DX LISTENING DIGEST 00-13, January 23, 2000 EDITED BY GLENN HAUSER {Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only providing full credit be maintained at all stages} WORLD OF RADIO ON WWCR: Replacing the Tue 1330 time on 15685 is Tuesday at 1200 (and VOA CW is Wed at 1200 instead of Thu 1330), according to Adam Lock on the new Ask WWCR; he also mentioned our new Fri 1030 on 7435, but not Sat 0400 on 3215. ** BENIN. 7200, Radiodiffusion du Benin 2305-2329 West African music interspersed with messages and greetings from DJ in French, 2320 "emettant du Cotonou", also heard "Radiodiffusion Nationale" and "RT du Benin" as he wound the transmission down. 2328 National Anthem and off. Found an internet site with information on every country in the world and recordings of their National Anthems at http://www.emulateme.com and the National Anthem matched. Fair signal on clear channel. Ex 7210 and also noted in the mornings here from 0525 tune in to past 0610. First spotted as an unidentified by Hans Johnson in late December. (Mike Barraclough, United Kingdom, January 22, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Good work. Yes, there was a lot of speculation about the identity of this, which I forwent publishing here (gh) ** BERMUDA [non]. I just read the Donald Reeve r.r.s article via John Norfolk article about the 12359 USB weather reports for yachties via "Herb" in DXLD 0008. I have been listening to Herb for several years and have been amazed at the man's dedication to this hobby endeavor of his. On top of this the utter dependence the yachting community in the Atlantic and Caribbean sea and beyond has on his experienced reporting and navigational assistance. One correction I should point out, however. When I was on vacation in Bermuda in 1996 we took a cruise on a local sailboat. I happened to mention "Herb" in a conversation about marine communications and the captain`s eyes lit up. From that point on there was a steady stream of stories and praise for Herb as a legend to him and his circle of friends. He told me that a few years earlier Bermuda refused to continue his visa and he was forced to leave Bermuda. The last reported location for him being somewhere in coastal Canada where I believe he still resides and continues his voluntary service to the seas of the Atlantic, Caribbean and beyond. (Pete Costello, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Topics on CBC`s Ideas, 9:05 pm local time, through March: http://radio.cbc.ca/programs/ideas/calendar/2000/winter00.html (via Chet Copeland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. As per tip at the bottom of DXLD 11, I checked the DRM digital test via Sackville UT Sun Jan 23 on 17875. Tune in at 2048, found noise but not overpowering, could have been mistaken for local computer or TV hash, which to the ear sounded like it was on 17870 and 17880, i.e. a slightly lower pitch than on 17875, but strength meter indicated center of signal on 17875. Had a superimposed pulse rate which I timed at about 208 per minute, i.e. 3 and a half per second. At 2058 suddenly switched to open carrier AM signal; 2103 standard RCI ID and IS in French and English, and 2104 back into digital to 2128*. More tests are scheduled from other sites this week in the 0700-0930 period as well (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS. TX0, CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS (the next new DXCC entity!). Just before going to print, OPDX received a press release from Tim Totten, N4GN, on the upcoming DXpedition to the Chesterfields Island (IOTA OC-176, 158 deg 19 min East, 19 deg 52 min South). The complete press release will be sent to all OPDX InterNet Subscribers as an additional bulletin [see below]. Here are excerpts from that release. The Association des Radio Amateurs de Nouvelle Caledonie (ARANC), the amateur radio society of New Caledonia, is pleased to report that the Chesterfield Islands DXpedition remains on target for the window of March 15th through April 1st. A more detailed schedule will be announced in future press releases. The New Caledonian telecommunication authorities have issued the distinctive callsign TX0DX for this multi-national expedition. The TX0DX team will operate from two sites far enough apart to allow simultaneous CW and SSB operation on the same band. Four HF stations each equipped with Yaesu FT1000MP transceivers will provide for plenty of activity on all bands, as well as RTTY operation. A separate station equipped with a Yaesu FT655 will be dedicated to six meters. Because the Coral Sea typhoon season is still very active during March, weather is likely to play a major role in this expedition. Several special arrangements have been made in this regard. TX0DX will have two QSL Managers: Jarmo Jaakola, OH2BN - for HF QSOs ONLY Kan Mizoguchi, JA1BK - for six-meter QSOs ONLY The TX0DX Web site can be found at: http://www.n4gn.com/tx0dx/ Additional information regarding the TX0DX DXpedition will be added during the coming days and weeks. (KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 January 24, 2000 via John Norfolk, Okla City OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS. Here's the latest on our DXpedition to the Chesterfields--the next new DXCC entity! 73, Tim Totten, n4gn@n4gn.com http://www.n4gn.com TX0DX DXPEDITION 2000. NEW CALEDONIA'S CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS The DXpedition vessel M/V Night Crossing, an Australian registered 75-foot cruiser, will depart from Koumac, the northern port city of New Caledonia. The Night Crossing made its maiden voyage in July, 1999. It cruises at a speed of 10 knots, comfortably handles up to 16 passengers in addition to the crew, and is fully equipped with all the latest in navigation, communication, roll stabilization and safety gear. The Chesterfield landing permission requires that the ship be cleared through customs at Port Koumac; requested direct entry to the Chesterfields from Australia was denied. This caused the DXpedition team to make several logistical changes, all of which are now succesfully completed. TX0DX will have a total of 16 kW of AC power available, thanks to JA2JPA at Suzuki. OH2BN has been added to the list of pilots who will maintain communications with the Chesterfield DXpedition team. The pilot team now consists of F6AJA, FK8CR, JH1KRC, K6GNX, OH2BN and VK3EW. (KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 January 24, 2000 via John Norfolk, Okla City OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. For some time, I have noted a program in an indigenous language from HCJB at 10:30 UTC on 6050. This is definitely not Quichua. Could you please tell me what this is, and a little about the people who produce it. There is no announcement in Spanish, either at the beginning, or at the end, to tell a listener what this program is. (Tim Hendel, cc of inquiry to HCJB, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY [non]. Regarding how to pronounce his own name, Bob Padula replies: Glenn...hey!!! what's this all about? The pronunciation of my surname on HCJB was QUITE CORRECT, in its original Italian form, and your view is misleading. The Anglicised form is different, to which you evidently refer, which I use for most things (pronounced PAD-u-lah - accent on the first syllable - like the word "pad" - short "a"). My family also uses another version, pronounced Pad-YOU-lah (accent on the second syllable, like the word "new"). It is irrelevant whether people use the Italian or any other interpretation. One of my middle names is Vincenzo - let's see how YOU would pronounce that? I will refer my complaint to my Sicilian friends. If you look at the New York telephone directory you will see many of us there - in fact many pages - check with them and see how may variations you get! (Bob Padula, Electronic DX Press Jan 23) Based on our previous discussion, I thought he preferred the Anglicized PAD-yew-la. Everyone is the ultimate authority on how to pronounce his own name and I am merely endeavouring to say it ``right`` - trouble is, as this shows, Bob`s preference is that he has no preference! so we shall have to start saying it three or more different ways and accept any version anywhere. How about ``PAY-dew- LAY``? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 3268//3287 and 5010 was on the air until 00.00 with a live program in Malagasy and French for its 1st Anniversary of ORTM [l'Office de Radio Television Malgache] IDed many times in French as ORTM. (Mahendra Vaghjee, Mauritius, 22 Jan, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. The XZ0A team continues to be active from Thahtay Kyun Island until February 6th. The latest press release states, "The XZ0A team is now more than a week into operating with approximately 36,000 QSOs, evenly divided between SSB and CW. As JA, EU and VK/ZL are relatively easy paths to/from Southeast Asia, our operators have done their best to concentrate their efforts on the terminator openings for South America and North America. (KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 January 24, 2000 via John Norfolk, Okla City OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. XZ0A Press Release (Ongoing Press Releases, direct from the XZ0A Team, will be available throughout the DXpedition at http://www.getnet.com/~k7wx/flash.htm ) 21 JAN 00. Thahtay Kyun Island, UNION OF MYANMAR. The XZ0A team is now more than a week into operating with approximately 36,000 QSOs, evenly divided between SSB and CW. As JA, EU and VK/ZL are relatively easy paths to/from Southeast Asia, our operators have done their best to concentrate their efforts on the terminator openings for South America and North America. Over such long distances, both the short path and the long path become important considerations, even for the higher frequencies. Please visit http://www.getnet.com/~k7wx/flash.htm for some recommendations based on information collected from our logs. Location GMT Band Propagation East Coast NA 2130-0100 160, 80, 40 Long Path 2130-0100 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 Short Path 1200-1300 15, 12, 10 Long Path West Coast NA 1330-1600 160, 80, 40, 30, 20 Short Path 2345-0100 20, 17, 15, 12, 10 Long Path 1500-1600 15, 12, 10 Long Path South America 2030-0030 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17 Short Path 0600-1500 15, 12 Short Path Sunset at our location in the Andaman Sea is 11:26 GMT and sunrise is 23:51 GMT. The long path just after our sunrise will frequently be very useful for South America and North America. For those who wish to run their own propagation predictions, our location on Thahtay Kyun Island is at 09 57.3N 98 32.7E. Of course, it is not possible for us to be on all of these bands at the same time, but the above recommendations should give a general idea when to look for us. All observations (positive and negative) are welcome and may be forwarded to us through our pilot stations via e-mail. Information regarding regional propagation has been the most helpful. All members of the XZ0A DXpedition look forward to working you from "The Golden Land."............. 73 de Warren, K7WX (KB8NW/OPDX/BARF80 January 24, 2000 via John Norfolk, Okla City OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SLOVAKIA/TURKEY. Hello There - It is getting ever more difficult for me to receive your English broadcast to North America at 0100 ut. The reception on 9440 kHz was never very good and seems to have diminished as the winter has progressed. I reported the problem of 7300 kHz being completely drowned out (by perhaps Voice of Turkey in Turkish, I'm told). For the last two evenings (Jan 21 and 22) WWCR out of Nashville (USA) on 5935 kHz is significantly interfering with your broadcast on 5930 kHz. I really enjoy your broadcasts, I just want to be able to listen to them. Sincerely, (Dean Bonanno, Durham, Connecticut, Jan 23, cc of letter to R. Slovakia International English service, via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. Radio Free Asia will, as of Monday, use shortwave from the new U.S. relay facility at Iranawila, Sri Lanka. Via Iranawila, RFA Lao is at 0000-0100 UT on 11830 and 1100-1200 on 15555. RFA Khmer is at 2230-2330 on 7185 and 1200-1300 on 13725. VOA News Now vacates 21550 at 1200-1300 to make room for that new RFA Khmer transmission. (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World January 22 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UGANDA. K index was 4 at 2100 UTC, 3 at 0000 UTC, and back to 4 at 0300, so yes, things are somewhat disturbed tonight. It can make for some interesting listening, though. I spent a half hour listening to Radio Uganda on 4976 from 0400 with public service announcements, condom commercials, and death notices. The station was pounding in louder than I've had them in months, and I was spellbound by the programming, which, no doubt, most Ugandans probably found bored them to tears. :-) Ralph – (Ralph Brandi, NJ, swprograms Jan 23 via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K O G B A N I. Tho both BBC On Air and the BBC Press Office listed this month`s Millennium Concert, Taikoz as 120 minutes, causing the contradiction we pointed out here earlier, it was actually only one hour at 1600 UT Jan 23 on 17840. Just as well, as while enjoyable the drumming tended to get a bit repetitititive (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K O G B A N I [non]. Mark Byford, Executive Director of BBC World Service, and other World Service officials visited China last week at the invitation of China Radio International. While in China, they noted that BBC Mandarin language broadcasts continue to be jammed on all frequencies, and the BBC web site is still blocked by Chinese authorities. Nevertheless, the World Service delegation described the visit as successful, building goodwill for future cooperation with Chinese broadcasting entities. (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World January 22 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Snow was flying in Washington this week, and so were rumors, at least here at VOA. A column in the Washington Times on Tuesday suggested that there may staff reductions in some of VOA's European language services. Via BBC Monitoring, the Baltic news agency BNS reported that VOA's Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian services are expected to be dropped. The press items said the decisions were to have been made at a meeting Wednesday of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, or BBG, which oversees VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. The BBG is required to conduct an annual review of the language services of U.S. international broadcasting. The inquiry is based on factors such as audience size, U.S. foreign policy priorities, and media freedom in the target country. It could result in the elimination of some VOA, RFE/RL, or RFA services. The BBG meeting on Wednesday did begin this process of decision making, but no announcements are expected before mid-February. Other news about U.S. international broadcasting is more definite. Harris Corporation announced that it has signed a five-year agreement to manufacturer FM transmitters for the International Broadcasting Bureau, VOA's parent entity. The transmitters will have powers ranging from 220 watts to 10 kilowatts. (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World January 22 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. While the BBG may be contemplating the elimination of VOA's Baltic language services, U.S.-based religious international broadcaster Trans World Radio TWR has resumed its broadcasts in Latvian and Estonian. TWR has also added Igbo to Nigeria and Kok Borok, Varli, and Kuknos to India. It took TWR 41 years to acquire 100 language services, but only the past five years to add fifty more. Many of these services are transmitted less than daily. (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World January 22 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The big U.S. media story this week is the Federal Communications Commission's approval Thursday of a plan for low- power FM radio broadcasting. The new types of stations will be authorized, one with powers of 50 to 100 watts and a service radius of about 10 kilometers, and the other with powers of 1 to 10 watts and a radius of about 2 and a half to 5 kilometers. The FCC will impose present requirements to maintain minimum distance between existing FM stations and the new LPFM stations which are on the same channel. or on the first or second adjacent channels. However, the separation requirements for the third adjacent channel will not be imposed because engineering data show that 100 watt stations will not cause interference to stations three channels away. In the United States, FM channels are separated by 200 kilohertz, and are placed at 88.1, 88.3, 88.5, and so on up to 107.9 megahertz. The new LPFM licenses will be awarded to nonprofit or educational organizations located near the transmitter site. For the first two years, no entity will be permitted to operate more than one LPFM station nationwide. After the second year, eligible entities will be able to own up to five stations nationwide, and after three years, up to ten nationwide. LPFM stations will be required to broadcast a minimum of 36 hours per week, the same requirement imposed on full power noncommercial educational licensees. The LPFM stations are established to encourage diversity of radio station ownership and programming at a time when many commercial radio stations have been purchased by large multi-station groups. Existing radio broadcasters expressed concern that the new LPFM stations will cause interference. [Details at http://www.fcc.gov.] (Kim Elliott, VOA Communications World January 22 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Amateur station K4OKA, John "Big Al" Abernethy, of Hickory, North Carolina, returned to the HF airways at 0500 UT January 23 on his regular frequency of 3894.5 LSB after a six month suspension by the FCC for alleged malicious interference on 3965 in July 1999. Abernethy, who IDs as "The Caring Station," has long been the recipient of complaints from numerous hams accusing him of interference. The most notorious example was his playing a tape of "The Porkbutt Song," a reference to the former WB2OTK, Rich Whiten of Easly, South Carolina, who was also suspended around the same time for malicious interference, although he chose to turn in his license instead. (Whiten later recanted, saying at first the message requesting cancellation was sent by hackers, then saying he sent it by mistake. The case is still pending.) Abernethy voluntarily destroyed the tape in the presence of FCC inspectors during an FCC inspection. He said that he waited until "two seconds past midnight" to get back on so that the FCC would not get back on his case. (John Norfolk, Oklahoma City OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. This week`s American Viewpoint on WBCQ, 7415, Sunday Jan 23 from 2300, started with Hightower, and then unlike the lineup last week, Voices of Our World, another program also on RFPI. Then from 2328 another Hightower and 2330 another episode of VOOW (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Following my advice of last Sunday, I tuned again to AFN for ABC Perspective at 1205 Jan 23. 12689.5 did not fade up until about 1230, so had to put up with the QRM on 4278.5 and 6458.5. But it ended early at 1250, the rest of the hour filled by various mini- features, PSAs and finally music. Something must have been cut, but since I was not comparing it with KOA before then, I do not know what - they both ended with the same item. Military censorship or mixup? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Speaking of DRM, here WETA 90.9 is testing IBOC FM. I can hear a definite buzz on 90.7 and 91.1. 73 (Kim Elliott, VA, Jan 23, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###