif, in Dari 0330 gmt 17 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Start Date of Radio Free Afghanistan Announced Spokesperson for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Sonia Winter, announced on 18 January 2002 that the target date for the start of Radio Free Afghanistan (see story below) is 30 January 2002. She did, however, warn that there could be a "small delay". Broadcasts in Pashto and Dari will initially be on the air for one or two hours per day, increasing to a total of 12 hours a day within a few months (RN Media Network 18 January 2002 via DXLD) ** ALASKA. KNLS, Anchor Point - season schedule B-01. Jan 27, 2002 - March 30, 2002: 0800 11765 English 0900 9615 Russian 1000 9615 Mandarin 1100 9615 Russian 1200 9615 Mandarin 1300 11765 English 1400 9615 Mandarin 1500 9615 Mandarin 1600 9615 Mandarin 1700 9615 Russian (KNLS webpage last modified 26 Feb 2001, via Dr. J. Kubiak, WWDXC via BC-DX via DXLD) ** From a previous DXLD, now that Jan 20 is almost upon us: AUSTRALIA. On the ABC Radio National web site http://www.abc.net.au/rn is news of a new schedule to be launched beginning January 20. It's too early to tell what changes this may cause to Radio Australia's schedule, which relays many Radio National* programs to an international audience. Nor are any details offered as to which current Radio National programs are to be discontinued, if any. However, it would seem that Radio Australia's schedule will be affected in some ways (John Figliozzi, Dec 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) (*Radio National is only heard within Australia. The network's audio is not streamed on the Internet, but some of the network's programs are heard via Radio Australia.) --------- ABC Radio National Launches New 2002 Schedule. Radio National launches an exciting new schedule for 2002 on Sunday, January 20. The full 2002 program schedule is now available to download as a pdf or a word document. The major new initiative is the introduction of a live weeknight program at 8.30 pm. The Radio National Night Club takes over from Arts Today as Australia's principal arts, culture and entertainment magazine with ninety minutes to include reviews, previews, live performance and on the spot reporting from venues around Australia - a stimulating alternative to night-time TV repeats and commercial radio chatter. This will commence on Monday, January 28. The weekday morning schedule will therefore undergo a change with the expansion of Life Matters to a two-hour program. It will include at 10.45 am First Person, the serialised reading of published autobiographies, the first being actor Zoe Caldwell's "I Will Be Cleopatra" read by Robyn Nevin. Other weekday changes include the reformatting of The Planet as two distinct and complementary programs. In the afternoon The Daily Planet remains at 3 pm but will now be presented by Geraldine Mellet. Then at 11.20 pm each weeknight Lucky Oceans presents a separate program, The Nightly Planet, until 1 am. Each will have music specifically programmed to suit their respective timeslots. Other major changes occur at the weekends. A new line-up on Saturday afternoons will be hosted by Michael Cathcart and will include the new Radio National Quiz, a chance to witness our presenters and special guests jousting in their specialist areas of knowledge. At 5.30 pm, Street Stories reveals untold stories from the hidden corners of Australia. Saturday nights see the expansion of Music Deli to ninety minutes, whilst Saturday Night Drama moves to 8.30 pm and undergoes a change of name to Night Play. Listeners will be pleased to know that they now have a second chance to hear The Music Show as it will be replayed at 10 pm. On Sunday from 10 am, Sunday Morning with Julie Copeland includes comedy, film reviews and interviews and a new segment called The Makers where Julie speaks with artists, composers and craftspeople. Sunday afternoon is re-jigged to include a new program All in the Mind presented by Natasha Mitchell covering everything from memory to psychology, educational theory and psychotherapy. The Goons maintains its 3.30 pm weekend timeslot but has been moved from Saturday to Sunday afternoon - The Goons will still be broadcast at 5.30 am every Friday. Sunday night includes the launch of the innovative Night Air presented by Brent Clough. This will be exciting, cutting edge radio - a mix of short features, music and archival material often inspired by a theme or idea with contributions from some of Australia's up-and-coming new producers. To follow, Mairi Nicolson introduces a soothing two-hour mix of music to take listeners up to midnight. [Source: Radio National web site] (via John Figliozzi, DXLD) ** AZERBAIJAN. The location of the Gaencae txing stn in western Azerbaijan has been found using Soviet military maps now available on the Internet. The site is located some distance south of Gaencae, just north of Xanlar (in Russian: Khanlar). This station was often heard on 218/216 kHz relaying Baku programs until the mid '90s. The coordinates are 40N37, 46E20. The highest tower shown is (was?) 235 m. The stn seems to have existed from the early '50s (Olle Alm, Sweden, ARC Info, Jan 7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** BENIN. 7210.29, Radio Benin, 0520 Jan 17, music, talk in language, talk in French after 0545, finally (after days of trying) a full ID @ 0545 "La voix de la nationale, la chaine nationale du Radiodiffusion Radio Benin", plus telephone number, and ID again @ 0549, mentions of Benin; splash from Belarus not too bad tonight until about 0550, crushed by BBC @ 0559:50 (Ralph Brandi, NJ, SWBC via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. Glenn, Have uncovered some information about the radios of Denmark and Burkina Faso. It is all too long to put here so you will find it at http://www.dxdave.freeserve.co.uk Best 73's, (DXDave Harries, Bristol, England, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thinks the latest report of 5030 must have been one-off, as he has not heard it since. Well, the previous appearance there a few weeks before was also a one-shot (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. Here's a piece about the funeral of Frank Shuster. Were you having trouble thinking of his first name when you did the live feed of WOR last night? 73- Bill Westenhaver Family, friends, entertainers bid farewell to comedian Frank Shuster http://ca.news.yahoo.com/020117/6/h8f5.html (Bill Westenhaver, QB, DXLD) Frank Shuster takes final bow http://www.nationalpost.com/search/story.html?f=/stories/20020114/1124179.html Here's an obituary on Frank Shuster, fyi. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) WAYNE AND SHUSTER REMEMBERED: ***PRE-EMPTS HOUR TWO OF BASIC BLACK*** This Saturday morning on CBC Radio One, join co-hosts Roger Abbott and Don Ferguson for Wayne and Shuster Remembered, a special tribute to the beloved Canadian comedy team. You'll hear friends and colleagues remembering them, plus great moments from their performances. That's Wayne and Shuster Remembered, Saturday morning at 11:05 (11:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. QUIRKS AND QUARKS: This week on Quirks and Quarks...the world's oceans are in crisis. Some scientists say that the only way to save the fish and their habitats is to establish marine reserves - large areas of the ocean that are closed to all fishing, mining or other exploitation. Can it be done? That's Quirks and Quarks, with host Bob McDonald, Saturday afternoon at 12:06 (12:36 NT) on CBC Radio One. THE VINYL CAFE: Head for the Vinyl Cafe this weekend for a concert recorded at Glenn Gould Studio, featuring singer/songwriters Nancy White and Bob Snyder. Stuart also tells a story of Dave and Morley at the cottage and his own reminiscence of a cowboy gun. That's this week at the Vinyl Cafe, Saturday morning at 10:00 (10:30 NT) on CBC Radio Two and Sunday afternoon at 12:05 p.m. (12:35 NT) on CBC Radio One (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CHECHNYA [non]. see RUSSIA ** CHINA. China steps up surveillance of Internet users | Text of report by Vivien Pik-kwan Chan published by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement) on 18 January Beijing has introduced strict new regulations to step up its surveillance of the Internet. The Ministry of Information and Technology has ordered all Internet service providers operating in "sensitive and strategic sectors" - such as news sites, bulletin board services and online forums - to record details about users, including viewing times, account numbers, addresses and telephone numbers. The regulations also require providers to install software to screen and copy e-mails that include "sensitive material" to enable cyber- police to trace suspects transmitting such material via the Net. Under the rules, providers must end a transmission immediately if they detect obscene material or "subversive" information, such as articles seen to advocate terrorism, threaten national security and ethnic unity or harm China's reputation. Providers are required to report any rule-breakers to the Ministry of Information and Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and the Bureau for the Protection of State Secrets. Providers must have back-up equipment and software to cope with system crashes, whether they are due to congestion or hackers. They must also take all necessary precautions to protect users' accounts and passwords. The measures also state that software providers are not allowed to have any hidden programmes in the software which may enable them to spy, hack or spread destructive viruses. Foreign software suppliers are further required to state in contracts that software bought by mainland authorities does not contain any hidden programmes. Suppliers will also not be permitted to log on to mainland network management systems from outside the country "unless authorized to do so". In a bid to strengthen national security, the regulations require all key and higher-level network management systems to use domestic software instead of imported products. The new regulations follow 60 rules that became effective on January 31 last year, which stated that content providers must be licensed and must not publish or reproduce anything that conflicts with the basic principles of the constitution. The new restrictions also hold mainland providers responsible for stopping "illegal content" and "subversive content" being posted on their web sites. The rules stipulate that they should only post news from domestic media sources under a signed agreement with the sources. A fear that state secrets may be leaked, combined with a rapid increase in cyber crime, have become urgent issues to the authorities. The number of Internet users rose to 33.7 million late last year, 50 per cent up from the same period in the previous year. Chinese authorities have also prosecuted dozens of Internet "activists" for posting "dissident views" online. Internet cafe operators also have to fulfil a list of requirements for a licence, including installing police-approved software to bar access to games and illegal sites and to record customers' details. Source: South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement), Hong Kong, in English 18 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CHINA. A freq list Mauno Ritola received from China says that Qinghai would be on 4224, but they remain on 4220.0. (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 18, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHINA. Re previous item on BPM: better to try http://www.time.ac.cn/jianjie/1.htm as the link you posted in DXLD crashed. The following screens are bilingual (Chinese, English) General introduction http://www.time.ac.cn/jianjie/1.htm On BPL http://www.time.ac.cn/jianjie/4.htm On BPM http://www.time.ac.cn/jianjie/3.htm Some radio products they develop http://www.time.ac.cn/jianjie/7.htm Below are Chinese links, but the programming labels, as you can see, are in English (c_clock, time_his) etc. so non Chinese Readers can navigate around. Nice little time-museum tour (all in Chinese) starts at: http://www.time.ac.cn/museum/c_clock/1.htm And the measurement of time in an excessivly animated clock, sundial, cleypsydra etc. starts at: http://www.time.ac.cn/museum/time_his/1.htm Two webpages of images of time, and clocks at: http://www.time.ac.cn/museum/clocks.htm Three webpages of museum clocks from the west at : http://www.time.ac.cn/museum/zwclocks.htm Dowloading software for time (In Chinese, for Chinese Windows) http://www.time.ac.cn/serve/down.htm Nice series, (all in Chinese) on the concept of time and Chinese technology. http://www.time.ac.cn/time/concept/1.htm Other time station links at: http://www.time.ac.cn/links.htm ==================================== To see the Chinese characters you might try the Windows (95,98,NT) addition program NJWIN, downloadable at Linkname: NJWIN CJK Viewer for Windows 3.1/95/98/ME/NT URL: http://www.njstar.com/njwin/ (Daniel Say, BC, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI is currently running 7445 on AM starting about 0100 for benefit of NAm audience, then switching to USB at 0500 for Eu in mornings, Au/NZ in evenings. A program break at 0345-0400 daily is being used to do live mailbags, and some E-mail is acknowledged immediately; also trying this at 1000 (James Latham, RFPI Mailbag Jan 18, notes by gh for DXLD) ** CUBA. Prohiben en Matanzas escuchar radioemisoras extranjeras LA HABANA, 16 de enero Fara Armenteros, UPECI / http://www.cubanet.org - Residentes en el asentamiento rural conocido como Batey San Rafael, situado a cinco kilómetros del poblado de Bolondrón, en el municipio matancero Pedro Betancourt, manifestaron su descontento ante la notificación oficial de que no pueden escuchar radioemisoras extranjeras, en especial Radio Martí. Esta advertencia fue realizada por Arsenio González, funcionario del gobierno en la localidad, y miembro del Partido Comunista, en una reunión del Batey San Rafael. Este funcionario -señaló Juan Felipe Torres Requijo, del movimiento independentista Opción Alternativa- recibe envíos de dinero y ropas de su cuñada que reside en Miami. El funcionario presume constantemente de esta situación privilegiada, sin tener en cuenta que más del 90 por ciento de la población de Bolondrón vive sumida en una gran pobreza. Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de Cuba no permite al ciudadano cubano acceso privado a Internet. CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente (Cordiales 73's via Oscar, FL, DXLD) ** DENMARK. Glenn, Have uncovered some information about the radios of Denmark and Burkina Faso. It is all too long to put here so you will find it at http://www.dxdave.freeserve.co.uk Best 73's, (DXDave Harries, Bristol, England, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Schedule of DR`s foreign-language newscasts on domestic service (gh) [non]. DR frequency planner Ib Abrson (?) phoned me back, saying he would try to get the English newscast on SW reliably (Chris Hambly, Victoria, Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [c.f. BC-DX #557, Persian stn KRSI relay under France]. After looking through the complete RFI schedule I figure 11 freqs in use from Issoudun at 1630: 9790, 9805, 11615, 11665, 11700, 12025, 13580, 15300, 15605, 17605, 17850 (note the # designator: from March 3). From 1700 onwards I found 3965, 7135, 7325, 9790, 11615, 11965, 15300, 15530, 15615; at 1730 they add 11615, 15605, so again 11 freqs. This means that the 12 ALLISS units at Issoudun are busy - but only these 12 brand-new txs, no longer the "centre E". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DXLD, Jan 12, BC-DX via DXLD) Er... I don`t think this was in DXLD yet (gh) ** GERMANY. Today we discovered that the programming of Megaradio has changed. New jingles are in use now and quite professional news are broadcast on the hour. Also the music selection has changed, away from tracks which can be heard everywhere, at least that's the first impression. Looks like the programming is now produced by Antenne Bayern at Munich, especially since I have an impression that there are minor changes in the studio audio with a slightly decreased audio level. Also the homepage http://www.megaradio.net is now up, although not fully operational yet. This page also shows a new spelling "Megaradio", replacing the previous "MEGA-Radio". For nighttime reception the homepage recommends Burg 1575 for whole Germany, a bit early since this frequency is still to be boosted to 500 kW, at present only 10 kW are in use (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NEW -- MEGA Radio Hirschlanden (Stuttgart Germany) on mediumwave 738 kHz on air. The MEGA Radio company from Munich Bavaria [seemingly a joint venture of Anglo-Dutch financial funds], which hoards mediumwave frequencies in many states of Germany, appeared here in Germany some three years ago. As of today January 16th, MEGA Radio joined the air from Stuttgart Hirschlanden transmitter site on mediumwave 738 Kilohertz. Station started on Wed Jan 16th, at 16.26:30 UT. Program consists of music like the usual "Youth Radios" format on FM band, but very few advertisements in between could be observed yet. \\ program is heard in Germany on MW channels Woebbelin 576, Braunschweig 630, [Berlin]Oranienburg 693, Dresden 1431 und Luxembourg 1440, Burg 1575 kHz. Not yet on air: Greifswald 1017 kHz. Location: Deutsche Telekom Sender (Stuttgart) Hirschlanden, 738 kHz, with 5 Kilowatt of power registered by the local LfK Stuttgart authority and at ITU Génève, Switzerland band plan. Dominant station on this channel at this location is usually Radio Nacional de España RNE-1 Barcelona with 600 Kilowatt of power from Spain. At same transmitter location Deutsche Telekom (ex DBP Deutsche Bundespost) is running a 10 Kilowatt sender on behalf of AFN - American Forces Network - Stuttgart (Program from Heidelberg studio) on 1143 kHz. AFN Hirschlanden station is on the air since 1963. In 1945-1963 AFN used ex-Reichspost MW, SW & FM site at Muehlacker, now public broadcaster SWR (ex-SWF) Baden-Baden Stuttgart. Address of MEGA Radio: MEGA Radio, Maximilianstrasse 35a, D-80539 Munich Germany Tel +49 (89) - 2421 8128 Fax -8200 Kind regards vy73 de Wolfy DF5SX (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) MEGA RADIO started his new official web page on http://www.megaradio.net Still under construction, it contains some information about the frequencies. The 1575 is claimed as the one for nationwide overnight reception, so they obviously are planning to increase power up to 500 kW on this QRG. Regarding the fact that frequencies like 738 kHz / 5 kW at Stuttgart or other projected QRGs may suffer heavy interference from existing signals, it seems that they want to introduce 1575 kHz as their standard for the nighttimes. Actually, MEGA RADIO consists of a non-stop CHR-style music programme with news on top of the hour. There are rumours that Antenne Bayern, the commercial landwide station in Bavaria, will produce the original programme of MEGA RADIO. The 1440 kHz are not mentioned, but the signal is still on there. Generally, MEGA RADIO wants to re-introduce MW-reception in Germany. For this reason, they have a ``how-to`` description for MW listening on their page --- the translation: 01 Click on ``frequency`` and enter your ZIP code 02 Now you get 3 or 4 ciphers. They are valid when it is bright day outside. 03 If it is dark, it is 1575 kHz everywhere. 04 Search your radio for the ``AM`` or ``MW``-button. Push it. 05 It sounds like ``beeeeeep`` or ``uiiiieeeehhh``. This is completely normal. 06 Set up the frequency. 07 No reception? Look for the ``AM/MW`` antenna. Normally it is a wire with a kind of handle on it. Contained in the packages of most stereos. 08 Plug in the antenna. 09 Try out with the antenna. 10 Have fun with MEGA RADIO. It's going on something on medium wave. With this, I will return to my radio and try out with the antenna. 73, (Sascha A. Zimmer, Viersen, Germany, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. Glenn, BBC on 6195 after 0500 was clear with no trace of DW in German reappearing at that time, as noted on UT-January 17. I had heard DW using 6195, wiping out BBC, on UT-January 15 and 16; perhaps a test from Antigua or Canada or just a punchup error? (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR noted again on vary frequency 9861-9868, instead of 9910.0 as follows: 0215-0300 Pashto 0300-0345 Dari 1315-1415 Dari 1415-1530 Pashto 1530-1545 English (news bulletin) 1615-1730 Farsi 1745-1945 Arabic 1945-2030 French 2045-2230 English 2245-0030 English (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 18 via DXLD) ** ITALY. Some frequency changes for RAI International effective Jan. 13: English to WEu 1935-1955 NF 9745, ex 9760 // 5970; Italian/Spanish/Portuguese/Italian/Spanish to SoAm 2240-0335 NF 11990, ex 11755 // 9840 (excerpts; Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 18 via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN. Iraq: Kurdistan Satellite TV beams into USA, Canada, available online | Text of report by Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) newspaper Brayati on 17 January In a new step, and on the occasion of its third anniversary and the start of its fourth year, Kurdistan Satellite TV directorate announces that as from today its TV broadcast will reach the United States and Canada. Its test programmes could be watched for a period. [BBC Monitoring has not yet observed the new satellite transmissions]. Also as from today, all the Kurdistan TV programmes will be on the Internet. Its users can watch live all Kurdistan TV programmes. Thus the whole world will be able to watch Kurdistan TV. Its Internet address is: http://www.kurdistantv.net Source: Brayati, Arbil, in Sorani Kurdish 17 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. Jan 16th, 2002 at 1715-1735 UT on 6810 a clandestine in Farsi and Kurdish. Gave ID in Farsi as ``Kurdi-ye seda- ye Komaleh`` and in Kurdish ``Kurdi Radio Dengi Komala``. They also played good old ``International``. So, is this Voice of Komala a new name of some Komala-affiliated station, a program name or a new station? No jamming heard, so they had no need to hop around. At recheck 1759 they had closed down. Any info appreciated. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. Hello QSL friends, there follows a QSL log from Rudolf Sonntag. As far as I see it (as the editor of the QSL Info Pages QIP), it is the first report about a QSL via TDP from Ludo Maes. This is even the first known QSL for Denge Mezopotamya (this time speaking as the editor of Clandestine Radio Watch CRW) ... Martin from Merseburg ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Hallo Martin, ein neuer QSL- Eingang: Clandestine Denge Mezopotamya, 11530 kHz, detailed QSL-card without transmitter location via TDP, c/o Ludo Maes, P.O.Box 1, B - 2310 Rijkevorsel in 95 days for 1 US-$ R. Sonntag-D (direct to QIP) - January 2002 (via Martin Schöch, Jan 17, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Checked for the XERMX spur at 0040 Jan 19, and found it centred around 9290, slightly more intelligible by off-tuning 2 kHz either way; that`s 9705 minus 415, so the other side would be 10120, but couldn`t find it there amid the CW QRM (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Hello from Hilversum, Royal wedding fever is beginning to grip the Dutch nation, and nowhere more so than here in the Dutch media capital. Coverage of the wedding by Radio Netherlands on 2 February 2002 will be the largest live broadcast in our station's history. More than 20 shortwave frequencies will be operating simultaneously, in addition to live television coverage on the Dutch- language satellite channel BVN-TV, and live Internet audio streams. Apart from our Dutch service, this is a major occasion for RN's Spanish service, which is expecting a huge audience in Argentina, the bride's homeland. There will be a modified frequency schedule on 2 February for broadcasts in Dutch and Spanish. Live coverage in English and Indonesian will be carried on regularly scheduled frequencies... [as previously reported] (Andy Sennitt, Media Network newsletter Jan 18 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Further to my monitoring of Radio Pakistan with their transmission from 0800 to 1105 UT in Urdu with 5 minutes of English news at the beginning and end of the broadcast, it appears to me that the transmitters of Radio Pakistan are in urgent need of servicing or upgrading, they seem to be variable in their output power and the audio quality is often distorted with loads of hum. Sometimes, they are not even on the air and I have to keep switching between the two frequencies to be able to keep understanding the speech. The frequencies are 17520 and 21465 kHz. I guess that is why I have heard such a variation of programming and transmission. I shall keep monitoring (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, EDXP Jan 17 via DXLD) Radio Pakistan was heard 18 Jan at 1100 UT on 17520 kHz with scheduled English ID and news by female announcer; Urdu announcement at 1105, NA, and s/off. Not heard on 21465. Most days this is very difficult or inaudible here, signal was good S5 today (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Icom R71A, dual 16/10 meter dipole w/ANC-4 as RF amp, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALESTINE. I just heard on CTV News (private Canadian TV network), then minutes later as a breaking news item on BBC World (via PBS) that Israeli forces destroyed the building housing Palestinian radio and TV. BBC reported that the building was cleared of its occupents, then explosives were planted inside. This story shows up as a "More soon" Latest News item at http://www.news.bbc.co.uk Regards, (Ricky Leong, QC, 0433 UT Jan 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Radio Gulf back on air after 19 months - by Fay Duega RADIO Gulf is back on air after being off air for 19 months. The radio station which had been off air since May 2000, was switched on at New Year's Eve, December 31, 2001. Radio Gulf Station manager Timothy Akia has thanked acting Gulf administrator Miri Setae and his two deputies Eddie Avosa and Paul Sireh for making it possible for the station to go on air again. Mr Akia said that since Mr Setae and his team went into office, communication has been one of their priorities apart from health and education. And this had resulted in them allocating K25,000 from their revised 2001 budget which was sufficient to offset Radio Gulf's problems and get it back on air. The station manager urged Mr Setae's administration to continue their good work into the new year. According to Mr Akia, Radio Gulf went off air in May 2000 as a result of a little button in the station's transistor blowing up. This was the result of the continuous black out that Kerema town was experiencing. The station could not get this fixed due to lack of funds until Mr Setae's team took office and realising the significant role the station played, pumped in enough funds to get it back on air. Mr Akia said that the problem was further compounded by the fact that when there was heavy rain, the station was flooded with water. This meant that the station could not do much in this situation. Leakage in the station's roof also resulted in a number of Radio Gulf's items being spoilt by the rain. The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) headquarters in Port Moresby in December 2001 sent a team of technicians to the Gulf province where they put up a makeshift studio for Mr Akia and his 11 staff. By December 21, 2001, they were operating in the makeshift station but the station was not on air. The technicians had returned to Port Moresby and Mr Akia and his staff could not contact them because the phones were also disconnected. When they were eventually reconnected soon after, the Radio Gulf staff contacted the technicians in Port Moresby, and after seeking their advice were able to get the radio on air as of December 31, 2001. But with their makeshift station, they still go back and forth to the main station as most of their sections, such as the control room, library and production facilities still remain there. Mr Akia said that the three Gulf parliamentarians Chris Haiveta (Gulf provincial), Tom Koraea (Kerema Open) and Riddler Kimave (Kikori Open), have not been helpful when it came to trying to get the station back on air. He said they failed to listen to the cries of the people. He said that with the Gulf province covered by many rivers, with roads mostly non-existent, Radio Gulf is the only means by which the 105,050 people of the province depend on to know the events around them. He said that with the General Elections to be conducted later this year, it is very important that Radio Gulf remains on air to keep the people informed of the happenings leading up to the elections as well as during and after the elections. The station manager also urged the NBC Headquarters to seriously look into the current transmitters that Radio Gulf has. Mr Akia said that the equipment was donated by the Japanese International Agency Corporation (JICA) in 1986. He said that when he last checked, this particular type of transmitter had been phased out by the manufacturers. This means that they are no longer being produced. He therefore urged the NBC to get replacements elsewhere in place so that when the transmitter they are currently using conks out, they will not be sitting ducks once again. Meanwhile, Mr Akia has urged people in the province to send in their requests or service messages as Radio Gulf will be on air from 5 to 8 am each morning and from 4:45 pm to 11:15 pm each evening. (The Independent, Jan 10 2002, via Don Nelson, DXLD) At UT+10, that means 0645-1315 and 1900-2200 UT. WTFK??!! Used to be on 3245. I see in the so-called ``2002`` PWBR that they have a dagger by it as a `new for 2002` listing, even tho it must have been off the air for a year when this was compiled last summer (gh, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. New Christian radio station launched | Text of report by Papua New Guinea Post-Courier web site on 18 January A new Christian radio station, launched in Port Moresby on Monday [14 January], was described as an answer to prayers. Wantok Radio Light, as it is called, is named in honour of the thousands of missionaries who feel attached to Papua New Guinea after serving in the country. Public Curator of PNG Paul Wagun said the radio station which was broadcasting from Nambawan Finance building in Waigani, Port Moresby, would initially play Christian music while its programme schedule was being finalized. The programme schedule would be published in the newspapers for the public to know what to expect, he said. However, he said, it was a Christian radio and the organizers were expecting all Christian denominations to participate in the radio's programs. At this stage, renowned US doctor, James Dobson, is one of the people being considered to be given a time slot to speak on family issues which had been his ministry for many years through both electronic and print media. Mr Wagun said information targeted to overseas audience may have to be reviewed to suit the Papua New Guinea audience. ``The radio station was established for Christians regardless of what denomination they come from. It will not be supported financially by any particular body as it is intended for Christians,'' he said. He said the Christians in the US have prayed about it and decided to help fund it initially, but it was up to the Christians in Papua New Guinea to support it financially and ensure its continuity. ``It does not matter whether you're a Catholic, Lutheran, Christian Life Centre or Assemblies of God, if you're a Christian this is your station,'' he said. He said the radio station was operating on 93.9 FM. Source: Papua New Guinea Post-Courier web site, Port Moresby, in English 18 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Standard rejoinder (gh) ** RUSSIA. According to a letter just received from Leo Shishkin of Radio Samorodinka, Russia, he has made some tube changes in the tx. He gives the output power now as 40W (since summer 2001, I guess). Also some antenna work has been done. The radiation towards Finland and Sweden is screened by an apartment building. You can try Radio Samorodinka on v3922 around Moscow midnight (2100 UT). 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, Finland, Jan 17, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. New Russian station on 1305 kHz: R. Druzhba [friendship] started operating via a powerful MW transmitter located near Moscow on January 1. At present the station is on the air with test transmissions broadcasting pop and folk songs of the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] countries. In a brief address to the audience transmitted on January 3 the station's head promised that R.Druzhba would specialize in CIS topics and would broadcast corresponding information, analytical, cultural and music programs. We have failed to find any further details about R. Druzhba so far. It is unknown, in particular, if the station intends to operate only for the Moscow area or it coverage will be extended (Klub DX # 582 of the Voice of Russia via Igor Sannikov, Kirov, Russia, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Igor, they may be considered as ``new station`` just conventionally. As I see: we have 'de facto' another program of VOR & Co. (like ``Peace and Progress`` and ``Radio Moscow`` some 20 years back)/ Most of music they play is taken from 20-30 years back USSR times... Moscow-Kupavna 300 kw I guess, SIO: 555-444 here in central Ukraine in dark, so poor-to-fair in daylight. *0500-2100* daily. BTW, NA of RUS (URS) at sign-on. 73 (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** USA/Russia: RFE/RL to broadcast to northern Caucasus | Excerpt from report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Washington, 17 January: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty [RFE/RL] starts broadcasting to northern Caucasus in the Chechen, Avar, Cherkes [Karbardian] and Russian languages 28 February 2002. Thomas Dine, president of the united station, said in an interview with ITAR-TASS the structure of the new language services had already been created. The broadcasting project will begin with 15-minute segments in each language for a single one-hour programme. They will become longer in future. Following the end of the Cold War, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has targeted its programmes at the promotion of advantages of an open democratic society, Dine said. Its target auditorium is in the post-Communist countries and states which the US views as totalitarian regimes... Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 0857 gmt 17 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA/USA. Moscow ``suspicious`` of Radio Liberty expansion plans - aide | Text of report in English by Russian news agency Interfax Moscow, 18 January: Moscow's stance on possible Radio Liberty broadcasts in the Northern Caucasus ``will depend on what will be broadcast``. ``Right now, the attitude towards Radio Liberty's plans is suspicious,`` presidential aide Sergey Yastrzhembskiy told reporters on Friday [18 January]. He recalled that Radio Liberty, and in particular journalist Andrey Babitskiy, was biased in its coverage of events in Chechnya during the military action that started in 1994. ``The events that are taking place in Chechnya now are part of the fight against terrorism,`` Yastrzhembskiy said. ``We would not like Radio Liberty's broadcasting to become a problem in Russian-US relations,`` because Radio Liberty is a public company financed by the US Congress, the presidential aide said. Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 1347 gmt 18 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) 2002-01-18 17:39 * RUSSIA * CHECHNYA * RADIO * MOSCOW FROWNS ON RADIO LIBERTY'S PLANS TO BEGIN BROADCASTING IN CHECHEN, AVAR, CIRCASSIAN MOSCOW, JANUARY 18. /FROM RIA NOVOSTI'S CORRESPONDENT VALERI YARMOLENKO/ -- The position of Moscow on the plans of radio Liberty to begin broadcasting in Chechen, Avar and Circassian will be ``guarded``, said Russian presidential aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky. The time when radio Liberty broadcasts on Chechnya were biased is still fresh in our memory, he explained. ``Reports by Liberty correspondent Babitsky, which actually excused the actions by militants in the North Caucasian region, were their consummation,`` said Yastrzhembsky. He said that, after the September 11th acts of terrorism in the United States, most countries of the international community have come to realize Russia's efforts in the struggle against international terrorism on Chechen territory. ``We'll follow work of the Liberty radio station and would not like forecoming Liberty broadcasts to become a sore point in relations between Russia and the United States,`` stressed Sergei Yastrzhembsky. Liberty broadcasting for the North Caucasus is planned to begin on February 28th (via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** TAIWAN. I have received from Radio Taipei a very nice gift of a Radio Taipei 2002 Business Diary (stitched and all!) as well as issue number 6 of their Taipei Wave which also included one of my letters in it. Best wishes to you all and thanks once again for all the info; it is very useful (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, EDXP Jan 17 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, following is from Alexander Yegorov of RUI. ``As I have suspected recently, Mykolaiv was off the air yesterday, January 16: 7285 kHz 100 kW to North Europe and 7375 kHz 1000 kW to North America. The reason is a debt for the electricity.`` 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, VA, Jan 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. To David Bobbett, editor-in-chief, WRTH, Greetings! Ironically, I, a resident of the central part of the USA, was listening to the BBC on shortwave as I first opened my new 2002 WRTH and read your editorial. While the implications and the psychological effects of the BBC's action are bad, the actual practical results of their so-called cutoff of shortwave service to North America are merely to somewhat decrease the ease of listening to the BBC. This is probably less of an impact than their ill-advised and ill-conceived and ill-contrived exercise in going to separate regional streams some years ago. That action is what really killed the WORLD service aspect of their transmissions. The net real-world effect has been to make the morning SW broadcast on the Americas stream to rely on only one frequency at a time, so any interruption of transmission or transmitter dropout has no backup or alternate frequency to tune to, and thus the listener misses program content. They could have done what they did and never said anything about it and there would have been no fuss, just a few isolated individual complaints about poor reception at times. (Since they killed off the ``Waveguide`` programme, those would have gone un-publicized except among the DXer/SWL community.) Regards, (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri 63111-2133 USA, Jan 17, cc to DXLD) ** U S A. [Fwd: Message from the VOA Director] It is with regret and sadness that I share with the VOA/IBB community the news of the passing of our former colleague, Roland Massa. Well known throughout Latin America as a broadcaster both in his native Uruguay and through VOA's Spanish Branch, Roland died of cancer at his home in Accokeek, Maryland, on January 11, surrounded by his wife, Judy, and their two sons. He was 68. Roland was known as the ``Walter Cronkite of Latin America`` for his honest and personable broadcasts in Spanish on the Voice of America from 1964 to his retirement in 1996. He covered all kinds of events for the international broadcasting network, ranging from live simultaneous translations of speeches by U.S. Presidents from Lyndon Johnson to Bill Clinton, to live play-by-play coverage of World Cup soccer matches and Olympic sporting events. He also hosted a weekly television call-in series on WORLDNET TV called Conversemos En Esta Noche, seen throughout Latin America. Among his many awards were the Mexican Press Association's Gold Medal for outstanding coverage of the 1968 Olympics and the VOA Regional Language Broadcasting Award in 1985 for his dynamic, creative and innovative professionalism. Roland was born in Durazno, Uruguay in 1933. Following university studies, he worked in a bank and for a radio station. In 1961, he moved to the U.S., living first in Arizona, then moving to Washington D.C. in 1964 to begin working for the Voice of America's Spanish-to- Latin America Branch. He served as Acting Chief of the Branch before retiring in 1996. He also had served as the Washington Correspondent for various Uruguayan radio stations and newspapers, as well as for a Hispanic radio network in California, Radio Bilingüe. He had recently been the subject of a television special on his life and work, seen throughout Uruguay. Roland is survived by his wife of 32 years, Judy Massa, former VOA Music Director, and two sons, Roland Rahe Massa of Tampa, Florida, and Justin James Massa, of Accokeek. He also has a daughter, Veronica, from his marriage to his first wife, Marta Garrido, in Uruguay. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Roland's name to the American Cancer Society. A memorial service for Roland will be held on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 2 PM at Christ Episcopal Church at 600 Farmington Road West in Accokeek, Maryland. Directions to church: -At the southernmost part of the Beltway (on the Maryland side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge), take Indian Head Highway (Route #210) South. -Drive South on Indian Head Highway (Route #210) for 10 miles to Accokeek, Maryland. -At the Accokeek traffic light, turn RIGHT at the purple B&J Carryout onto Livingston Road (Route #373 West). Don't be confused - Livingston Road crosses Indian Head Highway several times - go the full 10 miles. -Go ½ mile on Livingston Road - turn RIGHT onto Farmington Road West (residential area). -Go ½ mile on Farmington Road West to Christ Episcopal Church on the right. Park in the lot in front of the church. NOTE: From the Beltway exit to the church should take approximately 35 minutes. All are welcome. (Jan 17 via Kim Elliott, VOA, DXLD) ** U S A. Back in December 2000 I interviewed Tom Doyle of Terion Corporation in Florida. At that time, Terion had a system using HF, or shortwave, for communications between trucks on U.S. highways, and their headquarters. In this elaborate system, short text messages were sent to trucks using the subcarriers of FM broadcasts stations, and the trucks responded using HF transmitters, received at HF antenna farms located at several places around the United States. This system allowed trucks to communicate even if they were outside the range of cell phone towers. Communications World listener John Aegerter, amateur radio call WA9GAR, sent me an e-mail last week, noting that the Terion Web site no longer mentions its HF communications system. I made inquiries, and Ed Mushill, director of Fleetview Sales and Marketing at Terion, told me that the company is in the process of selling the HF-based communication system to a third party. He could not divulge what companies are interested in buying the system. Terion is now concentrating on its Fleetview product, which uses a mobile telephone system in conjunction with a Global Positioning System receiver to help trucking companies keep track of their trailer fleets (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World Jan 12 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** U S A. WWCR-1 will be resuming use of 9475 at 1000-1100 and 2100- 2300 within the next couple of weeks (Adam Lock, Ask WWCR fortnight of Jan 11 via gh, DXLD) That means WOR Fri 1030 and Mundo Radial, Fri 2215 will finally revert from 3210 to this much better frequency. Jan 18 at 2215 it was still on 3210, JBA here by 2229 conclusion (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Re WSM: I view the recent action as a warning shot. The next attack will be fatal. If you listened to the press conference, available as a .wav file at http://www.sillybits.com/wsm/ you basically heard that while the current owners recognize the nature and heritage of WSM, they also made it quite clear that they expect it to make money. Considering the state of AM radio --- and prospects for its future --- that's not going to be easy; even with valiant efforts and unique programming. For now, no changes. For the future, nothing but uncertainty. The preservationists really ought to remain as worried as they were a week ago (Tom Bryant / Nashville, Jan 16, IRCA topica group via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. **M** ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO: The special Marconi program produced by EDXC in Italy is scheduled for broadcast in the AWR DX program, ``Wavescan`` on Sunday February 3. You may obtain the EDXC QSL card from the address given in the program, and also the AWR Marconi QSL card from the AWR address in England. The schedule for ``Wavescan`` is given in the AWR website; this program is on the air on Sundays in the English service from Adventist World Radio, and also from WRMI in Florida and ZLXA in New Zealand (Adrian M. Peterson DX Editor, Jan 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. ``Linux for Suits: Open Source Radio KPIG`` by Doc Searles, Linux Journal An interview with Wild Bill Goldsmith of California's KPIG and Radio Paradise. January 1, 2002 [Doc Searls is senior editor of Linux Journal and coauthor of The Cluetrain Manifesto.] 'The words free and open are taken seriously by KPIG and its faithful, who contribute code in the form of original voices, programming ideas and even musical selections...' http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=5571 [Long! Here's the Intro. Chet Copeland/ny] Listen to KPIG (1 of several streams) http://kpig.com/kpig_24.ram Website: http://kpig.com/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++ KPIG is an anomaly. It's a top-rated commercial radio station programmed entirely by its own DJs. It's a serious radio station with a terrific sense of humor. It's as much a fixture in its community as a statue in front of a courthouse --- and a lot more fun. The station's format has been described as ``mutant cowboy rock and roll``, but it's hard to make any label stick on a station that is more real, more fun and more like-it-oughta-be than (by my conservative estimate) all the other commercial music stations in the country put together. Its roots go back to the legendary KFAT, and beyond that to the KRAB Nebula of loosely affiliated noncommercial stations out of which ``community radio`` and ``free form radio`` evolved in the sixties. It's a history that's as old and woolly as UNIX's. The resemblance doesn't end there, either. The words free and open are taken seriously by KPIG and its faithful, who contribute code in the form of original voices, programming ideas and even musical selections. KPIG is fortuitously located in (no kidding) Freedom, California, and has one of the worst signals in the Salinas-Monterey-Santa Cruz market. If you're in the bowl of mountains that surround Monterey Bay, chances are you can get it. If you're not, your only choice is to punch up http://www.kpig.com and choose among a wide selection of streams, including a 128 Mb MP3 spigot that's one of the prettiest-sounding signals that ever poured out of your speakers. KPIG was the first commercial radio station to broadcast on the Web, and it has blazed trails ever since. This last spring, when AFTRA decided its commercial talent should be paid as much as 300% extra for commercials going out over the Net, thousands of commercial stations shut down their streams. KPIG just hacked around it. When the national ads come on, webstream listeners get pleasant filler. To the constant astonishment of everybody but the station and its listeners, KPIG consistently manages to sit near the top of the local Arbitron ratings, despite its second-rate signal. It is, by all measures, a success. It is also full of open-source technologies that are in a good position to burn down ``broadcasting as usual if the right hackers and serious radio fanatics get their hands on it. That's the idea behind what you're reading right now. KPIG's hacker in chief is ``Wild Bill`` Goldsmith, a KPIG veteran going back to KFAT. He's now living full-time in (no kidding) Paradise, California, where he has steadily improved his own solo effort, Radio Paradise, alongside KPIG. I decided to get in touch with Bill after I received e-mail raves about Radio Paradise almost simultaneously from friends in Seattle, New York and North Carolina. The sources were old radio pros who have since moved on to other professions but know the real thing when they hear it. It was clear from a quick look at both KPIG and Radio Paradise that the stations were up to something more than radically good radio programming. Technically, both were easily customizable hacks built on open-source software and generic hardware. Specifically, Bill had put together what appeared to be a tightly integrated system that involved the music library, the web site, the whole audio chain, accounting, operations and scriptable tie-ins to potentially money-making partnerships with anybody who wanted to cross-promote anything, including stores, artists, labels or whatever --- in a way that allowed as much live operation or automation as one saw fit. This appeals to me. I'm a radio freak going back to my childhood, when I was a ham radio operator (even today the only code I know is Morse). My nickname, Doc, is the fossil remnant of the name I used on the air when I worked at WDBS, a KFAT-like station in North Carolina back in the seventies. Commercial radio today is a snatched body that bears only superficial resemblance to anything anybody loved in its golden age. Revitalizing radio is also a passion I share with Phil Hughes, Linux Journal's chief geek and publisher, an old radio hand who fondly recalls KRAB's golden days in Seattle. When I wrote and asked Bill exactly what he was hacking together at the two stations, he wrote this back: It's based on a set of software tools --- for picking and scheduling music and doing voice tracks from anywhere over the Net, and for accepting and organizing listener feedback on my playlist. Everything I'm doing software-wise is 100% open source: Linux, PHP, Perl, Postgres and Icecast. I am convinced that what you see at http://www.radioparadise.com represents the future of radio, or of quality radio, anyway: very interactive, tightly controlled artistically (no random segués, everything happens for a reason), completely free from the influences of the radio/music industry hype machine (to the best of my ability, anyway) and supported primarily by voluntary contributions from listeners. This isn't a game plan that's going to make anyone rich. But it can make it possible for anyone with talent to make a very comfortable living without compromising their integrity in any way --- and that's all I for one have ever wanted. I suggested an interview and he agreed. We talked in late October, right after he finished putting up the latest KPIG web site. Doc Hey, I like the new site. The Webcast links and the current song list are right up front. And I like the webloggy thing going on in the center of the page too. Makes it all very live. Very radio. Bill It should be more webloggy-looking very soon, after the staff at the station takes it over. Read the interview, message boards: http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=5571 (via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. Boulder`s community radio station KGNU is notable for its excellent original programming, so this combined with the name of the show itself, Musica Mundi, led to it being listed as a Show We Like even before hearing it (lately). Caught the last sesquihour of the bihour show UT Thu Jan 17 at 0230-0400 on webcast via http://www.kgnu.org and found the host was surfing around the internet live for radio stations with interesting non-American music to relay (otherwise, why bother?). At first he was on R. Reloj de Costa Rica, which was all-news, two announcers taking turns every sentence, so that didn`t last long. Filling with CD music, he landed next on TBS, Tokyo, and later to R. Pakistan, sounding like a muezzin, which he briefly overrode with ``Amazing Grace`` -- naughty, naughty! But then gave up the surf for the time being, back to CDs, including Orfeu Negro (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Live365 to no longer be ``live``??? Radio-Info.Com has learned that Live365 is about to run out of cash. The company is reportedly ``on the ropes,`` according to the San Jose Mercury News. The Company has axed half of its workforce and forced the remainder to take a two-week unpaid ``sabbatical,`` as the company allegedly attempts to reorganize at the eleventh hour. Stay tuned to Radio- Info.Com for more details. http://www.radio-info.com/ (Jan 17 via Chet Copeland, DXLD) ** U S A. KKWY, 1630, was in last night here, --- nearly fell over this afternoon when my tape replay revealed a clear legal ID from them at 2:00 a.m. EST, under WTEL with KCJJ nulled. First Wyoming here - new or relog - in more than 20 years, since WBZ had a Monday silent period! Whatever problems KKJY had with signal strength their first three years must have been resolved sometime around the holidays; between this list and last week's DX News, we've seen reports from the Ottawa, Tampa, Los Angeles and Milwaukee areas, everyone hearing them for the first time. Anyone have a verie signer? (Steve Francis, Alcoa, Tennessee, Jan 16, NRC-AM via DXLD) {the point is: WYOMING, rare} ** U S A [non]. Commando Solo. Military broadcast mission Commando Solo to get digitized capabilities. Commando Solo, the military's only airborne radio and tv bc mission, is going digital, members of the Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations Wing told The DAILY Jan 10. Based in Harrisburg, PA, Commando Solo is made up of six EC-130E aircraft equipped with broadcasting, jamming, and command and control capabilities. Commando Solo has been deployed to Haiti, Panama, Yugoslavia and Iraq and has been broadcasting over Afghanistan since Taliban air defenses were defeated in Oct. As the 193rd moves from the older C-130E aircraft to the stretched ``J`` version, the new aircraft will include about 30 percent upgraded mission equipment, according to Master Sgt. Barry Hein, a mission systems equipment technician for Commando Solo. The first reconfigured C-130J will be delivered to the 193rd in Oct. The new system will be more computer-oriented and largely digitized, Hein said, and will have servers onboard. With the new digitized system, the operators will have a touch-screen capability to access materials on the server, ``plugging in`` messages and music into the programs. As now configured, the operators have pre-programmed manual tape decks that are loaded by hand. With the new digitized system, ``they can create the program material just by accessing the server. It'll be like a library,`` he added. In its mission over AFG, Commando Solo has been broadcasting VoA[??] programming as well as psychological operations messages put together by the 4th Psychological Operations Group headquartered at Fort Bragg, N.C. The EC-130 remains among the most heavily tasked special mission planes, a fact that has brought considerable praise for the 193rd, but also concern over the aging aircraft. ``Everyone wants us, and they all want us at the same time,`` said Lt. Col. Gerald Otterbein, a squadron operations officer in the 193rd and pilot of the EC-130. ``We are the most deployed and we are the busiest Air National Guard unit.`` Over the past decade, the 193rd has been deployed an average of 10 times per year, totaling 173 days per year. ``That's pretty high for a Guard unit,`` said Hein. While Commando Solo has been the subject of much praise, a Defense Science Board report released after the Yugoslav war expressed significant concern over the planned upgrades for the EC-130Es. The report recommended maintaining the current EC- 130E fleet with existing equipment, saying that the cost of cross- decking the mission equipment to an EC-130J platform was not justified ``by the marginal increase in performance offered by this option.`` The report said the money should be reprogrammed to invest in advanced mission equipment that could be configured for multiple aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles. The Air Force and Air National Guard maintain, however, that the funding is not available to purchase the modern platforms suggested in the report. ``I don't dispute the conclusions of the report. I think it was well done,`` Hein said. ``But it's a long-range plan. We're looking at 2015, 2020 before recommendations of that report come to fruition.`` The Defense Science Board report was issued in the wake of criticism of the Commando Solo mission in YUG, which the Guard admits was not one of its more successful missions. ``Yugoslavia was a difficult mission because of the mountains,`` said Otterbeim. ``Radio is line of sight and you can't bc through mountains.`` The C-130J has less drag and can fly up to 40 percent higher than the C-130E. (Sharon Weinberger, Aerospace Daily 10 Jan, {c} 2002 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.; via David E. Crawford-FL- USA, DXplorer Jan 11 via BC-DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4572v, 1045 Jan 17, Distorted, drifting Latin American station, playing LA pop music, with occasional talk breaks by SS speaking M. I did hear an ID several times but am not able to figure it out. Fair level at 1130 peak; however, faded to poor level by 1145. Co-channel 2 way SS language SSB transmissions. First time reception here. Possibly a MW harmonic (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ``National Windshield Wiper Synchronization Service`` 4370- 4405 02 Dec (HF) 4375- 4400 10 Jan (HF) 4520- 4550 02 Dec (HF) 4630- 4660 02 Dec (HF) 4645- 4655 10 Jan (HF) 4770- 4832 02 Dec (HF) 4775- 4825 10 Jan (HF) 4884- 4930 02 Dec (HF) 4890- 4920 20 Jan (HF) 4895- 4915 11 Jan (HF) 4895- 4920 22 Nov (HF) (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, MARE via DXLD) ``National Windshield Wiper Synchronization Service``: 4375-4400, 1042, 13-Jan (Frodge-DXP) 4645-4655, 1042, 13-Jan (Frodge-DXP) 4775- 4825, 1043, 13-Jan (Frodge-DXP) 4890-4920, 2017, 12-Jan (Frodge-DXP) 4895-4915, 1120, 13-Jan (Frodge-DXP) PROPAGATION From: NASA Science News Subject: The Resurgent Sun NASA Science News for January 18, 2002 Evidence is mounting that some solar cycles are doubled-peaked. The ongoing solar maximum may itself be a double -- and the second peak has arrived. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/18jan_solarback.htm?list458954 (via Russ Edmunds, NRC-AM via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-010, January 16, 2002 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. 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 #1114 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1114.html FIRST AIRINGS on WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 FIRST AIRINGS on WWCR: Thu 2130 15685, Fri 1030 3210, Sat 0600 5070 FIRST AIRINGS on RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15039v, 21815-USB MUNDO RADIAL, emisión de enero-febrero, a partir del 18 de enero, todos los viernes a las 2215 en WWCR, 3210; ya disponible en: (BAJABLE) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0201.rm (CORRIENTE) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0201.ram (GUION) http://www.worldofradio.com/mr0201.html ** AFGHANISTAN. Regarding the Droit de Parole operation in Afghanistan on FM 96.0: Wasn't BBCM reporting Radio Afghanistan on this frequency temporarily? So this would be relays by Radio Sohl? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. Media round-up Tuesday 15 January 2002 Radio Afghanistan begins test programmes At 1300 gmt, on 15 January, BBC Monitoring observed a station identifying itself as "Radio Afghanistan" broadcasting on a new frequency - 1269 kHz mediumwave. Radio Afghanistan was also continuing its broadcasts on 1570.18 kHz mediumwave. However, it could not be confirmed whether the programming was the same on both frequencies. The new 1269 kHz frequency was announced in a news bulletin by Radio Afghanistan on 15 January and also by Iranian news agency IRNA on the same day. Following is text of the report in English by IRNA: Kabul, 14 January: Voice of Afghanistan [presumably Radio Afghanistan], the national radio network of that country, began its activities with test programmes Monday afternoon, thanks to technical and professional cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the head of the radio station told IRNA. Alhaj Mohammad Alam Izadyar added that the facilities of Voice of Afghanistan are all contributed by IRIB and Iranian and Afghan technicians and engineers have cooperated for a month to install them and launch the radio station. Izadyar said that the 50 kHz [as published, presumably kW] radio is at its current status capable of transmitting waves that can be received in 75 per cent of the soil of Afghanistan. Voice of Afghanistan's test programmes are transmitted on mediumwave frequency 1269 [kHz], equal to 237 metres from 0600 to 0900 [hours, local times; 0130-0330 gmt], and from 1700 to 2000 [1230-1530 gmt] for the time being. Besides the local and international news programmes, the Voice of Afghanistan has children's and family programmes at its current test programmes. All facilities of Radio Afghanistan, as well as the radio's building, were totally destroyed during the western allied forces' recent bombardments that led to ousting Taleban's regime in Afghanistan. Iran has also provided the technical facilities for strengthening Afghanistan's Herat TV Station, which enables those parts of Afghanistan that will be covered by that station to get a brighter picture of Afghan TV programmes and also to receive programmes transmitted by three out of six networks of the IRIB. The said TV station will be transmitting and relaying the above- mentioned programmes as of the second week of February. Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 1758 gmt 14 Jan 02 UK-based Christian TV to beam the gospel to Afghanistan | Text of press release by UK-based Christian broadcaster SAT-7 on 9 January As the TV sets go back on in Kabul the Christian message of hope and reconciliation is being beamed for the first time into war-torn Afghanistan. Under the Taleban regime listening to music and watching TV were forbidden. Now satellite dishes are on sale once again and Afghans are able to tune in to TV - often on sets kept carefully concealed throughout the Taleban era. Broadcaster SAT-7 has started transmitting a service in Farsi, which is understood by millions of Afghans. Its CEO, British-born Terence Ascot, says: "As Afghans are taking their TV sets out of hiding SAT-7 is helping change perceptions in the Arab world. "The message of reconciliation stands out in stark and refreshing contrast to the hatred and violence of some Islamic radicals. As Christians of the Middle East and North Africa share concepts of love and forgiveness, there can be a significant impact on Arab society." Broadcasting in Farsi has long been a goal of SAT-7, which went on air in 1996. The hope is that Afghan viewers will become more tolerant towards Christians. In November, eight aid workers were freed after being held for three months by the Taleban on suspicion of preaching Christianity - an offence which carried the death penalty. The channel intends to break down misconceptions towards Christians by creating a better understanding of the faith. In recent years 60 per cent of Arab believers have emigrated from the region due to hardship and hostility. Says Terence Ascott: "The late King Hussein of Jordan said: 'Arab Christians are the glue that holds the Middle East together.' Well, SAT-7 is helping pour the glue." SAT-7 presents the Christian message in a way that is culturally appropriate without ever attacking other beliefs. The channel is a far cry from televangelist stereotypes, broadcasting under the guidance of Arabs from all the major denominations across the Middle East and North Africa. It transmits to a potential audience of 340 million in 21 Arab countries, as well as Turkey and Iran. Regular broadcasts in Farsi are due to commence early in 2002. A one- hour programme is being screened three times a week initially, giving way to longer and more frequent transmissions as production capacity increases. SAT-7 can be picked up in North Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula on Eutelsat Hot Bird 3 at 13 degrees East (12.379 GHz, Vertical Polarity, 27000 symbols/sec, FEC .25). The cost of the new Farsi service will be around $600,000 in 2002. SAT-7 is a not-for-profit charity dependent on donations. Its office in Bristol, England, can be reached at: SAT-7 Trust Ltd, PO Box 1214, Bristol, BS99 2RS Tel: 0117 953 7773; Fax: 0117 953 7774, e-mail: bristol@sat7.org, web site: http://www.sat7.org Source: SAT-7 press release, Bristol, in English 9 Jan 02 Source: BBC Monitoring research, 15 Jan 02 (excerpts via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non]. Media chronology post-11 September 2001 11 September 2001 - America "under attack" Terrorist attacks in the USA prompt almost immediate continuous TV and radio coverage. Networks around the world clear their schedules for incoming news. New York's terrestrial media disrupted by destruction of transmitters and communication links. 12 September - Voice of America (VOA) extends broadcasts US public broadcaster Voice of America (VOA) extends broadcasts to the Middle East and Afghanistan with daily Arabic broadcasts up from seven to nine hours and Farsi (Persian) up from three and a half to four and a half hours a day. 20 September - BBC World Service extends and expands broadcasts BBC World Service reinforces medium and shortwave transmissions to the Middle East and Afghanistan. Arabic, Pashto, Persian and Urdu services are all expanded. Online services also expand. 21 September - Deutsche Welle extends broadcasts German broadcaster Deutsche Welle extends Dari and Pashto broadcasts to Afghanistan by 30 minutes to 110 minutes per day. Urdu broadcasts to Pakistan extend by 30 minutes to 75 minutes per day. 22 September - Voice of Russia expands broadcasts The Voice of Russia's broadcasts to Afghanistan in Pashto and Dari increase by an hour a day whilst the length of daily broadcasts in Persian has been increased by 30 minutes. Programmes in Urdu to Pakistan have also been increased by 30 minutes a day. There are plans to increase these programmes by a further half hour in the very near future. 28 September - Taleban watching satellite TV A Pakistani newspaper Jang reports that the Taleban are monitoring international TV in their Kandahar and Kabul offices so as to keep abreast of the international media's point of view on Afghanistan. 28 September - Yvonne Ridley arrested The Taleban arrest journalist Yvonne Ridley from the UK newspaper, Daily Express, in eastern Nangarhar Province for entering Afghanistan illegally from Pakistan. 5 October - BBC provide Afghan-region languages to UK BBC World Service Extra starts broadcasts in the key languages of Afghanistan and the surrounding region as a special service to UK listeners with digital satellite. 7 October - Radio Voice of Shari'ah in Kabul temporarily silenced The Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah in Kabul goes off air abruptly at around 1630 gmt on the first day of the US-led bombing raid. The station resumes transmissions the next day. 8 October - Radio Canada International adds broadcast Radio Canada International (RCI) adds an English transmission at 0200- 0300 gmt to Afghanistan. 8 October - Voice of Shari'ah in Kabul and external service silenced. Balkh Province radio continues At 1610 gmt, Radio Voice of Shari'ah is targeted again and falls silent. Their two mediumwave and shortwave outlets are hit affecting Kabul's domestic and external services. Voice of Shari'ah in Balkh Province - the provincial radio station based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif - continues to be heard. Badakhshan TV, Afghanistan's only television station, remains on-air five times a week. The TV station, established in 1987 and located in the Northern Alliance-held town of Fayzabad, broadcasts for two hours each day. Programming consists of news, a selection of films, and documentaries. 8 October - Yvonne Ridley released British journalist Yvonne Ridley, who was detained by the Taleban in Afghanistan, is released and transported to Pakistan. Ridley, a reporter for the Daily Express, was arrested on 28 September in eastern Nangarhar Province for entering Afghanistan illegally from Pakistan. 8 October - VOA expands broadcasts again, moves in journalists Voice of America expands broadcasts to Afghanistan, adding another 30 minutes to its Dari and Pashto-language broadcasts, bringing each to a total of two hours and 15 minutes daily. 9 October - US concern at Bin-Ladin tapes on Al-Jazeera TV In the United States, extensive coverage on TV networks of Usamah Bin- Ladin and Al-Qa'idah's statements, supplied by the Qatar-based satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera, prompts the US government to lodge a complaint with the Qatari Emir. The US State Department on 9 October said Al-Jazeera had carried inflammatory rhetoric and inaccurate reports and raised concerns over the station's access to Usamah Bin- Ladin and Al-Qa'idah. 10 October - Radio Solh begins broadcasting An FM radio station starts to operate north of Kabul, founded with the help of a Paris-based organization, Droit de Parole, which supports freedom of speech. Radio Solh (Dari for Radio Peace) covers an area within a 40-km radius and operates for three hours a day from Parwan Province, north of Kabul. 11 October - Radio Japan expand broadcasts NHK Radio Japan introduce a 24-hour "emergency" service in Japanese, and extra transmissions in English to the Middle East, Africa and south-west Asia. 11 October - Al-Jazeera refuses self-censorship request The US ask TV networks to exercise judgment and be cautious regarding the transmission of Bin-Ladin video tapes for fear that they might contain coded messages. CNN, NBC and ABC agree to comply with the US government's request. Qatar's Al-Jazeera TV channel says that it will not alter its coverage. 12 October - New station from Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan starts broadcasting a new Dari-language programme, "Nawa-e Dost" (the Voice of a Friend), from Peshawar. The programme, containing news and information for refugees in the area, is broadcast from 1805 to 1900 gmt on mediumwave. It will also be available on shortwave. 14 October - US begins psychological operations broadcasts into Afghanistan A new US-run radio station, Information Radio, broadcasting into Afghanistan is observed. Two daily broadcasts - from 0030-0530 and 1230-1730 gmt on two mediumwave and one shortwave outlets are publicized through air-dropped flyers. Broadcasts emanate from converted EC130 transport planes, codenamed "Commando Solo". Programmes consist of Afghan music and information announcements in Dari and Pashto advising listeners to stay indoors, keep away from Taleban-run buildings and establishments and not to approach Western military personnel. 14 October - International media arrive in Jalalabad The Taleban allows a group of international journalists to visit a village near the eastern city of Jalalabad which, it is claimed, has been destroyed by US bombing. 15 October - BBC WS launches "Lifeline" programme Programmes for Afghan refugees and families displaced by the war in Afghanistan are launched on BBC World Service in Pashto and Persian. 24 October - Radio Voice of Shari'ah resumes broadcasts Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah broadcasts resume in the capital Kabul, for one hour a day via a mobile transmitter with a one- kilowatt capacity. 28 October - HCJB starts Dari broadcasts Ecuador religious station HCJB announces that it has started Dari programming with four weekly 15-minute broadcasts. Programmes go out at 1545 gmt on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. 30 October - Taleban allow 30 journalists to visit Kandahar The Taleban issues visas to allow 30 journalists to visit the southern city of Kandahar. 3 November - Mashhad radio increases Dari broadcasts The external Dari service of Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran radio from Mashhad, near the border with Afghanistan, increases its number of broadcasting slots from two to four a day. 3 November -Taleban warn reporters to stay out of Afghanistan The Taleban warns reporters and journalists not to enter Afghanistan illegally. Any captured journalist who enters Afghanistan illegally will be suspected of spying. 7 November - US lower house agrees to "Radio Free Afghanistan" The US House of Representatives passes a law on setting up "Radio Free Afghanistan". The radio station, which would broadcast 12 hours a day, still has to be approved by the Senate. Prague is one of the candidates for the location of the proposed Radio Free Afghanistan studios as a studio complex providing material for the US-run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) already exists there. 7 November - Al-Jazeera TV reporter deported by Northern Alliance Al-Jazeera TV reporter Ali al-Arab is deported by Northern Alliance authorities for reasons that remain unclear. Al-Arab, who was also prevented from using his satellite telephone, says that Arabs are generally made unwelcome by the Alliance. 9 November - Final broadcast of Taleban radio in Balkh In what transpired to be its final broadcast, the Balkh Province outlet of the Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah, based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, signs off abruptly, 15 minutes ahead of schedule. Taleban forces desert the city. 10 November - "Balkh Radio" starts broadcasting from Mazar-e Sharif Northern Alliance troops enter Mazar-e Sharif after the Taleban leave the city and head southwards. Balkh Radio, the new radio station controlled by the Northern Alliance, makes its first broadcast on the frequency formerly used by Radio Voice of Shari'ah. 11 November - three journalists killed One German and two French journalists are killed. Volker Handloik, who worked for Germany's Stern magazine, Johanne Sutton of Radio France Internationale (RFI) and Pierre Billaud of radio and TV station RTL, die in an ambush laid by the Taleban for an armed column of the Northern Alliance, near Shatarai. 11 November - Mazar-e Sharif TV to go on air "very soon" An Anti-Taleban United Front spokesman is reported to have said that television broadcasts to Balkh Province would start "very soon". 12 November - Radio Herat resumes broadcasting After the fall of the western city of Herat to Northern Alliance forces, the local radio station, Radio Herat, is reactivated after a period of six years off the air and replaces the Taleban-controlled Radio Voice of Shari'ah. 12 November - Al-Jazeera's Kabul office hit Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite TV reports that its Kabul office has been attacked by US planes. The offices of the BBC and Associated Press are also damaged during the incident. 13 November - Radio Afghanistan, Kabul returns to the air Radio Afghanistan in Kabul resumes broadcasting after the Taleban flee the capital and the Northern Alliance take control. Established in 1953, the station came under Taleban control in 1996 and was renamed Radio Voice of Shari'ah. US-led forces destroyed Radio Voice of Shari'ah's transmitting facilities on 8 October. The station maintained an on-air presence using a low-power mobile transmitter until the Northern Alliance took control of the capital. Radio Afghanistan operates on 1530 kHz mediumwave and 96 MHz FM from 0130-0330 gmt and 1130-1630 gmt in Dari and Pashto. The main news in Pashto is from 1430-1500 gmt with the main news in Dari at 1500-1530 gmt. Music, banned by the Taleban, is heard once more, and the station has female announcers on its staff. 13 November - Northern Alliance take control of Bakhtar Northern Alliance forces take control of the Kabul office of Bakhtar News Agency, formerly the official news agency of the Taleban. 17 November - Japanese journalist released by Taleban Japanese journalist Daigen Yanagida arrives in Pakistan having earlier been released by the Taleban. Yanagida and his guide were arrested in late October after entering the country from Pakistan. 18 November - Kabul TV resumes broadcasting Kabul TV resumes broadcasting six days after the capture of the Afghan capital by Northern Alliance forces. Television had been banned by the Taleban and the TV station had been off the air since 1996. Kabul TV reopened with a female announcer outlining that evening's entertainment. 19 November - Four Western journalists killed on road to Kabul Four more Western journalists are killed. Two of them are confirmed as Reuters cameraman Harry Burton, and Azizullah Haidari, a photographer. The other two are Julio Fuentes of Spain's El Mundo newspaper and Maria Grazia Cutuli of Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper. 20 November - Balkh TV testing with one-hour programme According to a technician, Balkh TV successfully airs one hour of test programmes. The TV had been off the air for the duration of the Taleban's regime. The source says that it is hoped that full coverage of Balkh TV will start soon. 20 November - New radio station for Afghanistan launched A radio station called Radio Voice of Afghanistan, produced and uplinked from London, is observed broadcasting on 9950 kHz, between 1330-1430 gmt in Pashto and Dari. Said Jalal Karim, Radio Voice of Afghanistan's founder, is an Afghan entrepreneur currently operating from London. In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Karim said he wanted the station to be a platform for ordinary Afghans to communicate with their countrymen. He also said he thought the station was transmitting from facilities in Samara, near Russia's border with Kazakhstan. Programmes consist of news and features interspersed with music. 25 November - US plans new broadcasting service for Muslim world In addition to the VOA and planned Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts, the US are planning a new outlet, provisionally named the Middle East Radio Network. It will transmit on FM wherever possible, as well as mediumwave, and via satellite to the Middle East and the Muslim world. The channel is expected to disseminate news and information in 26 languages, reach 40 countries, and specifically target nearly 500 million Muslims between the ages of 15-30, the US-based Salon web site http://www.salon.com reported on 17 November. There are also plans to deliver, via satellite, a 24-hour, seven days a week, Arabic-language satellite TV channel to the Middle East. 27 November - Turkey offers help to Afghan broadcasters Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) General Director Yucel Yener says his organization is ready to help Afghanistan Radio and Television. Afghanistan Radio and Television General Director Muhammed Alem Izzetyar tells Anatolia news agency that his staff faced "big technical problems" and was looking forward to support from TRT, which had helped them before. 27 November - Swedish TV cameraman killed Olaf Stromberg of Sweden's TV4 is shot dead by armed robbers who break into a house where Swedish journalists are staying in the northern Afghan city of Taloqan. 28 November - Canadian journalist held A freelance reporter from Montreal, Quebec, is kidnapped in the Afghan border town of Spin Boldak. Ken Hechtman works for a weekly tabloid newspaper, Montreal Mirror. 28 November - Canada warns of Taleban plot against journalists Canada's Foreign Affairs Department calls on news organizations to warn of a Taleban plot against journalists in Afghanistan. The department says the Taleban plans to invite Western journalists into the southern city of Kandahar, then capture them to be used as bargaining chips. 28 November - Afghan plea for international aid for broadcasting Afghanistan's Ministry of Information calls for international assistance to put into operation the country's radio and television broadcasts. The first cinema in Kabul reopens three days after the fall of Kabul to Northern Alliance forces. 29 November - Satellite dish sales doing well in Kabul Since the Taleban deserted Kabul, one workshop has been offloading between 20 and 30 satellite dishes, fashioned from old tin cans, each day. 30 November - Reporters Sans Frontieres' concern over press curbs Paris-based media watchdog, Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), launches an appeal urging various Afghan representatives to ensure the security of journalists and put an end to the extortion that the press has been the victim of throughout the country. 30 November - Konduz radio switches sides to Northern Alliance Konduz radio, in northern Afghanistan, switches sides and is broadcasting in support of the Northern Alliance following the evacuation of the Taleban from the town. The Konduz radio station is now broadcasting from 1230-1330 gmt on 1520 kHz mediumwave (although BBC Monitoring believes the frequency is more likely to be 1521 kHz). 30 November - Mola Omar promises reward for murdered journalists. Taleban leader Mola Mohammad Omar promises Afghans 30,000 pounds blood money for the murder of Western journalists. 30 November - Over 1,000 journalists enter through Tajikistan Since 11 September 2001, 1,103 journalists have entered Afghanistan from Tajikistan, through the Farkhor-Kokul border checkpoint, the Tajik news agency Asia-Plus reported. 1 December - Taleban free Canadian journalist Canadian journalist Ken Hechtman, held prisoner by the Taleban in Afghanistan since 27 November is freed after several days of negotiations between Canadian and Taleban officials. 2 December - Al Jazeera TV plans new channels Qatar-based Al-Jazeera Satellite TV (JSC) announces plans to launch an English-language TV programme. An Al-Jazeera radio station is also being considered. 5 December - Private broadcasters told to close The local government in Pakistan's Bajaur Agency, located near the border with Afghanistan, has ordered religious organizations and tribal elders to close their private radio stations within two days. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, seven private FM radio stations, operating illegally and "broadcasting baseless propaganda against the government" can be heard within a radius of 80 km of the region, which includes some parts of Afghanistan's eastern Konar Province. 6 December - Russia plans to broadcast TV, radio into Afghanistan Russia's proposal involves upgrading an old transmitter in the Uzbek town of Orzu, near the southern town of Kolkhozabad at the Tajik- Afghan border, and rebroadcast TV and radio to Afghanistan. 10 December - US PsyOps broadcasting in Arabic BBC Monitoring observes a segment of Arabic programming among the usual Dari and Pashto from US Information Radio psychological operations (PsyOps) broadcasts. The Arabic content mentioned the reward on offer for information leading to the capture of Usamah Bin- Ladin. 11 December - Media groups issue action plan Nine press freedom watchdogs and journalists' associations issue a joint statement setting out a plan for the media in post-war Afghanistan. Article 19, Internews, the University of Oxford, Media Action International, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, International Media Support, Reporters Sans Frontieres, International Federation of Journalists and Committee to Protect Journalists are the signatories. They call for a commitment to respect freedom of expression, and for a strong, independent and pluralistic media to flourish. 12 December - New humanitarian radio project announced The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveals plans to launch its Humanitarian Emergency Afghan Radio (HEAR) project through international and local radio networks by the end of 2001. The HEAR bulletins will provide programming for Afghans on a range of humanitarian issues. The 15-minute broadcasts, in Pashto and Dari, would initially be passed to networks such as the BBC and Voice of America in written form. Programmes will eventually also be made available via a web site. 13 December - US Senate approves Radio Free Afghanistan bill The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee approve a bill that will establish and fund Radio Free Afghanistan. It is envisaged that the station will broadcast for 12 hours a day to Afghanistan in local languages. 17 December - Iran, Turkey help relaunch TV, radio According to Radio Afghanistan, technicians from the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIB) are helping the Afghan state radio and television network restart activities whilst Turkey contributes technical facilities. In addition, the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran (VIRI) donates a 50-kW radio transmitter, and 200-W and 10-W television transmitters. 18 December - Uzbeks help Balkh TV. Test transmissions to start. The commander-in-chief of northern Balkh Province, Gen Abdorrashid Dostum, meets a delegation from the Uzbek state radio and TV company. Talks centre on the rehabilitation of the Balkh Province TV station. The Uzbek delegation donated technical equipment, including cameras and other studio equipment, to Balkh TV. Balkh TV carries out test transmissions which are deemed to be successful. Further regular tests are due to take place from 19 December at 1400 gmt each day. 18 December - Italy to build TV station Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in a meeting with Afghan Prime Minister-designate Hamed Karzai, said that Italy would build a radio and TV station in Afghanistan to help spread democratic values. 19 December - Baltic Media Centre to set up public radio station The Denmark-based Baltic Media Centre (BMC) announces the start of a media project in Afghanistan with the aim of establishing an independent public service broadcaster there. The project would begin by establishing an agreement with Radio Afghanistan and a number of journalists on creating an editorially independent broadcasting service. 20 December - Dutch-based communication initiative announced A new communication initiative, Radio Reed Flute, is launched in The Netherlands. Its purpose is "to use Internet and radio to enable Afghans to communicate and create a civil society network aimed at rehabilitating and reconstructing Afghanistan". A community radio station is being set up to cover the areas of Peshawar in Pakistan, and the Afghan cities of Jalalabad and Kabul. Radio Reed Flute is to organize Internet nodes to facilitate programme production and distribution. 24 December - Kabul TV achieves city-wide coverage TV transmitters, donated from neighbouring Iran, boost Kabul TV's signal to enable reception throughout the city. As well as transmitting facilities, the Voice and Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran donates satellite equipment and some Iranian films. 26 December - Balkh Radio calls for government aid Balkh Radio, based in Mazar-e Sharif, broadcasts a commentary stressing the importance of sustaining the radio station and relaunching the province's television channel. The commentary reveals Balkh Radio's lack of funding, problems with the electricity supply and appeals for increased recognition and funding by the government. 29 December - US donates equipment for Balkh TV/radio Television equipment, including cameras and associated gear, has been donated to Balkh Province as part of a package of US aid, according to Afghanistan's Bakhtar News Agency. 3 January 2002 - Iran sends transmitters to support Herat TV A delegation from Iranian TV brings in two 10-W TV transmitters for use in the western city of Herat. Installation of the equipment is expected "soon". 4 January - Farah provincial radio station back on air The local radio station in Farah Province, western Afghanistan, resumes operations. The station is on the air for one hour a day on 1044 kHz. Programmes will be broadcast throughout the region and also to Herat, Helmand, Kandahar and parts of Iran. 4 January - US donates radios, funding for VOA expansion The US Agency for International Development (USAID) delivers more than 30,000 radios to the most vulnerable groups of people throughout Afghanistan. In addition, USAID is to provide extra funding enabling the Voice of America to expand its special broadcasts - including messages to and from Afghans - to the area. 6 January - Afghan media minister receives BBC delegation Afghan Minister for culture and information, Dr Sayd Makhdum Rahin, meets a four-member delegation from the BBC with a view to securing assistance for the rebuilding of the country's broadcasting infrastructure. 9 January - Christian TV to beam the gospel to Afghanistan Christian broadcaster SAT-7 starts transmitting a service in Farsi, which is understood by millions of Afghans with a view to "breaking down misconceptions towards Christians by creating a better understanding of the faith". Regular broadcasts in Farsi were due to commence early in 2002. A one- hour programme is being screened three times a week initially, giving way to longer and more frequent transmissions as production capacity increases. 14 January: Radio Afghanistan tests new transmitter Radio Afghanistan commences test transmissions from Kabul via a new 50 kW transmitter donated by Iran. Transmissions, on 1269 kHz mediumwave, are thought to cover around 75 per cent of the country. In addition, Iran is also committed to providing technical facilities for strengthening Afghanistan's Herat TV Station, providing viewers in the region not only Afghan TV but also three IRIB TV networks by the second week of February. Source: BBC Monitoring research 16 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. FEEDER: 20276, LR6 Radio Mitre, Buenos Aires. 1115-1130. January 13. In //790 khz. LSB Mode. The program is "Domingo tempranísimo" with the email: domingotempranisimo@radiomitre.com.ar The speakers read the headlines from Buenos Aires newspapers. Ads. Time check: "ocho y dieciocho minutos". Weather report. At 1129: "Mitre Informa Primero, más noticias las 24 horas". Tops at 1130 and bulletin news. Headlines. 44444 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Hi Glenn, A few loggings which are more or less quick checks of both Bolivia (between 1000 to 1030) and Peru (between 1055 and 1115) 4471.71, Radio Perla Del Acre, 1015, Man in Spanish comments. Fair. 4600.38, Radio Santa Ana, 1016, Man in Spanish comments, Threshold. 4716.74, Radio Yura, 1017, Noted music. Poor. 4876.62, Radio La Cruz Del Sur, 1018, Man in Spanish Comments. Fair. 4926.51, Radio San Miguel, 1019, Noted music during period. Threshold. 6025.04, Radio Illimani, 1020, Noted a man in Spanish Comments. Good. 6134.79, Radio Santa Cruz, 1025, Noted a woman in Spanish comments and music. Fair (Chuck Bolland, KA4PRF, Lake Worth, Florida chuckb@us- it.net http://www.orchidcitysoftware.com/IMAGE19.HTML DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Hi Glenn, Please check out our website and you`ll understand why we have been so silent the last two months. I have to rush off to do an interview, and I`m not at work yet! Will send more details later. All the best, (Wojtek Gwiazda, RCI Action Committee - Comité d'action de RCI) http://www.geocities.com/rciaction Committee back after Administration Attempt to Stop Us Union Support from CBC/Radio-Canada Unions Across Canada On October 31, 2001, in an unprecedented move, RCI's administration tried to shut down the RCI Action Committee. In a memo sent to all RCI staff, Jean Larin, the Manager of the RCI "Redeployment" listed a number of articles both from the employees' collective agreement as well as the Journalistic Standards and Practices of the CBC. As a result, the weekly meeting of the Action Committee planned for that very day was cancelled, and all communications with non-CBC personnel concerning the RCI situation were stopped until legal advice could be given from the employees' union. Among the articles mentioned in Larin's memo are the following from the Journalistic Practices: 2.4.6 (a) Employees may not engage in activities likely to bring the Corporation into disrepute. 2.4.6 (b) Employees may not take a stand on public controversies if, by doing so, the Corporation's integrity would be compromised...." This is the first time employees have been told to stop talking about what is going on at RCI, since they started their battle 11 years ago to protect RCI's mandate. (For details see What's Going on?) "Why is the administration so afraid of what we are saying?" asks Committee spokesman Wojtek Gwiazda. "All we are asking is that CBC's own Program and Corporate policies, as they affect RCI, are respected and obeyed." Since June of 2001, a "Redeployment Plan" has radically cut down on news and current affairs programs, cut in half the popular Russian and Ukrainian broadcasts, and reduced staff and resources. All of this is happening in a fiscal year in which the $15.5 million budget of RCI had a surplus. It should be noted that CBC/Radio-Canada is only supposed to administer this budget, it does not contribute to it. The totality of the budget comes from the ministry of Canadian Heritage, which has been constantly informed of the situation, but has not moved to stop the cuts. The employees' concerns started when a memo from CBC President Robert Rabinovitch in April of 2001 failed to include English and French programming produced by RCI as part of the list of broadcasts that would continue. The staff got together, formed an Action Committee and asked for clarifications from the then RCI Director, Robert O'Reilly. One month later, a massive series of cuts were announced that were to take effect at the beginning of June. Before and after the cuts came into effect, the Committee has called for a moratorium on cuts and face to face discussions with the administration, both with the CBC vice presdent responsible for RCI Sylvain Lafrance, and with the CBC President. In a rare meeting with staff in June, Lafrance explained CBC/Radio- Canada's policy vis-à-vis RCI: "maximum synergy, maximum integration" with and into the domestic service. At the beginning of October two representatives of the Committee met with Rabinovitch and Lafrance, but were not able to convince the two administrators to change the Corporation cuts. By the end of October, Jean Larin, who has since been made RCI director, sent his e-mail warning employees not to speak out. The results of the changes of the past few months has been catastrophic. Jobs have been eliminated, other positions have been transferred to the domestic service, and there have been severe program and resource cuts. For instance, in October 2000, both the English and French services of RCI broadcast about eight newscasts a day, now it's only two in English and three in French. The current affairs program, Canada Today and it's French equivalent Canada en direct, which were updated through the day and heard five times each day, now only broadcast twice a day. In addition, the second program is just a re-broadcast of the first. And the second half hour of each, is a re-broadcast of a pre-recorded weekend program. The result? Suddenly, very few of our programs are live broadcasts. As journalists, producers, and production and technical staff we are shocked at how far both RCI's and CBC's administrators are willing to go to dismantle the RCI team. Given the seriousness of the situation at RCI, the three unions who represent the Montreal employees at RCI have increased their previous support. As well, the Action Committee has now received formal backing from all CBC/Radio-Canada unions across the country. Following a Committee meeting on January 9,2002, the employees decided to continue the battle to restore programming and protect RCI's mandate to be the Voice of Canada to the world. Jean Larin Memo - Articles Cited Details Overview "What's Going On?" Details "CBC Brass doesn`t Understand Mandate" - Article in Ottawa Citizen Details How to contact the Committee Details (see website for hotlinks; via Wojtek Gwiazda, Jan 16, DXLD) ** CHILE. 6090, Radio Esperanza, Temuco. 0830-0854 January 14. Gospel music. ID by male as: "..nuestra voz que se eleva a través de la banda internacional de onda corta y de la frecuencia modulada estereofónica 106.9......Radio Esperanza, desde Temuco, Chile". More gospel. Then, at 0853, another ID: "En Temuco, Chile....Radio Esperanza, Frecuencia modulada estereofónica y banda internacional de 49 metros, onda corta". QRM from Radio Bandeirantes, San Pablo, Brazil. 33433 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA: The Chinese press agency report in DXLD 1-207 of Dec 28, reporting that Voice of the Strait would launch broadcasts in Amoy on a.o. 11590 kHz (the former China Huayi BC frequency) seems to be true. On Friday, January 11th, I monitored the frequency for approx. 2 hours waiting for an ID. And, in fact, at 1631 UT, they twice identified as "Haixia ... Guangbo Dientai". Fair signal here in Northwest Germany. My receiving equipment: Lowe HF-225 E using approx. 15 meters of wire (indoors)as antenna. Keep up your great work for the DXing community! 73, (Matthias Gatzke, Germany, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 6075, Yushu PBS, "Qinghai". For several days I have been following a Chinese station that is heard pretty well here around 1115-1145. On Jan 12 it was mostly Chinese music at the outset, brief announcements by woman, audio seemed to weaken at 1130 when straight talk began, but came back at 1134. Is said to be in Tibetan and supposedly carrying CNR1 at 1135. I did not notice any particular programming changeover at 1135, altho the signal did return to normal at 1134 after a period of weak audio, and a check a few minutes later showed the programming // to (and slightly behind) 9365 which is supposed to be a CNR1 channel per NDXC URL. Reception was sub-par the next day, Jan 13, but the programming was definitely separate prior to 1130; I believe they went // to 9365 at 1130, but it could have been 1135; 6075 was pretty messy by then on that day so I could not tell for sure. On Jan 14, I picked up the 9365 programming at 1134; before that the programming was different. Whether this is Yushu PBS or not, is the Yushu PBS-6075 listed on the NDXC website the same one as the "Yushu" shown at 882 MW in WRTH? That one is listed as being in Yushu Xian, Qinghai Province (the "other" Qinghai stn, Qinghai PBS, is located in Xining, Qinghai Province). (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. /Switzerland: Swiss NGO to help set up UN radio in DRCongo | Excerpt from report in English by Swiss Radio International's Swissinfo web site on 14 January; subheading as carried A Swiss non-governmental organization is helping to build peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo by setting up a UN radio station there. The Hirondelle Foundation helps to establish independent media in countries emerging from conflict. In the past, it has set up similar radio stations for the United Nations in Rwanda, East Timor, Liberia and Kosovo. Radio Okapi will be the largest and most sophisticated radio project to be created as part of the UN peacekeeping mission. Although based in the capital, Kinshasa, it will have transmitters and studios throughout this vast country, formerly called Zaire. The project will cost some 2.75m Swiss francs, the bulk of which will be met by the Swiss and British governments. Nation building "This is a crucial part of the peace process - part of the rebuilding of a nation," says Jean-Marie Etter, president of the Lausanne-based Hirondelle Foundation. "People really need accurate, impartial information. It's a way of restoring their dignity, by showing that they're still respected," he told Swissinfo. In conflict situations, survival often depends as much on getting independent, reliable information as it does on getting food, water and medicine. In large, impoverished countries where there is a high rate of illiteracy, radio is the most effective means of disseminating that information. "In conflict situations, the population is at the mercy of rumour and hostile propaganda and doesn't know what to believe. If we can give accurate, truthful information, it is a net benefit for the peace process," says David Wimhurst of the UN's peacekeeping operations department. The station is named after the okapi, a rare African forest animal, related to the giraffe. Significantly it has the same name in all of DRCongo's languages. Like the swallow (hirondelle in French), the okapi is considered to be a symbol of peace. Radio Okapi will begin broadcasting at the beginning of next month, just before the scheduled start of an Inter-Congolese Dialogue, involving the parties to the conflict. The station, which will have around 100 - mostly Congolese - staff, will broadcast news about the conference, as well as informing people about human rights, health programmes and the activities of the UN Observer Mission in Congo (MONUC)... Initially, Radio Okapi will broadcast in five main languages: French, Swahili, Lingala, Chiluba and English. But the intention is to also broadcast in other local dialects to ensure that the whole population is reached... Source: Swissinfo web site, Bern, in English 1742 gmt 14 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC [non]. RFE confirms invitation to move to Hungary - press | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 15 January: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has confirmed that it got an official invitation to move to Hungary at the weekend, the daily Hospodarske noviny writes today. "The mayor of Budapest has invited us. The official offer was made at the weekend," RFE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told the daily. "But he has not invited the whole station, but only some broadcasts, the central European ones rather. For the time being we are not considering this offer," Winterova said. Some Czech media reported last week that RFE/RL had received an invitation from Estonia and Hungary. The moving of RFE/RL from the centre of Prague started to be considered last November, after a terrorist threat against the radio was made following the terrorist attacks against the USA in September... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 2337 gmt 14 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. R. Africa, 15184.6, Jan 11 2110-2257*. Irregular. US-produced English religious programming, religious music, fire & brimstone preacher. Abruptly off at 2257. Fair level but poor, slightly distorted, muffled audio. Carrier in at fairly good level but at times the modulation would drop down to a very weak, barely audible level (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. The new "Romanes" programme from Sender Freies Berlin indeed appeared via Deutsche Welle at 1830 (Jan 13), on 3995 with abrupt audio cut-over from English, scotching the ID inmidst sentence. The opening announcement referred to both Deutsche Welle and RADIOmultikulti (I think that's the current spelling of the station formerly known as SFB 4 Multikulti), but I was told that RADIOmultikulti had something else at this time, so this is no direct relay. By the way, as already reported is SFB to merge with Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB). Currently the name of the new institution is under discussion. The logical name would be a mere "Ostdeutscher Rundfunk", but most likely this name will be impossible, because West Berlin will never accept it: "We are no East Germans". Presumably this will lead to a crude construction like "Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. HRMI, 5010, Jan 12 0237-0411*. Reduced carrier USB. Irregular. Not heard very often lately. Weak-fair. Audible after DR R. Pueblo sign-off at 0237 on 5009.79. Spanish religious talk, lite music. IDs as R. Misiones Internacionales (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR observed on Jan 12-14 on NF 9868v-9876v, instead of traditional 9910.0: 1215-1315 in Dari; 1315-1530 in Pashto; 1530-1545 in English (news bulletin); 1615-1730 in Persian; 1745-1945 in Arabic and 1945-2030 in French (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 15 via DXLD) Maybe it`s ``new`` only because of a malfunxion? (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. Every year thousands of Muslim pilgrims from India visit their holy place Mecca in Sa`udi Arabia. This year 70,000 pilgrims will be making it and already flights from India have started from 15th January. At this time AIR broadcasts special programs for those pilgrims. This year's special broadcasts are as follows according to info received from AIR: Dates: 22 January to 22 March 2002. Time : 0530 to 0600 UT kHz : 13620 (Bangalore) & 15770 (Aligarh). Language: Urdu ==== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS National Institute of Amateur Radio Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India Telefax 91-40-3310287 http://www.niar.org Jan 16 dx_india via DXLD) [dx_india] State buzz on Radio: SW radio to be phased out in India FM radio to be introduced in 125 more cities According to the recommendation made by the Tenth Plan Working Group, short wave radio would be phased out in the country. To fill in the gap, FM service would be introduced in 125 more cities during the Tenth Plan, SUBJECT TO THE GOVERNMENT'S APPROVAL OF THE TENTH PLAN. The medium wave service, which has been the most popular band till the time FM took off in India, would also be expanded, but only in the border areas. According to AIR officials, the short wave stations would not be shut down right away. Short wave stations would continue to operate as long as their transmitters last, but no new short wave station would be introduced now. According to industry sources, the life of a transmitter for short wave and medium wave radio is 15 years, while the FM transmitter lasts for around 10 years. The Tenth Plan Working Group had earlier pointed out that short wave radio broadcasting services in analogue mode should be phased out. Expansion of medium wave should be taken up only for strategic border areas and difficult hilly terrains. Also, FM radio coverage should be achieved for 60 per cent of the population by the end of the Tenth Plan. via Vincent D`Souza vincent.dsouza@vsnl.com Madras, India Courtesy : cr-india@yahoogroups.com which specialises on community radio in India (via Jose Jacob, dx_india via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. RRI Jakarta, Cimanggis on 15125 kHz became irregular broadcaster till the beginning of January but now became stable schedule. RRI Jambi on 4925kHz became inactive from the beginning of January. On New Year Eve of 2002, Most of RRI signed off as usual schedule. I found RRI Makassar on 4753.4kHz and RRI Palangkaraya on 3325.0kHz only extended its schedule (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN, Jembatan DX Jan 14 via DXLD) ** IRAN. CLANDESTINE FRANCE TO IRAN: 15690, 1631-, Radio Sedaye Iran, Jan 13, Strong signal at 1631 tune-in, without any obvious jamming with martial music. Parallel to slightly weaker 12065 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ [non]. (clandestine): 4785, Republic of Iraq Radio, Voice of the Iraqi People, 1945 UT 15 Jan; sub-harmonic of 9570 via Saudi transmitter, Arabic music and talk, frequent IDs in Arabic as "idha'at al jumhuriyah al-Iraqiyah min Baghdad, sawt al-sha'b al-Iraqi", fair (Tony Rogers, Birmingham - UK, AOR7030 +/LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Hi David, Yes Kol [sic] definitely use this channel; I've logged them on [2nd harmonic] 31520v once before, Nice catch. 73's (Tim Bucknall, UK, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** ITALY: RAI Int / "Tutto il calcio minuto per minuto" noted on Sunday Jan. 13: 1345-1730 on NF 17820 (55555), instead of traditional 17780 // 21520, 21535, 21710 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 15 via DXLD) 17820 is `traditional` for RCI – are they not using it any more during this time period? (gh, DXLD) ** ITALY. From GRDXC (G. Blom) 15 January 2002: Received this E-mail today thought you all would be interested: Dear Mr. Blom: RaiWay, the Company of transmission of RAI (the Italian Company for Radio & Television) is looking to extend its Short Wave monitors network. The task to verify the reception quality of RAI transmissions is performed by a Department called Quality and Customer Satisfaction: a part of it carries out its activity by the Monitoring Station situated in the Park of Monza, not far from Milan. In particular our team has taken over the responsibility to verify the reception quality of RAI External Service. For this reason we manage the network of RAI Monitors all around the world. It would be very important for us to receive reception reports from your country on our transmissions directed to your target area. So, we take the liberty of asking you for your kind collaboration writing directly at the e-mail address of the Monitoring Station: raiway.hfmonitoring@rai.it We would be very grateful if you could collaborate directly with us (GRDXC via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. Re: Skelton Cumbria harmonics into N America Re: ``These are the first Japanese language loggings here: Sun 18 Nov 30.53 (2 x 15265) (1505) OM talk in JJ S5+ Mon 24 Dec 30.51 (2 x 15255) (1504) OMs talk S4 with frequent "hai!" Tue 25 Dec 30.875 (5 x 6175) (1707) OMs talk in JJ with frequent "hai!" Same stn as above logged 5 Jan S4+ at 1746, Jan 13 S4+ at 1848 (Jack Sullivan-NY-USA, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD, Jan 14) Most likely NHK via Ascension or nearby sites, and the last one more likely 5 x 6175, if that fit (gh, DXLD Jan 14)`` All Skelton, Cumbria, UK registered, at 150 degrees towards ME/WEu, which makes a back lobe of approx. 285 to 330 degrees, would fit for NAm. 15255 replaces 15265, from Dec. [as previously reported below] (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1500-1600 UT 15265/15255 Skelton item, because the Skelton 15265 outlet switched to NHK 15255 in the meantime, during previous three weeks period, to free Briech, Morocco, in Arabic on same 15265 channel towards NE/ME. (WB, BC-DX Dec 31) ** KOREA NORTH. 11735.123, 0109-, VOICE OF KOREA, Jan 12, English news endlessly about the exploits of the DRK. Too bad they can't stay on frequency. Highly variable. Within a minute, drifted up to 11735.15. Overall S7 in the clear. No parallels noted (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [non?]. 4130.0v, R. Kurdestan, Voice of the Kurdish Socialist Democratic Party, Jan 3, *0357-0440. Martial song, Kurdish ID: ``Aira dangi Kurdistana, dangi Hizbi Socialisti``, talk mentioning Kurdistan. Was slightly off frequency (4127. 9) during the first ten minutes. 24333 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** LIBYA. Libyan Jamahiriyan Broadcasts - observations on Jan. 13/14: 9415 1800-2300 RGJ SINPO 54544 QRM BBC WS in English on 9410 9445 2200-2300 RGJ SINPO 55555 9485 2200-2300 RGJ SINPO 55555 11635 1800-2300 RGJ SINPO 55544 11715 1900-2200 RGJ SINPO 54454 over AIR in English from 2045 11865 1900-2000 RGJ SINPO 43343 over VOA in Dari till 1930 11865 2000-2100 RGJ <<<<< co-ch RFE in Persian 11865 2100-2200 RGJ SINPO 34333 11865 2300-2400 not active 15220 1630-1800 not active 15435 1045-1230 RGJ/VOA << co-ch RFA in Tibetan and CNR1 in Chinese 15435 1230-1245 only carrier << heard RFA Tibetan and CNR1 Chinese 15435 1245-1500 KAK/VOA << co-ch RFA in Tibetan and CNR1 in Chinese 15435 1500-1630 RGJ <<<<< co-ch BSKSA Call of Islam in Arabic 15435 1630-1645 only carrier << heard BSKSA Call of Islam in Arabic 15435 1645-1800 KAK/VOA <<<<< co-ch BSKSA Call of Islam in Arabic 15435 1880-2200 KAK/VOA SINPO 34333 15615 1630-1800 not active 15615 1800-1900 RGJ SINPO 55555 15660 1630-1700 not active 15660 1700-1900 RGJ SINPO 55555 17525 1630-1800 not active 17695 1045-1230 RGJ SINPO 55555 17750 1045-1230 RGJ/VOA SINPO 55555 17750 1230-1245 only carrier 17750 1245-1500 KAK/VOA SINPO 55555 17750 1500-1630 RGJ SINPO 55555 17750 1630-1645 only carrier 17750 1645-2200 KAK/VOA SINPO 55544 21630 1045-1230 RGJ SINPO 55555 21675 1045-1230 RGJ SINPO 55555 21695 1045-1230 RGJ SINPO 55555 KAK = Kor`an Al Kerim in Arabic RGJ = Radio Great Jamahiriya in Arabic VOA = Voice of Africa in English and French (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 15 via DXLD) ** MALI. ORTM Bamako can be heard in Portugal on these higher frequencies during daytime: 7284.9, Jan 4, fade out around 0950, tribal chantings; considerably better Jan 8, fade out a little later while QSA was always trackable thanks to the '545 DSP noise reducer, despite what it causes to the audio. 35332 at best. 9635, Dec 25, 1151-1232, African songs, F ID+frequencies, then Vernacular talks again, 25432. This is a mere example, meaning reception after s/on, i.e. 0800, is a lot better and the adequate UT slot to hear Bamako on more difficult places in Europe and beyond. 11960, Jan 0, 0817-1011, typically worse than 31 m, Vernacular & African songs mostly, adjacent QRM de Turkey 11955 but co-channel QRM *1000; better QRK at times, almost denoting a sudden power increase, 33432; 31 & 41 m in //. (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** MEXICO. R. Mexico International, 9270, 2340-0430+ Jan 11-12. Local music, Spanish talk, IDs. Strong, very distorted FMing signal. Heard past several weeks, \\ 11770. Listed 9705 not heard. Apparently transmitter problem with the 9705 frequency `slightly` off (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As previously reported, I had this around 9375v for a few days, but hadn`t looked for it as low as 9270 since. So I tuned around Jan 16 at 0348 and found it now covering roughly 9294 to 9310, peaking around 9302, but clearest around 9300. Very strong and distorted; could not hear on 9705, and 11770 had similar distortion, but more likely sideband of Martí and Cuban jamming (gh, OK, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Hi Glenn, This is what I have just published: Radio Netherlands Special Schedule on 2 February 2002 15 January 2002. On Saturday 2 February 2002, Radio Netherlands will present live coverage of the wedding of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Maxima Zorreguieta. There will be a modified frequency schedule for broadcasts in Dutch and Spanish. Live coverage in English and Indonesian will be carried on regularly scheduled frequencies. A transmitter at Dhabayya in the United Arab Emirates will carry Dutch programming at 0827-1325 UT on 21575 beamed to SE Asia. The 50 kW transmitter at Madagascar, not normally used for RNW transmissions, will operate at 0827-1325 UT on 17485 kHz beamed to southern Africa. Full details at http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/schedule020202.html 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: On Feb 2 Radio Nederland Wereldomroep will carry special coverage of an event in The Netherlands, involving additional frequencies, some from otherwise not used sites, and extended airtimes of regular outlets. Language will be Dutch u.o.s., in brackets power/azimuth: Ascension: 0957-1230 15450 (250/245, Spanish); Bonaire: 0957-1230 6020 (250/210, Spanish) and 9715 (250/290, Spanish); Canada - Sackville: 1130-1325 6010 (250/240); Germany - Wertachtal: 0827-1325 21735 (500/165, 2nd tx 500/240) and 21760 (500/105); Madagascar: 0827-1325 17485 (50/245 - this transmitter otherwise in use by third parties only); Netherlands - Flevo: 0600-1800 5955 (500/ND) and 9895 (500/127, 0659- 1800 2nd tx 500/205), 0659-1800 13700 (500/191); Russia - Khabarovsk: 0827-1325 13690 (100/218), - Komsomol`sk na Amurye: 0827-1325 9920 (250/178), - Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky: 0827-1325 7315 (100/244); UAE - Al-Dhabbaya: 0827-1325 21575 (500/100). Following frequencies (all for Dutch programming) will remain silent on Feb 2: 0659-0900 11935 (FLE), 1027-1125 9885 (BON) and 13820 (KHB). (retyped from http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/schedule020202.html by Kai Ludwig, DXLD) ** NIGER [and non]. Jan 14th, 2002 around 1800 noted these three African splits almost side by side; 9700.8 EGY Voice of Arabs unstable tx/poor audio. 9704.2 ETH R Ethiopia rather weak signal. 9705.5 NGR La Voix du Sahel strong. 73 (Jari Savolainen, Kuusankoski, FINLAND, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. I have been listening to Radio Pakistan on 17520 and 21465 kHz and they are back on with regular English news (5 minutes) at 0800 UT. The 17520 kHz frequency seems to be signing off earlier than 1100 leaving only 21465 with English news at 1100. I am monitoring further although reception is rather poor at the moment. I wonder why they only had Urdu at 0800 and 1100 on both frequencies for those two times I was listening last week? Best Wishes for now! Yours Sincerely, (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Jan 15, EDXP via DXLD) ** PERU. Funny you should mention Peruvians, did you see my email of the weekend regarding unID on 6353.x (where x was 2 to 8 -seemed quite drifty -the receiver is R75 so doubt it`s the radio) on both Sat and Sunday UT 0900-1130. Weak station, poor audio, Spanish speaking man and Latin American style music. Bit tricky as AFN is very strong on 6350 USB here also lots of TOR stations. Got a 90% ID as RADIO DOMINGO. Suspect it was R. Huancabamba (Jem Cullen, Australia, Jan 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Why not Unión Radio, which has been drifting around this area for ages? --- as in: (gh) ** PERU. 6354.2 Radio Unión, Lima. 0646-0659. January 13. Tropical music (Peruvian tropical music, "cumbia andina" etc). Ann. by male: "....con más potencia". After, ID by female: "Unión, la radio". Other ID as: "Unión, la radio del Perú". Distorsionated audio. 24232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Hi Glenn, A few loggings which are more or less quick checks of both Bolivia (between 1000 to 1030) and Peru (between 1055 and 1115) 4421.21, Radio Bambamarca, 1055 Noted music. Signal was good. 4461.47, Radio Nor Andina, 1057, Noted music. Signal was poor. 4746.83, Radio Huanta Dos Mil, 1105, Noted a man in Spanish comments and music. Fair. 4774.97, Radio Tarma, 1106, Noted music. Signal was good. 4824.41, Radio La Voz de La Selva, 1107, Steady Spanish Comments from a man. Good. 4955, Radio Cultural Amauta, 1108 Noted a man in Spanish comments. Signal was fair. 4975.06 Radio del Pacífico 1109 Noted a woman in Spanish comments. Signal was fair. 4995.60, Radio Andina, 1110 Noted a man in Spanish comments and music. Good signal 6188.00, Radio Oriente, 1115-1135, Steady music with man with ID and Hype. Signal was good. 9647.80, Radio Del Pacífico, 1115-1134 Steady Spanish comments from a woman. Signal was poor. (Chuck Bolland, KA4PRF, Lake Worth, Florida chuckb@us-it.net http://www.orchidcitysoftware.com/IMAGE19.HTML DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Belatedly checking out the MCCBN link in DXLD 2-008, I finally found the English section, and schedules by transmitter site: http://www.mccbn.ru/content.asp?Lang=Eng&Link=Schedules&subLink=freqRegion&Frequency_Min=11020000&Frequency_Max=12175000 The trouble is, the stations listed have nothing to do with each transmitter site, as far as I can tell --- Russian and other languages are concerned, but stations and external sites are shown, and these are broadcasts *to* parts of Russia rather than *from* it. What is the point of this? We are still looking for their own schedules of what is *transmitted* via MCCBN facilities (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 17266 USB, Radiostantsiya Atlantika, Murmansk, Jan 4, *0910-1000* IS, ID, bells, 'at the microphone one Andrej Zejit?' (in Russian). Some interviews, a song by the Russian Tom Waits, more music and some 'muzak' beds, at 0959 'reklam', timepips, again IS and abruptly off. Very good signal (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. The Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation has its own website at http://www.sibconline.com.sb/ When I was in Honiara last week, I met the general manager of SIBC who mentioned reception reports for 5020 from Europe and beyond. the web site includes comprehensive news from around Solomon Islands, a daily program guide, and information on the stations operations (Matt Francis, Australia, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Solomon Islands is a good example of why I think DXers should show some more restraint in their quest for QSLs. This country is broke. Many public servants have not been paid for several weeks. Basic services are in disrepair. Law and order has broken down. The staff of broadcasters such as SIBC probably have much greater worries than responding to letters from people overseas asking for QSL cards or letters. Their daily survival and that of their families and their broadcasting organisation is of understandably greater concern. It is through their professionalism, commitment and courage that their station remains on air. When DXers get replies from broadcasters in such circumstances, it is no doubt out of courtesy - not the fact the staff have vast resources and time to respond to mail from listeners overseas. That is, of course, assuming the mail gets through in the first place (in both directions). I think the practice of beseiging broadcasters with follow-up reports over periods of years simply to get that elusive QSL for a reception long gone and forgotten is somewhat dubious. This is not to discourage the practice of QSLing, but simply to point out the constraints that many stations face in responding. When they do, appreciate the trouble they have gone to. When they don't, try to reflect on the reasons why. That so many stations still do take the time to respond should be recognised for the courteous and generous act it is (Matt Francis, Australia, ARDXC via DXLD) ** SOUTH AMERICA. PIRATE, 11420.26, 0011-, Radio Piraña International, Jan 12. Best reception of this station in a long time. Fair level at S5 with popular music, and frequent IDs as Radio Piraña International. AM mode. 'Working for the Yankee Dollar' at 0042. There to TOH, but when rechecked at 0102, gone. PIRATE, 11439.95, 0144-, Radio Cochiguaz/Radio East Side. Jan 13. About S5 signal, with Andean type music and Spanish/English IDs for Radio Cochiguaz. Stronger than Radio Piraña heard a few minutes earlier on 11420. Co-channel ute initially, but seemingly gone as I type this at 0150:45, with a nice ID in English. At 0200 into Radio East Side relay program, with European style modern music, and British accented DJ in English. Continues about S6 signal strength (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. MADAGASCAR, 12060, 0430-, VOICE OF HOPE, Jan 12. Haven't seen this one reported for a while. Usual Interval signal and ID is English from 0427 tune in. Nothing but noise on announced parallel of 15320. Into local language at 0430, with many mentions of Sudan. In the clear with IS, but seems to be jammed by ineffective noise source. Are they being jammed? Good despite noise (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Canada, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UT Sat only for less than one hour (gh, DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. Michael Stevenson and others have discussed how to get a QSL from SRI - I wrote and asked them, and here's their reply. Good luck... 73, Erik Koie Fra: English@swissinfo.ch Sendt: 16. januar 2002 09:34 Emne: swissinfo/SRI receiving QSL card for reception report Dear Erik, Thank you for your email. I am surprised that you do not receive confirmation of your reception report. When processing mail, requests for QSL cards and programme schedules are usually completed before they are forwarded to others (Capital Letters, Frequency management etc.). If you would like a QSL card, your reception report should include the date, time, frequency of reception, some details of the programme you heard, and your appreciation of the quality of reception expressed in the SIO or SINPO reporting codes. SIO (Signal strength, Interference if any, and Overall merit) is preferred. If your reception report is not complete/incorrect, you receive a note indicating this and what to include (highlighted). I am sorry you never received a QSL card, but if you still have the old reception reports from June and November, please send them again- either electronically to english@swissinfo.ch or to the address below - and I will make sure you receive a QSL. Sincerely, _______________________________________ swissinfo/Swiss Radio International Nancy Thoeni, English Department Giacomettistrasse 1, 3000 Bern 15, Switzerland Phone: ++41 31 350 97 90 Fax: ++41 31 350 95 80 E-mail: nancy.thoeni@swissinfo.ch Switzerland is everywhere. Stay connected! web: http://www.swissinfo.org mobile: mobile.swissinfo.org wap: wap.swissinfo.org SRG SSR idée suisse (via EDXP via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Re: Does the Voice of Turkey have any presence on the WWW right now, and if so, what is the address? http://www.trt.net.tr/ Hope you can read Turkish... (Craig Seufert, Meredith, NH USA, Jan 14, swprograms via DXLD) This is the only page I run across that automatically maximizes beyond screen size. What is going on? I have to alt-F4 to get out of it (Glenn, ibid.) Try http://www.trt.net.tr/saytek/web3/main.html although I don't actually get much info out of it. And the site is severely biased against Opera users (Ted Schuerzinger, ibid.) I`ve come across this before, but usually on sites that want to sell you something. I had a look at the source code, and I think the offending bit is: navigator.userAgent.indexOf("MSIE 6")>-1) ){if(screen.availWidth<1020){var w1 = window.open The bit in quotes will vary according to your browser. They think they're being helpful. In fact, you couldn't do much with a smaller screen size as it`s only designed for big screens. There is, in fact, some English there and you can get to the shortwave frequency schedule by clicking on TSR/VOT and then choosing a language and/or target area from the pop up box called "How to Listen" that appears on the right hand side of the screen. It`s actually a quite elegantly designed site if you`re running IE6, but totally useless for the purpose for which it was intended --- unless you speak fluent Turkish and have a 17" or bigger screen, which probably rules out much of VOT`s target audience. As for Opera, I can confirm what Ted Schuerzinger wrote: it doesn`t like it. And that`s bad, because Opera actually adheres strictly to HTML, whereas IE6 doesn`t. And the fact that we`re forced to discuss technical issues rather than content is proof that the Web site is not working as intended. Thank goodness it's not ours :-) (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Although I work for Radio Netherlands, I am participating here on an individual basis. Opinions expressed are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Radio Netherlands. I agree --- you need a 17" screen. But even though I speak no Turkish, I was able to figure the site out fairly well after about 1/2 an hour. Just curious, does Yahoo! have a translator program for Turkish? (Craig, Meredith, NH USA, ibid.) Well, that tells the tale. As any Internet professional will tell you, if it takes half an hour for someone to figure out your site, you need to go back to the drawing board. Most people just don't hang around that long. I believe that for http://www.rnw.nl the average time per user session is something like 7 and a half minutes. That`s off the top of my head; I don`t have the figures at home (Andy Sennitt, ibid.) Re: Opera: Actually, that's not quite true. Versions of IE for Windows <6 did a poor job of complying with the HTML standards, but IE6 does a pretty commendable job. It *also* supports the grotty kind of HTML that old browsers expected, and there's an obscure switch built in to the browser to determine whether to use the new standards-compliant renderer or the old buggy renderer. Basically, if the HTML file contains an SGML DOCTYPE declaration *and* that declaration contains a URL pointing to the DTD for that version of HTML, then the browser assumes that the page author knew what they were doing and uses the shiny new standards-compliant renderer. All other pages are fed to the grotty old bug-ridden renderer. Incidentally, this is a feature lifted from IE5 for the Mac, which has had it for over a year. I agree that Opera does an excellent job of adhering to the standards. It helps that one of their chief technical people helped define the standards.... (Ralph Brandi, NJ, ibid.) Using Internet Explorer 6.0: When I pull up the English frequency schedule under the TSR/VOT tab it just comes up blank. All you can get is the times that various languages are broadcast. The times listed are two hours ahead of UT. It does maximize to the screen, not as bad as some web pages I've seen. When I use Netscape Navigator 3.04 it doesn't get past the logo screen. Voice of Turkey: http://www.trt.net.tr/ (Daniel Sampson, ibid.) Looking for SW schedules in English? Prime Time Shortwave http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ ** U A E. UAE Radio Dubai in Arabic/English noted on Jan. 13: 0600-1000 on NF 15400 (54454), ex 15395 1000-1400 on NF 15420 (55544), ex 15395 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 15 via DXLD) ** U K / Zimbabwe: BBC responds to Zimbabwe government allegations | Text of press release by BBC World Service on 16 January BBC World Service Director Mark Byford has today (Wednesday 16 January) sent a letter to the Zimbabwe Herald following persistent reports in the paper from the government of Zimbabwe about the international broadcaster. The government alleges that the BBC is biased against Zimbabwe, is involved with an organization that is broadcasting in the Shona and Ndebele languages and is working to the remit of the British government. The text of the letter is as follows: Dear Sir, The BBC has acquired a worldwide reputation for the quality of its reporting. This is based on our continued adherence to the fundamental principles of impartiality and accuracy and by our ability to report first hand from around the world. The BBC is therefore deeply disappointed that despite our repeated requests the government of Zimbabwe continues to ban our correspondents and reporting teams from operating there. It also regrets that the government continues to make misleading statements about the BBC, which, had we been consulted, we could have corrected. The BBC unequivocally refutes any suggestions that the BBC is anti- Zimbabwe, is motivated by political ends or is working to the remit of any government. The BBC is an independent public service broadcaster, not a government mouthpiece. Its system of regulation and culture ensure that its programmes maintain the highest standards and values, including editorial independence, accuracy, fairness and impartiality. Impartiality lies at the heart of the BBC - it is a core value for us, and no area of programming is exempt from it. It is noteworthy that very many media organizations in Africa have extremely close partnerships with the BBC - partnerships involving consultancy and training - something of which the BBC is very proud. The government of Zimbabwe has alleged that the BBC is involved with an organization which recently began broadcasting in the Shona and Ndebele languages into Zimbabwe. The BBC has no links whatsoever with this activity. This organization is not using "BBC facilities" or "BBC frequencies". The BBC World Service does not broadcast in Shona and Ndebele and we have no plans to do so; either on our own or in partnership with any other organization. The BBC is seeking to talk to the government of Zimbabwe on a number of matters, most urgently those involving accreditation so that it may report from Zimbabwe in the normal way it does across Africa and across the world - reporting events to an international community. Even at this late hour in the run up to the elections in March, we ask the government of Zimbabwe to reconsider its ban on the BBC. Yours faithfully, Mark Byford, Director, BBC World Service and Global News Issued by BBC World Service Press Office; Telephone: + 44 (0) 20 7557 2941 Source: BBC World Service press release, London, in English 16 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U K [non]. Glenn, In response to your query in DXLD 2-008, BBC World is now carried on weekdays at 1830 ET on Atlanta public TV station WPBA-30, which is owned by the Atlanta Public Schools System and provides broadcast coverage to the metro area. This newscast replaced ITN World News at the beginning of the year. It is a refreshing change from the agenda-driven productions of ITN, which often devoted entire shows to commentary on humanitarian issues (especially in Africa), or "evidence" to support global warming theories, and wasted time telling us about the US weather (which we can get on any domestic channel). (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Jan 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WORLD OF RADIO changes via WWCR: DEL 0300 Sat and 0100 Mon on 3210 ADD 0600 Sat on 5070 (55544) very good reception here in Bulgaria! 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. Where is VOA in China? Dear Kim, I want to write about something that really concerns me. I thought I'd send a copy of this to Glenn Hauser, in case he wishes to comment, or quote what I say. Monday, Jan. 14, Morning Edition, on NPR, aired a segment about availability of foreign news in China. The segment was produced by Anthony Kuhn, a correspondent in Beijing, and introduced by Bob Edwards. Well, various sources from which journalists and other Chinese people try to obtain foreign news were discussed in detail. Satellite TV, and the banning of satellite dishes. Illegal cable operators which bring in foreign stations via satellite. Internet. Guess what was not mentioned! Yup, shortwave! No mention of VOA, or any other radio stations which broadcast on shortwave to China. What is the problem here? Either VOA is so totally irrelevant in China that it didn't bear mentioning, or VOA really needs to increase its visibility on the US scene, because even people at NPR don't even seem to know about it. Are we spending millions of tax dollars on a service that doesn't matter, or have the media people at NPR, who should be interested in radio, become so dazzled by the "tube" that they don't realize what their own medium is doing. Kim, I am telling you this because maybe the "powers that be" at your own organization would find it interesting. I have a tape of the segment, which I can send you, if you want it. Sincerely, (Tim Hendel, Huntsville AL, Jan 15, cc to DXLC) ** U S A. What a joke the FCC is becoming. All they'd have to do is join this list and they could likely find 100 stations to fine per week for day power at night or late/non sign off violations. Of course they'd have to send someone out from the local field office with a field strength meter to prove it. But it truly is ridiculous when some daytimer like WLBA never signs off. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, IL, NRC-AM Jan 14 via DXLD) Latest culprit, widely heard despite NY on 1130: WLBA Georgia ** U S A. WWV, Jan 11 at 2235 noted 30 Hz off frequency! On 5000.03. Three hours later, heard back on 5000.00 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. `BAI Update: (January 13) After a contentious but often- fascinating Pacifica National Board meeting held this past weekend in New York City (and aired live on WBAI), the actions taken at WBAI (99.5 FM) beginning in December, 2000 by a small authoritarian faction within Pacifica are about to be reversed. The Board voted to remove present WBAI GM Bob Daughtry, to bring back to the station those who have been fired and banned, and to again permit the Local Advisory Board to meet at the station. The Board also voted to appoint Dan Coughlin, former Pacifica news director and leading opponent of the former hard-line management, as interim national Pacifica Executive Director. Former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry, a member of the hard-line faction, added comic relief to the three-day meeting with a steady stream of rambling, disjointed statements. Listeners can expect to hear changes in WBAI`s programming beginning on January 14th (NY Radio Guide via Chet Copeland, DXLD) Subject : [alliance] Detailed account: VICTORY at WBAI & PACIFICA From the diligent chronicler of the struggle - savepacifica.net, presumably written by the sites main writer, newly reinstated paid KPFA staffer Larry Bensky. http://savepacifica.net/ iPNB agrees to fire Daughtry, rehire WBAI fired & banned; names Coughlin acting ED January 13, 2002: With an invincible, better-than-two-thirds majority, and backed by a supportive audience of more than 500 listeners and activists, the reformers on the interim Pacifica National Board made a clean sweep of many of the serious issues affecting the network at its three-day meeting in New York. Working methodically through a long agenda, the board: o Adopted a committee report calling for the firing of WBAI general manager Bob Daughtry and the return of those fired and banned by the station since the Dec. 22, 2000 "Christmas coup." Daughtry will be replaced by Valerie Van Isler, who was removed as WBAI manager after the coup and fired when she resisted a transfer to Pacifica headquarters. o Agreed to hire former Pacifica Network News Director Dan Coughlin, who was fired after allowing news of a nationwide affiliate boycott of Pacifica on the air and has been working with the Pacifica Campaign to unseat the previous board, as interim Executive Director. Coughlin will serve until a permanent ED is chosen, a process that may take 60 days. o Told the warring Houston Local Advisory Boards to merge and get into compliance with Pacifica's bylaws. o Agreed to fire the law firms of Williams and Connolly and Fulbright and Jaworski, which had been hired by the old board to fight the listener, LAB, and intraboard lawsuits. The meeting was held Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday at the New York Hotel Trade Council headquarters in mid-Manhattan and was packed with interested listeners at every session. Although rowdy, frequently applauding and hooting, the audience did not disrupt the completion of the long agenda. They were given opportunities to speak to the board at several sessions scheduled throughout the meeting. The new majority was assured of a free hand when only three representatives of the old majority showed up at the meeting. Wendell Johns resigned by fax before the meeting and Dick Gregory did not appear, leaving Marion Berry, Bert Lee and James Ferguson to carry the opposition. It wasn't enough, since the nine former dissidents could always manage a two-thirds majority -- a requirement under the settlement of the lawsuits. Berry suggested that the decisions might be challenged in court, a course that board member Carol Spooner, who sponsored the long listener lawsuit, invited him to take. Berry presumably will not have access to the old Pacifica board law firms. A previous attempt to fire the firms did not obtain a two-thirds majority and was rejected by Judge Ronald Sabraw, to whom it was referred. The new ballot was taken after Spooner reported that all parties had signed off on the lawsuit settlement, including the judge; and that therefore there was no reason for the law firms to be retained. The board did not agree, however, to move Pacifica headquarters back from Washington to Berkeley, even though Friends of Free Speech Radio offered a grant to cover relocation expenses. That motion failed, to the surprise of many long-time activists, who pointed out that the Foundation had been founded in Berkeley and resided there for 50 years. It had been moved in the dead of night by the former board majority and spirited away to Washington DC in an effort to escape from Bay Area listeners' protests. The board did agree to study the matter and consider it again later. The board also heard reports from station managers Jim Bennett (KPFA), Mark Schubb (KPFK), Lew Hankins (WPFW), and Daughtry (WBAI). Garland Ganter, the GM of KPFT (Houston) has resigned and no successor had been named to represent the station. Schubb was strongly critical of the national board and complained that Pacifica was interfering with local programming while refusing to pay local bills. KPFK, he said, has been broadcasting under reduced power because it cannot afford to replace its transmitter. Each LAB also reported to the board; and Dave Adelson, representing the Los Angeles LAB, challenged Schubbís report and said that KPFK was broadcasting a cart that falsely aligns the malpractice of the old PNB with the new iPNB. Similarly, Sam Husseini, head of the WPFW LAB, challenged Hankins' report and called for the new board to fire him. As executive secretary, Coughlin will have the power to hire and fire, a point that was specifically authorized by the board when it defeated Barry's motion to prevent firings without board approval. However the firing of Daughtry was specifically ordered by the board in accepting the report of the special committee formed to investigate the WBAI management. That committee recommended: o Immediate removal of Daughtry. o Immediate return of the fired of banned (since 12-22-00) o Lifting all banning orders o Requiring committee approval for hiring and firing at the station. o Seeking a union solution that includes unpaid staff. Until then the last union agreement will be followed. o Holding LAB meetings at the station. o Working with the executive director to carry out the recommendations. Defeating a move by Barry, the board agreed to accept the report in its entirety. The issue of the PNN stringers' strike, originally on the agenda for Sunday, was tabled due to lack of time, but that several listeners and board members spoke of their strong commitment to return the striking stringers and their newscast, Free Speech Radio News, to Pacifica. The PNN strikers distributed a http://www.savepacifica.net/strike/20020113_letter.html written statement to the board and audience. The board also noted an announcement from Jim Bennett that Larry Bensky, fired from his position of National Affairs Correspondent by Lynn Chadwick, who has been working as a volunteer since KPFA got control of its airwaves, would be put on KPFA's paid staff. The board voted to meet next in Los Angeles, from March 8-10. (via Bob Lederer via Gail Blasie, via Ed Gardner, Sactown, DXLD) ** U S A. Greetings from Sactown, Glen[n]! Know ya ain`t much for "silly ball games", but thought you'd like this letter from Bob Frantz, one of the better sports talk jocks! He called his listeners "Freaks", not "clones", dig? Bob's tome is an inside into today's corporate radio I figured you'd like to share with your audience! Also, hope you're gettin' the KPFA info forwards! 73's once again from Sactown-n- (Ed Gardner!!!, DXLD) viz.: First...please accept my apologies for sending something as cold as a form letter. I am woefully behind in answering my emails, so I've been forced to send out group explanations of what happened to me at the Ticket. The amount of support that I have gotten since the changes were made at the Ticket 1050 is unbelievable. I have been trying to answer hundreds of letters personally, but I just can't seem to do it. Hopefully, you can understand my dilemma, as searching for a new full- time job is, in fact, a full-time job. If you are receiving this letter, then I owe you a debt of gratitude. You have taken the time to write to someone you have likely never even met, out of your own concern for his well-being...and that means more than I can express. Thank you. If you are wondering about the details of my departure from the Ticket, I'll give as short of a version as possible: The Ticket is the smaller sister station of KNBR 680. KNBR is the sports giant that was supposed to get great ratings and make big money...enough to drive both stations. Well, the ratings have been plunging at KNBR for a long time, and so have the advertising dollars that come with them. The company was forced to make yet another lineup change on KNBR in an effort to bring up ratings and save money. They were ordered by corporate to cut their budget, and the easiest way to do it was to cut one of the host's salaries. So why did it spill over to the Ticket? Because I was the only host on either station that did not have a contract. If they would have let one of the guys on KNBR go (you know, the guys who were FAILING in the ratings) then they would have had to buy them out. But by putting one of their failures into my slot and letting me go...it was free for them. No contract to buy out. I was the cheapest way out of their budget dilemma. Obviously, they have no regard for fans of the Ticket or fans of the Raiders...all of whom are outraged over the decision to give my slot to a guy who failed on KNBR. But truthfully, the only thing that matters to them is the financial bottom line. Even though the Ticket's ratings don't matter much in the scheme of things, since KNBR is the cash cow, our summer ratings book was the highest it had been in nearly 3 years. So to sum up...my show was succeeding...the Ticket was succeeding...and KNBR was falling. So what backwards solution do they come up with? Screw up the Ticket lineup and get rid of the guy who was doing well. By the way, don't bother to re-read any of this...it doesn't make any more sense the second time either. I've been explaining it to people for 3 weeks and I STILL can't understand their logic. It's all about KNBR's bottom line. Well, that's all I can say for now. Again, thanks for your support, and if you're interested in keeping tabs on where I go from here...keep checking back on http://www.frantzfreaks.com. I'll make sure to keep you posted through that site. Hope the New Year is a prosperous one for us all.... Best regards, Bob Frantz, (via Ed Gardner, DXLD) ** U S A. When I telephoned WCBS about whether or not the Chief Engineer had received my reception report of many months earlier, I quickly understood what the term "disorganization" means. The woman at the central switchboard had absolutely no idea who the Chief Engineer was or how to reach him. She insisted I give her an extension number, which I did not have, of course. Nor was there any way to get one! She finally connected me to somebody, but he was not in his office. He had nothing to do with radio, he turned out to be involved in marketing for the TV station! He called me back and told me to talk to Maintenance, as they might know how to reach somebody in radio! And on and on it went. I never did speak with anybody at WCBS in the radio area, nobody knew how to find anybody else. The absolutely most disorganized, inefficient, ineffective group of people ever assembled under one roof! if you need a laugh, call them! I wish I had recorded all of it, would have made a great bit of humor to uplift my spirits when I feel dejected in the QSL department (Duane W8DBF Fischer, MI, amfmtvdx via DXLD) Likewise, in the few remaining cases where radio and TV stations share the same call letters, the first website you are likely to find is the TV station, and if you are lucky, some link to their radio subsidiary, which gave them the call sign in the first place! This happens both with public and commercial stations (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Jan 14, 2:35 p.m.-- After weeks of controversy, Gaylord CEO Collin Reed announced today that WSM-AM will remain a country radio station and the flagship station for the Grand Ole Opry. For details: http://www.tennessean.com/entertainment/news/archives/02/01/12370628.shtml WSM to remain country By BRAD SCHMITT, Staff Writer After weeks of controversy, Gaylord CEO Colin Reed announced today that WSM-AM will remain a country radio station and the flagship station for the Grand Ole Opry. Reed, at the Ryman Auditorium, told reporters he had received phone calls and e-mails of support for the heritage country station from around the world. He also said there would be changes to make the station, which lost $1.5 million last year, more profitable. Country singers Marty Stuart and Vince Gill were in attendance to applaud the decision. Want to know more? See Tuesday's Tennessean for complete coverage. (via Bill Eckart, OK, DXLD) WSM keeps classic country as Gaylord says station won't change format By RICHARD LAWSON and CRAIG HAVIGHURST, Staff Writers There will be a future for country's past on WSM-AM 650 after all. Pressured by fans and country music stars, Gaylord Entertainment Co. yesterday announced it has shelved any further consideration of a format change at the historic, classic country station.... http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/01/12392355.shtml?Element_ID=12392355 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) A SYNOPSIS OF THIS AFTERNOON'S WSM NEWS CONFERENCE Colin Raye [sic], Gaylord Entertainment Chief Operating Officer...in a 2 PM news conference at the Ryman...announced that program content, formatting, etc., will not change on WSM-AM. There will be no changes at the Grand Ole Opry, other than those of the nature that have been in the works as an ongoing project to attract the best of the new crop of entertainers; thus creating an interest factor for younger listeners. There was considerable talk about works in progress to establish syndication of the Grand Ole Opry...possibly on a worldwide basis. While that appears to be a primary goal of Gaylord, they were reluctant to discuss particulars or give any estimates as to when such action might be accomplished. A good bit of time was devoted to speculation that in "x" number of years, technology changes *could* enter into the picture...and at that time the question of how the opry is delivered to listeners may again be a factor. This apparently addressed the possibility of satellite delivery to a mass audience (i.e. XL). He also, when asked, stated that while the WSM-FM station was going to undergo some changes, it would...at least for the foreseeable future, continue with it's contemporary country format. The sports/talk formatting at WWTN was also briefly discussed. Reading between the lines, it could be speculated that an ALL sports approach might be in the works for that station. WWTN is already heavily focused on sports, but also runs a lot of conservative talk fare. Bottom line: For now, few if any changes for either of the three Gaylord Entertainment stations in Nashville. --------------------------------------------------------------------- My analysis is that there probably WAS serious thought given to a format change for WSM-AM, but in light of the enormous negative response, it was concluded that status quo made better political sense. That's my personal opinion...I have others...but feel that since the decision has been made; a correct choice in my opinion, it's time to put the lid on this near disaster and move along with more important stuff (like bitching about the problems of conglomerate ownership). (Tom Bryant, TN, Jan 14, IRCA topica list via DXLD) Dear Glenn, People will probably be sending you all kinds of clippings about this, so I'm just going to tell you what I heard this noon on WSM's local news. It was announced yesterday by Collin Reed, (not sure how to spell that) CEO of Gaylord Entertainment, in a press conference at the Ryman Auditorium, that WSM-am is not going to change format, though they may still syndicate the Grand Old Opry. I have spent quite a bit of time listening to WSM during the past few days, and it is interesting to note that there was not one single comment made by any on-air personality during this time. I guess the DJ's got the word from on high to "keep your mouth shut." Also, I find it very hard to understand Gaylord's claim that WSM-am was loosing money. All day long they have a tremendous number of commercials, some local, some national, not just little brokered commercials, but mainstream commercials (Tim Hendel, Huntsville AL, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. UPDATE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2002, 3:00 PM CST DOCTORS PLEASED WITH MOTHER ANGELICA'S IMPROVEMENT Irondale, AL (EWTN) - Doctors at the Birmingham, Alabama hospital where Mother Angelica has been a patient since suffering a stroke on Christmas Eve say they are pleased with how the Foundress of EWTN is responding to treatment. Mother Angelica underwent a two-hour operation soon after the stroke to remove a blood clot from her brain. The Mother Vicar of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Sister Mary Catherine, said doctors told her Friday that Mother is doing very well. "Her doctor's are pleased with Mother's improvement," she said. "Although they have not moved Mother from Intensive Care to a private room, we expect that to happen soon." Earlier in the week, doctors had upgraded the 78-year-old nun's condition from Serious to Fair. EWTN also announced that it has initiated a "Spiritual Bouquet" for Mother Angelica on its web site http://www.ewtn.com where visitors may indicate their offering of prayer for Mother's full recovery. This may include Rosaries, Novenas, Masses, Holy Communions, Holy Hours and individual prayers. A similar Spiritual Bouquet for Mother Angelica was offered on EWTN's web site last year to celebrate her 77th birthday. Sister Mary Catherine said the nuns at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery are requesting that prayers for Mother's "Spiritual Bouquet" be directed particularly through the intercession of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, a 19th century Redemptorist priest who worked in the U.S. and through whose intercession many miraculous cures have been obtained (EWTN website .org Jan 14, via DXLD, standard disclaimer) UPDATE: TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2002, 5:00PM CENTRAL STANDARD TIME DOCTORS SAY MOTHER ANGELICA SHOWS REMARKABLE IMPROVEMENT AND WILL BE MOVED OUT OF INTENSIVE CARE TOMORROW Irondale, AL (EWTN) - Three weeks after suffering a brain hemorrhage and second stroke in three months, doctors treating Mother Angelica in a Birmingham, Alabama hospital are beginning to assess the long-term damage caused by the stroke. Shortly after the onset of the hemorrhage, Mother Angelica underwent a two-hour operation on Christmas Eve to remove a blood clot from her brain. Her doctors said Mother continues to show remarkable improvement. "Last week, her condition was upgraded from Serious to Fair," the doctors said. "Still, it looks like Mother will probably be here for awhile longer while we determine the best course to take for her long- term rehabilitation." Doctors said the stroke left Mother partially paralyzed on the right side of her body. The stroke also affected her speech and she is undergoing speech therapy to improve this condition. An interesting side note from her second stroke is that Mother Angelica no longer wears an eye patch over her left eye and no longer has the partial face paralysis that she had after her first stroke in September. Since her general condition continues to improve, her doctors said Mother Angelica would be moved from Intensive Care to a private room on Wednesday. But a hospital spokesperson cautioned, "Mother is a very public person, and even though she is moving out of Intensive Care, we want to make sure she gets plenty of rest." (EWTN.com website Jan 16 via DXLD) ** U S A. Telefutura is on channel 68 in NYC. It was a fun for the short time after Univisión bought it and before Telefutura started and they were filing in with old Dobie Gillis' (1962?) and some movies one wouldn't ordinarily expect to see on TV. http://www.nypress.com/14/45/nyc/nyc.cfm (Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) What exactly is Telefutura supposed to be, anyway? I've got it on DirecTV, and all it shows is "Avances de Tu Nuevo Canal" and "Éxitos de Tu Nuevo Canal", both of which look to be previews of shows which will allegedly be coming up at some point in the future, but never do. If you don't think there are enough of those reality-based courtroom shows on TV, one of the NYC Spanish-language channels has joined the club with "La Corte de Familia". Aren't the domestic media wonderful? :-) (Ted S., ibid.) To my knowledge the following stations are affiliated with the new Telefutura network: KTFA-LP | ALBUQUERQUE | NM |48 KFTH | ALVIN | TX |67 WFDC | ARLINGTON | VA |14 WXFT | AURORA | IL |60 KBVO-CA | AUSTIN | TX |49 KMMB-LP | BAKERSFIELD | CA | 4 KSUV-LP | BAKERSFIELD | CA |52 KCRP-CA | CORPUS CHRISTI | TX |41 KTFD-LP | DENVER | CO |43 KFTU | DOUGLAS | AZ | 3 KKWB | EL PASO | TX |65 KFPH | FLAGSTAFF | AZ |13 K45DX | FLORESVILLE | TX |45 KBNX-TV | GOLDFIELD | NV | 7 WUTH-CA | HARTFORD | CT |47 WAMI-TV | HOLLYWOOD | FL |69 KEVC-CA | INDIO | CA | 5 KSTR-TV | IRVING | TX |49 W53BS | JUPITER | FL |53 KELV-LP | LAS VEGAS | NV |27 K10OG | LOMPOC | CA |10 WUTF | MARLBOROUGH | MA |66 WFUO | MELBOURNE | FL |43 KEXT-CA | MODESTO | CA |27 WFUT | NEWARK | NJ |68 KFTR-TV | ONTARIO | CA |46 K21EX | PASO ROBLES | CA |21 WFPA-CA | PHILADELPHIA | PA |28 KFPH-CA | PHOENIX | AZ |35 KNIC-CA | SAN ANTONIO | TX |17 KFTO-LP | SAN ANTONIO | TX |47 K28FK | SAN LUIS OBISPO | CA |28 KTSB-LP | SANTA BARBARA | CA |43 K35ER | SANTA MARIA | CA |35 WFTY | SMITHTOWN | NY |67 WFTT | TAMPA | FL |50 KTAZ-LP | TUCSON | AZ |25 KFSF | VALLEJO | CA |66 Note a LOT of recent call changes in this list. You may know most of these stations under some other callsign. -- (Doug Smith W9WI, Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66 http://www.w9wi.com WTFDA via DXLD) ** VIETNAM. RADIO REVIVAL, By Margot Cohen Issue cover-dated December 27, 2001 - January 3, 2002 In a breathy, confiding voice, radio disc-jockey Huyen Thanh introduces the latest Vietnamese pop hit --- a paean to motherhood. "Songs about mothers always move people's hearts, and that theme never grows old," she assures her audience. That's about as daring as it gets on Green Wave, an hour-long weekly radio show widely credited with setting the pace for Vietnamese musical tastes. Aired on the state-run Voice of Ho Chi Minh City People, the show is targeted at 15-25-year-olds. But while youth radio elsewhere in Asia thrives on banter, this show plays it straight. Songs promoting family values and nationalist loyalties mingle with lush ballads. Since its launch in 1997, Green Wave has already accomplished its first mission: Weaning tender young ears from the melancholy pop churned out by overseas ethnic-Vietnamese singers. With their tremulous warbling to a plodding drumbeat and mournful guitar riffs, such singers were all the rage when Vietnam started to thaw in the late 1980s and early 1990s. There was nothing particularly subversive about the lyrics, but the downbeat mood and cultural dominance from overseas made officials twitchy. To steer listeners towards local pop, Green Wave found a hook: In a nation that dishes out culture from on high, it became the first radio station to invite audience participation. These days the show gets about 1,500 requests a week, and music-industry heavies credit the show with fuelling a boom in locally produced CDs and cassettes. Now Green Wave has a new mission: Overcoming the stagnancy of the local pop scene. While Thanh, 32, tries to introduce new singers to the airwaves, her listeners keep requesting their favourites of four years ago. "Emotionally speaking, it takes time for listeners to change their idols," she says. (Far Eastern Economic Review via Chet Copeland, DXLD) FM only?? WTFK? What time??? ** ZIMBABWE. See UK HUMAN RIGHTS E-RADIO http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi?autostart=kspidel Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does. - Margaret Mead (Kevin R. Spidel, Jan 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-009, January 13, 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com/ are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. 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 #1113 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.html FINAL AIRING on WWCR: Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Mon 0630, 1230 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Hi Glenn, Good day! I for one would prefer the TEXT version of DXLD. You did try one issue in HTML format but that took more time to download. So text version is better, Thanks for this wonderful bulletin, --DXLD, Best DX & 73s, Sincerely, (Harjot Singh Brar, for GRDXC) ** AFGHANISTAN. Nick, G4KUX, has been active as G4KUX/YA and usually on 20 meters. Reports indicate that he is there working and setting up an international communication network. Also reported is the ARRL has NOT received any documentation from Nick. So WFWL [work first, worry later]. He is expected to be here for a while. Watch 14198 kHz after 0330z (KB8NW/OPDX January 14/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. The Original Radio Afghanistan - Story from Germany Over there in Germany, Wavescanner Erich Bergmann heard our recent three-part series on Radio Backgrounds in Afghanistan. He sent us an e-mail copy of a four page article in the old radio publication, ``Welt-Rundfunk`` (VELT-ROONT-FOONK) which gives additional detail regarding the original radio station in Kabul, Afghanistan. This is the story, as translated from German into English. It was back in the year 1939, just before the outbreak of the European Conflict, that the Telefunken company in Germany shipped a consignment of electronic equipment to Kabul in Afghanistan. This shipment was unloaded in the docks at Karachi in what was then British India, and then carried by train up close to the border area. All of this valuable electronic equipment was then loaded onto camels for the slow caravan trek to Kabul itself. The Telefunken electronic engineers flew out from Germany via the land route which took them across northern Pakistan, or India as it was in those days, and then across the Hindu Kush mountains into the primitive airport on the northern edge of Kabul. They arrived in Afghanistan in December 1939, at a time when heavy snow is lying on the ground. Construction had commenced on the buildings for the new radio station with studios in Kabul and transmitter at Yakatut, but they were not yet completed. Work on all of the facilities for the new station continued for many months and finally the project was completed in the autumn of the year 1940. The new radio station was inaugurated officially at 7:30 am on August 28, 1940 with a speech by His Majesty, King Nadir Shah. The date, August 28, is celebrated in Afghanistan as Independence Day to commemorate the event in 1919 when they achieved independence from the British Raj in India. The day long celebrations are filled with tribal and sports events in their sports arena, and with a magnificent fire works display in the evening The large new 20 kW Telefunken transmitter was a mediumwave unit built in a series of wire cages and it was capable of any channel between 625 and 1155 kHz. Test broadcasts were carried out at first on 675 kHz, with subsequent tests on several other channels As a result of monitoring observations throughout Afghanistan and in several nearby countries, it was discovered that best reception, due to the mountainous terrain, was achieved on 675 kHz. During daylight hours the station could be heard for 100 miles around Kabul, and at night-time, good reception was achieved as far away as Calcutta in India, and also in Southern Russia, and Iran. The antenna was supported from two steel masts around 350 ft high. Electric power was initially generated with a gasoline motor at the studios. and with a larger diesel generator at the transmitter. The German Siemens company constructed a hydro-electric generator at the edge of the nearby mountain range for the station, and excess power was fed into the main electric grid in the city of Kabul. Programming in the early years was in the two main official languages, Dari (DURRY) and Pushto (PUSH-2), and it was on the air generally for four or five hours each evening. The programming schedule consisted of local and international news, entertainment with music and dramas, and informational programming for the enlightenment of country dwellers. Back there in 1939, there were only 1,000 radio receivers in the whole country. The government imported 500 crystal sets which were distributed in the city area, and later an additional 1,000 receivers were imported and distributed in country areas. In addition, loud speaker sets were installed in the main bazaars and at major city intersections in Kabul. The first radio receivers were imported from Germany, but soon afterwards, receivers came in from America, England, Russia, Italy and Switzerland. This huge old Telefunken transmitter at Yakatut was the pride of Afghanistan and it was preserved and maintained for many years well beyond its expected lifespan. Even after a more modern mediumwave transmitter was installed some 30 years later, the grand old unit was activated for a couple of hours each Tuesday evening. The two buildings that housed the shortwave transmitters were constructed many years later adjoining the mediumwave facility. I (AMP) last saw this grand old mediumwave transmitter back in the year 1972. But alas, I would suppose that it was since destroyed during all of the long years of turmoil in that country. Our thanks to Erich Bergmann in Germany for providing us with this additional interesting information about the first substantial radio station in Afghanistan (Adrian Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 13 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 11710, RAE Buenos Aires, 0200-0230 Dec 10, English to North America. SINPO 35443. Brief news items: President Pro-tem, 2002 budget, banking, Sec. of State Powell a "Valuable Friend". Argentine guitar music tangos. (Bill Flynn, Cave Junxion, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Standard Time & Frequency Station BPM: Recently I could contact with a staff of BPM on e-mail. According to the e-mail, the transmitting schedule etc. of BPM are as follows: *Station call sign: BPM *Start of official broadcasting: 1981 *Frequency & operation time: 2.5 MHz (0730-0100 UTC) 5 MHz (24 hours) 10 MHz (24 hours) 15 MHz (0100-0900 UTC) *Precision of time signal: 1E-3 *Hourly broadcasting schedule: Time pulses (UTC) are modulated by 1kHz -> 00 min - 10 min (second pulse 10 mS, minute pulse 300 mS) Non modulation carrier -> 10 min - 15 min Time pulses (UTC) -> 15 min - 25 min Time pulses (UT1) are modulated by 1 kHz -> 25 min - 29 min (second pulse 100 mS, minute pulse 300 mS) Station ID -> 29 min - 30 min Time pulses (UTC) -> 30 min - 40 min Non modulation carrier -> 40 min - 45 min Time pulses (UTC) -> 45 min - 55 min Time pulses (UT1) -> 55 min - 59 min Station ID -> 59 min - 60 min *Station ID: "BPM, BPM, biaozhun shijian biaozhun pinlu fabotai" (BPM, BPM, standard time standard frequency broadcasting station) *Web site: http://www.time.ac.cn/ (mostly in Chinese, a few of in English) *Address: National Time Service Center The Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O.Box 18, Lintong, Shaanxi, China (Kazutoshi Ogino, Japan, Cumbre DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. CLANDESTINE: 5925 Falun Dafa Radio - Jan 10 with good reception at opening 21.10, at 21.06 jamming/disturbance by an other CC-speaking station on the same fq (Torre Ekblom, Esbo, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. 4470.06 harmonic, HJAY, Onda Nueva, Barranquilla. Jan 2002 --- cd 0030* UT. Probably the UNID on 4470 reported in DXLD from Dec 21 (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD). Closedown at this time with the Colombian National Anthem and starts up (?) probably around 1100 UT, when I have at least also have heard the Colombian National Anthem (otherwise it is usual that Colombian stations for some mysterious reason play the NA at 1100 and 2300 UT. Does anybody know why?). 4470.06 can be heard both mornings and evenings announcing the frequency 1490 kHz. A clear "Onda Nueva"-ID and "HJAY"-prefix. On 4469.88 kHz I have an unID LA --- the only thing to say about this one is that they had a religious programme with a female vicar. Harmonic from 1490 kHz (3 x 1490.02). Our member Henrik Klemetz/HK has some comments re a few harmonics in last SWB: (Thanks Henrik!) 2319.72(H?) unID TODELAR (see SWB 1475). HK: "Barrio Florida is typical for Cali, whichever it is today on the frequency. It has been La Caleñísima? I have now heard mentioning ``Rockola`` in Colombia, it was in an RCN programme, and as a matter of fact in connection with bolero-music on cafés in Cali". BM: "Jan 2 this year on 2319.72 kHz I caught a "Todelar"-ID mentioning a SW-frequency --- the only listed on 1160 kHz with a SW transmitter is Ondas del Orteguaza, Florencia. Are there any more? The Cali- station on 1160 kHz seems to change its name quite often. This log was presented in the bandscan "SP-4"(split-frequencies) last year in "MV- EKO"/Arctic Radio Club**: 1160.23 HJ__ Radio Única, Cali (Colombia). July 2001 - 0230 UT. Probably HJEV "Radio Q" with new name. ID: "Radio Única 11 60 El Valle". ID also as "Todelar Radio Única". Acc. To WRTH 2002 both Ondas del Orteguaza and Radio Única are affiliated to Todelar". **) Are you interested in MW-DX? Please contact ARC/Arctic Radio Club, Tore Larsson/TL tore.larsson@beta.telenordia.se 2320.02(Harmonic?) unID LA (see SWB 1475). HK: "On 1160 it is Bogotá, HJVA broadcasting La V de la Liberación". BM: "New prefix? Acc. To WRTH it is HJOG, Ecos de Colombia, SF de Bogotá broadcasting "LV de la Liberación" --- I heard Ecos de Colombia tentatively last year on 1159.98 kHz with exactly this programme". (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 13, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** CONGO. 5985, Radio Congo, Brazzaville, 0424, 12 Jan; abrupt sign-on mid-song overriding co-channel WYFR. ID in French at 0430 and further African music. Fair (Tony Rogers, Birmingham - UK, AOR7030+/LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Björn Malm`s bandscan: I have no more to say than "there is always something to hear when tuning around!". [see also COLOMBIA, PERU] 3380.07, C.R.I. Internacional, Ibarra. Dec 30 2001 - 1125 UT. This date for the first time I heard the station announce their SW frequency and the ID which probably will be used on SW when they are not in // with MW 1230 kHz: "C.R.I. Internacional, Ibarra". On MW 1230 they are called "C.R.I. Centro Radiofónico de Imbabura". Asking for reports to: "C.R.I. AM, Calle Rio Chinchipe 396, Los Ceibos, Ibarra, Ecuador". The DJ said that all listeners will get a special gift if reporting the station on SW before Jan 31. In that case they must start broadcasting! Transmitting is very sporadic at the moment. 4350.11 harmonic, Radio Calidad, Riobamba. Jan 2002 - 1120 UT. As usual a lot of ads and a "squeaky" sound. More common on its 2nd harmonic 2900.08 kHz. Harmonic from 1450 kHz (3 x 1450.04). 4860.06, Radio Federación Shuar, Sucúa. Jan 8 2002 - 0000 UT. The station is listed on the frequency but I have never heard Federación Shuar here earlier. Normally heard on 4960.04/06 kHz which was in // with 4860.06. Don`t know if the Shuar-indians are involved but maybe a special broadcast due to the fact that 3-4000 Indians will walk to Quito --- to protest against all price increases coming at the same time in the beginning of the year. Far more expensive to live in Ecuador than for example in USA and Spain. We are all very worried that the development will go in the same direction as in Argentina with riots, robbing of supermarkets and houses, etc. The two preceding presidents before the present Gustavo Noboa were forced to precipitately fly from the country --- Bucaram to Panamá and Mahuad to USA. The pattern is the same: during the last week student riots with burning tyres and stone-throwing on everything that moves. The Indians around the country begin to "mumble" they will come to the Capital to have a ``little talk`` with the president (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 13, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Hacker toma servidor de Internet e prejudica a HCJB - A Voz dos Andes 12/01/2002 Quito - Desde a última sexta-feira, dia 4, um hacker tem o controle do servidor de Internet da HCJB - A Voz dos Andes. Por causa disso, o servidor que é localizado em Colorado Springs, EUA, foi desligado e está se usando um outro servidor. Os internautas que acessaram os principais sites da emissora na Internet: http://www.hcjb.org/ --- http://www.hcjb.org.ec/ e o http://www.hcjb-brasil.org/ na sexta e no sábado, recebiam a mensagem de que a página não podia ser encontrada. Com a transferência de servidor, tudo voltou ao normal já no domingo. Ficaram também afetados todos os programas que são transmitidos ao vivo pela Internet, em vários idiomas, além dos programas em português que são colocados a cada semana na página de áudio da emissora na Internet, que ficaram sem ser atualizados. Nesta terça-feira os programas da última semana foram atualizados e já podem ser ouvidos ou copiados da respectiva página. Até o momento os técnicos da HCJB não conseguiram localizar o invasor que está usando o servidor de Internet, para seus próprios fins, enquanto que se tem causado grandes transtornos para a emissora, segundo relato de Eunice Carvajal, diretora dos programas em português da HCJB em Quito, pois houve muito trabalho para que se fizessem a transferência de todos os arquivos do servidor em mãos do Hacker para um outro servidor. Muitas emissoras internacionais já sofreram ataques de hackers, sendo a última delas a Rádio Canadá Internacional, que teve seu site pichado. (SRDXC News Jan 12 via Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 5990, Radio Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, 0259, 13 Jan; Tone, sign-on with ID in Amharic, opening announcements, Ethiopian music. Fair/clear; also heard on 7110 (buried under R Free Iraq) and 9704.17 (weaker/clear). 6210, Radio Fana, Addis Ababa (pres), 0350, 08 Jan; talk in Amharic, Ethiopian-type music, fair reception and better than // 6940. (Tony Rogers, Birmingham - UK, AOR7030+/LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Clandestine: 12120, Voice of Oromiyaa, heard opening at 1730 to 1800, programming: folk music and political talk. Fair reception on Jan 10. As QTH seen reported Samara (Torre Ekblom, Esbo, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. The Voice of Greece still has the ERA Sports show on today. Usually the sports program goes off the air at 1700 UT BUT today it continued on after 1700 and is still on as I am writing this to you. On Sundays the ERA Sports programming is on at 1405-1500 UT on 9590 and again at 1605-1700 UT ON 17705. But today the sports programming continued on thru/past the 1700 time. I like it this way too! They have live game reports of Greek soccer league, basketball reports Greek league. They even say the scores as they happen for all the soccer games all over Europe. English, Italian, Spanish, German leagues. And at 2000-2200 UT on 17705 they have Sports too. They give the scores for all sports in Greece, some music is played, and a talk show about sports. All in Greek language of course. This one here is from ERA 5 station. Just wanted to let you know (Petro Giannakopoulos, GA, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. Anyone able to help with this posting on alt.radio.uk? (Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Travel Media Group" <nik.fox@foxtravel.co.uk> Newsgroups: alt.radio.uk Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2002 1:44 AM Subject: Channel Travel Radio Dear All, My Company are exploring the possiblility of reviving Channel Travel Radio (which used to be operated by EuroTunnel) to provide travel information from Junction 10 of the M20 for the Ports of Dover & Folkestone. If anybody has any thoughts as to the viability \ whatever of this I welcome your comments (Nik Fox, Travel Media Group) Hi Mike and all, It would be nice to have CTR back in Folkestone... the roadside antennas are still mostly there! However there would be problems. CTR had an 8 year RSL licence and used several 10 watt repeaters on the M20 to reach an audience, the engineering requiring reception all the way to Dover was never completed because the Dover shipping and harbour would not contribute to the costs of running it at Eurotunnel is their main cross channel rival! It is very unlikely the RA would issue another RSL of this type as it now conflicts with their rules pertaining to long term AM or FM RSL licences. Michaela Segol, the previous station manager, did say that the charges and licence costs were horrific considering the small range if the station. She did try to get sponsorship to allow continuation of the service, but she would also have to get new studio premises off the Tunnel site or pay them a substantial rent. In fact the station had been run with part of their profits from selling duty free products and much of the station's output was centred around the facilities offered by the Passenger Terminal Building. The Radio Authority have earmarked the old CTR frequency 107.6 to the new station being advertised for Ashford just 14 miles away. Due to the proximity with France there is very little FM space most of it occupied by foreign stations. I would suspect to get another FM frequency could be difficult, though certainly not impossible. While the Travel Information Radio was marked at the roadside on the M20 it was only on the coast bound carriageway... for people with a tunnel or docks destination, so no market for outside advertisers. For those coming to Britain the station was not publicised and all of the output was concerning the outward journey... thus denying any possibility of any UK advertising... and few would venture off the motorway anyway. They did carry advertising for French hypermarkets and attractions in the Par de Calais and broadcast in French about 20% of the time, no other languages were used other than English/French. Local people did listen to CTR when it first started with people like Roger Day, Adrian Love and Oralie Cordell, however as personnel left and automation increased it became a repetitive juke box. For people travelling to Europe for anything but the first time the service was poor... drive on the right, get your Francs from the bureau de change, don't forget your passport! etc. Anyway I would like to wish the CTR revival team the very best of luck, I am sure there is some business potential if developed in the right way. With the constant illegal immigrants and terrorist threats such a radio utility could be very beneficial for the ports/tunnel and the surrounding community. One of the downfalls of the old CTR was that it became the mouthpiece of Eurotunnels public relations department with their delays and even disasters being ignored or substantially played down while marine problems were seemingly given greater presence. Each time there are cross channel relays the Kent Police adopt "Operation Stack" which involves closing the M20 and using it as a car park, the havoc caused is considerable and the use of a proper travel radio service to liase with the police and channel crossing providers would help considerably. Regards (Andy Cadier, UK, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRELAND. 13 Jan, I checked for more Irish church services via CB relays, and was surprised how many there are. Propagation on 27 MHz from Europe was quite good this morning, due to recent multiple M- class flare activity. All transmissions in FM mode. 27730, 1235 Church organ and choir, followed by prayer by priest. 27780, 1240, Priest praying, lots of QRM from other Irish CBers. 27790, 1255, Choir mx, then Priest spoke. 27680, 1312, Priest conducting Communion (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. 31519.89, KOL (presumed) 2 x 15759.95, 1410, 13 Jan. Positive audio match. Weak harmonic. Sounded like domestic radio service. Many mentions of Israel. NX and ad blocks. I was not able to get positive ID, but 99% sure it's KOL I don't see this frequency listed. Can someone confirm that KOL uses this? (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The virus spreads: `Kol` is the Hebrew word for `Voice`. It is not an acronym and should not be treated as such in all-caps, nor should it be used by itself to refer to the station (gh, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. These are the first Japanese language loggings here: Sunday 18 November 2001 30.53 (2x15265) (1505 UTC) OM talk in JJ S5+ Monday 24 December 2001 30.51 (2x15255) (1504) OMs talk S4 with frequent "hai!" Tuesday 25 December 2001 30.875 (2x15437.5?) (1707) OMs talk in JJ with frequent "hai!" Same station as above logged 1/5/02 S4+ at 1746, 1/13/02 S4+ at 1848. (Jack Sullivan, Central New Jersey, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) Most likely NHK via Ascension or nearby sites, and the last one more likely 5 x 6175, if that fit (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. 6398.8, PBS, Kanggye, 2125-2205 Jan 12, Male choir, short pause, then another song with male doing solo. Rather weak at the time but on a quiet channel without noise. Listed parallels found, but nothing heard. At 2140 still better with female as soloist. Just before 2200 timepips and I heard 'Pyongyang' mentioned a few times. 4450 Voice of National Salvation was also coming through, although somewhat later (2200). (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, AR7030, ALA1530, SWBC via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [and non]. 6995, Voice of the People of Kurdistan, Sulaymaniyah, 1700, 09 Jan; News in Arabic at 1700, news in Kurdish at 1730. Kurdish ID ``Aira Dengi Gelli Kurdistana``. Good. 7090, Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan, Sulaymaniyah, 0410, 08 Jan; World news in Arabic, ID ``Huna sawt Kurdistan al-Iraq``, Kurdish music. Fair/clear. 11530, Voice of Mesopotamia, 1650, 09 Jan; Kurdish songs, ID in Kurdish ``Aira Dengi Mesopotamia``. Good. (Tony Rogers, Birmingham - UK, AOR7030+/LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** LIBYA. Following the recent reports of Libya, I heard the 1100-1230 UT broadcasts today on 17695, 21630, 21675 & 21695 kHz. All frequencies carried the programme 'Voice of Africa' with an English News Bulletin from 1146 till 1154, followed by News in French. 15435 kHz was also heard carrying the same programme at this time, So it is on at least 5 frequencies at this time. 73's (Graham Powell, Wales, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 6007v, Radio Altura, Huarmaca. Jan 7 2002 - 2320 UT. Heard a few days around this date with good strength but heavily distorted audio. In fact a very uninteresting catch but perhaps some of you have an unID here and in that case it is good to know this one. For a long time transmitter trouble, sometimes very "broadbanded" all the way from about 6200-6500 kHz, i.e. heard independent of the tuned frequency! One of the Peru-specialists in SWB, Kenneth Olofsson/KO has mailed regarding some unID Peruvians. Kenneth writes: 6140.6 kHz "Hello Björn! Unfortunately I have not managed to hear the new logged stations. However I have 2 new Peruvians to report. The first one is on circa 6140.6 (excuse the accuracy, it is not that easy with a SPR- 4). This one gives ID as "CPN Radio", probably not the one in Lima, but another one relaying it. Heard 30/12 2320 GMT to about 2340. There could have been a local ad at 2330. Any comments or info are welcome if you hear anything". 4960 kHz "The other one emerged 3/1 2315 for the first time on circa 4960, with a progoram in Indian language ands Spanish, unfortunately a little dull in modulation so I have very little info. The programme seemed to be called ?Panorama Amanecer en Radio........? I think it sounds incorrect, correct me if I´m wrong. Closedown at 0100 with `Oración en la noche`` and a lively march. Please info, Just now there are yankee- conditions but as an old LA freak I am not tempted. I hope you have some info re those stations. Have a nice time! /Kenneth Olofsson". Kenneth, thanks for mail. Here I have to ask all in SWB, DXLD, Cumbre, HCDX and DXPL for help! I am standing with two empty hands but will continue to listen on both 4960 and 6140.6 kHz. On 4960 I have noted only Federación Shuar and when that one at the moment is broadcasting daily I have to wait until it is "off air" ?which is not regular, to see if there is anything ?deep down?. Broadcasts in Spanish sometimes but most of the time in "Shuar". 6140.6 kHz seems to be completely clean from LA-stations (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin Jan 13, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** SOUTH AMERICA. PIRATE FROM SOUTH AMERICA: 11420.3, Radio Piraña International. 2355-0025. January 11. The speaker read in Spanish emails from different DXers (Celio Romais, from Brazil, George Marotti, from USA, etc). At 0002 ID as: "...amigos de Radio Piraña Internacional"; other ID as: "...aquí, en Radio Piraña Internacional". Greetings. Pops (The Beatles, Guns & Roses, etc). Announcement in English at 0014 by male. After, messages of Conexion Digital List. More international pop songs (UB40, etc). At 0025 identification in English: "This is Radio Piraña International" and Spanish ID. Best reception in AM node.34422.- (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN [non]. Have you noticed that Radio Taipei-CBS has dropped 5950 kHz to NAm at 0700 UTC? This has maybe been effective since 1/1/02. I thought I would drop you a line on this. Thanks, 73, (Enrico Oliva, Long Island, New York, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No ** U K [non]. Hi Glenn, I can receive two PBS stations in my location. WCFE Mountain Lake Public Television (Ch. 57, Plattsburgh, NY) carries BBC News daily 6-6:30 p.m. and 11-11:30 p.m. (funding drive times excepted). No feature programs are shown. The other station, WETK Vermont Public Television (Ch. 33, Burlington, VT) does not carry BBC. However, it carries ITN News for Public Television daily at 5:30 p.m. The BBC's press release sounds like the one heralding the wide availability of BBC WS on local FM rebroadcasters in Canada and the U.S... 73s (Ricky Leong, Quebec, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Greetings from the West Coast of California! Just looking at today`s DXLD and I noted an item on BBC World News possibly being only on a cable paid service. Out here it is on PBS via KLCS channel 62 which is the Los Angeles public school channel. Up to the first of this new year it was also on PBS-TV and was carried by KCET-28 in Los Angeles plus KOCE-50 in Huntington Beach BUT in checking my local TV guide for this week, BBC World News is NOT carried any more on both channels of KCET and KOCE. `Tis only on KLCS now. Also, ITN News was on KCET and KOCE and KLCS BUT last week it disappeared from those stations. I used to watch ITN every night along with the BBC World News. Replacing ITN News is the DW Journal at 5pm PST. This is from the Voice of Germany- DW. I watched it several times but have discontinued viewing it as it is mostly about Germany and Europe. ITN and BBC World News covered the world. I sorely miss the ITN News; it was good. Sorry to ramble on BUT you caught my interest on the subject. Since PBS dropped them, I guess they went to pay-TV channels. Have a good week and keep up the good work with WOR (Stewart H. MacKenzie, WDX6AA, Huntington Beach, Jan 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NEW SPANISH NETWORK GOES ON AIR MONDAY By Mike McDaniel, Houston Chronicle The growing Spanish-language TV market gets more crowded Monday when a new network kicks off in Houston and across the nation. Telefutura, which will launch in 80 percent of the country, primarily will offer shows targeting young men -- a deliberate counter programming effort to the network's powerful owner and sister network, Univisión. Univisión is, by far, the nation's top Spanish-language broadcaster. Telefutura's goal is to reach males 18-34, who now tune in to Univisión primarily for soccer. In Houston, it will air on the recently renamed KFTH-TV, Channel 67. The station, previously known as KHSH, was part of the Home Shopping Network, owned by USA Networks chief Barry Diller. KFTH joins a local TV landscape that already includes Univisión station KXLN (Channel 45), the Goliath of Spanish- language channels here, controlling more than 80 percent of the Houston ad market in this niche. Telemundo station KTMD (Channel 48) and Azteca America's KAZH (Channel 57) carve up the remainder. These channels compete for audience and advertising dollars with such national cable presences as Galavisión, Cine Latino, Discovery Español and CNN Español. Houston is the nation's fourth-largest Hispanic TV market, reaching 415,440 households, 23 percent of Houston's 1,821,680 homes. Statistics compiled by DRI/McGraw-Hill show that Hispanics add $17 billion to the local economy each year. Income and spending is forecast to rise. But is there room for another Spanish-language network in the United States? "We're getting close to the saturation mark," said Alex Nogales, head of the National Hispanic Media Coalition. "The advertisers want the Latino market and are going after the Latino viewer. But there are only so many (media) entities you can use to get to the Latino market in Spanish." What Nogales would like to see is a network offering bilingual programming. "That's the future for the majority of Latinos," he said. "It is not reasonable to feel you can put so many networks on the air with Spanish-language material. At the end of the day, 69 percent of all Latinos in the U.S. are watching English-speaking television. "There's been a lot of thinking and saying that Spanish-language television is a way to reach Latinos. It is a way to reach some Latinos," he said. "But to assume that it is the only one, and that the majority of us are watching Spanish-language television, is a misrepresentation of what is really going on in the country." There have been rumors that some Telefutura programming would be bilingual, but Telefutura said Wednesday that all of its shows will be in Spanish. Telefutura's prime-time lineup shows an overwhelming weeknight dependence on English-language movies dubbed in Spanish. Examples include Batman Returns, The Last Boy Scout, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Caddyshack and Private Benjamin. The movies contrast with Univisión's prime-time lineup of mostly novelas. Also unlike Univisión, a news program is notably absent from the Telefutura lineup. Instead, a half-hour sportscast, Contacto Deportivo, will air each night at 10. Other sports programming includes Sólo Boxeo, 8-10 p.m. Fridays, and Fútbol Liga Mexicana, 3-5 p.m. Saturdays. The weekday lineup features cartoons from 6 to 8 a.m., followed by three hourlong novelas, El Inútil, starring Julian Arango; Cambio de Piel, starring Daniella Martínez and José Ignacio Quintana; and Isabella ... Mujer Enamorada, starring Ana Colchero. A variety-talk show will air 11 a.m.-1 p.m. daily, followed by another talk show, Monica, hosted by Peruvian celebrity Monica Zevallos. Four more novelas air in the afternoon: Mujer Secreta, a love story starring Carolina Tejera, Juan Carlos Vivas and Mariano Álvarez; Carita Pintada, starring Catherine Correia; Mariu, starring Daniela Alvarado; and another edition of El Inútil. The network will broadcast nonstop. A late-night movie will begin at 10:30 p.m., and overnight programming will consist of repeats and infomercials (via Brock Whaley, Jan 11, DXLD) ESTADOS UNIDOS/MEXICO: TV Azteca anunció que Azteca American Network (AAN) afilió dos nuevas estaciones de alto poder en EEUU de Pappas Telecasting Companies: KTNC-TV Canal 42, que cubre las áreas de San Francisco y Oakland entre otras ciudades, y KAZH-TV Canal 57 que cubre Houston. AAN adquirió 25% del capital de éstas estaciones por US$70 millones. Con la suma de éstas estaciones, la cobertura de AAN llega a 28% del mercado hispano de los EEUU. Sábado, 5 de enero 1:31 PM compra Azteca 25% de acciones de televisora en EU (CNI en Línea) Televisión Azteca, la segunda televisora más importante de México compró este sábado el 25% de acciones de dos estaciones en Estados Unidos, informó hoy la empresa estadounidense Pappas Telecasting. Por medio de un comunicado se indicó que Azteca, que hace unos meses inició transmisiones en el mercado estadounidense con la filial Azteca América, ahora tendrá participación en estaciones de las ciudades de San Francisco y Houston. La adquisición, con un valor total de 70 millones de dólares, correspondió a las estaciones KTNC-TV Canal 42 y KAZH-TV Canal 57, ambas de Pappas Telecasting Co. Gracias a esta fusión, la televisora del Ajusco será capaz de alcanzar cerca del 28% de la audiencia hispana en Estados Unidos. ACG Con información de Notimex.-Redacción viernes, 4 de enero 4:22 PM Cadena hispana Azteca America afilia canales California y Texas MEXICO DF (Reuters) - Azteca America Network, la cadena televisiva hispana de Estados Unidos propiedad de la mexicana TV Azteca, dijo el viernes que ha incorporado dos nuevos canales a su red, que cubren parte de los estados de California y Texas. Los canales son KTNC-TV Canal 42, que cubre las regiones californianas de San Francisco, Oakland, San José, Sacramento, Stockton y Modesto; y KAZH-TV Canal 57, que cubre a la ciudad de Houston, en Texas, detalló un comunicado enviado por la cadena a la Bolsa Mexicana de Valores (BMV). Ambos canales son propiedad de Pappas Telecasting Companies y Azteca America dijo que ha adquirido 25 por ciento del capital de las nuevas afiliadas por 70 millones de dólares. "Las nuevas estaciones, en conjunto con la afiliada de Los Angeles, son el ancla de la estrategia para formar nuestra cadena en Estados Unidos", dijo Luis Echarte, presidente y director general de Azteca America, citado en el comunicado. Con las adquisiciones, su cobertura ha llegado al 28 por ciento del mercado hispano de los Estados Unidos. Azteca America había dicho en octubre que para el 2002 esperaba lograr una cobertura de 40 por ciento de ese mercado. Estas nuevas afiliaciones se suman a la concretada en noviembre con KUVR-TV Canal 68 de Reno, Nevada, y la anterior cerrada con KAZA-TV Canal 54 de Los Angeles. Azteca America fue creada como un emprendimiento conjunto entre TV Azteca, la segunda televisora mexicana, y Pappas Telecasting Companies, la mayor cadena de emisoras televisivas privada de Estados Unidos. TV Azteca, que opera dos canales en México, quiere entrar de lleno al igual que su competidora Televisa en el creciente mercado hispano de Estados Unidos, conformado por 35 millones de personas con poder adquisitivo de 500,000 millones de dólares. Con Azteca America, la cadena mexicana busca pelear con Univisión Communications Inc, que tiene 80 por ciento del mercado televisivo hispano estadounidense con 52 estaciones, y con Telemundo, que cuenta con 15 por ciento del mercado con 24 estaciones. (via Héctor García Bojorge, México, Conexión Digital Jan 13 via DXLD) ** U S A. Another digital DX pest has joined the low-band madhouse. WBBM-DT 3 (CBS) Chicago signed back on the air 12/26/01, according to chief engineer Chuck deCourt via a thread on the AVS Forum. It's the last network O&O in Chicago to get its DTV/HDTV transmitter on the air, ironic considering CBS' large amount of HDTV programming. The digital station had been on the air briefly in 2000, but interfered with every cable box within six miles of the John Hancock Center downtown, and thus was shut down. Much work by AT&T Cable later (including feeding the WBBM-DT signal via cable on the QT for those in the know, which didn't include lawyers who would may have objected), Channel 3 is back on the air (even mentioned in the hourly ID, way over on the right). The transmitter is at 1/3 of authorized power right now (up from 1/4 power on 12/26), and transmitting only to the western half of the authorized signal area. Sorry, don't know the current or future ERP. In other words, transmission is in an arc centered on Chicago from Racine, Wis., sweeping west and south to Gary, Ind. A temporary antenna is being used. The permanent omnidirectional installation will, I would guess, go in in the spring, so members to the east, especially those who can catch Channel 3 in Kalamazoo, Mich., will want to look for interference now and see how it changes. As a DX target, WBBM-DT 3 isn't much. Or is it? Especially to the east, it would be some catch. Early returns by DTV-equipped folks on the AVS website are no surprise, saying signal's good close to downtown and weaker farther out, sometimes even with outdoor antennae and line-of-sight to the 100-story Hancock. DTV is finicky! As an analog pest, it will qualify as a doozy. I'm about 19 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. On an analog TV, this comes in as similar to snow, but lighter and slightly quieter, as has been mentioned by others watching digital interference. Guess this means Kalamazoo is out of the question for the next several years, until TV goes all-digital and the VHF stations are digital on their original analog spots. Figure that to happen, oh, around 2040. This is Chicago's only VHF digital, and joins local six UHF digitals confirmed on the air: WGN-19 (10 a.m.-10 p.m. CT), WMAQ-29, WFLD-31, WPCX-43, WSNS-45 and WLS-52. And there are nine UHFs more to go! Doesn't leave much room for old-fashioned DX, does it? PS - Fox announced Monday it will air the Super Bowl in Extended Definition TV on its DTV O&O stations and participating affiliates. That's widescreen digital 480p, a non-HDTV format. The last two Super Bowls (on ABC and CBS, respectively) have been in HDTV, with a miniscule number of viewers. Fox doesn't support full HDTV. It's aired one HDTV program, the movie "Independence Day," running it twice. RCA/Thomson will sponsor the Super Bowl telecast, and compared "Fox Widescreen" to Fox's 1950s introduction of CinemaScope in its press release. Ya gotta love PR folks! (Tim Cronin, Worth, IL (sort of a DTV/HDTV wilderness at the moment) Jan 7, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. SAVE WSM 650: http://www.takecountryback.com/wsm.htm Glenn, See http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?savewsm We endorse the SAVE 650 WSM - AM! Petition to Gaylord Entertainment. Read the SAVE 650 WSM - AM! Petition 8227 Total Signatures (via Mike Terry, DXLD) VALUING HERITAGE: WHETHER WSM-AM FORMAT CAN BECOME PROFITABLE EMERGES AS ISSUE FOR GAYLORD By RICHARD LAWSON, Staff Writer Gaylord Entertainment Co. faces a daunting challenge - make WSM-AM 650 profitable while not angering the station's fans, who have called on the company to preserve WSM's rich heritage. But what is heritage worth, especially to a company that has to please shareholders and Wall Street? And can Gaylord or another company make money off the station's heritage, so intertwined with establishing country music? ... http://www.tennessean.com/business/archives/02/01/12327432.shtml?Element_ID=12327432 (Tennessean Jan 13 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. 5085, R. Stn. WWRB, Manchester, TN heard with good reception Jan 11 at 0630 until s/off at 0700. Religious programme - mentioned reports coming in from Africa and Europe (seems to be somehow related to WGTG and WWFV, which will be remain to be seen...) 73 (Torre Ekblom, Esbo, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Psyching Out the Taliban: The Army plans mind games at Fort Bragg. By Matt Labash, The Weekly Standard, December 24, 2001 http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/000/691yjwkt.asp Despite the low-rent ambiance of Bragg Blvd. --- the land of Park'n' Pawns and $1.99 fried chicken plates --- Fort Bragg has always been synonymous with the Army's elite. Arriving at the home of the 82nd Airborne and Special Forces, visitors often experience the contact- buzz that comes from occupying the same ground as the Green Berets and Delta Force. But in a complex of ugly low-slung buildings resides another group of warriors, these mostly unsung --- the soldiers and civilians of the 4th Psychological Operations Group. After American bombs and Northern Alliance fighters, perhaps no one has had a greater effect on the rapid demise of the Taliban than the Army's psychological operations (PSYOPs) team. But you wouldn't know it from the way they act. Calling themselves "force multipliers" who deal in "perceptions management," they don't even have a blood- curdling nickname like the "Night Stalkers" or "Snake Eaters." While some Army regulars call them the "bullshit bombers" (for their propaganda dissemination), Maj. Ric Rohm, executive officer of the 8th PSYOP battalion, when pressed for a nickname, comes up stumped: "Umm, I guess it's just 'PSYOPer.'" If PSYOPers themselves are an understated lot, the very term "psychological operations" tends to conjure images of black-bag artists --- camouflaged Freudians practiced in the dark art of winning hearts by warping minds. But operating under the regimental motto "Persuade, Change, Influence," the brass works overtime to stand a group of visiting reporters' stereotypes on end. Despite a John Wayne "Green Berets" poster on the wall with the dialogue bubble "Better get Psywar on that," the conference room where we are briefed is littered with mission statements, corny successories--even the serenity prayer. Over in the nearby printing plant, the air is choked with the smell of printer cleaning solvent, as the presses have now rolled off 15 million leaflets that have been dropped in fiberglass bombs over Afghanistan. Here, Dr. David Champagne, the 4th PSYOP Group's civilian Afghanistan expert, who says he fell in love with the country as a Peace Corps "hippie," translates the latest effort: a leaflet wishing Afghans "Happy Eid" (the feast in which Muslims break their Ramadan fast). "We want them to know that we care about them as human beings," says Champagne. "They probably haven't had many happy greetings for the last six years." With all this peace'n'love, a naïve civilian --- convincingly played by yours truly --- might start suspecting that the real psychological operation is the one the 4th PSYOP Group is performing on the press. When my public affairs escort tells me that everything they put out has to be truthful, I finally snap: "Who cares if it is? This is war." ("Hey, I don't make the rules," he counters.) But my initial reaction is a poorly informed one. As Col. James Treadwell, the 4th PSYOP Group commander, says, "Truth is the best propaganda. If you ever get caught in a lie, you lose your credibility. That doesn't mean we have to tell the whole truth. I guess that's one difference between public affairs and psychological operations." Obviously Col. Treadwell has never sat through a Pentagon briefing. But he's wise to uphold this time-honored propaganda tenet. PSYOPers, after all, are in the perception business. For this reason, 9th PSYOP battalion commander Lt. Col. Glenn Ayers goes so far as to say, "I do not like that 'P' word. Propaganda elicits the vision of Göbbels, who used it for nefarious reasons." Though military historian Daniel Lerner has written that the mark of a first-rate propagandist is one who "conceals his skill from the public" appearing to be "a simple man, telling the simple truth," Joseph Göbbels had no appetite for subtlety. He gave the game away with his title, "Minister of Propaganda." With as brutal a regime as the Taliban, of course, there is no need to shade the truth. Consequently, American propaganda, in the form of leaflets and radio broadcasts beamed in from the EC-130 Commando Solo aircraft (television's not an option--since the Taliban destroyed everyone's sets), has come in four varieties: -Informational--giving listings of American radio broadcasts, and cautioning civilians to stay clear of humanitarian food drops, since nothing spoils goodwill like killing someone with a crate of peanut butter. -The Friendly Neighbor--smiling American family shakes hands with smiling Afghan family. -Appeals to the Taliban Swing Voter: One leaflet shows Mullah Omar as a dog whose leash is held by Osama bin Laden, while another shows fleeing Taliban fighters running from an incinerated truck with the gentle admonition "Stop fighting for the Taliban and live." -Sugar Daddy Appeals: $25 million to whoever assists in bin Laden's capture. While it may sound simple, it's not. Churning out these materials involves a 17-step process from conception to dissemination. Themes are not only thoroughly researched and vetted among the 4th PSYOP Group's 1,200 soldiers and 35 civilian analysts, but the final product has to be approved by the U.S. Central Command chief. While PSYOPers say they are part ad men, part ethnographers (all of them are proficient in at least one foreign language), Army doctrine requires that they also be everything from Strunk & White imitators ("the propaganda writer must be brief, summarizing the theme by using short, forceful words") to Mary Kay consultants ("Colors may be used to harmonize with the moods of the illustrations....Red may be used to suggest violence, blue or green for peaceful scenes, and black or white for death"). And like good ad men, they focus-group everything, pre-testing and post-testing materials with natives, refugees, or prisoners of war. Failing to focus-group a message might cause them to miss important cultural nuances, which can jeopardize credibility, cause a piece to fall flat, or even worse, insult the audience that it is intended to persuade. A few years ago, Lt. Col. Ayers was overseeing a land-mine awareness program in Cambodia. Ayers figured it was a fail-safe campaign, since "no one out there wants to step on a landmine." But he pre- tested a T-shirt anyway, one which depicted a boy squatting over a mine that he was poking with a stick. "In our mind's eye, it said 'don't poke a landmine with a stick,'" says Ayers. "But when we tested it, the Khmer villagers said, 'Why do you have this person defecating over a landmine?' The kid was in a position that they typically use for a bowel movement. We had to pull the boy back a little bit and make changes based upon what we found." Such attention to detail has earned American PSYOPers a reputation as the modern era's finest propagandists, which is saying something, since psychological warfare is as old as war itself. As long ago as 500 B.C., the Persians exploited the Egyptians' sacred regard for cats, paralyzing them by unleashing hundreds of panic-stricken felines on the battlefield. (The Persians claimed victory without suffering any casualties.) But after reviewing former PSYOPer Ed Rouse's psywarrior.com (the web's most definitive repository of psychological operations history), it becomes apparent that all propagandists are not created equal. The United States has rarely resorted to sexual themes, though some reports have it that covert operatives left foot-long condoms on the Ho Chi Minh trail, presumably causing NVA soldiers to hide their women as well as themselves. Other countries, however, have been less circumspect, often stumbling into embarrassing gaffes. During World War II, the Japanese leafleted American forces, trying to demoralize the enemy with the hardy perennial: Your girl is getting mounted by the strapping buck back home. To illustrate this theme, however, the Japanese used graphic pornography --- a relative scarcity on the frontlines. The effect, says military historian Stanley Sandler: "It did the opposite of what it was supposed to. It raised morale. Our guys loved it. They'd trade them like baseball cards --- five for a bottle of whisky." In Iraq during the Gulf War, America ran a textbook PSYOP campaign, not only scaring the tar out of Iraqis by truthfully advertising when our B-52s would next bomb specific positions (causing mass surrenders), but also by running brilliant deception maneuvers (floating leaflets in bottles ashore in Kuwait to suggest an impending amphibious invasion that never came). Iraq countered pathetically with radio propagandist Baghdad Betty, the Gulf War equivalent of Tokyo Rose, who tried to break the enemy's morale by telling Americans that their wives and girlfriends were getting snatched up by Tom Cruise, Tom Selleck, and Bart Simpson. While it's difficult to quantify PSYOP success, Sun Tzu, whom many consider the original PSYOPer, wrote that "To capture the enemy's entire army is better than to destroy it. . . . For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence." Score is often kept in conventional warfare by tallying how many are killed, but in some measure, PSYOP success is based on how many are allowed to live. In Iraq, Rouse writes, nearly 87,000 Iraqi soldiers turned themselves over to coalition forces, and many of them were clutching American leaflets, which offered "safe conduct passes." During Vietnam, which wasn't even our best PSYOP effort because of organizational problems and stateside dissent, it was still estimated that the average cost of killing one Viet Cong guerrilla was $400,000 (the price of artillery shells, cluster bombs, etc.), while the average cost of causing one Viet Cong defection was only $125. The 4th PSYOP Group has yet to post-test its products with Afghans to see if they effectively employed "logic, fear, desire or other mental factors to promote specific emotions, attitudes or behaviors" (as the press release objectives state). But one is tempted to chalk the group's efforts up as successful. After all, in what other conflict have we so readily subdued the enemy? Then again, we have dropped over 12,000 bombs on Afghanistan since October 7. When it comes to modifying emotions, attitudes, and behavior, those tend to work wonders too (via N. Grace-USA Jan 8, 2001 for CRW via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 6265, Zambia National BC, Lusaka. Drums, 0355, 08 Jan; African music, announcements in Vernacular, presumed news at 0400. Weak/clear (Tony Rogers, Birmingham - UK, AOR7030+/LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-008, January 12, 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com/ are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. 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] CALENDAR. We now have a full schedule of SHOWS WE LIKE on our calendar page, but more will be added as time goes on. Check it out at: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html WORLD OF RADIO #1113 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.html NEXT AIRINGS on WWCR: Sun 0730 on 3210, Mon 0600 on 3210 NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: Sun 0600, 1200 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB WORLD OF RADIO on WWCR: effective immediately, UT Monday 0100 on 3210 is cancelled, and UT Sat 0600 on 5070 is added. We hope the latter will work well into Europe as well as western North America. Reports? UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Glenn, good news, you're winning the ratings game! You beat out the BBC and Crimean FM radio!! Kudos for the World of Radio listing in the Google directory. Click on Google Directory - News > Internet Broadcasts > Audio http://directory.google.com/Top/News/Internet_Broadcasts/Audio/ (Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, USA, Jan 11, DXLD) viz.: VIEWING IN GOOGLE PAGERANK ORDER: http://www.pacifica.org/ Pacifica Radio News, Alternative news and analysis: Pacifica News and Democracy Now http://www.abcradio.com/ BC News Radio American Broadcasting Co. Audio news updates and current affairs programs. http://www.npr.org/programs/ National Public Radio Live feeds and websites of NPR news and programs http://www.americanradioworks.org/index.html American RadioWorks Offers in-depth coverage of current events with a program archive going back to 1996. http://www.rcinet.ca/pages/index.asp Radio Canada International, Canada's international broadcaster http://www.webactive.com/webactive/cspin/ CounterSpin Radio program about news and the media from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting http://www.fpc.gov/Trnscrpt.htm Foreign Press Center Briefings. Offers streaming audio of briefings covering a wide range of foreign affairs. Information available from 1999-present. http://www.cnn.com/audioselect/index.html CNN Audioselect Live audio of CNN network feeds. (Easier than video.) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/ World Radio Network News on demand or live feeds from public broadcasters around the world. http://www.webactive.com/webactive/radionation/ RadioNation News and analysis program from The Nation magazine http://www.newsdirect.co.uk/ News Direct, All-news commercial radio station in London http://www.wtopnews.com/ WTOP -Top News, Nonstop. WTOP is Washington D.C.'s all news station now broadcasting over the web. WTOP is the source for breaking news, traffic and weather http://www.knx1070.com/ KNX 1070 Newsradio KNX Los Angeles. News, weather, sports and old radio dramas online. http://www.abc.net.au/newsradio/listen.htm Australian Broadcasting Corp. -- NewsRadio Public network http://www.globalbusinessradio.com/ Business Radio, Audio business news and links to other audio sites. http://broadcast-live.com/radionews.html Broadcast Live, Direct links to live radio news broadcasts from around the world. http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html World of Radio, Glenn Hauser provides current news of international broadcasting and shortwave. Audio http://www.beconnected.org/ Be Connected Internet broadcasts of NPR style news stories and features on technology with syndication information for radio stations. http://www.trans-m-radio.com/ Crimean local FM radiostation http://realguide.real.com/category.rxml?category_uid=19 RealGuide - News, News feeds and links. Official gateway of RealAudio networks http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbur/news/ WBUR News National Public Radio station serving Boston, Massachusetts with live streaming internet radio and text-based news reports. http://www.wtop.com/wtop2/index.jhtml WTOP 2 - Federal News Radio, Internet-only station providing updated coverage of Federal news, agency briefings, and Congressional hearings. http://www.radiotower.com/?c=News&h_i=0&h_r=20 Radio Tower News Links, Links to news radio stations around the world http://www.rfpi.org/progdesc/prognn-pd.html Progressive News Network, Radio for Peace International, News and commentary from activist perspective http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/worldservice/psims/ScheduleSDT.cgi BBC World Service Radio, our Schedule Finder for English programmes broadcast on SW, MW and LW. For FM and language schedules (via Tom McNiff, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Voice of Sharia: Page 6 of the Jan 6 New York Times Magazine has a picture of the destroyed radio towers of this station in Kabul. Site was called TV mountain, but gives the impression that the radio antennas were up here as well (Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. I have seen a French press agency report (published only if it has interested an editor somewhere) on reconditioning the media in Afghanistan which mentions radio briefly at the end of discussion of newspapers and a club for Afghan journalists. The station mentioned is R. Sol (no indication of the exact local name, and an exact translation would sound odd to the audience), set up in 10/01 with the support of the French organisation Droit de Parole, at Jabul-saraj, about 25 miles from Kabul. Present schedule is 3 hours daily, to be extended, and maybe with xmtrs at other location. Probably MW, possibly FM, but then the location is not the best if they want good reception in Kabul. The report also mentions difficulties of reception caused by mountains. I know one Droit de Parole fellow, who hasn't heard of this initiative, and I've asked him to pass on a possible answer to the mountain problem: "Simple cure; try SW". (J. Campbell, UK, Jan 4, in DXplorer-ML, via CRW via DXLD) That would be Radio Sohl - meaning "Radio Peace" - it broadcasts on 96 MHz FM from Sabal os Saraj and was inaugurated on 9 October 2001. A report at its launch said that they intended to expand coverage with a 50kW transmitter, but it was not clear if this would also be on FM. I agree that SW would be best! (D. Kenny, BBCM, Jan 4, in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non]. for latest screenshots of wavecom digital data decoders (including Red Cross Kandahar and Kismayoo - probably the next target ...) see our hotfrequencies webpage updated D A I L Y! Klingenfuss Publications, Hagenloher Str. 14, D-72070 Tuebingen, Germany. Phone ++49 7071 62830 Fax ++49 7071 600849 E-Mail klingenfuss@compuserve.com Internet http://www.klingenfuss.org/ Jan 11 (via BC-DX via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. US president signs measure funding Radio Free Afghanistan | The French news agency AFP carried the following report on 10 January: Washington, 10 January: Afghans will soon hear up to 12 hours a day of pro-democracy broadcasts in local languages, now that US President George W. Bush has signed a measure funding Radio Free Afghanistan. "This will be a very important service as Afghanistan starts rebuilding," Republican Representative Ed Royce said in a statement Thursday [10 January], shortly after Bush signed the 317.2bn-dollar defence spending budget for 2002. The new monies, totalling 19.2m dollars, will allow Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to beam surrogate broadcasts into the war-ravaged South Asian nation and will fund new transmitters to be moved into the region. "It will be a good complement to other broadcasts in the region, including the Voice of America and British Broadcasting Corporation," said Royce, who had been calling for such a network for five years. Royce, who framed the bill and pushed it through the House of Representatives, said the mandate of Radio Free Afghanistan would be similar to that of Radio Free Europe, which broadcast to Eastern Europe before the fall of the Soviet Union. "When we talk with leaders of Poland or the Czech Republic, they say that the hearts and minds of those behind the Iron Curtain were turned by the opportunity to listen daily to a radio broadcast which explained what was actually happening inside their society," he said. Source: AFP news agency, Paris, 10 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non non]. Denge Mesopotamia. 9950, V. Of Mesopotamia, Dec 27 *1330-1332 34333 Kurdish, 1330 s/on with Music and ID. This miss transmission. 1332 R. V. of Afghanistan (Ko. Hashimoto, Japan, Dec 27, 2001 in Japan Premium 193 via CRW via DXLD) I.e., a feed mixup, proving that these two stations have a common source, or transmitter site, or both (gh, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. This week`s Feedback on RA had an enjoyable feature on the various theme music the station has used, from Jacko the Kookaburra to Waltzing Matilda, to the news theme based on Advance, Australia Fair. Roger Broadbent added that after summer vacations, some programs are getting back to normal this week: Asia Pacific will again be heard M-F at 0100, 1000, 1100 and 2300. The World Today will resume M-F at 0210. PM expands from 20 back to 49 minutes at 0810. It will be another week from Monday (i.e. Jan 21) until Australia Talks Back returns (notes by gh for DXLD) Checking the website http://www.abc.net.au/classic/throsby/ I see that Margaret Throsby interviews (usually with artists), is to return Monday January 21 (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AZERBAIJAN: Voice of Azerbaijan observed in Bulgaria: 1100-1200 in Persian; 1200-1300 in Turkish; 1300-1400 in German/French; 1400-1600 in Azeri; 1700-1800 in Arabic & 1800-1900 in English/Russian on NF 6110.7 with strong QRM on nominal 6110.0 as follows: VOA in English till 1800 BBC in Arabic from 1800 RAI in Czech/Slovak/Polish from 1810 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) ** BELGIUM [non]. RVi 9925 back to Samara. It seems that RVI 9925 is back to Samara from 2100. Last evening the program went off at 2055 and the buzzy Krasnodar transmitter at 2056. At that time another transmitter with about the same strength and a clean carrier was already on. From 2057 the RVi tune up music and from 2100 program without the choppy Krasnodar audio. -- Samara relays of VOR are still silent (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 11, BC-DX via DXLD) ** BIAFRA [non]. The "Rebrith" of Biafra, by Tokunbo Awoshakin The Anchor Newspaper of Nigeria, November 15, 2001 Over the weekend, right here in the capital of America, we actually listened to the clandestine voice of the broadcaster from "Voice of Biafra". The broadcast which lasted close to an hour came via the short wave band. Somewhat shell-schocked, like other Nigerians across the globe who listened probably were, we listened to a programme which consisted of the same old passionate speeches advocating for the separation of eastern part of Nigeria from the rest of the country. For Nigerians resident in the Greater Washington metro area consisting of the District of Columbia, the state of Maryland and the commonwealth of Virginia, the shock was not much of the fact that the "Voice of Biafra" programming was spiced with anti-islamic curses, which the broadcaster called prayers, we were just numbed at the way the Biafra resurrection is taken shape in the light of events back home. When in September 28th 2001, some Nigerians from the east gathered at the law campus of the Howard University in Van Ness (just a few blocks from the new multi million dollar building which will soon be the official embassy of Nigeria) to organise a symposium for Biafra, many took little notice. The sudden resurrection began to attract some kind of attention as hundreds of Nigerians joyfully paid $20 to be part of the gala night that same evening at the Ukrainian Catholic shrine in Washington D.C. Word had by that time gone out that Biafra house was going to be opened the next day and Biafra warlord Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu and his wife Bianca as well as MASSOB leader, Ralph Nwazuruike were already in town. Like snow in winter, Biafra House, which is actually a suite located at 733 15th Street North West Washington D.C., was declared open with Chief Ojukwu flanked by Nwazuruike cutting the ribbon while several hundreds of Nigerians joyfully sang -"The land of the rising sun", the Biafra anthem, which is actually an adulteration of the "Finlandia Hymn" composed by Jean Sibelius. These events here in same Washington D.C. which the Nigerian presi- dent has visited three times this year, sure got our attention. African correspondents at the Foreign Press center and those at the National press became curious. They asked question and this prompted some more inquiries which resulted in startling discoveries one of which led us to actually get the short wave band for "Voice Of Biafra". The truth is that, in a slow but somewhat steady way, the ill-fated Biafra idea, which we generally believed had died after three years of civil war in Nigeria is coming back to life. Apart from the official yet to be recognised embassy which they claim the suite is; apart from the "National" anthem, the flag and clandestine radio programming in Igbo and English, the movement, if it may be called that also has a detailed, active and properly hosted web-site. So while President Obasanjo came calling to commiserate with Presi- dent Bush and offer the country's steadfastness in the coalition against terrorists, some people, operating under the auspices of the "Biafra Actualization Forum" (B.A.F.), were also busy producing radio and web programming calling for the break-up of the Nigeria. Interestingly, most of these programmes, if not all, are produced right here in Washington D.C. Our investigations revealed that (B.A.F.) is made up of Igbos in exile in America who put their time, money and energy into the project of actualising the Biafra Nation. The are believed to be working closely with the movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB. A copy of the movement's agenda, which they claimed to have sent in form of a letter, was made available to the press. The listed grievances include: the recent killings of Christians in Kano and Kaduna; What they termed, the federal government's inability or unwillingness to protect Igbos; Alleged neglect in infrastructural development; Nigeria's continued membership of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC and President Obasanjo's silence on the alleged role of Libya's Gaddaffi's sponsorship of anti-Christian values and practices in Northern Nigeria. Two things are particularly striking in their manifesto. One, the Organisation maintained that "there is no guarantee that the Nigerian government is safe and secure from military coups" and so it will use "all peaceful means" to ensure it's objective of secession. Secondly, members of these Organisation want President Obasanjo to give his go ahead to a Sovereign National Conference. This according to them "will preserve whatever goodwill the nations of Nigeria have left for one another". These two issues, especially that of the realization of true federalism in Nigeria via the Sovereign National Conference really hits home in view of events back in Nigeria and how the international community appraises things. Already the nation, just like it was pre-civil war, is again strongly divided along ethnic lines. Apart from MASSOB, there is the OPC, Arewa, Middle Belt Forum and the Niger Delta Movement. The North and Southern Nigerian polarity has become more obvious too. Just recently in Owerri, Imo State, seventeen governors of states in the southern part met for the fifth time since the beginning of the Obasanjo administration and like they have insisted since their first meeting, they again called for state police, a national conference and true federation. Similarly, the on-going face-off between these governors over the electoral bill as well as the resource control saga still reflects the need for true federalism. We can all imagine the implication of a scenario where seventeen out of the thirty states that make up the federal republic of Nigeria go ahead and hold election, thereby making nonsense of the supposed "National Assembly". The recent Benue crisis, which President Obasanjo explained away in a simplistic fashion at the joint press conference with President Bush a fortnight ago remains another attestation to the need for true federation. It is not surprising that Ghali Umar Na'Abba, the Speaker of the house of representatives should warn and rightly so that "it could lead to the disintegration of the country". As we listened to the fervency and bitterness which the political programme on "Voice of Biafra" gave to international listeners last weekend, as we ruminated on the proven tenacity of people of Eastern Nigeria, we suspected that the radio was not going to just fade away like "Radio Kudirat". One thing also became clear: destabilising elements in Nigeria and the Nigerian diaspora must be checked. Each ethnic group, or as it has become fashionable, "Nationalities" in Nigeria is crucial to the country's political equation. But why really can we not have the only thing which all the Nationalities seem to agree on, as a way forward for the country. Why can't we extinguish the flame of secession or Biafra by seating to talk about a true federation? ( http://www.nigeriansinamerica.com/articles/awoshakin7.htm via N. Grace-USA Dec 7, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** CANADA. Glenn, Regarding DXLD 2-006 and my reception of CFVP, the frequency I submitted (6035.32 kHz) was correct. I am unclear why it was heard there instead of 6030 kHz. This is where I was best able to comprehend the broadcast in AM. I tried using SSB (ECSS) to zero in but no avail (Rich Skoba, New Jersey, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Previews for Jan 13: THE WORLD THIS WEEKEND, Sunday, Congo's pygmy people: Rupert Cook reports on the social, health and economic impact Congo's civil war has had on the country's already persecuted pygmy population. Also, Canada's arts movement at 50. Many of this country's cultural institutions didn't exist fifty years ago. Suzanne King reports on the legacy of a half century of government support for the arts. That's on the World This Weekend, with Lorna Jackson, Sunday at 6:00 p.m. (7 AT; 7:30 NT) on both CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two. ROOTS & WINGS: host Philly Markowitz has Souad Massi, the woman critics are calling "Algeria's Tracy Chapman." Also, a sonic waterfall from Ritesh Das and the Toronto Tabla Ensemble, and songs of forbidden love between the land and the sea. That's on Roots and Wings, Sunday evening at 5:05 (5:35 NT) on CBC Radio Two (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CHECHNYA. Radio Kavkaz (Chechen clandestine) is likely to start over. Jan 5 around 1255 I noted strange signal buzzy, distorted, 'FM- ing' What was very suspicious - music - the same sequence as was played in July on 7143, 7350. Unfortunately I did not hear any word... Few times XMTR went off/on for seconds and finally closed 'forever' at 1259. Freq 7183v. Nothing suspicious noted today. I guess they (if they) are testing. FYI they have different contacts now, as I saw from NY greetings message from Mr Idiyev (see // Fwd) [below] (V. G. Titarev, Ukraine, Jan 8, in DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) From: David Kipiany abuhasuh@hotmail.com To: vlad@gl.poltava.ua Sent: Monday, December 31, 2001 7:18 PM Subject: happy new year, Vladimir! CAUCASIAN INFORMATION BUREAU "CIBE" Georgia, Tbilisi, Kavtaradze st. #25. block 2, Phone: (99599) 57-28-85 Phone/Fax: (99532) 30-35-20 nohchy@wanex.net Vladimir G.Titarev vlad@gl.poltava.ua Dear Mr. Titarev! Happy New Year! I wish you and your family best of luck, personal happiness, prosperity and good health. Sincerely, Director of Chechen Committee of Georgia Sourkho Idiev (Tbilisi city) (via Titarev, CRW via DXLD) ** CHINA. Hi John et al, The 1323 kHz transmitter was heard here a few years back and CRI indicated the transmitter site was Xinjiang. Cheers, (Paul Ormandy, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com/ Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. According to the information direct from the station, Qinghai PBS, Xining uses the following frequencies now: 9850, 9780, 6500, 6260, 6145, 5990, 4750 and 4224 kHz. 73, (Mauno Ritola Finland, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA re: ``Some new freqs for China National Radio 8 [sic, see BELOW]: 3990 1300-1400 Tibetan; 1400-1500 Kazakh; 1500-1600 Uighur; 1600-1700 Mongolian 7195 1300-1400 Tibetan; 1400-1500 Kazakh; 1500-1600 Uighur; 1600-1700 Mongolian 7365 1500-1600 Uighur 7395 1400-1500 Kazakh 9530 1300-1400 Tibetan (R BUL Observer, Ivo Ivanov and Angel Datzinov, BC-DX Jan 8)`` That's nonsense - these freqs carry the Xinjiang PBS Uighur channel. I believe these are jammers: 7365 1500-1600 Uighur, 7395 1400-1500 Kazakh, 9530 1300-1400 Tibetan (Olle Alm-SWE, Jan 8, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. Hi Glenn! Just one note: The new RTNC-Outlet via Moyabi on 1600-1900 is now quite easy to hear in Central Europe. I listened yesterday from 1745-1900. Signal was fair to good with not much QRM before 1845. French news at 1800 and later some segments in vernacular language. High-life music, as it's called in Africa, no traditional music as typically aired by Mali, Niger and most East African Stations (Thorsten Hallmann, Muenster, Rainland, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI faces a dilemma: listeners in Europe, Pacific and Asia want 7445 on USB, which is more effective against interference with a weaker signal; while those in NAm want the better fidelity of AM. So a suggestion from Tim Hendel will be tested for a while, starting UT Sat Jan 12: after 0500 or 0600 it will run in USB, when most of the listeners are in European mornings, or As/Pac evenings. From 0100 or 0200 until 0600 it will run on AM, at least on alternate nights, for North Americans. One listener suggested the bass be reduced on the audio input to the SSB, to reduce some artifacts, so there will be some tweaking to adjust this. As for 21815-USB, this is only running about 1 kW, as the unit has very old tubes and is not in good condition; driving it as much as it will take, but would be greatly improved if someone would donate funds to buy a new 3CX-1200-A7 tube, or such a used tube (James Latham, RFPI Mailbag Jan 11, notes by gh for DXLD) ** CUBA. Subject : PROHIBIDO EL ENVÍO DEL WRTH A CUBA ESTIMADO GLENN: Un amigo Diexista que vive en Cuba me solicitó desde el pasado año el WRTH 2002. He realizado diferentes llamadas a las Agencias de envíos a Cuba "Cuba-Envíos" y "El Español" radicadas en la Ciudad de Miami. Ambas me han contestado que "NO SE PUEDEN ENVIAR LIBROS A CUBA". Les expliqué que el Libro es totalmente APOLÍTICO, que sólo contiene las radioemisoras, canales de televisión y frecuencias del Mundo, pero las respectivas Agencias aducen la negativa de Cuba de aceptar ese tipo de impreso. ¿Alguién pudiera darme una idea de cómo poder hacer llegar el mismo? Por correo de superficie, está descartado cualquier tipo de envío porque a través del Centro de Análisis (Centro que se dedica a leer la correspondencia desde el exterior a Cuba y viceversa) decomisaría de inmediato el mismo. Espero sugerencias para solucionar el asunto planteado. Cordiales 73's (Oscar, FL, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Cuba apparently prohibits the entry even of such apolitical books as the WRTH. How have others managed to send them to friends in Cuba??] ** CZECH REPUBLIC [and non]. RFE may leave Prague, move to Estonia or Hungary - paper | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 11 January: The management of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) are earnestly planning to move headquarters from Prague to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, or Budapest in case the Czech government insists on RFE moving outside the Prague centre, Lidove noviny writes today. The daily refers to two well informed sources close to Radio Free Europe. The moving of the US-sponsored RFE from Prague's centre to a safer place started to be considered after a terrorist threat targeted the radio following the terrorist attack against the USA last September. The three armoured vehicles which now guard the building obstruct traffic at a place which was problematic already before. Foreign Minister Jan Kavan however believes that the government would manage to move the radio to an alternative building even it it did not fully meet RFE management's criteria. RFE/RL president Tom Dine told the latest issue of the weekly The Prague Post that moving RFE/RL out of its current headquarters would mean a surrender to terrorists. In early December the radio extended its Central Asian broadcasts to include programmes in Azeri, Turkmen and Farsi, one of the languages spoken in Afghanistan. RFE/RL now broadcasts to 25 countries in 27 languages for more than 1,000 hours a week. RFE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told CTK then that the station continued to prepare the launch of broadcasts to Afghanistan. RFE/RL was established in 1949 in order to spread news to and support democratic values in countries behind the Iron Curtain, including the then communist Czechoslovakia. Originally seated in Munich, it moved to Prague in 1995. The Czech Republic leased to it the building of the former federal parliament at a symbolic one crown per year. This together with an invitation from Czech President Vatslav Havel and then government were among the reasons why RFE moved to Prague since the US Congress was no longer ready to pay the high costs of broadcasts from Munich. (One US dollar equals 36.070 crowns) Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 0703 gmt 11 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Radio Free Europe "not considering actively" relocation outside Czech Republic | Excerpt from report by Czech radio on 11 January [Announcer] Radio Free Europe [RFE] is allegedly quite seriously considering the possibility of leaving the Czech Republic. That should happen in reaction to Czech pressure for the station to move out from the Prague centre. We have contacted RFE spokeswoman Sonia Winter. Good morning. [Winter] Good morning. [Announcer] Could you confirm or reject speculation that the RFE is already eyeing another country, for example Estonia or Hungary? [Winter] I have heard such rumours and I have seen it said in the press. However, for the time being we are not actively dealing with the idea. We would like to stay in the Czech Republic and we have welcomed statements by government official made yesterday and the day before [10 and 9 January] that they, too, want us to stay here. So I believe that there is understanding in the matter. [Announcer] You are saying that you are not considering actively the possibility of moving to another country. In spite of that let me ask you: Is there any indication from another country that in the event that the RFE and the Czech government fail to reach an agreement this other country would be prepared to receive the RFE? [Winter] Yeas, there are such indications. Now that the international press started writing about us having to move out from here, or about such proposals by the Czech government, we have received a number of letters from listeners and from local committees and similar groups saying that they would welcome us in Hungary, Estonia, Lithuania - and many other places. But, for the time being, we are not dealing seriously with such offers. [Announcer] Is it still true that you have not yet been offered any substitute facilities and that you have not yet been asked to move?... [Winter] It is true that we had some meetings, talks and consultations about moving out, which were held immediately after 11 September. Exactly four months passed since. At that time there were serious concerns about further terrorist attacks. Thank God, there have been no attacks and, perhaps, the situation should be reassessed. However, I would like to stress that we did not turn down any proposals and that we are open to talks. We would like to accommodate the Czech government's request. We are grateful for the care we are receiving, but we really did not get any proposals, so we could not have refused anything... [Announcer] Just a brief question: Does it mean that no date for talks [with the Czech government] has been set so far? [Winter] No, it has not. [Announcer] Thank you for the interview. Source: Czech Radio 1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1100 gmt 11 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. 6350, Voice of Peace and Democracy / Voice of Tigray Revolution. 1415 new frequency ex 6315 with HOA music and local announcements. Adjacent channel interference from Echo of Hope on 6348 kHz (Richard Lam, Singapore, Jan 5, EDXP via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Voice of Oromo Liberation 1700-1800 on 15715, ``Is this indeed from Nauen, or is this Jülich?``: HFCC registration is Nauen 125 kW at 145 degrees, and the schedule distributed from Jülich shows Nauen, too. That's a transmission "on behalf of Jülich", hence with reduced power 125 kW. At peak times all 12 transmitters at Jülich are busy, but they do not say "sorry" when further airtime is requested; instead Wertachtal and now also Nauen do besides the regular Deutsche Welle business also some transmissions for "Jülich customers". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [et al.]. ´´Trivia question, when did France and others abandon those low low VHF frequencies?´´ --- It's of course not the actual answer, but France as well as the UK did this when they buried their old 819 and 405 lines systems. I only know when this happened in the UK: In January 1985. In France the VHF range was later recycled for the mentioned scrambled Pay-TV service. Others: Norway planned to replace the low VHF range by UHF just a couple of years ago, but I do not know if this was really carried out in the meantime. In the GDR the single low VHF transmitter was replaced by UHF ch. 53 in the mid-eighties, accepting the problem that older TV sets could not receive channels above 39 (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA. Looking around M. Vignaud`s website, referenced about the true transmitter site of KRSI a few issues ago, besides lots more about the history of SW in France, I found an illustrated article about R. Brazzaville, a station I can remember hearing in my very early years of DXing: http://home.worldnet.fr/~tvignaud/am/rfi/brazzaville.htm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. The Roma broadcast from Sender Freies Berlin which is carried by Deutsche Welle on Sundays 1830-1900 actually replaces Turkish, which stays on this slot for the rest of the week; at least it was still on all involved shortwave frequencies today. Perhaps you remember that I already commented on this Turkish programme via 3995. By the way, 6130 is like 3995 Wertachtal and has Voice of Russia co- channel, 11885 is Sines (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. Sorting through some unanswered questions in late-2001 DXLDs, in 1-173, the asterisk by 15650 meant reception possible in Australia; in 1-183, MW 792 is VOA Kavala 500 kW; MW 1260 is VOA Rhodes 500 kW; MW 1386 is Athens 250 kW. Here is my latest VOG schedule as verified by them December 10. Frequencies are in this order: Avlis-1, Avlis-2, Kavala-11, Kavala-12. 0000 15630 *7475 5865 12110 Au, ME/Eu, Atl Oc, Am, Af, SAm 0100 15630 *7475 5865 12110 0200 15630 *7475 5865 12110 0300 15630 *7475 5865 12110 0400 9420 *7475 17520 21530 Eu, Am, Am/Arabia, Indian Ocean 0500 9420 *7475 17520 21530 0600 9420 *15630 17520 21530 Eu, Atlantic Ocean/Japan, Australia 0700 9420 *15630 17520 21530 0800 9420 *15630 SILENT SILENT Eu 0900 9420 *15630 SILENT SILENT 1000 SILENT SILENT SILENT SILENT 1100 @@9935 *15630 SILENT SILENT 1200 @@9935 15630 9420 15650 Eu/M, Indian Ocean/America 1300 @@9935 15630 9420 15650 Eu/Tashkent/America 1430 @@9935 15630 9420 #11645 Eu/Am 1500 @@9935 *15630 9420 #11645 Eu 1600 @@9935 15630 9420 #11645 Eu/NAm 1700 @@9935 15630 9420 #11645 1800 @@9935 15630 9420 #11645 1900 @@9935 7475 5865 #11645 2000 @@7430 7475 5865 #11645 Eu/NAm/SAm 2100 @@7430 5865 9420 15650 Eu/Au, ME, INdOc/N&SAm 2200 @@7430 *5865 9420 15650 Eu/Au, ME, Indian Ocean 2300 *5865 7475 12110 15650 Eu, AtlOc/Africa, SAm/Australia In addition relays via Delano (with target areas included above): 0600 & 0700 *11900; 1200, 1300 & 1430 *9590; 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000, 2000 & 2100 *17705; and Greenville: 2000 & 2100 17565. * Best heard in this area (Silver Spring, Maryland) @@ Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias in Thessaloniki # Orientations (half-hour programs in Arabic, German, Russian, Spanish, Romanian, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian, Albanian, French, Polish, English) English segments: 0930-0950 daily 9420 15630 News bulletin 1345-1400 Fri 9420 9590 15630 15650 Learn Greek (responses in Eng.) 1700-1800 Sat 9420 15630 17705 Hellenes Around the World 1900-2000 Sun 5865 7475 17705 It`s All Greek to Me 1930-2000 daily 11645 Orientations I appreciate the help of Noel Green`s Kavala schedule that was in 1- 173; what is the website address of the IBB schedule for ERT usage of VOA facilities? [I do not know of a site dealing with ERT in particular, but the entire IBB (well, except for RFA) sked is at http://sds.his.com:4000/fmds_w/schedules/cur_freqsked.txt where you will need to search on ERA5 in the fifth column ---gh] My changes are: 1200-1500 on VOA-USA 9590 2100-2300 on Avlis-2 5865 1700-2000 on Kavala-2 11645 This puts Orientations in English 1930-1950 on 11645. I also added Learn Greek on Friday at 1345-1400 on 9420, 9590, 15630, 15650. On Dec 30, I received from Dionisios Angelogiannis, VOG`s Frequency Manager, a holiday greeting card and 9 sheets of VOG`s program listings in Greek for the winter season; my English versions of programs for 0000-0350, 1200-1500 and 1600-2200: VOICE OF GREECE program schedule Oct 28, 2001 --- Mar 31, 2002 At 0000-0350 on 5865 7475 12110 15630, every day: 0000-0005 News in Greek 0005-0100 Radiodrome (contd.) 0100-0105 News in Greek 0105-0200 Radiodrome (contd.) 0200-0205 News in Greek 0205-0300 Radiodrome (conclusion) 0300-0305 News in Greek 0305-0250 For You, Countrymen At 1200-1457 on 9420 9590 15630 15650, 1357-1500 on 9420 9590 15630: SUNDAY 1200-1240 Midday Radionewspaper (with NET 105.8 FM) 1240-1245 Music 1245-1300 Maritime Hellenism 1300-1400 The Faces of the Week 1400-1405 News in Greek 1405-1500 Joining with ERA Sports MONDAY-FRIDAY 1200-1300 Midday Radionewspaper (with NET 105.8 FM) 1300-1310 Russian Topics 1310-1345 Songs of the Party 1345-1400 Mon: Unknown Hellenism Tue: From the Fairy Tales of the People Wed: Electrolesia Thu: Ecological Pages Fri: Learn Greek 1400-1430 The Postman 1430-1500 Debt and Money SATURDAY 1200-1300 Midday Radionewspaper (with NET 105.8 FM) 1300-1330 Money and Investments of Saturday 1330-1400 Folklore Evidences 1400-1405 News in Greek 1405-1500 Joining with ERA Sports At 1600-1900 on 9420 15630 17705, 19900-2000 on 5865 7475 17705, 2000- 2100 on 5865 7475 12110 17705 17565, 2100-2200 on 5865 9420 15650 17705 17565 SUNDAY 1600-1700 Joining with ERA Sports 1700-1800 Journey thru Time 1800-1900 Evening Radionewspaper (with NET) 1900-2000 Musical Broadcast in English (It`s All Greek to Me) 2000-2005 News in Greek 2005-2200 Live Line MONDAY-FRIDAY 1600-1700 Musical Promenade 1700-1705 News in Greek 1705-1800 Little Greeces, For You 1800-1900 Evening Radionewspaper (with NET) 1900-2000 Where the Greeks and Where the Greek Language? [Whither?] 2000-2005 News in Greek MONDAY-THURSDAY 2005-2015 Athletic Panorama 2015-2200 Live Line FRIDAY 2005-2100 Greek Microno 2100-2200 Live Line SATURDAY 1600-1700 Joining with ERA Sports 1700-1800 The Hellenes Everywhere (English) 1800-1900 Evening Radionewspaper (with NET) 1900-2000 The Thread of Ariadne (in Greek Mythology, King Minos` daughter who gave Theseus the thread by which he found his way out of the Labyrinth) 2000-2005 News in Greek 2005-2015 Athletic Panorama 2015-2200 Live Line Radiophonikos Stathmos Makedonias is still using one of Avlis` 100 kW transmitters with their program feed from Thessaloniki at 1100-1950 on 9935 and 2000-2250 on 7430. On Jan 5 and 6, VOG`s regular programs were being heard instead of the feed from Thessaloniki. As reported in the Washington Post, Athens was covered by up to 8 inches of snow and Thessaloniki`s telephone lines to Athens were down. Our cousin Anna Petrides called from Thessaloniki and said that this new snowstorm did not hit their area (John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4052.5, R Verdad with "Lectura Bíblica en Comentarios" at 0130. Good. In October, back in Sweden, I received a letter from the owner of this station, in which he asked if we could make a taperecording of an announcement and station ID for the station in Swedish which we did and sent him (Claes Olsson, FL, Jan 8, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** ICELAND. Iceland to Leave Shortwave? On 22 December 2001, the shortwave relays of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service (Ríkisútvarpið - RÚV) returned to the air after an absence of several months. The future of these transmissions is uncertain, and this might be a last chance for DXers to report this station on shortwave. Dora Ingvadóttir, the radio director of Ríkisútvarpið, expects a final decision any day now. Bernd Trutenau reports for Media Network. http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/iceland020111.html (Media Network Newsletter Jan 11 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** INDIA. Monday, 14th January is celebrated as the Hindu Festival "Makar Sankranti" (famous for flying kites)and is public holiday in India and 15th January is Pongal. Look out for extended services by AIR stations then (Jose Jacob Jan 11 dx-India via Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** IRAN. Re megawatt home-made MW transmitter, DXLD Jan 7: ?Propaganda bluff? Sources at Dallas TX mentioned the delivery of a megawatt unit to country in the ME, already in summer 2001, ed. (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** IRAN. Further to my item on VOIRI Iran. I just happened to tune in on 11740 at 2130 this Sat, and heard my recorded interview after the news in their mailbag program, (The one I didn`t know they had). They are asking for tel numbers to be sent with reports to the station. So you too could be next on VOIRI (Don Rhodes, Australia, Jan 5, BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. FRANCE(non): UNID in Persian via Issoudun: 1530-1615 Daily on 12065 (55555) (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) Already reported here as KRSI, R. Sedaye-Iran \\15690 (gh, DXLD) NG: Also thanks to Kai for news of the very interesting Fr site - so it seems 15690 is from La France, and I assume ex 17520. It seems very expensive to revive Center E for just two hours a day via one transmitter. The only doubt I had concerning the transmission of KRSI from France was that the French government is supposed to be on friendly terms with them - seems they are willing to make money in more ways than one! KL: Well, actually the transmitters were dusted [off] after the accident at Montsinéry in 2000, perhaps in Nov, since the website includes two pictures featuring maintenance work at "centre E" in Nov 2000. Until then RFI only used the 12 new ALLISS units anymore, but now more capacity was needed at Issoudun to substitute for Montsinéry. Well, TDF (the subsidiary of France Telecom responsible for the broadcast transmission business) is already active beyond France, and I wonder already for some time now why they showed no obvious interest in providing SW transmission services so far. Probably they finally got the point with "centre E" revived. Actually I would be surprised if "KRSI" should remain the only new customer (Kai Ludwig, Germany, BC-DX Jan 7; and ibid.) There was [Iranian] jamming already on 15690 when I tuned at c1620. It was very difficult to tell whether the carrier was on or not, but programming was heard to start with music c1629. Signal strength was only about S3 or 4 and the signal compared exactly to the RFI outlets on 15300 and 15605 - both also poor today, as Wolfie tells us. I tried 12065 at c1620 too, but there was no signal present at that time - or jamming - and nothing had appeared when I returned to 15690 to hear that one sign on. I returned c1633 to 12065 and there was a very good S9+ signal present and exactly \\ 15690. I could not hear jammers on this freq at this time, but yesterday at c1800 jamming was present and messing up a good signal. My guess is that 15 MHz will be too high after 1730 under normal conditions to get a reliably good signal into Iran, and that 12 MHz has been brought in to boost coverage. It would make more sense to operate the 15 MHz transmitter down on 9 MHz throughout - but while the signal holds up, 15 should be more difficult to jam. As for tx location - I agree with what has been said. We all know about "misinformation", and Kai's information - and Olle's listening - confirms it as Issoudon anyway (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 9) I finally joined the crowd today listening to the political preaching on KRSI. 12065 and 15690 were switched on just before 1629 with only a few seconds in between. 12065 had a French language program connected as the carrier came on, while 15690 had a blank carrier until the KRSI music began. Other RFI outlets in the 19 mb were as strong and stable as 15690. The program was perfectly synchronized on the two frequencies. 15690 went off at 1730. 12065 went off at 1731 but returned after a few minutes. No KRSI on 9420, just strong Greece and in the far background another station, not KRSI. Right now at 1800 the interplanetary magnetic field is strongly southward. This is very evident from the fluttery SW signals (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jan 10) My reception was identical to Wolfie`s today. I was tuned to 12065 when carrier came on c1629 and mx intro started almost immediately. Loud jamming audible on 15690, but weaker under strong 12065 (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 11) Issoudun outlets. RFI outlets at this time: eleven transmitters in use. Just came three minutes too late, the Persian program from California had still started. Mentioned also a Hotbird satellite channel. Today the condition here in Stuttgart is much different to yesterday Jan 10th. 12065 is full powered S=9 +60 dB, no jamming observed. 15690 is poor S=2, and signal suffers by SKIP dead zone, I'm living too close to the tx site. Also the other transmissions of RFI on 15 MHz have the same characteristics today. KRSI on 15690 suffers from severe Iranian jamming of S=7-8 strength on Kenwood rx (WB, BC-DX Jan 11) (ALL: BC-DX via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. All-Muddling through the Persian on the website of R Baribari- It seems to say that they are back on the air at 1800 hours Western Europe time. I presume this is on 7480. This one is said to be from Moldova by some, Israel by others. [Radio Barabari, Persian, 1701-1731 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun 7480.2 ??ISRAEL??} (Hans Johnson-USA, BC- DX Jan 11 via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. Anti-Saddam Group May Lose Funding The Associated Press, Mon 7 Jan 2002 WASHINGTON (AP) - The leading Iraqi opposition group will lose its U.S. financial support at the end of January unless it comes up with a system that properly accounts for spending, the State Department said Monday. The aid program for the Iraqi National Congress was temporarily suspended last week. With the Jan. 31 deadline in mind, the group will receive $500,000 to cover operational costs as it acts to reform its accounting system, department spokesman Richard Boucher said. The INC reacted angrily to the suspension last week, calling it politically motivated. On Monday, INC spokesman Sharif Ali reaffirmed the allegation, declaring that ``pre-emptive efforts by the Near East Bureau of the State Department to discredit the INC serve no purpose other than to undermine the U.S. president's declared policy of regime change in Iraq,'' INC spokesman Sharif Ali said. Ali said the State Department has been systematically blocking INC efforts to carry out operations inside Iraq in violation of Congress' expressed intent. Boucher denied that politics motivated suspension of the State Department fund. He said the suspension was prompted by an October report from the department's inspector general that ordered the money be withheld until the INC ``has implemented adequate and transparent financial controls.'' Spokesman Boucher also said the State Department has found short- comings in INC television programming into Iraq and its proposals for delivering humanitarian assistance into the country. But, he said, the main problem centers on the lack of effective accounting. Most of the money earmarked for Iraqi opposition groups over the years has gone to the INC. The programs are meant to support humanitarian aid, media, war crimes investigations and human rights activities. In 1997, Congress approved $97 million for military training and equipment for the INC. Nothing has been designated yet for these activities (via A. Sennitt, Netherlands, Jan 8, 2001 for CRW via DXLD) ** IRELAND [non]. B-01 schedule of RTE Radio One in English via Merlin Communications: 0130-0200 6155 RMP to CAm 1000-1030 NF 15540 SNG to Au/NZ strong co-ch V of Russia in German to Eu, ex 11740 1800-1830 9895 RMP to ME 1830-1900 13640 SAC to NAm 1830-1900 21630 ASC to Af (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Some changes for Kol Israel: 2000-2025 English; 2030-2100 French/Spanish all on NF 7519.9 (55555), ex 11604.9 // 9435 (55444) 15640 (24432) 15650 (24332) plus additional NF 6280 (55555) (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) ** JORDAN. 7155: Around 2030 I picked up a station called (Idha`at alqwat al musalaha alordunyah - gaysh alarab). R Jordanian Armed forces - the Arabic Army...with programs about the Jordanian Army in Arabic, around 2100 they went off ... first time to hear this one (Tarek Zeidan, SU1TZ, EGY, BC-DX Jan 6-7 via DXLD) Re Jordan - you may remember that 7155 was on air at 1700-1830 during the summer, and that it carried its own program at 1700-1800, relayed the Main program at 1800, and closed with own ID c1828. I printed a piece from somewhere which says this was heard at 1800 on Oct 20 last and is "Voice of ? , Station of the Armed Forces of Jordan" in Arabic "Sowt al-Nahada, Itha' Quwat al-musalaha al ordiniya". Announcing 7155 and saying they were on for one hour a day. I wasn`t able to recognise the ID, but this was probably what I was hearing. The ID Tarek lists is similar - maybe depends upon interpretation of parts of it - so it could be what he is hearing at a new time. I have lost touch with Jordan and have not heard 7155 for some time now (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 8 via DXLD) I have started to check out Jordan again today - I haven`t heard anything from them since 11810 and 11960 went off air at 0814:15 this morning (yes, my clock is working correctly in sync with Rugby 60 kHz again!). However, there is a signal audible underneath Romania 15290 at 1125 - I couldn`t hear it at 1100 so I think it's not been on air long. This frequency was used at 1030-1300 in summer time, so may be 1130-1400 now? 11810 is not audible - if on air (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jan 10 via DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. From today Jan 9th there is some reactivation of the Samara site. The R Rossii relay on 6125/11990 is on the air again. Except for a few days around Christmas it has been off since early December. The Denge Mezopotamia relay on 11530 has switched (back?) from Kurovskaya to Samara for the morning (0500-0700) and evening (1100- 1700) blocks. The daytime block (0700-1100) seems to originate from Tashkent [formerly via Gavar, Armenia]. By the way, the VOR English relay on 11770 at 0600-1000 seems to originate from Lesnoy. The audio usually is distorted (faulty high power tube). (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 9, BC-DX via DXLD) ** LIBYA. Updated schedule for LJB as of Jan. 10: Idha-atu Jamahiriya Al Ovmaa/Radio Great Jamahiriya in Arabic: 1100-1230 17695 21630 21675 21695 // MW 1125 1430-1630 17750 // MW 675 1125 1251 1630-1800 15220^ 15615 15660 17525^ // MW 675 1125 1800-1900 9415 11635 15615 15660 // MW 675 1125 1900-2200 9415 11635 11715 11865* // MW 675 1125 2200-2300 9415 9445 9485 11865^ // MW 675 1125 (^) irregularly on air (*) 11865 co-ch VOA Dari 1900-1930 and RL Persian 2000-2100!!! Kor`an Al Kerim/Holy Koran in Arabic: 1100-1400 17750 // MW 1251 1630-1700 17750 only carrier // MW 1251 1700-1800 17750 // MW 1251 1830-2200 17750 // MW 1251 2230-2300 17750 // MW 1251 Sout Africa/Voice of Africa in French/English: 1400-1430 17750 // MW 1251 1800-1830 17750 // MW 1251 2200-2230 17750 // MW 1251 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) Checked at 2238 UT Jan 10, 9485 was a lot better than the other two 9 MHz frequencies, and 11865 blocked by RCI? (gh, DXLD) I don't know if the existing Tripoli-Sabratha site has appropriate antennas but at least there should be enough transmitters. The TDP booklet mentions this equipment: Four Thomson TRE2351 from 1977, three Brown Boveri SK55C3 from 1983/1990, two Thomcast TRE2355 from 1995. Three of these transmitters are marked as shut down, but this would still leave six rigs ready for operation, and one has really to wonder for which reason only a single transmitter was in use during the recent years, with the exception of these weird 1 kHz tone tests (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 7, BC-DX via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. This weekend (January 13) marks the 11th anniversary of the storming of Lithuanian Radio and Televsion's broadcast facilities in Vilnius by Soviet troops, an attack in which 14 innocent people were murdered and hundreds injured. Radio Vilnius has special programs every year to commemorate the anniversary; I presume this year will be no different. Assuming reception is OK in spite of the recent solar activity, Radio Vilnius can be heard at the following times: To North America: 2330 UTC on 9875 kHz 0030 UTC on 7325 kHz To Europe: 1900 UTC on 666 kHz MW 0930 UTC on 9710 kHz The first broadcast is the 1900 UTC broadcast; the other three are repeats. The 1900 UTC broadcast is also simulcast via Real Audio. The LRTV web-site is http://www.lrtv.lt/ --- click on the Real Audio link. And let Vladas Dobilas know if you listen: rav-@lrtv.lt [truncated by topica] (Ted Schuerzinger, Jan 11, swprograms via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Hello from Hilversum. As the Royal Wedding of our Crown Prince approaches, I've just looked at the tentative schedule of special transmissions (mostly in Dutch) on the day, 2 February. Some things have still to be confirmed, but hopefully next week we'll be able to publish the details. It looks as if there's going to be a rare opportunity to hear Radio Netherlands via a shortwave site we've never used before (and, indeed, may never use again). We're also planning special coverage here on the Web site (Andy Sennitt, Media Network Newsleter Jan 11 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** NIGERIA. The Voice of Nigeria now has a web site; it even plays music! The site is a bit slow to load but is worth the wait although some features are still under construction, should be really good when it is finished. http://www.voiceofnigeria.org/ Thanks for all those who replied to my query concerning the QSLing of Swiss Radio International so far, I shall reply with further details a little later. Best wishes, (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Jan 11, EDXP via DXLD) see also BIAFRA ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan has dropped its English news at 0800 and 1100 UT which was on 17520 and 21465; the broadcast is now all in Urdu. The only English from Pakistan is now 0045-0115 on 11650 and 15455 and at 1600-1615 on 15725 and 17750 (according to the schedule on their web site). (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Jan 12, EDXP via DXLD) Have you tuned in and actually not heard it at 0800, 1055 or 1100, and on more than one occasion? (gh, DXLD) Today, Jan. 12, Pakistan was heard with their usual news in English at 1100-1105 UT on 17520 and 21465 kHz before signing off with the Anthem (Erik Køie, Denmark, EDXP via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. ``KBBN``: We are close to being able to purchase a shortwave transmitter and hope to have it installed before the middle of this year (Wells, Jan 9, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Re my previous report on the RDP homepage article on the THALES equipment, I guess their page may eventually be last updated around December, and if so the content may be right, meaning the transmitter and the aerials may have even been delivered and scheduled for installation and testing during these 6 months till June, when they start being used in full, I hope! ... Now, if the ARTICLE on the homepage was inserted already this year, then the content doesn't make much sense for it misleads the audiences & readers (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, Jan 9, BC-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Independent Russian TV station shut down, By Robert Cottrell in Moscow Published: January 11 2002 16:47 | Last Updated: January 11 2002 18:06 7 A Russian high court ordered the liquidation on Friday of the country's only independent national television station, TV6. The move is likely to be interpreted by many, in Russia and overseas, as a political gesture aimed at silencing critics of President Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday the US state department had urged that TV6 be allowed to stay in business, saying the case smacked of "political pressure in the judicial process against the independent media". The order is a blow to Boris Berezovsky (pictured), the controversial Russian financier who acquired a large fortune and several media properties under President Boris Yeltsin, but who quarrelled quickly with the incoming Mr Putin and left Russia. Mr Berezovsky controls 75 per cent of TV6. But under Russia law he was powerless to halt a lawsuit brought last year by a minority shareholder claiming that TV6 was insolvent. TV6 managers say the minority shareholder, an oil company pension fund, was acting to please the Kremlin. In an interview with Russian radio on Friday, Mr Berezovsky called the Russian government "an emerging authoritarian power which does not want Russia's citizens to know what is happening in the country". He said the move to close TV6 was evidence of this. He also cited the case of Grigory Pasko, a Russian journalist accused of treason and sentenced last month to four years in jail. Russia's military prosecutor wants the sentence increased. Mr Pasko apparently angered the Russian Navy by publicising the dumping of nuclear waste in the Sea of Japan. Friday's ruling against TV6 reinstated a liquidation order first made in November, but overturned on appeal in December. Mr Berezovsky said he would now take his fight to the Russian Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. A lawyer for TV6 said the Russian courts had ignored recent changes in law, and improvements in TV6's finances, which should have staved off the liquidation order. The order brings fresh uncertainty for TV6's journalists, many of whom joined the station only last year after prolonged official harassment of their previous employer, NTV, another private television station. NTV was controlled by Vladimir Gusinsky, another Yeltsin-era tycoon who quarrelled with Mr Putin. Pressure from the government and from NTV's creditors forced out Mr Gusinsky, leaving NTV to be taken over by Gazprom, a gas monopoly part-owned by the Russian government. Yevgeny Kiselyov, general director of TV6, said he would try to keep his team together even if TV6 was closed, perhaps moving to a satellite, cable or internet broadcasting vehicle (Financial Times via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [and non]. The MCCBN website has been renewed, and there is a page containing their modernisation projects for the year 2001: http://www.mccbn.ru/content.asp?Lang=Eng&Link=Plans I.a., they were planning to install a new 75 kW MW transmitter (type DSV-75); the English translation is a little bit confusing, I would recommend to compare with the original text in Russian: http://www.mccbn.ru/content.asp?Lang=Rus&Link=Plans The MCCBN site also lists now the current B-01 schedules for those SW/MW frequencies which they are in charge of (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania/Germany, Jan 9, BC-DX via DXLD) ** SIKKIM. AIR Gangtok is not heard lately on 3390. Their schedule was 0100-0400 & 1030-1600 (Jose Jacob, India, Jan 9, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SPAIN. Radio Exterior de España does some strange things sometimes with its English broadcast to Europe at 2000 UT. It normally uses 9680 but today I had to tune down to 9630. They did the same thing about a month ago so it is not new for them to do this, but, I wonder why? This 2000 broadcast is in parallel with 9595 which is directed to Africa but this frequency does not provide as strong a signal as 9680 (or 9630 when they use it). (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Jan 12, EDXP via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Subject : [ham-hist] Stockholm Radio - end of W/T era Friends, From the Coastal Radio list: I have received this from Stockholm Radio with a request to pass it on to those interested. "MF W/T services from Stockholm Radio to be discontinued At 0001Z on 1 February 2002 a final broadcast will be made on 500 kHz W/T over all remote transmitter sites, as the station's contract for maintaining the telegraphy services expires on Jan 31. This moment marks the end of a century of continuous presence on W/T in the Stockholm region, as the first coast station in the area opened in 1902. All other services provided by the Stockholm Radio infrastructure; NAVTEX, MF DSC + R/T, HF Air/Ground, VHF DSC + R/T, and UAIS services will be continued." -- Robert Maskill, G4PYR, Peterborough Cambridgeshire -- 73 de K5RW, Neal McEwen, at "The Telegraph Office", A WWW Page for Telegraph Key Collectors and Historians http://www.metronet.com/~nmcewen/tel_off.html Feel free to ask any questions or share whatever trivia, facts or recollections of ham radio that you can. Please participate and post your message to Ham Radio History. Email your post to: Ham-Radio- History@YahooGroups.com HRH home page: http://www.YahooGroups.com/list/ham-radio-history (McEwen, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. Freq change for Radio Taipei International in Spanish to Europe: 2100-2200 NF 7130 (43333) QRM RFI in French on 7135, ex 9955 (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 7245, R. Tajikistan, 1645 Jan 7 in English. IS, clear ID "This is the English Service of R. Tajikistan, Dushanbe", news (mainly about Tajikistan's ties with other CIS countries, but also about captured "Al Qaeeda" fighters, the search for Mullah Omar etc.). Closed down just before TOH with symmetrical ann. "This has been the English program of R. Tajikistan, Dushanbe". Weak, but audible. First time I heard Tajikistan's External Service. Does anyone have a recent address of this one? (Christian Mocanu, Romania, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. 15655, Voice of Tibet *1214-1300* IS at 1215 (checked via RA on website), lot of talk and at 1245 again IS and woman in Chinese language. Off at 1300. // 15645. Fair to good signals. (P. Pijpers, Netherlands, Jan 9, 2002 for CRW via DXLD) ** UK/USA: BBC World now reaching 75 per cent of US TV households | Excerpt from press release by BBC Worldwide Television on 10 January BBC World, the BBC's 24 hour international news and information channel, begins the new year with an impressive increase in its distribution in the US. A long-standing relationship between BBC World and WLIW New York Public Television sees the channel now reaching even more viewers in New York via a new arrangement with channel Thirteen/WNET. Beyond New York, increased demand from public service stations across the US has led to 70 new channels carrying BBC World (in addition to the 134 which already take the service). This means that BBC World news now reaches nearly 75 per cent of all US TV households. The increase in carriage by public stations comes at a time when BBC World has experienced unprecedented audience demand in the US. This peaked in September and October when stations across the country showed continuous live coverage from BBC World of unfolding global events while positive feedback to the channel from US viewers reached an all time high. "Public television stations carrying BBC World News are now on the leading edge of television news, providing up to the minute, high quality coverage of international news as it happens around the world." said Terrel Cass, President and General Manager of WLIW New York Public Television. This significant new development means that New Yorkers gain another opportunity to see BBC World News. Every weekday night from 1 January 2002 at 6 p.m. a half hour BBC World news programme presented by Mishal Husain will bring the latest international news and analysis to households carrying Thirteen/ WNET in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut... For further information contact: Ciara O'Sullivan, Press Officer, BBC World. Tel: + 44 208 433 37 87, Fax: + 44 20 87439256, E-mail: ciara.osullivan@bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Worldwide Television press release, London, in English 10 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) I find this hard to believe. Anecdotal info, anyone, about whether BBC World is available in your home? Seems to me it is often on a high premium tier of channels only a few customers pay extra for. That`s different from one daily newscast being broadcast on some public TV station (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. PACIFICA Situation: Mishmash of pertinent info. I will write a synopsis of the LAB meeting over the weekend. There has been lots of organizing going on for this weekend's Interim Pacifica National Board meeting in NY. Peace, Gail Blasie WBAI BAI continues to refuse to carry DN. WBAI management and its staff collaborators are fiercely mobilizing over the airwaves for this event via daily, vitriolic, anti-progressive, racially-based appeals to the African American community -- despite the fact that many of those fired and banned -- and much of the leadership of the free-WBAI movement -- are people of color, plus many (of all nationalities/ identities) who have fought for years to win radical empowerment of communities of color. Go to wbai.net, click on "WBAI streaming" and listen to it. Much of the vitriol happens in the a.m., around 7 a.m. our time to noon. KPFK KPFK is also doing a disinformation campaign on the airwaves about the Interim National Board and the settlement. Lots of announcements on air trying to get the "neutered" listeners to protest the KPFK LAB. The efforts backfired. As a result, the KPFK LAB meeting was a huge success, great turnout. KPFT in Houston The much loathed General Manager in Houston has resigned. This is great. There was a wonderful KPFT LAB meeting tonight (Thurs.), and it is very positive. KPFA Pay close attention. We really need to open up the Program Council's actions to the public, and also get two community members put on the board. Apparently, the LAB can appoint two members to the Program Council, and have only appointed one, and that person is a staffer, and not a community person. Large part of the problem is the PC meets during the day, and most folks work. They have so far refused to change their meeting time. The LAB needs to get on the ball on this one and appoint someone. Democracy NOW! Apparently, two hours of DEMOCRACY NOW are being produced and broadcast for two hours, but not over Pacifica. The second hour is aired on Free Speech TV. Some would say this would be an issue with the settlement agreement with the iPNB (interim pacifica national board) on how to proceed. I suggest it is up to the listeners, and we need to have our voices heard. Write to the Program Council via Susan Stone and Andrea DuFlon, if you want both hours of DN aired. Also write the Interim National Board. Pacifica National Board Judge Sabraw ruled in favor of the resolutions lifting the gag order with controls on abuse and the committee to address the WBAI situation and rejected the resolution on termination of the legal firms. UPCOMING EVENTS The Public Media Initiative of the Marin Health Fund (BENEFIT FOR LEGAL COSTS FOR THE LISTENER SUIT) and New College of California presents: "A Passion for Peace and Survival: Free Speech in Dangerous Times" Dr. Helen Caldicott, With Carol Spooner Wheelchair Accessible Please refrain from perfume, cologne or other scented products. IN BERKELEY 1st Congregational Church of Berkeley 2345 Channing Way (at Dana & Durant Ave) Friday, Jan 25, 2002 $15. 8 pm (doors open 7 pm) General Admission- Open Seating Info: (415) 437-3425 (via Gail Blasie, DXLD) ** U S A. Rizzo Radio; 27555/U, N/D e-mail veri w/reception log & jpeg of Frank and his shack in a few hrs to rizzoradio@yahoo.com. Web page is http://u4ea.dynip.com:81/rizzoradio (Frodge-MI, MARE via DXLD) ** U S A. WWRB will fully QSL signal reports sent to: "World Wide Radio Broadcasting" or " World Wide Religious Broadcasting", WWRB, Box 7, Manchester, Tn 37349 - 0007. SASE required for the reply / QSL. (Peter Taggart, Operations manager WWRB via Dave Frantz, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Correction: The antenna system for WLW (AM 700 kHz) in Cincinnati was described incorrectly in an article "FCC Asks Broadcaster, Power Company to Help Cure Weird Interference" [reprinted in DXLD 2-003]. ARRL Michigan Section Technical Coordinator David Smith, W8YZ, points out that the WLW antenna is 189.3 electrical degrees tall--somewhat taller than one-half wavelength. "Both it and WSM (Nashville) were originally 5/8 radiators, but a secondary lobe caused sky to groundwave interference about 300 to 400 miles from the stations," he explained. "Shortening the towers to approximately a 9/16 wavelength radiator lowered groundwave strength slightly but eliminated the secondary lobe skywave problem." Smith also noted that WLW's tower is not top-loaded (ARRL Letter January 11 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. From: http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/01/12309272.shtml?Element_ID=12309272 What the stars are saying: Talk of WSM-AM format change concerns, frustrates many TENNESSEAN FILE, By PETER COOPER, Staff Writer After years of worrying that country music's commercial sky was falling, Nashville's music community now fears its roots are in danger. Those roots have been nourished by WSM-AM, home of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 75 years. Parent company Gaylord Entertainment's admission that it may change the station's focus from music to sports, a shift that would necessitate a new radio home for the Opry, has brought the company a groundswell of phone calls and e-mails of protest. Now some of country's biggest names have entered the fray, expressing anger and frustration but mostly worry. While contemporary stars including Vince Gill, Garth Brooks and Brad Paisley have been criticized for not taking public stances against the proposed changes, the truth is that many artists have quietly made their positions known to Gaylord higher-ups. Brooks remains silent, but both Gill and Paisley said they had spoken privately with Gaylord Chief Executive Officer Colin Reed in the past week. Several artists and industry insiders offered their perspectives to The Tennessean, in much the same way that members of the public are making their thoughts known to Gaylord through the company's toll-free comment line (1-877-457-0001). The interviewees touched on WSM's cultural importance, both as a landmark country radio station and as the radio home of the Grand Ole Opry. Vince Gill, MCA recording artist: ''I feel like before we start flexing our muscles and saying what we're going to do, we've got to find out if this is really going to happen. I personally don't think it is. I really don't think they're that calloused, that they'd just pull the plug. ''I feel that they'll exhaust all the possibilities, more so than anyone is going to give them credit for. But if you find out later that it is going to happen, you're going to scream louder. Then our measures will be more drastic. I'm not above calling in all the favors I've done over the last 18 years of supporting this city and this community and this music. ''I've talked to Colin Reed, who runs Gaylord, and I get the sense from him that he's trying to make this better. I'm sure most people would say, 'Instead of changing the station, please sell it. Sell it before you shelve it.' Now, a lot of people look at the wealth of the Gaylord company and say, 'So, they're losing a little money with WSM. Big deal, they've got a lot.' But that's not a logical way to think. They have to conduct business, like they should. ''But if people would check, I think they'd see that (WSM disc jockey) Eddie Stubbs' show is one of the better-rated shows in Nashville, period. There's no reason for this station to be losing money. This is a real gem that they have in their hands, and I think it would be an awful thing to change the format. Let's see what we can do to enhance, not replace.'' Brad Paisley, Arista recording artist: ''When you drive into Nashville, the signs on the highway don't say 'Home of the Titans' or 'Home of the Predators.' They say 'Home of the Grand Ole Opry.' The Opry is not in trouble, and it's had one of the best years in its history, but if you change WSM you are talking about chipping away at one of the things that has made the Opry what it is. ''I, for one, would love to think that the people at Gaylord love the Opry as much as we do, and I want to see us all work together to cultivate this heritage and not destroy it. I realize they're a company and that they have to make money. At the same time, they need to look into whether they are doing everything they can to make the current station make money. ''If they aren't, they need to examine whoever it is that's dropping the ball here. Demographics enter into it, but if they're getting the 'wrong' listeners, they should advertise for the listeners who are tuning in. As an artist, I don't ever want to think in terms of 'Well, I've sold a million records, but I wish it was a different million people who bought it.' That's stupid. ''If they think a sports talk station would do well in this market, fine. Buy another station. I don't know what it costs, but I'm willing to look into it for you. ''There are ways for WSM to make money and still remain committed to country music. Maybe the station could have a lot of local talk: take a colorful person from around here, have them as a daytime personality and stick everything local we can think of on the station. Then have the music at night. There's nobody doing a local, Nashville-identity station, with a mixture of talk and all this great music. ''But this station is a key player in the history of country music. You could tear down the Country Music Hall of Fame and put in a high- rise apartment building that might generate more revenue, but would it further the city's image? No. More people know of Nashville because of the Opry than anything else, and they know about the Opry because of WSM.'' Chely Wright, MCA recording artist: ''It's just unfathomable. I would really hate to see it go away, or for it to not be the country-formatted station it is. But I understand that the status quo at WSM is not going to work. If it's not as lucrative as it needs to be, do we really expect a company to hold on to it? ''The worst-case scenario is that it would go away, and I think it might be possible to give it a face lift: Keep it competitive, but keep the integrity intact. I think it's really good the way it is, and three months ago I wouldn't have said WSM needs to change. It's got more character, so many intellectual and musical nuances that most other stations don't have. But if there's a threat that it might go away, maybe some changes would help. ''Maybe this will be a good opportunity for the administration to kick it up a notch, to make things a little different so we won't lose everything that we have. It's a good chance for WSM to come out with its own renaissance. If it does go away, it would break my heart. WSM is the one that put country music on the map. ''I think there are so many people in our industry who love WSM and who would work to save it. If our industry were really called upon to make an effort to save WSM, I think we'd be amazed at the people who would show up.'' Marty Stuart, musician and president of the Country Music Foundation: ''We all need to recognize the important role WSM has played in country music, throughout the world. To throw that culture away is very sad. ''What scares me is that there was a time when the tide of public opinion might have made a huge difference, when the mailroom was a barometer of what people thought. Unfortunately, now the bottom line is more important than the mailroom.'' Hank Williams Jr., Curb recording artist: ''Time marches on, but WSM? It's like getting a bulldozer and taking the Ryman Auditorium down, which I guess they almost did. Right now, this idea of sports talk radio may sound good, but a year from now if they change it they may look at the bottom line and say, 'Well, now what?' Things can straighten themselves out, you know. ''Companies are not going to lose money, and that's the bottom line. How are we going to save it? Donations? Benefits? But then again, I guess stockholders don't want to be part of something that looks bad. ''If Gaylord gets to be known as the company that did really bad things to country music, that might change things. Like, 'Wait a minute, you're the company that did this?' It might leave a bad taste.'' Tony Brown, senior partner, Universal South: ''I am appalled that they'd even consider that. They need to get somebody out there that knows how to make money with that stuff. WSM is an icon, and I can't imagine it not being there.'' Gail Davies, artist/producer, Little Chickadee Productions: ''It would be the destruction of an American institution. If this happens, it's cutting the lifeline between authentic country music and the people who love it. People say 'Honor thy music.' Well, where's the honor? ''This would be putting country music in a nursing home, and it could endanger the 76 uninterrupted years of the Grand Ole Opry. We need to give (Opry General Manager) Pete Fisher all our support in the coming year. He's tried to turn the Opry around - to make it appeal to a wider audience - and we have to get behind him and make sure the Opry continues to exist. ''Considering the times we're living in, we need to value what is American today. Changing WSM would be destroying something that makes us Americans.'' (Tennessean Jan 12? Via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Subject : NBC.. "What's a translator?" NBC: A Scramble to Control Damage as Viewers Freeze Out New Affiliate By John Carman, San Francisco Chronicle Less than two weeks after switching to a new Bay Area affiliate, NBC has been hit by an enormous drop in ratings and is sending in a key executive to survey the damage and stop the defection of viewers. Early research shows that that NBC's prime-time ratings have plummeted 41 percent in the Bay Area on KNTV (Channel 11) compared with early January 2001, when KRON (Channel 4) was the network's affiliate. That figure, based on Nielsen household ratings, came from the research department at a competing TV station, Fox affiliate KTVU. The numbers were compiled from Jan. 3 through Tuesday. Jay Ireland, president of the network's owned-station group, pledges action to fix the network's reception problems in the Bay Area. Ireland was to arrive in the Bay Area Thursday for a firsthand look at reception problems that have plagued television viewers since KNTV became NBC's local affiliate on New Year's Eve. By NBC's admission, at least 212,000 households, most of them in San Francisco, cannot receive an over-the-air signal from KNTV's transmitter at Loma Prieta, south of San José. But the fix apparently won't be quick. Potential solutions to delivering the KNTV signal throughout the Bay Area range from moving the station's transmission tower to leasing available channels on the UHF spectrum, Ireland said in an interview in Los Ángeles this week. 'WE CARE' "If there is an engineering solution available, we will bring it," Ireland said. "We're not just being cavalier about it and saying we don't care about those 200,000 people," Ireland said. "We care." But he added, "We may never get all of them." Ireland said he wasn't surprised at the ratings decline since Jan. 3. "We expected a decline," he said, citing not only reception problems but also anticipated confusion over the affiliation switch. Another key part of NBC's lineup, the "Today" show, also posted a severe year-to-year ratings decline. Its Bay Area household ratings were cut nearly in half, according to the KTVU research. Steve Doerr, senior vice president of news and programming for NBC's news station group in New York, said Thursday that the devastating figures were "an unfair apples-to-oranges comparison at this point." For example, Doerr said, NBC programmed repeats this year on Thursday, Jan. 3, but carried original episodes of its popular Thursday night programs a year earlier. "The only reason somebody would say how bad our ratings are is that they're afraid of us competitively," Doerr said. SUBSIDIZING CABLE BILLS But clearly there is a strong sense of urgency at NBC about reception problems among Bay Area residents who do not subscribe to cable. Ireland said NBC has even considered subsidizing cable bills so viewers can get a clear picture from KNTV. One NBC source said that option will probably be dismissed because it would be too expensive. About three-quarters of the homes in the Bay Area are already wired for cable, where KNTV is generally available on cable Channel 3. NBC, which has reached agreement to buy KNTV from Granite Broadcasting and is likely to assume direct management of the station later this year, is conducting engineering studies about moving the transmitter north from Loma Prieta to Mount Allison in southern Alameda County. BORROWING FROM UHF Ireland said NBC wants to make certain it wouldn't lose more viewers than it would gain in moving the tower. Such a move would require the approval of the Federal Communications Commission. "We don't want to move the tower if it's not going to help anything," Ireland said. Another possibility, he said, is using the transmitters of low-power stations that have been licensed by the FCC but are not in operation or otherwise are not available for lease. Low-power stations send relatively weak signals to areas as small as neighborhoods, usually over the UHF band -- TV broadcast channels above Channel 13. Ireland said that he didn't know what channels might be available and conceded that he has little personal knowledge of broadcast engineering. Ireland said KNTV has been collecting location data as viewers have contacted the station to complain about reception problems. That information suggests that one of the areas most severely affected by reception problems is San Francisco's Richmond District, he said. (via Brock Whaley, Jan 11, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. This week I checked again for the newish Portuguese DX program of Voz Cristã, ``Altas Ondas``, scheduled Fridays 1600-1700 on 21500 via Chile. As usual, the frequency was quite weak, beamed to Brasil, unlike their Spanish toward México on 21550, so I brought up the website http://www.vozcristiana.com/ clicked on Português and that turned out to be a direct link to their audio feed. Doesn`t sound like the DX program... finally at 1615 it started, mostly the host talking animatedly, with musical bits, and reading contributions from a who`s who of Brazilian DXers: DX tips from Célio Romais; Clubes em Acão provided by Valter Aguiar; some basic SW info from Rudolf Walter Grimm, pronounced by host more German than Brazilian, and later some audio sent in by Samuel Cássio, of Norway on SW, and then as heard in Brazil on MW 1314. Unfortunately, the presenter couldn`t bear to let the recordings play long enough to get much out of them, and was confused about the power of the MW, seemingly unwilling to accept that it was really 1200 kW, which in American terms is incomprehensible to the uninitiated. Later he admitted that Altas Ondas got a late start today, and vowed to fill out the hour with it, so I guess it is still supposed to run from 1600 to 1700 London time (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Additional frequencies for Radio Liberty in Persian to Afghanistan/ME: 2000-2100 9785 MOR 250/075; 11750 UDO 500/300; 11865 500/300 // 7280 and 9835 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 11 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [and non]. The Voice of Vietnam's morning service in Japanese 2130-2200 is currently only using a single frequency, 12020, since mid-December. The scheduled parallel channel of 9840 has been suspended. From 2200, the morning Mandarin service is currently noted on 12020 and 9840, continuing in Cantonese 2230-2300, Thai 2300-2330, and English 2330-2359. Services for Europe are currently noted 1600- 2130 on 9730 and 7145 throughout, including English 1600-1630, 1800- 1830, and 2030-2100. Relays noted currently for Eu are: 5955 Moosbrunn 1800-1830 English, 1830-1930 Vietnamese, 1930-2000 French; 5970 Skelton 2000-2030 Russian, 2030-2130 Vietnamese. Note that only three frequencies are used at any given time from Vietnam proper, for External Service broadcasts: there are two "couplets" - 12020/9840 and 9730/7145. From 1100-1530 an additional (third) freq of 7285 is taken into use, for English services to Asia and Siberia in various languages. That frequency is also used for Khmer 0000-0030, and Lao 0030-0100, for morning services to Asia. Evening services are noted commencing at 0830 on 12020/9840 with Mandarin (EDXP Jan 12 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Khmer Krom Fridays only at 1400, also uses 15690 [Almaty-KAZ?]. Interesting coincidence in freq with KRSI, but nice to reconfirm the CIS site of Krom or see if it has changed (Hans Johnson- USA, BC-DX Jan 11 via DXLD) Khmer Krom was a no-show today. I kept an ear on 15690 from 1345 to 1445 with no luck (Olle Alm-SWE, Jan 11, ibid.) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. ALGERIA RASD - The Voice of the Sahara. I was really shocked to hear that station around 1725 Jan 8 .. a talk by a YL. About the new digital tech in TV transmitting with Kenny G music in the back ground, followed by a song by an Iraqi singer, followed by the same YL with another long talk, followed by a Lebanese song. At around 1800 the local news about the SAHRAWI citizens in the Morocco Jails. Strange timing I think. I checked them again around 2050 and they were still on (Tarek Zeidan, SU1TZ, BC-DX via DXLD) On 7460?? (gh, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non] LONE VOICE OF FREEDOM DEFIES MUGABE From: http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2002%2F01%2F12%2Fwzim212.xml By Caroline Davies (Filed: 12/01/2002) In a tiny studio tucked away in an anonymous London office block, the staff of SW Radio Africa are rushing around, answering phones and putting the finishing touches to the running order. "It's not my best," groans Violet Gonda of her interview with the Zimbabwean justice minister, Patrick Chinamasa. "He was so aggressive and I fell apart." But there is no time to edit. The tape will run as it is and, in half-an-hour, listeners all over Zimbabwe will tune to 6145 kHz on the 49-metre waveband to hear their country's only independent radio station broadcast its daily three- hour news programme. That this dedicated group of eight journalists and technicians have been forced to leave Zimbabwe for London to broadcast independent Zimbabwean news is due to President Mugabe's draconian broadcasting regulations. If, as is anticipated, he pushes through the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Bill on Monday, further strangling press freedom with even stricter measures against newspaper journalists, SW Radio Africa could be the only outlet for genuinely independent news in the country. SW Radio Africa is the brainchild of Gerry Jackson, 49, a journalist with the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation for 13 years until she was sacked for "insubordination" for taking live calls on air from listeners during the 1997 food riots. She fought and won a legal battle in the Supreme Court in 2000 to set up an independent radio station, Capital FM, in Harare. Six days after it went on air it was closed down by some men with AK47s when Mugabe used his presidential powers to overturn the court's decision. After "sitting around for a while", she decided to broadcast from outside Zimbabwe. It took her a year to raise funds. She moved to London two months ago and SW Radio Africa went on air on Dec 19. Ms Gonda, who left Zimbabwe 18 months ago to study journalism at London's City University, was also recruited. Others involved do not wish to be identified, for fear of reprisals against their families at home. "We can get to the remote rural places that the independent newspapers cannot," Ms Jackson says. "As long as people can afford the batteries for their radios, they can tune in." © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2001. (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. ZIMBABWEAN GROUP WILL 'STRUGGLE' FOR LICENCE A group of 'young activists interested in promoting peaceful dialogue' is setting up a community radio station in Bulawayo, southwest Zimbabwe. A spokesman for the group, the "Bulawayo Dialogue", told SW Radio Africa on January 11: "The equipment is here and currently the sound- proofing of our studio is going on. The next step we will be looking for is licensing." Asked whether it would be difficult "given the current situation" to obtain permission to broadcast, the spokesman said the government was "terribly frightened" of the people" and in such conditions "anything becomes illegal even if it is legal and proper". Getting a licence would be "a product of struggle". The group would "mobilize the people of Bulawayo and Zimbabwe in general to fight for the right to have a community radio station and to express their views." He added that the government was delaying "the liberalization process" of Zimbabwe broadcasting until after the March presidential election because it "could not imagine a situation where the air was liberalized before the election". The planned station intended to "facilitate development and communication through democratization" and would broadcast in all the languages of the community. Asked whether the station "has a strategy" for dealing with a protracted delay in obtaining a licence, he warned: "We are looking at a gang of a very few selfish individuals who think that they can destroy the whole community and society of Zimbabwe because of their own interests, and I think it's not for long that the people of Zimbabwe are going to be patient under this yoke. Very soon I see the situation erupting, the people of Zimbabwe virtually rendering this country ungovernable and demanding what belongs to them in terms of democracy, human rights and other things." (by Roger Tidy, Source: SW Radio Africa's live webcast, January 11 at 1615 UT, for DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. ----------------OTHER THINGS THAT GO BEEP IN THE NIGHT---------------- ``National Windshield Wiper Synchronization Service`` 4370- 4405 02 Dec (HF) 4520- 4550 02 Dec (HF) 4630- 4660 02 Dec (HF) 4770- 4832 02 Dec (HF) 4884- 4930 02 Dec (HF) 4895- 4920 22 Nov (HF) (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) That`s the ocean wave radar from Honduras or somewhere in the US (gh) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-007, January 10, 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com/ are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. 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 #1113 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1113.html FIRST AIRINGS on WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685, Fri 1030 on 3210 FIRST AIRINGS on RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB AIRINGS on WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 to rest of world; 1500 to NAm DXERS CALLING HAS CHANGED SERVER [WORLD OF RADIO in rotation with DXing With Cumbre, Paul Ormandy, etc] Hi listeners and dxers, dxers calling can now be found at http://www.live365.com/stations/280578 or website addresses: http://www.geocities.com/nri3 http//www.angelfire.com/myband/tjg direct winamp url (Ctrl L) 66.28.49.139:18918 check out n1dk and Cybershortwave at:- http://www.n1dk.com/ look up 'shortwave' at www.live365.com using the search function for a complete list of shortwave related stations, many thanks (Tim Gaynor, Qsld., Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO ENLACE: Nuevo informe DX de gh para enero comienza el viernes 11 y domingo 13, para continuarse la próxima semana, en Radio Nederland. DX PROGRAMS update January 10: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Re the discussion about HTML vs text in DXLD 1-209 and the subsequent decision regarding that in the new website arrangement: I was able to print all the color-background and new-font HTML stuff OK on the library B&W printers (HPs) with no difficulty. But I think your decision to keep the separate .txt and .html versions is wise. Hope you don't have too much extra workload to do the HTML; the info you collect and disseminate is great, and that is where your time is most valued by all of us. I should send a testimonial more often; I want to reiterate my appreciation for your tremendous efforts (Will Martin, St. Louis MO, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. Media round-up Wednesday 9 January 2002 Radio Voice of Afghanistan describes Afghan TV's facilities Radio Voice of Afghanistan, which is based in London, continues to be observed on its scheduled frequency of 9950 kHz from 1330-1430 gmt daily. On 8 January, RVOA reported on international assistance in reconstructing the broadcast industry in Afghanistan. Following is text of the report: Dear listeners. According to news agency reports, the international community and international organizations are busy inviting tenders to reconstruct Afghanistan's radio and television. These agencies say that Iran, China, Germany, Turkey, Japan and India have so far promised to help. They have undertaken to prepare all the necessary equipment for making TV broadcasts. Similarly, the international community and UNESCO have allocated 35,000 dollars for the training of the television's technical and production staff. It is noteworthy that, when visiting the head of the Afghan interim administration, Hamed Karzai, the prime minister of Italy [Silvio Berlusconi] promised that he would make all necessary aid available to the interim administration for the reconstruction of Afghan radio and TV. We appreciate this aid from friendly countries and thank them as Afghans. We also demand that the Afghan interim government should set up a committee for collecting aid and a coordinating committee for refurbishing the radio, television, Kabul museum, the national gallery, the national archive, public libraries and other cultural organizations so as to prevent the works from being dispersed. For example, Afghanistan TV's foundation stone was laid at the time of Sardar Mohammad Daud [the first Afghan president, who came to power in 1973]. It had only a production studio and a speaking booth. Most of its technical equipment came from the Japanese company (?NEC) and from the German company Bosch, and there were two sound-proofed rooms that could help the production studio to some extent. All this was only used for one-hour educational and training broadcasts. Later, the studio was used as much as possible. Although the whole Afghan TV complex was just a small television laboratory, it was used to broadcast to the world. There is a fear that our TV's previous Pal system will change to Secam or some other system. I would say that all technical television equipment should be purchased from leading companies. It must have been tried and tested so that we do not need, after a few years, to make a change in our technical TV equipment and system, which would double our work. This should be the duty of the coordinating committee for collecting aid, so that the aid provided by friendly countries is spent appropriately. Source: Radio Voice of Afghanistan, London, in Pashto 1330 gmt 8 Jan 02 Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Source: BBC Monitoring research, 9 Jan 02 (excerpts via DXLD) Media round-up Thursday 10 January 2002 BBC Monitoring has confirmed that Radio Afghanistan in the capital Kabul is broadcasting on mediumwave 1570.18 kHz. The morning broadcast signs on at 0130 gmt. The evening broadcast span has been confirmed as 1230-1630 gmt daily. Source: BBC Monitoring research, 10 Jan 02 (excerpt via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA? 2379.84, LRA15 Radio Nacional Tucumán? (harmonic 2 x 1190) 0030-0120 Jan 9, Spanish talk and piano vocals sounding (in my musical ignorance) very "Argentinian" to my ears. Weak signal with fair peaks (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry, VT, NRD 535D, V-Beam 140m @180 deg., WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. Pirate: 6460.9, Radio Bosques, Argentina. 2333-0000. January 9. First test transmission in this new frequency!!!! Folk music and, at 2338, Argentine National Anthem. After, romantic music in Spanish. At 2351, folk music. At 2354 ID by male in Spanish as: "Usted está sintonizando a Radio Bosques, desde Buenos Aires, en la República Argentina"; at 2355, other ID by male as: "Desde Argentina, ésta es RAL, Radiodifusión Argentina Libre, desde Buenos Aires.....". 34232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Bosques está siendo escuchada en la nueva frecuencia de 6460.93 khz en modo AM. Escuchada hoy, 9/1/02, a 0121-0222+, SINPO: 35343. ID "Ésta es RAL, Radiodifusión Argentina Libre", luego mx de Luciano Pereira y Soledad. A las 0143 Himno Nacional de Argentina, version instrumental. Según su operador, está saliendo con 100 watts de potencia, y su objetivo es quedarse aquí por el momento, dado que le interesa tener una cobertura nacional y regional, es decir, permanecerá en los 6460.93 khz. También escuchada por mi amigo Arnaldo Slaen. 73's (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Hi, Glenn! Thanx for the response about the Australia sked. It was back to normal on the next Saturday, so I guess it was a one-day change. I have been having great difficulty hearing R. Australia's Feedback in recent weeks. Of course, my main problem is remembering to try for it at 6 PM local on Friday, when I normally am watching TV news. I only started to try to hear it back a few months ago, and happened to luck out and hear it when they read my e-mail! But recently, I just cannot get any R. Australia signal at the time it is broadcast. But I *do* get their signals at that time if I tune other days of the week! The other week on Friday (I forget if it was two weeks back or just one), when nothing came in at the 0005 UT time, I remembered to try again at 0605 UT. No R. Australia in any listenable form on any listed freq. But then, later in the same hour, a perfectly listenable R. Australia signal showed up. So I guess the demons of propagation are aiming their tridents at me... :-) (Will Martin, St. Louis MO, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRIA. Hi Glenn, Wolf Harranth of ORF Vienna can be heard on 250th issue of Roi-ORF's INTERMEDIA DX program in German language on air this weekend, on Fri/Sat/Sun. Christoph Ratzer OE2CRM the owner of A-DX mailinglist at Salzburg Austria donated this [Spezial-QSL Certificate] design and print costs. 73 de wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Weil mir unglaublich langweilig war hab ich mir was einfallen lassen zur 250. Intermedia Sendung vom Harranth Wolfi. Mehr via A-DX. Subject: [A-DX] Intermedia - Sonder QSL Hallo Leser(innen), Am 11. Januar erfreut uns Wolf Harranth mit der 250. Ausgabe seines Medienmagazins INTERMEDIA auf R Oesterreich International. Da ich finde das man so runde Anlaesse schon mal hervorheben kann, habe ich im Namen der A-DX Liste ein SONDER QSL Zertifikat gewidmet, die es nur fuer Empfangsberichte der INTERMEDIA Sendungen vom kommenden Wochenende geben wird. Das QSL Zertifikat wurde von mir im Format DIN A4 gestaltet und wird im 4-Farb Druck hergestellt, die Empfangsdetails werden auf der Rueckseite zu finden sein. Zu sehen ist das Zertifikat ab sofort unter http://www.ratzer.at/ Die Sendezeiten (UTC) von Intermedia: Freitag 1803 Europa 6155, 5945 Freitag 1930 Europa MW 1476 Samstag 0303 Europa Astra-Satellit Samstag 2004 Europa 5945, 6155 Sonntag 1730 Europa 6155, 13730 Intermedia im Web: http://roiorfat/intermedia/ Bitte die Empfangsberichte an die bekannte Anschrift von R Oesterreich International senden: Radio Oesterreich International, Argentinierstrasse 30A, A-1040 Wien Austria oder roiservice@orf.at Mit herzlichen Glueckwuenschen nach Wien verabschiedet sich (Christoph Ratzer, A-DX Mailing-List (Jan 8, via Büschel, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5035.26, Radio Aparecida, 2250 Jan 3, Announcer with talk and ID. // 6135.12 and 9639.14. Fair to good signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURKINA FASO. 5030.0, RTV Burkina, 1915 Excellent signal with males in French about political questions, time and location (Ouagadougou) given. [Later:] Have been a bit too hasty with this: although it was indeed Burkina Faso, signal was gone when checking at 1940. Still, keep your ears open :-) and keep watching the skies..... (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, Jan 9, SWBC via WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DXLD) ** CANADA. Re DXLD 2-006: I should have noticed that Rick reported CFVP not on its usual frequency 6030, but on 6035.32. Was this correct, or maybe meant to be 6030.32?? (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. "I just got a QSL for a September 2001 CRI reception on 1323 kHz... their Russian language Service for the Far East. The sent me a nice normal CRI picture postcard QSL, except all of the printed lettering was in Cyrillic! Very appropriate. They also enclosed a full schedule of their Russian language broadcasts, with a few notes penciled in to assist me in decoding them. Here is their Russian language schedule to the Far East as of October 2001: 1000-1100 UT 963, 1116, 7820, 9695 kHz; 1100-1200 UT 963, 1116, 1323, 7820 kHz; 1200-1300 UT 963 kHz; 1300-1400 UT 963, 7820 kHz; 1400-1500 UT 963 kHz; 1500-1600 UT 963 kHz. No transmitter locations were indicated, but I understand that most if not all transmissions to the Russian Far East come from Jilin Province, while those intended for Siberia are located near Urumqi and elsewhere in Xinjiang Province [John Bryant, NRC IDXD Jan 8 via DXLD – I suppose DXing from WA, not OK? -gh] ** CHINA?? I was just listening on 1521 to see how Duba [Sa`udi Arabia] is coming in at sunset. Just at sunset, about 2125 a huge signal came up with Chinese male announcer (I could hear it without nulling WWKB). It only lasted for about five minutes, and I didn't get a chance to do any parallels. The WRTH says that CBS Taiwan is on 1521 with 1200 kw. Is this possibly what I heard? [Vern Brownell, Chatham MA] This would most likely be China Radio International in Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, western China. Excellent catch! Often heard in Europe and occasionally logged in NF, but no known US logging since they went to 1521 from 1525 and dropped power many years ago. Try for this again (for ID material) and you might as well look for India-1566 at the same time. I presume that the log was from Chatham, MA ... right? [Mark Connelly, MA] Thanks for the info, Mark. That's exciting if that's what it was. Yes, I was listening from Chatham, with the R8B, the DXP-2, loop and vertical. The signal was very loud just at sunset and then dropped very quickly. The signal came back up about 30 minutes after, but much weaker. I'll be listening for it again and will check India if I hear it [Vern Brownell] Great catch, Vern!! Since they are lower power now, according to what I've read. Anyhow, at least 3 DXers heard them on 1521 within a year of the freq shift, back when they still used high power to send propaganda to Russia. Those 3 were myself, and Bill Bailey and Stan Morss if I recall. The only one who's heard them in recent times, to my knowledge, is Jean Burnell [Neil Kazaross-IL] Sorry, this wasn't China Radio International from Urumqi. This frequency is used exclusively for programs in Russian, which is what I heard the only time I've logged them (on 27 December, 1997). [Jean Burnell] Looks like this needs more work judging by Jean's & Ben's comments. Presumably if on 1521 it would be distinguishable in 1.8 kHz bandwidth from different stuff on 1520. If it's 1520, it may just be the MD station (not very interesting) but if the Chinese is really on 1521 maybe it is Taiwan. It has been logged in Europe but never, to my knowledge, in North America [Mark Connelly-MA] (Ben's comments not received here - Jim Renfrew) (ALL: from NRC IDXD Jan 8 via DXLD) ** CUBA [and non]. Tenía mucho tiempo que no sintonizaba la frecuencia 13339.2, USB donde se encuentran Los Boyeros del Aire de Cuba. En esta frecuencia se pueden oir las comunicaciones entre torre de control y pilotos de Cubana de Aviación, AeroMéxico, así como conversaciones sobre reparaciones que se le hacen a los aviones de Cubana de Aviación. Pongan la frecuencia esperen un rato y podrán oir cosas interesantes (José Díaz Elías Gómez, Venezuela, Jan 9, Conexión Digital via WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. Czechs to seek to move Radio Free Europe regardless of its head's statement | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 9 January: The Social Democrat (CSSD) government will not change its position on the location of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and will continue to seek to move its headquarters from the former Czechoslovak parliament building in the centre of Prague, Prime Minister Milos Zeman said today. RFE/RL President Tome Dine rejected the moving of the station in The Prague Post English-language weekly today as a capitulation before terrorism. He said that moving the RFE/RL headquarters from the centre of Prague had become a political topic, which would be used in the election campaign. "The government's position is not determined by the position of Radio Free Europe director, not in the least. And the government's position will therefore not change," Zeman told journalists. He stressed that the relocation of the station had been supported by Chamber of Deputies [lower house of parliament] Chairman Vaclav Klaus (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) and Senate Chairman Petr Pithart (Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) as representatives of the opposition forces. They supported it in mid-December after a meeting of the National Security Council which recommended that RFE/RL change its location. Zeman declined to say whether the government knew how much the transfer would cost the station. He did not say whether talks were under way on who will pay for it. "This question should be addressed to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Jan Kavan who has been charged by the government with holding the talks with RFE/RL," Zeman said, adding that even if analyses of financial expenses existed they were only preliminary. Due to fear of possible terrorist attack after 11 September 2001 armoured vehicles and armed soldiers have been guarding the RFE building in the centre of Prague. In mid-December the National Security Council recommended to the cabinet that it start talks with RFE officials about moving the station from the centre of Prague to a safer place. It is not yet clear where the station might be moved. Zeman said earlier that the Defence Ministry had found five alternative buildings. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1915 gmt 9 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. No premises offered to US-funded radio meet requirement - Czech minister | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 10 January: No alternative building which the Defence Ministry had offered to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) "meets the very demanding criteria" set by RFE, Foreign Minister Jan Kavan told today's issue of daily Pravo. "I am not sure whether such building that would comply with all criteria exists in this country at all," he said, adding that he still believed that the government must continue negotiating moving the radio from the centre of Prague. The moving of the US government sponsored RFE from Prague's centre started to be considered after the National Security Council recommended to the cabinet to enter into negotiations with RFE on moving the station from the centre of Prague to a safer place. The recommendation was made in the wake of a terrorist threat against the radio following the terrorist attack against the USA last September. The three armoured vehicles which now guard the building obstruct traffic at a place which was problematic already before. "Our request for moving (the radio) to another place within the Czech Republic cannot be considered as amounting to the cancellation of our invitation to Free Europe of 1995 or as our saying that we do not wish it to operate in the country," Kavan said. RFE/RL President Tom Dine told the latest issue of the weekly The Prague Post that moving RFE/RL out of its current headquarters would mean capitulation to terrorists. He added that "in the face of a threat, in the face of fear, you stand and face it. You do not run". In early December the radio extended its Central Asian broadcasts to include programmes in Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Farsi, one of the languages spoken in Afghanistan. RFE/RL spokeswoman Sonia Winterova told CTK then that the station continued to prepare the launch of broadcasts to Afghanistan. RFE/RL was established in 1949 in order to spread news to and support democratic values in countries behind the Iron Curtain, including the then communist Czechoslovakia. Originally seated in Munich, it moved to Prague in 1995. The Czech Republic leased to it the building of the former federal parliament at a symbolic one crown per year. RFE/RL broadcasts to 25 countries in 27 languages for more than 1,000 hours a week. (One dollar equals 36.23 korunas.) Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 0718 gmt 10 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 2219.85, Unidentified (harmonic?), Jan 9, 0213- 0326/1048-1105. A harmonic or spur with some Radio Villa programming. 0213 bachata vocals, 0252 very tentative possible ID for either Radio Cayacoa (3 x 740), or Radio Jarabacoa (2 x 1110) "...su sintonía ...acoa". Later that morning again, 1048 with better signal and Radio Villa IDs and jingle, "Radio Villa, la sencilla..." "...por la sencilla, Villa 14-80...", gone by 1105 sunrise. Weak carrier, mostly splattered audio with occasional good peaks, especially in the morning. First heard with weak bachata music back in December (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. I got a really nice personal reply from Producer Mahdi H. Muudee on Sagalee Oromiyaa today. Their postal address is P O Box 17662, Atlanta, GA. 30316, USA. He told me that he will play some Oromo music for me in their next transmission, on Thursday, Jan 10th at 1730-1800 on 12120 kHz. 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Deutsche Welle starts weekly Roma broadcast | Text of report by press release by Deutsche Welle on 3 January On 6 January 2002 Deutsche Welle (DW) will start broadcasting a programme for all of Europe in Romanes [Romani], the language of the Roma and Sinti. The weekly programme is produced for DW by RADIOmultikulti (SFB), which has the editorial responsibility for the programme and which transmits it in the Greater Berlin area. DW announced this on 3 January 2002. "This cooperation", says DW Director Erik Bettermann, "gives the Roma and Sinti who are living in eastern and southern Europe, and also other parts of Europe, the opportunity to learn in their own language about current events and subjects which are relevant for them. The half-hour programme contains, among other things, reports about Sinti and Roma in Germany and Europe, interviews and information on inter-ethnic and inter-cultural life, and also reports on cultural events and educational issues. DW transmits this programme across Europe via shortwave radio and satellite as well as worldwide through the Internet. It can be received on Sundays at 1930-2000 Central European Time [1830-1900 gmt] on 3995 kHz in the 75m shortwave band (Spain, North Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, Poland, Denmark, France); 6130 kHz in the 49m band (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Serbia, Macedonia); 11885 kHz in the 25m band (Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Turkey) and via the HotBird 5 and Astra 1A satellites. It is also available on the Internet: http://www.dw-world.de/romanes/ Source: Deutsche Welle press release, Cologne, in German 3 Jan 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DXLD) ** HONDURAS. 1740.73, HREO Radio Super Estrella, Santa Rosa de Copán, (harmonic 3 x 580), 1106-1125+ Jan 10, Finally, full sign-on ID during a sudden signal peak at 1106. Same exact ID as recorded by Hans Johnson (Cumbre DX Number 380). Sustained fair signal this morning past 1125 (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONDURAS. Subject: Up Date HRPC and HRYT The following 'update' appeared in my inbox the other day, and following it up, it appears it was intended for WRTH, as my E-mail address was 'the one that appears on the form'. I left WRTH at the end of 1997, and the last form we sent out with my E-mail address on was in the summer of 97. As you can see, the update is current. Formatting as received (Andy Sennitt) HRPC, Radio Light and Life San Luis, Santa Bárbara, Honduras, Central Amercia 1600 kHz and 3.250 MHz Mailing address: P O Box 303, San Pedro Sula, Honduras Director General Donald Moore Director Ventas Donald Moore Ingeniero Jefe Donald Moore Director de Programas Adonay Schancez [sic] Telefono: 504-664-1221 email: efmhonduras@globalnet.hn AM HRPC 1000 Watts 1.6 Mhz 0500-2200 CST SW HRPC 1000 Watts 3.250 Mhz 0500-1000 1600-2200 Cst Linea de Programacion Religious Horario de Noticias None Idiomas Usados Principal Espanol; Saturday 2100-2200 English Sunday 2030-2200 English Slogan: Radio Luz Y Vida Planes Futuros: Transmitt Shortwave all night 1600 until 1000 next day. Febuary 2002 (via Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, Jan 10, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** INDIA. Friends, AIR Kolkata is noted back on 7210 at 0230-0401 & 0730-0931 after being on 7200 from January 7 to 9, 2002. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India; Telefax 91-40-3310287 http://www.niar.org/ Jan 10, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Published Sunday, January 6, 2002 XM Satellite car radio: 100 channels, but why? PERSONAL TECHNOLOGY WHILE TELEVISION has been transformed by cable and satellite, with vastly more channels and better reception, radio has been stuck in the past. The medium is still based on the same AM and FM technologies used for decades. And the variety of radio programming has actually diminished, as stations have been homogenized by national owners into a small number of standard formats. But that's finally changing. Last month, XM Satellite Radio, a company based in Washington, D.C., launched a nationwide service that beams 100 channels of digital radio to cars whose drivers have installed special radio receivers and subscribed at $10 a month. Starting next month, a competitor, New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio, plans to roll out its $13-a-month service in three cities. I spent about a week testing XM Radio in a borrowed 2002 Cadillac, the only car so far that can be purchased with the special XM-capable radio receiver installed at the factory. Owners of other cars can buy add-on or replacement radios and antennas from Sony, Pioneer, and Alpine equipped to receive XM's transmissions. All of these radios have small screens showing the song title, artist and channel name. XM attempts to satisfy many more tastes than conventional radio stations do, while providing digital, near-CD sound quality. There are 71 music channels, with the rest broadcasting news, talk, comedy and sports. You can still receive regular FM and AM channels on the special receivers, but the XM channels are far superior. Some channels play only the music of particular decades, from the 1940s through the 1990s. There are 10 rock-music channels, seven urban channels, six country channels, six for jazz and blues, four classical channels, five Latin and two kids' channels. (You can sample the 100 channels on the Web at http://www.xmradio.com/ ) I especially liked the '50s and '60s channels, where I found everyone from Chuck Berry to the Beatles. But I also favored a channel called Soul Street, which features Motown and similar music; an Acoustic Rock channel called the Loft; a progressive country channel called Cross Country and the XM Comedy channel. My kids liked a channel called Real Jazz, which they saw as an alternative to the smooth jazz on regular radio. My assistant liked the all-opera Vox channel, the On Broadway show tunes channel and one called Cocktail Mix. All of these channels are hosted by polished DJs operating from a state-of-the-art radio factory the company constructed in an old printing plant in D.C. The broadcasts are beamed to cars via XM's two satellites, named Rock and Roll. XM is an artistic success, and a great leap forward in radio programming. But there are big drawbacks that make it much less attractive than it might be. First, it's very expensive. The Cadillac radio is a $295 option. The add-on XM radios range from $200 to $400, and that doesn't include the antenna or installation. A top-of-the-line $400 Pioneer unit costs well over $600 at Best Buy, before taxes, when you include the antenna and installation. Other models typically top $400 with antenna and installation. XM'S $10 monthly fee is per radio, not per subscriber or household. So, if you really love it and want it in two cars, you pay $20 a month. This is especially irritating because most XM stations carry commercials, and five of them simulcast regular, ad-bloated radio stations in various cities. Second, the initial radios are poorly designed for the 100-channel service. Navigation is a nightmare, and the screens are small and inadequate. The radio in the Cadillac I drove is essentially unmodified from a regular radio. It lacks any way to directly punch in one of XM's channel numbers, so you have to hold down a button that scrolls through the whole list. The screen can only display one line of information, and flashes the title and artist only briefly. If you want to see the info again, you must press a button. There are only 12 preset buttons for stations. All of this distracts the driver. Most of the other radios seem at least as bad, or worse, though the $299 Sony has a two-line screen and a remote control, and can be moved from car to home with a $150 add-on kit. General Motors tells me it's working on better XM radios, maybe even models that work by voice command. But for now, the radios are a big problem. Reception also can be spotty. In my tests, in and around XM's hometown of D.C., the signal was briefly blocked by the city's relatively small office buildings and short tunnels. I noticed several instances where station changes lagged. Finally, for early adopters who have money and love music, XM faces competition not from regular radio but from CDs, especially home-burned ones, which contain only the songs you like, with no ads. You can listen for hours to music programmed by the ultimate disk jockey -- yourself. Why would you want to pay hundreds of dollars for a special radio and $10 a month to listen to music programmed by somebody else? Walter Mossberg is the personal technology columnist for the Wall Street Journal. His column runs on Sunday. (ContraCostaTimes.com via Mike Cooper, DXLD) I saw the author interviewed on TV but had not yet seen the article. I would like to address several points the author makes. The author was driving a Cadillac with a factory installed receiver. The $10 per month fee can be folded into the monthly car payment. I doubt a Cadillac purchaser will ever notice the difference in payment. 30,000 subscribers signed on since the service started, a number comparable to the early days of Direct TV satellite broadcasting. The test will be the churn rate. Once people have tried it for a few months, will they sign off or keep laying out that $10 per month? Time will tell, but all reports so far that i have seen on the internet have been enthusiastic. Show me an AM/FM car radio with direct keypad entry of the frequency. Even if there was one, the government probably would require us to pull over before changing the channel. The author seems to be fishing for something bad to say. So the obtuse tuning is only a problem while you are setting up your favorite channels into the preset buttons. I doubt I would need more than 12 favorite formats. Maybe the author has a broader range of musical tastes. My car radio has only 12 presets and I do fine. All the manufacturers wanted to get something on the market to satisfy the annual Christmas buying binge. How many bells and whistles were there on the first VCR's? One point the author fails to mention is that XM does not make or control the design of the radios. Competition between manufacturers will soon resolve design weaknesses. How many TV sets had automatic fine tuning in 1947? This is a recognized problem and was anticipated even before the first XM satellite was launched. XM is installing terrestrial repeaters in major cities to fill in such holes. That is a fact of life with any digital transmission. The decoding and error correction process takes a few seconds to do its thing. It is like the buffering delay you have with Real Audio or Media Player on the internet. That is why digital satellite receivers have program guides that you can surf. Once one decides on the program, then it takes a few seconds to pop in. The same will be true for digital AM and FM if they ever get off the ground. Mossberg is the resident WSJ/CNBC technocrat. His observation may be accurate when it comes to unemployed people with lots of time on their hands and to whom $10 a month is a big deal. How many truck drivers, salesmen, and other road warriors have the time or inclination to spend hours downloading and burning CD's? If that was going to happen, it would have happened by now. In summary, I believe the author struggled to find fault with the XM service and did not do a very convincing job. If his point was that the service is not yet the mature system that it will be in a couple of years, and he is trying to warn his readers that they should wait before purchasing, that is a valid objective. To raise these objections for the purpose of creating a controversy or throwing cold water on what he admits "is an artistic success, and a great leap forward in radio programming" does not compute. I wonder, did his brother had a short position on XMSR? I think his bias is showing but I can't figure out his motivation. (~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. Re: KRSI Radio Sedaye Iran. Came back from sports at about 1720 UT and tried both channels of KRSI Radio Sedaye Iran immediately. The following item of OBSERVER-Bulgaria which refers to Maiac site is WRONG! ``MOLDOVA: Effective Jan. 5 Voice of Iran in Persian via Grigoriopol` is on the air: 1630-1830 on additional NF 12065 (55555) // 15690 (55555) till 1730. (Jan 8)`` [as in DXLD 2-006] _________ Both bands are much too high for Northern winter propagation from Moldova to Iran. Only 41, and [less], 31 mb channels would propagate well for this path - at this time. I compared both outlets with \\ RFI Issoudun outlets of 11615, 11965, 12025, 15300, 15530, 15605, and noted the same audio and propagation characteristics today, very clear, KRSI broadcasts never from Moldova these days !! These were the autumn registrations of Oct/Nov: 11545/11535 MDA 500 116 1630-1830 Radio Sedaye Iran, Persian-MP And also third channel of 9420 kHz for KRSI was mentioned, but I forgot to check that today, in the 2nd program hour. Yes, a surprise to me, the 15690 outlet lasted only 60 Minutes, and s- off was at 1730:04 UT. While 12065 continued programming til - seemingly 1830 UT, I checked 12065 last at around 1814 UT. Maybe 15690 moves down to 9420 kHz ?? Will check this tomorrow. Both outlets are exactly synchronized from same satellite feeder. Both suffer from very poor Iranian Intelligence Service jammer, strength of S=1 only, on 15690 only readable then, when the French transmitter switched off from 1730 UT. On 12065 kHz also noted during the KRSI broadcast, S=2. Jammer is of the same poor-to-fair type, which always used against the nine channels of V. of Mojahedin e Khalq e Iran, and is not very effective at my location, BUT who knows conditions in Iran ??? 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY **M**. Dear Glenn, concerning the Italian Banknote 2000 lire featuring Marconi and his invention, this banknote is legally valid till next 28 February here in Italy. If you wish you may report the ones in the world who want to get it may send to me 1 $ US and for priority air mail delivery worldwide another 1 $ US in cash (no bill please) [?? Bills and cash are the same thing to us --gh] to my address: Dario Monferini, Via Davanzati 8, IT-20158 Milano, ITALY. Need to add that exists also a coin of 100 lire of Italy featuring Marconi issued in 1974; also this coin will be legally valid till 28 February --- but it is yet becomed a rarity and is sold for 2200 lire (around 1 $ US) in eBay auctions. The 500 lire Marconi Coin in silver minted in 1974 by Italy is very rare and it is sold at 15000-20000 lire (around 8-9 $ US in eBay auction). The new Euro banknotes have totally forgotten MARCONI....a real pity.... Regards, (Dario Monferini, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. 21670 was not on air today, 1100-1230. 1630-1800, -- I heard the 1720-1800 portion only, only on single 15660 kHz. Both 15220 and 15615 were SILENT today. At 18-19 UT back on all four channels as monitored since Jan 4th: 9415 11635 15615 15660 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Libyan authorities have put in place what appears to be a new transmitter, or transmitters, for its HF broadcasting service, which includes programming known as "The Voice of Africa". Transmissions have appeared on various frequencies, in the 9, 11, 15, 17, and 21 MHz bands, and noted generally in the period 1040-2300. Frequency usage has been subject to constant variation, with some operations being on the air for only a few minutes, then vanishing. Here in Melbourne, Rob Wagner noted three transmitters in parallel on 21695, 21630 and 21675 until 1230*, and I have been hearing 9415 (Arabic) in the period 1800-2300*. It is not known whether these new transmissions and frequencies are experimental services, or new transmitters, or both; the former frequencies of 17725 and 15435 have not been audible here in Melbourne recently at any of the usual times! (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia, Jan 10, EDXP via DXLD) Re Bob's report concerning Libya. I have been listening to this station today from c1045 when six transmitters were on air. The two "old" units were heard on 17750 and 15435. Their signal is fairly good, but audio output definitely isn`t. Try using either USB or LSB to improve it. These two were broadcasting an extract from the Kor`an. The "new" transmissions were audible on 17695 (strong) 21630 21675 & 21695 (all only fair) and broadcasting a discussion and music. Audio on these is good. At re-check 1105 I found all six were in parallel and carrying Voice of Africa in Arabic until 1142 when news in English was heard followed by French. This concluded 1157 and after announcements the "grandfather clock" was heard chiming followed by time pips and news in Arabic. As Bob lists, different frequencies are used later. 73's (Noel Green, NW England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 17695, Great Republic Radio/Voice of Africa, 1120 Jan 10. Slow talking male in Arabic, 1129:20 IS, tentative ID, news at 1130 in Arabic // 21630, 21675. At 1145 news in English. followed at 1151 by news in French. At 1205 ID as 'Sawt l' Afrikiy'. On January 9 also heard on 21670 at 1153 (presumed), but that was no regular broadcast (Piet Pijpers, The Netherlands AR7030, ALA1530, SWBC topica list via DXLD) I have a new UNID one - this time Arabic on 15660 kHz, starting a couple of minutes before 1700. Music from the Arabic region, at 1730 half an hour of Qur`an recitations, bells (sounding like BBC's Big Ben!) at 1800 and a news bulletin. At 1841 finally an ID, but I don't know Arabic too well, so I could hear just: "Idha'at Jumhuriya ... ... ..." Talked about Bengazi and Libya. Please help me to identify this - maybe it's no news for you, but I am seldom working this frequency region and am not up-to-date. 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONGOLIA. There's a station on 4850 called Tsataan Shonkor according WRTH-2001 or Khekh Tangar according Fedor Brazhnikov's information based on QSL-letter from the station. It have been coming very well since the end of December with interference from CNR2 and AIR Kohima. On January 4, at 1407 I heard program in Russian! There were Russian pop songs with announcements in Russian. I think there should be Russian programs in Mongolia because there are many Russians living and working there (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As I recall, the station name means ``Blue Sky`` (gh, DXLD) ** NIGER. 9705.35, La Voix du Sahel. Jan 8 at 2031-2100. SINPO 34333. Covered by DW at 2057. Interview in French. Music program followed at 2053. ID was heard at 2038 (Iwao NAGATANI, Kobe, JAPAN, NRD-545 with 20 meters LW, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** PALESTINE. Voice of Palestine radio broadcasting on new FM frequency Voice of Palestine, the official Palestinian radio station based in Ramallah, announced in its 1200 gmt news bulletin on 9 January that it was now broadcasting on the FM frequency of 90.7 MHz between 0400 and 2300 gmt. The radio's main transmitter, which operated on mediumwave 675 kHz, has been off the air since 13 December when the mast was destroyed by the Israeli military. Since then, Voice of Palestine programming has been carried via the private Palestinian radio stations Amwaj FM on 91.5 MHz and Ajyal FM on 103.4 MHz. Source: BBC Monitoring research 9 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ** PERU. 2259.37, Radio La Mejor, Tumbes (Harmonic 2 x 1130) 1054 Jan 10, Andean vocal, 1058 ad block including canned ID. Weak signal with good peak. Slight downward frequency drift (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4746.84, Radio Huanta 2000, Jan 7, 1001, Andean vocals, ad block, 1015 ID. Moved back down here from recent 4751 excursion. Fair to good signal. 4750.12, Radio San Francisco Solano, Jan 7, 1024, Announcer with ID and talk over Andean tune. Weak but clear signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4835 Radio Marañón, Jaen. 0044-0106 January 8. Program in Spanish conduced by male. Music ("Cumbia andina"). Time check: "siete de la noche con 52 minutos...". Greetings. Message of listener with: "..saludos a todos los integrantes de Radio Marañón...". More music. ID at 0101 by male and female. Then, romantic music. 24232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radio Nacional del Perú has web site at: http://www.radionacional.com.pe/ No mention of SW frequency. 73 de (Pentti Lintujärvi, Helsinki, FINLAND, Webmaster of 1000 Lakes DX Page, hard-core-dx via DXLD) http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Park/3232/dx.htm ** RUSSIA. Krasnoyarsk located transmitter of Radio Rossii and regional Radio Center of Russia on 5290 radiates 3rd harmonic on 15870. I receive it between 05 and 11 UT although 5290 operates between 23 (or 22?) and 18 UTC. On January 6, there's nothing on 15870 at 0455 and signal with SINPO=35443 at 0505. Maybe they use 2 different transmitters. At 0510 regional program began ending at 0559. Station's address is: GTRK "Centr Rossii" (Center of Russia), ul. Mechnikova, 44a, Krasnoyarsk, 660028. E-mails (I'm not sure they are working): root@telegid.krasnoyarsk.su and new@public.krasnet.ru (Vladimir Kovalenko, Tomsk, Russia, WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Karelian radio chief optimistic despite problems | Text of report by Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site on 9 January Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia: In a recent interview on the local radio, Viktor Kramskikh, Karelia GTRK deputy head, said: "Karelian radio is faced with what in effect are conditions in which regional radio is forced off the air. Those high up in Moscow appear to think that for the regions to have their own radio stations is a luxury they can ill afford. It was so that, for starters, it was decided to slash funding by one-third, and watch the regions flounder. "Nevertheless, Karelian radio has quite good prospects, in part to do with the possibility of FM broadcasts. The government of Karelia has promised help to implement this project. If they keep their promise, the region will have a brand-new FM station. "Obviously, these are only plans, which may or may not be put into practice. But the three principles to which Karelian radio has adhered throughout its 75-year existence will remain unchanged. They are to be accessible, trustworthy and democratic." Report taken from Issue 97 of Moscow Rus-DX monthly. Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 9 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. State to pay for TV, radio transmission in small towns | Text of report by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Moscow, 8 January, ITAR-TASS correspondents Andrey Baturin and Taisiya Nikitenko. From 1 January 2002 the state takes upon itself the payment for the distribution of the signal of national TV and radio channels in small towns with population less than 200,000 people. ITAR-TASS learned this from the director-general of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network federal state unitary enterprise, Gennadiy Sklyar. Local authorities are often unable to pay for the services of transmission centres, which belong to various regional structures and private telecommunication firms, Sklyar explained. Now the delivery of TV and radio signals to the remote areas of Russia will be paid from the federal budget through the newly created state enterprise. The Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network has also long- reaching plans. Sklyar said that this concerned the bringing together into one company the separated TV and radio transmission centres "which during past years were illegally handed over to local authorities and private communication businesses". Source: ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1449 gmt 8 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. When I tune Russian stations I use my two receivers like this. My standby receiver is on 261 (Radio Rossii), 549 (Radio Mayak) or 891 (Radio Yunost). My main receiver is used for tuning the bands. In that way I can rapidly check if it is a local broadcast or not. Today at 1410 I heard the Rossii news on 639 kHz followed by local commercials from Omsk and then directly over to Radio Rossii again. Are these local breaks common for stations relaying Radio Rossii? ( I had some problems with the Czech station and a station from Asia) (Gert Nilsson, Sweden?, Jan 9, MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) There are no common procedures; each GTRK is "autonomous" in this regard, like they are in regard to the length of their regional output. Some GTRKs are more "commercially-minded" than others. Omsk 639 kHz (GTRK "Irtysh") is known to have this kind of inserts. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. I am wondering if any one can help me as to if Swiss Radio International still verifies reception reports by sending out QSL cards. I sent a reception report to them in June 2001 and entered the June Name Game at the same time. I actually won 3rd prize of a majic mug which I received a couple of months after, but no QSL card. I sent two more letters to them asking them if they still QSL (among other questions regarding SRI) which they answered on Capital Letters (the mailbag programme) but they still did not answer about the QSL. Anyway, I sent another report off to them asking them if they would please send me a QSL to verify my report, or, if they no longer had QSL cards, to write the date, time and frequency on a Swiss postcard and send it to me. I sent this report on the November 16, 2001. I have just received a reply in a large card sized envelope. It contained just about everything except a QSL card. They sent me a SRI sticker, a 2002 SRI diary and organizer, a Switzerland in Figures booklet, programme and transmission schedules and an order form to order SRI products (watches, pens, hats etc) made in Switzerland, but no QSL card. I also received in a separate envelope a lovely New Year card, but no QSL card. Any ideas, clues or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you! Best Wishes to all, Yours Sincerely, (Michael Stevenson, Port Macquarie, N.S.W., Australia, Jan 10, EDXP via DXLD) I tried a few times sending e-mail reports to different addresses and addressing to different persons at SRI English Service. And received nice QSLs by airmail finally. Visit "QSL-collection" page 8 at http://www.irkutsk.com/radio to see these SRI QSLs. 73, (Fyodor Brazhnikov (Somewhere in Siberia), EDXP via DXLD) ** TURKEY. Yesterday, all evening from 1600 I heard an unidentified station 5562 kHz. At 1900 there was a time signal and a news bulletin in an unknown language. I also heard it today morning local time, around 0600. It didn't sound like a clandestine. What's this? 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This turns up periodically. As I recall, it is a mediumwave harmonic from Turkey (gh, DXLD) 5562 is an harmonic of TRT-1, 6 x 927 (Roberto Scaglione, et al., hard-core-dx via DXLD) Hi list, Thanks for all your help to identify 5562 kHz, which probably is Izmir, 6 x 927 kHz. I figured it out myself, after hearing Turkish there today, morning. 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U K. BBC STAFF IN THE DARK OVER POUNDS 19 LIGHT BULBS The Independent - United Kingdom, Jan 10, 2002 BY CAHAL MILMO THE KAFKAESQUE bureaucracy of the BBC, known for producing glossy leaflets on how to boil a kettle or use a revolving door, has reached new levels over the illuminating issue of light-bulb prices. Two members of staff have written to the corporation's in-house magazine, Ariel, to complain after being told that their departments would be charged to replace faulty bulbs at a rate of pounds 19 a bulb. One worker who had been sitting in the gloom at BBC Television Centre in west London received a response to his request for two new bulbs after a week, having made six telephone calls and sent two e-mails. Sean Moxhay, who works in the BBC's specialist factual department, was then told that the missing bulbs would take five weeks to arrive. A private contractor, Land Securities Trillium, has recently been brought in to oversee the management of the corporation's buildings in a joint venture with the BBC. Mr Moxhay said: "It comes to something when it is easier to go to shop yourself than to utilise the `new and improved' internal facilities." A second worker, Gail Cregan, a finance assistant for the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Singers, requested a new bulb for her desk lamp. She was quoted in Ariel as saying: "You may think it was a simple request. I was told, `You do realise that you now have to pay for them'. I said, `OK, how much?' Now wait for it ... pounds 19. If this is what they are charging for a simple item, what on earth does everything else cost?" A decade ago, the former director general John Birt attempted to cut exorbitant costs by introducing an internal market to the corporation. A spokesman for the corporation said that an operator on the Land Securities Trillium's hotline for reporting faults had made a mistake. He said: "There is in fact no charge for replacing bulbs in normal hours. It was a mistake. The whole point of our agreement with Land Securities Trillium is to save millions to be spent instead on making programmes." All Material Subject to Copyright (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. US media project for Muslim Central Asia - Russian report | Text of report from Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site on 9 January USA/CIS/Russia: After the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the US authorities are about to launch a new media project, Initiative 911, named after the acts of terror in New York and Washington on the 11th day of the ninth month and the telephone number of the US emergency services. The initiative, at its initial stage, will cost some 5000 [as published] million dollars. As a result, the United States will for the first time have an official (state) TV company which will broadcast exclusively abroad. In this particular case, the idea is to "conquer the hearts and minds" of Muslims, among others those in the CIS. Washington's concern is that its tasks and aims in the war on terror in Afghanistan are misunderstood in the Muslim world. Initiative 911 will strive to change that. Some 1,000 people are expected to be involved in the project. Lynne Weil, Senate Foreign Relations Committee spokeswoman, says: "Although a new TV service is central to Initiative 911, the project will not be limited to that. Within it, there will also be a radio station which will broadcast in 26 Oriental languages, and an Internet service. The aim is to disseminate information and analytical materials to do with America 24/7 to regions such as the Near and Middle East, Africa, the Caucasus, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Asia. The target audience are mainly those between 15 and 30 years of age." She said that the population of Russia's Muslim regions was not considered a potential audience. In the former Soviet Union, the new channel is expected to broadcast to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The organizational and technical details of the new project are yet to be finalized, however, so the product may well be available in some parts of Russia, too. At the least, Initiative 911 radio will probably be heard in the North Caucasus and Russia's regions that border on Kazakhstan. (Report taken from http://www.itogi.ru/ ) Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 9 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi Glenn, WWRB World Wide Radio Broadcasting, Manchester TN was heard with good signal on 6890 kHz signing off at 0658. I tried to send a message with a small audio file about this to wgtg@ellijay.com and wgtg@wgtg.org, but neither of them works. Also http://www.wwfv.net/ doesn't seem to work. Do you know of any other e-mail or web page for this station? 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland ritola@pp.inet.fi Jan 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, http://www.wwfv.net/ works for me --- and click on ``facility status`` or http://www.wwfv.net/facilitystats.htm for hype less than a year old, but where is it now? Apparently supplanted by WWRB. They have been announcing a postal address. I expect Dave Frantz here will be no more forthcoming with QSLs, than he was at WGTG/WWFV (gh, Jan 9, DXLD) ** U S A. WRMI PROGRAM SCHEDULE DATED JANUARY 14 WRMI Radio Miami International 7385, 9955 and 15725 kHz Shortwave WRMI Program Schedule/Horario Effective January/Enero 14, 2002 Days are local days in the Americas; times are UT. MONDAY-FRIDAY/LUNES-VIERNES To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1030 Radio Prague (English) 1100-1130 Viva Miami (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) 1230-1300 Radio Praga (español) To North America on 7385 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 7385 kHz: Note: The following are Tuesday-Saturday UTC. Los siguientes son martes-sábado UTC. 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español) 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 Radio Prague (English) 1100-1130 Viva Miami (English) 1130-1200 Wavescan (English) To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 2330-0000 Wavescan (English) The following are Sunday UTC. Los siguientes son domingo UTC. To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 0000-0100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 0100-0130 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0200-0300 Radio Revista Lux (español) To North America on 7385 kHz/Para Norteamérica en 7385 kHz: 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español) 0330-0400 Drive-in Double Feature (English) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) 0430-0500 Viva Miami (English) SUNDAY/DOMINGO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamerérica en 9955 kHz: 1000-1100 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 1100-1130 Viva Miami (English) To North America on 15725 kHz/Hacia Norteamérica en 15725 kHz: 1330-1400 Wavescan (English) 1400-1430 Radio Prague (English) 1500-1530 World Radio Network (English) [i.e. VOA Comms World] 2130-2200 Kol Israel (English) 2200-2230 Wavescan (English) 2230-2300 Viva Miami (English/español) 2300-2330 Radio Vaticano (español) The following are Monday UTC. Los siguientes son lunes UTC. To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz/Hacia el Caribe y Latinoamérica en 9955 kHz: 0000-0100 Radio Revista Lux (español) 0130-0200 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0200-0215 Viva Miami (English) 0230-0300 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) To North America on 7385 kHz/Para Norteamérica en 7385 kHz: 0300-0330 Radio Praga (español) 0330-0400 Bluegrass Gospel (English) 0400-0430 Radio Prague (English) (WRMI website Jan 10 via John Norfolk; gh excerpted DX, clandestine, relays and entertainment programs only for DXLD) ** U S A. Subject: {FP} DEMOCRACY NOW! RETURN MARRED BY CENSORS For Immediate Release January 7, 2002 Democracy Now! Returns to the Pacifica Radio Network Debut Marred by Arbitrary Censorship from Pacifica Execs Renegade WBAI Manager Bob Daughtry Refuses to Air Live Broadcast Defies Court Settlement and New Pacifica Board NEW YORK (Jan. 7) -- After a five month ban, the award-winning national radio program Democracy Now! returned to Pacifica Radio's airwaves on Monday. But the show's home station WBAI in New York defied a directive by the new listener-backed Pacifica National Board and refused to air the program. The board ordered the show back on the air in its original time-slot, 9-10 am EST. The program was aired by Pacifica station KPFT in Houston. But WPFW in Washington began the program ten minutes into the broadcast and censored the end of the show in which host Amy Goodman dedicated the program to the banned and fired at WBAI and KPFK. Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles aired the program at 6:00 am Pacifica time, but failed to broadcast the program at its usual slot of 9:00 am which has a much larger audience. Democracy Now! was banished from Pacifica airwaves last August in the midst of an attempted corporate takeover of the only independent radio network in the United States. The only Pacifica station to air the program over the last five months has been KPFA in Berkeley. Democracy Now! has also continued to air on community radio stations nationwide. The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), the union which represents Democracy Now!, filed grievances charging harassment, unpaid wages, and an unsafe workplace. But Pacifica management has steadfastly fought the complaints, spending more than $200,000 on legal fees in battling the union and the Democracy Now! team. Today's return came as a result of a two-thirds majority vote of the new board, required by last month's legal settlement that averted a lengthy and costly legal battle between reformers and a corporate leadership on the national board. The settlement, approved by Alameda Superior Court in Oakland, handed control of the network over to reformers and also called on the national board to resolve the Democracy Now! conflict. New Pacifica National Board Chair Leslie Cagan said the return of Democracy Now! was an important step in rebuilding the network. "This is a critical day in the history of Pacifica Radio," Cagan said. "I just want to say how much I love you, how much I like your show," said activist-comedian Dick Gregory, who was the swing vote on the board mandating that the ban be lifted and that Democracy Now! be restored. "I'm glad you're back." After discovering that Democracy Now! was not airing live on WBAI, filmmaker Michael Moore, a guest on the program, called the radio station from Democracy Now!'s studio as the show broadcast live to ask "Where am I? I don't hear myself on WBAI." Moore was attempting to reach WBAI's General Manager Robert Daughtry. Moore's call was put through to the public affairs director, who said the station would not air the program. Moore's on-air confrontation with the only Pacifica station that refused to air Democracy Now! comes days before the new Pacifica National Board will meet face to face in New York this weekend. Also appearing on the program were activist-comedian Dick Gregory, a new member of the Pacifica National Board, Professor Noam Chomsky, Leslie Cagan, the new Chair of the Pacifica board. New York Daily News columnist and Democracy Now! co-host Juan Gonzalez returned to the program after a year of leading a campaign to win back Pacifica. Fired WBAI programmer Bernard White also appeared on the program. "Today was a tremendous victory for pro-democracy media activists around the country who have fought tirelessly to return Pacifica to its original mission: to go to where the silence is and say something," said Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman. "It is not surprising that our home station WBAI censored today's live broadcast. This is a station that continues to fire and ban producers." -- END -- ********************************** Pacifica Campaign, 51 MacDougal St., #80, New York, NY 10012 Tel: 646-230-9588 http://pacificacampaign.org/ ******************************************************* (Lynn Gerry, freepac list via RFPI via DXLD) ** U S A. Monday, 01/07/02 Taking Opry from WSM will drain the life from both By SHANNON LEIGH SNOW I am the granddaughter of Hank Snow, one of the legends and founding fathers of both country music and the Grand Ole Opry. I am the daughter of his son Jimmie Rodgers Snow, and of Carol Lee Cooper, leader of the longtime background group at the Grand Ole Opry. And I respectfully protest the decision to change WSM's programing to all-talk radio. For years, WSM has been home to two phenomenal radio shows: The Grand Ole Opry, and The Ernest Tubb Record Shop's Midnight Jamboree. I hope Gaylord Entertainment anticipates the negative impact this decision will have on these two giants in our history, as well as the history and future of country music. The Grand Ole Opry show, without listeners, could lose its sponsors and die. At the very least, it would bring the decline of the Grand Ole Opry, the longest running radio show in history, and to the Midnight Jamboree as well which is the second longest running radio show in history. History and heritage are vital to our culture, and Nashville's heritage is irrevocably entwined with the Grand Ole Opry. The show has ever been the ''place of arrival'' for upcoming country artists struggling to achieve success in the industry. When, at last, they were invited to perform on that stage, they knew they had arrived at and achieved their dreams. This is a place where legends were born, where burgeoning talents stretched their wings. It is a place that has grown beyond history thanks to the Grand Ole Opry broadcast on WSM that reached out to states everywhere. It blossomed into one of the most popular musical genres today. WSM is this popular music's home. The Grand Ole Opry, and WSM radio are home to legends such as Roy Acuff, Bill Monroe, Jimmy Rodgers, Hank Williams, Cowboy Copas, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and too many hundreds of others to enumerate. They are home, also, to newcomer superstars such as Garth Brooks. People travel from all over the world to see the Grand Ole Opry and the Midnight Jamboree. Many thousands, nationwide, tune in each day to listen to their favorite music on WSM radio. This has been so since the early 1900s. Ninety percent of this city's visitors come to see the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, and WSM radio, and to live for a week in the place they hear but have never seen. It is a shame to watch something, which has grown, survived and achieved spectacular heights, be discarded. If the radio station experiences problems in its current formatting, make adjustments that will create more effective programing. Let's not displace the fathers of country music without a fight because it is simpler. If we discontinued all the histories, heritages, and programs where we encountered setbacks, there would be nothing culturally unique about our country at all. If Gaylord Entertainment dislikes country music, then I urge them to sell their interests in it to someone who does care about it. They will, after all, achieve their same goal, that of ridding themselves of the responsibility for WSM, the Grand Ole Opry, and country music. They would no longer need fool with it. Do not, however, simply reject it because you don't personally find it important. Too many others do find it important. If they don't reconsider for these reasons, then I urge them to reconsider then on their own behalf. If this change occurs, their business will suffer eventually. Since Gaylord purchased Opryland U.S.A., I have watched this company chip away at the heritage and history of Nashville, country music, the Grand Ole Opry, and WSM. The park, which thousands traveled to visit each year, was closed down. I don't believe thousands will travel to shop. TNN, too, was dropped. I watch these changes and can deduce only one thing. Gaylord Entertainment does not like country music, does not like its roots, its artists and legends, or anything associated with it, and is bent on obliterating it. If I speak in error, I can only offer what I witness as proof of my assumption. WSM Radio, the Grand Ole Opry, Midnight Jamboree, and country music are important and far-reaching. If they are sabotaged and ruined, Gaylord Entertainment will feel their loss financially. So, if they do not rethink this decision to save a heritage, a history, a beloved musical genre to the millions of fans who listen to WSM radio, then I hope they do so as a smart business move. Shannon Leigh Snow is a Hendersonville resident. © Copyright 2002 The Tennessean (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) FANS PROTEST TO SAVE COUNTRY MUSIC January 10, 2002 Gaylord even offered hot coffee to protestors Sharon Puckett January 8, 2002 Angry country music fans and artists keep putting on the pressure. Tuesday, more than a hundred people lined the sidewalk in front of WSM Radio protesting a possible format change at their favorite country music station. The protesters included country great George Jones who made it clear, he's mad. Protesters began lining the sidewalk in front of the radio station around 10:30 Tuesday morning. Carrying signs and chanting, these country music fans had a message for Gaylord Entertainment Company. Their signs said it all. Keep Country Alive. They don't like the idea that Gaylord is even considering changing the country format of WSM-AM. Protester Jimmy Smart said he though Gaylord has gone too far. Country singer Bernedette, who's from Ireland, said she's willing to fight for country music every step of the way. While protesters cheered on country music, drivers passing by showed their support by honking their horns. In the background the WSM Radio office. Gaylord's corporate office just beyond that. Protest organizer said he thinks someone was listening or else Gaylord wouldn't have someone there handing our fliers. The only official word from Gaylord today came in those fliers passed out to protesters. They asked for their opinions and gave them phone numbers to call. Protestors were really surprised when Gaylord sent out hot coffee. It was served as if it was a catered affair. Someone was apparently taking notice, but Grand Ole Opry star Billy Walker doesn't believe it will matter. Country legend George Jones and his wife Nancy also joined in the protest. They said they were made, but Jones doesn't have any plans to talk to Gaylord's managers. Jones said, "You can't talk to those people. They don't care about you. People like me are here Tuesday and gone tomorrow and they don't care." Many of the protesters agreed Tuesday that what they do is not likely to effect [sic] Gaylord's final decision. But, they're not going to keep quiet. At petitiononline.com , the number of signatures wanting to keep WSM-AM country was up to 6695 and growing. All content © Copyright 2000 - 2002 WorldNow and WSMV. All Rights Reserved. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Another WSM story: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/10/arts/music/10ARTS.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO TALK SHOW HOST JACK COLE DIES AT 63 OF CANCER By Patty Pensa, Staff Writer, January 9, 2002 He could argue anyone into a corner, with a mind trained in law and a heart set on what's right. Characteristically brusque, though at times downright rude, Jack Cole built his niche in South Florida radio as one of the most passionate and opinionated voices on air. After a three-month battle with brain cancer, Mr. Cole, 63, died Tuesday afternoon at the Hospice of the Palm Beaches. The loss, friends and industry insiders say, has left a gaping hole in the talk show world now dominated by talking heads. Mr. Cole, winner of four national Emmy awards for investigative reporting, was different. Not only would he sport fuchsia jackets and ascot scarves -- á la British millionaire -- he would don an intense intellect that challenged all his guests, from Rush Limbaugh to Newt Gingrich. World Headquarters aired weekdays on WJNO from 1984 to 2000, when he was fired amid cost-cutting measures. The station switched from 1040 AM to the weaker 1290 AM. But he returned to WDJA AM-850 in September, a month before he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor. "Jack was larger than life," said Bill Newgent, Cole's producer for the past 10 years. "Jack accomplished, did and saw more in 63 years than most people could accomplish in 600 years. He was just so brilliant. He was egotistical and arrogant, but had the intelligence to back it up." Cole was a liberal, though not a Democrat. One of his greatest achievements, he once said, was to annoy Rush Limbaugh, the conservative political commentator and Palm Beach County resident. The University of Virginia Law School graduate surprised and displeased some fans when he criticized President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. For Mr. Cole, what's right was more important than siding with popular liberal opinion, said his wife of 17 years, Linda Marx. "He was the most honest person I have ever met in my life," said Marx, a freelance writer for People, Vanity Fair, Parade and other publications. "He did not care what anyone thought of him. He simply did what he felt was right and let the chips fall as they may." During the Lewinsky scandal, Mr. Cole and WJNO co-host Randi Rhodes got in arguments that became so heated that off-air, Rhodes remembers Mr. Cole saying, "If you were a man, I'd kick your ass." It wasn't uncommon for Mr. Cole to hang up on callers he thought made worthless comments or to pummel his guests with a verbal barrage. Appropriately, Mr. Cole nicknamed himself the "Inquisitor General" and carried himself with the air of omnipotence. It was like he said to the world: "How dare you argue with me. I know far more than you," said Bill Brooks, former general manager of WPTV-Ch. 5. Brooks, who hired Mr. Cole in 1997 for a weekly television commentary show, called him a devout agnostic with a self-deprecating sense of humor. "Someone who was well prepared in a debate but didn't have the verbal skills would take the 10-count and be on the mat," he said. "We were blessed to have not only a different voice, but a clear voice." He was smart and willing to work hard, said John Picano, former program director for WJNO. Picano recalled that Mr. Cole often broadcast his show on Saturdays when news required it -- such as during the William Kennedy Smith rape trial. "His brilliance was his strength," Picano said. Mr. Cole was a former member of the White House and Pentagon press corps. He anchored TV news shows in New York, St. Louis, Philadelphia and Boston. Though passionate about politics, Mr. Cole did not lack creativity. He often wrote caustic lyrics about current events and matched them to popular tunes, recording the songs in a makeshift home studio and airing them on his talk show. Mr. Cole's listeners may have known him for his rough exterior, but Marx loved him for his soft core. He would shop with Marx and buy clothes she liked -- and would do just about anything to make her feel good. "He didn't come across as a warm and fuzzy kind of guy, but he was," she said. "He had a huge heart and cared about other people. He was my best friend, the most brilliant person I ever met and the most interesting person to be around." Mr. Cole is survived by Marx; two daughters, Shannon and Averill; and his sister, Diane Cole. Services will be this weekend. Information will be posted on the Internet at http://www.expage.com/jackcole Donations in memory of Jack Cole may be sent to the University of Virginia Law School, 580 Massie Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903. TV/Radio Writer Tom Jicha contributed to this report. Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Jack Cole was one of my favorites during my three years in South Florida, when he was on, as I recall, WJNO-1230. I believe he moved to the Phoenix market for a while before his return (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. FORREST BOYD --- The Associated Press 1/7/02 5:29 AM BALTIMORE (AP) -- Forrest Boyd, a former White House correspondent for the Mutual Broadcasting Network, died Saturday of a heart attack. He was 80. He worked for radio stations in Minneapolis, Cincinnati and Indianapolis and was a news anchor at KPOL-TV in Los Angeles and other stations before moving to Washington in 1960 for a job at Voice of America. He was Mutual's White House correspondent during the terms of President Johnson, President Nixon and President Ford. Boyd is survived by his second wife, three children and six grandchildren (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Update: Monday, January 7, 2002, 4:00 pm CST DOCTORS UPGRADE MOTHER ANGELICA'S CONDITION Irondale, AL (EWTN) - Doctors treating Mother Angelica for a stroke in a Birmingham hospital have upgraded her condition from "Serious" to "Fair". Doctors said she continues to show improvement, but she remains in Intensive Care. The doctors also said if Mother continues to improve, they could possibly move her from Intensive Care into a private room later this week. Mother Angelica suffered her second stroke in three months on Christmas Eve. The week before, Mother Angelica had taken a fall, which broke her elbow and arm and sent her to the hospital. The most recent stroke occurred at her Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama a few days after she had returned there from the hospital. Sister Mary Catherine, Mother Vicar of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, said, "Mother's progress is due totally to the prayers, Rosaries and Mass intentions offered for her recovery from people around the world." "Everyone, please continue praying for her," Mother Vicar said (EWTN website still posted Jan 9, via WORLD OF RADIO 1113, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. TRANS WORLD RADIO ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT; International Broadcaster to Transition From Thomas J. Lowell to David G. Tucker Story Filed: Monday, January 07, 2002 3:50 PM EST CARY, N.C., Jan 7, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Overseeing only the second presidential transition in Trans World Radio's 48-year history, the Board of Directors for the international Christian broadcasting ministry has named David G. Tucker to assume the presidency from Thomas J. Lowell on July 1. TWR is the most far-reaching Christian broadcasting network in the world today and is on the air in more languages than BBC, Voice of America, China Radio International, and Voice of Russia combined. To listeners in more than 160 countries, Trans World Radio broadcasts each week over 1,800 hours of Christian programming in more than 180 languages and dialects from 13 super- power transmitting sites. TWR also broadcasts by satellite, over the Internet, and via more than 1,600 local radio stations. A veteran TWR missionary since January 1964, Lowell served as president for the past eight years. He was named to that position in 1994, succeeding TWR founder Dr. Paul E. Freed. Dr. Freed passed away in December 1996. Though he is retiring as president on June 30, Lowell will continue with TWR, this time as Board Chairman, a post he was elected to at the November Board meeting in Cary. Lowell was executive vice president when TWR moved its international headquarters in 1990 from Chatham, New Jersey, to North Carolina. His missionary tenure also includes service at TWR's transmitting sites on the Caribbean island of Bonaire and the Pacific island of Guam. "God has answered my prayers for this change of role," says Lowell. "I will have the privilege to retain an active part in this ministry, for which I am grateful. And with David, I will be handing over the reins of leadership to a man of vigor and deep spiritual commitment, who will build on our strong ministry foundation while staying true to TWR's core commitments and values." Tucker has been TWR's executive vice president since June 1997. From 1972 to 1995, Tucker worked for a group of fuel distributor companies which are subsidiaries of British Petroleum. For 18 of his 23 years of service there, he was director and chief executive officer. Tucker also is a former evangelist in his native country of Wales and directed TWR's national partner in the United Kingdom since departing BP in 1995. For three years (1987-89), Tucker was vice chairman for the "Tell Wales with Luis Palau" campaign. He also has been prominent in numerous other major evangelistic initiatives in Wales and has been active on the pastoral team of Parklands Evangelical Church. He and his wife, Jean, a trained nurse, mid- wife, and counselor, have an adult daughter, Deborah Jane, who is an optometrist in Wales. "I am humbled by the confidence and boldness of the Board to trust me as the next president and chief executive officer of Trans World Radio," Tucker says. "I take on this new challenge with the strong conviction that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for this hurting world." Tucker adds: "May the Lord grant wisdom and guidance so we can continue to assist the Church worldwide in helping to fulfill Christ's Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. We're trusting Him for the ability to seize every opportunity to use the resources we have in biblical teaching and preaching in so many languages to the maximum effect for God's glory alone." Lending its endorsement to TWR's presidential transition is the 1,400- member National Religious Broadcasters association, headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, and to which TWR belongs. Wayne Pederson, NRB president, says: "As the torch of leadership is being passed at such ministries as Billy Graham, Campus Crusade for Christ, HCJB World Radio, and here at NRB, Trans World Radio is handing the reins of leadership from Thomas Lowell to David Tucker. TWR will build on the foundation of effective strategic ministries of the past, but will also gear up to reach the next generation with new technologies, new formats, and through new communicators worldwide. NRB looks forward to working along side of David Tucker and the TWR team in reaching our culture and our world with the Good News about Jesus." SOURCE Trans World Radio CONTACT: Richard Greene, +1-919-460-3760, or David McCreary, +1-919-460-3778, both of Trans World Radio Copyright © 2002, PR Newswire, all rights reserved. You may now print or save this document. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Glenn, R. Amazonas, 4939v kHz, 09 Jan 2002, 0333-0353 UT. Overmodulated audio and a liberal dose of echo chamber made announcer barely intelligible. Still able to enjoy spirited LA music including several nice ballads. National anthem (?) at 0351 followed by apparent sign off by 0353 (Rich Skoba, New Jersey, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE. US-based media watchdog condemns pending media bill | Text of press release by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 7 January New York, 7 January 2002: The Committee to Protect Journalists [CPJ] strongly condemns legislation before Zimbabwe's parliament that would create a rigid system to register and regulate media companies and the journalists who work for them. Parliament is expected to vote on the legislation this week. The bill, called the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, would create a new Media and Information Commission with enormous powers to control all media within Zimbabwe. According to the bill, every media company would need to register with the commission in order to do business in Zimbabwe. In turn, the commission would have the power to accredit all journalists working for those companies. In addition, the commission would write a code governing the professional conduct of journalists and would be authorized to suspend, fine or otherwise punish any journalist who violates that code. The commission would have similar authority to punish media companies, whose equipment could be seized by the state if they violate commission rules. "If enacted, this bill would formalize the Zimbabwean government's already considerable ability to stifle independent journalism by giving officials full authority to determine who can work as a journalist, and under what conditions," said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "The administration of President Robert Mugabe is already one of the world's harshest governments when it comes to press freedom, and this new bill is a blatant effort to make all Zimbabwean media subservient to his regime," Cooper said. The lengthy information bill, drafted largely in secret, follows government charges that some local reporters and foreign correspondents in Zimbabwe are "terrorists". Authorities have said that the proposed legislation is aimed at keeping "dangerous elements" out of the country. One "element" restricted from practising journalism would be foreigners, since the bill says that only Zimbabwean citizens can be accredited as journalists or media owners. For further information, contact Yves Sorokobi (Ext 112) or Wacuka Mungai (Ext 106) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A; Tel: +1 212 465 1004; Fax: +1 212 465 9568; e-mail: ysorokobi@cpj.org wmungai@cpj.org Internet: http://www.cpj.org/ Source: Committee to Protect Journalists press release, New York, in English 7 Jan 02 (vi BBCM via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Regarding the strong untunable 11675 kHz SSB signal discussion, also in DXLD 1-209 (this is written before I've had a chance to read DXLDs 2-003 and later, so there might have been a resolution of that in there I didn't see after quickly checking the tail-end of each of those I just printed out) [no, nothing further about it until now --gh] : Wasn't this sort of untunable SSB signal a common thing in the ute bands back in the mid-20th-century? I seem to recall running across such things fairly often back then. I think I read that they were an audio-inversion simple type of encryption, mainly for radio-telephone circuits' privacy purposes. Could this be one of these? Can an audio tape of such an SSB signal be digitally processed to extract the intelligence, or would such processing have to occur at the IF stage in the original receiver? (Will Martin, St. Louis MO, Jan 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-006 January 8, 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com/ are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2001 contents archive see http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxldmid1.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 #1112 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.html FINAL 1112 AIRINGS on RFPI: UT Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB, 15039, 21815-USB FIRST 1113 AIRINGS on WBCQ: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 on 7415 CALENDAR of MONITORING REMINDERS is expanding, with many more listings for specific January dates, as well as a revival of SHOWS WE LIKE, our scheduled of recommended weekly listening, mostly webcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html As I am updating this frequently, more often than DXLD is published, not all the info therein will also appear in DXLD UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Give A Little Bit Many shortwave stations and programs survive on the free will gifts of listeners. It is not just the religious broadcasters and PBS that are looking for your money. If you enjoy RFPI, WORLD OF RADIO, HCJB, any number of programs on WBCQ and WWCR, and you want them to continue, drop a bit of change on them. In the wake of Sept 11, many Christian programs are down in their giving. I am sure that is probably the case with secular programs as well. If you like some program, help them out or they may become another casualty of the sound of silence (Fred Waterer, Programming Matters, Jan ODXA Listening In via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. The new post-Taliban Radio Afghanistan has reverted to using the flute interval signal which was used prior to the Taliban takeover; this can be heard in a 3-minute clip of the station on the Interval Signals Archive at http://www.intervalsignals.net/ Other new additions to the Archive include clips of a new U.S. shortwave station, WWRB (successor to WWFV on 5085, 6890, and 12172 kHz), and Ethiopian clandestines Voice of Oromiyaa and Radio Solidarity (Dave Kernick, UK, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Media roundup Monday 7 January 2002 Farah provincial radio station resumes broadcasting The local radio station in Farah Province (western Afghanistan) has resumed operations and will be on the air for one hour a day on 1044 kHz mediumwave, according to a report on the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad. It will broadcast its programmes throughout the province and also transmit to Herat, Helmand, Kandahar and some towns in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The radio station employs six technical staff, the report says. Pointing to the erroneous policies of the Taleban, the general technical manager of the Farah Province radio and TV studio, engineer (?Alaoddin), said that they had held talks on a number of occasions, concerning the resumption of television broadcasts, with province officials and with brothers from the Voice and Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iranian brothers promised them help with this work. The report pointed out that all television equipment was plundered by the Taleban. The radio served only for the Taleban to disseminate their propaganda. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Dari 1330 gmt 4 Jan 02 Media minister receives BBC delegation | Text of report by Afghan radio on 6 January Esteemed Dr Sayd Makhdum Rahin, minister of culture and information, met yesterday [5 January] in his office a four-member delegation from the BBC. Bakhtar Information Agency reports that during the meeting esteemed Dr Rahin said: Almost 80 per cent of our [word indistinct] has been destroyed. We need the urgent assistance of the international community in order to reconstruct all those ruins. The esteemed minister added: I believe in order to meet those needs and for the sake of the country's future generations, Afghan radio and television should have better resources. The delegation placed emphasis on close cooperation between the BBC and the Afghan interim administration and said: The problems and requirements of radio and television of the Afghan interim administration will be presented to a meeting which will be held this month in Tokyo. We will draw to the attention of the participants at the conference, the need to resolve the problems urgently. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 0330 gmt 6 Jan 02 Al-Jazeera chief reveals he has 10 more Bin-Ladin videos | Excerpt from report by Italian newspaper La Stampa on 7 January [Report on interview with Qatari broadcaster Al-Jazeera director Mohammad Jasim by Stefano Semeraro in Doha; date not given: "Ten More Osama Videos in the Drawer"] [Jasim] "We are not spies; we do not work for any government's intelligence services. We are journalists: If Osama Bin-Ladin wanted to grant me an interview and I knew the exact place in which he is, I would not reveal it to anyone." "The people who decide whether a video cassette should be broadcast or not are a tight group that comprises myself, the chief editor, his assistant, and the production chief. And our decision is guided solely by journalistic considerations: If a video contains interesting news, we broadcast it; otherwise, we do not. I have in my drawer at least 10 further video cassettes from Osama that contain nothing but repetitions of things that have already been said or lessons on his life style, and that we have never broadcast. Obviously until a short while ago it was easier to receive the tapes. Ever since the United States bombarded Kabul, sweeping away our offices as well as Al- Qa'idah's positions, links have become more difficult, but some items continue to arrive via Pakistan." Jasim maintains that in Kabul the tapes were delivered anonymously: "Someone would deliver them to a guard at the entrance to our offices, saying that they were very important. In the case of the first video, we only realized that Bin Ladin was involved when we viewed the tape." The time between the video cassette being delivered and its broadcast can be a few hours up to several days. "Sometimes it has taken no more than a quarter of an hour for us to make up our minds; on other occasions, an hour. Sometimes we have had to delay their broadcasting because some tapes are of very poor quality. On occasion we have had to buy a special video player because our own equipment is too modern." "No one previews the videos except for my reporters. Our decisions are free; we choose when to broadcast them and how, otherwise we would lose the credibility that we have succeeded in building up over the past few years; we would be jeopardizing audience figures which, on the contrary, are constantly growing. You have to consider that, compared to what happens in many Arab countries where journalists are practically prevented from making any moves, here in Qatar it is easy to work. There is a great deal of freedom and the situation is going to get even better a couple of years from now when we have the first elected Parliament in our country and when the Information Ministry is abolished." Some people, however, have begun to make moves - unofficially, but with the grace and the impact of an elephant - in an attempt to get Al-Jazeera to censor Osama's video cassettes: "No one has telephoned me directly, but I know for certain that the US Department of State has instructed numerous corporations such as Pepsi Cola, General Electric, and many others, to cut their advertising on Al-Jazeera. We have noticed this kind of indirect pressure that has developed also through articles in the Western media. But we are concerned only with providing complete information, with staying independent. In other words, we follow and broadcast every one of Bush's news conferences, and those of his allies in Europe, and we adopt the same approach where Bin-Ladin is concerned. Why should we hide the news? We have our sources and we do not reveal them, as indeed any Western journalist would do, but we do not have any direct relations with Al- Qa'idah. One of my reporters who has been in Kandahar for 20 days now is living in extremely critical circumstances - even his life is in danger - because right now the Afghans do not take very kindly to Arabs. I know that Al-Qa'idah's men are trying to get new material through to us, but they cannot succeed in reaching us. And if I knew that Osama wanted me for an interview, I would be off like a shot, even if it meant remaining blindfold for a whole day." There has been a great deal of debate both in Europe and in the United States over whether Bin Ladin is seeking to impart instructions to "sleeping" Al- Qa'idah agents in the West via signals concealed in his video cassettes: "I really do not think so," Jasim answered, adding, "and besides, what need would there be for him to do that? His message is very clear: He wants to incite people to make war on the United States, and he has no need of any secret codes." Source: La Stampa, Turin, in Italian 7 Jan 02 Pakistani film depicts Mola Omar as hero | Excerpt from report by Pakistani newspaper Ausaf on 6 January A documentary film titled "The Amir ol-Momenin - Mola Mohammad Omar" was shown on ARY Digital Channel the other day. The film was seen and admired by a large number of people in Karachi and strives to counter the negative propaganda of the Western media about Mola Omar. There are also reports that a number of people bitterly wept while watching the film. According to the film, Mola Omar started his career with a social movement, which he had launched in reaction to a minor criminal incident. In the film, he captures those responsible for abducting a girl and punishes them according to the Islamic jurisprudence. Slowly people with good character started rallying around Mola Omar. The campaign later turned into a mass movement against the rule of local commanders, and Mola Omar's group was called the "Taleban Movement". The film also shows that when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, the Taleban, in the form of an unorganized and unarmed force, single-handedly initiated a struggle against them. During the recent war, Mola Omar added a new chapter to world history by not yielding to the international colonialist powers. He resisted the United States, Britain, and their allies for 34 days with 55,000 companions. He preferred to die with honour than lead a life of slavery, creating a precedent for the other Muslim rulers. With this steadfastness, he would not only assume a respectable position in world history but also appear with a raised head and prestige before his creator, in the hereafter. Source: Ausaf, Islamabad, in Urdu 6 Jan 02 US PsyOps radio US PsyOps Information Radio continues to be observed by BBC Monitoring broadcasting in Pashto and Dari to Afghanistan. On Saturday 5 January the station carried a commentary calling on Afghans to identify illegal check points, which have been set up recently by those intending to extort money from those wishing to pass. These check points were endangering life and impeding the passage of humanitarian aid. On Monday 7 January, the broadcasts were heard from 0030-0530 and again from 1230 gmt.... Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research 7 Jan 02 (excerpts, via DXLD) Afghanistan: Media round-up Tuesday 8 January 2002 Afghan journalist warns media reconstruction fraught with problems Text of report headlined: "Afghan media challenge" by the London-based Institute of War and Peace Reporting on 8 January 2002; written by Farzad Ahmadi in Peshawar (Farzad Ahmadi is a pseudonym for an Afghan journalist based in Pakistan) Efforts to revive Afghanistan's moribund media will require significant financial investment and a determined commitment to ending the intimidation of journalists and their employers. The new Afghan administration has pledged to overhaul the press and the United Nations is currently engaged in consultations aimed at devising initiatives to support the process, as part of post-war reconstruction efforts. Afghan analysts warn, however, that the task is fraught with problems and challenges and could take many years to achieve. After a quarter century of civil conflict, the media has been reduced, like so much else of the country, to ruins. Newspaper premises and broadcasting stations have been destroyed and many journalists are in exile --- those who remain lack basic skills or are employed as propagandists for the country's various political and tribal factions. The Afghan minister for information and culture, Rahin Makhdum, estimates that just 20 per cent of the media continues to function. He says many of the printing presses have been burned down and only a handful of magazines, newspapers and radio stations still operate; the two leading daily titles, Anis (Companion) and Hewad (Homeland), are limited to publishing once a week. The need to rebuild a media infrastructure from the bottom up is clearly evident. When asked recently by journalists what the country needed from the international community in order to develop the media, Rahin replied, "almost everything". Western proposals have included the possible provision of a 500m-US- dollar satellite channel, a 30m-dollar grant to launch Radio Free Afghanistan and a package of measures to put the print media back on its feet. The latter is likely to include the setting up of printing presses in Kabul, Herat, Mazar and Jalalabad. But besides material reconstruction, there remains a problem of finding and training journalists to staff the new outlets. Prime Minister Hamed Karzai has said that his new government would make it a priority to defend press freedoms. Already, harsh 70s legislation banning independent media has been junked. In its place, new, progressive press laws have been introduced as part of the Bonn agreement signed in December. But many exiled journalists are reluctant to return concerned that Karzai's word means little in a country still riddled by armed factions. A change of regime counts for little in itself among many Afghans. While the new government promises to be non-partisan, the country is still very much divided between the various factions who helped topple the Taleban. "There's no way we can move back there," said a prominent Afghan journalist in the Pakistani city of Peshawar. "Apart from Karzai all you have is a bunch of armed illiterates and we are afraid to work in such a gun culture." One sign of optimism is that some of the hundreds of journalists who fled to Pakistan during the years of conflict have built up what the Committee to Protect Journalists, CPJ, has described as the closest thing to an independent Afghan press, including two news agencies, which feed reasonably credible news bulletins to Western wire services, and an Afghan-owned daily newspaper. The trouble is that those journalists still working in Afghanistan are either ill-equipped to do so or are merely mouthpieces for the various political factions. "Our thoughts and views have been restricted over a long period," said one journalist, "and we need to re-learn the culture of press freedom." There is also the question of re-opening doors for female journalists. Besides a brief period under Soviet occupation when they were actively encouraged to work in the media, the profession has traditionally been male-dominated. The situation is not expected to change much in the short-term at least. Many Afghan journalists argue that it's all very well for the government to introduce media reforms, but unless real progress is made in establishing an independent media sector, with its own institutions, publishing houses, broadcasters and unions, little will change. The international community could clearly help in this regard by ensuring that a significant proportion of the funds earmarked for media development are channelled into the non-state sector. This, of course, will have to go hand in hand with a real commitment by the new authorities to ensure that journalists are able to work free from intimidation and violence. Source: Institute of War and Peace Reporting, London, in English 8 Jan 02 Radio Afghanistan BBC Monitoring has confirmed that Radio Afghanistan in the capital Kabul is broadcasting on mediumwave 1570 kHz. The evening broadcast span has been confirmed as 1230-1630 gmt daily. On 8 January, Radio Afghanistan was observed on 1570 kHz signing on at 0130 gmt and again at 1230 gmt. Balkh Radio Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province, continues to be heard. On Tuesday 8 January, the morning broadcast was observed as scheduled from 0224-0430 gmt. The evening broadcast was observed from 1230-1525 gmt. Broadcasts are on the usual frequency of 1584 kHz. Farah radio The local radio station in Farah Province (western Afghanistan) has resumed operations and will be on the air for one hour a day on 1044 kHz mediumwave, according to a report on the Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, on 4 January. It will broadcast its programmes throughout the province and also transmit to Herat, Helmand, Kandahar and some towns in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The radio station employs six technical staff, the report says. Since the launch, the station's broadcasts have been unmonitorable via remote receivers. Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research, 8 Jan 02 (excerpts via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. All activity by YA5T over the last few weeks were the work of a PIRATE/SLIM operator. Peter, ON6TT, left Kabul on December 4 and has not been active as YA5T since then. According to the YA5T Web page, Peter will be leaving his home in Belgium on January 20th to head back to Afghanistan. He has a few stops on the way, so he will not arrive in Kabul until a few days later. (KB8NW/OPDX January 7/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ALBANIA. Tirana English to NAm sometimes starts later than 0245 or 0330, and shows up plus or minus 5 kHz from 6115 and 7160 (Bob Thomas, CT, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ANTARCTICA. Nikolai Makarov, UA3YH (AB0KG), will be active as R1ANM from the "Amundsen-Scott" South Pole station (WABA K-08) within a couple of weeks, January 9-20th. He plans to operate both CW and SSB mainly on 20 meters, perhaps some 15 and 10 meters occasionally. His basic frequencies are: 14020/14160 kHz within 1600-1900z for Europe (non-rotored 3 element tri-band yagi) 14020/14243 kHz within 0000-0200z for NA/SA/AS (fixed 6 element yagi). QSL via the bureau to UA3YH or direct to AB0KG (P. O. Box 18118, Boulder, CO 80308-1118 USA). The QSL cards for R1ANM have been printed a few weeks ago. All requests for the R1ANM 2001 year operation, either direct or via the bureau, have already been answered. (KB8NW/OPDX January 7/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. Queridos Amigos, ha sido un gran placer para mí, el haber podido escuchar el dia de hoy 07 de Enero del 2002, la señal de Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel en la frecuencia 15476. Este ha sido mi primer gran DX desde Barcelona, Estado Anzoátegui, Venezuela en este nuevo año. En estos momentos cuando son las 2052 UTC la tengo sintonizada en mi radio receptor Sony ICF 2001D. Atte: (José Elías Díaz, Venezuela, Jan 7, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Felicitaciones, colega José Elías! LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, emite de lunes a viernes de *1800-2100* en 15476 kHz, utilizando 10 kW de potencia y una antena rómbica de 3 planos. Ahora en enero posiblemente cuando se renueve la dotación que actualmente está en Base Esperanza - donde cumplen sus tareas anuales - quizás cesen sólo por unos dias las emisiones, pero la misma seguirá emitiendo como siempre, en la misma frecuencia y horarios. 73's (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Feeder, 15820 Cadena 3, Buenos Aires. 0958-1010. January 04. LSB mode. In // with 99.1 MHz. This station is a member of Cadena 3, a network originating in Córdoba city, 800 km to the north of Buenos Aires. Economic news. Interview. Ann.: "Cadena 3 Argentina- Redacción Córdoba". Headlines of Córdoba province: actuality and short local news. Other ann.: "hasta aqui, Cadena 3 Argentina-Redacción Córdoba". Time check: "Son las 7 de la mañana con 2 minutos en todo el territorio nacional". Programme: "Radioinforme 3". Ann. of transmission of "Festival Nacional de Doma y Folklore" from Jesús María (a town in Córdoba province): "Cadena 3, en las noches de color y coraje de Jesús María... del 4 al 13 de enero...Jesús María 2002". ID as: "Transmite AIB75 [sic, must be AY--- gh] Cadena 3 Buenos Aires, 99.1 MHz, integrante de la Cadena 3 Argentina". Other ann. as: "Argentina empieza el dia bien informada... la radio que el país eligió... Cadena 3 Argentina". 44444 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Asunto: [HCDX] Argentinian addresses. Hi, I heard Cadena Tres, Argentina quite good today at 1000-1100 on 15820L. Can anybody out there support me with an address (mail or e-mail), please? I also want to get the latest address to Radio Diez. Their website and the old one, rpagano@radio10.com.ar seem out of order right now. Best wishes from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Dear Bjorn: More info on http://www.lv3.com.ar/ e-mail: audiencia@cadena3.com.ar 73's (Nicolas Eramo, ibid.) ** AUSTRALIA. RA preview for Jan 11: 2305 Fri.: Lingua Franca - about language. "The Antarctic Dictionary". Explorers, whalers, sealers, scientists, engineers have been visiting Antarctica for the last two centuries, during which time they've been coining and borrowing words to describe not just the landscape, but all aspects of life in Antarctica. Lexicographer Bernadette Hince has culled some 20,000 quotations from a thousand published sources for her historical dictionary of Antarctic English. She explains why this was such an enjoyable experience. [Transcript available] [Repeats UT Sat 0530 -gh] (John A. Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ** BANGLADESH. 9550.00, 1745-1815*, Voice of Islam, Dec 30, Weakly heard this morning with time check at 1745, then English ID as the Voice of Islam. On exact frequency today. Into Kor`an. Fair at best. No other parallels noted today. Improving signal with nice ID, IS and address given at 1814. Followed by time check and same IS tune, but the audio which followed was far inferior to the Voice of Islam. Very low modulation. ?Produced in different studios, possibly. ID at 1816:50 as the External Service of Bangladesh Betar, and into news in English (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Jingle of Radio Pío Doce, 5952.5, heard daily at 1000: La mejor programación, la mejor información, la música de mi tierra boliviana, Pío Doceee, Pío Doceee, La radio que se hace pueblo, Pío Doceee, Pío Doceee, Pío Doceee, hermanando todo un pueblo, Pío Doceee. (Emilio Pedro Povrzenic Nawosat, Villa Diego, Santa Fe, Argentina, Nov Latinoamérica DX of the Asociación DX del Litoral, Rosario, translated by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CFVP-CKMX, 6035.32 kHz, 07 Jan 2002, 1512-1559 UT. Call in show laced with lots of commercials. Featured male and female co-hosts discussing a variety topics. Station ID at 1529. Ever increasing noise level followed by loss of signal at 1559 (Rich Skoba, New Jersey, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Very good, residual nighttime propagation not long after local sunrise at low-solar-angle high-latitude path (gh, DXLD) ** CHAD. Radio Chad implements new programme schedule | Excerpt from report by Chadian radio on 31 December Radio Chad will tomorrow implement a new programme that will lay particular emphasis on information, production, entertainment and general interest topics. Garula Mbaile Desinga, head of the programmes department, explains: [Desinga] Radio Chad is, indeed, ushering the year 2002 with a new programme and the main change concerns the midday French broadcast. The broadcast will now be presented at 1400 [local time, 1300 gmt] instead of 1430. The midday broadcast will no longer be presented at 1430 on weekdays and 1300 on Sundays and holidays. It will be presented each day at 1400, from Monday to Sunday, whether it is a holiday or not. The new programme has a variety of items, encompassing all issues of interest to our listeners. Issues related to the judiciary, literature, law, culture and the economy will be treated, and a special segment will be devoted to oil exploitation... As you will realize, Radio Chad is broadening its horizons to serve its listeners better. It must be stated, however, that the daily time schedule remains the same. This means Radio Chad will begin transmission at 0700 [local time] and close at 2330 [local time], except on Saturday when the radio shuts down at 2400. Source: Radiodiffusion Nationale Tchadienne, Ndjamena, in French 1330 gmt 31 Dec 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CHILE. R. Parinacota, the new station on 6010.0, has been heard since the evening of November 5, for 24 nights in that month, and also 23 mornings, signing on at 0800? On 21 days, one day each at 0830 and 0930. Could this be the highest altitude SW station in the world? Putre is less than 10 km south of Nevados de Putre, elevation 5815m ASL, thus surpassing R. Altura, Cerro de Pasco, Perú, 5009.4 kcs, at 4330m (Emilio Pedro Povrzenic Nawosat, Villa Diego, Santa Fe, Argentina, Nov Latinoamérica DX of the Asociación DX del Litoral, Rosario, translated by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, according to the huge gazetteer at http://www.calle.com/world/chile/Pu.html Nevados del Putre altitude is only 5008m and Putre the town is only 3394m. Still, at 11135 feet, that is well above, e.g. Leadville, Colorado, and nothing to gasp at. Lhasa, [Tibet], China, where there are certainly SW transmitters, is put at 3657m in the same reference (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 10000, BPM time signal (presumed), 1230 Jan 8, Caught voice ID by YL in Chinese at 1230, underneath WWV. Fair strength. Unusual to hear it under the 10 MHz service of WWV, at my location (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA: Some new frequencies for China National Radio 8: 3990 1300-1400 Tibetan; 1400-1500 Kazakh; 1500-1600 Uighur; 1600-1700 Mongolian 7195 1300-1400 Tibetan; 1400-1500 Kazakh; 1500-1600 Uighur; 1600-1700 Mongolian 7365 1500-1600 Uighur 7395 1400-1500 Kazakh 9530 1300-1400 Tibetan (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 8 via DXLD) ** CHINA [and non]. Incidentally, radio stations broadcasting in Mandarin, Cantonese, Amoy or any of the Chinese dialects in EVERY country across the globe would have special programs to welcome in the Chinese new year beginning a few hours before midnight. China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and most of south east Asia will welcome the Lunar New Year at 1600 UT on Feb 11 2002. So if you are following on CNR, CBS or any one of the internet stations in these places, this is the time to listen in and yes, we do count down to the year of the whatever animal it happens to be. Incidentally, 2003 will be the year of the goat. There will also be special radio programs during the first few days of the Lunar New Year. Besides the aforementioned places, the Lunar New Year is also celebrated in Vietnam where it is known as Tet and also in the two Koreas (Richard Lam, Singapore, EDXP via DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. DR Congo/Gabon: Schedule of RTNC relays via Africa No 1 | Text of report by Congolese TV from Kinshasa on 5 January An agreement on the re-transmission of RTNC programmes by Africa No 1 radio was signed today. When this agreement is concluded, Africa No 1 radio will relay RTNC radio signals from transmitters located at Moyabi [Gabon] before re-transmitting it throughout the DRC territory. RTNC signals will be heard on 9770 kHz between 0400 and 0600 gmt, which is 0500-0700 Kinshasa time. Afternoon transmissions will take place at 1600-1900 gmt, which is 1700-2000 Kinshasa time. Therefore, there will be a total of five hours of transmission. Source: RTNC TV, Kinshasa, in French 1900 gmt 5 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RTNC Kinshasa via Gabon confirmed on 9770 kHz from tune in today (8 January) at 1725 UT with Congolese-sounding music and talk in vernaculars, news in French at 1800. Full ID in French at 1830 "vous écoutez Radio-Télévision Nationale Congolaise..." Reception is difficult here with heavy co-channel interference and splatter from adjacent channels, improving slightly after 1830 (Dave Kenny/Caversham UK, AOR 7030+ LW, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA [and non]. [Rfpi-announce] Democracy Now! returns to Pacifica Radio Dear friends, RFPI will continue to carry Democracy Now! Monday - Friday at 1600-1700 UT, repeated 6, 12, & 18 hours after the original broadcast. This development will require some changes to our broadcast schedule. For updates on-line, please visit http://www.rfpi.org/quarterly-sked.html The updated schedule will be available by Monday, 7 January 2002. Thanks for listening to Democracy Now! on RFPI and remember, we appreciate your feedback on the programming. Write us at info@rfpi.org Yours in Peace, (-joe bernard, RFPI, Jan 6 via DXLD) =-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-= Posted by Democacy Now! in Exile producer and past RFPI intern, Scott Gurian: This is some very good news for all of you who have been following the problems at Pacifica Radio over the past several years. We're going to produce an extra special program on Monday to celebrate Democracy Now! in Exile's return to Pacifica's airwaves, so be sure to tune in if Democracy Now is broadcast in your area! Michael Moore will be live in the studio, and Noam Chomsky may be on the line. We also have a collage of some of the highlights of Democracy Now!'s exile broadcasts from the past four months. Democracy Now! Returns from Exile in Bold Move at Pacifica Radio Network Democracy Now! in Exile http//www.democracynow.org [we heard the last part of this show on RFPI, then went back and picked up the first part from the above website ---gh] For immediate release: Contact: January 4, 2002 Karen Pomer (310) 463-7025 The Award-Winning Radio Show That Broadcasts Blocks from Ground Zero even as it was banned from the airwaves of its parent organization, returns to Pacifica radio stations throughout the United States on Monday, Jan. 7. NEW YORK (January 4) Democracy Now!, the award-winning national radio show that was banned in August from the progressive Pacifica Radio Network returns to the Pacifica airwaves on Monday, bringing to the general public the voices of some of the harshest critics of the "war on terrorism." On Monday, Goodman will be reunited on-air with former co-host Juan González for the first time in a year, when González resigned to found a national grassroots campaign to reclaim the Pacifica stations. Guests will include filmmaker Michael Moore. Democracy Now! was banished from Pacifica as part of the Pacifica Radio crisis, which many community radio activists say was an attempted corporate takeover of the only progressive radio network in the United States. The crisis moved toward resolution last month when three lawsuits against the Pacifica board of directors were settled, and the board of directors was reconstituted. The new board majority is determined to return the 50+ year old listener-sponsored network to its peace and social justice mission. One of the first moves of the new board was to vote at their first board meeting, a conference call on December 29, 2001, to bring back Democracy Now! Democracy Now! is the flagship national program of the Pacifica Radio Network, and its host Amy Goodman has won numerous journalism awards. But, as part of the ongoing conflict within the Pacifica Radio Network, Goodman was forced off the airwaves at most Pacifica stations and joined the ranks of dozens of journalists who were censored or banned by Pacifica. Democracy Now!'s host and producers were physically and verbally harassed out of the studios of WBAI in New York City when that station was "re-programmed" by Pacifica management and board leaders and subsequently banned from four of the five Pacifica Radio stations: WBAI in New York, WPFW in Washington, DC, KPFK in Los Angeles and KPFT in Houston. But rather than stop producing the show, Democracy Now! has expanded. In addition to broadcasting on Pacifica Station KPFA in Berkeley, the program aired on community radio stations around the country and has begun broadcasting a daily national TV show which airs on Free Speech TV --- channel 9415 of the Dish Network (satellite TV)-- and public access cable tv stations around the country [and shortwave radio]. Since the attacks of September 11, Democracy Now! has provided some of the most incisive programming on war and terrorism to be found anywhere on radio or television. On December 10, 2001, Democracy Now! broke the news of a University of New Hampshire professor's study documenting that close to 4,000 civilians have died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. bombing. Other recent guests on the show have included Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani journalist and author of 'Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia', discussing the oil-slicked road to war in Afghanistan, Tahmeena Faryal, spokeswoman for Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), Arundhati Roy, activist and author of The God of Small Things, Howard Zinn, Professor Emeritus of History at Boston University, author of A People's History of the United States, and Noam Chomsky, author and linguist at MIT. Goodman has a track-record for journalistic excellence that includes the George Polk award, the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting, the Columbia-DuPont Silver Baton, the Radio Television News Director's Award, as well as honors from AP, UPI and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Pacifica Radio has been embroiled in controversy since 1999, when the Network's managers shut down KPFA of Berkeley. That shut down caused the largest protests in Berkeley since the Vietnam War. In December 2000, Pacifica "re-programmed" its New York City station, WBAI, by firing and banning long-time programmers and eviscerating the station's progressive political programming. Last August, Pacifica suspended Amy Goodman and removed Democracy Now! from the Pacifica airwaves. But on December 12, 2001, it was announced that plaintiffs who sued the Network reached a settlement with the Pacifica board of directors that could end years of strife at Pacifica. The settlement created a new interim board of directors that draws its members from Pacifica's local advisory boards, its current board majority, and its board minority. Now there is hope among Pacifica Radio activists that the crisis is coming to an end and they will have a chance to rebuild the progressive radio network. Among the issues yet to be resolved are the return of the fired and banned producers at network-wide and resolution of the news stringers strike against Pacifica Network News. Pacifica is the nation's only non-commercial radio network, founded by conscientious objector Lewis Hill in 1949 and devoted to the exercise of free speech and the showcase of dissenting viewpoints. For more background info on the history of Pacifica and a summary of the problems that have faced the network over the past several years, see: http://www.wbaiaction.org/history/pacifica.html and http://www.radio4all.org/freepacifica/welcome.htm (via RFPI) Radio For Peace International, P.O. Box 88-6150, Santa Ana, Costa Rica Central America PH: +506/249-1821 ax: +506/249-1095 e-mail: radiopaz@racsa.co.cr * WWW: http://www.rfpi.org * ON-DEMAND REAL AUDIO: http://www.rfpi.org/webcast.html * LIVE STREAMING IN MP3: http://www.boinklabs.com/ifpi.html * new!! LIVE STREAMING IN REAL AUDIO new!! http://195.210.0.134:554/ramgen/encoder/rfpi.rm available 2200 - 1400 UTC M - F, 24 hours Saturday/Sunday _______________________________________________ * Join our mailing list for weekly program previews, schedule and frequency updates and more: http://www.boinklabs.com/mailman/listinfo/rfpi-announce _______________________________________________ (Rfpi-announce mailing list via DXLD) ** CUBA. So-called "free reporters" accuse Cuban government of harassment | Text of report by Mexican news agency Notimex Havana, 3 January: An association of independent journalists today accused the Cuban government of beating up six members of their organization as part of the "growing harassment against the journalists who are not under government control". The Manuel Márquez Sterling Society of Journalists (SPMMS), described as illegal by the island authorities, demanded "an immediate and unconditional end to the harassment actions against the journalists who are providing their own views regarding the Cuban situation". In a communiqué distributed to the foreign press, the SPMMS said that on 28 December María Elena Alpizar, a 58-year-old correspondent, was punched in the face by a man in civilian clothes who was among uniformed policemen. Three days earlier, members of the National Police and State Security arrested and beat up five other journalists to keep them from covering the inauguration of an independent library, the text of the communiqué states. Under the heading of "Yearly Report" the SPMMS denounced alleged arrests, interrogations, threats, expulsions, abandoning in deserted areas, police operations, fines and hindering departures from the country of those they called "free reporters". It also denounced police warnings and attempts to involve dissident journalists or their family members in common crimes. The SPMMS added that the Linea Sur Press director, Bernardo Arévalo, in prison since 1997 for disrespecting President Fidel Castro and Vice-President Carlos Lage, had already served half of his six-year sentence and is eligible for parole. "The only positive thing throughout the whole period was the release of union leader and journalist José Orlando González Bridon, after serving 11 months of a 12-month jail sentence," the communiqué adds. According to its Board of Directors, the SPMMS complained that in October 2001 the police banned the professional improvement courses scheduled by the association, created on 31 May to promote the freedom of expression and professional improvement. The Havana government has described the so-called independent journalists, harshly criticized by the official press, as counter- revolutionaries at the service of US policy and states that most of them are not even journalists. Source: Notimex news agency, Mexico City, in Spanish 2345 gmt 3 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. RFE rebuffs call to relocate headquarters | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 7 January: Moving the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) radio station out of its current headquarters from the centre of Prague would be a capitulation to terrorists, RFE/RL president Tom Dine says in an interview for Wednesday's issue of the weekly The Prague Post provided to CTK. "In the face of a threat, in the face of fear, you stand and face it. You do not run," Dine says. Due to fear of possible terrorist attacks after 11 September 2001, armoured vehicles and armed soldiers have been guarding the RFE building in the centre of Prague. The Prague Post writes that the US-funded broadcast entity would resist the pressure by the Czech government to pull up stakes and relocate to a less populated part of Prague. According to Dine, the efforts of some Czech politicians to move the station out of the city centre means that "the invitation that came to RFE/RL to move from Munich to Prague (in 1995) is now being rescinded." In mid-December the National Security Council recommended the cabinet to start talks with RFE officials about moving the station from the centre of Prague to a safe place. It is not clear yet where the station might be moved. According to Premier Milosh Zeman, the Defence Ministry has found five suitable buildings. "Reasons of comfort are not sufficient for a security risk which would threaten not only RFE employees but mainly Prague citizens in case of a terrorist attack and insufficient protection of the Radio Free Europe," Zeman said. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1934 gmt 7 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Relocating Radio Free Europe HQ is not political issue - Czech politicians | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 8 January: Czech government spokesman Libor Roucek today rejected Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) president Tom Dine's statement that moving the RFE/RL headquarters from the centre of Prague has become a political topic, which will be used in the election campaign. In an interview for Wednesday's [2 January] issue of the weekly The Prague Post Dine said that the change of the place of location of the station would mean a capitulation to terrorism. The Czech side has said that the moving of the station is being discussed. "It is not part of the election battle," Roucek said. He pointed out that a meeting of the National Security Council in mid- December, which recommended the moving of RFE/RL from the centre of Prague, was attended by Chamber of Deputies [lower house of parliament] Speaker Vatslav Klaus and Senate [upper house of parliament] Speaker Petr Pithart as representatives of the opposition. "They agreed that the topic was not a subject of political fighting and that it is in the interests of the Czech state that the Radio Free Europe be located in the Czech Republic but on a safe place," Roucek added... Deputy Prime Minister Pavel Rychetsky said he considered Dine's statement to be unnecessarily strong, adding that in his view the radio building should not be on such an exposed place. Foreign Ministry spokesman Alesh Poshpishil said that Dine's statement was news to the ministry, adding that such views had never been voiced by Dine during talks with the Czech side as his position so far was accommodating. Pospisil said that the government was interested in the presence of RFE/RL and did not intend to question an invitation for it to have an office in Prague from 1995. The Czech Republic has also accepted security risks which are connected with the station's broadcasting. "However, we want these risks to be as low as possible," Pospisil told CTK. Deputy Foreign Minister Rudolf Jindrak told CTK that Dine had a mandate from the USA for talks on the moving of the radio station and that the new location was being discussed... Civic Democratic Party (ODS) shadow interior minister Ivan Langer said that the security viewpoint should be given preference. "Radio Free Europe should remain in the Czech Republic and the government should do its utmost to find new premises for it," he said. Quad-Coalition (4K) leader Karel Kuehnl said, however, that if RFE/RL was to be moved, it should be done on the USA's request. Head of the Communist party (KSCM) deputies' group Vojtech Filip stressed that he considered Dine's view arrogant. Radio Free Europe should not only be moved from Prague for the sake of people's security but from the country altogether, he said... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1704 gmt 8 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DENMARK [non]. On the International Radio Report from CKUT Jan 6, Sheldon and Bill indicated that according to Erik Køie, R. Denmark was continuing to include some of the English segments from the domestic service on the SW broadcasts via Norway; something that was originally a programming error, as reported here. Perhaps Chris Hambly convinced him to keep doing it? If so, when? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. GERMANY, 15715, 1700-1800*, V of OROMO LIBERATION, Dec 30. Nice sign on without IS, a few seconds after sign-off of Voice of Hope. Stronger than them. Oromo, frequency and meter clearly heard in opening ID in presumed Oromo. Is this indeed from Nauen, or is this Jülich? S9 signal (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Re: Glenn`s comments and JM Euro TV tuning tips and Glenn says..... Actually, French AM TV audio was on 41.25 MHz, not 49.25, and I remember hearing it frequently on a handheld 30-50 radio, along with BBC just above it on 41.5. Naturally those even lower frequencies would propagate a lot more than the higher video. --------------------------------------------- Jerry's Top 3 frequencies for Euro TV on a scanner. 48.2500 Mhz AM mode listen for video sych buzz (many sources) 49.2502 Mhz AM Mode France TV Cinq audio (if you hear French, that`s them!) 52.7500 Mhz FM Mode listen for foreign audio (many sources) 55.7502 Mhz AM Mode France TV Cinq video synch buzz As far as Glenn's comments, lets not take me out of context here, we are talking about the ability of receiving television from France today in North America, not 20 years ago. Yes, they were on 41.25 Mhz then, and if you had the capability and the conditions, you would have heard the audio on 49.25 Mhz also. (Trivia question, when did France and others abandon those low low VHF frequencies?) Today in France there are two channels left broadcasting which could make likely targets and may have been possible lately with the tremendous conditions on 6 meters and low band VHF TV. Source: UKWTV TV list at http://www.ukwtv.de/uk/publikationen/tvlist/tvlist.html In France the Video frequencies of the low VHF channels are as follows....... ch F2 which is 55.75 Mhz, channel F3 which is 60.50 Mhz and channel F4 which is 63.75 Mhz, which are allocated for use in France. Most important is the sound carrier which is carried 6.5 Mhz lower (not higher) than the video and is carried in beautiful wide bandwidth amplitude modulation (AM), which we radio amateurs refer to as "angel music". Specifically then, one might want to program in the following frequencies for potential reception of French TV audio reception in the wideband AM mode. Frequency one is 49.2505 Mhz and is listed as transmitting with 1.7 kilowatts the second frequency at a slight offset is 49.2240 Mhz and is listed at only 22 watts (most likely a translator). Both of these are listed as pay tv service "TV Cinq" (tay vay sank) and if heard should be pretty obvious since it is in French, of course. The next best frequency, to program in and this is a must frequency for those with even simple scanners would be 53.75 Mhz. which is the audio frequency of a number of other European transmitters which still transmit with their video at 48.25 Mhz. If someone hears 49.2502 Mhz French Audio in 2002 report it; I am curious if there scrambling of the video has an effect on the audio. I am going back to ten meters, we had great conditions last night to Sakhalin Island, Russia near Hokkaido Japan, I worked three stations there last night on my homebrew fullwave loop, which you can view at my call at qrz.com, best 73s to all, à bientôt, (Jerry KC2UT Monroe, Syracuse, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR Kolkata (Calcutta) is noted on new 7200 at 0230-0401 & 0730-0931 from yesterday. Their normal frequency used to be 7210. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india Jan 7 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. USA: Sirius Satellite Radio announces new services, web site | Excerpt from press release by Sirius Satellite Radio on 7 January Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas, 7 January: Sirius Satellite Radio, the satellite radio broadcaster, today announced the next phase of its market roll-out, beginning 14 February and culminating in nationwide service during the third quarter. At a news conference at the 2002 International Consumer Electronics Show hosted by Sirius President and CEO Joseph P. Clayton, the company discussed its upcoming service launch and new programming line-up, unveiled details of its new Dodge NASCAR Racing team sponsorship, highlighted a new management team and debuted the new Sirius web site, http://www.siriusradio.com/ "This is the beginning of a new era at Sirius," said Mr Clayton. "With our national launch strategy in place, new and dynamic programming, the sponsorship of a Dodge NASCAR racing team, our strengthened and experienced management team and a redesigned web site, all systems are go to make 2002 a milestone year for Sirius. We fully expect to own the in-car entertainment space for consumers." Service launch details Mr Clayton announced Sirius' three-phase service roll-out strategy, culminating in service offered nationwide beginning in July. Phase I - Commencing 14 February 2002, Sirius will launch commercial service in four markets - Houston, Phoenix and Denver (which were previously announced) and a new market - Jackson, Mississippi, where Mr Clayton first debuted satellite television with RCA in 1994. All four markets feature early adopters of technology, favourable attitudes towards mobile electronic products and strong retail environments. Commenting on the launch, Mr Clayton said: "Jackson was the successful launch city for DirecTV and we plan on duplicating that success with Sirius' satellite radio service." Phase II - Sirius will implement the next phase of its regional roll- out across the southwestern United States beginning in April/May in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Little Rock, Arkansas. All were early roll-out markets for RCA and DirecTV. Service will be available in the southern and central US starting in June/July, and will include the leading metropolitan markets of Miami, Tampa Bay and Orlando, Florida; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Nashville, Tennessee. Phase III - Sirius expects to offer service nationwide during the third quarter... New programming Sirius unveiled its new channel line-up, including 60 original music channels, all commercial-free, in almost every musical genre, from rap to reggae, classical to country, new rock to hard rock, as well as HITS channels playing all the top hit songs in pop, rock, country, R and B, rap and dance, virtually on demand. Rounding out its line-up, Sirius will broadcast 40 world-class channels of the best variety of sports, news, talk and entertainment through partnerships with world- class providers, including ESPN, ABC News, CNN Headline News, E! Entertainment Television, The Discovery Channel, A&E, and more. Sirius announced it will simulcast live trial coverage from Court TV as well as the "Catherine Crier Show". Court TV programming will be featured on Sirius' "Real Sirius" channel, an entirely new radio format that will deliver reality and true crime programming, and live, interactive talk shows. Commenting on its new programming line-up, Sirius CEO Joe Clayton said: "Sirius listeners are going to hear something fundamentally different from anything out there, and that's because our approach and commitment to the listener is unlike anything that exists right now. In fact, we call it entertainment so great you'll never want to leave your car." New web site The redesigned Sirius web site offers live streaming of Sirius' 60 commercial-free music channels and will serve as an interactive, online complement to Sirius' broadcast programming. On the new site, visitors will be able to sign-up and become "Sirius Insiders" for access to exclusive content, including behind-the-scenes interviews with artists. The site features "customer command," which allows consumers to subscribe and manage their Sirius accounts online and interact with customer service representatives 24 hours a day, seven days a week, via live chat and e-mail. About Sirius From its three satellites orbiting directly over the US, Sirius will broadcast 100 channels of digital quality radio to motorists throughout the continental United States for a monthly subscription fee of 12.95 dollars. Sirius will deliver 60 original channels of completely commercial-free music in virtually every genre, and 40 world-class sports, news and entertainment channels. Sirius has agreements to install AM/FM/SAT radios in Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Volvo, Mazda, Dodge and Jeep(r) vehicles. Kenwood, Panasonic, Clarion and Jensen satellite receivers, including models that can adapt any car stereo to receive Sirius, as well as home and portable products, will be available at retailers such as Circuit City, Best Buy, Good Guys, Tweeter and Crutchfield... Media Contact: Mindy Kramer, Sirius Satellite Radio, Tel: 1 212 584 5138; e-mail: mkramer@siriusradio.com Source: Sirius Satellite Radio press release, in English 7 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAN. One megawatt radio transmitter built | Text of report by Iranian radio on 7 January The most powerful radio transmitter in the Middle East has been built by our country's experts. This transmitter, which was built with the cooperation of the Voice and Vision Organization's experts and the university Jihad of the Khaje Nasir-e Tusi University, is the world's sixth one megawatt transmitter. With the manufacture of this transmitter, the country will save more than 500,000 dollars foreign currency every year. Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, in Persian 0230 gmt 7 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. MOLDOVA: Effective Jan. 5 Voice of Iran in Persian via Grigoriopol` is on the air: 1630-1830 on additional NF 12065 (55555) // 15690 (55555) till 1730 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 8 via DXLD) {WRONG: See next issue; really via FRANCE} ** IRAQ [non]. IRAN, 9790, 0331-0527*, V of ISLAMIC REV. OF IRAQ, Dec 30. Messy frequency tonight. This station heard with a 1 kHz tone at 0330, then into an ID and presumed National Anthem. Other nights, this one is in the clear, but tonight it's cochannel with RFI in French. 11660 is a bit stronger with CNR 2 just audible underneath. 7100 is at fair strength (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also heard, presumed, tnx to WOR tip: 11660 at 0340-0415+ Jan 5; talk in language, ME style music. Strong, \\ 7100 strong and 9790 at fair level but mixing with France (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Gracias al dato de Edward Kusalik en CDX 379, pude escuchar a una clandestina emitiendo hacia Irak, y dado que se escucha con fuerte señal, he aquí los datos de la escucha: 11660.02 kHz, LV de la Revolución Islámica en Irak (emite con nada menos que 500 kW via transmisores de LV de la Rep. Islámica de Irán). 0330-0403+, 7 Enero 2002, programa en árabe con música patriótica, noticias con menciones a "mujaheeden", "islamiya" "shaabia" "arabia"... (es decir: combatientes, islámica, pueblo, árabe...), rezos del Cor`án, poemas árabes entre 0342-0349, ID a las 0331 y 0342 "Sawt-t al-Sawrati il-Islamiyah ... fi Irak". A las 0342 también como "Sawt-i.. Shaabia... Irak". Portadora muy fuerte a las 0330, y su ID y a/t fue a las 0331. SINPO: 35443. Los programas eran en // a 9790 khz (SINPO: 32442) y 7100 khz (SINPO: 24442). Participan en el programa locutor, pero sólo la locutora leyendo noticias entre 0349-0403+. "Assalamuh Aleikum" a las 0357. 73's (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ITALY. Dear Glenn, I managed to pick up a few of these banknotes before the Italian lira became extinct, and thought that you might like one as a radio-related souvenir. May I wish you a very peacefrul, healthy and Happy New Year 2002. 73 – (Bill Westenhaver, QC, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Thanks, Bill! It`s a 2000 Lire Duemila note, with an engraved portrait of G. Marconi on one side; a ship, radio apparatus, four towers with transmitter shack on the other side, along with what looks like a loop antenna --- or is that part of the background design? I wonder if North American banks could still provide one of these a while longer? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. A recurring theme this year on RKI will be the environment, with several special programs on the subject (gist of Han Hee Joo, RKI Multiwave Feedback Jan 6 via gh, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. 6348, 1718-, ECHO OF HOPE, Dec 30. S7 to S9 signal with presumed news, easily overpowering a feeble jammer, with news (mentions of Beirut and Taipei heard) in Korean (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KURDISTAN [and non]. Updated version of the Kurdistan Shortwave Target List compiled by Dan Henderson with 42 entries (stations) http://www.clandestineradio.com/martin/crw/crw-kurd.html (Martin Schöch, from Merseburg for the whole team of CRW, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. 9880, 1723-, R. KUWAIT, Dec 30. Rarely reported frequency in Arabic with fair signal. Parallel to superbly propagating 11990. Fantastic audio. Very clean. Wish all of the broadcasters in the Arabic world did as well! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBERIA. Taylor Softens Line on Shortwave Broadcasting 8 January 2002 Liberian President Charles Taylor, strongly criticised recently by employees of the Liberian Broadcasting Corporation, has for the first time publicly admitted that his opponents do have a case. Speaking on the radio & TV programme "Issues With The President," Taylor said that opposition complaints about not having access to shortwave transmitters are legitimate concerns. He would not be pressed on what actions he intends to take to address these concerns, but his comments do not necessarily mean that he will issue shortwave licences. In the same interview, Taylor said that that broadcasting on shortwave was not a right, but a privilege. The President said it is part of his constitutional responsibility to ensure a level playing field in next year's elections. He also said that the government is talking on the subject with the European community and other groups, but declined to give details. Taylor said there are two ways to solve the shortwave problem: either by shutting down the shortwave transmitter of the Liberia Communication Network, which he owns, or by installing a shortwave transmitter at the Liberia Broadcasting Corporation, and placing it at the disposal of the Elections Commission. Shortwave has become a major political issue in Liberia. Last year the government withdrew the shortwave licence of the Catholic-owned Radio Veritas. The Catholic Church has filed a lawsuit against the government, demanding the restoration of its shortwave licence. The Church claims it has the right under the constitution, to own and operate a shortwave station in the country (© Radio Netherlands Media Network vi DXLD) ** LIBYA. I picked them up around 1700 on 15660 // 15615 very loud and clear... that was "Idhaat Aljamaherya Alozma" ... Radio Great Jamaherya -- Not V of Africa --- a program about the handicapped in Libya and their rights with phone calls from listeners. I tried 17725, but nothing was there, so I switched to 15435 and there was V of Africa with the same bad audio. Searched for V of Africa on 17 MHz and got them on 17750 around 1730 with the news in English. Around 2030 I picked them on 11715 with the same Radio Great Jamaherya. Very good audio, S 4. Dunno why do they change their freq?? (Tarek Zeidan SU1TZ, Egypt 6 - 7 Jan 2002, via Wolfgang Büschel) Hi, just heard Libya at 1820-1840 UT on 9415 poor, 11635 fair, 15615 poor, and 15660 strongest. Playing Saharan chants like in Southern Libya ?? Other guys reported Libya on 9415 11635 11715 11865 15615 15660 17695 21630 21670 21675 vy73 de (wolfy DF5SX, Stuttgart-Germany, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It seems Libya is testing some new transmitters: Jan 6 +1143-1205+ English/French at 1146/Arabic at 1200 on 17695 21630 21670 21675 (!); +1930-1950+ Libya was on 9415, 11635, 11715 and 11865 (Mikhail Timofeyev, Russia, DXplorer) Freq 9415.0 kHz. Lang: Arabic (native for speakers). Time: *1759-2259* My UNID/ARAB on 9415 kHz is LIBYA. Tnx MUCH Mikhail for hint. Just checked \\ AM 675. The same program (Vladimir G. Titarev, Ukraine, DXplorer Jan 5-7) Hi folks, that's not a mystery -- I guess --, except that Libya was silent via this transmitter installation on UNKNOWN location, the past sesquiyear or so. These four transmitters noted testing daily at least in past decade. TDP list shows the installation of 2 x 100 kW Harris SW-100 transmitters at Sebha, Libya. Libya built up transmitters mostly gained from the French firm Thomcast, Swiss BBC-Asean, or even units manufactured by RIZ Zagreb from Croatia as reported by TDP Belgium. Libya tested these transmitters every day for approx. TWO HOURS only in the UT morning on 49, 41, 31, and 25 mbs, just carrying a simple 800-1000 Hertz test tone. I remember Libya used 6155, 7120, 9655, 9705, and 11815 amongst other channels [see reports of 1997 and 1998, BELOW] . Michiel Schaay from Holland mentioned the location Sebha Libya in 1997. Tests were noted daily at about 0745-1000 UT, and on rare occasions the local "Radio Sebha" programme in Arabic language could be heard. This Libyan test practice is UNIQUE worldwide, and puzzled up some listeners in the past. Whichever purpose had such basic idea, to hold four (or even five) modern HF transmitters and antennas in mothballs, but keep them away from regular programming for a decade !? These daily transmitter tests reported widely in the Nineties by top DXers like Noel Green, Rumen Pankov, Ivo Ivanov, and Vlad Titarev. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ________________ From BC-DX in ***1997 and 1998***: LIBYA. still testing txs bcing 1000 Hertz test tone, but retimed one hour earlier. Now approx. 0730-0945 UTC on 6155, 9655, 9705-strongest here, 11770 kHz. But NOT on 7120 kHz. At 0845-0900 UTC also separate opening procedure tone signal on 15415 kHz. (WB May 17, 1997) LIBYA. I presume it's the Ghaddafi tone audible again today on 9705 around 1000. It sounds like Libya on air with 5 mins of nx at 1000 [irregularly]. Some rent a crowd chanting and songs. I could not understand the ID they were using. Audio quality with some breaks suggests a feed from outside of main population areas. (Noel Green Blackpool-UK, Aug 13, 1997) [yes, heard 1000 Hertz tone tests recently on 9705. Daily approx. 0815-1015, WB] LIBYA. Test tone 1000 Hz at 0800-1000 on new 11815, back on 7120 and 9705, //usual 9655 11770. (PANIVIEW-BUL, Dec 17, 1997) Left 6155 in favour of 9705, so left ORF Vienna Moosbrunn in the clear on 6155. Observations show the following list, sorted by signal strength: 9705 strongest S=5+, 11815 S=5, 9655 S=4, 11770 S=3, 7120 poor S=2. Txion time varies: 7120 9705 11815 sign-off 1007; 9655 1022; 11770 1026. (WB Dec 31, 1997) LIBYA. LJB test tone 1000 Hz Sep 14-27. v0730-1030v on NF 9655 strong carrier //7120, 9705, 11850. (PanIview-BUL, Oct 8, 1998) [noted on Oct 11th also, addit on 11815 too, but not on 6155] Daily tone tests on SW noted partly starting from 0720 UTC, -- one hour earlier, and heard at latest around approx. 1050 UTC. Strong here in EUR 9705 and 11815, poor on 7120, 9655, and 11850 (x6155 which not observed anymore yet). (WB, Oct 31, 1998) [END OF HISTORIC ITEMS] LJB in Arabic with announcement "Idha-atu Jamahiriya Al Ovma" observed on Jan. 4-7, 2002: 1100-1230 on 21630 (55555) 21675 (55555) 21695 (55555) 1630-1800 on 15615 (55555) 15660 (55555) 17525*(55555) 1800-1900 on 11635 (55555) 15615 (55444) 15660 (55544) 1900-2200 on 9415 (55444) 11635 (55555) 11715 (55544) 2200-2300 on 9415 (55444) 9445 (55555) 9485 (55544) (*)irregularly on air! (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 8 via DXLD) Libyan four transmitters appeared on Dec 8th: [I assume you mean Jan 8, no longer historical info? --gh] 1100-1230 17695 powerful S=9 +60 dB, 21630 S=4, 21670 s=2, 21675 s=2-3 fluttery. 1630-1800 additional 15220 S=3-4 observed here - neighbour free channel! and usual 15615 S=3, and 15660 S=2-3, latter fluttery, like reported also by Noel Green-UK. Checked 49 to 13 mb, but couldn't trace the fourth channel. 1800-1900 9415 S=2-3, 11635 S=3-4, 15615 S=1-2, 15660 S=1-2. 1900-[?2200] 9415 S=2, 11635 S=3, 11715 S=1-2, 11865 S=1 under VoA Iranawila in Pashto and Dari, heard also on \\ MW El Beida 1125 kHz, when I activated the MARTENS magnetic loop antenna again to zero-out co-channel Deanovec-Croatia. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALI. 11960, 1756-1800*, R. Mali, Dec 30, Superb S9+10 to S9+20 reception with male DJ bantering with callers in French. He signed off at 1759:30 followed by the IS and canned sign-off by YL. This continued until 1800:30 with sign-off, followed coincidentally with immediate sign-on of VOA at 30 seconds past the TOH. Strange! (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOLDOVA. While surfing through the net, I came across a pretty nice photo of the "bc-house" of R. Pridnestrovya in Tiraspol: http://city.tiraspol.net/photo.asp?id=1&page=3 It is photo no 4, click on it to get a larger size. 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, via Wolfgang Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NICARAGUA. R. Miskut, 5770 reduced carrier USB, Jan 4 2340-2400*, irregular; not heard every night. Tune in to VOA Spanish news with VOA IDs and theme music; s/off with call letters, R. Miskut ID and NA; fair. Also heard Jan 1 to 0002*. These guys used to stay on late for New Years, but not this year (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And not ``R. Miskito`` as I saw it called somewhere (gh, DXLD) ** NIGER. Interesting to note about 9705: many Dec-Jan mornings they were EVERY time on odd [sic] 9705.0 (sign-on 0500 NA, announcements, HQ,...). And they been heard almost regular with essential drift in the local evenings. Evidently old transmitter is "getting too tired" towards the end of long day operation. On the contrary ETH on the same channel is staying as a rock on 9704.2 from s-on to s-off, all through the day. 73 (Vlad Titarev, Kremenchuk Ukraine, SWBC via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan has a very brief news cast in English at 0800 UT heard on 17.520 MHz. FYI, I use an unmodified Sony ICF 2010 and about a 15 foot longwire antenna. Regards, and thanks for the service you provide (Aaron Forman, West Palm Beach FL, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Rdif. Huancabamba, 6536.02, Jan 5 0115-0205+, OA folk music, IDs, Spanish announcements; irregular, not heard in a while. Fair. R. Ondas del Río Mayo, 6797.53, 0105-0158* Jan 5, rustic OA folk music, Spanish announcements, many ID, abrupt sign-off. Irregular; fair. R. La Voz del Campesino, 6956.7, 0300-0635+ Dec 25; irregular, not on every night and not usually on this late, but on late for Xmas. Spanish announcements, OA folk music, ID, Spanish ballads; fair. Also on late for New Years to around 0355* Jan 1 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 11890, 1730-1930*, R. PILIPINAS, Dec 30. Excellent reception at sign-on, though telephone like audio. Many mentions of Radio Pilipinas, the Voice of the Philippines, with incorrect frequencies, in Tagalog. Announces 11720, 11890 and 17720 instead of the correct 11730, 11890 and 15190 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PORTUGAL. As per the attached file extracted from the RDP homepage http://www.rdp.pt/ that new equipment from Thales cost is about Esc. 663.000.000$00 (663 million Escudos). The page goes on to say something I find rather odd: the equipment, currently being manufactured, is scheduled for delivery up till end this year, after which installation works & tests may be concluded up till June, 2002 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jan 8 via Büschel, DXLD) http://www.rdp.pt/internacional/h/index_h.html http://www.rdp.pt/internacional/h/ondacur_h.html http://www.rdp.pt/internacional/h/novo_equipamento/index.htm ** RUSSIA. 7175, 0714-, R. TIKHIY OKEAN, Dec 30. Test tones from 0710 or earlier. At 0715 Govorit Vladivostok. Superb S9+40 signal. There has been some confusion over the exact time, with reports of 0615, but confirmed here tonight. Russian (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Dear Glenn, The new station on 1305, Radio Druzhba, is probably 300 KW and from Moscow. Druzhba, meaning Friendship, has been broadcasting for a week, and the format is music (Russian and Caucasian) and different ids and slogans. No address found so far. The company behind it is something called AOZ, acc. to Bernd Trutenau. Schedule is unknown by me, but could be 24h. No live programming heard yet; they seem to be in a warming-up period. 73 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SABAH. Re unID TP on 1475: Glenn, the only thing listed out in the Pacific all the way to India on this frequency is Kota Kinabalu in Sabah at 700 kW. Have heard this quite well from Grayland many times. For a detailed listing of TransPacific MW, I recommend Bruce Portzer's excellent list on http://www.qsl.net/n7ecj/ (Don Nelson, Oregon, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAUDI ARABIA. Radio revamps news to cover 24-hour broadcasting | Text of report by Sa`udi news agency SPA web site Riyadh, 7 January: Following the start of 24-hour broadcasting on the General Programme as of 6/7/1422 Hegira [22 December 2001] the number of news bulletins and news summaries broadcast on the various channels of the Radio of the Kingdom of Sa`udi Arabia has now reached 51, in 12 different languages. The Holy Koran and Call of Islam Radio began transmitting around the clock as of the month of Ramadan in the year 1421 Hegira [2000]. This is explained in a folder listing the times of the newscasts and the political and news programmes on the radio channels; namely, the General Programme, Holy Koran Radio, the Second Programme, the European Section, the Call of Islam, and the beamed [external] programmes. Thus two channels of Sa`udi Radio are now broadcasting non-stop around the clock, thereby conforming to the changes, moving with the times, and taking into consideration the different time zones in countries across the world. The transmission of the General Programme and the Koran and Call of Islam Radio are carried on five satellites that cover six continents. The assistant under secretary for radio affairs, Muhammad Bin-Uthman al-Mansur, has said: This called for redoubled efforts by the radio employees in their jobs and different specialist fields. The ministry's engineering department also had role in maintaining transmission from the relay stations. Al-Mansur also said: This is considered the most significant step in the history of the radio, thanks to God and the follow-up work provided by Information Minister Dr Fu'ad Abd-al-Salam al-Farisi. The General Programme, for example, broadcast for 18 hours a day for more than 30 years. It signed on at 0600 hours [0300 gmt] in the morning and signed off at 0200 hours after midnight [2300 gmt]. Thanks to this accomplishment, several changes have been introduced to the daily broadcasts on the basis of a careful study by the programme committees. Some programmes have been retained and others added. Special attention has also been given to the timing of the late night and early morning programmes, taking into consideration listeners abroad and the different timings. Among the broadcasts that were significantly affected by the change were the newscasts and news programmes. This included the introduction of a main newscast on the General Programme at 1700 hours in the afternoon [1400 gmt]. This is an important period, which did not have a newscast. The newscast on the Second Programme is now at 1800 hours [1500 gmt]. A news summary was also introduced at 0600 hours in the morning [0300 gmt]. Previously, the first newscast was at 0700 [0400 gmt]. The 2300 hours newscast [2000 gmt] in the evening was moved to 2400 hours [2100 gmt], as it was close to the 2100 [1800 gmt] newscast. A news summary was introduced after midnight at 0200 [2300 gmt] and a general review of the news at dawn at 0300 hours [0000 gmt]. Previously, the last newscast was at 0130 hours after midnight [2130 gmt]. As for the main newscasts, to which listeners were accustomed, as they were carried at appropriate times, they remain as they were at 0700, 1430 and 2100 hours [0400, 1130 and 1800 gmt]. The timetables in the folder show the present times of the newscasts and news summaries in detail on every radio channel. The second section of the folder shows the times of the news and political programmes, as well as the press reviews, on each radio channel. A review of the folders shows several things, such as that the radio broadcasts during the 24 hours 51 newscasts and news summaries in 12 languages. Hardly any hour during the day or at night is devoid of a newscast or a news summary. The news programmes include a press review in all broadcast languages as well as programmes concerned with presenting the different activities and functions in the kingdom, as well as programmes that follow news of the Islamic World and Arab and World events. Source: SPA news agency web site, Riyadh, in Arabic 0923 gmt 7 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. Updated version of the Somalia Shortwave Target List, compiled by Dan Henderson, now has 8 entries: http://www.clandestineradio.com/martin/crw/crw-som.html (Martin Schöch from Merseburg for the whole team of CRW, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Identified as site for SW Radio Africa. See ZIMBABWE ** SRI LANKA. Dear Glenn, Just wanted to let you know that SLBC (Radio Sri Lanka) heard well here in West Palm Beach, Florida, on 15.425 MHz at 0100 UT (Aaron Forman, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. F2 TV-DX with audio: See VENEZUELA ** TUVALU [non]. Tuvalu/USA: VeriSign secures rights to .tv domain name | Text of press release by US-based firm VeriSign on 7 January Mountain View, California, 7 January: VeriSign, Inc., the leading provider of digital trust services, today announced that it has acquired The .tv Corporation International, a leading global provider of web identity services and the exclusive worldwide registry for web addresses ending in .tv. The .tv Corporation, which provides domain name registration services and a suite of value-added products and services, expands the offerings of VeriSign's Global Registry, which maintains the directory of approximately 30m .com, .net, and .org web addresses and manages the infrastructure that supports more than 5bn Internet connections a day. VeriSign's Global Registry had an existing relationship with The .tv Corporation to provide registry services and infrastructure support for .tv extensions. .tv is the top-level domain (like .com or .net) owned by the country of Tuvalu, a small Pacific Island nation. "It's exciting for Tuvalu to have a respected company and corporate citizen such as VeriSign step into the role of managing .tv," said Tuvalu Prime Minister Koloa Telake. Under the terms of the agreement, VeriSign paid 45m dollars in cash for the .tv Corporation International. The acquisition closed on 31 December 2001. This acquisition will be accounted for as a purchase transaction and will contribute less than 1m dollars in Q4 2001 revenues and between 7-10m dollars in net deferred revenues. Since 1998, The .tv Corporation has been the country manager/delegee of the government of Tuvalu for the .tv extension. Under the agreement, The .tv Corporation, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of VeriSign, will continue to be the country manager/delegee of the government of Tuvalu for .tv extensions. Additional information on .tv is available at http://www.tv/ Source: VeriSign press release, California, in English 7 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U K. [BDXC-UK] Channel 4 News Report On Pirate Radio On Friday 4/1/02, there was a report about pirate radio in the UK on Channel 4 news @ 1930. I have uploaded a web page with Real Audio and still pictures at: http://members.tripod.co.uk/mrconcept/c4news/ Here is a transcript of the report : --------------------------------------------- It's hip, it's hyped and it's totally against the law. Tune your radio dial nowadays and the chances are, you'll enter a criminal underworld. Pirate radio is still illegal but today there are more stations than ever beaming everything from trance music to anarchy into Britain's homes. Some are now making so much money that the legal stations are seriously concerned. In this special report David Rowan joins the pirates on the rooftops to find out why the radio outlaws are now calling the tunes. David Rowan Reports: Across the radio dial a powerful new underworld is breaking down the established order. While commercial radio struggles with recession, Pirate radio is booming with hundreds of stations stealing listeners and profits that legal broadcasters say should be theirs. Today's pirates are slick professional operations filling Britain's airwaves with everything from street music to extreme political messages. There are now almost 300 stations, twice what there were 10 years ago and the profit some make suggests crime really does pay. 'Mr. C.' from Silk City FM says: "If you put the right infrastructure into place and your business ideas are correct, you can gross between from 30 to 60 grand a year if it's run properly." The key is bringing advertisers to those young hard to find listeners. 'Mr Kidd' sells adverts to half a dozen Birmingham stations taking his media to clubs and nail salons promising to undercut the legal stations` rates. "If you come to a pirate station, for £1500 you could get at least 6 months advertising. A pirate station will give you the same quality, plus you're getting the DJ's mentioning it with a little bit more heart because they are told to." Just as the 60's pirates led to Radio 1, today`s pirates are leading to Number 1's. Acts like So Solid Crew have broken through from illegal radio to major record deals. It doesn't bother the pirates that they face 2 years in jail. 'Mr C' says: "They are part of household culture now. Everyday household entertainment culture is pirate radio, especially in London, Birmingham and Manchester." They leave their £400 transmitters on tower blocks and hope that they are safe from government raids and rival stations. Some pirates have cut the odds by keeping dogs on the roof, or booby trapping transmitters with CS spray. A recent police raid in Lewisham, South London unearthed in a studio a guide to pirate radio called 'Radio is my Bomb', a DIY pirate radio manual with everything from contacts to guides to building a transmitter and then there is the internet also. Stations claim they are bringing new listeners to the dial and that this crime has no victims; but not according to Thames FM, a legal stations which plays adult cool music to South London. Mark Walker, Programme Controller of Thames 107.8 says: "There are people sitting in the sales area trying to sell this radio station and they don't want it being interfered with by people who have no right to be there. So yes, they are nibbling into our income and possibly taking away our listeners who find it irritating and affecting the livelihood of these people." Legal stations are getting desperate. They say the fines for pirates, just £377 on average, are too low. They are suing individual DJ's and are now calling in the DTI, but complaining brings its own risks. Greg Martin, Managing Director of Thames FM says: "One of our presenters had his vehicle in the station parking lot smashed up and we believe this is the direct result of notifying the DTI about a pirate station". In Glasgow, Club FM was raided after organising gang fights live on air. Another local station told us it was giving pirates like them a bad name. DJ 'Miss-Chief' of Allusion FM says: "They are advertising gang fights and we can't be bothered with that. We are all too old for that. Basically we are here to play the music and make sure everyone is listening to the tunes they want to listen to." But some stations are speaking out for their communities. Sandra Lewis has a 3 year old daughter who needs a lung transplant in America. It will cost £50,000 which 3 London pirates are helping to raise. One of the stations has tried to go legal but was turned down. Its supporters are not surprised. Galaxy FM urges its listeners to empower themselves against white oppression. A spokesman said: "What we are doing as a peoples station is debriefing black people after going through 400 years of mental slavery". For some stations the politics are even more radical. Interference FM preaches anti-capitalism to London, Brighton and Bristol. On election day, its message was stark. 'Chris Winton' from Interference FM says: "Vote for nobody because nobody will change anything. The politicians promise and renege on their promises left, right, and centre continually. We are dangerous because we are there offering alternative views. When we start giving out the actual facts, we are dangerous to the state. Stations that just play music last for 2 or 3 months. We last 5 or 6 hours." The DTI sees raids as the most cost effective way of policing the airwaves. Yet for a station selling lucrative adverts, 1 lost transmitter is a mere business expense. If raids are meant to silence the pirates, then the system is clearly failing. With more illegal broadcasters than ever jamming Britain's airwaves, their listeners and advertisers seem to want something they are not getting elsewhere, yet every pirate station we spoke to said they would go legal if given the chance. Then it would be for the market to sort out who survives. David Rowan. Channel 4 News. --------------------------------------------------- Regards (James Welsh (BDXC1106), via DXLD) ** U K. Shooting star Strange name. Unusual look. Funny accent. But there's something about Lyse Doucet that the BBC - and the viewers - like. Matt Wells on the quiet winner of the television war Matt Wells, Tuesday January 8, 2002, The Guardian Every top television reporter needs a unique selling point, and it helps if it's a personal oddity. Odd face (Kate Adie), odd name (Michael Buerk) or odd voice (Orla Guerin). By that measure, Lyse Doucet - who has all three - should go far. John Simpson may have claimed the most column inches with his "liberation" of Kabul, but the distinctive Doucet is by far the most interesting discovery of the television war. For almost 20 years, her efforts to bring the stories of forgotten people from forgotten parts of the world have been known principally to listeners to the World Service and viewers of the international news channel BBC World. After September 11, however, she found herself broadcasting from an Islamabad hotel roof to a UK audience of millions when she fronted the news specials simultaneously broadcast on BBC1 and News 24 (in the UK) and BBC World (everywhere else). Her exotic accent and earnest features have marked her out for worldwide comment. In a column that comprehensively trashed the "second-rate" CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour, the Wall Street Journal's deputy features editor Tunku Varadarajan said the "dulcet- voiced" Doucet was the "best thing to have emerged on television in these last few weeks". She was "clear-headed, clever and deeply unostentatious" - qualities that contrasted with Amanpour's "gaudy egotism". Now, BBC executives have earmarked Doucet, 42, for great things. Roger Mosey, who introduced James Naughtie to the Today programme and is now head of television news, is effusive in his praise, describing her as "brilliant" as well as "nice, warm and funny" in person. "I first came across her when she was doing some reporting from Tehran in the early 1990s," he says. "One of the pieces she sold me for radio was about Iranian women and their moves towards independence; she illus trated it with some reportage of Iranian women going water-skiing while still covering their heads and wearing an approximation of the veil - which is one of those brilliant radio images which sticks in your mind." Mosey picks out the "wonderful mystery" of her voice. "She sounds slightly foreign to almost everyone because she comes from a very obscure part of Canada with a distinctive accent - so she doesn't sound Canadian to most Canadians, she doesn't sound American to Americans, and she sounds interestingly exotic to people like us." In fact, Doucet comes from Acadia - the area that produced the Cajun tradition - which explains her French name and obscure accent. However, in the competitive world of BBC foreign journalism, a funny voice and unusual name would not count for much unless she was actually good at her job. According to those who have worked with her, Doucet is not just good, but one of the best in the business. Before Christmas she wheedled her way into the office of the Northern Alliance foreign minister Dr Abdullah Abdullah, to the envy of the scrum of journalists clamouring for an interview outside, because one of the officials recognised her. "She has an incredible ability to make contacts," says her producer Daniel Hurst. "I've never seen anything like it." But most extraordinary is her short-term memory. While she has a computer at her base in Kabul, until recently she had no printer. Given that Autocue has not arrived in Afghanistan, she had to memorise the scripts and running orders of the hour-long live programmes she presented on BBC World and News 24, after scribbling down lines on a notepad. Predictably, Doucet herself dismisses the talk about her abilities - and her looks. "I'm not your classic presenter. I mean I wouldn't win a beauty contest." As for her gender - we're past that, she says. "I have been working for the BBC for 20 years and no one has ever said I couldn't go somewhere because I'm a woman. It's never been an issue and it's not something I give a moment's thought to while I've been anchoring from out here." Neither does she believe that gender makes any difference to coverage of the conflict. "I know there were men who covered rape as a war crime in the Kosovo conflict, and maybe women will find it easier to talk to other women if it's to do with something personal. But my view is that I do not believe that coverage of war is affected by gender. I know as many women who are interested in the bombs and bullets as I know men whose main concern is the human cost. " Her only experience of local sensitivities was during an earlier stint in Afghanistan, when she travelled with a Mojahedin commander who demanded that she dress as a man. "Western women are the third sex," she says. "They are given a separate category." Doucet has worked in many of the world's hotspots: after graduating in 1982 she chose to pursue her journalistic ambitions in the Ivory Coast in West Africa. She was in the right place at the right time: the BBC was setting up its first West Africa office and Doucet was correspondent there from 1983 to 1988. She then spent time in Afghanistan at the time of the Soviet withdrawal, and was the correspondent in Islamabad from 1990-93. She was one of the BBC correspondents in Jerusalem, where she was based for four years after the Oslo peace accord. Her knowledge of the region has been the bedrock of her journalism. It gave her authority when she gave a rough ride to the president of Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, in a recent BBC interview. Her mission, as a BBC correspondent, is to give the world-view: "This is not just a Washington war. As far as we are concerned it's not simply reaction from Washington or what's happening at the Pentagon. It's about what's happening on the ground, the reality of the situation here - the military, diplomatic, humanitarian and political story. The idea is to be as close to all that as possible, to give voice to people here." Doucet is aware of the journalistic ambiguity of newsreading. "I sit there with some shade of a jacket that I would never wear normally, made up by a make-up lady. People call me and say 'your eyes are looking great'." In Kabul, however, there are no make-up ladies. "Can you imagine if I had to worry about those sorts of things out here? Standing here with bags under my eyes. How can you be fashionable when it's bloody freezing on the roof? My clothes fit and my hair isn't so outrageous, but I'm not the one that is going to win the beauty contest." Despite the gravity of the story, Doucet insists that presenters have to retain a degree of warmth. "How do you smile with a story like this? But you have to find a way of doing it. If I was frowning all the time people are going to turn off their TVs." She is dismissive of gimmicks: "I don't wear a flak jacket or anything. There isn't a war going on on the roof of the Marriott." While she shrieks at the idea that BBC managers in London have marked her out for greatness, Doucet is clearly ambitious. But she is also realistic about television stardom. "One day you're a star, but then you can be a shooting star and fall to the ground. They'll suddenly say 'I don't like her haircut' or something." MediaGuardian.co.uk © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Daniel Say, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Updated schedule for BBC to ME/Afghanistan as of Jan. 6: 0730-0845 Persian 12030 17870 1000-1100 Persian 15175 17870 1100-1200 Pashto 15155 17870 1200-1300 Persian 15155 17870 1400-1415 Persian 15360 17870 1415-1430 Persian 6195 15360 17680* 17870 1430-1515 Persian 6195 15155 17680* 17870 1515-1530 Pashto 6195 9915 15575 1530-1615 Pashto 6195 9915 13755 15575 1615-1700 Persian 6090 6195 9915 13755 15575 1700-1900 Persian 6090 11805 (*) on 17680 1415-1515 strong co-channel VOA in Pashto also to ME/AFG via Morocco!!! (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. Beginning January 7, KRLD 1080, Dallas, TX, is dropping the Dr. Laura show, and becomes ``All-News, almost all the time.`` News (in some sort or another) will be featured from 4:00 am, with Bloomberg News, to 8 pm (local). A variety of talk shows populate the 8 pm to midnight time slots (computers, sports, health, etc.), and the overnight talker with Charlie Jones fills the midnight to 4 am period, which is also fed to the Texas State Network. Of course, their summertime schedule includes the Texas Rangers [law-enforcement info??? Why not the winter, too? gh]. Even the news stations in other cities aren`t `allnews`, as most hours are broken into segments such as sports, markets, traffic, Hollywood news, the Internet minute, etc., along with their hard news. Personally, it will be nice to have an all-news station here, even if it`s not ``all the time``. (Bill Hale, North Richland Hills, TX, Domestic DX Digest, NRC DX News Jan 7 via DXLD) KRLD Now ``All News All Day`` Jody Dean transfers to CBS 11 television KRLD NewsRadio 1080 now airs continuous news weekdays from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. This expansion represents an additional 30 hours of news programming each week for a total of 80 news hours weekly. The following is the expanded news programming lineup: 4-5a: Bloomberg Business 5-9a: ``KRLD Morning News`` with Dave Cooke and the KRLD Morning News Team 9-10a: ``KRLD Midday News`` with Terese Arena 10a-Noon: ``KRLD Midday News`` with Ernie Brown Noon-1p: ``Noon Business NewsHour`` with Jack Hines and David Johnson 1-3p: ``KRLD Midday News`` with Ernie Brown 3-4p: ``KRLD Midday News`` with Alice Rios 4-6p: ``KRLD Afternoon News`` with Mike Rogers 6-6:30p: ``CBS 11 News at 6`` simulcast 6:30-7p: ``Nightly Business News`` with David Johnson and Alice Rios 7-8p: KRLD`s ``Eye on the Internet`` with Katie Pruett 8-10p: Consumer Crusader Marty Griffin 10p-Mid: ``The Dennis Prager Program`` Mid-4a: ``Charley Jones Overnight`` (live in 17 markets on the Texas State Network) KRLD traffic reports on the ``8`s`` continue all day Monday through Saturday. KRLD weekend programming remains unchanged. [see below] KRLD also announces that it will continue for the next four years as flagship station for the Texas Rangers Baseball play-by-play broadcasts. [oh! gh] KRLD has increased resources to meet the demands of this expansion. An augmented partnership with CBS 11 News adds 14 street reporters to the KRLD news team. In addition, KRLD is creating two outside news bureaux, one each in Fort Worth and Dallas. KRLD has also hired five additional news people, including editors, associate editors and reporters. KRLD veteran Jody Dean is transferring to CBS 11 full time. New ``KRLD Morning News`` anchor Dave Cooke brings a wealth of news and programming experience to KRLD. A native of Gainesville, Texas, he holds a degree in Journalism from the University of North Texas. Cooke served as Program Director for all-news KFWB-AM in Los Angeles, as Vice-President and Director of Programming for San Francisco-based Information Network Radio and as programming consultant for CBS Radio`s AM stations. He has also received numerous awards including Billboard magazine`s ``News Personality of the Year`` while at KFRC-AM in San Francisco. In all, KRLD combines the resources of 35 contributing reporters, four news networks, 11 traffic reporters, Metroplex radio`s only fulltime dedicated meteorologist, two remote studios, six mobile local news units, a full-time Austin bureau and the worldwide coverage of CBS News to implement these ground-breaking changes. (from http://www.krld.com/showfeature.asp Jan 7 via DXLD) KRLD- News Radio- 1080 [CST = UT minus 6] Saturdays on KRLD 12 - 4 am Best of Texas Overnight with Charley Jones 4 - 5 am Special Programming 5 - 6 am Texas Fishing and Outdoors with Brian Hughes 6 - 8 am KRLD Saturday Morning News 8 - 11 am KRLD Lawn & Garden Program with Neil Sperry 11 - 12 pm Real Estate Hour 12 - 1 pm Investment Talk 1 - 3 pm Home Improvement Hotline with Tom Tynan 3 - 4 pm Money Matters with Ken Moraif 4 - 5 pm Healthy Living 5 - 6 pm KRLD Legal Eagles with Paul Coggins 6 - 7 pm Special Programming 7 - 9 pm What's Going On 9 - 10 pm Special Programming 10 - 12 am The Lost Tapes with George Gimarc Sundays on KRLD 12 - 3 am The Laura Ingraham Show 3 - 5 am Troubleshooter Tom Martino 5 - 6 am Texas Fishing and Outdoors with Brian Hughes 6 - 6:30 am This Week in Austin 6:30 - 7 am KRLD Sunday Morning News (weekly Presidential Radio Address and Democratic Response at 6:40) 7 - 8 am KRLD Staff Meeting 8 - 11 am KRLD Lawn & Garden Program with Neil Sperry 11 - 12 pm Backyard Bay with Michael Miller 12 - 2 pm KRLD Restaurant Show with Jim White 2 - 4 pm The Home Buyers Show with Dave Hampton 4 - 5 pm "Powers of Attorney" with Tim Powers 5 - 6 pm Ask the Judge with Hal Gaither 6 - 7 pm CBS 60 Minutes on radio 7 - 9 pm Loftin & Dent 9 - 10 pm Computer Junction with John Staples and Larry Shannon 10 - 12 am KRLD Radio Theater Copyright © 2002 Infinity Broadcasting and First MediaWorks Powered by First MediaWorks (via DXLD) But does KRLD webcast? Of course not! --it`s CBS. But at least here 250 miles away, it`s a major signal at night, and barely squeaks in the daytime, aside KFTI 1070 Wichita (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Just got some mail from the CE of WRNI in Providence, RI... he now says he will do the DX test on Jan. *20*, 2002 from midnight to 1 am EST - Saturday night to Sunday morning - and he is looking forward to reception reports to the south --- I hope he won't be disappointed! (Lynn. Lafayette, LA, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Check out the IRCA Web site at http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5792 That`s 0500-0600 UT Sun Jan 20. Lynn also notified that the KTNS-1090 test scheduled for Jan 7 at 0800-0900 UT from California did not happen due to a computer crash at the station, but the CE said he would run it the following night instead, UT Tue Jan 8 at 0800-0900, before the publication of this issue. However, the updated info was entered immediately at our Monitoring Calendar: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html (gh) The DX test arranged by IRCA from KTNS, Oakhurst, CA, on 1090 kHz was rescheduled for Tuesday, January 8 - 0800-0900 UT. Not a peep of it was heard here in southern Oregon, only XEPRS with a gigantic signal and an unidentified station with sports talk fading in at times. Hopefully some DXers caught it ! E-mail for reports: mtkaat@sierratel.com ATTN: Mr. Larry Gamble. Cheers - (Bill Flynn, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) One guy in Idaho heard their CW, but the Fortuna, California daytimer was also on at the time! (gh, de reports) ** U S A. 10000, 0318-, Time Signal Radio WWV, Dec 30. Did I miss something here? No propagation forecast heard at 18 minutes past the hour. How come? Both WWV and WWVH well heard at this time, as well as a morse ID for another station (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I occasionally find the propagation minute missing on WWV. If any station should be perfect... but not the case (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Who`s who at WWCR. There have been quite a few staff changes at WWCR lately, and the `mugshot` section of their webpage seems to have disappeared. The following gave brief holiday greetings on the latest Ask WWCR, not all with surnames, and not all understandable, but I copied them down as best I could, with guesses at spelling; when they mentioned working for both WWCR and WNQM, that`s indicated by W&W: Tammy, program director Joel Harmon, overnight board operator, W&W Mildred Mendenhall, incoming and outgoing program coördinator Pat Ryan (m.), board op, W&W Jason Cooper, board op Tracy Atpan?? (f.) Brady Murray, training manager and broadcast technician, W&W Andy Farmer, of WWCR Rick Shelton, sales rep, W&W Raymond Burkhart, station rep for W&W Dave Mooney, board operator Corey, (m.), board operator Alex (m.), board operator Zack, production director of W&W As well as hosts George McClintock, GM & CE; Adam Lock, Operations Manager. BTW, per press releases in December, Adam has received a 10 Year Service Award, for ``outstanding dedication and achievement`` at WWCR. And Jay Litton retired from WNQM/WWCR after 18 years (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Additional transmission for Radio Liberty in Azeri to ME/Afghanistan: 1000-1100 on 15330 KAV 250/095 17670 KAV 250/095 21530 KAV 250/095 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 8 via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. CX42, Emisora Ciudad de Montevideo, new on 6010.3, in November was heard only on one date, the evening of the 3rd, until abrupt closing after ID at 0030 on the 4th, announcing that it broadcasts only on 1370 ``La frecuencia que se sintoniza con mayor frecuencia``. Banda Oriental, 6155.0, signed-on around 0134, varying to 0136, heard on 24 evenings in November. On only one occasion, the night of November 2, did it ID as ``*Radio* Banda Oriental``, in the voice of Analía, after a recorded sign-on announcement. Besides other previous dates, it was inaudible from Friday Nov 23 until Monday the 26th. The night of Tuesday the 27th it resumed audibility with a message from the directoress(?) justifying the inactivity of her station ``because on Friday 23rd at 1900 River-Plate time, a tornado of 100 to 150 km/hr hit Sarandí del Yí, knocking down several high-tension towers and leaving the region without electricity until November 27`` (Emilio Pedro Povrzenic Nawosat, Villa Diego, Santa Fe, Argentina, Nov Latinoamérica DX of the Asociación DX del Litoral, Rosario, translated by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. Hello Mr. Hauser! I noticed in your notes on the F-2 event of Dec. 30 that the MUF had not reached the critical frequency for A2 audio. It did at Rantoul, Illinois for thirty five or more minutes, roughly from 1425z to about 1500z. I was monitoring channel 2 and recorded pretty much the whole event. I have positive confirmation via audio of TTT, and I have enough from Venezuela (which was carrying a Spanish dubbed version of the Christina Ricci film "Casper"), that I think someone with the proper grasp of Spanish could confirm it too. I have been in contact with your fellow WFTDA member Girard Westerberg about this since during the event. I sent him a copy of my tape of both days of F-2, and I asked him to forward it on to you once he makes his own digital copy (he offered to send the tape back, but I decided you might find it of interest). Needless to say, my reception has stirred up a flurry of activity in my DX group, ICDX. Tony Mann, Todd Emslie and Robert Copeman are in the process of receiving tapes of this from me. Everyone I have mentioned this whole thing to seems astonished that reception was achieved using a standard fringe suburban antenna, on a GE 13TVR60 tv/vcr combo, hooked into an old Archer 50-450 MHz pre-amp (Curtis Sadowski, IL, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) One significant point about this event was that rare as it be, when it happened, signal strengths were extremely strong, capable of causing interference to locals, and overriding semi-locals! (gh, DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. ALGERIA, 7460, 0721-0800, R. NAC. SAHARAGUI P.F. Jan 5 Strong reception with local Arabic sounding pop vocals. Solid S7 to S9 signal. Occasional ute QRM on USB. Went back and checked MD recording. Deteriorated reception, as one would expect with daylight at transmitter by 0730. Mentions of Arabiya and democratiya at 0730, and short ?news items, followed by longer items and a speech. Into brief National Anthem as per Dave Kernick's IS website at 0800 following a short announcement in Arabic. Then off. I tried for RASD on 7460 last night, but could only hear a carrier, by the way. The R. Nacional spelling is directly from the ILG database and then using the Scan320db program for logging. Not the usual way I've seen it spelt (in case you were wondering). (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria, BC, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** YUGOSLAVIA. Radio Yugoslavia Remains Silent on Shortwave 4 January 2002 A dispute that has silenced Radio Yugoslavia's shortwave transmissions shows no signs of being settled. A note on the station's Web site informs listeners that the silence is due to "technical problems". Indeed, there is a technical problem at the transmitter site at Bijeljina, which is actually located in the Serbian part of Bosnia. The Bosnian Serb Electric Power Company has cut off its power supply because Radio Yugoslavia has not paid an outstanding electricity bill of 9 million dinars (around 150,000 euro). Radio Yugoslavia is, in fact, in dispute with its own federal government as well as with the Bosnian Serbs. Yugoslav Assistant Minister of Information Slobodan Orlich says that Radio Yugoslavia has refused to accept a financial rehabilitation programme proposed by the government. Radio Yugoslavia Director Milena Jokich counters that the number of employees was reduced from 260 to 200 during 2001, while the federal government still employs 10,000 people. The station's budget is currently lumped together with several other media operations, and the current funding is not even sufficient to pay the salaries of the remaining employees. The loss of power at Bijeljina has caused material damage to the transmitting facility due to the cold weather now affecting a large part of Europe. Radio Yugoslavia Director Milena Jokich says that the well-pump and the network of pipes have been cracked by the melting ice. Zoran Kalicanin, Assistant Federal Minister of Information, claims that the damage is not too serious. He also stresses that the shortwave broadcasts are a "priority" but that the budget for 2001 was exceeded. Federal Information Secretary Slobodan Orlich says that he has written to Radio Yugoslavia promising that the debt will be paid from the budget for 2002. Meanwhile, as politicians and officials bicker in Belgrade, the shortwave transmitters in Bosnia remain silent, and the only way to hear Radio Yugoslavia is via its Web site. http://www.radioyu.org/ (© Radio Netherlands Media Network via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. SW Radio Africa, 6145, is blocked here by VOR in French, at least from 1600 past 1800 (Chris Hambly, Victoria, Jan 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Zimbabwe: More on SW Radio Africa Glenn, SW Radio Africa (official title) has been receiving considerable media attention in the UK in the last few days. The Observer newspaper ran a story about in on Sunday. There was also a report on BBC Radio 4' s World Tonight programme on Monday evening. Today there was a report on BBC Television News at 1800 UT followed by a piece on Channel 4 News at 1915. So far, as far as I know, the only British report that has identified South Africa as the transmitting country is Channel 4 News. The reporter did not give her source for this claim but, considering that she had visited the station's studio in London, it may be the case that staff there gave her the information. Incidentally, Channel 4 News is compiled by Independent Television News (ITN). It is interesting to note that the abundance of reports on UK media about Zimbabwe corresponds with a new media bill being introduced in Harare, as well as suggestions in London that Zimbabwe should be suspended from the Commonwealth (Roger Tidy, UK, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Following is an abridged transcription of the report: PRESENTER: Suspension from the Commonwealth if the situation continues to get worse: the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, says he'll argue for tough action against Zimbabwe if President Mugabe fails to bring an end to violence against his political opponents and journalists. But despite the warning, draconian new legislation has been put before the Zimbabwean parliament, although a bill on electoral reform was voted down today in the first government defeat in parliament in two decades. Two other bills are more likely to be passed, and they would make conditions even more difficult for journalists and opposition politicians, and ban all foreign journalists from working there at all. Our diplomatic correspondent Lindsay Hilsum (phonetic). (Station ID by male announcer): "...SW Radio Africa" DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: Shortwave Radio Africa broadcasting to Zimbabwe from studios in London via a transmitter in South Africa. Back home, only the state broadcaster is allowed a radio licence, so that's why the station's here. The Zimbabwe government says all political opposition and independent media is funded and controlled by the British and by former Rhodesians. President Mugabe says that people like you are just puppets of the white man. VIOLET GONDA (SW Radio Africa): He would say that, wouldn't he! A lot of people who are getting killed, who are getting harassed, who are getting raped, are blacks, and definitely I would want to show that, so that something can be done to stop it, and that's what I'm doing. No one has told me that I'm, that I'm doing this - I should do this - for the whites or, I should do this for the blacks. I'm doing this for the people of my country, both black and white, and I'm not a puppet of anyone. DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT: The topic of today's show: two new bills being fast-tracked through parliament. One will mean that journalists can be fined or imprisoned if they spread alarm or despondency. programme excerpt begins Violet Gonda conducting phone-in: "What will this bill do if it's passed?" Trevor Ncube (independent journalist, on line from Harare: "The bill is totally unconstitutional. It's been very poorly drafted. There is no way that this bill can withstand scrutiny of any court of law in Zimbabwe." programme excerpt ends DIPLOMATIC CORRESPNDENT: The bills were presented in parliament today. Although a lesser bill fell, the ruling party's majority means these important changes should be passed without problem (via Roger Tidy, Jan 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 1475 kHz in DXLD 1-205: see SABAH above Re last issue 9706v: Hello, heard tonight an Arabic station on 9705.81 at 2105-2115, next to even 9705 DW in Serbian from Sines Portugal, 250 kW. So, V of Arabs Cairo, Egypt, wandering the upper way from nominal 9700 kHz. vy 73 de wolfgang ----- Original Message ----- Subject: Re: UNID - 05 Jan I got a tentative ID from Hans Johnson. He says the ID sounded like Voice of Arabs from Cairo in Arabic, which agrees with what you have. Wonder who makes their transmitter? Sent: Saturday, January 05, 2002 7:36 PM Subject: Re: UNID - 05 Jan 9707.91 in a matter of 30 minutes so it was hard to tell. Man talking, then Arabic singing at 2317. [sources? via WB] Hi Mark, I didn't monitor this tonight, sorry. BUT approx. a months ago I heard R Cairo, nominal 9700, the OTHER WAY AROUND: wandered down to 9697..9696.5 kHz. 1800-0030 9700 31 VOICE OF ARABS N. AFRICA, S. EUROPE compare the program to \\ 1900-0030 11665 25 VOICE OF ARABS C. & E. AFRICA 0300-0030 15285 19 VOICE OF ARABS ARAB GULF (Wolfgang Büschel, DXLD) Last night EGYPT was observed on 9701v at around 21 UT... Hard to say, as situation with those "drifters" may change in hours... Regards (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, Jan 7, SWBC via DXLD) see also NIGER above ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-005 January 6, 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. DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com/ are in text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version is uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note: post-facto error fixups and comments will normally be entered only in the `permanent` html version. For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2001 contents archive see http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxldmid1.html Check the WOR websites: http://www.worldofradio.com/ http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ [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 #1112 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.html FINAL AIRINGS ON WWCR: UT Mon 0100 and 0600 on 3210 WORLD OF RADIO/CONTINENT OF MEDIA/MUNDO RADIAL schedule: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html WOR/COM/MR MASTER TIME SCHEDULE: http://www.worldofradio.com/wormast.html CALENDAR of MONITORING REMINDERS is expanding, with many more listings for specific January dates, as well as a revival of SHOWS WE LIKE, our scheduled of recommended weekly listening, mostly webcasts: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html ** AFGHANISTAN. USA sehen Hungersnot in Afghanistan abgewendet WASHINGTON --- Die drohende Hungersnot in Afghanistan ist nach US- Angaben abgewendet worden. Im Rahmen der internationalen Hilfsaktion, die zeitgleich mit den US-Luftangriffen begann, wurden über 200.000 Tonnen Lebensmittel verteilt. Zwei Drittel davon stammten aus den USA, sagte der Leiter der US- Behörde für internationale Entwicklung (USAID), Andrew Natsios, am Donnerstag in Washington. In schwer erreichbaren Gebieten im Gebirge sei die Lage aber immer noch Besorgnis erregend. ``Wir sind nicht sicher, dass auch jeder zu essen bekommt.`` Ein Vertreter des US-Aussenministeriums sagte, seit Beginn der Luftangriffe im Oktober seien 150.000 Afghanen aus ihrer Heimat geflohen und damit weit weniger als erwartet. Nun sei es wichtig, die Heimkehr dieser Flüchtlinge vorzubereiten. Mit einer Rückkehrwelle werde aber erst mit Beginn des Frühlings gerechnet. Natsios kündigte an, USAID werde mehr als 30.000 batteriebetriebene Radios an die afghanische Bevölkerung verteilen, damit die Menschen sich über die Verteilung von Hilfsgütern sowie Gesundheits- und Sicherheitsmassnahmen informieren und Nachrichten hören könnten. Der britische Sender BBC und der US-Sender Voice of America senden täglich Nachrichten in den afghanischen Sprachen Paschtu und Dari. ``Diese Sendungen erlauben den Menschen, fundierte Entscheidungen über ihre Zukunft zu treffen``, sagte Natsios weiter. Nach seinen Angaben wurden bereits 20.000 Radios in den Gebieten Herat, Talokan und Kundus verteilt. Im US-Kongress laufen zur Zeit Beratungen über die Finanzierung eines täglich zwölfstündigen Radioprogramms für Afghanistan. (SDA-ATS\/zc/c9afg c1 int mil reg) © Copyright AFX 2002, All Rights Reserved. You may now print or save this document (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. U.S. sends radios to hungry Afghans By Eli J. Lake, UPI State Department Correspondent Published 1/3/2002 10:35 PM WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (UPI) --- In addition to food, blankets and medicine, the U.S. Agency for International Development is distributing radios to native Afghans so that they can find out about humanitarian aid deliveries throughout the country. One of the purposes of the radios is to discourage local warlords from stealing rations meant for the people, U.S. AID Administrator Andrew Natsios told reporters Thursday. "If a food delivery has been made to Herat, everybody's supposed to get 10 kilograms of ration, and they're getting two, and they hear this report that they're supposed to be getting 10, there's going to be a little problem in the city, because people are going to be very angry that the food has not been delivered to them as it's supposed to be," Natsios said. Since Dec. 7, the International Organization of Migration has distributed about 20,000 to 30,000 Kchibo KK-12 12-band radios and batteries to Afghan tribal chiefs, schoolteachers, hospital officials and other community leaders. The radios were purchased in Hong Kong and are capable of picking up BBC, the Voice of America as well as local Afghan radio stations. "Afghanistan is a radio culture, which is say, well before the civil war began in '78-'79, the Afghans listened to radio in the village," Natsios said. "That was their primary form of entertainment." The USAID is hoping that local listeners will pick up a series of public service announcements produced by local Pashto and Dari speakers on humanitarian aid deliveries, aired on local Afghan radio stations. While Congress has approved funding to resume Radio Free Afghanistan, only Voice of America provides regular American-related broadcasts in Pashto throughout Afghanistan. "If there is no food in a particular village and people are returning to it, they should know that before they leave," Natsios said. He also said the radio broadcasts could inform the local populations of the availability of medical services such as inoculation. While Natsios believes that one of the main purposes of the radios will be to put pressure on thieves who may hoard the food from local populations, the distribution program so far has been a success. Natsios began his briefing on Wednesday to reporters by saying, "It appears from the data we've collected and the reporting we're getting from the field that we have averted widespread famine in Afghanistan." One reason for the success so far of the humanitarian mission is that 76 percent of food imported into the country since September has reached households, Natsios said, a very high figure for this line of work. Another factor is that U.S. shipments have steadily increased since September when the World Food Program delivered 11,240 metric tons of food to the country. That figure increased over 10-fold in December to 116,000 metric tons. Copyright © 2002 United Press International (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. RA dropped service to NAm because (not to put too fine a point on it) in order to survive at all, it had to become a regional broadcaster. This move was mostly prompted by repeated, deep budget cuts experienced over the better part of a decade or so. It was a prudent--though actually reluctant--move that actually strengthened the service, both in the eyes of its parent, the ABC, and the Asia- Pacific region, its primary target even its days of "intentional global reach". Having said that, RA's letters program regularly reads letters from listeners all over the world and openly entertains discussion of why RA dropped shortwave service "officially" to areas outside Asia and the Pacific. This is because it recognizes reality -- - it still has many listeners on shortwave all over the world and embraces them in the same way it embraces listeners via satellite, WRN and the internet. In other words, it appreciates its listeners wherever they are and however they come to RA... [continued under UK] (John A. Figliozzi, NY, Jan 6, swprograms via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. DARWIN UPDATE The DARWIN facility is now being used continuously at 2030-0800, with two of the six transmitters now in use for Radio Australia or Vision International programming. The new schedule reflects the recent introduction of: 11935 VI 2030-2130 English 17775 RA 0000-0130 English 17820 VI 0700-0800 Chinese The full schedule, confirmed by monitoring here in Melbourne, as at Jan-06, is: 7170 2030-2200 VI English 11935 2030-2130 VI English 11935 2130-2330 RA Indonesian 11935 2330-0000 VI Indonesian 13620 2200-0000 RA English 17645 0130-0500 VI English 17645 0500-0700 VI Chinese 17775 0000-0130 RA English 17820 0700-0800 VI Chinese 21680 0000-0030 RA English 21680 0030-0130 VI Indonesian 21680 0130-0400 VI English 21680 0400-0430 RA Indonesian 21680 0430-0500 VI Indonesian 21680 0500-0530 RA Indonesian 21680 0530-0800 VI Indonesian Good listening to Darwin! (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. O berço do novo transmissor da Rádio Transmundial está pronto! E, em breve, vai abrigar o mais recente projeto da emissora: o transmissor de 50 kW de potência, contribuindo para maior alcance no território nacional. Essa é a primeira parte do projeto. A próxima etapa vem com toda a infraestrutura de energia elétrica necessária para o funcionamento dos equipamentos. As informações são da publicação "No AR RTM, edição de Setembro/Dezembro de 2001. A Rádio Transmundial transmite em 5965, 9530 e 11735 kHz. Endereço eletrônico: rtm@t... [truncated by yahoogroups] (Célio Romais, @tividade DX Jan 5 via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC Previews for Monday January 7 include: WORKOLOGY returns to CBC Radio this morning. Host Jane Farrow explores the world of work from the serious to the wacky in this weekly series. This week, Workplace Confessions: things you should never have done at work, but you did, and now you're prepared to confess on national radio. Also, finding the right balance between work and the rest of your life, how to nap on the job, and more. In Hour Two of This Morning, starting at 10:05 (10:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. OUTFRONT: The Magic of Falling Teeth. Toronto freelancer Sharon Bar- David and her seven-year-old daughter take you into a magical land you've probably forgotten. It's a world filled with wiggly teeth, falling teeth and tooth fairies, excitement and jealousies - where magic and memory intertwine. At 11:45 (12:15 NT) on CBC Radio One. (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA? 567.9 kHz, CENTRAL AMERICA, JAN 1, 1129-1139 - Spanish speaking station with man and woman shouting rapidly and excitedly. Heavy 570 kHz splatter. Have been hearing this station since July but this is first time with readable audio. No clues as to identity, however. Direction finding indicates most likely Costa Rica [Ray Moore, FL, NRC IDXD Jan 4 via DXLD] ** CZECH REPUBLIC. Dear friends, I'd like to inform you that from January 6th Radio Prague Mailbox will be included in Radio Prague's web-site, so if you or any of your friends cannot hear them, you can find the information on the internet - http://www.radio.cz/ (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Jan 5, DX LISTENING DIGES) ** FRANCE. Subject : 15690 KRSI from Issoudun I found a really excellent website about transmitters in France (plus Felsberg/Germany for Europe 1): http://myweb.worldnet.net/~tvignaud Actually I do not understand French, but there are enough keywords, also in this sentence: "Depuis mars 2001, une radio d'opposition iranienne est diffusée (en persan) depuis le centre E de 15H30 à 17H30 TU sur 15690 kHz." Centre E is one of the Issoudun sub-sites and contains the eight 500 kW transmitters from 1973/1974 and was already shut down effective from Dec. 31 1998, but TDF revived Centre E after the major failure at Montsinéry to facilitate substitute services for NHK and SRI. I understand that only KRSI goes out from Centre E at present. Wonder who is next? Other facilities at Issoudun: Centre A: Four transmitters 100/150 kW from 1950, shut down in 1974, demolished in 1991; Centre B: Four 100 kW transmitters from 1950, shut down in 1974, building still intact but associated antennas pulled down in 1996; Centre C: Eight Thomson TRE 2310 transmitters (100 kW) from 1961/1962, unclear when they ceased service, antennas pulled down in 1996; Centre D: Dispatching / audio distribution facility. 12 new ALLISS transmitter/antenna combinations were installed between 1992 and 1997, partly using the space formerly occupied by the antenna farms of the old 100 kW transmitters (A, B, C). Allouis: Four 100 kW transmitters plus one 4 kW unit on 3965, all shut down in January 1997. I understand that original plans to install three ALLISS units at Allouis were withdrawn later. (Of course two 1000 kW longwave transmitters remain operational on 162.) (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. Glenn, in regard to the location of the R. Abkhazia SW transmitter on 9490v kHz (DXLD 2-004): the location was confirmed as Soxum (Sukhum/Sukhumi) in a QSL-letter to Jerry Berg in 1996 by Yuri Kutarba, the Deputy General Director of Abkhazian State Radio-TV. A scan of this letter incl. further technical details can be found at http://www.qsl.net/yb0rmi/abkhazia.htm The SW transmitter is apparently an old jamming transmitter like they existed in all regional capitals in the former USSR for groundwave jamming, (the most common type was a "Vyaz" utility transmitter of 5 kW. This has been drifting in frequency for years which also speaks against a location on Russian territory, Russian technicians would never allow themselves to run a transmitter off frequency for such a long time. Additionally, it would be difficult to feed the program of Abkazian Radio from the studios in Soxum to Sochi in Russia (a microwave link or cable would be needed), while it is more simple to do vice versa. There is a strong FM transmitter in Sochi on 71.93 MHz which carries a mixture of R. Rossii, and regional outputs of GTRK Kuban from Krasnodar and Sochinskaya GTRK from Sochi; this can be received on Abkhazian territory with a simple radio and can be forwarded to Soxum. Abkhazian Radio-TV is financed by the government the breakaway republic of Abkhazia and has a staff of 125 people inc. technicians (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, Jan 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. See FRANCE ** ISRAEL. I am actually in Israel right now, and someone just sent me the following information, which I have been told is 'public knowledge' --- and I've just asked if he knows of a newspaper or something to show something more formal. Some of the TV network stuff I have seen in the papers recently. Most of the items below are currently in discussion by the IBA Plenum, so most of these issues are still up in the air: IBA has a new Director General (Mr Ron Galinka) who is determined to review everything and make improvements that are affordable. But given the budget situation little is affordable. Overseas Radio: Cuts are planned...ending of Yiddish, Spanish, Romanian, Hungarian, Ladino, Moghrabi, Georgian, Bukharian plus 2000-2025 English and 2030- 2045 French. This is being fought by Director of Israel Radio International. The future of shortwave and medium transmission is being considered as transmitters are old. Bezeq says money needs to be found for some renewal if it is to continue. TV: The plans for overseas TV have been somewhat scaled down. Tomorrow there is meeting of the IBA plenum to decide on one of three options: 1. (favoured by Mr Galinka) No later than April 1, make existing IBA Channel 3 (also known as cable channel 33) the new Arabic TV. It would have 4 hours per day of Arabic (including existing programming taken from IBA ch1) and 45 minutes in English (2000-2030 and 0000-0015 local time). The existing Knesset coverage would have to leave IBA ch 3 and the Knesset asked to make its own arrangements to put it on cable. He favours making some or all of this available from conventional VHF/UHF transmitters. (I think this means keeping existing Arabic and English news also on Channel 1). Plans to transmit to Middle East, Europe and America to be left to a later date. 2. Cancel plans for overseas TV due to the cost and fact that staff are very much against it and would prefer instead to have their salaries raised. 3. Create totally new channel as originally envisaged. (Doni Rosenzweig, Israel, Jan 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Moscow transmitter spurs: Just noted +1250-1340+, Jan 6: 9940 DW in German via Moscow; 9470 VOR in Chinese also via Moscow give moderate strength mix on 9000 & 10410 kHz; also weak-to-hardly decent: 8530, 8060, 7590 and 10880, 11350 kHz (Vlad Titarev, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, R399A, 36m wire, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** THAILAND. 1575, THAILAND, VOA, DEC 30 1153-1204 --- VOA Burmese program parallel to 9890 kHz 1153-1159. Naturally, it faded for top of hour VOA announcement but definitely parallel 9890. Then, to my surprise, came back at 1200-1204 in a different language, which, if my ears didn't deceive me, was English. Good signal but high noise level. Carefully reviewing my tape I was able to pick out a few American accented words and phrases, "ultimate . . . reaction", 'it is not clear", "impact". Man and woman apparently discussing news. Bruce Portzer`s wonderful Pacific-Asian Log shows Radio Saranrom using VOA`s transmitter 1200-1230 running VOA`s News Now in English on Sunday. The transmission is beamed 355 degrees, perfect for eastern North America. DEC 22 1152-1156 man in Oriental language with short musical interludes. Briefly peaked at 1155 with intelligible audio (if I understood Burmese) by man - otherwise mainly threshold audio in the noise [credit missing, but surely Ray Moore, FL, NRC IDXD Jan 4 via DXLD; See also UNID 1475] ** U K. [continued from AUSTRALIA] ...The BBC continues to use the moniker "World Service", when this is clearly no longer true. It is rolling in cash, gladly and happily pursued a cutoff of shortwave service to a major portion of English-speaking listeners when there was no necessity (occasioned by budgetary restrictions or other reason) to do so and will no longer entertain on-air letters from listeners decrying the decision because it treats the decision as if it were a theological certitude. It insults its shortwave listeners in the affected regions by implying that there is something deficient about those listeners preferring the shortwave medium to the one(s) the BBCWS has ordained for them. As I said, no comparison (John A. Figliozzi, NY, Jan 6, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Hello Glenn, Seldom Heard Radio is presenting a new weekly program titled "Drive-In Double Feature" starting January 20 at 0330 UT Sun (Sat January 19, 10:30 PM eastern time) on WRMI 7385. Drive-In Double Feature includes episodes of The B-Movie Bob Show (a celebration of B-Movies from the 50s, 60s & 70s) and a new incarnation of Seldom Heard Radio playing science-fiction related & unusual music. This is a very homemade production & will hopefully add something different to the shortwave listening spectrum. Happy New Year (Frederick Moe, Jan 3 and 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. A very interesting omission in US radio. The viability of some formats which appear on AM hasn't been tested significantly on FM. The last figure I saw, several years ago, indicated that over 60 percent of listening was being done on FM, so why limit Music of your Life and Classic Country, (as well as early-rock-era oldies) to AM? Because their audiences are deemed demographically insignificant by ad agencies and, thus, radio. (Have you ever noticed that there are many format changes on FM but most fall into only a few categories?) The idea that those over 50 don't make economic decisions which benefit advertisers is as archaic as the long-abandoned radio policy of never playing two female artists in a row, but the only way that can be proven is to put more diverse formats on FM and let 'em fly. (The standards station in Vegas does quite well, by the way.) If Gaylord wanted to help the Opry and make some more money, they'd certainly change their AM to primarily sports, (airing the Opry on a live or tape-delayed basis as the schedule allows.) But they'd also move the AM programming over to the sports-emphasizing FM as well as running the Opry there. This would be a bold move, and as with any departure from the norm, failure is possible. But I don't believe this strategy would fail at all; the sports audience would be happy to migrate to AM, and the music audience, already on FM, would discover it there. Of course that wouldn't help us DXers any. In order to have any diversity on the air, it's imperative that these long-standing myths about format viability be debunked. Not only do few want to take chances, but there are now few companies altogether, making so many acquisitions that generally only the safe is tried. Funny, many stations drive people away with stunting, yet few are adventurous on formats. I doubt that Gaylord would lose money on the idea I've just presented. At worst, revenue would likely stay the same. At best, profits would rise and the Opry's image would be enhanced. But I don't believe they're smart or forward-looking enough to do it. That's unfortunate because when formats go away from the dials, they're usually gone forever. Regardless of genre, it would also be nice if folks evaluated music by its sound rather than by date or hipness factors, but that'll never happen. Too bad, because good music of many genres falls out of favor needlessly (—Rick Lewis, AZ, Jan 5, IRCA topica list via DXLD) Rick, You have opened the proverbial can of worms. I have wondered and pondered this for a very long time. The bottom line is that if its anything other than rock, it doesn't belong on FM according to the PD and GM types. So if you are classic C&W, MoYL, or early rock, you suck and need to be with talk on the ever snubbed AM band. And get that stereo signal off AM while you are at it. People might think it sounds good and they might not migrate to the money maker on FM. It`s natural though to want an FM signal since almost always, the signal stays in the area where the advertising revenue is and there is no chance to have to run ads for a customer further out which is more expensive. It all boils down to your acronym... G.R.E.G. [ Greed Ruins Everything Good ] Ya better like "dance music" or [c]rap. Rick, my inlaws live 135 miles SW from Nashville. They listen to WSM. They ALWAYS listen to WSM. They don't have a FM tuner like mine with 110 kHz filters to reject adjacent splash or a outdoor antenna to hear FM if they could get it. 135 miles generally is WAY fringe for FM if its doable at all. The area between Nashville and Crump, Tennessee where they live is rather hilly. What happens to all those listeners and there is a LOT of `em out there. It makes sense but there is going to be a lot of people outside town who do listen to WSM that are gonna be royally shafted and whizzed. Sometimes it`s best to keep the goose laying the golden egg even if its not as big as you hoped. WSM is not losing money, it`s just not making as much profit as Gaylord wants. That is the quintessential example of GREG. (Kevin Redding, Mesa, Arizona, Jan 6, IRCA topica list via DXLD) GAYLORD TAKES NOTICE OF WSM LISTENER COMMENTS Sharon Puckett January 3, 2002 A slew of angry phone calls and e-mails has executives at Gaylord Entertainment sitting up and taking notice tonight. WSM-AM radio listeners are trying to stop the rumored format change at the station from country music to sports talk. Thursday morning, employees arrived at WSM Radio for a meeting shortly before 10:30. They left only a few minutes later. Station managers would not comment on what was said and Gaylord executives were not available to talk with us either. We did learn employees were warned that someone was leaking information to the media and it had to stop. Then late this afternoon, the first comment from Gaylord in almost two weeks. A press release said the company was interested in listening to every opinion expressed about WSM Radio. In an effort to better address the many phone calls, a response line has been set up. The press release went on to say quote: "We will listen to each message and share the message with the appropriate people in our company." The toll free line to call is 877-457-0001. And, in the Nashville calling area, the number is 457-0001. Gaylord CEO Colin Reed earlier told Channel Four there was no definitive game plan regarding the company's radio stations. But, music trade publications are still saying that it appears to be a "done deal" that WSM Radio will change its format to sports and become affiliated with ESPN. All content © Copyright 2000 - 2002 WorldNow and WSMV. All Rights Reserved. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) RADIO STATION THAT STARTED GRAND OLE OPRY CONSIDERS DUMPING COUNTRY MUSIC FOR SPORTS By JIM PATTERSON, The Associated Press, 1/4/02 12:13 PM NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The radio station that created the Grand Ole Opry and broadcast it for 76 years may dump the country music format for sports. Sources within Gaylord Entertainment who spoke on condition of anonymity say executives are strongly considering syndication of its weekly Opry show, the longest continuously running music show in radio. Gaylord would keep the rights to the show, but sell it to other stations for broadcast. That would leave the company free to switch the format for WSM-AM radio -- currently marketing itself with the slogan "Committed to Country ... Always Have Been, Always Will Be" -- to all sports. Gaylord executives met Thursday with employees, who were instructed not to discuss details with reporters. They also set up two telephone lines to handle the questions streaming in from fans. Colin Reed, Gaylord's president and chief executive officer, said no decision has been made. "We're not at a point yet that we have determined absolutely, unequivocally we are going to migrate from classic country music on WSM-AM at this stage," Reed said in Friday's editions of The Tennessean. "At the end of the day we may not convert WSM-AM to anything other than what it is today." Reed confirmed that the company has talked with ESPN about sports programming but said no definitive agreement had been signed. WSM, founded in 1925, was one the nation's original clear-channel stations -- radio stations that have exclusive nationwide rights to a given frequency. It was started to advertise insurance by the National Life and Accident Insurance Co. -- WSM stands for "We Shield Millions." Originally, the station played mostly light classical and dance band music. To the dismay of upper-class Nashville, a program featuring folk fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson proved wildly popular. The program first aired about a month after the station debuted, but it didn't get the name Grand Ole Opry until 1927, a play on the Grand Opera segment that preceded the show. The show grew to become the most influential in country music, helping to make stars of Hank Williams Sr., Patsy Cline, Minnie Pearl and scores of others. WSM's signal could be heard coast to coast at night for decades. Today, it reaches 38 states and is the last clear channel station not to convert to news, talk or sports. The company is in the midst of a major restructuring to focus on its more profitable convention hotel and hospitality business. Gaylord announced a third-quarter loss of $45.1 million in November, and it has sold several assets and closed divisions over the past year, including two film divisions, a sports management division and two record labels. Gaylord bought WSM, the Grand Ole Opry, TNN, Opryland and related properties in 1983. Its other holdings include music publishing companies and part of the Nashville Predators professional hockey franchise. ------ On the Net: Official WSM-AM site: http://www.wsmonline.com/ Grand Ole Opry: http://www.opry.com/ (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Saturday, 01/05/02 --- PETITION PROTESTS PROPOSED WSM-AM FORMAT CHANGE By CRAIG HAVIGHURST, Staff Writer Key country music figures and thousands of fans have signed an online petition in the last two days protesting a proposed format change at classic country WSM-AM, the station that gave birth to the Grand Ole Opry and much of Nashville's country music business. Legendary guitarist Duane Eddy is number 2,898 on the list. Country music scribe Hazel Smith is number 2,916, while bluegrass great Uncle Josh Graves is number 1,486. The petition, which had more than 3,000 names as of yesterday evening, was the most visible sign of gathering protests, as word spread that the 76-year-old station might abandon its heritage country music format for sports. The protest drive was launched by Elizabeth Davis, a 21-year-old fan from Douglasville, Ga. ''I didn't want to see WSM turn into a sports station. There's just too much history to just abandon it,'' she said. ''I am amazed at how many people have signed.'' The petition erroneously addresses its message to keep WSM-AM ''exactly the way it is'' to Clear Channel, a radio corporation that does not own WSM. Davis said she was attempting to have the Web page corrected to reflect the actual owner, Nashville's Gaylord Entertainment Corp. Other fans/activists predicted that the backlash against Gaylord's proposal to change the station to a sports format would begin to gel into formalized protests next week. ''Most of the music industry is just getting back (from vacation). We're just finding out,'' said Cyndi Forman, creative director for Balmur Corus Music. ''Just yesterday is when I started hearing a lot about it. It's a little bit chaotic. I don't think anyone's organized yet.'' Forman urged people in a circulating e-mail two days ago to call WSM and Gaylord to denounce the proposed change. Both switchboards were flooded with calls after local television stations reported rumors that the changeover was imminent. Gaylord set up a toll-free listener response line Thursday to relieve stressed receptionists at the station and corporate headquarters. Gaylord CEO Colin Reed told The Tennessean Thursday that a format change was merely an option on the table, but that the station needed to do something to stem financial losses. Erin Hay, a country artist and organizer, has also been active in online bulletin boards trying to galvanize support. She called on traditional country performers to get involved in the cause. ''The next step is getting to artists who have more influence and who can get it to bigger media. You need people like the Brad Paisleys and Chely Wrights and Garth Brooks who claim to love the Opry.'' Country star Marty Stuart, who appeared at yesterday's Grammy Awards nomination announcements, said he would be available for an organized effort to lobby Gaylord but added he was unaware of any efforts to do so thus far. Nevertheless, he denounced the possibility that WSM could lose country music, something that has been part of the station's programming almost since it went on the air in 1925. ''To me, it's like busting down one of the national monuments in Washington,'' he said. The petition is at http://www.petitiononline.com/savewsm/petition.html © Copyright 2002 The Tennessean A Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Subject : Fwd: Sacto Area Listener's group: DN Alert Subject: Democracy Now! Returns from Exile on Monday January 7 Below is a press release from DN publicist about DN's return to Pacifica airwaves. Good press release, except it demonstrates amnesia on the part of some who seem to think the "controversy" started in 1999. In fact, it really started when Eduardo Cohen, Maria Gilardin, Bill Mandel, Mama O'Shea and many, many others were purged in approximately 1995. Peace, gailblasie For Immediate Release from DN!x: January 4, 2002 DEMOCRACY NOW! RETURNS FROM EXILE IN BOLD MOVE AT PACIFICA RADIO NETWORK The Award-Winning Radio Show That Broadcast Blocks from Ground Zero even as it was banned from the airwaves of its parent organization, returns to Pacifica radio stations throughout the United States on Monday, Jan. 7. NEW YORK (January 4)-- Democracy Now!, the award-winning national radio show that was banned in August from the progressive Pacifica Radio Network returns to the Pacifica airwaves on Monday, bringing to the general public the voices of some of the harshest critics of the "war on terrorism." On Monday, Goodman will be reunited on -air with former co-host Juan González for the first time in a year, when González resigned to found a national grassroots campaign to reclaim the Pacifica stations. Guests will also include filmmaker Michael Moore. Democracy Now! was banished from Pacifica as part of the Pacifica Radio crisis, which many community radio activists say was an attempted corporate takeover of the only progressive radio network in the United States. The crisis moved toward resolution last month when three lawsuits against the Pacifica board of directors were settled, and the board of directors was reconstituted. The new board majority is determined to return the 50+ year old listener-sponsored network to its peace and social justice mission. One of the first moves of the new board was to vote at their first board meeting, a conference call on December 29, 2001, to bring back Democracy Now! Democracy Now! is the flagship national program of the Pacifica Radio Network, and its host Amy Goodman has won numerous journalism awards. But, as part of the ongoing conflict within the Pacifica Radio Network, Goodman was forced off the airwaves at most Pacifica stations and joined the ranks of dozens of journalists who were censored or banned by Pacifica. Democracy Now!'s host and producers were physically and verbally harassed out of the studios of WBAI in New York City when that station was "re-programmed" by Pacifica management and board leaders and subsequently banned from four of the five Pacifica Radio stations: WBAI in New York, WPFW in Washington, DC, KPFK in Los Angeles and KPFT in Houston. But rather than stop producing the show, Democracy Now! has expanded. In addition to broadcasting on Pacifica Station KPFA in Berkeley, the program aired on community radio stations around the country and has begun broadcasting a daily national TV show which airs on Free Speech TV -- channel 9415 of dish network (Satellite TV) -- and public access cable TV stations around the country. Since the attacks of September 11, Democracy Now! has provided some of the most incisive programming on war and terrorism to be found anywhere on radio or television. On December 10, 2001, Democracy Now! broke the news of a University of New Hampshire professor's study documenting that close to 4,000 civilians have died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S. bombing. Other recent guests on the show have included Ahmed Rashid, Pakistani journalist and author of 'Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia', discussing the oil-slicked road to war in Afghanistan, Tahmeena Faryal, spokeswoman for Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), Arundhati Roy, activist and author of The God of Small Things, Howard Zinn, Professor Emeritus of History at Boston University, author of A People's History of the United States, and Noam Chomsky, author and linguist at MIT. Pacifica Radio has been embroiled in controversy since 1999, when the Network's managers shut down KPFA of Berkeley. That shut down caused the largest protests in Berkeley since the Vietnam War. In December 2000, Pacifica "re-programmed" its New York City station, WBAI, by firing and banning long-time programmers and eviscerating the station's progressive political programming. Last August, Pacifica suspended Amy Goodman and removed Democracy Now! from the Pacifica airwaves. But on December 12, 2001, it was announced that plaintiffs who sued the Network reached a settlement with the Pacifica board of directors that could end years of strife at Pacifica. The settlement created a new interim board of directors that draws its members from Pacifica's local advisory boards, its current board majority, and its board minority. Now there is hope among Pacifica Radio activists that the crisis is coming to an end and they will have a chance to rebuild the progressive radio network. Among the issues yet to be resolved are the return of the fired and banned producers at network-wide and resolution of the news stringers strike against Pacifica Network News. For more information about Democracy Now!, see http// www.democracynow.org ********************************************* ACTION ALERT: from Pacifica Campaign LA Several General Managers of Pacifica Stations have made grumblings hinting that they will be refusing to broadcast DN! on their station. If you live in the signal area of WBAI- NY, KPFK-LA, KPFT-Houston or WPFW-DC and on Monday January 7 and you DON'T hear Democracy Now! In Exile on your Pacifica Station Call the Pacifica General Manager at your station and demand Democracy Now! be broadcast immediately Pacifica Station General Managers KPFK 90.7 FM Mark Schubb, General Manager 3729 Cahuenga Blvd. West North Hollywood, CA 91604 Tel: (818) 985-2711, ext 503 Fax: (818) 763-7526 E-mail: GM@kpfk.org Web: http://www.kpfk.org/ WBAI 99.5 FM Bob Daughtry, General Manager 120 Wall Street, 10th Floor New York, NY 10005 Tel: 212-209-2800 Fax: 212-747-1698 Web: http://www.wbai.org/ KPFT 90.1 FM Garland Ganter, General Manager 419 Lovett Blvd. Houston, TX 77006 Tel: 713-526-4000, ext. 310 Fax: (713) 526-5750 E-mail ganter@kpft.org Web: http://www.kpft.org/ WPFW 89.3 FM Lou Hankins, General Manager and Program Director 2390 Champlain Street N.W. Washington, DC 20009 Tel: 888-770-4944, x336 or (202) 588-0999, x336 Fax: 202-588-0561 Email: 71532.554@compuserve.com Web: http://www.wpfw.org/ ******************************** Pacifica Campaign LA 10573 W. Pico Blvd. #166 Los Angeles, CA 90064 http://www.pacificacampaign.org/ pacificacampaignla@yahoo.com End of forwarded message ------- This message comes via the freepac list. (via Gail Blasie, Jan 5, DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 6265, ZNBC, 2352-0013 Dec 31, tribal music followed by ID and news by a woman at 0000. On late for New Year's Eve? Fair signal (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. TRANS=PACIFIC DX, 1475 kHz, DEC 30 1206-1210 --- good carrier. I tuned here after Thailand 1575 [q.v.] faded into the noise. Been after this one for a long time and might have heard something this date if had tuned in earlier but spent all my time on 1575. Obviously a TP since all of South America, the Caribbean and most of Central America in sunlight at this time [Ray Moore, FL; R8, 23" spiral passive loop, 23" passive Short wave loop. rsmcomm@usa.net NRC IDXD via DXLD] UNIDENTIFIED. 9706vl, 2300 Jan 5. In apparent Arabic, carrier slewed from 9705.63 to 9707.91 in a matter of 30 minutes so it was hard to tell. Man talking, then Arabic singing at 2317. Originally listened in USB to avoid AIR on 9705. Finally gave up tracking this one at 2330 due to a het for CNR1 on 9710 (Mark J. Fine / mark.fine@fineware- swl.com Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Niger would be the obvious suspect (gh, DXLD) In November 2000 I logged La Voix du Sahel on that frequency (at evening), Arabic only on Saturday (Roberto Scaglione, Sicily, http://www.bclnews.it/ hard-core-dx via DXLD) {Just missed this issue: Sa`udi Arabia varying -- Bueschel; see 2-006} UNIDENTIFIED. 27597-27605 FM, 1315-1327, 6 Jan. As I was scanning up 27 MHz I came across the broadcast of an Irish church service in FM mode. I soon realized that it was a funeral. I assume this was a remote feed of some sort. This is what I heard: At 1315 mournful song by woman with piano accompaniment. Definite Irish melody. Then there was a minute of just background sounds like coughing and rustling. Then a Priest with definite Irish accent began a prayer and the congregation responded at appropriate times. Then someone else said: "Please stand for the final farewell prayer". After the prayer a bell began tolling and there was one last prayer, followed by another beautiful song by the woman with piano. When the song ended the signal went off. Lots of fading, distortion, and CB QRM, but at times quite strong and clear (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I recall reports before of CB being used by churches in Ireland to reach nearby listeners who could not attend (gh, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-004, January 4, 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. NEW! DXLD original postings to http://www.worldofradio.com/ are back to text format. Somewhat afterwards, an html version will be uploaded into a new single Year-to-Date DXLD file, to faciliate searching, and for those who prefer boldface and hotlinks, to be found at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldtd02.html Note that minor editing fix-ups and {post-facto comments} will normally be inserted only on this copy, not the text version. For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2001 contents archive see http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxldmid1.html Check the WOR websites: http://www.worldofradio.com/ http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio [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 #1112 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.html NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: UT Sat 0730, 1300, 1800, Sun 0000, 0600, 1200 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15040v, 21815-USB NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: UT Sun 0330 on 5070, 0730 on 3210 [The UT Sat 0300 broadcast on 3210 has been dropped] UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS The website is great, many thanks for your tireless work. Best wishes for 2002. Regards, (Matt Francis, Australia) May 2002 bring success, innovations and much DX! (Bill Flynn, OR) I am grateful to read DXLD in any format. I rather like the TXT files. They download quickly and save to a diskette quickly. Then that floppy can be opened at work with Notepad/Wordpad to be savoured slowly, with no Internet monitor nanny the wiser. Lots of DXLD.TXT files will go on a diskette to become a valuable reference. In any event thanks for your wonderful work (Anton Kasemacher, Jan 5) ** AFGHANISTAN. US Launches Afghanistan Emergency Information Program 4 January 2002 The US Agency for International Development (USAID) http://www.usaid.gov/ Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) has launched the Afghanistan Emergency Information Program (AEIP) in partnership with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), http://www.iom.int/ Voice of America (VOA), and the Afghanistan Media Resource Center (AMRC). The program provides $1.7 million to significantly improve direct communication about humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. USAID is delivering more than 30,000 radios to the most vulnerable groups in Afghanistan, including those who have been forced out of their homes. Radios are also being provided to important groups of people such as teachers, municipal workers and hospital staff. As of 3 January 2002, over 20,000 battery-operated radios (with spare sets of batteries) had already been distributed in Herat, Taloqan, Andkhoi, Kunduz, the Faryab region and other locations throughout Afghanistan. The program provides additional funding to enable VOA to expand special broadcasts, including messages from and to Afghans, covering important information about the relief effort. Daily bulletins in Pashtu and Dari are being distributed to a growing network of local radio stations in Afghanistan. "These radios and daily broadcasts will dramatically increase the Afghans people's direct access to accurate information, so they can make better informed decisions about their future," said Andrew S. Natsios, USAID administrator. "Media can play a vital role in providing critical information on health, agricultural news for farmers, and provide positive examples of inter-ethnic cooperation," Natsios said (RN Media Network via DXLD) Afghanistan: Media roundup Friday 4 January 2002 UN asks BBC to help rebuild media in Afghanistan A BBC team is heading to Kabul to assess what needs to be done to help resurrect the media in Afghanistan. Their input will feed into a conference on reconstruction later in the month. "It means that the team can have access to the highest levels of government where decisions are likely to be made," said Stephen King, director of the World Service Trust. John Tuckey, co-ordinator at the trust, is one of the four taking part in the United Nations-led mission. "We will talk to ministers of the interim government and local groups to find out what the Afghan population want from the reconstructed media," he said. The team submitted a proposal to the UN for a needs assessment study for establishing a national media infrastructure in Afghanistan. Current services mainly consist of city-based radio stations with limited reach and television which suffers from a poor standard of equipment. "As far as I know there is nothing national,' said Tuckey. `We're going out there to find out." The team is made up of Shirazuddin Siddiqi, director of the BBC Afghan education projects; Behrouz Afagh, managing editor Central Asia, World Service; Tuckey and Chris Gill, chief technology officer from BBC Technology. "Shirazuddin has a lot of first hand knowledge of the needs of the population of Afghanistan, and particularly the education broadcasting needs," said Tuckey. Gill will assess the hardware that is currently available and what is needed. Requirements could run into tens of millions of dollars. Tuckey said the UN had wanted the BBC to be involved, adding that the long-term aim would be something like a public service broadcaster. Source: BBC Ariel web site, in English 01 Jan 02 Radio Afghanistan BBC Monitoring has confirmed that Radio Afghanistan in the capital Kabul is broadcasting on mediumwave 1570 kHz. The evening broadcast span has been confirmed as 1230-1630 gmt daily. Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research 4 Jan 02 (excerpts via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. The DARWIN facility has now introduced a second transmitter for Vision International English programming 2030-2130, on 11935. The updated operational schedule as at Jan-03 is: 7170 2030-2200 VI English 11935 2030-2130 VI English 11935 2130-2330 RA Indonesian 11935 2330-0000 VI * Indonesian 13620 2200-0000 RA English 17645 0130-0500 VI English 17645 0500-0700 VI * Mandarin 17820 0700-0800 VI * Mandarin (including English language lessons) 21680 0000-0030 RA Indonesian 21680 0030-0130 VI * Indonesian 21680 0130-0400 VI English 21680 0400-0430 RA Indonesian 21680 0430-0500 VI * Indonesian 21680 0500-0530 RA Indonesian 21680 0530-0800 VI * Indonesian VI: Voice International RA: Radio Australia It's anticipated that 17775 will be taken into use shortly for VI programming, 0000-0130. At present, two transmitters used 2030-0000 and 0130-0800. Only one transmitter is on the air 0000-0130. VI programming in Mandarin and Indonesian has been introduced on a limited basis (denoted by * above), which replaces former programming in English. English programming is offered when Indonesian or Mandarin is not available (Electronic DX Press Jan 4 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. VI - VOICE INTERNATIONAL BEGINS BROADCASTS INTO CHINA. The lifetime desire of an Australian Chinese came to fulfillment at the weekend when Voice International --- Australia's international radio began broadcasting to Asia including China through its Broadcast Centre at Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Mrs Annie Yum, who was born in China, is the Senior Producer/Presenter of the Chinese Mandarin language program for VI. She says "its has been my lifetime desire to bc the Gospel into China to my people and I have proudly achieved this today." VI made history as it began bcing in SW in three langs - Chinese Mandarin, Indonesian Bahasa and English. Its Director Asia/Pacific, Mike Edmiston, said VI has introduced a new and innovative approach to SW radio by broadcasting its programs in an FM format. He said it was a proud moment for VI today as it saw the Lord Jesus Christ glorified through its broadcasts. Riani Brookshaw, the Senior Producer/Presenter in Bahasa Indonesia and Phil Gray, the Program Manager English said they felt an awesome power of God as they began broadcsting. Reports from audiences in China and Indonesia say the VI signal is loud and clear. The signal is being transmitted through the former R Australia transmission facilities at the Cox Peninsula near Darwin acquired by VI. Also making history was the launch of the VI website designed by Indonesian born, Miss Paula Financio. Miss Financio said the website is attractive to young people and will not only contain relevant information for VI listeners but its listeners will also have the ability to chat with any of the language broadcasters. The website address is http://www.vil.com.au/ The Station Manager of VI Ray Moti says while the station is broadcasting ten hours per day, it is on course to broadcast 24 hours per day in each of the three languages by the middle of next year. Media enquiries: Mike Edmiston, Director mob 0403-070-782 Ray Moti, Station Manager, tel +61-7 5477 1555 or mob: 0402 977 273 (Dec 27, via Dr. Hansjoerg Biener, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** AZERBAIJAN. The FS of Azerbaijan State Radio is broadcast on Ganca 6110 & Pirsaat 1296 at 0315-0400, 1100-1600, 1700-1900 in the following languages: 0315-0400 Azerbaijani ("Guney Azerbaycan"); 1100- 1200 Persian, 1200-1300 Turkish, 1300-1330 German, 1330-1400 French, 1400-1600 Azerbaijani ("Guney Azerbaycan"); 1700-1800 Arabic, 1800- 1830 English, 1830-1900 Russian. At 1600-1700 these frequencies relay Relay RL in Azerbaijani (Azerbaijan State Radio via Mauno Ritola, Finland, via Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX Jan 2 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. It`s quite difficult to find correct addresses. In the yellow pages there are often other addresses than in the official telephone guide. Even if I stood in front of the right housenumber, there was no hint, regarding the station. In the houses I sometimes had to ask several people until I found the offices. Quite often they had changed the addresses and nobody knew exactly their new address (Andy Schmid, Germany, ARC South American News Desk 12/11 2001 via Radio Nuevo Mundo via DXLD) ** CANADA. CBC Preview: SUNDAY SHOWCASE: Part One of Worldplay 4, the Fourth International Festival of Radio Drama - plays from Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Hong Kong and the United States. This week, "Magpies" by Thomas King, the Canadian playwright best known for his hilarious Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour. It's a darkly comic story about death and the clash between tradition and expedience - complete with commentary from a band of magpies. 10:05 p.m. (11:05 AT, 11:35 NT) on CBC Radio One (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CANADA. Happy Birthday CHWO - AM 740 On January 8, 2002, CHWO - AM 740 Prime Time Radio will be celebrating one full year on the air. They will be doing something 'DIFFERENT'... turning the 'spotlight' onto their listeners. They've received literally hundreds of letters during the past year from happy listeners all over the map. They'll be acknowledging some of these letters...by name, location and edited quotes...then playing special songs as dedications to them. The "boss" (Michael Caine) will make a re-appearance on the morning show with Tom & Mary...probably around 7:40 am...just the way he did one year earlier! As well...Brian Peroff (music director) will have a feature on his Monday night show (Jan. 7) where he'll play some of the year's most requested and talked-about songs (8:00 pm). Finally, on the Wednesday Spotlight feature (Jim Paulson hosting 7 pm - midnight on Jan. 9th) they will be playing every on-air announcer's favourite song(s). The ODXA has received over 90 reception reports during this first year from Canada, United States, Jamaica, Scotland, Finland, Sweden and Italy. We have also received a large number of emails through our club address which have been forwarded onto the station. These have included many questions and the staff at AM 740 have always taken the time to get back with an answer. AM 740 was also a big supporter of our ODXA RadioFest in 2001. Also in 2002 we can look forward to the AM 740 web site coming online with internet streaming available. Once a date has been confirmed, details will be provided (they have a tentative date but I know if I mention it, something will happen to delay it so please hang in there). Thank you to all who have sent in reports and we look forward to many more in the years to come. A special QSL card is being prepared and will be mailed for all reception reports dated January 8th, 2002 celebrating the one year anniversary of CHWO - AM 740. Remember you can send your reports by post mail, email and online via our web site at http://www.odxa.on.ca/chworeports.html (Brian Smith, Ontario DX Association Director, Reception Report Manager for CHWO AM 740, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Spark gap signal heard for hundreds of miles: **M** David Wilson, VE3BBN, reports his commemorative spark gap transmissions December 12 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Marconi's 1901 transatlantic experiments were heard hundreds of miles away. Wilson, who lives near Niagara Falls, Ontario, built a low-power rotary spark transmitter and secured permission from Industry Canada (that country's FCC equivalent) to use it briefly on 80 meters. He transmitted "MARCONI S" twice a minute and said he got more than 450 reports but estimated that only about 60 of them were valid. "The best distance was Kansas City," he said -- some 850 miles away. He noted that the majority of the reports were in the 200 to 400-mile range. Additional information, photos and audio of what his transmitter sounds like are available on the "Spark Gap Transmitter Signals for Marconi Centennial" Web site http://www.qsl.net/g4rfr/marconi.htm (ARRL Letter Jan 4 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** CHINA. Tests from maybe China as follows; program is only 'continuous traditional Chinese Music.' 30th Dec 0150 11890 9575; 11890 is good. other is fair to poor. 31st Dec 0050 11890 9555 9545; 11890 is good. others are fair to poor. 31st Dec 0655 11985 Good, closing at 0700. 31st Dec 1220 9680 9640 9605 9530, All fair to poor due to heavy QRM. 31st Dec 1350 9680 9640 9365 7330 6125 6160 6065; 9365 is good, others poor due to heavy QRM. At 1400 9365 is closing. 1st Jan 0000 11890 Good. 1st Jan 0410 15430 15320 Both good. 15320 is over-modulation like a 'Jamming'. 1st Jan 1205 11615 9640 9530 7330 6160; 11615 is only good. Others fair to poor due to heavy QRM. Around 1400, 31st Dec, 9790 appeared the strong-jammer with over- modulation of continued the traditional Chinese music. \\ with 9680 9640 7330 6160 6065 but has clear modulation. The bureau which plays only the music more frequently since end of Oct last year, can be received, but can estimate the test broadcasting the purpose of which was an interference electric wave transmission. The signal strength is strong and the output maybe above 100 kW (Masahiro Umemura, Japan, JH9RUI, BC-DX Jan 2 via DXLD) see also LUXEMBOURG ** CHINA [non]. CLANDESTINE from SITE to CHINA. Falun Dafa has been operating on some additional channels during its 2100 to 2200 broadcasts. 9445 (thanks Alm, seems to be a punch up error) and 9925 (thanks Bueschel, perhaps a test) in addition to 5925 and 9945. (via Johnson Dec 31, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Fang Guang Ming: Listening to the last 10 minutes of the program Dec 31. It consisted of the same kind of allegations of police brutality against FLDF protestors. The announcer labeled the PRC government as an evil cult (mo jiao) and later in the program says that Jiang Zemin has blood on his hands and there will be retribution on him. The program also predicted that the Falun Dafa practisioners will be avenged. There was an ID in the recording "Fang Guang Ming diantai on 15.44 MHz". The announcer concluded the broadcast abruptly and invites listeners to listen at the same time tomorrow (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. Dec 30 on 9925. Checked Falun Dafa R tonight Dec 30. Switched on the Kenwood at 2042 UT, the test tone procedure on 5925 was still in progress, til 2057 UT stop. Switched on the Sony 2010 at 2051 UT, and on 9945 test tone procedure also in progress. Both procedures were totally d i f f e r e n t, in test tone start and speed! Test tone on 9945 stopped at 2059:05. 9945: IS music started at 20.59:30, ID female and male announcers at 2059:44, WFDR program started at 2101:10. 5925: Tonight program was 44 seconds behind 9945/9925. Yeeeees, I checked also the 9925 Armavir-Krasnodar channel of RVI Brussels relay nearby. And after 2100 UT, 9945 and 9925 had both the same WFDR program, no time difference at all noted so far, fed from same circuit. 2100-2115 9945 S=9 +40 dB 9925 S=9 +60 dB 2120-2135 9945 S=8 9925 S=9 +40-50 dB 2135 9945 S=5 9925 S=9 +40-50 dB 2150 9945 S=3-5 9925 S=8-9 Same strength readings when used the Yaesu Attenuator with 20 dB att. At around 2150 the Chinese jamming stations fetched the new frequency, and jammed that 9925 channel too. Checked all channels in 31, 41 and 49 mb, and noted only 5925 as \\ same program. BTW. 9745 had a BUBBLE jammer station at 2130 [see under Iran too], .. and CNR morning program also started then (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX, Dec 30 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. 5953.9v, Radio Casino heard in English this morning Jan 1 at 1053-1200, when they went back to Spanish. Usually the station just has Spanish in the mornings. Male announcer who played reggae and R&B music. Usually just a quick canned Radio Casino ID in between songs, but every few songs or so the announcer would speak a bit. Great New Year's Greetings, "May there always be peace and joy in your homes." "May the Lord continuing blessing all the restaurants as well as our factories." Dedications, too. There were some greetings from businesses that were repeated a few times. "Syndicates of the car(port) industry workers, wishes all co-workers and their families a very Happy New Year." The slogans were great, too: "You are tuned to the number #1 broadcasting station, the TIQ, Radio Casino." "That is from your friendly station, the queen of the Caribbean." I rang them later in the day to see if English in the morning was going to be a regular feature now. The announcer replied no, it wasn't. What I had heard was a special program that they broadcast on Christmas Day and New Year's Day mornings only. He did add that they do have English daily, though. It is at 5-6 PM and 9-midnight [so 2300-0000 and 0300-0600 UT; the first one we should have a shot at, not sure if they leave the shortwave transmitter on till 0600; I don't think so] (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CYPRUS TURKISH. 6150, BRT Int'l, 2157-2206*. Thanks to NY Eve they were on a slightly extended schedule. In addition, propagation was very good, and Brazil was off the air. All this combined resulted in my best reception of them thus far, with SINPO 33443. A couple of ballads were played, with New Years greetings by the YL DJ in English. At 2205 she started the sign-off announcement in English, including this ID, "Bayrak Radio International, the voice of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", and mention of 6150 kHz shortwave. Then the Turkish NA was played. Really pleased with this one, as it is HIC #200 for me (George Maroti, NY, Dec 31, Cumbre DX via DXLD) [HIC = heard individual countries] ** EGYPT. Radio, TV launch live internet services | Text of report in English by Egyptian news agency MENA Cairo, 4 January: The General Programme [Egyptian Radio's main channel] radio broadcast web site was launched on the Internet to provide round-the-clock service, said Minister of Information Safwat al-Sharif. In an interview with Good Morning, Egypt TV programme, Sharif said Egypt's web site is huge and distinguished. The Nile TV International's English and French transmissions are now on the Internet with a daily six-hour service, with a service in Hebrew for 30 minutes, said Sharif, adding the news bulletins and the newspaper headlines will be transmitted from the News Channel. The information minister pointed out that satellites are going to be the only alternatives available in the few years to come. Source: MENA news agency, Cairo, in English 1240 gmt 4 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Egypt: Israel TV reports start of Egyptian Hebrew-language TV | Text of studio discussion between presenter Gadi Sukenik and Arab affairs correspondent Ehud Ya'ari, including actuality of the new Egyptian Hebrew TV programme, broadcast by Israeli Channel 2 TV on 2 January [Sukenik] Since last night, Egyptian Television has a Hebrew language newscast. It is a daily 30-minute broadcast with sections on culture and sport. Our Arab affairs correspondent Ehud Ya'ari watched the Nile TV channel. [Ya'ari] Now, we have another competitor on the air, Nile TV News. [Begin Nile TV female announcer recording] Best wishes for the new year. We in Cairo are pleased to announce that the Nile TV channel has started operating. [end recording] [Ya'ari] Egypt now devotes half an hour to Hebrew out of the tens of hours it broadcasts on its dozen satellite channels. [Begin Nile TV male announcer recording] Egypt is now the pioneer, as it was with the peace initiative. [end recording] [Ya'ari] By the way, they know that almost nobody in Israel receives this channel and will therefore not see it. Anybody who can direct their satellite dish can try. [Begin Nile TV male announcer recording] Nile TV will also be a channel for a dialogue between Egypt and the overall Israeli public. We will be very happy to interview any Israeli who wants to voice his impressions. [end recording] [Ya'ari] This is not the old Egyptian Hebrew-language radio station, but it is antiquated, like the rest of the Egyptian newscasts. Egypt, which once used to control the media, long ago lost its prominence, and will not get ratings here either. [Begin Nile TV female announcer recording] We will meet for half-an- hour during the week and a whole hour on Saturdays. We sincerely hope that the new year will be better than the previous one. [end recording] [Ya'ari] Greetings to them too. Source: Channel 2 TV, Jerusalem, in Hebrew 1800 gmt 2 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** FINLAND. YLE Radio Finland transmits a lot of Radio Suomi (YLE network 3) regional programs. List of these programs, times and frequencies at http://194.252.88.3/rswebpri.nsf/sivut/maakuntaradiosi_maailmalla.html All times in Finnish Time, UT + 2 hours- (Makela, rec.radio.shortwave via Johnson Jan 1) Worth checking out, nice map (Johnson, Jan 1, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FRANCE [and non]. My Narrow FM Homepage - List of 25-30 MHz - 11 meters Studio links and Cue stations at http://gallery.uunet.be/gs has been updated with a lot of new loggings from Alan Roberts, St Lambert, Quebec, Canada. The newly heard station from the French tourism office, departement Charente-Maritime, in La Rochelle has also been added. 73, * + * + * + * + * (Guido Schotmans - Antwerp, BELGIUM, Jan 4, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. 4540, Radio Khara, Dusheti (presumed) 1610-1632* Jan 3. Male in listed Azeri (Turkish language family), solemn vocals at 1623 and abruptly off at 1632. Fair but 'tinny' signal (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, SWBC via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. Observed freq 4540: Dec 10 *1600-1630* Dec 11 *1600-1630* Dec 17 *1600-1608* in Azeri. Dec 11 *1516-1545* Dec 13 *1528-1545* Dec 17 *1520-1545* in ?Abkhazian 4875 Dec 17 *1700-1729* R Hara [a.k.a. Khara] in Abkhazian 11805 Dec 12 *0600-0630 Ru, 0630-0700* En (not on Dec 15 & 16). In English, six schedule announcements given, on 6080, 11805, 11910 & (?11760). [schedule looks like as in previous years? ed-wb]. At the beginning of the 0630 UT in English, almost nothing [on 11805] could be understood of the presenter due to splash of Jordan R next door 11810, and Rome-Italy on 11800 too. BTW schedule seemingly back from summer-DSTime, as Azeri outlet on 4540 was *1500-1511* UT on October 23. Now one hour later. The transmitter on v9489.8 is not registered or coordinated ever. Seems to be located near Sochi, Russia, not at Sukhumi-Georgia. When there is a program of R Sochi, Russia, the other other programs like R Kuban, Krasnodar, Russia etc. are interrupted in the middle of program. That's why seemingly R Sochi program is the main one; number two is Abkhazian Radio, number three R Kuban & number four R. Rossii, in order. Maybe in Sukhumi there is no DST change, all year around the broadcasts are on same time span, like Sat and Sun *1100-1200* in summer and winter (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 17, BC-DX via DXLD) [Comment: I have seen a three part German TV report from Abkhazia/Georgia Caucasus region of the WDR Cologne chief previously. Abkhazia is a separated very poor state shape territory, like Pridnestrovya-Moldova, with own currency and flag symbol, which - both - nobody accepts/acknowledges. And many, - or rather all hotels and infrastructure of the Black Sea bathing resorts in the Georgia area were totally destroyed during the fighting in the Nineties. wb, BCDX ed. via DXLD] ** GERMANY [non]. Recently, DW introduced the new outlet of 9510 from Antigua for its evening English service to Australia, Asia, and the Pacific, 0900-0945. The advice from DW implied that this was to replace 6160. However, it turns out that this is an additional outlet from Antigua, making use of spare transmitter capacity there. There are four transmitters available: one of these is used for DW German programming to the above areas 0800-1000 on 9690, and the fourth does not appear to be in use in the 0900-1000 time period. Other frequencies used for the English service to Au/As/Pac are 7300 (Irkutsk), 17820 and 17845 (Trincomalee). (EDXP via DXLD) ** GOA. 11715 AIR Panaji 2053-2130 Dec 31, subcontinental music. EE program. Transmitter appeared to be drifting around. M announcer before ToH [top of hour] then into news in EE (poorly modulated). Mention of News coming to you from All India Radio at 2105, and back into news. Discussion of Pakistan. Mention of All India Radio at 2109, and more commentary on Pakistan by M. Into Subcont mx at 2110. M with announcement at 2120 then into more music. Badly deteriorated - could barely hear the music and announcement but back into audible Indian movie music (short) followed by a F announcer again at barely audible levels. F back at 2125 in EE but poor modulation... And back into subcont music. F closing the show at 2128, mention of All India Radio, then subcont mx. M with All India Radio ID at BoH then into static. Surprisingly no time pips at BoH as in other times by AIR Panahi, but subcont music continues (Don Nelson, OR, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 12025, AIR Panaji, 1725-1830 Dec 31, Subcont mx until 1745, then M with ID for All India Radio. Into news by M in language (ILG lists Malayalam) -- mentions of Pakistan and India (no doubt talking about the war). 1800 AIR Music. Tones after this (repeated tones 15-20 each, not time ticks), into Subcont music. M with announcement at 1810 then into Indian movie music M anncr at BoH followed by 5+1 time pips then transmitter off air (Nelson, ibid.) ** GREECE. Made a point of checking Learn Greek on VOG Fri Jan 4 at 1345-1400 on 9590 Delano et al. This must be for advanced students, or Greeks abroad with an incomplete knowledge of the language, for it is presented mostly in Greek already! The first seven minutes were almost entirely in Greek, as a talk about Macedonia was read. I kept waiting for consecutive translation but it never came. Instead, there followed some comprehension questions, themselves presented in Greek. Finally, a few vocabulary expressions were listed, in Greek-English-Greek, not all of them as cognate as politikó órgano meaning political organ (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4698.71, R.Amistad, San Pedro de La Laguna. Jan 2, 1211 - 1250. Finally confirmed here in Japan, thanks to many tips from DXLD via RNM issue. As the utilities attacked from both USB and LSB, I had a very hard time! Simple ID (probably canned) was given at 1244 by YL as "Están en la sintonía de Radio Amistad." (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM via DXLD) ** HONDURAS. 1740.4 harmonic, HREO 580v x 3 has the same sign on sequence every day with music and canned IDs just after 1100. Mark Mohrmann was kind enough to listen to a RA file I sent him to tell me what they are saying [Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD]: "Para llevar el mensaje de nuestro dios. Através de nuestras frecuencias autorizadas, 93.3 Estéreo ?Musical?. En 580 amplitud modulada, Radio Súper Estrella, La Voz de Dios en su hogar les dice, muy buenas dias." "En sus frecuencias autorizadas, 93.3 FM estéreo y 580 AM desde Santa Rosa de Copán transmite HREO Radio Séper Estrella de Occidente, La Voz de Dios en su hogar." (Mohrmann Jan 2, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDONESIA [non]. Re DXLD 2-003 on 11735.6: see TAIWAN ** IRAN. Iranian[?] jamming stations observed on 24 hr duty: 9530, 9745, and 11930 (ex-15260). (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 17, BC-DX Via DXLD) ** IRELAND. The former 500 kW Atlantic 252 transmitter at Trim, Co Meath in Ireland has dropped continuous music and now carries a repeated 10 minute loop tape (changed each day) of what TEAMtalk 252's output will sound like (sports news & interviews - all football yesterday (Jan 3), more variety of sports today). Launch date is 25 Feb (re http://www.atlantic252.com/ ) or just February (re http://www.teamtalk.com/ ) (Alan Pennington, Caversham, Jan 4, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ITALY. AWR-Forlì - No doubt, AWR Forlì has done the right thing when closing down the site, moving to upgraded facilities at Argenta [?? will take more five years to realize due of conditions by the Italian bureaucracy, but I guess Argenta is dead for ever, ed.]. Their signal, during the Dec 30 closedown special, was extremely weak [only 2.5 kW into a log-periodic antenna] on 9740 at 1000 and for another 10 or 15 mins, then definitely muted by a "Concert Hall" programme from co-channel BBC Singapore (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Dec 30 via BC-DX via DXLD) [non]. 15195 [DTK Jülich] was no problem, however, featuring interviews with AWR local staff and AWR Management. The female voice heard at the beginning was that of Erica, responsible for the AWR correspondence. Also heard, although I don't mention them in order, were Alessandro, Dario, Stefano, Cristophe(Swiss), Greg (American), Marco and perhaps a few others, all of them expressing their "auguri per il nuovo anno", all good wishes for the New Year (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DXplorer Dec 31 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** JAPAN. 5006, JG2XA Jan 2 1630-1650 33222 CQ(A1), ID by the Morse code sometimes called "JG2XA JG2XA JG2XA UEC HFD STATION". This is an experiment station by the University of Electro-Communications (Toshiaki Matsui, Osaka, JAPAN, ICFSW100S, Built-in antenna, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** LESOTHO. RL seems to be off 4800; at 1700 UT since Xmas thru Jan 3, I only hear India and China mixing (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LUXEMBOURG. At 1900 a canned annt, very close to or even verbatim: "Hier ist RTL. Im Rahmen einer Kooperation hören Sie nun ein Programm von World R Network." After this annt RTL faded into the WRN satellite feed, obvious from an appearing background hum. IDs in English, French and German for "World R Network Euromax", announcing the upcoming CRI programs in these languages. The gaps after each CRI broadcast (as well-known they are of 57 mins duration only) were filled with WRN promos, advertising the WRN satellite services, inviting listeners to write to Beijing, "and do not forget to mention that you heard them on 1440 AM." At 2200 again a RTL announcement ("you heard within a cooperation a program of World R Network"), and yes, they still give it to us: The close-down annt, using as bed the track of the James Last orchestra dedicated to R Luxemburg, and the anthem of Luxembourg. A relic of the old days, simply cult. So we have the interesting situation that WRN arranges the whole 1440 kHz service for CRI while CLT-UFA maintains the point of view that simply World R Network is relayed by RTL, "within a cooperation" of course. I guess CLT-UFA keeps the RTL identity on 1440 only to provide some logical frame, especially for the religious stuff; I think today actual RTL programming was carried for just 15 mins. On the technical side the feed from Beijing is no longer of the infamous telephone quality; a quite large amount of noise is somewhere muted by a noise gate, reminiscent of the old R Moscow landline feeds. More annoying is the evident hum caused at WRN London, or is the downlink/audio equipment at Luxembourg to blame? Regarding the power: There was the usual signal strength boost when the religious stuff started at 1815 and no signal decrease at or after 1900. This suggests that high power (would be 1200 kW if the gossip is true) is in use for WRN/CRI, but it must be taken into consideration that Marnach has a variable antenna system, and I think they can change patterns without carrier break. However, a pattern towards Germany is in use for Mega-Radio, so actually a mere antenna change could hardly result in an increased signal (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 1, BC-DX via DXLD) ** MALDIVES. The President says that the Voice of Maldives is to be transmitted via the Internet; The President calls for the preservation of the Dhivehi language. The President has said that the VOM will be transmitted via the Internet in the near future. The President's statement was made at the function held last night by the VOM to celebrate 39 years of radio broadcasting in the Maldives. The President noted that this would greatly benefit Maldivian nationals abroad. The President also stated that the Atoll Media Centres would soon commence bcing on the FM Band in order to develop broadcasting in the Atolls and that the number of hours of FM transmission in Male' would also be increased. The President noted the importance of working towards preserving our Dhivehi language and said that the VOM can play an important role in achieving this aim. The President noted that linguists were concerned about the rate at which some languages are dying. In his speech, the President identified the household, school and mass media as the most important three areas for preserving language. The President noted that some parents were communicating with their children in English at home in order to develop the child's English language skills. The President clarified that speaking in Dhivehi is in no way an obstacle to the development of English language skills. The President called on parents and guardians to use Dhivehi language in conversing with their children in order to teach them the proper use of the language. The President said that proper teaching of the Dhivehi language and carrying out literary activities in schools would ensure the preservation of the language. He also noted that the media should pay attention to the Dhivehi language in disseminating information and news. The President congratulated Minister of Information, Arts and Culture, Mr. Ibrahim Maniku; DirGen of Engineering at the VOM, Mr. Maizaan Ahmed Maniku; the longest serving employee of the VOM, Mr. Kondey Ali Maniku; as well as other senior officials and staff of the VOM, on the occasion of 39 years of radio broadcasting in the country. The President also congratulated all those who had contributed to the field of radio broadcasting in any capacity, and radio listeners across the country. The welcome speech at last night's function was delivered by Programme Organiser at the VOM, Ms Moomina Ibrahim. She said that the presence of the President added further happiness to last night's function. She also noted that, as the staff of the VOM embarked on another year of service, they cherished the valuable advice and support given by the President. The Vote of Thanks at last night's occasion was given by Programme Organiser at the VOM, Ms Najma Hussain. In her speech, she highlighted the assistance granted by the President and described him as a valuable teacher and friend of the VOM. The President also toured the VOM building following last night's function ([via?] Sarath Weerakoon, Sri Lanka, 4S5SL, Dec 31, BC-DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 1210, XEPUE "Mexicana", Puebla. was unusually heard instead of XEBCO on Jan 1. At 0631 full ID "XE-Pue, Mexicana, 1210 kHz en amplitud modulada ... 5000 watts de potencia ... Avenida 15 de Mayo 2939 ... Puebla ... integrante de Grupo ACIR." (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEPAL [non]. UNITED KINGDOM. 6035, Everest Radio. Their website says this is their frequency now with broadcast on Sat/Sun/Mon/Tue from 9-10 PM (2100 to 2200 UT). The site says their programs consist of News about Nepal; Local Community activities; Interviews (Local & visiting guests from Nepal); Greetings & dedications/requests; Travel guide to Nepal (Namaste Nepal); Letters/Post cards/e-mail/internet; Nepalese music (Folk/Modern /Instrumental); and Gifts/Prizes etc. Their objectives are: To inform the Nepalese Community around the world about the activities in Nepal & overseas; To create harmony & mutual understanding between Nepalese residing around the world with other members of the community; To let other people know about Nepal & it's culture to contribute towards promoting tourism; To create a platform to exchange ideas between Nepalese around the world; To entertain Nepalese community & the friends of Nepal; To further enhance the bi-lateral relationship between Nepal & the world; To support the business run by Nepalese community & to encourage foreign investors in Nepal (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX, Dec 29 via DXLD) (Presumed) 2135 Dec 30, long talk in presumed in Nepal. English advertisement for cheaply phoning Nepal at 2142. Mixing with co- channel VOA in English throughout. Pretty good signal would be quite nice if not for the VOA (Hans Johnson, FL, Cumbre DX via DXLD) {Someone should mention that the above is transmitted via AUSTRIA} ** NEPAL. 5007 was the measured frequency of R. Nepal in Vernacular 1700-1715. On Dec 1st 1705 news, 1715 closedown (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 17, BC-DX via DXLD) Previous reports showed using the 7165 summer freq only, (BC-DX ed.) ** NIGER. 9705, La Voix du Sahel observed: Dec 18 s-on at 0424; Dec 16 at 1000 & 1400; Dec 8th at 2220 UT with phone-in listener calls and talks in French. News in French at 0530 on Dec 18, all on 9705. 5020 0425-2300 not mentioned (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Dec 17, BC-DX via DXLD) ** NORWAY. Last Day NRK R Norway International FAREWELL transmission. Here's the story from NRK's homepage: http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/kultur/1537105.html And this is a link to the final show: http://www.nrk.no/rammstein?id=177371&aid=1537550 [not any more? when checked at 0000 UT Jan 5, it was 7:23 minutes of the 2100 news --- gh] Radio Norway`s own pages are still on (last updated 22/12). Wonder how long they will stay? http://www.nrk.no/radionorway It's really a silly thing NRK did now. And saving MINIMAL expenses, something like 4 megakroner (0.5 megaEuro) --- just around 10 journalists worked in RNI. The long term contracts with Norkring for transmission facilities could not be cancelled, so NRK still will have to pay a lot of money to keep them on air, now with the rolling news service, NRK Alltid Nyheter (Always News) at daytime Mon-Fri, and national P1 the remaining time. This is bound to sound silly when it's being switched on and off with a timer every hour for 30 mins! I'll try to have some web-pages up on http://www.dxlc.com/ concerning RNI shortly ... (Bernt Erfjord, Norway, DX-News, Jan 1, BC-DX via DXLD) R. Norway (in Norwegian), is well heard here when beaming to SE Australia, NZ and the Pacific. The program contained surprisingly strongly voiced protests against the closure, which was labeled as "shocking", or an example of "bad conclusion" and "capital misundertanding" of the role of SW. One critic said he had no other words than those of Jesus Christ, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do". NRK played several old audio clips to show what they had been up to in the past, including one I monitored myself at the time and which was posted on the front page of the Norwegian daily "Dagbladet", Nov 10, 1997, "My mother's voice gave me hope". Words by Norwegian national Stein Vatne, referring to a special greeting which was aired on the NRK SW service to cheer him up during his 9-month hostage ordeal in the Colombian jungle. NRK Management says that internet is the solution (ever heard this reasoning before?), but ironically, on Dec 30, the RealAudio link on the R Norway home page was down (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Dec 31, DXplorer via BC-DX via DXLD) ** PERU. 5175.95v, Radio Continente was observed here in Japan on Jan 2 & 3. S/on with NA of Perú at 1058, then huayno cajamarquino and OM talk. Now, I don't know where the R. LPC has gone. Any idea? (Shoji YAMADA, Tokyo, Japan, RNM, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SAMOA (WESTERN) & AMERICAN. ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO ``Wavescan`` - DX Program WS367: Sunday January 6, 2002 Calling Samoa - A Tourist Paradise in the South Pacific Interview with mediumwave station 2AP The Story of Samoa on Shortwave Is it possible to hear Samoa today? * Narrator: Western Samoa - Island Backgrounds Four scattered islands in the wide blue Pacific, all in one day! It was back in April 1974 that we as a family boarded a plane at the Los Angeles International Airport for our first epic journey across the largest and deepest ocean upon planet earth. A weekend stopover in Hawaii gave the opportunity for listening close- up to some of the famous mediumwave stations that had been heard long distance some 25 years earlier in Australia. Among these stations were KGMB, KHON & KPOA, though they have each changed callsign in more recent time. An attempt was made to hear all mediumwave stations on each of the Hawaiian Islands, but this proved to be impossible from just one single location, even in Hawaii itself. The morning of the four island journey began before daylight with a direct flight from Hawaii to American Samoa, more than 2,000 miles away. A couple of hours layover at Pago Pago (PANGO PANGO) gave the opportunity to visit the traditional ``Long House`` on display near the airport and to take a bus ride into the small city. At the time, station WVUV in Pago Pago with 10 kW on 1120 kHz was in the process of changing ownership, from AFRTS the American Forces Radio & TV Service, to a local commercial operation. A spot of mediumwave DXing revealed a strong signal from station 2AP in nearby Western Samoa, with 10 kW on 1430 kHz, and the sign on routine of station A3Z, with 10 kW on 1020 kHz, on the island of Tonga. Subsequently, QSLs were received from all three stations. A brief mid-morning flight took us on a short hop across the 60 miles of intervening waters between the two Samoas, into Apia in independent Western Samoa. Here we were met by the president of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the Samoan Islands who escorted us on a quick tour of Pago Pago and nearby areas. Up on the mountain top overlooking the small city of Apia was the transmitter location for the exotic mediuwmave station 2AP. Actually, the next flight in the early afternoon was onward to Fiji, with its famous AWA stations using two different callsigns in pre-war days, ZJV & VPD2. However, let`s go back to our story about Samoa. Samoa is a group of 16 major islands located in the Central Pacific a little south of the equator. Early explorers at first called these islands, the ``Navigator Islands`` because of the fine canoes built by the Samoan people. The total area of all of these islands is a little more than 1,000 square miles with a population around a quarter million people, mostly Polynesian. They speak their own Samoan language, though most people are also fluent in English. The Samoan Islands are mostly a volcanic formation, ringed with coral reefs. The high hills in the tropical climate are covered with lush foresting, and gently sloping farm lands run down towards the ocean. American Samoa is made up of 6 main islands with a total area of just 76 square miles, and Tutuila (TOO-TOO-EE-la) as the largest. Pago Pago is the capital, and the only city. The main industries are tuna fishing and tropical products, such as coconut and bananas. The tourism industry attracts multitudes of visitors to these islands that are sometimes described as the ``Paradise of the Pacific``. In the year 1872, the United States was granted naval rights to the large harbour at Pago Pago, and 17 years later, the United States and Germany divided the Samoan Islands between them. Eastern Samoa is today legally a territory of the United States. The Samoan Islands were first populated by migrating Polynesians more than 2,000 years ago. The first European to visit the islands was the Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, and he discovered these islands in 1722. Protestant missionaries came to these islands in 1830, and they were bifurcated between Germany and the United States in 1899. However, at the beginning of World War 1, New Zealand armed forces occupied Western Samoa on August 29, 1914 after which these islands were administered by New Zealand. Western Samoa was granted independence as one of the world`s smallest nations on January 1, 1962. Today, in this edition of Wavescan, we are ``Calling Samoa``. * 2AP Interview 1: Life in Samoa * Narrator: Wireless Backgrounds in Samoa It was very early in the wireless era that a spark gap Morse Code station was established at Apia on the main island of Upolu. At the time, Western Samoa was a German colony and the transmitter was a newly designed Telefunken unit with the ``singing spark`` technology. However, soon after the commencement of the European War in 1914, New Zealand troops landed in Samoa, captured the islands, and the radio station also. From then onwards, this maritime station in the Samoan Islands was on the air under the callsign VMG. Wireless broadcasting came to Samoa, at least temporarily, way back in the pioneer eras. It happened this way. A New Zealander, Mr. E. R. Plominski of 3ZC in Christchurch, was granted a radio broadcasting license for a station in Apia in 1931. It would seem that he sold this license soon afterwards to a newly formed company, the Apia Radio Corporation. This new station was soon afterwards inaugurated with 5 watts on 940 kHz under the callsign ZL5ZA. However, station 5ZA was on the air for less than two years and it was closed on March 31, 1933. For a period of more than 10 years, Western Samoa was without its own radio station, though it was possible during the hours of darkness to hear stations located on the Pacific rim. Soon after the end of the Pacific War, another New Zealander enters the picture. He was the noted Alan Roycroft who went on afterwards to radio fame in Hawaii as the engineering director for many of their mediumwave stations. Alan Roycroft was stationed in Apia with ample free time to pursue a radio dream. He modified a 300 watt auxiliary aircraft beacon in Apia so that it could be switched from one operation to another. On the longwave channel 450 kHz it was on the air as an aircraft beacon with the continuous broadcast of the letters AP in Morse Code, and on mediumwave 630 kHz it was on the air as radio broadcasting station ZMAP. Roycroft also set up an auxiliary studio in his hotel bedroom for his unofficial though highly appreciated radio station. He played music records, carried live broadcasts of band concerts on the hotel verandah, and read news bulletins into the microphone. However, this impromptu and short-lived radio broadcasting station highlighted the need for a regular station in Samoa, and the governor made such a request during his next visit to New Zealand. Thus was born the now very familiar radio station 2AP. Apia in Western Samoa has been on the air shortwave during three different eras. When the mediumwave station was established in 1946 a shortwave transmitter fed the programming from the studio building by the seashore on the edge of Apia to the mountain top transmitter some 7 miles distant. This feeder transmitter was on the air on 7700 kHz under the callsign ZMB6. This unique feeder service was heard back in 1946 by three well known DXers in the United States; Roger Legge, Mr Dilg, and August Balbi. Transmitter ZMB6 is shown as emitting 2 kW, but it is suggested that this was in reality probably just .2 kW. A second era of shortwave broadcasting in Western Samoa began in 1951 with the installation of a .2 kW transmitter, perhaps the same unit that was in use earlier as a feeder transmitter. Radio personnel from New Zealand worked on the installation of this unit and on several occasions, test broadcasts were announced, and then postponed. These test broadcasts finally went to air in August 1953. A new QSL card was printed for the occasion, with the callsign 2AP in large red letters, and the text in black, on a white card. This transmitter was never in use for regular relays of broadcast programming. Two channels were allocated, 6040 kHz and 3241 kHz, though only 6040 was reported as heard overseas. A third era of shortwave broadcasting from Samoa began to appear on the horizon when 2AP announced that plans were in hand for the installation of a shortwave transmitter during the year 1990. However, we have no reference anywhere in our files that this station was ever operative. In 1994, the noted DX reporter, William Matthews, arranged a special relay of radio station 2AP in his DX Report from Radio Korea International. This relay took place on February 20, 1994 and it was heard worldwide in the shortwave relay stations carrying KBS programming. Special QSL cards were issued from Apia by station 2AP for this unique relay. Mediumwave station 2AP has been on the air from 5 different locations, from the nearby mountain height Afiamatu, and with low power from three different regional locations. They are currently on the air with two units of 10 kW, with English on 540 kHz and Samoan on 747 kHz. Is it possible to hear the radio station in Samoa these days? Well, yes and no. If you happen to live in close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and if you have a long beverage antenna, you could hear this station. If you live in a nearby island area or in Australia or New Zealand, you can hear this station on a good mediumwave receiver. If you were to take vacation to the Pacific, then you could hear this station also. Station 2AP has issued several different QSL cards over the years, and if you happen to own one of these cards, it is indeed an exotic addition to your collection. * 2AP Interview 2: Radio history ... * 2AP Interview 3: Remainder of interview * Narrator: This has been our special program in ``Wavescan``, ``Calling Samoa``. If you live in Samoa, we would be very pleased to receive your reception report and comments. If you live elsewhere, we would still welcome your reception reports and observations. We plan to call another exotic radio location here in Wavescan on the first Sunday in March. If you would like us to call your country with a special program send us some information, and we will see what we can arrange. =================================================================== Radio Broadcasting in Western Samoa Timelines ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Unit Date Event ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coastal Wireless 1913? Construction 1914 Captured; became VMG Early Mediumwave 1931 5ZA license issued 1933 Closed Roycroft Radio 1946? Converted aircraft beacon ZMAP Shortwave Program Feed 1946 ZMB6 relay from Apia studios to transmitter 1949? Closed Shortwave Broadcaster 1954 ZM2AP .2 kW tests on 6040 kHz Shortwave Broadcaster 1990 2AP 60 m band projected KBS Relay 1994 DX relay on KBS SW network 2AP Mediumwave Afiamatu English 1947 Test broadcasts 1948 Inauguration Jan 31 2 kW AWA 1440 1962 Replaced by 10 kW AWA on 1404 kHz 1988 Replaced by 2.5 kW Nautel 1990 Closed Afiamatu Samoan 1967 3 kW Wilkinson 1062 kHz 1990 Closed Natoi`i Relay 1981 Harris 1 kW on 540 kHz 1990 Closed Taga Relay 1981 Harris 1 kW on 1395 kHz 1990 Closed Asua Relay 1981 Harris 1 kW on 1251 kHz 1990 Closed Studio site 1990 3 Harris at 10 kW on 540, 540 & 747 FM Commercial 1989 98.1 MHz separate from 2AP =================================================================== Radio Broadcasting in Western Samoa References [AMP`s personal notes] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Coastal Wireless Station 1913 not listed; YBWTT 82.7 German station captured by ``Australian`` troops Aug 29 1914; YBWTT 82.7 36 VMG NZ Apia; YBWTT 82.7 508 VMG Apia 1919; Radio papers 84.447 WIA List of Wireless Stations 1919 VMG NZ Apia 1921; YBWTT 82.7 578 VMG Apia 1928; Radio copies 79.1 AWA Radio Guide 1928 41 Early Mediumwave 5ZA Licensed E. R. Plominski (3ZC Christchurch) Jan 24, 1931; Ragusa 18-10-01 Relicensed to Apia Radio Corporation 26-6-31; Ragusa 18-10-01 Closed March 31, 1933; Ragusa 18-10-01 5ZA Apia Samoa 940 kHz 5 watts; YB 84.200 80, RCBN 4-33 606 ZL5ZA Apia 940 kHz 5 watts; YB 84.200 116, RN 11-35 282 Roycroft`s Air Beacon Mediumwave Station - Roycroft article, NZDXT 300 watt 450 kHz auxiliary beacon AP,Morse, Pilot Point Apia after WW2 1946? Collier & Beale transmitter rigged switch between 450 & 630, longwire antenna ``Studio`` in cramped hot hut, rigged alternative in bedroom in Aggie Grey`s Hotel US gov offered assistance for station in Samoa, refused Apia on Shortwave - 1st Era ``Apia Radio`` ZMB6 7700 Sept tests heard by Legge, Dilg, Balbi RN 12-46 152 ``Apia Radio`` ZMB6 7700 not heard lately; RN 1-47 147 ZM2AP 7700; RN 84.267 8-48 ZM2AP 7700 kHz 2 kW under control NZBS; WRHB 1949 64 Programs relayed from Apia to Afiamalu by SW; NZL 15-7-49 7 Samoa not listed 1950, 1951 WRHB Apia on Shortwave - 2nd Era NZBS outpost station Apia tests soon 2 kW 3410 & 6040 kHz; RTVN 10-51 154 ZM2AP SW tests due soon; RTVN 1-52 152 ZM2AP 2kW on 1420, 6040 & 3410 kHz; WRHB 1952 76 Apia planned tests cancelled; R&H 79.14 3-52 98 2AP Apia SW tests cancelled; RTVN 4-52 153 2AP tests soon 6040; RTVN 2-53 140 ZM2AP 6040 tests soon; RTVN 5-53 133 ZM2AP tests planned for May 1953 6040 then 3241; R&H 79.14 6-53 90 ZM2AP operated by NZBS; R&H 79.14 6-53 90 Apia tests 6040 then 3241 due in August; RTVN 8-53 92 ZM2AP tests on air in early August 1954 6040; R&H 79.14 11-53 98 ZM2AP new QSL card large red letters, black on white; R*H 79.14 11-53 98 2AP (2Kw 1420) 3241 & 6040 .2 kW test purposes only; WRHB 1954 - 1956 2AP SW not listed; WRHB 1957 Apia on Shortwave - 3rd Era 2AP plans SW transmitter for 1990 in 60 m band; ADXN 3-89 8 Samoa on Mediumwave 2AP began broadcasts (tests?) with studios in Apia on August 5, 1947; Tibben 2AP inaugurated on January 31, 1948; NZDXT 20 reprint NZL 20-2-48 NZDXT Studios located at Mulinu`u 1 mile from Apia close to beach; NZL 15-7-49 7 2 kW AWA transmitter 1440 on mountain Afiamalu; Tibben Primary purpose for governor to communicate with population; Tibben Afiamalu transmitter upgraded in 1962 to 10 kW AWA on 1404; Tibben 3 kW Wilkinson 1062 kHz installed Afiamalu for Samoan channel 1967; Tibben 3 Harris 1 kW installed 1981; Natoi`i 540, Taga 1395, Asua 1251; Tibben Afiamalu 10 kW replaced by 2.5 kW Nautel in 1988; Tibben All off-sitie MW transmitters closed 1990; Tibben New transmitting facility at studios; 3 Harris 10 kW, 2 on 540 1 on 747; Tibben 2AP to receive new MW transmitters; NZDXT 14 2AP 1kW destroyed in hurrcane, new MW units planned; NZDXT 12 2AP receives Australian Aid package 2 @ 10 kW MW; ADXN 7-90 12 3 MW units in Western Samoa; NZDXT 5 KBS Relay Arranged by William Matthews 20-2-94; QSL card Commercial FM Introduced 1989; Tibben =================================================================== (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan Jan 6 via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. Re DXLD 2-003 INDONESIA? on 11735.6: This is a NF for Radio Taipei International, for their Bahasa Indonesia program 1100-1200. Heard from tune-in at 1045 Jan 4 with music request style px inviting letters to Taipei or Jakarta address, IDs at top of hour, in which this was announced as second Bahasa program of the day on this frequency and // 11550. Prior to 1100 suffers strong QRM from CRI English on 11730, then after 1100 has some c/c QRM. RTI seems a little off freq but I can't measure it. Regards, Matt Frances, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. RUSSIA, 12110, Radio Ezra, 0912-0929* Dec 30. Long discussions and review for the past three months of Radio Ezra future on short-wave. Requested letters and promised to QSL via letter (no Cards left) to UK address and went off saying 'Hear me.. some time' By all indication this could have been the last broadcast of this station? Signal was quite good at this early hour (Ed Kusalik, Coaldale, Alberta, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Radio Ezra is taking another break after their second series of broadcasts (2 times 3 months). They will return in April or May 2002, very likely to a different target area and again with TDP. The reactions they received for the broadcasts to the Pacific were quite positive and that is why they intend to return when there is again some money available (Ludo Maes, Belgium, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. I just got an e mail from the CE of KJAY [1430, Sacramento CA --- see DXLD 2-003] that the DX test will be on as scheduled Saturday, January 5th, 2002 0800-1200 UT. The station will be testing with 500w directional with morse code & warble tones for the 4 hours. Good luck in logging this rare catch. 73s, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, KAVT/KJAY Reception manager, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** U S A. Incidentally, I closed out the Iowa City logbook during the wee hours of 12/10 by catching WSUI off completely during a once-in-a- blue-moon equipment test, and was rewarded by getting WALT and WEPG. No known connection, but WSUI's three new towers are up about 9 miles due south of Iowa City (near the Johnson-Washington county line) and ready to start pumping out 5 kw of public radio programming by the end of this year (Rick Dau, Omaha, NE, Jan 3, NRC-AM via DXLD) So another 12 months till they are on? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/02/01/11947871.shtml?Element_ID=11947871 Gaylord still mulls WSM format switch By RICHARD LAWSON, Staff Writer Gaylord Entertainment Co.'s president and chief executive officer yesterday reaffirmed that no decision had been made on whether the company will switch WSM-AM 650 from country music as it tries to reverse the station's $1.5 million loss last year. ''We're not at a point yet that we have determined absolutely, unequivocally we are going to migrate from classic country music on WSM-AM at this stage,'' Colin Reed said in an exclusive interview at the company's headquarters. ''At the end of the day we may not convert WSM-AM to anything other than what it is today.'' Reports that Gaylord was on the verge of switching WSM-AM, which broadcasts the Grand Ole Opry, to sports have been rampant among news outlets over the past couple of days. Reed confirmed that the company had talked with ESPN about sports programming. ''But we haven't a definitive signed agreement with ESPN,'' he said. ''It is hard for us to contemplate a future format change without knowing what it is we can put on there.'' Since taking over in April, Reed has been trying to make the company profitable again. In 2000, Gaylord lost $150 million. He vowed to shed unprofitable assets or ones that didn't have good growth potential. Nearly a month ago, the company agreed to sell money-losing Word Entertainment to Warner Bros. for $84.1 million. For the past two to three months, Reed said, Gaylord has been taking a look at WSM-AM and its other radio stations: news and sports talk WWTN-FM and country WSM-FM. WSM-AM is the only money-losing radio station in the bunch. In 1998, WSM-AM made $1.5 million and three years later lost that amount. ''Then they are just lousy sales people,'' said Robert Unmacht, a Nashville-based radio industry consultant. ''There's no reason for that. If they can't sell the AM then they don't know how to sell.'' Unmacht said that the Grand Ole Opry lacked substantial regional advertising and that switching to all sports wouldn't mean a bigger audience or more advertising revenue because it still would require selling. He also said he thinks that WSM-AM would be profitable if the Grand Ole Opry's financial performance was included with that of the station. The company needs to do more research on the radio formats and develop better expertise, he said. ''If you want to build a really good international hotel, you don't ask the desk clerk at Holiday Inn.'' In the wake of the recent rumors, Gaylord has been pounded with outcry from listeners and country artists who fear the potential change could end the Grand Ole Opry as it is known. Reed said the company was quite aware of WSM-AM's legacy and of its relationship with Nashville's country music image. But the challenge is making money from it, he said. ''What we are trying to do here is walk a fine line between being respectful of the heritage of country music and being very, very respectful of this fabulous, fabulous asset, the Grand Ole Opry, and trying to find ways in which WSM-AM can be successful for our stockholders.'' Nonetheless, the outcry is beginning to reach similar levels to those of 4½ years ago when Gaylord announced it would close its theme park, Opryland USA. ''There's a distinct difference,'' Reed said. ''There was an economic consequence (then). It was more than just emotion.'' The park's closing at the end of the 1997 season hurt the local economy and Gaylord's bottom line. ''This is more emotional,'' Reed said of rumblings over WSM-AM. J.T. Gray, owner of the bluegrass bar The Station Inn, disagreed. ''I think it's going to have a business impact on people like myself and other places that have country music,'' he said. ''It's exposure for new artists. It gives people a chance to hear a wide range of music. If they change it, it's closing out a chance to hear the music that made Music City.'' WSM-AM frequently broadcasts special shows live from The Station Inn, as well as performances from traditional country music events like Uncle Dave Macon Days in Murfreesboro. Reed said pure country music had become less appealing to radio listeners. ''Unfortunately, the consumer is making the choice.'' If Gaylord indeed switches to sports and fails, some observers say, it may not have success going back to country music. ''If they screw it up,'' Unmacht said, ''they've screwed it up forever and I think the town will hate them for it.'' To comment, Gaylord has created a toll-free number to hear from listeners about what it should do with WSM-AM. That number is 1-877- 457-0001.Staff Writer Craig Havighurst contributed to this story. (Tennessean Jan 4 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) {WSM website, including redirect link to eventual yahooradio stream, and daily incomplete program schedule: http://www.wsmonline.com/ -gh} In case anyone is interested in detailed coverage of the story unfolding here about the apparent format change at WSM, there is a great deal of information (including video clips) at: http://www.wsmv.com/ The WSMV site also has a discussion bulletin board (access it by clicking on the link located at the bottom of the P O L L box where you can 'vote' regarding the WSM format). I spent quite a while reading entries. Most of the submissions are quite volatile (Tom Bryant / Nashville, Jan 4, IRCA topica list via DXLD) ** VATICAN. Vatican Radio uses these relays for the B-01 season: 6020 Puge, Philippines, 1225-1315 Chinese 6205 Irkutsk, Russia, 1315-1345 Vietnamese 6205 Irkutsk, Russia, 2200-2245 Chinese 6210 Samara, Russia, 1710-1740 Russian 9865 Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 1450-1620 Hindi/Tamil/Malayalam/English The reciprocal relays of Voice of Russia programs via Vatican Radio transmitters are: 9765 0200-0300 English to Eu 7230 2100-2130 French to Eu (Electronic DX Press via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DIGITAL RADIO MONDIALE NOT THE MAJOR THREAT TO SHORTWAVE I think you will find it usual practice to do test broadcasts in the frequency band in which you intend to operate. Radar and aeronautical and marine tests are carried out in band, though not on a calling channel. Before stereo was officially accepted, the BBC did stereophonic test broadcasts on normal FM frequencies which did degrade and reduce signal strength for those listening to mono receivers. After the teething troubles were ironed out, we now enjoy full stereophony in almost all FM broadcasts. The Beeb also use dynamic carrier modulation on 648 AM and on 198 LW; they shift the carrier a fraction of a kc to allow digital data to be transmitted to customers throughout the UK, with no detrimental effect to listening in good reception areas. These tests were conducted in- band as low power tests under limited circumstances may test the theory but not the practice. I suspect within a few years DRM will be the norm for SW broadcasting and the next generation of receivers will be equipped to incorporate DRM decoding. It will make station IDs easy, as the name of the station would be displayed on the radio, similar to RDS. I am more enthusiastic about the prospects of DRM than I am DAB. The very thought of trying to receive a distant multiplex that is relaying the same stations that you can receive locally is not very inspiring. DRM at least could allow the DXing hobby to continue, providing the high frequencies continue to receive some sort of protection from interference from phone and mains cable data transmission systems. Commercial greed could well lead to whole areas of the HF spectrum being unusable for conventional radio receiving purposes. Thus perhaps this is the reason why the BBC and other broadcasters are cutting SW to developed countries that would be the first to be jumping on the cable data bandwagon. Not even the BBC would want to be engaged in a fight to save short wave from interference if it were a battle they had been told they would not win. With many nations considering their industry and commerce digital communications much more important than SW radio broadcasting that could easily be done elsewhere. With the relaxation allowing Spectrum Radio in London to rebroadcast Radio Australia and Canada etc on MW you can see the way the government want things to go, which is definitely not pro-short wave. One has to ask the question: Why preserve SW broadcasting at the loss of industrial and money-making communications at the place of reception when there is a sky full of satellites that perform the task more efficiently? In some respects it does also give the government an element of control over foreign broadcasts audible in the target country, which they don't often have with SW. No. I don't think we have anything to fear from DRM as the danger lies elsewhere (Andy Cadier BDXC No 1098, Folkestone, Kent. UK, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-003, January 3, 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. For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see} http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2001 contents archive see http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxldmid1.html Check the WOR websites: http://www.worldofradio.com/ http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ [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 #1112 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.html FIRST AIRINGS on RFPI: Fri 1930, UT Sat 0130, 0730, 1300, 1800 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15040v, 21815-USB NEXT AIRINGS ON WWCR: Fri 1030 and UT Sat 0300 on 3210 AIRINGS ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0900 to rest of world; 1500 to NAm MONITORING CALENDAR has many additions for January: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS / ABOUT DXLD Hello Glenn, In response to Stewart MacKenzie having the background colors print from the website. Users of Internet Explorer can set the background color to not print by clicking tools on their browser window, then click internet options, click the advanced tab, go down to printing and uncheck the print background color and images box I just want to let you know that you are not alone having visually impaired listeners having trouble with your website. I've tried a number of things with my website including the most bland simple page possible devoid of any JavaScript and nothing seemed to work. I`ve used HTML verifier programs to make the code error free and tried links in various forms. Also preformatted text in html files. Another visually impaired listener has sent the URL to a e-mail list of visually impaired users and they found no problem with my website. Plain .txt files seem to be the only thing that works but of course they are terrible for navigation. The older text readers apparently just can't handle even a simple html formatted file. I'm sure the popup banners/embedded ads that Angelfire force upon users are a problem but not the only problem for such users. This is the reason I created the PTSW ASCII text e-mail list so those who have difficult navigating my website can get the schedules e-mailed to them. Unfortunately it is a little extra work for me. I'd like to give my website a better look but I want anyone, no matter how old the computer, to be able to use it. As a result it will probably always remain created in simple html code. I feel you are doing a great job with the website. I find it easy to navigation with lots of useful information. There are too many websites that are not much more than moving flashing images and little substance! The internet and the DX hobby would definitely be a poorer place without your website. Regards, (Daniel Sampson, Prime Time Shortwave http://www.triwest.net/~dsampson/shortwave/ ) About the DXLD. Why the bold text? I'm not bitching, but seeing a page of bold text is hard on the eyes. 73, -.. . (Kraig Krist, VA) Perhaps it`s my undersized and outdated monitor, but on it I much prefer to read boldface. OK, there is quite a mix of opinion on this issue, along with requests for a year-to-date DXLD file (all issues in one ever-expanding file, to facilitate searching), so this is what we`ll try next. The original post will be an individual text file. Then when we can get to it, the latest issue will be added to the YTD file in html. How`s that? (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non]. RN Media Network`s dossiers on this subject continue to grow; here`s just one page updated Jan 3, which includes links to a number of exile webcasters: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/insideoutside.htm (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN. Media roundup Thursday 3 January 2002 Afghan TV seeks foreign aid Afghanistan's national TV station has put out a plea to foreign governments and broadcasters for funds to help it expand. Kabul TV was reinstated in November following the collapse of the Taleban but is suffering a lack of funding and technical equipment. Offers of assistance have so far come from Turkey, Italy, India, Germany, Iran and China. UNESCO is to offer 35,000 US dollars to train technical staff to run the station. The Kabul correspondent of Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) is to meet with officials to see what help can be given. There had been a link between the two networks before the Taleban regime took power. Kabul TV has particularly asked for technical equipment such as video cassettes [presumably video cassette recorders] and cameras. The station broadcast live for the first time in five years on 12 November, with a female presenter being one of the first to go on air. The strict Taleban regime banned all forms of entertainment during its reign, with television being one of the first things to go. Now up and running, it is having to use old equipment that was hidden from the eyes of the Taleban. It is estimated about 500,000 viewers tune in every evening for the station's mix of news, sport and films. The channel broadcasts for three hours daily, but aims to increase this to at least the six hours it went out pre-Taleban. A 24-hour service is a long-term goal. But the station needs to find proper funding to do this, as only a limited amount can be raised through advertising. Money comes in from the defence ministry on condition that military programming is included every night, including highlights of the Northern Alliance's long fight against the Taleban. Mr Afiz, head of Afghan TV, is determined to find other sources of money in order to offer better programming. He wants to replace mountain-top transmitting antennas which were destroyed during the US bombing campaign. Cash is also needed to pay for programming, 90% of which is made locally. Source: BBC News interactive web site in English 3 Jan 02 Radio Afghanistan BBC Monitoring has confirmed that Radio Afghanistan in the capital Kabul is broadcasting on mediumwave 1570 kHz. The evening broadcast span has been confirmed as 1230-1630 gmt daily. The FM 96.0 MHz frequency, which had been observed recently, has not been heard since 26 December. Balkh Radio Balkh Radio, which is based in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh Province, continues to be heard. On Thursday 3 January, the morning broadcast was observed as scheduled from 0230-0500 gmt. The evening broadcast on Thursday was observed from 1230 gmt. Broadcasts are on the usual frequency of 1584 kHz. Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research 3 Jan 02 (excerpts via DXLD) Information Radio, 8700-USB, was coming in better than usual at 1330 UT check Jan 3, but always with utility QRM. Mix of music and talk in uncertain languages. Surely the airborne service is about to end, with the situation in Afghanistan, but if this frequency is really ground- based, it would not be much of a problem for it to continue a while longer (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. RAE still on 11710 at 0200 in English Tue-Sat despite local problems. Sometimes shaky but worth a try. (Liz Cameron, Belleville MI, MARE Tipsheet Jan 4 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 15820-LSB, Cadena Tres, Buenos Aires with loud and clear signals during news 1004, with actuality from Sydney (Australia) bush fires. Frequent clear idents and time checks. Time pips at 1030, still audible 1115. Presume 19m propagating from South America to South Pacific at this time will be via polar daylight route? Also noted following day from 0630 onwards --- very pleasant listening (Bryan Clark, New Zealand, Jan 2-3, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Has there been a schedule change for Radio Australia? On Saturday, 12/29/01, the Science Show was one hour earlier than normal, at 1205 UT instead of 1305 UT. This is getting far too early for a Saturday morning, especially when I've already gotten awake at 4:30 local time to start the taping of "Science In Action" off the local FM BBC relay! I hope this was a one-time or temporary sked alteration, but I don't recall seeing any notice of anything like that under "Australia" in recent DXLDs -- did I just miss it? 73, (Will Martin, MO, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Everything is messed up at RA (and R. National) due to lengthy summer vacations, but of different spans, depending on the program. John Figliozzi keeps up with the latest changes in his biweekly previews on the swprograms topica list, but I only use an occasional excerpt here (gh, DXLD) ** BENIN. 7210.28, Radio Benin 1/3/2002, 0722 talk in French, possible ID @ 0724, African folkloric music, mention of Benin @ 0730, garbled ID; badly QRMed by presumed R. Rossii on 7230, but could still separate the two stations. I didn't get a definite ID, but I heard a mention of Benin, the music was right, and the frequency was within .01 kHz of my last log of them a year and a half ago. August 2000 was most recent log of them I could find (Ralph Brandi, NJ, SWBC via DXLD) ** BURKINA FASO. 5030 (Cumbre DX follow up): It was just heard that one evening, nothing since. 4815 has been off for months (Piet Pijpers, Netherlands, Dec 31, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Why did this come on just one day and then disappear? I checked the Internet, it was neither a holiday nor election day in Burkina. I did find mention on the Internet that the Burkina 50 kW Siemens transmitter was refurbished earlier this year. Perhaps related, but why only on one day? (Hans Johnson, Dec 31, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. 6275 (mixing product), 1145 Jan 2, Another (presumed) Sackville spur. RN on 5965 and NHK on 6120, were both audible @ fair level on 6275. Offset of 155 kHz (Dvid Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Previews for Friday January 4: C'EST LA VIE: meet some exceptional university students. They're among the select few English speakers who decide to study in French at a Quebec university. Find out about their trials, tribulations, and rewards. It's not exactly what they expected. With Bernard St-Laurent, this morning at 11:30 (noon NT) on CBC Radio One. IDEAS: the conclusion of The Crusades: An Arab View. After nine hundred years, the memory of the Crusades still rankles between Muslims and Christians. Anthropologist Jeanne Cannizzo looks at the Crusades from the point of view that North Americans rarely hear. That's tonight on Ideas at 9:05 (9:35 NT) on CBC Radio One (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CHINA. Yeah, I found a web video of another comedy festival, what could be more useless.... 'cept this one is the Tianjin International Comedy Festival held in China... I stumbled across a video report about it on one of the CCTV websites. Absolutely nothing funny at all happens in the report, which is in English, but the reportage and editing of the piece, and especially the outro.... now that's comedy. See http://www.cctv-9.com/, select your bandwidth and select "Cultural Report" it is the second item, about 2:30 in. It may only be up for a few hours. Player is not mac friendly, so http://www.cctv-9.com/new/ViewingLocation/cultural/asx/cultural_b.asx is the direct windows player link for 300kbaud and http://www.cctv-9.com/new/ViewingLocation/cultural/asx/cultural.asx for 56k modem (Tom Roche, GA, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Still there at 1645 UT Jan 3; evidently, acrobatics is a major comedic element in China, há hà hâ (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. As reported in DXLD 1-210, China Radio International is now being relayed from Luxembourg on 1440 kHz as follows: 1900-2000 French, 2000-2100 German, 2100-2200 English. All confirmed here tonight with excellent reception - as would be expected! (Dave Kenny, Caversham, England, Jan 2, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Like Andy I was also quite surprised at the CRI programming I heard on New Years Day, again after quite some time. The German programme had a report from a CRI correspondent at Berlin, covering the Euro currency, with street interviews and further audio clips (I just do not know the proper English term for "O-Ton"). I almost fell out of my bed! (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. Hi Glenn, I hope RFPI stick with their use of 7445 SSB as this is the clearest I've ever heard them! AM just doesn't cut it to Australia: 7445 Radio for peace International using SSB and a whopping signal from Costa Rica, audio is muffled (on two receivers), talking about how some of the world`s elitist [elitest?] groups are becoming more Christian orientated? Noted at 0830 UT Dec 30 (Tim Gaynor, Nerang, Gold Coast Q, Sangean ATS 803A and 60 METRE LONGWIRE, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Heard RFPI testing in the AM mode on 7445, about 0215 UT Jan 4. Arm chair copy here, not quite as strong as some of the North American broadcasters, but good enough to be heard perfectly well on a small Sony ICF-SW-11, analog radio which I have here. At about 0230 they went off, and came back later on SSB. Audio not quite as good as on 15,040 (Tim Hendel, AL, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. Hi Glenn, just heard an US based religious station, the prayer asked the crowd for 500 to 5000 Dollars like "play and win" ... unbelievable here in Europe ... Freq was centered on 13747.88 at 2220 UT, but signal was hopping at 2239 to 13748.14 kHz. (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Based on previous DXLD, I assume this is TIDGS from 13750 (gh) ** COSTA RICA. 3210, REE relay, Cariari, full-data personal letter in English, station brochure, sked, postcards, in three months. Verie/Signers Edgar Esquivel Salazar & Carlos H. Jiménez U. (Technical Chiefs). QTH: Centro Emisor de Onda Corta de Cariari, Cariari de Pococí, Limón (Vashek Korinek, RSA, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** CUBA. Russia begins farewells to Cuba over base pullout: MOSCOW, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Russia began its farewells to its former communist ally Cuba as it prepared on Saturday to close a big spy centre, ending four decades of Russian military presence on the Caribbean island. As Russian and Cuban officials held farewell ceremonies near Havana, Russian military officials were quoted as saying work to dismantle the Lourdes electronic spying centre in Cuba would start on January 15. Interfax news agency quoted the unnamed Russian defence ministry as saying three An-124 planes would be used to transport the centre back to Russia. President Vladimir Putin's decision to close the costly eavesdropping centre near Havana, from which Moscow listened in to U.S. secrets through the Cold War, has met resistance from veteran Cuban leader Fidel Castro but has won applause from U.S. President George W. Bush. A final Russian military pullout from Cuba will mark the end of a 40- year chapter in the Cold War in which Moscow sent troops and equipment across the world in the 1960s to the doorstep of the United States to shore up its new young communist ally. The Russian foreign ministry separately announced on Saturday that Official ceremonies had been held in Lourdes to mark the closure of the base. It quoted the Russian ambassador to Cuba, A. Dmitriyev, as saying Russia remained committed to developing relations with Cuba in the future including military-political cooperation (via David Crawford, FL, Tocobaga DX Jan 2 via DXLD) ** CUBA. Since a lot of pirate enthusiasts also like to listen to spy numbers stations, I thought I would pass along the fact that the Cuban Babbler station (Enigma ID V21) has been very active lately, afternoons and evenings on 6529 kHz USB. This is a unique numbers station in that the transmissions consist of an OM or YL *singing* the numbers, in Spanish. Hearing it now in fact, 1/3 at 0040z. 73 (Chris Smolinski, ACE Pirate Radio topica list via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. CLANDESTINE from CIS? to ETHIOPIA (Cumbre DX follow up). There is a web site available now for Sagalee Oromiyaa. It can be found at http://www.voiceoforomiyaa.com/ (Ludo Maes, Belgium, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Checked it out, real audio files dating back to November 5th. Schedule listed on site is 12120 Mondays and Thursdays from 8:30-9 PM Oromiyaa time (1730-1800 per Ludo) Email address is sagolromo@aol.com (Hans Johnson, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** FRANCE. A few miscellaneous items from the Dec. 8-9 edition of the French-language Le Figaro newspaper: -Gilles Seydoux, former head of the commercial domestic Cherie FM radio station, has been named music adviser to Radio France Internationale, replacing Amer Ghanhour, who has left RFI. -Le Mouv, the domestic youth network of Radio France, will soon be available on local FM stations in Paris (on 92.1, replacing France Musiques, which also broadcasts on 91.7) and in Clermont-Ferrand (on 97.5). -Radio France Outre-Mer will give up its FM frequency in Paris, with France Culture returning to 93.9 (Mike Cooper, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GHANA. I visited several web sites http://www.ghanamedia.com/broadcast.html#radio2 http://www.africaonline.com.gh/AfricaOnline/music/topten.html http://www.cba.org.uk/ghana.htm http://www.panafest.com/RadioStations.html listing shortwave frequencies for Radio Two as 41m/7295/6130/9295(!) at 1200-2400. Anybody heard any of these? (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Coldland, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA? On January 3rd at 1126z I came across an unidentified station on 11735.6 kHz with a radio play or serial. Originally I thought it was Chinese yet when the announcer came on after, it clearly was Indonesian. It was followed by a female singing in the style of Celine Dion. I am pretty certain that the sender is indeed within Indonesia yet nothing is listed on that channel in PWBR 2002. Can anybody help? (Robin L. Harwood, 20/177 Penquite Road, Norwood TASMANIA, Australia, 7250 61-3 63 44 9794(International) (03) 63 449794 (domestic) e-mail: rharwood@iprimus.com.au DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN. Hi Guys, some weeks ago I sent a report to VOIRI, Iran, for their English service at 2130-2230 on 11740. I received quite a surprise just before midnight, a couple of days ago. They rang me up!. Asking all sorts of questions about Islam, and my views about their programs, and my views on Islam. I was told this was for their mailbag program (I didn`t even know they had one). Anyhow, I managed to give a few non-committal views, and said I thought VOIRI should give a more balanced view of the news, not just the Islamic view. I don`t know how they got my number; I don`t remember giving it to them, but I might have, out of habit. The moral here is, these days, be careful who you send reports to; I know I will in future. Regards (Don Rhodes, Australia, EDXP via DXLD) ** IRELAND. The attached message appeared on the UK-radio-listeners e- mail list earlier on Thursday 3 January. This news is somewhat surprising, given that earlier indications were that the changeover referred to was due to happen on 25 February 2002 (PAUL DAVID, England, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: TEAM TALK IS NOW ON. The station which was formerly known as Atlantic 252 has now become Team Talk Sport Radio. Sound quality is good, considering it's on Long Wave. I am not sure if the station is on full-time, but at the moment, just before 10 am, it appears to be carrying a normal sports chat programme. As far as I know, Atlantic closed down on New Year's Eve, and carried a music test tape until this morning. Best wishes (PETER WILKINS, ukradio via Paul David, DXLD) Teamtalk Radio 252 KHz noted on the air January 3 with tape loop not // website audio. Current Sports news and interview. Generally poor signal at 2237 UT, but faded up to fair at 2329 re-check. Hello Glenn, greetings from New Brunswick. I finally went on line a couple weeks ago and have been spending most of my time on the internet, but I have been doing some listening. Congratulations on the excellent program and the fine work you do here on DXLD. I will be on the ham bands as VX9WGS until February with the special commemorative prefix. Best Wishes for 2002, (Wade Smith, VE9WGS, Immigrant Road, New Brunswick, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Welcome! (gh) ** ISLE OF MAN. The Crossed Field antenna debate and the IOM From: http://www.antennex.com/Stones/st0102/2002.html THINGS TO COME IN 0-TWO, By Jack L. Stone, Publisher As we head into the New Year '02, a number of significant things are poised for further fulfillment after overcoming adversity in the past few years. One of these well-known projects has entered its eighth year of a difficult struggle to survive and flourish. I'm referring to the Isle of Man long-wave broadcast station that originally planned to use the world's largest and tallest CFA, but lost its fight to do so during the past year at the proposed site. ISLE OF MAN During this past month, we received a press release from the IoMIB founder and executive officer, Paul Rusling: Headline: "Station gets Radio Caroline's old spot" GOVERNMENT has given the green light for a long wave radio transmitter to be stationed five miles off the coast in Ramsey Bay, the same spot used by Radio Caroline in the 1960s. Isle of Man International Broadcasting has received approval in principle from the IOM Government to position a platform with the transmitter and antenna at the site. It will mean the creation of between 40 and 50 jobs in the north of the Island. The firm had originally wanted to build a mast at Ayre but this was opposed by residents, Bride Commissioners and Ayre MHK Edgar Quine. IoMIB founder Paul Rusling revealed news of the off-shore site at the firm's annual meeting last night. He said: 'The station is expected to launch towards the end of 2002 and we are looking at employing between 40 and 50 staff, both full- time and part-time.' The cost of the unmanned platform and equipment will be around the £5.25 million mark, while promoting the station and working capital mean it's a £12 million project, the funds for which Mr. Rusling says will be fully raised early in the new year. The station's studio and offices will be situated in Ramsey. Mr. Rusling added: 'The launch will bring greater diversification to the Island's economy, helping the further development of the north of the Island by bringing a significant number of all year round jobs to Ramsey while generating substantial revenue for the Treasury.' Marketing director Geoff Holliman said: 'The project has a lot to offer the Island, particularly post foot-and-mouth and September 11. 'More than ever the Isle of Man needs a powerful voice and our radio station, reaching into millions of homes, will sharpen the Island's international focus.' Now, as you can see, the press release doesn't say whether a CFA or conventional mast antenna will be used. Also, the release only mentions a "platform" which is also a little ambiguous-does that mean a moored ship as used before by other broadcast stations or does it mean that a permanent platform will be erected and anchored to the sea floor? Actually the press release raises more questions than answers in regard to anything specific about the transmitter site. If the "platform" is to be a ship, it will need to be a really LARGE one! A closer look indicates the following according to some experts: Upon further inquiry, Paul Rusling says the frequency of the transmitter on the Radio Caroline site has been allocated to be 279 kHz by the ITU. Thus, the wavelength is 1.075 kilometers or 1075 meters. Paul also claims he is allowed 500 kW omni during the daytime and 100kW after dark. Armed with this little information, one expert did some calculations and came up with the following: To provide omni-radiation he will need a vertical current-carrying antenna or at least one with circular symmetry about a vertical axis. If he wants to radiate 500 kW with an antenna length of 53.76 meters, which is lambda/20, the radiation resistance of a short monopole of this length is 1 ohm over a perfect ground plane. With the antenna top hat loaded, might be increased to a maximum of 4 ohms. Any more is considered impossible. But, can you mount a 54-meter (177 foot) high antenna on a floating platform? Well, some think just barely. And some observers bet the site won't be able to radiate anything like 500kW from a moored boat- or the chances are slim. So, what's the answer? What is this "platform"? The news release doesn't actually say it's a boat. Maybe it's one of those huge oil-rig platforms from the North Sea? (which are built right here in Corpus Christi, Texas USA). And does the mysterious unconventional CFA still play a part in this solution - maybe so-maybe not! Paul knows, but he isn't saying yet. Can't say as I blame him for playing his cards "close to his vest" after the unexpected loss of so much time and money from the earlier battle. But, just think about the possibilities if a CFA was used: First, as we have already learned, the CFA is a coupling monster and most are mounted on metal-clad buildings! So, picture a CFA mounted on a ship with a metal hull floating on salt water. Wow! It just might pack quite a strong signal under such conditions! As Dr. Kabbary has already mentioned, there is one of the "EH-type" CFAs operating on an Egyptian steamship successfully now for many years. Yes, this will be interesting to watch! No matter what, one has to admire the tenacity exhibited by Paul in this endeavor and after all-no one said it would be easy! We'll keep watching this most interesting project and let you know more as and when we are able to. UPDATES! ~ UPDATES! ~ UPDATES! FROM PAUL RUSLING - INDEED! THE CFA SHALL BE USED FOR STATION! Shortly after the above was published, I was very pleased receive fresh information directly from Paul Rusling that brings a lot more clarity to replace any earlier speculation about the company's plan for the IoM project. Here is Paul's prompt update - dateline January 1, 2001 at 4:00 pm CT: We most certainly ARE going to build a CFA and set it onto a solid platform, mounted into the seabed in Ramsey Bay. The platform has been specially designed by a well known firm of naval architects - the same firm who designed the Star of India, which was built in Ramsey and is still afloat (180 years old now??) in San Diego, Ca. A North Sea oil rig would be unsuitable as (1) it would be too large in area, have legs far too long (North Sea drilling goes hundreds of feet, we shall be in about 20 feet of water!) and (2) those things are full of the horriblest gunk I have ever seen! I know you Texans love oil, but I don't think you would like to put your radio kit in a rig soaked in the stuff! The platform needed to be purpose designed to be wholly suitable. It will be built and the CFA plus transmitters added in a shipyard, and the whole construction floated into position. The platform will be usually unmanned, with programmes sent from our studio centre on the beach in Ramsey by microwave link, which will also carry telemetry. For people on the Isle of Man, the CFA is not a story at all, nor indeed is the type of platform or the technology. It's the jobs, the diversification of the economy, its putting the isle of Man on the map following a disastrous 2001. (the Foot and Mouth crisis meant that the Island's two main bike races, the TT and the Manx Grand Prix, were both cancelled this year, and tourism everywhere has taken a battering. the further dive in tourism post 11 September exacerbates that, and now we see every tourist destination imaginable now advertising hard and competing for the tourist dollar - even the American Government are advertising on commercial TV in the UK for visitors. I never saw that before! More than ever the Isle of Man needs a loud tourist voice. And that's our radio station. You are correct in many things about the CFA. They DO seem to work better when on a metal-clad building. Had it not been for our strenuous attempts to protect the view of nearby residents, we would have liked to sit a shore-based CFA on a platform too; a tower block 10 stories high would have been ideal! Just in case the building was providing more of the antenna than Dr Kabbary thinks. Now at sea we shall have a platform rising up from the waves some 50 feet or so, plus the building itself, and all well grounded into the very saline Irish Sea. A great starting point, with no clutter of nearby homes, power lines, etc to worry about. If a CFA doesn't work well at this location, then it will work nowhere. There is a small difficulty in that the tidal range is about 7 metres twice a day and even at 50 feet below the antenna, it will affect impedance to some extent. That will mean automatic tuning steps in place to cater for it, but I don't see that as being a big problem. You looked at a scenario of using a 150 feet tall monopole - and rightly said radiation resistance would be very low. Four ohms Radiation resistance wouldn't be bad at all and quite workable, I have worked with much less, however the biggest difficulty at LW frequencies would be to get sufficient bandwidth to transmit programme. A tuning signal or carrier only wouldn't attract many listeners! For that reason, a resonant antenna so short is not a realistic option, and the CFA with its proven wide bandwidth is definitely ideal for the job. Bandwidth measurements on the CFA show a nice wide gentle slope - not much good for getting rid of harmonics and spurious emissions, but we expect the transmitter to perform that role! Anyway Jack, that's the latest information for you, may I wish you every peace and happiness in 2002. - Paul Rusling (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** JAPAN. Sounds Of The Far East Network http://jg3.com/fen/fenra.html (This is gleaned from Reel Radio's link page) http://www.reelradio.com/links.html Dr. Jim Grubbs, a communications professor in central Illinois, got his start in radio at FEN, Toyko. He hopes that his new site, The Sounds of the Far East Network - Tokyo, will be enjoyed, especially by AFRTS radio alums. [Chet: The site (last updated in August) contains program descriptions and airchecks. For instance, Tokyo Calling:] http://jg3.com/fen/tokyocalling.shtml Tokyo Calling : These are the sounds of Tokyo, the largest city in the world. Tokyo, the crossroads of the universe for scholars, diplomats, royalty, and the tourist. Tokyo, where one can turn a corner and the present becomes the past. Yes, Tokyo, the largest city in the world. Competitive, intriguing, fascinating. And from Tokyo...This is Tokyo Calling! The opening copy for "Tokyo Calling". All Things To All People AFRTS in general and FEN in particular have the daunting task of being all things to all people. Official policy gives highest priority to providing current news and information to military personnel and their dependents overseas. But if you ask the typical FEN listener what the station means to them, the answer is likely to be stateside music and entertainment. Tokyo Calling was a long time staple of FEN programming airing on Sunday in time periods from mid-afternoon to early evening. The program was a two hour affair, running from five after the hour (following the news), a station break on the half-hour, with voice out at :54. News followed again on the hour. The theme ran at the beginning and end of the first hour and again at the end of the program. If you listen closely, you'll also hear the actual sound of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo in the background behind each break. Featuring music, comedy, interviews, and literature, at its best, Tokyo Calling was a vehicle for a potpourri of programming designed to capture the attention of young and old alike, women and men, military personnel, their dependents, domestic audiences, and the worldwide audience on shortwave. This Is The Tokyo Operator Calling The name Tokyo Calling harkens back to a time when international telephone calls were special affairs -- and a far cry from routine. During the 1960s and earlier, the only way to make calls back to the states was through special operators, generally situated in the officers or NCO clubs. During holiday periods, it was not unusual for it to be many hours or even several days before a circuit became available so your call could be put through. You put your name on the list and then waited your turn -- making sure not to tie up your phone in the interim for fear of losing your place in line. Once the local operator had an available circuit, say to Atlanta, Georgia if that's where you were calling, she would ring you up and, with you on the line, announce to the Atlanta operator that this was "Tokyo Calling" with a call for Marie from her son Jim in Japan. In 1967, a 3 minute call cost about $12.00 USD! Tokyo Calling, the radio program, played on the phrase, inviting listeners both in-country and around the world to hear what was happening locally. A Worldwide Effort AFRTS affiliates around the world regularly produce features that are used not only on their own stations but are freely shared with other outlets worldwide. As these clips demonstrate, they run the gamut from an interview produced by FEN with comedian Bobby Baker, to a Spanish artist, to movie celebrities. Some longer form programming received from AFRTS headquarters did not make the schedule but a portion of the show might be repackaged as a feature on programs such as Tokyo Calling. Talent - Only the Best! We are very fortunate to be able to present telescoped air checks from three broadcasts of Tokyo Calling from 1965. The host is Airman Burr Hoyle -- his well modulated voice known across the Pacific in the 1960s and 70s. You'll also hear FEN's Marine Sergeant Jay Richards with the Bobby Baker interview. At times, Tokyo Calling also featured co-announcers from the host country. While several of us recall the practice, we're still researching to find the names and biographies of those individuals (via Chet Copeland/nyc, DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. CLANDESTINE from PAKISTAN to INDIA 5101 (Cumbre DX follow up). Voice of Jammu and Kashmir Freedom The English commentary at 1400 is called Kashmir Panorama & today Dec 31 they were in a belligerent mood. OM spoke of US role & options in diffusing war like situation between India & Pak --at 1408 OM talked of Hindu extremists who destroyed Babri mosque & later mentioned... could wipe Delhi off the map if war breaks. The English spoken by them is quite different & rough but we can understand as we are from the same region. But must be difficult for you guys out there in USA, this coupled with perhaps poor reception at your end. Here reception is all right. Today's commentary continued for 10 minutes (Harjot Singh Brar, Punjab, Cumbre DX via DXLD) [Ref Pakistani transmitter used ] The same buzzy transmitter with unclean audio is used on the 5988v morning frequency (Olle Alm, Sweden, Dec 30, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. Glenn, I think I now remember...I believe Rob Cameron was an announcer on Radio Vilnius last year. 73, (-.. . Kraig Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. What happened to XERB/1090? I received this interesting info (and more) after a request I put on rec.radio.broadcasting: When Wolfman Jack had control of the station, he was programming the station out of Los Angeles. At the peak he was running a 24 hour a day "live" operation employing several other DJs in addition to himself. They would record the programming on one hour reel to reel tapes in real time, just as if they were on the air live, then shuttled these tapes over the border to be played the next day at the transmitter site. According to his autobiography he lost control of the station when the Mexican officials noticed the success of the operation and wanted more of a cut for themselves. Wolfman had just finished building a state of the art studio and production center and didn't have the cash to meet their demands. He was booted off the air and the house of cards came crashing down around him. For a while XERB continued playing soul as XEPRS, the Soul Express. But it wasn't the same without the Wolfman and never achieved the same level of success. Today it's just another Mexican station beaming Spanish programming into the San Diego and L.A. markets. In the 70's it changed back to Spanish programming as XEPRS. It is and always was licensed to Rosarito, Baja California Norte, México. To find out more about XERB radio click on their webpage at: http://www.440.com/mex.html And for more info about Wolfman Jack (A.k. A Robert Weston Smith) http://www.440.com/namesj.html#_wjack He passed away July 1, 1995 (heart attack at his home in North Carolina). He was 57. Wolfman Jack was inducted into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame http://www.nab.org/Radio/awards/default.asp on April 20, 1999. In the UK Rosko modelled himself on the Wolfman. If you're a fan of the great Emperor Rosko, who now resides in Los Angeles, you can now find him online at: http://www.emperorrosko.com/ Read about his history with Radio Caroline and the Beeb, see the piccies, and listen to Radio Rosko!! Worth a look! (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** NIGER. La Voix du Sahel is heard regularly here on 9705 for the past few weeks. Best times are 1730-1900 and 2145-2203/2300*. In the early evening signal is fair, local language programming only, ID caught at 1755. Later French Programming until 2203, 2300 on Saturday, and also for Christmas, live from the Cathedral in Niamey. Nice signal sometimes. I believe all other frequencies are inactive (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Coldland, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA. VON website http://www.voiceofnigeria.org/ is now available, but still under construction, providing their theoretical broadcasting schedule. A weekly newsletter via E-Mail is offered, but haven't got one yet. No surprise that Chris Greenway [make that Mike Barraclough -gh] did not hear VON at 1020! They are signing off 15120 at 1000, or even earlier, and sign on again at 1855 or even later. Never heard French or Arab service there at daytime (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Coldland, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. Imagine a slightly-flattened orange with one end over northern California and the other over Oklahoma, with 99 94/100 percent of the orange, or the pattern, NW of Oklahoma City, and the pattern reaching as far north as Alberta and as far south as Baja California. That's KOMA's pattern, and it's pretty much the same one as what they've used for years. I spent the summer of '59 in northern Wyoming, and KOMA-1520 and KIOA-940 were the dominant rock stations I could hear at that time (-Paul Swearingen, KS, AMFMTVDX@qth.net via DXLD) Yes, but that`s only when KOMA is *really* running night pattern. From time to time, it`s heard back east at night, leading to suspicions that daypower be operational postsunset (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also WSM discussion, mentioning OK`s Gaylord ** PERU. 13565.6, Ondas del Pacífico, Ayabaca. 2333-2349 January 01. (harmonic: 6782.8 x 2). Andean music. Local ads read in Spanish by male. Check time and identification as: "...las 6 de la tarde con 37 minutos en este programa por Radio Ondas del Pacífico". Messages. Greetings. Other ann.: "...están en la sintonía de Ondas del Pacífico... nosotros vamos a proseguir con más éxitos, continuando con la programación del día de hoy". 24432 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4751.86, Radio Huanta 2000, 0935 Jan 3, Andean music, 1043 live announcer with ID "...en Radio Huanta 2000", fair to poor signal with horrendous QRN this morning. 4855.67, Radio La Hora, 1020 Jan 2, Andean music, announcer with ID, fair signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Khabarovsk radio frequency changes | Text of report by Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site on 26 December Khabarovsk: The situation on the airwaves of this city in the Russian Far East is changing no less quickly than the situation in Moscow. The following changes have taken place of late: Local Olimp-Radio has moved from 103.1 MHz, which now rebroadcasts Radio Maksimum from Moscow, and can now be heard only on 1224 kHz; as for Olimp-Radio itself, in the very near future, it plans to begin rebroadcasting programmes from the BBC Russian Service in London. From 1 October, Radio Russia in Khabarovsk operates on 102.3 MHz and, in parallel, on 1413 kHz. Nashe Radio, also from Moscow, has broadcast on 103.7 MHz since October. At the end of September, without preliminary or, indeed, subsequent explanation, Radio Khabarovsk, which used to broadcast on 765 kHz, vanished from the airwaves although many local newspapers continue to publish advertisements for it (presumably, paid for in advance?) Radio Yevropa-Plyus has abandoned 70.28 MHz, which was immediately taken up by the station's subsidiary, Retro radio. Yevropa-Plyus itself remains only on 105.6 MHz. There is a similar situation in Komsomolsk-na-Amure where Retro radio has replaced Yevropa-Plyus on 70.13 MHz and remained only on 88.5 MHz. Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 26 Dec 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Segundo informações que foram divulgadas durante o programa de respostas a cartas dos ouvintes, do serviço em português da radio Channel Africa, transmitido no último domingo, com a apresentação de Carlos Marques e a participação de Maria Eduarda, a emissora não estaria mais enviando cartões QSL em resposta aos informes de recepção dos ouvintes. A rádio Channel Âfrica foi sintonizada às 1730 UT, em 17870 kHz (Lenildo C. Silva, Lisboa, Portugal, SWL-DX Jan 3 via Conexión Digital via DXLD) [Channel Africa announced on mailbag show in Portuguese that it would no longer QSL reception reports from listeners] ** TANGIER. This Week in Radio History - BFBS Tangier, January 1, 1944 The interesting and informative volume, ``A Microphone and a Frequency`` by Doreen Taylor, tells the story of the first radio station operated by BFBS, the British Forces Broadcasting Service in North Africa. It happened this way. The year was 1943, and the month was November. Three men boarded a flight on an army transport plane parked on a lonely airstrip in Scotland and flew to Algiers in North Africa. Their purpose was to establish a radio station, officially designated as the first ``Army Experimental Broadcasting Service``. These three men recruited additional personnel and assembled whatever equipment they could find. The studio was sound-proofed with grey army blankets, and the electronic equipment was a strange mix from seven different countries. The transmitter itself was a German unit transferred from Tunisia and it was installed in a pigeon loft at suburban El Bair, the highest area in the city. On Saturday morning January 1, 1944, this first new BFBS station went on the air at 6:30 am. Surprisingly, the signature tune for this historic mediumwave station was the internationally popular piece of music, ``Lili Marlene``, though later they changed to ``Rule Britannia``. Currently, the British Forces Broadcasting Service is remembering its 57th anniversary (Adrian M. Peterson, AWR Wavescan 366, Dec 30, 2001, via DXLD) WTFK? ** U A E. 15400.00, Radio Dubai, 1617 Jan 3. Reference previous reports of frequency inconsistencies for Dubai: Looks like they're playing the 5 kHz game here now, vice 15395. This is parallel 21597.6 instead of their originally coordinated frequency of 21605. The 15400 signal was completely obliterating the BBC African Stream, and mixed with R Finland at 1630. What a mess (Mark J. Fine / Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Well, I want to throw in my two cents regarding what BBC World Service did on New Years EVE, 0000 UTC. Half-measure! Fraud! Cheat! True, they did present the twelve strikes (I think they call them peals) of Big Ben, but not the 16 chimes which are supposed to come before. What is this, a sop to those of us whom the BBC considers "over the hill" and would really like to get rid of? I wonder? I still predict that, given a couple more years, they won't do it at all. According to those raised-on-TV people who seem to run world service, tradition should be thrown out merely because it is tradition, not because there is something better to offer. Just a personal opinion, but I'll bet I'm not alone. 73, all the best for WOR in 2002 (Tim Hendel, AL, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I was listening on 5975, and then heard it much better on BBCR3 webcast buffered delay, which nicely coördinated the playback of The Last Night of the Proms to include the midnite peals (gh, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Would you please notify whomever is handling "Waveguide"-type reports that your daily transmissions on 15190 kHz are having repeated drop-outs or breaks when the transmitter goes off- air during the daily "Meridian" programmes at 1405 UT. This seems to happen every day, usually 10-15 minutes into the programme. It comes back on after a minute or so, and sometimes goes back off again. It is very disruptive to the continued listening to and following the programme. Could you find out what is causing this and please fix it? (William Martin, St. Louis, Missouri USA, Jan 3 to writeon, cc to DXLD) ** U K. London's underground pirates From The Evening Standard, This Is London, 3 January 2001, by David Rowan While much of London's media faces its worst recession for a decade, one sector is positively booming. This business can earn its bosses £3,000 in a weekend, and has such a hold on street culture that it has created three number-one singles since the summer. Pirate radio might still be illegal --- but in the capital, it is now making real money. More than 80 illegal FM stations currently broadcast to London, up from around 25 a decade ago. For some owners, their stations are there to promote extreme political views. But for many more, they are a lucrative way to profit from advertisers keen to reach niche audiences. At dusk on Christmas Day, the Evening Standard monitored 44 pirates from Waterloo Bridge, mainly playing music - garage, trance, jungle - and ignored by mainstream stations. Yet despite constant raids by the Radiocommunications Agency, the government body that polices the airwaves, the pirates appear to be winning the battle. According to the agency's most recent figures, its enforcement officers mounted 1,494 raids against illegal radio stations in 2000, around 1,300 of these in London. If caught, pirate broadcasters face up to two years in jail and unlimited fines. Yet, despite making three times as many raids as a decade earlier, the agency, part of the DTI, secured just 40 convictions. And when broadcasters are convicted, they face an average fine of just £377 --- a fraction of their profits from organising a single party club night. Stations in London that we spoke to charge between £50 and £150 to advertise every hour over a weekend - what a legal station might charge for one 20-second slot. The more established pirates promote up to 20 "clients" at a time: on music stations such as Unique FM and Station FM, the Evening Standard heard adverts for West End nightclubs, and even the police-backed Crimestoppers Trust. Remarkably, last summer the Metropolitan Police planned to advertise Operation Trident, its anti-gun campaign, on north London pirates - until Scotland Yard lawyers pointed out that this was illegal under the 1949 Wireless Telegraphy Act. "There's no advertising recession among the pirates," according to Woody "Uptown Badboy", 29, a former station owner and "mixmaster" on a number of London pirates. "Station, Kool, Taste, Delight - at least 10 are making a profit now bigtime. With 20 advertisers, you could easily make £3,000 a weekend. You charge the DJs for their slots, say £10. There's also talk of record companies paying DJs to play certain tunes. And stations like Kool FM are making plenty of money from their raves." Some stations have become hugely influential in defining the nation's musical tastes. Just as Radio Caroline in the 1960s paved the way for Radio 1, the London pirates are turning garage and dance music into commercial hits. Last year's number-one singles from DJ Pied Piper, Daniel Bedingfield and So Solid Crew were boosted by early pirate airplay. The Relentless record label, in particular, specialises in sourcing talent from the London FM pirates. So Solid Crew retains close links to Delight 103FM, a commercially successful south London music station that now claims 10,000 listeners. Members of the station's management team, who met us in a Clapham bar, explained how, for legal reasons, the station was carefully distanced from the parent music-promotions company. "You could say that Delight Entertainment 'sponsors' Delight FM to promote its events," explained AJ (no radio pirate we met was prepared to give a real name). "If we didn't have the station, we'd find another way to promote the gigs - but it's very effective. Business is better than ever." Delight makes DJs sign up to a strict set of rules --- no swearing, violence, drugs, smoking or drinking - and eventually hopes to go legal. "My aim is to go international - to be the Puff Daddy of radio," management spokesman Mr C said. "We're a training school for presenters, and are giving listeners a reason to get on to the FM dial." For most pirates, advertising profits more than compensate for the cost of transmitters regularly seized by the DTI. These cost from £350, including a "microlink" that allows a studio to be some distance from the tower block where the transmitter is sited. But money is not the only force driving the pirate boom. Some owners refuse adverts, lest they compromise their stations' calls for political agitation or "black empowerment". Among the most radical voices is Interference FM, which broadcasts intermittently to London, Bristol and Brighton with an anti-capitalist direct-action message. On election day, Interference FM urged listeners to "Vote for Nobody"; it has also been active during Reclaim the Streets marches, anti-hunting demonstrations, and the recent protests against the Laeken European summit. "The fact that we're illegal doesn't bother me," explained cofounder Chris Winton (not his real name). "What's more of a crime is the way we're lied to by the corporate media with their constant onslaught of neo-liberal rubbish." Winton believes that "most pirate stations nowadays are motivated by greed and profit." He added: "Yet the music pirates are left alone for months. We're considered dangerous, so they pull us off the air before the day is out." Another, very different, advertising-free station is Galaxy FM, in Peckham, whose mission is "to de-brainwash the black community". Galaxy combines soca and reggae music with a robust articulation of "black empowerment" against a system "designed to oppress our brothers and sisters". In live phone-ins to mobile-phone numbers, listeners are urged to integrate "not with Europe, but with Africa", and warned against the "Freemasons and illuminati controlling the racist media". Beyond its politics, Galaxy also supports a community otherwise unrepresented. Sandra Lewis, a Jamaican mother living on a Hackney estate, failed to interest the mainstream media in her three-yearold daughter's need for a life-saving lung transplant in America. But Galaxy and two other black pirate stations launched an appeal before Christmas, which is well on the way to raising the £50,000 needed. The legal stations are not impressed. "It's absolute bilge about pirates being needed by the community," said Paul Brown, chief executive of the Commercial Radio Companies' Association, the commercial stations' trade body. "These crooks broadcast at enormous power and obliterate legal radio stations." Some are now so concerned at the growing competition from pirates that they fear for their own survival. Thames Radio, broadcasting legally from Kingston upon Thames, claims that pirate interference to its 107.8 FM frequency is limiting its transmission area, and losing listeners and advertising revenue. "We're the victims," said Mark Walker, the programme controller. "I rise and fall on my audience figures, and these stations come along and stop us reaching our listeners. We have to pay licence fees, wages, performing rights fees, taxes --- while these guys just squat our frequency. If this carries on, people here are going to lose their jobs." Official complaints can be counterproductive: Thames Radio says one pirate responded by vandalising a presenter's car. Legal stations are also frustrated at the courts' "lenient" sentences for those caught. So they have taken to suing individual broadcasters to keep them off the air. Barry Maxwell, director of the Radiocommunications Agency, agrees that the courts could be tougher. "It would be nice to see some higher fines. There's a fairly villainous element behind (some of the) bigger stations." But the agency faces a dilemma: "You can spend a very small time taking away lots of their transmitters. Or you can spend a lot of time looking for a studio or going for a prosecution. It's a question of balancing resources." A constant priority for the agency is silencing stations that cause radio interference. Usually complaints relate to no more than disruption to television reception, but occasionally the agency is called out on far more urgent business. Two days before the Evening Standard went on patrol with the agency's north-west London enforcement team, the agency received an emergency "safety of life" call. Flight crews coming in to Heathrow had found one of their communications channels blocked by "Arabic music", which drowned out instructions from air-traffic control. Investigators traced the signal to a poorly constructed transmitter above Wembley Central station. "We found the transmitter within an hour and called police for backup," one of the enforcement officers told us. "Unfortunately the police were busy dealing with two dead bodies, so we had to wait four hours for their assistance." Two days later, when the Standard returned to Wembley Central, a replacement transmitter was already in place. At least 10 prosecutions have been brought since 1996 for pirate interference with aeronautical equipment. One one occasion, an east London station was reported to have jammed Heathrow's automatic landing system. National Air Traffic Services, responsible for air- traffic control, confirmed that Heathrow calls out the Radiocommunications Agency around 10 times a year. A spokesman described pirate broadcasters as a "nuisance" to air-traffic control, who must then alert air crews to use a back-up frequency. Occasionally the agency can face the resistance of stations determined not to lose transmitters. "The established pirates put up grids on tower-block roofs so people can't gain access," explained Woody "Uptown Badboy" - mostly to prevent other stations stealing equipment. "One London station has kept two dogs on the roof of a Hackney tower block. Others brick up the rig (transmitter). One station has used CS spray inside a concrete enclosure so it's not tampered with." Lewisham Council says it found one tower-block rooftop booby-trapped by pirates "putting a 240V electrical supply on the locks". During our tour of duty with the agency, its three-man team removed six transmitters in a morning. Freeze FM came off first, from the roof of a 13-floor block in Newmarket Avenue, Northolt. The transmitter, encased in concrete, was hidden beneath the water tank. "We've removed a transmitter 20 times from here over two years, but they're still making money on ads," said John, an enforcement officer for 35 years. "It's a game. They'll reinstall the whole kit in less than an hour." The team's Doppler signal box - built into its unmarked blue Nissan van --- then detected an unlawful signal on 90.0FM. The signal strengthened as we approached Wembley. "It's payday," said a second officer as we reached Wembley Central station. "It's the transmitter that interfered with Heathrow. As we don't know who's behind it, we'll call for police protection." The police did not arrive, so the team broke the lock with its three foot hydraulic cutter. They cut up the aluminium aerial pole before removing the transmitter. "We're almost permanently carrying out risk assessments," said Paul, the area team leader. "If we're not familiar with a station, we never know what they're going to spring on us. We had a guy with a knife in Stratford, threatening us. But they're more concerned with rig thieves." Other victims that day included Street FM (silenced from behind a flat in Bolton Road, Harlesden) and Unique (above a Harlesden bakery). On a tower block in Palmerston Road, Acton, Cruise FM's transmitter was broadcasting on 95.4 FM when the team removed it. "In May, we raided their studio on Goldhawk Road with 80 police in helmets," a radio investigator explained. "Unbeknown to us, below the studio was a crack cocaine den. Police knew we'd be walking past it. We found one bloke there, interviewed him under caution, and took the turntables and records." But the agency's triumphs that morning proved short-lived. Since the Standard saw their transmitters removed, all these stations have returned to the airwaves. (David Rowan reports on the national picture tonight on Channel 4 News at 7pm). © Associated Newspapers Ltd., 03 January 2002 (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. Susan laments, "Gaylord Entertainment, who owns the Opry and WSM, showed just how mainline orientated they are when the closed Opryland Amusement Park to turn it into a shopping center, as if no other town in the world had one. Then they take the country from TNN and turn it into just another cable station." And, Susan, the demise of the Grand Old Opry has been coming for some time. The real culprit is not becoming a "mainline" entertainment company, it is becoming a Bottom Line company, where every and any thing has to do with profit for the investors. It's bound to hammer all into a common denominator since taking the risk of being different can't be proven to be profitable up front. And hiring writers and producers and talented folks who make things happen for the "stars" just costs more than it appears worth. The result is what you see and what you will continue to see in all facets of "the arts" until we fund them without expecting to get rich. Just my opinion as a one-time broadcast journalist and long time Opry lover who even got to do some commercials in the middle of their network broadcasts waybackwhen (Vern Modeland, Listening in the Arkansas Ozarks, swl@qth.net via DXLD) Us Okies familiar with Gaylord`s Daily Disappointment are not surprised by this development; only why it is taking so long to happen (gh, Enid, DXLD) Just what we need, another sports station. Moronic fans following moronic whining overpaid athletes. When does the format change take place? I like OLD C&W and it's hard to find on the radio anymore but is on locally at day on WBAR 1460 1 kW Bartow, FL. I despise the alleged "new country" which is anything from pop to old southern rock & roll mostly by failed rockers. 73, (Thomas Giella, KN4LF Plant City, FL, NRC-AM via DXLD) I would not rule out the possibility of the Opry remaining on WSM even if they do go sports. The Opry itself will definitely live on; they recently announced a contract to carry it on a network of stations. Whether WSM-AM will remain one of those stations is a good question. (it could well end up on WSM-FM instead. Or, they could simply break format.) So far there is nothing official, WSM is still classic country. They're having a station meeting tomorrow. Word in the (other) Nashville media is that they're going all-sports. That may, or may not, be a done deal. Of course, it could also be just a scurrilous rumor. I guess we'll know more in 12 hours or so. Elsewhere on the Nashville AM front... WPLN-90.3 (NPR) still hasn't consummated their purchase of WNSG-1240. (the newspaper had some seriously conflicting information which suggested the station being bought might be the WKDA-1200 CP, or WMAK-1430. I'm pretty sure it's really 1240 though.) And speaking of WKDA-1200, when the FCC approved this permit's application to move from Lebanon, Tenn. to Nashville, the approved new site was the one used by WWGM-1560 for many years before it moved to Gallatin and became WMRO. Someone was climbing on one of those towers last Friday - leading me to believe work has begun on converting the array for use on 1200 (Doug Smith, W9WI, Nashville, Jan 3, NRC-AM via DXLD) Or it could be absolutely true. If you've never heard this historic station, you'd better do so very soon! If a format change happens immediately following this "meeting", then it may already be too late to catch a Grand Ole Opry broadcast, the longest running program in radio history. You really don't have to be a country music fan to get toe tapping to that show! cheers, (Ori VA3ORI Siegel, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, ODXA via DXLD) Subject: WSM Radio: All country or all sports? Follow-up story Sharon Puckett January 2, 2002 Country music fans and artists are flooding the phone lines and internet, with concern that country music may leave WSM radio. Though there's been no official word, it's widely rumored that WSM will drop its traditional country music format for sports talk and paid religious programming. Country fans want decision makers to know they don't like it. Country music fans apparently began calling WSM Radio last night, after our report that all country may soon be all sports. Even though WSM owner Gaylord has not made an official announcement, music industry trade publications indicate it may be a done deal. That was enough for fans to send a call of action out to others to get the word to WSM and Gaylord that they don't like it. I've been told fans have been calling from as far away as New York, Michigan and Florida and sending e-mails to Gaylord executives. And, listeners who have called me today say WSM is keeping track of the calls and complaints. Entertainer Charlie Daniel is in Colorado, where today he called the possible change a downright disgrace.I spoke to him by phone. Daniels said, "I think it's like closing down the Lincoln Memorial and opening a 7-11 store up. It's a real slap in the face to every country music fan in the world." "If it is a done deal, what do you have to say?" I asked him. Charlie responded saying, "I just say I wish you'd sell it and get the hell out of town and let somebody who loves it own it. And after the mad part is over with I'd say to you folks who own the radio station, don't do this, do not do this, don't so something everybody is gonna regret." Gaylord Chief Executive Officer Colin Reed was out of town Wednesday and not available for comment. A brief meeting that took place Thursday morning at WSM Radio offered no new details. Contact WSM-AM Radio: [links lost] E-mail the WSM-AM General Manager Leave your comments at WSM Online Contact Gaylord Entertainment's CEO: Colin Reed Gaylord Entertainment One Gaylord Dr. Nashville, TN 37214 Phone 615-316-6000 email: creed@gaylordentertainment.com All content © Copyright 2000, 2001, WorldNow and WSMV. All Rights Reserved. (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) I think WSM should have flipped from Country to News/Talk when they dropped AM Stereo operations. Unlike St. Louis, which has three News/Talk stations (KTRS 550, WGNU 920 and KMOX 1120), Crap Channel's WLAC 1510 has no competition on the AM dial in the News/Talk format in the Nashville market. What would I do if I programmed WSM and WWTN? First, I'd move the Opry to WSM-FM 95.5, and offer it to other country stations via satellite. Second, I'd move WWTN's News/Talk format (except for Art Bell) to WSM (AM); that would include the rights to Predators hockey. I would either go with a local overnight show or ESPN Radio. That way, WLAC can pick up Art Bell. Then, I'd put a Classic Country format on WWTN with most of the disc jockeys from the AM. The last thing I would add to WSM (AM): St. Louis Cardinals baseball (to provide the team's Southern fans an alternative to KMOX 1120, which sometimes suffers from Cuban interference in the Deep South). Since Nashville already has an Adult Standards station (WAMB 1160 in nearby Donelson), that would put the Westwood One and ABC versions out of the question. News/Talk is one format that, except for live sports coverage, doesn't really need Stereo all that much (even though our FM talk station, KFTK 97.1, still broadcasts in FM Stereo). 73 and good DX from Eric [Bueneman ``Stevenson``] Amateur Radio Station N0UIH, Registered Monitor KDX0STL, KMO0CN Hazelwood, MO Grid Square EM48, DXing The World since 1981 Turn Off Clear Channel Communications! http://members.aol.com/n0uiheric/TurnOffClearChannel.html http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/turnoffclearchannel (IRCA topica list via DXLD) Finding a better use for WWTN may be at the heart of all this. Basically, WWTN could be quickly ported over to 650 likely with the flick of a switch or 2. WWTN gets its local news from the WSM newsroom. As far as Cardinal baseball, I suspect that there would be greater interest in Braves broadcasts as that, from my judgment, seems to be the area's team of choice. WWTN is currently a Fox affiliate with ESPN currently carried by WNSR from what I recall. Why would you put the Opry on WSM-fm as that station's focus is contemporary country rather than traditional. Hence, you would have a great tune out factor on Friday and Saturday evenings. I question the viability of the Opry as a business and would be curious to know if seats are still hard to come by and whether or not Opry souvenirs are selling to the extent they have in the past. If in your scenario WWTN would go classic country, I'd just port the Opry broadcasts over there and have them in stereo. As for WAMB already having the adult standards market, if someone were serious in competing with WAMB, I tend to doubt it would be a difficult challenge. Unless things have changed dramatically since I last heard them, they are a sort of elevator music station interrupted by sports broadcasts, Spanish programming, Teddy's Bart's "morning roundtable", etc. In short, they program music at times when they do not broker time (Mike Pietruk, ibid.) Some of you are aware that I retired from WSM 4 years ago...after putting in over 30 years with them. [ellipses as given] While I am not going to venture guesses as to what I think they ought to do...I will offer a few thoughts that might be helpful for those who care to be the programmer equivalent of a Monday morning quarterback. Here goes........... WWTN has a terrible signal in the metro area. The xmtr is about 30 miles south of the center of the city. WSM-AM, in spite of its 50 kw, doesn't penetrate the downtown office buildings very well... its xmtr is about 10 miles from city center. WSM-FM is eaten alive with multipath throughout most of the metro area. Country audiences across the board in this market are shrinking. Even WSIX-FM has lost ground...including it's long-running morning show. The audiences at the Opry continue to dwindle. There has been a lot of new talent added...but I can't say that I see any appreciable 'younging' of the in-house audiences. For the past couple of winters, the Opry has been moved back to the Ryman for part of the winter season. I translate that as a signal that there aren't adequate bodies to fill the larger NEW Opry House...thus it's probably cheaper to move to the Ryman during lean times. I have no idea how many hits any of the Gaylord stations (including the Opry) get on the internet. Due to prolonged haggling with the local musician's union (because of the live Opry broadcasts) WSM didn't get on-line with streaming audio until a little over a year ago. Their feed sounds exceptionally good. Somehow, I don't think that's where the Opry's future lies...no matter HOW good it might sound. There have been attempts over the years to syndicate the Opry...none successful. It strikes me that the Opry is an oddity that only 'works' here in Nashville (if even here)...and because of its eccentricity, generally high demographics, and unpredictible content, it simply doesn't fit anywhere else or with any format currently in use at more than a handful of rural stations. While the Gaylord Corp's 'numbers' for Opry Mills (shopping center that replaced the Opryland Theme Park) appear to be good, it doesn't seem to be a sector that contributes much to either Opry attendance or business at the neighboring Opryland Hotel. There is little that ties the three entities together. Braves baseball got lousy ratings when it was carried in the past. The Cards, I fear, would do even worse. When you live in Nashville, you view St. Louis as a far north YANKEE city! That ain't good. Vanderbilt sports are not well supported, either by in-person attendence or on-air ratings...particularly football. The University of Tennessee has been known to be interested in having their sports net carried on WSM-AM, but was always rebuffed because of the station's Opry schedule. WNSR, to the best of my recall, did not even make a showing in the last book. They, too, have a lousy signal (admittedly improved in the past year or two). Forget about it after sunset. Gaylord has aimed a gun at every division VP's head...and pretty much told them to produce profits (not just little profits, either) or suffer the consequences. It's my personal impression that WSM AM and FM/WWTN are making money...just not *enough* to satisfy the bean counters. That was the case with the Opryland Theme Park, as well. While the Opryland profitability is documented...the WSM comments are guesses. I don't have any inside information on what's now going on at WSM...and don't wish to. Yes...I still have many friends there...but this is not something I will discuss with them. Nashvillians have come to distrust, and in some cases outright hate the Gaylord organization. Under its ownership, many of the things held sacred by locals have been raped, pillaged, and even murdered by the money machine in Oklahoma City. Gaylord seems to have little interest in its public image, and the city has little interest in it. To be fair, the company has done some things that have had a positive impact on the community; but the good deeds are overshadowed by the image of greed and disregard that they generally project. Someone commented that WAMB was an adequate adult EZL tation...someone else countered that. Truth is that WAMB is terrible. Their target audience appears to be 80+...when they're not running block junk. A true MOYL-type format is sadly lacking in this market...and would probably put almost any station that picked it up somewhere in the top 10. I can't imagine why no one has tried. This is a tough market...very overpopulated with stations...very finicky listeners...very weird stations and formats. Bottom line: My guess is that Gaylord is purposely creating this furor in an effort to sell WSM-AM and the Opry...and I wouldn't be surprised to see a conglomerate of country music stars do just that. They have the money and historic commitment...and would be quite happy to keep the station (and the Opry) about where they are now...perhaps even de-modernizing them a bit. If that part of my theory is true...then I think it's only a matter of time until Gaylord also dumps WSM-FM and WWTN on the market. Somebody like CC will suck them up in a heartbeat. Gaylord set its course in broadcasting several years ago when it began to divest of television facilities...and I expect that if the truth were known, they really want to be out of all broadcast ventures. The only one that *might* be sacred is WKY. It's still owned by the family (as OPUBCO...Oklahoma Publishing Co.) and was the very first radio station owned by the family back in the early days of the Gaylord Empire...which, btw, started with the OKC newspaper, The Daily Oklahoman. [Note...if I'm not mistaken, operation of WKY has been sub-contracted to another group...but I don't recall which one it is.] {last I heard, it was Clear-Channel, making it a subsidiary of KTOK- 1000 -gh} So...I offer no suggestions as to what should happen with WSM and its sister operations...only a few nuggets that might help the rest of you come up with a 'plan'. I can't statistically back up most of my theories...they're 'gut feeling' stuff...something that's missing in radio today. Gut feelings made a helluva lot of money for radio over the years...maybe it's time to take some chances again. If this gets into the hands of anyone in the Gaylord hierarchy, maybe the observations of an outsider (who was a former insider) might help them see themselves in a way their employees wouldn't dare reflect them (Tom Bryant / Nashville, Jan2, IRCA topica list via DXLD) I heard that WSM is a notorious non-QSLer. If there is a staff change when the format changes, perhaps they will commence QSLing again? (Just looking on the bright side......) 73, (Chris Knight (NØIJK) Fort Lupton, Colorado, ibid.) WSM might sometimes be a little slow at getting QSL material out, but reports are ALWAYS answered. How do I know that? I'm the WSM QSL guy! About 10 years ago...after it had been badly neglected for several years...I took over WSM's QSL/verie detail. When a chief engineer moved on to another job, his replacement found about 200 verie requests stuffed in a desk drawer. Knowing of my DXing interests, I was asked if I would be interested in processing the backlog and keeping things current after I had finished the catchup job. I agreed. When I retired, I was asked if I would continue to handle verification requests. I agreed; with the stipulation that there might be times when the process went slowly (I travel a lot). That was not a problem. So until notified otherwise by the WSM folks, I am the guy who does veries for WSM, WSM-FM, and WWTN. Slow, yes. Non-QSLer? Not if I can help it. It's really ironic that WSM got branded as a non-QSLer. Why so? Because remarks that I made (which I understand were widely distributed in several discussion groups) were misinterpreted. A few years ago there was a heated discussion regarding the ease of cheating on information for a verie request. With so many stations having streaming audio (more then than now), fake reports were a source of considerable concern. Also in question was the actual value of a QSL and/or reception confirmation. At my prodding, the WSM programming and management people took a look at QSLing over the years, and through my eyes saw the past and present of the concept. While they, too, were concerned that phony confirmations might be issued, it was unanimously agreed that WSM should continue its very long run of cordial relationships with DXers. The logic was that since there is no actual value to any QSL, only the holder of one granted by virtue of improperly obtained reporting data would be the only person with anything to lose. It, we agreed, was a matter of individual conscience; and that the vast majority of QSL seekers who are honest should not be deprived of their reward from WSM because of the potential actions of a few shysters. At any rate...my internet accounts of our discussions at the station were mistakenly seen as an anti-QSL attitude and policy at WSM. That was never the case (Tom Bryant / Nashville, IRCA via DXLD) I tried their webcast after 0500 UT Fri Jan 4, and soon was hearing Willie Nelson. Also checked their schedule on yahoo radio site, finding these named shows, besides DJs I don`t know at other times: (Here converted to UT days and times), bearing Jan dates upcoming: Fri 0000-0200 Orange Possum Special Bluegrass Show [too late for this week, so let`s hope it`s there next week] Sat 0000-0130 Friday Night Opry Warm-Up 0130-0330 Friday Night Opry 0330-0600 Opry Star Spotlight 2300-2430 Saturday Opry Warmup [THE GRAND OLD OPRY SATURDAY NIGHT ITSELF IS *NOT* MENTIONED] Mon 0100-0200 WSM-AM Remembers [with no other local Sunday entries; is this a regular show, or a farewell special? However, Mon-Wed looks like normal DJ show schedule as usual] {site with webcast: http://www.wsmonline.com/ (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Two special MW DX tests are coming up this weekend: Saturday January 5th, 2002 - KJAY-1430, Sacramento CA will test from 0300-0700 EST [0800-1200 UT] with 500 watts directional. Programming with be Morse Code, Warble Tones, and Voice IDs. QSL cards will be issued for correct reception reports. Reception reports (with return postage) should be sent to: Patrick Martin 90971 Highway 101 #28 or: PO Box 843 Warrenton OR 97146-9343 Seaside OR 97138-0843 Taped reports will be appreciated to hear how the station is getting out. KJAY is a very rare catch and good luck! (Arranged by Patrick Martin IRCA) Monday, January 7, 2002 - KTNS-1090, Oakhurst, CA will conduct a DX test at 12:00-1:00 am PST [0800-0900 UT]. KTNS ("Kittens AM 1090") will broadcast using a power of 1000 watts non-directional. Tones and CW IDs identifying KTNS will be broadcast, along with their regular Music of Your Life (MOYL) format of adult favorites from Jones Satellite Audio. Reception reports (with return postage) may be sent to: Larry Gamble E-Mail: mtkaat@sierratel.com General Manager, KTNS-AM WWW: http://www.ktnsradio.com/ P.O. Box 2020 Oakhurst, CA 93644 (Arranged by Lynn Hollerman for the IRCA CPC) (IRCA Soft DX Monitor ``Jan 5`` via DXLD) ** U S A. Florida news: 1020 FLORIDA "Radio Carnivale" WRHB, Kendall; An interesting feature on this station was published in the Miami Herald. See http://www.miami.com/herald/content/news/local/dade/digdocs/082930.htm (via David Potter, FL) 99.1 MHz FLORIDA (unlicensed) "Radio Sonique," Tampa; discovered a few days ago by T. Wood during her [sic] winter stay in the Tampa area. "Wonderful stereo separation and great coverage. As I [previously] mentioned, I even heard them relay Voice of America in Kreyol." (via T. Wood, Tampa, Jan. 1, 2002) ---------------------------------------------------------- Visit my "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" at: http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html (all from Terry Krueger`s Tocobaga DX Jan 2 via DXLD) ** U S A. FCC Asks Broadcaster, Power Company to Help Cure Weird Interference NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 3, 2002 --- The FCC has written a Cincinnati AM radio station and the electric utility serving that region to help resolve an unusual and longstanding interference situation affecting local amateurs. Sharon Bowers of the FCC's Consumer Information Bureau this month wrote Clear Channel-owned WLW, which broadcasts on 700 kHz, and Cinergy Corp citing numerous reports of apparently spurious signals associated with WLW transmissions that have been monitored over a wide area and frequency range. "Many of these reports indicate that, although the noise is associated with WLW transmissions, the strongest signals appear to be originating some distance from the WLW transmitter site, possibly on a high- voltage tower owned by Cinergy Corp," Bowers wrote. "From the extent of the reports and the wide geographical area involved, it is likely that there are multiple sources involved." Bowers conceded that some of the reports received by the FCC do not involve WLW transmissions and likely are typical electrical noise problems. One of the amateurs affected--Bob Reiff, WA8ULW, of Mason, where WLW's tower is sited--said that while the noise is most noticeable on 160 meters, it's showing up elsewhere. "It is pervasive in the spectrum," Reiff told ARRL, "and, we suspect, it is causing us problems even on our 2-meter repeater." On one occasion in November, the interference was reported to be peaking at 50 dB over S9 on 1885 kHz. Ohio ARRL Section Manager Joe Phillips, K8QOE, credited the activities of the Greater Cincinnati Local Interference Committee (GCLIC), a group comprised of Cincinnati-area Official Observers. The GCLIC's work, Phillips said, provided the structure for Reiff and the other complainants "to successfully bring this interference to the attention of the FCC." The FCC said that Reiff and the other complainants attempted unsuccessfully for the past two years to work with WLW and Cinergy. As a result, the matter was referred to the FCC Enforcement Bureau. Bowers noted that WLW and Cinergy already have "expended considerable efforts" to locate the noise source and cause, but the noise remained "as strong as ever according to recent reports." She noted that the noise became intermittent after some recent work done on a Cinergy high-voltage tower, and she expressed the FCC's appreciation for the cooperation to date. But, Bowers admonished, the FCC expects the responsible party to address "any reports at a level strong enough to cause harmful interference to radio operators." Bowers addressed her December 17, 2001, letter to WLW General Manager Michael Kenney and Cinergy Corp Chairman and CEO James B. Rogers. ARRL Lab Supervisor Ed Hare, W1RFI, has been assisting in efforts to resolve the interference situation, and the FCC referred WLW and Cinergy to ARRL resources on the topic and to Enforcement Bureau Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth for any questions. According to the FCC database, WLW operates with 50,000 W into a single, top-loaded half-wave vertical tower. "While the Commission recognizes that this is an unusual case, and the source could turn out to be something unexpected," Bowers wrote, "the Commission is turning to the radio station and electric utility company, asking for your help and cooperation in finding the source of the noise." Bowers noted that, under FCC Part 15 and Part 73 rules, incidental noise radiated by power company equipment or spurious emissions from a broadcast transmitter must be corrected if they cause harmful interference to radio communications. The FCC has requested that WLW and Cinergy advise the complainants within 30 days of the steps they're taking to correct the reported interference (ARRL January 3 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 1 ARLB001 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT January 2, 2002 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB001 ARLB001 W1AW 2002 Winter Operating Schedule Morning Schedule: Time Mode Days ------------------- ---- --------- 1400 UTC (9 AM EST) CWs Wed, Fri 1400 UTC (9 AM EST) CWf Tue, Thu Daily Visitor Operating Hours: 1500 UTC to 1700 UTC - (10 AM to 12 PM EST) 1800 UTC to 2045 UTC - (1 PM to 3:45 PM EST) (Station closed 1700 to 1800 UTC (12 PM to 1 PM EST)) Afternoon/Evening Schedule: 2100 UTC (4 PM EST) CWf Mon, Wed, Fri 2100 '' '' CWs Tue, Thu 2200 '' (5 PM EST) CWb Daily 2300 '' (6 PM EST) RTTY Daily 0000 '' (7 PM EST) CWs Mon, Wed, Fri 0000 '' '' CWf Tue, Thu 0100 '' (8 PM EST) CWb Daily 0200 '' (9 PM EST) RTTY Daily 0245 '' (9:45 PM EST) VOICE Daily 0300 '' (10 PM EST) CWf Mon, Wed, Fri 0300 '' '' CWs Tue, Thu 0400 '' (11 PM EST) CWb Daily Frequencies (MHz) ----------------- CW: 1.818 3.5815 7.0475 14.0475 18.0975 21.0675 28.0675 147.555 RTTY: - 3.625 7.095 14.095 18.1025 21.095 28.095 147.555 VOICE: 1.855 3.990 7.290 14.290 18.160 21.390 28.590 147.555 Notes: CWs = Code practice (slow) = 5 - 7.5 - 10 - 13 - 15 WPM CWf = Code practice (fast) = 35 - 30 - 25 - 20 - 15 - 13 - 10 WPM CWb = Code Bulletins = 18 WPM CW frequencies include code practices, Qualifying Runs and CW bulletins. RTTY = Teleprinter Bulletins = BAUDOT (45.45 baud) and AMTOR-FEC (100 Baud). ASCII (110 Baud) is sent only as time allows. Code practice texts are from QST, and the source of each practice is given at the beginning of each practice and at the beginning of alternate speeds. On Tuesdays and Fridays at 2330 UTC (6:30 PM EST), Keplerian Elements for active amateur satellites are sent on the regular teleprinter frequencies. A DX bulletin replaces or is added to the regular bulletins between 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Thursdays and 0100 UTC (8 PM EST) Fridays. In a communications emergency, monitor W1AW for special bulletins as follows: Voice on the hour, Teleprinter at 15 minutes past the hour, and CW on the half hour. FCC licensed amateurs may operate the station from 1500 UTC to 1700 UTC (10 AM to 12 PM EST), and then from 1800 UTC to 2045 UTC (1 PM to 3:45 PM EST) Monday through Friday. Be sure to bring your current FCC amateur license or a photocopy. The W1AW Operating Schedule may also be found on page 104 in the January 2002 issue of QST or on the web at http://www.arrl.org/w1aw.html NNNN/EX (via John Norfolk, Jan 3, DXLD) ** U S A. Interim Pacifica Board Holds First Meeting, Reinstates Democracy Now Airdate: Wednesday, January 2, 2002 Reporter: Marcos Martinez December 29, 2001: The new majority on the interim Pacifica National Board elected its own slate of officers at its first meeting today, a marathon telephone conference that was also broadcast and webcast. Leslie Cagan of New York was named chair, Carol Spooner of Berkeley secretary, and Jabari Zakiya of Washington, D.C., treasurer. The majority then successfully passed a motion to restore Democracy Now! to the Pacifica airwaves, with back pay for the staff, named a committee to find a new executive director, and agreed to meet face to face during the weekend of Jan 11-13 in New York, with station managers required to attend and provide financial data on their operations. But the majority was not strong enough to lift the gag rule, establish a committee to deal with the WBAI "hot button" issue, or fire Pacifica’s current lawyers. Resolutions to take these actions passed by 9-5 or 9-6 votes, insufficient to meet the requirement of the legal settlement for a two-thirds majority on all substantive Pacifica issues. They will therefore be decided by Judge Ronald Sabraw, who oversaw the settlement of the lawsuits against Pacifica. For more, go to the Save Pacifica website http://www.savepacifica.net/ (KUNM News Jan 2 via DXLD) "DEMOCRACY NOW" COMING BACK: With a new board in place for WBAI parent Pacifica Foundation, Amy Goodman's daily "Democracy Now" may return to 'BAI as early as Monday. The show was taken off WBAI last fall when Goodman moved its production to an outside studio, saying WBAI was unsafe for her and her staff. She supported the station's dissident faction in a year-long dispute over direction and control. The Pacifica Board also voted to form a committee on reinstating banned and fired producers, though a judge must decide if that vote can be implemented. Meanwhile, producer David Rothenberg was suspended from WBAI for discussing Pacifica matters on the air (David Hinckley, Daily News Jan 3 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. http://www.app.com/news/app/story/0,20878,487007,00.html January 2, 2002 Seton Hall radio station starts 'eclectic' format Published in the Asbury Park Press THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SOUTH ORANGE -- Seton Hall University's student radio station began airing a "modern eclectic rock" format on Wednesday. The change came less than three months after the administration of the Roman Catholic school ordered WSOU-FM to abandon its heavy metal and hard rock programming, which had been in place for 15 years. The new lineup includes pop, Christian, emo, rap, Latin, alternative, punk, soft and Southern rock, according to the station, which can be heard at 89.5. Emo is a punk-rock offshoot. University spokeswoman Susan Diamond said the administration wanted a format "that was more reflective of the diversity of our community and was more appropriate to the image of the university." She said the administration hopes the enlarged selection will attract a bigger audience, and especially more women, who now comprise only about 20 percent of the station's 100,000 listeners. Station staffers were told at a Sept. 10 meeting with university provost Mel Shay to get the new format in place by Wednesday, Diamond said. About 1,000 students, alumni and area residents responded to a survey about their musical interests, which helped in selecting the new format, said Peter Reader, chair of the school's Department of Communication. The university is part of the Archdiocese of Newark, but the impetus for the change did not come from Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, now cardinal of Washington, nor his successor, Archbishop John J. Myers, who took over Oct. 9, an archdiocese spokesman said. "This was something that the (school) governing council and the university administration had been looking at for some time," archdiocese spokesman James Goodness said. The station began broadcasting in 1948. On the Net: WSOU: http://www.wsou.net/ [includes webcast -gh] © copyright 2002 The Associated Press (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. The new KRON makes a weak first impression, by Tim Goodman Wednesday, January 2, 2002 ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle On its first official day as an independent station -- goodbye to all that NBC programming -- KRON (Channel 4) didn't do Bay Area television viewers any favors. Particularly those brain-challenged by hangovers. That's because the first show anyone probably watched yesterday morning was the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, an annual tradition. Unfortunately, KRON decided to take the feed from KTLA (Channel 5) in Los Angeles, which repeatedly and prominently aired its logo throughout the long event. What -- KRON is on Channel 5? And what's this KTLA thing? As if figuring out the mess of numbers -- KNTV (Channel 11) is now NBC but calls itself NBC3 because that's its cable location -- weren't difficult enough. It wasn't a very good first impression, that's for sure. KRON came off looking as if it had the equivalent of $1.98 to spend on programming and, since it couldn't afford to smell the roses, left it to a station in hated Los Angeles to do the heavy lifting. And as if that weren't bad enough, the hosts were Bob Eubanks, best known for 'The Newlywed Game,' and Stephanie Edwards, whose claim to fame is a mystery but who less than deftly pronounced KRON 'kay-ron.' The heralded switch of NBC actually took place on New Year's Eve, when 'The Tonight Show With Jay Leno' appeared on KNTV at 11:35 p.m. -- the first time in 52 years that an NBC show wasn't on KRON. After delivering an extended monologue and watching the ball drop in Times Square, Leno mentioned the new affiliate, 'NBC3' -- just as someone in the audience yelled something out. So much for the grand introduction. KNTV took any remaining mystery out of the switch by plastering a large white '3' next to the trademark NBC peacock logo and the Olympic rings (NBC will carry the Winter Olympics next month). There was barely room left on the screen for Leno's chin. Yesterday, viewing habits seemed momentarily normal, no hint of the potentially bewildering channel swap. KRON had the Tournament of Roses Parade - - albeit with that SoCal twist -- and KNTV had a college bowl game -- two Jan. 1 staples. Every chance it had, KNTV would sneak in a promo for an NBC program, followed by its new logo -- 'NBC3' with 'Channel 11' written underneath. Numerically odd, sure, but the stunner was how KNTV rewrote tradition by listing San Jose first among the major metropolitan areas it covers -- San Francisco and Oakland came after. Perhaps that's a hint that the South Bay station plans on pleasing its longtime audience first, and wooing other viewers later with its unfamiliar on- air personalities. Of course, it was KRON that soon stood out as the station with the bigger change. After the Rose Parade, KRON had to explain its newfound status as an independent station. 'A new day has arrived on the Bay Area broadcast horizon,' a voice said, not tripping on the clunky expression. Then a mini-documentary of KRON began. And so did the spin. 'We've maintained that what made us special was not our network affiliation, ' the voice said, unconvincingly, 'but our connection to the independent spirit that makes the Bay Area a great place to call home.' So viewers weren't tuning in for 'The West Wing' after all, they were really in search of 'Bay Area Backroads'? Got it. The voice-over continued: 'As we shed our peacock feathers' -- yes, it really did say that -- 'to become the No. 1 independent station in the country, we have more time to focus on our viewers' favorite subject - - the Bay Area.' Forget the fact that KRON is nowhere near the No. 1 independent station in the country (it may be someday, but not in less than 24 hours). To suggest that losing all those unnecessary must-see TV shows will give viewers 'more time' to focus on, say, Vic Lee, is a bold idea. Hey, maybe KTLA has some programming it can share. The new 'kay-ron' certainly has its work cut out for it. That became clear after yet another 'Judge Judy' promo, followed by a syndicated dating show few people will want to watch. Yep, KRON is going to have to be bold -- perhaps unbelievably bold -- to keep viewers from changing channels in the New Year. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle Page A - 1 (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) ** U S A. This article about High Frequency (Apex) Broadcast Stations in the United States, as authorized by FCC (at http://members.aol.com/jeff560/1939apex.html) appeared in the 1939 Broadcasting Yearbook. Apex stations used amplitude modulation. Many evolved into FM stations (via David Crawford, FL, Tocobaga DX Jan 2 via DXLD) ** U S A. 9319.92, WINB 1/1/2002 1243 broadcast by Reverend Sharpe, ID @ 1245 "WINB, Red Lion, Pennsylvania", into Calvary Baptist Tabernacle Radio Hour; new frequency ex-13570? (Ralph Brandi, NJ, SWBC via DXLD) ** U S A. On 9320 AM, there is a WWRV recording asking for reception reports for a new antenna at 200' high. I've never heard of WWRV, but they must be an active station... the freq was in a memory channel. They gave an address out of Tennessee. Maybe they'll start it up again, later. John (Big Johnson, location unknown, ``4:54 pm``, timezone unknown, Jan 3, DX-398 yahoogroup via DXLD) I advised them to listen to WOR, read DXLD, where this has been reported since before Xmas, as WWRB, not WWRV (gh, DXLD) Tonight (Friday UT Jan 4) I found 5085 and 6890 both using the WWRB call, rather than WWFV. They are simulcasting, and the ID is given by just breaking into the program, with the voice of Dave Frantz. Sounds live. I don't know if maybe this means that he has simply hauled both transmitters out of McCaysville, or gotten two new ones. At about 0045, signal strength on both frequencies was good, about the same as I have always noted it to be. By 0130, 6890 was getting considerably weaker. This might mean that that transmitter is, indeed, in Manchester, TN, much closer to Huntsville, and probably putting us in the skip zone for 7 megahertz at that time of night. No confirmation of any of this, however, other than the actual ID (Tim Hendel, AL, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) (Cumbre DX follow up) WWFV R.I.P. About a week ago I was tuning across the bands and heard the owner say they were closing down WWFV at that time for good and moving to Tennessee. The owner of the station was saying that this particular broadcast of WWFV I was listening to was to be the very last transmission from that location and that they were changing callsigns. He gave a "speech" about the history of the station, and then said goodbye. (Jim rec.radio.shortwave Dec 28/9 via Johnson) WWFV was located in McCaysville, GA. The station has now moved to the American state of Tennessee (TN) in the town of Manchester. Its new call letters are WWRB for World Wide Radio Broadcasting. It is owned by Dave Frantz, the same fella who owned WWFV. It is a bit unusual for a shortwave station to move in such a fashion so let's sum up what has happened: One transmitter was operational on Dec 24th from Manchester. IDing as WWRB it carried WWFV's former lineup in the local evenings on 5085 and tested with a loop tape for a few days daytime local on 12172. The daytime tests were announced as being for Africa/Middle East. With WWRB now able to carry the programming load at WWRV, the latter is able to shut down for good on Dec 24 or so as noted by Jim above. By Jan 1, two transmitters are operational at Manchester. Both carry the former WWFV programming lineup, signing on weekdays at 2300v on 5085 and 6890. The former is billed as for North America and the latter is announced as for Africa/Middle East. No details have been heard as to antenna type/azimuth in use on 5085. The antenna for Africa/Middle East is described as a 200' tower with the station. Sign of is at 0700v. On Jan 2nd, WWRB announced that 12172 and 9320 would be returning to the air in the coming days during local daytime. So the entire set of frequencies is the same as used by WWFV 5085/6890/9320/12172. By Jan 3rd, WWRB announced that the power of the two transmitters is 100 kW each. Although there was talk of a 100,000 watt transmitter upgrade at WWFV, the station operated with two 50 kW transmitters. The station ran a test loop on 12172 on the local afternoon of Jan 3, as noted by Claes Olsson in Florida. WWRB gave out its new phone number as 931- 841-0492. Early on UTC Jan 2nd, the station owner stated that the reason for moving to TN is that the new site had "no shading to the east," but in TN they have an antenna for the Middle East and Africa. He implied that WWFV in GA was shaded to the east. He added that the response from the Middle East to WWRB's new antenna had justified the move. I looked at the still-active WWFV website on Jan 2 to see what it says about antennas to the east. It includes a statement that WWFV's antenna setup "will have the ability to cover the entire compass upon completion of our expansion project." Antennas at 38 and 160 degrees are listed as being modified as of June 15, 2001. A 70 degree antenna is listed as operational as of May 15, 2001, with a coverage map including Middle Eastern nations such as Iraq and Syria. A 130 degree antenna is listed as completed but awaiting certification. Its coverage map includes all of Africa and the Middle East. Although WWFV talked about having all sorts of transmitters, no more than two were ever regularly heard on the air. WWRB made an Internet posting in the fall that they had purchased five used Harris 100 kW transmitters and would be using them at WWRB. Nothing has been heard about WWFV's two former transmitters and antennas. I'm inclined to believe that the two transmitters in use at WWRB are the two WWFV units. They were simply moved from WWFV to WWRB, although they are now announced as 100 kW units instead of 50's so perhaps that 100 kW upgrade took place along the way. I've checked the FCC website for information on the station's setup, but haven't found anything yet. Once that is available, we'll have a better idea of the transmitter/antenna setup at the new WWRB (Hans Johnson, FL, Dec 31-Jan 4, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. ...The next three stories --- my top three --- are strangely woven together because each had such a tremendous impact on me personally. To be truthful, I don`t really like to write about this, but I`m going to anyway. Steve Anderson, sadly, became part of what I do for a living. I`ve never met Steve Anderson and I don`t care to meet Steve Anderson. What he stands for is something intolerable to me. Some have said that we shouldn`t have written stories about Anderson because it was simply publicizing what he believed and making our city and community ``look bad.`` I think the sad thing about being a journalist is that, sometimes, we have to write stories that we don`t want to write for a number of different reasons. To those who thought we shouldn`t have covered Anderson, I say this to you. We are not the creators of news. We decide on an individual basis what stories should and should not be covered. It was the opinion that the community should know what was in their midst. We write about the good things in our community and we must acknowledge that there are bad things, too. Anderson is one of those bad things. The Anderson story became even more personal when he levied a veiled threat against me. I really don`t see it as a big deal. People of Anderson`s ilk are cowards. Then, Anderson disappeared. It is my most sincere hope that law enforcement officials continue to search for Anderson and someday bring him to justice for shooting at a deputy sheriff in Bell County. Sadly, that, too, will be news (from The Year That Changed Us All By Carol Coffey, Somerset KY Comonwealth- Journal Dec 31 via DXLD) ** U S A. Rizzo Radio: CB pirate on 27555 USB heard daily, mostly with an old version of Jingle Bells. E-mail is rizzoradio@yahoo.com Frank Rizzo said he would QSL via e-mail. QTH Phoenix. Peaks at 2200+ (Liz Cameron, MI 29-31 December) - 27554.8/U, 2008-2015+, 29-Dec; Xmas tunes & ID's. Sed from Phoenix, QSL to rizzoradio@yahoo.com; QRM/another stn. playing Xmas tunes. SIO=2+22+ Tnx to Liz Cameron for tip (Harold Frodge-MI) 27555.0/U; 1913-1930+, 1-Jan; Frequent EE IDs + Auld Lang Sine + relaying a Radio Única station in SS. I thought Única was QRM till they ran an AZ Nat'l Guard spot. QRM/CQ DX's. SIO=2-32+ About 2150, I hrd someone ragging about how "we're gonna find out who you are and get you off of here." but hrd no connection to Rizzo (Harold Frodge- MI) Rizzo Radio QSLed via e-mail in 3d. 62kJPEG pic of Frank Rizzo himself and his shack (Liz Cameron 31 Dec; all MARE Tipsheet Jan 4 via DXLD) ** U S A. UPDATE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2002, 3:00 PM CST Mother Angelica's Condition Improving Irondale, AL (EWTN) - Doctors treating Mother Angelica for a stroke in a Birmingham hospital say her condition remains serious, but they hope to upgrade her status within the next 24 hours. Doctors said she is more alert now and is resting comfortably. Mother Angelica suffered her second stroke in three months on Christmas Eve, and after a two- hour operation to remove a blood clot from her brain, she remained in critical condition throughout the week. The doctors also reported that Mother's vital signs are stable but she is still in intensive care. The Mother Vicar of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, Sister Mary Catherine, said she is gratified that so many thousands of well wishers continue to telephone and email EWTN offering prayers for Mother's complete recovery, and that priests all around the world are offering Masses for her and that prayer groups, families and individuals are praying Rosaries for her. "Prayers are what Mother Angelica needs now more than anything else," Sister Mary Catherine said. (EWTN website via gh, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Hi Glenn, I have a slight amendment to my QSLing for VOA / IBB. I have been told NOT to QSL any Radio Free Asia transmissions. Otherwise, it appears I am good for any VOA, RFE, RL transmission. Hope you had a good New Years. 73, (John Vodenik, jvodenik@del.ibb.gov Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. OBSERVER #151 / 02-01-02 ----------------------------------------------------------------- OBSERVER is an edition of RADIO BULGARIA compiled by Ivo Ivanov & Angel Datzinov. Items here may be reproduced if it is mentioned "OBSERVER-BUL". All times in UT ----------------------------------------------------------------- VOA/RFE/RL schedule to ME/AFG. Updated and revised on Jan. 2, 2002: ARABIC VOA 0500-0530 15705 IRA 500/334 17855 IRA 500/332 0730-0830 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17875 KAV 250/095 1100-1200 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17895 KAV 250/095 1400-1500 11690 KAV 250/051 15265 MOR 250/084 17795 MOR 250/083 1500-1600 11955 KAV 250/051 15120 MOR 250/083 15265 MOR 250/084 17795 MOR 250/083 1600-1700 11950 LAM 100/112 15120 MOR 250/083 17795 MOR 250/083 AZERI RL 1400-1500 11795 BIB 100/085 15430 BIB 100/085 17605 RMP 500/092 DARI VOA 0200-0230 6035 DUS 100/180 6170 KAV 250/100 9705 UDO 500/308 9750 IRA 500/304 0230-0300 6035 DUS 100/180 6170 KAV 250/100 9750 UDO 500/308 15580 PHT 250/315 15705 IRA 500/333 17780 PHT 250/283 1045-1100 13660 UDO 500/308 <<< deleted 15215 IRA 500/340 <<< deleted 17665 IRA 500/340 <<< deleted 1215-1230 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1530-1630 7260 UDO 500/300 11770 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1630-1700 9705 PHT 250/315 9875 KAV 250/095 11760 KAV 250/095 1900-1930 7260 UDO 500/308 9575 UDO 500/304 11865 IRA 500/340 ENGLISH VOA 0000-0100 5995 MOR 250/067 6015 MOR 250/084 6105 MOR 250/083 7265 MOR 250/083 0100-0300 5995 MOR 250/067 6015 MOR 250/084 6105 MOR 250/083 7255 MOR 250/083 0600-0730 12025 KAV 250/095 15335 KAV 250/112 15425 MOR 250/075 0830-0930 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17875 KAV 250/095 0930-1100 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17895 KAV 250/095 1200-1400 15170 KAV 250/095 15260 KAV 250/112 17630 KAV 250/095 ENGLISH VOA 2100-2200 6160 KAV 250/112 7140 KAV 250/105 9530 KAV 250/108 2200-2400 6160 KAV 250/112 7290 KAV 250/105 9530 KAV 250/108 9880 KAV 250/095 KAZAKH RL 1500-1600 5005 DUS 100/045 <<< but really RL in Turkmen!!! 6055 HOL 100/059 12010 MOR 250/059 1600-1700 5005 DUS 100/045 <<< but really VOA in Bangla!!! 7105 HOL 100/059 11920 MOR 250/059 KYRGHYZ RL 0200-0300 5035 DUS 100/045 9555 KAV 250/316 11795 IRA 500/340 1500-1600 9595 KAV 250/051 11760 WOF 250/070 13615 IRA 500/314 PASHTO VOA 0100-0130 6170 KAV 250/100 7145 LAM 100/088 9750 IRA 500/334 0130-0200 6170 KAV 250/100 7145 LAM 100/088 9705 UDO 500/308 9750 IRA 500/340 1030-1045 13660 UDO 500/308 <<< deleted 15215 IRA 500/340 <<< deleted 17665 IRA 500/340 <<< deleted 1200-1215 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1400-1430 6170 DUS 100/180 11770 UDO 500/300 13605 UDO 500/300 15515 WOF 250/082 15705 IRA 500/340 17680 MOR 250/067 1430-1530 11770 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 17680 MOR 250/067 1830-1900 7270 UDO 500/308 9505 UDO 500/304 11865 IRA 500/340 PERSIAN VOA 0300-0430 15705 IRA 500/334 1130-1230 15415 KAV 250/051 17560 KAV 250/095 17730 IRA 500/334 1230-1300 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1430-1530 13650 LAM 100/104 15290 MOR 250/067 17855 MOR 250/067 PERSIAN RL 0000-0100 6170 KAV 250/100 9750 IRA 500/334 0430-0500 15705 IRA 500/334 17855 IRA 500/332 1900-2000 6150 DUS 100/264 7175 BIB 100/085 11835 KAV 250/095 TAJIK RL 0100-0200 4760 DUS 100/045 6050 LAM 100/075 7275 KAV 250/096 0330-0400 6050 LAM 100/075 7275 LAM 100/075 9585 UDO 500/311 1400-1500 12010 IRA 500/340 15405 MOR 250/067 17660 BIB 100/085 1630-1700 4760 DUS 100/045 9695 UDO 500/321 11705 LAM 100/075 TURKMEN RL 1400-1500 9805 BIB 100/085 12030 BIB 100/085 15185 KAV 250/085 1630-1700 11770 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 URDU VOA 0100-0130 6030 KAV 250/105 <<< ex 6170 7175 KAV 250/105 <<< ex 9750 9705 UDO 500/300 1700-1800 11975 UDO 500/300 <<< extended ex 1700-1730 13680 IRA 500/356 <<< extended ex 1700-1730 15130 UDO 500/308 <<< extended ex 1700-1730 UZBEK RL 0500-0600 11750 KAV 250/050 11905 LAM 100/075 17870 IRA 500/340 1300-1400 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1600-1700 6180 JUL 100/108 12020 BIB 100/085 17805 IRA 500/334 UZBEK VOA 1230-1300 13650 IRA 500/334 15270 UDO 500/316 <<< additional freq 15325 UDO 500/316 17555 IRA 500/348 BIB=Biblis, Germany DUS=Dushanbe, Tajikistan JUL=Juelich, Germany IRA=Iranawila, Sri Lanka KAV=Kavala, Greece LAM=Lampertheim, Germany MOR=Morocco PHT=Philippines UDO=Udorn Thani, Thailand WOF=Wooferton, UK 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 3 via DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. Special New Years program Dec. 31 2137 tune in until 2157 UT on 5025 kHz. Happy New Year program in mostly English with greetings to/from listeners and a couple interviews (Wade Smith, VE9WGS, Immigrant Road, New Brunswick, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. 3060.00, YVNP Radio San Felipe (2 x 1530 harmonic) 1020 Dec 30, Venezuelan national anthem, followed by another anthem then canned sign-on announcement. Fair to good signal (Mark Mohrmann, Coventry VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZAMBIA. Lately I am hearing an African station on 6265 in our local nights. Zambia is listed there. Some days it was noted continuously, may be due to New Year / elections there. Please check it up. On New Years day it was continuous. I remember hearing it at 0100, 0200 etc. on that day but on the following days it was not noticed at that time. I am getting it at our local night say 1800 etc. The new style of DXLD is easier to read than before. With New Year wishes, Sincerely, Jose Jacob, India, Jan 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WORLD RADIO TV HANDBOOK 2002 I read the African home services info recently in a local book shop, and was disappointed that there's still lots of outdated information. All the best for 2002, (Thorsten Hallmann, Münster, Coldland, Jan 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non] DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). A new comprehensive country-by-country guide to domestic and external shortwave broadcasts from sub-Saharan Africa, including opposition broadcasts to the African continent, has been added to the British DX Club web site. The guide, compiled by BDXC editor Tony Rogers and fully updated for the winter schedule period, is available in by- country and by-frequency versions. It can be found on the Articles index page of the web site. A number of other pages have also recently been updated including our Guide to DX Programmes, DX Diary and Links pages. They can be found at the usual BDXC-UK web address: http://www.bdxc.org.uk/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ANALYSIS: WORLD MEDIA PREVIEW OF 2002 Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit dated 3 January 2002 More funding for international broadcasters The 11 September attacks and subsequent Afghan conflict have forced the media to reinvest in international coverage and news services after years of underfunding, particularly in the US. Broadcasting to the Islamic world will be a major priority. The US government will launch a service provisionally named the Middle East Radio Network, a new international broadcasting service aimed at the Muslim world. A 24-hour, 7-day a week, Arabic-language satellite TV channel has also been mooted. The radio, TV and Internet service will disseminate news and information in 26 languages, reach 40 countries, and target young Muslims hostile towards the US. Plans are moving ahead for the Voice of America (VOA) to further expand its services to the Muslim world. VOA is installing a new MW transmitter on Cyprus for its Arabic broadcasts, and additional transmitters elsewhere are being planned. A "Radio Free Afghanistan" has recently been approved by Congress. The US media initiative will compete with Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based satellite TV channel which scooped the world on the Afghan conflict. However, Al-Jazeera will soon offer English-language options on its services, and new channels, as well as continuing to expand in the Asian market. In December 2001, ministers of culture of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) approved plans for the launching of an Islamic satellite TV channel to be based in Qatar. The project has been under consideration for several years. French broadcasters TV5 and RFI will start Arabic news broadcasts on TV5-Orient in early 2002 in order to promote a French perspective on current affairs. TV5 Chief Executive Serge Adda told AFP news agency the TV news programme will send "an important signal to this part of the world: we mustn't just have the one point of view of CNN or Al- Jazeera". Although its broadcasting was cut by a third in 1993, the Voice of Russia is confident of its future. This year, VOR is planning vernacular-language broadcasts to Central Asia and the Transcaucasus. The Voice of Nigeria (VON) plans to start a daily 18-hour service in English, along with a separate 18-hour service in five foreign languages, including German for the first time. VON also plans to set up bureaux in other African countries, London and the US. An Internet service and streaming in RealAudio is expected this year. The station will soon install three new digital studios. However, external radio budgets in some countries have been cut. According to German newspaper Die Welt, Deutsche Welle (DW) will face a further decline in government subsidies. DW's budget has steadily shrunk over the years. It is expected to receive DM540m for 2003. Despite the shortfall, DW is channelling its funds into a second overseas TV channel. DW together with German broadcasters ARD and ZDF will launch a new German-language programme via satellite for the US pay-TV market from March 2002. Elsewhere in Europe, Radio Norway International closed on 31 December; its transmitters now relay only NRK domestic programming. Radio Austria International will no longer be financed by the government and its budget for foreign-language broadcasts will be halved. The United Nations is also expanding its radio services. Radio for Peace International (RFPI) in Costa Rica is planning new SW transmitters. The UN is to set up six peacekeeping shortwave and FM radio stations in DR Congo. The most important will be at Goma on the border with Rwanda, near where Radio Mille Collines, the former Rwandan hate radio, once called for genocide. Shortwave/mediumwave HCJB World Radio-Australia, a missionary broadcast organization, has been granted one of the country's first two private international broadcasting licences. HCJB will install a 100-kW SW transmitter in Australia which will be capable of reaching India, China and Australasia. After years of requests from Pacific island communities, the New Zealand government has come forward with the funds for a Pacific radio network, which is expected to begin broadcasting in the second half of this year. ABC Australia's new international TV service, ABC Asia Pacific, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, opened at the start of the new year. Programme hours will expand in May. Chinese shortwave broadcasting continues to expand with many new high-power transmitters being brought into service. In Africa, the Voice of Nigeria announced plans for two more SW transmitters to be set up by the end of 2001. Central African Republic and DR Congo have announced plans to reactivate SW broadcasting. Portuguese public broadcaster Radiodifusao Portuguesa (RDP) is installing new SW transmitters, including one capable of digital AM broadcasting. In Oman, new shortwave and mediumwave transmitters are being installed for the BBC World Service. Healthy sales of shortwave radios are reported in North America following the events of 11 September. Mediumwave broadcasting in France, used recently only for a decreasing number of public radio services, is set to open further to private stations following the approval of Paris-based Ciel AM in 2000. A new mediumwave station planned in Brittany, France, may be launched this year. After broadcasting in analogue mediumwave, the new station would switch to digital mediumwave, using Digital Radio Mondiale technology, in near-FM quality. Plans for a new Dutch-based longwave radio station aimed at the UK appear to have collapsed following the expiry of its licence. However, authorities on the Isle of Man are reported to have given the go-ahead to Isle of Man International Broadcasting for construction of a new offshore-based longwave station which will broadcast to the UK on 279 kHz. FM broadcasting FM radio could receive a major boost in India if a broadcasting task force's recommendations are approved. A working group report on Information and Broadcasting has called for an expansion of FM broadcasting to 60 per cent of the population as part of the Tenth Plan (2002-2007). The working group report said there is no need to expand shortwave services, except for digital shortwave broadcasting on an experimental basis. The report cautiously maintains that existing mediumwave services in the analogue mode should continue at least during the Tenth Plan period because of strategic considerations. Latvian Radio is dropping mediumwave transmitters and expanding FM services this year. FM radio broadcasting will expand in Mozambique. The Nigerian government is to spend 7.8 giganaira on 32 new FM radio stations. Digital TV The Netherlands and Portugal are among European countries planning to launch digital terrestrial services in 2002. Further afield, Brazil is expected to decide in the first half of the year on whether to choose the US or Japanese digital TV standard, with the latter reportedly being the favoured option. At the start of the new year, the Ovum research consultancy predicted that the total number of digital TV connections worldwide would grow from less than 65 million in 1 January 2001 to more than 350 million by January 2006. The vast majority of connections will be in developed countries such as the US, Japan, Australia and Western Europe, although the developing world will catch up to some extent, Ovum forecasts. As for interactive TV, although the US market has so far remained largely apathetic, there is greater optimism across the Atlantic. Europeans have had some level of interactivity on their televisions for years, and analysts say that in 2002 interactive TV will gain critical mass in Europe, particularly in Britain. Digital/Internet radio China Radio International (CRI) is planning a further revamp of its online radio services, which have suffered from limited bandwidth and funding. The upgraded web site is expected to carry live broadcasts in all of CRI's 43 languages via a digital network in three years. The former BBC director of radio, Matthew Bannister, warned against industry hype over DAB digital radio broadcasting. "Privately, the BBC and commercial radio are wringing their hands about the failure of digital to take off, but neither can afford to admit in public that a technology on which they have staked their futures may never become a consumer reality," he wrote in UK newspaper The Times in September 2001. "The biggest stumbling block for digital radio is the listeners themselves. You see, we listeners really believe that radio is free - not just free to listen to, but free to receive," Bannister added. Regular test transmissions of Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) are now taking place on mediumwave and shortwave, although receivers are not yet available. Media freedom On the eve of a summit of South Asian leaders in Nepal on 4 January, journalists from the area called on the heads of state to guarantee reporters the right to move freely around the region, without being hindered by visa or other administrative problems. As tension grew between New Delhi and Islamabad, Indian journalists complained of being denied visas for Pakistan, and Islamabad ordered cable TV operators to stop relaying Indian satellite channels. China tightened controls over publishing by announcing new rules which go into effect on 1 February. The rules ban the publication of material deemed harmful to social stability. They also set out guidelines for importing publications including books, magazines and CDs. Press freedom continues to be under threat in Zimbabwe. The ruling ZANU-PF party is pushing for a 24-hour news radio station, a TV station, eight provincial newspapers and a news agency under a new government media house called New ZIANA. The government has already passed legislation banning independent radio stations, even though it has pledged to free the airwaves after presidential elections in March. Media events, conferences 2002 \ \ NAB 2002 - Las Vegas, 6-11 April - US National Association of Broadcasters \ Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) conference - 30 April-3 May, Manchester - CBA \ Challenges for International Broadcasting: A Response to Terror - Montreal, 12-15 May - Radio Canada International \ Broadcast Asia 2002 - 18-21 June - Singapore \ NAB Radio Show and Exposition - 11-14 September, Seattle \ International Broadcasting Conference (IBC) - 13-17 September, Amsterdam \ NAB European Radio Conference - 20-22 October, Prague Source: BBC Monitoring research 3 Jan 02 (via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-002, January 2, 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. For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see} http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2001 contents archive see http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxldmid1.html Check the WOR websites: http://www.worldofradio.com/ http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ [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 #1112 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1112.html FIRST AIRINGS, on WBCQ 7415: UT Thu 0030 and 0600 FIRST AIRING ON WWCR: Thu 2130 on 15685 MONITORING CALENDAR is now available: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html NETS TO YOU, JANUARY EDITION: http://www.worldofradio.com/nets2you.html UN?SOLICITED TESTIMONIALS Wow! The new colors and contrast make the Digest much easier to read. Thanks! (Ron Hunsicker ) Glenn, As always thanks for your compilation of DXing information. I have a large stockpile of RIBOLD and DXLD files I use as reference material when listening to the HF bands. I have found I have become dependent on those ASCII text files so I thought I should write you about the latest DXLD. I like the idea of an HTML version of DXLD. Because of the simplicity of searching and combining that a simple ASCII .txt file allows, I store the text without the hidden HTML tags using the "Save As .txt" conversion facility of my Netscape browser. This works very well and I use it with the WWDXC web site all the time. There is one practice in DXLD that I am glad you have adopted and if not done exactly as you have would make DXLD much less useful. All your hypertext links to other sites are links with the complete URL spelled out, e.g. you use the URL of http://www.worldofradio.com instead of the string World of Radio to link to the WoR web page. This makes the converted .txt file have the URL instead of striping the link away with the HTML tags. Please preserve this practice going forward. Thanks and Have a Happy New Year, (Pete Costello) Hi Glenn, Just got to see you new site results. It looks good, real good BUT now one will have to use extra ink to print out your pages, that is color ink! For me at least, I will now only print out selected items of the DXLD for upcoming local SCADS meetings. B&W ink is rather cheap but color is not. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2002 MILLENNIA! (Stewart H. MacKenzie, WDX6AA) I wasn`t anticipating such a problem. Surely you can instruct your printer to go B&W even if the page has a color background? Also, you should be able to save it as a text file so it looks just like it used to, then print from that (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN. Mr. Bent Noerby Bonde, Director of Baltic Media Centre (BMC), Svaneke, Bornholm, established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark, was interviewed Dec 20 in Radio Denmark, P1, about their large media project in order to establish an independent public service radio broadcaster in Afghanistan. At the end of November BMC was on a fact-finding mission to Pakistan in order to establish the immediate needs and possibilities for forming an Afghan radio. BMC's chief consultant Waseem Mahmood and head of training Charles Fletcher will be going to Islamabad in Pakistan on 2 January 2002 and afterwards continue to Kabul in Afghanistan. The immediate aim of the travel is to establish an agreement with Radio Kabul and a number of local journalists on creating a public service programme which editorially will be independent from the many contesting parties in Afghanistan. The aim of the radio itself is to contribute to a democratic, peaceful and stable development of the country. The radio programme will initially broadcast practical information on different subjects such as the development in the country, the political negotiations, how to obtain humanitarian aid, the refugee situation and not the least help pave the way for creating a dialogue with the people of Afghanistan. The objective of the project is further to train local journalists in how to produce balanced and professional radio which in a longer perspective will enable them to become important participants in a democratic and pluralistic media landscape. The project is done for the European Commission which has donated 234,759 Euros. After the first three months the intention with the project also is to seek to establish a cooperation between Afghan radios from different parts of the country, which also means different ethnic and political radios. These radios will then in turn form the core for the creation of a national public service radio broadcaster. Hence the project in its second phase - and in cooperation with the media, media NGOs and politicians - will become an important factor for the democratic and political development of Afghanistan. The Director stated that this radio station will be independent of the VOA, BBC and other stations which broadcast towards Afghanistan today. Based on its extensive experience from media projects in south-east Europe, e.g. in Serbia after the fall of Mr. Miloshevich, the Baltic States and Asia, focusing on democracy and stability development, BMC approached EU's Rapid Reaction Mechanism for support for this project, which is expected to have a vast influence upon the future development of the society of Afghanistan. More details on http://www.bmc.dk/ (via Anker Peterson, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non]. Media roundup Wednesday 2 January 2002 Official guidelines issued for media in north | Text of report by Afghan Balkh radio on 1 January A meeting of the commission for coordinating publishing and broadcasting affairs was held at the department for information and culture of [northern] Balkh Province yesterday. The meeting discussed the plans of the commission for coordinating publishing and broadcasting affairs and made the following decisions in order to improve work: 1. In connection with the great political and military changes in the country after 23 years of war, the establishment of an interim government under the agreement between the sides involved in the Bonn meeting and the declaration of a single policy by the head of the interim government, esteemed Hamed Karzai, the country's all mass media - radio, television, newspapers and magazines - should propagate and interpret this policy in their publishing and broadcasting activities and make the necessary efforts to strengthen the interim government, avoiding the past mistakes in explaining its political, economic, cultural and social goals. 2. The press and broadcast media are the mouthpiece of the government, representatives of the national sovereignty and conveyors of the people's aspirations, which include ensuring security in towns and districts and the creation of an atmosphere of peace, and they should make the necessary efforts in this regard. 3. The mass media should avoid reporting pointless news about the routine work of various offices and institutions which carry no message to people. Reports about official appointments should be limited to the level of heads of various official departments and to the level of brigade-generals in the military sphere, provided there is permission from the higher authorities. 4. Only news received by 1500 [local time] daily and which is suitable for publication in accordance with the regulations may be reported. News received after 1500 should be left until the next day, because the accumulation of too much news creates a lot of difficulties in terms of lay-out, translation and prioritization of reports, which leads to uncertainty, a lack of control and reduces attention. 5. The press and broadcast sources should pay special attention to such important issues as legality, strengthening of national unity, ensuring peace and stability, prevention of war and use of weapons and warlordism. The media should reflect the policy of the interim government. 6. As part of national cultural measures, knowledgeable people, artists and experts should be involved in order to improve the content of the publications and broadcast programmes, especially their education and entertainment sections, following the existing legal and other regulations. 7. The commission for coordinating publishing and broadcasting affairs is to supervise the fulfillment of these decisions on the basis of weekly assessments. Source: Balkh radio, Mazar-e Sharif, in Dari 0230 gmt 1 Jan 02 Al-Jazeera TV correspondents in Afghanistan discuss their war experiences Al-Jazeera TV, the independent satellite TV channel financed by the Qatari government, on 31 December broadcast another live panel discussion as part of its series "The First War of the Century", presented by Muhammad Kurayshan. The presenter began by announcing that that day's episode would be a "private family" episode hosting three of Al-Jazeera Television's former correspondents in Afghanistan. They were: Taysir Alluni, former director of the Al-Jazeera Television office in Kabul; Yusuf al-Shuli, former correspondent in Kandahar; and Amjad Abd-al-Hadi, former correspondent in the Tora Bora area. The topic of discussion was the different aspects of television coverage of the war in Afghanistan. The presenter asked the guests about their recollection of coverage of the war and the difficulties they encountered. He also asked them how they entered Afghanistan and how the Afghan people treated them as Arabs after the fall of the Taleban. The programme included clips of film footage of the events they covered in addition to telephone conversations with the current Al-Jazeera Television correspondents in Afghanistan - Abd al-Haq Saddah in Kandahar, Muhammad Safi and Mayya Baydun in Kabul - who talked about their own experiences. On the subject of the way the Afghans treated them and other Arabs after the fall of the Taleban, the guests said they faced numerous difficulties since the Afghans were fired up against Arabs. They also say they faced many difficulties in travelling around Afghanistan and had to hire armed guards to protect themselves. Alluni said that the killing of Afghan leader Ahmad Shah Mas'ud turned the Afghans against Arab correspondents; however, the Al-Jazeera correspondents managed to establish good connections and relations at the official and popular level. The presenter said that Abd-al-Hadi's experience was different from that of his two colleagues because he stayed in one place, the Tora Bora region. Asked to describe his experience there, Abd-al-Hadi said that being in Jalalabad after the fall of the Taleban was a terrifying experience. He said he travelled 80 km every day on a difficult mountainous road from Jalalabad to Tora Bora and during the final days they had to stay in the area. Abd-al-Hadi said they had to hire tents and camp there, and that it was a desolate area unfit for living. Turning to Abd-al-Hadi, the presenter said his situation was different from that of his two other colleagues because he was isolated and had difficulty in interviewing the fighters. The presenter added that Abd- al-Hadi had to invent ways of communicating with them, some of which were unique. The programme showed a film clip of Abd-al-Hadi reporting from the Tora Bora area on his contacts with besieged Al-Qa'idah elements by using handheld wireless sets. Abd-al-Hadi commented on this, saying there was no means of communications with the other side. He said he used to hear Arabic words on the wireless sets that Afghan fighters from Jalalabad were using and after a great deal of hesitation, he borrowed these sets to contact the Al-Qa'idah elements. A number of viewers phoned in or sent faxes or messages via the Internet. Ahmad al-Sa'dun telephoned from the United States and asked whether there is any credibility in the videotape of Usamah Bin-Ladin that the US administration recently released and he asked about Bin- Ladin's left arm in his last tape. Alluni said: "As far as I am concerned, I do not personally see any reason for the tape that the US Administration has not to be credible. However, the question that has often been asked is what the US Administration's aim is in showing this tape since it has held the trial, indicted and carried out the sentence. In fact, I did not find any reason for showing this tape other than that the US Administration showed it for domestic consumption to portray Usamah Bin-Ladin as someone who kills people in cold blood." Alluni also said he was more interested in what Bin-Ladin said in his tape and did not really pay much attention to his left arm. A viewer sent a message via the Internet asking whether US casualties were filmed but the film clips were not shown owing to pressure. Al- Shuli said: "Actually we saw traces of blood at the site where the two US aircraft crashed in the Kandahar area. The traces of blood did not show on the camera, however, because we went there 12 hours after the incident and the climatic conditions did not leave traces as they really are on the ground. We questioned those who were present at the scene, and they said there were dead among the Americans. We asked where are the bodies? They said that there were no bodies." A viewer sent a message via the Internet asking whether the Tora Bora battle was actually over. Abd-al-Hadi said: "I believe the battle is over and there are not even pockets of Al-Qa'idah fighters. They were all either killed or captured, but none of them surrendered and some of them might have managed to escape to other areas. The answer to the question about American casualties is connected to some extent to this question. The Americans fought this war with aerial bombing and their forces did not land until they were certain that the Al-Qa'idah organization or the Arab Afghans in the White Mountain [Tora Bora] were finished. The US ground forces were seen on land on the day the Al-Qa'idah organization was finished. They were not at all engaged in any confrontation." He added: "The arrival of the US commandos to search the caves in the White Mountain was I believe the final sign of the end of the battle in Tora Bora." A viewer asked whether the Afghans will not one day regret the departure of the Taleban and another asked whether the Taleban deserved what they have suffered. Alluni said he personally predicted that "the Afghans will deeply regret the departure of the Taleban." He says the Taleban adopted a stance and remained committed to it. They alienated themselves from the rest of the world and paid the price. In response to the question about whether the Taleban deserved what they got, Alluni said he did not look at the situation like that. In response to a question about whether the correspondents felt fear or regret about being in Afghanistan during the war, Alluni said that he felt fear and apprehension before the start of the war, but began to adapt after the war started. Al-Shuli and Abd-al-Hadi said that the fear was there, but there was no feeling of regret. In response to a question by a caller on whether the Taleban will return, Alluni said: "I personally believe that the situation in Afghanistan is still open to all possibilities and the Taleban Movement might or might not return." The presenter asked Al-Shuli how he felt as he followed ongoing developments in Afghanistan from a distance. Al-Shuli said: "I cannot say that that the war in Afghanistan is over. The Taleban might be taking a breather for a while." He added: "The Taleban did not seek power. Power was presented to them. I believe the Taleban movement did not have a political programme before it came to power." Al-Shuli also said that most of the Taleban leaders were relatively young, under the age of 40, and with little or no political experience. They might be preparing for a comeback. The presenter said that some had expected more steadfastness in Tora Bora because it is an impregnable area, but the situation suddenly changed. He asked Abd-al-Hadi about the course of future battles and whether there would be military and political surprises in Afghanistan. Abd-al-Hadi said: "As regards Tora Bora, there was no fighting in the true sense of the word. The Al-Qa'idah organization did not remain steadfast in Tora Bora in the true sense of the word due solely to the fact that Al-Qa'idah made a clear decision not to fight the Afghans. They said that they remained steadfast and would fight if the Americans or US commandos came to the area. US commandos did not come to Tora Bora, however, and the battle was between them and the Afghans. They had made a clear decision not fight the Afghans." Abd-al-Hadi also said: "This is a US war and not an internal Afghan civil war. The declared objective of the Americans in this is Bin- Ladin and the Al-Qa'idah leadership and they have not achieved this objective, regardless of whether or not we disagree on the reasons. This means the war will continue at least until this objective is achieved." He also said that there are, of course, other objectives and the Americans need this war to continue. Source: Al-Jazeera TV, Doha, in Arabic 1805 gmt 31 Dec 01 Balkh TV's test broadcasts continue On 1 January 2002 Balkh TV head Mr Osmani told BBC Monitoring that the station was still carrying out short test broadcasts for 10-15 minutes or half an hour at a time, during which music and cartoons are shown. The TV hoped to go on the air from 1130-1330 gmt on Friday 4 January, he said. Mr Osmani added that power cuts remained a big problem for Balkh TV and the people of Mazar-e Sharif. On 30 December, Balkh radio had announced that it planned to broadcast test programmes on 31 December and 1 January, from 1600-1800 (local time, 1130-1330 gmt). "Our esteemed compatriots can install their aerials and contact us on telephone numbers 2092 and 3276 to notify us of the quality of the audio and picture," the announcement added. [end of item] Japanese emperor, empress write poems on Afghanistan | Excerpt from report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 1 January: The Imperial Household Agency on Tuesday [1 January] released eight poems written in the traditional Japanese "waka" form by Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in 2001. Five were written by the emperor and three by the empress. Each composed one on Afghanistan, bombed by the United States and its allies during their antiterrorism campaign in response to the 11 September terrorist attack on the US The imperial couple made an official visit to Afghanistan in 1971 when they were crown prince and crown princess... The agency traditionally releases poetry by the imperial couple on New Year's Day. Waka was developed by court aristocracy in the 6th century and typically consist of 31 syllables in a five-line pattern of 5-7-5-7-7. Afghanistan becomes a War Theatre (The emperor) In Kabul City With the war over at last, From the people seen walking up and down the streets A great joy is welling up. (The empress) All unconsciously Have I too not fired a shot? With Spring well along On the plains of Bamian The stone Buddhas are no more. The agency said the empress, who visited Bamian during the 1971 official trip to Afghanistan, composed the poem in March comparing the destruction of the Buddha statutes to a manifestation of the hatred and intolerance lurking in the human heart and questioned whether she, too, was inadvertently responsible. Afghanistan's Islamic fundamentalist Taleban militia destroyed the two giant Buddha images in Bamian Province in March on the grounds they were offensive to Islam, despite international criticism. The two 5th-century Buddhas were carved into a cliff about 100 km northwest of Kabul... Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 2344 gmt 31 Dec 01 Compiled by Foreign Media Unit, BBC Monitoring Telephone +44 118 948 6261 e-mail: media@mon.bbc.co.uk Source: BBC Monitoring research 2 Jan 02 (via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 15345, RAE, Buenos Aires did replace all its external programmes on Jan 01 with relays of LRA1 Home Service due to the current political turmoils in Buenos Aires (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) Just for holiday, or ongoing? (gh, DXLD) * ARGENTINA. 15820.0 LSB, AYP75, Cadena Tres, Buenos Aires; since Dec 23, 0750-1100. The midnight and early morning show entitled "Noche y Dia" was heard until 0759, with a variety of Latin American popular music and talk back. The full canned identification was given at 0700 as "Transmite AYP75 Cadena Tres, Buenos Aires, 99.1 FM integrante de la Cadena Tres Argentina.", then into a news flash "servicio de noticias". At 0702 "Recorriendo el Pais", an Argentine folklore program conducted by Susana Buontempo. Fairly good (Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Japan, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) Note AY-series callsign used on FM, which is allocated to Argentina (gh) ** BELARUS`. State radio plans changes to programming | Excerpt from report by Belarusian news agency Belapan Minsk, 1 January: Belarusian radio's first and second channels plan to completely overhaul their programme schedules. The new general director of Belarusian radio, Uladzimir Martynaw, said that "outdated radio will be updated into modern popular channels". Programme style will meet the latest criteria, Martynaw said. He added that the new Belarusian radio will follow the example of foreign state-run radio channels like the BBC and Radio Russia. The proponents of the new programme policy hope not just to retain listeners, who are mostly people over 35, but also to win over a younger audience. Martynaw said that Belarusian radio would increase the number of news bulletins. These will be broadcast live on the hour. The share of political programmes will increase by 200 per cent. Morning and evening analytical programmes will have political slots, and two new programmes, Political Club and Belarus`-Russia: Stages of Integration, will focus on the strengthening of the Belarusian-Russian union state... Source: Belapan news agency, Minsk, in Belarusian 1445 gmt 1 Jan 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. Radio Vlaanderen International had announced that the new set of QSL cards for 2001 would feature trams, but this has been opposed by the board of management for "administrative reasons." (Brussels 1043 18th of November) No course of action was given following this setback (Jonathan Murphy, Jan World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4716.8, Radio Yura, Yura. 0036+ January 1. Commentary about sports. Ann.: "seguimos con la música, ahora, a esta hora de la noche....."; other ann.: "esta noche habrá gran fiesta bailable, por cortesía de la intendencia local. Todos quedan cordialmente invitados...". 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4796.5, Radio Mallku, Uyuni. 0007-0011 January 1. Commentary about politics in spanish by male. Heard at 0315 too, with local songs (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4876.8, Radio La Cruz del Sur, La Paz. 0001-0006 January 1. Program in aymara. Music. ID by male at 0003: "Radio la Cruz del Sur... (afterwards, in aymara)". 33232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5952.5, Radio Pio XII, Siglo XX. 2352-0000 December 31. Andean music. Ann. Consejo Municipal de participación popular. Message: "...es un mensaje de la Prefectura de Oruro". Ads: "...ingresa a la Universidad Autónoma Tomás Frías de Unquillo...". 33433 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6025, Radio Illimani, La Paz. 0050-0100 January 1. Andean music. ID by male: "Radio Illimani, La Voz de Bolivia". Then, another ID by female as: "Illimani...Illimani..". More Andean songs. 34333 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6155, Radio Fides, La Paz. 2345-2351 December 31. Commentary about the situation in Bolivia. Ads: "Banco Mercantil...". Ann: "..atención a los beneficiarios del Boli-vida.....es un comunicado de la Corte Nacional Electoral.."- 34333 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. HOT SHEET FOR WEDNESDAY JANUARY 2, 2002 -- RADIO ONE THIS MORNING: Guest host Ralph Benmergui talks with Sybil Rampen, whose first novel, "The Grannies," follows eight older women who learn to ride motorbikes. Also, a visit to an on-line radio station based in Toronto that plays Afghan music. Meet the pop culture of a nation in flux. 9:06 to noon, (9:36 to 12:30 NT) on CBC Radio One. [That`s http://www.radioafghanistan.com/ in the first half hour, maybe available on demand ---gh] DISPATCHES: The lighter side of life on the road for news correspondents. Stories that don't make it to the newscasts...of meetings with local wildlife, animal and human. With host Rick MacInnes-Rae, tonight at 7:30 (8:00 NT). (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CHILE. 6010, Radio Parinacota, Putre, 0816-0835 December 28. Andean music. Time check: "cinco de la mañana con 23 minutos". At 0833 ID: "....Radio Parinacota....Chile". 24342 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA [non]. See LUXEMBOURG! ** C I S. CLANDESTINE STATIONS VIA CIS TRANSMITTERS B-01 / LAST UPDATED & REVISED: DEC 31: 5905 Democratic Voice of Burma via Almaaty, Kazakstan. Daily in Burmese 1430-1530. 5925 World Falun Dafa R via Irkutsk, Russia. Daily in Mandarin Chinese 2100-2200 // 9945, but 1 minute later. Jammed by weaker broadcasts from Beijing in Chinese from 2104. 7460 IBC Tamil Scervice via Novosibirsk, Russia. Daily in Tamil 0000- 0100. 7480.0 R Sedoye Payem e Doost via Grigoriopol, Moldova. Wed, Fri to Mon in Farsi 1800-1830. 7520 R International via Grigoriopol, Moldova. Daily in Farsi 1730- 1815. 9910 Voice of Tibet via Dushanbé, Tajikistan. Daily in Tibetan/Chinese 0100-0145. 9945 World Falun Dafa R via Dushanbé, Tajikistan. Daily in Mandarin Chinese 2100-2200 // 5925. Jammed by weaker broadcasts from Beijing in Chinese from 2104. 9950 R Voice of Afghanistan via Samara, Russia. Daily in Pashto 1330- 1400 & Dari 1400-1430. 11530 Denge Mezopotamya via Yerevan, Armenia. Daily in Kurdish/Arabic 1500-1700. Arabic not heard. 12120 Broadcasts via Samara, Russia moved from 12110 to avoid ERA INTERPROGRAMM: Wed, Sun: Netsanet Le Ethiopia in Amharic 1700-1800. Mon, Thu, Fri: Radio Sagalee Oromia in Oromo 1730-1800. Sat: Dejen Radio in Tigrina 1700-1800. 12125 Voice of Biafra International via Samara, Russia. Sat in Igbo/English 1900-2000. 15655 Voice of Tibet via Dushanbé, Tajikistan. Daily in Tibetan/Chinese 1215-1300. Alt. frequency 15645. 15680 Voice of Tibet via Almaaty, Kazakstan. Daily in Tibetan/Chinese 1215-1300. Very distorted signal on Dec 29. Alt. frequency 15670. 15690 Voice of Iran via Grigoriopol, Moldova. Daily in Farsi 1630- 1830. Weak jammer (Ivanov & Datzinov via Büschel and checked by Petersen, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI`s 7445 USB has been very successful for Europe and New Zealand, as well as the US, with SINPO reports up to 55555, which we have not had before. This is because of a bi-direxional antenna, tho with less gain, along with considerable power. The goal is to change it to AM, but will stay on SSB for a while. Will be experimenting with near-maximum power, rather than the usual half power, UT Dec 30 and 31 0100-1200 (starting an hour earlier than usual) and reports are wanted to evaluate whether the extra kWH would be worth the cost. Especially on the crowded 7 MHz band, SSB is helpful in eliminating selective fading and distortion, and adjacent- channel interference; meanwhile, 15040 AM is good in the SE and SW USA, for higher-fidelity. It may be time again to re-evaluate whether continuing to operate on 21815-USB is worth it. We have also had requests for am mp3 feed, facilitating relay by other sites and by micropower broadcasters (James Latham and Joe Bernard, RFPI Mailbag Dec 29, but first heard here Jan 2 at 1930, notes by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) I was listening to this on 21815-USB, as 15040 did not seem to be on the air when I tuned in; it was audible, but inferior, at the conclusion. By all means, please keep 21815-USB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Friends, We are pleased to announce the availability of the following programs in "on-demand" RealAudio at the RFPI website together with their links. To open the file, paste the URL directly into your favorite web browser. Enjoy! Joe Bernard =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- A Woman's Voice with Susan Michael Guest: Susan Michael, creator and producer of "A Woman's Voice" What motivated Susan Michael to launch a radio program focusing on women's issues? What were some of the issues covered in 2001 and what is planned for the program in 2002? These questions and more in this special edition of "A Woman's Voice." Guest Host: Eva Ulmer (49 minutes) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/awv_011227.rm Guest: Patricia Mische, co-founder & President Emerita of Global Education Associates and author & co-editor of "Toward A Global Civilization? the Contribution of Religions." In this interview, with guest host Eva Ulmer, we discuss how thinkers from diverse cultures, beliefs and disciplines come together to explore the role of religions in creating a more humane world order in the 21st century. (54 minutes) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/awv_011210.rm =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Climate Watch: Earth's Atmosphere, Climate Change and Global Warming (Special Series) Documentary 1: "Origins" The origins and determinants of Earth's Climate (45:35) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/cw1.rm Documentary 2: "Change" Climate Change past and present (55:50) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/cw2.rm Documentary 3: "Impacts" The impacts of contemporary climate change on ecosystems and human society (57:41) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/cw3.rm Documentary 4: "Action" Government, corporate and community-based action aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions (57:42) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/cw4.rm =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The University of the Air: The Story of Buddhism in the 21st Century with James Morriss, Ph.D. and Joan Boyle, Ph.D. Dowling College, Oakdale, NY 11769 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Class 1: An Introduction to The Story of Buddhism - Dr. Joan Boyle http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/ua1.rm Class 2: The History of Buddhism: Is Buddhism A Philosophy? - Dr. Joan Boyle http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/ua2.rm Class 3: Ch'an Mediation, Part I - Guo Yuan and David Berman http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/ua3.rm Class 4: Ch'an Mediation, Part II - Guo Yuan and David Berman http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/ua4.rm Class 5: Zen Spirit, Part I - Robert Kennedy http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/ua5.rm Class 6: Zen Spirit, Part II - Robert Kennedy http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/ua6.rm =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The Far Right Radio Review: Far Right Radio Review, December 15, 2001 Floyd Cochran, former Aryan Nation (see below) joins James Latham as a special guest co-host for a look at hate group activities in Pennsylvania, USA. (40 minutes) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/frrr_011215.rm Far Right Radio Review, November 24, 2001 This week on the Far Right Radio Review, hosts James Latham and Carlie Rose highlight James Wickstrom, a founding father of the Far Right in America. Pastor James P. Wickstrom`s program ``End Day Prophesy Hour`` and ``Yahweh`s Truth`` have been heard on shortwave radio for a number of years on stations such as WGTG, WRMI, and most recently United Patriot Radio, owned by militia member, Steve Anderson (which has recently gone off the air). The FRRR team explores the long history of Wickstrom`s involvement in the Posse Comitatus, his $100,000 counterfeit scam that landed him in jail. In addition to his heavy involvement in the Posse Comitatus, Pastor Wickstrom is also a minister who preaches the 2-Seedline Christian Identity beliefs, and is an avid anti-Semite. Be prepared to hear some of the most shocking audio clips from Wickstrom`s special on ``Jewish Murder Rituals`` – warning! These audio clips contents are extreme in nature! So prepare yourself for another exciting edition of the Far Right Radio Review. James Latham and Carlie Rose host. (50 minutes) http://premiumftp.freespeech.org:554/ramgen/radiopeace/frrr_011124.rm (Rfpi-announce mailing list Jan 2 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. ``TIDGS`` was off-frequency 13750 when checked at 2300 UT Jan 1, about 13746, and QRMing VOA Vietnamese via Tinian on 13745; at 0030 it was back on 13750, and unheard at 0254 recheck (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. Radio Prague has a new series of QSLs for next year, this year it was historic radio equipment. The 2002 series will feature historic towns and UNESCO sites (Jonathan Murphy, Jan World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) One can get a sneak peak at http://www.Radio.cz --- The series is of 8 cards and is a really neat addition (Gordy, GRDXC via DXLD) Glenn, Hoping you have a Happy and Healthy 2002. Rob Cameron of Radio Prague. Is this the same Rob Cameron that was on Radio Berlin International years ago? (-.. . Kraig Krist, VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ESTONIA. The Laitse transmitting station, housing the transmitters formerly used on 5925 kHz SW, and 612 & 1035 kHz MW, was officially closed down on July 01, 1998. Reports that these transmitters are used again by commercial stations (or might be in the future) thus seem improbable. The operating costs would be very high and listeners throughout the country have meanwhile become quite used to FM broadcasts. The only possible future of the Laitse facility might be as a mobile phone relay station (Maarten van Delft, Netherlands, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via DXLD) ** FRANCE. Hi Glenn, Happy New Year! Once again, I have checked the report on http://www.rfo.fr/ and it works fine here. They may indeed be having DNS (Domain Name Server) problems, but so do many other Web sites from time to time. But it could just as easily be a local problem affecting Mike Cooper's ISP (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, late Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It was back again later, so it comes and goes, and we really don`t need to keep tracking it... (gh, DXLD) ** GEORGIA. 4540.0, R. Khara, Dusheti, 1525-1543* Jan 1. Mostly music, signal too *weird* to decide between 'gypsy' or straight 'rock'. Thought first it was a Belarus` relay, but I don't think so. Sign off at 1543. Presumed and very poor (Piet Pijpers, The Netherlands, SWBC via DXLD) ** INDIA. kHz, kW, site, schedule 3223 50 Shimla 0045-0200 1300-1730(Sat, Sun 1741) 3315 50 Bhopal 0025-0215 1200-1741 3365 50 Delhi 1220-1841 HS 3390 10 Gangtok 0100-0400 1030-1600 3945+ 50 Gorakhpur 0130-0228 Nepali, 0228-0300 HS, 1330- 1430 Nepali, 1430-1735 Urdu 4760 10 Leh s0100/w0215-0430 1130-1630/1700 4760 10 Port Blair 2325-0300 1030-1630/1700/Sat 1730 4775 50 Imphal 0025-0215 1030-1700/1730 4790 100 Chennai 0000-0045 Tamil (to Sri Lanka) 4800 50 Hyderabad 0025-0215 1130(Sun 1145)-1744 4820 50 Kolkata 0025-0215 1220-1830 4840 50 Mumbai 0015-0400 1230-1730 4850 50 Kohima 0000-0450 1000-1600/1630/1700 4860+ 50 Delhi 0025-0440 1220-1330 HS, 1430-1930 Urdu (to Pakistan) 4880 50 Lucknow 0025-0400 1215-1741 4895 50 Kurseong 0055-0400 1130(Sun 1030)-1700/1741 4910 50 Jaipur 0025-0415 1130-1741 4920 50 Chennai 0015-0245 1200-1743 4940 50 Guwahati 0015-0415 1150-1700(Sat 1741) 4950 50 Srinagar 2345-0025 (Ramadan 17 Nov to 17 Dec 2001) s0025/w0120-0200 1130-1740 4960 50 Ranchi 0025-0435 1125(Sun 1030) -1741 4970 50 Shillong 0025-0400 1056-1630 4990 50 Itanagar 0030-0400 1000-1630 5010 50 Thiruvanathapuram 0020-0215 5040 10 Jeypore 0025-0436(Sun 0445), 1130(Sun 1030)-1741 5050 50 Aizawl 0025-0400 1130(Sun 1030)-1630/1700 5985 50 Ranchi 0700(Sun 0630)-0945 6000 10 Leh 0655-0900 6020 50 Shimla 0215-0400 (Sun 0415-1230), 0700-0936 1130-1230 6030 50 Delhi 0200-0310 1215-1430 6040 50 Jeypore 0700-0935 6045 250 Delhi 1330-1430 Nepali (to Nepal), 1430-1930 Urdu (to Pakistan) 6065 50 Kohima 0700-0900 6085 10 Gangtok 0700-0930 6085 50 Delhi 1220-1310 1330-1340 1345-1420 1430-1440 1445-1615/1630/1700/1730v, 1730-1740 6110 50 Srinagar 0215-0453 (Sun 1115), 0600-1115 6150 50 Itanagar 0700-0900 6155 100 Delhi 0015-0430 Urdu (to Pakistan) 6190 50 Delhi 0730-1030 7105 50 Lucknow 0630(Sun 0415)-0930 0935-0936 7115 10 Port Blair 0315-0346 (Sat 0415,Sun 0505), 0700- 0930(Sun 1000) 7115 250 Panaji 1615-1730 Farsi, 1730-1830 Malayalam (to West Asia ) 7120 50 Jaipur (Sun v0420-0600), 0700(Sun 0630)-0941 (Sun 1030-1130) 7125 100 Delhi 0100-0200 Sindhi (to Pakistan) 7130 50 Shillong 0655-0930 7140 50 Hyderabad 0228-0430 0630-0930 (Sun 0530-1130) 7140 100 Delhi 1550-1615/1630/1700/1730v 1730-1740 7150 50 Imphal 0230-0430/0530 0630-1030 7150 250 Delhi 2045-2230 English (to Au/Nz) 7160 50 Chennai 0300-0415/0430(Hol, Sat 0430/0445,Sun 0545), 0710(Hol 0610, Sun 0630)-1030 (Sat, Sun 1130) 7170 50 Delhi 0030-0040 7180 50 Bhopal 0228-0430 (Sun 1135), 0700-0931 7210 50 Kolkata 0230-0401v, 0730-0931 7220 50 Delhi 0215-0225 0228-0320 0330-0355 7230 50 Kurseong 0619-1030 7240 50 Mumbai 0530(Sun 0430)-1035 7250+ 50 Gorakhpur 0700-0800 Nepali (to Nepal), 0830-1130 Urdu (to Pakistan), 1130-1140 HS 7255+ 100 Delhi 1315-1415 Dari, 1415-1530 Pashtu, (to Afghanistan. Pakistan), 1530-1545 E 7280 50 Guwahati 0600(Sun 0530)-0930 0945-1145 7290 50 Thiruvanantapuram 0230-0400(Sun 0430), (Sun 0500-1030) 0630-0945/1000/1015 7295 10 Aizawl 0700-0930 7410 500 Bangalore 1330-1430 Nepali (to Nepal), 1615-1730 Hindi (to West Asia), 1745-1945 English, 1945-2045 Hindi (to W. Europe), 2045- 2230 English (to NE Asia) 9565+ 100 Delhi 0130-0200 & 1215-1330 Tibetan (to Tibet) 1330-1420 1430-1440 1445- 1615/1630/1700/1730v, 1730-1740 HS 9595 250 Delhi 0015-0430 Urdu (to Pakistan) 9595+ 100 Delhi 0700-0800 Nepali (to Nepal), 0800-0830 HS, 0830-1130 Urdu (to Pakistan) 1130-1140 HS 9620 - Delhi 1230-1500 Sindhi, 1500-1600 Baluchi (to Pakistan) 9650 250 Aligarh 2045-2230 English (to W. Europe) 9690 250 Delhi 1330-1500 English (to SE Asia) 9705 250 Panaji 2245-0045 English (to E , SE Asia) 9810 250 Aligarh 0130-0229 Nepali (to Nepal) 9820+ 250 Panaji 1300-1500 Sinhala (to Sri Lanka), 1530- 1545 English 9835+ 100 Delhi 0000-0045 Tamil (Sri Lanka) 1330-1420 1430-1440 1445-1615/1630/1700/1730v, 1730-1740 HS 9845 100 Delhi 0215-0300 Pushtu, 0300-0345 Dari (to Afghanistan, Pakistan) 9910+ 250 Aligarh 0000-0045 Tamil (to SE Asia), 0215-0300 Pushtu, 0300-0345, 1315-1415 Dari, 1415-1515 Pushtu (to Afghanistan, Pakistan), 1530-1545 English, 1615-1730 Farsi, 1730-1945 Arabic (to West Asia), 1945-2030 French (to W, NW Africa), 2045-2230 English (to Au/Nz), 2300-2400 Hindi (to SE Asia) 9950 50 Delhi 0100-0130 Burmese (to Myanmar) 9950 250 Delhi 2245-0045 English (to NE Asia) 10330 100 Chennai 0050-0430 0630-1200 1245-1730 (Vividh Bharati) 10330 50 Guwahati 0025-0430 and ditto 10330 50 Delhi ditto 10330 100 Mumbai ditto 11585 250 Aligarh 1000-1100 English (to NE Asia) 11585 500 Bangalore 1230-1500 Sindhi, 1500-1600 Baluchi (to Pakistan) 11620+ 250 Delhi 0100-0430, 0830-1130 Urdu (to Pakistan), 1130-1140 HS, 1215-1315 Burmese (Myanmar) 11620 500 Bangalore 1330-1500 English (to E, SE Asia), 1515- 1600 Gujarati (to E. Africa), 1615-1715 Russian (to E. Europe), 1745-1945 English, 1945-2045 Hindi, 2045-2230 English (to W. Europe) 11695 250 Panaji 1215-1330 Tibetan (to Tibet), 1330-1430 Nepali (to Nepal) 11710 100 Delhi 1115-1140 HS 11710 250 Aligarh 1215-1315 Burmese (to Myanmar) 11715 250 Delhi 0130-0229 Nepali (to Nepal) 11715 250 Panaji 2045-2230 English (to Au/Nz) 11735 500 Bangalore 0215-0300 Pushtu, 0300-0345 Dari (to Pakistan, Afghanistan) 11740+ 250 Panaji 0000-0045 Tamil, 2300-2400 Hindi (to SE Asia) 1530-1545 English 11790 250 Aligarh 0100-0200 Sindhi (to Pakistan) 11830 100 Delhi 0125-0225 0228-0355 HS 11840 - Delhi 1145-1315 Chinese (to NE Asia) 11850 100 Delhi 0700-0800 Nepali (Nepal) 11900 - Delhi 0130-0200 Tibetan (to Tibet) 11935 100 Mumbai 1745-1945 English (E.Africa) 11985 - Delhi 0000-0045 Tamil, 0045-0115 Sinhala (to Sri Lanka) 12025 250 Panaji 1615-1730 Hindi 1730-1830 Malayalam (to West Asia ) 13605 500 Bangalore 1745-1945 English , 1945-2030 French (to W, NW Africa), 2245-0045 English (to Asia) 13620 500 Bangalore 0215-0300 Pushtu (to Pakistan, Afghanistan), 0400-0430 Persian, 0430- 0530 Arabic, 0530-0600 Urdu (Haj S Season), 1730-1945 Arabic (to West Asia) 13630 500 Bangalore 0100-0130 Burmese (to Myanmar) 13645 500 Bangalore 1115-1200 Thai (to SE Asia) 13695 500 Bangalore 0315-0415 Hindi (to West Asia) 13700 500 Bangalore 0130-0200 Tibetan (to Tibet), 1000-1100 English (to Au/Nz) 1115-1215 Tamil, 1215- 1245 Telegu (to SE Asia) 13710 500 Bangalore 1330-1500 English (to E, SE Asia) 13720 500 Bangalore 1515-1615 Swahili, 1615-1730 Hindi (to E. Africa, Mauritius) 13770 500 Bangalore 1615-1730 Hindi (to West Asia) 13795 500 Bangalore 0000-0045 Tamil, 2300-2400 Hindi (to SE Asia) 15020 250 Aligarh 1000-1100 English (to NE Asia, Au/Nz) 15020 250 Delhi 1300-1500 Sinhala (to Sri Lanka) 15075 500 Bangalore 0315-0415 (West Asia), 0430-0530 Hindi (to E. Africa, Mauritius) 15135 100 Delhi 0125-0205 0215-0225 0228-0355 HS 15140 500 Bangalore 1615-1715 Russian (to E. Europe) 15155 500 Bangalore 1745-1945 English (to W, NW Africa) 15175 500 Bangalore 1515-1600 Gujarati (to E. Africa) 15185 250 Delhi 0315-0415 Hindi, 0415-0430 Gujarati, 0430-0530 Hindi (to E. Africa, Mauritius) 15185 100 Delhi 0700-0930 1115-1140 HS 15200 500 Bangalore 1745-1945 English (to W, NW Africa) 15235 250 Panaji 1115-1200 Thai (to SE Asia) 15260+ 100 Delhi 0700-0930 HS, 1000-1100 English (to Sri Lanka) 15770 250 Aligarh 0400-0430 Farsi, 0430-0530 Arabic, 0530-0600 Urdu (Haj Season) (to West Asia), 0845-0945 Indonesian, 1115-1215 Tamil, 1215-1245 Telegu (SE Asia) 15795 250 Delhi 1145-1315 Chinese (to NE Asia) 17510 250 Delhi 0845-0945 Indonesian (to SE Asia), 1000- 1100 English (to Au/Nz) 17670 - Delhi 0430-0530 Hindi, 1515-1615 Swahili, 1615-1730 Hindi, 1745-1945 English (to E. Africa, Mauritius) 17705 500 Bangalore 1145-1315 Chinese (to NE Asia) 17715 250 Delhi 0315-0415 Hindi, 0415-0430 Gujarati, 0430-0530 Hindi (E. Africa, Mauritius) 17740 - Delhi 1115-1200 Thai (to SE Asia) 17810 - Delhi 1115-1215 Tamil, 1215-1245 Telegu (to SE Asia) 17800 500 Bangalore 1000-1100 English (to NE Asia) 17860+ 100 Delhi 1115-1215 Tamil (to Sri Lanka), 1220- 1245 HS 17895 500 Bangalore 1000-1100 English (to Au/Nz) Hol = Holiday, HS= Home Service, + = Fq used by both HS & External Service. Power and Transmitter locations of External Services are presumed only! (Jose Jacob via van Arnhem, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via DXLD) ** INDIA. Friends, The new year brought 3 email replies from AIR Thiruvanthapuram for a report sent to airtvpm@md4.vsnl.net.in on the special midnight mass on X'mas day on 1161 kHz. They were asking for more reports of that frequency of early morining and evening/night. The official email id of the Station Engineeer is given as : tvm_airtvpm@sancharnet.in His (Mr. Radhakrishnan Menon) personal email id is : raju_1943@rediffmail.com The station operates on 5010 & 7290 on SW and on VHF 101.9 MHz also. WIth New Year wishes, Sincerely, Jose ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. Staff Anger at Liberia Broadcasting Corporation --- 31 December 2001 Police attended a staff meeting last Thursday at the state- owned Liberia Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), where angry workers were demanding payment of 12 months' salary arrears. LBC management had told police the workers were planning to burn down the station because they have not been paid since January 2001. The anger increased when staff were told that LBC would pay just one of the 12 months' salary arrears for the Christmas season. They demanded at least half their annual salary. LBC management recently fired several staff who had given long service without severance pay. Several workers criticised the government's lack of support for LBC since the coming to power of President Charles Taylor in 1997. They accused Taylor of deserting the station in favour of his private Liberia Communications Network that has now become the "quasi state- owned media." Taylor's network runs FM and shortwave stations, plus a television service. One of the dismissed senior broadcasters said that LBC depends on the goodwill of the Radio France International relay station situated in its compound for electricity and other assistance. Prior to the civil war, LBC operated its own FM and shortwave frequencies as well as a national television station, but is now reduced to a single FM outlet that operates intermittently. (PANA) (via RN Media Network via DXLD) ** LITHUANIA. Radio Vilnius: Vladas Dobilas announced on November 4th that the station is finally to obtain a new set of QSLs. I received one of the new QSLs for my report. Very nice they are too, with the Lithuanian colours of yellow, green and red in swirls around what I presume represents a transmitter (Jonathan Murphy, Jan World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. Glen[n], Have just seen something in DXLD #1-210 which mentions Radio China International being allowed to use 1440 kHz via Marnach! Does this mean that we will have to put up with the Communist trash from Beijing rather than the much more melodious sounds of The Beetles and Abba? I sincerely hope not! Perhaps RTL's German Service should use Shortwave and Longwave 24 hours per day? (DXDave [Harries], Bristol, England, Jan 1, WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I am listening right now to CRI's English programme on 1440 kHz via Luxembourg, as mentioned in DXLD. At 2115 UT they're just starting part two of a seven part special looking back at 2001. Audio quality is excellent, and probably delivered via digital satellite. It's a while since I've listened to CRI, and I am surprised how western it sounds these days, with jingles and trailers. A far cry from the days when they began every transmission with a quotation from Mao - always repeated in case you didn't quite get it the first time :-) Apparently CRI must have quite a big budget, as airtime on Luxembourg is quite expensive. From the signal strength it sounds like they're running at least 600 kW. 73, (Andy Sennitt, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As hinted in a recent DXLD, China Radio International has appeared on the 1440 kHz transmitter of Radio Luxembourg, from 1900-2200 UT. Announcements, as heard by me on 1 January, before and between the language transmissions indicate that the 3-hour package is specially- prepared by WRN, identifying as WRN via RTL. These are obviously *not* just straightforward relays from Astra or Hotbird. As I no longer have access to WRN via cable or satellite it is obviously not possible for me to know whether there is any delay between the direct satellite feed and what is heard on medium-wave, but I am sure there must be some time-lag. The same must also apply to the overnight feed on Spectrum 558, though this *does* appear to be taken directly from Astra or Hotbird (PAUL DAVID, England, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It's a Chinese New Year in Europe -- January 2 2002 China Radio International started the New Year with a major investment in its European coverage. CRI has negotiated a three hour mediumwave relay via the 1200 kW Radio Luxembourg transmitter in Marnach, Luxembourg on 1440 kHz. It is not clear whether 600 or the full 1200 kilowatts is being used. Many years ago, this transmitter carried Radio Luxembourg's English service to the UK..."the great 208". In the mid 1990's, the same transmitter also carried Radio Netherlands in English, before an exchange deal was negotiated with Radio Vlaanderen Internationaal on 1512 kHz. The Marnach transmitter carries German language pop music programming until 1800 UT. This is followed by a 60 minute religious broadcast. The recording below is the sign-on announcement as recorded on 1440 kHz just before 19.00 UTC. The CRI programmes are relayed via the existing World Radio Network Euromax services in English, German and French. WRN is asking for reception reports to 1440@wrn.org. German programmes run at 20 UT, English language programmes at 21 UT. Sign-on announcement as recorded on 1440 kHz just before 1900 UT: http://www.omroep.nl/cig-bin/streams?/rnw/medianetwork/cri020101.rm On December 11th 2001, China consolidated six state level media outlets, including CRI, into the China Radio, Film and Television Group. The move aims to create a more competitive national organisation on both domestic and global markets. The launch was timed to coincide with China's membership of the WTO. ((c) Radio Netherlands Media Network Jan 2 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 870, Guachochi [sic], Chihuahua, 1/1 1400 playing very old and rustic music. The station announcer stated that they transmit in the Tohono O'odham language. I presume the music was O'odham and it`s the same stuff that XEETCH plays. The instruments are only fiddle, guitar and drum with no vocal. Slogan at ToH ID was La Voz de la Tarahumara. After the news at the hour, more traditional Mexican music was played (Kevin Redding, Mesa, Arizona, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. On December 28th it became known that the organization behind the planned Long wave Radio project Delta 171 will not get another change to start a station from a platform in the Northsea. They got a temporary license which would have changed in an definitive license if they could prove to be building the platform before November 1st 2001 and being on the air on January 1st. As they did not built before November 1st the Dutch government took back the temporary license. Delta then went to court but the judge decided that they cannot start in the future as they have not succeeded following the line of the temporary license. In the meantime the Caroline organization has asked the Dutch organization responsible for the licenses to get an option to use the 171 from a ship in the future as a low powered long wave station. Without going in to further detail this request from Peter Moore must be seen as another 'joke' from the Highgate manager and his friends in Holland to start something on paper, but not for real. And with his friends in Holland I don't mean Sietse Brouwer and his gang who will be responsible soon for Caroline Nederland (Hans Knot, Netherlands, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. 7465, NRK R Norway International, Dec 31, 2159-2228, FAREWELL transmission in Norwegian. An extremely echoed, POLAR fluttering signal. Parallel 7530 very bad under threshold. At 2226 the presenter said FAREWELL and greet the listeners in the name of ELEVEN staff members "God mid u" and chorus hymn, before Radio Denmark program opened at 2230 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via DXLD) Neither was audible here (gh, OK, DXLD) ** OMAN. English Service of Radio Sultanate of Oman has been observed back on air: 0300 ~ 0400 15355 kHz 1400 ~ 1500 15140 kHz Earlier they were broadcasting in Arabic at these times for Ramadan (presumably Harjot Singh Brar; GRDXC Jan 2 via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) ** PERU. 6045.5, Radio Santa Rosa, Lima. 0249-0255 January 1. Tropical songs ("cumbia andina"). Ann.: "atención, feliz año nuevo... vamos a festejar la llegada del nuevo año... feliz año nuevo paisano...". ID by male at 0250: "Santa Rosa" and ID by female at 0252: "Santa Rosa, la radio de Lima". 24332 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6174.1, Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cusco. 0040-0045 January 1. Very nice Andean music. Greetings and wishes in Spanish by male. Messages. 23232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6193.5, Radio Cusco, Cusco. 0046-0050 January 01. Andean music and huaynos. 23232 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ROMANIA. Radio Romania International held its annual Listeners' Day on the first Sunday of November. This year the questions asked concerned the future of media in the world today, the identities of countries within a larger European Union and medical advancements. Listeners participated by phone, fax and letters. There are already plans for next year's Listeners' Day (Jonathan Murphy, Jan World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. 3921, Samorodinka R, Moscow (Pirate). On Dec 28, I received a very special QSL from Mr. Leo S. Shishkin, Box 898, Moscow who has been a licensed radioamateur since 1947 (callsign UA3BJ on 3569 kHz). Now he also broadcasts from a 100 watts amateur transmitter with antenna on the roof of his house in Russian about the old times in the former USSR. I heard it on Nov 21 and got a HAM QSL card, a memory card about World War II and a very long, personal handwritten letter in English where he explained the heroic songs from WWII, I heard in the broadcast, and also explained how difficult it was to be a radioamateur in the years after the War. Mr Shishkin wrote about the broadcasts: ``The Samorodinka Radio broadcasts groundly by CW (AIA). The possible channels are 3921 +-2 kHz (+-QRM); 4875 (+-); 9419 or 13998 (+-) kHz. The schedule is non regular. The languages are Russian and timely English. The regular schedule = almost everyday is only for 3921 (+-) kHz channel since the finish of phone AM transmission about at 0045(+- ) local Moscow time and until about 0115 (+-) Moscow time. The phone AM transmissions are possible on channels 3921 (+-), 4875 (+-), 9419, 9770 and 13559 (+-) kHz. The schedule is non regular. The languages are also the same. The regular phone AM schedule = almost every day is only for 3921 (+-) kHz channel since 0005 (+-) Moscow time until 0045 (+-) Moscow time`` . That is 2105-2145 UT. I heard it from tune in 2115 till 2148* on Nov 21 with 34333. Also heard Dec 29! (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) ** SOUTH AMERICA. Dear Friends! Happy New Year to you all!!! Radio Piraña Int. will probably do a test this night UT from around 0000 on 11420 kHz +/- 73 from Jorge R. García, swpirates Jan 2 via Valter Aguiar, radioescutas via DXLD) i.e., referring to UT Thu Jan 3 (gh) ** SRI LANKA. Hello friends. The VOA PHX in EE finally left 15425 which cochanneled SLBC 1225-1545 UTC, which might make reception better. Try it. 15425 All Asia EE is being reported in North America around 0100. The //s remain 9770 and 6005 kHz. My first DX report on RKI will be on the 6th of January where I have inserted the s.on of Bhutan. Any comments on reception or otherwise will be most welcome. SLBC EE on 4940 is having TX problems. 1100-1730 and is off the air right now. Should be back soon (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, Jan 2, SWBC via DXLD) ** SWITZERLAND. A Short History of swissinfo/Swiss Radio International 1934 On 14th June 1934, the Swiss Radio Service (Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR idee suisse) broadcasts its first medium-wave programme for Swiss living elsewhere in Europe. On 1st August, the League of Nations shortwave transmitter in Prangins, near Geneva, broadcasts a trial programme for Swiss living in South America. 1935 Regular monthly shortwave programmes in German, French and Italian begin in autumn. Paul Borsinger the former programme controller of the Swiss Radio Services is appointed Director of the short wave Service. 1936 The shortwave Service switches from monthly to weekly shortwave broadcasts. 1938 The Swiss Parliament approves a total of 950,000 Swiss francs for building a transmitter complex near Schwarzenburg. 1939 On 1st July, the 25-kilowatt Schwarzenburg transmitter starts broadcasting daily programmes but is destroyed by a fire on 6th July. Programmes are once again being broadcast via Prangins. 1940 The rebuilt Schwarzenburg transmitter resumes regular broadcasts in autumn. 1941 English, Spanish and Portuguese broadcasts are added to the Swiss national languages. 1946 The first 100kW transmitter becomes operational. 1947/48 At the shortwave Conferences in Atlantic City (1947) and Mexico City (1948), Switzerland is allocated 71 frequency hours a day. 1951 In conjunction with Berne University, the shortwave Service makes 25 programmes about Switzerland which are used by several stations in the USA. 1954 The mission of SRI is recorded in the new SBC's concession: "Short wave programmes shall strengthen links between Swiss living abroad and their native land as well as promote Switzerland abroad." 1956 The shortwave Service's newly created Programme Commission suggests the introduction of broadcasts in Arabic. 1959 On 4th July, the SBC General Assembly decides that a maximum of 1 Swiss franc of each radio licence fee should go to the shortwave Service. 1961 Dr Gerd Padel is appointed new short wave Service Director. 1962 The shortwave Service starts an international news service in English, the first of its kind in Switzerland. 1963 In autumn, the Swiss Parliament approves 680'000 Swiss francs for programmes in Arabic and in French for Africa,. the Near and Middle East. 1964 Regular broadcasting of the new Arabic programmes begin in summer. 1965 Joel Curchod is appointed new Director of the shortwave Service. 1970 In May, the shortwave Service introduces a fundamentally new programme concept: daily half-hour programmes for all continents with up-to-date international and Swiss news, in the Swiss national languages and in target-area languages; cultural, documentary and entertainment programmes at weekends. 1971 The shortwave Service introduces programmes in Romansch. The first record in the "Musica Helvetica" series is released in autumn. 1972 In May, the first 500kW shortwave transmitter is commissioned in Sottens. Its rotative antenna is the biggest and most modern in the world. 1973 According to Gallup polls conducted in the USA, the Swiss shortwave Service ranks among the five most credible international radio stations. 1977 As part of an economy drive, the Government stops subsidies to the shortwave Service. SBC covers the fall out of an increase in licence fees. 1978 November 5 the name "Swiss Short wave Service" is changed to "Swiss Radio International" (SRI). 1983 For a three-month trial period, SRI operates an English-speaking radio programme ("Radio X-tra") for the international community in Geneva. 1985 On 21st June, the Swiss Parliament approves the "Federal Decree on Swiss Short wave Radio" which stipulates that the Government has an obligation to pay 50% of international programme production and distribution costs. 1986 From November, SRI for the first time broadcasts part of its programmes for South America via a foreign shortwave transmitter, Africa No 1, Gabon. 1987 From 15th October, CNN takes over a TV news component produced by SRI for its weekly "World Report". From November, agreement with China about mutual use of shortwave transmitters: two Chinese transmitters for SRI in Asia and two Swiss transmitters for Chinese broadcasts in Europe. 1988 From summer, SRI uses a shortwave transmitter belonging to Radiobras (Brazil) for its transmissions to Central and Northern America. 1990 7th September: Roy Oppenheim is the new Director of SRI. 1991 In April, SRI launches the monthly English-language TV magazine "SwissWorld". 1992 In spring, SRI starts using its first satellite channel, ASTRA, for broadcasts to Europe. 1993 On 23rd February Ulrich Kndig is the new Director of SRI. Ulrich Kndig develops a strategy for the Nineties, consistently geared to audiences and markets and providing for the creation of continuous- relay programme, digital production and the use tellites for all continents. In spring, SRI starts using an Intelsat-K channel for broadcasts to North, Central and South America in all SRI languages. 1994 On 2nd May, SRI launches the first of four planned satellite programmes (Eutelsat), the "Chaîne Francophone" (in French). This is followed by an English-language satellite programme on a second ASTRA channel. In July, the 500kW shortwave relay station at Montsinéry, French Guiana becomes operational, broadcasting to America, Australia and West Africa via a rotary antenna. In summer, the Swiss Government announces subsidy cuts of two, four and six million Swiss francs for 1995, 1996 and 1997 respectively SBC and the PTT are to cover the subsidy short-fall out of licence fees. 1995 On 25th January, the Lower House of Parliament, followed by the Upper House on 8th March, rejected the cut in Government subsidies to SRI. In summer, the Federal Council announces its intention to go ahead with a linear 10% cut in its subsidy. On September 24, SRI introduced its new German and Italian satellite programmes on the ASTRA channel it had used since 1992. In spring, SRI starts introducing digital programme production, based on the French system "DALET". 1996 In May, SRI can be heard in Asia and Australia via the Asiasat II satellite. In summer, the English Programme Department officially changes from traditional radio programming to fully digitalized production in new studio facilities. The programme is via the Intelsat 707 Satellite, which SRI also uses to serve Africa and the Middle East. 1997 In October, the government approves SBC's request to close the shortwave transmitter at Schwarzenburg. This marks the end of an era for a facility, which, for many listeners, characterised the "voice of Switzerland". SRI enters the age of the internet and launches a trial audio-service. A study commissioned by the government confirms the need for a shift in direction towards a multimedia enterprise. On December 1, Carla Ferrari takes over as director of SRI following Ulrich Kndig's retirement. 1998 SRI develops a new strategy giving the English service priority and focusing on expanding the television service as well as a new Internet service. All four satellite programmes are restructured as continuity programmes each with their own music profiles. The new English-language programme, World Radio Switzerland, is offered to Swiss cable networks. By the end of the year, radio broadcasts by the Portuguese service are given up in favour of plans to create an internet service in Portuguese. SRI's specialist programmes (successors to the radio programmes distributed via the telephone cable system until the end of 1997) are integrated into SRI as Swiss Satellite Radio. Carla Ferrari leaves the company on November 5 as it becomes increasingly unlikely that there will be enough funding for her idea to launch an international television station. Nicolas D. Lombard becomes interim director. 1999 As of January 1st, SRI's German and English-language output is only broadcast on shortwave and via ASTRA Digital Radio (ADR). For financial reasons, the analogue satellite channels are no longer used. As of May, also the French and Italian-speaking casts are only transmitted digitally (via the Eutelsat HB3) and via shortwave. On 12 March, SRI launched the English-language version of its new internet site, http://www.swissinfo.org/, and on 16 April, the German-language version of the site went online. On April 26, Nicolas D. Lombard was named director of SRI by the Central Committee of SRG SSR idée suisse, or the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. SRI's web factory starts producing internet as well as intranet sites for SRG SSR idee suisse as well as for its traditional partner organization such as Presence Switzerland (PRS), the co-ordination commission for Switzerland's presence abroad. 2000 The most important steps taken by swissinfo/SRI in 2000 were the introduction of the Japanese (January), the Italian (February) and the Spanish sites (June). In spring http://www.swissinfo.org with its seven languages is officially launched through means of ad promotion campaign. The page viewing numbers climb steadily to over two million clicks per month. The year 2000 is fully influenced by the new strategy and internal restructuring. The appointment of a recent editor-in-chief and the strengthening of the marketing team through a new person in charge as well as the filling of a few other vacant leading positions give a strong impression of this transformation. Presence Switzerland (PRS) decides to increase the budget for the monthly TV programme "SwissWorld" which is doubled by 30 minutes for each edition. In autumn the Spanish speaking Radio broadcasts are given up. The department concentrates all its efforts on the Internet http://www.swissinfo.org (Nick Sharpe, Dec 2, World DX Club Contact Jan via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) Written by Sharpe, or from SRI itself?? Interesting that this rather detailed chronology says nothing about programming or air personalities! The only people mentioned by name are administrators. Forget Bob Thomann and Bob Zanotti... (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U A E. I often check Dubai to see where it has wandered from day to day. Jan 2 at 1330, not on nominal 21605 or recent 21597v, but there was a het of about 400 Hz on BSKSA 21600; I soon heard a Sa`udi ID, but could not make out any audio from the other one. At 1410 recheck, a distorted signal was back around 21605 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. RADIO FEATURES --- MIKE BARRACLOUGH with: RADIO NORTHSEA INTERNATIONAL 1970 JAMMING ---PART THREE The authorities at the time justified the jamming of Radio Northsea International by saying they caused harmful interference to other stations on the same frequency. A note dated 14th April says that the Norwegian Government had asked the UK to transmit on 1578, just 5 days after RNI had started to use it, in order to demonstrate their right to use it. Transmission of a modulated carrier wave commenced at noon the next day and ceased at 9pm when RNI went off the air. One worry for the Post Office was the interference their signals would cause to reception of BBC transmissions in the Medway and Rochester area. Indeed at 6pm they removed a 400 cps tone leaving only a 900cps tone active to narrow local bandwidth whilst still effectively jamming RNI's signal. Paul Bryan MP contacted the Ministry directly the next day to ask what were the Ministry's powers to engage in jamming. The Ministry replied that the term jamming, though it was using itself in its internal notes, was not appropriate and that RNI was in fact causing harmful interference with authorised transmissions which was proscribed by International Regulations. The Ministry had telexed the ITU and neighbouring administrations and stated that they "were with the forces of law and order and not against them." At a meeting of European PTT ministers 22-27 April the Ministry stated that the Chatham transmitter "did not interfere with any other authorised station or its reception by the public... the purpose of the transmitter was to keep an unauthorised transmitter off the air altogether by creating an electronic barrier on the wavelength on behalf of authorised radio stations to which that wavelength had been properly assigned. It was not "jamming" in the sense that that is practised and understood." After a brief test on 1385 kHz RNI moved to 1230 kHz. This frequency was allocated to Czechoslovakia and Morocco. The Ministry advised their administrations and continued the jamming. RNI directors found this extraordinary considering that Communist led Czechoslovakia was jamming all BBC transmissions beamed to their country at the time. A document marked Restricted and dated 18th May from the Ministry, who had had internal meetings as well as met the BBC, covered jamming 1230. They concluded that RNI could cause interference to Radio 1, which was on 1215, in an area covering at least 100,000 and possibly 750,000 listeners, and "countermeasures" would continue. The jamming was to be a single carrier wave without modulation. It would transmit "on the far side of the pirates band from the BBC's wavelength". They said "it might cause little or no interference to Radio One." They conducted a rather odd, and until now unknown, test transmission on 250 metres to assess interference to Radio One 247 metres, from their transmitter which would then move to the pirate`s frequency of 244 metres. They had asked the BBC to reinforce their signals on 247 metres in the Chatham area but reported that "the BBC would not willingly assist us in our countermeasures...although completely disassociating themselves from our actions it was equally clear that we were free to make use of the mobile transmitter in the Chatham area or anywhere else provided we moved it ourselves." They also said that "We could reasonably expect to receive a formal complaint from the BBC of interference to their service and we would not therefore need to rely on a complaint from any other country." They admitted that their transmitter "may cause an unacceptable measure of public complaint of our interference to Radio One. We have a fall-back position --- either to reduce the power of our transmitter or move to a different location." Whether this complaint from the BBC materialised is not recorded, PostMaster General John Stonehouse maintained in the House of Commons was due to complaints from Czechoslovakia. On the 6th June Disc reported that 300 RNI supporters held a rally that weekend outside the jamming transmitters location. As well as jamming RNI in parts of Kent and Essex they said that the signals were obliterating Radio One as well as interfering with television reception though a BBC spokesman said their engineers had no evidence of this. A letter in the same issue referred to the jamming as Wilson's Wail. Much material for this series has been summarised from Offshore Echo`s [sic] 122 and 123 of June and October 2001. These are 60 page issues and include between them some 48 pages of official documents and press cuttings about this period of RNI's history. The magazines cost 4 pounds 50 pence each from Offshore Echo`s P. O. Box 1514, London W7 2LL, cheques payable to Offshore Echo`s. Offshore Echo`s 124 has just been published and has started to report on Government documents from June 1970 when the station changed name to Radio Caroline and intervened in the General Election, resulting in an increase in the power of the jamming transmitters. These documents will be reviewed in Contact later in the year (Jan World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** U S A. Recently on VOA CW, a link was given to a site with mp3 files of the original 3-hour American Top 40 show, but it was taken down before I could get it. If anyone downloaded it and could send it on to me, please contact (George Thurman, gsthurman@aol.com Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Miami's WTMI-FM drops classical, unveils new techno-dance format When Miami classical radio station WTMI was sold last year for $100 million, it was inevitable the classical format was doomed, no matter what the new owners said. Classical can't hope to produce the kind of revenues a $100 million purchase demands. Sure enough, this week the station abandoned classical for dance music. Miami Herald 01/01/02 http://www.miami.com/herald/content/features/arts/digdocs/051132.htm (via Arts Journal.com http://www.artsjournal.com/Media.htm) And...From Radio Info.com: http://www.radio-info.com/ Monday, December 31, 2001 at 4:49 PM, EST At 12 Noon today (12/31), following "The Star Spangled Banner", Cox flipped WTMI/Miami from "Classical 93.1" to "Party 93-1, South Florida's Pure Dance Channel". The station is currently running jockless, but there are Eric Edwards- voiced sweepers promoting the new format and taking shots at the spot load & hip-hop-oriented format of Beasley-owned CHR/Rhythmic competitor WPOW "Power 96". Listen to the debut of Party 93-1 here. http://radio-info.com/format//Miami/WTMI.ram Listen to Party 93-1's live Webcast by clicking here. http://www.streamaudio.com/llisten/cox.asp?station=wtmi_fm (via Chet Copeland, NY, Jan 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In the 1960's and early 1970's the Miami radio industry could hold their head up high, as they were leaders in the radio industry, instead of mere followers that they have become today. From the Sun- Sentinel (Ft Lauderdale); complete link to follow: WTMI-93.1 Fm unveils new all-dance music format, by Lawrence A Johnson January 1, 2002. Against a groundswell of protests, including dozens of demonstrators who showed up in the rain, WTMI-93.1 FM officially switched to an all-dance music format at 12:05 p.m. Monday, ushering in the New Year by leaving South Florida without a full-time commercial classical station for the first time in more than three decades. In case anyone missed the point, the last work played on classical WTMI was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The first item offered by the new "Party 93.1"was...."Shut the F--- Up and Dance"....by Adrenaline. With the loss of a news station in 2001 (WIOD - 610- ClearChannel) and now the only commercial Classical music station in South Florida (WTMI - 93.1 -Cox Communications of Atlanta); they've completed the transition to just another mediocre radio market, no better or worse than Orlando, St Pete/Tampa, Ft Myers/Naples ad nauseam... Here is the link to the complete article: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-radio01jan01.story?coll=sfla%2Dnews%2Dsfla (via Donn Tillman, amstereo list via Kevin Redding, AZ, NRC FMTV; also via Mike Cooper, via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) ** U S A. Published Tuesday, January 1, 2002 WTMI: Roll over Beethoven, by K. Baxter South Florida radio station WTMI-FM made its long-anticipated break with classical music in spectacular fashion Monday, switching to a youth-oriented techno-dance music format shortly after noon. After playing The Star-Spangled Banner -- a noontime staple on WTMI (93.1) since Sept. 11 -- the station went silent for about 10 seconds before resuming with a lengthy promo that ended with this message: ``It's time to take radio to a new dimension.'' Then the Holywood-based station re-launched itself as Party 93.1 with high-volume, high-energy mixes -- a move many radio industry watchers called a gamble but others saw as an attempt to fill an underserved niche. ``There was a feeling that no one was doing this kind of music,'' said WTMI's new program director, Mike Disney. ``It has a beat; it's a very active type-station targeted at young adults who want to live that kind of South Florida lifestyle.'' And as if to emphasize the change, the last classical piece the old WTMI played in its entirety was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and the first song under the new format was Shut the F--- Up and Dance by Adrenaline. Atlanta-based Cox Communications, which brought WTMI for $100 million 18 months ago, said the format switch was driven by economics. As Miami-Fort Lauderdale's only classical music station, WTMI billed just $8.8 million in advertising in 2000, less than half what sister station urban contemporary WEDR-FM (99.1) billed. At that pace, Cox would need 12 years to earn back what it paid for WTMI -- an unacceptable scenario for a publicly traded company. ``The fact is classical as a format has been dying all across the country,'' Disney said. ``It was a difficult decision, but a decision that had to be made. There was ... some better opportunities to change the format and increase revenue share.'' By remaking itself as a youth-oriented music station, not only does WTMI become more appealing to the 18-49 age group advertisers covet, but it also opens the possibility of selling package ads that would run on all four Cox stations in South Florida. Besides market leader WEDR-FM (99.1), Cox also owns urban WHQT-FM (105.1) and adult contemporary WFLC-FM (97.3), none of which shared many listeners with WTMI's classical format but all of whom should attract the kind of audience Party 93.1 will draw. ``We really deliver a very nice spectrum to an advertiser who might be interested in buying four stations,'' Disney says. Gordon Chin, dance music buyer for Uncle Sam's Music store in Miami Beach, is cautiously optimistic the new format will catch on. ``If they go the smart way and they play vocal-based dance that could be identified, that could work,'' he said. Adam Jacobson, radio editor for the trade journal Radio & Records and a former Miamian, said a recent trip to South Florida convinced him the market sorely needs a dance-oriented music station to complement WPOW-FM (96.5), which features dance music as part of its broader playlist. But given the failure of the techno format in other cities such as Los Angeles, Jacobson says Cox is ``taking a tremendous gamble.'' WMTI has carried classical music for 30 years, and even though Cox has applied for new call letters, Jacobson said it could take much longer for listeners to begin associating the dial position with something other Bach and Beethoven. But if the format is going to succeed anywhere, it's likely to succeed in South Florida, a place known for its active club scene, says Tom Taylor of the influential industry journal M Street Daily. ``Miami is a place unlike any other,'' he said. ``Cox is a company that very carefully researches before it switches formats. My sense is this is the hole that turned up in the research. It has the chance to appeal across lines. They're now going to forge a new trail.'' Longtime classical music fans, meanwhile, greeted the change with anger and sorrow. ``It's disgusting,'' said Peter McGrath, a recording engineer who has produced classical music records by the Florida Philharmonic and others. ``The fact that they went to that [format] is like poking a stick in the eye of culture. ``This community should feel swindled by Cox. They said they were going to give classical music a chance. If this was the plan from the get-go, then this was a swindle.'' Herald staff writers Elena Cabral, Cary Darling and Michael Hamersly contributed to this story. © 2001 The Miami Herald and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miami.com/herald (via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) ** U S A. ALL SPORTS, NO COUNTRY FOR WSM RADIO? Format Change Worries Many Listeners...All the Way to Congress, by Sharon Puckett --- January 1, 2002 Loyal listeners of WSM Radio have taken a campaign to save the station all the way to Congress. Senators, congressmen, even the Governor is being asked to stop what insiders say will be a change in format from country music to sports. An official announcement has not been made, but listeners and artists don't like what they're hearing. A billboard promoting WSM Radio says, Too Country and Proud of It . But will it last? Reports the past couple of weeks indicate the new year may bring a dramatic change in what listeners will hear. WSM Radio went on the air October 5, 1925. It wasn't long before WSM, country music and Nashville became synonymous. The station known as the Air Castle of the South soon became important to Nashville in more than one way. Little more than a year ago when there was a 75th birthday party for the WSM, radio executives were eager to sing the praises of its accomplishments and its future. Station employees are not talking publicly now about what may or may not happen. But, veteran country music star Porter Waggoner believes any change would be a big mistake. "It would make it seem like country music is a loser and it's not. Country music is the greatest it's ever been," said Waggoner. "Country music is alive and well and so is the tradition of it. The Grand Ole Opry , WSM Radio, that's where tradition is. That's where it lives. That's where I live because I am tradition." Air personalities are still playing country music with no hint of a possible change. In the meantime, Waggoner cautions management to remember what happened when The Nashville Network went after another audience. "That's when it went down the tubes," he said. While country music still fills the airwaves, there is speculation in Music Industry trades that sports may take its place. With no official announcement from Gaylord, executives are getting e-mail and phone calls from listeners begging them to reconsider. I spoke to Gaylord's chief executive officer Colin Reed the day after employees were told about the company exploring changes. He told me Gaylord wants to expand the Opry's audience, but he said there was no definitive game plan for the radio stations. (WSMV website below via Tom Bryant, IRCA via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) Horror in Hillbilly Heaven? Well...maybe! Usually, the old saying "where there's smoke, there's fire" holds true, and there's been enough press about this to unnerve almost any diehard country music devotee. First, there was a writeup in the Nashville Tennessean a sesquiweek ago.. .then, tonight on WSMV (no longer connected with WSM) the story featured at the link below [video with unsynchronized audio available]. http://www.wsmv.com/Global/story.asp?s=605048 I have some theories about all this...but they're no more than that so I'll keep them to myself for the moment (Tom Bryant / Nashville, TN, Jan 2, IRCA topica list via DXLD) Like with all the other changes I have seen with the Nashville scene this would be one of the biggest mistakes I think could ever be made. Like when they closed Opryland to put up another mall the world did not need. The Opry is one of Nashville's biggest draws whether it be at it's new home or doing shows at the Ryman. If you change WSM from the classic country and new country they play then people are not going to hear the type of music the Opry provides.... and people come from all over the world to see "The Home Of Country Music". So then you start messing with the tourist trade..... which is already hard hit, which in turn starts people losing their jobs. I think anyone who lives and works in the Nashville area or anyone who depends on the Nashville scene for their living really need to start working on something to fight this and do it now.. let the corporate radio bullies of the world know how you feel. Just a fan of the music and style of WSM!!! (Sheila, IRCA topica list via DXLD) I too find it hard to imagine WSM other than a country station. But here are some observations: (1) The Opry is a slowing dying entity as new stars find little need to seek membership and if they do their appearances are infrequent and cosmetic. Hence, the performer base of the Opry is aging fast and is out of step with what country fans are flocking to. Thus, down the road, something needs to be done with the Opry if it is to remain a commercially viable operation. (2) Nashville is now a major city, and WSM-am is its most powerful signal. Gaylord already owns the broadcasting rights to the NHL Predators which are carried on its WWTN fm99.7; and WWTN has local sports talk evenings plus Foxx Sports on the weekends. Perhaps this is the base that would be moved to the AM side. Then Gaylord would likely go after the NFL Titans to add to its stable which also includes Vanderbilt football and basketball. (3) The Opry could continue on WSM, or perhaps a revitalized Opry could be a part of WSM-fm which is a highly successful contemporary country station. Note that WSM carried ATlanta Braves baseball int he late 60s except on Friday and Saturday nights when the Opry prevailed. (4) Museums are nice; but perhaps classic country simply isn't paying the bills for this powerhouse signal. This, even being contemplated, is obviously a shocker. But, from a programmers standpoint, the Opry in many ways has strangled WSM-AM from pursuing opportunities that it otherwise might have had due to Friday and Saturday evenings being blocked out. Things to contemplate: what would this change mean to WSM-fm (contemporary country) and WWTN (supertalk fm99.7) which has a heavy dose of sports. Also, with all 3 stations being streamed on the Internet, perhaps this too is part of the decision. How successful has WNSR been with its all sports format? This too might be part of the decision to explore this avenue which is where many Amers are moving towards. While we like to think of formats and stations as sacred cows, they are businesses first and foremost and evolve as the industry, technology, society, et al evolve. I used to listen, as an example, to out-of-town stations for sports, talk, whatever through the crackling noise and vagaries of static, skywave and all the rest. Now, I rather catch that out-of-town show or game via Internet and have the signal sound like a local FMer. All this might sound like heresy. Note that 80 years ago, however, there was no WSM; and when the Opry came along, I suspect that lots of people were upset by that too as it likely threatened local entertainment and might have upset preachers as folks might stay up late on Saturday evenings and oversleep for Church in the morning. (Mike Pietruk, Jan 2, IRCA topica list via DXLD) ** U S A. Virtually no one listens to radio after dark, fewer people listen to AM after dark and even fewer (i.e., DXers) listen after dark to a station outside of its listening area. If you can't hear the station 100% clear at 7 am in January then you don't listen. Once in a while in polling I'll get someone who listens to a non-local station at night, for some reason WBZ seems to do especially well in that area, but it is one in maybe 5000 or 10000 who does so and almost every one of them is over 65. The days of WABC showing up in the Pittsburgh book at night are long gone and as I've written before, many AM stations (620 NY or Radio Disney) have virtually no audience at all. Considering that kids don't listen to AM radio and I've yet after tens of thousands of interviews in the NYC metro area found one person who listens to 1560, I have to wonder how long Radio Disney remains in business. And since 620 went sports, I've not yet found anyone who listens to them either. Power and media market are very deceptive. I've seen numerous graveyarders with huge shares of a local market (but only within a 3-5 mile radius) and seen 50,000 watters (like 1560 New York) with virtually no listeners at all. However with an average listener age of 65 or more, most AM stations have to be in big financial difficulty because even with large market shares in small markets, there aren't many advertisers (other than political advertisers) who are interested in the 65+ demo (nothing like calling up a station and listening to the sales pitch about their strength with 35+, I tell them I want them because they are strong with 65+ and listen to them squirm.) Nothing like knowing more about the market than the sales rep when negotiating (Rich Shaftan, NJ, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Hi Folks, Happy New Year! If you missed our special netcast on January 1st, we celebrated the New Year with audio clips from many countries as they rang in 2002. Some examples are, Australia, Thailand, Iran, Israel, Martinique, Mozambique, Sri Lanka, plus many more. These were lengthy audio clips (not just 5-4-3-2-1 HAPPY NEW YEAR!) several audio clips ran for 15 minutes or more. So you get a good feel for how other parts of the world celebrate New Years Eve. You are invited to listen to the replay now running 24/7 on my live365 server. There are several methods that you can use to listen to CyberShortwave: First is to go to The CyberShortwave Page on Live365.com http://www.live365.com/stations/10164 (Don`t forget to make CyberShortwave one of your presets!) A shortcut would be set your Winamp or Real Player ``Open Location`` (CRTR-L) to http://66.28.48.190:9020 (note: not in your web browser) Another way is to go the main http://www.live365.com/ and do a search for cybershortwave. This was part 1 of a 2 part special. We will be back live again on Sunday January 6th at 1600 UT with some new audio clips of New Year celebrations around the world. More details about CyberShortwave are on my web site www.n1dk.com 73, (Dave Kirby N1DK, http://www.n1dk.com/ swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A [non]: VOA/RFE/RL schedule to ME/Afghanistan. Updated and revised on Dec. 28, 2001: ARABIC VOA 0500-0530 15705 IRA 500/334 17855 IRA 500/332 0730-0830 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17875 KAV 250/095 1100-1200 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17895 KAV 250/095 1400-1500 11690 KAV 250/051 15265 MOR 250/084 17795 MOR 250/083 1500-1600 11955 KAV 250/051 15120 MOR 250/083 15265 MOR 250/084 17795 MOR 250/083 1600-1700 11950 LAM 100/112 15120 MOR 250/083 17795 MOR 250/083 AZERI RL 1400-1500 11795 BIB 100/085 15430 BIB 100/085 17605 RMP 500/092 DARI VOA 0200-0230 6035 DUS 100/180 6170 KAV 250/100 9705 UDO 500/308 9750 IRA 500/304 0230-0300 6035 DUS 100/180 6170 KAV 250/100 9750 UDO 500/308 15580 PHT 250/315 15705 IRA 500/333 17780 PHT 250/283 1045-1100 13660 UDO 500/308 15215 IRA 500/340 17665 IRA 500/340 1215-1230 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1530-1630 7260 UDO 500/300 11770 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1630-1700 9705 PHT 250/315 9875 KAV 250/095 11760 KAV 250/095 1900-1930 7260 UDO 500/308 9575 UDO 500/304 11865 IRA 500/340 ENGLISH VOA 0000-0100 5995 MOR 250/067 6015 MOR 250/084 6105 MOR 250/083 7265 MOR 250/083 0100-0300 5995 MOR 250/067 6015 MOR 250/084 6105 MOR 250/083 7255 MOR 250/083 0600-0730 12025 KAV 250/095 15335 KAV 250/112 15425 MOR 250/075 0830-0930 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17875 KAV 250/095 0930-1100 15140 KAV 250/095 (ex 15165 to avoid NHK in Japanese) 15235 KAV 250/112 17895 KAV 250/095 1200-1400 15170 KAV 250/095 15260 KAV 250/112 17630 KAV 250/095 ENGLISH VOA 2100-2200 6160 KAV 250/112 7140 KAV 250/105 9530 KAV 250/108 2200-2400 6160 KAV 250/112 7290 KAV 250/105 9530 KAV 250/108 9880 KAV 250/095 KAZAKH RL 1500-1600 5005 DUS 100/045 <<<<< but really RL in Turkmen!!! 6055 HOL 100/059 12010 MOR 250/059 1600-1700 5005 DUS 100/045 <<<<< but really VOA in Bangla!!! 7105 HOL 100/059 11920 MOR 250/059 KYRGHYZ RL 0200-0300 5035 DUS 100/045 9555 KAV 250/316 11795 IRA 500/340 1500-1600 9595 KAV 250/051 11760 WOF 250/070 13615 IRA 500/314 PASHTO VOA 0100-0130 6170 KAV 250/100 7145 LAM 100/088 9750 IRA 500/334 0130-0200 6170 KAV 250/100 7145 LAM 100/088 9705 UDO 500/308 9750 IRA 500/340 1030-1045 13660 UDO 500/308 15215 IRA 500/340 17665 IRA 500/340 1200-1215 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1400-1430 6170 DUS 100/180 11770 UDO 500/300 13605 UDO 500/300 15515 WOF 250/082 15705 IRA 500/340 17680 MOR 250/067 1430-1530 11770 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 17680 MOR 250/067 1830-1900 7270 UDO 500/308 9505 UDO 500/304 11865 IRA 500/340 PERSIAN VOA 0300-0430 15705 IRA 500/334 1130-1230 15415 KAV 250/051 17560 KAV 250/095 17730 IRA 500/334 1230-1300 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1430-1530 13650 LAM 100/104 15290 MOR 250/067 17855 MOR 250/067 PERSIAN RL 0000-0100 6170 KAV 250/100 9750 IRA 500/334 0430-0500 15705 IRA 500/334 17855 IRA 500/332 1900-2000 6150 DUS 100/264 7175 BIB 100/085 11835 KAV 250/095 TAJIK RL 0100-0200 4760 DUS 100/045 6050 LAM 100/075 7275 KAV 250/096 0330-0400 6050 LAM 100/075 7275 LAM 100/075 9585 UDO 500/311 1400-1500 12010 IRA 500/340 15405 MOR 250/067 17660 BIB 100/085 1630-1700 4760 DUS 100/045 9695 UDO 500/321 11705 LAM 100/075 TURKMEN RL 1400-1500 9805 BIB 100/085 12030 BIB 100/085 15185 KAV 250/085 1630-1700 11770 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 URDU VOA 0100-0130 6030 KAV 250/105 7175 KAV 250/105 9705 UDO 500/300 1700-1800 11975 UDO 500/300 <<< extended ex 1700-1730 13680 IRA 500/356 <<< extended ex 1700-1730 15130 UDO 500/308 <<< extended ex 1700-1730 UZBEK RL 0500-0600 11750 KAV 250/050 11905 LAM 100/075 17870 IRA 500/340 1300-1400 13605 UDO 500/300 15705 IRA 500/340 1600-1700 6180 JUL 100/108 <<<<< but listed for RL in Tatar!!! 12020 BIB 100/085 17805 IRA 500/334 UZBEK VOA 1230-1300 13650 IRA 500/334 15270 UDO 500/316 <<<<< additional freq 15325 UDO 500/316 17555 IRA 500/348 BIB=Biblis, Germany DUS=Dushanbe, Tajikistan JUL=Juelich, Germany IRA=Iranawila, Sri Lanka KAV=Kavala, Greece LAM=Lampertheim, Germany MOR=Morocco PHT=Philippines UDO=Udorn Thani, Thailand WOF=Wooferton, UK (Observer, Bulgaria, Jan 2 via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 6155, Banda Oriental, Sarandi del Yi. 0223-0243 January 1. Special transmission for New Year celebration. Local songs and tropical music. ID by female at 0227 as: "Transmitiendo en 6155 CWA155 Banda Oriental. Recepcionamos tu mensaje a nuestro correo electrónico: norasan@adinet.com.uy `` 44444. At 0300 UT s/off (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Some Spanish speakers regard ``recepcionar`` as an atrocity. But, hey, in English we could say ``receptionate`` (gh, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. I've posted some still frames of my RCTV F2 reception on the web. Pix are not exactly clear - heck it was a real strain to even ID them. You sure see a lot more watching a tape going 30 frames/sec than by viewing single frames. Anyhow, the pix are at.. http://members.rogers.com/cyyz1/F2/YVVG.html I added a link to what I think is live RCTV video. Cheers, (Bill Hepburn, Ont., WTFDA topica list via WORLD OF RADIO 1112, DXLD) I could not get the video link to work. I tried using the websites link (Vtuner.com) only to get the same result. However, if you pay close attention to the bottom of the screen when you click on the link, the actual URL flashes on it (which RealPlayer fails to find): http://www.vtuner.com/vtunerweb/ram/rctv.ram ("End of message. End of transmission.", Ryan Grabow, Patchogue, Long Island, New York http://www.egrabow.com/dx/ ibid.) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. 6145.0, SW Radio Africa (New station to Zimbabwe), 12/30, *1600-1635, IS (piano music for 1 minute), then local song and IDs, mission statement, programme announcements, phone-ins, messages etc., in Shona, Ndebele and English. Often used slogans: "SW Radio Africa - the voice you can trust" and "SW Radio Africa - Zimbabwe's independent voice". E-mail address announced: views@swradioafrica.com and the local cell phone No.: 023 275 030. Excellent and very strong signal which would be consistent with a local (South African) transmitter, although Madagascar would provide comparable strength on this frequency at this hour. Did not have a chance to check if this station replaces Voice of The People. The programming and the style would indicate the same crowd. The quality of the signal is perfect and the whole operation is absolutely professional, i.e. the programmes must be made by skilled personnel and journalists in a top quality studio (Vashek Korinek, RSA, via DXplorer, via DSWCI DX Window Jan 2 via hcdx via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-001, January 1, 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. For restrixions and searchable 2002 contents archive see} http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2001 contents archive see http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxldmid1.html Check the WOR websites: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/ http://www.worldofradio.com/ [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 #1111 (STREAM) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1111.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1111.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1111.html NEXT AIRINGS on RFPI: UT Wed 0100, 0700, 1300 on some of: 7445-USB/AM, 15040v, 21815-USB HOLIDAY MONITORING: both programming and DX, shortwave and web: http://www.worldofradio.com/holiday.html soon replaced by: http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS It was a fine year for the wonderful job you do for the whole bunch of us. What is the current count of people that rely on your love of radio receiving DXLD nearly everyday. I think if I were you I would count myself satisfied as loving what I do and at the same time helping others do the same. Who will take your place? There is no one. Of course, that has many years to come. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU GLENN, THE MAN BEHIND SHORTWAVE STAYING A PART OF OUR LIVES (LeRoy Long, OK) Sure, having html links would be handy, but IMHO it's not too much trouble to copy/paste the URL from the DXLD text into the browser. Not sure we want to ask you to do all that extra work with html, Glenn! [** headers] This works for me. I often convert the text to a smaller font so I can get an "overall view" of what the particular DXLD offers, and if I don't have time to read all I want to, I sometimes highlight specific text segments to be read later, or save that text as a separate file (Saul Broudy) Hi Glenn, Can I take this opportunity to thank you for all your work in producing DXLD and WoR - it is much appreciated. On the subject of html vs txt formatting of DXLD - I'm not sure that the benefits of html versions really warrant the additional workload on your part - so my vote is to stay with txt formatting. With all best wishes for the New Year (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK) I have already publicized .html starting with this issue, so will try it for a while, reserving the right to go back to .txt (gh) ** ALGERIA. Noted here evenings in French on 252 kHz LW. They used to carry the international service 1900-2100 in Spanish and English but now is just carrying the French Channel 3. The international service broadcasts, both longwave and shortwave. are still listed on the station website but have not been heard for some time (Mike Barraclough, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 14370-LSB, Radio Continental; 0255-0308 Dec. 29, excellent level with rapidfire M&W newscast over music bed. Into Eric Carmen's "All By Myself" at 0258, six time sounders top of hour across the song, ID 0301 and into talk program. Audio on LSB channel only (Terry Krueger, Clearwater FL, Tocobaga DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Please be advised that the DARWIN facility is presently limited to two simultaneous transmissions, pending completion of technical and antenna upgrading, staff resourcing, and expansion of production capability. Six transmitters will ultimately be available for 24-hr operation. Transmissions are at presently confined to "daytime only" services, between 2130 and 0800. The current official operational schedule is: 11935 2130-2330 RA Indonesian " 2330-0000 VI * Indonesian 13620 2200-0000 RA English 17645 0130-0500 VI English " 0500-0700 VI * Mandarin 17820 0700-0800 VI * Mandarin 21680 0000-0030 RA Indonesian " 0030-0130 VI * Indonesian " 0130-0400 VI English " 0400-0430 RA Indonesian " 0430-0500 VI * Indonesian " 0500-0530 RA Indonesian " 0530-0800 VI * Indonesian Programming in Mandarin and Indonesian has been introduced on a limited basis (denoted by * above), which replaces former programming in English. English programming is offered when Indonesian or Mandarin is not available. Planned projected usage: 2030-2200 7170 VI 2030-2130 11935 VI 0000-0130 17775 VI VI: Voice International --- RA: Radio Australia 24-hr operation is planned at some future date. There is some concern at co-channel interference in the primary target area on 11935 from Saudi Arabia, which uses that channel for its Koran network up to 2300*. Note that the correct name of the broadcaster is "Voice International". The former name of "Christian Voice -Australia" is redundant. VI programming is essentially that of the parent organisation "Christian Vision", based in the UK, carrying satellite feeds of its African English service, as broadcast over its Zambia facility (Bob Padula, Melbourne, Australia, EDXP Jan 1 via DXLD) ** CHINA. CNR8, 11815, at 0748 30 Dec in Mongolian. Heard something like Menggu. Presumed. Astonishingly clear for this time (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. 5975.17, Radio Macarena, 0645 Jan 1, Apparent broadcast of New Year's celebrations with live audience. Continuous singing by a live band (guitar and horns) with announcements in Spanish. Good signal until Voice of Hope intro at 0656 and sign on at 0700 (Mark Fine, Remington VA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 6529-USB, the babbler; 1147-1156 Dec. 30, the live, singing numbers M. Near tune-out, another SP M checked in w/numbers and babble, several "O-K's" and back to numbers. USB, excellent (Terry Krueger, Clearwater FL, Tocobaga DX via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. Radio Prague 6200, at 0217 28 Dec. Good. Excellent on // 7345. Story about a Communist Museum. It's subleasing space from a Mickey Ds. You gotta love it (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) R. Prague will be talking about Radio Prague's QSL cards for the year 2002 in Mailbox on Jan. 6th 2002. I hope you can tune in and that reception will be good. 73's (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. The rfo.fr Web site is unreachable again, with the error message "unknown host." (Mike Cooper, GA, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hello, let me herewith express my best wishes for the new year. Recently I managed to do the first step in overcoming a personal crisis, and my engagement in radio-related matters proved very, very helpful in this context. Certainly a good reason to continue. Allow me to insert some left-wing stuff: For various reasons I am quite worried about the current situation here in Germany, namely the part which was once known as the GDR. The behaviour of the politicians shows some awkward similarities to old GDR times. For other aspects I just refer to a recent report about LBH Radio, which mentioned threats from a Nazi group, which was explicitly called "East German". By the way, when returning from the restaurant I went into the bank to find the slot machine indeed operational again. Already the third currency for me, in just 12 years, and without any loss of my savings. Quite unusual I think. Once a radio station (which operated from the Nalepastraße radiohouse at Berlin of course) used this claim: Power from the Eastside. That's it. Happy New Year! (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GREECE. Voice of Greece English, 1930-2000, now on 11645 ex 12110 (Mike Barraclough, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** HAWAII. I listened and taped the last 1/2 hour of KAIM 870 (0930- 1000 UT) and heard Christian pops. At 0950 a really 'moving" message from Jack Waters PD for KAIM thanking people for all the many years of support for KAIM. Talked about starting out in the 50s. Closing with Christian music, then "This is KAIM Honolulu signing off." at 0959.50 UT. An end of an era. 73s, (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, NRC-AM Jan 1 via DXLD) ** IRELAND. From The Irish Times 29 December 2001 Calls for de Valera to prevent sale of radio mast, By Joe Humphreys The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, has been urged to prevent the sale of Ireland's only long-wave radio transmitter to an overseas commercial interest. In a last-ditch effort to stop the deal, Mr Enda O'Kane, a former RTÉ employee who has been campaigning on the issue for several months, has appealed to the Minister to ensure the transmitter is protected as a national asset. Located in Summerhill, Co Meath, the facility is currently used by the radio station Atlantic 252, which mainly broadcasts popular music to the UK and Ireland. Earlier this month, Radio Tara Ltd, which owns the station, sold 80 per cent of its interest for £2 million to TEAMtalk Media Group, which plans to use the transmitter to broadcast a 24-hour sports radio station to the UK. Mr O'Kane said the transmitter was currently being "misused" by broadcasting wall-to-wall pop music. But this was no reason to allow it be sold to a commercial interest with no public service broadcasting dimension, he said. RTÉ, which owns 20 per cent of Atlantic 252, along with the licence for broadcasting on the transmitter, sanctioned the sale two weeks ago. Mr O'Kane said, however, he believed the Minister had the power to prevent the deal going through. He said the transmitter could be used for a "national emergency channel" that could be utilised in the case of a nuclear emergency as part of the national nuclear emergency plan. It could also be used for all-Ireland programming in accordance with the aspirations of the Belfast Agreement. "There is an important north-south dimension. This is the only long-wave facility on the island of Ireland. It should be used for native programming," he said. Supporting the campaign for the retention of the transmitter is the former taoiseach, Mr John Bruton, who said it should be used "to rebroadcast to Britain a mix of Irish programmes output from northern and southern stations, both commercial and public." A spokesperson for Ms de Valera was unavailable for comment last night." (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Kol Israel announced some changes of frequencies effective December 15th for English, 0500-0515 on 6280 7520 17545 and 2000-2025 on 6280 7520 15640 15650. However during monitoring of the 2000-2025 transmission observed here on 6280 7520 and 9435, neither of the 19 metre band frequencies heard (Edwin Southwell, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** ITALY. Hello Glenn, December 31st: I just listened to the last transmission from the Forlì station of Adventist World Radio: their program in Italian from 1000 to 1100 UT on 9740 kHz. This is another SW station leaving the air, although AWR program will continue through other transmitters worldwide. But, as I happen to live in Forlì, this sign off has a particular meaning for me: my city is now disappearing from the SW maps. AWR's log-periodic antenna on the hills was part of a familiar landscape and I suppose now it will be dismantled. Every time I passed nearby, I wondered how DXing would have been using such an antenna. Probably nothing really special, but it was one of those DX dreams, like owning one of those mega-bucks science-fiction receivers. Now it's gone for ever. Tomorrow I'll have a SW station less and a new money to deal with, the Euro. My best wishes for a happy and peaceful new year to you and to all readers (Fabrizio Magrone, Forlì, Italy, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) When waking up at 1015 I immediately grabbed the radio and tuned to 9740, only to find a faint carrier, on peaks with traces of audio deep, deep in the noise floor. After 1100 the carrier was gone, confirming that I indeed monitored the last twitches of Forlì (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 31, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Subject : [BDXC-UK] Caroline and Delta 171 DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). A response to rumours from the station manager, Peter Moore piratecaroline@cs.com on RadioCarolineMailinglist@yahoogroups.com : "We ( Radio Caroline ) have expressed officially our interest in 171 kHz on the basis that the Delta organisation do not seem to be progressing toward actually sending a signal of any sort and since we felt that they were liable to have their licence revoked by the Dutch courts. This did happen and our interest has been noted. Of course there is no point in everyone getting excited at this time, so let us instead concentrate on the Dutch activity of getting on to four cable networks on Jan 26th and our own wish to be on a 28 degree satellite and/or W/Space. It is very early days before Caroline might go looking for a huge redundant bulk carrier. Nice idea though. Peter Moore 1.1.2002 (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. 15120, Voice of Nigeria not noted December 31st at 1020; have not heard them for some weeks (Mike Barraclough, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Well, I often check this around 0500- 0600 and have not noticed them missing at that hour (gh, OK, DXLD) 15120 at 0736. Heard as late as 0900 30 Dec. Neat reception (Liz Cameron, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORWAY. Indeed Radio Norway International programming is still up today, even starting with news. The rest consists merely of farewell songs with some presenter talk (certainly Einar Lie as announced) in between. So perhaps it is on spot to say that RNI did yesterday its last regular broadcasts with full editorial work. Later: Some aurora is up at present and spoiled my plans to record the farewell of Radio Norway International. Now, after 0000, 1314 is still fluttery but co-located (for this slot) 7490 usable, allowing me to learn how shortwave from Norway sounds now, on the day after. It started with a really weird kind of interval signal: A single short pip at about 2359, five short pips immediately before joining the P1 feed at 0000. Interestingly 7490 was a slight delay behind 1314. At 0030 the plug was pulled abruptly inmidst an ongoing pop song, and after about 30 seconds silence Radio Denmark started. No announcement, which could be inserted automatically into the shortwave feed, nothing. That's no doubt a mere "we feed something into the transmitters we cannot get rid of". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Dec 31-Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7470 // Other frequencies, Radio Norway, Presumed last day broadcast but heard different programs at different times. From 0100-0125 on 7470 // 9495 heard the "English friendly" broadcast with much music reported by others; From 0200-0229 on 7470 // 9590 heard a broadcast consisting mostly of American blues music mostly sung in English; and from 0300-0325 on 7465 heard jazzy music mostly by female vocalists in English. (Lee Silvi, Mentor, NE OH, 1/1/2002, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Address for QSL-reports: Post- og teletilsynet, Ski Radio, Postboks 102, 1401 SKI, NORWAY. Take care :-) 73 de (TSBauge /LA9BEA - Norway, hard-core-dx, via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. Radio Pakistan English news noted 1100-1105 December 31st strong on 17520 and 21465, had been noted starting 1055 a couple of months back (Mike Barraclough, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. I've just re-established an old habit I had in the 60's. On New Years Eve, at 15 local time, 14 Greenwich Mean Time, I was tuned to 4890, just to hear the bells and "Auld Lang Syne" from Port Moresby, nine hours before anybody else in Sweden heard our own bells. It still works. And still it's the first local broadcast from anywhere in the world that can be monitored here, I think. It was fun to say at the party later that I'd already heard the bells live, nine hours earlier. Of course it gave me some incredulous looks. A short explanation, which very few grasped at the moment. Remember this was very long before satellites and global TV and many of the readers of this were not born. And this year : A minister working himself and the audience into a frenzy, and a countdown that was approximately 20 seconds early, but the bells sounded at exactly 14UT. And "Auld Lang Syne" followed. So here's a hint for Dec 31, 2002, 1400 UT : 4890 PNG 2003 New Year's Celebrations. 73 and Happy DX-ing 2002 (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have the same tradition, but this year it was below the noise level here (gh, OK, DXLD) ** POLAND. In Radio Polonia`s Media Magazine as well as discussing leasing of time from Jülich and Slovakia there was a suggestion that they might, in the future, use a long wave transmitter with the Digital Radio Mondiale system for their external service (Mike Barraclough, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** RUSSIA [non]. Re: ``V of Russia on 11500: A recent list from Nikolai Rudnev confirms that this freq originates from TJK, 1200-1500, listed power 500 kW, so this would be the recently discussed Orzu site. I think VoR uses 11500 from there already for quite some time. By the way, Voice of Mesopotamia on 11530 is via UZB (Kai Ludwig-D, DXLD Dec 24)`` I believe that VOR on 11500 at 1500-1600 still originates from Xi'an [CHINA]. The very harsh audio indicates that. TJK relays as a rule have extremely soft audio. Moreover, the fact that 11500 goes off at 1557 is an even better indicator of a Chinese site (Olle Alm, Sweden, Jan 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SURINAME. 4990.95, Radio Apintie 0726 Jan 1, Popular music played with DJ-like announcements in Dutch by man. ID given at 0728. Some occasional QRM as well as QRN from unusually high noise level. Otherwise fair signal with some fading (Mark J. Fine / Remington, Virginia, USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWITZERLAND/FRANCE. Unusual propagation. Recent high solar activity continues to provide unusual nighttime DX on upper SW broadcast bands. Remarkably strong 13 meter reception was observed here in the SE USA on 30 Dec between 0930 and 1100 (or 0330 and 0500 local time). 21770, Swiss Radio International [Sottens site], 0955, Swiss folk music, with strong 10 db over S9 signal, using 13 meter magnetic loop. Even 11 meters was open briefly around 0950: 25820, R France International, 0950, RFI was audible with fair signal (David Hodgson, Nashville TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TRINIDAD & TOBAGO. F2 TVDX: See PROPAGATION section at bottom ** U S A. WINB using new 9320, 1200-1300 Monday to Friday and 1100- 1300 Saturday and Sunday (Joachim Thiel, A-DX via Wolfgang Büschel, Jan World DX Club Contact via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** U S A. Except for my 2 locals, WTAW 1620 TX has always been the strongest X band station here. At 800 miles distance they completely cover KBLI which is only 400 miles from me. I can't even null WTAW. I attribute the terrific signal to their huge 204 degree radiator. That is definitely a long distance antenna. Most X banders are lucky to have a 90 degree antenna. For comparison WLS has a 189 degree antenna, WBAP is 192 degrees and KOA is 208 degrees. I'm really surprised that the FCC didn't force WTAW to use a lower night power since they are using such a tall antenna (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. 1640 FLORIDA (unlicensed) "La Primerísima 1640 AM," Tampa; 1640-1655 Dec. 30, good while northwest of downtown, near the station (Columbus at Himes), with nonstop Puerto Rican salsa. They continue to audio stream from the link on their URL http://www.primerisima893.com/ 87.9 MHz FLORIDA (unlicensed) "87X," Tampa; 1535-1640 Dec. 30, actually heard with an ID, a canned M "87X" promo, referencing that on 87X is where you'll hear alternative music by bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, etc. Into nonstop techno and industrial music. Station history, archival newspaper features and schedule is on their URL http://www.elastik.com/87x/index.html Interestingly, this was the only unlicensed Tampa FM station active. Even previously FCC-visited/returned to air 103.1-Radio Galaxie and 89.3-Power 89.3 were untraced at this time. Observations from Tampa while mobile (Terry L. Krueger, Clearwater FL, Tocobaga DX via DXLD Visit my "Florida Low Power Radio Stations" at: http://home.earthlink.net/~tocobagadx/flortis.html ** U S A. Happy New Year SWL's. If you are up and about this first day of 2002 (or 2nd on the other side of the dateline) you may want to tune in to Dave Kirby's streaming audio about SWL'ing on New Years Eve and New Years Day. Set Real Player or Winamp MP3 player ["Location" (CTRL-L)] to http://66.28.48.190:9020/ (Pete Costello, NJ, Jan 1, swltalk via DXLD) ** U S A. ``TV Wastes Spectrum...`` The December 3 issue of ELECTRONIC MEDIA has an article about a quote by FCC Chairman Michael Powell where Powell questions the wisdom of using spectrum for television broadcast. Powell is quoted as saying, "There is some truth to the fact that if trends continue in which the mass market is not actually using the air-waves as a vehicle for receiving the product, then there's danger that the spectrum is underutilized." He noted that more than 86 percent of consumers already pay for satellite or cable delivery. Cable and satellite penetration are high, but Powell does not take into account that many of those households also have sets that are receiving TV programming over-the-air. Many homes have sets (sometimes small ones) located in kitchens, garages, decks and patios, bedrooms, etc. that are not connected to cable or satellite. And, of course, some of these people rely on over-the-air broadcasts when the cable goes out. In this area, which is prone to tornados and severe thunderstorms, people take these small sets (often battery operated) to the basement to monitor local weather radar and listen to local weather. There are also seasonal viewers (including my family with a cabin in New Mexico) where cable is not available and installing and paying for DBS for three months is not realistic. All of our (for Americans anyway) TV DX could be from foreign stations if the FCC eliminates over-the-air broadcasts. They have already removed channels 70-83 and will soon eliminate 59-69. Channel 14 may also be doomed for DTV use (Dave Pomeroy, Topeka, Kansas, Dec 31, WTFDA via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. F2 TVDX: see PROPAGATION section at bottom ** ZIMBABWE [non]. SW Radio Africa, 6145: Radio Russia and co-channel that did not sound like an African here 1600 30/12. The station has an extensive website at http://www.swradioafrica.com including live streaming, broadcast archives and several emotional and supportive comments from listeners in Zimbabwe. It seems to be UK based but use of 6 MHz would suggest a transmitter site quite close to Zimbabwe (Mike Barraclough, England, Jan World DX Club Contact via DXLD) BTW, they always seem to say ``S-W``, not ``shortwave``. Maybe it means something else? (gh, DXLD) PROPAGATION --- F2 TVDX EVENT - a few excerpts of an extensive thread on the WTFDA topica list. The F2 Channel 2 event mentioned in last issue was on Dec 30, but recurred on Dec 31 (gh) For anyone interested in F2 skip, check out this website: http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Lot/2941/f2/f2.htm Has a lot of interesting stuff plus photos of this dxer's reception. (Jim Thomas, wdx0fbu, Milliken, Colorado WTFDA All of the web site descriptions I read describe F2 perfectly. If you take the reporter locations and draw two arcs on a map for each at 2,100 and 2,400 miles you should find intersections where different location arcs overlap. I suspect although I have not done this you will quickly see to the SE- for all involved - arcs that intersect from San Juan (channel 2) through Caracas (channel 2). Most would over the period of the event have had two or more ch 2 video stations received. The lack of antenna directivity is explained by two factors: (1) The signals were very strong, and more important, (2) the elevation angle of arrival was quite high - in vicinity of 15 degrees up. Thus the directors and reflector on your antenna were NOT in line with the dipole/driven element and as you rotate the antenna they are simply "not there" which means it is the dipole alone that is doing the work (the signals were coming in on a plane higher than the director/reflectors so the dipole was "bare"). With so many DXers participating and so much film being shot, I would expect our super sleuths to sort out which stations in short order! In envy, Bob Cooper in "No F2 today" New Zealand (via Mike Bugaj, WTFDA) The opening was created by a perfectly timed CME (coronal mass ejection) event on the sun; had it occurred two hours earlier (sun time) and the "opening" would have been over Africa or two hours later and it would have hit over the Pacific. When the energy from such an occurrence strikes our ionosphere, it acts like a snow plow and creates high MUF (maximum useable frequency) puddles (imagine snow banks in Buffalo except they are ionized atoms piled up by the CME's pressures striking in our northern polar region) at locations determined by the geomagnetic lines of force and the relative position between sun and earth at that particular point in time. This particular "puddle" appears to have been fairly long east by west with sharply defined edges or lines of MUF to the north and south; probably centered E-W along about 25 to 20 degrees north. The MUF apparently never reached 59.75 MHz for any portion of the puddle (I.e. nobody reports any audio) but it was above 55.25 MHz (channel 2 video frequency) and stopped someplace before 59.75. The reason the images became dark (low in contrast) at the end is because the MUF was dropping as the puddle moved with the rotation of the earth to the west, and, the MUF began to drop lacking re-enforcement from the original CME occurrence. When the MUF was in the 58 MHz region, DXers had reasonable brightness and contrast levels. When the MUF fell down to 57 and then 56 MHz and finally below 55, the brightness went away because the bandwidth being propagated was getting smaller and smaller and as a result less and less video information was getting through to your TV receiver. With less and less video information, the brightness fell to heck in a hand basket leaving only badly distorted sync pulses and a very minimal amount of video information. Another happening at the very end is that multiple paths are greatly reduced, resulting in much better definition (less smearing). Unfortunately, this happens simultaneously with a loss of video information (brightness) so just when you could probably begin to read station logos supered on the screen the brightness fails. A very interesting thing happens when there is alignment between F2 and an Es cloud. Had somebody been in the right spot in say Manitoba or Alberta or Montana, and had there been an Es opening at the same time towards Tennessee-Arkansas-Missouri, the F2 reception striking the ground in the US Midwest could have been propagated onward by Es. Here's the fascinating part. When this happens there is much higher clarity, a result of much less smearing, of the video on the Es extension of the F2. The Es extension functions as a focusing device, eliminates many of the multi-path signals from the F2 and actually cleans up the reception! The best F2 pictures I have ever seen (real time or on video or in photos) were when there was Es extension of F2. The same effect occurs with evening TEP (trans equatorial propagation) - which is as hopeless to "watch" and identify as the F2 so many experienced yesterday. It is essential to understanding what is happening here to realise the F2 reflective area is very large - compared with Es "clouds" and thus there are hundreds or thousands of constantly mobile (changing) reflection points between you and the transmitter. Each of these "points" creates reception and when they are combined at your receiving aerial, there are slight (millisecond) timing differences between any two of these reflection points. This is the same effect one sees terrestrially with "ghosting" only in this case the ghost "paths" are constantly changing as the ionosphere is constantly in motion and there are not one or two ghost paths - there are hundreds and thousands. In those fleeting seconds or partial seconds when the paths align, you suddenly - briefly - have reasonably clean - not smeared - reception. It happens a very tiny percentage of the total time - perhaps as small as 1 minute total per hour of reception and then in bites of a fraction of a second to maybe 2 or 3 seconds maximum. For most observers this will have been the first - and regrettably the last - F2 they will experience in North America in this solar cycle (cycle # 23) and perhaps their lifetime. Take good care of those tapes! (Bob Cooper, NZ via Mike Bugaj) Mike, Bob's info on F2 propagation is good, solid stuff, and I like Bob's theory of an arriving CME as being the cause of the recent, unusual F2 activity. However, there's a problem with the theory in this particular case... The coronal mass ejection (CME) to which Bob is referring arrived at Earth at 2010 UT (3:10 PM EST), well after our morning F2 receptions. It was the result of an X3-Class solar flare that happened on the 28th. The CME in question was not squarely directed at Earth, and caused only a minor rise in geomagnetic activity when it did impact. Source: NOAA "Space Weather Now" at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ftpdir/forecasts/RSGA/1231RSGA.txt I can't find any specific solar or geomagnetic events over the past two days that can be associated with the F2 activity -- other than a "moderate" solar radiation storm that had been in progress over much of the last 24 hours. It's status was just downgraded a little while ago to "minor", but it's still ongoing. (Girard Westerberg, Lexington, KY) I still think that you guys have seen enough to hopefully, after an intensive web search find what you saw. My old 1995 WRTVH does list many stations on 2 in Central and South America and a couple in the Carib. Newer WRTH's don't seem to list TV stations. Many major stations have web sites and some can be watched online. By clicking on this link http://www.rctv.net/programs/default.asp and then clicking on the RCTV screen to the right just above "en vivo" you can watch Venezuela's RCTV online. I watched for half an hour and never saw a black person in any ads or on their website, so I suspect the station you guys saw was something else. Here near Chicago there was evidence of QRM on WBBM but that was it. I assume that other major Latin TV networks can be watched online or more likely, someone can recognize a logo or person from a website. http://www.ukwtv.de/de/publikationen/tvlist/SAm3.pdf http://www.ukwtv.de/de/publikationen/tvlist/CAm3.pdf The Germans come thru again...hope this helps someone solve the great F2 mystery. You'll also see that there aren't that many possibilities and hopefully, by careful cross checking with 2 meters, maybe some can be ruled out. 73 KAZ (Neil Kazaross, WTFDA) This came off the German website. Thanks to Neil Kaz for this. I think we've narrowed down the list of stations considerably. (video kw is listed right after language (ss) ) VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Tachira TVN ss 5 w / n VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Santiago RADIO COOPERATIVA T ss w / n SUR 59,7500 55,2500 A2 M Paramaribo ATV TELESUR ss w / n VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Zulia RCTV ss 400 w / n VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Caracas RCT ss 132 61 66w56/10n30 VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M D.Federal RCTV ss 132 w / n VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Maracaibo RCT ss 105,6 52,8 71w37/10n40 VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Bolivar RCTV ss 80 w / n VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Anzoategui RCTV ss 20 w / n VEN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Portuguesa RCTV ss 12 w / n CUB 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M La Habana TELE REBELDE ss 132 h 82w22/23n08 CUB 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Santiago de Cuba CUBAVISION ss 32 75w49/20n01 CUB 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Babiney TELE REBELDE ss 8 h w / n CUB 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Pilon CUBAVISION ss 3 w / n not in wrth90 CUB 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Manzanillo CUBAVISION ss 0,3 77w07/20n21 not in wrth90 [so is all this 12 yrs old??? -gh] DOM 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Santo Domingo TELEANTILLAS ss 25 5 69w54/18n28 DOM 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Cibao / Costa Norte COLOR VISION ss 10 3,5 w /n PNR 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Cerro Azul TV NACIONAL 650 w / n [PANAMA] PNR 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M TVN CHIRIQUI ss w / n Reg.-px? SCN 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Basseterre/St. Kitts & Nevis ZIZ TV ee 0,2 62w43/17n18 TRD 55,2500 59,7500 A2 M Port of Spain T&T TV ee 12 6 61w31/10n39 end Based on what Bob Cooper is saying about distances: 2100-2400 miles, I would bet that the most likely possibility for my 2 is Trinidad and Tobago @ 2243 miles. St. Kitts is only 1784 miles, Santo Domingo (which could have blacks on TV) is only 1581 miles -- practically Eskip range. Cuba IS eskip range, although heard once for every 100 times Texas at an even farther distance comes in. Unfortunately, the TTT web site is a perfect example of efficiency under the Socialist model and has no useful information. The one thing I did find out from my initial search is that there are a lot of Indians in T&T and the woman with the stringy black hair parted in the middle looked Indian. I'll pick out a relatively clear shot and email it to those who would like to take a look (Rick Shaftan in Sparta NJ, [who manages to get rightwing politics even into this].) I also wouldn't rule out things further away. Note that Jeff in IL was getting the Baltic countries in Europe (2 hop ?) Also, Surinam has many Indians as well, and contrary to the German site, they aren't a SS station. 73 (KAZ) Just spoke to NBN in Trinidad and they said that the programming matches what they had on at the time. I am emailing the pic now. (Rick Shaftan) Oh I hope so!! And what is amazing is that Jeff in Macomb (842 miles) away saw the same thing and yet, no one saw the strong YV. However, people did see cartoons and a couple heard SS audio yesterday. The RCTV site does list programs for the day, but only for the current day so one has to wait 'til next Sunday to see of they had cartoons on at the proper. I've been watching 3 possible F2 targets online. Panama (super power), Venezuela and Surinam (which is weak and might require two hops) 73 (KAZ) I believe Trinidad and Tobago Television Ltd has a telephone number of 868 622 4141 (through 4144) and a fax of 868-622-0344. T&T have a significant Indian as well as black population, and the local language for television is primarily English. In 1958, the peak year of the best solar cycle in the 20th century, F2 transcon (across the USA) between Oregon/Washington/California/BC and New England/New York/NE [SE -gh] Canada was reported on channel 2 every day from January 1 to January 9 between 12:00 and 2.30(PM) EST for periods of time that varied from a few minutes to several hours. In November 1958 there was similar reception on 4 dates in November (between 7th and 23rd) occurring between 11:50 AM and 1:05 PM EST. Only one fellow in (Medford) Oregon reported audio from the eastern USA stations (WCBS-TV it turned out) and that lasted for less than 5 minutes. Legendary DXer Gordon Simkin who lived in Loma Linda (Southern) California managed to catch MUF as high as 53.75 MHz to the BBC in UK - rather phenomenal, as well as a French station operating with a video carrier frequency of 52.4 MHz (at that time). Going back further in time, RCA monitored BBC transmissions on 41 and 45 MHz from Riverhead, Long Island in the period January 1937 through March 1939 and found signal levels as high as 500 microvolts. RCA also found that while huge rhombic antennas worked best most of the time, a simple dipole just feet off the ground did produce better signal quality (as separate from signal strength) on many occasions. Simkin reported finding something similar while on Bikini Atoll in the Pacific with F layer reception from Honolulu and Manila (the Philippines). A "large" antenna that produced very strong, heavily smeared images was often inferior to a simple dipole down close to the ground in producing ghost free images or images with a much higher degree of clarity. There is a message here (Bob Cooper, New Zealand, Jan 1) After looking at the videotape again I can tell you what I saw. The best video was from 9:58-10:02am EST when the pictured locked on a few occasions. Ghosting was terrible but here is what I saw. 9:58 woman's face in the center of the screen. next, a camera panning over a field of grain(?) dissolving into clouds, then a shot of a flat coastline (sand and beach). Then, the form of a woman in the center of the pic talking. Next, a camera panning a field with tall grass in the foreground, what looked like mountains in the background and text seemed to appear in the center, swirling larger into the center of the screen. Impossible to read. Then the head of a black man wearing glasses on the left side of the screen facing the center of the screen (to his left). Then what appeared to be a forest scene. Then a woman standing on the left side of the screen facing her left with a blank screen with scrolling text a few secs later. I think it was text. Of course, my wife saw this and it all looked like garbage to her. I would like a 3rd and 4th and 5th opinion. I've been staring at the videotape too long. One of the women looks like Ms. Cleo (Mike Bugaj - Enfield, CT USA, WTFDA Circulation, http://pages.cthome.net/fmdx) I don't know if you ran across this http://www.nbn.co.tt/ or not. From all appearances NBN...umbrella for TTT et al seems to have made a very serious attempt at establishing a website, then, for some reason either didn't complete it or let it go dormant. 20 or 25 years ago, during my first vacation in Trinidad, I visited the TTT studios (along with those of Radio Trinidad 730), and was treated royally. Unfortunately I no longer have any contacts there. One note of interest: the ttt logo on the web site is the same one in use back then for channels 2 and 13 (Tom Bryant, TN) Hi folks, RCTV Venezuela IDed from here in Toronto !!! Yesterday (Monday) while at work I let the VCR tape Channel 2 between 9:27 AM and 12:07 PM EST. I've been playing it back tonight. I was amazed by the instant reception of something out of the ordinary - obviously F2 much like everyone else has described, smeary video, etc. I saw a logo / ID that I was going to look up later when I saw an ad for a newspaper that finished with a distinct map of Venezuela - the shape was unmistakable and I checked it several times with an atlas. (The ad must have been for a national paper). I checked the RCTV website and the logo matches the one I saw! Plus, I saw a large Mickey Mouse head during some cartoons which matches the Club Disney show listed on before 10 AM EST (11 AM AST). Next was a soap opera, which must have been Cuentos De Reyes. All video seen was in B&W. Now there are 3 RCTV stations on Channel 2 ... YVVA Caracas, YVVG Maracaibo and YVVM Ciudad Bolívar. I had one of these. YVVG is the strongest at 400 kW (YVVA is 132 kW), so I will count YVVG unless I can verify that it is YVVA Caracas instead. I still have over an hour of tape to view but I'm dead tired; plus I'd like to get up to check conditions later this morning, so will finish watching tape later. Wow...my first F2 on Channel 2 since 1981. It's been a long 20 years!! (VEM3ONT22, William Hepburn, WTFDA / CIDX, Brampton, Peel, ON, CANADA) TV Eqmt: Rx1 VCR - Samsung SV-5000W World TV Signal Rx Rx2 TV - Panasonic PC-29XF40R (29") Rx3 Audio - Icom IC-R100 com rx Ant - CM VHF & UHF h. yagis @ 47' w/20 db RS VHF & 28 db Anteco UHF amps There likely is no way to tell which one of the three synchros you got unless they break for some local spots. (Which, unlike US stations, they may not do) But there's nothing wrong, IMO with simply counting/calling the DX as RCTV Venezuela. (Same thing with the YV on channel 3 that a couple of guys have seen via 2E --- there are two synchros; perhaps they break for local news or something sometimes) But unless someone from Venezuela tells us differently, we can't assume that they will give local IDs, like US stations when they break from network coverage (KAZ) After lots and lots of review (frame by frame) of Monday's tape, here's what I got... First, I had two "windows" of reception - From 9:10 to 9:28 AM EST, and from 9:40 to approximately 9:58 AM EST. Only a couple of minutes from each reception period yielded any useful video. During both periods the program appears to be a talk show. The "host" is wearing a suit with a dark colored tie. There were several guests sitting next to each other (Tonight Show style) to the host's right. It looks like there is a coffee table in front of the guests. One guest (I can't make out if it was male or female), sitting closest to the host is wearing a dark colored sleeveless vest and has long hair. He/she seems to be holding something (that's the frame I have displayed on DXFM). The show comes to an end just before the top of the hour. I see the credits rolling, but of course can't make out any text. That's where the signal ultimately faded to nothing. At times the bug in the lower right corner looks like a crown or a light colored box shape. At any rate, it's definitely a different bug than the one that was present during Sunday's show (four balls with unreadable letters - probably RCTV). I wonder if that matches up with what anybody else saw? Happy New Year, (Girard Westerberg, Lexington, KY, all: WTFDA Topica list via DXLD) ###
