DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-100, July 19, 2001 edited by Glenn Hauser, wghauser@hotmail.com {Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. For restrixions and searchable 2001, 2000 contents archive see} http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/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] CONTINENT OF MEDIA 01-07, on SW from RFPI starting Friday July 20 at 1900; subsequently via DXing.com as well as previous editions, and: (STREAM) http://www.freespeech.org/hauser/sounds/mr0107.ram (SUNMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/com0107.html WORLD OF RADIO 1088: (STREAM) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1088.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1088.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1088.html WORLD OF RADIO on WWCR: Friday 0930 is on 9475 ex-7435 (see USA) DX PROGRAMS LIST REVISED July 18: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxpgms.html ** ARGENTINA [non]. Re DXLD 1-097: Duane, I have a strong het from an Arabic speaker on 11710.3, presumably Abu Dhabi. Apparently, this is a transmission intended for the Western hemisphere. If this causes your het, I don`t know. Tuning to the lower sideband, I am getting a pretty nice and clean signal from RAE at my QTH in northern Europe (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. The ABC will once again become involved in ATV after winning a 75 million dollar funding package from the Federal Government. This is a major turnaround for a government which for the past few years appeared determined to cut our radio and TV links to Asia. The new service will include advertising and will be delivered by digital satellite. Interestingly, it will not be aimed at Australian expatriates. Instead the channel will be targeted at English speaking Asian audiences. The Channel's program content remains a mystery, but you can bet there will be an argument over just what sort of "TV" will project an "accurate" image of Australia. Credit - This portion of an article published by The Sunday Mail "TV Scene" "For their eyes only" by Sandra Mclean "Box Seat". JULY 15 2001 (via Tim Gaynor, Nerang, Gold Coast Q, DXLD) Re the above comments: The ABC has advertised recently for senior personnel to head the project, known as ABC Asia Pacific. The Government has not been 'determined' to cut radio and TV links to the region. Cuts to RA were as a result of decisions made by the ABC in implementing budget reductions in past years. The Federal Government has provided additional funding in recent times to enable RA to establish new relay arrangements etc. The Government indicated as long ago as August last year it was prepared to provide funding for a regional television service, such was the concern about the quality of service provided by Australia Television under the Seven Network. It's intended the new service will cover South East Asia, North Asia, the South West Pacific and parts of South Asia. It is not intended solely for expatriate Australians, but regional audiences interested in a broad spectrum of Australian life and experiences. The programming line-up will include news, current affairs, documentary and educational programming. It includes a new media strategy, working off the ABC Online / RA web presence. The service will be funded by the Federal Government, but also expected to attract additional commercial support. It will have its own management structure within the ABC. There is little question about the editorial independence or quality of programming of Radio Australia (wholly government funded) - why would the television service be any different? Declaration of interest: I work on the personal staff of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. As well as being the press secretary to the Minister, I have primary responsibility in that office for international broadcasting issues, including the regional television service. (Matt Francis, Canberra, AUSTRALIA, July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. BREVES BRASILEIRÍSSIMAS RÁDIO ALVORADA - Retornou à freqüência de 4865 kHz, em 62 metros, o sinal da Rádio Alvorada, de Londrina, estado do Paraná. A emissora retransmite 24 horas a programação da Rede Milícia da Imaculada, de caráter católica. RÁDIO BANDEIRANTES - A Rádio Bandeirantes, de São Paulo, deixa no ar a sua programação, nas noites de sábados e domingos, apenas em 6090 kHz, em 49 metros. A Bandeirantes está em ritmo de contenção de energia elétrica (Célio Romais, Brazil, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. Anyone else listen to Sunday's Maple Leaf Mailbag? I had it on in the background while I was cleaning up my office, enjoying Sheldon Harvey's segment. Then they read a seemingly-normal letter from some guy in Bangladesh who closed asking for information about Canada's "virgin girls." I couldn't believe they actually read the letter, although they stressed that it had received some negative attention from higher-ups, and asked for the writer to clarify what he meant! Not your usual mailbag letter... (Mike Joy, Saint Paul, Minnesota, swprograms July 17 via DXLD) I'm sure he was referring to Canadian employees of Richard Branson's Virgin Airlines. What else could he have meant? :-) (Andy Sennitt, std disclaimer, ibid.) ** CANADA. It's official. Carole Taylor did get the CBC Chair job: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=995320894817&call_page=TS_Entertainment&call_pageid=968867495754&call_pagepath=Entertainment/News&col=969483191630 73- (Bill Westenhaver, also via Mike Cooper, WORLD OF RADIO 1088, DXLD) ** CHECHNYA [non?] Azerbaijan: Azeris look into alleged Chechen radio broadcasts | Text of report by Azerbaijani TV station ANS on 16 July The commander-in-chief of the Russian Interior Ministry armed forces, Vyacheslav Tikhomirov, has said that a radio station broadcasting to Chechnya is operating on the territory of northern Azerbaijan. He said that the situation regarding the information war was becoming dangerous today. [Correspondent] Given that the Russian side says that a secret radio station exists which is broadcasting to Chechnya from Azerbaijani territory, they should have informed the relevant bodies in Azerbaijan about the frequency of this radio station and its whereabouts and asked them about taking measures - this is the National Security Ministry's position on this statement. Tikhomirov believes that there are sometimes failures in the broadcasts of this radio, but in the near future the Chechen mojahedin hope to increase their broadcasts. The head of the National Security Ministry press service, Araz Qurbanov, said that up to now there have been no reports about the existence of any Chechen radio station. Qurbanov also noted that there was a legal basis for and experience of reciprocity between Azerbaijan and Russia in the sphere of fighting organized crime and other manifestations of extremism. Araz Qurbanov also pointed out that one of the commitments undertaken by CIS states and countries that joined the anti-terrorist centre was to exchange information in the sphere of fighting organized crime. The head of the press service believes that from a technical point of view it is impossible for broadcasts of this mythical radio station, which is going out on local frequencies, to be picked up only in Chechnya and not in Azerbaijan as the distance between the borders is 300 km. Despite all this, the Russian statement is being investigated. Araz Qurbanov said that one thing was clear now - Vyacheslav Tikhomirov was informed by his own subordinates. The statement by the commander of the Russian Internal Troops came as no surprise to the Chechen side. [Video shows the head of the Chechen representative office in Baku, Ali Asayev] Ali Asayev, the representative of Chechnya in Baku, said that there was a time when Russia even said that Chechen bases existed in Ethiopia. These statements are a result of the fact that Russia cannot cope with the Chechens, Ali Asayev pointed out. Source: ANS TV, Baku, in Russian 1500 gmt 16 Jul 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Russia/Georgia: Chechen radio station said operating in Georgia | Text of report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Moscow, 19 July: A Chechen radio station has begun operating in Georgia. Sources told ITAR-TASS on Thursday [as dateline] that the station, which calls itself Independent Ichkeria, is located in the Pankisi Gorge near the village of Duisi where local Akin Chechens and refugees from Chechnya live. The station's broadcasts, which are in both Russian and Chechen, are aimed at information and the psychological support of the rebels. One of the broadcasts described the recent debacle of a rebel group in the Sharo-Argun Gorge as a major "military success of mujahidin". A spokesman for the Russian president's information department told ITAR-TASS that a "Chechen information centre" has operated in Duisi since the end of last year. Because of the inaction of Georgia's authorities, the separatists' taking to the airwaves was not unexpected, the spokesman said. "The launching of the radio station's broadcasts in fact has expanded the spectrum of propaganda efforts of the Chechen separatists who have entrenched in Georgia and are laying out their anti-Russian and extremist views without hindrance. Continuation of the practice of this kind will certainly perniciously affect Russian-Georgian relations," the spokesman said. Source: ITAR- TASS news agency, Moscow, in English 0942 gmt 19 Jul 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Georgia: Chechen radio broadcasts from Georgia not confirmed | Text of report by Georgian news agency Prime-News Tbilisi, 19 July: Speaking to journalists at a news conference today, Chairman of the parliamentary Committee for Defence and Security Gia Baramidze did not confirm information disseminated by the Russian media earlier today about the presence of Chechen transmitting centre Free and Independent Ichkeria Radio Caucasus in the village of Duisi in the Pankisi gorge, which was allegedly used by Chechen separatists to spread anti-Russian propaganda material. This will have a negative impact on Russian-Georgian relations, the Russian media sources said in commenting on their reports. According to Baramidze, Chechens have the legal right to run such a radio station because freedom of speech is exercised in Georgia. In an interview with Prime-News, Justice Minister Mikheil Saakashvili said that he had no verified information about the presence of the Chechen radio transmitting centre in the village of Duisi, either. Saakashvili said that simple logic prompted that Chechens would not have set up a transmitting centre in the Pankisi gorge because they were operating their own radio from inside Europe and the signal from that radio could be received in many countries of the world. The only acceptable thing is that Chechens might have a simple relay transmitter in the village, Saakashvili said. Source: Prime-News news agency, Tbilisi, in Georgian 1220 gmt 19 Jul 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** CHILE [and non]. Glenn, I note that this switch [from Spanish to Portuguese] has been posted on the Christian Vision website http://www.christianvision.com/schedule.htm for a while. Note that the Darwin frequencies are accurate on this page as well (Don Nelson, July 16, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA/SINGAPORE. Glenn, And while we're on the topic of respect/disrespect I would also ask that on this forum, participants be treated with respect. I think that it is disrespectful to automatically assume that an individual holds certain views based on the country that they happen to be a resident and/or citizen of (Bob Chandler, ODXA Moderator via DXLD) I certainly do not wish to prolong this thread, either, but I was not wildly assuming Richard`s views; he previously posted somewhere, perhaps not here, his view that Falungong should be suppressed in Singapore (and presumably in China as it has been). So much for freedom of religion, etc. Perhaps people who haven`t lived in the US or Canada don`t really know what freedom is... BTW, newsgroups where I post links to each issue of DXLD are free, and encouraged, to discuss its content, as far as I am concerned (Glenn, ODXA via DXLD) Glenn, Never mind about China or Singapore. You know next to nothing about these 2 countries. You have not read my post properly. In my post, I said that people in China do not feel that they are not being respected by the government (well, except for Falungong followers). Whether you or me thinks that the PRC govt is respecting them or not is NOT the issue of my post. Frankly, I also think the same about the US: It is an imperialist state adopting a discriminatory attitude towards its own ethnic minorities (blacks, Hispanics, and of course Chinese). However, I assume that since you live in the states you know better. As for Falungong. If you had read my post, you would realise that I view FLG not as a religious organisation (I think its you who are waging a campaign against religious broadcasters in this and other forums), but as a political organisation. Glenn does not even understand Mandarin to understand what Fang Guang Ming radio was talking about. I do and for everybody's benefit, I had taken a listen and reported the contents of their broadcast to Cumbre DX. I clearly stated that only the first 15 minutes of the FLG broadcast is about religion, the rest is plain politics. I had not advocated for the suppression of FLG. FLG is using a religious cloak to engage in political activities which I find unacceptable. And yes, I had always supported freedom of religious broadcasters to air their views on SW, FM etc. It is the lack of these in Singapore that I found depressing. Frankly, I don't feel that I'm being watch by secret police or have my mail/email open. In other words, I feel just as free as you do, perhaps more so. I don`t need to live in US or Canada to experience "freedom". I already know what it is. I would like to extend an invitation to you to come to Singapore sometime and see how suppressed we are. Finally, much as I respect Glenn's right to his views, such views shall not go unchallenged by me. In case Glenn got me wrong again, it is not you that I have an opinion about, just your views. 73s and Good DXing, (Richard Lam, ODXA via DXLD) On one level, I will not disagree that there is a lot of injustice in American society, but I am suspicious when someone in a less-free society brings this up to justify repression there. Just as I cannot speak Mandarin, have never visited Singapore and haven`t been to China for a sesquidecade, Richard has not grown up in a society as free as ours and cannot appreciate it from the inside. At least we have codified our Bill of Rights, not least freedom of speech, and such liberties are our objective if not always our accomplishment. Falungong is just an example. In the context of a free society, I might well regard them as a cult or a political movement; however, as long as they harm no one else, they have a right to exist. Countless other religions are also repressed/controlled in China. Just ask the Catholics, who cannot regard PJP2 as their leader, for example. Guess what -- one can have a fair idea of what is going on in Singapore and China by paying attention to world media in English. Caning... Notice too, that Richard totally ignores my main points about how Chinese inhabitants are not treated with respect by the government -- jamming and control of internet! People cannot be trusted with uncensored information! This is a gross violation of human rights, not just ``disrespect``. I am amazed, and this is far from the first case, that apologists for repression, in the SW community are all too willing to give China (Cuba and a few others) a pass on jamming, which not only attempts to prevent their own people from having free access to ideas from elsewhere, but entails severe collateral damage to many other broadcasters having nothing to do with the disputes in question, AND, those of us who attempt to listen to shortwave with a minimum of deliberate interference. In fact, I would be hard pressed to think of anyone else in the SWL community who now takes a stand against jamming. Why is this? And every broadcaster who has a relay deal with China has obviously sold out those who do not, and their listeners. If China were to do just one thing, quit jamming foreign broadcasts, I would be much more favorably disposed toward that country. That would be a significant sign of a maturing society (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. UNIDENTIFIED. I have a Spanish Station on new freq of 5957.11 at 1130 UT at fair level if anyone is interested. It is unID (Chuck Bolland, FL, July 17, swl@qth.net via DXLD) Colombia, 5957.11, La Voz de Los Centauros came on the air abruptly at 1100 with ID as "La Voz de Los Centauros, then went to steady news and features. Many mentions of CARACOL afterwards. Centauros listed on 5955 kHz. I never noticed it on 5957 prior to Yesterday. Signal was good (Chuck Bolland, Lake Worth, Florida, July 18, ibid.) ** CYPRUS. Dear Glenn, I am very happy to write a little story about myself and CyBc. At the time I lived in South Africa; now I have been in Cyprus since 1993. I first started DXing in 1969 and at the time I was a teenager. From the Realistic DX 160, I have used the Barlow Wadley XRC 30, Yaesu Receivers, National Panasonic, now I use the NRD 515. As Portables I use the Grundig Y.B. type P.E 400 plus the Sony ICF 7600. I use a long wire antenna. I have over 500 QSL cards / letters from 136 countries. I also have some utility and ham QSL cards. I have some rare stations. Through the years I have also recorded some radio interval signals and some shows. I am ex members of DSWCI, SPEEDX, SADXC, Greek DX Club. After many years in the hobby I still enjoy the thrill of radio as every day you can hear something worthwhile. One tip: if you hear something for the first time, send them a report immediately. As you may not hear the station again. Now some info on Cyprus and what can be heard. In the eastern Mediterranean Sea we have an island called Cyprus, sandwiched between Turkey in the north, Syria, Israel, Jordan in the east; and south we have the state of Egypt. At the crossroads of three continents. The capital is Nicosia; other places in the south are Limassol, Larnaca and Paphos. The island is divided since 1974; now there has been for a few years a plan for peace. To build bridges between the two communities of Greek and Turkish Cypriots. Radio in Cyprus: the national radio is the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, known in Greek as PIK or in English as CyBc. The service has been going since 1953. Now it is much bigger, though cash strapped. The station is on MW, FM and on Shortwave using the BBC SW frequency over the weekends Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. This service is in Greek for Cypriots in the UK. Have a try -- this is the schedule. 2215 till 2245 UT. Frequencies are 9760, 6180 kHz. If you would like to see the station`s website go to the following address: http://www.cybc.com.cy/cybc.htm The station have a QSL card and to obtain one, one IRC is recommended. Now we are into summer and we have a chance to hear many stations from our area on FM and on TV. Short wave is excellent and MW can produce some great results. Some recent sessions have given me some excellent loggings. Other stations heard on FM are: Radio Mega Larnaca, 88.4 Radio Napa 90.9 and 103.1 in English/ Greek. Run by ex Voice of Peace owner A. Nathan in sea side resort of Agia Napa near Larnaca Kiss FM 94.1 Nicosia Astra Stereo 92.8 Radio Pafos 92.5, /93.6 /99.0 Logos FM 101 Radio Elios 107.6. Nicosia Antenna FM -- many other FM stations too numerous to edit. On Medium Wave we have the BBC on 1323 from Limassol/ Lady`s Mile site. Trans World Radio and Radio Monte Carlo. This is a little story about Cyprus radio [reception]. I heard Iran 15080 [15084 -gh] 0635 in Italian sio 555. Kuwait 15110 0627 in English sio 555. Ecuador HCJB 21455 USB in English sio 323. Difficult to monitor. Germany R Africa 11775 // 13810 0440 in French 15/7. sio 444. Holland Radio Alpha Lima 15070 0428-0440 sio 433 15/7, nonstop music. Jordan RJ. 11690 1620 in English sio 444. Somalia R Mogadishu 6750 1607 news in Somali/ rough copy. 12/7. Grundig and Sony radios. LW antenna. 73,s. (Costa Constantides, Cyprus, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EGYPT. 5900 +1900-2050+ Radio Cairo on this new frequency with a booming signal (instead of 9800?), //9850, 9900 and 12050 Mikhail Timofeyev St. Petersburg, July 17, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via WORLD OF RADIO 1088, DXLD) ** EGYPT. TV quiz shows "un-Islamic", top cleric says | Excerpt from report in English by Iranian news agency IRNA Athens, 10 July: The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Dr Nassir Farid Wassil, last week issued a fatwa (religious decree) denouncing a television quiz show on Egyptian TV that offered cash prizes as "haram," forbidden. Dr Wassil said a winning contestant takes the money that others have contributed through charges for the telephone calls made to the programme. "This is forbidden in Islam," he said. He further justified the fatwa by saying that the shows are based on deception and fraud. Private telephone companies organize television quiz shows and offer the winner a money prize which is a tiny fraction of huge profits the companies rake in, according to a report published in the Egyptian Gazette on Tuesday [10 July]. To take part, a contestant must call a mobile phone number. The rate per minute is 1.50 Egyptian pounds (0.40 US dollars). The caller`s name is fed into a computer, which makes a random selection of those to appear on the show. This is a hi-tech form of drawing lots. "Islam does not allow us to play dice or games of chance," said the Mufti. A member of the Al-Azhar Islamic University`s Fatwa committee, Abd al-Sabur Shalabi, stated that the twice-weekly programme "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" will give the younger generation false ideas of a life of luxury after winning a seven-digit prize cheque. George Kadahi hosts the Arabic version of the British show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire". "Muslims are enjoined to work hard to provide for their families, while those who live off the labour of their fellows are worthy of contempt. Islam takes a dim view of daydreaming about instant wealth. Luck should play no part in earning an honest living," Shalabi said, adding that these programmes that have become widespread on Arab satellite channels, are undermining well-established ideas of the importance of work and being independent in society. Egypt`s Minister of Information, Safwat al-Sharif, however, said, "television game shows are not gambling. They are cultural competitions like those held in schools and universities."... Source: IRNA news agency, Tehran, in English 0913 gmt 10 Jul 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** FINLAND. Scandinavian Weekend R well heard during local daylight July 7 on 5990 and 6170 kHz. Best reception in the early morning hours. Mostly rock and pop, announced in Finnish and EE, but occasional announcements also in Swedish, French, Thai and Chinese! One fascinating feature was a vintage recording of a Joe Niagara Show (aired on WIBG "R 99", Philadelphia), including jingles, ads and music of the time (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Hi, Love Parade Berlin via Fritz Radio, July 21, Noooo transmission this year 2001 via DTK Jülich, according to Jülich staff. 73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Germany, July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I just called the Jülich station (by the way, very engaged staff there): They will now contact the ORB "Fritz" network again and refer to the e-mail I received from the editorial staff (the reported confirmation of shortwave transmissions) as a last attempt to arrange some transmissions at shortest notice. The actual problem is the lack of a contact person; many staff members are not on duty at present, especially the gentleman who arranged the shortwave transmissions last year is unattainable. Just check during the weekend if something pops up especially on 49 metres (at night also on 75 metres) in case anybody at Babelsberg should bother to give Jülich a "just do it". (Kai Ludwig, Germany, July 19, DX LISTENING DIGEST) This is a suggested operational schedule, amended according to last year`s LoveParade transmission 'ORB via Jülich' on July 7-9, 2000. kHz UTC Ciraf zone Ant deg typ day from - to 9405 2200-0500 12,13,14 202 240 218 67 200701 210701 ODR 15265 1600-2100 34,35 308 40 216 67 200701 210701 ODR 13810 0600-1000 55,59 111 255 216 71 210701 220701 ODR 9525 0000-0500 7,8,10,11 212 305 217 71 210701 220701 ODR 5965 1600-1800 27,28 401 ND 976 67 200701 210701 ODR 3965 1800-0600 27,28 403 ND 976 67 200701 210701 ODR 5850 0600-1100 27,28 402 ND 976 71 210701 220701 ODR 5975 1100-1600 27,28 404 60 141 71 210701 220701 ODR 6=Fri, 7=Sat, 1=Sun [this item was forwarded and re-forwarded, so I am not certain who proposed this schedule, but it was probably Wolfgang -gh] (via Büschel, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. Glen[n], Came across a VERY odd sounding interval signal on 9845 on Sunday 15th July. I had tuned it in on that frequency just to see what came up and, sure enough, I got something at around 2242 UT. At that time, a noise sequence came up and was repeated continuously with a short gap between each repeat. The sequence sounded like bird noises which had been tonally altered and re-recorded at a lower pitch. The sequence abruptly cut off at 2246 and was followed by silence so I tuned into a local BBC station and listened to that for a bit. I checked 9845 again at 2303 and could hear nothing but occasional (and very weak) snatches of vocals and music. However, because I retuned my radio between 2246 and 2303, I can not tell whether the stations were the same. I gave SIO ratings as I went along: At 2242, the SINPO was 32243. This had dropped to 22232 at 2246. By the time I tuned back at 2303, I couldn't give it more than 22122. I gave up at 2310. Please could someone give me any idea of what could have been broadcasting that sequence? Emails welcome (eurodx@yahoo.co.uk). Cheers. Best 73's, (DXDave, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DXDave, I have often noted this effect myself. You were tuned 5 kHz away from Rai, Italy, which has the bird-chirp interval signal, mainly high audio frequencies. So you still hear the chirps, but not the correct audio when mistuned that much, sort of inverted, especially if beating against another carrier. From DXLD 1-089, here is part of Rai`s latest schedule: to South America 2240-0055 (ex 2230-0045) in Italian on 9840, 11755 0055-0115 (ex 0045-0105) in Spanish on 9840, 11755 Regards, (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** JAPAN [non]. I'm hearing Radio Japan via the Sackville relay tonight, on the normal 5960 kHz. Right now (0235 UT), but also on 6175 kHz in parallel (Sheldon Harvey, QC, July 18 UT, swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1088, DXLD) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. Voice of National Salvation, 4450, 1139-1150 11 July, Korean music selections with M in Korean suffering from Warble jamming - // 4457, 3480 and 4120. Jamming particularly effective in making all frequencies unlistenable excepting 4450 (D. Nelson, OR, DXplorer-ML via CRW via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Para los interesados en el radioamadorismo mexicano, incluso actividades como Dxpediciones... SE ACTIVA LAS ISLAS COZUMEL y CONTOY Masa, XE1ZOI, y Ramón, XE1KK, estarán activos desde la Isla de Cozumel, Iota NA-090, Grid EL60, del 27 al 29 de Julio incluyendo el Concurso de IOTA. Esperan utilizar los indicativos 4A3ZOI, principalmente en telegrafía, y 6H3KK, principalmente SSB. Fuera del concurso estarán activos en HF incluyendo las bandas WARC, 50 MHz y satélites de FM. QSL a sus correspondientes indicativos. Para mayor información sobre este anuncio favor de contactar a: Ramón Santoyo V. xe1kk@xe1kk.net ...reuniones, concursos, etc. deben consultar esta PAGINA DE INTERNET de FMRE: Muy visitada. Hasta hoy hace un rato, un poco más de 7,790 y promedio de 36.5 diarios. http://www.fmre.org.mx Por lo que se refiere a las visitas a la sección de Boletines, tenemos 760 visitantes con un promedio semanal de 108.5. Muchas gracias! Nuestro webmaster Joaquín Solana, XE1YJS pide disculpas porque tiene problemas con el servidor. Por el momento diríjanse a Joaquín a xe1yjs@supernet.com.mx (FMRE July 15 via DXLD) ** NETHERLANDS. Media Network was never conceived as a "DX Programme". In fact, Jonathan got quite cross when it was listed as such. The mix of features on Media Network reflected (and in the Webzine still does reflect) what is happening in the real world that Radio Netherlands operates in, rather than the narrow field of interest that some shortwave hobbyists have. The radio show was intended for a general audience, not just hobbyists. BTW, has it ever occurred to you that international broadcasters are probably the only segment of the media which have willingly devoted a significant part of their air time to promoting their competitors? Have you ever wondered how one justifies that to the people who fund the service? :-) (Andy Sennitt, RN, swprograms, July 18 via DXLD, std disclaimer) The key word Jonathan Marks, our Director of Programmes, uses all the time - both to our own staff and in presentations - is "emotion". Many of us here remember the days when many international broadcasts consisted of bored announcers reading out political declarations in a monotonous voice. That's because someone else wrote the text and the announcer was just reading it. Also, the quality of the translations was often appalling. You could almost hear the disinterest in the voices. At Radio Netherlands, we have producer/presenters. These people research, craft and present the stories that are important to them. So they feel involved in what they're telling the listeners, and that's where the emotion comes in. I think some of our best work - and the judges at the New York International Radio Festival seem to agree - is when our producers go on assignment and bring back true stories of real people. That's when you get emotion, not stuck day after day in a studio reading stuff someone else has written. Some of the most stimulating conversations I have at work are with colleagues who have just returned from an assignment, and are bursting to tell us about their experiences. And I guess that comes across on the air, which is great (Andy Sennitt, July 19, swprograms via DXLD; std disclaimer) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Re DXLD 1-099: Strictly speaking, Glenn, you`re right. When I said 'Sackville' I actually meant Montreal. Merlin`s Master Control in London does not handle the RN feeds, as BBC management refused to allow our programmes on former BBC frequencies to be routed via Bush House. Although the technical staff are Merlin employees, the BBC owns the facilities. So we had to set up two separate feeds, one to Sackville via RCI Master Control in Montreal and the other to Delano, which eventually went via satellite to IBB in Munich, thence to Washington, and onwards to Delano. Even if the BBC had allowed Merlin to feed RN audio to Canada via Bush House, we would still have needed a separate circuit, as the BBC relays via Sackville used the BBC`s feed to CBC which still continues. I actually don`t know what facilities they have at Sackville to take audio other than via RCI in Montreal. 73, (Andy Sennitt; Although I work for Radio Netherlands, I am participating here on an individual basis. Opinions expressed are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Radio Netherlands; DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. It was a pleasant surprise to hear RN taking over the BBC frequencies for a while, but it was an even bigger surprise to learn that, when that ends, they`re starting regular transmissions to North America during our morning hours, starting Sunday, July 15: 1025-1225 5965 ENAm, 1430-1625 15220 WNAm. That`s enough gossip for now. Take care, and just keep doin` it! (Pete Bentley, NY, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. R. Unión: their e-mail did work a couple of years ago. At least I was in touch with Juan Zubiaga, who also sent me a QSL-card. There is no mention in Peruvian Yellow Pages of an e-mail address, only phone number (1) 221 3158 (and several others). P-address unchanged. Perhaps someone would care to give them a call and ask for an e-mail address? (In Spanish, huh? No, not necessarily; on a big station such as R Unión - which is in a big capital city - someone probably can take a call in English). Perhaps worth trying? To all R Unión QSL hunters: I suppose you may hate to hear this, but I noticed a casual frequency announcement on "Unión, la radio" this morning ("880 y 6115 onda corta"), and so I believe it would do more harm than good to tell them that they are off frequency. Instead, let us lean back and enjoy their music as long as we can. When the replacement gear has arrived, I am sure we will no longer find them hovering around 6315 kHz (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, hard-core-dx via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. Re DXLD 1-096, PBS 9580 uncovered in absence of BBC: Depends on how you define "authenticated". Reported at least two or three times to "Australian DX News" over the past 12 months, and as I recall, reprinted in more widely distributed electronic newsletters at least once. Most recent log by Leigh Morris (South Australia) during late May, who measured it at 9580.3 until blocked at 1000. I think the issue here is that although 9580 is a busy channel, PBS doesn't appear to be active until as late as 0730/0930 every day - seems more the exception rather than the rule, in fact. Station has been very erratic on SW for many years. Up until the mid 80s, was heard nightly on 6170, and very occasionally on 3286/9580v/9615v. Cheers (Craig Seager, Australia, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. Tonight Radio Racja is on air also on Czestochowa-Koszecin 1080. Carrier already on at 1840, sudden audio cut-in a few seconds after 1900, transmission still up now after 2000. 1900-2000 // usual Leszczynka 6010, no perceptible delay between 6010 and 1080. The audio on 1080 is slightly distorted and muffled, reception here in Germany of course excellent on this otherwise clear frequency, the signal strength would well fit to a output of 350 kW (Kai Ludwig, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. The small tiny station Radio Samorodinka, Moscow was heard here in Finland on the 14th of July on 3299.7 kHz at 2035 UT with fair reception - commentaries and Russian music (Torre Ekblom, Esbo, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) {Should be 3922.7! -- his typo above} ** SAN MARINO. Radio San Marino webcast. E-mail verification letter in 8 days from Morena, lady who is program director (?). Her English is fairly good. She says new programs and specials are coming, so stay tuned! She promises a confirming letter and postcards by postal mail. This is the private "Radio San Marino" webcast station, not the government station not yet on the web. URL: http://www.radiosanmarino.sm Morena's E-mail: sps@omniway.sm (Bill Flynn, 17 July, DX LISTENING DIGEST) You mean to say that you got a QSL for hearing a webcast (as opposed to a broadcast)? Maybe Radio Pyongyang will start having real audio streaming so that I can finally QSL them after 20+ years? (Niel Wolfish, ODXA via DXLD) Isn't getting a QSL from a non-broadcast "radio station" sort of like QSLing a telephone conversation? I think webcasts are a neat idea, though I admit I don't listen much. I occasionally like to listen to the Thai FM stations I used to listen to when I was working there. QSLing them is another thing altogether. It's sort of like asking for a certificate saying I've read today's newspaper. 73 - (Ken, ODXA via DXLD) Dear Glenn, following to your informations coming from DXer Richard Lam about a WEB of Radio San Marino RTV, I have visited yesterday the official station of the Republic of San Marino, thanks to DJ "GATO" Gilberto Gattei, and I had a meeting with Program Director Pino Cesetti; he confirmed the WEB existing is not the one of their radio tv station but a private action of a private commercial organisation from San Marino, so indeed the program on the WEB has nothing to do with the one operated on FM 102,70 MHz 10 kW, 103,20 MHz 5 kW and TV channel 51 (all tx are located in San Marino Republic territory). The informations on WRTH 2001 are older and will be corrected by me, here some informations: San Marino Radio TV, Viale J. F. Kennedy 13, RSM-47890 Repubblica di San Marino. phone: +378 0549 8820000 ; fax: +378 0549 882840 E-mail: redazione@sanmarinortv.sm NO OFFICIAL WEB is operating yet. General Director: A. Bello. The secretary of redaction is Miss Isabella Floris. The station has an authorisation to use 711 kHz with 100 kW but at present NO PLANS to utilize MW band. The station is interested to the reports but has no QSL card or letter; the plan is to issue a QSL-card with the new logo, and the QSL-manager will be operated by me (this is not yet effective). Finally concerning the web, http://www.tradecenter.sm/rtv is managed by Mr. Faetanini; he is the old owner of no more existing Radio Titano, and he has done this VIRTUAL RADIO, for commercial purposes...no ideas if he will reply, but naturally please don't send e-mails reports to the Govern station, if you listen to the Virtual Radio from San Marino Republic. To listen to Radio San Marino go to WEB: http://www.radiosanmarino.sm contact address : Società Pubblicità San Marino, Via 4 Giugno 21, RSM-47899 Serravalle, Repubblica di San Marino. e-mail: sps@omniway.sm Secretary: Mrs. Carlotta Piombini. phone : +378 0549 901777. fax: +378 0549 969071. Palmiro Faetanini is the Program Director (former owner of Radio Titano closed 5 years ago). 73's from (Dario Monferini, Play-dx-Italy at present in holidays in Rimini beach, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SICILY. Dear Glenn, A QSL confirmation I received months ago. AFRTS Sicily Italy. 73 (Costa Constantinides, Cyprus, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ---Original Message Follows---- This letter serves as confirmation of your April 7 and 9, 2001, reception of American Forces Radio and Television. The signal originates from Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Sigonella, Sicily, at 10940.5 kHz. AFRTS shortwave radio transmissions have historically existed to provide AFRTS radio service to U.S. Navy vessels and outlying military posts receiving limited American radio or television through other means. The signals will be in existence for a limited time until a new technology, which is currently being tested, allows for reception of AFRTS via satellite. We are pleased that you have received the AFRTS shortwave signal and thank you for your interest and confirmation of the signal's quality. Sincerely, Michael Foutch, Chief Broadcast Operations Specialist (via Costa, DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. * Narrator: Tribute to Rimavska Sobota DWCD74: Radio Slovakia 32 secs The central European lands of Bohemia, Moldavia, Moravia, Czechia and Slovakia have featured significantly in political history during the Middle Ages and beyond. The people of these areas were also involved in the events associated with the Protestant Reformation, and at the end of World War 1, a new nation was formed, Czechoslovakia. This country was again bi-furcated, quite peacefully, on January 1, 1993, and two nations were formed, Czechia and Slovakia, with Prague and Bratislava as their respective capital cities. Radio broadcasting began in the combined Czechoslovakia in 1923 when a Morse telegraphy transmitter was modified for use as a broadcast unit. In 1934, an imported Marconi transmitter from England was installed at Podebrady, near Prague and this new shortwave facility was inaugurated on August 31, 1936 under the callsign OKI. Three omni-directional antennas were in use at the time, according to antenna beam and frequency. Construction on the large shortwave facility located near Rimavska Sobota in Slovakia began in 1956 with the installation of two transmitters at 100 kW. Over a period of time, several additional transmitters were installed here as well as a bevy of curtain antennas. Then, beginning in the year 1982, the entire station at Rimavska Sobota was rebuilt and two Russian-made transmitters at 250 kW were installed. Two more units of a similar design were subsequently installed. On January 1, 1994, test broadcasts on behalf of Adventist World Radio commenced from this high-powered shortwave station located at Rimavska Sobota in Slovakia. During the first week these test broadcasts on transmitter RS10 consisted mainly of recorded music with occasional test announcements in English. One week later, on Saturday January 8, a day long series of meetings in the large Seventh-day Adventist Church building in Bratislava officially launched the new AWR Slovakia. Part of the afternoon program was a live broadcast from the church with music and official speeches in the Czech language. Interestingly, the name "Rimavska Sobota" means "Romanian Sabbath" . The station is located near a small village a little beyond the town of Rimavska Sobota some 4 hours by car from Bratislava. During the past eight years AWR has been on the air from three of the four shortwave transmitters at Rimavska Sobota, designated as RS08, RS09 and RS10. During this same time period, untold hundreds of QSL cards have been issued to listeners throughout the world verifying the reception of AWR programming from these three transmitters. Currently, the three AWR QSL offices at London, Forli and Indianapolis are processing the "Last Week" QSL cards honoring the final broadcasts of AWR via Rimavska Sobota. As we sometimes say in our modern world, time moves on, and AWR moves on also. The new shortwave transmitter relay base taken out for AWR programming is now the ORF-ROI facility at Moosbrunn near Vienna in Austria. Rimavska Sobota has served AWR well during these past 8 years, and as we say "goodbye", we here at Adventist World Radio would also like to say "thank you". DWCD74: Radio Slovakia 32 secs (AWR Wavescan 330 script April 22 by Adrian Peterson, via Alan Roe, World DX Club via Mike Barraclough via DXLD) ** UKRAINE. Glenn, Interesting info from Alexnader Yegorov of RUI. The 1000 kW may not last very long. 73, (-.. . Kraig, KG4LAC, Krist, DXLD) ----- Original Message ----- From: "A.Egorov" Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 8:58 AM Subject: 12040 kHz Hello, dear Kraig! Thank you for the excellent reports on 12040. Now we in R. Ukraine are quite satisfied, and I'm sure that there will be not some problems on this frequency with Mykolaiv's Tx for the nearest future. I only have doubts - how long time this Tx will run? Perhaps only to the end of the World Congress of Ukrainians in the 20s of August. With the best regards, (Alexander Yegorov, RUI, July 18 via Krist, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Am just curious if anyone with SaveBBC or who is otherwise familiar with events across the pond has any new news about the BBC shortwave situation, since the July 1 storm has died down. And is there anything left for listeners to do at this point? Can't figure out if it's a dead issue by now, and there seem to be mixed signals about whether the issue will go any further. There's the upcoming grilling of Byford in August. But other reports seem to indicate the Foreign Office has already given the BBC its support for the shutdown decision, or at least given it a year before "revisiting" the issue (which means ultimately doing nothing). Also the BBC World Service union delivered a scathing report about the management policies at a previous hearing with Byford earlier this year. And there seems to be a lot of disagreement with the management about shortwave situation within BBCWS. Are the unions and/or staff going to do the same this time, especially regarding the shortwave cuts? Any updated info would be appreciated, and any suggestions if there's anything listeners can do to bring back shortwave (short of finding My. Byford a new job). (John Townes, swprograms via DXLD) We have nothing "new" to report at the moment. The storm has appeared to die down some in the aftermath of July 1, which should be seen (IMHO) as a normal phenomenon. Some have discovered that they can still hear the BBCWS on some frequencies and for them, the situation no longer appears as dire as it might once have. Listeners should not forget, however, the manner in which this was done. Was it necessary for the BBCWS to make the kind of announcement it did? I think not. Couldn't it have been more respectful and solicitous of its most loyal audience? I think so. We may not have as serious a problem hearing the BBC at night in NA, but the mornings are an entirely different story. And those in Australasia are reporting significant gaps in coverage across the region and the day. The central issues remain--FM rebroadcast, Internet streaming and as yet non-existent and unproven satellite services do not serve as adequate substitutes for shortwave coverage. Until and unless they do--in the "real world", not through some suspect "research"-- shortwave coverage should remain. So, to me and others, the issue is not a dead one. We are working toward that August date you refer to later in your message and we will ratchet things up again as that date approaches. In the meantime, I cannot stress too much how important it is to keep up the pressure through letters and e-mails to all the places (BBC, FCO, MPs, etc.) and people suggested at the savebbc web site. The shutdown decision is definitely on the table for discussion in August. The BBC seems to want us to believe that they have internal support that allows them to re-evaluate this in a year. Don't believe it. As I said earlier, this is not a dead issue...unless the listening community returns to its old passive ways and makes it so! There are signs of significant sympathy for our movement within the unions and among the rank and file staff. But openly resisting a management decision--in any entity--is going to put your livelihood in jeopardy. While such sympathy is nice to have, the future rests on our shoulders, not theirs. Your message to us is that we need to do a better job communicating. I think it's fair to say that this task has taken a lot of effort. We can use all the help and support you and any other interested persons can muster. Look at this quiet period as just an opportunity to catch our breath before the next round. I hope this is responsive to your questions, John. (John Figliozzi, Coalition to Save the BBC World Service, July 17, swprograms via DXLD) ** U K. Glenn, received the following from "The Radio Newsletter": "Dyke outlines role of BBC for the future`` =========================================== In a speech his speech to the 2001 Radio festival, Director-General of the BBC Greg Dyke, outlined his views for the future. Going forward Greg believe the BBC overall has roles in three distinct areas: * Local and regional, he believes the BBC will play an even bigger part in society in ten years time than they do currently. * The BBC will have a continued national role across the whole of the UK, being part of the glue which brings the whole of the nation together at a time when there are many pressures forcing it apart. * The BBC will have an increasingly important international role, as one of the few British institutions which has a worldwide reputation which brings great credit to Britain. Greg believes this should be expanded in the years ahead... Global Broadcasting The World Service aims to be the best known and most respected voice in international broadcasting, bringing credit to Britain. It is achieving its aim. The BBC World Service is the world's leading international broadcaster, currently attracting record audiences of 153 million listeners each week. Its values of accuracy, impartiality, objectivity, trust and internationalism are respected globally. 98% of MPs agree that the "World Service brings significant benefit to Britain". It is rapidly developing into a multimedia broadcaster, using radio and the Internet, for all its 43 language services. Aside from its international news and sport, its features, its classical, jazz, pop and rock music, and its drama, science, health, education and religious programming, the World Service provides a lifeline to inhabitants of countries undergoing revolution, war, dictatorship, natural disaster or economic collapse... While the Internet is profoundly important to the World Service - especially in the most developed markets - as an accessible, 24-hour source of programming that complements its selective FM rebroadcasts, it's clear that the Internet can't replace broadcast radio for our core UK networks... Digital Radio is the only technology on offer that allows radio to grow, to add some multimedia capability but retain radio's portable and free reception. But there's still a long way to go before Digital Radio ceases to be just a technology and becomes a consumer product..." Now, I'm in disagreement with 98% of British MPs - as far as I'm concerned the whole World Service could be shut tomorrow for all the benefits it brings me - but it does also seem to me that there is a degree of confusion here. If the internet can't replace broadcast radio for the core UK networks, then how can it do so in the North America and the Pacific? And if radio's portable and free reception is so important, what are the attractions of the internet, which is neither portable nor free? And if Mr Dyke believes in expanding the BBC's international role, how can he achieve that by turning his back on portable and free reception, and turning towards a medium which he himself doesn't think would work for the UK? The plain truth of the matter is that people listen to radio ON A RADIO. Since the BBC has been involved in radio broadcasting for nearly 80 years you would have thought that someone would have spotted that by now. Apparently not (Nicholas Mead, UK, July 17, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. DX Information from the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). From: http://www.radiocaroline.co.uk/select.htm SW FROM AMERICA. Courtesy of Al Weiner and his SW station WBCQ The Planet, Caroline will soon be on air with 50 KW of power on 17.495 and 7.415. We expect nine hours of programmes each week and will bring you dates and times shortly. The purpose of these broadcasts will be to create a larger audience for our web casts in the USA and for our !G satellite in Europe. Al Weiner worked on Caroline for a spell and then created the offshore Radio New York International, Radio Sarah and an ongoing offshore radio project. The above information may only be reproduced if full credit is given to the original source, contributor AND to the British DX Club (BDXC-UK). (via Mike Terry, BDXC-UK July 17, via WORLD OF RADIO 1088, DXLD) What about BBCWS via WBCQ as previously rumoured? That, too? (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. Glenn, starting today WWCR will use 9475 instead of 7435 at 0900-1100. 9475 has a fair signal here in Europe so if WoR falls into this slot we could hear it.... [Yes! Friday 0930 UT -gh] Since WRN in London has left ASTRA 19.2 East, I have to rely on WWCR again for WoR. RFPI's schedule is less reliable (July 16th 1900 no WoR, some weeks ago I found WoR on Tuesday at 1830 instead of 1900). Thanks for many great WoR programs! (Andre Schmidt, Lautert/Germany, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Indeed, from WWCR website, frequencies of #1 and #4 have changed July 18, eliminating 7435 at all: Transmitter #1 - 100 KW - 46 Degrees FREQ TIME (CDT) TIME (UTC) DATES 9475 4:00AM- 6:00AM 0900-1100 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 15685 6:00AM- 5:00PM 1100-2200 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 9475 5:00PM- 8:00PM 2200-0100 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 3215 8:00PM- 1:00AM 0100-0600 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 3210 1:00AM- 4:00AM 0600-0900 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 Transmitter #4 - 100 KW - 90 Degrees FREQ TIME (CDT) TIME (UTC) DATES 9475 8:00AM- 5:00PM 1300-2200 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 7460 5:00PM- 8:00AM 2200-1300 18 Jul 01-31 Aug 01 (via gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1088, DXLD) ** U S A. Dear GH: Clear-Channel powerhouse WHAS-84/Louisville has added ArtBell to its overnight programing, ending the 3.5 year stint of JOE ARNOLD. WLS "the big 89"-Chicago, replaced vet Af-American broadcaster NATE CLAY's Monday morning show with a Bell re-run. CLAY will retain his UT/Sun show, cutting his weekend hours in half. ARNOLD had been notified of his show's demise just 2 days before its Friday March 9 [sic -- old news here?? -gh] end. A thoughtful young conservative (naturally!}, but he was no ideologue. He was against the death penalty and police roadblocks. CLAY's unique Memphis drawl and liberal perspective has been a long-time fixture on WLS. Bell's annexation of 2 of America's premier stations is troubling for those who care about early morning AM programing. ARNOLD expressed this concern (and his lack of interest in BELL) prior to his rancour-free, melancholy signoff, of the job he loved (Scott Armstrong/Providence, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Rush Limbaugh has signed an unprecedented contract renewal worth more than a quarter-billion dollars, putting to rest any doubts that radio salaries have reached movie star levels - and then some. The top-rated talk-show host will collect $250 million over the next eight years, and will also pocket a $35 million signing bonus. "I am frequently asked if I expected this level of success, and the honest answer is yes," said Limbaugh. "So why should I feign surprise when it happens?" Between his new salary and signing bonus, Limbaugh will average more than $35 million each year through 2009 from Premiere Networks, according to Internet columnist Matt Drudge, who also hosts a talk show for Premiere. The conservative Limbaugh commands stratospheric wages because he's on more than 600 stations, gets strong ratings and is a relatively easy sale to sponsors - unlike many of today's radio shows that traffic in sexual and otherwise-controversial material that make advertisers nervous. The length of Limbaugh's new contract means the talk radio superstar - who previously declined deals that ran longer than three years - has no intention of hanging up his headphones in the foreseeable future. "I have said I shall not retire until all Americans agree with me," he said. Limbaugh, 50, arrived in New York from Sacramento, Calif., in 1988 to launch an independent network talk show, using WABC as the flagship (By JOHN MAINELLI -- NY Post via Radioguy, July 16, NRC-AM via DXLD) Obscene ** U S A. Time Mag: Philly 50's Rock 'n Radio by Rich Corliss Long (3 page) article July 14: Richard Corliss recalls growing up in the city that gave birth to "Bandstand" http://www.time.com/time/sampler/article/0,8599,167553,00.html (via Chet Copeland, NYC, DXLD) ** U S A. HI again Glenn: In WOR 1087 you were saying that apparently the format change for WWKB 1520 in Buffalo didn`t happen. I had noticed that, too, so I called them on 10 July. The receptionist who answered said it didn`t happen on June 30 because they just weren`t ready to do it yet. She said currently it`s on hold, but it definitely is going to happen. Also, she said that the options that they`re considering do include the two you mentioned: a switch to a 70s pop format, and carrying Joey Reynolds overnight. You said you thought maybe WWKB was beamed east, to protect KOMA in Oklahoma City. In the early 1950s I used to hang around with some of the employees at that station, and I recalled seeing several reception reports in the main control room. They were all from locations up and down the eastern seaboard, so I had an idea it was more a north-south beam. When I called on 10 July, no engineer was available, but today I found one. He said the beam was indeed almost straight north and south. Actually it`s just a bit counter clockwise from that. So in degrees it would be just a bit less than 180-360. He said they`ve had that same pattern for as long as he could remember. He also said that the pattern and the power, 50,000 watts, remain the same day and night. There`s no change. BTW, a year or so back, six of Buffalo`s radio stations moved into a big new complex out in the suburbs. They all use the same telephone number, 716-843-0600, and the same mailing address, 500 Corporate Parkway, Buffalo NY 14226: 550-WGR, 930-WBEN, 1400-WWWS, 1520-WWKB, 98.5-WKSE, 102.5-WTSS. (Pete Bentley, East Aurora, NY, July 13, retyped by gh for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. One "final" note on the Cleveland area multiple/major mediumwave and FM radio changes: Anyone hearing a station identification of WCLV-FM on 1460 kHz is tuned to WBKC-AM in Painesville, Ohio !! WBKC-AM is not owned or "affiliated" with WCLV-FM, but has signed some sort of agreement to simulcast WCLV-FM; except WBKC-AM continues to carry their own programs during the weekday morning hours local time and anytime they (WBKC) are broadcasting a Cleveland Indians professional baseball game (Lee Silvi, Mentor, Ohio, July 18, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. The latest NRC DX News has a list of stations believed to be silent, further info wanted before the Aug 1 deadline for the new NRC AM Log. Regarding one of them, I sent this to Log editor Wayne Heinen: I was thinking we had some correspondence about 1340 Santa Rosa NM a few months ago, but I see you still have it on the Silent list. I am quite sure it has been on the air in the past year. Whether it is on at the moment I cannot say. I am usually in Santa Rosa (or passing thru) 3 or 4 times a year, and the last time was April 20. My notes refer to their FM 95.9 having very limited range for its listed power, and 530 TIS in Cuervo being silent (rather than OC), tho its mast with solar panel is still visible by I-40 near mile 286. Nothing written down about KSSR 1340, but if memory serves, it was on, and I think I would have noted if it was not. Also, I later read thru several months of the weekly Santa Rosa News, in the UNM Albuquerque library, and noticed a number of display ads for the stations earlier this year, for what they are worth: April 20: KRSR 95.9 FM ``The Lion`` (Lions being the HS team name). March 9: under new leadership of Joseph M. Esquibel, KRSR 95.9 FM, phone 472-KSSR [sic]. Gives schedule of M-F 6 am -8 pm, S/S 8 am - 8 pm. Feb 9, 16 and 23: same ad except gives KSSR as calls for both 1340 and 95.9, back on air. Starting March 2: ads for KRSR 95.9 FM only [but that does not necessarily mean 1340 was off] I realize this may not clarify the situation of 1340, but those are my notes. You could find out what they say at area code 505... 73, (Glenn Hauser, to Wayne Heinen, cc to DXLD) Hi Glenn, Thanks for that update, I believe my relisting them silent was as a result of info in M Street Journal, but I've got it updated now... (Wayne Heinen, N0POH, DXLD) ** U S A. I have been trying to get someone to explain, and you are the obvious choice, about the so-called ``0/180 degree non- directional`` antennas used for BBC/RN relays from there. What kind of antennas are they, and where are their actual nulls and peaks? 73, (Glenn to John Vodenik, IBB Delano, DXLD) OK, the 0/180 beam is a dipole...really. It is a 250 kW dipole. One of the guys from Bethany built the thing. I haven't seen it yet, but it works. I would guess there are nulls off the ends, but I don't know if a pattern was ever taken on the thing. I have been here only 2 months now. Looking to get back into QSLing for DL and maybe Washington again. 73 (John WB9AUJ Vodenik, CA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. I guess I don`t have to worry about hearing Dr Scott any more, on his unannounced 17645 kHz in the morning. Since I wrote you last, a couple of new ones have come along, to splatter it from both sides, so I no longer hear it [at all? -gh]. Earlier in the morning I`m getting BBC on 17630, and just about the time they fade out, along comes WHRA on 17650. Bye-bye, Doc! (Pete Bentley, NY, July 13, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** URUGUAY. CWA 155 Banda Oriental, Uruguay, 6155, 2 kW, has a good spell right now, producing a weak but readable signal between 0200 and 0300 (sign off). Programming includes all Uruguayan music, and the station has been heard greeting distant listeners with musical selections. QSLs are on their way, too, they say. The SW service, called Banda Oriental, is different from their MW service, which is called R Sarandí del Yí. Let us support these friendly people by tuning their way and sending them reports to their street address, at Calle Sarandí 328, Sarandí del Yí (Durazno), Uruguay (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, July 18, hard-core-dx WORLD OF RADIO 1088, DXLD) ###