DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-121, September 6, 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] WORLD OF RADIO ON RADIO STUDIO X, MOMIGNO, ITALY Massimiliano Marchi of Radio Studio X has offered to broadcast WORLD OF RADIO on MW 1584 with 6 kW covering the Firenze area and low-power FM relays in Tuscany on 87.35, 96.55 and 105.55 MHz, Saturdays at 12:30 am local, or UT Fridays 2230, starting either Sept. 7-8 or 14- 15; see http://www.radiostudiox.it for more info, and we will be glad to hear from new listeners via these outlets. 1584 has C-QUAM AM stereo, tho WOR is produced in mono. Also webcasts via Live365.com (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO) WORLD OF RADIO 1095: (STREAM) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1095.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1095.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1095.html ** AZERBAIJAN. Hi Glenn, I feel very embarrassed and so sorry for a mistake here. In your DXLD 1116 you quoted my listening to Azerbaijan, the Voice of Azerbaijan. By a misprint I reported it on 9915; should be 9155 kHz of course. I don`t know is there a point for correction at this stage?! I am getting old...hi 73 (Torre Ekblom, Finland, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No problem! The problem would be in the case of some other DXers/editors who make a mistake and hope no one will notice, won`t issue a correxion. In a transposition case like this, it could have been a punch-up error at the station. It is never too late to make a correxion: we want the right info, later if not sooner (gh, DXLD) ** BELGIUM [and non]. Now that RVI will discontinue all transmissions via Wavre, I wonder whether or not RTBF will continue on 9970? As far as I know, the VRT and RTBF transmitters at Wavre are strictly separated, so it is well possible that RTBF will continue, especially since the shortwave site probably also houses the 621 mediumwave transmitter. Anyway no big surprise, some RVI transmissions were already transferred to Jülich; this site and perhaps extended usage of Russian facilities can certainly ensure an uncurtailed and technical-wise even better service for Europe. Perhaps RVI will in fact take over transmission hours at Jülich which are to be abandoned by SRI (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Sept 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BIAFRA [non]. I heard the Voice of Biafra International on 12120 kHz on the 1st of September 2001, when they had their first transmission 1900-2000. Time signal and a welcome ID was followed by music, a short religious message and a very long political speech, all in English. Reception was quite good and with no interference. It improved after 1930, when there was also a very weak telegraphy transmitter on the frequency. Postal address to write to? Nothing on their web about the address! Best wishes and 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea of Sweden, hard- core-dx via DXLD) Olá! / Hello from Portugal! In response to Björn Fransson's question about the Voice of Biafra International's postal address, I heard them announce the following address for listeners' mail at the end of their first broadcast on 1st September: 733 15th Street NW, 3700 Washington DC 20005, USA. [or 16th Street? See below] Judging from the Russian interval signals I heard as part of the same transmission on 12120 kHz just before and after the Voice of Biafra International programme at UT 1859 and 1959, the transmitter is most probably located in Russia or one of the former Soviet republics. Besides English I heard Voice of Biafra International programming towards the end of the broadcast in an African language, probably Igbo. Reception here in Portugal varied between SINPO 43443 - 42432 with some utility QRM, but generally Voice of Biafra International's signal was easily readable. Note: the Biafra national anthem that was played in the first minutes of the inaugural broadcast is none other than the famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius' classical masterpiece "Finlandia"!!! I wonder what made the Biafrans choose a Finnish composition as their national anthem back in the 1960's... 73 de (Mika Palo, formerly Finland - nowadays QTH Tomar, Portugal, hard-core-dx via WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DXLD) The tune has been used by Christians for various hymns, so that may explain it (gh, DXLD) Hi Glenn, Michael Ford, Staffordshire, UK posted this to the World DX Club email group, note there is a difference in the street number compared to the Hard Core DX report. (Mike Barraclough) Voice of Biafra International. Date: Sun, Sep 2, 2001, 11:00 Hi All, Last night I heard the first transmission of a new station called "The Voice of Biafra International" on 12120 kHz at 1900- 2000z. The programme opened with an interval signal then male announcer with English identification and QRFs [?] followed by a review of local news and commentaries. Some of the talks were in Igbo --- a local vernacular. This continued to 1995 when the email address, snail mail address and URL were given several times in both languages. At the end of the transmission the interval signal was played a couple of times then the station went off. Based on the interval signals, frequency and signal strength I think the relay site was Jülich Germany (I'm trying to get this confirmed). The objectives of the station are stated to be the seeking of an independent Biafra through peaceful means only. email address biafraland@biafraland.com Snail mail address = Voice of Biafra International 733 16th Street North West 3700 Washington DC 20005 URL http://www.biafraland.com (via Mike Barraclough, WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Voice of Biafra-QSL and background info I just got this e-mail from oguchi@pacbell.net in response to my e-mail reception report to Voice of Biafra International. It includes info on a new frequency for this coming Saturday's broadcast. Hello, Mika: Thank you so much for listening, monitoring and confirming our broadcast! Voice of Biafra International is owned and produced by Igbo organizations focused on actualizing Biafra. We buy airtime from a broadcasting station --- we would like to own our own station someday. Yes, we are continuing the ongoing struggle started over 30 years ago by Nigeria against us Biafrans; the ugliness has never ceased since then. We shall, in the end, vanquish. I am not sure how our Biafran National anthem is sung a la Finlandia, but it is appropriate. The words are at our website. We also have more information there: http://www.biafraland.com Thank you, again, Sir. Our next broadcast will be same time, but on 12125 (instead of 12120) kHz. See you then! Oguchi Nkwocha, MD, A Biafran Citizen (M. Palo, Portugal, September 6, 2001 for CRW via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 3343.89, Radio Ayopaya (tentative) 0930-0955 Sept 3, Andean music, woman announcer in Vernacular language. Good signal peak at grayline but no ID heard. Fading by 1000. 6085.15, Radio San Miguel (tentative) 0915 Sept 3, Announcer in Vernacular language, ads, Andean music, raspy audio. Fair signal (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BURUNDI. R. Burundi has reactivated its transmitter on 6140. This has been erratic for many years, particularly recently. It is now operating slightly off-channel on around 6140.2, which may be an aid to identifying it. Unfortunately, the audio level is rather low and the transmitter`s operation continues to be highly irregular, so even in Nairobi reception remains unreliable (Chris Greenway, East African Report, Sept BDXC Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DXLD) ** CANADA. CRTC renews RCI's Sackville transmitter CKCX for 7 years This is a really old callsign, in the days when each RCi frequency was given call letters From a 1945 program guide: CHOL 11920 kHz CKCX 15190 kHz CKNC 17820 kHz (International Radio Report, CKUT, Sept 2 via Ricky Leong, DXLD) Ha! My memory of CKCX being the 15190 callsign is confirmed (gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DXLD) ** CANADA. This Saturday we are back for another new season of Quirks & Quarks and can you believe it, this is my tenth season with the show! How time flies. Speaking of time, our feature story this week is titled: "It's About Time - Inside the 4th Dimension:" We take a look at one of the great mysteries of physics: the nature of time. You might think that time is marching steadily forward. But is it? Almost a hundred years ago, Einstein showed that time could be stretched or shrunk. Today, some scientists think there are areas of our universe where time is flowing backwards, and time travel might be possible. Others are questioning whether time really exists at all. Plus - exciting new stem cell research from McGill University. All that and more, on Quirks & Quarks, Saturday right after the noon news on CBC Radio One (Q&Q mailing list Sept 5 via WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DXLD) ** CANADA [and non]. Following page has links to some photos of participants at the late-August HF Coordination Conference in Montreal, not all of them adequately identified. But you may find your favorite frequency manager and Bernd Friedewald among them: http://www.hfcc.org/montreal.html (via Sheldon Harvey, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA/USA. China close to opening doors to US TV China's TV broadcasting sector is close to opening the door to foreign entertainment companies in the immediate future, as negotiations between the industry watchdog and two US media giants reach their final stage. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television on 5 September stated its negotiations with AOL-Time Warner and News Corp may be finalized soon, the China Daily newspaper reported. The administration's head, Xu Guangchun, said that the two companies will be allowed to directly send TV programmes to residents in some parts of south China's Guangdong Province, the paper reported. In return, the two have to guarantee that an English language channel, run by China Central TV (CCTV), will be broadcast and accessible to all US TV watchers, the Daily said. Channel 9, of CCTV, is a newly launched English language channel that mainly provide news and cultural programmes. If the plans are finalized, it will be a major breakthrough in the country's TV broadcasting sector, as foreign companies are currently banned from entering this field. The paper said that although more than 20 overseas TV channels, including HBO, Discovery, Star TV and CNBC, can be received by mainland hotels with three stars or above, this would be the first time that the average resident will legally be able to receive overseas channels at home. AOL-Time Warner and News Corp will mainly provide entertainment- related programmes, Xu told the Daily. Source: China Daily web site, Beijing, in English 6 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) How about that?! CCTV-9 will soon be *broadcast* and accessible to *all* US TV watchers! Not even domestic networks, especially cable channels, can make such a claim (gh, DXLD) Hmmm. How will this work, should the content offend one or the other nationality? (Deb Jones, CAJ-L moderator) TV Firms Near Deal to Broadcast Into China After a series of recent meetings with top-level Chinese officials, AOL Time Warner Inc. and News Corp. said they were nearing a deal that would allow them to directly broadcast television programs in China if they agree to beam Chinese government-sponsored content into the United States. http://tm0.com/IHT/sbct.cgi?s=174818420&i=387034&d=1740001 (via Ricky Leong, QC, Sept 6, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. I`ve managed to find CRI English to NAm at 0100. It used to be on Cuban relay 9570. Now moved up to 9580. It does not always start up on time. There`s splash from 9575 in Arabic. Also a warble in the CRI audio. Should try 9585 (Bob Thomas, CT, Aug 27, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO DR. Confirmed active: 5066 R. Candip; 6713.3 Bukavu (Chris Greenway, Kenya, East African Report, Sept BDXC Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DXLD) ** CUBA. Did anyone catch the Radio Habana Cuba news broadcast last night? They were poking fun at Americans for a news story in the Weekly World News (that goofy one that sells at the checkout counter at your local friendly grocery store). It had a story that said the Cubans were creating the shark attacks to strike fear into Americans. They actually mentioned that it was discussed on their TV station as an honest to God news story! Hilarious! acs (A. C. Smith, Sept 6, DX- 398 Users Group via DXLD) ** CUBA. Re http://www.radiohc.cu/audiorhc.html Channel 1 worked OK on first attempt. When clicking on Channel 2 I had an error message. Test was done at 1855 UTC Sept 3 RHC uses Windows Mediaplayer. (/H Klemetz, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Still got File Format Is Invalid, clicking on Canal 1 at 0120 UT Sept 4 (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. Radio Rebelde available on Internet Cuba's government radio station Radio Rebelde has announced that its broadcasts are now available on the Internet at http://www.radiorebelde.com.cu and http://www.radiorebelde.cubaweb.cu. BBC Monitoring found that these links were working at 1200 gmt on 4 September. Source: Radio Rebelde, Havana, in Spanish 1700 gmt 29 Aug 01 (BBCM via DXLD) ** CUBA. Radio Cadena Agramonte to go digital Cuba's Radio Rebelde has reported that Radio Cadena Agramonte is among the first broadcasters in the country to go completely digital in the production and broadcast of its programmes. Rebelde said the move was part of a national radio modernization programme. Source: Radio Rebelde, Havana, in Spanish 1000 gmt 5 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Digital production? Maybe. Digital broadcast? I seriously doubt it. If so, is it DRM standards, or US IBOC??? Frequencies?? (gh, DXLD) ** CZECH REPUBLIC. "As long as we exist, we will be using short-wave" Well today, August 31st, marks Radio Prague's 65th birthday -- and the anniversary is an opportunity not only to look back at the past, but also look to its present position in the media world as well as its perspectives for the future. So, how does the station's director, Miroslav Krupicka see Radio Prague today? Olga Szantova spoke with him to find out. "Radio Prague is a medium-sized international broadcaster now. We are one channel of Czech public radio, and I think that after a shaky period in the early 90s, our position is now stable, or solid. We have survived those uncertain times. I think we are quite a modern and well working broadcaster. We use various technologies, of course as media we are still using shortwave, that's the basic medium that we use, internet, satellite system, and so on. We are looking into new technologies, such as Digital Radio Mondial, because Am and shortwaves are going to be digitised soon. "Shortwave broadcasting, which used to be the only way of transmitting our programmes, is now only one of many systems. Some listeners are worried that shortwave could be discontinued altogether. "As long as we exist, we will be using short-wave, because in the near future there is no alternative, no sensible alternative to short-wave broadcasting as far as international broadcasting is concerned. Shortwave is the main medium that we use." We asked Miroslav what the long term future of Radio Prague was. "I have to say that I see the future of Radio Prague, of such a medium size international broadcaster in international co-operation, or maybe co-production. We are a part of World Radio Network. It's a British international company that re-broadcasts parts of our programs in English, French, German and so on, and it, in a way, unites us with other broadcasters, at least European and sometimes international broadcasters, and that's, I think, where we are going to in the future. We won't be able to survive on our own, we have to co-operate, unite, and maybe form regional, or rather international groupings, or big size organisations that are going to be a part of the information highway." Will that eventually mean the end of Radio Prague? "No, no. I think we'll always have a role to play. We've got interesting history, interesting culture, a place in Europe, so a small voice will always be a part of this international organism in the future and we'll always be a part of Europe." From http://www.radio.cz/english (via Sergei Sosedkin, Sept 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ERITREA [non]. Opposition web site launched | Excerpt from press release in English by Eritrea1.org on 1 September A new web site, http://Eritrea1.org, [that`s figure one after the a - -- gh] commences service today [1 September], to become another stage where all citizens can engage in discourse and argument, to help in the transition toward the Eritrea we wish for, the land of peace, justice, democracy, under the following guidelines. To enable the participation of all Eritreans and other interested individuals it shall have Tigriyna, Arabic and English content. To remain open for all citizens to post their opinions without political restriction, to permit argument, it shall maintain political independence. It shall provide news, commentary and editorial pieces about Eritrea from within and outside Eritrea Because our differences should strengthen our unity and integrity as a people, it shall discourage posts, from Eritreans or others that aim to disrupt our unity, are sub national, dogmatic or factional. Since the struggle for democracy and justice is never ending, we call on every Eritrean, with the interest of our people at heart, to offer your best and enrich this website. Eritrea1.org wishes to thank our sister Eritrean web site http://Asmarino.com for granting this opportunity to introduce our service to visitors of their website. Source: Asmarino web site in English 1 Sep 01 (via BBCM via WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA [non]. Glenn, An announcement at the opposition web site at http://www.geocities.com/malula86/ says the new station Voice of Tigrayans from North America will start broadcasting on 8 September [Sat] at 1700-1800 gmt on 12110 kHz (presumably from a Russian site). I guess this means they have realized that, propagationally, a north- south path from Russia to Ethiopia makes more sense than their tests to date from WWCR (probably cheaper too). In case you were wondering, the conversion they give to Ethiopian time (2 to 3 p.m.) is correct as, like the Swahilis, they start counting from sunrise or sunset, not noon (Chris Greenway, Kenya, Sept 5, WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GABON/FRANCE. French minister discusses Africa No 1 issue | Excerpt from report by Gabonese Africa No 1 radio on 5 September Charles Josselin, the French minister delegate for cooperation, was yesterday in Franceville, southwest of Gabon, where he was received by Gabonese President Omar Bongo. On the occasion, several current issues were discussed. It must be stated that the long-standing relations between the two countries are multi-faceted. Among the issues discussed was that concerning communication and, in particular, the future of France's participation in Africa No 1 radio station's capital. It is known that Sofirad, the state company that represented the French interests, is now being privatized and in this perspective, the French government has decided to transfer France's 40 per cent participation to Radio France Internationale [RFI]. According to Gabonese government sources, this proposal has been welcomed with some reservation as Africa No 1 radio is an RFI's competitor on the African continent. On this issue, Charles Josselin has given assurances for a quick conclusion of the current discussions over France's participation. [Josselin - recording] I have made fresh proposals. The minister of state in charge of this sector was asked by President Bongo to respond quickly --- and this is our wish --- to these new proposals that the minister has considered as a significant breakthrough for a solution acceptable to both parties. So, I am very optimistic about the conclusion of this matter, which is not actually a dispute, but only that we have delayed in finding a solution and I think this solution is now in sight [End of recording] ... Source: Africa No 1 radio, Libreville, in French 1200 gmt 5 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** GERMANY. SFB, ORB radio stations to merge by 2004 | Excerpt from report by German newspaper Handelsblatt on 29 August The Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) and Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB) radio stations are planning to merge by 1 January 2004. At a special session of the SFB Radio Council in Berlin yesterday, Director Horst Schättle briefed the participants on the state of the talks with the land governments. Observers have said that the new Social Democratic Party of Germany [SPD]-led Berlin Senate has paved the way for speeding up the process. It is expected that the länder parliaments in Potsdam and Berlin will sign the necessary state treaty by the end of 2002. SFB Director Schättle and his ORB counterpart, Hansjürgen Rosenbauer, expect the merger to help reduce costs significantly. Yet, no detailed figures were given yesterday... Source: Handelsblatt, Düsseldorf, in German 29 Aug 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** GUYANA. 3291.36, GBC 0923 Sept 3, Announcer in English with "The Earlybird Show", birthday greetings and ID in passing. Western pop and Subcontinental vocals. Powerful signal. Excellent reception (Mark Mohrmann, VT, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. For you friends of AIR: a very little known and seldom reported frequency for AIR is 10330 kHz. No English here but the "Vividh Bharati" service. TX sites are various: Madras (they call that Chennai nowadays), Delhi, Gauhati, Bombay (or Mumbai - what`s wrong with good ole Bombay ???) and (I believe) Alighar as well. Between 0100 and 1730 UT there´s always the one or other TX on the air. Contrary to what some lists say, the language used is not always Hindi. Apart from Hindi, they often have Bengali, Baluchi, and Tamil programs. Once I`ve even heard a short Nepali segment. Thought some of you might be interested... OK, RNZI is on now on 15160. Got to get back to the radios. 73 de (Thomas, DL1CQ, Roth, FISTS #6402, CC #1036 AGCW-DL #2943 52:27N - 09:42E http://www.qsl.net/dl4obn swl@qth.net via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Per verie letter from Murniaty Y Oesin, Transmission Dept Manager, RRI Palangkaraya broadcasts daily 2200-1600 on 3325. The operate two SW transmitters, a 50 kW NEC HFB3074 and a Harris BC- 10H of 10 kW, feeding an omni-directional antenna. No info on operational schedule of these two transmitters (George Brown, Sept British DX Club Communication via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Voice of Indonesia is the external service of Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI). This schedule is based on monitoring observations and information supplied by the broadcaster. Some broadcasts are relayed in Jakarta on FM 88.95 MHz. Languages: Arabic, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Malay, Mandarin, Spanish, Thai Address : Medan Merdeka Barat 4-5, PO Box 1157, Jakarta, Indonesia. Tel : + 62 21 345 6811 Fax : + 62 21 352 0585 E-mail : nastami@yahoo.com (Information Officer) Web Site : http://www.rrionline.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0030-0100 Daily SPANISH Am 9.525 11.785 0100-0200 Daily ENGLISH AsAm 9.525 11.785 0200-0300 Daily INDONESIAN AsAm 9.525 11.785 0300-0400 Daily ARABIC ME 9.525 11.785 0800-0900 Daily ENGLISH AsAu 9.525 0900-1000 Daily MALAY As 9.525 1000-1030 Daily THAI As 9.525 1030-1130 Daily MANDARIN As 9.525 1130-1200 Daily JAPANESE As 9.525 1200-1300 Daily INDONESIAN MEAs 9.525 1730-1800 Daily SPANISH Eu 15.150 1800-1900 Daily GERMAN Eu 15.150 1900-2000 Daily FRENCH EuME 15.150 2000-2100 Daily ENGLISH EuME 15.150 --------------------------------------------------------------------- (© BBC Monitoring Sept 5, condensed for DXLD) RRI Jakarta Programa 3. Comments: Programming consists of news, information and politics. Languages: Indonesian Address : Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No 4-5, Jakarta 10110 Tel : +62 (0) 21 384-2083 ext 528 Fax : +62 (0) 21 352 0585 E-mail : nastami@yahoo.com Web Site : http://www.rrionline.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0000-2359 Daily INDONESIAN Domestic 1.332 4.777-irreg 0000-0025 Daily National network news 15.125 104.1 0100-0200 .MTuWThF. Political discussion prog 0300-0310 Daily Capital city news 0400-0410 Daily National news 0500-0520 Daily Information prog 0600-0625 Daily National network news 0700-0710 Daily News 0900-0910 Daily Capital city news 0912-1000 .MTuWThFSa Parliamentary news 1100-1125 Daily World news 1200-1225 Daily National network news 1300-1310 .MTuWThF. Business news 1400-1410 Daily Capital city news 1500-1510 Daily Main Evening national news 1600-1610 Daily News 1700-1705 Daily News 1800-1805 Daily News 1900-1905 Daily News in brief 2000-2005 Daily News 2100-2105 Daily News 2200-2210 Daily Central national news 2300-2315 Daily Capital city news --------------------------------------------------------------------- (© BBC Monitoring Sept 5, condensed for DXLD) RRI Jakarta Programa 5. Comments: Programming consists of entertainment and education. Languages : Indonesian Address : Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No 4-5, Jakarta 10110 Tel : +62 (0) 21 384-2083 ext 528 Fax : +62 (0) 21 352 0585 E-mail : nastami@yahoo.com Web Site : http://www.rrionline.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0000-0200 Daily INDONESIAN Domestic 9.680 93.2 0000-0025 Daily News (relay of Programa 3 network news) 0800-1300 Daily INDONESIAN Domestic 9.680 93.2 1200-1225 Daily News (relay of Programme 3 network news) 2150-2359 Daily INDONESIAN Domestic 9.680 93.2 --------------------------------------------------------------------- (© BBC Monitoring Sept 5, condensed for DXLD) [BBCM also issued schedules for Programas 1, 2, 4 and 6, but no SW frequencies are shown for them - gh] ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. Read an interesting profile of the man behind Sirius satellite radio [David Margolese]. Follow this link: http://www.robmagazine.com/servlet/GIS.Servlets.HTMLTemplate?tf=robm/full_story/columnFullStory.html&cf=robm/neutral.cfg&configFileLoc=robm/config&date=&dateOffset=35&query=class+%3Ccontains%3E+robm+%3Cand%3E+logo+%3Ccontains%3E+Snapshot¤t_row=1&start_row=1&num_rows=1 If this doesn't work, go to the Globe and Mail Report on Business website http://www.robmagazine.com/ then click on the full table of contents for September, and scroll down the "Snapshots" and select the article "Radio Flyer" by Simon Houpt (Ricky Leong, WORLD OF RADIO 1095, DX LISTENING DIGEST) rob = Report on Business, heh, heh (gh) ** IRAQ [non]. Iraq/USA: Opposition INC says Liberty TV starts formally | Text of press release from the London-based Iraqi National Congress opposition group on 3 September London, 3 September 2001: The Iraqi National Congress (INC) has begun satellite television broadcasting to Iraq. The first broadcast of Television Hurriah (Liberty TV) contains extracts of a recent secretly filmed video of the marshes in southern Iraq showing Iraqi military movements, villages that have been destroyed and evidence of the environmental devastation caused by Saddam's dam projects. Liberty TV is currently broadcasting one hour of programming, to be repeated several times throughout the day. This will develop in the near future to a 24-hour schedule. The one-hour broadcast consists of news and information programs of interest to the Iraqi people. Liberty TV is broadcast on the T12 satellite at 15 degrees west and 12.599 GHZ [vertical polarization]. Liberty TV will also be available on the Internet at http://www.inc.org.uk INC leadership spokesman Sharif Ali Bin Al-Hussein said: "We are proud to begin broadcasting uncensored news to the Iraqi people. For too long the people of Iraq have been denied access to free information. This is an exciting opportunity for the INC to provide essential information to the millions of Iraqi citizens living under Saddam's dictatorship. Our broadcasts will be an important element in the Iraqi people's struggle to remove Saddam from power and bring him to justice". For further information please call the INC press office on 020 7584 0555 or e-mail pressoffice@inc.org.uk. Source: Iraqi National Congress press release, London, in English 3 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Analysis: USA funds Iraqi opposition satellite TV broadcasts | Text of editorial analysis by BBC Monitoring's Foreign Media Unit on 6 September The London-based Iraqi National Congress (INC), a US-funded umbrella organization of groups opposed to President Saddam Husayn, in mid- August began satellite TV test broadcasts targeted at listeners inside Iraq. On 3 September the INC said the new station, which calls itself Liberty TV, had formally started broadcasting. An INC press release said: "The first broadcast of Television Hurriyah (Liberty TV) contains extracts of a recent secretly filmed video of the marshes in southern Iraq showing Iraqi military movements, villages that have been destroyed and evidence of the environmental devastation caused by Saddam's dam projects. "Liberty TV is currently broadcasting one hour of programming, to be repeated several times throughout the day. This will develop in the near future to a 24-hour schedule. The one-hour broadcast consists of news and information programmes of interest to the Iraqi people. "Liberty TV is broadcast on the T12 [Telstar 12] satellite at 15 degrees west and 12.599 GHz [vertical polarization]. Liberty TV will also be available on the Internet at http://www.inc.org.uk." The broadcasts, approved earlier this summer by the Bush administration, will be produced in studios in London. "The tab is 2.7m dollars a year, including 1.2m dollars for satellite time and 1.5m dollars for programming and studio use," according to a report on the INC web site. A spokesman for the US State Department, Philip Reeker, said that although Washington was providing the 2.7m-dollar annual budget, the INC retained complete editorial control over the programming. "We think the people of Iraq deserve the opportunity to have programming that reflects truth, that reflects news about events in the world, things they are unable to get under the oppressive regime of Saddam Husayn," the US spokesman added. Other satellite TV broadcasts are already widely viewed in the Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq, where some 60 per cent of the population have satellite dishes, compared with about 20 per cent in Baghdad or southern Iraq. Nevertheless, as INC sources told the London-based newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi on 29 August, the organization is counting on its programmes being watched in the Iraqi capital and surrounding cities. These are the areas "where the educated and well-to-do Iraqi elite lives, including people directly connected with political and military circles who might be influenced by the Iraqi opposition's television broadcasts and be encouraged to change the situation". Responding to a question on the extent to which the Iraqi authorities control the use of satellite dishes in Iraq, INC spokesman Al-Sharif Ali Bin al-Husayn told the London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat: "We are sure that the majority of the Iraqis use these dishes secretly. Government and military officials and party members can view satellite channels. As part of our plan, we will address these officials to expose the nature of the regime they are serving." But the broadcasts may be difficult to receive in Iraq for technical reasons. Liberty TV has rented a transponder on the Telstar 12 satellite, owned by Loral Skynet, a US communications company. As Voice of America's "Communications World" programme noted, Telstar 12 is a trans-Atlantic link satellite. It can only uplink from the Americas and only be received in Europe and the Middle East. "This would make it difficult for Iraq to jam, because the interfering signal would have to come from the Americas. On the other hand... the location of Telstar 12 at 15 degrees west means that it will be located at a low angle in Iraq," close to the western horizon. Liberty TV could be unavailable to many people in the region because of the obscure satellite chosen and the digital signal - many receivers are still analogue. Observers also question whether the opposition will be able to have a significant impact on Iraq's political structure through a satellite channel. Source: BBC Monitoring research 6 Sep 01 BBC Mon MD1 Media pf (© BBCM via DXLD) ** JAPAN. Japanese experimental station JG2XA researching HF Doppler shift: The University of Electronics and Communications in Tokyo reportedly has begun experimental short-wave transmissions to research high- frequency Doppler shift (HFD). Researchers have set up an experimental station using the call sign JG2XA and began regular transmissions on July 3. Frequencies are 5006 and 8006 kHz. The station transmits an unmodulated carrier 24 hours a day and identifies in Morse at least every 30 minutes: "JG2XA JG2XA JG2XA UEC HFD STATION." (Australia Q-News via ARRL September 5 via John Norfolk, OKCOK, DXLD) ** JAPAN [and non]. September 4, 2001. Dear Sir/Madam, We would like to much appreciate your great cooperation as our monitor. Please be advised that, regarding Radio Japan`s broadcasts via Sri Lanka (Ekala) to Southwest Asia and Middle East & North Africa, from Tuesday September 4, 2001 to Sunday September 9, 2001, Radio Japan will broadcast the following schedule by substituted relay points due to a power cut by local electricity shortage. Tuesday September 4, 2001 to Sunday September 9, 2001 (Japan Standard time: JST)