DX LISTENING DIGEST 1-134, September 26, 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 01-09 is available from UT Sept 26: (Freespeech may be sluggish, so keep trying if it not play at first) STREAM: http://www.freespeech.org/hauser/sounds/com0109.ram SUMMARY: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/com0109.html Broadcasts should start on RFPI Friday Sept 28 at 1900; Sat 1730, Tue 2000 plus repeats 6, 12 and 18 hours later on some of: 7445, 15050, 21815-USB WORLD OF RADIO 1098 available early UT Sept 27: (STREAM) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1098.ram (DOWNLOAD) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1098.rm (SUMMARY) http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/wor1098.html DX PROGRAMS update available Sept 27: http://www.angelfire.com/ok/worldofradio/dxpgms.html ** AFGHANSITAN. I have not been able to hear Radio Sharia on 4775 nor on 7080. As a matter of fact 7080 seems to be permanent jammer from my location. For the last 5 days I have monitored this frequency day and night. Once I heard Radio Jordan on their other frequency of 4.775 w/ English pop show. Receivers used: NRD 515, Grundig Y. B. 400. antenna lw of 30 metres long. 73,s (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4775 has been inactive for ages (gh) ** AFGHANISTAN. Radio Voice of Shari'ah. Main Studio: Kabul. Category: Both domestic and external. Comments: Radio Voice of Shari'ah is the official Taleban-run broadcaster (formerly Radio Afghanistan). This schedule is based entirely on monitoring observations in September 2001. All transmission times are subject to change. Languages : Arabic, Dari, English, Multilingual, Nuristani, Pashto, Russian, Turkmen, Urdu, Uzbek Address: Radio Voice of Shari'ah, PO Box 544, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 25241. Delivery Methods: Terrestrial --------------------------------------------------------------------- 0100-0340 SuMTuWTh.Sa MULTILINGUAL Domestic 0.657 1.107 7.087-v (PASHTO/DARI) 0230-0235 SuMTuWTh.Sa News (PASHTO) 0330-0335 SuMTuWTh.Sa News (DARI) 0330-0800 .....F. MULTILINGUAL Domestic 0.657 1.107 7.087-v (PASHTO/DARI) 0400-0405 .....F. News 1230-1815 Daily MULTILINGUAL Domestic 0.657 1.107-(until 1530 7.087-v(until 1530) (PASHTO/DARI) 1330 Daily News (PASHTO) 1430 Daily News (PASHTO) 1500 Daily News (PASHTO) 1530 Daily News (DARI) 1630 Daily News (PASHTO) 1530-1545 Daily ENGLISH AsDom 1.107 7.087-v 1545-1600 Daily ARABIC MEDom 1.107 7.087-v 1600-1615 Daily TURKMEN AsDom 1.107 7.087-v 1615-1630 Daily UZBEK AsDom 1.107 7.087-v 1630-1650 Daily URDU AsDom 1.107 7.087-v 1650-1710 Daily RUSSIAN EuDom 1.107 7.087-v PROVINCIAL RADIO STATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN: The following radio station have been reported by Afghan sources during the past two years (frequencies/times included if known): Badghis Radio - 0130-0300, 1330-1500. Balkh Radio (Mazar-e Sharif) - 1584v kHz 1330-1500 gmt Fariab Radio (Maymana) - no further details Farah Radio - 1130-1230 gmt Ghazni Radio - MW & SW 0230-0330, 1130-1230 gmt Helmand Radio (Lashkargah) - 1330-1430 Herat Radio - no further details Kandahar Radio - 864 kHz 0230-0345, 0530-0730 (Fri), 1330-1530 gmt Konar Radio - 1580 kHz Logar Radio - no further details Nimroz Radio (Ghowr-Ghowri) - no further details Samangan Radio - 0200-0300, 1300-1400 gmt Sar-e Pol Radio - no further details Northern Alliance: Takhar Radio (Taloqan) - 7000v kHz 0830-0930 gmt (not recently confirmed) (© BBC Monitoring Sept 26, condensed for DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [and non]. Afghan media round-up Afghanistan's media have been seriously restricted in freedom of expression and range since the Taleban came to power in 1996. Radio Afghanistan was renamed Radio Voice of Shari'ah (Islamic law) and now reflects the Islamic fundamentalist values of the Taleban. The Taleban have banned TV as a source of moral corruption and regard music as suspect. Photography and filming is also banned. Afghans are barred from accessing the Internet, however the Taleban maintains a web site promoting recognition of its government overseas. Radio: A lifeline for Afghans For Afghans and their neighbours, the radio is the most vital source of breaking news as the crisis escalates. International broadcasters have responded by increasing their Arabic, Persian, Pashto, Dari (a form of Persian) and Urdu services to the Middle East, South Asia and Central Asia, including Afghanistan. The BBC World Service has reinforced its mediumwave transmissions by adding an additional frequency, serving a large part of the region surrounding and including Afghanistan. Shortwave transmissions to the region have also been expanded in Pashto, Arabic, Urdu and Persian in response to the escalating tension in the area following the US attacks. News and current affairs content in the usually mixed schedules of each language service has been boosted and on-line coverage in these languages has been increased. Radio France International (RFI) has added an extra half-hour of programmes in Persian targeted at Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan and the whole of the Central Asia region. The Voice of America (VOA) has expanded news broadcasts in Dari, Persian and Pashto. But a New York Times columnist, William Safire, has questioned the effectiveness of VOA's "impartiality" in times of war. He has called for a "Radio Free Afghanistan" to be set up to counter the propaganda of the Taleban-controlled media. Echoing the NATO bombing of broadcasters in Belgrade, Safire said Taleban radio should be attacked. "And for the Pentagon's choosers of 'targets of value': consider, in the first strike, the score of towers and mobile transmitters of Radio Shari'ah," Safire urged. The VOA also came under pressure from the US Department of State not to air a story that included parts of a rare interview with the leader of the Taleban, Mullah Mohammed Omar. The Washington Post said the US government objected to a public broadcaster being a platform for "terrorists". Nevertheless, international broadcasters are a lifeline in a country with virtually no press freedom, Internet or TV. A BBC survey carried out before the crisis indicates that some 72 per cent of Pashto language speakers and some 62 per cent of Persian speakers in Afghanistan listen daily to the BBC World Service. The total population of Afghanistan is estimated at 26 million. Other broadcasts in Pashto/Dari to Afghanistan include Radio Pakistan, China Radio International, All India Radio, Deutsche Welle, Radio Cairo, Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Voice of Russia, Tajik Radio and Radio Tashkent (Uzbekistan). There are also a number of radio stations run by Afghan expatriates, mainly in North America, which broadcast in Pashto/Dari. Taleban's voice to the world Radio news in Taleban-controlled areas is limited as the Taleban's Voice of Shari'ah is the sole broadcaster operating in Kabul and provincial centres and it is largely a platform for official propaganda and religious sermons. It claims to be the only broadcaster in the world where music of any kind is banned Voice of Shari'ah has viewed imminent US military action against Afghanistan as an invasion of infidels and has called for a Muslim jihad against any US-led coalition. The radio's news coverage has been limited. The radio failed to mention a news conference given by the Taleban in Islamabad on 19 September where they refused to extradite Usamah Bin-Ladin. On 20 September, the radio reported instead on the more conciliatory edict issued by the Ulemas Council expressing sorrow to the American people, calling for a full investigation into US terrorist attacks and saying Usamah Bin-Ladin should be encouraged to leave the country. The Voice of Shari'ah has radio stations in Taleban-controlled provinces, including Badghis (northwest), Balkh (north), Farah (west), Fariab (northwest), Ghazni (central), Helmand (south), Herat (west, where the strategic city of Mazar-e Sharif is located), Kandahar (south), Konar (east), Logar (central), Nimroz (southwest), Samangan (north) and Sar-e Pol (north). However, some of these provinces, particularly in the north and northwest, are under threat from the Northern Alliance. Northern Alliance forces have entered Fariab Province. The radio's external service broadcasts foreign-language programmes on a single shortwave frequency, which is officially 7200 kHz, however the actual frequency varies around 7085 kHz. The station broadcasts in Pashto, Dari, Urdu, Turkmen, Uzbek, Arabic, Russian and English. However, transmissions are irregular and reception difficult outside Afghanistan. International interest in Afghanistan has prompted Clandestine Radio Watch (CRW), an organization monitoring clandestine broadcasting, to appeal for help in recording English-language broadcasts of Taleban radio. The CRW's Nick Grace has asked listeners to record the Voice of Shari'ah's 15-minute daily English-language bulletin from 1530 to 1545 gmt so that they can be stored in an on-line archive available for people around the world. Press freedom non-existent Fears about hostile Cold War propaganda in the western media have been the Taleban's pretext for imposing strict media controls and silencing dissent. The BBC's Kabul correspondent, Kate Clark, was expelled in March 2001 for alleged false reporting on the destruction of the world famous Buddha statues in Bamian Province in the centre of the country. The Department for the Protection of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (DPVPV) rigorously enforce the Taleban's fundamentalist view of morality. Television and cinema are banned as a source of moral corruption and the Internet is prohibited. The leading newspaper is Shari'at, a government-run daily. The Taleban government also runs the English-language daily Kabul Times. Most news in the press comes from the government and official news agencies. The main national news agency is the Bakhtar Information Agency, long established but now controlled by the Taleban. Afghan Islamic Press is a Pashto-language news agency, based in the Pakistan border town of Peshawar that provides good coverage of breaking news. In 1997 the Taleban announced a ban on the sale of books and magazines published abroad. Since then, Afghans have been deprived of Pakistani and western newspapers. According to a Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) annual report in 2000, the only newspaper authorized by the Kabul authorities is Zarbe Momin, an Urdu-language weekly published in Karachi, Pakistan, which supports the Taleban cause. Taleban denies west access As the United States puts pressure on the Taleban to extradite Usamah Bin-Ladin, the Kabul authorities have ordered foreigners to leave because they can no longer guarantee their safety. The British CNN reporter Nic Robertson was the last western correspondent to leave Kabul on 19 September. Foreign news organizations have been secretly sending reporters into Taleban-controlled territory. On 22 September, John Simpson and cameraman Peter Jouvenal, disguised in Afghan women's clothing, secretly entered Nangarhar Province, which neighbours Pakistan and is near the capital Kabul. Other journalists are descending on Pakistan's capital Islamabad and the city of Peshawar, capital of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, which borders Afghanistan. But RSF and the Pakistani newspaper Ausaf have reported that Pakistani intelligence has prevented journalists from heading to Towr Kahm, a town closer to the border with Afghanistan. The Indian government said that Pakistan has denied Indian journalists visas. Arab broadcaster still in Kabul Al-Jazeera, a pan-Arab satellite TV channel based in Qatar, known for its hard-hitting and fast coverage, has managed to remain in Kabul. Taleban officials have spoken via satellite to Al-Jazeera correspondents from an uplink in Kabul. On 20 and 24 September, the station broadcast live interviews with Muhammad Qasim Halimi from the Taleban Foreign Ministry. And on 24 September, the station said it had received a copy of a statement from Usamah Bin-Ladin urging Muslims in Pakistan to mobilize all their resources to "push away" what Bin-Ladin called "the US crusader troops" and prevent them from invading Afghanistan and Pakistan. The station has secured numerous exclusives in the past including the first real-time video clips of the Taleban's destruction of the Bamian Buddhas and an interview in 1998 with Usamah Bin-Ladin, which was rebroadcast on 20 September. Resistance media Northern Alliance-controlled media are also a key source of news from within Afghanistan. There are no Northern Alliance-run radio stations but news is broadcast by loudspeaker in the towns of Charikar, Jabalosaraj and Golbahor, which are located in Parvan Province neighbouring Kabul. Only Radio Voice of Mojahed broadcasts via the Internet three days per week in Pashto and Dari. In the past, the Northern Alliance operated Takhar Radio, in Taloqan, northeastern Takhar Province. Its current status is not known. The Northern Alliance publishes an on-line weekly magazine Payam-e- Mojahed from Parwan, Afghanistan, in Pashto and Dari. The only television station broadcasting in Afghanistan is in Fayzabad, capital of northeastern Badakhshan Province, which is under Northern Alliance control. The station broadcasts TV programmes in Dari and Pashto. However, reception is weak and irregular. The station broadcasts for two hours a day, from 1900 to 2100 local time and sometimes until 2300. It can be heard within a 40-km radius of the town. A daily news bulletin includes news from the BBC World Service TV and Iranian TV. Tajikistan and Iran may become key bases for anti-Taleban media as both governments are sympathetic to the Northern Alliance. Tajik and Iranian radio broadcast in Dari to Afghanistan. Media mobilizing for war International media organizations are scrambling for positions around Central Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan in anticipation of US military action and its repercussions across the region. Crucially for foreign journalists, the Northern Alliance has provided the only passage into Afghanistan. The Russian news agency Itar Tass reported on 23 September that more than 200 foreign reporters arrived in Tajikistan en route to northern Afghanistan. The Tajik Asia-Plus news agency has said that more than 70 foreign reporters are now in the alliance's northeast stronghold. CNN has begun airing pictures from a Northern Alliance base in the north, where a satellite uplink facility has been installed. These are a significant improvement over the grainy satellite videophone images that CNN had been transmitting from Kabul. Eason Jason, CNN's chief news executive, said he had never known an uplink to be so close to the frontline, the Los Angeles Times reported. TV networks may have shared facilities and video footage worldwide of the 11 September attacks, but as the Afghan crisis escalates, news teams are likely to compete for coverage of any military action. For further information on the media in Afghanistan, please refer to the Reporters Sans Frontieres web site, "Taliban [Taleban] and the media" (2000). http://www.rsf.fr/uk/html/asie/rapport/taliban.html Source: BBC Monitoring research, 24 Sep 01 (via DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN. BBC WS only source of news in Kabul Dear Glenn: Thought you might be interested in the following article in the Independent of Sept 25. Best Wishes (Mick Knapton, Sheffield, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The BBC's Afghan lifeline In Kabul, the BBC's World Service has become the only real source of news, and it is listened to religiously, writes Liz Kershaw 25 September 2001 It is the stuff of broadcasting dreams. An entire nation listening to one radio station. In Afghanistan, whole families waiting to be blitzed are quietly gathering round their wirelesses for 45 minutes at a time to get the latest news from the World Service. "We know that getting batteries is becoming a real problem. But if they know anything, it's from us," Baqer Moin, section head of the BBC's Persian and Pashto section, told me this week. With the threat of US attacks, the country is emptying by the day, but he estimates the population to be around 20 million, and that, according to a United Nations survey, 80 per cent of them listen to his output. "We are the national medium. We are the only source of news. There are no newspapers or TV." His colleague Shirazuddin Siddiqi told me recently: "Local radio is government-run and so has no credibility. In any case, most of the radio stations have been destroyed, or damaged and looted. Those that are still up aren't really running. They lack basic production tools, and transmission is tricky when there's no electricity." Most schools have been closed for more than a decade in a country in chaos, where fighting has also wiped out most transport and communication links. In the summer, Shirazuddin Siddiqi described to me how, as the head of the BBC World Service's Afghan Education Project, he's trying to introduce schooling via a radio set. "The children have no books, pencils or paper," he said. "They lack the most basic materials and writing skills. They have nothing to colour with. No postal services. No stamps. The authorities disagree with educating girls anyway. "There's also no local production expertise. But there's no shortage of qualified teachers with time to spare, so we recruited 21 primary- school teachers as writers and producers. They developed five strands of programmes, each focusing on a different subject or geographical area. We want them to know where water comes from. And we are trying to teach them about landmines." Isn't that contentious with the authorities, I wondered. "No. It's not about their use. It's about how to spot a landmine so the children don't play with them or go near them." According to Baqer Moin, "People tune in for the latest on the whereabouts of landmines. We give out news of polio vaccination programmes so that fighting groups can hold fire for the day. We also provide analysis in both languages, as well as speeches and religious supplications. All the family sit round and listen, or the women [who are not allowed to work] may listen on their own when the men are out. "There are so many stillbirths that we broadcast information on gynaecological matters, health and hygiene. And music from female singers who have had to leave the country. The word "BBC" is more famous in Afghanistan than in Britain. Muslims pray five times a day. We're known as the sixth prayer. "We recently did a series of programmes and a book on the history of Afghanistan. We were congratulated because it was untainted." And rather courageous, because isn't this kind of candour and listener-loyalty punishable by death? "No. Too many people tune in. We know the impact we have through audience research. That is, relief agencies going into communities and reporting back. We also get feedback in people's letters. The only postal service is in Kabul. It's very limited but our listeners are very enterprising. They hear of people coming to see us and give them letters to deliver by hand. Even the Taliban listen. We know because they have complained. For instance, when the sacred statues were destroyed, an American professor came on the air and said the perpetrators were ignorant. The Taliban leaders heard that and expelled the BBC boss." Perhaps Bin Laden himself is a listener? "Oh well, he would mainly listen to the Arabic or English service, but having said that, we have had criticism from his followers. They complain through the Taliban." Is there any censorship on the grounds of security or sensibilities? "Our reporting is exactly the same as you hear on the World Service in the UK. It is polite but tough and objective. We never insult anyone. We don't patronise or take anyone for granted." So a certain knowledge of the West can be assumed? "Of course. Afghans know what a skyscraper is. Don't forget that they had TV until four years ago. And although the Taliban normally ban pictures, they haven't banned a BBC magazine that we produce." From the safety of Bush House, he must be wondering what will become of his staff and studios if George W starts clobbering the Khyber Pass. ``It will affect our access to ordinary people, to interviews`` our correspondents are currently reporting from Pakistan and Tajikistan. But our studios and transmitters are in the Gulf or Thailand, so war will not stop us broadcasting. In fact, we're increasing our hours." (via Mick Knapton, DXLD) Oh, come on! BBC is taking advantage of the situation to proclaim itself the *only* source of news. What about VOA and several other Western broadcasters which broadcast in Pashto and Dari??!! As detailed in the previous article by *BBC* Monitoring (gh, DXLD) ** AFGHANISTAN [non?] Area unit may wage psychological war Tuesday, September 25, 2001 By Tom Bowman Of Our Lebanon Bureau When Osama bin Laden's fighters turn on their radios, they might hear news broadcasts in their native language suggesting that they surrender. The suggestions would come from the Air National Guard 193rd Special Operations Wing based at Harrisburg International Airport. Lt. Ed Shank, a spokesman for the 193rd, said yesterday that in the past two weeks, a small number of 193rd members were called up for the expected war in the Middle East. They left the area with an undisclosed number of EC-130 propeller-driven airplanes. "We've been involved in every conflict since Vietnam," Shank said, "and we are certainly the first to go." Shank said the 193rd's mission in Afghanistan is classified. However, history suggests that the unit will broadcast something like this: "The Joint Forces offer you asylum. They offer you a warm bed, medical attention and three filling meals a day. Embrace your Arab brothers and share in their peace." That message was broadcast from inside the National Guard unit's huge cargo planes and directed to Sadaam Hussein's soldiers in February 1991 during the Gulf War with Iraq. In Vietnam, members of the 193rd broadcast radio signals to the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars asking them to surrender, Shank said. Then at night, the 193rd flew over U.S. troops and played music from back home as "a morale-booster-type thing." The 193rd has 1,500 Air Guard members, six EC-130 aircraft equipped as flying radio and TV stations and two C-130 cargo airplanes. It is the only unit in the U.S. military with such a mission. If the 193rd works as it has in the past, it will be given taped programs prepared by the Army's Fourth Psychological Operations Group at Fort Bragg, N.C. The EC-130 aircraft will circle Afghanistan broadcasting its message. A source who asked not to be identified said there are two ways that the 193rd could replace Afghan radio broadcasts with the U.S. message: Allied forces could blow up an Afghanistan radio station, then transmit on the same channel or frequency from the 193rd's aircraft circling the area; The 193rd could jam an Afghan radio station's frequency with a powerful signal. A listener trying to tune to the Afghan station would hear only silence. The 193rd would broadcast in a slightly higher frequency, just above the Afghan station, sending the U.S. messages to listeners. There are three radio stations and no TV stations in Afghanistan, according to the CIA's "The World Factbook." "Theoretically, we can place the president of the Untied States on radios and TVs in any region of the world with our technology," Shank said. "We do our jobs well, that's for sure." http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/10014102051830211.xml (Copyright 2001 The Harrsiburg Patriot-News. Used with permission (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) ** ANGOLA [non]. GERMANY I have received two e-mail with the same text in 14 and 15 days. I sent my report by e-mail to: ecclesia@snet.co.ao including an audio file .mp3 V/S was Maria. No full data. They replied via reclesia@ebonet.net and swave@recclesia.org Regards (Juan Antonio Arranz Sanz, Spain, hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 21820, R Australia, and 2310, ABC: 0930 UT 25 Sep, Very high solar activity yet quiet geomagnetic conditions allowed for simultaneous 13 and 120 meter reception for a brief period this morning in the southern USA. Very unusual 13 meter reception at 0430 local time! Program consisted of phone in show concerning Australian and international politics. Signal was fair to good. 120 (VL8A) meters was poor, but audible. The two frequenciess were not //. Here are the 0900 solar and geomagnetic values from WWV: 25 Sep kh2d (09) I=279, A= 7, K= 2, R=315 SA: hi=)mo-hi GF:qu=)un (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA. RA previews: 2305 Fri.: Lingua Franca - "Philip Seymour on Finnish". Why Finnish is easier to learn to read than English? Philip Seymour on his comparative study of the reading abilities of Grade I children in 15 European countries. Philip Seymour is Professor of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Dundee. He presented the results of his collaborative study of children's foundation literacy skills in 15 European countries at the recent British Association Festival of Science in Glasgow. They show some startling differences, the most glaring being that children who were learning to read English (Grade I children in Scotland), lagged well behind their peers in 14 other countries. Why should English be harder to learn than any other European language? [Transcript available] (via John A. Figliozzi, swprograms via DXLD) Repeats Sat 0530, 1930 as I recall (gh) ** BOLIVIA. Unfortunately I have to inform you that meanwhile all remaining Radio Norte QSL cards have been ordered by Scandinavian hobbyfriends, so no longer any Radio Norte QSL cards on stock. 73s, (Andy Schmid, Pennant Museum, hard-core-dx via DXLD) QSLing debate continues this issue under ECUADOR ** CANADA. CBC Preview for Wednesday, Sept 26: DISPATCHES: ***HOUR- LONG SPECIAL - PRE-EMPTS FIRST HALF-HOUR OF THIS MORNING TONIGHT*** Tonight, a special edition of Dispatches hosted by Michael Enright here, and Rick MacInnes-Rae in Cairo. It's an hour-long special on the campaign against terrorism -- and the terrorists' campaign to upset the nations of the Islamic World. Correspondents around the region, in Europe and in the U-S reflect on their recent experiences -- as the war without a front threatens to turn into a war with many fronts. Dispatches, tonight at 7:30 (8:00 NT) on CBC Radio One. (CBC Hotsheet via DXLD) This presents a problem for RCI, scheduled only to relay at 2330 UT until 2400. Catch one of the five hourly webcasts, starting at 2230- 2330 UT for the Atlantic/Newfoundland feed (gh, DXLD) ** CHINA [non]. CLANDESTINE from ? to CHINA: 9710, Seems Falun Dafa has found a new host for its transmissions, still under the name of Da Guang Ming Dian Tai (or whatever the name was when they were on 12075 in June). Now on 9710 from 2100, jamming starting after a few minutes (Olle Alm, Sweden, Sep 25, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** CONGO DR. UN plans for network of peacekeeping radio stations | Text of report by UN regional information network IRIN on 25 September The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monuc) has confirmed that a network of UN-sponsored peacekeeping FM and shortwave radio stations is expected to begin with the November inauguration of its 24-hour headquarter station in Kinshasa. A name for the station has yet to be selected, and it will not mention either of the main sponsors - the UN or the Fondation Hirondelle. Monuc hopes to launch an additional 11 stations across the country in the following five months. The regional stations will relay Kinshasa broadcasts part of the time, and break for local programming during mornings and evenings. The most important if these stations will be at Goma on the Rwandan border. Others will be in the northeastern town of Kisangani; the northwestern town of Mbandaka; the town of Kananga in the central Kasai region; and in Kalemie, in southeastern Katanga province. Locations to be considered subsequently include Kindu, Bunia, Gbadolite, Basankusu, Boende, Ilebo and Manono. Source: UN Integrated Regional Information Network, Nairobi, in English 25 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) Only thing new here compared to our previous item is 5 additional locations being considered. Although I would not characterize the location of Kalemie that way; could be another town? In fact, the above reads as if it had been based on DXLD 1-129 without the courtesy of a citation (gh, DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. RFPI seems to have adjusted much closer to 15050, but not close enough; last few mornings around 1300, heavy clash still with China/jammer/Taiwan with a low het, and nothing on 15060. Fortunately, 21815-USB is now on the air, including WOR 1097 at 1300 Wed (gh, OK, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ECUADOR. In 1975, visiting Ecuador, I felt like doing a good service to some 20 people around the world by sending them a QSL and some goodies (pocket diaries and wall calendars) from R. Nacional Espejo, which at that time was not what you would call a very good verifier. I had earlier been to the station, in 1966 and 1973, and so I was at least not a stranger to the station manager and owner, Sr. Gerardo Brborich. On this occasion, Sr. Brborich all of a sudden opened a drawer, bulging with reports, perhaps 200 or so, and told me to pick out "the 25 best reports" and see to it that they received a verie letter and a souvenir. "For the postage costs, please avail yourself of these coupons, as I cannot redeem them in Ecuador," he said. And so I picked out the "25 best reports" and filled out a f/d form letter signed by Sr. Brborich, wherein he attests to the correctness of the report. I recall that the QSLs were sent out to many different countries, and as far as I can remember no one ever complained. On the contrary, all was sheer happiness. The manager´s signature was on a sheet of paper, but the "verification procedure" was, in fact, conducted by someone else. Actually, after my third call at Esmeralda 865, in Quito, R Nacional Espejo started to send out QSLs on their own, but that is a different story (Henrik Klemetz, Sweden, Sept 26, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) [non]. I did a lot of DXing when I was younger, and started a small collection of QSL cards. But I soon lost interest, as I had nobody to show them to (my family weren't really interested) and I am not by nature a competitive person, therefore things like QSL ladders were of no interest to me either. But I accepted the fact that not only did a lot of DXers consider QSLing to be part of the hobby, they also took it very seriously. So it was all the more surprising when I briefly helped out with QSLing for World Music Radio in the early 1980's. Quite frankly, I was appalled at the low standard of reporting, especially as some of the worst reports came from people who were at the time regarded as being among the "top" DXers. For programme details - the essential stuff that proves you actually heard the station - people would write things like "music, man talking, jingle, music, commercial, man talking...." which of course was the format of all our programmes. That's assuming I could read their writing - some of it was illegible. I refused to verify such reports, and sent a letter to each explaining why. If you have a QSL from WMR with my signature on, you have a rarity - I only sent out a handful. But the experience was enough to make me look at QSLing in a different way. To me, a QSL is not a QSL without full data, and that should only be sent when the station is 100% certain that the listener really heard them at the time and on the frequency indicated, not via the Internet. IMHO radio stations which issue blank cards to be filled in later are doing both themselves and serious DXers a disservice. But of course, they don't mean any harm, and if people just like collecting postcards I can't see anything wrong with it, as long as they don't enter them in QSL contests :-) (Andy Sennitt, Sept 25, 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. Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) Hi DX-Friends/Hi Andy, What is right and what is wrong? Who is right and who is wrong? Who can tell in this DX-world of ours? I am not a judge and I would never even try to act as one. What I can do as an active DX-er is to express my opinion. Many DX-ers are nowadays able to travel around the world. With our genuine interest in radio and broadcasting it is very natural also to visit local radio stations in places we go to. Of course it is even more interesting and fascinating to visit stations that you have really heard or in other ways have been in touch with. I have done it myself many times and I have really enjoyed the visits and the great hospitality I have mostly been given. I can`t see that there is anything wrong in also bringing copies of reception reports that I have sent to the station and which haven`t been replied to. I can even understand when a travelling DX- er bring fellow DX-ers` not-replied-to copies of reports to the station he has planned to visit. But where is the limit of getting these desirable QSL confirmations? Are there any limits, but the DX- ers` own conscience? Are you the proxy of the station because you have got some signed QSL confirmations? I am fully aware of that many of my own QSLs are not really confirmations, meaning that they are checked and found correct in details. Many of them are just a polite gesture from the station to thank you for the correspondence and interest. I have visited many stations and have understood that the programme details we DX-ers think are a kind of evidence of our listening have nothing to do with the reality at the station. Many stations have no records of music played and no long time programme schedules with details included. Maybe an evidence might be an advert, where the station staff recognise a company that they use to have adverts from? Another evidence might be a producer`s name, a DJ`s name or other obvious details. Are you able to check such details in your home? Are you able to check any accuracy of the inquiries you get from DX-friends? How do you pick out the lucky winners of the limited QSL stock you have? First to the mall or...? Conclusions: 1. You decide yourself if it`s OK for you to get a QSL by visiting a station. 2. I have an own opinion about the limit of moral concept of getting wanted QSLs. If others have other opinions it`s no problem for me. It`s your own conscience that forms your decision about what is right or wrong in QSL-ing stations (except if you participate in a competition, where there are given certain competition rules, of course). 3. I still think that you did this just because you are a kind and service minded person and nothing else. 4. I have no interest nor intention to discuss this matter in public any more. 73 from (Björn Fransson, the island of Gotland, Sweden, hard-core-dx via DXLD) ** ERITREA. Broad Masses, Asmara, 7100.7, 1417 UT in Tigrama w/mx. SIO 432, CW QRM, 25/9 (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ESTONIA. DX-Friends, I got a very nice e-mail reply from the new station "New Life Radio Moscow" (Novaya Zhizn), broadcasting on 1035 kHz via Tartu Family Radio (Tartu, Estonia) - 50 kW. The organisation is also sometimes renting an hour of time on 1503 kHz (Moscow). HCJB is one of the financial partners of New Life Radio Satellite Network. V/s: Dan B Johnson crfr@juno.com who is the general manager and also has relations with Sweden. Best wishes from (Björn Fransson on the island of Gotland, Sweden, DX LISTENING DIGDST) ** ETHIOPIA. R Ethiopia, 7110, 1421 UT in Amharic w/local music. SIO 323. 25/9 (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. Deutsche Welle expands broadcasts to Afghanistan, Pakistan | Text of press release by Deutsche Welle on 21 September "Due to the crisis situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Deutsche Welle [DW] is increasing its radio programming for the region." That is according to DW deputy director Dr Reinhard Hartstein. From Friday (21 September 2001), Afghanistan programming in Dari [Afghan Persian] and Pashto will be extended by 30 minutes to total 110 minutes daily. Pashto is also spoken in Pakistan, primarily in the provinces bordering Afghanistan. Dari is also understood in Tajikistan, which borders Afghanistan to the north. According to DW media analysts, DW programming in Dari and Pashto traditionally has a high name recognition rating (80 per cent). In addition, Hartstein said that programming for Pakistan in Urdu is being extended daily by 30 minutes to total 75 minutes. According to a study from DW media analysts from the spring of 2000, DW Radio/Urdu is recognized by 90 per cent of Pakistani elite in target states. As with all DW programming, the coverage for this broadcast region has focused on information concerning the effects and background of the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September. In particular, German and European points of view are reproduced. Shortwave programming is the most important source of information in this crisis region. This also includes the millions of Afghan refugees who have found refuge in Pakistan and Iran for years and the tens of thousands of refugees now fleeing out of fear of military strikes. With an illiteracy rate of 90 per cent, the radio medium is of particular importance in Afghanistan. The Afghan refugees living in Germany and Europe use the satellite broadcast (via HotBird) from DW Radio in Dari and Pashto. The offering is available worldwide in these languages from DW-Online (in the future DW-World) as audio-on-demand on the Internet at http://www.dwelle.de Source: Deutsche Welle press release, Cologne, in Germany 21 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** HAWAII. From NRC-AM, more thread on MW sites here: It has been that way in Honolulu for years. The intermod problems are something else. Trying to DX in metro Honolulu is very hard indeed. The trips I have been on over there, I have taken my Super Radio 1 and about the only mainland stations I have been able to hear are Oakland-910 & 960. Honolulu is not a good place for a DXer! 73s, Patrick Martin Seaside OR The only directional AM station in Honolulu are 1380. KAIM-870 is using their 5 KW ND correctly. Their outer island 50 KW is U3 though. 73s, Patrick Martin Seaside OR 940 KDEO (Waipahu COL?) (in the 80s) used to be a stand alone uniform cross section tower. I lived down the road from it. It was located on a road that goes from Wahiawa (Schofield Barracks Army Base/Wheeler Air Force Base) to Ewa Beach, skirting Waipahi to the West. It was next to one of many pineapple fields. Back in 1985, someone who HATED Country music cut the guy wires and toppled KDEO 940's tower. It narrowly missed an occupied farmhouse. The horizontal 300 watt longwire antenna just didn't do the job for them compared to the 10kw signal from the tower. For some time this was said to be HI's only country station. Ron Gitschier, Formerly of Waipahu, HI during my Pearl Harbor tour of Duty... Let me get it right. From Broadcast digeest...From Peter H: Honolulu has numerous multiplexes. Two towers are quadraplexed. Several are triplexed. Two are diplexed. Offhand, I don't know of any on the island that aren't multiplexed. One which is allocated to Honolulu actually has its Tx on a neighboring island, but that station operates 50 kW DA-1. The base insulator capacity limits many stations to less than their class maximum, 3.5 kW rather than, say, 5 kW (pre-"Rio") or 10 kW or more (post-"Rio") One mainland diplex I am familiar with has two 50 kW DA-2 stations diplexed into five total towers. All five towers are used by one station primarily because the base insulators are designed for 25 kW maximum input, and 100 kW/5 = 20 kW, so these towers are being operated at near their maximum capacity at all times. The towers are all 180 degrees on the lessor's frequency and over 200 degrees on the lessee's frequency. The lessor operates its original 5 tower day, 4 tower night patterns. The lessee operates all five towers day and night, also DA-2, even though the required pattern shape is simple enough to be accomplished with fewer than five towers. (via Powell E. Way III) That 50 kw station licensed to Honolulu but broadcasts from another island is KAIM 870, whose transmitter is on Molokai, to the east of Honolulu /(Oahu). Mahalo, Ron G. Proud Parent of one Hawaiian-Born child... KAIM/870 appears to be the only AM directional in HI with a 2 tower array and a simple pattern. Since the transmitter is remotely located I suspect that they use the directional pattern to achieve the required signal level into their city of license. KIPA/620 has 4 towers at their synchronous transmitter site but these are used to support a PARAN antenna which I believe is essentially non-directional. Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA Actually, the problem is the phasor and the ATU units; the two patterns are essentially identical. KTNQ can run non-DA with 25 into any tower. When Ron Rackley designed the KXTA diplex, he kept the existing KTNQ installation intact so that it would not have to be totally relicensed and reproofed. David Gleason, Former PD and OM of KTNQ during the diplexing construction. I think some urban legend has crept into that other thread Powell. Either that or the FCC web site is way off base. If you look at the FCC listings for HI you will see that there are only 2 sites with more than 1 tower. Also I found about 9 sites that don't appear to be shared with anyone. The Kodis site appears to agree with this info as well. Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA 1380-Pearl City is still directional I believe. 73s, Patrick Martin Seaside OR FCC says they are U1 6200/6200. Bill Hale in FW, TX Not according to the FCC. They show it as 6200 watts, unlimited hours, one 90 degree tower, non-directional. Patrick Griffith, Westminster, CO, USA That must be a fairly recent change. They used to have two towers I believe when they signed on in the 80s. Maybe when they went to 6200 watts from 5000, they may have dropped the directional pattern. Maybe they changed transmitter/tower locations too. 73s, Patrick Martin 1380 is non-directional with one tower, the second one is no longer used since the power increase to 6200 watts. But, since the second tower was never detuned...? 1570 not moved to the 900 / 1110 site (Maui) yet and is not on the air. KIPA 620 has one tower in the Hilo area, one tower at South Point, and the four tower PARAN array in the Kona area by the airport which is non-directional and doesn't work very well. KIPA also simulcasts on KKON 790 in Kealakekua. Chuck Boehnke (Formerly KIPA eng staff member working for Alan Roycroft) Keaau, HI (all: NRC-AM via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. Commission rejects plan to privatize Antara, TVRI, RRI | Text of report in English by Indonesian newspaper The Jakarta Post web site on 26 September Jakarta: Members of the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission for defence, foreign and political affairs opposed on Tuesday [25 September] a plan to privatize Antara news agency, RRI radio [Radio Republik Indonesia] and TVRI television [Televisi Republik Indonesia]. Their decision was issued in a statement read by legislator Bambang Sadono of the Golkar Party faction, during a hearing with State Minister for Communications and Information Syamsul Mu'arifat the House. "We oppose the privatization of Antara, RRI and TVRI and the government should also reject the move," Sadono told Antara. He said that the government had reduced its participation to a minimum in the field of information dissemination through print and electronic media. "However, Antara, RRI and TVRI should not be allowed to be privatized. Rather, they must be urged to improve their performance," he said. He pointed out that privatization would cancel out the government's hard work in developing Antara. Sadono said that in 1962, Antara was taken over by the government, which had poured in funds and forces to modernize its assets and improve its performance. On the privatization of TVRI, the legislators said that a privatized TVRI would make it no different from other television stations. "TVRI should be a public television station, not a privatized one," Sadden said. He said that he was aware of the need to restructure TVRI and to improve its management. "But that does not mean it should be made profit-oriented," he said. Source: The Jakarta Post web site, Jakarta, in English 26 Sep 01 (via BBCM via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM. By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer DALLAS (AP) - The voice of the late Bob Marley ushered satellite radio on the air Tuesday, promising listeners greater variety on the dial - for a price. Hugh Panero, president of XM Satellite Radio, flipped a switch in the company's Washington headquarters shortly after 12:30 p.m. EDT and began offering service in San Diego and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The company plans to expand nationwide in the coming months, and a competitor, New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio plans to come on line later this year. "It's the signal of the future," Panero said while tuning in his company's reggae channel to Marley's classic "One Love." He described the concept as "part rocket science, part rock 'n' roll." XM Satellite Radio is offering 100 channels of varied music and talk, with limited advertising on some and no commercials on more than 30 channels. The company has 1.5 million pieces of music in a digital library to aim at markets ranging from opera to Latin romance. Service costs $9.99 a month. Besides the reggae channel, called The Joint, XM offers a hard rock station called Bone Yard and 24 hours of disco on Chrome. Teens can discuss their problems on Babble On, while adults can tune into comedy, sports or news from a dozen sources, including The Associated Press. Each of the 100 stations has its own hosts, who broadcast from XM's headquarters. Among them is Lou Brutus, whose Special X features every type of music imaginable, including people playing the spoons. "The word has gone out through the bizarre music community and they are coming out of the woodwork," he said. Programming is broadcast to satellites and then to radio receivers. The signal can be blocked by tall buildings, so ground transmitters will repeat the signal in urban areas. Some receivers can be used in both autos and in homes. For autos, a new satellite stereo system costs about $400, said Stephen Cook, senior vice president of sales and marketing. But most stores that sell radios also sell satellite receivers that work with any existing car stereo. The Pioneer Universal receiver, a cigar-sized box with a remote control that shows the name of the song and the artist, runs about $250. A small antenna that sits on the vehicle's roof can cost up to $79. Another option is the Sony Plug and Play for about $300. The size of a radar detector, it can be removed from its plastic holder and used in a home stereo system, Cook said. The satellite companies have the ambitious goal of signing up more than 4 million subscribers each in the next four years to break even. Sirius will charge $12.95 monthly and offer more commercial-free programming. Morgan Stanley Dean Witter [sic] analyst Vijay Jayant said success depends on how committed automakers are to installing the satellite- receiving radios in their vehicles. General Motors Corp., which has invested $120 million in XM, plans to offer the radios as a factory-installed option in some 2002 Cadillacs and in 20 models the next year. The subscription can be included in the car's financing. Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler Corp. are working with Sirius and plan to offer the radios in 2003. Other automakers, including BMW and Porsche, are planning to install the radios at the factory (via Mike Cooepr; Mike Terry, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. Freq change for Kol Israel: 1500-1625 Sun to Fri in Persian 1500-1600 Sat only in Persian 1600-1625 Sat only in Spanish/Ladino 1630-1655 D a i l y in French 1700-1730 D a i l y in English all on NF 17545(55555), ex 21670 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 25 via DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN [and non]. Glenn, I found this on http://www.chriscary.com "Update - September 2001 : Chris is currently living on the Isle of Man where he is receiving hyperbaric treatment for the effects of his stroke. I actually think it is doing him a lot of good - each day he goes into a hyperbaric chamber for an hour (these are the chambers that are used to treat divers who have suffered the 'bends'). Luckily he's not claustrophobic. Sadly although these chambers exist on the mainland UK it is only on the Isle of Man that the chamber is available to stroke victims : it is also used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis and who have suffered burns that refuse to heal. All in all a fantastic service supported/provided by the Kevin Gray Memorial Trust. Chris is applying for planning permission to erect a long wave radio mast on the Isle of Man. A licence to broadcast on 279 Khz long wave has been granted for the Isle of Man , and he is applying for the associated planning permission. More can be read about his progress with this project at http://www.exidy.co.uk (Exidy Media Services is the working title for this project). Sybil Fennell" Chris Cary (a.k.a. Spangles Muldoon) is a legend in British and Irish free radio, as you will discover if you visit his excellent website. He has a little history with Long Wave - I believe his Superpirate Radio Nova tested on 254 Khz several years before Atlantic took up residence (Nicholas Mead, UK, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) From: http://www.radiowaves.fm/news/index.html Believe it when it happens ... Personally I rather doubt he'll get permission - even if he does he will have to get IoM permission (and IoMBC permission for that matter) before he can turn on ... (Ray Woodward, BDXC-UK via DXLD) ** ISRAEL. I listened to the above broadcast [WRMI relay, 0230 UT on 7385] last night from here in NY, and it was very weak. I hope everyone is safe and sound after the tragedies two weeks ago. I hear that a number of TV/Radio engineers are missing from the WTC... they were on the 109/110 floor. Glenn's DX Listening Digest webpage has updates regarding the NYC broadcast transmitter replacements. There are also some websites discussing the NYC broadcast transmitters, some are listed on Glenn's website, such as the second article on this page: http://industryclick.com/magazinearticle.asp?magazineid=158&releaseid=6965&magazinearticleid=118609&siteid=15#wtc Another is Scott Fybush's site --- the problem is, he just updated it, and the archives don't have the previous two week's issues with all the details: http://world.std.com/~fybush/nerw.html It was weird voting for the same primary elections, a second time, two weeks later.... Have a happy, healthy and SAFE year! (Daniel Rosenzweig, NYC, Sept 25, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. >4715 26/09 0500-0503 RAI ???? 24422 national hymn ID in E >(log from Saverio De Cian in DXlandia mailing list) RAI International 0445-0500 in English on 7235-5975 kHz, 7235 - 5975 = 1260 5975 - 1260 = 4715 (Roberto Scaglione http://www.bclnews.it hard- core-dx via DXLD) ** JORDAN. Note: Jordan was not heard again on 4776 since the last DX session (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see AFGHANISTAN ** KURDISTAN. Clandestine, 7090 at 0300 Either Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan or Radio Kurdistan in Arabic w/ ID and announcement as Huna...Kurdistan.. 25/9. SIO 444. ID starts with birds chirping... (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS. (tentative) Over the past few days I've been noting a station on 7145 in French at 1300-1330 and English 1330-1400, but times vary a bit, e.g. on 23 Sep the language change was at 1337 with an incomprehensible frequency announcement in English followed by an equally incomprehensible news bulletin read by a female announcer with a British or Australian accent. The signal is reasonably strong here, but with choppy propagation and very muffled and rather 'quiet' audio it's hard to understand much more than the odd word. Yesterday (23 Sep) I thought I could hear several mentions of 'Vientiane' in both languages, and also of 'Radio Nationale' in the French segment, so possibly it could be Lao National Radio's International Service back on shortwave. The transmitter seemed to be on as early as 1230, but with no detectable audio until the French programming started some time after 1300. 7145 has been heard testing occasionally in recent months, carrying the National Service in Lao and minority languages, \\ 6130 (Alan Davies, Malaysia, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** MEXICO. Radio Mexico International: Ana Cristina del Razo, the RMI Manager, has asked me to spread the word about RMI's 32nd anniversary. They'll have a Mexican music concert on UT Sept 29 at 0100. Reception reports will receive a special commemorative QSL. Reports can be sent to Ana Cristina at anadelrazo@hotmail.com (RMI via Lucha Olivares, Cumbre DX) You'll find them on 9705 and 11770 (Johnson, Cumbre DX Special, Sept 25 via DXLD) If you tune in at 0100 UT, you may miss it (or the first hour of it), since as we already pointed out, Mexico City is supposedly still on UT-5 CDT on that date, or do you have confirmation to the contrary? 1900 local would be 0000 UT. Sept 26 at 1500 found 11770 inaudible, and 9705 audible, poorly, only with external antenna. IDs gave both frequencies, plus still 5985, believed to be inactive. English was at this hour, which I think indicates they are still on DST schedule, since English shifts to 1600 in winter. The English announcer is so soft-spoken, and/or the modulation so deficient, that I had to strain for over a minute to decide it was in English. XERMX normally takes a siesta at 11 am to 1 pm local, and we were not next to a radio to see if they went off at 1600 or 1700 UT, but a weak signal did seem to reappear on 9705 at 1800, not 1900, another clue that MC is on UT minus 5 (gh, DXLD) ** MOZAMBIQUE. Report views state of country's media | Excerpt from report by Mozambican newspaper Noticias on 12 September; subheading as published Mozambique's news media sector has grown. Several publications, as well as radio and television services, have been established. Nonetheless, there has been no significant change in the number of consumers. Access to information remains a problem, and newspapers continue to be seen as a luxury in some circles in various parts of the country. The Information Bureau (Gabinfo) says that although major investments have been made in the news media sector under the terms of News Media Act 18 of 1991, the expectations of Mozambicans have not been met. Most of the recently established publications belong to institutions, have a limited circulation, and do not cover issues of public interest... A total of 210 publications and 40 radio and television services have either applied for licenses at Gabinfo or sought to be formally registered since the introduction of the News Media Act... Radio and Television Radio Mozambique remains the country's leading station, covering the entire country. It broadcasts in local languages. A total of 37 community and commercial radio services have been established in the country since the past few years. The News Media Institute (which is still owned by the state) is primarily responsible for community radio services in the country. The Catholic Church and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God also own radio stations. Maputo has the largest number of radio services with more than 10, followed by Inhambane with three, Sofala with four, Manica with two, Zambezia with four, Cabo Delgado and Tete with two, Nampula and Niassa with three, and Gaza with one. Television is still an embryonic medium of communication. In addition to Mozambique Television (TVM), a public service, two others are in operation, namely RTK [Rádio Televisão Klint], which is owned by Carlos Klint, and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God's Miramar service. Carlos Klint is planning to expand his operations beyond the city of Maputo. He already operates a television service in Zambézia. A number of radio and television services cater for the rural areas of Vilanculo (Inhambane), Chiure (Cabo Delgado), Mandimba (Niassa), Namialo (Nampula), Marromeu (Sofala), Alto Molocue (Zambézia), and Ulongue (Teté). Source: Notícias, Maputo, in Portuguese 12 Sep 01 p 2 (via BBCM via DXLD; excerpted omitting most of portion about print media) ** NORWAY. During the student festival in Trondheim, Norway - the station "UKE-senderen" will transmit 24h between 11 Oct to 3 Nov. (Random tests with info jingle tent. from 1. Oct.) Freq: MW 1485 kHz, SW 7215 kHz est. power 1 kW For more info, please visit their homepage (English) http://www.stud.ntnu.no/studorg/ark/us/info.en.html PS: This station is only active every second year(!) 73 de (LA9BEA T. S. Bauge, Norway, Sept 26, Hard-Core-DX mailing list via DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. Radio Philippines, various frequencies: 15190 at 1851 in Filipino w/talks SIO 433 25/9. \\ 11720 1902 In English w/news. 25/9 SIO 433 (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. Here's a recent log. 31060, Radio Veritas Asia the Philippines broadcast harmonic, 2 x 15530, 0105 UTC AM with OM in Telugu. At very strong levels. Cheers for now, (Ian Julian, ZL1TBM, Pukekohe, New Zealand, PACIFIC-RIM MONITOR Sept 26, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Launchpad/7769/ via harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) ** RUSSIA. On September 22nd the Voice of Russia Radio Station broadened its broadcasts to a number of Central and South Asian countries. Programmes from Moscow for the Pushtu and Dari listeners are now one hour a day longer than before, starting at 16.00 and ending at 18.00 o'clock Moscow Time, and the Voice of Russia programmes in the Persian language have increased by 30 minutes. The now start at 18.00 o'clock and end at 19.30 o'clock Moscow Time. There are plans to increase the air time of the programmes in Urdu by another 30 minutes within a rather short period of time. This is caused by the listeners' growing interest in Russia's stand on the urgent international issues, including combating international terrorism and the latest events in the Central Asian Region, and also their eagerness to get trustworthy information about the latest developments in the world (From VoR.ru News Bulletin dated 09/25/01 via Sergei Sosedkin, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Alexandr Egorov reported recently in DX-Bistro (Russ mail- list): << Sept 22 daytime 12168 kHz weak signal (and hoarse) of "Mayak" he suspects 1521 or 936 AM. >> I've just checked it (Sept 26, 1335 UT) - they are really there. Poor. QSB! Near 30-50% of time above threshold, for 5 min of listening. Possibly Kazan (20 kW) Dmitry ?... At least on yesterday's later hours check (at arnd 18 UT) I had nothing on 12168, but moderate Mayak on 1521 with evident MAX towards Kazan. 73s to all (Vlad Titarev, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, harmonics yahoogroup via DXLD) That is, 12168 would be 8th harmonic of 1521, or 13th harmonic of 936! (gh, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. The Russian Ministry for Press, Broadcasting and Massmedia (MPTR) has announced a tender for the following LW/MW stations (each tx is available for an individual project): Arkhangel`sk 234 kHz (250 kW), Samara (Novosemeykino) 234 kHz (2000 kW), Moscow (Balashikha) 1305 kHz (100 kW). Deadline for applications is 31 October 2001. (MPTR website via DX_BIS mailing list, 26 Sep via Bernd Trutenau, Lithuania, via MWDX yahoogroup via DXLD) ** RUSSIA Some changes for Voice of Russia: 1200-1300 Pashto/Dari on 15560 and 17665 <<<<<<< ADDITIONAL PROGRAM 1200-1300 Russian NF 15550, ex 15560 // 15460, 9920, 9490, 7375 1300-1400 Pashto/Dari NF 15560, ex 15550 // 17665, 4975, 4940, DELETED 17610 1300-1400 Russian NF 15550, ex 15560 // 9745, 9490, 7330 1400-1600 Persian on 12015, 9975, 9835, 7430 <<<<<<< EXTENDED, ex 1430-1600 1400-1500 English NF 15550, ex 15560 // 12055, 9745 1400-1500 Urdu NF 15560, ex 15550 // 17570, 15460 1900-2000 Russian NF 7360, NF 9820 <<<<<<< ADDITIONAL FREQS // 12040, 12020, 11695, 9450, 7370 and 9480 from 1930 1900-2000 English on 9820 <<<<<<< DELETED 2000-2100 Russian NF 7360, ex 11745 // 11695, 9470, 7310 2000-2100 English on 7360 <<<<<<< DELETED 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 25 via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. RADIO SWEDEN--Coming up this week on Radio Sweden: On Thursday in the "S-Files", the floods in the Sundsvall area, and we meet the author of an historical novel about a powerful woman of the Viking Age. On Saturday, Radio E's "Weekend" will be exploring Islam in Europe. Coming Sunday in "Sounds Nordic", we'll be meeting Swedish pop star Patrick Isaksson (SCDX/MediaScan Sept 26 via DXLD) ** TURKMENISTAN. Asqabat, 4930 1552 in Turkmen w/ YL/OM talks. SIO 443. 25/9 (Costa Constantinides, Limassol, Cyprus, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. London-based Islamic group web sites inaccessible Three English-language web sites run by London-based Islamic groups Al-Muhajiroun, OBM (Omar Bakri Muhammad) Network and the Supporters of Shari'ah are currently inaccessible and may have been closed down. BBC Monitoring observed the web sites at 1200 gmt, 26 September. The following message was displayed on Al-Muhajiroun's web site, http://www.almuhajiroun.com : "Al-Muhajiroun.com has been shut down. Please note that our admin are trying to resolve the problem." The message also provides a link to e-mail the site administrator. Al-Muhajiroun web site is affiliated with al-Muhajiroun [The Exiles], a London-based organization that supports Islamic movements worldwide. Its leader Omar Bakri Muhammad is reported by the western media to have links with Saudi dissident Usamah Bin-Ladin. The OBM Network web site http://www.obm.clara.net was also inaccessible. The group is affiliated to Al-Muhajiroun and takes its name from leader Omar Bakri Muhammad. The web site of the Supporters of Shari'ah http://www.supportersofshariah.org has been inaccessible since at least 15 September. A notice states: "This web site has been temporarily disabled. Please contact the webmaster of this site if you have any questions." The UK press report that the Supporters of Shari'ah support hard-line Islamic movements worldwide. Their leader Mustafa Kamil (also known as Abu-Hamzah al-Masri) reportedly has links with the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army in Yemen. Source: Monitoring research, 26 Sep 01 (BBCM via DXLD) ** U K. You might find this amusing: http://www.hallmundur.com/bbc/ MediaGuardian.co.uk | Media diary (p2 of 5) If the doom and gloom of the last couple of weeks is getting to you, take a look at this spoof BBC online front page spreading peace and lurve with dozens of feelgood stories. It leads with the news of a cute little kitty-cat getting a surprise from a toy dog. Other domestic news includes: "London Eye to be speeded up... just for laughs" and "Slough to be rebuilt". Foreign news features: "America - Yosemite looks pretty; Africa: nothing wrong there either; and the Middle East: Israel learns to share with Pakistan". Oh and there's a pretty picture of an old lady celebrating her first orgasm in decades under the mock-outrage headline: "Did we need to see that?" "Yes, yes, yes" says Monkey - thank you for putting a smile on our miserable faces. [27]Click here to see the world bathed in peace (Daniel Say, swprograms via DXLD) Very well done! (gh, DXLD) ** U K. Glenn, You report: "Mark Byford, World Service director, said: "We will not operate as a propaganda tool for military action. The reason we are trusted is because of our values - independence, accuracy and objectivity."" Independence. The BBC is entirely funded by the British Government. It's leaders are political placemen, appointed by the British Government. Draw your own conclusions. Accuracy. Your readers may not be aware that the BBC frequently has to issue apologies for unfair and/or inaccurate reporting. Objectivity. This country has been subject to attack by Christian terrorists for more than 25 years, Christian terrorism remains rampant in Northern Ireland. Never once have I heard the BBC use the phrase "Christian terrorism", although the phrase "Islamic terrorism" is used ad lib. To coin a phrase - if that's objectivity then I'm a banana (Nicholas Mead, UK, Sept 26, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** UNITED KINGDOM: BBC extended its SW services in Arabic: 0715-1200 on 13660 CYP 300/107 deg 0900-1200 on 17585 SKN 300/180 deg 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 25 via DXLD) ** U S A [non] Additional programs for Voice of America eff. Sep 19: ARABIC 0730-0830 15205 KAV 250/095 15355 KAV 250/112 17685 KAV 250/095 1100-1130 15355 KAV 250/112 17685 KAV 250/095 1400-1430 13665 LAM 100/104 15385 MOR 250/075 17820 SKN 250/095 1500-1530 13755 LAM 100/108 17665 MOR 250/075 17750 SKN 250/095 1600-1630 13755 LAM 100/108 17620 SKN 250/095 17775 MOR 250/075 DARI 1045-1100 15225 IRA 500/340 17735 UDO 500/300 21770 UDO 500/300 1600-1615 7235 UDO 500/308 9770 UDO 500/308 15440 IRA 500/356 ENGLISH 0600-0730 15140 KAV 250/095 17820 KAV 250/051 0700-0730 15205 KAV 250/095 0830-1100 15205 KAV 250/095 15355 KAV 250/112 17685 KAV 250/095 1200-1400 15265 KAV 250/095 15355 IRA 500/310 15355 KAV 250/095 17685 KAV 250/095 1430-1500 13665 LAM 100/104 1530-1600 13755 LAM 100/108 17665 MOR 250/075 17750 SKN 250/095 1630-1700 13755 LAM 100/108 17620 SKN 250/095 17775 MOR 250/075 PASHTO 1030-1045 15225 IRA 500/340 17735 UDO 500/300 21770 UDO 500/300 1415-1430 7235 UDO 500/308 9555 KAV 250/095 11780 KAV 250/095 PERSIAN 1130-1200 15355 KAV 250/112 17685 KAV 250/095 1430-1500 15385 MOR 250/075 17820 SKN 250/095 URDU 1330-1400 9505 IRA 500/356 15190 IRA 500/340 17870 KAV 250/095 73 from (Ivo and Angel!, Observer, Bulgaria, Sept 25 via DXLD) ** U S A. Follow-up to a previous item: Monday Sept 24 5:50 PM ET U.S. Tells VOA Not to Air Taliban Leader Interview WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The State Department on Monday defended a decision to ask the U.S.-funded Voice of America radio station not to air a rare interview with Mullah Mohammad Omar, leader of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban.... Full story: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010924/pl/attack_voa_dc_1.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) And another: Radio station cans exclusive with Taliban leader Washington pressure angers VoA journalists Stuart Millar, Guardian, Tuesday September 25, 2001 Voice of America, the publicly funded US international radio station, decided not to broadcast parts of a rare interview with the leader of the Taliban after coming under pressure from US government officials, it emerged yesterday. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4263750,00.html (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) And another: EDITORIAL: New American imperialism on airwaves Staff Editorial, Independent Florida Alligator, U. Florida, Sept 25 (U-WIRE) GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The responsibility of the media in a time such as this is fairly simple. Our job is to inform the public as much as possible about what our country is facing without compromising the security of the nation. It is a job we in the media relish because we have made it our duty to be the eyes and ears of the American public... the rest: http://news.excite.com/news/uw/010925/university-177 (via Artie Bigley, DXLD) But finally... 26 September 2001: The Voice of America has defied pressure from the State Department and aired a report containing portions of an interview with Mullah Mohammad Omar, the leader of Afghanistan's Taliban militia. On Friday, the State Department had contacted VOA´s governors and expressed concern that a US government-funded operation should be used to broadcast the Taliban´s point of view. The governors put pressure on the staff not to run the interview, which caused grave concern about issues of journalistic freedom. In a message to staff, VOA News Director Andre DeNesnera wrote "The State Department's decision is a totally unacceptable assault on our editorial independence, a frontal attack on our credibility. As you know only too well, it takes a long time to build up credibility - and an instant to lose it." DeNesnera told staff "I want to commend you for the sterling work all of you have done during these trying times - and I urge you not to fall under the spell of "self- censorship." If you do, "they" have won." On Tuesday, VOA took the decision to run the interview, much to the chagrin of the State Department. "Obviously, we are dismayed that they chose to ignore our recommendation," said a senior official. "I would expect the board to take a look at this in light of the circumstances," the official said. In addition to a review of the case by VOA's governing board, VOA is expected to face harsh questioning from US lawmakers who have the final say over its funding. Although VOA is funded by the US Congress, its editorial independence is guaranteed by its charter, and many VOA journalists were outraged at the State Department intervention. "It was flat-out censorship," said an employee who was one of more than 100 VOA journalists to sign a letter that said the move had damaged their credibility and put put the integrity of VOA "at stake." But State Department spokesman Richard Boucher rejected that argument, insisting that "We recognize the independence of the Voice of America. Its charter says that they should explain US government policy and present responsible discussion about it. We don't consider Mullah Omar to be responsible discussion." The VOA`s decision to broadcast the interview was probably influenced by the fact that a transcript was published in full by the Washington Post, which is available worldwide on the Internet. The same transcript is now available on VOA´s own Web site. The State Department´s unease with the media has been mirrored in the UK, where the British government on Wednesday urged newspapers and broadcasters against speculating too much about the impending military operation against Osama bin Laden, in case it endangered lives (© Radio Netherlands Media Network Sept 26 via DXLD) ** U S A. 5350 USB, AFRTS, 1007 Sep 26, This is the first time I've noted AFRTS on this frequency. My guess is this is coming from Hawaii, since 6350 was not on this morning. For the last few weeks R Unión, Perú has been creating much co-channel QRM on 6350. PX consisted of NPR Morning Edition live feed. Strong 10 dB over s9 signal. AFRTS ID @ 1100. Not // to 6458.5. For a list of AFRTS SW freqs: http://www.afrts.osd.mil/afnonradio/html/shortwave.htm (David Hodgson, TN, DX LISTENING DIGEST) list always out of date ** U S A. ARES/RACES NYC Effort Stands Down; REACT Still Seeking Amateur Operators NEWINGTON, CT, Sep 25, 2001--After nearly two weeks of intense effort, the Amateur Radio volunteer effort in New York City is winding down. While some operations will continue through today, ARRL New York City-Long Island ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba, KA2D, says all ARES/RACES World Trade Center operations have ceased. A message on the World Trade Center Disaster Communications Volunteer Registration Web site http://wtc.ab2m.net/ offered "A 'Big Apple' thank you from the ops in NYC!" to all who had volunteered or offered to help. REACT International continues to seek additional Amateur Radio and licensed GMRS users, primarily to support the Salvation Army's relief efforts in New York City. REACT International Secretary Lee Besing, N5NTG, said his organization has been lining up volunteers, and Jeff Schneller, N2HPO--who's affiliated with the Salvation Army Team Emergency Response Network (SATERN)--has been doing the scheduling for the support effort. Besing says a fire crew from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, has been among those offering to help. Others include the WC4RAV Radio Amateur Volunteers group in Georgia, which is sending a complete mobile command center that includes an emergency repeater-- plus volunteers--for a week, he said. He said the Salvation Army anticipates that its response could last up to another six months. Besing said REACT needs up to two dozen volunteers a day but wants those who are willing and able to first visit the REACT International Web site http://www.reactintl.org/tragedy_09112001.htm or send e-mail to NYCHelp@reactintl.org. "Don't just show up!" he requested. The System Works: Carrubba says the American Red Cross closed all shelters that remained open in New York City on Sunday, September 23, while the New York City Office of Emergency Management shut down Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service support Monday, September 24. An American Red Cross net supporting two respite stations from Red Cross Headquarters in Brooklyn was expected to wind down by today. Any remaining Amateur Radio Emergency Service activity would be handled by volunteers from the Greater New York City area, he said. ARRL New York City-Long Island Section Manager George Tranos, N2GA, expressed his gratitude to all Amateur Radio operators who came forward to assist the ARES/RACES effort. "The system works and our 'hobby' has performed well as a 'service' to the public," Tranos said. Tranos said some 500 Amateur Radio volunteers helped out with communications support for the disaster. "The ARES organization has done a good job in mobilizing--some being on scene and ready on the morning of September 11," he said. Tranos also praised Carrubba, who, he said, ``showed the way and was instrumental in the administration, organization and logistics of the operation.`` Carrubba, in turn, thanked the recruiters for "a great job filling the grid during this incident." ARRL President Haynie took an opportunity Friday, September 21, to visit with some of the New York-area hams at the heart of the communication effort. "On behalf of the 680,000 ham operators in the US, thank you for doing such a fine job," he said. ARRL Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, accompanied Haynie on his visit. "From the very first day I have been proud of the way ARRL members in the Hudson Division responded in overwhelming numbers," Fallon said. "So many responded that many, unfortunately, were turned away." "It really has been our finest hour! It has made us all very proud to be Amateur Radio operators," Fallon said. John MacInnes, a Red Cross communications officer based in Tucson, Arizona, approached Haynie with high praise for the Amateur Radio community and for ARRL. "We wouldn't be where we are today without the ham radio operators," he said. He told Haynie that he should be very proud of his organization and asked him to relay his message of thanks throughout the amateur community. New York City District Emergency Coordinator Charles Hargrove, N2NOV--who served as incident commander--also has expressed his appreciation to all amateurs who volunteered their time and equipment. Cooperation was Key: Tranos said the ARES/RACES response and the cooperation of all involved was vital to a successful activation. "The key was to have a structure in place with good leadership who already knew what to do," he said. "We learned that cooperation between and among programs is also a key ingredient to success. National Traffic System was activated and ready to assist." Tranos said that in the New York City situation, the telephone system was repaired fairly quickly, minimizing the need for health-and-welfare traffic, "but NTS was ready regardless." "Thanks and congratulations go to each of those who helped," Tranos concluded. "Now, hopefully, we can try to return to some degree of normalcy." -- ARRL Public Relations Manager Jennifer Hagy, N1TDY, contributed information for this article (ARRL September 25 via John Norfolk, OKCOK) ** U S A. Interesting article on the state of New York City's television stations after the majority lost their transmitters in the WTC disaster. It could be quite a while before full-power signals are restored... TV TRANSMISSION Signals Likely to Remain Weak for 3 Years By Verne Gay, Staff Writer A consortium of New York's major TV stations has concluded that it could take up to three years before a full signal will be restored to all viewers in the New York area. http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/ny-tvstations926.story?coll=ny%2Dentertainm\ent%2Dheadlines 73. (Greg Schatzmann, ODXA via DXLD) ** U S A. Hi folks, say - is there a way of contacting WYFR somehow. I want to send them a strong complaint. Came across them this morning on 9985.0 in German. Normally I don`t listen to these fire-and- brimstone evangelists. And what I heard was the most reactionary, ultra-conservative crap I ever heard. I wonder how they can promote views that were outdated 50 years ago. Girls, if you would have heard this you´d be out to burn WYFR to the ground... 73 de (Thomas, DL1CQ, Roth, Germany, swl@qth.net Sept 25 via DXLD) ** U S A. 1680, KBJO, Monroe LA, good with Black Gospel and program "Rejoice" noted from before 0200 to after 0300 EDT 9/27 [sic, must mean 9/26]. No IDs, announcer reading from the Bible. At 0240 EDT a cluster of spots that sounded more like a News Talk format (Their 1440 is News Talk I believe), with spots for Dish Network & even Larry King giving a spot. Station was quite loud at times with KAVT phased. Some WTIR QRM at times though. Tried to phone station but no answer. I talked to the station`s GM a couple months back and was told KBJO was due on the air anytime. Also, except for Seattle, this is the last X Bander listed on 1680. At 0242 after the spots there was a couple minutes of dead air. This might have been a test too. Drake R8 MFJ-1026 40 foot vertical/1500' Eastern Beverage (Patrick Martin, Seaside OR, Hard-Core-DX mailing list et al., via DXLD) Bad news for DFW ** U S A. Special DX test scheduled: Saturday, September 29, 2001 - WJNT-1180, Jackson, MS 12:00-1:00 am CDT (Lynn Hollerman, IRCA via DXLD) 0500-0600 UT Sun Sept 30 ** U S A. Paul Harvey [an appreciation?] By Mike Thomas http://www.salon.com/people/bc/2001/09/25/harvey/index.html (via Bill Westenhaver, DXLD) ** U S A. STAR TREK. today is an important day in another fan genre. September 26 marks the US premiere of the new Star Trek series "Enterprise" on the UPN network. Here's the way the Star Trek franchise describes the new series: "The First Captain. The First Crew. The First Mission. This is it! The long wait is over! Enterprise ... the beginning of the Star Trek Saga launches tonight at 8/7c on UPN! Join Captain Jonathan Archer and his crew as they set out to explore the galaxy aboard the new Enterprise NX-01." ("Startrek.com Newsletter") For more information see: http://www.startrek.com/launch/default.asp The National Network, or TNN, is the new home on television for reruns of Star Trek, and on October 1 they'll be kicking off their Star Trek programming with "Next Gen on TNN - A Five-Day Mission," a weeklong marathon of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes, plus several Star Trek films and a brand-new documentary, "America Loves Star Trek." ("Startrek.com Newsletter") (SCDX/MediaScan Sept 26 via DXLD) Première is 0000-0200 UT Thursday Sept 27 on UPN, EDT/CDT feed (gh) ** UZBEKISTAN. R. Tashkent, Sept 26 1200-1300 English, Hindi basic (9715 kHz): good; 2nd => 19430 Poor/Fair; 3rd => 29145 Barely Audible. NB: due to heavy +RUS(RR) splash on 9715, 2nd harmonic of Tashkent worked at times even better (Vlad Titarev, Kremenchuk, Ukraine, AR7030, 35m wire, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ###