DX LISTENING DIGEST 12-06, February 8, 2012 Incorporating REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL BROADCASTING edited by Glenn Hauser, http://www.worldofradio.com Items from DXLD may be reproduced and re-reproduced only if full credit be maintained at all stages and we be provided exchange copies. DXLD may not be reposted in its entirety without permission. Materials taken from Arctic or originating from Olle Alm and not having a commercial copyright are exempt from all restrictions of noncommercial, noncopyrighted reusage except for full credits For restrixions and searchable 2012 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html For restrixions and searchable 2011 contents archive see http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid1.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 1603 HEADLINES: *DX and station news about: Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Congo, Czechia, Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Germany, Haiti, Iran, Isle of Man, Korea North, Korea South, Laos, Libya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, USA, Vanuatu SHORTWAVE AIRINGS OF WORLD OF RADIO 1603, Feb 9-15, 2012 Thu 0430 WRMI 9955 [confirmed on webcast] Thu 2200 WTWW 9479 [confirmed] Thu 2230 WBCQ 7490 [confirmed] Fri 0430v WWRB 3195 Sat 0900 WRMI 9955 Sat 1600 WRMI 9955 Sat 1830 WRMI 9955 Sun 0500 WTWW 5755 Sun 0900 WRMI 9955 Sun 1630 WRMI 9955 Sun 1830 WRMI 9955 Mon 0330v WBCQ 5110v-CUSB [alternate weeks including this] Mon 1230 WRMI 9955 Tue 1030 HLR 5980 Hamburger Lokal Radio Thu 0430 WRMI 9955 [or maybe 1604 if ready in time] Latest edition of this schedule version, including AM, FM, satellite and webcasts with hotlinks to station sites and audio, is at: http://www.worldofradio.com/radioskd.html or http://schedule.worldofradio.org or http://sked.worldofradio.org For updates see our Anomaly Alert page: http://www.worldofradio.com/anomaly.html WRN ON DEMAND: http://193.42.152.193/listeners/stations/station.php?StationID=24 WORLD OF RADIO PODCASTS VIA WRN: http://www.wrn.org/wrn-listeners/world-of-radio/ http://www.wrn.org/listeners/world-of-radio/rss/09:00:00UTC/English/541 OUR ONDEMAND AUDIO: http://www.worldofradio.com/audiomid.html or http://wor.worldofradio.org DXLD YAHOOGROUP: Why wait for DXLD? A lot more info, not all of it appearing in DXLD later, is posted at our yg without delay. When applying, please identify yourself with your real name and location, and say something about why you want to join. Those who do not, unless I recognize them, will be prompted once to do so and no action will be taken otherwise. Here`s where to sign up: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dxld/ ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. 12130, 04/Feb 0913, KUWAIT, VoA Mashaal Radio, in Pashto. OM talk between short music. At 0916 I hear OM say “Radio Mashaal”. Very weak signal, but modulation clear. // 13580 with a better signal (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AFGHANISTAN [non]. Sri Lanka. Deewa Radio (VOA). 9370 Iranawila. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 1814-1822. Pashto, Sounds like a studio-based YL interviewing an OM by telephone. Good - fair, to Afghanistan (Aoki, EiBi). Jo'burg sunset 1658 (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGST) ** ALBANIA. 7530, R. Tirana, Shijak, 2104-2115 Feb 1, English; political & economic news re exports to Italy; Albanian music at 2109 with a fairly strong ALE burst, right in the middle of it; W announcer at 2113 with too strong an accent to get any program details; fair- good (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) R Tirana Shijak, 7389.981 at 0823 UT Feb 7th. Heavy distorted audio of R Tirana's Albanian morning service towards European audience. S=8 to 9+5dB signal, two male announcers. Listen to the attached recording. At second 17 to 25 I switched to nearby Croatian Radio on 7370 kHz for comparison, which was undisturbed signal and with excellent audio on air. vy 73 wolfgang df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Febr 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALGERIA [non]. RADIO ALGÉRIENNE --- All shortwave relays via Issoudun are reported currently off the air, but they are expected to return soon. Transmissions from Béchar and Ouargla sites are expected to start in late 2013 (WRTH Feb 1 update via DXLD) Monitoring by Wolfgang Büschel early in Jan when the cancellations were first noticed indicated they were remaining at 19-20 on 7455, 11955 --- or was this a misunderstanding, and/or soon canceled too? Please check (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) FRANCE/ALGERIA, Last week and yesterday night/this Feb 7 morning, I checked RTA Algiers relays via Issoudun, France. But couldn't trace any program signal at any of the registered RTA/TDA/RTF channels. As well as nothing heard on Bechar/Ourgla frequencies seen on WRTH PDF file Update of Feb 1 (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ALGERIA. Ho trovato un articolo tratto dal tabloid "LE MIDI" di Algeri del 16 gennaio che parla di JIL FM "GENERATION FM". Si deduce che opera in // in FM dal TX 94.7 MHz di Chrea 70 kW. Dario Monferini WEB searcher. http://www.lemidi-dz.com/ … PAR RAYAN NASSIM "Jil FM" (génération FM), une nouvelle chaîne musicale de l'Entreprise nationale de radiodiffusion sonore (ENRS) destinée à la jeunesse, a commencé à émettre dimanche à 9h00. Le coup d'envoi de la diffusion des programmes cette chaîne a été donné par le ministre de la Communication, Nacer Mehal, le ministre de la Poste et des Technologies de l'information et de la communication, Moussa Benhamadi, le ministre de la Jeunesse et des Sports, El Hachemi Djiar, et le directeur de la Radio algérienne, Tewfik Khelladi. "Jil Morning", première émission diffusée sur les ondes de cette chaîne était l'occasion pour les ministres présents de se féliciter de ce nouveau-né de la Radio algérienne qui s'intéresse en premier lieu à la jeunesse. M. Mehal a émis le souhait de voir cette chaîne de radio répondre aux attentes des jeunes, soulignant qu'elle jouera un rôle important dans le domaine de la culture, 65% du temps d'antenne étant consacré à la musique (algérienne et étrangère). Relevant que "Jil FM" va enrichir le champ médiatique, le ministre de la Communication a indiqué que le succès d'une radio c'est d'abord la qualité du contenu de ses programmes. "Cette nouvelle chaîne contribuera à la valorisation du patrimoine musical algérien dans toutes ses variantes. Ceci n'empêche pas l'ouverture sur les autres cultures", a-t-il dit. Pour sa part, M. Djiar a indiqué que cette nouvelle chaîne de radio représentait un espace important pour la libre expression de la jeunesse algérienne et pour toutes les acteurs qui s'intéressent aux questions des jeunes dans différents domaines. Pour M. Benhamadi, "Jil FM" est un acquis supplémentaire au service de la jeunesse. "Jil FM" pourra être captée sur 94.7 en modulation de fréquence (FM) dans le centre et dans le centre-sud du pays, et en ondes moyennes (OM) sur 531 kHz dans l'est et dans le sud-est du pays et sur 549 kHz (OM) pour les régions de l'Ouest et le Sud-Ouest. Les programmes de la nouvelle chaîne comportent de la musique, des reportages, des émissions-débats et de l'information. La musique (algérienne et étrangère) se taillera la part du lion avec 65 % du temps d'antenne. Les émissions liées aux questions socioprofessionnelles de la jeunesse représenteront 20% du temps d'antenne, la culture 10% et l'information 5%. "Jil FM", entièrement numérisée, émettra en H24, 7 jours sur 7, et sera présente sur l'ensemble des réseaux sociaux. R. N (via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) That explains it ** ANGUILLA [and non]. 11775, University Network (presumed); 2142, 2- Feb; Rev. Barbie said torn about having to adjust her teaching to accommodate those who are not yet up to speed. She said she finally said to herself that, "They could go screw a light bulb". The subsequent audience applause sound like maybe ten people. S30. // 13845 WWCR (presumed), SIO=453+. First time I've heard the Rev. on 13845 in quite a while (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 1630 31.1 0600 R América, San José, Entre Rios. Anropade ”R Melody”. Även 0700. Dagen efter bara “Punta del dial 16-30 AM”. Samma station??? Lite för svag då. FD 1630, 31.1 0600, R América, San José, Entre Rios. ID as "R Melody". Also noted at 0700. The following day just "Punta del dial 16-30 AM" was heard. The same station?? A little too weak at that time. FD (Fredrik Dourén, Sweden, ARC MV-Eko Feb 5, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ARGENTINA. 1700 4.2 0300 R Fantástico, Buenos Aires bättre än förra gången. Lyckades själv hitta ID denna gång. Har gått flera gånger den senaste tiden. AN /Fantastiskt fint läge du måste ha mot södra Sydamerika Arne – många fina hörigheter, grattis –tl/ 1700, 4.2 0300, R Fantástico, Buenos Aires better than last time. Succeeded in finding the ID myself this time. Has been heard several times recently. AN (Arne Nilsson, Sweden, ARC MV-Eko Feb 5 translated by Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) You must have a fantastic location towards the southern part of South America, Arne - many nice catches, congratulations (Tore Larsson, ibid.) ** ARGENTINA [and non]. 6059.944, 23.1 2230, Super Rádio Deus é Amor with football. RAE on 6059.992 dominated with good strength (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 5 via DXLD) ** ARGENTINA [and non]. Re spurs from 6060 LRA transmitter: Arnaldo, estás por allí? Si estás te podes [sic] fijar si lo que interfiere a partir de 5950 kHz es RAE o qué? (Ernesto Paulero, Argentina, Feb 5, condiglist yg via DXLD) No estaba por ahí pero ahora sí, Ernesto. Hoy se filtra Radio Nacional. Yo creo que vos y yo, que estamos relativamente más cerca de la planta de Pacheco, recibimos estos residuos. Sabés [sic] si alguno de los colegas del exterior se quejó por lo mismo? (Arnaldo Slaen, ibid.) Creo que el que se quejó fue Moisés del Uruguay. Le pasa lo mismo; evidente hay algún problema porque antes no pasaba eso (Paulero, ibid.) Lo sufría en Rocha, 260 km al este de Montevideo. Yo fui uno de los que dijo de llamarles por teléfono y avisarles que ese trasmisor desparrama un disparate y que están gastando energía al santo gas (Horacio A. Nigro, Montevideo, Uruguay, ibid.) Yo no lo reporté pero es cierto, cuando esté en aire Nacional en 6060 se pudre todo en un amplio rango de frecuencias alrededor de esa frecuencia. Eso ya pasó hace unos años hasta que hicieron no sé qué arreglos en el transmisor. Hay una brasilera religiosa que tiene un efecto similar en 31 m 73 (Moisés Knochen, Uruguay, ibid.) Gracias, muchachos! El martes, a las 08:15 de la Argentina (1115 UT) tengo una reunión programada con Luís María Barassi, Director de Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior. En el temario a tratar estará, por supuesto, esta inquietud que Uds. me transmiten. Gracias! (Arnaldo Slaen, ibid.) Otro dato sobre la escucha de RAE, esta vez desde Brasil: Asunto: [radioescutas] RAE ondas curtas interferidas e desreguladas. As ondas curtas da RAE, 11710 kHz, continua severamente interferida por uma transmissão da China. No período matinal é impossível escutar o programa em português. Nesta segunda-feira, (6), a RAE estava saindo com sinal (distorcido) em 11870 kHz. Vai mal. 73 (Luiz Chaine Neto, 6- 2-2012, radioescutas yg via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, ibid.) That would be 11-12 UT M-F. At that time RTI is on 11710, and so is CNR1, and so is additional jamming (gh, DXLD) RAE is back on SW --- Heard an announcement on RAE's English broadcast that they are back on SW after a few days of "technical difficulties". - It's too hot and humid in Buenos Aires so I guess they had an issue of cooling their transmitter down. Both 11710 and 15345 are back in use (Sergei S., Feb 7, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RAE noted on air again, noted on 11710.622 at 0020 UT, Feb 7. And also on 15345.085 kHz at 2050 UT (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 8 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** ARGENTINA. ¿Qué pasa con LOL? Durante mis vacaciones, intenté hacer escucha de la vieja LOL, que según el WRTH debería trasmitir una hora al mediodía local. En 10 MHz no escuché nada más que la horaria de Río. Qué es pues de la vida de LOL (de la mina que lo identificaba no pregunto porque ya no debe vivir más... juasss!!!) (Horacio Nigro Geolkiewsky, Montevideo, Uruguay, Feb 7, condiglist yg via DXLD) Was 14-15 UT M-F per WRTH; did you try on weekdays? ``Mina`` must be slang, for a woman? What means it exactly?(Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Te acordás! Le daba tanto énfasis a las palabras! "... ¡¡¡¡¡Catorce horas!!!!!!! !! ¡¡¡¡¡Veinticinco minutos!!!!! Esa sí que no era una voz robótica 73 (Moisés Knochen, op. cit.) Ni idea muchachos!!!! Tarea para el hogar para quienes estamos en Buenos Aires. Voy a ver si me pongo las pilas y averiguo algo. Se acuerdan de LCQB9? Se las dejo [dejó?] picando (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, UT Feb 8, condiglist yg via DXLD) Yo hace rato que no la escucho. Si uno entra al Servicio de Hidrografía Naval, en el ítem "Hora Oficial" lo único que aparece es esto: http://www.hidro.gov.ar/hora/hora.asp Con lo cual aclara que sólo por teléfono y por estaciones de MW y que o tienen servicio en internet. De frecuencias patrones ni noticias. Antes en esta sección aparecían daros [?]. Me parece que el servicio está difunto, como muchos en onda corta. Me acuerdo de General Pacheco, Radio LPL, "ENTEL Argentina, Para la atención del servicio radiotelefónico público" La "mina" de LOL no era Tita Armengol? (Marcelo Oscar Filipo, Feb 8, ibid.) Maybe `mina` means she erupts like a landmine (gh, DXLD) A partir de ese nombre googleando encontré esto: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/605701-curiosidades-de-las-agujas Pero no sé si las locutoras mencionadas allí serían las voces escuchadas por LOL o sólo por el servicio telefónico. Tal vez lo colegas argentinos sepan. 73 (Moisés Knochen, Uruguay, ibid.) Evidentemente Tita Armengol no era. Tenía entendido que la locución de Armengol en el servicio telefónico había sobrevivido mucho tiempo más. Armengol fué la primera locutora profesional que hubo en Argentina (Marcelo Oscar Filipo, ibid.) SERVICIO DE FRECUENCIAS PATRONES Y HORA ESTACIÓN EMISORA: (LOL) Observatorio Naval (Av. España 2099 - Buenos Aires Cap. Fed.) HORAS DE EMISIÓN: 1400 a 1500 Tiempo Universal Coordinado (UTC) los dìas hàbiles. RADIOFRECUENCIAS PATRONES: 10 MHz. POTENCIA EN ANTENA: 2 Kw. AUDIOFRECUENCIAS PATRONES: Las portadoras se modularán en 1000 y 440 Hz alternativamente. RELOJ PATRÓN: Atómico de Cesium H.P. 5061 A. INTERVALOS DE MODULACIÓN: 3 minutos sobre 5 minutos, iniciando en todos los minutos múltiplos de cinco, excepto en los 55 minutos, intervalo destinado a señal horaria especial de precisión. EXACTITUD DE LAS FRECUENCIAS: ± 2 x 10-10 SEÑAL HORARIA DE PRECISIÓN: Durante toda la señal se emite un top de cinco milisegundos de duración en cada segundo, excepto en los segundos 59 (que se suprime). El top consiste en la emisión de 5 ciclos de una modulación de 1000 Hz. SEÑAL HORARIA: De tiempo uniforme coordinado, (UTC). PRECISIÓN EN LOS INTERVALOS DE TIEMPO PATRÓN: El intervalo entre la iniciación de dos tops consecutivos es de un segundo de tiempo atómico, con una precisión del microsegundo. La iniciación y fin de las modulaciones están sincronizadas con los pulsos horarios, quedando así definidos intervalos exactos de 1, 3 y 5 minutos o mayores. ANUNCIOS: Al término de los 3 minutos de tono se emite información del código DUT1, al comenzar el minuto siguiente en código morse, la característica de la estación, y antes de la iniciación del tono siguiente se anuncia el origen de la señal con la frase "Observatorio Naval Argentina", seguida por el anuncio de la hora y minuto exacto correspondiente al inicio de los próximos 3 minutos del tono siguiente. PATRÓN MUSICAL: La modulación de 440 Hz corresponde a la nota "la" de la quinta octava de la escala musical, pudiendo adoptarse como patrón musical. Gráfico de una hora de transmisión [which see] PARA MAS INFORMACION INGRESAR EN EL VINCULO DEL SERVICIO: http://www.hidro.gob.ar/Observatorio/QueHoraUtiliza.asp#SERVICIO DE FRECUENCIAS PATRONES Y HORA (via Omar Somma, ibid.) Repito, que me propuse monitorearla un par de días desde Rocha, Uruguay, y no escuché nada en ese horario. Sólo se escuchaba Rio. Con esa potencia debería haberse escuchado algo (Hnigro, Uruguay, ibid.) [luego] Parece que ya sabemos que pasa con LOL --- Según informa LU9DO, "la estacion LOL está QRT hace unos días por problemas técnicos. Aparentemente están esperando el service y volverán al aire a la brevedad. Solamente salen los dias hábiles de 11 a 12 Hs. LU y en la frecuencia de 10 MHz. El antiguo esquema de 5, 10, 15 MHz como la WWV no existe más por falta de repuestos en los lineales. Esperemos que la reparen...." (Juan Carlos Parra, LU9DO, Argentina en opinion-LU yg, via Horacio Nigro, Uruguay, Feb 8, ibid.) ** ARGENTINA. 13363.5/LSB, Domestic relay station; 2222-2242:15*, 29- Jan; Lengthy Spanish interview segments -- sounded like race car noise in background; pop tunes in Spanish & English; fútbol promo; pips/tone at BoH; heard several IDs & sounded like Radio Tachi -- nothing like this in the 2011 WRTVH MW list. Off abruptly in mid-promo. SIO=253- 13363.5/LSB, Radio Continental; 0124-0203+, 30-Jan; Fútbol game call by hyper announcer -- possibly Boca vs Central; 2 other M insert non- hyper comments; game ended at 0156 with brief R. Continental spot; all in Spanish. SIO=2+53+, much better than // 15345.1, SIO=452 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) Unusual to be // R. Nacional, sure? (gh, DXLD) ** ARMENIA. KBC DRM: see NETHERLANDS [non] ** AUSTRALIA. 2325, VL8T (via Tennant Creek), 1/22 1420. poor. Female with long monologue, unable to actually follow content. Hearing // on 2485 of equal strength (VL8K via Katherine). Only a trace of VL8A (Alice Sprgs.) heard on // 2310. 2485, VL8K Katherine, 1/29 0945. F announcer just above the threshold. couldn't hear a trace of Tennant Creek or Alice Springs this AM. 2310, VL8A Alice Springs, 2/5 1300, Fair-poor. VL8T Tennant Creek 2325 and VL8K Katherine 2485 showing just a trace. Usually have better copy on Katherine site here (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) 2310, VL8A Alice Springs NT 1210 noted with some audio 2 February. 2325, VL8T Tennant Creek NT, 1215 strongest of the three 120 mb Australians on 2 February. 2485, VL8K Katherine NT, 1220, briefly, good audio 2 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. 2368.457, R. Symban at 1145 UT + with musical variety show. Talks between OM and YL, into music played on a flute-like instrument. S-7 into SE VA but with QRN. Jan 22 (Charles Rippel, VA, DXplorer Jan 5 via BC-DX Feb 8 via DXLD) R. Symban, Topless QSL: see PUBLICATIONS ** AUSTRALIA. 6230-USB, VMW, Meteorological Radio, 1245 om with weather stronger on // 8113-USB. 3 February (Wilkner) 8113-USB, VMW, Australia Weather, 1400 om with weather 30 January. A good band indicator (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) ** AUSTRALIA. Glenn: I listened to Radio Australia this afternoon 2103-2114 UT. News Report. Very good signal here on 11660; Lots of QSB as signal was varying from +10 to + 30 constantly. Receiver was JRC NRD525 with MFJ-1020C antenna amp. Antenna: 533 ft. rectangular loop. Weather here was spotty showers but no lightning. Then I was rudely interrupted with two long telephone calls. Best Regards to all (Roger Nash, W5RDN, Heber Springs AR, Feb 3, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** AUSTRALIA [and non]. 9590, Feb 8 at 1513, RA English on what could be its best frequency for us during this hour, is marred by considerable CCCCCCI, i.e. ChiCom Chinese language Co-Channel interference from CRI via Kashgar, EAST TURKISTAN toward Europe (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BANGLADESH. 4750, Bangladesh Betar, 1155 to 1225, yl subcontinental music, good signal for once 31 January also same time 1 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, and XM - NRD 525D ~ Sony 2010, Cedar Key - South Florida via Bob Wilkner, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 2 February 1210-30 local ute on top of signal (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) ** BELARUS. Re 12-05: Probably not mentioned so far: It appears that also all mediumwave transmitters of Radio Kultura on 1008, 1026 and 1125 have been turned off. So the only remaining AM outlets in Belarus besides 6155, 7255 and 11730 are 279, 1170 and 1278, and here it would not hurt to make sure that the 1278 transmitter at Brest has not been turned off as well. Concerning the wired radio service: The Soviet Radiotochka system provides a straight audio feed which can be played with very simple sets (basically just loudspeakers for a 100 volts distribution system) plus two further programs on subcarriers (78 and 120 kHz, respectively). Apparently these subcarriers have in Belarus now been turned off and only the plain audio feed for simple loudspeakers been kept (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) I have not seen official info yet, but I know that the transmitter operator BRTBC is cutting down, for example they announced on their website that from Feb 01 the old wired cable network in Belarus will only carry one programme (BR1) instead of 3 programmes (including BR Kultura, BR Stalica) "because of lack of demand" (Bernd Trutenau, Vilnius, Lithuania, Jan 26, DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) ** BELARUS [non]. [Re 12-05:] ``6040, 1730-1745 28.01, Belaruskaje Radyjo 1, Hrodna, Belarusian ann, local songs, back on the air, 55544 // 6070 Brest (45444)`` Surely this must have been CRI Russian listed here 1700-1800 for both frequencies. BLR is definitely still off (Martien Groot, Schoorl, Netherlands, Feb 5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Grodno. SW transmitter is turned off and most likely forever. Learned that the state of obsuzhivayushchevo personnel in Frodno SW centre will be eliminated, what notified all employees - or dismissal or transfer to another place. The reason is simple - no money. Question is solved (or already resolved) at the level of the ministry of communications (Sergey Aleksejchik, Grodno, Belarus / ”open_dx" via RusDX Feb 5 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) BELARUS {not} Checked also 6080 channel yesterday Feb 6th from 1700 UT, to control [monitor] Belarus Radio BR1 relay on shortwave from Minsk-Kalodzicy at 127 degrees azimuth, in Bel/Rus towards some Belarus nationals group settled down in Eastern Ukraine, also in direction of Crimea, and Caucasus --- But heard only Radio Kuwait Arabic, R Australia, Shepparton English, and from 17 UT also VoA São Tomé. vy73 wolfy (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 7, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6155, R. Belarus, 2128-2145, 24 Jan, English. Male announcer with ID at 2129. Talks about the economy. Interesting fast talker and somewhat humor[ou]s. S8 level. Enjoyable program with many IDs (Robert Montgomery, DXpedition to French Creek State Park, PA on 23, 24, 25 Jan 2011; The park is located about 65 miles west of Philadelphia. We used a cabin at the park. Snow covered ground with temps below freezing. Equipment: NRD 535D, 500 ft long wire, NASWA Flashsheet Feb 5 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4409.86, Radio Eco, Reyes with om 2330; 2355 fair to good signal on 30 January (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 4451.12, Radio Santa Ana, Santa Ana de Yacuma, 2330 to 2345 om with one ID. 30 January, seems to often sign off 0015v. 4699.6, Radio San Miguel, Riberalta 1000 to 1040 on 30 January. 4716.75, Radio Yura, Yura, 1000 to 1030 noted each day for last week (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, and XM - NRD 525D ~ Sony 2010, Cedar Key - South Florida via Bob Wilkner, Feb 2, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA [and non]. 4699+ (sri, forgot to measure precision frequency), R San Miguel, Riberalta, nice signal 1015 on 1/31, OM Spanish news show with 'bottom of the barrel' voice sound. Pretty good Andes morning, with very nice signals from all the regulars like 4775 Tarma, 4790 Visión, 5039+ Junín, 6134+ Sta Cruz (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + customized (tropical bands) Quantum Phaser antenna unit; Longwires (150' + 100'); Tuned Multi-Turn 20" Small Loop; Single-Turn Coax Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BOLIVIA. 5580.183, Radio San José, San José de Chiquitos with music and om, 2335 to 0020. 5/6 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, 746Pro, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BOLIVIA. 5952.41, Radio Pio Doce, 1035 on 1/31 with fair signal, clear frequency tho hissing ambient noise on band this day for me. Morning 'noticiero' in Spanish by OM, frequent mentions of Bolivia, 1043 YL noted and into taped ad string. Also noted 1029 on 2/1 with OM in commentary. Quite reliable in the mornings lately, not sure how long this will hold up (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + customized (tropical bands) Quantum Phaser antenna unit; Longwires (150' + 100'); Tuned Multi-Turn 20" Small Loop; Single-Turn Coax Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BONAIRE. 800, Trans World Radio, 0059 1/10. Announcement by woman in Spanish with 'R Trans Mundial' ID, then into religious program. Almost alone on frequency for several hours! First time heard in several years (NIGEL PIMBLETT, Dunmore, Alberta, Perseus SDR, NW/SE unterminated beverage, DX Worldwide, IRCA DX Monitor Feb 11 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Re 12-05: “Carmen Miranda Report”, This is pretty old J J. But the log is current and accurate, congratulations. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 3375.33, R. Municipal São Gabriel de Cachoeira, 0858-0907 Jan 31, Portuguese; Instrumental music; single pip & tentative ID at ToH; M & W announcer over music; vocal music with occasional talk over; poor in ECCS-USB. 5990, R. Senado, Brasília, 0838 Feb 1 Portuguese; Lively LA music; interesting tune with lots of yipping & yelling; M announcer at 0845 with "Música Sud América" into more music; good. 6060, Super Rádio Deus é Amor, Curitiba 0847 Feb 1 Portuguese; sounds like David Miranda, wailing away; // 9565; both poor. 6150, tentative R. Record, São Paulo, 0855 Feb 1 Portuguese; ballads; announcer at 0902; very poor & weak under band noise; not a whole lot to work with (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB- 1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 4877.47, Brasil, Rdif Roraima, Boa Vista RR, 1050 with om wildly distorted signal to 1105 tune out 30 January. 2330 buzzing noise, local? covering signal 30 Jan (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) 4877.56v, Radio Roraima, 0345-0404*, Brazilian pop music. Portuguese announcements. Sign off with National Anthem at 0400. Poor to fair with wobbly, unstable carrier. Feb 3 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 4877.244, Brasil, Rdif Roraima, Boa Vista RR noted with distorted signal 2302 to 2330; recheck 0020. 5/6 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, 746Pro, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 4985.01, R Brasil Central, noted missing for a few weeks. 2/8 (Jim Young, WPC6JY, Wrightwood, CA, 756 ProIII + 80-M inverted Vee + 40-M yagi, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 5990.00, Radio Senado, 0948 with ranchera music program, brilliant signal 1/31. 0957 vals with YL and organ. 1000 OM and guitar and then full blown ID sequence, mentioning SW frequency. 1001 'Happy Birthday' song and then OM in Portuguese about the station's anniversary, which has been well publicized already for DXers (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + customized (tropical bands) Quantum Phaser antenna unit; Longwires (150' + 100'); Tuned Multi-Turn 20" Small Loop; Single-Turn Coax Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL [and non]. 6059.944, 23.1 2230, Super Rádio Deus é Amor with football. RAE on 6059.992 dominated with good strength (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 5 via DXLD) ** BRAZIL. Boa notícia para os ouvintes da EBC Caríssimos colegas, recentemente eu postei um comentário sobre o fraco sinal das rádios do sistema EBC (empresa brasileira de comunicação), em particular da Rádio Nacional da Amazônia http://www.radioagencianacional.ebc.com.br Entrei em contato com a ouvidoria e eles me responderam o seguinte: "Informar ao Ouvinte da Rádio Nacional da Amazônia em Ondas Curtas que o sinal transmitido pela EBC desde o Parque de Transmissão de Rádio localizado em Brasília enfrenta algumas dificuldades técnicas em função da idade avançada dos equipamentos. Está programada a aquisição de um transmissor novo de Ondas Curtas ainda em 2012 para podermos manter a qualidade das transmissões nesta faixa. Esperamos ter ajudado e qualquer outra dúvida, entrar em contato novamente conosco." Vamos torcer! Cordialmente, (Marconi Arruda, Feb 6, radioescutas yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) Getting a new SW transmitter this year for RNA, maybe referring to 49m where has been inactive for a few years on 6180/6185, while 11780 continues to be strong here, as does 5990 for the Rádio Senado service from same site. Watch out, XEPPM! (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 9820, tentatively Radio 9 de Julho, Sao Paulo 0028 found a woman speaking in English in a monotone, followed briefly by a man, couldn’t be sure of subject, might have been news, 0030 music bridge and then man in Portuguese. I suspect this Brazilian station, but English was a surprise. Wish I could have understood the English content. Will be worth further checks. Poor under het. Feb 3 (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening lakeside from my car with the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9819.62, Radio 9 de Julho, 0305-0330, Portuguese talk. Lite instrumental music. Portuguese religious music. Presumed. Poor to fair. Feb 4 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** BRAZIL. 10000, Observatório Nacional, 0044 and 2243 4 Feb. Time signal station. As per their site at http://www.horalegalbrasil.mct.on.br/ which includes a couple pages in English, the station started operations in November 2008; power is 1 kW. Also transmits on 166.53 and 171.13 MHz. Voice announcement in Portuguese is repeated by M every ten seconds (although site claims a female voice is to be heard!), with the following format: “Observatório Nacional, 22 horas, 44 minutos, 50 segundos”. The signal can be heard on their site as well, but without the “Observatório Nacional“ ID. Noted occasionally during the 2240-0500 period since early January, either in the clear or under strong WWV. Time in announcements is now UTC-2 during their summer (i.e., Daylight Saving Time in Brasília, the capital). It should be noted that Brazil has three time zones; Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are in the same time zone. Legal standard time in Brazil is UTC-3 hours. Weak to fair (Victor C. Jaar, Longueuil, Québec, IC-R75. Long wire, NASWA Flashsheet Feb 5 via DXLD) When I heard it Jan 23, admittedly poorly, I thought the voice was feminine. Could they use both at different times? (gh, DXLD) ** BRAZIL. 9675, Rádio Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista, 2100-2130, 04- 02, religious songs, Portuguese. Bad modulation. 24322. (Méndez) 9820, Rádio 9 de Julho, São Paulo, 1950-2001, 04-02, comments, male, Portuguese: "Um forte abraço", "A Radio 9 de Julho informando dia a dia da pastoral...", "Radio 9 de Julho, AM 1600 kHz, São Paulo, Brasil". 23432. (Méndez) 11735, Rádio Transmundial, Santa Maria, 1003-1015, 05-02, male, Portuguese, comments, identification: "www.radiotransmundial.com.br", "Esta é a Rádio Transmundial, Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Transmundial, a rádio que está com a palavra, 8 horas, 5 minutos". 24322. (Méndez) 11915, Rádio Gaúcha, Porto Alegre, 2042-2056, 04-02, male, Portuguese, comments, soccer. 24322. (Méndez) 15190, Rádio Inconfidência, Belo Horizonte, 0840-0855, 05-02, Brazilian songs, female and male, advertisements, identification: "6 y 44, estamos apresentando Trem Caipira, Múcio Bolívar, Rádio Inconfidência". 34433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. 15190.05, Radio Inconfidência, 2345-0020, Portuguese and US pop music. Portuguese ballads. Portuguese talk. Weak but readable. // 6009.98 - weak, poor with adjacent channel splatter. Feb 4-5 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) BRASIL: 15190, ZYE622, Radio Inconfidência; 2021-2033+, 30-Jan; W+2W in Portuguese with folk/campo style tunes; ID at 2032. SIO=2+53-, need LSB to kill WYFR (presumed) in English on 15195 [Ascension]. Only very weak audio there 1 hour earlier if them (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BRAZIL. Brazilian stations morning log of Feb 7th. 5940.049, Rádio Voz Missionária, Camboriú SC, S=8-9 fluttery signal at 0700 UT Feb 7. Nice {religious} song melody played. 6059.946, Super R Deus é Amor, Curitiba PR, religious program, 0708 UT, poor and fluttery, sermon 0710-0715 UT. 6080.040, Rádio Marumby, Curitiba PR, hefty hit by adjacent Vatican Radio 6075, sermon by male priest, but followed by a very modern religious song at 0715 UT S=7-8 fair signal. 6089.941, Tentatively Rádio Bandeirantes, São Paulo SP, under powerhouse Gene Scott Anguilla in English, could only identify Portuguese language, definitely NOT Kaduna-NIG. 9550.111, ... wandered x.118 kHz up and down. Rádio Boa Vontade, Porto Alegre RS, fanfare and sermon by male priest, poor S=5-6 signal. 0734 UT Feb 7. 9564.857, Super R Deus é Amor, Curitiba PR, ID at 0736 UT, but announced time check at 'trinta quatro' instead. S=8 fluttery. 9665.020, Rádio Voz Missionária, Camboriú SC, sermon by male, at 0740 UT Feb 7, more than fair signal at S=9+5dB level. 9674.985, ZYE971 Rádio Canção Nova, Cachoeira Paulista SP, S=7-8, at 0742 UT station ID, adverts, canto do galo / cockcrow. 11764.985, ZYE726 Super Rádio Deus é Amor, Curitiba PR, 0750 UT Feb 7, sermon by old priest, hit heavily by adjacent BBCWS program from ASC relay, which was much stronger, performed sports report from African football cup. 11815.021, Rádio Brasil Central, Goiânia GO, very fast rhythm - funny male singer, S=6-7 poor, station reception not as strong as usual. vy73 de wolfy df5sx (Wolfgang Büschel, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Febr 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** BULGARIA. Re 12-05: A history of shortwave broadcasting from Bulgaria would be incomplete without the things going on at Kostinbrod (they appeared to be confined to this site) around and still after 2000. And don't forget that in the early/mid nineties VOA had a few transmissions from Padarsko. Concerning the debate around Radio Magallanes it would be interesting if these broadcasts have frequency-wise been kept apart from the other Spanish programmes from Moscow. I would assume that Radio Magallanes transmissions from Bulgaria were organizationally just part of the use of Padarsko by Radio Moscow (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Dear all, 1 and 2 February I went to the transmitter center Padarsko. I wanted to say goodbye to all the technicians and engineers, who in the last 38 years / 19 years with me / radiated emissions of Radio Bulgaria. I received a second shock - all (around 40 people) have been dismissed with effect from 1 February. Padarsko transmission center is sealed. Destruction of all transmitters and antennas will happen in next 3-4 months. Shame! (Ivo Ivanov, Bulgaria, Feb 2, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Ivo Ivanov added that the SW transmitters at Kostinbrod & Padarsko will be dismantled in the next few months [this was subsequently denied] (Dave Kenny, ed., DX News, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) I don`t recall seeing this denial, where? (gh) I don't recall seeing such a denial either. Is a very concise comment that appeared in the SW sites Yahoo group in mind here? But this one was hardly a denial. And Ivo Ivanov is no doubt a better placed source than editorial offices where, which often appears to be overseen, work journalists and not engineers. This gives me also an opinion to point out how programming apparently cared for the final switch-off of the Padarsko transmitters by inserting into the playout what I think was a selected piece of music and the interval signal twice as very last modulation. Kudos for letting it happen this way, since nowadays it appears to be the norm that any sense for an appropriate way to end an era is missing, resulting in carriers just being killed inmidst sentence and the like (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Radio Bulgaria changed its name from Radio Sofia post-1989, yet still had plenty of Radio Sofia QSL cards to use up, hence them being issued throughout the 1990s. This card depicting 1979`s ``Banner of Peace`` monument is from Tim McClellan`s collexion and verifies 9700 on 13 April 1997 at 2100 (Feb 2012 BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Friday Feb 03, the usual day for the DX-programme, I checked the live audio on http://www.bnr.bg which was perfect in quality. But the one hour programme in English consisted of: ”Events and Developments, Arts and Artists, Life in Bulgaria and Music Selection.” Thus it seems, that there is no longer a DX-programme! This was confirmed by the following e-mail from Rumen Pankov, just received (Anker Petersen, Skovlunde, Denmark, DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) Viz.: THE DX PROGRAM OF RADIO SOFIA / BULGARIA – HISTORY On 17 November 1957 was aired the 1st edition of the weekly program called “Calling DXers and radio Amateurs“ in English on Radio Sofia Foreign Service on short waves. The author was Mr. Dimiter Petrov LZ1AF. Until May 1972 the program has been consisted from amateur(ham) news. Then after a letter to the English Redaction of R. Sofia, Rumen Pankov visited the Radio and broadcast tips were added on weekly bases from him. It was till 27 November 1974 when Pankov was arrested after a visit in USSR (and his meetings with Soviet DXers in Kiev and Moscow) from Bulgarian communist secret services and was a political prisoner till May 1979. In this period and later till 1999 the DX program in English was presented by Petrov and Pavel Iordanov and there were also similar DX programs aired in German and French. In June after the death of Iordanov, Pankov was again invited to take part in the DX program. Earlier Ivo Ivanov began to present a DX program in Russian. At the end of 1999 the DX programs were : In English with ham news from D. Petrov and BC tips from Pankov; In French, German and Spanish with BC items and tips by Pankov; In Russian and in Bulgarian by Ivo Ivanov (First named “Observer” and later renamed on DX Mix – a name already used by ERF in German broadcasts). Starting 2011 Petrov was retired and the programmes in English, French, German and Spanish consisted already from 2 parts: DX Themes and Tips from Pankov and DX Mix by Ivanov. Since February 1st, 2012 all DX programs were stopped. By the way the DX Mix items are from the correspondence between technical services of the BC stations taking part in the HFCC (Rumen Pankov, Sofia, Feb 06, DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) Radio Bulgaria on mediumwave --- Radio Bulgaria was observed signing- on their 1600 broadcast in Bulgarian on 747 and 1224 kHz mediumwave (via a Global Tuners receiver in Greece). Note that no programming was heard on these frequencies prior to 1600 (747 kHz was on continuous tone, 1224 kHz was apparently silent), although WRTH indicates that both transmitters are shared with BNR's Horizont domestic service. The 1700 broadcast in Albanian was also observed on the same frequencies (David Kernick, Feb 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5900, R Bulgaria with open carrier at tune in [23]:55, and into IS and s/on in English with schedule and into YL-read English news. Then repeated the announcement they've aired for the last couple of days that they're cutting out short-wave as a cost-cutting measure. Yeah, bitch bitch bitch .... :) Is it too much to ask that if you're going to spend money on programming you at least transmit it in a way that means we can hear it? Really? :) Weaker than in past weeks -- have they decreased power in anticipation of shut-down? Strange. // 7400 was 34443+ this channel was 43+443. I want to get a good recording of their s/on for posterity, and that just isn't happening! 2355-0015 29-30/Jan. 5900, R Bulgaria in English with commentary about Bulgarian History. And talking about archeology focusing on the gold mines in Bulgaria which date back the 2nd Century BC, and re-working the old mines to assess the state of mining and metal technology in ancient Bulgaria. Then bit about the Turkish rule and Bulgarian liberation in the 1800s. Then into a Bulgarian folk music show which they said would continue on their webcast after radio broadcasts stopped. In better than earlier transmission but modulation was a little muddy, 4+44+44 0317- 0400* 30/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Feb 4 via DXLD) Re: [SWL] Radio Bulgaria shortwave winding down --- How sad. We just seem to keep losing more and more of the voices most of us remember from the fifties and back. Hearing that faint signal just above the noise floor was, and still is, a challenge. Clicking on a link is not! Nor is punching the frequency! I will always enjoy the thrill of twisting the main tune knob in search of a SW station! Sigh - (Duane Fischer, W8DBF, Feb 2, swl at qth.net via DXLD) I was also let down at poor reception of R. Bulgaria in their final hours. All frequencies I tuned here (in Arizona) were poor to "nearly fair" at best. I can recall (in the past) doing repairs in backyards at 4:00 PM (local) and listening to them (with VG reception) on my ATS-803A with its stock telescoping antenna, placed on a 6' wall. Very sad day (Rick Barton, Feb 2, NASWA yg via DXLD) Radio Bulgaria - now a full hour on the Internet --- When Radio Bulgaria was on shortwave, they never had their full hour-long program available online - each day's online version typically ran 37 minutes or thereabouts, as news and current affairs were not included. Now, on "...the second day of [their] solely Internet presence..." (their term), the full 60 minutes are now provided. URL: http://www.bnr.bg/ --- look for "English" in the top banner. (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA USA, Feb 2, Swprograms via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) The internet-only Radio Bulgaria programme schedule is now shown on their website as follows: Monday Events and Developments Youth Corner Sports Music Selection Tuesday Events and Developments Politics Economy Music Selection Wednesday Events and Developments Environment Travel Music Thursday Events and Developments History Club Science Music Selection Friday Events and Developments Arts and Artists Life in Bulgaria Music Selection Saturday Weekly Overview: Politics and Economy Life in Bulgaria Listeners` Feedback Sunday Weekly Overview: Culture events People Leisure Folklore (Alan Roe, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) Note: NO DX program, but still mailbag on Sat (gh, ibid.) ** CANADA. For those interested in the make-up of Canadian radio in 1948, the following web-page gives a list of all radio stations broadcasting in that year along with the names of many of their principal functionaries. http://tinyurl.com/7zjvyez (Loyd Bulmur, alt.radio.networks.cbc via Mike Cooper, DXLD) Part of David Gleason`s deep historical archive (gh) ** CANADA. Saw your note about CFRX. I noticed that, too. I sure wish they wouldn’t go off the air. I listen to that station four or five times a week, which I never could if they weren’t on SW. If they go off, do you think they will make the repairs again? Thanks, my friend. You doing OK? (Bill Patalon, Baltimore MD, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Who knows, they did before after a long absence, but seems OK now anyway. 6070: See also CUBA 6070, Feb 5 at 0634, CFRX, no comedy but call-in show with several phone numbers, `People Helping People`; however, interrupted for a promo of ``overnight comedy`` on CFRB, but no hours specified! Program schedule at http://www.newstalk1010.com/schedule.aspx shows UT Sunday is the one night without comedy, but other talk shows; M-F it`s 12-6 am (05-11 UT), Saturdays 12-5 am (05-10 UT). Modulation sounds OK now (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. 9625, Feb 2 at 0641, CBCNQ is again running continuous tone test, on the air long after programming 0606*, and it`s the SSOB. Would that it were this loud and clear when there be programming (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA [non]. 9955, Radio Canada Int'l via WRMI Radio Miami (presumed); 2006-2013+, 29-Jan; "Maple Leaf Mailbag on Radio Canada Int'l" with letter from Ken Zichi (pronounced it Zee-Chee)--complain, complain, complain. SIO=3+33 with jammer? QRM -- just continuous hiss (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) Who? me? Yeah I bitched that they don't broadcast at times anyone in North America can hear, you got a problem with that? :) (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Feb 4 via DXLD) RCI - The Link --- On Feb. 13, The LinkRadio will be discussing the state of shortwave for world radio day. (Twitter - @TheLinkRadio) The Link is an hour-long daily radio show aimed at connecting people to Canada and Canada to the world. Plug in to our show to get the pulse on what's happening in Canada today. http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/the-link/home/ RCI // The Link http://www.rcinet.ca/english/program/thelink To South East Asia 0000-0057 UT 9880 kHz To South Asia 1500-1557 UT 9635 kHz and 11975 kHz To the Middle East and Africa 1800-1859 UT 9740 kHz, 9770 kHz, 11845 kHz, 15365 kHz and 17790 kHz (Facebook via Mike Terry, Feb 6, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** CANADA. 15365 // weaker 17790, Feb 3 at 1817, RCI has only these two frequencies left in English from Sackville for one hour a day, both 105 degrees for Africa, but well heard here off the back and beyond the skip zone. For once, the lingering focus on immigrants in Canada fits the big news lately about convicting three Afghans in Ontario of `honor killings`` of their three daughters and a co-wife -- - discussing with other ``new Canadian`` teenagers how old-country adults need to get with the mores of their new country. However, in A- 12, RCI plans to move the English hour back to 20-21 on three frequencies (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CANADA. CRTC DELAYS CBC LICENCE RENEWAL UNTIL AFTER BUDGET Steve Ladurantaye, Globe and Mail - Published Monday, Feb. 06, 2012 Canada's broadcast regulator has agreed to postpone Canadian Broadcasting Corp.'s licence renewal application until after a federal budget that is expected to reduce its funding. The broadcaster's English and French-language services are due for review by the CRTC, but the CBC said with cuts likely in an upcoming Federal budget it would be a bad time to outline its plans for the future. The CBC receives about $1.1-billion in federal funding. Federal departments are expected to face cuts of at least 5 per cent in the upcoming budget as the Tories seek to cut costs, and it's unlikely the broadcaster would be exempt. In a letter to the CRTC, the broadcaster's chief regulatory officer said it needs months to understand the implications of any budget cuts. Its renewal hearings were scheduled for June. “The corporation anticipates that this narrow window will not be sufficient to allow it to reflect on and operationalise its plans give that its budget is expected to be announced in late February or March,” wrote Steven Guiton. “The corporation respectfully submits that more time is needed to establish its future operating budget prior to imposing licence conditions.” The CRTC agreed, saying “it would be inappropriate to set a hearing date for the renewal of CBC's licences until the CBC has had an opportunity to establish its future operating budget.” The hearing has been postponed “until further notice.” (via Feb CIDX Messenger via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) FRIENDS OF CANADIAN BROADCASTING REACHES OUT FOR SUPPORT FOR THE CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION With encouragement from their colleagues, three Conservative MPs stood in their places earlier this week and tabled petitions calling for the de-funding of the CBC. You can read their exact words here. This latest episode of hostility follows a long list of attacks on our CBC from the Prime Minister and his party – floating the idea of cutting our CBC by more than $100 million in the upcoming federal budget. The consequences of a cut of this magnitude would be devastating. But, even in the darkest hour there is a ray of hope. For the CBC, that ray of hope is you and millions of other citizens who love the CBC and understand the importance of public broadcasting as a force for Canadian sovereignty, culture and democracy. We must stand together to defend our national public broadcaster. I am writing to ask you to make a special investment in our Countdown Fund. We are pulling out all the stops as we count the days to the federal budget – which we expect will be tabled in Parliament at the end of February or the beginning of March. We have only a few weeks to show this government how much the CBC means to us and to the country. Already, we are having an impact. We have just completed a major direct connect program where we linked public broadcasting supporters by telephone to their Conservative MPs’ constituency offices. We connected thousands of people to dozens of Conservatives MPs. The message was simple: “keep your election promise to maintain or increase CBC funding”. You did not receive a call because we focused this program in key Conservative-held ridings only. The connect program came on top of the release of a national public opinion survey which shows strong support for our CBC coast to coast to coast and the Stop the CBC Smackdown campaign which had a big impact in Ottawa. An indicator of our success is the absence of the usual attacks on the CBC in the latest Conservative Party fundraising appeal. But we’ve got to keep up the pressure. That’s why I am writing to ask for your investment in the Countdown Fund. We are too close to the bottom of our war chest at the very moment when we must make a final push. Please help us to stand up for our national public broadcaster. Your donation will make all the difference. Ian Morrison Spokesperson FRIENDS of Canadian Broadcasting P.S. You can also donate by mail: Friends of Canadian Broadcasting Box 200/238 131 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1R8 (Via Michael Rochon, Windsor, Ontario, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) Above letter has lots of hotlinx, but I can`t find it at the main website, http://www.friends.ca where however there is a lot more info about saving the CBC (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) Not a lot to discuss these days, other than for my fellow Canadians as well as people south of the border interested in CBC Radio broadcasts, our federal Conservative government continues to have a hate-on for the public broadcaster. Some Conservative MPs are even introducing bills in the House of Commons to either pull the plug on funding, or cut back on it big- time. DXers may find this of note, because public broadcasters everywhere seem to be scrabbling for funds – and this can result in SW broadcasting being dropped! But on one site supporting the CBC, called “Re-imagine the CBC”, members of the public are being asked to submit ideas on improving the broadcaster. I like this one from a contributor in Halifax, titled “Nightly Independent Canadian Arts Programming to North America via Shortwave Radio + Internet Streaming.” The writer goes on to say: “Digital is cool and all, but analog is even cooler? Why not do both in a shortwave radio/internet streaming retro-futuristic independent Canadian arts broadcast? This would be an incredible use of the legacy Sackville shortwave transmitters. We could show the whole listening hemisphere (yes including Canadians), how cool, experimental and innovative Canadian arts and culture really is. This would be a late-night peripheral broadcast of Canada's arts underground presented for anyone in North America, the Carribean and Latin America wishing to tune in (on either a $99 shortwave radio or via internet streaming), that would make listeners think twice about Canadian culture, where we have been and where we might go. Do a nightly radio programming block assembled from content from Independent Canadian Arts Organizations and broadcast it to all of North America, the Caribbean etc. on Shortwave radio via Radio Canada International's massive transmitters in Sackville NB. Also simulcast on the Internet. “The idea is that it would broadcast "non-CBC produced" independent Canadian Arts and Culture to the continent and to the world as an arts-accessible block of high-powered international radio broadcasting.” The writer also suggests that going retro – like shortwave – is a way for CBC to demonstrate innovation and creativity. Works for me! Now if only I could straighten out my external antenna. Till next month, 73 (Sue Hickey, NL, CIDX Forum, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) ** CANADA. CFR [sic] Trenton Military VOLMET, 6754, no data thank you letter with pictures of their station on high-quality color laser printer in 153 days for English airmail report and US $2.00 return postage. V/s Master Corporal Jonathan Perreault. Address: 8 Wing Telecommunications and Information Services Squadron, Military Aeronautical Communications System (MACS), PO Box 1000, Stn Forces Astra, ON K0K 3W0 CANADA (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 15034-USB, Feb 6 at 1446:40, ID twice for Trenton Military, time as 1450Z! and flight weather for Calgary, Cold Lake, etc. I hope CHR`s other figures are more accurate than the time. Sounds like real human being and I wonder how automated this be (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHAD. 6164.96, RNT, 2215-2310, French talk. Afro-pop music. Fair. Feb 4 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** CHINA. VOICE OF THE STRAIT INTERVAL SIGNAL --- Shanghai shortwave listener provided me with some interesting info on the interval signal used by Voice of the Strait. With his permission, I'm reproducing it here: "The Voice of the Strait: Formerly 'Radio Station of Fujian Frontline', a station aimed to Taiwanese military personnel uses a few lines from a song called 'Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention', a famous song among members of People's Liberation Army. The name of the song comes from a doctrine by Mao Zedong and this doctrine was set to a melody which was already known to soldiers of CCP and KMT in China. It is said the origin is from a Prussian song. It might because of the popularity both to target listener and the military background of this station that they choose this to be the interval signal. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Rules_of_Discipline_and_Eight_Points_for_Attention Recordings on Youtube of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx3kkqtaaqk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftZB2mXfhBw I also searched on the Internet and found several articles mentioned the IS of 'Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention' of Voice of the Strait by local Xiamen residents. They also mentioned the military background of this station. One interesting fact is on the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, US. The People's Republic of China made its first appearance in a Summer Olympics while for the first time the Republic of China team participated as Chinese Taipei. The background music use this melody for both PRC and Chinese Taipei, as it has its familiarity to PRC members as 'Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention' and to ROC(Taiwan) members as 'Song of the National Revolutionary Army'. (This can be confirmed on Chinese Wikipedia.)" (David Kernick, Feb 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4940.00, most likely V of Strait, Fuzhou with very strong o/c at 0911 to 0913, then American pop music to 0915* Weak modulation. Back on at 0943 with TT to 0946, then o/c to 0953. 9 note chime/bell to 0955, then sign/on in Chinese. Web address given at 0957 2/8 (Jim Young, WPC6JY, Wrightwood, CA, 756 ProIII + 80-M inverted Vee + 40-M yagi, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** CHINA [and non]. 6145, Feb 7 at 1522, Chinese station has het on weaker 6144.0 where no modulation detectable. Perhaps additional jamming or Taiwan`s notorious off-frequenciness, as Aoki shows all these in the 15-16 hour on 6145: CNR8 in Kazakh from Lingshi PBS Qinghai from Xining in Chinese [except Tuesday, and x=off the air] RTI in Chinese from Paochung and of course, *jamming on RTI which was probably what I mainly heard on 6145, CNR1 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11945, CNR, 2/7 1645. Music to TOH and ID. I'd had this listed as RFA, but the ID was China National. This is in lieu of Firedragon banging? Excellent (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** CHINA. 7220, Feb 8 at 1358 open carrier, but *no* REE IS as has been emanating from Kunming site for a biyear prior to CRI Nepali service. Have they finally seen my logs and suppressed it? Modulation at 1400 however did not sound like standard CRI opening (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also AUSTRALIA ** CHINA. CNR 1, 9455 Lingshi. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 1841-2048. Mandarin, an evening of talk. At first I thought (wishful thinking) it might be Radio Free Asia via Agingan Point (since Radio Free Asia Korean on 9385 via Iranawila was so good), but left the radio on whilst I did other things. Later (2030-2048) found it was // CNR1 from Beijing on 5945. 9455 was good, better than 5945 which was fair-good. Jo'burg sunset 1658. [probably also as jamming, maybe other sites -gh] CNR 1, 5945 Beijing // 9455 Lingshi. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 2030-2048. Mandarin, talk. Fair - good. Jo'burg sunset 1658. CNR13, 9890 Lingshi. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 1745-1804. Uighur, OM's and YL's talking. Time pips at 1800 followed by Chinesey (Uighur ?) music to cut off at 1804*. Good. Jo'burg sunset 1658 (Bill Bingham, RSA, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9890, CNR-13, Lingshi, 1243-1258 Feb 7, listed Uyghur; Pop music program in local language; M & W announcers between selections; phone fx at 1256; ad string & blown out by local QRN at 1258; fair (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CHINA. 9455, Firedrake Jammer 1/16 1715. Crashing and banging with VG signal, equally solid and strong // noted on 9355. Weaker one noted on 9905. 11945, Firedrake 1/16 1825. Very strong, in progress at tune-in (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ- 200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) Firedrake Feb 2, 1232 UT: 12300 vg, 13130 vg, 13850 vg, 13920 vg, 14700 vg, 15900 p, 16100 vg, 17250 p. Tecsun PL660, Sony SW77 (Leonard J. Rooney, Delaware County, Springfield PA, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Firedrake Feb 2: 12300, fair with flutter at 1415; none in the 13s, 14s, 15s, 16s, 17s 9315, good at 1427 mixing with some Asian audio. Target is VOA Tibetan via Thailand during this hour only, which normally would be subjected to CNR1 jamming, as in Handler`s list, but Frodge has it as Firedrake. Firedrake Feb 3: none found 7-17 MHz at 1356-1400. 9315, checked at 1450 Feb 3 where yesterday there was FD vs VOA Tibetan via Thailand, but now it`s back to CNR1 jamming // 9450. Firedrake Feb 4: 11500, very poor at 1437; had not heard it before 1400. Propagation is quite subnormal today, and no others found up to 17 MHz (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** COLOMBIA. 5909.92, R. Alcaraván [sic] 1210 to 1215 noted on 2 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) 5910, Alcaraván Radio, Puerto Lleras, 0635-0852, 05-02, Latin American songs, male, identification: "Alcaraván Radio", religious comments. 24322 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CONGO. 6115, 1755 17 Jan, R. Congo, Brazzaville, presumed, OM, news reports, mentions Congo, slightly distorted audio, transmitter off abruptly at 1824, French, splatter QRM, SIO 222 (Dave Kenny, Caversham, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** CONGO DR. 5066.45, 1834 14 Jan, R. Candip, presumed, faint but clear with local songs, SIO 252 (David Morris, Dorset, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** COSTA RICA. QSL card for R. República test via Cariari, received Feb 6 for Jan 7 reception reported by e-mail to WRMI, v/s Jeff White, for 5954, 10 kW, 2309-2359 UT: http://www.w4uvh.net/CRepub2.jpg http://www.w4uvh.net/CRepub1.jpg Obverse illustrates a banana plantation in Cariari, Limón province, including three blue plastic bags to keep in the pesticides. USPS put a strip over the entire lettering across the bottom, but fortunately these peel off without damage (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Watch your mailboxes! I just received my Radio República/WRMI QSL for the special DX Test that was held on 5954 kHz on January 7th. Really nice Banana Plantation card in 31 days for an email report on the evening of the broadcast. V/S. is Jeff White. 73 (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, Feb 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn: I just got my Radio Republica QSL card in Today's mail for reception of the test broadcast carried out on 5954 khz on January 7, 2012 at 2334 UT, power of 10 kW. Verie Signed by Jeff White at WRMI! 73's, (Noble West, NWM&M, Clinton TN, dxldyg via DXLD) Received QSL card of Radio República Costa Rica test transmission on 5954.280 kHz, ten days after the contact address request by Jeff White RMI. vy73 (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 9, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 5954.25, Radio República, 0104-0123, Jan 31. Man announcer with news in Spanish language followed by a man and woman with features and ID at 0118. Poor with strong carrier but poorly modulated program (Rich D'Angelo, Wyomissing PA, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B, Eton E1, Eton E5, Alpha Delta DX Sloper, RF Systems Mini-Windom, Datong FL3, JPS ANC-4, NASWA Flashsheet Feb 5 via DXLD) Was UT Tue, so daily during this hour at least? (gh, DXLD) ** CUBA. 530, Radio Rebelde; 0501-0531+, 31-Jan; Tune-in to Cuban Nat'l Anthem into M&W alternating in Spanish. 0529 ID "Radio Rebelde a la Habana... este la Habana, Rebelde." [sic]. Fair at best mixing with Enciclopedia (presumed) witn instrumental music & CIAO (presumed) with wailing. 530 second or so behind // 5025. Also // 1620 which was about even with 5025 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. CMGA Radio Trinidad on 1280. In 2011 RadioCuba installed a MW transmitter for the local station Radio Trinidad (Sancti Spíritus province) on 1280 kHz. This info is in the station web site: http://www.radiotrinidad.cu/noticias/ balance-anual-2011-radio-trinidad-se-mira-por-dentro Radio Trinidad celebrated its 13th birthday on Dec. 28th 2011: http://www.radiotrinidad.cu/noticias/trece-a%C3%B1os-de-radio-trinidad-latiendo-junto-su-pueblo At the end of this article there is a player to listen to a report about that fact. This work includes two IDs of Radio Trinidad. On the second one the frequencies can be heard. This is the direct link to the audio file: http://www.radiotrinidad.cu/13-aniv-rtdad/13-aniv-rtdad.mp3 So you can add a new frequency/station to your RadioCuba list! 73s (Mauricio Molano, Salamanca, ESPAÑA - SPAIN RX site: Aldea del Cano, Cáceres. LAT: 39º17'09.70 N LONG: 6º19'00 W RX: PERSEUS. ANT: WELLBROOK ALA1530S+ http://moladx.blogspot.com/ mwdx yg via DXLD) This surely will be at 1 kW to match the 4 other stations coming from Trinidad. 73's (Dan Goldfarb, Brentwood, England, ibid.) ** CUBA [and non]. 5883/AM, Atención, 5-digit Spanish numbers with the same hum that was in the Radio Havana Cuba modulation. Hmmmmm I wonder. :) in well 4+4+4+4+4+ *0700-0710 30/Jan (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Feb 4 via DXLD) Radio Habana Cuba, 11760 kHz, DX show “En Contacto” 50th Anniversary commemorative F/D QSL card designed by Bladimir [sic] Pineda Quintanilla [any relation?] from Costa Rica, and issued for reporting a special broadcast of this show. It came in 64 days for a text report sent by e-mail along with a commemorative sticker, a bookmark and a personal letter (Julio Rolando Pineda Cordón, GUATEMALA, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) See also RADIO PHILATELY abottom 6060, Radio Habana Cuba; 0517, 30-Jan; Arnie Coro's DXers Unlimited to 0520 & continued in English. S20 peaks; // 6050, S30 peaks; // 6070 weak; // 6010 S10 peaks; // 6125, S30 peaks; 6050 & 6060 co-splashing with 6055 REE Spain via Spain (presumed) (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6070? That could be leapfrog of 6050 over 6060; what about CFRX? (gh to Harold, via DXLD) Yes, 6070 is correct. After sunset here, CFRX dives considerably. I must be too close (Harold Frodge, MI, ibid.) 9885, Feb 3 at 1357, VOA Spanish has wall-of-noise jamming, contrary to recent absence on the morning broadcasts --- and still jamming-free on // 13750, 15590 until 1400* --- possibly because 9885 is the only frequency also used in the evenings when everything is jammed. 10027, Feb 3 at 1446, stray pulse jamming, not from 9955 where WRMI is free at the moment. 9810, Feb 4 at 0603, RHC theme music, poor signal running overtime to 0603.5*. 9850, Feb 4 at 1431 dead air from RHC while much weaker 9540 was modulating. RHC observations Sunday Feb 5: at 1420, 9540 is very poor as usual after being blocked by WHRI before 1400; 9850 is in open carrier; by 1455 it`s off and 13750 is on with RHC programming, something that happens only on Sundays in preparation for `Alo, Presidente` later. 1510 `Mundo de la Filatelia`, and more regular RHC shows until 1600:45* so no A,P today. The other frequencies for that, 17750, 15370 never came on. A,P website as of Feb 5 is noncommittal as to whether there will be a show today or not, as the webmaster is last to know the whims of mercurial El Hugazo. One more check at 1708 in case he has faked us out: no, still nothing (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO HABANA CUBA [part of full schedule] 1400-1800 ......s SAm 15370hab**†, 17750hab**† 1400-1800 ......s NAm 13750hab**† 1400-1800 ......s CAm 13680hab**† 1400-1800 ......s Car 11690hab**† Key: ** “Aló Presidente” prgr; † Irregular. (WRTH Feb 1 update via DXLD) The Venezuelan program has been appearing again in Jan, but NEVER as early as 1400 any more, nor was it before the hiatus since June. Nominal start seems to be around 1530, and we have heard it past 1900. Doesn`t real monitoring trump what RHC puts on their website? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Today`s RHC anomaly: 13670, Feb 6 at 1434 is missing, and also after 1500, so no het upon CRI Sackville 13675. 13670, Feb 7 at 1434 and still at 1526, RHC missing from this scheduled morning frequency for at least the second day. Announcement at 1530 on 15230 still had the automaton claiming to be on 13670, twice, until 1600. Would it be too much trouble to turn on a receiver in the studio and find out what frequencies are really on the air? Of course! 13670, Feb 8 at 1404, no RHC for another day on scheduled and announced frequency until 1600. Maybe one of their transmitters is down, which would also lead to other absent frequencies elsewhen (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** CUBA. Re 12-05 and 12-06, UNIDENTIFIED [non] 9570, CRI relay QRM Australia 9580: Hi Glenn, Hope you`re well. "I recall that back east (Andy Reid in Ontario) there have been complaints of the Habana 9570 relay of CRI (in Cantonese) at 12-13 putting spurious interference on RA 9580, altho I don`t have that problem here. See if it matches 9570 and/or 9560. But I think what was heard on 9580 was rather distorted." The problem is as bad as ever. I check weekly. Hoping for change in Cuba. Regards a (Andy Reid, Ont., Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9790, China Radio International (relayed), 1/16 0440. interview program, strong carrier, audio hum and low modulation. And I mean low (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** CUBA [non]. 7210-LSB, Feb 2 at 1439 tuneby, the ranting anti-Castro tones of N1NR hardly need BFO, tnx to co-channel broadcaster, i.e. CRI Japanese via Xi`an (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also COSTA RICA ** CZECHIA. Radio Prague. No frequency, since I heard the special broadcast commemorative to the 75th Anniversary by podcast. I received in 33 days the 75th Anniversary 1936-2011 QSL Special” with the offered 75 years stamp on its back, the card also has my name and date and curiously says: “We take pleasure in verifying your report on Mp3”. Also, I received one note with WRMI broadcasts of Radio Prague, a brochure and a “mini” magnetic draughts, chess and backgammon games (Julio Rolando Pineda Cordón, GUATEMALA, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) R. PRAGUE: Sunday Music Show --- I “tuned” (if that's the right word) to Radio Prague's Sunday Music Show broadcast on Sunday 22 January 2012 via their webpages. A very pleasant half-hour's programme featuring some of the big hits of Pavel Bobek - one of the Czech Republic's most popular country and rock'n roll singers, and included a couple of excerpts of an interview with the singer from Radio Prague last year. “During the years when I was studying architecture I was listening to American music on a radio station that was audible here even through those rough Communist times. The name of the station was American Forces Network and it came from Munich, Germany. I started to play these songs on the piano. I started to catch the lyrics of the songs. There were no tape recorders, so I had to do it many times, many times. After listening to a beautiful song let’s say 50 times I had the lyrics and I was able to sing these songs. I sang them to my school-mates at architecture. We made a small rock’n’roll group at the school of architecture here in Prague and I was the singer. So my first audience were my school- mates.” Pavel Bobek is best known for his Czech-language versions of songs by American artists like Don Maclean and Johnny Cash, among others. and we heard the following examples: I Walked the Line (originally Johnny Cash), Take Me Home Country Roads (John Denver), Don Maclean's American Pie (in Czech the title translates back into English as A Song for an Empty Room), Paul Simon's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover (which in Czech it becomes 200 ways to leave...!) and finally Little Richard's Lucile (becoming Love - My Strength is Running Out). The Sunday Music Show plays a variety of music - from punk to C&W and everything between. There's an extensive archive of programmes on the R Prague webpages (LISTENING POST by Alan Roe alan.roe @ lineone.net Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) When David Vaughan, Radio Prague's former editor-in-chief, and I launched the Save Radio Prague campaign in 2009 one of our concerns was that dropping shortwave radio broadcasts would mark a decline in programme quality, a repeat of the sad scenario at Swiss Radio International many years ago. Thankfully the station continues to make high quality radio programmes and maintains a keen interest in what its listeners think. It still holds monthly competitions and offers a wide variety of programming. I would encourage WDXC members who might have stopped listening after transmissions ceased in early 2011 to try their website http://www.radio.cz at home or at public internet locations such as libraries. It offers a very easy to use mix of audio and written reports, as well as a link to an archive of previous broadcasts in the top right corner. Radio Prague continues to issue QSL cards for reception via the Internet and 2012 sees another excellent series featuring Czech Painters complete with brief biographies. A preview can be seen at http://bit.ly/xy8Oyy Radio Prague can verify reports with QSL cards from previous years subject to availability. Finally, Radio Prague carried extensive reports on the death of Vaclav Havel on December 18, 2011 and many listeners sent letters of condolence for the former president. A selection were included in Mailbox on January 7, 2012 and there is a special section on their website dedicated to Havel (Jonathan Murphy, UK? Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** CZECHIA. 21282-USB, Feb 8 at 1439, OK1BN, blowing off an Italian caller as he only wants DX non-Europeans, i.e. Americas. {Does that count as a contact anyway, when you tell someone to go away, I don`t want to talk to you?} Some kind of contest? He is making 4 or 5 contacts per minute, mostly US and Canada, and could make six if he didn`t tell every single one that his name is Petr, but that would have been crass. First station I heard him call had been calling him duplex circa 21240 in a pileup, but further contacts were simplex. QRZ.com shows: Petr Clupny Jilovska 420/33 Praha 4 142 00 Czech Republic (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** DJIBOUTI. 4780, RTV de Djibouti, *0300-0340, Feb 1. Caught orchestra[l] National Anthem, man with opening in Arabic language followed by another man with recitation. More talk by man announcer after recitation followed by local music. Poor to fair improving to fair (Rich D'Angelo, Wyomissing PA, Ten-Tec RX-340, Drake R-8B, Eton E1, Eton E5, Alpha Delta DX Sloper, RF Systems Mini-Windom, Datong FL3, JPS ANC-4, NASWA Flashsheet Feb 5 via DXLD) 4780, Radio Djibouti, *0301:30-0340, abrupt sign on with Arabic talk. Qur`an at 0302. Arabic talk at 0310:30. Indigenous music at 0326. Fair. Feb 3 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** ECUADOR. 3810, HD2IOA, time signal station in Guayaquil, nice signal 1024 on 1/31 with usual format of OM, "Al oir el tono, serán las cinco, 24 minutos . . " followed by pip! Every 10 seconds he announces the local time (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + customized (tropical bands) Quantum Phaser antenna unit; Longwires (150' + 100'); Tuned Multi-Turn 20" Small Loop; Single-Turn Coax Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Should be on LSB (gh) ** EGYPT. 6270, 1806 7 Jan, R. Cairo, dire modulation, hum on signal, presumed Urdu, SIO 555 (David Morris, Dorset, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Dire? A much-needed new way to describe this monstrosity, or just not apropos? (gh, DXLD) 15160, Feb 7 at 1529, propeller noise, rather like narrow-band OTH radar, and stronger at 1534, no intelligent modulation at all. Presumably usual R. Cairo totally demented Uzbek service as scheduled, 250 kW, 50 degrees from Abu Zaabal. 15290, Feb 3 at 1756 wailing, good modulation, 1758 dead air with bits of music on for a few sex and off, 1759 Arabic announcement, some wild percussion, and cut off about 1759:15*. I figure it`s Cairo but does not match up to schedule in Aoki and HFCC, which have Amharic on 15285 at 1730-1900, and English on 15290 at 1900-2030, both Abu Zaabal, but changing from 160 to 250 degrees (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** EQUATORIAL GUINEA. Let me know if you hear anything further interesting on 15190 outside the Stair/Romania hours (Glenn to Georgi Bancov, via DXLD) By the way, I received a QSL from Radio East Africa on 15190 kHz with their programming schedule. =)) (Georgi Bancov, Bulgaria, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Georgi, You still haven`t told me the dates and times you heard R. Africa in January, including for the QSL. Please? That would help document what is going on with it. And could you forward the programming schedule they provided? Tnx, (Glenn to Georgi, Feb 4, via DXLD) ** ETHIOPIA. R Ethiopia external service, English heard 23 Jan 1600- 1633 on 9560, 7235. At 1634 news in English on 7195, 7235, 9560; only Omdurman could be heard on 7200 (Rumen Pankov, Bulgaria, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) 9705, Radio Ethiopia, *0258-0320, sign on with IS and opening announcements. National Anthem at 0259. Chimes at 0300 and Amharic talk. Horn of Africa music. Fair. Feb 4 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** EUROPE. R. Batavia announced to broadcast each Sunday between 12 and 16 UT on MW 1539 and also sometimes on SW Sundays from 16 UT on 3900, 3930 or 3935. Website is http://www.radiobatavia.tk (Kees Swaagman / Axel Röse, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Nothing about location, but I guess Holland rather than Indonesia/Dutch East Indies, or Turkey. Yes, website is obviously Dutch, with language lesson about Dutch names in USA, including Vancouver (van Coevorden); also alludes to 19 meter band (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** FINLAND. 11720, 1209 14 Jan, SWR, Virrat, ``Born in the USA``, studio chat in English – Tricky Trev and Lotta still audible 1245, weak, noisy but clear, SIO 252 (Alan Pennington, Caversham, Berks. , Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Next: first Sat in March (gh) Re: Scandinavian Weekend Radio 3-4 February --- Audible at 0850 UT on 11689.9 kHz with a fair signal but rather poor audio. The modulation seems to be lacking a bit of "punch" (Russ, North Ferriby, UK, Cummings, Feb 4, AOR 7030+, 60ft long wire, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) With minus 14 centigrades outdoor here in Skovlunde right now, I send you the latest loggings on my AOR AR7030PLUS with 28 metres of longwire: 6170, 1145-1330 Sat 04.02, Scandinavian Weekend R, Virrat, Finnish talk by woman, later man, Finnish pop songs, deep fades, but improving from 25222 to 35333, // 11720 11720, 1157-1330 Sat 04.02, Scandinavian Weekend R, Virrat, Finnish talks when China signed off 1157*, Finnish pop songs, 35333 // 6170 (Anker Petersen, Denmark, via Dario Monferini, playdx yg via DXLD) ** FRANCE [and non]. R FRANCE INTERNATIONALE Revised complete schedule Chinese 0930-1030 daily EAs 1494tsu, 7325tnn, 11875tnn 2200-2300 daily EAs 1098kou 2200-2400 daily EAs 612luk 2300-2400 daily EAs 9955tnn, 11665tnn French 0500-0700 daily CAf 11605mey 0600-0700 daily NAf,WAf 5925iss*, 7390iss 0600-0900 daily CAf,WAf 15300iss 0700-0800 daily CAf,WAf 9790iss*, 11700iss, 15170mey, 17850iss 0700-0900 daily CAf,WAf 13695iss 0800-0900 daily CAf,WAf 17620iss, 21580iss 1100-1130 daily SEA 15680tnn 1200-1300 daily CAf,WAf 15300iss, 17660mey, 21580iss, 21690guf 1300-1400 daily SEA 684dof 1600-1700 daily SEA,EAs 1296kun, 1494tsu 1700-1800 daily CAf,WAf 17620iss**, 17850iss 1700-1900 daily CAf,WAf 13695iss, 15300iss 1700-2000 daily WAf 21690guf 1800-1900 daily WAf 11995iss* 1800-2000 daily CAf 11705iss 1900-2000 daily NAf,WAf 13695iss** 1900-2000 daily Eu 3965iss+ 1900-2100 daily NAf,WAf 11995iss 1900-2200 daily WAf,CAf 9790iss 2000-2200 daily CAf,WAf 7205iss 2200-1800 daily Eu 3965iss+ Hausa 0600-0630 daily WAf,CAf 7220iss*, 9805iss, 11995iss** 0700-0730 daily WAf,CAf 13685iss, 15315iss 1600-1700 daily WAf,CAf 17615iss Khmer 1200-1300 daily SEA 1503fan Persian 1430-1500 daily ME 15360iss*, 17850iss, 21580iss** 1700-1800 daily ME 11955iss Portuguese 1700-1730 daily CAf 9910mey 1900-1930 daily CAf 5950iss Russian 1400-1430 daily Eu 11860iss*, 15530iss, 17850iss** 1600-1630 daily Eu 9805iss*, 11670iss, 13640iss** 1900-2000 daily Eu 5905iss, 7425iss*, 9480iss* Swahili 0430-0500 daily EAf,CAf 9835mey 0530-0600 daily EAf,CAf 11790mey 1500-1600 daily CAf,EAf 15160mey Vietnamese 1400-1500 daily SEA 7380tnn 1500-1600 daily SEA 1296kun, 9565tsh Key: + DRM; * Jan-Feb; ** Mar. (WRTH Feb 1 update via DXLD) ** FRANCE. "EVER-POPULAR PRESS REVIEWS"? ANYWAY, RADIO FRANCE INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH WEBSITE "GETS A MAKEOVER." Posted: 03 Feb 2012 Radio France International, 24 Jan 2012, Tony Cross: "Regular visitors to RFI’s website in English may have noticed some changes on our homepage. These reflect a change in editorial policy, which we hope will mean a better site leading with RFI’s strengths. Our ever-popular press reviews now have their own slot on the homepage, while the columns devoted to French and African news have disappeared. This means not less French news but more. We have decided to concentrate the site’s efforts on news about France and French-speaking countries, while also covering international stories with a French angle. We believe these are the fields in which Radio France Internationale has most to offer English-speakers, an opinion borne out by the number of hits such articles attract." (kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) -- It might not be a good idea for journalists to use the word "angle" when describing their work. The actual look of website does not seem much different, although I notice that links to each RFI language, in the language, are visible "above the fold" in the home page. No pull- down menus are necessary. This is an important feature for any international broadcasting website. If a user speaks Tie^'ng Vie^.t, and only Tie^'ng Vie^.t, that person can readily find the link to the RFI Vietnamese website (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Vietnamese diacritix, some letters with not one but two marx on them, get messed up in MS Word processing of this (gh, DXLD) ** GABON. 9580, is Africa Number One gone? In Feb WDXC Contact, Arthur Miller in Wales says he has not heard it since start of the year, and editor Mike Barraclough finds the last report in the DXLD yg was Jan 3 at 1441-1445 by Bill Bingham in South Africa. I have not noticed it either, so I check Feb 2 at 0640 --- no signal there, just some poor French on 9575, presumably Morocco (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9580, Africa #1; 2118-2140+, 3-Feb; M in French with lengthy feature about Ivory Coast & Malabo, possibly in regards to a music competition. No BoH break, but ANU ID by remote reporter. SIO=543. Hope they bring back that great Afro music --- Been checking for several days prior and they were missing (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9580, Feb 3 at 2207, good signal with conversation in French mentioning Sarkozy, Myanmar, Budapest, liberté d`expression, Gabon; 2225 hilife music break, back to discussion around 2230. So, Africa No. One is revived, also being heard again by Harold Frodge in Michigan and Bill Bingham in RSA. Turned receiver back on at 0601 Feb 4, still tuned to 9580, and there it is again with French news about football, much stronger than 9575 presumed Morocco. This activity from ANO just might have something to do with a silly ballgame tournament taking place in Gabon, and also remote Equatorial Guinea. If the SF and MUF ever pick up again, need to seek the second harmonic 19160 which used to make it in the mornings here, even afternoons after dark in Gabon (Glenn Hauser, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Poor with signoff announcements 2314Z 4 Feb. Dead air at 2315. Carrier killed at 2316 (Theo Donnelly, Burnaby, BC, ODXA yg via DXLD) Altho answering my log, I suppose he refer to 9580, not 19160 (gh, DXLD) NO, unless my ears are playing tricks (anything's possible!) I am listening to it now with positive IDs at 0559 and 0604. Poor but quite readable. Full log for Africa Number One: 9580 Moyabi. Feb 4, 2012. Saturday. 0555-0655. French, OM's talking. ID at 0559 "Afrique .... Un", then brief talk by OM. ID again at 0604 "Afrique Numero Un", then more talk. Afro music at 0616-0621, to more talk by same OM. YL singing at 0626, but by now getting quite fadey, increasingly noisy and difficult to read. Sounded like another "Afrique Numero Un" at 0639, but by now too poor to be certain. Still there at 0655 but quite unreadable, so I abandon listening. Readable at first despite lots of atmospheric QRN. However, getting worse with time as the sun rises higher in S.A. Jo'burg sunrise 0345. Hi Glenn, On air now. Gabon. Africa No. 1, 9580 Moyabi. Feb 4, 2012. Saturday. 1615-1654. French, 2 OM's doing a football commentary. Seemed endless, but I forced myself to listen to it in hopes of hearing an ID. It came at 1650 (twice) "Afrique Numéro Un" then "Gabon", also mentioned Cameroun and Congo. Again at 1652 "Afrique Numéro Un" with several mentions of "Gabon" followed by sequences of numbers (sports results ??). Fair signal, but co-channel QRM in English, at times of equal strength. Presumed Radio Australia via Kranji, since it went off air at 1630 as per Aoki and EiBi. Jo'burg sunset 1659 (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I think they say ``Africa Numéro Un`` with the first word in English, sounding almost like the French Afrique; and WRTH 2012 page 449 bears this out. 9580, Feb 5 at 0620, M&W in French, as ANO remains on the air, but will it stay after the football tournament? And what about Q`daffy`s major share in the station? Did the new Libyan government inherit it, or what? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non] The Africa Cup of Nations being held jointly in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea has reached the Quarter Final stage and when checked this evening (Sunday 5 February) at 2030 UT there are two shortwave stations with live commentary of the match in progress between Tunisia and Ghana in Franceville, Gabon: on 9580 kHz, Africa No 1 can be heard in French (commentary on Gabon v Mali was heard earlier) on 7225 and 7345 kHz, Tunisia can be heard in Arabic (Tony Rogers, Birmingham, UK, AOR 7030+ / LW, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) ** GERMANY [and non]. Perhaps also of interest a few notes from a business trip to Eisenach: It is interesting that 200 km can already make a pronounced difference on longwave. It lets Roumoules on 216 raise from nil to almost listenable, Junglinster on 234 from faint to pretty listenable and Felsberg on 183 from a faint whisper to an obvious presence of the completely distorted audio it produces behind its sharply directional antenna. On mediumwave the Voice of Russia relay on 1323 is during daytime unrivalled now, the only strong signal still remaining with 594 and 882 being dead and gone. Thurnau on 549 is pretty measly for a 100 kW not much more than 100 km away, hardly better than Wiederau on 783 and Weißkirchen on 873. Liblice on 639 is remarkably good at Eisenach, which power is it running at present ("100-150 kW" looks rather like speculation than real data)? On FM the local citizen radio station still relays BBC World Service already in the later evening, unlike other ones in Thuringia. It's own programming... well, let's better remain silent about it. Another local transmitter has recently been put on air on 90.9, relaying Klassik Radio, a station for people who use classical music to gain distinction, playing popular pieces through a phat Optimod. In the evening they broadcast "lounge" stuff, blew. Hessischer Rundfunk broadcasts with hr1, hr3 and You FM three mainstream pop programs, all trying to simulate ambitions in the evenings, but it are not much more than simulations anymore. On hr2, the cultural program, I noted a morning programme with little if any classical and baroque music and a remarkably formal, apparently entirely scripted presentation. They do not know how to use the RDS either, play around with the PS, put the nonsensical PTY "news" on their light music program hr4, have either no RT at all (hr2) or display one stupid phrase after another (hr1, hr3). Meanwhile all HR programs air very similar news with snippets from correspondent reports, the hot trend in German broadcasting. The variations between each program are little enough to make one wonder why they bother to still produce individual news at all. And while tuning around I got a just heard correspondent snippet again on 92.3. This finally turned out to be WDR 2, so more of the same from Cologne rather than Frankfurt. Boys, just don't bother, simply put it all together, it's all the same stuff anyway. So I turned on the TV (a 16:9 TFT, displaying PAL signals into which 16:9 video is letterboxed -- no comment) and found at least some nostalgia, old East German TV series, first a Polizeiruf 110 TV movie from 1971 in glorious B&W (colour service here started in 1969 but until 1972 it were hardly more than a few token broadcasts), then from 1979 a Der Staatsanwalt hat das Wort, a famous niche for socially critical TV plays. This one was a combination of 16 mm outdoor shots and indoor scenes in all the glory of TV cameras with lead oxide pickup tubes, i.e. with vivid colours and comet tail effects. So much for that (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY [non]. 12045, Feb 5 at 0622, DW in English has poor signal vs no signal most nites on this hi a frequency, where else but via RWANDA. But there is a het on the low side circa 12044.3, whence? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Deutsche Welle Bonn closure on MW and SW, discussion on WIMO company blog in Herxheim Germany. (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 4, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 8 via DXLD) Neue Idee fuer das Juelich Gelaende. Nachdem der Camping-Platz auf dem alten Deutsche Welle Sendegelaende wohl nicht mehr up-to-date ist, hier der naechste Vorschlag: (Marcel Goerke, Germany, A-DX Febr 6 via BC-DX Feb 8 via DXLD) ** GERMANY. Re 12-05: Deutsche Welle launches dw.de website The interesting thing I noted is the switch to HTML5 for the media player - which makes sense given Apple's refusal to incorporate Flash on its iPhone and iPad, and Adobe's announcement that it is abandoning Flash development for mobile devices. This demonstrates how important mobile devices are becoming in the world of Internet audio (Richard Cuff / Allentown, PA, internetradio via DXLD) New Deutsche Welle Website === GERMANY - http://www.dw.de is the new website for Deutsche Welle that was launched on February 6th. While it is easy to navigate and looks good, there is one glaring omission - there are no shortwave schedules posted. This has to be rectified before the launch of the A12 broadcast season at the end of March or this website, while looking flashy, will be a dud for us DXers and SWLs (Mark Coady, Peterborough, ON K9J 6X3, NASWA yg via DXLD) Mark, it's there, it's just buried. It's a trend that illustrates how broadcasters really try to tailor their broadcasting technologies to reach specific geographic targets. As far as they're concerned, shortwave doesn't reach North America; at least not on purpose. Go the the bottom of the main DW page, click on "Explore DW", then "Reception". Click on the target icon over Niger. Then click on the popup that results. The resulting page - http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,6588813,00.html - has SW frequencies targeting West Africa along with the other ways that you can "experience" DW in the region (Richard Cuff, ibid.) There is also a "Frequencies and customer service" page at http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,1777509,00.html which is supposed to have downloadable schedules, but they are not there yet (Ray, Feb 6, ODXA yg via DXLD) No longer "Deutsche Welle" --- Today Deutsche Welle announced that from now on their name will be just DW. So, like Radio Berlin International, Deutsche Welle is history now. 73 (Harald Kuhl, Deutschland, Feb 6, BDXC-UK yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** GERMANY. TWO NEW CHANNELS FOR AMERICA [see original for pix, linx] http://nl.dw.de/HM?a=FtX7Cqg1pi9G8SA9MKJCDXnnGHxKLJ38AwjtS5kGaOAz0bBhOG5mpqVsje_Hhe-g20uN Deutsche Welle is starting the year out right with a new design and a new framework for information for our audiences around the world. For viewers in America, DW is now offering two exclusive feeds – one with 24 hours of English programming daily, the other with 20 hours of German programming. But that’s not all – we have a new website with even more of the reliable, independent news and information that we are known for. Isn’t it time to check out the new DW? Our new English channel Do you want to see extraordinary stories from around the world? Then check out World Stories - International Reporters. It’s our new show with real insights from journalists working on the frontlines. Or stay on top of digital culture with Shift - Living in the Digital Age. We highlight how the Internet is changing society and how we can keep up. For a look at the global economy, we have Business Brief - with reports, news and analysis from the world’s most important financial centers, the key markets and leading producers. Something to talk about Our new talk shows will shed light on the issues that are shaping the world. With Agenda, we look at the provocative, controversial and emotional stories that are grabbing the international headlines. And Insight Germany explores what it means to be an immigrant in Europe. How do people from other cultures see and experience their new homeland? DW and you! We need your help! We want to bring DW to every part of the world and document this with a collage of photos from our fans. Just take a picture of yourself with the DW logo (either printed or recreated) in your home town or favorite spot, send it in and you could win one of three iPads or one of 20 smart phones! Send your entries to: mydw @ dw.de We will also be publishing a selection of entries at http://www.dw.de/mydw Find out more DW is available around the globe in 30 different languages. To find out exactly what is being offered in your region, just go to http://www.dw.de/reception Here you will find all of the options for tuning in. Best regards, Your DW Team T +49.228.429-4000 mydw@dw.de www.dw.de (DW Newsletter Feb 6 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) Reception page, you have to click on the map for your area. Guess what you get for USA?? http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,6588807,00.html Nothing about SW!!! But we can hear it any day in English via RWANDA, many frequencies of which are even aimed USward beyond West Africa! Either they don`t know that or don`t want us to know that. Just internet, satellite and ``partners`` -- long list of callsigns/names of US stations (not linked), and NOT including the one in Enid which carries some DW programs, Pegasys (cable public access). It does list translators by their alfanumeric callsign without locations, and no ordinary viewer is going to find that helpful! Is this only about TV? Apparently. Like there is no such thing as radio/audio only. There is also a link to 76-page TV program schedule http://www.dw.de/popups/popup_pdf/0,,10888405,00.pdf for each and every UT hour in each and every day of February, even the 29th (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) With a shade of blue that could penetrate concrete, Deutsche Welle launches new website and changes name to DW. Posted: 06 Feb 2012 http://www.dw.de --- "From Deutsche Welle to DW. The new DW logo now stands for all of Deutsche Welle's offerings, whether on-line, on TV or on the radio. ... For the first time in DW's history, a single jingle will introduce both audio and TV content." (kimandrewelliott.com via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) I wanted to hear the new "single jingle" but was unable to get the audio links to produce any sound. Is this the end of the first notes of Beethoven's "Es sucht der [Bruder] seine Brüder"? It takes considerable effort to find DW's remaining shortwave frequencies. On this page, down at the bottom, is "DW radio programming via shortwave" to Africa, presumably in English. I would prefer the home page have visible links to all DW's language services. Yes, it would require much real estate, but it a user speaks Hrvatski and only Hrvatski, would he or she know that "More languages" is the place to click to find DW Hrvatski? He or she would probably guess that, based on the eight languages displayed just above, but it's best for a multilingual organization not to take chances (Kim Andrew Elliott, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, ibid.) New DW (Deutsche Welle) jingles, as of 6. February 2012: 32 second version: http://radio-download.dw.de/Events/dwelle/dira/mp3/ser/A37FAB3F_2.mp3 9 second version: http://radio-download.dw.de/Events/dwelle/dira/mp3/ser/238045AF_2.mp3 (via Dragan Lekic, Serbia, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) banal (gh) ** GERMANY. 5980, 1036 UT 5 Jan, Hamburger Lokal R, blues music program, announcements and off, German, SIO 333 (David Gascoyne, Kent, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) That was a Thursday. During the same semihour on Tuesdays he should have been able to hear WORLD OF RADIO at same quality, altho I have not had any confirmation of it lately. What was the 3-level QRM from? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 6045 22.1 0930 XVRB Radio via Wertachtal rätt svår att höra i miserabla condx och snöglopp. Sänder bara en timme per månad, rekommenderas för trevlig kontakt. Vill värna om analog radio och äldre popmusik som håller på att glömmas. Rapporter till cx@xvrb.eu Webbsida www.xvrb.org Kolla den, lyssna och rapportera denna mycket sympatiska station! UQ 6045, 22.1 0930, XVRB Radio via Wertachtal rather difficult to hear due to the miserable conditions and sleet. Broadcasts only one hour per month and is recommended for nice contact. Wants to protect analogue radio and older pop music that is being forgotten. Reports to cx @ xvrb.eu Website http://www.xvrb.org Check it out, listen and please report this very sympathetic station! (Ullmar Qvick, Sweden, SW Bulletin Feb 5, translated by editor Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GERMANY. 9480, Radio Gloria International, *0859-0907, 05-02, male, identification: "Radio Gloria International", pop music. 34333. 9480, MV Baltic Radio, *1000-1010, 05-02, identification, German, English, "MV Baltic Radio", pop music, comments. 34433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) QSLs: MV Baltic Radio, 9480, E-QSL in pdf in 2 days for e-report to info @ mvbalticradio.de v/s Roland. Radio Saxonia, 9480, via MVBR, QSL and view card in 4 weeks for e- report to radiosaxonia @ web.de Atlantic 2000 Int, 9480, via MVBR, QSL in 3 weeks for e-report to atlantic2000international @ gmail.com Pur Radio 1, via Kall, 6085, QSL in 9 days for e-report to info @ pr1.be and hitradio @ skynet.be EMR, via MVBR, 9480, E-QSL in 5 days for e-report to studio @ emr.org.uk and emrsw @ sky.com You can see some images in my blog: http://maresmedx.blogspot.com/ (Artur Fernández Llorella, Catalonia, Spain, Feb 4, HCDX via DXLD) ** GREECE. 15650, Feb 3 at 1754 open carrier, then starting music; 1813 it`s definitely Greek music. Aoki shows VOG at 1755-1800 is retuning from 15630 at 285 degrees to 15650 at 105 degrees, but this was accomplished more than 5 minutes earlier (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUAM. 5765-USB, Feb 3 at 1350, AFN with anti-marijuana PSA, then YL introducing musical group in Indianapolis, audience applause and cheers, presumably NBC Today TV show soundtrack with nonsensical silly football-related performance. Haven`t bothered to log this lately, just to reassure that AFN is still there most of the time, with WTWW 5755 splash until its 1400* (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUATEMALA. 4055, Feb 4 at 0606, tail of NA by children`s chorus, 0607 open carrier from R. Verdad, TGAV. Their twelfth anniversary is coming up Feb 25: From http://www.radioverdad.org/historia --- ``"Radio Verdad" salió al aire el 25 de febrero, a las 5:20 p. m., y fue inaugurada el 5 de marzo del año 2000.`` That probably means a new QSL card, which I don`t find illustrated on their website any more, but see my gallery http://www.worldofradio.com/QSL.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4055, Radio Verdad, Chiquimula, 0550-0608*, 05-02, religious songs, English, identification in various languages: "Radio Verdad, Chiquimula, Centro América", anthem, close at 0608. 14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** GUYANA. 3290, Voice of Guyana, 0710 with music on 29 Jan; instrumental music good signal 0800 on 31 January (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, cumbre dx via DXLD) 3290, GBC Georgetown, 0839 Jan 31, English; Call to Prayer-like wailing; announcer at 0842 re "The one true God" into "Voice of Guyana" ID/frequency announcement; gospel music; fair-good (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** HAITI. On the Facebook wall of Radio 4VEH, I inquired about the origin of the so-called Jingle Bells "dashing through the snow" interval signal. "Those notes used at the top of the hour are not taken from any song," they replied. "Just sound effects" (Bruce Conti, NH, NRC IDXD Feb 3 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** HAITI. IN HAITI, 'VIDEO HAS NOT KILLED THE RADIO STAR' Paolo Woods recently photographed radio stations and their listeners around his home in Les Cayes, Haiti. Here he explains why so many Haitians use radio as their main source of news and entertainment: More than 50 percent of Haitians are illiterate, and only 25 percent have regular access to electricity. That means most Haitians do not read the country’s only daily newspaper, regularly watch television, or while away the hours surfing the Internet. But they can listen to the radio. And Haitians do listen, all the time. . . http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/01/10254366-in-haiti-video-has-not-killed-the-radio-star (via Alokesh Gupta, dxldyg via DXLD) Not including any SW (gh) ** HONDURAS. 3250, Radio Luz y Vida, San Luis, usual religious program, strong signal, 1120 to 1240 fade out 2 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, and XM - NRD 525D ~ Sony 2010, Cedar Key - South Florida via Bob Wilkner, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** INDIA. Oh, sometimes during the mid-day hours PT I love the music on AIR 9425 also - great "walking music" as I carry one or two portable radios during walks in the local hills here in the desert! 9425 is particularly strong some days about 2300 UT when trans-polar- propagation is good. 73 (Steve McGreevy, CA, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9425, Feb 8 at 1510, AIR National Channel concluding a segment in English, music, into Hindi, ``Akashvani`` (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) All India Radio, Vividh Bharati service, 9870 Bangaluru. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 1615-1740. Hindi, with light music. Adverts for the "Life Insurance Corporation of India" at 1632 and 1659, both followed by 15- 20 seconds silence then back to music / singing. At about 1730 programming apparantly changed to a series of short announcements, mentioned "Uttar Pradesh" and various surrounding / close countries and even several european countries, maybe the news ? Frequency anouncement began and cut off in mid sentence at 1740* as per Aoki and EiBi. Unusually good tonight. Well worth an extended listen. Jo'burg sunset 1658. General Overseas Service, 9445 Bangaluru. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 1837- 1841. Interview with an indian hockey player. Good, to West Africa (EiBi). Jo'burg sunset 1658 (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11670, AIR Bangalore, 1853-1909 Feb 7, English; W announcer with Hindi music program; ID at ToH into news re election of sorts; arrests in 2011 Mumbai blast; commentary re Syrian UN resolution at 1905; back to W announcer at 1909; several "..General Overseas Service of All India Radio" IDs; fair as were //'s 7550 & 9445, both via Bangalore (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INDIA. MUMBAI GETS ITS EXCLUSIVE ENGLISH RADIO STATION. FINALLY BLOGS/Business & Strategy, Abhishek Raghunath 02/03/2012 | 0 comments + Comment now I rarely listen to FM radio. And when I do, I often don’t know what station I am on. Everything sounds the same. That’s why when a friend of mine called me up in the middle of last week to tell me that Radio One 94.3 (in Mumbai) had gone English I was excited. I loved Radio One is its earlier avatars, Go 92.5 (2002-2006) and Radio Mid-day in the 1990s. Anish Trivedi, Rahul Bose, Jaggu and Tarana were all part of my growing up years. A lot of classics were belted through the day and every night was a different genre. It was good listening. But the advertisers evidently didn’t think so. There were hardly any ads on Go causing it to morph into Radio One. It played Bollywood and got its ads. What can you say? The advertiser is always right. Since 2006 though, India opened up to international music in a big way. Roger Waters, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica, Akon and Prodigy, all played here. VH1 launched in India to play only English music. DJs from all around the world today vie for a chance to play at Sunburn in Goa. But this change wasn’t reflected in the music that the radio stations played. It was all still Bollywood. That there is an audience for English music was evident, but no one was willing to take a jump. Fever tried it in Mumbai and gave up in a few months. Indians got their English music fix through Facebook, Youtube, iPods and what have you. It’s this market that Radio One is tapping into. “In 2006, ‘English’ was still a niche play with a limited listenership,” says Tariq Ansari, chairman and managing director of Next Mediaworks, that owns and operates Radio One in partnership with BBC Worldwide. “In the last five years urban India has been exposed through mass media, the Internet and travel, to a global mindset,” he says. Ansari stresses that Radio One is not an English radio station. It is ‘International’. English music listeners tend to think of themselves as cool, they try to stay on top of various trends and are a higher value audience. Ansari says advertisers are coming to them to tap that market. “There are a large group of advertisers who do not use radio at all at present due to the undifferentiated mass nature of the business. We have already started getting calls from these advertisers looking to associate with Radio One,” he says. Ad rates at Radio One are at a premium compared to other channels. That’s all very well but is there going to be a shift in content? “We are not just going to be a radio station. We are going to be an infotainment station,” says Vineet Singh Hukmani, managing director, Radio One. “Business, entertainment, sports, we’ll cover all that. Except news. Anything you can expect to read in a Times of India or Hindustan Times will be covered and held together by English music,” he says. Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn with Go. But Go was a ‘niche’ station at that point. It operated only in Mumbai. It didn’t have scale. Radio One operates in seven cities across India and they are betting big on Mumbai and Delhi. 1.8 million people in these two cities watch English programming and 7 million are on Facebook and Twitter. That’s the target audience for Radio One. And hopefully for their advertisers as well. Read more: http://forbesindia.com/blog/business-strategy/mumbai-gets-its-exclusive-english-radio-station-finally/#ixzz1lYVdo3Fd (via Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dx_india yg via DXLD) Does it webcast? Certainly not SW, not even DRM (gh, DXLD) ** INDIA. DRM SW MOBILE TRANSMITTER POSSIBLE AT INDIA SHOW BES is the Broadcast Engineering Society, which presents the BES Expo 2012 conference. The DRM Consortium reported: "BES 11-13 February - New Delhi - DRM Consortium will attend and be part of large booth (Nautel/Comcon showing products from Digidia, Fraunhofer, RFmondial). A DRM+ Surround Sound demo will be available at the booth. "We expect AIR to showcase DRM too and hopefully provide a DRM30 signal from a mobile transmitter available in New Delhi during BES. "3 DRM speakers will attend the conference and tackle topics of interest like, DRM for content, DRM receivers and emergency capabilities of DRM." (guacorecipe via drmna list via Alokesh Gupta, dx_india yg via DXLD) WTFK? All India radio is now testing on 1017 kHz in DRM mode from Mall Road, Delhi for BES Expo 2012 at Delhi. Approx 3 kW in DRM mode. This is a new 10 kW Riz mobile transmitter. Test transmission will continue till 13th Feb, tentatively between 10.00 am - 6.00 pm IST. Regards (Alokesh Gupta, Feb 9, ibid.) ** INDONESIA. 3325, RRI Palangkaraya; regular and strong throughout Jan 24 - Feb 02, f/in around 1100 to past 1600 UT; Sat Jan 28th 1430 start of Wayang performance (puppet or shadow play), accompanied by vocalists and Gamelan orchestra; in progress till after 1600, play still in progress at 2150, which is local morning 0450 UT, but not sure whether station also throughout; at 2330 UT fade/out due to local sunrise; only tropical bands Indonesian heard here (Gerhard Werdin on tour in Bandung Java, Indonesia, Feb 4, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Febr 8 via DXLD) ** INDONESIA. 9526-, Feb 2 at 1440, VOI is sufficient in Indonesian, mostly music until *1456 hit by 9525 het from China; both still on past 1502 today. If only VOI would move its English from the 13-14 to the 14-15 hour, as it`s a total loss before 1400 with all the ACI from 9530 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9525, Voice of Indonesia not hrd when checked various times on Jan. 21, 24, 28, but seem to have returned at least partially to schedule, at least in the time segment starting from 1000 UT. On Feb 2, 1100 TS, ID, news in English, after one minute abruptly change into Chinese word program; 1200 TS into Japanese; 1300 ID "Kochirawa Indonesia", again belated switch to English program with clear ID "Voice of Indonesia with the news"; 1420 Indonesian program. But 2235 beware! This is R Australia in Indonesian! On Feb 3, 0200 UT no signal, same at 0315, 0930; at 1030 English program in progress, 1100 TS into Chinese program "Indonesia gungfao ... dientai" 1723 Spanish fair; 1740 UT weak signal, belated change of antenna direction ?, 1759 "La Voz de Indonesia"; 1800 tentative German, but poor signal (Gerhard Werdin on tour in Bandung Java, Indonesia, Feb 4, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Febr 8 via DXLD) 9526-, Feb 7 at 1419, VOI poor signal is just barely modulated if at all during presumed Indonesian hour; suffers from splash de 9520 RVA in Tamil. Meanwhile, 9680 RRI domestic relay has good modulation and signal with music, Indonesian talk. 9526- still on at 1520 with better modulation and in slow Chinese instead of Indonesian hour as in Aoki, het from weaker 9525, presumably usual CRI English. Isihida shows VOI has been in Chinese during the 15 UT hour so far Feb 1-6, but seldom on air thruout (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** INTERNATIONAL VACUUM [non]. ARE YOU LISTENING TO ASTRONOMY.FM? Saturday, 4 February 2012, 7:57 Universe Today, By Nancy Atkinson, February 3, 2012 Are you listening to Astronomy.FM http://astronomy.fm ? If not, you should join the audience of over 25,000 listeners in 85 countries who are enjoying this amazing free service. Astronomy.FM is billed as “The only all-Astronomy radio station in the Known Universe.” You can listen to this one-of-a-kind radio station on-line anytime, as it is streaming 24 hours a day and it includes both wonderful original astronomy programming and replays of many great astronomy shows and podcasts including Astronomy Cast, 365 Days of Astronomy, Planetary Radio, 60-Second Science and Slacker Astronomy, and also they have just recently added the Weekly Space Hangouts to their lineup. They also have science and astronomy news – the kind of stuff you really want to hear! (As Astronomy.FM announcer Rob Berthiaume said, “Who cares about Snooki? Give me more supernovae!” What is really awesome about Astronomy.FM (besides their great programming) is that it is an all-volunteer organization. Everyone who you hear on-air does it for their love of astronomy. Full story here http://www.universetoday.com/93310/are-you-listening-to-astronomy-fm/ (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** INTERNATIONAL WATERS [non?]. WIKILEAKS MAY MOVE SERVERS TO INTERNATIONAL WATERS --- WikiLeaks investors are in the process of purchasing a boat to move the organisation’s servers offshore in an attempt to evade prosecution from US law enforcement, FoxNews.com has learned. Multiple sources within the hacker community with knowledge of day-to-day WikiLeaks activities say that Julian Assange’s financial backers have been working behind the scenes on the logistics of moving the servers to international waters. One possible location is the Principality of Sealand, a rusty, World War II-era, former anti-aircraft platform off the coast of England in the North Sea. Based on a 1968 British court ruling that the facility is outside the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom, Sealand’s owner has declared the facility a sovereign state, or “micro-nation.” Read the full story from Fox News http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/01/31/exclusive-wikileaks-to-move-servers-offshore-sources-say/ (February 2nd, 2012 - 12:07 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) 2 Comments on “WikiLeaks may move servers to international waters” #1 George, G4RNI on Feb 2nd, 2012 at 18:26 IMHO it would take only a modification of the following acts “Marine etc. Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967? “Broadcasting Act 1990 (as amended)” to deal with this. Whilst the MeBO act was concerned mainly with broadcasting from ships anchored near to UK waters, the Broadcasting Act 1990 extended the powers of the (Home) secretary of state to authorise anyone he chose to silence offshore vessels, even flying a foreign flag, anywhere in the world. The act also contained powers of arrest/detention and says whatever force may be deemed necessary can be employed including bearing arms. It goes on to grant immunity from prosecution to anyone carrying out the raid should anyone be killed or injured during the raid. The act was further strengthened I believe twice, last time was 2003. (?) The principality of Sealand is a disused WW2 fort similar to the ones used by Radio City, 390, Sutch etc in the mid 60’s for offshore broadcasting. I’d imagine it would merely take redefining the word BROADCASTING to include the internet, just as we have to pay a TV broadcast recption licence fee to watch internet TV. I think he’ll be on a hiding to nothing if he chooses this method. RADIO CAROLINE SILENCED: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0B53AWq_6s #2 Mervyn Hagger [a.k.a. John England] on Feb 3rd, 2012 at 11:02 I feel like yawning now but in days gone by I used to get excited. The entire legal history of this stupid (and it is stupid) idea involving offshore radio, Rough Tower (”Sealand”) and Radio Caroline is told at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Newyork_International I can personally vouch for the core of its authenticity since I have in my possession the various and sundry core court documents, affidavits and sworn UK testimony offered in a US federal court room relating to this. To set the record straight (again), Rough Tower was ruled to be within UK territory, under UK law in a USA federal court decades ago, and the ruling has never been challenged, and yes, Roy Bates knew of it because I discussed it with him. American Ryan Lackey discovered this truth and dumped HavenCo as a result after complaining that he had been swindled by Bates over the lie that is ‘Sealand’. I also have in my possession the James Ryan Philadelphia case documents from Philadelphia relating to Radio Caroline’s restart on the Ross Revenge and the later documents that relates that ship’s broadcasts to a California religious organization (World Mission Radio) which allowed the USA to get involved when it was dragged into the Radio Newyork International case in a New York court room. This ‘new’ idea of WikiLeaks is as silly as taking Herbert and Garner Ted Armstrong’s ‘The World Tomorrow’ program (possibly funded by the CIA - see my earlier comments) as the name for a new program from Russia. Does anyone ever read anything at all these days - other than current headlines? (MN blog comments via DXLD) ** IRAN. 11700, Feb 6 at 1430, poor signal with NA, 1431 Qur`an, i.e. VIRI`s Hindi service via Kamalabad; no longer any concern about colliding with Bulgaria, which had been scheduled 14-15 (Glenn Hasuer, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11710, V.O.I.R.I. 0203 English. Discovered at this unlisted time blocking reception of Argentina, woman discussing nuclear armaments of the US and Russia, 0209 man began another political talk, both speaking about Iran and their policies and opinions. Fair due to het from RAE 11711. Feb 3 (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening lakeside from my car with the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [non]. 7520, Feb 2 at 2253, Greek-sounding music made me double-take; could VOG have changed frequencies? Not // 9420 and this is when they are normally moving from 7450 to 7475, neither on at the moment. Soon found 7580 // 7520 at 2255 with R. Farda ID. HFCC shows both are via SRI LANKA, 7520 at 21-24, 316 degrees, and 7580 at 1630- 2300, 315 degrees, seeming unnecessary duplication at 21-23, in the absence of jamming. 15205, Feb 6 at 1453, good reception with great Persian pop music, occasional Farda mentions, 1500 4-pip timesignal about a semisecond late, and YL talk, presumed news. New frequency? Not noticed here before. Yes, not even in latest HFCC, so what`s the site? Uplooked later, EiBi shows Farda scheduled before and after 1500 on: 11750 Biblis, 13615 Lampertheim, 13680 Wertachtal, 15410 Woofferton, so maybe one of those has moved, and in a few weeks IBB will get around to telling HFCC. 15205, Feb 7 at 1436, no sign of R. Farda which was here 24 hours earlier, unlisted channel. Is audible on 15410, out-of-synch // 13680 during news/talk, and barely on 13615; 11750 has weak RHC but signs of a SAH beneath. Still no 15205 at 1528, so was it a mistake yesterday or a test? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** IRAN [and non]. IRAN HOLDING BBC REPORTERS’ RELATIVES HOSTAGE: HRW http://blogs.rnw.nl/medianetwork/iran-holding-bbc-reporters%e2%80%99-relatives-hostage-hrw (February 4th, 2012 - 12:08 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) More about this: http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=12734 (via gh, DXLD) ** IRAN [non]. GOPUSA, 26 Jan 2012, Kenneth R. Timmerman: "[T]he Obama Administration permits the channel to operate on American soil without a license and in violation of U.S. sanctions regulations, which ban commercial transactions with Iran. It appears to be another example of Obama coddling the terrorist regime. ... In the United States, ... although it operates openly in Washington, D.C., New York and Los Angeles, and regularly conducts interviews with such figures as Republican Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul, it does not have a license from the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). So far, the Obama Administration has done nothing to shut it down. What appears to be lacking is a determination from OFAC pointing out the obvious—that the Iranian state propaganda channel is operating illegally in the U.S. Because of this failure to enforce the law, Press TV is able to operate a propaganda facility in downtown Washington, D.C. with a prestigious K Street address and send its operatives to observe and survey U.S. Government offices, under the cover of 'freedom of the press.'" (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Re Press TV being banned from Britain; more: http://kimelli.nfshost.com/index.php?id=12724 (gh, DXLD) ** ISLE OF MAN. MANX RADIO TO SUFFER SEVERE STAFF CUTBACKS (First commercial radio station in the British Isles. It went on air in June 1964, long before commercial radio became part of everyday life in Britain. It had the advantage of a clear channel AM signal that covered most of the UK in the Sixties and I remember well listening regularly in Surrey! But things have now come to a sad state - Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) http://radiotoday.co.uk/2012/02/presenter-cuts-planned-for-manx-radio/ Radio Today 3 February 2012 The Isle of Man’s national station Manx Radio is proposing to cut all but one of its staff presenters. The company has entered into a consultation period with staff to identify potential savings and a new structure for the company. The station, which is co-funded by the Isle of Man Government’s annual subvention and by commercial revenues, is expecting cuts in the forthcoming budget for 2012/13 set by the Government. In a statement, the station said “Manx Radio is looking to reduce its staff presentation team from five down to one and plans for the vast majority of programmes to be presented on a freelance basis in the future. This has become the norm within the wider commercial radio industry and is expected to be adopted by Manx Radio.” The News, Sales and Engineering teams have all come under close scrutiny and have also been asked to make their contributions to reduce the station’s overheads. Two News Editor posts, namely News Editor Online and News Editor Broadcast, are earmarked for closure to be replaced with a new single News Editor position. It is expected that there will be a further reduction to newsroom staff in the summer when a Broadcast Journalist will be retiring and the position will not be filled. Manx Radio’s Chairman, David North said: “The staff at Manx Radio are extremely talented and have been committed to delivering the best listener experience possible. It is hugely disappointing that some of our award-winning team are likely to leave the station at this time and I’m sure this will come as a great disappointment to many listeners. “However, all listeners should be re-assured that the Manx Radio board will be doing all it can to retain the range and quality of programming that listeners have come to expect and enjoy from the station over recent years.” Manx Radio’s Managing Director Anthony Pugh said: “It is very regretful that the company could be losing some talented and loyal individuals, however, our main objective has to be to maintain the award winning services of Manx Radio for our listeners without further burdening the Manx tax payer. We have worked hard to ensure the majority of our programming will remain largely unchanged and we will still be offering the Island business community the same excellent standards and opportunities for advertising. Our engineering team will also continue to offer first rate engineering services to commercial clients. “The restructure of Manx Radio will allow the station to continue on a sure footing for the future. The station commands the premier role in broadcasting in the Isle of Man and will continue to do so.” There is an online feed at http://www.manxradio.com (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) 1368 kHz + FMs ** ISRAEL. ISRAELI RADIO IN FARSI TRANSMITS PEACE TO IRAN By ARON HELLER, Associated Press Tuesday, February 7, 2012 (02-07) 06:29 PST JERUSALEM, Israel (AP) -- While Israeli leaders are increasingly sounding belligerent warnings of a potential military strike against Iran's nuclear installations, a group of Iranian-Israelis are transmitting a different message. Radio RADISIN, a private Farsi-language radio station based in Tel Aviv, airs Iranian music, poetry and current affairs shows aiming to spread peace between the Israeli and Iranian people — regardless of who is in power in Tehran. . . Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/07/international/i060850S13.DTL#ixzz1li1BlTcG On the Web: http://www.radisin.com/ (via Yimber Gaviria, DXLD) This ``radio`` station does not employ a transmitter, but the article also mentions Israel Radio`s service, which remains on SW (gh, DXLD) ** ITALY. Challenger Radio (1368 kHz) and Radio Medjugorje (1476) have been off the air since October. My last log for Challenger was on October 10 when they were relaying Radio Nostalgia Europe from Famagusta. At 1500 GMT they had the ID ``This is Radio Nostalgia Europe on 1566 and 1368`` followed by World News (Stefano Valianti, Southern European Report, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** ITALY [non]. When a new IRRS transmission on 15190 appeared on the schedules for Sundays 1500-1530, DX Mix News and the WRTH Update assumed it would be more Brother Scare, but I was not so certain, as 1500+ is when IRRS has inserted additional clients, e.g. on Fridays at 1500-1515 when the azimuth is slightly different too, 115 instead of 100 degrees from `MIL` (meaning Tiganeshti) and to different CIRAFs. That`s `Arab Women Today` in Arabic, per IRRS Friday schedule http://www.nexus.org/NEXUS-IBA/Schedules/fri.htm but showing 11910 instead of 15190, apparently outdated info, ``last updated on: WED 14 DEC 2011 13:30:07``. Indeed on the start date Feb 5, at 1512 past 1525, very poor signal on 15190, it`s definitely not Brother Scare, not // WWRB 9385, but some other ministry in English, M&W speaking slowly, evidently for the huge ESL demographic. The IRRS Sunday program schedule does not show it, and the Saturday has not been updated either to show BS until ``1800`` (1700 UT) which started a few weeks ago. HFCC has the Sunday 1500- 1530, whatever it is, with same azimuth and CIRAFs as BS. Presumably off by 1530 when DRM from Vatican took over 15185-15195. {BTW, the Overcomer SW schedule ftp://www.overcomerministry.org/RadioSchedule/Short%20Wave%20Radio.htm l is worse than useless, not even including 15190 where he has been for months, WBCQ still on 7415, WWCR hours wrong, etc. etc.} (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** ITALY. 26000, 2342 23 Jan, R. Maria, Italian talk, weak bursts of signal, SIO 242 (Simon Hockenhull, Bristol, England, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Propagation mode? MS? Es? (gh, DXLD) ** JAPAN. 6055, Feb 6 at 1413, R. Nikkei`s eclectic music mix today presents: electronic music with stream-train sound effects; 1420 adding some vocal. Fair signal, also audible on // 9595 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** JAPAN. NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN TO LIVE STREAM ITS PROGRAMMES NHK World Radio Japan will start live streaming via its website in all 18 languages in which it broadcasts, enabling listeners to enjoy powerful programmes and latest news from Japan. The live streaming is offered in Arabic, Bengali, Burmese, Chinese, English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese. The time slots depend on the programming of each language, and each programme varies from 20 minutes to 45 minutes in length (Source: NHK World Radio Japan)(February 8th, 2012 - 13:30 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) It`s about time; just ask Deutsche Welle (gh, DXLD) 1 Comment on “NHK World Radio Japan to live stream its programmes” #1 Jonathan Marks on Feb 8th, 2012 at 15:58 I’m not sure why NHK talks about “powerful” programmes. I listen quite often to NHK but never regarded them as “powerful”. Interesting to compare their new app with the Indian Radio and TV company NDTV which makes a superb app for the iPad. This is more than a player (MN blog comment via DXLD) ** KALININGRAD. In today's mail I received a nice QSL for Russia-1215. It was for a follow up to a November 2007 reception. My original report to Moscow was unsuccessful, so in early December I sent the follow up in English along with an audio CD to the transmitter site, which recently started issuing its own QSLs. They sent an attractive card with all details in English, plus a pocket calendar and a program schedule in Russian. The report was mailed to Kaliningrad Regional Radio-TV Broadcasting Centre, 184, Sovetsky prt. [prospekt], Kaliningrad, 236023, Russia. Needless to say, I'm thrilled. I don't think I sent return postage in this case. The envelope had a 3.00 and 2x 10p stamps on it, so I guess that would be 3.20 rubles, whatever that works out to in dollars (Bruce Portzer, Seattle WA, 30 Jan, IRCA via DXLD) More likely 23 rubles, about $0.78 (Walt Salmaniw, ibid.) ** KOREA NORTH. Voice of Korea/Pyongyang FM broadcasting station interval signals --- Shanghai shortwave listener Eric Soong provided me with some interesting info on the interval signals used by Voice of Korea and Pyongyang FM broadcasting Station. With his permission, I'm reproducing it here: "The Voice of Korea: Their IS is from the beginning lines of the 'Song of General Kim Il-sung', a widely played song in North Korea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_General_Kim_Il-sung Recordings on Youtube of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_m6GKsVjWE One more information on an IS from North Korea, is that the Pyongyang FM Broadcasting Station uses two lines from Song of General Kim Jong- Il. No wonder North Korean stations prefer these two songs as they are of top importance among NK songs. Usually Song of General Kim Il Sung and Song of General Kim Jong-Il can be heard from the sign-on of the Voice of Korea right after the national anthem on North Korean holidays (i.e. KIS or KJI's birthdays); usually a voice can be heard before the two songs: 'Now please listen the everlasting revolutionary hymn - Song of General Kim Il Sung' (as I heard from VOK Chinese service.) Here's two sample of this song from Youtube: Instrumental: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev-OraTsEFg Vocal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRlw-YOw2rw " (via David Kernick, UK, Feb 2, dxldyg via DXLD) For about a year now Voice of Korea starts every foreign language broadcast with the Song of General Kim Il Sung followed Song of General Kim Jong-Il. So you don't have to wait for a holiday to enjoy them ;) Less work for the staff, I guess. The songs come right after the anthem. Somehow they sound the same to me. The major difference is that the first song is performed by joint male-female choir and the second one is sung by males only. VoK's Korean service doesn't carry those songs daily, though (Sergei S., ibid.) 11680, 04/Feb 0843, KCBS, in Korean. Traditional nationalist anthem. I believe that even for lull babies, they use nationalist anthems. Nationalist anthem follows until 0848, when I quit listening to something else before that I also turn into a revolutionary. 35433 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 9325, Feb 7 at 1415 as I tune in, ``VOA`` jingle and Khmer, i.e. from Tinian; where is VOK? Maybe causing a slight SAH during Russian hour toward Europe. Slightly better but insufficient signal in French on the other side of WBCQ, 9335, which is aimed USward (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 5985, Feb 3 at 1346, Shiokaze keeps another Friday date in English as Sea Breeze, from JSR Tokyo/Yamata, JAPAN. YL with story about the economy and the Kims; 1348 jingle, then quoting a press report of Jan 13, so doing some upcatching. Usual het from Myanmar on the hi side. 5985, Tuesday Feb 7 at 1355, Shiokaze from JSR Tokyo/Yamata, YL in Spe-cial Chi-nese, i.e. slowly spoken. WRTH 2012 page 505 shows Mandarin as their fourth language but without attempting to pin down any specific language rotation with Korean, Japanese, and English. It does say they require a US$10 MO donation for a QSL. 6135, Feb 8 at 1346, Shiokaze has made another QSY starting today, ex- 5985 where I first heard a very weak het so Myanmar is beating against something else, maybe carrier already on from a Moscow site for VOR 1400 Turkish. 6135 has good signal with sad piano music under Japanese YL, then OM. I do barely detect a lower-pitched het on 6135, growing very slightly until 1430* of JSR, then too weak to copy, Madagascar longpath? (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 3480, OPPOSITION (via SOUTH KOREA), Voice of the People, 1/16 1130. VG with music pgm in progress at tunein. good // noted 3912, supposed to be jammed, coming thru clearly. 3480, OPPOSITION (via SOUTH KOREA), Voice of the People (Presumed) 2/7 1205. Long monologue by F in Korean, good, with het. No jammimg sounds audible. 4450, OPPOSITION (via SOUTH KOREA), Voice of the People, 1/23 1250. Music, M in Korean at TOH, loud jammer started up and remained on afterwards during rechecks (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** KOREA NORTH [and non]. 7590, Feb 8 at 1514, oscillating tone jammer vs weak signal. Aoki shows North Korea Reform Radio via Tashkent during this hour (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA NORTH [non]. 9950, TAIWAN, presumed Nippon no Kaze, Tanshui, *1300-1311 Feb 7 Korean; S/on announcement buried under local QRN; rising above the noise floor by 1303 with W announcer; joined by M announcer at 1308; poor-fair & improving (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 9950, OPPOSITION. Nippon no Kaze “il bon ue baram” via T8WH transmitters at Medorm, Palau (Targeting DPR Korea), Korean (tentative), 1321. music 1323 W ancr speaking. 1326 possible names being read/spelled out Weak but poor-fair on peaks. Jamming present, not sure if directed against Nippon no Kaze or spill over from Cuban jamming of WRMI on 9955. 1-30-12 (Handler-IL) 9950, OPPOSITION. Furusato no Kaze via WHRI’s xmtrs at Medorm, Palau (Targeting DPR Korea), 1350-1357, in Japanese. W presenter, talking and at 1353 what sounded like reading names followed by more talk until 1356 then music followed at 1357 with abrupt sign off. Jamming made it harder hear broadcast. Also heard at 1435 with Japanese by a W presenter followed by M presenter and then the W returned. This Furusato no Kaze broadcast had less jamming than earlier today and could be heard with good signals. 2/1/12 [Feb 1] Also heard Furusato no Kaze 1449 in Japanese with what sounded like a M presenter. Very hard to understand due to heavy jamming. Tried again at 1454 and heard in Japanese with what sounded like a W presenter but still very heavy jamming. 1/29/12 (Handler-IL) 9965, OPPOSITION. Nippon no Kaze “il bon ue baram” via T8WH transmitter at Medorm, Palau (Targeting DPR Korea), 1530-1547, Korean. S/on “il bon ue baram” by W presenter at 1530 followed by her talking. 1534 M presenter speaking. 1538 W alternating with M speaking. W mentioned ID “il bon ue baram” at 1542 and continued her talking with occasional musical bridges. Fair signal. 1/29/12 (Handler-IL) 9975, PALAU. OPPOSITION. Nippon no Kaze "il bon ue baram” via Medorm, Palau (Targeting DPR Korea), 1500. Sign on by M with English ID “T8WH World Harvest Radio the International Voice of LeSea Broadcasting” giving their address in South Bend, Indiana for listeners to write. This was followed also at 1500 GMT with the sign on of Nippon no Kaze ("il bon ue baram”) opening theme music and then W in Korean. At 1505 GMT a M presenter spoke. Nippon no Kaze was understandable but hard to hear due to WWCR-Nashville broadcasting the Overcomer Ministries program on 9980, which is five kilohertz up from the frequency being used by Nippon no Kaze. Nippon no Kaze was more audible today than yesterday. I assume that this a problem for me because of my proximity (about 400 miles NW) of WWCR’s transmitter and would not be a problem in Nippon no Kaze’s target area as their transmitters are listed by the HFCC as using 100 kW beaming 345 degrees from Palau while WWCR’s transmitter #4 is listed with the HFCC as using 100 kW beaming 90 degrees. 1/29/12. Also heard Nippon no Kaze "il bon ue baram” from 1508 to 1513 Korean M and W presenter with musical bridges between talk and ID. Good signal, WWCR not on 9980 today. 2/2/12 [Thursday: see USA: WWCR 11580 --- gh] Also heard 1524 with W presenter and "il bon ue baram” ID and then into reading names, At 1527 she gave email and web site address. At times while W presenter speaking there was music in the background. Abrupt s/off mid talk. Good signal 2/3/12 (all: Steven Handler, IL, Icom IC-7200, Tecsun PL-660 and wire antennas, NASWA Flashsheet Feb 5 via DXLD) Is it Medorm or Medorn? WRTH 2012 spells it Medorm; EiBi spells it Medorn; FCC license for KHBN spelt it Medorn, which I thought was correct. Aoki avoids the issue, just Koror, and HFCC avoids it, just HBN, tho the country code is PLW. Googling is too helpful, mixing in assumption that I have misspelt MODERN when I try MEDORN! (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** KOREA SOUTH. 5857.50. HLL2. Seoul, Republic Of Korea. FAX 120/576. Weather map. 0957 UT (Eddy Waters, South Australia, Jan 14, 2011, ibid.) But the same transmitter could be in voice/SSB part of the time (gh, DXLD 12-05, WORLD OF RADIO 1603) ** KOREA SOUTH [non]. 9650, CANADA (relay), KBS-World, 2/5 1230. No battle of the bands today. Angie Park K-Pop countdown program, completely without QRM from the co-channel DPRK. Can't even tell if Voice of Korea even on the air here. 2/8 1220, battle of the bands started out as a draw, with both stations (KBS and Japan service of Voice of Korea) showing poor strength and colliding in a jumble. by 1250, DPRK dropped out leaving only KBS, which built strength over the half hour. At TOH, feature program already in progress suddenly got cut off in mid-sentence. the unannounced closings seem not only rude, but are bad if the timing is also off by a few minutes, allowing stuff like this to happen (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ- 200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** KUWAIT. 15540, Feb 3 at 1800, JBA signal presumably R. Kuwait in English; nothing at all there 5 minutes earlier, lacking the Urdu prélude. Meanwhile, Greece had a decent signal on 15650 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LAOS. Long awaited verification letter from Lao National Radio. http://swopan.blogspot.in/2012/02/verification-letter-from-lao-national.html Thanks, (Swopan Chakroborty, Kolkata, India, Feb 7, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No funding for QSL cards (gh) Congratulations, Swopan! That is indeed a trophy! The only thing I managed to get from them was an email verification. Congratulations again! (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LIBYA. 11600, the only SW service yet revived by the newbies in Tripoli, French at *16v-18v*, just doesn`t make it here: tried again Feb 3 at 1758 without any signal. 11600, Feb 4 at 1603, JBA carrier, presumed Tripoli in French; at least with the self-destruxion of R. Bulgaria, we no longer have to cope with QRDRM until 1700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The above item was reworked here so it did not say the same thing: ``11600, Voice of Libya, Sabrata, 1603, Feb 04, French talk; at least with the self-destruction of R Bulgaria, we no longer have to cope with DRM QRM until 1700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD)`` Since it was a JBA carrier I did not axually make out French! 11600, Radio Télévision Libye - Radio Libye, 1712-1732*, French talk. Short breaks of lite instrumental music. Abrupt sign off. Fair. Not heard earlier between 1600-1630. Very erratic schedule lately. Heard on Jan 14 at *1714-1805*. Feb 4 (Brian Alexander, PA, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX Listening Digest) 11600, Feb 5 at 1708, nothing detectable. Re my previous non-log Feb 4, Bryan Alexander reports from Pennsylvania: ``Radio Télévision Libye - Radio Libye, 1712-1732* Feb 4, French talk. Short breaks of lite instrumental music. Abrupt sign off. Fair. Not heard earlier between 1600-1630. Very erratic schedule lately.`` And Jorge Freitas, Brasil also heard it Feb 4 at 1723-1733*. Ernesto Paulero in Argentina had it as early as 1707 that date. Unfortunately, I am not disposed to sit on 11600 for two hours a day hoping it will show up, but maybe a spot check will catch it sometime (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hoy captada a las 1700 UT hasta 1725 (Y continuaba la emisión) Radio Libia "Radio Libye de la Capital Trípoli ..." dice la locutora en francés. Todos los dias se escucha por acá aunque con bastante QRM. Dipolo de 5 Mts Por lado, Phaser, Receptor Icom R 75 (Ernesto Paulero, Argentina, Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** LITHUANIA. VILNIUS, JANUARY 13, 1991 REMEMBERED 13 civilians were killed during a Soviet crackdown in Lithuania in January 1991. The Lithuanian Republic had declared independence from the Soviet Union on March 11, 1990. People encircled the main strategic buildings: the Supreme Council, the Radio and Television Committee, the Vilnius TV Tower and main telephone exchange from January 12 in response to rising tensions. The live television broadcast was terminated early in the morning on January 13. The last pictures transmitted were of a Soviet soldier running toward the camera and switching it off. At 0230 a small TV studio from Kaunas came on the air unexpectedly. A technician of the family program that usually broadcast from Kaunas once a week was on the air, calling for anyone who could help to broadcast to the world in as many different languages as possible about the Soviet army and tanks killing unarmed people in Lithuania. Within an hour, the studio was filled with several university professors broadcasting in several languages. By 4 in the morning this studio received the news that a Swedish news station finally saw the broadcast and would be broadcasting the news to the world. A warning from the Soviet army division in Kaunas was transmitted live. Following these two attacks, large crowds (20,000 during the night, more than 50,000 in the morning) of independence supporters gathered around the Supreme Council building. People started building anti-tank barricades and setting up defences inside surrounding buildings. Provisional chapels were set up inside and outside the Supreme Council building. Members of the crowd prayed, sang and shouted pro- independence slogans. Despite columns of military trucks and tanks moving into the vicinity of the Supreme Council, Soviet military forces retreated instead of attacking. (compiled using Wikipedia http://bit.ly/wQ37YU and author's notes) You Tube has a video "Amateur radio station in Lithuanian Parliament during Soviet military rampage in Jan 1991" which gives further details about the station set up at the parliament. The station sent letters signed by Lithuanian President Landsbergis to those who contacted the station. They transmitting news around the world via ham radio, especially the need for medicine and first aid materials for the victims. Rita Dapkute spoke with people from the US State (?) Department from a room which was also barricaded. MPs had to crawl through these barricades to speak on air. Workers at the TV tower transmitted with Hungarian made transmitter with just 100W from Jan 15, and later with better 1 kW power. They built an amplifier with parts from the 1960s and from the Institute of Physics at the Parliament. They set up video cameras in case the Parliament was stormed, wishing to make a historical document. If an attack took place there were plans for a video tape which would be aired in which members of the Parliament would make an appeal. When Boris Yeltsin and pro-democracy protesters made their stand at the Russian Parliament against the attempted coup in August 1991 they had learnt many lessons from the Lithuanians' experience and also ran a radio station. See the full video at http://bit.ly/AvinnZ Further information at http://bit.ly/yf1JL2 (Jonathan Murphy, UK? Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Will this be quoted in RusDX? ** LUXEMBOURG. Broadcast Center Europe (BCE), 1440, full data "Mediumwave Station Marnach" card in 108 days for English airmail report and 2 IRCs for KBS World Radio relay heard via remote receiver in Vienna, Austria. V/s is illegible. As I understand it, this is all being phased out over the coming few years, so QSL them while you can. Card is printed on very good stock, and very attractive. The Luxembourg card takes me back to the early 1980's when I was at Field Station Augsburg in Bavaria. Night shift duty was intolerably boring and lonely at times, but when you're surrounded by racks and racks of R-390aURR and RACAL receivers, there is always a spare you can tune in for background noise. Radio Luxembourg's English service was our evening entertainment, and also used to include a penpal show and many of the best pops around. Couple that with AFN's Mystery Theater, and you almost got the feeling that swing and midnight shifts weren't so bad after all! Hope everyone had a great week! 73 (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MADAGASCAR. 4910.01, R. Madagasikara, Antananarivo noted here at 0244 with African vernacular music, announcements at 0247 by F, more music at 0303, and F talking at 0312 and 0319. Sounded like singing ad at 0327. In USB and off from 5010 (as in the recent past). 2/8 (Jim Young, WPC6JY, Wrightwood, CA, 756 ProIII + 80-M inverted Vee + 40-M yagi, NASWA yg via DXLD) See also KOREA NORTH [non], 6135 ** MALAYSIA. Monitoring from 1018 to 1136, Feb 2. 6050.02, Voice of Malaysia. Second day of VOM in English; fair; frequent IDs; “Voice of Malaysia English Service. Bridging the world just for you”. Will this turn out to be a permanent change? Edited MP3 audio at http://www.box.com/s/u30h82ly37y482y5ly5e 9835, Sarawak FM via RTM, via Kajang. In vernacular; mostly Islamic programming; many IADs (intermittent audio dropouts); 1120-1130 business news; ID followed by Sarawak national song (?). MP3 audio http://www.box.com/s/vp9j1flmi6rdputn65p9 (ID 01:56). No //. 11630, Wai FM via RTM, assume via Kajang. Ex: Sarawak FM, during this time period. In vernacular; mostly pop songs; phone conversations; // 11665. Thanks to the timely tip from Dan Sheedy (Calif.). Needs continual monitoring now to find out if these changes will continue! (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6050.02, Voice of Malaysia. A portion of my Feb 1 reception during their Federal Territory Day Holiday was presented by DJ Albert Ng email: albertng3 @ gmail.com and also see his website http://albertng.webs.com/ His friendly response to my email: “It is wonderful hearing from you and all the way from San Francisco too! Thank you for taking the time to write and your kind words are so very much appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I take it you haven't been to Malaysia. When you have the time, do come and visit us. We are a multiracial country with plenty of sunshine, white sandy beaches, excellent accommodation options and boasts of many terrific places to chill and unwind after a fun day in the sun. Why, Malaysia is every vacationer's paradise! No, I've not been paid to say that! It's true! A fact! haha. Do consider swinging by one of these days. If you're staying a few days in Kuala Lumpur or KL in short, we could arrange for you to visit us at VOM. How's that? You are more than welcome to be a guest on our show! Jam with me or with one of my colleagues. It'll be so much fun! Keep us posted on your travel plans, won't ya? Oh, btw, you can also tune in to VOM by going to www.suaramalaysia.rtm.gov.my Once you're there, click on "Dengar Sekarang" which is Malay for "listen now". Stay tuned for more music, info and fun galore with a little mayhem thrown in once in a while for good measure!! HAHA. Warmest regards, Albert Ng (Producer/Presenter, VOM)” Am very pleased to hear from him! VOM website is actually http://suaramalaysia.rtm.gov.my/ (Ron Howard, San Francisco CA, Feb 5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 6050, Salam FM (via RTM) 1546-1710+ 25 Jan. running well past "normal" close at 1505-1515 with Islamic-influenced songs, ID at 1600, devotional yak, more music/phone calls/DJ chat, list of Salam FM stations at 1650, did usual "Salam FM" (sung 2x) + spoken "Salam FM" tag at 1700, "salaam aleikum, Radio Malaysia.." into RTM net news // 9835/11630/11665, closing net news with RTM website info at 1704 & back to Salam FM programming.. ADD: 4 Feb. 1450-1501+ poor/JBA with (poor) Asyik FM programs until 1500, "Negara Ku" & "Salam FM" jingle x 2 + spoken tag; heard at gym location where the noise levels are annoying. 6050 VOM (via RTM) 1432-1513* 2 Feb. beeg thanks to Ron Howard for the tip that VOM English Service was down here. Fair/OK signal with "Breakaway" program of university education info (for students wishing to go to MSU with web info, e-mail, phone # 03 5521 6868 for inquiries), and English pop/techno/dance by local Malaysian bands, "Voice of Malaysia - bridging the world" ID, more music/DJ chat (he back-announces the songs, which is kinda nice), mention of "news from the Voice of Malaysia English Service", 2 more songs + program info before 1+1 pips at TOH, "this is the Voice of Malaysia with the news..", headlines including PNG ferry disaster 'til :10 with "Voice of Malaysia" drop-ins occasionally; closed news with "That's the end of the news from the Voice of Malaysia" (gave producer & news readers names as well) into English grunge-style song 'til abruptly off at 1513, leaving an extremely weak unID Chinese yakker--possibly XPBS Lhasa. Quick check for VOM ES 3 Feb. at 1320 & 1430+ found 'em missing; hope it's just a temporary break (dan sheedy, CA, G5/Xwire at Moonlight Beach, via Bob Wilkner, Cumbre DX via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) I`m afraid it was just a temporary departure from their internet-only service (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** MALAYSIA. 11630/11665, Wai FM (via RTM) 1515-1605+ 1 Feb. app. [?] 11630 is now Wai FM 'til 1600 (ex-Sarawak FM), nice mix of ML pop, casual Wai FM mentions during DJ chat & after 1530 had English c&w/Tex-Mex (Freddy Fender), contemporary c&w (Adele), Barry Manilow & ML romantic songs, "Negara Ku" played at 1600 // 9835 & Sarawak FM programming on all 3 frequencies with jingles & ML pop. Recheck at 1654-1710 had RTM promo, ML pop across TOH, some big production-style Sarawak FM jingles with app. website info & more ML pop to 1710 tune/out. Have noted audio "popping" + IADs (intermittent audio dropouts) on 9835/11630/11665 almost daily since 25 Jan., especially bad on 27 Jan. with 9835 running OC only from 1538 to 1605 tune/out with audio back // 25M by 1635 recheck (dan sheedy, CA, G5/Xwire at Moonlight Beach, via Bob Wilkner, Cumbre DX via DXLD) 9835 first heard Jan 21 at 0800 UT, ID One FM, also Radio Sarawak Malaysia in \\ with new 11630 kHz, till past 1100 UT, same situation on Jan 28 & 29; but since Febr 2 changed, also throughout February 3: 9835 kHz no longer in \\ with 11630 kHz; instead 11630 & 11665 kHz always in parallel, checked many times throughout day and evening. 9835 kHz ID as Radio Malaysia Sarawak FM, on 11630 kHz ID as "Wai FM"; also different program on 5965 kHz; sometimes however at the full hour, e.g. 2300 UT, local morning in MLA 0700 LT, "Warta berita pagi" (Morning news) on all four channels in \\; separated as before at 2311 UT; This may still not yet be a stable pattern and needs further monitoring (Gerhard Werdin on tour in Bandung Java, Indonesia, Feb 4, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 8 via DXLD) 9835, 03/Feb 2133, RTM Sarawak FM, in vernacular. Song the Koran. // 11630, modulation continues with constant cuts, 35433. At 2140 short talk the YL, then Arabic music. No signal in 11665. 34333 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11665, 04/Feb 0851, RTM Wai FM, in vernacular. OM interview a woman, and continues the modulation with rapid cuts. // 11630 suffering light QRM from the signal of CNR. At 0856 local pop music. 35433 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MALPELO ISLAND. 24940-USB, HK0NA, 1615 23 Jan. DXpedition heard fair with not-so-big pile-ups; since then, 17/15/12/10M ham bands have been spotty at best and dismal at worst (dan sheedy, CA, G5/Xwire at Moonlight Beach, via Bob Wilkner, Cumbre DX via DXLD) (where bouffants go to die) :-) de rlw (Wilkner, ibid.) ** MAURITANIA. 7245, Feb 2 at 0643, IGIM is mixing bits of string music with comments by YL in Arabish, then some OM singing, not the soporific wake-up chanting which may have aired earlier today. 7245, Feb 6 at 0649, IGIM is on in Arabic, unlike 24 hours earlier. You never know when or if they will flip on this transmitter. See also VATICAN. 7245, Feb 7 at 0633 and still 0652, IGIM is missing again, along with VATICAN 7250 for big holes in the middle of the band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) I noticed both 7 & 8 Feb ~0230Z (i.e. Mon & Tues evening PST), they were on air with female-moderated 'phone-in show -- good signal with not bad modulation. No ID, but confirmed in // with slightly delayed streaming (Theo Donnelly, BC, ptsw yg via DXLD) ** MEXICO. I love to DX and listen to Mexican MW stations (since they don't have much angry-type right-wing talk radio junk and are indeed so much more "festive" to listen to), and have noted 1160 XEQIN San Quintín, BCN, Mexico sign-off is at 0305 UT daily after the Mexican National Anthem and a brief announcement and sign-off announcement. XEQIN signs-on at 1400 UT, and they are an outlet of the "UBC" (Universidad de Baja California - "La Voz del Valle") and play some great music daily - if I null 1160 KSL they blast in with their 10 kW every evening and morning with exceptional music. Very refreshing -- also 1630 XEUT Tijuana is very enjoyable station also (*1400-0800* UT - another UBC outlet). 73 (Steve McGreevy, CA, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 1300, Feb 3 at 1421 UT, news headlines in Spanish concerning Chihuahua, ``Radio Mexico Noticias``, i.e. XEP, Ciudad Juárez on day power of 50 kW, overcoming Oklahoma half a sesquihour after sunrise around here (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO. 6009.93, R. Mil, Mexico City, 0828-0838 Feb 1, Spanish; EZL Spanish music; M announcer with "Bom Dias" & short ad string; banter with another M; usual format of brief announcer between music selections; fair at best (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) If they said ``bom dia``, it was Portuguese, i.e. Rádio Inconfidência, Brasil (gh, DXLD) ** MEXICO. 6185, Radio Educación, México D. F., 0750-0840, 05-02, classic music. 34433 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MEXICO [and non]. U.S. TRANSLATOR RELAYS MEXICAN FM STATION KPFK, 90.7 MHz, Los Angeles, operates an FM translator (K229BO) on Mt. Woodson to relay KPFK's signal to Rancho Bernardo and vicinity. The translator is licensed, outputs on 93.7 MHz, beams west and uses vertical polarization. So far, so good. On January 31, 2012, a blogger claimed that since late December 2011, the translator input has at times been captured by the 90.7 MHz station in Tijuana -- "La Mejor" as it is known. On February 5, 2012, CGC's monitoring lab in Fallbrook checked the translator output at 2PM and again at 6PM and found that on both occasions La Mejor was being relayed with no sign of KPFK. (The ironic part is that KPFK installed the translator because co- channel La Mejor drowned out KPFK in San Diego and vicinity; now, KPFK's own translator is relaying the unwanted signal!) Informed sources indicate that the last few months of hot weather has led to temperature inversion layer ducting that, in turn, has allowed La Mejor to capture the translator input, especially during the day. At night sometimes conditions change enough so that KPFK is the dominant input signal. La Mejor has been on the air for many months. Nevertheless, it is curious that FCC's FM Query page does not recognize it as an operating station in Tijuana. The FCC database simply says, "Petition for Rulemaking to Add/Change an Allotment" and only as a Class B1 allotment at that. The reference coordinates for the Tijuana facility are given as 32-28- 28, 116-53-56 (degrees-minutes-seconds N. Latitude and W. Longitude respectively, NAD27). There is some indication that La Mejor's call sign is XHTIM. Needless to say, KPFK is very concerned about the interference and plans to tackle the problem pronto. http://tinyurl.com/Allegation-WrongStationXlated http://www.lamejor.com.mx/tijuana/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rf8BjX7KPw http://tunein.com/radio/La-Mejor-FM-907-s24607/ (CGC Communicator Feb 6 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** MICRONESIA. 4755.45, PMA The Cross, Pohnpei, strong signal at 0928 with lite pop music to 0937 with, "The Cross Radio`` with young person as announcer. Religious ad followed, and back to music. Very deep QSB on 60-M signals tonight. Full ID for Cross Radio by young person at 1000. Sermon by M speaker, announcements, 0928* 2/8 (Jim Young, WPC6JY, Wrightwood, CA, 756 ProIII + 80-M inverted Vee + 40-M yagi, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** MONGOLIA. 17730, Radio Free Asia, 0105 Tibetan. Probably news, interviews and reports over telephone. // 7470 Kuwait 35243, 9670 Tajikistan 24342, 11695 Abu Dhabi 24342, 15220 Tinian 15341. This is a good way to log five Asian countries at the same time! Fair. Feb 3 (Harold Sellers, Vernon, British Columbia. Listening lakeside from my car with the Eton E1 and Sony AN1 active antenna, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONGOLIA. Voz de Mongolia --- Por aca llega muy bien en este momento en mongol; antes fue en japonés. Alguien tendra una direccion electrónica de esta emisora? (Ernesto Paulero, Argentina, Feb 4, condiglist yg via DXLD) Como no, Ernesto: vom_en arroba yahoo punto com Es lo que escriben en su tarjeta de Nuevo Año al menos. Enantes había otra dirección electrónica densmaa9 arroba yahoo punto com pero no sé si sigue funcionando. La página de internet ofrece audio y todos los lunes incluye un Buzón del oyente durante los últimos 15 o 20 minutos de la emisión. En muchas ocasiones he escuchado que en Chile se recepciona bien; Patricio de los Rios y otros nombres han sido mencionados. Parece que la antena está mal orientada porque en Europa es difícil la sintonía. VOM responde a todos los reportes y cartas de gente pedigueña que no escucha pero sí mendiga. Generalmente se les dice que vuelvan a escribir con un reporte de sintonía y que entonces se hablará. Si un reporte es deficiente, lo dicen y le niegan la QSL. Si es bueno y satisfactorio, también lo dicen y corresponden con una QSL y algún que otro folleto turístico. Si el reporte es del servicio doméstico, por ejemplo al reportar 41 metros o 60 metros, también verifican aunque a regañadientes [gritting their teeth; grumbling]. Es una emisora muy seria y muy formal. De las chiquiticas pero cumplidoras, como se solía decir de las pildoras Ross (Henrik Klemetz, Suecia, ibid.) It`s a very serious station; they even reply to insistent, begging reporters who have not axually listened, and deny QSLs to deficient reports; they grudgingly verify reports for the domestic service, he says (gh, DXLD) Ainda sobre a Voz da Mongólia, a imagem de um cartão QSL da mesma. http://www.quinbo.hostei.com/mongolia.html 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, ibid.) 12085, 04/Feb 0917, Voice of Mongolia, in Japanese. YL talk between short music. At 0918 pop music, a rhythm very similar to Argentine tango. 35433. 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MONGOLIA [non]. MONGOLIA / RUSSIA === On February 5, 0142-0152 UT took the Voice of Mongolia on 7225 kHz - 23342, the noise from the 7235. Was a transfer "History and culture of Mongolia". New schedule through the Voice of Russia - Sunday and Monday 0142-0152 (Pivovarov Vladimir, Boyarka, Ukraine / "deneb-radio-dx" via RusDX Feb 5 via DXLD) 5 February 2012 took the "Voice of Mongolia" through the "Voice of Russia" on the frequency 7225 kHz (Samara, 250 kW) in 0142. The reception was - 43343 (Receiver: Degen 1103, Telescopic antenna) (Dmitry Kutuzov, Ryazan / "deneb-radio-dx" via RusDX Feb 5 via DXLD) ** MYANMAR. Latest monitored SW schedule for R. Myanmar: 2330-0130 5915 5985 6030 7110 (all on-channel so presume new Chinese) 0130-0330, 0600-0830 on 9590 (new transmitter) 0230-0958 9730.84 (including English 0230-0330, 0700-0730) 0930-1600 5985.86 [Ron Howard hears this alternate with 5985.0 – gh] 1100-1430 7110 xxxx-1500 5915 (Victor Goonetilleke, Sri Lanka, 26 Jan, DXplorer via Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) 7110, Myanma Radio, almost a daily visitor around 1300 with EZL local hits. Thanks once again to Ronnie Howard for the tip on this one. No luck yet, tho, with 5770 Defense station (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Feb 4; Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + customized (tropical bands) Quantum Phaser antenna unit; Longwires (150' + 100'); Tuned Multi-Turn 20" Small Loop; Single-Turn Coax Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 7110, R. Myanmar. Open carrier 1025 tune/in, very large signal. Opened 1030 with theme music, ID etc. Also audible on 5986 from a bit earlier than this (Craig (from Pattaya THAILAND, with Tecsun PL-660 & inbuilt whip) Seager, Feb 5, ARDXC via DXLD) 7110, Myanma Radio, Naypyidaw, 1134-1232 Feb 7, listed Burmese; Continuous format of M & W announcers, mostly W, with talks; sometimes very brief; others for a few minutes; between indigenous pop ballads & short, music bits; no discernible signature tune & chimes at BoH (local ToH) as mentioned in previous R. Howard logs; fair-good at tune/in with nice greyline conditions; rough & borderline unusable by tune/out; by far the highlight of my B-11 monitoring; I haven't logged Myanmar since their days on 4725 (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) NEW STATION IN MYANMAR --- station ID in Burmese given as "Rakhine Athan Lwin Thana ma athan lwin ne baday, yakhu achien ga sa bi thayinda asisingo set la athan klwin ba may shin" "We are broadcasting from Rakhine Broadcasting Station, from now you'll listen our minority language program". According to station announcement in Burmese this morning, they started broadcasting minority language program three times daily. Time (UTC) Lang. Freq. Morning 2330 to 0030 Chin 7110 kHz 0030 to 0130 Kachin 7110 kHz 0130 to 0230 La 9590 kHz 0230 to 0330 Po 9590 kHz Afternoon 0530 to 0630 Geba 9590 kHz 0630 to 0730 Kokang 9590 kHz 0730 to 0830 Karen 9590 kHz 0830 to 0930 Shan 9590 kHz Evening 1030 to 1130 Kayah 7345 kHz 1130 to 1230 Gekho 7345 kHz 1230 to 1330 Mon 7345 kHz (Babul Gupta, Kolkata, India, http://www.babulgupta.com babulgupta @ gmail.com Via Indian DX Club International facebook group) http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/idxci/ via Alokesh Gupta, dx_sasia yg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) So are all these frequencies from a single transmitter? Where? Is Rakhine a city? No, Reader`s Digest Great World Atlas shows it as a state, the westernmost strip along the Bay of Bengal coast, capital/major city Sittwe/Akyab. Rakhine was previously mentioned in DXLDs 10-09 and 10-18 in connexion with FM stations 7110 is also in use until 1430 as widely reported, apparently not for minority programs. Is it really from same site? Compare precision frequencies. 9590 has also been reported by Victor Goonetilleke in Sri Lanka. 7345 is co-channel to CNR1 Beijing 572 at 175 degrees before, during and after 1030-1330, where I`ve yet to see it reported (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) New Myanmar station --- Hi folks, I received a signal (and a strong one!) from Europe on 7110, at about 2348 UT. More in detail in my blog: http://www.dxcoffee.com/ix1ckn/2012/02/new-myanma-star/ Suggestions and comments welcome, as always! Thanks and ciao, (Chris Diemoz, Italy, Feb 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: These news, obviously, toured various lists, including DXLD. As I’m typing, a strong signal can be heard on 7110 kHz. Format is made mainly of non stop music, sounding Burmese. Speaker (both male and female voice were heard) sounded effectively in Chinese. Further to my direct reception, signal, checked by Andy Lawendel on different web SDR receivers, sounded strong in Moscow and in Canary Islands. Could this be the new Myanma HF Star (that supposedly was testing in June)? If a Chinese speaker would check the below clip [21:25], we could probably know, and so be able to quietly admit the world rotates in reverse mode: HF gets switched off in “big western democracies”, and goes alive where you wouldn’t tell! (Diemoz blog via DXLD) Quando verso le 00.30 (le 2330 UT) mi sono accorto che a Milano una portante arrivava su 7110, mi sono spostato su uno degli ormai numerosi ricevitori SDR accessibili via Internet in molte località del mondo attraverso il network di Websdr.org. Il fischio della portante si è trasformato in un segnale molto robusto, con musiche decisamente del sud-est asiatico. Ecco il clip che ho registrato controllando a distanza una radio SDR installata nelle isole Canarie: [a clip from an SDR on Canary Islands] Se questa è veramente la Birmania arriva sorprendentemente bene. Grazie agli amici dell'India DX Club International e a DXLD del solito Glenn Hauser per le notizie, è buffo che proprio una nazione così chiusa come la Birmania abbia imboccato una strada in totale controtendenza rispetto al generale declino delle onde corte. Un segno di incipiente, attesissima democrazia? (Andrea Lawendel blog, http://radiolawendel.blogspot.com/2012/02/myanmar-una-nuova-stazione-onde-corte.html via DXLD) Re: Myanmar Radio on new 7110 kHz. Myanmar Radio is still on 7110 kHz and here in Phuket - southern Thailand (my call is HS0ZFL) very strong: S=9+30-40dB according to the time. Rig: TS 50 with 40m long wire, preamp off. Here my log: 6 Jan 2012 0000-0028 UT 8 Jan 2012 no transmission 31 Jan 2012 2350-0128 UT and 1030-1430 UT, starting transmission with a single tone (1 kHz) for tuning at 1023 UT. 2 Feb 2012 same as above 6 Feb 2012 same as above More local music than speech. Maybe there is a transmission earlier than 2350 UT but here in Phuket no propagation before sunrise for any station west from here. Best regards and more success in protecting our bands, Ralph, HS0ZFL, DK3GH (Ralph Meissner, Phuket, Thailand, via ham radio bandwatch intruder alert Feb 7 via BC-DX Feb 8 via DXLD) 7110, Feb 8 at 1349, vocal music with flutter, lite CW and SSB QRhaM; by 1427 has declined to a JBA carrier, i.e. new frequency widely reported in the *1030-1430* period. Everyone assumed this is from new capital Nay Pyi Taw (as WRTH spells it), if not Yangon, but Babul Gupta via Alokesh Gupta reported that a new minority language service is also on 7110 in the local mornings, 2330-0130 UT from Rakhine Broadcasting Station, i.e. the westernmost state along the Bay of Bengal, capital Sittwe a.k.a. Akyab, but is the transmitter really there? Christian Diemoz in Italy heard it with a strong signal. The evening service of RBS in other minority languages is on 7345 at 1030-1330, confirmed Feb 8 by Ron Howard in California altho it`s underneath China the entire period, so 7110 also on the air at that time has to be from a different transmitter, not necessarily the same site as in the mornings. Aoki Feb 8 lacks 7345, and claims 7110 is the Rakhine Broadcasting Station, but 50 kW, 356 degrees from Naypyidaw at 2330-0130 and 1030- 1330 in minolangs, 1330-1430 in Burmese. Guptas say the daytime frequency of RBS minority service is 9590 at 0130-0330 and 0530-0930 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Feb 8 on 7345, randomly from 1101 to 1330*, I did indeed hear a station that seemed to be Myanmar, so presume was the new Rakhine Broadcasting Station; the language and indigenous music very similar to that as heard during my many hours of listening to Myanma Radio. The whole time was covered by a strong CNR1 (// 6125). A poor frequency choice! CNR1 too big a signal for any chance for me to ID, but perhaps others will have better luck. 1101 CNR1 strong with an unusable signal underneath; brief periods of singing underneath, but so poor unable to determine the type of music. 1125 Somewhat better; slowly improving. 1211 Pop songs in vernacular till BoH. 1230 Best reception around this time period; went from non-stop pop songs to brief indigenous instrumental music to mark their local ToH. 1231-1248 Series of brief pop songs and announcers in vernacular. 1305-1330* Mostly non-stop pop songs; 1329 assume sign off announcement; indigenous instrumental music and off. Edited MP3 audio: http://www.box.com/s/59q7s06m2jnim2m2s7sg (Ron Howard, San Francisco, Feb 8, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** MYANMAR. THE TIMES ARE CHANGING WHEN THE CHIEF OF VOA BURMESE PRESENTS A PAPER IN RANGOON. Posted: 03 Feb 2012 The Irrawaddy, 30 Jan 2012, Nyein Nyein: "A new draft of the media law was briefly introduced by Press Scrutiny and Registration Board Director Tint Swe during the inaugural media workshop held in Rangoon's Inya Lake Hotel on Monday, said the CEO of a journal in the city. ... The workshop—organized by the Myanmar [Burma] Literacy and Journalists Organization along with the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre of Singapore—is the first of its kind in Burma to tackle the topic of media freedom. Two popular presentations were from Zeya Thu, of Rangoon's The Voice journal, and from Than Lwin Htun, head of the Voice of America Burmese Service. ... Than Lwin Htun presented a paper which discussed having more freedom of press, the media becoming stronger and the independence of journalists." The Irrawaddy, 1 Feb 2012, Wai Moe: "'I think the media law here will be more like in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam. If so, press freedom would not change much although it may relax somewhat. We cannot expect much. And we still cannot act like India’s media,' said Hein Latt, the editor of Popular News Journal and a central committee member of the Writers and Journalists Association." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Burma is one of the very few countries where shortwave listening is a common activity. If the media environment "relaxes," the Burmese could find themselves in a multichannel television entertainment environment. Domestic newscasts that, while not providing a full picture of Burmese affairs, will likely be reasonably well produced, resulting in the retirement of shortwave radio sets in many Burmese homes (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) ** NETHERLANDS [non]. Normally when tuning up the 9.8-9.9 MHz area after 0600, I hear RNW in Dutch on 9865 via BONAIRE, and then the same words repeated 2 or 3 sex later on 9895 via PRIDNESTROVYE, but not Feb 5 at 0618 discussing malaria: at first seems non-//, but I finally time the delay as close to 15 seconds. The playouts must be independent and subject to variation. 9830 via Wertachtal not audible if it is still on. BTW, Harry van Vugt in Windsor, Ontario, tells DXLD: (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) No Dutch treat --- Radio Nederland will cease its broadcasts in Dutch May 11 with a 24-hour marathon retrospective of 65 years of programming (Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) but see modification below The End of an era at Radio Netherlands after 65 years on the air. Sad for us longtime listeners it has come down to that. 73's, (Noble West, NWM&M, Clinton TN, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Noble, you`re doing it again. RNW is not leaving the airwaves. They are just cutting a language that in today's world is not cost effective. Do you speak Dutch? Have you ever listened? RNW is re- focusing (Keith Perron, Taiwan, ibid.) Keith: I know some Dutch words, yes. I know RNW is refocusing. Read what they are saying on the FB shortwave groups. 73's (Noble West, ibid.) I would guess that RNW Dutch on SW will at least survive six weeks into the A-12 season? Or would it be internet/satellite only after March 24? (Steve Luce, Houston, Texas, ibid.) > They are just cutting a language that in today's world > is not cost effective. Website livestream is not cheap either, for example some German TV stations can afford only 3000 listener connections at a time on their server. Most budget cuts occur because of salaries, music and literature licenses, huge pensions funds. Lately DWL paid only 8% of their budget for SW broadcast and staff. The tentative RNW summer schedule 2012 shows 48 hrs Dutch 72% !!!!!!!!! 10 hrs En 16% 4 hrs Spanish 6% 4 hrs Indonesian 6% - also via former DWL relay Trincomalee hardware gear. RNW will also go down the way into insignificance for the listener, like previously SwissRI, R Sweden, RFI Paris, Radio Prague, Radio Budapest, Deutsche Welle a.s.o. 7425 1900 2057 52E,53W,57N MDC 250 270 1234567 Eng MDG 9800 1400 1457 41 TRM 250 345 1234567 Eng CLN 11615 1900 2057 46S ISS 500 192 1234567 Eng F 15110 1000 1057 41E,43S,49 PHT 250 283 1234567 Eng PHL 15495 1900 2057 46S SMG 250 193 1234567 Eng CVA 17605 1800 1957 48SW,52E,53W SMG 250 144 1234567 Eng CVA 9365 2100 2157 51W,54E MDC 250 85 1234567 Ind MDG 9720 1100 1157 51W SAI 100 225 1234567 Ind USA 9795 1100 1157 51,54 PHT 250 200 1234567 Ind PHL 15650 1100 1157 54 TIN 250 256 1234567 Ind USA 5955 0500 1000 27,28 WER 500 210 1234567 Nld D 5955 1500 1657 27,28 WER 500 210 1234567 Nld D 6015 0500 0557 27S,37N MOS 300 245 1234567 Nld AUT 6020 0930 0957 12NE,13NW BON 250 180 1.....7 Nld HOL 6020 0930 1000 12NE,13NW BON 250 180 .23456. Nld HOL 6020 1700 2057 52,53W,57 MDC 250 255 1234567 Nld MDG 6035 0700 0757 28 ISS 250 100 .23456. Nld F 6035 0700 0800 28 ISS 250 100 1.....7 Nld F 6035 0800 1000 28W ISS 500 77 .23456. Nld F 6120 0800 1000 27S,37N WER 500 240 .23456. Nld D 6125 0500 0557 28S,39W SMG 250 114 1234567 Nld CVA 6165 0100 0127 11,12N BON 250 180 1234567 Nld HOL 6165 0300 0327 3,4,7,8,11NW BON 250 335 1234567 Nld HOL 6165 0330 0357 12 BON 250 210 1234567 Nld HOL 6165 0400 0427 7S,8S,10,11W BON 250 290 1234567 Nld HOL 6165 0500 0527 2,3,4,6,7,8,10N,11N BON 250 315 1234567 Nld HOL 7360 1100 1127 44,45 PHT 250 21 1234567 Nld PHL 9445 0000 0027 3,4,7E,8,9W,11N BON 250 350 1234567 Nld HOL 9445 1700 1727 38,39,47,48 TRM 250 300 1234567 Nld CLN 9625 1600 1627 41,49 SNG 100 315 1234567 Nld SNG 9650 1300 1327 54,58 PHT 250 200 1234567 Nld PHL 9670 1100 1127 49,50,54 TIN 250 267 1234567 Nld USA 9790 0500 0557 28S WER 500 120 1234567 Nld D 9865 0500 0527 60 BON 300 230 1234567 Nld HOL 9895 0500 0800 27S,28SW,37N NAU 500 220 1234567 Nld D 9895 0800 1000 27S,28SW,37N NAU 500 220 1.....7 Nld D 9895 1500 1657 27S,28SW,37N NAU 500 220 1234567 Nld D 11935 0700 0757 27S,36,37 ISS 500 217 .23456. Nld F 11935 0700 0800 27S,36,37 ISS 500 217 1.....7 Nld F 12085 1300 1327 41,49 PHT 250 283 1234567 Nld PHL 13700 1500 1557 37N WER 500 240 1234567 Nld D 13700 1500 1557 28S,39W WER 500 120 1234567 Nld D 13730 1700 1727 38,39,47,48 MDC 250 340 1234567 Nld MDG 13730 1700 1727 38,39,47,48 TRM 250 300 1234567 Nld CLN 15315 2100 2127 36E,37,46 BON 250 65 1234567 Nld HOL 15540 2200 2227 12NE,13,15 BON 250 133 1234567 Nld HOL 15710 1700 1727 47,52N WER 500 180 1234567 Nld D 15720 1700 1727 47E,48,52E,53 NAU 500 155 1234567 Nld D 15750 0930 0957 51,55,59 SAI 100 180 1234567 Nld USA 17605 2100 2127 12,14,16 BON 250 182 1234567 Nld HOL 17605 2130 2157 46,47W BON 250 80 1234567 Nld HOL 17605 2300 2327 12,13W,14,15W,16N BON 250 170 1234567 Nld HOL 6165 0000 0057 12 BON 250 210 1234567 Spa HOL 6165 0200 0257 7S,8S,10,11W BON 250 290 1234567 Spa HOL 6165 1100 1127 8S,11 BON 250 315 1234567 Spa HOL 6165 1130 1157 11SW,12 BON 250 210 1234567 Spa HOL 6165 1200 1227 11S,12N BON 250 180 1234567 Spa HOL 9715 1200 1227 10,11W BON 250 290 1234567 Spa HOL (as of 4 Febr 2012, via Wolfgang Büschel, dxldyg via DXLD) No Dutch Treat Retreat --- In spite of what was specifically said on Radio Nederland's own Dutch broadcasts on the weekend (that Dutch broadcasts would cease May 11), the following now appears on Andy Sennitt's Media site: "Yesterday I published information as it appeared on our Dutch website and on various Dutch media sites. Since then, RNW's Editor-in-Chief has issued a clarification: On Friday, 11 May we will have a marathon [Dutch] radio broadcast in which we look back with pride at 65 years of Dutch radio for expatriates, and which will also serve as the `farewell' broadcast. Activities in other languages, especially those for the Dutch Caribbean and Indonesia, will also be discussed in detail. The choice of date has to do with the preparation time required to produce the radio marathon. The activities of the Dutch department will be phased out, but the timetable will depend on the progress of the reorganization and the available manpower needed to guarantee the quality of the programmes. No formal decision has yet been made about the date of the final Dutch radio broadcast. However it is extremely unlikely that Dutch language radio broadcasts will continue through the summer" (via Harry van Vugt, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, Feb 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) RNW Change of Focus --- DXers: I just received a reply in answer to my disappointment regarding the situation at Radio Netherlands Worldwide: ``RNW is currently undergoing a radical reorganisation and change of focus. In 2012 our budget will have shrunk by 70 percent. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that there will be any funding for extra coverage of events in North America, especially as this new focus is to be strengthening free speech. Sorry to be the bearer the bad tidings. We apologise for not having brighter news to impart, but hope you will appreciate the current situation. Best wishes, RNW internet team`` (via Noble West, Feb 8, dxldyg via DXLD) Hardly surprising ** NETHERLANDS [non]. KBC: qualche problema --- Sui 6095 di The Mighty KBC da Wertachtal qualche problema; attorno alle 11 UT solo portante muta senza modulazione ed a tratti neppure la portante, anche attorno alle 1030 non trasmettevano nulla. Ciao (Matteo, location unknown, 1111 UT Feb 4, bclnews.it yg via DXLD) KBC Noratus Armenia --- Sta andando regolarmente in onda il programma della stazione KBC da Noratus-Armenia su 7590 kHz in DRM. In questo momento (1815 UT) il segnale è potente (9+40) ma la modulazione è scadente (demodulata a tratti). Buon fine settimana a tutti. (Giovanni Lorenzi - IT9TZZ, QTH: Messina - Italy 38.11 N 15.32 E, Locator JM78SE, RX: Yaesu FRG-7000/Kenwood TS-440, Ant: Longwire 25 m / Dipole, Down converter: homebrewing, Website: http://www.webalice.it/it9tzz 1820 UT Feb 4, Bclnews.it yg via DXLD) Salve Giovanni, confermo quanto dici ho verificato ed ho la stessa condizione s9+30 ma la modulazione non è buona. Saluti (Ivan Guerini, 1843 UT, rx sdr elektor + so.di.ra v.9 + ant 13 mt, ibid.) Grazie Ivan per il controllo. Operando con un convertitore autocostruito sorge sempre il dubbio che sia quest'ultimo a non funzionare a dovere. In questo momento ( 1935 ) sta operando Radio Prague e il segnale è leggermente migliorato ma sempre altalenante. .. Ciao (Giovanni, ibid.) ** NEW ZEALAND. 9765, R.N.Z.I. 2/6 1640. Better than usual reception, really raising the needle on HQ-200 and Slinky antenna, with space weather forecast and listener letters. 73 and Good Listening, (Rick Barton, El Mirage, Arizona, Drake R-8, Hammarlund HQ-200, Slinky, NASWA yg via DXLD) 9765? This airing of the Mailbox at 1630 Mondays was supposed to be on 7440, as in DX/SWL/MEDIA programs, which has now been updated. The original(?) B-11 sked at 1550-1650, as in WRTH 2012 showed 7440, preceded by 5950 and followed by 9765, but 7440 is now missing from the schedule displayed at their website as of Feb 7, claiming to have been in effect since 30 Oct. I think they pulled another fast one without putting in the true new effective date! WRTH did not catch this for the Feb update either. Geez. Says http://www.rnzi.com/pages/listen.php 30 Oct 2011 - 24 Mar 2012 UTC kHz Target Days 0459-0758 11725 AM 13730 DRM Pacific Daily 0759-1058 9765 AM 9870 DRM Pacific Daily 1059-1158 15720 AM 9870 DRM Timor Daily 1159-1258 15720 AM Timor Daily 1300-1550 5950 AM Pacific Daily 1551-1750 9765 AM 9890 DRM Cook Islands, Samoa Daily 1751-1850 11725 AM 11675 DRM Cook Islands, Samoa, Niue, Tonga Daily 1851-1950 11725 AM 15720 DRM Pacific Daily 1951-0458 15720 AM 17675 DRM Samoa, Tonga, Pacific Daily (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) The current version of the RNZI schedule on their website has been there since at least 1/25. The website schedule dropped 7440 sometime between Nov 17 and Nov 19 (Dan Ferguson, SC, Feb 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Changed Feb 9 (Dan Ferguson, NASWA yg via DXLD) Comparing before & after, this is the part that changed: 1951-2050 15720 AM 17675 DRM Samoa, Tonga, Pacific Daily 2051-2150 17675 AM 15720 DRM Solomon Islands Daily 2151-0458 15720 AM 17675 DRM Pacific Daily I.e. swapping an hour on 17675 AM with 15720 DRM, why? (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NIGERIA [and non]. 7275, before 0628 Feb 5, nothing but Tunisia audible, but once it cuts off, something with a very poor signal is uncovered, presumably FRCN Abuja; axually the signal is not that poor, registering S9+18 but just barely modulated (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** NORTH AMERICA. AMERICAN OR CANADIAN? A few tips for the European MW DXer --- by Steve Whitt Introduction Many European DXers are interested in hearing stations from across the Atlantic. Often signals can be heard, but many factors make identifying the source of the signal quite difficult. Naturally we all want to hear a genuine station identification but they are often infrequent and the DX-gods conspire to make signals fade just as they are about to announce an ID ? The first decision you need to make when you hear a signal is to decide whether it is worth waiting for an ID. Nowadays with SDR receivers like Perseus, the problem of missing an ID is no longer a big issue (if it was recorded). If you DX in the traditional way- one frequency at a time – it remains important to have a personal strategy for deciding whether to stay tuned or whether to move on and look for another more exotic signal. To help you make this decision, you need to use what ever information is available to help you narrow down the likely identity of a signal – before you hear an ID. If you are hearing English from North America the fist question to ask is “Am I hearing the USA, Canada or something else?” Language It is often said that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language, but in reality the differences in language and more particularly regional accent are subtle. Discerning the accent differences can be made harder when listening to a noisy signal in a 2 kHz wide audio channel. And pity our many members for whom English is a second language – I personally can recognise Spanish but cannot reliably determine regional differences. Within the USA there are significant regional differences in accent, but sadly even if you master the linguistics, nowadays the presenter’s accent is not a good guide to the station’s identity because presenters move around the country for work and because of nationwide programme networking. With practice it should be possible to separate a Canadian speaker from an American speaker. More so if the speaker is from Quebec and speaking English. You may also hear a British accent from across the Atlantic – often on WBBR 1130 with programme material originating in the UK. From time to time you’ll hear a British accented guest on popular talk show Coast to Coast AM. A British accent might also appear on a Caribbean station or Bermuda and the Bahamas, but an island native is more likely to speak their own version of the English language. Because of migration, you can easily hear Caribbean accents appearing on American stations from time to time. Indian accent or mix of Hindi & English words Likely Toronto or Vancouver English with a Chinese/ Korean accent Likely Toronto, Vancouver, New York, San Francisco (often CRI) Australian accent CBC Canada relaying Radio Australia Thus, we need something a bit more reliable than the accent of the presenter. Advertising Advertising is a mixture of local and national advertisers. Often overnight broadcasting is dominated by national advertisers but if you are listening to North American stations before midnight UT you are more likely to catch local advertisers – especially in locally generated programming. Only the very largest stations tend to be able to project a local identity 24 hours round the clock. Lack of advertising will indicate a public broadcaster – almost certainly CBC. Tip 1: look out for local phone numbers, addresses and business names in adverts. Even if you have only partial wording audible go straight to your best friend “Google”. Type in what information you have and see what you find. For example if I hear “Bernie’s” and a reference to food, I would suspect an advert for a restaurant and if I heard part of a phone number "xxx-2888”, I would type “Bernie’s + 2888 + restaurant” into Google and instantly find that the local advert was for a restaurant in Columbia, South Carolina. That would very quickly narrow down the likely radio station – probably to a shortlist of 1. Tip 2: Many national adverts now give out a website as well as a free telephone number. Some local advertisers will also promote a web site. Look out for the .ca suffix. Whilst some Canadian advertisers will use .com addresses it is highly unlikely that an American business would have a .ca website. Many US government adverts or public service messages refer to .gov websites. Canadian ads would refer to .gc.ca in their website addresses. Tip 3: If you hear an 888 or 800 toll free phone number (format 800- xxx-yyyy or 1-800-xxx-yyyy) you can try a Google search but in my experience this is usually less than helpful. More often than not an advertiser will use unique phone numbers on air as part of an advertising campaign. If the number never appears in print advertising or on the internet this helps the advertiser determine how callers found out about them and whether radio advertising worked. Programming Talk shows, sports and phone in programmes abound on MW radio stations. Music is seemingly more prevalent on Canadian stations. If a show gives a phone number or web address there is a good chance that it will be a nationally syndicated programme. That might help you narrow down the country of origin – but it is not perfect. For example if you hear “1-800-618-8255” Google search will quickly reveal the syndicated show “Coast to Coast AM” which is an American radio show but watch out; about a dozen high powered Canadian stations relay the show! http://www.coasttocoastam.com/stations/canada Tip 4: If you hear a talk show giving out a 7 digit phone number you have a local show. If you hear a number ending in “8255” it is for a talk show (probably nationally syndicated); the numbers “8255” map to the letters TALK on an American phone pad. A phone number containing the station’s frequency is also a great way of IDing a station. Often stations will give out short code dialling from a mobile phone for talk shows or to report traffic congestion. For example if you hear “800-925-1120” on 1120 kHz you can be sure you are tuned to KMOX St Louis. Likewise if you heard “314-436-7900” then the 314 area code (check Google) will again point to St Louis. Sports is a more complex subject and can give the DXer some clues to station identity – or it can be thoroughly confusing! Tip 5: Firstly you need to determine what sport is being played (a few key words can help, as can possible scores). For example a score of 3:1 might be ice hockey or football (soccer in the USA), whereas 66:72 is probably basketball. Secondly you need to determine the identity of the participating teams. The commentator may refer to part of the name or the city the team is from. If you have partial team name and perhaps a player’s name or a sponsors name again combine this information in Google and see what it shows up. For example if the sponsors was University Credit Union and the team were the Huskies, Google would tell you the station you were listening to was most likely in Southern Maine (Medium Wave News 57/09, 9 February 2012 via DXLD) ** NORTH AMERICA. [Pirate]. 6925 USB, Radio Ga Ga, 0335-0345, Lynyrd Skynyrd music. ID. Poor to fair. Feb 4 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) ** NORTH AMERICA. [Pirate]. 6925.14, Radio Jamba International, 0555- 0610. Tentative ID. Rock music. DJ chatter. Poor. Too weak to catch many program details. Feb 4 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OKLAHOMA. 1640, KFXY Enid; “KFXY Enid … Faith 16-40” W 0700 28/12 AB (Andrew Brade, Holme-on-Spalding Moor, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, AOR AR 7030 plus and Perseus SDR, Wellbrook phased array 290 , 305m beverage at 220 . Recording on Sony MZ-NH1 minidisc + Total Recorder, Feb Mediumwave News via DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. KFAQ, 1170, IBOC noted off tonite 2230 CST 06FEB12! Hope this is permanent but somehow doubt it (Bruce Winkelman, AA5CO, Tulsa, OK, ABDX via DXLD) So far has continued to be off (gh, Enid, DXLD) ** OKLAHOMA. 87.7-88.1, Feb 5 around 21 UT I notice awful noise infesting this area of the FM band, crackling, occasional chirps, no recognizable modulation. Also audible on open spots further up. 87.9 and 88.1 are where I normally run RF feeders for convenient listening to internet or SW programming on other FM receivers. The signals have some dead spots as I walk around the property but no change in overall level. So I get in the car and drive in various direxions to get an idea of the source: Peaks in downtown Enid, obviously coming from the multi-station transmitter site Broadway Tower. Furthermore, everywhere I hear the same crackling underneath the 93.3 translator of KIMY 93.9 Watonga, K227AT, which is on the Bway Tower; therefore that is the out-of-whack source. At weaker areas the peak of the spurs seems to be 88.1, so this might have something to do with mixing from another translator at same location, 98.5 K253BC, of KLVV 88.7, altho by itself sounds OK: 5.2 MHz separations. Next day around 1530 UT still some of it but not so strong, and still audible on 93.3 itself. This POS has acted up before in different ways. 88.1 et al., noisy spur from 93.3 K227AT Enid, Feb 6 around 2100 UT: whew, it`s gone 24 hours after infestation (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** OMAN. Siendo las 1900 UT en 15140 se detetecta la portadora de la R. del Sultanato de Omán muy intensa como siempre pero sin modulación (o casi!). Esta es una emisora que se suele recibir muy bien por estos lados. 73 (Moisés Knochen, Uruguay, Feb 7, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** PAKISTAN. 11600, 04/Feb 0054, R Pakistan, (TENTATIVE) in Urdu (listed). Hear OM talk, short music. No signal on 15490. At 0058 music. It seems music and talk alternate. At 0100 YL talk. Very weak signal (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PALAU. T8WH transmitter site Medorn, or Medorm? See KOREA NORTH [non] ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 3205, (Presumed), R. West Sepik, 1200 1/22. Music and talk mix, just at threshold. Haven't heard anything on this frequency for quite a time. Refs don`t show anybody using the frequency except PNG and Brazil, which should be washed out by local sunrise by now. Asia/Pacific much stronger possibility (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. QSL: Radio Fly, Papua Neu Guinea. Heute traf eine grosse Ueberraschung mit Briefpost ein: Die QSL Karte von Radio Fly aus Papua fuer den seltenen Empfang des Senders im November 2010, damals gehoert um 1830 UT auf 5960 kHz an einer Beverage Antenne. Der Brief wurde im August 2011 geschrieben und im Dezember in Port Moresby aufgegeben. Zu sehen in meinem Blog http://remotedx.wordpress.com (Christoph Ratzer, Austria, OE2CRM, A-DX Feb 7 via BC-DX Feb 8 via DXLD) ** PAPUA NEW GUINEA. 7325, Feb 7 at 1400, poor fluttery signal with gospel music, presumed Wantok Radio Light (note word order and spelling), in semi-hour hiatus of CRI blocking frequency. Break for talk from 1402 to 1409:10 when music resumed, 1413:50 talk. Too weak to copy any further details, and doubtful their log would show exact times of music/talk switches, the only significant details I can garner. BTW, Google shows ``garner`` has been used in DXLD only eight times in the past decade, some of them as proper names (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 3329.53, Perú, Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco, 1030 with music fading out 1040, 30 January. 3329.53, Ondas del Huallaga, Huánuco, 1008 to 1015 lively Peruvian music, CHU notched 3 February (Wilkner) 4826.316, Radio Sicuani, Sicuani, Cusco, 2310 deep fades, om en español, música. Also noted fading out 1115 to 1125. 5 and 6 February. Gracias logs by Pedro F. Arrunátegui (Wilkner) 5460.1, Radio Bolívar, Cd. Bolívar, slight drift, energetic om español 2350-0025 5/6 February (Wilkner) 5921.26, Radio Bethel, Arequipa noted at 2326 to 0007 5/6 February (Wilkner) 6173.9, Radio Tawantinsuyo, Cusco, 1000 to 1035 with rechecks om talk entire period 3 February; in as late as 1115 on 5 February (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, 746Pro, Cumbre DX via DXLD) ** PERU. 4790, R. Visión, Chiclayo, 0909-0926 Jan 31 Spanish; M announcer with ID between short, music selections; sounded like a tape loop; R. Visión has been very irregular lately, maybe testing the transmitter? poor (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 4790, Radio Visión, Chiclayo, 0557-0613, 05-02, male, Spanish, religious talks. 14321. (Méndez) 4975, Radio del Pacífico, Lima (presumed), songs and male talks. Very weak. 14321 (Manuel Méndez, Lugo, Spain, Logs in Friol, Sony ICF SW 7600 G, Cable antenna, 10 meters, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. Hi Everyone, One from an older recording (have been away so only listening now) 4955, R Cultural Amauta, Huanta, 14/1/12, 2355 UT - ID at 1.08 http://www.box.com/s/uuhlgalmzunmsqop1n25 Thanks to Carlos in Portugal for help with the ID (Mark Davies, Anglesey, Wales, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PERU. 5024.91, Could this be R. Quillabamba, noted first at 0152? Havana noted here (5025.00) at 0106, but seemingly weaker than normal. Later scan revealed Cuba gone, but Andean flute style music, so measured frequency suggested Perú. Anyone confirm? Havana found back here at 0310 check. 2/8 (Jim Young, WPC6JY, Wrightwood, CA, 756 ProIII + 80-M inverted Vee + 40-M yagi, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** PERU. 6060, Perú, Aroma Café, 1057 transmitter noted to 1130 strongest signal yet with National Anthem, ID excellent OA vocals, clear signal. Thanks John Herkimer and Ralph Perry original log (Robert Wilkner, Pompano Beach, South Florida, US, Feb 4, but date of log? 746Pro, NRD 535D, Sony 2010XA, Drake R8, and XM - NRD 525D ~ Sony 2010, Cedar Key - South Florida via Bob Wilkner, Cumbre DX via DXLD) Aroma Café Radio, 6059.9, 1059-1130 Jan 30, tuned to this frequency just before 1100 to see if OA buzzing transmitter was on again today. I was surprised to hear the Peruvian NA in progress at tune/in at decent level. Full ID towards end of anthem and another after anthem ended, then into several nice selections of rustic music (not vocal pops as other days). CRI carrier on at 1125 but OA could be heard underneath until CRI programming commenced at 1130. Nice to finally get an ID. [Tnx to] Perry for his work on this one. Modulation much better than other days so perhaps transmitter repairs have been made. Audio files: Aroma Cafe-6060 Jan 30 2012 1100 UTC.mp3 http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/2145506/709765031/name/Aroma%20Cafe6060%20Jan%2030%202012%201100%20UTC.mp3 (John Herkimer, NY, SW Bulletin Feb 5 via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** PHILIPPINES. 9515, Feb 7 at 1428, RVA ID in English with jazz background, introducing next language at ``1430-1457 on 9515``, repeated. Could not understand what they said it would be, but Telugu listed. For some reason, they switch to 9515 from 9520 used during previous semihour in Tamil. 11790, Feb 6 at 1543, fair signal with ME?-sounding music, but 1546 announcement is sorta Indonesian. That fits for the only thing listed, FEBC, 100 kW, 200 degrees from Bocaue in Banjar, 1530-1600 daily (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. 11870, Feb 5 at 1406, religious music, talk in S Asian language, fadeouts, narration, discussion. Aoki shows it`s RVA, 300 degrees in Bengali. Not much else making it from Asia on this band (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** PHILIPPINES. EARTHQUAKE - 7095 KHZ EMERGENCY FREQUENCY Amateur Radio is heavily involved in the disaster relief effort: http://www.southgatearc.org/news/february2012/earthquake_hits_radio_amateurs_act.htm http://www.southgatearc.org/news/february2012/central_philippines_earthquake_update.htm (via Mike Terry, Feb 7, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** POLAND. On the ‘522 kHz’ channel on my car radio with 20 feet of vertical wire aerial I have been hearing a beacon from about 1600, eventually made out WRW and found that it is from Wroclaw in Poland. Wonder what the ERP is? (Des Walsh, Ireland, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) 20 feet on a car?? BTW, it`s pronounced approximately Vrotswaf, not that 522 will do so. Nazis turned it into Breslau (gh, DXLD) The WRW beacon is on 525, power is less than 50 watts according to http://pilotnav.com (Mike Barraclough, ed., ibid.) ** POLAND [and non]. Polish Radio's External Service has some ambitious plans for 2012. The service's deputy director Rafal Kiepuszewski, English section head John Beauchamp and http://www.thenews.pl editor Peter Gentle discussed their plans for 2012 in a January 1, 2012 broadcast. Polish Radio now premiers at 1900 Warsaw time (1800 UT) and has a new Business programme in co-operation with the Euronet Network. 2011 saw the introduction of 'Dateline Warsaw' hosted by Peter Gentle bringing foreign correspondents in Warsaw into the studio to discuss Polish affairs. John stated that it had raised the profile of the station from people in Warsaw & Poland. Rafal Kiepuszewski spoke about the drive towards broadcasting to target areas such as DAB in London via Spectrum Radio. The German service plans to launch a DAB service in Berlin and there are increasing co-productions with countries which have experienced Polish emigration such as Britain and Ireland. Shortwave to Russia and Belarus looks set to continue given their particular political and geographical conditions. There are plans for increasing use of FM relays in Ukraine and restructuring the Hebrew broadcasts to include the Jewish diaspora in North America via the internet. All plans are subject to funds. Rafal urged shortwave listeners to try web broadcasts and hoped they would enjoy what was on offer. Peter Gentle spoke about the development of the http://www.thenews.pl website. The news and the radio sections are due to be integrated along with continued use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with listeners. The comment sections on article have been dropped, but there are plans to reintroduce this feature soon. The website will soon have a new news blog, general blog and cultural blog. In the summer there will be a Euro 2012 microsite covering the economics and culture as well as the sports side of things (Jonathan Murphy, UK? Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** PUERTO RICO. kHz Callsign Station, location; details heard etc SIO UTC Date Who 1660, WGIT Canóvanas PR; Spanish by male ID” Notiluz 16-60 “ 333 0223 19/11 Mde (Maurits van Driessche, Zele, Belgium. Perseus and R&S EK07/D2, Supper Kaz 275 and 75 , MFJ 1026, 2 x preamp 20 dB, DBX 1215, Edirol UA-25EX (new, works great), Feb Mediumwave News via DXLD) 1660, WGIT Canóvanas PR; song, "Noti Luz", talk about Puerto Rico W/F 0425 13/1 Rha (Ronald Hagensen, Ottersberg, Germany. AOR 7030+; 22m longwire at 315 , 28m longwire at 290 , 325m beverage at 345 , phasing antenna Wellbrook ALA-1530 outdoor phasing, antenna direction 300 , Mizuho AT-2000 antenna coupler, S.E.M QRM-phaser, ibid.) 1660, WGIT Canóvanas PR; “NotiLuz 16-60”;” G 0110 14/1 SW (SW Steve Whitt, High Catton near York, England, AOR7030+ and HF225 Europa with dual loop K9AY, ibid.) 1660, WGIT Canóvanas PR; SS talks, politics on PR; often audible 333 0058 21/1 MvA (Max van Arnhem, Hoenderloo, The Netherlands. Perseus, AOR7030plus; KAZ antennas, 35, 70, 160, 250, 290 and 340 degrees, ibid.) 1660 2.2 2224 WGIT Noti Luz med ett långt anrop för flera stationer. Hörs numera väldigt tidigt och starkt. Enligt Mauricio Molano på MWDX: "Hoy comienza la cadena mas grande de noticias en el País Noti Luz 1660am, 1580am, 1590am, 740am, 930am, 1390am, 90.1 fm y 91.7 fm". TN 1660, 2.2 2224, WGIT NotiLuz with a long call for several stations. Heard lately very early and strong. According to Mauricio Molano in MWDX, "Hoy comienza la Cadena más grande de Noticias en el País, Noti Luz 1660am, 1580am, 1590am, 740am, 930am, 1390am, 90.1 fm y 91.7 fm" (Thomas Nilsson, Sweden, ARC MV-Eko Feb 5, translated by Thomas Nilsson for DX LISTENING DIGEST) 1660, NOTILUZ. San Juan, 0145-0200 febr. 5: ``Ésta es Notiluz con la buena noticia``, varios promos de la emisora ``Nuestra regla es que el público puede hablar al aire cuando así lo desee, llama ahora al 766 1660 y 756 1660 o entra a http://www.notiluz.com 766 1660 y 756 1660. Ésta es Notiluz con la buena noticia``, luego otro promo mencionando a la nueva Notiluz 740 (WIAC ex - Boricua) además de otras emisoras afiliadas en AM y FM (WEKO 1580, Morovis; WISA 1390; WJDZ 90.1, 91.7 Mayagüez) ``Quiere la luz ilumine su negocio llámanos ahora, Notiluz 16-60`` (Rafael Rodríguez, Escuchas realizadas en Fomeque, Cundinamarca, Colombia, Degen 1103 y Ant. Kaito KA33, condiglistyg via DXLD) ** QATAR [non]. VTDigger.org. 26 Jan 2012, Kevin Ellis: "On Wednesday, January 25, WGDR/WGDH Goddard College [Plainfield, Vermont] Community Radio (WGDR/H) went live with al-Jazeera English World News (AJE) in place of the ubiquitous BBC. The 30-minute program will air on weekdays 8:00 – 8:30am [EST = 1300-1330 UT for now]. WGDR/H joins the short list of 33 public radio stations that currently air AJE in the U.S., and the even shorter list of six college radio stations that do so. ... This bold programming decision is in line with the new direction of Goddard College led by President Barbara Vacarr. The college seeks to diversify the educational experiences of Goddard students and build upon the college’s legacy as an innovative leader in higher education. In the 1980’s, WGDR/H was one of the first non-commercial Vermont radio stations to broadcast the BBC. Today, the station sees AJE as the new cutting edge alternative for independent world news." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) Long, long ago WGDR carried WORLD OF RADIO for a while (gh, DXLD) ** ROMANIA [and non]. Re: VOA Looks to Future on 70th Anniversary This brings back memories: In the 1980's I was a teenager in Romania. The country was under Ceausescu's regime. My father used to ask me to catch VOA and Radio Free Europe on radio. Back then the radios had no digital frequency display, and even if they had, RFE or VOA never announced their precise frequencies for Romanian broadcasts. So finding those stations on the radio dial required patience and a good ear. That's how I started to enjoy SW listening. The Romanian broadcasts of VOA were beamed to Romania on 792 kHz MW from Kavalla, Greece, starting at 8:00pm local time. They also used some SW frequencies but I remember the signal was always poorer on SW. (I have no idea what was the location of the SW transmitters they used in the 80's for the Romanian broadcasts.) Being a teenager I was mostly interested in the last half an hour of the broadcast when they had various programs for youths. That's how I started to enjoy rock music and bands like Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Def Leppard, Motley Crue and many more. There was a rock show with a young DJ called Andrei (no last name was given). He was of Romanian descent, living in the USA, and he spoke Romanian with a cool American English accent. :) I wonder what's he doing now. I also enjoyed a few English language broadcasts of the VOA on 1197 kHz, most notable Casey Kasem's "American Top 40". They were a hard catch in Romania, the signal was not so great here. I'm grateful VOA was one of the voices which helped us keep the hope during those rough times. -- (Tudor Vedeanu, (Gura Humorului, Romania), Feb 1, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Any chance it could be author Andrei Codrescu, who often does commentary for our National Public Radio? See (Saul Broudy, W3WHK, Philadelphia, PA, ibid.) I don't think it was Andrei Codrescu. That Andrei from VOA should be younger. – (Tudor Vedeanu, (Gura Humorului, Romania), ibid.) Tudor, thank you for sharing your memories. I can associate with them - but only partially. The listeners in most of E. Europe (except for GDR, Yugoslavia and Albania) could have only dreamed of your reception 'difficulties', as we had to deal with jamming interference. I believe Bulgaria was the worst offender. - It jammed even TWR and Vatican Radio in Bulgarian. As bad as Ceausescu was, he was a "liberal" when it comes to international broadcasting. I still don't know why. To his credit, he didn't jam any overseas stations broadcasting in Romanian. As a result, through most of 1980s RFE's Romanian Service was the only language service of RFE-RL that wasn't jammed. Of course, my case was extreme as I lived less than 10 km away from a modern jamming facilities in Moscow. In my instance, even catching a bit of VoA news in Russian was a success. Forget about RL Russian! All music shows on the Russian services of VoA, BBC and DW were useless to me. - Only spoken parts would sometimes get through. RL Russian didn't even have music shows. But I could hear RFE Romanian on the SW loud and clear. Do you remember Radu Teodor from Radio Europa Libera? His weekday music shows had a huge following in the USSR - not only in Moldavia but also in European Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. I remember one guy even wrote a poem about Radu. - It was read in the music broadcast of BBC's Russian (that was also heavily jammed). I remember BBC Hungarian had a great music program on Sat. or Sun. afternoons. Somehow it wasn't jammed and I often enjoyed it. Of course, I listened to BBCWS music shows, as well. Before Saudies [?] took over 1440, R. Luxembourg was also huge in the European part of the USSR. The legendary KYOI from Saipan was great, too - especially in Siberia. Radio Kuwait and Happy Station from Hilversum provided for some reliable music diversion, too. On the SW I also enjoyed pop-music broadcasts from R. Australia's Cantonese Service and NRK in Norwegian (on weekends R. Norway had a music show). A little-known fact is that the domestic service of Polish radio on LW 225 used to be very popular through most of the European USSR - especially in Ukraine, Belarus and Baltics. Before its antenna collapsed, 225 provided for a local-like coverage in western parts of the USSR. Even in Moscow I could enjoy music shows from Warsaw that were much better than those on Radio Mayak or the First and Third Programmes of the All-Union Radio. It helped that Polish is a Slavic language and rather easy for us to learn. The music shows from state radio in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania also had some following in NW Russia. (The media in those republics enjoyed much more freedom that everywhere else in the USSR.) But poor coverage and completely different language were the issue for most listeners. Yeah, those were the days... Cheers, (Sergei S., ibid.) I read somewhere that Ceausescu actually had jamming technology from USSR, but he thought jamming will only raise more interest for RFE. So he decided to silence Radio Free Europe from the inside, by literally killing some of the most prominent people who worked there. Of course I remember Radu Teodor and his show "Metronom". And Andrei Voiculescu, with his two-hour Saturday programmes. Lots of great music. All the best, (Tudor, ibid.) It has nothing to do with Ceausecu being a 'liberal', which of course he wasn't. I remember that there was some speculation at the time that he did not jam Western radio stations because he wanted to indicate that Romania was moving away from blind adherence to the Soviet camp towards a more independent position, which included cultivating good relations with the West. This shift in orientation was encouraged by the West. Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, for example, were once guests of Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace (Roger Tidy, UK, ibid.) These fascinating memories reinforce the continuing need for analogue radio, especially shortwave, to continue as it often got through, despite jamming. Whereas an internet controlled by the state is "perfect" jamming! (Mike Terry, ibid.) Today, perhaps conversely, Radio Romania International is virtually the "last man standing" in international shortwave broadcasting in eastern Europe (with apologies to Croatia and Serbia). Apart from CRI and AIR, RRI may have the most powerful transmitters in the world. Here in ECNA, I certainly hear their broadcasts to North America effortlessly from Bucharest, almost as well as their broadcasts to Europe and Africa (John Figliozzi, Halfmoon, NY, ibid.) ** ROMANIA. Some News from Radio Romania International --- Radio Romania International has a continued commitment towards improving the structure, content and journalistic quality of radio broadcasts (by modernizing short wave emitters, short wave digital content, expanding re-broadcasting services through partner stations). At the same time, we have enhanced our on-line presence, branching out on social networks and content sharing platforms. This questionnaire is our latest attempt to gauge how well received and appreciated these efforts were by our audience. You are kindly invited to fill in this questionnaire and send it to RRI as soon as possible, but no later than 15 March 2012. Source http://www.rri.ro The first 100 of our listeners who return the complete questionnaire by any means (regular mail, e-mail, fax, or by filling in the form received through RRI newsletter) will receive a small gift as a sign of our appreciation. Be assured that your answers are entirely confidential, and will be used by RRI for statistical purposes only. The only exception to that may be answers that we quote on the air with your explicit consent. Thank you in advance, Eugen Cojocariu, Head of RRI You can complete it at http://bit.ly/ys5kp5 (Jonathan Murphy, UK? Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) R Romania International calling --- Gentlemen, On sending QSL for my reception report as entry to 2011 AWR Wavescan DX Contest, RRI also sent the following message. ``Dear Mr. Tony Ashar, Thank you very much for your reception report. We truly appreciate your interest in our programs. Listeners' reception reports help us a lot in our work, in the attempt to pursue a listener-oriented policy. So we are looking forward to your helpful comments and, of course, reception reports. We remind you that RRI sends a QSL per month, regardless of the number of your reception reports for the respective month. We also extend you the invitation to join Radio Romania International Listeners' Club. Radio Romania International boasts a Club policy that rewards faithful listeners with diplomas at the end of the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 10th year. We also offer old-timer labels at the end of the 2nd and 4th year. Various prizes are also given to the most faithful listeners or to those who give correct answers to our quizzes. You can also send us e-mails at engl @ rri.ro or leave us a message on our website, at http://www.rri.ro clicking the "Reception Report" and "Forum" buttons. We wish you all the best and look forward to receiving further reports and comments on our broadcasts from you. Best regards, Lacramioara Simion, Diana Vijeu, Coordinators of the English Service`` 73, (via Tony Ashar, Indonesia, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. I thought you may be interested to know that I have won not one but two competitions. The first competition was 6 CD's George Enescu Radio Romania International, the second competition was CRI Radio Memories. I received a certificate of honour and The Poeny [sic] hand-paint cloth art gift set. The Poeny blossom hand-paint cloth art gift set adopts Poeny (Peony) as its theme. The craftsman delicately depicts the flower on the soft suedenap fabric cushion, table runner and tissue box cover. [which station was that from?? gh] I also received a New Year card from Radio Prague and Radio Ukraine. I also received pen from KBS because I participated in their survey. I received a calendar from Radio Taiwan. GS (2457) (Grant Skinner, UK?, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) We have come a long way from those heady days when contest winners were whisked away to radio stations for tours of historical and political settings with hearty luncheons in fine hotels - some in a peoples' paradise of a dictatorship. Other "lucky" winners had the chance to take in the sights of Havana, Cuba at the time Russian armament ships were being turned away. The not so "lucky" ones received Havana's QSL card from the series of infamous political "gangsters" most of whom met a sticky end (Arthur Ward, ed., ibid.) Also depicted on famous heavily-promoted pocket calendar cards (gh) ** ROMANIA. Radio Romania spurii --- When RRI is on air with 15460 and 17530 I notice strong spurii at 13390 and 19600, i.e. 2070 kHz either side (Des Walsh, Ireland, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) Must look for those as the fundamentals are often quite strong here before 14 UT in German, maybe after 12 in English; site Tiganeshti for both (gh, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** RUSSIA. Moscow DRM transmission --- February 6, 2012 Moscow's first ever DRM30 transmission on air at 3 PM local time on 549 kHz on a 100 kW transmitter - around 60 kW DRM. http://www.drm.org/ (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) What`s DRM30? Surprisingly hard to find a straight answer to this; apparently an enhanced form of ``full`` DRM like DRM+, and/or does it refer to also applying it above 30 MHz? Or, horrors, 30 kHz bandwidth? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) DRM30 & DRM+ http://www.rfmondial.com/index.php?id=36 By the power of Android (swlistener, ibid.) So it is plain old DRM below 30 MHz, which we should be calling DRM30. Then in what sense is it ``first ever``? First time on MW in Moscow? (Glenn Hauser, ibid.) It's Radio Mayak's MW frequency. So I guess it's first ever use of DRM along with a regular AM transmission? Hopefully, there will be no jamming of a useful signal (Sergei S, ibid.) Mike, Neither sound nor spectrum trace of it (fortunately). Checked: 1500-1540z, Feb 6. A couple of "Mayak" transmitters are audible (with slight echo) as usual, here. 73, (Vlad Titarev, Kremenchuk, UKRAINE, mwdx yg via DXLD) I have a recording at 1200 UT today and nothing at that time, either. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, Feb 6, ibid.) If it turns out to be an analogue-digital hybrid signal it will not be a "first ever". This has been tested for years from the Oranienburg- Zehlendorf transmitter on 693, demonstrating that this way the analogue signal will be noticeably compromised (rather obvious hiss in real-world environments, lowered modulation depth) to allow also a phone-grade (11 kbps) digital component. If asked for an opinion I would flatly dismiss this mode as nonsense. It will not be the first ever DRM transmission in Moscow area either, there were previous ones out of the Kurkino transmitters. But I see little point in trying to seek a rationale in PR stuff. And yes, the term "DRM30" has been coined by the London project office since they now try to establish under the term "DRM+" a system for use in the FM band (original references to 120 MHz were just a lame attempt to hide the real intention, which from the beginning aimed at band II, i.e. 87.5...108 MHz). Jamming a useful signal? Yes, that is to be expected, simply the other transmitters on 549 still carrying Radio Mayak in AM. I don't know how useful they are outside their local coverage areas, considering how Kaliningrad, Olgino, Lesnoy and Samara on 873 produce at a distance, like here in eastern Germany in the afternoon (when skywave from co- channel Oberursel-Weißkirchen does not propagate yet), a horrible echo mess due to different feed delays for each transmitter. But running on one and the same frequency 60 kW of DRM (which interference-wise equals to 250 kW AM) from Moscow area and an AM service with 600 kW from Krasny Bor, just a bit more than 500 km away, really does not appear to be such a good idea. Or will the AM service of Radio Mayak on 549 simply go away, as it had been planned already years ago? (Kai Ludwig, Feb 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Perhaps of interest: At present, i.e. during winter, Radio Rossii on 873 can be heard also in eastern Germany in the afternoon when skywave already propagates from Russia but not from Hessen yet. What comes in then is usually a terrible echo mess. Obviously each of the Kaliningrad, Olgino, Lesnoy and Samara transmitters (I think I recently indeed heard all three echos) has a different delay (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also GERMANY [and non]. VOR relays in Germany on 630 kHz (Braunschweig 100 kW), 693 (Oranienburg 250 kW), 1431 (Dresden 250 kW) now carry the VOR Kurdish service for listeners in Central Europe between 1500-1600 UT (Tony Rogers, Medium Wave Report, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) This was just a switching error (apparently resulting from the bad idea to put the new Kurdish slot on the studio outputs already in use for feeding the transmitters in Germany) which meanwhile has been corrected. And while checking today shortly after 1500 I find a changed delay pattern: 630 is first, followed by more or less synchronized 693 and 1323 about two seconds behind while 1431 is delayed against 630 by even four seconds. And 7220 from Samara is about a third second behind 630. One can only guess what the routing may be. Another possible cause of delay are DRM modulators. So far the 693 transmitter had one, left over from the previous DRM hybrid mode tests, while the other three transmitters had classic AM modulators as originally installed for Megaradio. But this hardly explains the delay pattern as it can be observed now (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. Re 12-05: OK, of course! I was aware of Radio Rossii sign- off on SW on 6075 at 1300 UT (and how the LWBC stations keep going past that) - OK that is 5 a.m. PST here - that explains it - I got used to the PDT zone and since I tune in the LWBC stations more than 6075, I forgot - I'm sure they will be there tomorrow a.m. and of course will check the LW stations daily - must be the D-layer and more attenuation due to higher solar fluxes. 73 (Steve McGreevy, CA, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA [non]. 7430, Feb 2 at 2256, folk music with slight IADs, 2258 Russian announcement about ``Our People`` program; 2259 ID as Golos Rossii, ``primary international radio`` in my loose translations. Site? Uplooked later, all three online resources show ARMENIA, but not supposed to start until 2300 in Russian, 500 kW, 305 degrees to CAm (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** RUSSIA. 11610, Very early transmission start on the frost periode in Samara around 0745 UT Feb 7. R Tatarstan (R Rossii) starts at 0810 UT, but heard very early with carrier only, but observed buzzy audio at eight peaks each on either side at +100/+200/.../+800 Hertz LSB/USB visible on Perseus screen. 21805, Voice of Russia Novosibirsk carried an English service comment, S=7 fluttery, and like back lobe echo signal into Germany. 0817 UT Feb 7 (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 7, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 8 via DXLD) ** SERBIA [non]. 6100, BOSNIA, International Radio of Serbia, Bijeljina, 2207-2228* Feb 7 English; M announcer re Serbian gas exports; W announcer re Serbian tennis player; cultural piece re rural town whose name I could not discern; local instrumental music; s/off announcement & contact info with bit of IS then pulled the plug; fair (Scott R. Barbour Jr. Intervale, N.H. USA, NRD-545, MLB-1, 200' Beverages, 60m dipole, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SIKKIM. Dear DX-friends, From wintercold Denmark with minus 9 centigrades I checked this one: 4835.00, AIR Gangtok, 0120-0130, Feb 05, Nepali talk, Indian song, 23332, QRM WWCR 4840. Best 73, (Anker Petersen, Denmark, dx_india yg via DXLD) ** SLOVAKIA. Competition --- Hotel Bankov, Košice - 5th round of the Historical Hotels Competition The question for this round of the contest is: What is the name Hotel Bankov derived from? Make sure your answers are posted or emailed in before the 1st of March 2012. Our postal address is: Radio Slovakia International, English section Mytna 1, P O BOX 55, 81755 Bratislava, Slovakia. Our email address is: englishsection @ slovakradio.sk Remember the main prize in our competition is a week’s stay at one of the historic hotels, namely the Sandor Pavillion in Piešt (any or the Amade Chateau in Vrakun) – prizes which are brought to you by the Association of Historic hotels Slovakia. Note: The competition is open to only people who live outside of Slovakia. If you are chosen as the winner, you will need to find your own transport to your destination as travel expenses are not included. More: http://www.rozhlas.sk/radio-international-en/competition (via Yimber Gaviria and gh, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) ** SOUTH AFRICA. 3255, BBC; 0328-0333+, 2-Feb; "African News from the BBC"; ID & London Calling promo at 0329. SIO=3+42+; // 6140 via S. Africa, SIO=3+43; // 7255 via Ascension, SIO=443-; // 7385 via Ascension, SIO=4+53; // 9460 via Seychelles, SIO=3+33- with buzz QRM (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) Glenn, Just copied the BBC World Service, Meyerton here in Greenville on 3255 kHz. According to the WRTVH they are running 100 kW but I don`t know which way they are beaming or what antenna they are using. Got the ID at 0400 UT and then the news. Big signal 25 uv. We are listening long path using the LPDA at site B aimed 303 degrees and a Mackay MS 5050A receiver. We heard a number of stations from Africa and the Far East last night but couldn`t ID them. Tonight the propagation seems very good on 3 MHz. 73 (Glenn Swiderski, NC, W7GS/4, UT Feb 4, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, HFCC Shows 3255 is 100 kW non-direxional, (or does that 0 mean north; never quite sure about that) but at 0400 surely it`s arriving by short-path, even if you are aiming somewhere else. It`s a type 804 antenna, whatever that means: 3255 0300 0600 52S,53SW,57N MEY 100 0 0 804 1234567 301011 250312 D 14647 English AFS BBC BAB 1763 3255 1600 2200 52S,53SW,57N MEY 100 0 0 804 1234567 301011 250312 D 14647 English AFS BBC BAB 1764 73, (Glenn to Glenn, via DXLD) Glenn, On the antenna you are correct. After thinking about it that log probably isn`t very directive on 3 MHz. We tried a rhombic at 4 MHz but it`s aimed at 67 degrees and the fading was horrible tho the signal was a bit stronger. 73 (Glenn Swiderski, ibid.) ** SOUTH AFRICA. ZSC, Capetown Radio, 19689.4, full data "Capetown Beach" e-QSL in 51 days for English airmail report and 2 IRCs. Report sent to: ZSC - Capetown Radio, Telkom Maritime Radio Services, Private Bag X01, 7435 Milnerton, RSA. V/s. Ashraf Khan, Operations Specialist who notes "Always a pleasure to hear from radio-listeners around the world." Also sent e-brochure and the History of Maritime Radio in South Africa. KhanA1(at)telkom(dot)co(dot)za (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SOUTH CAROLINA [non]. 15190, Feb 4 at 1508, Brother Scare via IRRS via ROMANIA is still going in Saturday extension, very poor signal today compared to usual, and heading for a collision: yes, at 1530 nothing audible but DRM noise from Vatican Radio, off at 1558 uncovering BS again. The big collision is in South Asia where both are targeted, in English. Has no one at the stations noticed this little problem? Just possibly, VR`s DRM audience there is insignificant, as is Brother Stair`s in any mode (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) See also USA: WBCQ, WTWW; ITALY [non] ** SPAIN. In the 21 MHz band at times I notice REE Madrid in the background of BBC 21470 at times. Not a receiver deficiency of mine (Des Walsh, Ireland, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) Leapfrog of 21610 over 21540 another 70 kHz lower, when both are on, nominally 0900-1500. Never strong enough to show up here (gh, OK, DXLD) 17595, Sunday Feb 5 at 1340, REE `Amigos de la Onda Corta` with heavily produced history of RNE thru the ages, numerous clips mixed in from the Franco era, narrated by YL. Outro by Buitrago at 1354 did not refer to it. Preview of this edition via José Bueno shows this as the last of a few subjects, ``75 años de Radio Nacional de España (2ª parte): (Tono de las emisiones y de las entrevistas, llegada del hombre a la luna, espacios de consulta dirigidos al público femenino)``. Will there be a part 3? Did not reach the present (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SRI LANKA. 1548 Tests again --- Yesterday 7 Feb 2012 test tone was noted on 1548 kHZ MW at around 1615 UT (presumed to be from Trincomalle[e], Sri Lanka). The signal strength was very good at Hyderabad and faint at Alokesh Gupta's place near Delhi. Similar tests were noted a week back also. -- Thanking you, Yours sincerely, Jose Jacob, VU2JOS, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, India, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [and non]. A taste of Sudan --- At late afternoon yesterday, I've got a good taste of Sudan Radio on 1296 kHz. Despite its high power, this is not a frequent visitor here. I checked for other "exotic" Africans and I also found the Angolan 1088 hetting on a weak 1089 UK. The band was exceptionally quiet and with the phaser helping, the Sudanese station was peaking somewhere around -105 dBm :-) Here's a recording with woman's talk in Arabic at 16:04 EST [2104 UT]: http://www.quebecdx.com/mp3/sudan_1296c.mp3 (Sylvain Naud, Portneuf, QC, CAN, rx: Perseus, ant: 950ft terminated Beverage at 55 degrees, ant: 100ft long wire, MFJ-1026 with LF mods, Feb 5, WTFDA via DXLD) see also IRAN [and non] ** SUDAN [non]. Re 12-05: Hello Glenn, In your Digest which I have just read you query material of mine which I had sent to and had been accepted by ARDXC. You are quite right to correct the entry from our magazine re R. Tamazuj broadcasting to the Sudan region from DHA. The language used was intended to be recorded as "Sudanese AA" but in a blind spot I typed it as "Somali". Unfortunately this error was not detected by Craig in his assembly of material. Sorry that the error occurred and good that you picked it up. Regards, (Charles Jones, Australia, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SUDAN [non]. 15500, OPPOSITION. Sudan Radio Service via United Kingdom (Targeting Sudan & Darfur Regions) Darfur Programming, 1648. M and presenters talking and sound bites and interviews by phone. Musical bridges between announcers talking. 1655 song. And 1656 carrier signal lost mid song three times for a second or two and then returned. 1658 W with instrumental music in the background identified as Sudan Radio Service, for Darfur followed by a man with music in the background who also IDing as the Sudan Radio Service followed by the instrumental music and abrupt carrier sign off at 1659. The Darfur programming on this frequency is different than the SRS Radio programming on 17745. Good-Excellent signal. 2/2/12 (Steven Handler, IL, Icom IC-7200, Tecsun PL-660 and wire antennas, NASWA Flashsheet Feb 5 via DXLD) ** SUDAN SOUTH [non]. via Woofferton, 17745, Sudan Radio Service, *1500-1659*, sign on with vernacular talk. Into English programming at 1630 with IDs and contact information. English news at 1632. Talk at 1645 about humanitarian situation in South Sudan. News headlines at 1652 and local pop music at 1652-1659*. Good. Feb 3 (Brian Alexander, PA, DX Listening Digest) 17745, Feb 3 at 1637, poor signal from Sudan Radio Service via Woofferton UK at 15-17, but the intonation does sound English, as now scheduled daily 1630-1700 per WRTH Feb update, as well as 15-16 on Saturdays and 1530-1600 on Sundays (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** SWAZILAND. 9499.80, 1840 20 Jan, TWR Africa, Kenya farming, Nairobi address, English, SIO 344 (Dave Kenny, Caversham, Berkshire, Feb BDXC- UK Communication via DXLD) Typical off-frequenciness for them (gh, DXLD) 4774.90, TWR, Manzini noted here at 0343 with African singing music, then into vernacular language with M speaker. Just missed sign-on. Various music pieces till 0359, then IS, M voice with ID in English, then off air briefly, and returned in German language. Their carrier still noted at 0522. 2/8 (Jim Young, WPC6JY, Wrightwood, CA, 756 ProIII + 80-M inverted Vee + 40-M yagi, NASWA yg via DXLD) ** SWEDEN. Radio Nord Revival plan another broadcast in 2012, this time to commemorate the closure of the offshore station 50 years ago on June 30. They hope to use SW from Sala again and maybe also MW, and FM for Stockholm. A meeting to discuss the plans took place 21 Jan (Goran Lindemark on Radio Nord Revival Facebook 21 Jan via Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) In 2011 was over the weekend 27-29 May on SW & MW (Alan Pennington, ibid.) ** SWEDEN. 17.2 kHz VLF, 1324 UT 10 Jan, SAQ, Grimeton, extra broadcast due to speed control problems on Xmas eve. Continuous ID ``VVV VVV VVV DE SAQ SAQ SAQ`` after a few long dashes and carrier bursts. Good signal, SIO 454. End of transmission at 1400 with weak descending tone when presume generator ran down (Nick Rank, Buxton, Derbyshire, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) ** SYRIA. 9330, R Damascus, Adra, heard on Jan 27 at 1819-1825, German; 2236, Spanish, 45443, bad modulation quality in both cases (Alexander Beryozkin, St. Petersburg, Russia, DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) ** SYRIA [and non]. JAZEERA BLAMES SYRIA FOR DISRUPTING TV NEWS CHANNEL BROADCASTING --- By Tamara Walid and Chiara Remondini Feb. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Al Jazeera said Syria is disrupting broadcasting of its television news channel, as unrest in the Middle Eastern country escalates and death toll rises. Osama Saeed, a spokesman for Al Jazeera in Doha, Qatar, said the disruption is coming from the Syrian capital, Damascus. The channel is advising viewers to switch to a different frequency to access coverage, he said. The operator of the Hot Bird satellite that transmits the TV station today confirmed the source of the recent disruption. . . http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-02-07/jazeera-blames-syria-for-disrupting-tv-news-channel-broadcasting.html (via Clara Listensprechen, DXLD) ** TAIWAN [non]. 15440, UNITED STATES, WYFR (FL), Radio Taiwan International (via relay) 1/29, 0225. Talk program discussing household energy management. VVG (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R-8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) Had not realized this hour on 15440 was RTI instead of WYFR programming; not supposed to be RTI, so another wrong relay. WYFR supposedly deleted 9355 which had been the wrong RTI frequency this hour in English, the right ones being 5950, 9680 (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) ** TAJIKISTAN. 4765 kHz, a eso de la 0100 UT alcancé a escuchar el final del Himno Nacional Tajik y la clásica cortina musical e ID en Tajik, escuchándose claramente "Tajikistan". La señal muy débil pero es la primera vez en mucho tiempo que logro extraer algo inteligible. Degen DE1103 con la antena de hilo que viene con la misma. 73 (Moisés Knochen, Uruguay, UT Feb 3, condiglist yg via DXLD) ** THAILAND. 8743-USB, Bangkok Meteorological Radio, 2200 on Jan 10. Talks by W, IS, announcement of frequency by M, talks by W. New one for me, Audio at: http://www.goear.com/listen/b0d821a/bangkok-meteo-radio-on-8743-mode-usb-thailand (Horacio Nigro, Barra de Valizas, Rocha, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Stay tuned for the nice chime IS ** TIBET [non]. UNIDENTIFIED. 11510, 03/Feb 1115, A conversation in the studio seems to be an interview. Occasional external commentary of OM. The language seems to be Asian. It would be the Free North Korea Radio, broadcasting sooner? Signal weak. Is still transmitting, at 1128 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana, Bahia, 12 14´S 38 58´W - Brasil, Degen 1103 - All listening in mode of filter Narrow the 6 kHz. Dipole antenna, 16 meters - east/west, Escutas (listening, my blog): http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006 dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Also on remote radios in Greece, Hong Kong and Slovakia. 73 (Jorge Freitas, 1140 UT, ibid.) Dear Jorge, I think that it is Tibetan service of RFA via Kuwait. Aoki confirms it. And QSY to 11590 kHz from 1200 UT. The RFA-Tibetan service repeats QSY frequently (S. Hasegawa, Chief of NDXC, 2053 Feb 3, ibid.) Thank you, Hasegawa. I posted the recording, but the signal was very weak and she is not good. http://www.ipernity.com/doc/75006/12144037/ 73 (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, ibid.) ** UKRAINE. "Dniprovska wave". Letter from the radio station: Anatoly, thank you for the confirmation of the reception of our station! QSL-card will necessarily, but for the rest we think. The work on the air from 07.00 uts and to 09.00 uts [sic] on Saturday and Sunday. The direction of the radiation of the antenna 80 degrees. Transmission type SOPW two antennas and two of the transmitter. The output power is not large, as exemplified with NPLS of Ukraine. In our programs to broadcast radio broadcasts of Ukraine 1 of the program. Our inclusion in the end of each hour. Anatoly, a good reception and all the best! Hope to see a new meetings and new information. 73! Alexander (via Editor Anatoly Klepov, RusDX Feb 5 via DXLD) WTFK? Presumably 11980 (gh) 11980, Dniprovska Hvylia (= Dnieper waves), Zaporizhia, 0700, Jan 22, reception solely for the report, 45444 (Alexander Golovokhin, Togliatti, Russia, in Rus-DX Plus via DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) On Jan 17 I received their QSL-card for reception of Oct 30, 2011. On the card a couple of mini photo Zaporozhye, on the back of the data of my report. Message sent by E-mail (Dmitry Kutuzov, Ryazan, Russia, in Rus-DX Plus via DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. Thursday 19th January 2012 was the last one for me in Babcock Communications preceded by VT Group, VT Communications, Merlin Comms International, BBC Transmission and BBC Transmitter Group. I am now allowed to hang up my earthing wand. Like so many others of that era I started at BBC ETD Wood Norton aged 18 on 28th September 1970 for A Course No. 4 which was pass or get terminated, no second chances then! Luckily for me it was pass and then on to Daventry for some on-the-job training until being released for shift there from April 1971 as a Technical Assistant. Work in Transmitter Ops at many different mainly HF and LF/MF sites then continued for the next 41 years until now when I finish after a 29 year "stretch" at Woofferton. I met and worked with lots of folks throughout my career and pleased to say very, very few fallings-out over that time. It's been a pleasure to work with so many professional and good people (DAVE PORTER, G4OYZ, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** U K [and non]. RE: DXLD 12-03, BABCOCK WINS CONTRACT WITH BBC WORLD SERVICE ``* Operating and maintaining the BBC's six high power sites and a powerstation to ensure global coverage. This includes the BBC key target areas of Africa and the Middle East, the Indian Sub-Continent and South East Asia. The four UK ex BBCWS transmitter sites (Woofferton, Skelton, Rampisham & Orfordness) are owned and operated by Babcock (ex Merlin/VT). However all the BBCWS overseas SW sites (Ascension, Cyprus, Seychelles, Singapore, etc.) still belong to the BBC, but are operated by Babcock (ex Merlin/VT) on behalf of the BBC. Even though staffed by Babcock employees, they are still BBC-owned transmitters and have the BBC name on the gate. The ownership of overseas sites remains with the BBC because the original agreement to set up these foreign sites was between the UK government/BBC and the foreign host country. (Dave Kenny, England, Jan 15, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD)`` Aoki shows the BBC currently using these sites for SW; Woofferton, Skelton, Ascension, Limassol, Al Seela, Nakhon Sawan, Singapore and Mahe plus Meyerton, Kimjae, Dhabbaya, Moosbrunn, Brandon and several sites in the former USSR. I've usually thought of the first 8 sites as being owned and operated by the BBC. So which are the six high power sites as described above and commented upon by Dave Kenny & Chris Greenway? Are two of these sites operated by others? Or are two to be retired? JL (Jerry Lenamon, Waco TX, Feb 3, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. 17780, Feb 4 at 1420, presumed football commentary in Hausa, constant crowd noise but nary a vuvuzela! Fair signal and // better 21630. Both are scheduled from BBCWS at 1400-1430 only via Ascension, tho 17780 supposedly gets a Saturday extension until 1700 via Woofferton, but not heard this week (last week that was in English instead after 1500) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K [non]. 9740, BBCWS via SINGAPORE, Sunday Feb 5 at 1422 another episode of `Fifth Floor` about BBC language services, this time discussing censorship (mostly internet) in Uzbekistan and China, concluding with quiz about Bing being banned by the BBC in WW II as not macho enough (not the term they used) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. Re Desert Island Discs ``I vaguely recall that DID was once on the BBCWS (or more likely GOS), but now see http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qnmr for podcasts, etc. There are also two other versions, Revisited and Long-Play (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` Yes, somewhere in my Beatles-related collection I have a London Calling (their then-free magazine schedule) which featured Paul McCartney on the cover, he being a DID guest on one edition (Terry L Krueger, Clearwater, Florida USA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U K. I feel that the state of local radio in the United Kingdom is pretty hideous. The commercial stations are all the same kind of chart music. The BBC local radio stations are different but almost identical to each other: boring and unimaginative. I feel the way ahead is to have lots of community stations on FM which are deeply linked to the communities they serve. In the words of my former employer The Cat in Nantwich, 'big enough to count, small enough to care'. Best wishes, (Martin Reynolds, Feb 4, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Viz.: BBC RADIO CUTS THREATEN PHONE-INS FOR LOCAL MORONS Thursday 22 December 2011 by Waylandsmithy http://newsthump.com/2011/12/22/bbc-radio-cuts-threaten-phone-ins-for-local-morons/ The Local Government Association has slammed plans by the BBC to cut regional radio services, claiming they provide a vital service for opinionated mentals. Local radio phone-ins have long been a sounding board for the sort of shouty moron who thinks National Service would improve the one-way system, sees hipster jeans as a symptom of ‘broken Britain’ and blames it all on the BBC ‘dumbing down’ before getting the DJ’s name wrong. The LGA claims rambling diatribes from ill-informed bigots are ‘as British as dobbing your neighbours in to the council’, and provide the callers’ carers with a welcome break for a few minutes. But local radio isn’t just a place to propose hanging for benefits cheats: it’s also a vital source of information that doesn’t affect the people listening to it. “I looked out the window yesterday, and it was snowing”, claimed Maureen Dudley, a regular contributor to BBC Some of Birmingham. “I immediately turned on the radio, and that nice Linda confirmed that the weather had caused a massive accident on the M6.” “That’s the sort of vital, local information you need when you’re sat at home, shouting at cats. I phoned up straight away, and blamed it on immigrants”, confirmed Maureen. “We didn’t have lorry crashes in my day. Or squirty Marmite. Kids these days don’t know they’re born.” Local BBC radio cuts The BBC is seeking to reassure licence payers that cuts to local radio services won’t affect the corporation’s ability to wind up isolated communities, such as Rutland or Cheshire. “In line with our pledge to give all parts of the UK something to moan about, we are committed to leaving large areas of the country off our website completely”, explained press officer Mike Dowling. “That should provide a major source of irritation for years to come, particularly in those areas we just pass through on the train to Salford.” From January, local radio networks will start sharing London’s news with the whole country, in a way that implies anyone who doesn’t like it is a bumpkin. “If the idea of that makes you angry, phone in and complain”, announced Dowling. “Especially if you’re on medication, or have a funny accent.” (via Steve Whitt, MWCircle yg via DXLD) ** U K. Absolute Radio --- Re Communication 447, received yesterday, in Medium Wave Logbook UK & Ireland section I note that David Gascoyne in Staplehurst, Kent has been receiving Absolute Radio on 1137 kHz. I have also been receiving this for a few weeks; has anyone an explanation as to why this should be happening? Regards & 73s (John Hoad, Faversham, Kent, NRD515/ICF-SW77/ ICF-SW7600GR, Feb 4, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) Spur from 1215? They also have lots of low-power transmitters listed on 1197, 1233, 1242, 1260. Punch error at an 1197 transmitter? (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) Viz.: 1137 kHz, 1247 UT 30 Dec, Absolute Radio ID, music, ads, ``No music is repeated``, unlisted frequency, transmitter product? NOT receiver product, same on three different sets; same bearing as Hoo transmitter on 1197, SIO 233. 1197, 1240 UT 30 Dec, Absolute R, Hoo, Kent, announcement ads, // 1137, SIO 555 (David Gascoyne, Staplehurst, Kent, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) So 1137 must be a spur from Hoo. See also UNID 1134 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. 12133.5-USB, Feb 4 at 1405, AFN with NPR news, funding announcement says ``support for NPR Worldwide by . . .``. I don`t recall hearing ``NPR Worldwide`` mentioned on domestic affiliates, so is this a separate service? 1406 into `Weekend Edition` as domestically. Yes, here`s the page about it: http://www.npr.org/worldwide/ which adverts: ``Listen to the NPR FM Berlin and Worldwide Program Stream --- The NPR FM Berlin and Worldwide stream is only available to international audiences outside the United States. For audiences within the U.S., please use the link to the NPR Program Stream below.`` Sure enough, that stream wouldn`t launch for me; why should they care enough to keep it away from us? Apparently the multiple streams available to domestic affiliates are combined into one stream for the Internationals, but there is no link to any such schedule. However, you can pick any country such as Antarctica, which sends you back to Europe (which also includes Asia), showing selected program times: http://www.npr.org/worldwide/afn-euro.html (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Glenn: I sent this Email to WLO Mobile AL. They were requesting signal reports (Roger W5RDN, AR, Feb 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Subject: WLO Transmissions To: wlonews@olypen.com Date: Tuesday, February 7, 2012, 8:03 PM I am receiving both RTTY & FEC (RTTY 45 Baud/170 HZ Shift) (FEC 100 170) very good here. Receiver is JRC NRD-525, Decoder DES Info Tech M- 6000, using old CMPTR Monitor. Antenna is 533 FT Loop cut for 160 Meter Ham Band. S meter shows; +30/ S9. I hope you are able to keep this going. It should be welcomed by the Ships at sea. Best Regards (73's) Roger W5RDN (via Roger, AR, DXLD) Presumably refers to VOA news on 8743 kHz as in DXLD 12-05 (gh, DXLD) ** U S A. VOA MARKS ITS 70TH ANNIVERSARY WITH A NEW ANNIVERSARY DATE. Posted: 02 Feb 2012 Voice of America press release, 1 Feb 2012: "Voice of America turned 70 on Wednesday, and VOA Director David Ensor says the international broadcast agency is aggressively moving forward with new programs that ensure it remains an 'information lifeline to people in closed societies like Iran.' Addressing VOA journalists at the agency’s Washington headquarters, Ensor pointed to a television news show for Burma that began airing in January, a popular video blog that has been viewed more than 7 million times in China, expanded TV broadcasts to Iran, and new health programs on radio in Africa. He also described plans for a Russian language TV program that will harness popular social media programs to make citizen journalists and the audience a key part of the show. Ensor said the one-time cold war broadcaster is 'as relevant today as it was February 1st, 1942,' the date of the first shortwave radio broadcast to Germany. ... The first shortwave radio transmission, spoken in German just weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, began with the words 'Here speaks a voice from America.' The broadcast went on to promise, 'The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth.' Ensor, the 28th Voice of America director, says the agency continues to be guided by those words." AP, 1 Feb 2011, today in history: "1942: The Voice of America broadcasts its first program to Europe, relaying it through the facilities of the British Broadcasting Corp. in London." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) The 1 February anniversary date of VOA has only recently been established, as a result of research by Dr. Walter Roberts and Chris Kern. Previously, the official anniversary date was 25 February. See previous posts on 2 Oct 2010 and 11 Jan 2011 (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) Reno Gazette-Journal, 31 Jan 2012, Karren Rhodes: "It was no surprise that patriotism was on just about everyone's mind during last week's awards banquet for the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post's annual Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen winners. The six high school and intermediate school students who won the awards were being celebrated for their grasp of -and ability to articulate what democracy and patriotism mean to them. The event has been going on at VFW posts across the country for the past 65 years. The VFW as a counter propaganda tool launched the annual contest. American youth- written speeches were aired over the radio program Voice of America from U.S. occupied West Berlin, Germany into communist East Berlin during the Cold War in 1947. ... Post Commander Paul Eades said the radio station that transmitted the Voice of America program had a transmitter of up to 100,000 watts. His aunt, who lived in West Berlin at the time said when Voice of America went on the air there was so much radio frequency in the air that fluorescent and neon lights would light up." (kimandrewelliott.com via DXLD) This is the first that I have read about any connection between the annual VFW Voice of America competition and the Voice of America. In fact, this 2011 VFW press release indicates that it is now called the Voice of Democracy competition. This Hudson Reporter article from 2000 states that the VFW had two competitions: Voice of Democracy for essays, Voice of America for speeches, and that the competition began with the National Association of Broadcasters in 1946. Given that private US networks were still contributing to VOA programming in 1947, maybe the account of VOA in Berlin in 1947 has some basis. But was VOA active in Berlin in 1947? RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) had already begun broadcasting in 1946. (On the subject of RIAS, IBB director Richard Lobo has been appointed a member of the RIAS Berlin Commission -- which provides the pretext for more activities than any other organization devoted to a former international broadcasting service. In fact, is there any other organization devoted to a former international broadcasting service?) (Kim Andrew Elliott, ibid.) 17655, Feb 3 at 1705, VOA Portuguese very good from Greenville. HFCC Feb 1 edition finally has it here instead of ex-17650, which was still in the Jan 27 edition, but now the effective date is shown as Dec 15. [non]. 13570, Feb 6 at 1506, ``Monday, Monday`` by Mamas & Papas playing vs CODAR, one of my favorite songs; 1508 Larry London outroing it on VOA`s `Border Crossings`. Fortunately, 13570 is not in use by WINB weekday mornings, tho they are entitled to it, and `BC` is weekdays only. Site is Lampertheim, GERMANY, 100 kW, 108 degrees. We don`t have any really good frequencies for it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) VOA: see also ROMANIA [and non] ** U S A. 25950 FM, studio link, KOA, Denver, Colorado, 1500-1513, Fox News at 1500. Local news about the weather at 1502 with Denver area expecting 20 inches of snow. Local ads. Local traffic reports. Sports news with Super Bowl report. IDs as “News Radio 850, KOA.” Fair. Feb 3 (Brian Alexander, Mechanicsburg, PA, USA, Icom IC-7600, two 100 foot longwires, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5755 kHz, TN. WTWW, World of Radio #1601, 0500 (553), Jan 29 UT (Richard Lemke, AB, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) UT Sundays WORLD OF RADIO 1602: first airing Thursday Feb 2 at 2200:30 on WTWW 9479, then 2230 on WBCQ 7490, UT Friday 0430v on WWRB 3195. WRMI 9955: Sat 0900, 1600, 1830, Sun 0900, 1630, 1830, Mon 1230. WTWW 5755: UT Sunday 0500. Also on SiriusXM 120, Sat & Sun 1830, Sun 0930. WORLD OF RADIO 1602 monitoring: confirmed on WBCQ 7490, Thu Feb 2 after 2230, tuned in at 2240 atop rippling SAH from BBCWS via Thailand, and this co-channel QRModulation steadily grew along the grayline, to become significantly annoying by 2252 as I was talking about XEETCH. Meanwhile, many other frequencies in the area including 7505 occupied by imaginary WRNO, continue vacant, but no one is interested in improving the situation. I missed monitoring myself on the Thu 2200 WTWW 9479, and the UT Friday 0430v WWRB 3195. If anyone noted them absent or with anything amiss, please let me know. WRMI 9955 times: Sat 0900, 1600, 1830, Sun 0900, 1630, 1830, Mon 1230; WTWW 5755: UT Sunday 0500 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) WORLD OF RADIO 1602 monitoring: confirmed on 5755 WTWW at 0500 UT Sunday Feb 5. Remaining repeats on WRMI: Sunday 1830, Monday 1230. The Sunday 1630 broadcast was confirmed on webcast, but JBA carrier on 9955 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [and non]. 9955, WRMI: Sat Feb 4 at 2302 in Spanish, presumably scheduled `Frecuencia al Día`. No jamming, but fast SAH, from? Aoki shows RFI in Chinese via Tainan, TAIWAN during this hour, and so does the WRTH Update. 9955 at 0612 Feb 5: as I tune across, the R. Bulgaria IS, and then ID as R. Sofia, a vintage clip, then Jeff White narrating `Wavescan` as scheduled, Bulgarian NA, and then he reads Oldrich Cip`s address to HFCC Kuala Lumpur. S9+18 with only lite fading, no jamming. Did the Bulgarian external service have the same IS when it was known as R. Sofia? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9330-CUSB, Feb 2 at 1413, WBCQ dead air instead of Good Friends Radio Network --- have they overslept in Orangeville, Ontario again, unaware that their feed to Monticello, Maine has crashed? Squeezed by VOK on both sides; even weaker by comparison at 1436 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 9330-CUSB, Feb 4 at 1355, WBCQ with dead air from Good Friends Radio Network; back in whack at 1435 check with gospel rock. 15420-CUSB seems to be missing on Saturday mornings lately, when Brother Scare`s Sabbath was rampant at 15-16, 17-18, interrupted by another client at 16-17; or is it just propagation? JBA carrier at 1603 Feb 4, more likely BBC Cyprus. 1737 recheck, now BS is on WBCQ 15420-CUSB (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Due to popular demand we are bringing back the Jean Shepherd show. Will air Fridays 10-11 pm Eastern on Area 51, 5110 kHz. Larry Will, WBCQ`s master programmer and archivist has over 2400 Shepherd shows in the master archive. Many never aired in decades. The show can only be heard on shortwave, no internet feed. Shepherd was a true radio guy and should be heard on a radio. Cheers, (Allan Weiner, Feb 8, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 5755, (TN), WTWW, 2/3 1345. PPP with program on how interracial marriage is part of larger plot to destroy the white race. Needle bending on HQ-200 with outside Slinky helical (Rick Barton, El Mirage AZ, Hallicrafters S-77A, Hammarlund HQ-140X & HQ-200; Drake R- 8, L.W. and Slinky, Feb 7, ABDX via DXLD) WTWW-2 update: Continental technician left today after working two days on this transmitter: spurs were 50 dB down, less than 1 watt, but need to be -55 dB. He took *out* the caps which had been put in to suppress the spurs, and got the additional 5 dB to -55. Various problems, including my own and Ted Randall`s schedules have delayed another on-air test of #2, maybe next Friday or Saturday or the following week (George McClintock, WTWW, Feb 3, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) George McClintock tells me Feb 9 that the next WTWW-2 transmitter test is now 100% confirmed for this Saturday Feb 11, 2200-2400 on 9990, UT Sunday Feb 12 0000-0400 (or maybe -0300) on 5085. Ted Randall will be taking calls, and listeners are invited to provide factual criticism if they hear any spurs or noise around the frequencies. (I suggest they be especially vigilant for any QRM to WWV.) The Continental technician took out something that was supposed to suppress spurs, but axually produced them, and that seems to have solved the problem. There might be a briefer test on same frequencies, the following Monday/Tuesday. Altho #2 transmitter is yet to go into service, George says he is already collecting various equipment and parts for #4 and its antenna. He hasn`t yet decided whether to get a used Harris or a new Continental 418G. The Harris would also bring in a stock of parts which could be useful. He already has an essential backup transformer acquired from ex-WJIE in Kentucky; thinks one of their transmitters went to Alaska, probably for parts as putting it on the air would be difficult (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) As usual, Ted sees this as one 6-hour promotion for ham radio (gh) WTWW special broadcast on Saturday It is not very often that you can hear a new HF shortwave radio station sign on the air. WTWW, a new International Shortwave Radio facility just outside of Nashville, TN is launching a new transmitter this Saturday with a broadcast we are calling 'This Is Only A Test' starting at 4 pm Central Standard Time. This is a 100,000 watt transmitter running into a full size rhombic antenna. This is a global radio event with radios being tuned in all over the world. The QSO Radio Show has requested that we could air this broadcast as a amateur radio event to promote amateur radio along with shortwave listening. Why? Well, the shortwave listening audience is huge. The typical shortwave radio listener is a great potential candidate for amateur radio. There are more than 1.5 billion shortwave receivers in use worldwide, the BBC estimates that at any given moment, over 200 million sets are tuned to shortwave broadcasts. This is the second time WTWW has allowed us to conduct this kind of broadcast on a powerful new shortwave facility. The purpose of this broadcast is to demonstrate HF communications and to put radio amateurs on the air to a worldwide audience to tell their story. This is not a commercial venture in any way. So spread the word to all of your amateur radio friends and call us on Saturday on “This Is Only A Test” and talk to the world about Amateur Radio! Thanks and 73 Ted Randall QSO Radio Show http://www.qsoradioshow.com You are invited to share the magic of HF broadcasting and amateur radio to a world wide listening audience. You are invited to call in and share with a huge global radio audience. What you love about amateur radio; Your favorite modes khz; Your local amateur radio club and its activities; Your personal accomplishments in amateur radio. This Saturday Feb 11 at 4 pm Central From 4 to 6 pm / 2200 - 2400 UT the frequency is 9990 kHz From 6 to 10 pm / 2400 - 0400 UT the frequency is 5085 kHz The call in number is 615-547-9520 (Via John Carson, Bill Patalon, Artie Bigley, also Southgate via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Also: Test with Brother Stair audio: 9990 kHz 4-6 pm.; 5085, 6-9 pm CENTRAL, Monday Feb. 13. This is a test to study the possibility of Bro. Stair using transmitter #4 [not yet acquired]. This is a Continental transmitter with a solid state modulator, 100 kW with a new state of the art audio processor. I maintain a complete set of solid state parts, Transistors, Diodes ICs. Continental has just completed test of the transmitter #2 last week (George McClintock, President WTWW, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 6875, Feb 3 at 0656 via WYFR, outro of RTI wrong language German instead of Spanish, with all their supposed German times and frequencies, tuned in progress but doubt this one included, and with unusual big hum: wiggle that patchcord! It`s still a huge signal desensitizing the receiver for several myriaHertz around (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) see also TAIWAN [non] ** U S A. 21630, Feb 3 at 1602, WHRI is on this Friday, so maybe not just weekends, poor signal at first; at 1710 still on with gospel huxter, now VG signal but no spurs audible. By 1752 it`s fading down to only fair. 7465, Feb 6 just as I tune in at 0653, song in English cuts off the air; was only fair signal. Over-registered on 7465 is WHRI, 05-06 daily, 06-07 M-F, 07-10 daily, all at 47 degrees to E Canada and W Europe, but activated for only a fraxion of that; WWCR also uses 7465 at other dayparts and might have tested it (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 3185, WWRB Manchester TN (presumed); 2320-2333+, 27-Jan; Overcomer Ministry; B.S. responding to phone messages -- a good way to avoid those pesky skeptics & critics. No BoH break; S30 peaks, not as good as 3195 WWCR; co-channel audio is // 3195 WWCR! (Frodge-MI) 3195, WWCR Nashville TN (presumed); 2318-2333+, 27-Jan; GCN Radio Network program about getting ready to start your garden; survivalist & miracle cure type ads, plus ad for the Mystic Stamp Co. (I bought stamps from them eons ago, plus Littleton & Garcelon). No WWCR ID during BoH ad break. S30 (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 11580, Feb 3 at 1605, very strong signal where none has been before, with gospel huxter in English, not Brother Scare, must be a US station, WHRI? No, WWCR had this alternate frequency registered for B- 11 at 15-21 on the 90 degree antenna, same one used for WWCR-4 at other times on 5070, 5890, and until now in the daytime on 9980, which must have been missing. And there was crosstalk audible underneath, altho I could not match it to the other WWCR frequencies 15825, 13845 or 12160, so maybe from WNQM. 1300. Presumably a test, as nothing about 11580 on their Feb transmitter schedule http://www.wwcr.com/transmitter-sched.html nor the Feb program schedule http://www.wwcr.com/program-guides/WWCR_Program_Guide.pdf showing WWCR-4 as off the air weekdays from 12 to 17. Still going at 1638 recheck, but gone at 1707 check. 11580, Feb 6 at 1510, extremely strong signal with black gospel music, sounds like `Inspiration Across America`, which is on WWCR 15825 during the previous hour weekdays. 1516 program ID as such and panty- liner ad; have they no shame? So WWCR-4 is again running this frequency during otherwise hiatus until 1700 weekdays. At split-second pauses in frantic loud programming could detect crosstalk still infesting this transmitter from another WWCR or WNQM service. 11580, Tue Feb 7 at 1531, very strong `Inspirations Across America` again, but did not stay tuned for a panty-liner ad; evidently WWCR-4 is on here regularly weekdays at 15-17 tho not appearing on their schedules. 15825, Feb 7 at 1532, WWCR-1 is quite strong, must have sporadic-E assistance, so I check for the plus/minus 15.6 kHz spurs. They are just barely detectable with BFO around 15809.4 and 15840.6; no noise field in between or beyond, whew, otherwise clean signal, and without that annoying pumping/ringing/overdrive processing they impose on 7490 WWCR-2 at same time, later 12160, 9350, 5070, 5935. At this time there were absolutely no broadcast signals (except their own spurs) between WEWN 15610 and WWCR 15825, which has become extremely isolated on the far right of the 15 MHz band (Glenn Hauser, OK, WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. [Studying WWCR`s antenna field] I forwarded Jerry Lenamon`s first post about this to George McClintock, who is very familiar with the WWCR layout, as he was responsible for building and rebuilding it. He prefers to communicate by phone, so this is from my hastily scribbled notes, not necessarily exactly what he said. The WNQM transmission line is not underground; two poles for it can be seen. The `missing` rhombic: he can see two of the poles for it but the other two are obscured by brush. It was originally cleared, but trees are growing back. This may require reduced power on that one. It was a problem to install as part of the field was under water. From the POV of the transmitter building, looking left there are three rhombix; looking right there is one more toward the back part of the field. Slewing rhombix? Not practical, and not necessary. Rhombix have broad beams, unlike curtains which have narrower bores but higher gain, which might need to be slewed to hit a particular target area. If you can afford to do that, might as well have curtains. Rhombix also have lower takeoff angles, so are more efficient for longer paths. Everything else being equal, such signals are first-in, last-out to a given target. Rhombix can sometimes share one or even two poles, but not for simultaneous operation on the same band; maybe on different bands. 73, (Glenn Hauser, shortwavesites yg via DXLD) Glenn, λ is yahoo's way of showing a lambda sign. I wrote my note on Wordpad and copied to the YG. It all looked OK before I hit the post button; the train wreck was obvious only later. JL (Jerry Lenamon, ibid.) ** U S A. 11715.12, KJES, Vado, 1411-1424, Jan 27, English talks, weak in USB with 2.3 kHz bandwidth to avoid IRIB on 11720 (Mikhail Timofeyev, St. Petersburg, Russia, DSWCI DX Window Feb 8 via DXLD) See also WORLD OF HOROLOGY 15385.13, KJES, Lord's Ranch, Vado NM (presumed); 1932-1942+, 29-Jan; Tune in to lately rare robo-kids English responsive session, then into long Spanish tune. SIO=554 fady (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) 11715.130, KJES Vado, just the string is visible on Perseus screen here in Germany. Very poor S=3-4 signal under threshold at 1542 UT Febr 7 (Wolfgang Büschel, Feb 7, wwdxc BC-DX TopNews Feb 8 via DXLD) ** U S A. I had a question for you; Two, actually. First, have you heard anything about WRNO. I’d been in contact with them for awhile after they went off the air, and they’d been very good about replying with updates on their situation. I know they were still hoping to go back on the air. I was a regular listener back in the Costello days …. It was one of my favorite stations. And was really thrilled when they came back a few years ago. I have a number of QSLs from the “new” WRNO. But I’ve not heard anything for some time, now, and actually haven’t been able to get them to reply. Is that station finished for good, now? (Bill Patalon, Baltimore MD, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Bill, It`s always ``mañana`` with them. Meanwhile they have a perfectly good frequency tied up with nothing on it for over a year. I am rather amazed that anyone cares now on the basis of what WRNO used to be, as if it does come back it will continue to be just another gospel huxter. This was in DXLD 12-02: ``WRNO: I emailed the station to find out when shortwave will recommence; here is their reply: "We do not have a date yet, still working on repairs" (Mike Terry, England, Jan 10, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` (gh to Bill, DXLD) ** U S A. WFIL DX Test 2/12/12 --- I have been looking back in my records and noted that I have not done a DX Test on either or our stations in a few years. For three successive years, back in the mid- 00's, I conducted several tests. I stopped doing them because with so many consecutive years, results were similar from year to year. Now, with a 3-4 year gap in the solar cycle since the last test, I think it's time I give it another go and see if we find any changes in reception. So, I will be conducting a DX Test on WFIL, 560 kHz, on Sunday morning February 12, 2012 between 0000 and 0100 EST (0500 to 0600 UT). I will run on our day pattern at 5 kW, and broadcast the usual tones/warblers/unusual music/etc. Unusual music; maybe we'll try some polkas this time instead of the marches. :-) I am not sure who coordinates the tests anymore since I have been out of the loop for a while, so I'm sending it out to the lists to which I am subscribed. If any of you know who the current coordinator is, please forward the notice to him/her. 73, (Rene' F. Tetro, Director of Engineering and IT, Salem Communications - Philadelphia WFIL 560 AM: "Philadelphia's Christian Teaching & Talk Station" WNTP 990 AM: "Intelligent Conservative Talk" 117 Ridge Pike, Lafayette Hill, PA 19444 Voice: 610-828-6965 Ext: 41 Fax: 610-828-6725 Email: rtetro @ pobox.com Jan 31, ABDX via DXLD 12-05, WORLD OF RADIO 1603) A Reminder. The WFIL DX Test will be conducted Sunday Morning from 12:00 AM to 12:55 AM Eastern (0500-0555 UT). WFIL is licensed to Philadelphia, PA and will be operating on our daytime directional array at 5 kW. The end time has been adjusted to 12:55 AM, instead of 01:00 AM. This will afford listeners in our region to possibly hear other stations on 560. We will turn off our carrier from 12:55 AM until 1:02 AM, which will allow listeners to catch top of the hour IDs. Reception reports should be emailed to dxtest @ wfil.com If you still prefer snail mail, reports can also be sent to: DX Test WFIL Radio 117 Ridge Pike Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-1901 Good luck. I will resend this on Friday (Rene' F. Tetro, Director of Engineering and IT, Salem Communications - Philadelphia WFIL 560AM: "Philadelphia's Christian Teaching & Talk Station" WNTP 990AM: "Intelligent Conservative Talk" Voice: 610-828-6965 Ext: 41 Fax: 610-828-6725 Email: rtetro @ pobox.com Feb 8, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. KBRT(AM), 740 kHz, has just been granted an FCC CP for their new transmitter site in the Santa Ana Mountains [ex-Catalina]. The details are on page 1 of their company's monthly engineering newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/KBRT-AM-CP-Granted A copy of KBRT's Construction Permit follows. Note the unusual final paragraph that mandates highly asymmetrical HD power levels: http://tinyurl.com/KBRT-AM-CP (CGC Communicator Feb 6 via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) See also MEXICO [and non] The KBRT move will take their transmitter from Los Angeles County to Orange County. The towers look like they are somewhere off Blackstar Canyon which is in the foothills of the Santa Ana mountains off Santiago Canyon Road. That will put it maybe 15 miles from my house. I saw the proposed maps of the towers and I used to run up there, probably on the road that's in the picture. I hope this doesn't cause more interference to 720-760 kHz. Maybe a possible test target when they ever get it built? (Martin Foltz, Mission Viejo CA, ibid.) ** U S A. 910, WFDF, MI, Farmington Hills / Detroit with "Radio Disney Junior" programming (because radio Disney was too adult?) with lots of ads to get the pre-school crowd in the consumer mentality and music from the Mary Poppins Movie (Dick Van Dyke singing "Let's go Fly a Kite"!) and then more ads. Sheesh, just when you thought Radio Disney couldn't get any worse, it adds a whole new level! In like the local it is as I came back from lunch: 555. 1720-1735 2/Feb (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, MARE Tipsheet Feb 4 via DXLD) ** U S A. 950, WROL, MA, Boston - 2/2 1244 – Signal was inpounding for a while with Songtime USA religious huxter broadcast. Name of program was The Game of Life and featured (I kid you not) a imaginary play-by- play broadcast of a football game between Christianity and The Forces Of Evil with God as the referee. They never mentioned what the Vegas point spread on this game was. I guess this was deemed appropriate with the blasphemous Super Bowl coming up and the heathen (hometown) New England Patriots playing in the game. I wonder how many people in Boston are actually listening to WROL during morning drivetime with a straight face? (Apparently WROL has a 0.1 share of the market, so WBZ up the dial at 1030 would have about 60 times as many listeners) Downfaded towards hourtop and started to mix with WPEN-Philaelphia with their secular silly ESPN sports programming (Neil Wolfish, Toronto, MARE Tipsheet Feb 4 via DXLD)) The program can be heard at the Songtime USA website. http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/songtime/listen/ The game starts at about the 30 minute mark in the broadcast. Christianity eventually won the game; wonder how the Lions would fare against The Forces of Evil? (Could be a problem with 'misinterpretation' with a headline like "Lions 6 / Christians 0" Don't you think Niel [sic]? What if Ancient Rome had radio and TV, eh? ... :o (Kenneth Vito Zichi, Williamston MI, ibid.) ** U S A. 1030, Feb 3 at 1426 UT, ``1030 The Light`` non-ID within the ``Gather Round Morning Show with Greg Harris`` presenting gospel music, i.e. per NRC AM Log, the slogan for KCWJ Blue Springs MO (address in Independence, axually Kansas City market) (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. EE.UU: Radio Moody Chicago Inicia el 6 de Febrero: CHICAGO, 6 de febrero de 2012 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Moody Radio lanzará la única estación de radio cristiana en español en Chicago este lunes, 6 de febrero. Con el lema, "Compartiendo Esperanza. Siempre Contigo," Radio Moody Chicago transmitirá siete días a la semana en WMBI-1110 AM. . . Para mayor información, visite http://www.radiomoody.org FUENTE Moody Bible Institute http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/radio-moody-chicago-inicia-el-6-de-febrero-wmbi-1110-am-es-la-unica-estacion-de-radio-cristiana-en-espanol-en-chicago-138789259.html (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, DXLD) ?? WMBI is of course MBI`s own flagship station, which was listed in the 2011-2012 NRC AM Log as in English but ``some Spanish`` --- does this mean it is now ``some English``, or NO English? What will the poor Anglos do in Chicagoland?? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. 1330, Feb 3 at 1415 UT, ``The Wayward Wind`` sung by Patsy Cline as soon outroed, dominating closer groundwave from easily nullable KNSS Wichita denying climate change, making SAH of about 4 Hz. From previous logs, I`m sure it`s KCKM in Monahans TX, which has a CP to raise day power from 5 to 12 kW, and gets out well on skywave, specially around sunrise skip enhancement time. Legal sunrise in February for them is now 1330 UT. Yes, then local ads for convenience store chain, Kent-Kwik? in Monahans and elsewhere in the Permian Basin; lottery numbers: winners in N TX expected to head for OK casinos (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A. Re 12-05, some stations switching to MOYL, including contradictory info about Miami: SLOGAN / IMAGE UPDATE 1450 WOCN Miami, FL “Music Of Your Life” 1520 WEXY Wilton Manors, FL “Music Of Your Life” 1540 KXPA Bellevue, WA “Music Of Your Life” (BROADCASTING INFORMATION, Lee J Freshwater, IRCA DX Monitor Feb 11 via DXLD) ** U S A. KOAZ 1510 new station in NM --- When KABR 1500 got their FM license, they ceased broadcasting on AM and the license was transferred. The new licensee applied for and has license to cover (granted 28 July 2011) on 1510 kHz, with callsign KOAZ. 5 kW days, 4.2 kW critical hours and 25 W nights. The new station is apparently diplexing off the KTBL stick If it's on the air, I can't hear it even though I can hear all the other Albuquerque area stations. Has anybody logged this new station yet? -- (Mike Westfall, N6KUY, WDX6O, WPC5MDW, Los Alamos, NM, Feb 7, http://www.facebook.com/mesamike My MWDX stuff: http://mesamike.org/radio/mwdx Online logbooks: http://dxlogbook.gentoo.net ABDX via DXLD) Yes, typically at SRS using slogan "K-Mine country" - aren't the calls KMYN, and // KMIN-980? 73 (Tim Hall, CA?, ibid.) I've checked a few SSS Perseus recordings during nice early Jan and Feb conditions and no sign of this here yet but not easy to get past Denver and Spokane presunset when I can get past WLAC. Just too many stations on 1510 but I never managed them on 1500 either. 73 KAZ near Chicago (Neil Kazaross, ibid.) ** U S A. KFBK-AM MARKS ITS 90TH ANNIVERSARY - Sacramento Business Journal http://www.bizjournals.com/ News Talk KFBK-AM 1530 this week celebrates 90 years of broadcasting local news and talk coverage to the Sacramento region. On Thursday, the station unveiled an online museum at http://kfbk.com that honors the state’s rich history. The museum includes audio clips, photos and videos. Also on Thursday, Rush Limbaugh joined KFBK morning news anchors Amy Lewis and Ed Crane to reminisce about KFBK. Then Tom Sullivan joined Kitty O’Neal during the afternoon news to commemorate the occasion. Limbaugh, who began his career as a radio talk show host in 1984 on KFBK, now hosts the highest-rated talk-radio program in the U.S., the syndicated “The Rush Limbaugh Show.” Sullivan is widely recognized in the region for his syndicated radio talk show on the Fox News Radio network, his past work as a financial editor for KFBK and KCRA-TV Channel 3, and as founder of The Sullivan Group. Sullivan’s talk show also began on KFBK, in 1988. Also Thursday, staff opened a time capsule that was left by a past generation of KFBK employees. “Having the privilege of working with the people that keep KFBK a significant and relevant voice in the community is a daily occurrence that has been happening for every general manager of the station over the years,” Jeff Holden, vice president and marketing manager of Clear Channel Sacramento, said in a news release. “I’m proud and humbled to lead one of the most enduring brands in media,” added Alan Eisenson, KFBK operations manager. The station began simulcasting on KGBY-FM 92.5 on Dec. 1, 2011. The Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce honored KFBK on Jan. 27 by inducting the station into the chamber’s Business Hall of Fame. Melanie Turner covers energy, environment, clean technology, agriculture, transportation, media and marketing for the Sacramento Business Journal (via Kevin Redding, ABDX via DXLD) ** U S A. 1610, WPFK-505, CA, Banning, 1/30 2115 [EST = 0215 UT Feb 1] with “Banning AM 620,” not sure why they say AM 620 when it’s on 1610. (Bill Block, Prescott Valley, AZ 86314, Drake R8, IRCA DX Monitor Feb 22 via DXLD) ** U S A. THE NEW LIBRARY OF LAUGHS: GEORGE GIMARC'S ALL-COMEDY STATION HITS DALLAS RADIO FEBRUARY 1 If anyone would know the answer to the question, "Has there ever been an all-comedy radio station in Dallas?" it would be George Gimarc, who has spent most of a lifetime on Dallas radio whilst also collecting its related ephemera. No, he says. "Not that I'm aware of." Not till now, at least -- or February 1, to be specific. On that date Gimarc, the man behind KZEW's late-great The Rock and Roll Alternative and The Edge, will take control of 1700 on your AM dial. And he will replace KKLF's current programming, nothing more than a KLIF simulcast, with his own: all comedy, all the time. We first told you about Gimarc's venture into the laugh factory in May 2010, back when he was launching what was then known as the Donkey Comedy Network. It has since changed names: 24/7 Comedy. And in recent months it has spread nationwide and even across the northern U.S. border: In October it took over the Emmis-owned frequency formerly occupied by KGSR's simulcast in Austin, and "we're killing it down there." Gimarc says the comedy format has also launched in Kansas City, Norfolk and Toronto [CFRB/CFRX overnight], among other cities. And in coming weeks it will debut in Phoenix and Raleigh-Durham. Says Gimarc, the deal in Dallas isn't necessarily permanent, at least not yet. At present KKLF is a Cumulus station, but it must sell the station following its acquisition of Citadel; the chain simply has too many local frequencies. And KKLF's an interesting spot on the AM dial: Originally licensed in Richardson, it's not easy to pick up south of, say, LBJ. "We're bringing Comedy to North Dallas," Gimarc says. "Inside your building, I doubt you could pick up the signal because it doesn't have that much oomph. It's more of a McKinney-Sherman-Allen- Addison area kind of thing." Ah, The Golden Quadrangle. Right now the station has "more than 10,000 tracks" in rotation, Gimarc says, with the majority of them recent -- comedians like, say, Doug Stanhope, Louis CK, Lisa Lampanelli and anyone else you'd find roasting a celebrity on Comedy Central. "But there is stuff going back to Cosby, Carlin and Bob Newhart," says Gimarc. "It's the alternative to rock and roll. I guess we've twisted the words. And it is about discovering new artists who aren't on the charts. So there's a parallel there as well." When Gimarc initially launched the format in 2010 he had a partner: Bill Bungeroth, a former president and CEO at Cumulus. Gimarc says he's more or less stepped aside, and that he's running the show with six others. He says it's a bit like early-days Edge, though: Everyone's got their hands in everything. "In some ways it's a kajillion miles away from what I've done in this city," Gimarc says. "But it's still cutting-edge and you can't get it anywhere else, which is on the continuum of what I've done. And similar to The Edge, there are a lot of folks involved, and they all put their piece on it. We're just trying to lighten people's spirits. These are dark times. We all need a laugh. ... "And if you want to cite any influence, say that I was greatly influenced by my buddy Jim Lowe when he had his Library of Laughs, which I grew up listening to in the '60s. He not only played R&B, but he also had the Library of Laughs. That hipped me to comedy." (DALLAS OBSERVER DOT COM via Dale Park, Jan 29, IRCA DX Monitor Feb 4 via DXLD) ** U S A. FT. LAUDERDALE PIRATE IS A REPEAT OFFENDER, GETS $25K FINE Radio-info.com February 1, 2012 http://www.radio-info.com/news/ft-lauderdale-pirate-is-a-repeat-offender-gets-smacked-with-25k-fine Ten months ago, Whisler Fleurinor was tagged with a $20,000 fine for operating illegally at 99.5. He was able to plead his way down to a $500 penalty, based on inability to pay, and the FCC says he actually did write that check. But he couldn't stay off the air. The FCC found that on August 10, November 3 and December 7, unlicensed broadcasts at 99.5 were emanating from the same commercial premises where the first bust occurred. Now there's a new fine of $25,000, based on "the egregiousness of the violations [and] absolute disregard" for the law. Read the FCC Notice of Apparent Liablity - the latest one against Mr. Fleurinor - here http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2012/db0201/DA-12-111A1.pdf (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) ** U S A. PIRATE RADIO HUNTERS AIM FOR SERIAL OFFENDERS Inside Radio February 8, 2012 The FCC’s Enforcement Bureau is hoping a more aggressive federal enforcement strategy, combined with tougher state laws, will keep the nation’s most egregious pirate radio operators off the air. It’s a game of cat and mouse, with underground transmitters and antennas hidden in tall trees. The effort turns FCC field agents into detectives... insideradio.com (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) Hi Mike, I'm unable to read the story without subscribing. Can you give us some more information about these "tougher state laws" and what they refer to? The sole authority to regulate communications in the United States rests with the federal government. Until perhaps this article, no State in the Union had any authority to do so. The only exception being (sometimes abusive) zoning laws which forbid external or obtrusive antennas, affecting mostly hams and DXers, and these, again, are mainly from homeowners associations and districts versus States. This is interesting! (Al Muick, Whitehall PA USA, ibid.) Al, Florida, and I believe New York have enacted state laws giving them power to prosecute pirates. Perhaps others. There has been a lot of press about this which could be researched. And I think in the DXLD archive (Glenn to Al, ibid.) HI Glenn, I will check the archives. I must have missed that. That will be interesting from a Constitutional Law perspective. I wonder if it will be or has been challenged. It appears to fly in the face of current federal legislation and the CFR (Code of Federal Regulations). It also strikes me that the current quantum leap in governmental interest in and prosecution of these pirates is directly related to and in direct proportion to our burgeoning level of national debt, LOL. Methinks the government will soon be too broke to chase them. Thanks for the tip! Vy 73 (Al Muick, ibid.) Hi Glenn, I did find the last notice of this back in June of last year in DXLD. Thanks again for the tip. The New York article specifically states that the law will go into effect 180 days from the day it was signed, at the end of August 2011, which would make it late this month. Woe unto the NY pirates, I guess. Still looking for the NJ and Florida statutes. I do not think this is legal, since both the FCC and the NTIA both claim exclusive jurisdiction of the spectrum, one for commercial purposes and the other for the feds. The New York law specifically limits itself to AM and FM bands and says nothing about shortwave. Ha! Loophole! There was one laughable statement about the States' being able to react faster than the federal government to catch the offenders. Are you kidding me?! Most of these people at the state level couldn't find their own asses with two hands, a biological chart and a flashlight. ;-) Pennsylvania is a prime example. This will be an interesting show the first time they attempt to prosecute someone at the state level. This is a legal catastrophe waiting to happen. As we spiral into economic and social collapse, they want to play around with this?! Thanks again for the tip. Always a friend, (Al Muick, DX LISTENING DIGEST) State and local governments can't seize power over the radio spectrum that is reserved exclusively to the Congress by the Communications Act, but that doesn't stop states and localities from passing laws and ordinances about it. The FCC will challenge laws where they infringe on federal authority, but only where it serves the agency to do so. Examples would include the old state utility commission regulations on who can operate paging stations or interconnect their mobile radio systems to the telephone network. Those anticompetitive regs were thrown out years ago. More recent examples would include the OTARD (Over The Air Receiving Devices) rules that limit restrictions on home satellite antennas. Homeowners and apartment tenants have successfully beaten back oppressive antenna rules by appeals to the FCC, as it specifically invited when it adopted the OTARD policy. FCC Rule 97.15(b) can pre-empt state and local regulations on amateur antennas. The ARRL wastes no time in enlightening city attorneys about it when necessary. At this time the FCC is battling local governments that want to take their time in approving siting of mobile phone base stations. Community opposition, often based on aesthetic considerations, has slowed down network construction in many places and the FCC has had enough of it. But the Commish hasn't been too interested in challenging state and local laws against pirate radio or CB interference. Those make the FCC's job easier. If the local fuzz can take the alleged pirate off the air, that's one less trip for Enforcement Bureau agents on their meager travel budgets. It would be up to the accused to fight it. I don't see the FCC telling the police where to go, or ticking off licensed broadcasters who may have pushed for the takedown (Benn Kobb, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) ** U S A [non]. ROBERT WILLIAMS' ODYSSEY IN CUBA Radio World By Hans Johnson February 2, 2012 "He was speaking via radio to listeners in the American South . . . Fascinating article here [about Radio Free Dixie, clandestine to CSA]: http://www.rwonline.com/article/robert-williams%E2%80%99-odyssey-in-cuba/211604 ``He [Johnson] has been writing about broadcasting for almost 20 years and founded Cumbre DX in 1994" (via Mike Terry, cumbredx yg via DXLD) Thanks, Mike, for publicizing this article. This was a lot of fun to do. Williams donated his papers to the University of Michigan and they are available on microfilm in a number of other universities. The files include a lot of material on Radio Free Dixie, including many reception reports, as well as a number of his radio scripts and studio recordings. 73s (Hans Johnson, ibid.) ** U S A. WRPM question --- According to the FCC CDBS database, WRPM (Poplarville, MS) is on 1170 during the day, and 1530 during critical hours. Does this station really change frequency for critical hours? Or is this just another example of CDBS wierdness...? -- (Mike Westfall, Los Alamos, NM http://www.facebook.com/mesamike Online logbooks: http://dxlogbook.gentoo.net Feb 6, ABDX via DXLD) The latter. There's no "sanity check" in CDBS to tell it that when a station has changed facilities and no longer uses critical-hours operation, the CH record from the old facility should be deleted. (This same glitch also means that stations that switch from full-time operation on one frequency to daytime-only on another frequency continue to have a phantom night facility listed on the old channel.) s (Scott Fybush, ibid.) ** U S A. CALL SIGN CHANGES FOR JANUARY LISTED HERE Radio World February 7, 2012 A “W” becomes a “K” in the FCC’s latest batch of radio call letter changes, after Clear Channel station WMT-FM in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, changed to KKSY-FM. (This reflects a format change from adult contemporary to country in December.) For the period Dec. 31, 2011, to Jan. 30, 2012, the FCC accepted applications to change or assign call signs, see list reproduced at http://www.radioworld.com/article/call-sign-changes-for-january-listed-here/211670 (via Mike Terry, UK, dxldyg via DXLD) AM mixed with FM, in inconvenient chronological order (gh, DXLD) ** URUGUAY. Re: "URUGUAY 6074, CXA3 LV de Artigas, Artigas. 1219-1234 on Jan 11. tks by man about political issues in Uruguay, ads in long strings, with many of them of local origin, also ID as "CX118 La Voz de Artigas". Relays MW 1180. QRK 2/3.Hrd also on Jan 12, always at midday hours. QSB, local QRN and mostly low signal. (Horacio Nigro, Barra de Valizas Summer Vacation DX activity, Uruguay) " Some new info: 1) Here is the audio clip of that logging. http://www.goear.com/listen/d53d377/6074-cxa3-la-voz-de-artigas-by-horacio-nigro 2) Today, I had sent a RR to LV de Artigas, including my phone number for further contact. Good news is that owner Mr. Roberto Murillo (son of Luis Murillo, founder, who lives but is retired), replied with a TLC, to my cell phone, thanking my report and telling me also the following: a) CXA3 has been reactivated since the beginning of this January, with the purpose of taking away the humidity that could damage the transmitter. b) He is with enthusiasm to continue with broadcasts if reception reports keep flowing. Current sked is: daily 1500-1800 [local or UT? Above report was after 1200 UT --- gh]. I commented that at that time, only local/daylight ground-path propagation is possible, so I suggested him to await for recommendations on which times could provide skywave propagation and thus better distant reception. So, you avid DXers of Uruguay on SW, let him know what times are the best for DX reception, considering QRM on the frequency. c) Couldn't tell me more info about the technical aspects of the transmitter/antenna, but said that the latter was almost down, and they will try with higher altitude from ground from tomorrow on. Nothing about their 31m plans (that appear on their webpage - I forgot to ask this to him via phone, but requested on this info previously in my E-mail). d) I asked for sending photos, station data, etc. and a QSL that he promised to provide and which I will further publish on my blog and in this reflector. 73 Horacio Nigro Geolkiewsky, Montevideo, Uruguay Mi blog: "La Galena del Sur" -- 73 & DX de (Horacio Nigro, Barra de Valizas, Rocha, URUGUAY, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) FYI, this is the sound of line QRN suffered at times with my Kenwood R600 and the 100m longwire ("on bushes"). MW and lower section of SW, specially during daytime: http://www.goear.com/listen/75f527c/ruido-de-linea-horacio-nigro ON SW, AM as well as SSB: http://www.goear.com/listen/37afd5f/ruido-de-linea-2-horacio-nigro Regretfully, I couldn`t get rid of it, since I don't have 12V PS to replace the CA source, neither can get the antenna away from the nearby powerlines. Within the QTH: my order to my family was to not connect cellphone chargers to the power at night. When they turned on a Chinese made boombox for music, with provision for an USB pendrive, it created a splashing QRN, all over the rx range. Some photos I took from this QTH are here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/12179264@N05/sets/72157629162039957/show/ 73 (Horacio Nigro Geolkiewsky, Montevideo, Uruguay, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nice shots of flowers, spiders After Vatican R. [6075] s/off at 2310 would be nice. 73, (Mauno Ritola, Finland, ibid.) Interesantísimo reporte, Horacio! Yo acabo de intentar hacer la escucha (algo antes de las 11 UT) y no llega nada. Luego leí en tu correo el horario tentativo de transmisiones. Yo creo que para que se escuche por onda terrestre en la zona del Rio de la Plata deberían transmitir desde las 2030 UT en adelante y por las mañanas entre las 1030 a 1300 UT. Abono esta idea en el recuerdo de los mejores horarios para escuchar a la desaparecida Banda Oriental. 73 (Arnaldo Slaen, Argentina, condiglist yg via DXLD) R. Rossii is on until 1300 (gh) ** VANUATU [and non]. VANUATU BRACES FOR CYCLONE JASMINE Posted at 08:02 on 07 February, 2012 UTC --- Vanuatu’s Meteorological Service is issuing warnings for Tropical Cyclone Jasmine which is heading towards the country. Today Jasmine was upgraded to a category three cyclone and is expected to bring gale force winds and heavy rain to parts of the country overnight. The Met Service says Shefa Province may experience destructive storm force winds while Tafea Province could also have destructive winds during the night. News Content © Radio New Zealand International PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=65988 (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO VANUATU COVERAGE OF CYCLONE JASMINE 3945, R. Vanuatu, 1108-1147 & 1204-1233, Feb 7. Based on my daily monitoring of this, today was well above normal reception; in vernacular with many IDs. 1108-1120 OM talking in large room (poor audio); background sounds of phone ringing; several mentions of “government of Vanuatu”. 1121 Station promo: “Hello. I am Captain Jesse Wilson, the Mission Commander for Pacific Partnership 2011 and when I am in Vanuatu, I listen to Radio Vanuatu”. 1122 Announcement that at “half past ten” (1130 UT) there would be information about "Cyclone Jasmine"; played pop songs till BoH. 1130-1138 Report about Cyclone Jasmine (wind speeds and direction); provided emergency phone number at Port Moresby and also a website. 1138 PSA and started playing pop island songs. 1216-1225 Another update on Cyclone Jasmine. 1225 PSA followed by C&W music. Running well past their normal sign off time. Four minute edited MP3 audio at http://www.box.com/s/mzlrp4lvclnglrn07jac (Ron Howard, San Francisco at Ocean Beach, CA, Etón E1, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Glenn, Feb 8 Radio Vanuatu continuing to broadcast frequent emergency information (phone numbers, websites, PSAs, etc.) regarding Cyclone Jasmine. Many IDs; all in vernacular. Still on the air long past usual sign off time. Heard randomly from 1250 to 1323 with poorer reception than yesterday (Ron Howard, San Francisco, ibid.) Feb 9 Radio Vanuatu went back to normal programming and no longer on extended schedule. Signed off between 1212 and 1230 (Ron Howard, ibid.) ** VATICAN. 7250, Feb 5 at 0628 open carrier from VR Santa Maria di Galeria, successor to inaudible Vatican Gardens transmitter, and the modulation kicks on at 0628:40 as VR is upwrapping the 0600 English broadcast, 0629 bells IS. This always happens as no human is smoothing out the broadcast which should have suppressed the closure of the preceding one on other frequencies. 7245 Mauritania not (yet) on (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) [and non]. 7250, Feb 6 at 0649, VR is missing, when Latin/Eurolang mass is normally airing, so no ACI to Mauritania 7245. Not due to propagation, since Vatican still heard on weaker 7360 in English to Africa; and TWR 7225 via AUSTRIA was inbooming, during the M-F 0644- 0659 Polish, 100 kW at 300 degrees USward rather than Polandward. So what became of VR? Absences are just as important as appearances, but some editors will pass over a non-log like this. 7250, Feb 7 at 0633 and still at 0652, VR is missing from this frequency for the second day in a row. 7360 still on with African service in English. At 0639 checked 6075 and wondered if a weak signal aside CFRX could be this, until strong carrier cut on and off and on, joining Latin mass in progress. SMG is really having problems with its emitters, so would not be surprised if other transmissions be absent. 7250, after missing two days, VR is back here Feb 8 at 0640, fair in Latin mass, weaker than a very different kind of chanting from Mauritania on 7245 which has also reappeared. VR also back on 6075, poor at 0642 check, and very poor on 7360 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) 21680, 1128 2 Jan, VR, dead air to 1130, ID and sign-on in Spanish, SIO 344 (David Morris, Dorset, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) 21680, 1143 16 Dec VR YL in VV, SIO 333 (Richard Thurlow, Suffolk, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) Vaticanese, Vietnamese, or vernacular? Indeed supposed to be Spanish to SAm, // secret 9865 relay via Sackville (gh, DXLD) VATICAN RADIO 80TH ANNIVERSARY --- L'Osservatore Romano reported October 6 on the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Vatican Radio. “What we are today is not only the result of the intuitions of Pius XI, of Fr Giuseppe Gianfranceschi and of Guglielmo Marconi, but also of those who in 80 years have put them into practice in their vocation of service to the Radio” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, General Director of Vatican Radio, introducing the presentation of the two- volume work of Alessandro De Carolis, Ottant’anni della Radio del Papa (Eighty Years of the Pope’s Radio. Città del Vaticano, Vatican Publishing House, 2011). The box, which also contains a re-print of Fernando Bea’s book, Qui Radio Vaticana. Mezzo Secolo della Radio del Papa (Here, Vatican Radio). A Half-Century of the Pope’s Radio. Città del Vaticano, Edizioni Radio Vaticana, 1981), was presented in the Aula Magna of the Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta, on October 4 at a meeting chaired by Fr Giuseppe Costa, Director of the Vatican Publishing House. The Salesian priest highlighted the close collaboration between the Vatican Publishing House and Vatican Radio and the importance of the work which fills a gap of historical information about the Pope’s Radio. After recalling the precious [sic] activity of the Radio in totalitarian times, Fr Lombardi spoke about something that few know: Bea’s book was to have been presented at 6:00 p.m. on 13 May 1981. However at 5:17 p.m. that evening the attempted assassination of John Paul II took place in St Peter’s Square. Naturally the meeting was never held, not then and not ever. The Jesuit pointed out that there are three ways to get to know the Radio better: by consulting the historical museum in the Vatican Gardens, the two-volume work of Bea and De Carolis and the publication on Vatican Radio’s website of a documentary diary edited by Fr Félix Juan Cabasés, SJ. Mauro Moretti, Delegate Administrator of the Italian railways which sponsored the publication, announced that it would be presented to Benedict XVI on 27 October during his train journey to Assisi, where he was to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for Peace. For details about the book see http://bit.ly/zUAVyL (Jonathan Murphy, UK? Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) ** VENEZUELA [non]. No show by El Hugazo Feb 5: see CUBA ** VENEZUELA [and non]. TeleSur closely watched by US --- The Latin American TV channel TeleSur (The New Television Station of the South) was launched in July of 2005. It became the first project of television broadcasting suggested by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. TeleSur is headquartered in Caracas. The company is sponsored by Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Uruguay and Venezuela, which views its spending on TeleSur as part of ‘international obligation’. President Chávez has repeatedly stressed that he would not tolerate any dictatorship imposed on the channel: “The channel does not depend on any government of political party, and independently decides on its information policy.” The WikiLeaks website says that from the very first days when TeleSur was launched, the US State Department and the CIA had demonstrated a very aggressive approach to what they described as ‘Chávez`s private TV channel’. Dozens of messages were sent from US embassies across Latin America to Washington, expressing concerns about ‘efforts’ made by the channel to stir up public protests, criticize the US and its allies in the region, and ‘praise populist leaders and Cuban government’. Using the terms of the Cold War era, North American diplomats gave recommendations to ‘urgently stop this red propaganda on TV’. Read more from the Strategic Culture Foundation http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2012/02/02/telesur-closely-watched-by-us.html (February 6th, 2012 - 10:31 UTC by Andy Sennitt, Media Network blog via DXLD) ** ZIMBABWE [non]. Madagascar. Voice of the People, 9345 Talata- Volondry. Feb 5, 2012. Sunday. 1807-1814. Shona, OM and YL talking, mention of HIV / AIDS. ID at 1812 "Voice of the People" followed by afro music and frequency announcement for 9345 kilohertz.. Good, to Zimbabwe. Jo'burg sunset 1658 (Bill Bingham, RSA, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 990, bubble jamming from an easterly direxion heard between 2330-0000 UT 25 Jan, possibly jamming Radio Sawa? No sign of Berlin-Britz on 990 (David Duckworth, Charlton-All-Saints, Wiltshire, England, Feb BDXC-UK Communication x2 via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 1134: a strange noise like DRM can be heard during the day, especially in the afternoon here in the middle of Europe. Does anybody know more; have I missed something? (Karel Honzik, Czechia, 16 Jan, MWC yg via Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) I already noticed this noise during our afternoons in autumn. No idea what it is (Max van Arnhem, Netherlands, ibid.) This from three years ago, posted Nov 12 2008: ---------- I've just read in one Serbian webforum that 1134 kHz Zadar-Rasinovac, 600 kW which transmitts Glas Hrvatske (Voice of Croatia) 13:55-06:30 UTC in the (very) near future will stop broadcasting in analog mode. The stuff are waitting the new DRM transmitter to arrive, and then they will install it, and then GOOD BY 1134 kHz AM!!! The transmitter will broadcast ONLY in DRM mode, so enjoy in Glas Hrvatske on AM 1134 kHz while you still can! Dragan Lekic from Subotica, SERBIA ---------- Before 1500, 1134 was here in eastern Germany just empty, also after the neighbours above me have switched off their TV, so also a fainter signal would not get obliterated. After 1500 just faint distant AM carriers started to appear. At the same time Bolshakovo on 1143 with very good signal and Voice of Russia in Russian (which often gets confused with Radio Mayak it seems). Very nice modulation, combining real bass with clarity. Not so good on // 5940 from Samara which sounds muffled and has rather bad hum (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED [non]. 1189.84 Spanish Mystery solved --- Going over my extensive SSS recordings from Fabulous Feb 1, I found this signal better than it had ever been with SS mx (Mexican sounding) and a La Poderosa ID at 1758 CST and a call ID as WMEJ Bay St. Louis (MS) at 1801 by an accented announcer. 73 KAZ Barrington IL (Neil Kazaross, Feb 6, ABDX via DXLD) ?? It was already solved, see DXLD 12-04 (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. New UnID DRM on 4557 kHz from S. Korea? I received powerful DRM signal on 4557 kHz at 2200 UT (tune in) on Feb. 1. There is not the announcement in Non-stop music. s/off at 0400 on Feb. 2. http://www.mediacat-blog.jp/usr/drm/4557_20120201_2345.gif This frequency is Clandestine station from S. Korea "Voice of the People - Inmin e Sori Pansong" uses it. de Hiroshi. Add. Audio File: http://web.ndxc.org/aoki/dc/tx7_3985-20120202-0217_4557.mp3 by Hiroshi at 0217 UT on Feb. 2 According to Japanese DXer XYZ in Akita: "I received UnID DRM signal on 3480 kHz at 0740 tune-in to 0754 s/off and 0840 on 4450 kHz on May 26 2011." http://ani.atz.jp/FBDX/DRMBBS/img/147.gif by XYZ on 3480 kHz http://ani.atz.jp/FBDX/DRMBBS/img/147.gif by XYZ on 4450 kHz Voice of the People performs AM broadcasting on 4450 kHz now (S. Hasegawa, Japan, Feb 2, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) So DRM is (c)overtly being used for jamming? Worx fine (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 4845.25, new LA occupant on the bands this past week, noted 1005+ whenever ute pauses. Accordion music, big splash from 4840. Suspect a Brazilian but nothing yet to hang hat on (Ralph Perry, Wheaton, Illinois, Drake R8B; Japan Radio NRD-545; Eton E1; Hallicrafters SX100; Knightkit Star Roamer, Dentron Super Tuner + Ameco PLF-2 + Palomar P-408 + customized (tropical bands) Quantum Phaser antenna unit; Longwires (150' + 100'); Tuned Multi-Turn 20" Small Loop; Single-Turn Coax Loop, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5076, 1710 UT 8 Jan, GTS (3 seconds late) at 1800, mix of unID language plus music, very steady signal, SIO 232 (David Morris, Dorset, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) I suppose GTS means Greenwich Time Signal --- do you mean it was definitely the one originating from Greenwich, by its format? Looks like another SW minus MW mix frequency, probably from 49m band of a shared transmitter site with MW; who can outfigure it? No hits on 5076 in the decade`s DXLD archive. I can: knowing that the 1200 kW, 1089 kHz R. Rossii transmitter at ``Tbilisskaya`` has been culprit on other odd frequencies, I add that to 5076 and get: 6165, where guess what, ``Armavir`` is scheduled at 17-18 per HFCC and EiBi; EiBi shows Italian, Aoki says Italian started Jan 1 from ``Krasnodar``, and I do believe all these names refer to the same site (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) They do. Armavir and Krasnodar are the next cities, about 80 and 120 km, respectively, away. Tbilisskaya is a small town next to the transmitter plant. Just hit it into Google Maps and find the large antenna field to the northwest. Some photos have meanwhile been posted to Panoramio as well: http://www.panoramio.com/map/#lt=45.471447&ln=40.110569&z=4&k=2&a=1&tab=1&pl=all On the western edge of the station grounds are the LW/MW antennas, I think from north to south for 171, 1170 (this one a Zarya travelling wave antenna) and 1089, with the related transmitters sitting in the central building. The other active transmitter building (the third one to the south looks like a mere hull that has not been outfitted) in the northeastern corner apparently houses some of the shortwave transmitters, connected to standard curtains and fixed dipole walls SGD-RA as they can be found at Grigoriopol and Padarsko (to mention just two sites) as well (Kai Ludwig, Germany, Feb 8, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5355, that pulsing seeming Cuban jamming stray, Feb 4 at 0611, and as I listened it jumped to 5370; previously logged on 5365 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5370, Feb 5 at 0643, stray pulse-jamming still here, or is it something else? (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 5403.5-USB, finally heard a ham on the 55 (``60``) meter band, Feb 5 at 0635, but a ragchewer, missing any call if given at 0642 when I could not hear his co-channel contact; certainly sounded American (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 7335-USB, 0834 18 Jan, Russian number station, YL plus audio hum, off 0835, SIO 354 (Alan Pennington, Caversham, Berkshire, Feb BDXC-UK Communication via DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. On Now (1411 GMT) 7510 kHz any ideas who? 7510 UNID 1405 song in progress W singer followed at 1406 English M preaching. (Looking for TWR-India Hindi via Uzbekistan and instead found this English preaching program.) Fair-poor. 2/5/12 (Steve, location unknown, NASWA yg via DXLD) In all probability it is TWR India [non], with a language change or default (gh, DXLD) UNIDENTIFIED. 9522-9523, Feb 7 at 1502, very distorted spur with talk maybe in Thai or similar, 1503 off and on and off; call to breakfast of omelet with avocado side prevented me from chasing it further. Uplooked later in Aoki, nothing likely on nearby frequencies, so apparently spur from further afield. Was also hetting 9525/9526 both still on, see INDONESIA (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. African language station --- Hello DXers, I picked up a station with Sudanese song followed by a vernacular African language on 9805 around 1845 UT. The Sudanese song played was in Arabic, a very well known Sudanese song called ezzayakom - how are you in Sudanese Arabic. Followed by OM with African language. The transmission ended up around 1858 with an address in Cameroon. You can hear the recording of the last couple of minutes of the station here http://soundcloud.com/su1tz/unid-african-language-on-9805 Any idea what is the ID of that station? Clandestine? Best regards (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, Feb 6, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Tarek, Is Afia Darfur Radio. http://www.afiadarfur.com/ http://www.firstpost.com/topic/place/darfur-afia-darfur-radio-9805-khz-4122011-video-jP1w1tCjrPg-614-1.html (Ron Howard, San Francisco, Calif. USA, ibid.) Thanks Ron, I thought so at the beginning; when I heard the Sudanese song, I thought Afia Darfur is extending its programes as the sign off of Afia is at 1830 UT. Plus, Afia is transmitting in Sudanese Arabic which I can understand, so I guess this is a clandestine station; but targeting which country? No idea so far. Best regards (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, 2023 UT, ibid.) Dear Ron, Many thanks for your e mail. Well, I guess they are not Afia, as Afia is targetting the people of Darfur, and they mainly speak Arabic. That transmission was in an African vernacular so I'm positive this ain't Afia. Let's see how our friend DXers will say about it. Best regards (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt to and via Ron, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Oops! I guess I should have said: Is it Afia Darfur Radio? But per your observations is not them (Ron Howard, ibid.) Dear Ron, The IBB-RMS in Cairo does not monitor this frequency in this time. Will it be special extension broadcast today? (S. Hasegawa, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Tarek, Interesting they have a half hour gap (1830-1900) in their schedule for 9805. 1800-1830 UTC (9:00 PM-9:30 PM Darfur Time) 9380 9805 11615 1900-1915 UTC (10:00 PM-10:15 PM Darfur Time) 9805 9815 1915-1930 UTC (10:15 PM-10:30 PM Darfur Time) 9745 9805 9815 Best regards, (Ron Howard, ibid.) Well Ron, I stayed on the freq. for like 3 minutes after 1900 UT and guess what. They started the Arabic section of WYFR for 1 minute and went off Air, but no Afia Darfur. Best regards (Tarek Zeidan, Cairo, Egypt, ibid.) The Cameroon address brings to mind Sawtu Linjiila (Voice of the Gospel), which WRTH 2012 continues to classify on page 501 among ``clandestine and other target broadcasts`` instead of just another gospel-huxter service aimed at a certain country. It so happens that it`s scheduled at 1830-1900 in Fulfulde, 9800 due south via Wertachtal, while 9805 IBB at 1800-1830 is also Wertachtal at 150 degrees, per HFCC but which shows 9800 in Hausa instead of Fulfulde. Were you perhaps 5 kHz off, or was Wertachtal? Perhaps they failed to make the switch from 9805 to 9800 at 1830. As for YFR at 1900, scheduled on neither, no doubt another switching error supposed to start on some other frequency (Glenn Hauser, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Yes, there are at least two Sawtu Linjila IDs in the recording and the Cameroon address sounds the same mentioned in WRTH (Jari Savolainen, Finland, ibid.) UNIDENTIFIED. 15468-SSB, Feb 2 at 1511, intruding intermittent 2-way in Spanish with het from 15470, i.e. YFR Marathi via Nauen; stronger by comparison when still going at 1527 recheck (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 17781.5-USB, Feb 4 at 1552, intruder, 2-way in Spanish, but mostly monolog audible from one side. No sign of scheduled 17780 BBC Hausa via Woofferton supposedly Saturdays until 1700 (Glenn Hauser, OK, DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 25950/FM, Ticker; 1850, 30-Jan; No sign of KOA studio link audio, but getting approx. 120 ticks per minute, and only hear in FM! Still there at 2034, but stronger & can hear in all modes (Harold Frodge, Midland MI, USA, Drake R8B + 125 ft. bow-tie; 85 ft. RW & 180 ft. center-fed RW, logged by my ears, on my receiver, in real time! DX LISTENING DIGEST) UNIDENTIFIED. 26020 kHz TV Audio Spur --- I received about 30 minutes ago, briefly strongly enough to identify the language as Spanish a mix of 60 Hz video buzzing and Spanish audio which came in best on FM though covered in 60 Hz, seems to me like a TV transmitter spur from Central/South America. Since then it's been quite weak but still in. Keep a lookout, seems to vary a bit between 26.01 and 26.02 for the "best" signal (Hugh Hoover, Portugal, 1957 UT 1 Feb, WTFDA via DXLD) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ UNSOLICITED TESTIMONIALS ++++++++++++++++++++++++ ACKNOWLEDGED ON WORLD OF RADIO 1603: Thanks for the weekly show which I used to listen to on WRN but now usually via your webstream (Andrew Rogers, Worcester, England, with a contribution in US$ via PayPal to woradio at yahoo.com) TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED ON SUBSEQUENT PROGRAMS: Thanks to a check in the mail marked ``confidential`` with a postit ``Keep up the great work``, to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 Thanks to Jack Smith, Newport NC, for an MO in the mail to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 (gh)) Thanks for a contribution from Chuck Ermatinger, MO (gh) Dear Mr. Glenn Hauser, It is with great pleasure that I send you this letter. My name is Tomoaki Wagai and I am a Japanese listener on radio. Thank you for sharing your information of DXing every time. I can only offer you a beggary donation. Please use for your work. I would very much appreciate your work (with a donation to P O Box 1684, Enid OK 73702 USA) Hello Glenn, thanks so much for your longtime WOR work and probably the best "updates to the WRTH" and a lot of cool DX news to peruse too 73 (Steve McGreevy, CA, Feb 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST) re DXLD 12-05: Grato Glenn, por seu excelente trabalho informativo. Um forte abraço, (Jorge Freitas, Feira de Santana BA - Brasil, 12 14´S 38 58´W, DX LISTENING DIGEST) PUBLICATIONS ++++++++++++ FM LIST USER INFO Since it's slow, some info on using FM List. Currently there are 17 WTFDA members registered at FM List. You can go to http://www.fmlist.org and enter by logging in, or by entering as a guest. Logging in as a registered user is preferable because you can customize/delete any fields any way you want, while a guest cannot do it. WTFDA is responsible for the USA database, and since last week, Alaska and Canada. To use FM List as a guest, enter as a guest. Select a country (USA/CAN/ALS, for example) and then set the database for the number of entries you want shown per screen. To do a search as a guest, click on the box with the magnifying glass. You will be able to search by frequency, call letters, location, city, state or province, RDS ID, PDS PI code or by format or by any combination. The main screen of the database is crammed with too many fields. As a guest there is nothing you can do about it. As a registered user, you can. For the USA and Canada, the fields are: Frequency (frequency) P (not used here) Location (City/town) Reg (State or Province) La (language, blank unless station is Spanish or other) Program (call letters) Reg Program (slogan: Q104, Kiss-FM, K-Love, etc) pty (RDS program type (if known) gathered from RDS Software) mod (m=mono, s=stereo, H= HD Radio, with s not being used since almost all stations are stereo) power (in kw) dir ((directional N=non, D=directional) pol (polarity) height coord (co-ordinates) haat (height above average terrain) rds_ID (PS ID) rds_reg (Not Used) rds_rt (Not Used) pi_ID (PI code) remarks (station format) Registered users can pick what fields they want to show on the database. Just click on the settings box (located to the right of the search box) and uncheck the fields you don?t want to see. You can then put these fields into any order you want by using the up and down arrows in the settings box. Then just save your settings. Any field can be widened to show all of the information in it by double clicking that field. If a search for all stations in Quebec, QC yields nothing, type in a search for Qu*bec, QC. The asterisk is a wild card replacing the é which is missing from most US keyboards. Try the same for Montreal. In my own case, I have configured my own display to show program (Calls), frequency, location (city), reg (state), power, coordinates, pty, reg program (slogan), rds_ID (PS), pi_ID (PI code), and remarks (format). The rest is really unneeded. Your FM List editors are Nick Langan, Jeff Lehmann, Bryce Foster, Mike Hawkins, John Cereghin and myself. Fred Nordquist supplies the RDS information. We get our information from the VUD (FM News, DX reports), Radio-Info, RadioInsight, station websites and bandscans, etc. If you can supply us with wrong/missing information for your area, we will update it. Remember, spring and summer DX isn?t that far away so let`s try to get this as accurate as we can! -- (Mike Bugaj, Enfield, CT USA, 4 Feb, WTFDA Tvfmdx mailing list via DXLD) WIRELESS DIREXION FINDING Hi, Members of the group who are interested in the book 'Wireless Direction Finding' by Keen can access a digital copy at Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music --- http://www.archive.org/ - Translate this page. There is even a button to press and the book will be read to you hi! 72, (Brian, G0NSL-QRP, MWCircle yg via DXLD) COMMUNITY RADIO HANDBOOK (free to download) To start a small radio station is not as complicated and expensive as many people think. This Handbook aims to show that ordinary people, even non-technical rural populations, can plan, set-up, manage and produce radio programmes by themselves with a minimum of dependence on outside help. "Community Radio Handbook" provides the readers with information on legal aspects of community radio as well as more practical tips on technical aspects. The Handbook also explains to communities how to start their own community radio station. The last chapter of the Handbook presents a series of case studies of community radio stations, two of them located in Africa. To download the Handbook, visit http://developingradio.org/files/UNESCO%20CR%20Handbook.pdf Source: Radio for Peacebuilding Africa (via Sergei S., Feb 2, dxldyg via DXLD) Applicable to NAm? (gh) RADIAL from RAIBC I have just received this season`s copy of Radial. The club magazine for RAIBC, (Radio Amateur Invalid & Blind Club) who now define themselves as "The Charity working for Radio Amateurs with disabilities." If any member of BDXC has any disability or wish to support a group whose sole reason for existing is to support those who do in the hobby. then I can highly recommend joining RAIBC. It is not just about amateur radio; they also support SWL's. This edition of Radial carries information about how to buy a talking multi-meter. RAIBC has brought some from The National Federation of the Blind in the USA. And also a Accessibility review of the Kenwood TS-590S. Rabic also has talking versions of various magazines & a equipment loan system, as well as able bodied helpers willing to support if they can. http://raibc. org.uk/ (Alan m0lsx Feb 2, BDXC-UK yg via DXLD) REMEMBERING THE DEFUNCT INTERNATIONAL DXER'S CLUB OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA The defunct Dxer's Club of San Diego, California, was solely run by the late Larry Brookwell around the seventies and eighties as a non- profit venture. The DX club published a monthly bulletin for its subscribers at a modest fee. The contents of the bulletin were focused on three main shortwave areas: Receiver Reviews, accessories and antennas and also what was called “Random Rumblings” featuring non hobby but entertaining issues. The bulletin provided readers with current information on shortwave hobby and related matters, such as RTTY. Questions or views and equipment review comments were also published. Mr Brookwell was also willing to undertake repairs of shortwave equipment from members of the club. Though Mr. Brookwell has passed on, his contribution to promotion of shortwave listening still lives (Dzever Ishenge, Nigeria, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) So he was a member? (gh) OBJECT LESSON ON USING ONLINE SCHEDULE RESOURCES, SUCH AS EIBI Re DXLD 12-05, thread under OMAN, really IRAN: ``All, Due to circumstances beyond my control, I missed the 1430 UT ID or The language is definitely *NOT* Arabic, so please disregard my logging of Oman on this frequency yesterday. Unless someone comes up with any evidence to the contrary, I am going to call this Vo Iran in Hindi. I have just sent you a copy of the .csv file from EiBi from 15 January 2012 listing Oman in the 1400-1730 time slot.`` (Al Muick) ``Al, Yep, there it is at line 9128. It took forever to scroll down to that after importing text in Open Office. I prefer the plain txt version of EiBi, which is a lot easier to navigate, but it`s strange they don`t match in this entry and I suppose many others. Maybe he puts more (all?) unconfirmed HFCC info into the one you are using. Those really ought to be flagged in some way. 73, (Glenn, ibid.)`` Hi Al and all, take care when reading the csv file; it does include many inactive entries for a reason. The last three entries of each line give a clue if and when the entry is active: - If the first of the three is a "6", the entry was/is/will be active for the dates specified, e.g.: 6;3010;1911 means "active from 30 October til 19 November of the current season, inactive on other dates" (cancelled transmission, changed frequency, ...) This is useful when you check your logs on a later date when the transmission has already been cancelled and deleted from the up-to- date databases. - If the first of the three is an "8", the entry is INACTIVE until further notice. This is used for domestic stations that might come back at random, or for some wooden entries when I don't know which of them actually will be used. When the station is clearly IDed to be on the air, then I just change the 8 to a 0 to make the entry active. Entries such marked as inactive are not copied into the bc and freq files, which are generated from the csv file with a date filter. These and more codes are explained in the readme.txt. Sorry for the confusion! 73, (Eike Bierwirth, Feb 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) Hi Eike, Thank you for your explanation, and you certainly have nothing to apologize for in this context! The simple fact of the matter is that my logging software, DXtreme http://www.dxtreme.com imports and converts your .csv file into a Micro$oft .mdb file; however it truncates the data and does not import several of the important columns into its database. I'm ashamed to admit, I was not aware of this fact until this incident occurred. Armed with this knowledge, I will most certainly compare against your original .csv in cases where doubt may exist from this day forward. I have also sent a somewhat blistering email to the software company, asking that the program be corrected in the next release to actually include all fields. Vy 73 (Al Muick, ibid.) I never use ``logging software`` and have no desire to; even less so now (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) TROPICAL BANDS MONITOR DSWCI Tropical Bands Monitor 2011 is now available free to all DXers, along with the TBM editions of earlier years http://www.dswci.org/tbm Best 73, (Rolf Wernli, Feb 5, DSWCI, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Whilst 2012 editions are for members/subscribers only (gh, DXLD) TOPLESS QSLS There was a thread in DXPlorer regarding topless QSL:s starting with the QSL Walt Salmaniw received from Radio Symban. It was long time back stations used to produce QSL cards with such motives. Just to freshen up the momery of our old time members here are a few of the comments found on DXPlorer. /TN (Thomas Nilsson, SW Bulletin Feb 5 via DXLD) Going through some of my material (it's only taken me almost 2 years since we've moved in at the new place!), and came across Radio Symban's QSL. [Australian birds: cockatoo, topless bather, kookaburra, hee hee --- gh] Who said QSL collecting is only for old codgers! This one sure got my attention! (Walt Salmaniw via DXPlorer, ibid.) Another Topless QSL My first topless QSL was from Radio Brazzaville in French Equatorial Africa. I was using my parents’ upright Coronado radio made in the 1930s and had just discovered SW stations weren’t evenly-spaced across the dial like MW but were clustered in a few tiny segments. At my location, which was 15 miles east of the geographic center of the USA (just 48 states at that time), the stations I could hear regularly were BBC, VOA, HCJB, TIFC, & TGNA. But there were also 2 rather exotic stations I often heard: British Far Eastern Broadcasting Service, as it was called then, in Singapore, and Radio Brazzaville. I liked to listen to Brazzaville’s theme music, and when I had company at sign-on time I’d insist they listen to it. I later learned the music was from an Offenbach operetta. An authoritative man’s voice would announce, “This is Radio Brazzaville, the French National Broadcasting Station in (pause) Africa.” Or something like that (Wendel Craighead, Kansas, via DXPlorer, ibid.) More on Radio Brazzaville & Tahiti Topless QSLs Since people are still commenting on topless QSLs, here’s a little more about the Radio Bra[less]zzaville QSL I mentioned a few days ago. It’s actually a 7½ by 5½ paper folder. With a purple border, the front of is a black-and-white photo of a group of Congolese men and women working among what appear to be large baskets of cotton. The center of interest is a young woman wearing only a skirt made of leaves and posing for the camera. Inside is info in English & French about French Equatorial Africa, Brazzaville, and Radio Brazzaville. The back contains the verification statement, and pasted on is the frequency schedule for Radio Brazzaville, with only frequencies and power for Radio A.E.F. The QSL is postmarked in May 1955. When I reported a few years later they had replaced the topless QSL. By 1959 the country was independent and verified with a vertical ORTF card with a black African mask and a red map of Africa, and 1966 brought a larger card with a similar design. During the same period, Radio Congo Brazzaville used a card of the format used by many former French colonies in Africa. These brown, mustard, and black cards carried the name of the station, a map of Africa with former French colonial station locations indicated by white dots, and the reported station shown by a black dot. My ’63 card is postmarked Brazzaville but carries a Republique du Tchad stamp. And I actually have 3 different Tahiti topless cards. On the 1959 Radio Tahiti card is a black-and-white drawing of 2 men playing drums and a woman wearing only a grass skirt, and the 1963 card is a B&W drawing of a topless mermaid. Next came a blue RTF card with a cartoon of a man with one hand to his ear and the other giving a thumbs-up, but by 1977 it was topless again; the station was FR3 and the card carried multi-color artwork of a young woman seated on a beach. My ’83 FR3 card depicts a man blowing on a conch shell (Wendel Craighead, Kansas via DXPlorer, ibid.) When googling this subject I found some additional QSL cards with the same type of motive used way back which might be of interest. Those QSL cards were found at http://www.antique-corner.com/SWLQSL/ Nowadays it is more or less only pirate stations using such motives. Enjoy the good old times. /TN (Thomas Nilsson, ibid.) [for this entire article illustrated see http://www.hard-core-dx.com/swb/1738.pdf pages 9-11, where the captions say:] Radiodifusión de Santa Isabel – 1960 Fernando Poo (Bioko Island) QSL Contributed by Pentti Stenman - Finland Radio Tahiti 1959 (Glenn Hauser collection) [the one on the right] Radio Tahiti 1971 Radio Tahiti 1996 Radio Tahiti 1979 Radio Tchad 1979 (SW Bulletin Feb 5 via DXLD) FEBRUARY 2012 RADIO WORLD INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL ISSUE IS NOW AVAILABLE Dear Radio Professional: Welcome to the all-digital version of Radio World International. Click on the cover to read radio technology news, reviews, commentary and more! If you cannot view the image, copy and paste this entire link in your browser: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/rwi_201202/ (via Juan Franco Crespo, DXLD) with annoying virtual page-turning (gh) RADIO PHILATELY +++++++++++++++ CUBA: CONCURSO DE EL MUNDO DE LA FILATELIA - BASES DEL CONCURSO ANUAL Auspician El Mundo de la Filatelia de Radio Habana Cuba y la Federación Filatélica Cubana. Podrán participar todos aquellos que así lo deseen quienes deberán responder a la siguiente pregunta: ¿Qué importancia tienen para usted las emisiones postales de las temáticas de medio ambiente y biodiversidad? Todos los que participen recibirán a vuelta de correos una paquetería de sellos cubanos de variados temas. Los trabajos no excederán las dos cuartillas escritas en computadora, a máquina o a mano con letra clara y legible. Las mejores respuestas serán dadas a conocer en el programa El Mundo de la Filatelia y se publicarán en su edición digital de la página WEB de Radio Habana Cuba. Envíe su respuesta por el correo postal a: Concurso FILAMUNDO 2012, Radio Habana Cuba, apartado 6240 La Habana, Cuba o por el correo electrónico radiohc@enet.cu El plazo de admisión de cartas estará abierto hasta el treinta y uno de diciembre del presente año. FUENTE: Radio Habana Cuba: http://www.radiohc.cu/de-interes/concursos/11939-concurso-de-el-mundo-de-la-filatelia.html Mañana 1410 UT Domingo El Mundo de la Filatelia Noche 0210 UT Domingo El Mundo de la Filatelia (Via Yimber Gaviria, Colombia, noticiasdx yg via DXLD) + tarde Aren`t Cuban stamps still banned from importation into USA? Easily circumvented, I suppose (Glenn Hauser, DXLD) WORLD OF HOROLOGY +++++++++++++++++ WORLD RADIO DAY OBSERVATION, FEBRUARY 13 Sajan Venniyoor via cr-india list : [From Prof. Vinod Pavarala, President, Communty Radio Forum & UNESCO Chair on Community Media] Dear all: 13 February is a date proclaimed by UNESCO to celebrate radio broadcasting, improve international cooperation among radio broadcasters and encourage decision-makers to create and provide access to information through radio, including community radios. It’s an occasion to draw attention to the unique value of radio, which remains the medium to reach the widest audiences. UNESCO encourages all countries to celebrate this Day by undertaking activities with diverse partners, such as national, regional and international broadcasting associations and organizations, non- governmental organizations, media organizations, outlets as well as the public at large. Please see on the link given below 15 ideas from UNESCO on how to celebrate the day. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/world-radio-day/ These ideas include: broadcasting a one-minute message by the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bukova; broadcasting a radio- centred programme or public-service message; organizing debates/discussions with key stakeholders; phone-in radio shows with audiences; interviews with radio personalities; etc. Do mark the occasion with something special and share the information with others in the Community Radio Forum (CRF) and the wider CR community in the country. Thank you -- Prof. Vinod Pavarala President, Communty Radio Forum & UNESCO Chair on Community Media University of Hyderabad Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to http://www.crforum.in (via Alokesh Gupta, Feb 3, dx_india yg via DXLD) Let’s Celebrate World Radio Day, 13 February 2012 The World Radio Day seeks raise awareness about the importance of radio, facilitate access to information through radio and enhance networking among broadcasters. Radio has to be recognized as a low cost medium, specifically suited to reach remote communities and vulnerable people: the illiterate, the disabled, women, youth and the poor, while offering a platform to intervene in the public debate, irrespective of people’s educational level. Furthermore, radio has a strong and specific role in emergency communication and disaster relief. There is also a changing face to radio services which, in the present times of media convergence, are taking up new technological forms, such as broadband, mobiles and tablets. However, it is said that up to a billion people still do not have access to radio today On November 3, 2011, the 36th General Conference of UNESCO approved the creation of the World Day of Radio. The initial idea came from the Spanish Academy of Radio four years ago, therefore, the Permanent Delegation of Spain to UNESCO formally present the proposal at the session 187 of UNESCO's Executive Board in September 2011. http://www.worldradioday.org/ Details of event in London http://worldradiodaylondon.eventbrite.com/ (via Mike Terry, Feb 8, dxldyg via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) WHAT TIME WILL IT BE IN UKRAINE? "The bill on the calculation of time on the territory of Ukraine will be based on the government's position in this year return to winter time and leave Ukraine in the second zone. This was reported Minister of emergency of Ukraine Viktor Baloga after the end of the meeting under chaired by prime minister Mykola Azarov, transmits press-service of the ministry of emergency situations. According to Baloga, the head of the government listened to the position of scientists to change the calculation of time in Ukraine. "The rapporteurs recommended: taking into account, that Ukraine will receive the Championship of Europe on football, for the convenience of foreigners, in this year switch to summer time. Then, in the autumn, the country will turn the arrow on the an hour ago and on the calculation of time to live further. This position scientists and the prime minister about leaving in Ukraine of the second time zone and will form the basis for a draft law, which will be prepared and transmitted to the vote in the Verkhovna Rada", - noted Baloga. Let's remind, at the government session on January 25 was postponed consideration of the bill "ABOUT the order of calculation of time on the territory of the Of Ukraine"." http://www.rbc.ua/rus/newsline/show/baloga-zakonoproekt-ob-ischislenii-vremeni-predpolagaet-30012012185000 (Alexander Egorov, Kyiv, Ukraine / "open_dx" & "deneb-radio-dx" via RusDX Feb 5 via DXLD) Is that clear? CONVENTIONS & CONFERENCES +++++++++++++++++++++++++ BES EXPO 2012 BES Expo 2012, 18th International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial and Satellite Broadcasting (EXPO 2012) will be held on 11th-13th February 2012 at Hall Nos. 12 & 12A, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India. Pragati Maidan is India’s biggest exhibition centre and is located in the heart of Delhi. BES EXPO 2012 is approved by Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, endorsed by IABM U.K. and supported by Prasar Bharati, Ministry of Communications & IT, ABU Malaysia, Society of Broadcast Engineers, U.S.A. and several other national and international organisations. More details at : http://www.besindia.com/forthcomingevents.asp (Alokesh Gupta, New Delhi, dx_india yg via DXLD) See also INDIA: DRM TENTATIVE FORUMS SCHEDULE POSTED, WINTER SWL FEST MARCH 1-3 This is to notify all who might be interested that the tentative forums schedule for the 25th Anniversary Winter SWL Fest (March 1-3, 2012) has been posted on the Fest web site: http://www.swlfest.com (John Figliozzi, 2012 Winter SWL Fest Co-Chair, Feb 7, NASWA yg via DXLD) TWO UPCOMING SPECIAL EDITIONS OF MEDIA NETWORK PLUS PCJ Media and PCJ Radio --- On March 3rd (UTC TIME) there will be 2 special editions of Media Network Plus. March 3, 2012 - 0100 UT (9 pm Friday March 2nd): The monthly 55 minute edition of Media Network Plus will focus on the SWL Winter Fest talking place in Plymouth Meeting, PA. Frequency: 9955KHZ. [WRMI] [sic, time conversion is off as UT -5 is still in effect, i.e. 0200 UT Saturday --- gh] March 3, 2012 - 2200 UT (5 pm March 3rd): The weekly 30 minute edition will have another program of Media Network Plus focusing on the SWL Winter Fest in Plymouth Meeting, PA. This program will also be heard on various platforms and regions. North America: Time & Frequency 2200 UT - 9955 khz [WRMI] 2200 UT - Satellite World Radio Network 2200 UT - Satellite SirusXM Channel 120 Europe 1400 UT - Satellite World Radio Network 1400 UT - Satellite SKY DIGITAL Channel 122 1400 UT - Worldspace Satellite Radio (Afristar satelite) 1830 UT - 7590 khz DRM [Armenia] Africa/Asia 1600 UT - Satellite World Radio Network These special programs will also be broadcast through our partner stations in Kenya, New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore, United States and Netherlands. http://www.pcjmedia.com/home/1-latest-news/162-two-upcoming-special-editions-of-media-network-plus (via Mike Terry, Feb 8, dxldyg via DXLD) RADIO IN THE NAZI PERIOD, Lectures & Workshops, March 15, New Jersey -- by: Father Lawrence Frizzell, Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Radio was used by the military during World War I and entered the life of civilians in the next decade. The Vatican created the first international radio station in 1931 and the Nazis exploited the medium soon after Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933. How cleverly Goebbels manipulated the way radio could enter every home! During the Second World War the airwaves were the source of people’s information about crucial events, often with the Axis powers and the Allies offering contradictory assessments of their impact. Various dimensions of this history will be presented by Mr. Richard Lucas and Ms. Laura N. Smith. Today’s parents and educators face the expanding influence, for better or for worse, of the media in our time. Applications of historical lessons to the situation of ordinary people, and especially youth, will be considered in two workshops. Thursday, March 15, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. [EDT = UT -4] Chancellor’s Suite, University Center, Seton Hall University, South Orange Campus 8:30 a.m. - Registration 9 a.m. - Introduction 9:15 a.m. - Berlin Calling - German Radio Broadcasts to America. Lecture by Mr. Richard D. Lucas 10:45 a.m. - Break 11 a.m. - Allied and Resistance Radio: Past and Present Dangers for All? Presentation by Ms. Laura Smith 12:15 p.m. - Lunch 1:15 p.m. - Workshop 1 by Mr. Lucas - Propaganda and Treason: Then and Now; Workshop 2 by Ms. Laura Smith - Radio in Daily Life: Then and Now 2:40 p.m. - Closing session A $10 registration fee, payable on site, includes lunch and materials. Please register by March 8, 2012. For further information, please contact Rev. Lawrence Frizzell at (973) 761-9751 or lawrence.frizzell @ shu.edu Richard D. Lucas, (M.A. in Political Science, Binghamton University), is a life-long shortwave radio enthusiast as well as a freelance writer. He studies the use of radio as a tool of propaganda and persuasion. He published a thorough and scholarly study of an American, Mildred Gillars, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to English- speaking soldiers. His book, Axis Sally: The American Voice of Nazi Germany (Philadelphia: Casemate, 2010), tells her story in the context of a search for success that brought betrayal of her homeland. Laura Smith, (M.A. in Jewish-Christian Studies, Seton Hall University), concentrated on Gandhian ahisma and civil resistance and mass media, symbolic politics and Nazi propaganda during her undergraduate studies in Political Science. She provides archivist and publication support to the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies at Seton Hall University and is currently assisting Rev. Lawrence E. Frizzell in preparing for publication the English translation of Msgr. John M. Oesterreicher’s 1939-1940 clandestine radio broadcasts. Broadcast from Paris, Msgr. Oesterreicher’s radio addresses encouraged Austrian resistance to Nazi occupation and were previously published in German by Erika Weinzierl (Wider die Tyranei des Rassenwahns: Rundfunkansprachen aus dem ersten Jaar von Hitlers Krieg (Wein: Gyer, 1986). The study day will offer five professional development credit hours for participants. This study day is sponsored by the Graduate Program in Jewish-Christian Studies with financial assistance from Ms. Chris Liu of Hong Kong. For more information please contact: Father Lawrence Frizzell (973) 761-9751 lawrence.frizzell @ shu.edu (from http://www.shu.edu/news/article/390369 via Artie Bigley, DXLD) SPRING MIDWEST DX GET-TOGETHER – ROLLA, MO The 2012 Spring Midwest Get-Together will be held the weekend of May 4-6 at the Budget Deluxe Motel, 1908 North Bishop Avenue in Rolla MO. The motel is located on the south side of I-44 (Historic Route 66) Exit 186 at the U.S. 63 junction, about 100 miles southwest of St Louis. This is the same location we had our first Midwest GTG in 1993. Rolla is a college town of about 20,000 residents; home of KTTR 1490 and 4 FM stations owned by Results Radio. Also, there’s 2 FM stations at the Missouri Science and Technology University campus (KMST 88.5 and KMNR 89.7), plenty of eating places within one half mile of motel. A possible tour of KFLW FM 98.9 in St. Robert, MO (near Fort Leonard Wood) about 25 miles down I-44, also a visit to KSMO 1340 and KKID 92.9 in Salem, MO. We are getting the word out early so many will have a chance to plan for it in advance. For those wanting to make a reservation the phone number is (573) 364-4488. Most of the activity will be Saturday May 5th. For more information contact John Tudenham at (417) 624-8058. or E mail: jotud @ yahoo.com (IRCA DX Monitor Feb 4 via DXLD) DX AND SHORTWAVE MEETINGS OF 2012 Here is a list of some radio (especially shortwave and DX) related meetings of this year. I hope this is of interest. Updates and corrections are very welcome to risto.vahakainu@helsinki.fi. Date: February 11 (1430-1700 BST) Location: Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC), 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS, England Organization: Reading International Radio Group Expected attendance: 20 More info: http://www.bdxc.org.uk Note: Reading DX meetings are held with about 2 months interval (next 14 April) Date: February 25 (1300- CET) Location: Gaggenau-Ottenau, Germany Organization: Ottenauer Kurzwellenhörerklubb Murgtal More info: bernhard.seiser @ daimler.com Note: Including a meeting of Radio Taiwan International's Hörerklubb Dates: March 1-3 Location: Plymouth Meeting (near Philadelphia), PA, USA Description: Winter SWL Fest (jubileum meeting, 25th Fest) More info: http://www.swlfest.com Expected attendance: 150 Dates: March 16-20 Location : Holzerbachtal in Solingen-Wald, Germany Description: DX-Camp Organization: Kurzwellenfreunde Rhein/Ruhr More info: dx-camp @ kwfr.de Dates: May 13-16 Location: Miami, FL, USA (cruise to Bahamas and back) Description: Annual NASB Conference Oganisation: National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters+DRM Consortium, USA More info: http://www.shortwave.org Expected attendance: 30-50 Dates: May 18-20 Location: Dayton, Ohio, USA Organization: Dayton Hamvention Expected attendance: 20000 More info: http://www.hamvention.org Dates: May 30-Jun 4 Location: Hotel Langdut Ochsenkopf, Rotta (near Wittemberg), Germany Description: European DX Conference, the annual meeting of EDXC Organization: European DX Council Expected attendance: 50 More info: http://www.edxc.org tiszi2035 @ yahoo.com Note: Including Annual General Meeting of the Danish Short Wave International Dates: June 1-3 Location: Delsbo, Sweden Description: DX-Parlamentet 2012, the annual meeting of the SDXF Organization: The Swedish DX-Federation (SDXF) More info: http://www.sdxf.se Dates: June 22-24 Location: Friedrichshafen, Germany Description: Ham Radio, biggest annual hamfest in Europe Expected attendance: 20000 Dates: June 23 (1500- BST) Location: Twickenham, England Description: British DX Club's Summer meeting More info: http://www.bdxc.org.uk Dates: July 28-August 12 Location: Döbriach, Austria Description: DX-Camp More info: http://www.dxcamp.org Dates: August 3-5 Location: Vuosaari, Helsinki Description: The Annual Summer Meeting Organization: The Finnish DX Association Expected attendance: 100 More info: http://www.sdxl.org Dates: August 27-28 Location: Tokyo, Japan Description: Big ham fair with a SW sector (Japan SW Club stand & lectures) Organization: Tokyo Ham Fair Expected attendance: 30000 More info: ohtaket @ live.jp Dates: August 31-September 5 Location: Berlin, Germany Name: IFA Internationale Funkausstellung Description: Consumer Electronics Fair - Including Radios Dates: September 14-18 Location: Germany Description: DX-Camp of the Oldenburger Kurzwellenfreunde More info: Karl-J.Conrads @ t-online.de Dates: September 21-25 Location: Holzerbachtal in Solingen-Wald, Germany Description: DX-Camp Organzation: Kurzwellenfreunde Rhein/Ruhr More info: dx-camp @ kwfr.de November 5 Location: Hannover, Germany Description: Interradio in the hall 20 of the Hannover Messe (with ADDX stand) Date: November 17 Location: Hotel Casa400, Amsterdam Description: RadioDay, event for offshore radio experts and enthusiasts Expected attendance: 400 More info: http://www.radioday.nl (Risto Vähäkainu, tietotekniikka-asiantuntija, Helsingin yliopisto Tietohallinto, p. 09-191 23133, mp. 050-529 2909 Feb 7, HCDX via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DRM See also ARMENIA; FRANCE; INDIA; ITALY; ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LIBYA; NETHERLANDS; NEW ZEALAND; RUSSIA; SOUTH CAROLINA; UNIDENTIFIED 1134; 4557/3480/4450; C&C; PROPAGATION ALL ABOUT DRM, in Portuguese, with screen captures since 2004y: http://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/hamdream/rxdrm.htm (via gh, DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- DAB ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UK DIGITAL RADIO FIGURES CONTINUE TO DISAPPOINT The growth of digital radio’s listening share has continued to be minimal, sparking concern that the Government’s switchover decision date is unrealistic: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9055324/Digital-radio-figures-continue-to-disappoint.html (via Mike Terry, Feb 2, dxldyg via DXLD) DIGITAL BROADCASTING --- IBOC see also OKLAHOMA: KFAQ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ WLW-700 HD Decode I have logged only my second AM station with its digital signal on my Sony XDR-F1HD. I have managed to decode WBZ's HD signal in the past but WLW's decoded tonight with "700 wlw.com" showing up on the display. This just shows how useless HD is on AM, but you knew that already. Even my local AMs that run HD (such as KYW or WWTX-1290 Wilmington DE) never decode here. -- (John Cereghin WDX3IAO, KB3LYP, Smyrna, Delaware My radio page http://wdx3iao.wordpress.com/ (please note NEW site!) The Ultralight Scoreboard http://wdx3iao.wordpress.com/the-ultralight-scoreboard-2/ (NEW site!) Feb 4, IRCA via DXLD) MUSEA +++++ ONLINE SHORTWAVE ARCHIVES I'm compiling a list of online sites that feature shortwave radio airchecks for my annual Shortwave Shindig Presentation at the Winter SWL Fest. Please email me with your favorites. 73, (David Goren, dbgoren @ panix.com Feb 4, HCDX via DXLD) 1956 LP OF RADIO MOSCOW RECORDINGS on YouTube In 1956 Cook Records released an LP "Radio Moscow and the Western Hemisphere". Smithsonian Folkways describes it as: An ambitious project to compile "a digest of current Russian comment" this recording draws together excerpts of propaganda broadcast on Radio Moscow, we're promised on the LP cover an "all authentic shortwave recorded direct from Moscow", "hear the real sounds of this massive cold war conflict." These excerpts, out of context in their brevity and interpolation, cover a broad spectrum of topics including religion, segregation, the police state and US imperialism; all fall under the general heading of the Cold War. One radio voice assures us, "Yes, my friends, there are crackpots and malcontents in every society." All commentary is in English. Comment between the clips is by Norman Brokenshire. The LP has now been uploaded to YouTube in 4 parts, put Radio Moscow and the Western Hemisphere in the search engine to listen to it (Mike Barraclough, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) HISTORY AMENDED BY EARLIEST RECORDING OF SOUND By Steve Kastenbaum, CNN Radio National Correspondent updated 10:50 AM EST, Wed February 8, 2012 A network of historians, audio engineers and scientists are working to preserve the earliest audio recordings ever made. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Historians and audiophiles are on a mission to find and preserve the earliest recordings Modern technology is unlocking recordings from more than 150 years ago Tim Brooks is researching the earliest African-American recordings (CNN) -- Thomas Edison came up with a way to play back recorded sound in 1878. But 20 years before the inventor patented the phonograph, French scientist Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville was fiddling around in his laboratory trying to come up with a way to record sound. His invention, the phonautogram, enabled him to create a visual representation of his voice. Scott de Martinville wasn't able to listen back to his recordings, though. The science of acoustics was in its infancy. He could only see lines etched in soot. His achievements were long-forgotten until a group of historians, audio engineers and scientists searched for his work. The First Sounds Collaborative found it in the archives of the French Academy of Sciences in 2008. "His machine would capture the vibrations out of the air and write them on to a moving piece of paper," said David Giovannoni, one of the founders of First Sounds. "When you look at the writing that this machine made, it looks exactly like a sound wave would look on audio editing software today." . . . http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/08/us/earliest-recordings-sound/index.html?hpt=hp_bn1 (via Terry Krueger, DXLD) 1991. RELIQUIA HALLADA EN EL FONDO DE MI CASA [old ET] (o cuando los Dioses de la Radio se hicieron presente en el fondo de casa). Posted on febrero 3, 2012 http://lagalenadelsur.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/1991-reliquia-hallada-en-el-fondo-de-mi-casa-o-los-dioses-de-la-radio-se-hicieron-presentes-en-el-fondo-de-casa/ (Horacio Nigro La Galena del Sur blog via noticiasdx, DXLD) EXHIBITION ON WELSH RADIO AMATEUR'S ROLE IN THE TITANIC DISASTER Southgate Amateur Radio News spotted a Wales Online report that a new exhibition is to tell the story of radio amateur Artie Moore and the Titanic Disaster. Artie Moore was in his South Wales bedroom when he leaned the Titanic was sinking – two days before the news reached the UK. It was 1912 and wireless telegraphy, or radio, was still a pioneering field of science that was not widely understood. Amateur radio operator Artie’s discovery was dismissed by his local police in Pontllanfraith, and it was not until the news reached the British press that he was finally believed. Caerphilly council’s museum, The Winding House in New Tredegar, is to feature Artie’s extraordinary story in an new exhibition focusing on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and its links to the region. Artie, from Gelligroes Mill, Pontllanfraith, heard the Titanic’s first SOS call on his homemade receiver soon after the passenger liner struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City. He had turned his hand to model engineering and radio after losing his leg in mill machinery at a young age, after which he was unable to continue working. With the aid of an engineer friend, Richard Jenkins, Artie experimented sending radio messages up the Sirhowy Valley to Mynyddislwyn. In 1911, he made front page news by picking up a message of Italy’s declaration of war on Libya but six months later, when the Titanic sank, few believed that he could hear a message from half way across the Atlantic. The duty officers at the police station simply refused to believe his explanation that he could pick up a “message in the air”. Their disbelief was not so unreasonable, even the inventor of the radio, Guglielmo Marconi, who owned the radio equipment on board the Titanic, believed it only had a range of 500 miles. Artie, or Arthur, was 3,000 miles away from the scene of the disaster when he picked up the Titanic’s distress signal. Marconi, who shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand Braun for “contributions to the development of wireless telegraphy”, was so impressed by Artie that he visited the young Welshman and gave him a job with the Marconi company. Artie went on to patent an early version of the sonar system of measuring ocean depths, inventing a very early form of sonar called the Echometer, and worked at the Marconi company until his death in 1949 at the age of 62. The Titanic, the Mill and the Signal - Artie Moore and Titanic's SOS will open on April 6. The Museum is at Winding House, Cross Street, New Tredegar, NP24 6EG, telephone 01443 822 666, email windinghouse @ caerphilly.gov.uk website http://www.windinghouse.co.uk (Mike Barraclough, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) RADIO HERITAGE FOUNDATION Hi Glenn, Thanks so much for observing [DXLD 12-05] that our media releases mention that a voluntary annual donation of US$25 towards our non-profit activities is welcome. The head of the British Charities Commission recently observed that charities cannot live by 'fresh air and love' alone and although our volunteers aren't paid, we still have weekly overhead costs ticking over which must be met and some years of accumulated losses. We had spent 5 years restoring a beach bungalow in the New Zealand city of Christchurch to the point where its rental income would have generated most of those annual operating costs for us. Unfortunately, severe earthquake damage from a series of quakes in that city since September 2010 has resulted in this option being closed whilst we now wait some further 2-3 years for repairs to start. The value of damage actually exceeds the property valuation in our case. Unlike most earthquakes that strike once and then settle down, Christchurch is enduring some thousands of quakes of 3.0 or greater since September 2010, insurers have removed all new home insurance cover and some 100k properties [in a city with 350k people] need extensive repairs. In this environment, New Zealand [where we are based] donors and tax payers have severe donor fatigure from continually being called on to support the people there. All non-profits here have severely reduced funding. We have no other sources of income at the Radio Heritage Foundation. We therefore make no apology for our repeated reminders that voluntary donations towards our activities are very much needed and very much welcomed and again thank you for bringing this to the attention of your many readers and listeners. Best wishes for 2012 (David Ricquish Radio Heritage Foundation PO Box 20024, Newtown Wellington 6242, New Zealand http://www.radioheritage.com Registered charitable trust Feb 5, DX LISTENING DIGEST) RADIO EQUIPMENT FORUM +++++++++++++++++++++ EXCALIBUR NO MATCH FOR THE NRD545 Re 12-05: The credit was missing for this item. It was from Chuck Bolland, FL, and he was referring to his log in the same issue of R. Sicuani, PERU, on 4826.35 (gh) Viz.: ``Note: Although I was able to see a presentation of this station using the Excalibur, hearing any audio was close to impossible. I had to go with the NRD545 to hear audio. The Excalibur is not recommended for DXing in my humble opinion. So I will always rely on the NRD545 as a top of the line DX receiver (Chuck Bolland, FL, Jan 26, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST)`` --- And it brought this response: Glenn, I was reading with much interest the "review and opinion" of the Excalibur in the latest DXLD. Being a skeptic on DSP radios (I`m old school) I bought one after reading the review in WRTVH. Being that I have access to some pretty good receivers (ITT Mackay MS5050A and Harris RF590A to name a few), I`m surprised at the reviewer`s comments. After doing numerous comparisons, the Excalibur is a DX machine in my opinion. Now it could be that the fellow that made the comments in DXLD has a pig for a computer. With these receivers the work is done by your computer. Big is better when it comes to these receivers really playing. In my case I`m using a quad core AMD and would be willing to put this receiver up against any of current manufacture. And as we all know, the folks at WRTVH would rip this receiver a new ass if its wasn`t up to snuff. Let`s face it: they hate everything. For some reason they were impressed as I am 73 (Glenn Swiderski, NC, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Nuovo ricevitore SDR made in Italy / NEW SDR RECEIVER MADE IN ITALY Ciao, è in arrivo un nuovo ricevitore SDR made in Italy, by Elad. Dovrebbe essere utilizzabile anche per le FM. A new SDR receiver made in Italy is coming, it could be used also for FM DXing: http://radiodxinfo.blogspot.com/2012/02/fdm-s1-nuovo-sdr-made-in-italy.html (Giampiero Bernardini, Milano, Italy, Feb 4, HCDX and dxldyg via DXLD) Thanks for alerting us to this interesting product, Giampiero. My Italian is not very good but I see that the software is limited to a recording bandwidth of 192 kHz. Perseus was limited and gradually expanded its capabilities - perhaps the ELAD will too. At 399 Euros the price is competitive compared to Perseus. I notice that ELAD's own website does not mention this product! There is more in English at the link below. http://www.woodboxradio.com/fdm-s1.html The Tmate is an interesting development. This web site led me to Microtelecom' s FM+ I was not previously aware of this, an FM broadcast band converter for Perseus (Andrew Brade, Feb 4, MWCircle via DXLD) TECSUN PL-360 The telescopic antenna on my Kaito KA1107 is now loose and must be leaned against something. I still love and respect the Kaito KA1107. Once, it received intelligibly, while a Grundig Yacht Boy 400 with a Sony loop amplified antenna did not. I have received a very new Tecsum [sic thruout] PK-360 [sic] receiver as a gift from Universal Radio. Tecsum make the Grundig G4000A, Grundig M400, Kaito KA1107 and more. Kaito represents Tecsum in the USA. The Tecsum PL-360 is tall and narrow. It stands on its base, but falls over easily. There is no line-out jack. There is no ac adaptor. There is a USB socket for external power. Ni-MH batteries can be recharged in the PL-360. There is no keyboard. There is no jack for an external antenna. There is a short wire external antenna which clips onto the telescopic antenna. The wind-up antenna of the Sony ICF SW77 clips onto its telescopic antenna and has no effect. The wire antenna of the Tecsum PL-360 has a huge effect, for better or worse. The Tecsum PL-360 tunes only to the nearest kHz. You cannot tune 11730.5 kHz. There is no BFO, SSB or ECSS. The tuning knob moves in notches from one notch to the next. There is a 24 hour clock. The alarm function merely switches the receiver on. There is no buzzer. There is a belt clip. I cannot remove it. It does no harm. There is a pouch which reminds me of the Grundig M400. The shape of the Tecsum PL-360 lets me hold it in my fist. Imagine a globe around my fist. I can point the antenna to any point on the globe. This often helps. I can easily change the frequency coverage of FM to include Japanese FM. I can easily change the frequency coverage of MW to include Long Wave. However, the sensitivity on Long Wave is low. There is a good reason not to expand LW and FM. There are two full size memory systems. Tuning without them can be hard work. You move to the bottom of the band; and then you twirl the tuning knob to reach your desired frequency. When you twirl fast each notch moves you 5 kHz on short wave. That can amount to a lot of twirling. I use some 25 presets in the main memory as stepping stones. I scan them. I stop at the preset nearest my desired frequency and then twirl. The Tecsum PL-360 has Digital Signal Processing, DSP. This means you can determine the frequency of a station with your ears alone, for it sounds much softer when even one kHz off frequency. This enables ETM. ETM is Easy Tuning Mode, and has its own memory system. I can load the frequencies of all the stations into the ETM memory quickly and easily and the each tuning notch brings me another station. I like this. For tuning 16 meters I must use the wire-antenna. You can have the clock on the screen together with the frequency. It is too easy to erase all of main memory. WRTH once said every modern receiver has high sensitivity. I think the Tecsum PL-360 has only moderate sensitivity on purpose. This makes sense to me for I am only interested in strong stations. You have noticed no mention of an s-meter. There is a substitute and I must learn how to use it. It was hard to learn what I know now about the Tecsum PL-360 and I still have a lot more to learn. The Tecsum PL-360 is very economical on batteries and has an icon showing battery strength. The Tecsum PL-360 will work for a long time after that icon indicates you should change batteries. Change batteries only after the Tecsum PL-360 will not work any longer. The Tecsum PL-360 is noisy; the Sony ICF-SW77 is sometimes noisy too. The Tecsum PL-360 has an internal ferrite antenna for medium wave. The external plug-in MW antenna gives you directivity without turning the receiver and a little more signal strength. Do not pull in the plug or pin for it will come off. On short wave I can browse stations forward or backward, 5 seconds each. If there is a preset in position 200 in the main memory, I can browse main memory until I get to it or I can twirl 199 notches. The Tecsum PL-360 weighs 200 grams with batteries. To me it is revolutionary with a new concept of short wave listening which may be right for many people. It took me a long time to learn this little but will learn more and report to you in another article when I know more. I suggest you wait for it, if you want to buy any Tecsum receiver try Universal Radio first before the internet (David Crystal, Israel, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) PL-380 vs PL-210 RECEIVERS Hello Curtis, Thanks for your question on the PL-380 and PL-210 receivers. I have both of them, and have compared them to each other. The PL-380 DSP receiver is a very popular radio in the Ultralight DX group because of its 1 kHz DSP selectivity and less-irritating soft mute threshold. Its AM selectivity is in a different league than that of the PL-210, so if you are looking for the best adjacent-channel rejection in a pocket radio, the PL-380 would be your choice. A full review of the model is posted at http://www.mediafire.com/?w4yuzhj2kyz The Tecsun PL-210 model lacks the PL-380's breakthrough DSP selectivity, and the "dual conversion" feature doesn't improve the radio's AM sensitivity or selectivity. For the cheaper Tecsun pocket radios, "dual conversion" is simply a band-aid approach to try limiting image frequency reception, especially on the Shortwave bands. It sounds impressive, but really doesn't accomplish anything for DX reception. 73, (Gary DeBock (in Puyallup, WA, USA) Ultralight Radio Group Co-Founder, IRCA via DXLD) REPORT ON TECSUN PL-660 SW RECEIVER Glenn: For the benefit of your audience, I issue an unfavorable report on the subject SW receiver. Although there are several desirable features on this radio, I began to experience sporadic operation from it. The ON-OFF and volume controls went "haywire". The radio played well on FM, but after tuning in a SW frequency, the set played normally until I turned the tuning knob. As soon as I turned the knob, reception ceased. I could press the POWER button and restore the sound, the cycle would repeat if I turned the tuning knob. Also, except for FM, the listening was not reliable. The reception would cease after a while. The selectivity of the receiver is good. It has 2,000 presets (800 for SW). It's impossible to operate in dim light for those of us who are not skilled in Braille. There are no backlights for the number pad and band selector button. However, I would have learned to use the set if it had not starting "getting wild" with me. I have an ATS-909X enroute. I used to own the predecessor model, ATS- 909. It's more to my style of SWL. It's toutly [sic] fairly well in the WRTH 2012 text. It's a Sangean product. I've had good service from their stuff. I realize that some "purer" SWL'ers may disagree with me about the Tecsun PL_660. There are many fine reviews written about the radio. I'll muddle through without one (Wendell Lloyd, Rockport, Texas, DX LISTENING DIGEST) DEGEN DE-1103 = KAITO KA1103 If you are looking for a decent cheap Chinese radio with a lot of capability there is one reviewed in this video episode of AmatureLogicTV on YouTube. It is of the Degen DE-1103 and is also sold under the name Kaito KA1103 and sold in the US at Universal Radio and other outlets online, same exact radio. I don't have one but was thinking of getting one based on this review. The review of the radio starts at 34:10 on the video time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiwMKdaQCQ0&feature=plcp&context=C3f7ab70UDOEgsToPDskKSSouwiKZstoJecVSbuxhd 73 (Tom Bewick, IRCA via DXLD) OMEGA RECHARGEABLE PORTABLE 12-BAND RADIO: Specifications: • FM frequency range: 88-108MHz • MW frequency range: 530-1600KHz • LW frequency range: 150-280KHz • SW frequency range: 6-18MHz • Speaker: 102mm diameter; 4 Ohm, 5W • Power supply: AC 240V, 50Hz; DC 3V (2 x R20) • Maximum output power: 150mW • Dimensions: Width 25cm; Depth 7cm; Height 14cm (19cm with handle lifted) • Telescopic aerial length: 18-77cm • Rechargeable battery: 2 x Ni-MH 650mAh 2.4V • Battery life approx 500 charging cycles • Net weight: 870g (Sunday Express promotion via Edwin Southwell, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RADIOS? http://technologizer.com/2012/02/06/whatever-happened-to-radios/ Everyone knows that certain technology products are endangered species. Film cameras, for instance. Turntables. Payphones. Odds are pretty good that you haven't used any of them recently. If you're young enough, you might never have used them. I never thought of pocket-sized AM/FM radios–the sort with built-in radios and telescoping antennae–as falling into this category of obviously-doomed products. I assumed that any store that sold electronic gadgets of any sort still stocked them. But last week, my mother, who I've been visiting in Boston, asked for one. And boy, was I surprised by how tough it was to find one for sale locally. Please don't reflexively mock mom as a Luddite: She owns an iPhone, a BlackBerry, and a Kindle, and was the first person I knew who owned a laptop computer–way back in 1983 or thereabouts. But she wanted to press one button on an affordable, portable device to hear WBUR, her favorite station. For that, a pocket radio still sounded like the best option. Now, mom already had a fancy portable radio–an Eton that can run on batteries, solar energy, or hand-cranked power, and which doubles as a flashlight and phone recharger. She asked me to help her with it. It took me ten minutes to figure out how to make it play WBUR, which seemed like a bad sign. That's why I figured she'd be happier with a simple pocket AM/FM model. And I thought, not unreasonably, that I'd buy it at RadioShack. Then my father pointed out that my sister, who'd visited earlier, had bought the Eton at Best Buy–because she couldn't find a garden-variety radio at RadioShack or Best Buy. I decided to try again. I went to two nearby RadioShacks. Flavoradio Once upon a time, RadioShack sold gazillions of radio models. It feels really silly to go into something called "RadioShack" and ask if it carries radios–especially when the answer is no. (One of the locations, in a mall otherwise dominated by stores such as Aeropostale and Victoria's Secret, had shelf after shelf of diodes and transistors for sale–I wonder when was the last time anyone bought any of those?– but no radios.) I also tried two Best Buys, and a Target. None of them had a straightforward pocket radio with a built-in speaker. All of these stores did have related products of several sorts I wasn't looking for, such as tabletop iPod docks with built-in radios, clock radios, and weather radios. I also saw more hand-cranked Etons in a variety of sizes–radio apparently being something that people think of as an emergency supply rather than an everyday necessity. At one Best Buy, I even saw a Walkman with a tape player as well as a built-in radio–a classic gadget I didn't know was still extant. But I didn't want a radio that also did other things, or something else that was also a radio. I wanted a radio. Over on Twitter, folks had lots of advice, all of it interesting: @harrymccracken Did you try Frys? Also, if your Mom doesn't mind a used version, Weird Stuff in Sunnyvale might have it.— Kevin Krewell (@Krewell) February 04, 2012 (I'm sure Fry's has them, and I love the Weird Stuff Warehouse–but they're both thousands of miles from Boston.) @harrymccracken try a drug store. CVS, Walgreens etc— victor marks (@vmarks) February 04, 2012 (I checked two CVS locations; no joy.) @harrymccracken Target sells radios.— lauralou (@bubbaloucious) February 04, 2012 (No they don't. Or at least the one I visited didn't have any plain ol' AM/FM radios–although it did have Sonos music systems and other surprisingly sophisticated stuff.) @harrymccracken eBay.— Cynthia Schames (@CynthiaSchames) February 03, 2012 (Thousands of them, I'm sure, but I wanted one right away.) @harrymccracken Does get much simpler then the PAL from Tivoli Audio. Mother approved. bit.ly/Ao2ZBA— Adam Belzycki (@Belzycki) February 03, 2012 (Neat! Also $219.99.) @harrymccracken Perhaps there's something here at C. Crane? ccrane.com— Scott (@scottgfx) February 03, 2012 (Looks like it would be a good option if I could wait for it to arrive.) @harrymccracken something like this? amzn.to/yUKXDp— chuq von rospach (@chuq) February 03, 2012 (Ditto.) Eventually, when I was flirting with giving up and ordering online, I decided to make one last stop – at the oldest surviving RadioShack, on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. As RadioShacks go, it's spacious and fairly well-stocked. If the oldest RadioShack of them all no longer sold radios, it would just be sad. "Good evening," a staffer jauntily greeted me when I walked in. "What brings you to the Shack tonight?" When I told him what I was looking for, he said that yes, yes the store did stock radios. In fact, someone else had been in earlier that day looking for one. He led me to the very back of the store, where two radios were hanging in blister packs: a $14.99 one with a traditional station indicator, and a $29.99 one with digital tuning. I opted for the former–that's it up at the top of this post–and bought AA batteries for it. (The clerk somehow convinced me to buy a 36-pack of them.) Mission finally accomplished. So why was it so hard to find? It's tempting to assume that the iPod or the iPhone or the iPad killed the classic pocket radio. But as I think about it, I believe that radios of the sort my mom wanted were archaic long before the age of digital music. Starting in the 1970s, they were done in by two newer, trendier types of radio: the Walkman (and its imitators) and boom boxes. Both provided high-quality sound than a pocket radio. If you wanted to listen privately, you wanted a Walkman; if you wanted everyone else to hear, you wanted a boom box. But you probably didn't want a dinky monophonic radio with a tinny built-in speaker. The excellent site Radio Shack Catalogs chronicles the decline of the pocket radio: In 1960s and 1970s catalogs, there was a major section teeming with `em. By 2000, the year before the iPod debuted, the selection had already dwindled down to a few perfunctory options. I just didn't notice until now. Radio, obviously, isn't dead; it remains one of the most mass-market forms of mass media. But outside of cars, I wonder how many people listen to it on a device that's a radio, and nothing else? (via starship20012001, ABDX via DXLD) Interesting story. I think nowadays you get the best selection of pocket and portable radios online. The CCRadio EP comes to mind for a good small portable radio, although not necessarily pocket size. I hardly ever go to an old fashioned store anymore for radio items. Why waste gas, fight traffic, fight for a parking space, when you can order something online and have it delivered right to your door? Driving downtown through traffic to a store is getting too old fashioned for me nowadays. 73 - (Todd WD4NGG, Feb 8, ABDX via DXLD) ROBERTS INTERNET RADIO Roberts Radio featured a series of radio advertisements on Irish radio in the lead up to Christmas for their internet radios. They emphasised the wide selection of radio programming available from around the world. Their website has an introduction to internet radio which makes several references to shortwave radio. This can be read at http://bit.ly/zcDtah The article points out that for internet radio you will need a modem. You will also need a router, but modern ADSL and cable modems generally include a router to allow several devices to be connected. Internet radios can connect to such a router using either a wired connection, or wirelessly if your router supports Wi-Fi (Jonathan Murphy, UK? Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) VIDEO SHOWING INTERFERENCE FROM LED LIGHT BULBS Thilo Kootz, DL9KCE, Vice Chairman of the EMC Working Group in IARU region 1 has posted a video to YouTube under the username DARCHAMRADIO on interference to longwave, shortwave and mediumwave from LED lightbulbs. He has tested some energy saving LED lightbulbs rated at 8 watts, the equivalent of 60 watts on an ordinary lightbulb. Electronics in the socket of the lamp are used to drive the LED at peak efficiency. Due to this there is an alternating current of high frequencies going in and out of the lightbulb producing electronic interference. He tested some LED bulbs using a software defined receiver, the PERSEUS, enabling him to look at the effect of each bulb on a 1.6 MHz spectrum. Measurements showed that some light bulbs caused little interference but others would prevent use of the long, medium and shortwave spectrum, even if they were installed in a neighbouring property. To view the video put LED light bulb disturbances in the YouTube search engine (Mike Barraclough, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) RFI, RF POLLUTION PROBLEM IN ST. LOUIS AREA Hi, Glenn! Front-page article in today's Post-Dispatch: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/stcharles/garage-door-openers-stop-working-on-st-charles-county-street/article_38abbb98-7d73-52e8-b192-f91f3ed9263c.html The "Twilight Zone" visits local suburbia. 73, (Will Martin, MO, Feb 6, DXLD) Hi again, Glenn! Here's a followup article claiming to have found the reason: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/garage-door-mystery-in-st-charles-county-is-solved/article_199e0a06-51d6-11e1-9c50-001a4bcf6878.html 73, (Will Martin, Feb 9, ibid.) WOODPECKER IMAGES Dear Glen[n], Several of the images referenced show the monster over the horizon radar (transmitting & receiving?) antennas that were raising hell with short wave years ago. Can you please remember the nick name for this interference? Was it called the "Woodpecker"? Did you ever hear how wide and or high the antenna was? Now we can buy a poster for the shack wall showing the antennas. I think I'll get two! Ha!!! Best to you and yours (Jan, Peaches & Weasel, Schrader, Meth Meadows, Missouri, DX LISTENING DIGEST) Viz.: SOME HISTORICAL INTELLIGENCE SATELLITE IMAGERY DECLASSIFIED February 1st, 2012 by Steven Aftergood A handful of historical intelligence satellite images were declassified last month to coincide with a new display of the GAMBIT and HEXAGON spy satellites at the National Air Force Museum at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base. http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2012/02/imagery_declass_hex.html (via Schrader, DXLD) CONGRESS ASKS FCC TO REVIEW FM ON MOBILES Inside Radio February 6, 2012 To broadcasters there’s no debate: cell phones should include FM capabilities. There appears to be growing support for the idea in Washington as well, as the Congressional Black Caucus last week asked the FCC to hold a hearing looking into the idea. But it remains a thorny issue — and the wireless industry shows no sign of backing down on its opposition. Insideradio.com (via Mike Terry, UK, Feb 6, dxldyg via DXLD) What do they mean by "FM capabilities"? Do they want the cell phones to work as FM Radio Receivers (Scanners) or do they want these phones to have FM broadcast receive capability? Are they asking for these phones to operate as low power FM transceivers? What the hell are they beating around the bush about? (Dan Hensley, ibid.) NAB means the following: "Why Radio Chips in Cell Phones Shouldn't be an Option, but a Necessity" http://www.radiorocksmyphone.com/ 73 (Andy Lawendel, Italy, ibid.) As it is always, this is about money and lobbying muscle in Washington. I don't think there's any particular benefit to consumers by making FM radio mandatory on cell phones. It'll increase the price of the phones incrementally and really benefit the NAB members by increasing their advertising reach. All consumers should do is try to stay clear of the elbows and fists (John Figliozzi, NY, ibid.) Geez, why not AM and SW too? (gh, DXLD) PIRATES, PIRATES EVERYWHERE - FINES UP TO $25,000 FOR UNLICENSED RADIO STATIONS --- JD Supra, By Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, February 6, 2102 For an industry that some say is about to be made obsolete because of its digital competition, there are still many people who want a piece of the FM spectrum. We've written much about the contest between LPFM and translator proponents seeking their piece of FM spectrum - a contest that we should see resolved by the FCC in the very near future. One topic that we have not written much about is "pirate radio," stations that operate illegally - without FCC authority. This week, the FCC issued several orders, fining individuals up to $25,000 for operating pirate radio stations in various places around the country (see decisions here and here, and two other fines of $20,000 or more noted below). Pirate radio has been and remains a big problem for many broadcasters and, despite the fines in cases like this, pirates seem to continue to crop up - especially in urban markets. The pirate radio problem has always been with broadcasters. In the past there was both the romance of the outlaw radio operator and concerns over the snake oil salesmen who were broadcasting from stations in Mexico, and there was a famous religious broadcaster who lost a battle with the FCC over the Fairness Doctrine in connection with a real radio station and then resumed operations from a boat off the coast of New Jersey. But in the last 20 years pirates have been much more localized, low power operators, trying to reach audiences largely in urban areas. Despite a series of court decisions rejecting any First Amendment claim of pirates, and denying any claim that these low-power, local stations did not implicate the FCC's power over interstate commerce regulation, pirates have never gone away. In many ways, the FCC introduced the concept of Low Power FM stations in the 1990s as a way to provide an outlet for those who might otherwise be inclined to operate an unlicensed station. In fact, one of the big arguments at the time of the initiation of LPFM was whether former pirate radio operators should be allowed to apply for LPFM stations. But LPFM has never stemmed the pirate radio tide, as these stations keep cropping up all over the country. Perhaps LPFM has not been rolled out fast enough, or perhaps it simply is easier to just throw up a pirate station, rather than having to wait for the FCC processes - which, in the end, may not allow for a radio station in a particular community anyway because of interference concerns. The interference concerns are, of course, the biggest issue - as many full-power stations, which have been purchased for significant sums and which have large audiences, can have real issues reaching these audiences because of pirate radio stations. The pirates can also threaten public safety, as was the case with one pirate fined $20,000 last week for operating an illegal station that was causing interference to frequencies adjacent to the FM band that are used for FAA purposes... Full article here: http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=d6259149-23c7-4b15-8817-70caef9fd12c (via Mike Terry, Feb 6, dxldyg via DXLD) US ARMY’S SEARCH FOR THE ‘PERFECT RADIO’ Here is something you have always wanted or at least thought about using. That single easy-to-use box that can tune from HF to light and do it well. One screen, one antenna. The perfect radio. The good news is that the US Army has spent the time, the money and the effort looking for one. The bad news is they cannot find one after 15 years and $17 billion. Below is Wired News’ edited report. INSIDE THE ARMY'S DOOMED QUEST FOR THE 'PERFECT' RADIO By David Axe January 11, 2012 Over the past 15 years the Army has spent $17 billion on a doomed attempt to build a “universal” radio — that is, a single radio model capable of replacing the many different radio types in everyday use by front-line troops. After struggling for years with escalating size, weight and complexity, in October the Army finally canceled the Ground Mobile Radio, the main version of this so-called Joint Tactical Radio System. The ill-fated JTRS — or “Jitters,” as it’s known — isn’t the military’s most expensive gearbuying faceplant. Not by a long shot. But it is a uniquely damaging one. For while the Army tried and failed to replace many radios with one, combat units have had to make do with outdated systems that have left them vulnerable on the battlefield. Today, as in years past, soldiers have to slow down or even stop in order to deploy their vast, complex arsenal of old-fashioned radios. Jitters became a formal military requirement in 1997, when the Army announced its intention to develop a “software-programmable and hardware-configurable digital radio system … to provide increased interoperability, flexibility and adaptability.” That requirement spawned a planned decade-long initiative, led by Boeing but including several other big defense contractors. Jitters was projected to cost $30 billion for a quarter-million radios, each replacing no fewer than three old-style radios. The idea of simpler and therefore more mobile comms was a sound one. It was the extremely high degree of simplification the Army sought that proved to be Jitters’ fatal flaw. Each of the three radios a single Jitters device was meant to replace is tailored for a different purpose, meaning a different combination of antenna, waveform, power, processing and encryption. Blending all those radios into a single system is essentially impossible. Ace reporter Greg Grant, before he became a speechwriter for former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, parsed this problem in a piece for Defense News that is sadly no longer online, but is quoted here. “The desire to use a single antenna for many different wavelengths bumps up against laws of physics, which make it difficult to pull in strong signals across the spectrum,” Grant wrote. He also pointed out that an amplifier that works across a wide spectrum “will use much more electrical power than one tuned for a specific frequency band.” In short, the more different capabilities that the Army and Boeing packed into the universal Jitters ground radio, the bigger, and more complex and more expensive it became — until it was too bulky and unreliable for combat. In its relentless drive for conceptual simplicity for its new radio, the Army found itself mired in mechanical complexity. By the time the Army canceled it, the ground radio had tripled in complexity and bulked up to the size of a small refrigerator. “JTRS really bit off more than it could chew,” says Lewis Johnston, a vice president at Thalès, a major radio-maker. Jitters began in the overly-optimistic dot-com 1990s, but its roots go much deeper. The universal radio’s long history reflects the shifting technological fads, and follies, of several eras. In 1976, Thomas Rona, an engineer for Boeing who later became a technology adviser to the Reagan administration, penned a study entitled, “Weapons Systems and Information War.” It was the first widely-read (in Pentagon circles) publication to conceptualize information and communication as weapons, something now accepted as truth inside the Pentagon. Rona’s concept had implications at every level of warfare, from the lowliest individual soldier to the highest strategic planners. It took a major ground campaign to shift the military’s attention to soldiers and radios. In February 1991, U.S.-led coalition launched its 100-hour ground war to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi army. The coalition strategy hinged on a daring move. The U.S. Army’s 18th Airborne Corps, with thousands of vehicles and tens of thousands of soldiers, would drive 100 miles into southern Iraq, then pivot eastward like a boxer swinging with his left arm. The so-called “Left Hook” would trap the Iraqi army between separate coalition forces. It was a risky strategy. The tank and infantry companies comprising the Left Hook’s “fist” would have to be in motion the entire time, with no opportunity to stop and set up all their radios. “It had to be pre-planned, because we didn’t have communications on the move,” recalls Mike Nott, a former soldier now overseeing Army radio tests. The Army got lucky and the Left Hook went off as planned. But Pentagon insiders knew what a disaster it could have been. They realized the Army needed simpler, better radios that would allow units to talk on the move. That was the second point at which the military had the momentum to pursue an improved, more nimble communications system. Instead of massive, densely-packed armies following carefully-laid, inflexible plans, Arquilla’s “cyberwar” force would feature widely- spread, small groups of soldiers equipped with the latest sensors and communications technology. This highly networked army would be capable of instantly reacting to an enemy and hitting him where he’s weakest. Arquilla’s vision of a networked military proved irresistible to Army planners. Instead of simply developing improved, slightly simpler, more mobile radios to address the Left Hook problem, they aspired to something far grander: a top-to-bottom transformation of the U.S. Army into Arquilla’s cyberwar force. Jitters lay at the heart of this new concept. To an Army caught up in the excitement of the dot-com era, the vision’s technical aspects posed no problem. Planners took it on faith that new technology would overcome any and all real-world obstacles. That faith in cutting-edge technology was just one of several naive assumptions that guided, or misguided Army investments in the ’90s and resulted in a force profoundly ill-prepared for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Only now is the military finally giving up on the cyberwar force, just as it earlier abandoned the idea of strategic information warfare. With Jitters mostly in the grave where it belongs, the Army can focus on building modestly improved radios, ones that might finally get the ground troops talking and moving at the same time. “Militaries develop sets of assumptions and expectations and then they want to fight wars the way they think they should be fought according to those expectations,” explains Dr. John Lynn, a professor of military history at Northwestern University. But as Jitters has proved, reality isn’t always compatible with the assumptions (via Worldwide Utility Column, illustrated, Feb CIDX Messenger via DXLD) Duh PROPAGATION +++++++++++ NON-RECIPROCITY IN MW DX PROPAGATION TROON LOG 28/01 - COLOMBIA IN ABUNDANCE Amazing conditions to Colombia here during the early hours of Saturday with a few personal firsts. Also good to Puerto Rico with some less common stations heard. 730 Lider http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RealDX/files/Paul_Crankshaw/730lider.mp3 760 Delfin http://groups.yahoo.com/group/RealDX/files/Paul_Crankshaw/1060.mp3 [and many more] (Paul Crankshaw, Troon, Scotland, MWCircle via DXLD) A fine list, Paul. Alas, not on myself but I guess if you added all the Colombians heard this month it must be close to 100 hi! I wonder if Colombian DXers have had reciprocal reception from Northern Europe? Best wishes (Barry : -) Davies, (Carlisle UK, PERSEUS, 3.7m x 10m Flag + FLG100 amp), 29 Jan MWCircle yg via DXLD) Hi Barry, no way! I have DXed all over Latin America and can assure you MW reciprocity does not exist ,-( I never got Britain from Rio de Janeiro, for example, even with great antennas and silent locations. Norway 1314 was common, but it was 2000 kW! Instead I sometimes get China and Taiwan! Apart from dial crowding, all S-N propagation is extremely difficult. Few US stations in 15 years activity and even getting Venezuela or Colombia from South Brazil is rare. Auroral conditions don't seem to work either. What we have here are dominant MiddleEast conditions (last night I had a dozen Iranians...) in our summer and some Africa in the winter I may guess that from a Colombian beach, at times, you may get some whistles from high frequencies in the Gulf region, 1512- 1521-1575 etc and maybe some strong Spaniard or French hets (Rocco Cotroneo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ibid.) Cheers Rocco for the feedback. I know if we are getting West coast or the Prairies they do get Trans-Atlantic signals. Best wishes (Barry Davies, ibid.) Yes, very likely so, Barry. But the band is much more crowded in Colombia or Ecuador than you would believe. On Jan 19, 1985, I was using a new Sony portable in Baños, Tungurahua, Ecuador. The receiver had no switch between wide and narrow. As an antenna I was using a thick copper wire used as an earth connexion for the houses in the compound where I was staying. The wire ran 30 cm above ground for some 20 metres ending in a copper plate buried in the ground. Between 0100 and 0200 local time, 0600-0700 UT, and interfering with all the locals and semi-locals, I logged WDR on 1593, the Vatican on 1611, Switzerland on 1566, Luxemburg on 1440. I later heard from my correspondents in Sweden that propagation conditions had been excellent towards Colombia and Ecuador at that particular time. BTW, in Ecuador at night, the Colombians were usually stronger than the Ecuadoreans (Henrik Klemetz, ibid.) 1985 was another era, Henrik. Most LA stations were off at 0400 or 0500, and those EU stations you mention carried hundreds of kw. You may measure reciprocity on a level playing field, and there is no chance that you can get a 5 or 10kw UK station now or ever in Colombia, believe me. Signals tend to travel north, toward the magnetic pole, much more than the other way, as we all know. Here in Brasil, Europe is easier in our summer/your winter, which is not the best LA season for you, so I don't think there is much reciprocity in general patterns, apart from specific situations (Rocco Cotroneo, ibid.) I think there is another factor at work too. The closer you are to the equator the higher the level of natural noise becomes because of thunderstorms. This means that even if a signal is present, it will be harder to hear clearly. That certainly give listeners locate above 50 degrees latitude a natural S/N advantage. 73 (Steve Whitt, UK, ibid.) Static is terrible in the Caribbean, Steve, as far as I have experienced. People in Florida too just unplug their radios during a few months. Here in Rio is not that bad unless you have a thunderstorm on your head, and I had worst days in Italy for sure (Rocco Cotroneo, ibid.) Propagation conditions in Ecuador and Colombia are a bit special. MW is down and almost dead between 2:30 and 4:30 pm, which is also the hours when thunderstorms occur, at least in the mountainous areas. In Central America, Honduras for example, thunderstorms occur nightly, not necessarily in the afternoon as in Ecuador and Colombia. During my years in these countries I was always closely checking the weather, as the front end transistor on another Sony I was using, the 2001D, was easily - and repeatedly - damaged during thunderstorms. In Colombia, say in Bogotá, when there is a thunderstorm, one has to unplug the antenna (and the mains), but otherwise the level of static is LESS prominent than in many other areas, even compared to Europe. What is unusual to a European is the fact that the thunderstorm, lightning and rain shower is over in 30 minutes. But when it rains, it rains cats and dogs. Ecuadoreans were off at midnight, save certain execeptions. Colombians were operating around the clock in the mid 80's. You have to consider that the receiver I was using, a Sony ICF 6500W at that time had a much wider filter than the ICF2001D which I used later. I had a Panasonic RF29 too, but that receiver was less efficient on MW than the 6500 despite its having a narrow and wide filter. I agree that the stations (excepting the Vatican on 1611 which was 15 kW) I heard were high power stations, more or less similar to those Central European, North African and Middle Eastern DX stations, North American DXers are happy to find on an expedition to Newfoundland. The January 19 experience I had in Ecuador was similar to those flash openings of Colombia and Ecuador I discovered in northern Sweden in the early 60´s. (That WAS a discovery; nobody had ever tried to find something in between the high powered Europeans at 0700 or 0800 local time in the morning). I was using a domestic receiver at the time, but when revealing my discoveries to a friend who was using a Hammarlund HQ180A he managed to log the same stations with much less interference. (Recordings exist). I also discovered that short antennas (no longer than 100 m) were OK for these openings, and so I believe the angle of the incoming signals was relatively high. I failed to mention that I do agree with you that signals travel north (or south, to NZ) rather than vice versa, especially is the magnetic equator has to be surpassed. One thing I noticed in Ecuador and Colombia was that Brazilians were great rarities (excepting those in the Amazone region). I think I heard Rádio Tupi 1280 only twice of three times in many years. From Argentina nothing, except LRA 870 which came in once or twice. And I am talking of years of monitoring, Rocco. I am looking for comparative data concerning the influence of the magnetic equator, and I suppose you might be able to provide some. When we are hearing Xapuri in Scandinavia, you can do that in Colombia too, but not in São Paulo. When vacationing on the Canary Islands, I could easily log stations in the Caribbean, Mexico and the Atlantic seabord, but Brazil and La Plata were out of reach. BTW, the level of statics on the Canary Islands was higher than in Colombia or Ecuador. The Jan 19/85 log may have been something like a one-off event, I don't know. I did no nighttime DXing when I was in Colombia a few years later. But I do recall that conditions towards NW South America were on top that particular morning. So it may be difficult to talk about reciprocity. In Texas you may not be able to tune in to Argentina, but from Argentina you will certainly find a couple of Texans. Sitting in northern Europe, in 2012, we are now in an advantageous situation as much of the local and semi-local QRM is off /HK (Henrik Klemetz, MWCircle yg via DXLD) WIDEBAND SLOW PULSE SIGNALS ON HF and NOSTRADAMUS Sunspot activity is improving higher frequency reception, especially 21 MHz and above. Around midday there can be up to 10 frequencies occupied, and on 25.0 MHz the Finnish beacon can peak to S6 around noon. CB 27 MHz is more active but there are now a huge number of Russian taxis using the frequencies and either side too, i.e. into the 10 metre amateur band, especially up to 28.4 MHz, and down even to just above 25 MHz too into the 11 metre broadcast band. Not heard DRM or Radio Maria on 11 metres for some months. The wideband slow pulse signals that I have mentioned before have been off for a number of days recently. The first disappearance was just after Christmas until Jan 2nd when I noticed the signals on the lower frequencies were reduced in level by about 6 dB, the ones on 19 MHz and above were normal level. Again the signals were off from Jan 10th until 18th. I do not know why. In fact in asking about these strange signals in the last five years I have got very little information and if I were paranoid I would say there is a conspiracy of silence on the subject. Surely some radio amateur with a beam aerial for 21 MHz could get a good idea of the direction from which the signals are originating. As for the technology and the reason for the system I cannot even guess. Transmitting slow (5 to 6 Hz) pulses over a 4 to 8 MHz bandwidth must be difficult enough but how do you get ‘intelligence’ from them at the far end? They are not radar signals (like the very powerful 1 MHz wide NOSTRADAMUS or the 20 to 50 kHz wide intermittent radar signals which pop up all over the place at times). One correspondent hinted to me that there is some form of phase/spacing variation between the three wide bands of transmission. Military communications operators are aware of the signals but information is not forthcoming. The mystery continues. With the rapid closedown of transmitters across the shortwave broadcast bands, I note a lot of weak Asiatic signals lately all day across the 6 and 7 MHz bands. Most seem to be Chinese but I suspect other languages could be Korean, Tibetan and other languages. On a good day I can only find 4 or 5 completely unoccupied channels in each band but you would want to have a good aerial and low noise location to figure that out. I am amazed with the level of noise now in urban locations – no doubt with all the digital equipment and terrible switched mode supplies. CFLs and chargers for electric bikes are really terrible emitters of noise I notice (Des Walsh, Ireland, Making Contact, Feb World DX Club Contact via DXLD) The NOSTRADAMUS radar Des mentions is in France. Wikipedia says: The French have developed an over the horizon radar called NOSTRADAMUS (stands for New Transhorizon Decametric System Applying Studio Methods) during the 1990s. It entered in service for the French army in 2005, but is still in development. It is based on a star shaped antenna field used for emission and reception (monostatic) able to detect every aircraft at more than one thousand kilometres, in a 360 degree arc. The frequency range used is from 6 to 30 MHz (Mike Barraclough, ed., ibid.) P.I.G. Bulletin 120205 Solar activity will remain relatively low until February 11. Quick enhancement of activity level is possible since February 13, depending on return of active regions to the solar disc. Numerous weak and exceptional isolated middle solar flares are expected until February 11th, followed by period with isolated middle flares, more frequent on second half of February. Geomagnetic field will be: quiet on February 7, 10 - 12, 15 - 17, 29, March 1 - 2, mostly quiet on February 6, 27, quiet to unsettled on February 5, 8, 14, 23 - 24, 26, unsettled on February 9, 22, 25, March 3, quiet to active on February 18 - 19, unsettled to active on February 13, 20, 28, active on February 21. High probability of changes in solar wind which may caused changes in magnetosphere and ionosphere is expected on February 7, (10, 12, 17,) 19 - 20, 22. F. K. Janda, OK1HH Czech Propagation Interested Group (OK1HH & OK1MGW) e-mail: ok1hh(at)rsys.cz (via Dario Monferini, DXLD) SPACE WEATHER DISCUSSED ON SCIENCE FRIDAY Extract from The K7RA Solar Update February 3, 2012 http://www.arrl.org/news/the-k7ra-solar-update-203 In case you missed it last week, Science Friday on NPR ran a fascinating story on space weather, and they spoke with astronomer David Hathaway of NASA and astrophysicist Doug Biesecker of NOAA. They mention ham radio and effects on shortwave radio propagation, and Biesecker gives a fascinating account of Carrington’s observation of a solar flare and how it caused the great magnetic storm of September 2, 1859, in which aurora was observed worldwide. Transcript here [and 25 minute audio]: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/27/145990089/how-space-weather-affects-planes-and-power-grids (via Mike Terry, dxldyg via DXLD) The geomagnetic field was at predominantly quiet to unsettled levels during the past week. The geomagnetic field was quiet, until the arrival of a glancing blow from the asymmetric halo CME that occurred in association with the X1/1f flare on 27 January. The transient passage was observed by the ACE spacecraft at 30/1554Z with a solar wind speed increase from around 320 km/s to near 430 km/s. A weak sudden impulse measuring 8 nT was observed by the Boulder magnetometer at 30/1624Z. The field increased to unsettled levels following the shock but returned to quiet levels by 31/0000Z. Quiet conditions prevailed on 31 January. On 01 February, a coronal hole high speed stream became geoeffective with unsettled to minor storm levels observed at high latitudes and predominantly quiet levels observed at mid latitudes from 01 February through the end of the summary period on 05 February. FORECAST OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY 08 FEBRUARY - 05 MARCH 2012 Solar activity is expected to be at very low to low levels until 10 February, when old Region 1402 (N28, L=214) returns. An increase to low levels with a chance for M-class activity is expected as old Region 1402 transits the visible disk. A decrease to very low to levels is expected to prevail for the remainder of the period. Energetic proton flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to remain near background levels until old Region 1402 returns on 10 February. A slight chance exists for a proton event from 10 -24 February, as old Region 1402 transits the solar disk. A return to background levels is expected for the remainder of the period. The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at normal to moderate levels throughout the period. The geomagnetic field is expected to remain at mostly quiet to unsettled levels through the forecast period. There is potential for active periods with isolated minor storm periods at high latitudes on 09-10 February, on 23 February, and again on 02-03 March, due to effects from coronal hole high speed wind streams. :Product: 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table 27DO.txt :Issued: 2012 Feb 07 2148 UTC # Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center # Product description and SWPC contact on the Web # http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wwire.html # # 27-day Space Weather Outlook Table # Issued 2012-02-07 # # UTC Radio Flux Planetary Largest # Date 10.7 cm A Index Kp Index 2012 Feb 08 110 5 2 2012 Feb 09 100 8 3 2012 Feb 10 100 8 3 2012 Feb 11 105 5 2 2012 Feb 12 105 5 2 2012 Feb 13 105 5 2 2012 Feb 14 105 5 2 2012 Feb 15 110 5 2 2012 Feb 16 110 5 2 2012 Feb 17 110 5 2 2012 Feb 18 110 5 2 2012 Feb 19 110 5 2 2012 Feb 20 110 5 2 2012 Feb 21 110 5 2 2012 Feb 22 110 5 2 2012 Feb 23 110 8 3 2012 Feb 24 110 5 2 2012 Feb 25 105 5 2 2012 Feb 26 105 5 2 2012 Feb 27 105 5 2 2012 Feb 28 105 5 2 2012 Feb 29 105 5 2 2012 Mar 01 100 5 2 2012 Mar 02 100 8 3 2012 Mar 03 100 8 3 2012 Mar 04 100 5 2 2012 Mar 05 100 5 2 (SWPC via WORLD OF RADIO 1603, DXLD) SOLAR-ACTIVITY FORECAST FOR THE PERIOD FEB 10 - FEB 16, 2012 Activity level: very low to low Radio flux (10.7 cm): a fluctuation in the range 100-120 f.u. Flares: weak (1-10/day), middle (0-2/period) Relative sunspot number: in the range 35-95 Astronomical Institute, Solar Dept., Ondrejov, Czech Republic e-mail: sunwatch(at)asu.cas.cz (RWC Prague via Dario Monferini, DXLD) TIPS FOR RATIONAL LIVING ++++++++++++++++++++++++ CAN THE US ARMY EMBRACE ATHEISTS? 3 February 2012 Last updated at 09:48 ET By Kate Dailey BBC News Magazine Sgt Justin Griffith wants atheists to be given more respect in the armed forces [caption] In a land of faith and flag, Justin Griffith is challenging the US military to abandon its religious ties. When he was a child growing up in Plano, Texas - a place he describes as the "oversized, goofy buckle on the Bible belt" - he would bring his bible to science class and debate his teachers on the finer points of evolution. "In my head, I won every time," says Mr Griffith, now 29. But somewhere along the way, his penchant for picking ideological fights with the non-religious got him in trouble. He found it harder and harder to argue with the points they were making. At 13, he suffered a crisis of faith. "It was so painful. I lost my religion before I lost my first girlfriend. Nothing that big had ever happened to me, and I didn't have any coping skills," he says. Mr Griffith found peace with his atheism, but he is not done sparring with the opposite team. As an active-duty sergeant in the US Army, he's leading the charge to get atheists more respect in the armed forces. In the process he is earning attention, both positive and negative, from around the world. Protest rock Mr Griffith's most ambitious project is Rock Beyond Belief, a day-long event on the military base Fort Bragg, North Carolina, complete with children's activities, rock concerts and a lecture by atheism's most visible proponent, author and scientist Richard Dawkins. It is an ambitious plan in an organisation still respectful of religious traditions and in a town that holds Christian values dear. Scheduled for 31 March, Rock Beyond Belief comes two years after another controversial concert at Fort Bragg, "Rock The Fort"... [more] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16859421 (via Gerald T Pollard, NC, DXLD) ###