DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE HOME presents...
DX LISTENING DIGEST 2002 ARCHIVE, PART 3
NOTE: Since the first three months of 2002 file got so huge, >4 MB we have closed it, and renamed it dxldta02.html where it may still be consulted and searched. Likewise, the file containing the second quarter of 2002 is so huge that it is now closed, renamed dxldtb02.html. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-118, July 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 #1141: (ON DEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1141.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1141.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1141.html [available 7/26] WWCR BROADCASTS: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070; Sun 0630 3210, Wed 0930 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600 on 7445-USB, 15038.6 WRN BROADCASTS: Rest of world Sat 0800, North America Sun 1400 NOTE: our main site http://www.worldofradio.com may have some down time in next few days. If so, check for latest info at https://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/anomaly.html SELECTED ENGLISH LANGUAGE DX/SWL/MEDIA PROGRAMS ON SHORTWAVE July 25 update by John Norfolk: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANISTAN. MISSION COMPLETE, From The Radio Magazine 23rd July 2002 London based Voice of Afghanistan has finished its short wave broadcasts to the country after nine months. The station broadcast news and comment during the transitional phase of the Taliban regime to the new Interim Government. Manned by a ten-strong editorial team of well-known broadcasters and journalists who had left Afghanistan to become refugees in London, the station was originally intended to be on air for just three months (via Mike Terry, UK, July 25, DXLD) So nothing here about a 3-month break, and then to return (gh) ** ARGENTINA. I was fascinated by the Radio Liberty item [DXLD 2-117], and although my Spanish is severely limited, I gleaned some insight regarding the "Tokyo Rose" of the 1982 Falklands War. I listened to her nightly as the conflict played out on TV news and BBCWS, a voice speaking from the other side, dreamlike, with all the bravado and naive psychology of that World War II seductress. I think I actually learned of these transmissions on one of your early WOR programs. "Argentine Annie", as she was being called, could be heard daily at midnight UT on 17740 kHz, usually with a good signal. The modulation, however, was mushy, making intelligibility poor. Since then I have been curious as to whom that syrupy voice belonged. Silvia Fernández Barrio styled herself as "...a woman who can say today, more than ever, that the world listens when Argentina speaks." With her taunting words, breathless delivery, and a throaty laugh that she could hardly suppress while speaking about young British soldiers coming to die in the Malvinas, you could picture the wicked femme fatale, a la Marlene Dietrich or Hedy Lamarr, dressed in black satin, smiling into the microphone. "Hel-lo! I'm back - were you waiting for me? Oh, yes! I am Liberty..." Every few minutes, she was interrupted by music guaranteed to make the UK servicemen homesick: Bee Gees, Rod Stewart, Matt Monro, Beatles; even the chimes of Big Ben. Then she would coo some more tidbits of intelligence, so we would know that they knew. The program always opened and closed with an instrumental recording of "Yesterday." It was pure propaganda and pure kitsch, and I doubt that we shall hear anything like it again (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I am tempted to translate the Liberty piece; would anyone like that? (gh) ** AUSTRALIA. R. Australia COMMONWEALTH GAMES COVERAGE Thu. 0910-1000 (replacing AUSTRALIA TALKS BACK) - A History of Australia at the Games. Thu. 1955-2145 - Opening Ceremonies - live from Manchester (on 11650 only) Fri. 0955-2130 - Live Games Coverage (on 11650 only) Sat. 0755-2130 - Live Games Coverage (on 11650 only) Sun. 0655-2130 - Live Games Coverage (on 11650 only) And on regular RA frequencies, CG Reports from Brendan Telfer pre- empting other programming: Fri 2030-2040, Sat 0405-0415, 2145-2200, Sun 0405-0415... (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. VOICE INTERNATIONAL, HINDI TO INDIA If you have entered the Voice International competition, then keep listening to find out if you're a winner. The winners is announced on the first week of the month. If you do not win then please keep trying and keep listening to The voice. Please email us with your requests and dedications for your family and friends. The Voice will bring you music and ministry to feed your spirit and soul. The Voice is currently being transmitted on 13,635 kHz shortwave frequency. As from 5th August 2002 you can hear the voice at the following times Indian Standard Time IST: Monday to Friday 16:30 to 19:30 Dharkhan with Raj Masih [1100-1400 UT] 19:30 to 22:30 Chahat with Harry Dass [1400-1700 UT] Saturday and Sunday 16:30 to 19:30 Jawani {1400-1700 UT] 19:30 to 22:30 Aaina with Reema Braich [1400-1700 UT] Kind regards from Narinder Choranji (Mrs) ****************************************** (via Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, July 25, DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. BURMA/NORWAY: CONFERENCE STRESSES NEED FOR INDEPENDENT MEDIA | Text of report in English by Burmese opposition electronic newspaper BurmaNet News on 20 July The media conference organized by the Oslo-based Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) to commemorate its 10th anniversary came to an end on 20 July. The conference, attended by Burma's prominent journalists and experts, emphasized the importance of the role of independent media in Burma. Since 1962, media in Burma has been tightly controlled by the successive military governments. Free expression and the right to criticize government policy have been completely suppressed. Speaking to the Mizzima News, Mr Vincent Brossel, the Asia-Pacific Director of the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières [RSF] said that there can be no freedom of media in Burma unless there is democracy. "The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] (Burmese junta) has sent to jail a large number of journalists and writers who are supporters of the democratic movement. In Burma, at least 16 journalists are still detained. The future of press freedom in Burma is deeply linked with the future of the democratic transition. "As we usually say in RSF, there is no freedom without press freedom. In the case of Burma, we might say, there would be no press freedom without democracy". DVB may be independent in near future The Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) was established on 19 July 1992 in Norway after Burmese democratic leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As DVB has completed 10 years identifying itself as a voice of the exiled government - the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma [NCGUB], most of the DVB team members are keen to see DVB as an independent body in future. "DVB has been working under the banner of NCGUB. Even though we function independently, many see DVB as a propaganda machine of the NCGUB. We want to broadcast only the reliable, fair and true news and information. We want to continue DVB to become as an independent media in future Burma. However, we will not deviate from supporting the cause of democracy", said DVB's Director Ko Aye Chan Naing. Dr Sein Win, Prime Minister of the NCGUB, said that he would discuss with his cabinet ministers regarding the matter (whether DVB should be independent from NCGUB or not). "Whatever it may be the outcome (of cabinet decision), DVB has to be the voice of democracy movement and gives credible information to the people of Burma", he added. Since most of the participants were Burmese journalists in exile working for different Burma-related media organizations, they shared their experiences with each other and discussed possibilities for future cooperation among themselves. The two-day conference concluded that the role of media is important for the establishment of democracy in Burma and support programmes to strengthen the Burma media organizations-in-exile should be organized. Moreover, the participants also decided to regularly meet once a year. Source: BurmaNet News in English 20 Jul 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) And for more on the political and human rights background, read the special report by my colleague Yvette Turlings, who recently visited Burma. http://www.rnw.nl/development/html/history020718.html (A. Sennitt, Holland, in Jul 19, 2002 MediaNetwork-NL via CRW via DXLD) ** CANADA. http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/newsitem_redux.asp?ID=2380 ANNA MARIA TREMONTI NAMED HOST OF CBC RADIO ONE'S NEW NATIONAL WEEKDAY 8:30-TO-10 SHOW Today, CBC Radio announced Anna Maria Tremonti as host of CBC Radio One's new national weekday morning 8:30-to-10 show - a topical, spontaneous and provocative look at events around the world that are uppermost in Canadians' minds - which makes its debut November 18. "Anna Maria's range and depth of experience with Canadian and international news will be an enormous asset to this new national program," said Adrian Mills, executive director of programming for CBC Radio. "The level of journalistic excellence that Anna Maria brings to the table will help ensure that the new show is a must-listen event for Canadians across the country." An award-winning foreign correspondent and host of CBC Television's the fifth estate, Tremonti's CBC career began with CBC Radio in Fredericton in 1981. She worked in both radio and television news in the Maritimes, the west and in central Canada before joining The National as a Parliament Hill reporter in 1987. From there, she was posted to Berlin, London, Jerusalem and Washington. Major stories that she covered include the fall of Communism, the war in Bosnia, the rise of the neo-Nazi movement in Germany, the Georgian revolution and the split-up of Czechoslovakia, and Iraq's confrontation with the West - in a number of instances filing stories for both CBC Radio and CBC Television. "Anna Maria has made a great contribution to the fifth estate, and indeed to CBC Television News and Current Affairs as a whole," added Tony Burman, editor in chief, news and current affairs, CBC Radio and Television. "There is no doubt that she will captivate CBC Radio listeners in this exciting new role." In 2000, Anna Maria made the transition from foreign correspondent to investigative journalist when she joined CBC Television's the fifth estate. Her stories there included The Murdered Bride, which looked into allegations that a young Indian woman's mother and uncle arranged for her death; and Squamish Five: 20 Years Later, which explored the notorious guerilla group's cross-country spree of militancy and violence two decades ago. "My work with the fifth estate was richly rewarding, and gave me a chance to explore new ways of telling complex stories in greater depth," said Tremonti. "Launching a new national information program for CBC Radio presents new and different challenges, and is an opportunity that I just couldn't pass up." Among her numerous awards, Tremonti has received Geminis for her coverage of the war in Bosnia and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Her reports from Bosnia also earned her the Ron Laidlaw Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. In 1997, she received "Outstanding Achievement" honours from the Toronto Women in Film and Television. Last spring, she received an honourary doctorate from her alma mater, the University of Windsor. CBC Radio One's new 8:30-to-10 program, part of a new morning line-up on the network, complements the previously announced new 10-to-noon show, which will explore how Canadians are living their lives in the 21st century. Hosted by Shelagh Rogers, it debuts on CBC Radio One on October 14 (via Ricky Leong, QC, DXLD) ** CANADA. At the risk of posting something actually about radio, all I know is that Gary Hooper has been granted authority to operate 10 limited duration low power FM radio stations in various languages (Arabic, Croatian, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovene, Slovak, Spanish, Ukrainian as well as in Aboriginal and Chinese languages). The frequencies being used are 89.9, 90.7, 91.9, 96.9, 98.7, 99.5, 101.7, 102.7, 103.9 and 104.9 and the effective radiated power is supposed to be 10 watts. The licenses expire on July 28. For what is worth, I checked all of the frequencies yesterday afternoon (July 23) and again this morning from a location very close to where the Papal Mass will be on the 28th. I didn't hear any of them. I suppose that today might be a good day to listen on these frequencies if you are near Exhibition Place. Ironically, in the Downsview part of North York, 99.5 is blocked by WDCX Buffalo, which is religious, and 101.7 has both CKNX-Wingham and WLOF-Attica NY. WLOF is part of the EWTN network (Niel Wolfish, Ont., ODXA via Saul Chernos, WTFDA via DXLD) A couple observations re WYD stations during my brief stop-over in Toronto to log the stations (whereupon I'm escaping the madness and heading back to DX-land at Burnt River until the weekend when I must return for a day or so). * Ironically, 101.7 WLOF in Attica NY was carrying what *appeared* to be live coverage of the WYD events yesterday - Tuesday evening (speeches etc...), and the WYD people have chie chosen 101.7 for one of their frequencies. EWTN, the network that WTOF is on, is a Catholic network. * Upon my arrival downtown (where I live) last night, around 11 pm, I noted open carriers on 90.7, 91.9, 101.7, 102.7, 103.9, and 104.9. Toronto DXer Wayne Plunkett heard six stations broadcasting in different languages, but our frequencies don't quite match. I had fluttering on some of the others, but the signals are MONO, rather than stereo, so the proof will be in the pudding if there is any actual programming. I am here till noon, then must depart (Saul Chernos, Ont., July 24, WTFDA via DXLD) As an update I noted all but 2 of the 10 frequencies had programming on Wednesday evening. They all seemed to be simulcasting the same World Youth Day concert, including one rocking tune that began with the line "J-P 2, we love you". This was around 9 p.m. with the signals heard on 90.7, 91.9, 98.7, 99.5, 101.7, 102.7, 103.9 and 104.9. The Signals were in mono and were pretty good on 90.7, 91.9 and 104.9 in and around the Leaside neighbourhood. The other frequencies were still being dominated by the usual station that would occupy the channel (such as CBC Radio Two in Peterborough on 103.9), but one could detect traces of the concert underneath the dominant signal. No sign of anything on either 89.9 or 96.9, however. By the time I got up to Yonge and York Mills CBC Ottawa was ruling the roost on 90.7 (Niel Wolfish, Toronto, July 25, ODXA via DXLD) Glenn, I took a drive past Exhibition Place in Toronto, site of WYD, and tuned in all ten frequencies you had mentioned on WOR. Nothing was heard on any of them around 1600 July 24. Perhaps these are only used during specific times and events. The CN Tower is very close by, so there was a lot of bleeding from other FM stations. 73, (Ivan Grsihin, Ont., July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. Chinese "musical" jamming Jamming signal: Chinese instrumental folk music. Special nonstop compilation. Loop playback from hard drive. Duration of 1 cycle - 1 hr 00 min 00.2 sec._ Modulation - AM (non-distorted). Most suitable time for reception in Europe - from 1600 to 0900 UT. Frequencies, on which the musical jamming could be heard 1 and more hours per day, kHz: 21700, 21690, 21650, 21540, 21500, 17720, 17640, 17615, 15680, 15665, 15515, 15510, 13690, 13675, 13670, 13625, 13610, 11945, 11935, 11795, 11785, 11750, 11700, 11520, 11510, 9955, 9945, 9915, 9455, 9355, 7515, 7190, 7160, 7150, 6035, 5925. Musical jamming is a long distance high power (100-500 kW) skywave jamming operation. Other known Chinese jamming modulations: programs of China National Radio in AM mode (non-distorted, skywave, high-power); programs of China National Radio in Narrow FM mode (distorted; groundwave, low-power). (R. Pleikys, Lithuania, Jul 15, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch July 24 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Glenn, I have been listening to that station on 6064.57 kHz for more than an hour hoping to hear the ID. It 's now 1109 UT. The station gave a possible ID at 1000 UT, but I didn't catch it. All I heard was "... para Quito, Ecuador". I am wondering what is up here? According to what I have read in DXLD recently, this is supposed to be a Colombian station? The format is religious. A man talks for a couple of minutes then a couple of secular Spanish tunes are presented and then back to the Religious comments. Like I said, it's after 1100 and the station is still pretty strong here in South Florida. Have you heard anything further on this station on 6064.57 kHz? Hoping to hear from you. Thanks (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, July 24, WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Sounds like Conciencia to me, even if you heard Quito mentioned (gh) Hola Amigos, Para reportar qué está de nuevo en el aire La Voz de tu Conciencia a través de los 6064.5, luego de un par de semanas. A pesar que había posibilidad que saliera al aire en la frecuencia autorizada por el Ministerio de Comunicaciones 6.060 Khz.; escuchada esta mañana hacia las 1130 con un programa llamado Fuerza de Paz; mejoró en la modulacion de audio, la señal en 5 (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, July 24, Conexión Digital via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) Glenn, The station on 6064 has possibly moved down to 6060.21 kHz. Same format as yesterday that was on 6064.57 kHz is on 6060.21 kHz with music and then brief religious comments. Still can't get the ID. Heard one at 0900 UT but as usual the QRN crashes and the low tone of the announcer's voice didn't produce anything worth logging. The constant sameness of the music is enough to drive one crazy. It would be better if they gave a few more ID's instead of that music! Anyway, I'll leave this for someone else to catch (Chuck Bolland, Clewiston, Florida, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here`s your confirmation: Hola amigos, después de regresar del trabajo, me encuentro que ya está transmitiendo en la frecuencia autorizada La Voz de tu Conciencia, 6060.2, aunque está retransmitiendo la señal de la onda media 1530 kHz con el programa "La Verdad sobre La Verdad"; Identificándose como: "...Alcaraván Radio, transmitiendo su señal en los 1530 kHz A.M., 1530 emisora de interés público del municipio de Puerto LLeras..." La señal continúa llegando en 5 (Rafael Rodríguez, Bogotá, Colombia, July 24, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ECUADOR [and non]. When I owned HCRM1 and some others in Quito, Ecuador, I discovered that the May-September period in the Andes at the Equator had lightening like Florida and NE New Mexico. Every few weeks, when I did transmitter maintenance on each AM, I carried a file and a bunch of emery paper to file the tower baseplate that sat on top of the base insulator; a corner of this 3/8 inch plate pointed at a home-made metal ball on a rod that was spaced to take lightening hits to ground. I would carefully file and brush the baseplate where it had been pocked, and use the emery paper on the ball to work off any surface irregularities. Then the gap was carefully spaced. I used the headlights from my 4WD to illuminate the tower base, as this was always done at abut 2 AM on a Sunday morning. One of the towers sat on a hill at 9900 feel AMSL with no other mountains or hills nearby, so it took multiple daily hits at times. Only once in 7 years did either station on the tower (HCRM1-570 and HCFV-805) get knocked off the air with this constant maintenance of the gap. My HCSP at 590 was located in a wide valley with peaks on either side; I don't believe it ever got hit by lightening, although it may have gotten some static discharges (David Gleason, CA, NRC-AM July 23 via DXLD) ** FINLAND. From swradio@swradio.net -- Hi folks, Following interesting Scandinavian Weekend Radio-programme will be aired 3rd of August 0900-1100 UT. 6170 and 11690 (9-10)/ 11720 kHz (10-11) . Alpo Heinonen, SWR, The History of Finnish Radio: Radio Meteor. DJ Tex Willer presents the history of legendary Finnish Free Radio Radio Meteor. Stories, audioclips, etc. DJ and operator Rick Random will give us a live interview by telephone. You can take part in the show by sending your Radio Meteor -questions and memories beforehand to tex.willer@swradio.net (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** FRANCE. Plans Sept 16-30 for `compatible` DRM tests on 981 kHz: Ciao ! L'articolo originale compare su ACTU FM della Francia ma non è riproducibile per via del copyright; se volete leggerlo cliccate su: http://www.radioactu.com/index.php?goto=flash&edit=T&id=9514&id_rubrique=6 (Dario Monferini, Italie, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. According to DLF announcement at 0555 UT today, the longwave 153 unit will be OFF for maintenance July 22nd til FRIDAY 26th, (break usually at 0610-1548 UT). 73 de wolfy df5sx (Wolfgang Bueschel, Stuttgart, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. 3290 kHz, Guyana Broadcasting Corporation, Georgetown. Partial Data letter signed by W. Carr along a sheet with geographical data of Guyana. Sent reception report and 1 IRC to GBC, 44 High Street, Werk-En Rust. 64 Days (Marcelo Toniolo, Greenvale, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAWAII. TEST OVER KAUAI BROADENS COMMUNICATIONS HORIZON Associated Press Communications equipment aboard an unmanned, solar-powered plane flying 12 miles overhead successfully transmitted mobile telephone and high-definition television signals in a test of technology that aims to bring satellite systems closer to Earth. The test of SkyTower Inc.'s telecommunications system aboard a NASA-developed prototype plane took place 65,000 feet above Kauai on Saturday, company officials said. Developers of the technology say it will provide higher bandwidth for a host of communications systems, allowing users to videoconference over Palm Pilots or download Internet files at five times the speed of cable modems or digital subscriber line connections -- all at a fraction of today's cost. SkyTower executives have declined to provide exact figures on how much it would cost to operate the equipment. The system establishes a new, high-altitude wireless communications base between satellites thousands of miles in space and the world's highest communications towers. It allows clearer transmissions of signals by bringing satellite technology closer to Earth, but keeping it high enough to avoid interference from buildings and trees. The technology also could be used to monitor natural disasters such as hurricanes and assist emergency services, said Stuart Hindle, vice president of strategy and business development for SkyTower. Saturday's tests involved the beaming of signals for mobile telephones and handheld devices and transmission of a high-definition television signal to the prototype plane Pathfinder-Plus (via Brock Whaley, GA, July 23, DXLD) WTFK?? ** INDIA. Friends, Look out for the normal Delhi channels of 11830 and 15135 for the running commentary of the swearing in ceremony of the new President tomorrow from 0350 UT. [Later:] Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam will be sworn in as the new President of India tomorrow 25th July 2002. AIR will be relaying the live running commentary of this from 0350 UT. All stations of AIR will be relaying it. Look out for the regional stations on 6 and 7 MHz and any additional channels on 9, 11, 15 MHz. The commentary is expected to last about 1 hour. The following new frequencies used last time are worth checking: 11595, 15140, 15220. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, July 24, dx_india via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) [this was posted in advance on our MONITORING REMINDERS CALENDAR] ** INDIA. From The Hindu... Online edition of India's National Newspaper, Tuesday, July 23, 2002 NATIONAL AIR COMPLETES 75 YEARS Mumbai, July 23. (PTI): "This is All India Radio" the once-familiar baritone sound that the nation woke up to every morning and tuned in without fail, along with their hot cup of tea, turns 75 today. To celebrate its platinum jubilee, the Mumbai division of All India Radio (Akashwani) has chalked out a series of programmes aimed at boosting its reach and widening the listeners' base, Assistant Station Director Kirit Barot said. Starting today, listeners could dial 2875705 or 2875708 to relate their experiences with All India Radio and their special relationship with the organisation. The entire programme would be broadcast live, Barot said. Listeners would also be treated to a week-long special programme in Marathi on Mumbai B channel from 9.30 PM to 10.30 PM while listeners of Mumbai A would have an opportunity to listen to multi-lingual programes, comprising talks with some of the well known celebrities connected with the AIR. Also on the cards is an archival special that would take listeners down the memory lane with a nostalgic flashback of some of the most popular programmes in the over seven decades of the existence of the AIR. A special programme would also be aired on 23rd of every month all throughout the year to mark the occasion. A unique museum showcasing some of the old equipment used by AIR during its 75 year history was also inaugurated today. The museum has also on display signatures and comments of some of India's celebrities, including Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and C V Raman. Copyright © 2002, The Hindu (via Kim Elliott, DC, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. RADIO HAM FINDS LOST SATELLITE From BBC News Wednesday, 24 July, 2002, 14:48 GMT 15:48 UK A radio enthusiast has traced the whereabouts of a communication satellite which had been lost in space. Dave Rowan found the Oscar 7 satellite, which stopped working in 1979, using equipment he has set up in his garden shed. The enthusiast had recognised the code because he had tracked the satellite when it was working in the late 1970s. Now scientists at the University of Surrey have asked Mr Rowan to monitor Oscar 7 so they can work out why it went wrong. Mr Rowan said: "It was an old friend. I had spent many hours in the early hours of the morning tracking this satellite. "When it made a reappearance and I confirmed it was Oscar 7 I was quite delighted." The satellite stopped working in 1979 Mr Rowan believes the battery on the satellites stopped working but somehow the solar panels have begun to work again. "It is live but not necessarily that well. "It has no battery and the guess will be how long will this spacecraft last again. "After 20 years in space with millions of miles to its credit, there is no reason it shouldn't last further time." Mr Rowan's wife said he spends much of his spare time in his shed which is fitted with powerful radio equipment with a satellite dish outside. She calls herself a "radio widow" and Mr Rowan has fitted an intercom from the shed to the house so she can get in touch with him. Mrs Rowan said: "He has got everything in his shed but a bed. "And I won't allow that." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) WTFK??!! ** IRAQ [non]. Voice of Iraqi People, 9570.0 via Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Jul 18, 1715-1725, heard here ex 9568.5 under much QRM // 9563 (best with 24333) and 11710. Talks in Arabic about Iraq (A. Petersen, Denmark, Jul 18, 2002 for Clandestine Radio Watch via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) Voice of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq, 9685, via VOIRI, Iran, Jul 20, 0410-0440, Arabic talk about Iraq, Kuwait and Washington, 0424 ID: "Sawt el-Sawra el-Islamya fiel-Iraq", 33333 (QRM Romania 9690), heard // weaker 7120 and 7245 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, for CRW via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. SUMMER TIME WON`T STOP FOR YOM KIPPUR Shas has once again done an about-face on the matter of daylight- saving time and yesterday recanted its demand that summer time come to an end early to make fasting on Yom Kippur somewhat easier. At a meeting yesterday of the Knesset House Committee, it was agreed not to shorten daylight-saving time by three weeks and that it would continue until October 7, as set out in a law passed two years ago. Two weeks ago, the Knesset approved the preliminary reading of a Shas proposal to shorten daylight-saving time by three weeks. This contradicted a historic compromise agreement reached between the religious and secular Knesset factions in July 2000. But after this amendment was approved, Shas leader and Interior Minister Eli Yishai agreed to a compromise initiated by Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit under which daylight-saving time would be halted for two days before Yom Kippur and resume after the fast. At yesterday's committee meeting, MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) surprised those present by calling on the Shas representatives to freeze their amendment to shorten summer time. "There is no reason for this issue to become a point of contention between the two publics," Gafni said. Shas then asked for time to confer, with MK Yair Peretz subsequently announcing that the party would acquiesce and that he would withdraw his bill. House Committee Chair, MK Yossi Katz (Labor), welcomed the decision, saying: "It is good that Shas has acted in this way and has thus saved millions for the economy and reduced the friction between the secular and religious." The Shinui faction said in response that Shas had apparently decided not to stretch its luck with the secular public just one day after the passage of the Tal Law, which anchors draft deferral for thousands of yeshiva students in legislation. By Gideon Alon (Ha`aretz July 25 via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. A CHRONICLE OF ABJECT FAILURE The franchises of 13 regional radio stations have been extended for four years. It is difficult to understand why By Anat Balint and Uri Ayalon Quietly, almost secretly, the council of the Second Television and Radio Authority decided to extend the franchises of 13 regional radio stations by another four years. This was made possible thanks to the media uproar that accompanied the government's decision to support the extension of Channel 2's franchisees. Next year, the first eight years of the franchises granted to the regional radios will come to an end. To win an extension the owners will have to prove that their radio stations meet the original conditions of the franchise and offer ways to improve programming.... http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=190096 (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Here is a summary of Dutch mediumwave news from a German bulletin board: Q - The Beat has again ceased to broadcast, the transmitter (that's 1224) was switched off after only the open carrier was transmit for some time. On September 1st a thorough reshuffling of the Dutch FM networks will take place. It is said that it will be forbidden to distribute the same program on both FM and mediumwave from this date. This would require Radio 10 FM to leave 675, Business Nieuws Radio to leave 1395 and last but not least NOS 1 to leave 1008 and 891. At least a shut- down of 1008 and 891 (the latter one frequency is anyway off air at present due to transmitter maintenance) is considered as very likely. Word is also that Business Nieuws Radio would remove the transmitter installation, so another broadcaster could not simply take over the frequency. That's at least how we interpret this news item: "Officieel is er voor de 1395AM vanaf 1 september geen opstelpunt meer beschikbaar. De frequentie wordt wel in de vergelijkende toets uitgedeeld, maar de winnaar kan er niets mee, aangezien je de zender nergens neer mag zetten. Business Nieuws wil naast een verlenging van de vergunning voor 1395 AM dus ook dat de vergunning voor het huidige opstelpunt, Trintelhaven, wordt verlengd. Dit totdat de zender klaar is met het aanzetten van het FM zendernet." http://www.radio.nl/home/medianieuws/001.zero_base/zerobase_nieuws/default.asp?readid=11014 (via Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NEW ZEALAND. RNZI has an interesting special election-related dramatization: UT Sunday 0406 on 17675: LIVE TO AIR - An Election Drama. In a break to the serialization of "A Suitable Boy", RNZ presents a "news drama" made over the weeks leading up to the election. Recorded on the streets of Wellington, at election press conferences, offices, bars, the Westpac Trust Stadium, Vox Pops tells the story of a political reporter, John and his ex-partner Claire, a GP intent on moving abroad, as they make life-defining decisions about their own future. Building into it the very latest news events, the production will be completed only moments before it goes to air. Sunday 0806-1000 on 9885 - SOUNDS HISTORICAL with Jim Sullivan. This week: "Early days of aerial top-dressing". (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) ?? Referring to `hats` which used to be put on MW antennas to dampen skywaves?? (gh, DXLD) ** PALESTINE. VOICE OF PALESTINE RESUMES SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING The Ramallah-based Voice of Palestine, the official radio station of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), was observed on 24 July to resume its scheduled programming. The station had carried only music for the previous three days after it was observed back on the air on 21 July. Prior to that, Voice of Palestine had not been heard since 1015 gmt on 24 June, when Israeli troops entered Ramallah. The station was heard with good reception on the FM frequency of 90.7 MHz. The radio signed on at 0400 gmt on 24 July. After Koranic recitations, the station at 0430 gmt carried the daily 90-minute news programme "A New Day". The programme included updates by correspondents on various developments in PNA areas, an interview with PNA Information Minister Yasir Abd-Rabbuh and a scheduled newscast. It also included an interview with PNA Health Minister Riyad al-Za'nun on the condition of Palestinians wounded as a result of the Israeli air raid on a Gaza district on 22 July. The radio carried its scheduled news summaries on the hour, in addition to patriotic songs. Source: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** PARAGUAY. Mr Glenn Hauser, World of Radio, U.S.A. Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: I have the privilege of writing to you, in order to share information, concerning our test transmissions, which may be of interest to the DX Community. We are Radiodifusión América (Radio América), ZP20, in Asunción, Paraguay. Our station ZP20 operates on 1480 kHz, with a power of 1 kW, feeding a quarter-wavelength vertical tower. The station operates 24-hours-per-day, and serves the area of metropolitan Asunción. ZP20 has been in existence for approximately 50 years, having been located in Villeta, for many years, and earlier on, in San Juan Bautista, Department of Misiones. We have been in the process of constructing a new transmitter plant, near Villeta, the better to serve our audience on the Medium and Short Waves. At present, 1480 kHz continues to transmit, from Ñemby, a suburb of Asunción. We are also transmitting, 24-hours-per-day, on 15185 kHz, 19 Metres, from Villeta. The initial power is low, 5 Watts, feeding a 5/8-ths- wavelength, omnidirectional antenna, with a theoretical gain of 8,84 dBi. The vertical take-off angles of this antenna are from 3 to 27 degrees. Programming on 15185 consists of the regular programming of Radio América, and classical music. Tests are underway on 7300, 41 Metres, also from Villeta. On this frequency, the beam is directed on 184 degrees, from Magnetic North. The antenna has a theoretical gain of 25 dBi, a horizontal beamwidth of 22,5 degrees, and vertical take-off angles of 3 to 27 degrees. Power varies from 100 Watts to much more, depending upon the tests underway. On the frequency of 1610 kHz, 202,7 Metres, also from Villeta, tests are underway, using a vertical tower, 125 Metres tall, which represents 5/8-ths wavelengths at 1480. This antenna also has a theoretical gain of 8,84 dBi. Power varies from 100 Watts, upwards. Reception reports are most welcome, and will be verified, promptly. With best regards from Paraguay! Maiteípa! (Adán Mur, Technical Advisor, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay, ramerica@rieder.net.py July 24, WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear Mr Mur: Many thanks for the news of your station. Please keep me informed about future developments. No doubt everyone will shortly be straining to hear your 5 watts on 15185. I am not aware of anyone reporting actually hearing your 7300 yet either. Have you had some DX reports of it? Regards, (Glenn Hauser, to Dom Mur via DXLD) Dear Mr Glenn Hauser: Thank you very much for your message, and for your kind encouragement. Our experimental frequency of 15185 kHz is on-air, around-the-clock. We hope to augment the transmission power, shortly. The frequency of 7300 kHz is on the air, sporadically, owing to improvements being realised in the equipment. We have severe energy- related problems, in the rural zone of the transmitter plant, and operate our transmitters from a large group of accumulators, recharging them from rectifiers. In a sense, we have a stationary, non-submersible equivalent of a diesel submarine. It is the same, basic system! The 7300 kHz is beamed at 184 degrees, from Magnetic North. We have not received reports on this frequency, although we did receive several reports for tests on 7740 kHz, realised a few months ago. The frequency 1610 kHz tests, in substitution for 1480 kHz, so as not to cause interference with the mother station. In future, 1610 kHz will offer a community service. DX Reports may be sent to us at: E-Mail: ramerica@rieder.net.py FAX: 595 21 963 149; Post: Casilla de Correo 2220, Asunción, Paraguay. With greetings from Paraguay (Adán Mur, Radiodifusión América, Asunción, Paraguay, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. SOMALI GOVERNMENT RADIO OFF AIR AGAIN; THIS TIME AFTER BEING LOOTED BY MILITIA The radio station operated by the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia - which calls itself "Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia" - is off the air again. A separate station in Mogadishu, STN radio, reported on 24 July that "last night" Radio Mogadishu was attacked by a militia group and looted of some of its equipment. "The radio is now off the air," the report said. Radio Mogadishu had been off the air for most of the first half of July, apparently owing to a business dispute. BBC Monitoring observations early on 24 July confirm that the radio is again silent. Sources: BBC Monitoring research 24 Jul 02; STN radio, Mogadishu, in Somali 0400 gmt 24 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. I have nothing to report from Brother Stair except that as late as this morning U.S. time his radio show was still going, running old tapes. They re-ran the sermon that I've heard often (even before his jailing he used to do re-runs mixed in with recent material) to the effect that there NEVER were any such things as dinosaurs, are not now, and "never will be." (That's the gist of the sermon, classic Brother Stair. I wish they'd re-run my "favorite" brother Stair sermon, the one in which he denounces the concept of airplanes. He says of the pilots flying over his farm: "That pilot is somebody's father, somebody's brother, somebody's son. Yet they defile themselves to fly such an abominable contraption." Words to that effect.) Incidentally, in the past week I've heard other shortwave radio preachers mention the Planet X crash (with Earth) that is scheduled for May of 2003. Some preachers approach this from the angle that the regular news media are censoring this information. Others say that it's the U.S. government that's censoring the information. And Brother Stair says simply that it's the wrath of god and doesn't get into any discussion about who's censoring whom and why. He merely treats it as common knowledge among his listeners that Planet X will be crashing into Earth in May 2003. Knowing Brother Stair, he will still be airing re-runs of his prediction in July of 2004 (Robert Arthur, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [non]. On UT Thursday, July 25 at 0100 on 7415 [Table of Truth, on WBCQ] I heard an anti-Brother Stair broadcast. It was very lamely and unprofessionally produced, and consisted of an inarticulate religious nut who kept referring to his audience as "Saints of the God Most High" or "Saints of the Most High God" (which is how Brother Stair himself addresses his own audience) who repeatedly played tapes from May of newscasts about Brother Stair's arrest (as though that proves something). (During the 30 minutes, the same arrest newscast was replayed three times!) Nothing new or more recent was given in terms of the latest news, but I did hear a reference to some charges against Brother Stair being "reinstated." I don't know what that means and whether to trust guys like this with technical terminology. Anyway, most of the broadcast consisted of an interview with some guy who's in his mid-20s, who, back in 1999, along with his young wife, went to live at Brother Stair's community, after having listened to him on the radio. Brother Stair and his staff treated him and his wife very nicely until after they moved there. Once they were moved in, 95% of the days he was screamed at for being "rebellious" and for similar infractions. Finally, after three months he was kicked out without even being allowed to pack his belongings. The next day at his own expense he got a U-Haul to collect his stuff. All in all this guy lost about $8000, and says he will probably never see any of it unless his lawsuit is successful, which it might not be. His credit is ruined and he can't buy another house, etc. The host of the show said, "But you're young." And the guy responded, "Yes, I'm young and I can probably recover, although that will take time. How do older people do it? How do older people do it?" I was disappointed in the broadcast as it was just like a Brother Stair broadcast in every way except that it was anti-Brother Stair. It was incoherent, a hodge-podge that was impossible to follow from one segment to the next, without transition in between segments or even thoughts. Like a schizophrenic experience. Perhaps this is deliberate to reach Brother Stair's own audience, which would be accustomed to this. But I doubt it. I think the anti-Brother Stair forces are as messed up in the brain as the Brother Stair forces. It's sad to see them duke it out, like blind leading the blind. It's as though both sides have agreed, "Rational arguments not allowed," and they're duking it out within those agreed bounds (Robert Arthur, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. EXECUTIVE SALARIES CONCEALED Matt Wells and Kevin Maguire, Wednesday July 24, 2002, The Guardian The BBC is concealing the extent of its executives' salaries and bonuses at the same time as it is imposing one of the worst pay deals in the public sector on lower ranking staff. Full details of the salaries drawn by the 17 strong board of management did not appear in the BBC's annual report, published last week, and details of a £50,000 incentive scheme for the head of its commercial division were omitted altogether. Meanwhile, union leaders are furious at the 2.8% offered to thousands of junior staff, complaining it compares unfavourably with the £1.2m in bonuses banked by executives. Rupert Gavin, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, is the BBC's highest paid executive after director general Greg Dyke. Last week's report said he was paid a basic salary of £270,000 plus bonus and benefits worth £69,000. Last year's annual report revealed him to be the beneficiary of a long term incentive plan in addition to his performance-related bonus. This year's report referred to the incentive plan, but made no reference to the April 2002 timescale - a month after the end of the financial year - or the fact that it was "in addition" to the performance related bonus. If paid in full, it would be worth at least £50,000. This year's report detailed the total pay earned by top executives over 12 months to March 2002, but did not list present salary levels. "We think that what matters is what they get in their pay packet, not what their nominal annual salary is," a BBC spokesman said. The board's bonuses and benefits totalled £1.2m. Jeremy Dear, general secretary of the National Union of Journalists, said: "When BBC bosses are paying themselves huge bonuses, they should be ending the disgrace of low pay." Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. Good news for cricket fans! The BBC announced on 25 July 2002 that they will once again be providing live cricket commentaries on the internet via http://www.bbc.co.uk.tms [sic] or via the England & Wales Cricket Board's website. This is especially good news, bearing in mind the problems of internet sports rights over the past few years. The remaining test match dates in England this year are 25-29 July, 8-12 August, 22-26 August and 5-9 September. If this situation also applies to domestic cricket commentaries in the Cheltenham and Gloucester knock-out trophy, the remaining dates there will be 31 July, 1 and 31 August (PAUL DAVID, Wembley Park, England, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Entries in MONITORING REMINDERS for Thursday July 25 could also be applicable later for those interested: 2000-XXXX *BBC Manchester Commonwealth Games Radio: http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/2002/radio/schedule/index.shtml 2000-XXXX *BBCR5 COMMONWEALTH GAMES OPENING CEREMONY http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/fivelive/shtml [didn`t work] Webcam: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/commonwealthgames/webcam.shtml [turned off, swamped?] The 5LIVE audio link can be reached by going through the main page: http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive (Ivan Grishin, DXLD) See also AUSTRALIA ** U K [non]. Laserradio news update From http://www.laserradio.net/ BROADCASTING EVERY SUNDAY ON 5935 KHZ SHORTWAVE --- NEWS UPDATE Results from our Sunday 21st July test broadcast are very promising. We received reports from several countries across Europe and the majority stated a 'strong' signal was being heard at most locations. The most distant reception reports to-date have come from the USA and a listener in Brazil ! The Laser Radio group is experimenting with high-powered shortwave transmissions beamed into the UK and Europe. An hour-by-hour cross- country analysis of signal strength and viability with be conducted during all of our test broadcasts during the month of July. The date of our next broadcast on 5935 is : Sunday July 28 - 14h00 to 22h00 UT If you can hear the broadcast please send a reception report. Our broadcasts on 5935 originate from a 100,000 watt transmitter located at Ulbroka in the Republic of Latvia. When regular operations commence, the primary content of our programming will feature items of interest for radio hobbyists, anoraks and radio amateurs, all blended together with the very best music from the 60's, 70's and the 80's (via Mike Terry, July 25, DXLD) From laserradio@yahoogroups.com This being the final weekend of July, on Sunday it's the last week of LaserRadio.net in test transmission mode on 5935 kHz. We should then be in a position to announce our plans during the middle of next week. It is quite important that we collect your reception reports and comments. So could we please ask for as many as possible this Sunday? We need to know what you think of the audio quality and whether you'd be happy to listen to 5935 on a regular basis. We are also examining a number of other options during August, and may well go through another period of tests elsewhere. Again, we'll be in a position to announce what is what next week. It has been mentioned before that LaserRadio.net intends to be a campaigning radio station, and it will rely very much on listener support. No, we are not talking money here, although that's always welcome! We mean that we need your support in our aims. LaserRadio.net has a number of things to say. For example, we don't understand why satellite broadcasts are encrypted so that only certain countries can receive them. Okay, yes, we do understand why they are of course, but we want to know why the bodies that want to exert control over such things can't give way to global audiences and the idea of sharing. The same things happen with `regions' on DVDs and games. Why? As we move towards a single united world this is destructive and divisive. It is the division in this world that we want to challenge beyond the technologies as well. We want to see if we, with your help, can set people thinking. No, we are not anarchists or politically motivated in any way, but questions need to be asked. LaserRadio.net wants to ask those questions and set people thinking about how to make this world a better and safer place to co-habit in. Once people are thinking about it, they change their attitude and start to live more harmoniously. We aren't stupid enough to believe LaserRadio.net can make a big difference, but all we need to do is get the ball rolling and let nature take its course. We also want to do this in a fun way, and have no intention of being a dirgey and boring station banging on like a religious broadcaster. Laughter and comradeship, which is what holds together a lot of `anoraks', are what binds LaserRadio.net, and this will reflect in our eventual programming. If we are going to kick butt, we are going to need your help! We've got to work together (via Mike Terry, July 25, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. NEO-NAZI BROADCASTER DIES http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/obituaries/24PIER.html William Luther Pierce, an ascetic physics professor who built an organization of young supporters for George Wallace for president into the nation's largest neo-Nazi group, and whose novel "The Turner Diaries" was credited by Timothy J. McVeigh with inspiring the Oklahoma City bombing, died yesterday. He was 69. Four weeks ago, Dr. Pierce, as he preferred to be called, learned that he had terminal cancer and began preparing for others to continue the work of his organization, the National Alliance, said Kevin Strom, editor of its magazine, The National Vanguard. [...] Last broadcast (link from Eastern European Jewish History Yahoogroups list) http://www.natall.com/pub/072002.txt AMERICAN DISSIDENT VOICES: Broadcast of July 20, 2002 Katyn, By Dr. William Pierce Hello! A background noise that seems never to go away is the constant whining and yammering of the Jews about how the world owes them a living because of their losses during the so-called "Holocaust." They do it, of course, because they make such a big profit on it. The latest flare-up of this Jewish play for a handout came more than a year ago when they began demanding that the Swiss pay them $7 billion, which "Holocaust" victims allegedly had stashed in numbered Swiss accounts before being hauled off to gas chambers during the Second World War. [...] (via Joel Rubin, July 24, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/3721360.htm The Miami Herald Wednesday July 24, 2002 WILLIAM PIERCE, 68, TURNER DIARIES AUTHOR CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) White supremacist leader William Pierce, whose book The Turner Diaries is believed to have inspired Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 68. Pierce died at his compound in Mill Point, said his business manager, Bob DeMarias. He became ill three weeks ago and his kidneys failed, DeMarias said. The novel, which some have called a grisly blueprint for a bloody race war, includes a chapter entitled the ``Day of the Rope.`` It describes white corpses hung from every street corner with placards reading, ``I defiled my race.`` FBI investigators said McVeigh was a fan of Pierce`s book and used it as a blueprint for bombing the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. The book includes a truck-bombing of FBI headquarters. The Oklahoma City bombing wasn`t the first violence that federal prosecutors linked to The Turner Diaries, which was published in 1978. In 1985, 10 members of a supremacist group called The Order were convicted of racketeering and other charges in Seattle. Among the crimes they were accused of were armored-car robberies and the 1984 machine-gun slaying of Jewish radio talk-show host Alan Berg. One witness testified that a defendant told him, ``You should read it, partner, it`s all there. Everything that`s going to happen is in The Turner Diaries.`` Pierce led his group, the National Alliance, from a two-story steel building on 400 acres deep in the Appalachians four hours southwest of Washington. The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, estimated the group makes more than $1 million a year, mainly through sales of white power music and supremacist or neo-Nazi literature. ``This is the major hate group in the United States. It`s the most organized, the best run and the wealthiest,`` said Mark Potok, editor of the center`s intelligence report on hate groups. Pierce`s death is a significant development because the group has no clear heir, Potok said (via rec.radio.shortwave via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ?? What about Kevin Alfred Strom? (gh, DXLD) American Dissident Voices (ADV) has been airing on American station WWRB on Saturdays. ADV started on shortwave in December 1991. While the website of the National Alliance http://www.natvan.com does mention his death in an obituary written by Kevin Alfred Strom, it is unclear whether the radio program will continue. In the early years of ADV, Strom was often heard, but in recent years the program has simply been Pierce monologues (Hans Johnson, WY, Jul 24, Cumbre DX Special July 25 via DXLD) Time and frequency for ADV on WWRB? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WNNY Noticias 1380 NY ha cambiado hoy al formato de música ranchera identificándose ahora "La X 1380" (Dino Bloise, Jersey City, NJ, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re: [NRC-am] NEW CEO AT CLEAR CHANNEL I`ll make a prediction. Look for him to champion payments to media for downloaded songs, etc. Look for fees, or for him to ask Congress to tax users of the Internet for their usage of media. Look for licensing of services like Real Audio and WinAmp with some compensation going to CC. Think of something bizarre and it might just happen, Dave (Fred Vobbe, OH, NRM-AM July 23 via DXLD) Scott, Randy Michaels may be a great guy and a talented engineer. He may not even be the root problem. IMHO the root problem is the trend toward monopoly and concentration in the industry, with a concomitant disregard for the public interest. Monopolies, if allowed to come into existence, ought to be regulated to protect the public welfare. Guess I would've made a good Progressive... (Dave Hochfelder, NJ, ibid.) Precisely so. Clear Channel as we know it today exists only because the 1996 Communications Act made it possible. CCU simply moved faster than anyone else (Infinity, Cumulus, Citadel, etc) to exploit the provisions of the law to an extent I doubt its framers ever envisioned. The problem with a bill like the '96 law is that undoing it is so very much harder than doing it. How do you force a company to sell 1100 of its 1200 stations? (And even if you could, who'd be in a position to buy them now - in most markets, any company buying part of an existing cluster would end up with a license, *maybe* a tower but more likely just a lease, some equipment and a small fraction of the staff they'd need to run the individual station solo. But they'd need to find new office and studio space, hire a stand- alone sales and promotions staff, find an engineer, etc. It wouldn't be an easy task, especially if the spin-offs are the "pseudo-stations" like the two CC runs in the Rochester market (WISY 102.3 and WLCL 107.3) that have *no* airstaff and in fact no staff of their own period, depending on playlists sent up from Cincinnati and being sold as additional "combo" buys with the "real" stations like WHAM and WVOR. -s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) Well said, David. To that, I'll add that while they don't provide community service, they are running promos saying how good they do, how they are the weather leader, the one to turn to, etc. Reminds me of a kid standing in a pile of glass and cookies with chocolate on his face telling you "no, I didn't steal a cookie." The one thing that will have me at odds with CC and their clones, as well as some members of Congress that support these monopolies, is that they have removed my opportunity to own a station. Since 1996, values of stations have gone up as much as 400%. A station that my wife and I were looking at that was appraised at $390k is now listed at $1.9mil. The owner makes no excuses. He is convinced that CC, Cumulous, or someone else with fat pockets will eventually come his way. When they do, he will get his price and the station will be automated to just another voice-tracked repeater. Along with the fact that the large corporations own everything, the costs of properties are now so high that it's impossible to bid against someone like CC for a property, so the system is stacked dramatically against the average public and favors the large corporation. And while I'm on a rant, let us not forget all the little divisions of these corporations which are not normally claimed. I find it interesting when you follow the money, and dig through the "whose who", that many stations who appear to be independent are controlled by larger companies (Fred Vobbe, OH, July 24, NRC-AM via DXLD) Broadcasting IS heavily regulated by the government. Who do you think tells CC, Infinity, etc., the frequencies, transmitter powers, antenna patterns, call letters, etc., they can use? You can't start a new AM, FM, or TV station in your community without government permission. Just who has lost sight of the "public interest" (whatever that means) here --- the broadcasters or their purported regulators, the FCC? The current mess was a bipartisan effort---both Billy Tauzin (R-LA) and Ed Markley (D-MA) and their friends were bought and paid for a long time ago by the NAB. Broadcasting deregulation was pushed by NAB and its lobbyists, and, as others have noted here, those who voted for the bill had no real idea of what the ramifications would be. Deregulation coincided with new competitors for local ad dollars (like cable TV systems) so it's no surprise that so many stations had to either sell to someone like CC or become terrestrial relays for satellite-delivered programming. The best hope for meaningful competition would be expanded LPFM with fairly liberal licensing requirements and measures to keep licensees truly local instead of part of a national religious group. That will never happen because of NAB opposition. Like the rest of the entertainment industry (movies, music, etc.), the NAB enjoys disproportionate influence because of its fund-raising ability and uses that clout to fight any incipient competition (like LPFM or netcasting). CC, Infinity, and their ilk are part of an oligopoly, but that oligopoly was created and is maintained by the government (Harry Helms, AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) It beats me how anyone could actually think that a lot of the stuff that CC has done in theory to stop the bleeding would help. - Will the loss of listeners due to elimination of local news/programming/identity offset the savings of expenses? - Will any possible increase in listeners on an already viable station offset the expense of the consultants and focus groups ? - Will the above translate into a lose/lose - lose money on the expense side and lose listeners as well ? - Will the loss of listeners from the practice of voice-tracking offset the cost savings? And on and on. This stuff reminds me of the kind of thing management does in any company to plug the holes when the ship starts sinking. How much of this was Randy Michaels' idea and how much he actually believed in we'll never know, but whether or not he engineered his change, he's probably moved out at the right time. CC has managed to reduce the base value of so many of the stations they bought - particularly so for any potential individual sale - that when they inevitably have to shed the excess, it will be far more painful than they ever thought (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) I beg to differ. Strenuously. The current problems will never be solved by *more* stations, whether they're LPFM or otherwise. This transcends any LPFM-specific issues. Meaningful competition and variety will at minimum require CC to shed a lot of its excess baggage of stations, and their purchase by people who are experienced, knowledgeable, have moderately deep pockets and are dedicated to providing variety and diversity. It will also require that some number of excess stations pass out of existence. But, given the current political and economic climates, that is also just as unlikely, and for the same reasons (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, NRC-AM via DXLD) "More competition" is not the same thing as "more stations" (although that might be the short-term impact). It means that others can more easily enter the business and offer alternatives to CC and existing broadcasting monoliths. Something like LPFM (and why not "LPAM" while we're at it?) is just one way---IF done correctly!---to offer locally produced alternatives to CC, Infinity, etc. What I liked about LPFM is that it would've lowered the entry cost for new local broadcasters to a few thousands of dollars, making broadcasting a much more viable option for one or two people with more creativity than cash. That (and the increased competition) is what made LPFM anathema to NAB. I think CC will eventually crash unless it trims some of its station holdings because it will be unable to generate sufficient revenues to keep its "empire" broadcasting. Empires are expensive and can drag you down -- ask the British or the Soviets! I still stick with my prediction that alternatives to terrestrial broadcasting (like satellites and 4G wireless) will eventually result in some AM and FM stations going dark. While Randy Michaels clearly got kicked upstairs at CC, it also shows CC is aware that it will soon be facing competition from new sources. Maybe Randy had some shortcomings as a day-to-day manager, but he does have a good track record of seeing what the future holds (Harry Helms AK6C, Ridgecrest, CA DM15, ibid.) Hi Scott and List, I must admit that what I took in that Randy comment was a bit of a cheap shot. I know that one person isn't responsible for the state of radio in this country. I thank that Randy has become "the guy radio folks love to hate", he's the Bill Gates of our industry. I was not aware of those little morsels of his background. From a pure intellectual perspective I know that Randy isn't the one cause of radio's sorry state. I do disagree with a large variety of Clear Channel's policies, extensive voice tracking, lack of localism, out of market air talent pretending they are live and local, total centralized control and market semi-domination, etc. I will give CC credit where it is due, regarding upgrading of physical plants. I would be interested in getting the opportunity to talk with Randy. Like him or dislike him, he is one of the movers and shakers of this industry and has achieved remarkable success in a relatively short time. I think CC only had their Texas properties before 1996. I am not the total media expert and I don't have a monopoly on all the answers but as I said before I do find more than a few of CC's practices distasteful to say the least (Dave Marthouse, VA, ibid.) Randy is probably neither the ogre he's portrayed to be nor anything close to a broadcasting saint. His reputation on the specific scores Dave mentioned is well-deserved. He earned it. While the industry types and some DX'ers may recognize engineering accomplishments, the average listener is largely oblivious. And his 'private' interests and what he may be like as a person are completely obscured in the eyes of the public and media critics by what is both more obvious and more important to those groups - exactly what Dave has indicated above. (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Does Clear Channel *have* a monopoly? (in the sense of holding 100% of the stations in a market, of course not. In the sense of holding the vast majority of the viable stations in a market, I don't think so either) Might it be not the FCC's job to determine whether one owner has a monopoly, but that of the people in the Justice Department who deal with monopolies in other industries? (not that the Justice Department is doing particularly well, witness the Microsoft situation) Some argue that radio stations do not compete only with other radio stations. Competition includes television, newspapers, outdoor (billboards), even direct mail. CCU isn't into newspapers at all, nor are they into cable. (which means they would have to own all the Big 3 network TV affiliates in a market to have a TV monopoly) They are into outdoor but at least around here they have plenty of competition. Arguably, they could own every radio station in Nashville and still not be a monopoly. (I don't agree with that interpretation, but many do) I would imagine coming up with the capital would be the big problem. Especially with the soft advertising market. Who would lend the money? Chances are many stations would simply turn in their licenses and go silent. (which may not be a bad thing<g>) Or end up losing money under the control of an under-capitalized local owner. (which could really mess up the AM band. When's the last time you've heard of a CCU station running day power all night? Now, when's the last time you've heard of a *locally-owned* station doing so?) (Doug Smith, ibid.) What good is a listing at such an inflated price if a) it really isn't worth it; and/or b) there are no buyers anywhere near that price ? It's meaningless! At some point down the road, I suspect there will be stations there for the buying at affordable prices - trouble is the buyer will have to start from scratch because all they'll have is the core physical plant and the license, no staff, no programming, and not much reputation. CC paid inflated prices for what they acquired, did it too many times, and then has tried to scrimp and save their way out of the mess they created. Now all these independent owners think they're sitting on a gold mine which they expect to increase further in value (Russ Edmunds, ibid.) Many owners are holding out for the bucks, and speaking with appraisers that seem to feel the same way. One appraiser showed me statistics that in some markets stations are being sold for 7x value. While you and I would not buy a $2,450 Sony ICF-2010 or a $350 GE SuperRadio III (cost comparison), there are people that will pay because they want the property and have the cash. Starting from scratch is a challenge, but it can be done. As we have said here often, give people what they want and they will support your station. I would love to see many stations become available for the communities that need a good local service. Heck, look no further than Cleveland OH where a daytimer sold for $7- mil. I was looking at a station with an asking price of $2.1-mil. I asked the broker what the station would go for if the 7/7 rule was back. He replies, "$425,000". Nuf' said (Fred Vobbe, ibid.) Yes, but overpaying for things based on speculation can backfire. Ask the people who paid $400 a share for Amazon if you doubt it! :-) Maybe CC overpaid for many of their properties and suddenly the cold wind of reality is starting to blow? (Harry Helms AK6C, ibid.) Does anyone remember the Clip Clop Corp., from back in the 1880s? Clip Clop's founder, Cumulus Citadel General, determined that there was a great financial future in horseshoes, and sought to corner the market. He offered operators of blacksmith shops all over the country buy-out prices they could not refuse. Soon, a farmer could not shoe his horse without taking it to a CC smithy. CC equipped its shops with standard-size molds ... small, medium and large. Each mold was made to conserve on iron, and CC horseshoes were 3/16ths of an inch thinner than those that usually were produced individually by the corner smithy. Not quite so strong, but there was repeat business. It cost a horse owner much less to shoe his horse at Clip Clop. Because there were only three sizes of shoe, some horses' hooves were too big or too small for a standard CC shoe. Too bad. The horse owner had two choices ... he could apply an ill-sized shoe to the hoof and hope for the best, or he could find a hold-out local smithy who could still produce custom-built shoes. The latter option, though, became narrower and narrower, because the mass trade switched to Clip Clop and the niche market blacksmith couldn't stay in business. That left the horse owner one more option ... horse meat. By 1890, nearly every horseshoe in America was emblazoned with the Clip Clop logo, which looked like two Cincinnati Red logos, side-by- side. Clip Clop's penetration appealed to investors, who ponied up to supply venture capital for CC's expansion into the harness business. For a while, CC bought horses with non-standard-size hooves ... at a deep discount ... for the leather for its harnesses, but horsemen complained that some of their horses sensed where the leather came from and were spooked. CC experimented with cotton and wool derivatives and came up with a secret formula that was much less expensive than leather. Not quite so strong, but there was repeat business. Horseman, attracted by the lower prices, turned to CC for their harnesses, just as they had for horseshoes, and CC cash reined in most of the local harness shops, leaving only a handful to fight the competition. Cumulus Citadel General was a true visonary. At the peak of Clip Clop's financial success, he surprised his happy investors by selling them his entire interest in CC. Of course, the investors paid top price. Old C.C. used the money to found a new company. While memories of Clip Clop Corporation have faded into the murk of distant memory, surely you are familiar with the name General Motors? (John Callarman, Krumudgeon, TX, ibid.) Before long, there will be a seller's market and CC's problems just might trigger it. The current appraised prices, even though there are always some folks with more money than sense to buy, are simply unsustainable over time (Russ Edmunds, July 24, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. ANALYSIS: INTERNET RADIO UNDER THREAT IN USA | Text of editorial analysis by Martin Peters of BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 25 July In the United States, thousands of Internet-only radio stations look set to close following a decision by the American Librarian of Congress who ruled that from 20 October 2002, web radio broadcasters must start paying royalties to record companies and artists. In addition, many traditional broadcasters who also stream over the Internet are likely to close off this alternative method of delivery before fees become due. Traditionally, royalties are split into two categories: those paid to the composer, and those paid to the performing artist and their recording label. Conventional radio stations are generally exempt from paying the latter, since they are considered promoters of new music. The royalties due to the composers are paid on a "per-song" basis and are calculated as a percentage of stations' revenue. The proposed fees are based on the number of listeners and the number of songs played, equating to 70 US cents per song per 1,000 listeners. Moreover, royalties due would be backdated to 1998. In May, hundreds of webcasters united in a "Day of Silence" in protest against the implementation of the levy. Most stations remained off the air from dawn to dusk while others, keen to keep their listeners on board, managed only the occasional "moment of silence" throughout the day. More recently, on 22 July, a live webcast of a concert organized by the International Webcasting Association (IWA), and aimed at promoting their campaign to rescue the independent Internet radio concept, was broadcast out of the State Theatre near Washington DC. It's being claimed that the vast majority of American Internet-only stations will be forced off the air by this ruling. Many of them are privately-run hobby webcasters with little or no financial backing. Only the largest of the established terrestrial broadcasters with an online presence are thought likely to continue streaming. A number of stations pre-empted the ruling by closing down well ahead of the October deadline - StarDogRadio and Radio Free Tiny Pineapple are among two of the more recent casualties. "We're toast", declares the web site of the latter. Live365.com, which offers a hosting service to radio hobbyists, enabling users to transmit niche programming, announced it will add a monthly 5 US dollars fee for each station, beginning 1 August. According to chief operating officer Raghav Gupta, that move alone is expected to reduce the number of stations on their books from 25,000 to about 5,000. On 15 July the National Association of Broadcasters, as well as several entities with interests in Internet radio, appealed against the new ruling, claiming that the US Copyright Office had misinterpreted the law when it decided that radio stations would have to pay musicians and recording companies when streaming over the web. The appeal claims that Congress intended the fees to apply only to music download sites, and that Internet streams should be subject only to those royalties paid for conventional over-the-air broadcasts. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), an organization representing several major record labels, claims that Internet radio stations pose a threat to the industry since it is possible for listeners to record digitally the music being broadcast. The RIAA added that it hoped the radio stations would lose their appeal. The future of Internet radio in the United States now hangs in the balance. What happens will depend on whether the royalty ruling is reversed or amended. Over the last few years, Internet radio stations have flourished, partly because of their associated low start-up and running costs. Without an 11th hour change in policy, the vast majority of Internet radio may be consigned to history. Source: BBC Monitoring research 25 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Subject : 1470 kHz monitoring Despite it being summer, and despite the splatter across the band here, I have been amazed with the results I've had from audio analysis of some MW channels recently. In particular, 1470 has yielded carriers (i.e. stations) with pretty distinct s/off's or darkness power-downs. I've tuned my AOR 7030+ 1 kHz lower than the desired channel, e.g. I've tuned to 1469.000 kHz in USB mode, and fed the audio from the receiver to the PC's sound card. On the PC, I've analysed the audio using Spectrum Lab software --- free from http://www.qsl.net/dl4yhf/spectra1.html --- with FFT settings to enable a resolution down to around 20 milliHertz. Thus, it's easy to discern individual carriers either side of 1000 Hz, the expected pitch of stations having carriers on the 1470 kHz channel. The software allows you to auto-save the spectrum display at intervals, and I've uploaded these spectrum plots to my website. They range in size from around 1 MB for channels like 1350 kHz where there's a whole 24 hour display, to around 400-500 kb for channels like 1470 kHz where there's only the night-time activity to record. http://www.dxradio.co.uk/mwoffsets/index.html For 1470 kHz, there are currently 6 traces on the website covering the nights 18-19, 19-20, 20-21, 21-22, 22-23 and 23-24 July. The "carrier ends" could mean either a sign/off or a significant power drop. Not every night is the same by a long way. 18-19 July fade in 2200 2300 UTC carrier at 1003.0 Hz ends 2310 UTC carrier at 984.5 Hz ends 0100 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0105 UTC carrier at 993.0 Hz ends 0210 UTC carrier at 996.0 Hz ends fade out 0430 19-20 July fade in 2150 2255 UTC carrier at 1006.5 Hz ends 2300 UTC carrier at 1001.0 Hz ends 0100 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0105 UTC carrier at 993.0 Hz ends 0200 UTC carrier at 996.0 Hz ends fade out 0400 20-21 July fade in 2130 2312 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0100 UTC carrier at 993.0 Hz ends fade out 0440 21-22 July fade in 2110 2320 UTC carrier at 1020.0 Hz ends 0012 UTC carrier at 1002.0 Hz ends 0300 UTC carrier at 996.0 Hz ends --hour later than other days 0300 UTC carrier at 1024.0 Hz ends 0325 UTC carrier at 970.0 Hz ends fade out 0440 One of the carriers - the one on approx 995 Hz - would appear to be CPN, Lima, Peru which peaks 0300-0330 UTC, and which fades in later that some at around 2320 UTC ... just when the daylight/darkness terminator crosses Peru. It was also interesting that on the 19-20 plot especially, some of the carriers were much "fuzzier" than others that night. Perhaps due to auroral activity? Comparing these fade-in times with GeoClock (or other daylight / nighttime / greyline "calculators") is interesting too, in as much that Eastern Brazil and Argentina get sunset at much the same time as the UK, with everything else trans-Atlantic still in daytime. I was actually amazed at how early some of the fade-in's occurred, and the probability of sun-down DX from Latin America. If only I could extract audio too ... plotting carriers by audio analysis is actually easy. I haven't yet ID'd any of them as the audio (when I've listened) has been almost non-existent. Some of that though is due to my location here in west London, and also the limitations of just having a 40 inch square MW loop and/or a Wellbrooke ALA1530. There's the possibility of other interpretations too of the "carrier ends", e.g. propagation changes or my receiver's AGC being hi-jacked by 1467 kHz. But with a few more night's worth of monitoring, the pattern should emerge. It would be good obviously to correlate these plots with other people's experiences too - whether on 1470 or some other commonly accessible channel. (Mark Hattam, Hayes, Middlesex, UK, July 23, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. SYSTEM TO MONITOR USE OF NATIONAL RADIO FREQUENCIES IS SET UP A system of technical control over the radio frequency spectrum has been put into operation in Uzbekistan to guarantee the efficient use of radio frequencies and to detect illegal users of the airwaves. Computer management of the system makes it reliable and extends the range of control. The following is an excerpt from a report on the subject, entitled " The airwaves: control and compatibility" and published in the Uzbek newspaper Pravda Vostoka on 16 July. Subheadings have been added editorially. At present, nearly 179,000 radio-electronic transmitting, receiving, relaying or producing stations, devices and installations go on air daily in Uzbekistan on various waves and frequencies. They help enterprises, organizations and individual citizens to carry out modern production, technical, research and cultural information work. The Uzbek Agency of Communication and Information Technology has issued an order approving a state commission enactment putting into operation a radio frequency spectrum technical control system. An important stage has been completed in strengthening and upgrading the material and technical basis of a service providing technical control over the state of Uzbekistan's radio frequency resources and their efficient use, and over the extent to which all those using the airwaves observe the rules for cooperation and electromagnetic compatibility when using various radioelectronic devices and installations. In all, 53 legal entities and individuals have been granted licences to operate in the fields of radio communication, radio broadcasting and television to design, build, use and provide services... Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre In Uzbekistan, these functions are carried out by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre, which will mark its 15th anniversary this year... "The development of advanced technologies in the field of radio communication is leading to a considerable growth in the number of radioelectronic devices," R.P. Mansurov, head of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre, says. Accordingly there is a higher demand for control over their use so as to ensure their efficient operation, exclude mutual interference and determine the lawfulness of their use. The Uzbek Posts and Telecommunications Agency together with the Electromagnetic Compatibility Centre have carried out a great deal of work to introduce a radio frequency spectrum technical control system. In accordance with a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated 26 May 2002, "On implementing the project for supplying equipment, assembling, adjusting and putting into operation a radio frequency technical control system", a contract was signed with the German company Kurt Mitterfellner GmbH, and advanced radio monitoring and direction-finding equipment produced by the well-known German company Rohde & Schwarz was bought... Centralized control Now the radio monitoring and direction-finding system includes four stationary and one mobile station located in the towns of Tashkent [the capital], Termez [in the south] and Samarkand [in central Uzbekistan]. All the stations are managed from the control centre. Information is transferred from the stations working autonomously. The centre makes it possible to control the operation of receivers and direction-finders and also to see the processes occurring in the airwaves in real time. The control system also makes it possible to hear and make digital recordings of the transmitters monitored. The direction-finding module of the system enables the operator to quickly and accurately find the location of a transmitter, displaying the data on an electronic map, which makes the search easy. The computers linked to a single control centre have been deployed. Now it is possible, without going to the site, to quickly and precisely determine both the geographical location and the actual source that is causing concern, and to take measures quickly. Experimental operation of the system started in October 2001. Over that short period of time, radio control efficiency has increased considerably, the search for complicated radio disturbances and their detection have become simpler, the percentage of detecting illegally used radioelectronic devices has grown and instrumental surveying of the frequency range from 1,000 to 3,000 MHz has become possible. So the operation of the system has considerably influenced the number of illegally used transmitters: the number of radioelectronic devices used without licences was 492 in 2000, and 1,020 in 2001. With the help of a mobile radio monitoring station a great deal has been done in Tashkent to survey the GSM 1,800 waveband, which our cellular operators are starting to use. Decoding and location capability Now the system has been put into permanent operation. As a whole, the new system performs a number of functions simultaneously. They are to analyse the loading of the radio frequency wavebands, to measure the spectral characteristics of radio signals, to file the sound messages and to display a map of the observation range with the possibility of changing its scale and of representing pictograms of various facilities against the background of the map, besides decoding various radio signal codes, etc. Computer management of the system ensures its high reliability along with simplicity and ease of management, as well as quick access to the measurement results which are permanently preserved in its own database. The current configuration of the system developed from the need to ensure monitoring of regions with a large number of radioelectronic devices. For the time being, it makes it possible to carry out the functions mentioned above on a regional level, while, with the help of a mobile complex, it can carry out measurements and direction-finding in remote areas too. Measurements and direction-finding in medium and short wave can be done throughout the country. The facility was built in a short period of time, the major work being carried out by local specialists with the help of foreign consultants. Four of the specialists were trained in Germany and also combined work with study with the help of specialists from the supplier company. The software was developed with due regard for the specifics of our tasks, today we have a good database of the radioelectronic devices currently operating, their use is monitored and any deviations from the norm, including any unregistered radioelectronic facility going on air, are immediately detected. Thus, purity and order in everyone's using the national radio frequencies are guaranteed. Source: Pravda Vostoka, Tashkent, in Russian 16 Jul 02, p3 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [and non]. Radio Nacional de la R.A.S.D. En la página http://www.ongsario.com/ se puede acceder a la programación de la Radio Nacional de la R.A.S.D., que también se transmite en la banda de 41 mts. Onda Corta, 7470 kHz en el horario: de 1800 a 0000 horas GMT. Cabe señalar que las últimas ocasiones en que se captó esta estación (yo no la puedo sintonizar desde hace bastante tiempo) pudo ser escuchada por los 7460v hacia las 2230+UT. Además, otra cosa curiosa. En la página hay un acceso que permite conocer la nómina de los radioaficionados y estaciones autorizadas para emitir desde la República Árabe Saharaui Democrática. Con licencia oficial: S01A Naama. S01MZ Mahfoud. S01CNU, EA2CNU Roberto. S01XC, EA2XC Julian. S01JG, EA2JG Arseli. INDICATIVOS AUTORIZADOS: S0RASD, S0LYNX, S0EA, S01A, S01MZ, S01HA, S0A, S02A, S02UN, S03UN S04UN, S02R, S03A, S03R, S04A, S04R, S05A, S05R, S06A, S06R, S08A, S08R, S09A, S09R, S0R (A. Slaen, Argentina, Jul 16, 2002, Conexión Digital via CRW via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. From alt.radio.pirate Tuesday, July 23, 2002 5:57 PM Heard three unidentified stations last night on 6777 khz talking about a clandestine ship being outfitted somewhere along the U.S. east coast with broadcast transmitters. Said the ship will broadcast outside U.S. jurisdiction, as soon as it is ready to sail. Stations QSY'd to another unidentified freq. (lost in QRN.) Anyone have further on this? Will (via Mike Terry, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Re 6985, from Ian Baxter, Australia, DXLD 2-117 SOMALIA: Glenn, My immediate response would be Voice of Freedom and Renewal, broadcasting to Sudan, as 6985 was used by this station until it moved to 6965. And the time fits. But I haven't heard the station for a while and was only speculating the other day that it may have closed. But, interestingly, Ian notes that it is erratic, so maybe I have just been unlucky with my occasional checks. But I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There have been various red herrings around that frequency - Kurdish stations, Galei Zahal, spurious signals from Radio Jordan. I'll listen out again myself. I may be a while in reporting back as I'm going to be on leave and out of e-mail range for a week or so (Chris Greenway, Kenya, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. I'm hearing weak Spanish after 1000 UT on 5241 LSB, which has the sound of the Argentine SSB feeder relays. Has it been reported here? (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. Dear Mr Hauser, I have read and respected DXLD for many years but never before written. I have been hearing an unknown Arabic station on 12085 and 12110 kHz at 1500-1530 UT. Both are generally SIO 444 here in Delhi. At first I thought it might be Syria but the modulation is quite different. Good in fact. It plays a lot of Arabic music. Perhaps an Arabic speaker can identify the broadcast. Sincerely, (K. M. Patel, New Delhi, India, July 24, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ SHORTWAVE GUIDE Here`s another review, pointing out a lot more mistakes: http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/booklist/html/swguide.html (gh, DXLD) RECEIVER TIPS +++++++++++++ Glenn, Radio Shack (USA) has the DX-396 receiver (cat no. 20-226) on sale at $49.99 for the August sale period. A single conversion "AM" mode only set. Reg price is $99.99. Regards, (David Zantow, Janesville, WI, July 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dave's Radio Receiver Page: http://members.fortunecity.com/swradios PROPAGATION +++++++++++ :Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts :Issued: 2002 Jul 23 2212 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/weekly.html # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 15 - 21 July 2002 Solar activity alternated between low and high levels during the period. Major solar flares occurred on 15, 17, 18, and 20 July from two active regions: Region 30 (N19, L = 012, class/area Fkc/1350 on 16 July) and Region 39 (S12, L = 212, class/area Dac/330 on 22 July). Region 30 produced an X3/3b flare at 15/2008 UTC, an M8/1b at 17/0713 UTC, and an X1/2b at 18/0744 UTC, all of which were associated with Earth- directed coronal mass ejections (CME). Region 30 entered a decay phase on 16 July, though it remained large and magnetically complex with multiple delta magnetic configurations. It rotated out of view on the day of this report. Region 39, which rotated into view on 22 July, was the likely source for an X3 X-ray flare at 20/2130 UTC from beyond the southeast limb. It was also the likely source for multiple far side CME activity observed during the period. On the day of this report, Region 39 produced an X4 X-ray flare associated with a halo CME, which will be summarized in next week's report. Region 30 was still too close to the limb for a detailed analysis, but appeared to be very large and magnetically complex. Solar wind data were available from the NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft for most of the summary period. A weak high-speed solar wind stream associated with a positive-polarity coronal hole was observed during 15 – 16 July with peak velocities to around 440 km/sec. CME passages occurred during 17 – 18 July and 19 – 21 July following major flare activity from Region 30. The 17 – 18 July passage was relatively weak. It began about 17/1520 UTC and was associated with peak velocities of about 500 km/sec and brief periods of southward IMF Bz with maximum deflections to minus 16 nT (GSM). Multiple CME passages occurred during 19 – 21 July with velocities as high as 920 km/sec detected on 19 and 20 July. IMF Bz was mostly southward from late on 19 July through 21 July with maximum deflections to minus 10 nT (GSM). A greater than 10 MeV proton event began at 16/1750 UTC following the X3/3b flare on 15 July. This event peaked at 234 pfu at 17/1600 UTC, and ended at 18/1550 UTC. Another greater than 10 MeV event began at 19/1050 UTC, reached a peak of 13 pfu at 19/1515 UTC, then ended at 19/1535 UTC. Greater than 10 MeV fluxes remained enhanced and began to gradually increase on 21 July following the X3 flare of 20 July. Greater than 2 MeV electron fluxes at geo-synchronous orbit were at normal to moderate levels through 20 July, then increased to normal to high levels on 21 July. Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to active levels during 15 – 16 July due to weak coronal hole effects. Quiet to active conditions occurred on 17 July due to a CME passage. Field activity ranged from quiet to minor storm levels during 19 – 21 July due to multiple CME passages. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 24 July - 19 August 2002 Solar activity is expected to range from low to high levels. Isolated low-level M-class flares are expected throughout the period. Region 39 is likely to produce isolated major flares before it rotates out of view on 04 August. Proton events will be possible until Region 39 rotates out of view on 04 August. There will also be a chance for a proton event during the rest of the period with the return of old Region 30 on 06 August. Greater than 2 MeV electron fluxes at geo- synchronous orbit are expected to be at normal to moderate levels for most of the period. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to be at unsettled to minor storm levels during 24 – 26 July due to a CME passage. Active conditions will be possible during 03, 06, and 09 August due to coronal hole effects. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected for the remainder of the period. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2002 Jul 23 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2002 Jul 23 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2002 Jul 24 190 15 3 2002 Jul 25 195 40 6 2002 Jul 26 195 30 5 2002 Jul 27 190 12 3 2002 Jul 28 180 10 3 2002 Jul 29 180 10 3 2002 Jul 30 180 7 2 2002 Jul 31 180 7 2 2002 Aug 01 180 12 3 2002 Aug 02 180 15 3 2002 Aug 03 175 12 3 2002 Aug 04 170 10 3 2002 Aug 05 165 15 3 2002 Aug 06 170 12 3 2002 Aug 07 175 10 3 2002 Aug 08 175 15 3 2002 Aug 09 180 10 3 2002 Aug 10 185 8 3 2002 Aug 11 185 8 3 2002 Aug 12 185 8 3 2002 Aug 13 185 8 3 2002 Aug 14 185 8 3 2002 Aug 15 185 8 3 2002 Aug 16 185 8 3 2002 Aug 17 185 8 3 2002 Aug 18 190 8 3 2002 Aug 19 190 8 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via WORLD OF RADIO 1141, DXLD) SPACE NEWS - Space weather experts meet in Adelaide Scientists have gathered in Australia for the first time to discuss space weather and how to better predict it. http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/space/SpaceRepublish_615553.htm (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-117, July 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 #1140: (ON DEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1140.html NEXT WWCR BROADCAST: Wed 0930 9475 NEXT RFPI BROADCAST: Wed 0700 on 7445-USB, 15038.6 FIRST WOR 1141 BROADCASTS on WBCQ: Wed 2200 17495, 7405, Thu 0415 7415 NOTE: our main site http://www.worldofradio.com may have some down time in next few days. If so, check for latest info at https://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/anomaly.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Glen[n], In another package the Summer Edition of the WRTVH or Listen to the World. I hope you enjoy. I`m looking forward to seeing the review in DXLD as I know how good you are in doing them. I think people don`t realise how good you are in the DX hobby, making life easier for all of us. All the best, (Chris Hambly, Mont Albert North, Victoria, Australia, July 17) Dear Glenn: I Note of thanks for a job well done.Your many years of hard work and dedication to the hobby is well appreciated. I always enjoy hearing from you and tuning in to both shows on a regular basis. I also found that i have provided a link to your site with mine, so please bookmark the following URL: http://home.earthlink.net~nwest025/hobbies.htm Thanks and have a great weekend! 73's! Nbraindude11@aol.com (Noble West, TN) ** AFRICA. Subject: [GRDXC] African Email addresses Could any one in this group help me by sending me the E-mails of African stations which are known to them. The ugabro@infocom.co.ug e- mail address of Radio Uganda is returning mail with error. 73s, Sincerely, (Harjot Singh Brar, GRDXC) This is an extract of my database... ANGOLA R. ECCLESIA ecclesia@snet.co.ao GUINEA R. CONAKRY l.conde@caramail.com (director) KENYA KBC wechebf@africamail.com LIBYA VOICE OF AFRICA africavoice@hotmail.com MAURITANIA R. MAURITANIA rm@mauritania.mr NIGERIA VOICE OF NIGERIA vonlagos@fiberia.com TANZANIA R. FREE AFRICA fra@africaonline [dot something missing – gh] WESTERN SAHARA RASD rasdradio@yahoo.es WESTERN SAHARA RASD c/o ARSO arso@arso.org YEMEN R. REPUBLIC OF YEMEN yradio@y.net.ye ZAMBIA CHRISTIAN VOICE cvoice@zamnet.zm ZIMBABWE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE voxpop@zol.co.zw Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it (GRDXC via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** AFRICA. Glenn, Thanks for Thorsten Hallmann's interesting report from Cape Town. I would guess the station he heard on 6210 is Radio Fana from Ethiopia rather than Radio Kahuzi from DRC. Here in Nairobi I'm a little closer to Kahuzi than Fana, but the latter is very much stronger. Also, Kenya is definitely no longer active on 4935. The only active SW channel is 4915 kHz (10 kW). Yes, Dar es Salaam has been on 5050 only for quite a while (i.e. not on 5985/7280). Regards, (Chris Greenway, Kenya, July 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. EMISORAS DE ONDA MEDIA EN BANDA AMPLIADA: Listado actualizado al 20 de Julio de 2002. 1610 / RADIO CANTICO NUEVO QTH: Av. Oliver 1319, Barrio 9 de Abril (1842 Monte Grande) Tel: (011) 4272-2943 DG: Alfredo H. Soto 1610 / RADIO EXITOS QTH: España 1189 (1712 Castelar) Tel: (011) 4458-1601 DG: Ana María Menéndez de Montagna 1620 / RADIO TROPICANA QTH: Av. San Juan 2461 (1232 Capital Federal) Tel: (011) 4941-1723, 4941-9280, 4941-7601 OP: Asociación Civil "Jesús es mi Salvador" DG: Genuario Rodríguez Almeida 1630 / AM1630 RADIO BUEN AYRE (RED 92) QTH: Calle 32 Nro. 426 (1900 La Plata) Tel: (0221) 483-0478 E-mail: <am1630@r...> OP: NCA S.A. 1640 / RADIO BOLIVIA QTH: Av. Int. Francisco Rabanal 1465, PA (1437 Capital Federal) Tel: (011) 4919-3659 DG: Haydee E. Catalano 1660 / RADIO UNIDAD (*) QTH: Molina 830 (Rafael Calzada) Tel: (011) 4241-2544 OP: Iglesia Internacional Unidos en el Amor de Jesús DG: Alicia del Carmen Velil 1670 / BBC AMERICA LATINA (*) E-Mail: <1670@s...> TXR: via RADIOMANIA (San Justo) 1680 / AM GETRO QTH: Av. San Martín 4280, Dpto. 2 (1824 Lanus oeste) Tel: (011) 4286-1735 OP: Iglesia Jesucristo La Roca Viva DG: Pablo J. Mahíquez 1690 / APOCALIPSIS II QTH: Monseñor Bufano 3386 (1754 San Justo) Tel: (011) 4484-4517 OP: Fundación "Cristo la Solución" Nota: (*) Reportada inactiva (DG) Director General o Propietario / (OP) Operada por ... Cabe señalar que otras estaciones que operaban en esta parte del dial, actualmente se han mudado de frecuencia. Ellas son: 1470 / Radio M.E.C. (Caseros) - Ex 1710 KHz 1580 / Radio Restauración (Hurlingham) - Ex 1650 KHz 1600 / Radio Luz del Mundo (Rafael Calzada) - Ex 1610 KHz (Marcelo Cornachioni, Argentina, Conexión Digital July 21 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. RADIO LIBERTY La radio que nació para desalentar a los soldados ingleses en la Guerra de las Malvinas se llamó Liberty y su tarea era secreta. Silvia Fernández Barrio y Enrique Mancini fueron convocados por el gobierno militar para sumarse a la estrategia de inteligencia contra las tropas enemigas. Reivindican su papel Si la Segunda Guerra Mundial tuvo a la Rosa de Tokio para desalentar a las tropas aliadas, la Guerra de las Malvinas tuvo a radio Liberty. Catorce civiles participaron de esta estrategia comunicacional cuyo objetivo fue horadar la moral anglosajona. Silvia Fernández Barrio y Enrique Alejandro Mancini fueron dos de los civiles que participaron de la operación, que hoy desean contar aquello que quedó guardado bajo un pacto de silencio o por pura discreción. La primera, quien había sido parte de "60 minutos", trabajaba entonces en el programa de Badia "Sábado de todos"; el segundo, permanecia en el famoso ciclo de noticias de ATC. "Un dia estoy en "Sábado de todos" y me dicen: "Te llaman del comité militar". "¿Qué hice?", fue lo primero que pense -cuenta Fernández Barrio-. "¿Para qué me llamaran?" Me llevan a un lugar y me dicen: "Hemos hecho un estudio de inteligencia, usted es la persona mas confiable, y que sabe inglés. ¿Se acuerda de la Rosa de Tokio?" "Si", contesté. "Bueno, queremos una especie de Rosa de Tokio pero se va a llamar Liberty". Y ahi nace radio Liberty". -¿Eras la más confiable para quién? -Confiable para los argentinos. -Pero el objetivo era que lo escucharan ingleses... -Obviamente. Pero te imaginas que querrían a alguien que no les dijera cualquier cosa a los ingleses. No me preguntes a mí, pero me imagino que en una guerra habrá espías, habrá gente que manda información. Me imagino que sería confiable porque entendían que yo no les iba a jugar para el otro lado. -¿De quién estaba a cargo la operación? -Teóricamente, el encargado de la operación Liberty era el Servicio de Inteligencia del Ejército que se peleaba con el Servicio de Inteligencia Naval. -¿Quiénes lo hacían? -Éramos todos civiles. -¿La línea editorial era militar? -Ellos daban una línea pero después entre el que la escribía y yo, la línea la cambiábamos. Si era una línea cruel o era una línea dura, no la pasábamos así. La pasábamos mucho más suave, no hablábamos nunca ni de muertos ni de cosas feas. Nos tirábamos más a que extrañaran a su país y que no vinieran a unas tierras de las cuales no tenían ni idea. Y eso lo debemos haber hecho entre el 7 y el 14 de junio. -¿Tenías posibilidad de decir: "No, no lo hago"? -Sí, absolutamente. Podría haber dicho que no. -¿Por qué no dijiste que no? -Porque entendí que estaba haciendo algo pacífico y que a lo mejor podía ayudar. Yo creo que cuando tu país está en guerra, no tienes demasiado tiempo para pensar de qué lado te vas a poner. A mí me ponen la marcha de Malvinas y se me caen los lagrimones por lo que viví, por lo que como inocentes criaturas creíamos, por el daño que se le hizo a tanta gente. A mí se me hiela el corazón. Alejandro, el memorioso Las precisiones acerca de Liberty las brinda la prodigiosa memoria del locutor y conductor Enrique Alejandro Mancini, que coordinaba la grabación y aportaba, con material propio, la música irlandesa, galesa, inglesa y hasta de los Beatles, que se incluía en la transmisión. A través de la onda corta, Liberty llegaba hasta Londres, Nueva Zelanda, Australia, aquellas metrópolis que podían identificarse con las tropas inglesas. Y recuerda Mancini que tanto inquietó al Parlamento británico que crearon otra radio, con el mismo objetivo, pero como no tenían una vasta discoteca argentina, pasaban siempre discos de Juan D´Arienzo. -¿Dónde se hacian las grabaciones? -Grabábamos en el piso 14 de lo que es el edificio de Radio Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Se grababa de mañana muy temprano, un rollo de 45 minutos, aproximadamente. Una vez listo lo pasaba a retirar en moto un oficial de policía de la provincia de Buenos Aires, y lo llevaba bajo su responsabilidad a la planta transmisora de Transradio Internacional. Ahí se difundía por distintas frecuencias a las que a veces se sumaban la ondas cortas de Radio Nacional. Siempre se cambiaba de frecuencia, en distinto metraje de onda corta, para evitar la interferencia de la inteligencia británica. -Fernández Barrio, que hablaba inglés, era la locutora. -Ella hablaba muy bien el inglés americano, por lo cual un traductor irlandés le marcaba el tono victoriano, la pronunciación inglesa. Los textos los escribían varios, pero el más importante era un autor de libretos de radio y TV, a veces actor, habitualmente de comedietas televisivas. -¿Qué se decía? -El contenido de la programación era un texto muy sentido, sobre las bajas que tenían los ingleses, donde se manifestaba el pesar por su muerte. Le hablaba, por ejemplo, al padre de un soldado británico caído y le decía que entendía su pesar porque había muerto su muchacho, que él iba a ir hoy a ver el Tottenham pero que no iba a estar más con su hijo que vino a entregar su vida para defender una factoria que estaba a 14.000 kilometros de la metrópoli. Decía que en el cuarto se iban a encontrar sólos los discos, como este, que escuchaba su muchacho, y se pasaba el tema en cuestión que podía ser un tema de los Beatles. Las emisiones de radio Liberty se prolongaron hasta 48 horas después de la caída de Puerto Argentino. Ese día, recuerda Mancini, se hizo una despedida bilingüe, en inglés y en castellano: "Se perdió una batalla, pero no el propósito de recuperar las islas, porque las Malvinas han sido, son y serán argentinas". (Miriam Molero, para diario La Nacion, Argentina, en Internet, Abril 7, via Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, lista ConDig, Jul 16 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310, Alice Springs, weak 0950-1005 23 July. For an insight into life in Alice Springs: Alice Springs News HTTP://www.alicespringsnews.com.au/ (Bob Wilkner R-75, ground level 10 meter wire, Margate FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRIA. Innsbruck Aldrans, 6000 kHz [50/10 kW], der ... ORF Steilstrahler fuer Nord-, Ost- und Suedtirol auf 6000 kHz. Nicht nur Herbert Kuhnle in Hoeflein hat die Schliessung damals bedauert. Aber die jungen Herrn "Inschenaeaeeere" wussten es ja besser, von wegen UKW Vollversorgung usw. (wb) Irrtum. Die Abschaltung erfolgte nicht "von wegen UKW Vollversorgung", sondern weil mit der RAS ein System zur Direktversorgung von Suedtirol geschaffen worden war. Die italienische Seite bestand, im Gegenzug, auf die Beendigung der KW-Versorgung. Schuld waren also ausnahmsweise nicht die "Ingeschnaeaeeere", sondern die "Polihiitiker". Wir haetten gern Aldrans fuer den Auslandsdienst bekommen. Das scheiterte an den Leitungskosten. (Heutzutage waere derlei kein Problem, und wir wuerden uns - siehe "Radio Nachbar in Not" oder DRM - alle zehn Finger abschlecken vor Freude ueber diesen Sender an diesem Standort.) Der 50 kW-Sender steht heute als Standby in Moosbrunn und bewirkt natuerlich gar nix mehr (Wolf Harranth-AUT OE1WHC A-DX Jul 16, via BC-DX July 23 via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. La Cruz del Sur was excellent at 1000 July 23 on 4877; unusual propagation conditions (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. R. Free Bougainville, Clandestine - active on 3850 kHz AM. Fade in around 0945-1107 UT s-off English + Pidgin, difficult QRN the last couple of days!! 100% (Roland Schulze, Philippines, BC-DX July 20 via DXLD) Sam Voron tells me today that the word 'Mekamui' translates as 'holy land' with the station being for the people of Independent Central Bougainville. Sam is happy to confirm correct reception reports. Please send Sam enough return postage or remuneration to cover all of his costs or a little more to cover some of his other costs associated with establishing independent radio stations for the people in war ravaged countries. See his latest volunteer work in the Solomon Islands at http://www.H44A.com (Ian Baxter, AUSTRALIA, July 23, ARDXC via DXLD) See also SOLOMON ISLANDS ** CANADA. Re CJWI 1610, Montreal, still silent: Larry Dolan(?) drove by and found a building with a sign saying CPAM Radio Union.com, pretty sure the antenna is there, a white tower structure on the roof of a 2-storey building at 3733 Jarre ? East at the corner of Leonardo da Vinci, a few blocks west of where we thought it was, Addison Electronics outlet. Law offices in same building. Studio may be there or elsewhere (Sheldon Harvey, QC, International Radio Report July 21 via DXLD) ** CANADA. Arnie Coro`s visit to Canada is off due to visa holdup: see CUBA [non]. He was also going to an informal ODXA gathering during his stopover in Toronto (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. SPECIAL REMOTES OFFERED FROM WORLD YOUTH DAY by Larry Nolte, program director, New Heart New Voices St. Louis, July 13 (special)– I do a Catholic music radio show on WRYT-AM, St. Louis. I have arranged to go to this coming World Youth Day, July 22nd to 28th for the station as a journalist. I will be producing 10 minute updates daily for broadcast. The segments will consist of interviews as well as news and feature pieces on all aspects of attending WYD as a pilgrim. We hope to cover the music, the Pope's arrival, security and everyday pilgrim experiences. IF all goes well. We've been planning this for a couple months. The segments, one or two a day, will be uploaded to the shows website, http://www.newheartnewvoices.com in both streaming realaudio, for listening and 128 kbps for downloading and rebroadcast. The segments will be in English only. I will be glad to offer these to any Catholic station free of charge that might want to use them. This is a very exciting event and deserves the broadest coverage. Any station manager that wants to make arrangements can email me at lar@newheartnewvoices.com. Details will be available later this week on the website under a "radio" link. (Catholic Radio Update July 15 via DXLD) Glenn, http://www2.delasalle.toronto.on.ca/events/wyd.html Check under "What to bring" at this website for pilgrims. Bring a radio (hope it has FM! -- and WTFK?). New antennas to handle increase in cell phone use. I haven't seen any reference in articles on security about cell phone jamming. 73, (Ivan Grishin, Ont., July 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: ``Battery powered radio. All events will be broadcasts over the radio in seventeen different languages. Since you may not be close to and event, you will be able to hear it on the radio.`` (site above via gh, DXLD) We had an item a month ago on this with frequencies (tho not which languages on which), and mentioned on WOR 1140 (gh) ** COLOMBIA. 6064.5, La Voz de tu Conciencia, 0754 July 23, noted again so maybe has QSY'd back here from 6060 or is this a re- activation after a brief period??? Much stronger signal than previously too. ID 0756 then into religious message, ID again 0801 (Paul Ormandy, Oamaru, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Have seen no reports yet of their actually being on 6060 (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE VERNON, BC. The delays in processing the thousands of visa applications for the World Youth Day Festival in Toronto appear to be having major consequences for a popular Cuban radio personality. Professor Arnaldo Coro is Chief Engineer at Radio Havana Cuba's English language shortwave radio service. He is known worldwide among amateur radio operators and shortwave radio buffs for his bi-weekly radio programme "DX'ers Unlimited". Professor Coro is in fact so popular that he has been invited to be the keynote speaker at the National Convention of Radio Amateurs of Canada, the national organization representing Canada's 50,000 amateur radio operators. The Convention is this weekend (July 26-28) in Vernon, British Columbia. Professor Coro's flight was to arrive in Toronto on Monday evening en route to Vernon, but the Canadian Embassy in Havana has yet to issue him a visa. The Canadian Embassy had promised convention organizers that a visa would be issued Friday afternoon, just in time for Professor Coro's Monday afternoon flight. However, when a courier from the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT) arrived at the embassy on Friday he was left standing in the baking tropical sun outside the embassy grounds for several hours and was given no explanation by Canadian personnel why Professor Coro's visa documents were not ready. On Saturday, senior embassy staff informed convention organizers that the delays were due to a backlog in visa processing because of World Youth Day. However, in an e-mail from Havana to the Convention Organizing Committee, Professor Coro states, "The justification coming from the big Catholic Youth Festival in Toronto overloading their system is not valid here in Cuba, as very few Cubans will be traveling to that event." Flights to Canada are booked solid. If Professor Coro's visa is not issued Monday morning, it will be highly unlikely that he will be able to attend the convention. Professor Coro points out his concerns, "I never thought this kind of thing will happen with Canada, this is a very sad situation that is jeopardizing the relations between our respective amateur radio associations, as I am one of the founders of the Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba, and one of the nation's best known radio amateurs, so my organization will take this very seriously indeed." "Professor Coro is an internationally respected ham radio operator with radio friends all over the world," said Wilfried Mulder, Radio Amateurs of Canada's convention chairman. "All we want is for his visa to be issued and for him to be on that plane Monday. World Youth Day may be an important event but the whole country shouldn't grind to a halt because of it". Ham radio operators are amateur radio experimenters who are often capable of transmitting radio signals around the globe with very low power. Despite the growth of the internet and cellular telephones, ham radio operators have remained a very important part of emergency communications for everything from major storms and earthquakes to the World Trade Center terrorist incident. - 30 - FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wilfried Mulder Radio Amateurs of Canada Convention Committee Phone (250) 308-9211, Fax (250) 545-3174, email chairman@r... [truncated] *********************************** Radio Amateurs of Canada, RAC 2002 National Convention, Vernon, BC July 26, 27, & 28 http://www.rac2002.org (via Bob Chandler, VE3SRE, July 22, ODXA via DXLD) [Later:] It is with sadness that I must report that the meeting scheduled for July 31st at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto with Professor Arnie Coro, CO2KK, Chief Engineer from Radio Havana Cuba has been cancelled. What saddens me is that the cancellation is not because of Arnie or any problems with travel arrangements. The fault lies totally with the Canadian Embassy in Havana, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mandarins in Ottawa and our politicians for allowing things like this to happen. As well, I would like to apologize in advance for this particularly long e-mail. Its just that I am very upset at the way Arnie was treated by Canadian officials. Arnie was to be in Vernon, British Columbia as the keynote speaker at the Radio Amateurs of Canada national convention that is being held this weekend July 26-28th. Arnie had some "lay-over" time between connecting flights both on the way out to Vernon and on the way back to Havana and so the plan was that Arnie would be staying with me during his Toronto lay-over and we took advantage of his "Toronto time" to arrange the meeting at the Ontario Science Centre with the kind assistance of Alf Hepplestone, VE3ALF who is in charge of the ham radio programme at the OSC. Arnie was not only looking forward to meeting with ham radio operators and shortwave enthusiasts in the Toronto area but we had also planned to do a "side trip" to the Hammond Museum of Radio in Guelph. Arnie was planning to do an edition of his "DX'ers Unlimited" radio programme on his visit to the museum. Arnie, Wilf Mulder VE7OHM and his fellow members of the RAC Convention Committee worked their hearts out on travel arrangements and on Arnie's Canadian visa application. They left nothing to chance. They made sure to send all the paperwork via fax, e-mail and via courier. When at the last minute, the Canadian Embassy in Havana asked for additional information on the purpose of the visit they again sent everything via all three methods. They fully cooperated with the embassy and gave them any information they asked for. Arnie was required to pay a $50 U.S. non-refundable visa application fee to the Canadian Embassy. You must bear in mind that Arnie's salary is paid in non-convertable Cuban pesos. So, it was necessary for him to borrow the money from a relative in order to pay the visa application fee. Arnie was booked on a LACSA flight that was scheduled to leave Havana at 6:30 pm bound for Toronto on Monday, July 22nd and then go on to Vernon the following day. He was advised by the LACSA representative in Havana to arrive by at least 3:00 pm as there was a possibility that the flight was overbooked. About a week ago, the Canadian Embassy had promised to issue Arnie's visa at 1:00 pm on Friday, July 19th. This was a very tight time frame as Arnie's flight was to leave early Monday evening and the embassy was of course closed on the weekend should anything go wrong. The representative from the Cuban Institute for Radio and Television (ICRT) arrived at the embassy gate at 12:30 pm Friday to collect Arnie's documents and ended up standing there in +30 degree C temperatures for over two hours waiting for a response. There was none. And, the Canadian Embassy did not return Arnie's passport as is the normal thing when a country decides not to issue a visa. Wilf was in touch with Canadian Embassy personnel over the weekend and he was told that the problems were due to the overload of visa applications connected with World Youth Day in Toronto. They told Wilf to tell the folks from the ICRT to be at the embassy at 8:00 AM Monday morning. This morning (Monday, July 22nd) Wilf heard from Havana that the embassy was "reviewing" Arnie's visa application and that they would have something to say to the ICRT at 1:30 PM. It was a case of "we won't call you, you call us". At around 2:00 PM, Wilf received a call from an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ottawa who told him that Arnie's visa application had been denied. Wilf asked why and the official said that he could not explain why due to the provisions of the Privacy Act. Wilf immediately e-mailed Arnie to give him the bad news. It seems that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs folks couldn't keep their story straight because the ICRT representative in Havana was told to "come back tomorrow" (Tuesday) at 8:00 AM...of course, long after Arnie's probably overbooked flight had left. I spoke to both Wilf and Arnie today by telephone and all of us are upset at this bureaucratic nightmare. Why did the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs do this? None of us know for sure. When talking with Arnie today both he and I are of the opinion that this is part of some kind of deliberate diplomatic "snub" to the Cuban authorities for some reason or another. Arnie has taught at several universities in Havana over the years and has been involved in training the diplomatic corps. So he is well-versed in the "ins and outs" of diplomacy. The thing that upsets me, if indeed this is part of some diplomatic "snub", is that the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has "used" the Canadian ham radio community, which prides itself on being non- political, to make whatever political point they were trying to make. Hams simply share a love of the science of radiocommunications and we willingly put our abilities to work for our communities whenever there is a crisis. And because of either bureaucratic bungling or political intrigue we lose an opportunity to hear from a very prominent member of our world-wide community. If you are as upset as I am over this disgraceful treatment of Arnie and the Canadian ham radio community you might want to make your thoughts known to: [truncated] Canadian Embassy in Havana havan@d... Hon., Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs Graham.B@p... Hon. Allan Rock, Minister of Industry Rock.A@p... Your local MP. 73 (Bob Chandler VE3SRE, July 22, ODXA via DXLD) Wilf Mulder VE7OHM sent me an e-mail today mentioning that he'd been interviewed by CBC Radio Vancouver. He also mentioned that he should be on "Daybreak" at 6:45 AM tomorrow. The CBC folks told him that some of this may hit the national network. I'm not the best "morning person" so can't remember off-hand if "Daybreak" is CBC Radio's Vancouver morning programme or if it`s CBC television's national morning programme. All of this stuff isn't going to bring Arnie to the convention (at least this time), but at least the powers that be will know that radio hobbyists do not like being used as "political footballs". 73 de (Bob VE3SRE, July 23, ODXA via DXLD) As I recall, Daybreak is the CBC Radio One BC morning show that goes to that part of BC outside of metro Vancouver, and Vancouver Island (each of which have their own shows) (Eric Flodén, BC, ibid.) I caught the item on the 4:30 pm CBC Vancouver Regional news via real audio. It was about the third item and very well done. Thank you CBC!! Foreign Affairs is sticking to their story about the problem being because of the backlog due to WYD. Folks in these parts should be able to catch the 5:30 pm news at 8:30 pm eastern daylight time on the CBC website. 73 de (Bob VE3SRE, July 23, ibid.) Can be heard at http://vancouver.cbc.ca/ram/latest-vancouver.ram (Brian Smith, ibid.) Tsk, tsk, Arnie had no problem getting into Oklahoma for previous ham events. Why did they wait so long to get the visa? This week`s DXULs could be interesting, tho he no doubt had pre-recorded some editions. Caught part of the 0140 UT Wed airing when 9820 was weaker than usual, and usual stuff, no rant; try 0340, 0540 if in time (gh, DXLD) ** CHILE. Voz Cristiana intends to test some curtain antennas at Santiago site, Chile, which have recently become licenced after several years of inactivity. The tests are planned to commence at 2230 UT on 17th July and end at 0130 UT on 18th July. The following antennas in Santiago (site code SGO) will be tested with 100 kW, modulation 1 kHz tone: A.=ITU code 158 (AHR 2/4/1), azimuth 45 deg. B.=ITU code 218 (AHR(S) 4/4/1), azimuth 75 deg, slew +/- 30 deg. C.=ITU code 218 (AHR(S) 4/4/1), azimuth 75 deg, slew +/- 30 deg. We test each antenna for just a few mins at a time within the following schedule: 6110 kHz: 2300-2400 9730 kHz: 2330-0100 11930 kHz: 2300-0130 13620 kHz: 0000-0130 15240 kHz: [?]2200-2400 17650 kHz: 2300-2400 We have endeavoured to identify frequencies which will not cause any disturbance to existing routine transmissions. Christian Vision, tel +44 121 522 6087 fax +44 121 522 6083 e-mail andrewflynn@christianvision.com (July 16) I'm not sure if I'll be able to stay awake for all of the SGO tests, but will try to hear. 15240 at 2200, R Australia via TWN is using the frequency, but never very strongly heard here. ... I listened at 2200 last night (17th) on 15240 but heard nothing at all - no trace of SGO and no trace of Australia either. Maybe nothing happened until 2230? (Noel R. Green-UK, BC-DX Jul 18) Despite the test time span is not so comfortable for the European audience, I managed to check the 11930, 15240 and 17650 channels just till 2340 UT. Used the good old Sony 2010, telescopic ant in the living room. Nothing observed at 2200-2300 on 15240 except RA/Taiwan? co-ch. I heard a 1000 Hertz test tone only on 15240 S=8-9, start from approx. 2300 UT, but to about 2315 UT only; not from 2200. Signal strength: 9 of 10 diodes shining on the 2010. At about 2328-2334 UT same 1000 Hertz tone on 17650 kHz, same signal strength like on 15 MHz. Then I went to the dreamland ... (wb) (Wolfgang Bueschel, Germany, BC-DX via DXLD) ** CHILE. 6089.91, R. Esperanza, 0956-1055 July 21. Seems to be a regular here in Oregon after Gene Scott signs off at 0955 (Esperanza is heard underneath Gene's signal on 6090 until his signoff) and until R. Japan signs onto 6090 with Korean at 1058. Nearly continuous music with low level M announcements between some of the music (contemporary SS music, not religious). At 1039 UT, managed to snag a good ID ("En Temuco, Chile.....Radio Esperanza...banda international de...Temuco"). There were other ids at poor levels (compared to the music) during the broadcast (Don Nelson, Oregon, July 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA [non]. NEWS FROM WRMI - July 22, 2002 Ten months after discontinuing its broadcasts to Cuba, the Cuban American National Foundation is resuming its shortwave service, "The Voice of the Foundation." A few weeks after the September 11th tragedy last year, the Foundation was forced to suspend its 12-year-old shortwave service due to financial difficulties. The new, more limited "Voice of the Foundation" will be broadcast (in Spanish) each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1030-1130 UT on 9955 via WRMI in Miami, beginning July 24th. The Cuban American National Foundation is the largest and most influential Cuban exile organization in the United States. NOTICIAS DE WRMI - Julio 22, 2002 Diez meses después de descontinuar sus transmisiones a Cuba, la Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana está reiniciando su servicio de onda corta, "La Voz de la Fundación." Un par de semanas después de la tragedia del 11 de septiembre el año pasado, la Fundación tenía que suspender su servicio de onda corta -- que ya llevaba 12 años -- debido a dificultades financieras. La nueva, mas limitada "Voz de la Fundación" será transmitida cada lunes, miércoles y viernes a las 1030-1130 TU en 9955 vía WRMI en Miami a partir del 24 de julio. La Fundación Nacional Cubano Americana es la organización de exiliados cubanos mas grande y de mas influencia en los Estados Unidos (Jeff White, WRMI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. TOP CZECH PRIEST ASKS US PRESIDENT TO DELAY CLOSURE OF US RADIO CZECH BROADCASTS | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 23 July: The Czech Catholic Primate Cardinal Miloslav Vlk has written a letter to US President George Bush saying that it would be useful to preserve the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Czech broadcasts at least until the Czech Republic joins the EU, which is expected in 2004. Vlk wrote to Bush in mid-July, Czech Bishops' Conference spokesman Daniel Herman told CTK today. A letter with a similar content has been recently sent by Petr Pithart, the Czech Senate [upper house of parliament] chairman, to the RFE/RL Council of Governors, Pithart's adviser Jaroslav Veis said. The Czech-language section of the US-run RFE/RL is to cease broadcasting on 1 October, after 52 years, the RFE/RL Council of Governors decided in Washington several weeks ago. The RFE/RL broadcasts are no longer necessary in the Czech Republic as it is a democracy. Similarly, the RFE/RL's Polish and Hungarian broadcasts were stopped long ago, Washington says. According to RFE/RL director Thomas Dine, the USA needs money to extend the station's broadcasts to other countries in connection with its fight against terrorism. The director of the Czech broadcasts, Olga Kopecka, said she would try to save the broadcasts. To achieve the goal, she has to gain the necessary sum equivalent to the hitherto US subsidy of 650,000 dollars. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1040 gmt 23 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** FRANCE. UNIDENTIFIED. Via MWC kreeg ik hetvolgende bericht over 1062 khz: Re Andrew Tett's suggestion that this mystery signal on 1062 kHz could possibly originate in France. This is possible as the signal peaked to the South East from here (Caversham, Berks). From memory, 1062 kHz has been used in France for temporary licences in the past (e.g. R Latina from Villebon during the World Cup from France?). There have also been DRM tests on 1062 from Villebon (near Paris) this year (are they still happening?) After Denmark closed at 2230 UT last night, signal was fairly clear - still with Chinese music with sound like a faulty CD player. Identity is still a mystery - any member in France confirm any current usage of 1062 kHz? (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK, MWC via Maz van Arnhem, BDXC via DXLD) This mystery station playing quick short bursts of Chinese style music audible at present here in Caversham (2130 UT 21 July). It`s audible even on a portable when it fades up and Denmark, the dominant station on the frequency here is nulled. It`s not Italy either which is also audible on 1062 at times. (thanks to tip below from Max van Arnhem/ Dick vd Knaap (via MWC Email list): Thanks to a tip of Dick vd Knaap, the Netherlands I also heard a station on 1062 kHz transmitting Chinese type music and songs without announcements. He reported the station the last few evenings and nights and I also heard this station tonight (21 July). My ALA is beaming SW-NE. Anybody knows more about this station? (Max van Arnhem, The Netherlands, BDXC via DXLD) L'émetteur parisien qui diffusait en continu des signaux DRM depuis le 1er juin diffuse depuis aujourd'hui un programme de chansons qui semblent chinoises sur la fréquence de 1062 kHz. Après un quart d'heure d'écoute, pas la moindre identification (Thierry VIGNAUD - Boulogne-Billancourt (France) http://www.emetteurs.fr.fm via fr.rec.radio via Dimitri Tomarov, July 22, BDXC via DXLD) Translation: The Paris transmitter that has broadcast DRM since the 1st of June, now transmits a programme with Chinese sounding songs on 1062 khz (Max van Arnhem, The Netherlands, MWC via BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** GAMBIA. Subject: [GRDXC] GRTS opens Multimedia site (NON-DX) Dear Friends, Here is an Non-DX interesting item I found on the web from Gambia Radio & TV News. When I visited the site it says: GRTS Online! COMING SOON In just a few hours time... 73s, (Harjot Singh Brar for GRDXC...) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Banjul The Gambia Radio and Television Service (GRTS) will be opening its audio-visual multimedia website on the July 22nd Anniversary of The Gambia Revolution. This website will be located at http://www.grts.gm and will be broadcasting video news over the Internet via streaming Real video technology. The website will also be carrying Daily News from The Gambia in plain text format with some accompanying pictures. Under the management of the new Director General, Mr. Bora Mboge, GRTS, with the help of Unique Solutions, a local multi-media company intends to further expand its' online audio-visual presence to include famous Radio and Television programmes like the popular 'Land of our Heritage' programme. For more details, please contact info@grts.gm or visit http://www.grts.gm (GRDXC via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** GERMANY [and non]. I found the following on the RSGB web site. I expect you know about it already! (Richard Buckby-UK G3VGW, RSGB, Jul 19) Hello to all LF'ers, on Wednesday, 24th of July, the 153 kHz transmitter of Deutschlandfunk in Donebach (JN49ON, 50 km SSE of Frankfurt) will be off air due to scheduled maintenance. By the friendly co-operation of the site personnel and with consent of the regulation authorities, a small group of German LF amateurs has been granted access to one of the 360 metres masts between 0700 and 1500 UT. With a little luck we might be able to achieve about 30 dB more radiation efficiency than at home. We will probably need some time to work out the impedance matching. After that, we intend to operate preferably in CW and Slow-CW modes. As we expect a rather high noise floor from the Frankfurt area, we will bring along a tuned loop for receiving, and we will be QRV on 7030 kHz in CW as well. If nothing else works, please give us a phone call on +49 174 3692499, or send an email note via the reflector or to dj2lf@darc.de or markusvester@aol.com Let's look forward to a successful day, hopefully without thunderstorms or strong noise. 73 The group: Markus - DF6NM, Walter - DJ2LF, Ralph - DL2NDO, Ralph - DK3GH, Roland - DL3NDR, Franz - DL5NER. (RSGB web site via Richard Buckby-UK G3VGW, BC-DX Jul 19 via DXLD) I was not aware of this [amateur radio] test, although it was on discussion with the chief engineer of DTK-Deutsche Telekom, during our sightseeing tour to Donebach site on June 14th, this year. The engineer told us that the two transmitters are silent on July 23 till 25th during daytime, most likely 0610-1555 UT. The CW test on LF will be in the 136-137 kHz range of LF Ham R Band [secondary band usage], not on v153 kHz broadcasting band. 73 wb df5sx 136 kHz (135.7-137.8 in GB). Secondary. Available on the basis of non- interference to other services (inside or outside the United Kingdom). Morse Telephony RTTY Data Facsimile SSTV. 153 DLF DTK Donebach tx. Maintenance break during July 23-26, 2002, according time slots given on the DLF program. Interesting to listen to Nordcap-NOR, ALG and ROU transmitters instead. Abschaltung fuer Generalueberholung 23. bis 26. Juli 2002, dann Noerdliches Norwegen Nordkap, Algerien und Brasov-Bod-ROU hoerbar. Abschaltzeiten werden im DLF Programm angesagt. (DLF Donebach sightseeing tour, BC-DX Jun 14) DTK / DLF Donebach 153 kHz silent since 0610 UT today, seemingly one day earlier than expected. BREAK schedule most likely daily 0610-1547 UT, on 22nd til 26th?? of July, 2002. Seit 0610 UT an diesem 22. Juli ist der LW Sender DTK Donebach 153 kHz abgeschaltet. Offensichtlich beginnen die Generalueberholungsarbeiten schon einen Tag frueher, heute am 22. Juli. Die Unterbrechung der Aussendungen des DLF auf dieser Frequenz duerften bis circa 1555? UT dauern. 73 wb df5sx 153 kHz. Von 1300[0610-] bis 1547 UT war in der Naehe von Hannover nur Radio Romania Actualitata zu hoeren. Ab 1547 UTC Donebach wieder aktiv. 198 kHz. Polskie R war hier gleichstark mit der BBC aufzunehmen (nicht \\ mit 225 kHz). 1600 UTC schaltete Polish Radio ab. Nach Abschalten des polnischen Senders war noch ein schwaches Signal unter der BBC zu hoeren. Zu schwach, um ihn zu identifizieren. (Uwe Volk-D, BC-DX July 22) Ich bin gerade 1556 UT nach Hause gekommen, zu dieser Zeit war Donebach schon wieder on air. Danke fuer Deine Beobachtung, damit habe ich die genaue Abschaltzeit [0610-1547 UT] eruiert bekommen. Morgen und uebermorgen werden die Wartungsarbeiten weitergehen, vielleicht auch noch am 26. Juli, ja wenn die erste Information von Herrn Karl-Otto Wohlfarth (DTK Donebach), E-Mail: arl-Otto.Wohlfarth@telekom.de richtig war. Ich bin extra nach draussen gegangen, mit dem besseren Sony, den ICF 2010 aus 1995 aus den USA. Habe aber tagsueber nichts auf 153 kHz gehoert. Nur die schwach einfallenden Stationen mit S=1-2 auf 171? welches Programm? Tilsit-Bolshakovo? Kai weisst Du das, was hoerst Du?, 198 BBC, 216 Monaco, 225 POL gehoert. Stark - ohne Probleme - hoere ich tagsueber 177, 185, 207, 234, 243, 270 kHz, spaeter dann auch 252 aus ALG und IRL, sowie nachts 279BLR kHz. Ich glaube aber, dass Bod-ROU nicht mehr mit voller Leistung arbeitet, die waren frueher staerker, selbst in Italien war neben Donebach nichts aus ROU aufzunehmen, selbst wenn ich Donebach auf Ferrit-Ant- Minimum zurueck gedreht habe. 73 wb df5sx (all: BC-DX via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Am 29.6.2002 protestierten mehrere hundert Anwohner im Rahmen eines "Valleyer Informationstages" gegen die Sendeanlagen des International Bcing Bureau http://www.ibb.gov Die Station wurde vor 50 Jahren fuer Mittelwellensendungen nach Osteuropa errichtet und beherbergt zur Zeit vier 250 kW-Kurzwellensender. Die Proteste, die in den 90er Jahren immer staerker wurden, fuehrten bereits zur Abschaltung der Mittelwelle (frueher 719/720 kHz, zuletzt 1593 kHz [150 kW]). [we had a report on this in English some time ago --- gh] Bei der Zusammenlegung der Anlagen von Voice of America und R Free Europe/Radio Liberty in die Verantwortung des International Broadcasting Bureau wurde Mitte der 90er schon die Schliessung angekuendigt. Auf dem Protesttag praesentierten Elektrosmog-Experten Ergebnisse von Untersuchungen in Holzkirchen, Moosbrunn und Schwarzenburg. Zusammenfassungen sind auf der Homepage http://www.sender-freies-oberland.de zu finden (Dr Hansjoerg Biener-D, 30.6.2002; ntt, BC-DX via DXLD) ** GUYANA. Disturbed conditions could lead to some unusual reception over the next day or two, particularly on the lower frequencies (especially tropical bands and MW). Possible aurora has also been forecast. Currently hearing V. of Guyana on 3291.25 with fair signal (23 July 2325) in English though suffering sporadic ute interference. Heard last night also from 2350 to past 0100 UT. Not sure if this reception is due to the disturbed conditions? (Alan Pennington, Caversham, UK, AOR 7030+ / beverage, July 23, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** INDIA. AIR COMPLETES 75 YEARS OF BROADCASTING TODAY Hyderabad, July 22: The All India Radio celebrates 75 years of broadcasting on Tuesday. It started as Broadcasting Corporation of India on July 23, 1927. So far as Hyderabad`s own history of broadcasting goes, it began in Chirag Ali Lane, in 1933, with a one-watt ``toy`` transmitter, set up by a postal clerk. It then went on to become the Deccan Radio in 1938 — under the Nizam, and finally it was merged with the AIR, on April 1, 1950. Hyderabad got its AIR services only from 1950. The Vijayawada AIR station, however, was set up on December 1, 1948, in composite Madras and was inaugurated by the then revenue minister Kala Venkat Rao. Radio has stood its ground through the years as a living medium. Some of the famous old-timers of the AIR (Vijayawada and Hyderabad) spoke to Deccan Chronicle on Monday about their AIR experience. Says flautist and former music producer of AIR N S Srinivasan: ``I joined AIR in 1959. We worked with legends like Devulapally Krishna Sastry and Pingle Lakshmikantam. AIR was part of people`s life.`` He recounts the popularity of radio legends such as Radio Annaiah Ganapati Raghava Rao and Radio Akkaiah (his wife) Kameswaramma. V S N Camphor, a Peshawar refugee, used to narrate a children`s story during a five-minute break before the news at 7.05 pm. ``Children would stop playing and run to listen to his story,`` he says. His wife Sharada Srinivasan, also associated with AIR as a drama artist, recollects, ``During the Diviseema cyclone, AIR staffers visited cyclone-hit areas. We later produced a programme Kanneeti Keretaalu, recording voices of people who had been hit by the cyclone. Listening to this many came forward to help.`` Indiraganti Srikanta Sarma scriptwriter for AIR initially said, ``The ambience was so creative and fulfilling that we produced 15 Sanskrit and Telugu programmes, 14 of which won national awards.`` Special radio broadcasts today All India Radio, Hyderabad, will broadcast special programmes on Tuesday in connection with the completion of 75 years of broadcasting. Special programmes in Hyderabad A Channel: At 7.15 pm — Udayatarangini (`Radio ki 75 Vasanthaalu` — a feature on broadcasting in India). At 8.30 am: Carnatic vocal by M S Subbalakshmi. A special phone-in-programme to collect listener`s views on broadcasting in India along with film songs will be broadcast at 9 am. Listeners can call between 9 am and 10 am on 3232080 or 3232073 to express their views. A Carnatic music programme by G N Balasubrahmanyam will be broadcast at 1.30 pm. ``Radio Natakam`` — a programme based on excerpts of archival plays and opinions of eminent personalities will be broadcast at 8.15 pm. AIR is also broadcasting special programmes on Hyderabad B Channel (217.8 Mtrs, 1377 KHz). Antharangam — a programme on listener`s opinion in connection with AIR`s 75 years will be broadcast at 6.15 pm. A special programme ``Kuch Yaadein - Kuch Baatein — Aap Ke Saath`` will be broadcast at 9.30 pm. (Via Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad 23 July 2002) http://deccan.com/city/template.shtml# AIR completes 75 years of broadcasting today. Several special programs were heard on AIR in connection with their platinum jubilee, in local languages (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Hyderabad, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. I always considered Playboy magazine and its video offspring to be essentially visual media. (Yeah, I know you only read the articles and never look at the pictures. Well I still look at the pictures just to refresh my fading memory.) Today I learned that XM Satellite Radio is going to add the Playboy channel to its program lineup. Playboy on the radio -- now there's something that would bring audiences back to BBC World Service (sneaky obligatory SW reference). People complain that talking on cell phones is distracting and causing accidents. "They ain't seen nothin' yet", as Jimmy Durante used to say. Picture this redneck truck driver hurtling down I-95, pedal to the metal, all glassy-eyed, listening to XM's Playboy channel, while his Vacu-jack machine hums softly to the rhythm of the road. The mind boggles. The following is from the XM press release announcing their third quarter absence of earnings: Programming Enhancements Today, XM announced significant programming enhancements to its 100- channel lineup to take effect on August 26, 2002 based on subscriber feedback involving channel adds, format changes and deletions. XM will introduce an audio books and radio drama channel, a Radio Classics channel, as well as channels dedicated to Electronica, Folk, Easy Listening, Neo Soul and Urban Hip Hop as well as its first premium channel, Playboy Radio, offered to subscribers at $2.99 per month beginning on September 3rd. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ Methinks that an audio book channel, like most shortwave listening, (obligatory SW reference), would be more dangerous for drivers than Playboy Radio. A recent study concluded that drivers with Cellular Phones, either hand held OR NOT, lost enough concentration in their driving ability to give them "tunnel vision". I see the same thing happening with spoken word services like those. Such audio items would require an ability to use the theater of the mind, and with most of us not using that gift we developed when mama read us a bedtime story as children, we could loose site of reality while driving, or worse fall asleep at the wheel. Unless you are already conditioned by listening to hours of Ayn Rand on cassette, or vintage radio programs like "Suspense" or "X minus One", or Glenn Hauser's World Of Radio program, this can be hazardous while driving. Now if the Audio Book was say something of a lighter vain, like Eric Idle narrating the Monty Python version of nursery rhymes, then.... OOPs, Playboy IS doing that. Sign me up! ("Big Steve" Coletti, ibid.) ** IRAQ [non]. SAUDI ARABIA. Clandestine V of Iraqi People via (supposed) ARS moved at last from its long-standing 9568v to 9570.0 (BTW, it was silent for some months). Another freq 9563.0 remains untouched, still bringing strong het to 9565 VOA Ukrainian at 2000- 2030 (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, DXplorer Jul 18 via BC-DX via DXLD) By the way, their third \\ channel is still 11710.3 (Mikhail Timofeyev, Russia, DXplorer Jul 18 via BC-DX via DXLD)) ** ITALY. It seems that AWR Europe will not be constructing the proposed Argenta transmitting stn in Italy after all. There seems no need for it, as they are already getting good coverage from all of their relay sites (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX July 19 via DXLD) ** MONACO. 3AC Monaco Radio. Station located close to parliament building on a road cut into the cliffside. Small building with a log periodic antenna and folded dipoles mounted on a tower at the railing of the road (Boulevard de Suisse in the town of Monaco) opposite the building. Unlike other coastal stations both transmitters and receivers are located in the building. Listen for weather forecasts in English and French at 0930 UT on 8806, 13152, 17323 and 22768 kHz (Karl-Erik Stridh, Sweden, WWDXC TopNews July 19 via BC-DX via DXLD) So are we now to conclude the HF antennas for this one are actually inside Monaco? (gh, DXLD) ** MOZAMBIQUE. An item from Agência de Informação de Moçambique (Maputo) July 18, 2002, Posted to the web July 21, 2002 Listeners to Radio Mozambique have been puzzled this week by the national station's disappearance from its habitual spot on the medium wave band of their sets: now they know that this is not due to any technical fault - instead vital pieces of radio equipment have been stolen. As a result, Radio Mozambique's national broadcast can only be heard on FM, thus drastically reducing the station's range. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 73s, (Harjot Singh Brar, Punjab, GRDXC via DXLD) or more specifically: ** MOZAMBIQUE. THIEVES SILENCE RADIO MOZAMBIQUE MATOLA TRANSMITTER Radio Mozambique´s mediumwave transmitter in Matola has been off the air in for the past few days after thieves stole vital pieces of broadcasting equipment. Radio Mozambique engineer Luis Loforte told the press that the thieves broke into the broadcasting centre in the city of Matola on Saturday, and stole three copper bobbins. As a result, Radio Mozambique's national broadcast can only be heard on FM, thus drastically reducing the station's range. Loforte noted that the theft was a "risky" operation, since it involved high voltage power. He therefore concluded that it was the work of people with a good knowledge of broadcasting technology, since they did it in such a way that they succeeded without any damage to themselves, and without being detected. Reporters who visited the site said that the fencing around the premises in Matola is very vulnerable, and that more security guards are needed. Loforte said that it will not be easy to replace the stolen copper, but the station will do its best to get the mediumwave transmitter back on the air before the end of this week. In the meantime, Radio Mozambique listeners in the central and northern provinces cannot hear the national station on mediumwave. Radio Mozambique's provincial stations are unaffected. Radio Mozambique had received the stolen equipment under a cooperation programme between the station and the Japanese government. Replacing it will probably mean a delay in receiving other materials that Japan would otherwise have supplied. This is not the first time that there has been a serious theft at the Matola centre. Earlier cases involved the theft of copper cables used in shortwave broadcasts. The Matola site was originally used by Radio Clube de Mozambique (© Radio Netherlands Media Network July 23 via DXLD) ** NIGERIA. Although the following message has no relation with DXing but came because of DXing. I sent a request for latest sked and V. of Nigeria Airwaves from V. of Nigeria via email. The following message came in reply of that. May be replied if you are interested. Kind regards, (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) You guessed it --- another variation of the banking scam. Do NOT reply and above all do not give them your banking info, or the only money transferred will be your own, to them!!!! (gh, DXLD) ** PALESTINE. VOICE OF PALESTINE RADIO OBSERVED BACK ON AIR 21 JULY Palestinian radio Voice of Palestine from Ramallah on 21 July was observed to broadcast the following announcement: "Voice of Palestine is with you, from you, and for you. This is a radio for all listeners on FM 90.7 MHz." At 1015 gmt, the radio began to carry songs by Lebanese singer Fayruz. The first song was entitled "We are returning". It was the first time the radio was observed since the station went off the air at 1015 gmt on 24 June when Israeli troops entered Ramallah. The station later carried a musical play by Fayruz. Source: Voice of Palestine, Ramallah, in Arabic 0000 gmt 21 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3395, R Eastern Highlands, Goroka, 1950 July 22, carrier till 1956 then PNG pop song, female announcer in Pidgin at 1958 with id and MW freq. NBC news from Port Moresby at 2000. Last time heard was April 1 (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. By the way, Kerema is reported to be without fuel and without electricity for the past two days, due to lack of fuel deliveries. Electricity is reported OFF (fuel gone...) so no 3245 R Gulf. The newspaper reports they may get fuel into the province soon. Cited by one of the PNG newspapers. (Independent as I recall). That third link is... http://www.niugini.com/independent/ And of course there is some news this morning From Today's Post- Courier. 'VOICE OF THE SUNRISE' FALLS SILENT RADIO Bougainville fell silent yet again yesterday after the provincial government's power station pulled the plug on the transmission site because of unpaid bills. This is the second time the station had been closed this year. In February the station was also closed down briefly, again due to financial problems. The announcement of the closure comes at a time when the province's leaders take the first steps to set draft a Bougainville constitution in preparation for a Constituent Assembly and an autonomous Bougainville govt. But Bougainvilleans in remote areas who rely on radio news will be missing out on new developments without R Bougainville, or their "Maus B'long Sankamap" (Voice of the Sunrise), which is their radio station ID. Kubu Power House officials confirmed that power to the transmitter was switched off yesterday due to non-payment of power bills. They would not disclose the amount. "Just last week, our management requested for some funding from the Bougainville administration to keep the station on air while we wait for the remaining K70,000 from this year's appropriation," station officials said. "Radio Bougainville has been struggling to remain on air through its committed staff, who keep on pretending that all is well - until this morning (yesterday)." (via Don Nelson, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I'm not aware of a web site for a PNG newspaper called the Independent, but the two papers I check sometimes are: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/ http://www.thenational.com.pg/ As Don indicated, PNG papers can help provide reasons why some frequency slots are vacant. I appreciate Don's comments, as he must monitor these sources more than I do currently (Guy Atkins, DXplorer Jul 18 via BC-DX via DXLD) Another good PNG morning, with many stations heard, most with G / VG signals. Here's a quick PNG bandscan from metro Denver, from 1100 to 1200 UT on 17 July: 2410 - blocked by local mixing product 3205 - strong carrier, under-modulated M ancr 3220 - VG signal; ended with mx at 1158, s-off at 1200. After 1200, presumed Korea left on the channel. 3235 - Good with tribal drumming at 1143; slop from local mixing product on 3240 3245 - not heard 3260 - VG signal; s/off at 1159, anthem at 1200. 3275 - VG 3290 - local mixing product 3305 - weak carrier only 3315 - VG signal; 1115 with M ancr, island-flavored pop/reggae sounds. 3325 - 2 or 3 mixing here, prob PNG and/or INS/GTM. 3335 - not heard 3345 - not checked 3355 - good 3365 - fair 3375 - not checked 3385 - not heard 3395 - VG 3905 - VG 4890 - VG Gee, this is just like the old days - what a treat! The only negative at this location is that we have local AM stns operating on 1600, 1650, and 1690 and the harmonics and mixing products from these land smack-dab in the 90 mb (John Wilkins, CO, DXplorer Jul 17 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** PERU. From: Radio San Antonio de Padua Callalli-Caylloma-Arequipa rsan_antonio14@hotmail.com Estimados amigos el motivo de la presente es para saludarlos ya a la vez comunicarles que desde hace una semana no hay señal de radio San Antonio ya que como se habrán enterado por los cables internacionales el sur del Perú ha sido de clarado en emergencia debido a los desastres naturales como son el cambio de clima con fuertes nevadas fuertes vientos y bajas temperaturas lo que esta ocasionando enfermedades respiratorias agudas en los niños y ancianos y por otro lado el alto indice de mortandad en los animales como son alpacas, ovinos y llamas que no tiene que comer por lo que a nivel nacional se ha organizado una cruzada de ayuda para todas las zonas afectadas por este fenómeno climatológico por lo que el presente año y el próximo es difícil para toda la gente de esta zona que solo vive de la ganadería ya que por la altura aquí no hay agricultura. Debido a las nevadas se ha que mado un transformador de la luz ,por lo que desde hace máas de una semana todos los pueblos de la zona alta de Arequipa no contamos con fluído electrico y por lo visto todavía va a demorar por lo que estamos haciendo las gestiones ante las autoridades para que nos proporcionen combustible para nuestro generador y así mantener informados a todos los de la zona alta ya que por aquí es la única emisora que mantiene informados a todos los que habitan por las alturas por lo que esperamos que mañana o en el transcurso de la semana estemos saliendo al aire. Ya mas adelante les estaré contando más de talles de esta zona sur del Perú , sin más que decirle por el momento me despido hasta una próxima oportunidad. saludos. Hno Rolando del Carpio Montalvo ([sic] via Chuck Bolland, FL, also sent to many other DXers, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radio Victoria, Lima, 9720.4 khz, 0026-0055 GMT, very good signal, ID as "...Radio Victoria, una radio para tí...", SIO 333 (Daniele Canonica, Switzerland, July 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4790 RADIO ATLANTIDA. Iquitos, Perú. 2240 – 2256 Julio 20: Música del grupo español La Oreja de Van Gogh. `` ...5 de la tarde con 43 minutos, 5 con 43 en Atlántida la fabulosa 106.5...`` Prog. Radio Éxitos 106.5 5470.9, RADIO SAN NICOLAS. Rodríguez de Mendoza, Perú. 1110 – 1125 Julio 21: S/on después del Himno Nacional ``...Señoras y Señores desde la provincia más fértil del departamento de Amazonas, Rodríguez de Mendoza, bajo el arrullo del Río San - - - transmite Radio San Nicolás iniciamos nuestra transmisión correspondiente al día de hoy esperamos que a loa largo y ancho de nuestra programación usted se sienta complacido con nuestra música, saludos y noticias, primicias, comentarios y sobre todo la mejor animación...inicia su transmisión Radio San Nicolás ....`` 5500.2, RADIO SAN MIGUEL. San Miguel, Perú. 2256 – 2330 Julio 20: Comunicado del jurado electoral No. 001-1 ``...no lo piense más quédate con San Miguel, la radio ganadora...`` completa ID a las 2305 ``...Una voz peruana en los cielos de América, Radio San Miguel 101.1 frecuencia modulada; 1450 amplitud modulada; 5500 onda corta, para el Perú y el mundo... Radio San Miguel estudio master Jirón Alfonso Ugarte 668 San Miguel de Cajamarca, Perú.....`` Luego música con el grupo Néctar. A las 0000 con el programa Buenas Noches Perú. ``... feliz aniversario Perú, te desea Radio San Miguel, una voz peruana en los cielos de América...`` (Archivo de Audio) 5940. RADIO BETHEL. Arequipa, Perú. 0015 – 0045 Julio 21: Cultos y alabanzas para el día domingo del Movimiento Misionero Mundial de la Ciudad Blanca. A las 0020 un mensaje en inglés del cual alcance a grabar: ``...to you Bethel Radio International 5940 short wave Arequipa, Perú; if you want communication with us, send your letter to the postal address Union avenue 225 Miraflores, Arequipa, Perú. Also you can call us too 051 054 220450 ... we praying for you and remember God is your salvation….`` Luego vino el espacio La Hora de la Transformación con el Reverendo Rodolfo González con el Evangelio de la Santidad...`` Luego a las 0147 capte esta ID: `` Para todo el sur, Latinoamérica y Europa, somos Radio Bethel llevando el mensaje de Dios...`` (Rafael O. Rodríguez R., Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** POLAND. During Radio Polonia's Multimedia Show of the 9th of July, the following was said by way of clarifying the situation there. There is lots of activity at Polish Radio as it is the time for approval of ideas and plans as well as the new budget. The station will stay on shortwave, despite difficulties. Sufficient subsidies from the government, principally the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been secured. The programme continued to state that, savings must be made on the transmissions and there is no problem broadcasting from territory outside Poland. This clears the way to use either, or indeed both, Rimovska, Slovakia and Julich, Germany for relays. These are anything up to 50% cheaper than the present TPSA transmitters outside Warsaw. (Costs could not be specified, but transmissions are understood to be at least 2/3 of the budget.) There is a new projected agreement that, as of the new year, radical changes will be taking place in the programming and transmission of Radio Polonia. (Jonathan Murphy, County Cork, Ireland, World DX Club email group, via Mike Barraclough, DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. [Previous item about WDJD being on 580 was] from the radio-tech discussion group. It is also reported that the station advertises 580 in the newspaper (nothing found on the web). Also: "This was an Auction 32 filing, and the FCC had it *originally* listed as 580 kHz. On 10/09/2001 the FCC issued a correction stating it should have been on 585 all along." Curious to find myself quoted verbitim on a Danish DX web site! (Geoff Fairbairn, UK, July 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIERRA LEONE. 6137.82, R UNSAMIL Freetown. E-mail verification reply back in ten days from Patrick Coker. He acknowledges my RR of R UNSAMIL and also states that my postal reply should be answered. So it seems postal reports are (maybe) getting through. This reply to my reception report of May 20th 02, which I sent a e-mail report follow- up on July the 5th addressed to Station Manager Ms. Sheila Dallas at info@unamsil.org Patrick thanked me for report and hope that I continue listening to their station. v/s Patrick Coker (Edward Kusalik, Alberta, DXplorer Jul 16 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. Check out http://www.H44A.com Sam's latest international radio crusade is to create a group of local Solomon Island amateur radio operators from local interested folk in Guadalcanal area of the Solomon Islands. To do this they need Solar panels, transeivers, receivers amd the like. However Sam for the moment needs the assistance of someone (with a PC, printer and appropriate software) to create some blank CERTIFICATES for qualifying local Amateur Radio Operators in the Solomon Islands. He needs 2 types of certificates, 9 of each. CERTIFICATE 1 is for a Unrestricted Amateur Radio Licence Qualifying Course. CERTIFICATE 2 is for the Amateur Radio Examiners Qualifying Course. The certificates should show sketches or graphics of antennas between coconut trees and village huts with ground plane verticals (consisting of 4 ground plan radials). If you can please help Sam out please contact me and I'll pass on Sam's Sydney Telephone number. Sam generously devotes much of his time and money to many good causes relating to amateur radio / radio stations and needy people. He also unselfishly QSLs many SW reception reports for DXers (e.g. Radio Free Bougainville), so if you can kindly help out Sam please drop me a note at ausr-@volcanomail.com [truncated] Sam also mentions that his students at the Amateur Radio School of the Solomon Islands can sometimes be heard or contacted on 27.295 MHz LSB, that's channel 29 on the Australian HF CB Band. (Good Luck) Regards (Ian Baxter, AUSTRALIA, July 23, ARDXC via DXLD) See also BOUGAINVILLE ** SOMALIA. 6985kHz or not (?) - that is the question. One for the SW gurus!! Throughout most of June and early July I've been hearing a station of 6985 kHz that makes an appearance around 1500-1530 UT or a little later with an erratic schedule maybe heard 1 to 3 times a week. I've thought it to be Radio Gaalkacyo for the past months, based on the frequency, propagation, language and music. But according to Sam Voron (Sydney, Australia) who established the radio station, it isn't!! Apparently Radio Gaalkacyo has been off air for some months now. So I'm left pondering who on earth is it. To me if it's not Radio Gaalkacyo then it's definitely from that region of Africa as everything else fits. Language and music to me sounds as though it's from the Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudanese area of northern Africa. Sam also mentions that he can hear the same station I'm hearing, but re-affirms that it isn't Radio Gaalkacyo. I remain bewildered. This is one to be investigated. Anyone know who it is then? Regards, (Ian Baxter ausradio@volcanomail.com AUSTRALIA, July 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. In DXLD 2-102 under CONGO DR we had a reference to Sri Lanka being on 9770: ``Also SLBC Ekala-SLK-CLN is registered there til 1630 UT. 9770 1230-1630 41 EKA 100 350 1234567 3103-271002 CLN SLB SLB (BC- DX)`` --- so I guess the recent report of 9970 is a typo ---- but by the reporter, or by the station when punching up the transmitter frequency?? (gh) ** U K. Most of the first two weeks of BBC Prom Concerts --- but no promises thereafter? -- are being webcast, which in BBC parlance means video as well as audio. We`ve found the video production excellent, actually for domestic broadcast, with carefully planned shots highlighting instruments soloing at the moment, many of them extreme close-ups, such as the piano (or toy piano) keyboard; `cello playing a single note. Subtitles are provided for any lyrics in fornlangs (e.g., ``His long yellow nose rests in his white beard`` -- Shéhérazade.) And host Charles Hazlewood wore a really loud shirt July 22, overlapping TV screens(?) black outlines on white, but the next day it was a modest solid pink. On our Real Player 8, the video can be choppy depending on the connexion speed at the moment, but there is never a video/audio sync problem, and the audio quality does not seem to be degraded by the player having to handle the video as well. Typically 80 kbps. You may not find the video feed link easily, but it`s under `interactive` via the Proms page at http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/broadcasts/interactive.shtml Most concerts start at 1830 UT (``7:30 pm``), but on Tue July 23 there is an early one at 1800 and a late one at 2100. So we were frustrated when the (video) webcast insisted it would not start until 7:30. Were we going to miss the first half hour? No, the entire video version was delayed half an hour from the BBCR3 live feed, who knows why, and finally started at 1832, so we first heard and then saw and heard again, the opening number, Elgar`s ``In the South`` overture. Strangely my screensaver (currently `snakes`) cannot detect the motion on the RP box and keeps overriding (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. MINISTER BACKS PLAN FOR WORLD SERVICE TV CHANNEL Matt Wells and Maggie Brown, Monday July 22, 2002, The Guardian The government is considering a radical plan to invest public money in a television equivalent of the BBC World Service. Foreign Office officials are examining ways of using public and private funding to turn the BBC's struggling international TV news channel, BBC World, into a global player along the lines of the World Service radio network. The use of public money would infuriate rivals such as CNN, but ministers believe World Service TV would be more than just a news channel: its existence would promote "good governance" and help raise Britain's international profile. Dennis MacShane, the junior minister responsible for World Service funding, said: "A World Service television network that was popular and successful would do more to promote British interests abroad than almost anything else I can think of." He said that a television version of the World Service could be broadcast in some of the world's major languages - at the moment, the radio network can be heard in 43 versions including English - with particular concentration on "areas of crisis". The incentive to boost the reach of BBC television is clear: the World Service's radio audience fell by 3 million last year to 150 million after years of growth. Audiences in India and Indonesia have dropped over seven years by 45% to 14.6m. But BBC World - the corporation's existing international news channel - is dogged by crippling losses, which rose from £13.2m in 2000-01 to £15.3m in 2001-02. It does not have the same reputation for speed and impact as CNN, although its impartiality and tone have won recognition around the world since September 11. The BBC is attempting to turn BBC World's fortunes around by bringing it into a "global news" division headed by the World Service director, Mark Byford. Under the plan, which is awaiting approval from the Department of Culture, Mr Byford would take charge of the BBC's international TV, radio and online news services. Under present rules, BBC World TV can not draw on public funding, and must remain separate from the domestic news channel, BBC News 24. Mr MacShane suggested the two could eventually be merged. "It's absurd that News 24 is funded out of the licence fee while BBC World has to be funded from advertising. These are the first areas that we have to look at. We have to see how they could come together." The first opportunity for changing the BBC's funding rules will come at the renewal of the corporation's charter in 2006. The plans are at a very early stage, and no decision about whether to commit any new public money would be reached until officials and the BBC came up with a firm set of proposals. Mr MacShane said BSkyB would be invited to submit ideas on how it could become involved. Mr Byford said the first priority was to make the current BBC World television channel break even by 2006. Asked whether eventually it could be turned into a multilingual service along the radio model, he said: "In the past we have had an Arabic TV service and a Hindi TV service, but they have not worked. Anything is possible, but they cost money." Staff at the World Service would be suspicious of any switch in priority to television. One said yesterday: "It sounds like a mad idea. Radio is so cheap - look at what you get for your money with the World Service. With TV you get much less bang for your buck." The Foreign Office has agreed a generous increase in the World Service's grant of about £180m that amounts to an extra £48m over the next three years, significantly above the rate of inflation. The World Service has earmarked an initial £8m for Afghanistan and the Arab broadcasts, and to expand news and current affairs programmes for Africa, where audience levels are rising. New programmes will focus on development and health issues, including Aids. It will also start an English language business service for China. Its controversial policy of switching broadcasts from short wave to FM will be extended. (© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Daniel Say, DXLD) At this point, Parliament still prohibits funding for BBCWS to do television. BBC's international television is, theoretically, at no cost to the British taxpayer or license payer, through the commercial partnerships of BBC World. Unfortunately, international television to many parts of the world has insufficient commercial potential. I would guess BBCWS is anxious to start using television to reach the Arab World and India, at least. But it will take an act of Parliament to do this with government funding. The problem is the fragility of access to satellite transponders. For the Arab World, BBC now has access to Arabsat and Nilesat, the satellites of choice for dish-owners in the region. But if war comes to the region, or the political situation deteriorates, will BBC be evicted from Arabsat and Nilesat? BBC would still be able to reach the Middle East via Hot Bird, but dishes in the region would have to be turned in that direction. And, presumably, BBC would still be broadcasting to the Middle East via shortwave and medium wave. In times of war, people tend to dust off their shortwave radios and resume listening to them (Kim Elliott, DC, swprograms via DXLD) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. Current schedule: "Our summer frequencies are 7150 khz in the 41 meter band and 17570 in the 16 meter band. If you have any problems, please email me, I'll try to fix things! Judy Lessing, Executive Producer, UN Radio" (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Re 1730- 1745, I suppose (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. A very weak signal audible on 7490, perhaps WJIE again (George Thurman, Chicago, 1500 UT July 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nothing audible here over noise level; should check at night. Yes, at 0510 UT July 23, on 7490, could hear preaching in English, perhaps at slightly better level than previously, so apparently reactivated, tho no ID. Passed the ``is it an image`` test. Still no match for the nearby T-storm noise level and no comparison to other US 7 MHz signals, such as KTBN-7510. If anyone hear WOR at previously scheduled time of 0645, please let me know, and which edition (gh, Enid OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. LEGISLATORS VOTE TO BOOST BROADCASTS TO MUSLIM COUNTRIES | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 23 July The US House of Representatives has voted to increase American radio and TV broadcasts to Muslim countries and to promote other public diplomacy measures in an effort to counter rising anti-American sentiment in those regions of the world. The Freedom Promotion Act of 2002, passed on Monday 22 July, allocates 135m dollars to expand radio and TV programming from the USA to Islamic nations in the Middle East, Asia and Africa to broaden their access to what the legislators described as "uncensored news and entertainment". The act provides for a total of 255m dollars to be spent over two years to improve State Department communications strategies and finance exchange programmes in journalism training, English language teaching, twin-city partnerships and academic exchanges with predominantly Muslim countries, as well as expanding US international broadcasting. Funds would also help to modernize technology used to distribute information about the United States and increase translation services at overseas posts. "Much of the popular press overseas, often including the government- owned media, daily depict the United States as a force for evil, accusing this country of an endless number of malevolent plots against the world," Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said in Monday's debate. The Republican representative from Illinois, who is the chief sponsor of the bill, added: "Even as we strike against the network of terrorists who masterminded the murder of thousands of Americans, our actions are widely depicted in the Muslim world as a war against Islam." There is a need, Hyde said, to ensure that "the truth about our country rises above the cacophony of hate and misinformation that often passes for discourse in many areas of the world". US broadcasting "ineffective and antiquated" In testimony last year before the House International Relations Committee, the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees US international broadcasting efforts, stated that "we have virtually no youthful audience under the age of 25 in the Arab world," Hyde recalled. He went on: "It is increasingly clear that much of the problem lies in our ineffective and often antiquated methods. For example, broadcasts on shortwave radio simply cannot compete with AM and FM channels in terms of accessibility, to say nothing of television, the most powerful medium of all. Shifting our efforts into these and other broad-based media, including the Internet and others, will take time and money, but this reorientation is a prerequisite to reaching our intended audience." According to officials in Congress, the information counter-offensive would involve government-owned Voice of America stepping up its radio broadcasts on AM and using more local FM radio relays, as well as seeking broader access via local TV channels in the Muslim world. Supporters of the act said US public diplomacy specialists should increase their use of the Internet and take a more active part in the public debate in Muslim countries. The legislation still has to be considered by the Senate, but according to Hyde, the State Department supports it. Source: BBC Monitoring research 23 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** U S A. I was wondering if anyone in the northeast has heard any further news about the Ibiquity Digital experimental station? A construction permit for 1700 kHz was issued for the Ibiquity facility in Warren NJ on April 18th under the call sign WI2XAM (Patrick Griffith, CBT, Westminster, CO, USA, July 21, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. WEB RADIO - GOING UNDERGROUND? From http://www.slyck.com/newsjuly2002/072002c.html Saturday July 20, 2002 Netizens may soon find Internet radio stations far and few between. A recently established royalty rate may force many smaller web casters to shut their operations down, as already witnessed by KPIG. While KPIG's shutdown may be temporary, many others won't be able to work a deal out with the music industry. With these increased royalty rates, many in the web casting industry are predicting near certain doom for net radio. Paul Maloney, editor of RAIN (Radio and Internet Newsletter), stated for News.com "It's almost certain that unless some emergency legislation goes through, most of the Web casting industry will go away." While the business model of net radio may be in trouble, web casting may continue to be a nemesis for the music industry. The music industry may have received the results they wanted by eliminating legitimate web casting, however a "Phantom Menace" lurks in the shadows of P2P networking. Welcome "Streamer", dubbing itself "Pirate radio for the digital age". This application utilizes P2P technology to allow 56k peers right up to Cable users to establish net radio stations. Recent upgrades to the software have eliminated the web interface and DOS module for a more user friendly windows GUI. The application is still in its infancy, however it shows promise as we were able to connect to several net stations. In all, about 10 stations were operational, with a decent selection of music available. In order to be a viable presence and replacement for the impending doom of net radio as we know it, "Streamer's" population will have to grow to substantial numbers. Ten stations won't cut it, as hundreds, if not thousands of legitimate stations presently exist. With the right promotional effort and press coverage, we may witness net radio's renaissance thought the technology of P2P networking (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. CONTROVERSY ARISES OVER PUBLIC RADIO By: Christine Dippold 07/11/02 -------------------------- The Board of Education for the Columbus Public Schools rejected a resolution to end all negotiations with outside parties concerning relinquishing the management of WCBE 90.5 FM yesterday. The board is involved in negotiations to transfer management of the public radio station to Ohio State's WOSU or another entity. Board members debated the controversial resolution, discussing the possibility administrators may have been involved in private negotiations for the public station. "The main reason to pass the resolution now is it is a way out for everybody involved," said board member Bill Moss before the resolution was voted upon. "It appears this Board of Education has been party to a hoax, a deception on the public." Controversy emerged via a recent Columbus Alive article stating a confidential proposal was made in 1998 by WOSU to enter into a management agreement between WOSU and WCBE. Columbus Public School administrators declined the offer. That proposal would have allowed for a future signal trade with the Dispatch Broadcast Group's WBNS 1460 AM, which broadcasts some of OSU's games, and the more powerful WOSU 820 AM, Moss said. The current proposal does not involve WBNS 1460 AM. WCBE is an educational public broadcast radio station licensed to the Columbus Board of Education. The station airs news programs, such as National Public Radio, broadcasts school board meetings and plays a variety of local and world music. The original proposal between WCBE and WOSU called for a collaboration between the stations. "Right now WOSU and WCBE have 55 duplicate program hours," said David Carwile, WOSU's station manager. "We don't want to ask the community to pay twice for the same programming." Carwile said WOSU would like cut down on the duplicate programming and add new programming which would better serve blacks and other minorities. Board member Loretta Heard suggested negotiations remain open, but with an outside committee to oversee the negotiations. "This situation does belong to the citizens of the school district," Heard said. "Let's be honest, we still have an opportunity to do it in an open manner." Other board members were adamant about rejecting the resolution, claiming not enough information was available to simply arrest all negotiations. Board member Jeff Cabot said ending all negotiations would close doors for the board in terms of future decisions over the radio station. "If we reject the resolution tonight, we still have the availability to retain the station as it is now," Cabot said. Moss said some board members were participating willingly in an exercise to "fool the public." "I am disappointed and disturbed by the attitude and appearance of (the board) that this is a 'perfect deal' for the Columbus Public Schools," Moss said. "It appears we have another growing scandal on our hands." Angered citizens shared similar views as Moss. Prior to the meeting, a local group, On the Columbus Plantation, handed out copies of the Columbus Alive article surrounded by pictures of most board members and the word "crooks." Also on the copy was a picture of board President Stephanie Hightower with caption, "Stephanie Hightower is not good for our children." The resolution was rejected, with only two "yes" votes from board members Moss and Heard. The vote evoked heckling from community audience members, who called the board members liars, thieves and conspirators. -------------------------- Story Source: The Lantern (via DXLD) ** U S A. CHERISHING AN OLD-TIME GROOVE, By Sue Anne Pressley STAUNTON, Va. Ray Houser, host of one of the longest-running radio programs in America, takes a seat at the piano, behind the big, black microphone. His old cat, Cooter, is prowling around the edge of the living room, and out past the screen door, there's the sound of traffic whizzing by.... To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41524-2002Jul21.html (via Tom McNiff, DXLD) ** U S A. Update with Grosse Pointe AM 1170 Hi everyone. I have been out of town the last day in a half, and when I got back today I got a letter from the people who were testing out 1170 for Grosse Pointe. They do not consider themselves to be pirates, but rather they are just experimenting with different antenna patterns and they will be moving to a new frequency soon. They didn't go on because of WQRS, but like I said right now they are just experimenting. Will let you all know if I hear anything (JEFFREY MICHAEL KENYON, MI, July 21, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. SISTER MARY CATHERINE CALLS INTO EWTN PROGRAM TO REPORT ON MOTHER ANGELICA`S HEALTH Irondale, AL, July 8 (EWTN)— Sister Mary Catherine, Mother Vicar of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville, Alabama called in to EWTN`s Mother Angelica Live program last Tuesday evening to provide a live update on the condition of the Foundress of EWTN. Speaking with the program`s interim host, Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ, Sister Mary Catherine remarked that Mother Angelica is doing well, six months after she suffered a very serious stroke. Sister Catherine said as she stood at Mother`s bedside that first evening, she wasn`t sure Mother would even survive the night. At that time, Mother`s doctor told Sister Mary Catherine ``She`s in God`s hands, but medically speaking, it`s not good.`` Sister Catherine termed Mother`s recovery to date nothing short of a miracle and attributes her vastly improved condition to the thousands of prayers offered worldwide for Mother Angelica. Sister Mary Catherine also commented on Mother`s prognosis, saying that while she has overcome the paralysis, her speech is not yet in order. ``She isn`t able to communicate properly,`` she said. ``She`s able to speak in sentences, but very often in the middle of a sentence, she`s not able to continue.`` Sister Mary Catherine said that Mother Angelica wants to be with her ``EWTN Family`` but knows she is not ready. ``Mother occasionally watches the network and she is very happy with what she sees,`` she said. ``But,`` she continued, ``Mother also knows this is God`s Will and she is accepting this `Cross` as she has so many other crosses during her lifetime. I know her suffering is doing great things for the Church.`` Mother Vicar asked for everyone to continue praying for Mother Angelica`s full recovery and eventual return to EWTN. Michael Warsaw, president of EWTN, said to date more than 365,000 Rosaries, 59,000 Novenas, 194,000 Mass Intentions, 233,000 Holy Communions, 95,000 Holy Hours and 687,000 Lord`s Prayers and other prayers, have been posted in the Spiritual Bouquet for Mother Angelica on EWTN`s website http://www.ewtn.com (Catholic Radio Update July 15 via DXLD) ** U S A. From Radio and Records: RANDY MICHAELS OUT OF CLEAR CHANNEL RADIO DIVISION Michaels, who assumed control of Clear Channel's radio stations following the company's merger with Jacor in 1999, will now oversee Clear Channel's New Technologies Division, focusing on the interactive, wireless broadband and satellite technologies businesses. Clear Channel President/COO Mark Mays will serve as acting CEO of the radio division until a permanent successor to Michaels can be found. John Hogan will continue as COO of Clear Channel Radio. "Randy has been, and continues to be, a great contributor to Clear Channel," Mays says. "Without his vision and foresight we would not have been able to develop the best, most well-positioned, unduplicatable collection of radio stations in the world." (via Dennis Gibson, July 22, IRCA via DXLD) CLEAR CHANNEL LEADS RADIO STOCKS' DROP by David Wilkerson, CBS MarketWatch.com, July 23, 2002 (10:44 a.m.) NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Radio station giant Clear Channel Communications' shares plunged 24 percent Tuesday afternoon, dragging the radio sector lower amid concerns about second-quarter earnings. The stock was recently changing hands at $22.68, down $7.29 after the company said Randy Michaels has resigned as chief executive of the radio unit to lead a division dedicated to new technologies. Jordan Rohan, media analyst at Soundview, said Michaels' move only heightened existing doubts about achieving the radio division's earnings target. "(We) have heard that local station GMs within CCU's radio group have become a bit nervous about meeting internal projections," Rohan wrote in a report on Tuesday. "We have yet to find any smoking gun, and believe that it is difficult to extrapolate from one inconclusive data point. That said, the sudden reassignment of ... Randy Michaels casts some doubt on the radio group's performance." Other radio shares dropped sharply as Entercom Communications fell $5.23, or 12.6 percent, to $36.35; Emmis Communications lost $1.98, or 12.4 percent, to $13.95; Radio One dropped $1.70, or 13 percent, to $11.41; and Hispanic Broadcasting lost $1.83, or 9 percent, to $18.89. Viacom, owner of the large Infinity radio group, was down $3, or 9 percent, at $31.55. The company is slated to report second-quarter results Thursday (via Dennis Gibson, July 23, IRCA via DXLD) Oh Boy!! Now Randy will find another aspect of the media industry to ruin (Dave Marthouse, VA, NRC-AM via DXLD) Dave, you know how much I respect you when it comes to all things radio (and how much I envy you having your own "candy store" and living the dream so many of us have or once had) - but I have to disagree, and vehemently at that, with the knee-jerk portrayal of Randy as a one-man Satan of the radio industry. I've been fortunate enough to get to know Randy, in at least a small way, over the last year or so, and it's no exaggeration to say that he would fit in perfectly at an NRC convention. He is an avid MW DXer (he has a longwire at his home outside Cincinnati, which he uses to tune in WSM during the day, and he DXes from his plane, too) with a knowledge of broadcast history, lore and legend that would put most of us to shame. During the Jacor years, at least, Randy revived - almost singlehandedly - the financial viability of AM news-talk radio in America. At stations like WLW, which Jacor took from ratings limbo to #1 in Cincinnati, Randy showed that it's possible to use FM attitude and FM imaging to make AM sound relevant and fun. And did I mention that Randy is an engineer by trade, who rebuilt the original 1927 Western Electric transmitter at WLW - a unit that is still used occasionally as a backup-backup-backup? (It was on the air for Y2K, in fact.) Randy assembled a phenomenal team of engineering talent at Jacor/Clear Channel Radio - guys like Al Kenyon, Jeff Littlejohn and J.T. Anderton who know more about the AM spectrum than anyone else out there, and who have taken literally hundreds of tired facilities that hadn't seen maintenance in decades and rebuilt them to modern standards. None of which is to imply that I approve of a lot of what Clear Channel has done in recent years. Where AM is concerned (and this is the AM list, after all), too many of Clear Channel's stations (like WHTK 1280 here in Rochester) are forced to play seventh-fiddle to their bigger AM and FM sisters, receiving no promotion and no attention. And voice-tracking, which can be a very useful and versatile tool in the right circumstances, has probably been pushed too far in too many CC venues. BUT - and I'll maintain this vehemently in the face of all the message-board gloating we're seeing today - anyone who expects these problems to somehow magically disappear in the wake of Randy's ouster doesn't understand what's really happening at Clear Channel. The business pressures under which Randy had to operate were not of his own making; they came from the big Clear Channel bosses, Lowry Mays and his son Mark, down in San Antonio. With Mark running CC Radio for now, and the Mays family saying the next CC Radio boss will be based in Texas, not Cincinnati, expect the bottom-line mentality to get a lot worse, not better, especially without a leader who understands and loves radio as deeply as Randy. And I don't care who they hire next (unless, perhaps, the team of Vobbe, Bowker and Durenberger moves into the executive suite!) - whoever they get won't understand and love radio as deeply as Randy does and did. I can't wait to see what he does next. -s (Scott Fybush, NY, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. I found a site with loads of network and local logos, old and new. It looks like some have been lifted from other sites, but it's still a great page. http://members.fortunecity.com/teamfx2000/television/television.htm (Chris Carter, Brookhaven, MS, WTFDA via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. En la frecuencia 5170 pude captar una emisora de números y letras a las 2310 UT; la estuve escuchando por varios minutos y repitieron siempre el mismo mensaje: VLBA181 (José Elías, Venezuela, July 22, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ The Hammarlund Historian website is under new management at its new address: http://www.hammarlund.info Barry Hauser and Les Locklear, who had provided most of the historical info to the original site, Andy Moorer and Al Parker are now overseers. Les has added to the historical info, Andy has been scanning and uploading manuals, Al P. has been working on a new service section and a new overall look for the site. We hope to have many more Hammarlund manuals available for (free) download, many are already there. The new service section has as it's main feature an article by Ray Vasek, W2EC, on re-capping the SP-600, which has been published in Hollow State News, of which Barry Hauser is the editor. We invite you to take a look at the "new, bright" format and the new features. We hope to be adding to the content and making it a source for answers to many of your Hammarlund questions. 73 de Barry H., Les L., Andy M. and Al P. (oops, lost source via...) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ "The Shortwave Guide" (volume 1) Here's a copy of some correspondence I had with the publisher, Nicholas Hardyman (with his kind permission of course; thanks, Nicholas): Hello Mike, Good to hear from you again, and thank you for your kind comments about The Shortwave Guide. ``One small quibble, a lot of the email addresses on pages 186 to 202 are bouncing, it may be my PC but I doubt it, this happened using WTVH when it was published as well. Not sure what you can do for future editions except to check with the stations direct which will take some time I suppose (assuming you can contact them cheaply anyway!).`` E-mail addresses are a big problem because they change so often that it is hard to keep up with them. We have considered, but rejected, simply putting in web addresses where we have both, on the assumption that the website will last longer and will list the latest e-mail contacts. The solution is indeed to ring every station each year and get the latest e-mail details (although even these will change during the year) but this does take a lot of time. Contacts with international broadcasters is something I am investigating at the moment (Nicholas Hardyman, WRTH, via Mike Terry, DXLD) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ MAJOR STORM ALERT We might be getting some calls during the next couple of weeks from customers with new shortwave radios complaining that they can not hear anything or they think their new radio is defective. But that probably will not be the case. Over the last week we have experiencing exceptionally stormy solar conditions which renders the HF spectrum completely devoid of any signals for extended periods of time. Over the weekend, things went so quiet that I was convinced that my coax cables had gone bad after the X3.3 flare/sudden ionospheric storm on Saturday. And now from CQ Propagation Editor, Tomas Hood, comes the word that things could be even more active over this next week and into next with solar storms/flares the likes of which we haven't seen in years. Larry Van Horn, N5FPW Grove Enterprises Technical Support Department Monitoring Times Assist Editor, Fed File/Milcom Columnist Telephone: V-828-837-9200/F-828-837-2216/800-438-8155 -----Original Message----- From: Tomas Hood - NW7US Sent: Tuesday, July 23, 2002 7:50 AM Subject: Major Storm Alert We are in for an interesting week! Minor to major storm levels of geomagnetic disturbances are expected as early as in the late afternoon on July 24 over North America, with increases in geomagnetic activity starting today (July 23). The next week may see extreme solar flare activity. Region 10039 (Catania sunspot group #35), which produced the X3.3 flare of July 20, struck again on July 23, producing an X4.8 flare with the X-ray flux peaking at 0035Z. This solar flare is a proton- producing flare and the energetic protons are expected to reach the Earth and begin slowly enhancing the radiation in the near-Earth space environment by the end of today (July 23). Region 10039 has rotated fully into view at the southeast limb. This region has the potential to produce occasional X10+ flares. During the X4.8 flare, a large and fast full halo Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) was observed with a leading edge speed above 1700km/s. Although the fastest part of the CME headed eastwards, Earth should receive an impact on July 24, resulting in a severely disturbed geomagnetic field for 12 to 24 hours after the impact. This event is very similar to the eruption of July 20, probably at the origin of the geomagnetic disturbances of yesterday (July 22) around noon (Zulu). But this one will be stronger and more geoeffective. Minor to major storm levels of geomagnetic disturbances are thus expected as early as in the afternoon of July 25 (late afternoon on July 24 over North America). Additional major X-class solar flares from this Region over the next two weeks might produce very active and geomagnetically stormy conditions, the likes of which we have not observed in over 10 years. If Region 10039 holds true to its potential, the spot complex will continue to produce very energetic solar activity about once every 2 to 3 days as it rotates across the face of the Sun. The Region is well-placed for producing large, geoeffective impacts on the earth, and it will remain visible for about another 12 to 13 days. The next week or two could see some considerable solar radiation storms, auroral storm activity, ionospheric storming, and significant geomagnetic storming. Similar historic periods have produced heavy Auroral events, radio blackouts, and so on. These Auroral event have been visible throughout the continental United States and Canada, even into parts of Mexico. New Zealand, Australia, Southern Africa, and South America have witnessed the "Southern Lights" during such events. This type of Aurora might happen as early as July 24. Storms of this magnitude ("superstorms") occur on average once every six years or so. It has now been about 12 years since the Earth was hit by a superstorm. Shortwave (High Frequency) propagation will experience fadeouts, with possible R1 to R2 radio blackouts from July 23 through July 25. Long distance medium wave (AM) band propagation along east-west paths over high and upper middle latitudes is poor to very poor. If we get the Aurora, look for Auroral-mode propagation. 73 de Tomas, NW7US // AAR0JA -- : CQ Propagation Editor, CQ Magazine - - http://prop.hfradio.org : : Brinnon, Washington 122.93W 47.67N -- http://hfradio.org/barsc : : http://hfradio.org http://swl.hfradio.org http://accessnow.com : : 10x56526 - FISTS 7055 - FISTS NW 57 - Member Army MARS & ARRL : : A.R.Lighthouse Society 144 -- CW, SSB, RTTY, AMTOR, DX-Hunting : _______________________________________________ WUN mailing list WUN@mailman.qth.net http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/wun (via Larry Van Horn, MT, DXLD) Official Space Weather Advisory issued by NOAA Space Environment Center Boulder, Colorado, USA SPACE WEATHER ADVISORY BULLETIN #02- 2 2002 July 23 at 12:00 p.m. MDT (2002 July 23 1800 UTC) **** ( CORRECTED ) MAJOR SUNSPOT ACTITVITY **** A major sunspot region has rotated onto the visible face of the sun. This region, designated as Region 39 by NOAA Space Environment Center forecasters, is believed to have been the source of three large coronal mass ejexions on the far side of the sun beginning on July 16. This region will rotate across the visible side of the sun over the next two weeks and is expected to produce more solar activity. Since appearing on the visible side yesterday (July 22) this region has already produced a major flare at 6:35 pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) on July 22 (0035, July 23 UTC). Radio blackouts reached category R3 (Strong) on the NOAA space weather scales. In response to the major flare, a geomagnetic storm is possible and is expected to begin between 8:00 pm MDT on July 23 and 8 am MDT on July 24 (0200 - 1400, July 24 UTC). The geomagnetic storm may reach category G2 (moderate) levels on the NOAA space weather scales. Category R3 radio blackouts result in widespread HF radio communication outages on the dayside of the Earth and can also degrade low frequency navigation signals. Category G2 geomagnetic storms can lead to minor problems with electrical power systems, spacecraft operations, communications systems, and some navigational systems. Aurora Borealis / Australis (northern / southern lights) may be seen down into the mid latitudes (New York, Madison, Boise, Vladivostok, Rome, Tasmania, Wellington - NZ, Puerto Montt - Chile) Data used to provide space weather services are contributed by NOAA, USAF, NASA, NSF, USGS, the International Space Environment Services and other observatories, universities, and institutions. For more information, including email services, see SEC's Space Weather Advisories Web site http://sec.noaa.gov/advisories or (303) 497-5127. The NOAA Public Affairs contact is Barbara McGehan at Barbara.-@noaa.gov or (303) 497-6288. (via Ian Johnson, ARDXC via DXLD) A G2-level Geomagnetic storm forecast for 0200 - 1400, JUL 24 02 UTC. Major X4.8 Flare with CME is cause. Aurora likely in mid-latitudes. Elevated solar wind expected. Some fading as well as radio blackouts likely. Trans Global Propagation Via F layers will be affected (Many years on the SW bands From SE England, Karl kruger 73's :-{) July 23, GRDXC via DXLD) ON-LINE NOW - THE NEW IPS WEB SITE Following a preview period over the past month, IPS has now switched over to its new web site. * Where? The home page address of our new site is the same as that of the old - http://www.ips.gov.au * Will I be able to access IPS pages I currently have book-marked? Clicking on book-marked pages from the current site will re-direct you via a transfer page to the new site. To find the location of a previously book-marked page, you can enter the title of the page (not its URL) into the Site Search Engine, located in the Navigation Bar at the bottom of each page. This will re-direct you to the nearest equivalent page on the new site. Alternatively, the Navigation Bar at the top of each page will help you find your way around. * Who do I contact for more information? If you have any problems locating a page from the current site, please e-mail webhelp@ips.gov.au, and advise us of the title (and URL, if possible), of the page you are looking for. We will then advise you of where to look on the new site (Patrick Phelan via Daniel Say, July 21, DXLD) DXERS CALLING +++++++++++++ Hi Everyone, thanks to some good advice from George Maroti, I've now got your favourite DX program available for download in the 'files' section of Audiosend, including, Paul Ormandy SPDXR, World of Radio with Glenn Hauser, Fred Moe and Random Transmissions, and my own 'dxers calling media report'. Dxers Calling Audiosend is designed for listeners who miss the shortwave broadcast and /or when other sites malfunction, and is available at: http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/dxerscallingAudiosend Click on the files section. You can download the files when you're free to do so, you no longer have to wait for the email to arrive. Marie Lamb and DXing with Cumbre and Chris Lobdell's Pirating with Cumbre will be available this Saturday from 0700 UT. If you are a producer and would like to add a program at DXers Calling Audiosend, feel free to post it to me at nri3@yahoo.com.au and I'm also looking for other program makers to put together 10 to 15 minute specials about radio (any subject) which will be heard during Dave N1DK 'Cybershortwave' on alternate weekends Sunday at 1500 UT and here at Audiosend. Dxers calling media news is also looking for alternate producer/program makers. Finally, feel free to invite others to become involved with 'Dxers Calling' and 'Cybershortwave' and Jen's 'MVR Radio' (Mountainview radio 1700 UT alternate Sundays, Fridays, Saturdays). Thanks again, and I hope you find the Dxers Calling group useful, 73 (Tim, Dxers Calling Audiosend and Newsgroup, AUS, via DXLD) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, and others participated in a discussion on the second hour of WAMU`s Public Interest, Monday, July 22. - ATHEISTS AND SECULAR HUMANISTS Atheism, agnosticism, secular humanism, free-thinkers and skeptics -- the terms are often used interchangeably. Join Kojo for a look at a set of beliefs that are often misunderstood and occasionally vilified. Norman Allen, Executive Director of African-Americans for Humanism Ellen Johnson, President, American Atheists Allen Stairs, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Associate Chair of the Philosophy Department, University of Maryland at College Park It is available ondemand indefinitely via: http://www.wamu.org/ram/2002/p2020722.ram ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-116, July 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 #1140: (ON DEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1140.html WWCR BROADCASTS: Mon 0000? 9475, Wed 0930 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Mon 0030, 0630, Wed 0100, 0700 on 7445-USB, 15038.6 NOTE: our main site http://www.worldofradio.com may have some down time in next few days. If so, check for latest info at https://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/anomaly.html ** ANTARCTICA. FACILIDADES Y FRECUENCIAS DE COMUNICACION Bases Antárticas Argentinas [with callsigns] BASE JUBANY: HF: 4490 y 4705 KHz. AYQ743/AZD36/LTA 284 BASE BELGRANO II: HF: 4490 KHz; 7980 KHz; 11440 KHz; 14402,5 KHz. HF: LTA 115 BASE ESPERANZA: HF: 4490 KHz; 7980 KHz; 11440 KHz; 14402,5 KHz. HF: LTA 116 BASE SAN MARTIN: HF: 4490 - 7980 KHz; HF: LTA 126 BASE MARAMBIO: HF: 4490 KHz; 8980 KHz; 2455 KHz; 4705 KHz. BASE ORCADAS: [South Orkney] HF: 4, 5 y 6; 4490-8980 KHz (from http://www.dna.gov.ar/INTINFO/ARGPERES.HTM via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, July 20, Conexión Digital via DXLD; gh excerpted HF only) ** ARMENIA. Dear Glenn, referring to your current World of Radio in which you mentioned some times/fq's of Armenia, I can tell you that I still hear them in English as follows: 1940-2000 UT on 4810 and 9960 kHz Mon-Sat 0810-0830 UT on 15270 kHz Sunday (but covered by co-channel Italy) 73, (Erik Koie, Copenhagen, July 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Voice International, 18 July 1300-1400+ on 13685 running a loop for an hour, about technical difficulties with English programming; would resume momentarily, but never did (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Radio Australia - special broadcast for Commonwealth Games (held in Manchester UK) Radio Australia is also broadcasting ABC Radio`s specialist Commonwealth Games coverage live to the Asia-Pacific region on a dedicated short wave channel – 11650 kHz – for the duration of the Games. ABC RADIO`S COMMONWEALTH GAMES COVERAGE: 11650 kHz [for any of us not in Suheevah, subtract 12 hours for UT] Fri 26 July (opening ceremony): 8:00 am (Suva time) Sat 27 July: 8:00 pm (Suva time) Sun 28 July: 7:00 pm (Suva time) Mon 29 July - Fri 2 August: 8:00 pm (Suva time) Sat 3 August: 8:00 pm (Suva time) Sun 4 August: 7:00 pm (Suva time) Coverage closes at 7:00 am each day, 9:00 am for opening and closing ceremonies For more information on Radio Australia's comprehensive coverage of the 2002 Commonwealth Games visit the Radio Australia Sports website (click on the Commonwealth Games icon) at http://abc.net.au/ra/sport. For additional information: Andria Hutchins, Marketing Manager, ABC Radio Australia, tel. + 61 3 9626 1723 (via E. Baxendale, UK, July 19, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Uma das figurinhas difíceis das ondas curtas é a Rádio Difusora 6 de Agosto, de Xapuri(AC). Pois o Júlio Baldim, de Salto (SP), captou a emissora em duas oportunidades: em 18 e 19 de julho, às 0947 e 0933, respectivamente. A emissora transmite em 3255 kHz. De acordo com o Júlio, a identificação da emissora é a seguinte: "Rádio Difusora Seis de Agosto, mais música regional!". (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) BRASIL - A Rádio Nacional AM, do Rio de Janeiro(RJ), que emite em 1130 kHz e teve tempos de glória nas ondas curtas, não virou mera repetidora da programação gerada pela Radiobrás, em Brasília. De acordo com a Diretora da emissora, o governo pretende investir 800 mil reais para recuperar a Nacional. Os programas musicais, humorísticos e radionovelas dos áureos tempos da Nacional serão remasterizados. Marizete Mundim convida os ouvintes da Nacional a permanecer na audiência. As informações são da jornalista Magaly Prado, na coluna Pensata (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) BRASIL - E a nova programação da Rádio Gazeta, de São Paulo(SP), hein? "Foi para as cucuias", conforme definiu Magaly Prado, em sua coluna publicada no sítio: http://www.uol.com.br/folha/pensata Recordando: a Gazeta pretendia transmitir programação feita pelos acadêmicos da Faculdade Casper Líbero. Para tanto, rescindiu o contrato de concessão de suas emissoras para a Igreja Pentecostal Deus é Amor. Os religiosos não gostaram e entraram na justiça alegando a quebra de contrato. Ganharam em primeira instância e as freqüências de 5955, 9685 e 15325 kHz voltaram a emitir a programação religiosa (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) BRASIL - O radioescuta brasileiro Sarmento Campos, residente no Rio de Janeiro(RJ), acaba de lançar um sítio com informações sobre o mundo das ondas curtas. Tem uma lista com todos os horários e freqüências das emissoras que emitem em português e espanhol. Confira em: http://planeta.terra.com.br/arte/sarmentocampos/OndasCurtas.htm (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) BRASIL - Um programa interessante para os radioescutas "coroas" é levado ao ar, aos sábados, pela Rádio Brasil Central, de Goiânia(GO), entre 0030 e 0300. São executadas músicas de Nat King Cole, Trio Los Panchos, Dolores Durán, Pepino di Capri, dentre outros. A dica é do José Moacir Portera de Melo, de Pontes e Lacerda(MT). A Rádio Brasil Central pode ser captada nas freqüências de 4985 e 11815 kHz. Confira! (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) BRASIL - A Rádio Verdes Florestas, de Cruzeiro do Sul(AC), foi sintonizada em Tefé(AM), pelo radioescuta Paulo Roberto e Souza, na freqüência de 4865 kHz, em 18 de julho, entre 0005 e 0030, transmitindo avisos para as comunidades e seringais da região. De acordo com o Paulo, no Estado do Acre, "a atividade extrativista dos seringueiros ainda tem importância econômica considerável". (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) BRASIL - Uma emissora brasileira que respeita os ouvintes é a Rádio Difusora, de Poços de Caldas(MG). Vilmar Garcia, apresentador do programa Volta do Sucesso, levado ao ar aos domingos, entre 0100 e 0200, informa que todas as cartas são respondidas com o envio de um postal da cidade. É mais uma oportunidade para obter a confirmação da emissora, que emite em 4945 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 17815, Rádio Cultura, 0210-0252 Jul 19, program of romantic vocals hosted by a man with Portuguese talks. Poor to fair and mainly over Romania until RRI dominated channel with Listeners Letterbox program at 0240 right through close down at 0256 (Rich D`Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) ** CANADA. LATE ITEM: Canadian Catholic Radio is offering daily World Youth Day programs in English and French at no charge. See the news item at http://www.zenit.org/english. The Zenit article is copyright and I cannot reproduce it. CCR did not send me a press release, although they read this newsletter (Mike Dorner, LA, Catholic Radio Update July 21 via DXLD) ** ECUADOR. Among the programming on R. Católica Nacional is two hours of Ecuadorian music M-F 1330-1530, supposedly launched at http://www.ecuadormedia.com/radio/quito/radios/radiocat.html (via Catholic Radio Update July 22, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB is offering another vintage QSL card. It is the 1968- C card, which was part of the "Project Outreach" series of six cards. The cards depict various broadcast and transmitting equipment, and the 1968-C card shows a 50-kW transmitter they were using at the time. It was designed and built by HCJB staff while the station was looking into the possibility of buying 100-kW transmitters, and it was considered Phase 3 out of the six phases depicted in the cards. This card is available to anyone who sends in a reception report and specifically requests this card. Reception reports may be e-mailed to dxpl@hcjb.org.ec, or may be mailed to: DX Partyline ** HCJB ** Casilla 17-17-691 ** Quito ** Ecuador (HCJB DXPL July 13, notes by Marie Lamb for W9WZE via DXLD) HCJB has found more QSL cards from past decades, and they are available for those who send reception reports and request the specific cards. The 1974-F card was part of the "Mountains of Ecuador" series. Only 12 of this design are available, so six of the cards will be given to the first six people who request them by e-mail, and the other six will be given to the first six who ask for them by regular mail. Requests that are received after these run out will receive the 1974-D card, which shows the summit of Mt. Cotopaxi. The e-mail address is dxpl@hcjb.org.ec and the postal address is: HCJB ** DX Partyline ** Casilla 17-17-691 ** Quito ** Ecuador (HCJB DXPL July 20, notes by Marie Lamb for W9WZE via DXLD) ** HAWAII. HAWAII PUBLIC RADIO SELLS KIFO AM By Wayne Harada, Advertiser Entertainment Writer Posted on: Sunday, July 21, 2002 Hawai'i Public Radio's AM station, KIFO 1370, has been sold and will cease operations as a public radio station on Aug. 1. Diamond Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Legacy Communications Corp. of Utah, has acquired the station in a sale that has been under negotiation for months. KIFO will continue to broadcast its regular programming through the end of this month. The purchase price was $500,000, half of which is earmarked to help reduce HPR's debt. The rest will be spent on a re-engineering of KIPO 89.3 FM, known for its news and jazz broadcasts, to boost service and access. The re-engineering will make KIPO as accessible to listeners as sister station KHPR 88.1 FM, the network's classical music station. "Selling KIFO has been under discussion in HPR board meetings since 1999," said Michael Titterton, station president and general manager. "The board is now totally focused on our objective of broadcasting two high-quality program services to all of Hawai'i." KIPO (in Honolulu) will continue its format of providing news, information and entertainment programming, with jazz, world, blues and other types of music in the evenings. KHPR (in Honolulu), KKUA 90.7 FM (in Wailuku) and KANO 91.1 FM (in Hilo) feature news and classical music formats (via Brock Whaley, DXLD) KIFO was great when it took over the "dark" 1380 about ten years ago. It ran almost all the NPR speech offerings, and cleared Morning Edition and ATC live from east coast feed. The FM delayed both to fit in Hawaiian local time. In the last couple of years, KIFO has just been a 24/7 simulcast of KIPO-FM, so no great loss. At one time, KIFO, when it was on 1380, was one of only two directional AM stations in Hawaii. It had a null to protect the FCC monitoring station. When on 1380, it always suffered severe co-channel QRM from the second harmonic of the 10 KW on 690, whose tower was much closer to downtown (Brock Whaley, Atlanta GA, July 21, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR is celebrating its 75th anniversary on Tuesday 23 July 2002. So look out for special programs on AIR. There are announcements about this platinum jubilee on AIR stations especially on the Vividh Bharthi about special phone in programs etc. Only July 21, 2002 Sunday AWR Wavescan is having a special program on AIR (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Box 1555, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india via DXLD) ** IRAN. IRà - Está no ar mais uma edição do tradicional concurso da Voz da República Islâmica do Irã, o Fadjir VII. Este ano o tema é a Intifada Palestina. Para participar, basta enviar um texto sobre o assunto. A emissora promete valiosos prêmios. O prazo final é 31 de dezembro de 2002, conforme monitoria de Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé(AM). A Voz do Irã pode ser captada, em espanhol, nos seguintes horários e freqüências: das 0030 às 0127, em 9515, 9655 e 13755 kHz. Entre 0130 e 0227, em 9560, 9655, 9810 e 13755 kHz. De 0230 às 0327, em 13730 kHz. Também entre 0530 e 0627, em 17590 e 17785 kHz. Por fim, das 2030 às 2127, em 9750 e 11765 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 20 via DXLD) ** KENYA [non]. There was a great band from Philadelphia in the early 1950's, known, amazingly enough, as the Nairobi Trio. The things that group could do with a few mallets, rubber masks and banana peels. Ernie lives. If you are curious as to where the word "Solfeggio" comes from, check out this web page: http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/scales/solmization/syllables.html The piece was aptly named. Ernie Kovacs used the piece so often that when MGM decided to release it on record in 1953, they changed the title to "Song of the Nairobi Trio" because that title had greater public recognition. The piece was written by Robert Maxwell and performed by Maxwell, his harp and orchestra. The vocal performance was by the Ray Charles singers. The song is today available on CD in an album entitled "The Ernie Kovacs Record Collection" Varese Sarabande VSD-5789. I remember first hearing and seeing it performed on Ernie's TV show as an instrumental. I think it was MGM that added the vocal part. I'm trying to remember whether that was on his 15 minute nightly show from Philadelphia's channel 3, WPTZ which I think preceded John Cameron Swayze's Camel Caravan newscast on WNBT channel 4 in NYC or after he moved to WABD channel 5 NYC. In those days it was unusual for folks in NYC to see programs originating in other cities. The coax cable only extended to Philadelphia in one direction and Boston in the other direction. For those of you like Ralph Brandi who never had the pleasure of seeing the first true video craftsman at work, I would like to recommend a six tape set of some of Ernie Kovacs' better skits. He influenced Rowan and Martin, Johnny Carson, and Steve Martin among others. It is available from Amazon.com and the Museum of Television and Radio gift shop in NYC. The cost was about $38 from Amazon and slightly more at the Museum with the NYC sales tax, etc. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) -*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^ I first saw Ernie Kovacs' work in my television classes at college. The man created the vocabulary of television. Before him, TV was just radio with pictures. I wasn't kidding when I said he's my hero and inspiration. I've written articles explaining that what the web needs is its very own Ernie Kovacs to usher it out of its infancy by showing us what the web is good at doing rather than trying to do all that old stuff on the web. Right now, the web is in its radio with pictures stage, and that's what I find inspiring about him. I would recommend getting the set that Joe mentions on DVD instead. Tapes wear out. That set is produced by a company in the next town over from where I live. - (Ralph Brandi, ibid.) ** KOREA NORTH. ARRL okays RTTY contacts with P5/4L4FN for DXCC credit: The ARRL DXCC Desk has announced that it will now accept RTTY contacts with Ed Giorgadze, P5/4L4FN, for DXCC credit, effective with contacts made on or after November 1, 2001. P5/4L4FN QSL Manager Bruce Paige, KK5DO, reports some good news and some bad news. Giorgadze has repaired his Ameritron AL-80A linear, which had a blown rectifier bridge. But he has had to take down the Hex Beam he`d installed, because the mast he was using wasn`t strong enough to support it and the rotor. ``He is looking for something that will work better, and that might have to wait until he goes back to Beijing in four to five weeks,`` Paige said. ``His work at the present time has kept him from doing as much operating as he would like, but he will be back on more as things settle down.`` Giorgadze was featured in a program about Amateur Radio in North Korea that aired July 5 on Radio Austria. RealAudio or MP3 files in either English or German are available on the Radio Austria Web site http://roi.orf.at/roi/intermedia/im_aktuell.html Scroll down and click on ``DIE P5-STORY / THE P5-STORY Amateur Radio in North Korea.`` The 25-minute program covers all previous P5 operations plus interesting interviews with P5/4L4FN about his activity (ARRL Letter July 19 via John Norfolk, DXLD) ** LIBERIA. Requesting Prayer For Trip To Liberia WJIE International Shortwave Radio, Jul 19, 2002 If you do not wish to recieve these regular updates regarding WJIE International Shortwave, please click 'Unsubscribe' on the bar above. God bless you! Dear friends, On Sunday the 21st, I will be leaving for Monrovia, Liberia, to establish a Christian FM radio station. I would like to request your prayers for protection and wisdom in this project. Please pray that we will be able to get our shortwave equipment shipped over from Nigeria, where Pastor Bob Rodgers of Evangel World Prayer Center is right now. Once that equipment is in place, we will work to place our new 'Voice of Liberty Shortwave' on the air this fall, and work toward building Liberty Television. Thank you to all of you who sent tapes and cds (you will be receiving a personal letter from me in the next few days). The response was overwhelming! I literally received over 300 compact discs of music, and HUNDREDS of hours of ministry teaching on cassette and cd. God bless you! I will pray that the seed that you have planted in this outreach will be multiplied back to you a thousandfold! I hope that you will take time to visit http://www.wjiesw.com and see what is in store for the future. You can not only find out the latest information, but now you can purchase books on prayer and fasting, and also donate to the broadcast ministry. Starting in September, you will see a new name for what we do... [see USA!] (Doc Burkhart, WJIE Shortwave, July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS. Subject: Hello Dear radio DXers. From: "Radio Alfa Lima International SW" alinter@rendo.dekooi.nl Finally seems that propagations are looking better in the upcoming months. We cross our fingers and hope the forecast is right on this. What is happening at Alfa Lima International. We did increase our activities on the 48 mb and where mostly on 6275 or 6265 kHz and were every weekend (only one time we didn`t) on 15070 kHz. Must say that instead of being there whole night we often stopped earlier due low response on our live transmissions. Sometimes we did shut down around 01.00 or 02.00 utc witch was also sometimes a mistake as the next morning sometimes we still received a lot of reactions on such a px. Also more SW magazines and Online dx pages are asking info about our station for publications. For those that want such info, just send us an email and we will share it with you. We also have a zip file available on our webpage http://www.alfalima.net/foto-paket.zip with high resolution pictures and info`s witch are free for publishing. the file is not so big (1,75mb) so does not take a long download period. If you have books or mags with publications about our station, tell it to us. We are very interested in such stuff. We also did several updates on the webpage with pictures and other stuff so if you have spare time take a surf. So!!!,, Every Saturday we start around 2200 or 2300 UT and lots of times we continue till 0700 or 0900 Sunday mornings. Frequency as always 15070 kHz AM and lots of time // to the 48 mb When you hear us feel free to send us comments to info@alfalima.net or sms to + 31 619 508 938 witch is a number you can also call to so you will be taken live on air. Greetings, Alfred _____________________________________ Huge webpage with just everything related to short-wave http://www.alfalima.net and take a look at our SW-online shopping centre. http://www.alfalima.net/store.htm _____________________________________ And are you already a member? SW pirates group!!! Receive the latest SW-Pirates info Simply subscribe by sending a blanc email to: SWpirates-subscribe@egroups.com More info at: http://www.egroups.com/group/SWpirates _____________________________________ Contact information Alfa Lima International, pobox 663, 7900AR Hoogeveen, the Netherlands Enclose 1 US$ email: alinter@rendo.dekooi.nl http://www.alfalima.net (rec.radio.shortwave July 19 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. BOUGAINVILLE'S "VOICE OF THE SUNRISE" FALLS SILENT BUKA, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea (July 18, 2002 -- Post-Courier) Radio Bougainville fell silent yet again yesterday after the provincial government's power station pulled the plug on the transmission site because of unpaid bills. This is the second time the station had been closed this year. In February the station was also closed down briefly, again due to financial problems. The announcement of the closure comes at a time when the province's leaders take the first steps to draft a Bougainville constitution in preparation for a Constituent Assembly and an autonomous Bougainville government. But Bougainvilleans in remote areas who rely on radio news will be missing out on new developments without Radio Bougainville, or their "Maus B`long Sankamap" (Voice of the Sunrise), which is their radio station ID. Kubu Power House officials confirmed that power to the transmitter was switched of yesterday due to non-payment of power bills. They would not disclose the amount. "Just last week, our management requested some funding from the Bougainville administration to keep the station on air while we wait for the remaining K 70,000 (US$ 18,326) from this year`s appropriation," station officials said. "Radio Bougainville has been struggling to remain on air through its committed staff, who keep on pretending that all is well -- until this morning (yesterday)." For additional reports from The Post-Courier, go to PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT News/Information Links: Newspapers/The Post-Courier (Papua New Guinea). Provided by Vikki John (VIKKI@law.uts.edu.au) (via E. Baxendale, UK, July 19, DXLD) [WTFK?? 3325] ** SAMOA AMERICAN. G'Day List, WDJD logged here this afternoon on 580 kHz with a spoken program in Samoan. Is this a permanent move from their assigned frequency of 585 kHz? Thanks to Glenn Hauser's 'dxld2114' for the tip. Interesting the reason given for being on 580 is that their American radios cannot tune the 9 kHz spacing. How long will this last ?? Sig at good level here, better than a few nights ago. Cheers (Chris Martin, Australia, July 21, ARDXC via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. Just a short note to say that I heard the SIBC tonight at 0855 GMT with a strong signal on 945 kHz. I'm pleased with this as 4HI usually dominates this freq. I also heard them on 1035 but 945 was a much better signal (Barry Murray, Cairns Qld., July 21, ARDXC via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Brother Stair was moved to maximum security "through no fault of the inmate" said the Colleton County Jail. Also they tell me Stair has been "a model prisoner." (Robert Arthur, July 10 on message, July 19 on inbox, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UK. UK RADIO AMATEURS GET NEW BAND FOR PROPAGATION STUDY UK Radio Amateurs will shortly be able to use a number of spot frequencies around 5MHz, to take part in a four-year propagation study. A full Class-A licence holder wishing to take part will require a Notice of Variation (NoV) to his existing licence. At the present time, the final administrative arrangements are being put into place. A further announcement will be made regarding the start date shortly (Radio Society of Great Britain GB2RS News July 21 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U K. DYKE DEFENDS £1M OF BONUSES PAID TO CHIEFS By David Rose and Julie Tomlin Posted 18 July 2002 00:00 GMT Dyke: received £97,000 bonus [caption?] BBC director general Greg Dyke defended the £1m in bonuses and perks awarded to senior executives as journalists voiced fears that programme quality could suffer. Figures published in this years annual report showed that Dyke received a performance-related bonus last year of £97,000 on top of his £357,000 annual salary. This year journalists were barred from the presentation of the annual report. But BBC governors did not get off the hook when they went before the cross-party media committee and were quizzed over salaries and bonuses given to the 21 top executives. Labour MP Derek Wyatt challenged Dyke to justify why nine executives were paid more than the Prime Minister. But Dyke defended the payments, claiming if they were not adequate the BBC risked losing its senior executives to the commercial broadcasters. The people who run the BBC are outstanding people and have ready access to jobs in the media, Dyke said. The people concerned could do a heck of a lot better if they moved. The payments have been criticised by journalists who recently rejected a 2.8 per cent pay offer that threatened the £4,000 unpredictability allowance. At the top level, wages predictably go up in leaps and bounds while for the rest of us our wages and allowances are unpredictable, one source said. NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear, who was at the hearing, told Press Gazette there were also concerns about programming. We welcome the fact that more money is being put into programming but are concerned that at the same time executives have received more than £1.2m, he said. At a time when theres an increasing demand to cut costs and improve efficiency we have concerns that this could be at the expense of quality. The governors warned programme makers in their report to check material thoroughly and to be aware of their responsibilities to behave fairly and edit legitimately. This report coincided with diamond company Oryx this week claiming victory in its libel action over being falsely linked to the Al-Qa`ida terrorist network on the Ten O`Clock News. Geoffrey White, deputy managing director of Oryx, said: The BBC never had a shred of evidence for its broadcast. Our reputation suffered and we sustained enormous financial damage. The BBC will now have to compensate us. But the BBC said, although it had conceded some legal points, it would be contesting the size of Oryx`s damages claim in court in January. (Press Gazette, All contents © 2001, Quantum Publishing, or its affiliates, via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K [and non non]. WORLD SERVICE MUTED BY BBC BLUNDER X-URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4460613,00.html Vivek Chaudhary, Guardian (London), Saturday July 13, 2002 Many countries will receive only restricted coverage of the Commonwealth Games because BBC World Service radio, considered one of the most important sources of information in many parts of the world, has failed to secure full commentary rights for the event. The BBC is the host television broadcaster for the event but, in what is being viewed as a major oversight by BBC radio officials, did not pay for overseas commentary rights. As a result millions of people living in remote regions of Commonwealth countries who do not have access to a television will have little idea of what is going on at the event that is being held in their name. The situation has caused anger and embarrassment among BBC World Service sports journalists who claim that the corporation has missed a golden opportunity to cover an event that is likely to attract interest from millions of their listeners. It is also an obvious event for the World Service to cover given the connections between the radio station and the Commonwealth. BBC World Service listeners in many African and South-East Asian countries rely on the radio for news and sports information; millions of people without access to television tuned in during the World Cup. But instead of receiving comprehensive reports on the games, which start on July 25, World Service listeners will be limited to a five-minute daily round-up, two programmes on the history of the Commonwealth Games and further round-ups in a weekend sports programme. The move to limit the World Service's coverage follows protests from radio stations in Africa and Asia who paid for full commentary rights. They claimed that if the World Service - which generally offers better reception - were allowed to cover the event in full they would lose large numbers of listeners in their own countries and effectively have wasted large sums of money on acquiring the rights..... (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) ** U K. Read this VERY interesting report from Friday's Financial Times: INDIAN AUDIENCE TURNS SOUND DOWN ON BBC WORLD SERVICE By Edna Fernandes and Carlos Grande Financial Times; Jul 19, 2002 http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=020719000684&query=india&vsc_appId=totalSearch&state=Form (via Larry Nebron, CA, July 20, swprograms and via Chuck Albertson, DXLD) ** U K [and non]. ROLL UP FOR THE FLOPPY TELEVISION, By Pete Harrison LONDON (Reuters) - First they went wider, then flatter, and now televisions are set to go floppy. Roll-up, flexible televisions, akin to the melting watches of Salvador Dali's surreal landscapes, have become possible thanks to a glowing plastic compound perfected in the laboratories of Britain's Cambridge Display Technology (CDT).... http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=technologynews&StoryID=1223357 (via Jeff Kadet, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U K O G B A N I. From The BBC Thursday, 18 July, 2002, 13:32 GMT 14:32 UK The Catholic Church in Northern Ireland could be fined thousands of pounds for broadcasting Masses to housebound parishioners. The CB radio broadcasts of Masses are against the law and a number of complaints have been received by the Radio Communications Agency. Father John McManus, diocesan media liaison officer for Down and Connor, said worshippers were angry the service might have to stop. "It is illegal and we accept that," he said. "What we are saying is that the elderly people are totally incensed by this. "It is something that has been happening - rightly or wrongly. When we introduced it, it appeared to be legal at that particular stage. "Now it is certainly illegal and we accept that. But old people are incensed, and so are the housebound, that this has happened at this particular stage." (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. I hope that you will take time to visit http://www.wjiesw.com and see what is in store for the future. You can not only find out the latest information, but now you can purchase books on prayer and fasting, and also donate to the broadcast ministry. Starting in September, you will see a new name for what we do. It will be called 'World Prayer Broadcasting Network' (WPBN). Under this umbrella you will find WJIE Shortwave #1 & #2, WJIE-FM Louisville, WVHI-AM Evansville, KVOH Shortwave #1 & #2, KHBN Shortwave, Voice of Liberty FM/Shortwave, and Liberty Television. We are also in the process of purchasing four more AM stations that will be added to the family. God bless you for your prayers, and please know that I pray for the people on this list on a regular basis. In His Service, (Doc Burkhart, WJIE Shortwave, July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also LIBERIA! ** U S A. NEW MICROPHONES FOR THE QUEEN MARY From The RSGB 20 July 2002 A special presentation of 'commemorative microphones', honouring the amateur radio operators of the Queen Mary ocean liner will be made next Saturday, the 27th of July. The Queen Mary is permanently docked at Long Beach, California, and is a popular tourist attraction, as is its amateur radio station, W6RO, which operates daily from its historic wireless room. It is there that the presentation will be made. The new microphones are being custom-made by one of amateur radio's leading microphone manufacturers specially for the wireless room. They are to be exact replicas of the broadcast microphones used during the years the Queen Mary was at sea. ['Amateur Radio Newsline'] (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. I feel I'm in somewhat of a position to comment on DTV as I have the equipment to receive the actual digital broadcast. Since I'm in the consumer electronics repair business for several major manufacturers, I had to purchase all the test equipment to repair these things. I've personally invested over $40,000 in the finest Sencore and other test gear to receive and repair these things. I feel the image quality is far superior to the analog signal, especially the color purity. That said, I also find it very difficult to receive the digital signal. I have some of the best receiving antennas made. (Towers, rotators, deep fringe antennas and have a hell of a time getting the local Tampa DT stations. In this market, most of the stations have been assigned a frequency that is adjacent to their own analog frequency. In almost all cases the digital signal is at least 10 db or more less than the analog signal. This swamps the front end of these consumer receivers and the digital signal is not receivable. The receivers don`t have the selectivity needed to separate the digital signal from its super powered adjacent channel analog signal. So, I see a serious problem with people trying to receive the DT signal. I've been out on numerous service calls where people cannot receive the DT signal and there is nothing wrong with the customers setup. So until the analog signal is reduced in power, I don`t see many people buying the DT sets. Just my $0.02 from someone on the consumer side of this, that has broadcast engineering experience. (Paul Smith, W4KNX, Sarasota, FL, July 17, NRC-FMTV via DXLD) "The cost really doesn't vary a whole hell of a lot whether you're in New York or Yakima," says Elizabeth Murphy Burns, president of Duluth, Minn.-based Morgan Murphy Stations. "In some cases, the cost of converting to digital is more than the station is worth. Right now, we're sort of stymied." I happen to have worked for Ms. Burns in Madison. Her two biggest stations (there and in Spokane) are running in digital but it's awfully hard to see a way to make it work in the smaller markets. (LaCrosse, Yakima, Kennewick) And she's absolutely right, the cost of doing it is not substantially lower in smaller markets. In Yakima and Kennewick it could actually be substantially *greater*. (because multiple translators are required to cover the market. To achieve market-wide coverage it could become necessary to build a complete duplicate translator network. Except that it's likely enough channels are not available...) -------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm beginning to wonder if not all 8VSB modulators or ATSC encoders are created equal. I have had significant difficulty receiving WTVF-DT, 18 miles away. Figured it was the fault of the 8VSB/ATSC system or a flaky UHF antenna. But then, WKRN-DT came on the air. Their transmitter is 10 miles *further* away. And their analog signal is the weakest in the market. (frequently buried by skip) WTVF's analog signal is the *best*. Yet WKRN-DT is far, far easier to receive than WTVF. I have also, given good tropo conditions, received several of the Kentucky Educational TV DTV transmitters. These are all low-power stations, on the order of 50kw and with relatively low antennas. Even more impressive is the reception of WPSD-DT 32 from Paducah, about 95 miles distant. WPSD is running 4.5 kw ERP from a temporary antenna on their studio-transmitter link tower, less than 200 feet high. Reception of Paducah low-power analog stations is not all that common, especially at this lower-than-many-LPTVs power level. (I have also received VERY briefly a signal from WMC-DT in Memphis. This station is said to be of similar power to WPSD-DT, and is 80 miles further away...) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is said to have told the government they only intend to build DTV transmitters in the ten largest Canadian cities. Viewers elsewhere in the country will be expected to subscribe to satellite if they want digital CBC. I would not at all count out the possibility of Canadian private broadcasters following suit. And when it comes down to it, unless the advertising market recovers *soon*, I would expect to see the same thing in rural areas of the States (Doug Smith, Nashville TN, NRC FMTV via DXLD) ** U S A. WOR to test IBOC... (From Radio World Magazine) Here's the complete URL: http://www.rwonline.com/dailynews/one.php?id=1742 Date posted: 2002-07-15 IBIQUITY TO TEST AM ON WOR Buckley Broadcasting's WOR will be a test station for IBOC Digital AM radio. Buckley says WOR will be the first AM station in New York City to broadcast a digital signal with tests to begin sometime in August. The average listener will not notice any difference in WOR's signal, according to the station. Ibiquity needs to do additional tests for AM IBOC at night for both groundwave and skywave conditions. The NRSC has recommended FM IBOC for day and night use, but has only endorsed AM for daytime use so far. WOR employs a directional transmitting antenna and is in the test protocol to help answer questions as to how AM IBOC will perform with skywave interference. WOR was also chosen as a test station to help answer questions about how the digital portion of an AM signal will react in the "concrete canyons" of New York City (and other major cities, as well). Thomas R. Ray, III, Corporate Director of Engineering for Buckley Broadcasting/WOR states, "I take great pride in having our radio station be part of the development of one of the biggest technical advancements in radio broadcasting since FM stereo in the 1960's. WOR has been a pioneer since being one of the only radio stations on the air in the U.S. in 1922. We have been part of the development of the profanity delay, were pioneers in the development of the AM directional transmitting antenna, and were one of the major players during Radio's 'golden era' by forming the Mutual Radio Network. I'm proud of being given the opportunity to pilot WOR through another technical pioneering phase". (via Paul Smith, W4KNX, July 19, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. THE CGC COMMUNICATOR CGC #525 Thursday, July 18, 2002 Robert F. Gonsett, W6VR, Editor Copyright 2002, Communications General Corporation (CGC) ------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL REPORT - RFR - PART II This Special Edition of the CGC Communicator newsletter continues our coverage of last week's FCC inspection at Mt. Wilson. That inspection concerned alleged excessive RF signal strengths in the KMEX-TV driveway, a location which was apparently accessible to members of the general public at the time of the investigation. In all fairness, the measured "hot spot" may have little or nothing to do with KMEX's own signal (we will await the FCC's verdict on that issue), and our use of the term "KMEX" should not tarnish the fine image of that station, or its employees. HISTORICAL NOTES: Many years ago, CGC engineers surveyed the KMEX driveway and found that most of the power density was created by a single FM station. That station was advised of the problem - long before human exposure to RF signals was generally regarded as a serious issue - and the station voluntarily incorporated a reduced- downward-radiation design into the new antenna they had planned to install anyway. In so doing, the station significantly improved the Mt. Wilson radiofrequency radiation ("RFR") environment. Convincing station managers to even think about RFR wasn't easy in those days. Since that time, a number of stations have installed reduced-downward- radiation antennas - some incorporating "oddball" but carefully chosen interbay spacings. Unfortunately, those good efforts have been compromised by the fact that many more stations have moved to Wilson (including digital TV facilities), and much tighter RFR standards have been adopted by the FCC. Where we were once concerned about the old OSHA 10 mW/square centimeter standard for workers, we are now very concerned about a 50-times-tougher standard for the general public: 0.2 mW/square centimeter in the 30-300 MHz frequency range, for example. ENTER THE FCC: Today, it is possible that several stations will be cited by the FCC as significant contributors to the KMEX hot spot. Any station that creates 5% or more of the maximum power density permitted at a given location is regarded by the FCC as being a significant contributor to the problem, and is eligible for a citation if the aggregate power exceeds the proscribed limit, which reportedly was the case here. In each case of excessive RFR, the FCC has to consider the facts at hand in determining whether to issue a citation. In the present case, the road serving the KMEX driveway is traveled by members of the general public, the driveway chain and warning sign were down at the time of the inspection, and no one attempted to "shoo away" or warn the FCC inspectors that they had entered a high RF zone. Bottom line: Don't look for an FCC verdict soon: The Commission is backlogged with RFR cases. Moving now from the KMEX driveway to tower climbing situations, you can imagine the much stronger signals that are involved. The logistics of coordinating power cutbacks at multiple stations in order to permit tower climbing activity can be a difficult task, and the extraordinary steps needed to minimize "downtime" for your neighbors can be expensive, as many of you know. Obviously, life has become much more complicated for broadcast stations in the KMEX zone because of the large number of independent operators, the FCC's tough RFR standards, and the lack of an updated RFR document for Mt. Wilson with recommendations for specific power cutbacks when climbing activity is underway. Let's return now to the issue at hand: The events surrounding the FCC's Mt. Wilson FCC inspection of July 12, 2002. ****************************************************************** LETTER TO THE EDITOR ****************************************************************** COMMENTS FROM KDOC-TV When it became necessary to replace our burned up antenna in the middle of the Mt. Wilson farm, it was necessary to do a lot of research in a hurry. I attempted to determine the significant sources of RF radiation directed toward the project elevation on the monopole, adjacent to the post office. It was important to me to protect John Hignite's workers because he has been climbing my towers for over 36 years. I used a 2001 study done for American Tower for their new tall tower inferring that it was essentially accurate given the proximity with the monopole. It took several days to get all the contact information and send out notices. Adding a couple of new stations not on the study, the ten stations I advised were entirely compliant and eager to cooperate. On the day of the climb, the RFR alarms were sounding and I learned that at least one inference from the RFR study was incorrect. An FM station using a directional antenna was putting more energy at the top of the monopole than I predicted. Fortunately I was able to make contact with the FM Chief Engineer and he reduced power by 20% for me and the tower climbers went back up. On the following day we were advised that the engineer's superiors were not willing to operate at 80% and that he was prevented from complying for the additional days needed to complete the work. This is only the latest incident that may have influenced the FCC to look more closely at Mt. Wilson. I am not certain that KDOC had any special issues that caused the FCC to visit Mt. Wilson. It may have simply been the straw that broke the camel's back, or it may have been entirely coincidental. Clearly with the gin poles of two climber's stuck on the tops of two towers, we were facing gridlock at a time critical to DTV installation. Tower Structures was unable to either go forward or to remove their equipment from the KMEX tower for months. All it takes is one non- compliant station to shut down a crew. How can we satisfy everybody? For example, Univisión stations were indicating that the World Cup Games were being aired in the early morning hours and they did not want to reduce power for us at night, so we elected to climb in daylight. Beyond that, it is just safer to do the heavy lifting in the daytime. After all, are we not talking about climber safety? Tower rigging is dangerous enough in itself, and in my opinion, we have a legal duty to these men not to make the job even more hazardous. [The venue now shifts to Sunset Ridge. -Ed.] Following Friday's inspection by the FCC, I inquired as to the duty of the designated Chief Operator of a station in regard to RFR. When KDOC removed its antenna from Sunset Ridge, we faced an unexpected power increase ordered by an out-of-state manager. The FCC agreed that the local engineer or operator could be cited as well as the licensee. Management cannot legally direct its designated Chief Operator to emit signals contrary to the rules. The RFR rules are no exception. Cooperation among engineers is nothing new, as the ten compliant stations proved. We lend parts and advice to our competitors all the time. For some reason managements will fight, perhaps because this is just a highly competitive business. RFR, however, is not the battlefield. I want to express my thanks to those who participated in keeping our workers safe. Cooperation in good faith can work. Roger Knipp, N6VU, Chief Engineer, KDOC-TV/KDOC-DT ****************************************************************** APPARENT UNSAFE TOWER CONSTRUCTION ON MT. WILSON ****************************************************************** BUILD A TOWER, BUT DON'T NEGLECT RFR Four parties have contacted CGC to report apparent unsafe recent tower construction activities at one or more sites on Mt. Wilson (unsafe practices are NOT the norm, by the way). According to the reports, the workers involved in the incident/s wore no RFR-protective clothing in an area notorious for high on-tower fields, had no visible personal RFR monitors, and at times engaged in unsafe climbing practices including being un-clipped from the tower structure. One party claimed to have pictures of the event "somewhere." Another party indicated it was "an out of state tower company" presumably hoping to get the tower up before they got caught violating safety rules. Some of the climbers reportedly wore shorts and tennis shoes at times. So, what do you do if you see suspicious activities like these in the future? (1) Consider approaching the crew chief and ask to see and discuss his or her RFR safety plan, and the power cut-back call list. Perhaps the chief knows nothing about RFR compliance, but would be willing to learn and cooperate. (2) If you need to contact someone on the outside, would the FCC be the best party to call? Specifically who should be called, and will they respond promptly? Would it ever be appropriate to contact OSHA? These questions remain unanswered at this juncture, and we are asking for input from responsible parties. (3) Could your station become involved in an injury lawsuit because it illuminated careless workers on another tower structure? Could you help insulate your station from legal ramifications by reporting suspect tower climbing activity when it occurs? Again, we are looking for input from responsible sources. Knowing what to do the next time questionable tower climbing practices occur is crucial. Incompetent climbing will occur again. ****************************************************************** MT. WILSON NEEDS AN UPDATED RFR STUDY ****************************************************************** THE AGE-OLD PROBLEM: GETTING EVERYONE TO AGREE TO ONE RFR STUDY There are always holdouts when it comes to RFR studies. There are those who do not want to participate and pay their share, and those who elect to take shortcuts when it comes to RFR paperwork. However, preparing an RFR report without power cutback calculations to support climbing activities on ALL towers should be regarded as an unacceptable practice. (This is where the FCC could help by requiring cutback calculations to be made, and filed at Commission headquarters.) Mt. Wilson needs a new/updated RFR study at this time. That study should not cost a fortune each time a facility is added or modified. Perhaps the users at Wilson can contract with an outside firm to develop a computer model of the entire site - with software OWNED by the users group - a model which could be quickly updated when facilities are added, removed or changed. ****************************************************************** ALTERNATIVES TO THE TERM "RFR" ****************************************************************** RFE, RFF & RFS HAVE BEEN SUGGESTED The term radiofrequency radiation ("RFR") too often triggers fatal images in the public's mind: Images of atomic (ionizing) radiation and people "glowing in the dark." Of course, RF energy is non-ionizing and for that reason is much different than atomic radiation - but the point is difficult to convey to the public once the "R" word is unleashed. We have used the RFR term in this newsletter because it is familiar to broadcast engineers. However, members of the general press who may happen to pick up this issue of the CGC Communicator are encouraged to use a different term, perhaps radiofrequency energy ("RFE"), radiofrequency fields ("RFF"), radiofrequency signals ("RFS"), or something entirely new and different, to more accurately convey the issue on deck without being an alarmist. ****************************************************************** MORE TO COME ****************************************************************** THANKS! The number of letters received on the RFR topic were far more than we expected, or could handle in one newsletter. Watch for another Special Edition CGC Communicator soon. We plan to publish many of the letters - one right after another - on the points that have not been summarized above, and which in our opinion add to the discussion. If you have more comments, hold them for now. The time to respond is AFTER the next Special Edition is published, so you can comment on the complete record. Thank you for standing up to the plate and discussing RFR - a very sensitive topic - in a professional manner. By pulling together, we can work toward eliminating some of the problems that are plaguing our industry. ****************************************************************** SUGGESTED READING ****************************************************************** THIS IS NOT HARD There is one FCC document we recommend be read at this time. It is Appendix B of OET-65, and it's only three pages long. The Q&A format is easy-to-read and shows what must be done to resolve a variety of common RFR situations. Step 1: Assemble the following URL into one continuous line (if it isn't already), and download FCC pamphlet OET-65 in pdf format: http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet65/oet65.pdf Step 2: Scroll to the last three pages (Appendix B), print them, read them, and implement the required steps. Step 3: Take a well deserved vacation. You have just saved yourself, and your company, an immense amount of grief. ------------------------------------------------------------------ The CGC Communicator is published for broadcast professionals in so. California by Communications General Corporation (CGC), consulting radio engineers, Fallbrook, CA. Short news items without attached files are always welcome from our readers; letters may be edited for brevity. E-mail may be sent to: rgonsett@ieee.org or telephone (760) 723-2700. CGC Communicator articles may be reproduced in any form provided they are unaltered and credit is given to Communications General Corporation and the originating authors, when named. Past issues may be viewed and searched at http://www.bext.com/_CGC/ courtesy of Bext Corporation. _________________________ End _______________________________ (via Dennis Gibson, DXLD) ** U S A. This appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle--Saturday July 20, 2002 ROYALTIES SILENCE KPIG WEBCASTS By Benny Evangelista, Chronicle Staff Writer ---------------------------------------------------------------------- KPIG, the pioneering Webcaster that was a symbol of the eclectic nature of Internet radio, has suspended its Web simulcasts because it says it can't afford new Web music royalties fees that go into effect in September. The Santa Cruz County radio station joins a list of about 50 Internet Webcasters that have curtailed operations or gone silent since June 20, when the Librarian of Congress approved a contentious royalty rate designed to compensate record labels and artists for each song streamed over the Internet. "This is the last refuge for people who want to do radio with no restrictions, doing it for the love of radio, not radio for maximizing revenues in the quarter," said Bill Goldsmith, KPIG's Web consultant. KPIG, which in August 1995 became the first radio station to simulcast on the Web, will continue broadcasting from its studios in Freedom, a small town north of Watsonville. But its low-power, 2850 watt FM signal has a limited range of about 32 miles. As of Thursday, Internet listeners who tuned in received a limited selection of live recordings and news commentary not subject to royalty fees. Program director Laura Ellen said Webcasts will be "a far cry" from KPIG's usual alternative programming that ranged from rock to country to folk. KPIG is liable for about $24,000 in royalty fees for songs played since January under a set of rates approved by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, who ruled that all Webcasters will have to pay 0.07 cents per song per performance. The Recording Industry Association of America sought higher rates, arguing that compensation to artists and record labels has been long overdue. But Webcasters say the rates are too high and could kill an industry that has yet to generate enough revenue to become profitable. Billington's decision is already having an impact on the fledgling industry. The day after he ruled, SomaFM, a Web radio station operated out of a garage in San Francisco, went silent. A long list of Webcasters catering to specific genres or audiences subsequently have halted operations, including sites like MonkeyRadio.org, SavageRockRadio.com and StarDogRadio.com. Foster City's Live365.com, which offered radio hobbysists the ability to transmit niche programming like "Ricky Nelson 24/7," announced it will add a $5 per month fee for each station beginning Aug. 1. That move is expected to reduce the total number of stations from 25,000 to about 5,000, said Live365.com Chief Operating officer Raghav Gupta. Seattle author L.A. Heberlein, who in his new book, "Rough Guide to Internet Radio" described KPIG as one of the top Internet radio stations for its "fresh, inventive and lively programming," was disappointed to learn about the station's decision to halt Web simulcasts. KPIG was a symbol of the diversity of programming found on Web radio, he said. The impending music royalty rates won't kill Internet radio, but "the funky, marginal stuff is what you're going to lose," Heberlein said......... (via Don Kaskey, San Francisco, IRCA via DXLD) http://www.kpig.com/ (Jul 18, 2002) Sad Day in the CyberSty... KPIG's owners have decided that they have no choice but to suspend KPIG's live webcast in the face of the fees that would be due under the most recent Copyright Office ruling. We're definitely hoping that this is just temporary, and that a reasonable solution can be found soon. Our webcast will continue with a mix of live recordings made here at KPIG (which aren't subject to the fees) - with more features coming soon. For the time being, the playlist will continue to show what's on FM - so at least you local Pigs can use it... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (Jul 15, 2002) Rally the Swine! Let's join the Million Fax Stampede!! Find out why it's important to let your congressmembers know right now - via fax - why they should support emergency legislation to stop the impending death of Internet radio. Click here for more info http://www.voiceofwebcasters.org/fax/carp/smallweb/ (via Joel Rubin, swprograms via DXLD) This will really be a great loss if KPIG internet shuts down. Although I can't run RealPlayer 7 to listen on my present computer/OS, allow me to wax anecdotal: In March 2001, in order to publicize our Woody Guthrie song concert at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, CA, Country Joe McDonald and I did a live appearance at KPIG. Great fun...studio in an abandoned motel in a Watsonville strip mall. And my friend from Washington, DC, who happened to hear us, e-mailed a greeting while we were on the air. As most of you will know, KPIG(formerly KFAT) has a long history as an influential independent music station, and I understand it is high in listener numbers as an internet broadcaster. Cheers, (Saul Broudy, ibid.) ** U S A [and non]. From The Observer: Internet radio is a great illustration of why the unregulated internet stimulates so much innovation and allows an unparalleled range of choice. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that it's under threat. John Naughton, Sunday July 21, 2002 Way back in 1994, a chap named Rob Glaser had a great idea for ferrying audio signals across the Net. It had always been possible to transfer audio files - some of us were doing it in the 1980s - but the problems were that (a) the files were large and (b) the entire file had to be transferred before you could start listening to it. Glaser's Big Idea was to compress the file and dispatch it over the Net in the usual way, but with one magical twist: special 'player' software (available as a free download) would, after a brief pause, start playing the audio even as the rest of the file was downloading, thereby giving the listener the illusion of being able to listen to audio programming live. Thus was born 'streaming media'. Henceforth, audio (and, later, video) signals could be [italics] streamed [unitalics] over the Net and listened to by anyone with an Internet connection and a PC. The name Glaser choose for his invention was 'Real Audio', and it spread like wildfire. En passant, the Real Audio story provides a great illustration of why the unregulated Internet has stimulated so much innovation. Because the network is owned by nobody, and because it is a 'dumb' system designed to do only one thing - deliver data packets from source to destination - anyone with a good idea can harness it. If you can do it with packets, the Internet will do it for you. Glaser had a great idea for sending audio in packets, so all he had to do was write the software and - Bingo! - the network did the rest. If, however, the Net were proprietary, he would have had to apply for permission and would then have become embroiled in arguments about what constituted legitimate and illegitimate use of the system and, well, you can imagine the rest... But I digress. One of the reasons Real Audio took off was because it enabled anyone to set up a virtual radio station. No longer did one need a broadcasting licence and a transmitter and all the other expensive apparatus of broadcasting: all that was required was a server, a broadband connection, some server software (available at a modest price from Mr Glaser) and a source of audio material. It followed as the night the day therefore that Internet radio stations mushroomed like flowers after a desert storm. Today, there are at least 10,000. Some are just Webcasting subsidiaries of conventional radio stations, but the majority are not. Indeed the most interesting are highly specialised outlets for narrow musical genres: there is, for example, one devoted entirely to the Grateful Dead. What happened, in other words, was a stupendous extension of consumer choice at a time when conventional radio was becoming increasingly bland and standardised as a result of corporate consolidation. Streaming radio demonstrated the power of digital technology to reverse the tendency to turn cultural products into adjuncts of mass marketing - to enable listeners to listen to [italics] precisely [unitalics] the music they like, rather than having to accept the playlists foisted on DJs by corporate requirements. Now, however, this glorious explosion of consumer choice is under threat. The record companies persuaded the US Copyright Office that Internet radio stations should pay more onerous royalties than those imposed on conventional broadcast stations. The Office ruled that Webcasters should not only pay a royalty to songwriters, but also to the record companies, and added the crippling requirement that the Webcasting royalty should be levied on a [italics] per listener [unitalics] basis. The liabilities involved (which will, of course, be backdated) are so large that only Webcasters with substantial corporate backing will survive. The Webcasters are appealing, but I wouldn't bet on their prospects. It's just another case of how the owners of intellectual property are trying to choke off the future. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Ed Mayberry, who lost his home and International Listener website in the Houston flood over a year ago, can be heard presenting a musical feature on The Flatlanders, as the final item in hour two of NPR Weekend Edition Sunday, July 21, soon available ondemand from http://www.npr.org/programs/wesun (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. The UNID-station somewhere from Europe playing non-stop Chinese music on 1062 kHz is on again. Unfortunately I could not go to my beverage QTH, because of the bad weather situation. As far as I can hear on my indoor mediumwave loop I can hear the station again right now SAT JUL 20, 2155 UT on 1062, but completely blocked by a mix of Denmark, Italia and Czech Rep. (Dick, MWC-492/DKp4733, BDXC via DXLD) Had an exciting night with some fine signals from Asia on mediumwave. Between 2145 and 2300 I heard stations from Thailand on 1386, 1395, 1467, 1476 and 1593kHz. Signals slowly faded from unreadable to loud (well over the s9). The fading periods varied, sometimes a station disappeared for some minutes, while it came back later with nice signal strengths. Biggest surprise came just after 23 UT, when I came across an station on 1062 kHz, playing non-stop Chinese music. Unfortunately after listening to this station for more than 2 and a half hours (!!!!!) most of the excitement had gone, because it became more and more unlikely that this was a station from China. This was confirmed by the fact that I found the best signal on my beverage direction UK, France/Spain. When arriving home at 02 I was even able to pick it up on my indoor loopantenna! So, I probably overlooked this new station somewhere in a list or so. During the almost 3 hours that I listened I did not hear a single announcement. Just non stop Chinese style music, with always a few seconds silence between the songs. Signals from the UK seemed good last night, so, that makes it a bit more likely to be an UK station. I hope that somebody could help me with this interesting station, that really can one make nervous, hihi. 73! Dick, MWC-492 Receiver: AR7030plus operated from car out in the fields. Antennas: 450m 2-wire beverage, swtichable Asia/South America 350 temporary single wire beverage towards S-Asia (Thailand) (D.G.A. van der Knaap, July 20, MWDX via DXLD) Great logs Dick. As I'm new to the list could you let me know where you are? It seems unlikely to me that it would be a UK station - I haven't heard of anything being licensed there - and because of Talksport on 1.053 I'd have thought a pirate would be able to find a better channel. I'm in Cornwall so I'll tune in tonight to see what I can hear (Nicholas Mead, MW-DX via DXLD) Location: Holten, Netherlands (dxing.info via DXLD) Hi Dick, Op dit moment hoor ik Denemarken (veronderstel ik tenminste aan de hand van de richting, met een soort "muziek" dat ik meestal alleen hoor wanneer er een auto door de straat rijdt met een ritmisch opbollend dak) héél sterk hier, en als ik die zoveel mogelijk uitnul, hoor ik vaag Italiaans op de achtergrond, maar dat is alles voor het moment... en gezien het gestamp op de voorgrond weet ik niet of ik hier lang naar kan blijven luisteren... [Later:] Ik denk dat de Deen overbelast is door de krachtige pulsen van de afgelopen minuten. Ik hoor nu de Tsjech en ook duidelijk herkenbaar Chinees (of althans Chinees-achtig) gezang met een vrouwenstem... Als ik de Tsjech wegdraai, is het duidelijk te horen (nog best mooi ook!), alleen is het jammer dat ik geen Chinees versta... (Frank van Gerwen - ICQ # 2231692, Bakkum-Noord/Netherlands (52 34' N / 4 43' E), ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. July 21 at 0215-0230 R. Prague in Spanish was on USB 8983, covering USCG; someone was trying to call Clearwater, but could not get thru until the Prague relay went off after the interval signal only once at 0230. Someone apparently relaying R. Prague to jam USCG (Ron Trotto, IL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ SHORTWAVE GUIDE Thanks to Chris Hambly for sending a copy of the new WRTH `summer supplement`, which indeed resembles PWBR. Except the frequency list in this has more colour-coding of languages in the timespan bars. Possibly because I suffer from mild colour-blindness, I find the 25 shades a bit too much to distinguish easily, at least without a very bright light upon the pages, which are stitch-bound, and with some encouragement, almost lie open, if not flat. For example, Dutch, Mandarin and Other are all similar shades of yellow/orange (and I think I perceive some stereotyping here...). Arabic, Romanian and Urdu look like similar shades of green. Usw. The colour key is on the bottom of each page, but no two are the same: reflecting the languages actually appearing on each individual page. But is there really enough broadcasting in Swedish, Tibetan or Turkish to justify their very own shades? The lack of info on transmitter sites has already been remarked and dealt with. One much-needed improvement would be some heavier vertical timelines at 06, 12 and 18 (or even at 3, 4 hour spacings), to keep one from having continually to follow the line to the top or bottom of page in order to tell the span of the horizontal transmission time bars. Remains to be seen if further lookups will prove accurate and up to date, but I was pleased to see that WWCR`s replacement of 15685 by 15825 recently is already included, e.g. But WWV is listed at 25000 kHz, where they have been inactive for decades, except as a harmonic. Speaking of which --- no actual harmonics are deliberately shown. The very first entries leave us hankering for a bit more info: 2310, 2325 (and 2485) are all shown merely as Northern Territories [sic] Shortwave, with no hint of their location in three different towns. But then, we may be expected to refer to the regular WRTH if we really want to know any more than shown here. On the other hand, there is too much info: take RFPI on ``15040`` --- split or variable frequencies tend to get rounded off --- which is displayed on 9 different lines (some 10 kW, some 30 kW, not the case), because of itty bitty segments in non-English, and supposed day-of- week variations. Oops, on 15006 there is a timesignal called EBC in `CAN`, but if there is such a station the calls indicate Spain (excuse me, `E`). WWVH is shown as USA, even tho HAW has its own `country` code. I don`t see any indication of the few frequencies which operate in SSB, e.g. RFPI`s 7445 and recently deactivated 21815. On 13810 we find a Radio Ecclesia in AFS (meaning Afrique du Sud --- we just can`t escape irrelevant languages in English-language publications, can we?) --- that would be the station originating in Angola, formerly relayed from Germany, and nothing to do with South Africa, except it is now relayed from there on a much different frequency. The Directory Of International Broadcasters in the back, 17 pages in almost alphabetical order by name, is rather hit-and-miss, including only the larger stations, but not clear where the cut-off point was. If one wants more info on e.g. the 4576 kHz R. Uno, Peru listing, one is out of luck here. And this needs to be purged of some very out of date listings, such as WVHA in Mount Dora, Florida! The Clubs for DXers list has some notable omissions, but also some that I have never heard of until now. Is it up to date? The country codes, listed on the last page, are a curious mix of ITU codes, and non-ITU codes, reminding me of the Klingenfuss approach previously reviewed here. I am still hunting for SW broadcasts from places such as `VCT` -- St. Vincent & the Grenadines! Some countries are more equal than others, meriting single-letter abbrs., B, D, E, F, G, I, J and S. China and USA are not big, European, or important enough for this honour. Yes, I know, two of those are non-European. Two entire pages are taken up by photos of unidentified antenna towers, with incomplete color. Filling this with more useful text would be appreciated. Well, no doubt if I keep looking, I could find more details to pick apart, but I don`t mean to discourage this good effort, some much- needed competition to PWBR. One can only wonder whether this format will somehow merge with the WRTH itself, or continue to be issued at mid-year in alternation. This is `Volume 1`. If the price of this 208-page softbound seems a bit steep, keep in mind that there are only two pages of paid advertising, inside front and back covers, from Merlin and Universal. No doubt they`ll do their best to accumulate more in future. Prefacing the 166 pages of frequency charts is an Introduction to Shortwave Radio, by Bernd Trutenau, only 5 pages of text plus a chart, a map and a diagram, which is fine as far as it goes (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-115, July 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 #1140: (ON DEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1140.html [available soon] WWCR BROADCASTS: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 on 5070, 0630 3210, Mon 0000? 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600 on 7445-USB, 15038.6 WRN BROADCASTS: Rest of world Sat 0800, North America Sun 1400 ** AFGHANISTAN. SURVEY OF RADIO/TV STATIONS IN KABUL AND HERAT The following TV and radio services were observed by BBC Monitoring during recent a recent survey in Kabul and Herat (all times mentioned are in GMT/UTC): Kabul - Television Afghanistan TV broadcasts on channel E11 (217.25 MHz vision/222.75 MHz sound). It is on the air at 1315-1900 daily (sign-off time varies) and additionally at 0430-0730 on Fridays. News in Dari was observed at 1430-1435 and 1500-1530 daily; news in Pashto was at 0530-0535 (Friday only) and 1600-1630 daily. Kabul - Radio The following radio services were observed on the air in Kabul: Radio Afghanistan FM: 93.0 and 105.2 MHz; MW: 909 and/or 1278 kHz : 0030-0340 Saturday-Thursday, 0230-0800 Friday, 1230-1815 daily. SW: 15485 kHz: 0130-0330 Saturday-Thursday, 0230-0330 Friday. [presumably via Abu Dhabi --- gh] SW: 18940 kHz 1330-1630 daily. [originally via Norway, now via where??? --- gh] Radio Kabul: FM 93.0 and 105.2 MHz: 0340-0830 Saturday-Thursday - not broadcast on Fridays. News in Pashto 0430-0435; news in Dari 0730-0735. BBC World Service: FM 89.0 MHz: 24 hours in English/Pashto/Persian. Radio Free Afghanistan/Voice of America: FM 100.5 MHz: 24 hours in Dari & Pashto. Radio Turkiyem: FM 101.3 MHz: 0230-1830 in Turkish for ISAF contingent. Information Radio (US PsyOps): MW 864 kHz and SW 8700 kHz (in upper sideband): 24 hours in Dari & Pashto. Herat - Television Herat TV broadcasts on channel E7 (189.25 MHz vision/194.75 MHz sound). It is on the air at 1500-1830 daily (sign-off time varies), and additionally at 0430-0730 on Fridays. News in Dari & Pashto 1700- 1730. Herat - Radio Radio Herat uses two mediumwave frequencies: MW 1512 kHz: 0200-0400 daily. MW 828 kHz: 1230-1530 daily. News in Dari & Pashto 0300-0315 & 1400-1500. Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 1-14 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 18940, R. Afghanistan, Kabul, still via Kvitsøy, Jul 7 & 15, *1330-1627*, usual programs with the following, confirmed schedule: Pashto 1330-1400, 1430-1500 and 1530-1600, and Dari 1400- 1430, 1500-1530 and 1600-1627. SINPO 25333. But the morning broadcast *0130-0327* on 15240 has not been heard recently, so Al Dhabbaya, UAE seems to have changed frequency to avoid QRM from R Australia. Two other 19 mb stations heard broadcasting in Dari/Pashto at the same time are not R Afghanistan, but VOA, Udon Thani on 15185 and BBC, Cyprus on 15470 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 17 via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN LEADER SETS UP COMMISSION TO SUPERVISE RADIO, TELEVISION PROGRAMMES | Text of report by Afghan radio on 17 July Decree by esteemed Hamed Karzai, the head of the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan, in connection with the establishment of the commission in charge of supervising radio and television programmes. With the aim of reforming, improving and advancing the affairs of government departments and in order to fulfill and implement the pledges made to representatives of the nation at emergency Loya Jerga, the formation of the commission in charge of supervising the programmes of radio and television is hereby announced. This commission will supervise all programmes on radio and television and will present their opinions for the amending, improving and advancement of the programmes to officials of the radio and television. The radio and television officials are duty bound to implement the opinions of the commission. Similarly, the commission should evaluate the opinions of radio listeners and television viewers and use them to improve the affairs [of radio and television broadcasting]. The following have been appointed as members of this commission: Esteemed Abdol Hamid Mobarez, deputy minister of information and culture in charge of broadcasting, Esteemed Aziz Ahmad Fanus, from the media department of college of journalism of Kabul University, Esteemed Asadollah Ghazanfar, writer in Pashto and Dari languages and expert and critic of radio programmes, Esteemed Mrs Shafiqa Habibi, a former employee of Radio Afghanistan, Esteemed Mrs Jamila Mojahed, announcer of radio and television, Esteemed Rezwanqol Tamana, member of the Supreme Council for Media and Culture, Esteemed Habibollah Rafi, member of the Supreme Council for Media and Culture, Esteemed Amanollah Obaidi, member of the Supreme Council for Media and Culture, Esteemed Osman Akram, the managing editor of the Zanbil-e Gham magazine, Esteemed Engineer Mohammad Eshaq, general director of radio and television, Esteemed Dad Mohammad Anabi, member of the Supreme Council for Media and Culture. The commission will be chaired by esteemed Mobarez, and its affairs and performance will be supervised by the minister of information and culture. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Pashto 1500 gmt 17 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. 15475.6, R Arcángel San Gabriel finally confirmed with nice attractive QSL card and letter. It says that Director is: Juan Carlos Pérez Arrieu, Technical operator: Segundo Rodolfo Balcarce, Second technical operator: Javier Rossetti, In charge of program and announcer: María Rosa Gabrielli de Pérez Arrieu, Announcer: Silvana Rossini de Celayes, Fabiana Flores de Balocchi, Esther Plana de Dobarganes. E-mail: esperaanzaantar@infovia.com.ar or esperanzaantar@hotmail.com orlra36@infovia.com.ar (Masato Ishii, Japan, DSWCI DX Window July 17 via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3850.0, R. Independent Mekamui (tentative), Jul 15th 0908 with music/song with Papua New Guinea tribal sound to it, any talk pretty well lost in static crashes, but improving. More songs and Pidgin talk. Sounded like feedback squeals at 0916. Time check (I think) mentioning 8 o`clock something at 0921. Heard a Radio Independent ?? mention at 0935. Some HAM QRM past 0940 but short lived. Program was mainly songs and short talks between them. Still fairly decent at 1000, but no ID noted (Don Moman, Alberta, DSWCI DX Window July 17 via DXLD) I guess around 0935 was when that recording was made, featured on WOR 1140 (gh, DXLD) 3850, R Independent Mekumui, 0907 July 19, male announcer with talk in Pidgin and ID, then Country song. Best heard from here since activation (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURMA [non]. The Democratic Voice of Burma is celebrating 10 years on the air. It started in Norway as a gesture of the Norwegian government's support for Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.... http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/burma020719.html (RN Media Network 19-07-02 via DXLD) ** CANADA. Re: July 14 Inside Track on CBC Radio One: Estimado Licenciado... Is that online for downloading or maybe somebody has a recording? 73 (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo - Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Horacio, I found this page for the previous Inside Track. Presumably the one you want will be available shortly if you change 7/7 to 7/14: http://cbc.ca/insite/INSIDE_TRACK_TORONTO/2002/7/7.html 73, (Glenn to Horacio, via DXLD) ** CANADA. Glenn, the Catholic pope actually arrives in Toronto on Tuesday July 23 after all. 1 PM ET. Why confuse people with TWO welcoming ceremonies? Here's a link to the CBC TV coverage, but nothing about CBC R1 coverage yet. http://cbc.ca/news/features/wyd/coverage.html (Ivan Grishin, Ont., July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Previews: TAPESTRY: This week on Tapestry... a look ahead to the Pope's visit to Toronto for World Youth Day. More than a quarter of a million people in their twenties and thirties are coming to Toronto for ten days of music, festivities and religious services topped off with a visit from Pope John Paul II. Meet some of the young Canadians who put this huge event together. That's on Tapestry, with guest host Mary Wiens, Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. (2:30 NT; 4:00 p.m. MT; 3:00 pm. PT) on CBC Radio One. VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: Live from the Vancouver Folk Festival, a bilingual simulcast of conversations, impromptu performances and memories of 25 years of great music. Featuring performances by Les Charbonniers de l'Enfer, The Backstabbers Country String Band, Ferron, Rokia Traoré and La Bottine Souriante. Hosted by David Grierson and Andre Rheaume. That's the Vancouver Folk Festival 25th Anniversary Special, Sunday night at 10:00 p.m. (11 AT, 11:30 NT) on CBC Radio Two. (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. Re Okapi: Glenn, No, 11690 not heard here yet. I also don't recall hearing 9550 recently (Chris Greenway, Kenya, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COSTA RICA. Hauser heard clearly on RFPI 7445 Jul 17 at 0200 with QSA 3-4 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window via DXLD) That would be Continent of Media, UT Wed (gh) ** CUBA. The unID at 5064, must surely be a new Pirate coming out of mainland Cuba. Radio Cienfuegos. A friend here in Puerto Rico has been lucky enough to catch it on both 5400 and 11300. We all presume that trying to avoid Cuban Security Monitors they change frequently from side to side. I posted also something on HCDX but no one said anything. Good luck to you (Hector (Luigi) Pérez, PR, NP4FW, KPR-260- SWL via Thomas Nilsson, DXLD) ** ECUADOR. De viaje por Cuenca, muchos años ha, no pude dejar de visitar el flamante edificio de Ondas Azuayas Radio y TV. Una de las cosas que más recuerdo es la colección de postales enviados por los oyentes de todas partes del mundo - aunque con una neta preponderancia por los países del norte europeo - abigarrada decoración ésta que cubría una pared entera. Entre los recuerdos que me llevé, quiero destacar una bonita tarjeta QSL sin rellenar de Ondas Azuayas TV (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** INDIA. 9425, AIR Bangalore, Jul 6, 1820 English with western pop music and requests until 1830 and then news. 1835 I think they have changed to Hindi. Announces as The National Channel of All India Radio. Return to English at 1840 with programme highlights. Signal was a good S9 but with side-splash (Noel Green, UK, DSWCI DX Window July 17 via DXLD) ** INDIA. A VISIT TO AIR THIRUVANTHAPURAM by Jose Jacob, VU2JOS Thiruvanthapuram is the capital of the South Indian State of Kerala. It is located almost in the Southern Western tip of India. It was earlier known in English as Trivandrum. Before the independence of India, it was the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore, which had its own stamps, coins and even a radio station. During my recent trip to my native place, I undertook a 6 and half- hour trip by a Super Fast bus to cover 225 kms on a rainy day to visit the different facilities of the AIR station there, by prior appointment. It was the 15th AIR station that I could visit and here are the details of that station. The history of AIR Thiruvanthapuram goes back to the days of Travancore Broadcasting Station which came on the air on 12th March 1943 when the Maharaja (King) of Travancore, Sree Chitira Tirunnal Balramavarma switched on a 5 kW Medium Wave Transmitter. The transmitter was made by STC (Standard Cable & Telephone) and the antenna mast was of 76 Meters. AIR is now celebrating 60 years of Malayalam broadcasting to commemorate this first broadcast from this station. (Malayalam is the local language of the State). The callsign of the station was at first VUR which later changed to VUG and it used the frequency of 658 kHz. In 1946, it used to operate on Wednesday and Saturday evenings for one and half hours. After over two and half years of Indian independence, when Travancore became part of the newly formed state of Kerala, this station was inducted to the All India Radio network on April 1, 1950. The present studios and offices of AIR Thiruvanthapuram are at Bhakti Vilas, Vazthuthacaud in the city which was set up in November 1952. It was recommissioned on December 12, 1959. It was earlier a palace that was used by the famous Diwan (Governor) of Travancore, Sir C. P. Rajagopalachary. It is a heritage building and is nicely maintained by AIR. The Station Engineer`s office was in fact the Diwan`s bedroom! Thiruvanthapuram being the capital of the state, all the other 6 stations of AIR in the state relay several of its programs as well as the little station in neighboring Kavaratti in Lakshadeep where the local language is also the same. Its programs are unlinked via INSAT 2C Satellite and the downlink frequency is 49.725 MHz [GHz?]. Most of the External Service programmes in Malayalam language broadcast at 1730-1830 UT to the Middle East are also unlinked to Delhi from here. The studio to transmitter link is via UHF on 1489 and 1521 MHz made by DB Electronica Telecomunicazoni in Italy and by Meltron. I also saw a 2 watt Meltron RT43S transceiver for two-way VHF communication system between studio and transmitter site. The transmitters of AIR Thiruvanthapuram are at different places. 1. Medium Wave: (A Channel) Its main MW site is at Kulathoor, which is about 12 kms away from the studioes. The old 5 kW transmitter installed for the Travancore Broadcasting Station in 1943 was replaced by a 10 kW BEL HMB 104 Transmitter on February 15, 1973. This transmitter's serial no. is 4. It used the frequency of 660 kHz till the MW frequency reshuffle on November 23, 1978 and then it was changed to the present 1161 kHz. At the end of 2001, this 10 kW transmitter was replaced by a solid state 20 kW Harris DX 20 transmitter made in USA. Its output power can be selected as 5, 10 or 20 kW. It uses a self-radiating mast of 122 Meters. There are generators here to be used in case of any power failures. The morning transmission of this MW service starts at 5.50 am (0020 UT) and the evening transmissions end at 11.05 p.m. (1735 UT). The old 10 kW Transmitter is used as standby here. It is tested daily for a couple of minutes between 5.00 and 5.30 am before the normal morning transmission starts. 2. Vividh Bharati MW (Studio) The Vividh Bharati Service from this station started on March 6, 1966 with a NEC MB 122 A transmitter of 1 kW on 1170 kHz with a 28 meter self-radiating mast antenna installed at the studios. Later it was changed to 1494 kHz during the MW frequency reshuffle on November 23, 1978. It was converted to a Commercial Broadcasting Station on May 1, 1975. This MW Transmitter was taken off the air in favor of FM which started from here in 1999 but it is still kept as standby with an L antenna at the studios. 3. Short Wave: There were plans for SW transmission from here very long back but the transmitter meant for here was diverted to Kurseong in the early 1960s during the war with China. Ultimately, a BEL HHB 144 SW transmitter of 50 kW was commissioned here on November 6, 1994 after being tested from around October 1992. The serial no. of this transmitter is 8 which is capable for operating between 3.9 and 26.1 MHz. The transmitter site is near the seacoast at Muttathura about 12 km away from the studio. During the testing time the following frequencies were noted: 3315, 4990, 5950, 6085, 7260, 7280 and 9650 kHz. Presently there are 3 transmissions from here on SW as follows: 0050- 0215 UT on 5010 kHz, 0230-0400(Sun 1030) and at 0630-0930 on 7290 kHz. There are no broadcasts on SW from here now for the evening/night transmission due to shortage of staff. They use distilled water and air cooling systems to cool the transmitter. There are 3 antenna towers and the antennas are dipoles for 5 bands viz. 3, 5, 6, 7 and 9 MHz. There is an emergency studio also here I also saw a Sangean ATS 818 CS digital receiver there. 4. FM: The FM transmitter is located at Kudappanakunnu at the TV station, about 8 km away from the AIR studios. It was inaugurated here on August 15, 1999. It carries the Vividh Bharati program on 101.9 MHz in Stereo. The transmitters are two numbers of 5 kW BEL HVB 165/A. There are 3 transmissions daily and most of the programs are in Hindi relayed via Satellite from Mumbai. The morning transmissions start at 5.55 am and the evening transmissions end at 11.00 p.m. The history of FM broadcasting in Thiruvanthapuram if fact goes back to back to January 1983 when a 5 watt FM Transmitter assembled by AIR Tirunelveli staff was on air for a couple of days during an AIR conference held here. This low power transmitter which was installed at the AIR Studios used the frequency of 107.1 MHz. It was taken back after the conference was over. The local TV station using the same site by the way has two 10 kw transmitters operating on Ch. 9 (DD1) and Ch. 11 (DD2). At first it was a low power 100 watt station which was inaugurated on January 1, 1985. I have received several confirmations for my reception reports to this AIR station. Letters from foreign listeners are forwarded to New Delhi and QSL Cards are issued from there. -------- 12 Mar 1943 Travancore Broadcasting Station, VUR, 658 kHz, 5 kW MW STC 1 Apr 1950 Inducted to AIR 6 Mar 1966 1 kW Vividh Bharati NEC MB 122 A (at Vazthucaud Studio) 15 Feb 1973 5 kW MW tx replaced by 10 kW BEL HMB 104 (Kulathoor) Jan 1983 5 watts FM 107.1 MHz (demonstration by AIR Tirunelveli at Studio) 6 Nov 1994 50 kW SW BEL HFB 144 (Muttathura) 15 Aug 1999 MW Vividh Bharati replaced by FM Stereo 2x5 kW BEL HVB 165/A (Muttathura) Dec 2001 20 kW Harris DX 20 Tx replaced 10 kW MW (Jose Jacob, dx_india July 18 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Very difficult to express During the more than 33 years that I`m writing about the medium radio it was never before so difficult to search for words by compiling a story than today, July 18th 2002. Yesterday evening, after an operation, Howard G Rose died at the age of 49 years after a heart attack. Most people in radio land knew Howard as deejay Chrispian St. John or Jay Jackson. He was one of the very first British Anoraks who I knew after I started writing for Pirate Radio News in 1969. Very young, 16 years of age at that stage, Howard wanted to grab and eat everything which had to do with Pirate and Offshore Radio and so he did also read my magazine and got, on regular base, in contact with me. Of course he couldn't avoid to start his own station at that time but was doing illegal things in England working for a land based radio station. Although this was a very tiny little one, bigger stations would come soon reality for little Chrispian. It was in 1971 that he, as a 18 year old guy, climbed onboard the MEBO II, the then radio ship of Radio Norht Sea International. There he became part of the international service which supplied us with the perfect sound of `RNI, the Summer of 71`. Howard learnt a lot from his fellow deejays like Paul May, Martin Kayne and the guy who hired him at that time, Steve Merikke. It was also on one of my visits to the Oude Boerenhofstede at Naarden, where the land based studios of RNI were housed, where I met Chrispian for the very first time. In 1971 he was dismissed by the station and recently he wrote a story of his dismissal in Soundscapes, the online journal for media and music culture at the University of Groningen. See spring edition under Volume 4 the article with the title `Getting the sack`. http://www.soundscapes.info But it was not only RNI which took the interest of Howard. In 1972 he went to the station, where he tuned in to in the sixties: Radio Caroline. In March 1968 both Caroline vessels were towed away from the British Coast and went into Amsterdam harbour. After being there and in Zaandam harbour for many years, they were sold for scrap in order of the Wijsmuller Tender Company, to which Caroline had to pay still a lot of money. It was Gerard van der Zee who bought the MV Mi Amigo back for Ronan O`Rahilly so Radio Caroline could be on the air again soon. First they started as Radio 199 and being almost winter the station came in clearly and we especially enjoyed the Christmas programming in 1972, where Howard, a.k.a. Chrispian, played a key role. It looked like that the station would as soon stop again as it restarted as the crew, which wasn`t properly paid by the organization, hijacked the ship and towed it into harbour again. With hard working of the deejays and volunteers, the MV Mi Amigo was soon back at sea and the most famous radio station on Earth was a rocking good way again from the only place Radio Caroline can be, the international waters. It seemed Chrispian was very restless and later, at the end of 1973, he wrote me that he would soon leave for Germany. There, in the harbour of Cuxhavn, a new radio ship would be fitted out under very hard conditions. Even one of the crewmembers died during the out fit of the MV Jeanine. The new ship would be used for Radio Atlantis, which had earlier hired transmission time from Radio Caroline. With their own ship, off the coast of Zeeland, they started also an international service and Chrispian once again was part of a very good team including Steve England, Andy Anderson as well as Terry Davis. In the Seventies Howard played a role within the Independent Radio, which started with LBC and Capital Radio in 1973 as the first commercial stations in Great Britain. He could be heard at stations like Swansea Sound and Viking Radio, but the sea still had a special feeling for Howard. It was Abe Nathan`s Voice of Peace, a station in the Mediterranean, which was the next station to work for. Howard stayed for many years there. While doing my research for my book on the history on the Voice of Peace I interviewed a lot of people and every time Chrispian was mentioned as a very good deejay and friend, although some told me that he sometimes could be very pigheaded and tried several times to get things his way. Then more `Rocking on the Northsea` came for Howard under his nickname Jay Jackson, sometimes adding `J` between his both names. Not only was he responsible for the newsroom from 1983 on board the MV Ross Revenge, the new Radio Caroline ship, he also made a lot of prestigious album music programs, we will never forget. The combination of the music he played, compared with his knowledge of the music, his beautiful voice made it all complete for listening with good pleasure. About his period on board the MV Ross Revenge Jay Jackson wrote a book called `The Pirates Who Waive the Rules`, a book which didn`t get the publicity it deserved. In the eighties Howard played an important role in co-starting the very first golden oldie station in Britain, Radio Sovereign. It became headlines, not only in Britain but also in Western Europe. It was an illegal station and therefore it was one day forced to go off the air, but it returned later at the Riviera in France. In the years Howard made thousands of contacts within the radio industry and he would love, at one stage, to highlight the radio world from another corner. An own Radio Magazine was his idea. After a false start, a second attempt was very successful and The Radio Magazine was born, now already more than 12 years ago. In between he was also one of the co- owners of KCBC, a radio station in his home town Kettering. Howard, which whom I stayed in contact all those years, one time more than the other, asked me to write for the Radio Magazine for the news from the Benelux. He also wrote on regular basis for the Freewave Media Magazine since the late seventies of last century. Just last week the message came in that Howard and Patricia, his wife, had sold The Radio Magazine and the Gold Crest Communications to a big publisher. It was stated that Howard would be staying as the key role man, but the new step in his career could not last for longer than a week. He died yesterday at the age of 49, leaving behind Patricia whom he did marry last year, and three children. I hope they have the strength in the time to come to carry this heavy loss (Hans Knot, 18.07.02, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. Since the 252 kHz LW facility is operated out of the UK, I plan to file future items about it under UK [non] (gh, DXLD) ** JAPAN. MINISTER SAYS COST OF PREVENTING RADIO INTERFERENCE AT 180BN YENS | Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo Tokyo, 19 July: The national expense of preventing possible radio wave interference [RF interference] between terrestrial digital and analogue television broadcasts will total some 180 gigayen, the telecom minister said Friday [19 July]. "The government would like to pay the expense by tapping the pool of fiscal resources from taxes charged on the use of assigned radio wave frequencies" by TV broadcasters, Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Toranosuke Katayama told a lecture meeting. The government plans to have private television broadcasters start terrestrial digital broadcasts by the end of 2003. Private TV broadcasters and the ministry have been trying to accurately estimate the cost of preventing possible radio wave interference between digital and analogue broadcasts. The cost for preventing such interference was initially estimated at 70-80 gigayen, but a closer examination of relevant potential expenses produced the latest estimate of 180 gigayen, ministry officials said. The government will officially release the figure later in the day, they added. Source: Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 0657 gmt 19 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LATVIA. More Laser Radio tests: see UK [non] ** LESOTHO. 4800, LNBS Full data prepared card received in 7 weeks for a registered f/up report sent via Hungary. My card was signed by Emmanuel Rametse, the Transmitter Engineer for Radio Lesotho. Unfortunately they could not exchange the dollar I sent with my report as there are strict laws regarding currency exchange by local citizens (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX July 18 via DXLD) What is the point of sending via Hungary? To make your letter stand out from the crowd? (gh, DXLD) I have had some very friendly e-mail exchanges with Lebohang Rametse, the son of the Radio Lesotho Transmitter Engineer, who tells me that the spare parts for the shortwave transmitter have arrived, and is currently being fixed. I learned that the local instrument that is sometimes heard at the top of the hour is called a Lesiba, which means "feather" in English. This is a very old instrument and it was usually played by herd boys. It is a long hollow pipe (about 1 meter) of wood with a hole on one end and side, where the player blows air into the tube and then it subsequently makes that purr noise. There is a picture and description of a Lesiba at the following URL: http://www.und.ac.za/und/music/Thabos.html#lesiba I suggested that such information would be of interest to Radio Lesotho's English speaking listeners, if they would only have a cultural type program. Apparently this suggestion was very well received by Radio Lesotho's program manager, as they already have such a program in Sesotho, and it would just need to be translated into English. Although there is enthusiasm for such a program, it is contingent upon the re-structuring of the government budget (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. Thinking of sending a reception report to Liberia? http://news.bbc.co.uk/low/english/world/africa/newsid_2133000/2133294. stm LIBERIAN MAIL RETURNED TO SENDER KLM aircraft http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38114000/jpg/_38114412_plane-bbc-300.jpg KLM is one of the airlines boycotting Liberian post Letters and parcels are being returned to senders in Liberia as a ban on the country's international mail begins to bite. The ministry of posts and telecommunications is taking the measure following the ban by international airlines on deliveries to and collections from Liberia, according to the Associated Press news agency (AP). The ban was instituted at the end of June because of Liberia's failure to pay off long-term debts to the Dutch airline KLM and Ghana Airways. Ghana Airways is the only international airline making regular flights to Liberia. It collected Liberian mail and passed it on to KLM, which distributed it worldwide. Rebel fighters http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38140000/jpg/_38140649_liberiasold150_.jpg The war has also disrupted postal deliveries Some of the Liberian debts to KLM and Ghana Airways has been outstanding for more than 10 years. KLM has been sending Liberia bills and letters requesting settlement of the debt for the last year but no payments have been made, KLM spokesman Frank Houben told BBC News Online. The airline will not lift the embargo until the debt is paid, he said. Liberia has been experiencing problems with its postal services for a number of years as a result of war and the displacement of people, Juliana Nel of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) told BBC News Online. In addition to the mail ban, the United Nations has imposed a travel ban on Liberia's leaders, an arms embargo and a diamond sale embargo in order to end Liberia's support for rebels in neighbouring Sierra Leone. Refunds Liberia owes KLM $373,000 and Ghana Airways $56,000, according to a KLM spokesman. Its failures to pay its annual dues to the UPU have led to the suspension of its voting rights in the postal union, according to Juliana Nel of the UPU. The union is still trying to assist Liberia in restructuring its postal system. It is trying to improve and expand them and provide services in districts "where services have been suspended as a result of political instability," she said. Liberian refugees http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38140000/jpg/_38140694_libdisplaced150_.jpg Thousands of Liberians have been displaced by war The stoppage in international mail collections and deliveries has required the Liberian postal ministry to start returning mail to its Liberian senders. Postal workers are collecting receipts from customers and returning the backlog of mail in Monrovia. One postal worker, who asked not to be named, told AP that he did not know how or when refunds would be made to those who had paid to send mail abroad. The Posts and Telecommunications Minister Miwaseh Pay-Bayee is trying to get permission from President Charles Taylor to go to Ghana to ask the government there to join Liberia in asking for a lifting on the mail ban (BBC News Online via Chris Greenway, Kenya, July 19, DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. 6090, RTL Radio, Jul 10, 0710-2030: the test mentioned in DX-Window no. 198 was heard here throughout the day and evening with fair reception, but always severe QRM from Bayerischer Rundfunk on 6085 having the same signal strength. German DJ mostly with British oldies, ads and IDs: ``RTL Radio`` and ``Die neue Deutsche Welle`` (The new Deutsche Welle !!!). SINPO varied from 33443 midday to 53544 at night. In my e-mail report to RTL I recommended them to find another frequency in the 49 mb (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 17 via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 4845, Radio Mauritanie, Nouakchott 0045-0103 July 17. Western Sahara music (with vocals) played on an Ud instrument at tune- in, followed by a brief segment of rapid recitations, but it was not the Qur`an. Resumption of Sahara music interspersed with Arabic announcements. Piano music bridge at 0050 into definite Qur`an to 0100, as signal began to fade slightly. Arabic closing comments including station ID to martial national anthem and sign-off. Open carrier to 0103. Signal initially S9 at tune-in, shifting to S5 by sign-off (Gayle Van Horn, NC, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 12015, V. of Mongolia, Jul 14, 2020, fair in EE with Mongolian music and comment, ID 2029. Normally blocked by R Canada Intl (Ken Baird, New Zealand, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Another outlet has been reactivated, 3395 heard here UT July 18 at 1945 in vernacular, music; 3345 Poppondetta was also in. Paul Ormandy has reported these in the local evenings, but I hear them in the mornings (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3395 listed in 1998 WRTH as R. Eastern Highlands, Goroka (gh, DXLD) ** PERU. Re R. Nacional del Perú silent on 854 kHz: Deduzco lo siguiente. Dejaron morir lentamente el transmisor de onda media, al igual que el de onda corta (6095 khz) y no se preocuparon "para que si ahi hay otro" (el de la Crónica) los imagino sin esfuerzo. Y no hay pretexto por la cuestión económica ya que alberga una buena cantidad de personas ganando cerca de 4 digitos mensuales... (Alfredo ``Spacemaster`` Cañote, Lima, Conexión Digital July 18 via DXLD) ** RWANDA [non]. See USA -- VOA ** SURINAM. 4991, R. Apintie, 0735 July 18, presume the one with a weak signal and Hindi-sounding music. This one usually heard with English pops (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN [non]. Hello Glenn, I was interested in your reference to Gerrards Cross under "TAIWAN" in DXLD 2-114, July 17, as I live a few miles away. It's a small town in a now rather built-up area about 20 miles west of London. The Radio Taipei map seems to be implying it's a transmitter site but there are no masts of any significance in that area and never have been. (It's close to a popular private airfield.) There's no reference to "Merlin" in the phone book covering Gerrards Cross and I couldn't find the place on their website but they presumably have something there. I expect it's the last "stop" before the link to the transmitting site - probably one used by the BBC. (As you may know 3955 kHz is an old World Service frequency.) Many thanks for all the work you put into "WOR" and "DXLD". They really are invaluable sources of reference, particularly when so many "DX type" programmes have now disappeared. Kind Regards (Paul Kennett, Chorleywood, Herts., England, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, the next rail stop down from Beaconsfield going towards London. I've been through it many times on my UK visits; my wife's sister lives nearby. The Thames Valley seems an unlikely place for a HF site. I would like to try and find it on my next trip, whenever that will be. 73 de (John Cobb, GA, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET. 6240 Xizang PBS in DX Window no.198, which was 5240, NOT 6240. Sorry to confusing, my error (Masato Ishii, Japan, DSWCI DX Window July 17 via DXLD) ** U K. See TAIWAN [non] above re Gerrards Cross ** U K. LISTENERS TUNE OUT THE 'BEEB' An article from http://www.globeandmail.com July 17, 2002 Associated Press London --- The British Broadcasting Corp.'s World Service lost three million listeners from its global radio audience in the past year because of increased competition and market deregulation, according to the corporation's annual review published Wednesday. The network praised for its coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States also suffered from a slump in listening in India, director Mark Byford said. "In the context of more intense competition and market deregulation, the overall global radio audience for BBC World Service fell ... from the record high in 2001, to 150 million listeners," Mr. Byford said. In India, the fact that "less than one in four now listens to any radio station, impacted severely on the overall World Service global figure," he said. "Our first all-India survey revealed a 45 per cent drop in our audience there, down 12-million to 14.6-million listeners." Successes included a doubling of the audience in Australia, Mr. Byford said. On Sept. 11 and 12, the service ran a much-praised, 40-hour uninterrupted broadcast about the attacks. It has also been praised for its coverage of the recent conflict in the Middle East, rising tensions between India and Pakistan and Zimbabwe's presidential elections. Earlier this week, the network learned it would receive an extra $118- million (Canadian) in government funding over the next three years to expand its services. (via Bill Westenhaver --- I wonder how much of the drop came from discontinuing the service to North America? --- DXLD) BBC WORLD SERVICE LOSES 3M LISTENERS From The Guardian, John Plunkett, Wednesday July 17, 2002 The BBC World Service was listened to by an average of 150 million people last year - 3 million down on the previous 12 months and 5 million below its audience target. In its annual report, the government-funded global broadcaster was praised by the BBC chairman, Gavyn Davies, for its "professionalism and courage... in the face of bitter attack from the enemies of free speech". The World Service broadcast the longest news programmes in its history in the wake of September 11 and the invasion of Afghanistan. Traffic on its website almost doubled to 75 million page impressions a month. Mr Davies said: "The professionalism and courage of the World Service's editorial teams during this turbulent year, often in the face of bitter attack from the enemies of free speech, has ensured that high quality news and current affairs programming has been available to a global audience of around 150 million listeners on radio and online. "That this reporting has received widespread acclaim has further enhanced the World Service's profile in Britain and abroad." But overall listening was down 3 million from 153 million in 2000/2001. The biggest shortfall was in Asia and the Pacific region, where audience figures fell 11.5 million, mostly a result of a slump in radio listening in India. The World Service watchdog, the governors' World Service consultative group, called on management to improve sound quality and make better presentation style a "high priority". The regulator said the World Service strategy in India should be overhauled because of the growing threat from TV. It called for a "thorough review" of its Hindi output to respond better to audience needs and expectations. The verdict comes just two days after the government awarded the World Service a £48m boost. The sum is about two-thirds of the amount the service requested. The extra cash, to be spent on producing more global-oriented programming and boosting online and FM services, coincided with a further "rigorous programme of efficiency" at Bush House. World Service managers made £3.2m of "efficiency savings" last year. The director of the World Service, Mark Byford, said: "The battle for radio audiences is increasingly ferocious across the world as markets deregulate and listener choice explodes. "Rapid technological advances, lifestyle changes and growing competition mean it is imperative for the World Service to have an even stronger understanding of audience needs and market developments." The BBC's services were extended in Afghanistan and the surrounding region during the "war on terror". The proportion of funding spent directly on content production is now 88%, still 2% short of its stated aim of 90% by 2003/2004. The World Service has also faced three accusations of racial discrimination this year (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. BBC News Online to offer more choice and relevance* http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/hi/english/world/newsid_2131000/2131907.stm In the next few days, we are going to make some changes to the way BBC News Online is organised and presented. Here they are explained (via Ricky Leong, DXLD) ** U K. I'm all set to hear the first Proms this afternoon [July 19 1830 UT]. Starting tomorrow and every day for the next two weeks (except July 21), the concerts will be "videocast" live on the Proms website, or so that's what they appear to say. You can be sure I'll be checking that out! (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UK. CHANGE OF NAME FOR MERLIN COMMUNICATIONS | Text of press release from UK transmission company Merlin Communications on 19 July As you may be aware, Vosper Thornycroft Holdings plc (VT) acquired Merlin Communications in December 2001 as part of their strategy to move into the technical services sector. This additional investment is allowing us to continue to grow the company quickly and exploit future opportunities in our existing markets, as well as provide greater access to new markets. On Friday 5th July 2002 at their annual general meeting, the VT board proposed to change the name of the group from Vosper Thornycroft Holdings plc to VT Group plc, which was agreed by shareholders. VT will also be implementing a new branding strategy that involves all VT's operating companies, and as part of this strategy Merlin Communications International will be renamed VT Merlin Communications. As a result of VT's branding strategy, Merlin will receive a new corporate identity, involving a new VT Merlin logo and brand colour. We will however continue to use our existing Merlin logo as a product specific logo. The new brand will enhance the image of Merlin and identify us with a large blue chip organization that can provide an even greater end-to- end solution to many of our customers. It also reflects our transition into a fully integrated subsidiary of a major FTSE 350 PLC. We certainly do not envisage any changes in our customer commitment and service provision. Our new corporate identity and brand will be rolled out from July 2002, with the official name change commencing from 1st August 2002. Should you have any questions whatsoever then please do not hesitate to contact your designated account manager, or Laura Jelf, Merlin's Marketing Manager. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your commitment to Merlin. Yours sincerely, Fiona Lowry, Chief Executive Source: Merlin Communications press release, London, in English 19 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U K. From The Radio Magazine 17th July 2002 The sale of London station LBC to Bloomberg, for an expected £10 million, has fallen through at the last minute. Bloomberg, the financial news organisation, had been planning to re-model the station on New York station WBBR-AM.. More in this week's issue! (via Mike Terry, July 18, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K. There is a dearth of radio north of Watford, although radio can sound fresher than the rather tired formats down here where the Palm trees grow. I don't think you missed much with the offshore RSLs - 1 watt ghosts of radio days past. I was brought up in the north-west and enjoyed a good choice of Irish, Manx, Dutch offshore and BBC national, local commercial and pirate stations from the early 70s on. That was the real thing in its time, not vintage revivals. Maybe I am anti-shortwave but that is only because it just seems so irrelevant to the ordinary radio listener in Western Europe. The range of good programming in English on shortwave is very limited. The changes in propagation and frequency confuse most people and the audio quality is often poor. If it ever arrives commercially, DRM may deliver AM/FM-style stations via SW without the listener even being aware they are tuned above 3 MHz. The free-to-air radios on DAB, Sky Digital and WorldSpace extend the radio choice for an outlay of around £150 pounds but I'm not sure that a whispy, fading, seasonal, weak shortwave signal from a station trading on the name of a once great station reaches more than a few dozen enthusiasts. In the post this morning some promo material came from the "Caroline" asking for funds to put the station on Sky Digital. Well good luck to them. It harped on about the ship and funding "for future use". It seems that a Sky signal isn't good enough, they want to keep painting a rusting marine studio, floating aerial and transmitter base which they don't use. I will not give them money but I am sure many will. It is no different from the appeals for funds many US stations air. Anyway, I absolutely respect your opinion and assure you that any southern bias in my comments was enviromental and not genetic. Cheers (Chris McWhinnie, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K [non]. This is a bit of a mystery - Mike) 16 July 2002 Reports arriving at the Laser office following our recent weekend test broadcasts indicate that a certain party is taking an unhealthy interest in having LaserRadio.net removed from the airwaves. Despite our engineers adhering to the strictest technical operating standards and the transmitter being fully licenced and authorised by the Latvian authorities, certain objections have been lodged regarding our operation. LaserRadio.net is a Free Radio service supported by its listeners and whatever advertising we manage to gather. The management of this station wish to make it perfectly clear we offer no 'threat' to any individual, group or government. We just want to play our music and entertain our listeners. We can assure our supporters we shall not give in to the bully tactics of those who would have us shutdown - They will NOT succeed. (via Mike Terry, UK, BDXC-UK via DXLD) As far as I am aware the 5.935 MHz Transmissions are perfectly legal, as, presumably, they are on a transmitter owned and operated by the country's (Latvia) public broadcaster. I also presume that Caroline have come to some sort of financial agreement with the said public broadcaster, for these transmissions. The only proviso I would suggest is that, if these transmissions were to become permanent, the Latvian public broadcaster (Radio Riga, I presume) should register these with the High Frequency Co-Ordination Committee (HFCC). This of course is NOT the concern or responsibility of (in this case) the Caroline organisation. All I can say is that the issues concerned, seem to me, to be, as stated above and are thus quite clear in my mind (Ken Fletcher, 1735UTC=1835UTC+1 17th July 2002, BDXC-UK via DXLD) From laserradio@yahoogroups.com Wednesday, July 17, 2002 11:35 AM Our engineers have made some modifications to the transmitter and we shall be running a brief test for two hours on Friday July 21 st. [sic – the 21st is Sunday, Friday is the 19th --- gh]. We will start at 09h00 UTC until 11h00 UTC. Reception reports most welcome! (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Presumably still referring to 5935 Latvia Laser Radio 5935 reception Reception of Laser Radio's test from Ulbroka Latvia on 5935 kHz here this morning (19 July) was not as good as last weekend's afternoon/evening transmissions. From tune in at 0823 to close at 0959 UT signal was weaker, noisier and with more fading than heard last weekend. Today's SIO 343 at 0823 deteriorated to SIO 242 at close. No interference on this channel though. (Last weekend here: SIO 444 at 1815 13 July; SIO 443 at 2157 14 July) Programme of continuous rock (REO Speedwagon, America, Bread etc) plus English announcements of UK address and mobile 'phone number for reports and comments. Reception was not really good enough to sit back and enjoy this sort of music programme on shortwave this morning though. Next transmission is scheduled this Sunday (21 July) 1400 to 2200 UT on 5935 again (Alan Pennington, Caversham, UK, AOR 7030+ / longwire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) July 13, 2125-2157: At 2115 tune-in, I could detect a carrier, and by 2125 recognizable audio was heard, with Herman's Hermits' "I'm Into Something Good". This was followed by a "laser" sound effect produced on a synthesizer. This pattern continued; every two or three pop/rock songs followed by a sound effect. No ID heard. The only other song I recognized was the Doobie Brothers' "Long Train Runnin'". Signal improved at 2145, with SINPO of 24332 (George Maroti, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** U S A. VOICE OF AMERICA TO EXPAND KINYARWANDA, KIRUNDI OUTPUT; MAY RELAY RADIO RWANDA | Text of report by Rwandan radio on 18 July The head of the Africa Division of Voice of America [VOA] radio, Ms Gwen Dillard, says the VOA will soon broadcast in Kinyarwanda and Kirundi twice a day - in the morning and at night - instead of just in the morning. Ms Gwen Dillard announced this to the press following talks with the director of the Rwandan Information Office, Orinfor, Mr Joseph Bideri. Ms Gwen Dillard also said the VOA was thinking of relaying some Radio Rwanda broadcasts on the VOA in order to enable the entire world to become acquainted with realities in Rwanda. The head of the VOA's Africa Division is in Rwanda within the framework of celebrations to mark the first anniversary of the launch of VOA FM broadcasts in Rwanda. Source: Radio Rwanda, Kigali, in French 0445 gmt 18 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** U S A. Can You Feel the (TV Critics) Love? X-URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2002/07/15/DD51629.DTL&type=printable CNN'S CHUNG JUST DEAD WEIGHT TIM GOODMAN Monday, July 15, 2002 ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle. Pasadena -- Getting spun is just part of the program of sitting down here listening to networks talk about themselves. What are they going to say -- we're lousy across the board? No. Even if they are lousy across the board, they will find a few positive numbers and try to stick them on your face with glue and paper. That's fine by most critics here. Bring it on. We expect it. Lots of practice has honed our ability to cut through it. So when CNN veered away from what it had a distinct right to brag about -- that it does good journalism, that it has a better news gathering machine than any other network and a verifiable commitment to news that goes beyond cheap studio talk -- it was almost insulting. Do executives there really think we're dumb enough to believe Connie Chung is doing important journalism for the channel? Apparently. As a reminder, they passed out a flier of her "exclusives" and previous guests and topics. The list read partly like sleaze, partly like ego puffery based on nothing of substance, and partly like cheap spin meant to remind us at the very last second to Vote Connie. Too bad this session came a couple of hours after a riotously funny, brilliantly delivered bit from Comedy Central's Jon Stewart, who was a guest on Chung's first show, a rocky start by all accounts except Chung's. It included her apparently serious question about whether Stewart, who "anchors" Comedy Central's "Daily Show", which spoofs network news, had ever been asked to anchor CBS's "Evening News" or ABC's "World News Tonight." Stewart gave a hilarious, non-verbal Tex Avery cartoon imitation of how he felt -- all bug-eyed, head-shaking, lip-shivering, tongue-hanging out, heart- beating-out-of-chest incredulousness. Point: Chung is out of her mind. Back in the CNN session, we found Teya Ryan -- the network's executive vice president and general manager -- continuing her bulldog-fierce support of Chung and blindly dismissing the idea that a tabloid sensibility reeks on most topics Chung covers. Pedophilia? Missing children? Drunk airline pilots? Enron employees posing nude? Nah. It's the news of the day. It chose us. For his part, Walter Isaacson, Chairman and CEO of the CNN News Group said, "Man, that's a cool show." OK, stop. We can buy into the argument Isaacson makes about being second to the glossy, opinionated Fox News -- "Emphasizing straight and decent journalism is not the easiest path to popularity," he said. CNN will be No. 1 on terms that don't erase its credibility. It won't sell out, etc. All great stuff and a fine motto. But getting Chung was an ill-advised bit of desperation meant to keep up with the Joneses, something CNN seems panicked about. Chung's show is bad. We know that. The CNN execs claim not to. Hell, even Jon Stewart knows that. So it was a little insulting for people who had otherwise made sensible and admirable claims about CNN's lofty journalistic goals to, all of a sudden, clump Chung in the same group. This is a woman who would pull her car over on the way to the Pulitzer party to cover a carnival sideshow. And how weird was it that CNN announced it was picking up Stewart's "Daily Show" and repackaging it as "The Daily Show: Global Edition," and sending it to 161 million homes in 200 countries? "The Daily Show" is, after all, a spoof of the news. Asked whether CNN should be concerned that people in other countries just might take his show, um, seriously, Stewart said, "That's an excellent question and one that I should answer -- not the head of CNN." And, asked whether he thought CNN didn't get the joke (because, obviously Chung sure hadn't), Stewart said, "I can't speak for them -- oh, what the hell, let me speak for them: They don't get it. They think it's cute. They don't understand that we're actually angry at them." Uproarious laughter is a good thing, and we got a lot of it there. Maybe -- and this isn't a joke -- CNN should have just hired Stewart instead of Chung. At least "The Daily Show" hasn't done overkill on the Elizabeth Smart story. ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle. Page D - 1 (via Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U S A. HAL SIMMS, CBS ANNOUNCER IN EARLY DAYS OF TV By Tom Long, Globe Staff, 7/12/2002 Hal Simms' name may not ring a bell, but his voice was certainly familiar to a generation of TV viewers who tuned in to ''The Edge of Night,'' ''Beat the Clock'' and ''The Frank Sinatra Show'' during the early days of network television. He was a CBS announcer from 1948 until 1972, but was really a jack-of-all-trades who also acted, reported, and delivered weather forecasts while the new medium was defining itself. Mr. Simms, 83, who grew up in Boston's old West End, died July 2 at Goddard House, a Brookline nursing facility. ''For a kid from a tenement, it was really quite a life,'' his son Adam said yesterday. ''He was there when Walter Cronkite and Eric Sevareid were young men in a new medium. He got to work with sports figures such as Frank Gifford and entertainers like Frank Sinatra - figures who were larger than life.'' In 1958, he recalled the early days when ''a three-station hook-up was a major network, and you reached a couple of hundred thousand people at peak hours.'' He and his colleagues ''practically froze'' at the thought of telecasting into homes in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia simultaneously, when that was the extent of network TV. ''No one dreamed of a network spanning the entire nation, making it possible to be seen and heard by millions upon millions of viewers,'' he said. Mr. Simms often recounted the time he was told to cover the races at New York's Belmont Park. ''He had never been to a racetrack and hadn't any idea what win, place, and show meant,'' said his son. An editor of the Racing Form gave him a quick tutorial and that afternoon Mr. Simms was at Belmont calling the races. He was the announcer for the game shows ''Beat the Clock'' and ''To Tell the Truth,'' the soap opera ''The Guiding Light,'' and many other TV shows. He also announced radio shows and for 10 years prior to his retirement was announcer in chief of CBS. Nobody knows how many times he delivered the lines ''CBS presents this program in color'' or introduced ''The Edge of Night,'' with the emphasis on the word ''edge,'' a hallmark of the show for many years. He was also an announcer-actor on the ''The Morning Show'' with Jack Paar. One morning, when the two finished a skit wearing gorilla costumes, the cue came to deliver the weather forecast. Never one to miss a cue, Mr. Simms delivered the weather in the gorilla suit. The CBS switchboard lit up. One evening, he was announcing the ''Songs for Sale'' show, and host Jan Murray contracted laryngitis and couldn't go on, so Mr. Simms hosted the show. ''Never in my life was I so scared,'' he said. ''Luckily, things went off without a hitch.'' And there was the time he and a crew taped the ''The Frank Sinatra Show'' at the Paramount Theater in New York City, where ''old blue eyes'' was performing. When they returned to CBS, they realized they had forgotten to load the camera. Sinatra had decamped for Hollywood, so Mr. Simms and his colleagues followed the singer to the West Coast to retape the show. ''Frankie couldn't believe his eyes when we walked in,'' said Mr. Simms. Mr. Simms graduated from the University of Michigan, working his way through school by selling shoes and newspapers and working in the school's kitchen. During school breaks, he hitchhiked to Boston to visit his family. He began his career in radio in Portsmouth, N.H., where he earned the princely sum of $20 a month. He was working for a Philadelphia radio station, his son said, when his college friends Robert Q. Lewis and Mike Wallace persuaded him to move to New York and join CBS. Early in his career, Mr. Simms was asked to go to Hollywood, step out of the announcer's booth and into the limelight and take a chance at a big-time career. He declined because his children were young and he didn't want to relocate. ''He passed on the pursuit of glamour,'' said his son, ''and he never regretted it.'' He leaves another son, Hank; a daughter, Sarah Simms Rosenthal; and three grandchildren. funeral service was held. This story ran on page B7 of the Boston Globe on 7/12/2002. (via Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U S A. LEFT OF THE DIAL: NON-COMMERCIAL RADIO STAYS ON THE AIR FOR ITS OWN SAKE by Joe Tarr It's hot as hell inside the broadcast booth of Knoxville's newest radio station on a muggy summer afternoon. The double-wide trailer— whose outside walls are spattered with graffiti—sits along a heavily wooded road in South Knoxville. The station's organizers squat rent free, but the neighbors don't mind—the place used to be a crack house until the station cleaned it out and moved in. The broadcast equipment doesn't look like much: some used CD players, a small mixing board, a microphone, a broken tape deck. The transmitter is located in a cramped closet with a lock that requires a screwdriver to open. The antenna has been strung to the top of a tree out back. Oh, and a video monitor in the booth shows the driveway outside, in case Federal Communications Commission agents should happen to visit. You see, Knoxville's First Amendment Radio (KFAR), is broadcasting illegally at 90.9 FM.... http://www.metropulse.com/dir_zine/dir_2002/1228/t_cover.html [This is a very long article, which deals with all the less than 92 MHz Knoxville stations, including WUOT, WUTK, WDVX, WNCW and two gospel huxters --- gh] (via Howard Box, Oak Ridge, TN, DXLD) All low-end FM fans should be impressed with how much Joe Tarr found gong on there but in fact he missed what some of us also find there. Rightly famed music commentator, Karl Haas can be heard at 9 am every weekday on WSMC 90.5 from Collegedale. And that station still carries ``Marketplace`` at 5 pm, which WUOT lost in the budget crisis. They also offer the other public radio news [``The World``] at 4 pm put out by a WGBH-BBC consortium. The East Tennessee State station, WETS on 89.5, is also heard well in Knoxville with what I`ll call ``jazz, etc.`` in the afternoon, and the 8 to 10 am Sunday NPR news [``Weekend Edition``], as well as a later run of daily NPR news. They even have an occasional program drawing on THEIR university resources! The ``compleat listener`` will appreciate that both offer much classical music that only infrequently duplicates WUOT, and sometimes offers a different time slot for a program we would otherwise miss. Really upsetting in Tarr`s fascinating article was not the ``pirate`` station, but the little note that supposedly non-profit ``Love 89`` and ``Easy 88`` on 89.1 and 88.3 have WRJZ as their common e-mail address, and are programmed by the TN Media Association. What is going on at that very low end of our non-profit corner? Are spaces being held until the FCC opens it up to commercial exploitation – as they did to the original high end non-commercial and, and as they have done to short wave? Who knows? ``Is anyone listening?`` Is anyone watching them? P.S. Blow the public mind if you want by telling them they can hear channel 6 at the very-very-low-end of FM with traffic and weather and soap operas for people who don`t have enough trouble of their own (Rev. Howard Box, July 12, letter to the editor of Metro Pulse, via DXLD) ** U S A. ATHEIST DIRECTORS ON THE AIR MONDAY IN NORTH CAROLINA American Atheists State Directors Wayne Aiken (North Carolina) and Kyle Oden (South Carolina) will be the guests this Monday, July 22, 2002 on WFAE-FM News Radio out of Charlotte, NC. Tune in to 90.7 on the FM dial beginning at 9 AM Eastern for an hour-long special on Atheism! You can also listen to a live feed on the internet. Just point your browser to http://www.wfae.org/wfae/index.cfm WHAT: Hour-long radio special on Atheism. WHO: Wayne Aiken and Kyle Oden, North Carolina and South Carolina State Directors for American Atheists. WHERE & WHEN: WFAE, 90.7 on the FM dial or on the net at http://www.wfae.org/wfae/index.cfm this Monday, July 22, 2002 beginning at 9:00 AM Eastern. MORE INFO: http://www.atheists.org/flash.line/aamedia.htm http://www.atheists.org/nc (Office of the State Director, NC) http://www.atheists.org/sc (Office of the State Director, SC) (AA Newsletter July 18 via DXLD) ** U S A. Bringing up the KXMS Fine Arts Radio International webcast, for the scheduled Iraqi National Anthem at 1542 UT July 17, as in the KXMS posted schedule, and in MONITORING REMINDERS, Ivan Grishin and I were surprised to hear something completely different. It turned out to be NPR Performance Today rather than KXMS` own classical programming, and even stranger, and ID on the KXMS webcast at 1600 as KRPS Pittsburg, Kansas, which is the next-closest public radio station to Joplin. We notified KXMS, and they notified their ISP. Later that afternoon Kevin Kelly checked and found that KXMS had its webcast back, but the next morning Ivan found KRPS once again. As it happens, KRPS has declined to do its own webcasting, so this was a rare opportunity to hear it (however, it does have a considerable audio archive of locally produced features on its website). We also feared that KXMS had suffered another financial setback and had been forced to convert to a satellite of its neighboring public radio station, after having to curtail its own local classical programming to only 3 hours M-F for the duration of the summer. We always got prompt replies from KXMS GM Jeff Skibbe, and this anomaly seems to correlate with whenever KXMS loses power and goes off the air, however briefly. It appears that the ISP is picking KXMS up off the air 88.7 as input to the webcast, and when the signal is lost, the receiver goes seeking on up to the next strong signal, namely KRPS at 89.9! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. RELATIVES OF DEAD FIREFIGHTERS WILL GET TO LISTEN TO SEPT. 11 EMERGENCY RADIO TAPES The Associated Press 7/16/02 9:04 PM NEW YORK (AP) -- Relatives of firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center will be allowed to listen to recordings of emergency radio transmissions, fire officials said Tuesday. The Fire Department of New York said the U.S. attorney's office had agreed to allow family members to hear the recordings on the condition that they sign confidentiality agreements. Until now, the U.S. attorney's office has not released the tape due to court rules that prohibit the disclosure of possible evidence to the public. The U.S. attorney in Virginia has cited the recordings as possible evidence in the upcoming trial against Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in the Sept. 11 attacks. Moussaoui has denied involvement in the attacks. The fire department, which lost 343 members on Sept. 11, said its family assistance unit would contact family members in the near future to arrange for them to hear the recordings. Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. [WUN] MAJOR CHANGE TO THE ECPA THAT IMPACTS EVERYONE... Date: Wed, 17 Jul 2002 11:46:01 -0400 From: Dave Emery die@die.com To: fedcom@mailman.qth.net, wun@mailman.qth.net Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but something of enormous importance to radio hobbyists has just happened in Washington, and so far I haven't seen any mention or discussion of it on any scanner or ham lists I follow. I hope this message will alert others to what has just happened and get people thinking about the consequences... The House just passed the Cyber Security Enhancement Act (HR3482) last night (7/15/02) by an overwhelming margin of 385-3. Buried in an otherwise draconian bill that raises penalties for computer hacking that causes death or serious injury to life in prison and allows government monitoring of communications and email without warrants in even more circumstances is the following seeming obscure language: : SEC. 108. PROTECTING PRIVACY. : : (a) Section 2511- Section 2511(4) of title 18, United : States Code, is amended-- : : (1) by striking paragraph (b); and : : (2) by redesignating paragraph (c) as paragraph (b). For those of you who don't realize what this means .... USC Section 2511 subsection 4 of title 18 (the ECPA) currently reads as foilows.... the CSEA will strike part (b) of this language. Penalties.. : (a) : : Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection : or in subsection (5), whoever violates subsection (1) : of this section shall be fined under this title or : imprisoned not more than five years, or both. : : [The following section will be eliminated by the new law...] : (b) : : If the offense is a first offense under paragraph (a) : of this subsection and is not for a tortious or illegal : purpose or for purposes of direct or indirect commercial : advantage or private commercial gain, and the wire or : electronic communication with respect to which the : offense under paragraph (a) is a radio communication that : is not scrambled, encrypted, or transmitted using : modulation techniques the essential parameters of : which have been withheld from the public with the : intention of preserving the privacy of such communication, : then - : : (i) : : if the communication is not the radio portion of a : cellular telephone communication, a cordless telephone : communication that is transmitted between the cordless : telephone handset and the base unit, a public land : mobile radio service communication or a paging service : communication, and the conduct is not that described : in subsection (5), the offender shall be fined under : this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or : both; and : : (ii) : : if the communication is the radio portion of a : cellular telephone communication, a cordless telephone : communication that is transmitted between the cordless : telephone handset and the base unit, a public land : mobile radio service communication or a paging service : communication, the offender shall be fined under this : title. What this does is change the penalty for the first offense of intercepting an unscrambled and unencrypted radio communication that is not supposed to be listened to (e.g. AMPS cellular calls, commercial pagers, cordless phones, common carrier communications) for hobby purposes (eg not a tortuous or illegal purpose or for direct or indirect commercial advantage or private commercial gain) from a misdemeanor (one year or less prison time) to a federal FELONY (5 years prison time). And further this changes the status of the specific offense of listening to a cell call, cordless call, a pager, or a public land mobile radio service communication (eg a telephone interconnect) from a minor offense for which one can be fined a maximum of $500 to a federal FELONY for which one can be imprisoned for up to 5 years. In effect this removes a safe harbor created during the negotiations over the ECPA back in 1985-86 which ensured that first offenses for hobby radio listening were only treated as minor crimes - after this law is passed simply intentionally tuning a common scanner to the (non-blocked) cordless phone frequencies could be prosecuted as a felony for which one could serve 5 years in jail. And in case any of my readers have forgotten, a federal felony conviction (even without any jail time) deprives one of the right to vote, to own firearms, to be employed in a number of high level jobs and professions, to hold certain professional licenses and permits, and important for certain readers of these lists absolutely eliminates for life the possibility of holding any kind of security clearance whatever (a recent change in the rules) - something required for many if not most interesting government and government related jobs. So merely being stopped by a cop with the cordless phone frequencies in your scanner could conceivably result in life long loss of important rights and privileges. For some of you out there this may seem small potatoes and irrelevant since it merely changes the penalties for an already illegal act (which you are not supposed to be engaged in) and doesn't make anything new illegal. But this is a rather naïve view. The federal government was certainly not going to prosecute a hobbyist for radio communications interception under the old version of the ECPA if the worst penalty that could be levied was a $500 fine - there simply is not the budget or the staff to prosecute people for what would be a very minor offense (equivalent of a speeding ticket). And even prosecuting hobbyists for more serious interception (eg not cellular, cordless or pagers) was still a misdemeanor offense prosecution with jail time unlikely. So in practice the only prosecutions were of people who clearly had a commercial purpose or otherwise engaged in egregious and public (e.g. the Newt call) conduct - no hobbyist ever got prosecuted. And this was doubtless the intent of Congress back in 1985-86 - it would be illegal to monitor certain radio traffic but only a minor offense if you did so for hobby type personal curiosity or just to hack with the equipment or technology - and a serious felony if one engaged in such conduct for the purpose of committing a crime or gaining financial or commercial advantage (e.g. true spying or electronic eavesdropping). But after this bill is signed into law (and clearly it will be), it will be quite possible for a federal prosecution of a hobbyist for illegal radio listening to be justified as a serious felony offense worth the time and effort and money to try and put the guy in jail even if the offense is not for a commercial purpose or part of an illegal scheme. Thus "radio hacker" prosecutions have now become possible, and even perhaps probable. And federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents get career advancement and attention from senior management in their agencies in direct proportion to the seriousness of the offense they are investigating and prosecuting - nobody ever advances to senior agent for going after jaywalkers, thus by raising the level of less than legal hobby radio monitoring offenses from a jaywalking class offense to a serious felony for which there can be real jail time it becomes much more interesting from a career perspective to prosecute radio listeners. And needless to say, such prosecutions would be shooting fish in a barrel type things given that many individuals are quite open on Internet newsgroups and mailing lists about their activities. And of course this MAJOR change in the ECPA also has the effect of making the rather ambiguous and unclear meaning of "readily accessible to the general public" in 18 USC 2510 and 2511 much more significant, since intercepting something that isn't readily accessible to the general public is now clearly a serious crime even if done for hobby purposes as a first offense. Thus one has to be much more careful about making sure that the signal is a legal one... And further than all of this, and perhaps even MUCH more significant to radio hobbyists on Internet scanner lists .... The careful, thoughtful reader will note that section 4 has been revised a bit lately, and that this new section 4 (see above) now makes it a federal felony with 5 years in jail penalties to violate section 1 INCLUDING the following provisions of section 1: 18 USC 2511: : (1) : Except as otherwise specifically provided in this : chapter any person who - : : (c) : : intentionally discloses, or endeavors to disclose, to : any other person the contents of any wire, oral, or : electronic communication, knowing or having reason to : know that the information was obtained through the : interception of a wire, oral, or electronic : communication in violation of this subsection; : : (d) : : intentionally uses, or endeavors to use, the : contents of any wire, oral, or electronic : communication, knowing or having reason to know that : the information was obtained through the : interception of a wire, oral, or electronic : communication in violation of this subsection; or : : shall be punished as provided in subsection (4) or : shall be subject to suit as provided in subsection (5). This seems to have changed the status of revealing as part of a hobby list any hint of the contents of a radio communications that might or might not have been legally intercepted from a potentially minor misdemeanor offense or less to a serious felony. Thus if a court finds that any communication reported on an Internet list was not legally intercepted, felony penalties apply for publishing the information even if the interception was for hobby purposes (which of course most scanner list intercepts are). Most significant for many of us, the section 18 USC 2510 exceptions to the prohibitions on intercepting radio communications in 18 USC 2511 are pretty silent about military communications - not prohibited, or specifically allowed except as "governmental communications". So it is possible that military comms might be found to be illegal to intercept and thus passing around information about them a potential felony, even though of course the military has complete access to the world's best COMSEC technology and uses for anything sensitive. But in a paranoid age (post 9/11) anything goes... and if the government wants to go after scanner lists (like Milcom) it might now be able to do so with prosecutions with real teeth and jail time. Thus the legal climate has fundamentally changed, and one can assume that since the Bush administration has been pushing for the passage of this bill that they perhaps intend to start prosecuting at least some category of radio hobbyists under the new provisions - no doubt as an example meant to scare the rest of us into handing our radios in at the nearest police station... So yet another blow to the radio hobbies.... and a big one indeed... -- Dave Emery N1PRE, die@die.com DIE Consulting, Weston, Mass. PGP fingerprint = 2047/4D7B08D1 DE 6E E1 CC 1F 1D 96 E2 5D 27 BD B0 24 88 C3 18 _______________________________________________ WUN mailing list WUN@mailman.qth.net http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/wun == end == (via Tomas NW7US // AAR0JA Hood, swl via DXLD) Well, I have to disagree... I resent very highly those of you who are scanner enthusiasts listening in on my cell phone communications. Therefore, I support this new language in the law. I think that anyone, even a fellow ham who attempts to listen in on my or anyone else's private communication SHOULD go to jail and pay a heavy fine. Also thinking it will make a major impact or the radio hobbies is the old domino/ Big Brother theory applied to radio hobbyists. I just cannot see it happening (Eric Cooper, KB6VPI, ibid.) This bill is not limited to just cell phone communications. But to ANY communication not intended for general public consumption. So, that could include listening in to the Coast Guard rescue communications, local police and fire, and so on. On topic? I know that listening to any Shortwave Frequency that some governmental agency decides is not for general public use would be covered by this bill. Making even scanning through those frequencies a federal crime. Cell phones are a very limited part of what this bill impacts. 73 de (Tomas, NW7US // AAR0JA, ibid.) Next step, you'll have to register your radio down at the local Police department obtaining a permit. And then later you'll only be able to buy radios that cover the FM and Mediumwave broadcast bands, and 'maybe' if you're lucky the International Broadcast bands. Anyone owning a vintage general coverage receiver such as a Hallicrafters, Hammarlund, Icom etc will be "suspect" and possibly open to criminal charges. And, God forbid that you should even think of owning a ``DC to Daylight`` receiver. Of course, criminals will always be able to "buy them on the street", for the right price. Does that sound like any other kind of government control we know of? (Phil, KO6BB Atchley, ibid.) I disagree that the new penalties automatically mean that the government will go after hobbyists. The intention might just be putting teeth in a law to use in investigating and prosecuting more serious crimes. Like applying tax laws to drug dealers, it's another tool in the box. Of course, I am a hopeless optimist (Chuck Boyle, kb5rvv, ibid.) This is not an OT subject. It does have the potential to limit our listening enjoyment. Although I am not a 'libertarian', I do believe that the founding fathers were correct in limiting government's power to prevent potential abuse in future generations. It's not possible to predict what government will feel 'they have to do to protect us'. I do believe we need a strong central government for protection against other nations, to regulate international trade and treaties, and provide limited in-country 'policing' that the individual states are not incentivized to do - i.e.; FCC, FAA, ICC, SEC, etc. A good example of this is the 'right to bear arms'. The founding fathers felt that the central government might attempt to usurp the independence of the states. Remember, that in the 1770's, virtually all of the real military power were in state raised, state financed, and state controlled militias (armies). It was felt that if the states had their own well armed 'militias', they could both easily prevent a central government takeover AND quickly repel a foreign invader - as they did in both the revolutionary war and The War of 1812. It was not until the 1820's that the US central government had grown large enough to field an effective army. Today, these state militias (National Guard) are, despite the rhetoric to the contrary, effectively under federal control. The standard of living of the 'average American' has been gradually eroding since the late 70's, melding with the rest of the world's. In 1965, a 'factory worker' could own a home and a car AND go on vacation once a year. Today, that same skill set barely produces enough income to make car payments. When the standard of living of this 'average American' approaches that of the 'typical Asian factory worker' (I've worked there and can testify to it), the US will NOT want 200 million armed citizens! Just look at the criminal chaos in many of the now 'free' African nations. Many other countries do limit what radios their citizens can own and operate. With only a handful of amateurs, most non-democratic countries do keep their licensed amateurs under some scrutiny. In China, unless you are a loyal and ranked 'party member, having even a legal amateur station subjects you to frequent inspections and monitoring. I've been there and seen it... Many of our in-country employees who were amateurs, would come to work to use our own company stations for conversations with their friends in other countries - afraid of being called on the carpet to (McCarthy era like) to explain their actions. Could the US force you to 'register' your radio and limit ownership to only standard broadcast band receivers? Sure. Probably not in the next generation or so, but in the 'brave new world' of the mid 21st century, who knows... 73 (Frank ----, swl , where the moderator declares this off-topic, via DXLD) ** U S A. RADIO STATIONS APPEAL INTERNET ROYALTY DECISION From Reuters, Wednesday July 17, 5:41 AM Radio stations have asked a federal appeals court to rule that they do not have to pay musicians and recording companies when they play music on the Internet because they do not pay royalties for regular, over- the-air broadcasts. In a motion filed late Monday, a group of radio stations said a federal court in Philadelphia and the U.S. Copyright Office had misinterpreted the law when they said that radio stations had to to pay musicians and recording companies when they "stream" their songs over the Internet. The Copyright Office established a rate of 0.07 cents per listener per song in June, which means that Internet-only "Webcasters" and broadcast giants like Clear Channel Communications Inc. would be on the hook for 70 cents for each song played to an audience of 1,000 listeners. The rate was decried as onerous by radio stations and Webcasters, many of whom said they would be forced to shut their doors. Webcasters did not participate in the appeal of the August 2001 decision, which was filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Radio stations have historically been required to pay per-song royalties to songwriters but not performers, recording companies, and anyone else who own the rights to the "sound recording" of a song. Congress said sound-recording owners should get paid for Internet transmission when it updated copyright laws for the digital era in 1995 and 1998. But Congress intended the law to apply only to services that would enable users to select and download songs, not online radio-style broadcasts that do not allow users to save songs, the broadcasters said in their appeal. While downloadable music may dampen CD sales, radio broadcasts over the air and through the Internet stimulate sales, they said. "Congress has long recognized the mutually beneficial relationship between the radio and recording industries, particularly the enormous promotional benefits derived by the recording companies from radio airplay of sound recordings," the appeal said. The Recording Industry Association of America ( news - web sites), which represents the five major labels, said it hoped the radio stations would lose their appeal. "Rather than seek special treatment from the courts, we encourage the broadcasters to work with the labels and artists as our industries transition into new businesses," said Steven Marks, a senior vice president at the RIAA. The appeal was filed by the National Association of Broadcasters and radio firms Bonneville International Corp., Clear Channel, Cox Radio Inc., Emmis Communications Corp., Entercom Communications Corp. and Susquehanna Radio Corp. The RIAA represents music divisions of Vivendi Universal, AOL Time Warner Inc, EMI Group Plc, Bertelsmann AG, and Sony Corp. (Reuters/Variety via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. From The New York Times: By MARGO JEFFERSON I LOVE to wander around my apartment, lie on my couch and listen to the radio. I can control what I hear there, but I can't predict it. Of course, we can all predict what we'll hear on commercial stations with their generic playlists. (Warning: do not purchase this product and do not listen to it again unless accompanied by diverting video images on television.) And I binge on nostalgia at regular intervals. "Don't it kinda strike you sad when you hear our song," as Donna Summer keened and whined in her 1979 disco hit, "On the Radio." As for the higher pleasures, it excites me to hear music I know nothing about and respond with no interference from anything or anyone. A good radio station or program can ambush my prejudices - change my mood. No, I do not want to hear Brahms or John Coltrane. But I give in, I listen clinically, And either way I'm rewarded. My response shifts, or feels even more justified. Finally, I use radio as a mental tuneup. I've always envied dancers the warm-up that starts their working day, and ever since Yvonne Rainer called one of her dances "The Mind Is a Muscle," I've made radio part of my prewriting ritual. News at breakfast; it makes me absorb facts and think about context. Then a brief period of quiet, followed by a search (sometimes desperate) for music that induces concentration and seems to have some link (rhythm, cadence, structure) to my work. I know I could get the same effect by programming my CD collection. But I know its contents. The mystery of not knowing what the radio will yield is closer to the mystery of not knowing exactly what I am about to write. Margo Jefferson is a cultural critic for The Times (via Mike Terry, July 17, DXLD) ** U S A. The following text is from http://www.dxing.com/dxld1009.htm: The International Broadcasting Act of 1994 requires the Broadcasting Board ``to review, reviewuate, and determine, at least annually, after consultation with the Secretary of State, the addition or deletion of language services.`` Language service review and the setting of language priorities are key components of the BBG`s broad responsibilities as an independent federal entity since Oct. 1, 1999. 'reviewuate' is not a word. I think you must mean 'evaluate'. Best wishes (Mark Drury, Head of Marketing, National Library for the Blind, UK, July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) "A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone." (Jo Godwin) Well, I suppose this coinage means ``review and evaluate``, and seems somewhat useful, even tho I am not responsible for it. Somewhat redundant, tho, right after ``review`` (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Should have put a cross reference in DXLD 2-114 for those seeking AFN frequencies, in that issue under GUAM --- so here it is now (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. SMALL TV STATIONS REEL UNDER ORDER TO GO DIGITAL By David Lieberman, USA TODAY Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises has provided a nice income to the Duhamel family since World War II. First a radio company, it entered the television age with KOTA in Rapid City, S.D. The station beams ABC shows and local news to the No. 175 TV market: 88,000 viewers spread over an area the size of a triangle from Washington, D.C., to Boston to Buffalo, N.Y. So company President Bill Duhamel was stunned when the federal government ordered all TV stations — even in tiny markets such as his — to buy the towers, transmitters and other gear needed to join the long-awaited and fitful national march from analog to digital television (DTV). "I would guess it's going to take three to four years of operating profits just to pay for the first stage" of retransmitting ABC's digital signals, he says. The full transition can cost up to $3 million per station. "The deal I have with the family is, they better make their living someplace else. It's not a great situation." A lot of station owners in small markets feel the same way about DTV. For them, it's not just a troublesome mandate. Many of them see it as a threat to their survival. They find it next to impossible to amass the needed dollars in the midst of the worst ad recession in decades. And they grumble that the conversion mandate hits small stations harder than big ones. "The cost really doesn't vary a whole hell of a lot whether you're in New York or Yakima," says Elizabeth Murphy Burns, president of Duluth, Minn.-based Morgan Murphy Stations. "In some cases, the cost of converting to digital is more than the station is worth. Right now, we're sort of stymied." Federal officials ordered the national conversion from analog to digital TV in 1997. It seemed like a good idea. They wanted to spur development of high-definition TV (HDTV). They wanted to save valuable spectrum — six or more non-HDTV digital channels fit in airwaves used by one analog channel. And they wanted to raise billions by selling the spectrum saved to wireless companies. But the transition has been rocky. Cable companies balked at carrying stations in both analog and digital form during the change. Digital TV sets remain costly. Consumers have shown little interest. And nobody seemed to consider the plight of smaller stations. Some 68% of the USA's 1,240 commercial television stations failed to meet the government's May 1 deadline to begin transmitting some digital programming. The majority of the laggards are in small markets. Just 13% of the 443 stations that now offer DTV are in the 110 smallest markets — those smaller than No. 100, metro Brownsville, Texas. They'll have to move fast, though, unless they can persuade the Federal Communications Commission or Congress to give them more time. "The law says you have to do it, and if you don't, they have the right to take your license back," says CEO Don Cornwell of station owner Granite Broadcasting. The industry's National Association of Broadcasters warns that consumers may lose in the rush. Stations scrounging for cash "have to cut back on news or services to a community to fulfill a government mandate," says Edward Fritts, NAB chief executive. "That's just wrong." In fact, several news operations at Emmis Television's 15 stations — in midsize markets such as Orlando, Wichita, Omaha and Topeka — have felt the pinch. "Everything from cameras, news production systems and satellite trucks have had to fall to a lower priority, and some have been eliminated" to accommodate DTV, says Randall Bongarten, Emmis president. The threat is real Industry analysts say small-station owners aren't just crying wolf. "These guys have really got a problem," says Sanford C. Bernstein's Tom Wolzien. "It can cost $3 million to convert to digital. But a smaller TV station is lucky if it makes $300,000 a year in free cash flow." The government's General Accounting Office reached a similar conclusion in April. In a survey of station owners, it found that: Digital expenses represent an average of 11% of yearly revenue for the mostly big-market stations that have already made the transition. By contrast, the costs for stations in the 100 smallest markets, when they do go digital, will be about 242% of annual revenue. Lack of money was "one of the most prevalent problems" for stations that haven't made the transition. Some 6% say they can only pay for DTV by putting themselves up for sale. About 56% of station owners say that consumers in their markets have "low" interest in DTV. An additional 7% said their viewers have no interest in it. The last point, a consumer yawn on DTV, helps explain lenders' reluctance to help stations. "When you go to bankers for a (DTV) loan and they look at return on investment, there isn't any," says Liberty President James Keelor. There's no mystery why. Digital conversion raises stations' costs. Advertisers supply virtually all of a station's revenue. But advertisers won't pay extra for their ads to appear on DTV when only a handful of consumers have bought TV sets capable of receiving digital signals. The FCC gave stations some relief in November. "For the first time, the commission created the possibility of an extension of time based on financial hardship," says Rick Chessen, who chairs the FCC's DTV task force. "You can't just come in and say, 'I don't have the cash.' You have to show why your financial condition precludes the build-out." The FCC has gotten 193 hardship requests but says it doesn't track them by market size, so it could not say whether small stations dominate the list. In another easing of the burden, the FCC cut the requirement that a station transmit digital signals to everyone in its current broadcast territory. That lets small stations with big areas install low-power transmitters that reach homes just in their immediate home city. "That downscales a number of items needed for the investment," says Dale Mowry, vice president of transmission systems for Harris, which supplies about two-thirds of the market for DTV transmission equipment. "A station can get on the air with a digital signal for as little as $160,000." There is disagreement in the industry, however, over whether that's a smart investment in the long run. Mowry says it is. He thinks most of the equipment can still be used later when the FCC sets a date for stations to raise power to reach everybody. But others say that low power would leave a lot of viewers feeling left out now and that the equipment may not last that long. "I wouldn't call it a waste of money, but when you want to go high power, you'd have to throw it out," Cornwell says. Low-power technology also is just part of the story. Whatever the power level, many stations still have to pay much more to build or modify their towers to accommodate DTV. They would pay higher electric costs. And production costs would soar to produce local programs. Several station owners in rural markets add that low power doesn't solve one of their biggest problems: To cover vast territories, they often have several repeater stations that basically just relay programming from the largest outlet in the group. The FCC wants each of these repeaters upgraded to carry DTV. Stations bear digital risk Underlying station owners' arguments is their feeling that they're taking most of the risks in the DTV transition. For example, only a few cable operators have agreed to carry local stations' DTV programs. And TV makers still charge top prices for sets with DTV converters, dampening consumer interest. "This is not really an orderly transition," Duhamel says. "Smaller markets need a substantial amount of time, because there's no demand for DTV here. We're out there as the Lone Ranger. Cable isn't doing anything. Set manufacturers are sitting on their hands. Return on investment is so far out there that this thing is crazy from a financial viewpoint." Despite their problems, small stations don't expect to get much more relief from the government. Federal officials plan to get tough with DTV laggards. The FCC denied 71 of the 843 requests for six-month extensions from the May 1 deadline. Regulators also threatened, in sanctions proposed last month, to yank the licenses from stations that they see as stalling. "For the most part, people are trying to get on with digital," Chessen says. Although there have been "some bumps in the road," progress has been "slow but steady, and we have to keep in perspective that it's a massive transition. These things don't happen overnight." Still, the NAB wants to goose the process and shift some of the risk: The powerful lobby group is asking Congress to require cable operators to carry local stations' DTV broadcasts, as well as the current analog ones. It also wants to require TV manufacturers to include DTV tuners in all new sets. Because stations must pay for DTV transmission even though there's no market for it yet, "we have no safety net," Fritts says. "We have to have this transition work. It's time for Congress to complete the circle. Without Congress acting, (small-market stations) have no hope. The FCC has been sensitive to the concerns of Congress and now we have to sensitize Congress to the concerns of small and rural markets." Without dramatic change, station owners in the smaller markets will have little choice but to plead for even more time. "We need to be flexible about the date when we go (from low power) to full power," Bongarten says. "It's really a question mark as to when the consumers and manufacturers will be in sync. If there isn't greater demand, then the FCC will have to take a closer look at what they're doing." (via Fred Vobbe, July 17, NRC FMTV via DXLD) ** U S A. GM RESIGNS IN SHAKEUP AT WSMV By KEITH RUSSELL Staff Writer The parent company of WSMV-Channel 4 replaced the television station's general manager yesterday amid reports of financial challenges and staff departures at a broadcasting operation that until recently dominated news ratings in the Nashville market. A spokesman for Meredith Corp. confirmed the resignation of Frank DeTillio, which ended his seven-year run as WSMV's general manager. Dick Williams, a 34-year broadcasting industry veteran who 15 years ago worked at WSMV, was named the station's acting general manager. At a meeting yesterday afternoon, Kevin O'Brien, president of Meredith's broadcast division, told staffers that a management change was necessary because WSMV was losing money. O'Brien boarded a plane to leave Nashville shortly after the meeting and could not be reached for comment. A humbling loss to WTVF-Channel 5's news programming in the all- important May ratings period might have helped to seal DeTillio's fate. The ratings are critical because they determine how much stations can charge advertisers. ''That's got to be a factor,'' said Whit Adamson, executive director of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters. ''That's the bread-and-butter, and that stabs you right in the heart.'' DeTillio was named WSMV's general manager in 1995, shortly after Meredith purchased the station from Cook Inlet Television Partners for $159 million. He did not return phone calls placed to his home yesterday. Adamson said he was surprised by DeTillio's departure. ''Anytime we lose anyone who's been here that long in a position like that, it's a big deal,'' Adamson said. Meredith spokesman Jody Judge said Williams (whose wife, Judy, is a WSMV sales manager) would run the station until a permanent replacement is found. ''The search will begin immediately,'' Judge said. O'Brien was brought in last November to run Des Moines, Iowa-based Meredith's broadcast division after it posted a $10 million drop in quarterly profits. Since then, he has made sweeping changes to the company's 11 TV stations. DeTillio is the fifth general manager to depart since O'Brien came on board. ''He has taken charge and made changes to get the ball moving in the right direction,'' Judge said. That may take some work at WSMV. An NBC network affiliate, WSMV is Nashville's oldest television station. For years it led news ratings in the Nashville market, which encompasses Middle Tennessee and stretches into southern Kentucky. Channel 4's star has faded of late, however, especially after May's ratings loss to Channel 5 in every news time slot. The decline has heightened the pressure to perform and has sunk morale at WSMV, contributing to several staff departures. Four of the station's 11 sales staff members recently resigned. Of those, three left on the same day to join Sinclair Broadcasting, which operates Fox network affiliate WZTV-Channel 17 and UPN network affiliate WUXP-Channel 30. On the news side, executive producer Katie McManus-Faye was fired on July 1. A week later, anchor Sharon Puckett surprised colleagues by announcing her retirement after 28 years at the station. Jackie Pillars, WSMV's special events producer, also is leaving after 17 years. ''I just didn't feel as appreciated as I had been in the past by management,'' Pillars said yesterday. ''I definitely will miss the people who work here.'' Williams, who had most recently been serving as interim general manager for Meredith's Atlanta TV station, said he was unfamiliar with the recent staff changes and declined to comment on them. He added that Meredith would start formulating a game plan to revive the station. ''We've got to take it back to where it was,'' Williams said. ''When I was here 15 years ago, this was a pretty dominant television station. It needs to get back there.'' Staff writer John Shiffman contributed to this report. (Nashville Tennessean via cgoss549 July 18 via DXLD) ** U S A. EVENING HOST DIAMOND EXITS WOR July 17, 2002 By DAVID HINCKLEY, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER You can view the entire article at http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/3752p-3410c.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD ** VENEZUELA. There are 118 illegal broadcasting station in Venezuela, says the Cámara Venezolana de la Radiodifusión in a report. The majority of the offenders are in Western Venezuela, in Barinas, Táchira and Trujillo states. Full story in an article called "Radio Anarquía" (Radio Anarchy), at http://www.talcualdigital.com/ediciones/2002/07/17/f-tal.asp?pv=f-p1.htm&st=f-p1s1.htm (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ GEOMAGNETIC INDICES phil bytheway - Seattle WA - phil_tekno@yahoo.com Geomagnetic Summary June 17 2002 through July 15 2002 Tabulated from email status daily Date Flux A K SA Forecast GM Forecast Etc. [first, an historical item ??? -gh] 10/22 233 53 4 moderate-high active-mas 9 mas 1645/ maf 1759 6/17 143 5 1 none none 4 18 143 8 4 none none 8 19 146 13 2 none none 6 20 145 7 1 none none 4 21 140 7 2 none none 7 22 142 7 3 none none 8 23 143 10 2 minor none 6 24 150 6 2 none none 4 25 145 11 3 none none 7 26 144 7 1 none none 5 27 139 4 1 none none 6 28 137 6 2 none none 2 29 143 7 2 none none 5 6/30 147 12 4 none none 8 7/ 1 147 16 2 none minor 6 2 149 5 2 minor minor 3 3 173 6 2 strong minor 3 4 146 6 3 minor minor 6 5 139 14 4 minor minor 7 6 134 21 3 minor minor 10 7 137 11 2 minor minor 4 geo storms 8 131 10 4 minor minor 3 9 136 17 4 minor minor 7 10 129 8 2 none minor 6 11 136 7 2 moderate minor 4 12 133 15 2 minor minor 6 geo storms 13 135 7 2 minor minor 6 14 144 4 1 none minor 2 7/15 160 5 2 strong minor 5 ********************************************************************** (IRCA Soft DX Monitor July 20 via DXLD) PROPAGATION REPORT The sun became quite active over the past week with 2 X and a few M class flares. MUFs have been enhanced near the equator but depressed over mid latitudes. Geomagnetic conditions have been fairly quiet but the faint halo CME observed in association with the X1-flare on 18 July is expected to impact the Earth and produce minor and possible major storm levels late on 20 to 21 July. Solar activity is expected to remain high. There is a reasonable chance of continued CME and associated intermittent geomagnetic activity over the next couple of weeks due to several active regions currently on the visible sun and rotating into view. (Prepared for Cumbre DX July 19 by Richard Jary using data from http://www.ips.gov.au via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-114, July 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 #1140 [available by early UT July 18]: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1140.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1140.html FIRST WBCQ BROADCASTS: Wed 2200 on 17495, 7415; UT Thu 0415 on 7415 FIRST WWCR BROADCASTS: Thu 2030 on 15825; Sat 0500, Sun 0230 on 5070 FIRST RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, 2400 on 7445-USB, 15038.6 ** AFGHANISTAN/UK. RADIO VOICE OF AFGHANISTAN TO STOP BROADCASTING FOR THREE MONTHS The founder of Radio Voice of Afghanistan, Sayd Jamaloddin Afghan, has announced that the radio's broadcasts will stop for three months. In an unscheduled speech on the radio which replaced the 1330 gmt news bulletin, he said that during a recent visit to Afghanistan he saw "painful" scenes which are even "difficult to explain". He said the radio was not able to broadcast "the truth" and report what was happening in Afghanistan because of "the current conditions governing the country". He expressed the hope that the country's situation would improve in three months and the radio would be able to resume its broadcasts. The radio began broadcasting around eight months ago from London. The following is the text of a recording of Sayd Jamaloddin Afghan's speech broadcast by London-based Radio Voice of Afghanistan on 14 July: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Respectable brothers and sisters of the Muslim nation of Afghanistan, peace be upon you. About eight months ago Radio Voice of Afghanistan was inaugurated and started [its broadcasts]. I hope that the radio - by broadcasting independent, neutral and your favourite programmes - has served the respectable listeners properly. To start the radio, our only aim was - with the help of professional and specialist workers without any ethnic, regional or political affiliations - to broadcast the current affairs and related problems, information, reports, news, interviews and independent broadcasting. A few days ago I went to my dear country Afghanistan. I spent more than one week there and visited several provinces and met different people. I saw painful scenes and unbearable attitudes and incidents which are even very difficult to write about freely on a piece of paper [sentence as heard]. As everybody knows, the duty of an independent and neutral radio is to broadcast everything independently without any censorship. I don't want to worsen the situation by pointing out the problems of a country which is passing through a very sensitive period. Without a doubt, the situation is practically not suitable for broadcasting. On the other hand, the Radio Voice of Afghanistan cannot keep silent about these injustices and sinister actions. Esteemed listeners and compatriots! I don't want to say that Mr [Hamed] Karzai [head of the transitional government of Afghanistan] is responsible for this distressing situation. But I think that all those people who are in power, all groups and all of us Afghans are responsible for these incidents and the present situation. I believe that the influential people want to utilize their influence in the government for their personal, regional and tribal benefits. It should be mentioned that during the Afghan jehad [holy war against the Soviet Union] and for the sustaining of national unity all the Afghan groups like Tajiks, Pashtuns, Uzbeks, Tukmens and Hazaras made countless sacrifices. Esteemed compatriots! For the unity, independence, peace and security of the Muslim nation of Afghanistan all groups [political parties] and opposition groups need to be patient, tolerant, and should end their selfishness and take quick steps to serve the suffering Afghan nation. They should not be allowed to divide Afghanistan into small states and have their own police, army and customs. There should be a police and national army which obey the elected head of the government and they should keep in mind the national interests of the country and they should prevent Afghanistan from becoming involved in a dirty war by shunning personal, tribal and military interests. Afghanistan is the mutual home of all Afghans and all Afghans have equal rights to decide its fate. Any group should not consider itself superior to others and should not give itself the right to decide the destiny of Afghanistan. All the people of Afghanistan like Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbeks, Hazaras and others should have equal part [in Afghanistan]. We should not condemn each other for this or that reason. Such nasty behaviour should vanish from the Afghan culture. Every Afghan - without any racial, linguistic or regional discrimination - should have the right to fulfil his responsibilities and duties. Now is not the time for settling accounts, now is the time for passion, forbearance and forgiveness. By taking revenge we cannot relieve our dear Afghanistan from poverty and adversity and cannot improve the living standards of the Afghan people. We should not waste the sacrifices of our mojahedin. Only by giving a hand to each other we can forget our sorrows and pains. Let us dress the wounds of the people. Due to this, I decided to stop the broadcasts of the Radio Voice of Afghanistan for three months temporarily and let Mr Karzai's government overcome the difficulties and solve the problems of the people of Afghanistan. Because, as a free and national radio, Voice of Afghanistan cannot remain silent about the pain and suffering of the people of Afghanistan and not broadcast the voice of the people. Dear compatriots! I beseech God Almighty for the complete resolution of our dear country's problems in three months when we shall resume our broadcasts of the Radio Voice of Afghanistan and for peace and stability to return to the country. I wish that every Afghan could live in peace and tranquillity. Source: Radio Voice of Afghanistan, London, in Dari and Pashto 1330 gmt 14 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) This was the one via Austria 17870 at 1330-1430 (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. Having recently returned from a trip to Kabul and Herat, the Afghanistan page of the Interval Signals Archive has been modified with several new and updated audio files of Afghan radio stations, such as Radio Herat, Radio Kabul and Radio Turkiyem. There is also a link to another page with photos of Radio Afghanistan and Kabul. All this is at http://www.intervalsignals.net Regards, (Dave Kernick, July 16, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AFRICA. Back from a short trip to Cape Town, here`s my short report of what I heard on the short waves. I only had a cheap portable receiver with me and not spend so much time listening, so no surprise that I did not hear any real rarities. Also I did not spend my time logging those dozens of Chinese (many of those only continuous music as we know it from 7530 etc), Indian and other Asian stations that crowded the bands from late afternoon onwards and complicated the search for the weaker African stations. To mention only one of them: Listening to 7185 Radio Bangla Desh was no problem throughout the afternoon. But now back to Africa: No signals from July 5 to July 10 from Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon (RTV), Kenya (?), Lesotho, Malawi, Moçambique, Uganda (!!!), and many countries from Northern and Western Africa. The others from southern Africa: Angola: 3375: RNA External Service, quite weak in the evening, 2100 English 4950: RNA Canal A, much stronger, from late afternoon into the night 7215/7217: Radio Ngola Yetu?, only heard in the afternoon, Vn... No External Service heard on 41 meters or anywhere else but the weak 3375. 11955: RNA Canal A, strong, always some heterodyne, morning to early evening, off at night No sign of any regional stations on shortwave Botswana: 4820: early afternoon till 2200*: mostly very strong and // 7255 7255: very strong during daytime, sometimes also evening, but seemed to be off from 1700 on some days. Congo DR: Only tentative/unID but most certainly African: 6210 Kahuzi (early evening), 7435 Lubumbashi (dto.), 9550 Okapi (late evening), 9770 RTVNC, 1600. Congo Rep. of: 5985: inaudible (off) or very strong... 9610: 0700- fair signal in the morning, fading in again in the afternoon till 1700* Equatorial Guinea: 5003: no trace 6250: tentative, weak, during the evening Kenya: only tentative on 4935, late afternoon Madagascar: seems to be back to its normal SW schedule or even less... 5010: *1500-1900*, fair/good all others not heard at all Namibia: 3270: not heard at all 3290: only tentative: English service in the evening, but not very strong 6060: NBC, very strong during daytime and into the evening, but not heard after 1900 or so. 6175: NBC, English/German: mainly heard in the morning, much weaker than 6060, not heard in the evening South Africa: Radio Oranje very strong and according to known schedule. Tanzania: 5050: Daressalam, fair signal during the evening 11734: Zanzibar, better... not heard on 5985 or 7280 or any other Zambia: 6165: ZBNC II, English, very strong, early afternoon till 2200* 6265: ZBNC I, Vn/English, see above. Zimbabwe: 5975: ZBC, Vn, very strong all day and evening, but some breaks 6045, ZBC, VN, not // 5975, else see above Nothing else from this station VOP: did not try... 6145: SWR, very strong, from 1600, starting with English broadcast Northern/Western Africa Benin: 5025, Parakou? Tentative, weak signal in the late evening 7210 not heard Burkina Faso: 5030 very strong during the evening Ghana: 3366: not heard 4915: fair/weak all evening 6130: tentative around 1600/1630 Mali: 4835 heard in the evening, but weak. Nothing else Mauritania: 4845 sometimes quite strong in the evening. Nigeria: 6090: Kaduna? weak, tentative at 0650, 1750, 2200 with African music No sign of the other Nigerian regionals 7255: VON, if Botswana was on, audible under that in the evening, strong signal when Botswana was off 15120: mainly heard in the morning till 1200* 11770: still seems to be off Miscellaneous: Apart from TWR, AWR, Channel Africa, BBC, VoA, Deutsche Welle is very present. I could listen to the German programme at any time; in the evening at least four frequencies can be easily heard: 6075, 7185, 9545, 9735. Also Bavaria on 6085, Radio Sweden 6065, Radio Finland 6120 cannot be missed (Thorsten Hallmann, back in Germany, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) It will be a bit tedious to cross-reference all the countries mentioned, so we have decided to keep this report intact under AFRICA. Remember that if you need to look something up futurely. We shall include them all in the contents index at http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html (gh, DXLD) ** ANTARCTICA. TERRITORIO ANTARTICO. Sobre la noticia del esquema de LRA36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel, cabe señalar que el esquema correcto es: Lunes a Viernes en 15476 khz de *1800-2100*. La emisora emite con 10 KW de potencia, aunque actualmente está saliendo con menos potencia que la mencionada. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Alice Springs was off both frequencies for a couple of days, they told me due to a transmitter cooling problem, but they are back now (Chris Hambly, Victoria, UT July 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. As I plow through the backlog of Radio Australia reception reports that had to be neglected due to illness, I am seeing quite a few that give the frequency 5 kHz off. While I do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of receivers, I think that most, if not all, relevant are capable of some sort of synchronous AM detection. With my own receiver, IC-R75, I have seen it lock on to an adjacent frequency in the absence of a carrier on the displayed frequency. However, the R75 is hardly a good example of sync' detection. I wonder if this is a trap for the unwary. Any comments? Regards (Ian Johnson, ARDXC via DXLD) Well, I haven't found a R. Australia frequency yet that doesn't bleed well outside of the international standards. 5 kHz bleed either side of freq. Is the norm for R. Aust. Often found it well beyond 5 kHz even. Try the advertised freq. and then start tuning above and below - -- it is quite a shocker. It is the only major SWBC that I have this problem with. Am waiting on replies from overseas contacts regarding this, will advise all when data to hand. 73 Tony Smith ARDXC / WEWN / EDXP / CQ SHORTWAVE NEWS / DX-394 GROUP, Rockhampton Qld. Australia, ibid.) Sure it`s not just a funxion of proximity, ideal skip distance? WEWN could be accused of that around here! (gh, DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. Radio Independent Makumui: a wav file from Don Moman, Alberta of 3850 drew these comments from Bill Smith, TX: Don, you should be assessed an 8 dBi penalty for the 4-element Yagi. Heh Heh. Nevertheless, jolly good show. Impressive signal to noise ratio. Mr. G, I was just jesting with Mr. Don ... he was using his 4-element 80-meter rotatable Yagi to log and tape record RIM. The Yagi is a decided advantage ... at least 8 dBi gain over a dipole ... and listening to his tape wav, he had plenty of readable signal over the noise...a very nice recording of a reported 80 watts of AM. 73 amigo de (Bill Smith, TX, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 3850, R. Independent Makumui, Bougainville. Good at 1020 w/PNG pops, ID. In full AM, several IDs 1105, off abruptly 1112 on 14/7. Also noted on Dx-Pedition to Limekilns [NSW] on 10/7 0845-1032, though definitely in LSB on that occasion and I thought I heard a "Radio Free Bougainville" ID 0906, but need to review the tape to be 100% certain. Signal strength is much stronger than when the station was previously heard a couple of years back and now armchair level from home most evenings, noise notwithstanding (Craig Seager, Australia, ARDXC July 15 via DXLD) So that raises the question whether it is really much more than 80 watts now (gh, DXLD) 3850, 1028- July 16, Radio Independent Makumui. First tuned in at 1023 with a barely audible signal in AM, not LSB as reported elsewhere. Mostly music, with short announcements. Seemingly gradually fading up. A tentative, but presumed logging as I can't see who else it could be. Many thanks to Don Moman motivating me to get up at this early hour to monitor this most interesting station (fabulous audio clip from yesterday morning). Minimum static crashes today. Serious fade down by 1054, so peaked here about 1045. No ham traffic at all. Carrier but not much else at 1102. Gone when rechecked at 1114. Seems to me to have been very much more difficult in past years when it was Radio Independent Bougainville. Perhaps they have a better antenna and/or transmitter now vs in the past, as they seem to be widely heard. Best here using K9AY antenna (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also PAPUA NEW GUINEA ** CANADA. Hi Glenn, Markham is in the Toronto area -- therefore those two applications for 1610 in Toronto are competing ones. P.S. That would wash out 1610 Montreal, wouldn't it? Regards, (Ricky Leong, QC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Seems to me Toronto and Montreal are far enough apart at top of band for groundwave --- and who cares about skywave? (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. CRTC Quebec City decisions http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES/2002/r020716.htm OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is releasing three decisions today pertaining to the Greater Québec City area. The first decision awards Cogeco Radio-Television Inc. a licence to operate a new FM radio station in Québec City. The second decision renews the licence of CHOI-FM Québec for a two- year period, attaches a number of conditions to the renewal, and will monitor the licensee's respect for the conditions and its conduct during this period. Finally, the third decision reiterates that the licence granted to CKNU is intended to serve the residents of the Portneuf region. In light of the circumstances with respect to this application, the Commission denies Genex Communications Inc. the permission to move its main antenna in order to access the Greater Québec City area market (via Ricky Leong, July 17, DXLD) ** CANADA. Even Glenn Hauser would have enjoyed today's CBC broadcast of Inside Track. They presented the history of silly ball games on the radio with lots of sound bites from as early as 1927's first broadcast of a football (soccer) match by the BBC. From Marconi and Fesenden to BBC 5 Live, they showed how radio can present a unique word picture of the action on the pitch (field). They contrasted the radio coverage with TV, highlighting radio's strengths at painting a picture in sound. It was a great documentary on the evolution of broadcasting silly ball games. ~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-.,_,.-*~'^'~*-., (Joe Buch, DE, July 14, swprograms via DXLD) I heard this show too, by accident (I disregarded the program previews this weekend as my time was not going to be my own), and was delighted. Speaking as someone who is mostly NOT a sports fan, I thought the show was delightful & will be waiting for it to be replayed. It certainly highlighted the way radio can excel in so many ways (Eric Floden, Vancouver BC, ibid.) ** CANADA. Old CBC antenna tower on Toronto's Jarvis Street to be dismantled http://www.globeandmail.ca/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?current_row=1&tf=tgam/search/tgam/SearchFullStory.html&cf=tgam/search/tgam/SearchFullStory.cfg&configFileLoc=tgam/config&encoded_keywords=dismantling+a+cultural+landmark&option=&start_row=1&start_row_offset1=&num_rows=1&search_results_start=1 From globeandmail.com, Wednesday, July 17, 2002 DISMANTLING A CULTURAL LANDMARK Photo exhibit salutes the CBC-TV tower and marks passing of analog era to digital technology JAMES ADAMS, NATIONAL ARTS CORRESPONDENT It has never achieved the iconic status of the CN Tower, or enjoyed the kind of literary immortality that Hart Crane bestowed on the Brooklyn Bridge. Still, when workers begin to dismantle the 45-storey CBC-TV tower in downtown Toronto next week, Canada will lose one of its most important cultural and technological landmarks, a poignant reminder of the Golden Age of Electricity when CBC ruled the airwaves and Juliette, Wayne & Shuster and Hockey Night in Canada were touchstones of English-Canadian identity. When it was erected in 1952, the transmission tower was, at more than 150 metres in height, the tallest free-standing structure in the Ontario capital. It was more than capable of holding its own, signal- wise, against what was emanating from Buffalo. On Sept. 8 of that year, English-language Canadian television essentially got its start at the tower, beginning at 7:15 p.m. with a transmission of a weather report, followed by a puppet show starring Uncle Chichimus and Pompey. The inaugural broadcast evening ended about two hours later with a concert by an all-female choir, then a news broadcast by Lorne Greene, who would soon become a staple of CBC-TV's Sunday evening programming playing Ben (Pa) Cartwright in the network's rebroadcast of NBC's Bonanza. A mass of approximately 1,000 iron girders held together with 10,000 bolts, the CBC-TV tower rose from a base of 5.9 square metres located between the old Havergal Ladies College, which CBC bought for about $120,000 in 1944-45, and historic Northfield House built in 1856 on Jarvis Street north of Carlton. The tower is coming down to make way for two condominium towers, collectively called Radio City, and the new headquarters, parking space, residences and studios of the National Ballet School. The actual dismantling and demolition are expected to take five weeks. A crew of seven will start at the very top, taking it down section by section, much like lumberjacks slicing off sections of tree trunks. There was talk of using a helicopter to haul off pieces, stage by stage, but this was scotched when it became clear that it would be too time-consuming to secure air rights for such a tight space and forest firefighting might limit the number of available helicopters. One man who recognizes the piquancy of it all is J. P. (Jim) Shea, who has lived in a condominium across the street from the tower for the past eight years. He has spent the past two years photographing it in all its moods, in all kinds of weather, at all times of the day. An exhibition of 14 of his photographs opens tomorrow evening at Northfield House at 372 Jarvis St. The show's title, "Eiffel on Jarvis," is taken from a description of the tower in a Toronto newspaper in 1952 calling it "a little like the Eiffel Tower in Paris" -- although the Eiffel, opened in 1889, is more than twice its height. Mr. Shea, 41, knows that the transmission tower never came close to that stature. For one thing, visitors couldn't climb its orange- and-white girders to various observation decks (although this didn't stop a Quebec nationalist from scaling it in the early seventies to plant the Quebec flag.) The site also lacked sufficient "breathing space" to achieve true monumentality in the urban topography. When it came time to paint the tower -- it usually took two weeks each summer -- brushes were used instead of spray-cans to prevent orange paint from splattering passersby, cars and apartments. Still, it had "a certain presence" in the Jarvis/Carlton/Wellesley neighbourhood, Mr. Shea observed, and, from his balcony at least, a sort of majesty. The CBC stopped using the tower and switched to the CN Tower in the late seventies (it also transmitted for Radio-Canada; the Ontario Education Communications Authority, the precursor to TVOntario; and Ryerson University's CJRT). The tower's demise appeared likely in 1993 when CBC left Jarvis Street to merge its broadcast operations under one roof; it became inevitable in 2000 when Heritage Minister Sheila Copps announced plans to sell half of the Jarvis site to the ballet school for $1. "Now that it's going, I feel this need more than ever to capture its image," Mr. Shea said. His pictures, all shot with a digital camera, are at once a salute to "a very ordinary, yet extraordinary urban industrial structure" and a meditation on "the passing of the analog era by the onset of digital technology." Eiffel on Jarvis is at Northfield House, 372 Jarvis St., Toronto, Friday 1-7 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 1-4 p.m. both days. (via Mike Terry; also John Grimley via Saul Chermos, amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** CHILE. 6090, Radio Esperanza, Temuco. 0902-0930. July 14. Spanish transmission. Christian programme conduced by two male. Greetings: "saludos a todos quienes nos escuchan". Gospel music. ID as: "...estamos en su Radio Esperanza". 34433. Past July 10, at this hour, in this frequency I only head to World University Network, from The Valley (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No Luxembourg here in Oregon through 1139, but did catch a nice signal from R. Esperanza on 6089.96. After s/off of R. Japan in Korean (at 1131), R. Esperanza was "exposed," SP, reading a list of listeners in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and US, with frequent mentions of Temuco and into local music program with long commentary by man between. Nice "rolled R" R. Esperanza ID at 1144 and into local music. Not heard by me before (Don Nelson, OR, DX-plorer via DXLD) 6089.91, me-tooing Don's log, heard this one at surprisingly good level at 0800 Jul 14, program "Noche de Esperanza," mix of light Christian vocals and religious talk, finally at 0858 a complete ID with frequencies. QRN, and QRM from Bandeirantes-6089.96, but Chile dominant almost all the time. Surprised to hear this so well, and no sign of Gene Scott (Jerry Berg, MA, DX-plorer via DXLD) ** CHINA. This week`s edition of Wavelength will look at English radio in Shanghai. Also a tribute to longtime Canadian broadcaster Gord Sinclair (Wave-Length, China Radio International, Beijing, China Attention: Lu Feng & Keith Perron e-mail: wavelengthcri@yahoo.com website: http://www.cri.com.cn/english DX LISTENING DIGEST) That`s 0045 UT Friday, or is it 0040, via webcast and ondemand until UT Monday during the one-hour file (gh, DXLD) ** CONGO. 9610, Radio Congo / Brazzaville. Good Reception at 1545-1630 July 16 with African Songs, announcements, ID and news and commentary in French and in vernacular (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, hard-core-dx via DXLD) See also AFRICA ** CONGO DR. Dear Glenn, A report on the UN IRIN's web site - http://www.irinnews.org - gives the current SW freqs for Radio Okapi as 6030, 9550 and 11690 (i.e. not 10690 as reported by Radio Netherlands). Regards, (Chris Greenway, Kenya, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Well, it was the MONUC website as cited in DXLD 2-111 that claimed 10690; I saw it myself, but rechecked July 16 that had been corrected to 11690. So have you heard it, Chris, and for that matter 6030 or 9550 lately either? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. Details of Radio Okapi's eight FM relays published; four more planned | Text of report by UN regional information network IRIN on 15 July Nairobi, 15 July: Radio Okapi, the network operated by the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), has expanded its service to the northwestern town of Gbadolite, broadcasting on 93 FM. Gbadolite becomes the eighth location in the DRC to have a local relay, the others being Kisangani (94.8 FM) in the northeast; Goma (105.2 FM) in the east; Kalemie (105 FM) in the southeast; Kananga (100 FM) in south-central DRC; Mbandaka (103 FM) in the northwest; Kindu (103 FM) in east-central DRC; and the capital, Kinshasa (103.5 FM), from where all broadcasts originate. In addition to FM relays in the major cities, a shortwave transmitter site is under construction in Kinshasa and is due to be completed in early September. Meanwhile, Radio Okapi is already operating on shortwave using three 100-watt transmitters at frequencies of 6030, 9550 and 11690 kHz. A joint initiative of MONUC and the Swiss-based Fondation Hirondelle, Radio Okapi was launched on 25 February to coincide with the convocation of the inter-Congolese dialogue in Sun City, South Africa. It broadcasts 24 hours per day, seven days per week in French, Kiswahili, Lingala and Tshiluba. In the coming months, additional FM stations will be opened in Beni (east), Bukavu (east), Bunia (northeast), Lubumbashi (southeast) and Mbuji-Mayi (south-central). The material broadcast by Okapi is made available to other local media free of charge. Radio Okapi enables Congolese to talk to each other across the country's political divides, the organizers say. The radio's transmitting stations are guaranteed freedom from censorship under agreements with the various authorities in the DRC, and broadcast from UN military mission bases, guarded by UN troops. 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. Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 15 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) UN-RUN RADIO OKAPI TO BE ESTABLISHED SOON IN NORTHEASTERN TOWN | Text of report by Congolese rebel-controlled radio from Bunia on 17 July Ituri Provincial Governor Jean-Pierre Molondo Lofondo yesterday at his official residence in Quartier Mulunge held talks with the chief of Radio Okapi, Mr David Smith. Mr Smith had gone to inform the Ituri provincial governor of the establishment of Radio Okapi in Bunia [town in northeastern DRCongo base by Uganda-backed Congolese Rally for Democracy - Liberation Movement] in the near future. Radio Okapi, which is run by Monuc [UN Mission in DRCongo], broadcasts in all the languages... Source: Radio Candip, Bunia, in French 0515 gmt 17 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. R. Prague in English is on 21735 at 1300-1327, \\ 13580, July 2 and earlier. There is a strong station on 21745 and R. Prague moved away (David Crystal, Israel, for CIDX, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE. Offshore Echo's have recently updated their website to include a very extensive section on Radio Normandie, the French station which broadcast widely listened to commercial radio programmes in English to the UK before the Second World War. The URL is http://www.offshoreechos.com/radionormandie/RadioNormandy01.htm On an IMac the site was rather slow in loading on Mac IE5 and the arrows at the bottom right, which link you to the next or previous page, do not always appear, no problems however using Netscape 4.71 Mac. If you have problems, the page URLs go 01.htm, 02.htm, 03.htm, 04a.htm, 04b.htm, 05.htm, 06.htm, 07.htm, 08.htm, 09.htm, 10.htm, 11.htm and 12.htm (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FRANCE [and non?]. 7135, 0432 8/6, UNKNOWN, RFI to Africa in French, multiple broadcasts of the same program slightly delayed from each other – KAB (Ken Baird, Christchurch, NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES JULY 2002 via DXLD) This used to be via South Africa. By `multiple` do you mean at least three?? (gh, DXLD) ** GEORGIA. There are no doubts in regard to the location of the SW transmitter in Sukhum (9490 and earlier frequencies). The QTH Sukhum for this tx was confirmed in a QSL-letter to Jerry Berg by the deputy director of Abkhaz State Radio already in 1996. You find a scan of that letter at: http://www.qsl.net/yb0rmi/abkhazia.htm. Quote: " We inform you that shortwaves transmitter on frequency 9495 is in Abkhazia - in her capital, Sukhum." The relays from Sochi (R. Rossii and regional program from Krasnodar/Sochi) are picked up unauthorized from FM as the deputy vice chairman of Sochinskaya GTRK explained to Mauno Ritola earlier this year: "9490v: I just received a nice verification letter in Russian for my follow-up report from Sochinskaya GTRK by e-mail. Mr. V. K. Glazunov, the company vice chairman says: " We are very pleased that our programs can be heard by such far-away listeners. We confirm that such a program of R Sochi went on the air at the given time. Our transmissions go on the air on 71.93 MHz, but you received a relayed transmission of our program through the Abkhazian Republic Radio, which is situated in the town of Sukhum (Zvanba street 8), the capital of the autonomous Republic of Abkhazia, which belongs to the Republic of Georgia. For us it is a foreign state, and there isn't any official agreement about co-operation with our Abkhazian colleagues. So we can't officially confirm operation of our radio on the frequency of 9490 kHz." (Mauno Ritola-FIN, BC-DX May 15)" 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. DEUTSCHE TELEKOM BOARD APPOINTS NEW HEAD | Excerpt from report by German news agency ddp on 16 July Bonn: The Deutsche Telekom board of governors has appointed Helmut Sihler as new chairman of the board of directors for an interim period of six months. This was announced by board chairman Hans-Dietrich Winkhaus in Bonn on Tuesday evening [16 July]. Sihler, who has been a member of the Telekom board of governors since May 2000, succeeds Ron Sommer, who announced his resignation before the end of the extraordinary meeting of the Telekom board of governors. Sihler's deputy will be Gerd Tenzer, who has been head of the technology sector up to now... Source: ddp news agency, Berlin, in German 1736 gmt 16 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** GUAM [and non]. Re AFN USB transmissions: Charlie, I have talked with AFN on this subject numerous times. These broadcasts are feeder only. They may or may not be up depending upon transmitter needs at the associated NAVCOMSTA they are being broadcast from. In other words they are second fiddle. I have spoken with three Navy personnel directly involved with the project and most recently with Journalist Chief Foutch at the Navy Media Center who stated: "I endorse AFN skeds over NPR skeds. In all matters. Not in just the schedules listed. v/r, JOC Foutch" This response was in regards to a query I made concerning the discrepancies between the AFN skeds on the NPR website and those posted on the Navy Media Center website. My message is below. AFN Website: Guam Upper Sideband 13362 kHz 5765 kHz I know for a fact the 5765 freq is a good one. I just recently monitored it myself. That would indicate that Guam's old 4 MHz freq (4319) is probably gone. The 13 MHz frequency is probably a replacement for their old 10320 which now seems to be used by Pearl Harbor and Keflavik Iceland. Given that these schedules come directly from the source of programming I am NOT inclined to pull any of our listings from the shortwave freq directory in MT until I can confirm personally from the Navy directly that they have ceased these broadcast from Guam or any other site. Below are the two current schedules. It is quite obvious that the Navy contacted NPR and got them to change their skeds finally. Current Shortwave High Frequencies Keep checking this web page for the posting of new frequencies and transmitters when they become available. Location Band Daytime Nighttime Diego Garcia Upper Sideband 12579 kHz 4319 kHz Guam Upper Sideband 13362 kHz 5765 kHz Key West, FL Upper Sideband 12689.5 kHz 12689.5 kHz Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Upper Sideband 10320 kHz 6350 kHz RR, Puerto Rico Upper Sideband 6458.5 kHz 6458.5 kHz NPR has a website http://www.npr.org/worldwide/shortwave.html that shows the AFN stuff as follows: [Note: presented in a different order than above, but changed by gh to same order here for ease of comparison; plus Iceland here, not there] Transmitter Location Band Daytime Evening Diego Garcia Upper Side Band 12579.0 kHz 4319.0 kHz Guam (Barrigada) Upper Side Band 13362.0 kHz 5765.0 kHz Key West, FL Upper Side Band 12689.5 kHz 12689.5 kHz Pearl Harbor, HI Upper Side Band 10320.0 kHz 6350.0 kHz RR, Puerto Rico Upper Side Band 6458.5 kHz 6458.5 kHz Keflavik, Iceland Upper Side Band 10320.0 kHz 6350.0 kHz Given the nature of these broadcasts, the current dismal summertime props we are experiencing (typical), and the general decline in sunspot numbers right now, I don't feel I can trust any field reports over the schedules we receive directly from the Navy. 73 Larry Van Horn, N5FPW ATC (AW) USN (Ret) Grove Enterprises Technical Support Department Monitoring Times Assist Editor, Fed File/Milcom Columnist Telephone: V-828-837-9200/F-828-837-2216/800-438-8155 (Reply to inquiry from MSG USNS SUMNER, via DXLD) ** HAWAII. 1460 kHz has held some interest for me with reception of Honolulu and Salinas. The Hawaiian station has an illegal ID at TOH as: "This is AM1230 Radio Korea KYPA Los Angeles" !! Cheers (Chris Martin, Australia, July 16, ARDXC via DXLD) ** HONG KONG. DISNEY RADIO PLANNED FOR HONG KONG Walt Disney International plans to launch its first Asian radio channel in Hong Kong to boost brand awareness ahead of opening a theme park in the territory. Jon Niermann, Disney's Asia-Pacific chief, told the South China Morning Post that discussions were underway with local radio stations to create a Radio Disney franchise ahead of the park's 2005 opening. The company is working to secure a deal with one of Hong Kong's two commercial stations - Metro Broadcast and Commercial Radio. If the deal goes through, the round-the-clock radio channel would be Disney's fourth, partnering transmissions in the US, Latin America and Britain, the report said. In addition, the company is also planning to beam its Disney Channel to Hong Kong cable viewers. The 24-hour channel is currently available in eight Asian markets (AFP via RN Media Network 15 July 2002 via DXLD) ** INDIA. I received the message below from a U of Florida doctoral candidate. If you have any information about All India Radio's program content (comments, personal opinions on AIR's programs, etc.), please respond to him directly, off-list. 73 (Mike Brooker, Toronto, ON, Canada, dx_india via DXLD) Original Message ----- From: "Gatorlink User" amclark@ufl.edu To: aum108@idirect.com Sent: Saturday, July 13, 2002 8:46 AM Subject: All India Radio Hi, I came across your web page during an Internet search and wonder if you can help me. I'm writing a dissertation on the use of international broadcasting by regional powers and one of the stations I'm focusing on is AIR external. I'm having trouble picking up its broadcasts, and finding any detailed information on its programming content. Do you have any information on the content of the programs broadcast, any contacts that might be useful, or any tips on when the best times to listen are? Thanks, Andrew Clark, Doctoral Candidate, University of Florida (via Mike Brooker, dx_india via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS. As for Radio Caroline, I was a big fan when it had atmosphere, could be heard over east, south-east and central areas of England in the car or at home and played a decent range of music. The musical choice on the station which now calls itself Radio Caroline has narrowed and the atmosphere has evaporated. Caroline's ship and part of the organisation slipped into the hands of neither the commercial big-guns, who could develop the idea, or well-funded die-hard law breakers. The ultimate selling points, the marine location, the unique free-style music and hoisting two-fingers at the law have gone. I wish it would end and we could cease the pretence. How about a final week at high-power for charity in international waters? If it gets raided then what a fine way to go. If it lasts the week, all the anoraks could say a proper goodbye, flash their car lights, listen to Johnny Walker on AM, have a final over-modulated play of the Fortunes, a test-tone, instructions on how to retune to BBC Radio 2, silence, static and a funeral wake at Frinton .... please! (Chris McWhinnie, UK, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** IRELAND. Oneword for 252 LW? 16 July 2002. UBC Media, owners of Classic Gold and digital service Oneword, have confirmed their interest in acquiring Teamtalk 252. Simon Cole, the chief executive of UBC Media has told Inside Radio: "We are always on the lookout for interesting acquisitions," and added, "we are already the owner of more AM assets in the UK than any other broadcaster." Teamtalk launched in March following the closure of Atlantic 252. Online betting operation UKbetting announced their intention to buy the Teamtalk media group in May, when the group announced it would be put up for sale. 60 redundancies at Teamtalk were announced last month, and UKbetting is expecting the sale of Teamtalk to be agreed shortly. If the radio service were bought by UBC, it's expected that digital station Oneword would broadcast on the longwave frequency (insideradio.co.uk via Mike Terry, DXLD) I would like to know why Ireland is hardly ever mentioned in connexion with the 252 kHz facility, whoever may run it now and in future. The heading above was provided by gh. Is the separation and independence of the Republic of Ireland from the UK pretty much a fiction in practical terms? (gh, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. A02 schedule change effective from 21st July [I guess this info is `backwards` due to original Hebrew?? And includes what would have been time shifts from October 6 -- gh] DELETE: 31.3-20.7 fren 300 315 27.28.6-10 515 500 17545 31.3-20.7 fren 300 330 27.28.6-10 5:15 5:00 15640 6.10-31.10 fren 300 330 27.28.6-10 5:15 5:00 15640 6.10-31.10 fren 300 315 27.28.6-10 6:15 6:00 17545 31.3-20.7 ENG 300 315 27.28.6-10 16:30 16:00 17545 6.10-31.10 ENG 300 315 27.28.6-10 17:30 17:00 17545 ADD: 21.7-6.10 fren 300 330 27.28.6-11 4:30 4:15 15640 21.7-6.10 fren 300 315 27.28.6-11 4:30 4:15 9435 6.10-31.10 fren 300 330 27.28.6-11 5:30 5:15 15640 6.10-31.10 fren 300 315 27.28.6-11 5:30 5:15 9435 21.7-6.10 ENG 300 330 27.28.6-10 16:45 16:30 17545 6.10-31.10 ENG 300 330 27.28.6-10 17:45 17:30 17545 21.7-6.10 ENG 300 315 27.28.6-10 16:45 16:30 15615 6.10-31.10 ENG 300 315 27.28.6-10 17:45 17:30 15615 21.7-6.10 SPAN 300 330 27.28.6-10 17:15 17:00 17545 6.10-31.10 SPAN 300 330 27.28.6-10 18:15 18:00 17545 21.7-6.10 SPAN 300 315 27.28.6-10 17:15 17:00 15655 6.10-31.10 SPAN 300 315 27.28.6-10 18:15 18:00 15655 TEL: +97236264562 FAX: 97236264559 (Moshe Oren, ISRAEL- Frequency manager, BEZEQ-engineering & planning division, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here is the list of Kol Israel -frequency- changes, which start July 21. I haven't spent too much time studying it -- or any time modifying it. It looks like, for English, at least, it's just a time shift of the 1600 UTC broadcast to 1630 UTC (12:30 PM ET) (as previously mentioned) with the same frequencies (15640 and 17545). This list is from Moshe Oren, the Frequency Manager. (Daniel Rosenzweig, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY [non]. Distinti Signori, la presente per invitarVi all`ascolto della trasmissione RADIOMAGAZINE prevista per il giorno 21.7.02, dalle 11,00 alle 1200 ora legale italiana (dalle 09.00 alle 10.00 UTC) su 11.880 kHz via Deutsche Telecom, su satellite SIRIUS, e dal sito INTERNET european strem (real audio): http://www.europe.awr.org Si ricorda che il programma RADIOMAGAZINE continuerà ad essere irradiato per tutto il perido estivo. I prossimi appuntamenti saranno per i giorni 4 e 18 agosto, 1, 15 e 29 settembre. Cordiali saluti, Dario Villani RADIOMAGAZINE 21.7.02 Intervista telefonica con Manfredi Vinassa De Regny (Sestri Levante/Genova). De Regny, che si occupa di radioascolto da diversi anni, racconta di come si avvicinò all`hobby. In un secondo momento ebbe un incontro con Mondadori, uno dei massimi editori italiani, e per lui realizzò ``I segreti della radio``, uscito in Italia in più ristampe sotto la collana degli ``Oscar Mondadori``. Tale libro, che stabilì un vero e proprio record di vendite nel settore radiantistico, ha rappresentato per alcuni anni un punto di riferimento per tutti gli ascoltatori delle onde corte. A patire da quella esperienza, De Regny ha pubblicato numerosi altri libri, sulle stazioni di utilità (emittenti marittime, radiofari, etc.), sulla Banda Cittadina, e il radioantismo in generale, raccogliendo sempre grande successo di pubblico. Nell`intervista a Radiomagazine, De Regny parla di questa sua avventura letteraria, rispondendo anche a quello che può essere il futuro della radio, in relazione all`avvento delle nuove tecnologie. L`intervista si conclude coi nuovi progetti editoriali che l`autore ha in cantiere. Durata: 15`00 COMUNICATO STAMPA Per questioni di carattere organizzative dal dicembre dello scorso anno, la AWR Europe ha dovuto chiudere l`impianto trasmittente di Forlì, peraltro vetusto e di debole potenza. Tale decisione, rientra nell`ottica di un più ampio e fruttuoso utilizzo di altri e più potenti impianti ad onde corte, quali quelli della Deutsche Telecom a Juelich, Radio Nederland/Madagascar, Sentech a Meyerton (Sud Africa) e più di recente dagli Emirati Arabi Uniti; mentre continuano le trasmissioni dall`unico centro di proprietà della AWR a GUAM, regolarmente registrato presso la FCC americana. Il nuovo assetto delle trasmissioni, ha visto un ridimensionamento delle trasmissioni in Italiano su onde corte, che di fatti sono irradiate solo il sabato e la domenica da Juelich. Continuano però ad essere sotto responsabilità di AWR tutte le trasmissioni acquisibili quotidianamente dal satellite SIRIUS e ritrasmesse sul sito INTERNET www.awr.org in real audio, in onda dalle 1100 alle 1200, dalle 1400 alle 1530 e dalle 2200 alle 2230 ora legale italiana. Il programma ``Spazio 3600`` della AWR Europe, continua ad andare in onda ogni domenica, e a settimane alterne anche il programma ``RadioMagazine`` condotto da Dario Villani. Radiomagazine si rivolge agli appassionati del radioascolto, ed abbraccia vari argomenti inerenti il mondo dei media, INTERNET, comunicazione e radioantismo in generale, attraverso notizie, interviste, interventi esterni e sondaggi. Tra i servizi offerti dalla trasmissione, oltre al testo del programma, anche una serie di diplomi per tutti gli appassionati. La seconda domenica di ogni mese, ``Spazio 3600`` ospita anche la ``Casella Postale`` con in studio Stefano Losio e Marco Conte che prendono in esame le lettere degli ascoltatori e i loro rapporti di ricezione, offrendo loro numerose cartoline QSLs e gadget della AWR. AWR attualmente trasmette in oltre 53 lingue differenti, lo schedule completo è disponibile in Redazione. Ecco gli orari: AWR/Adventist World Radio Europe Programma italiano Dalle 1100-1200 ora legale italiana/ Su 11880 kHz /Onde Corte Solo il sabato e la domenica via Deutsche Telecom Juelich Lo stesso programma viene ripreso via satellite (SIRIUS e Hot Bird) e ritrasmesso dalle stazioni a Modulazione di Frequenza della Voce della Speranza/Chiesa Avventista del 7 Giorno e in real audio sul sito: http://www.europe.awr.org Per eventuali ulteriori informazioni si può visionare il sito web: http: www.awr.org mentre gli indirizzi sono i seguenti: e-mail: europe@awr.org AWR Europe Casella Postale 383 47100 Forlì Italia Altri programmi radio ``avventisti`` dal sito: www.avventisti.org ---------------------------------------------------- Dear Sirs, the present for anticipate that for the day 21 July 2002, we broadcast a special interview with Mr. Manfredo Vinassa De Regny, writer by Mondadori ``I segreti della radio``. Radiomagazine continue in the summer to broadcast at this appointment/rendezvous: august 4 e 18, september 1, 15 and 29. The special will broadcast in the course of the Italian programme of the AWR/Adventist World Radio Europe, on the air from 09, 00 to 10, 00 UTC/ 11, 00 / 12, 00 Italian Time, on the frequency of 11880 kHz/Short Wave (via Deutsche Telecom/Juelich). The programme is on the aire also from the SIRIUS satellite and Hotbird (news about the reception from the web site awr.org). In real audio on INTERNET, european strem from the site: europe.awr.org. Yours sincerely Dario Villani E-MAIL darioxvillani@hotmail.com Dario.Villani@poste.it Dario.villani25@libero.it (via Michael Bethge, WWDXC via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** JAPAN. Radio Tampa, JOZ2, 6055 kHz had fair to good signal tuned at 0955 UT with Tchaikovsky symphony, ID in JP 0959 and into jazz show with man and laughing girl over bumper music. Weaker \\ 3925 JOZ had ham QRM. 73, (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, Icom R75 and 80-foot Windom w/tuner, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. There goes another one, converted to gospel-huxtering as the new website implies; we listened for a few seconds and confirmed it was insipid gospel-rock in Spanish. Not that it has ever been anything more than a curiosity on SW, with extreme technical problems. This article is on the website at http://www.misionradio.com/articulos.htm México D. F. a 05 DE ABRIL de 2002. NUEVA ESTACION SURCA EL CUADRANTE MEXICANO Por: Samuel Ortigoza Una nueva radiodifusora de cobertura internacional, nació en la ciudad de México, XE-RTA Radio Transcontinental de América ubicada en la calle de Ayuntamiento esquina plaza San Juan dentro del centro histórico de la capital Mexicana. Resurge el concepto radiofónico que dará promoción a música cristiana evangélica, integración familiar, valores humanos y éticos, culturales e históricos de México. El atractivo de la emisora consiste en que tiene cobertura continental a pesar de transmitir con 5,000 vatios via ionosfera- onda de cielo. RESPIRO A LA ONDA CORTA Para algunos especialistas del tema, es positivo el surgimiento de XERTA porque le dan un respiro a la onda corta tan desatendida en México ya que en nuestro país está muy atrazado en este hámbito, no así en otros paises. Incluso en Latinoamérica en algunos países donde no había sido exitosa la onda corta al pasar a ser administradas por organizaciones cristianas se convierten en exitosas así es el caso de ¨VOZ CRISTIANA¨ en el país de Chile o HCJB de Quito, Ecuador. A la fecha en México sólo hay siete emisoras de onda corta; una de ellas es XE-RTA en la frecuencia de 4810 khz.... (via Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Flevo Update: Cleanup Still in Progress Rocus de Joode visited the Flevo site on 12 July, and reports: "as it looks now, transmitter # 4 will be under repair for at least one more week. Today (Monday) a special team is cleaning the transmitter hall, since there were a lot of particles, dust etc flowing around in the hall. Cleaning the transmitters is no use before the hall has been cleaned. After the cleaning, the engineers hope to rebuild the transmitter. Then intensive tests are needed to check if everything works fine." We've added some photos take by Rocus on 12 July to our photo page http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/flevo020708.html (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 15 July 2002 via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. NZ ELECTION: On Saturday 27 July New Zealand goes to the polls. RNZI will have full coverage of the NZ Election, results at 0700-1100 UT [1900-2300 NZST]. Sean Plunket hosts a Radio New Zealand News special with results and comment as the vote count continues. Programme scheduled to run until 2300 NZST. Listen on short-wave to 9885 kHz or via the Internet. RNZI's real audio live stream will be available from http://www.rnzi.com Regards (Adrian Sainsbury, Technical Manager, Radio New Zealand International (via John Figliozzi, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3905, 1112- July 16, Radio New Ireland. Absolutely great reception this morning with news in Tok Pisin. Same YL followed by a very brief ?ad, then talk about schools, islands. Mentioned phone number 9821746 at 1130:40. A bit of hash on the upper side. ID for Radio New Ireland at 1132, then good night, and into music. A real treat having so many PNGs back! Every bit as strong as 4890 (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BOUGAINVILLE ** PERU. Radio Nacional ya NO transmite por los 850 kHz... razones... DESCONOZCIDAS. Llamo por fono y NO saben dar razón... más importancia le dan al lado virtual: http://www.radionacional.com.pe tanta prioridad que NO existe un link en el cual ver qué frecuencia usan en tal o cual ciudad peruana... Ahora lo hace (SIN AVISAR PREVIAMENTE, CLARO ESTÁ) por los 1320 kHz, frecuencia perteneciente a Radio La Crónica, emisora pertenciente al aparato estatal... Lo mejor para Ustedes 73s (Alfredo `spacemaster` Cañote, Perú, July 16, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. WDJD 585 in Samoa has tentatively been reported in recent days by Nev McKenty from Napier. Nev first heard the station on June 15 with no call sign ID but mention of ``the family station``, modern style hymns, ads for the internet, books and a religious message at 1059. Early in July I heard the station again. The programme was in Samoan with mainly modern style hymns in Samoan. There were a couple of western style but could only guess at one being called ``Victory for Jesus.`` Very good signal on peaks lasted from 1030 pm to 1100 pm local time [1030-1100 UT]. There was no ID given last night.`` Paul Ormandy has kept a look out for the station too, and says Ruatoria is on top at that hour for him but there are two others underneath ! (NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES JULY 2002 via DXLD) Glenn, You may already be onto this, but just in case: ``WDJD-AM Tafuna, American Samoa. Authorized for 585-kHz, operating on 580- kHz. This part of the globe uses 9-kHz spacing, but I guess they discovered that all the radios with 10-hKz steps couldn't get them, so they took it upon themselves to change frequencies.`` (via Geoff Fairbairn, Broadcast Engineering Manager, World Radio Network, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Interesting; source? ** SAUDI ARABIA. US STUDY SAYS SAUDI CENSORSHIP OF INTERNET "WIDESPREAD" A study by researchers in the United States has revealed the widespread nature of internet censorship in Saudi Arabia. Researchers at the Berkman Centre for Internet and Society at Harvard University [web site: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/] found that a special government body which operates the high-speed data links that connect Saudi Arabia's internet services to the rest of the world blocked out not only pornographic web sites but also those on religion, women, humour, health, education, human rights, entertainment, swimsuits and even lingerie. The researchers said that when internet users in Saudi Arabia try to access blocked sites, a message pops up on the screen explaining that the action was taken to preserve the country's Islamic values. Source: BBC Monitoring research 17 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. Radio Slovakia International provides a terse look at upcoming programming at its website. The current week (July 15th-21st) highlights are at this URL: http://www.slovakradio.sk/rsi/ang/program.html Here's an example: 15.07.2002 Monday - News, Topical Issue - A story about the development of archeology in the territory of Slovakia & its meaning today ... - Enviromental News 16.07.2002 Tuesday - News, Topical Issue - A profile of the Slovak Recycling Fund - Sport News 17.07.2002 Wednesday - News, Topical Issue - The Scientist of the Year 2001 - awarding the best scientists in Slovakia - Business News - Currency Update 18.07.2002 Thursday - News, Topical Issue - The music festival "Under a Diamond Arch" in Kremnica - an interview with the Oscar awardee for the music to the film "Limelight" by Charlie Chaplin - Culture News 19.07.2002 Friday - News, Topical Issue - An interview with the Slovak ambassador to Poland about Slovak- Polish relationships - Back-Page News 20.07.2002 Saturday - News - Insight Central Europe - a joint programme of Radio Slovakia International, Radio Austria International, Radio Prague, Radio Budapest & Radio Polonia 21.07.2002 Sunday - Sunday Newsreel - Listeners´ Tribune By the time we hear these programs in North America, it's the next UT day, so the Monday programs will be heard in the Tuesday 0100 and 0200 UT broadcasts. [?? I thought it was only at 0100 --- gh] Since I probably won't always be able to post this information, you might leave yourself a weekly E-mail reminder (see http://www.memotome.com for an example) to visit the Radio Slovakia International website if you would like this information (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, July 15, swprograms via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. GOVERNMENT RADIO HEARD AGAIN The radio station operated by the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia - which calls itself "Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia" - was heard again by BBC Monitoring on 15 July for the first time since 3 July. (According to a report published on the Ruunkinet web site on 6 July, the TNG had been in dispute with two businessmen over the supply of generators for the radio station, which may have led to its temporary closure. See our item published on 9 July entitled "Somalia: Government radio off the air, apparently as result of business dispute".) Source: BBC Monitoring research 15 Jul 02 (via DXLD) WTFK?? ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Brother Stair: The two dropped charges (according to S.S.) were the two criminal breach of trust charges. The two remaining charges are the C.S.C.s. The judge said he'd hold another hearing on or after July 29 on the question of release on bond. B.S. seems to think there's a good chance those charges also will be dropped (Robert Arthur, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TAIWAN. Radio Taiwan publishes a map of their transmitter links that might be of interest http://www.cbs.org.tw/english/images/2002_espflow.gif (Daniel Say, BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes; goes by microwave to transmitter sites in Taiwan. Elsewhere, the first step is by undersea cable to Family Radio in Oakland; then by one satellite link to Okeechobee; by another, also including an internet link, eventually to a Merlin transmitter at Gerrards Cross, England on 3955. Never heard of that place; I assume it is better known by another name (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** TIBET. 9490, 1102- July 16, Tibet PBS. Fair to good signal in difficult to follow English. YL proceeded to talk about dimensions of some structure or another, though she mentioned a monastery. This is the end of this program at 1111:45, and also mentioned Holy Tibet. Into a Tibetan (or Chinese?) vocal song. Very much a tourist sounding program. Unable to hear any other parallels at this time (Walt Salmaniw, Victoria BC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. WORLD SERVICE GETS LESS THAN REQUESTED From The Guardian, John Plunkett, Monday July 15, 2002 The BBC has welcomed a £48m boost for the World Service - even though it is only two-thirds of the funding hike it requested. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown announced the increase in the Commons today (MON) as part of the Government's spending review until 2006. The increase, to be spread over the next three years, will coincide with a "rigorous programme of efficiency" at the Bush House broadcaster over the same period. BBC World Service director Mark Byford said: "The settlement is a strong endorsement... at a time when the global appetite for international news and analysis has increased. "It is recognition that the need for our values - of impartial, authoritative and editorially independent journalism - is greater than ever." The extra cash - equivalent to an annual funding increase in real terms of 3.4% - will be ploughed into recently extend BBC services in the wake of September 11 and the war on terror, in Afghanistan, south Asia and the Arab world. It will be used to develop landmark radio programmes on issues like global security, democracy and Islam, and on flagship programming for Africa, China and Europe. The cash will also be spent boosting World Service availability on FM and online. BBC Chairman Gavyn Davies added: "We feel the Government has justifiably recognised the importance and impact of the World Service by providing substantial new investment." The World Service broadcasts in 43 languages and is listened to by around 150m people every week (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. Potentially Interesting Potential Time Waster: From the Ratio [sic] Times (UK): Fancy writing a sitcom about some cleaners? Of course you do. And now you can, along with five other budding writers and the aid of modern technology (the intercyberweb). A new show is being crafted and honed on the net, with the BBC seeking a team of writers to work together and make it into a worldwide success. The sitcom is about a group of late-night office cleaners and will be written online, with plotlines and characters being discussed in a virtual writers' room... but for once, the public will also be able to chip in with their own ideas and viewpoints on gags and storylines... Info is available on http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/ so start thinking up your hygiene-based jokes now... (via Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U K [non]. From laserradiolimited laser@ukmail.com laserradio@yahoogroups.com Sunday, July 14, 2002 11:01 PM Just a few lines to say a big Thank-you to all of you who either posted here or e-mailed us with your reception reports. The results look promising and once we enter the fall things should improve further! We shall be back again on July 21 - Our program director tells me he is even considering allowing a microphone in the studio for the next broadcast ...... (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. GLOBAL CONCERT TO SAVE WEBCASTING ON 22 JULY The International Webcasting Association (IWA) has teamed up with TV Worldwide.com, an Internet broadcaster and streaming media service provider, to produce a global Webcast promoting the IWA's campaign to save the Internet radio industry. The Webcast, to be carried live from State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia, will start at 2330 UTC on 22 July. TV Worldwide.com will provide a link for simulcast transmission via Internet radio stations around the US. The event is being held in response to the growing effort to assist Internet Radio webcasters who are being forced out of business after a decision from the US Librarian of Congress regarding royalty rates paid to performers. These performer royalties, which are not paid by conventional radio stations for terrestrial broadcasts, are based on a per-listener structure rather than percent of revenue basis, resulting in royalties far in excess of the total revenue some Internet radio sites generate. The onerous nature of these rates and their retroactive enforcement are causing many Internet-only radio stations to go dark. "Webcasters recognize there is a cost to do business. What they cannot accept is a fee that restricts their ability to stay in business," commented Susan Pickering, Executive Director of the IWA. "Without a percentage of revenue structure, there is a barrier to entry for all but the largest webcasters. Webcasters provide an outlet for new artists and their music, and a source for listeners who are looking for audio entertainment not available on terrestrial radio." The Save Internet Radio Concert Webcast event will be available live and archived for later viewing at http://www.webcasters.org http://www.tvworldwide.com and through other Internet radio stations to be named shortly. Participants should have the free Real Player installed and should log on 15 minutes prior to the event at 2330 UT on 22 July (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 15 July 2002 via DXLD) ** U S A. CLASSICAL MUSIC: TUNING UP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY Radio stations balance quality with capitalism Joshua Kosman, Chronicle Music Critic Monday, July 15, 2002 ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle. Travel to just about any American city these days, and the odds are you'll have to work harder than ever to find the music of Bach, Brahms or Stravinsky on the radio dial. From Florida to California, classical stations look more and more like an endangered species. Major markets such as Detroit and San Diego, as well as San Jose and Fresno closer to home, have been without a commercial classical station for years. And the trend only seems to be getting worse. A recent Arbitron survey found that 34 of the nation's top 100 radio markets didn't have a classical station. Earlier this year, Miami's classical station, WTMI, became the latest casualty when its new owner, Cox Communications, switched it to a dance format. New York's public radio station, WNYC, has slashed its music programming in favor of more news and talk. At this rate, classical radio may soon be a thing of the past. That, at least, is one version of the story. Another version, championed most forcefully by the Bay Area's KDFC (102.1 FM), has it that classical radio has simply begun to join the 21st century. "Classical radio spent a long time imitating the concert hall experience," says Bill Lueth, the station's operations and programming manager. "That no longer works, because that's not how working-aged people listen to radio. "As classical stations figure this out and try to learn more about what their radio audience actually wants, their potential is still alive." From a business perspective, the station's success is hard to argue with. KDFC's ratings are consistently among the Bay Area's highest, a rare accomplishment for a classical format. According to Lueth, in the past three years KDFC has ranked in the top six out of 127 radio signals in the Bay Area almost every quarter and No. 1 twice. When Bonneville International Corp. of Salt Lake City took over the radio station in 1997, KDFC was 16th in the winter ratings. "Only two other major classical stations make the top 10 ever, hovering around seventh to 10th," Lueth said. "They are WCRB in Boston and our sister station WGMS in Washington. Most others rarely make the top 15." Earlier this month, the National Association of Broadcasters nominated KDFC for major-market station of the year, competing against stations from all formats. But that financial and ratings success has come from adopting conservative, marketing-driven programming, with an emphasis on short, soothing pieces -- sometimes one-movement excerpts -- drawn almost exclusively from the 18th century. For listeners looking for more adventurous fare, the KDFC formula is a mixed blessing at best. "Anybody can make money," says Bill O'Connell, a former KDFC program director who is now vice president and program manager for WCLV in Cleveland. "If you're willing to take the temperature of your audience and play only what focus groups say you should play, that's certainly a way to go. "But another way to go is the situation where the station is not owned by a large company but by a local company that feels a responsibility to the classical music aficionados of their market -- and to potential classical music partisans -- to play a wider range of styles and textures than the stations that are under financial pressure." The debate over how far classical radio can or should adapt its offerings to the changing marketplace has been fiercely fought in recent years, with charges of "pandering" and "purism" being bandied about. But there is agreement that money has indeed changed everything. Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 deregulated radio ownership, large media companies have been buying up radio stations for enormous sums -- and then trying to make that money back with steeper profits than classical stations can ordinarily provide. "The number of classical radio stations is declining not because they were abysmal performers, but because owners need to recoup their investment," says Mario Mazza, vice president of programming at WCRB, Boston's only commercial classical station. "Classical doesn't do that. It makes money, but the margins may not be as large as they want. That doesn't mean there's a problem with the format, though." Where classical stations have changed hands, the result has been either a more populist programming approach, like that of KDFC, or a wholesale change in format. And for local owners, the lure of a big sale price can be hard to resist. Mazza cites the case of WNIB-FM in Chicago, whose owners bought the station for $8,000 in 1956 and sold it last year for $156 million to Bonneville -- which immediately changed the format to classic rock. "If you're an owner and get offered lots and lots of money for your property, it's hard to say no." One holdout is Saul Levine, the owner of Los Angeles' successful classical station KMZT-FM (K-Mozart). He bought the frequency in 1958 for next to nothing, and recently, he says, has been offered as much as $400 million for it. "That's more money than I need -- what would I do with it? I buy two suits a year and drink a bottle of good wine every couple of days. We keep going because we're dedicated to the format." In the Bay Area, though, Levine has had more difficulty keeping his hand in the classical game. He briefly tried to resuscitate the old KKHI call letters in the mid-1990s; more recently, his station at 1510 AM, also with the call letters KMZT, was offering a broad range of classical music. But last month, Levine switched the station to country -- prompted, he says, by the fact that since the demise of KYCY ("Young Country") the Bay Area had no country station. "I'm a broadcaster, not a guy who only likes to listen to classical music." ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle. Page D4 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. I haven't heard Chinese music on the California station on 1620; they run EWTN programming, which generally alternates between recitations (Hail Mary etc.) and egregious "discussion" programs where unskilled hosts clumsily butcher even the simplest truths of the Bible night after night. (Pretty painful stuff if you enjoy studying the Good Book -- Even goofy Art Bell is probably right more often than these guys, which ain't saying much :) ) 73, (Tim Hall, CA, amfmtvdx via DXLD) ** U S A. THE CGC COMMUNICATOR CGC #523 Tuesday, July 16, 2002 Robert F. Gonsett, W6VR, Editor Copyright 2002, Communications General Corporation (CGC) ------------------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL REPORT Human exposure to radiofrequency signals is in the news again as the FCC conducts a surprise inspection on Mt. Wilson. The issues uncovered will apply to many smaller communications sites, so sit back and read this entire Special Report. The views expressed in the following Letter to the Editor are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of CGC. The author is an experienced broadcast engineer known to CGC, and his or her name has been withheld upon request. ****************************************************************** MT. WILSON - FCC TAKES HUMAN EXPOSURE TO RADIO FREQUENCY MEASUREMENTS Today [Friday, July 12, 2002], the FCC, in an unprecedented move, shut down every Los Angeles FM and TV station operating from Mt. Wilson in a surprise RF hazard inspection. The situation seems to have started a few weeks ago with the attempted installation of a new antenna for station KDOC, CH-56. KDOC is located in the ground floor of the building known as the "Post Office." The KDOC antenna was to be mounted on a 150' pole [actually a 226' pole - Ed.] directly West of the Post office. KDOC engineers had calculated the stations that needed to reduce power and had sent out requests. When it came time to climb the pole, the tower crew found that the RF levels were still too high. They eventually found that the offending signal was from an FM station that was not on the KDOC list of stations that needed to reduce power. The station's engineer was called and asked to reduce power to 80%. He was willing to comply but was overruled by a corporate engineer saying, "I can't reduce power while everyone is listening to my morning man!" (Note that the FCC order obliges stations to comply with requests to lower power as a safety matter and without regard to ratings or revenue issues. The corporate engineer may not have known that he was exposing his company to many thousands of dollars in fines.) The FM station, after a week of negotiating, finally agreed to cooperate. Yesterday, a team of six FCC "agents" arrived at Mt. Wilson. Their first step was to perform a field intensity survey of their own. They located a site that, according to their instruments, did not meet the safety levels for public access. The site is the KMEX driveway as it rises up behind KBIG and until it reaches the KMEX building. Since there has been considerable construction in that driveway over the past few years, the gate has long since disappeared. Since there is no gate, the driveway is publicly accessible and therefore in violation. It would not have been a violation if there had been a chain across the driveway and a "No Trespassing" sign. Today, the FCC showed up ready to find out who was responsible for that hot-spot in the driveway. They had called the Chief Engineers of every station to meet at Mt. Wilson at 12:00 noon.... They set up their meter at the hot-spot and then asked each station to shut down completely, one-by-one, just long enough to make another measurement. Most stations were off for from 20 seconds to 40 seconds. This process actually took hours to complete as communications was difficult between each transmitter and the man taking the measurements. The Fox- lot stations were then asked to do the same thing for another hot-spot over there. After all of the measurements were done, everyone met at the Mt. Wilson Pavilion to discuss the situation. The agents said that they were not able to review the measurements in the field. Once they were reviewed at the office, there would be Notices of Violations and Notices of Liability (fines.) Many of the Chiefs felt that the stations exceeding the limits would probably be a handful of close-by FMs. The agents then spent a considerable time explaining the rules and the FCC's expectations. They said that the rules have been in place for several years now, and that they were no longer warning people, but enforcing the law. There was also a Q&A time. There was also considerable talk about a group of stations joining to have a new, comprehensive field study done by a qualified engineering firm. Such studies are required for licensees under the new rules. The last time this was done was in 1998 by Hammett & Edison. While some stations have shown little interest in joining the group, there is clearly a cost and accuracy benefit in having as many stations as possible join the group. Perhaps this incident will change the minds of the stations that show little interest. They are still looking for bids and there is not yet a cost estimate. The contact is Steve Colley: Steve.Colley@nbc.com or 818-840-3375. An FCC agent then explained that they were there on a regular inspection and not as a result of some incident. Most observers there did not buy this. The agents seemed to have arrived poorly prepared for the inspections, as though they had been called to Mt. Wilson at the last minute. According to some who had spoken to them on Thursday, they were very well aware of the KDOC incident. Perhaps they did not want to pursue the KDOC incident but just make a statement that was loud and clear. If so, their statement was indeed loud and clear. In any case, this incident should alert us to the fact that we have a new responsibility that cannot be ignored any longer. ****************************************************************** RESPONSE FROM READERS An advance copy of the above Letter to the Editor was circulated to a few broadcast engineers for their comments and opinions. The opinions received are divided into two groups, as follows. ****************************************************************** ABOUT THE MT. WILSON/FCC INSPECTION I think (the above story) pretty much sums things up. It will be very interesting to see what comes of this. The inspector would not give any indications of exactly what (the FCC) might do. - Radio Station Engineer ____ Perhaps this is a technical point, but there has never been a gate at the KMEX driveway as far as I know (back to at least 1984). There's always been a chain there with a RF warning sign on it, and there is another warning sign on the side of the KMEX-TV building. But alas, (when the FCC arrived) the chain was unlocked and down. And the sign was laying flat on the ground. It probably wasn't the KMEX folks that dropped the chain, rather the tower folks dealing with KDOC. That's only my guess. The chain was up and locked the day before. I (check the chain) every time I can. - TV station engineer ____ The fact that the FCC made a surprise inspection is not really a surprise. They have stated this would likely happen on several occasions during that past 12 months. Most recently, at the IWCE convention in Las Vegas, in April, one of the FCC's Enforcement Officers stated that we should not be surprised to see the issuance of Notices of Violation and Notices of Liability during the remaining part of the year as the FCC was gearing up to illustrate some examples of violations of their RF rules. The FCC did this last year on Lookout Mountain west of Denver. - Consulting Radio Engineer ****************************************************************** ABOUT GENERAL HUMAN EXPOSURE TO RF ISSUES ON MT. WILSON Seems that a few broadcasters are not very enthusiastic about human exposure to RF compliance issues. When asked to reduce power to facilitate tower work on Mt. Wilson, these excuses are sometimes heard: "I'm unavailable that day" - "I'll be on vacation then" - "How about if we reduce power from, say, 1 to 4 a.m.?" Since multiple stations may be involved in power cut backs to permit tower work, sometimes it's a miracle any work gets done at all. One tower maintenance company complained that after a power reduction was finally accomplished on Mt. Wilson, a TV GM ordered his engineer to RESUME FULL POWER operation immediately. Full power operation was resumed, without warning, and with climbers on the tower structure! Obviously, too many people do not understand the absolute necessity of cooperating and complying when it comes to human exposure to RF signal issues. Compliance with the FCC's exposure rules is the law, and failure to comply could lead to serious liability consequences, to say nothing of FCC sanctions. Much more could and probably should be said on this topic, and we hope you will send us your thoughts. ****************************************************************** YOUR COMMENTS ARE INVITED Written comments from broadcasting professionals on any of the above issues are welcome, and invited. Names will be withheld if you ask us to do so. This forum is to identify problems and look toward solutions in a generic sense, without pointing fingers at specific individuals, stations or companies. All meaningful comments (please be concise) will be published together in an upcoming Special Edition of the CGC Communicator. Let's pull together, learn from the Mt. Wilson incidents and move on. {continued in DXLD 2-116} __________________________________________________________________ ------------------------------------------------------------------ The CGC Communicator is published for broadcast professionals in so. California by Communications General Corporation (CGC), consulting radio engineers, Fallbrook, CA. Short news items without attached files are always welcome from our readers; letters may be edited for brevity. E-mail may be sent to: rgonsett@ieee.org or telephone (760) 723-2700. CGC Communicator articles may be reproduced in any form provided they are unaltered and credit is given to Communications General Corporation and the originating authors, when named. Past issues may be viewed and searched at http://www.bext.com/_CGC/ courtesy of Bext Corporation. (via Dennis Gibson, DXLD) ** U S A. House Radio Bill http://www.mail-archive.com/cypherpunks-moderated%40minder.net/msg01671.html Dave Emery (N1PRE)'s outstanding review of the radio reception provisions in the Cyber Electronic Security Act passed by the House on Monday, July 15. "In effect this removes a safe harbor created during the negotiations over the ECPA back in 1985-86 which ensured that first offenses for hobby radio listening were only treated as minor crimes - after this law is passed simply intentionally tuning a common scanner to the (non-blocked) cordless phone frequencies could be prosecuted as a felony for which one could serve 5 years in jail. ..." And there's more, including changed provisions related to the publication of material heard by radio. http://www.newsignals.com http://www.spectrumfinder.net (Benn Kobb, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. FALLING RATINGS: BITTER MEDICINE FOR DR. LAURA? By JAY KRALL, The Associated Press, 7/15/02 8:45 AM The Wall Street Journal Recent ratings have been as hard on radio star Dr. Laura Schlessinger as she can be with the callers she sets straight on her nationally syndicated show. In the past three months, the "Dr. Laura Show" has been dropped in Boston, Chicago, Milwaukee and Charlotte, N.C. The show, based in Los Angeles, was canned in New York and Philadelphia last year... http://wizzer.advance.net/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?f0028_BC_WSJ--LauraSchlessinge&&news&newsflash-financial (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. -------------------- Static At ESPN Radio ------------------ KORNHEISER SUSPENSION LATEST IN PERSONNEL SHAKEUP By KEVIN CANFIELD, The Hartford Courant, July 17, 2002 With the recent firing of four producers and a popular on-air personality and the suspension this week of perhaps its best-known talk-show host, ESPN Radio is bordering on disarray. Tony Kornheiser, the longtime Washington Post columnist who hosts a midday show on the network and co-anchors a 5 p.m. free-for-all on ESPN's TV side, is off the air for a week after management took umbrage at some of his comments. Kornheiser's suspension follows the firing last month of Jason Jackson, who had been with ESPN for nearly seven years as a television and radio host. Jackson, a source close to the Kornheiser show said, was fired for allegedly making unwanted and suggestive comments to a female colleague. ESPN's radio unit has been an increasingly powerful force in recent years, annexing drive-time slots at stations across the country and consistently netting the best guests, from Michael Jordan to then- President Clinton. But it has been a summer of chaos at the Bristol headquarters of the sports broadcasting powerhouse. About a dozen staffers, including Eric Schoenfeld, general manager of ESPN Radio, have been let go or given time off for violations of company policy. Schoenfeld, a source said, was suspended for allegedly threatening a co-worker. Mike Soltys, an ESPN spokesman, said the network would not comment on personnel matters, and neither Kornheiser nor Schoenfeld could be reached Tuesday. It is clear, though, that this has not been an ordinary month or two for ESPN Radio. According to a source, after Jackson's firing, management looked at e-mail sent by a number of its employees. Though the e-mails were not directly related to the Jackson matter, they did contain profanity. This, the source said, led to the suspension of five employees and the firing of four producers. Two worked on the radio network's afternoon offering, "The Dan Patrick Show"; the other two worked on Kornheiser's show. The firings - particularly that of his show's senior producer, Denis Horgan Jr., whose father is a columnist at The Courant - upset Kornheiser. Kornheiser discussed the firings of Horgan and associate producer Kelvin Álvarez several times on the show. "I would do just about anything to get them back," he said on a recent broadcast. "Denis' contributions to this show were enormous. All the funny, creative things were Denis', just about." ESPN management apparently asked Kornheiser to stop talking about the matter on the air. He did but continued to discuss it on commercial breaks, which until recently were broadcast over the Internet. The network stopped broadcasting the commercial-break banter between Kornheiser and his producers about three weeks ago, and Kornheiser, who reportedly makes $500,000 a year, was notified late last week that he would be suspended without pay for a week. Meanwhile, Keith Olbermann, a former host of the network's "SportsCenter" who left ESPN in a highly publicized parting five years ago, recently hired Horgan to help write the commentaries he delivers daily for ABC Radio. "Denis is just one of the funniest, one of the brightest guys, one of the most loyal, one of the best workers I've ever worked with," Olbermann said. "If you've got rules that force you to get rid of a decent guy like Denis Horgan, there's something wrong with your rules." Copyright 2002, Hartford Courant (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. VOA affiliate stations: - an up-to-date list can be found at their site: http://sds.his.com:4000/fmds_z/schedules/cur_freqsked.txt IBB website: http://monitor.ibb.gov/ (Jens Soendergaard, Randers, DENMARK, hard- core-dx via DXLD) Sorry, no, I mean the *affiliate* stations on FM and MW like R Free Africa etc. They relay VOA for part of the broadcasting time, like R Free Africa in Tanzania. There is a sample of Greek stations on http://www.voa.gov/greek/greekaff.html with a link htttp://www.voa- afl.gov but it doesn't lead anywhere. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Kiihtelysvaara, Finland, ibid.) ** U S A. KGEM, 1140, Boise, ID, is FINALLY operating non-directional daytime. They had been running with their night DA all the time because of problems with the daytime matching network. July SR is 6:15 am MDT and SS is 9:30pm. It gets dark here well before local sunset by the end of July (Bill Frahm - Boise ID, amfmtvdx via DXLD) Would you like to rephrase that? And I assume the point is that KGEM could now be heard eastward around sunset whilst non-direxional. KGEM was my first (and only) Idaho MW catch for many years back in the sixties. Still the same call, even more remarkable (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTIENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Legal Stuff saying that no one can stop you from installing an antenna: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html Found this link on Winegard's web site. Enjoy, (Bill Nollman, July 16, WTFDA via DXLD) The subject line of the Bill's e-mail is a bit broad. While it is true that under the R&O, an owner/dweller has a right to install an antenna for TV use, that is about all it means. The Rule was written to infer a Rule of Reasonableness. Now, as anyone who has gone to law school would tell you, such rules are nothing if not vague. But, I think it is clear that the Rule is intended to allow a resident to install an antenna suitable for everyday viewing. DXing, a court would most likely find, is NOT everyday viewing (really, by definition). Of course, I can imagine that a reasonableness rule is location- dependent. Here in Germantown, TN, the type antenna allowed might be significantly smaller than someone in rural Nebraska might be allowed, as transmitters are very near my home. In short, if I attempted to install a 7' UHF dish 12' above the roof line, I would get my butt enjoined. And I should get it enjoined -- I would have gone well beyond the spirit of the Rule. The same sort of Rule applies in PRB-1, the rule that requires municipalities to "reasonably accommodate" Ham antennas. Courts will be wrestling with that definition for a while, and that will only get worse if PRB-1 is extended to CCRs. The jury is still out on this one (Peter Baskind, J.D., LL.M./AG4KI, Germantown, TN/EM55, ibid.) Good points, Peter. Luckily, my neighborhood has to get a majority of people to go to court to fight anything they don't like. Task #1 when I moved in was to make darn good friends with the neighbors, which is also good for day to day stuff as well! I also made every effort to "hide" my FM antenna behind the peak of the roof, which clears the peak by a few feet but isn't terribly visible from the street. Of course, the 7ft CM dish and VHF yagi are both in the attic :-( (Bill Nollman, ibid.) Peter, all of this is subject to a few variables, one of which is where you're located, another, as you've pointed out, is how 'extreme' you get with your antennas, still another is the jurisdiction, and still another has to do with the size of your property and where the antenna is on it relative to potential aggrieved parties. There is still a requirement that the person suing you has to demonstrate some minimum level of harm. Actually, there are some within the ham community who argue that PRB-1 guarantees every ham who owns his/her own property not within an airport's flight path to erect a tower - and a big one. We all know that ain't reality. At least those of us who are DX'ers and hams can put up two kinds of antennas :-} But, finally, for some of us, the question of a tower or how much/what antennas not infrequently comes down to a different authority - one's spouse! ===== (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) ** URUGUAY. Otra radio uruguaya online---- http://www.cx4radiorural.com/ 610 CX4 Radio Rural, Montevideo (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo - Uruguay, July 15, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. VOICE OF VIETNAM CHIEF FIRED Tran Mai Hanh, Director General of Radio Voice of Vietnam, has been fired in a purge of senior party officials linked to a corruption scandal. Hanh is accused of having sought an early release from custody for gang leader Truong Van Cam, who was charged with murder, gambling and fraud. "We must pay a very painful price for the free lifestyle of a number of degenerate cadres who have failed to maintain their political standards and ethics,'' said party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh. The Voice of Vietnam's Web site lists the new Director General as Vu Van Hien (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 17 July 2002 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. Que Huong QSLs (from John Durham). The following is extracted from their QSL (verbatim): Monitoring of our broadcasts is important for the technical information we receive, as well as for information about our audience. Additionally, the stories of our listeners augment dimension of our transmissions , putting a ``face`` at the leading end of the short wave. As background, you should know that Que Huong Radio is a private Vietnamese Broadcasting Corporation mainly serving the Vietnamese American in Northern California, United States since 1994. Que Huong Radio is the only 24 hour daily, all Vietnamese radio station outside Vietnam. We are broadcasting on 1120 AM frequency. On shortwave program which mainly broadcasted to Vietnam, we are trying to promote freedom and human rights for all Vietnamese people in Vietnam. If you have any friend who is a shortwave listener, please encourage him to send reception reports to us at above address. Reports can be in English and Vietnamese. Signed Nguyen Khoi, Manager of Que Huong Radio. Addr: 2670 S. White Rd, Suite 165, San José, CA 95148. URL: http://www.quehuongmedia.com/ E-mail: quehuong@quehuongmedia.com Sked via KWHR: Apr 02: 1300-1330 9930 kHz (NEW ZEALAND DX TIMES JULY 2002 via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ QSL INFORMATION PAGES 6000 Thanks to the help from old and new contributors and to an exchange agreement with another DX Club (BDXC-UK) the QSL Information Pages [QIP] for BC-DX er's at http://www.schoechi.de/qip-indx.html have been updated several times in the past days. Now QIP presents QSL logs from more than 6000 BC stations from 226 radio-'countries'. Even the zip-files have been updated in order to provide you with all the logs when you are 'offline'. All comments, QSL-logs and design-advices are very welcome. But please do not send pictures to me (only pictures of Clandestine Radio Stations) Martin Schöch --------------------------------------------------------- Martin Schoech - PF 1136 - 06201 Merseburg - Deutschland --------------------------------------------------------- E-mail: schoechi@gmx.de Website: http://www.schoechi.de +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION +++++++++++ Space Weather News for July 16, 2002 http://www.spaceweather.com A remarkable sunspot is crossing the face of the Sun. The large active region stretches 15 Earth-diameters from end-to-end and poses a threat for powerful flares. Indeed, on July 15th, twisted magnetic fields above the spot erupted. The explosion sparked an X-class solar flare and hurled a coronal mass ejection into space. As a result, sky watchers on Earth might spot auroras on Tuesday or Wednesday night. Visit spaceweather.com for more information and updates. (via Russ Edmunds, NJ, amfmtvdx via DXLD) At 1958Z, a major flare began. At 2008Z, it was at an X3.0 on the scale. This is a MAJOR event. Most HF is degraded - no propagation. More info follows. One may see the current level at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/rt_plots/xray_1m.html And other info at http://prop.hfradio.org/ 73 de (Tomas, NW7US // AAR0JA swl July 15 via DXLD) PROPAGATION WARNING: Conditions could become pretty Rough for a short time within the next 48 Hours. More likely on 17th and 18th July 2002. This is due to 2 'X' Solar Flares and maybe concurrently the effects (Now diminishing) of an old Coronal Hole. which may have rotated into a partially Geoeffective Position, by to-day, 16th July 2002.. (Ken Fletcher, UK, 1820UTC=1920UTC+1 16th July 2002, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Product: Weekly Highlights and Forecasts Issued: 2002 Jul 16 2212 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/weekly.html # # Weekly Highlights and Forecasts # Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 08 - 14 July 2002 Solar activity was at low to high levels. Activity rose to high levels on 11 July due to an M5/2b flare from Region 30 (N19, L = 013, class/area Fkc/780 on 14 July). Region 30 also produced isolated low- level M-class flares on 08, 11, and 13 July. All of these flares were unremarkable in radio aspects. Region 30 grew steadily in size and magnetic complexity and developed multiple magnetic delta configurations by the close of the period. Forecaster's note: Region 30 produced an X3/3b flare and halo CME on 15 July. Details will be provided in next week's edition. Solar wind data were available from the NASA Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft for most of the summary period. Solar wind speeds were elevated during 09 – 10 July with peaks to around 530 km/sec, likely due to a negative- polarity coronal hole. Speeds were also elevated during 12 – 13 July with peaks to around 600 km/sec, likely due to a positive-polarity coronal hole. A greater than 10 MeV proton event ended at geo- synchronous orbit at 08/0620 UTC (the event began at 07/1830 UTC following a long-duration event near the Sun's southwest limb). There were no proton events during the rest of the period. Greater than 2 MeV electron fluxes at geo-synchronous orbit were at normal to moderate levels through 11 July, then decreased to normal levels for the rest of the period. Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet to active levels during 09 and 12 July, likely due to coronal hole effects. There were also brief minor storm periods at high latitudes on 12 July. Quiet to unsettled conditions prevailed during the rest of the period. Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 17 July - 12 August 2002 Solar activity is expected to range from low to moderate levels during most of the period. Isolated low-level M-class flares are possible throughout the period. Region may produce additional isolated major flare activity before it rotates out of view on 23 July. There is a chance for a proton-producing flare from Region 30 before it rotates out of view on 23 July. Greater than 2 MeV electron fluxes at geo- synchronous orbit are expected to be at normal to moderate levels for most of the period. Geomagnetic field activity is expected to increase to active to minor storm levels during 17 – 18 in response to the halo CME observed late on 15 July. Active periods are possible during 20 July; and during 02, 05, and 08 August due to recurrent coronal hole effects. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected during the remainder of the period. Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt Issued: 2002 Jul 16 2211 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Environment Center # Product description and SEC contact on the Web # http://www.sec.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2002 Jul 16 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2002 Jul 17 180 20 4 2002 Jul 18 185 20 4 2002 Jul 19 185 12 3 2002 Jul 20 185 15 3 2002 Jul 21 185 10 3 2002 Jul 22 180 10 3 2002 Jul 23 160 8 3 2002 Jul 24 150 7 2 2002 Jul 25 145 7 2 2002 Jul 26 145 10 3 2002 Jul 27 145 10 3 2002 Jul 28 145 10 3 2002 Jul 29 145 10 3 2002 Jul 30 145 7 2 2002 Jul 31 145 7 2 2002 Aug 01 140 12 3 2002 Aug 02 135 15 3 2002 Aug 03 135 12 3 2002 Aug 04 135 10 3 2002 Aug 05 140 15 3 2002 Aug 06 150 12 3 2002 Aug 07 155 10 3 2002 Aug 08 160 15 3 2002 Aug 09 165 10 3 2002 Aug 10 170 8 3 2002 Aug 11 175 8 3 2002 Aug 12 175 8 3 (from http://www.sec.noaa.gov/radio via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-113, July 14, 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 #1139: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1139.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1139.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1139.html (ONDEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html NEXT WWCR BROADCASTS: Wed 0930 on 9475 NEXT RFPI BROADCASTS: Mon 0630, Wed 0100, 0700, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 ** AFGHANISTAN. RADIO AFGHANISTAN TO RESUME BROADCASTS IN LOCAL LANGUAGES ON FM ON 15 JULY | Text of report by Afghan radio on 14 July Announcement by the Broadcasting Department of Radio Afghanistan: Broadcasts in languages of the fraternal ethnic groups of Afghanistan - Uzbek, Turkmen, Pashai and Nurestani - was expected to resume after a break on 24 Saratan of the current year [ 15 July] from 1700 to 2000 [1230 to 1530 gmt]. In view of technical problems, dear listeners can listen to these programmes from 1400 to 1700 [0930 to 1230 gmt] starting tomorrow, Monday 24 Saratan, on FM frequency. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1430 gmt 14 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. RADIO VOICE OF AFGHANISTAN STOPS BROADCASTING FOR THREE MONTHS The founder of Radio Voice of Afghanistan, Sayd Jamaloddin Afghan, has announced that the radio's broadcasts will stop for three months from today. In an unscheduled speech on the radio which replaced the 1330 gmt news bulletin, he said that during a recent visit to Afghanistan he saw "painful" scenes which are even "difficult to explain". He said the radio was not able to broadcast "the truth" and report what was happening in Afghanistan because of "the current conditions governing the country". He expressed the hope that the country's situation would improve in three months and the radio would be able to resume its broadcasts. The radio began its broadcasts around eight months ago from London. The text of the speech to follow. Source: Radio Voice of Afghanistan, London, in Dari and Pashto 1330 gmt 14 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) Three months, or forever? This doesn`t make sense. If conditions are so bad in Afgh, it would seem RVOA is needed more than ever (gh, DXLD) Heard wot I thought was V. of Afghanistan at 1400 7 July, 17870, Afghani sounding music, and M.A. (SINPO 24444 to Australia). Then at 1430 a brief break in transmission, few clicks then a Male Announcer in English "Welcome to Voice of America in Farsi..." followed talk by MA and FA in.... Farsi, I guess! Which matches V. of America`s published sched showing: 1430-1530 UTC 9555 15750 17870 and V. of Afghanistan`s sched showing Dari Programme on 17870 kHz 1400-1430 UT on their website The signals sounded the same before and after the break, suggesting same transmitter (Jem Cullen, Australia, July 12, ARDXC via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. NORUEGA/AFGHANISTAN. 18920, Radio Afghanistan (Tentativo), via Kvitsoy, 1300+. 8 de julio. Transmisión en pushtu??. Boletín de noticias leído por OM. 24442 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, en DX Camp-Villa Loguercio, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Ex-18940? I am amazed at the resounding silence from all quarters since The Observers in Bulgaria asserted that this emission is no longer via Norway (gh, DXLD) ** ARMENIA. Dear Glenn: Yesterday I received a QSL card, a dated on 10,6,2002, letter by Mr. Armen Amiryan, General Director of the Public Radio of Armenia, and a Summer 2002 Program schedule of The Voice of Armenia, it listed the time, frequency and language but no target area as following: MW 864 kHz and SW 4810 kHz 0230-0300 1-7 Farsi 1300-1330 1-5 Azeri 1300-1315 6-7 Azeri 1330-1345 1-5 Turkish 1315-1345 6-7 Turkish 1345-1415 1-7 Kurdish SW 4810 kHz 1645-1715 1-7 Arabic LW 234 kHz 1220-1230 1-6 Georgian SW 4810 kHz and 11625 kHz 1830-1900 1-6 Armenian 1900-1920 1-6 French 1920-1940 1-6 German 1940-2000 1-6 English Via satellite "Hot Bird" 13 degree/12.111 GHz, (For local listeners 107.6 FM) 1730-1740 1,2,4,5,6,7 French 1740-1750 1,2,4,5,6,7 German 1750-1800 1.2.4.5.6.7 English SW 4810 kHz and 15270 kHz 0730-0750 Sunday French 0750-0810 Sunday German 0810-0830 Sunday English SW 9965 kHz 0200-0230 1-7 Armenian 0230-0245 1-7 Spanish Thank you very much for your valuable DX information! Your reader (Yin Yung-chien, Taipei, Taiwan 13/7/2002 08:45, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. Re Australia's Indonesian service at 2130 on 11935 - China's big band concert was audible on the freq July 10 with not even a tentative of Darwin. It does seems unfortunate that RFA Saipan and Darwin should both use the same freq - albeit in different directions (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jul 12 via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA. Very interesting Austrian radio history pages of 1945-1955 era: http://www.amospress.at/Z/bdn/BDN2/HIST1945.HTM Also some services of the Allied occupation all over Austria are covered, like American Rot-Weiss-Rot, Russian RAVAG, British R. Alpenland etc. Occupation transmitters in Austria 1945-1955. http://www.amospress.at/Z/bdn/BDN2/HIST1945.HTM#BDN (Josef Haas, Austria, A-DX July 14 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BELARUS`. 6080: At 0700 and at 1000 UT [while monitoring LUX 6090 test] when using the small Collins 2.7 kHz filter, I noticed a warbling-oscillating signal on 6080 and also Belarus` talk there. The audio sounds like an oscillating transmitter fault. Any ideas? Is that the usual sound of the 6080 unit, or is that audio originating from a 'rival' source in CIS ??? (wb df5sx BC-DX via DXLD) The jitterbugging signal on 6080 is BLR, \\ 279 (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX July 10 via DXLD) BLR tx, they are faulty (as I noted) for few weeks (suspect even more) +/- 5 kHz are suffering mostly (f.i. DW's "eternal home" 6075 now comes with [SIO] 322, 433/422, 533 tnx to BLR). BLR itself is 544/533 here with its own transmitter degradation only (Vlad Titarev, Ukraine, BC-DX July 10 via DXLD) Yes, and BLR 6080 is in that faulty condition since at least 2 months already (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, BC-DX July 10 via DXLD) Re the jitterbug on 6080 - this is a very difficult freq on which to hear anything at my location, but something very peculiar sounding is audible. If, as Bernd says, this fault has been on going for some time, it seems to prove that no one ever checks what is actually going out. During a recent discussion (HCDX) about the radio with the worst audio - which two writers suggested was Cairo (I do know of others!) - the question was asked whether they had any listeners outside of the studio. Perhaps BLR has electricity to spare during summer time? (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jul 12 via DXLD) Current BLR schedule of July 13: 2738 1800-2200 Mayak/SSB 2829 1800-2200 Mayak/SSB 4982 0300-1800 Mayak/SSB 5134 0300-1800 Mayak/SSB 5970 0100-0300 FS 6010 1500-2200 BR-1 6040 1500-2200 BR-1 + local 6070 1500-2200 BR-1 6080 0300-2200 BR-1 6190 1500-2200 BR-1 + local 7105 1500-1700 BR-1 7105 1900-2100 FS 7145 1500-1800 BR-1 + local 7210 0100-0300 FS 7210 1900-2100 FS 7265 1500-2100 BR-2 (incl Mayak) (Mikhail Timofeyev-RUS, DXplorer Jul 14 via BC-DX via DXLD) Radiostation Belarus (R Minsk) Addr: ul.Krasnaya, 4, 220807 Minsk, Belarus Tel: (375-17) 2395831, 2395832, 2395875 Fax: (375-17) 2848574 WEB : http://www.tvr.by Director: Khlebus Nataliya Vasiljevna Tel: (375-17) 2395830) Schedule: 0100-0130 on 1170, 5970, 7210 kHz in Belarussian. 0130-0200 on 1170, 5970, 7210 kHz Mon-Sat in Belarussian, Sun in Ru. 0200-0230 1170, 5970, 7210 kHz Mon/Wed, Fri-Sun in En. Tues in Belarussian. Thurs in German. 0230-0300 1170, 5970, 7210 kHz Mon in Ru. Tues-Sat in Belarussian. Sun in German. 1900-1930 1170, 7105, 7210 kHz in Belarussian. 1930-2000 1170, 7105, 7210 kHz Mon in Belarussian, Tues-Thurs in En. Wed/Sat/Sun in German. Mon in Russian. 2000-2030 on 1170, 7105, 7210 kHz Tues-Fri in Ru, Sat/Mon in Belarussian. 2030-2100 on 1170, 7105, 7210 kHz Tues in Belarussian, Wed/Fri in En. Thurs/Sun/Mon in German. Sat in Russian. (Sergei Alejsejchik, Grodno-BLR, "Kvadrat" DX "Signal", RUS-DX Jul 13 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3850 Radio Independent Makumui, 1052 July 12, sounding like any other PNG, but much weaker. Pops and pidgin talk seemed to have anthem of sorts just before 1102* Need to review recording (Hans Johnson, WY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Em artigo recente, publicado no Jornal do Brasil, edição de 19 de junho, Carmen Lúcia Roquette Pinto, afirma que a Rádio MEC está sucateada, com o consentimento do governo brasileiro. Segundo ela, "através de mecanismos insidiosos e ilegais". A Rádio MEC, que tem seus estúdios no Rio de Janeiro, foi doada ao governo, em 1936, por Roquette Pinto. A autora afirma que o governo passou para as mãos de entidade privada um valioso patrimônio, sem consultar a população. A Rádio MEC transmite em 800 kHz e já emitiu em ondas curtas, no passado. As informações são de Paulo Roberto e Souza, de Tefé(AM). BRASIL - O cateretê é uma dança rural brasileira, feita em filas opostas e cantada. Para quem gosta da boa e verdadeira música sertaneja, como é o caso do cateretê, vale conferir o programa Festa na Roça, levado ao ar, de segunda a sexta-feira, pela Rádio Difusora, de Poços de Caldas(MG). É apresentado de 2300 às 0130, em 4945 kHz. No programa do dia 12 de julho, o apresentador disse que a Rádio Difusora recebe periodicamente informes de recepção de todo o mundo. Anunciou o seguinte e-mail para contato: am1250@d... [truncated] BRASIL - A Rádio Nacional da Amazônia, ao que tudo indica, está no ar, em 11780 kHz, em grande parte do dia. Aos domingos, a emissora apresenta, a partir de 2300, o Noite Nacional. É comandado pelo veterano Pereira Lima, que labutou na extinta Rádio Nacional do Brasil. Lima também já trabalhou na Rádio Coréia Internacional. O programa apresenta sucessos da música popular brasileira e mundial. A participação dos ouvintes é feita pelo telefone: 0800 610980. Também aceita, por carta, ao seguinte endereço: Caixa Postal 258, CEP: 70359- 970, Brasília(DF). BRASIL - A audiência do programa Além Fronteiras, da Rádio Canção Nova, de Cachoeira Paulista(SP), é grande no exterior, principalmente na Finlândia. Durante o programa levado ao ar em 6 de julho, vários dexistas daquele país tiveram seus informes respondidos no ar, entre eles, Mika Makelainen. O programa é apresentado aos sábados, entre 2200 e 2300, nas freqüências de 4825, 6105 e 9675 kHz (all: Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 13 via DXLD) ** CANADA. GORD SINCLAIR, CANADIAN PIONEER BROADCASTER PASSES AWAY From http://www.cjad.com/cjad/www/ Gord Sinclair passes away at 74. MONTREAL, Posted 13 Jul 2002 11:39 AM -- CJAD 800 marks the passing of one of Canada's finest broadcasters Gord Sinclair. During a career that spanned more than 50 years, Gord touched the lives of countless Canadians. He has left an indelible mark not only on his listeners but also on his colleagues. Born January 26, 1928, Gord Sinclair's radio career began at CHVC Niagara Falls, Ontario June 1st, 1947. It was in 1982, that he joined CJAD 800. Gary Slaight, President and CEO of Standard Broadcasting Limited said: "It has been an honour having Gord Sinclair as part of our Standard family for 20 years. Our thoughts are with wife Linda, daughters Connie, Jennifer and Heather as well as their families." "Gord was a tireless Canadian and had an intimate knowledge of all corners of the country," said Rob Braide, Vice-President Standard Radio Montreal and General Manager of CJAD 800. "He will be sorely missed by Montreal, Quebec and all of Canada." He was clearly a special Canadian. Part of Gord's legacy is the Radio Television News Directors' Association Gord Sinclair Award for Special Events coverage. CJAD Deputy News Director Derek Conlon says "he was the kind of broadcaster we all aspire to be and his legacy lives on through that award in communities and Newsrooms across the country." "Gord Sinclair was an icon and a gentleman," said Rick Moffat, Program Director of CJAD 800. "Though so many of us admired him as somehow larger than life, he knew the listeners always mattered most. He was famous for stating his opinions openly and honestly, but he always gave Montrealers the last word." (via Mike Terry, Sheldon Harvey, DXLD) Gord Sinclair was the son of the legendary Gordon Sinclair of Toronto who passed away several years ago. Mr. Sinclair was, for several years, a mainstay at CFCF in Montreal except for a period when he was the owner of CFOX (C-FOX) in Vancouver. Returning to Montreal and his long-time home at CFCF, he eventually gave up trying to compete with CJAD and joined their staff! I was fortunate to hear his booming voice when visiting Montreal last summer. It was not at all a stretch to hear his father in that voice!! In all, in becoming one of this country's great radio personalities, Mr. Sinclair had an astounding 55-year career in the business. Between the Gordons, père et fils, there must have been at least a century of broadcasting and in keeping with the family tradition of on air talent, not to mention employment at Standard Broadcasting, his (the Gordon the Younger's) daughter is in the news department at CFRB. (Ori VA3ORI, LISTENING IN NOSTALGIA Columnist, Ontario DX Association, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CJAD'S GORD SINCLAIR DIES AT 74 ALAN HUSTAK Montreal Gazette Saturday, July 13, 2002 Gord Sinclair as a CFCF radio morning man around 1955 [caption] Gord Sinclair, CJAD's tough talking news director and a veteran Montreal broadcasting executive, died yesterday in the intensive-care unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital. He was 74. Mr. Sinclair was a familiar voice for the past two decades on the station's noon-hour news and public-affairs talk shows, Free For All and Feedback, where he cultivated a reputation as a cranky, reactionary tightwad with a common touch. He thrived on being contrary. "A lot of people had the impression that he was a loudmouth, big-C conservative, but that wasn't Gord at all," CJAD's acting news director Derek Conlon told The Gazette. "He was opinionated, yes. But he was also the kindest, most gentle, and most accepting person. He loved to argue, but he always accommodated other people's opinions. That was his strength as a broadcaster." Political commentator Graeme Decarie, who regularly faced off against Mr. Sinclair, said that for all their explosive on-air disagreements, they never once exchanged cross words off the air. "He had a broad streak of decency," Decarie said. "He was genuinely a conservative, as he appeared to be, but he was never thoughtless or unkind. He was always dead honest. He wasn't a hypocrite. He liked things open and up front." Gordon Arthur Sinclair was born in Toronto, Jan 26, 1928. His father was the flamboyant Toronto Star reporter, celebrity broadcaster and Front Page Challenge TV panelist, Allen Gordon Sinclair, who died in 1984. Father and son were never close. The elder Sinclair tried to prevent his son from going into the broadcasting business. "He was dead set against it, even violently," Mr. Sinclair once said. "He used to write to me regularly telling me to quit radio, that I would never amount to nuthin'." Mr. Sinclair, who refused to be called Junior, had no formal education beyond high school. While still in school he was a teenage correspondent for the Canadian High News, a local Toronto CBC radio program, and was seduced by the microphone. He ignored his father's advice and in 1947 started his professional broadcasting career in Niagara Falls, Ont. He worked for several radio stations, including CFNB in Fredericton, N.B., before he moved to Montreal in 1951 to get out from under his father's shadow. Mr. Sinclair joined CFCF radio and became that station's top-rated morning man until 1960 when he left to open his own radio station, CFOX, in Pointe Claire. He sold the operation in 1973 to Standard Broadcasting and returned to CFCF. He was lured to CJAD in 1982 to become news director. "Gord projected the image of tightfisted curmudgeon, but he treated everyone equally and he had populist sensibilities," said Rob Braide, the station's vice-president and general manager. "He was a hard-nosed boss who defended and stood behind his staff like no other news director I have ever met. He defended the autonomy and the editorial independence and integrity of his newsroom fiercely." Four years ago, to celebrate his 50th anniversary in broadcasting, Mr. Sinclair was honoured at a charity banquet at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel that raised $40,000 for the Montreal Association for the Blind. Mr. Sinclair never eclipsed his father's reputation but several years ago told a reporter that although he would never be famous as a household name, "I'm as rich as he was, and that counts for something." Mr. Sinclair was a diabetic most of his life and died of complications following a stroke he suffered on the Victoria Day weekend at the family summer home in Muskoka, Ont. He was twice married and has three daughters. There will be no religious funeral. Mr. Sinclair was a confirmed atheist, who stopped believing in God 60 years ago after the death at Christmas of his 11-year-old sister. CJAD will broadcast a memorial tribute today at noon. © Copyright 2002 Montreal Gazette (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) LONGTIME MONTREAL RADIO BROADCASTER GORD SINCLAIR DIES AT 74 MONTREAL (CP) - Montreal radio legend Gord Sinclair died Friday in hospital after a series of strokes. He was 74. Sinclair was a broadcaster for more than 55 years and was news director at CJAD Radio Montreal until his death. The all-news radio station planned a tribute broadcast Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. - Sinclair's regular slot. Sinclair was known for his unique, ad-lib- style newscasts and was also an editorialist and talk show host at the station. Broadcasting was in his blood. "I think Gord Sinclair has done a tremendous amount for our industry over the years," said Eldon Duchscher, a Saskatoon broadcaster and president of the Radio-Television News Directors Association of Canada, an organization that was dear to Sinclair. "He was a driving force behind the RTNDA. . .Anyone who has ever met Gord has a great story to tell. He was a helluva broadcaster. He knew a good story, and he knew how to tell it." Sinclair was the son of Gordon Sinclair - a long-time radio host at CFRB Toronto and panellist on TV's "Front Page Challenge." Gord Sinclair Jr. began his radio career in 1947 as a newscaster and disc jockey at Ontario radio stations in Niagara Falls, Oshawa and Hamilton. He moved to Montreal in 1951 to become the morning man for CFCF. By 1954 Sinclair's program was the top rated morning show in the city. In 1960, he and some associates started CFOX Montreal. He built it up to the number two station in the city but it was sold to Slaight Communications in the 1970s and he returned to CFCF in 1975. Sinclair became news director at CJAD in 1982, covering Quebec politics and other major stories such as the Oka crisis and the Ecole Polytechnique massacre. "I think he understood Quebec politics better than any other broadcaster in the city," a caller named Brian told CJAD on Friday evening. "Now there is no one to interpret it for us." CJAD's airwaves were flooded Friday by callers expressing their sense of loss and sorrow. "I'm very shook up over this; I've been calling for 21 years," said Lois of St-Sauveur, Que. "One thing I adored about him was that everything was very personal. There was never a call that went unanswered. . . . I never met him physically, but I knew him very well." Sinclair suffered from diabetes and was dependent on insulin his entire life. He was a strong supporter of many charities, including those for diabetes and its associated eye problems. Sinclair is survived by his wife, Linda, and three daughters, Connie, Jennifer and Heather. © The Canadian Press, 2002 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CANADA. TWO NEW APPLICATIONS IN THE EXPANDED BAND Application by SAN LORENZO LATIN AMERICAN COMMUNITY CENTRE for a licence to operate a non-commercial AM Type B community radio station to broadcast ethnic programming in Toronto. The new station would operate on frequency 1610 kHz with a transmitter power of 1,000 watts, day and night. By condition of licence, the applicant proposes to direct ethnic programming to a minimum of 4 cultural groups in a minimum of 4 different languages per broadcast week. The Commission will only proceed with this application at the public hearing if advised by the Department of Industry, at least ten days prior to the hearing, that it is technically acceptable. ------------------------------ Application by MAGIC 1610 MARKHAM RADIO (on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated) for a licence to operate an English-language AM commercial radio station in Markham. The new station would operate on frequency 1610 kHz with a daytime transmitter power of 10,000 watts and a night-time transmitter power of 5,000 watts. The applicant is proposing a station format consisting of local news, sports, business and community events. The applicant is proposing to broadcast, by condition of licence, a weekly maximum of 28% of ethnic programming. By condition of licence, the applicant proposes to direct programming to a minimum of 15 groups in a minimum of 8 different languages per broadcast week ---------------- 73 and Best of DX, (Shawn Axelrod, amfmtvdx via DXLD) The AMANDX DX Info Site including the Canadian DX, AM Slogans and Expanded Band Pages: https://www.angelfire.com/mb/amandx/index.html Markham, where? ** CHILE. 5674.7, unID LA. Our member Tore B. Vik/TBV has an unID on this frequency . TBV writes: "A new challenge for you - 5674.7 --- probably a religious station - ID "Voz Cristiana" --- heard relaying R. Manantial - Rivadavia - Argentina. What can this be?" BM: I have listened to this station both mornings and evenings but here there is nothing at or around this frequency. TBV says in a later mail that it comes in late, about 0220 UT and he also thinks it is a pretty northern station, for instance Central America. I have several times heard "Voz Cristiana" in Chile with co-transmission or relay of different Argentinian FM-stations. On behalf of our member Tore Larsson/TL at WRTH`s staff, I recently contacted Radio Filadelfia-1170 kHz in Guayaquil and got to know that within a month they will start up transmissions from Quito on the frequency of 780 kHz. By satellite they will have transmissions from "Voz Cristiana" in Florida. So I wonder: is there a connection between "Voz Cristiana" in Chile and Florida? TBV means it is not probable that it is a harmonic. But if we play a little with the thought. I have checked some of the possibilities and on the frequency of 17024.38 kHz there is a very weak signal with extremely faint audio so I can´t get the language. In theory it is 3 x 5674.79 = 17024.38 kHz. (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin July 14, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) Of course there is a connexion between VC in Miami and Chile. The SW transmitters in Chile get their program feed from Miami, where the studios are. I expect that any other LAm stations relayed are also coördinated thru Miami. See next item for explanation (gh, DXLD) ** CHILE. I've been hearing this signal for a few months already on my old Sony 7600G, but wasn't sure if it was for real or not. I'm still hearing it on my Icom R75, so now I'm pretty sure it _is_ real. It seems that Voz Cristiana (from Chile) is putting out a spur on 5675 kHz at night, probably between 0000 and 1100 UTC. The spur on 5675 is the difference between 6070 and 11745 kHz, the frequencies used for the overnight Spanish service to South America. The signal isn't very strong, but should still be audible for anybody with a good antenna. After tweaking the passband a bit I'm getting SIO 244. I'm listening with an Icom R75 and a 15 meter T2FD, from the city of Curitiba in the south of Brazil. regards, (Rik van Riel, harmonics yahoogroups via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Colombian on 6064.5 to resume broadcasting on 6060. Russ Stendal tells me that the new crystal has arrived and that the station is due back on the air some time next week (week 29). Their new canned ID will be as follows: "La Voz de tu Conciencia, 6060 kHz en onda corta. Transmitimos nuestra señal desde Lomalinda, Colombia, para el mundo. Una emisora del Sistema Alcaraván Radio." (Please note that it says "tu", instead of "su" or 'la". Also please note that in their ID there is no mention of "emisión de prueba", test transmission). Programming is actually not religious. Instead it is "philosophical" in nature, not aimed at any particular combatant factions, but rather to all of them (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO. 5985, 11.7 1900, Radio Congo very good in English; 1915 French. QSA 4 (Jan Edh, Hudiksvall, Sweden, SW Bulletin July 14, translated by gh for DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. The Chesky Rozhlas program schedule shows that the CRo 6 network indeed closes down already at 2000 now but still includes some broadcasts of RFE (RSE); see http://www.rozhlas.cz/program/ (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. My little shack, or "la cabina" as we say here, is soaking wet from ceramic plates, cement and stones. The reason is, for the first time (!!) during my 40 years as a DX-er, I have finally decided to fix a decent earth connection. I contacted the local electric power supplier here in Quito. They arranged for one of their engineers to take care of this work. It turned out that it was not suitable to attach the 1.8 metre long earth stake of copper, 16 mm in diameter, outside the house as the earth wire to my radio should be too long. More than 2-3 meter earth link will not work too well. My wife was deathly pale in her face when I explained that we probably had to take up a "hole" inside my radio shack. It turned out to be really difficult; the engineer worked hard 2-3 hours yesterday and will continue later today - he says it is difficult but it will work out to fix a good earth to my radio with the earth stake of copper together with a cable of roughly 1 metre, 8 mm in diameter. There are also some changes above earth. As you know I have used a 24 metre "L"-antenna coupled via a "magnetic longwire balun". Now I have erected another antenna, a straight 12-metre. The point where those two, the 24 metre and the 12 metre, meet is coupled to the balun and from there with coax down to my radio. This type is called "T"-antenna and is clearly better than my old antenna. It will be very exciting to return to Quito later this autumn to check out the result of a new antenna and a good earth connection. /BM (Björn Malm, Ecuador, SW Bulletin July 15, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) see CHILE, PERU, UNIDENTIFIED ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 12110, Dejen Radio, audible here July 13th 1715 tune in with commentary, recheck 1750 commentary with mention of "democratia" and "Tigrina" cut off mid sentence 1800 for 1 minute of incidental music and off 1802 (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Via Samara, Russia (Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Netsanet Le Ethiopia, Amharic Natanat Lediopyan Radio. Freedom Radio 1700-1800 Wed, Sun 12110 SAM Radio Sagalee Oromia, Oromo 1730-1800 Mon, Thu, Fri? 12110 SAM Dejen Radio, Tigrina 1700-1800 Sat 12110 SAM = Samara Russia. (BC-DX via DXLD) ** GEORGIA. There are different points of view about the location of mysterious transmitter operating now on 9489.8 kHz. Around 10 years ago during the battles between Georgia and Abkhazia in 41 mb. Later on changed to 9365 and 9510 etc., till now finally on 9489.8 kHz. Here are now some conclusions: 1 - The tx is not officially registered either in Russia, or in Georgia/Abkhazia. 2 - It is strange the tx carried out the programs of four stations (feat Sochi, Kuban, Rossii, Abkhazia). 3 - In the local evening on 9490 kHz there are often two txs, - one officially registered by Russia (on 9490) with R Rossii program and another on 9489.8 also with R Rossii progr, both with rumbled sound. 4 - The two txs are owned by two different administrations, one by official, and another clandestine, secret etc. 5 - The 50s-80s Soviet jammers were operated on non-exact frequencies, usually +/- 0.2 kHz off nominal freq. 6 - Who is supporting Abkhazia (already almost for a decade) to be separate from Georgia? I remember at the end of November 2001, when I heard about typhoon in the area of Sochi-Krasnodar, and I tuned to 9490 & 1350 kHz. At 2045- 2100 on 1350 there was a transmission from Sukhumi on 1350, but no signal on 9490, as usually latter on air at 1400-1800. On the next morning there was a broadcast on 9490, but only from studio in Krasnodar (not from Abkhazia or Sochi). After live phone interviews on the air, the speaker of R Kuban said, that in Sochi there is no electricity, but they located in Krasnodar are waiting to get such of from Abkhazia. I guess that means the transmitter is located near Krasnodar and not Sukhum or Sochi (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jul 4 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. 6140 0600-1900 27,28 175 (ex130) degrees, 240602-271002 DW English: A very bad result, poor signal of DW in English 0600-1900 UT on 6140 kHz via DTK Juelich. After changing the azimuth since June 24. 1727-1830 heard here VIRI Iran in Russian, plus an Arabic speaking station on July 3rd (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jul 3 via DXLD) ** HAITI. RÁDIO 4VEH HAITI: Em resposta a Caio Fernandes Lopes, o Diretor Jason do serviço em inglês da FM Horizon deu as seguintes explicações sobre as atividades da Rádio 4VEH. - Atualmente, Radio 4VERH é ouvida em 840 kHz e em 94.7 MHz, Horizon FM. Nossas transmissões são realizadas em francê, creole e inglês. Rádio 4VEH é ainda proprietária de um freqüência em ondas curtas, mas infelizmente nós não temos o transmissor capaz de transmitir neste modo. Nossos planos agora é cobrir todo o Haiti com as Boas Novas de Jesus Cristo através de nosso serviço Francês/Creole em AM 840. Temos planos também de criar uma rêde via Satélite para atingirmos todos os "cantos"do Haiti em parceria com outras estações cristãs locais que queiram retransmitir nossos programas. Em um futuro próximo, nós esperamos tornar este serviço disponível na Internet para que pessoas no mundo inteiro possam desfrutar a programação da 4VRH. Para maiores informações sobre a rêde via Satélite: http://www.sonnysolar.com/sat_info.htm Jason, Horizon 94.7 English Director, 4VEH webmaster, http://www.radio4veh.org (@tividade DX July 13 via DXLD) ** INDIA. 5010, AIR Thiruvananthapuram (presumed), 0050 Jul 14, Subcontinental music with female singer. Various announcements, but I did not get an ID. Fair signal strength. Nice grayline path, relatively low lightning static and quiet geomagnetic field conditions made for decent reception (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. The full schedule of AIR Bangalore on 9425 kHz with 500 kw Home Service (Hindi & English)is: 0128-0530, 0930-1235, 1320-0042 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Hyderabad 500082, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 3231.89, RRI Bukittinggi is active again, first day on the air June 28th, from tune in at 1140 to past 1330 UT. At the top of the hour they relay RRI Jakarta news, popular music, Dangut music, fine modulation!! Moderate signal strength. On the next day June 29th, the station came on air at 1145 UT, no ID at s-on, playing popular music. So I hope, they are now on air regularly! Last heard in March 2001 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, BC- DX July 15 via DXLD) 3117.30 RSPDT2 Halmahera Tengha, 1200-1335 UT June 28, very disturbed modulation, weak signal (Roland Schulze, Philippines, BC-DX July 15 via DXLD) 4606.4, RRI Serui, 1306 July 8. Noted as reactivation with Jakarta news in \\ with RRI Ujung Padang (4753.3) and RRI Jambi (4925). Not heard for some time. Signal was weak compared to the other two Indos. Best in LSB as ute is above (Don Nelson, OR, DXplorer July 8 via BC-DX via DXLD) 4606.4, RRI Serui 1234-1245* July 11. Presumed with lite music, no announcements. Suddenly left the air, carrier and all, about 1245 UT. Rather weak signal here (John Wilkins, CO, DXplorer Jul 11 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non]. MUSEUM SHIP SPECIAL EVENT Remember this special event takes place next weekend (July 20-21st), and is sponsored by the USS Salem Radio Club (K1USN). Over 70 Museum Ships and Submarines are taking part Worldwide. The Museum Ship Special Event is the opportunity for you to work Warships, Submarines and various Motor Vessels from W.W.II and earlier (USA, Russian, German U-Boats, Canadian, British and more......). ADDED NOTE: Look for the K1USN to be active from the USS Salem. QSLs via K1RV (Please with a Business Size SASE). Certificate for working 10 or more Museum Ships requires your log listing the ships/callsigns and a 9" x 12" SASE sent to KC1XI. The K1USN Web page for a list of Museum Ships and operating frequencies can be found at: http://www.qsl.net/k1usn/event.html (KB8NW/OPDX July 15/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** IRAQ. A terrible audio and a very [un?]pleasent time to listen to Baghdad in German 0200-0230, 0230- English program, both on 11787 kHz. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jul 4 via Wolfgang Bueschel July 13, DXLD) ** KASHMIR. RADIO BHADARWAH GOES ON AIR IN KASHMIR TO COUNTER PAKISTANI PROPAGANDA | Text of report by Indian news agency PTI Jammu, 13 July: With an aim to counter Pakistani propaganda in Doda area in Jammu and Kashmir, a radio station was commissioned at Bhadarwah on Saturday [13 July]. With a range of nearly 30 km, Radio Kashmir (Bhadarwah) would be initially run by signal staff of three army, a defence spokesman told PTI here. The station would run programmes from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.(1030 to 1630 gmt) every day and some of them will be in Bhadarwahi language, he said. The radio station would expose Pakistani propaganda regarding security forces, project Bhadarwah as tourist destination and give boost to cultural and traditional heritage of the region, the spokesman said. The Bhadarwah radio station was set up in 1993, but due to militancy, it was not made operational. Now that army took a lead to man it, the station became operational from Saturday, he said. Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1519 gmt 13 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CENTRE ALLOTS RS 74 CRORE TO COUNTER PAK MEDIA PROPAGANDA KT NEWS SERVICE BHADERWAH, July 13: To counter ongoing propaganda by Pakistani electronic media, Union Government has sanctioned 74 crores for establishing 12 radio stations in different parts of the state, said Union state minister for Defence, Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta here today during the commissioning of AIR station Bhaderwah. Dedicating this station to the nation, Union MoS for Defence Prof. Chaman Lal Gupta said that keeping in view the long pending demand of the public of District Doda, the moment ultimately reached when after 11 years of its completion, Bhaderwah radio station goes to the air today. He however, held the bureaucrats policy responsible for the delay of its commissioning. Prof. Gupta further said that besides, countering the Pak sponsored propaganda, this station will go in a long way to highlight the ancient and peculiar culture of Bhaderwahi origin vis-à-vis will give the boost to the exploitation of tourism potential of this region, minister added saying that three more radio stations are under construction at Rajouri, Nowshera and Poonch in Jammu province and an amount of Rs 74 crores has already been earmarked for the installation of 12 AIR stations in the state. While appreciating the role of Army who have been playing a key role in commissioning of these FM stations at Poonch, Rajouri, Kathua and Nowshera beside AIR Bhadarwah, Prof. Gupta alleged that that some Human Right Agencies keep banging about the violation by the army, but keep mum about the atrocities committed by militants, he said. While supporting the legitimacy of Governor's rule in the state prior to assembly polls, Gupta said that there is separate policy, with the government of India to ensure free and fair polls in the state perhaps for the first time, beside ample financial and economical packages for the state. It is mentionable here that AIR Bhaderwah which goes to air today at 10 hours. 51 minutes and 20 seconds, will cover a population of 3 lakhs and can be heard at a frequency of 101 MHz from 4 PM to 10 PM daily at its first stage and within three months shall start its own production and will be down linked to Jammu, Srinagar and Delhi AIR station. This was disclosed by Chief Engineer AIR Delhi, Mr Ganshyam Singh, while giving a resume of the station. Prominent dignitaries who were present in the commissioning ceremony include Lt. Gen. JBS Yadav (GOC-16 Corps), GoC-Delta Force, Brig. Pardeep Saini (Cdr. 4-Sector RR), Daya Krishan Kotwal (President State BJP) and Dr Jatinder Udhampuri (Station Director AIR Jammu). {WTFK??} (Source : Kashmir Times) (via Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, dx_india via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. The following is a link to the unofficial website of the Voice of Korea: http://www.hikoryo.com/ser/vok.htm The site is apparently hosted in China and is part of a larger website devoted to North Korea. Listeners to its Mandarin broadcast may also email reports via this link http://www.hikoryo.com/200207/research.htm (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX July 12 via DXLD) Seems to me R. Pyongyang used to have an (unofficial?) site hosted by sympathizers in Japan (gh, DXLD) ** KURDISTAN [non]. Clandestine stations observed recently: 1620-1630* 3985 V of Iranian Kurdistan, back on air. *1625-1755* 3930, 4605, 6800 V of Komala. *1627-1733* new time ex1600-1700, 3880, 4380 V of Communist [Party] of Iran. 1610-1728* 4240 V of (?Schachmasati?) Kurdistan. 1620-1655* 4260 V of Iranian Kurdistan (different program to 3985, see ABOVE. 1620-1659* and 1845-1930 4130 R Kurdistan. 1650-1657* 4170 unID in Arabic. *1700-1850* 7070 V of Mojahed 2nd program, back on the air. (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, BC-DX Jul 2 via DXLD) ** LATVIA. It`s definite, Laser Radio tests from here; see UK [non] ** LUXEMBOURG. 6090, the difference in reception at various locations is quite remarkable, I think. Does this indicate that the omnidirectional antenna used is actually more directional to some areas than others? Or is it all down to propagation? I listened at various times during the day, and the signal was weakest for an hour or two around 1200 UT. But never below S9 - and BR 6085 had also gone down then too, so allowing virtually QRM free reception. The strongest signal noted was around 1900 when peaking over S9 +30 dB. No co-channel was audible, but splash from 6085 was obvious, even on the narrowest of my three bandwidths (NRD-525). As said in my previous, the main "problem" was phase-distortion? - i.e., fading + distortion. I was impressed at the quality of transmission from these long silent transmitters - maybe not perfect, but still very good, I thought (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jul 12 via DXLD) The test of R Luxemburg on 6090 kHz around 1800 on July 10 was heard here in Kyiv, Ukraine, worse than I had assumed. Signal strength was 2...3 with a moderate fading - weaker than Bayerischer Rundfunk on 6085 kHz. There were moderate interference in the channel (maybe from BBC in Persian) and splashes from BR. Pop-music from the 60-s...70-s. To avoid 5 kHz interference from the adjacent stations, I simply use a special precise homemade notch filter in AF part of the receiver (Alexander Yegorov, Ukraine, WWDXC BC-DX July 11 via DXLD) Good morning. We will gradually increase modulation as the transmitters will warm up. Optimod is in use. 2 x 250 kW Telefunkens, Turnstyle antenna, horizontal [cross] dipole 0.4 Lambda above ground level, vertical lobe of 35 degrees, like fountain antenna towards Central Europe in daytime ! Some hundreds of reception reports received from New Zealand, Brazil, USA, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Yugoslavia, France, Belgium, Germany, and Norway, to mention a few. Vielen Dank fuer Ihre wertvolle Mitarbeit. Zum Sender: 2 Telefunkensender von je 250 kW Traegerleistung auf Turnstyleantenne (Horizontaler Kreuzdipol 0.4 lambda ueber Boden) Vertikaler Abstrahlwinkel ca. 35 degr ausgelegt fuer Versorgung von Mitteleuropa im Tagesbereich. Wir planen den Sender mittelfristig auf digitale Modulation (DRM http://www.drm.org umzuruesten. Es werden noch weitere Tests folgen, vielleicht auch analoger Regelbetrieb zu bestimmten Tageszeiten. Many thanks for your contribution Eugene Muller Broadcasting Center Europe S.A an RTL Group company Tel: +352 42142 7703 Fax: +352 42142 7709 e-mail: eugene_muller@bce.lu http://www.bce.lu (July 10) Auf meine Frage, wieviele RR woher auf die BCE-RTL-Testsendung gekommen sind, gab Eugene Muller folgende Antwort: Lieber Herr Gerhard, Vielen Dank fuer ihre wertvolle Mitarbeit in unserem Test. QSL wird ihnen zugesandt durch RTL Radio http://www.rtlradio.de Die Zahl der Empfangsberichte ist im Momemt noch nicht abzusehen, es sind mehrere Hunderte! Neuseeland, Brasilien, USA, Finnland, Schweden, Spanien, Portugal, Italien, Jugoslawien, Frankreich, Belgien, Deutschland, Norwegen, um einige zu nennen. Es gab schon eine beachtliche Resonanz. Mit den besten Gruessen, Eugene Muller. (Spitzenwert hier in FrankfurtM war abends mit S 9 +50 dB --- Siegbert Gerhard, A-DX July 11, via BC-DX via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. 7245, R Mauritanie, Nouakchott, this time noted on a Friday, viz. at 1436-1528 airing talks in vernacular, rated at 15342, but also heard today 14 July about mid morning via the K9AY loop (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jul 5/14 via DXLD) ** MEXICO. 4670, XERTA (presumed), 1029, Distorted audio, only readable in FM mode. Heard rap song then, Latin pop. ID in SS, but I don't speak the language, so only presumed to be XERTA, which has been logged around here in the recent past. Strong signal (David Hodgson, TN, July 6, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Sign-on time of 3290 varies widely; sometimes 2030, 2015, or today UT July at already on at 2000, just music, no ID heard (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 2410, R Enga, 1044 Jul 14, Very nice signal strength, but poor audio level. Sounded like some kind of children's theatrical production, but mic placement/level was poor (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 4531.98/ 4536.41 Radio Cielo, Chiclayo, el departamento de Lambayeque. 2320 UT. After the Japanese DXer TIN visited Chiclayo in the beginning of this year I have noted Radio Cielo occasionally up to July 5 and July 10 operating respectively on 4531.98 and 4536.41 kHz. After a long time of listening at different frequencies I think the QTH of the station is Chiclayo. I read with a big laugh what TIN writes --- this pirate is run by Sr. Cielo Salazar in Chiclayo who is both a radio technician and a policeman(!!). Thanks Takayuki! (See SWB 1479 via Takayuki Inoue Nozaki, Japan, DSWCI DX Window Feb 13 via DXLD). Now also Radio Santa Rosa has its own little QTH! 5122.17, Radio Santa Rosa, el distrito de Tabaconas, la provincia de San Ignacio, el departamento de Cajamarca. July 6 2002 - 2320 UT. I feel very satisfied and happy when I finally after more than a month of listening managed to catch a QTH for this "Radio Santa Rosa" with unknown QTH --- logged for the first time May 28 and was listed in SWB 1486. Even if you speak good Spanish it is often difficult to catch the QTH given by the DJ, this due to lousy signal, weak modulation, bad microphone, etc. I recommend everyone to visit "Ventanaperú" (see SWB 1459) --- you seldom need to go down to the level "caseríos"; mostly it is enough to go to "distritos" which can be found in this excellent site. To have the geographical names in front of you when you listen to the tape recording is of enormous help to get an ID. Gave the address: "Radio Santa Rosa, Avenida Huancabamba s/n, Tabaconas". (s/n means "sin número"/without number). 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. 9674.79, Radio Pacífico, Lima. July 2002 - 2200 UT. Two female DJs in the program "La voz de los chicos". ID: "Radio Pacífico, LV evangélica del pueblo peruano en su frecuencia de 640 AM". Gave telephone number as : 4 33 19 14. 73 from BM (Björn Malm) in Quito! bjornmalm@yahoo.es (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin July 14, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND [non]. Radio Maryja verifies my RR after 272 days with a full detailed QSL-letter, stationsinfo, card and sticker. v/s Malgorzata Zaniewska Radio Maryja, ul. Zwirki i Wigury 80, 87-100 Torun, Poland http://www.radiomaryja.pl e-mail: radio@radiomaryja.pl (Klaus-Peter Hilger, Germany, BC-DX Jul 14 via DXLD) freq time zones tx kW degr date 7380 1700-1830 28 ARM 250 290 010902-271002 S-02 7380 1830-2200 28 SAM 250 285 310302-271002 A-02 12010 1500-1700 27,28,37 SAM 240 285 010902-271002 S-02 12010 1500-1830 27,28,37 ARM 240 290 310302-010902 Z-02 15455 0500-0800 27,28,37 ARM 250 290 310302-271002 A-02 (hfcc via BC-DX via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Audio quality on new 300 kW Thales transmission. I managed to monitor 13640 (new 300 kW Thales unit of RDP) yesterday, and could rate that outlet at fine! audio, compared to rather disturbed audio fed on remaining RDP outlets on 12020, 17, and 21 MHz. Mon-Fri: 0500-0755 9840, 0800-1200 11960, 1600-1900 15525 Sat+Sun: 0700-1345 13640, 1400-2000 15555 (wb, df5sx, Wolfgang Bueschel, Stuttgart, BC-DX via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Glenn, I didn't see the results of the Tchaikovsky Competition last month, so I found this from the BBC website: Monday, 24 June, 2002, 16:55 GMT 17:55 UK ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Gala concert ends Tchaikovsky contest Russia's prestigious Tchaikovsky music competition finished on Sunday with a gala concert attended by President Vladimir Putin. The international contest, held every four years since its launch in 1958, featured 244 young musicians from 34 countries. Among the winners was Chinese violinist Chen Si, whose shoulder was injured by Moscow rioters after Russia's loss to Japan in the World Cup. The 9 June riot left two people dead and caused widespread damage to the centre of the Russian capital. Ayako Uehara of Japan took first prize in the piano category, and was praised by Russian conductor Mark Gorenshtein for her "feel for Russian music", Russia's ORT television reported. [end] I think that VoR has concluded their series on the competition Tues 0630 (Ivan Grishin, Ont., DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIERRA LEONE. 6137.8, UNAMSIL (presumed) 0535-0545 July 7. Just audible on signal peaks in severe atmospheric noise and fading. Heard light rock music, also male and female voices. I believe the male voice was that of the announcer. First time monitored here. Definitely there, but very difficult copy. SINPO 24222 on the peaks (Jim Evans, TN, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Received the following message from R Veritas. ***************************************************** Thanks for your email. Amazing that we can be heard even in India! We broadcast on shortwave on the 41 metre band (7.24 MHz) from 12h00 - 13h00 and then on the 90 metre band (3.28 MHz) from 18h00 - 21h00. This is local time. I don't know what it would be in your time zone. Do you hear us clearly? We are a Catholic radio station and broadcast the mass at 12h00. In the evening we have a youth programme from 18h00 - 18h30; and news programme from 18h30 - 19h30 - national, international and Catholic news from Vatican radio and then from 19h30 to 21h00 I usually interview a bishop or church leader or leader of another faith community. So ours is a mere four hours at present until we can afford more. On Wednesday evening we have an apologetics programme where we answer questions of callers about the Catholic faith. On Saturdays we have a kiddies programme and a half hour programme by the Lebanese community. So it all variety and we are trying to play our part as Catholics in the re-construction and development of our country as seen through our Catholic perspective. Hope this is helpful. I wish you many hours of listening and hope you receive us clearly to some extent. Yours sincerely, Fr Emil Emil Blaser OP, PO Box 134, 2110 Mondeor (011) 680-4611 residence (011) 433-0913 fax residence (011) 624-2516/7 Radio Veritas (011) 614-7711 fax Radio Veritas 083 325-1719 eblaser@iafrica.com ************************************************************ Regards, (via Swopan Chakroborty (Mr) 2/171/B Sree Colony P.O. Regent Estate Kolkata - 700 092 (Calcutta) India Dial : +91 33 4141222 Email : swopan@vsnl.net July 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 9970, Radio Sri Lanka, 0034-0058 Jul 8, male announcer with English talk, TC and ID ("7 past 6 … You are listening to Radio Sri Lanka"), followed by a program of greetings and musical requests. Fair to good with \\ 15425 poor to fair (Rich D'Angelo, PA, NASWA Flashsheet via DXLD) That would be a new frequency; unusual for them to be so out of band (gh) ** U K [non]. Laser tests on 5935: the signal is reasonable now (1800 UT) but up till 1730 it had suffered severe splatter ex 5930, rendering it virtually useless on an ` ordinary` receiver... (``jrservs``, BDXC-UK Jul 13 via DXLD) I have constant music here now at 1900 UT with the occasional Caroline Loving Awareness jingle. The Dutch transmitter on 5930 is not on air at present. Regards (Andy Cadier, Nr Dover UK, ibid.) Excellent signal on clear channel here. Note the website is now confirming the broadcasts are coming from the 100kw transmitter at Ulbroka in Latvia (Mike Barraclough, UK, BDXC-UK, July 13 ``2:20 pm``) BROADCASTING ON 5935 KHZ SHORTWAVE News Update The Transmitter is currently ON-AIR and we will continue until 22h00 UTC this evening. There will be some breaks in transmission as the antenna and transmitter are adjusted. Don't forget you can participate and also submit your programme ideas by joining our discussion group. Click here to visit the laserradio discussion group The Laser Radio group is experimenting with high-powered shortwave transmissions beamed into the Uk and Europe. An hour-by-hour cross- country analysis of signal strength and viability with be conducted during all of our test broadcasts. The confirmed dates for our broadcasts on 5935 Khz are : Saturday July 13 - 14h00 UTC to 22h00 UTC Sunday July 14 - 14h00 UTC to 22h00 UTC Sunday July 21 - 14h00 UTC to 22h00 UTC Sunday July 28 - 14h00 UTC to 22h00 UTC If you can hear the broadcast please send a reception report. Your reception reports will help us decide whether to continue broadcasting beyond July on 5935 Khz. Our broadcasts on 5935 Khz originate from Ulbroka in the Republic of Latvia. This week`s tests are intended to include music from a number of different styles, and to spice things up rare jingles from Caroline and RNI will feature alongside short extracts of offshore programming. This is to set the tone for the future broadcasts. When regular operations commence, the plan is to provide a full 'anorak' service for 'radio and technology enthusiasts who love good music'. (from http://www.laserradio.net July 13 2053 UT via Mike Barraclough, Mike Terry, DXLD) LATVIA. 5935, Laser Radio, 1845 July 13, Excellent signal on clear channel with back to back music, Radio Caroline Loving Awareness jingle 1900. Last week`s test transmissions did not take place. Website http://www.laserradio.net gives this information on the test transmissions, nothing about sending dollars or euros for QSL cards now [as above, plus:]: Contact Us LaserRadio.net BCM Aquarius London WC1N 3XX England Text (SMS) Messages: +447904259243 Voicemail: 00447904259243; (within UK 07904259243) (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, July 13th) If you have a shortwave receiver give this a listen now as its a strong signal here in Bournemouth at 9.35 pm. Apparently it`s a 100kw transmitter at Ulbroka in Latvia. Now they are playing "The Loveship" track in full, well known of course to Caroline listeners as a jingle. I believe they are also playing the occasional Caroline Loving Awareness jingle. Now the "remember this golden classic" jingle followed by "Here it comes again" by the Fortunes. Now (9.38) Thunderclap Newman, it all good stuff... Anyone know their email address? Do they qsl? (Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Later: I wanted one but not for £2! From http://www.laserradio.net/qsl.htm QSL Card Reception Confirmation LaserRadio.net will acknowledge reception reports for our shortwave broadcasts with our special 'first year' QSL card. Only 2002 of these numbered QSL cards will be produced. We ask those requiring a LaserRadio.net QSL card to please make a contribution of £2 or 3 Euro or $3 toward the cost of preparing and posting requested QSL cards. Payment can be made by British Postal Orders or cash. LATVIA. 5935, Laser Hot Hits, 2120 July 13, presume the one with soft English pops, e.g. Mary Hopkins, Peter Sarstedt. ID after laser sound- effects as "5-5-8" at 2135. Poor-fair signal suffering QRM from Xizang (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I caught just a wee bit of audio between 2150 and 2200. Later a on a weaker signal seems to have replaced the other stronger one on 5935. in between 2150 and 2155 it seemed as though two guys were talking to each other, that was about it, right on the noise floor here. Might have been nice to be farther east this afternoon (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, via Mike Terry, DXLD) Had we already received a confirmation that the Laser Radio transmissions on 5935 originates from Latvia? If not, http://laserradio.net/ includes this statement now, alongside with an announcement of further transmissions for the next two Sundays, both 1400-2200. Right now Ulbroka comes in quite well on 5935 here. The modulation problems of the old Sneg rig were evidently fixed in the meantime, the audio is good and clean now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, 1852 GMT July 14, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, just monitored Laser Radio around 1940 UT, 5935 outlet like a 100 kW signal - S=9 +10 dB, equal to/from Rome (5970) and Prague (5930), but for example Rimavska 250 kW on 5920 is much stronger like S=9 +40 dB. Audio is/was much better[!] than any outlets heard before via Ulbroka transmitter (wb df5sx, Wolfgang Bueschel, July 14? BC-DX via DXLD) I assume it's Laser I'm hearing on 5935. I managed a very quick check today July 13 c1610 when the signal was S5 to 7 and have now tuned again at 1840 and find the signal is peaking to 9+20dB's with splash from equal level 5930. As yet, no annt has been heard - just continuous oldies. It's been a long time since last I heard Riga, but this is a very good signal if from there. The signal is very "Luxembourg" type with continuous 'fading' and distortion - and audio quality is also somewhat distorted as well. That could, I suppose, be due to the audio link or transmitter. ID heard at 1900 in a vocal version as Laser 558. I wonder what it's like north and south of my location? (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX, via DXLD) ** U S A. 13 x 2 = Bleah! I caught local WNET-TV PBS 13 fooling around with (I assume) their primary and auxiliary transmitters early Sunday morning around 4 am. They had both if them on at the same time creating a very odd beat. The beat between transmitters appeared to be varying in frequency. Also, the transmitters seemed to be upstaging one another in signal strength. One would be dominant, then the other would overtake the first. They were, of course, way out of time with each other creating complete crosshatches throughout. An interesting thing to witness. You would think that a station's main and aux would be extraordinarily close in frequency and stable. You would also think there would be a system in place to prevent more than one being on the air at once. Broadcast engineering has really changed its tone since I was a kid. It used to be so formal and by the book. Now it's a lot like listening to amateur radio on off hours where kooks are tuning up and experimenting on the air when no one is listening. There is an invention called a dummy load. It's supposed to prevent dummies from getting on the air with their experiments, hence the name, right? On another note, the head of Sony Broadcast America, Ed Grebow, is said to be leaving Sony to head the broadcaster's consortium promoting the discovery of a new site for a master antenna for the NYC area. Why someone in this important position would want to take on such a challenging and potentially thankless job is a mystery to me. Ed has also worked for CBS and Chyron Corporation (the character generator people). The two sites now being proposed are Governor's Island and a site in (I think) Jersey City, NJ. It seems no one wants any part of the new tower structure. NYC mayor Bloomberg has nixed every concept so far. The only HDTV presence noted here are Fox on 44 and CBS on 56. The PBS 61 outlet barely makes it to my office about 25 blocks from the transmitter site. LOL. I recently saw a demo of a DirecTV feed of HDNet in a store. When motion artifacts are apparent in high definition, noise reduction becomes a very necessary ingredient. Nothing like very distinct blurry pixels. Boy, this technology still has a long long way to go. You simply need much more bandwidth or a very clever algorithm (or both) to make this fly right. I also found it ridiculous that HDNet fills large holes in their schedule with film to HD transfers of old TV shows like Hogan's Heroes. I really like NTSC more and more. It works and is relatively simple. CUAGN soon es 73 de (N2KZ, Karl Zuk, NY, July 14, WTFDA via DXLD) About a new master antenna site for NYC TV and FM, has anyone noticed that in public hearings and in the latest poll, 50% or more of the people feel the WTC towers should be rebuilt? I thought that was a dead subject but it still might happen. And there is also a proposal to build a new 110 (or so) story tower but it would be vacant from the 60th floor to the top!!!! I also understood the Mayor Bloomburg basically killed the Governor's Island tower site....raised enough questions about it to keep lawyers in court for 20 years if someone did want to go forward with it (Joe Fela, NJ, ibid.) ** U S A. KGO-AM 810 KHZ BATTLES SAME FREQUENCY WITH KTBI-AM The following was sent by a fellow SWL to: feedback@kgoam810.com : "On the evening of July 12, 2002, while driving from San Francisco back to Sacramento via Tracy and Stockton, I was listening to the Bernie Ward show but had much difficulty due to interference from a religious station in the state of Washington (KTBI). From Castro Valley through Pleasanton it was almost impossible to comfortably listen about 10:30pm to 11:00pm, PDT. As the KGO signal would take selective fades, KTBI would completely take over. When the KGO signal was good I could still hear KTBI underneath. This persisted all the way up Interstate 5 to Sacramento. Upon arriving at home at about 1am PDT the next morning, I tuned in KGO 810 on my Yaesu FRG-100 with a loop antenna. I was able to phase KGO out and the interfering station (KTBI) in. "The latest information indicates KTBI in Ephrata, WA., runs 50 kW daytime and 23 kW nighttime. In the recent past, they were 50 kW daytime only. It is obvious they are now on 24 hours. You can inform announcer Bill Wattenberg to no longer identify KGO as the 50,000 watt clear channel voice up and down the west coast so long as KTBI continues its nighttime operation." (-- Matthew, N4DLA/6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. AWR new listeners letter address for European branch (ex Forlì Italy branch), from July 15th. AWR hat eine neue Anschrift fuer die Hoererpost: Adventist World Radio 39 Brendon Street London, W1H 5HD England or e-mail: letters@awr.org (via Johannes Carl Zeller, A-DX July 8 via BC-DX via DXLD) Empfangsberichte und QSL-Anforderungen ueber den Kurzwellenempfang der Sendungen von Adventist World R (AWR) sind ab 15. Juli 2002 an die neue Adresse in England zu senden. In einer Uebergangszeit bis 31. Juli 2002 werden ueber die alte Adresse in Forli/Italien eingehende Empfangsberichte noch dort bearbeitet. Spaeter eingehende werden nachgesandt. Inhaltliche oder technische Anfragen zu den deutschsprachigen Sendungen sind jederzeit willkommen und sollten direkt an das Studio gesendet werden: STIMME DER HOFFNUNG Am Elfengrund 66 D-64297 Darmstadt Deutschland Telefon ++49 (0) 6151 95 44-65 Fax ++49 (0) 6151 53 933-65 E-Mail: dxer@stimme-der-hoffnung.de KW-Empfangsberichte, die auf dieser Adresse eingehen, werden umgehend an die zustaendige Stelle weitergeleitet. Die Rundfunksendungen der STIMME DER HOFFNUNG, dem deutschsprachigen Programmanbieter von AWR werden unveraendert ab 31. Maerz 2002 bis voraussichtlich 26. Oktober 2002 nach bereits veroeffentlichtem Sommerplan ueber Kurzwelle, Satelliten und auf Abruf im Internet ausgestrahlt: Kurzwelle Moosbrunn (Oesterreich): 0700-0730 UT, 7230 kHz 41 mb 300 kW non-dir 1500-1530 UT, 7165 kHz 41 mb 300 kW non-dir Internet: http://www.radio.stimme-der-hoffnung.de Empfang der Radioprogrme im Internet auf Abruf! Jederzeit kann das Programm des aktuellen Tages oder eines der 29 vorhergehenden Tage abgerufen werden. Format: RealPlayer. Lothar Klepp, Technischer Hoererservice, A-DX July 8. (via BC-DX July 15 via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. CLANDESTINE from RUSSIA to CAMBODIA. 15660, V. of Khmer Krom *1359-1459* July 9. M&W with talks, many mentions of Vietnam, more so than mentions of "Cambodia". Saw somewhere this was bcst in VT lang, but sounded more like Cambodian to me. Also, IDs seemed to be "Kampuchea Krom," rather than "Khmer Krom". Good signal at tune-in, but deteriorated somewhat after 1420 (John Wilkins, CO, Cumbre DX, via DXLD) It`s the other way round. It is not to Cambodia (and the Russian site is only incidental), but to ethnic Cambodians in southern Vietnam, and thus in Cambodian (gh, DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]/SPAIN. 7460, New e-mail address for RNS (Radio Nacional Saharaui): rasdradio@yahoo.es (Rudolf Sonntag, Germany, A-DX Jul 5 via BC-DX via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 5064.77 Unid LA. June 28 2002 - 2345 UTC. Only heard this date with ads for something in "Santa Clara". Close down 0015 UTC. Cuba? (Björn Malm, Quito, Ecuador, SW Bulletin July 14, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NASB PARTICIPATES IN HFCC CONFERENCE IN BONN [by] Jeff White --- Radio Miami International The Gaestehaus Petersberg, a stately mansion atop a hill overlooking the scenic Rhine River just south of Bonn, Germany, was the site of the A02 High Frequency Coordination Conference (HFCC) February 4-8, 2002, sponsored by Deutsche Telekom. The Petersburg is an official guest house of the government of Germany for visiting foreign dignitaries, and also serves as a commercial hotel. Past guests have included the likes of Leonid Brezhnev, Bill Clinton and in December of 2001, the delegates to the United Nations Conference on Afghanistan, where Hamid Karzai was chosen as the interim leader of the country. So it was appropriate that this international guest house was the venue for the semi-annual HFCC-ASBU Conference, where shortwave frequency planners from around the world gathered. (``ASBU`` indicates that it was a joint meeting with the Arab States Broadcasting Union.) In fact, this HFCC Conference had a record number of participants -- something like 135. Approximately 80% of the world`s shortwave frequency usage is planned at the HFCC, in this case for the period from March 31-October 26, 2002. This was my second opportunity to represent the NASB at the HFCC Conference, the first time having been in Montreal in August of 2001. Twice each year, for four-and-a-half days, the world`s HF frequency planners get together at the HFCC Conference to plan their frequencies and negotiate deals to avoid interference and chaos on the shortwave bands. This time, the task was even more monumental since the terrorist acts of Sept. 11th had sparked a sudden increase of approximately 25% in shortwave transmissions (particularly to Afghanistan and the southwest Asian region), and a corresponding increase in frequency usage. Each day of the conference, new lists were produced -- hundreds of pages long -- of station broadcast schedules and ``collision lists,`` the latter of which show co- and adjacent-channel frequency usage by two or more stations at the same time to the same target areas which could result in mutual interference. In addition to many hours of hovering over laptop computers and conversing with frequency managers of other stations, there were some interesting seminars presented at the HFCC Conference. For example, Norbert Schall of Deutsche Welle spoke about a relatively low-cost remote monitoring system he has developed, and Merlin Communications presented a prototype receiver to pick up DRM digital shortwave transmissions. The five-star Hotel Petersberg was nestled in the woods in a rather isolated location that was conducive to the business at hand. But a short taxi or shuttle bus ride took delegates to the nearby town of Konigswinter, where many conference participants in fact stayed in alternate hotels, and where many others went for dinner at picturesque small restaurants along the Rhine River which served excellent local and international cuisine at very reasonable prices. On the Wednesday night of the conference, host Deutsche Telekom took the entire delegation by bus to the beautiful city of Cologne, a half hour away, for a lavish buffet and musical entertainment in a typical German beer hall just a few steps away from the famous Cologne Cathedral, drenched in green floodlights that amplified its majesty against the cold night sky. In addition to myself, NASB member station WEWN sent Terry Borders and Dennis Dempsey to observe the frequency coordination process. Their frequency manager, Stanley Leinwoll, normally attends the HFCC conferences, but was unable to attend this time. Also NASB member station KTWR had a representative, Jeff Lecureux, who was very active in the coordination activities for his own station. The Adventist World Radio and Far East Broadcasting delegations looked out for their stations on U.S. territory as well as their overseas stations. George McClintock of WWCR in Tennessee also attended the conference. In his opening remarks, HFCC Chairman Oldrich Cip thanked the NASB for its continuing assistance in gathering frequency requirement data from some of the major Latin American shortwave stations. Tom Polzin and Tom Lucey of the FCC`s International Bureau were on the scene in Bonn. This was the first time the FCC has sent two delegates to an HFCC conference, and the Commission will likely only send one delegate to future conferences. HFCC Chairman Oldrich Cip asked Tom Polzin and myself to meet with him to discuss the NASB`s future participation in the HFCC and its conferences. I explained that while we find it very beneficial to attend these conferences, financial realities may prevent us from attending some meetings due to their distance and costs. (For example, the next two meetings will be in Bangkok and South Africa.) For this reason and others, I explained that we prefer to remain a part of the FCC delegation, rather than seek separate membership status in the HFCC. Tom Polzin said that he welcomes the NASB`s participation in the FCC delegation to assist him since we have more detailed knowledge of the individual member stations and their technical characteristics and needs. Also, Tom pointed out that the FCC`s budget is very changeable, and at any moment it could decide not to send any more delegates to the HFCC conferences. Therefore, he thinks it is very prudent for the FCC-licensed stations to familiarize themselves with the frequency coordination process and make contacts, so that they could take over their own frequency coordination at a moment`s notice if this were to become necessary at any point in the future. As a result of our meeting, Oldrich Cip agreed to approach the HFCC Steering Board about the possibility of granting pass codes to the frequency managers of all FCC-licensed shortwave stations which would give them access to the private area of the HFCC website where tentative frequency requirements are posted approximately three weeks prior to each seasonal meeting. This would permit stations to identify potential collisions and come up with possible solutions even before the HFCC conferences, thus making everyone`s jobs a little easier. The Steering Board later approved this measure, and it is hoped the new system can be implemented very soon. Our presence in Bonn enabled us to solve several scheduling problems involving the privately-owned U.S. shortwave stations. For example, we were able to notify Doug Garlinger of LeSEA Broadcasting about a potential collision involving KWHR, which fortunately did not seem to be a problem. Doug e-mailed us a list of schedule changes that he had originally submitted in December, but for some reason did not appear in the updated HFCC list. We gave these to Tom Polzin, who got them into a revised list. However, Tom noticed a problem with a change of azimuth from Africa to Europe, which produced a co-channel collision with Radio Portugal. I e-mailed Doug to see if he preferred to look for an alternate frequency for that transmission, or if he preferred to leave the azimuth toward Africa and thus avoid the collision. He chose the latter course, and a collision was avoided. We were also able to notify member stations WTJC and KNLS about collisions indicated on the HFCC lists. Hans Johnson, the frequency manager of WINB -- a non-member of NASB at that time -- had submitted their A02 schedule to us before the conference, and I found that their new requirements were not on the HFCC list. Again, the correct requirements were given to Tom Polzin, and the next day they were in the updated HFCC list. However, careful checking revealed four WINB listings with incorrect start and stop dates, plus an extraneous listing that would have made it appear that WINB was listing ``wooden transmitters.`` These errors were pointed out to Tom, and they were duly corrected in the following day`s update. As a result of the assistance we provided WINB, Hans Johnson indicated that the station had decided to become a member of NASB. For frequency planning purposes, Tom Polzin of the FCC`s International Bureau explained that the use of out-of-band frequencies by FCC licensees has to be approved by an interagency governmental body. He provided us with a list of pre-approved out-of-band frequencies which we were authorized to make available to legitimate frequency managers of any NASB member station. This list will save a lot of time and possible frustration for our members. Both Adventist World Radio and independent frequency manager Bernd Friedewald approached us in Bonn to offer surplus transmitting equipment to members of NASB who might be looking for shortwave transmitters, antennas, etc. I asked them to submit the details to us by e-mail for inclusion in the NASB Newsletter. We were also approached by Walter Brodowsky of Deutsche Telekom regarding an agreement to broker airtime on their large shortwave station in Julich, Germany. Deutsche Telekom will be preparing a draft agreement for NASB`s review. Even if NASB as an entity decides not to pursue this type of commercial activity, some of our member stations may find it an attractive opportunity. Thursday, February 7, was a local festival in the Cologne area called Weiberfastnacht (the day before Carnival). According to tradition, women take over the local government at 11 minutes past 11 a.m., and they are authorized to literally cut the ties off of any man who dares to wear this item of apparel on this day. In keeping with the tradition, HFCC Chairman Oldrich Cip was temporarily deposed at 11:11 a.m. and replaced by Teresa Beatriz Abreu of Radio Portugal, who skillfully wielded a pair of scissors and cut off Oldrich`s tie and those of a few others who did not heed the warning. At the end of the day, Teresa was thanked for her leadership and Oldrich was replaced as Chairman, just in time for the Plenary Session of the Conference. It was announced that the next HFCC Conference will be August 26-30, 2002 in Bangkok, Thailand, sponsored by Merlin Communications. July 19, 2002 is the deadline for submission of tentative requirements for the B02 broadcast season. HFCC delegates accepted the invitation of Rodgers Gamuti of Sentech to sponsor the February 2003 HFCC Conference in Sandton (near Johannesburg), South Africa. Independent frequency manager Ludo Maes of the well-known Transmitter Documentation Project (TDP) in Belgium was admitted as the newest member of the HFCC with a round of applause. And brief reports were presented by the heads of HFCC committees dealing with propagation and coordination software, a survey of antenna designs used by members worldwide, a monitoring group which will verify whether stations are actually on the air according to their coordinated schedules, and shortwave-related issues to be discussed at the 2003 World Administrative Radio Conference. Jan-Willem Drexhage of Radio Nederland explained a bit about Power Line Communications (PLC) -- a new system that will give very fast Internet connections to people in Europe, but will also interfere severely with shortwave listening. ``It`s very dangerous for our broadcasts,`` said Jan- Willem. (For more information on PLC, see the ``Projects/Links`` section of the HFCC web site: http://www.hfcc.org Finally, a few financial matters were discussed. The Bonn HFCC Conference wrapped up around mid-day on Friday, while many of the participants left throughout the day and on Saturday to return to their respective countries, in most cases much more confident about the clarity of their transmission schedules for the coming six months (July NASB Newsletter via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ANALYSIS: NET BALANCE Text of editorial analysis by Ian Piper and Martin Peters of BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit Free internet culture The Internet's free and open culture may be on the way out with the likes of FT.com and US-based search engine Alta Vista, Yahoo, CNN and numerous newspapers all charging users. Online versions of existing newspapers were among the first to offer content, free of charge, to web-literate readers. The theory was that advertising revenue would far outweigh the minimal cost of providing the online service. The reality was that while users were inevitably happy to make use of the facilities, advertising failed to meet even the most pessimistic forecasts, and the sites were run at a loss. The online properties were perceived as a threat to their conventional counterparts, because it was anticipated that readers would remain online, deserting printed versions. The providers hope the customers are now hooked on their services and information and that enough of them will pay to continue when charges are introduced. This may be a dangerous path, for internet trends have been difficult to predict. Another idea, already being trailed, is to require registration before access to the main area of the site is permitted. This information can then be supplied to potential advertisers, anxious to target consumers effectively. Research has shown that few subscribers are lost when required to register, with some even recognizing the advantages of being sent advertisements tailored to their interests and needs. That print sales are trailing off as a result of information being made available online has proved to be unfounded. According to a recent report by media consultants Borrell and Associates, 76 per cent of online readers either live outside the papers' markets or continue to subscribe to the printed version. In a similar vein, Atlanta-based CNN has begun charging online subscribers for video content. Meanwhile, search engine Alta Vista has discontinued its free e-mail service, citing "business refocusing" and returning to its roots as a comprehensive search engine. If the current trend continues, newspapers, among others, offering free content online will be remembered as part of the Internet revolution's "golden era". Number of online papers now stable The rapid increase in the number of online editions has stabilized, with only 50 new titles launching web sites over the last year, bringing the total to around 3,000. Most sites have enjoyed significant growth in terms of visitors, with Lidove noviny in the Czech Republic claiming a 228 per cent increase. However, advertising has not kept pace, with many entities declaring no change or even a downturn in on-line revenue. Many are now feeling vulnerable, the World Association of Newspapers reported in May. In their report, Borrell and Associates believe the trend towards charging is a mistake in the long term. Only a handful of newspapers charge for their daily content, but up to 350 others are known to be considering such a move. Their report suggests rather than simply charge for hitherto free content, newspapers should create a value-added area within their web sites. Customized newsletters and archive material, both unavailable in the printed version, are two obvious areas deserving investigation. The BBC has announced that it is planning to allocate 10 per cent of its total budget to web site development by 2006. Along with many other international broadcasters, the BBC sees the Internet as playing a significant part in the future of programme and information delivery and is budgeting heavily for the continued development and exploitation of the net. While publicly funded organizations continue to provide free internet services, there is an underlying trend within the private sector to start making users pay for value-added services which were previously enjoyed for free. \ \ US online news consumption constant In the United States, online news consumption has remained constant, according to the Editor and Publisher web site. The biennial media survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre for People and the Press in Washington DC revealed that even though the Internet made universal access to news possible, the only people using the new media for news were those who had previously consumed old media. The Internet, the reports says, has not been able to live up to its expectations of becoming the dominant source of news media. The survey showed that 25 per cent of Americans seek online news three times a week, a figure just 2 per cent more than two years ago. Online spending and surfing in the US also remained flat for the week ending 30 June 2002. \ \ Japanese net growth continues Japan, the world's third largest economy, is experiencing a protracted recession. Its internet market continues to defy the country's general economic trends by maintaining growth, the Cisco IQ web site reported. Net sites are starting to take steps to protect their products and information by restricting external links to their sites. \ \ Links limited A Danish web site called Newsbooster was this week ordered to stop linking to 20 Danish newspapers without permission. The court ruled that the site was a competitor to the other newspapers and by linking to them they were compromising the value of the newspaper's advertisements, USA Today reported. Newsbooster is a paid subscription service which allows users to search for topics and receive lists of relevant news items via the web or e-mail. Newsbooster said it still had links to 4,480 international newspapers and thus far had received no complaints from those foreign publications. It seems that future internet development decisions will have to be based on sound audience research and customer information, not on marketing guesses or rumours. There is a real need for accurate data on which investment and development decisions can be based. Companies need hard facts and evidence. \ \ Standardized internet ratings - NZ-only An industry group representing many of New Zealand's major internet publishers, advertisers and advertising agencies recently announced a preferred supplier to deliver standardized internet ratings and audience measurement figures to the New Zealand online and advertising industries. The new standard incorporates web site traffic and audience measurement with demographic information on New Zealand net users. It will give web site owners and advertisers the ability to accurately compare one online property with another, as well as an understanding of the differences in demographic profiles between sites, the IDG.net.nz web site reported. \ \ Cyber-crime Another problem which existed before the modern Internet was even invented is the ever present threat of cyber crime and security breaches. Such issues undoubtedly put many users and potential customers off paying for services online. Online security breaches are on the increase, and this is highlighted by a recent report by the internet security company Riptech. Internet attacks against public and private organizations rose by 28 per cent in the first six months of 2002. The study tracked net-security breaches at more than 400 organizations and found evidence of over 180,000 successful internet attacks from January to June 2002. This compares with 160,000 Internet attacks during the period July to December 2001, NUA surveys of Dublin reported. Source: BBC Monitoring research 10 Jul 02 (via DXLD) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECEIVER TIPS +++++++++++++ "ALIGNING PHILCO RECEIVERS", "CHANGE OF I.F. PEAK" by John F. Rider, published in 1937 Here is a question for those of you who like to do historical research, or who just like pursuing trivia. I have a book entitled "Aligning Philco Receivers" by John F. Rider, published in 1937. It contains an interesting section, "Change of I.F. Peak". "In certain localities it has been found advisable to align two and three-gang Philco receivers at some i-f. peak other than the one for which they were designed, i.e. 470 k.c. This change has been found necessary because of certain types of interference peculiar to these localities, among which are Portland, Maine; Miami, Florida; New Haven, Connecticut; San Diego, California; the northern one third of Long Island; Newark; and Southern New Jersey. When interference is experienced in any of these places, it is advisable to realign the i-f. amplifier at 456 k.c., 465 k.c., or 480 k.c. The i-f. peak which is furthest away from the interference should be used. The wave trap should not be aligned at the i-f. peak, but preferably to give maximum attenuation of the interference." The implication is that there was a station that transmitted on 470 kHz in these areas. Does anyone know if there are stations operating on that frequency in those cities, or if there were stations operating back in the mid-1930s, and what they were used for? A book I have from the 1960s says the band was allocated to marine mobile telegraphy (I couldn't find a band assignment in any of my older books), and I have a recollection that there was a calling and emergency frequency in that band (500 kHz?). But I also recall that the requirement to monitor that frequency was dropped some years ago. I've never picked up much on LW, and can't tell if the band is still active. By the way, not all receivers had a 470 kHz IF: many had a 460 kHz IF instead, and there were some at 260 kHz and 175 kHz. I think it's interesting that none worked at 455 kHz. I don't think I've ever had or serviced a radio that had a problem picking up a spurious signal on it's IF frequency, but it's also possible that station assignments in that band avoid 455 kHz, now the most popular IF frequency in that general frequency range. Now that I think of it, it also isn't clear why manufacturers didn't choose something like 452.5 or 457.5 kHz so that the image would be separated by 905 or 915 kHz and therefore fall between channel assignments, at least in North America. For that matter, I've never seen an explanation of how 455 kHz came to be the de-facto standard, (as opposed to 460, 475, or some of the other frequencies that were used for a while) and I've been in this business / hobby for quite some time. But perhaps that should be a different topic. (B. Z. Lederman, lederman@encompasserve.org, rec.radio.shortwave via SW Bulletin July 14 via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-112, July 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. 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 #1139: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1139.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1139.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1139.html (ONDEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html WWCR BROADCASTS: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Mon 0000 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 WRN BROADCASTS: Rest of world Sat 0800, North America Sun 1400 ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN RADIO AND TV RECOVER FROM TALEBAN YEARS Afghan Radio and Television is beginning to restore equipment destroyed during the years of war and Taleban domination and has increased employment and broadcast time. The Afghan newspaper Payam-e Mojahid has interviewed radio and TV officials and provided details of transmitters, broadcasting times and resources. The following is an excerpt from the report, carried by the newspaper's web site on 4 July; subheadings inserted editorially It has been 62 years since the radio was established and 24 years since the basis was established for television. These two broadcasting foundations, in terms of their importance, have mostly played roles in the change of regimes. Because of their basic role, radio and television have mostly been involved with various events that have definitely left their mark on this organization. In a brief study we will look at the ups and downs that have been seen in radio and television broadcasting resources. The radio-television foundation basically consists of three major elements: Technical and policy cadres Studios Transmitters In the technical and policy department, because radio and TV are a centre for broadcasting important political events in the country, with the changes in regimes a number of individuals are fired from their jobs or because of their affiliation, or they feel events closing in on them and flee due to prosecution and investigation... With the takeover of the black and despicable Taleban regime in Kabul, once again this cultural site suffered irreparable damage. This period not only included the technical and policy cadres, but a large number of the nation's committed and specialist people were relieved of their work for various reasons. In addition, the door to Afghanistan Television became completely closed to women, while a large number of male staff also lost their jobs. According to one radio-administrative official, of 2,000 radio- television staff, only 270 remained. It is natural that these individuals, to carry on with their lives, went to various institutions, offices and NGOs, and now they are unwilling to return to radio-television with its limited resources and insignificant livelihood... Transmitters In the transmitters department: Radio-Television has a short-wave transmitter in the Yakatut region [eastern Kabul] and had a strong medium-wave transmitter in Pol-e Charkhi [south of Kabul], where the first transmitter was destroyed in the 1994 fighting. The Pol-e Charkhi transmitter was completely destroyed during bombing of the Taleban and Al-Qa'idah by international coalition forces. Likewise the sole television transmitter at Koh-e Asmai [central Kabul] was partly destroyed in 1994 during [former Prime Minister] Golboddin Hekmatyar's war against the Islamic government, and this transmitter was completely destroyed by a bomb dropped by international forces. Studios: Radio Afghanistan has a total of 17 studios for recording and broadcasting programmes, and this is done mostly with old and outmoded equipment. Likewise Afghanistan television has only production studio and two programme recording studios, whose equipment is also very old. It is worth mentioning that in the years 1981-1992] Radio-Television had 15 to 20 cameras for collecting external material and 70 vehicles, and now, of all those resources only seven cameras and six vehicles remain. Mir Amanollah Sharifi, chief of radio-television planning and foreign relations, said during a talk: The radio-television leadership council, in view of its important duty, has tried to improve the quality and quantity of the recreational, educational and news programming in this broadcasting foundation, whose work is monitored every minute and second by the officials and the people. Restoration work In the past radio and television staff had their own salaries and privileges and in the past this office paid commissions to writers. Despite the loss of all these assets, radio-television staff, with honesty and perseverance, are continuing with their work. They began the following activities eight months ago: -Installing and assembling an R-118 transmitter with 100 kilowatts of power on the Yakatut site, on 22 November 2001. -Installing the 10-watt television transmitter. -Installing and assembling a 50-kilowatt radio transmitter. -Installing a 200-kilowatt television transmitter, which will enable television broadcasts to reach up to 30 kilometres outside the city of Kabul. -Installing a 100-kilowatt electrical transformer for the Koh-e Asmai transmitters. -Equipping two radio studios with a new system with the help of the BBC. -Enlisting the aid of the nation of Denmark in starting a one-hour programme called "Good Morning Afghanistan". -Installing and assembling two FM transmitters on the radio-television site. -Installing and assembling six dish antennas ... in the provinces of Herat, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Konduz, Badakhshan and Balkh. -Of 20 television centres in the provinces, 12 have been activated through the efforts of television technical staff. Likewise, 16 radio centres in the provinces have been revived and rebuilt. -The aid of the High Commissioner for Refugees has been enlisted in the various provinces for the production, recording and broadcast of two half-hour programmes by educational radio-television. -The creation of 12 television centres in the various provinces for live broadcast of Afghanistan's Loya Jerga events [assembly held in June], with the aid of the nation of Japan. -It is worth mentioning that 1.1435 gigafghanis in cash has been deposited into the bank from broadcast, censorship, and equipment fees. Programme details Mr Sharifi added: Educational Radio-Television, with its 20 years of broadcasting experience, was active with an equipped organization and resources such as three vehicles, one motorcycle, nine cameras for gathering material, three studio cameras and a television studio with new equipment, two radio studios, 63 experienced staff who have been trained in various countries, along with the Radio-Television broadcasts, but all of this office's resources were destroyed by fighting to the west of Kabul, where the headquarters of Educational Radio-Television was located. It now has only three teams of radio reporters... Sharifi said: The general headquarters of Afghanistan Radio- Television, with 1,800 broadcast, technical, administrative and service staff, serves the people every day. Radio programmes begin at 5 a.m. each morning [0030 gmt] and continue until 8 a.m. [0330 gmt]. They resume at 5 p.m. [1230 gmt] and continue until 10 p.m. [1730 gmt]. It must be said that recently Radio Kabul has had daily FM programmes from 8 a.m. [0330 gmt] until 12:30 p.m. [0800 gmt]. Likewise, daily television programmes begin at 6 p.m. [1330 gmt] and continue until 10:30 p.m. [1800 gmt]. Mr Keshwari, chief of Radio-Television Transmitters, said concerning additional broadcasts: "Since we do not have any backup transmitters and the present transmitters are weak, we cannot increase the hours of television broadcasting." Source: Payam-e Mojahid web site, Parwan, in Dari 4 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) KABUL BROADCASTING CHIEF REFUSES TO GO Abdul Hafiz Mansur, the head of Kabul radio and television, rejected an order to vacate his office from Information and Culture Minister Rahim Makhdum, according to 2 July newspaper reports. Mansur is being dismissed because he imposed a ban on female singing on radio and television. "I didn't ban this," he said, according to "The Daily Telegraph," "but Islam bans this. This is a matter for the country's Supreme Court. We are an Islamic society." There also is speculation that Mansur played a major part in filing a blasphemy complaint against former Women's Affairs Minister Sima Samar. ("RFE/RL Iran Report," 8 July via RFE/RL Media Matters 12 July via DXLD) FORMER TV HEAD DEFENDS HIS RECORD AFTER DISMISSAL | Excerpt from report by Afghan newspaper Kabul Weekly on 11 July Dear readers of Kabul Weekly, In our previous edition of Kabul Weekly we published the news about the dismissal of Mr Abdol Hafez Mansur from the public presidency of radio and television. It was mentioned that the dismissal order for Mr Abdol Hafez Mansur was sent from the Ministry of Information and Culture. Below we publish Mr Abdol Hafez Mansur's answers to the charges given. Of course, the Kabul Weekly in its contacts with Dr Sayed Makhdum Rahin, minister of information and culture of the Islamic transitional government, has sought some information about it. Mr. Rahin said that the dismissal of any chairman, official person or a chief of an office is not an important issue to him, and he doesn't want to spend his time on these kinds of problems. [Presumably Mansur speaking] About women being a part of radio and television, I should say to you that after the expulsion of the Taleban from our Afghanistan, I myself started the first programme of television with women taking part and all the people of Kabul are witness to that. Now the radio and television station is staffed by 40 per cent women. It should be mentioned that in his last session Mr. Rahin, minister of information and culture, said to me that the make-up of television programmes is now defective. When I asked the minister in what way the television programmes are defective he said that women singers and their songs are not presented on television, which he regarded as defective. As regards presenting women's songs on television, I should say that our country is an Islamic country, in this case there are special sensitivities present, and there is no permission granted to the chairman of a radio and TV station to decide himself or herself about these kinds of things. This case should be presented to the council of clerics to decide on or the Supreme Court should itself decide about whether women's songs should be shown on television or not. In this case there is no special direction given that we are against that, but this issue of women singers being shown is just one, compared with the process of peace and stability in our country, and in this important case I have refrained from presenting women singers. However, women are together in other parts like preparing reports, doing interviews and in this place, our office, and they have equality with the men staff. And I should make this one basic point that there has been no discrimination in TV programmes as regards preparing reports, interviews and news. The equality of language is presented on TV in the traditional Sunni way, and all the people are witness to this. And one thing that they are insisting on but they don't specify but suggest it in some other way is that Afghanistan TV couldn't broadcast live the arrival of ex-King Mohammad Zaher Shah in Kabul and his speeches at the opening of the grand session of the Loya Jerga here in Kabul. And in this case I should say truthfully that when the former king arrived in Kabul I was not present here in Kabul and I was on an official trip to a foreign country. At the session of the Loya Jerga grand opening I myself was there as a people's deputy inside the big tent and the matter is that, as a responsible engineer of ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] said in a letter he sent that was distributed in all the media - and we have a copy of his letter present here in Bakhtar Information Agency and the Ministry of Information and Culture - there was a technical problem in the live broadcast of the speeches of the ex-king, Mr. Zaher Shah. There was no personal intention or threat. About the third question, working experience, I should say to you that 23 years work in information and offices is enough for any person to show the necessary experience that he needs. From being an official to being a news chief, and as a president of Bakhtar Information Agency and as president of Jamiat-e- Eslami 's [Islamic Society, party of former President Borhanoddin Rabbani] cultural committee and as an interim chairman of Ministry of Information and Culture, I served the people before the interim government was formed. And before taking up these posts I wrote many books one after another, and this shows that what they said about me was not true. I think that my dismissal had a personal motive and purpose, because I had some objections in some cases, for instance about recruitment and the special management hiring policy of Mr. Rahin, the minister of information and culture, from the time he started in that post. Because of this there has not been a good or great relationship between me and Mr Rahin. Mr. Rahin didn't have a proper distribution programme... Source: Kabul Weekly in Dari 11 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) US AGENCY TO PROVIDE AFGHANISTAN WITH FM RADIO STATIONS | Text of report by Afghan radio on 12 July A letter of understanding on bilateral cooperation was signed and the document exchanged between the Ministry of Information and Culture and the US (?HOB) international centre. The Bakhtar Information Agency reports that according to this letter of understanding HOB International Co will provide equipment for five FM radio [stations] to the Ministry of Information and Culture. The letter of understanding was signed by the deputy minister of the information and culture and official for publications, Abdol Hamid Mubaraz [phonetic], and the executive director of the American HOB international centre, Daniel Beslore and his advisor, David Kelley [both names phonetic]. A related source told the Bakhtar Information Agency that this is the start of cooperation of the US company with the Ministry of Information and Culture. According to the American HOB international centre's representatives, they will connect Afghanistan with a satellite. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Pashto 1500 gmt 12 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) HOB?? ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3850, Papua New Guinea, Radio Independent Makumui (tentative) 0957-1040 July 12, Weak, but definite broadcast station audible with speech and music around 1030 peak. Impossible to pull an ID with S9 static crashes, but considering the political context, not to mention only reportedly running 80 watts transmitter output, I thought it was worth a mention that I did hear something on the channel here in TN. Again, only a very tentative logging (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 2471 kHz, 0040 12/07/02, Radio Cacique, Sorocaba, SP, transmitindo programa da radio Cacique AM- música sertaneja atendendo ouvintes pelo telefone (Tonico e Tinoco). "Você está com Ödilo Pinheiro? "A música raiz em seu rádio". Às 0104 inicia-se programa da Igreja da Graça em Seu Lar com Pastor Marcos. SINPO 32232 (Júlio Baldim, Salto, SP, Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) Também ouvido aqui em Curitiba, usando um R75 e um T2FD de 15m. 2470.9 kHz, 2320 UT, Rádio Cacique from Sorocaba, SP. Mentioning results of local sports clubs, followed by some music. ID "Radio Cacique" and station jingle at 2335, SINPO 25232. At 0314 UT the signal had improved a lot and R. Cacique was heard with music, SINPO 33443. (Rik van Riel, Jul 11 2002, ibid.) 2460 kHz, 0045 12/07/02, Radio Novo Tempo. Música evangélica, dando endereços do Rio de Janeiro. Neste caso, creio tratar-se das chamadas "redes", pois não identifica a emissora. Não sei se trata de algum harmónico? SINPO 43333. Receptor Kenwood R-5000 e Antena LW 33 m (Júlio Baldim, Salto, SP, Brasil, radioescutas via DXLD) Ouvi por aqui também nos 2460 R. Novo Tempo; pensei também em harmónico, que é o mais provável. O mais próximo que achei foi a Rádio Novo Tempo de Nova Odessa SP, perto de Salto e São Carlos, que transmite em 830 kHz, mas a divisão dos 2460 por 3 é 820, mesmo assim acho que é esta emissora. Um abraço (Samuel Cássio Martins, São Carlos SP, ibid.) ** CANADA. CBC weekend previews include: OFF THE CUFF: Jazz legend Rob McConnell describes his battle with Canada Customs for possession of his Grammy award. Rebel poet Christian Bok who invents Star Trek languages in his spare time, reveals his most embarrassing childhood nickname. And a cautionary tale from pop star Martina Sorbara - on wearing tube tops in public spaces. That's Off the Cuff, Saturday at 11:28 (11:58 NT) on CBC Radio One. On CBC North Quebec 1528 UT Saturday on 9625 kHz. THE BEST OF QUIRKS AND QUARKS: Next Stop: the Millionth Floor - Riding an elevator to space. Imagine an elevator 36,000 km high. Thanks to new super strong materials, it could become a reality. Also, drinking water off a beetle's back. That's The Best of Quirks and Quarks, Saturday afternoon at 12:06 (12:36 NT) on CBC Radio One. Saturday 1506-1559 UT on 9515, 13655, 17800 to the USA and Caribbean. On CBC North Quebec after the news at 1600 Saturday on 9625. Saturday 2300-2359 on 6175, 9590, 13670, 17695 to the USA. Sunday 0000-0057 to SE Asia and China on 11895 via Xian, China and 9640 via Kimje, South Korea. Monday 1200-1259 on 9660 and 15190 via Yamata, Japan. Monday 1500-1557 to India on 15455 and 17720 via Xi`an, China (via Joe Buch, swprograms via DXLD) ** CANADA. Re DXLD 2-111: ``620, CKCM Regina, SK local programmes 0900-2030, v/s Richard King ckxgmusic@kixx.ca (MR)`` This is of course not correct - should be Grand Falls NF. I received the note without city/province and added the wrong details. Sorry for that (Olle Alm, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. RSF "CONCERNED" ABOUT THREATS TO MEDIA | Text of press release in English by Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) on 10 July Reporters Without Borders [RSF, Reporters Sans Frontières] has expressed concern after a number of newspapers published in Santander department (north-eastern Colombia), were threatened by United Self- Defence Forces of Colombia (Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC) paramilitaries on 8 July 2002. "It is time that the armed groups stop viewing journalists as targets and controlling information as an acceptable tactic," stated Robert Menard, the organisation's secretary-general, in a letter to AUC leader Carlos Castaño. Reporters Without Borders asked Interior Minister Armando Estrada Villa to use all means at his disposal to protect journalists. "It is essential that the authorities contact the media outlets that have been targeted, to prevent these threats from turning into assassinations," added Menard. In addition, Reporters Without Borders expressed concern over the 8 July kidnapping of four employees of the RCN Radio and Radio Caracol stations, allegedly carried out by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) guerrillas. The organization urged the FARC to free the four individuals and promise to respect Article 3 of the Geneva Convention, which protects "persons taking no active part in the hostilities". Since 1995, the guerrillas have kidnapped approximately 50 journalists, mostly to demand that certain information is distributed in exchange for the hostages' release. Journalists have become military targets in the armed conflict between the AUC and the guerrillas of the FARC (Marxists) and the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN - supporters of Ché Guevara's philosophy). Castaño (AUC), Manuel Marulanda (FARC) and Nicolás Rodríguez Bautista (ELN) are included on Reporters Without Borders' list of the 38 most dangerous press freedom predators in the world. Colombia is the most dangerous country on the continent for information professionals, 40 of whom have been killed since 1991. According to information collected by Reporters Without Borders, in an interview which appeared in the 8 July edition of the daily Vanguardia Liberal, Commander "Alex", of the AUC central block, stated : "Either [the press] stops toying with the community's pain, or we will find ourselves in the unfortunate position of having to execute someone, so that they understand the people's pain." According to "Alex", the threats stem from the "sensationalistic" way in which local media report on the Barrancabermeja port. The oil-producing region is disputed territory between the AUC and the guerrillas. During a press conference, representatives of five newspapers published in Santander department, including the weeklies La Noticia, La Tarde, La Portada, El Vocero and the daily Vanguardia Liberal, condemned the threats and urged the authorities to provide them with security and ensure that their right to inform is upheld. Moreover, according to the information collected by Reporters Without Borders, Luís Eduardo Perdomo and José Rodríguez, a driver and technician for RCN Radio, respectively, along with Óscar González and Elio Fabio Giraldo, a technician and driver for Radio Caracol, respectively, were kidnapped on 8 July presumably by FARC members. The incident occurred while they were reporting on the national long- distance bicycle race, in Tolima department (central Colombia). RCN Radio engineer Valdemar Campos confirmed that one of the technicians called him from a cellular phone to tell him that the four were being held by the guerrillas, who would likely let them go and keep the stations' equipment and vehicles. The kidnappers asked for a sum of money in exchange for the confiscated material. Reporters Without Borders spoke with the two radio stations and was told that, as of 9 July, the four individuals were still being detained. In a joint press release, RCN Radio and Radio Caracol asked for their employees' release, "in the name of freedom of statement and information," and "so that they can continue to work for Colombian sports." Source: Reporters Sans Frontieres press release, Paris, in English 10 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CUBA. CAPACIDAD DE ESPIONAJE DE CUBA Posted on Wed, Jul. 10, 2002 [por] MANUEL CEREIJO Cuba tiene una capacidad de espionaje muy importante, que le fue suministrada por la antigua Unión Soviética, luego ya por Rusia, y en los últimos tres años por la República Popular China, RPC. Cuba tiene la capacidad para utilizar lo que se conoce en el mundo actual como humint, o espionaje humano; sigint, o inteligencia a través de satélites y telecomunicaciones; imint, o la capacidad para obtener imágenes, vistas, fotos, a través de satélites; y masint, que es la última tecnología, que le permite hacer un análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de los datos e informaciones obtenidos mediante sensores especiales instalados en satélites o vehículos terrestres. De acuerdo con fuentes de inteligencia de los Estados Unidos, las operaciones de inteligencia de Cuba contra los Estados Unidos han aumentado en cantidad y en sofisticación, y es muy probable que continúen en esta tendencia de crecimiento. Humint -- El caso más reciente e importante es el de la espía Ana Belén Montes, que era la más alta figura en el Departamento de Inteligencia del Departamento de Defensa, en lo relacionado con Cuba. Ana Belén Montes tenía acceso a las actividades más secretas de las operaciones y planes militares de los Estados Unidos, así como pudo lograr que se subestimara la capacidad de Cuba en las áreas de guerra asimétrica, tales como bioterrorismo y ciberterrorismo. También están, desde luego, los más de 10 espías capturados como parte de la Red Avispa. Sigint -- Cuba tiene uno de los programas más sofisticados de sigint del mundo. La mayor instalación para esto es la base de Bejucal, al sur de La Habana. Las instalaciones de sigint de Bejucal están entre las más importantes bases del mundo con el objetivo de espiar a los Estados Unidos. Esta base, a menos de 100 millas de Cayo Hueso, es una de las mayores y más sofisticadas del mundo. Le fue construida por Rusia a Cuba con un costo de 750 millones de dólares, en la misma trabajan cerca de 1,000 ingenieros y técnicos cubanos, y desde 1999 cuenta con la cooperación de personal militar de la RPC. Desde esta base se interceptan transmisiones de microondas de los Estados Unidos, comunicaciones de los satélites a tierra, y una gama de transmisiones de alta frecuencia de radio. Puede escuchar y monitorear las comunicaciones de los satélites norteamericanos de órbita fija. Esta base puede también escuchar las comunicaciones de Cabo Cañaveral, así como telecomunicaciones financieras. Existen facilidades especiales (masint) para el análisis e interpretación de estas comunicaciones. Cuba usaba satélites rusos para estas operaciones. Desde 1999 utiliza satélites de la República Popular China, país que ha puesto en órbita más de 20 satélites desde enero del 2000. Imint -- Cuba usa actualmente satélites de la RPC para sistemas de imágenes y fotos. Tienen una resolución de un tercio de metro. Estos satélites tienen un sistema muy sofisticado de sensores óptico- eléctricos. Tienen la capacidad de imágenes instantáneas. Masint -- Cuba, desde 1999, con la ayuda de la RPC, tiene la capacidad para analizar información mediante esta última tecnología, incluyendo métodos infrarrojos y de radar. [el autor es?:] Ingeniero y profesor universitario cubanoamericano. © El Nuevo Herald (via Oscar, Miami, DXLD) What is the derivation of `masint`? The others are obvious in either language. So now we know the accentuation of Ana Belén Montes (gh, DXLD) ** EL SALVADOR. At this moment (2230 UT [presumably July 11]) the ch 4 building in San Salvador, is on fire; from my office window I can see the smoke. Looks like almost all the building is on fire; no human victims are reported. On the TV sets just the color bars are on ch 4, generated from the transmitter site on San Salvador volcano. The building is located at south of the city next to the campus of my University (Humberto Molina, San Salvador, El Salvador, July 12, WTFDA via DXLD) http://www.geocities.com/hmolina.geo Esto en lo que aparece de última hora en http://www.elsalvador.com INCENDIO EN CANAL 4 DE TELEVISIÓN SAN SALVADOR / elsalvador.com Hora de actualización: 5:20 p.m. (23:20 UT) Un incendio de enormes proporciones sigue consumiendo las nuevas instalaciones del Canal 4 de televisión, ubicado al final de la Autopista Sur y bulevar Los Próceres de esta capital. No hay víctimas, solamente pérdidas materiales cuantiosas. El siniestro se ha extendido a otros establecimientos contiguos al canal, donde también funcionaba el informativo TCS noticias. La Cruz Verde Salvadoreña ha informado que el incendio se originó en las oficinas del noticiero Cuatro Visión. El Cuerpo de Bomberos trabaja con varias unidades, pero todavía no ha logrado controlar el fuego en el edificio de la televisora que forma parte de la Telecorporación Salvadoreña (TCS) Los cuerpos de socorro confirman que dos empleadas de la televisora han sido atendidas, una por intoxicación y otra por neurosis. Representantes del Canal 4 afirman que hoy mismo reiniciarán la señal (via Molina, ibid., ``8:21 pm`` July 11 via DXLD) ** INDIA. PUMP UP THE VOLUME! INDIANS SWING TO RADIO Wed Jul 10, 12:44 PM ET, By Rosemary Arackaparambil http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020710/lf_nm/leisure_india_radio_dc_1 BOMBAY, India (Reuters) - "I'm turned on, are you?" The sticker in the back of a car stuck in a Bombay traffic jam advertises a commercial radio station. The driver shakes his head in time to the music coming from his radio. Radio is not a novelty in India -- the sobering state-run All India Radio has been around for nearly seven decades. But lively, attention- grabbing radio is new. India auctioned off FM radio licenses for 37 stations in 19 cities two years ago and the commercial stations are grabbing audiences and making broadcasters lick their lips in anticipation of growing advertising revenues. In the last few months, four private FM stations began broadcasting in Bombay, India's financial capital, providing a medium for people to request songs, pass endearing messages to sweethearts and express opinions about society and life. Private FM radio is also on the air in Bangalore, Lucknow and Ahmedabad, and more cities are waiting to go live. "I've stopped listening to my CDs and cassettes over the past few months ... It's an automatic reflex to switch on the radio these days," said Rajini Nair, who tunes in for about three hours daily at home or while driving to and from work in Bangalore. Sales of FM radios in urban areas rose 11 percent in January-April, market researcher ORG-GFK said. Sales growth is believed to be higher because the data don't account for hot-selling pocket radios costing less than $2. Until recently, the only radio choice was the 209 stations operated by All India Radio. By contrast there are an estimated 14,000 radio stations in the United States and 1,000 in Italy. India is not expected to match the U.S. any time soon, but with privatization the amount of time spent listening to the radio could rise from a countrywide average of about 30 minutes a day to nearer the world average of three hours a day. THEY'RE PLAYING OUR SONG All India Radio reaches practically the whole nation, but its hold on urban listeners lasted only as long as they had no other option to its generally staid programming. Until cable television arrived about 10 years ago, city dwellers tuned in to All India Radio's commercial station Vividh Bharti, mainly to listen to its impressive collection of Hindi film music. Once satellite TV beamed from overseas were available, Indians turned off the radio and tuned into the likes of cable music channel MTV. Indians have access to more than 100 TV channels because that industry, unlike radio, is unregulated. Now private FM radio channels compete for attention, mainly by broadcasting Hindi film music and Western and Indian pop music. Enthusiastic young disc jockeys host the shows peppered with small talk, traffic and weather updates. However, political news and current affairs are not allowed on private FM stations. ADVERTISING VEHICLE Radio in India attracts 2-2.5 percent of total advertising spending, much less than 14-15 percent in neighboring Sri Lanka and 12-13 percent in the United States. Radio industry revenue could more than double in the next five years, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimates. Advertisers are attracted by captive audiences like the rising number of Indians who drive to and from work in cities, said Andrey Purushottam, head of ad agency Starcom Worldwide. Auto sales have surged 54 percent in the past five years, largely due to an increasing number of well-paid young professionals. But broadcasters are worried hefty license fees could stifle growth and expansion. After an initial fee for a license, FM stations must pay the government 15 percent more each year for 10 years on a compounded basis. "I don't see radio stations paying that kind of fee will be able to make much money over 10 years," John Catlett, chief executive of Radio City, said. "It is our intention to continue, but our interest in the medium and the industry will slacken if there is no change in the license fee structure over the next year or so." Catlett is in favor of making the fees proportional to the population of the city served, like in the United Kingdom. "People like us who can run the last mile can wait for 3-4 years to break even," said a spokesman for Radio Mirchi, which is backed by the Bennett, Coleman & Co media group. "But unless you have deep pockets, it will be tough." (via Artie Bigley, also via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE TV IS 40 From Waveguide Thursday July 11, 2002 It was 40 years ago today that the first trans-Atlantic television signal was relayed from the woods of Andover, Maine. The transmission was bounced off Telstar I and showed an American flag waving in front of the Andover Earth Station. The satellite was capable of relaying just one black and white television broadcast. That same day the first long-distance telephone call via satellite was carried by Telstar. During the call, then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson spoke to Fred Kappel, then-chairman of AT&T. President Dwight Eisenhower announced in 1960 that he had directed NASA to take the lead in devising the use of space technology for commercial communications. The 171-pound Telstar, which was 34 inches in diameter, was launched into orbit from Cape Canaveral on July 10, 1962. President Kennedy released a statement on July 11, 1962, calling Telstar's successful operation "an outstanding example of the way in which government and business can co-operate in a most important field of human endeavor." Telstar remained in orbit until February 1963. There are 260 active communications satellites today. On July 23, transmission via Telstar gave the world its first live intercontinental television programme (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Yes, I remember it well... (gh, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [and non]. UK SATELLITE PIONEERS REMEMBERED You are in: Sci/Tech Jane Wakefield, BBC News Online technology staff in Goonhilly Friday, 12 July, 2002, 07:45 GMT 08:45 UK Communications have come a long way since 1962 when the first live television satellite signal winged its way across the Atlantic to BT's Goonhilly Earth Station, in Cornwall, UK. Forty years on, the three Earth Stations involved in that pioneering test, at Andover in the USA, Pleumeur Bodou in France and Goonhilly, linked up live once again. Live TV footage of the World Cup and other events is now taken for granted. But a revolutionary step forward was taken on a hot summer night on 11 July 1962, as the face of AT&T's then-chairman Fred Kappel was broadcast across the Atlantic. At Goonhilly on the Lizard Peninsula, a satellite dish, affectionately nicknamed Arthur after the knight of the Round Table, received the historic image. British-designed Arthur weighed in at a bulky 1,118 tonnes and was 26 metres (85 feet) in diameter. It was unique at the time, being a dish antenna compared to the American-favoured horn- shaped antenna. Now, round satellite dishes are used all around the world. Walking a tightrope Dr John Bray was closely involved in the design of Arthur, officially known as Goonhilly Antenna One. Aged 90, he was back in the Cornish Earth Station 40 years later to celebrate the tremendous achievements he and his colleagues brought to the world of communication. He recollected the day the transmission went live as "like walking a tightrope" as no one was sure whether the test would work. In fact the reception on the first attempt was very fuzzy, leading some to speculate the dish was too heavy to accurately track the satellite. The problem actually turned out to be more mundane. One component was fitted the wrong way round and the problem was solved within 20 minutes. Despite the teething problems, it was a joy to be involved in such a project, recalled Dr Bray. "They were tremendously exciting times. There was a real spirit of camaraderie among those involved. We really did feel like pioneers," he said. Fiction becomes science The tests were made possible by the launch of Telstar One, the world's first commercial communication satellite, from Cape Canaveral the previous day. Its historic launch brought to reality the vision of science fiction writer Arthur C Clarke back in 1945 and proved such communication had a commercial future. The same day as the live link up, the world's first long-distance telephone call via satellite took place between US Vice President Lyndon B Johnson and AT&T's then chairman Fred Kappel. Telstar was a low-orbit satellite, between 950 and 5,630 kilometres (590 and 3,500 miles) above the Earth and only usable for three or four 40-minute periods in each 24 hours. During its seven months in orbit, Telstar delivered live pictures of baseball games, plays, news broadcasts and a US Presidential news conference. Telstar could transmit one television channel or 500 simultaneous telephone calls. Today's satellites can handle more than 500 television channels and thousands of data circuits. Its cost was $6m compared with the modern satellites, which cost in excess of $200m. International hub Goonhilly has grown to be the largest operational satellite station on Earth, with more than 60 antennae dealing with a wide range of transmissions. These include international phone calls, the transfer of financial data, television, ship and aircraft communications and internet traffic. Many of the transmissions during the Afghanistan conflict came via Goonhilly and it was also involved in the 11 September disaster, providing alternative routes for data when US communications were damaged. Goonhilly was chosen to house the satellite dish because the Lizard Peninsula offered an unimpaired view of the Atlantic horizon, giving the longest possible contact with low-orbiting satellites. The geology of the area also offers vital support for the massive weight of the antennae. The base is now a popular tourist attraction with 90,000 visitors touring the centre every year. Arthur remains fully operational and currently carries satellite communications to India and the Far East. Showing its true historic pedigree, the famous dish has just been recommended to English Heritage for Grade II listed building status (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Should have been named for Arthur C. Clarke!!! (gh, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. SATELLITE RADIO COMPANIES GO HEAD-TO-HEAD IN A STILL UNDEFINED NATIONAL MARKET By Ron Harris Associated Press Writer Published: Jul 12, 2002 SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - On desolate stretches of Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, country music is about the only thing on the radio. Nothing against country music, folks, but choice can be a good thing. Now, the fledgling satellite radio market offers that choice. The only two companies in the game - XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio - officially began battling head-to-head for the market July 1 as Sirius finally caught up with XM and launched nationally. XM's service ($9.99 per month) has been available nationally for eight months. Sirius' more recent launch ($12.95 per month) has created more noise about this new market, which the companies say should serve both well. The main work left for both is to fine-tune relations with auto manufacturers and car stereo makers to get the special satellite receivers and antenna kits, which start at about $250, onto American dashboards. Consumers should anticipate a brief primer on satellite radio the next time they go shopping for a car costing more than $30,000. Some less expensive new cars also will also offer the option. For those new to the technology, satellite radio transmissions differ from those of AM and FM radio, which is sent from earthbound towers directly to a car stereo. Instead, prerecorded music is broadcast from digital studios at XM and Sirius to separate satellites owned by each company. The satellites bounce the signal back to earth, directly to your car stereo system and to repeaters that boost it in areas with obstructions. So far, radios on the U.S. market receive satellite signals from either XM or Sirius, not both. Paying for radio might at one time have seemed unlikely. But XM's growth to 136,500 subscribers seems to show that folks will surrender cash for 100 discrete stations offering everything from jazz and classic rock to classical, reggae and news. "We have basically proven that people will pay for radio and that there's a real business here," said XM chief executive Hugh Panero. Sirius says 60,000 Sirius-equipped car stereos have reached the retail market, and both companies have persuaded car makers to install satellite radio in 2003 models. A selling point is the lack of AM and FM options in remote places where reception is poor. "I've driven through Indian reservations listening to Miles Davis on the jazz channel," said Jeff Stein, a screenwriter from Los Angeles who drives to Colorado for family visits. Sirius satellite radio now feeds certain car stereo models from Jensen, Kenwood, Clarion, Panasonic and Audiovox. Both companies prize the placement of their radios in cars before they're sold. Sirius has exclusive agreements with DaimlerChrysler, Ford and BMW. XM leans heavily on its relationship with General Motors. XM announced this month that GM will expand factory installations from two current Cadillac models to 23 other 2003 GM models. Sirius is commercial-free on its 60 music channels but does have advertisements on its 40 news, sports and entertainment channels. XM has about three minutes of commercials per hour on 30 of its 70 music channels, and commercials throughout its news and sports channels. Chrysler Group will offer Sirius Satellite Radio as a dealer-installed option this fall on 16 vehicles including the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Buyers can include the radio's cost and monthly fees in the vehicle price and payment installments. Sirius chief executive Joseph Clayton expects his company to become profitable if it gets to 3 million subscribers by 2005. XM estimates it will reach profitability with about 4 million subscribers by late 2004 or early 2005. To realize such projections, each company will need a cash infusion in the coming months to keep the services alive. Sirius has $380 million in cash on hand to get it through to the end of the first quarter of 2003. XM has $320 million in cash to get it through to the same point next year. Yankee Group analysts predict solid growth for satellite radio over the next four years, reaching 15 million subscribers by 2006. That will mean a scramble for Sirius, which developed the technology first only to see XM beat it to market. Going commercial-free on its music channels helps set it apart, said Yankee analyst Ryan Jones. Both services offer good digital sound quality and channel selection, and Jones doesn't figure XM will lose much business by having more commercials. AP-ES-07-12-02 1543EDT (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. Next weekend, the USS Salem Radio Club, K1USN, is running the annual Worldwide Museum Ships Weekend from zero UT on Saturday the 20th until 2400 on Sunday the 21st. Full details are available from Bob, W1QWT, by e-mail to w1qwt@arrl.net or via http://www.qsl.net/k1usn/event.html (from the RSGB website via Mike Terry, July 12, DXLD) ** IRAQ. Hi Glenn, As 'Murphy's Law' would have it, this additional fax concerning Iraq has been received from friend Ray Merrall this morning (re DXLD 2-110, 2-111) Iraq heard on 11787 and 9685.0 at tune in 1604 on July 11. Neither signal was particularly strong initially, but the audio was noticeably better than hitherto, and marred mainly by the usual rectifier hum. Several IDs as Mother of Battles Radio throughout the mixed programme up to a full ID and news bulletin (OM reader) at 1738. At 1730, CRI sign-on on 9685 didn`t quite flatten the strong Baghdad signal, which remained 'readable' under the S8 Chinese. Both Arabic signals rated up to SIO 432 at their best. Usual ME vocals with repetitive chorus and percussion plus strings and woodwind backing continued. I tuned out between 1800 and 1850, and resumed just in time to catch the end of a music bridge and into a long audio break (except for the hum) on both carriers, until Radio Iraq International in English - at least, I thought it was English - the distortion was almost total - was announced on both channels. At 1930, the 9 MHz channel seemed to lose audio and only the hum/carrier could be detected until I lost it in the increasing clutter, before CRI arrived again at 2000. By this time, the 11 MHz signal was down in the terrible clutter - the VOA plus jammer on 11785 splashing. And on July 12 on 11787 at 0822 to 0827 a very weak Holy Qur`an signal followed by assorted spoken intervals between Koranic recital up to (current) 0904. Almost certainly Iraq on a quite quiet noise background; there is an entirely separate carrier plus audio on 11785 in definite // to a much more distorted signal on 12050 - Cairo. So there is hope for Christopher yet! (Ray Merrall, UK, via Noel Green, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. 'CHAI TV' TO REACH EUROPE AND US [BY?] DAN GERSTENFELD Jul. 12, 2002 A group of French Jewish investors is in the process of creating a new TV station which will broadcast Jewish and Israeli related content in French and English to viewers throughout Europe and the US, Edouard Cukierman, chairman of investment house Cukierman & Co., which is raising the money for the project, told The Jerusalem Post. The new station, Chai TV, is expected to start broadcasting as soon as November, and be fully operational by 2003. Organizers estimate they will reach some 400,000 households in Europe in the first stage. Cukierman said some wealthy individuals have already invested close $1m. in the project, enough to cover initial expanses, and has received commitment for further investments. He said the group intends to raise some $7m.-$8m. in the next three months, which will allow them to start broadcasting right away. Total investment in the project is expected to reach $20m.... http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/PrinterFull&cid=1025787767885 (via Daniel Rosenzweig, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION TO CLOSE SPRING 2003 [By?] Tovah Lazaroff Jul. 12, 2002 Education Minister Limor Livnat plans to close the educational television station within nine to ten months and to replace it with a television production center which will create educational programs to be shown on other stations.... http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/PrinterFull&cid=1025787768089 (via Daniel Rosenzweig, DXLD) ** ISRAEL. ARAB WORLD/ISRAEL: DAILY SAYS ISRAELI ARABIC SATELLITE TV CHANNEL WILL FAIL | Text of report by London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat on 9 July The most recent of the latest Israeli incursions has not shaken the Arab side, which has appeared, in contrast to the usual reaction, less concerned than it has in the past. By the most recent incursion I mean the news that Israel has started to launch a channel in Arabic directed against its unique enemy, the Arab audience. The issue does not concern our audience much; in the war of words, unlike the military war, Israel did not, and will not, have much luck. The Israelis have said that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon personally is behind the project, and that the government immediately allocated 14m US dollars to launch "Channel 33," as they call it, to confront the army of Arab channels that are estimated to reach approximately 50 million Arabs in the region. We think that the channel will lose the battle, not because its budget is small - it is less than a quarter of the budget of the cheapest channel in the Arab market. It will lose because it will convey a losing message. Regardless of the number of Arabs Israel will recruit to its channel, it will not succeed in politically convincing any Arab, including those who are resentful of their regimes and those who are against the Palestinian leadership. Our problem with Israel is not merely a state policy; it is the conflict of a great nation over a grave issue. It cannot, for instance, be compared to the Arab problem with the United States. However angry the Arabs are with Washington, all along they have considered it capable of solving the tragedy. As for Israel, both the ordinary Arab and the Arab official consider it the root of an existing major tragedy before their eyes, and no TV station could remedy the story of 50 years of occupation, aggression and deliberate humiliation. The only solution that could change the Israeli image is the complete withdrawal and the independent Palestinian state; otherwise, the 14m US dollars will be a waste of money on a project that is doomed to fail. Even if Israel resorted to the most modern methods of production and marketing, its station would remain neglected, and I doubt that a single Arab member of the audience would change his opinion because of it. The rift between the Arabs and Israel is a natural result of a major crisis. It is bigger than the rift between the United States and Cuba, which is continuing although the cause of it has come to an end. The United States compels its citizens to smoke bad Haitian cigars and prohibits them from smoking luxury Cuban cigars. The luck of Israeli Channel 33 will not be any better than the luck of its Jerusalem Al-Quds Radio that tried to compete with the great radio stations with news of and commentaries about the region, but was not able to do so. If the Israelis think that there is a problem in conveying their viewpoint to Arabs because of the Arab media bias against and severe hatred of Israel, which are definitely true, then they are overlooking the fact that it is a state of war and the situation cannot be changed by a TV station. The occupation of land and the dispersal of all these millions of people are not a mere public relations problem that could be remedied by a media campaign; it needs a change in the policies of the pillars of the Israeli ruling class who still want to keep the West Bank, Gaza Strip and the love of the Arabs. Source: Al-Sharq al- Awsat, London, in Arabic 9 Jul 02 p 22 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LIBERIA. On the 21st of this month, I will be leaving for Liberia in West Africa. The purpose of this trip is to put an FM station on the air in the city of Monrovia. This city of over one million people needs a Christian radio station, and so as part of our overall ministry here at WJIE Shortwave, we are establishing 'The Voice of Liberty FM'. We are also laying the groundwork for a shortwave and a television station. We have been granted licenses for both in Liberia. Our plan is to use FM, TV and Shortwave to counteract the onslaught of Islam in Africa. Please pray for me. I have traveled to many places in the world, but none quite like Liberia. They have been through nearly a decade of war, which has severely crippled the infrastructure, and has created a massive sense of despair and lost. What an opportunity to present the Gospel! There are still pockets of conflict, and some denominations have restricted missionary access to the country. But we serve a mighty God who is able to protect, deliver and even multiply in the midst of war! Secondly, you are a receiving this email today, and I am asking you for a donation...but not of money. I am taking with me literally hundreds of hours of music and teaching to air on this new FM. I am in need of additional material. If you mail it today or tomorrow, I should receive it by next Saturday. Voice of Liberty WJIE SHORTWAVE PO Box 197309 Louisville, KY 40259 502-968-1220 Doc Burkhart: wjiesw@hotmail.com Morgan Freeman: morgan@wjie.org (WJIE newsletter July 12 via DXLD) So is Doc or Morgan the ``I`` who is going to Liberia? BTW, what about a SW transmitter for WJIE in KY? (gh, DXLD) ** LITHUANIA [and non]. Lithuania is engaged in a David and Goliath dispute with Russia about the right to broadcast on one of the few remaining clear channel mediumwave frequencies [1386] in Europe.... http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/features/html/conflict020712.html (Media Network July 12 via DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. Hello, here two short records of RTL-Radio on 6090 since you had no chance to hear it. The one labelled as 1600 UT actually contains the moment a few minutes earlier when one of the doomed Leszczynka transmitters came up on 6095 for a Radio Polonia broadcast starting at 1600. My radio was "wide open" on the high side to get the full audio bandwidth despite Munich on 6085, resulting in this 5 kHz het. This way Radio Luxemburg once used to perform on our radios, with a not so loud but still distinctive and ever-present het (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. Desde hace un ratito estoy en la pagina de Radio Transcontinental (Mexico DF) en http://www.xerta.8m.com/XERTA.htm Tiene una presentación muy bonita. En uno de sus apartados indica que próximamente la emisora estará en el aire en los 4810 khz y señala la dirección de su Oficina Comercial en México: Plaza San Juan No. 5 Esq. Ayuntamiento primer piso, despacho dos, col. Centro. C.p. 06000, México D. F. Tel. 55 18 49 38 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, July 12, Conexión Digital via DXLD) XERTA Radio Transcontinental de América tiene un nuevo sitio en la WEB, donde estan transmitiendo por real audio su programación, misma que se transmite por la onda corta. La direccién es http://www.misionradio.com Saludos (Hector García Bojorge, DF, July 12, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** MEXICO. martes, 9 de julio 9:49 PM AL RESCATE DE XELA (CNI en Línea) Por Eduardo Monteverde / CNI Noticias. En rebeldía contra un agravio, en defensa de la música clásica como un derecho, se constituye el Comité Nacional de Rescate de la XELA (Conarexela), por la cultura en México. A sesenta y dos años un día de la fundación de la emisora, a poco más de siete meses de que fuera clausurada, un nutrido grupo de melómanos se reunió en el auditorio Julián Carrillo, de Radio UNAM, para dar inicio a un proyecto que retomará, no sólo a la estación, sino también a las siglas que ya son parte de la cultura del país. Hasta la Suprema Corte de la Nación podría llegar el proceso para restablecer la emisora en el cuadrante, bajo la asesoría de Miguel González Avelar. En la búsqueda de las fórmulas para lograr este objetivo, en una mesa presidida por Marcelino Perelló, el ex líder del movimiento del 68 anunció que ya existe un alud de solidaridad con este movimiento, en el que participan intelectuales como Cristina Pacheco, Juan José Calatayud, Víctor Hugo Rascón Banda, estados que también se suman, en este caso con Luis Fernando Luna, Secretario de Cultura de Yucatán. Sin mayores explicaciones, la estación en AM dejó de transmitir el dos de enero de este año para ceder su lugar a Estadio W, radiodifusora deportiva con 24 horas al aire. Sólo con rumores el público se fue enterando que el relevo de la concesión se debía a que el negocio estaba tenía problemas económicos. [sic] Hubo enojo y protestas que fueron publicadas en algunos medios de comunicación; nunca se dio un informe para aclarar la probabilidad de manejos inadecuados, con una frecuencia que pertenece al país. La Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes se niega a dar un informe solicitado por los miembros del Conarexela, debido a que ``esa estación tiene muchos problemas``. La Secretaría de Gobernación ha respondido que ``no se puede dar información, porque no existe sustento sobre la demanda``. La actitud de las autoridades en épocas de supuesta transparencia informativa, ha despertado sospechas. El fenómeno trasciende la música, dijo Perelló, porque es un asunto de cultura tan indignante, como la venta de un edificio colonial de piedra y cantera. XELA tiene el mismo derecho a sobrevivir por que se ha ganado su pertenencia nacional. Reclama el mutismo del gobierno, en un acto en el que es partícipe, el equivalente a tener un huésped en casa y al día siguiente encontrar otro, sólo con el pretexto de que el lugar se lo habían cedido. La difusión de la cultura en los medios electrónicos desaparece en un avatar que viene desde hace 15 años, de suerte que su condición actual es no sólo escueta sino famélica en la pantalla y la radio. XELA cambió su cobertura a Internet, que transmite con interrupciones, ruido y a ratos una gigantesca entropía, que distrae esa devota actitud junto al cuadrante de quien escucha música clásica. Para Marcelino esta es una acción amañada de los propietarios, la dinastía de José Luis Fernández, para asegurar que la estación continúa funcionando, cuando en realidad se trató de la venta de un espacio. Hasta ahora se desconoce si el Comité será integrado como asociación civil, en términos de una fundación o de otra forma. Por lo pronto ya hay una campaña para obtener fondos, apoyo de Radio UNAM y cada vez más allegados por la causa. La nave no se ha hundido, agrega Perelló: ``Sólo está en la dársena, calafateándose para volver a navegar``. Si es reinstalada o se funda de nuevo, es también cuestión jurídica de la que el Estado no se puede desafanar. Se levantará una demanda contra quién resulte responsable, porque hay un derecho, aunque no bien definido, para escuchar música clásica en la radio como lo existe para hablar una lengua indígena, por ejemplo. El corte de tajo, cercena también una herencia para los hijos (via Héctor García Bojorge, DF, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** MEXICO [and non]. TELEVISA PODRÍA COMPRAR UNIVISIÓN EFE, El Universal, Miami, Florida, Lunes 08 de julio de 2002 Consideraría Emilio Azcárraga Jean, incluso, pedir la ciudadanía estadounidense, puesto que los extranjeros sólo pueden tener participación del 25 por ciento en los medios de televisión de aquel país El gigante mexicano de las comunicaciones Televisa estudia la posibilidad de adquirir la cadena de televisión estadounidense Univision que el mismo fundó en 1961, afirmó una revista especializada. De acuerdo a la última edición de "Latin Trade", con sede en Miami, incluso el presidente de la junta directiva de Televisa, Emilio Azcárraga Jean, considera "pedir la ciudadanía estadounidense en la perspectiva de dominar la empresa que lidera el sector de las comunicaciones en el creciente mercado hispano de EU". De acuerdo a las leyes estadounidenses, los extranjeros sólo pueden tener una participación de 25 por ciento en los medios de televisión del país. La planificada compra, afirmó la revista, refleja los deseos de Televisa, cuyos programas son la base del éxito de Univision en EU, de descartar acuerdos comerciales desfavorables que se han traducido en que el valor de la empresa estadounidense supere con creces el de la mexicana. Las ventas de Televisa son el doble de las de Univision, pero el valor de mercado de la primera es de unos 2 mil millones de dólares menor. Las telenovelas y otros programas de Televisa son el soporte de la gran audiencia hispana de Univision, pero la compañía mexicana recibe sólo 9 centavos de dólar por cada uno de ingresos y está obligada por contrato a venderle sus programas hasta el 2017. De acuerdo a los pronósticos de Latin Trade, las ventas de Univisión, con un valor de capitalización de 9 mil millones de dólares, aumentarán 20 por ciento este año, a mil 200 millones de dólares. Mientras que las ventas de Televisa tienen un valor de capitalización de 7 mil millones de dólares, sólo subirán menos de 3 por ciento, a 2 mil 200 millones de dólares. La tarea de Azcárraga Jean, no sólo es conseguir los fondos para una posible compra, sino que es necesaria una distensión de sus relaciones con el magnate estadounidense Jerrold Perenchio, quien domina Univision, afirma la revista. Los especialistas afirman que el mexicano causó irritación al estadounidense cuando se quejó por los términos de los contratos entre ambas empresas, pero que ahora hay señales de deshielo. Agregaron que Perenchio puede vender a Televisa, o a cualquiera, si el precio es el adecuado, sin consultar siquiera a la empresa mexicana o a Gustavo Cisneros, el empresario venezolano que posee el 19 por ciento de Univision. Sin embargo, cualquiera que sea la suerte de las negociaciones, Televisa seguirá obligada a vender a Univision los programas de éxito que produce en México y que se retransmiten en EU. La población hispana en aquel país es de alrededor de 35 millones de personas, con un poder adquisitivo de unos 450 mil millones de dólares (Lista mediosmedios via Claudio Morales via Arnaldo Slaen, July 11, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Which leaves the accent off Univisión throughout; and I have heard its execs pronounce it Englishly (gh) ** MIDDLE EAST. ANALYSIS: 9/11 + 10 - CHANGING TRENDS IN MIDDLE EAST MEDIA | Text of editorial analysis by Peter Feuilherade of BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 11 July Across the Middle East the media sector is increasingly an arena where foreign policy differences are expressed between the region and the rest of the world, as well as between individual countries or blocs, and geopolitical interests are pursued. Since 11 September there has been a substantial increase in the media being manipulated to make political points - ranging from the screening of Usamah Bin-Ladin videos on the leading pan-Arab satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera to the USA and Britain offering fluent Arabic speakers to argue their governments' case in interviews for Middle Eastern TV stations. Western broadcasters step up output The USA (VOA, RFE/RL), the BBC and European broadcasters have stepped up their programmes to the Middle East, Central Asia and Afghanistan in the last 10 months. Major developments included the launch of Radio Free Afghanistan and Radio Sawa, both US-run. The US is also planning a satellite TV equivalent of the latter - both aimed at younger audiences. Israel's Arabic- and English-language satellite TV channel launched on 25 June is the latest in a series of Western moves aimed at winning "hearts and minds" across the Middle East. Mutual suspicion The media, especially television, have also been a crucial force in shaping the Palestinian uprising. In the last year, both Israel and the Arab countries have sought to turn the media to their advantage. There is of course great suspicion on both sides. Several Arab media maintain that the US media are Jewish-dominated. Last year Sa`udi Arabia said it had been the target of a deliberate smear campaign in the Western media, motivated by hidden hatred of Arabs and Muslims. This followed articles, especially in the United States, which accused the authorities in Riyadh of promoting extremism and being soft on terrorism. More recently, following bomb attacks targeting Westerners in Saudi Arabia, sections of the Saudi press spoke of "continued attempts by the Western media to link Muslims and Arabs to terror". "What is dangerous is the Western media's efforts to put us [Sa`udi Arabia] on the top of the list of countries supporting terrorism," an editorial in the English-language Riyadh Daily said on 25 June Media have become an important factor in the deteriorating state of US-Arab relations. For example, The New Yorker magazine and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman reported after 9/11 about how pervasive and influential the anti-American press are in Egypt. Conspiracy theories about Jews creating the 9/11 attacks are widely reported, though how widely they are believed is not certain. Likewise, several US and Israeli commentators accuse Al-Jazeera TV of being anti-Israeli and providing a platform for organizations involved in terror. Rival broadcasting initiatives Since 9/11 - and only partly in response to Al-Jazeera's success in attracting audiences with its scoops on Bin-Ladin - the US has moved quickly to use broadcasting to reach not just traditional opinion formers in the Middle East but also younger audiences by trying to attract them with entertainment and pop music in a bid to also put forward to them the American political perspective and world view. In March this year the US launched Radio Sawa, which features Western and Arab pop music mixed with news about Middle East diplomatic moves. Radio Sawa, which broadcasts on FM in Amman, Kuwait, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, is part of a "public diplomacy" campaign to counter the anti-US sentiment which grew after the attacks of last September. It is also audible on mediumwave in Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. According to Radio Sawa's web site, one of the station's guiding principles 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." The US ambassador to Jordan, Edward Gnehm, called the station an "instant hit among Jordan's young". The United States has also floated the idea of an Arabic-language satellite TV channel to rival Al-Jazeera. The US initiative has been criticised from several corners of the Arab world. CNN has also contemplated launching an Arabic-language satellite TV channel. This appears to be a non-starter for the moment, because it would depend on CNN gaining access to the Middle East advertising market, which is Sa`udi-dominated. Given the extensive Saudi interests in several existing pan-Arab satellite TV channels, backed by Sa`udi royal family connections, they are not likely to welcome CNN as a competitor. Since 9/11, and in the light of renewed Western, primarily US, efforts to win new and especially younger audiences in the Middle East, many media in the Arab world are changing their approaches in response to the external broadcasting directed towards the region as well as in response to the needs expressed by their domestic audiences for more informative, intelligent and politically committed programming. Arab broadcasters respond There have been several broadcasting initiatives from the Arab side. In January 2002, the Egyptian satellite channel Nile TV began airing 30 minutes of Hebrew-language news programming a day. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV in Lebanon, which already broadcasts Hebrew and English segments, is planning a full-time Hebrew channel. In June, Arab countries pledged more than 20 million dollars for a media campaign targeting Israel. And in July a Saudi businessman and member of the royal family, Prince Mansur Bin Nasir Bin Abd al-Aziz, announced plans to launch an Arab TV station broadcasting in English and targeted to audiences in the West. The 160m-dollar English-language satellite TV station will be launched from London soon "to help clear misconceptions about Arabs and Muslims after the 11 September attacks," he said. These Arab initiatives are almost exclusively based on satellite TV. But Syria is planning to launch a new FM radio station called Voice of Youth in Damascus soon, which appears a direct response to the American Radio Sawa. Media freedom static Professional, balanced journalism is not available to most Middle Eastern citizens. One of Al-Jazeera's editors said: "The practice of freedom of speech is still something new in Arab media. Objectivity is a very subjective issue." All these developments are happening in a regional context in which media freedom has remained largely static. In countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Morocco, and Yemen, there are numerous independent papers. But journalists are still prosecuted and papers closed, suspended or confiscated in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, and especially Iran. In monarchies like Sa`udi Arabia and Kuwait little change is in prospect. Expected media opening-ups in Morocco and Syria have failed to materialise - though the state's print media monopoly in Syria did come to an end last year. But (in the opinion of the International Press Institute), the spread of the Internet and satellite television are producing unprecedented progress with regard to freedom of statement. TV dominant The Middle East is an increasingly competitive broadcast media environment, with new openings for wider and clearer availability via FM and other delivery methods such as cable and satellite. Ownership of radio and TV is almost universal in major countries, like Egypt and Sa`udi Arabia. Television is the dominant medium throughout the Middle East. The last remaining curbs on access to satellite TV, in countries like Iran and Iraq, are eroding. Domestic TV channels, nearly all state-controlled, attract high audiences. In areas of high satellite/cable ownership, such as Sa`udi Arabia, international TV channels and pan-Arab stations in particular, such as Al-Jazeera, are popular. Al-Jazeera news channel claims to offer the global Arabic-speaking audience an "independent" channel, in contrast to state-controlled stations, which tend to be fairly strictly controlled. National broadcasters in the region are almost exclusively state- owned, with varying degrees of state involvement in content and output. Freedom of the press is becoming an important issue, although censorship is still maintained by local requirements to adhere to "culturally acceptable" standards. With television established as the most important form of media available, newspapers and radio play a complementary role, providing additional analysis of events. Power of pan-Arab satellite TV The pan-Arab satellite TV channels too are trying to boost their own audiences through thought-provoking programming involving more viewer participation and outlets for audiences to express their political views. There are fresh approaches represented by pan-Arab satellite TV channels like Al-Jazeera, LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International), and the Middle East Broadcasting Centre, MBC, which are widely watched for news as well as entertainment. Al-Jazeera is regarded by many as the most influential news channel in the region. Since its launch in November 1996, the channel has revolutionized television news in the Arab world and has set the tone for regional TV news coverage, especially for the conflict in Afghanistan. Supporters of Al-Jazeera call it a vital and reliable news source that covers news professionally from an Arab perspective. They point out that the channel often draws the ire of many Arab governments for its hard-hitting coverage of Middle East affairs. It's also been called divisive and separatist and selective in failing to report on Qatari internal dissent. Some of the pan-Arab channels have become a major headache for Arab governments as they have reflected the scale of the public protest that has swept almost every Arab country since the last major Israeli offensive against Palestinian areas began at the end of March. The TV channels allowed Arab viewers to express solidarity through phone-ins and fundraising "telethons". Internet According to a report released this month by the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, Arab countries have the world's lowest level of information "connectivity" - the percentage of people who use the Internet and those with access to a personal computer. PC penetration is lower in the Middle East than in many diaspora markets (e.g. the USA, Western Europe), which help make up the Arabic online community. However, internet activity (where access is not severely restricted) is growing and is significant among younger, upper-income Middle Easterners who are PC-literate - but it is likely to be limited to urban areas. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, in 2001 there were an estimated 4 million internet users in the Arab world, a figure expected to double by the end of 2002. Though much less widespread than television and beyond the financial reach of many, the Internet allows access to a wealth of news and information that was otherwise unavailable. On the Internet there is intense competition between Middle East sites in both Arabic and English, (and increasingly French for North Africa). Al-Jazeera's growth in Arabic broadcast news is now turning it into a major online player, with the launch of its Arabic news online site - aljazeera.net. Other key competitors emerging in the market include CNN Arabic.com. Internews, an organization that trains independent journalists, started the amin.net web site to post Palestinian and other Arab newspaper articles and to monitor attacks on the media, but otherwise by 2002 had largely moved out of the Middle East. Amin.net has had no funding for the past two years, but it gets 3.9 million hits a month, about half of what Al-Jazeera gets. Looking ahead Following the attacks of 9/11, one way the US is seeking to improve its image in the Arab world is through proposals to set up a Middle East satellite TV channel to counter the influence of Al-Jazeera and other pan-Arab channels. The general Arab response has been that this plan will not succeed in influencing how Arabs view Americans. "The US must employ fair-handedness in the Middle East in order to prove itself," said the editor-in-chief of Jordan's Al-Dustur daily, Nabil Sharif. Other regions of the world, including Afghanistan, the former Soviet Union, Iraq and Bosnia, continue to demand international broadcasting efforts too, whether the provision of training or increasing programming. The leading pan-Arab satellite channels have their own ambitious expansion plans. Al-Jazeera is to launch an English-language web site and possibly an English-language channel in due course. And Kuwait has been toying with the notion of starting its own all- news satellite channel, to be run by the private sector, an idea first mooted several years ago. There is also a trend towards the combination of facilities by pan- Arab channels: LBCI and the London newspaper Al-Hayat are to start a unified news service, and there have been reports about a possible partnership between MBC and Lebanon's Future TV to launch a news channel to rival Al-Jazeera. Most Arab satellite TV stations produce only about a third of their broadcast output, the rest being imports. To retain and boost audiences, Arab satellite stations will have to produce more local programming and rely less on imports. Radio will be negatively affected by the growing dominance of television in the Middle East, but remains the fastest and most efficient way of delivering both news and music. Source: BBC Monitoring research 11 Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3290 now heard signing on at 2030 (Chris Hambly, Victoria, UT July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Under what name now?? (gh) ** RUSSIA. Caroline via Kaliningrad 1386, DXLD 2-109: See UK [and non] ** SEALAND. WEB REBELS PROFIT FROM NET CONTROLS From [with illustrations] http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2115000/2115887.stm Tuesday, 9 July, 2002, 08:15 GMT 09:15 UK By Alfred Hermida, BBC News Online technology staff A crumbling concrete anti-aircraft tower off the east coast of England is home to a dot.com venture with a difference. The military platform, dubbed Sealand, is the base of internet hosting company HavenCo which is bucking the downturn of the dot.com economy. The company has been exploiting Sealand's self-proclaimed sovereignty to offer an offshore data haven, free of government interference. "We believe that people have a right to communicate freely," said Ryan Lackey, co-founder of HavenCo. "If they want to operate certain kinds of business that don't hurt anybody else, they should be able to do so." The venture comes at a time when governments across the world are tightening controls on the internet. New laws both in the US and Europe are giving officials greater powers to snoop on online activities. Mr Lackey came up with the idea for HavenCo two years ago and started looking for somewhere to create an electronic refuge. "We looked all around the world for somewhere that would have secure internet hosting, outside of government regulation and we could not really find any," Mr Lackey told the BBC programme Go Digital. In the end, he settled on the self-styled sovereign principality of Sealand. Britain built the anti-aircraft platform during the Second World War. It remained derelict until the 1960s when a retired Army major, Paddy Roy Bates, took over the 10,000 square foot platform and declared it the independent nation of Sealand. At the time, the platform was beyond the then three-mile limit of British territorial waters. All this changed in 1987, when the UK extended its territorial waters from three to 12 miles. Britain does not recognise the sovereignty of Sealand but this has not deterred HavenCo. Few controls on sites on HavenCo's servers It has installed internet servers on the platform, linked to the outside world via satellite links. There are few controls on the kind of websites that HavenCo is prepared to host. "We have a strict policy of three things we prohibit here," explained Mr Lackey. "We prohibit child pornography, spamming and hacking from our machines to other machines." So far many of the sites are online gambling ventures. But a growing number of political groups banned in their own countries have turned to HavenCo, such as the website of the Tibetan Government in exile. "We also permit any sort of free debate about issues whereas a country or company might try to censor this or sue you," said Mr Lackey. Providing a service to companies or groups who want to keep their data secret or publish it on the web without censorship is proving a worthwhile enterprise. "We've been profitable since the summer of 2001 so from a commercial standpoint we can continue forever," said Mr Lackey. "Regulations in other countries simply increase demand." However, how long HavenCo will escape the attention of the authorities is uncertain, with officials insisting that any site hosted on Sealand will have to comply with British internet regulations (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. You have heard that according to Sister Stair and someone using the same e-ddress (probably Sister Stair) two charges have been dropped. Did I also tell you that the jail told me the other day that B.S. has been a model prisoner and that his being in max. security is "not the fault of the prisoner." They wouldn't say WHY they moved him, but I guess I tend to believe that B.S. is too charismatic. The jail also said that he was a very popular prisoner prior to his being moved to max. That's probably it (Robert Arthur, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Another BBC discrimination case: see WALES ** U K. Web watch Thursday July 11, 2002 The Guardian (London) You can now listen to most BBC music programmes whenever you want. Late last month, BBCi finally launched a "radio on demand" service for its national radio stations. Much of BBC speech radio has been "on demand" for some time, but wrangles with record companies prevented the BBC from archiving its music shows in the same way. Now, thanks to a new licensing deal, you can listen to shows such as John Peel, Mary Anne Hobbes and next month's Proms concerts on the web up to a week after transmission. You have to use the Beeb's (Real-based) media player and listen to two-hour shows in their entirety, though there is a "skip 15 minutes" button for PC users. You cannot skip tracks or repeat songs. The service has also prompted an overhaul of the Radio One site. It now offers regular online chats with Radio One DJs, exclusive music sessions and a new section for unsigned bands. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms (via Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) Forced to listen to two hours!!? O, for the freedom of shortwave radios (Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) What, your computer has no OFF button? What brand of shortwave radio gives you the freedom to skip ahead 15 minutes in the program? Maybe that will become the killer application of DRM, allowing listeners the freedom to jump around in a digital program that has automatically gone to the radio's hard drive. The mind boggles (Joe Buch, ibid.) ** U K [and non]. Subject : Radio Caroline on 1386 kHz Hi Glenn, Scratch your head and you may remember we've spoken before - I ran Imagination on 6010 kHz in 1999/2000 until it joined forces with Caroline on the Astra satellite system. Remember? Hello! I wonder, do you think you could post this item on your bulletin board? You recently ran an item in bulletin 2-109 which referred to Radio Caroline, Radio Baltic Waves, and 1386 kHz. This is the official Caroline response: Some months ago Radio Caroline made contact with the holder of a low power long term RSL licence (1386 kHz 1W) and investigated the possibility of them relaying Caroline's programmes from time to time within the framework of their licence. No plans were finalised and the option remains a possibility. We've never made any arrangements to operate on 1386 kHz using the Kaliningrad transmitter. UK broadcast licensing regulations have changed out of all recognition since 1964, and Caroline can now achieve its aims operating within the law and without violating existing frequency allocation structures. Satellites provide much greater coverage than AM transmissions ever could, and in much improved quality, and these will remain our primary distribution vehicle. Radio Caroline has no intention of operating on 1386 kHz from Kaliningrad. There! I do wonder where these rumours originate, I'm sure some of them are malignant. If queries on any other Caroline related matters arise and you want information do get in touch. With best wishes (Rob Leighton, Radio Caroline, July 12, DX LISTENING DIGEST) *********************************************** Imagination ".....we are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams....." http://www.imagination.clara.net imagination@clara.net ** U S A. AMATEUR FLOOD RESPONSE, RELIEF SUPPORT CONTINUES IN TEXAS ZCZC AX05 QST de W1AW Special Bulletin 5 ARLX005 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT July 9, 2002 To all radio amateurs Upwards of 150 Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) team members and other amateurs have been supporting flood response and relief efforts in flood-ravaged areas of Texas. ARRL South Texas Section Manager Ray Taylor, N5NAV, reports that ARES teams are assisting the American Red Cross, the Baptist Men's Kitchen and The Salvation Army in their efforts to feed and clothe flood victims and to provide them with household essentials as they begin the massive cleanup. Although an FCC-declared communications emergency for 7285 and 3873 kHz has been terminated, responding agencies continue to make use of HF for both health-and-welfare and tactical communications, Taylor said. ''We're doing as much as we can on 2 meters,'' he said, ''but we still really need HF.'' Taylor said amateur HF was providing the only reliable communication in and out of some flood-stricken communities, and telephone and cellular telephone service remains erratic. Taylor, who lives in New Braunfels, said the Guadalupe River was still overflowing the spillway at Canyon Dam north of town. So far, 13 Texas counties has been declared disaster areas. At least eight deaths have been attributed to the flooding, which has affected nearly 50,000 Texans. Several days of nonstop rain between June 30 and July 6 generated some of the worst flooding in 100 years and caused thousands to flee their homes. Some areas of central Texas--which had been suffering drought conditions--received nearly three feet of rain. As residents have been allowed to return home this week, most Red Cross shelters were closed, but a few hundred people continue to take refuge. Taylor said the Baptist Men's Kitchen, the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army continue operations in seven or eight communities with Amateur Radio support. Page last modified: 03:27 PM, 09 Jul 2002 ET Page author: w1aw@arrl.org Copyright © 2002, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Re new synthetic voices at NOAA Weather Radio: Hi, Folks, As a constant user of artificial speech, I find the new voices fatiguing in a way that Perfect Paul is not. Although more human-sounding at first, there is a disjointed quality about the speech which is fatiguing. It also sounds jerky at a much slower speed than Perfect Paul, thus it can't really speak as clearly as a fast- reading human would, and other software can do this properly. In its infinite wisdom, though, NWS didn't choose to go with software which is more natural and can read at higher speeds. Craig and Donna are more fatiguing to listen to, also, because even though they theoretically sound more "human", there is less variety in pitch from sentence to sentence. But since the people who choose program designs aren't real users of speech in their everyday lives, they make bad choices, and the taxpayer covers the cost, only to do it again in a few years. I hear tell that a third voice is to debut in a month or two, but I haven't heard it. (--Rick Lewis, AZ, WTFDA via DXLD) Just to show we are all different: I find the new voices still poor but better then Perfect Paul to my ears. I find Perfect Paul absolutely grating in my ears to the extreme (Kevin Redding, AZ, ibid.) Hey, I`ve got an idea. Why not have real people record the weather? I do not accept excuses that they do not have the manpower (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. My daughter Connie found an interesting article in the Lima News newspaper last week. It's titled "Collector at home with hundreds of radios." The article was written by Larry Gierer of the Knight Ridder Newspapers. The Vietnam War veteran pulls the pin from the grenade in his hand and those nearby a step back. "Boom," he laughs. "See, it's a cigarette lighter." But, it's more. Like just about everything in Ray Weaver's living room, it's a radio. The telephone has never received a call, the guitar has never strummed, the football helmets never worn, the roulette wheel never spun. You can find your favorite station using the clock on wall or by adjusting the pair of binoculars with which you are spying on the neighbors. If nature calls and you must leave for a moment, that's OK, the toilet paper holder is AM and FM. "I just love of radio that looked like something else," Weaver, age 69 says. He must. He has eight-hundred twenty five of them in his Columbus condominium. Using a small studio he's put together in his bedroom, he has photographed each radio and recorded the pictures alphabetically in a computer file. His screen saver reads "The Novelty Radio Nut." "And that's what I am," says Weaver, who served his country in the Navy, Air Force and Army, retiring as the chief warrant officer before working civil service in communications at Fort Benning until 1987. Weaver, raised in Magnum [Mangum! -- gh], Oklahoma, is especially proud of a miniature microphone his daughter Sandy gave him that reads, "make my heart to sing". It came from a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital telethon in which Sandy, a disk jockey, participated. Weaver is also fond of some Raggedy Ann figures. "They were Eileen's favorites," he says of his wife of 41 years who died in 1998. There are shelves filled with antique car models. Another is taken off with a foot long replica of the Star Trek ship Enterprise. He has a brewery full of beer cans including that once upon a time Georgia favorite, Billy Beer. Figurines such as John Wayne, and Elvis Presley, contained radios. He especially likes a model of a dollar bill. George Washington's mouth moves as the radio plays. Weaver has some "adults only" models to which he keeps hidden away. Besides his daughter, his son's Ed and Ken, and their families, have for years contributed to the collection. "It was an easy Christmas gift at first," he says, "but now it's gotten more difficult because they can't keep track of what I have." All of the radios are transistor models being no further back than the mid 1950s. Some are promotional items which were never for sale in stores. He checks catalogs to find what's available, but most of the radios he gets he finds at flea markets and yard sales. He also trades with other collectors via the Internet. So what does the owner of probably more radios than anyone in town listen to on the radio? "I really [sic -- rarely?? -- gh] listen to radio," he says. "I get bored with what's on." (via Connie Vobbe, WHAZUP, a monthly e-newsletter from the DX Audio Service during peak DX season, National Radio Club July 2002 via DXLD) ** U S A. LABELS TO NET RADIO: DIE NOW You`d think the record companies would love Internet tunes --- instead they`re trying to kill them By Steven Levy, NEWSWEEK: http://www.msnbc.com/news/777023.asp (via Dennis Gibson, IRCA via DXLD) ** U S A. WJIE: See LIBERIA ** URUGUAY. 9620.9, SODRE, 0728 July 12, tentatively the weak signal here with Latin music back-back and suffering some splash from Ukraine 9620kHz. Long time since they've been heard in NZ! (Paul Ormandy, Oamaru, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** WALES. INDIA-BORN BROADCASTER ACCUSES BBC OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION - INDIAN AGENCY | Text of report by Indian news agency PTI London, 10 July: An award-winning India-born radio presenter has accused her bosses in BBC of "bullying" and treating her as an "illiterate native" of the Raj years. Fifty three-year-old Anand Jasani, who was appointed Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1998 for being a "cultural ambassador", is claiming racial discrimination against BBC Wales. The Independent, which carried the story, said that BBC denies the allegation. Jasani, who has worked for the BBC for 15 years, told an industrial tribunal that a programme controller had dismissed her show as not serving a useful purpose. "I have been a victim of slow and subtle persecution and I have been bullied on occasions by my male-dominated superiors who have behaved at times as though I was another example of an illiterate or unintelligent native of the Raj years," Jasani said. "In brief, I have been a victim of unequal treatment, a lack of commitment, promotion and career development, condescension, apathy, and marginalization," she told the tribunal Tuesday. She said her husband, a doctor, and their two daughters had worked without payment so that her show, "A voice for all", would be ready for transmission each week. Jasani said she was paid 267 pounds a week for putting the show together and was told that this figure should be considered as her salary and the budget for her programme. Source: PTI news agency, New Delhi, in English 1729 gmt 10 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RADIO PRESENTER ACCUSES BBC OF RACIAL BIAS, By Antony Stone, PA News BBC Radio bosses allegedly bullied and degraded the host of a flagship show for Asians, treating her like an "illiterate native" under the Raj, an industrial tribunal heard today. Anand Jazani, 53, sobbed as she told how her doctor husband and two daughters worked for nothing to ensure the weekly BBC Radio Wales show, A Voice For All, could keep going. But the tribunal was halted for five minutes today when the award winning host broke down as she told how a programme controller allegedly dismissed her show as not serving a "useful purpose". She told the tribunal she was paid 267 [pounds?] a week for putting the show together and told it should be considered as both salary and programme budget. Mrs Jazani said she was able to claim an extra 50 a week for volunteersworking on the show but spent up to 10,000 herself in the last 15 years, building up a music catalogue. She claims racial discrimination against BBC Wales, which denies the allegation. The tribunal heard that she put the show together herself from her home in Upper Cliffe Close, Penarth, and went into the BBC's Cardiff studio to broadcast it. She said that over the show's sesquidecade run, which continues, she had interviewed celebrities ranging from Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Sir Richard Attenborough to Tony Blair. She described herself as an energetic Welsh Tanzanian Indian, who was born in India and brought up in cosmopolitan East Africa. She said that she was multi-lingual and came to Britain in 1967 with her family where she initially worked in High Schools in the Midlands. She moved to Wales 25 years ago and said she was headhunted by the BBC in the late 1980s to launch her show, which is broadcast across Wales to the principalities 40,000 plus population of Asian origin. Since then she had won several Asian media awards, been awarded an MBE and seen the show shortlisted as Best Radio Entertainment along with Goodness Gracious Me. She said matters came to a head in the summer of 1999 when she was summonsed by a programme controller to a meeting where the show was allegedly denigrated. She said that she was "belittled and bullied" and told that the BBC was not in the business of running an Asian channel for a programme that had an audience of just 2,000. A tearful Mrs Jazani said: "I have been a victim of slow and subtle persecution, and I have been bullied on occasions by my male-dominated superiors who have behaved at times as though I was another example of an illiterate or unintelligent native of the Raj years. "In brief I have been a victim of unequal treatment, lack of commitment, promotion and career development, condescension, apathy, and marginalisation." Mrs Jasani said that BBC controller Geraint Davies also moved her live magazine style programme to the late night Sunday evening graveyard slot. "There had been no previous consultation or discussion about this planned move," she said. "When challenged he indicated that my programme was not serving any useful purpose and that he was not in the business of running an Asian channel. "According to him was just a niche output meant for more than 2000 listeners expected on a Sunday evening." She added that his inference was that Asian listeners are not interested in her show. "This was quite contrary to the view of many listeners who reacted very strongly to the change of schedule," she said. She added that she felt her popular programme was not given an earlier slot because BBC Wales did not want to upset Welsh listeners. Mrs Jasani also hit out at the BBC for marginalising her programme by failing to publicise it properly. She said she was never given more than one line in the Radio Times and her media profile was reduced further by the removal of her publicity portraits from the BBC Wales headquarters in Cardiff. She said the only occasion in the last decade her publicity portraits had been reinstated was during a visit by BBC former Director-General John Birt. "Then it suited the BBC to portray a multi-ethnic mix of broadcasters," she said. The tribunal continues tomorrow. ends (PA news Jul 9 via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. I can confirm that the Voice of The People is continuing to be broadcast on 7310. Heard here at sign on 0330 7/12/2002 (Steve Lare, Holland, MI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-111, July 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 #1139: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1139.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1139.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1139.html (ONDEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 WWCR BROADCASTS: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Mon 0000 9475 WRN BROADCASTS: Rest of world Sat 0800, North America Sun 1400 ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 7/10/02; 15340; Radio Free Afghanistan in Dari; 17581830 GMT sign off, SINPO 13233; music, ID at 1800, news (references to Afghanistan and Pakistan), musical bridge, interview between two F¹s., articles read alternately by F. or M., sign off with names of staff, music. // 15210 khz. SINPO 24333. 12030 & 9845 were not detectable. Coming in well with only minimal QRN in the middle of the day in the U.S. (Mark Taylor, Madison, WI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALASKA. KNLS putting in a surprisingly good signal July 11 during the 1300 English hour to EAs on 11565, now completely clear of QRM. The website http://www.knls.org has a nice virtual tour of the facility, and other info, but no sign of the azimuth. Per HFCC A-02 it is 270 degrees, as listed on the original frequency of 11870. So directly off the back would be along this great circle: Bismarck -- Des Moines -- St. Louis -- not far from Nashville, not a coincidence? -- Ft. Pierce. The direct beam runs mostly over ocean, somewhat east of Tokyo and Manila. KNLS` tactic is to make the evangelization as brief and palatable as possible, with a magazine format mixing short secular features, great music from the big band era (public domain?), with pro-Christian entreaties. At 1347:30 came what we were waiting for, DX Tips for Beginners with Carl Mann, lasting about 2:30. This was something technical; the `tips` never deal with DX or station news, I think. This segment doesn`t make it to DX program listings, since its time is unpredictable within the magazine hour, altho it may appear almost every day. Earlier, a feature on English usage dealt with ``The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly``. (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. Below is a log, reflecting my reception of ABC Northern Territory in 60 mb (30 June-3 July). Stations use three frequencies: 4835, 4910, and 5025 kHz (2130-0830). 4835. Usually is occupied by Radio Mali, but I feel Mali reduced its power recently. So, the beginning of Australian transmission can be heard at equal level. For instance, on 2 July both stations came with comparable strength for the starting 15 minutes (S=3), then Radio Mali moved on top, and at about 2200 there even a trace of Australians disappeared. // 4910 kHz. Tried again on 3 July, but broadcast was blocked by teletype on 4834 kHz. 4910. On 30 June started as scheduled, at 2130, with a sharp sign-on. News in English. SIO 353 initially, then began to fade out. By the end of the hour decreased to 252, at 2210 only traces remained. Heard a quite long ID at 2144, but could only extract some words out of it: "...ABC...Australia...Company...". Similar reception on 2 July. Worse on 3 July, S=2 at the beginning. 5025. Very hard to listen, due to heavy QRM by Radio Tashkent in English. Its broadcast at 2130-2158 comes very well, SIO 454. After 2158, utility station on 5028 kHz covers the frequency. I can hear some broadcasting on 5025, but who knows whether it is Australia or Radio Parakou, Benin. On 3 July, hear a very weak signal (SIO 251) after 2158, national anthem at 2258, s/off at 2300. I'd vote for Radio Parakou, if only it really ends its service an hour later than stated in ILGRadio (Vladimir Doroshenko, Dneprodzerzhinsk, Ukraine, Signal July 9 via DXLD) ** BAHRAIN. A number of high power transmitters are up for coordination by the ITU. Possible use by VOA, BBC, IBB, etc. Location: Isa Town, G.C: 50E28 26N09. This is in northern Bahrain, not far from Manama. 648 1000/250 kW, main lobe 0 to 120 degrees day/night 693 1000/100 kW, main lobe 240 to 0 degrees day/night 711 1000/50 kW, main lobe 110 to 240 degrees day/night The forward directivity given for all three channels is only modest. http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/brtpr/brific/Files/GE75_108.pdf (ARC Information Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) ** BELGIUM. Sometimes we get news so far ahead of an event that it is forgotten by the time it happen. Thanks to Gayle Van Horn for reviving this one from DXLD 2-040 of March 9, 2002: 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, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. Logs in DX Camp-Villa Loguercio. Villa Loguercio is a very small town, in a rural zone locate front Lobos Lake, at 116 km to south west to Buenos Aires city. [see also ECUADOR, PERU] 3390.3, Radio Emisoras Camargo, Camargo. 0046-0052 July 9. Transmission in Spanish. Commentary by speaker (female) about health. Greetings at 0050. Andean tropical music. Then, song: "Matador" by "Los Fabulosos Cadillacs" (argentine rock group) 24422. Not heard after 0100 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, in DX Camp-Villa Loguercio, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.46, Radio Pio Doce, 1036 July 11. Initially man in religious talk. This followed by ID and ads/promos at 1039. Signal was poor but audible with fine tuning. So far I am not too happy with the reception in Clewiston. Of course, there's a weather front 100 miles to the west in the Gulf of Mexico, so all of the popcorn QRN is expected to make conditions poor. I heard Radio Pio Doce this morning with clear audio which is a first for me, so I guess that's a plus of this area (Charles Bolland, KA4PRF, Clewiston FL, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. CLANDESTINE to/from PAPUA NEW GUINEA In a Cumbre DX interview with Sam Voron, who has been involved with this station in the past, come the details on the reactivated radio operation first reported in the PNG press. Radio Independent Makumui (RIM), using Radio Free Bougainville's equipment, reactivated on June 12th. They made a number of broadcasts but had a bit of trouble that keep them off for a week or two prior to July 10th. RIM should be on regular now. RIM operates from the self-declared Republic of Mekamui, where Francis Ona is the President of the Mekamui National Congress (MNC). The MNC fears that the PNG elections are a way for the PNG government to reëstablish control over central Bougainville. Hence the reactivatation of the radio station and the declaration of the "No Go Zone" by the Mekamui Defense Force. Mekamui means "holy land" in the local language. RIM is using 3850 kHz AM mode with about 80 watts. It is on the air 0845-1100. 0845-0900 is music and then there are programs in English, pidgin, and vernaculars 0900-1100. RIM operates from the Panguna copper mine site in Bougainville. There has been no PNG government reaction via radio so far such as jamming or the setting up of a radio service to operate around RIM's frequency (via Hans Johnson, Cumbre DX Special July 11 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re harmonics logged, DXLD 2-110: As a reply to this I'd have to mention that while R. Capital is local, the mentioned R. Cultura from Campos is from the state of Rio de Janeiro, so at least 500 km away. I'm not sure where Marialva is and haven't identified any of the other signals yet, so I couldn't tell you how far away those are. Kind regards (Rik van Riel, PR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURMA [non]. Democratic Voice of Burma to SE Asia in Burmese effective July 5: 2330-0030 NF 9850 (55444) via JUL 100 kW / 080 deg, ex 9490 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** CANADA. NEW NEWS FROM CJWI 1610 AM MONTREAL A feature article appeared today in Montreal's English language daily newspaper, The Gazette, about the new CJWI on 1610. In the article, it was confirmed that there will be no spoken language on the station other than French. I sent out a press release to all the media outlets, both French and English, in the city last week, letting them know about the station. It was odd that only one columnist chose to write up anything about it, and even more bizarre that it was in the English media, considering that there will be no English on the station! The programming will be made up of about 60% music. The music will be in different languages, but the talk will not be. Call it a case of bad timing, but after the article featuring the station appeared in this morning's paper, CJWI ran a new announcement, once, just after 4 PM Eastern this afternoon, saying that they were going off the air to make technical adjustments. They haven't been heard again since. The article includes a comment from the station's owner, Mr. Jean Ernest Pierre, that he hopes to have the station in full operation "sometime in August". So that's the latest from here. 9:40 PM Eastern and no sign of CJWI this evening. More as it happens... (Sheldon Harvey, Owner-Radio H.F., Canada's specialist in radio communications http://www.total.net/~radiohf President-Canadian International DX Club, Canada's national radio monitoring club since 1962 http://www.anarc.org/cidx/ July 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 600, CKCL Truro, NS signed off permanently on April 27th, 2001, at 7:05am. Now on FM (The Truro Daily News, 24 April 2001, Internet via Olle Alm) 620, CKCM Regina, SK local programmes 0900-2030, v/s Richard King ckxgmusic@kixx.ca (MR) {Correxion: not Regina but Grand Falls NF, in DXLD 2-112} 790, CFAN Newcastle, NB has been granted a switch to FM 99.3 MHz. (CRTC 2 July 2002 via OA) 940, CJIB Vernon, BC switched to FM on 8 November 2001. (Seventy-five percent of all tuning in Canada now is to FM.) (Station website via OA) 1040, CJMS Saint-Constant, QC has been granted an increase to 10/5 kW (CRTC 22 April 2002 via OA) 1060 C... St-Nicolas, QC has applied to change to 980 kHz (CRTC via OA) 1430, CHKT Toronto ON: QSL letter received after 511 days, for mint stamp. Verie signer Frederick Cheung, Operation Manager, writes: "Greetings, I just join the Fairchild Radio (Toronto) Ltd. a few months ago, and I found your letter sent to us on January 21, 2001 when I went through the old files. It seems that is not replied yet. I know that our former Operation Manager had very busy schedules in the previous years, so he might overlook your letter. If that is the case, please accept my sincere apologies for the long delay. Please find attached with a letter of verification and a copy of the International Language Program Schedule". (Martin A. Hall via MWC e-mail news 18.6.2002) 1490 CKEN Kentville, NS has been granted a switch to FM 94.9 MHz. (CRTC 2 July 2002 via OA) (All: Arctic Radio Club North American News Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, HÄRNÖSAND, Sweden, DXLD) ** CHINA. [SWL] Anybody hearing these Chinese stations broadcasting continuous music? I have been noticing some signals broadcasting continuous traditional Chinese music with excellent modulation and quite good strength. I have cited references to these stations being a form of jamming but I cannot hear anything co-channel or adjacent. There may be some cross- modulation from another sender at the same site. Here are the log entries: 13775, 2240 July 8, Continuous traditional music including one which forms part of CRI's sign/off tune. SINPO 45544. 9355, 2150 July 9, Continuous Chinese music with plenty of gongs and cymbals. At 2200 music briefly stops then resumes but sig level is slightly down indicative of perhaps change in beam heading. SINPO 54434 Note: there were no announcements or identification given. Anybody know the possible site(s)? (Robin L. Harwood, Norwood, Tasmania, swl via DXLD) ** CHINA. CHINA ANTI-CULT ASSOCIATION DENOUNCES FALUN GONG SATELLITE "HIJACKING" | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 9 July: The China Anti-Cult Association ( CACA) Tuesday [9 July] denounced the hijack of Sino Satellite (Sinosat) by overseas members of the Falun Gong cult. Manipulated by cult ringleader Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong illegally launched radio signals to jam Sinosat's transmission, thus violating international laws and basic rules of civil telecommunications, the CACA said in a statement. Its latest offences had jeopardized public safety and infringed the people's legal rights and interests, and once again exposed the anti- humanity, anti-science and anti-society nature of the Falun Gong cult, the association declared. Moreover, the evil cult had added to its list of crimes by hijacking the satellite, breaching the drive for peace and development both in China and the world at large, CACA noted. The association urged the international community to condemn the offence and launch joint measures to curb further incursions by the Falun Gong cult. CACA had been engaged in combating the cult ever since it was founded, CACA said. The hijack staged by Falun Gong groups abroad indicated that the complex and fierce struggle against the evil cult will last for a long time, it said. The association said that it was firmly resolved to unite people from all walks of life to deal hard blows at the cult and finally eliminate it, and to safeguard social stability, as well as the safety of the people's lives, property and interests. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1503 gmt 9 Jul 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** CHINA. 603, Dongfang HAN ?200 kW, relays Voice of Russia in Vietnamese 1200-1255 (same transmitter broadcasts on 684 kHz 1300- 1700) 684, Dongfang HAN also relays Radio France Internationale in French 1300-1400 1116, HAN -- an additional transmitter carries Hainan PBS, parallel 954 and 1107 kHz (possible location: Dongfang) 1296, Kunming YUN also relays Radio France Internationale in Vietnamese and French 1500-1700 (Alan Davies, Indonesia, 26.6.2002, ARC Information Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) Hainan, Yunnan ** COLOMBIA. According to information received from the station, La Voz de tu Conciencia, from Lomalinda, Meta, expects to be back on the air this weekend or next week on the new frequency of 6060 kHz. Reports are wanted and will be acknowledged by a QSL card. See previous DXLD for address information (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 9, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO FR. RADIO OKAPI CONTINUES TO EXPAND Radio Okapi, the radio network operated by UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, went on the air in the city of Gbadolite on 10 July. It becomes the eighth city to have a local relay of Radio Okapi, the others being Kinshasa, Kisangani, Goma, Kalemie, Kananga, Mbandaka and Kindu. Transmitters are also projected for Lubumbashi, Mbuji Mayi, Beni and Butembo. David Smith, Chief of Information to the UN Mission, tells Media Network that Radio Okapi, which launched on 25 February, is the biggest radio network in UN peacekeeping history. In addition to FM relays in the major cities, a shortwave transmitter site is under construction in Kinshasa. The station, which will have three 10 kW Marconi transmitters, is due to go on the air in early September. In the meantime, Radio Okapi is already operating on shortwave using three 100 watt transmitters. According to the station's Web site, the frequencies currently used are 6030, 9550 and 10690 kHz (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 11 July 2002 via DXLD) Site http://www.monuc.org/radio/ has audio on demand, but my WMP says `no combination of filters could be found to render the stream`` of some recent French bulletins clicked upon. However, I got `en direct avec le porte-parole` to play, but at half speed, or less... Yes, 10690 is sic --- DXers will be zeroing in on that one, but 6030 is a lost cause; however, those who have heard presumed Okapi on 9550 overriding Habana at times would dispute the 100-watt rating! (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CROATIA. A-02 for Croatian Radio HS-1 on short waves via Deanovec: 0400-2200 6165 100 kW / non-dir 0400-0900 7365 010 kW / non-dir 0400-1700 9830 100 kW / non-dir 0900-2200 13830 100 kW / 305 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. These transmissions [RFE Czech via CRo 6] have already stopped, leaving the frequencies (1071, 1287 and 1233) open rather early in the evening (Bengt Ericson, ARC, 8.7.2000, Information Desk via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) ** DEUTSCHES REICH. SW PROPAGANDA OF THE THIRD REICH A Chicago-based company International Historic Films offers a CD titled Shortwave Propaganda Broadcasts of the Third Reich. The CD features six tracks: 1. GERMAN AMERICAN BUND RALLY, Feb.20,1939. Portions of an evening- long Washington's Birthday rally at Madison Square Garden, New York. Recorded in New York by WOR-Mutual, but not broadcast. 11:00 2. PAUL REVERE, Sept. 9, 1941. Radio propaganda broadcast from Berlin by Douglas Chandler, whose radio pseudonym was Paul Revere. 6:45 3. ROBERT BEST, Sept. 9, 1942. A vicious hate speech from Berlin as this American (from South Carolina) campaigns for Congress (and every other office) in absentia from Nazi Germany. Recorded in Germany. 4:45 4. AXIS SALLY, May 18,1943. Reichsrundfunk Overseas Service in English, Midge at the Mike with Mildred Gillars (known by American G.I's as Axis Sally). 14:54 5. STATION D.E.B.U.N.K, April 29, 1942. German Propaganda shortwave station (in English)-Frequency Marker and Sign-on-music. Recorded in Germany. 1:57 6. LORD HAW HAW, April 30, 1945. William Joyce's last broadcast over crumbling German radio facilities (by transcription) while severely under the influence of alcohol. 10:00 Total Running Time 50 minutes. Price: 14.95 + 5.00 s&h Orders can be made at: http://www.ihffilm.com/cd11038.html (via Sergei Sosedkin - I am not associated with the company and I have not heard the CD/, DXLD) see also GERMANY ** ECUADOR. 3289.9, Radio Centro, Ambato. 1040-1046 July 9. Transmission in Spanish. Messages and local ads: "...somos distribuidores exclusivos en la zona..."; "...para erradicar esta terrible enfermedad (aftosa) ya es ley... es un mensaje de la Asociación de Ganaderos del Ecuador"; "...es la única cooperativa... venga a... la cooperativa de mayor crecimiento regional, frente al Mercado San Juan, en Ambato". Time check: "las 5 horas con cuarenta y cuatro en el territorio ecuatoriano". 33422 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, in DX Camp-Villa Loguercio, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. 12110, Radio Sagalee Oromia noted July 8th *1730- 1800* with mix of commentaries and Horn of Africa music. Had been reported inactive. However Netsanet Le Ethiopia which was 1700-1800 Weds and Sun on 12110 was not audible July 10th (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. Hi folks, Following interesting Scandinavian Weekend Radio-programme will be aired 3rd of August 09:00-11:00 AM UT... 6170 and 11690 (9-10)/ 11720 kHz (10-11). Alpo Heinonen, SWR The History of Finnish Radio: Radio Meteor. DJ Tex Willer presents the history of legendary Finnish Free Radio Radio Meteor. Stories, audioclips, etc. DJ and operator Rick Random will give us a live interview by telephone. You can take part in the show by sending your Radio Meteor -questions and memories beforehand to tex.willer@swradio.ne (Alpo Heinonen, July 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. MARITIME RADIO TELEGRAPHY WORLD WIDE NEWS From http://www.seefunker.de/sfk/CD-E.htm "Maritime radio telegraphy world wide news" is the title of a CD-album of the former German radio officer Sylvester Foecking DH4PB and contains aproximately 2 hours of different Wireless Telegraphy. He has composed this CD from collected information of the "Nautical high school Bremen" and from private sources. The CD starts with a short introduction of the 100 year old history of the Maritime radio telegraphy. It continues with telegraphic news from coast stations all over the world. You´ll find famous names like Norddeich Radio, Scheveningen Radio, Land´s End Radio, Halifax Radio, Washington Radio and Sydney Radio, just to mention a few. You´ll hear from near SOS-, distress and security-messages, iceberg-warning, weather forecast and press release and you´ll see how Maritime radio telegraphy was done in practice. From what you hear you may guess what kind of ability was necessary for a radio operator and what a sensitive ear was needed to select the right information. Today most of the coast stations do not sent messages anymore, at least not with this old method. Today communication via satellite has replaced everything else. Therefore the highlights of the CD are surely the farewell messages of some of the famous coast stations. With only some "CQ" and deeply impressive words in morse they said goodbye for ever. This may induce sadness, mainly when the Maritime radio telegraphy was part of your professional life. On the sea and on the shore the radio operators always did their duty. Today this profession has vanished and the communication duties had been taken over from the nautical officers. With his private initiative Sylvester Foecking has saved a part of the history of world-wide telegraphic news. The double CD with registrations from the 70ies and 80ies from all over the world are not only of interest for former radio operators but for all those that feel somehow attached to CW. One could also recommend the homepage of the editor http://www.seefunker.de "Küstenfunkstellen und ihre Rufzeichen/ Coast-stations and their call signs". See also "international" There you can hear coast stations with their original CQ-loops, so that you may already find some interest for this album. Order: Sylvester Foecking, Wormser Strasse 16, D 55276 Oppenheim. email foecking@main-rheiner.de The cost of the double CD is in Europe [unit symbol unknown] 13,00 incl. Postage and handling. We donate 2.50 to "Seefunkkameradschaft Bremen" "Society of Radio Officers Bremen" CD in USA/oversea $13 (all incl). Payment: pse ask. pse no advance payment. Delivery time ca. 14 Days. There is a German or English edition (cover and introduction) (via Mike Terry, DXLD) See also DEUTSCHES REICH ** GUAM [and non]. K57 webcast during Bohannon, July 10 at 1314 had a constant heterodyne, more like 1 kHz than 3 from nominal 567, fading and other QRM --- sure sounds like an offair pickup beyond local range. Is there something in NW Pacific/E Asia on 566 or 568? This of course is in the middle of the local night when skywave is at peak. But you`d think KGUM could cover small Guam itself with no problems; and pickup from some other island or mainland would not be reliable. WROW 590, Albany NY, confirmed with live webcast of Jim Bohannon, UT Wed July 10 from 0207, via the roundabout yahoo broadcast.com link. When I hear a recommendable guest or topic at 0207, 0307 or 0407 I`ll quickly post a MONITORING REMINDER, also for the K57 replay time, in case it funxion (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. As mentioned earlier, AIR Home Service has started a daytime National Channel on SW. It is a relay of AIR Delhi FM II programming on 9425 via Bangalore. Programs are in Hindi and English. More details later. ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Somajiguda, Hyderabad, July 9, dx_india via DXLD) The new daytime National Service of AIR heard with relay of Delhi AIR FM II as follows today 10th July, 2002 on 9425. Around 0130-0530 UT (7.00 to 11 am IST); Around 0930-1230 UT (3.00 to 6.00 pm IST) More details later ===== 73 (Jose Jacob, July 10, ibid.) AIR FM II relay noted sign on at 0129 UT on 9425. Breakfast News in English at 0300 (Jose Jacob, July 10, ibid.) Effective July 1, All India Radio started transmissions in new language, Kannada to ME: 0215-0300 on 11985 and 15075, both via 500 kW tx in Bangalore (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. PUBLIC RADIO NETWORK RRI TO BROADCAST ON INTERNET | Excerpt from report by Indonesian radio on 9 July [Presenter] In dealing with the current competitive environment of the information technology sector, RRI [Indonesian public radio network] has carried out some restructuring, said RRI Managing Director Suryanta Saleh in Banjarmasin as reported by Fauzi Husein. [Correspondent] RRI managing director, Suryanta Saleh himself attended the handover from incumbent Sazli Rais to Rahman Hakim. Speaking to journalists, Suryanta said that in dealing with the current competitive environment, RRI had carried out some restructuring including the use of sophisticated information technology systems such as satellite and Internet. These changes will mean that RRI programmes can be accessed immediately from all parts of the world. [Suryanta Saleh] What should be observed is the competition within the media sector, between RRI, private radio stations and other electronic media. Secondly, progress within the broadcast media sector. We know that RRI and TVRI [state-owned television network] are not the only media from which people obtain information and entertainment. Therefore, our efforts should be focused on, as I mentioned earlier, how RRI should carry out media convergence. Then people will be able to access our information direct using the Internet. Currently, RRI not only uses both AM and FM terrestrial transmitters, but it can also be accessed through the Worldspace satellite anywhere in the nine ASEAN countries... Source: Radio Republik Indonesia, Jakarta, in Indonesian 0700 gmt 9 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 3231.87, RRI Bukittinggi (presumed) June 27 2108-0021 in Indonesian, poor because of weak signal. Jakarta news relay until 2135, then YL announcer and music. Jakarta news relay at 2159-2212 again. Reactivated (Takasaki, JAPAN via Yokohama-DX...) 3231.88, unID RRI. 1254 June 29 Arabic style music then talk in Indonesian. 1159 RPK, News from Jakarta. Weak signal. Presumed RRI Bukittinggi. Thanks Tip from Takasaki (Nobuo Takeno, JAPAN...) 3231.89, RRI Bukittinggi. 1140-1335 June 28, active again since March 2001, moderate (Roland Schulze, Philippines, via BC-DX...) 3976.1, RRI Pontianak. 1250 June 29, Music and talk by man. ID at 1251 with echo. Good (Nobuo Takeno, JAPAN...) 4000.2, RRI Kendari. IS at 1159 July 10, then local news. The signal was weak under Nei Menggu PBS on 4000 kHz but best time to hear in Japan (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN...) SCI: the Song of the Coconut Islands. RPK: Rayuan Pulau Kelapa. Same as above. 4606.4, RRI Serui. 1130 July 10, local pops, ID at 1159 then into Jakarta news relay without RPK in advance. From 1233 local pops program. At 1302 suddenly changed to Jakarta news relay. Thanks information of this reactivation for Don Nelson (Juichi Yamada, JAPAN; all: Jembatan DX via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Expecting to hear ELWA on 4760, but at 2100 UT July 11 an RRI ID, and s/off 2119*. What is this? (Chris Hambly, Victoria, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 13470V, V. of Mojahed, July 3 1447-1507, 33443 Farsi, Talk and local music. Shifted frequency 13400, 13460 (Kouji Hashimoto, Japan Premium via DXLD) ** IRAQ. Re DXLD 2-110: What I assume is Iraq is also "heard" on 11787, but I can only hear what Christopher reports too. I have received this report from DSWCI member Ray Merrall: I have turned up some puzzling noises on 9754.6v circa 1400 thru to a fade out c1545 almost every day for over two weeks now. Although extremely weak, there is definite Holy Qur`an chanting and, c1500 I hear a TS which is almost certainly from CNR-2 - but any Chinese programming is even weaker than the HQ transmission. This HQ transmission (was) reported back in mid-June, and at that time I thought it might be ERTU, Egypt; I have a feeling it could well be Baghdad at that time of day (1400 to 1545). The unID reported on v9755 at c0040 has not been heard again. This "signal" is also audible at my location but unidentifiable and, if Iraq and not Egypt, will not offer Christopher any better reception. There were transmissions loudly audible from Iraq last year (?) on various 9 MHz channels - 9755 was one of them - but nothing has been heard recently (via Noel Green, UK, July 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Here's the link to a piece from Thursday's Jerusalem Post re controversy over when daylight shifting time should end. You'll note the crazy proposition by the Justice Minister that daylight time should be suspended for a few days at the High Holidays. Jul. 10, 2002 SHEETRIT SOLUTION: 'YOM KIPPUR TIME' By NINA GILBERT AND NOAH SARNA Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit is proposing a compromise to the controversy over ending daylight saving time earlier than scheduled this year by suggesting that clocks be set back for only 48 hours for Yom Kippur. Sheetrit made his proposal yesterday after the Knesset narrowly approved the preliminary reading of a Shas-sponsored bill that would end daylight saving time on September 13 instead of October 7. Sheetrit said he does not believe there would be any legal or logistical problems with his "Yom Kippur time" idea. Moreover, he said it would be implemented only this year.... http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/Full&cid=1025787758186 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** ITALY. Millions of pirate viewers tapping in illegally to Italy's largest pay-television service may be suffering from shock -- and one unrelated to the country's dramatic exit from the World Cup. Pay-TV service Telepiù, which has an estimated two million illicit viewers, has carried out the electronic equivalent of changing the locks in a bid to wipe out endemic piracy in what has become almost a national sport. Until July 1, Telepiù had more pirate viewers than paying clients, a headache for Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corp Ltd wants to form Italy's sole pay-television operator. At least 3.5 percent of the Italian population were previously tuning in illegally to watch films, soccer and re-runs of "Charlie's Angels" on Telepiù, according to estimates by research groups. Surreptitious viewing was probably even more widespread, informed sources say, as many subscribers paid for the basic Telepiù service but used illegal means to access all channels. To combat piracy, Telepiù decided that on a day in June -- previously labelled "day X" -- it would switch off its old decoder system and activate a new, more secure one, locking out the illicit viewers. That day was June 24. Out of an estimated 5.1 million satellite dishes nationwide, Italy's two pay-TV channels have between them nearly 2.35 million subscribers -- of whom 1.55 million are signed up to Telepiù and 800,000 to rival Stream. A further 500,000 satellite dishes are estimated to be used to tune in to free-to-air programmes from other countries -- for example, northern Italy can receive German TV -- leaving around two million illegal viewers, almost all watching Telepiù. According to research by Italmedia Consulting, the number of pirate households prior to the switch-off was equivalent to 136 percent of those paying, at a minimum, or, at most, 164 percent. By contrast Stream, co-owned by Murdoch and Telecom Italia, says it has never been hacked. Stream uses NDS technology which is identical to that used by Britain's BSkyB, owned by News Corp. and a rare example of a profitable European pay-TV operator. Telepiù also changed from the SECA system, dating from 1996, to Mediaguard technology. News Corp. recently agreed a preliminary deal to buy Telepiù and merge it with Stream in a plan to dominate Italian pay-TV. A clamp-down on piracy would help Murdoch, who plans to take 50 percent of the new monopoly, to generate profits. He is still searching for partners for the other 50 percent. Telepiu said the new Mediaguard system, which is already present in Poland, Spain and France, will thwart pirates (Reuters via SCDX, also via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** JORDAN. Spurious signals of Radio Jordan in Arabic: 1700-2000 on 10000 and 9660 or +/- 170 kHz from fundamental 9830 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) ** KASHMIR. 990: According to ITU coordination details, AIR wants to increase from current 300/50 kW to 300/100 kW. http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/brtpr/brific/Files/GE75_108.pdf (ARC Information Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) Presumably meaning day/night powers respectively (gh, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH. Re DXLD 2-109: The Radio Korea International changes took place at the start of the A02 season. The European evening broadcast from Skelton is at 2100-2130 on 3955, not 2130-2200; checked it July 9th (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LATVIA/USA. RFE/RL HEAD SAYS RIGA SUITABLE HOME FOR US RADIO | Text of report in English by Baltic news agency BNS Riga, 8 July: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) president Tom Dine on his visit to Latvia last weekend said the public Latvian Television (LTV) headquarters in Riga was one of the most realistic options for a new home to the radio, LTV news programme Panorama reported Sunday [7 July] evening. Dine, who was in Riga for the summit of NATO candidate states, also visited the LTV multi-storey building which has plenty of vacant space. His first impression was that both the location and area were suitable for accommodation of the RFE/RL staff of 650 people. He also agreed that Latvia would benefit greatly if the RFE/RL would move to Riga. "Imagine that Riga would have professional journalists of at least 60 different nationalities, who are analysts and experts in various international subjects. Secondly, every year we pay into the Czech State Treasury 41m US dollars in salaries as well as bills," said Dine. Latvian Prime Minister Andris Berzins also supports the proposal to move the radio to Riga but the Latvian government would not pay the moving expenses, something which the Czech government has also refused to do so far, reported the LTV. "If the Radio Free Europe management makes the decision [to move to Riga], we will start talks with them... I do not think we would pay any moving costs from the state budget," the Latvian premier said in the interview to Panorama. According to the television news programme, RFE/RL supervisory council will meet in two weeks to decide on a new home for the radio. So far no more than three options have been proposed. The offer to move RFE/RL to Riga was made by the Latvian premier this May after it was suggested to him by the public Latvian Television (LTV) head Uldis Grava, who had previously worked RFE/RL. Berzins said the move would boost Latvia's prestige and economy and also help the public television to fill its currently "underpopulated" 20-storey building in Riga. After 11 September terrorist attacks on the US last year, the Czech government announced it cannot guarantee safety of RFE/RL in its current premises in Prague centre therefore the radio had to start looking for a new home. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty was founded by the US congress, broadcasting in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East. The radio reaches an audience of 35 million listeners, broadcasting news and analytical shows every day. Source: BNS news agency, Tallinn, in English 0644 gmt 8 Jul 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG [and non]. 6090 is being heard today - July 10 - at 0640 tune in. The signal is very strong, peaking at 20dB over 9 but with constant fading and distortion - DW 6075 is much the same as this. Some side splash from BR 6085 is also audible from time to time, depending upon bandwidth used. Announcements are for RTL Radio in German - oldies programme which 1440 MW used to broadcast. Propagation once again appears to be disturbed today, which may account for some of the fading being noted. But, overall, the signal is much as I remember it pre-1994. So that's where "our" summer has gone - on holiday to Germany! The temperature is struggling to reach 20C here with cloudy skies and rain showers. Best 73's (Noel Green, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6090 was already on when first checked at 0555. Right now (0700) the signal is here at Dresden not really satisfying, noticeably weaker than München 6085 and Wertachtal 6075. So much for the moment. [Later, 1034 UT?] Still a similar situation here at Dresden: Some peaks but mostly quite poor signal (poor in regard of a nominal output of 500 kW), indeed the signal strength is similar to Mühlacker 6030. Yes, the audio is not perfect, a dynamic compression is evidently in use but the whole thing sounds "smeary" without presence. But this needs some further listening later at home (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, I checked the Luxembourg frequency 6090 at 0710 UT too. Poor signal from LUX, like our local 20 kW SWR Muehlacker 6030 station, the modulation 'smells' like it is muffled. Here is the ranking for the 0700 UT time slot: [sorted by signal strength at Stuttgart-GER] 5955 Flevo HOL S=9 +60 dB 6075 DW WER S=9 +60 dB 6085 BR Munich S=9 +60 dB ++Powerhouse ! 5975 Voice of Hope, DTK Juelich S=9 +20 dB 6045 TWR DTK Juelich S=9 +20 dB 6140 DW DTK Juelich S=9 +20 dB 6005 DLR Berlin Britz S=9 +10 dB 5985 RVI, DTK Juelich S=9 6155 ORF Vienna S=9 6030 SWR Muehlacker S=8-9 6090 LUX S=8-9, no OPTIMOD, poor modulation from 0740 increasing to S=9 in peaks 6190 DLF Berlin Britz S=8 6165 Croatia S=6-8 deep fading 6025 HNG, S=5 6120 FIN S=4 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6090; BCE-test via RTL-facilities; German language; 0616 Oldies f. e. Beach Boys; TA and ID "RTL Radio", 0621 Yesterday's news (Start of TELSTAR 1 a.o.), Arlo and Woody Guthrie ment., 0624 Song by Nancy Sinatra "These boots are made for walking"; SINPO 33443; better to copy in LSB-mode because of very strong QRM from 6085 kHz (BR 2). 55 and 73 de Klaus/DL 3 EAY and DE 2 JLS. Logging(s) from Klaus Elsebusch, Im Isselgrund 17, 46499 Marienthal, Germany. DL 3 EAY and DE 2 JLS, DSWCI-No. 3385; KWFR-No. 1005; Coordinates: Lat. 51.73 N, Long. 06.74 E Transceiver: ICOM IC 751 A Receiver: LOWE HF 150 mod. and GRUNDIG Satellit 700 Antennae: 20 m Longwire, indoor, Azimut 0 deg., 15 m Longwire, indoor, Azimut 180 deg., Loop-Antennas AMA 3 D and 11, outdoor. Accessoires: YAESU FRT 7700 (Elsebuch, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Radio Luxemburgo, 6090 khz: no escuchada ninguna señal hoy por la madrugada a 0600+ al menos, aquí en Buenos Aires. Solamente, débil señal de Rádio Bandeirantes sobre la misma frecuencia. Mucho ruido y nada de DX. 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) I preferred to sleep at 0600; that`s well after sunrise in Luxembourg, and would not expect much multi-hop nightpath propagation to ensue. Besides, there`s DGS co-channel (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I tried to get something after 0600 UT here in Toronto but I had extremely strong signal on 6090 from one of those religious stations (Piotr Balcerzak, ODXA via DXLD) Tried to listen to the special test from Luxemborg On July 10 with no luck. I set the alarm for 0600 UT (0200 local time) and as expected the frequency was totally blocked by religious programming. Tried again at 1000 UT and 6090 was still blocked. Tried at 1100 to find a very weak signal on 6090 but presumed WSHB in French on 6095 made it impossible to hear 6090 AM made. Tried 6090 in USB with no luck as it was quite weak. I sure hope they try again in the future, possibly on a clear frequency (Lee Silvi, Mentor, Ohio, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yo tampoco pude captar Luxemburgo. Intenté sobre las 07 UT y hacia las 0830 ya con menos espectativas. Lo que llegaba a esta última hora era University Network, desde The Valley, Estados Unidos, con una interminable predica en los 6090. Saludos (Arnaldo Slaen, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Gracias por cedernos la isla británica de Anguilla (gh, EE UU) Chris Hambly from Melbourne heard 6090 at 0700 over Anguilla, 0900 Anguilla, and Luxembourg gone... bugger I was working... but got QSL... but well tough... (Johno Wright, ARDXC via DXLD) De haber algo, será con potencia reducidísima, ya que no escucho a las 1700 UT sino una emisora en un idioma parecido a farsi (dirigida la emisión pues hacia Irán o Afganistán). Escucho las emisoras alemanas en 6085 y 6075 sin mayor problema. Hace media horita había algo casi imperceptible, en alemán, debajo de la emisora mencionada. De ser Luxemburgo, no serían 500 kW, sino 5, o incluso menos. Estoy en el norte de Suecia. [Luego:] Faltando unos 10 minutos para las 18 horas UT, se produjo el fade-in en mi localidad nor-escandinava de la "RTL-Radio", en alemán, en los 6090, aunque siempre muy interferida por la emisora, no sé si la VOA, que emite en idiomas farsi, dari y pashtún, al parecer para Afghanistán. La señal no corresponde a la de un transmisor de 500 kW. Talvez sea más fácil la sintonía en cuanto se depeje un poco la frecuencia (Henrik Klemetz, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Listening now (6.25 pm UK time), it`s relaying RTL Oldies. It`s a strong transmitter. Stong signal, slight interference. 73s (Mike Terry, Bournemouth UK, July 10, ODXA via DXLD) Well, the Luxembourg test gave excellent reception conditions here in Europe till about 1115 UT when the signal started going weak. There was no sign of the Bayerischer Rundfunk who is usually on 6085. Strange. Anyone have suggestions? Best Wishes and God Bless 73 (Christopher Lewis, UK, ARDXC via DXLD) We're listening to it from several locations in Europe via our RMS network. Unfortunately, the signal is mostly buried by 'splash' from BR on 6085. Here's a RealAudio sample from Antwerp from less than an hour ago: http://europe.ibb.his.com/RMSPlayer/cgi-bin/PlayerCGI.acgi?brd=RTL&loc=ANTW&lng=TEST&frq=6090&day=&btm=1600&etm=1630&sound_da=yes [couldn`t get it even after fixing broken link --- gh] Shameless plug: See http://monitor.ibb.gov/rms for more info on IBB's RMS network. bw (Bill Whitacre, DC, IBB, swprograms via DXLD) Coming in with strong signal here in UK as I type (at 1730 UT) - playing "oldies" music (such as "Tragedy", "In the Year 2525" and the Beach Boys with "California Girls" playing right now ...) (Alan Roe, Teddington, UK, ibid.) As it is [splashed] in downtown London where we have a RMS. Unfortunately, the further east you go, the worse the BR 'splash' from 6085 gets -- this includes samples I've listened to from Antwerp, Vienna, Malmö, Helsinki, Belgrade, Skopje, Zagreb, Sofia and Bucharest. Now if I can hear it at home tonight playing music from the 60's/70's, I'll be transported back about 30 years when I used to listen to it nightly! Trouble is, I'll start tuning up to 6205 in hopes of hearing RNI too! ;-) bw (Whitacre, ibid.) RTL's shortwave test transmission on 6090 kHz was heard with fair reception quality in Central Portugal on 10th July between UT 1702- 1734. SINFO rating 34433; only slight interference from Bayerischer Rundfunk 6085. Good readability of signal. Receiver used: old Grundig Satellit 3400 Professional (location: basement). Antenna: 15 metre vertical wire climbing the external wall of a block of flats. I wonder how was the reception for example in Finland (Mika Palo, Tomar, Portugal, DXing.info via DXLD) I listened spasmodically from 1300 to 1700 UT and continuously from 1715 to close at 2104. Reception was variable in the earlier slot, mostly slight to moderate Strength. from 1715 your signal slowly became stronger, as unfortunately did adjacent channel 6085 ARD-Munich. Your Peak Strength was at about 1800-1830; however you remained stronger than during the day, up to the last 15 minutes or so, (2050) when you began to be affected by 'Residual' Coronal Hole Effects (From the Sun) http://www.spaceweather.com Yes, certainly there is a problem with 6085; I don`t think this transmitter was the full 100 kW it now is when you were regularly using 6090 prior to 1994. Certainly 'nostalgic' to hear you again on Short Wave. 73 (Ken Fletcher, Prenton, BIRKENHEAD, Merseyside UK (Near LIVERPOOL) 10th July 2002, report to Lux via BDXC-UK via DXLD) Glenn, Further to recent postings RTL's "Oldiesender" is putting a strong signal on 6.090 AM into Cornwall (far SW England). Unfortunately there is very severe splatter from 6.085. I rate it 42433 - time is 20:17u on the 10th July. It's great to hear it back - I have missed the Oldiesender since it was replaced on 1.440 by Radio Peking (Nicholas Mead, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Here is a quick reply to my reception report tonight. I can still hear a good signal but more fade and QRM now. Dear Mike, Thank you very much for your valuable contribution in this test. QSL will be sent to you by RTL Radio http://www.rtlradio.de Future will be the evaluation of digital service DRM http://www.drm.org on shortwave. Next tests will be driven soon, but no exact schedule is made up to now. Kind regards Eugène Muller, Broadcasting Center Europe S.A, an RTL Group company Tel:+352 42142 7703 Fax. +352 42142 7709 email: eugene_muller@bce.lu http: //www.bce.lu (via Mike Terry, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONACO [and non, FRANCE]. Hi Glenn, zoom this site: http://www.cyber-monaco.mc/cyber/flash/monaco.htm but I think also, such log-periodic antennas of 3AC could never work on Monte Carlo downtown harbour site. See BELOW a copy of the contact mail with the most well known expert Thierry Vignaud, who established many websites on the RFI, RMC transmitter sites, longwave, shortwave Allouis and Issoudun sites, R Andorra, etc. See his well known website: http://www.emetteurs.fr.fm 73 de wb df5sx Re: Subject: 3AC - Monaco Radio, Inside Monaco soil??? please help A 17:43 09/07/2002, vous avez écrit : Bonjour dear Thierry, may you can help me: ? where is the exact location of the txs and antennas of 3AC / 3AF maritime station? Is that location on the mountains above Monte Carlo like Fontbonne Mont Angel, etc., where the RMC and TWR facilities are seen. Or is the tx center in south west Monte Carlo near the Harbour/beach of Quartier de Fontvieille??? Technique : Direction Générale : Gildo Pastor Center, 7 rue du Gabian, Quartier de Fontvieille Hi, Sorry but I don't know. I have founded a website : http://www.monaco-radio.com/ Perhaps that you get more information directly from them at monaco-radio@monaco-telecom.mc Q. Is your website http://home.worldnet.fr/~tvignaud/am/e1/fr-e1.htm not working anymore ??? My former provider Worldnet has closed down the first of June and now you can see my website at http://www.emetteurs.fr.fm ``One must ask, is the tx site for this one really inside Monaco? (gh, DXLD)`` I don't think that it was possible to put a SW station in Monaco; it's a very very small territory. All the broadcast and TV transmitters are located on the French territory due to a special law dated from 1945. Best regards, Thierry VIGNAUD - Boulogne-Billancourt (France) http://www.emetteurs.fr.fm (via Wolfgang Bueschel, DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. Pessoal, Recebi uma carta da Voice of Mongolia, seção japonesa, confirmando a minha recepção do dia 07/03/2002. Além da confirmação, recebi um outro texto, escrito em japonês, que traz a foto de um antílope no alto da página e no verso várias outras fotos de outros animais. Porém, o que mais me surpreendeu foi que veio um osso junto com as cartas. Alguém saberia me explicar o siginificado desse osso? Suponho que seja do antílope que citei, mas não tenho certeza. 73's a todos, (Marco Antonio Archanjo, Brasil, July 10, radioescutas via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) This may be a first. VOM enclosed a *bone* with his QSL (gh, DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. Frequency change on the latest RNZI website. 1106-1305 (ex-9515) 9850 325 degrees Daily. To W Pacific, Bougainville, East Timor, Asia. Note frequency change from Friday 12 July. 73 de Wolfgang df5sx (Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Adrian Sainsbury of Radio New Zealand International advises that as of Friday, July 12, the station will replace 9515 with 9850 kHz between 1105 and 1305 UT. The change is prompted by attempts to get a better signal into Asia (John Figliozzi, July 10, DX LISTENING DIGEST) And should be better in NAm, out from under Sackville (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** NICARAGUA. 690, YNRH Radio Hermanos, address: de Banexpo ½ cuadra al este, Matagalpa. DG: Mons. Leopoldo José Brenes. Slogan: "Radio Hermanos - Voz y Sentir de la Diocesis de Matagalpa" stn 820, YNOL Radio Ondas de Luz, address Barrio Largaespada, Managua. Tel/fax +505 222 2250. Slogan: "La Misionera del Aire" stn 830, YNRZ Radio Zinica, address: Barrio Central (or Ap. 6), Bluefields. Tel +505 822 2771, fax +505 822 2456. E-mail: rzinica@ibw.com.ni Slogan: "Radio Zinica - en el alegre corazon costeño" stn 950, YNCC Radio Rumbos de Rivas, address: Carretera Hacia San Jorge, Rivas. 2,5 kW. E-mail: radiorumbos_950am@yahoo.com stn 960, YNRV La Voz del Trópico Húmedo, address: Costado Norte de la Iglesia Católica. 1100-0300. DG: Fernando Corea Valladares. Slogan: "La Voz del Trópico Húmedo - Pequeñita - Pero - Poderosa" stn 980, YN.. Radio Redención Internacional, address: Calle Edgar Lang, Managua. New station. Belongs to Radio América, 1220 kHz. E-mail: maugepc9@cablenet.com.ni Sch: 1200-0400. stn (Arctic Radio Club Central America column, July via editor Tore Larsson, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Note above, Ondas de Luz, which once was a nice split DX signal in NAm when on 825; and R. Zinica, which a few years ago was on 49m. And Voice of the Humid Tropics! The secret is out (gh, DXLD) ** NIGERIA [non]. Salama Radio (1900-2000 UT, 15250 kHz, 500 kW), studio and transmitter in the UK, broadcasts are beamed to Nigeria. Main language is Hausa, but station also has broadcasts in Fulfulde and other, even more exotic, languages. You may hear many pieces of African music on its waves. Sometimes, at 1930, Brian Edwards, of Calvinist Church, reads his sermons. Reception is very good (Vasily Gulyaev, Astrakhan, Russia, Signal July 9 via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** OMAN. ITU coordination details of the new BBC MW transmitters in Oman are as follows: Location: A'Seela, G.C: 59E27 21N57. This is some 60 km south of the easternmost tip of Oman, near the town of Al Ashkarah (Ashkirah). 702 800 kW, main lobe 290 to 340 degrees day/night 1413 800 kW, main lobe 320 to 110 degrees day/night http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/brtpr/brific/Files/GE75_108.pdf (ARC Information Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3260, R Madang, 0939 July 11, reactivated with election returns in mix of English & Pidgin. Fair signal (Paul Ormandy, Oamaru, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also BOUGAINVILLE ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA [non]. Re DXLD 2-104, inquiry about Gordon Darling: Gordon has been back in the UK for several years now living in Sussex. I get news of him occasionally, usually through a mutual friend. He is no longer involved in the radio hobby (Mike Barraclough, Letchworth, UK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5500.2, Radio San Miguel, San Miguel, Cajamarca Department. 2351-0020 July 8. Transmission in Spanish. Very nice instrumental folk music. The program is conducted by male. Greetings. Huaynos. Announcement and ID as: "y bien, estamos en esta noche en Radio San Miguel...". Time check: "7 de la tarde con 16 minutos en todo el Perú". Communicate and messages. Complete ID as: "Radio San Miguel, transmitiendo desde San Miguel, departamento de Cajamarca, en la banda de 60 metros, banda tropical". 24532 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentine, in DX Camp-Villa Loguercio, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** QATAR. From Variety Posted: Sun., Jul. 7, 2002 [book review] Public service broadcasting? Al-Jazeera, the Arab television station, aims for impartiality but it is still imbued with the prejudices of its audience, says Douglas Davis SUNDAY TELEGRAPH (LONDON) Abstract: AL-JAZEERA: HOW THE FREE ARAB NEWS NETWORK SCOOPED THE WORLD AND CHANGED THE MIDDLE EAST by Mohammed el-Nawawy and Adel Iskandar, Westview Press, pounds 16.99, 228 pp pounds 16.99 (pounds 1.99 p&p) 0870 155 7222 THE WORLD might not be quite ready for a full-blown biography of Al- Jazeera, the Arabic-language CNN wannabe, but in the process of describing the beginnings of this precocious five-year-old television satellite station, the Egyptian-born authors offer a valuable... (via Mike Terry, DXLD) BTW, I have a feeling this never got into DXLD, but I saw a report that the US has a new and growing base in Qatar, of all places. No doubt there will be communications facilities included (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Voice of Russia deleted 15560 via MSK 250 kW / 130 deg for transmissions: 1200-1400 in Russian and 1400-1500 in English (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) ** RWANDA. MEDIA TRIAL: 'PROPAGANDA' RADIO INFLUENCED THE RWANDA GENOCIDE, WITNESS MAINTAINS Internews (Arusha) July 9, 2002 By Mary Kimani Arusha --- Expert witness Alison Des Forges, a Rwandan historian and Human Rights Watch advisor, today maintained before the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) that Radio Television Libre Des Mille Collines (RTLM) played a key role in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.... http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090349.html (via Dave White, DXLD) ** SAMOA AMERICAN. 585: ITU coordination details of the new station intended for this frequency: Location: Tafuna, power: 5 kW, G.C: 170W46 14S21, antenna height: 80 m. http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/brtpr/brific/Files/GE75_108.pdf (ARC Information Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES [and non]. UAE(non): Additional freq for FEBA Radio in Persian: 0530-0700 Fri only on 9660 (55444) via DHA 500 kW / 345 deg \\ 15555 (34543) via SEY 100 kW / 352 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Response from Brother Stair`s E-mail account: My original message had been: Has the prophet been set free yet? I pray thee the charges be dropped. Hallelujah. But I see nothing in the papers. I've killed my television. What is happening on the case, and is the prophet set free at last? Response from Brother Stair's e-mail account (Sister Stair?): Not yet. The Two breach of trust (financial) charges were dropped. The other two charges remain. Keep praying for him (via Robert Arthur, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWAZILAND. 954 kHz: ITU coordination is being sought for 100 kW on this frequency. http://www.itu.int/ITU-R/terrestrial/brtpr/brific/Files/GE75_108.pdf (ARC Information Desk July 8 via editor Olle Alm, DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN --- Remember this week we're broadcasting Monday to Friday from the Baltic island of Gotland, and the annual week of political lectures and seminars centered around Visby's Almedalen Park. Some of the coming highpoints: Wednesday: We focus on the Center Party. We'll also do a little food tasting and we'll meet an up-and-coming rock band, home grown on Gotland and our feature is "Money Matters" Thursday: We focus on the ruling Social Democrat Party, and "GreenScan" looks at Gotland, which prides itself of being the leading eco-municipality in Sweden Friday: Our weekly review, looking back on the Political Week in Almedalen Saturday: Our monthly current affairs magazine "Sweden Today" Sunday: In "Sounds Nordic" another chance to hear about pop-opera with Fredrik Kempe and Stockholm Live Day (SCDX/MediaScan July 10 via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. UKRAINE'S BAN ON BROADCASTS IN RUSSIAN CAUSING CONCERN - diplomat. 9/7 Tass 347 By Irina Shatalova MOSCOW, July 9 (Itar-Tass) - Russian senior diplomat said Tuesday the Russian authorities were concerned by a resolution of the Ukrainian National Council for Broadcasting obliging the country's broadcasting companies to switch all their programming over to the Ukrainian language in the next twelve months. Alexander Yakovenko, an official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said: "We honor Ukraine's desire to develop its national culture and the Ukrainian language, but the move limits the opportunities of receiving programs in the native tongue for millions of Russians living in Ukraine, as well as for numerous Ukrainians for whom Russian is the native tongue". He also stressed that the order to cancel all programming in Russian meant a violation of the bilateral cooperation in the humanitarian sphere and international requirements for protection of ethnic minority rights, specified in the International Pact of Civil and Political Rights and the U.N. resolutions on minority rights. Yakovenko mentioned that the Russian government was taking into account the interests of Ukrainians living in Russia to getting information in their native tongue. The Year of Ukraine, underway here now, was largely targeted toward that, he said. The Russian and Ukrainian departments in charge of information policy had recently stepped up their contacts, Yakovenko said. "We hope that the Ukrainian authorities will heed our concerns on the issue," he said. -0-kle/dro (via David R. Alpert, area code 818, DXLD) ** U K. RELIGIOUS BROADCASTING IN THE UK From Waveguide Monday July 08, 2002 The Church of England said yesterday that worship on television has suffered an "unprecedented" decline over the last two years. A church group which has been monitoring religious output on television and radio said there had been a "marked decrease" in "liturgical and inspirational" programmes. The Religion in Broadcasting group analysed the number of hours and the scheduling of religious programming for 20 months. It found that the amount of "inspirational" broadcasting, including programmes such as the BBC's long-running Songs of Praise and ITV's My Favourite Hymns, dropped from about 25 to 20 hours a month, and religious services fell from about 20 to 10 hours. Television increasingly concentrated only on religious festivals, it said (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. 'CRITICAL TIME' FOR DIGITAL RADIO A senior industry executive has exclusively told Inside Radio that the next 6 months are 'critical' to the success of digital radio in the UK. Simon Cole, the chief executive of UBC Media, spoke to Inside Radio after commenting in the national press that the government should actively support and market digital radio. "The next 6 months are absolutely critical for the future of Digital Radio," Simon told Inside Radio earlier this week, "because for the first time the consumer will be offered the right devices, at the right prices, with the right services on them." "If we can prove the model in the next 6 months then we have very little to worry about." Earlier this week, UBC announced a deal that will see Classic Gold launch on digital radio across London, increasing its potential audience to over 29 million. The digital carriage deal will make the format the third largest on digital multiplexes. UBC Media which owns Classic Gold, already has significant digital radio interests including Oneword, and is also part of the MXR consortium, which carries Classic Gold on its regional multiplexes. The agreement signed today with the Digital Radio Group (DRG), means that the new service will include eight hours a day of local London programming and will feature news and information on London, to be provided by a yet to be announced partner. Launched on 25 January this year, the DRG multiplex includes a mixture of analogue and digital-only services, such as Choice FM, Liquid, the Arrow and Ritz 1035. The DRG is owned amongst others by GWR, the Wireless Group, Asian Sound and The Carphone Warehouse (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K. COMEDY ON THE BBC WORLDSERVICE Hi! I have another argument/rationale you can use when you respond to the often-repeated requests for radio comedy programs on the World Service: Radio comedy often depends on the audience being able to hear clearly and understand every word, or often just one specific particular word, in a joke punchline or pun or other verbal humor. You cannot rely on that with shortwave, and I believe also on Internet audio. On shortwave, it is inevitable that a burst of noise, a sudden fade, or some other interference will destroy the reception of that one vital word or phrase. Internet audio is also subject to dropouts and buffering problems that will mess up the understanding of that particularly important bit of audio. This is due to the innate animosity of the universe, a trait longtime shortwave listeners have grown used to, when the once-an-hour ID of some rare and marginally- heard station is the bit obscured by a lightning crash or a deep fade. Those of us who still listen to the BBC on shortwave here in North America are used to this sort of thing happening on your once-strong signals, along with the frequent transmitter dropouts on 15190 kHz during our mornings. I, too, along with the person whose letter you read in last week's WRITE ON, remember hearing "The Goon Show" on the BBC years ago. I also remember never being able to understand it! It wasn't until I discovered an LP record of Goon Show humor that I was able to make out enough of it to find it really funny. Before, it was just mystifying. This also leads into a comment about another letter you read, praising the variety of accented English variants in the speech of people participating in various BBC programmes. I believe that you there in Britain find the English speech of South Asians far more clear and understandable that we do here in North America. You probably hear such speech every day in the normal course of life. I, myself, find much of the speech of such people that I hear on various BBC programmes to be terribly difficult to understand. Whether it be a scientist interviewed on Science In Action, Discovery, One Planet, etc., or a filmmaker or reviewer on On Screen, etc., most of such speech is often a blur to me. I'd far prefer you transcribe their words and have an in-studio announcer read them in as neutral a standard accent as possible. Also, maybe you can process some peoples' speech to a different frequency range to make it clearer? For example, in this week's "Go Digital", I can clearly understand the female presenter's voice, but the deeper voice of the man she was interviewing was practically undecipherable. Regards, (William Martin, Saint Louis, Missouri USA, July 10, to BBC writeon, cc to DXLD) I agree that you need perfect reception to appreciate fast-paced and idiomatic comedy, but such is now the norm via webcasts. I often listen to BBC Radio 2, 3 or 4 hours at a time with nary a glitch. I sometimes listen to the comedy strip, typically M-F at 1730-1800 UT on 4, and even so, many of the shows are hard to appreciate (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [and non]. BBC deleted the following freqs for ME: 13645 DHA 500 kW / 045 deg 0445-0700 in English 21735 RMP 500 kW / 085 deg 0445-0700 in English 21735 RMP 500 kW / 085 deg 0700-1000 in Pashto/Persian/English 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) ** UNITED NATIONS [non]. Updated A-02 schedule for UN Radio via Merlin Communications as of July 1: 1700-1715 Mon-Fri French NF 7150*MEY 100 kW / 076 deg, ex 6125 17705 SKN 300 kW / 180 deg 21490 MEY 500 kW / 342 deg 1715-1720 Mon-Fri Music 21490 MEY 500 kW / 342 deg 1725-1730 Mon-Fri Music NF 7150*MEY 100 kW / 005 deg, ex 6125 1730-1745 Mon-Fri English NF 7150*MEY 100 kW / 005 deg, ex 6125 NF 17570 ASC 250 kW / 065 deg, ex 15105 17710 SKN 300 kW / 125 deg 1830-1845 Mon-Fri Arabic 15585 RMP 500 kW / 115 deg 17565 SKN 300 kW / 180 deg * totally blocked by Radio Ukraine International in Ukrainian (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ** U S A [non]. OBSERVER #200 / 12-07-2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 UT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Summer schedule of RFE/RL as of July 10: ALBANIAN 1900-1930 792 7165 11875 15140 ARABIC 0100-0300 9730 9865 12030 0300-0400 1314 9730 9865 11910 0400-0600 9730 9865 12030 1400-1500 1314 9825 13755 15170 17740 1500-1600 1314 9825 11805 15170 17740 1600-1700 9825 11805 15170 17740 1700-1800 9575 11805 17610 1800-1900 9705 11805 17610 2100-2300 7155 9615 ARMENIAN 0200-0300 6170 7275 1400-1500 9785 1600-1700 9620 11895 AVARI 0415-0430 9850 11760 15355 1715-1730 9810 11925 17630 AZERI 0300-0400 9680 0900-1000 15510 17665 21520 1300-1400 15145 15255 17710 1500-1600 15385 1800-1900 11865 BELORUSSIAN 0300-0500 612 1188 6170 7295 9635 1500-1700 612 9565 11725 15215 1700-1900 612 7190 11730 15480 1900-2100 612 1188 9530 9750 11865 BULGARIAN 0600-0630 11975 1000-1030 15115 1400-1600 15115 CHECHEN 0430-0445 9850 11760 15355 1730-1745 9810 11925 17630 CHERKASSI 0445-0500 9850 11760 15355 1745-1800 9810 11925 17630 DARI 0400-0500 11705 13790 15705 17560 17670 0730-0800 15345 17775 19010 21815 0900-1000 15220 17865 19010 21680 1300-1400 15265 15355 15370 17685 17740 1730-1800 9845 11705 12030 15210 15340 1930-2000 7285 9575 15190 15340 2230-2300 7430 9690 11990 13805 FARSI 0430-0730 9510 15525 17835 0730-0830 9510 15515 17835 1400-1700 15495 15530 17610 21775 1800-2000 5860 9875 9885 1900-2200 7175 11710 GEORGIAN 0400-0500 9595 1500-1600 17725 1900-2000 11690 KAZAKH 0100-0200 7170 9665 11845 1100-1200 11870 15195 17670 1300-1400 12140 13795 15455 1400-1500 4995 15355 15455 1500-1600 4995 13795 15355 2300-2400 7250 9625 9660 KYRGHYZ 0000-0200 6170 7295 9715 1200-1230 11930 15120 17615 1300-1330 11930 15205 17865 1400-1500 5860 11845 15345 1500-1600 5860 11960 11980 15340 PASHTO 0300-0400 11705 13790 15705 17560 17670 0700-0730 15345 17775 19010 21815 1000-1100 15220 17865 19010 21680 1200-1300 15265 15355 15370 17685 17740 1700-1730 9845 11705 12030 15210 15340 1800-1830 9845 12030 15210 15340 2200-2230 7430 9690 11990 13805 ROMANIAN 0300-0330 7210 9595 Monday to Friday 1500-1530 9505 11950 1600-1630 9505 9725 1630-1700 9505 9725 Monday to Friday 1800-1900 7165 11715 Monday to Friday RUSSIAN 0000-0100 6095 5985 7120 7170 7220 9520 0200-0300 6000 6105 7155 7220 7245 9520 0300-0400 6000 6105 7155 7220 9520 11725 0400-0500 6000 7220 9520 9760 11725 11885 0500-0600 7220 9520 9705 9760 11885 17730 0600-0700 9520 9705 11815 15130 17730 17810 0700-0800 9520 9705 11815 11860 15130 17730 17810 0800-1000 11860 15280 17730 17810 1000-1100 11860 11875 11885 15130 15145 17730 17810 1100-1200 11885 13745 15130 15145 15205 17730 1200-1300 11885 13745 15130 15145 15205 15215 1400-1500 9595 11725 11770 11885 11895 15215 1500-1600 7220 9520 11770 11895 13755 1600-1700 7220 9520 11770 11885 13755 1900-2000 6105 7115 7220 9520 9615 11885 2000-2100 5955 6105 7115 7220 7260 9520 9705 2100-2200 5955 6105 7220 7245 7260 9520 9715 2200-2300 5985 6095 7220 7245 9520 9665 2300-2400 5985 6095 7120 7170 7220 9520 RUSSIAN CE.AS 0400-0415 9850 11760 15355 1700-1715 9810 11925 17630 SERBOCROATIAN 0230-0330 1197 0730-0800 9555 11970 15260 1300-1330 9625 11795 17605 1600-1700 1188 1197 6040 7115 11925 1730-1900 1188 9625 13635 15245 2000-2100 5970 7165 7245 2130-2200 1188 2200-0100 1188 1197 6130 9635 11730 TAJIK 0100-0200 4760 9760 11660 0200-0400 9760 11660 15520 1400-1500 15145 15370 17855 1500-1630 9790 15145 15370 1630-1700 4760 9790 15145 15370 TATAR-BASHKIR 0300-0400 9815 11820 0500-0600 9725 15425 1500-1600 11995 15245 1900-2000 9650 11925 TURKMEN 0200-0300 864 7295 9555 15295 0300-0400 7175 9555 15295 1400-1500 13815 15265 17690 1500-1530 13815 15160 17690 1530-1600 864 13815 15160 17690 1600-1800 13815 15160 17885 UKRAINIAN 0300-0400 6065 7115 9710 Monday to Friday 0500-0600 7115 7165 11815 Monday to Friday 1700-1800 9855 11895 15115 1800-1900 7115 11660 11835 1900-2000 7145 11660 11835 Sunday to Friday UZBEK 0100-0200 864 0200-0400 9785 12015 15445 0400-0600 12015 17630 21770 1600-1700 9840 11980 15335 1700-1800 9595 11815 11980 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, via DXLD) ** U S A. VOA Language Services: with years they began and ended if applicable: http://www.voa.gov/index.cfm?tableName=tblVOAHistory&articleID=10009§iontitle=VOA%20History (via gh, from a tip in July World DX Club Contact) ** U S A [non]. New schedule for Voice of Hope/High Adventure Ministries to ME, DTK changes: 0430-0600 15715 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg English ex 0400-0600 0700-0900 21590 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg Arabic 0900-1000 21590 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg English CANCELLED 1500-1630 15715 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg English ex 1500-1600 1630-1700 15715 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg Persian ex 1600-1700 1700-1900 15715 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg Arabic ex 1700-1800 1900-2000 15715 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg English ex 1800-2100 Remnants Hope Ministry in English: 0800-0900 13810 JUL 100 kW / 250 deg Sat CANCELLED 1200-1300 6110 JUL 100 kW / 290 deg Sat/Sun CANCELLED (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) Brother Stair detractors. Wonder if they are still on US stations (gh, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Well over 10 years ago, Gene Scott used to run channel 38 in San Francisco, along with channel 30 in the Los Angeles area (don't remember the calls). 38 was carried on my cable system. The programming on the "University Network" was basically closeups of him wearing funny hats and sunglasses under his reading glasses, with him either reading from scripture or just going on rants. When he was losing his licenses for the UHF stations, he set up a mechanical monkey to run and referred to it as the FCC. I think he used a rubber mallet on the thing too. There would also be musical interludes (even HE had to take a break, hi), with videos shown; sometimes a choir singing-- once he showed the transmitter site for the Caribbean Beacon, with a 360 degree view. He never ran SS on TV, and I've never heard him in SS on SW. While I last logged 1610 from CA back in the early 80s, I seriously doubt if the stations on 1610 and 690 deviate from his SW stations today. I think he just needed to get away from FCC influence when he brought the 690 / 1610 stations on line. (He lost his license because he wouldn't reveal his contributors to the FCC, he claimed.) (Richard Toebe, July 9, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. WRMI SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE JULY 8 Days are local days in the Americas; times are UT MONDAY-FRIDAY/ To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz 1000-1030 La Voz de la Junta Patriótica Cubana (español) 1030-1200 Viva Miami (English/español) Note: This transmission from 0900-1200 UT is temporarily not aired on Tuesday and Thursday. To North America on 7385 kHz Note: The following are Tuesday-Saturday UT 0200-0230 Radio Praga (español) 0230-0300 Viva Miami (English, Friday) 0300-0330 Radio Prague (English) 0330-0400 Wavescan (English, Friday) SATURDAY/SABADO To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz 0900-0930 Viva Miami (English) 1030-1100 La Voz del Escambray (español) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz 2300-0000 Foro Militar Cubano (español) The following are Sunday UT 0000-0030 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) 0100-0200 Radio Revista Lux (español) To North America on 7385 kHz 0200-0230 Radio Praga (español) 0230-0300 Drive-in Double Feature (English) 0300-0330 Radio Prague (English) SUNDAY To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz 0900-1000 Foro Militar Cubano (español) 1000-1030 Radio Guiteras - La Voz de Jóven Cuba (español) To North America on 15725 kHz 1200-1300 Viva Miami (English) To the Caribbean and Latin America on 9955 kHz 2300-0000 Radio Revista Lux (español) The following are UT Monday 0000-0015 Radio Vaticano (español) 0030-0130 Radio Oriente Libre (español) 0130-0200 Conversando entre Cubanos (español) To North America on 7385 kHz 0200-0230 Radio Praga (español) 0300-0330 Radio Prague (English) (from http://www.wrmi.net/page714011.htm --- non-gospel programs only excerpted by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST; also via John Norfolk) ** U S A. PUBLIC BROADCASTERS PICK UP STATIC ON CAPITOL HILL Media: Officials fail to avoid a partisan debate over their programming as they seek funding for digital technology. By EDMUND SANDERS TIMES STAFF WRITER July 11 2002 WASHINGTON -- Public broadcasters asked Capitol Hill for half a billion dollars Wednesday to help it meet a government-mandated transition to digital technology. The complete article can be viewed at: http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-pbs11jul11.story (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. GODDARD RADIO STATION FACES CLOSURE July 7, 2002 From The Rutland Herald, Rutland, Vermont By ROBIN PALMER, Staff Writer PLAINFIELD – A radio station that has served the central Vermont community for nearly 30 years is expected to go off the air later this month, ending an era and upsetting a group of volunteer programmers and listeners. Goddard College's WGDR will close on July 26 unless college administrators and trustees make a decision that will allow the station to stay on the air.... http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/Archive/Articles/Article/49569 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) WGDR was, once upon a time, a WORLD OF RADIO affiliate (gh) ** U S A. RADIO GAMES Is the school district`s public radio swap about more powerful broadcasts of the Blue Jackets and OSU sports? Confidential documents obtained by Alive show deals between WCBE, WOSU and WWCD have been discussed in secret for years --- by Bob Fitrakis Is it all about sports? Columbus School Board member Bill Moss believes that's the hidden agenda behind WOSU`s proposal to manage WCBE, the school district's public radio station. Moss fears a potential signal swap could be intended to secure a better frequency for Dispatch Broadcast Group sports station WBNS, radio home of Buckeyes, and put the FM home of the Blue Jackets on an improved broadcast tower. Public records obtained by Columbus Alive, including confidential communications between Columbus school administrators and Washington attorney Ernest T. Sánchez, suggest that Moss may be right. Though the school board began officially accepting local management agreement proposals just this spring, in an effort to outsource the management of WCBE, documents show that deals with WWCD and WOSU have been discussed in private for the last four years. Former Columbus Public Schools administrator Sherry Bird Long was in frequent communication with Sánchez during the three-year period prior to her resignation in April 2001. (At the time of her resignation, Bird Long was being investigated as part of a contract-steering scandal; she later pleaded guilty to a felony charge.) ... [very long story of intrigue:] http://www.columbusalive.com/2002/20020704/070402/07040203.html (via Artie Bigley, OH, DXLD) ** U S A. Some months ago, the St. Louis community/alternative radio station KDHX (for Double Helix), suspended webcasting for the usual reasons, uncertainty about the royalty situation. Last week I tried them again and they were back, so I checked program schedule and entered a number of shows onto MONITORING REMINDERS. Since I was listening at a time not specified as (streaming audio!), I assumed that this wasn`t really strict. Then when I tried to hear the Thursday 1400 show, Great American Music, I got a `not available` message, so proceeded to remove all the shows I had entered on the calendar, but added a couple which do claim to be streamed: Friday 1500-1800 UT Songwriter`s Showcase. And Saturday 1500-1700 Down Yonder, bluegrass. Most of the shows allegedly streamed now are talk (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. I told a few people in my area in an E-mail last night to watch out for the 1170 in Grosse Pointe, but I haven't heard it since Monday, and I just checked now and they are not on. At any rate, that is all that I knew with that, and I will let you know if I hear anything more (Jeffrey Michael Kenyon, MI, July 10, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. TV STATION KMOL SET TO AGAIN BE WOAI By Jeanne Jakle , Express-News staff writer Web Posted : 07/03/2002 12:00 AM http://news.mysanantonio.com/story.cfm?xla=saen&xlc=748644 KMOL, San Antonio's first television station, will revert to its original call letters, WOAI, on or before Jan. 1, the NBC affiliate's owners said Tuesday. After the change, subject to formal approval by the Federal Communications Commission, KMOL will be the city's only TV station with call letters beginning with a "W." "We are headed back to the future," said William Moll, president of television for San Antonio-based Clear Channel Worldwide, which owns both KMOL-TV, Channel 4, and radio station WOAI. He referred to the fact that KMOL, the city's first TV station, initially began broadcasting on Dec. 11, 1949, as WOAI, sister to the already established WOAI-AM radio. Southland Industries owned both properties back then. They were sold in 1965 to Crosley Corp., which later became AVCO. WOAI-TV changed to KMOL-TV in 1975. That happened after ownership was split. The radio portion was turned over to businessmen Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, founders of Clear Channel Worldwide. TV and radio joined hands once again last October, however, when Clear Channel Worldwide acquired KMOL from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. "The name WOAI is also synonymous with news and information in San Antonio," KMOL Vice President and General Manager Don Perry said Tuesday. Generally, TV and radio stations west of the Mississippi begin with the letter "K." KENS, Channel 5, the CBS affiliate, is the only other TV station in the market with a sister radio station with the same call letters, KENS-AM. 07/03/2002 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** U S A. WITH BY-THE-NUMBERS RADIO, REQUESTS ARE A DYING BREED July 11, 2002 By LAURA M. HOLSON LOS ANGELES, July 10 - Few executives better reflect the changes in the music industry these days than Tom Poleman, program director for Z-100 (WHTZ-FM), the top pop radio station in New York City and one of 1,200 stations owned by the conglomerate Clear Channel Communications. Mr. Poleman rarely plays his favorites. Instead, he spends each day crunching numbers in his office in Jersey City, reviewing spreadsheets and computer-generated data chronicling what listeners will want to hear... http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/11/business/media/11RADI.html?ex=1027417082&ei=1&en=cf1881619a3c3038 (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. NEW NOAA WX BROADCASTS SOUND LIKE HUMANS Weather Turns Mellow As Radio Voices Recast New Software Delivers More Human Tone By Michael E. Ruane Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 11, 2002; Page B01 Nobody liked Igor, who was also known as Sven. He sounded slightly Teutonic, slurred his sing-song speech and felt like someone you might want your kids to avoid. If he sounded inhuman, he couldn't help it. He was. And it cost him. As of yesterday, Igor/Sven, as he was nicknamed by many local listeners of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio system, is out of a job. The unloved computer voice that has weirdly recited forecasts and warnings over NOAA weather radio in our area for the last four years - - he could never properly pronounce the word Dulles -- has been canned. His replacements are Craig and Donna, who sound like soft-rock deejays and are at least semi-human: Their speech is made up of human voice fragments called phonemes, reassembled by a computer. Locally, they debuted yesterday morning from the National Weather Service's Baltimore-Washington office, after senior forecaster Chris Strong gave them final lessons in proper local pronunciations: stuff like Puh-TOW-mick, An-AH-pole-is, FAW-keer and NAW-fuk were potentially difficult, officials said. Earlier, Donna had a slight problem with the word degrees, as in 90 degrees. It came out "degrease." But she'll learn and be popular, especially among mariners, the Weather Service said. The automated voices are the latest effort by NOAA's National Weather Service to get weather information to the public as quickly as possible. The Weather Service has been broadcasting weather via special weather radio since the 1950s. You need a receiver that picks up the service to listen. Many marine radios pick up the broadcasts, and inexpensive weather radios are becoming increasingly popular, the Weather Service said. Originally, the broadcasts were done with tape-recorded human voices, said Joann Swanson, the Weather Service expert who headed the new voice project. And forecasters could always go live in an emergency. "In the old days, you had a human being who would rip and read off the Teletypes," she said. But that could be tedious, time-consuming and labor-intensive. About four years ago, during a period of broad technological improvement, the service concluded that automating weather radio would produce faster and labor-saving reports. In early 1998, the agency turned to technology that could render the broadcasts via a computer that read text and then spoke in an imitated human voice. It was fast and modern, and it bombed. "A lot of people felt that this was a dehumanization," Swanson said. The reports came in a computerized voice officially nicknamed "Perfect Paul." To many listeners, he quickly became Igor, Sven or Arnold. People complained that the voice had a foreign accent. Gradually, technology emerged in which an actual human voice was recorded and then disassembled by computer software into the 40 or so phonemes, or subsyllables, that make up human speech, Swanson said. The software was able to read text and reassemble the phonemes into the corresponding human speech. The Weather Service studied companies that made such products, polled listeners via the Internet and assembled focus groups to judge the candidates. The Weather Service selected a product called Speechify, made by Boston-based SpeechWorks International Inc. Speechify produced the voices that the Weather Service nicknamed Craig and Donna, after two Weather Service employees involved in the project. Yesterday, the Sterling office was broadcasting with both voices. Craig and Donna sounded tentative, with a slight tremor. That seemed inevitable: They were new, and Jim Travers, the meteorologist in charge of the office, said further pronunciation adjustments were probably inevitable. But they had done well. "I listened to it . . . and I was just enthralled," he said. "It's a huge improvement." ================================================================== http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52160-2002Jul10.html (via Steve Ely, alt.talk.weather et al. newsgroups, via John Norfolk [hmmm, am I saying your name right?]; also via Tom McNiff, Mike Terry, DXLD) I kind of liked "Perfect Paul." Once you get past the ads and promos [2:37], you can hear the new voices at NOAA weather radio. Miami will be interesting to listen to during the hurricane season. Click on http://broadcast-weather.net/noaa.html for NOAA Weather Radio Live - Hurricane, Tornado, Winter Storms, Flash Floods Weather Broadcasting. Good listening, (Tom McNiff, Burke, Virginia, US, July 11, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Grrr, I sat thru that incredibly informal and leisurely promo for 2:37, after clicking on one of the cities available at random, Marion IL, and THEN, ``connection could not be established to Paducah``! No apparent way to skip it (gh, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. A major anti-Chávez demonstration is scheduled for Thursday the 11th, perhaps surpassing the one in April which led to his brief overthrow... (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) MAÑANA DÍA CRUCIAL PARA LA DEMOCRACIA VENEZOLANA Mañana Jueves se va realizar una Gran Marcha denominada ``Marcha por la Libertad``, donde se le va solicitar al Presidente de la República que renuncie de una buena vez. Lo particular de esta marcha, que a diferencia de las otras, la misma llegará hasta el mismo Palacio Presidencial de Miraflores, cosa que no fué posible el pasado 11 de Abril cuando las turbas armadas del oficialismo, asesinaron a tiros a 18 personas inocentes cuando protestaban de manera pacífica con pitos, cacerolas y banderas. Ya en la prensa venezolana se comenta que dicha manifestación está tan bien organizada, que es posible que supere la del 11 de abril que fue la más grande en la historia política de este país, cuando se cree que alcance a más de Un Millón de personas. Aunque se han tomado todas las medidas posibles de seguridad por parte de la Policía Metropolitana de Caracas, ayer el Presidente ordenó acuartelamiento a todas las guarniciones militares del país, así como también se vió en la capital la llegada de tropas de paracadistas en camiones militares leales al Presidente procedente de la Guarnición de Maracay, Estado Aragua, la más importante de Venezuela. Ya se sabe que el Presidente no estará en el día de mañana en el Palacio de Miraflores, sinó en Maracay rodeado con sus militares leales. Esta actitud del primer mandatario evidencia su temor de su posible salida, pero que no está dispuesto a realizar. Veamos que sucederá, pero mañana será un día histórico para Venezuela, a lo cual los invito a visitar la web http://www.auyantepui.com donde encontrará la sección de medios de comunicación, así como también sintonizar a las pocas emisoras venezolanas en la onda corta. Sin duda nuestro país será noticia en el mundo entero, esperemos que para bien. Que dios nos acompañe! ===== Quedo atentamente, (Econ. Jorge García Rangel E-mail: jorge.garcia@rocketmail.com July 10, WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VENEZUELA. Saludos colegas diexistas. Para todos un feliz Jueves. La siguiente información fué transmitida en el boletín de Noticias del Circuito Radio Venezuela. Tres hombres armados tomaron esta madrugada nuestra emisora hermana: Venezuela Tricolor, en Barquisimeto, Estado Lara. Los presuntos rebeldes se identificaron como miembros de un denominado Frente Armado de La Revolución. Sin embargo voceros de la oposición larense, señalan que se trata de integrantes de los llamados Circulos Bolivarianos que apoyan al gobierno de Chávez. Estos desconocidos luego de someter al personal de la emisora Venezuela Tricolor, colocaron una cinta con un mensaje que salió al aire. Los cuerpos policiales de Lara, interrogan a los trabajadores de la emisora a fin de dar con la identidad y paradero de los sujetos. Nota: Transcripción fiel del sonido del noticiero de Radio Venezuela. Atte: (José Elías, Venezuela, July 11, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** VIETNAM [non]. TAJIKISTAN(non): Radio Free Vietnam in Vietnamese now on air: 1400-1430 Mon-Fri on 15235 via DB 200 kW / 125 deg, ex TAC 200 kW / 131 deg (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 9 via DXLD) i.e. same frequency but site changed from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to Dushanbe, Tajikistan (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1139) ** ZIMBABWE [and non] POLICE RAID FAILS TO SILENCE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE On 4 July Zimbabwean police, accompanied by officers from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, raided the Harare studios of Voice of The People (VOP) and took away 133 tapes and files. A spokesperson for VOP's lawyers told local journalists that the police were looking for the transmitter the VOP was using to transmit its programmes. He said that by law, the police must return everything they seized. "We are waiting for a decision on whether to apply to the court for a speedy return of the confiscated equipment or appeal against the harassment to which VOP staff were subjected," he said. The Broadcasting Services Act 2001 bars anyone from broadcasting without a valid licence. However, in legal terms, VOP is not a radio station, but a production company which hires airtime on the Radio Netherlands Madagascar Relay Station, and beams the programmes back into Zimbabwe on shortwave. A spokesperson for VOP told Radio Netherlands that the raid had not affected its ability to produce material, and normal broadcasts are continuing (© Radio Netherlands Media Network July 10 via WORLD OF RADIO 1139, DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-110, July 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 #1138: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1138.html (ONDEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html WWCR BROADCAST: Wed 0930 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Wed 0100, 0700, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 WBCQ FIRST BROADCASTS OF WOR #1139: Wed 2200 17495 7415; Thu 0415 7415 DXERS CALLING Hi all, many thanks to all for their kind words with support of the Dxers Calling audio service; it is very much appreciated. After much thought as to how I may be able to provide audio to the many that may require it, I will be restarting Dxers Calling as a free subscription based audio distribution service, and will be willing to distribute DXing with Cumbre with Marie Lamb, World of Radio with Glenn Hauser, SPDXR with Paul Ormandy, Fred Moe and Random Transmissions, Tim Gaynor and Dxers Calling media report (also via Dave N1DK Cybershortwave), from this Saturday July 13 2002. All of the above programs will be offered either individually or as a 16KBPS MP3 Audio file through email. The URLS remain unchanged, http://www.geocities.com/nri3 https://www.angelfire.com/myband/tjg http://nrin.hypermart.net *except for the nrin site, which will provide some Shortwave and streaming news either about dxers calling and will also invite others to become an audio distributor to lighten the work load on myself. group site http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxerscalling/post With regard to the streaming royalty issues, I will no longer stream through Live365.com as they will be charging all accounts a $5 U.S. rate to cover royalties, but I am of the opinion that this should not cover spoken word programs unless the program provider requests it. The Dxers Calling site is more of a hobby for me but is also a non- profit audio service of which I derive nothing in monetary terms. So I hope this will be a satisfactory arrangement for all! Any concerns, please email me, *Free Distribution! Thank you (Tim Gaynor, Dxers Calling, Audio from Australia and to the World (via ShortWaveRadio yahoogroup et al. via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. DEPUTY MINISTER INTRODUCES NEW HEAD OF AFGHAN RADIO | Excerpt from report by Afghan radio on 7 July At a ceremony, the deputy minister of information and culture on publication affairs, esteemed Abdol Hamed Mobarez, introduced the newly appointed head of the radio and television [organization], esteemed Engineer Mohammad Isaq, to his colleagues today. Bakhtar Information Agency reported, the ceremony, held on the occasion at the radio and television station, was attended by the station's directors, personnel and officials. The deputy minister of information and culture on publication affairs, esteemed Abdol Hamed Mobarez, spoke in detail on the role and influence of radio and television on people's opinions. He said: At this very delicate situation, the radio and television have a very heavy obligation and duty to enhance the national unity, to defend our independence and territory and to inform the public. Esteemed Mobarez praised the vital services of esteemed Engineer Mohammad Isaq, who was one of the closest colleagues of the national hero, Ahmad Shah Masud, during the period of jihad and resistance. He also pledged cooperation on behalf of all officials and personnel of the Ministry of Information and Culture. Following that, Engineer Mohammad Isaq said that he would not spare any kind of cooperation with the Ministry of Information and Culture to improve the affairs of radio and television in accordance with his capability and ability... It has to be mentioned that Engineer Mohammad Isaq was the editor in chief of the Afghan News during the jihad period and carried out the responsibility for a while in Kabul, too. He was the head of Payam-e Mojahed during the resistance period and following that he was a member of the [Islamic] United Front [for the Salvation of Afghanistan] in New York. He used to be a close colleague of the national hero, Ahmad Shah Masud. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Pashto 1500 gmt 7 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. I received a prepared postcard QSL with R. Maranatha written on front + 3 Iguazú post cards + 2 photos from family of Lino Fernández with his 8 childrens !!, and a T-shirt with "Cataratas del Iguazu - Argentina" written on front & picture of waterfalls + very friendly letter. v/s José Lino Fernández, producer of programme "Atendiendo a los Oyentes" and stamped with seal "Iglesia Evangélica Asamblea de Dios Morena", in 38 days. I sent my report directly to the announcer job QTH when I did not know the exact name of the station because on the ID's they have been mentioned firstly both names (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** BELGIUM. Bob Zanotti, ex-``R. Switzerland International`` as FV calls it, on the sad state of shortwave today, another 8-minute excerpt of his speech at Kulpsville appears on this week`s RVI Radio World: http://www.vrt.be/real/rvi/dalet/rw.ram Next week: Kim Elliott. BTW, if you save this as a RealPlayer favorite, you will always get the latest RVI Radio World show. Same can be done with Ask WWCR and others (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. R. Free Bougainville: This rebel station was powered by a generator running on coconut oil and was last heard by DX-ers in 1998 around 3850 on LSB at *1000-1030*. It verified by QSL (Anker Peterson, Ed., DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Canção Nova in Brazil is making available a chat channel for those radio listeners who want to participate in the Além Fronteiras by computer. It will be available next Saturday (July 13). The objective is to keep a two-way contact with our listeners. I want you help me to try it. Chat = http://www.cancaonova.com/dx Além Fronteiras --- Beyond Boundaries schedule Every Saturday from 22:00 to 23:00 GMT AM 1020 / 60m 4.825 / 49m 6.105 / 31m 9.675 Regards, Eduardo De Moura --- PY2TP, Radio Canção Nova _________________ We confirm radio reports on the air and 100% QSL back (via DXing.info July 8 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL [and non]. Hi, after a question about a harmonic on the radioescutas list, I've done some listening around on the bands and have run into the following MW harmonics. All the identified ones are from Brazil, with one station from my own city. Has anybody else heard some of these stations, or is anybody able to confirm the identity of some of these ? kHz fund date UT Details 2220.13 1110 ? 8/7/2002 0044 tent. R. Cultura, Campos "R. Cultura, voz de Campos" 2540 1270 24h R. Capital, Curitiba 2800 8/7/2002 0130 unid, Brazilian ? 2840.27 8/7/2002 0133 unid 3390 1130 Marialva ????? 3810 1270 24h (very weak) R. Capital, Curitiba 5080 1270 24h R. Capital, Curitiba I'm listening from Curitiba in the south of Brazil, using an Icom R75 and a home-brew T2FD of 15 meters. Regards, (Rik van Riel, Curitiba PR, hard-core-dx via DXLD) -- Bravely reimplemented by the knights who say "NIH". http://www.surriel.com/ http://distro.conectiva.com/ Normally we don`t take MW harmonics heard at local range very seriously, since actual harmonic power may be minuscule and/or due to local receiver overload. So I haven`t mentioned that I can hear KGWA 960 Enid on 2880, KCRC 1390 Enid on 2780, et al. (Glenn Hauser, Enid, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURMA [non]. See NETHERLANDS [and non]. RN Madagascar relay is almost back to normal, including return to that site of DVOB after a few days via Tashkent on same frequency: 2330-0030 Madagascar 11715 055 200 Dem. V. of Burma SE Asia (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. The Voice of Vietnam's 0330 EG transmission via Sackville is off frequency at 6174.97 kHz. This transmitter closes at 0358 and then the transmitter for the Vietnamese broadcast opens on 6175.00 at 0400 (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN - bjordan@bcdx.org Icom R75 - Palstar R30C - Quantum QX Pro - Wellbrook ALA 330 Please visit the new BCDX website at http://www.bcdx.org July 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Guess this means they are switching from one transmitter to another for some reason. The things you can learn with precision frequency measuring! (gh, DXLD) ** CANADA. New 1610 kHz station returns to testing, includes official IDs and phone number for reporting interference: (514) 287-1288 or pierre@qc.aira.com Signal strength bouncing all over the place. Not always testing with Caribbean music... sometime classical, French standards and pseudo- hip-hop-à-la-Eminem (International Radio Report July 7 via Ricky Leong via DXLD) 1610 Montreal: I've been listening down here in Rochester the last few nights, where the signal is OK but plagued by the RFI that seems to knock out half the X-band for me nightly, and I've noticed something different on their regular test announcements. While Sheldon Harvey initially reported them using the calls "CJWI," I'm hearing them ID'ing as "CJAM" or "CJAN" (say-zhee-ah-em or en). The CJAM-FM calls have long been in use at 91.5 at the University of Windsor in Windsor, ON; CJAN was (is?) the call in Asbestos, Quebec. I'd be happy to send an .mp3 of the test announcement to anyone interested in hearing it; I may also post a RealAudio version at fybush.com this week. Curiouser and curiouser... -s (Scott Fybush, Rochester NY, July 8, R8A/McKay Dymek DA-5 amplified ferrite rod, NRC-AM via DXLD) They're not just using the "CJ" part of their call with "AM" as a slogan cos they're on the AM band? Just a thought (Mark Hattam, UK, ibid.) Or, didn't Sheldon report that the name of the licensee is "CPAM"? (Doug Smith, TN, ibid.) He did, and it is, and the test message makes several references to "CPAM Radio Union.com", the full name of the licensee. But it also - twice - gives an ID of "CJAM (or perhaps CJAN) Montreal," with no mention of the "CJWI" calls that Sheldon heard. My French isn't great (just ask all the Parisians I tried to talk to a few months ago, hi), but I can tell the difference between "AM" and "WI." Something's still strange up there... (Fybush, ibid.) The official call letters, CJWI, are mentioned right at the beginning of the taped announcement running on the station. They are mentioned only once in the announcement. All other references refer to the company "CPAM Radio Union.com" This has been confusing to a number of people already. I had one guy here in Montreal, a ham operator, who insisted that CPAM were the call letters; quite a feat when you realize that the prefix "CP" is allocated to BOLIVIA!! (Sheldon Harvey, QC, ibid.) I've gone back and listened to my tapes of the station from last night a few more times. They seem to keep burying the beginning of the announcement under the end of the previous song, but I did pick out, as Sheldon says, a "CJWI" at the beginning. But it still sounds very distinctly as though the announcer is saying, "Ici CJWI, CJAM Montreal" before giving the "CPAM Radio Union.com" identification. Perhaps I'll be able to pull it in a little more clearly tonight... (Fybush, ibid.) Sheldon has cleared this up with me in private e-mail...what I was hearing is "CJWI, 1610 AM Montreal," which comes out in French as "say-zhee-double-vay-ee (CJWI) seize-dix (1610) AM Montreal." And through the static, "seize-dix" sounded like "say-zhee" (CJ). And hence the confusion. (This is why I let Lisa do most of the talking for me while we were in France!) (Fybush, ibid.) There is definitely some confusion circulating about the call letters for the new AM 1610 station in Montreal. Some of this has been caused, first by the call letters being given in French and, second by the name of the company running the station being CPAM Radio Union.com Here is the lowdown. The call letters, CJWI, are mentioned only once in the announcement, right at the beginning. The first line in French of the ID tape is: Ici CJWI 1610 AM Montréal... Translated, and phonetically, this might help: This is (phonetically) say-gee-dou-bluh-vay-ee The frequency is given as 16-10 which in French is seize-dix (phonetically) saize-dis. Hopefully this helps (Sheldon Harvey, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Tape of it is on this week`s International Radio Report starting 5:15 into the 28:40 show; it`s not that clear even at local range (gh, DXLD) For those who wish to hear this wonderfully confusing bit of audio for themselves, it's now available as an MP3: http://www.fybush.com/cjwi.mp3 Enjoy all the electrical noise of a warm summer night in the Northeast, hi... -s (Scott Fybush, NY, NRC-AM via DXLD) How late was CJWI on testing? I just got back from my first trip to Boston, and heard Latin music on 1610 0220 EDT Sun Morning July 8. Fadey, but heard words such as "Corazón" sung. Or is this one of the Boston-area pirates? Never heard any ID, but I didn't stay with it all that long (Rich Toebe, Davis CA [non], NRC-AM via DXLD) CJWI was on well past 2 AM Sunday night-Monday morning, and they're on now (12:27 AM EDT Tuesday). The ID seems to be running every 10 minutes or so... (Fybush, ibid.) ** CANADA. RADIO STATION TAKES FLIGHT AÉROPORTS DE MONTRÉAL PLANS TO BROADCAST INFORMATION FOR DORVAL USERS NICOLAS VAN PRAET, Montreal Gazette, Tuesday, July 09, 2002 Jamie Quinn, host of Take Off in the Morning on CFYZ, the radio station in Toronto's Pearson airport. [caption] Aéroports de Montréal, the non-profit company that runs the area's two airports, is quietly putting in place a low-power FM radio station that will broadcast parking and emergency information for travelers. But while Toronto already has an established airport station with live hosts and the possibility of fully commercializing its operations, Montreal is only beginning its radio experiment. Airport officials say the station, to be called CHDO, will likely be ready to hit the airwaves on Aug. 1. With a listening radius of 12 kilometres around the Dorval terminal building, CHDO will broadcast in French and English on 89.7 FM. Travelers will hear a looped recording of limited information about Montreal's main airport, mostly about parking. People will also be told what to expect during a storm or an emergency situation. "You'd be surprised at the calls we get about parking," said Jacqueline Richard, spokesman for the airport authority. "People are nervous. They just don't know where to go." Aéroports de Montréal received its license to operate the station from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission last December. By comparison, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority has been operating an airport information station called CFYZ 1280 for 18 years. That station added live programming two years ago. It now has three full-time employees and an annual budget of $300,000. Two announcers and station manager cram into studio space measuring 350 square feet. An estimated 2,000 to 4,000 listeners tune in during a typical 15-minute period. Fed information on four computer monitors in front of them, CFYZ's hosts rattle off the latest satellite weather, flight delays and road-traffic situation around the airport. Station staff produce original news content on the aviation and travel industries and provide listeners with travel advice and tips. "We broadcast literally anything from an adventure holiday that we heard to how do you handle the euro," said CFYZ station manager Stu Holloway. Montreal is a big enough market to support a radio station featuring live travel programming, he said, and the airport authority should consider a more ambitious project. "Disseminating instant information to the traveling public is the critical thing," Holloway said. "A radio station like that could actually be a profit centre." However, Aéroports de Montréal has no immediate plans to beef up the content of its station, Richard said. She said the airport authority's Web site and phone line provide detailed information to travelers. While CFYZ has a commercial license that permits it to sell and broadcast advertising, CHDO's license is non-commercial. As Canada's largest airport and Air Canada's main hub, Toronto Pearson saw more than 28 million travelers transit through its facilities in 2001. Dorval airport processed 8.2 million people. © Copyright 2002 Montreal Gazette (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** CHINA, 3960, Xinjiang PBS, full-data hand written English QSL letter (no v/s but has station seal), Chinese stamps and a post card, in 15 weeks for English report and $1. Envelope has a lot of beautiful stamps. The person who wrote the envelope and letter showed it as "Xingjiang." (Ron Howard, Monterey CA, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** CHINA. Glenn, I saw this and thought it might be of interest for your show. Don't know if you have heard this before? CULT HIJACKS TV SIGNAL DURING WORLD CUP (07/09/2002) (China Daily) http://www1.chinadaily.com.cn/news/2002-07-09/77002.html Regards, (Ulis Fleming, NJ, DX LISTENING DIGEST) CHINESE MINISTRY SAYS FALUN GONG JAMMED TV TRANSMISSION 23-30 JUNE | Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New China News Agency) Beijing, 8 July: The Radio Administration of the Ministry of Information Industry Monday issued a solemn statement on the attack of Sinosat by the Falun Gong cult stationed abroad. Manipulated and directed by Li Hongzhi, the Falun Gong cult illegally launched radio signals to jam transmission of China's Sinosat satellite between 23 June and 30 [June], the statement said. As a result, programme transmissions of China Central Television's 9 channels and 10 provincial television stations were seriously affected. In certain areas in the countryside and outlying mountainous areas, people could not normally view news, weather and flooding forecasts, the final games of the World Cup and other programmes, it said. This was a serious criminal act by the Falun Gong cult stationed abroad, manipulated and directed by Li Hongzhi, to disrupt normal broadcasting and reception of the country's radio and television programmes. It violated the basic principles of relevant international pacts and civilian communications, endangered China's national security and infringed upon the rights and interests of the public. It disrupted the normal order of radio airwaves and posed a serious threat to the safety of radio messages. "We strongly condemn such mean acts by the Falun Gong cult stationed abroad which trample on international laws and public morality," the statement said. Radio services were widely used in telecommunications, radio broadcasts, television, navigation, positioning, weather forecasting and many other areas of daily life. The beaming of radio waves must proceed in an orderly way, so that these waves would not interfere with each other, disrupting normal wireless message services and even such important services as aviation and maritime communications and navigation and emergency rescue operations that had great bearing on public safety and people's lives. The consequences would be dreadful to contemplate. Therefore, all countries and international organizations stipulated strict and explicit regulations on the beaming of radio signals, it said. By openly and deliberately attacking Sinosat in contempt of international laws and regulations, the Falun Gong cult was unscrupulously breaking the order of wireless communications and launching a challenge against civilization. "We solemnly warn the Falun Gong cult to immediately stop its lawless disruption of normal communications. We appeal to the international community to condemn such base acts and jointly take measures to crack down on such evil behaviour," the statement said. Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1021 gmt 8 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CHINA VOWS TO PUNISH FALUN GONG FOR TV PIRACY INCIDENT Jim Randle, Beijing, China, 8 Jul 2002 14:15 UT Officials in Beijing are vowing to hunt down and punish sympathizers of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, who have been hijacking Chinese satellite TV signals. China blames overseas activists for helping the banned group get its message onto TV screens across the country. The pictures lasted less than half a minute and showed some Falun Gong symbols and members sitting in meditation. Top broadcast officials in China say Falun Gong and its supporters hijacked government satellite frequencies and interrupted broadcasts on June 23, reaching what they called a "vast" number of Chinese television viewers. In Beijing Monday, China's Ministry of Information pointed the finger at unknown overseas parties that allegedly helped plan and execute the broadcast interruption. Liu Lihua, China's top broadcast regulator, refused to say exactly where the signal came from, but insists Falun Gong supporters behind it will be found and "severely punished." "They can run, but they can't hide forever," Mr. Liu says. The satellite hijacking follows at least three incidents since January where Falun Gong supporters hacked their way into Chinese cable television systems on the ground to display programs promoting their illegal group. Falun Gong is such a sensitive topic in China that the British Broadcasting Corporation's TV news program was recently removed from a Chinese-owned satellite system because a program mentioned the Falun Gong. The group was banned three years ago after it alarmed Chinese officials by holding a peaceful but massive demonstration outside the compound where China's leaders live. The group says its exercises and philosophy promote good health, but Beijing has deemed the group an evil cult that brainwashes followers and deceives them into forgoing medical treatments. China's government says Falun Gong once had millions of members. But thousands of supporters have been detained, and others sent to labor or re- education camps. China's crackdown has brought strong criticism from human rights groups and foreign governments (Source: voanews.com via Sergei Sosedkin, IL, DXLD) FALUN GONG IS ACCUSED OF DISRUPTING BROADCASTS By ERIK ECKHOLM, New York Times July 9, 2002 BEIJING, July 8 — Chinese officials accused the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement today of "launching a challenge against human civilization" by disrupting satellite television transmissions in parts of the country for more than 12 hours last month. In a news conference followed by a prime-time news special, broadcasting officials heaped new condemnations on the banned movement. Falun Gong has largely been crushed inside China over the last two years but still has closeted believers in China and a large, vocal following abroad. Officials said the operations of the Sinosat satellite, which broadcasts national and numerous provincial television channels to remote corners of the country, had been repeatedly "hijacked" during the week beginning June 23, endangering public security and violating international law. Officials said they had solid evidence that the disruptions were the work of "the Falun Gong cult stationed abroad, manipulated and directed by Li Hongzhi," the group's exiled founder. But they declined to provide backup evidence or to say where they believed the intruding signals originated. For long periods that week, the officials said, viewers dependent on the satellite saw black screens and for more than 20 seconds on June 23 they saw scenes of a Falun Gong rally and hundreds of meditating believers. Officials would not estimate how many viewers had been affected but said signals had been disrupted to 13,000 receiving stations, which distribute signals locally, located mainly in remote mountain areas. Viewers were denied the chance to see vital news, weather forecasts, the fifth anniversary celebration of the return of Hong Kong and some World Cup soccer games, the officials said. Earlier this year in at least two cities, followers cut into local cable stations and broadcast messages in defense of their banned spiritual movement and its leader. But today's statements were the first indication that Falun Gong followers might have taken the more advanced step of jamming satellite beacons and trying to substitute their own broadcasts. Falun Gong claims to harness supernatural forces for improved health and a clean society and attracted millions of believers in the late 1990's. It was outlawed as an "evil cult" after 10,000 members held an illegal demonstration in 1999, circling the leadership compound in Beijing to demand official recognition. The authorities acted harshly to stamp out the movement, sending thousands of die-hard believers to labor camps. But remnants in China and followers abroad have resisted with demonstrations and other tactics, such as the pirate television broadcasts. At today's news conference, called with only a few hours' notice, Liu Lihua, director general of radio regulation in the Ministry of Information Industry, called the airwave disruptions "extremely despicable." He said wireless communications were vital to aviation, navigation, flood warnings and other emergency operations and said interference could have consequences "that are simply too dreadful to contemplate." (via Chuck Hutton, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. 6064.5, La Voz de Su Conciencia, Puerto Lleras, Meta: La Voz de Su Conciencia now confirmed by email. It is a 5 kW ex- Colmundo transmitter they are using. They will be shifting to 6060 shortly in order to avoid QRM from Family Radio. Asking Russ Stendal for the actual name, here is what he writes: ``It is La Voz de Su Conciencia, (The voice of your conscience) and it is being licensed as an extension of our AM station which is Radio Alcaraván. The Alcaraván is a unique bird of the Llanos (eastern plains) that both runs on the ground and flies (similar to a roadrunner) and it also has a strong clear voice (this AM station puts out a good ground wave and also an excellent sky wave at night). We are presently making a decal of the Alcaraván with both names and frequencies (both AM and short wave) on it to send out to listeners (and DXers) with pictures.`` ``Both of these stations, AM and short wave, have unique experimental antenna systems in which the antennas operate over standing water to help project a better sky wave at an optimum angle. We are still running tests and making adjustments. The initial data that is coming in suggests that this system is even better than we thought it would be. Your input and help obtaining detailed QSL reports from DXers world wide is most appreciated.`` ``We have been low key up until now with the identification over the air for two reasons: 1) Our target audience is guerrilla and paramilitary forces who have almost no tolerance for criticism. 2) Our license is pending and even though we are allowed to conduct ¨tests¨ we have to take it easy until full and final permission is obtained (which should happen in a couple weeks). In a week or so we will be shifting the frequency from 6065 to 6060. When the license is approved we will be upping the modulation from 50 to 70 per cent to 100 to 120 per cent. We will also be shifting the programming to all voice (instead of mostly music) on short wave. The programming that is currently running on short wave is really our AM programming. If all goes well we are also hoping to transmit on the 31 meter band within a few months to see, if that will improve our daytime signal coverage``. I also have no idea how it might differ at night in comparison to the 49 meter band. Answering my query as to the address where reports can be sent, Russ M. Stendal says that his personal email address is fine: "Russell Martin Stendal" rms05001@neutel.com.co In his email letter he goes on to say that the postmail address is Carrera 44 # 13-69, Bogotá, Colombia, and that they are presently working on some material to send out to DXers for QSL. Their short wave license will be an extension of their AM station which has a distinctive of HKI-81 on 1530 kHz. "It remains to be seen if we will be given a separate distinctive for the short wave". Over the next couple weeks they will be making adjustments to the antenna and transmitter hoping thereby to improve clarity and modulation. The address given to me by Russ Stendal seemed a bit strange to me as it does not go to a neighborhood known for any significant business activity, and so I asked Rafael Rodríguez to doublecheck the info. Sure enough, the address info is wrong and should be changed to Calle 44 No. 13-69 Barrio Palermo, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia, Rafael tells me after contacting the bookstore by phone. As earlier reported by Rafael Rodriguez, the street address mentioned goes to a bookstore called Librería Colombia para Cristo, and so this name should preferably also be mentioned on the envelope. There is a website where one can contact the station at http://www.fuerzadepaz.com/webcristo/emisora/contactenos/contactenos.htm (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Dxplorer via DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) I have continued to work on this one, so here is a recap of what I have been hearing. The programming continues to be mainly local music with brief Bible references and religious messages after every few songs. There are longer spoken segments, however, and it is at the conclusion of those that a canned ID can be heard. There is usually a spoken segment starting roughly at 0655 and ending around 0725, at which time there is an ID. One day I heard the ID repeated twice at that time. On Jun 26 there was a spoken segment at 0857-0914, and at 0914 there was a canned ID again. Signal strength Jun 26 was pretty good, though with a lot of static. The canned ID at 0914 Jun 26 was: "En emisiones de prueba, transmite 6065, La Voz de su [or "tu"] Conciencia, desde Bonaire para el mundo." The "0725" IDs are similar, and appear to be: ``Transmite 6065, La Voz de su [tu?] Conciencia, en emisiones de prueba, desde Bonaire para el mundo.`` I heard the Apartado Aéreo 95300, Bogotá address reported by others given in mid- program Jun 24 at 0710. Jun 26 at 0913 at the end of a spoken segment and before the ID, I heard an "Avenida Caracas xxx5, Bogotá" address, probably a program address (Jerry Berg, MA, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) Also heard Jun 30 and Jul 4, 0917-1000. Christian music (the singers were female). Religious talk. 15541. Impossible to hear the signal after 1000, when R. Universo, Curitiba signed on on 6060 (Jerry Berg, MA, and Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, ibid.) ** CONGO DR [non]. /GABON 9770, R TV Congolaise, Kinshasa via Moyabi, Jun 21, 23 and 26, *1600-1900*, French/Vernacular announcements, African light songs, Timesignal, news 1800, independence day celebration announcements and scheduled events, weather 1825 followed by more music, 43442 with adjacent QRM from Voice of Russia in English 9775 and CRI 9765 in Russian and then co-channel QRM from VoA 9770 via the Philippines at 1800 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal and Noel Green, England, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** DENMARK [non]. Last month the majority political parties at the Danish Parliament agreed about domestic broadcasting until 2006. I sent a letter to the Minister of Culture, Brian Mikkelsen, and asked about the consequences for shortwave broadcasting. In a letter dated June 21, he wrote back that the present shortwave and mediumwave broadcasts in principle are going to continue (Anders Brandborg via DDXLK, via DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** EASTER ISLAND. Hisato, 7K1WLE, will be active from here (IOTA SA- 001) for his summer vacation between July 18-24th as CE0Y/7K1WLE. Some may remember Hisato as VY0/7K1WLE last October. Activity will be on 160-10 meters, mainly on CW and some SSB. He will be using a IC- 706+IC-2KL(500W) with a wire antenna. Suggested operating frequencies are: CW - 1826, 3504, 7004, 10104, 14004, 18074, 21004, 24894 and 28004 SSB - 3795, 7088, 14265, 18145, 21265, 24945 and 28465 kHz. He may briefly be active from Papeete, French Polynesia (FO) for one day before and after his stay at Easter Island. QSL via JN1HOW: Toshihiko Niwa, 1081-8 Sakae, Kitakawabe, 349-1213 JAPAN (KB8NW/OPDX July 8/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** GREECE. Friday June 28, I happened to find the weekly version of Learn Greek with English responses shortly after I had made an hourly check of The Voice of Greece at 1200 UT. There is not much English on it and right now they are discussing the touristic values of the various areas of Greece. I have highlighted the new addition to my schedule and the times are the ones that they used this week July 5; last week, it ended at 1215 UT: 1207-1222 Friday on 11730, 12105, 15650, 17900. (The only other change is Delano shifting from 9590 to 11730 at 1200-1500 from May 25) Preceding Learn Greek, there is what I presume to be a part of the ERA Interprogram ``Orientations`` in a foreign language. Since the arrival of my VOG schedules from Athens in April, I have received nothing new from them. When I last sent my reports late in June, I asked Dionisios Angelogiannis to send me a copy of VOG`s program schedule, even though it would be in Greek, so that I might be able to pull out the English segments, but there has been no response so far. They have probably been busy with the Late Greek Easter and I assume that they are busy with their getaway plans for summer vacations, or else they are just too busy working. I seldom hear form Demetri Vafeas, now that he is busy installing FM transmitters in various parts of Greece. The frequency problem seems to have stabilized now that Greece joined the HFCC and they are able to get together on the frequencies that they want to use. When Demetri was the frequency manager, they had many frequency interference problems and were always switching around until I put him wise to the benefits of VOG in joining HFCC to thrash out frequencies. Ever since the gardening season started, I have been busy planting tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans, and potatoes, which tends to cut down my monitoring time, but at least I try to keep up with my hourly reports on VOG`s broadcasts directed to North America. Now that they have the use of Delano`s and Greenville`s transmitters, they seem not to need the information from us monitors. I doubt that they will ever put the donated VOA transmitters into service for the daytime, but they sure could use them on the 0000-0350 UT service. But, now that they have the Internet and 24-hour service on their subscription satellite, they don`t seem to worry about the peasants with their short-wave receivers (John Babbis, Silver Spring, MD, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM [and non]. Jim Bohannon was back on stream from K57, when checked Tue July 9 at 1307, the topic delayed from night before, beisuboru suturaiku. So I went back to BBC Radio 3. Rechecked at 1407, K57 stream was again background noise only; guess it`s hit and miss. At 1504 recheck, he was back with the third hour, as usual open phones, already underway, with dropouts, when news should still have been on. Mentioned in passing was another affiliate, WROW Albany NY. That station does webcast via yahoo broadcast.com --- so that is still in business, for how long? --- as confirmed at 1535 UT, but no mention found on http://www.wrow.com of Bohannon, nor even a program schedule among all the extraneous stuff! (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. 4606.4, RRI Serui, 1306 July 8. Noted as reactivation with Jakarta news in // with RRI Ujung Padang (4753.3) and RRI Jambi (4925). Not heard for some time. Signal was weak compared to the other two Indos. Best in LSB as ute is above (Don Nelson, OR, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAQ. Does anyone know what has happened to Iraq? I can hear their 11787 kHz transmitter with perfect signal strength, but they have very poor, maybe non-existent audio. Are there any people who can give any suggestions on hearing them on a better frequency etc etc? And has anyone any idea how old Iraq's transmitters are?? Thanks and Gods Blessings to every one (Christopher [Lewis], Host European DX Report, [HCJB], July 8, ARDXC via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. The English Kol Israel broadcasts, as of July 21, are: (UT) 0400-0415 no change 1030-1045 10 minute extension 1630-1645 50% reduction in time and move to later slot 1900-1925 no change That would be (ET): Midnight-12:15 AM 6:30-6:45 AM 12:30-12:45 PM 3-3:25 PM Israel Time 7 AM Reshet Alef 1:30 PM Reshet Alef 7:30 PM Reshet Alef 10 PM Reshet Hey (88.2 FM Jerusalem) No word on any frequency changes (only one broadcast is actually changing times). (Daniel Rosenzweig, July 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) A couple of new things. Once the July 21st changes go into effect, the 1030 UT (6:30 AM EDT) English broadcast will no longer be available on the live web feed at http://www.israelradio.org The live feed is Reqa part of the day and Reshet Hey 88.2 the rest of the day. Since the 1030 UT broadcast is going to be on Reshet Alef, it will not be available on the web at all. Broadcasts of other languages which have moved to Reshet Alef (such as French) will have similar impacts. The other English webcasts will remain as is. The French and Spanish schedule -- all times ISRAEL Time. [and UT] French: In Reshet Alef: 7:15- 7:30 [0415-0430] 13:00-13:15 [1000-1015] 19:45-20:00 [1645-1700] In Reshet Hey: 18:30-18:45 [1530-1545] 22:30-22:45 [1930-1945] Spanish: In Rehset Alef: 20:00-20:15 [1700-1715] In Reshet Hey 22:45-23:00 [1945-2000] (Doni Rosenzweig, NY, July 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. ITALY CENSORS BLASPHEMOUS WEB SITES | Text of report by Italian news agency ANSA web site Rome: Five US-based web sites "specialized" in blasphemy against God and the Virgin Mary have been blocked in Italy by Rome's Special Units Command of the Finance Police after an inquiry lasting almost two years: the seizure and blocking of the Rome-based [as published] provider were carried out by Rome's Special Nucleus for Broadcasting and Publishing. During the searches, the men of the special units also discovered a parallel commercial activity consisting in the on-line sale of clothing garments printed with blasphemous sentences from the web sites. Source: ANSA news agency web site, Rome, in Italian 0953 gmt 9 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** LAPLAND [non]. LISTENING IN LAPLAND FOR 30 YEARS In the beginning of the 1970s, DX-listeners paid special attention to the listening results around the area of Oulu in Finland due to the great number of USA-stations and the degree of ``difficulty`` differing significantly from the results achieved in Southern Finland. Coincidentally there was a Finnish work group investigating the passage of medium wave signals and the location of the northern lights causing disturbance zones. The results of this analysis helped to provide a theoretical basis for the model why radiostations from the Vancouver area could be heard more easily in Oulu than in Helsinki! The idea was simple, but apparently correct: the route of the signals from the US West-coast to Oulu goes on a shorter trip through the harmful aurora belt than to the Southern Finland! Was that the magic wand of Oulu DXers? Anyway to some active Finnish DXers there occurred an assumption that the more in the North you listen to the Yankees, the better might the listening circumstances be! No sooner said than done! The first and historical DXpedition was headed for northernmost Finland to Karesuando just before the new year 1972-1973. There were understandingly not too high expectations for that trip, whereas the results of the journey surprised the whole Scandinavian DX-community surpassingly. Nearly the whole attention of the DXpedition concentrated on the good audibility of medium wave stations from the USA, which was from time to time incredibly strong. When it was previously customary to listen to the North-Americans during the night or in the top condition during the forenoon, now in Karesuando the strong radiosignals could be caught even late in the afternoon! Most unexpectedly, many radiostations were just from Alaska, which had been unheard before that in Finland. Publicity in mass media The DXpedition was something new and exceptional and the nation-wide big Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat wrote a feature about that unconventional expedition. The tape-recordings of the hikers were eagerly replayed in the numerous DX-meetings around this country and were kindling many other DXers to make their own adventure to Lapland. After the first DXpedition there have been several DX-entourages every year in Lapland regularly. The now 30 year uninterrupted history of DXpeditions has been an exciting example of continuous new learning. A trip to Lapland is always a very challenging performance. Therefore SDXL decided to publish ``the DXpediton guide`` leaflet already in 1985, in which the editorial staff included many experienced Finnish DXers. The main message of the guide was that ``well thought-out is nearly half-done!`` Quick-learning organization Increasing DX-experiences in the wilds of Lapland brought about many new skills. They learned how to build new long directional antennas. The meaning and importance of the different time of the day in hearing of different kinds of stations was noticed. And of course what is essential – many US radios earlier considered impossible could be caught! The appearance of the first Hawaii radios in Lapland in January 1974 in the Kevo camp must have been one of the most legendary events of DX-history, but already during the next season new headlines ``stopped the presses`` again – the weak only 250 watt ``graveyarders`` were marching into Finnish headphones. These local stations are really very small and hundreds and hundreds of such different stations operate on the same frequency! New steps in DXpeditions were taken next time in the middle of the 1980s, when the tours were more organized, planned one after another. In that way the same antennas could be utilized by several groups, even by ten different teams. So much work and valuable time for building the long directional wires was saved for the more essential listening! Gradually they also learned to figure out the top-DX-conditions according to the situation. During quite a short moment numerous local stations can be heard from a certain area. When developing night-listening at the end of the 1980s, a new type of station came up, daytimers transmitting only during the light time and normally signing off at local sunset. Also Asian DX saw a new dawning as well as listening to the Iberian stations. The network-broadcasting in Spain had nearly worn out interest in Iberia. In Lapland the true local Spanish broadcasts could be heard in the mornings giving a new boost to that hobby, too. Delicacy for dessert When the sun is getting rapidly activated, the geomagnetic field will become restless. This phenomenon can be seen as a transition of the auroral zone more to the South and then the northern lights can be seen even in the Southern part of Finland. Then radio contact to Northern America will be switched off, because the signals then go right into the middle of the disturbance zone. The moment just before the cut-off is anyway very interesting because then short exceptional DX-conditions can occur. The most common disturbance condition type is Quebec conditions! Momentarily the whole radioband can be bustling with well audible French speaking Canadians at 20-21 UT! The Northwest Territory stations are really grand rarities, but during similar DX- conditions even only 40 watt lonely robot transmitters of the Canadian wilderness [LPRTs] have been heard in Finland! The disturbance conditions efficiently prevent other North-American stations from being audible in Finland at the same time. During normal DX-conditions these stations are just impossible to be heard in Finland. The DXpeditions to Lapland have become a horn of plenty, which after 30 years have not shown any sign of ebbing away. The question is whether there will be new DX-generations and their ability to continue this activity. Thanks to the Finnish DXpeditions to Lapland, a huge amount of observations and even scientifically valid material about rare radiosignals has been collected! It is only a question of time before somebody puts all the Lapland DX-stuff analysis on paper and defends his thesis of DX-listening! We congratulate him in advance, whoever he will be! This feature is based on Hannu Tikkanen`s longer article in the book ``The boundless world of Radio`` published by the Finnish DX Association, SDXL. Compiled by Kari Kallio, Lahti Radiohobbyists, Lahti, Finland (via Kallio, DXLD) The text is mainly based on the article written by Hannu Tikkanen. It was published in "Radion Rajaton Maailma" (1996), which is a publication of The Finnish DX Association. Best regards, (Heikki Aarrevaara, Managing editor, Radiomaailma magazine, Finnish DX Association, P. O. Box 454, FIN-00101 Helsinki, FINLAND, DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. I just heard Junglinster testing on 6090. At tune-in around 1210 [July 9, a day before the publicized test] there was music, presumably the RTL Radio program feed, then they switched to a 1 kHz tone. Off at 1215 re-check. The signal was quite poor here. A rumour from the gossip: Allegedly Starlet Media considers use of 6090 for the country music program they wanted to establish on 261 (as well-known this channel was allocated to Europe 1 instead). Of course that's merely speculation so far. PS. I took a day off today, actually for some shopping etc., but now I am sitting here in my flat instead due to a heat of about 35 degrees out there. But it is supposed to not last longer than for today, so I am quite glad that I do not sweat in the office now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Enidisch temp (gh, DXLD) ** MAURITIUS. The Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation audio links at http://mbc.intnet.mu/ seem to be destroyed (Tom Sundstrom, NJ, Net Notes, July NASWA Journal via DXLD) Not when I checked at 0330 UT July 9: Both Kool FM (announcements in French), and Taal FM (Indian music, language) were perfect at 96.5 kpbs. Wonder if they have anything in English, the language of the website (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONACO [non]. Re: 22768 3AC: One must ask, is the transmitter site for this one really inside Monaco? (gh, DXLD) That's such a tiny country, that the installations are located some 800 meters northwards on French soil, all long lasting rented land behind the Monacan frontiers. 73 wb df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [and non]. FIRE KNOCKS OUT TRANSMITTER 4 AT FLEVO - BUT BETTER NEWS FROM MADAGASCAR On the night of the 5/6 July, a fire broke out in the high tension section of transmitter number 4 at Radio Netherlands´ Flevo transmitting station. The transmitter is off the air and the reserve 100 kW transmitter is in use. As can be seen from the photos, http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/flevo020708.html taken by Rocus de Joode of our Programme Distribution Department, the fire has caused a lot of mess inside the transmitter, which has to be cleaned up by specialist contractors. Meanwhile, replacement parts have been ordered from the manufacturer in Germany. It´s expected that the transmitter will be out of service for about a week. But we´re pleased to report that, as the situation in Madagascar is now returning to normal, most of the transmissions that were temporarily moved to other sites will resume from Madagascar on Tuesday 9 July. Our technical schedule http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/schedule.html will be updated during the course of Tuesday (© Radio Netherlands Media Network 8 July 2002 via DXLD) [HCDX] Radio Netherlands: Fires r Us During the night on Friday/Saturday, an electrical fault caused a fire inside transmitter no. 4 at Flevo. If you're interested to see some photos of this unplanned barbecue, go to http://www.rnw.nl/realradio/html/flevo020708.html The transmitter is expected to be off for a week or so, while it's cleaned and replacement parts are fitted. Meanwhile we're using the reserve 100 kW transmitter, so Flevo is still broadcasting a full schedule, albeit with reduced power on some frequencies. Meanwhile, our Madagascar relay station is resuming an almost full service tomorrow, 9th July, following the recent departure of former president Didier Ratsiraka to exile in France, and a consequent easing of the tension there (Andy Sennitt, Radio Netherlands, July 8, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. [The KOSU Weekly] July 8, 2002 This week on Oklahoma's Public Radio... KOSU News - The candidate filing period begins this week marking the official beginning of the 2002 campaign season. Weekdays during Oklahoma Edition 7:50 a.m. "Oklahoma Audio Almanac" - It was in this week that the last execution was carried out under the authority of the Choctaw Nation. Wednesday morning at 7:30. "Ramblin' 'Round" - Steven Noche Kite visits Dewey, Oklahoma. Friday morning at 7:50. All Times - Central Time [UT -5]. Programs are subject to change without notice. Listen to KOSU live at 91.7 or at http://www.kosu.org This is a closed list. Auto-subscribe/unsubscribe is not allowed. Contact 800-228-4678 to make change/remove requests (via gh, DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3345, R Northern, Poppondetta, 0756 July 8, male announcer in Pidgin with time-check then "Mr Tambourine Man" followed by "My Boyfriend's Back". ID 0859 and talk about situation in elections and more music. Another ID 0900. Has been inactive since approximately April 2002. There is also weak audio on 3395... stay tuned! (Paul Ormandy, Oamaru, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 9504.9, R. Tacna, Tacna verified a reception report sent by ordinary mail a few days ago with a electronic message. The V/S is the General Manager, Ing. Alfonso Cáceres Contreras who asked for reception reports to: scaceres@viabcp.com He also wrote that the station broadcasts on shortwave with a small and old transmitter using only 200 watts (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 9580.5v, PBS, Manila again has transmitter problems. On Jul 1 I heard it very weak here. 11885, PBS, Manila – Overseas Service, Jul 1, *1400-1500*, English on new schedule ex 12015, heard // 15120 and 15270 (Roland Schulze, Philippines, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** POLAND. Radio Polonia is going to stop renting the SW transmitters in Leszcynka from 1 October 2002 and will instead lease airtime abroad. Transmitters in Germany and Slovakia have been taken into consideration as possible options, but despite of other reports, no final decision has been taken yet (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. TELEVISION ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER Testifying before the Federation Council's Information Policy Commission on 28 June, Russian Public Television (ORT) Director Konstantin Ernst said that "the majority of Russian television stations are on the verge of catastrophe as far as their technical equipment is concerned," RosBalt reported the same day. Ernst said that the country's television broadcasting system "is hopelessly outdated, and piecemeal repairs are proving more expensive to the channels than replacing it with contemporary equipment would be." He stated that most of the world has switched to digital broadcasting and that the analog equipment currently used by most Russian broadcasters is no longer manufactured. The commission's chairman, Dmitrii Mezintsev, said after the hearing that he agrees with Ernst's assessment and that he will try to secure state support for resolving the technical problems of the broadcast sector ("RFE/RL Newsline," 28 June via RFE/RL Media Matters July 8 via DXLD) ** SOMALIA. GOVERNMENT RADIO OFF THE AIR, APPARENTLY AS RESULT OF BUSINESS DISPUTE The radio station operated by the Transitional National Government (TNG) of Somalia - which calls itself "Radio Mogadishu, Voice of the Republic of Somalia" - has not been heard by BBC Monitoring since 3 July. Observations in Mogadishu indicate that the radio is off the air. According to a report published on the Ruunkinet web site on 6 July, the TNG has been in dispute with two businessmen over the supply of generators for the radio station. The Ruunkinet report said the government, through the then information minister, Zakariye Mahmud Haji Abdi, bought the generators from the two businessmen at a total cost of 19,200 dollars, paying 8,000 dollars as a deposit. Subsequently, the minister was appointed to another post and was replaced by Prof Abdirahman Ibbi. "A meeting between Prof Ibbi and the two businessmen, Ahmed Dahir Madah and Abdinasir Naney, ended in disagreement on 3 July." Ruunkinet cited the businessmen as saying that they were left with no option but to repossess the generators on 6 July. "If the businessmen repossess the generators, the government radio station will fall silent, a situation that will embarrass the government." Ruunkinet noted that the government newspaper, Dalka, had already been closed down. Sources: Monitoring research 3-8 Jul 02; Ruunkinet web site in Somali 6 Jul 02 (BBCM via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. At 0000 UT I tried to hear your broadcast but some pyramid scheme has pre-empted it. Some scam to do with health. Two hucksters, male and female, pushing product in a multi-level sales concept. Really annoying. At 0030 I heard your broadcast but I can't get 15039. I had to use 15040, and it was rather distorted and there was much interference. If Sister Stair's e-mail is to be believed, two of the four charges have been dropped, and the judge laughed at the other two. So if there's any truth to this, we can expect Brother Stair to be released rather quickly, within 7 days her e-mail implies. But, when I talked to the court on July 3, the woman there knew nothing about it. My own two-cents' worth commentary: as much as I dislike Stair, I have believed from the start he shouldn't have been put in jail (and certainly not max. security) on charges from disgruntled former members, which by their very nature require skepticism (Robert Arthur, July 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) If and when he does beat this wrap, I prophesy that he will emerge more charismatic than ever to his deluded followers: after all, God must have ordained it (gh, DXLD) ** SWEDEN [non]. TOO EARLY TO COUNT SHORTWAVE OUT The Radio Nord memorial program attracted more attention than expected. It is apparently too early to count shortwave out, says Ronny Forslund, who has received correct reports from many countries, Germany and the UK, Japan, Korea, USA, Canada for a program which was entirely in Swedish. Ronny is particularly happy to see that a majority of reporters are unknown to him, i. e. they do not participate in HCDX or similar forums. The number of reports received so far exceeds one hundred and so his conclusion is that there are lots of "anonymous" shortwave listeners tuning the bands in many parts of the world (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 8, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET. 6240, Xizang PBS, Jun 29, 1630-1647, English news, ID "Hello and welcome to Holy Tibet in Lhasa. Tibet Broadcasting Company.", and music followed with good reception, but rather echoed (Masato Ishii, Japan, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) New frequency (DSWCI Ed.) Not a mistake for 5240? (gh, DXLD) ** U A E. Checking again for UAE Radio, Dubai on UT-July 7 at 0300 in Arabic, I noted only 15395 was in use, so what happened the previous day must have been the result of an error in frequency choice at the transmitter site, not aware that both channels were 5 kHz apart (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. MUSIC: WAVING THE FLAG FOR THE LAST NIGHT By Andrew Clark, Financial Times Auntie - otherwise known as the BBC - has got her knickers in a twist over the Last Night of the Proms. As promoter of the world's longest and most popular concert series, the Beeb can't decide what it wants. Should it allow the Last Night bunfight to continue, with its emphasis on party-hats and imperialist-era songs? Or should it take a lead from last year's sombre event, four days after September 11, and jettison rituals that many regard as out of tune with modern, multicultural Britain? The Last Night, one of the select British occasions televised around the world, is a party as much as a musical event - an excuse for Prommers, paying as little as £4 to hear top classical artists in the Royal Albert Hall, to let their hair down after a long summer. The evening traditionally ends with "Rule Britannia", "Jerusalem" and "Land of Hope and Glory" - patriotic songs that usually raise the roof but were considered inappropriate so soon after the attacks on America. Many welcomed that break from tradition, and hoped the BBC would grasp the nettle. It had a variety of options. It could make a permanent break with the past. It could use the opportunity to generate a public debate. Or it could simply give tradition a clear vote of confidence. It has done none of these. It is clearly embarrassed by the event and doesn't know what to do. That became apparent this week, when Leonard Slatkin, the BBC Symphony Orchestra's American chief conductor, disclosed that there would be no "Rule Britannia" at the 2002 Last Night. He was "not comfortable" with it; the words were "outdated" and "militaristic". He went on to say that "though it's wonderful to celebrate who you are and have faith in your country, I don't think we should exclude others". Such arguments do not go down well with traditionalists, many of whom cling to their Last Night rituals as a quintessential expression of Britishness. They might be taken seriously if it was a British conductor taking the stand - as Mark Elder tried to do, unsuccessfully, at the time of the Gulf war. But just when the US appears increasingly bent on a unilateral course on Afghanistan, the Middle East and other international issues, criticism by an American of a harmless British tradition is not calculated to win sympathy. Slatkin apparently has no objection to other flag-waving parts of the programme, such as "Jerusalem" and "Land of Hope and Glory". He has even agreed to conduct a wordless version of "Rule Britannia", apparently oblivious to the fact that the Prommers will join in regardless. Realising the furore Slatkin's comments would cause, the BBC's propaganda department immediately went into damage-limitation mode. The dropping of "Rule Britannia", with its solo verses and choral refrains, was "an artistic choice". It had not disappeared from the Last Night for ever; no decision had been taken about the future. After flatly denying only two months ago that "Rule Britannia" was to be dropped, Nicholas Kenyon, the BBC's Proms supremo, now says the Last Night is reverting to the "original" version of Henry Wood's Fantasia on British Sea-Songs, from which "Rule Britannia" was extrapolated by Malcolm Sargent in the 1950s. Kenyon claims the change illustrates the way tradition reinvents and refreshes itself. "Leonard Slatkin is committed to tradition; I am committed to tradition." You don't need to be able to read music to realise Slatkin and Kenyon are singing from a different song-sheet. If Slatkin is "not comfortable" with "Rule Britannia", he shouldn't be conducting it - in its wordless version or any other. If, as Kenyon says, the reasons for the change are artistic, he should have been trumpeting it at the Proms launch, instead of trying to bury it. The worst of all this is the way the BBC seems to be blowing with the wind. Trying to justify a purely orchestral "Rule Britannia" on the grounds that it is the "original" version is typical of the spurious authenticity that has swept the musical landscape these past 10 years, with Kenyon one of its prime promoters. If Kenyon really wanted the original version, he would go back to the masque by 18th century English composer Thomas Arne from which Wood adapted his Fantasia. Unlike Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, to which patriotic words were later fitted, the music of "Rule Britannia" was written expressly for its text. Had Kenyon's argument about "original" versions borne any substance, the Proms would present "Land of Hope and Glory" in the form Elgar wrote it - as an orchestral march. Instead of shilly-shallying, the BBC must make up its mind what it wants from the Last Night. It loves the publicity, because it helps to justify the amount of money spent on the season as a whole. Deprive the Last Night of its eccentric English character, however, and the Proms would quickly lose their international ratings profile. There's no easy middle ground. In its present position, the BBC merely looks weak. So does Slatkin, who is already on his way out. After less than two years in his post, he recently announced that he will not be renewing his contract in 2004. The consensus is that he has not been a success. Brought in as a media-friendly conductor of English and American composers, he has turned out to be a dull interpreter specialising in second-rate repertoire. As a celebration of music - its changing tune and unchanging greatness - you can't do much better than the Proms: with audiences often exceeding 5,000 a night and tens of thousands more on the airwaves, they are the ultimate marriage of access and quality. The 2002 season, beginning a fortnight today, should prove their continuing vitality. The Last Night is always the most popular. Few in the audience attach much significance to what they are singing, and even fewer care. When I first went three years ago, the hall was sprinkled not just with British flags, but German, Swiss, Italian and Swedish as well. My neighbours were French. They had a whale of a time, because they entered into the spirit of the occasion. It's a pity Slatkin and Kenyon can't do the same. BBC Proms July 19-September 14. Tel +44 20 7589 8212. © Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2002 (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U K. The new 18th edition of RADIO STATIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM (ISBN 0-9540223-0-0) is now available from the British DX Club. RADIO STATIONS IN THE UK is a comprehensive 56 page directory of mediumwave and FM radio stations in the UK. It covers all BBC, independent, access and long-term restricted service broadcasters and is a must for anyone interested in UK domestic radio - either as a casual radio listener or specialised DXer. This edition again includes a free supplementary guide to radio stations in the Republic of Ireland. Features include: - All stations listed by frequency as well as in A-Z order - Frequencies cross-referenced to show parallel channels - Transmitter sites and powers, postal and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers. - Full details of the new Access radio stations - Comprehensive listing of Low Power AM and FM stations at hospitals, colleges, schools, sports grounds, prisons and army garrisons - Irish supplement covers all RTE and independent stations RADIO STATIONS IN THE UK is available from BDXC's London HQ: British DX Club, 126 Bargery Road, Catford, London SE6 2LR, UK. PRICE per copy: 3 pounds sterling, or 5 Euros / 5 US dollars, or 7 International Reply Coupons (All prices include postage. For airmail please add 2 Euros/2 dollars or 2 IRCs) Recommended methods of payment:- - UK Cheque / UK postal order payable to 'British DX Club'. - International Reply Coupons. - Cash in Euros or US dollars Full details also on the BDXC-UK web site at: http://www.bdxc.org.uk (via MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) ** U K [non]. No Laser Radio transmission appeared on 5935 today. The below enclosed posting in the German A-DX lists states without giving a source that this was the result of technical problems at the transmitter site and that they hope to make it on the air next Sunday. Well, if I remember correct the Riga-Ulbroka transmitter had to be switched off for some time during the last Radio Caroline transmission on 5935. Transmitter engineers elsewhere state that difficulties are to be expected when firing up an older rig after it was silent for some time (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ---Ursprüngliche Nachricht--- From: "Simon-Peter Liehr" Subject: Re: [A-DX] Laser Fiel aufgrund techn. Probleme an der Sendeanlage in´s (Ostsee)wasser. Man hofft nun nächsten Sonntag auf Sendung zu gehen. ´73 Simon Hat irgendwer Laser auf 5935 kHz empfangen? Hier nur Rauschen im Wald. Die wollen übrigens gleich 3 Dollar für eine QSL, womit wir wieder beim Ausgangspunkt wären. Grüße (Rudolf Sonntag, 82205 Gilching, Germany, via Ludwig, DXLD) Hallo allemaal, Hopelijk zijn jullie nog niet massaal op vakantie. Gisteren (zo 6-7) zou laser radio op 5935 kHz voor het eerst uitzenden maar ik heb niets gehoord. ik heb om 14:00 utc geluisterd en later nog een paar keer kort maar niets. Heeft iemand wel iets gehoord????? Groeten, (Han Hardonk (BDXC 3196 JFH) ontvanger: AOR AR7030 en Telefunken ELK 639, Antenne : T2FD (17m.lang) / remote controlled MW- loop / ALA 1530; Extra's : MFJ 1026; BDXC topica list via DXLD) News Update The new dates for our Test broadcasts are : Saturday July 13 - 14h00 UT to 22h00 UT Sunday July 14 - 14h00 UT to 22h00 UT If you can hear the broadcast please send a reception report. Your reception reports will help us decide whether to continue broadcasting beyond July on 5935 KHz. LaserRadio.net will broadcast to listeners throughout Europe and the United Kingdom via Shortwave and at a later stage via digital satellite. Our programming on shortwave will feature the latest news from the world of media, technical reviews and items of interest for radio enthusiasts, all blended with a mix of the best music. (from http://laserradio.net July 8 via DXLD) (I also noticed the "contribution" requested for a QSL card has dropped to £2, 3 Euros or US$3 since I last checked the website) (Alan Pennington, Caversham UK, July 8, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U S A. General Communications Emergency Termination (Jul 8, 2002) -- Through mutual agreement with the president of the ARRL, Jim Haynie, W5JBP, effective today, July 8, 2002, at 1 PM, Eastern Daylight Savings time (1700 UTC), the Federal Communications Commission's July 5, 2002 Declared Communications Emergency terminated. The Declared Communications Emergency was in support of flood relief efforts in Texas. Amateurs can resume using the frequencies 7285 kHz and 3873 kHz (plus or minus 3 kHz). The Federal Communications Commission wishes to thank everyone for their cooperation and dedicated amateur service. Arlan K Van Doorn, Senior Advisor For Public Safety Enforcement Bureau (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. INTERESTING OPERATION OF THE WEEK. Look for the "Naturist Amateur Radio Club's" station, NU5DE, to be active from 0000z, July 8th through 2400z, July 14th, from Austin, TX. Activity will take place during the 27th Annual North American Nude Awareness Celebration. Suggested frequencies are: 7265, 14265, 21365 and 28465. QSL via: Naturist Amateur Radio Club, P.O. Box 200812, Austin, TX 78720-0812 (KB8NW/OPDX July 8/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. THE KPH PROJECT From http://www.radiomarine.org/kph-proj.html In cooperation with the Point Reyes National Seashore, part of the National Park Service, the Maritime Radio Historical Society has taken on the job of preserving and restoring KPH, one of the most famous coast stations in the world. KPH began its life at the dawn of radio. Its first home was the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, from which it derived its first call letters, PH. After the 1906 earthquake and fire the station moved to several locations. These included Green Street in San Francisco (where the neighbors were kept awake by the crashing din of the rotary gap), Hillcrest in Daily City (where the operators were plagued by the local skunks) and Marshall, on the east shore of Tomales Bay at the long wave receiving station. Eventually the KPH transmitters found a permanent home on the mesa west of the small town of Bolinas while the receiving station and control point was established on the mesa of Point Reyes. Along the way federal regulators added the K prefix to the original PH, creating KPH, one of the most famous radio call signs in the world. Radio operators ashore and afloat came to regard KPH as "the wireless giant of the Pacific". Only the best operators worked at KPH. They were there 24 hours a day, ready to help with everything from the mundane messages of maritime commerce to urgent requests for assistance from ships in distress. The KPH signal literally spanned the globe. Radio operators on ships in the far corners of the world were comforted by the steady signal of KPH in their earphones. As technology progressed the end of Morse code was predicted many times. But KPH soldiered on providing good, reliable service to the maritime community. The end came at Bolinas in 1997 when Globe Wireless purchased the license and the big transmitters were finally shut down. On July 12, 1999 Globe Wireless sent the last commercial messages in Morse code from KFS, their master station near Half Moon Bay. It was the last time the famous call KPH would be heard on the air - or so it was thought. Click HERE for a report on what it was like to be at KFS on the last day of commercial Morse in North America. Today the former KPH facilities are part of the Point Reyes National Seashore which has a strong interest in the important role the station played in the history of radio communications. The Maritime Radio Historical Society has been working with the Point Reyes National Seashore to preserve and restore KPH with the goal of eventually creating a museum dedicated to this great station that was once heard throughout the world. On 12 July 2000 KPH returned to the air from its original location, using its original equipment and its original frequencies - generously made available by Globe Wireless, the current owner of the KPH license and operator of the equally famous KFS from which the last commercial Morse message was sent. Veteran operators, radio engineers and those with an interest in radio history gathered at the Bolinas transmitter building to watch the station come on the air one year and one minute after the last Morse transmission from Half Moon Bay. Commemorative messages were sent by hand by the operators who once stood watch at the station. Contact was made with several of the last remaining ships still equipped for Morse transmission. It was a moving occasion that we came to call "the night of nights". We have assembled a collection of pictures showing KPH at various points in its history for your viewing pleasure. Take an armchair tour of KPH and see how this great coast telegraph station evolved through the years. Enjoy... Photos documenting the history of KPH from 1919 through the 1970s. See the buildings, equipment and operating personnel of KPH in its glory years. Most of these have never before been publicly available. Pictures of KPH as it appears today including the buildings, transmitter gallery and control room at Bolinas, antenna fields and the artifacts that remain from the great days of the Alexanderson alternator. KPH returned to the air one year and one minute after the last commercial Morse message was sent in North America - and 3 years after the station was shut down and left for dead! In a memorable event that we called the "Night of Nights" veteran operators once again sat at the key of KPH to send commemorative messages that were heard worldwide. Join them for an inside look at this great event. Jack Martini "DM" was the last manager of KPH. He worked under Frank Geisel, "Mr. KPH", and was one of Frank's "pillars of strength" along with Ray Smith. When Jack became manager of the station he didn't know he would be the last in a distinguished line. But when it fell to him to finally close the station he left all the receivers on to keep a symbolic watch over the airwaves. That tells you a lot about the kind of man Jack is and how he felt about his job and KPH. Jack kept a journal during his time at KPH. We are privileged to present it here. Read about what life was really like at KPH in its glory days (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Interesting games played by the VOA. It appears that VOA News-Now is blocked to USA domains, but the hip-hop VOA MusicMix music is not. If the music is your style --- it is commercial-free --- dial up http://www.voamusicmix.net/ and have a listen (Tom Sundstrom, NJ, Net Notes, July NASWA Journal via DXLD) Has the VOA audio stream link changed? I have this audio link but hasn't worked the last 2 attempts: http://www.voa.gov/stream/live/newsnow.ram If you have the new audio URL - if there is one please let me know (Petro Giannakopoulos, GA, July 5, swprograms via DXLD) There is an apparent lack of co-ordination between the two VOA web sites. The following just worked. http://www.voanews.com/real/live/newsnow.ram (Joel Rubin, NY, ibid.) I just saw/heard VOA Talk to America for Monday July 8. Very interesting about a new planet discovered 2 kilolightyears away. Perhaps it is still ondemand but shortly to be replaced by the July 9 show (Glenn Hauser, 1811 UT July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. SLUG: 7-36491 Broadcasting in Arabic.rtf DATE=7/5/02 TYPE=English Programs Feature NUMBER=7-36491 TITLE=Broadcasting in Arabic BYLINE=Oksana Dragan EDITOR=Nancy Smart INTRO Today on New American Voices you'll meet Usama Farag, who came to the United States fourteen years ago from Egypt to be a broadcaster in Voice of America's Arabic service. Now he is the executive producer of VOA's new program to the Middle East, Radio Sawa. Your host is ______________. TAPE CUT 1 opening of Arabic program :15 "Radio Sawa, etc. etc." segue to TAPE CUT 2 USAMA "This is a new radio network that's called Radio Sawa, which means 'together', and it's a different radio station. We have changed to become almost an American commercial radio station. Now we broadcast music mix, Arabic and Western music 24 hours a day, add to it newscasts twice every half-hour. And of course we are in the early stages now, we are going to add many programs, many features, Americana, political programs, it's coming up within the next few months." TEXT As part of his duties as executive producer, Usama Farag selects the music for the new program. He says that, based on weekly research reports from the region, he can target Radio Sawa's music mix for each Arab country to which it is broadcast. TAPE CUT 3 USAMA "The amazing thing is that we can have different streams to different areas. We have a pan-Arab stream, we have a stream to Iraq, we have another one coming up to the Gulf and maybe another one to Egypt, so that you can modify your music according to the tastes of your listeners." TEXT Another new feature of the Middle East Radio Network is an emphasis on broadcasting on FM. Although the station also uses some medium wave transmitters, most of the programming is heard on leased local FM transmitters greatly improving the quality of the sound. TAPE CUT 4 sneak Sawa music, up :07 and fade TEXT Usama Faraq was born in Egypt, the oldest of four children of an Army officer and his wife. He was preparing for a career as a diplomat, but instead landed a much-sought-after job at Radio Cairo. After four years there he passed the test to join the Arabic Branch of the Voice of America, and pulled up stakes to move from Cairo to Washington. TAPE CUT 5 USAMA "I was an on-air talent, an emcee and news reader. There is a great deal of specialization, you know over there you can be a news-reader, a program host, a producer. When you come to the States you have to be all of this. And if you can be a producer, translator, newsreader, news writer, then you are really an international radio broadcaster. It takes time, two-three years, but in time you excel and you become much better." TEXT Usama Farag says like many young Arabs, he was fascinated by American pop culture as he was growing up. TAPE CUT 6 USAMA "Actually, unlike many people may think, Hollywood played a positive and very good role in drawing a picture of America in my eyes before I came here. So when I came here I did not feel a stranger, and definitely I think that the movies and the soap operas, and especially the cowboy movies that we loved there, played an important factor in understanding America. When I came here nothing really surprised me that much, I knew almost everything about the society, through what I watched on TV in Egypt." TEXT Usama Farag, who was 28 when he came to the United States in 1988, says that he faced no difficulties and met with no discrimination on account of his Arabic background. TAPE CUT 7 USAMA "Absolutely not. I got great opportunities here in the United States and I benefited from it, I worked hard, and I was rewarded very well". TEXT Mr. Farag is married to a pediatrician, also from Egypt. The couple has three children. Their oldest child and only son, Omar, is seven, and autistic a term applied to children who are self-absorbed and have severe social, communication and behavioral problems. TAPE CUT 8 USAMA "That's our challenge and our struggle. After we established our careers, my wife and I, we have to really provide him with - he's severely autistic, and that's why we have to provide him with a lot of assistance, and therapists, who come at home and deal with him. He is under supervision 24 hours a day He's my favorite kid. (I hope my daughters don't listen.)" TEXT Both Usama Farag and his wife, Samar Hussein, find their professions demanding and time-consuming sometimes at the expense of their family. TAPE CUT 9 USAMA "Basically I'm a workaholic, my wife is a workaholic too, and that's too bad for the kids, but we're trying to make up for it. We have our parents and in-laws coming to help us take care of our kids, because work is really demanding, and we have to work 12 hours a day, easy." TEXT For the present, Mr. Farag is absorbed in developing the sound and impact of Radio Sawa, which went on the air at the end of March. His hopes for the future concern his family. TAPE CUT 10 USAMA "I would like my wife's career to shine even more, she's a very good physician here, and I would hope that I can help my son be able to, you know, mingle and interact within his abilities with the peers around him. And I wish I win the lottery, so that I can spend as much money on him as I want." TAPE Sneak Sawa music, hold :06, fade under (VOA [tran]script via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. Today I saw a bumper sticker for "WTJC 9370 Khz Shortwave" at a local parking lot here in Bristol, CT. This is the first time I have ever seen a bumper sticker for a shortwave station. I use to have an old KUSW sticker in my collection, but I never put it on my car (Kent Plourde, Bristol, CT, July 8, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. CONNECTICUT - RADIO ANTENNA ISSUE CAUSING STATIC By Vesna Jaksic, Staff Writer, July 7, 2002 Town residents and some school officials have fiercely opposed building a radio antenna near North Street School, but many experts in the field believe they don't have much to worry about. Several experts familiar with electromagnetic radiation said similar projects have not posed health risks in the past, though one said he is against building radio antennas near schools. The debate surrounds WGCH/1490 AM's proposal to build a 74-foot, 1,000-watt radio antenna on town-owned property adjacent to the school. While the local radio station has not submitted a formal application, the site is the station's best option since it was denied permission to build at the Beacon Point Marina in Cos Cob, said Peter Mutino, the station's general manager. "I'm confident that this is the best site given where we can and cannot locate," he said. Most experts agreed with Mutino that, if approved, the project on North Street would not pose a risk to the surrounding community. Henry Kues, who has reviewed nearly 20 applications for telecommunications towers for the Stamford Health Department, said scientific data show such projects are not dangerous. "What we found to date, without any exception to the sites I've reviewed, (is that) the proposed power levels of these facilities only come to about 1 percent or less of what would be allowed under (Federal Communications Commission) guidelines," said Kues, a senior staff scientist at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. "The bottom line is, everything we've seen so far, with the individuals that are being exposed, the amount of exposure is so low, it nowhere comes near to the limits the FCC is advocating for." The FCC determines the guidelines for telecommunications facilities based on a number of criteria, including the type and frequency of transmission, proximity to other transmitters, the type of site and the length of exposure. Louis Slesin, editor of Microwave News, a New York City-based newsletter about radiation, said children should be kept away from radio antennas until more research is done to determine their risks. "There are more questions than answers in all this, but I think when it comes to children one should take a precautionary approach, and I don't think you should bring a radio tower near a school," said Slesin, who has a doctorate degree in environmental risk analysis. He pointed to a recent study from Rome, which appeared in the June 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. A study of people surrounding a high-power radio station there - which was more powerful than WGCH's proposal - showed increased risk of childhood leukemia for those living closer to the radio station. But the study came with a warning that it had "limitations" because of a small number of cases and lack of exposure data. This has been the case with numerous studies in the field that pointed out health risks, according to several experts. "There are some reports in the literature that occasionally pop up, (saying) there is some suspicions that there might be increase in incidence in some disease or something. But these, for the most part, these are very poor studies and are not verified," said Dr. Marvin Ziskin, a biomedical engineer and a professor of radiology and medical physics at Temple University. "I can't deny these things don't exist in the literature, but the overwhelming science in the area is pretty in accordance." To get a building permit for any type of a telecommunications device approved, numerous tests are conducted to ensure the amount of radiation is so minimal that it's harmless, said Ziskin, who serves on several national and international committees in the field, including the International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety, which helped establish the country's guidelines for safe use of electromagnetic sources. Caroline Calderone Baisley, director of the Greenwich Department of Health, said she believes most of the opposition to building radio antennas generally comes from people who have not researched the scientific evidence available. "I think what the problem is, is the misunderstanding or the lack of information about radio waves," she said. "You see this thing and right away you think it's dangerous." Based on her readings on the subject, Calderone Baisley said she believes the FCC's guidelines are rigid enough to ensure approved projects do not pose any danger to the public. While she acknowledged parents and school officials' concerns, she also pointed out problems that could arise if the radio station is forced off the air. Mutino has said that the lease on the site where WGCH now has an antenna, 177 W. Putnam Ave., has expired, and if the station cannot build a new antenna soon, it risks going off the air. The station's landlord has said she has tried to reach a deal with WGCH to allow the station to continue broadcasting from its current antenna. "The town really needs to look at this because if they close shop, if they close down, we're not going to be able to communicate in case of emergency," she said. "We can't afford not to have a local radio station. . . We are not saying that (near) school grounds is the best location, we're just saying, we need a site." Copyright © 2002, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) Geez, RF fears from a 1 kW MW transmitter, of which there are thousands in the US? How about all the ERP 100 kW FMs, 5000 kW UHFs in any metro area. Everybody(?) knows that RF is much more hazardous at VHF/UHF/microwave than MF. Even I cringe whenever I have to venture into the NE OKC antenna farm, but now I can worry about Enid`s two 1 kW MW stations a few miles away. Not that I would want to live or work right next to them (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. UPDATE WITH GROSSE POINTE, MICHIGAN'S 1170 AM It appears that the new 1170 from Grosse Pointe is only on for very limited hours, and I'm not talking typical daytime station hours, but when the air personality feels like signing it on and off. I don't know if it is temporary or not, but I posted about them Tuesday right after I had heard them, but they were off a few days, and then last night around 8:00 our time [UT -4] here they were on again. I don't know about the hours, but if anyone else form around the area or out of the area hears them at all let me know and thanks in advance. (Jeffrey Michael Kenyon, July 7, NRC-AM via DXLD) There is something VERY odd about this. The FCC Audio Services Division doesn't list an AM station on 1170 in MI. However, the FCC Mass Media Database under the General Menu Reports lists KPUG on 1170 with the "Facility City" as Grosse Point Farms, MI. It lists the "Community of License" as Bellingham, WA. These are, of course, 1900 miles apart. To add to the confusion there is a TIS station on 1170 in Saint Clair Shores, MI which is the city immediately adjacent to Grosse Point Farms, MI. It is WPNW619 licensed to the City of Saint Clair Shores. (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) The FCC Audio Services Division doesn't list an AM station on 1170 in MI. However, the FCC Mass Media Database under the General Menu Reports lists KPUG on 1170 with the "Facility City" as Grosse Point Farms, MI. It lists the "Community of License" as Bellingham, WA. These are, of course, 1900 miles apart. I believe the "Grosse Point Farms" listed under Facility City is simply the address of the station owners. KPUG is (was?) owned by Saga, which is based in GPF, MI (Scott Fybush, ibid.) The address in the "facility" table appears to be the address for official correspondence - where the corporate office is. For *many* stations it is nowhere near the city of license (Doug Smith, TN, ibid.) That's what I thought too although it seems like "facility city" is a rather misleading choice of wording on the part of the FCC. They do have a separate section for the owner`s address in the mass media database as well. But the interesting thing is that someone in the Grosse Point area has reported hearing local broadcasts on 1170. That seems like one heck of a coincidence unless he is hearing that nearby TIS and mistaking it for a broadcast station. I will be in Lansing MI on the 16th to pickup a fire apparatus and deliver it back to Denver. I haven't seen my travel itinerary yet but I suspect I will be flying into Detroit and driving to Lansing. If I get a chance I'll try to check out 1170 (Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA, ibid.) The reported 'programming' and schedule sounds like a pirate to me. TIS-type stations don't usually have music and DJ-types (Russ Edmunds Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Well, from what I've been able to tell this is sounding like it is being run out of someone's house and when they have a chance for it, but is this typical of new stations to just operate part time for a while and then go to some type of set schedule with sign on and sign off hours? On 1170? I haven't heard any TIS station on that frequency at all. Grosse Pointe Farms, and St. Claire Shores are actually about five miles a part, but maybe even less then that, but I'm not sure of the exact mileage So far, the 1170 station has been weak, but WWVA has been interfering with the Grosse Pointe Station when it has been on in the morning, so I don't see how this could be a 24-hour operation that easily, but like I said it seems like the Grosse Pointe station is coming and going as it wants. So far, I just have heard one air personality there, and no legal ID, and no request lines or anything like that. I am right on the divider street with the City of Grosse Pointe, and Grosse Pointe Farms, and the station isn't the strongest, but I don't know what the future plans are for the station. Also, if you listen in on 1180 from my location you won't even know there is anything on 1170 it is that weak now. Like I said I don't think it is a TIS, because they talk about gareening [?] and mention playing easy listening music, and play lots of classical and big band music (Kenyon, ibid.) Good morning everyone. This morning 1170 in Grosse Pionte was on and off again from 6:00 until just before 7:00. This time it was stronger, and it was the same old man with classical and big band music This morning I was also hearing WXLA 1180, but 1170 was not strong enough to interfere with 1180 or 1160, but 1170 was still getting interference from WWVA. Like I have posted before it is the same older man who is on the air and this morning he just asked about the holiday weekend, and didn't give a phone number or ID or anything like that. This must be a pirate or test of some kind (Kenyon, July 8, ibid.) Well, I neglected to mention, but back in May I heard maybe one test on 1170, and it was a younger man testing and saying what the format would be, and so far it has consisted of classical music, but they did mention talk about gardening, but there hasn't been any talk about gardening except when this older man makes reference to people doing work around the house or yard or garden. I don't know how 1170 was chosen, but there are a few other spots on the AM dial here in Detroit that could be used in the daytime. I wonder if this person knows about WWVA, and its ability to skip into Grosse Pointe rather well at night and early in the morning when he is operating, WWVA right now is degrading this person's signal with it beating against the local Grosse Pointe signal here. My guess is if this is a pirate it is someone who is upset over WQRS FM's not being around for a long time. WQRS was classical music for many years in Detroit at 105.1, but they went off in 1996. A friend of mine who worked at one of the record stores around here said that he would get customers in all upset because WQRS's being off the air. The morning show host at WQRS used to live in Grosse Pointe, and is a ham, but someone told me that after WQRS went off he moved to California. This person was involved in the community also playing the organ at one of the churches around here, but I don't think he is in town now, and I'm trying to think of who else it would be that would have the know how to start something like this, and could recruit the help of someone younger to test for him (Kenyon, July 9, ibid.) How well does this station's signal get out? Any chance of copying them here in Alabama? Pirates have always been an interesting breed to me. Here locally, we had a long running pirate on 1610 who used to broadcast on Tuesday nights from 7 PM until 11 PM. Their format was an "old school" top 40 rock station thing, using IDs and air checks from "WSGN 610" which had been the top 40 station here in the 60's. They were very professional sounding, with great audio. Signal coverage was good too...covering most of the metro area. "Russ Knight" was the D.J.'s name. They even aired the old "Chickenman" series which I really enjoyed. Finally got an e-mail QSL from them after weeks of trying. Station stopped broadcasting about two years ago, but I'm still hopeful they'll return to the airwaves at some point. Would love to hear this station...I'll set a timer for 1170 tonight if you think it's possible. 73, (Les Rayburn, July 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) What do you hear on 1170? Do you get WWVA at all from your location? I get other clear channel stations clearer then 1170, but you could try for it. Last night they were on, and last week and early this morning around 6:00 A.M. EDT they were on with a stronger signal then what they had had last week, and they were testing in May, and when they tested in may it was around 3:30 in the afternoon. Listen for classical music and mentions of gardening and Grosse Pointe. Last night they were on about 9:30, but I don't know what time they signed on, but I'm going to listen for them more now, because besides WWVA not much happens on 1170. The audio is fine for AM 1170 though with the beating of WWVA as I said (Kenyon, ibid.) So far, KVOO in Tulsa is my only log on this channel. Keep in mind that I just started MW DXing about six months ago. I'll run a timer this afternoon and see what comes up. I think this is a bit unusual for a pirate, only because ego is usually such a large factor in these operations that they tend to "over-ID" rather than avoiding them. But if they are motivated by the loss of a classic music station, perhaps this makes sense. As more and more voices are lost from media, I suspect we'll see more of this kind of thing. 73, (Les Rayburn, N1LF, Birmingham, AL, ibid.) You`re certainly not going to hear a low-powered MI pirate in AL in the middle of summer, hours before sunset (gh, DXLD) Well, I never heard them give a call sign, but last week when they went on the air I just thought they would be another day time station. They would have to be because of WWVA, but they are less then that. Has anyone had stations come on that when they first start operating they don't operate to the full extent that they do once they get going and have been on the air a while? If you are new to this all, you probably already know that this is not the best time of year to DX on AM, but I don't know if this station will be around when next AM DX season comes around or what the situation will be (Kenyon, ibid.) ** U S A. WBBR 1130 DOWNTIME IN EARLY AUGUST WBBR is the process of upgrading their transmitter. In the words of engineer Bob Janney (WB3EBN): "We are in the process of replacing our Aux transmitter ( Continental 317C ) with a new Nautel XL-60. This will become our main transmitter and the current main transmitter (Nautel Ampfet 50) will become the aux transmitter." Now for the good news (received today) for Northeast DXers: "The new transmitter has been installed and tested on the dummy load. Everything went well. We are planning factory comissioning for the first week of August at which time we will have the downtime. I will let you know exactly when as that time gets closer." So watch for WBBR downtime in that first week. I will broadcast the exact info as soon as I get it, but it may not be in time to make it into DXN. Let's hope for early warning and a storm-free night (Rick Kenneally, Wilton, CT, July 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. POSSIBLE WOR-710 DOWNTIME IN FALL According to WOR engineering, their transmitter relocation is clearing its various legal and permit hurdles. They will probably be off the air for testing sometime after September. I'll let you know when I know more. Now (pulling out the WRTH) when does St. Vincent sign on?.... (Rick Kenneally, Wilton, CT, July 8, NRC-AM via DXLD) I spent a very pleasant afternoon at the transmitter site with Buckley's director of corporate engineering a couple of weeks ago. The game plan is this: the current site stays up until the new site is finished. The new site, less than a mile away, will have ALL new gear - two new Harris Destiny 3DX50 transmitters, brand new processing and STL gear, three new towers, a new ground system, all courtesy of the state of New Jersey. While there will be a little downtime for testing the new site on-air, the expectation is that there won't be much, since the old site will be able to carry the load until the new one is all ready. (The existing DX50 at the current site will probably find its way to another Buckley station somewhere; if anyone wants the Continental 317 aux for home use, let the station know! :-) (Hey Fred, how about THAT for the next WNRC?...) -s (Scott Fybush, NY, NRC-AM via DXLD) ** U S A. PUBLIC RADIO STATION ADMONISHED FOR RUNNING ADS DAYSTAR PUBLIC RADIO, INC.. Issued an admonishment against Daystar Public Radio, Inc., licensee of WKSG(FM), Cedar Creek, FL for broadcasting advertisements and conducting impermissible fundraising in violation of Section 399B of the Act. Action by: Chief, Investigations & Hearings Division, Enforcement Bureau. Adopted: 07/03/2002 by MO&O. (DA No. 02-1580). EB http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-02-1580A1.doc http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-02-1580A1.pdf http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-02-1580A1.txt (via Fred Vobbe, July 9, NRC FMTV via DXLD) Here`s the entire document, text version; is KAYE paying attention? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) *Pages 1--5 from Microsoft Word - 19492.doc* Federal Communications Commission DA 02- 1580 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, D. C. 20554 In the Matter of DAYSTAR PUBLIC RADIO, INC. Licensee of Noncommercial Educational Station WKSG( FM), Cedar Creek, Florida EB- 01- IH- 0484 Facility #9714 MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER Adopted: July 3, 2002 Released: July 8, 2002 By the Chief, Investigations and Hearings Division, Enforcement Bureau: I. Introduction 1. In this Order, we admonish Daystar Public Radio, Inc. (``Daystar``), licensee of noncommercial educational station WKSG(FM), Cedar Creek, Florida, for broadcasting advertisements and conducting impermissible fundraising in violation of Section 399B of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (`` the Act``), 47 U. S. C. § 399b, and Section 73.503 of the Commission's rules, 47 C. F. R. § 73. 503. Daystar responded to our April 30, 2002, inquiry by its submission filed May 17, 2002. We have carefully reviewed the record, including Daystar's response, and conclude that the licensee has violated the pertinent statutory and Commission underwriting rule provisions. While we believe that no monetary sanction is warranted at this time, we find that an admonishment is necessary to redress the statutory and rule violations. II. Background 2. Advertisements are defined by the Act as program material broadcast ``in exchange for any remuneration`` and intended to ``promote any service, facility, or product`` of for-profit entities. 47 U. S. C. §399b( a). As noted above, noncommercial educational stations may not broadcast advertisements. Although contributors of funds to noncommercial stations may receive on-air acknowledgements, the Commission has held that such acknowledgements may be made for identification purposes only, and should not promote the contributors' products, services, or business. 3. Specifically, such announcements may not contain comparative or qualitative descriptions, price information, calls to action, or inducements to buy, sell, rent or lease. See Public Notice, In the Matter of the Commission Policy Concerning the Noncommercial Nature of Educational Broadcasting Stations (1986), republished, 7 FCC Rcd 827 (1992) (`` Public Notice``). At the same time, however, the Commission has acknowledged that it is at times difficult to distinguish between language that promotes versus that which merely identifies the underwriter. Consequently, it expects only that licensees exercise reasonable, good- faith judgment in this area. See Xavier University, 5 FCC Rcd 4920 (1990). 4. In addition, the Commission has narrowly construed what constitutes permissible fundraising on noncommercial stations. Specifically, the Commission has held that, in the absence of a waiver, noncommercial stations are prohibited from conducting any fundraising activity which substantially alters or suspends regular programming and is designed to raise support for any entity other than the station itself, and for purposes other than station operations. See Commission Policy Concerning the Noncommercial Nature of Educational Broadcasting Stations (`` Policy Statement``), 90 FCC 2d 895, 907 (1982), recon. granted, 97 FCC 2d 255, 264- 65 (1984); Ohio State University, 38 RR 2d 22 (1976). III. Discussion 5. The key facts in this case are not in dispute. Daystar admits that the station broadcast the five sponsored announcements described in our letter of inquiry and set forth in the attached transcript; that the sponsors are for- profit entities; and that it received consideration for airing the messages. The station also acknowledges that it broadcast a seventeen- minute interview with the proprietor of for-profit EZ Access Transporters, Inc., during which the station announcer solicited investment funds to assist the newly founded company in producing its product, the EZ Tilter Platform. Moreover, Daystar acknowledges that the announcements, ``as a whole,`` do not comply with Section 399B of the Act, and the pertinent Commission policies and rules. It also states that the interview ``violate[ s] FCC policies.`` Daystar contends that it assumed its management ``better understood`` the appropriate ``parameters of `on-air acknowledgments` `` and was disappointed to discover management`s grasp of this issue was faulty. The licensee asserts that it has since taken steps to ensure underwriting rule compliance by revising the station's donor acknowledgment policy and practice. It also states that the fundraising interview ``would never get by the present criteria of WKSG policies.`` 6. We find that the subject underwriting announcements exceed the bounds of what is permissible under Section 399B of the Act, and the Commission's pertinent rules and policies, in light of the ``good- faith`` discretion afforded licensees under Xavier, supra. In addition, we find that Daystar engaged in impermissible fundraising through the seventeen-minute interview with the proprietor of for- profit EZ Access Transporters, Inc., during which the station announcer solicited investment funds to assist the newly founded company in producing its product, the EZ Tilter Platform. In this regard, we note that the fact that the licensee did not receive consideration from broadcasting these fundraising pleas is not relevant to the question of whether the fundraising appeal itself was appropriate. Solicitations of the type conducted here are prohibited. IV. Ordering Clauses 7. In view of the foregoing, we conclude that a sanction is appropriate. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that Daystar Public Radio, Inc., licensee of noncommercial educational station WKSG(FM), Cedar Creek, Florida, IS ADMONISHED for broadcasting advertisements and for conducting impermissible fundraising in violation of Section 399B of the Act, 47 U. S. C. § 399B, and Section 73. 503 of the Commission's rules, 47 C. F. R. § 73. 503. 8. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this Memorandum Opinion and Order shall be sent, by Certified Mail -- Return Receipt Requested, to Daystar Public Radio, Inc., 1403 Indian River Avenue, Titusville, Florida, 32780. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Charles W. Kelley Chief, Investigations and Hearings Division Enforcement Bureau ATTACHMENT The following text was transcribed from audio-taped recordings of underwriting announcements broadcast on WKSG(FM), Cedar Creek, Florida, on July 30, 2001: 1. Precision Air Heating and Air Conditioning (60 seconds.) For every system purchased, Precision Air Heating and Air Conditioning will donate $100.00 to the Bullet-Proof Vest Fund, Inc., a not-for- profit corporation. Donations may be made at any one of the eleven locations of Sun Trust Bank. . . . Again, thank you to Dave Leonard at Precision Air, home of the ``Trane Home Heating and Cooling Systems.`` Precision Air focuses on service, and when you call, you will speak to a live service representative, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That`s Precision Air Heating and Air Conditioning, 3330 S. E. 58 th Avenue. . . . The phone number is 352-624-4000. That`s 624- 4000. And when you call, they haul. AC decision? Call Precision. 2. Lord`s Gym (90 seconds.) Why settle for being merely physically fit when you can be spiritually fit as well? At Lord's Gym, we believe in giving you the tools you need to be the person you always knew you could be. It`s more than the recumbent bikes, the elliptical trainers, and stair- steppers. We`re revolutionizing the fitness industry with our Christian fitness center, right here in north central Florida. Lord`s Gym is more than you expect. We adhere to a different and, we feel, more complete vision of what it means to be ``in shape.`` The staff at Lord`s Gym is here to help you. Our personal trainers offer comprehensive one-on-one training sessions, and they look forward to helping you maximize your potential— inside and out. And don`t forget Kid`s Power. The exercise program just for kids, aged 6-12. It`s a circuit training workout. Kid`s Power is a comprehensive fitness program for children aged 6-12 years old. Non-competitive games, activities, are implemented in a fast-paced 45-minute class. As many as 20 children can participate in Kid`s Power. It`s Kid`s Power, growing strong together, at Lord`s Gym. Located at 2467 S. W. 27th Avenue, in the Shady Oaks Plaza. The phone number at Lord`s Gym is 352- 629- 7757. 3. All- County Plumbing (45 seconds.) I want to say thank you to my friends at All-County Plumbing. . . . The entire crew out there is just something special. All-County Plumbing specializes in repairs, remodels, new construction, 24- hour service, sewer and drain cleaning. They are Marion County`s premier drain surgeons. That`s right— you call them at 687-0806. 687- 0806. You call— they come. They`ll be wearing the white heats [sic] because they`re good guys. And you know, good guys always wear the white hats. 4. Sears Hearing- Aid Center (90 seconds.) [We] would like to say thank you to the Sears Hearing-Aid Center for their continued support of Daystar Radio. Sears Hearing-Aid Center is located in the sears Store in Paddock Mall in Ocala, Florida. Sears Hearing-Aid Center offers the Miracle Ear Hearing-Aid System. Miracle Ear has been in business since 1947 offering unparalleled service to the hearing impaired for over half a century. Sears Hearing-Aid Center is a family-owned and operated business priding itself on its professional and personal one-on-one service. And let me say that excellence is not expensive, it`s priceless. Ricky and Deidre Richardson along with Ricky`s twin brother Dicky promise that they will make your visit and testing an absolutely pleasant experience. Guaranteed. It`s the Sears Hearing-Aid Center in the Sears Store in the Paddock Mall in Ocala, Florida. The phone number in Ocala is 352- 237-1665. 5. Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services (90 seconds.) Honor to those you love is the highest priority of Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services. Understanding and guidance are essential tools of the Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services professional staff. Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services is a place of family. We are proud to be Marion County`s oldest business still in operation. The Hiers and Baxley families have given our company the strength to remain the only independent funeral service provider in north central Florida, who offers your family complete funeral, crematory, and advance-planning services. Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services has been serving families since 1885 and will continue to do so for generations to come. Hiers- Baxley Funeral Services – when trust matters most (FCC via DXLD) ** U S A. Robert Feder column on Chicago radio personalities who have been fired: http://www.suntimes.com/output/feder/cst-nws-feder07.html (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A. In the Fast Lane -- METRO NETWORKS' LISA BADEN PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS TO KEEP UP WITH TRAFFIC By Paul Farhi, Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 9, 2002; Page C01 Just before she goes on the air -- which she does roughly 60 times every weekday morning -- Lisa Baden employs an old radio announcer's trick. She smiles. Smiling loosens Baden's jaw and facial muscles, making it easier for her to get her mouth around such popgun phrases as "backup on the Beltway to St. Barnabas Road." More to the point, Baden smiles to pump up her game -- in effect, to transform herself into a bigger, better, friendlier-sounding Lisa Baden. You can hear the change. Off the air, Baden can be understated, with an occasionally inaudible voice and a high tittering giggle. When she's on, she's the Traffic Queen -- authoritative, assertive, as whimsical as she wants to be.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A41416-2002Jul8?language=printer (all about traffic reporting, via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** U S A [and non]. Boston Globe has a weekly column, apparently on Tuesdays, previewing mostly classical music available on local stations and webcast, as far as KAMU in Texas, BBCR3, etc. This week`s is at: http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/190/living/The_air_this_weekP.shtml (via Mike Cooper, DXLD) ** VENEZUELA. Globovisión has enemies GRANADA FRAGMENTARIA CONTRA GLOBOVISIÓN Pánico vivió la gente de guardia en el canal noticioso ante un atentado terrorista con armamento de guerra: una granada fragmentaria. Esta fue lanzada contra el estacionamiento a la 1:30 de esta madrugada. No se reportaron vícimas, pero sí daños materiales. Source: http://www.analitica.com July 9, 2002 Detailed info in all major Venezuelan newspapers (via Henrik Klemetz, DXLD) ** WESTERN SAHARA [non]. 7460, New e-mail address for RNS (Radio Nacional Saharaui): rasdradio@yahoo.es (Rudolf Sonntag, A-DX via Ratzer, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** ZAMBIA. 6165, ZNBC, Lusaka, Jun 23, *0243-0305, Intervalsignal of crying birds until 0250, then orchestral anthem, 0252 ID and religious talk in English, hymn, faded out. QRM 6165 R Netherlands, via Bonaire, in Spanish, 32322 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** ZANZIBAR. TANZANIA 6015, R Tanzania, Zanzibar, Jun 23, *0258-0310, Drums Intervalsignal, National Anthem, 0300 timesignal, ID in Swahili by man, Call to Prayer, 25232 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window July 5 via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE. POLICE RAID PRIVATE RADIO STATION The Daily News (Harare) July 9, 2002 The police last week raided the offices of the Voice of The People (VOP), a private radio station in Harare, and confiscated 133 tapes and files. According to a spokesman for Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Zimbabwe, the police, accompanied by officers from the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe, (BAZ) and armed with a search warrant, raided the VOP offices on Thursday around 4pm in search of a transmitter and any other broadcasting equipment. After failing to find any transmitters, the police "confiscated 133 tapes and files from the office". Bruce Mujeyi, of Gollop and Blank, the radio station's lawyers, who was present when the police searched the offices, said the police and the BAZ officers wanted the transmitter the VOP was "using" to transmit its programmes. Mujeyi said the VOP trust deed disappeared in the confusion during the search and it is suspected the police or BAZ officers took it. Mujeyi said in terms of the law, the police must return everything they seized. "We are waiting for a decision on whether to apply to the court for a speedy return of the confiscated equipment or appeal against the harassment to which VOP staff were subjected," Mujeyi said. MISA-Zimbabwe said it was reliably informed that VOP had no transmitter in Zimbabwe or anywhere else, and was not violating any part of the Broadcasting Services Act 2001 because it is not broadcasting. The Broadcasting Services Act 2001 bars anyone from broadcasting without a valid licence. No other broadcasters have been licenced since the law was passed in 2001. Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, controlled by the Department of Information and Publicity in the President's Office, remains the only broadcaster in the country. Copyright © 2002 The Daily News http://allafrica.com/stories/200207090478.html (via Dave White, DXLD) ?? Doesn`t everybody know they broadcast via Madagascar 7310 at 0330- 0430? Should be interesting to hear if there is anything there tonight (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. I have Español on 7.310 Mhz blasting in here 10/4+ Totally obliterating all weaker stations. A religious station on 7.311 in English, female speaking. More Spanish at 7.315. The big signal is doing the South American sports at the moment (Duane Fischer, W8DBF MI, swl, posted at 0326 UT July 8) [Later at 0348: I heard DXing With Cumbre on 7.315? A strong station in Espanol with some classical music at the sign off on 7.325 at 0342 UTC, more Espanol with a huge signal on 7.310. This station is so strong I can not even center the frequency. But the religious station around 7.311 is gone, female and in English. Nothing from Africa Stewart. Huge signals all over the place. Great DX out there tonight! (Duane W8DBF Fischer, ibid.) Vatican has Spanish at 0330 on 7305, if you are not sure of the frequency (gh, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECEIVER NEWS +++++++++++++ DX-399 ON SALE Glenn, RadioShack has a super price on remaining DX-399 receivers, cat no 20-229 (a.k.a. Sangean ATS-606). I'm guessing many will be demo's and in some area's may already be sold out. Price $ 69.97. With AC adapter and carrying case. Any store can check remaining stock within their district. A great buy while they last.... Regards, (Dave Zantow, Janesville, WI, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dave's Radio Receiver Page : http://members.fortunecity.com/swradios PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ SHORTWAVE GUIDE Dear Mr Hauser, I have just read Joe Hanlon's review of our new Shortwave Guide posted on DXLD at dxld2109. He raises two good points: why did we put the ITU of the originating country rather than the ITU of the transmitter site, and why did we leave out Norway. Both these decisions were mine although they followed the advice I was given. Whatever the reasoning behind the first, I have already decided that putting the country of origin was a mistake. In the next edition we will certainly put the ITU of the transmitter site. On Norway, I was informed that NRK was not intending to broadcast the domestic service internationally, and was just filling the air time, but nor was it a domestic broadcast. It is of course an international broadcast even if that is not the intention and so should have been included. I would be happy for you to post this response on your site if you feel your members would be interested. Best wishes (Nicholas Hardyman, Publisher, The Shortwave Guide, July 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO STATIONS IN THE UK See entry above under U K. ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-109, July 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 #1138: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1138.html (ONDEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html WWCR BROADCASTS: Mon 0000 9475 {not this week}, Wed 0930 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Sun 0030, 0630, Wed 0100, 0700, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Hi Glenn, Can you supply me with the latest address [mail and e-mail] for Radio Afghanistan the one being relayed from Norway on 18940 kHz with a strong clear signal in Southern England. Best 73's (Nick Sharpe, UK, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nick, Now that you mention it, I do not recall any addresses being reported, nor QSLs as yet. That is, of course, the official station in Kabul, but printed references from the last few years would have the Taliban station address, which may not be the same, or even if it is, might offend if not handled carefully. If addresses have been reported, they would be somewhere in the DXLD archives. Unfortunately, almost every issue has an AFGHANISTAN and/or AFGHANISTAN non entry, but you could try looking through them if you like. http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html 73, (Glenn to Nick, via DXLD) ** ANGOLA. Primeiros resultados com a nova antena K9AY, instalada na laje do prédio, 12 andares, onde moro agora, em Copacabana. Forma triangular, altura do mastro central 5 metros em PVC, base de 8 metros. Total cada loop cerca de 19 metros de fio. A caixinha é a mesma, da Wellbrook. Não posso usar o amplificador aqui: tenho vista ótica para a baía de Guanabara e Niterói aonde estão localizadas todas as antenas das locais. Condições muito favoráveis nos ultimos dias devido à forte atividade solar, que favorece normalmente a propagação E-W no inverno. 1484.54, 1940, Em. Prov do Kuanza-Sul, Angola. Programa evangélico Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, sotaque de aqui, então produzido no Brasil ou com pastor brasileiro falando de lá. 1502, varios, 1950-2200, Em prov. de Benguela, Angola. Sinal forte mas modulação ruim. [He also reports with his new K9AY antenna a number of others from all over Africa, Europe, Middle East, as far as India 1566 and Taiwan 1557. `Varios` means several different dates; from late June to July 5 the other loggings were --- gh] (Rocco Cotroneo, AOR 7030+ Wellbrook K9AY, Rio de Janeiro, @tividade DX July 6 via DXLD) [Foreign gospel-huxters are taking over Argentine radio and TV, and causing great concern:] ** ARGENTINA. LA MÁQUINA TELERRELIGIOSA Con sólo 12 años en la Argentina, la Iglesia Universal del Reino de Dios, de origen brasileño, cuenta con más de 80 templos y es el culto que más creció en los últimos años. Su gran vehículo de llegada son los medios de comunicación. Aunque sus autoridades no lo admiten, sería propietaria de Radio Buenos Aires (AM 1350), lo que violaría la ley de radiodifusión. Crecen sus espacios en la TV abierta y en varias radioemisoras importantes El padre Guillermo Marcó, vocero de prensa del cardenal Jorge Bergoglio, dijo que las Iglesias históricas no están en favor de los telepastores En medio de la desesperanza, la perplejidad, el derrumbe de todas las certezas y la crisis como único escenario palpable, la búsqueda de contención espiritual crece en la gente, abriendo paso a la irrupción de alternativas religiosas, que no siempre responden a la permanente necesidad humana de conectar con algo que trascienda y sea más perdurable que nuestra propia finitud. Se le atribuye al escritor Aldous Huxley, autor de Un mundo feliz, esta reflexión: "La eficacia de una propaganda política o religiosa depende, esencialmente, de los métodos empleados. En condiciones favorables, prácticamente todo el mundo puede ser convertido a lo que sea". Desde que desembarcó en Buenos Aires, en vuelo directo desde Río de Janeiro, Brasil, convertido en "una entidad religiosa por resolución 53, del 4 de abril de 1990", según datos del Registro Nacional de Cultos, de la Cancillería, la Iglesia Universal del Reino de Dios (IURD) no ha detenido ni por un instante su expansión en la vida cultural ni en los medios masivos de comunicación argentinos. Sus ofertas más recientes, de las que LA NACION supo por fuentes oficiales inobjetables, así como por palabras de los propios interesados, fueron para comprar radio Rivadavia, de Luis Cetrá (en convocatoria de acreedores); el canal de aire América 2, de Carlos Avila (en igual situación jurídica), y una de las nueve emisoras AM y su correspondiente FM en manos del grupo mexicano CIE, que las explota sin aprobación del Comité Federal de Radiodifusión (Comfer). Aunque no confirmada, una versión apunta a la ex radio Splendid. La ofensiva pastoral de compra de medios locales se suma a una cuarta iniciativa que la IURD ha puesto en marcha: recuperar la FM que corresponde a Radio Buenos Aires (AM 1350), su radio insignia desde la que emite 24 horas de programación religiosa. Se trata de FM Millenium, de Santiago Pont Lezica, la más escuchada en frecuencia modulada y una de las radios más premiadas en el exterior. La ley de radiodifusión vigente impide a un culto extranjero ser dueño de un medio de comunicación en la Argentina. El proyecto de ley que procura proteger a los medios locales de quedar en manos extranjeras, en tratamiento en el Congreso de la Nación, vendría a fortalecer esa postura legal. Sin embargo, la IURD opera a través de socios o productoras locales, lo cual neutraliza los efectos de la norma vigente. Además, en la ley de radiodifusión vigente, dictada en tiempos de la dictadura militar, no se contempla expresamente la facultad del Comfer de investigar el origen societario de los titulares de medios hasta dar con la nacionalidad de la sociedad matriz. Sin control, todo vale Al principio, el crecimiento de la Iglesia Universal fue paulatino. Producciones radiales diseminadas en distintas emisoras locales, sin control alguno por parte del Comfer, hasta que dieron el golpe maestro, el 14 de septiembre de 1999, con la compra de radio Buenos Aires (AM 1350). Por la compra de las acciones de Luis Fernando Herrera, socio mayoritario, Jorge Civit y Aníbal Piaggio en Radiodifusora Esmeralda, titular de radio Buenos Aires, Ricardo Cis, representante de la IURD en la Argentina, pagó US$ 15 millones, según consta en el expediente 534 del Comfer, al que LA NACION tuvo acceso. En ese trámite, iniciado el 20 de marzo de 2000, Cis pidió que se aprobara la transferencia de acciones a su nombre, acompañando como toda justificación patrimonial una declaración de datos personales, de la que surge que nació en Bahía Blanca, vivió en Río de Janeiro y trabajó en comunicación visual en Brasil. Su estado patrimonial al momento de denunciar la compra por US$ 15 millones, era de $ 28.834,46 netos. Pero, posteriormente, denunció ante la AFIP que tenía en el país $ 8.173.559,05, lo que no le alcanzó para justificar una compra por casi el doble y en dólares. Aunque la IURD no admite públicamente que la AM 1350 les pertenece, apenas uno se comunica telefónicamente con su sede, en Lavalle 940, de esta ciudad, el contestador automático da tres opciones: dejar el nombre para el libro de oraciones, conectar con la radio o pasar por la librería. La radio no es otra que la AM 1350. Además de esta emisora, la Iglesia Universal tiene contratados espacios que van de la medianoche hasta el alba del día siguiente en las radios El Mundo, Splendid, Libertad y Rivadavia, así como sus respectivas ondas FM. En el caso de Rivadavia, los pastores se han instalado en la ex FM Uno, reconvertida en FM Alfa, un formato idéntico a Millenium, que emite 24 horas música y mensajes de este culto. Su presencia televisiva también fue creciendo sin pausa. Al segmento de la medianoche en Azul TV, se le sumó más tarde el horario de apertura y cierre de programación en América. Este año, alentados por el éxito mediático, le ofrecieron al empresario Carlos Avila, dueño de América, comprarle el canal de cable CVN, aunque posteriormente la operación no prosperó. Hasta el año último, las fuentes más conspicuas en el mercado de los medios señalaban que por todos los espacios en los medios, la IURD desembolsaba entre 500.000 y 700.000 dólares mensuales. Pero llegaron la devaluación, la pesificación y el corralito, aunque los pastores quedaron felizmente fuera de este último. Hoy, los valores que admiten algunos medios que los tienen como protagonistas son infinitamente inferiores. Por ejemplo, en América, fuentes de la gerencia comercial señalan que por los horarios de apertura y cierre de programación pagan hoy 25.000 pesos mensuales. Otras fuentes inobjetables señalan que la cifra rondaría los 100.000. En Radio Rivadavia Jorge Tassara señaló que la cifra que pagan por la FM y el segmento nocturno en la AM es de 30.000 pesos mensuales. Otros guarismos, suministrados por fuentes irreprochables, elevan el monto del contrato a 70.000, aunque "el año último era de 120.000 dólares". Mariana Fioroni, hija de Carlos Fioroni, director de El Mundo (adquirida por Gustavo Yankelevich, Constancio Vigil hijo y Víctor González), se rehusó a brindar cifras con el argumento de que "son datos confidenciales". Sin embargo, fuentes de la emisora indicaron que, el año último, los pastores desembolsaban entre 40.000 y 50.000 dólares mensuales por el horario nocturno. En esta radio, la IURD consiguió extender su presencia hasta las 7 de la mañana, cuando a la periodista Carolina Perín, que conducía el ciclo Amanece que no es poco, le restaron el amanecer y la Iglesia ganó una hora más. El informante dijo a LA NACION que la decisión de Fioroni obedeció a que "la Iglesia Universal es conocida por pagar al contado y con billetes chicos". Tampoco en Azul TV quisieron dar cifras, pero los valores hasta el año último rondaban los 80.000 dólares. Palabras de vida y Pare de sufrir son las propuestas televisivas de este culto en la televisión argentina. Todas las fuentes coinciden en señalar que la Iglesia Universal "siempre paga una parte de sus coproducciones o alquileres en negro". Lo que salta, de inmediato, cuando se procura obtener información sobre la IURD, es la reticencia de los interlocutores y los obstáculos por sortear. Aun en las esferas gubernamentales, la desconfianza dilata la obtención de datos. El año último, cuando el Comfer, a cargo por entonces de Gustavo López, llegó a la conclusión de que Ricardo Cis, quien admitió en el programa Telenoche investiga (Canal 13) "ser el representante en la Argentina" de la IURD, no podía justificar su capacidad patrimonial por la compra de AM 1350, le negó la transferencia de acciones. Pero cometió un error jurídico: tal decisión le correspondía al presidente de la Nación. Civit y Cis, hoy, respectivamente, presidente y vicepresidente de Radiodifusora Esmeralda (aunque a Cis no se le aprobó aún su ingreso en esa sociedad) reclamaron la derogación de la resolución del Comfer y la obtuvieron. Desde entonces, Cis ha procurado probar en el expediente su capacidad patrimonial para que se le apruebe esa transferencia de acciones. En ese expediente abundan los contratos de compraventa, de cesiones de acciones en sociedades off shore, celebrados en Uruguay. En todos ellos siempre aparecen compradores o cedentes de sugestivos apellidos brasileños. Aun así, con todos esos esfuerzos por acreditar solvencia y el origen del dinero, que de cualquier modo en el expediente sigue quedando confuso, Cis logra acreditar un patrimonio de $ 6.986.921. A pesar de que el expediente registró movimientos hasta comienzos de este año, al momento de la consulta de LA NACION hace un par de semanas, el expediente estaba curiosamente archivado. Y el Comfer, sin mover una foja. Tampoco fue sencilla la búsqueda en la Secretaría de Culto, de la Cancillería, hoy a cargo de Esteban Caselli, ex embajador ante el Vaticano durante la gestión de Carlos Menem. El director del Registro Nacional de Cultos, doctor José Cardozo, fue muy cauteloso al brindar información sobre la IURD. Al final del diálogo le preguntó a la cronista: "¿Usted cómo lo ve? ¿Le pareció objetivo?" Cardozo aclaró luego que estaba impedido de emitir algún juicio de valor sobre ninguna entidad religiosa. Señaló que, luego del programa emitido por Telenoche investiga, la Secretaría de Culto inició un expediente de oficio, en el que se le pidió a Canal 13 "el envío de los elementos probatorios, pero no los mandó, que yo recuerde. La Iglesia Universal inició otro expediente, denunciando la existencia de una campaña difamatoria en su contra por parte de Telenoche investiga". Marcelo Gómez Sin embargo, Miriam Lewin, actualmente a cargo del equipo de ese programa televisivo, dijo que no existía ninguna causa judicial contra el ciclo. "Recuerdo que se reactivó un expediente en los Tribunales de Neuquén, según nos informó un periodista de allá, a causa de nuestra investigación", dijo. En esa emisión, Cis señalaba sin pudor (registrado por una cámara oculta) que la religión, entendida en los términos de la IURD, "hoy es lo único que funciona, es el único producto que paga, que da de comer y que se consume". ¿En qué estado están los expedientes de la Secretaría de Culto?, se le preguntó al director Cardozo. "A nosotros nos pidieron fotocopias de la investigación desde la Fiscalía Nacional de Instrucción Penal Nº 41, a cargo del doctor Jorge Sacco. En febrero de este año mandamos la documentación, pero no tenemos nada concreto. Después aparecieron otros particulares, algunos sumando críticas contra la IURD y otros, sus adhesiones", dijo. Cardozo agregó que "hasta tanto no se expida la justicia no podemos tomar una decisión. En su expediente, la Iglesia Universal pide que se acredite todo su trabajo social. En esta dirección no tenemos ningún elemento para probar algo categórico contra ella". Cardozo puso de relieve que, a menos que haya una sentencia condenatoria firme, no se le puede retirar a una entidad religiosa su habilitación para funcionar en la Argentina. Eso podría ocurrir sólo en el caso de que "le comprobaran actos atentatorios contra la seguridad o la salud pública, o contra derechos de terceros, o bien que afectaran a otra entidad religiosa, o contra la moral y las buenas costumbres", señaló. La IURD tiene incluso personería jurídica para funcionar como una sociedad comercial en la Argentina. Efectos y azares Con apenas 12 años en la Argentina, la Iglesia Universal cuenta con más de 80 templos. Está en 46 países, incluidos los limítrofes, y es el culto que más creció en los últimos 20 años. Según diversas fuentes, entre septiembre de 2000 y agosto de 2001, hizo movimientos bancarios por $ 5.878.931 y adquirió inmuebles por $ 2.350.000. Tienen en Brasil una sede con capacidad para 14.000 personas, que está valuada en US$ 16 millones. Y, cuando organizan campañas, pueden llenar tanto el estadio Maracaná, en Río de Janeiro, como la cancha de River, en Buenos Aires. Sus máximas autoridades en nuestro país son los obispos Franklin y Paulo Roberto, antes destinado en Portugal, Estados Unidos e Israel, donde solía disfrutar momentos de solaz en máquinas tragamonedas, según un video emitido por la poderosa cadena Globo, que mantiene un feroz enfrentamiento con la IURD en Brasil. En la Argentina, ¿cómo se controla lo que ingresa por donaciones? ¿quién vela por la salud mental de los concurrentes a los distintos cultos religiosos? En suma, ¿quién se encarga de hacer cumplir las leyes vinculadas con el funcionamiento de las entidades religiosas? La preocupación tanto de la Iglesia Católica como de varios comunicadores cristianos y de médicos psicoanalistas está latente. El año último, cuando LA NACION comenzó esta investigación periodística, el padre Guillermo Marcó, vocero de prensa del cardenal Jorge Bergoglio, dijo: "Las Iglesias históricas no están en favor de los telepastores. Hay que ser muy cuidadosos a la hora de manejar las emociones de la gente. Dios no obra de ese modo. Nadie puede garantizar salud ni milagros automáticos. Sobre todo, en estas religiones, donde no está claro el compromiso de la persona". Y, hace unos días, el sacerdote reflexionó: "La Iglesia Católica observa con preocupación que hay una suerte de facilismo en el mensaje de este culto, que no es protestante tradicional ni evangélico. Su fuerte es la recaudación que ofrece la salvación a precio de liquidación y apuntando a la angustia, a la desesperación de la gente, sin otra exigencia que la del diezmo. La exigencia está centrada en el tema económico". El experto en sectas, Alfredo Silleta, cuenta que "en España y Francia, la IURD tuvo un tratamiento muy duro, porque en esos países se castiga a los cultos que manipulan el cerebro de la gente. La IURD está entre las 100 sectas más peligrosas del mundo". En la página web http://www.sectas.org.ar de Silleta hay una interesante investigación lrealizada por El Mundo TV, el canal del periódico homónimo, que detectó que la IURD se encuentra detrás de una "secta llamada la Oración Fuerte al Espíritu Santo", legalizada en España en 1995. Un año más tarde, en la Argentina, "la Secretaría de Culto frenó la apertura de seis nuevos templos en la Argentina a causa de un escándalo desatado en Brasil, cuando un video de Globo mostró al pastor Sergio von Helder destrozando una imagen de la virgen Nuestra Señora de la Aparecida". Silleta explicó a LA NACION que "en la IURD, las reuniones duran dos horas. La mitad del tiempo está dedicado a la Biblia y la otra mitad, a recaudar coercitivamente dinero. Por ejemplo, se le dice a la gente que si quiere salir de la miseria, o conseguir trabajo, o sanarse de una enfermedad, tiene que aportar su diezmo". Manipulación Para el psicoanalista y especialista en discurso religioso, Enrique Stola, "lo interesante de la IURD es ver cómo se produce la manipulación de las personas". Este médico atendió como pacientes a varios fieles de la Iglesia Universal que decidieron salir de ese culto. "En una ocasión vino a verme una persona a quien le habían robado. El pastor le decía que le había ocurrido porque no estaba dando el diezmo y le ocultaba a Dios lo que ganaba. El hombre sintió que no lo querían y que sólo querían su dinero. Esto agudizó su depresión. Otros dejaron la IURD cuando sintieron que ya no los podían contener". Según Stola, el común denominador entre los fieles de la Iglesia Universal es ser de nivel socioeconómico humilde, con un bajo grado de instrucción educativa y caracterizados por una profunda soledad. No se insertan en redes sociales y son personas muy cercanas a la anomia. Esto significa que no pueden identificarse socialmente." La crítica de Stola se asienta en que "el discurso de este culto pivotea sobre el miedo. Si no se cumple con el diezmo se le dice a la gente que le sobrevendrán la desgracia y el demonio. Se le ordena no confiar en nadie más que en el pastor, y eso facilita la manipulación y la pérdida de libertad. "El tema de la IURD -agrega el especialista- no es religioso, porque cada uno es libre de creer lo que quiera y no está en juego la creencia. Es un tema político, de salud mental y de derechos humanos. Por esa máscara religiosa, algunos se hacen los distraídos y otros no se meten por falta de información. Es un asunto grave y hay una responsabilidad política del secretario de Culto, cuya palabra ayudaría a que se investigue. Que un funcionario se calle la boca es sospechoso, sobre todo, porque esta Iglesia tiene mucho poder económico". Santiago Pont Lezica presentó el mes último una denuncia en el Comfer, a causa de "manifestaciones verbales de los titulares de Radiodifusora Esmeralda (la IURD) de interrumpir las transmisiones de FM Millenium en forma totalmente inconsulta y arbitraria". Consultado sobre el asunto, el empresario señaló que "de seguir la presión de los pastores para tener más espacios de programación, FM Millenium deberá mudar de frecuencia en un futuro, dejando la actual 106.3 Mhz, la que pasaría a integrarse a la programación de la Iglesia Universal". Quizás al tanto de la situación, el senador Jorge Busti presentó en abril último un proyecto dirigido al Comfer para que informe sobre las actuaciones existentes en el organismo respecto de la "fuerte presencia de la IURD en numerosos medios de radio y televisión argentinos", así como si "se ha evaluado la dimensionada presencia" de ese culto en el país, entre otros puntos. Cuando LA NACION inició la recopilación de datos para esta investigación, a mediados del año último, Luis Herrera, vendedor de las acciones de Radiodifusora Esmeralda a Ricardo Cis, dijo: "Yo le vendí a este señor Cis, que no es conocido como empresario en los medios. Es un hombre común que trabajó en la radio en Brasil, tenía espacios religiosos. Yo le vendí en US$ 15 millones, incluido el edificio (donde la IURD ya construyó sus estudios para FM Alfa). Pagó con plata religiosamente. No tenía por qué desconfiar. Fue pago contra entrega". También sorprendido por la consulta inesperada, en aquella oportunidad, Jorge Civit agregó: "No sé cuál es el origen de los fondos con los que compró Cis. Creo que son recursos genuinos". El dueño del Bingo Lavalle mira, por estos días, con desasosiego el templo de la IURD. Según fuentes inobjetables, hace unas semanas comentaba: "Si yo hubiera sabido que por cada acto religioso podía sacar entre $ 18.000 y $ 20.000, te aseguro que no ponía el bingo". Como alerta, el escritor Sam Keen, en su libro Himnos a un Dios desconocido, dice: "Una cosa es permanecer abierto y maravillado ante el verdadero misterio, y otra muy distinta, renunciar a nuestra racionalidad y aceptar las mistificaciones religiosas de la secta y de la tribu. La mejor esperanza que tenemos de crear un futuro cuerdo provendrá del hábito renovado de hablar entre nosotros esas cosas que nunca pueden decirse del todo". Por Susana Reinoso, De la Redacción de LA NACION http://www.lanacion.com.ar/suples/enfoques/0224/nota.asp?pag=p02.htm [but the article linked is not the same one as above --- gh] (via Arnaldo Slaen, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Estimado Henrik: En la revista 3 puntos que se edita aquí en la Argentina, hay un informe sobre la IURD, son más de 10 páginas de investigación las que trataré de transcribir. En su página de internet http://www.3puntos.com se reproduce parcialmente el artículo. Cordiales 73s (Nicolás Eramo, ibid.) ** ARGENTINA/BRAZIL. Correction to my earlier post [COLOMBIA]: R. Nacional, Argentina is actually on reasonably stable 6059.94 kHz. I mistakenly assumed from memory that the unid on 6060.84v was Argentina. The unid station on 6060.84v is possibly R. Tupi, oscillating approx +/- 16 Hz every 2 minutes or so (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN - Icom R75 - Palstar R30C - Quantum QX Pro - Wellbrook ALA 330 hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. The Coast Radio Melbourne website has been updated. For information about Victoria's new maritime coast station and other coast radio stations around Australia, click to http://coastradiomelbourne.cjb.net Feedback is appreciated and when there, why not take our webpoll! Rgs, Monitoring Services (via Mike Terry, July 6, DXLD) The page claims: ``Coast Radio Monitors VHF Channel 16, 4125 kHz, 6125 kHz & 8291 kHz``. I should be very surprised if 6125 be used for maritime communications, within the 49m ISWBC band; tho possibly in daytime only, as one sometimes hears such anomalous 2-way even in the USA. Do they mean 6215??? Yes, another page, Frequencies to Monitor, does show 6215 for ``Ocean Grove has been selected for the new HF transmitting and receiving station`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRIA [non]. Checking out the 17920 Sackville mixing product, Sunday July 7 at 1550, not heard here, but its computed co-instigator, 17860 had something in Russian with a low het mixing with Austria in English, which faded up to dominate by 1557 closing. So what`s the Russian and why is it blocking Austria in its target area? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also CANADA ** BHUTAN. Bhutan Broadcasting Service Corpn, 6035, full data QSL card via snail mail. With a personal letter for the delay in reply. V/S: Dorji Wangchuk, station engineer. The QSL describes "This card is printed on traditional Bhutanese handmade paper. The paper is made from daphne plant which is widely found in Bhutan". The QSL card, covering letter and envelope are made by the same paper (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. Radio Fides continues to expand its nationwide network. This historic network, operated by the Jesuits out of La Paz, is one of the most respected stations in Bolivia and Latin America. New transmitters are found in Copacabana, Riberalta, Tupiza, and Punata, but no frequencies are given, not even at the Radio Fides website. Their website has been completely redone and has a new address: http://www.fidesbolivia.com/ While you are there, you can listen to the standard Radio Fides network online, or to its La Paz FM geared to the young, Laser 98. National Network/Cadena Nacional: Radio Fides: La Paz CP29 760 AM, CP72 4845 khz, CP12 6155 khz y CP-- 9625 khz y 101.5 FM; Cobija, FM; Cochabamba 95.1 FM, Oruro 89.1 FM, Potosí CP82 1300 AM y 88.9 FM, Tarija 88.9 FM, Trinidad 98.3 FM, Yacuiba 97.1 FM; Copacabana, Riberalta, Tupiza, Punata—new; frecuencias desconocidas. [another station with SW:] San José: CP172 Radio San José 1490 AM (1,000 wats) & 5580 kHz (250 wats). Congregación Oblatos de San José. Plaza Principal. Oeste Wames. Casilla 15. San José de Chiquitos, Santa Cruz. Sr. Fabian Eugez Franco, director. AM 7 am-8 pm; OC 7 am-1 pm y 7 pm-10 pm (Mike Dorner, Catholic Radio Update July 8 via DXLD July 6) ** BRAZIL. De acordo com Luiz Octávio de Mello Pena, apresentador do programa Caixa Postal Zero a Zero, a Rádio Inconfidência, de Belo Horizonte(MG), está "em época de crescimento". A emissora adquiriu novo transmissor. Tem sido captada, com bom sinal, no Sul do Brasil, na freqüência de 6010 kHz, após às 2330 (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 6 via DXLD) ** BRASIL. A Rádio Nacional, de São Gabriel da Cachoeira(AM), opera em 3375 kHz das 0900 às 0200. É uma emissora da Radiobrás, da qual retransmite os noticiários. Na programação, muita música, informação e prestação de serviço, voltados para a Amazônia. Destaque para o programa da Federação das Organizações Indígenas do Rio Negro, feito pelos próprios índios. Esse pequeno perfil da emissora foi elaborado pelo radioescuta Paulo Roberto e Souza, que reside em Tefé(AM). Ele acrescenta: "É bom lembrar que o Alto Rio Negro, onde está localizada São Gabriel da Cachoeira, tem uma das maiores concentrações de povos indígenas no Estado do Amazonas." (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 6 via DXLD) ** BRASIL. A Rádio Novas de Paz, de Curitiba(PR), firmou acordo com a Livraria Estrela da Manhã, com o objetivo de disponibilizar a venda de receptores de ondas curtas a seus ouvintes. Podem ser adquiridos dois receptores robustos, da marca Motobrás, ao preço de 150 e 160 reais. Mais informações podem ser obtidas pelo telefone: 0 xx 41 257.5488, com Luciana. A Novas de Paz emite em 6080, 9515 e 11725 kHz (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 6 via DXLD) ** BRASIL. A Rádio Anhangüera, de Araguaína(TO), permanece como afiliada da Rede Sonzoon Sat. Foi sintonizada, em Porto Alegre(RS), em 23 de junho, às 2234, na freqüência de 4905 kHz, com transmissão das festas juninas da cidade pernambucana de Caruaru. Recentemente, a emissora havia sido ouvida com programação feita em Araguaína (Célio Romais, @tividade DX July 6 via DXLD) ** CANADA. Hi Glenn- Regarding the mixing product I'm hearing on 17920, you are absolutely correct about it being CBC 1 on 9625. I was unable to get any audio this weekend (July 6 or 7) on 17920, but did hear a CBC 1 ID at 1500. Also heard the 17800 freq you mentioned. I guess that will teach me to write presumed or tentative on the English broadcasts I hear, like I do for the foreign language ones in which I don't hear an ID! 73s- (John Sgrulletta, Mahopac, NY, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also AUSTRIA non ** CHINA BANS COUNTY-LEVEL TV PROGRAMMES IN BID TO STRENGTHEN MEDIA CONTROL | Text of report by Fong Tak-Ho and Loretta Leung, published by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement) on 6 July Beijing has banned all county-level television stations from broadcasting their own programmes in an apparent bid to strengthen its control over the media in the run-up to the 16th Communist Party Congress, scheduled for this autumn. The move follows three successful attempts by the banned Falun Gong sect to hack into local television broadcasts. The policy took effect on Monday [1 July]. It stipulates that all county government-run stations can only broadcast their own programmes through newly established channels run by the provincial governments, said senior media official Li Bin, who works for the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, which oversees broadcasting policy. County television stations must use China Central Television (CCTV) channels, or other channels run by provincial or municipal bodies. Pan Huiming, vice-president of Southern Television - a provincial- level cable TV broadcaster - said the move was a part of the government's bid to put all county television stations under provincial broadcasters. "The county television stations must change their roles from operators to content providers," Mr Pan said. The policy comes during the countdown to the 16th Party Congress, when a central leadership reshuffle is expected to take place. It also comes in the wake of a spate of broadcasting blunders at county-run channels. Since January, the Falun Gong has successfully hacked into three local cable TV stations and broadcast footage promoting the banned spiritual movement in Chongqing, Jilin and Heilongjiang. Source: South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement), Hong Kong, in English 6 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. La Voz de su Conciencia coming in well on 6064.54 kHz at 0800 7/5 with SP talk and vocals. Per email from Russ Stendel, rms05001@neutel.com.co they will be off the air for the next few days or weeks as adjustments are made to the transmitter and licenses formalized for operation on probable 6060 kHz. They have held off on making QSL cards and pennants until the frequency assignment is finalized, although both will be available soon. He also asked if I had time recommendations for their English broadcasts, and I advised of Radio Nacional Argentina on 6060.1v [but see ARGENTINA/BRAZIL] until listed 0300 and suggested he may want to wait until after the sign-off (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN - bjordan@nachash.com Icom R75 - Palstar R30C - Quantum QX Pro - Wellbrook ALA 330 July 5, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI goal for next month is to move the antenna for 7445 from the 100 foot tower over to the 200 foot tower, when funds to do this become available. At that time, 7445 can be switched from USB to AM; the transmitter is ready to make this change. 21815-USB had a tube failure so is off the air; was producing very low power from the very old tube; reception reports were drying up; sunspot decline is affecting 21815 more, so not getting much out of it. Needs new tube costing about $500, and not available in CR, to revive transmitter at 3 kW, SSB, and in next year or two, probably move to a lower frequency, such as 17 MHz range. Both remaining frequencies are `twins` now operating at same hours, 2200-0800. Turning on 7445 a bit earlier to favor Europe, where is heard from at least 2300, and very strong by 0000. 7445 is currently running full power, producing a good signal. Tim Hendel, traveling in the NW USA finds 15040 putting in a very usable signal there as it does in the SE (RFPI Mailbag July 6, notes by gh for DXLD) ** ECUADOR. HCJB has found some QSL cards from the 35th anniversary of HCJB in 1966, and they are available to those who request them when sending reception reports. One photo on the card depicts an engineer from the early days of HCJB with a crystal radio, which HCJB made available in Ecuador in the early 1930s so that people could hear the station. Another photo shows a 1966 transistor radio assembly line. Just ask for the 1966-C QSL card, but supplies of these cards are limited, so you should request one soon. The current 2002-D card is also available. Reports may be sent to Allen Graham dxpl@hcjb.org.ec or at: DX Partyline ** HCJB ** Casilla 17-17-691 ** Quito ** Ecuador (DX Partyline July 6, notes by Marie Lamb for W9WZE site via DXLD) ** ESTONIA [and non]. Here is a page about radio jamming by the USSR http://www.okupatsioon.ee/english/mailbox/radio/radio.html (James Welsh, July 7, BDXC-UK via DXLD) Long text, plus antenna diagrams, forbidden photos of transmitters (gh, DXLD) ** GUAM. UT Fri July 5 before and after 1400, K57 streaming featured only the raucous background noise, no Jim Bohannon Show as had previously been heard. Further chex are needed, but it may well be that station has been ordered to turn it off during this show, possibly as a result of the publicity from us. At another time of day, we found it working, and also UT Sat July 6 around 1400 when some other show was on. We merely wanted to availablize a good program to more listeners and this is the thanks we get? BTW, the station is really KGUM on 567 kHz, so why don`t they call it `K567`, `K-Guam`, or even --- wait for it --- KGUM??? This also raises the disturbing question of whether we should *not* publicize such finds (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDONESIA. NOT monitored anymore in the Philippines: v3105 RSDPT2 Halmahera Tangha. 3214.8 RRI Manado 3395.8 RRI Tanjung Karang 3905 RRI Merauke 3987.1 RRI Manokwari 4003.2 RRI Padang 4606.3 RRI Seuri 4777.1 RRI Jakarta 4789.1 RRI Fak Fak v6070 RRI Jayapura 6154.2 RRI Biak 7171.3 RRI Seuri 9680 RRI Jakarta (Roland Schulze Mangaldan, Philippines, June 24, [P-mail to] BC-DX July 8 via DXLD July 7) ** JORDAN. R. Jordan spurs. R Jordan in Arabisch am 1.7. von mir gehoert zwischen 1850 und 1915 UT auf 10000 kHz \\ 9830 mit "Zuhoerer am Telefon"-px und guter Qualitaet (0=3/4). (Herbert Meixner, Austria, July 2, BC-DX via DXLD) Jordan R heard again on 10 MHz even !! Should also be on air on 9660 too ?? I have noted the 10 MHz freq being reported lately - and have heard it myself in the past. I guess it's symmetrical spurs which this station often radiates. I also noted that 11960 and 11810 were not on air during their morning transmission until c0715 s-off recently, but both have now returned. I haven`t checked to see if 11690 is back on (Noel R. Green-UK, July 3, BC-DX via DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [and non]. R. Korea International, Seoul, has advised that it has made some schedule changes for its English transmissions. The service from 0200-0300 to China on 7275, and to SAm on 11725 and 11810 have been cancelled. This broadcast is now carried only on 9560 to NAm, via the Sackville relay, and to NAm on 15575, direct from SK. The morning transmission to Europe at 0800-0900 is now on the additional frequency of 7550, in \\ with 13670, and on 9570 omni- directional. The evening service to Europe from the Skelton-UK relay station has been retimed, and is now available one hour earlier from 2130-2200 on 3955, instead of 2200-2230 (EDXP July 4 via BC-DX via DXLD) GVG is on RKI MWF this week as well as last (gh, DXLD) ** LATVIA. See UK [non] ** LUXEMBOURG. Some further research revealed now that both shortwave outlets from Luxembourg (6090 as well as 15350) were closed down by the end of 1994, not 1993 as my memory suggested without being contradicted previously. I found a couple of loggings for 15350 from 1994 (carrying RTL Radio German then), and Wolfgang researched his archive. By the way, the source of this item is pure nostalgia, too: Radioropa is history as the "Radiotreff" programme (until 1994 "DX- Report") is (Kai Ludwig, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) That's nonsense to allocate adjacent SW frequencies to two neighbouring and powerful stations for non-directional transmissions. Another such nonsense - RUI 6020 and R. Budapest 6025. Unfortunately, the second RTL freq 15350 kHz is occupied by TRT almost all the day. (Alex. Yegorov, Ukraine, BC-DX July 3 via DXLD) I guess the 15 MHz antenna towards Quebec Canada was scrapped in 1995. According to Ludo Maes list, the 50 kW CSF transmitter scrapped in 1975, and replaced by a 10 kW RIZ Croatia unit (Wolfgang Büschel, ibid.) Re Luxembourg 6090 - this one was always a very strong signal here [at Blackpool, UK], but suffered very badly from fading and distortion. And there was always some splash from 6085 - especially at night time. Possibly this was due to the type of antenna used. We SWL's might listen, but I don't think anyone used to hearing FM will like it! And similarly 1440 - it was (still is!) certainly a stronger signal here in northern UK than LW via domestic receivers, but quality of audio suffered due to skywave propagation, and the station could no longer reliably reach the UK in daytime all year round, so the popular Sunday afternoon transmissions were dropped. The 15350 channel was not always audible - there was QRM, but also propagation into the UK was not reliable. [15 MHz signal towards CAN skipped over their heads, ed.] As the 6090 transmitters are two sesquidecades old, maybe the cost of operating and maintaining them will prove too much? But perhaps - as has been hinted - they ultimately have DRM in mind from new or converted equipment? (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jul 6, via DXLD) Just a further one, concentrating on R Luxemburg (i.e. the German program), here is the page with audio: http://www.radiochronik.de/rtl/oton.htm Especially nice for me was http://www.radiochronik.de/rtl/news.ram I still had the drop they inserted between the news literally in my ears! Well, four or six of the Wertachtal transmitters are as old as the 6090 ones; they are of the same Telefunken design, just 500 instead of 250 kW models. But I am somewhat sceptical about the reported idea to modify these old transmitters for DRM operations (Kai Ludwig-D, BC-DX July 6 via DXLD) http://www.bce.lu/services/bc/radio/ Or look to other 'Radio Luxembourg' pages in the Yahoo or Google options. I think there are some pictures and explanations. The SW unit is 2 x 250 kW Telefunken unit, the old 15 MHz 50 Kilowatt unit towards Quebec-Canada, went to scrap some decade ago (wb July 3, ibid.) According to information from technical director Eugene Muller, Broadcasting Center Europe S.A. plans to reactivate 6090 kHz for a one day propagation test. The 500 kW will be on the air throughout the day 0600-2100 UT in Germany. The company plans to go into digital bcing and considers rebuilding one of its SW txs for DRM. BCE is in charge of CLT-UFA radio txs in Luxembourg. These include the high-power AM txs in Beidweiler and Junglinster, the bc center in Marnach, FM txs in Hosingen as well as in Dudelange. With these long waves, medium waves and FM txs, BCE is able to offer broadcasting of radio programs in numerous European countries. BCE broadcasts the radio programs of RTL R Letzebuerg (first radio stn in Luxembourg with a market share of 75%), RTL R France (leader of the Fr radio sector), RTL Radio-die Groessten Oldies (German radio specialised in hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s), 100.7 Radio Socioculturelle (from Luxembourg), as well as a number of religious programs. BCE is currently developing into digital radio on long and medium waves. http://www.bce.lu/services/bc/ (Nico Scheer nico_scheer@bce.lu Head of Maintenance Transmitters Broadcasting Center Europe S.A. in an e-mail to Dr Hansjoerg Biener; see also http://www.DRM-Info.de 3.7.2002) (Dr. Hansjoerg Biener via WWDXC, July 3 via BC-DX via DXLD) I checked this morning, Jul 4th, and 6090, the frequency to be used by Luxembourg on Jul 10, was blocked by Anguilla to 1000*. They were there at 0730, and I see that PWBR has them as using the freq at 2200- 1000. If that is correct, query whether Luxembourg, even with 500 kW, will be heard at its scheduled start at 0600. Conceivably they might be heard before their scheduled close at 2200, but that would be early for 49 mb. at this time of year. This afternoon (Jul 4) at 2217, Dr. Gene was already holding forth on 6090; the freq was clear an hour earlier, but there were few signals on the band (Jerry Berg, MA, DXplorer Jul 4 via BC-DX via DXLD) I have this note in a general history file: "The 2 x 250 kW txer on 6090 was on the air in December 1970. Closed down 31/12 1994." The closure date is also confirmed by DX magazines in early 1995 (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jul 6 via DXLD) ** MAURITANIA. Dear Glenn, Good day! With reference to the item in DXLD 2016 [correct], is it possible to get the full e mail address of Radio Mauritania (which was truncated by yahoogroups)? Thanks for your kind attention, 73s, Sincerely, (Harjot Singh Brar for GRDXC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Samuel, O Harjot Singh Brar quer saber o endereço-E que perdimos no yahoosite. Eu também... Pode ajudar? 73, (Glenn to Samuel Cássio via DXLD) OK Glenn, o endereço é: rm@mauritania.mr Um abraço (Samuel Cássio, Brasil, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MÔNACO. UTILITÁRIA. 22768 3AC - Monaco Radio, Monte Carlo - 22 dias Recebida carta QSL partial data (mencionando apenas escuta em 22768 kHz), dois belíssimos cartões postais e dois cartões com as freqüências e horários usados pela estação. V/S: ilegível. QTH: Monte Carlo Radio, 1 Chemin du Fort Antoine, BP 377 MC 98008 Monte Carlo, Mônaco. Obs: IR e carta em francês e enviado disquete com a gravação da escuta. Escuta de transmissão em radiotelefonia (USB). Site da emissora: http://www.monaco-telecom.mc e e-mail: monaco-telecom@m... [truncated by yahoogroups] (Rubens F. Pedroso, Bandeirantes-PR, @tividade DX July 6 via DXLD) One must ask, is the transmitter site for this one really inside Monaco? (gh, DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. One time program of Theremin Radio from the USA. They will be relayed in Europe but will be aired on 15070 // and somewhere nearby or on 6290. Both in AM. QSLs will be forthcoming for accurate reception reports to PO Box 69m Elkhorn NE 68022 USA. It will be aired next week or this week starting around 2300 or 2230 this Saturday. A repeat also might be aired on this or next week, Sunday morning, firing up around 0700 UT on the same frequencies. When the transmissions start up there will be a message sent to the SW pirates group. Info below. Greetings from the SW pirates moderator And are you already a member? SW pirates group!!! Receive the latest SW-Pirates info Simply subscribe by sending a blanc email to: SWpirates-subscribe@egroups.com More info at: http://www.egroups.com/group/SWpirates (Alfa Lima International, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** SOMALILAND. Yesterday, July 2, heard R, Hargeisa on 7530 USB with news in English 1920-1930 UT. I heard the station until 2000 when it went off the air. Before 1900 there is no reception possible due to the continuous Chinese music on the same frequency (Erich Bergmann, Germany, BC-DX July 3 via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Almost 1515 UT July 6. I called the courthouse on July 3. They told me that nothing is scheduled in Brother Stair's case until late July. They didn't know anything about Sister Stair's e-mail (which I forwarded to you) in which she said there was to be a hearing later that day, I think it was July 2 or some such. Supposedly nothing happened on this case July 2. Don't know what Sister Stair was talking about. I am confused needless to say. But the courthouse seems to be kind enough to answer questions when I call. Now I'm even more confused. When I talked to the courthouse on July 3, the woman there knew nothing of any hearing July 2. But on July 3 Sister sent this message, which I just received now as I dispatched my message to you. Dunno what to say. (Robert Arthur, DX LISTENING DIGEST) === God bless you all today, in the name of Yahshua, is my prayer for you. The Lord is good... the Lord is good. Blessed is the man that puts his trust in HIM. The Lord is good... the Lord is good. Taste and see that, the Lord, He is good.... Taste and see that, the Lord, He is GOOD!!! Mighty is our God! Mighty is our King! Mighty is our Lord! He's Ruler of EV'RYTHING! His Name is Higher - Higher than any other Name. His Power is Greater, for He has created everything! There shall be no end to the increase of His Government, or of His Peace. When the Government shall be upon His Shoulders - then there shall be no end to the increase... WONDERFUL, COUNSELLOR! When the Government shall be upon His Shoulders - then there shall be no end to the increase! The Lord showed Himself STRONG yesterday in court. What a Great, Great GOD we serve. We are on the LORD's side... and we are just standing STILL, in awe of HIM, and seeing the Lord's SALVATION. Glory be to the King! Keep praying, Saints. The prayers of the saints are going straight up unto the mercy seat, NO DOUBT!!! The Magistrate dismissed two out of four charges yesterday during the hearing. Joenathan Chaplin and Matthias Chaplin (Brother Stair's lawyers) were truly anointed by our mighty God; the anointing breaks the yoke. Two yokes are gone! Halleluyah! The magistrate laughed at the other two charges when our lawyer presented the facts. He actually stated that the women involved sound like their confused... Let GOD be true and EVERY man a LIAR. God's Truth will prevail. It was SO evident in that small court hearing yesterday. Thank GOD!!! Rejoice in THE LORD, ALWAYS, And AGAIN, I say, REJOICE!!! He alone is worthy to be praised. Brother Stair is in jail still... I believe the end of his bondage is very near... Yet SEVEN DAYS. Oh Yes! And then the FLOOD will come...! God knows how to DELIVER His own. May we all be in the ARK, wherever that may be... In Yahshua. He is the ARK of Safety. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the MOST HIGH. You are my hiding place... YAHSHUA...! Oh, how He loves you and me! Write soon...pray for ME also, please. So much to carry on here without Brother Stair around...Pray also for the other brethren who are a tremendous help here with the radio broadcasting...Brother Peter, Brother Will. Brother Mark Hodges, Brother Jonathan, and Brother Chip. They are working diligently to keep the ministry reaching out under Brother Stair's directions. Thank GOD! May our MIGHTY GOD show HIS STRONG ARM ... SOON! In Yahshua's Name. It will be so. I love you with the pure love of God. God bless you and keep you, always. Don't give up, my Brother... THE END IS IN SIGHT. Sister Teresa Grace Stair (via Robert Arthur, DXLD) ** TIBET. Ohne Probleme war die Sendung ab 1630 UT in Englisch und ID auf 6110 am besten (0=2) und nicht berichtsreif auf \\ 4905, 4920 (0=1) zu hoeren. Auf 6130 aber um 1650 (nicht mehr En) noch besser mit 0=3. Wobei ich nun 'annehme' - zumindest haben Musik und Sprecher gleich geklungen - dass da die selbe Station taetig war ;-) Um 16.52 anscheinend s/off (Herbert Meixner, Austria, A-DX July 3 via BC-DX July 8 via DXLD) ** U A E. Surprised to find Dubai, Arabic at 0230 July 6 on *both* 15395 and 15400, better on the higher one (Joe Hanlon, PA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Reverse here, and with considerable flutter under the circumstances. Presumably the same for English an hour later, but both were poor by then (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NOTE: Following items concern two entirely different stations using `Laser` in their name. I, for one, have always found this odd, extremely faddish, and inappropriate, since broadcast stations are extremely far from laser wavelengths. But what do they know? (gh) ** U K [non]. Laser Hot Hits: Traditional News now and Laser Hot Hits have shifted slightly LF to 9385 for their 31mb outlet. I expect reports have been received long distance. The 31m outlet makes 4 !! in //. 6220 7465 3970 9385 (Ken Baird, Unofficial Radio, July DSWCI E-SW News via DXLD) If that [what?] e-mail address does refer to the current Laser radio then yes, that station is an Irish pirate. If you want to take a listen it is currently operating on 9385.0, 7464.8 and 6218.85 at 0830 - that's as close as I can get to the exact frequencies. But, I think the mail refers to the old Laser pirate (aboard a ship), which used to operate at the low end of the MW band. I could be wrong - of course - but this seems most likely. (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX July 5/6 via DXLD) 558 kHz I think? See what the webpage at http://laserradio.net/ says. Not much so far, I will include the whole text [as below?], but it makes clear that this is indeed meant as a revival of the old offshore station. The Riga-Ulbroka site in general still exists as the recent R Caroline tests via both MW transmitters (or rather two of them, I found that Ulbroka once had a third MW outlet on 1071) proved, so it is very well possible that they also kept the Sneg SW rig since the R Caroline tests on 5935 a couple of years ago. The original announcement claims that "100,000 watts" will be used, so Ulbroka indeed would be the likely origin (Kai Ludwig, Germany, BC-DX Jul 6 via DXLD) ** U K [non]. RADIO CAROLINE MUSICAL TRIBUTE KICKS OFF TEST TRANSMISSIONS FROM LASER The Laser Radio group is experimenting with high-powered shortwave transmissions beamed into the UK and Europe. An hour-by-hour cross-country analysis of signal strength and viability commences on Sunday (July 7th) between 1400 and 2200 UT on 5935 kHz, with actual programming starting in a few Sundays time, subject to the results of two week's test transmissions. This week's tests are intended to include music from a number of different styles, and to spice things up rare jingles from Caroline and RNI will feature alongside short extracts of offshore programming. This is to set the tone for the future broadcasts. When regular operations commence, the plan is to provide a full 'anorak' service for 'radio and technology enthusiasts who love good music'. A spokesman said, "We are not about being the same as everybody else. When Laser first appeared in the 80s it kicked butt by being different and making people stop to catch their breath. In this new millennium, we will again dare to be different. We have attitude. Not only will we champion and campaign the cause of technological cross-boundary freedom, but we will not stand idly by when things are obviously wrong. So many radio stations are just boring and complacent, toeing the party line and fully accepting whatever the authorities tell them to do. Whilst other stations have become old, predictable and have lost their smile, we won't be afraid to speak out in a brash way that hasn't been enjoyed since offshore radio first came to the UK." A team is currently being put together with a brief to experiment and have fun. If all goes to plan, they'll be slowly introduced on the air every Sunday from the end of July (via Mike Terry, July 7, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** U K [non]. To our knowledge, UK-based Radio Caroline is going to lease airtime on AM 1386 kHz channel at Kaliningrad (Bolshakovo) 1200/2500 kW radio station of Russian Federation.Let us to remind you, that according to the ITU Geneva Plan of 1978, AM 1386 kHz frequency is assigned to Lithuania's station in Kaunas. In March 2002, Vilnius- based Radio Baltic Waves International (RBWI) has been awarded with licence to broadcast on 1386 kHz medium wave with 32.1 dBkW (1622 kW) EIRP. At the time of this writing, final preparations are going ahead to launch a 750 kW nighttime (2000-0300 UT) station in Kaunas on 1386 kHz. Usage of this channel by any other station, including re- broadcasting of foreign radio programmes, is a violation of international broadcasting laws and a subject of legal prosecution. On-air tests of RBWI are undergoing to determine the station's coverage and level of interference from Russian station in Kaliningrad area. Instead of having a 1000 kW transmitter allowed by the Geneva Plan, Russia operates 1200/2500 kW transmitter. Instead of having a non-directional single-mast antenna with 2.1 dB gain allowed by the Geneva Plan, Kaliningrad (Bolshakovo) station uses a SV4+4 type antenna, beamed to Western Europe (azimuth 275 degrees, 8-mast directional array with 12.7 dB gain), resulting in much greater radiated power (EIRP) than allowed by international agreements (Rimantas Pleikys RBWI Project Coordinator, via Kai Ludwig, July DSWCI MW SW News via DXLD) ** U K. Was listening to BBCWS webcast via Radio 4 at 0100 UT July 6, when time checks were given for several world cities; including ``19 hours in Washington`` !! Just two hours off. If you can`t do it right, why do it? The others may have been wrong too, but I wasn`t paying attention (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. DON'T FINE US, WE'LL FIRE STAFF, SAYS BBC CHIEF [by] Matt Wells, media correspondent Wednesday July 3, 2002, The Guardian The BBC chairman Gavyn Davies enraged his staff yesterday when he said the corporation's board of governors should be able to fire employees for lapses in programme standards. Mr Davies said that instead of the corporation facing fines for breaching broadcasting regulations - which he argued would be a misuse of licence payers' money - editors and producers should be sacked or demoted. "Firing the people is a much better remedy than fining the public," he said during a debate at the Radio Festival in Cambridge. His remarks stunned the audience of senior radio figures. Among those who heard the comments was the Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt, who was at the centre of the row over a controversial outburst by the spoof rapper Ali G on the Sara Cox breakfast show. Mr Davies admitted that the Ali G incident, when the comic repeatedly made offensive remarks on air, was a severe lapse in standards. He said: "I'm not claiming that it was public service broadcasting at its peak." He suggested that the board of governors should hold programme makers accountable for such breaches - although any punishment would only be carried out with the approval of the director general, Greg Dyke. But Mr Davies added: "If the director general didn't agree, ultimately we could get rid of him too." Many BBC staff were left reeling by the comments: others in the audience included the Radio 4 controller Helen Boaden, Radio 2 controller Jim Moir, director of radio Jenny Abramsky and the director of drama and entertainment, Alan Yentob. One BBC executive who heard the remarks said they contradicted Mr Dyke's attempts to encourage risk taking. "I don't see how this fits in with Greg's 'cut the crap and make it happen' campaign. That's meant to cut through the BBC's risk-averse culture and encourage people to be creative. Are we then going to hang them out to dry when things don't work out?" The issue of fining the BBC is the subject of a government consultation: from next year BBC programme standards will be regulated by Ofcom, the new communications industry watchdog, which will also oversee independent broadcasters. Ofcom will be able to fine commercial stations and many believe the BBC should face the same sanctions. Mr Davies said he did not believe the BBC should be fined in the same way as commercial broadcasters: "How logical is it really to fine the public for mistakes made by the management? It shouldn't be the general public that suffers the consequences. Instead we should impose sanctions over careers." Asked whether he was suggesting the governors should have the power to fire the editor of the Ten O'Clock News if he or she broke the rules, he said: "Yes." Richard Hooper, chairman of the radio authority, which will become part of Ofcom, rejected the idea and said the BBC should be fined for lapses in standards; the corporation already faced penalties if it lost a libel action or was fined for health and safety breaches. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U K [and non]. BLACK PROPAGANDA WEBSITE A group of parents from Emerson Valley school in Milton Keynes have been researching World War Two Intelligence activity in their area, apart from the well known Bletchley Park operations. They have a website at http://clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/emerson00/ It was from the Milton Keynes area that the various black propaganda stations to Germany and occupied Europe in World War Two mainly operated. It is a very extensive website with audio and video material, for example an interview with an engineer who worked on the Soldatsender Calais transmitters. Grindewald Productions http://www.grindelwald.co.uk/html/main.htm have done a two part documentary on the activities of the black propaganda radio stations during World War Two based on the website. The documentary will be aired on Six TV Oxford and then will be made available to for sale later this year, click on Latest for details (Mike Barraclough, UK, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. MORE EME DX-TV IN AUSTRALIA Tony Mann (Perth, Western Australia) has so far detected 19 US and 1 Aus UHF TV carriers via EME. See forwarded message below. Tony suggests others could try for DX-TV EME. I need to obtain a low noise wideband UHF TV preamp. High gain is not needed, since the coax lead length is not long. I gather the UA-900 is(was) the best amp available. Has anyone tried building a low noise UHF TV preamp? Does anyone recommend any commercial low noise UHF TV preamps? Regards, Todd Emslie. Fwd: From: Tony Mann ag-@physics.uwa.edu.au; Subject: uhf tv moonbounce update 28 June Hi folks, Here is an update on my moonbounce experiment. Twenty UHF TV carriers have been detected so far, including one from Australia: 1 WNDU-16 South Bend, IN 483.2505 ? 41.6N, 86.2W 5MW Z H 2 KWBT-19 Muskogee, OK 501.2482 35.8N, 95.8W 5MW Z H 3 WAPT-16 Jackson, MS 483.2510 32.3N, 90.3W 5MW ZdH 4 KUPB-18 Midland, TX 495.2512 31.8N,102.5W 5MW Z H 5 KXTX-39 Dallas, TX 621.2496 32.6N, 97.0W 5MW Z E 6 KPTM-42 Omaha, NE 639.2595 41.1N, 96.2W 5MW + H 7 KPPX-51 Tolleston, AZ 693.2494 33.3N, 112.0W 5MW Z 8 KUVS-19 Modesto, CA 501.2401 38.1N, 120.7W 5MW -d 9 KDTV-14 San Francisco, CA 471.2603 37.5N, 121.9W 5MW +d 10 WFTT-50 Tampa, FL 687.2497 27.8N, 82.3W 4MW Z H 11 KWEX-41 San Antonio, TX 633.2596 29.3N, 95.3W 5MW +d 12 CTC-35 Mt. Ulandra, NSW 576.2496 34.8S,147.9E 1.6MW Z H 13 WLTX-19 Columbia, SC 501.2589 34.1N, 80.8W 5MW +dH 14 WXIX-19 Newport, KY 501.2598 39.1N, 84.6W 5MW +dH 15 WAND-17 Decatur, IL 489.2499 40.0N, 88.8W 5MW ZdH 16 KTVG-17 Grand Is., NE 489.2489 40.7N, 98.6W 5MW ZdH 17 KXVO-15 Omaha, NE 477.24995 41.1N, 96.2W 5MW ZdH 18 KXAN-36 Austin, TX 603.24956 30.3N, 97.8W 5MW Z E 19 KTWB-22 Seattle, WA 519.25982 47.6N,122.3W 5MW + H 20 WBBH-20 Ft. Myers, FL 507.25995 26.8N, 81.8W 5MW +dH Last column is: power (MegaWatts); channel offset (Z=zero, +10 or -10 kHz); d = directional antenna (blank = omnidirectional); polarization, H = horizontal, E = elliptical. I emphasize that the signal-to-noise ratio is very poor, typically 5-8 dB in a bandwidth of ~ 2Hz. The strongest signal one night was 12 dB from KWBT-19, but I can follow signals down to 2 dB above the noise. There is a small chance txs 13 and 14 are the other way around - they were received nearly simultaneously. Tx no 12, at Mt. Ulandra (QTH of ABMN0), was also measured at 1210 UTC on 21 June by Todd Emslie. He obtained 576.249653 MHz, which is very close to my measurement the previous day of 576.24966 MHz. Todd is only 200 miles from this tx and receives it via scatter. 73s Tony Mann, 32S, 116E (via Todd Emslie, NSW, July 2, WTFDA via DXLD) Fanastic! Earlier reports on this were under OKLAHOMA since KWBT-19 was initially DXed. Will separate EME and terrestrial distance-record categories now have to be established by WTFDA? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Treating Viewers as Criminals Digital Renaissance By Henry Jenkins July 3, 2002 NETWORKS SAY WATCHING TV WITHOUT THE ADS IS THEFT. WILL BLIPVERTS BE NEXT? Remember blipverts? The 1980s science fiction series, Max Headroom, depicted a society "twenty minutes into the future" ruled by powerful television networks locked in ruthless competition for viewer eyeballs. Concerned by the growing trend towards channel surfing, the blipvert was developed as a rapid-fire subliminal advertisement which pumped its commercial messages directly into consumers' brains before they had a chance to change the channel. Unfortunately, the blipvert had the unanticipated side effect of causing spontaneous combustion in a certain number of overweight and chronically inactive couch potatoes. This outcome was viewed as an acceptable risk by the networks, even though it potentially decreased the number of viewers for their programs. I could not help but think about blipverts the other day when I stumbled across the recent comments of Turner Broadcasting System CEO Jaimie Kellner, who asserted that television viewers who skipped commercials using their digital video recorders were guilty of "stealing" broadcast content... http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_jenkins070302.asp (via Jeff Kadet, July 3, WTFDA via DXLD) ** U S A. Next week, Nightline will begin a second broadcast, called "Up Close," that will air in the old Politically Incorrect timeslot until the end of January. That's when a new comedy show will debut. Ted's first guest on the new show will be David Letterman, the first interview he has done in years. In the wake of what we here now call the "recent unpleasantness," it just seemed like the right thing to do. So again, "Up Close" will air after Nightline. The two will be separate broadcasts, sometimes linked thematically, but usually not. The plan is to put out a separate email to all of you about each night's "Up Close." And of course, Nightline will continue as it always has. So I hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend, and I hope that you'll join us tonight for a little bit of fun. Friday, July 5, 2002 (Leroy Sievers and the Nightline Staff, Nightline Offices, Washington, D.C., Nightline mailing list via DXLD) ** U S A. KOMU Goes Digital, [by] Jordan Yount COLUMBIA, MO (2002-06-28) KOMU T-V 8 is now also channel 36. The station is the first in central Missouri to broadcast in digital. KOMU-TV8 began broadcasting in digital during the six o'clock news last night. General Manager Marty Siddall says viewers won't notice any difference unless they've purchased a digital television or a conversion box to pick up 36. He says it's been an expensive conversion, and they're not done. Siddall says the station can broadcast either high definition television, or it can multi-cast anywhere from four to seven different programs at the same time. KRCG- TV plans to begin broadcasting digitally in August, while KMIZ-TV expects to make the transition by the end of the year (© Copyright 2002, KBIA, Missouri Radio Message Board via DXLD) One of the engineers at KSDK/5/St. Louis recently confirmed sharply higher utility costs for their digital equipment which also required adding a substation of some sort. KOMU-TV/36 is licensed to operate with a megawatt [1,000,000 watts] and the side-mounted antenna hangs just below the top of the mast. HAAT is 738 ft. Adding the antenna must have been a do or die proposition because the standard story over the years has been that the 1953 Blaw-Knox tower was already overloaded and there were concerns about its stability. Below it of course is the composite studio-office-transmitter building, potentially housing upwards of 100 or more people. The tower is an anachronism, height-limited by the proximity to Columbia Regional Airport which opened in 1967 and flight patterns work around the tower. About that time, KRCG/13 bought property in Moniteau County and secured FAA approval for a 2,000-ft. stick and hoped to interest KOMU in co-locating. At the time when CATV was just being developed in Boonville, Mexico, Jeff City, etc., both stations' enlarged coverage would have created a larger market, higher national ranking and increased revenues. Obviously, the tall tower never came to pass and by 1987, the acreage was back on the market. In last Sunday's Columbia "Tribune," there was a story about some of MU's television "adventures" that began more than fifty years ago. During the 1948-1952 television "freeze" when the FCC exhaustively examined its TV rules, MU was an early proponent of setting aside a channel in Columbia. One FCC commissioner -- that body's first woman, Freida B. Hennock -- wanted 10% of all the thousands of VHF/UHF channels set aside for non-commercial, educational purposes. In the FCC's March 21, 1951 "First Report and Order," channel 8 was allocated to Columbia but with a condition -- an asterisk meaning it was non- commercial. MU balked and asked for a 50/50 commercial/non-commercial mix. Meanwhile, another applicant -- MFA Insurance [now Shelter]-- was interested. When the freeze was finally lifted in April, 1952, channel 8 went to Columbia and its non-commercial status was lifted. With applications on file from both MU and MFA, the former argued it would mingle educational/instructional programming with programs from the four networks. The proceeding never got to the hearing stage because MFA knew it was licked by what amounted to a con-job by MU where with skimpy network service at the time, educators could bore the public with classroom lectures, demonstrations and "talking-head" shows. Whether the State of Missouri should own and operate a commercial television station was debated during the early-1950s in the state Legislature and Senate. Iowa State College [now University] was first educational institution to build a commercial TV station, going on the air in 1950, after grabbing its CP for channel 5 before the freeze and WOI-TV enjoyed the TV monopoly in the Des Moines market for several years. ISU has since sold WOI-TV. Springfield businessman Lester Cox was given credit for turning things around in Missouri while MU president Frederick Middlebush was battling for the station. In contrast, Illinois legislators only reluctantly supported the U of I's TV plans building WILL-TV/12 and forebade any sale of time. Channel 12 operated for years with low power and a short stick at one end of Memorial Stadium until the 1000-ft. tower went up near Monticello. MU's TV station operates as an "auxiliary business enterprise" with separate books and its own budget. The station was built with loans since repaid and MU officials claim it is "self-supporting." It was widely reported that surplus funds have been recently drawn providing some relief -- albeit tiny -- for MU and the state's budget shortfalls. There's been talk over the years of the state selling Channel 8 and when serious chatter got going in 1967, there was a chorus of wailing from J-School alums around the world. Then there was the time in the mid-1970s when KCBJ/17 [now KMIZ] filed an FCC rulemaking petition to add a UHF channel and make KOMU move there and convert Channel 8 into a non-commercial/educational station. It was never spelled out who would operate this non-commercial channel though the irony was KOMU's new UHF home was to be Channel 36! Maybe just as ironic is that MU -- which claims to be the state's premier institution of higher education is in the commercial television business while Warrensburg's CMSU carries the non- commercial PBS-television torch. Ironic too because in terms of their towers -- KOMU's puny 775-foot "stick" is a pigmy compared with the KMOS/6 2000-ft mastadon, also funded in part by our tax dollars (Posted by al germond on 7/2/2002, 12:45 pm Missouri Radio Message Board via DXLD) ** U S A. Following is an exemplar of the extraordinary measures the commercial broadcasting establishment will go to, in order to move yet another frequency into a metro area already saturated with FM signals, in pursuit of the almighty dollar. This has happened again and again, notably in the Texas/Oklahoma area, but we do not propose to cover this nonsense routinely in such detail. As for LPFMs being innocuous, it all depends on relative signal strengths and where you are. Long before the LPFM concept developed, we were incensed by equivalent-power translators springing up in Enid, one after another, blocking our access to public radio stations in the closest possible cities: 89.5 blocked KWGS Tulsa. 89.1 blocked KMUW Wichita. 90.3 partially blocks 90.1 KCSC Edmond and KHCC Hutchinson. Adding insult to injury, the public radio stations now lost were unwilling or unable to do anything to prevent this --- who cares about service to outlying areas??? A city of 46K with *no* public radio of its own? A low-powered but non-translator Enid station KBVV 91.1 blocked another Wichita non-commercial station, later converted to religious, so that no longer matters. An additional gospel-huxter translator in Enid on 88.3 (Family Radio) blocks numerous DX possibilities, and all of these are strong enough at my location, about a mile from the transmitter site, to cause significant damage to adjacent channels, leaving very little open in the so-called educational FM band. If translators can do this, so much worse a proliferation of LPFM. On the other hand, 99% of commercial FM stations are garbage, anyway, so LPFM may as well block them when possible (Glenn Hauser, Enid, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) KNIGHTS OF OUR LADY LPFM IN CAMERON IN LIMBO AS NEW KANSAS CITY MOVE- IN FM THREATENS ITS SIGNAL Cameron, Mo. (CRU)— By all rights the Knights of Our Lady in Cameron, Missouri, a small town 52 miles northwest of Kansas City, ought to be excited about getting its new low-power FM station, KOFL-LP, up and running on 97.3 FM. It had sought and was awarded a permit, last December, on its own initiative (see Catholic Radio Update #153, December 17, 2001). But then, last November, just two weeks before, the FCC had issued an order permitting Best Broadcasting`s KCSX 97.3 FM in Moberly to move into the Kansas City area and upgrade to a Class C1 powerhouse. Since Kansas City and Cameron are only about 54 miles apart, and KCSX will run 55,000 watts off an antenna 1,171 ft above average terrain at Blue Summit, Missouri, near the intersection of Interstate 435 and US 24, little KOFL-FM at Cameron with only 64 watts off a 123-ft tower is going to have a tough time being heard. The Moberly move-in is an extraordinary piece of engineering, in that it affects 14 stations in three states. Here is the FCC in its Order (Docket #00-129): ``To accommodate the allotment at Lee`s Summit, the following substitutions will be made. All of the respective licensees or permittee have consented to the substitutions and the Joint Parties have reached an agreement with respect to reimbursement with each of the stations required to make changes to accommodate the allotment at Lee`s Summit. We shall substitute Channel 233C for Channel 247C at Topeka, Kansas, and modify the license for Station WIBW-FM accordingly. A staff engineering analysis confirms that Channel 233C can be allotted to Topeka in compliance with the spacing requirements at its current site. The coordinates for Channel 233C at Topeka are 39-00-19 and 96-02-58. To accommodate the substitution at Topeka, we shall also make changes at Junction City and Humboldt, Kansas, and Auburn, Nebraska. At Junction City, Kansas, we shall substitute Channel 248C1 for Channel 233C1 at its current transmitter site and modify the license for Station KJCK-FM accordingly. A staff engineering analysis confirms that Channel 248C1 can be allotted to Junction City at its current site. The coordinates for Channel 248C1 at Junction City are 39-00-53 and 96-52-15. Channel 237C3 can be substituted for Channel 232C3 at Humboldt, Kansas, with the authorization for Station KINZ modified to specify Channel 237C3 at a new transmitter site to which the licensee, Sutcliffe Communications, Inc., has consented. The coordinates for Channel 237C3 at Humboldt are 37-43-21 and 95-33-41. To accommodate the substitution at Humboldt, we shall substitute Channel 249A for Channel 237A at Burlington, Kansas and modify the license for Station KSNP(FM) accordingly. Channel 249A can be allotted to Burlington in compliance with the spacing requirements at its current site. The coordinates for Channel 249A at Burlington are 38-10-08 and 95-39-07. In order to substitute channels at Topeka, Kansas, Channel 276C3 will be substituted for Channel 234C3 at Auburn, Nebraska, with the license for Station KNCY(FM) modified to show operation on Channel 276C3. Channel 276C3 can be allotted to Auburn in compliance with the spacing requirements at its current transmitter site provided a substitution is made at Marysville, Kansas. The coordinates for Channel 276C3 at Auburn, Nebraska, are 40- 27-57 and 95-45-38. Channel 238C3 can be substituted for Channel 276C3 at Marysville, Kansas, at a new transmitter site for Station KNDY-FM. The coordinates for Channel 238C3 at Marysville are 39-56-06 and 96- 47-33. The licensee of Station KNDY-FM, Dierking Communications, Inc., has consented to the site change. To further accommodate the allotment at Lee`s Summit, we shall substitute Channel 280C3 for Channel 248C3 at Malta Bend, Missouri, and modify the license for Station KRLI accordingly, as was proposed in the Notice. The channel can be allotted to Malta Bend at Station KRLI`s current transmitter site. The coordinates for Channel 280C3 at Malta Bend are 39-21-59 and 93-24-12. In order to make changes at Malta Bend, it is necessary to change the channel and transmitter site for Station KCHI, Chillicothe, Missouri. Joint Parties have requested the substitution of Channel 253A for Channel 280C3 at Chillicothe which can be accomplished at a new site in compliance with the Commission`s spacing requirements. Channel 253A can be allotted to Chillicothe at coordinates 39-43-40 and 93-35-43. The licensee for Station KRLI has consented to the channel and site change. To further accommodate the allotment at Lee`s Summit, we shall substitute Channel 249C2 for Channel 246C3 at La Monte, Missouri, and modify the license for Station KPOW accordingly. Channel 249C2 can be allotted to La Monte in compliance with the Commission`s spacing requirements provided additional changes are made. The coordinates for Channel 249C2 at La Monte are 38-48-23 and 93-09-08. The licensee, Sedalia Investment Group, LLC, has consented to a site change for Station KPOW. In order to substitute channels at La Monte, we shall also substitute Channel 246A for Channel 249A at Warsaw, Missouri, at a new transmitter site and modify the license for Station KAYQ accordingly. The coordinates for Channel 246A at Warsaw are 38-20-41 and 93-23-10. The licensee, Valkyrie Broadcasting Company, Inc., has consented to the transmitter site change. To allot Channel 246A at La Monte, we shall substitute Channel 248A for Channel 249A at a new transmitter site at Nevada, Missouri. The coordinates for Channel 248A at Nevada are 37-52-06 and 94-20-01. The license for Station KNMO will be modified to specify operation on Channel 248A at Nevada in compliance with the Commission`s spacing requirements. Harbit Communications, Inc., licensee for Station KNMO, has consented to the channel and site change. As requested, to accommodate the new channel at Lee`s Summit, we shall change the transmitter site for Station KNIM, Channel 246C3, Maryville, Missouri. The coordinates for Channel 246C3 at Maryville are 40-21-06 and 94-52-17. Nodaway Broadcasting Corporation, licensee for Station KNIM, has consented to the change in transmitter site reference coordinates.`` LPFM stations are not protected from any interference caused by improvement of an authorized commercial or noncommercial FM station, nor from any new stations resulting from new assignments. So the Knights of Our Lady LPFM station is not named in the above Order and receives no compensation, monetary, engineering, or legal, as the result of the KCSX move-in to Kansas City. Ronald G. Heckadon, president and director, is trying to save the station. ``I cannot believe Our Lady has let us come this far and we are not going to be able to get on the air,`` he told the editor in a phone call several months ago. Under FCC rules, LPFM`s have 18 months from the date of their construction permit to get on the air. The Knights of Our Lady received theirs last December 6th; already, one-third of the time to construct and get on the air has passed. Recently, I dropped an e-mail note to him, asking how things were coming. ``We are working on it,`` was his terse reply. Database: Cameron: KOFL-LP 97.3 FM, Class L1 (64 watts ERP, antenna 37.3 meters [123 ft] AHAAT). Cameron Knights of Our Lady, Inc., P.O.Box 17, Cameron, MO 64429. Tel.: (816) 632-1138; fax (816) 632- 2568. e-mail: CKOL@catholicweb.com. Website: http://knightsofourlady.catholicweb.com/index.cfm/contact Ronald G. Heckadon, president and director; Barry R. Arthur, treasurer-director; John P. Farnan, secretary-treasurer; Joseph Sueferling, Jr., director. CP issued 12/06/01. (In the Diocese of Kansas City-St Joseph). Commentary: THE KNIGHTS OF OUR LADY NEED A KNIGHT OF THEIR OWN The way you heard it from the powerful commercial broadcasters lobby was that low-power FM (LPFM) stations, the United States version of community FM stations spreading around the world, were going to threaten commercial broadcasting as we know it. LPFM signals, to hear them tell it, would interfere with the commercial FM signals on which so many people depend for news, information, music, and commercials. Even the mighty National Public Radio, forgetting its grassroots, proclaimed that the new LPFM stations should not be allowed in the 88- 92 MHz band because these upstarts would interfere with the multiplex services of reading for the blind and handicapped piggy-backed on NPR signals. Exactly how 100-watt and 10-watt stations were going to do all this against 3,000 to 100,000-watt stations was not made clear. The commercial broadcasters, particularly through the powerful trade association the National Association of Broadcasters, began lobbying Congress. A recording purporting to show clearly just how LPFM interference would cause havoc to existing radio signals was given out freely, until someone discovered that the alleged ``interference`` was created, not off the actual airwaves using test transmitters in real situations, but inside a recording studio. Meanwhile, NPR, shielding itself mightily against criticisms from community broadcasting groups and groups that support it, lamely said that it was not against the concept of LPFM stations, but that it wanted to protect the blind. But it did not budge from its position. The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB), however, supported the LPFM proposal from day one. The NFCB is composed of mostly modest and small-sized stations that are staffed largely with volunteers and clearly match what community FM stations do, albeit with much greater power. The politicians in Congress meanwhile, succumbed to the NAB and NPR efforts, and the FCC was mandated to eliminate its regulatory 0.6 MHz separation (3 channels) for LPFM stations from existing commercial and noncommercial stations, and maintain it at the regulatory 0.8 MHz (4 channels) separation required among existing commercial and noncommercial stations. If LPFM stations must remain at least four channels from existing stations, and new commercial and noncommercial regular stations can be assigned no closer than four channels in the same locality, then clearly, any possible vacant channels that can be found for local LPFM`s run the real risk of being seized upon by engineers looking for vacant channels on which new commercial stations can be built. The sole provision is that other, existing, stringent separations from stations on adjacent frequencies must be maintained when a new channel is found for allocation, or an existing station and its channel are moved into a new area, such as we see with Moberly and Kansas City. Thus it is that, at least in the realm of potentiality, any LPFM license can be threatened at any time with such a move-in or new drop- in. If you think this is far-fetched or I am being an alarmist, reconsider: Who would have ever thought that a station in a rural central Missouri town would be moved 130 miles west into a major metropolitan area, displacing 13 other stations in the process, and causing a major headache for an LPFM? But look for that on the FCC website! Go to the LPFM pages http://www.fcc.gov/mb/policy/lpfm/ and particularly the LPFM FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page at http://www.fcc.gov/mb/policy/lpfm/lpfmfaq.html and look for the clear statement, ``LPFM stations are not protected from interference from new stations or stations upgrading their facilities.`` You will not find it. Instead, you have to hunt through the FCC Regulations on LPFM`s to find it. I wonder how many LPFM permittees and applicants know that? I wonder how many of them know that, after investing several hundred dollars in filing an application, and even after investing as much as $30,000 (the FCC estimate) in putting their stations on the air, their stations can be forfeit to a powerful commercial or noncommercial signal that appears out of nowhere after legal process? I wonder how many of them know that they will get no monetary settlement, as received the other 13 broadcasters in the Lee`s Summit move-in of KCSX, nor any legal or engineering help to find a vacant frequency they can use? Unless, of course, the commercial applicant has a heart. (Is there much of that in radio anymore?). In the hundreds of existing cases where more than one LPFM application has been filed for a frequency, the FCC will eventually getting around to solving who gets the frequency by means of a point system that it uses for noncommercial FM and TV applications. More correctly, it will use the point system. Early last year all competing noncommercial applicants were told to figure out how many points they were eligible for, according to FCC rules, and tell the Commission, which would verify them and award the noncommercial frequency or television channel to the applicant with the most points. The deadline for notification was last summer, and the first point-system award has yet to be made. Hang on, LPFM applicants, even if you chose a frequency four channels removed from a local station. The FCC will one of these years get around to deciding who gets the frequency by using its point system. ``But wait!`` as they say on the ``call now 1-800`` commercials. In some cases, where the point system comes up with ties, the FCC will elect to split up the eight-year LPFM license term between winning applicants. That means that, if there are two with tied points, each will get the frequency for four years. If there are four, each gets it for two years. Thus, the winning applicants can go to the expense of building a station, knowing they will have to yield to tying competitor in a few years, and maybe come back on the air after the other applicant`s term is up. Imagine how many groups will find this scenario agreeable. This whole LPFM setup was not well thought out. Better yet, it was thought out by politicians, that miserable class of human beings who do little for the commonweal and everything for political appearance. The present and the previous administrations are responsible for this mess, Democrats and Republicans. If LPFM`s succeed, and that is a big IF, it will be in spite of the people who put the LPFM program together. One good thing in the Knights of Our Lady case: Thank heavens they found out about the Kansas City move-in before they spent any more money putting KOFL-FM on the air. Just think if they had built the station, launched it with public notice and enthusiasm, and then found out that no one beyond a few blocks could hear it because of KCSX Lee`s Summit (Michael Dorner, editor, Catholic Radio Update July 8 via DXLD July 6) [And Mike adds for us:] This LPFM move-in is bigtime serious. This isn't just about religious stations, which make up about 60-70% of the applicants, by my quick counts over the last two years. If Cameron can't find a vacant frequency 0.4 MHz from everything else around it, then it is kaput. Just think of all these fine little community stations started by interested people (a recent grant was to a youth program on the impoverished, drug- and alcohol-laden Hopi reservation) running the risk of being knocked off the air after having invested time, scarce money, lots of energy and the enthusiasm of volunteers and listeners, because somebody wants to move in a station from 100 miles away? Did they realize this when they set up the LPFM service? If not, they should have. If yes, they should be subject to universal contempt. It may well be that the FCC staff tried to tell the politicians, but we all know how political the FCC chair is (Michael Dorner, LA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. BUENOS DIAS FROM A MEXICAN RADIO By CHASE SQUIRES, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published July 7, 2002 DADE CITY -- Saturday means Sabado on the airwaves of east Pasco County. Aurora Juárez and the team of disc jockeys and supporting staff she assembled have taken to the airwaves for a Spanish-language, locally based radio program that Juárez says serves a growing Spanish- speaking community in Pasco, Sumter and eastern Hillsborough and Hernando counties. "We get so many calls, people from all over, Bushnell, Plant City, Dade City, Brooksville, it's great," Juárez said. "There was really a big need for this. People want to listen and hear music that they like, they identify with, and they want to be able to call in, to talk with the DJ and hear some community news." Juárez, 46, has always been active in the community, and she founded the Blue Angles charity fund last year in Dade City. The organization helps families meet burial costs when a loved one dies. She credits friend James DeChant of Maria's Silk Flowers for coming up with the idea for a radio program. "He suggested it, and we ended up talking with WDCF AM 1350, and they said, "Yeah, we need to reach the Spanish community,"' Juárez said. "As long as I filled up two hours, I could do anything I wanted." She started small, just some music and community announcements for two hours on a Saturday morning last November. The show was a hit. She expanded the show to six hours, then eight. This month, Juárez and her team -- which has grown to include club disc jockeys and others with announcing experience -- expand the program again. The show started with the name La Sabrosita, which she said loosely translated means "delicious." But as the show has grown, expanding again this month to run from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays, she said she wanted a more professional-sounding name. The new name is "Radio M." "M is for music, it's for maximum and it's for Mexican," she said. "We'll be working with a lot of automated formats, getting in new information and music, and we'll be taking more local calls, putting people on the air, doing dedications and still announcing community events, fundraisers and things like that." With a cost of $100 an hour due to WDCF, Juárez and her team have had to not only produce a show, but also generate advertising revenue. She said Mayla's Fashions, Maria's Silk Flowers and restaurant La Herradura have been longtime supporters, and she expects other businesses to join in as they realize the need to reach the Spanish- speaking community. U.S. Census figures show 5,511 households in east Pasco reported speaking solely Spanish in the home. And while the show already reaches other counties, WDCF is planning to extend its range with a new tower that can reach Tampa and Central Florida, Juárez said. It's the mix of talent and the closeness of the team that makes the show fun for listeners, Juárez said. Gustado Lara is an active musician and has a fun time motivating listeners to call in, she said. Illene Carrillo is a popular dancer in the Spanish-speaking community of east Pasco and is a hit at live broadcasts, José Molina is a well- known announcer who emcees local events and has name recognition, and Juárez said she focuses on community news and event broadcasting. D.J. Moyo -- experienced in radio broadcasting, club disc jockey work and radio production -- was with the team this weekend. He helps put the shows together for the announcers, queing up the music in a computer format that makes the broadcast move smoothly. "We want to give the client something they are proud of," he said. "We're community oriented, but it's professional." Moyo said each show has its own flavor, with representations of many different styles of music from a variety of regions in Mexico, the tropics and Central America. "People say, "Oh, it's all the same,' but it isn't," Moyo said. "There's so much variety, so many different kinds of music, there's something for everyone." Moyo recorded introductions for each announcer and station identification bits. As he introduces disc jockeys, each announcement reminds the listeners, in Spanish, "And, of course, you are also a part of Radio M." (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Subject: [SWL] (Fwd) STATION KPH TO BE HEARD AGAIN ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Fri, 05 Jul 2002 14:37:18 +0100 From: Zyg Nilski zyg@morsum.demon.co.uk Subject: MM - The Morse Magazine To: MM Readers MMReaders@MorseMag.com A MESSAGE TO READERS FROM MM - THE MORSE MAGAZINE THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN RECEIVED FROM RICHARD DILLMAN, W6AWO HISTORIC MORSE CODE RADIO STATION WILL RETURN TO THE AIR Station KPH To Be Heard Once Again In the third annual event that has become known as the Night of Nights historic Morse code radio station KPH will return to the air in commemoration of the last commercial Morse message sent in North America. KPH, the ex-RCA coast station located north of San Francisco, will return to the air for commemorative broadcasts on 12 July at 1701 PDT (13 July at 0001 GMT), 3 years and one minute after the last commercial Morse transmission in North America. These on-the-air events are intended to honor the men and women who followed the radiotelegraph trade on ships and at coast stations around the world. Transmissions are expected to continue until at least midnight PDT (0700 GMT). For this third annual Night of Nights one frequency for equally historic coast station KFS will also be activated. Veteran Morse operators, including many former KPH and KFS staff members, will be on duty at the receiving station at Point Reyes, CA listening for calls from ships and sending messages just as they did for so many years before Morse code operations were shut down. The transmitters are located 18 miles south of Point Reyes in Bolinas, CA at the transmitting station established in 1913 by the American Marconi Co. The original KPH transmitters, receivers and antennas will be used to activate frequencies in all the commercial maritime HF bands and on MF as well. KPH will transmit on 4247.0, 6477.5, 8642.0, 12808.5, 17016.5 and 22477.5 kc on HF and on 500 and 426kc on MF. KFS will transmit on 17026.0 kc. These frequencies have been made available through the generous cooperation of Globe Wireless, the current owner of the KPH and KFS licenses. Many of the transmitters will be 50s vintage RCA sets. Power output will be 4 to 5 kW. The transmitting antennas include a Marconi T for MF, double extended Zepps for 4, 6 and 8 Mc and H over 2s for 12, 16 and 22 Mc. Operators will listen for calls from ships on 4184.0, 6276.0, 8368.0, 12552.0, 16736.0 and 22280.5 kc on HF and 500 kc on MF. KPH and KFS will send traffic lists, weather and press broadcasts and commemorative messages, many of which will be sent by hand. At other times the KPH and KFS "wheel" will be sent to mark the transmitting frequencies. Reception reports may be sent to: Ms. DA Stoops, P.O. Box 381, Bolinas CA 94924-0381, USA Members of the public are invited to visit the receiving station for this event. The station will be open to visitors beginning at 1500 PDT (3:00 pm). The station is located at 17400 Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and is on the route to the Point Reyes lighthouse. Watch for cypress lined driveway on the right about a mile past the entry to Coast Guard station NMC. KPH is operated by the Maritime Radio Historical Society in cooperation with the Point Reyes National Seashore, part of the National Park Service. Further information may be found on the Maritime Radio Historical Society Web site at http://www.radiomarine.org or by contacting Richard Dillman at +1 415-990-7090 (email: ddillman@igc.org) or Tom Horsfall +1 510-237-9535 (email: wa6ope@hotmail.com). MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MORSUM MAGNIFICAT - THE MORSE MAGAZINE - FLYING THE FLAG FOR MORSE The Poplars, Wistanswick, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 2BA, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1630 638306 Fax: +44 (0) 1630 638051 Editor/Publisher: Zyg Nilski G3OKD e-mail: Zyg@MorseMag.com MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Visit the MM Homepage at http://www.MorseMag.com for full details of this international magazine devoted entirely to Morse telegraphy past present and future MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM (via W2AGN, swl; Dillman via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, via DXLD) ** U S A. EMERGENCY DECLARED AS TEXAS FLOODING CONTINUES NEWINGTON, CT (Jul 5, 2002)--The Federal Communication Commission declared a general communications emergency Friday in response to severe flooding in parts of Texas. Days of nonstop rainfall have created some of the worst flood conditions in 100 years and caused thousands to flee their homes. At midday Friday, the FCC declared 7285 kHz off limits during the daytime except for stations handling flood-related emergency traffic. Also off limits is 3873 kHz during nighttime hours. Amateurs are required to stay at least 3 kHz away from these frequencies until the declaration is rescinded. FCC Enforcement Bureau Senior Advisor for Public Safety Arlan K. Van Doorn indicates the declaration may last up to 72 hours. ARRL South Texas Section Manager E. Ray Taylor, N5NAV, is directing ARES response from his home in New Braunfels, one of the communities being ravaged by the flooding. The Guadalupe River at New Braunfels normally flows at around 300 cubic feet per minute. The rate on Friday was estimated at 70,000 cubic feet per minute, after the water overran the spillways on an upstream dam. In addition to the wide-range emergency net on HF, Amateur Radio is providing communications to municipalities and volunteer groups. A Texas Baptist Convention mobile kitchen equipped with ham gear has been set up at a shelter in New Braunfels, Taylor said. About a dozen members of the Kendall Amateur Radio Society have been providing two- meter communications support to the police station and two shelters in Boerne, Texas, since Thursday morning, at the request of Boerne Mayor Patrick Heath. As of Friday evening, 23 Texas counties were under a Flash Flood Warning. More counties are likely to be added as the rain continues and the floodwaters flow toward the coast (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. KMOL HEADED BACK TO THE FUTURE KMOL-TV, San Antonio's NBC network affiliate and the city's first TV station, will change its call letters back to the original set that it began broadcasting with on December 11, 1949: WOAI-TV. The change also means that News Radio 1200 and Channel 4 will share the WOAI call letters. "We are headed back to the future", said William Moll, President of Television for San Antonio based Clear Channel Worldwide, which owns both KMOL-TV and News Radio 1200 WOAI. "KMOL and News Radio 1200 WOAI have a long history of a strong news and public service commitment to this community. To have these two successful stations share the WOAI brand acknowledges our historical roots in San Antonio. It is significant to our company and the Mays family." Switching the KMOL call letters to WOAI will also give Channel 4 a unique "W" designation in the market. In addition, Channel 4's call letter change to WOAI will also have an effect on its radio partner, News Radio 1200 WOAI. "I see this as a very positive move in that it can only further solidify WOAI's image as news leader in San Antonio," said Tom Glade, Vice-President/Market Manager for Clear Channel's San Antonio radio station group. The switch from KMOL to WOAI is expected to take place on or before January 1, 2003, pending formal approval by the Federal Communications Commission (From Shoptalk Magazine 7/5/2002 via Fred Vobbe, NRC FMTV via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Desde hace algunos minutos estoy escuchando una emisora con música el español y en especial varios temas de la cantante mexicana Paulina Rubio a través de los 4789.9; no he logrado identificar ya que la modulación de la locución es baja. En principio descartaría que fuera la reactivación de Radio Atlántida [PERÚ], ya que esta emisora llegaria con mejor señal hasta acá. ¿Alguien tiene alguna idea? Sigo en la escucha a la espera de obtener alguna identificación. Un abrazo (Rafael Rodríguez R., Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia, July 6 7:08 pm [=0008 UT July 7?], Conexión Digital via DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ Today I have just received the new Shortwave Guide from the WRTH, have yet to do further reading on it but it seems to be an interesting reference with the frequency charts featuring the color-coded lines for different languages broadcast by the radio stations. I've noted that while Denmark's frequencies are listed, Norway, which is still on the air with their home-service relays, is omitted! Worse, stations are referred to by the ITU country code of the studio they're broadcasting from, not the actual transmitter site, which prevents some readers, especially newcomer SWL's, from realizing that many frequencies listed are coming from relays... so every BBC freq. is listed from the UK, or G in ITU terms? Gimme a break!. Transmitter location, NOT studio location, is very important for SWL's and radio monitors, and the ITU codes for such sites should be listed in future editions (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PROPAGATION +++++++++++ In reaction to what I read in DXLD 2-108, listening at 1200 UT on July 6 indicated that nothing showed up on the higher frequencies with exceptions being broadcasts from US, Canadian and some Caribbean sites (such as BBC-15190 at 1155); also heard a trace of VOA in Cantonese (per the new WRTH-Shortwave Guide) at 1200 on 15360, likely from Tinian relay (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, July 6, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Are you noticing some decline in propagation on the higher bands? Now HCJB's broadcast to India at 02 UTC on 21470 isn't coming in like it used to earlier this season. I've seen some items in DX Listening Digest (part of Glenn Hauser's World of Radio site) about the declining solar flux numbers and now it looks as if we are headed for a slow decline in use of 21, 17 and 15 MHz, as we now head toward the projected solar minimum that will occur sometime in 2006. So, perhaps this problem is also affecting reception of HCJB in your area, too? On AIR's new Kannada language service, I'm hearing it at only fair level, monitored at 0240 on 15075 on July 6 (Joe Hanlon in Philadelphia, USA, dx_india via DXLD) ### ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-108, July 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 #1138: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1138.html (ONDEMAND) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html ON WORLD RADIO NETWORK: Sat 0800 rest of world; Sun 1400 North America WWCR BROADCASTS: Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070, 0630 3210, Mon 0100 9475 RFPI BROADCASTS: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 SOLICITED TESTIMONIAL 100% de acuerdo con D. Fischer!: es una buena hora para -una vez más- decirte Gracias! Glenn. Muchas gracias... por no aflojar ni abajo del agua!, como decimos en el Río de la Plata (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay) ** AFGHANISTAN. AFGHAN RADIO STATION BEGINS TO FIND VOICE Wed Jul 3, 3:43 PM ET, By Denise Duclaux JABAL-US-SARAJ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Zakia Zaki broadcasts a message of stability and equality to Afghanistan, but, as director of a radio station that is breaking the mold, she knows she needs time and lots of it to get it across. "In my point of view, it will take a while," said Zaki, a proud woman with a bright smile who runs the "Voice of Peace" station with her husband Abdul Ahad in the bustling town of Jabal-us-Saraj, 40 miles north of Kabul.... [on FM] http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020703/lf_nm/afghan_radio_dc_2 (via Artie Bigley, and Mike Terry, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Recibí un hermoso (y gigante) certificado de sintonía enviado por Radio Baluarte, en unos 30 días. Además, remitió una pequeña tarjeta QSL que complementa el anterior (ambos con datos completos). El V/S es Hugo Eidinger, Director de la emisora. El slogan que tiene la emisora es: "La Voz de las Tres Fronteras de América". El certificado de sintonía tiene el sello de la emisora con la fecha en que fue verificado el reporte, es decir, el 27 de junio, habiendo sido despachada la carta el 29 de junio por correo simple desde Puerto Iguazú. La dirección a la que envié el reporte fue: Casilla de Correos 45, 3370 Puerto iguazu (Provincia de Misiones= Argentina (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, July 5, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** AUSTRIA [non]. 17895, Radio Africa International via Moosbrunn heard 13 January 2002 at 1544-1559. SINPO=35333. Africa map QSL received in 167 days, v/s Raphael Mbodinga, Associate Producer, via New York City United Methodist Church office. My original mail DX Report to Vienna did not elicit a reply, but my reminder to Donna Niemann in NYC drew an immediate QSL (George Glotzbach, Santa Fe NM, Cumbre DX July 4 via DXLD) Oops! If Niemann and Mbodinga QSLed this, they are just as confused as you are. The 17895 broadcast from Austria at this hour was ****not**** the Methodist ``R. Africa International``, which originates in NY and is transmitted at other times and other frequencies via Germany, but instead the Vienna ethnic station which has been carried at certain times via Moosbrunn. There is **no** connexion between them, as we have pointed out several times before, except that unfortunately they use the same name! Goes to show what can be accomplished in relentless pursuit of so-called ``verifications`` by not paying attention, on the part of broadcasters as well as listeners (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOUGAINVILLE. 3850 LSB, R Free Bougainville, 1039 June 28. Fading in and out with M in Tok Pisin with discussion. Surprisingly, this was heard only Friday PNG time, with nary a het at any time on Sat-Sun. On these days, a ham net was active but there were significant openings between discussions. The R Free Bougainville reception was very low compared with the other PNGs - entirely Tok Pisin with no opening (just faded up from the het which was on after 0930). There were the usual "long" and "long long" of Tok Pisin, as well as one mention of Bougainville. Pretty poor levels made this one a tough one, but I handed the headphones to John Bryant who also confirmed it as R Free Bougainville (he'd heard this before from Grayland years ago) (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 17920, CBCNS, 1545 June 30. I'm still hearing the Northern Service on this freq. as I did a week or two ago. Very fadey from poor to inaudible and // to 9625. Again off at 1559 while continuing on 9625. I believe GH picked up on this item last time I reported it and said it was a mixing product of RCI which relays the Northern Service at times. Since both times I heard it, it was on a Sunday morning, I assume he is correct (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Yes, but not exactly as you put it. RCI does not relay the Northern Service. Both RCI and the NS do relay, at certain times, CBC Radio One. RCI uses 17800 for this, but only on Saturday and Sunday, including 1300-1600 for This Morning, Sunday, which is also on 9625 CBC Northern. Another Sackville transmitter relays Austria daily at 1500-1600 on 17860, which is halfway between 17800 and 17920. Thus the mixing product on 17920, which if it were stronger, might display some traces of the Austrian audio too, but not necessarily, as such spurs work. BTW, on M-F, the RCI relay of CBC in the morning runs an hour earlier at 1200-1500 and on 17820 instead, so this particular mix could not occur weekdays, but ought to be audible on Saturdays. Now, if you actually heard a Northern Quebec service ID on 17920, which I suspect you did not, but merely assumed this by \\ 9625, there would have to be an additional mixup in feed circuits Montreal/Sackville, which certainly has been known to happen as well (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CBC Previews: Friday, July 5: ATLANTIC JAZZ FESTIVAL: ***pre-empts In Performance*** Tune in to CBC Radio Two...join host Peter Togni for Opening Night of the Atlantic Jazz Festival. In Hour One, Peter previews some of the acts in this year's festival. And in hour Two, live from the Schooner Room of the Halifax Casino, Greg Carter leads the Maritime Jazz Orchestra, featuring saxophonists PJ Perry and Mike Murley, Renee Rosnes on piano, trumpeter Paul Tynan, drummer Terry Clarke, and the great American jazz vocalist Kurt Elling. That's the Atlantic Jazz Festival special, starting at 8:00 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC Radio Two. IDEAS: Tonight on Ideas...Part One of Civil Disobedience: a look at the tradition of refusing to submit to arbitrary authority - from Henry David Thoreau in 1840s America to the protests of today. That's tonight on Ideas at 9:05 (9:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. (CONTINUES NEXT FRIDAY) CBC Previews for Saturday, July 6: GO: Tune in to CBC this Saturday morning for the premiere of Go, a hot new summer series. Join host Brent Bambury as he heads to Newfoundland to track down Canada's elusive "Gravel Pit Campers". Also on the program, a new twist on movie reviews, Saturday morning routines, and a chat with Josey Vogels, author of "The Secret Language of Girls." That's Go, Saturday morning at 10:05 (10:35 NT) on CBC Radio One. [so this is the replacement for BASIC BLACK] OFF THE CUFF: Tune in to CBC Radio One this Saturday for the debut of Off the Cuff. What's the best book native playwright Thomson Highway ever read? What does flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook do to keep romance burning? And why does songwriter Jimmy Rankin think all men are pigs? Find out on Off the Cuff - the game show that gets Great Canadians to tell stories for meaningless points. It all gets underway at 11:28 (11:58 on the Rock) Saturday morning on CBC Radio One. QUIRKS AND QUARKS: This week on Quirks and Quarks... Getting the Dope on Dope: The Science of Medical Marijuana. Canada recently made the use of marijuana as medicine a little easier. But does the science justify that decision? Do we really understand how marijuana works, and is it proven enough to move from the recreation room to the medicine cabinet? Also, news on genetically-modified corn and the Monarch butterfly. That's Quirks and Quarks, with host Bob McDonald, Saturday afternoon at 12:06 (12:36 NT) on CBC Radio One. DEFINITELY NOT THE OPERA: This week on the summer edition of DNTO... Nora takes on technology, separating reality from hype: remember how e-books were going to spell the end for paper publishing? Also, one of Chas Lawther's funny and thought-provoking stand-up documentaries. In "You're Here, Then You're Not," Chas takes on mortality. And on Rebel Angels of Song, the career of ground-breaking folk singer Sandy Denny. That's on Definitely Not the Opera Saturday after the one p.m. news (1:30 NT) on CBC Radio One. THE WORLD THIS WEEKEND: Saturday on the World This Weekend... Women have made enormous progress in the western world in the past few decades. But not in Chile. Chile remains a bastion of machismo, in which women in bad or even abusive marriages cannot divorce. Men have all the property rights and are not required to support their children. A bill for divorce reform is in the works, but as Reese Erlich reports, the Catholic Church in Chile actively opposes it. That report and more, Saturday on The World This Weekend at 6:00 pm (7 AT; 7:30 NT) on both CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two. SUMMER COMEDY SUMMARY: This week on the Summer Comedy Summary... host Al Rae welcomes Steve Shuster, comedian and son of Frank Shuster. Steve talks about his famous dad. Also, hear from Steve's comedy writers and from Nancy White on gender inequality and why daddy gets all the hugs. That's the Summer Comedy Summary, Saturday evening at 6:30 p.m. (7:30 AT; 8:00 NT) on CBC Radio Two. WEEKEND HOT SHEET, SUNDAY JULY 7, 2001 --- THE SUNDAY EDITION: This week on The Sunday Edition, meet shark lover Peter Benchley, who's spent 30 years trying to make up for scaring us with his book "Jaws." Also, on Aging Dangerously: Louise Bennett has won many honours - in her homeland of Jamaica and her adopted home here - for her work as a writer, poet and performer. The Honourable Louise Bennett-Coverley - Miss Lou - spoke with Michael Enright in January. And more in Paul Kennedy's series "Learning from the Oceans." That's The Sunday Edition, with guest host Elisabeth Gray, right after the 9 a.m. news (9:30 NT) on CBC Radio One. SUMMER COMEDY SUMMARY: This week on the Summer Comedy Summary [as above] Sunday afternoon at 1:00 (1:30 NT, 4:00 PT) on CBC Radio One. TAPESTRY: This week on Tapestry...The Joy of Emptiness: a conversation with Dr. Mark Epstein, a psychiatrist from New York City who uses Buddhism to help people heal. He believes that the only way we can become whole is to become empty. Also, a visit to a sanctuary for meditation that's inside the walls of Springhill Prison in Nova Scotia. 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. WRITERS AND COMPANY: This week on Writers and Company, more in the series Original Minds, wide-ranging conversations with luminaries in literature, science, music, economics and more. This week, host Eleanor Wachtel talks with American novelist and essayist Susan Sontag. For almost forty years, Sontag has devoted herself to an analysis and appreciation of European culture. Now she looks at America. That's Writers & Company, Sunday at 3:08 (3:38 NT, 5:08 CT/MT/PT) on CBC Radio One. CROSS-COUNTRY CHECKUP: Sunday on Cross Country Checkup ...world justice. This week the International Criminal Court came into being. It has long been sought as a permanent institution to try war criminals and heads of state previously protected by their positions. The U-S says it won't work ...it will be tainted by politics. What do you think? Does the U-S have reason to distrust the new court? Join guest host Alison Smith Sunday on Cross Country Checkup, from 4 until 6 (EASTERN) on CBC Radio One. THE WORLD THIS WEEKEND: Sunday on The World This Weekend...For almost twenty years, the southern Sudanese have been fighting for independence against the government in the north. This relentless war has deeply affected all aspects of living in southern Sudan, but the lives of children are most disturbed. For thousands of children there is no chance of an education. And, as Rupert Cook reports, they can only hope for a future without guns. Hear that report Sunday on The World This Weekend at 6 pm (7 AT; 7:30 NT) on both CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two. SAY IT WITH MUSIC: This week on Say It With Music...a tribute to the late, great American singer Rosemary Clooney, who died last Saturday. Say it With Music, Sunday at 4:00 p.m. (4:30 NT) on CBC Radio Two. KINFOLK: Throughout July in the timeslot normally occupied by Roots & Wings, join host Kinzey Posen for Kinfolk, a very personal look at folk and jazz. This week, Kinzey introduces you to Mariza from Portugal, the latest artist to continue the Fado tradition. Also, the story of two proud mothers who can't say enough about their sons, one a lawyer, the other an incredibly well-known musician. And Kinzey pays tribute to bassist Ray Brown who died last Tuesday. That's on Kinfolk, Sunday evening at 5:05 (5:35 NT) on CBC Radio Two. (CBC Hotsheets, excerpted by gh for DXLD) ** CANADA. 1610 AM BACK TESTING, NOW WITH ANNOUNCEMENT TAPE Thanks to a tip this morning from Ricky Leong of Brossard, Quebec, we now have word that the new station in Montreal on 1610 kHz is testing again. He first heard them around 11 AM Eastern this morning, July 5. I tuned them in at 2 PM Eastern. They were fairly strong, playing a mix of music, but each 30 minutes on the hour and half-hour, they were inserting a French language station ID. I will translate it for the benefit of those not understanding French: "This is CJWI 1610 AM Montreal, a station operated by CPAM Radio Union.com. We transmit with a power of one kilowatt. We are presently in a period of technical verification. If you are a victim of noise or interference due to our transmission, contact us immediately at 514- 287-1288 (number repeated), or by electronic mail, pierre@qc.aira.com (address repeated). Very soon, CPAM Radio Union.com, 24 hours a day will offer dynamic programming destined for the French language cultural community of Montreal. Thank you for listening. CPAM Radio Union.com 1610 AM" (Sheldon Harvey, Owner-Radio H.F., Canada's specialist in radio communications http://www.total.net/~radiohf President-Canadian International DX Club, Canada's national radio monitoring club since 1962 http://www.anarc.org/cidx/ (via DXLD) ** CHINA. Xinjiang People's Broadcasting Station. Received verification letter in Chinese in three months for Chinese report, used stamps, US$1 and SWL card. Station also sent used PRC stamps, taking care to leave the complete postmarks showing town names in Chinese and Uygur intact (some of these from remote locations!) and a postmark of the Id-Kah mosque in Kashgar. Regarding my feedback that there's co-channel QRM from Radio Tashkent on 5060 kHz, the letter says that they had since increase power output (!) to counter the interference. The letter is stamped with the station seal in Chinese and Uygur (Richard Lam, Singapore, Cumbre DX July 4 via DXLD) ** CHINA. OBSERVER #198 / 05-07-2002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- OBSERVER is an edition of RADIO BULGARIA compiled by Ivo Ivanov and Angel Datzinov. Items here may be reproduced if it is mentioned "OBSERVER-BUL". All times in UT ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMER A-02 SCHEDULE OF CHINA RADIO INTERNATIONAL AS OF JULY 3: 0000-0027 Hakka 15400 15260 15100 11945 9550 9460 6140 Portuguese 11850 0000-0057 Russian 9870 9725 7110 1521 Spanish 17720 11880 0030-0057 Chaochou 15400 15260 15100 11945 9550 9460 6140 Portuguese 15420 11850 11650 0100-0157 English 9790 9580 Russian 1521 Spanish 17720 11880 9665 0200-0257 Chinese 15435 9690 Spanish 17720 13685 11650 0300-0357 Chinese 9720 English 9690 Spanish 11765 9560 Russian 17740 17710 15435 0400-0457 English 9730 9560 0830-0857 Hausa 7170 0830-0927 Indonesian 17735 15135 0900-0957 Chinese 17785 15440 15340 15250 15110 11905 11875 11700 9550 7360 English 15210 11730 0930-1027 Malay 17680 15135 0930-1527 Japanese 9855 7190 1044 1000-1057 Cantonese 17755 15440 11875 702 Chinese 17785 15340 7360 English 15210 11730 Russian 15110 9725 7820 7110 5145 1116 963 1030-1127 Cambodian 17680 15165 1080 Indonesian 15135 11700 1100-1127 Esperanto 9590 7170 1100-1157 Cantonese 17785 15340 11875 9590 702 Mongolian 5850 5145 Russian 9870 9725 7110 1521 1116 963 Vietnamese 9550 1296 1100-1257 Korean 5965 1017 1130-1157 Burmese 9880 9590 1269 1188 Tagalog/En 11700 1341 1130-1227 Thai 9785 7360 6010 1200-1227 Tagalog/En 12110 11700 1341 1200-1257 Cambodian 9440 1080 Cantonese 17680 English 15415 11980 11855 11760 9760 9730 1341 1188 Mongolian 9870 5850 5145 1314 Russian 1521 1323 963 Vietnamese 9550 1296 1200-1257 Chinese 17785 15260 15340 11875 1230-1327 Lao 9785 7360 6140 Malay 15135 11955 1300-1327 Burmese 11780 9880 1269 Esperanto 15210 11650 1300-1357 Chinese 17785 15260 11875 15340 9440 English 15180 11980 11900 11760 9570 7405 1341 French 13685 9890 Russian 9870 5850 5145 4883 4815 1521 1323 963 Vietnamese 9550 1296 1300-1457 Korean 5965 1017 1330-1357 Burmese 11780 9880 1269 1330-1427 Indonesian 15135 11955 Thai 9785 7360 6140 1400-1427 Sinhalese 15145 11900 1188 Turkish 15165 11750 1400-1457 Amoy 15340 11650 9715 7335 Cambodian 17710 15180 English 17720 15125 13685 15110 11675 9700 7405 Mongolian 9870 4883 4815 Russian 1521 1323 963 Tamil 15210 11575 9590 Vietnamese 9550 1296 684 1430-1457 Sinhalese 15145 11900 1188 Tagalog/En 12110 1341 1430-1527 Lao 9675 7360 6140 1080 1500-1527 Bengali 15300 11810 1188 Nepalese 9535 7215 1269 Pashto 11880 9665 Persian 11750 9570 1500-1557 Chinese 11825 11760 English 15125 13685 9785 7160 Hindi 11675 9690 Russian 11790 11650 9870 9765 4883 4815 1521 963 Vietnamese 9550 684 1530-1557 Bengali 15300 11810 1188 Nepalese 9535 7215 1269 Pashto 11880 9665 9570 1600-1627 Swahili 12000 11600 Turkish 11685 11740 Urdu 7175 1323 1600-1657 Arabic 17880 17580 15490 15125 11760 English 9870 9565 Hakka 15580 11825 Hindi 11675 9690 1269 Russian 13655 11945 11875 11780 9885 9765 1521 Vietnamese 7360 6010 684 1630-1657 Swahili 12000 11600 Urdu 7175 1323 1700-1727 Swahili 15125 12000 11640 1700-1757 Cantonese 15580 9770 English 15205 11920 9695 9670 9570 Russian 13655 11945 11875 11780 11685 11650 9885 9795 9765 1521 1730-1757 Hausa 13670 11640 1730-1827 Chinese 13610 11835 11760 11660 9745 9685 9645 1800-1827 Hausa 13670 11790 11640 Hungarian 11810 11775 9860 Persian 15595 9670 9550 1800-1857 German 15130 11650 Russian 11945 11875 11685 11630 9795 9765 9585 9535 1521 1830-1857 Bulgarian 11810 11775 9860 Italian 11850 9945 Persian 13650 11740 9670 9550 1830-1927 Arabic 11640 11835 12035 13670 French 11760 11660 9645 9620 1900-1927 Albanian 11810 9965 Czech 11775 9585 Romanian 11740 7305 Portuguese 11825 9535 Turkish 11750 9785 1900-1957 Cantonese 11895 9765 English 13790 9440 German 15130 11650 Russian 11945 11685 11630 9795 1521 1930-1957 Albanian 11730 9965 Czech 9585 7305 Romanian 11775 11740 Portugues 15125 13775 11810 11640 Turkish 1170 1930-2027 French 11835 11760 11660 9645 9620 2000-2027 Esperanto 11810 11730 9965 Polish 11775 9585 6150 Serbian 13650 11680 2000-2057 Chinese 13790 13775 11870 11610 9765 9685 7660 English 15110 13630 11790 11640 9440 Russian 11945 9795 7255 2030-2057 Bulgarian 13650 6150 Hungarian 11775 11680 Italian 11810 9965 Polish 11850 9585 2030-2127 French 13715 12010 11660 9730 9560 2100-2127 Albanian 6150 English 13630 11640 Italian 11680 9965 9610 Serbian 13650 9550 2100-2157 Arabic 11965 9765 9685 English 15110 11790 Spanish 11775 9640 2130-2157 Hungarian 9570 6150 2130-2227 French 15500 12015 11975 11660 11610 9560 2200-2227 Portuguese 15110 11650 2200-2257 English 9880 Spanish 11775 11690 9640 2230-2257 Chinese 15500 15110 11975 Esperanto 11700 9860 2230-2327 Chinese 15400 15260 15100 11945 9550 9460 6140 2300-2357 Chinese 11975 7170 English 13680 5990 Russian 17710 15110 Spanish 11880 11650 2330-2357 Cantonese 15400 15260 15100 11945 9550 9460 6140 73 from Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 5 via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. In WOR 1138 you add "[note correxion]" to the address of La Voz de tu? Conciencia, but the address you mention is in point of fact the wrong one. It should be Calle 44 No. 13-69 as in DXLD 2107. By the way, Stendal has now confirmed the actual name of station. It is as given in the following note. La Voz de su Conciencia (The Voice of your Conscience), presently on 6064.5, but shortly to move to 6060, can be reached by ordinary mail in c/o Librería Colombia para Cristo, Calle 44 No. 13-69, Barrio Palermo, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. Address previously given as Carrera 44 No. 13-69 is incorrect. They are very interested in reception reports with specific information on sources of interference (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I didn`t notice the distinxion between Carrera and Calle, focusing on adding the Barrio (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. Besides SW... It is important for RFPI to have available to listeners a 24 hour per day reliable live stream on the internet. Due to our remote location, this has been a challenge. We have devised a way to do this by using a cable modem connection here in Costa Rica. We will broadcast a data signal via microwave from RFPI to a remote site that has this cable connection. This will create a faultless link to the world wide web. We need approximately $6,000 for equipment (cables, connectors, modem, cable modem, 2 microwave dishes, towers, 2-4 GHz transceivers) to make this a reality. We need your help.... (Solicitation from Gil Carmichael, Executive Director, RFPI Office of Development, P O Box 1094, Eugene, OR 97440 via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. Contrary to DXLD 2-103, typo in URL for very informative affidavit by FCC agent in the arrest of Ana Belen Montes, is really at http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/Montes_092101.pdf or Click on AFFIDAVIT at http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2001/09/Montes_092101.html (Since I often find mistakes like this in DXLD before anyone else, it makes me wonder if anybody is really reading what I emit -gh) Here are just as few, 5 thru 7, of its many pages, relating to SW numbers: II. MONTES's Toshiba Laptop Computer and Shortwave Radio A. Communication From the Cuban Intelligence Service (CuIS) to MONTES via Shortwave Radio 11. Based on my knowledge and familiarity with the methodology of the Cuban intelligence service, I am aware that the CuIS often communicates with clandestine CuIS agents operating outside Cuba by broadcasting encrypted messages at certain high frequencies. Under this method, the CuIS broadcasts on a particular frequency a series of numbers. The clandestine agent, monitoring the message on a shortwave radio, keys in the numbers onto a computer and then uses a diskette containing a decryption program to convert the seemingly random series of numbers into Spanish-language text. This was the methodology employed by some of the defendants convicted last June in the Southern District of Florida of espionage on behalf of Cuba and acting as unregistered agents of Cuba, in the case of United States of America v. Gerardo Hernández, et al., Cr. No. 98-721-CR-Lenard(s)(s). Although it is very difficult to decrypt a message without access to the relevant decryption program, once decrypted on the agent's computer the decrypted message resides on the computer's hard drive unless the agent takes careful steps to cleanse the hard drive of the message. Simply ``deleting`` the file is not sufficient. 12. Based on the evidence described below, I have concluded that MONTES was a clandestine CuIS agent who communicated with her handling CuIS officer in the manner described above. 13. A receipt obtained from a CompUSA store located in Alexandria, Virginia indicated that on October 5, 1996, one ``Ana B. Montes`` purchased a refurbished Toshiba laptop computer, model 405CS, serial number 10568512. 14. During a court-authorized surreptitious entry into MONTES's residence, conducted by the FBI on May 25, 2001, FBI agents observed in her residence a Toshiba laptop computer with the serial number set out above. During the search, the agents electronically copied the laptop's hard drive. During subsequent analysis of the copied hard drive, the FBI recovered substantial text that had been deleted from the laptop's hard drive. 15. The recovered text from the laptop's hard drive included significant portions of a Spanish-language message, which when printed out with standard font comes to approximately 11 pages of text. The recovered portion of the message does not expressly indicate when it was composed. However, it instructs the message recipient to travel to ``the Friendship Heights station`` on ``Saturday, November 23rd.`` My review of a calendar indicates that November 23 fell on a Saturday in 1996; the next time thereafter November 23 falls on a Saturday is in 2002. Accordingly, this message was composed sometime before November 23, 1996, and entered onto MONTES's laptop sometime after October 5, 1996, the date she purchased it. Based on its content, I have concluded that it is a message from a CuIS officer to MONTES. 16. Portions of the recovered message included the following: ``You should go to the WIPE program and destroy that file according to the steps which we discussed during the contact. This is a basic step to take every time you receive a radio message or some disk.`` 17. During this same search, the agents also observed a Sony shortwave radio stored in a previously opened box on the floor of the bedroom. The agents turned on the radio to confirm that it was operable. Also found was an earpiece that could be utilized with this shortwave radio, allowing the radio to be listened to more privately. Similar earpieces were found in the residences of the defendants in the Hernández case, as described above in paragraph 11. 18. The recovered portion of the message begins with the following passage: Nevertheless, I learned that you entered the code communicating that you were having problems with radio reception. The code alone covers a lot, meaning that we do not know specifically what types of difficulty you are having. Given that it's only been a few days since we began the use of new systems, let's not rule out that the problem might be related to them. In that case, I'm going to repeat the necessary steps to take in order to retrieve a message. The message then describes how the person reading the message should ``write the information you send to us and the numbers of the radio messages which you receive.`` The message later refers to going ``to a new line when you get to the group 10 of the numbers that you receive via radio,`` and still later gives as an ``example`` a series of groups of numbers: ``22333 44444 77645 77647 90909 13425 76490 78399 7865498534.`` After some further instruction, the message states: ``Here the program deciphers the message and it retrieves the text onto the screen, asking you if the text is okay or not.`` Near the conclusion of the message, there is the statement ``In this shipment you will receive the following disks: . . . 2) Disk ``R1`` to decipher our mailings and radio.`` 19. Further analysis of MONTES's copied Toshiba hard drive identified text consisting of a series of 150 5-number groups. The text begins, ``30107 24624,`` and continues until 150 such groups are listed. The FBI has determined that the precise same numbers, in the precise same order, were broadcast on February 6, 1999, at AM frequency 7887 kHz, by a woman speaking Spanish, who introduced the broadcast with the words ``Attencion! Attencion!`` The frequency used in that February 1999 broadcast is within the frequency range of the shortwave radio observed in MONTES's residence on May 25, 2001.... (via DXLD) ** FINLAND. 2 YEARS BIRTHDAY PARTY OF SCANDINAVIAN WEEKEND RADIO ! SWR's 2nd Birthday will be celebrated with whole day long Special Transmission. This programme starts at 21 hours UT on Friday 5th July and it ends 24 hours later on Saturday 6th July. And you can follow that Party on SW's: 48 mb: 21-22 6170, 22-05 5980, 05-15 6170 and 16-21 5990. 25 mb: 21-22 11690, 22-08 11720, 08-10 11690 and 10-21 11720. Some changes might happen. You can get more info from our web-pages: http://www.swradio.net You can get Special QSL-card from our Birthday Transmission. Send your report to: SWR, P.O.Box 35, 40321 Jyväskylä, Finland! Don't forgot return postage 2 Euros/ 2 US-dollars/ 2 IRC's. You can spend that day also with us here in Radiostation situated in village of Liedenpohja in Virrat. We have Open Doors on Saturday 6th July 09-12 UTC. There is also a Finnish Band Hughman Tutsh playing their songs with acoustic equipments. If you are coming please call to our studio-telephone +358 400 995 559 and ask driving instructions. With Best Regards, Dj. Madman (SWR July 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) In North America, check especially around 0030 UT Sat on 11720, where David Hodgson heard it in June (WOR Monitoring Reminders via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. Subject: article on CATHOLIC RADIO UPDATE Estimado Glen[n] Hauser, nos dirigimos atentamente a usted para hacer las siguientes aclaraciones, referente al artículo aparecido en CATHOLIC RADIO UPDATE, el 20 de junio del presente año: INFORMACION CORRECTA: 1.- Las siglas TGW pertenecen a la Radio Nacional, La Voz de Guatemala que tiene repetidoras en todo el país. 2.- Radio María 103.3 FM, TGAM, pertenece a Asociación Radio María Guatemala quien forma parte de la cadena Mundial de Radio María (World Family of Radio Maria) que tiene presencia activa en 30 países del mundo. 3.- World Family of Radio Maria, es la depositaria de la marca "RADIO MARIA" en muchos países del mundo, incluyendo Guatemala, en donde iniciaron su trámite de registro de marca en agosto de 1994. 4.- Radio María "La Voz de la Familia", TGML, 1600 AM. NO PERTENECE a la cadena de la Radio Nacional, tampoco a la Familia Mundial de Radio María, (WFRM) con sede en Italia. Agradeciendo tomen en cuenta lo anterior, Atentamente, (Asociación Radio María, 103.3 FM, TGAM, Guatemala, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. Friends, Last night the following stations of AIR were on air till 1957 UT (instead of the usual 1740) to bring the cricket commentary in English and Hindi of the day and night match between England and India. When the play was held up due to rain, Hindi film songs were broadcast. 3223 Shimla, 3315 Bhopal, 4760 Port Blair, 4880 Lucknow, 4910 Jaipur, 4960 Ranchi. Several MW stations also relayed the commentary. The next such broadcast is scheduled for July 11, 2002. 73 (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS Box 1555, Somajiguda Hyderabad 500082, India, July 5, dx_india via DXLD) 4760, AIR Port Blair/Leh, 1930 July 4, on late with cricket commentary England vs India. Noted with Hindi music and talk during breaks in play. Also on was Lucknow 4880, Jaipur 4910 (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Per Jose, 4760 was Port Blair not Leh ** INDONESIA. 2899, RPDT2 Ngada 1049 June 30. ID at 1050 by M. Long BI talk. 2899, RRI Ngada 1121 June 28, M in BI with news (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [I guess it`s either RPDT2 or RRI, not both... --gh] ** INDONESIA. 2960.02, RPDT Mangarai 1052 June 30, M talking with M on telephone in BI. 3344.8, RRI Ternate 1138 June 30, M in BI with frequent mentions of Dari. [as I recall dari is a preposition, like meaning `from`? --gh] 4874.47, RRI Sorong 1055 June 28, Lagu2 Romantik programa (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRELAND. It has been announced on MediaUK that recently launched sports station Team Talk 252 will close down within the next 4-8 weeks. Staff we're told about the impending closure at a meeting held today. What does the future hold for 252 kHz now? (This was on Concept News today but I have not been able to confirm it with any other sources yet) (Mike Terry, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. KI ENGLISH CHANGES. I don't have the frequencies yet, but here are the updated Kol Israel English broadcast times from July 21. All Times UT: 0400-0415 no change 1030-1045 10 minute extension 1630-1645 50% reduction in time and move to later slot 1900-1925 no change (Doni Rosenzweig, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. 11585, Kol Israel, 0306 Jun 28, Relay of domestic Reshet Bet service in Hebrew with news, phone feed of woman correspondent, Israeli pop songs, ID, and ads for such things as a bank and Diet Coke. Switched frequency to 11590 at 0326; same programming continued. Still audible after 0430. Excellent signal (Marie Lamb, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Decent reception from the Middle East this evening, including Kol Israel propagating well into Memphis at 2200 with their Hebrew service on 11585.03, 15759.99 and 17534.97. These guys make those of us who listen in ECSS have to work a little bit for best fidelity (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN, July 4, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. Just to sort out the Luxembourg story: 6090 was shut down by the end of 1993 (neither 1992 nor 1994). The two 250 kW Telefunken transmitters are SV2550 models with class B modulation from 1973, not really state of the art. The longwave transmitter in Luxembourg is on 234, not 216 (that's the frequency the RMC transmitter at Roumoules instead), and now operated from Beidweiler, a few kilometres away from Junglinster. But the old longwave facility at Junglinster was kept stand-by like the shortwave transmitters. And some Korinthenkackerei (no, I do not translate this into English): Marnach 1440 kHz is a 1200 kW facility "only". In fact the station is equipped with three Telefunken PDM transmitters of 600 kW each but I think it is not possible to operate all three rigs at once as a single 1800 kW. The Junglinster site is featured here: http://ibelgique.ifrance.com/georges-lang/junglinster.htm http://home.swipnet.se/radiomuseum/208/scott.htm I think the rig behind the 15350 kHz transmitter featured on the latter one page is one of the 250 kW beasts. Regarding the 5 kHz het matter: I literally still hear this ever- present tone, because the old Radio Luxemburg on 6090 was quite popular in the GDR in the seventies and was still listened in the mid- eighties in the area where Poland used to meet two countries which ceased to exist since then. From our point of view in fact Bayerischer Rundfunk on 6085 was the unwanted, disturbing station. Further information on the RTL Radio (German) homepage: http://www.rtlradio.de http://www.rtlradio.de/home2/technik.html Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR: MEDIA BEHAVIOUR REPORT 0910 GMT 5 JUL 02 Further to our "Madagascar: Media behaviour report 0720 gmt 5 Jul 02": BBC Monitoring has continued to watch for transmissions from Canal 6, the TV and radio stations controlled by ousted Malagasy President Ratsiraka, who fled to the Seychelles this morning. Canal 6 was believed to have broadcast from Ratsiraka's base of Tamatave (alternative name: Toamasina) in eastern Madagascar. BBC Monitoring had been observing regular satellite transmissions from Canal 6 since early June, and up and including yesterday, 4 July. However, no transmissions from Canal 6 have been observed up to 0910 gmt on 5 July. Source: BBC Monitoring research 5 Jul 02 (via DXLD) and... ** MADAGASCAR. RATSIRAKA TV, RADIO STATIONS NO MORE OPERATING - STATE TV | Excerpt from report by Malagasy television on 5 July Reports from our colleagues in Toamasina [eastern key sea port town declared "capital" by Didier Ratsiraka's supporters, and from where Ratsiraka departed for the Seychelles today] say calm had prevailed in the town by mid-day today... [Reporter] ... [Ratsiraka] Canal 6 radio and TV stations have been closed, they have stopped operating. The local branch of the TVM [state Malagasy Television] is awaiting orders from Antananarivo to reactivate the station. [BBC Monitoring had been observing regular satellite transmissions from Canal 6 since early June, and up and including yesterday, 4 July. No transmissions from Canal 6 have been observed up to 1215 gmt on 5 July] Source: Television Malagasy, Antananarivo, in Malagasy 1000 gmt 5 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) So that`s the end of separatism? (gh) ** MALI. 25 June, 2320, ORT Maliènne here in French on 4783 kHz, which is rarely used by the station (34443), QRM: RTTY. All parallels have been also observed: 4835 (35443), 5995 (33443), 11960 (33542). The service ended at 2400 (Sergei Alekseichik, Hrodna, Belarus`, Signal via DXLD) ** NEW ZEALAND. 3935.15, R Reading Service, 0758 June 28. Weak with M and F speaking between pop music. This was not // with R New Zealand on 9885 (RRS is often relaying RNZ) (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA [and non]. 3204.96, R SanDaun, 0902 June 29. News read by F in EE, // 4890. But with a significant echo effect that makes it difficult to listen to. Other PNG on air at 0902 include: 3220 (//4890 news, echo effect), 3235 (News, no echo), 3245 (news no echo), 3275 M in Tok Pisin, 3290 string bands, 3305 (//4890 news), 3355 (F in Tok Pisin), 3375 (// 4890), 3385 (pop mx), 3905 (F in Tok Pisin), 4890 (News). Very little SW DXING was done, but I append my logs. Attending this warmup weekend for the Grayland Invitiation. Organizers were John Bryant, Nick Hall-Patch, Walt Salminaw, and myself. Antennas were the usual NW 900 foot, W 700 foot, and 900 foot SW Beverages, terminated with copper pipe and bentonite into the water table (surprisingly, tests on our Seattle pest AM stations show no resistors are required --- the grounding situation is that poor even with copper pipe into the water table of the dunes. Weather was the usual pounding buckets of rain, with patches of sunshine. An additional antenna this year was a homebrew Active Antenna based on the Active Antenna Plans for Low Banders (A QST issue). This antenna PERFORMED VERY WELL. Its signal strength was comparable to the beverages but the signal-noise ratio was less than beverages (as expected). THIS ANTENNA DID VERY WELL PICKING UP MW - 738 Tahiti, 1098 Majuro, and a bunch of MW AUSSIES/NZ did very well (and it did exceptionally well on SW.) Most notable was the reactivation of almost all of the PNG stations, including Radio Free Bougainville [q.v. under B]. Missing were 3260 (faint het only), 3335, 3345, 3365 (Usually Milne Bay appears early before being covered by a pest ute at 0900), and 3395. All others were up at armchair levels --- I let some of the receivers mindlessly record hours of PNG on MD for consumption later. The election results in PNG are being covered - and the count is being done election box - by-election box. Interesting openings on MW to Japan, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea (Bryant heard this, I'd heard before so didn`t check), New Zealand (the final morning had armchair quality NZ MW spread across the dial --- all too easy), Australia, and the Pacific Islands of Kirabati, Tonga, Tahiti, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Fiji and interesting hets on New Caledonia/Wallis & Futuna/ and a faint possibility of Cooks on 630. Patrick Martin hears this one often out of [Seaside OR] (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Radio Bethel, Arequipa, 5940 kHz, full data Maroti prepared card and partial data personal letter in 28 days for registered report with cassette. Address label, envelope and mint stamps were enclosed but none were used. Letter and station stamp both show 5950 as freq, but body of letter has been changed to 5940. Also enclosed were 2 beautiful postcards of Arequipa. V/s is Rvdo. Josué Ascarruz Pacheco- Gerente. Power is 1000 watts. Postal address as in 2002 PWBR. E-mail address on the letter is Arequipa_Josue@hotmail.com (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX July 4 via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Greetings! Now you may listen Radio Studio from St. Petersburg in the Internet! 24 hours per day!!!!! mms://195.5.146.120/wma Yours faithfully, (Nemchenko Natalia, Radio Studio http://www.radiostudio.ru July 3 via Alokesh Gupta, GRDXC via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES. On 28 June got a QSL letter from BBC Indian Ocean Relay Station (Seychelles), signed by Barrie Elding, Resident Engineer. Only day of reception written, no other details. I listened on 6005 kHz, a broadcast directed to East/North Africa. The letter lists other frequencies used by that relay base: 21470, 17880, 15420, 11860, 11730, 9770, 9610 kHz. Equipment: two Marconi transmitters, type B6131, 250 kW each, Pulse Width Modulation. Received the reply in 39 days (AcDX - Dmitry Puzanov, Kustanay, Kazakhstan, Signal via DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. 6137.8, R. UNAMSIL (presumed), 0358 July 4. First time I've tried this station in a few weeks and they are apparently still there with a fair signal featuring lite rock this time and a male announcer in English. Unable to pick out ID at 0400 due to more summer static than when previously heard (John Sgrulletta, NY, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** SOLOMON ISLANDS. 5019.9, SIBS, 0709 June 28. M with public service message on development of the island. Channel new ideas through the house of chiefs before a new idea is done. Mention of Royal Police of Solomon Islands - an investigation jointly with the Royal Police of NZ into the death of a NZ person - findings reported to the NZ High Commission that it was an accident. Continues with local Solomon Islands news broadcast. [Note - an official of NZ was killed here in March by the locals hooligans] (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOMALIA. 7002, Radio Banaadir noted here in April, but not May (Ted via Ron Roden, UK, IRAMUS June/July, via Cumbre DX via DXLD) Who and where is Ted, IRAMUS, and why did this take so long? (gh, DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 3320, R. Sonder Grense, 0008 July 2. Excellent copy this evening with an S-9 signal level. Male and female in Afrikaans language. Some fades but very good copy. Gent on the mIRC chat line from S. Africa that speaks the language says the show was about the hippies of the 60's and their drug use. Female announcer gave phone numbers for call in talk show in progress. Caller at 0019 talking about drinking problems. Female caller at 0021 was talking about how drinking caused many family problems. Several callers where a bit tipsy. Finally an ID heard at 0104 by male announcer who mumbled the ID. Signal had dropped to S7 by this time as the quality started to deteriorate. This was the best I have ever heard this station (Bob Montgomery, PA, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** TIBET. Tibet PBS can be heard in English Mon to Sat at 1100 UT also besides 1630. The 1100 transmission is repeated at 1630. The station still identifies itself as China Tibet Broadcast Company and the program is "Holy Tibet". Frequencies audible at my QTH are : 5240 6130 7385 9490. 9490 is the best heard here at this time whereas 5240 is barely audible. 73s, (Harjot Singh Brar, Punjab, July 5, for GRDXC via DXLD) ** U K. Re BBC Monitoring job opening, DXLD 2-107: Q. May foreigners or foreign residents apply? A. People from countries within the European Community are free to seek employment in the UK. I believe that the situation with other foreign nationals applying is that BBC Monitoring would have to demonstrate that it had been unsuccessful in recruiting within the UK and the EC (CHRIS McWHINNIE, BBCM, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. RUSSIA, 17775, R. Ezra, 0500 June 30. Final Show, transmitted from Samaria [sic –meant Samara? Which is wrong – gh] ....Evolution is a religion as it requires you to believe. 14 minutes after 0500 UT, and this is the last show. Please write. Don't preach in the same manner that most radio preachers do -- teach morality (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. General Communications Emergency Declared (Jul 5, 2002) -- Under the authority of Section 97.401 of the Federal Communications Commission's Rules and Regulations [47 C.F.R. Part 97] a general communications emergency is declared to exist in Texas requiring the protection of amateur emergency communication frequencies. Amateurs are required to refrain from using 7285 [daytime], and 3873 [night time] plus or minus 3 kHz unless they are taking part in the handling of emergency traffic. This order is effective immediately until rescinded but may be as long as 72 hours. -- Arlan K. Van Doorn, Senior Advisor for Public Safety, Enforcement Bureau, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. WWCR broadcast something else July 4 instead of WOR at its long-scheduled time of Thursday 2030 on 15825. As usual, we had no advance notice, and must wait till later to find out if this was a temporary or permanent change. However, the printed program schedule, dated July 1 (as opposed to the website one still dated June 1) still shows WOR at this and all its other previously scheduled times; and in addition another new airing for Mundo Radial, Wednesdays at 2100 on 15825, as well as the usual Fridays 2115 on 15825 (Glenn Hauser, OK, July 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Important news regarding missionary radio 07/05/02 World Wide Christian Radio [sic, not to be confused with WWCR! --gh], Jul 5, 2002 Dear friends of shortwave radio, Starting July 8th, WJIE Shortwave is offering a new plan for ministries and churches to take advantage of shortwave radio. WJIE`s PartnerPlan! is one of the most innovative ministry developments in the shortwave industry. We desire to cooperate with a select group of organizations whose goals and ideals reflect our own. With PartnerPlan!, your church or ministry may be offered the opportunity to broadcast on international shortwave with no upfront cost. How is this possible? WJIE Shortwave is a ministry extension of Evangel World Prayer Center, a church dedicated to reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We believe in the ministry of shortwave radio, and want to see other organizations catch the vision! PartnerPlan! offers select groups either a daily or weekly broadcast. These could be programs currently airing on other stations, or one specifically produced for international shortwave. In exchange, we ask that you present the needs of shortwave radio to your congregation or ministry supporters. We would encourage you to do this at least once per month. For example, a church may take a special offering on Sunday morning once per month dedicated to international broadcasting. An evangelist may offer a special appeal or use two nights of meetings per month for shortwave radio. A missionary could use it as a special project to present while on the field or itineration. Whatever you decide, we will work with you to develop a plan that is right for the size and scope of your ministry. As you step out in faith and present your needs to your supporters, we believe that they will also respond in faith. This is a step of faith for us as well, but we believe as we partner with ministries such as yours, we will see great results. Jesus commanded us to ``Go into all the world.`` Through the ministry of shortwave radio, we are doing exactly that. Now you can be a part of this growing, dynamic ministry outreach. How do you get started? It's really very easy. Just contact WJIE Shortwave by any of the following Email: wjiesw@hotmail.com Web: http://www.wjiesw.com Phone: 502-968-1220 Fax: 502-964-4228 Mail: WJIE Shortwave, PO Box 197309, Louisville, KY 40259 The allotted broadcast time for this special project is limited, so we must offer it on a 'first-come, first-serve' basis only. So, no matter how big or small your ministry is, you can participate in this global outreach, but you must act quickly! We will need the following information: contact info, type of broadcast, preferred times (daily or weekly), and your plan for faith support of the broadcast (special offerings, special mailings, etc). We look forward to hearing from you soon! In His Service, (Doc Burkhart, General Manager, WJIE International Shortwave, WJIE mailing list July 5 via DXLD) Yes, but how about getting a transmitter on the air...? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. WUOT IS BACK IN BUSINESS AS OF FRIDAY, JULY 5th. The Tennessee General Assembly has now adopted a state budget for FY '03 which basically holds state appropriations at last year's levels. It will take some time to sort out all the details, but it appears WUOT will continue broadcasting through FY '03. We want to thank all of our listeners who supported WUOT in so many ways. Many of you wrote your legislators and UT administrators voicing your support for public radio, others participated in a "rally" to show your enthusiasm for WUOT and still others offered words of encouragement to staff throughout the ordeal! Thanks to you all! WUOT listeners are indeed THE BEST! (WUOT website July 4 via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 9620.8, SODRE relaying CX6 MW 650. They are still operative! Jun 30 (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo - Uruguay, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UZBEKISTAN. 17775, R Tashkent, 1321 June 29. Short music then announcement by M in English. Into talk by F on holding companies. mentions Natural Gas service, hotels, etc. M with mention of how to get additional information. F gives an address for R Tashkent. Then website address www.taskent..??... then telephone numbers given (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VANUATU. 7260.08, R Vanuatu, 0658 June 28. M in local dialect (Pidgin version). Vanuatu was up all 3 nights of Grayland '6'02 [so also June 29, 30] (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Madagascar, 7310, V of the People, from 0332 June 30. Clear tonight - into program of music recorded by a guest. Roar of the Tiger was first song. Asked the recorder which instruments we were hearing -- percusion instruments and drums. Talked about growing up in Europe (Don Nelson, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PROPAGATION REPORT ++++++++++++++++++ The sun has woken up this week after a bit of a rest and a few big flares causing fadeouts have occurred. The largest so far being an X1.3 effort peaking at 0214 UT Jul 3. These flares could continue the next couple of days with more fadeouts possible. Geomagnetic activity should remain fairly quiet as the flares so far have not been aimed our way or been associated with CMEs. There is a chance of increased activity Jul 6 however. After July 8 geomagnetic and propagation conditions should return to normal (Prepared for Cumbre DX by Richard Jary using data from http://www.ips.gov.au July 4 via DXLD) PROPAGATION NOTES 4TH JULY 2002 The Sun is pretty active, however it seems that little of the recent activity is 'coming our way' except that there probably will be a rise in disturbance levels (gradual) caused by a Coronal Hole, starting 5th July 2002 for about three days. Watch the SOLAR WIND SPEED Figures, on http://www.spaceweather.com The 10.7cm Solar Flux, has really been dropping very fast in recent weeks. The Maximum for Cycle 23 was 235; don`t ask me why, but the minimum at the bottom of the Solar Cycle 23, (which is not expected until about 2006) will be no less than about 66. (This is 'normal') You will thus 'see' that we are just about half way there within about 9 Months (Flux now 'standing' at about 140-150). It almost certainly will 'wobble' up and down a bit and as it gets nearer to its minimum figure, I would expect the Rate of Decrease to 'slow' considerably. As I said, recently, I think we will notice quite a change in overall conditions, relatively rapidly, probably starting in early August, this year, this is because in early August last year, the Solar Flux Figure was MUCH higher, thus 'supporting' more Ionisation of the Ionosphere, even during days with less light. When you think about it, The Sun is responsible for both the Solar Cycle Activity and also as the earth starts to seasonally tilt away (if you looked at the items I suggested last week, you will have seen this) the Earth`s Ionosphere receives less 'charging' from the Sun. The effect of less charging is poorer conditions on higher frequencies and better conditions on lower frequencies. This being with reference mainly to HF between 3 and 30 MHz, but also affecting MF (300-3000 kHz) in terms of Dxing distant stations (IMPROVING in this case, as Solar Flux drops). Has anybody anything interesting to add to or even 'contest' this? I would be extremely interested to hear other 'points of view' and there are many!!!!! Many thanks to NOAA for their figures, which help me a lot with this. May I also recommend Mike BIRD's Bulletins, on http://www.rnw.nl --- click media and then look for 'Solar Conditions' on the Menu and click this (Ken Fletcher, UK, 2240UTC=2340UTC+1 4th July 2002, BDXC-UK via DXLD) The `tilt away` is an entirely hemispheric viewpoint (gh, DXLD) VHF HARMONICS +++++++++++++ Highlights of David Vitek's DX log for Feb - May, 2002. 44.103 (6 x 7.350) Harbin, China. 35.14 (2 x 17.57) R Nederland via Khabarovsk. 31.06 (2 x 15.53) Radio Veritas, Philippines. 35.475 (3 x 11.825) China CPBS, 35.525 (5 x 7.105) BBCWS Singapore. 35.95 (5 x 7.190) Radio Tashkent. 35.42 (2 x 17.71) China (R France via Xian). 35.61 (2 x 17.805) Phil VOA. 35.655 (3 x 11.885) R Philipinas via VOA Tinang. 35.95 (5 x 7.19) Uzbekistan, R. Tashkent David Vitek, Adelaide, South Australia. Icom R7000, NRD 525, G5RV 5 el 50 MHz yagi, 45-220 MHz Crossfire log-periodic. (from ICDX via Tim Bucknall, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-107, July 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. 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 #1138: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1138.html (ONDEMAND from July 5) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html FIRST BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Thu 2030 15825, Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070 FIRST BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Sat 0130, 0730, Sun 0000, 0600, on 7445-USB, 15038.6 HOLIDAY SPECIAL PROGRAMMING: much has been compiled, mostly webcast and TV for July 4-5+ at http://www.worldofradio.com/calendar.html UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIAL Have You Recently Said Thanks? How often the vast majority of us neglect, forget or procrastinate saying thank you to those of our fellows who make contributions to the radio hobby that make it immensely more enjoyable for us. For example, Marie Lamb and Glen[n] Hauser. Just to single out two of the many. Marie does a tidbits from HCJB's DX Partyline every week and it is posted on the HCI web site. I wonder how many of you bother to read it? She is a quiet and unassuming person, not interested in glory, but appreciative of thanks. Of course, this is but one example of the many things she does on a regular basic for the hobby. The most obvious being DXing With Cumbre on WHRI, of course. Glen[n] Hauser works hard in his 'retirement' to provide listeners around the world with very helpful and timely bits of radio news covering a wide variety of hobby areas. Certainly his contributers deserve some credit, but it is Glen[n] who puts what they send all together into a readable and structured format. His weekly radio program is also a great help to radio buffs. Now if we could just get him to spell his own name correctly! (grin)... We all benefit by sharing and caring. My personal thanks to each one of you. God bless you and on July 4th, may God bless our America. Great DX to all - (Duane Fischer, W8DBF List Admin via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. HEAD OF AFGHANISTAN'S KABUL RADIO AND TV DISMISSED | Text of report by London-based Radio Voice of Afghanistan on 2 July The head of Kabul radio and TV, Hafiz Mansoor [phonetic], has been dismissed for not broadcasting songs performed by female singers. But he has refused to accept this [the dismissal]. In today's edition, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that yesterday Hafiz Mansoor tore up the order removing him from his post as the head of Kabul radio and TV that was sent by the minister of information and culture, Sayd Makhdum Rahin. Hafiz Mansoor said that he would leave his post only on the order of the head of the transitional government. In Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city, songs performed by female singers are being broadcast. But Hafiz Mansoor has stopped the broadcasting of singing by female singers on Kabul radio and TV. He is a member of the Northern Alliance Hezb-e Jamiat-e Eslami of Afghanistan [party] and was very active against the former minister for women's affairs of the interim government of Afghanistan, Sima Samar, who was accused of maligning Islam. Source: Radio Voice of Afghanistan, London, in Dari and Pashto 1330 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) HEAD OF AFGHANISTAN'S RADIO AND TELEVISION DISMISSED | Text of report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA Kabul, 4 July: Head of Afghanistan's Radio-Television Organization Abdol Hafiz Mansur was dismissed following a suggestion by Information and Culture Minister Makhdum Rahin and an order issued by President Hamed Karzai. Hafiz Mansur's dismissal happened after many months of his dispute with the Information and Culture Minister Makhdum Rahin, who is a member of the "Rome Group" and a supporter of the former Afghan ruler Mohammad Zaher. Rahin returned to Afghanistan six months ago, following a 20 year stay in the United States. Abdol Hafiz Mansur, too, is a prominent cultural figure who has fought along the mojahedin for many years and been among the companions of the late Afghan commander of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masud. According to the official news agency of Afghanistan, Bakhtar, President Karzai has appointed another companion of the late Ahmad Shah Masud, Mohammad Eshaq as the new head of Afghanistan's Radio-TV Organization. Eshaq's previous positions included, the managing director of Afghan News English-language daily, the managing director of the weekly publication of Afghanistan's Jamiat-e Eslami (Islamic Society) Payam-e Mojahed, and deputy aviation and tourism minister. Karzai has in the same state order appointed Azizollah Ariafar as the managing director of Afghanistan's television station. Ariafar was also the managing director of Afghanistan's TV station during the reign of the former Afghan president Borhanoddin Rabbani until the Taleban took control of the affairs in 1996 and shut down the station. In related developments, Zaher Sediq was appointed as the head of Kabul's Bayhaqi Publications, which means Hafiz Mansur has not accepted the responsibility, which was initially offered to him following his dismissal from the country's Radio-TV organization. Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 2011 gmt 3 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) AFGHAN GOVERNMENT REPLACES HEAD OF RADIO AND TELEVISION | Text of report by Afghan radio on 3 July In accordance with the recommendation of the Ministry of Information and Culture and approval of the head of the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan, the following appointments have been made in various departments of the ministry: Engineer Mohammad Eshaq as general director of radio and television. Azizollah Ariafar as head of television broadcasts. Osman Najib as head of military broadcasts of television. Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1600 gmt 3 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Freq change for RFE/RL/Radio Free Afghanistan in Pashto/Dari: 1700-1800 NF 11705, ex 11835 to avoid CRI Mandarin Ch \\ 9845, 12030, 15210, 15340 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. In regard to recent speculations about the audibility of 4810 kHz: the low signal strength in Europe should not come as a surprise. According to the HFCC registrations, this frequency is operated with 100 kW and an omnidirectional antenna (type HQ1/0.3), intended only for the greater Transcaucasus and Middle East area (CIRAF 29, 39, 40). 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The Voice of Armenia has confirmed the "new" 1600-1700 (v) broadcast in Armenian on 11685 kHz; it is a programme intended for listeners in Europe (in accordance with the HFCC registration for the A02 season). 73s, (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, July 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. 1062, 4TI Thursday Island, Jun 28 1202 - Heard with Radio Australia News and sports at fair to good level. A QSL letter of three years ago informed me that that 4TI is no longer 'considered a station' by ABC and is remotely operated with only locally-produced programming in the morning. It is still exciting to hear a relay broadcast from this exotic location. 1638, 2ME Sydney , Jun 28 1226 - Noted with seeming IDs in Greek and EE as '2ME' or possibly just 'ME' at fair to poor level followed by ads and then into Greek music introed with a voice- over. (Bryant-WA) 1665, 2MM Sydney , Jun 28 1208 - Heard at fair level with rural Greek or ME music. Presumed only. (Bryant-WA) 1683.25, Radio Club AM, Sydney , Jun 28 1235 - Middle Eastern or Greek music hosted by a male announcer in pres. GK. Good level at peaks until bandfade at 1258. (Bryant-WA) 1701, 2NTC Sydney , Jun 28 1130 - Fair at peaks with rock music show hosted by male. IDed as 'NTC' and ran local ads at the half hour. (John Bryant, Grayland WA DXpedition, IRCA DX Monitor via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2310, Alice Springs, 0925-0940 with increasing strength, music, yl commentary. 2325 and 2485 both poor. Good signal under t- storms (Bob Wilkner, Margate, Florida R-75 and 10 meter ground level antenna, July 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. LACK OF CONSISTENCY ADDS ANGST TO MIX 4 July 2002 JEFF Kennett has become just another voice in the market There's a First Rule of everything. In real estate, it's position, position, position. In journalism, it's accuracy, accuracy, accuracy. In radio, it's consistency, consistency, consistency. The full story is available at: http://theaustralian.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,4621237%255E12280,00.html Bill Westenhaver added this note: I guess that this goes to show that even very colourful former politicians can't necessarily move over into talk radio with much of any success guaranteed. 73- (Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. RA Previews: UT Friday, July 5 at 2105 - FEEDBACK* - listener letters and news about RA. As the ABC was celebrating its 70th anniversary on Monday, staffers at RA were celebrating the fifth anniversary of RA's "resurrection". RA Managing Director Jean-Gabriel Manguy joins Roger Broadbent and discusses the state of RA today, five years after its "near death" experience. (via John Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Repeats UT Sat 0005, 0605, Sun 0305 (gh, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. R. Santa Cruz, in the place of the same name, 6134.8 heard on 21 Jun 2235-2249 at 44433 airing Spanish program for announcements, infos on the forthcoming elections, station slogans, interviews again on the plebiscite, and this seems to be the station menu for some time at least at the time I manage to hear it. Adjacent QRM only. R. Pio XII, Siglo Veinte (=20th century, an odd name for a location...), 5952.5, on 21 Jun 2236-2250 at 44433 programming consisting of relaying R Santa Cruz. Radiodifusoras Minería, Oruro, 5927, on 21 Jun 2244-2257 at 25332 in Sp w/ light songs (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 24 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. R Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP, 9675, heard on 23 Jun 0908-0940, i.e. when very near to fade out, at 24432 (adjacent QRM de RAI 9670), in Port, Braz. songs celebrating St. John's & St. Anthony's days (just like here in Portugal, where the former is on 13th June and the latter on 24th and finally St. Peter on the 29th!), then a mass was broadcast by which time the signal was severely attenuated (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 24 via DXLD) ** BURMA [non]. Morning transmissions of Democratic Voice of Burma in Burmese: 2330-0030 now on 11715 (55444) via TAC 200 kW / 131 deg, ex MDC 200 kW / 055 deg; \\ 9490 (45554) via JUL 100 kW / 080 deg 73 from (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ** CANADA. 1260, 2307-, TIS Pacific Rim National Park Reserve Jun 29. Nice strong signal at 4:07 PM local using NW Beverage antenna with English and French park/weather/marine information (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, hard-core-DX via DXLD) ** CANADA. I checked several times today and there was and, to this point in time, is, no activity on 1610 from the new Montreal station. I'm wondering if Industry Canada and the CRTC appreciated the station going ahead with some tests over the weekend without their supervision (Sheldon Harvey, QC, July 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. *** Trouble for CFBU 103.7 St. Catharines ON ... ... This just in...I'm not editing out the obvious politics. I am sweltering in my downtown Toronto office and haven't yet checked to see if it's off-air. I can only assume it is. I am off tonight to my Burnt River ON DX site to DX, but I don't get CFBU all that well either here or there, so people closer to the scene may want to try to listen to 103.7. I am terribly sad to see this happen, having been involved in community-campus radio for four years. Some of these same complaints occurred at CIUT Toronto 89.5 nearly three years ago are at the root of what the author is getting at. CIUT escaped the Bailiff but one particular faction wrested control of the station (not the side I was on). I don't have any first-hand knowledge of what went on with CFBU, but I'd *always* prefer to lose a coup than lose a licence. I can only hope that the CRTC works with the people at the station to reorganize financially and prevent that drastic step of no return. I guess this opens 103.7 in the St. Catharines area of southern Ontario (near Niagara). The only bit of luck (for me) is that I logged this for the first time from Burnt River just a few weeks ago, after years of trying. I hope it won't be the last time (Saul Chernos, Ont., ODXA via DXLD) ----- Original Message ----- From: Pam Jones Sent: Wednesday, July 03, 2002 10:00 PM Subject: WITH GREAT SADNESS !!!! As someone who was involved with Pirate Radio in the 70's - it is with such sadness that I have to tell you that during the course of the day. Bailiffs walked into CFBU AND CLOSED THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE THAT COULD. Most of us are aware of why this happened! There will be a candlelight vigil outside the station Sunday 14th July at 9.30 p.m. Please bring a candle and a flower to lay at the door. The forces that be have closed the voice on democracy in the Niagara Region - but our voices will never be silenced!!!!!!!!!!! Shame on those who saw fit to be quiet !!! the blood is on your hands!!!! WE ARE WHAT WE DO !!! In solidarity. Please pass on (via Saul Chernos, July 4, ODXA via DXLD) URL for Brock University Radio is http://www.cfbu.niagara.com/ Apparently they are $20,000 in the hole. There are some details about the situation on the web page...there has been a struggle for some time up there, I don`t know all the facts, but an occasional read of the student newspaper leads me to believe there have been some sort of turf wars between the station, the newspaper and the students` union. Many years ago the union ran into huge debts, 10s of thousands of dollars and for many years the university was monitoring them closely. When I was accepted to Brock in 1979, I believe the student union debt was $40,000. That year a new council was elected and they brought in a video game...asteroids or something; they added more and more of these games and paid off the debt in little more than a year! I know there was some grumbling about the mandatory fee per course charged to students for CFBU operations. I will endeavour to find out more. Being line of sight to the school, CFBU put a killer signal in here...too bad, it was sometimes interesting to listen to. I can confirm that CFBU is off the air (Fred Waterer, Ont., ODXA via DXLD) ** CHILE. Hi friends, Pls, reach to Radio Parinacota [6010] via this e-mail: rparinacota@latinmail.com 73's GIB (Gabriel Iván Barrera, Argentina, July 3, dxing.info via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. La Voz de tu Conciencia quiere recibir informes de recepción En respuesta a mi pregunta, el director de la emisora Russell M Stendal me dice que los informes de recepción relativos a "La Voz de tu Conciencia", 6064.5 podrán ser enviados a la emisora a/c de la Libería Colombia para Cristo, cuya dirección es como sigue: Carrera 44 No. 13-69, Bogotá, D. C., Colombia. Están preparando ahora el material que pretenden enviar a los que les envíen informes de recepción. Mientras tanto, continúan en fase de prueba, y tratándose de un antiguo transmisor de 5 kW de Colmundo Radio, se supone que llegará lejos (ya se captó en Europa). Sin embargo, en el Cono Sur, pienso que la frecuencia de 6060, en donde próximamente piensan transmitir, será un poco complicada. Entre los libros que se venden en la mencionada librería – y que parece ser que también podrán ser bajados por internet – se encuentra "Secuestro y reconciliación", un relato del secuestro por parte de la guerrilla colombiana que le tocó vivir a Stendal. Ver: http://www.fuerzadepaz.com/webcristo/libros/catalogo/catalogo.htm [Luego:] Pidiendo a mi amigo Rafael Rodríguez que me confirme la dirección callejera de la librería Colombia para Cristo, la cual me parecía un tanto peculiar, por no corresponder a un barrio comercial, me dice que la dirección que me dio Russ Stendal no es la correcta sino que debiera ser Calle 44 No. 13-69 Barrio Palermo, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. Para cualquier eventualidad también hay un sitio en el web que se puede usar para comunicarse con la emisora, y es la siguiente: http://www.fuerzadepaz.com/webcristo/emisora/contactenos/contactenos.htm (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 2, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. CPJ REPORTS MURDER OF RADIO STATION OWNER | Text of press release in English by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on 1 July Bogota, 1 July 2002: The owner of a radio station, who recently had alerted the public to the presence of paramilitary fighters in the region, was shot and killed in northeastern Colombia. Efraín Varela Noriega, owner of Radio Meridiano-70, was driving home from a university graduation in Arauca Department on the afternoon of 28 June when gunmen yanked him from his car and shot him in the face and chest, said Col Jorge Caro, acting commander of Arauca's police. Varela hosted two polemical news and opinion programmes for the station in the town of Arauca and criticized all sides fighting in Colombia's 38-year civil conflict. "He criticized everyone," said José Gutiérrez, who co-hosted an afternoon programme called "Let's Talk Politics" with Varela. "No one was spared." Gutiérrez said that less than a week before the killing, Varela told listeners during his morning news show that fighters from the paramilitary United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia, or AUC, had arrived in Arauca and were patrolling the streets in the town, which is on the border with Venezuela. Tension has been building in the oil-rich province since early June when the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, began threatening to kill civil servants in the region who refused to resign. The rebels are battling the paramilitary army for control over lucrative territory not only in Arauca but throughout the country. Three years ago, Varela's name appeared on a list of people that the paramilitary army had declared military targets, said Caro, the acting police commander, adding that authorities were investigating rumours that the AUC was responsible for the killing. A frequent listener of the station, Caro said Varela seemed to reserve his sharpest criticism for the paramilitaries. Officials from Arauca's Prosecutor's Office investigating the case could not be reached for comment on 1 July, which was a holiday in Colombia. Varela, who was in his early 50s, was also the secretary of a provincial peace commission as well as its former president, said Evelyn Varela, his 28-year-old daughter, and the manager of the station. In recent months, Varela had begun warning his only child that his life could be in danger. "He had us prepared for the worst," his daughter said. Source: Committee to Protect Journalists press release, New York, in English 1 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. You may never have heard it on the air or seen it in lists, but we have finally found out that the registered callsign of Dr. Gene Scott`s Cahuita facility is TIRWR. Should we stop calling it `TIDGS`?? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. 6000, RHC La Habana - This morning [Jun 25] came across the usual RHC west coast service 0500-0700 UT, and discovered that RHC La Habana obviously use a 4th channel for regular service: - the 250 kW outlet on 6000 kHz was still on air too - fair signal, - in \\ to usual 9820 fair, - 9665usb strength fine - but suffered by Rome 9670 and another sce maybe DW ATG English, - 9550 was only poor. ... and CUBAN jammers on 9805 and 11775 against R Martí on air too ! (Wolfgang Büschel, Stuttgart, DF5SX, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) I haven`t heard RHC on 6000 lately after 0700, but will check it tomorrow. The SSB-USB channel 9665 is often very strong here too, but usually has some QRM from RAI 9670. And 9550 has splash from DW 9545, but often fairly good strength. The jamming seems worst on Marti 7405 here, but also audible on 9805 and 11775 too (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) Seemingly technicians fault; 6000 kHz appeared not at 0500-0700 on June 27 and 28 anymore (Büschel, ibid.) RHC was not audible on 6000, but 9665 USB was S9+ and 9550 about S7. Wednesday, I noted Romania on 9550, but not today c0635! (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jun 25/26 via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC/USA. RFE/RL TO STOP CZECH BROADCASTS AFTER 52 YEARS - RFE/RL PRESIDENT | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 2 July: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) will cease broadcasting in Czech on 30 September after 52 years. The RFE/RL's board of governors in Washington decided to terminate funding. RFE/RL President Thomas Dine told reporters in Prague today that the Americans need money to expand broadcasting to certain countries as part of the fight against terrorism. According to Dine, the Czech Republic is a democratic country, a NATO member and on the verge of EU membership. Olga Kopecka, the director of Czech Radio Free Europe, wants to find a replacement source of funds and continue. She claims the broadcasting has a purpose. "I will do everything in order to be able to continue," she told reporters. Dine said that a year's broadcasting cost 650,000 dollars. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1705 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RFE/RL TO STOP CZECH LANGUAGE BROADCASTS | Text of press release in English by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty dated 2 July Thomas A. Dine, President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, announced today that funding for the Czech language Radio Svobodna Evropa will end later this year and by mutual agreement RFE/RL will dissolve its partnership with Czech Radio, which provides a frequency for the broadcast. Dine said RFE/RL's managing body, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) in Washington, has decided not to renew financing for RSE in the new fiscal year which begins on 1 October. "It was an extremely difficult decision because Radio Svobodna Evropa has been a most important component of RFE/RL since it was founded more than half a century ago," Dine said, adding "but we have new priorities and new financial burdens we have to carry in our budget that did not exist before 11 September." RSE, affectionately known as "Svobodka" by Czech and Slovak listeners, is an American non-profit company, funded by a grant from RFE/RL. It was incorporated in Washington in February, 1994. Later, a tripartite arrangement with Czech Radio, RFE/RL and RSE was codified in an agreement signed in May, 1996. In the partnership, Czech Radio provides majority funding and RFE/RL contributes about a third of RSE's annual budget. RSE currently produces more than 40 hours of political and educational programmes weekly which are broadcast on Czech Radio 6, a frequency owned by Czech Radio. Prior to 1994, the Czech Service was located at RFE/RL former headquarters in Munich. Czech and Slovak Language Services were established in 1993, reflecting the political split between the Czechs and Slovaks. Previously combined and called the Czechoslovak Desk, it was RFE/RL's largest Central European service, held up as a model of excellence for other broadcast units. It was also the first service to go on the air from Munich. This week it will be 52 years since the new international broadcast station Radio Free Europe, on 4 July 1950 transmitted its first 30- minute experimental programme to then Czechoslovakia from the West German border. Dine said Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ended broadcasting to Hungary in 1993 and to Poland in 1997. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a private, international communications service to Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe; the Caucasus and Central and Southwestern Asia funded by the US Congress through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty press release, Prague, in English 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) CZECH PRESIDENT REGRETS END OF RFE CZECH BROADCASTS | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 2 July: The pending end of the Czech version of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which was announced today, is mainly regretted by some former anticommunist dissidents who had cooperated with RFE in the communist era. "I think that RFE and its Czech broadcasts played and is still playing a significant role in our country's history. Being told that they are to be discontinued, I must say that I regret it," President Vaclav Havel, a former leading dissident, told reporters today... The US-run RFE/RL will discontinue its Czech version, known as Czech Radio 6-Radio Svobodna Evropa (CRo6-RSE) in the past few years, on 30 September after 52 years... According to media surveys, in the second half of 2001, the CRo 6 was listened to by 52,000 people on average, which is 0.4 per cent of the market... A different opinion was voiced by Ivan Langer, a deputy chairman of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), who chairs the media commission in the outgoing Chamber of Deputies [lower house of parliament]. Langer told CTK that RFE had played irreplaceable role in the totalitarian era. However, now the country has become a standard democracy. That is why it is correct for RFE to aim at the countries where totalitarian regimes still exist, Langer said... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1857 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) RADIO FREE EUROPE CZECH BROADCASTS - BACKGROUND INFORMATION | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 2 July: The Czech broadcasts of Radio Free Europe, which was one of the few free sources of information for Czechs and Slovaks for almost 40 years, will have its funding cut and will cease broadcasting on 30 September. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has been headquartered in Prague since 1995 and the demise of the Czech broadcasts means the end of a chapter in the history of broadcasting in the Czech Republic. The commission to create RFE was founded in 1949 on the initiative of the US government and the station's headquarters became Munich. The first test broadcasts meant for Czech and Slovak citizens were sent on 4 July 1950 from a van stationed close to the Czechoslovak border. Daily broadcasting began less than a year later on 1 May 1 with the sentence: "The voice of a free Czechoslovakia is calling"... In an attempt to lower costs, RFE/RL searched for a new headquarters at the beginning of the 1990s. In October of 1993 the Czech government offered RFE/RL the former Federal Assembly in the heart of downtown Prague. The first versions (Latvian, Russian, Ukrainian and Yugoslav) began broadcasting in Prague in March of 1995... The Czech broadcasts of RFE broke away from the mother even before the move. In February 1994, the foreign broadcasting committee decided on the creation of a new non-profit organization dubbed Radio Svobodna Evropa (RSE), which began broadcasting in July 1994 from the Czech Radio (CRo) building. The funding for this broadcasting came from RFE/RL and it is that which is to be cut off. Since November, 1995, a joint project of RFE/RL, RSE and CRo has been broadcasting from RSE's frequency under the name Czech Radio 6/Radio Free Europe. In the fall of 1996, the structure of the financing of the Czech version changes as one-third of the budget was paid by RFE/RL (which must be approved by the US Congress), most was funded by CRo and several firms and foundations also helped in the funding. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1812 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC / USA: REPLACEMENT HEADQUARTERS FOR RFE/RL STILL BEING SOUGHT | Text of report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 2 July: Where the headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) will move to from the centre of Prague is still unknown, RFE/RL director Thomas Dine told reporters today. Dine said that the Czech government has still not found a building that would meet the station's demands for broadcasting. Real estate agencies are also searching as the government has been unsuccessful, Dine said. The government offered 10 buildings, but only one was in Prague. According to RFE/RL, most were military installations and they did not meet size or location requirements for international broadcasting. According to information the daily Pravo published, there is no money for the move in this year's or next year's budget. Foreign Minister Jan Kavan hinted that the United States will help with the move. The question of the move's financing has not yet been solved. The US-run RFE/RL is headquartered in the heart of Prague on one of the city's busiest streets. Following last September's terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, the headquarters is guarded by police, soldiers and armoured transports, thus clogging traffic. Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 1846 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. 560, (tentative) R. Ritmos, HIAA, Santiago, JUN 28 0657 - (very) local WHBQ was silent running an OC this morning leaving KLVI-Beaumont mostly dominant w/ 2 LA stations underneath. SP talk and laughter slightly dominant at 0657 into brief instrumental interlude until TOH announcements at 0701 w/ 2 mentions of Santo Domingo then fading back down. Was hoping to use this rare opportunity to catch Dominica on 555 but found only a very weak het [Brandon Jordan, Memphis TN, IRCA DX Monitor via DXLD] ** EASTER ISLAND. CE0Y Easter Island QRV schedule Hello all, This is Hisato, 7K1WLE; I will be active from Easter Island IOTA SA-001 between July 18-24 as CE0Y/7K1WLE. Activity will be on 160m -10m, Mainly on CW and some SSB. Using IC-706 and IC-2KL 500W with wire antenna. Operating frequencies are CW: 1826, 3504 7004 10104 14004 18074 21004 24894 28004 SSB: 3795 7088 14265 18145 21265 24945 28465. QSL via JN1HOW. Please call me! Hisato 7K1WLE (via Bob Chandler, ODXA, via DXLD) ** FINLAND. During 2nd Birthday Transmission of SWR, Scandinavian Weekend Radio on 6th July, DJ Madman will have an DX-Contest. It will be quite a simple one; you need only listen to World Radio Roulette programme and during contest-time try to identify 1 station from audio sample played and then call to studio and tell the right answer! Telephone number to SWR studio is +358 400 995 559. Call and win! Best Regards, Dj. Madman PS. More info of our Birthday-transmission will be posted here later! (Alpo Heinonen, July 4, also via Mike Terry, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hi Glenn, as far as I know Wertachtal uses no delay systems. Nauen definitely has no such equipment; when I visited the site all four transmitters carried DW-Radio German in synch, easily to observe on the audio level meters (they measure the actual input of each transmitter, behind the Optimod 9105). Unfortunately I cannot remember our findings when checking 6075 against the satellite outlets in detail, but I think it was no two seconds delay we found them to be apart from each other (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 153 kHz, DLF Donebach transmitter. Maintenance break during July 23-26, 2002, according time slots given on the DLF program. Interesting to listen to Nordcap-NOR, ALG and ROU txs instead. Abschaltung fuer Generalueberholung 23. bis 26. Juli 2002, dann Noerdliches Norwegen Nordkap, Algerien und Brasov-Bod-ROU hoerbar. Abschaltzeiten werden im DLF Programm angesagt (DLF Donebach sightseeing tour, BC-DX Jun 14 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Holzkirchen HFCC schedule of A-02 April 3rd: freq time ciraf call kW degr anttype 6095 0000-0100 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 6105 0300-0330 29 HOL 125 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 6105 0330-0400 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 6105 1700-1730 29 HOL 250 39 302 D IBB VoA 6105 1730-1900 29 HOL 125 39 302 D IBB VoA 6105 1900-1930 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 6105 1930-2200 29 HOL 125 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 7120 0000-0100 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 7120 2300-2400 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 7220 0300-0330 29 HOL 125 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 7220 0330-0600 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 7220 1700-1730 29 HOL 250 39 302 D IBB VoA 7220 1730-1900 29 HOL 125 39 302 D IBB VoA 7220 1900-1930 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 7220 1930-2200 29 HOL 125 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9520 0500-0800 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9565 1500-1700 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9595 1400-1500 29 HOL 250 59 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9615 2200-2300 29 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9665 2100-2200 29 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9750 1900-2100 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 9875 2300-2400 42,43 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFAS 11705 0300-0500 40 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 11770 1600-1700 29,30 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 11775 1300-1400 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB VoA 11835 1700-1800 40 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 11835 1800-1900 29 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 11885 1000-1300 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 11975 0100-0300 42,43 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFAS 11980 1500-1600 30 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 15130 0600-0800 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 15215 1400-1500 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 15355 0400-0500 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 15370 1200-1400 40 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 15425 0500-0600 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 15455 1400-1500 30 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL 17730 1000-1200 29 HOL 250 57 302 D IBB RFE/RL 17855 1200-1400 42,43 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFAS 17855 1400-1500 42,43 HOL 250 77 302 D IBB RFE/RL Holzkirchen schedule acc to IBB website 6095 0000 0100 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 059 6105 0300 0330 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 059 6105 0330 0400 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 059 6105 1700 1730 VOA D RUSS HOL 04 039 6105 1730 1900 VOA D RUSS HOL 04 039 6105 1900 1930 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 059 6105 1930 2200 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 059 7120 0000 0100 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 7120 2300 2400 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 7220 0300 0330 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 7220 0330 0600 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 7220 1700 1900 VOA D RUSS HOL 03 039 7220 1900 1930 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 7220 1930 2200 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 9520 0500 0600 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 01 057 9520 0600 0800 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 01 057 9565 1500 1630 RFE RL-4 BR HOL 04 059 9565 1630 1700 RFE RL-4 BR HOL 04 059 9595 1400 1500 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 059 9615 2200 2300 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 01 077 9715 2100 2200 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 01 077 9750 1900 2030 RFE RL-4 BR HOL 01 057 9750 2030 2100 RFE RL-4 BR HOL 01 057 11705 0300 0500 RFE RLAF AF HOL 01 077 11770 1600 1700 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 02 057 11775 1300 1400 VOA D RUSS HOL 03 057 11835 1700 1800 RFE RLAF AF HOL 02 077 11835 1800 1900 RFE RL-7 UK HOL 02 077 11885 1000 1300 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 03 057 11980 1500 1600 RFE RL-9 KY HOL 01 077 15130 0600 0800 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 057 15215 1400 1500 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 04 057 15355 0400 0415 RFE RL-3 RU HOL 02 077 15355 0415 0430 RFE RL-3 AV HOL 02 077 15355 0430 0445 RFE RL-3 CH HOL 02 077 15355 0445 0500 RFE RL-3 CI HOL 02 077 15370 1200 1400 RFE RLAF AF HOL 04 057 15425 0500 0600 RFE RL-8 TB HOL 02 057 15455 1400 1500 RFE RL-7 KA HOL 02 077 17725 1500 1600 RFE RL-2 GE HOL 02 077 17730 1000 1200 RFE RL-1 RU HOL 02 057 17855 1400 1500 RFE RL10 TA HOL 01 077 (IBB Frequenzen vom 4.6.2002 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** GERMANY. DTK changes: WYFR/Family Radio effective June 23: 1600-1800 13855 JUL 100 kW / 145 deg to NoAf in English CANCELLED 1700-1900 9695 JUL 100 kW / 060 deg to RUS in Russian CANCELLED 1800-1900 15775 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to Af in French CANCELLED 1900-2000 9495 JUL 100 kW / 115 deg to ME in Arabic CANCELLED 1900-2000 13855 JUL 100 kW / 200 deg to NoEaAf in French CANCELLED 1900-2100 15775 JUL 100 kW / 160 deg to Af in English CANCELLED 2000-2200 13855 JUL 100 kW / 200 deg to NoEaAf in English CANCELLED Deutsche Welle effective June 24: 0600-1900 6140 JUL 100 kW / 175 deg to Eu in English NEW 0600-1555 6140 JUL 100 kW / 130 deg to Eu in English DELETED 1555-1900 6140 WER 125 kW / 120 deg to Eu in English DELETED (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ** GHANA. The GBC, Accra, 3366, very nice as usual, e.g. at 2151-2206 at 55343 while also fairly (!) detectable via the also usual spurs, viz. 3446.5 (and 3285.5 at worse level) at 44342 ("2" on account of poorer audio quality) while airing En programming for songs, phone- ins, R 2 ID+QRG announcement, TS, news jingle prior to news bulletin. Static spoiled reception on 3366 though: 55343 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) ** GUATEMALA. R. Verdad, 4052.5, QSL report: full data ``4th`` [quarto?] QSL paper, paper pennant (different type from NASWA Journal April page 37), nice letter, calendar, receipt for $1 for English report, in one month. V/s is Edgar Amilcar Madrid, Director and Manager; he is 60 years old, retired professor from State University. He wrote they have already received reports from 213 different towns in 34 countries and 16 provinces of Guatemala. Their transmitter is 1 kW; however, they have been using 300 to 700 watts reduced power due to some governmental limitations. He wrote on QSL back that the power was 300 watts when I received R. Verdad at DXpedition in November of last year. They still do not have call sign. Schedule as of March is 0500-2300 Guatemalan time, 1100-0500 UT. They have celebrated second anniversary on Feb 25 this year (Takeshi Sejimo, Komoro city, Nagano, Japan, Radio Nuevo Mundo June 7 via DXLD) ** GUINEA. 1386, R Conaky/R. Rurale, Labe, hrd on 25 Jun at 2131 after checking Mauritania 783: program was in vernacular with talks, tribal songs. A tone signal was noted underneath. 24242 (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) ** GUYANA. V. of Guyana, Sparendaam, 3291.3, noted again on 21 Jun at 2217-2236 at 45343 airing English programming for sports news, ad, football world cup comments; like on 1st Jun, a het with 3290 was still present. Good reception on the following day's evening, but that's almost impossible if trying this and others here in Lisbon. (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 24 via DXLD) 3291.22, V. of Guyana, 0930 strong with mix of music and YL OM commentary (Bob Wilkner, Margate, Florida R-75 and 10 meter ground level antenna, July 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HONG KONG [and non]. HONG KONG TV COVERAGE OF JIANG ZEMIN AXED OVER FALUN GONG FEARS | Text of report by Wang Xiangwei, published by Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement) on 3 July China Central Television [CCTV] and Phoenix Chinese TV scrapped live coverage of President Jiang Zemin's speech and the swearing-in ceremony for Tung Chee-hwa and his new cabinet on Monday [1 July] because of fears it would be sabotaged by the Falun Gong, industry sources say. The surprise move came after the South China Morning Post reported on Thursday that members of the outlawed sect had hijacked one of the mainland's major broadcast satellites and transmitted pro-sect messages and images twice earlier that week. Fears that Falun Gong members could intercept Monday's live broadcast and create an international embarrassment for Beijing were the main reason behind the cancellations, industry sources said yesterday. They said Mr Jiang's speech was one of his last major public addresses before the Communist Party's landmark 16th Congress scheduled for October when leadership changes are planned. Yesterday, officials from different CCTV departments declined to comment on the cancellations. Hong Kong-based Phoenix also declined to comment. Mainland viewers said Phoenix Chinese TV, which can be seen by more than 100 million people on the mainland, announced its live coverage of the Hong Kong ceremony during its main news magazine programme on Sunday. On previous occasions when Mr Jiang has visited Hong Kong, both CCTV and Phoenix Chinese TV carried live broadcasts of his speeches or activities. Sources said the president's speech at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday was billed by mainland officials as an important one in which he outlined the central government's views of relations between Hong Kong and the mainland over the next five years. Yesterday, nearly all the mainland's major newspapers, including the Farmers' Daily [Nongmin Ribao], carried the full text of the speech on their front pages. On Monday night, CCTV broadcast a taped version of Mr Jiang's full speech in a special time slot immediately after the main evening news bulletin. Sources said yesterday that mainland security forces are stepping up investigations to trace the source of last week's satellite hijacking. Most of CCTV's 10 channels and 10 other provincial channels carried on the Sinosat-1 satellite were interrupted on 23 June and 25 June with pro-Falun Gong messages which lasted for just seconds to several minutes. The satellite carries TV signals especially for the mainland's rural and remote areas. Security officials are baffled as to how Falun Gong followers managed to pull off such a sophisticated act. They now suspect the followers staged the hijacking from a foreign country or operated hi-tech equipment on a moving vehicle in a mainland city to avoid detection. Source: South China Morning Post (Business Post supplement), Hong Kong, in English 3 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 3231.89, RRI Bukittinggi, 1140-1335 active again since March 2001, moderate. 3117.30, RSPDT2 Halmahera Tengha, 1200-1335, pres. destroyed [? Maybe means presumed, distorted] modulation. Weak (Roland Schulze, Philippines, BC-DX June 28 via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [and non]. The latest revision of Bill Snyder`s Hurricane Frequencies list, dated June 30, has been posted at http://www.hurricanefrequencies.com (John Norfolk, OKCOK, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ISRAEL. Il y aura bien une réorganisation des services de Kol Israël. Cette étape, prévue initialement fin juin, a été repoussée au 21 juillet. Voici la nouvelles grille des émissions en français : 0415-0430, 1000-1015, 1530-1545, 1645-1700 et 1930-1945 TU. Il y aura donc une émission de plus, et toutes les transmissions ne dureront plus que 15 minutes. La perte n'est que de 5 minutes par jour (d'après un couriel de Mati ben Avraham, Kol Israël - 03 juillet 2002 == les informations sont issues de http://perso.wanadoo.fr/jm.aubier via DXLD) Et anglais?? ** LITHUANIA. R. Nord special program: This interesting feature program contained excerpts from actual Radio Nord programming, music, news and ads as well as comments on the same by two listeners, one of them DXer Jan Edh. Also, two members of the m/s Bon Jour crew, newsman Seve Ungermark and technician Lasse Karlsson, gave their version of the story. Forty years later, one can easily see that to the Swedish state-owned broadcasting Radio Nord was a pain in the back, a wasp that made a sleepy elephant stir. It is ironic that this broadcast would come from a country where radio was a state monopoly up until some 10 years ago. Lasse Karlsson has a website, http://www.nostalgia.nu with audio files and sale of memorabilia (Henrik Klemetz, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Re the Radio Nord special nostalgia program over 9980 Lithuania June 30, it was heard well here, but too miserably I believe to attract the average listener. I missed 75% of the show because I had simply forgot about the event, and tuned in at 2035 UT. (My only excuse is too much TV that evening here - for once.) Had to use USB mode to get the sharpness of the sound needed for fair readability. Very good programming, and a kick for those who were around at the time 40 years ago. To the producer(s), many thanks for this shortwave event, and tell our Lithuanian friends that the transmitter was a bit meek this time (Johan Berglund, Trollhättan, Sweden, July 2, with an AOR7030 and K9AY a bit down for the moment, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** LUXEMBOURG. Test transmission of "Broadcasting Center Europe" on July 10, 2002: 0600-2100 on 6090 Jünglinster 500 kW / non-dir. (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ! LUX has been absent from SWBC for many years (gh, DXLD) Ooooooooooh Luxembourg 6090 will re-appear; that causes mostly an unwanted 5 kHz interference tone to BR Munich Ismaning 6085 kHz outlet too. 73 de (Wolfgang df5sx, Germany, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Gracias al OM Jerry Berg de Dxplorer tuve la oportunidad de visitar la siguiente página: http://www.bce.lu/info/reachus/ Jerry Berg confirmo por e-mail con BCE la noticia suministrada por Wolfgang Bueschel. La dirección para enviar los reportes sobre la transmisión del próximo 10 de julio es la siguiente: Broadcasting Center Europe 45, Bd Pierre Frieden L-1543 Luxembourg – Kirchberg e-mail: eugene_muller@b... [truncated] Radio Broadcast Los informes deberán ser enviados por correo ordinario. (Nicolás Éramo, Argentina, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Radio Luxemburgo trasmitía muy buena música POP a mediados de los 80, y su ultima transmisión fue el 30 de diciembre de 1992. En esa época tenían un trasmisor de onda media de 1300 kW en Marnach, ¿casi nada no?, y trasmitían en 1439 kHz y posteriormente en 1440 kHz, algunas noches estas transmisiones de MW podían ser escuchadas acá en Venezuela si se contaba con una buena antena exterior. Junto con la QSL te enviaban franelas, gorras, llaveros y algunos otros regalos como recuerdo; yo tengo un llavero con el logo de la estación enviado en 1991 junto con la confirmación. Ojalá podamos escucharla nuevamente este 10 de julio. 73/DX (José M. Valdés R. (Joe) YV5LIX, ibid.) Dear M. Waldes, 6090 will be on air on July 10th from 0600 to 2100 UT with 500 kW. Program will be the German "RTL Radio Die grossten Oldies". This will be a one time event, especially dedicated for remote monitoring in order to evaluate coverage areas in view of DRM. (Digital Radio Mondiale). QSL requests will be answered. Regards (Eugene Muller, Broadcasting Center Europe S.A, an RTL Group company Tel:+352 42142 7703, Fax. +352 42142 7709, email: eugene_muller@b... [truncated] http://www.bce.lu via Jorge M. Valdés, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Broadcasting Center Europe (CLT-UFA RTL) will reactivate that SW installation again in future. Some tests are planned before one of the two present units will be rebuilt by an extension to DRM mode. The station plans some ANALOGUE test towards Central Europe. The present non-directional antenna is used, similar antennas used by DTK/DW Wertachtal 6075 kHz. (via Wolfgang Bueschel...) "Yes it is true, we will broadcast a test over the still existing RTL transmitter on 6090 kHz to verify coverage of this xmtr via remote monitoring. I would be delighted if I could get some feedback over the coverage in USA. Best regards, Eugene Muller.", Radio Broadcast Dept., Broadcasting Center Europe. Muller also says that requests for QSLs should be sent to him at the postal address shown on their website http://www.bce.lu/ which is 45, Boulevard Pierre Frieden, L-1543 Luxembourg. (via Jerry Berg) (via Harold Sellers, ODXA via DXLD) LUXEMBOURG TO REACTIVATE 6090 KHZ SHORTWAVE RTL Luxembourg plans to reactivate its shortwave transmitter on 6090 kHz. The first test is scheduled for July 10th at 0600-2100 UTC with 500 kW of power (2 x 250 kW Telefunken units). The programming will be a relay of RTL-Radio - Die grössten Oldies. Shortwave transmissions ceased in the end of 1994, but Broadcasting Center Europe (CLT-UFA RTL) has continued to operate transmitters on 216 and 1440 kHz. The company plans further analogue tests on shortwave but is also preparing to rebuild another one of the two units to be able to broadcast digital DRM signal. Mr. Eugène Muller is in charge of verifying reports and can be reached by email eugene_muller@bce.lu or by mail to Broadcasting Center Europe S.A., 45 boulevard Pierre Frieden, L-1543 Luxembourg. In the audio section you can listen to Radio Luxembourg's station identification (Jerry Berg and Wolfgang Büschel via DXplorer via http://www.DXing.info/news July 4, 2002 via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 1475, 1145- June 30, Suara Malaysia. John Bryant tells me that this is a propaganda station. Decent signal in Tagalog. No doubting this 700 kW station as it occupies a frequency all by itself (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, hard-core-DX via DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. Another good one currently is a[bout?]15294.9 - it was peaking to S9 today around 0900 with news in B. Malay. And I could also hear traces of it on 9750 same time, but there is another on that channel - either NHK or Kuwait I would guess. [always NHK, ed.] (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) ** MALI. R Mali, Bamako, 5995 kHz is a tricky outlet at this time, viz. 1834 (observed till 1851) on 26 Jun airing Vernacular programming for talks, 24332 (unID heard underneath). Obviously, it does improve after conditions settle down, but reception here is always far from that on 4835, Bamako's best 60 mb outlet, i.e. a lot worse! Today's monitoring on 7284.8, i.e. 30 Jun 0836-1039 f-out at 25342 only audible via the K9AY aerial airing French program with talks on schools, news magazine, African songs, Vernacular too, talks (Carlos Gonçalves, Porgual, BC-DX Jun 26/30 via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. I can confirm the previous report of QSY from 12015 to 12085 kHz, heard there on 7/3 with IS at 1000 UT and presumed English, signal barely detectable. Their Web site is showing an outdated winter schedule. 73, (John Cobb, Roswell, GA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3365 R Milne Bay, 0830 July 4, noted active again after an absence with islands music and announcements in Pidgin. Steadily gaining strength past 0850. Other PNGers noted on 3205, 3220, 3235, 3245, 3275, 3290, 3305, 3315, 3325, 3355, 3375, 3385, 3905 and 4890 (Paul Ormandy, New Zealand, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Evening's observations on Peruvians also via the SW coast [of Portugal?] Central America [?]. Beverage of 250 m: R San Antonio, Callalli, 3375.1, heard on 22 Jun 2220-2237 at 25332 w/ Spanish programming for Indian songs, TCs, IDs and announcements. Co-channel Angola is normally detected underneath, and when so, a het is normally heard too, but not this time. R Huanta 2000, Huanta, 4746.8, logged on 22 Jun 2241-2254 at 45433 w/ very good audio, airing vernacular programming for music, talks and some Indian songs. R Sicuani, Sicuani, 4826.4, on 22 Jun 2257-2311 at 34433 airing Spanish program with ads. R La Hora, Cusco, 4855.8, on 22 Jun 2258-2314 at 35433 in Spanish with ads, IDs, talks. R Ondas del Rio Mayo, Nueva Cajamarca, 6797.5, picked up on 21 Jun 2250-2304 at 24432 in Spanish with talks on football; utility QRM spoiling reception. R Ilucán, Cutervo, 5678, on 21 Jun 2258-2309 fair at first but rapidly went to a 24332 rate; Spanish programming with info, TCs and light songs (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 24 via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 1575, 1105- June 30. DXJR, fascinating listening for a good solid hour, often at good levels. Full ID noted by Don Nelson. Programming in Tagalog, possibly an educational program? Best on the SW Beverage. VOA Thailand just fading in and co-channel after about an hour (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, hard-core-DX via DXLD) 1575, DXJR, Cagagan de Oro C, Mis. Or, Jun 30 1108 - First spotted by others. Man talking in presumed Tagalog. A sermon or long speech. Interrupted at 1148 with station ID in English as per WRTH. VOA heard at times beneath DXJR, becoming totally dominant at and after 1200 (John Bryant, Grayland WA DXpedition, IRCA DX Monitor via DXLD) ** POLAND [and non]. Listened to the July 2, 1700 UT broadcast of Radio Polonia via the World Radio Network. The presenter had a discussion with an official of the station. This official indicated that the budget had had some cuts but that Radio Polonia would continue broadcasting in foreign languages. Also he indicated that "shortwave was far from dead" in response to those who deemed that internet was the way to go in the future. He also indicated that Radio Polonia would be closing down its obsolete transmitters in Poland and had reached agreement to broadcast via Julich in Germany and via Slovakian transmitters as well. So if you want to log them via Poland time is running out. If you want to hear them with a clearer signal, those days are coming (Fred Waterer, July 4, ODXA via DXLD) ** PORTUGAL. Caro Sr.: Gostaríamos de solicitar a sua colaboração no sentido de nos fornecer alguma informação sobre as condições de recepção da nossa emissão para o Brasil, das 23.00 às 02.00 UTC, nas frequências de 13660 kHz (22 m) e 15295 kHz (19 m). Pedimos-lhe o favor, também, de verificar se o áudio está límpido ou se, pelo contrário, sofre de algum tipo de distorção. Gratos, desde já, pela sua colaboração apresentamos os nossos melhores cumprimentos. P' Grupo Redes de Emissores, Teresa Beatriz Abreu (via Valter Aguiar, radioescutas via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. CENTRE TV TO BROADCAST ON US CABLE NETWORK | Excerpt from report by Voice of Russia "DX Club" web site on 3 July Russia/USA: Russia's Centre TV channel plans to begin broadcasting on US cable networks at the end of July. Test broadcasts are already under way in New York. Transmission of the international version of Centre TV is expected to begin officially on 7 September. The project is unique in that it is partially interactive. Seventy-two hours of programming output (three days of broadcasts) will be stored in digital format on huge servers. Each user can select the programme he wishes to see at a given time i.e. can draw up the programme schedule himself. The aim of the project is the regional development and expansion of the foreign audience with emphasis on Russian- speaking viewers... The international version differs from the Russian version in that copyright will be tightened up and it will show no trailers for films, particularly bought-in foreign films. All other programmes will be checked from the point of view of copyright. The channel plans to create a special Centre TV-International channel. The company has already received offers of cooperation from European countries and from Israel. The channel offers a large number of analysis programmes and other programmes it makes itself. Source: Voice of Russia web site, Moscow, in Russian 3 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) WHAT cable network??? ** SAINT HELENA. Auf der Seite http://www.sthelena.se gibt es einen Link zu Radio St.Helena. Dort kann man sich auch noch einmal Mitschnitte der letzten Sendung von 1999 anhoeren und erfaehrt viel Wissenswertes. Diese Woche traf bei mir die QSL von R. St. Helena von der letzten Sendung von 1999 ein, einschliesslich den schoenen aber zugleich traurigen Abschiedsbrief. Solche Kurzwellenenthusiasten auf der anderen Seite des Mikrophons finden man heutzutage noch selten. Uebrigens habe ich damals meinen Bericht per Email noch waehrend der Sendung geschickt. Obwohl ich Programm- und technische Details einschloss habe ich keine QSL verlangt, ich hatte ja schon drei von der Station. Trotzdem kam eine, was nochmals meine obige Aussage nochmals bekraeftigt. Farewell St. Helena! (Erich Bergmann, Germany, A-DX Jun 30 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=16580 `VOICE OF MUSLIMS` ARAB TV STATION TO GO ON AIR SOON By a Staff Writer, Published on Wednesday, July 03, 2002 RIYADH, 3 July — An SR600 million English-language Arab satellite TV station will be launched from London soon to help clear misconceptions about Arabs and Muslims after the Sept.11 attacks. Prince Mansour ibn Naser, a Saudi businessman, told Al-Watan Arabic daily that the station, ATV, would be on the air "after finalizing some necessary procedures." He said feasibility studies had been completed, but did not give a specific launch date. The station has received funds from some charities and loans from international banks, the prince said. In the first phase, the station will broadcast in English mainly to viewers in Europe, the United States and Canada. It will broadcast in German, French, Spanish and Italian at a later stage, he added. "The station will monitor the misconceptions and distortions broadcast by enemy stations" against Arabs and Muslims and try to refute them, Prince Mansour said. "The non-profit station will be the voice of Arabs and Muslims in the West. It will rely on sponsorships and advertisements for Arab and Islamic products," he said. "It will help improve the image of Muslims in the West, which was damaged" and linked to terror following the Sept. 11 attacks in the US, Prince Mansour said. The station was also designed to help attract foreign investments to the Arab and Islamic worlds by highlighting investment opportunities and explaining investment laws in force in Arab and Muslim countries. "ATV will help repatriate Arab funds worth $800 billion invested abroad," he said, adding that the repatriation of funds would lead to strengthening Arab economies and creating new job opportunities for Arabs. The television will interview prominent businessmen in the West to know the obstacles they face for investments in Arab and Islamic countries, he said. "This will help Arab decision-makers to adopt appropriate resolutions to soften regulations and facilitate procedures to attract more investments," he added. The new TV also aims at promoting products manufactured in Arab and Islamic countries, and encouraging tourism to Arab and Muslim destinations. "Ours will be a balanced channel focusing on truthful viewpoints that would help correct misconceptions about Arabs and Muslims among the Westerners," the prince said. Another objective is to promote products of Arab and Islamic countries in the West. "At present our products are rarely marketed in the West". Prince Mansour described the new TV station as the dream of millions of Arabs and Muslims. "They have been waiting so long for such a channel that would serve Arab and Islamic causes at political and economic levels and highlight Arab and Islamic views," he pointed out. Copyright © 2001 ArabNews All Rights Reserved (via Kim Elliott, DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. Received a verification from Radio UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone (6137.8 kHz). Details [but no look at the verie] and more info on the station in a new profile article at http://www.dxing.info/profiles/6138_unamsil.dx 73 (Mika Makelainen, Finland, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [and non]. Early June I had to think back to the sixties, when a few offshore radio stations had religious programmes in their output, just to finance the whole business. Later on, in the seventies and eighties, Caroline had a lot of religious organisations who did buy airtime. One of them was the organisation of Brother Stair. He named himself the real prophet of God in the modern world. Just a type of: ``you sent me your money and I will pray for you``. Well Brother Stair has been jailed last week. Not only he had his financial bookings not done properly, he also built a new building without permission. Above all two members of his congregation admitted that the brave Brother Stair had 70 times had sex with them without permission. And what does sister Theresa say, the wife of Brother Stair? They knew what would happen and they agreed Brother Stair had sex with them. Well he can now have a quiet time within jail. And as always for the longer, in depth, stories I invite you to take a regular visit to our on line journal for media and music culture: http://www.soundscapes.info Greetings (Hans Knot, Past and Present Column on Offshore Radio, June, via DXLD) The following was dated morning of July 2, from Sister Stair. I haven't heard the outcome of the hearing. If news media were present, there might be something in the local papers. = = = = I just wanted to let you all know that on tomorrow, Tuesday, July 2, at 2 PM, several of us here will be going to a pre-trial hearing concerning Brother Stair. Brother Stair will be there, along with the lawyers and, I am sure, the press. This hearing has been postponed several times, because of the LACK of evidence against him. I am amazed how the devil desires to dig up dirt, trying to find anything by which he can accuse the brethren. As far as ANY charges are concerned, BROTHER STAIR IS INNOCENT! ...AND I FIND NO FAULT IN HIM. Praise be to Yahweh, FOREVER I WILL PRAISE THEE, OH LORD, AMONG THE PEOPLE AND THE NATIONS! For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. BE THOU EXALTED, OH GOD, ABOVE THE HEAVENS! LET THY GLORY BE ABOVE ALL THE EARTH!!! BE THOU EXALTED, ALMIGHTY GOD! IF GOD BE FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US? No one, dear brethren. No, not any one! The Lord is our Advocate and, BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, WE ARE ALL BLAMELESS BEFORE HIM! WHO CAN LAY ANYTHING TO THE CHARGE OF GOD'S ELECT? And yet, Satan goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he MAY devour... PRAISE GOD! HE HAS TO GET PERMISSION, AND THAT, FROM THE LORD!!! Dear saints, we are not ignorant of his devices. May God help us, moment by moment, to put on the WHOLE armour of God, that we MAY STAND in the EVIL DAY. THAT DAY IS UPON US! Please be in prayer for us and we continue to hold all of you before the Lord in prayer. Thank you for your love and your concern, especially for your prayers. We have often sent Brother Stair's letters, which he has written with his own hand in prison, as a response to the letters which we receive through the malbox at the post office. When Brother Stair is here, he always reads and answers most ALL of his mail - personally. Since he is now not able to do that, I have come to realize the HEAVY LOAD he has borne in this work, at least for the last 25 years that I have been married to him. AWESOME!. He has been a faithful servant with the work in this ministry. ALL GLORY GOES TO THE FATHER, ALWAYS. AMEN. Please write again. Your letter blesses me; I feel honored to be able to receive them and read them. Also, I pray you understand that I have not answered each one individually; when certain ones need special attention, I give it to one of the brethren here to attend to. I know you understand. I love you with the LOVE of Yahshua. THE LOVE OF GOD... It is SO REAL to me! I thank God for His love! His banner over me IS LOVE!!! What a great work is being done here, in all of us. He is perfecting His CHURCH! May we all be able to see through the eyes of God in this testing of our faith. We shall come forth as GOLD!... tried, as by fire. The Lord has been GRACIOUS unto me, and for this, I bless His Holy Name...YAHSHUA. Until then, my heart will go on singing; until then, WITH JOY, I'll carry on... God bless you. In His presence, I am, Sister Teresa Grace Stair (complete via Robert Arthur, July 3, DXLD) 9475, WWCR Nashville TN (presumed); 2048-2101+, 14-Jun; Bro. Stair sez he's serving the Lord while in captivity. (Most of us call it 'serving time' not 'serving the Lord!...) Sez broadcast coming from a small farm in SC. (Captivity?... Hide the sheep!) Apparently accused sex offenders in captivity can still broadcast. Wants a few folks to send 100K$ or even a million. No ID or any break at ToH, into different religious program. SIO=524- w/brief fits of on/off and distortion. 'QRM' is loud transmitter buzz (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) ** SYRIA. 13610, Radio Damascus; 2206-2217+, 9-Jun; W reading poem; ID 2208. Man with news to 2209:30 close and anthem. All in English. Started Arabic music after anthem, then pulled the plug at 2210:45. Back on again at 2212:30 with Arabic music. Sung anthem at 2215:15 and woman in Arabic at 2216:10. SIO=443 (Harold Frodge, MI, MARE via DXLD) ** TAIWAN. StarStar Broadcasting Station (clandestine via TWN), [ex New STAR BROADCASTING STATION]: 0800-0900 11430 New Star Channel 1 15388 New Star Channel 2 9725 New Star Channel 3 8300 New Star Channel 4 13750 New Star Channel 5 (Wolfgang Büschel, BC-DX via DXLD) Foreign broadcasters via Taiwan in A-02: 2330-0030 11605 RFA Viet 2330-0030 15110 RA Viet 250 kW 225 degr 0100-0200 15445 AWR Viet 0900-0930 11550 RA Indo 250 kW 205 degr 1000-1100 11780 WSHB En 1400-1500 11605 RFA Viet 1400-1500 15490 AWR Viet 2130-2330 11550 RA Indo 250 kW 205 degr (BC-DX via DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. New transmission for Radio Taipei International in Mandarin via WYFR: 2100-2200 on 15130 (55544) (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ** TIBET [non]. Voice of Tibet in Tibetan and Mandarin Chinese noted on June 28-30: 1213-1300 NF 15170 / NF 15225 / NF 15330, ex 15655 / 15660 / 15670 \\ 15645, 21585 (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) But frequencies change from day to day, even minute to minute (gh, DXLD) ** U K. JOB OPENING at BBC MONITORING: TECHNICAL OPERATOR, MEDIA SERVICES, Caversham Park, Reading --- c£18,000 ...examines open source media from over 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It provides news and information to the BBC, government and commercial customers. Track media and access signals... ...ensuring monitoring teams have source information. Carry out research, informing customers of media developments. Work shifts, including nights, and travel overseas. In-depth knowledge of foreign media... ...from frequencies of signals to the spin of their content. Ability to operate wide variety of satellite and other receiving equipment, understanding signal paths from origin to reception. Computer literacy, including familiarity with the Internet, plus research and report writing skills required. Job share agreement will be considered. For more details and to apply please visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/ or telephone (quoting reference 56211) 0870 333 1330. Textphone 020 7765 1192. Applications to be received by 19th July 02 (Chris McWhinnie, BBC Monitoring, July 3, BDXC-UK via DXLD) May foreigners or foreign residents apply? (gh, DXLD) ** U K / U S A. WORLD'S BIGGEST RADIO GROUP EYES BRITISH STATIONS John Cassy, Tuesday July 2, 2002, The Guardian The chief executive of US company Clear Channel, the world's biggest operator in the radio sector, last night admitted he would like to take over one of the UK's major groups. His comments are likely to reignite speculation that the Clear Channel is preparing a bid for Capital Radio or Emap. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be able to bring one of the leading UK radio groups into the Clear Channel family," Lowry Mays told an audience of industry leaders at the Radio Academy's festival in Cambridge. "It would benefit from what we know about radio and by association with the other legs of our out-of-home strategy, that is: live entertainment and outdoor. "Clear Channel is not a hostile acquirer, so don't expect to find me camping on your doorstep. When you are ready to create synergy, call us." Analysts say the group is seen as one of the most likely candidates to take advantage of proposals in the government's communications bill that would allow foreign firms to take over UK media assets. However, some industry watchers believe Clear Channel's short-term ambitions could be thwarted until the bill becomes law and the group pays down some of its several gigadollars of debt. Mr Mays spoke to the festival as the radio sector prepares to launch a widespread marketing campaign promoting the benefits of digital radio. The chances of the medium becoming a common feature in kitchens and living rooms around the country received a significant boost yesterday, with the launch of the first mass market, £99 set. The first sets will go on sale at the John Lewis store in Oxford Street, London, later this month, with thousands more being delivered to chains including Allders, Argos and Maplin Electronics throughout Europe. The radio industry is hopeful the widespread availability of "cheap" sets manufactured by niche retailer VideoLogic will lead to mass take- up of a technology that has so far disappointed many analysts. The Digital Radio Development Bureau, or DRDB, says 68,000 digital radios have been sold in the UK so far and predicts a further 50,000 sales by the end of the year. "The introduction of the £99 kitchen-style digital radio heralds the start of the most exciting development since the launch of the transistor wireless, and provides a gateway to new volume business for the radio of the 21st century," said Ian Dickens, the chief executive of DRDB. A high profile on-air marketing campaign will support the launch of the £99 set as the industry attempts to improve awareness of a product which offers better sound quality and dozens more channels than standard analogue sets. The BBC, Capital Radio, Classic FM owner GWR, Emap and UBC Media are among the providers and broadcasters promoting awareness of the advantages of digital receivers. (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. DOJ LOOKING INTO RADIO BUSINESS PRACTICES Radio Business Report [From Shoptalk Magazine - 7/3/2002] There is a new sheriff in town and his name is the DOJ. RBR has learned that the Department of Radio Schedule Justice [sic!] is "reaching out" and talking with individuals and companies that have concerns about radio companies and sources say in particular the business practices of Clear Channel (CCU). These chats are on going and continue. Conversations are talking place with the DOJ's Antitrust Division and include artists, promoters and radio companies. We hear folks are mailing in materials to Jim Wade Department of Justice Antitrust Division at 1401 H Street NW in Washington DC 20530. RBR Observation: Who would have thought a Republican administration would be looking into such matters. Must be very serious to warrant such a dialogue. As we now know the Senate will be looking into the allegations of potential antitrust issues with the just announced legislation by Senator Feingold "Competition in Radio and Concert Industries Act". (via Fred Vobbe, NRC-AM July 3 via DXLD) ** U S A. MILLIONS LOST IN RADIO SCAM By John Pacenti, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, July 2, 2002 Among the infomercials on WFTL-AM 1400 for weight loss products, vitamins and real estate, self-professed market guru Sean B. Burns made his get-rich-quick pitch over South Florida's airwaves for weeks. With a slick English accent, Burns -- interviewed by longtime talk show host Joyce Kaufman -- claimed he could double investors' money in foreign currency exchange markets. Retired teachers, office workers and even the well-to-do looted their savings, cashed in their retirement funds, raided their kids' college funds and took out second mortgages on their houses (via Mike Terry, DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn, I just read the webcast royalty decision from the Library of Commerce, I mean Congress via WOR. It looks like the RIAA has killed another mode of grassroots communication in our country. Can you say GREED? Why is the Library of Congress doing the RIAAs bidding? Can you say conflict of interest? Regards, (Dave McDonald, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glenn: I came across an interesting interview posted on Mark Morhmann`s Dxing from Vermont website. The interview is published by the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc., and is entitled "Harold H. Beverage and H.O. Peterson, Electrical Engineers, an oral history conducted in 1968 and 1973 by Norval Dwyer, IEEE History Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA." It can be found at: http://www.ieee.org/organizations/history_center/oral_histories/transcripts/beverage1.html I think anyone who has a love for radio will enjoy reading this 1968 interview with a couple of the pioneers of early radio experimentation. Aside from the fascinating recounts of technical developments such as the wave antenna, experimentation with short waves, the diversity system, and so forth, there is a really interesting discussion about the decline of creative thought and experimentation in modern times. Men like Marconi, Alexanderson, and Edison were not great mathematicians. They did not rely on engineering and mathematics to lead them to new discoveries but rather often were able to visualize the discovery in a sort of intuitive way. In this 1968 interview Beverage laments the decline of that type of creative genius in modern times, and speculates that the reason for the decline has to do with a greater importance placed on collective rather then individual endeavors. He does concede that as technology becomes more and more complex it also requires more specialization, yet he does point out that there is also a mindset at work currently, which discourages intuitive thinking. Definitely a good read (David Hodgson, TN, July 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. NICE PLACE FOR A BEVERAGE Beverage DXers FYI -- Before my recent business trip to Las Vegas, Karen and I drove up to Great Basin National Park and stayed at the Border Inn, an older motel on US 6-50 right on the NV/UT border (restaurant on the NV side so they can have slot machines, motel rooms and gas station on the UT side where room/gas taxes are apparently lower!). This location has the following to offer DXers: * Rooms are cheap. About $35-40 per night. * There is no electrical noise to speak of. * The nearest AM stations are in Ely, NV (55 miles, mountain blockage) and Delta, UT (80 miles). * US 6-50 continues straight east for miles, and it's very easy to lay out beverages in that direction. It looked like you could run wires to the SE pretty well too. (I had a limited amount of wire with me, so I just ran 1250-1275 ft. to the E along the highway). There are no fences or "no trespassing" signs in sight. The terrain is totally flat, with a small amount of sagebrush and similar plants. Very easy to set up (and recover) beverages. * They have a large gravel parking lot, and the restaurant and gas station are open 24 hours as a truck stop, so no one gives you a second look if you're sitting out there at night. In just a couple short nights of DXing, I logged 53 graveyard stations. I'll be back with more wire next time! Has anyone else found any good spots like this to share with the group? 73, Tim (Tim & Karen Hall, amfmtvdx via DXLD) I`ve been to that very place; must start carrying beverage wire around with me (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. I ran across an article on EKKO "stamps" on the web; these were stamp-like pieces of paper, perforated and gummed, which were issued by the EKKO Company to various radio stations. There was a collecting craze for these items when the DXing hobby was developing back in the 1920s. Listeners could receive these stamps as verification for reception, and the company issued an album to collect these in. These are a part of the history of our hobby, pre-bumper stickers, t-shirts and coffee mugs. To read more, check out http://www.antiqueradio.com/gilbertcombs_ekko_6- 97.html (writer unknown, IRCA Soft DX Monitor July 3 via DXLD) ** U S A. "Concert Hall" and many other shows were discontinued in 1999 when VOA News Now went on the air. But this year, in celebration of our 60th anniversary, VOA is hosting a series of classical music concerts in our auditorium. The concerts will be broadcast, once again on Sunday evenings, through the rest of the year... Listen for VOA Snapshots throughout our 60th anniversary year, here on VOA (from a VOA script via Mike Cooper, DXLD) So, what times? Every Sunday? ** U S A. If you haven't heard this Jean Shepherd show before you really have to. (Of course if you ARE a Jean Shepherd fan you probably HAVE heard it before or read or seen some version of the story.) Ludlow Kissel and the Dago Bomb Summary: A Depression Fourth of July in the Indiana industrial suburbs of Chicago ends in magnificent disaster. http://www.becmfg.com/shep/07-04-75.rm (Note - I am not promoting the use of an offensive name for Italians - that's the title of the program.) (Joel Rubin, NY, July 2, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. Yet another mixup prevented WBCQ from running 17495 as well as 7415 during WORLD OF RADIO, Wed July 3 at 2200. They`re going to keep trying (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. New transmissions for WYFR/Family Radio: 2100-2300 Italian/German on 11565 ADDITIONAL (ex RTI German/English) 2100-2300 English/Portuguese 15770 ADDITIONAL (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. New transmissions for WYFR/Family Radio via MERLIN COMMUNICATIONS: 1400-1500 17800 (45544) DHA 500 kW / 085 Hindi to IND ex 15520 DHA 1500-1700 17800 (45544) DHA 500 kW / 085 English to IND ex 15520 DHA 1700-1800 21680 (55544) ASC 250 kW / 085 English to CeAf ex via JUL 1700-1900 15290 (55555) RMP 500 kW / 062 Russian to RUS ex via JUL 1900-2000 9590 (55555) WOF 300 kW / 114 Arabic to ME ex via JUL 1900-2100 3230 (23222) MEY 100 kW / 005 English to SoAf ex via JUL 2000-2100 15195 (45444) ASC 250 kW / 065 English to WeAf ex via JUL (Ivo and Angel! Observer, Bulgaria, July 3 via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. SODRE, 6125.0 usual sign-on is 1030, on 22 of the 23 days it was monitored in April 2002; on one day it opened at 1045; but due to QRM it is not audible before 1030. It was also heard on 4 evenings in April. Radio Monte Carlo, 6140.0, sign-on time varies widely; in April, 7 days from *0830; 7 days from *1000; 6 from *1015; one each from *0800, *0900 and *1010. Also heard on four evenings. Radio Monte Carlo y Oriental, 6140.0, opened at *1030 on 27 days of April, one day at *1100. Also, three evenings. [apparently he considers these two separate stations --- gh] Banda Oriental, 6155.0, not heard in mornings, but 16 evenings in April from *0134 (Emilio Pedro Povrzenic Nawosat, Villa Diego, SF, Argentina, April Latinoamérica DX of the Asociación DX del Litoral, Rosario, via Radio Nuevo Mundo, Japan, June 7, retyped by gh for DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Noticed a strong het on 640 at 0605 UT [July 2] and found a strong carrier but on 639.27 kHz looping approx 75 degrees towards N. Africa. Carrier strong and steady and the faintest suggestion of audio by 0610 and weaking at 0615. If this is a TA signal, looking at GeoClock would suggest a possible West African at transmitter sunrise but the 2002 WRTH doesn't list any likely candidates. Anyone have any idea what this is? [Later:] I still can't find any candidates on this frequency matching the sunrise at transmitter region indicated by GeoClock. There was no sign of the carrier at 0640. There was minor geomagnetic activity at this time. (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN - bjordan@nachash.com Icom R75 - Palstar R30C - Quantum QX Pro - Wellbrook ALA 330, NRC-AM via DXLD) Spain is typically strong here on 639 kHz (Bruce Conti - Nashua NH, ibid.) Brandon: The Spanish transmitter on 639 is at La Coruña in Galicia, which is in the very northwest corner of Spain. Sunrise there is right at 0600 GMT and the ionospheric control point would be some minutes later; 10 or 20 minutes would normally be a good guess but TA's can sometimes hang in an hour or more after local sunrise. If you hadn't said the freq was 270 Hz off, I'd be pretty sure you had Spain's carrier. I don't think I've ever heard an RNE transmitter off frequency. But on the other hand, I don't have a better guess. Good luck nabbing it next time (Chuck Hutton, ibid.) I considered Spain at first. Looking at GeoClock for 0600 UT it seems that Spain is well past sunrise, or perhaps I have GeoClock set up incorrectly. Also the bearing I was getting seemed to rule out Spain. The only decent audio that I have ever pulled from a TA here in the Memphis without a beverage was Senegal back in 1996 and I haven't had a beverage since the 1970's. :) I have a K9AY on order from Wellbrook and have my fingers crossed it will be able to help snag some audio from these carriers this fall. 73, (Brandon, ibid.) My first thought is that if you've got your coordinates and time input correctly in GeoClock there's not much else to set up. Unless you have a very old version, it should account for even some of the EDT/EST exceptions unless they're very local. I'd check that if it applies. Second, Chuck is correct that a TA signal, particularly one from Iberia or North Africa could easily stay in up to an hour after sunset [sic, means sunrise]. Third possibility is whether or not your loop bearing is skewed by another signal on frequency or perhaps on 640, or that you're nulling something as well. But, my final thought is that this could be a domestic off frequency, or a pirate off frequency, or even a Cuban (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Russ-- It is definitely possible that the bearing was extraordinarily skewed as I do have a local, WCRV-640. I don't think it was a Cuban but at this point it appears doubtful it was TA. Good point about signals still available up to over an hour after sunrise, in my log of Senegal in 1996 that I mentioned in the previous message, the carrier was still there over an hour after sunrise at the transmitter. That was a pretty amazing night with multiple TA LW stations logged with useable audio, and Senegal which briefly attained excellent levels. As to GeoClock, there are commands that allow you to configure terminator and twilight sittings. Since I have changed the sittings recently, I thought for a minute that I may have set it up incorrectly (Brandon Jordan - Memphis TN, ibid.) Depending on what the bearing is from you to WCRV, you could have major skewing. Did you happen to check the other side - 640.73 in case it could be a WCRV parasitic? Well, Cubans are not always careful about frequency control, and 640 is a big transmitter there.... Most of my experience with GeoClock is version 6.0 and prior, and if those settings were available, I didn't alter the defaults. Alas with the faster machines, I need to upgrade - just haven't gotten around to it, although this old machine I'm using for the shack only might still run what I have, as it's only 166 MHz. Have to try that... (Russ Edmunds, Blue Bell, PA, ibid.) Agreed, not likely a TA and probably just another wandering LA; Cuba's Frequency Check Department has never been a world leader. TP-land is all in daylight except for New Zealand, so I wouldn't think this was a TP. Paris sunrise today was exactly 5:54 AM GMT, and La Coruña (España) should be about 6:50 GMT per fiddling with the "VCR" controls of GeoClock. That might seem a little unusual, but remember La Coruña is as far west as Portugal, which is the westernmost part of Europe except possibly the west of Ireland - I don't remember for sure. Plus, the sunrise line is slanted from NW to SE so that Portugal and the NW corner of Spain are the last Europeans to see sunrise (Chuck Hutton in Seattle, where there's still a bit of light at 10:30 PM and it's sunrise at 5:17 AM, ibid.) Chuck-- Paris sunrise is one hour earlier GMT than you stated and La Coruña sunrise is 0459 GMT per GeoClock (Brandon, ibid.) Right you are. My home PC, Ben and you all agree. My work PC disagrees. I will flog it properly tomorrow as it is a major sin to mislead NRC members. It shall remember this flogging for a long time....... (Chuck Hutton, WA, NRC-AM via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 28290 ?? 7/1 0225 reading the Gospel in English, rather weak and faded in and then out. Any ideas?? (Dave Tomasko, Downers Grove IL, MARE via DXLD) Wasn't there some Irish or Scottish 'pirate' activity in this area of the spectrum a while ago? My memory is hazy -- anyone else? 'Course the obvious is that it could be a harmonic 3 x WSHB on 9430. Ideas? – kvz (Kenneth Vito Zichi, MARE ed., via DXLD) I`ll go with WSHB X 3, also reported in harmonics group without attribution; easy enough to check parallel; always do that with suspicious frequencies like this (gh, DXLD) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DRM +++ UK's Roger Parsons couldn't be more precise; I mean some in the broadcast industry and media really seem to be "flogging a dead horse"! Being HF widely used for communicating into places where AM or VHF-FM (let alone DAB!!!) is simply not as easy or trivial as in other countries, far from it, why then so much waste of taxpayers's money in carrying out the annoying "DRM" tests? Will it be all right for those pulling the strings that if someone`s interested in receiving digital HF signals then he/she will perhaps need a very special receiver and\or a PC? If so, what target areas have those gentlemen in mind? (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) DRM`S UNIVERSAL STANDARDIZATION ADVANCES WITH IEC APPROVAL: Geneva - Moving fast toward universal standardization, the on-air system Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) has been endorsed by the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC), which published its DRM Publicly Available Specification (PAS62272-1). DRM is the world`s only non-proprietary, digital AM system for short-wave, medium-wave and long-wave with the ability to use existing frequencies and bandwidth across the globe. The IEC approval, together with DRM`s existing certifications by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), puts DRM a step closer to its 2003 launch. The ITU approved its recommendation of the DRM system within its BS 1514 in April 2001. DRM had submitted its system to the ITU`s Radiocommunications sector (ITU-R) in 2000, and the ITU-R subsequently recommended the system for approval by its 189 member countries. ETSI published a Technical Specification of the DRM system in September 2001. The document is called ETSI TS 101 980 V1.1.1 (2001-09), Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM); System Specification. Free downloadable copies are available at the ETSI Web site at http://www.etsi.org Use the search parameter DRM. With near-FM quality sound that offers a dramatic improvement over analogue AM, DRM will revitalize the AM broadcasting bands below 30 MHz in markets worldwide. DRM will be on display at IBC 2002 in Amsterdam, and at the ITU s next World Radio Congress. The DRM Consortium is made up of 73 broadcasters, network operators, manufacturers and researchers who joined forces in 1998 to create a digital system (also called DRM) for the broadcasting bands below 30 MHz. DRM has reached several milestones toward its launch. It unveiled mobile reception tours at IFA 2001, Germany`s largest consumer electronics show, in Berlin last August. DRM introduced new equipment specially built for its system, at IBC 2001 in Amsterdam last September. DRM audio samples are available online at http://www.drm.org (From Media Zoo Updated 02 July 2002 via Mike Terry, DXLD) DX-ERS AS POTENTIAL TERRORISTS...... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dear DXers, The times that shortwave listeners who received mail from R. Moscow and R. Peking automatically obtained attention of the secret service, are way behind us. However, in the post 9.11 days other dangers are emerging, as my experiences show : During longer international travels I usually take my Grundig Yachtboy receiver with me and also in most cases a small ferroloop antenna (amplifier box + separate ferrite rod), to boost local MW reception. To make sure thing do not get lost, I keep these in my hand luggage. During the last months I made four trips to the USA. In the increased security environment, the presence of my hobby gear has produced several reactions: 1. No reaction at all (not spotted on the X-ray, or ignored) 2. The bag is selected for further inspection and the contents produces puzzled looks at the faces of the inspection people. So far the explanation that this was a radio + antenna was accepted. 3. Further chemical analysis for explosives (wiping with tissue). So far always negative. 4. General excitement, as below : During my last trip, in Atlanta security people picked out my bag as "suspicious" and created a lot of problems. My SW radio was described as "funny" and also the statement was made "we do not have such radios in the USA" (although I bought this radio in the USA some years ago). After another security officer stated "I believe it is German", this argument was put to rest (so much for German industrial design). However, the combination with a small black box and ferrite rod prevented a quick solution. It did not help that I stated this was just an innocent radio + antenna. Things were run again and again through the X ray scanner. (Nice pictures!). The printed circuit boards + electronic components that were clearly visible only helped to feed the suspicion. After I showed some obvious signs of irritation (after explaining to a third person that this was just a radio), things became a little bit tense and I was afraid I was about to make some involuntary headlines. In the end things were settled, after someone from the airline came along and allowed me to take things on board (though stored removed from my place and with the batteries of the radio removed). It helped that he recognized the ferrite rod as "something from a radio". I am not sure if the above should serve to ridicule the efforts of the security personnel, or to praise them because of their stubbornness in trying to get information. However, I am sure there are other people on this list who occasionally travel with radios and/or antenna gear. I was bit embarrassed by the way this went (and the time that it cost me), and I wondered if there are ways of preventing this confusion. Is it possible to obtain a kind of document that describes equipment as being innocent? Storing it in the luggage that you check in, is not a solution because (apart from the risk of loss), in some cases this luggage is now also opened and inspected. Regards, (Aart Rouw, Bühl, Germany, hard-core-dx via DXLD) Just for background, a few years ago Media Network did an investigation into the potential problems of carrying radio equipment on board aircraft. I personally had the opportunity to ask a few questions of a security man in Philadelphia when he was doing a routine search. It turns out that there was not (and most probably still isn't) a single policy enforced at all airports and by all airlines. He worked for British Airways, and said that the rules for carrying such equipment not only vary from airport to airport and airline to airline, but even between different routes with the same airline! In short, my personal advice to those of you travelling with shortwave equipment is to check well ahead of time with both your departure airport and your airline about any potential problems. But do not assume that any advice you receive automatically applies every time you travel. BTW may I wish those of you celebrating the 4th July a happy and peaceful day (Andy Sennitt Radio Netherlands, ibid.) I recently travelled to Amsterdam, from Boston, with a stop in London, and back to Boston a week later. I carried a RadioShack DX-398 shortwave radio in my carry-on bag, with an extra reel up antenna. I felt that for sure the bag would be closely examined at Boston, since this is the point where two hijacked planes departed on September 11th. However, no security screeners at Boston (or London, or Amsterdam) ever took a second look at my bag and its contents. Security is still a joke (at least in US airports, better in European ones). For example, one individual who checked my passport prior to the x-ray machine in Boston spoke practically no English. The screeners target people who obviously pose no realistic terrorist threat. It's surprising that I should walk through with a bag full of electronic equipment (shortwave radio, digital camera, extra batteries, etc.) while the middle aged woman behind me gets her purse carefully dissected by someone who has no idea what they are looking for anyway (Damon ---, ibid.) ### |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| DX LISTENING DIGEST 2-106, July 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 #1138 [already available early UT July 3]: (DOWNLOAD) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.rm (STREAM) http://www.k4cc.net/wor1138.ram (SUMMARY) http://www.worldofradio.com/wor1138.html [probably available later July 3] (ONDEMAND from Friday) http://www.wrn.org/ondemand/worldofradio.html FIRST BROADCASTS ON WBCQ: Wed 2200 17495 AND 7415; UT Thu 0415 7415 FIRST BROADCASTS ON WWCR: Thu 2030 15825, Sat 0500, Sun 0230 5070 FIRST BROADCASTS ON RFPI: Fri 1930, Sat 0130, 0730, 1330, 1800... on some of: 7445-USB, 15038.6, 21815-USB DX PROGRAMS UPDATE: http://www.worldofradio.com/dxpgms.html DXERS CALLING CANCELS AUDIO STREAMING Dear supporters, it is a with a heavy heart I have to tell you that I've decided to take all my audio off air at live365.com, due to royalties that will be implemented in 30 days time. I have been relaying and providing audio for 2 years now for no cost and being charged nothing as a founding live365 account holder, so this is a difficult decision to make. I will be looking at alternatives to making audio available via other means, but for now will be taking a break; all my webpages will continue. I will keep you informed of other arrangements, Thanking you Tim Gaynor, DXers Calling Australia http://nrin.hypermart.net http://www.geocities.com/nri3 https://www.angelfire.com/myband/tjg (via W9WZE site via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) Included WOR but music hardly an element there (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. USA/AFGHANISTAN: US BROADCASTING PROJECTS UNDER WAY Text of remarks by Marc Nathanson, chairman of the US Broadcasting Board of Governors, at the National Press Club in Washington on 26 June, carried on Broadcasting Board of Governors web site Thank you all very much for coming today to hear about the new developments in the War on Terrorism by US international broadcasting entities after 11 September. First, I want to welcome my fellow governor, Norm Pattiz, who is here with me today. Norm is chairman of our Middle East subcommittee and the father of MERN [Middle East Radio Network]. Also joining me are Bob Reilly, the director of the Voice of America, and Tom Dine, the president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which is based in Prague. The Broadcasting Board of Governors - the BBG - is responsible for all US non-military broadcasting including radio, TV, satellite and Internet delivery. Created as an independent agency nearly three years ago, the BBG supervises VOA, RFE/RL, Radio Free Asia, Worldnet Television and Radio/TV Marti. Altogether, we broadcast to over 100 million people each day in 65 languages to 90 countries. Today, I want to focus on one country - Afghanistan - and tell you about our international broadcasting initiatives that are helping to rebuild that country, and, hopefully, promote peace and democracy. Other countries have pledged a lot of media assistance to the Afghans since the Taleban were expelled, but we've been told by Afghan officials that we're really delivering on our promises. Here are the BBG projects that are under way in Afghanistan: 1. We signed an initial agreement with the Afghan government in May 2002 to install two mediumwave transmitters that will have nationwide reach. VOA and RFE/RL will use one transmitter; the other will be used by Radio Afghanistan, operated by the Afghan government. Millions of people with AM radios will be able to hear programmes in Dari and Pashto as a result of this project. Both transmitters are 400 kilowatts, meaning they'll reach millions of people listening to AM radio. The 10.2m-dollar project, which will include constructing, transporting and installing the equipment, is expected to take about six months. Under the agreement, the United States will also help the Afghans to return to operation a mediumwave transmitter that is currently inoperable. 2. We've also shipped two FM transmitters to Kabul, and they began operating last month. These transmitters provide service to listeners in and around Kabul. One transmitter carries Radio Afghanistan on 105.2 FM. The other transmitter, 100.5 FM, carries RFE/RL and VOA programming in Dari and Pashto 24 hours a day. There is a tremendous influx of cheap FM radios coming into the country from Pakistan. This infrastructure is important because existing broadcasting equipment in Afghanistan is obsolete. Some 75 per cent of Afghanistan's mediumwave transmitters were either destroyed or were inoperable. Each of the country's six shortwave transmitters were also ruined. We hope new equipment will help the Karzai government spread a message of reconciliation and democratic transformation to Afghanistan's citizens. 3. To give the people of Afghanistan more objective and accurate news and information, the BBG has increased broadcasting in Dari and Pashto via shortwave radio and FM since 11 September 2001. VOA now broadcasts and rebroadcasts in about four hours each of Dari and Pashto. We've more than doubled programmes into Afghanistan, and, with funding from Congress, we've added hours in Farsi, Turkish, Urdu and Uzbek. It's important to note that prior to the War on Terrorism, VOA had a huge shortwave listening audience of about 80 per cent of the male population. The Taleban forbade measuring female listenership. And it's not only VOA that's active in Afghanistan. Congress allocated 19.2m dollars for RFE/RL to create Radio Free Afghanistan, which launched in January. To date, RFE/RL is broadcasting a total of 10.5 hours daily in Dari and Pashto, 8.5 of them live. The VOA-RFE/RL Dari and Pashto streams are coordinated and integrated to assure maximum coverage of news both inside and outside of Afghanistan. US international broadcasting is already having an impact. VOA and RFE/RL provided complete coverage of the presidential election, and broadcast the speeches of leaders from Afghanistan's many regions during the Grand Council of Afghan leaders [Loya Jerga]. Both services carried events live, mixing in commentary, analysis and music. RFE/RL and VOA journalists interviewed dignitaries, delegates, and passers-by. Ad hoc roundtables were convened with hand-held microphones. Special call-in shows allowed ordinary Afghans to present their views on the future of the country. RFE/RL placed a particular emphasis on women, organizing women's roundtables and going out of the way to interview women. And RFE/RL received international attention when First Lady Laura Bush came to the studios in Prague last month to record a speech for the people of Afghanistan. 4. VOA and RFE/RL have increased staff in and around Afghanistan. More than 30 correspondents and stringers work for the services, covering national, local, health, education and humanitarian events. Training is another important component. With a 436,753-dollar grant from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), VOA is training more than two dozen freelance reporters and broadcasters in and around Afghanistan. RFE/RL is also training Afghan journalists on fundamental journalism techniques. Already about 20 people have undergone a one-week course learning how to conduct interviews, distinguish between news and commentary and use basic equipment. The services have translated the "Guide to Radio Journalism" into Dari and Pashto. The RFE/RL's Kabul bureau is already a major hub of journalistic activity and training for local journalists. The bureau has a Local Area Network with desktop computers and transmitters. Stringers have been taught basic recording, editing and production training. Reaction to our work from our most important constituency - the Afghan people themselves - has been overwhelmingly positive. Hardly a day goes by without some statement of popular gratitude for these broadcasts - from the taxi driver in Kabul to the refugee camps in Pakistan. Mohammad Rahim Aliyar, governor of the remote, ethnic Hazar province of Bamyan, expressed appreciation best to one of our reporters. "The only contact my people have with the outside world," he said, "is due to international broadcasters such as yourselves." Our journalists along with other international reporters are doing the job of reporting the news to the Afghan people under very hazardous conditions. They do this because they know it is vital to the future of freedom and democracy in Afghanistan. Contact: Joan Mower; Email: jmower@ibb.gov; Phone: 202.260.0167 Source: Broadcasting Board of Governors web site, Washington, in English 26 Jun 02 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 18940, R. Afghanistan via Kvitsøy: I checked at 1230 and 1330 on 28/6 & 29/6, but no sign of them. I wonder if it has moved since? Should propagate into here on this channel, as the other Scandinavian stuff on this band generally well heard at present (Craig Seager, July ADXN via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Heard what I thought was Radio Free Afghanistan via 18980 at 1430, Arabic sounding language (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ?? Not on RFA schedule ** ALGERIA. Where is Algeria??? Have they gone off air? Have not heard those folks for years (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ask him? ** ALGERIA. NEW NATIONAL RADIO DIRECTOR-GENERAL APPOINTED | Text of report by Algerian radio on 30 June Minister of Communications and Culture and Spokeswoman of the Government Khalida Toumi today at the National Radio Company appointed Mr Zouaoui Benamadi as director-general of the National Radio, succeeding Mr Hamza Tedjini, who has been called to other responsibilities after having led the institution for two years. The ceremony took place in the presence of the managers of the National Radio Company. The new director-general is a professional journalist who had worked for Algerie Press Service [APS]. He managed several national newspapers. He was also the director of the UN radio in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia. Source: Algerian radio, Algiers, in Arabic 1700 gmt 30 Jun 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. 10015-LSB, LR9 R. América, B.A. 1830, programa: "Entretiempo" con entrevista sobre la situación argentina actual, al Presidente de Asociación de Funcionarios Postales. SINPO 35534. //MW1190. No estaba allí a las 1900 (Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Jun 30, radioescutas via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. ARGENTINA INVESTIGA A LA IGLESIA UNIVERSAL DE DIOS POR SU ENTRADA EN RADIOS Y TV (Foto de Edir Macedo, líder de la iglesia) El Gobierno argentino ha iniciado una investigación sobre las actividades de la Iglesia Universal de Dios en el país. Originario de Brasil, este grupo religioso desembarcó en Argentina en 1990. Desde entonces no ha dejado de expandirse, sobre todo en medios de comunicación, contraviniendo una ley que prohíbe la tenencia por un culto extranjero de estos medios. En Argentina, la Iglesia Universal de Dios se ha valido de testaferros locales para adquirir emisoras y estaciones de televisión. En septiembre de 1999 compraron el paquete mayoritario de Radio Buenos Aires, por el cual pagaron 15 millones de dólares (cifra casi igual al traducirse a euros). Oficialmente la radio pertenece a Ricardo Cis, un argentino que vivio durante años en Brasil. Como mínimo, resulta extraño que Ricardo Cis haya pagado 15 millones de dólares para adquirir esa radio cuando su patrimonio en ese año, según la Hacienda argentina, era de unos 28.000 dólares. El Gobierno argentino comenzó a investigar a este poderoso grupo, que cuenta con más de 80 templos en Buenos Aires, ante la inusitada vorágine de adquisición de espacios radiofónicos, tanto en OM como en FM, y televisivos. Esta iglesia tiene programas en las emisoras Rivadavia, Splendid, Libertad y El Mundo, y en gran número de emisoras de FM, por los que el grupo religioso paga 700.000 dólares al mes. Cuenta el empresario Carlos Ávila que el grupo le hizo una oferta para comprarle el canal de cable Cablevisión Noticias y una parte del paquete accionarial del Canal 2 de televisión hertziana. Se sabe que el grupo se interesó por adquirir Radio Rivadavia, la tercera emisora en audiencia del país, perteneciente al empresario argentino Luis Cetra. Artículo de http://www.religiondigital.com (via Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, June 30, Conexión Digital via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. Using a Beverage for R Baluarte/R Maranatha 6215, here's what I could get, which was marginal at best: heard on 22 June 2203- 2221 in Portuguese airing songs, rated at 23432, QRM being from adjacent pirate station Laser Hot Hits 6220 kHz plus something I wasn't expecting, i.e. a cost-ship USB QSO between 2 Brazilian stations on approx. 6218, so neither the CAm Bev nor the too shortened and the partly damaged SAm Bev were of much help (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 24 via DXLD) ** ARMENIA. 11685: Today I finally tried 11685 Armenia. They went on around 1553 with a modest signal and not so good modulation. At 1557 CRI sign on with a stronger signal and a RCI sign off. At 1600 CRI went to Turkish as scheduled. The CRI freq was somewhat low, so most likely this is Xi'an as listed. Armenia was spot on frequency, but with a low freq variation (buzz). At 1610 Armenia had the usual FS sign on procedure. The program was in Armenian throughout, but the style was different, information type program before 1610 and cultural (radio theater) after 1610. All in all it seemed to be a home service relay with a FS ID inserted at 1610. The station went off some time before 1655. This could well be from the Arinj site, which has a 300 degrees antenna. At best, the signal here was in level with CRI, i.e. using the SE antenna. The mystery is, who do they hope will stay tuned to this service? Arinj is the "name" I have given to the old site, this being the closest town. The new site nowadays is called Gavar, formerly Kamo, due to a change of name of the nearby town. Arinj is the first town north of Yerevan, but actually it is not physically separated from Yerevan. If you search for Arinj on the Internet you will get a substantial number of hits (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jun 25/26 via DXLD) 11685: It seems that I am getting the best signal here from Armenia here in the UK - it's usually way over all else. And reception has improved since Jordan 11690 went off. Yes, the transmission does seem to suffer some "noise", which is probably as described by Olle. I note the change in program at 1610 - this is obviously what Olle describes. I'm not totally familiar with this language, but I thought there were some Russian sounding words at times. Is Arinj the "old" Yerevan site which you referred to in connection with the recent map - Olle? - or the one usually referred to as Kamo. I didn`t realise that two sites were available. Who can guess how many Armenian nationals/speakers there are within the general European area. They must be the theoretical audience. I was surprised to learn that there are 5000+ Koreans resident in a part of London - and they all appeared to be watching yesterday`s football game! (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jun 26 via DXLD) Today I followed 11685 until s-off, which was at 1642, in mid program. It seems that they start a news program just after 1600, preceded by a home service ID. Again the program after 1610 was a cultural style service. The odd s/on and s/off times also seem to indicate that this transmission originates from the Arinj (old Yerevan) site rather than Gavar. I checked the 4810 transmitter today at 1940, when the English program opened. I found the frequency to be somewhat low, so this channel may also originate from the Arinj site (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jun 27 via DXLD) All very interesting, and the s-off time is similar to what I heard. It seems to be an extract of their HS, then, but with a FS ID included at 1610! It's a regularly strong signal here whenever I tune it. But 4810 is also very low here. I wonder if this is a 50 or 100 kW unit (Noel R. Green, UK, BC-DX Jun 28 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. VNG: The 8638 kHz frequency is 10 kW nominal according to http://www.nsc.gov.au/PDF_WORD/Info/L15.pdf which I found with a VNG Frequency search in Google. They almost certainly have the transmitters throttled back however. I don't recall having noted the lower frequencies in a long time but neither have I looked for them. The 2500 kHz at 1.5 kW would make a nice catch! VNG coming through at a good steady level on 12984 with the old familiar time pips. ID in slow morse at 0944:15 for about 6 repeats over the pips. 24 June 2002. Poised to disappear as Australia falls behind the times (Tony Ward, Ont., VE3NO, DXplorer June 26 via BC-DX via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. AUSTRALIAN MARITIME RADIO - END OF AN ERA At 2359 June 30 maritime radio services came to the end of an era. The network of coastal radio stations operated by Australia's virtual monopoly telecommunications giant, Telstra was closed as the contract was not renewed. The Australian Maritime Safety Association has contracted for services to shipping around the country to a new operator and new transmitters. Two sites have been established about as far away from the coasts of Australia as possible. They are VMC at Charleville in Western Queensland and VMW at Wiluna in a remote part of Western Australia. I listened to Perth Radio closing its weather forecast and traffic net at 2348 on 8176 kHz with "that is all for now - and for ever from Perth Radio". The new service began at 0000Z on eight frequencies in the 4, 8, 12 and 16 MHz bands. Signals on all but the 4 MHz band from both sites were very strong at my location at the southernmost point of the mainland coast, some 170 km southeast from Melbourne. The information now being broadcast seems to be far more comprehensive than the limited amount given out by each of the old coastal stations VIM VIS VIT VID VIP VIA etc. Details of the new services are given on the Australian Bureau of Meteorology web site at http://www.bom.gov.au/marine The Acrobat file MWS_brochure2.pdf gives the essential information. As broadcasts begin at hh00 round the clock, the frequencies will provide a good reference for propagation conditions for many listeners around the world. Frequencies to check are VMC 4426 8176 and 12365 (24 hrs) plus 16546 (daytime) and 2201 and 6507 (nighttime); VMW 4149 and 8113 (24hrs) plus 16528 (daytime) and 2056 and 6230 (nighttime). Daytime is 2100- 0800 for VMC and two hours later for VMW. An additional 12 MHz frequency for VMW will be added shortly as the originally planned one was found to cause interference with a New Zealand service (Morrison Hoyle, Victoria, July 1, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA: RA preview, Friday, July 5 at 2305 - LINGUA FRANCA - about language. "Why Censor Chekhov?". Jeanne Heifetz on battling the New York State Education Department's Sensitivity Guidelines. To graduate from high school, New York public school students must pass compulsory tests set by the New York State Board of Regents. As part of the English Language Arts exam, students are set an essay topic accompanied by excerpts from literary works. When her step-daughter brought home last year's exam paper, Jeanne Heifetz found that the excerpt from Isaac Bashevis Singer's memoir, In My Father's Court, and another, from Chekhov's short story, The Upheaval, had been bowdlerised, cleaned up, censored. After further research, she discovered the State Education Department's 'Sensitivity Guidelines'. In following them (since 1980), the examiners have been overriding the First Amendment to the US Constitution and breaching authors' copyright. So began Jeanne Heifetz's campaign to stop censorship of literature in the State Education Department's examinations. [Transcript available] Repeated 0530 UT Sat (via John Figliozzi, ODXA via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. BIG RADIO ANNIVERSARY IN AUSTRALIA; THE FORMATION OF THE ABC It was just 70 years ago that a dozen mediumwave stations located in 10 cities in 6 states throughout the Commonwealth of Australia were formulated into a national network of government radio stations. That event occurred on July 1, 1932 and today they are celebrating their fabulous 70th anniversary with a whole host of special programs. This is how it all began. The first permanent radio station in Australia made its inaugural broadcast in Sydney on November 13, 1923 under the callsign 2SB. At the time, station 2SB was owned and operated by a small commercial company, ``Broadcasters Sydney Limited``. Their original callsign, 2SB, was derived from the initial letters of their ownership, Sydney Broadcasters, with the digit 2 indicating the state of New South Wales. In anticipation of the inauguration of this new commercial radio station, test broadcasts were conducted from the station location on the rooftop of a newspaper company, ``Smith`s Weekly`` and ``Daily Guardian`` in Philip Street, Sydney. The first test broadcasts were made from an amateur radio transmitter running just 10 watts under the callsign 2HP. A few days later, when the commercial transmitter was ready for action, low powered test broadcasts were conducted from this unit. This first new radio station in Australia commenced a regular broadcast service with a flourish, and the inaugural live broadcast included local Sydney musical talent, both vocal and instrumental. One month later, an official inaugural ceremony was broadcast and this included a speech by the Postmaster General of Australia, under whose jurisdiction were all matters associated with wireless broadcasting. Some three months after the initial commencement of programming over station 2SB, the callsign was changed to 2BL and this new callsign was also taken from their ownership name, Broadcasters Limited. This new callsign was taken in order to avoid confusion on the part of listeners because of the similarity in sound between 2SB and another mediumwave station now on the air, 2FC. Radio station 2FC was inaugurated as Australia`s second wireless station about three weeks after the inauguration of the first station 2SB. Likewise, temporary accommodation was secured for this station on the top of another large building in downtown Sydney, the departmental store of Farmer & Company. Soon afterwards, a large transmitter facility with tall antennas was installed at Willoughby, overlooking the beautiful Sydney Harbour. This location was in use for only three years, before an even more suitable location was secured, at the AWA transmitting facility at Pennant Hills, an outer suburb of Sydney. As time went by, the interests of both stations, 2BL & 2FC, became intertwined, until they were amalgamated into one large broadcasting company with studios and offices in Market Street, Sydney. At first, the ownership was under the New South Wales Broadcasting Company, and then the Australian Broadcasting Company. Finally, the Commonwealth Government took over and these two ``A`` class radio stations became the headquarters operation for the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Station 2BL is still 2BL, though in 1971, the callsign of station 2FC was changed to 2RN, standing for ``Radio National``. Both of these pioneer radio broadcasting stations in Australia were involved also in shortwave broadcasting. The very first shortwave broadcasts in eastern Australia were made from station 2BL in February 1926, using the amateur transmitter 2YG, owned by Roy Allsop, the station engineer. These shortwave relays originating from station 2BL were on the air spasmodically for a period of three years and they were then transferred to the sister station, 2FC. At this stage, the regular mediumwave transmitter at Pennant Hills was re-tuned at night to a shortwave channel for this special shortwave programming. As time went by, further changes took place and these shortwave broadcasts were taken over by AWA under the callsign VK2ME. At the commencement of the European Conflict in 1939, this shortwave service from Pennant Hills was taken over by the ABC as ``Australia Calling``, the forerunner for Radio Australia, and the experimental callsign VK2ME was regularized into VLQ. Both 2BL and 2FC issued QSL cards in the early days and today these items are quite historic. One of these early QSL cards shows also the shortwave channel for 2FC, as 28.5 metres, corresponding to 10675 kHz. These two original commercial stations in Sydney became the headquarter stations for the Australian Broadcasting Commission on July 1, 1932, which is the big anniversary that the ABC in Australia is currently celebrating. At the time of the formation of the ABC, 12 mediumwave stations were incorporated into the new government radio network. These stations were located in all six state capitals, though Darwin in the Northern Territory had no radio station of its own at the time. In addition to the capital city stations, a further four relay stations in country areas were also absorbed into the ABC network, and these were :- 2NC Newcastle, New South Wales, 2CO Corowa, in the border area between NSW & Victoria, 4RK Rockhampton, Queensland; and 5CK Crystal Brook in South Australia. In addition to the 12 mediumwave stations, the PMG department also operated an experimental shortwave station at Lyndhurst under the callsign, VK3LR. This transmitter took its programming as a relay from the two ``A`` class mediumwave stations in Melbourne, 3LO & 3AR. The callsign 3LR was a combination of the callsigns of the two mediumwave stations. The experimental callsign VK3LR was regularized just prior to the commencement of the war, as the more familiar VLR, though this station was closed a decade or two back. A few days ago, I phoned the ABC in Australia for additional information regarding their 70th anniversary celebrations, and the receptionist girl at the switchboard gave the identification simply as, ``702``. This of course, is the frequency for their mediumwave station 2BL. Today, the ABC operates a nationwide network numbering more than 500 AM, FM and shortwave stations throughout Australia. One of the major 70th anniversary events is a historic broadcast with program input from the twelve original mediumwave stations in the ten cities in the six states. Another significant event that will occur on July 1 is the launching of the ABC`s seventh radio network. This new network will be an Internet only radio service featuring contemporary Australian music for the age bracket ranging from 30 - 50 years. We here at Adventist World Radio, and our DX program ``Wavescan``, honor the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on its auspicious 70th anniversary (Adrian Michael Peterson, AWR Wavescan June 30 via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2325, 1241-, ABC Northern Territory Jun 30 Good strong signal, with a program about religion (what do we do when we pray). Parallel 2485 was a bit weaker, and 2310 only poor (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See UNIDENTIFIED at bottom for DXpedition remarx ** AZERBAIJAN. I checked R. Dada Gorgud, the Voice of Azerbaijan again and heard the following on 6110 kHz \\ 1296 MW: 1200-1230 German, 1230-1300 French, 1600-1700 Arabic, 1700-1730 English, 1730-1800 Russian. In English ``6125 kHz`` is still announced and this broadcast is heavily interfered by TRT Ankara on 6115, apparently a move from 6120 (Maarten van Delft, Report from Georgia, July BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.45, 1058-, R. Pio Doce Jun 29 Fair reception with talk by male in Spanish. Lots of splatter. ?ID by YL at top of hour. Too weak to be sure of content (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6155.07, 0246-, R. Fides Jun 29 Decent signal best on LSB to avoid a lot of splatter from upper side. Latin music without any announcements. Brief ID at 0301, but otherwise continuous music (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA [and non]. Para quienes amamos la escucha de emisoras andinas, creo que puede ser de mucha utilidad para comprender mejor las transmisiones en aymara visitar la página http://www.aymara.org/ Allí, encontrarán la historia de este idioma, reglas de pronunciación, consejos para conjugar verbos, un glosario de expresiones y palabras más empleadas, etc, etc. Para quienes estén interesados en conocer más sobre esta lengua aborigen y no puedan acceder a la red de redes, yo les haré llegar por correo electrónico toda la información que pueda bajar de esta excelente página (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, Conexión Digital via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** BOUGAINVILLE. ABC-TV screened part of Sean Dorney's excellent series on Papua New Guinea, 'Paradise Imperfect' on Sunday 30 June. Dorney was the ABC's correspondent in PNG for many years. It focused on the Bougainville conflict and provided an excellent overview of the history of events on Bougainville during the 90s. For DXers, one item stood out - his visit to Paru Paru and interview with a guy, Michael Nike, who put together a home-made hydro power station using an assortment of bits and pieces salvaged from the Panguna copper mine. Dorney reported that this helped to power for a short time Radio Free Bouganville. A video excerpt is available on the ABC's web site at http://www.abc.net.au/png25/episode/epis_2.htm#part2 (Matt Francis? ARDXC June 30 via DXLD) See also PAPUA NEW GUINEA for a B. log This was the ABC story/program I watched presented by long-time ABC Pacific regional correspondent Sean Dorney. And yes was hydro powered (here's me listening to Johnno and agreeing that it was coconut powered ...:-)..oopps. Here's the specific Real Audio audio/video link referencing Radio Free Bougainville for those of us with 56k, else use the main link provided by Matt. http://www.abc.net.au/png25/episode/hydro_56.ram (Ian, ARDXC via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4914.96, 0320-, R. Difusora Jun 29 Nice jingle ID as Radio Difusora. Fair + signal in Portuguese (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11815, 0258-0300*, R. Brasil Central Jun 29 Beautiful full ID at sign-off in Portuguese. Interesting propagation as 11815 best using SW Beverage, while stronger 4985 best using W Beverage (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURMA [non]. NEW ZEALAND 9500, 1430-, Democratic Voice of Burma Jun 29 Excellent reception. Open carrier until 1430, when signed on in presumed Burmese, with many mentions of kHz. Best using LSB to avoid a bit of adjacent splatter (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Re new Montreal 1610 kHz station: As was the case on Friday night, at some point last night the music stopped and they went to the open carrier again. In fact, it seems to happen right after I report hearing them on with music. :-) I'm sure you'll have little problem bagging them once they go to a regular schedule (and begin operating legally!). I wish these kinds of services would stay on FM subcarrier and not pollute the AM band. Grrrr... (Barry McLarnon, Canada, June 30, NRC-AM via DXLD) For those of you who would like to learn more about this new station, here is the link to the CRTC decision on the station. It dates back to November 2001. You will see that they have applied for a lot of special conditions regarding the content of the station. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2001/db2001-678.htm I know that people in the DXing community may not be happy about this decision, but much like the plight of the secondary TIS users of the frequency, we as DXers are the secondary beneficiaries of the radio frequencies. Like it or not, we're not going to have much to say in matters like this. Here in Montreal, the population who will most likely use this station is very, very large and is very poorly served at this point in time. Sub-carrier stations are fine, but to reach the masses, they just don't do the trick. A few that already exist in Montreal barely exist and usually are supplying pretty crappy radios to the community to listen to them on. It's a tough break for the DXer, but we are much smaller minority than the people who will use a service like this (Sheldon Harvey, June 30, NRC-AM via DXLD) LATEST ON 1610 KHZ I just got off the phone (1:05 PM Eastern, Monday July 1) with Maitre Jean Ernest Pierre, the owner of the new station currently testing on 1610 kHz in Montreal. He confirmed that it is in fact his station doing preliminary on-air tests on 1610 kHz. He was really appreciative to hear from someone who had heard the signal and was very pleased to hear about DXers in other locations having heard the signal. Here is the vital information, at least some of it, as passed along by Mr. Pierre. The call letters for the station are CJWI-AM. They are using 1000 watts, but the modulation is currently suppressed awaiting some additional equipment. They will continue testing today, but will step up the procedure tomorrow in conjunction with inspectors Industry Canada and the CRTC. I asked about the exact location of the antenna, but he seemed somewhat reluctant to give me a precise location at this point; perhaps not surprising considering that he didn't really know who I was and what exactly my interests in this information were. Also, given the friction in the Haitian community in Montreal at present, it may have been even more understandable. I asked him about the insertion of legal station IDs and information on contacting the station. He told me that they would be inserting IDs, most likely beginning tomorrow. I suggested that there will be DXers looking to send in reception reports, and that it would be a very good idea to have a mailing address and e-mail address included in the on-air announcements. He said he would do his best to make this happen. I spoke with him in French, so I do not know the level at which he would speak or understand English, but given that he is a lawyer, practicing here in Montreal, I would think that there is a very good chance that he would be bilingual, or at least have staff working with him who could assist him if not. So that's the latest from here on Canada's 135th birthday. Our 10th annual Canada Day block party kicks off in about 3 hours! (Sheldon Harvey, QC, July 1, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. I used to love shortwave radio, but in the last sesquidecade I have been inactive. It is sad the state of the broadcast bands now – -- almost dead and very quiet. I grew up in the age of jamming transmitters when things were lively. I now hear a station playing non-stop Chinese instrumental music rom 1500 UT using at times 7540, 9355, 11945, 11955, 13625, 15510, 15680 and 17640. I presume this is jamming of R. Free Asia`s Mandarin programmes (L. J. Illingworth, Redruth, Cornwall, July BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) We remember him from long ago as an active DXer, perhaps regular contributor to Sweden Calling DXers when it actually covered SW. See also CUBA below (gh, DXLD) ** COLOMBIA. Answering my query as to the address where reports can be sent, Russ M. Stendal says that his personal email address is fine: Russell Martin Stendal rms05001@neutel.com.co In his email letter he goes to say that the pmail address is [BUT see below] Carrera 44 # 13- 69, Bogotá, Colombia, and that they are presently working on some material to send out to DX ers for QSL. Their short wave license will be an extension of our AM station which has a distinctive of HKI-81 on 1530 kHz. ``It remains to be seen if we will be given a separate distinctive for the short wave``. Over the next couple weeks they will be making adjustments to the antenna and transmitter hoping thereby to improve clarity and modulation. As earlier reported by Rafael Rodríguez, the street address mentioned goes to Librería Colombia para Cristo, and so this name should preferably also be mentioned on the envelope. A partial list of books on sale can be found at http://www.fuerzadepaz.com/webcristo/libros/catalogo/catalogo.htm These books and others such as "Rescue the Captors", "Guerillas Have Taken Our Son" and "Guerilla Hostage" are available in English from Ranson Press International, P O Box 400, Moorehaven, FL 33471 or GStendal@aol.com (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 2, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [Later:] The address given to me by Russ Stendal seemed a bit strange as it does not go to a neighborhood known for any significant business activity, and so I asked my friend Rafael Rodríguez to doublecheck the info. Sure enough, the address info is wrong and should be changed to Calle 44 No. 13-69 Barrio Palermo, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia. There is a website where one can contact the station at http://www.fuerzadepaz.com/webcristo/emisora/contactenos/contactenos.htm (Henrik Klemetz, July 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NEW COLOMBIAN SW STATION Escuchada desde comienzos de junio, en 6064.5 kHz, en fase de prueba, la nueva emisora colombiana, identificada por el nombre de "La Voz de tu Conciencia", manifiesta deseos de recibir informes de recepción. En respuesta a mi pregunta, Russell M Stendal, director de la radio, me dice que los informes de recepción relativos a "La Voz de tu Conciencia", 6064.5 podrán ser enviados a la emisora a/c de la Libería Colombia para Cristo, cuya dirección es como sigue: Carrera 44 No. 13- 69, Bogotá, D. C., Colombia. Están preparando ahora el material que pretenden enviar a los que les envíen informes de recepción. Mientras tanto, continúan en fase de prueba, y tratándose de un antiguo transmisor de 5 kW de Colmundo Radio, se supone que llegará lejos (ya se captó en Europa). Sin embargo, en el Cono Sur, pienso que la frecuencia de 6060, en donde próximamente piensan transmitir, será un poco complicada. Entre los libros que se venden en la mencionada librería – y que parece ser que también podrán ser bajados por internet – se encuentra "Secuestro y reconciliación", un relato del secuestro por parte de la guerrilla colombiana que le tocó vivir a Stendal. Ver: http://www.fuerzadepaz.com/webcristo/libros/catalogo/catalogo.htm (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 2, radioescutas via DXLD) We have very good news from Colombia. Russell has the sound studio fully operational and is producing all the programming for the station out in Bonaire. He is able to cut CDs, both messages and music to use on the FM station that has been running 24 hours a day for several years now. The feedback has been excellent from the listeners to this station. For many, who live out in the area controlled by the Marxist guerrillas, this station is their only link with Christianity. The churches have been closed and house meetings are forbidden. These people live on scattered farms and small towns out in the remote areas of eastern Colombia. Russell is also producing CDs made up of "shorts", messages of only a few minutes. These shorts are being received and aired on over 50 radio stations in other parts of Colombia. (Almost all of the radio stations in Colombia are in the cities and the population centers.) Right now he is producing a series of shorts made up of Scripture portions. Several months ago Russell was granted permission to operate an AM station out at Lomalinda/Bonaire. He is going ahead with setting up the AM station before the permission expires. He has ordered the transmitter and still owes $6,500. This station will have far greater coverage than the present FM. The AM will be great for reaching many more people at long distances, but the FM will still keep broadcasting as the quality of music is much better, and it will still be the station of choice for all within its range. He will use the present tower but eventually will have to set up a separate tower. Below, you will see the four different covers of the New Spanish Bible.... These Bibles are being very well received by all the different groups. The actual printing costs are about $5.00 apiece for each Bible, however Russell feels that behind each Bible lies at least double that amount of developing costs. These Spanish Bibles will soon be available in the United States on a freewill offering basis. Russell hopes that you will keep in mind these hidden costs and that your generous offerings will enable us to meet the printing bill as well as the other financial demands of this ministry. We do not want to be a "begging ministry" but pray that the Lord will raise up "cheerful givers" to enable us to keep moving forward on "all fronts" as the Lord keeps opening up opportunities. A heartfelt thanks to each one of you who has given so sacrificially to meet the needs so far. Both the Christian printer and the supplier of the radio transmitters are giving us 90 days to meet these bills. We need prevailing prayer for the prison radio station. It is all set to go on the air, but the prison department wants a more powerful station than first planned so as to reach all three prisons in Bogotá. Of course it will then reach the rest of the city as well. On the basis of this, Russell sold the transmitter he had ready and ordered a larger one. The papers are now in the hands of the government agencies. Only two frequencies are available, and there are many requests. Pray that the Lord will cut through the red tape and give all the required approvals. Chad and I have been traveling in the eastern United States and Canada this last month. On May 30 we will return to Colombia. We request prayer for our safety and that of all our family and coworkers in Colombia at this difficult time. Keep praying for the Christian Kogis, and we will give you an update on them soon. (from http://gloriastendal.tripod.com/stendalnews/id3.html dated May 2002, via DXLD) ** CONGO DR [non]. GABON/CONGO 9770, Following recent DX news, I observed [Congo via] Moyabi 9770 kHz, viz. at 1735-1832, and this cannot be but another confirmation that this is actually Kinshasa's R. TV Congolaise; heard in French airing African light songs, TS, news 1800, independence day celebration announcements and scheduled events, weather 1825 followed by more music; rated 43442 with adjacent QRM de VOR in English 9775 and CRI 9765 in Russian and then co-channel QRM de VOA 9770 via the PHL at 1800 (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 26 via DXLD) What you hear between 1600 and 1900 on 9770 is definitely RTNC Kinshasa relay, presumably via Moyabi-Gabon. I've heard them yesterday from *16h00 till after 18h00. Every time I checked they were in French. I believe that the transmitter is in Gabon as has been reported, but I would expect a better signal here from Gabon. Yesterday it could not be described better than "fair" at the best of times. I've heard this stn in January 2002, but have not been monitoring this freq to say whether it has been on air regularly (Vashek Korinek, RSA, BC-DX July 1 via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. Radio For Peace International's Weekly Program Update for the week of 30 June - 6 July 2002 ================================================================= Frequency Schedule: BAND FREQUENCY/MODE UTC/GMT TIME (frequencies/hours subject to change without notice) 40 meters: 7.445 MHz (USB): 2200 - 0800 19 meters: 15.040 MHz (AM): 2200 - 0800 13 meters: 21.815 MHz (USB): 1200 - 0200 (currently off the air for maintenance) And streaming live on the Internet in MP3 at http://www.rfpi.org (RFPI via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** CUBA. A few items I am trying to obtain if anyone could help me: a photostat of the R. Salas, Habana 9030 kHz QSL showing the Habana racecourse; a copy of the R. Progreso, Habana, 9362 kHz QSL letter [pre-revolutionary]; the list of Cuban SW stations in the 1958 WRTH. Both R. Salas and R. Progreso had outlets in the 16m band, tho whether they were ever used I do not know. I am also interested in Circuito CMC [CMQ??] on 9670. Please write to L. J. Illingworth, c/o Chris Thomas, 2a Cross Street, Redruth TR15 2BU, UK (July BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. RADIO FREE EUROPE TO STOP CZECH BROADCASTS, SAYS CZECH RADIO | Excerpt from report by Czech radio on 2 July Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has decided to stop in three weeks' time its broadcasts in Czech. At present Radio Free Europe [RFE] broadcasts in Czech in cooperation with Czech Radio, using the CRo 6 frequencies... Source: Czech Radio1 - Radiozurnal, Prague, in Czech 1600 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** ECUADOR, 4919, 0855-, R. Quito Jun 29 Fair reception with frequent IDs in Spanish. Talk by man and woman (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GEORGIA. During a recent visit to R. Georgia, I got this schedule from the Director of the Foreign Service Department. However, the Dusheti transmitters are often silent due to the ongoing energy crisis in the country: To Oslo: 0500-0530 Russian, 0530-0600 English, 0600-0630 German on 11805. 1830-1900 English, 1900-1930 German, 1930-2000 Russian on 11760. To Munich: 0700-0730 French, 0730-0800 English, 1700-1730 German, 1730-1800 English on 11910. To Tel Aviv: 0830-0900 English, 0900-0930 Georgian on 11910; 1530-1600 English, 1600-1630 Georgian on 6180. To Iran: 0400-0500 Tue & Thu Georgian; 1630-1800 Sat & Sun Georgian on 6080. To Armenia: 1415-1445 Armenian on 6080. To Azerbaijan: 1500-1530 Azerbaijani on 4540. R. Khara, 4540 and 4875, not to be confused with above broadcast on 4540; [mailing address confirmed as 52 Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi – Dave Kenny] The grave economic situation, and the continuing energy crisis, also affect broadcasting. The LW transmitter on 189 kHz is too expensive to operate daily and it is now only used on special occasions requiring nationwide coverage such as every Monday at 0600 for the weekly address to the nation by president Edward Shevardnadze. On MW, Georgian Radio (``Sakartvelos Radio`` in Georgian) now only uses 1215 kHz regularly. This is a relatively low-power transmitter at Dusheti, just 40 km north of Tbilisi. Even in the capital it suffers from co-channel QRM from Sari, Iran in hours of darkness. However, this outlet is frequently off during power cuts, and this also applies to other transmitters. Therefore the relays of Voice of Hope and AWR were only short-lived. The Tbilisi transmitter, listed for GR2 on 1044 kHz, is now used by R. Iveria which belongs to the Georgian Orthodox Church (Iveria is an ancient name for Georgia). The station is on the air 24 hours a day and mainly broadcasts religious, cultural and educational programmes. Address: King Erekle Str. 1, 380005 Tbilisi (Maarten van Delft, Report from Georgia, July BDXC-UK Communication, retyped by gh for DXLD) ** GERMANY. Recent DW website changes have dramatically improved the accessibility of on-demand audio programming. The more user-friendly URL of http://kleist.dwelle.de/english/dpradio/audio.html brings you to a list of programs; the most recent edition of each can be obtained with one click. Even better, this page was just two clicks from the main DW website. Much, much improved. However, program scripts and archives aren't available as they were previously, nor is the dynamic list of programs and airtimes. I'm guessing this might still be a work-in-progress, but the reorganized audio availability is certainly a plus, IMHO (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** GERMANY. See http://www.swr.de/frequenzen/mittelwelle.html In the beginning only 576, 666, 1017 and 1485 will carry the new SWR Cont.Ra, 711 is to follow not earlier than mid-July. This should be the result of a STL problem: There are no longer feed circuits to the three 711 transmitters, instead they use Ballempfang from the next FM site for SWR 1 programming and the Astra satellite system for the Native Language Broadcasts (that's the official name of the broadcasts for foreign workers) with timers for the switches. Now they have to establish an alternative feed, which should be in practice the same one than for the Eureka-147 transmitters. Interesting that Freiburg 828 will stay with SWR 4 Radio Breisgau, provided that the table is correct. So far this frequency table is still the only mention of SWR Cont.Ra I could find on the SWR webpages. By the way, if anybody wonders about the 1485 outlet not listed in the Germany section of WRTH 2002: It is missing there by error and was in fact always on air (Kai Ludwig, Germany, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Indeed Südwestrundfunk started its new SWR Cont.Ra program this morning at 0400. For the time being this program goes out on mediumwave only, the Astra satellite transmission will follow on September 1. Regarding Eureka-147 it is said that transmissions are to start not earlier than by the end of this year, and even then this will probably remain a poor L-band service with only local coverage. Why bother, there are the proven mediumwave outlets... Meanwhile SWR has a press release out: http://www.swr.de/presse/archiv/2002/07/01/2117/index.html Between 1700 and 2000 SWR Cont.Ra still includes the ARD broadcasts for foreign workers. As announced the SFB program infoRADIO is now relayed from 2000, tonight after a rather rough switch with a 1 kHz tone burst, followed by a loud crack. Evidently also the audio levels needs to be adjusted. I include a record (made on 1017) of the switch- over from the foreign workers stuff to infoRADIO, identifying itself as "Inforadio dreiundneunzig-eins" acc. it's 93.1 Berlin outlet, then news announcer Siegfried Fiedler welcomes the Südwestrundfunk listeners. The audio on 576/666/1017 is about a half second behind Calau 93.4. Regards, (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [and non]. Re DXLD 2-105: Hi Glenn, There can be various reasons for audio delays, but at high power SW stations the most likely explanation is to even out modulation peaks between different transmitters, which makes for a smoother and more efficient use of power. A reduction in power surges can prolong the life of expensive components such as tubes. I know we do this at Bonaire, and I imagine they also do it at Wertachtal. To my recollection, this has been mentioned a number of times before in DXLD and other publications (Andy Sennitt, RN, Netherlands, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. AIR External Service has started Kannada language transmissions from July 1, 2002, beamed to the Middle east at 0215 to 0300 on 11985 and 15075, both via Bangalore 500 kW (Thanks to Alok Das Gupta also for the info) Kannada is the mother tongue of the people of the South Indian state of Karnataka and the state capital is Bangalore. The new programs originate at AIR Bangalore itself according to the announcements that I heard. The AIR National Channel programs on 9425 at 1320 to 0041 UT are tests and the transmitter is of 500 kW from Bangalore. There are plans for a new day time SW Service also for Home Service, probably relaying the FM II Service from Delhi (Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, Somajiguda, Hyderabad 500082, India, dx_india via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This group specialises exclusively on Broadcasting in India! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Dates for Broadcasting by AIR : ---------------------- 1927 - July 23 - 2002 : Platinum Jubilee of AIR ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ** IRAN [non]. DAILY SAYS FOREIGN RADIO STATIONS PLAN TO CREATE TURMOIL IN IRAN | Text of report by Iranian newspaper Jomhuri-ye Eslami web site on 2 July In the past few days, foreign radio [stations] have launched an extensive propaganda campaign to create turmoil on the anniversary of the Tehran University campus on 18 Tir [9 July]. The monarchists living in America plan to hold gatherings in the streets of Tehran in support of the elements who staged a riot in Tehran between 19 and 22 Tir 1378 [10 and 13 July 1999]. At the same time, using the media at their disposal and foreign radio [stations], they are also planning to organize riots in Tehran. These campaigns are mainly oriented towards the youths and university students. Therefore, the youths and university students should deal with such provocation with awareness in order to foil this plot. The street riots of 19-22 Tir 1378 [10-13 July 1999] were organized by American agents and on those days the heads of America and Israel openly declared that the lifetime of the Islamic Republic system had ended! That plot for toppling [the government] was foiled with an epic demonstration by the united people on 23 Tir [14 July]. Source: Jomhuri-ye Eslami web site, Tehran, in Persian 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** IRAQ [non]. IRAQ SAYS CZECHS HELP ITS ENEMIES BY ALLOWING RADIO FREE EUROPE BROADCASTS | Excerpt from report in English by Czech news agency CTK Prague, 2 July: The Iraqi government views Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL) broadcasts from the Czech Republic as an act of enemy, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri Ahmad al-Hadithi says in the daily Hospodarske noviny today. He stresses that the Radio Free Europe broadcasts from Prague to Iraq have had a very negative impact on bilateral elections. "The Czech Republic has trampled down the long-lasting good relations which were between our countries," the paper quotes Sabri as saying. Sabri says, however, that the broadcasts from Prague do not influence the situation in Iraq in any way and mean nothing for Iraq. "We are standing up to American and British bombs and missiles," he says. However, Baghdad resents the fact that the Czech Republic provides "space to our (Iraq's) enemies and allows the CIA (the US intelligence service) to spread anti-Iraq propaganda", he says... Once expanded relations between the communist Czechoslovakia and the Baghdad authoritative regime deteriorated after the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The relations further cooled in the autumn of 1998 when RFE started broadcasts to Iraq from Prague. Iraq officially protested against the broadcasts but later said that it would not hamper the RFE signal as it is not bothered by it... Source: CTK news agency, Prague, in English 0559 gmt 2 Jul 02 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** JORDAN. Glenn, Here is some news. I have not noticed Radio Jordan on their regular 11690 frequency during their regular hours. Have they changed frequencies? (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST, WORLD OF RADIO 1138) R. Jordan, 15290, June 6 at 1124 in English, ``HRW worries over Loya Jurga``, SIO 444 (David Gascoyne, Kent, BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Not supposed to be in English here; presume wrong programme fed to transmitter (Tony Rogers, BDXC-UK ed., via WOR 1138, DXLD) However, R. Jordan was still reported on 11690 in English the same date at 1559 with time signal, news of Syria dam casualties, SIO 444, also by David Gascoyne; and on June 15 at 1600 with news on Israel and Palestine, SIO 444 (Clare Pinder, Cumbria, BDXC-UK Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** KASHMIR [non]. This morning at 0015 I noted two stations synchronized on 4790, obviously AIR and Azad Kashmir. There was also a signal spot on freq until about 1710, so it seems that the technicians at Rawat finally fixed the long standing frequency offset. The nasty het from AIR at 0000 must have prompted them to do something (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jun 25 via WOR 1138, DXLD) This morning I was able to pick up 4790 again at the 2340 sign on. Indeed this was the usual very buzzy transmitter, so they have corrected the frequency offset of the existing rig. The frequency synchronisation with AIR is next to perfect. Clearly, they are using a crystal drive for this channel (Olle Alm, Sweden, BC-DX Jun 26 via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH. Pyongyang heard on 13760, also 15245 --- thanx to your tips. 1900 UT (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS. 4662.28, 1208-, R. Houa Phan Jun 29 Weak talk, but equal to parallel 6130. This morning, 1123 30/6 weak, but in the clear on 4662.24. A tentative logging. Difficult for me to tell this from a Vietnamese station. I'll check again at 1200 for //6130. Confirmed with Big Ben type gongs just before 1200 (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS. 7145, 1325-, R. LAOS Jun 29 Relatively strong signal in French until just before 1330, then dead air until 1331 and ID as Lao National Radio, in English. Modulation must have diminished, because little heard after this. Lots of adjacent splatter. Following morming at 1311 tune in, 30/6 French monotone by YL. About same strength as yesterday (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. RBWI test for RFE/RL via Sitkunai, Litauen-1386. Very detailed QSL-letter from v/s: Rimantas Pleikys, who also sent his booklet "Radio Censorship" in Russian (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. Heard Radio Nord, 9980, started 2001. Signal plagued by QRM, little disappointed (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9980, Radio Nord, 1955 June 30, fair with mostly talk in Swedish between two men, canned "Radio Nord" slogan. More IDs including jingle at 2000 (Paul Ormandy, Host of The South Pacific DX Report http://radiodx.com DX KUSTEBUBG, or rather LISTENING DIGEST) ** MAURITANIA [and non]. I don't know what might have happened to R. Mauritanie's MF outlet of 783 kHz as reception vanished for quite some time. Meanwhile, I logged Nouakchott again on a Sunday, viz. 23 Jun 1506 at 24443 airing Vernacular program for some talk and chantings. Neighbouring MALI 7285 was also tried, but nothing was heard. The last time I managed to pick up MTN on 41 mb was also a Sunday afternoon, viz. on 5th May last. To some extent, I doubt they're using 100 kW on 41 mb (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 24 via DXLD) Further to my previous report, I did manage to get a successful try on 25 Jun 2120, when they were heard at 22431 \\ to 4845 airing a Vn program with some talk and chantings; co-channel QRM de En+POR despite using a K9AY. Another observation today 30 Jun 1501 airing Vn program on 7245 rated at 15341 also thanks to the K9AY loop only (Carlos Goncalves, Portugal, BC-DX Jun 25 via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 12015, 1021-, VOICE OF MONGOLIA Jun 29 Good to very good signal with English program of Mongolian music with the same woman who's been presenting for years! Nice to hear them so well again! (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MOROCCO. USA, 14370, VOA, (2 x 7185), 0457 July 1, Noted this strong second harmonic just above the 20 meter ham band a couple of minutes before their 0500 sign off (David Hodgson, TN, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) Site is Morocco, per current online sked, 7185 used only at 0430-0500 in Croatian (gh, DXLD) ** MYANMAR. 5985.80, 1427-, R. Myanmar Jun 29 Burmese vocals at fair level. More or less obliterated by splatter by 1430 when English scheduled (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Very nice 90 meter reception from PNG this morning July 1. Near greyline propagation and relatively quiet band conditions allowed for the best DX from PNG at this location in quite a while. Here are some of the stronger stations: 3205, R. Sanduan, 1020, July 1, Phone in show. ID by YL at 1036. 3235, R. West New Britain, 1025, July 1, Man in Pidgin, S9 peaks on base loaded vertical. ID by announcer at 1030. Beautiful traditional choral music at 1034. Nice solid copy. 3355, R. Simbu, 0909, July 1, English news and announcements till 0930. ID in passing. Poor EQ on announcer`s mic, all bass. Very muddy. Into national type news in English at 1000. 3385, R East New Britain (presumed), 1045. Nice signal also S9 here. Regional pop, time check "9 minutes to 9:00". Didn't stick around for ID (David Hodgson, Nashville TN, July 1, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 1737 kHz, 1250-, NDB aerobeacon KUT Jun 29 Fair reception with continuous slow CW K-U-T (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 2410, 0845-, R. Enga Jun 29-30 Noted with poor, but building strength on the 29th. I neglected to check on the 30th. 3204.98, 0855-, R. Sandaun Jun 29-30 Radio West Sepik (Sandaun) good reception with Tok Pisin. Following morning, measured on 3204.96. Did not break for national news at 1000. Non-stop island music, the a Johnny Cash piece, and a gospel medley. Tok Pisin at 1021, but no definite IDs noted. Time check for 20 past 8:00. 3220, 0845-, R. Morobe Jun 29-30 Very good reception with IDs in Tok Pisin. Following day, monitored them from before 1000 with 'Let me be there in the morning', then into the national news, but not until 1001:45. Encountered a major problem with echos, which resolved after the relay ended. 3235, 0925-, R. West New Britain Jun 29 I'm thrilled to see that many of the PNG stations have returned. Now's the time to monitor them again, as I suspect this is a temporary reversal of the general decline of SW broadcasting in PNG, owing to national elections. Tok Pisin, with many mentions of provincial elections, ballot boxes, provincial administrator William ?, and West New Britain heard numerous times. Good reception. Following morning heard after 0930 with religious hymn, 'Ballad of St John'. Full ID noted after the ballad. 3245, 0845-, R. Gulf Jun 29-30 Fair to good reception with Tok Pisin about the 4th of July. Following day noted after 0930 with much music and talk, but no definite ID. Best reception on LSB to avoid QRM. 3260, 0930-, R. Madang Jun 30 No mention of this station on the 29th in my log, and specifically noted not on the air on the 30th after 0930. 3275, 0940-, R. Southern Highlands Jun 29-30 Fair reception with election talk, into local music. Poor to fair on the 30th. 3290, 0942-, R. Central Jun 29-30 Poor signal due to heavy utility interference, but heard with Tok Pisin, into local music. Fair reception the following day after 0930 with the hets eliminated by the notch filter. 3290, 0907-, R. Central Jun 29 Nice steady S7 to S9 signal with local guitar and vocals. Lower modulation woman in Tok Pisin at 0909. Other PNGs audible at this time: 2410 (poor), 3204.96 (Radio West Sepik good/vgd 1-12). 3305, 0945-, R. Western Jun 29-30 Poor reception with Tok Pisin on the 29th. The following day, heard at same time with country and western music at fair to good levels. 3315, 1049-, R. Manus Jun 29-30 Not on the 29th, but back on the 30th. National news at 0900, and also heard at 1049 at good to very good level with C&W music, Tok Pisin with mentions of transparency, and accountability. Interviewed Vanuatu's PM, Mr Edward ?. LSB found to be best to avoid QRM. At 1053 there was a conch shell call, followed by information about an Australian website concerning the colonial legacy. Local time check, and into western music. 3325, 2129- [sic; means 0929?], R. North Solomons (Radio Bougainville) Jun 29-30 Not heard on the 29th, but logged after 0930 with fair reception with some cochannel interference. 3335, 0930-, R. East Sepik Jun 29-30 Not on the air on the 29th, nor the 30th. 3345, 0900-, R. Northern Jun 29-30 NOT heard either day. My notes have no reference to this station, so not sure if the transmitter still exists or not. 3355, 0950-, R. Simbu Jun 29-30 Strong signal but with muddy audio with talk, and into western music after open carrier for some time. Following morning, again very strong with religious talk re Sarah and Abraham, and mentions of Christian radio, thank you, Mondai, Number 1 asking in Tok Pisin. 3365, 0945-, R. Milne Bay Jun 29-30 Not heard on the 29th, and only came across a weak het on the 30th, so I'm not sure about this one. 3375, 0950-, R. Western Highlands Jun 29-30 Good reception 29/6. Same time on the 30th with Tok Pisin, mentioning private enterprise, education, white man, Great Britain number one. ID at 1043. National news at 0901:40 on the 30th, with switch to local program at 0914. Fair to good. 3385, 1009-, R. East New Britain Jun 29-30 Heard on both days. After the national news relay, reverted to local programming at 1011 answering a call from the field from a correspondent. 'Hello. We have you loud and clear. Count number 12 ballot box....' The language did not sound Tok Pisin, but rather more likely one of the many indigenous languages. Reception was very good, but utterly boring with the counts of each ballot box. Apparently (thanks for the information from Don Nelson), there has been major concern re ballot rigging, due to past fraudulent results, and so major care was undertaken to prevent this, this time around. Continued with this same format past 1311, long after the other stations had signed off (or faded out). This same count by the box continued the following day with some utility interference. 3395, 0900-, R. Eastern Highlands Jun 30 No mentions in my logbook for the 29th, and definitely not on the air on the 30th. 3905, 1000-, R. New Ireland Jun 29-30 Very nice to see this station back. Beautiful signal with full ID and time check for 8:00 in Tok Pisin. Following day heard at 0930 with just minor ham QRN. Local ID, and then a public service announcement for AIDS: 'Use condoms all the time'. A Scottish piece followed. 4890, 0930-, NBC Port Moresby Jun 29-30 Usual superb reception on both mornings. Heard well past 1200 (All: Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) An announcement today July 1st 2002 by NBC Karai National News indicates that a majority of the PNG provinces have extended their election polling date deadline to July 6th. So for us DXers this may (?) translate into the continued possibilities of extended transmission hours by many of the provincial NBC Kundu service SW stations to this date (Ian Baxter, ARDXC June 30 via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) Some stations were running all-night, UT July 1: 3205 and 3385. Good, because reception here is much better in the morning (Chris Hambly, Victoria, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PARAGUAY. Estuve chequeando en las últimas dos semanas la frecuencia anunciada a través de la cual Radio América, del Paraguay, emitirá en onda corta: 7300 khz. Y nada. No pude captar nada desde Buenos Aires y tampoco desde Lobos, donde las condiciones de recepción son sensiblemente mejores que desde esta megalópolis. Acabo de entrar a la página en Internet de la emisora http://www.radiodifusionamerica.com.py/ y encontré estos datos que reproduzco: ZP20 Radio América 9 de Agosto c/Acceso Sur, Ñemby, Paraguay. Cartas a: Casilla de Correo N 2220 Asunción Paraguay Teléfonos: (595-21) 960 228 / 964 100 Fax: (595-21) 963 149 E-mail: ramerica@r... [truncado por yahoogroups] Director General Pastor José A. Holowaty Nada se dice en la pagina web de la salida en onda corta de la emisora. No es facil encontrar sitios en Internet de emisoras paraguayas. No sólo para intentar su escucha sino también para recabar datos sobre las mismas. En http://www.yagua.com/ hay acceso a las siguientes estaciones... [incluyendo a América]: (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, June 30, Conexión Digital via DXLD) Yo "cada rato" chequeo la frecuencia y nunca se escucha nada. Estoy más o menos a 200 km del QTH de la planta y tendría que entrar como "cañón" aquí. Creo que todavía "no pasa nada". Deben tener problemas de algún índole.... En esta semana estaré en contacto con el Sr. Mur. No le he querido molestar tanto, porque sé que quiere poner la radio lo más pronto posible y cuando se complican las cosas no da gusto ser "molestado" ;) Hace algunas semanas pasé por cerca de las nuevas instalaciones y pude observar la nueva antena para AM y también parte da la antena para la onda corta. Saludos (Levi Iverson, Paraguay, ibid.) ** PERU. 4746.85, 1027-, R. Huanta 2000 Jun 30 Spanish programming at weak levels, presumed to be this one. EZL and Andean music, and talk. 4826.45, 1033-, R. Sicuani Jun 30 Weak audio in Spanish. Again a presumed logging, with two men talking (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 11840, 0850-, Radio Sakhalin Jun 30 Local ID in Russian, then into American C&W song, Lone Star. Very good. Presume this hour has local programming (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Regarding rumours about a relay of a European classic rock station via Bolshakovo, a well informed source in Russia has confirmed that a nighttime project is under preparation for 1386 kHz, but no further details are available yet. The start could take place in about 2 or 3 months (Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, MWDX list via Dave Kenny, July BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** SAUDI ARABIA. NEW INTERNATIONAL ARAB TV STATION PLANNED A member of the Saudi Royal Family has revealed plans to launch an international satellite TV station from London to help clear up misconceptions about Arabs and Muslims. Prince Mansur bin Nasser bin Abdul Aziz told the Al-Watan daily that the station would be on the air "after finalising some necessary procedures," but declined to give a launch date. The Prince says that capital funding has been secured through charities and international bank loans. Operating revenue will come through sponsorships and advertisements for Arab and Islamic products. The station will initially broadcast in English to the United States, Canada and Europe. Later, programmes in German, French, Spanish and Italian will be added. As well as seeking to present the Arab and Islamic world in a more positive light, another aim of the station will be to highlight investment opportunities and tourism in the region (© Radio Netherlands Media Network July 2 via DXLD) ** SEYCHELLES [and non]. Allen Graham interviewed two representatives of the Far East Broadcasting Association: Mike Proctor works from Cyprus, and Theodora Hanidis works from their U.K. headquarters. Both of them are affiliated with FEBA's "Spotlight" broadcasts in Specialized English, which is derived from the Voice of America's Special English slow-speed English broadcasts, although FEBA Radio has no connection with VOA. Specialized English uses slowly-spoken English with a limited vocabulary, for listeners who have a limited knowledge of English. These broadcasts began in 1999. Mike and Theodora recently visited HCJB and Ecuador to meet the station staff and to meet "Spotlight" listeners. This program is being carried on FEBA, HCJB, TWR Swaziland, and FEBC Manila. The schedule is available at http://specialized.english.net/bxplans.htm Mike and Theodora also talked about FEBA in general. Most of its transmissions are from Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, where FEBA owns three 100-kW transmitters. Their antenna array includes 6 curtains and 7 masts, arranged in an arc. They cover Sri Lanka, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and southern Africa on shortwave. They also own or co-own a number of local FM stations in Africa. More information is on their website at: http://www.feba.org.uk/schedule FEBA Radio may have to move its transmitter site due to a government land reclamation project; tests are being done to determine if FEBA can still get out its shortwave transmissions without harm to the people who will live on the reclaimed land. Updates on this are available from time to time at http://www.feba.org.uk QSLs are available for FEBA transmissions, but reports must be sent to the Seychelles transmitter site, to avoid delays that happen when the reports are sent to the U.K. headquarters and have to be forwarded. The postal address: FEBA ** P.O. Box 234 ** Seychelles ** Indian Ocean (HCJB DX Partyline June 29, notes contributed By: Marie Lamb, Syracuse, New York, USA, W9WZE site via DXLD) ** SIERRA LEONE. 6137.5, 29.6 2210, UNAMSIL was heard with really bad strength with mostly nonstop, boring music, making a report was not possible. Unfortunately. 2. OVE (Ove Fransson, Sweden, SW Bulletin via DXLD) 6137.7, 28.6 2340, UNAMSIL with a program very hard to report about the British and Camerunian soldiers in Freetown. DO (Dan Olsson, ibid.) ** SOMALIA. DETAILS OF RADIO DMC AND RADIO MIDNIMO Radio DMC Radio DMC (Democratic Media Concern) is based in Baydhabo (alternative spelling: Baidoa), the capital of Bay region in south-central Somalia. It broadcasts on 88.8 MHz FM in the Somali and Rahanwein languages (the latter is sometimes referred to as Maay). The radio claims to be independent and not affiliated to any of the political factions in Somalia. Baydhabo is currently controlled by the Rahanwein Resistance Army (RRA), the faction which controls the Bay and Bakool regions and which is opposed to the Transitional National Government in Mogadishu. Radio DMC is reportedly owned by local Somali businessmen and some in the diaspora. Radio DMC is a separate station from the RRA-controlled Radio Baydhabo. This latter station used to be heard on shortwave (6810 kHz) but has been untraced on that channel for a while. Radio DMC's daily programming includes news in Rahanwein at 1400 gmt and in Somali at 1700 gmt. The station closes down at 2000 gmt. Radio Midnimo Radio Midnimo (the Somali for Unity) broadcasts on FM from Boosaaso, the main port and commercial capital of the self-declared state of Puntland in northeast Somalia. Boosaaso was captured by forces loyal to Col Abdullahi Yusuf in May 2002. It had previously been held by those loyal to Jama Ali Jama. Subsequently, Yusuf's authorities closed down another radio station in the town, Somali Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Radio Midnimo broadcasts news in Somali at 1030, 1300 and 1700 gmt. Close-down is at 1900 gmt. Source: BBC Monitoring research Jul 02 (via DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. Radio Veritas, 3280. E-mail, long personal letter from v/s: Emil Blaser OP, eblaser@iafrica.com Address: P O Box 134, 2110 Mondeor, South Afrika. Claims that they have got reception reports from Bologna (I think I know from whom?) and Australia too (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 7235, 0400-, ADVENTIST WORLD R. Jun 29 Incredibly strong signal in African accented English and into religious music (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA. Thanx for updating the news about Stair. As far as I know he is still there in his cell (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I today received a handwritten letter from Brother Stair. It is two pages long (one sheet of paper but written on both sides of). Also, the outside of the envelope has the following rubber stamped onto it. "The Colleton County Detention Center has neither censored nor inspected this item. Therefore this facility does not assume responsibility for its contents." I had sent him two blank sheets of paper, but only one of them came back. Same envelope with the excessive postage in case he wrote back after June 30. Here's one paragraph: "Brother, I am in Maximum Security locked down for 23 hrs in a single cell with a bunk & toilet and water and they bring 3 meals a day." A little later: "No Radio - TV - [begin underline here] a phone yes to all here local." He also says he's in maximum security because one of the other prisoners got saved and was joyous all night. "He Just shouted and sang and rejoiced all nite and through the next day." (all sic from his handwriting). So they declared Brother Stair to be too "carmatic" (charismatic) and put him in maximum security. He also says, "No Hot drinks or meals no hard pen or any thing that can be used as a weapon. " Also: "Yes they open the mail and I am sure they read it. So your letter may even be copied. I don't know." He refuses to answer my question about his own guilt. But he writes: "Some men here are guilty and others have been charged with that that seem so unfair. Only God Knows." (all sic) He ends: "Hope to Be Out Soon on Bond or charge Dropped God Willing." The word Bond is underlined and the words God Willing double underlined. Signed "Brother Stair." He answers less questions than he answers, but I got more than I expected. On the outside of the envelope he wrote for the return address not the jail's but the Overcomer P. O. Box (Robert Arthur, June 28, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Check out http://rickross.com/groups/rgstair.html Has links to several articles, plus some lovely pics. ;-) 73/ (Liz Cameron, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Including two clumsily edited audio files apparently from unattributed ``network`` TV coverage, but really local: http://www.thenetteam.net/newspt1.ram and http://www.thenetteam.net/newspt2.ram ...and this story we have not seen before: FATHER CLAIMS SON'S DEATH WAS FOUL PLAY Father of a young man who recently died at a Canady's religious community, the Overcomer Ministry, says he suspects foul play. The Press and Standard/June 14, 2002 By Libby Roerig An autopsy revealed Stanley Crawford Bean, 27, died of cerebral herniation on Tuesday, May 28, according to Chief Deputy Coroner Willard Long. Bean, who had been living at the Overcomer Ministry in Canady's for about one year and a half, had a history of seizure-like symptoms. "The man wanted to go," Teresa Stair said in an earlier interview. "He really wanted to be with the Lord. He said, Sister Stair, I am so happy if I am going to be with the Lord." Teresa Stair is the wife of the Overcomer Ministry's leader Ralph Stair, 69, who is currently being held without bond at the Colleton County Detention Center on two counts of criminal sexual conduct and two counts of breach of trust. In the weeks proceeding Bean's death, fellow community members say Bean had been complaining of a variety of medical problems including losing his vision, Long said. "Brother Stan and I prayed for him two days before he died," said Teresa Stair. "The Lord sent me to him, and I prayed for him. I just believed he going to live." Considering his age and medical history, Stan Bean's father George believes his son's death was deliberate. "I believe foul play is involved, He walks in there healthy and comes out on a stretcher," George Bean said. "I really have the feeling myself that something was done to Stan to make him have a hemorrhage of the brain." "I think its bad, they could have saved him. He was sick for two days, and they didn't do anything. They just watched him die. I don't trust those people." Though Stan Bean died shortly before 11 PM, his father says he wasn't notified until about 8:45 AM the next day. The Colleton County Coroner's office wasn't notified until 9:30 AM, according to Long. "The cell phone rang," he said. "I forgot who it was, but they said, `Your son Stan passed away peacefully in his sleep.'" Though the ministry has offered to pay for a portion of the burial costs, George Bean says that gesture isn't enough. "I'm sort of bitter anyway. There's nothing that can be done now, because my son is dead and buried," said George Bean. Stan was always a pillar of great health, his father says. "When Stan left home, he was well," George Bean said. Active in many sports such as baseball, basketball and football, Stan Bean also excelled academically and was voted most popular by his high school class, his father said. "He was a normal everyday kid,"he said. After finishing high school, Stan Bean's behavior changed, as he became reckless and wild. George Bean says the death of his wife in 1998 instigated his son's desire for salvation. Stan Bean, who worked in construction, began attending service at the Seventh Day Adventist church, and shortly thereafter began following Stair. "I wish I knew how he got involved with that cult," George Bean said. "I don't know how they do it, but they brainwash those people. "I really would like a way that no other young people could be brought into that place, ever, ever." Stan Bean and several other men moved to Nickels, Ga. They would work during the week and attend church services on the weekend. "They were giving all their money to that cult," he said. "He gave them everything he had." After Stan Bean moved to Canady's, George Bean says he made two visits to the farm. "I wanted to see where my son was," he said. "I wanted to meet Stair, but they said he didn't meet people." Another thing that bothered George Bean was the fact that he never could be alone with his son. "Every time he came out of the Overcomers, he had this guy named Samuel with him. It was like they didn't want him alone," he said. George Bean recently made another visit to the farm to collect his son's belongings. "It looked like someone had been through his stuff," he said. Since his younger son's death, George Bean says he thinks of him all the time. Stan bean's older brother committed suicide in 1990. "It's been a shocker. I'm still numb," he said. (via Rick Ross cult site as above, via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** TANZANIA. 5050.1, 0356-, R. Tanzania Jun 29 Poor to fair reception of this African, with local music, and talk in local language. Generally a lot of noise tonight (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET. 4905, 1231-, Tibet Peoples BS Jun 29 Good reception of Lhasa in either Chinese or Tibetan presumably. Parallels noted 4920, 5240, and 6200 (all weaker). Rechecked at 1255 with even better signal, to hear Cuban music! Short talk by male, then more traditional Chinese music. Just before top of hour announcement by YL and into rather martial sounding NA. Followed by further talk by YL and OM (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TIBET. Xizang PBS, Lhasa, Tibet, China-6130. 3 pages handwritten letter in English from v/s: Tse Ring Deky, who says: "Your letter brightened my day"! 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** TUNISIA [non]. Millennium Voice via Woofferton, 21550, June 8 at 1340 news and talks in Arabic, various canned IDs in English, such as ``On 21550 kHz shortwave, broadcasting to Tunisia, Algeria and Central Africa, this is Millennium Voice.`` 1430*, SIO 242 (Tony Rogers, Birmingham, July BDXC-UK Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) I haven`t tried yet, but with Chile curtailed on 21550 to 1300-1400 only, MV should be in the clear for us at last, after 1400 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. From: ``Donald Field`` g3xtt@lineone.net To: kb8nw@barf80.nshore.org Subject: GB50_-_Wrap_Up? Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 10:08:32 +0100 GB50 (Great Britain Fifty) at Windsor Castle ended operations at 1900 UTC on 9th June. GB50 was probably the highest-profile special event station ever to be activated from the UK. For those of us fortunate enough to be involved, it was quite something to participate in the Queen`s Golden Jubilee in this way, surrounded by the pageantry and history of Windsor Castle. As well as achieving 24,727 QSOs in 145 DXCC entities, several hundred visitors to Windsor Castle each day took time out to watch the operation and to tour the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain) Amateur Radio Experience exhibition. They were also given the opportunity to exchange greetings via the ham bands. Many visiting amateurs from around Europe and also from JA, W, etc. took the opportunity to operate the station. GB50 was also visited by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh, Patron of the RSGB. A full write-up and photographs will appear in the RSGB magazine RadCom and also on the GB50 Website http://www.gb50.com Some statistics: QSOs by band: 80 461 40 4124 30 1463 20 4167 17 3921 15 6790 12 1408 10 1174 6 849 2 370 QSOs by mode: CW 12,221 SSB 12,214 FM 126 RTTY 113 PSK 53 And a reminder from previous News Releases: Operating Awards: See previous announcements, GB50 Web site and K1BV Web site. See also RSGB Web site for details of additional awards related both to GB50 and to the special GQ/MQ/2Q prefixes being used during June by UK stations. QSL Route: Owen Cross, G4DFI, (bureau, or direct to: 28 Garden Avenue, Bexleyheath, Kent DA7 4LF, England). Web Sites: GB50: http;//www.gb50.com RSGB: http://www.rsgb.org Golden Jubilee: http://www.goldenjubilee.gov.uk Info - Don Field G3XTT, Publicity Officer g3xtt@lineone.net Once again, many thanks to Icom UK, who provided the equipment for GB50. Regards, Don G3XTT (KB8NW/OPDX July 1/BARF-80 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U K [non]. Dear Glenn: Heard Radio Ezra's last broadcast of the current series at 0500 to 0530 on 30 June. Reception was terrible and didn't understand much beyond the initial ID. The signal was pretty much buried in the noise. Hill's website says he hopes to have a 4th series of broadcasts on starting in October. Cheers, Bill Wilkins, Springfield, MO, July 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RUSSIA 17735, 0458-, R. EZRA Jun 30 Final broadcast in the present series, with usual transmitter tones, and into programming at TOH. 0504 time check, ID, and mention of program to WCNA. Good with mild fades. Latter, reception becoming more difficult with only a S3 to S5 signal. At the end of transmission, mentions he'd like to come back and broadcast perhaps to Africa. Unfortunately the late hour for the west coast causes reception to be highly variable, from excellent to poor. I found the 2330 transmission much more dependable. Thanks John for your efforts (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. This received from SRSnews: We are pleased to advise Laser Radio will be running our first test broadcast this coming Sunday 7 th July, on 5935 kHz shortwave. We shall be transmitting with 100,000 watts from 1400 until 2200 UT. Reception reports to : Laser Radio BCM Aquarius London WC1N 3XX England Our website has also been updated - http://laserradio.net (via SRSnews, also via David Hodgson, TN, WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) Anyone know where this transmission is from - Latvia on 5935 (as used by Caroline) springs to mind? Although they don't mention it above, the Laser website says they are printing "only" a quantity of 2002 QSL cards and request a donation of £4 or 6 Euros or $5 if you want a card (!) - (Alan Pennington, BDXC-UK via WORLD OF RADIO 1138, DXLD) ** U S A. STATE OUT OF STEP, By WILLIAM SAFIRE, WASHINGTON http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/01/opinion/01SAFI.html?ex=1026514390&ei=1&en=d8380c3c6d489474 [also at http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/01/opinion/01SAFI.html --- Kim Elliott] In a column soon after 9/11 titled "Equal Time for Hitler?," I noted that our taxpayer-supported, government-sponsored Voice of America was "balancing" reports of the terrorist outrage by broadcasting interviews with Muslim supporters of terror. The anti-U.S. propagandist given air time by V.O.A. that especially stirred my ire was Yasir al Serri of the Gama'a Islamiyya, warning that Americans must make no accusations against Islamists "before knowing the full truth." V.O.A. failed to identify the group of which al Serri was spokesman as one that had in 1997 killed 58 foreign tourists and 4 Egyptians. The same V.O.A. news department ignored our State Department's protest and provided a world broadcast platform to Muhammad Omar, the Taliban leader harboring Osama bin Laden. Listeners the world over were informed by Omar on our network that "America has created the evil that is attacking it" and should stop "imposing its empire" on Islam. After a blast by Senator Jesse Helms and my provocative headline, an interim V.O.A. chief issued a soothing guideline that "we will not give a platform to terrorists or extremist groups." The new Bush- appointed V.O.A. boss, Robert Reilly, had conservative backing and tries to resist giving equal time to murderers on U.S. government facilities. In the old days of 2001, moral clarity was in fashion at Foggy Bottom. But last week, in the posh reception room of the State Department, at a ceremony blessed by the attendance of an approving Secretary Colin Powell, the same news director who approved the previous policy of equal time for terror emerged triumphant. Andre de Nesnera was given an award by the American Foreign Service Association for "constructive dissent" in refusing to follow the suggestion from State last September to deny terrorists U.S. airtime. Champagne corks popped, Secretary Powell's presence was taken to be an official apology, and de Nesnera was hailed by foreign service officers for "the courage to challenge the system from within." Within hours of having been lionized by the accommodationist diplomatic establishment for having etched his profile in courage, the triumphant news director fired a member of his staff named Stephen Schwartz. An excuse may be leaked, but I think the real reason is ironic: the former San Francisco Chronicle reporter is an outspoken dissenter from the news director's views. Schwartz, a contributor to the conservative Weekly Standard, is critical of Saudi and Syrian support of terror: in September, Doubleday will publish his likely best seller, "The Two Faces of Islam: The House of Saud From Tradition to Terror." The abrasive reporter, 53, who covered the war in Bosnia and Kosovo firsthand, was unpopular with deskbound colleagues. Nor did he join the 100 V.O.A. employees who signed a petition last year supporting the news director's defense of its offer of a platform to al Serri and Mullah Omar. The U.S. government's newsroom tilts pro-Arafat and anti-Sharon. Four times in one week, director Reilly had to pull stories that featured Arab justifications of suicide bombing. Last week, he was too late to catch a broadcast interview about reaction to President Bush's Middle East speech that called terrorists "freedom fighters" engaged in a "resistance movement." In analyzing Bush's presentation of the U.S. position, a Hamas leader's diatribe was supposedly balanced by an Arabist former U.S. diplomat. Belatedly, that story was yanked from the V.O.A. Web site. Why can't the White House, State, Congress and the moribund Broadcasting Board get a handle on a unified public expression to the world of America's resolve? When V.O.A.'s new Middle East Radio Network took control of medium-wave transmitters located in Kuwait, that unplugged our AM broadcasts in Farsi to Iran and Radio Free Iraq's Arabic broadcasts to Iraq. Now a half-hour of music is followed by four minutes of news and not one pro-U.S. editorial. Why? Because V.O.A. bureaucrats have been spending months asking focus groups what Arabs want to hear. We are getting our act together on homeland security, and may even work out a rapprochement between the C.I.A. and F.B.I. But when it comes to knocking heads together to get our wartime message out — to persuade Islamic people that freedom is in their political interest, and that the path of democracy offers their best hope for a good life — our Voice is faint and our public diplomacy a flop. Forum: Join a Discussion on William Safire's Columns (Moderated) (NY Times Op-Ed July 1 via Tom McNiff, VA, Harry Helms, CA, DXLD) Information about Andre de Nesnera's creative dissent award is at... http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=B5EDCCE9-C15F-4FD2-9517F0556A866010&title=VOA%20Receives%20Ethics%20Award%20for%20Mullah%20Omar%20Interview By the way, any news releases about Radio Sawa/MERN, and about BBG, can be found at the BBG website -- http://www.bbg.gov/bbg_news.htm -- rather than at voanews.com 73 (Kim Elliott, DC, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VERY SAD, VERY SAD indeed. Maybe the best idea would be to suspend the shortwave, medium wave, FM, internet et al. and just a present a service Members of Congress and Mr. Safire, feel comfortable with. No sane listener will be fooled by a propaganda service. Too many international broadcasters like Swiss Radio International, Radio Austria International, and DW have decided the people of the Foreign Ministry are the most important audience, the rest of audience be dammed, 'all they want is a QSL card anyway.' AND YOU KNOW SOMETHING, they are right, the programs are so boring, only someone who needs a QSL card would bother to listen anyway. I hope the VOA will maintain a higher standard! It should useful for soemthing other than obtaining QSL Cards (Larry Nebron, CA, swprograms via DXLD) ** U S A. U.S. RADIO CHARM BLITZ HITS CRACKED NOTE FOR ARABS By Joseph Logan BEIRUT, Lebanon (Reuters) - Hoping to soothe Arab anger at its policies, Washington is spinning frothy pop tunes and the United States take on Middle East news across the region, but the signs are that even those who like to dance cannot stand the message. As many Arabs seethe over a Middle East policy speech by President Bush demanding that Palestinians reject their leadership to achieve a state, the United States faces a tall order in persuading the region it is an honest broker of peace rather than Israel's mouthpiece and cash cow. U.S. officials believe Radio Sawa -- an Arabic language service mixing music with news reflecting Washington's view of the region -- is making inroads toward easing the resentment America was forced to confront in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Arab listeners, however, say they'll take Sawa's heavy dose of Arabic and English-language pop but have no use for the world view of Washington, which they deem the power that keeps Israel afloat and gives it the green light to oppress Palestinians. "I like the music, I hate America," said one listener, a 20-year-old Palestinian woman studying at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Part of a public diplomacy campaign launched after the attacks of Sept. 11, Sawa hopes to boost U.S. stock in the region through the tactics of American mass marketing, using government funds through the Middle East Radio Network. It hit the airwaves in late March, and is heard clearly in Amman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait on FM, and with less success in Egypt and Lebanon via AM transmissions. It has also received permission to begin transmitting from Cyprus. Most of the programming is dedicated to music, but Sawa -- which means "together" in Arabic -- has short news bulletins, a sample of which quoted only Western leaders such as Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. U.S. Undersecretary of State Charlotte Beers, an advertising industry pioneer whose job now is to pitch America abroad, says consumers need to know the product as it is, arguing that ignorance, not U.S. policy, is the source of resentment in the Middle East. CHALLENGE TO COMMUNICATE, ARAB AWARENESS "We have ... a challenge to communicate our policies and values to the world more effectively," she told the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explaining that Sawa was making inroads on that front. Some Middle East listeners, however, said Sawa's task would be much tougher, and that its real problem was that Arab audiences know America all too well. "Merely broadcasting in Arabic will not change Arab hatred of America because of its bias toward (for) the Zionist enemy," said Jamil Abu- Bakr, acting head of Jordan's largest political party and mainstream opposition group the Islamic Action Front. "Arab awareness about their cause and America's position towards it is much deeper than to be influenced by this media campaign to improve America's image." Other listeners seemed willing to be wooed by the music, but resented the political mission. "It's really nice. It has good English and Arabic songs and no programs, so I don't have to keep switching stations," said Dara Robehmed, a 29-year-old Jordanian who works in advertising in Dubai, who was surprised to learn what Sawa's mission was. "I had no idea that it was launched to improve America's image," she said. "I think using our (Arabic) music to try to improve relations with us is a slap in the face." On the other side of the broadcast battle for Arab sympathies, the head of al-Manar, the television station run by Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrilla movement, said that the moment Sawa's values bled into its content it would lose its audience. Nayef Krayem, whose station covers the Palestinian uprising as an armed struggle against the terrorism of Israel and its U.S. patrons, said Arab listeners would hear advocacy for Israel in between Sawa's songs, and reject it. "In the view of Arabs, the U.S. and the Israel positions are one, or rather, the U.S. position is the cause of the Israeli position because of its unlimited support for Israel," he said. "If the station is pushing these positions, then it's going to fall on deaf ears and won't resonate. Arabs will recognize it as indirect marketing of Israel's policies." YOUR MARTYRS ARE MILITANTS Some listeners said Sawa's political bent was there for all to see in descriptions of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that has carried out suicide attacks on Israelis by bombers described as martyrs by the Arab media. "I noticed something was wrong when they described Hamas as an extremist militant group," said Mariam al-Dabbagh, a 20-year-old studying at the University of Sharjah. "The news glorifies the United States and in a way undermines the Arab role in the peace process." In Lebanon, where few can hear Sawa and several stations offer the same fare of Western and Arab pop music, there seemed to be little room for either the station's content or its views. "Radio What?," said Rosy, a 21-year-old student at the Lebanese American University. "I guess I would listen if I like the music, but I already have stations that play what I like. And the idea of the U.S. news in Arabic, it sounds silly." "It doesn't matter what language they say it in, no one agrees with what they say." Sawa's signal is also weak in Cairo, where some people suggested the station's political mission and the sense that it was just another mouthpiece for America's pro-Israeli bias would turn off listeners even if they could hear it. "I wouldn't want to listen to it because I'm sick of all things that are American. I boycott their food, clothes and their media," said Naglaa Mohamed, a 35-year-old housewife. "As long as the American will is controlled by Israel, then nothing the United States does will improve its image in the Arab world." Additional reporting by Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, and Heba Kandil in Cairo) (REUTERS via Mike Cooper, July 2, DXLD) ** U S A. Rumor has it that WJIE has approached KVOH about the possibility of using their SW transmitter, either in California, or to replace the one in Kentucky (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. *** LATEST NEWS *** WUOT has been declared an "essential service" by the University of Tennessee and WILL remain on the air in the event of a partial state government shutdown. UT officials will use the station as a primary communications tool to inform the public about UT activities during this most unusual time. WUOT will maintain normal broadcast operations, but will pre-empt regularly scheduled programming if events warrant. The status of a state appropriation for WUOT in FY '03 is still unknown at this time (Denise Carpenter, WUOT Knoxville June 30 via DXLD) ** U S A. IS THIS THE END OF INTERNET RADIO FROM THE USA? From radiolondon.co.uk The fight for Internet Radio has been struck a blow, with the decision of the US Library of Congress to charge companies a crippling fee for all the music they play. John Schneider http://www.radiopoly.com updates us: Bad news folks. The Librarian Of Congress cut the performance royalty rate for webcasters in half yesterday. That sounds good when you say it, until you learn that the formula is still per song / per listener, instead of a rate based on a percentage of revenue like the long existing ASCAP & BMI fees. The result? For traditional stations (terrestrials) that simulcast online, no change. For internet only stations (like Radiopoly WILL be), the fee will be half of what was originally proposed, or 0.07 cents per listener, per song. Doesn't sound like a lot, I know, but it adds up very fast. The difference for the vast majority of webcasters (you know, all the people that AREN'T Yahoo, MSN, AOL, etc) is a rate that represents only about 100% of revenue instead of about 200%. Oh joy. Just when you think someone in Washington has the nerve to be fair to a fledgling industry, they get sucked in by the massive vacuum inside the beltway. If you feel so inclined to write to your representatives, tell them the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) MUST be amended NOW, to COMPLETELY ELIMINATE a performance royalty fee for webcasters. While you're at it, ask them this: "How could it possibly make sense that webcasters, who are executing the same business model (and actually improving on it) as terrestrial broadcasters are subject to a per performance royalty that does not exist (and never has) for terrestrial broadcasts?" Kick ass and take names. John (via Mike Terry, UK, June 30, DXLD) Monkey Love. God save Pirate Cat Radio. Least you could do, after forsaking the webcasters. BY DAN REINES So the librarian of Congress screwed pretty much everyone last week, in case you missed it. James H. Billington, who runs the government agency that oversees the Copyright Office, ruled on June 20 that Internet broadcasters will pay back royalties to performers in the sum of seven cents per listener per song -- half what arbitrators proposed back in February, but still not the revenue-based flat fee that small-time webcasters claim they need in order to survive. In other words, everyone involved is pissed. So what's it all mean to you? Well, it means your listening menu just got slimmer. Again. Not that it wasn't already waiflike. Ever since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, media leviathans like Infinity Broadcasting and Clear Channel have been buying up the commercial radio dial, turning hundreds of stations into homoplastic clones of one another. Which means that instead of dozens of DJs and program directors picking music based entirely on personal taste (and maybe some hookers and coke, compliments of the labels), now the playlists are determined by one or two regional PDs based on nationwide phone-tree focus groups (and a barely legal system of de facto payola, but apparently no more hookers). It's why commercial FM radio comes in three colors nowadays: black, white and country. It's also why all three colors suck. It's worth noting that despite the crap we've given KCRW -- and yeah, morning does become narcoleptic with all that techno-infused AOR they play – at least they're unique. Maybe you like Nic Harcourt's taste in music, maybe you don't, but at least he has taste, rather than just a ream of market research. Anyway, there's good news. Pirate Cat Radio is back. Maybe you remember DJ Monkey Man -- Daniel Roberts to his real-life friends. Roberts ran a pirate radio feed at 87.9 FM out of his Hollywood apartment until March, when he packed up and headed for Santa Cruz. But Roberts came back in early May, and now he's running for mayor of Hollywood (assuming Hollywood secession goes through), and more importantly, he's back on the air. Not that we're blowing his cover or anything. "It took the FCC three days to find me," he says. "They know my m.o. – they know what's going on." The FCC may know all about him, but so far they haven't done a whole lot other than bury him in form letters. And for the moment, at least, Roberts is still broadcasting because of what he says is a loophole in the law, something he found in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, title 47, section 73.3542: If you're in the process of applying for a license, apparently, "authority [to broadcast] may be granted, on a temporary basis, in extraordinary circumstances." Conveniently enough, those circumstances include a state of war. It was one of those "holy shit!" discoveries for a guy who's been running pirate radio stations and dodging the government since the mid-'90s. "I'm like, "Oh God, it can't be that easy,'" says Roberts. Of course, it's not that easy, or at least not according to the FCC. "There are no such loopholes," says an informed (and really, really stern) source over at the agency's enforcement bureau. "There. Just. Are. No. Such. Loopholes. If he's operating on the air, he will be found, and he will be stopped. And severe penalties follow." The source didn't say anything about tire irons or missing thumbs, but his point was pretty clear. No. Loopholes. Whatever, it's not your concern. Your concern is finding a radio station you can stomach. And while Pirate Cat Radio may be ridiculously small (the light under which you're reading this story puts out more wattage), it is available within about 20 miles of Roberts' apartment, and thank God. Roberts broadcasts all day, every day, with the help of a couple of PCs and about 260 gigabytes of MP3s, which is a whole fucking lot of music. Which means that if you tune in on your way to work one morning, you may hear Blondie's "Dreaming," or the Waitress's "I Know What Boys Like," or what the hell, maybe some obscure spoken-word stuff. It's, you know, kind of a crapshoot. But whatever you hear today, you won't be hearing tomorrow. "Lately the playlist has been nothing but punk, ska, new wave, some Brit pops and, I don't know, some weird Belle and Sebastian or the Who or whatever," says Roberts, laughing. "I don't know. Donovan. It's getting really weird lately." And that, really, is kind of the point, ain't it? After all, with KROQ you know exactly what you're going to hear on your way to work because it's the same thing you heard while you were brushing your teeth. It's Papa Roach. Dear Lord, save us all. Or at least watch over the Monkey Man. Least you could do after forsaking the webcasters. newtimesla.com | originally published: June 27, 2002 (via Tom Roche, DXLD) ** U S A. GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS EMERGENCY RESCINDED (Jul 1, 2002) -- At the request of Arizona Section Manager Clifford Hauser, KD6XH, effective today at 3 PM Eastern Daylight Time (1900 UTC), the Federal Communications Commission's declared communications emergency will terminate. The declared communications emergency was in support of relief efforts in Arizona. Amateurs can resume using the frequencies 7265 kHz and 3990 kHz plus or minus 3 kHz. The Federal Communications Commission wishes to thank everyone for their cooperation and dedicated service. W1AW will resume its 3990 kHz phone bulletin, transmitted daily at 0145Z, Monday evening. (ARRL via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** U S A. Concerned about the rash of AM stations running daytime facilities at night, when they are supposed to be lower powered, direxional, or even off the air? We understand that reports of such violations in DXLD do eventually come to the attention of the FCC. Other violations of interest: EAS incapability; towers over 200 feet must have their registration number attached, or at least on the gate to the property. This is often not the case. Altho it may take a while, stations are likely to face fines and cease-and-desist orders. Lack of legal IDs, however, is not a concern (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. Family Radio [via Merlin, frequencies now available:] Details Time (UT) Tx Site Freq Coverage Area Program Language 1400-1700 Abu Dhabi (UAE) 17800 IND En & Hindi 1900-2000 Woofferton (UK) 9590 ME Ar 1700-1900 Woofferton (UK) 15290 WeRUS Ru 1700-1800 Asc Isl 21680 CeAF En 2000-2100 Asc Isl 15195 Ce&WeAF En 1900-2100 Meyerton (SoAF) 3230 SoAF En. For further information about this press release, please contact: Laura Jelf, Marketing Manager Merlin Communications International Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20 7969 0000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7396 6223 e-mail: laura.jelf@merlincommunications.com http://www.merlincommunications.com (Merlin Comm, WWDXC Jun 25 via BC- DX via DXLD) ** U S A [non]. RFA A-02 updated schedule of July 1st. 0000-0100 LAO 12015I 13830 15545T 0030-0130 BURMESE 13680T 15660 17525 17835S 0100-0300 TIBETAN 9365 11975H 11695UAE 15225T 15695 17730 0100-0200 UIGHUR 9350 11520 11895UAE 11945UAE 15405S 0300-0600 MANDARIN 13670T 13760T 15150T 15665T 17495 17525 17615S 17880S 21690T 0600-0700 MANDARIN 13670T 13760T 15150T 15665T 17495 17525 17615S 17880S 0600-0700 TIBETAN 17485 17510 17720 21500T 21690UAE break 1100-1300 TIBETAN 7470 11590 13625T 15510UAE 15695 17855H-(from 1200) 1100-1200 LAO 9355S 9545T 15560I 15635 1230-1330 CAMBODIAN 11520 13765I 15525T 1300-1400 BURMESE 9385 11765T 11540 13745T 1300-1400 TIBETAN 7470 11590 13625T 15510UAE 15695 17855H 1400-1500 CANTONESE 9445S 11955S 13625T 1400-1500 VIETNAMESE 9455S 9635T 9930W 11510 11520 11605N 11765T 13775P 15705 1400-1500 KOREAN 7380 11790T 13720T 15625 1500-1600 TIBETAN 7470 11510 11780UAE 13835 1500-1600 MANDARIN 9905P 11765T 11945S 13625T 13690T 15510T 15680 17640T 927N 1600-1700 UIGHUR 7460 9370 9555UAE 9675UAE 13625T 1600-1700 MANDARIN 9455S-(fr 1630) 9905P 11750T 11795T 11945S 13690T 15510T 15680 17640T 927N(1630-) 1700-1800 MANDARIN 9355S 9455S 9905P 11750T 11795T 11945S 13690T 15510T 15680 17640T 927N(-1730) 1800-1900 MANDARIN 9355S 9455S 11520 11740T 11945S 11955T 13680T 15510T 15680 17640T 1900-2000 MANDARIN 9355S 9455S 9905P 11520 11740T 11785T 11945S 11955T 13625T 13680T 15510T 15680 2000-2100 MANDARIN 9355S 9455S 9905P 11520 11700T 11740T 11785T 11935S 13625T 13670T 15515T 15680 2100-2200 CANTONESE 9355S 11785T 13675T 2100-2200 MANDARIN 9455S 9910P 11700T 11740T 11935S 13625T 15515T 15680 2200-2300 CANTONESE 9355S 9955P 11785T 13675T 2200-2300 KOREAN 7460 9455T 11670S 11935S 2230-2330 CAMBODIAN 9930P 11570 15175I 15485T 2300-2359 MANDARIN 9910P 11785T 13800S 15430T 15550T 15680 7290 11960 2300-2359 TIBETAN 7470 9365 9805UAE 9875H 15695 2330-0029 VIETNAMESE 11540 11560 11580 11605N 11670T 13720S 15560P (various sources, updated on July 1st, 2002, BC-DX via DXLD) ** URUGUAY. 6155, 28.6 2320, R. Sarandí del Yí was a surprise this night. Was heard really well with short notices about tourism in Uruguay followed by a notice about a music fiesta in Treinta y Tres with orchestras from Brazil and Dom Rep. Q 4 DO (Dan Olsson, SW Bulletin June 30, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DXLD) ** UZBEKISTAN. 17775, 1340-, R. TASHKENT Jun 29 Good reception from Radio Tashkent in English about economic matters. Other parallels not heard today. Long lists of contact addresses, email, phone numbers! I suspect these are business contacts, rather than for Radio Tashkent (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** VIETNAM. 5925, Xuan Mai's outlet of R. V. of Vietnam hrd again on 23 Jun 2206-2226 at a fair level of 35433, airing Vietn pxing w/, presumably, news and later with songs (Carlos Gonçalves, Portugal, BC- DX Jun 24 via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. MADAGASCAR. 7310, 0330-, VOICE OF PEOPLE Jun 30 Fine signal tonight despite WHRI being back on the air. Crash start at 0330 with African music program. Must be a weekly Saturday night (UT Sunday morning) program. About the best I've heard them except when 7315 off the air (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. QSL Report: SW Radio Africa, Zimbabwian clandestine via South Africa-6165. E-mail from v/s: Richard, webmaster: richard@swradioafrica.com web: http://www.swradioafrica.com (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, July 1, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED? 5080, 1358-, Russian 'names' station Jun 29 First time I've heard anything like this. Rather than numbers, ongoing lists of Russian names are read. Seems to originate from Russian Far East, as strongest on NW Beverage. Anyone else hear anything like this? Ended at 1405:45. A very enjoyable weekend, as always in Grayland, WA DX site using 3 700+' Beverage antennas aimed NW, W, and SW terminated on the Pacific Ocean. Receiver this time was my AOR 7030+ using ERGO 3 computer control software. Unlike other DXpeditions, conditions did not seem to favour any one area, as you can see by my loggings below. Thanks to John Bryant and Don Nelson for erecting the antennas before the arrival on Friday of myself and Nick Hall-Patch. Happy listening, and happy Canada Day to all Canadians, and an early Happy 4th of July to the Americans (Walt Salmaniw, Grayland WA DXpedition, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 10197.128, 1628 July 1, 11 x 927, Very weak (Tim Bucknall, UK, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. Vietnamese sounding station heard on 11640, 1925 hours, did not say it was Voice of Vietnam (Christopher Lewis, UK, June 30, DX LISTENING DIGEST) But, why not? (gh, DXLD) ### END OF PART 3
